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Sheriff Roan Benedict comes from a family of hardheaded men who have a habit of rescuing and falling for equally hardheaded women. And sure enough, he's falling for a woman he just shot...
This mysterious stranger just helped rob a convenience store. But that doesn't explain the bruises on her jaw and rope burns on her wrist. Though intrigued, Roan is suspicious of her claim that she doesn't remember what happened. Two things are clear to Roan. One: she's lying. Two: someone is trying to kill her.
There's only one place safe enough for a lady in danger. Right by his side. Because in Louisiana, a man holds on to what he wants...
This mysterious stranger just helped rob a convenience store. But that doesn't explain the bruises on her jaw and rope burns on her wrist. Though intrigued, Roan is suspicious of her claim that she doesn't remember what happened. Two things are clear to Roan. One: she's lying. Two: someone is trying to kill her.
There's only one place safe enough for a lady in danger. Right by his side. Because in Louisiana, a man holds on to what he wants...
379 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2000
19 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Blake
173 books545 followersA pseudonym used by Patricia Maxwell.
Jennifer Blake has been called a “pioneer of the romance genre”, and an “icon of the romance industry.” A New York Times and international best selling author since 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA Hall of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two “Maggies”, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written over 60 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print worldwide.
Jennifer and her husband reside in a lakeside Caribbean-style retreat in North Louisiana where they often entertain family and friends. Always a gardener, she spends much of her time encouraging her garden to bloom with her favorite daylilies and antique roses. She also enjoys walking her two dogs, Buffy and Lucky, and indulging in needlework, painting, and travel.
Jennifer Blake has been called a “pioneer of the romance genre”, and an “icon of the romance industry.” A New York Times and international best selling author since 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA Hall of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two “Maggies”, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written over 60 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print worldwide.
Jennifer and her husband reside in a lakeside Caribbean-style retreat in North Louisiana where they often entertain family and friends. Always a gardener, she spends much of her time encouraging her garden to bloom with her favorite daylilies and antique roses. She also enjoys walking her two dogs, Buffy and Lucky, and indulging in needlework, painting, and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 19, 2018
#BookLove2018: Roan Benedict
"-Tengo que reconocer que algunas me han insinuado que les gustaría que las esposara a mi cama. Nunca antes me había sentido tentado de hacerlo, pero podría hacer una excepción. ¿Quién sabe?"
Roan Benedict es la ley en aquel pequeño pueblo casi carente de disturbios, hasta que llegó la misteriosa Donna a sacudir su mundo. Después de haberle disparado en un acto de reflejo, Roan toma a la sospechosa bajo su custodia en su casa. Sí, pese al método poco usual, pronto descubre que ha hecho lo correcto, allí puede tenerla a salvo mientras logra sacarle alguna información. Por su parte Tory lo deja creer que está sufriendo de amnesia y así no tener que decirle la verdad, que su ex-prometido puede haber sido el responsable de su secuestro y casi muerte. Ella insiste en que no es ninguna delincuente, pero, ¿cómo puede él confiar en ella?
Me encantan los personajes, de parte y parte. Roan es taciturno, complejo. Es un buen padre y hombre de casa. Cocina, mantiene su vida y sus responsabilidades en orden, pero sobre todo, se siente solo. Aunque su hijo adolescente Jake es lo que más ama en el mundo, sus necesidades masculinas están allí, escondidas, pero latentes. Tory por su parte se va desarrollando a medida que el libro avanza, hasta tomar las riendas de su propia vida, algo que tenía que haber hecho desde el principio.
ESA LENTA SEDUCCIÓN ENTRE ELLOS ME DEJÓ *-------------------------* Ahí nada ocurre deprisa. Primero ese beso que los deja bobos a ambos... luego eso en el granero. Y asddf, él va entre lo serio y lo seductor. El romance en este libro es fantástico.
Lo disfruté enormemente.
