Serpent in Paradise

This romantic suspense novel by the prolific Jayne Ann Krentz was written early in her career (1983) for Silhouette Books, under the Stephanie James pen name, and it definitely shows its age. It has some of the snappy dialog that JAK is known for, but was not up to her ultimate standards. The heroine, Amy is to some extent a modern woman by the standards of the 1980s, but what with the danger, and the exotic setting and the sizzling sex, it picks up a lot of the "he-man claims his woman" vibe that Silhouette loved so well. JAK became a much better writer when she was able to break away from category romance publishers, and you can see the seeds of her trademark style here, but despite some fun moments, it's pretty cringy now.

Oh man the attitudes from the male alpha character didn't gel with me at all. Apart from the entire issue that pregnancy was only one possible problem that arises with unprotected sex, and his domineering personality, he just seemed not to care what she wanted or needed. On the other hand this was written in the 80s, when this sort of romance was prevalent.
Yes there are parts of this romance that are fun and sexy and interesting but overall it hasn't aged well and only succeeded in irritating more than entertaining me. Other Mileage May Vary.

It's with some bemusement that entrepreneur Amy Shannon finds herself in a sleazy bar on the tiny island of Saint Clair. It's well off the beaten tourist path, but she's after some answers about the man who left her sister pregnant and alone, and she's not going to let anything get in the way of getting them.

Jase Lassiter doesn't know what to make of the curvy brunette nursing a glass of red wine in his bar. She's not the typical jaded jet-setter that occasionally wanders in to the Serpent, and he's intrigued in spite of himself.

It isn't long before Jase is thinking dangerous thoughts - and Amy's having a few of her own. Can two highly independent people with totally different lives find it in their hearts to meet in the middle? Island show more romance spiced with intrigue and danger. show less