An Unforgettable Lady

Everyone seemed to rave about this book but I found it just okay. The books started pretty slow. The suspense was not suspenseful. I figured out from his first appearance who the bad guy was. There wasn't much protection going on but then there wasn't much to that part of the plot. Mostly it was a convoluted will they won't they fall into bed story. If it's a bodyguard story I want to see the need for the bodyguard and see him doing his stuff. Seemed like the author would occasionally remember that he was supposed to be working and would throw in a line about him scanning the street but I just didn't feel it. Didn't really buy the romance element either. What is John going to do with his life after he leaves Black Watch?

Pretty middle of show more the road read for me. show less

An Unforgettable Lady is another solid story from Jessica Bird aka J. R. Ward. It's kind of a hybrid of a standard contemporary romance and a romantic suspense. I say this because the suspense element is present but somewhat in the background as a group of high society ladies who were all featured in the same newspaper article are picked off by a serial killer one-by-one. The heroine is one of the women from the article, so she rather reluctantly hires the hero to act as her personal bodyguard. However, there are no direct attempts made against her until the end of the story, and I have to admit that it was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was. In between the murders, there is a nice romance with the hero and heroine show more experiencing a strong, immediate attraction that eventually leads to a steamy affair.

Grace was a very strong woman who never backed down from John's caveman act when they first met and she subsequently hired him to protect her. She was controlled most of her life, first by her parents and later her husband, and she's not about to let John waltz in and take over too. She's struggling to find her footing as an independently wealthy woman who has just taken the helm of her father's charitable foundation upon his recent death, while the sexist, old-school boy's club is trying to push her out. I like that she runs the family foundation differently than her father and avoids spending money on frivolous things like any good charitable organization should, even though the men in power disagree with her methods. Outwardly, Grace is very controlled, but inwardly, she's sometimes falling apart as she suffers from anxiety and self-doubt. She has a very complicated and strained relationship with her mother that obviously contributes to her self-esteem issues, which I would have liked to have seen explored in a little more depth. Grace also later discovers that there were things about her father she thought were true, but weren't. It would have been nice to see her feelings on that subject brought out a little more too.

Initially, John seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder where the rich and powerful are concerned. I think this is because, although his job is to protect them, he sees into their personal lives in a way that few others do and generally doesn't like the reality of what most of these types are like. It takes him a little while to figure out that Grace is different. To her, John seems a little too much like her controlling parents and husband, so he has to find the delicate balance between lightening up a little in their personal dealings and still being hard-nosed from the bodyguard angle in order to effectively protect her. John can definitely come off as being quite arrogant at times, but Grace often surprises him and occasionally makes him smile. He possesses an iron grip of self-control and cares enough about Grace to not want to hurt her even though he's caught up in an intense desire for her. Despite his passion though, John is still pretty closed off throughout most of the story. I really would have loved to see him open up a little more. He also has a pretty tortured past that was only briefly touched upon, and I would have liked to have seen explored in more detail.

Grace and John have both been deeply hurt in their pasts, and I think each of them recognizes that hurt in one another as well as the need to be in control. I really enjoyed the opposite sides of the track characterization and how Grace is a poised, society lady while John is a rough around the edges former special ops guy who doesn't put much stock in wealth and prestige. They didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but in spite of their early bickering, the sexual tension was high from the beginning. It was never a question of will they or won't they, but when. And when they finally do give into their attraction, the love scenes were very sensual, though nowhere near as hot as the author writes in her more recent books. The one thing I have noticed in these early books of Ms. Bird's is that her heroes have a tendency to hold out on expressing their feelings until the final pages of the novel which doesn't always lend itself well to building and maintaining an emotional connection, but despite this, it was still a very good story.

Although the author's website doesn't officially connect any of her contemporary books as a series, I've seen An Unforgettable Lady grouped with Heart of Gold and An Irresistible Bachelor as The Walking Papers Trilogy, although I have no idea where that series title came from. Other sites simply have An Unforgettable Lady and An Irresistible Bachelor paired as a duet. In any case, all three books contain common characters. Grace is best friends with Carter, the heroine of Heart of Gold, and was first introduced in that book. Carter and her hero, Nick, appear in the early part of An Unforgettable Lady when Grace goes to visit them, and Nick is instrumental in Grace hiring John as her bodyguard. An Unforgettable Lady also introduces Grace's good friend, Jack, and another young woman, Callie, who become the hero and heroine of An Irresistible Bachelor. At the very least, I would recommend reading these latter two books in order, otherwise, readers will get one fairly significant spoiler.

