Death Angel in Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group

Sep 02, 2008 Christa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library

In Death Angel, Linda Howard takes a most unlikely hero and heroine, and turns what should have been unappealing characters into sympathetic ones that pull on your heart strings. This was a great book, and I am still trying to determine how the author created such a wonderful story with a hero who is an unrepentant assassin and a heroine whose last two years have been spent as the pampered mistress of a dangerous drug lord. This fast paced story pulled me in and in no time I was engrossed in the In Death Angel, Linda Howard takes a most unlikely hero and heroine, and turns what should have been unappealing characters into sympathetic ones that pull on your heart strings. This was a great book, and I am still trying to determine how the author created such a wonderful story with a hero who is an unrepentant assassin and a heroine whose last two years have been spent as the pampered mistress of a dangerous drug lord. This fast paced story pulled me in and in no time I was engrossed in the book and wishing for a wonderful conclusion for the two main characters.

Drea Rousseau is the mistress of Rafael Salinas, a powerful and wealthy criminal. In order to enjoy a life of luxury with Rafael, Drea has had to hide her intelligence and pretend to be a vacuous female who hasn't any idea of what goes on in Rafael's business. At thirty, Drea knows her allure will not hold Rafael's interest for too many more years, so as insurance for her future, she sells the jewels he gifts her with, and replaces them with paste fakes. Drea believes she is content to continue her current life as long as Rafael wants her, until he stuns her with what she sees as an ultimate betrayal.

Rafael's underestimation of Drea's intelligence results in his conducting business dealings in her presence. When Rafael meets with a dangerous assassin and offers him a hundred thousand dollar bonus for work well done, the man responds by asking for sex with Drea. Drea is hurt and shocked when Rafael agrees and leaves Drea with the assassin. Even though she is feeling stunned, Drea expects to be treated brutally by this man. Instead, he shows himself to be a very gentle, concerned lover, and he gives her pleasure that she has never before experienced. After their physical intimacy, Drea feels a strong connection to this man, and as their afternoon together ends, she begs him to take her with him. He responds by telling her that once was enough, and he leaves, refusing to even tell her his name.

Drea is so furious with Rafael that she decides leaving with only the jewelry he has given her isn't enough. She hacks into his bank account and transfers over two million dollars to herself. The next morning she escapes Rafael, making it look as if her disppearance was unplanned. Rafael has started to believe that he loves Drea, so he grieves when faced with her loss. When he finds out about the missing money that was transferred to Drea, he is so angry that he decides to avenge himself by having her killed. He turns to the assassin and offers him two million dollars to find and kill Drea.

The assassin, who acknowledges to himself that a human life is worth no more to him than that of a housefly, is puzzled by himself when he cannot decide whether to take the hit on Drea or not. He decides to find and track her until he makes his decision. Locating Drea is no problem for a man of his abilities, and within days he is following her as she drives along a treacherous winding highway leading into the mountains. Drea's awareness of the assassin's pursuit throws her into a panic and affects her ability to drive calmly. As Drea tries to escape him before he has a chance to kill her, an incident occurs that will drastically alter them, causing both to search for redemption, and changing both of their lives forever.

I am amazed by how much I liked this book. When I read the synopsis, I expected to dislike the characters and to be disappointed. That was not at all the case. I quickly came to care about what happened to the characters, and I enjoyed the engrossing storyline. It takes a talented author to take characters of this ilk and turn them into a believeable hero and heroine.

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Sep 04, 2008 MelissaB rated it liked it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, kindle, linda-howard, fiction, 2013-reads

This book was different. It was pretty much just a fiction book with mostly suspense and a tiny bit of romance. The story wasn't bad but it sometimes went on way too much about exactly how the characters did certain things like escape, move money around, plan their next moves, etc. I was hoping for more romance as well. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

May 27, 2009 Mahlet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, romance

A very hot, emotional roller coaster. This gets underway immediatley. You learn that Drea has been the arm candy for a dangerous drug lord, Rafael Salinas. The sexy assassin is here again to discuss a contract for a hit, but he rejects the $100K being offered. The only form of payment he'll except? He wants sex with Drea, just once. The assassin is the best at what he does, and as it's clear this is non-negotiable, Rafael gives in and says he'll be back in 5 hours. Drea can't believe she's been ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2008 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dangerous-or-bad-boy, tortured-tormented, hiding-or-on-the-run, in-disguise, contemporary-romance, suspense-mystery-thriller, back-from-the-dead, anti-hero-heroine

This was one of those books I probably would not have bought based on the synopsis. But it was Linda Howard and even her worst are worth reading at least once. The story grabbed you from page one and never let you go. It didn't matter that there wasn't a lot of "hearts and flowers" romance going on. ...more

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Apr 07, 2009 Jenny Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: romance-novels, contemporary, suspense-thriller

Not my most favorite of Linda Howards books, but not my least either. This book reminded me a "Son of the Morning" The same idea of a woman on the run---only less time travel obviously. Quick and easy read. ...more

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Jul 07, 2008 Athena rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense-romance

This is perfect Linda Howard. Another beautiful story told by the queen of suspense-romance in her flawless writing style.
A dark, not-so-typical hero, and a smart, tough heroin that sets her own rules when it comes to men play out a story that kept me reading until 6:00 in the morning from the night before! Howard explores what drives some people to make certain decisions about their lives without being preachy. All the while rich characters explore love and a plot twist that had my mouth gaping ...more

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May 01, 2009 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it liked it

Shelves: romantic-suspense, reviewed, library-book

3-3.5 Stars

While I have really loved and enjoyed most of Linda Howard's Romantic Suspense books, I just liked this one. It is a story about a drug lord's girlfriend, an assassin (Holy...Smokin...ASSASSIN!), second-chances and dramatic life changes. It started off smokingly and then dragged for quite a bit before picking up again. I felt there just wasn't enough development between the leads. The thing I've loved about Howard's books is the sizzle and banter between the leads. This book lacked th ...more

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