Customer Reviews

Woman on the Run

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read all of Lisa Marie Rice's books, and this is one of my favorite. Like "Midnight Run" and "Midnight Man," "Woman on the Run" has an Alpha hero, a former very taciturn SEAL. After witnessing a mob murder, Julia is whisked away by the FBI protective services where she poses as a second grade teacher. Naturally, she meets Sam with whom she has instant attraction, although she cannot read him because he says little and has an impassive face.
Unlike the two "Midnight" books, this one has more of a plot with some minor secondary characters and fewer sexual scenes. The other two books had one sex scene after another, but this is more of a conventional romance. I did not anticipate the twist at the end, and I suspect you won't either. In summary, it is a very satisfying romance.

[Note: This review was written about the digital edition of this book.]

Having had the misfortune of witnessing a gangland hit, Julia Devaux, sophisticated book editor from Boston, has been put under the Witness Protection Program. She is currently living in the small Idaho town of Simpson, under the name Sally Anderson, and is working as a 2nd grade teacher. Needless to say, she is unhappy with the situation, but since a price of $1 million has been placed on her head, she is stuck in this out of the way place.

Sam Cooper is a rancher who breeds high-quality horses on his family spread. The Cooper Ranch is legendary in the area as being inhospitable to females - several of Cooper's female ancestors ran away from their husbands, his mother died when he was three, and his own wife divorced him two years before. But Cooper is floored by Sally Anderson, and immediately begins to court her in his taciturn fashion. Although Sally knows that their romance has no future, she is helpless to prevent falling for this silent man.

Wow! What a great read! Lisa Marie Rice really knows how to write erotic suspense! I was on the edge of my chair the entire time I was reading this novel. Although this story is not part of the Midnight trilogy (Midnight Man, Midnight Run, Midnight Angel), it is easily as sexy and emotionally involving as any of Rice's published work.

Rice has a sophisticated writing style that balances several different storylines at once. This technique piles on the suspense because the reader is left to wonder who, where, when, and how throughout the story - Who is after Julia? Will the hitman find out where she is? When will the danger occur? How can Julia survive? At the same time, Rice develops her characters so fully that the reader becomes emotionally involved in their lives, which also serves to increase the "nail-biting" factor. The erotica and the suspense are balanced so that neither overshadows the other - in fact, the different aspects of the story are so well-balanced that they ratchet up the reader's uneasiness to an even greater level. On top of all that, this author writes the hottest sex scenes I've ever read!

I have only two recommendations for anyone reading this novel: 1) Be sure to start it when you have lots of time to finish, or you will fall asleep at work the next morning, and 2) Make sure you have plenty of ice water or a significant other nearby to put out the fire! -- Jean, Fallen Angel Reviews (courtesy of Fallen Angel Reviews)

Rice is a cut above most other writers and I won't be surprised if future books are published as hardbacks and make the NY Times best-sellers list. Yes, she's THAT good.
She has a way about her, to quote a Billy Joel song. Her heroine has witnessed a nasty, bloody murder and been uprooted from her city life to a backwater dot on the map in Idaho. There's no cell phone reception, so she has to rotate which pay phones she uses, since there are so few of them around and she doesn't want to draw attention.
Check out this prose: She wasn't so surprised at the failed businesses, but at those which managed to hold on. Simpson was a town that had died but the news hadn't reached the corpse yet.
See what I mean? Rice's books are a thing of beauty: sexy, edge-of-your-seat, uncontrived, believable characters and plot with a dash of humor. It's recommended you re-read the books after you first devour them. Like a luscious piece of cheesecake, if you gulp it down you really miss the full flavor of the treat. Once you've galloped your way through her books, then you can go back and take the time to enjoy the ride and savor her literary turn of phrase.
Her writing is a pleasure, and invariably her books feature a satisfying ending. Woman on the Run's conclusion is touching yet witty. When's the last time you finished a book, closed the cover, sighed in satisfaction, and then immediately started over at the beginning?
Coop is amazing: definitely the strong, silent type. Unlike some stories where one of the characters is stronger or more interesting than the other, both of these folks are well-drawn. Julia/Sally is a delight; a Witness Protection Program "victim" who refuses to remain one.
Their first scene together may crack you up, then have you wondering, "Hmmmmm, now who could play them in the movie?" It's only a matter of time, Miss Rice, so pick out that mansion with the swimming pool you've been dreaming about.

Julia Devaux is a woman on the run. After witnessing a mob hit Julia finds herself in the witness protection program playing the part of "Sally Anderson" second grade teacher in Simpson Idaho. Julia DOESN'T want to be there, but with a million price tag on her head, she doesn't have much choice either. Then Julia meet Sam "Coop" Cooper an ex-seal turned horse breeder Julia and Coop get close and when he learns the truth he will stop at nothing to protect the woman he has come to love.
"Woman on the Run" was the first book that I read from Lisa Marie Rice and won't be my last! Ms. Rice give great characters, great storyline which are more about the sex scenes and there a few of them. I will be reading Ms Rice in the future.

