Amanti pericolosi (Dangerous #1)

Dec 14, 2012 Buggy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: shelf-09, rom-susp, men-in-uniform-af-spc-op

Opening Line:"She was here. He could feel her, he could smell her."

~GREAT HERO, AVERAGE STORY, INCOMPLETE ENDING~
This is a well written story and Ms Rice has obviously done her homework regarding the issues in Afghanistan and Africa. I also really enjoyed Jack as our hero; he's brooding and sexy with a repeatedly described hard body. He's also been written as the savoir; rescuing our heroine in a snowstorm then continually caring for her every need, making sure she's warm and fed, fixing her fal...more Opening Line:"She was here. He could feel her, he could smell her."

~GREAT HERO, AVERAGE STORY, INCOMPLETE ENDING~
This is a well written story and Ms Rice has obviously done her homework regarding the issues in Afghanistan and Africa. I also really enjoyed Jack as our hero; he's brooding and sexy with a repeatedly described hard body. He's also been written as the savoir; rescuing our heroine in a snowstorm then continually caring for her every need, making sure she's warm and fed, fixing her falling down house, shovelling the driveway and mending the bad-tempered boiler while she sleeps, all this while being a thoughtful and generous lover too. I suppose this is every woman's fantasy unfortunately DANGEROUS LOVER never really grabbed my attention. For me it was just okay.

Jack Prescott has been in love with Caroline Lake since he first met her while living in a homeless shelter years before. After the death of his alcoholic father Jack took to the streets, but not before one last look at Caroline surrounded by her wealthy, loving family as they celebrated Christmas. Twelve years later Jack returns. He has spent years in the military and witnessed some terrible things now all he wants to do is get back to the girl that he`s never forgotten. Caroline's world has slowly crumbled over the years. After her parents died in a car accident she was left caring for her paralyzed and ailing brother. As the medical bills mounted Caroline struggled to cope with a house in desperate need of repair and a mass of debt. Now her brother is also gone leaving Caroline alone.

Jack arrives on Christmas eve fresh from the field, still in fact with sand in his boots. Caroline now owns a bookstore and also takes lodgers in the old mansion. So within hours of being back on US soil Jack is speaking directly to Caroline. The internal dialogue here is great as Jack struggles to keep calm in Caroline's presence and shake off the war that he's just left. She rents the tanned stranger a room and while on their way home Jack saves her life after the car goes off the road during a snowstorm. He then becomes "savoir Jack" doing everything for the wimpy and somewhat fragile Caroline.

I actually have no idea how she ever managed without him but anyways. After a lavish dinner the couple immediately fall into bed. This is a good thing because I was getting tired of hearing about Jacks `tight jeans' The sex scenes are strong but nothing especially kinky goes on and I found them to be quite repetitive. As they stare at each other in the afterglow Jack doesn't tell Caroline that he knew her years before or that he now has millions of dollars worth of diamonds. Bad idea Jack. The two spend the next few days exclusively in bed except of course when Jack is fixing things or shovelling snow.

Throughout the book we are given several different POV's. Jacks was my favourite but we also hear from the antagonist Vincent Deaver. His perspective is quite suspenseful as he gradually gets closer and closer to our couple in his hunt for the diamonds. We also hear briefly from Caroline's loser ex-boyfriend, Sanders who hopes to win her back.

I kept hoping that this book would get better, that something would happen because there was so much potential but alas. The ending was incredibly disappointing. It just kind of well... ends. You are left unfulfilled, assuming that somehow everybody got their HEA but without any of the details that we as romance readers need to know. All in all except for the incomplete ending this is a pretty good read. However if you're looking for great erotic suspense I would recommend Lora Leigh and her TEMPTING SEAL series. Cheers!(less)

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Jan 28, 2012 Dina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica-romantica, romantic-suspense

LMR's books are one of my comfort reads. Is her writing "formulaic"? Yes, it is. But I happen to like her "formula" - especially her alpha heroes, who always fall hard and fast for their heroines - so I have yet to find a book by LMR that I didn't enjoy.

