Customer Reviews

Ready

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...is it difficult to sustain a mood of suspense when reading about tough, mercenary Alpha males who refer to each other by cute nicknames? Without a trace of irony! 'Take me, Wolf. You and your friends Firecracker and Hotbutton have rescued me from my stalker, Nemesis.'

Nemesis is a girl's name, by the way. The Greek goddess of vengeance.

Suzanne Brockman's SEAL books use these ex-military guy-nicknames to better effect, maybe because her characters use them in a realistic way: tongue-in-cheek, as a way of branding their buddies with the memory of events they'd rather forget.

Nicknames aside, my real issue with this book is the lack of tension between the lead characters, who are so shallowly drawn I felt as if I were reading an abridged edition. If the heroine is full of surprises in bed, it's because she's got so little depth out of it.

Lucy Monroe's historicals are beautifully crafted, and even her formulaic mini-novels for Harlequin Presents can be counted on for serious sizzle. She's an author with two equally enjoyable faces, which is two more than many of her peers. This third face, however - if 'Ready' is an example - isn't up to the standard that made me a fan.

I have to cut this short for a date with my tough, possessive, dominating ex-Army Ranger lover, 'Rim Shot."

READY I believe is one of Lucy Monroe's best. It;s not just the story line or being such an enjoyable read, it was the characters Lise Barton and Joshua Watt's, two very strong, passionate and intriguing people. At first glance and meeting they were powerfully attracted and drawn to each other and as the reader will learn when they meet again under different circumstances their incredible journey teaches them that "loving someone shouldn't make you less than what you are, it should make you more".

Joshua Watts, a former Army Ranger, security expert and merc is on a mission to bring Lise home for a family holiday at his sister's request. Little do any of them realize that Lise is being stalked and has moved to Seattle in order to protect her family. From the moment of Josh's arrival and meeting with Lise, their journey begins full of suspense, intrigue and absolute passion.

This is the first book about three incredibly sexy, handsome and intriguing men and I guarantee you'll love it! For something fun to view, please see READY's flash movie at
http://lucymonroe.com/Flash_Ready.html.

I totally disagree with the previous reviewers who said this book was bordering on porn. I have read way more graphic stuff than this. And the more graphic stuff is gross. This was very sexy. I thought Joshua Watts "Wolf" was an incredible hero. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a sexy man's man and a damsal in distress! But, I just love a man who protects his woman with a fierce intensity! It's a fantasy world, and what do we read fiction for? To live in a fantasy world.

I have read all three in this series and am praying Lucy carries it on because these three men are some of the sexiest men I've ever read about!

"Ready" is a fast paced romantic supsense that will keep the reader firmly engaged. Lise and Joshua are strong romantic leads and are paired perfectly. They both have issues that keep them from finding love easily. As a result when they finally realize what they have...it's a the sweeter.

Lise is an author who creates some really strong characters. Her novels are popular and her fans are plenty. But, life is not perfect. In fact it's darn right scary now. Lise is being stalked and no matter what she has done, she has no idea who her stalker is or why he hates her. Things come to a head when her brother's brother-in-law comes to take her back to Texas for Thanksgiving. Joshua and Lise have shared a past and their feelings are strong. Will Lise allow her heart to soften for the one man that could break her heart or will her stalker get to her before she can tame the heart of her mercenary?

Joshua and Lise again are strong characters. The suspense storyline is unique and the way they go about "catching" the bad guy is a little out there but still entertaining. This is the beginning of a new series and Ms. Monroe has laid down the ground work for other stories. "Ready" is a push and pull romance, but still satisfying.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs.

The entire trilogy was fairly readable, Lucy Monroe usually does a good job but all three of these books involved basically the same actions and reactions between the heroes/heroines: each hero has sworn he will never get involved so he can't possibly fall in love. Each heroine is either a virgin or has almost no experience with sex but of course has incredible sex with these emotionally distant men--yeah, right, their incredible penises are all they have going for them.

And of course after all the sex they have while repeatedly telling the heroines this is not a relationship, just sex, they suddenly and for no apparent reason realize they LOVE the heroines so they can have a relationship after all.

Author Lise Barton has a little problem a.k.a. a stalker. Being the independent soul she is, Lise refuses to even tell her family what is going on and instead moves from Texas to Seattle, believing it will keep her brother Jake and his family safe. Only she doesn't count on the person becoming so persistent and following her to her new home where he begins to terrorize her with threats to her family.

Joshua "Wolf" Watt has come to Seattle to bring her home for Thanksgiving. His sister is married to Lise's brother, and so he knows how much family means to Lise. Because of a passionate kiss they shared, he's convinced she ran to escape their intense attraction, and is determined to set her straight. But when he finds her afraid in her own home, his instincts tell him something else is going on, and he's not about to let anything happen to her.

