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Fire #2
Driven by Fire
Pro bono lawyer Jenny Parker is the only true innocent in her family. The daughter of a New Orleans crime lord, she’s tried for years to make her own way, but family ties always manage to pull her back in line. When her youngest brother gets involved in human trafficking, Jenny wants to believe him innocent and tries to protect him, even though it means covering for his crimes.
Matthew Ryder knows Jenny is hiding something, and he couldn’t care less about her motives. As a member of the Committee, a covert anticrime agency, he’s dealt with the worst the world has to offer. To him, Jenny is just another criminal. But when she asks for help, things turn dangerous quickly, and though he can’t trust her, he can’t turn her away.
Now, Jenny and Ryder must head to South America to stop the trafficking ring. To find the truth, they’ll have to survive untamed jungles, hostile rebels, crushing betrayals, and—perhaps most dangerous—the fire of their undeniable attraction.
Matthew Ryder knows Jenny is hiding something, and he couldn’t care less about her motives. As a member of the Committee, a covert anticrime agency, he’s dealt with the worst the world has to offer. To him, Jenny is just another criminal. But when she asks for help, things turn dangerous quickly, and though he can’t trust her, he can’t turn her away.
Now, Jenny and Ryder must head to South America to stop the trafficking ring. To find the truth, they’ll have to survive untamed jungles, hostile rebels, crushing betrayals, and—perhaps most dangerous—the fire of their undeniable attraction.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2016
149 people are currently reading
862 people want to read
About the author
Anne Stuart
205 books2,062 followersAnne Stuart is a grandmaster of the genre, winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, survivor of more than thirty-five years in the romance business, and still just keeps getting better.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
March 4, 2017
The Fire Series, starting with the 1st book, Consumed by Fire, which was a bit of a disappointment....see my review here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... , continues with the 2nd book, Driven by Fire.
This was even more of a let-down!!!
Whilst I kind of liked the hero, Mathew Ryder, secret superspy/agent for the committee is your typical dark, sexy snarky guy......tracking down the bad guys, this time a gang of dangerous human traffickers - it was the heroine, Jenny Parker, pro bono lawyer, goody two shoes, who drove me absolutely insane!!!!
... just got more and more on my nerves. She spent more time sulking and drooling over the hero......feeling sorry for herself!!! She just plain ANNYOED me to no end.
Again there's lot of action, suspense...and sex...........but no really believable connection between the hero and heroine. Romance.........what romance!!!! Was there any?????
Read the Ice Series instead...........it's so much better than this one.
Check out my reviews here..............
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
PS...........WISHING THAT THE NEXT BOOK IN THE FIRE SERIES WILL BLOW ME AWAY!!!!!!
This was even more of a let-down!!!
Whilst I kind of liked the hero, Mathew Ryder, secret superspy/agent for the committee is your typical dark, sexy snarky guy......tracking down the bad guys, this time a gang of dangerous human traffickers - it was the heroine, Jenny Parker, pro bono lawyer, goody two shoes, who drove me absolutely insane!!!!
Listen up, this is a girl, whose family is into organized crime and she finds it hard to believe that her little brother could be a baddie!! Really!!! All that crying and moaning....bah bah bah..........
... just got more and more on my nerves. She spent more time sulking and drooling over the hero......feeling sorry for herself!!! She just plain ANNYOED me to no end.Again there's lot of action, suspense...and sex...........but no really believable connection between the hero and heroine. Romance.........what romance!!!! Was there any?????
Read the Ice Series instead...........it's so much better than this one.
Check out my reviews here..............
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
PS...........WISHING THAT THE NEXT BOOK IN THE FIRE SERIES WILL BLOW ME AWAY!!!!!!
September 9, 2016
You might have to suspend the disbelief here a bit. Jenny's family situation is a bit unbelievable but hey, it's fiction.
MATTHEW RYDER
JENNY PARKER, ESQUIRE
This one started off a bit slow for me and I stopped reading it. Eventually got back to it and the "action" started. NOT that kind of action. Get your minds out of the gutter. We have to wait quite a while for THAT kind of action ... but it was worth the wait.
Matthew was a coldhearted ass for most of the book. Then again, most of the heroes in these books are. That is why I like them!! He doesn't believe in love, he doesn't want love, he doesn't need love ... or so he thinks.
LOL. Fucking horndog.
MATTHEW RYDER
He was ... mesmerising. He was a tall man, six feet or so, with a kind of lean build that was deceptive in it's strength. She didn't for one moment underestimate just how dangerous he could be.
JENNY PARKER, ESQUIRE
She had secrets.
He never trusted a woman with secrets ...
This one started off a bit slow for me and I stopped reading it. Eventually got back to it and the "action" started. NOT that kind of action. Get your minds out of the gutter. We have to wait quite a while for THAT kind of action ... but it was worth the wait.
He was all around her, in her head, in her heart, in her cunt and she wanted to devour him, own him, never let him go. His slow steady thrusts made her gasp, getting her used to the size and the power of him, stilling her apprehension, stoking her desire, as sweat slicked their bodies
Matthew was a coldhearted ass for most of the book. Then again, most of the heroes in these books are. That is why I like them!! He doesn't believe in love, he doesn't want love, he doesn't need love ... or so he thinks.
He looked down at her for a long moment and said succinctly, "God damn it to hell." A moment later he was gone.
"We're gong to drive until we feel like stopping, and then drive some more."
"And when we stop?"
"We'll fuck like rabbits. Does that suit you?"
LOL. Fucking horndog.
January 24, 2016
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Jenny has tried to move beyond her mobster family ties and has used her law degree to help people but when her father calls her and asks her to help her baby brother out, she can't help but run to his aid. She still believes in her brother's innocence, no matter what hard and cynical Matthew Ryder says. When Ryder, working for The Committee (an organization dedicated to taking out the really bad guys), finds Jenny stumbling around a ship transporting human cargo, he thinks she is one of the bad guys. Her demeanor has him questioning that though, but he can still tell she is lying to him. As Jenny fights to maintain her belief in people, Ryder fights his attraction to her and to keep her alive.
He caught her chin in one hard hand, holding her still as his blue eyes blazed down into hers. "I'd be more than happy to demonstrate just how much you really hate me," he said, his mouth hovering over hers.