Dangerous Lover was no exception. It was hot, sexy and emotional. Even though Jack was basically obsessed with Caroline and his behavior at the beginning was borderline stalker-ish, I was OK with it. A guy like him would have freaked me out in RL...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Julie (Mom2lnb) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Steamy Romantic Suspense

Shelves: erotic-romance, read-2009, romantic-suspense

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"3.5 stars" For the second time in a row, I have finished a book and been left waffling over how to rate it, which is very unusual for me. There were things that I liked about Dangerous Lover, but quite frankly, there were also things that I thought could have been greatly improved too. Lisa Marie Rice has a very languid writing style characterized by extended passages of descriptive or introspective prose punctuated by brief snippets of dialog. In my opinion, this gave t...more

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May 07, 2013 Ingela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ingela by: Kathleen

Shelves: series-standalone-stories, romance-contemporary

4.5 Hot Stars for yet another romantic story about an alpha man and a woman who needs to be loved - great eternal love - a pleasure to read.

There are some circumstances you will always be served in Ms Rice's romances (this is my fifth): It's winter, snow and the days around Christmas time. The story takes place over a few days. The male alpha hero is a former warrior, professional soldier or the like. The female heroine is a bit lonely and in need of security and of being "saved and loved". Ther...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Zeek rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp-rom, romantica, rom-suspense-erotic, rom-suspense, rom-military

The story starts off with a tantalizing hook- the hero, Jack Prescott, at age 18, orphaned and homeless, stands outside Caroline Lake's house in the sleet and snow, peering in the window, longing for the warmth of a family who loves him. Years later, Jack has matured into a stoic, healthy, wealthy man and he's coming back for the woman whom he never forgot.

Caroline has hit some hard times- years before, her parents died in a car accident leaving the family less then well off, and then she had to...more The story starts off with a tantalizing hook- the hero, Jack Prescott, at age 18, orphaned and homeless, stands outside Caroline Lake's house in the sleet and snow, peering in the window, longing for the warmth of a family who loves him. Years later, Jack has matured into a stoic, healthy, wealthy man and he's coming back for the woman whom he never forgot.

Caroline has hit some hard times- years before, her parents died in a car accident leaving the family less then well off, and then she had to bury her beloved brother after a long illness. All she has left is the family mansion, falling down around her ears, and her bookstore.

Enter Jack, he's too good to be true, but tender-hearted Caroline is desperate for the cash his renting of a room will provide and ...she's tired of being lonely.

Meanwhile, a deadly man is following the man who ruined his plans and made off with a cache of blood diamonds while in Africa- one ex-military, security consultant named Jack Prescott. He'll stop at nothing to get them back, including using the one weakness Jack ever presented ... his love for Caroline Lake.

DL was not a bad read, it had some exciting elements. Strong military hero, an intriguing thriller plot, and some steamy sex, but for some reason- it failed to hold my interest. The heroine was a little too vulnerable for my tastes- I prefer a mix of vulnerability and brass- and I couldn't help feeling Caroline was more of a child's wish than a man's fantasy. The author attempted to make Jack came off as alpha male, but she never really showed us how dangerous he was- just told us. Often.

She also became repetitive in the hero's wanting of the heroine- we got it after the first couple times he said how aroused her was by her, after 5 times it got tiresome. I skimmed through much of this book, sorry to say.

Add all that to the fact the ending was rushed and waaaay too easy and you get a 2 out of 5 from me. Perhaps if you enjoy contemporary erotic romance this might be for you- the sex was graphic and plentiful!- but as for me? Pass. (less)

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Apr 27, 2008 L8blmr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to L8blmr by: A thread on Amazon's forum

This was my first book by this author, and it was outstanding. I would have given it all 5 stars, but the HEA was one paragraph long! That's just not fair!!!
A great action/adventure plus a semi-erotic romance, in which "The Secret" is revealed very near the end, and then everything is resolved in just a few sentences. Say it isn't so! I wish...

