Rating: 
Summary: Southern Librarian versus Yankee Cop
Review: Linda Howard manages to sandwich laughs into a fairly good mystery and a great romance. The fun is in how Daisy, the plain librarian, turns into a Southern femme-fatale. I'm not sure the "mauve-puce" test would even be beleivable in the rural South but it is a funny bit. Her thinking process, like most of Howard's heroines, is a bit convoluted, but at least she has logical (to her) reasons for doing things to move the plot along. The hero is interesting and there is fairly fun bit about a box of condoms. There is some question about which peolpe are the bad guys, two groups or only one, but the end does not involve the heroine getting in trouble by doing excatly what everyone has told her not to do! If you like Howard's "Dream Lover" or "And Now You See Her", you'll like this one.
Rating:
Summary: I liked this story!
Review: I was expecting, like other readers, more suspense, violence, gorry details. What I got was a good love story with a slight detective angle to it. I put this book on the list of one of my favorites because I like to see relationships grow, know more of the characters and less blow by blow violence. Daisy and Jack are good together, as are all of the secondary players in the book. Sleepy little town, nothing changes, then the main characters take over and wham! A very good read and I recommend to all.
Rating:
Summary: Very cute
Review: This is a very nice book to settle down with. Although not as entertaining as Mr. Perfect, Open Season does offer the spicy romance that is Linda Howard's signature. Open season also introduces some characters that we will probably be seeing again, like Todd and Howard. Overall, Open Season is a romance book with a little twist.
Rating: 
Summary: Linda comes through for us again.........
Review: I read this in a day! I wasn't sure about the plot - lib. lady turns bad girl but Linda sure can pull just about anything off. It's a great book when I'm laughing out loud about something I'm reading. I very much enjoyed the whole book!
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to her usual standards
Review: I've enjoyed several of Linda Howard's previous efforts, but this one lacked the detail and mystery I'd come to expect. The premise of a women approaching 35 and spinsterhood wanting to let go of her inhibitions and find a mate was excellent. Her efforts to become someone new were comical. The ending fell flat. It seemed as if Howard just wanted to finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: great author, good book
Review: I always enjoy Linda Howard's books and her latest offering is not a disappointment. It is also not her best or her least best book. I say least best because Ms Howard at her worst is better than many author's best. I liked Daisy and watching her transformation from dull to not dull was entertaining and true to life for many of us. I wish there had been more time spent developing the reader's connection to Jack. We get a glimpse of his life before he became a transplanted Yankee, but very little of his current life outside the realm of Daisy. We know what a typical evening would have been like for Daisy, but what does a transplanted Yankee do on his night off? The story is original and absorbing. This plot had a much darker feeling to me and ,for the first time, I felt like some of her villains were truly evil. The secondary characters are varied and colorful. I truly enjoyed the mauve vs. puce debate and I hope we meet Todd again. I would also like to know more about the original Buffalo Club. This book may not feel as seamless or have as much depth as some of her previous work, but I will definitely read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Open Season--Two Legged Variety
Review: Daisy Minor wakes up on her thirty-fourth birthday and realizes she is going nowhere fast. She lives at home with her mother and aunt. Her job consists of being the head librarian in a southern, one-horse town. It has been so long since her last date she doesn't even want to remember it. It's now or never, do something about her life or forever be stuck in the same situation. Daisy set out with a vengeance to completely remake herself. She wants a husband and family. Somewhere, some place, there has to be a man for her. Even though Daisy is a bright girl, she can't even figure how to correctly apply basic make up or dress like a woman under sixty. Her mother comes to the rescue and set her up with Todd, a gay man who used to be on Broadway and now owns an antique store. Todd recognizes potential and completely supervises Daisy's make over from makeup, hair, clothes, to her newly rented home. He encourages Daisy to hit the nightclubs and meet men. Life would be nice if everything went accordingly to Daisy's plan. Well, whoever said life was fair was lying. Daisy manages to attract the attention of Jack Russo, chief of police. He's big, all man, and a former member of the SWAT teams in Chicago and New York. While he seems to get pleasure out of stirring up Daisy, she gets nothing but irritation. That is until the sparks ignite. I gave Open Season a four. Don't get me wrong, the book is great, but it doesn't blend the romance and mystery as well as Ms. Howard's previous novel. You will laugh and love the main characters, Daisy and Jack. I will never be able to hear the words "mauve" and "puce" without thinking of this book again. There are a lot of comical moments that set this book apart from others. However, while there is suspense and a great "surround and capture the bad guys" scene, it is almost as if the suspense is added in at the last moment or in small dosages to continue the story line. This could have been a fabulous romance or a fascinating suspense novel, putting the two together just made it a great book. My biggest gripe about this book is it only took about three hours to read. Now I have to wait another six months or year for the next book by Ms. Howard. Ms. Howard, please start writing faster. I love your books and hated waiting for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: The master does it again
Review: Over the last five or so books, Linda Howard has become a master at combining suspense, romance, and humor. "Open Season" is no exception; it combines many of the elements that made "Mr. Perfect" such a wonderful book. The heroine of "Open Season," Daisy Minor, is a tremendously charming character. Her honesty, forthrightness, sense of humor, and family reliance all make her an unusually strong and well-developed character. The reluctant hero, Jack, has the bone-deep strength combined with incredibly dangerous effectiveness that always make Linda Howard's heroes so incredibly appealing. The suspense/mystery in "Open Season" is well-done, as usual with Howard. It's interesting enough to provide tension but not so overwhelming as to detract from the characterization and relationship development. As in Howard's previous effort, "Mr. Perfect," we get quite a few laugh-out loud moments, which add tremendously to the appeal. My only criticism is that the relationship between Jack and Daisy somehow lacks the intensity normally found in Howard's books. The relationship lacks both the "immediate sensing of mate" basis typical to Howard books and the "gradual deepening of romance" generally found in romance novels. "Open Season" is a tremendous demonstration of all that has made Howard a leader in the field of romantic suspense. The wonderful humor, great suspense, and intense sexuality combine to make this another masterful effort by Howard. It was a lot of fun to read!
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Summary: daisy meets her match
Review: Linda Howard does a great job showing both the innocence of Daisy, as well as the strength of her character. Jack makes a good contrast with his background as a SWAT team member. Looking at the relationship between the two, readers will laugh out loud at the way these characters interact. Howard's plot that Daisy unwittingly see's a murder without realizing it fits right in with her character. There are some extrememly funny moments when Daisy and Jack come together. However, while Howard does a good job with the characters and their interaction with each other, the development of the plot isn't as well done as her other novels and the climax was a little disappointing. Despite this, it was still a good novel, intertaining, and for Linda Howard lovers, I definately recommend the novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Open Season
Review: My friend had just bought this book and I read it in a couple hours at her home. It starts out really cute. The small town and the gossip that goes with it. The typical stuffy librarian (Daisy), etc. The librarian decides to make a change and get herself a man! This mas would be the local Chief of Police (Jack). This really could have been an interesting story; however, Jack's character is really ridiculous. The whole "romance theme" can be summed up in one line of the book, "Oh, Daisy I really want to get naked with you." Gee. Be still my heart. The story then dwindles into nothing except for the next moment that they decide to fall in bed. Some of the dialogue (wish I could spell that) is very funny, but many times flaky. I guess after reading P.G. Wodehose, brilliant writer, I'm too picky, maybe. It never ceases to amaze me, though, my woman romance writers never develop romance into what it should be: A beautiful marriage of mind, heart, and spirit. Woman constantly complain of men never seeing the inside of a woman--then flock to read superficial stories based around naked limbs twining together. It could have been really cute, the early dialogue was very interesting but the story never develops. Oh, well.
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