A Man Like Smith

Southern Knights #3

by Marilyn Pappano

Assistant U.S. Attorney Smith Kendricks needed Jolie Wade's help. The crack reporter had information Smith required, but she was vigilantly guarding her source. He had to convince Jolie to reveal her informer - and avoid losing his heart in the bargain.

Jolie knew that helping Smith could lead to the revelation of her own secrets. She had to avoid the sexy prosecutor - and pretend she didn't long for the caring man that lay beneath his tough exterior. But a man like Smith was impossible to forget.

Genres: Romance, Category Romance

251 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

About the author

Award-winning and bestselling author, international traveler, feted at a Hollywood premiere . . .

All true . . . but my regular life is a whole lot more routine. Deal with the five big puppers who share our house, babysit our grandson, battle the jungle that is our yard, pray for summer in winter and dream of winter in summer, and hunker down at the computer -- that's my real life.

I grew up in Oklahoma and had the fun of living in Georgia, Alabama, California and the Carolinas, thanks to my husband's Navy career. When he retired, we came home to Oklahoma and have lived in the same house for seventeen years. That's a real "Wow!" for someone used to the nomadic military life.

Writing was the perfect career for all that moving. Have computer, will travel. I've set books, or part of them, in every state we've lived in and been inspired by every place I've ever been. I've now written somewhere around 80 books, and I think I've got only about 8,000 stories left to tell.

My biggest hobby is starting new projects -- starting. Not completing. I'm still not done with the cross-stitched Army seal I started when our son joined out of high school. He did tours in Georgia, Colorado, Korea, Italy, Iraq, Afghanistan and Louisiana, and has been out for a few years. So I'm a little slow.

I like to think about getting organized, painting my living room in cool beachy colors, and turning my entire five-acre yard into a garden. I also dream about having every room in my house clean at exactly the same time, but I live by the motto of the woman who taught me to quilt: A clean house is the sign of a bored woman.

And I've never been bored.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smith Kendricks is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Orleans. He is getting ready to prosecute Jimmy Falcone, an organized crime boss with a history of murder. In order to nail Falcone, Smith needs information from reporter Jolie Wade. Jolie has written a series of articles about Jimmy Falcone, highlighting some of the dirty deals he has made. The FBI and New Orleans police want to know who gave Jolie the information that they didn't even find. They need Jolie's informant to come forward and give first-hand information about Falcone. But Jolie has promised to keep her informant's name a secret. Smith understands why she is doing this, but he is also worried that she will end up in jail for contempt if she doesn't tell them who gave her the information.

This story is part of the Southern Knights series. You can tell that several of the supporting characters have already had their stories told.

This contemporary romance had a very slow pace. Smith has been friends with Jolie for a while. He wants to date her, but she refuses. Her reason for refusing is that he wants kids, and she doesn't. Smith (and I) thought she could at least have dinner with him before worrying about their future children. Jolie thinks about this problem constantly. This situation got old fast. My rating: 3 Stars.

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Man Like Smith was very well-done, had good characters and a good conflict.
Smith Kendricks is a assistant district attorney, he loves his job and the city he has adopted and his friends Michael and Remy. Smith comes from a wealthy family and has always knows what path he will follow, he wants a family, his condo is something he can dump anytime. Lately, he has been feeling left-out, both his friends are married now and he has been feeling this attraction for Jolie Wade, a deeply ambitious reporter and the case he is prosecuting and the news she is writing is putting them in a uncomfortable position.

The case against crime boss Jimmy Falcone is important to him, it also has personal meaning since he tried to harm his friends.
Jolie is dedicated to her career and her family, she grew up poor and practically raised all her siblings and she vows to Smith that she doesn't want marriage and kids but that doesn't ring true to Smith and after a while not to Jolie as well.

The story she is writing and where she is getting it from has the FBI after her but Jolie agrees to a compromise, she doesn't want to go to jail but she will, she can't give up her source but she can try and talk to him. Her life is not the best right now, her first lover, first love and the man who made her lose faith has come back into her life, he's the guy feeding her information, Nick. Though she doesn't like him much she has an obligation and she keeps them.

I liked how Smith and Jolie understood the ramifications of their job and relationship but understanding something intellectually and emotionally is different. Smith falls for Jolie and is willing to compromise anyway to be with her, Jolie on her part speaks about her past for the first time. My only complain was that everything was resolved too quickly but I loved the journey these two had though they did fight and argue to get to the end.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Man Like Smith is the third book in the Southern Knights series by American author, Marilyn Pappano. The Knight in this book is Smith Kendricks, Assistant US State Attorney prosecuting the Jimmy Falcone case. Crack reporter, Jolie Wade has information Smith needs to put away the mobster, but she is determined to protect her source, and her reasons are not just the ethical ones concerning a reporter and her source: Jolie has some deep secrets she doesn’t want revealed. Of course falling in love is a complication that neither of them had anticipated. Jolie has vowed never to marry or have children, although she doesn’t realise Smith is determined to change that. Smith, as far as she is concerned, is way out of her league anyway: a man like Smith would certainly never need her. Pappano’s characters have some depth and the plot keeps the reader guessing for quite a while. The New Orleans feel is well rendered and characters from the previous two books also make appearances. Enjoyable.