Customer Reviews

Drop Dead Gorgeous: A Novel (Blair Mallory)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Blair Mallory has just lost some footing in the jostling for the upper hand in her upcoming marriage to police lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth. He gives her a drop-dead date of one month to plan the nuptials or off they go to Vegas. While shopping for her wedding dress, Blair is nearly run down in the mall parking lot and furious that no one seems to notice her lying on the ground until she has already called for help.

After being released from the hospital, she's sure that she's being followed. Wyatt thinks she's just being the typical high maintenance gal she is and chastises her for continually bothering him at work with what he thinks are frivolous thoughts. This make narcissistic Blair's blood boil and she starts writing up a list of his transgressions. When yet another attack is made on her life, causing her condo to go up in flames, Wyatt thinks she might have a point after all. But is it too late?

Howard first introduced the duo of Blair and Wyatt in "To Die For," using a new writing style of first person, which was unfamiliar to her fan base, therefore was either loved or hated. This one uses the same voice, that of Blair. While her observations are hilarious at times, it can also be grating. Because the reader is never allowed into Wyatt's head, we cannot figure out what his attraction to Blair is other than physical, since let's face it, she lacks depth. Howard usually fleshes out both her male and female leads. And the list of transgressions - while refreshing in the first novel - are just redundant this time out. As for the mystery of who's after Blair, it's pretty predictable and the ending a bit rushed, in fact, it is a re-hash of the previous novel, making the reader wonder if the prolific Howard isn't writing on auto pilot now. But having said that - even a not so great Howard novel is a good novel, as it captured my attention and had me laughing from page one.

Although I preferred the 1st book in this series (To Die For), I found myself loving this book as well. My only disappointment was that I figured out who the "bad-guy" was at the first available opportunity. I even guessed what their relationship was to Blair. With that being my only complain I loved this book. The first person is a huge plus to me. I didn't feel the need to go into Wyatt's head in either of these books & Although I found Blair to be very spoiled & annoying I enjoyed viewing the story through her eyes because she very witty, funny & sneaky. I highly recommend this 2-book series.

Blair Mallory has already survived attempts on her life. In fact, that is what brought Police Lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth back into her life. Wyatt drives her crazy, in various good and bad ways. Now he has tired of waiting for Blair to set a date and has thrown down a gauntlet. Blair has exactly thirty days to wed him or he will kidnap her to Vegas for a tacky wedding. Blair knows he means it too. So she is now racing all over the place, trying to get everything set up. Even with the help of her family and friends, there just does not seem to be enough time to coordinate her dream wedding.

To make matters worse, someone tries to run over Blair while she is walking out of the mall with her wedding shoes (and a few other items she simply HAD to have, of course). She also believes that someone is following her car often. Wyatt believes Blair is making a mountain out of a mole hill. Okay, so Blair may be a drama queen at times, she may be high maintenance all the time, and she certainly demands Wyatt's full attention if he is not dealing with something truly important such as his work. But Blair just knows that she is on someone's hit list again and it is frustrating not to be believed by her own fiancé!

But when Blair's stalker gets really serious, even Wyatt has to admit that Blair has managed to tick someone off...again. Wyatt better get busy, because Blair is writing up her own list of grievances against Wyatt and making sure everyone knows them!

**** Blair Mallory and Wyatt Bloodsworth starred in a previous novel titled "TO DIE FOR". If you read and enjoyed it, then you are bound to love this one! Wyatt is still a hunk and very serious about work as a cop. Blair is still gorgeous and totally hilarious. Both still love to push each other's buttons. All-in-all, it blends together for a dangerous and hilarious ride on the wild side. In my opinion, it is too easy to figure out who the stalker must be; however, readers will have a fun time just watching everything happen. A wonderful novel for the Christmas season especially. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

To Die For was a even paced, fast read that introduced me to tall, tough sexy cop Wyatt and sassy, buff, knows-what-she-wants Blair. Linda's second outing with the couple, Drop Dead Gorgeous, just makes me wish Blair would drop dead ... or at least shut up so the other characters can get a word in. But since it's in Blair's voice, which was cute at first, it drones on like a catchy pop tune that your favorite radio station keeps playing over, and over ... and over and over again. Yikes! It was kinda tough making it through Blair's narration. I don't think I've ever had to put a Linda Howard book down and take a rest, but this was a first. And it happened twice before I even hit page 100! I think I started to root for the stalker for a while. They started out as smart characters but I don't know what happened with this second book. Take a read only if it's the last book in the stack. Linda Howard, please go back to the narrative voice you're so good at and leave the experiments for a short story ... or a web novella, anything. But I'm still a fan. Peace.

