Customer Reviews

Dark and Dangerous (Zebra Romantic Suspense)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dark and Dangerous is author Jeanne Adam's debut novel, and I have got to say, it starts out with a bang and just keeps on going. This novel is one of the best in its genre, Romantic Suspense, that I've read in a while. The romance, action, and suspense are blended together perfectly in this well plotted, fast-paced novel. I was drawn into the undercover world and amazed at how she was able to give such great details without taking me out of the story or overwhelming me.

The suspenseful first meeting between Dana Markham and Caine Bradley is one that was unexpected and unforgetable. Dana is a strong heroine who has learned how to survive and protect both herself and her son, Xavier, from the clutches of her ex-husband, Donovan Walker. I believe if she had to, Dana could have survived and ran from Donovan without the help of Cain, but together they make a strong team and are each other's equal.

Caine is a FBI undercover agent who knows his job and how to succeed in it. He also knows that an agent should never get close to those they are protecting... but, it can't be denied, there's something different about Dana and Xavier. He'll go above and beyond to assure their safety, even if it means breaking the rules.

I can certainly see Dark and Dangerous on the big screen as an action movie. It has all the right elements and balance of action, suspense, and romance that'll quickly draw you into the story from beginning to end.

I definitely recommend Dark and Dangerous to any Romantic Suspense reader and to those who'd like to try this genre.

Exploding onto the romantic suspense scene, Dark and Dangerous is exactly that, not to mention passionate and intense featuring one of our favourite things - an anti-hero. For fans of Linda Howard. Dana Markham is up against a cold-blooded killer who knows her all too well: Donovan Walker. Wanted for drug trafficking, armed and dangerous, he's also her ex-husband. What she knows about him could land him behind bars forever or put her and her young son in an early grave if Donovan finds them first.

Dana's one chance lies with a man she barely knows at all. Tall and darkly sensual, Caine Bradley is an undercover FBI agent who's been posing as Walker's henchman. Compelled to work with Caine to lure her ex out of hiding, Dana must fight against her own raw, urgent needs. But is he who he says he is? Her passionate desire for him could be her salvation or her greatest mistake.

STORY BRIEF:

Dana is divorced from Donovan a drug trafficker who is obsessed with getting his son back and killing Dana. Dana and her 10-year-old son Xavier have been on the run from Donovan. They were in the witness protection program for a while but that wasn't secure. Now Dana prefers to be in charge of her own security. She set booby traps and explosives around her home. The book opens with Donovan's men attacking Dana's home.

Caine is an undercover FBI agent who has been a henchman for Donovan for three years. Caine is one of the men sent to Dana's home. He survives the explosives and gives her a code phrase to let her know he's an undercover agent. Then he accompanies Dana and Xavier to a safe house elsewhere. There is a mole in the FBI with further attacks on Dana and Caine.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:

Wow! The first attack scene with Dana's booby traps and defense of her home was great! I don't know if stealth helicopters exist (quiet - no noise), but I don't care. I just realized I'm happy to have an author create helicopters that may not exist. It makes me think about so many authors who give thanks to people for their military advice and then say if there are any mistakes they are the authors'. I don't care if there are mistakes in technology or procedures. This is fiction not a history lesson. Authors don't have to give me factual information. Make it up. I want entertainment. Anyway, the reason I digress into all of this is because Dana had wind chimes outside her house. It was a quiet windless night. Then the stealth helicopter arrives which stirs up wind but makes no noise, so the wind chimes notified her something was there. I loved it. It was one of several neat things she did.

I loved the way the author got inside Donovan's thoughts and feelings as he tormented and frightened his men. He lived for power and control over others (page 56). I enjoyed feeling his evil. Many authors don't show enough of that. Later in the book, I liked how Donovan guessed that Caine was an undercover agent. And then I liked how Caine guessed that Donovan might know he's an agent. It reminded me of a chess game with moves and counter moves. I was also impressed with things the boy did - and the dog too. There was "no stupidity" in this book. And there was no "big misunderstanding caused by vague communication." Sure there might have been a little vague communication as the couple was getting to know each other, but that was acceptable.

This is an action book. It's an enjoyable ride all the way through. The main thing it lacks is an intense emotional feeling. It could have used a little more emotional development between the couple. This was the author's first of four books (so far). I'm off to buy her second.

DATA:

Story length: 314 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 5. Setting: current day Virginia, Florida and S. Carolina. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense thriller.

Strong ex-wife of vengeful druglord is on the run with her young son from her ex-husband who wants her dead & their son with him. She is aided by FBI agent Hero who is impressed by her strength. Both have an affair in midst of running away from her ex-husband & his henchmen.

I'm baffled by the 4 & 5 star ratings because I found this Adams' book sorely lacking. From the 1st few pages, I found my attention wandering off. I had difficulty caring about the characters & the story. Although the writing wasn't that bad, it failed to pull me in emotionally. The descriptions, dialogue, & characters seemed contrived. The romance, sexual chemistry, & love scenes seemed out of place. I didn't care for the aggressive heroine paired with a weaker Hero. He just seemed so impressed & awed with her, while heroine was trying to survive & outsmart her ex-husband & play footsies with the hero on the side. I started skipping pages b/c I was bored with it.

Recommended as a good sleep aid.

i thoroughly enjoyed this story. i am amazed it is her first published book. jeanne adams obviously has the talent to deliver many more gems like dark and dangerous. the characters are fun, believable, interesting, and imaginative. i will keep my eyes peeled for her next offering. i have passed my copy on to a few friends who were also pleasantly entertained by this author. kudos to this new author for a job well done.

I delightfully enjoyed this book. This is the first book that I have read by Jeanne Adams and certainly won't be the last. I purchased this book because of it's price )to qualify an order for free shipping). I had no expectations when I started reading it but I must say this book was great. It was fast paced and suspenseful. The H and h had great chemistry and the secondary characters rounded out the plot nicely.

I agree with the 5 star reviewers. However the reason why I did'nt

give it 5 stars is because there's always room for improvement. This

is the first novel lets hope the second one exceeds expectations. The

jury is out until then. To the reviewer that was embarrassed reading

the love scenes, I dont't get it why? Who knows? and who cares? The

love scenes were not over the top. You are either too young or too

old to be reading these type of novels. No offence. You should read

authors like Lora Leigh, Lori foster, Shanna Mckenna, Roxanne St. Claire,

Pamela Clare, Cherry Adair, Anne Stuart, lorelei James, and Christine Feehan.

(and then tell me about being embarrassed) Never mind I take that back

you would probably pass out. Either that or go searching for your significant other. Happy reading.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I would rate her up there with Catherine Coulter or Linda Howard, maybe better than Howard has been lately. I heard somewhere that this is her first book; it is fantastic. Her characters are believable, the action is non-stop, and the story flows well.

This book was wonderful from beginning to end! Highly recommend! The main characters (Dana and Caine) were very well drawn out and realistic. The plot was exciting throughout with the interaction between leads and secondary top notch. The author's writing is crisp, with just enough different elements thrown in; humor, character developement, suspense, romance etc. to keep everything flowing. I am surprised this is Ms. Adams' first published book and already have her next book Dark and Deadly pre-ordered. Can't wait :)

What a surprise! I was expecting a typical romance novel, but the action grabbed my attention right away and I couldn't put it down! The action plus the romance between Caine and Dana had me guessing to the very end. This is a wonderful first book for Jeanne Adams and I am looking forward to many more!