Overall, I enjoyed reading An Unforgettable Lady. I loved Ms. Bird's little shout out within the narrative to Gaelen Foley, another of my favorite authors. Other than my few minor complaints, this book was very well-written and in my opinion, reflects an earlier version of the style that Jessica Bird has developed in her highly successful J. R. Ward persona. Anyone who has enjoyed her Black Dagger Brotherhood and Fallen Angels books will probably like this one too. show less

During a special event, Grace (Countess von Sharone) catches the eye of an intense and brooding stranger. Fascinated, she goes after him and corners him. She pushes his buttons until the stranger startles her with a fiery kiss full of passion, then he leaves. The next day she finds out that one of her close friends has been brutally murdered and the only thing the killer left behind was a newspaper article with a lineup of high society women. Grace is among those women mentioned. On edge and worried for her safety, her friends decide to call in a bodyguard, one of the best. When John Smith enters her life, she's stunned to find that he is the stranger who kissed her at the ball. At first she refuses to hire him until another body turns show more up and her fear that she's being followed moves her into action and accepting his help.

John Smith, former Army Ranger turned bodyguard, finds himself cornered by the Countess von Sharone during a ball. He's instantly attracted and simultaneously infuriated that this mystery woman has managed to get under his skin in a matter of minutes. When he leaves her after sharing a passionate kiss, he doesn't know who she is, or that their paths will soon cross again. When a friend asks him for a favor to meet with a woman who is in fear for her life, he agrees to meet her. His attempts to dissuade her from hiring him are futile, and one week later he's moved into her apartment, sleeping in the guestroom and has to share her bathroom. Naturally, living in such closed confines is bound to send the sparks flying.

I loved both characters from the start. Grace is not at all the snobbish, high society woman one might expect. She has a heart of gold, which comes across anytime she interacts with other people, especially the people who used to work for her late father. She's 30 years old, on the brink of a divorce from Count Ranulf von Sharone who is a real jerk, she's busy warding off the throwbacks on the board of directors of her father's foundation, trying to prepare for a gala that can make or break her, in a constant fight with the second in command of the foundation who wants nothing more than to take her place, she has to fire an obnoxious and irritating chef who will not take no for an answer, her mother is a controlling and seemingly cold woman, she's probably being stalked and a target for a serial killer, and on top of all that, she has to put up with John and his hot and cold mood swings. Frankly, for most of the story, Grace is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I thought she held up very well under all the pressure and scrutiny, and thankfully she realized early on that it would be wise of her to grow a backbone and take back control of her life. I thought she had great tenacity and always said what she felt. She managed all this while still keeping her dignity.

John, was a conflicted character. I know some people probably wouldn't have liked his behavior towards Grace, but I found it very believable. He's lived through a lot - first during is bad childhood, later in the Army, and finally as a bodyguard. He's used to being alone, and he knows the pitfalls of what having any loved ones in his life could mean. They could be used against him at any time and carm to harm in his line of work. Being with her would ultimately put a spotlight on him as well, and that is something he can't afford to have. Regardless, no matter how hard they try to deny what is happening between them, they can't stop it, but they sure it very difficult for themselves. And that is where the roller coaster of emotions comes in. I teared up and fist pumped my way through this book.

After having read J.R. Ward's paranormal series, this was a big change. If you've read BDB first, don't forget that this was written in 2004. It's different, but it's really good because it's the WARDen. I have read the second book, [b:An Irresistible Bachelor|301531|An Irresistible Bachelor (An Unforgettable Lady #2)|Jessica Bird|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266518936s/301531.jpg|292595] , and it was even better. An exciting read on all levels.


