Customer Reviews

Thirty Nights (Blaze, 5)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First, I want to say that I loved this book. I was a little worried at first because of the 'slave' part. However, having read several Johanna Lindsey novels set in chauvenistic Medieval times - where a conquer enslaves a woman because he's enthralled by her beauty and ultimately he falls in love with her - and the stories turned out to be a wonderful romances, I gave it a try.

ANDI LOVED IT!

If you get past the heroes scars (which are both emotional and physical) caused by lots of negative events in his past, you'll see that Hunter St. James is a tender (he doesn't force her into anything she doesn't want to do), caring (he takes care of her after their first time together), albeit sexually daring man (well, you'll just have to read the book for this one). In perfect contrast to him, Gillian is the sweetheart we all love in a heroine. She's smart (runs a very successful music career), sexy (something you have to see for yourself), talented (heck, she plays the piano), and determined to get the man she loves (has always loved). So after Hunter gets it through his head that someone can love him and that he can love someone, the story turns into a true Beauty wins Beast (although I don't feel that Hunter is a Beast by any means) over fairy tale. A truly great example of the wonderfully written stories we're all used to reading by JoAnn Ross.

Now, I can't tell you to buy the book if a bit of conflict turns you away. Or if watching a couple overcome great odds isn't your cup of tea, but I can tell you that this story is not any different from any other where the hero is a bit egotistical, a bit arrogant, a bit afraid of love, and determined to avoid commitment. I can tell you that if you read it carefully, you will fall in love with Hunter just as Gillian does.

As my parting words, I'd like to say that the ending was superb. Better than I've read in a long, long time and I read constantly (sometimes 3-5 books a week).

So, I want to assure you that this book was NOT TERRIBLE and the HERO was just that (especially at the end!). He was NOT a MAD scientist nor was he out to make tons of money.

Happy reading!

While a graduate student at MIT, Hunter's work is stolen by his professor. The professor scoffs at Hunter's anger and urges him to understand that the best way to succeed is to eschew emotion and look out for oneself. Hunter goes on a bender for several months and then straightens himself out, academically speaking, and goes onto a brilliant career in genetics. His research is based upon his "discovery" that one can predict human behavior with over 90% accuracy based upon DNA (which theory I just did not buy, but I was willing to suspend my disbelief). Both the Defense and State Departments are paying him for his research and various terrorist organizations want to kill him, which led to a letter bombing resulting in facial scarring and the loss of one hand. He lives and works on an island in Maine, where he has a lusty, but merely friendly, relationship with a fellow scientist. One night the woman brings over a video of his former mentor's daughter, who is a world-famous pianist, Gillian Cassidy. Hunter is immediately smitten and decides to accomplish two goals at once: revenge on his mentor and sex with Gillian. He forces Gillian's father to convince her to be his sex slave for 30 nights or he will reveal the father's long ago mendacity (the father now on the downslide of his career, everyone would believe the currently envogue Hunter). Although Gillian, who is a 25-year old virgin, has precious little love for her father she agrees, largely because she had a crush on Hunter when she was 12. All of this set up is packed into a relatively short amount of pages and the book truly begins when Gillian appears at Hunter's island. In some ways, I found the resulting love/sex scenes a let down because after Gillian immediately talks back to him and he confiscates her underwear, Hunter retreats to his lab to watch Gillian roam around his house via hidden cameras. Somehow, after several days of barely seeing him, Gillian is hot for him. Although the sex scenes are well done and different (especially the one in a sleigh at a winter carnival), I was expecting more from the story's set up. (Note: Some readers may be bothered by the use of Hunter's hook in the sex scenes.) The subplot about Hunter's work and the resulting violence committed on both him and especially Gillian seemed almost unnecessary -- I thought that there was enough of a story there without terrorism in Maine. Overall a good read.

This book starts out with a tortured hero out of a gothic romance. Hunter St. John wants thirty nights of wild, wanton sex with Gillian Cassidy in return for his silence about an incident involving her father. Because Gillian has always harbored a secret crush on Hunter, she agrees.

Of course the book has lots of sexual tension. I mean, lots and lots of sexual tension. At first, Hunter seems to be a little hard, a little bit of a beast. But he never crosses the line.

He likes to pretend that he doesn't have any tender feelings, but he's always proving that he does. By the end of the book, I was thoroughly in love with this hero. Let me tell you, Hunter St. John is not a monster.

Loved the book, and I would gladly purchase it again. This beauty and the beast story has one of the best endings I've read in a long time. Excellent!

I like Harlequin Temptations and the new Blaze series but some are definately better then others. This one was exceptional!
Hunter St. John blackmails Gillian Cassidy to spend 30 nights with him as revenge for something her father did to Hunter many years before. This is a very hot and steamy story with an interesting suspense story thrown in. The hero and heroine were both interesting, independant characters and I found the whole story including the interesting way they were thrown together very believable! Great job JoAnn Ross! This is the first book I've read of yours and I will be buying more!