I wish I could say that reading the reviews here on Amazon biased my view on DDG but I was seriously dissappointed by this title. I am an avid LH reader. I own all of her books, even multiple copies of some. But, as I titled this review, I felt like I was reading some self centered, teenager's diary.

What is going on with LH?

I did not realize this book was written in the first person, had I known this I would never have purchased it. What is happening with LH, I have been so disappointed in her lately. I own and have read all her books and have noticed that in the past two years her novels all lack plot. The characters have no depth. SORRY LINDA.

This book was ridiculous. Great title, great cover and weak tea story. I did not like the first issue so why I thought I would give Linda Howard a second chance is beyond me. I have a lot of her older paperbacks which I bought for the sheer enjoyment of sensuality, banter and character studies of each participant. Got none of that here.

Now I know that if Ms Howard writes first person, it's not for me. Cry No More was the last good book by Linda. Kill and Tell, Shades of Twilight and especially the MacKenzie series are the ones for me. From now on I will get Linda Howard's books from the library.

I have read all of Linda Howard's books to date but if she continues in the same style that she wrote this book and her other book on Wyatt and Blair, I will not be buying her books again. She basically rewrote the first book, just changed the killers' identity and made Blair even more of an airhead than she was in the first book. How anyone would believe that a sane man like Wyatt would be involved with a self-centered, selfish, I am smarter than anyone else and more beautiful than any other woman is stupid. Let's not forget that she was a cheerleader and also has to win at everything. Other than sex, these people had no relationship other than she thought she had to constantly manipulate him to get her own way. Yes, a mature man really wants a wife that you can't believe or trust to do anything but constantly connive. Now why in the world would he believe someone wanted to kill her when if he had to live with her a week or two, he probably would have himself. No, it was not funny and by page 184, if I had had a fire that I could have burned this book in, I would have. What a disappointment. Howard needs to rethink her new writing style as it does nothing for me.

Now I know people either love or hate this book. I loved it. I love Blair. I wouldn't want to hang out with her in real life (which is often a gauge for me with a character) but I think she's a far more interesting and complicated romance heroine than we see very often.

Blair is shallow. Yep. She complains. Yep. But she fiercely loves the people in her life and she runs her own business and takes care of what's hers. I admire that. I admire how she manages Wyatt, a major alpha male if they ever existed! And I also love her ability, if only in her head, to admit her faults.

Wyatt is one of those heroes who works in the hands of only a very few authors. Most would emasculate him or turn him into a complete *ss. Howard can walk that line with great skill. Oh there were times when he fall to the *sshole side of the line, but his apolgies were genuine and believable.

I think first person works well with this couple. Wyatt is such a big character, you can see him through Blair's eyes and understand him as she does. And it softens Blair too. We don't need inside Wyatt's head to know how he feels about Blair, he's with her and he loves her. Anyway, loved it.

This is 2nd book in the series with Blair Mallory and Wyatt. The 1st book is "To Die For". I rated both of these books as 1 star because I disliked the Blair character so much. She was petty, mean, insincere and snotty. Some examples of her thoughts and actions follow. Page 11, she calls off the wedding because she doesn't like what her married name will be. Page 75, she argues with her fiance, insisting that she will need to reorganize his home so she will have her own television and a place to watch it. Then she thinks to herself how rarely she watches television. "Not that he needs to know how little I watch, it's the principle of the thing." Page 107, she insisted that her fiance arrange for flowers for the wedding but secretly went to his mother and arranged for his mother to do it. She was not going to tell him because she wanted him to stew. She planned that he could stew for two weeks. She stated "That was long enough to let him share in the stress, without actually letting him do something that would interfere with our plans. Yes, it was mean. So?" Page 128, she wanted to time her babies to months that had pretty birthstones. I will not read another Blair Mallory book. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: current day, North Carolina. Copyright: 2006. Genre: romantic suspense.