Taking the Heat (Silhouette Super Romance Series Extra) [Paperback]

Brenda Novak (Author)

Book Description

Series: Silhouette Super Romance Series Extra | Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Recently divorced, Gabrielle Hadley is working as a prison guard in Florence, Arizona, to support herself and her two-year-old daughter. Randall Tucker is a prisoner at Florence who has just one goal: to reclaim his seven-year-old son. In the prison's atmosphere of tension and corruption, Gabrielle soon discovers that Randall is far from the murderer he's said to be. When Randall escapes, she follows him. And soon the guard becomes the prisoner's captive...and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Novak's latest is an energetic if unlikely tale set in the Arizona desert. Divorced mother Gabrielle Hadley has moved to the small town of Florence to be near her birth mother, whom she hopes to approach for the first time. Unfortunately, taking a guard's job in one of the town's many prisons is her only option for employment. When she witnesses convicted murderer Randall Tucker being savagely beaten without any protection from the other guards, she's torn. Should she speak out against her colleagues' corruption, or stay silent despite Tucker's injuries? Her dilemma intensifies when her police car crashes as she and another officer are attempting to transfer Tucker to another prison. Gabrielle follows the fleeing Tucker into the desert, and amid their fight for survival, she comes to believe in his innocence and acknowledge their mutual attraction. When they finally return to civilization, she agrees to harbor both Tucker and the son he has kidnapped from foster care while he fights to gain his freedom. Novak's story is richly dramatic, with a stark setting that distinguishes it nicely from the lusher worlds of other romances. Sadly, its appeal is badly weakened by inconsistent character motivation and an abrupt, all-too-convenient resolution.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373835701
• ISBN-13: 978-0373835706
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Novak Bio

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.

"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times, USA Today and Borders/Waldenbooks bestseller lists and won many awards, including two Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fund-raiser for diabetes research--an online auction held on her Web site (www.brendanovak.com) every May. Brenda has raised over $1 million to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional and in Depth. Beautifully Written., January 31, 2003

By 

S. Barrett (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Taking the Heat (Silhouette Super Romance Series Extra) (Paperback)

Gabrielle Hadley supports herself and her year old daughter by working as a prison guard in the small Arizona desert town of Florence. When she steps in to stop a fight between convicted murderer Randall Tucker and four other inmates, and later, when she offers First Aid to the injured Tucker, she incurs the wrath of long-time guards who refuse to help.

An auto accident during a prison transfer offers Tucker the chance to escape and try to prove his innocence--if he can make it through the punishing Sonoran desert. For reasons not quite clear to her, Gabrielle sets off in pursuit. During their three days in the desert, Gabrielle becomes convinced Tucker is innocent, and the two must join forces to survive.

Brenda Novak's first single title contemporary is a hard-hitting, well-researched page turner. A fluid writing style, emotional intensity and well-developed characters are hallmarks of this rising star in her Superromances. Taking the Heat is a grittier read with the same level of excellence found in her other books. Very highly recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking the Heat, January 24, 2004

By 

venustar (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking the Heat (Silhouette Super Romance Series Extra) (Paperback)

Taking the Heat by Brenda Novak is a great read. It tells of corruption within the prison system, and the preserverance of the desperate. Gabrielle and Tucker's struggle to survive the harsh Senoran desert was written in such an eloquent manner that it's hard not to root for them. It was climactic and passionate, and the writer really did her research. I have lived in Arizona for my whole life, and I could not find one single error involving surroundings, climate, even street names. I am impressed and will definetely be searching out this author in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It'll keep you hooked until the end..., October 12, 2006

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking the Heat (Silhouette Super Romance Series Extra) (Paperback)

Gabrielle Hadley has just moved to Florence, Arizona to get close to the birth mother who gave her up for when she was a toddler. Gabby's ex-husband would like nothing more than for her and their infant daughter to return to Phoenix so that they can start over. But something is missing for Gabrielle; David's her best friend, but she's never really loved him the way a wife should. In order to make end meet, she takes a job at the only gig in town - one of Florence's many prisons.

During her first week as a guard, she attempts to break up a fight between two prisoners, and discovers that the guards not only step aside, but encourage the brawls. When she insists on treating the injuries of convict Randall Tucker, her compassion manages to arouse feelings in Randall that he never thought would exist again - hope. Falsely imprisoned for the murder of his unfaithful wife, Randall was given a life sentence and his young son sent into foster care. But Randall doesn't want Gabrielle treating him human, as it just makes him remember all that he's lost.

While being transferred to an even tougher prison thanks to Gabrielle's interference, Randall escapes from custody after a car accident and heads for freedom through the unforgiving Arizona desert. Despite having a baby waiting for her back home and the possibility she won't come back alive, Gabrielle takes off after him. The two form an unlikely alliance as they trudge through the desert searching for signs of life, and develop feelings for each other. Soon she is convinced of his innocence and struggles with her feelings for a man with whom she has no future. As he attempts to find out who really killed his wife, she gathers the nerve to confront her birth mother.

Novak's emotional story is surprisingly well written, with multiple plots and fully-developed characters - a rarity for a Silhouette novel. I was hooked from the first paragraph and could not wait to find out the fate of the two lovers as well as the identity of the murderer.