Okay, not your typical romance novel - but hey - I'm up for anything. Solid story - characters were believable, and the plot was definitely something I hadn't read in a long, long while. I'll definitely read this writer's work again. Also, if you liked this, try The Color of Revenge. It'll be right up your alley.

Research scientist Hunter St. John learned to put his feelings in cold storage years ago. A difficult childhood, betrayal by a mentor, and terrorist threats has taught him to meet the world with a cold, logical demeanor. Then he brings Gillian Cassidy to his island, planning a little fun and revenge, only to unleash a boiling torrent of emotions. It was supposed to be so simple. Gillian would become his sex slave for thirty days in exchange for protecting her father's reputation. He plans to release the brazen woman concealed beneath the serene exterior, gaining her absolute surrender, and then he plans to send her away. He'd set her on fire while he remained cool and analytical. But his plan backfires.

Concert pianist Gillian has always been a woman who rules her emotions rather than allowing her emotions to rule her; that is, until she comes to Hunter's island. Part of the lure must have been the left over feelings and curiosity of her adolescent years. Of course, she also comes to protect her father's reputation, not that he deserves it, because without her acquiescence Hunter will discredit her father to the world. It doesn't take long, however, for her motives to shift to her own desires and fantasies. As Hunter teaches her things about herself, revealing the dark, hidden secrets of her psyche, Gillian yields willingly and enthusiastically. Too bad she's promised only thirty days.

Author JoAnn Ross combines the fantastic elements of fairy tales with the passionate elements of fantasy to create a sizzling delight in THIRTY NIGHTS. She's the unawakened virgin, he's the scarred recluse; together they are magic as they satisfy fierce desire and tumultuous emotions. With a plot as entrancing as the characters, THIRTY NIGHTS will keep the pages turning. Indeed, with a stunning display of sensuality, passion and danger, THIRTY NIGHTS is everything readers should expect from Blaze. Very highly recommended.

I'm afraid I must disagree with the majority of the reviewers of this book. I thoroughly disliked this Blaze offering, finding the characters unlikeable and the relationship development lacking in depth.

Erotic stories are often a tricky balance between sensual love scenes and emotional development, and while some of the contributions to the new Harlequin Blaze line manage to walk that line, others do not. This, I'm afraid, is one I didn't enjoy.

I do not particularly enjoy "tortured heroes." In this case, the "hero," Hunter, seems manipulative and unpleasant, and the "heroine," Gillian, seems passive and pathetic.

While the story definitely has the sensual side down, I found it difficult to believe in the romantic development. Hunter and Gillian didn't seem to me to really relate on any kind of believable level, and so I found it difficult to buy into their "love."

Hey, if you're into the "tortured and emotionally embittered man is slowly won over by a sweet virginal heroine" type stories, then this one is definitely for you. But if that's not your style, I'd advise staying away from this one. Instead, check out "Two Sexy!" by Stephanie Bond, "The Wild Side" by Isabel Sharpe, or "Notorious" by Vicki Lewis Thompson -- all are titles in the new Blaze series.

I got this book on my Kindle through the public library's website so I "borrowed" it for free and you get what you pay for. The hero in this story just had zero redeeming qualities. He blackmails her father into "pimping" his daughter for 30 days. I would have felt better if this was a deal made between two consenting adults and he slave aspect of it gave me pause, but I kept reading. I was curious to see how the author would work this out. The first scene where he takes her underwear, watches her on hidden cameras with no guilt or remorse made him just deplorable. But for some reason I was just kept waiting for him to be just a little bit, I don't know, human? They made such light of the fact that it was her first time, it annoyed me. Then he just keeps acting like an a-hole and she falls in love - WTF. So I skipped a bunch of chapters to see how it ends - He pretends to cheat on her, she leaves then instead of crawling on his hands and knees, he gives her a note and summons her back to fulfill her slavely duties. Super disappointed, will never read anything else by this author.

A hot little read, a few twists and the Beauty and the Beast theme was overdone, but overall, I enjoyed it.

Gillian Cassidy made a deal with a devil--a devil named Hunter St. John. She'll spend thirty nights in his bed. Thirty passion filled nights, and then she'll leave and they'll both return to their normal lives. But during their short time together Hunter had insinuated himself into her very soul. How can anything ever be normal again without Hunter?

Hunter thought he could get Gillian out of his system. Thirty nights? Why he'd never had a woman hold his attention that long. Hunter's passion belonged to his work. But there's something different about Gillian...something that he just can't seem to shake.

Two emotionally scarred people find their destinies are tied for more than simply thirty nights...but forever. As always, Ross rocks!