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Crash into Me
In this heart-stopping novel, Jill Sorenson delivers a romantic thriller featuring one too-tough female agent, one too-hot male suspect, and a head-on erotic collision.…
Though he’d gone into virtual seclusion, Ben Fortune was still the world’s most famous surfer, known as much for his good looks as for his skill. He’s also a suspect in a series of brutal murders that may have begun with his late wife. Now FBI Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez has been sent undercover to the elite beach community of La Jolla to make friends with Fortune. With her fierce beauty and take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s more than equipped for the job, and soon she and Ben have collided in an affair that is both intense and irresistible. But for the first—and worst—time in Sonny’s career, her emotions are threatening to get the better of her. Could this sensual, wounded man, who is genuinely anguished over his troubled daughter, really be a killer? And could falling in love blind Sonny to the greatest danger of all?
Though he’d gone into virtual seclusion, Ben Fortune was still the world’s most famous surfer, known as much for his good looks as for his skill. He’s also a suspect in a series of brutal murders that may have begun with his late wife. Now FBI Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez has been sent undercover to the elite beach community of La Jolla to make friends with Fortune. With her fierce beauty and take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s more than equipped for the job, and soon she and Ben have collided in an affair that is both intense and irresistible. But for the first—and worst—time in Sonny’s career, her emotions are threatening to get the better of her. Could this sensual, wounded man, who is genuinely anguished over his troubled daughter, really be a killer? And could falling in love blind Sonny to the greatest danger of all?
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
12 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Jill Sorenson
44 books461 followersJill Sorenson is the RITA-nominated author of more than a dozen novels, including the Aftershock series with HQN.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
March 19, 2010
"Fine," he muttered, telling himself he was doing it for Olivia, for Carly, and even for Lisette. Not because he had any interest in spending time with Special Agent Sonora Vasquez, or getting wrapped up in her strong, slender arms again.
Do you smell that? That is the smell of subversion, burning up the pages of the romance genre! The hero wants to be wrapped up in the heroine's strong arms.
Here's some more:
Ben's mouth made a thin, hard line. "Where is he now?"
"Why? So you can find him and beat him up?" She laughed, shaking her head.
"I feel protective of you, and you think it's funny?"
"No. What's funny is that you assume I need a protector. That tough-guy avenger crap is more about you than me, and it's insulting. You want to make him pay for ruining your good-girl fantasy, for turning me into a real person with a lot of sexual hang-ups."
Wait, what? The heroine just called the hero on his alpha male bullshizz? She just put him in his place, with no coy sexual innuendo, fluttering eyelashes, or tittering laughs?
Too Stupid to Live (TSTL) heroines everywhere just spontaneously combusted!
Sorenson killed me with this book. Just killed me. On one hand, she does so much-- Sonny, the heroine, is tough and smart, and never looses her skills. She can beat up guys bigger than her in the beginning of the book, before our hero Ben Fortune shows up, and she can do it again later, after Ben is in the picture. In fact, she can even kick the crap out of Ben himself. She is always intelligent, even when she is lusting for Ben or struggling with her own dark past. When push comes to shove, she STAYS as smart as she is written to be, and it never once deterred from the romance.
And Ben-- oh, Ben. He's no beta to Sonny's alpha; physically strong, and deceptively intelligent, he's skilled but not in your typical romance-novel ways. He never magically develops the ability to win every fistfight he enters, neither is he able to beat Sonny at the things she is supposed to be skilled at. Sorenson allows Ben to be realistic and still heroic!
Honestly, there were times I guffawed while reading this book. Not because it was so astoundingly unbelievable. The exact opposite! Sonny, who has never had kids, been married, or been in a serious relationship, does not meet Ben's troubled teenage daughter and suddenly become her best friend/mother figure. In fact, she keeps her distance! Because she has a crime to solve! Exclamation! A woman in a romance novel who is not automatically World's Best Mom?! Guffaw!
And yet... Here's the part that really hurts. While Sorenson hits these incredible high notes with characterization, the plot is not quite there.
A romantic suspense novel has to work on two levels-- the character-driven romance, and the suspenseful action, but the mystery and thrills were not quite there for me. Also, some of her writing choices were a little baffling-- POV-hopping into secondary or tertiary characters like Sonny's mom. You never see her again, she's not really integral to the plot, so why break the rhythm of the novel to introduce and then dismiss her?
I almost wish whoever edited Sorenson was a little tougher on the book. Take out some of those adjectives and adverbs, tighten up the prose so that the plot is focused, and most of all, let the characters lead. Sonny and Ben could have told this story perfectly, if Sorenson had stepped back a little and let them.
Four stars for incredible characters, great dialog, and great romance.
September 28, 2015
As I was in the midst of reading Crash Into Me, all I could think about was the warm California weather because in my neck of the woods, I have been surrounded by snow, rain and below freezing temperatures. The setting of Jill Sorenson’s romance suspense novel is Southern California. I consider myself to be a north east girl all the way, but after reading Crash Into Me, I wanted to jump on a plane and move to the west coast and surf my days away. Or maybe I would be better suited as a beach bunny?
Crash Into Me is a story that packs quite the punch because there are so many sides to it. There is murder, dysfunctional families, issues with teenage sex and the horrible lengths people will go to in order to get what they want. There are multiple stories in one and the way Jill handles these characters and their problems is amazing. She is quite the talented storyteller and for this reader who is not a big fan of romantic suspense, I found Crash Into Me to be an excellent read.
As for the serial killer and the murders, I knew right off the bat who the killer was. Even so, I was still hooked, especially when I found out how close Sonny is in regards to the suspects. Jill does something between Sonny and the Matthews family that was a bit shocking. The coincidences were a bit too much, but if you can put that to the side, Crash Into Me is an awesome book that had me hooked till the very end. I am certainly on board for Jill’s next release, Set the Dark on Fire, in August.
Crash Into Me has a great setting, characters that you feel for and wonderful sex scenes. I now blame Jill for my lusting for the beach, the surf and a cute surfer to take me away from it all.
Crash Into Me is a story that packs quite the punch because there are so many sides to it. There is murder, dysfunctional families, issues with teenage sex and the horrible lengths people will go to in order to get what they want. There are multiple stories in one and the way Jill handles these characters and their problems is amazing. She is quite the talented storyteller and for this reader who is not a big fan of romantic suspense, I found Crash Into Me to be an excellent read.
As for the serial killer and the murders, I knew right off the bat who the killer was. Even so, I was still hooked, especially when I found out how close Sonny is in regards to the suspects. Jill does something between Sonny and the Matthews family that was a bit shocking. The coincidences were a bit too much, but if you can put that to the side, Crash Into Me is an awesome book that had me hooked till the very end. I am certainly on board for Jill’s next release, Set the Dark on Fire, in August.
Crash Into Me has a great setting, characters that you feel for and wonderful sex scenes. I now blame Jill for my lusting for the beach, the surf and a cute surfer to take me away from it all.
September 28, 2010
Excellent mystery, suspense and romance. Full and intriguing character development.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
It was so good, I stayed up too late. I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters and events were unique, different, and pulled at me emotionally. Things happened in ways I’m not used to. The conflicts between characters were believable and interesting. There were some unexpectedly entertaining scenes. There were some good lines. Caution: the domestic abuse scenes were unsettling.
STORY BRIEF:
Sonny is an FBI agent. She’s so good at fighting, she beats most men. She has been assigned to go undercover to investigate Ben. They suspect he may have killed his wife 3 years earlier. Ben has been living in seclusion for a number of years with his teenage daughter Carly in southern California. Ben was the world’s most famous surfer which made him wealthy. Now he surfs for the love of it. Other murders occur in the area which may be related.
DATA:
Story length: 449 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 9. Total number of sex scene pages: 35. Setting: Virginia and southern California. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic mystery suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I’ve read one other book by Jill Sorenson. My 3.5 star review of “Set The Dark On Fire” Copyright 2009 was posted 9-01-09.
CAUTION HINT OF SPOILER:
I was moved by the secondary story about two teens who were hurting and how they unexpectedly were good for each other.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
It was so good, I stayed up too late. I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters and events were unique, different, and pulled at me emotionally. Things happened in ways I’m not used to. The conflicts between characters were believable and interesting. There were some unexpectedly entertaining scenes. There were some good lines. Caution: the domestic abuse scenes were unsettling.
STORY BRIEF:
Sonny is an FBI agent. She’s so good at fighting, she beats most men. She has been assigned to go undercover to investigate Ben. They suspect he may have killed his wife 3 years earlier. Ben has been living in seclusion for a number of years with his teenage daughter Carly in southern California. Ben was the world’s most famous surfer which made him wealthy. Now he surfs for the love of it. Other murders occur in the area which may be related.
DATA:
Story length: 449 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 9. Total number of sex scene pages: 35. Setting: Virginia and southern California. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic mystery suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I’ve read one other book by Jill Sorenson. My 3.5 star review of “Set The Dark On Fire” Copyright 2009 was posted 9-01-09.
CAUTION HINT OF SPOILER:
I was moved by the secondary story about two teens who were hurting and how they unexpectedly were good for each other.
January 22, 2012
A very good read with separate plots that come together very well -the suspense behind who's the real murderer / hero and heroine's background and falling in love / the secondary love story of his daughter -which I loved. I didn't feel that the H/h love story was the main focus, or that it was a great romance, but combined with the rest plus characterization and writing style, it made up for a very good read. I also liked the surfing setup near San Diego, which brought good memories of the years I lived in LA.
HERO is a Loner, ex-professional surfer, guilty over the murder of his wife. He doesn't let anyone close to his heart except his daughter, until he starts falling for a woman without knowing she's investigating him for that murder.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGHT: 376 pages
HERO is a Loner, ex-professional surfer, guilty over the murder of his wife. He doesn't let anyone close to his heart except his daughter, until he starts falling for a woman without knowing she's investigating him for that murder.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGHT: 376 pages
April 10, 2013
3/5; 3 stars; B
I liked this romantic suspense story but I almost stopped reading it 3oo pages in. Why does this author make her female lead characters do incredibly stupid, mindless things that are utterly unbelievable?? . That was really disappointing.
