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The Hot Zone #6
The Forbidden Bride
"We have some unfinished business."Jilted. Betrayed. Hurt. Detective Robin Daly would never forget what being left at the altar felt like. Nor would she forget the part Nate Houston had played in it all. One word from him had caused everything to crumble: her wedding, her trust in men...and the respect she'd once had for him.
A string of arson-murders brings fire marshal Nate Houston back to Presley, Oklahoma--and back into Robin's life. To end the crime spree, he and Robin must work together. But to handle the desire between them, they must settle the past....
A string of arson-murders brings fire marshal Nate Houston back to Presley, Oklahoma--and back into Robin's life. To end the crime spree, he and Robin must work together. But to handle the desire between them, they must settle the past....
214 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Debra Cowan
60 books28 followersaka Debra S. Cowan, Debra Marshall
A native Sooner, romance author Debra S. Cowan was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, and later moved to the Tulsa area. Like many writers, Debra made up stories in her head as a child. Her B.A. in English was obtained with the intention of following family tradition and becoming a school teacher, but after she wrote her first novel, there was no looking back.
An avid history buff, Debra enjoys traveling. She has visited places as diverse as Europe and Honduras, where she and her husband served as part of a medical mission team. Debra still lives in Oklahoma with her husband.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and is the Past President of Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Her writing has been called "fast-paced", "vivid", "emotionally satisfying", and distinguished by "strong, compelling characters". Romantic Times Magazine says, "Her stories have the charm, tenderness and sensuality that captivate and enchant." Affaire de Coeur predicts, "Cowan shows the beautiful promise of a rising star." And The Literary Times urges, "Treat yourself to a novel by Debra Cowan. You'll be glad you did."
A native Sooner, romance author Debra S. Cowan was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, and later moved to the Tulsa area. Like many writers, Debra made up stories in her head as a child. Her B.A. in English was obtained with the intention of following family tradition and becoming a school teacher, but after she wrote her first novel, there was no looking back.
An avid history buff, Debra enjoys traveling. She has visited places as diverse as Europe and Honduras, where she and her husband served as part of a medical mission team. Debra still lives in Oklahoma with her husband.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and is the Past President of Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Her writing has been called "fast-paced", "vivid", "emotionally satisfying", and distinguished by "strong, compelling characters". Romantic Times Magazine says, "Her stories have the charm, tenderness and sensuality that captivate and enchant." Affaire de Coeur predicts, "Cowan shows the beautiful promise of a rising star." And The Literary Times urges, "Treat yourself to a novel by Debra Cowan. You'll be glad you did."
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 7, 2010
Five years ago he convinced her fiancé to leave her at the altar and now he’s back in her life to disrupt it yet again. First because she still loathes him, second, by telling her just why she was jilted, and third…Because she’s attracted to him.
But her control issues and a murderous arsonist just might keep them apart forever.
This story was hinted at in the previous installment of this series. Nate Houston convinced Robin’s fiancé to leave her at the altar, but she never learned the reason why. It’s normal, then, that she hates this fire investigator’s guts, and it’s more than normal she has quite a few reservations to work with him. But slowly, slowly, he gets under her skin…
I liked the premise, not so much the execution. The story was fast-paced, but the plot with a killer, serial arsonist at times seemed a little outlandish, the heroine at times was more than annoying (stubborn when it came to her hate of Nate, but not stubborn when it came to learning the truth, she gave up asking her ex about his reasons after one year, and hated Nate for five), Nate was just your typical Harlequin hero – alpha with commitment issues (justified!), but with a heart of gold, and a complete about-face when he fell for the heroine. Not much to say on that front.
A decent suspense story with a decent romance and decent writing. In one word – decent.
But her control issues and a murderous arsonist just might keep them apart forever.
This story was hinted at in the previous installment of this series. Nate Houston convinced Robin’s fiancé to leave her at the altar, but she never learned the reason why. It’s normal, then, that she hates this fire investigator’s guts, and it’s more than normal she has quite a few reservations to work with him. But slowly, slowly, he gets under her skin…
I liked the premise, not so much the execution. The story was fast-paced, but the plot with a killer, serial arsonist at times seemed a little outlandish, the heroine at times was more than annoying (stubborn when it came to her hate of Nate, but not stubborn when it came to learning the truth, she gave up asking her ex about his reasons after one year, and hated Nate for five), Nate was just your typical Harlequin hero – alpha with commitment issues (justified!), but with a heart of gold, and a complete about-face when he fell for the heroine. Not much to say on that front.
