Tempting Evil [Paperback]

Allison Brennan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine (2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749939362
• ISBN-13: 978-0749939366
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,340,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dear Reader:

Like most writers, I am an avid reader. I started light - Encyclopedia Brown, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew - but by the time I was eleven, I'd discovered my mom's vast Agatha Christie and Ed McBain collections.

But two things happened on my way to becoming a mystery writer.

First, I discovered Stephen King.

As a thirteen-year-old book fanatic, I learned about page-turners early. I wrote Stephen King a fan letter after reading THE STAND and told him I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. He wrote back and told me: "If you want to be a writer, write." Which I took to mean, why wait until I grew up?

My problem? I never finished anything I started. As soon as I was well into the story and had figured out what was going to happen, I became bored and started a new project.

In high school, I became fascinated with true crime, and it wasn't until college that I started reading my mom's romance novels. They hadn't appealed to me as a teenager, but as a "mature" twenty-one year old, I found them entertaining.

Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, and others introduced me to contemporary novels that didn't involve murder, dismemberment, or deranged clowns living in the sewer.

Over the next decade, I built a career, married, had five kids, but never stopped reading--or writing.

I soon discovered a wonderful blend of suspense and romance with the romantic suspense novels of Tami Hoag, Kay Hooper and Lisa Gardner, and knew exactly what I wanted to write. I could take my mystery reader background, my fascination with true crime, and my desire for the happily ever after, and blend it into a romantic thriller.

I love romance because I want a happy ending. True love should win over adversity. IF the hero and heroine are worthy. They need to earn it, because nothing achieved easily is truly appreciated. But I also love intense thrills and chills because they are physical--fear causes the entire body to react, heart pounding, head thumping, hands shaking.

I'm thrilled to have a new series. LOVE ME TO DEATH started the Lucy Kincaid series. Lucy is an aspiring FBI agent with a troubled past. Readers can follow her from application to Quantico and -- hopefully -- as a Special Agent. The fourth book in the series, SILENCED, will be out on 4.24.12.

Thank you to all my readers who continuing to buy and read my books. I appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm. I will keep writing as long as you keep reading!

Happy Reading!
Allison Brennan

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New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan has published seventeen romantic thrillers, in addition to several short stories. Allison is a five-time RITA award nominee for Best Romantic Suspense, and the Daphne du Maurier winner for Best Mainstream Suspense for FEAR NO EVIL. She also has an essay on Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA in the Edgar-nominated 100 MUST READ THRILLERS.

A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in northern California with her husband Dan and their five kids. She's currently writing ... or attending her kids sporting events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars She misses on this one, June 4, 2008

By 

Janet (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tempting Evil (Prison Break, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

An average book. Disappointing. I love Brennan's books, so it was hard to accept Tempting Evil would be less than great, but it really was not one of her better books, IMO.

The story premise sounded good, but the hero and heroine were blah to me and had little chemistry. They weren't in a scene together until midway through. Their building romance, was told to readers or shown in brief flashbacks. This reader didn't get any feel for their relationship. This is a ROMANTIC suspense, so I expected more of a romance. The token sex scene was placed in a spot in the story that made it seem as if Brennan needed to stick one in for the romance aspect. The spot in the story where it appeared was inappropriate IMO. If the scene had been written as a grief/comfort intimacy I would have bought it, but it was more of a seduction sex scene and therefore I thought it lessened the tragedy/trauma the heroine experience just prior to it. I would have expected, after all Jo had experienced, her response to the newest tragedy would have been much stronger. I expected her to be devastated and in grief for much longer, but instead was ready to seduce Tyler.

Another aspect that made this book just average was the villains. They were too over-the-top for me. The main villain reminded me of Jason from the Halloween movies. He kept coming back. His 2nd escape and 3rd return was too much. It became campy. The book could have been 100 pages shorter. The repetition of the same thoughts, rememberances, flashbacks of his previous killings, how and why he became what he was got boring to me. It was overdone. I ended up skimming the flashbacks towards the end as I had read the same already throughout the book.

The FBI agents' roles were confusing. They were not fleshed out enough.

Wow, this sounds like I hated the book, but not so. The story itself wasn't bad. It kept me reading, just wasn't 'can't put down'. It was ok, but lost its mojo toward the end, wasn't on par with her others and was a 'miss' for me. I prefer more romance with my suspense.
I recommend reading it, though, as it sets up the third book, which from the excerpt at the end, looks much more interesting.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Being adored can be deadly, June 5, 2008

By 

Mary Menzel "Reviewer - www.AllTheseBooks.com" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tempting Evil (Prison Break, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Tempting Evil", the second book in the Prison Break Series by Allison Brennan, makes it clear that being loved and adored can be deadly. Joanna Sutton recently suffered the tragic loss of her husband and son. She is now helping her family run their lodge in
the secluded mountains of Montana. But all is not well. A killer has become obsessed with Joanna... and he is coming to take her away with him. Painted with such detailed and realistic sceneries, reading this book will get you cold in the middle of summer. We have come to expect a great plot and non-stop suspense from Allison Brennan and "Tempting Evil" is no exception.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great book...., June 13, 2008

By 

Melsy626 "Love to Read" (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tempting Evil (Prison Break, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although it took me a good 100 pages to get engrossed in this book, (not the book, totally me in a book funk) once I let myself go I was totally involved in this book and didn't want to put it down. I read 200 + pages yesterday alone because I just had to finish it and see what happened!!! Although this is my first series by Brennan I am absolutely LOVING it!!!! She knows how to weave a story and present a cast of likable and dislikable characters. I love the hero's/heroine's that you are truly rooting for and the villain's who you just love to hate!!!! She creates those with no questions asked!!!! A great storyteller and a fabulous addition to the Prison Break Series. Only one problem with this............the next one doesn't come out until the end of September!!!!!!!!!!