June 29, 2020
This book is awful and does a huge disservice to law enforcement everywhere. I quit 'reading' this book around 37% and just started flipping to see if it gets any better...it doesn't.
Best part of this book was in the beginning when Tory (aka Donna) escapes her kidnappers and gets shot for her efforts by law enforcement. Roan, the sheriff, shoots her.
What. An. Ass. So he sees the ripped skin and bruising from her attempted escapes and accuses her of being into bondage rather than believing her that she was kidnapped. And he just KEEPS doing it. So he's quite an asshole, but the author is trying to convince you he's not because he's the sheriff of a small town he's been in all his life and he was basically groomed for the damn job, so he must be awesome. Only he CONTINUES to do questionable things, like have his doctor friend turn off Tory's pain meds (after being assaulted, falling out of a moving vehicle and then being shot by Roan) and basically tries to torture her into confessing. When she maintains her innocence and kidnapped story, well that just won't do for him.
So he does some more questionable shit, like takes her to HIS HOUSE to be on house arrest and recover, which is HIGLY questionable and NOT professional. It gets EVEN WORSE when he tries to insist that her give her a sponge bath after her repeated refusals and then gets an eyeful anyway cause he's a pig. Ugh.
Was this book seriously written in 2000 because it reads like something from the 80s, complete with a freakin' WALKMAN reference.
Anyhow, ust when you think the book couldn't get any worse and you're flipping through at a frightening pace, you find the pieces about hte ankle monitor. Now he's gone from questionable practices, inappropriate conduct against a suspect/witness straight into illegal land. He also says some super shady shit we're just supposed to be alright with??? If I was Tory I would be screaming for a court appointed lawyer, pretending to know her name or no she's entitled to one and have that lawyer save her ass from this super shady cop.
How anyone can read all this shit and be okay with it is far beyond me. Also, this story never really goes anywhere. The kidnappers make another half assed attempt to grab her while she's stuck at Roan's place and get foiled by a damn teenager and his dog... anyhow, I quit flipping through this book for content around then and just decided to dnf this piece of horrible trash romance. Seriously, what a terrible way to represent a small town sheriff and his crew, that is, as scum and idiots. Ugh.
Best part of this book was in the beginning when Tory (aka Donna) escapes her kidnappers and gets shot for her efforts by law enforcement. Roan, the sheriff, shoots her.
What. An. Ass. So he sees the ripped skin and bruising from her attempted escapes and accuses her of being into bondage rather than believing her that she was kidnapped. And he just KEEPS doing it. So he's quite an asshole, but the author is trying to convince you he's not because he's the sheriff of a small town he's been in all his life and he was basically groomed for the damn job, so he must be awesome. Only he CONTINUES to do questionable things, like have his doctor friend turn off Tory's pain meds (after being assaulted, falling out of a moving vehicle and then being shot by Roan) and basically tries to torture her into confessing. When she maintains her innocence and kidnapped story, well that just won't do for him.
So he does some more questionable shit, like takes her to HIS HOUSE to be on house arrest and recover, which is HIGLY questionable and NOT professional. It gets EVEN WORSE when he tries to insist that her give her a sponge bath after her repeated refusals and then gets an eyeful anyway cause he's a pig. Ugh.
Was this book seriously written in 2000 because it reads like something from the 80s, complete with a freakin' WALKMAN reference.
Anyhow, ust when you think the book couldn't get any worse and you're flipping through at a frightening pace, you find the pieces about hte ankle monitor. Now he's gone from questionable practices, inappropriate conduct against a suspect/witness straight into illegal land. He also says some super shady shit we're just supposed to be alright with??? If I was Tory I would be screaming for a court appointed lawyer, pretending to know her name or no she's entitled to one and have that lawyer save her ass from this super shady cop.
How anyone can read all this shit and be okay with it is far beyond me. Also, this story never really goes anywhere. The kidnappers make another half assed attempt to grab her while she's stuck at Roan's place and get foiled by a damn teenager and his dog... anyhow, I quit flipping through this book for content around then and just decided to dnf this piece of horrible trash romance. Seriously, what a terrible way to represent a small town sheriff and his crew, that is, as scum and idiots. Ugh.
