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Crazy Sweet (Steele Street #6)

by Tara Janzen

3.80 · rating details · 463 ratings · 31 reviews

During a secret mission gone bad, covert operator Gillian Pentycote ceased to exist. Held captive by a madman, shot full of drugs that stole her memory, Gillian survived. Now, with a new identity and nothing to lose, the woman who calls herself Red Dog has gone from bookish secretary to sizzling-hot hired gun. And she has one plan: to find the man who shattered her life ...more

Mass Market Paperback, 324 pages

Published October 31st 2006 by Dell (first published 2006)

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Feb 02, 2011

Zosia rated it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, so-much-fun

When you make your heroine an amnesiac who no longer feels emotions, you’re going to be in a bit of trouble making her interesting! Thank goodness for Tara Janzen’s tendency to make her secondary stories at least as important as the main story, because while Gillian and Travis’ parts warrant somewhere around two stars, Honey and C. Smith’s parts are worthy of a five.

There’s so much I love about Tara Janzen’s quirky writing, and I can overlook many things I’d have issues with if almos...moreWhen you make your heroine an amnesiac who no longer feels emotions, you’re going to be in a bit of trouble making her interesting! Thank goodness for Tara Janzen’s tendency to make her secondary stories at least as important as the main story, because while Gillian and Travis’ parts warrant somewhere around two stars, Honey and C. Smith’s parts are worthy of a five.

There’s so much I love about Tara Janzen’s quirky writing, and I can overlook many things I’d have issues with if almost anybody else wrote this. The series is my guilty pleasure read – it’s funny and completely over the top, with a bunch of superheroes based in Denver and running around the world saving the day. It’s just that in this one the plot we’re told about in the blurb gets very little page time, and so seemed incomplete.

What I loved best about this book were the scenes between the mysterious C. Smith Rydell and Honey York-Lytton. They’re the hero and heroine of the next book, but they well and truly stole the show in this one. They were also a throwback to what I loved so much about the series at the beginning: quirky characters, great heroes who just so happen to have a thing for quirky heroines, ridiculous situations and a big dose of humour. I loved, loved, loved this couple enough that they compensated for the other ways the book disappointed me.

So what about the supposed main plotline (which gets surprisingly little page time)? Travis has been around in the books since the very beginning. A metrosexual nude art model when we first met him, he’s added ‘gun-toting alpha hero’ to his repertoire in recent times. He has a tendency to fall desperately in love with women who don’t want him – and to fall in the space of five minutes. He met Gillian in the last book, when she was a nerdy divorcée living out of her car, her clothes buttoned unevenly and items of clothing randomly falling off. He saw through all of that to who she was underneath.

No sooner had that happened than she was abducted right out from under him, tortured, and injected with something that made her lose her memories. Now in Crazy Sweet she’s an emotionless, hardened assassin for hire, with decade younger Travis standing by her and still in love with her. The problem with this premise is that Gillian (now known as Red Dog) is completely devoid of humanity, and so made for an unbelievably dull heroine. Which is precisely why I was so relieved to have the enigmatic Honey get so much page time instead.

The problem is that there’s no resolution to Gillian’s storyline. She starts and ends the book with no memories, no real identity, no real emotions, no real way to change any of that. I absolutely adored her character before her transformation (I was desperately looking forward to this book because I loved Gillian and Travis and all their quirks so much), and up until the last page I kept on hoping she’d recover some of who she was before.

Weird, but there was so much detail about the guns in this one – how to clean them, what different models looked like – it was too much information for the average non-gun owner!

I also have an issue with how much page time Christian Hawkins has had in the last few books. He’s had his book, and I’m tired of him saving everyone else in every other story. I’m tired of every bad guy in the world knowing who he is and speaking about him with reverence. Travis should have been the one to save the day here, seeing as how this is his book! I’m even having trouble loving Christian the way I did in the past – I’m not into men who have their wives pregnant three times in two years! I really liked ‘Superman’ in the earlier books, but now he’s stealing the show I just want him to go away and let the other kids have a turn! Quinn is one of my favourite heroes in the series, and he hasn’t made an appearance for years.

Great, fun, wonderful, crazy series. This was the weakest entry, but it didn’t stop me diving straight into the next one.(less)

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Jul 12, 2008

Christa rated it

Shelves: booksfree-com

I love this series, and although Crazy Sweet wasn't my favorite of the books, it was engrossing and enjoyable. This book focuses almost equally on two couples - Travis James and "Red Dog" Gillian Pentycote, and C. Smith Rydell and Honoria "Honey" York-Lytton.

