Customer Reviews

No Way Out

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've read several of Andrea Kane's books and have enjoyed them overall, although I've had some problems with each of them. I finally figured out that the same problems occur in each book. A) the characters, B) the dialogue, C) the repetition of emotions and thoughts of the characters, and D) the length of the books--they're too long and drawn out due to the repetition of the emotions and thoughts of the characters.

In NO WAY OUT, a very affluent and powerful family, the Stratford's, are caught in a blackmail situation that threatens the oldest son's campaign for a New York Senate seat and quickly escalates to threaten the safety of his wife and young son.

Younger brother, Conner, steps in to yet again bail his big brother out of trouble and hide the blackmail from their imposing father. Conner loves his brother and will do everything he can to protect him, but his main concern is his nephew, Brian, and the emotional pain he's feeling due to the stress the blackmail is having on his parents and his home life.

Julia Talbot is Brian's second grade teacher, and an advocate for children's emotional wellbeing. She sees a change in Brian, who is described as 'exuberant', but comes across as a hyperactive and over-indulged kid. Still, he's a kid and I find him easy to care about.

Julia and Conner butt heads, even through the electric sexual awareness between them, over Brian's wellbeing. Julia wants to know what the root of the problem with Brian is while Conner fights to keep that root buried and protect his family.

The overall plot isn't bad, but there are a lot of distractions laced into the plot. There are also a lot of deep, meaningful looks, tender kisses, and declarations of exquisite love that grow old. And repetitive.

There is no huge, climatic scene. The ending is drawn out for over fifty pages and it felt like it took me forever to get through it.

I have two more of Ms. Kane's books to read. They will be the last two unless her overall game plan changes.

Shelley Dawn, author of Sweet, Sweet Jessie and Dark Nights

Concerned teacher Julia Talbot wants to know why her student Brian Stratford is pre-occupied and no longer his exuberant self. Brian is the son of the upstate NY town's mayor, Steven Stratford. When her inquiries with the Mayor fall on deaf ears, she continues to probe to find out what could be the cause. Enter Brian's uncle, Connor, a Manhattan venture capitalist who's used to cleaning up the messes caused by his older brother. Upon meeting Julia, Connor decides to seduce her to keep her from interfering when Steven's gambling addiction gets the family into hot water, and Julia only becomes more inquisitive. When Brian vanishes, Connor's game plan changes to finding the young boy and holding onto the woman he's wooed under false pretenses.

An early effort by Kane, her writing style has only gotten better, and her suspense, tighter. "No Way Out" suffers from far too much attention to detail and a long and drawn out plot that could've been at trimmed least 100 pages and still retained the plot. Better to skip this one and check out some of her later novels like her vastly superior "I'll Be Watching You."

I read 'No Way Out' in one night. Is it great literature? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy it? I have to admit that I did.

Julia Talbot is a teacher who tries to help her young student, Brian Stratford. Her attempts to help bring her into the lives of Brian and his politically connected family. Of course, there are people who do not want Julia to meddle into their affairs. She soon finds that her life is at risk as she searches for the answers to Brian's problems. Her heart is also at risk when she allows Brian's uncle, Connor Stratford, to join her.

The likeable characters and light mystery make this fun to read.

Julia Talbot is a well respected teacher in the fictitious Westchester County, New York town of Leaf Brook. She just happens to have Mayor Stratford's 7-year-old son Brian as her pupil and she just happens to be especially fond of Brian.

Mayor Stratford is not without his share of challenges. A compulsive gambler with a cruel, highly powerful father and a loving younger brother named Connor who bails him out of every jam he has ever been in, the mayor is indeed an appealing and believable character. Shady business dealings and questionable characters all are a part of this story; the mayor's own weaknesses or "hubris" come to the forefront nicely.

Julia Talbot is really the star of this story. When Brian is kidnapped and the mayor is blackmailed, Connor Stratford begins dating her ostensibly to keep her from prying into the Stratfords' lives. Her interest in Brian does put her in a political high risk category.

Villians change faces and players assume different positions in this highly compelling story. The characters are all richly drawn and are quite credible, even the ending which makes for a "sweet" story indeed.

First of all, the teacher's relationship with the kid was completely overblown and unrealistic. Second, her reaction to the kid's stress was overblown and unrealistic. She's supposed to be some authority on emotional abuse of children, but Brian's parents problems weren't emotional abuse, they were family problems (okay, illegal, expensive and dangerous family problems, but the kid wasn't in on all that, he just knew dad wasn't coming home on time and mom and dad were fighting a lot.) There were interesting elements in the plot, but they just didn't logically intersect in the ways Kane tried to make them do. This if my first Kane, I doubt there'll be another.

Where the romance and suspense were in this "romantic suspense". It took me over a week to read this book. The problems that happened in the plot were about as dangerous as a papercut. I just couldn't get involved with the characters. The mayor and brother of the hero (I use the term loosely) was an idiot, the heroine and hero weren't really in the book, I don't know why they fell in love because once they slept together, their relationship (if it could be called such) was nonexistent. The dialogue was like reading a soap opera. Bad guys are referred to as "goons", the word "shebang" was used, and I believe the one "bad guy" was a "slimeball" and "crook". The element of danger was never there for me, there was no romance, and the plot lacked everything. I'm very disappointed. I knew who the "bad guy" was from the start. The "climax" was over in about one paragraph. You knew they weren't going to get away with it, and the child had already been saved. As if you were ever in any doubt.
All in all, I had no idea what was going on half the time because the plot was so loose and I couldn't see because I was laughing so hard over the dialogue.
No Way Out? That's how I felt as I was reading. I skimmed the last few chapters. I didn't miss much. I've read other Andrea Kane...I'll keep reading, and hopefully find something better.

