Open Season

Rating:
Summary: Not her best, but a delightful read
Review: When I picked up Linda Howard's new book, "Open Season," I expected a novel full of suspense, humor, and romance. Unfortunately, it had little suspense, mediocre humor, and less-than-steamy romance.

The first chapter begins with Daisy Minor waking up on her thirty-fourth birthday. She drags herself out of bed and looks in the mirror: she's living with her mom, has mousy looks, and has no prospective husband. So she decides to become a party girl. She cuts and dyes her hair, gets some new clothes, and starts going out to clubs. Everything is going good until she unknowingly witnesses a murder. Now people are out to kill her, and, Chief of Police, Jack Russo, is out to save her--and make her fall in love.

There were a few laugh-out-loud moments in this book, but not nearly as many as Howard's last "Mr. Perfect." There was little chemistry between Daisy and Jack, making for out-of-place romance scenes. The suspense was nonexistant; the reader knows what is going on from the beginning.

If you are a tried and true Linda Howard fan, you may be disappointed with her latest; but if you want a fun read that requires no thought, check out "Open Season."

Rating:
Summary: Easy and Enjoyable
Review: I have been reading Linda Howard's books for many years and have found 99%excellent. This story rates very high not quite as high as most of the others but still very high. In this story Ms.Howard uses a more light hearted approach to her normal murder and sensual appoach. If you were looking for another Mackenzie series or Kill and Tell than this was not it. However it was still an enjoyable book. How many of us are/were stuck in a rut and needed a change or a little adventure? Well that's what the character Daisy gets in spades. The heroine was enjoyable and helped you laugh a little at and with yourself as well as herself. The hero, a police chief from a large city transplanted into small town America made you go a little soft and mushy when he finds out what a catch "Miss Daisy" is and was even before things got out of hand.
If you like feeling soft,fuzzy,anxious,sexy and amused give this on a chance.

Rating:
Summary: A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!
Review: I use to be a big LH fan when she first started out with the romance novels. However, I have not been able to make the transition to her mysteries. I have read about 3 or 4 of them and I can honestly say I have not enjoyed any of them. The last one "Mr.Perfect" was so so, but this one was just awful. I say she should just stick to romance and leave the mystery to Nora Roberts. The plot was extremely weak and I did not find any chemistry with the two main characters. Save your money and pass on this book. ...

Rating:
Summary: sjc
Review: I have to admit that this is not her best book, but it was so entertaining. Daisy had led a perfectly dull existence until she realized that she wanted something more. She wanted so much to be a "bad" girl and she just could not pull it off. Her actions are hilarious (especially with the condoms)! If you want to have some fun, I definetly suggest you try this book!

Rating:
Summary: Open Season
Review: While I did not think that this was one of Linda Howard's best books, it was still an enjoyable read. Her last several books have not been among the best that I think that she has written (excluding A Game of Chance) but I have read them and enjoyed them. This story lacked the trademark Linda Howard romance/suspense element, as have the last couple. I felt that she wrapped up this book a bit too abruptly and too neatly. I look forward to a book about Todd, his character is way too intriguing NOT to have his own story. ).As I read about Daisy's transformation, I kept glancing to the photo of Linda Howard herself on the back cover--from her newly blond, chin-length hairdo, the delicate pink on her fingernails, the fire-engine red on her toes, to the ankle braclet. Was Linda trying to make herself into Daisy, or is Daisy a part of her???? I hope that Linda Howard will continue to write, but I hope that she re-reads some of her earlier works to get a fresh grasp on the romance/suspense element that her fans have come to love, and that sadly has been missing. Keep up the writing!

