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Dangerous #2
Dangerous Secrets
Small-town librarian Charity Prewitt never dreamed she'd meet and fall in love with a man like Nicholas Ames. The handsome, rich, charming, sexy-as-hell millionaire blew into tiny Parker's Ridge, Vermont, and immediately rocked her world. Powerful, sensual, the perfect man, Nick knows all the right words—and all the right spots to touch, sending her soaring to dizzying new heights of ecstatic abandon. Never before has prim and proper Charity leapt into bed with a perfect stranger—and now that she's there with him, nothing is going to drag her away! But Nick Ames is not who he claims to be. In truth, he is Nicholas Ireland—the one they call "Iceman." A former Delta Force operator, now a high-level undercover agent, he will do whatever his government asks of him—lie, seduce, betray . . . even kill, if necessary—for the sake of the mission. And this time his mission is Charity Prewitt. Suddenly one woman has broken down his chilly restraint and ignited his passions completely. And before the erotic dream turns into a nightmare, will Charity be able to melt the Iceman's cold, cold heart?
344 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
97 people are currently reading
1895 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Marie Rice
57 books1,610 followersLisa Marie Rice is eternally 30 years old and will never age. She is tall and willowy and beautiful. Men drop at her feet like ripe pears. She has won every major book prize in the world. She is a black belt with advanced degrees in archaeology, nuclear physics, and Tibetan literature. She is a concert pianist. Did I mention her Nobel Prize? Of course, Lisa Marie Rice is a virtual woman and exists only at the keyboard when writing erotic romance. She disappears when the monitor winks off.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
May 23, 2015
3.9 Stars - sweet, funny and a very good reading as always with a L.M Rice novel
Lisa Marie Rice's contemporary romances with a touch of suspense always makes me happy and they suits me perfectly as reading between other more demanding stories. I know what I get - just what I want!
This is the second book in the Dangerous series of three stand alone novels with new lovebirds in each book.
I liked/loved both the first (Dangerous Lover) and third (Dangerous Passion) book.
# In a LMR novel is it usually cold and winter, it snows and it all takes place the weeks around Christmas.
# The hero is always a big, strong, confident but maybe a bit mysterious man. He is usually a very cave man like alpha and is able to "pump on" (in bed or where you want him...) just how long and often as you (and he) wish. They are of course also quite dominant and fills the soul with the task to take care of and secure their woman's well-being - a "Mine" male.
# The heroine is of course a beautiful woman but she is also interested in culture, she is well educated, intelligent and often from a fine old family. They, the heroines, are usually also quite lonely and without a big caring family, but they are always very polite, beautiful, neatly dressed and well-behaved women just around 30. Female sweet women who fall head over heels for these alpha males.
~ And in Dangerous Secrets is everything the good old same ~ which makes me feel "safe" and happy!
It is November, the snow falls and a goodlooking, well-dressed man shows up at the city library. Charity Prewitt, the head librarian in tiny Parker's Ridge (Vermont) can not but like this nice and flirting stranger. He calls himself Nick, or Nicholas Ames, and is a former stock broker from NY on a business visit in town. But this charming man is in fact Nicholas Ireland (aka Iceman) a former Delta Force operator, now a high-level undercover agent.
Nick is on a secret missions to spy on a former Gulag prisoner, the very famous poet and writer, Vassily Worontzoff from the old Soviet Union. A man who also is a very dangerous and powerful mafia leader who recently settled in this town and has a very special interest in the beautiful Charity.
The Russian's connection and friendship with the lovely librarian has made Charity a key part of the investigation to spy on. Nick's undercover mission is to get to know her to possibly get some information about Worontzoff and therefore he must make a quite unethical "Mata Hari".
The love carousel starts rolling...
Perhaps this particular hero, Nick, is a bit weaker and it was also slightly more difficult for me to really love and admire him compared to some other of the author's heroes. His spy purposes when he seduced Charity can of course be questioned. The other part of the story, the suspense and the criminal matter, was really good and well thought out. I started nervously biting my nails and at the end of the book, I was a nervous wreck.
Nick and Charity's love and desire for each other was of course, as in most romance books, lightning-fast growing, grand, tender and wonderful to follow.
As always, I get a lovable heroine, a bit crime drama, scary and nasty enemies, much steam and heat in the bedroom, an overprotective and very h@rny cave man and a very amusing, sexy and entertaining story. I think this was my eighth book by Lisa Marie Rice and I know there will be more.
I LIKE - a good one...
Lisa Marie Rice's contemporary romances with a touch of suspense always makes me happy and they suits me perfectly as reading between other more demanding stories. I know what I get - just what I want!
This is the second book in the Dangerous series of three stand alone novels with new lovebirds in each book.
I liked/loved both the first (Dangerous Lover) and third (Dangerous Passion) book.
# In a LMR novel is it usually cold and winter, it snows and it all takes place the weeks around Christmas.
# The hero is always a big, strong, confident but maybe a bit mysterious man. He is usually a very cave man like alpha and is able to "pump on" (in bed or where you want him...) just how long and often as you (and he) wish. They are of course also quite dominant and fills the soul with the task to take care of and secure their woman's well-being - a "Mine" male.
# The heroine is of course a beautiful woman but she is also interested in culture, she is well educated, intelligent and often from a fine old family. They, the heroines, are usually also quite lonely and without a big caring family, but they are always very polite, beautiful, neatly dressed and well-behaved women just around 30. Female sweet women who fall head over heels for these alpha males.
~ And in Dangerous Secrets is everything the good old same ~ which makes me feel "safe" and happy!
It is November, the snow falls and a goodlooking, well-dressed man shows up at the city library. Charity Prewitt, the head librarian in tiny Parker's Ridge (Vermont) can not but like this nice and flirting stranger. He calls himself Nick, or Nicholas Ames, and is a former stock broker from NY on a business visit in town. But this charming man is in fact Nicholas Ireland (aka Iceman) a former Delta Force operator, now a high-level undercover agent.
Nick is on a secret missions to spy on a former Gulag prisoner, the very famous poet and writer, Vassily Worontzoff from the old Soviet Union. A man who also is a very dangerous and powerful mafia leader who recently settled in this town and has a very special interest in the beautiful Charity.
The Russian's connection and friendship with the lovely librarian has made Charity a key part of the investigation to spy on. Nick's undercover mission is to get to know her to possibly get some information about Worontzoff and therefore he must make a quite unethical "Mata Hari".
The love carousel starts rolling...
Perhaps this particular hero, Nick, is a bit weaker and it was also slightly more difficult for me to really love and admire him compared to some other of the author's heroes. His spy purposes when he seduced Charity can of course be questioned. The other part of the story, the suspense and the criminal matter, was really good and well thought out. I started nervously biting my nails and at the end of the book, I was a nervous wreck.
Nick and Charity's love and desire for each other was of course, as in most romance books, lightning-fast growing, grand, tender and wonderful to follow.
“(...) But when this is over I'm taking you to bed and I'm going to fuck you brathless.”
“Okay,” she whispered, wathing his eyes.
As if it pained him, he let go of her neck, one finger at a time, and stepped back. It was like a force field suddenly switching off, or the planet's gravity disappearing. She stumbled, in free fall.’
As always, I get a lovable heroine, a bit crime drama, scary and nasty enemies, much steam and heat in the bedroom, an overprotective and very h@rny cave man and a very amusing, sexy and entertaining story. I think this was my eighth book by Lisa Marie Rice and I know there will be more.
I LIKE - a good one...
July 10, 2008
Wow! This book was steamy, intense, suspenseful, romantic, and oh-so-satisfying! I didn't want it to end, yet I was desperate to find out what would happen! And then I wanted to read it all over again! Lisa Marie Rice never lets me down--each book is even better than the previous one. And this book was no exception. This book had the sexiest, most intense love scenes, all without anything too graphic or out there. I don't know how she does it, but the intense passion that she was able to convey between the H/H was palpable. You could just feel the smoldering heat.
Nicholas Ames/Ireland is a former Delta Force operator, now working undercover as a government agent for the Unit--a secret government agency that is out to stop the escalation of international organized crime's involvement in terrorism. Nick has had a miserable childhood, abandoned as an infant and raised in an orphanage and a series of foster homes. Now all Nick knows is military life; he's never had a family or anyone to truly care about. He'll do anything his government asks him to--lie, seduce or kill. His sexual encounters are meaningless; he doesn't really believe in love. He uses his good looks and body working undercover to get the job done, however he can. Nick is known as the "Iceman"; he's so cool nothing can get to him. But Nick is not totally unfeeling; he has a soft spot for the elderly and the weak. He's all about protecting the less fortunate and upholding the law, and has a strong moral compass. Nick's latest mission is unlike any he's had before. He is to woo beautiful, young, small town librarian Charity Prewitt, to see what information she can provide about world famous Russian author Vassily Worontzoff.
Vassily Worontzoff once had the world by the tail. He was a world famous writer with a beautiful girlfriend who he loved dearly. Life couldn't get much better, until one day he and his girlfriend Katya were captured by the KGB and accused of being dissidents. Sentenced to a prison camp, he spent close to 20 grueling, miserable years there working the gold mines in sub zero weather. But when he finally got out, he was a changed man. And a very dangerous man. He became the head of the powerful Russian Mafia, and now a suspected terrorist.
Charity Prewitt grew up in the small Vermont town in which she lives. Prim and proper and not very worldly, she's the local librarian. An orphan since she was a young teen, the only family she has left is her elderly aunt and uncle. Just when it looks like her life and career are about to take off, her aunt's health takes a turn for the worse, and her sense of duty prevents her from leaving her uncle high and dry to take care of her aunt alone. So she stays in town, and settles for being the local librarian. There's not much excitement for Charity in tiny Parker's Ridge, Vermont, until world famous author Vassily Worontzoff inexplicably moves to town and befriends her. Vassily's got plans for Charity that she's totally unaware of. Now that Charity's his best friend, it's up to Nick to see if she knows all that Vassily is up to. And he knows just how to go about it.