Otherwise, I thought the portrayal of teen angst and upheaval was well done and the murder mystery aspect was interesting.
I liked this romantic suspense story but I almost stopped reading it 3oo pages in. Why does this author make her female lead characters do incredibly stupid, mindless things that are utterly unbelievable?? . That was really disappointing.
Otherwise, I thought the portrayal of teen angst and upheaval was well done and the murder mystery aspect was interesting.
September 9, 2014
4.5 สนุกมาก
October 10, 2013
จิล ซอเรนสันเป็นนักเขียนนหน้าใหม่พอสมควร เรื่อง Crash into me อาจจะไม่ใช่หนังสือเล่มแรกที่เธอเขียนนะคะ แต่ก็เป็นเล่มที่สอง แถมเล่มแรกก็เป็นเพียงหนังสือเล่มเล็กที่ออกขายกับซิลลูเอ็ต โรแมนติค ซัสเพนซ์
แม็กซ์ตัดสินใจซื้อหนังสือเรื่องนี้ เพราะเพื่อนคนนึงของเราได้เจอกับจิลในงาน RWA แล้วพูดถึงเธอในแง่ดีมาก ๆ ด้วยนิสัยที่ชอบทดลองงานของนักเขียนหน้าใหม่ แม็กซ์จึงไม่ลังเลที่จะซื้อหนังสือสองเล่มแรกของเธอมาทดลองอ่าน (แต่เรายังอ่านเรื่อง Dangerous to Touch ซึ่งเป็นหนังสือเล่มของเธอเลยล่ะ)
บอกตามตรงนะคะว่าเราไม่ได้คาดหวังอะไรมากมายกับหนังสือเล่มนี้ อาจะเป็นเพราะหน้าปกที่ดูแล้วให้ความรู้สึกเหมือนเรื่องแนวโรแมนซ์ยุคปัจจุบันทั่ว ๆ ไป กะชื่อเรื่องทีออกแนวนั้นพอควร
ดังนั้นเรื่องนี้จึงเป็นความสนุกที่แม็กซ์ไม่คาดหวังจริง ๆ
Crash Into Me ของจิล ซอเรนสัน
นานมากแล้วนะคะที่มีหนังสือที่ทำให้แม็กซ์แปลกใจได้อย่างนี้นะคะ เราหยิบเล่มนี้มาอ่านโดยไม่คาดหวังอะไรเลย แต่สิ่งที่เราได้จากเล่มนี้มันเต็มอิ่มค่ะ
คงไม่ต้องบอกนะคะว่าชอบเรื่องนี้แค่ไหน
ซันนี่ วาสเควสเป็นเจ้าหน้าที่เอฟบีไอที่ถูกส่งให้ปลอมตัวเข้าไปตีสนิทกับเบน ฟอร์ชุน ซึ่งเป็นผู้ต้องสงสัยคดีฆาตกรรมต่อเนื่อง มันค่อนข้างแปลกพอสมควรที่เอฟบีไอสงสัยเบนเป็นคนร้าย เพราะเขาเป็นหนุ่มผู้ประสบความสำเร็จแห่งคาลิฟอร์เนีย เบนเป็นนักเล่นเซิร์ฟที่มีชื่อเสียงโด่งดัง ประกอบกับรูปร่างหน้าตาที่แสนจะหล่อเหลา เขาเป็นตัวแทนของความสำเร็จแบบอเมริกัน เป็นหน้าตาให้กับสินค้าที่ใช้เขาเป็นพรีเซ็นเตอร์ เป็นชายหนุ่มที่มีชื่อเสียง (อาจจะเสียก็ได้) เรื่องผู้หญิง
โศกนาำฎกรรมที่เกิดขึ้นกับภรรยาของเขา ผู้หญิงที่เขาทำให้ตั้งท้องตั้งแต่ตอนที่ตัวเองอายุเพียงสิบเจ็ดปี ผู้หญิงที่เขาปล่อยให้รอคอยนานหลายปี ��่อนที่จะยอมแต่งงานกับเธอ ผู้หญิงที่เอฟบีไอสงสัยว่าเป็นเหยื่อรายแรกของฆาตกรต่อเนื่อง คดีเดียวกับโอลิเวีย ฟอร์ชุนโดนปิดเมื่อตำรวจจับคนร้ายได้พร้อมกับอาวุธ แต่คนร้ายคนนั้นได้ฆ่าตัวตายพร้อมทิ้งจดหมายลาตายที่ปฏิเสธความรับผิดชอบที่มีต่อการตายของโอลิเวีย และนั่นทำให้เจ้านายของซันนี่เริ่มสงสัยว่าเบน อาจจะมีส่วนรู้เห็นเกี่ยวกับการฆาตกรรมนั้นก็ได้ เพราะก่อนหน้าที่จะจับคนร้ายได้ เบนเป็นผู้ต้องสงสัยอันดับหนึ่ง
แต่ชีวิตของซันนี่ ที่ตอนนี้ใช้นามว่าซัมเมอร์ และปลอมตัวมาเป็นหนึ่งในสมาชิกของชุมชนที่เบนและคาร์ลี่ ลูกสาวพักอาศัยอยู่ ไม่น่าจะมาบรรจบกันได้ เบนซึ่งบัดนี้เป็นชายเก็บตัว ที่ไม่สนใจผู้หญิงเหมือนในวัยหนุ่มอีกต่อไป เขาเล่นเซิร์ฟ และดูแลลูกสาวที่กำลังเจ็บปวดอยู่ไม่น้อยกับการจากไปของมารดา เบนไม่มีสายตาให้กับผู้หญิงคนไหน จนกระทั่งซันนี่ช่วยชีวิตคาร์ลี่จากคลื่นยักษ์ หลังจากเธอเล่นแผลง ๆ ด้วยการกระโดดลงไปในทะเลเพื่อเล่นคลื่น
นั่นทำให้ซันนี่และเบนมาพบกัน และเป็นการเริ่มต้นความสัมพันธ์ที่ไม่น่าจะเป็นไปได้สำหรับทั้งสองคน เพราะเบนซึ่งเจ็บปวดจากการสูญเสียโอลิเวียไป พบว่าตัวเองไม่อาจเดินจากซันนี่ไปได้ เธอมีบางอย่างที่ดึงดูดเขาเอาไว้ หญิงสาวที่ปฏิเสธโอกาสที่ทั้งคู่จะมีอะไรต่อกันมากกว่าความเป็นเพื่อน ในขณะเดียวกันซันนี่รู้ดีว่า การเข้าไปยุ่งเกี่ยวกับผู้ต้องสงสัยเป็นการทำลายอาชีพที่ดีที่สุด เธอไม่มีใครเหลือแล้วในชีวิต นอกจากการเป็นเอฟบีไอ แต่ก็เหมือนแมงเม่าที่ไม่อาจหลีกหนีเปลวไฟ ซันนี่ก็ไม่อาจต้านทานเบนได้
ในขณะที่ซันนี่พยายามสืบความเป็นไปของครอบครัวฟอร์ชุน ในขณะเดียวกับที่พยายามเอาชนะความรู้สึกของตัวเอง เรื่องก็ยังโฟกัสไปที่คาร์ลี่ เด็กสาววัยสิบหกปีที่เหมือนเด็กอเมริกันทั่วไป เริ่มมีปัญหากับพ่อของเธอเอง มันเป็นความรู้สึกที่คาร์ลี่ไม่อาจอธิบายได้ แต่บางอย่างในตัวเธอทำให้เธอต้องดื้อรั้นและหาเรื่องใส่ตัว และนั่นนำเธอไปพบกับจอห์น แม็ธทิว เด็กชายวัยสิบเจ็ดปีที่มีปัญหาในครอบครัวไม่แพ้กับเธอ
ปกติแม็กซ์จะไม่ชอบหนังสือที่แบ่งเวลาในเรื่องไปให้กับตัวละครอื่นที่ไม่ใช่ตัวเอกนะคะ เพราะรู้สึกเสมอว่า มันทำให้เรื่องด้อยความน่าสนใจไปเลย ถ้าคู่รองเด่นกว่าคู่เอก เรื่องมันอาจจะสนุกได้ แต่มันก็แสดงความไร้ความสามารถของคนแต่งเช่นกัน ในเรื่องนี้เราอาจจะบอกได้ว่ามีสองคู่ เบนและซันนี่เป็นคู่หลัก ในขณะที่ความรักระหว่างคาร์ลี่และจอห์นเป็นคู่รอง ซึ่งบอกเลยนะคะว่า ไม่มีการขโมยซีน ไม่ใช่เพราะคาร์ลี่และจอห์นไม่น่าสนใจ พวกเขาเป็นตัวละครที่น่าสนใจมาก และดึงดูดความสนใจจากแม็กซ์ได้อย่างเต็มที่ แต่ทั้งสองก็ไม่ได้ทำให้ความน่าสนใจระหว่างเบนและซันนี้ลดลงไปเลย
คาร์ลี่เป็นตัวอย่างของเด็กอเมริกันน่ารำคาญ (เราคิดแบบนี้เสมอกับเด็กอเมริกันช่วงไฮสคูล) แต่คนแต่งก็ทำให้เราเข้าใจเธอได้ เข้าใจและรักเธอมาก ๆ คาร์ลี่เป็นตัวละครที่มีชีวิต และทำตัวสมอายุ ในขณะเดียวกันก็ไม่ได้ทำให้เธอดูงี่เง่า หรือปัญญาอ่อน คาร์ลี่เป็นเด็กที่เอาแต่ใจ แต่ในขณะเดียวกันเธอก็รักพ่อของเธอมาก และเช่นเดียวกัน จอห์น แม็ธทิว เด็กชายที่เติบโตขึ้นมากับพ่อที่ใช้กำลัง เขามีบาดแผลทั้งภายในและภายนอก เขาเป็นตัวละครที่น่าสนใจมาก ๆ เพราะไม่ได้เป็นแค่เด็กชายที่กบฎและทำตัวเรียกร้องความสนใจ แบบอย่างเจมส์ ดีน แต่จอห์นมีความลึกที่เราคาดไม่ถึง และนั่นรวมทั้งทัศนคติที่เขามีต่อเซ็กส์
