Customer Reviews

Under Lock And Key

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

[one can only hope that the double review of same person, same copy - that one would be deleted - not fair if it counts for the stars points]

And I like a list of characters to figure out if I would like the story.

Melissa Carnes [inherited billions - soon to turn 30] lives in an imported castle in Texas.

Her uncle, Freddy Gold, has received an indirect message of danger to her.

Tyler Blackwell, 34, is one of Freddy's reporters, that is until his wife was murdered when he was investigating J. R. Randall and his business.

He turns to the bottle.

Then we have Sable Lorel Carnes, Melissa's step-mother as a suspect, she married William Carnes for his money.

They produced a half-sister, Tia Carnes, who was always living beyond her allowance and she now wants more money to impress her new love.

Then there is Sheriff Tate who really wants to believe in the "witch" tales attributed to Melissa, probably because of her habit of coming out only at night. Someone was taking advantage of her strange habits.

Ah, yes and don't forget Deanna Randall who became Melissa's nanny and companion and still is her confidant and shows Melissa's horse, Eclipse in dressage. I love the inclusion of the horses. And by the way, which person likes to play chess?

Melissa has facial and body scars from the burns suffered when her mother died in a car wreck. Why was she the only one to survive? Who pulled her out?

It was a very neat plot - intrigueing - as for going from hate to lust, don't they always? - great cast of characters - excellently paced plot - nice intertwinning of characters' roles - what did the villians want? revenge? money?

Definitely Recommended --m This may be a keeper for some.

but this book is a disapointment. This reader had hoped the premise of a less than perfect heroine, and a hero who finds her beauty in non-traditional ways would be fresh and a satisfying read. Instead, Melissa, the heroine, comes off as niave and standoff-ish instead of sympathetic with strength mixed in. She goes very quickly from hating anyone from the "outside" world to hopping into bed with the hero and hoping that one time will get her pregnant. Which is a disturbing thought, with the heroine already having borderline mental illness or social phobia at best. The Hero is the strongest point of this book, not breaking his word to a friend to protect the heroine and putting up with her behavior far beyond what most men would endure.

The back of the book says:

"On a stormy Texas night, Tyler Blackwell awoke from a car crash to find himself in a castle dungeon, bound under lock and key by an ephemeral jailer with haunting eyes and virginal flesh that begged for a man's touch. Mysterious Melissa Carnes- the woman Tyler had been sent undercover to defend from a deadly enemy intent on destroying her life- was more tempting to Tyler than any assignment. And being her "prisoner" had its advantages. But could Tyler penetrate the cold stone wall Melissa had built around her heart before the past emerged like the grim reaper to sentence them both to life terms...?"

As you can tell this is not a book meant to make you think. The characters have interesting pasts and the who-dunnit was OK. The ending of the book was great and we were not expected to believe that everything was going to be perfect for the rest of their lives.

This is the 1st Harlequin book I've read. I really liked it, especially the ending!

but this book is a disapointment. This reader had hoped the premise of a less than perfect heroine, and a hero who finds her beauty in non-traditional ways would be fresh and a satisfying read. Instead, Melissa, the heroine, comes off as niave and standoff-ish instead of sympathetic with strength mixed in. She goes very quickly from hating anyone from the "outside" world to hopping into bed with the hero and hoping that one time will get her pregnant. Which is a disturbing thought, with the heroine already having borderline mental illness or social phobia at best. The Hero is the strongest point of this book, not breaking his word to a friend to protect the heroine and putting up with her behavior far beyond what most men would endure.