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: I haven't read that many books by Linda Howard, so perhaps my standards for her writing are not as high as someone who's read everything she's written, but I enjoyed this novel more than I did Mr. Perfect (which is not to say that I didn't enjoy Mr. P. as well). I think the development of the relationship between the protagonists was better, and Howard has a lot of wicked fun with her characters. Her sly wit is a delight to read and she throws in enough mystery and suspense to keep it interesting. She does an excellent job with the secondary characters as well, and I liked that she tied up a few story lines at the end. All in all, certainly worth the time to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Trying too hard...
Review: Linda Howard's "romantic suspense" series is one of extremes: either it is very good (Son of the Morning, All the Queen's Men) or astoundingly bad (An Independent Wife, Dream Man). So it is sort of surprising to find a totally banal, mediocre story. Daisy Minor is a small-town Southern girl on the hunt for a husband. While at a local bar (drinking soda only, of course! No LH heroine drinks too much, smokes, is messy or a bad cook), she witnesses something she shouldn't. You can probably figure out the rest of the story... New "Yankee" police chief steps in to save her, and of course they fall in love and marry. There is absolutely nada in terms of suspense in this book - if you have more than three brain cells you know that Daisy and the chief will wind up together, and LH makes no attempt at all to make the "suspense" portion of the book a surprise. This book tries too hard to be too many things to too many different audiences. The semi-slapstick humor for Janet Evanovich fans - LH just doesn't have the sense of timing to pull this off without seeming contrived, although she's getting better. The prissy virginal heroine (who at age 34 doesn't know anything about makeup, despite growing up in the deep South????) meets big alpha male for the traditional romance fans. The small attempts at police procedurals for the mystery fans. Had this book concentrated more on any of these elements, it would have been more interesting. Bottom line: this is a screenplay for a chick flick summer movie. Nothing deep or compelling, but interesting enough to spend a few hours with.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Read!!
Review: On the morning of her thirty-fourth birthday, Daisy Minor decided to face reality. She was bored and her life was boring. She was a plain, small-town librarian who hadn't been on a date in years. She still lived with her mother and aunt, both widowed. Her closet was filled with plain and unattractive clothes. Most of her friends were married with families and Daisy always wanted a husband and children. She would never achieve this goal if she didn't make some major changes. So with the help of a friend, she commits to a complete makeover, looks for an apartment and decides to go "man-hunting". She encounters one problem though and his name is Jack Russo. He isn't her type but he shows up everywhere she does! Jack Russo held his position as Chief of Police in Hillsboro, Alabama for the past three years. Recently divorced and tired of the stress caused by his SWAT team job with the NYPD, he decided to move to Hillsboro after his great-aunt Bessie passed away and willed Jack her old Victorian home. Jack spent many summers as a child with Aunt Bessie and he was delighted to have the opportunity to live and work in Hillsboro. He loved the area and was always in a good mood when he left the town's library. Librarian Daisy Minor was a lot of fun. When he sparred with her, she didn't back down. In that respect, she reminded him of his Aunt Bessie. Daisy was mousy and plain but she had a great smile and beautiful skin and if she ever let her hair down he knew she would be dynamite. Jack liked Daisy and when her life was threatened, he pulled out all the stops to protect her. Little did he know at the time he was falling in love with her. Once again Linda Howard has written a novel containing just the right mix of romance/comedy/suspense. Jack, of course, is another of Linda's alpha-male characters and Daisy is the perfect match for him. She is intelligent and sassy and a bit naive. Her naivety in this story works well because it provides the source for many hilarious scenes. The relationship between Jack and Daisy is modern and intimately sizzles. On a more serious note, the author provides some invaluable information about date-rape drugs. I thoroughly enjoyed Linda's "Open Season" and I suspect she may have plans for a sequel since there seemed to be a few loose ends.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the others.
Review: I am an avid reader of Linda Howard's books. Each time a new book comes out, I'm online ordering or off to the nearest bookstore to purchase it. Ms. Howard has enormous writing talent, as shown with her previous books. Open Season, however, was not "her usual style". I anticipated reading the book into the early hours of a weekend night. Instead, I put it down after reading 1/3 through and have yet to pick it up to finish it. There were humorous moments in the book and Daisy is quite a character. However, the book did not have a smooth flow to it and the story was not as gripping as for example, Son of the Morning, which I think is one of her very best books.

Rating:
Summary: Another Hit
Review: I am a BIG fan of Linda Howard's writing and I loved this book! I think this book is vintage Linda Howard, with moments where you literally laughed out loud to moments that tugged at your heart. I think most women will find a little bit of Daisy in themselves that they can relate to. Also in this book I think the hero, like all of the men in her books, was sexy. I will buy any book that has Linda Howards name on the cover, I haven't been sorry yet!!