There's some strong sexual language and a good bit of bedroom activity, but I found it well written as the hero really cherished and respected the heroine...more

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Aug 15, 2008 Christa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booksfree-com

This was a very enjoyable romantic suspense novel. I thought that both the hero and heroine were great characters. I enjoyed the way that the hero, Jack Prescott, was so protective of Caroline, the heroine.

Twelve years ago, Jack Prescott was an eighteen year old homeless boy known as Ben. He was fascinated by Caroline Lake, a wealthy girl who treated him kindly when she delivered items to the homeless shelter where he is staying. After his father dies, Ben leaves town and is rescued from his ha...more This was a very enjoyable romantic suspense novel. I thought that both the hero and heroine were great characters. I enjoyed the way that the hero, Jack Prescott, was so protective of Caroline, the heroine.

Twelve years ago, Jack Prescott was an eighteen year old homeless boy known as Ben. He was fascinated by Caroline Lake, a wealthy girl who treated him kindly when she delivered items to the homeless shelter where he is staying. After his father dies, Ben leaves town and is rescued from his harsh life by Colonel Eugene Prescott. Ben becomes Jack Prescott, joins the army, and becomes a Ranger. Later, he joins the father of his heart in his successful security business. When Colonel Prescott dies, Jack sells the lucrative company and his home, and then returns to Caroline's hometown of Summerville, Washington. Jack has never forgotten Caroline, and he hopes to find her. Arriving in Summerville, Jack learns that Caroline is suffering financial difficulties and takes boarders in her once magnificent home. Jack goes to Caroline's bookstore on Christmas Eve and arranges to rent a room from her. Caroline's life has been one of tragedy and loneliness. Her parents were killed in a car accident that gravely injured her brother. After suffering six years of agony, her brother has just died. Caroline is intensely drawn to Jack, and he gains her trust when he gets her safely home after a harrowing incident during a snow storm. After spending the evening together, Caroline tells Jack that she doesn't want to spend the night alone. The two begin a very intense, passionate relationship. When a man from Jack's past threatens Caroline's safety, Jack must protect this woman he loves while trying to regain her wavering trust.

This book was fast-paced and quick to read. I enjoyed the relationship between the hero and heroine, and I really liked both of their characters. I thought it was touching that Jack remembered and thought about Caroline while he was away, but I did find it a bit creepy that a young, homeless Jack used to go in and wonder through Caroline's house when no one was at home. The only other disatisfaction I felt with the book was due to the extremely rushed ending. (less)

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Nov 06, 2008 Miss Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, romantic-suspense, end-pissed-me-off

Jack is a retired army ranger that just wants to start over in his life. To him that means only one thing. He has to go back to Seattle and see Caroline. He’d been enamored with her for years. He’d even carried her pictures around with him on missions.

Caroline is a lonely woman living in her childhood home. Her parents had died, and so had her brother after along illness. She takes in boarders to make ends meet. Jack comes to town posing as a boarder in order to get close to her again.

This one...more

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May 24, 2008 Kathrynn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Romantic Suspense Fans

Recommended to Kathrynn by: Auntee

Shelves: own, 2008, romance-suspense, hot, favorites, theme-former_military, reviewed, theme-hero_heartthrob

A fast, hot read! Two wonderfully developed characters, suspense, romance and very steamy. Oh my! Caroline was down on her luck and needed a hero. She got that when Jack re-entered her life. Nicely written--with style! Neat wordsmithing by the author. Easy and fun to read.

I thought the ending could have had a chapter of the couple--after the events--to see them on with their lives.

Another favorite of This Reader. ;-)

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Oct 25, 2012 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-opener, erotic-romantic, reviewed

4.5 stars. It's average writing with an average plot and predictable characters, yet I loved this erotic suspense. Loved Jack. Enjoyed the entire series.

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Jun 24, 2011 Katie(babs) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-want-to-have-babies-with-the-book

If you like steamy, alpha males who fall hard for the women in their life, Lisa Marie Rice is the author to read. She has come forth from her days as an Elloras Cave erotica e-book author and Dangerous Lover is her first in print book.

It is so good, one of the best romances of the summer alone! HOT HOT HOT!

