Unmarked Man

by Darlene Scalera

NONDESCRIPT…?

When Cissy Spagnola returned to the mean city streets of her childhood, she found nothing but trouble. Her mother and sister were missing, and after some not-so-discreet investigating, a potential witness turned up dead in her hotel room. Someone clearly wanted her eliminated, and she knew there was only one man she could trust….

NO WAY!

Nick Fiore. The irresistible neighborhood bad boy who’d taken her virginity was now a bona fide cop and Cissy’s only hope for finding her family. Working closely to uncover a dangerous conspiracy rekindled their old passion, but would getting close to Nick put her heart—and life—even more at risk?

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Harlequin

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

After she graduated from Syracuse University with a magna cum laude degree, Darlene Scalera needed to figure out what to do with her life. After reading an article on category romance, she decided to write one. It wasn't as easy as it looked. She sold her first book just as she was starting to believe she'd have to get a real job. Darlene Scalera's debut novel, A Man For Megan was published in 1999. She also writes under pseudonym Sydney Ryan.

Reviews

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Harlequin Intrigue is NOT like all the rest. The setting is a tough, blue-collar town in upstate NY, full of working-class Italian-Americans with short fuses and long memories for old grudges -- and nights of forgotten passion!

The heroine is a tough chick with a good head for numbers and a killer body. She worked her way out of the streets and now sells bonds for a living. The hero is a bad-boy garage owner who still has a thing for speed -- fast cars, faster women.

The two of them get caught in a really tough, realistic, SOPRANOS like crime story -- and along the way they rediscover the passion that exploded between them briefly as teenagers fifteen years ago.

Darlene Scalera, wherever you are -- please give us more tough, sexy stories like this!

[Jacqueline J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent enough book. It had a lot of potential. The mystery element was interesting but a bit too convoluted. I'm not sure it really held together plausibly at the end. The romance was almost a total miss. These two had known each other growing up and he had taken her virginity as teenagers. It seems as if that was a one time deal. It wasn't clearly explained. Then she left for 16 years and they've had no contact. They fall into working this mystery together and fall into bed together also. They seem as if they just saw each other last week not 16 years ago. Here's a line from the book which sort of illustrates what I'm talking about.

In fact, the entire scenario, him dressed for work, she making coffee, sharing a cup together as the day began, was a little too Ozzie and Harriet for her. She and Nick didn't do that shtick.

This makes it sound as if they have a 'way' that they're typically together. I just don't buy that they would. I think that after 16 years they are virtually strangers to each other. In addition, the characterization was very vague. I didn't really know anything about Nick. Not his appearance, his history, his mannerisms, anything he believes in, nothing.

Sadly this one didn't work for me.

[Camilla Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book / hard to relate to characters.

[Edie Kennard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting who done it story line. Wasn't expecting some of the twists and turns at the end.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another time killer that wasn't fantastic but served it's purpose as a time-killer. I wasn't impressed with the chemistry or relationship between the two leads, but the overall story was well presented.

[Erotic Horizon]

Unmarked Man (Bachelors at Large, Book 2) (Harlequin Intrigue Series #739) by Darlene Scalera (2003)