Customer Reviews

Impulse

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

 

 

JoAnn Ross is an auto-buy author for me, because she is a masterful storyteller. With Impulse, she's woven yet another compelling, fast-paced tale you won't want to miss.

Former vice-cop, Will Bridger, returns home to Hazard, Wyoming, in order to forge a life for himself and his son, Josh, with whom he's only recently connected. Things are going as well as can be expected when dealing with an angry and confused teenager. But then the incessant wind stops blowing and the murders begin. As the new sheriff of the small town, it is Will's job to find a vicious serial killer--the man who was once the boy raised by wolves.

While racing against time to catch the killer, Will tries to protect his son, who happens to be a suspect in the murders. Then there's late-night radio host Faith Prescott, Will's former lover from Savannah, who is fighting demons and harboring dark secrets of her own. Will and Faith must decide what to do about their reawakened feelings in the midst of all the turmoil. Are they stronger than their past? The action is constant and gripping until the very last page.

As usual, Ross builds a setting that becomes a character in itself. The haunting imagery of the beautiful yet bleak landscape, the disquiet of the wind when it ceases to blow, the character of the local people, all enrich her story in a way usually seen in literary novels. And like the dark and light imagery of the landscape--as much of the story takes place at night and in the snow--the characters are full of contrast. Will and Faith are at the same time beautiful and flawed. Tortured and strong. Dishonest with each other and honorable with one another. They are gritty--and tender. The story itself has both death and rebirth. And the rich secondary characters add even more depth to the story.

There are a few clues as to the killer's identity, but Ross gives us several possible suspects--so, I didn't know until the final unveiling. My only complaint is that I have to wait for Ross's next novel to be released.

After getting injured in the line of duty, Savannah detective Will Bridger returns to his Hazard, Wyoming roots to take a job as town sheriff with his newly discovered teen son Josh in tow. He figures it's the perfect place to raise a son, since nothing ever happens there. Boy was he wrong. First the grisly discovery of Olympic skater Erin Gallagher's body, who is found viciously murdered by a serial killer who was "raised by wolves" after spending a night of passion with Josh. Then more bodies follow...

Also living in Hazard is former lover Faith Prescott, a local DJ with a shady past and a gun-toting ex-husband in hot pursuit. Their union was one born of lies, when Will seduced her in Savannah as part of an undercover operation. Both fell for each other, though neither is willing to admit it, but soon their passion takes over and he finds himself sleeping with the reporter that wants to break the case of a lifetime.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who wolfboy is. But as always, Ross injects so much tension and passion into the story that the mystery takes a back seat. It's not Ross' best romance/suspense, but it will certainly capture your attention.

Any time you pick up a book by author, JoAnn Ross, you're in for an intense read with wonderful scenery and fascinating characters that grab you and won't let go. Impulse is certainly all that and more. Ms. Ross has penned a must-read romantic suspense story about Sheriff Will Bridger and radio talk show hostess, Faith Prescott - the torture of heartache and the trials they endure together to find a serial killer - the man who once was the boy raised by wolves. Will has his hands full dealing with his rebellious teen age son, trying to convince him taking the job of sheriff in Hazard, Wyoming was the right thing to do. Then Faith Prescott, radio talk show hostess, ensnares Will's heart and the lovers are bound to fulfill their destiny even as they struggle against all odds to hunt a vicious serial killer. Will and Faith join forces and come across as real people we can root for - strong, stubborn, and loving. This reader was there in the dark, still nights lit only by blinding snow. I felt their terror, sensed someone watching. The action is spellbinding and keeps you turning pages (but I must admit I sneaked a peek at the last page to make sure everything turned out how I wanted). I definitely recommend reading this in the daylight or with all the lights on in the house! Ms. Ross has provided yet another triumphant tale of intrigue and love. A masterful read!

Will Bridger is the sheriff in Hazard, Wyoming. Will was born and raised in Hazard but for a while he was a police detective in Savannah, Georgia and met Faith Prescott while working on a case there. Lying to Faith ended any chance of continuing a relationship with her, even if it was his job to do so.

Faith works for radio station KWIND in Hazard. She has been hiding out in Hazard, trying to escape bounty hunter Salvatore Sasone. Just as she discovers Salvatore is in Hazard looking for her, a savage murder has her meeting up with Will again when she attempts to report about it for KWIND.

Will's teenage son Josh may be a suspect and they have a rocky relationship to begin with, one of the reasons being that Will didn't know he had a son until recently. Will and Faith's relationship is sparking to a full passionate blaze as well, but Faith still has Salvatore to contend with and she still needs to tell Will the truth about her past.

With a sadistic killer on the loose, Will and Faith reluctantly work together to stop him before he can strike again. When the shocking identity of the killer is revealed and he sets his sights on Faith, Will has to act fast to save his lover and his son.

Impulse is thrilling! Every chapter offers a new mystery to solve while at the same time another piece to the puzzle is added. Faith, Will, and Josh are great characters that give Impulse its passion and emotion. For those who like a little macabre with their romance Impulse is an excellent choice. It is a little scary, a little sexy and very gripping. I loved it!

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I must be missing something the other reviewers are reading. I haven't finished the book yet, and am not sure I want to. I have many problems with the book:

1. The background story between Faith and Will was only touched on, therefore I didn't get any chemistry between them or see anything but the sex pulling them together. There needed to be more to their relationship to be believable or for me to care. I was rooting for Faith and her husband to get back together after his confession.

2. The whole sub-plot of Faith constantly on the run, changing her name, in fear of her husband finding her was just silly. When he finally did find her that plot fizzled right out. Suddenly she had spent 18 months in fear for nothing. And there was not nearly enough background story for that sub-plot. It just felt like it was thrown in there. And for a man who loved his wife and was chasing her down he gave her up awfully quick and easy. I didn't get this.

