Customer Reviews

Crazy Kisses

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What do you call a book with a character named Kid Chaos?
GREAT! That's what you call it.

Peter "Kid Chaos" Chronopolous is delicious. This is Kid's book and I loved it. Kid is tall, dark and handsome. The strong and silent type. The perfect Alpha male and in my opinion the perfect hero.

CRAZY KISSES starts off in the Colombian jungle...grabs you...and never lets you go. I felt the sweat rolling off me just as it rolled off Kid. I felt his pain, physical, from a gunshot wound suffered in that same jungle. And emotional, remembering his brother and the love of his life Nicole Alana McKinney.

Nikki's an artist extraordinare with great legs and spiky purple hair. She took me by surprise because she isn't the normal heroine. She's not exceptionally strong, or resourceful or some of the other things I usually think of for a heroine. But she is perfect for Kid. She's beautiful, talented, paints naked angels and has gone to Panama to tell Kid goodbye and find out why he walked out of her life seven months ago. Ah, the best laid plans.

Suddenly, she's in his arms, making love and realizing that goodbye is out of the question. She loves this man. Then, all hell breaks loose. Killers are after Kid, there's a bounty on his head and we are off to the races.

I loved this book. The main characters are still with me and the secondary characters, especially Travis and Jane and an intriguing woman named Skeeter Bang are wonderful and deserve their own books. But wait, Skeeter has her own book, CRAZY LOVE, being released June 2006.

BRAVO! Tara Janzen delivers!

Ms. Janzen's fourth addition to her "Crazy" series is another action-packed romp full of larger then life characters.

Peter `Kid Chaos' Chronopolous lives life in the shadows. He's last assignment has taken him away from the only woman he will ever love. He has been away from Nikki McKinney for seven long months. In that time he has been to hell and back while trying to stay alive in the South American jungle. He has made some very dangerous enemies and they aren't going to let him walk away. No... Conseco is going to make sure that Kid pays with his life for all of the trouble he has cost Conseco. Will Kid be able to deal with his growing feelings for the stunning Nikki and will he be able to keep her safe from Conseco and the men set on killing him?

Nikki McKinney has not forgiven Kid for leaving her without a word and staying away for so long. He was her first and the feelings she has for him are not going away. Forced into action she flies for Panama City, Panama in order to say good-bye to the only man she will ever love. But she's only in his presence for a second before she's in his arms. Too bad reality and death enter the picture. Now, Nikki and Kid are both being hunted and they both need to come to terms with their feelings Will they ever have the happy ending Nikki so desperately wants with her Kid?

Ms. Janzen has penned another entertaining read featuring the men of Steel Street. As per usual she has added another interesting storyline revolving around Travis, Nikki's model. The previously existing relationship between Nikki and Kid adds wonderful tension to this steamy read...but if the reader is new to the series they will not be left confused as their history is well documented. Ms. Janzen knows how to weave a very entertaining story.

This book isn't bad but it's not great either. It's just a continuation of the series. There's no real fire or sparks in it like is in the others. I wish it would have gave a better update on the past characters also. I just felt this book wasn't realistic at all. I got tired of Nikki and Kid being in trouble with the drug cartel. Anyway, if you are reading the series then you need to read this book but I would make sure I got it from the library or a half off store.

I have been dying to read this book ever since this couple was first introduced in Crazy Hot. WHENEVER these two are on the same page of a book, the book might as well burst into flames...that's how intense and passionate these two are. So much so, that any other couple in their midst is completely overshadowed.

Kid and Nikki were destined for each other since their first meeting. Since then Kid has lost his brother in a brutal fashion, they've been separated more than they've been together, and Nikki has gone and gotten herself engaged to someone else! None of this matters though the instant that they are reunited. I absolutely love this couple. Kid is the ultimate..I think one reviewer hit the nail on the head when she offered her kidneys for an introduction if Kid is based on a real guy! Nikki is totally unique, and someone I also wish was real and that I could get an introduction to.

The plot revolves around a drug lords vendeta against Kid, and his relentless pursuit to kill him. Of course Nikki gets put in the middle and Kid gets to be her rescuer!

