Customer Reviews

Holding Out For A Hero (Men of Hawaii)

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Deana Armstrong is a woman on a mission. She desperately needs a hero and she's convinced Josh Windsor is the man for the job. Never mind that Josh doesn't want anything to do with her and isn't interested in saving anyone - including Deana's jailed nephew. Since she comes from a wealthy influential family Deana isn't turned down or rejected outright very often but Josh is not a member of the Armstrong family fan club and has no intention of giving into Deana's pleas for help - especially since it seems like she thinks being rich can get her anything she wants ... he's not for sale!

Josh Windsor has no intention of being anyone's hero. He's had enough of all the backstabbing, lies, and general deceit he's endured while being involved with the DEA. The last thing he's interested in is being on Deana's `payroll' while trying to find proof that her nephew is innocent of the crimes that put him behind bars - especially since he believes Ryan is guilty. Still Deana's persistence and this odd attraction he feels for her pushes him into accepting the inevitable and begins digging into the case against Ryan.

Josh's life and career are in a bit of a tailspin so the last thing he needs at the moment is Deana's insistence that he has to help her save Ryan. She's convinced that he's innocent of the murders of his parents and Josh will be able to sort through the jumble of bad behavior and previous crimes to get to the truth about what happened. She accepts that Josh doesn't like her but this about her. It's about saving a minor from a lifetime behind bars. Of course, there's no denying that Josh is incredibly attractive and something decidedly enjoyable about pushing his buttons. She's determined to get her way and Josh will soon learn that there's much more to Deanna than he ever imagined. Is it possible that he couldn't see her as a `woman' because he couldn't get past her incredible wealth and his own prejudices? As the attraction between them becomes undeniable, Josh worries about how Deanna will react when he finally discovers the truth about what happened to her brother and sister-in-law.

HelenKay Dimon takes readers on an intensely fascinating and emotional journey with HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO. Deanna and Josh have their own deep hurts and justified reasons for their opinions on things and at times their differences come in direct conflict with each other. They share a need to see that justice prevail but for Deanna this case is decidedly personal. I admit that like many people I was shocked and captivated by the Menendez brothers' real life case. Ryan's case is very similar and raises just as many questions in the reader's mind. I found myself alternating between wanting to believe in his innocence yet not convinced either. My heart broke for Deanna and the pain she's going through but her strength of character only seems to grow as the story progresses. As for Josh... this man is a hero through and through. His love for family and friends and dedication to truth and justice never wavers but at times he needs a little nudge and his friends do an amazing job of keeping him focused on what's truly important.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

When Deana Armstrong needs someone to help get her nephew out of prison, she immediately thinks of Josh Windsor. He's knowledgeable and dedicated and she knows he'll do a thorough job. Her biggest problem is convincing him to overlook how much he hates her family. One thing Deana refuses to listen to is the word "no." Given her determined tenacity, and the abundance of time Josh has on his hands since he recently quit the DEA, he can't refuse her. Deana has found that money can make almost anything happen and being certain of her nephew's innocence, she'll spend any amount necessary to see him free. What Deana is uncertain of are the emotions stirred by Josh's near-constant presence. She finds herself opening up to Josh, easily telling him secrets from her past. These are deep, shameful secrets she has never told anyone, but in the telling a huge weight is lifted from her.
Josh has serious issues with Deana and the way she and her family have used wealth and privilege to get their way. He had a difficult, almost nonexistent childhood, and initially refuses Deana's request for help. Determined to make quick work of confirming Deana's nephew's guilt, Josh is totally unprepared for feelings for her that go far beyond simple lust. By the time he realizes that there's much more to Deana than just money, she's gone and he's guilty of pushing her away.
HelenKay Dimon fans eagerly anticipate her every release; HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is no exception. HelenKay's storylines are uniquely original, the dialogue snappy and characters bright and fresh. Individually, Josh and Deana are intelligent and extremely likable. Together, they are explosive. Readers will relish witnessing the sparks between them turn to embers that hold great promise. As with every other HelenKay Dimon book I've read, I highly recommend HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO.

Deana Armstrong needs the best investigator possible to get her nephew out of jail and from under the murder charge he is now facing. Deana is down to her last and best choice. Too bad he hates her and her family. Now Deana has to figure out how to convince Josh to put the past behind them and get him to agree to work for her and find out who really did the murders.

Josh Windsor is out of the hero business as far as he is concerned. He has just had to leave a well-loved job with the DEA and right now all he wants is to find a quiet place on the islands. Josh absolutely wants nothing to do with Deana and her family problems. He has no interest in investigating a murder that has already been investigated and has a person behind bars. But sometimes the hero business is really hard to get out of.

Deana finally gets her wish and now Josh is working for her, but he is doing it on his terms - not hers. When the case brings them closer together than either had planned both begin to learn just what secrets the other is hiding. The investigation is getting messy in more ways than one. Deana had agreed to accept any outcome from Josh's investigation when he agreed to do it, a condition Deana agreed to believing she knew the only possible outcome. Josh is coming to the end of the road; the facts are coming together - not only for his investigation but also between Deana and himself. Just what will the truth about a night of murder do to their budding relationship?

