6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Raising the Heat with the Hell-Raiser, August 12, 2008
I've only recently discovered Rhonda Nelson's books in the Blaze line, but have definitely devoured everything she's written in the last few weeks. I waited - very impatiently, I might add - for The Hell-Raiser (another installment in her Men Out of Uniform series) and tackled it the instant I saw it on the bookstore shelves. That right there should tell a lot of readers about Ms. Nelson's stories because I can't remember the last time I looked forward to any book or writer like this in a long, long time.
As with most of the books in this series, Nelson presents a former Army Ranger who has left the service with a guilt demon riding him for mistakes in the field. For Mick Chivers, this is not the aforementioned "Death of Danny" as the case with almost all the previous books. Mick is a brand new Ranger with a brand new set of issues, including a seriously messed up childhood. But those issues still land him on the doorstep of Rangers Security where he is reunited with his friend Huck Finn (from The Loner) and the other characters from Nelson's 3 previous stories.
Mick is handed the assignment of catching Sarah Jane Walker in the act of stealing her stepmother's property. Property Sarah Jane insists was left to her in her father's will and is rightfully hers. Of course Sarah Jane and Chastity (the stepmother) are the same age, basically grew up together and are bitter enemies... so Mick smells a rat before he even sets foor in Sarah Jane's home town.
It isn't long before Mick -- under the guise of a photographer working for a magazine supposedly doing a piece on Sarah Jane's company and work -- and Sarah are kicking up sparks. Now I saw mention made in another review that this story isn't "hot enough" to be a Blaze, but I have to disagree. One of the things I liked most about this book (and in all Nelson's stories) is that she takes the time to set up the story and kick up the sexual tension, but she lets the characters get to be people first and a sexual couple second. She lets them get to know each other so when they finally do hit the sheets, it's not all just hot sex that - when you close the book - you know will burn out in a few months and end the couple.
Nelson's Hell-Raiser proves you can have both hot lovin' and LOVE. The Hell-Raiser carries Nelson's trademark banter, her sarcastic wit, her spunky heroines perfectly matched with just the right heroes (who will and can appreciate her), and Sarah Jane and Mick are certainly no exception to that rule.
Mick is an honorable warrior from the word Go. He doesn't like to lie, hence why the job with the ex-Rangers doesn't fit him well. He's restless. Energetic. Likes to "do" things. He has integrity, loves the Underdog and always seems to root for their cause despite the odds.
Sarah Jane is the underdog here. The odds are stacked against her. No will. No proof her stepmother is lying. Even the slimy lawyer seems to be working agianst her. Her "indian" nickname? Warrior Bleeding Heart. She's Mick's equal to the hilt and then some.
Now that's not to say I didn't have moments during reading where I would pause and sigh or grumble and flip a page, but that had nothing to do with the sex or chemistry and more to do with what felt like long stretches of narrative in the character's head where I wanted to get back to the action!
But the fun thing about the Hell-Raiser was there was no "simple" solution. No out of the blue hearts and flowers ending that left you thinking Oh, Geez, come on! Nelson took the story to its logical conclusion given Mick's experiences and suffering... then lead them right back together for an ending you could *believe* in and know (once again) as you closed the book, that Mick and Sarah Jane are another "Going to last forever" couple.
I reach for Nelson's books when I want the best of ALL the things in from romance novel world: -- Hot men, sexy women, amazingly hot sex... with a fun love story driving it all.
So far Nelson has yet to disappoint.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
engaging Men Out of Uniform romantic suspense, August 9, 2008
Chastity Walker hires the Ranger Security firm to insure that building salvage expert Sarah Jane Walker does not steal her inheritance. The women hate each other since they attended high school together, but more so as adults when Chastity conned Sarah Jane's widow dad into marrying her. Chastity further insists since there is no will, as the legal wife she owns everything. Ranger Security sends Nick "Hell-raiser" Chivers to keep a watchful eye on Sarah Jane.
Nick knows to keep his distance from Sarah Jane as he keeps her under surveillance. However, he cannot heed his own advice as the former Army Ranger finds he wants his client's enemy like he has never wanted anyone ever before. He soon joins the enemy seeking the will that Sarah Jane is positive her dad would have signed.
The latest Men Out of Uniform romantic suspense (see THE PLAYER) is an engaging tale as Nick finds himself caught between his heart and his contract. He knows who is client is but his heart and another male body organ tells him differently. Although the conflict between Nick and Sarah Jane ironically seems to lack depth as all the quarreling resides inside Hell-Raiser, series fans will appreciate this fun story.
Harriet Klausner
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
when you have nothing else to read...., February 23, 2009
Nick Chivers, a former U. S. Army Ranger, made a mistake...a mistake that ended his career. He lands a job with Ranger Security, an elite agency- men with his background- and becomes Mick Chivers, photographer for Designing Weekly, an architectural magazine. His job is to prove that Sarah Jane Walker is trying to steal some of her deceased father's possessions from her step-mother. Sarah Jane, who restores homes with architectural salvage, believes the step-mother has stolen her father's will.
Useless things the story wants you to know: Sarah Jane has a temper. How mature. A homosexual ghost lives at the B&B that Mick stays at. Who cares. Sarah Jane's step-mom is her age. Again, who cares. Sarah Jane's friend Tina puts up with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Chase's relationship with another woman. Tina, find someone else.
I felt the story of Mick and Sarah Jane was rushed and I didn't really believe they could love each other so quick. The mistake Mick made while a Ranger wasn't told until the end and I didn't think it warranted him to quit a job that he loved.
This wasn't my cup-a-tea but my twenty-something daughter read it before me and liked it. Sooooo, I am giving it 2 stars. For those of you that want a love story with a good plot, try something else.
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