Gillian Pentycote was kidnapped and given a mind altering drug which robbed her of her memory in the previous novel. Now, two years later, she is known as "Red Dog," and she works as a mercenary,...moreI love this series, and although Crazy Sweet wasn't my favorite of the books, it was engrossing and enjoyable. This book focuses almost equally on two couples - Travis James and "Red Dog" Gillian Pentycote, and C. Smith Rydell and Honoria "Honey" York-Lytton.

Gillian Pentycote was kidnapped and given a mind altering drug which robbed her of her memory in the previous novel. Now, two years later, she is known as "Red Dog," and she works as a mercenary, sometimes for SDF, sometimes for others. Her sole focus is revenge upon Tony Royce, the ex-CIA agent who captured her and was instrumental in causing her to be given the drug that changed her life. Gillian's plans to use herself to draw Tony Royce to Denver jeopardize the entire SDF organization, so they must try to stop her. Travis James, an SDF agent who met Gillian earlier on the night that Tony Royce kidnapped her, has been her lover for the past two years. Travis truly loves Gillian, but needs to prevent her from using herself and SDF as targets.

Meanwhile, in El Salvador, C. Smith Rydell, SDF's newest agent (he was formerly a DEA agent who worked with Creed Rivera in Columbia in Crazy Wild), is carrying out surveillance on Tony Royce's villa. He inadvertently sees a woman in trouble and steps in to rescue her. Unrest in the streets causes Honoria "Honey" York-Lytton to remain with Smith in his hotel room for the rest of the day and night, where their encounter turns intimate. The next book in the series, On the Loose, is the continuation of their story.

While I liked this book, I did have a few problems with it, unlike the previous ones in the series. I wasn't ever convinced that Gillian was what I want in the heroine of a romantic suspense novel. I felt sympathy for her, and there were things I liked about her, but I didn't feel that she cared for Travis in the way he cared about her. She put her interests above those of Travis and all of the SDF even knowing that her actions could destroy all of their lives. I also questioned why in the world a heroine in a romance novel would be called "Red Dog." That moniker just doesn't do anything for me. At the end of the book, I wasn't satisfied that Travis and Gillian really had a good chance at HEA. I hope that their story will continue in the next books, so that I will be convinced that they will overcome the past and happily stay together. I would have probably rated this book a three if it were only about Travis and Gillian, but I enjoyed the parts about Smith and Honey enough to give it a four.

(less)

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Jul 26, 2010

Nina rated it

I've been trucking along with the Steele Street stories having a grand ol' time, but I have to say that for me, this one was a speed bump. After Crazy Love I was really looking forward to Red Dog and Travis' story. Travis' transformation alone has been kind of out there, but still within the realm of "Okay, I get it" because he still holds on to those characteristics that were him down to the marrow like the meditation and laid back attitude. He's just also been changed ever since he s...moreI've been trucking along with the Steele Street stories having a grand ol' time, but I have to say that for me, this one was a speed bump. After Crazy Love I was really looking forward to Red Dog and Travis' story. Travis' transformation alone has been kind of out there, but still within the realm of "Okay, I get it" because he still holds on to those characteristics that were him down to the marrow like the meditation and laid back attitude. He's just also been changed ever since he shot a man to save Nikki and Kid. Plus, the fact that two years has passed only cements the changes. At the end of Crazy Love we know that after being injected Gillian lost all her memories and only remembers being called Red Dog, the face of the man who tortured her, and the face of Travis. So in this new life of fierce, Need Revenge Hardassness, Travis is the one person she softens for, allows to touch her, and he sets out to soothe her and buy her lacy, feminine underwear while she sets off like a loose cannon to kill the man responsible for her torture.

I get it. It should of been great, and it was alright, but it was sort of tiring. I understand that it wasn't meant to have the SNAP CRACKLE POP of the other stories. This one wasn't meant to be about sexual chemistry, fast driving, nights that last forever, and getting busy in elevators. I get that. This one was a little more...pained? I don't know. I just felt bad for Travis the whole time. I was tired of Gillian's narrow single-minded purpose, and her willingness to disobey.

Great things? Smith and Honey. Here was the SNAP CRACKLE POP, and funny enough, in the shorter book of the series it seemed more time was spent in South American with those two then with the lead couple. Also, we get to see Superman in action again. Family man or not, he's still out there for SDF and I love that about him. Apparently so is Quinn but we haven't seen him since the first book. This is the end of the line for the Crazy books and the main chop shop boys, but after getting to know Smith I won't be able to help myself from reading more, and I hope SDF is still central to the stories. (less)

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May 19, 2010

Crista rated it

Shelves: 1-star, contemporary, series

No, No, No! This book is all wrong. What a horrible "end" to the Crazy series. I hear that Steele Street continues with the Loose series, but after the last two disasters, I think I'll read the reviews before taking anymore of my time only to end up disappointed.