The hero Jack has adored Caroline for over a decade. She is his reason for breathing and living. When he first head over heels for her, he was a scared eighteen years old with nothing to loo...more

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Feb 24, 2008 Rhapsody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: romance readers who like the reunited childhood friends thing

Shelves: romance, romance-contemporary, fiction

Back when he was a homeless kid, Ben worshipped Caroline, the daughter of an affluent family. Twelve years later, now using the name Jack Prescott, he's just quit the military and is rich from selling his late father's company. He goes back to Caroline and starts living with her as her boarder without telling her who he really is. Caroline lost her parents years before and her younger brother was crippled in the accident; she's heavily in debt from the medical bills and her brother died just two...more

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Dec 10, 2012 StrangeBedfellows rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In general, this is an entertaining book. Rather on the serious side, but super-sexy. The hero of the fic, Jack Prescott, is a delicious character -- capable, mysterious, dangerous. His heroine, Caroline Lake, isn't shabby, either; she's a realistic, well-developed character that garners just as much attention as her hunky counterpart. The downfall of this book is, sadly, the plot. Although an excellent premise, there's plenty of build-up and little follow through. The story is mostly character-...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Samantha Sullivan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dangerous Lover was a fantastic book. But it ended way too abruptly—it could have used a few more paragraphs or even an epilogue. Nonetheless, the book had me hooked from the start and was a great read, despite the ending.

The story is about Jack Prescott, who was once a homeless teenager. He fell for a girl named Caroline Lake, who was rich and would donate to the homeless shelter where he had lived. Jack had been eventually picked up by a colonel, who asked him to join the army. He agreed, and...more

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Aug 11, 2012 E. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica, suspense

4 1/2 stars
As usual, the author is not easy on her hero (nor heroine, for that matter) but creates another gripping tale of two people whose early lives define them yet hones them into people who are ideal for one another. Jack Prescott has reinvented himself from a helpless homeless shelter boy into a self-assured and extremely competent warrior who no longer has to look through windows wishing to join those who are prosperous. Caroline Lake has had to deal with the destruction of her life star...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Meaganr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack Prescott is back in Summerville. His father has just died, he's sold his father's contract army company, oh yeah, and he's twenty million dollars worth of blood diamonds with him. Before the army, he was a homeless, parentless kid, and there was only one light to his life: Caroline Lake. Now that he's back, he wants to see her. When he gets to town, what he doesn't expect is to find out that her family is dead, she's still single, and that he is about to become her new boarder. Caroline is...more

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May 25, 2012 Big Girl Books added it · review of another edition

Shelves: caitlin, contemporary, chocolate-strawberry, hot-chocolate

I absolutely have no memory of how I came across this book. Goodreads list, possibly? I don’t know. But it sounded like my type of thing. With a woman struggling to keep her life together, and a man with a dangerous past who just wants to live a normal life now.

Okay, I read the ebook and it seemed pretty short, but Goodreads tells me it’s 337 pages which is a pretty fair length. Maybe it’s just an easy, and therefore quick, read? I don’t know. But I do know there is a good backstory that helps w...more I absolutely have no memory of how I came across this book. Goodreads list, possibly? I don’t know. But it sounded like my type of thing. With a woman struggling to keep her life together, and a man with a dangerous past who just wants to live a normal life now.

Okay, I read the ebook and it seemed pretty short, but Goodreads tells me it’s 337 pages which is a pretty fair length. Maybe it’s just an easy, and therefore quick, read? I don’t know. But I do know there is a good backstory that helps with the insta-love/lust that the main characters have. As much as I complain (on YA review blog) about insta-love in young adult books, I feel adult romance books are even worse for this.

Sometimes they are more of an insta-lust, which is fair, but sometimes…the characters are just in love and even if it’s been five chapters it’s still the first day they met! But I digress. This book has the relationship progress rather quickly but it has a solid reason for it which also ties into the plot and the character development and I thought was rather well done.

