9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tortured hero and intrepid heroine hunt...and are hunted!, December 1, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Daring the Devil (Mass Market Paperback)
Romance novels rarely make it easy to fall in love and live peacefully. What's the fun in that? Ms. La Foy understands the idea of conflict and obstacles well enough, and she puts her talent to work in a love story that, while not always utterly logical, is definitely a good read. The heroine is not a simperer or a passive patsy. She's savvy of the mean streets in which she lives and works picking pockets. She dresses in male attire and knows what the rough world demands, while at the same time having a heart that is tender enough to do whatever is necessary to safeguard her fragile mother. She has dreams of a life out West, sans a man. The hero is on a deadly quest to find a serial killer who has brought nothing but pain and upheaval to his life. He's a man living with nightmares. I found the heroine much more appealing than the hero, and smarter. The hero really drops the ball a few times, endangering others, and I guess that just makes him all the more human.What I liked best is the setting, the scrappy people living and working in a poor man's setting,getting by as best they can, the code of honor among thieves, the taste of the Irish immigrant experience.I recommend this romance novel to those who want something a little different than the usual historical romance fare-- noting that those who are very sensitive of stomach should be aware that the serial killer does mangle human beings. He is NOT a pleasant fellow. Be warned. And enjoy.*Mir*
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good mystery/suspense, romance a bit disappointing. Not a book for the squeamish!, August 23, 2008
This review is from: Daring the Devil (Mass Market Paperback)
From the back cover:
Forbidden desire and a deadly chase...
Darcy O'Keefe lives by her wits, picking pockets on the streets of Charlestown, Massachusetts, in order to survive. But when she chooses a well-heeled--and extremely handsome--gentleman as her next mark, her keen mind and quick reflexes fail her. Caught in the act, Darcy finds herself blackmailed into joining Aiden Terrell in a quest that has led him from the Caribbean to Great Britain and now to America. Aiden's daring scheme is to set himself up as a pickpocket bait to entrap a killer who murders for sport. As they comb the city's backstreets, Darcy can't decide which frightens her more--the prospect of finding the man they seek, or falling victim to the dangerous charms of Aiden himself...
And my review:
I've enjoyed books by this author before, so when I found this book at my local thrift store, I immediately snapped it up. All in all, I have mixed feelings about this book.
**Warning, spoilers ahead!**
First, the stuff I enjoyed. As with all of her books, Lafoy has created vivid characters who feel like they actually exist. They have their flaws, but are not overly flawed as to be unlikeable. The heroine is a spirited (not shrewish) and strong heroine. While she is definitely feminine, so can take care of herself without being a ballbuster about it. That's a very difficult balance to strike, but Lafoy does it well. The hero is your standard tortured soul, but also more than that. I felt that the author was very good at showing what drove the characters, what made them who they were.
The mystery was also well-written and well-paced. I kept eagerly turning the pages, wanting to find out what would happen next.
Now the stuff that I didn't like. The mystery/suspense storyline was very gory. If you're at all squeamish, you might want to skip this book. (You might also want to stop reading my review!) Not only does it involve murder, but the villain mutilates his victims horribly (even decaptiates some of them), sends body parts from them to the hero, and even cooks and eats some of them. It's definitely not "fluff" reading. I felt quite ill at times.
The romance was a bit unsatisfying for me. First off, the hero kept making innuendoes that were supposed to be sexy, but instead came off as sleazy. It was just overdone, and really got on my nerves after a while. Honestly, I think a heated look can do more for sexual tension than a cheesy line. And a lot of the hero's lines were so corny that any real-life woman would have either kicked him where it counts or laughed in his face.
I also felt that the way the hero and heroine enter into a sexual relationship felt very cold and calculated. The heroine basically agrees to become the hero's mistress. Yes, that's par for the course in many historical romances, but their discussion and decision of beginning an affair felt so calculating. I would have preferred for them to be swept away by passion, with the future uncertain, rather than a "I want you, you want me, so let's go do it already, and we'll split up when we get sick of one another."
The last thing that really bugged me was that the heroine, who up until the end was a strong, independent woman, decides that she's willing to remain the hero's mistress until he decides to end the relationship. She's willing to exist on crumbs, and not demand any commitment from the hero. This was three pages from the end! It was just so out of character. The heroine had never had any difficulty going after what she wanted, but when it came to the hero's love, she was willing to live with whatever little he planned to give her? It really bugged me.
In conclusion, I'm not sorry I read this novel, but it won't be one I keep to reread. I think Lafoy has written better books. Check out
Jackson's Way and
Come What May.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tortured hero and intrepid heroine hunt...and are hunted!, December 1, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Daring the Devil (Mass Market Paperback)
Romance novels rarely make it easy to fall in love and live peacefully. What's the fun in that? Ms. La Foy understands the idea of conflict and obstacles well enough, and she puts her talent to work in a love story that, while not always utterly logical, is definitely a good read. The heroine is not a simperer or a passive patsy. She's savvy of the mean streets in which she lives and works picking pockets. She dresses in male attire and knows what the rough world demands, while at the same time having a heart that is tender enough to do whatever is necessary to safeguard her fragile mother. She has dreams of a life out West, sans a man. The hero is on a deadly quest to find a serial killer who has brought nothing but pain and upheaval to his life. He's a man living with nightmares. I found the heroine much more appealing than the hero, and smarter. The hero really drops the ball a few times, endangering others, and I guess that just makes him all the more human.What I liked best is the setting, the scrappy people living and working in a poor man's setting,getting by as best they can, the code of honor among thieves, the taste of the Irish immigrant experience.I recommend this romance novel to those who want something a little different than the usual historical romance fare-- noting that those who are very sensitive of stomach should be aware that the serial killer does mangle human beings. He is NOT a pleasant fellow. Be warned. And enjoy.*Mir*
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