I have to admit that I'm still not over Crazy Love...Dylan and Skeeter got the big shaft!!!! I need to move on, but aghhhh!

I guess when the dust all settled, I'm just not into a scatterbrained, ditsy p...more

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Sep 06, 2011

Sabrina rated it

Shelves: reviewed-favourite

Since the day Gillian Pentycote was captured and changed through a dangerous drug, she has had only one thought: get revenge on the man who destroyed who she was before. She is no longer shy Gillian but strong and ruthless Red Dog for whom no mission is too dangerous. Red Dog knows that she will never get her old life back but she still want's revenge. For her the waiting to take down her enemy is finally over and she prepares herself for the final showdown. And even though she might be in love ...moreSince the day Gillian Pentycote was captured and changed through a dangerous drug, she has had only one thought: get revenge on the man who destroyed who she was before. She is no longer shy Gillian but strong and ruthless Red Dog for whom no mission is too dangerous. Red Dog knows that she will never get her old life back but she still want's revenge. For her the waiting to take down her enemy is finally over and she prepares herself for the final showdown. And even though she might be in love with Travis James and the team of Steele Street stands behind her, she feels that getting her revenge is more important than relationships.
Will Gillian get her revenge and will she be able to be happy again?

I had this book in my to be read pile for several years (at least three) and now I want to kick myself for not reading it sooner because I enjoyed "Crazy Sweet" a lot. The book was fast-paced, thrilling and never got boring.

I loved meeting the members of Steele Street again and it was great to read more about them. Gilian and Travis were awesome main characters and their relationship managed to suprise me. I didn't think that I would be so touched by their relationship and by what was going on between them. Both are strong characters who can kick ass and especially Gillian does so regularly.

Gillian aka Red Dog was a fascinating character because of how she dealt with what happened to her. To read about her strong & complicated feelings, her pain and especially the fear she had to live with was at times heartbreaking. At the end of the book I could understand why Gillian did a few things she shouldn't have done and was even ok with something she did in regards to her relationship with Travis. She did something that is normally a no-go for me but I could understand her motivation because Tara Janzen managed to make Gillian seem like a real person.

Travis was pretty much perfect. He was strong, willing to do everything he could for Gillian but he was no pushover. The way he handled what happened between Gillian and him was amazing and made me cry a bit. I loved how their relationship had changed (for the better) towards the end of the book and was truly happy for them.

cover
I like that the cover fits to the other books in the series and that it's an eyecatcher.

final apraisal
"Crazy Sweet" is funny, very entertaining, fast-paced and thrilling. The two main characters and their relationship was always interesting and I especially loved the end of the book.
I would recommend this book and the whole series to all readers who like entertaining romantic suspense books that aren't too dark.
(less)

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Sep 02, 2011

Helen rated it

I've read several of the Steele Street books and liked them for their fast pace, their gritty depiction of heroes who operate just this side of the law performing secret missions for the government while driving souped-up classic cars, and their hot, sexy romance between the leads. This book delivers much of the same, but the ending disappointed me. The pace here is page turning, switching between the secondary plot of C. Smith Rydell and his "Honey" York, and the Angel and Red Dog r...more

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Apr 14, 2010

Sara rated it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, military-heroes, own

As long as you go into this book NOT expecting the stories of Travis and Gillian, aka. Red Dog then the book is enjoyable.
The story definatly seems to focus on C. Smith Rydell during a trip to El Salvador. Janzen herself seems not at all interested in Travis and Gillian's stories because she constantly drifts off when she's narrarating their stories. Basically, out of the 300 or so pages in this book only 75 are dedicated to Red Dog and the Angle boy.
Other than the beginning dissap...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Maggie rated it

Shelves: action-adventure, contemporary-romance-novels

This was really C Smith Rydell and Honey York's prologue. It was. Travis and Red Dog/Gillian didn't have the arc that C and Honey did. I also really didn't like Gillian. I didn't connect with her, and didn't feel that there was anything there for me to like. Then, because I felt that way, I didn't understand why Travis DID like her, and that made me dislike him as well. What HAPPENED to him, anyway?

