1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Series, September 5, 2009
Like the first book in the series, this was another that was impossible to put down -- I read it in a single day, which is amazing considering how long the book is.
While I enjoyed it almost as much as the first, I had to go with a four-star rating because of all the Sam stuff, which got boring and repetitive halfway through the book. I understand the author wanting to keep some semblence of a relationship going for the series, but it was too much of the same thing over and over again -- Sam and Izzy can't decide where they stand, they go on a date, they rekindle old feelings, something happens that gets one of them angry or upset, they fight, lather, rinse, repeat. A few times would've been fine...but this seemed to be happening every chapter or two and it got old real fast.
Looking forward to starting the third book of the series!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart Dialogue, Captivating Images, Realistic Settings and Sexy Characters, July 27, 2009
Readers were introduced to sassy and sophisticated Izzy McNeil in June with RED HOT LIES. Izzy has a knack for being in the middle of scandalous situations, and in RED BLOODED MURDER --- the second novel in a summer trilogy by rising star Laura Caldwell --- our redheaded, "red hot" heroine once again finds herself a suspect in a police investigation.
On the verge of turning 30, the former entertainment lawyer is invited to lunch by past client and TV host Jane Augustine. Jane renews her relationship with Izzy, offering her a job on Trial TV as a reporter followed by a night on the town to celebrate. Things are looking up for Izzy, especially when young, sexy, hot Theo can't keep his eyes and hands off of her. Newly single, Izzy succumbs to the allure of temptation.
The picture quickly becomes cloudy when Izzy learns of Jane's sex addictions and frequent infidelities. Jane's house is broken into, and her signature red scarf is left tied in a noose on her bed. The lens of the TV camera is blind to the skeletons that lurk in Jane's closet and the deep stain left upon her marriage to Zac. Jane is addicted to "the rush of someone new...the feeling of instant intimacy with a stranger." She explains to Izzy, "When I am with them, I get to see myself in a different way..." "There isn't just one person who can be everything to me." Bed-hopping had become intoxicating for Jane --- intoxicating enough to get her killed by one of her obsessive lovers.
The silver lining in Caldwell's novels is her ability to lead the reader methodically with smart dialogue, captivating images, realistic settings and sexy characters. There is no mistaking the dominance of the color red on all three of her book covers. These images convey unbridled passion and a penchant for living life to the fullest --- a red rose, red stilettos, spilled red wine.
When we learn that the opening scene is a preview of the death of Jane Augustine, we are stunned, especially when we are also alongside Izzy when she finds Jane's blood-soaked body looking like a "piece of art from the gallery." The press loves a good sex triangle, and Izzy finds herself stalked relentlessly by the media and none other than Detective Vaughn, who suspected Izzy in RED HOT LIES. Named a "person of interest," Izzy frantically searches for the killer with help from her private eye friend Mayburn, her friends and her family. As a favor, our gutsy heroine fearlessly helps Mayburn investigate ruthless criminals by posing as an employee in a lingerie store. Ladies, the perks of working retail begin with pearl thongs!
The pieces of the puzzle come together to reveal the secrets between the sheets that lead Izzy to realize who the killer is. The revelation is so well written by Caldwell that I guessed who it was at the very same time and rode the roller coaster with Izzy to a climactic finality.
Izzy's lovelife undergoes a revealing metamorphosis in RED BLOODED MURDER. Free and single again, she takes advantage of the mantra "something old" (Sam, Izzy's former fiancé), "something new" (Theo, a twenty-something man who ignites her sex life and licks the juice of blood oranges from her wrist while preparing screwdrivers), "something borrowed" (adoring Grady, whom Izzy calls when she needs someone reliable to lean on) and "something blue" (a blue-eyed man is the preferred accessory for any woman, including Izzy).
Caldwell explores infidelity and whether we ever really know the people we get involved with romantically. Someone Jane trusted killed her. When relationships go terribly wrong, can we go back? Izzy and Sam feel "it's not right between us." When a guy says, "I'm into you," is that always enough? Timing and fate, along with a poor choice in men, leaves Izzy confused and wondering why "I didn't know this guy." Why do the complexities of a secret relationship make us feel alive?
Izzy's life is a roller coaster ride that hasn't ended. Caldwell's final novel in the series, RED, WHITE & DEAD, is set to be released in August. The heat is on. Summer isn't summer without a good beach read filled with romantic liaisons and exotic locales. Indulge in a little wicked dalliance of your own. Izzy McNeil is paving the way for the modern woman to rise to the occasion, adorned in red stilettos, merlot in hand, navigating the sea of men.
--- Reviewed by Hillary Wagy
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