ปกติแม็กซ์จะรู้สึกอึ๋ยกับฉากเซ็กส์ของตัวละครอายุน้อย ๆ นะคะ แต่เรื่องนี้ทำได้ดี เพราะในระดับนึง เรารู้สึกถึงความต่อเชื่อมระหว่างคาร์ลี่และจอห์นที่มันทำให้เราเชื่อว่า สองคนนี้จะอยู่ด้วยกันไปอีกนานแสนนาน และไม่ใช่แต่ความรักวัยรุ่น
กลับมาที่คู่หลัก เบนอาจจะยังคงรักโอลิเวีย แต่เขาก็เป็นผู้ชายพอที่จะยอมรับว่า ตัวเองกำลังถลำลึกลงเรื่อย ๆ กับซันนี่ แม้กระทั่งเมื่อความจริงเิปิดเผยออกว่า ทั้งหมดแล้วซันนี่ทรยศเขา เบนก็ยังไม่อาจเดินจากเธอไปได้ แน่ละคำว่ารักไม่ได้ออกจากปากของเขา จนเกือบจะหน้าสุดท้าย แต่แม็กซ์ไม่สงสัยในความจริงใจของเขาเลยนะคะ
ที่สำคัญคาแร็คเตอร์ของเบนน่าสนใจ เขาเป็นพระเอกที่เราไม่ได้เจอนัก ภายนอกเบนเป็นทุกอย่างที่พระเอกโรแมนซ์เป็นกัน ทั้งหล่อ รวย และเท่ห์ แถมยังมีเสน่ห์ดึงดูดใจสาวทั่วเมือง สิ่งที่ทำให้เบนแตกต่างก็คือ เขาใช้ชีวิตมาอย่างเต็มที่ เขาเดินจากผู้หญิงที่เขารัก เพื่อความสนุกสนาน เพื่อเหล้า และยาเสพติด และเพื่อผู้หญิงอื่น สุดท้ายแล้วเบนเดินกลับมาหาโอลิเวียอีกครั้ง และเขาเป็นสามีที่ดี ก่อนที่ความโหดร้ายจะพรากโอลิเวียไป เบนไม่เคยกลับไปเป็นหนุ่มใช้ชีวิตอิสระคนเดิม แต่ในขณะเดียวกัน เขาก็ไม่ได้ทนทุกข์ ไม่ใช่ว่าไม่เศร้าหรอกนะ แต่เบนไม่ใช่พระเอกแนวที่ต้องประกาศให้โลกทั้งใบรู้ว่า "กูเศร้า"
ความรักที่เขามีให้คาร์ลี่ ยิ่งทำให้แม็กซ์ยิ่งรักเขา และความจริงใจที่มีต่อซันนี่ก็เป็นเหตุผลสำคัญที่ดึงดูดเราให้อ่านเล่มนี้ชนิดที่ไม่อยากให้มันจบลง หนังสือเล่มนี้หนาสี่ร้อยกว่าหน้านะคะ และทุกหน้าเป็นความสนุกที่เราไม่อยากให้มันจบลง
คำชมมีเยอะนะคะ ส่วนดี ๆ ในเรื่องก็มีเยอะ และมันอาจจะมากพอที่ทำให้เรามองข้ามข้อเสียในเรื่องไปได้ เพราะหนังสือเล่มนี้ยังห่างไกลจากคำว่าสมบูรณ์แบบ มันมีความบังเอิญมากเกินไป โดยเฉพาะ (สปอยล์) แต่อย่างที่บอกนะคะ ส่วนที่ดีในเรื่องทำให้แม็กซ์ลืมข้อเสียทั้งหมดนั่นไปได้เลย
ในส่วนของการสืบสวนคดีฆาตกรรมต่อเนื่อง ไม่ค่อยมีเบาะแสอะไรทิ้งไว้ให้คนอ่านคาดเดาคนร้ายหรอกค่ะ แต่ถ้าคนอ่านความจำดี ๆ และตาเร็ว ก็น่าจะรู้ตัวคนร้ายได้เกือบจะในทันทีที่เจอคำใบ้ที่คนแต่งทิ้งเอาไว้ ประเด็นเรื่องนี้ไม่ใช่เรื่องหลักของพล็อต แต่ก็เป็นสิ่งที่ทำให้หนังสือเล่มนี้เคลื่อนไปได้ เป็นแรงกระตุ้นที่ทำให้ทุกอย่างเกิดขึ้น แม็กซ์โอเคกับมันค่ะ
และสุดท้ายแล้ว ฉากที่เราชอบมาก (สปอยล์)
จะบอกยังไงดีคะว่า แม็กซ์รักหนังสือเล่มนี้ แม็กซ์รักตัวละครทุกตัวที่ออกมามีบทบาทในเล่ม (โอเค อาจจะยกเว้นตัวร้าย) เพราะทุกคนมีพัฒนาการและความน่าสนใจในตัวเอง หนังสือที่เราเคยคิดว่าอาจจะหนาเกินไป แต่เมื่ออ่านเรากลับไม่อยากให้มันจบ
ทุกอย่างเป็นประสบการณ์ที่ไม่น่าลืมเลือน
คะแนนที่ 90
แม็กซ์ตัดสินใจซื้อหนังสือเรื่องนี้ เพราะเพื่อนคนนึงของเราได้เจอกับจิลในงาน RWA แล้วพูดถึงเธอในแง่ดีมาก ๆ ด้วยนิสัยที่ชอบทดลองงานของนักเขียนหน้าใหม่ แม็กซ์จึงไม่ลังเลที่จะซื้อหนังสือสองเล่มแรกของเธอมาทดลองอ่าน (แต่เรายังอ่านเรื่อง Dangerous to Touch ซึ่งเป็นหนังสือเล่มของเธอเลยล่ะ)
บอกตามตรงนะคะว่าเราไม่ได้คาดหวังอะไรมากมายกับหนังสือเล่มนี้ อาจะเป็นเพราะหน้าปกที่ดูแล้วให้ความรู้สึกเหมือนเรื่องแนวโรแมนซ์ยุคปัจจุบันทั่ว ๆ ไป กะชื่อเรื่องทีออกแนวนั้นพอควร
ดังนั้นเรื่องนี้จึงเป็นความสนุกที่แม็กซ์ไม่คาดหวังจริง ๆ
Crash Into Me ของจิล ซอเรนสัน
นานมากแล้วนะคะที่มีหนังสือที่ทำให้แม็กซ์แปลกใจได้อย่างนี้นะคะ เราหยิบเล่มนี้มาอ่านโดยไม่คาดหวังอะไรเลย แต่สิ่งที่เราได้จากเล่มนี้มันเต็มอิ่มค่ะ
คงไม่ต้องบอกนะคะว่าชอบเรื่องนี้แค่ไหน
ซันนี่ วาสเควสเป็นเจ้าหน้าที่เอฟบีไอที่ถูกส่งให้ปลอมตัวเข้าไปตีสนิทกับเบน ฟอร์ชุน ซึ่งเป็นผู้ต้องสงสัยคดีฆาตกรรมต่อเนื่อง มันค่อนข้างแปลกพอสมควรที่เอฟบีไอสงสัยเบนเป็นคนร้าย เพราะเขาเป็นหนุ่มผู้ประสบความสำเร็จแห่งคาลิฟอร์เนีย เบนเป็นนักเล่นเซิร์ฟที่มีชื่อเสียงโด่งดัง ประกอบกับรูปร่างหน้าตาที่แสนจะหล่อเหลา เขาเป็นตัวแทนของความสำเร็จแบบอเมริกัน เป็นหน้าตาให้กับสินค้าที่ใช้เขาเป็นพรีเซ็นเตอร์ เป็นชายหนุ่มที่มีชื่อเสียง (อาจจะเสียก็ได้) เรื่องผู้หญิง
โศกนาำฎกรรมที่เกิดขึ้นกับภรรยาของเขา ผู้หญิงที่เขาทำให้ตั้งท้องตั้งแต่ตอนที่ตัวเองอายุเพียงสิบเจ็ดปี ผู้หญิงที่เขาปล่อยให้รอคอยนานหลายปี ��่อนที่จะยอมแต่งงานกับเธอ ผู้หญิงที่เอฟบีไอสงสัยว่าเป็นเหยื่อรายแรกของฆาตกรต่อเนื่อง คดีเดียวกับโอลิเวีย ฟอร์ชุนโดนปิดเมื่อตำรวจจับคนร้ายได้พร้อมกับอาวุธ แต่คนร้ายคนนั้นได้ฆ่าตัวตายพร้อมทิ้งจดหมายลาตายที่ปฏิเสธความรับผิดชอบที่มีต่อการตายของโอลิเวีย และนั่นทำให้เจ้านายของซันนี่เริ่มสงสัยว่าเบน อาจจะมีส่วนรู้เห็นเกี่ยวกับการฆาตกรรมนั้นก็ได้ เพราะก่อนหน้าที่จะจับคนร้ายได้ เบนเป็นผู้ต้องสงสัยอันดับหนึ่ง
แต่ชีวิตของซันนี่ ที่ตอนนี้ใช้นามว่าซัมเมอร์ และปลอมตัวมาเป็นหนึ่งในสมาชิกของชุมชนที่เบนและคาร์ลี่ ลูกสาวพักอาศัยอยู่ ไม่น่าจะมาบรรจบกันได้ เบนซึ่งบัดนี้เป็นชายเก็บตัว ที่ไม่สนใจผู้หญิงเหมือนในวัยหนุ่มอีกต่อไป เขาเล่นเซิร์ฟ และดูแลลูกสาวที่กำลังเจ็บปวดอยู่ไม่น้อยกับการจากไปของมารดา เบนไม่มีสายตาให้กับผู้หญิงคนไหน จนกระทั่งซันนี่ช่วยชีวิตคาร์ลี่จากคลื่นยักษ์ หลังจากเธอเล่นแผลง ๆ ด้วยการกระโดดลงไปในทะเลเพื่อเล่นคลื่น