When Charity lays eyes on who she thinks is Nicholas Ames, millionaire stockbroker, it's lust at first sight. He's the handsomest, sexiest, most charming man she's ever seen. And Nick is floored by Charity too. Not only does he think she's a beauty, but there is just something about her that threatens Nick's control. He has to keep reminding himself to remember the mission. But after a wild weekend spent with Charity, will Nick ever be able to be the cold, methodical man he once was? Will his intense desire for Charity destroy his mission? And will Charity get caught in the crossfire between good and ruthless evil?
If you're a fan of Lisa Marie Rice's books, you know what kind of heroes she specializes in. Super alphas who know how to love and protect their women. But since they are unaccustomed to love, it takes them a while to realize the emotion as love. I loved seeing Nick come to grips with his feelings for Charity. And the whole time Nick was lying to Charity by not revealing his true identity, I kept wondering if she would forgive him when she found out. There was a scene where Nick was forced to do something to protect Charity that devastated and nearly destroyed her, and it had me in tears too. The ending was so emotional and suspenseful, I wanted to hurry up and finish it, yet I wanted to savor it too. And thankfully, this time LMR provides an epilogue, one that should satisfy everyone who reads this wonderful, sexy, suspenseful book! If you like to read hot, emotional, romantic suspense, then this one is for you!
Nicholas Ames/Ireland is a former Delta Force operator, now working undercover as a government agent for the Unit--a secret government agency that is out to stop the escalation of international organized crime's involvement in terrorism. Nick has had a miserable childhood, abandoned as an infant and raised in an orphanage and a series of foster homes. Now all Nick knows is military life; he's never had a family or anyone to truly care about. He'll do anything his government asks him to--lie, seduce or kill. His sexual encounters are meaningless; he doesn't really believe in love. He uses his good looks and body working undercover to get the job done, however he can. Nick is known as the "Iceman"; he's so cool nothing can get to him. But Nick is not totally unfeeling; he has a soft spot for the elderly and the weak. He's all about protecting the less fortunate and upholding the law, and has a strong moral compass. Nick's latest mission is unlike any he's had before. He is to woo beautiful, young, small town librarian Charity Prewitt, to see what information she can provide about world famous Russian author Vassily Worontzoff.
Vassily Worontzoff once had the world by the tail. He was a world famous writer with a beautiful girlfriend who he loved dearly. Life couldn't get much better, until one day he and his girlfriend Katya were captured by the KGB and accused of being dissidents. Sentenced to a prison camp, he spent close to 20 grueling, miserable years there working the gold mines in sub zero weather. But when he finally got out, he was a changed man. And a very dangerous man. He became the head of the powerful Russian Mafia, and now a suspected terrorist.
Charity Prewitt grew up in the small Vermont town in which she lives. Prim and proper and not very worldly, she's the local librarian. An orphan since she was a young teen, the only family she has left is her elderly aunt and uncle. Just when it looks like her life and career are about to take off, her aunt's health takes a turn for the worse, and her sense of duty prevents her from leaving her uncle high and dry to take care of her aunt alone. So she stays in town, and settles for being the local librarian. There's not much excitement for Charity in tiny Parker's Ridge, Vermont, until world famous author Vassily Worontzoff inexplicably moves to town and befriends her. Vassily's got plans for Charity that she's totally unaware of. Now that Charity's his best friend, it's up to Nick to see if she knows all that Vassily is up to. And he knows just how to go about it.
When Charity lays eyes on who she thinks is Nicholas Ames, millionaire stockbroker, it's lust at first sight. He's the handsomest, sexiest, most charming man she's ever seen. And Nick is floored by Charity too. Not only does he think she's a beauty, but there is just something about her that threatens Nick's control. He has to keep reminding himself to remember the mission. But after a wild weekend spent with Charity, will Nick ever be able to be the cold, methodical man he once was? Will his intense desire for Charity destroy his mission? And will Charity get caught in the crossfire between good and ruthless evil?
If you're a fan of Lisa Marie Rice's books, you know what kind of heroes she specializes in. Super alphas who know how to love and protect their women. But since they are unaccustomed to love, it takes them a while to realize the emotion as love. I loved seeing Nick come to grips with his feelings for Charity. And the whole time Nick was lying to Charity by not revealing his true identity, I kept wondering if she would forgive him when she found out. There was a scene where Nick was forced to do something to protect Charity that devastated and nearly destroyed her, and it had me in tears too. The ending was so emotional and suspenseful, I wanted to hurry up and finish it, yet I wanted to savor it too. And thankfully, this time LMR provides an epilogue, one that should satisfy everyone who reads this wonderful, sexy, suspenseful book! If you like to read hot, emotional, romantic suspense, then this one is for you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2012
This was another enjoyable read by LMR. Strangely enough, Nick and Charity were my least favorite H/h by this author so far, even though this wasn't my least favorite book.
I don't know, I got the impression that Nick wasn't as uncomfortable as he should have been about lying to Charity and, quite frankly, he should have never agreed to let her pull that stunt in the villain's mansion before all hell broke loose - especially if you consider that he knew she wasn't a good liar and couldn't be expected to fool the most vicious criminals on Earth. I had never expected to see a LMR hero let his heroine enter into a dangerous and life-threatening situation so willingly, and that made me see Nick with some contempt.
Charity was somewhat boring to me: not a bad heroine, but nothing to talk about either. But I cared enough for her to feel a small pang in my heart while I "watched" her trying to deal with Nick's "death" (this isn't a spoiler, since his "death" is stated in the prologue).
As for the plot, this story had some uncanny similarities with Dangerous Lover, the previous book in the series, but it was better developed, IMHO. It was almost like LMR had heard all the readers' complaints and decided to dedicate more time to the aspects that were found lacking in that book. I was happy to see that, this time, there was a more satisfying ending and epilogue. :)
I don't know, I got the impression that Nick wasn't as uncomfortable as he should have been about lying to Charity and, quite frankly, he should have never agreed to let her pull that stunt in the villain's mansion before all hell broke loose - especially if you consider that he knew she wasn't a good liar and couldn't be expected to fool the most vicious criminals on Earth. I had never expected to see a LMR hero let his heroine enter into a dangerous and life-threatening situation so willingly, and that made me see Nick with some contempt.
Charity was somewhat boring to me: not a bad heroine, but nothing to talk about either. But I cared enough for her to feel a small pang in my heart while I "watched" her trying to deal with Nick's "death" (this isn't a spoiler, since his "death" is stated in the prologue).
As for the plot, this story had some uncanny similarities with Dangerous Lover, the previous book in the series, but it was better developed, IMHO. It was almost like LMR had heard all the readers' complaints and decided to dedicate more time to the aspects that were found lacking in that book. I was happy to see that, this time, there was a more satisfying ending and epilogue. :)
July 14, 2008
Finally, a new book by Lisa Marie Rice and another for my "favorites" bookshelf. This author knows how to weave a good story with fantastic characters, toss in some good suspense and mix in some steamy scenes. I don't believe this qualifies as an erotic read, but more sensuous in nature. The intimacy was hot mainly in the feelings of the characters not in the graphic details. It was well done.
This author has a nice style of writing. She does more than pluck down a few words. For instance, when describing a cold room that once had a blur of activity she wrote "... empty chairs were like ghosts in the room." Nice! Or, "Undercover work is like proctology. You poke and prod around assholes, looking for something bad, and then you zap the bad things you find."
I think what I enjoy most about this author's books are her characters. They are likable, non arguing characters. The main male is, usually, Mr. Single and meets Miss Kindhearted that becomes his breath of fresh air. I like that! This one left me with a smile.
This author has a nice style of writing. She does more than pluck down a few words. For instance, when describing a cold room that once had a blur of activity she wrote "... empty chairs were like ghosts in the room." Nice! Or, "Undercover work is like proctology. You poke and prod around assholes, looking for something bad, and then you zap the bad things you find."
I think what I enjoy most about this author's books are her characters. They are likable, non arguing characters. The main male is, usually, Mr. Single and meets Miss Kindhearted that becomes his breath of fresh air. I like that! This one left me with a smile.
January 29, 2014
Ok, normally I have to go into reading a LMR book with a certain level of suspension of disbelief.
However, this one took the biscuit!
The typical LMR male and female lead, with the typical Instant love/attraction and the same sex scenes over and over.
However, and this is where it got too much into the realm of impossibility for me
Now, some things I can overlook, but that was ridiculous and at this point I skipped to the end.
I have tried, and indeed like LMR books, but I think I am done now. It is quite often the same scenes and phrases in each book, the characters are usually carbon copies of the others in other books. But, yep, I am done now.
However, this one took the biscuit!
The typical LMR male and female lead, with the typical Instant love/attraction and the same sex scenes over and over.
However, and this is where it got too much into the realm of impossibility for me
Now, some things I can overlook, but that was ridiculous and at this point I skipped to the end.
I have tried, and indeed like LMR books, but I think I am done now. It is quite often the same scenes and phrases in each book, the characters are usually carbon copies of the others in other books. But, yep, I am done now.
May 18, 2009
Nick is undercover in a small town in Vermont. He is trying to bring down a Russian mob leader. Part of this plan includes getting close to Charity, a good friend to the bad guy. The bad guy is delusional and also thinks that Charity is his reincarnated dead wife. She of course has no idea that the bad guy is a bad guy at all. Charity is a librarian in town, and leads a very quiet life. She has no family aside from her elderly aunt and uncle, whom she looks after. Nick ends up bedding Charity—rather quickly I might add. He doesn’t anticipate falling for her.
