Cry No More

Rating:
Summary: It was a Great Story but a Huge letdown in many levels
Review: I have never written a review before but I had to for this one. I have read LH before and have always loved her books for the suspense as well as the romance. This was an EXCELLENT story line and I cried my eyes out (which i never have done before)!!! But...there were so many loose ends...and the anti-climax was awful...okay they turned themselves in and then....nothing about them anymore...then the last chapter wasn't even entitled "epilogue" but jumbed ahead about 11 years. which was nice i liked that but what happened to the relationship w/ Milla's family? did they resolve it? and i still cannot believe that all the drama in the story then poof they turned themselves in......

Rating:
Summary: Good reading but not Howard's "normal " fare
Review: Having been a huge fan of Ms Howards work over the years I greatly look forward to and anticipate each release.

In Cry No More Ms Howard has written a powerfully moving account of one woman's driven, almost obsessive search to track down and find the son who was snatched from her arms ten years before. In doing so she loses her husband, some of her family and as the tale progresses, almost her life.

This was no cosy tale of romance - the genre that I and other fans buy her for and if you buy this novel expecting that, then you will be disappointed. It does'nt make the tale less, but there was a dark edge that permeated the whole book and in some places made it heavy going. It was certainly a different style than all her previous works and was more mainstream women's fiction for that.

Howard did touch on a relationship between Milla and another of the characters, but it was certainly secondary to the main story and at times I felt that a more even balance could have been achieved, to satisfy both her "core" fans and her new ones.

Another thing - the main storyline so overwhelmed the other plot elements of the book, that they were'nt wrapped up at the end and subsequently it left you feeling vaguely dissatisfied.

However, overall, it's an evocative, emotionally heartrending tale of strength and courage against adversity ,but it is'nt a Howard romance.

Rating:
Summary: Did I read the same book?
Review: I'm wondering if I read the same book as everyone else because as a "Mystery" book, this one was sadly lacking. Perhaps it's because I'm new to Linda Howard and therefore not as willing to just accept this as just another "brilliant" work.

Firstly, it took forever to get into the story, then there's really no chemistry between the two main characters, THEN we finally get to the resolution of the "Mystery" part, and it all happens essentially "off camera." The resolution to the "Mystery" is reduced to one short line of basically "they were caught." Well, DUH! I want to know HOW they were caught! Where's the confrontation?! Where's the climax!?

This anti-climax was a major miscalculation on Howard's part, in my opinion. It ruined the whole book for me. Not even the "feel good" ending was able to save it. I just felt cheated.

Rating:
Summary: Non-stop roller coaster ride of emotion...
Review: I admit it - since reading SON OF THE MORNING I haven't been traipsing through the used bookstores looking for Ms. Howard's back list. I did, however, love MR. PERFECT, which came highly recommended, as did this book.

This story is something that feasibly could happen in real life (and most assuredly has), although Milla is written as a much stronger mother than I think I could ever be. Diaz...well, what can be said about such a mysterious, unique hero, except I would certainly feel perfectly safe with him at my back!

The subject matter of baby stealing and other horrific goings-on was disturbing, but not off-putting; I read this in about a day and a half. I'd give the emotions-wringing level about a 10, and although the narrative prose was a tad slow-paced in spots, I didn't find that it detracted from the story...much.

All in all, CRY NO MORE is one heck of a book sure to win Linda Howard many awards.

Rating:
Summary: Cry No More
Review: I have long been a fan of Linda Howard's (starting with her Silhouette books)and enjoyed her longer novels. Her new book was worth the wait and it touches the heart with Milla and her search for her son, one she never gave up no matter what everyone else told her. Her devotion to finding Justin helped her create Finders in order to help other parents of abducted/runaway children.
I liked this book but was a bit disappointed when the major players in Justin's abduction were simply written off--you never knew exactly what punishment they received. What happened to Milla's friends at Finders and her friend Rip? The epilogue explains some of what happens to Milla but I like the loose ends tied up. Don't peak at the back to see what happens--start at the VERY beginning and read it ALL THE WAY THROUGH to the end. I promise you'll like it.

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Rating:
Summary: By Far, One of Linda Howard's Finest Novels
Review: Bestselling author Linda Howard is at the top of her game with this romantic suspense novel that shifts into emotional high gear in the first chapter when a six-week old baby is snatched from his mother's arms on a street in Mexico.

