8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific suspense and a sizzling love story!, September 6, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Safe by His Side (The Colby Agency, Book 1) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #583) (Mass Market Paperback)
Katherine Robertson, Colby agent, has found her man. However, just before she arrives on his doorstep, she's injured and he finds her first! She can't remember who she is, who he is or why she was looking for him. Is he a criminal she was supposed to apprehend? No time to stop and reflect on it. Someone's out to kill both of them. What a wild chase! And the bad guys, the amnesia and the mystery of Jack Raine's true identity are not even the worst of Kate's problems. You have to read this thriller. It's definitely a 'one-sitting' read that you cannot put down. Way to go, Debra Webb. Let's have some more just like this one!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Safe By His Side, September 20, 2000
This review is from: Safe by His Side (The Colby Agency, Book 1) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #583) (Mass Market Paperback)
New Intrigue author Debra Webb continues the "Secret Identity" series while starting her own in "Safe By His Side." It's a good sign of things to come. The author pens convincing action sequences and keeps the romance steamy. The love scenes are hotter than usual for Intrigues and the sexual tension consistently high. Her villains are also appropriately chilling (One irritating point: With the language toned down for series romances, it's better if some curses are avoided altogether. It's obvious "crap" would not be the villains' swear word of choice and it just sounds strange.) Altogether, "Safe By His Side" is a solid tale full of danger and desire.
So why only four stars? If I was unable to muster more enthusiasm for the book, it was because there is little here we haven't seen before. The increasingly common secret agent hero. The amnesia, which seems particularly contrived coming when it does here. (So far, the "Secret Identity" series seems to be nothing more than a continuation of the "A Memory Away" promotion under a different title.) The heroes are on the run in the type of story Gayle Wilson and Rebecca York have told better. The comparison isn't a fair one to make with a new author, but it does go to show Webb is in good company. As solid as it was...well, that is what it was. Not unique or inspired in any way. A solid reuse of familiar elements in a story that comes across like one we've seen before. Webb has done an admirable job absorbing the hooks the editors love, but she doesn't do much to make them seem fresh and new this time around.
I also never really warmed up to the heroine. For much of the first half, Kate is very childish. A grown woman who stomps her feet, sticks her tongue out and never stops complaining doesn't earn high points for maturity with me. The ending also falls a bit flat. Part of the plot involves Raine finding out who inside the government blew his cover. We're given two suspects (savvy readers can likely guess who it is early on), but we're never introduced to either character, never get a chance to meet either of them over the course of the book, so we have nothing invested in either of them turning out to be the traitor. In the end we find out which one it was but it could have gone the other way and it wouldn't have made any difference in terms of impact.
Despite those quibbles, "Safe By His Side" is a well-told tale sure to be enjoyed by those who haven't had their fill of stories like this and perhaps some who have. Webb is an author to look for. A more original tale will likely make better use of her talent.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
UTTERLY FABULOUS--ROMANTIC SUSPENSE AT ITS BEST!!, September 7, 2000
This review is from: Safe by His Side (The Colby Agency, Book 1) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #583) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is definitely a keeper, one that I'll read over and over again! A real page-turner. The edge-of-your-seat action coupled with the sizzling relationship between the hero and heroine makes this book a must-read. Though a newcomer to romantic suspense, clearly this talented author has a special gift for building an enigmatic plot and equally enigmatic characters. (Particularly her heroes.;-) Can't wait for the next Colby book!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
