Customer Reviews

One Touch of Topaz

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

 

 

This was a departure from Johansen's usual. Less tense adventure and psychological fear. This is a good romance novel with a mixture of light adventure and sensual feelings. The characters were well drawn and interesting. I enjoyed it.

I have learned to love Iris Johansen's romances (I've listed my favorites at the bottom of this review). One thing many have in common is wonderfully complex plots, many multifaceted characters and exotic locales. I loved this story, and it did take place in the Caribbean and Paris. While I recommend it, I cannot give it 5 stars as it's lacking some meat in my mind. I wanted more story, more plot--more of what I expect from Johansen. 277 pages just wasn't enough. This story is related to TENDER SAVAGE, the story of Ricardo Lazaro, a character in this one and the revolution's charismatic leader.

Fletcher Bronson is your basic, self made tycoon. A handsome, rugged hunk graying at the temples. A former Vietnam vet with a head for business, he's now a billionaire in his late 30s. He's on the island country of St. Pierre (fictional) because a junta has taken over the island and confiscated his refinery. And no one takes anything that is Bronson's without paying a price. But in the middle of this, Bronson learns the revolutionaries are trying to evacuate nine of their members whose lives are threatened. When he hears this group includes children, he lends his helicopter to the evacuation effort. His contact's code name is Topaz. Soon, he finds out Topaz is a woman, a slender bit of a young woman (age 21) who is a part of the revolution that failed. Fletcher gives up his seat on the helicopter and stays with Topaz (aka Samantha Barton, an American) because she fascinates him. He offers her a proposition she cannot refuse and soon, she becomes his obsession.

It's well written and moves along at a good pace (I finished it in one day). Fletch is a hero with a noble heart though he appears ruthless in business. Samantha is a girl who has had to face hardships, like living in a cave for six years and often having nothing to eat while on the run. She is also self-sacrificing and gentle, risking her life for her friends. Fletch is humbled by her kindness to him. As usual, Johansen creates wonderful heroes and heroines; I loved both Fletch and Samantha/Topaz. The dialog is good back and forth banter and you'll love the secondary character, Skip Brennen, the helicopter pilot.

The only negative is that there could have been so much more story. It ends too soon. So, if you're looking for a quick read that won't disappoint, get this one--and the related one, TENDER SAVAGE. But if you like her very complex stories, you might want to consider those of her historical novels I believe deliver 5 stars worth of story:

--The Wind Dancer series: The Wind Dancer, Storm Winds, and Reap the Wind (buy the 1991 version of this last one)and there's a 4th, Final Target I've not read (for which the reviews are not as good)
--The Beloved Scoundrel
--The Magnificent Rogue
--The first in the Sedikhan Series: The Golden Barbarian

I enjoyed this book and was aware it was one of her earlier books. Due to a few references it is a bit dated, but fun. Enjoy

IRIS JOHANSEN IS A TERRIFFIC WRITER AND I DO NOT PURCHASE ANY BOOKS BUT HERS AS LONG AS SHE HAS SOMETHING NEW OUT! IN JOINING UP WITH HER SON NOW THEY ARE JOINTLY GETTING BOOKS OUT WHAT SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE SOONER, PERHAPS IT IS JUST MY EXCITEMENT OR ANTICIPATION OF GETTING ANOTHER ONE OF HER BOOKS TO READ BUT IT DOES SEEM LIKE SOONER THEN BEFORE. EITHER WAY I ENJOY HER BOOKS SO MUCH AND CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THE NEXT ONE TO READ. I TRULY ENJOY HOW IN ALMOST EVERY BOOK THERE IS A PRIMARY CHARACTER AND WHAT I LIKE TO REFER TO AS A SIDEKICK. WHILE THERE IS AT TIMES A VERY STUBBORN, INDEPENDENT, FEMALE WHO DRIVES THE HERO CRAZY WITH HIS BURNING DESIRE TO HAVE HER BUT TO NO AVAIL UNTIL SHE IS DARN GOOD AND READY! THE HEROS WILL OFTEN HAVE THEIR BUDDIES WHO I REFER TO AS SIDEKICKS WHO GIVE THEM A BAD TIME CONTINOUSLY ONCE THEY PICK UP ON THE FACT THAT THE HERO HAS THAT BURNING DESIRE FOR THIS WOMAN AND IS TRYING NOT TO LET ANYONE KNOW IT BUT THE SIDEKICK KNOWS AND PICKS UP ON EVERYTHING BECAUSE HE IS SO CLOSE TO OR KNOWS OUR HERO SO WELL. THE SIDEKICK WILL SAY THINGS TO OUR HERO THAT GETS THE BEST OF HIM AT TIMES AND THEY COMMENTS ARE SO FUNNY I CANNOT HELP BUT LAUGH OUT LOUD! THERE IS MYSTERY, HUMOR, ROMANCE, GREAT FRIENDS AND A VERY WELL ROUNDED STORY IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF HER BOOKS AND ALSO THAT OF THE JOINT ONES WRITTEN WITH HER SON SO IM ENJOYING THOSE EQUALLY AS WELL AND WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP ORDERING THE BOOKS EVEN BEFORE THEY ARE OUT BUT ON AMAZONS LIST TO NOTIFY AND SEND ME THE NEW ONES AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE WHICH I ALSO REALLY FIND HANDY! I DONT HAVE TO GET ONLINE DAILY TO CHECK AND SEE WHEN HER NEW BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE BECAUSE AMAZON TAKES CARE OF THAT FOR ME SO I REALLY ENJOY THEIR SERVICE TOO.
DIANNA FROM CALIFORNIA