A decent suspense story with a decent romance and decent writing. In one word – decent.
October 3, 2017
SRS #1602 = 3- stars
March 5, 2012
Back Cover: "Jilted. Betrayed. Hurt. Detective Robin Daly would never forget what being left at the altar felt like. Nor would she forget the part Nate Houston had played in it all. One word from him had caused everything to crumble: her wedding, her trust in men...and the respect she'd once had for him.
A string of arson-murders brings fire marshal Nate Houston back to Presley, Oklahoma--and back into Robin's life. To end the crime spree, he and Robin must work together. But to handle the desire between them, they must settle the past...."
Detective Robin Daly never learned why she’d been jilted but she did find someone to blame. Arson Investigator Nate Houston, one of the groomsmen, had done something to talk her fiancé out of going through with the wedding. Five years later when they are forced to work together to find a serial arsonist/murderer, she’s determined not to let him upset her life again, but she finds that hard when she starts falling for the man.
The heroine seemed a bit wishy-washy for me at times. Too stubborn at one point while not stubborn enough the next. Giving up on find out the truth from her ex after only one year but still hating Nate after five. Then once the truth was revealed she went from hating Nate to seeing him as some kind of savior. I didn’t like that. Made her seem really needy. Fortunately by the end she somewhat redeemed herself.
As far as the mystery/suspense aspect, the plot seemed to fall flat around the middle but the build-up (i.e., the different arson/murders and connecting the dots to find the connection) was decent. The climactic scene was pretty suspenseful but disappointed when the heroine had to almost be rescued again instead of overcoming some of her shortcomings to play at least an equal part in the resolution.
Good read. Wish I had read the other books in this series but they are not necessary to enjoy this one.
A string of arson-murders brings fire marshal Nate Houston back to Presley, Oklahoma--and back into Robin's life. To end the crime spree, he and Robin must work together. But to handle the desire between them, they must settle the past...."
Detective Robin Daly never learned why she’d been jilted but she did find someone to blame. Arson Investigator Nate Houston, one of the groomsmen, had done something to talk her fiancé out of going through with the wedding. Five years later when they are forced to work together to find a serial arsonist/murderer, she’s determined not to let him upset her life again, but she finds that hard when she starts falling for the man.
The heroine seemed a bit wishy-washy for me at times. Too stubborn at one point while not stubborn enough the next. Giving up on find out the truth from her ex after only one year but still hating Nate after five. Then once the truth was revealed she went from hating Nate to seeing him as some kind of savior. I didn’t like that. Made her seem really needy. Fortunately by the end she somewhat redeemed herself.
As far as the mystery/suspense aspect, the plot seemed to fall flat around the middle but the build-up (i.e., the different arson/murders and connecting the dots to find the connection) was decent. The climactic scene was pretty suspenseful but disappointed when the heroine had to almost be rescued again instead of overcoming some of her shortcomings to play at least an equal part in the resolution.
Good read. Wish I had read the other books in this series but they are not necessary to enjoy this one.
June 4, 2010
Dective Robin Daly was jilted at the altar five years ago. She doesn't know why but she does know who to blame. Nate Houston, the best man, talked her fiance out of marriage minutes before the ceremony. Now they are forced to work together to find a deadly arsonist. The clock is ticking...
Why I picked this book up: The first couple pages that the publisher offered online to read were great. The conflict between the hero and heroine looked explosive and I couldn't wait to find out why Nate had ruined Robin's wedding.
Why I finished this book: It was a short book and I am compulsive about finishing books.
Be Advised: The middle and ending of the book don't live up to it's exciting beginning. The reason was ho-hum and could have been solved years ago with a simple conversation.
Why I picked this book up: The first couple pages that the publisher offered online to read were great. The conflict between the hero and heroine looked explosive and I couldn't wait to find out why Nate had ruined Robin's wedding.
Why I finished this book: It was a short book and I am compulsive about finishing books.
Be Advised: The middle and ending of the book don't live up to it's exciting beginning. The reason was ho-hum and could have been solved years ago with a simple conversation.
March 3, 2011
An easy book. Extremely cheesy in some parts, but a good overall story.
May 30, 2019
A good romantic read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews