Marriage: Classified (Intrigue, 624)

Rating:
Summary: Marriage Classified
Review: Linda O. Johnston returns for her second Intrigue with "Marriage: Classified." This is an improvement on her first Intrigue, "Alias Mommy," though still a lackluster tale. Sara Shepard Dawes awakens after her wedding to find her memory gone and her police chief father dead on the floor beside her. Her new groom, Officer Jordan Dawes, claims her father was killed by a serial killer who also murdered her brother, and who was now coming after her. Can Sara trust this man she can't even remember marrying?

The back cover actually gives away more of the story (the second of this month's books to do so--something I wish the copy writers would stop), but I'll stop there. Johnston's story has one big strong point, the suspense, and one big weakness, the romance. The main strength of "Marriage: Classified" is the very thing Johnston didn't provide in "Alias: Mommy:" a mystery. This book actually has one, and a fairly good one at that. Johnston offers a number of suspects who are all equally suspicious and keeps them that way through most of the plot, not giving away who it is and keeping readers on their toes. Those who like following clues to figure out "whodunit" will find much to enjoy in this part of the story. Though the suspense is slight (the killer is so over-the-top I laughed out loud at one of the supposedly "scary" threats), the mystery is deftly plotted and quite impressive in its attention to detail.

Unfortunately, the romance falls flat because of almost the opposite reason. Sara and Jordan are two generic characters who aren't well defined enough to make the reader care about them. They seem like they've been generated from a computer program that assigned the most popular hooks to them: She's a BRIDE and an AMNESIAC! He's a COP and a TEXAN (a Texas Ranger, no less, something that's mentioned about 20 million times in this book. If I had to read the words "Texas Ranger" one more time I was going to scream.) Plus, he used to be a NAVY SEAL! All that's missing is a secret baby or a pregnancy. Thank goodness the author showed some restraint. Sara and Jordan are familiar types, but Johnston doesn't provide enough personal detail to make them seem like any different from the other Texas cops and amnesiac brides we've seen before. In addition, for two supposedly intelligent people, Sara and Jordan do some very foolish things at various points in the story. The closest I came to any understanding of them was that they were stupid people. That's not much to make me care about them or their love story.

Mystery readers may find a story to enjoy in "Marriage: Classified." Romance readers may not feel the same way.

Rating:
Summary: Marriage Classified
Review: Linda O. Johnston returns for her second Intrigue with "Marriage: Classified." This is an improvement on her first Intrigue, "Alias Mommy," though still a lackluster tale. Sara Shepard Dawes awakens after her wedding to find her memory gone and her police chief father dead on the floor beside her. Her new groom, Officer Jordan Dawes, claims her father was killed by a serial killer who also murdered her brother, and who was now coming after her. Can Sara trust this man she can't even remember marrying?

The back cover actually gives away more of the story (the second of this month's books to do so--something I wish the copy writers would stop), but I'll stop there. Johnston's story has one big strong point, the suspense, and one big weakness, the romance. The main strength of "Marriage: Classified" is the very thing Johnston didn't provide in "Alias: Mommy:" a mystery. This book actually has one, and a fairly good one at that. Johnston offers a number of suspects who are all equally suspicious and keeps them that way through most of the plot, not giving away who it is and keeping readers on their toes. Those who like following clues to figure out "whodunit" will find much to enjoy in this part of the story. Though the suspense is slight (the killer is so over-the-top I laughed out loud at one of the supposedly "scary" threats), the mystery is deftly plotted and quite impressive in its attention to detail.

Unfortunately, the romance falls flat because of almost the opposite reason. Sara and Jordan are two generic characters who aren't well defined enough to make the reader care about them. They seem like they've been generated from a computer program that assigned the most popular hooks to them: She's a BRIDE and an AMNESIAC! He's a COP and a TEXAN (a Texas Ranger, no less, something that's mentioned about 20 million times in this book. If I had to read the words "Texas Ranger" one more time I was going to scream.) Plus, he used to be a NAVY SEAL! All that's missing is a secret baby or a pregnancy. Thank goodness the author showed some restraint. Sara and Jordan are familiar types, but Johnston doesn't provide enough personal detail to make them seem like any different from the other Texas cops and amnesiac brides we've seen before. In addition, for two supposedly intelligent people, Sara and Jordan do some very foolish things at various points in the story. The closest I came to any understanding of them was that they were stupid people. That's not much to make me care about them or their love story.

Mystery readers may find a story to enjoy in "Marriage: Classified." Romance readers may not feel the same way.

Rating:
Summary: well written, but needs leap of acceptance
Review: The serial killer murdered her brother, who was closing in on apprehending him. Her father, the Santa Gregoria, California police chief became a victim too. Sara Shepard suffers amnesia after taking a blow to the head on her wedding night. Jordan Dawes informs her that he is her new spouse, but fails to tell her that their marriage is a farce set up by her father to catch her brother's killer.

Jordan knows he will risk his life to keep Sara safe, but as her memories slowly return, she has some doubts about her new husband. Besides the fact he acts strange for a newlywed, her pieces of recall do not match what Jordan has told her. Still she finds herself falling in love with him even as Jordan reciprocates the same feelings, but sometimes she wonders if he could be the killer.

Though well written, MARRIAGE CLASSIFIED requires one of two types of acceptance. Either readers take a leap of faith or assume the highly regarded former SEAL and Texas Ranger Jordan is an idiot and the killer is a bigger moron. Still, the tale is fun to observe because of Sara, whose emotions run the gamut from needing Jordan to protect and guide her to love to doubts about him for fear he is a "crafty" killer. Linda O Johnston has written a fine romantic intrigue that many sub-genre fans will enjoy. However, those readers who want a taut tale will find this plot just a bit too loose when it comes to the roles of the key two male players.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: well written, but needs leap of acceptance
Review: The serial killer murdered her brother, who was closing in on apprehending him. Her father, the Santa Gregoria, California police chief became a victim too. Sara Shepard suffers amnesia after taking a blow to the head on her wedding night. Jordan Dawes informs her that he is her new spouse, but fails to tell her that their marriage is a farce set up by her father to catch her brother's killer.

Jordan knows he will risk his life to keep Sara safe, but as her memories slowly return, she has some doubts about her new husband. Besides the fact he acts strange for a newlywed, her pieces of recall do not match what Jordan has told her. Still she finds herself falling in love with him even as Jordan reciprocates the same feelings, but sometimes she wonders if he could be the killer.

Though well written, MARRIAGE CLASSIFIED requires one of two types of acceptance. Either readers take a leap of faith or assume the highly regarded former SEAL and Texas Ranger Jordan is an idiot and the killer is a bigger moron. Still, the tale is fun to observe because of Sara, whose emotions run the gamut from needing Jordan to protect and guide her to love to doubts about him for fear he is a "crafty" killer. Linda O Johnston has written a fine romantic intrigue that many sub-genre fans will enjoy. However, those readers who want a taut tale will find this plot just a bit too loose when it comes to the roles of the key two male players.

Harriet Klausner