I did like both characters in Dangerous Secrets. I did like the story line. However, I did think this book similar in to the previous, Dangerous Lover. Both heroines have little family, work with books, and are extremely petite. He smaller stature is mentioned more than once. Both heroes are former military and are withholding secrets from them. It has been a few months since I have read that, so I couldn’t remember what connection that book has to this one or if any of the characters crossed over.
I am still leaning to towards the idea that Lisa Marie Rice is a man. She seems to write from the man’s POV, even when it is the heroine’s part of the story. I didn’t find the sex all that exciting. Nick is pretty consistent with the wam-bam approach. On two occasions she is standing there doing something and he comes up to her and rips her pants and underwear off and impales her on his unit without her seeing it coming. I just don’t find this exciting at all. It’s kind of creepy. Charity didn’t seemed to mind, however, so who am I to judge what she likes?
Overall I did like the story, aside from being ripped from a scene with Nick and Charity and being thrown into the Bad Guy’s thoughts. Stop that, LMR!
I did like both characters in Dangerous Secrets. I did like the story line. However, I did think this book similar in to the previous, Dangerous Lover. Both heroines have little family, work with books, and are extremely petite. He smaller stature is mentioned more than once. Both heroes are former military and are withholding secrets from them. It has been a few months since I have read that, so I couldn’t remember what connection that book has to this one or if any of the characters crossed over.
I am still leaning to towards the idea that Lisa Marie Rice is a man. She seems to write from the man’s POV, even when it is the heroine’s part of the story. I didn’t find the sex all that exciting. Nick is pretty consistent with the wam-bam approach. On two occasions she is standing there doing something and he comes up to her and rips her pants and underwear off and impales her on his unit without her seeing it coming. I just don’t find this exciting at all. It’s kind of creepy. Charity didn’t seemed to mind, however, so who am I to judge what she likes?
Overall I did like the story, aside from being ripped from a scene with Nick and Charity and being thrown into the Bad Guy’s thoughts. Stop that, LMR!
June 30, 2008
Lisa Marie Rice can write the hell out of a story!!
"Dangerous Secrets" is her new release and her fans will not be disappointed. She's done an excellent job of making the jump to a big publishing house without losing her trademark steam.
Charity is a small town librarian who sacrificed her dreams to tend to her failing, elderly aunt and uncle who ended up raising her after the traumatic death of her parents. She's stunned and thrilled when a wealthy, handsome businessman turns up in her small town and takes a decided interest in her. She really didn't mean to fall in love...but he's just so perfect for her, and the sex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!
Nick is undercover again. At least this time he's not working for a lowlife wannabe mobster with a sicko sister. Nope, this time his assignment is a dream come true. He gets to romance a pretty woman...if he could just keep his mind on the job instead of her, uh...assets. Soon, the whole situation is FUBAR and his main focus becomes saving the girl.
Rice's writing is steamy and edgy. He works for Homeland Security and she's a small town librarian. And she makes this work!! The action is fast-paced, and the bad guys are truly bad. The good guys, well let's just say they're not TOO good...if you know what I mean. I think I fell a little in love with Nick myself. If you liked her 'Midnight' series from Ellora's Cave, you're gonna love this one!!
"Dangerous Secrets" is her new release and her fans will not be disappointed. She's done an excellent job of making the jump to a big publishing house without losing her trademark steam.
Charity is a small town librarian who sacrificed her dreams to tend to her failing, elderly aunt and uncle who ended up raising her after the traumatic death of her parents. She's stunned and thrilled when a wealthy, handsome businessman turns up in her small town and takes a decided interest in her. She really didn't mean to fall in love...but he's just so perfect for her, and the sex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!
Nick is undercover again. At least this time he's not working for a lowlife wannabe mobster with a sicko sister. Nope, this time his assignment is a dream come true. He gets to romance a pretty woman...if he could just keep his mind on the job instead of her, uh...assets. Soon, the whole situation is FUBAR and his main focus becomes saving the girl.
Rice's writing is steamy and edgy. He works for Homeland Security and she's a small town librarian. And she makes this work!! The action is fast-paced, and the bad guys are truly bad. The good guys, well let's just say they're not TOO good...if you know what I mean. I think I fell a little in love with Nick myself. If you liked her 'Midnight' series from Ellora's Cave, you're gonna love this one!!
March 26, 2021
This was a big portion of romantic suspense, maybe not in length but it was so intense and good. Really enjoyed the romance between the librarian and high-level undercover agent who they call "Iceman". Can she melt his icy heart before his mission comes between them? Would definitely read more by Lisa Marie Rice. Not sure if I have read any before but this one I enjoyed
October 4, 2008
Dangerous Secrets is one of the best romantic suspense books that I have read in quite awhile. That is saying alot, as I have been fortunate enough to read numerous really good ones lately. This book included everything I could have wanted in this type of novel - wonderful characters, an engrossing and suspenseful storyline, and an intense passion that turned into an enchanting romance. I was almost immediately captivated with this story, and was kept enthralled throughout the book. I loved the way that the protective, supremely disciplined hero, Nick Ireland "Iceman," immediately loses all control physically and emotionally when he becomes involved with the heroine, Charity Prewitt. Watching the relationship develop between these two was a delight, and their romance was very touching. When Nick's job caused him to subject Charity to immense grief, the heroine's devastation was heartrending. I loved this book, and would highly recommend it to lovers of romantic suspense.
Special Agent Nick Ireland is in a small Vermont town posing as retired stock broker, Nick Ames, while investigating powerful Russian mafia figure, Vassily Worontzoff. Nick's investigation requires that he become acquainted with Vassily's best friend, Charity Prewitt, in order to gain information and entry into Vassily's home. Nick is prepared to become intimate with Charity in the name of duty, but after spending an evening with her, he loses his much lauded control during a steamily passionate encounter. Spending the weekend together, Nick and Charity fall quickly and profoundly for one another. Nick jeopardizes his career when he takes drastic measures to ensure Charity's protection. After acting in a manner that is completely foreign to him, "Iceman" follows his mission as circumstances dictate, even though his actions will visit anguish upon Charity. However, with his part of the mission finished, Nick is unable to convince himself to follow orders and depart the area, leaving Charity vulnerable to danger. Nick risks everything in order to protect this woman he loves.
This was a great book. Nick was an intensely appealing hero, while Charity was a sweet, refined heroine. I enjoyed the developing relationship and interaction between the two. This book was very subdued to be considered erotica, but it had plenty of heat and ardor between the hero and heroine. The romance, while poignant at times, was extremely satisfying. This is a book that I will want to read again.
Special Agent Nick Ireland is in a small Vermont town posing as retired stock broker, Nick Ames, while investigating powerful Russian mafia figure, Vassily Worontzoff. Nick's investigation requires that he become acquainted with Vassily's best friend, Charity Prewitt, in order to gain information and entry into Vassily's home. Nick is prepared to become intimate with Charity in the name of duty, but after spending an evening with her, he loses his much lauded control during a steamily passionate encounter. Spending the weekend together, Nick and Charity fall quickly and profoundly for one another. Nick jeopardizes his career when he takes drastic measures to ensure Charity's protection. After acting in a manner that is completely foreign to him, "Iceman" follows his mission as circumstances dictate, even though his actions will visit anguish upon Charity. However, with his part of the mission finished, Nick is unable to convince himself to follow orders and depart the area, leaving Charity vulnerable to danger. Nick risks everything in order to protect this woman he loves.
This was a great book. Nick was an intensely appealing hero, while Charity was a sweet, refined heroine. I enjoyed the developing relationship and interaction between the two. This book was very subdued to be considered erotica, but it had plenty of heat and ardor between the hero and heroine. The romance, while poignant at times, was extremely satisfying. This is a book that I will want to read again.
October 6, 2008
Maybe its just me, but I wasn't blown away by this one. I did enjoy the main characters and story, and the romance was certainly hot. My biggest issue is that I have trouble with any book that forces a full scale romance into just a few days. In short, the timeline of how and when things happen moved at hyperspeed to the point of unrealistic, which drives me nuts in romance novels. I also found the bad guy's obsession with Charity a bit over the top, but it worked. There really is a lot to love about this book, and there is no doubt that LMR is a great writing who really does her research on terrorism. I think it deserves a 4 star rating as it is a better than average suspense romance story. I'd just like to see a more believable romance.
July 5, 2024
I was going through my reviews the other night when I found that I had not reviewed my favorite Lisa Marie Rice novel from her Dangerous series, the other 2 in the series which I have already read and reviewed before. I remembered Dangerous Secrets to be a novel that made a huge impact on all my senses and that is the main reason why I decided to re-read and do a full review on this one. It has taken me ages to read and review this, not because this book in anyway fell short of my very high expectations (yes, I have high expectations even when I re-read books), but because of certain stuff going on right now I couldn’t find the time that I really, really wanted to indulge in Nick Ireland and savor him to bits! *sigh*
Stuff I liked:
1- Holy shiite!! This book packs a whole lot of sensuality that I found myself in a sort of daze all throughout the story. Damn you Nick!! Nick makes it really hard not to make you devour each and every love scene in the book, and surprisingly I found myself wanting more of the same when most of the time too many love scenes in a book just tends to make the story cumbersome. But Ms. Rice pulls it off so well that I couldn’t help but yearn for more and more of Nick and Charity heating up the sheets, the walls and what not! ^_^
2- Nick Ireland. He is just perfect! In each and every way! Though his gentleness and kindheartedness draws you towards him unlike anything else, this doesn’t make him a wimpy hero by any means. His smoldering sensuality, the way his senses all comes alive with Charity, the way he cherishes each and every moment he spends with her, unknowingly yearning for something he had always thought that he should or would never have just makes me endlessly sigh over the guy! God, I wish I could order up a guy like him to turn up on my doorstep! For real! ^_~
3- Charity Prudence Prewitt. Though the prudence bit makes me go LOL, Charity is just the perfect match for Nick in each and every way. I say this because heroines in Ms. Rice’s books are never feminists who constantly need to prove a point to the hero. But rather they are feminine to the core, with an inner strength that stuns you from time to time and manages to lend the story a really charming quality with their elegance and beauty. So needless to say, I fricking loved Charity to bits!