3. Will got over Faith being married and keeping her past from him too quick. His reaction to her confession of her sordid and tragic past was to basically say "oh, well, let's have some more sex." No emotion tied to it whatsoever.

4. Faith's personality seemed to be inconsistent with her past and what she had to go through to survive to adulthood. Right off she was giving Will advice on parenting his troubled teenage son. Where, in her running from town to town and job to job did she gain parental experience and knowledge and insight? Then she is quoting Rudyard Kipling like she was a well educated, well-bread adult. At the beginning she is a scared, vulnerable person, just hiding out and trying to lay low, then suddenly she is all confidence and comfortable and wise beyond her upbringing. Her speach patterns and dialogue just didn't fit. Think Eve Dallas, and that is more what I expected from Faith.

5. Finally, I stopped reading when Josh walks in on them after they had sex and being troubled and unsure of his fit with Will, stomps out angrilly. Will's response was "He'll get over it" and goes back to kissing Faith. Will had been a parent for all of 3 months and suddenly he is knowledgeable and confident in his response to Josh's upset. Will finding out he has a teenage son and trying to parent him could have been interesting reading and would have given the characters more depth, but for most of the book Josh is off with his grandpa and not even part of the story.

Will and Faith are just silly characters and there are too many red herrings that just seem in the way. I may finish the book, but I know who the killer is. Though, I can't fathom how he is made who he is from what he was supposed to have come from also. But that would just match the rest.

I liked Ross' Irish stories and her Louisana Bayou trilogy. I even liked Blaze. This one just seemed uneven.

This was the first JoAnn Ross book that I have purchased. I thought that the book was well written and flowed well. The story had quite a few plot holes and flaws and since I am a novice Ross reader, I do not know if that is typical of her writing or if it is a one time occurance. This is definitely worth reading and I will pick up another of her books in the future.

I won't go into the plot as that's already been covered. This was definitely suspense/thriller at its very best. The chemistry between Will and Faith was intense.

There were a few things that could have used more background information:
1. The boy raised by wolves.
2. Will and Faith in Georgia.
3. Faith's life in Las Vegas.

JoAnn Ross's fans will not be disappointed in her current release Impulse.

Sheriff Will Bridger after nearly losing his life on the job back in Savannah, Georgia has moved back to Hazard, Wyoming. Back with him is his 16-year-old son that he just found out about. Now there is a killer on the prowl and its going to take all Will has to solve these gruesome murders.

Late night talk radio host Faith Prescott thought she was safe in tranquil Hazard. Faith is trying to out run her past. Faith had a previous relationship with Sheriff Will left her burned. She is not sure what was real back then since Will was under cover.

A terrible murder brings them face to face again. The passion is still there, stronger then ever. A danger from Faith's past is threatening her newfound relationship with Will. As the killer grows more daring it takes every thing Will has to keep his town and his family safe.

Impulse is a fast paced, gripping and a wonderfully moving sensual tale. JoAnn Ross is an auto buy for me.

After reading Ross' books Blaze and liking it, I thought I would enjoy this one as well. Wrong! This book just downright sucked. There wasn't a single aspect of this book that I bought into at all. So it kinda shocked me to see all positive reviews on Amazon and BN. I don't know what book those people were reading because I didn't find anything redeemable about Impulse.

Right from the beginning I had problems. Ross sorta just plops you into the situation where all these nuances and and events that already exist. It made me feel like I'd missed a quarter of the book, like there were preceding chapters I should have read. Only there weren't, and I found the beginning irritating and somewhat confusing because of the way you are just plopped in there. There was a similar issue throughout the book. Ross skipped over a lot of scenes that, in my opinion, really needed to be written out. You'd be waiting for this scene, and then she'd skip right over it and give you a sentence or two recap. It sucked the life out of the book.

As for the rest...I thought the identity of the antagonist was obvious, and his whole "backstory" you might call it, made no sense to me. The romance between Will and Faith was lame. The ending was too curt. The overall flow of the story was choppy and stunted. I didn't care about the characters, the romance, or anything. I pretty much couldn't wait to finish the book once I started.

Basically, reading the book, I felt like Ross didn't care about the story; that she was just wanted to rush and get it over with and didn't put much effort into it. It made for bad reading. Why there were only positive reviews of this book online beats the heck out of me.

In Savannah, Georgia, undercover cop Will Bridger is an adrenalin junkie who loves his rush especially when he deals with a dangerous suspect. That changes when the widower is shot and nearly killed. As he heals, he realizes he is not afraid of dying, but fears that if he dies no one would be there for his teenage son Josh.

Will accepts the job of Sheriff of his hometown Hazard, Wyoming ignoring the objections of a hostile Josh. However, Will's assumption of nothing dangerous happening here is quickly destroyed when someone mutilates and murders Olympic caliber ice skater Erin Gallagher. As he investigates the gruesome homicide that has shaken the 2642 residents of the "Rooftop of America", radio talk host Faith Prescott also investigates. Will knows he is dealing with a dangerous serial killer and fears that the feisty reporter he is falling in love with could be next.

Though serial killers have become too frequent as the underpinning of police procedural romances, JoAnn Ross refreshes the sub-genre with the locale, an isolated small town where the image remains just what Will remembers where nothing bad happens. As Will learns you can't go home since that memory is never the same as the return. He struggles with stopping a killer in front of media frenzy, keeping his son safe and in line, and falling in love with the enemy, a reporter. Fans will appreciate Ms. Ross' strong romantic crime thriller.

Harriet Klausner