A red-hot detective and a wealth society figurehead come together under the Hawaiian nights. Holding Out for a Hero brings to stubborn people together with one desire - to find out who killed Deana's brother and sister-in-law. Deana learned from the best on how to get her way by using her money and status. Josh has worked his way up from a bad childhood to be a DEA hero until the rug is pulled out from under him. The undercurrents between Josh and Deana just as strong as any the islands have ever had. I watched as Josh and Deana fought their attraction for each other and just knew that their passion would explode spectacularly at some point. HelenKay Dimon's characters are so well constructed that I would not have been surprised to find them next door. Josh and Deana had to overcome many roadblocks in order to discover their future and the double murder was just the beginning of it all. Holding Out for a Hero is a full-bodied and tightly written journey that leads to a forever love.

Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

but not her best. I really have always liked this author and liked this book too. I loved Josh, how can you not love an arrogant, confident male who can't help being a hero.

All the wealth and family influence in the world can't save Deana Armstrong's nephew Ryan from police arrest and incarceration for the brutal double murders of his parents (Deana's brother and sister-in-law).

Problem is Deana seems to be the only who believes in Ryan's innocence and she is bound and determined to prove it. She is desperate to enlist the help of Josh Windsor, a former DEA agent whose career has taken a decidedly downward spiral (he's recently left his job after a meth case he's been working on goes bad).

To bad for Deana that Josh wants nothing to do with the case or the privileged Deana and her family and their beliefs that money and power can buy/solve any problem. There is also a past history of bad blood between them including issues with Ryan who has had previous run-ins with the law and has gotten off scott free.

With time on his hands, Josh finally caves in to Deana's single-minded determination and agrees to look into the case. Over the course of the investigation, Josh learns that there is more to Deana than meets the eye and it's not all one sided as Deana realizes she is beyond rattled by Josh's constant presence (BTW in case it's slipped anyone's attention he HAWT!). I loved how the relationship developed between Josh and Deana and he may have started out as a reluctant hero, but turns out he was a sexy hero none-the-less.

The storyline with Ryan's guilt or innocence was intriguing and kept me guessing with the twists and turns - could he really have possibly killed his parents (I won't spoil the outcome)?

I discovered HelenKay Dimon last year while reading Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy (where Josh makes an appearance) and some of the characters from that book do make cameos in Holding Out for a Hero and it was fun catching up with them.

I am looking forward to the next book by HelenKay Dimon!

Get ready for HelenKay Dimon's next stellar contemporary romance, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO which is Book #3 in her Men of Hawaii series for Kensington Brava (Oct. 2009). In Oahu, Hawaii, dedicated DEA agent, Josh Windsor, has decided to quit the drug law enforcement agency before his crooked boss can frame him for his last mission that went bad trying to catch meth drug runners. This is good news to beautiful heiress, Deana Armstrong since she desperately needs someone with Josh's expertise to reopen the murder case on her teenage nephew, Ryan, who has just been convicted of killing his parents and sentenced to life in prison. When Deana tracks Josh down, he wants nothing to do with her and her wealthy snobbish mother, who tried to bribe him from testifying in a prior drug case against her nephew. Josh tells Deana he is out of the hero business especially to anyone in her family. However, Josh's sense of justice prevails when Deana insists he take a serious look at her nephew's case file and realizes there are several other suspects that weren't fully investigated for the murders. Deana offers Josh her guest house while he is working for her and their close proximity fires their mutual attraction for each other. One day while Deanna is taking a private swim, Josh sees why she is always so conservatively dressed since Deana has a series of scars on her chest. When Josh confronts Deana about the scars she's very self-conscious and refuses to tell him about them. This makes Josh realize that there's more to Deana than meets the eye. He wants to get to know her much more intimately but finds it hard convincing her due to his Adonis good looks and ladies' man reputation. However, soon Deana can't resist Josh's charms which makes it very difficult for him to continue the investigation. Will Josh's findings help or hinder these two lovers on their path to finding true love? Talented, HelenKay Dimon kicks up the suspense for her unlikely lovers in her latest terrific, sexy contemporary, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO. After reading this novel romance fans will be holding out for her next thrilling contemporary!

In Hawaii affluent Deana Armstrong rejects the police conclusion that her sixteen year old nephew Ryan used a baseball bat to bludgeon his parents to death and he was convicted of that crime. She believes he is innocent and her only hope to prove this rests with former DEA agent Josh Windsor who left the department before they fired him over a meth case that turned ugly. Deana confronts him and offers him money, but he simply says no; her family money tipped him in a previous drug related court case re her nephew. Josh further explains he is out of the hero business and wants nothing to do with this woman who belongs in a Nebraska convent.

Eventually her harassment pushes Josh to agree to investigate if for no other reason but to get Deana from stalking him. Every clue he finds affirms the conviction, which makes falling in love a bit more difficult than even their totally opposite childhoods.

This is an entertaining investigative romance in which the love subplot supersedes the murder mystery. Josh and Deana have issues; his with his heritage in which his mom turned tricks to feed him and her with scars on her chest from her most frightful moment; thus with their different opinion re Ryan leads to a fascinating pairing. Although the detecting subplot seems only to serve as a matchmaker, fans will enjoy the repartee between two people who represent opposite sides of Hawaii's social spectrum.

Harriet Klausner

I am very pleased with this purchase. It came in a timely manner and in excellent condition.