I really liked the dynamic between the two characters. Sure, Jack was a little obsessed with a dream and not a real woman but he didn’t let that get in the way getting to know the real Caroline, and finding that he liked her just as much as the fantasy he ahd created.

Also, there was all this angst! I don’t know why I love the angst so much but I do. I love when the book makes me cry ugly tears, you know? I don’t think I cried ugly in this one but I’m pretty sure I cried.

Not that you should ever hold my crying as some sort of a standard. I have been known to cry while watching commercials. Seriously.

But, yeah, their loneliness and need for a family really hit me. I could feel the starkness in both of their lives. I needed them to find each other to make myself feel better.

I did think they jumped into bed together a little quickly. But once they were they I stopped caring. The sex was hot and desperate and just what I thought it would be with these two characters and their intense relationship.

The ending…was way too abrupt. Like, yes, I like the imagery of how it ended but I could’ve done with an epilogue that focused on the characters and not on the fate of the diamonds. I so didn’t care about the diamonds. I just wanted a glimpse of their happy life together.

Reviewed at Big Girl Books on April 20th, 2012.(less)

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Sep 28, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotic-romantic-suspense

3.5 stars. Woman down on her luck meets stranger who loves her and helps her - but danger follows the stranger.

STORY BRIEF:
As a teenager, Caroline volunteered at a homeless shelter where Ben lived. Ben fell in love with her from afar. When Ben’s father died, he left town to avoid social service agencies. Several years later Caroline’s parents and brother died. She is close to penniless, and manages to stay in her family’s home by taking in boarders and running a bookstore. Ben took the name Jack...more 3.5 stars. Woman down on her luck meets stranger who loves her and helps her - but danger follows the stranger.

STORY BRIEF:
As a teenager, Caroline volunteered at a homeless shelter where Ben lived. Ben fell in love with her from afar. When Ben’s father died, he left town to avoid social service agencies. Several years later Caroline’s parents and brother died. She is close to penniless, and manages to stay in her family’s home by taking in boarders and running a bookstore. Ben took the name Jack Prescott when he was adopted by Colonel Prescott. Ben/Jack was an Army Ranger for awhile and then joined his adopted father’s security company. After his father died, Jack sold everything he had and went to visit Caroline, the woman he’s dreamed of for 12 years. Jack is now wealthy and starts doing things for Caroline.

Meanwhile Deaver is on the hunt for Jack. Deaver was part of a military group that killed an entire village of Africans to get a bag of diamonds worth $20 million. Jack killed all in the group except Deaver. Jack took the diamonds to keep them away from Deaver.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Much of the story is told through characters having inner monologues remembering past events, usually out of sequence, which bothered me a little. It felt like the characters were pondering too much. Most of the book is spent with Caroline and Jack being together currently. Then a significant amount of time is spent with Deaver planning his revenge. The action and conflict with Deaver, Caroline and Jack is a very short section at the end of the book. I think the characters, setting and plot were ok, but it needed more action. The ending conflict and resolution was ok, but odd and too short. It was a happy ending, but I would have preferred more feel good feelings.

The characters: Caroline is a passive, quiet, beautiful, little doll. Jack is a tall strong alpha warrior, who has loved only one woman throughout his life, Caroline.

The author wrote an epilogue which is on the web, not in the book. It can be found at: JustEroticRomanceReviews dot com. Click Interviews, click 2007, scroll to Sep 2007 Lisa Marie Rice.

DATA:
Story length: 337 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong but nothing kinky. Number of sex scenes: 9. Total number of sex scene pages: 53. Setting: Summerville, Washington, Africa, and New York. Copyright: 2007. 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.