July 14, 2019
DNF
Wow, this book was awful. I don't know what I expected - or why I keep torturing myself by reading this author's stuff - but I didn't expect quite this level.
So first things first: I read 51 percent of this book and NOTHING HAPPENED. The most interesting thing from a plot standpoint was the MC getting kidnapped, and that happens before the book starts. So, weak plot happens, this horrifically laissez faire town lets the sherriff take an injured female prisoner to his private residence, and then she just, I don't know, kinda hangs out with his son and the dog? Her kidnappers make a weak attempt to kidnap her again, and are foiled by said teenager and dog. AND THAT'S IT. No development on why she was kidnapped, no real development on anything, and half the book is gone.
Now let's talk about this "hero." Much is made about how noble and awesome he is, yada yada, but it's not really visible. He sees a woman with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles and jumps straight to kinky sex games, rather than her more believable story of kidnapping. He takes her out of the fairly safe and defensible hospital and takes her to his home. His nod to the fact that this is REALLY unorthodox is to have a (male) cop chaperone her during the day. (Also, almost no one in this town seems horrified by this situation. She's been shot, by him, and he's just absconding with her because it's "safer" at his house. NOPE.)
So, at his home, he offers her a sponge bath. Something the narrative makes really clear is all about the fact that it turns him on. When she turns him down, said narrative punishes her and still allows him to see her naked, because we must all bow to the hero's desire to see some boobs.
Later, he tries to force her to wear an ankle monitor (which is super illegal, btw), during which he says some hellaciously rapey stuff - but it's okay, because he was just "testing her" to see if she was lying about being into kinky bondage games. Because an ankle monitor is the same as cuffs and chains, am I right? The scene turns flirty, and it's just gross, considering he had just said he "despised lawmen who took advantage of female prisoners."
That's about the point I tapped out. There's only so much cringe I can manage.
Wow, this book was awful. I don't know what I expected - or why I keep torturing myself by reading this author's stuff - but I didn't expect quite this level.
So first things first: I read 51 percent of this book and NOTHING HAPPENED. The most interesting thing from a plot standpoint was the MC getting kidnapped, and that happens before the book starts. So, weak plot happens, this horrifically laissez faire town lets the sherriff take an injured female prisoner to his private residence, and then she just, I don't know, kinda hangs out with his son and the dog? Her kidnappers make a weak attempt to kidnap her again, and are foiled by said teenager and dog. AND THAT'S IT. No development on why she was kidnapped, no real development on anything, and half the book is gone.
Now let's talk about this "hero." Much is made about how noble and awesome he is, yada yada, but it's not really visible. He sees a woman with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles and jumps straight to kinky sex games, rather than her more believable story of kidnapping. He takes her out of the fairly safe and defensible hospital and takes her to his home. His nod to the fact that this is REALLY unorthodox is to have a (male) cop chaperone her during the day. (Also, almost no one in this town seems horrified by this situation. She's been shot, by him, and he's just absconding with her because it's "safer" at his house. NOPE.)
So, at his home, he offers her a sponge bath. Something the narrative makes really clear is all about the fact that it turns him on. When she turns him down, said narrative punishes her and still allows him to see her naked, because we must all bow to the hero's desire to see some boobs.
Later, he tries to force her to wear an ankle monitor (which is super illegal, btw), during which he says some hellaciously rapey stuff - but it's okay, because he was just "testing her" to see if she was lying about being into kinky bondage games. Because an ankle monitor is the same as cuffs and chains, am I right? The scene turns flirty, and it's just gross, considering he had just said he "despised lawmen who took advantage of female prisoners."
That's about the point I tapped out. There's only so much cringe I can manage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2021
Love these books about my home state! My family has been here for 9 generations, so I totally understand Blake's pride in the history of her (and her fictional characters') family.