4- The flow of the story. I don’t think I can ever describe how well this story goes down, like a glass of cool water, not too cold, just the right temperature to quench your thirst on a really hot day. That’s how well I perceived this story and I imagine I would read it again somewhere down the line, just to give a treat to all my senses – as a treat to your senses is what this book is! Pure magic is what Lisa Marie Rice weaves with Nick and Charity.
5- And I loved me the ending! To pieces! ^_^
6- Oh yes, the library smexing! Earned it the A+ grade, yes it did! *wink*
Dislikes: None
Memorable scenes:
Charity forced herself to sit back, still her nerves, and smile blandly into Nick’s eyes, when – shockingly – what she really wanted to do was climb into his lap, nuzzle her face up against that square jaw, find out with her hands whether he was as hard underneath that elegant suit as she suspected. Place her lips precisely against his throat, where she could see the fine line where his whiskers stopped. Feel his heartbeat against her mouth. Lick that smooth, tan skin.
Full in-depth review: http://bit.ly/fGNFCO
Stuff I liked:
1- Holy shiite!! This book packs a whole lot of sensuality that I found myself in a sort of daze all throughout the story. Damn you Nick!! Nick makes it really hard not to make you devour each and every love scene in the book, and surprisingly I found myself wanting more of the same when most of the time too many love scenes in a book just tends to make the story cumbersome. But Ms. Rice pulls it off so well that I couldn’t help but yearn for more and more of Nick and Charity heating up the sheets, the walls and what not! ^_^
2- Nick Ireland. He is just perfect! In each and every way! Though his gentleness and kindheartedness draws you towards him unlike anything else, this doesn’t make him a wimpy hero by any means. His smoldering sensuality, the way his senses all comes alive with Charity, the way he cherishes each and every moment he spends with her, unknowingly yearning for something he had always thought that he should or would never have just makes me endlessly sigh over the guy! God, I wish I could order up a guy like him to turn up on my doorstep! For real! ^_~
3- Charity Prudence Prewitt. Though the prudence bit makes me go LOL, Charity is just the perfect match for Nick in each and every way. I say this because heroines in Ms. Rice’s books are never feminists who constantly need to prove a point to the hero. But rather they are feminine to the core, with an inner strength that stuns you from time to time and manages to lend the story a really charming quality with their elegance and beauty. So needless to say, I fricking loved Charity to bits!
4- The flow of the story. I don’t think I can ever describe how well this story goes down, like a glass of cool water, not too cold, just the right temperature to quench your thirst on a really hot day. That’s how well I perceived this story and I imagine I would read it again somewhere down the line, just to give a treat to all my senses – as a treat to your senses is what this book is! Pure magic is what Lisa Marie Rice weaves with Nick and Charity.
5- And I loved me the ending! To pieces! ^_^
6- Oh yes, the library smexing! Earned it the A+ grade, yes it did! *wink*
Dislikes: None
Memorable scenes:
Charity forced herself to sit back, still her nerves, and smile blandly into Nick’s eyes, when – shockingly – what she really wanted to do was climb into his lap, nuzzle her face up against that square jaw, find out with her hands whether he was as hard underneath that elegant suit as she suspected. Place her lips precisely against his throat, where she could see the fine line where his whiskers stopped. Feel his heartbeat against her mouth. Lick that smooth, tan skin.
Full in-depth review: http://bit.ly/fGNFCO
September 28, 2010
4.5 stars. Hot lustful sex scenes, no kinkiness, a fluffy read. Undercover agent protects delicate heroine from someone evil.
STORY BRIEF:
Vassily is a famous Russian novelist who spent years in a Soviet prison camp. He is now wealthy and recently moved to a small town in Vermont. Vassily becomes good friends with Charity the local librarian. She moved to this town to care for her elderly aunt and uncle. Nick is an undercover agent for Homeland Security. He suspects Vassily is involved in terrorist activities. Nick befriends Charity to learn more about Vassily. He and Charity immediately fall in love/lust with each other. Charity doesn’t know Nick is undercover and thinks he is a businessman looking for investment opportunities.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The characters and plot were so similar to Midnight Man that I could almost just copy that review for this one. If you enjoyed Midnight Man you should enjoy this. It’s more of the same, but there are some differences. I liked them both. The alpha hero cherishes and worships his lovely and delicate lady Charity. Whenever he’s around her he is so turned on he needs to be hosed down. Don’t expect a lot of new and different ideas. This is a good formula for the author, and it works for me. It’s fun to read – an enjoyable escape. I especially enjoyed the back story about Nick and his relationship with his friend Jacob. I talk more about the author’s writing style in my review of Midnight Man.
DATA:
Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 12. Total number of sex scene pages: 43. Setting: primarily Parker’s Ridge, Vermont with some activities in Russia, ocean travel and Canada. Copyright: 2008. 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.
STORY BRIEF:
Vassily is a famous Russian novelist who spent years in a Soviet prison camp. He is now wealthy and recently moved to a small town in Vermont. Vassily becomes good friends with Charity the local librarian. She moved to this town to care for her elderly aunt and uncle. Nick is an undercover agent for Homeland Security. He suspects Vassily is involved in terrorist activities. Nick befriends Charity to learn more about Vassily. He and Charity immediately fall in love/lust with each other. Charity doesn’t know Nick is undercover and thinks he is a businessman looking for investment opportunities.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The characters and plot were so similar to Midnight Man that I could almost just copy that review for this one. If you enjoyed Midnight Man you should enjoy this. It’s more of the same, but there are some differences. I liked them both. The alpha hero cherishes and worships his lovely and delicate lady Charity. Whenever he’s around her he is so turned on he needs to be hosed down. Don’t expect a lot of new and different ideas. This is a good formula for the author, and it works for me. It’s fun to read – an enjoyable escape. I especially enjoyed the back story about Nick and his relationship with his friend Jacob. I talk more about the author’s writing style in my review of Midnight Man.
DATA:
Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 12. Total number of sex scene pages: 43. Setting: primarily Parker’s Ridge, Vermont with some activities in Russia, ocean travel and Canada. Copyright: 2008. 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.
February 9, 2015
The fact that it took me weeks to finish this is a good indication of how much this book didn't work for me. :(
August 16, 2009
The prologue hooked me immediately. Promising one heck of a story, and indeed it was a great improvement from the first book in this series.
Especially in the heroine-personality department. Although, Charity struck me as too naive - she lived in a freaking fairy-tale world where everybody was good and the Russian millionaire that suddenly appeared in her home town with obvious issues (feverish eyes, getting her name wrong etc.) and surrounded by an army of thugs was of course simply a great writer...And it was completely normal for her to fall for a charming young guy in a heartbeat and marry him after a week. Sheesh! I kept wondering when those rose-tinted glasses would get knocked off her perfect little nose. Well, it happened a tad too late if you ask me, making her sudden change of heart and perspective a bit too unbelievable.
I loved the hero, though, better than his predecessor. Nick Ireland. Hot, sexy, incredibly skilled in everything he put his mind to, protective to the bone, willing to do anything it takes to keep his woman safe...Sure, there were times I wanted to smack him on the back of his head, but his patience with the naive heroine made me forgot all his subtle little flaws.
The suspense was much greater in this installment of the Dangerous series, the peril and danger constantly in the peripheral vision, keeping us guessing as to what the writer/mobster was up to - besides being completely nuts.
And there was a little humor - I like my books spiced with pinches of humor here and there. Hilarious the two exchanges between Nick and DiStefano about cursing in the presence of a lady.
So, despite the naiveté of the heroine (she did come round in the end), this was still a great read, delving into shady territory of undercover work, lies blending into one another, creating an almost parallel reality. The author succeeded in conveying Nick's indecision and tumultuous thoughts perfectly.
Not perfect, but a great read nonetheless.
P.S. And we got a decent epilogue. Yay!
Especially in the heroine-personality department. Although, Charity struck me as too naive - she lived in a freaking fairy-tale world where everybody was good and the Russian millionaire that suddenly appeared in her home town with obvious issues (feverish eyes, getting her name wrong etc.) and surrounded by an army of thugs was of course simply a great writer...And it was completely normal for her to fall for a charming young guy in a heartbeat and marry him after a week. Sheesh! I kept wondering when those rose-tinted glasses would get knocked off her perfect little nose. Well, it happened a tad too late if you ask me, making her sudden change of heart and perspective a bit too unbelievable.
I loved the hero, though, better than his predecessor. Nick Ireland. Hot, sexy, incredibly skilled in everything he put his mind to, protective to the bone, willing to do anything it takes to keep his woman safe...Sure, there were times I wanted to smack him on the back of his head, but his patience with the naive heroine made me forgot all his subtle little flaws.
The suspense was much greater in this installment of the Dangerous series, the peril and danger constantly in the peripheral vision, keeping us guessing as to what the writer/mobster was up to - besides being completely nuts.
And there was a little humor - I like my books spiced with pinches of humor here and there. Hilarious the two exchanges between Nick and DiStefano about cursing in the presence of a lady.
So, despite the naiveté of the heroine (she did come round in the end), this was still a great read, delving into shady territory of undercover work, lies blending into one another, creating an almost parallel reality. The author succeeded in conveying Nick's indecision and tumultuous thoughts perfectly.