CAUTION SPOILER:
I didn’t understand why Jack didn’t tell Caroline that he was Ben from 12 years earlier. He didn’t need to hide anything, and telling her the truth wouldn’t have hurt anything. Jack keeping his identity a secret caused Caroline to have seeds of doubt. This made her susceptible to believing Deaver’s lies later about Jack. I wish the author would have used a different source of conflict. I didn’t buy the secret identity necessity.(less)

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May 11, 2013 Mo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack Prescott

Caroline Lake

This was a good, quick, hot read.
Jack met Caroline years ago when he was living in a homeless shelter with his father. She lived with her loving, rich family. After his father dies, he leaves and is taken in by a kind, army colonol and his life changes. But he never forgets Caroline and he returns to Summerville 12 years later…. He has left a dangerous situation in Africa with a sack of diamonds and secrets…. Won’t go into much more detail but the bad guy turns up, Caro...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Marblezzie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my first Lisa Marie Rice’s novel, and I have to say that it was a terrific read, albeit with a very anticlimactic ending. I was not totally satisfied with the conclusion of the story. I thought that after the great revelation of the hero’s true identity and with the evil antagonist out of the picture, there would be an epilogue of sorts where the H/H would have the “love-talk” and a happily-ever-after! Oh, well, I guess that’s just me, a sucker for a happy ending. I guess it was a happy...more

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Feb 26, 2009 Shawna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lisa-marie-rice-elizabeth-jennings, erotic-romance-erotica-romantica, romantic-suspense, blah-meh, 2009-reads, i-read-no-longer-own-sold-swapped, hero-cold-cruelbrute-dark-dangerous, hero-stalk-me-baby-possessive, 2stars-or-less, hero-brooding

2 stars - Romantic Suspense/Erotica

Dangerous Lover has a likable, sweet, mild alpha male hero who treats the heroine with tenderness and genuine affection. The romance is hot, but the intermittent bad guy pov regarding his pursuit of stolen blood diamonds distracts from the overall romantic progression and pace of the story. The ending is frustratingly abrupt and disappointing. The strong romantic aspect of the story isn't enough to counteract the choppy pace and bad ending.

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Apr 30, 2012 Manuela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporaneo

L'ho divorato!
Finalmente un romanzo molto molto hot, in cui, comunque, la fanno da padrone i sentimenti. Finalmente un erotico in cui non ci sono solo pagine e pagine di improbabili evoluzioni a letto, ma c'è molto di più.
E' decisamente un romanzo molto hot ed esplicito, ma non scade mai nella volgarità e nell'eccesso, e soprattutto il sesso, descritto in maniera molto diretta, non è mai fine a se stesso. Le scene hot sono sensuali ed intense, con termini anche molto forti, ma mai fuori luogo. E...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack Prescott is a man with a mysterious past tied to Caroline Lake of Summerville, Washington. For twelve years, Jack dreamed of Caroline whenever his mind was at rest. Ex-Special Forces Jack was always on a mission until his adoptive father fell ill with stomach cancer and watched him die a slowly. Colonel Prescott asked Jack to do one final mission for him in Sierra Leone. Jack completed the mission and flew straight to Caroline. Caroline Lake has had a string of terrible luck: her parents an...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, guys-with-guns, romantic-suspense, series, when-great-authors-go-meh

I was in a reading funk a week ago and digging through my bookcase. I've got a shelf dedicated to all of the books that have been gathering dust for more than a year - mostly my poor non-fiction Tudor collections - and I noticed a couple of Lisa Marie Rice books. How on earth those escaped me, I couldn't fathom. I gobbled those up as soon as I bought them usually - after her Midnight series, she was my, er, chocolate, let's call it. When I needed a dose of down and dirty, unapologetic testostero...more I was in a reading funk a week ago and digging through my bookcase. I've got a shelf dedicated to all of the books that have been gathering dust for more than a year - mostly my poor non-fiction Tudor collections - and I noticed a couple of Lisa Marie Rice books. How on earth those escaped me, I couldn't fathom. I gobbled those up as soon as I bought them usually - after her Midnight series, she was my, er, chocolate, let's call it. When I needed a dose of down and dirty, unapologetic testosterone-injected body-fluid fest, she was it. And I'd missed a couple of books! The horror. So I pulled one of these goodies down and settled in for a nice smooth and decadent feast. And ended up with the worst indigestion I've had in ages.

