Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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144 of 147 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suspense and Romance Behind Closed Doors, August 17, 2002
I first read Shannon McKenna when she wrote a novella for the anthology ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT. I was thrilled to learn she was going to have a full-length book and it was going to be in the Brava line. Brava is a new line of books that promise the reader erotic romance stories and currently not only has Shannon McKenna signed up, but others like Lori Foster.BEHIND CLOSED DOORS opens with the hero, Seth Mackey, spying on the heroine, Raine Cameron. He is after the killer of his brother and spying on Raine is one way he believes he is going to achieve this. Unfortunately to his job at hand, he grows attracted to her while watching her and it somewhat gets in his way. It does not take them long to meet and the sparks just electrify between the two. And not much longer for Seth and Raine to get in bed and begin a rather interesting, intense love affair. He doesn't trust her and Raine is secretive to him. But boy, he doesn't let his niggling distrust to stop him from pursuing her into bed.
Raine has a secret agenda of her own. She wants to learn about her father's death and the only way she can is to go undercover in her uncle's business. Seth is hired to do security for her uncle, and when she meets Seth, she is caught between the attraction she feels for him and finishing up her task. Even almost to the end, Seth is not sure if he can trust Raine, but love wins his heart. A man who thought he could not love finds that he can. The relationship between the hero and heroine is very intense, sometimes like a love hate relationship. But they agree in bed very well. ;) Seth is very much a macho man and an Alpha Hero similar to that of the best selling author Linda Howard's male heroes. No woman can stand a chance, but then, who can resist one as sensual and tough as Seth Mackey. He is very sexual and there is lots of action in bed, but also out. It is not a gory type book, but it fits the bill as a romantic suspense for me, with much emphasis on the romance part. Just to warn you though: there is several uses of the f work and other sexual slang terms in the book. It did not bother me, but some readers may not like the use of the words. To me, the usage was necessary and realistically moved the story along. The story flies to a fast and explosive ending that left me satisfied with the end, but wishing the story had not ended. It was that good to me. Ms McKenna created some characters that not only were realistic, but with great sexual tension that throbbed within the pages of the book. I wish I could give it more than five stars, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book by Shannon McKenna. If you enjoy a good contemporary romance/supsense story that is very hot and sensual, then you will enjoy BEHIND CLOSED DOORS by Shannon McKenna.
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82 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Murder Mystery & Highly Sensual - Vulnerable Leads, January 3, 2003
Behind Closed Doors is very much a non-typical romance novel! The author dedicates almost as much time to the mystery as she does the development of the leads' relationship. There are highly charged sensual scenes that come close to overshadowing the underlying romance. Yet, if we watch closely, we see both the hero and heroine as highly vulnerable. The book encompasses a great deal of maturing for both leads - especially the hero.Raine Cameron is looking for her father's killer. She has taken a job with her uncle's company to hopefully find his killer. Seth Mackey is looking for this brother's murderer. He is a surveillance expert and is watching Raine's uncle's company because he believes he will discover the murderer within the company. Thus, we find Seth, on the opening page of the book, spying on Raine and finding himself closed to obsessed with her. The leads meet early in the book. Seth and Raine are good at keeping secrets from the other. But as their relationship develops they each open gradually and expose the despised vulnerability that lies deep within the other. Seth was a little too mean to warrant Raine's love. Initially, Raine allows herself to be pushed around but gradually we see her becoming more assertive. Nevertheless, there are still times you may roll your eyes and wonder "Why is she allowing this?" The hero certainly takes his time in becoming a nicer person but it is his ruthlessness that carries many of the sensual scenes. These sensual scenes rate about a 4.5 out of 5 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).
If I had a choice, I would rate this book 4.5 stars instead of 5. My reasoning is based entirely on the time dedicated to the growth of Seth and Raine's romantic relationship. Although the murder mystery was somewhat better than you find in most romance novels, it still took too many pages. The couple's relationship had a good base and capacity for growth that is never amply explored. Overall, certain scenes within the book are too powerful to warrant less than a five star rating. It is certainly one of the spicier books I have read and you definitely have to be a reader that appreciates a type A, dominant male lead. The heroine does knock him off his all-powerful pedestal more than once but he always climbs back up on it. On the whole, this is a fun, entertaining read that I will keep to read again. This author is new and I expect many good books from her in the future. She somehow has developed an intriguing edge in Behind Closed Doors that is difficult to define, but captivating none the less.
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Mix!, February 5, 2003
This book was the perfect mix of mystery and romance - which is usually a hard combination to get right. Many times authors try too hard to make a mystery plot twist and turn, but this one was great - it kepy your interest without being overworked. There was great character development of all characters individually and also good development of relationships and interactions. The romance between Raine and Seth was also well done - sometimes in a mystery the development of feelings is minimized, but not in this case. Lots and lots of hot, sizzling scenes!! OK, so that's an understatement.
Some might think the language in the book is a bit crude, but I find it realistic. How accurate is it when a tough guy says "Gosh darn it, what in the heck are you doing?" Nah-uh, it's not!
It's been a long time since I've considered a book to be 5 stars, especially for a romantic suspense/mysters. So BRAVO to McKenna for her amazing and perfect debut! I am definitely a fan. I wonder if we will see future books about the McCloud boys?? Either way, I can't wait to get more from McKenna.
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