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.

This is truly a story of redeeming love, and I loved it. Linda Howard has taken some truly unlikeable characters and because of a life changing miracle given us two truly memorable characters. The first few chapters led me to believe it was like some of her other books and I started to put it down. But the cover said something about a miracle so I kept reading and am I glad I did.

Drea Rousseau is the mistress of a mobster. She is smart enough to act very dumb. She was raised poor and dete...

This is truly a story of redeeming love, and I loved it. Linda Howard has taken some truly unlikeable characters and because of a life changing miracle given us two truly memorable characters. The first few chapters led me to believe it was like some of her other books and I started to put it down. But the cover said something about a miracle so I kept reading and am I glad I did.

Drea Rousseau is the mistress of a mobster. She is smart enough to act very dumb. She was raised poor and determined to have the best in life she could get. She has been his mistress for two years. At the age of 15 she got pregnant and when she lost the baby she lost her self. That was when she decided to go for everything she wanted. Using her body and her wits she has climbed to the penthouse of a mobster.

The assassin is unknown and we don't learn his name until the end of the book. The mobster uses him for the most deadly hits on his competitors. He always gets the job done and his very cold deadly glance gives even Salinas cold chills.

As the book starts he is facing Salinas, who wants to give him a bonus for his good work. A hundred thousand extra dollars, but the assassin asks for Drea for one time. He is testing how far Salinas will go to humor him. Drea considers herself a mistress not a ho. Now however she can't believe Salinas will give her to this man.

Drea spends four hours with the assassin and her life is changed in ways she doesn't understand. She asks him to take her with him, but he laughs and leaves. At that time her hatred for Salinas is unstoppable and she puts her get away plans into motion.

Salinas naturally calls on the assassin to take her out. From this point on I could not put it down. It is truly one of the best books by Howard I have read in many yrs. Do not miss this one.

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.