I'll begin by saying that like many of the other reviewers I found part of the story very hard to believe. However, I did enjoy the book.
The parts I had the hardest time with were with Julia Talbot (2nd grade teacher and highly educated) she is a favored teacher among her students. However, she is over emotional when it comes to one child in particular Brian (the mayor's son). I understand a caring teacher that wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was overly involved with this child before his problems ever surfaced. He wasn't from a broken home or anything so her attachment to him seemed odd. He seemed more like he should have been her child rather than the Mayor and his wife. Perhaps that is what I was supposed to take from the story I don't know.
Then add in that we are told several times that she was educated very well and yet she is so naive. The boy is having problems so she automatically assumes he's being abused. This aspect of the story was way overblown. I don't want to give away the story so I won't add much about what the storyline is about simply that his family is going through some things and the boy doesn't understand. I do understand that she would be concerned she's his teacher and she notices changes.
However, she's a teacher! She had to have more than one child in her class and this boy is the only one she's worried about. She starts asking questions, etc about what is going on at home. (Secrets of course) I believe she tells the Mayor's brother Connor Stratford later in the story she is a psychologist and yet she is very high strung about one boy. She's investigating what is going on with his family because she's worried about him. At no time did I ever feel that she was thinking as an educator or even a psychologist would. Had I not known otherwise I would have thought she was his mother/aunt/sister because of the concern she showed over him.

Now my next issue is Connor Stratford the attractive corporate mogul brother of the Mayor Steven Stratford. He swoops into town to keep the problems the parents are hiding from the boy and Julia (even though they really are none of her business) under the rug via seducing her. She falls right in after a little banter. This woman who is highly educated and is supposedly looking after the best interest of the child is allowing him to sidetrack her at every chance he has. The reason I even mention it is that she is so set on finding out who is "Abusing" Brian. I found Julia very annoying and that she was jumping the gun about Brian.

Now for the reason I gave the book 5 stars. The story is the story within about Mayor Steven Stratford, his wife Nancy, Brian and their family legacy of politics that Steven/Connor's father wants to lead Steven into. The underlying story is what takes the book on and allows it to fly out of the dull over dramatic effects of Julia searching for who's hurting Brian. Brian's having trouble because tensions at home have him misunderstanding what is going on. The problems are those caused by his father. Steven's demons are coming back to haunt him and that's where the story is. This part of the story was what I loved. Steven is a weak charcter who has made a lot of mistakes that are about more than money. Even though I didn't like him I could understand him better than Julia.

Julia and Connor have great passion together in the bedroom, but the rest of their story doesn't really come together for me until later. Which is why I ended up really liking the book. The ending was a bit Mary Poppins with some erotic moments thrown in.

Overall though the best advice I can give in relation to this book is to suspend your beliefs of what you'd do in that situation and try to hold out for the juicy part of the story when the secrets begin emerging.

What the book gives you is an intricate story(once you get past Julia's obsession/mothering over Brian since he's not her kid). There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing who did what and when.

I still give it 5 stars because it kept me entertained whether I was screaming at Julia or wondering what would happen next:)

Julia Talbot is a child psycholoist and second grade teacher who is very attuned to her students. She senses something is bothering her favorite student and friend, Brian Stratford. His father is mayor of the town and is running for the State Senate. The Stratfords are millionaires and exude a great deal of power. Julia and Brian's uncle, Connor, meet and sparks fly. There is political intrigue, family problems, but nothing even remotely dealing with child abuse which this book's back page leads you to believe. Same old stuff. I've read all of Andrea Kane's books and especially loved her historicals. This is not one of her best.

What can I say except that I love Andrea Kane. This is her second full length present day suspense romance. The story of Connor and Julia is fast paced, and the sexual tension between the two is incredible.

The storyline of just who is the "bad guy" will keep you guessing. Julia is Conners nephew's teacher. (Did you understand that) Anyhow she notices that his behavior is not the same. Instead of being full of life and energy he is now acting withdrawn and quite. Not the typical behaviour of a second grader. This is complicated by the fact that Brian's dad is the mayor of their town and is running for a senate seat. At first thinking that the campaigne might have something to do with his withdrawal she keeps her silence until she reads a paper of Brian's which leads he to a conversation with the Uncle (Connor) sparks fly right away.

Again the story is fast paced with plenty to keep you turning the pages. Plenty of romance, and Andrea is true to her characteriztion in the fact that she does not allow any of them to turn their backs on each of there own individual morals. It is a touching story. One I don't think you should miss.

Andrea Kane has created a sizzling intrigue and tossed in a red-hot romance involving the primary characters to make this page turner one of the best I've read this year.

Julia Talbots seems to be a rather prim starchy teacher until she's thrown together with the uncle of one of her favorite 8 year old students. At the same time she's being seduced by the wealthy, handsome Conner Stratford, her life begins to take on frightening, life threatening tones that are connected to Conners powerful family. While Conners brother Stephen is being seemingly sucked in by powerful political ploys beyond his control his wife and son are tossed into a sea of danger.

The reader is caught up in the intense attraction between Julia and Conner that burns up the pages as the threat to the Stanford family deepens then erupts, with Julia caught up in the crossfire.

The story doesn't unravel either gently or quietly but rockets the reader into a fast paced thrill as the sexual tension between Julia and Conner quickly unfolds and the intrigue and suspense explodes. A must read for Kane fans and especially for readers who needs a break from frothy novels! You'll love this one.