I guess GR hasn't updated the pictures since the books got a makeover. The Unforgettable Lady series and The Moorehouse Legacy series crossover. To keep up with the flow, the order to read these is:

An Unforgettable Lady - Grace & John
An Irresistible Bachelor - Jack & Callie
The Rebel - Nate & Frankie
From The First - Alex & Cassandra
His Comfort And Joy - Gray & Joy show less

CRAP- I wrote a huge whole review and lost the entire thing...

Grace Hall is a high society socialite, a trendsetter, and a countess. She is also going through a divorce, just lost her father to a heart attack, and trying to work as the head of her fathers company even though many people doubt her capabilities. She becomes terrified when there is a murderer killing women in the city that were recently written about in a news article. This article was about the 6 most wealthy women in New York. This piece was featuring Grace, as she was the biggest and most popular out of the 6. So the idea that someone is going around killing her friends who were in the article with her sort of freaks her out. Who wouldn't be? So she hires John Smith as show more her personal body guard.

John Smith, no that's not his real name, is dreading working for Grace since by his rules of protection he must always be with her. Yes, that means even live with her. He is very attracted to her, and he likes her personality. She's one of the few people who has ever talked back to him. He isn't convinced that she actually wants him, he think she is only attracted to him because he is from the other side of the tracks. He grew up as juvenile delinquent, and went into the military. He was an Army Ranger, and now is the head of his own security/bodyguard agency, that he works for himself. His qualifications very, such as, weapons expert, sniper, assassin, and other kill or be killed skills. So he can't fathom why a women like Grace would be attracted to him.

I love the writing in this book. It is really good. It is totally a romance. None of this, it's on the romance shelf but it isn't really. No this is a ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF ROMANCE. HA. I teared up at one point, just getting emotionally attached to the characters I guess. I also managed to laugh a bit too. I was giggling so hard when I pieced together the visual of this high society countess, smacking her forehead into the glass window b/c she was trying to lean forward to watch John Smith do his tai chi. show less

Este foi, para mim, um dos livros mais esperados do mês. Tinha uma enorme curiosidade em saber como Ward se sairia com romances policiais e mais uma vez não fui decepcionada. Habituada aos seus famosos livros da “Irmandade da Adaga Negra”, não pude deixar de comparar John Smith com a personagem ZSadist dessa mesma saga. É difícil de chamar esta autora pelo seu nome, ela é e sempre será para nós J.R. Ward, mas a verdade é que Jessica Bird é o seu verdadeiro nome. Este livro foi publicado pela primeira vez em 2004, um ano antes da publicação do primeiro volume da saga da Irmandade e posso dizer seguramente que Ward tem um dom especial para a escrita. Ao contrário de outros autores, ela consegue ser multifacetada e show more escrever sobre diversos géneros literários, o que é surpreendente.
Este livro conta-nos a história de Grace, uma mulher que aparentemente tem uma vida privilegiada e perfeita, mas que de repente se vê envolvida numa serie de assassínios, na qual poderá tornar-se na próxima vítima. Com o auxílio de amigos contrata uma empresa de segurança para ter consigo um guarda-costas, só não espera encontrar um desconhecido, que na verdade era alguém com quem já se tinha cruzado antes e por quem tinha sentido uma atracção avassaladora. John Smith é o nosso querido bad boy, com todas aquelas características que nós adoramos e logo no início ficamos “caidinhas” pela personagem. Os ingredientes são irresistíveis: passado misterioso, arrogante, auto-suficiente, charmoso…melhor mesmo é parar com as descrições e deixar-vos descobrir o resto. Adorei o livro, apesar de se focar mais no romance entre os dois protagonista e deixar a parte policial para segundo plano, mas talvez isso nos deixe margem para conhecer melhor as personagens. O único defeito tem a ver com as interrupções nas cenas picantes, deixei de contar as vezes que John e Grace foram interrompidos a meio de um acto sexual e em situações que deixam qualquer leitor frustrado, mas tudo isso funciona apenas para um culminar ainda mais emocionante.
Quanto ao assassino, no início não pensava que fosse aquela personagem, mas aos poucos comecei a desconfiar dele, apesar de haver mais hipóteses e até ao final ficar sempre em aberto a possibilidade de ser ou não aquele o culpado.
Mais uma vez, menciono que adorei esta nova faceta da autora e espero sinceramente poder voltar a ler outras obras de Jessica Bird. show less