Not perfect, but a great read nonetheless.
P.S. And we got a decent epilogue. Yay!
May 16, 2015
Well, more 3.5 than 4 but it's for encouragement.
Okay, it seems there is a pattern here. In this second book, the hero is an insensitive (so he seems) alpha and the heroine is a little TSLT, again.
I find the the heroines of this series are really a bit too naive. They trust everyone and they have sex with a stranger man... unbelievable, IMO.
But, all in all, this new installment is better than the previous one. We find that the heroine has some backbone and the hero is secretly sweet as a marshmallow! ;)
The end is sweet and there is an epilogue. Okay I'm ready for the next one!
Okay, it seems there is a pattern here. In this second book, the hero is an insensitive (so he seems) alpha and the heroine is a little TSLT, again.
I find the the heroines of this series are really a bit too naive. They trust everyone and they have sex with a stranger man... unbelievable, IMO.
But, all in all, this new installment is better than the previous one. We find that the heroine has some backbone and the hero is secretly sweet as a marshmallow! ;)
The end is sweet and there is an epilogue. Okay I'm ready for the next one!
December 31, 2009
My thoughts...well, I definitely liked Dangerous Secrets better than Dangerous Lover. I connected much better to Nick and Charity than I did the H/h from DL. I felt more emotionally connected to these two and felt myself get a little teary-eyed when Charity suffered.
I like that the epilogue in this one was so much better. It wasn't long but helped close up the story with a glimpse into their future.
This was a fast and enjoyable read. A hot alpha male who is very protective of his woman. I like it. :)
I like that the epilogue in this one was so much better. It wasn't long but helped close up the story with a glimpse into their future.
This was a fast and enjoyable read. A hot alpha male who is very protective of his woman. I like it. :)
July 7, 2008
A very good book. I liked this one better then the first one. There is a great plot, steamy sex and romance. Could not put it down.
March 7, 2018
Reviewed for THC Reviews
I was rather surprised to discover that it’s been close to nine years since I read Dangerous Lover, the first book of Lisa Marie Rice’s Dangerous series. As such, I don’t recall a whole lot about the story, even though I tried to refresh my memory by re-reading my review of that book before starting Dangerous Secrets. To be honest, though, I’m not quite certain why these books are considered a series, as there don’t seem to be any real connections between them, at least not that I could discern. Either that, or the connections are so minimal that they don’t stand out. In fact, they take place on opposite ends of the country with the first book being set in Washington and the second in Vermont. In any case, these are stand-alone books that IMHO, definitely don’t require the reader to have read the previous book to have an understanding of either the characters or the story.
Nick grew up in a series of orphanages and foster homes in which he was cruelly treated, so he learned early how to be tough. As an adult, he went into the Army and eventually advanced to Delta Force, but after being wounded in the line of duty, he left the military to work for the Department of Homeland Security on a special task force that is currently surveilling a known Russian mobster with terrorist ties. Vassily is also a famous writer who is using that persona as his cover in the sleepy little town where he now lives and runs his illegal operation. Nick goes undercover to get close to the local librarian who happens to be a good friend to Vassily, hoping to learn more about him, but in the process, he ends up getting a lot closer to her than he’d intended.
Fans of dominant alpha males will probably like Nick a lot more than I did. I didn’t exactly dislike him, but he does have a more demanding, autocratic personality that isn’t entirely my cup of tea. I like my heroes to be gentler and exhibit more vulnerabilities, while Nick is essentially the proverbial island unto himself. I thought he was underdeveloped as a character as well. There were so many things about his past that if brought out more would have made him a much more interesting, vibrant, and relatable character, but what I described above is pretty much all we get. I would have liked to have know more about his difficult childhood and how that played into the man that he is today. Also, in his introspection, he goes on ad nauseum for several chapters about his most recent undercover job that he undertook right before this one, in which he had to “service” the sister of a Mexican gangster. The woman was into some hardcore BDSM that he hated participating in, but other than saying how detestable it was to him, we don’t get any sense of how that might have affected him from a mental or emotional standpoint. I just felt like there were many missed opportunities like this to deepen his character development.
Charity had some difficulties growing up as well. She lost her parents to a fire, and during that same tragedy, her father threw her from a balcony in a attempt to save her life. He was successful, but she spent months in the hospital and afterward recovering from her injuries. Then when she was about to go off to Europe to study, her elderly aunt was diagnosed with dementia, and since she and her uncle had raised Charity, she gave up her trip to stay and take care of them. Now she splits her time between looking after them and being the only librarian in her little town. Being a lover of literature, she easily befriended Vassily when he came to town and views him as a kindly father-figure. But little does she know that he is obsessed with her, thinking that she is the reincarnation of his long-dead true love. When Nick shows up, Charity believes he is who he says he is, a wealthy businessman doing research on investments in the area. She’s instantly attracted to him and doesn’t date much, so when he asks her out, she accepts without hesitation.
Charity is the type of heroine I should relate to with her love of books and her ladylike demeanor, but there were still a lot of things about her I didn’t entirely get. Much like with Nick, I would have liked to see her past explored more as well. All of the things that happened to her barely get a mention and I never got much sense of how they affect her now or shaped her into the person she is. Then there’s her instant knowledge that she’s going to sleep with Nick on their first date even though that wasn’t her usual MO. I just didn’t see what was so dynamic about him that she couldn’t resist and was even encouraging him toward that end. Also she falls in love and is willing to marry him within a week’s time, which really stretched the bounds of credibility for me. Finally I felt that she was a little too docile, always melting into submission and being completely accepting of whatever Nick told her to do. The only time she really defies him is when she insists on using her connection to Vassily to get into his secret meeting. So ultimately there were some things I liked about Charity, but other times I had a hard time respecting her choices and felt like she was a little too meek and compliant.
Despite my feeling that the characters and their relationship were sorely underdeveloped, I might have still been able to give the book a slightly higher rating, except that things really started breaking down for me in the author’s writing style. Normally I’m a fan of rich introspection and descriptive prose, but here it’s way overdone, IMHO. There are times that the author interrupts dialogue and/or building tension (whether it be of the sexual variety or suspense) to engage in page upon page of prose, telling what the POV character is thinking. Most of these sections could have been pared down considerably and not lost any crucial information, and it also would have left more room for exploring the character’s backstories and building a more dynamic emotional connection between the hero and heroine, as well as between them and the reader. There was just so much of it that left me asking, “Why do we need to know this? Show me something more interesting. Or just get back to the storytelling.” There were also a number of things that cropped up that had me raising a brow in skepticism. Eg. Charity starts having frequent bouts of nausea, and when she and Nick realize it’s only coming in the mornings, their first reaction is that she’s pregnant even though it had only been about a week since they’d had unprotected sex. Of course a two-minute research session of my own confirmed that it’s highly unlikely that a woman would experience morning sickness that soon. I probably should have started making note of the other instances so that I could give more examples, but trust me when I say that there were a bunch of little eyebrow raisers just like this peppered throughout the book. One or two I can forgive, but when there are as many as I found, it starts to erode the overall credibility of the story. I also have to admit that most of the major plot points I saw coming from a mile away. There really wasn’t much anything that happened that I didn’t expect. Lastly, for being categorized by most book sites as erotic romance, there isn’t much erotic about it beside a little graphic language. I’ve read mainstream romances that aren’t classified as erotic that are far more sensual and sexy.
Overall, Dangerous Secrets wasn’t a bad story per se (I’ve read more frustrating ones), but it was only OK for me. I would have liked it a whole lot more if the author had paid more attention to the important details, instead of engaging in endless over-explaining of nearly everything. I strongly dislike it when an author feels the need to hold the reader’s hand rather than trusting them to read between the lines. I would have liked to see better emotional development for her main characters, a stronger more organic development to Nick and Charity’s relationship so that it didn’t feel so forced, and a suspense element that really kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing what would happen next rather than one that was kind of ho-hum. With this being the second book by Lisa Marie Rice that hasn’t really wowed me, I’m not sure where I’ll go from here with her books. I still have several on my TBR pile and I know that many other readers love her, but I’m starting to think that her writing may not be for me. All I can say at this point is, we’ll see.
Note: This book is classified by some as erotic romance, and the love scenes do contain some frank language that could be offensive to some readers. But overall, the content of those scenes is more on par with steamy mainstream romance.
I was rather surprised to discover that it’s been close to nine years since I read Dangerous Lover, the first book of Lisa Marie Rice’s Dangerous series. As such, I don’t recall a whole lot about the story, even though I tried to refresh my memory by re-reading my review of that book before starting Dangerous Secrets. To be honest, though, I’m not quite certain why these books are considered a series, as there don’t seem to be any real connections between them, at least not that I could discern. Either that, or the connections are so minimal that they don’t stand out. In fact, they take place on opposite ends of the country with the first book being set in Washington and the second in Vermont. In any case, these are stand-alone books that IMHO, definitely don’t require the reader to have read the previous book to have an understanding of either the characters or the story.
Nick grew up in a series of orphanages and foster homes in which he was cruelly treated, so he learned early how to be tough. As an adult, he went into the Army and eventually advanced to Delta Force, but after being wounded in the line of duty, he left the military to work for the Department of Homeland Security on a special task force that is currently surveilling a known Russian mobster with terrorist ties. Vassily is also a famous writer who is using that persona as his cover in the sleepy little town where he now lives and runs his illegal operation. Nick goes undercover to get close to the local librarian who happens to be a good friend to Vassily, hoping to learn more about him, but in the process, he ends up getting a lot closer to her than he’d intended.
