Customer Reviews

Evening Hours (Mira Romance)

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

 

 

As others have commented, there are too many things going on - several of which have very little relevance to the plot. I could see where the author was going with some of them - for example I think the subplot of finding drugs in the modeling agency was supposed to show how the heroine would handle a crisis - but she never really handles it. Ultimately, the crisis is resolved badly and I think makes the heroine look incompetent.

However, what really bothered me was some inconsistent details that should have been edited out. For example, early in the book we are told one of the main characters is 60 and his mother was a prostitute who died of AIDS. This means she would have had to have died sometime after the mid 1980's, when he would have been in his 40's making his mother a 60+ year old hooker? Possible, but then it is clearly implied that she died when he was young. Something doesn't add up. There are other things like this that just should have been edited out along with half the sub-plots.

The most interesting person in the book is actually the hero's mother. D

Kaylee Benton's dreams of being a fashion model ended with a terrible car accident. She has adapted by running a top modeling agency. But Kaylee has never been able to form a relationship with a man due to the scars she believes no man will ever be able to accept and her inability to have a child. So when she meets devastatingly attractive Cutler McFarland and he begins to show an interest in her, she doesn't take his flirting seriously. However her father takes notice of her attraction and is determined that his daughter find happiness in her life. Her father quickly digs as deeply as he can into Cutler's past to find something to use against him. He goes to Cutler with an ultimatum. Convince Kaylee that he has fallen madly in love with her, marry her, and make her happy or he'll use the information that he has found to destroy Cutler's mother. Left with no choice, Cutler sets out to woo Kaylee. Kaylee soon finds herself under full scale assault by Cutler. Already half way in love with him, she soon falls completely in love and before long she agrees to marry him. Cutler was already fiercly attracted to Kaylee before her father's interference, perhaps even on his way to falling in love with her so it doesn't take long for what started out as blackmail on Cutler's end has turned into something more as he begins to truly and deeply love his wife. But if she ever finds out the truth behind their marriage, will they be able overcome the lies?

Evening Hours is a fine example of why I pick up a book just because it has Mary Lynn Baxter's name on it. The sensual tension between Kaylee and Cutler stands out from their first meeting making me want them to find their happy ending. While Kaylee's father may have had the best of intentions, his meddling could ultimately cause harm to a relationship that may have flourished without his interference. All of this makes Evening Hours a contemporary romance that grabbed my attention and held it until the last page.


Melissa
Reviewed For Joyfully Reviewed

The other driver ran the stop at full speed leaving passenger Vera Benton dead, her daughter sixteen years old Kaylie severely injured after catapulting through the driver's side windshield, and her spouse Edgar shocked and dismayed. Kaylie recovers, but has a noticeable limp and can never have children.

Sixteen years later, Edgar is proud of his beloved daughter who has won the Houston Woman of the Year Award for the success of her Benton Modeling Agency. At the gala, he notices she and District Attorney Cutler McFarland seem attracted to one another; this is the first time he has seen his daughter show any interest in a man in years. When Edgar learns some interesting information on Cutler, he blackmails him into courting and marrying his daughter or else he will expose the naked truth hurting Cutler's dying mother. Though used to playing hardball and running for reelection, Cutler would do anything for his mom, but he does not have to fake being in love with Kaylie though he fears her reaction if she ever learns of her dad's extortion ploy.

EVENING HOURS is a tense tale that grips the audience on several levels especially what happens if Kaylie learns about her father's good intentions extortion and Cutler's cases hurting his reelection chances. The latter is quite interesting because Cutler knows first hand that by doing the right thing as he recently did, he lost a friend who was his prime financial backer. Either one of two current cases could cost him his reelection even if he does everything legally correct. The subplot with a powerbroker adds depth to a tight legal thriller.

Harriet Klausner

This book could have been so much better. The romance between Kaylee and Cutler was hot, but everything else was not. There were three or four different suspense side plots which were half baked. Had they been fully developed, the book would have been a humdinger, and worthy of 5 stars. The ending was really rushed to wrap things up neatly. It may have been a better idea to only partially wrap things up and write a sequel. But that's just my personal opinion.

I found this novel to be gratuitously graphic. Remember when an author allowed for a little sexual tension which kept you reading? Well there was none of that here because no lust went unsatisfied with our hero and heroine, and frankly it became boring in addition to being graphic.
I was also disappointed in the trite and repetitive dialogue and the lack of character development in Cutler Mcfarland. Wouldn't you have expected our hero to at least wrestle with the possibility of not revealing what he new about his paternity to his devoted mother and the man who raised him and was the only 'father' he ever knew. It seemed that he blasted ahead, satisfying his own curiosity regardless of the impact on his 'parents'. This is not what I would have expected in a hero that is otherwise presented as a man of character.
My sisters and I have a book club and this was chosen, and for that reason alone, I finished reading Evening Hours.

Injured in a debilitating car accident years earlier that resulted in the death of her mother, Kaylee Benton's dreams of becoming a fashion model were cut short. But this doesn't preclude her from founding her own successful Houston-based modeling agency with financial backing from her wealthy "uncle" Drew. She's in line for a lucrative contract with Versace, and soon finds herself on the receiving end of attention from sexy DA Cutler McFarland. When her father notices her interest, he vows to get the two together. As Cutler pursues her, she slowly starts to fall for him. Kaylee's father happens upon information regarding Cutler's paternity that could prove humiliating for his family and could derail his reelection campaign. He gives Cutler and ultimatum - marry Kaylee or he will reveal the secrets of Cutler's past. At first Cutler balks at him, until he discovers the truth and wants to spare his mother humiliation. Convinced that Kaylee isn't in on the blackmail (and since he's attracted to her), Cutler pulls out all stops and the two marry. Cutler never intends to fall for his wife, but he soon does. But what will happen when Kaylee learns the truth about her husband's motivations?

Several sub plots are not fully developed (like the two career making/breaking cases he's involved in; the loss of his mentor/political backer; her modeling agency may be involved in drug dealing). These are touched on, then abandoned or not fully developed. I would've liked to at least see Cutler in court during one of the controversial cases. While I liked the story, in the end, I was a little disappointed with the plot execution.

I usually like the types of books that have a bit of suspense along with the romance and this one didn't. Although the characters were likeable and their romance sweet, I felt like the author had too many subplots going on at once and not enough detail about what was going on outside of their personal lives. They both had a lot going on at work but it really wasn't explored. Instead most of the focus was on the main characters and somewhat on the families. It just left too much to the imagination. Still, if you're interested in pure sweet romance with intriguing characters this would be a great read for you.