For Milla and her doctor husband, David, life had been pretty close to perfect until that horrible moment. They were young, madly in love and had just been blessed with the gift of their newborn baby, Justin. Despite Milla's concerns at giving birth in Mexico where David was volunteering at a health clinic, everything had gone off without a hitch. But her relief and joy at being a new mom was abruptly shattered when Justin is brutally and inexplicably taken from her in a vicious attack.

After recovering from the near-fatal stab wounds inflicted by the kidnappers, Milla vows never to give up until she finds her son, who was likely stolen for an illegal adoption ring trafficking in black market babies. Her marriage eventually collapses under the enormous strain of grief and her obsessive drive to find Justin at all costs. In the ten years following the kidnapping, Milla dedicates herself to the cause of finding lost children by establishing the Finders organization. Her tireless work in seeking the missing enables her to both pursue leads for her son and numb the pain of her own loss.

Although the trail for Justin had long since grown cold in the ten years since the kidnapping, an anonymous phone tip may suddenly lead Milla to her son's kidnappers. A mysterious assassin named Diaz becomes her unlikely ally in the search, and she finds herself powerfully and physically drawn to him against her better judgment. The attentions of a wealthy local businessman with an agenda of his own complicates the picture and Milla finds herself caught up in a web of deception and deceit, uncertain of who to trust, even amongst her closest friends. On the twisted and danger-fraught trail of cold-blooded killers, she and Diaz slowly unravel the horrible and shocking truth behind the illicit baby adoption operation and a related organ smuggling scheme. When at last Milla is given the vengeance she deserves and the information she had so long craved, she is forced to make the most difficult decision of her life, resulting in an emotional and bittersweet conclusion.

In Milla, Linda Howard has created an authentic and compassionate heroine of enormous depth and emotion. Her simultaneous toughness and vulnerability make for a complexly believable character whose incredible inner strength and single-minded drive quickly wins our admiration. We feel Milla's pain, sadness and triumphs so intensely that it's almost as if they were our own.

While the author is strong on characterization and adept at crafting a gripping story with an emotionally resonant punch, she falls short of the mark on plotting by allowing us to see the resolution long before it happens. Her narrative decision to put us into the heads of several characters, including the crime's perpetrators, removes the element of suspense from the book early on. Discovering the truth alongside Milla, as opposed to knowing the outcome in advance, would have made for a far more riveting conclusion. Nonetheless, it is a testament to Howard's skill as a writer and our great feelings for the heroine that we are motivated to keep reading long after the proverbial cat is out of the bag.

CRY NO MORE satisfies on many levels. In addition to being a gripping suspense novel and delicious roller coaster ride of emotions, it is also a powerful exploration of loss, grief and healing. This is by far one of Linda Howard's finest.

--- Reviewed by Joni Rendon

Rating:
Summary: Not the Usual Romance
Review: This book was very well done, and a great story, though it is not what I would expect from Linda Howard, she seems to be turning her writing to main stream suspense, which is a shame as nobody does a romance like LH does. I think I may stop reading her books now, I read books to escape from the every day sorrow and horror, and I like to feel good after reading a book. I didn't get that after Cry No More.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful!
Review: Linda Howard has gifted us with a story that is intelligently written, believable and compelling. While she retains her formula of writing romance that deftly nears but doesn't cross the line between the beautifully sensual and the seamy, she diverges from the usual to give us more than just entertaining fiction. In this work, she gives us an insightful dissection of the gamut of emotions involved in the abduction of a child. I found this novel to be gripping. However, the subject matter is not for the faint-hearted. It's edgy, dark and gut-wrenching.

For us readers, women's fiction is generally about escape from reality. This book won't give you that. It forces the reader into a head-on confrontation with it. If you're considering purchasing this book, understand that it doesn't follow the usual formula for women's fiction. But, for me, that doesn't make it a bad book. To the contrary, that makes it cutting-edge fiction. I may not pick this one up to re-read it with the same frequency that I do After the Night, Heartbreaker, or many other Linda Howard books, but this book deserves a 5 rating because it is challenging, provocative and powerful, and is well worth the hardcover price.

Rating:
Summary: cry forever what a let down
Review: I was rather disappointed in this book after waiting for so long for it to come out and my shear love of Linda Howard books. I am coming off an emotional high from books like mr perfect, mckenzie's mountain, now you see her now you don't, and dying to please (which was my favorite book). It pained me greatly to see that the mother's story begins and ends in pain. Don't read this book unless you like pain. Want a good romance novel? Read Dying to Please.

Rating:
Summary: It's not unabridged
Review: I read the book and then I got the unabridged audiobook.
The last chapter is not there. The book is great, but it
needs the last chapter. I would not buy this audiobook
again.