Second in the Fire series, we focus this time on Matthew Ryder, one of the American Committee's super agents. He has the usual hard, cynical, and stepping over the line jerk-ness that all Stuart heroes' personalities come equipped with but there are a few instances that I think some readers will have a problem with. If you don't like your main hero physically dominating the heroine, this would not be for you.
From the start when our couple meets, they hate one another and I mean hate. Their bickering wasn't so much sexually charged denied lust to me as forced animosity. I kept thinking that maybe they had meet previously and had developed a loathing over a period of time but no, they're just incredibly venomous right off the bat. The whole thing didn't make me anticipate their eventual get together, as give me a headache. I like a bit of friction between my leads at the beginning but this felt over-the-top and heaped on readers' heads.
Stuart heroes are mainly why I read her books and despite feeling uncomfortable at the times Ryder crossed lines (my views on heroes' actions in fictional works could definitely be considered problematic at times) and a lack of any real background relayed about him, I still found him compelling to read about. He's the hero that gets the job done, regardless to how it affects him physically and emotionally. Our heroine, Jenny, is where my biggest problem originated. Jenny was the TSTL (too stupid to live) romantic suspense heroine to the nth degree. She keeps pertinent information that could save lives (even her own) from the hero, she refuses to see the hugely large and clear writing on the wall about two characters, and basically acts like a naïve child. This all from a lawyer who works a lot with victims of the sex trade, I imagine she has seen some awful things that would have opened her eyes. She annoyed, angered, and had me rolling my eyes constantly.
Most of the story is Ryder and Jenny flinging vitriol at one another (some making out interspersed) but the suspense plot of someone trying to kill Jenny and them trying to figure out who is the new head of the sex trade, also pops in and out to keep them in danger and together. The two main puzzle pieces where large and clear but the way they fit together was a bit vague, the danger aspect felt off to the side for me.
I know that I complained a lot but I’m usually am a big fan of Stuart, so there is some sad disappointment happening here. I also read the whole story without skipping and very minimal skimming of certain parts, so I guess you can say there was some entertainment factor here. Stuart is one of the best in the romantic suspense game, you just may want to check her backlist out instead of this new one, though.
Jenny has tried to move beyond her mobster family ties and has used her law degree to help people but when her father calls her and asks her to help her baby brother out, she can't help but run to his aid. She still believes in her brother's innocence, no matter what hard and cynical Matthew Ryder says. When Ryder, working for The Committee (an organization dedicated to taking out the really bad guys), finds Jenny stumbling around a ship transporting human cargo, he thinks she is one of the bad guys. Her demeanor has him questioning that though, but he can still tell she is lying to him. As Jenny fights to maintain her belief in people, Ryder fights his attraction to her and to keep her alive.
He caught her chin in one hard hand, holding her still as his blue eyes blazed down into hers. "I'd be more than happy to demonstrate just how much you really hate me," he said, his mouth hovering over hers.
Second in the Fire series, we focus this time on Matthew Ryder, one of the American Committee's super agents. He has the usual hard, cynical, and stepping over the line jerk-ness that all Stuart heroes' personalities come equipped with but there are a few instances that I think some readers will have a problem with. If you don't like your main hero physically dominating the heroine, this would not be for you.
From the start when our couple meets, they hate one another and I mean hate. Their bickering wasn't so much sexually charged denied lust to me as forced animosity. I kept thinking that maybe they had meet previously and had developed a loathing over a period of time but no, they're just incredibly venomous right off the bat. The whole thing didn't make me anticipate their eventual get together, as give me a headache. I like a bit of friction between my leads at the beginning but this felt over-the-top and heaped on readers' heads.
Stuart heroes are mainly why I read her books and despite feeling uncomfortable at the times Ryder crossed lines (my views on heroes' actions in fictional works could definitely be considered problematic at times) and a lack of any real background relayed about him, I still found him compelling to read about. He's the hero that gets the job done, regardless to how it affects him physically and emotionally. Our heroine, Jenny, is where my biggest problem originated. Jenny was the TSTL (too stupid to live) romantic suspense heroine to the nth degree. She keeps pertinent information that could save lives (even her own) from the hero, she refuses to see the hugely large and clear writing on the wall about two characters, and basically acts like a naïve child. This all from a lawyer who works a lot with victims of the sex trade, I imagine she has seen some awful things that would have opened her eyes. She annoyed, angered, and had me rolling my eyes constantly.
Most of the story is Ryder and Jenny flinging vitriol at one another (some making out interspersed) but the suspense plot of someone trying to kill Jenny and them trying to figure out who is the new head of the sex trade, also pops in and out to keep them in danger and together. The two main puzzle pieces where large and clear but the way they fit together was a bit vague, the danger aspect felt off to the side for me.
I know that I complained a lot but I’m usually am a big fan of Stuart, so there is some sad disappointment happening here. I also read the whole story without skipping and very minimal skimming of certain parts, so I guess you can say there was some entertainment factor here. Stuart is one of the best in the romantic suspense game, you just may want to check her backlist out instead of this new one, though.
March 13, 2025
Blog Review: http://www.sweptawaybyromance.com/201...
3.5 Frustrating Stars!!
Let me start by saying I LOVED Matthew Ryder, he’s everything we expect from an Anne Stuart anti-hero. He’s unfeeling, dark, extremely sexy, and definitely dangerous. His job is to eliminate those “The Committee” deem dangerous, powerful, and on the wrong side of the law. In this case the head of a flesh peddling ring importing young women and children from South America to be sold to the highest bidder and once The Committee learns that someone has taken over the flesh trade enterprise from the Corsini Crime Family (From book one Consumed by Fire) and they are determined to end the trade once and for all!
Jenny Parker is a bleeding heart lawyer who works mostly pro-bono cases for the poor, and in this case, the victims from the shipping container seized by The Committee, local New Orleans Police officials, and the FBI. In actuality, she gets involved when her crime lord father contacts her to get to the shipyard and look for her baby brother who may have, willingly or unwillingly, gotten involved with the business. When she arrives and heads to the ship rather than the bus housing the women and children, she stumbles over countless bodies obviously assassinated. She locates her brother and covers for him when caught by Ryder nosing around.