Fans of dominant alpha males will probably like Nick a lot more than I did. I didn’t exactly dislike him, but he does have a more demanding, autocratic personality that isn’t entirely my cup of tea. I like my heroes to be gentler and exhibit more vulnerabilities, while Nick is essentially the proverbial island unto himself. I thought he was underdeveloped as a character as well. There were so many things about his past that if brought out more would have made him a much more interesting, vibrant, and relatable character, but what I described above is pretty much all we get. I would have liked to have know more about his difficult childhood and how that played into the man that he is today. Also, in his introspection, he goes on ad nauseum for several chapters about his most recent undercover job that he undertook right before this one, in which he had to “service” the sister of a Mexican gangster. The woman was into some hardcore BDSM that he hated participating in, but other than saying how detestable it was to him, we don’t get any sense of how that might have affected him from a mental or emotional standpoint. I just felt like there were many missed opportunities like this to deepen his character development.
Charity had some difficulties growing up as well. She lost her parents to a fire, and during that same tragedy, her father threw her from a balcony in a attempt to save her life. He was successful, but she spent months in the hospital and afterward recovering from her injuries. Then when she was about to go off to Europe to study, her elderly aunt was diagnosed with dementia, and since she and her uncle had raised Charity, she gave up her trip to stay and take care of them. Now she splits her time between looking after them and being the only librarian in her little town. Being a lover of literature, she easily befriended Vassily when he came to town and views him as a kindly father-figure. But little does she know that he is obsessed with her, thinking that she is the reincarnation of his long-dead true love. When Nick shows up, Charity believes he is who he says he is, a wealthy businessman doing research on investments in the area. She’s instantly attracted to him and doesn’t date much, so when he asks her out, she accepts without hesitation.
Charity is the type of heroine I should relate to with her love of books and her ladylike demeanor, but there were still a lot of things about her I didn’t entirely get. Much like with Nick, I would have liked to see her past explored more as well. All of the things that happened to her barely get a mention and I never got much sense of how they affect her now or shaped her into the person she is. Then there’s her instant knowledge that she’s going to sleep with Nick on their first date even though that wasn’t her usual MO. I just didn’t see what was so dynamic about him that she couldn’t resist and was even encouraging him toward that end. Also she falls in love and is willing to marry him within a week’s time, which really stretched the bounds of credibility for me. Finally I felt that she was a little too docile, always melting into submission and being completely accepting of whatever Nick told her to do. The only time she really defies him is when she insists on using her connection to Vassily to get into his secret meeting. So ultimately there were some things I liked about Charity, but other times I had a hard time respecting her choices and felt like she was a little too meek and compliant.
Despite my feeling that the characters and their relationship were sorely underdeveloped, I might have still been able to give the book a slightly higher rating, except that things really started breaking down for me in the author’s writing style. Normally I’m a fan of rich introspection and descriptive prose, but here it’s way overdone, IMHO. There are times that the author interrupts dialogue and/or building tension (whether it be of the sexual variety or suspense) to engage in page upon page of prose, telling what the POV character is thinking. Most of these sections could have been pared down considerably and not lost any crucial information, and it also would have left more room for exploring the character’s backstories and building a more dynamic emotional connection between the hero and heroine, as well as between them and the reader. There was just so much of it that left me asking, “Why do we need to know this? Show me something more interesting. Or just get back to the storytelling.” There were also a number of things that cropped up that had me raising a brow in skepticism. Eg. Charity starts having frequent bouts of nausea, and when she and Nick realize it’s only coming in the mornings, their first reaction is that she’s pregnant even though it had only been about a week since they’d had unprotected sex. Of course a two-minute research session of my own confirmed that it’s highly unlikely that a woman would experience morning sickness that soon. I probably should have started making note of the other instances so that I could give more examples, but trust me when I say that there were a bunch of little eyebrow raisers just like this peppered throughout the book. One or two I can forgive, but when there are as many as I found, it starts to erode the overall credibility of the story. I also have to admit that most of the major plot points I saw coming from a mile away. There really wasn’t much anything that happened that I didn’t expect. Lastly, for being categorized by most book sites as erotic romance, there isn’t much erotic about it beside a little graphic language. I’ve read mainstream romances that aren’t classified as erotic that are far more sensual and sexy.
Overall, Dangerous Secrets wasn’t a bad story per se (I’ve read more frustrating ones), but it was only OK for me. I would have liked it a whole lot more if the author had paid more attention to the important details, instead of engaging in endless over-explaining of nearly everything. I strongly dislike it when an author feels the need to hold the reader’s hand rather than trusting them to read between the lines. I would have liked to see better emotional development for her main characters, a stronger more organic development to Nick and Charity’s relationship so that it didn’t feel so forced, and a suspense element that really kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing what would happen next rather than one that was kind of ho-hum. With this being the second book by Lisa Marie Rice that hasn’t really wowed me, I’m not sure where I’ll go from here with her books. I still have several on my TBR pile and I know that many other readers love her, but I’m starting to think that her writing may not be for me. All I can say at this point is, we’ll see.
Note: This book is classified by some as erotic romance, and the love scenes do contain some frank language that could be offensive to some readers. But overall, the content of those scenes is more on par with steamy mainstream romance.
August 7, 2009
Sexy, sweet and seductive are the perfect words to explain Dangerous Secrets and author Lisa Marie Rice who writes some of the best alpha male heroes in romance.
Nicholas Ames is a rich stockbroker who starts to woo the local town librarian. Actually, Nick is a former Delta operator on an undercover mission. He is really Nick Ireland a.k.a. the Iceman who must befriend and even seduce Charity because she is best friends with Vassily Worontzoff, a Russian immigrant who has acclaim as a world renowned writer. He also happens to be head of a world wide crime syndicate that aids terrorists. If Nick can get close to Charity, he will be able to get to Worontzoff and stop him from ruining more innocent lives.
Charity has no clue who the real Nick is and her courts her very smoothly. Things happen very quickly between these two and Charity is so enthralled by Nick, that she takes him into her bed and gives him her heart. Even though Nick's nickname is the Iceman, he is not cold at all. He is sick over the way he has to lie to Charity. He hates the fact that the woman he is falling for is being placed in danger because of him. Charity is such a sweet and kind woman and her love wraps Nick in a wonderful bubble of promises and hope for a future. But he knows that all will end because he has to betray Charity in the worst way.
Ah yes, that nasty word- betrayal. Nick does something that tears Charity apart and probably will make most readers growl because Charity feels so deeply for Nick and her heart is ripped in half to the point she is ready to die. As she goes through these emotions, I felt so deeply for her. And when Charity finally confronts Nick, he has no words to explain how sorry he is over her grief. Even if he groveled on his hands and knees (and we all know we love when a hero gets down and begs for forgiveness) it won't be enough. The only promise Nick can give Charity is the fact that she will no longer be alone and he will make it his life's purpose to bring her joy, happiness and all the hot loving she can handle..
Dangerous Secrets is very much an erotic thriller because of the plot about terrorists. Worontzoff is borderline cartoonish in his villainy, but Lisa gives the reader enough background on this man that you actually do feel sorry for him. For he is a man that has loved and lost; much like Nick. The difference is that Nick does not descend into madness like Worontzoff.
Charity is sweet yet not so innocent where she will annoy most. If I were in her shoes, I would have fallen for a man like Nick and never question his motives. There is a point where she does something some would place under the TSTL (to stupid to live) category but her actions pulled everything together in the end.
Dangerous Secrets is a nice read for the summer season, even though it takes place in the cold winter of Vermont. But Nick and Charity steam up the sheets just fine with some nice missionary sex I have come to enjoy in a Rice novel.
Nicholas Ames is a rich stockbroker who starts to woo the local town librarian. Actually, Nick is a former Delta operator on an undercover mission. He is really Nick Ireland a.k.a. the Iceman who must befriend and even seduce Charity because she is best friends with Vassily Worontzoff, a Russian immigrant who has acclaim as a world renowned writer. He also happens to be head of a world wide crime syndicate that aids terrorists. If Nick can get close to Charity, he will be able to get to Worontzoff and stop him from ruining more innocent lives.
Charity has no clue who the real Nick is and her courts her very smoothly. Things happen very quickly between these two and Charity is so enthralled by Nick, that she takes him into her bed and gives him her heart. Even though Nick's nickname is the Iceman, he is not cold at all. He is sick over the way he has to lie to Charity. He hates the fact that the woman he is falling for is being placed in danger because of him. Charity is such a sweet and kind woman and her love wraps Nick in a wonderful bubble of promises and hope for a future. But he knows that all will end because he has to betray Charity in the worst way.
Ah yes, that nasty word- betrayal. Nick does something that tears Charity apart and probably will make most readers growl because Charity feels so deeply for Nick and her heart is ripped in half to the point she is ready to die. As she goes through these emotions, I felt so deeply for her. And when Charity finally confronts Nick, he has no words to explain how sorry he is over her grief. Even if he groveled on his hands and knees (and we all know we love when a hero gets down and begs for forgiveness) it won't be enough. The only promise Nick can give Charity is the fact that she will no longer be alone and he will make it his life's purpose to bring her joy, happiness and all the hot loving she can handle..
Dangerous Secrets is very much an erotic thriller because of the plot about terrorists. Worontzoff is borderline cartoonish in his villainy, but Lisa gives the reader enough background on this man that you actually do feel sorry for him. For he is a man that has loved and lost; much like Nick. The difference is that Nick does not descend into madness like Worontzoff.
Charity is sweet yet not so innocent where she will annoy most. If I were in her shoes, I would have fallen for a man like Nick and never question his motives. There is a point where she does something some would place under the TSTL (to stupid to live) category but her actions pulled everything together in the end.
Dangerous Secrets is a nice read for the summer season, even though it takes place in the cold winter of Vermont. But Nick and Charity steam up the sheets just fine with some nice missionary sex I have come to enjoy in a Rice novel.