I absolutely love LMR's books. Her heroes are totally alpha and super sexy. The heroines aren't too weak but not too stubbornly combative and overly independent (trying to prove something to the world) throughout the story like some other frustrating books I've read.

I can't help but get sucked in to her stories and fall in love with the characters. For these heroes its all or nothing. When they fall in love its all the way and they will do anything for their woman. I loved that. I especially liked how Cooper's intense need and desire for Julia was such that he just couldn't control himself. He was so in to her and super protective yet gentle. Romantic love scenes too.

Good job, LMR. I'm a fan now!!

Julia Devaux is a sophisticated urbanite with a fabulous job in publishing, until she witnesses a mob murder. She endures drastic changes in her life as she's quickly shuffled into the witness protection program. Julia's name is changed to Sally Anderson, her glorious red hair dyed to an insipid brown and she's sent to some podunk town to work as a grade school teacher.

Sally meets sexy Sam Cooper, rancher, and former Navy Seal who has given up on finding a good woman. Sally doesn't know what to make of Sam, he doesn't talk much, but his word is bond and his strength of character is everything a woman would want in a man.

An assassin hacks into the witness protection system, and Sally's handler wants to relocate her for her protection; however, Sam refuses to let her go. The town stands behind Sam upon hearing about Sally's predicament and vows to protect her as well.

The only thing I didn't like about Sally was her unwillingness to come to terms that her life was in danger, which of course put everyone else in danger. I give five stars for Sam and three stars for Sally for an average of four stars.

This a great story on how one person with a lot to offer can change the attitudes of small town folk for the better.

I can't believe I spent my money on this book. The back cover was better than the book. The erotic scenes between the two main characters were lack luster and not so erotic. There's a part in the book where Julia D./Sally says the sex isn't good; okay that's not something I want to hear my main character say about her love interest in this book. There was no build up to both of the main characters getting together; it was just a couple of looks and a couple of days and they were having sex and then they were a couple. Ms. rice made the love interest in this book the strong and silent type, emphasis on the silent part. The dialogue in this story was not right. It seemed as if the two main characters were more in lust that in love. Even the action scenes in this book were truly boring. Each action scene was over in seconds without any hardwork put into it. I kept reading waiting for my two main characters to get to the climax of the story, when they have to deal with the bad guys and once I read how they did this all I could say was "THAT'S IT"!!!! The only good thing about this book was where Julia/Sally was made to stay. The people of this town was great and I loved their friendliness.

STORY BRIEF:
Julia was a city-loving book editor who witnessed a mob murder. Under the Witness Security program she is relocated to a small town in Idaho, working as a 2nd grade teacher. The murderer put out a million dollar contract on her life. Hit men are plotting and searching for her. She meets Sam who breeds horses and is a former SEAL. Julia and Sam are immediately drawn to each other and begin a relationship. Instead of embarrassing her about her sleeping with Sam, the local people tell her they are glad to see that Sam is finally getting laid. Julia helps improve others' lives, for example: she takes in a stray dog, she helps a troubled student, and she effects changes in a run down local diner.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This is similar to the author's other books with the sweet, soft heroine and the strong, silent man who's so turned on by her that "he needs to be hosed down." He's so turned on he keeps forgetting about foreplay. Don't expect wild or kinky, it's missionary position throughout the book. It's an enjoyable and fun escape. I wanted to give this 4 stars, but I took it down to 3.5 stars due to the heroine doing some dumb things for the sake of the plot - and also due to some dumb assumptions and actions on Sam's part. (See Spoilers below.) Even though I didn't like these plot devices, I still enjoyed reading the book. She's a good story teller. The characters and conversations were good. I chuckled a few times. I enjoy her style of writing which includes over-the-top exaggerations, for example on page 182: "If they had a flat tire, he could probably hold the vehicle up with a rope held between his teeth and change the tire while fending off marauders. He was, after all, a trained soldier."

CAUTION SPOILERS (things I didn't like):
Hit men are coming after Julia. Sam has her staying with two armed men. He and another man go to Julia's house to set a trap to catch the bad guys. Julia hears an explosion. She immediately runs away from the men she's with, runs down the street alone to find Sam to see if he is ok. He is the one who set the explosion. She is now at risk of another bad guy grabbing her while she's on the street alone.

I also did not like the inaccurate assumption used to cause separation and danger. As soon as the first bad guys are caught Julia says "I can finally go home." She said this while emotionally stressed. She didn't mean it. But Sam assumed she didn't want to be with him anymore, so he left her. He made another stupid assumption that there were no more hit men gunning for Julia. His leaving made it easy for the next bad guy to get to her. After Sam leaves, Julia does another stupid thing which is opening the door without looking to see who's there - a bad guy.