Next thing you know she is the target of some very bad people and Ryder tries to keep her safe all the while knowing she’s hiding something from him which she is.
Great storyline, with fast paced action, intrigue, shady characters, vile relatives and many twists and turns! My issue was with Jenny…she was way too stubborn, naive and couldn’t see anything beyond her own wants and fears even if it slapping her in the face and putting others in danger….I wanted to shoot her myself at times!! If the heroine was different, I can see myself giving this a five-star rating, but Jenny as a heroine had me wanting to hurl my kindle across the room at times!! But if you’re a fan of Anne Stuart's hero’s it’s totally worth the read just to meet Matthew Ryder!!!
* A copy of the book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley
3.5 Frustrating Stars!!
Let me start by saying I LOVED Matthew Ryder, he’s everything we expect from an Anne Stuart anti-hero. He’s unfeeling, dark, extremely sexy, and definitely dangerous. His job is to eliminate those “The Committee” deem dangerous, powerful, and on the wrong side of the law. In this case the head of a flesh peddling ring importing young women and children from South America to be sold to the highest bidder and once The Committee learns that someone has taken over the flesh trade enterprise from the Corsini Crime Family (From book one Consumed by Fire) and they are determined to end the trade once and for all!
Jenny Parker is a bleeding heart lawyer who works mostly pro-bono cases for the poor, and in this case, the victims from the shipping container seized by The Committee, local New Orleans Police officials, and the FBI. In actuality, she gets involved when her crime lord father contacts her to get to the shipyard and look for her baby brother who may have, willingly or unwillingly, gotten involved with the business. When she arrives and heads to the ship rather than the bus housing the women and children, she stumbles over countless bodies obviously assassinated. She locates her brother and covers for him when caught by Ryder nosing around.
Next thing you know she is the target of some very bad people and Ryder tries to keep her safe all the while knowing she’s hiding something from him which she is.
Great storyline, with fast paced action, intrigue, shady characters, vile relatives and many twists and turns! My issue was with Jenny…she was way too stubborn, naive and couldn’t see anything beyond her own wants and fears even if it slapping her in the face and putting others in danger….I wanted to shoot her myself at times!! If the heroine was different, I can see myself giving this a five-star rating, but Jenny as a heroine had me wanting to hurl my kindle across the room at times!! But if you’re a fan of Anne Stuart's hero’s it’s totally worth the read just to meet Matthew Ryder!!!
* A copy of the book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley
January 23, 2016
I just can't bring myself to dislike these unlikeable heroes. I can't. I love them all. Ryder says some very hurtful things to Jenny while trying to keep himself emotionally unavailable. Stuart excels at creating a false distance between a couple. Each of them thinks that they are doing their best not to fall for a person that would seriously mess up their life and emotional well being. And she makes it realistic. Then she makes the pages melt with hotness and sexual tension, and all the anger and frustration is worth it.
As with most Anne Stuart stories, this one ends abruptly with little romantic resolution beyond the very basic will they or won't they. Ryder is a Committee man...we don't really learn a lot about him other than the fact that he's cold hearted to a point. Jenny is the daughter of a major leader in the New Orleans criminal world, but she's separated herself and tried to make up for her family's evil by doing good. Always, always with the sweet, down to earth girls falling for a Committee man. It's such a fantasy...when he sees something in her that makes him feel differently than any other woman in the entire world has...that's what women look for in romance. It's intense, it's scary, it's suspenseful, its super sexy. It's what I adore about Stuart. She truly is a master of her craft.
Advance copy provided for review
As with most Anne Stuart stories, this one ends abruptly with little romantic resolution beyond the very basic will they or won't they. Ryder is a Committee man...we don't really learn a lot about him other than the fact that he's cold hearted to a point. Jenny is the daughter of a major leader in the New Orleans criminal world, but she's separated herself and tried to make up for her family's evil by doing good. Always, always with the sweet, down to earth girls falling for a Committee man. It's such a fantasy...when he sees something in her that makes him feel differently than any other woman in the entire world has...that's what women look for in romance. It's intense, it's scary, it's suspenseful, its super sexy. It's what I adore about Stuart. She truly is a master of her craft.
Advance copy provided for review
September 14, 2016
Short and sweet ~
Still a happy lady. Another intriguing story with another ultimate prick and fantastic leading lady.
In Driven by Fire , AS introduces you to a leading man by the name of Matthew Ryder. You meet him briefly in Consumed by Fire . Let me take a line from the book that describes him perfectly. “He was an ornery son of a bitch with a nasty tongue.” But ladies he was sexy as all hell too. Some of the things that rolled off his tongue…..
And leading lady Jenny Parker was far from docile. There was a sweet side to her but she was also combative which only fueled the relationship she had with Ryder. She was always doing something that would draw his attention. Not that she wanted his attention. He was a son of a bitch after all. But at some point something changes and Ms. Parker would find herself losing her heart to the devil.
I found the plot to be intriguing and appreciated the development of Ryder and Jenny’s relationship. There was no insta-love between these two. But in the end the heart wants what the heart wants.
Definitely a worthy read. Both books. I may not have loved it to the extent that I did Consumed by Fire but it was still a great read and Matthew Ryder is worth meeting ladies! ❤
January 22, 2016
2.5-stars
It is my 16th book from Mrs. Stuart, and her books are easy to read, mostly entertaining. That said, I think book 1 ‘Consumed by Fire’ is a better read than this new installment.
Ryder just doesn’t have Bishop's edge. ( the MC in book 1)
Jenny character:
I expect an annoying heroine in AS’s RS book. Omg. Jenny was not only annoying, but also kept talking loads of bs. I couldn’t remember how many times I rolled my eyes over her exchange with Ryder. It was a chore to read her inner monologue.
Romance: Nothing swoony. Not to mention it ends with
This is not Stuart’s best because of a thin plot, an awful heroine, and repetitive dialogue.
arc provided by Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
It is my 16th book from Mrs. Stuart, and her books are easy to read, mostly entertaining. That said, I think book 1 ‘Consumed by Fire’ is a better read than this new installment.