March 19, 2023
3.5 Good bedside table book.
April 6, 2022
Roan Benedict is the dedicated sheriff of his small town in Louisiana. A town his family established and mostly populated too. When the local convenience store is robbed at gun point, Roan is on the scene quickly enough to be able to chase the get away van.
When the van crashes, Victoria "Tory" Molina-Vandergraff makes her way out of the van having fought to break away from her kidnappers ending up with their gun. As she emerges from the van armed, Roan doesn't realize she's a victim and shoots her in the shoulder.
In the hospital Tory tell Roan she was being kidnapped but she doesn't remember anything else. Although she believes ex-fiance is responsible for her kidnapping, she can't prove it and fears her step-father won't believe her. Roan knows she's lying but he feels responsible for shooting her.
I enjoyed this book. When I read what it was about, I looked forward to reading it. So far my favorite in the Louisiana Gentlemen series.
When the van crashes, Victoria "Tory" Molina-Vandergraff makes her way out of the van having fought to break away from her kidnappers ending up with their gun. As she emerges from the van armed, Roan doesn't realize she's a victim and shoots her in the shoulder.
In the hospital Tory tell Roan she was being kidnapped but she doesn't remember anything else. Although she believes ex-fiance is responsible for her kidnapping, she can't prove it and fears her step-father won't believe her. Roan knows she's lying but he feels responsible for shooting her.
I enjoyed this book. When I read what it was about, I looked forward to reading it. So far my favorite in the Louisiana Gentlemen series.
September 3, 2016
Actually 2.5 Stars
Jennifer Blake has a real talent for setting up the atmosphere of a book. Every time I read one of a books, I fall into, not necessarily because of the plot but because of the setting. To this day, when I remember reading Roan, I feel hot. Not that kind of hot, but the muggy heat from the sun and hardly any breeze of Louisiana. This book is a very vivid one because years after I have read it, I can still remember the sensation of overwhelming heat and sluggishness, almost like I was in Louisiana, even though I've never been there. In terms of plot, this book was nice, it wasn't earth shattering but it had an interesting premise and it was well-executed, I will give it three stars.
Jennifer Blake has a real talent for setting up the atmosphere of a book. Every time I read one of a books, I fall into, not necessarily because of the plot but because of the setting. To this day, when I remember reading Roan, I feel hot. Not that kind of hot, but the muggy heat from the sun and hardly any breeze of Louisiana. This book is a very vivid one because years after I have read it, I can still remember the sensation of overwhelming heat and sluggishness, almost like I was in Louisiana, even though I've never been there. In terms of plot, this book was nice, it wasn't earth shattering but it had an interesting premise and it was well-executed, I will give it three stars.
December 11, 2008
If you are looking for the quinessential all-male hero with a heart of gold, Roan is your man. I fell in love with him the first time I read this book. I can still hear the rain on that old roof in that afternoon scene.
June 29, 2008
This is a good book in the Louisiana Gentleman trilogy, though I read it out of order. Oh well. An enjoyable read for a romance.
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February 17, 2012I'm really into this Benedict clan,they all have their charms.Roan is the second of the five Benedicts that I've read.I'm excited to reads for the remaining Benedicts.
June 12, 2012
I liked the cover so I grabbed it at the Library and it was pretty good. Now I want to read the rest of the series.
May 6, 2013
wonderful plot and a good ending
November 5, 2015
A decent, escape for the weekend, book.
February 22, 2016
i justN LOVE reading sequels.....and Jennifer Blake is a good writer. I LOVE HER BOOKS AND I LOVE HER TOO.
May 20, 2014
Romance is where you find it, and love.
January 11, 2015
nice read for boring day, some unrealistic scenes, weak heroine repeatedly puts herself into danger...
March 7, 2012
Good story, nice romance. I'll read more by this author
February 4, 2015
I loved this book! Was a great romance with some mystery thrown in.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews