Standoff

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT book! Couldn't put it down!
Review: "Standoff" was a page-turner. The characters were great, the plot even better. The story actually made me feel like I was there, witnessing the entire thing. I highly recommend this book to all readers. Another of my favorites by Sandra Brown is "Exclusive", also an excellent story.

Rating:
Summary: Short and Sweet
Review: Good if you're looking for a fast, engaging read. A touch of romance brings it all together. Not Brown's best effort, but still good for the beach!

Rating:
Summary: Good Plot - Badly Written
Review: I've read or listened to by audio every book Sandra Brown has written, and for the first time I am extremely disappointed in her ability not only to provide us with totally realistic characters but also to give us emotional depth in a crisis situation. As this review pertains to the audio version, I feel part of the problem is the choice of the reader, who kept her voice on an even keel and allowed little if any emotion to penetrate the happenings as she narrated them. The plot to this story was great - very realistic and well thought out. The characters themselves were also realistic, and this situation is very believable. However, Brown gives us a female in a leading role who "acts" rather than "feels" although she has suffered a tremendous loss in her personal life. And we are also given a male in a leading role who comes across as stiff as a man who "reacts" rather than "acts" and above all he doesn't seem to "feel" at all, although his personal life has been wrought with emotional occurences. Brown has always had the talent of providing the reader with not just sex scenes but love and emotion surrounding the sex; however, in Standoff we are given a very descriptive yet very cold sex scene near the end of the book with little to no emotion leading up to the action. So much of this seems unrealistic and cold, and although the plot and minor characters are beautifully written, the characters of Tiel and Doc aren't fleshed out enough to be believable, and the character of FBI agent Calloway comes across as inept and extremely inexperienced in his job. Not only is he unable to handle the constant hostility between the fathers of the two main characters, but he's not even aware enough to keep a close eye on the actions of the more hostile of the two fathers, which leads to heartache for all concerned. This could have been a much better book if Brown had taken more time and had brought Tiel and Doc together romantically throughout the book rather than throw them together for the sake of a sexual chapter near the end of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Standoff-ish
Review: Tiel McCoy is climbing the career ladder of broadcast journalism and has the top rung in her sights; ambitious, driven and obsessed, she is married to her work and addicted to the adrenaline buzz she gets from landing "the story". She cannot even detach herself to take a much-needed vacation; forced to take one by her boss, she aims for a resort community in western Texas, only to be sidetracked by the opportunity to get a scoop on a hot, breaking story - the teenage daughter of a millionaire businessman from Dallas has been apparently kidnapped by a fellow high school student. While getting instructions on the assignment on a convenience store payphone, she finds herself squarely in the middle of the story she is chasing when the store is held-up by the purported kidnapper, Ronnie Davidson, and his alleged victim, Sabre Dende, who happens to be pregnant with his child and at term.

Suddenly, Tiel is not reporting news - she is making news, along with six other store customers, at the end of the teen boy's pistol and frayed nerves. The desperation which lead the young couple to flee Dallas and to attempt to rob the store gives way to panic as Sabre goes into labor; ultimately, they share the birth of their daughter and the reason for their escape with their victims, who become their advocates with the legions of law enforcement dispatched to the convenience store to end the standoff. Throughout the stalemate, no one involved remains untouched or unaffected, learning truths about actions and consequences and their own motivations.

Sandra Brown has constructed a strong character-study, focusing on the victims and their innocent offenders. With the backdrop of a traumatic situation, she examines how these victims come to empathize with their aggressors and how permanent bonds might develop between participants. She walks her readers/listeners into the convenience store with Tiel McCoy and leaves us there to observe each and every tense hour of the ordeal. I cared about each character (I was interested in how they came to be in that store, their lives and secrets) and worried about their place in the outcome of the standoff.

This well-constructed story crumbles, however, at the end when a sexual charge is detonated. Through the hours in the convenience store, Sandra Brown uses subtle but sensual tension between Tiel and Doc (another victim, in the mold of a Marlboro-man but cut from other cloth) to further develop the concept of a bond developing among the victims and with their aggressors. That suspense could have remained unconsummated without harm to the book. But coming abruptly as it does at the very end of the book, their union amounts to a gratuitous sex scene and is otherwise interminably long and detailed (listening to it on audiobook is much different than reading it - trust me). I would have rather seen cowboy Doc ride off into the sunset with Tiel; I knew what was going to happen when they set camp for the night without hearing it in explicit detail. Don't get me wrong - these are not the complaints of a prude; we all occasionally live vicariously through the romantic exploits of our favorite literary characters. However, this section of "Standoff", although intermingled with Doc and Tiel's personal transformations, seems to have been tossed in thoughtlessly with no other purpose than to boost the publisher's thermostat. Up to that point, "Standoff" was not a sexy story, and the addition of that scene didn't make it so; it was distracting and out of place. It damaged an otherwise moving and compelling story and lessened my ability to recommend it heartily, which I was otherwise prepared to do.

Rating:
Summary: Standoff is a Standout !
Review: Typical of Sandra Brown, the only complaint I could find with "Standoff" was . . . it was too short! Tiel Mc Coy is the type of character you want to really get to know, and once she and the handsome and mysterious Doc band together to help two troubled teens out of a suicide pact and a seemingly no-win situation with family interference, we get the best of Sandra Brown's expertise - romance. Standoff is a page turner, right from the beginning. Each chapter ends with a hook that will have you rushing to turn the page. Ms. Brown can always be depended upon to give us a sharp,intricate story, and a beleif in the power of true love. Standoff is no exception. Don't think about it. Get it.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I had looked forward to reading this book as the author had in the past few years been writing so well. I was very disappointed in this book and actually felt embarrassed for wasting my time reading it. It was such a pathetic literary effort. I felt angry that Ms. Brown would actually sell this knowing that people would buy it simply because of her past efforts. The book was boring, contrived, and obviously took a lot of effort to write and stretch out so little into even the short book that it is. I tried to give this book no star, but the system requires at least one.

Rating:
Summary: Short and quick!
Review: This book was a short, easy read. It was nothing extrordinary. However, if you are looking for a quick mildly entertaining read then this may be the book for you! I have never read any of Ms. Brown's other books, and after this one I don't think that I will be reading anymore. It just wasn't my style. I prefer books with more character development.

Rating:
Summary: Not her best work
Review: The story was a bit slow moving for me. It was still good,but not as good as some of her other books like Witness and Unspeakable. Still,I will continue to read all her books.

Rating:
Summary: Fast and Easy Read
Review: Standoff was very well written. It moved quickly and easy. This is a great summer read! I finished the book in one night. It was shorter than most of Brown's current books; but, still very good. There were also some interesting twists in the story with some very unique characters.

Rating:
Summary: Boring, Dumb and Dummer
Review: I, like many others, started with Ms.Browns Romances. When she shifted to Romantic Suspense or Thrillers, I ate them up like candy and couldn't wait for the next.

There was absolutely no mystery or suspense from the very beginning of this book. We all knew where this story was going from the start!

A lot of readers said it was too short. If you ask me it was too long! I can't believe Sandra Brown wrote it. Mabe she's on vacation and had someone else pen it for her. Buyer beware!