I absolutely did not buy their "romance" (mostly because their romance cons...more

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Aug 29, 2011

Erin rated it

A bit uneven. Janzen does best when she's funny, and Travis and Red Dog are not funny. Their relationship is perhaps a bit dysfunctional, which could have made for a great story, but there were too many pages dedicated to the secondary romance for that to happen. I wanted to see Red Dog change more. I like how much Travis has developed over the course of the series, but Red Dog was definitely shortchanged.

On the other hand, the Smith/Honey storyline was sharp and funny, more wh...more

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Aug 27, 2011

marieno rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 05, 2012

Rena rated it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, literal-kickass-heroine, older-woman-younger-guy

I love Janzen’s books. She can always make her guys the coolest guys ever without going over the top and crossing the line to corny. I mean Janzen can make one hell of a hero. She has such a brilliant combination of wonderful elements to make her story a success. It’s sexy, sarcastic, sweet, and sad - all at the same time. Like Crazy Kisses and Crazy Love, Crazy Sweet starts off with both hero and heroine already in love but having to work through a mountain of issues. Gillian and Travis have pr...moreI love Janzen’s books. She can always make her guys the coolest guys ever without going over the top and crossing the line to corny. I mean Janzen can make one hell of a hero. She has such a brilliant combination of wonderful elements to make her story a success. It’s sexy, sarcastic, sweet, and sad - all at the same time. Like Crazy Kisses and Crazy Love, Crazy Sweet starts off with both hero and heroine already in love but having to work through a mountain of issues. Gillian and Travis have practically no emotional or romantic development in this story. But that’s okay, because I still enjoyed all the characters and their interaction. I still love Dylan and Christian and Skeeter!

I didn’t expect Gillian to come back swinging. In between the last book and this one she’s jumped from naive, nerdy Gillian to badass, smokin’, ruthless, Red Dog. She’s a free-lance mercenary and one buttkicking heroine after being taken under the wing of the Steele Street boys who taught her everything she knows. Gillian’s one mission in life is to kill Tony Royce. Literally nothing comes between her and her prey. She’ll go to any length to bring him down, even if it means betraying her pals. So she baits him and baits him, and lies in wait. Thanks to what Royce drugged her up with, she’s lost her memory, gets flashbacks, and strange painful spasms, but the drug has also made her stronger, faster, and quicker. Her body and skills are sharp but her heart is just one giant hole.

This makes love hard on Travis. He might not have the happiest ending, but he is happiest with Gillian. It's almost like he had so many romantic moments with other girls in the previous books that his happy-ever-after was just skimmed over.

The secondary romance is a lot of fun with poor C. Smith Rydell stuck playing hero to a naive and beautiful socialite in El Salvador. I feel sorry for him because while Honoria is totally out of her league with all these guns and bombs, Rydell is totally out of his league with her sophistication, femininity and well, dumbness. He’s busy trying to protect her, keep the bad guys away, and the whole time she’s turning him on.

Women, especially hot, spoiled, beautiful women, were enough to turn a guy into an absolute idiot, and he was disappointed as hell to find out he was no exception, not when it came to her.(less)

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Dec 17, 2008

Anne rated it

Still love that rough and tough Steele Street team. Nothing will stop me from enjoying this gloriously unrealistic series.

This book was a little less fun than the previous in the series for a number of reasons. First, the sex scene between two characters was kinky to the point of gratuitousness. This is because of the lack of emotional availability of one of the participants. The participant is willing but emotionally...nothing. Sensation only. When a character has that flaw an ...more

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Dec 19, 2007

Samantha rated it

I have liked this whole series. I think the reason for a lot of the below average reviews is because Ms. Janzen changed her style in this book. In past books, she's had two lead characters that are involved in the action and the romance. However in this book, she doesn't do that. There are actually four lead characters. She uses Angel and Red Dog as the action and Honey and Smith as the romance. If you look at it that way then I think you'll enjoy the book a lot more. Many were just upset that A...more

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Aug 09, 2007

Karen rated it

Shelves: trashyromancenovels

Ak. This book is the last in a line of something like 7. The first in the series was good, but as the CRAZY series moved on, the books are more and more vehicles to sell the reader on the next story.

It definitely helps to have read the previous books in the series, just to understand what Steel Street is and who the players are. The characters are developed in a prior book, so if you try to read the story on it's own, there's no emotion involved.

