Maid Marian stands beside Robin Hood in legends as the beautiful and virginal companion of the dashing highwayman. She holds her own among his wild band of outlaws but not much is known about who she was or if she really existed. Colette Gale presents a new story of a not-so-maidenly Marian caught between Robin Hood and the dark, cold Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.]]>
As the widowed Lady of Leaford, Marian stands high in the favor of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is with some trepidation that she agrees to return to Nottinghamshire, the area where she grew up, to spy on Prince John and report back regarding his activities while King Richard is away. Prince John's carnal appetites are well known and Marian is aware that she will have no choice but to submit to him to maintain her cover. When she arrives however she finds that her childhood friend Robin of Loxley is now an outlaw being pursued by her other playmate, William of Wendeval, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Torn between the two very different men, and struggling to avoid the grip of Prince John, Marian treads carefully through the court; she must find the proof that John is planning an overthrow. As she pursues her quarry it becomes increasingly clear that there is something more to the activities of Robin and William than meets the eye. All Marian can do is hold her ground and await the arrival of Queen Eleanor.
As with her previous novels, Honor Bound is not a light romantic romp. The sex is heavy, hardcore and not without an orgy or three. Though the dialogue is somewhat wooden and the story a bit contrived, it does have its moments of excitement and intrigue. Those that harbor fantasies about the studly highwayman or find the sheriff to be as sexy and compelling as he is dark and corrupt will definitely want to read this. It's not great literature but it does provide a quick and dirty summer escape and sometimes that's all we really want.
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Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade (May 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451226836
ISBN-13: 978-0451226839
Terrorists come to a remote Montana winter resort to take some of the world’s wealthiest men hostage. Mickey Hennessy, a former Special Agent and head of security for the resort, escapes but leaves his children behind and begins his quest to rescue them from the Third Position army -- the anti-globalist capitalist terrorists providing the villainy. Thus Mark T. Sullivan’s Triple Cross kicks off its ‘Die Hard in a blank’ plot.]]>
The action in Triple Cross works well; the scenes are crisp and well laid out for the reader, but without being outlandish or lacking verve. The author keeps the story moving briskly and is rarely a chore to read. As with many action novels, they are the book’s strength. However, the dialogue occasionally becomes jarring -- most notably when the teenage children speak with any kind of slang or jargon -- and the romantic subplot ought to have been tossed out, as it feels inserted so boobs can be seen when the novel makes the transition to the big screen. These are small complaints though.
Jimmy Boone is a big-hearted former Marine and ex-con; having done time for beating up the husband of the family he was hired to protect, after being told the little girl in his charge was being molested by her father -- turns out it was just the revenge of the angry, ignored wife. Now, out of prison and trying to get his life together, Jimmy serves as the handy-man for the bungalow apartments where he lives and bartends at a local Hollywood joint with a rotund bouncer named Robo, who moonlights as an amateur PI to make a quick buck. When Oscar, a Guatemalan immigrant, dies from infected dog bites on a local bus, Robo is hired by Oscar's grandfather to find out what happened and Robo talks Jimmy into coming along as his "cop buddy".
The notorious serial killer dubbed the Night Watchman is out of Attica prison after 35 years, ready and more than willing to pick up where he left off. It doesn't take long to pick his victim; right there on his teevee is psychic Lucinda Stone, famous for helping police catch serial killers and with the remarkable ability to "see" murders. My, what a perfect target.]]>
The Night Watchman isn't satisfied with just one victim, though. Instead, he leaves a trail of clues from one coast to another; dead bodies with wristwatches attached to them, each of them with a message, each of them set to a certain time. The first piece of the puzzle hits far too close to home, which brings her back into the arms of her ex-lover, Detective Randy Barakat. When the second victim is found in Chicago and the third in Denver, Lucinda realizes the killer's cat-and-mouse game is drawing ever closer to her doorstep. Tick tock, Lucinda. With the help of Randy, her closest friend, Cam, and an FBI Detective writing a book on the Night Watchman, Lucinda must figure out the puzzle pieces before her time finally runs out.
It seems that every time I turn around I'm faced with yet another sub-par entry into the paranormal/urban fantasy genre. Nothing would have pleased me more then to crack open Night Life and be immersed in the exciting life of a werewolf-heroine. Alas, that was not the case and this book will sink into the pile of so many others that are trying to break through in the genre.