White Lies by Linda Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who Is This Man?

FINAL DECISION: An enjoyable story of a woman who falls in love with a man thought to be her ex-husband but then she isn’t quite sure that he is.

THE STORY: Jay Granger’s life changes when the FBI comes to her door to tell her that her ex-husband has been in a terrible accident and that they need her to come identify him. Although they have been divorced for five years, Jay cannot abandon Steve Crossfield. She is drawn to the man in the hospital bed but when he wakes he seems so different from the man she remembers loving before.

OPINION: This story is not complicated and I figured out quickly what was happening, but the story is well executed and the characters are so interesting that I was engaged throughout the story. This book was originally published as a category romance and thus lacks some of the sophistication and complexity allowed in a longer novel. I liked these characters who fell in love without really knowing the truth about what happened to Steve. The connection of these characters is visceral — a recognition of spirits. The real mystery in this one is how the truth about Steve’s actions and identity will be revealed and what that will make for the hero and heroine. A fun (not funny) read.

WORTH MENTIONING: Kell Sabin.

CONNECTED BOOKS: WHITE LIES is the fourth book in the loosely connected Rescues series. It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

Heartbreaker by Linda Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pleasant Romantic Suspense Originally Published as a Category Romance

FINAL DECISION: This is an enjoyable read which hints at the more compelling Howard books. For me, the book lacks deep emotional connection with the characters and thus is more forgettable.

THE STORY: MIchelle Cabot inherited her father’s ranch and found that he was deeply in debt. Recovering from an abusive marriage, Michelle is determined to prove herself by working the ranch — even without help. When she discovers that her father had taken a large loan from a neighbor, she is nervous about meeting him again. John Rafferty is the man that Michelle had a crush on years ago and she ran from the intense attraction between them. John has wanted Michelle for years even as he thought her a useless ornament. Now he considers making her his mistress in order to give her an easier life but MIchelle is determined to prove herself a strong woman.

OPINION: I typically really like Howard’s older category romances. They are where I first discovered her before she began writing her popular romantic suspense novels. HEARTBREAKER is a good book but has never had the depth and interest of the other books in this series or her Mackenzie books. I didn’t feel as much connection with or between the main characters and this left me somewhat detached from the story. Not a waste of time read, but not necessarily one I love to revisit.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is one of the earlier books dealing with domestic abuse.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HEARTBREAKER is the third book in the Rescues series. It can be read as a standalone as it only has a small connection to the second book in the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.