นั่นทำให้ซันนี่และเบนมาพบกัน และเป็นการเริ่มต้นความสัมพันธ์ที่ไม่น่าจะเป็นไปได้สำหรับทั้งสองคน เพราะเบนซึ่งเจ็บปวดจากการสูญเสียโอลิเวียไป พบว่าตัวเองไม่อาจเดินจากซันนี่ไปได้ เธอมีบางอย่างที่ดึงดูดเขาเอาไว้ หญิงสาวที่ปฏิเสธโอกาสที่ทั้งคู่จะมีอะไรต่อกันมากกว่าความเป็นเพื่อน ในขณะเดียวกันซันนี่รู้ดีว่า การเข้าไปยุ่งเกี่ยวกับผู้ต้องสงสัยเป็นการทำลายอาชีพที่ดีที่สุด เธอไม่มีใครเหลือแล้วในชีวิต นอกจากการเป็นเอฟบีไอ แต่ก็เหมือนแมงเม่าที่ไม่อาจหลีกหนีเปลวไฟ ซันนี่ก็ไม่อาจต้านทานเบนได้
ในขณะที่ซันนี่พยายามสืบความเป็นไปของครอบครัวฟอร์ชุน ในขณะเดียวกับที่พยายามเอาชนะความรู้สึกของตัวเอง เรื่องก็ยังโฟกัสไปที่คาร์ลี่ เด็กสาววัยสิบหกปีที่เหมือนเด็กอเมริกันทั่วไป เริ่มมีปัญหากับพ่อของเธอเอง มันเป็นความรู้สึกที่คาร์ลี่ไม่อาจอธิบายได้ แต่บางอย่างในตัวเธอทำให้เธอต้องดื้อรั้นและหาเรื่องใส่ตัว และนั่นนำเธอไปพบกับจอห์น แม็ธทิว เด็กชายวัยสิบเจ็ดปีที่มีปัญหาในครอบครัวไม่แพ้กับเธอ
ปกติแม็กซ์จะไม่ชอบหนังสือที่แบ่งเวลาในเรื่องไปให้กับตัวละครอื่นที่ไม่ใช่ตัวเอกนะคะ เพราะรู้สึกเสมอว่า มันทำให้เรื่องด้อยความน่าสนใจไปเลย ถ้าคู่รองเด่นกว่าคู่เอก เรื่องมันอาจจะสนุกได้ แต่มันก็แสดงความไร้ความสามารถของคนแต่งเช่นกัน ในเรื่องนี้เราอาจจะบอกได้ว่ามีสองคู่ เบนและซันนี่เป็นคู่หลัก ในขณะที่ความรักระหว่างคาร์ลี่และจอห์นเป็นคู่รอง ซึ่งบอกเลยนะคะว่า ไม่มีการขโมยซีน ไม่ใช่เพราะคาร์ลี่และจอห์นไม่น่าสนใจ พวกเขาเป็นตัวละครที่น่าสนใจมาก และดึงดูดความสนใจจากแม็กซ์ได้อย่างเต็มที่ แต่ทั้งสองก็ไม่ได้ทำให้ความน่าสนใจระหว่างเบนและซันนี้ลดลงไปเลย
คาร์ลี่เป็นตัวอย่างของเด็กอเมริกันน่ารำคาญ (เราคิดแบบนี้เสมอกับเด็กอเมริกันช่วงไฮสคูล) แต่คนแต่งก็ทำให้เราเข้าใจเธอได้ เข้าใจและรักเธอมาก ๆ คาร์ลี่เป็นตัวละครที่มีชีวิต และทำตัวสมอายุ ในขณะเดียวกันก็ไม่ได้ทำให้เธอดูงี่เง่า หรือปัญญาอ่อน คาร์ลี่เป็นเด็กที่เอาแต่ใจ แต่ในขณะเดียวกันเธอก็รักพ่อของเธอมาก และเช่นเดียวกัน จอห์น แม็ธทิว เด็กชายที่เติบโตขึ้นมากับพ่อที่ใช้กำลัง เขามีบาดแผลทั้งภายในและภายนอก เขาเป็นตัวละครที่น่าสนใจมาก ๆ เพราะไม่ได้เป็นแค่เด็กชายที่กบฎและทำตัวเรียกร้องความสนใจ แบบอย่างเจมส์ ดีน แต่จอห์นมีความลึกที่เราคาดไม่ถึง และนั่นรวมทั้งทัศนคติที่เขามีต่อเซ็กส์
ปกติแม็กซ์จะรู้สึกอึ๋ยกับฉากเซ็กส์ของตัวละครอายุน้อย ๆ นะคะ แต่เรื่องนี้ทำได้ดี เพราะในระดับนึง เรารู้สึกถึงความต่อเชื่อมระหว่างคาร์ลี่และจอห์นที่มันทำให้เราเชื่อว่า สองคนนี้จะอยู่ด้วยกันไปอีกนานแสนนาน และไม่ใช่แต่ความรักวัยรุ่น
กลับมาที่คู่หลัก เบนอาจจะยังคงรักโอลิเวีย แต่เขาก็เป็นผู้ชายพอที่จะยอมรับว่า ตัวเองกำลังถลำลึกลงเรื่อย ๆ กับซันนี่ แม้กระทั่งเมื่อความจริงเิปิดเผยออกว่า ทั้งหมดแล้วซันนี่ทรยศเขา เบนก็ยังไม่อาจเดินจากเธอไปได้ แน่ละคำว่ารักไม่ได้ออกจากปากของเขา จนเกือบจะหน้าสุดท้าย แต่แม็กซ์ไม่สงสัยในความจริงใจของเขาเลยนะคะ
ที่สำคัญคาแร็คเตอร์ของเบนน่าสนใจ เขาเป็นพระเอกที่เราไม่ได้เจอนัก ภายนอกเบนเป็นทุกอย่างที่พระเอกโรแมนซ์เป็นกัน ทั้งหล่อ รวย และเท่ห์ แถมยังมีเสน่ห์ดึงดูดใจสาวทั่วเมือง สิ่งที่ทำให้เบนแตกต่างก็คือ เขาใช้ชีวิตมาอย่างเต็มที่ เขาเดินจากผู้หญิงที่เขารัก เพื่อความสนุกสนาน เพื่อเหล้า และยาเสพติด และเพื่อผู้หญิงอื่น สุดท้ายแล้วเบนเดินกลับมาหาโอลิเวียอีกครั้ง และเขาเป็นสามีที่ดี ก่อนที่ความโหดร้ายจะพรากโอลิเวียไป เบนไม่เคยกลับไปเป็นหนุ่มใช้ชีวิตอิสระคนเดิม แต่ในขณะเดียวกัน เขาก็ไม่ได้ทนทุกข์ ไม่ใช่ว่าไม่เศร้าหรอกนะ แต่เบนไม่ใช่พระเอกแนวที่ต้องประกาศให้โลกทั้งใบรู้ว่า "กูเศร้า"
ความรักที่เขามีให้คาร์ลี่ ยิ่งทำให้แม็กซ์ยิ่งรักเขา และความจริงใจที่มีต่อซันนี่ก็เป็นเหตุผลสำคัญที่ดึงดูดเราให้อ่านเล่มนี้ชนิดที่ไม่อยากให้มันจบลง หนังสือเล่มนี้หนาสี่ร้อยกว่าหน้านะคะ และทุกหน้าเป็นความสนุกที่เราไม่อยากให้มันจบลง
คำชมมีเยอะนะคะ ส่วนดี ๆ ในเรื่องก็มีเยอะ และมันอาจจะมากพอที่ทำให้เรามองข้ามข้อเสียในเรื่องไปได้ เพราะหนังสือเล่มนี้ยังห่างไกลจากคำว่าสมบูรณ์แบบ มันมีความบังเอิญมากเกินไป โดยเฉพาะ (สปอยล์) แต่อย่างที่บอกนะคะ ส่วนที่ดีในเรื่องทำให้แม็กซ์ลืมข้อเสียทั้งหมดนั่นไปได้เลย
ในส่วนของการสืบสวนคดีฆาตกรรมต่อเนื่อง ไม่ค่อยมีเบาะแสอะไรทิ้งไว้ให้คนอ่านคาดเดาคนร้ายหรอกค่ะ แต่ถ้าคนอ่านความจำดี ๆ และตาเร็ว ก็น่าจะรู้ตัวคนร้ายได้เกือบจะในทันทีที่เจอคำใบ้ที่คนแต่งทิ้งเอาไว้ ประเด็นเรื่องนี้ไม่ใช่เรื่องหลักของพล็อต แต่ก็เป็นสิ่งที่ทำให้หนังสือเล่มนี้เคลื่อนไปได้ เป็นแรงกระตุ้นที่ทำให้ทุกอย่างเกิดขึ้น แม็กซ์โอเคกับมันค่ะ
และสุดท้ายแล้ว ฉากที่เราชอบมาก (สปอยล์)
จะบอกยังไงดีคะว่า แม็กซ์รักหนังสือเล่มนี้ แม็กซ์รักตัวละครทุกตัวที่ออกมามีบทบาทในเล่ม (โอเค อาจจะยกเว้นตัวร้าย) เพราะทุกคนมีพัฒนาการและความน่าสนใจในตัวเอง หนังสือที่เราเคยคิดว่าอาจจะหนาเกินไป แต่เมื่ออ่านเรากลับไม่อยากให้มันจบ
ทุกอย่างเป็นประสบการณ์ที่ไม่น่าลืมเลือน
คะแนนที่ 90
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July 30, 2025and what about it LMAO
December 21, 2012
Reviewed for www.bookchickcity.com
CRASH INTO ME immediately hooked me in during the first few pages. Sonny was the type of heroine I love, tough, brave, determined and kick-ass. You see her kick a fellow cocky (male) agent’s butt in the first chapter and can’t help but grin.
Our hero is sexy, recluse and surf pro Ben, if a little arrogant, trying to raise his slightly wayward teenage daughter and hiding himself away from the world since his wife’s murder, which he became a prime suspect for. As another woman is found murdered in exactly the same way, Sonny goes in under cover with the aim of getting close to Ben.