Ryder just doesn’t have Bishop's edge. ( the MC in book 1)
Jenny character:
I expect an annoying heroine in AS’s RS book. Omg. Jenny was not only annoying, but also kept talking loads of bs. I couldn’t remember how many times I rolled my eyes over her exchange with Ryder. It was a chore to read her inner monologue.
Romance: Nothing swoony. Not to mention it ends with
This is not Stuart’s best because of a thin plot, an awful heroine, and repetitive dialogue.
arc provided by Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
February 9, 2017
Too much heroine stupidity. Not fun. Painful to read.
Heroine is repeatedly stupid throughout the book. Hero is stupid in the major climax scene. It’s like the author didn’t have any good ideas so she had them do stupid things just to have something to write about. I skimmed over some of the mental pondering parts and the sex scenes.
Aside from stupidity, hero Ryder and heroine Jenny argue and insult each other. That’s part of what made the series good. But here, the reason for the insults didn’t make sense - like the author couldn’t think of a good reason to argue. For example, the second time they meet Jenny asks Ryder to do her a favor. Ryder said ok and then said “what more do you want?” Jenny said “to see the last of you.”
Another part of that conversation did not make sense. Ryder’s people killed bad guys and freed a group of kidnapped sex slave women. Jenny helped the women find work and a place to stay. Then Jenny brought one woman to Ryder asking him to help the victim find work and a place to stay. Why didn’t Jenny take that woman to the place she took the other women? Ryder is in the business of killing bad guys, not helping victims.
There are explicit sex scenes.
THE SERIES:
This is book 2 in the Fire series. Book 1 was better than this but not as good as some of the Ice stories. My favorite Ice books are Black Ice, Ice Blue and Ice Storm.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 288 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: about 4. Setting: current day New Orleans and Calliveria (a fictional south american country). Copyright: 2016. Genre: romantic suspense.
Heroine is repeatedly stupid throughout the book. Hero is stupid in the major climax scene. It’s like the author didn’t have any good ideas so she had them do stupid things just to have something to write about. I skimmed over some of the mental pondering parts and the sex scenes.
Aside from stupidity, hero Ryder and heroine Jenny argue and insult each other. That’s part of what made the series good. But here, the reason for the insults didn’t make sense - like the author couldn’t think of a good reason to argue. For example, the second time they meet Jenny asks Ryder to do her a favor. Ryder said ok and then said “what more do you want?” Jenny said “to see the last of you.”
Another part of that conversation did not make sense. Ryder’s people killed bad guys and freed a group of kidnapped sex slave women. Jenny helped the women find work and a place to stay. Then Jenny brought one woman to Ryder asking him to help the victim find work and a place to stay. Why didn’t Jenny take that woman to the place she took the other women? Ryder is in the business of killing bad guys, not helping victims.
There are explicit sex scenes.
THE SERIES:
This is book 2 in the Fire series. Book 1 was better than this but not as good as some of the Ice stories. My favorite Ice books are Black Ice, Ice Blue and Ice Storm.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 288 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: about 4. Setting: current day New Orleans and Calliveria (a fictional south american country). Copyright: 2016. Genre: romantic suspense.
February 29, 2016
(Reviewed from an e-arc provided by NetGalley)
If you've read any of Stuart's "Ice" series, you know pretty much what to expect here. Ruthless hero, innocent but feisty heroine who steals his heart very much against his will, lots of bad guys doing bad things. There's a particularly sad tinge to this story though, because the heroine loses so much.
The "white sheep" of a family of powerful racketeers, Jenny Parker tries to serve justice and help the helpless as a lawyer. But she finds herself unexpectedly on the wrong side when she tries to protect her younger brother from what she's sure is an innocent mistake. The other side is Matthew Ryder, a member of the super secret "Committee" (American branch) who has no compunctions about doing anything he has to do to get information out of Jenny... or has he?
As often happens in Stuart's books, the line between good and evil can get so thin as to disappear. As the heroine of Ice Storm once thought about, "In their life there was no such thing as good guys and bag guys. He was still a monster. He was simply the same kind of monster she was." Be warned: Ryder is not just your standard romance asshole; he literally tortures Jenny to get information out of her. Readers may or may not feel he's adequately redeemed for this. (Though I actually think, in Stuart's strongest books, redemption is pretty much besides the point.)
I enjoyed this, yet didn't feel there was anything special about it to make it rise above its formula. Since it's one of my favorite formulas, I didn't mind that much. But I would have liked to see a bond between the main characters based on more than sexual attraction with a huge dollop of romance style Stockholm Syndrome (made even more pronounced by Jenny's overall suffering) and also fewer repetitions of thoughts/ideas.
If you've read any of Stuart's "Ice" series, you know pretty much what to expect here. Ruthless hero, innocent but feisty heroine who steals his heart very much against his will, lots of bad guys doing bad things. There's a particularly sad tinge to this story though, because the heroine loses so much.
The "white sheep" of a family of powerful racketeers, Jenny Parker tries to serve justice and help the helpless as a lawyer. But she finds herself unexpectedly on the wrong side when she tries to protect her younger brother from what she's sure is an innocent mistake. The other side is Matthew Ryder, a member of the super secret "Committee" (American branch) who has no compunctions about doing anything he has to do to get information out of Jenny... or has he?
As often happens in Stuart's books, the line between good and evil can get so thin as to disappear. As the heroine of Ice Storm once thought about, "In their life there was no such thing as good guys and bag guys. He was still a monster. He was simply the same kind of monster she was." Be warned: Ryder is not just your standard romance asshole; he literally tortures Jenny to get information out of her. Readers may or may not feel he's adequately redeemed for this. (Though I actually think, in Stuart's strongest books, redemption is pretty much besides the point.)
I enjoyed this, yet didn't feel there was anything special about it to make it rise above its formula. Since it's one of my favorite formulas, I didn't mind that much. But I would have liked to see a bond between the main characters based on more than sexual attraction with a huge dollop of romance style Stockholm Syndrome (made even more pronounced by Jenny's overall suffering) and also fewer repetitions of thoughts/ideas.
September 5, 2016
4.5 STARS
Loved it!
Loved it!