Lise is wary when she first sees Joshua in her apartment. She remembers how it felt to be in his arms, how strong her reaction is to him, and it scares her. She doesn't want to lose herself to another person and she's certain that's exactly what would happen with Joshua. But she also needs help, and as a trained soldier, Joshua can protect her, along with his trusted friends Hotwire and Nitro. But will her be able to protect her from her own feelings?

Ready is a combustible mix of suspense, danger, and sexual tension that will leave you breathless. Lise is a woman who loves what she does, and cherishes the solitude it brings to her world. While she seemed shy and reserved, she houses a wealth of strength and passion that has yet to be tested. Joshua is just the man to test those qualities. Living his own solitary world, he has seen and done things no one should ever have to experience, and can't believe love exists for someone like him. But he can't ignore the feelings Lise brings out in him, and uses their forced seclusion to explore those feelings. However when this assignment is over, will he be able to let her go?

Lucy Monroe lets her talent for refreshingly genuine characters in familiar settings shine through in this romantic suspense novel. The power of love is a strong theme in her writing, and she proves once again how it can conquer all. I adored this book, and cannot wait for "Willing" and "Able", the other 2 books in this trilogy.

I won't go into any real detail because I do not want to ruin this book for any one. But if you loved "The Real Deal", you will love "Ready". Thriller Author Lise Barton at first shies away from Joshua "Wolf" Watt because she feels he is too intense after one kiss and has a former impassionate marriage in her past which pretty much has her avoiding men. But she is forced to deal with him when she needs his help in stopping her stalker. There is a really good part in the beginning where she is sitting in a swing just thinking about that kiss and getting hot and bothered. Than she hears a noise and it is Joshua watching her and from there it just gets hotter. Along the way we meet Joshua's friends Nitro (an explosives expert) who is described as the strong silent type and Hotwire (a computer expert) who is described as a real charming southern boy. Both will have their own books later with Nitro' story (Willing) and Hotwire's story (Able) in the works with Lucy Monroe. This book has the right elements of passion and drama that kept me interested most of the night. This is a perfect summer read and if you add this book to your summer reading list, I am sure you will not be disappointed.

I would highly recommend this book if you are into romantic thillers. I'm not going to write a plot summary since so many on Amazon have already did that. I really got into and enjoyed these characters. I didn't like how it started out and was afraid that it was going to turn into a bad book but it turned around very quickly and stayed fast paced throughout. Yes it does have some sex scenes in it and if you aren't looking for that kind of book then you definitely need to pass on this book. They get rather steamy and explicit. I need to find the other two books in this series and maybe check out some of her other books. She reminds me of Cindy Gerard's Bodyguard series. I read this book in a day and really got into it. I loved how the characters bonded and connected so easily. It's a great beach book or something to keep warm by in the winter.

Fabulous read, for any season but best during the winter months because YOWZA is it hot!! Seriously folks, this is not only a good book with a decent plotline, characters and believablilty, but it is entertaining as well. This book I found at the library (believe it or not)and sent me to the bookstore to purchase the other two books in this series. My recommendation: give it a whirl--if worse comes to worse, at least you know this author is out there. Enjoy.

Lise Barton is a writer of action suspense novels that stars kick butt heroines. She's being stalked and moving halfway across the country hasn't helped. When she declines to spend the holidays with her family in order to protect them, her brother in law Joshua Watts is concerned and comes to Seattle to investigate. When she tells him about her stalker, he takes over the investigation and moves in, determined to protect her. He also brings in his friends and fellow mercs, Nitro and Hotwire to help discover the identity of her increasingly aggressive stalker and bring him to justice.

Ready starts off right away. There is hardly any introductions before the story is already rolling along. Joshua was the silent but deadly type of merc and he had a ruthless, unyielding quality that I thought was different. He rarely if ever discussed his past or his feelings but if pressed, he didn't lash out either. He's at peace with what he is, but he also appreciates his privacy. He was sexy and capable and direct. He was a man who knew what he wanted and he didn't waste time beating around the bush. Lise was much more uncertain. Her first marriage was a resounding failure only because there was no passion in it. Her ex husband wasn't a lout or a jerk, they just weren't in love. That lack of passion in her marriage made Lise think she just wasn't a passionate woman, until Joshua slides through her defenses and shows her differently. Their sex was hot, with a lot of descriptive oral scenes and just a touch of naughtiness that made it all the more fun. ;P

The plot of this story wasn't bad, but once Joshua, Nitro and Hotwire stepped into the picture, the stalker was nowhere near capable of taking them on. Since he was hopelessly out of his league, I didn't think for one second Lise was in trouble. I thought the stalker's rationale for his angry obsession was valid, albeit messed up, and it helped make the story more interesting. This wasn't very action packed, nor was it very thrilling, but it was fast paced. For a romantic suspense book I found it surprisingly soothing. The way Lucy Monroe wrote just worked for me. This wasn't great but it wasn't bad, either. I liked it and I'm looking forward to reading her next book, Willing. Enjoy!