There are many parts to the plot. The core of it focuses around the murder mystery, there are several contenders for the villain and the story weaves its way cleverly until the end. I did guess the killer, but I seem to be doing that a lot lately, maybe I’m reading too many mysteries? So I didn’t hold that against it. Then you have the relationship between Sonny and Ben, the relationship between Ben and his daughter Carly who is self-harming herself, and there is the love story between Carly and James an abused, but brave fisherman’s son. There are so many components to the story, that it is a very detailed and layered book. It is written with obvious warmth and passion, but it also becomes perhaps slightly cumbersome at times because of it. There was a hell of a lot going on – romance, teen romance, suspense and murder mystery, as well as drug and psychological problems, it could easily have been stretched out into two books
I loved both love stories that of Ben and Sonny which was fiery, sexy, complex and wild. Then in contrast the tenderness and youth of Carly and James was a lovely comparison. The ‘grown up’ relationship tempered the angst of the young-adult one. Each character has got some very serious issues. As I mentioned Carly self-harms and James has an abusive father, then you have Ben who is a recovered alcoholic/drug-addict and Sonny herself who has been raped years before. It doesn’t make this book a light read, but it does make it interesting and each of the characters rounded and multi-dimensional.
The undercover part of the story was the part that didn’t always sit that comfortably. You watch Ben and Sonny begin to fall in love, where Ben doesn’t even know Sonny’s real name, and she’s running behind his back stealing items for evidence. There’s a part of me that knows this was meant to be part of the – is he, isn’t he the killer – plot, but it didn’t make the love story very clean for a while, and in general I like clear cut.
I disliked how Sonny went through a stage of inadvertently doing everything to discredit herself as a good cop. Sleeping with the suspect, lying about developments, hiding evidence and not confessing her own personal involvement. It all went a bit too far. Especially as Sonny is portrayed as such a career cop, it didn’t sit well with how her character. I think is because I liked her so much, it annoyed me that she did such crazy things.
But as much as these elements irritated, I still really did enjoy this story. I loved how Ben was arrogant at the beginning thinking how easy it would be to sleep with Sonny and she led him on a merry dance. The Carly and James story really was lovely, I think James was the best character of the book actually, so brave and tortured and noble. Carly did need a good slap a couple of times, but she grew on me. The surfing setting was great, I loved the beach and was jealous of the glorious weather.
VERDICT:
CRASH INTO ME did have a few issues where there was too much going on or the characters didn’t behave in a way either I didn’t like, or didn’t quite sit well. There was also some personal developments in Sonny’s life that didn’t get concluded. But overall it was a really good read, with some great romance, against a super backdrop. I will definitely read something by Jill Sorenson again.
RATING: 3.5/5
CRASH INTO ME immediately hooked me in during the first few pages. Sonny was the type of heroine I love, tough, brave, determined and kick-ass. You see her kick a fellow cocky (male) agent’s butt in the first chapter and can’t help but grin.
Our hero is sexy, recluse and surf pro Ben, if a little arrogant, trying to raise his slightly wayward teenage daughter and hiding himself away from the world since his wife’s murder, which he became a prime suspect for. As another woman is found murdered in exactly the same way, Sonny goes in under cover with the aim of getting close to Ben.
There are many parts to the plot. The core of it focuses around the murder mystery, there are several contenders for the villain and the story weaves its way cleverly until the end. I did guess the killer, but I seem to be doing that a lot lately, maybe I’m reading too many mysteries? So I didn’t hold that against it. Then you have the relationship between Sonny and Ben, the relationship between Ben and his daughter Carly who is self-harming herself, and there is the love story between Carly and James an abused, but brave fisherman’s son. There are so many components to the story, that it is a very detailed and layered book. It is written with obvious warmth and passion, but it also becomes perhaps slightly cumbersome at times because of it. There was a hell of a lot going on – romance, teen romance, suspense and murder mystery, as well as drug and psychological problems, it could easily have been stretched out into two books
I loved both love stories that of Ben and Sonny which was fiery, sexy, complex and wild. Then in contrast the tenderness and youth of Carly and James was a lovely comparison. The ‘grown up’ relationship tempered the angst of the young-adult one. Each character has got some very serious issues. As I mentioned Carly self-harms and James has an abusive father, then you have Ben who is a recovered alcoholic/drug-addict and Sonny herself who has been raped years before. It doesn’t make this book a light read, but it does make it interesting and each of the characters rounded and multi-dimensional.
The undercover part of the story was the part that didn’t always sit that comfortably. You watch Ben and Sonny begin to fall in love, where Ben doesn’t even know Sonny’s real name, and she’s running behind his back stealing items for evidence. There’s a part of me that knows this was meant to be part of the – is he, isn’t he the killer – plot, but it didn’t make the love story very clean for a while, and in general I like clear cut.
I disliked how Sonny went through a stage of inadvertently doing everything to discredit herself as a good cop. Sleeping with the suspect, lying about developments, hiding evidence and not confessing her own personal involvement. It all went a bit too far. Especially as Sonny is portrayed as such a career cop, it didn’t sit well with how her character. I think is because I liked her so much, it annoyed me that she did such crazy things.
But as much as these elements irritated, I still really did enjoy this story. I loved how Ben was arrogant at the beginning thinking how easy it would be to sleep with Sonny and she led him on a merry dance. The Carly and James story really was lovely, I think James was the best character of the book actually, so brave and tortured and noble. Carly did need a good slap a couple of times, but she grew on me. The surfing setting was great, I loved the beach and was jealous of the glorious weather.
VERDICT:
CRASH INTO ME did have a few issues where there was too much going on or the characters didn’t behave in a way either I didn’t like, or didn’t quite sit well. There was also some personal developments in Sonny’s life that didn’t get concluded. But overall it was a really good read, with some great romance, against a super backdrop. I will definitely read something by Jill Sorenson again.
RATING: 3.5/5
March 8, 2011
When Carolyn Crane told me how much she adored Jill Sorenson novels and even compared her to Megan Hart, I couldn't hold myself back and bought 2 of her backlist titles. I started
Crash Into Me
and I read this 400+ pages novel in under 24 hours. It just took me so long because of the evil job and OMG I'm in love.
Crash Into Me is such an emotional and suspenseful novel that I fond myself at a loss for words. Some books are just that good that you have to tell everyone about them and I think this is one of those for me. I didn't plan to review it but I can't seem to concentrate on anything else so I just have to get it out of my system. What made this book so special to me?
1. The whole structure of this suspense novel is rather unique and highly intriguing. It's not the usual one romance per novel- we actually have 2 love-stories in this one. I loved how the focus varied but never highlighted one plot line too much. The balance between all the stories and subplots was perfect. Never did I have the urge to skip some pages to get to the "good" part. Everything just fit together.
2. The characterization in this book was also perfect. I love when an author gives us such an insight into their characters but doesn't make it too subtle. I hate when we are thrown from one internal discussion into the next. It has to fit the story and shouldn't feel forced. Sorenson did just that and so much more. I can't remember many books where I felt such a deep connection to the characters. They were shown in so much detail they actually jumped off the pages for me.
3. The story itself was really sad but all the rather "heavier" topics were handled with so much love and care that you just couldn't look away. This book forces you to keep reading even when you think that you would prefer not to read about this. My heart still hurts when I think about parts of this story. But on the other hand we have those moments full of love which balance out the sad parts.
4. In addition to #1 I have to admit something. I know I'm one of those big YA deniers who just out of protest don't read this genre and here I caught myself adoring a YA plot. It just totally blew me away but I'm also sure I wouldn't have liked it if it would have only been YA. I think the mix totally does it for me.
5. I'm not a huge suspense fan but Crash Into Me kept me on the edge of my seat and I may have mentioned this before, I couldn't put it down. The plot was never too prominent or pushed the romance into the background but it was always there, reminding you that something horrible happened and you could already feel the doom approaching. And yep I didn't see the end coming.
As you can see I loved this book- it had everything I love about books and so much more. I had high expectations and this book didn't disappoint at all- it exceeded everything I could have imagined before I started it. LOVED it! If you haven't read this author I urge you to give her a try-I was blown away and I hope you will be too. And yes, I already started my next Jill Sorenson novel. *g*
Crash Into Me is such an emotional and suspenseful novel that I fond myself at a loss for words. Some books are just that good that you have to tell everyone about them and I think this is one of those for me. I didn't plan to review it but I can't seem to concentrate on anything else so I just have to get it out of my system. What made this book so special to me?
1. The whole structure of this suspense novel is rather unique and highly intriguing. It's not the usual one romance per novel- we actually have 2 love-stories in this one. I loved how the focus varied but never highlighted one plot line too much. The balance between all the stories and subplots was perfect. Never did I have the urge to skip some pages to get to the "good" part. Everything just fit together.
2. The characterization in this book was also perfect. I love when an author gives us such an insight into their characters but doesn't make it too subtle. I hate when we are thrown from one internal discussion into the next. It has to fit the story and shouldn't feel forced. Sorenson did just that and so much more. I can't remember many books where I felt such a deep connection to the characters. They were shown in so much detail they actually jumped off the pages for me.
3. The story itself was really sad but all the rather "heavier" topics were handled with so much love and care that you just couldn't look away. This book forces you to keep reading even when you think that you would prefer not to read about this. My heart still hurts when I think about parts of this story. But on the other hand we have those moments full of love which balance out the sad parts.
4. In addition to #1 I have to admit something. I know I'm one of those big YA deniers who just out of protest don't read this genre and here I caught myself adoring a YA plot. It just totally blew me away but I'm also sure I wouldn't have liked it if it would have only been YA. I think the mix totally does it for me.
5. I'm not a huge suspense fan but Crash Into Me kept me on the edge of my seat and I may have mentioned this before, I couldn't put it down. The plot was never too prominent or pushed the romance into the background but it was always there, reminding you that something horrible happened and you could already feel the doom approaching. And yep I didn't see the end coming.
As you can see I loved this book- it had everything I love about books and so much more. I had high expectations and this book didn't disappoint at all- it exceeded everything I could have imagined before I started it. LOVED it! If you haven't read this author I urge you to give her a try-I was blown away and I hope you will be too. And yes, I already started my next Jill Sorenson novel. *g*
April 21, 2010
The man who three years ago killed Olivia Fortune, wife of a famous surfer, commits suicide in prison and in his suicide note recants his confession. Just like that, the case is open again, also thanks to a few more recent victims with the similar MO, and FBI Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez is sent to the Californian La Jolla community to investigate the surfer’s possible culpability.