December 9, 2015
I was really disappointed. Rice's books are usually pretty dead-on for me, whereas this one didn't really have any moments or chemistry that I was able to get into. Charity was a good person, but not all that interesting as a character; lost her parents when she was young, spent some time recovering from an injury, would like to travel but is trapped in her hometown because her uncle and aunt are infirm. A very good person, but she was just so serene, well-adjusted, compassionate, and intelligent that it was kind of boring. She had no illusions about Nick staying with her and was happy to have sex with him for as long as he was interested in her. Nick in the meantime , who was seducing her as part of his undercover mission because she was good friends with an international criminal, became infatuated with her, but there wasn't much real "bonding." Just lots and lots of sex. This was definitely way weaker than most of her other stuff.
March 27, 2016
Dangerous Secrets es el segundo libro de los tres que componen la trilogia creada por Lisa Marie Rice llamada Dangerous y narra la historia de Nick y Charity.
Este segundo libro me gusto mucho mas que su antecesor, no solo porque me parecio mas complejo sino porque el final si que fue de mi agrado, no como el de Dangerous Lover que me parecio demasiado abierto, ademas la relacion de Charity y Nick me parecio mejor llevada que la de Jack y Caroline.
Lo que mas me gusta de las lecturas de la autora es lo rapidas que son de leer, son historias atrapantes, con un ritmo muy fluido y con unos protagonistas para caer desmayadas xDD en este caso Nick me gusto mucho como protagonista y en algunas ocasiones me hizo reir con sus pensamientos.
3.75 Estrellas!
July 2, 2012
This is my first book by the author. Since I don't know what to expect, I tamper my expectation moderately. I'm glad I did because I like it more than I thought I would.
I like the characters a lot. They're the polar opposite of one another but that's what makes their attraction so sexy and endearing.
The flow of the story bothers me a bit though. It would described what the characters are doing and then some background story (justification is more of an appropriate term in some cases)popped in, and then back to the present. It disrupt the momentum, especially when the hero and heroine are getting it on. I find that really distracting.
I like the characters a lot. They're the polar opposite of one another but that's what makes their attraction so sexy and endearing.
The flow of the story bothers me a bit though. It would described what the characters are doing and then some background story (justification is more of an appropriate term in some cases)popped in, and then back to the present. It disrupt the momentum, especially when the hero and heroine are getting it on. I find that really distracting.
September 28, 2012
OMG, this may be the best LMR book I've read yet.... (although I just LOVED Midnight Man and Dangerous Lover too...) I was a twisted know of stress from about halfway through to the end! Love LMR's alpha males, and Nick was.... ooooooh.... he talked so dirty and I loved it! ***sigh***
February 2, 2009
I really enjoyed this book immensely. LMR has a way of drawing the reader into the story immediately. She weaves a wonderful tale. This book's ending was perfect, unlike Dangerous Lover; this is how an epilog should be written. I believe she has another Dangerous book coming out soon. I look forward to reading it.
April 14, 2013
Salgo in ritardo sul treno Lisa Marie Rice. Certo, il ritardo è solo di un romanzo, ma è pur sempre un ritardo. In genere io inizio le serie come Dio comanda, dal primo in progressione. Questa volta, invece, ho dovuto fare letteralmente i conti con il budget mensile, escludendo per forza di cose Amanti pericolosi uscito sempre con Leggereditore e depennare una nuova serie romantic suspance dalla mia lista della spesa. Ma questo era prima, e ora posso contare su un pusher molto generoso che mi ha spedito il secondo libro della Rice.
Ora, se la serie fosse strettamente collegata da un libro all'altro, il pensiero di leggere questo romanzo non mi avrebbe nemmeno sfiorata, invece ho scoperto che la serie è sì unica, ma i romanzi sono scollegati e quindi leggibili singolarmente. Insomma, la serie perfetta per chi non vuole sentirsi costretta a comprarli tutti per capirci qualcosa.
Qual'è stata la molla che ha fatto scattare le mie antennine? E' facile: Delta Force. Appena vedo nella trama un richiamo vagamente militare non capisco più niente e devo leggere il libro no matter what. Un bel super soldato in incognito, una missione complessa e pericolosa, il rischio della fine del mondo, un mucchio di scene - ehm - hot e io sono felice. Mi basta poco, in effetti, ma certi generi sono così prevedibili che ispirano solo sicurezza.
Nick Ireland è il nostre ex Delta Force, ora soldato per l'Unita (mi ricorda molto il telefilm The Unit *aaaaah Mack*) in missione segreta per incastrare un terrorista russo. Il suo compito è quello di ingraziarsi l'amica del russo per riuscire a scoprire le prove necessarie ad incastrarlo. Charity è una ragazza molto tranquilla e ignobilmente ingenua: pur avendo dei neuroni funzionanti e un discreta razionalità, è riuscita a farsi infinocchiare dal suo amico Wassily. Wassily, reduce dai gulag dove è stato brutalmente torturato e dove hanno ucciso la sua amata, è in apparenza un famosissimo letterato russo, un uomo di cultura osannato per un unico suo romanzo e per il suo passato da prigioniero. In realtà, sotto la maschera del riccone chic torturato ma pur sempre molto civile e acculturato, si nasconde la mente malata di una persona che ha perso ogni contatto con la realtà. Non è ben chiaro come abbia fatto a diventare così ricco e potente, eppure è il terrorista russo più influente del mondo. Il suo piano malefico è quello di importare dalla Russia del cesio per venderlo ai vari terroristi e diventare così il cattivo più cattivo del mondo. La sua pazzia si manifesta, però, con Charity. La ragazza è la copia sputata della sua amante, Katya, uccisa dai russi nel gulag. Wassily è convinto che Charity sia Katya reincarnata ed è intenzionato a prenderla e a trasformarla nella sua amante. Insomma, creepy come direbbero in America.
Nick entra in scena nei panni di un agente di borsa in cerca di nuovi investimenti e riesce subito ad abbindolare Charity. Rendiamole giustizia, però. Nick è uno sgnoccolo epocale: alto, moro, con occhi blu e un fascino (falso, quello dell'agente, vero quello del soldato) che tramortisce. Charity, che è circondata da vecchietti e uomini sposati, lo vede come l'unica possibilità per scatenare l'ormone addormentato e non ci pensa due volte (brava ragazza) a saltargli addosso. Ovviamente la mancanza di resistenza è dettata anche dal fatto che questo è un romanzo erotico, e se si vuole far schizzare la temperatura bisogna per forza ridimensionare le scene: azione e passione, l'amore si deve ritagliare il suo spazio dove può. I due, a dispetto della missione per Nick e del buon senso per Charity, sviluppano subito un rapporto molto esclusivo e viscerale tanto che rimango incollati assieme per una settimana, durante la quale non fanno molto se non -ehm- stare insieme. Biblicamente. Il punto di svolta lo abbiamo quasi alla fine, quando Nick si rende conto che la missione sta per arrivare al clue e che tutto si risolverà nel bene o nel male. La scoperta del doppio gioco di Nick, della vera identità di Wassily, dei sentimenti che i due nutrono, il finale dove il mondo viene salvato...insomma, direi tutto nella norma e prevedibile, pur essendo molto piacevole da leggere, coinvolgente e per niente noioso.
La vera particolarità del romanzo, la cosa che mi ha fatto dare un voto così alto non è né la storia d'amore, né la trama, né il personaggio femminile e nemmeno - in un certo senso - quello maschile. La cosa che ho apprezzato di più è stata la resa di Nick, il suo approfondimento, il suo punto di vista in generale. Ho adorato il fatto che il suo PoV è molto introspettivo, molto discorsivo ed emotivo. Nick, nella sua testa, è brutalmente onesto e chiarisce i suoi sentimenti e le sue motivazioni con un candore ed una semplicità che te lo fanno amare senza riserve. Nick è sì un soldato, con un rigido codice di condotta, abituato a controllarsi e a negarsi i piaceri basilari della vita, ma dentro è una persona comune, un uomo che scopre di volere - dopo tutto - un amore, una famiglia, dei figli. Nick - grazie a Charity - compie un cambiamento, una scoperta di sé che emoziona più dell'amore dei due. Nick sa emozionare quando ammette con sé stesso che per Charity prova più di una semplice attrazione, intenerisce quando analizza i suoi sentimenti e le sue azioni, quando suda per l'agitazione, quando non capisce cosa gli sta succedendo e si sforza di chiarirsi. Nick è reale, umano e molto, molto piacevole da leggere. E' così brutalmente normale, pur essendo un personaggio estremizzato, che non si può fare altro se non eleggerlo a punto di forza del libro. E' Nick il vero fulcro della storia, è il nucleo attorno al quale gravita tutto: da Charity, che lo venera, lo ama come se fosse la sua anima gemella, il suo organo mancante, allo svolgimento della storia che dipende dalle sue scelte, all'attenzione del lettore che macina le pagine solo per leggere lui.
Per quanto riguarda lo stile devo dire che la Rice ha saputo unire perfettamente la parte erotica, il sentimento e l'azione senza disturbare la lettura. Le scene d'amore sono sufficientemente esplicite senza entrare nel dettaglio anatomico, punta più sulla parola che Nick e Charity si scambiano, sulla descrizione del gesto che sull'atto in sé. E' un erotismo molto più sensuale, più da relazione, da sentimento, che quello tipico dell'erotico fine a sé stesso. La parte suspance, invece, è leggermente deludente perché è veramente troppo abbozzata, inconsistente in alcuni punti e più in generale semplificata al massimo, giusto per creare azione, suspance quanto basta per farlo entrare nel genere. Non che io mi lamenti, non apprezzo un romance dove la parte suspance è troppo invasiva, quindi mi è andata di lusso.
