Suzanne Brockmann

I seriously almost loved this. Brockman can write. I liked the characters and the plot is an interesting one. But the fact that kept me from loving it and, in fact, coming to really resent large chunks of it is unfortunately so common in modern fiction it's hardly worth commenting on...except that we should all be commenting on it all the time.

The whole book hinges on cliched female terror. Almost every single female in this book, adult and child, is either raped or threatened with rape at show more some point in this book. This is used as character development shorthand. Want a villain to seem especially vile? Make him a serial rapist, better yet a serial child rapist or a knife wielding sadistic rapist. Want a woman to be especially pitiable? Make her relive the memory of her rape over and over. What her to be notably strong? Make her over come her rape. Want a girl to be especially terrorized? Make her witness another girl get raped or threaten her with rape. Want your heroes to be especially good guys? Have them overlook the besmirchment of the women they love and, unlike everyone else, not judge them for getting raped. Better yet, have them also save them from the after-effects of their rapes. Either teaching them how to not remain stuck on the memory or convince them it wasn't their fault. All of these are in this book. Every single one of them and more. It's common, trope-based characterization shorthand and it's LAZY writing! I expected so much more from this book. show less

Hot Target
4.5 Stars

On leave from SEAL Team 16, Cosmo Richter accepts a freelance job with Troubleshooters, Inc., which has been hired to provide protection for Hollywood producer, Jane Mercedes Chadwick. Jane has been receiving death threats due to her controversial new film focusing on the homosexuality of a WWII hero. Soon sparks are flying on the set not only between Cosmo and Jane, but between the leading man, Robin Chadwick, and FBI agent Jules Cassidy. With the cast and crew in the show more crosshairs of a killer, dangerous and desperate decisions will have to be made.

It is a toss-up as to whether this or book #3 is my favorite in the series. Looking at the two books, it is clear that my preference is for strong, silent, and stoic heroes, and Cosmo certainly meets each and every criterion. Unlike Teri, who is likable at the outset, Jane takes some getting used to as she initially comes across as shallow and self-absorbed. It soon becomes clear that she has developed this persona for professional and personal reasons. One of the highlights of the book is that both Jane and Cosmo are able to see beyond each others' facade to their true selves.

The secondary storyline focusing on Jules and Robin is just as engaging and it will be interesting to see how Brockmann develops this relationship as Robin is still in denial regarding is sexulaity. Adam is the one problem with this thread. He is completely self-centered, egotistical obnoxious and unlikable yet he exhibit some emotional depth every now and then that makes the reader reconsider his nature (even if it is short-lived). Kudos to Brockmann for creating such a morally ambiguous character.

While the assassin plot takes a back-seat to some of the other drama in the book, it develops well and keeps the reader guessing. The climax and resolution are intense and exciting, and there is one truly heartbreaking scene the really brings the threat to the fore.

Overall, one of the best books in the series and I look forward to the next book, which focuses on another couple whose story has been long awaited - Max and Gina. show less

The great thing about Brockmann— she can really transcend a laughable, cliched plot like no one’s business. I mean, “may just be more of a baby-sitting job than Kate can handle” is just cheesecake.

What I found in Hearthrob is a powerful redemption story about a man (Jed) who claws his way out of the gutter, and willing to sacrifice every ounce of pride he has on the way. What I didn’t find was an equally powerful story about a heroine who deserved him.

Overall, I found Kate show more judgmental, small-minded, and terribly ignorant. The contract she forces Jericho to sign is ridiculous (I kept thinking, could this piece of shizz even hold up in court?)— and the hoops she makes him jump through, even when she is wrong, are harsh. Jed had more risk of falling off the wagon dealing with that contract then he did from being an alcoholic in recovery.

Which really gets to my main complaint about Kate. It seemed like she knew very very little about recovering alcoholics, the nature of addiction, mental illness, etc. Her ignorance, the way she pushed and pushed Jed, wasn’t romantic to me, it was frightening.

When I got to the end and Jed’s big realization that he may need to spend the rest of his life earning back the trust that his addictions rightfully stripped from him- I thought, yes!- but not from Kate. And for someone spent a lifetime abusing alcohol to subsume anger and frustration, not being angry at Kate for the way she treated him rang false.

I realize she is meant to be a control freak, so devoted to her film that she risks love for control. But being that unaware of how her own actions were in fact jeopardizing the film, by jeopardizing Jed’s sobriety, that was too much for me. Jed finds redemption, but to me, Kate needed it more. I started wishing the book was a tragedy, and not a romance novel, so that Kate could, in fact, loose it all. And maybe learn something.

Without an equally solid heroine to meet Jed’s hero, the Happily Ever After wasn’t so happy for me. I enjoyed the book, wanted to love it more, but couldn’t let go of my own anger at Kate.

3 of 5 stars, and those three stars are all Jed.

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There are also some real strange WTF moments in Hearthrob. Like when the older, white, Oscar-nominated actor takes on a mentoring role with the young, black actor and guides him through the difficult experience of playing a slave in the pre-Civil War South. Yeah. That was uncomfortable. In fact, every movie scene was lame. The dialogue made me cringe, over and over. show less

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Suzanne Brockmann is all about the people. Don’t get me wrong. Do or Die is a full-on action story with lives on the line, and both “heart in throat” and amazing “think on your feet” moments. She tells a grand tale, but when it comes down to it, the characters make all the difference. From the leads, Ian and Phoebe, to Ian’s brother Aaron and Aaron’s husband Shel to the ex-cop turned lawyer Martell and all the rest, these people are show more real.

I got to see some characters I’ve met before and discovered more I’m hoping to meet again, which is the power of her stories.

This book is centered around a crazy mob boss who is out to get them, but not for the usual reasons. Instead, it’s because his son is gay and he wants to eliminate anyone connected to that fact.

There is more to the story, but this aspect makes everything harder because everyone on the “good guy” team is motivated by very real concerns. Trouble comes from how these concerns put them into direct conflict, and the way Ian believes in the “need to know” principle from his SEAL days, and as far as he’s concerned, no one needs to know.

The book makes villains out of heroes, though only temporarily in most cases, and makes heroes out of those you think are clearly on the other side of the equation, sometimes because of bureaucracy and other times just because of who they are.

Even in that aspect, though, Brockmann doesn’t offer a simple story with Hollywood endings all around. The endings she does give are right for each person as far as I can tell, though some leave open hope for the future without removing a satisfying conclusion.

To be honest, there was so much going on I wondered at times just how things would pull back together, but Brockmann manages it as she always does.

Wherever your comfort level with homosexuality, Aaron and Shel provide a well-rounded picture of a relationship (of any kind) where it’s not enough just to love each other but where decisions need to be jointly made and trust maintained. Then there are a number of sibling conflicts and resolutions tucked in, and that’s not even touching on the troubles facing Phoebe with Ian sure he’s not a good bet over the long run whatever his instincts and little used romantic heart declares.

Oh, and don’t think it’s all mushy mushy either. There’s dancing around a sociopath who just happens to be of use to them, ducking the aforementioned mob boss, and half a dozen other crises going on at any one moment that require quick thinking, trust, and sometimes just taking that leap of faith (at points a literal leap). The book was a non-stop race on physical and emotional levels that made it hard to focus on all the other things I was supposed to accomplish.

I read too many of the Troubleshooters books in a row and took a break from Suzanne Brockmann for a bit. Now I remember why I was driven to over-indulge, and I have a couple more waiting on my shelf for me to enjoy.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. show less