February 16, 2016
ARC provided by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking for an Alpha take charge hero, he's not here. Same for the Beta nice guy - no luck here. But Gamma, this guy is here and makes you reevaluate just what you look for in your hero. He lives by his own code and you better not cross him. That could be the last thing you will ever do.
Jenny Parker is a Pro Bono attorney who is doing penitence for her wealthy New Orleans crime family by taking on people and causes. She has nothing to do with her family and when her father calls and asks her to intervene for her little brother, Billy, when he is caught up with a boat full of women and children being trafficked, she really has a moment. Guilt over Billy and compassion for the victims sends her to the scene where she saves Billy's behind and at the same time draws the notice of Matthew Ryder, operative for the Committee, who is trying to round up the bad guys. Jenny has a martyr complex, she is strong willed and obstinate when she believes she is right, which just might get her killed.
Ryder doesn't for a second buy her story about aiding the victims. When Jenny and the last victim end up on his doorstep, he takes advantage to press her for more information. Ryder knows she is holding out information on him and makes it his mission to uncover the whole truth. Problem is, he becomes a little distracted and misses some important clues as to who is really behind the trafficking ring.
If you are looking for an Alpha take charge hero, he's not here. Same for the Beta nice guy - no luck here. But Gamma, this guy is here and makes you reevaluate just what you look for in your hero. He lives by his own code and you better not cross him. That could be the last thing you will ever do.
Jenny Parker is a Pro Bono attorney who is doing penitence for her wealthy New Orleans crime family by taking on people and causes. She has nothing to do with her family and when her father calls and asks her to intervene for her little brother, Billy, when he is caught up with a boat full of women and children being trafficked, she really has a moment. Guilt over Billy and compassion for the victims sends her to the scene where she saves Billy's behind and at the same time draws the notice of Matthew Ryder, operative for the Committee, who is trying to round up the bad guys. Jenny has a martyr complex, she is strong willed and obstinate when she believes she is right, which just might get her killed.
Ryder doesn't for a second buy her story about aiding the victims. When Jenny and the last victim end up on his doorstep, he takes advantage to press her for more information. Ryder knows she is holding out information on him and makes it his mission to uncover the whole truth. Problem is, he becomes a little distracted and misses some important clues as to who is really behind the trafficking ring.
April 25, 2016
When a human trafficking operation went wrong, Jenny Parker, the bleeding heart of the Gauthier crime family, put on her cape to save her little brother Billy Gauthier from both the law enforcement and the criminals who would wanted to silence Billy.
Agent Matthew Ryder suspected Jenny had the evidence, but he wasn’t sure if she was an implicit member of the crime family or if she was just caught up in a situation that she didn’t fully grasp. Either way, in Ryder’s mind, Jenny was aiding human traffickers or that wasn’t worthy of his restraint nor respect. So he was verbally caustic.
As the story progressed, Ryder and Jenny fought an attraction to each other as well as gained some insight to their true motivations. But trust was still a work in progress. Right after Jenny was forced to confess all to Ryder, she was kidnapped. This led Ryder to go after both the human traffickers and Jenny, and this journey led them to South America.
The narrator Jill Redfield did a great job with both Jenny and Ryder. Her voice was able to animate both the hostility and the sexual tension between Jenny and Ryder. The narrator also made me have just a little sympathy for Jenny when I would have written her off as a clueless do-gooder. However, the author did a good job juxtaposing the naïve and obtuse heroine with the cantankerous and callous hero. I do like how it took time for their attraction to turn into affection. I kind of liked Jenny, but I wanted to yell at her as well. I did like Ryder because he did not cut her any slack. He didn’t wine and dine her because he was focused on the getting the bad guys in jail.
I still liked Consumed by Fire more than this book, but I still enjoy the author’s weaving of plot. It seemed predictable and straight forward in the beginning but then the author added layers and things got complicated. The non-stop action kept me interested and engaged.
The writing is fluid and I listened to this book in one sitting. I will definitely try the Ice series since I have now learned that this series is a spin-off.
**Special Thanks to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for the e-book given in exchange for an honest review
January 21, 2016
Available as read-now on Netgalley
HOLY SHEEEETTT! The sexual tension between them is just.... Review to come when I've calmed my damn tits!
HOLY SHEEEETTT! The sexual tension between them is just.... Review to come when I've calmed my damn tits!
September 6, 2019
Another great read by Anne Stuart.
February 17, 2016
I really liked how the two MC's personalities butted heads as they focused on their own agendas. Even though they didn't agree, you can feel the attraction and desire waiting to come forward. The plot sounded really good but lost a little in translation. There were definitely moments where my suspension of disbelief came roaring through with the question of "WHY?"
What really worked for me:
The two main characters in this book were nicely fleshed out and you can see them fit the roles they play. Matthew Ryder is the perfect characterization for a covert operative and I liked the organization referred to as the Committee that tries to right grievous wrongs and bring the bad guys to justice. Justice may not necessarily be the US Court system. Matthew makes his own rules and lives by his own rules. You don't label his behavior; he is who he is.
Jenny Parker is a strong female and I relish books with strong female protagonists. She walks away from her crime family (can't blame her as they are not the father and brothers anyone would want) and sets her own course. Her own course being a pro bono lawyer.
The set-up for Matthew and Jenny to meet fits both characters. Jessica, using her status of helping those in need, tries to rescue her baby brother who she is hoping is not involved in human trafficking. Matthew is present trying to bring the human traffickers to justice by the barrel of his gun. He's scary, dark ,intense and awesome.
In trying to save her brother, Jenny's life becomes endangered. Matthew is trying to find the king pin and knows Jenny is keeping secrets; secrets he wants to know. This puts our MCs pitted against each other and the friction if palpable. The set-up of the conflict between the characters worked really well and their attraction to each other was not instant and they did have to work through some differences. I really liked a lot of the scenes and dialogue between these two, but there was a little Stockholm Syndrome feel to the relationship as well.
Which leads me to the parts that didn't work for me:
My strong independent female becomes too stubborn when the obvious is staring her in the face which just makes her look stupid. Please, please don't take a smart woman and make her look dumb. Loyalty is good, but when the facts are screaming loud and clear... you get my drift...