The cover says it's a...more

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Jun 04, 2009

Loring Mashburn rated it

Wasn't as enthralled in this last book of the series, because my favorite characters stories had already been played out. So, this was more like a book that stood alone to me, even though previous characters were sprinkled in. For me the Crazy series ended with Crazy Love.
I was hoping Red Dog would get her "kill" and it didn't happen, ugh! That was her whole purpose, she was willing to break all the rules and leave the man she loved to do Royce in, and it never came to pass.
...more

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Jun 09, 2011

Jamie rated it

This one is definately my least favorite of the series. You never seem to learn enough about Travis and Red Dog to actually invest yourself in them. There were a couple bright spots though. Superman comes out to play, and C. Smith and Honey make a good intro into the Loose series. All said and done, this one gets 3 1/2 stars.

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Sep 25, 2008

Jessica rated it

Recommends it for: Steele Street fans, contempo romance

At the end of the last installment of the Steele Street books, Gillian aka Red Dog was tortured by a sadistic doctor in a white room. The drugs injected into her body caused amnesia. She spends the next two years tracking down the man who told the doctor which drug to use that one faithful night. But now, she’s gone too far… This time, she left her calling card. Literally. And the ex-CIA agent turned rogue is ready for the fight she has been preparing for.

At the same time, a few tho...more

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Jun 27, 2011

Jae rated it

Shelves: contemporary, holee-molee-hot-fbi-agent, hot-shagging-action, 2011, suspence

Thank goodness there were two other secondary characters other than Gillian and Travis in this book. Those two could just possibly be my who-gives-a-toss hero and heroine so far. I didn't really care that Gillian was on a suicidal personal vengeance mission, still didn't care that three other SDF operators were out all night trying to stop her and most definitely didn't care that she got shot herself in the end.

I am giving the whole 3 stars to Honoria and Smith. I lurved how they got s...more

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Apr 05, 2011

Nicole rated it

So far out of all the Steele Street series this has been my least favorite. I was a little disappointed with the ending.

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Jul 19, 2009

Shannon rated it

The secondary story line was better than the main story line; yet didn't end as satisfactorily.

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Dec 10, 2011

Michele bookloverforever rated it

Shelves: romantic-suspense

enjoyable series: strong women, handsome heroes, danger, suspense, love and sex.

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Oct 12, 2010

Kyraryker rated it

Shelves: contemporary, military, series

http://vagabond-kyraryker.blogspot.com/2...

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Apr 23, 2011

Darcy rated it

Shelves: 2011, romance, law-enforcement

I was very sad with this book. Gillian was a mess before, but super sweet so different from Red Dog that a person could be. I didn't like Red Dog, she was so harsh and focused. I know why she is like this, but it doesn't make me like it.

I did like that Travis was still there for Gillian. Their relationship was definitely an unusual one, but it seemed to work for them.

The whole storyline with Smith was both boring and funny. Honey grew on me as we got to know her. ...more

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Jun 19, 2009

Donna rated it

Shelves: crs, series

NOT crazy about Travis/Gillian, LOVED C.Smith.

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Aug 07, 2011

Quinn rated it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, library-book

Wow. I was prepared to hate this book given the glimpse we got in the previous installment - the premise had the potential to be disastrous, and it probably would have been in other hands - but I ended up still having a good time. It's official - Janzen's shopping list would probably entertain me.

To be fair, I think it was C. Smith Rydell and Honoria "Honey" York's story that really saved this one - loved it! - but the Travis/Red Dog storyline didn't suck nearly as much as ...more

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Nov 02, 2011

Karen Desmond rated it

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Mar 07, 2011

Ann rated it

Shelves: romantic-suspense

I love this series but this book only ranks 3.5 stars. The build up to Travis's story was a big disappointment and I felt cheated. The poor gorgeous guy has been looking for love through 5 books then gets screwed over by being paired with Gillian/Red Dog.

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Mar 03, 2011

Liz rated it

There was more secondary story than the primary. Then there wasn't really any closure in my opinion.

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Feb 17, 2011

Vanessa rated it

My FAVORITE romantic thriller series ever! it has everything a good romance needs adventure, twist and turns and of course hot men and women in love and lust.

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Jul 27, 2011

Jennifer rated it

Shelves: steel-street, owned

I was not pleased with Travis and Gillian's story. Mostly, because of Gillian. The drastic change in her character was very disappointing. However, I did like the set up for C. Smith Rydell. Even though I was so unhappy with this story I will continue to read the rest. I am definitely looking forward to Rydell's story.

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Quotes from Crazy Sweet

“He needed to gather her up, hold on to her, anything to help her stop trembling. Something was going to shake loose if she didn’t.” — 13 people liked it

“Mission of mercy, he said, straightening up, his voice so cold, he could have owned the patent.” — 1 person liked it

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Crazy Sweet (Steele Street #6)

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