I didn't really care for the secondary romance in this one, which is unusual. Typically Janzen even does a better job with the secondary couple than she does with the main couple. I don't know if this is a hit against Travis and Jane or if it's just another reason why NO couple would want to be compared to Kid and Nikki......there just is no comparison.

This is a terrific book! The characters are all wonderfully thought out and each has an unique personality that draws you on to the next book and the next. The story is fast paced and exciting. I couldn't wait to read the next one. I won't do a play by play of the story since it's been done so many times here already. Just suffice it to say it's great and I'm reading every one in this series and everything else she writes.

Special Forces Operative Kid Chronopolous has lived the last few months in a berserker rage enacting revenge on the Columbians who brutally killed his sibling J.T. His efforts have made him public enemy number one of Columbian drug lord Juan Conseco, whose business has suffered because of the relentless assaults by Kid.

Nikki McKinney is half in love with Kid, who though he desires her with his heart, stays away from her because he fears she would be a collateral damage target of his enemies. However, Kid's best intentions go awry when Conseco sends his best hit men after Nikki. Kid is willing to die to keep his beloved Nikki safe because Conseco believes she is his Achilles' heel.

The fourth "Crazy" romantic thriller is a superb tale as the hero, already over the edge, now finds he has guilt to contend with as he knows he has inadvertently placed the woman he loves in danger from his enemy. Kid will do anything to insure that Nikki is safe, proving the love he denies himself. Nikki is his perfect partner as she knows he deserves love and plans to demonstrate that she in deed does love him. On top of a great romantic story line, there is the usual danger and thrills as lethal thugs come calling in Tara Janzen stupendous suspense.

Harriet Klausner

4th book in the Crazy series, and one of my favorites I think.

This book features Peter "Kid Chaos" Chronopolous, and Nikki McKinney. The two first meet in book 1 of the series where they fall in love at first sight. But when Kid's brother is killed on a mission, Kid goes back to South America determined to find his brother's killers. Throughout books 2 and 3, you hear about what Kid has been doing, and a little about Nikki. When book 4 starts, it has been 7 months since Kid has been home, during which time he has not once contacted Nikki.

Kid's world has become much darker since his brother's gruesome death. He has become known as the Ghost Killer in South America, where he systemically hunted down all those responsible for his brother's death. And though he still loves Nikki, he no longer feels worthy of her. After finishing his latest mission, he returns to his house in Panama City, only to find that Nikki is there waiting for him. She's hoping to get some closure to their relationship, but ends up right back in bed with Kid. Then all hell breaks loose when assassins break into the house, intent on killing Kid for the bounty on his head by a Columbian drug lord. They end up on the run and then back to Denver where danger follows them, and they try to resolve the relationship between them.

I really enjoyed Kid and Nikki's story. You really feel connected to the story after having read the previous books in the series. The progression of their relationship is nice, and both are great characters in and of themselves. Plus they have a fabulous chemistry together. The plot really works for the story as well. It's fitting to them and their situations. The whole book takes place over like a 24 hour period, which is pretty much what all the books do. It sort of breaks the logic/realism barrier, but whatever.

Even though I enjoyed the book, it had it's issues. There was this whole side story with Travis, Nikki's model who we meet in book 1, and a new female character, Jane. It was a necessary side story, I guess, because it's important to the plot and how it resolves, but I think Janzen focused a little too much on it, gave it more time than she should have. I would have liked more with Nikki and Kid.

Also, Janzen did a poor job of relaying Kid and Nikki's past. Anyone who hadn't read the previous books would not understand the references and some other things. She basically wrote the book on the assumption that readers will have been reading the series. Not necessarily a good thing. But given that the books have been published fairly close together, I guess she can get away with it.

And lastly, Janzen did a bit of a crappy job resolving the relationship between Kid and Nikki. There was a lot of distance between them, and she just kind of skimmed over that and shoved them together. They said a few things to each other, did some thinking, and whammo, all's well. They really needed to have a heart to heart talk and it just didn't happened. She really short-changed the characters and their relationship in that sense.