But Sonny’s undercover mission quickly proves to be a tough assignment when she finds herself falling for her mark. Now Sonny has another reason to solve the case. To prove the innocence of the man who, despite her many hang-ups, has crawled under her skin.
This was a true buy-on-a-whim for me, and a complete unknown in the author department, and it proved to be a great and more than pleasant surprise for me.
For one, though it followed a rather cookie-cutter template for the suspense subplot, the characters, the heroine, Sonny, especially, were everything but template. Sonny was a tough cookie from beginning to end, and even when she actually was a damsel in distress, she didn’t wait for the requisite knight in shining armor (and he knew it and didn’t resent it), but was able to get out of that tight spot (almost) all on her own.
She made a few rash decisions (completely understandable because of her past), she had some issues with trust (again, thanks to her past), but she wasn’t annoying – quite the contrary – with all those issues of her. They just made her more realistic, a living and breathing, flawed woman.
Ben was a great hero, perfectly balancing Sonny out. Ms. Sorenson did a really good job in fleshing out his character, the prefect mix of alpha and beta, a guy who recognized the strength in Sonny and had no issues with letting her lead, didn’t try to tone her down, and be the constant dominant party in their relationship. He was confident in his masculinity and didn’t see Sonny’s strength as threatening. God bless such men.
The plot was good and tight, nicely thought-out and paced, but there were some breaks in the flow of the story due to a few choppy scene transitions. In two of such I felt like there was something missing (maybe erroneously cropped in editing), when a character did the complete opposite of what he/she was thinking at the end of the previous scene, without an explanation to the change of mind.
The suspense part was also nicely-written, sometimes downright chilling, but it was (at least in my case) marred by the fact I knew who the killer was since the moment the character appeared in the story. Still, the thinking and investigative process was intriguing to read, and waiting for Sonny to put the pieces together worthwhile.
There were a few other details that bothered me – the rather quick curing of Sonny’s “phobia”, the L word dropping a little too soon, the other character’s subplot running a tad too long, and the redundant appearance of Sonny’s mother (have they never heard of the phone).
Despite all that, I still very much enjoyed this book, mostly due to the great characterization. A bit more tweaking and this would’ve been a 5-star read.
But Sonny’s undercover mission quickly proves to be a tough assignment when she finds herself falling for her mark. Now Sonny has another reason to solve the case. To prove the innocence of the man who, despite her many hang-ups, has crawled under her skin.
This was a true buy-on-a-whim for me, and a complete unknown in the author department, and it proved to be a great and more than pleasant surprise for me.
For one, though it followed a rather cookie-cutter template for the suspense subplot, the characters, the heroine, Sonny, especially, were everything but template. Sonny was a tough cookie from beginning to end, and even when she actually was a damsel in distress, she didn’t wait for the requisite knight in shining armor (and he knew it and didn’t resent it), but was able to get out of that tight spot (almost) all on her own.
She made a few rash decisions (completely understandable because of her past), she had some issues with trust (again, thanks to her past), but she wasn’t annoying – quite the contrary – with all those issues of her. They just made her more realistic, a living and breathing, flawed woman.
Ben was a great hero, perfectly balancing Sonny out. Ms. Sorenson did a really good job in fleshing out his character, the prefect mix of alpha and beta, a guy who recognized the strength in Sonny and had no issues with letting her lead, didn’t try to tone her down, and be the constant dominant party in their relationship. He was confident in his masculinity and didn’t see Sonny’s strength as threatening. God bless such men.
The plot was good and tight, nicely thought-out and paced, but there were some breaks in the flow of the story due to a few choppy scene transitions. In two of such I felt like there was something missing (maybe erroneously cropped in editing), when a character did the complete opposite of what he/she was thinking at the end of the previous scene, without an explanation to the change of mind.
The suspense part was also nicely-written, sometimes downright chilling, but it was (at least in my case) marred by the fact I knew who the killer was since the moment the character appeared in the story. Still, the thinking and investigative process was intriguing to read, and waiting for Sonny to put the pieces together worthwhile.
There were a few other details that bothered me – the rather quick curing of Sonny’s “phobia”, the L word dropping a little too soon, the other character’s subplot running a tad too long, and the redundant appearance of Sonny’s mother (have they never heard of the phone).
Despite all that, I still very much enjoyed this book, mostly due to the great characterization. A bit more tweaking and this would’ve been a 5-star read.
October 3, 2012
BOOK DESCRIPTION: In this heart-stopping novel, Jill Sorenson delivers a romantic thriller featuring one too-tough female agent, one too-hot male suspect, and a head-on erotic collision.
Though he’d gone into virtual seclusion, Ben Fortune was still the world’s most famous surfer, known as much for his good looks as for his skill. He’s also a suspect in a series of brutal murders that may have begun with his late wife. Now FBI Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez has been sent undercover to the elite beach community of La Jolla to make friends with Fortune. With her fierce beauty and take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s more than equipped for the job, and soon she and Ben have collided in an affair that is both intense and irresistible. But for the first—and worst—time in Sonny’s career, her emotions are threatening to get the better of her. Could this sensual, wounded man, who is genuinely anguished over his troubled daughter, really be a killer? And could falling in love blind Sonny to the greatest danger of all?
LOVED IT...ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!
I can’t believe I purchased this book from Amazon in 2009 and only discovered it in my TBR shelf now……….how could I have missed out reading this incredible book sooner!!!!!!!!!!
Crash into Me is one of those books that I will read again and again……..
Why is this book one of my favorites??
Once I read page 1…all I wanted to do was read and read. I entered a world so interesting and fascinating that I wanted to stay there and no way was I going to be distracted or pulled away from it.
An emotional story so well written, filled with vivid descriptions that made the characters and the settings so believable that made it all seem so real to me. The conflicts and tension between the characters was totally so believable.
Beautiful, flawed and endearing characters that you immediately connect with, feel for.
Sonny, the undercover cop is so interesting and intriguing…lots of emotional baggage but wow…so centered. Loved her strength, kick-ass attitude and her hidden sensuality………
Ben Fortune…omg…..this is some gorgeous male. Sexy, dark, mysterious, caring and not afraid to admit his failures.
The chemistry and sexual tension between Sonny & Ben is emotional, thrilling, exciting and sensual and sex scenes that are so hot and sizzling and sexy.
I thought the way the author handled the secondary plot of Carly and James and first teenage relationships was superb, so sweet and tender. James was such an incredible teen, who despite coming from such an abusive family situation, tried to rise above it and remain a good and moral person. How he handles the situation with Carly and her father is so admirable.
A unique, so different, intense and emotional love story. A fast-paced plot with suspense, mystery, murder, with unexpected twists that have you guessing until the last page.
I found the background of the surfing community so captivating. It felt so romantic, charming, alluring and totally spellbinding.
Jill Sorensen has become a favorite author of mine and I can’t wait to read more of her books.
Though he’d gone into virtual seclusion, Ben Fortune was still the world’s most famous surfer, known as much for his good looks as for his skill. He’s also a suspect in a series of brutal murders that may have begun with his late wife. Now FBI Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez has been sent undercover to the elite beach community of La Jolla to make friends with Fortune. With her fierce beauty and take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s more than equipped for the job, and soon she and Ben have collided in an affair that is both intense and irresistible. But for the first—and worst—time in Sonny’s career, her emotions are threatening to get the better of her. Could this sensual, wounded man, who is genuinely anguished over his troubled daughter, really be a killer? And could falling in love blind Sonny to the greatest danger of all?
LOVED IT...ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!
I can’t believe I purchased this book from Amazon in 2009 and only discovered it in my TBR shelf now……….how could I have missed out reading this incredible book sooner!!!!!!!!!!
Crash into Me is one of those books that I will read again and again……..
Why is this book one of my favorites??
Once I read page 1…all I wanted to do was read and read. I entered a world so interesting and fascinating that I wanted to stay there and no way was I going to be distracted or pulled away from it.
An emotional story so well written, filled with vivid descriptions that made the characters and the settings so believable that made it all seem so real to me. The conflicts and tension between the characters was totally so believable.
Beautiful, flawed and endearing characters that you immediately connect with, feel for.
Sonny, the undercover cop is so interesting and intriguing…lots of emotional baggage but wow…so centered. Loved her strength, kick-ass attitude and her hidden sensuality………
Ben Fortune…omg…..this is some gorgeous male. Sexy, dark, mysterious, caring and not afraid to admit his failures.
The chemistry and sexual tension between Sonny & Ben is emotional, thrilling, exciting and sensual and sex scenes that are so hot and sizzling and sexy.
I thought the way the author handled the secondary plot of Carly and James and first teenage relationships was superb, so sweet and tender. James was such an incredible teen, who despite coming from such an abusive family situation, tried to rise above it and remain a good and moral person. How he handles the situation with Carly and her father is so admirable.
A unique, so different, intense and emotional love story. A fast-paced plot with suspense, mystery, murder, with unexpected twists that have you guessing until the last page.
I found the background of the surfing community so captivating. It felt so romantic, charming, alluring and totally spellbinding.
Jill Sorensen has become a favorite author of mine and I can’t wait to read more of her books.
February 10, 2011
This book was recommended to me through an Amazon Discussion for Favorite Romantic Suspense. I hadn't read anything by this author, the sub-genre was new to me so I thought I would take a chance. I thought the author really enticed you into the story making it very interesting with lots of action, many subplots and it was never slow. It is what I would call a grown up story not sweet and funny, but serious and at times intense.
I love athletes! Their bodies are always hot, their sexy and they know how to do IT!, probably because they have done it so many times with women always throwing themselves at them. The hero Ben is a professional surfer (first time I read about a surfer) who's wife was murdered, he was the prime suspect and he becomes somewhat of a recluse. Everybody, from top to bottom, has a lot of emotional baggage in this book. He has a crazy, beautiful, teenage daughter with bad friends and does bad things to herself. There is a couple of brothers, one is Ben's daughter's love interest, that have had major events in their young lives to mess them up real good. I do love the daughter's boyfriend, James, though, he tries so hard to be good. The heroine, Sonny, is hard, unemotional character that has major problems with intimacy and she is undercover investigating Ben as a serial killer.
