"reprint of a less than exciting series work"

Jayne Ann Krentz is an author who spent nearly a decade writing series romance for Harlequin Temptation, Candlelight and many others and under various names. A lot of her Stephanie James series work have started showing up in reprints. A bit of a blessing and a bane...for more recent fans of her work, they are getting a chance to catch up on her works where her talent was just beginning to shine. Many are like finding a gold coin when walking along a busy street. On the other hand, the sad part is a few are VERY dated and just don't play well in today's mind set. So if you have a lot of Jayne Ann Krentz's series work, especially the ones under the Jayne Castle or Stephanie James names you better check BEFORE buying this book. This is NOT a new Book so please be careful when buying it.

This is not a bad work, but lacking many of the touches that make Jayne Anne Krentz books so special. It is NOT one of her more winning works. Her female character Abby London is hiding a secret and someone knows it and is willing to blackmail her because of it. Abby was living with her cousin and the cousin's husband. Their marriage was not running smoothly, and Abby found herself becoming closer and closer to her cousin's husband (whiny husbands that have a hard time because his wife GETS pregnant are not characters to win the heart and worse how Abby almost fell for this guy does not say a lot for her either!).

She goes away to think through her growing attraction to him. He follows Abby (mind you, leaving his pregnant wife home alone -- a wife that is having troubles with the pregnancy). Instead of kicking him in the rear and sending back where he belongs, Abby permits him to stay the whole weekend. Nothing happened between them because Abby would not permit an affair, but there were several 'touching' scenes on the balcony of her suite, and someone caught them on film. Even though, there was no affair, it could be seen the two people were deeply interested in each other, and since only Abby and her cousin's husband knows nothing happened, someone could easily use the pictures to convince her cousin otherwise. Her cousin is going through the difficult pregnancy and could lose the baby, so this is the last thing she needs. Thus, Abby may have no choice to do as the blackmailer asks in order to protect her cousin and the baby.

Abby meets Torr Latimer in her flower arranging class. She is fascinated by the rough cut man trying to arrange the delicate flowers, such an intriguing contrast. So she is thrilled when he asks her out. Only after one date, suddenly Latimer goes 'me Tarzan, you Jane' on her, and declares he 'owns' her. Sorry, that is so dated, and Latimer could be misconstrued in this day and time as a borderline stalker! She tries to run from Torr, but he won't permit it. Eventually, she is forced to tell him the story about the blackmail and about her 'almost' affair with her cousin's husband, and it's up to Torr to save the day.

The characters were not engaging. They lack that Jayne Ann Krentz sparkling repartee and quirkiness. That Abby seriously considered an affair with her cousin's husband while cousin was having rough pregnancy and could possibly lose the baby, just does not win points. While I adore Alpha Males, Torr Latimer comes off as too cave mannish. This book may have played nearly 20 years ago when it was written, but it comes off as dated, and leaves you with characters who are less than charming by today's standards.

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted April 9, 2003

Summary

After ending a relationship gone terribly and unexpectedly wrong, Abby Lyndon is left wary and determined to control her own life. Two years later, she meets a man who doesn't frighten her. When a nightmare from her past resurfaces, Abby has little choice to accept Torr Latimer's help, but his determination to protect her may be a little too close for comfort.
(originally published as Harlequin Temptation #11 in 1984)