Despite all that, I really liked the book. And that reference to the Nikki's painting of Christian Hawkins (book 2)...mmmm...what I wouldn't give to have that puppy on my wall *G*

Rating: 4 / 5

I loved Ms. Janzen's "Crazy" Series!
I liked this book because it was fun and it has adventure.
Peter "kid Chaos" was good because it seemed like he really
loved Nikki. And I liked Nikki Because she was sweet, fun, and
still had a sence of innocenss. This is a wonderful book!
But you understand it better if you read the first book first and so on!
This book is highly recommended!

"Getting shot was one thing, but actually dying on the job went against every order they'd been given."


I really love this insane series about reformed teenaged car thieves, turned secret government military agents, who masquerade as chop shop men in Denver. The writing is excellent, the humour fantastic, and the storylines and characters completely over the top. That said, this book had some weak moments, and the overall feel was too `youthful' for me for adult fiction.

Following on from previous books, Kid has been off in South America, getting revenge for the torture and execution of his brother. He's been gone for seven months, leaving Nikki - the woman he loves - behind. The moment Nikki is connected to him she is in danger.
There is less action in this one than some of the others, with the focus shifting to Nikki's art exhibition in Denver, and to the gang of kids who are having problems of their own.

Tara Janzen writes secondary stories that have a tendency to take over the plot, and in Kid and Nikki's long-awaited book, Nikki's friend and art model Travis and reformed street kid Jane appeared to have more page time than them. It was a bit of a disappointment, seeing as we've been following Kid and Nikki's troubled relationship right from the first book.

However the main problem was that this edition was just too `young'. The other books have been so appealing because the heroes are experienced men - Air Force or Special Forces heroes or reformed criminals or something. They're real men with a wealth of experience behind them, and the women were women with experiences of their own.
Crazy Wild takes place only a few months after book one, Crazy Hot. And in Crazy Hot, Kid was twenty-three and Nikki was years younger. Then in Crazy Wild, we also have twenty-three year old Travis, twenty year old Jane and twenty year old Skeeter. On top of that, at the beginning of the book Kid works with a guy who looks like he's nineteen. Plus the main focus of the story is on a gang of one hundred street kids. The whole book was `young' enough I almost felt like I was reading young adult fiction!

The last few chapters redeemed the book in a major way, reminding me I'm such a Tara Janzen fangirl. The action, the bringing together of all the tangents, and ultimately the resolution of Kid and Nikki's relationship was wonderful. The story was nicely wrapped-up, but there is also huge potential for future books with the secondary characters who keep on evolving as the series goes on.

Even considering the problems I had, this was a very good, entertaining book. There are some writers whose style appeals to me so much I'd read anything they wrote. Tara Janzen is one of those writers. All of her characters are interesting to read about, and her men - even these younger men - are everything you could want in a romantic suspense hero. She has a quirky sense of humour and always makes me smile, and her books are just over the top enough to be fun without being silly.

If you're going to read this series, start at the beginning. The first few can hold up on their own, but by book four the plot is so intricate you're going to have trouble figuring it all out.

As I've read each installment in this series, Crazy Kisses stands as my favorite next to Crazy Cool! I love the way Ms. Janzen gradually develops her characters over the course of the series before placing them front and center in their own story. Ex-Marine sniper and appointed bodyguard- for-a-night, Kid Chaos met the talented, sultry, yet innocent, Nikki McKinney in Crazy Hot and they shared a wild night. Duty pulls Kid away suddenly, before they're reunited (briefly) by tragedy in Crazy Cool. Crazy Kisses finds Nikki on the brink of a brilliant future but first she must reconcile her past. She needs answers and pesky details like months of silence and thousands of miles don't deter her! She tracks her AWOL lover to South America only to witness Kid's transformation from grieving boy soldier, to world weary warrior, first hand. After Nikki witnesses him living up to his nickname "Chaos", he ponders making the ultimate sacrifice for love. Fate intervenes, yet again, and only Kid's lethal skills with an unlikely angel at his back, can make things right for all concerned!

In true TJ fashion, there's the intertwining continuing story of Nikki's favorite model, Travis James. He's about to "come of age" when the real world crashes into his peaceful existance and his fundamental beliefs are rocked to their core! All in all, this thrilling joy ride with old and new friends keeps you turning pages and leaves you satisfied yet anticipating the next installment!