Names and people involved in the Committee where thrown around with little development. I felt like I had definitely missed prior book(s) and the stories around some of the characters. This made these individuals just a group of unknown names.
Although I liked the plot I found the scenario of them going by themselves down to Calliveria a little too contrived. My suspension of disbelief didn't stretch that far.
I lot of the book I liked, but my enthusiasm was tampered down by some big misses. I still recommend this for those of us who are enamored with romantic suspense. I intend to continue reading this series and will read the 1st book in the series "to catch up".
I would like to thank Net Galley, Montlake Romance publishers and Ms. Stuart for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What really worked for me:
The two main characters in this book were nicely fleshed out and you can see them fit the roles they play. Matthew Ryder is the perfect characterization for a covert operative and I liked the organization referred to as the Committee that tries to right grievous wrongs and bring the bad guys to justice. Justice may not necessarily be the US Court system. Matthew makes his own rules and lives by his own rules. You don't label his behavior; he is who he is.
Jenny Parker is a strong female and I relish books with strong female protagonists. She walks away from her crime family (can't blame her as they are not the father and brothers anyone would want) and sets her own course. Her own course being a pro bono lawyer.
The set-up for Matthew and Jenny to meet fits both characters. Jessica, using her status of helping those in need, tries to rescue her baby brother who she is hoping is not involved in human trafficking. Matthew is present trying to bring the human traffickers to justice by the barrel of his gun. He's scary, dark ,intense and awesome.
In trying to save her brother, Jenny's life becomes endangered. Matthew is trying to find the king pin and knows Jenny is keeping secrets; secrets he wants to know. This puts our MCs pitted against each other and the friction if palpable. The set-up of the conflict between the characters worked really well and their attraction to each other was not instant and they did have to work through some differences. I really liked a lot of the scenes and dialogue between these two, but there was a little Stockholm Syndrome feel to the relationship as well.
Which leads me to the parts that didn't work for me:
My strong independent female becomes too stubborn when the obvious is staring her in the face which just makes her look stupid. Please, please don't take a smart woman and make her look dumb. Loyalty is good, but when the facts are screaming loud and clear... you get my drift...
Names and people involved in the Committee where thrown around with little development. I felt like I had definitely missed prior book(s) and the stories around some of the characters. This made these individuals just a group of unknown names.
Although I liked the plot I found the scenario of them going by themselves down to Calliveria a little too contrived. My suspension of disbelief didn't stretch that far.
I lot of the book I liked, but my enthusiasm was tampered down by some big misses. I still recommend this for those of us who are enamored with romantic suspense. I intend to continue reading this series and will read the 1st book in the series "to catch up".
I would like to thank Net Galley, Montlake Romance publishers and Ms. Stuart for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2016
I have been stalking Netgalley since forever, in anticipation of the release of the second book in the Fire series by Anne Stuart. As usual, once I had this baby safely in my TBR pile, I couldn’t focus on any other book, which is a given when it is the newest release by the Queen of Romance herself. I finished this in one sitting, which is rare for me these days. I always tend to take breaks now, the days of reading a book straight in 4 hours a thing of the past as I have grown older. But Driven by Fire demanded that I lose sleep over it as I raced to the finish line, determined that I wouldn’t miss out on any of the deliciousness that is a fresh Anne Stuart novel.
37 year old Matthew Ryder is a member of the infamous Committee, a group of high level operatives and assassins who are trained in the art of deception and all the skills required in order to preserve democracy in its member countries. 28 year old Jennifer Gauthier Parker is a member of the notorious Gauthier family of organized crime and political power, one that she has distanced herself from a long time back. A pro bono lawyer, Jenny is hellbent on doing good where her family is determined to live their life doing just the opposite.
Ryder and Jenny’s paths cross during a night that Jenny’s father reaches out to her to save her youngest brother. Stubborn in her belief that her brother is innocent where a heinous crime such as human trafficking is concerned, Jenny is the one who prevents her brother from ending up in the hands of the ruthless operative who stands in her way, and later finds herself turning up on his very doorstep, determined that The Committee help her where one of the victims of the trafficking ring are concerned. Little does she know that once she enters the den that is Ryder’s fortress, nothing in her life would remain the same, ever again.
Ryder might dislike the fact that he and Jenny are thrown together, with both having to stick it out until he can find out who it is that has it out for the seemingly innocent Jennifer Gauthier. A man who is more cynical than most, Ryder prefers his life without commitments of the kind which features women like Jenny. While his reaction towards her on a physical level makes him think that he has gone too long without a woman, his suspicions about Jenny holding back something from him makes for the pivotal point in the story, and one that may turn out to be a tough selling point for many a reader. But true to the style of the legend that Anne Stuart is, she makes the relationship that fosters and grows between Jenny and Ryder one that reaches its ultimate explosive conclusion, delivering a read that is combustible on many a level.
I also have to admit. Between the two books that have been published in the series so far, the clear favorite of mine would have to be the debut, Consumed by Fire. Ryder is ruthless in a way that makes the James Bishop look like a wuss. I am not kidding. But the reason why I love books by Anne Stuart is because she doesn’t shortchange in her delivery of ruthless heroes. She makes them stay true to their character. They don’t turn into a puddle of gooey softness the minute they know of their vulnerability towards the heroine. Just the opposite in fact. They fight their emotions, and they fight it hard, but inevitably its a losing battle – thank God for that. Ryder while ruthless in a way that most readers might have a problem forgiving, I loved him, all that ruthlessness as well. But I did wish that he had to grovel a bit more where Jenny was concerned. But then again, Anne Stuart delivers heroines who are pragmatic at best – while they are strong and independent, they have no qualms about accepting their fate where their love for the hero is concerned.
Jenny is a heroine who has it bad. With a family that cares naught for her, and a family that one should be leery of at best, it is Jenny’s naivety that gets her in trouble as it is. Naivety in trusting the wrong people, in being too trusting – period. With Ryder, even though Jenny knows that she might not survive his brand of ruthlessness, it is because she doesn’t trust Ryder to do right by her that she continues to skirt away from coming clean with him. Given the circumstances, I wouldn’t have accepted an agent of Ryder’s caliber to turn his back on his mission, and I think Jenny knew that deep in her heart. I think one of the reasons why readers would have a difficult time in coming to terms with what happens as the story progresses is because there is seldom any talk of Ryder’s past, where he comes from and what makes him tick. Consumed by Fire tended to be more well rounded in this regard which is why it was more splendid in that manner and ended up being the five star read it was for me. But like I said earlier on, I didn’t have any qualms with accepting Ryder and Jenny as they were, but this heart of mine did wish that Ryder would have redeemed himself, just a tad more where Jenny was concerned.