Jack Prescott - at the time the story opened, he was a young homeless boy named Ben - admired the young and beautiful girl named Caroline from afar. She was a benevolent angel, helping to serve meals to the poor and Ben would follow her to her big mansion and watch her inside. Sometimes he'd break in and wander around, smelling her things and imagining himself there. On Christmas Eve, starved and soaking wet, he stood outside her window watching her sing and saw her turn to kiss a handsome blonde boy - and knew it was time to leave.

Twelve years later, he's returned to find Caroline again, to either see if she's married and he can put the past to rest or if she's available and he can finally try to win her. His name's changed - everything about him's different. After he'd left, he'd been taken in by a hardened military man who took him under his wing and made him into the soldier that he is now - a very, very rich one. In addition to the twenty million in blood diamonds he's carrying, he's got nearly ten million of his own in the bank. When he arrives in town, he's told Caroline's story - she owns a small bookstore, her family was killed in an accident, their money gone - and she's single. She's also just lost a necessary source of income, a boarder at her house and conveniently enough, he's more than happy to take residence there at any price.

Aaaand the trouble begins. I mentioned that I'm a fan of Lisa Marie Rice (hereby LMR). I know the LMR formula: big scary he-man military/cop/security guy and delicate flower/sensitive/innocent maiden. Insta-spark. Quick sex, lots of it, Danger, Will Robinson, delicate flower in trouble, he-man does something insane to protect her, happily ever after. I missed a lot of sexing in there and there were a lot more Danger, Will Robinson moments, but that's the gist of it. Don't get me wrong, it works for me 99% of the time. I buy the books. I probably have the t-shirt. But Caroline, bless her heart, is really a bit..simpler than most LMR heroines. Is it because she's in desperate need of money? Maybe so. But a complete stranger - a dangerous-looking one at that - shows up out of the blue, no references, and without even taking a penny from him or telling anyone about it, she takes him to her big empty house in the middle of a blizzard. Because she's pretty sure she can trust him. Oy. I suspend a lot of belief in LMRs, but c'mon.

For his part, as soon as Jack gets to Caroline's, he needs to jump into the shower while she makes dinner. While there, he muses about how aroused he is to finally be with her. As he does so, he also is amazed at his enormous, painful boner. Yes, he calls it his boner. And no, he's not still sixteen.

I'm not going to bother going too far into the rest of Jack and Caroline's story - like I said, it's pretty standard LMR formula and while it's borderline too stalker-y even for those standards, it is what it is. Caroline's a little dim, helpless doll who needs a flow-chart to figure things out, Jack's a macho stud who's got an arsenal in his gym bag and a bad guy gunning for him. They have hours and hours of unprotected sex.

This thing went completely and permanently off the rails with the introduction of the bad guy. Vincent Deaver had planned on raiding a village in Sierra Leone where he'd heard there was a stash of blood diamonds, but just as his team was moving in, sniper Jack Prescott was there to pick them off and scoop the diamonds up. Now that Deaver's escaped from the African prison, he's tracking Jack, determined to make him turn the diamonds over, then make him pay. Way, way, way - did I mention way - too much of the story is Deaver's. It cuts away to him constantly. And he's boring. I realize there's only so much sex Jack and Caroline can have and there are only so many repairs he can make to her house, but listening to Deaver scheme about what he's going to do to them is like watching a cartoon villian twirl his moustache. Make them aware of your presence and do something or go away. Seriously.

The ending was a colossal..nothing. I don't know what happened, but it was like somebody turned a light switch off and the rest of the room didn't know what happened. Unsatisfying, abrupt, illogical - I read later that there was an epilogue of sorts posted online, but call me a purist - that's a cheap trick to readers who only read the hard copy and wouldn't know to look online.

I can't recommend this to LMR fans, in spite of the hot sex and usual formula - skip this and go on to another one of hers. This just isn't like anything else of hers that I've ever read. I started the other book I have (Dangerous Secrets - Dangerous #2) and it's nothing like this), so maybe this is an aberration.

