This has romance, but it’s mostly suspense, adventure and escape. There is a secondary idea of good works earning a place in heaven.

STORY BRIEF:
Drea is smart but has been pretending to be dumb so Rafael would keep her as his girlfriend. Rafael is a drug lord. Rafael wants to hire Simon, a hitman. As part of his fee, Simon asks to have one afternoon of sex with Drea. Rafael says ok. Drea is so mad at Rafael for giving her to Simon that she decides to leave Rafael. She steals money from h...

This has romance, but it’s mostly suspense, adventure and escape. There is a secondary idea of good works earning a place in heaven.

STORY BRIEF:
Drea is smart but has been pretending to be dumb so Rafael would keep her as his girlfriend. Rafael is a drug lord. Rafael wants to hire Simon, a hitman. As part of his fee, Simon asks to have one afternoon of sex with Drea. Rafael says ok. Drea is so mad at Rafael for giving her to Simon that she decides to leave Rafael. She steals money from him as she leaves. Rafael hires Simon to find her and kill her.

REVIEWER OPINION:
I enjoyed seeing how smart Drea and Simon were. Drea was on the run and doing it well. Simon was second guessing her and doing it successfully. The ending was very feel good.

I read the hardback several years ago and recently listened to the audiobook. The following bothered me the first time I read it, but it didn’t bother me the second time.

Here’s what I wrote the first time: I didn’t like Drea’s stupidity in stealing money from Rafael. If she hadn’t stolen from him, they might have had a normal lovers’ break-up and her life wouldn’t be in danger. Because she took the money, he wanted her dead.

The second time I read this, I did NOT feel heroine stupidity. It was logical and motivations fit. Characters with a little bit of wackiness make good stories. So I was fine with it.

The first time I read it I said wanted more relationship development and interaction between Drea and Simon. But the second time I read it I didn’t miss that. I think that as time goes on my reading tastes are moving more toward good stories rather than preferring heavy emphasis on romance.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Joyce Bean did a fine job.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 339 pages. Swearing language: I don’t recall any, but there could have been an occasional something. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: current day New York City, Denver and Kansas City. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense.

Unexpectedly poignant. I like when an author can surprise, and maybe when you’ve been writing as long as LH then you’ve got the chops to write really well thought out anti-hero(ine)s.

Good read. Two thumbs up.

Unexpectedly poignant. I like when an author can surprise, and maybe when you’ve been writing as long as LH then you’ve got the chops to write really well thought out anti-hero(ine)s.

Good read. Two thumbs up.

This is a story about redemption~

Drea Rousseau is the mistress/ arm candy of totally amoral crime lord Rafael Salinas~
he "gives" Drea to a HIT MAN in payment for a hit~She is mortified and angry but cannot escape the passion and hours of HOT sex~ she has with the Hit Man. Now Drea makes a life altering decision~ to get "even" with Salinas~

** this review contains spoilers** so keep this in mind~

Drea is NOT the dumb blond Salinas assumes and quickly using a very clever ruse, using...

This is a story about redemption~

Drea Rousseau is the mistress/ arm candy of totally amoral crime lord Rafael Salinas~
he "gives" Drea to a HIT MAN in payment for a hit~She is mortified and angry but cannot escape the passion and hours of HOT sex~ she has with the Hit Man. Now Drea makes a life altering decision~ to get "even" with Salinas~

** this review contains spoilers** so keep this in mind~

Drea is NOT the dumb blond Salinas assumes and quickly using a very clever ruse, using "electronic money transfers" moves MILLIONS OUT HIS ACCOUNT TO HER OWN~ lol... she makes a smooth escape from Salinas and his goons.

when Salinas finds he has been duped~ he hires the SAME HIT MAN DREA HAD SEX WITH TO "KILL HER"~ what a clever and entertaining plot twist~and he is soon hot on her trail. (We learn the Hit Man has the name of SIMON.)

Simon finally finds her and in a car chase where he is deciding on the hit, DREA had a car crash and DIES, the result of her own careless driving~ and Simon watches her die~ oddly this event ~ "changes both their lives"

Drea is clincally dead and ends up in a purgatory place and they send her back to earth and to live again~ BUT SHE IS CHANGED~ for the better she now has a "conscience" and is a new and better person, and is NO longer "AnDREA" but Andie.

Meanwhile Simon seeing the death of Drea took a "cell phone photo" as proof of her death for Salinas, who will no longer look for a DEAD woman. Howard ADDS a very clever idea~ watching Drea die changes Simon too, for the first time the ONLY person who has ever "touched" him is DEAD~ and here is the BEST part of all this~ two "empty" people the Mistress and the Hit Man find "REDEMPTION" IN EACH OTHER.

Simon finds out she is not dead~ and becomes "attached to her physically and emotionally" and we see this bond impoves each of them. They find love. Drea wants to work with the FBI to nail Salinas for his crimes but Simon comes up with one last "scheme" to stop Salinas and keep Andie safe.

2 fun parts after all this IS a Howard book~ I had to laugh outloud at greedy DREA deciding "how much money" she was going to "steal" from Salina's account based on GREED or common sense and I smiled at the "Simon Tatoo"

This is the darkest Linda Howard book in a long time and I would compare it to KISS ME WHILE I SLEEP for that reason in over all book feel. I had NO expectations for this since the two main characters are not likeable~ but the clever step by step road to redemption WITH two people finding "human emotion" and values keeps you glued to every page~ I did not get much sleep in my pursuit to finish it~

I GIVE IT A SOLID 10 out of 10 better than I expected~LINDA HOWARD NEVER DISAPPOINTS~