I was ecstatic to come across two characters who are most likely to get stories of their own if Anne Stuart is going to continue with the Fire series, which I dearly hope she does! Jack Abbott and Remy Vartain makes for two secondary characters that appeared in this novel for whom I would love to have their own stories! Especially Jack Abbott. Anne Stuart seldom writes about heroes and heroines who have known each other for a while. For her, it is always a case of a chance meeting that explodes into something hot, worthwhile and long-lasting. Abbott’s story if I am not mistaken, is set to follow the less traversed road and I can’t wait to indulge!
Driven by Fire recommended for fans of ruthless heroes. You don’t need to read the series in order to enjoy this one. But be warned. Ryder will shake and throttle your comfort zones, if you have one where ruthless heroes are concerned. For those who love Anne Stuart’s brilliance in crafting them as they should be, Driven by Fire should be a hit!
Rating = 4.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit, www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
37 year old Matthew Ryder is a member of the infamous Committee, a group of high level operatives and assassins who are trained in the art of deception and all the skills required in order to preserve democracy in its member countries. 28 year old Jennifer Gauthier Parker is a member of the notorious Gauthier family of organized crime and political power, one that she has distanced herself from a long time back. A pro bono lawyer, Jenny is hellbent on doing good where her family is determined to live their life doing just the opposite.
Ryder and Jenny’s paths cross during a night that Jenny’s father reaches out to her to save her youngest brother. Stubborn in her belief that her brother is innocent where a heinous crime such as human trafficking is concerned, Jenny is the one who prevents her brother from ending up in the hands of the ruthless operative who stands in her way, and later finds herself turning up on his very doorstep, determined that The Committee help her where one of the victims of the trafficking ring are concerned. Little does she know that once she enters the den that is Ryder’s fortress, nothing in her life would remain the same, ever again.
Ryder might dislike the fact that he and Jenny are thrown together, with both having to stick it out until he can find out who it is that has it out for the seemingly innocent Jennifer Gauthier. A man who is more cynical than most, Ryder prefers his life without commitments of the kind which features women like Jenny. While his reaction towards her on a physical level makes him think that he has gone too long without a woman, his suspicions about Jenny holding back something from him makes for the pivotal point in the story, and one that may turn out to be a tough selling point for many a reader. But true to the style of the legend that Anne Stuart is, she makes the relationship that fosters and grows between Jenny and Ryder one that reaches its ultimate explosive conclusion, delivering a read that is combustible on many a level.
I also have to admit. Between the two books that have been published in the series so far, the clear favorite of mine would have to be the debut, Consumed by Fire. Ryder is ruthless in a way that makes the James Bishop look like a wuss. I am not kidding. But the reason why I love books by Anne Stuart is because she doesn’t shortchange in her delivery of ruthless heroes. She makes them stay true to their character. They don’t turn into a puddle of gooey softness the minute they know of their vulnerability towards the heroine. Just the opposite in fact. They fight their emotions, and they fight it hard, but inevitably its a losing battle – thank God for that. Ryder while ruthless in a way that most readers might have a problem forgiving, I loved him, all that ruthlessness as well. But I did wish that he had to grovel a bit more where Jenny was concerned. But then again, Anne Stuart delivers heroines who are pragmatic at best – while they are strong and independent, they have no qualms about accepting their fate where their love for the hero is concerned.
Jenny is a heroine who has it bad. With a family that cares naught for her, and a family that one should be leery of at best, it is Jenny’s naivety that gets her in trouble as it is. Naivety in trusting the wrong people, in being too trusting – period. With Ryder, even though Jenny knows that she might not survive his brand of ruthlessness, it is because she doesn’t trust Ryder to do right by her that she continues to skirt away from coming clean with him. Given the circumstances, I wouldn’t have accepted an agent of Ryder’s caliber to turn his back on his mission, and I think Jenny knew that deep in her heart. I think one of the reasons why readers would have a difficult time in coming to terms with what happens as the story progresses is because there is seldom any talk of Ryder’s past, where he comes from and what makes him tick. Consumed by Fire tended to be more well rounded in this regard which is why it was more splendid in that manner and ended up being the five star read it was for me. But like I said earlier on, I didn’t have any qualms with accepting Ryder and Jenny as they were, but this heart of mine did wish that Ryder would have redeemed himself, just a tad more where Jenny was concerned.
I was ecstatic to come across two characters who are most likely to get stories of their own if Anne Stuart is going to continue with the Fire series, which I dearly hope she does! Jack Abbott and Remy Vartain makes for two secondary characters that appeared in this novel for whom I would love to have their own stories! Especially Jack Abbott. Anne Stuart seldom writes about heroes and heroines who have known each other for a while. For her, it is always a case of a chance meeting that explodes into something hot, worthwhile and long-lasting. Abbott’s story if I am not mistaken, is set to follow the less traversed road and I can’t wait to indulge!
Driven by Fire recommended for fans of ruthless heroes. You don’t need to read the series in order to enjoy this one. But be warned. Ryder will shake and throttle your comfort zones, if you have one where ruthless heroes are concerned. For those who love Anne Stuart’s brilliance in crafting them as they should be, Driven by Fire should be a hit!
Rating = 4.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit, www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
January 22, 2024
The hero is not typical. He is mean. And the heroine is a bit clueless but it was entertaining.
February 28, 2016
This couple bickered like the McBickersons of Bicker Lane in Bickersville on the island of Shut The Fuck Up. Also, heroine was so clueless she made me want to slap puppies. Great sex scenes, though, as you expect from Anne Stuart. Thank God h/h didn't talk much during sex.