(less)

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May 02, 2011 Cindi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series

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Jan 30, 2009 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: steamy-hot-romance-comtemp, lisa-marie-rice

I really liked this book...until the end. It stunk!!! It was as if the author had something else to do and said "I'm done, next." I knew going in that the ending left a lot to be desired, but I had no idea just how much. I also knew that there was an epilog on her website and that is why I decided to go ahead and read the book. SO I downloaded it, waited to read it until I finished the book. Boy, it was a bigger disappointment. I don't think that the author even wrote it. It sounds as if it were...more

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Sep 27, 2008 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5/5. The book was good, but the ending was kind of lame. It was also kind of annoying to always have to read about Deaver's POV. I just wanted to skip through those parts... the sex was really good though.

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Feb 23, 2010 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military-or-special-ops, smuttastic, contemporary, cliff-hanger-ending, 2010-read, alpha-male, secret-identity, fated-to-be-mated, tortured-hero, promiscuous-hero

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Feb 09, 2013 Sabrina (Soter) Sally rated it 3 of 5 stars

Il romanzo si apre con un prima intenso capitolo dal passato (e in definitiva quello che ho apprezzato di più): un ragazzo senzatetto dal fittizio nome di Ben, appena diventato orfano di un padre ubriacone, attraversa la città innevata per vedere, solo per un attimo, dai vetri di una finestra il suo angelo, una ragazza di nome Caroline. Lei, l'unica a guardarlo negli occhi come se riconoscesse la sua esistenza, gli porta libri e cibo ma proviene da un mondo di lusso e amore talmente lontano dal...more Il romanzo si apre con un prima intenso capitolo dal passato (e in definitiva quello che ho apprezzato di più): un ragazzo senzatetto dal fittizio nome di Ben, appena diventato orfano di un padre ubriacone, attraversa la città innevata per vedere, solo per un attimo, dai vetri di una finestra il suo angelo, una ragazza di nome Caroline. Lei, l'unica a guardarlo negli occhi come se riconoscesse la sua esistenza, gli porta libri e cibo ma proviene da un mondo di lusso e amore talmente lontano dal suo da essere irreale; dodici anni dopo Ben, morto il padre adottivo un colonello che gli ha dato il nome di Jack e una vita nuova nell'esercito, torna a cercare la sua ossessione e unica luce, Caroline, consapevole che potrebbe essere ormai sposata e con figli e non sperando più che di vederla ancora una volta. Ma la vita di Caroline è profondamente cambiata: morti i genitori in un incidente che ha lasciato il fratellino disabile, ha dovuto prendersi cura di lui per sei lunghi anni di agonia dando fondo a tutte le sue finanze, abbandonata da amici e completamente sola al mondo. Per Jack è l'occasione di dare finalmente libero sfogo al desiderio che prova per lei, un desiderio non solo fisico (anche se in gran parte è quello) ma che non sa esprimere in altro modo XD Dei due senza dubbio ho preferito Jack: Caroline dopo i primi capitoli, con l'arrivo di Jack e l'inizio della loro relazione (e le due cose praticamente coincidono XD) sembra annullarsi come personaggio, sciogliendosi in una pozza di ormoni impazziti (in fondo Jack per lei è un'estraneo ma non ci pensa due volte a saltargli nel letto XD)e inettitudine (lasciando ogni problema piccolo o grande nelle mani di Jack, che è ben contento di anticipare ogni sua esigenza) e ammetto che, pur trovandolo in parte dolce e comprensibile, la mia parte femminista si è rivoltata XD Intanto sulle tracce di Jack troviamo un ex soldato killer alla ricerca dei diamanti di sangue sottrattogli e di vendetta, così come un ex fidanzato violento di Caroline che danno un lieve tocco suspance alla vicenda (ma molto lieve XD)Oltre l'uso di termini volgarotti e poco piacevoli (tipo fica XD) e la spropositata quantità che i due passano a letto, altro grande difetto è il finale troncato e insoddisfacente, come se l'autrice si fosse scordata delle pagine interrompendo il tutto sul più bello =( Non più di tre stelline ^_^(less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romances

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title link	preview: Amanti pericolosi
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Amanti pericolosi (Dangerous #1)

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