DATA:
Story length: 334 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 8. Total number of sex scene pages: 32. Setting: current day Boston, Mass. and two small towns in Idaho. Copyright: 2004. Genre: erotic romantic suspense.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Lisa Marie Rice books, see my 4.5 star review of "Midnight Man" posted 3-17-09.

I am not going to go into too much detail, I see this has been done quite well.
Julia witnessed a mob murder in her hometown. When she went to the police she was given a new name, forced to dye her hair from red to brown and sent to Simpson, Idaho under the witness protection plan as a 2nd grade teacher. Going from a big town to a little city has been a hard adjustment, not to mention the knowledge that you have a $1 million dollar bounty on your head. She is constantly on alert and looking over her shoulder for trouble.
One day after school she spots a large hulking figure outside her classroom door. Assuming its a hitman come to collect the bounty, she takes the large pumpkin her class had carved and stands to the side of the door intending to knock the assassin out cold. When the door opens she hits her mark, then screams for another teacher to go and get the sheriff.
Cooper, who had come to talk to the new 2nd grade teacher about his foreman's son, slumps to the floor. Covered in mashed pumpkin, Cooper stares at the beautiful woman who just attacked him and lets the sheriff convince Julia that he is not a murderer.
Admiring her courage Cooper believes she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and is determined to pursue her. Julia, in her scared state of mind, does not know what to do about Cooper. She is not supposed to form any attachments. Together they steam up the pages as they struggle to learn each other. How will Cooper react at finding out Julia is not who he thinks she is? Will Julia be able to leave when she learns the murder case is over? Read this book and find out how this story plays out.

This book was great. As a contemporary romance it had everything you want...passion, lust, love, romance with just enough erotica to keep your toes curled. I thought Lisa wove a fascinating tale with believable characters. I recommend this book and I will be checking out more of Lisa's work.

I've read all of LMR's books and I love this the most! Cooper and Julia have become my most loved hero and heroine of LMR's. What and entertaining book! I enjoyed reading this book for all kinds of reasons.

Julia/Sally is such a fun and real character. She's smart, creative, well traveled, has refined tastes in food and culture, and is independent. She has a wry sense of humor about her predicament (city girl forced by circumstance to live in small town USA), and doesn't wallow in her misfortune, but slowly makes the best of it, integrating into the town. Julia is silently freaking out though. She's having nightmares and is in constant fear of her life due to a hit being put out on her for what she's seen. So, she readily accepts Cooper's presence in her life and is shocked that even though he is not her usual type and he doesn't say much, she is really turned on by him.

Cooper, a local rancher, falls hard for Julia. Cooper is the strong silent type. Flawed like most LMR's heroes, he finds it difficult to express himself through words and stays very reticent on the surface. He's bruised emotionally as well. His wife has left him due to his inability to communicate and that hurt him. When he interacts with Julia he's at a constant loss for what to say and fears that she's not really into him. However, he's definitely an alpha male (former SEAL) and still very much a steely warrior, and his need to connect with Julia is so intense that he manages with pure, raw, intense physical energy to let her know how he feels. Um...wow! I totally love the whole cool on the surface, raging heat underneath, thing.

Ever present in the background is the antagonist who is out to kill Julia for the hit money. I quite liked this character too as this person is extremely intelligent, sophisticated, disciplined and coolly and logically goes about finding Julia. Call me sick, but I love the way this person's mind works. Except for the whole being a sociopath part, of course : ). I love that this killer is not your run of the mill whacko, but someone who has a brilliant mind and cultured tastes. A thinking person's whacko!

As per usual in LMR's books, the sex is smokin! However, unlike the Midnight series (all Excellent), Dangerous Lover (more Excellent) and Port of Paradise (good), the plot is way more developed. And contrary to what one might think given the fact that Cooper is practically a mute, there is much more communication between the characters and relationship development in this book than in her others, which I liked.

And I have to add...Lisa Marie Rice has the funniest sense of humor, which comes out in this book. Normally her books are very intense and passionate as is this one as well, but I kept laughing through out the book at Julia's quips and personal musings as a city girl stuck in small town USA. There were so many funny lines. The reference to a certain Arlo Guthrie film that the other characters didn't get made me giggle. And, Shaniko? This stuck out in my mind for some reason. I've been through there a few times and found it funny/odd that Cooper would bring up this tiny obscure town of all the towns that Julia should know near Bend, even though there was a point to that mention. Maybe I enjoy that her books mostly take place in the Pacific NW, which I've explored extensively and love.

All of these extra little details really added to the total enjoyment of reading this book. All around this was an excellent read!

All I can say is that I feel so satisfied after reading LMR's books that when I finish one of her books, I always feel that I should lie back and smoke a ciggy or something. ; )

Would that Lisa Marie Rice would have the time to be a more prolific author. *sigh*