The story does keep you guessing, although the villain became predictable by process of elimination. I gave this book 4 stars mainly because it was hard to put down and the love story between the daughter and James. It was the first time I read a book with a lot of detail sexual encounters of teenagers- it didn't seem like they were 16 and 18 (I wasn't put out by it). I never did feel a strong love connection between the main characters, lust definitely. It was a more desperate relationship, the sex was always hard, never loving. There was one thing that did really bug me, it was a situation (nothing major) that was never resolved between the brothers and the heroine, it could have made the HEA a little sweeter. I don't want to spoil it by giving too much detail, so "I guess that's all I got to say about that" Forest Gump
April 1, 2013
3.5 rounded up for the parts I loved and I loved many, many things about this book, but I ultimately stalled on the beginning and the end.
The love parts first: As I said in my comment, Sorenson plays a lot with the reader. There are moments in the book when I (as reader) can see the horrible events about to unfold (there is a very memorable dinner party), but she manages to make it not feel predictable. I knew the scene was going to be uncomfortable, but I couldn't look away and it was even more uncomfortable than I had imagined, but still enjoyable to read. The characters were incredibly well-developed with flaws that made them believable and interesting. I loved the teen characters in this book.
I initially had a hard time getting into the book and connecting to the main characters. I put the book down and picked up and finished another of hers before I got into this one. My other quibble was that the end felt too long in coming for me and dragged a bit.
But I adored the middle.
The love parts first: As I said in my comment, Sorenson plays a lot with the reader. There are moments in the book when I (as reader) can see the horrible events about to unfold (there is a very memorable dinner party), but she manages to make it not feel predictable. I knew the scene was going to be uncomfortable, but I couldn't look away and it was even more uncomfortable than I had imagined, but still enjoyable to read. The characters were incredibly well-developed with flaws that made them believable and interesting. I loved the teen characters in this book.
I initially had a hard time getting into the book and connecting to the main characters. I put the book down and picked up and finished another of hers before I got into this one. My other quibble was that the end felt too long in coming for me and dragged a bit.
But I adored the middle.
June 29, 2009
Sonny Vasquez is a physically strong and leading heroine contrasted by a slightly physically weaker hero, Ben Fortune. But his stamina, drive and determination more than make up for it. There is a strength in their rocky relationship. The narration changes a lot to focus on the secondary characters like Carly, James, Stephen and the murderer.
This book was definitely written by a newly published author and it shows. It's rough around the edges and a tad too long, especially to wrap up the story. The romance was dominant and I agree with the reviewer below: Sorenson should stick to romance because the suspense was, at times, non-existent and poor, as well as lacking. I didn't enjoy this much. The style of writing needs work and more finesse to make the book flow and smooth. It was mediocre HOWEVER I did think Sorenson succeeded in creating fire in the chemistry between Sonny and Ben. 3/5 stars.
This book was definitely written by a newly published author and it shows. It's rough around the edges and a tad too long, especially to wrap up the story. The romance was dominant and I agree with the reviewer below: Sorenson should stick to romance because the suspense was, at times, non-existent and poor, as well as lacking. I didn't enjoy this much. The style of writing needs work and more finesse to make the book flow and smooth. It was mediocre HOWEVER I did think Sorenson succeeded in creating fire in the chemistry between Sonny and Ben. 3/5 stars.
October 8, 2010
Not sure how to rate this one. I loved the story. Great suspense, fast moving, good writing. But I didn't like Ben at all. I thought he was arrogant and immature. He does this whole "woe is me" thing throughout the book. I'm a bad dad, I was a bad husband, blah blah blah. Then he continues to make immature decisions. What kind of man leads his 16 yr old daughter to believe he's using a woman for sex so she'll see how men really are??? That was stupid. Guess what Ben--you were right. You are a bad father. So stop!
Sorry. Went off there. Anyway, it lost a full star for anytime we had insight into Ben's head. Oh and Sonny was stupid for falling for a guy who didn't have much more than a hot body going for him.
James was my favorite part of the book. I really liked him.
Sorry. Went off there. Anyway, it lost a full star for anytime we had insight into Ben's head. Oh and Sonny was stupid for falling for a guy who didn't have much more than a hot body going for him.
James was my favorite part of the book. I really liked him.
November 29, 2012
At 30% into the book, it was a 4 - 5 star read but once Ben took Sonoro out to dinner as a thank you for saving his daughter's life, it fell apart and I've never had a book that went downhill that fast for me!
I couldn't get past Ben's insistence that Sonora (undercover name 'Summer') let him see her again. It became harassing to me and this guy, who started off pretty much okay, became one of those arrogant celebrities that couldn't believe a woman had turned him down, wasn't impressed with his celebrity status and thought turning on his jerk persona would change her mind! Ugh.
There may be a good story in there but unfortunately, I'm too old and cranky to see the redeeming qualities someone like Ben.
I couldn't get past Ben's insistence that Sonora (undercover name 'Summer') let him see her again. It became harassing to me and this guy, who started off pretty much okay, became one of those arrogant celebrities that couldn't believe a woman had turned him down, wasn't impressed with his celebrity status and thought turning on his jerk persona would change her mind! Ugh.
There may be a good story in there but unfortunately, I'm too old and cranky to see the redeeming qualities someone like Ben.
September 15, 2009
A really good debut by this new author. Loved the surfer theme and both the main and secondary storylines were a really worthwhile read. Character development and conversations were written well.
September 20, 2015
3.5 stars.
Read
March 17, 2022I am very unhappy with this book and I'm intentionally not rating it. Yes, because I'm unhappy with it. Call me petty if you wish, but I'm going to make my "voice" heard, even if it's just a squeak.
This is a cliche type of story, one that you probably have seen on any tv cop show or read in any cop story. I'm fairly certain there was an episode of CSI Miami that was nearly this, and I'm sure Agatha Christie wrote something (albeit more time-centric to her era) to start the cliche. (She was the murder mystery trend setter).
There is a serial killer and they are murdering women in a horrid fashion. Young, beautiful, super-good-at-self-defense FBI agent goes into the region to determine if Handsome Surfing Legend, now Quiet Father and Widower, is a suspect. Guess what? They fall in with one another, love, lust, romance, whatever you want to call it. Only...gasp...she's been lying. And of course, he's not the killer but someone close to him is and he (and his daughter) are (oh no, don't say it) in danger.
I'm not mocking the plot (well, yeah I totally am. But I'm good with cliches that work). That part of the book was as to be expected and was acceptable. What I'm CHEESED OFF about is the lack of warning. Pretty much everything in this world of privilege and litigation, we have warnings on them, prominently displayed (remember explicit lyric warnings on all our CDs?). Coffee is hot, blinking lights can cause seizures, don't eat the play-dough, whatever. Now we are starting to see Trigger Warnings for emotional reactions. "Warning, the following podcast contains details of child abuse that might trigger emotional responses in some listeners" And yet, no such thing exists in literature.
Without that MPA rating we see on movies and tv shows and video games....I ran smack into soft porn. The kind that says things like "she opened her blouse one more button and imagined his gaze caressing her pert young...." yeah. She can't even DO HER JOB without imagining some aspect of coupling. She's a skilled FBI agent and she's reduced to a puddle. But no worries, so is he. And guess what? So is his daughter, and her boyfriend. I mean, for daggum sake, I don't want to read about their detailed sex lives!!! Any of them.
Yes, I self censor, you bet. Skip page, flip, flip, flip...nope, keep going. I don't want to have to do that. And I'm not saying These Types of Books should be burned or locked up, heck no! We love a little racy romance now and then, and I'm one of those admirers. But when I don't want it, I really don't. And that's why I'm angry at this book. I got caught up in the mystery and I wanted to see how long it took them to find out who the killer was (I already figured it out, of course) and yeah, I wanted to know how they worked out the relationships. And I kept running into soft porn. More soft porn. And yet again with the soft porn. Oh yeah, while I'm sitting in the lunch room at work. Don't mind my blush.
Grr.
This is a cliche type of story, one that you probably have seen on any tv cop show or read in any cop story. I'm fairly certain there was an episode of CSI Miami that was nearly this, and I'm sure Agatha Christie wrote something (albeit more time-centric to her era) to start the cliche. (She was the murder mystery trend setter).
There is a serial killer and they are murdering women in a horrid fashion. Young, beautiful, super-good-at-self-defense FBI agent goes into the region to determine if Handsome Surfing Legend, now Quiet Father and Widower, is a suspect. Guess what? They fall in with one another, love, lust, romance, whatever you want to call it. Only...gasp...she's been lying. And of course, he's not the killer but someone close to him is and he (and his daughter) are (oh no, don't say it) in danger.
I'm not mocking the plot (well, yeah I totally am. But I'm good with cliches that work). That part of the book was as to be expected and was acceptable. What I'm CHEESED OFF about is the lack of warning. Pretty much everything in this world of privilege and litigation, we have warnings on them, prominently displayed (remember explicit lyric warnings on all our CDs?). Coffee is hot, blinking lights can cause seizures, don't eat the play-dough, whatever. Now we are starting to see Trigger Warnings for emotional reactions. "Warning, the following podcast contains details of child abuse that might trigger emotional responses in some listeners" And yet, no such thing exists in literature.
Without that MPA rating we see on movies and tv shows and video games....I ran smack into soft porn. The kind that says things like "she opened her blouse one more button and imagined his gaze caressing her pert young...." yeah. She can't even DO HER JOB without imagining some aspect of coupling. She's a skilled FBI agent and she's reduced to a puddle. But no worries, so is he. And guess what? So is his daughter, and her boyfriend. I mean, for daggum sake, I don't want to read about their detailed sex lives!!! Any of them.
