Dying to Please

Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets
Review: I am glad Ms. Howard has returned to the style of writing for which she became famous.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait!
Review: For longtime fans of Linda Howard, this one was well worth the wait. After only good novels like "Open Season" and the collection "Strangers in the Night", Howard finally gives us a true 5 star performance with this one. I bought it the day it came out and finished it in just a few hours~I simply couldn't put it down! With a fresh perspective on a butler, Howard gives us Sarah Stevens, a much sought after buter who is worthy of her praise. She is strong, both emotionally and physically and fans of a strong and intelligent female character will cheer for her. Her male counterpart, Thomas Cahill is equaly appealing. He is Howard's typical Alpha male, but a believable one who readers will enjoy getting to know. If you liked "Mr. Perfect", then this one is for you! Don't bother waiting for paperback~you'll want this one in hardback!

Rating:
Summary: Not all That if You Are A Linda Howard Fan
Review: O.K., as usual I will get negative votes for not giving her 5 stars, but this is why. I have been reading LH for years and have eagerly awaited all of her books. My favorites and recommended readings are: All the Queens Men, Against the Rules, Midnight Rainbow,Heartbreaker, Duncans Bride, Loving Evangeline & The Mackenzies' series except, Chances story and Mackenzies pleasure. All of these to me were 6 stars, and I have kept and re-read thse often.

Now on to why I gave this 3 stars. First of all, there were one or two phrases that popped up several times in the book. I would literally have to re-read the section because I could not believe that she used the same turn of phrase that closely together.

Then there was the hot and cold between the couple. He was embittered and "hated" women, she was the woman who could overcome it,(sound trite and well used to you?). 1st off, the detective/mystery portion of the story were not well thought out. He said she had receipts w/dated times as the alibi to the 1st murder, but he never followed up and went to those places and asked if anyone had seen her? HELLO!!!

Then after the 2nd murder, they did not even test her for powder burns, and I am sorry, but to have the man that supposedly wants to marry me believe that I could commit this murder, again, what is wrong w/this picture. Seem to me every time she needed support he was gone.

Then there was the sicko, it was like when you got to the part where he captured her LH was told she was running late for her deadline and to hurry it up. You will see what I mean.

If you are not familiar w/Linda Howard, you will love this book, or if you do not look to hard at technical details, if you are a previous fan that likes her unique style, you wont find it in this one. This would be a wonderful 1st effort for a new author, but I feel it falls a little short of the mark for LH.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Howard's best
Review: When the employer of butler/bodyguard Sarah Stevens is first robbed, and then murdered, Sarah's life takes a turn she never expected. She meets Thomas Cahill, a local cop, due to these incidents, and sparks fly right away. But as more strange incidents occur, they realize that things aren't what they assumed.

In the best tradition of Linda Howard, this book is funny, sexy, and entertaining. However, there wasn't as much of the emotional draw and engrossing suspense that I unsual expect from Howard. Still better than most other books out there, but not Howard's best.

Rating:
Summary: She does it again!!!!!!
Review: I always love a good Linda Howard book. You can read the book description to get an idea of the plot line. This has everything you look for in a LH book, a very bright,intellegent, strong (without being bitchy)female and a very strong,smart, sexy alpha male. Our guy in this book is a little grittier and earthier than the heroes in her last few books, and I love him the best. Our girl sounds like a brown eyed Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider with a little less attitude and a little more realism (things don't ALWAYS go her way) Her last two books had a certain levity to them that this one did not-there was definitely some witty back and forth, but in this story the pervasiveness of the horror of the deaths and the quite graphic description of what its like to find someone who has died violently hung in between the lines. The "creepiness" of someone stalking and being obsessed with you hung in this book too. In some ways this book reminds me alot of Dream Man, and that is my favorite book by Linda Howard to date. These two are very sexy and very believable. There arguments and problems are very, very realistic. (Cahill is a guy, he seemed real to me because he made real guy mistakes). If you like Linda Howard, you will definitely come away happy and satisfied. If you've never read her before, this is a great starter book.

Rating:
Summary: good, but not great
Review: I really love Linda Howard's books and couldn't wait for this to come out. It was a very good story and I ejoyed the characters, but it was missing something. I realized that it was missing humor. The characters in "Mr. Perfect" and to an extent, "Open Season" have a funny courtship and that was what was missing in this story. Due to that, it only rated 3 stars as an okay story, but if you want it all to click read "Mr. Perfect".

Rating:
Summary: Strong Heroine that Makes this a Blast!
Review: I am NEVER disapointed with a Linda Howard creation. Her latest, 'Dying to Please' was exceptional. Packed full of strong characters and great dialog along with a fast-paced storyline had me reading this in 6 hours! The not-often used story of a very intelligent and strong woman who can not only take care of herself but can also protect herself had me smiling. She is a woman butler and a bodyguard for a retired Judge! Loved it! She doesn't need any man to pick up the shattered pieces of her heart or sanity even when she is faced with a murder charge. She stays strong throughout the entire story and shows her weaknesses appropriately. Oh and the hero...Ms. Howard sure delivers on the heroes as always. :) He is strong, as strong as the heroine and Alpha male to the max. These two were explosive and made for each other. As always Ms. Howard creates a web of suspense and romance that just can't be done by many authors. And her villains are always creepy and real...in this one, the villain is definately not someone you'd want to run into anytime soon...

~Sarah Stevens is not only beautiful and intelligent, but she is the impeccably organized, efficient, professional woman butler/bodyguard for a retired Federal Judge. She takes her work very seriously. She loves her job and she adores the Judge. Thwarting a failed burgarly with her martial art skills, her life is thrust into the limelight for her '15 minutes' of fame. Not enjoying the spotlight, Sarah is disturbed when she recieves an expensive gift from someone and then suddenly finds herself the prime suspect of the brutal murder of the Judge.

Detective Thomas Cahill is impressed with the woman's training when he first meets her at the burgarly but when he is called out to investigate the murder of her employer and she becomes the prime suspect, his instincts are on full alert. Soon she is eliminated as a suspect and not a moment too soon, for Cahill finds himself fiercely attracted to her. Now as she is in the clear, he dares to persue it. Soon the trail grows cold and Cahill finds himself falling for Sarah hard. His heart shatters when yet another of Sarah's employers is murdered...did she do it after all? Is she a cold blooded murderer? How had his instincts get so clouded?

In the shadows a killer awaits...waiting for Sarah...waiting anxiously for her to finally be alone, to be his after all this time, for he is 'Dying to Please'...

...

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Linda Howard Book!!
Review: Linda Howard has given us another great book. It is full of suspense, as well as steamy romance. The lead character is a female butler, what a unique idea, whose employers are stalked by a fanatic killer. The male lead is a big, tough police detective who thinks that the butler may be guilty of murder. The interaction between the two is terrific. I couldn't put this book down! It kept me entertained right to the end!

Rating:
Summary: One of Linda Howard's Best Yet...
Review: This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I have read almost all of Linda Howard's books and this was absolutely one of her best yet. I felt that this book was much more graphic than her previous books in both violence and in the sex scenes, but it fit perfectly into the storyline. Linda Howard is one of my favorite authors, and rarely have I ever been disappointed by her work. This is definetly one to keep!

Rating:
Summary: Linda Howard is BACK!!!!!!!!!!1
Review: I loved "Dying to Please", I was interested from beginning to end. the sex was real good, the storyline was great, unlike open season (her last book). I received the book around 8 yesterday morning and was done in the evening. i had to forcce myself to stop to workout and eat. i would recommend this book to any linda howard fan.
Can't wait for her next book.
Linda, can't you at least come out with two a year instead of one.