Este foi, para mim, um dos livros mais esperados do mês. Tinha uma enorme curiosidade em saber como Ward se sairia com romances policiais e mais uma vez não fui decepcionada. Habituada aos seus famosos livros da “Irmandade da Adaga Negra”, não pude deixar de comparar John Smith com a personagem ZSadist dessa mesma saga. É difícil de chamar esta autora pelo seu nome, ela é e sempre será para nós J.R. Ward, mas a verdade é que Jessica Bird é o seu verdadeiro nome. Este livro foi publicado pela primeira vez em 2004, um ano antes da publicação do primeiro volume da saga da Irmandade e posso dizer seguramente que Ward tem um dom especial para a escrita. Ao contrário de outros autores, ela consegue ser multifacetada e show more escrever sobre diversos géneros literários, o que é surpreendente.
Este livro conta-nos a história de Grace, uma mulher que aparentemente tem uma vida privilegiada e perfeita, mas que de repente se vê envolvida numa serie de assassínios, na qual poderá tornar-se na próxima vítima. Com o auxílio de amigos contrata uma empresa de segurança para ter consigo um guarda-costas, só não espera encontrar um desconhecido, que na verdade era alguém com quem já se tinha cruzado antes e por quem tinha sentido uma atracção avassaladora. John Smith é o nosso querido bad boy, com todas aquelas características que nós adoramos e logo no início ficamos “caidinhas” pela personagem. Os ingredientes são irresistíveis: passado misterioso, arrogante, auto-suficiente, charmoso…melhor mesmo é parar com as descrições e deixar-vos descobrir o resto. Adorei o livro, apesar de se focar mais no romance entre os dois protagonista e deixar a parte policial para segundo plano, mas talvez isso nos deixe margem para conhecer melhor as personagens. O único defeito tem a ver com as interrupções nas cenas picantes, deixei de contar as vezes que John e Grace foram interrompidos a meio de um acto sexual e em situações que deixam qualquer leitor frustrado, mas tudo isso funciona apenas para um culminar ainda mais emocionante.
Quanto ao assassino, no início não pensava que fosse aquela personagem, mas aos poucos comecei a desconfiar dele, apesar de haver mais hipóteses e até ao final ficar sempre em aberto a possibilidade de ser ou não aquele o culpado.
Mais uma vez, menciono que adorei esta nova faceta da autora e espero sinceramente poder voltar a ler outras obras de Jessica Bird. show less

Let me first say that An Unforgettable Lady, by Jessica Bird, aka JR Ward, was a surprisingly good read. I normally stick to paranormal reads but this one was recommended through a friend and it was simply very good.
The book is centered on the main character, Grace Hall who is a stunning society beauty, married to a Count. She’s also a strong businesswoman who’s recently come to the realization that the older male board members at her father’s foundation don’t think she can run the place; her absent husband is a philandering, abusive creep; and there’s at least one bodyguard in Manhattan who is hot enough to melt her.
John Smith is her hired security guard, who is an ex-military security specialist who’s been through Hell, show more and pushes people away at every opportunity—especially women. When society women start dropping dead, particularly ones with ties to Grace, a contact of hers asks John to protect her as a personal favor. Before long he’s moved into the guest bedroom at her penthouse, and the two of them are trading barbs and heated stares as they try to figure out who is killing everyone.
The setup is a traditional one: sophisticated, dignified woman meets gruff, wounded man with violent past. Sparks fly. Luckily with this book, Bird adds a lot of conflict between the characters and a nice plot was added to the story with the murders occurring and the tracking of who the killer could possibly be. It was interesting to see how the characters interacted and not just the two main ones, and Bird/Ward did marvelous job with it as the characters have flair, depth, empathy, and great dialogue. The murder plot itself isn’t the greatest; the killer was fairly obvious to me, and the plot came across as rather silly, which removes some of the tension and threat level. However, in some ways this just serves to highlight how amazing the characters were. After all, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book despite the problems with the murder plot, and usually that sort of thing would annoy me to no end!
I would give this book 3 ½ stars in my rating system out of 5. I look forward to the next in the series. show less