Yes, I self censor, you bet. Skip page, flip, flip, flip...nope, keep going. I don't want to have to do that. And I'm not saying These Types of Books should be burned or locked up, heck no! We love a little racy romance now and then, and I'm one of those admirers. But when I don't want it, I really don't. And that's why I'm angry at this book. I got caught up in the mystery and I wanted to see how long it took them to find out who the killer was (I already figured it out, of course) and yeah, I wanted to know how they worked out the relationships. And I kept running into soft porn. More soft porn. And yet again with the soft porn. Oh yeah, while I'm sitting in the lunch room at work. Don't mind my blush.
Grr.
March 18, 2020
I decided to go ahead and buy all the Jill Sorenson books I haven't yet read.
I believe this is one of her earlier books, and it showed in her writing.
Sorenson usually writes characters that aren't black/white, good or bad. That's what I like about them. She also has a tendency to write about sexual and physical abuse. I did not like the amount of sexual and physical abuse described in this book. The antagonists all had some very messed up childhoods and zero redeeming qualities. There was the serial killer with his sexual/physical abuse. And a suspect, with his physical abuse as a child and sexual abuse to prostitutes and in a way his children.
The antagonists weren't the only ones with horrific pasts. Our main protagonist had her own sexual/physical abuse history. And then some of the supporting protagonists with also had sexual/physical abuse histories.
In some of her later releases (such as in Shooting Dirty) her characters still experienced sexual and physical abuse, but the way she wrote about it had more finesse. It was very overwhelming in this book.
I think what really stuck out here, was there is A LOT of sexual scenes and I wasn't really sure how our protagonist went from physically unable to tolerate anything somewhat sexual and then allowing to be held down or having rough sex with no problem, flashbacks, etc.
Overall the story is good. I figured out who the killer was in the first scene we are introduced to him, but I still enjoyed the plot (minus all the abuse).
I believe this is one of her earlier books, and it showed in her writing.
Sorenson usually writes characters that aren't black/white, good or bad. That's what I like about them. She also has a tendency to write about sexual and physical abuse. I did not like the amount of sexual and physical abuse described in this book. The antagonists all had some very messed up childhoods and zero redeeming qualities. There was the serial killer with his sexual/physical abuse. And a suspect, with his physical abuse as a child and sexual abuse to prostitutes and in a way his children.
The antagonists weren't the only ones with horrific pasts. Our main protagonist had her own sexual/physical abuse history. And then some of the supporting protagonists with also had sexual/physical abuse histories.
In some of her later releases (such as in Shooting Dirty) her characters still experienced sexual and physical abuse, but the way she wrote about it had more finesse. It was very overwhelming in this book.
I think what really stuck out here, was there is A LOT of sexual scenes and I wasn't really sure how our protagonist went from physically unable to tolerate anything somewhat sexual and then allowing to be held down or having rough sex with no problem, flashbacks, etc.
Overall the story is good. I figured out who the killer was in the first scene we are introduced to him, but I still enjoyed the plot (minus all the abuse).
March 6, 2017
This was better than I thought it would be! I liked that the main character could take care of herself (FBI agent, kicking ass, the kind I wanted to be in my ignorant youth) and that she was very aware of the attraction and what it was doing to her focus, wasn't just melting into his blue eyes. Nice that the hot guy was man enough to let her take charge but still wanted to protect her. My husband is a surfer so that floated my boat just fine too.
The secondary YA romance was unexpectedly sweet! Maybe I've read lots of period and urban/supnatural fantasy romance so I was just ready for a sweet contemporary romance. I normally don't read straight contemporary romance because I don't like baser details, I like romance sweet and men alpha :) but the characters were well developed enough to keep me reading, and the pacing was good not too rushed, the serial murder investigation kept me in suspense (it's prob predictable to some but I'm bad at guessing). There was a pov switch or two that was confusing, didn't really add to the story, and some of the character backstories felt overdone (more than one character had abuse, actually 4-5 or them had some crappy childhood stuff). Overall, decent diversion for a couple days!
The secondary YA romance was unexpectedly sweet! Maybe I've read lots of period and urban/supnatural fantasy romance so I was just ready for a sweet contemporary romance. I normally don't read straight contemporary romance because I don't like baser details, I like romance sweet and men alpha :) but the characters were well developed enough to keep me reading, and the pacing was good not too rushed, the serial murder investigation kept me in suspense (it's prob predictable to some but I'm bad at guessing). There was a pov switch or two that was confusing, didn't really add to the story, and some of the character backstories felt overdone (more than one character had abuse, actually 4-5 or them had some crappy childhood stuff). Overall, decent diversion for a couple days!
August 17, 2025
My first book by the author and definitely a good intro. It was a bit strange because this is the first book with settings that I personally know. I've been to Torrey Pines high aka the rich kids school LOL. I've been to the beaches mentioned here. Ah....the joy of Southern California :)
Ok, back to the book. This is also my first book with a surfer hero. I loved that. Was a nice change from the other books I'd read before it. I felt the meeting between the h/h was believable enough. I loved the background of the beach and the characters felt like real people. My main issues were mainly about Sonny. I know she was undercover but I felt like she never checked in with her boss. It was supposed to be a nightly call but I think there was maybe 1 or 2 calls in the course of the book. I kept thinking, when the hell is she supposed to update the bossman about the case? The second issue I had was the reveal of who her father/family was. I felt like that was such a stretch and didn't really add to the story. Aside from those two things, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely read more by this author.
Ok, back to the book. This is also my first book with a surfer hero. I loved that. Was a nice change from the other books I'd read before it. I felt the meeting between the h/h was believable enough. I loved the background of the beach and the characters felt like real people. My main issues were mainly about Sonny. I know she was undercover but I felt like she never checked in with her boss. It was supposed to be a nightly call but I think there was maybe 1 or 2 calls in the course of the book. I kept thinking, when the hell is she supposed to update the bossman about the case? The second issue I had was the reveal of who her father/family was. I felt like that was such a stretch and didn't really add to the story. Aside from those two things, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely read more by this author.
March 11, 2023
Sonny Vasquez has been sent undercover to investigate the hunky, world famous surfer, Ben Fortune, as a possible suspect in some rather brutal murders. When she saves a girl at the beach she suddenly finds herself face to face with the man himself and the spark is irresistible. We get two stories — Sonny and Ben, and then a secondary love spark between his daughter Carly and a troubled young man named James with an anonymous murderer’s perspective woven through. There is a solid string of secondary characters and the reveal at the end was definitely shocking but satisfying. It can get a bit overwhelming with all the plot lines but they do fit together pretty well. Sonny blurring the lines with her personal and professional lives left me feeling a bit conflicted but it still worked out. I sat and read it all the way through!
June 20, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and I hope her other books are as good. This is my ditsy JS book.
It's well written. Realistic. Characters believable.
But the best was the chemistry between H&h and the sex scenes were hot. Very important for me when reading romances.
After rereading most of Linda Howard's book so many times I know them inside out, I despaired of finding another romantic suspense author I enjoyed. I've been searching for years. How I never came across JS before now I can't imagine.
I enjoyed the romance of secondary couple. After reading a little into the book I came here to see if she had written a sequel for their story. JS please write a book for James and Carly!!
It's well written. Realistic. Characters believable.
But the best was the chemistry between H&h and the sex scenes were hot. Very important for me when reading romances.
After rereading most of Linda Howard's book so many times I know them inside out, I despaired of finding another romantic suspense author I enjoyed. I've been searching for years. How I never came across JS before now I can't imagine.
I enjoyed the romance of secondary couple. After reading a little into the book I came here to see if she had written a sequel for their story. JS please write a book for James and Carly!!
June 21, 2017
I love this book. It seriously deserves a higher rating. It is pretty light on the investigating, heavy on the romance and family relationships. Great sub-plot with the daughter. A surfer as the main suspect/romantic interest made it different from many other romantic suspense books. It is pretty slow, low on the action and more about relationships than murder, but I think that worked. But if you are looking for the standard, darker romantic suspense, this is not for you. People will disagree, but I think it has a Big Little Lies feel. Well worth giving it a go, even if you hate it - it is cheap on Kindle.
December 4, 2023
From 2 to 1*. I'll finish it but am not invested in this story. Dialogue is good; the teen angst is good; characters are interesting. But I didn't buy how Sonny forgot her FBI role to fall for Ben. The murder mystery isn't very suspenseful; figured out the villain early on. But I really lost interest when we learn that Carly's new found boy friend just happens to be her half brother. 50% into the book and NOW she brings Sonny's mother, Anita, into the story! why? serves no purpose. Awful writing: "Why mija? Why didn't you tell me you were in pain? I was waiting, Mama. For what? I was praying, like you said, for God to take the pain away." (groan, eye rolling)
April 12, 2018
high twos, low threes
sorenson has made a nice niche for herself writing suspense/thrillers about fairly Hollywood Perfect Enviables who still sort of somehow read as messy enough to not be too pie-in-the-sky unattainable, doing the Lord's work to map their psychological complement.
there definitely is a lot of "please overlook this convenient authorial manipulation," but for the most part this book, and her other titles i've read, are fun, compelling, moves-at-a-nice-clip airport-type reads, with a satisfying romance infusion.
sorenson has made a nice niche for herself writing suspense/thrillers about fairly Hollywood Perfect Enviables who still sort of somehow read as messy enough to not be too pie-in-the-sky unattainable, doing the Lord's work to map their psychological complement.
there definitely is a lot of "please overlook this convenient authorial manipulation," but for the most part this book, and her other titles i've read, are fun, compelling, moves-at-a-nice-clip airport-type reads, with a satisfying romance infusion.
October 21, 2021
All the characters were so immature except for James & maybe Sonny (I do think she deserved better than meathead Ben) . I understood why James was the way he was. The biggest disappointment for me was Ben. I mean ohmygoddddd he is definitely on my shitlist & the way he confessed his love for her and immediately after that talked about getting her naked was downright cheap. He ruined the whole book for me (which is sad because I generally like this author's heroes).
Anyway you win some,you lose some I guess :(
Anyway you win some,you lose some I guess :(
September 12, 2024
Quick read. I might change and give it 3 stars. It kept me entertained. How do people jump in the sack so quickly with men (or women) they hardly know. Especially an investigator who is trying to find out if he killed his wife? Beats me!
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