Promuovo ampiamente sia l'autrice, sia il romanzo, sia i protagonisti. Sono curiosa di provare un'altro titolo della Rice per vedere se effettivamente è un nome da aggiungere alla lista, oppure se è solamente un caso fortunato.
Ora, se la serie fosse strettamente collegata da un libro all'altro, il pensiero di leggere questo romanzo non mi avrebbe nemmeno sfiorata, invece ho scoperto che la serie è sì unica, ma i romanzi sono scollegati e quindi leggibili singolarmente. Insomma, la serie perfetta per chi non vuole sentirsi costretta a comprarli tutti per capirci qualcosa.
Qual'è stata la molla che ha fatto scattare le mie antennine? E' facile: Delta Force. Appena vedo nella trama un richiamo vagamente militare non capisco più niente e devo leggere il libro no matter what. Un bel super soldato in incognito, una missione complessa e pericolosa, il rischio della fine del mondo, un mucchio di scene - ehm - hot e io sono felice. Mi basta poco, in effetti, ma certi generi sono così prevedibili che ispirano solo sicurezza.
Nick Ireland è il nostre ex Delta Force, ora soldato per l'Unita (mi ricorda molto il telefilm The Unit *aaaaah Mack*) in missione segreta per incastrare un terrorista russo. Il suo compito è quello di ingraziarsi l'amica del russo per riuscire a scoprire le prove necessarie ad incastrarlo. Charity è una ragazza molto tranquilla e ignobilmente ingenua: pur avendo dei neuroni funzionanti e un discreta razionalità, è riuscita a farsi infinocchiare dal suo amico Wassily. Wassily, reduce dai gulag dove è stato brutalmente torturato e dove hanno ucciso la sua amata, è in apparenza un famosissimo letterato russo, un uomo di cultura osannato per un unico suo romanzo e per il suo passato da prigioniero. In realtà, sotto la maschera del riccone chic torturato ma pur sempre molto civile e acculturato, si nasconde la mente malata di una persona che ha perso ogni contatto con la realtà. Non è ben chiaro come abbia fatto a diventare così ricco e potente, eppure è il terrorista russo più influente del mondo. Il suo piano malefico è quello di importare dalla Russia del cesio per venderlo ai vari terroristi e diventare così il cattivo più cattivo del mondo. La sua pazzia si manifesta, però, con Charity. La ragazza è la copia sputata della sua amante, Katya, uccisa dai russi nel gulag. Wassily è convinto che Charity sia Katya reincarnata ed è intenzionato a prenderla e a trasformarla nella sua amante. Insomma, creepy come direbbero in America.
Nick entra in scena nei panni di un agente di borsa in cerca di nuovi investimenti e riesce subito ad abbindolare Charity. Rendiamole giustizia, però. Nick è uno sgnoccolo epocale: alto, moro, con occhi blu e un fascino (falso, quello dell'agente, vero quello del soldato) che tramortisce. Charity, che è circondata da vecchietti e uomini sposati, lo vede come l'unica possibilità per scatenare l'ormone addormentato e non ci pensa due volte (brava ragazza) a saltargli addosso. Ovviamente la mancanza di resistenza è dettata anche dal fatto che questo è un romanzo erotico, e se si vuole far schizzare la temperatura bisogna per forza ridimensionare le scene: azione e passione, l'amore si deve ritagliare il suo spazio dove può. I due, a dispetto della missione per Nick e del buon senso per Charity, sviluppano subito un rapporto molto esclusivo e viscerale tanto che rimango incollati assieme per una settimana, durante la quale non fanno molto se non -ehm- stare insieme. Biblicamente. Il punto di svolta lo abbiamo quasi alla fine, quando Nick si rende conto che la missione sta per arrivare al clue e che tutto si risolverà nel bene o nel male. La scoperta del doppio gioco di Nick, della vera identità di Wassily, dei sentimenti che i due nutrono, il finale dove il mondo viene salvato...insomma, direi tutto nella norma e prevedibile, pur essendo molto piacevole da leggere, coinvolgente e per niente noioso.
La vera particolarità del romanzo, la cosa che mi ha fatto dare un voto così alto non è né la storia d'amore, né la trama, né il personaggio femminile e nemmeno - in un certo senso - quello maschile. La cosa che ho apprezzato di più è stata la resa di Nick, il suo approfondimento, il suo punto di vista in generale. Ho adorato il fatto che il suo PoV è molto introspettivo, molto discorsivo ed emotivo. Nick, nella sua testa, è brutalmente onesto e chiarisce i suoi sentimenti e le sue motivazioni con un candore ed una semplicità che te lo fanno amare senza riserve. Nick è sì un soldato, con un rigido codice di condotta, abituato a controllarsi e a negarsi i piaceri basilari della vita, ma dentro è una persona comune, un uomo che scopre di volere - dopo tutto - un amore, una famiglia, dei figli. Nick - grazie a Charity - compie un cambiamento, una scoperta di sé che emoziona più dell'amore dei due. Nick sa emozionare quando ammette con sé stesso che per Charity prova più di una semplice attrazione, intenerisce quando analizza i suoi sentimenti e le sue azioni, quando suda per l'agitazione, quando non capisce cosa gli sta succedendo e si sforza di chiarirsi. Nick è reale, umano e molto, molto piacevole da leggere. E' così brutalmente normale, pur essendo un personaggio estremizzato, che non si può fare altro se non eleggerlo a punto di forza del libro. E' Nick il vero fulcro della storia, è il nucleo attorno al quale gravita tutto: da Charity, che lo venera, lo ama come se fosse la sua anima gemella, il suo organo mancante, allo svolgimento della storia che dipende dalle sue scelte, all'attenzione del lettore che macina le pagine solo per leggere lui.
Per quanto riguarda lo stile devo dire che la Rice ha saputo unire perfettamente la parte erotica, il sentimento e l'azione senza disturbare la lettura. Le scene d'amore sono sufficientemente esplicite senza entrare nel dettaglio anatomico, punta più sulla parola che Nick e Charity si scambiano, sulla descrizione del gesto che sull'atto in sé. E' un erotismo molto più sensuale, più da relazione, da sentimento, che quello tipico dell'erotico fine a sé stesso. La parte suspance, invece, è leggermente deludente perché è veramente troppo abbozzata, inconsistente in alcuni punti e più in generale semplificata al massimo, giusto per creare azione, suspance quanto basta per farlo entrare nel genere. Non che io mi lamenti, non apprezzo un romance dove la parte suspance è troppo invasiva, quindi mi è andata di lusso.
Promuovo ampiamente sia l'autrice, sia il romanzo, sia i protagonisti. Sono curiosa di provare un'altro titolo della Rice per vedere se effettivamente è un nome da aggiungere alla lista, oppure se è solamente un caso fortunato.
February 21, 2021
I love LMR books but as always, my usual gripe with her remains. Everytime, 80% of the book is an internal monologue between the characters. There are hardly any dialogues or fruitful conversations till the very end.
It makes it hard for the reader to get into the book, characters and to remain invested. I mean, the last couple of chapters made up for it but it was really annoying to not get any real-time conversations.
But okay. I knew going into the book that this was what I was going to get since it's LMR style so can't really complain.
It makes it hard for the reader to get into the book, characters and to remain invested. I mean, the last couple of chapters made up for it but it was really annoying to not get any real-time conversations.
But okay. I knew going into the book that this was what I was going to get since it's LMR style so can't really complain.
February 9, 2025
Powerfully beautiful! This is a romance for romantics!
I absolutely love the characters in Ms. Rice's stories, so relatable yet also larger than life.
The connection between Charity and Nick is much like her other books.... almost a love at first sight, but the story was fresh and compelling. I absolutely loved the resolution to the story and the epilogue.
This was a Netgalley read, and I'd love to read more from the author!
🌶️🌶️
I absolutely love the characters in Ms. Rice's stories, so relatable yet also larger than life.
The connection between Charity and Nick is much like her other books.... almost a love at first sight, but the story was fresh and compelling. I absolutely loved the resolution to the story and the epilogue.
This was a Netgalley read, and I'd love to read more from the author!
🌶️🌶️
April 15, 2025
I did not finish the book, the book finished me.
Ja, was soll ich sagen, sie ist so weich; weiblich und winzig und er ist so männlich; hart und riesig.
Der ganze Action Plot ist okay/interessant, aber nicht interessant genug.
Ja, was soll ich sagen, sie ist so weich; weiblich und winzig und er ist so männlich; hart und riesig.
Der ganze Action Plot ist okay/interessant, aber nicht interessant genug.
April 26, 2020
I enjoyed this book, but it was pretty easy to put down, it was not a page turner. I loved the sexual chemistry between Charity and Nick, but the overall suspense could have been better. I would have liked less sex and a more detailed ending with the bad guys, it was too rushed.
Definitely not my favorite story by this author, still entertaining.
3.75 Stars
Definitely not my favorite story by this author, still entertaining.
3.75 Stars
January 30, 2025
The prologue of this story gripped me instantly—I couldn’t dive in fast enough. While that initial intrigue pulled me in, the pace soon settled as Nick and Charity’s relationship unfolded. I was especially curious about the character lingering in the background, whose presence set their story in motion. However, the weight of his dark past didn’t fully deliver on the threat he posed.
That said, the romance between this hero and heroine was sweet, fast-paced, and undeniably hot. The epilogue was everything I love, and though this wasn’t my favorite in the series, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Multi POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
That said, the romance between this hero and heroine was sweet, fast-paced, and undeniably hot. The epilogue was everything I love, and though this wasn’t my favorite in the series, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Multi POV
Safe
Triggers
Steam
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