February 16, 2016
Ryder and Jenny
As much as I love Anne Stuart's antihero, this was a very negative and harsh book. I almost felt sorry for the heroine even is she was beyond naïve. Full review to come on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
Driven by Fire is book two in Anne Stuart’s Fire series. It is a spin-off from the Ice series and features several operatives setting up a new branch of the Committee. The previous book, Consumed by Fire, was about the first co-leader of this new branch and now we have the story of the other leader. These guys are rough and edgy and have spent their lives killing and not thinking twice about it. Now we see them running up against women they can’t walk away from even though they have spent their whole lives walking away and not looking back.
Jenny Parker is doing her family duty by keeping her brother out of trouble. He is the baby of the family and may be the only one left saving. To keep him safe she hides him from the Committee and takes the phone all his information is on. He has somehow gotten himself involved in human trafficking and she wants to keep him from future trouble.
Ryder knows Jenny is hiding something and he will use any means to get it out of her. In his mind, she might not be the bad guy but she knows something and that makes her just as culpable as the person doing the dirty work. When he finally gets the story from her, the phone with the important information has slipped from their grasp. She is the one who can identify it so he must drag her along to dangerous parts of the world in order to find the phone. The Committee already has the information from the phone but they must keep it from falling into the hands of people who will use it for evil purposes.
Ryder and Jenny search for the phone and navigate the tricky feelings they have for each other. Ryder wants nothing to do with relationships and Jenny is a vulnerable mess. When Jenny has some major shocks to her belief system she is left even more a mess and Ryder is the only one around to comfort her. Will he step up or retreating back into careful shell and avoid any sort of attachment to another human being?
Matthew Ryder caused a set of conflicting emotions in me. I’m not sure I ever felt him and that caused some issue with the whole story. Basically, I had two major issue with the book that kept me from loving it like I normally love Anne Stuart books. The first one is how brutal Ryder is with Jenny. I get he is a trained killer, lives to hide his emotions by he might have been a little too closed off and ugly with the woman he was supposed to fall in love with. Take this passage from the 90% mark of the book.
“
“If you think you’re wrapping that around my arm, you can guess again,” he drawled. “It’ll still be filthy.”
“It’s the cleanest cloth I have.”
“I think we should use your panties.” She looked at him in shock, certain he was kidding. He wasn’t. “They’re relatively clean, and considering their proximity to holy virgin territory they’re probably supernaturally blessed. You can count the instant healing as your first step toward a miracle.”
“I wasn’t a virgin.”
“Well, you fuck like one.”
90% y’all. 90%! By 90% of a book shouldn’t all the harsh words be over and the hero and heroine should be preparing to ride off into sunset?? I am all for the anti-hero and nobody does it better than Anne Stuart but man, Ryder was harsh. He never seemed to let up on Jenny, even calling her Parker for most of the book- a clear way to distance himself from her. When they eventually did ride off into the sunset, a mere 5% later, I’m not sure it was as believable as it should have been.
My second issue would be a little spoilery so I will be vague with it. Ryder and Jenny needed to be painted as opposites and we clearly saw the difference in them. Ryder is distrustful and cynical, Jenny is loving and a do-gooder. But the difference was so extreme that Jenny came across as a wimpy ninny. Several things came to light in the book that made Jenny look like she had no ability to judge character and made her look stupid. Frankly, falling in love with Ryder after the way he treated her and everything played out ended up looking like another dumb decision by our heroine. She was chalk full of them.
Overall, the book is a quick read and has good suspense. You shouldn’t be able to easily guess the whole bad guy thing until you read it. The romance is sketchy but the sex is fantastic and hot. Angry sex is the best and these two are pros at it. If you are a fan of Anne Stuart, Driven by Fire is close to her normal work, if not a bit harsher. I am still looking forward to the next book which will hopefully be about the sexy Remy. Final grade- C-
Favorite Quote:
“
He cocked his head to one side. “They might believe it. I don’t. And the name’s Ryder. Matthew Ryder. You’re going to be hearing it again.”
It was a clear threat-but she simply smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to it.”
As much as I love Anne Stuart's antihero, this was a very negative and harsh book. I almost felt sorry for the heroine even is she was beyond naïve. Full review to come on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
Driven by Fire is book two in Anne Stuart’s Fire series. It is a spin-off from the Ice series and features several operatives setting up a new branch of the Committee. The previous book, Consumed by Fire, was about the first co-leader of this new branch and now we have the story of the other leader. These guys are rough and edgy and have spent their lives killing and not thinking twice about it. Now we see them running up against women they can’t walk away from even though they have spent their whole lives walking away and not looking back.
Jenny Parker is doing her family duty by keeping her brother out of trouble. He is the baby of the family and may be the only one left saving. To keep him safe she hides him from the Committee and takes the phone all his information is on. He has somehow gotten himself involved in human trafficking and she wants to keep him from future trouble.
Ryder knows Jenny is hiding something and he will use any means to get it out of her. In his mind, she might not be the bad guy but she knows something and that makes her just as culpable as the person doing the dirty work. When he finally gets the story from her, the phone with the important information has slipped from their grasp. She is the one who can identify it so he must drag her along to dangerous parts of the world in order to find the phone. The Committee already has the information from the phone but they must keep it from falling into the hands of people who will use it for evil purposes.
Ryder and Jenny search for the phone and navigate the tricky feelings they have for each other. Ryder wants nothing to do with relationships and Jenny is a vulnerable mess. When Jenny has some major shocks to her belief system she is left even more a mess and Ryder is the only one around to comfort her. Will he step up or retreating back into careful shell and avoid any sort of attachment to another human being?
Matthew Ryder caused a set of conflicting emotions in me. I’m not sure I ever felt him and that caused some issue with the whole story. Basically, I had two major issue with the book that kept me from loving it like I normally love Anne Stuart books. The first one is how brutal Ryder is with Jenny. I get he is a trained killer, lives to hide his emotions by he might have been a little too closed off and ugly with the woman he was supposed to fall in love with. Take this passage from the 90% mark of the book.
“
“If you think you’re wrapping that around my arm, you can guess again,” he drawled. “It’ll still be filthy.”
“It’s the cleanest cloth I have.”
“I think we should use your panties.” She looked at him in shock, certain he was kidding. He wasn’t. “They’re relatively clean, and considering their proximity to holy virgin territory they’re probably supernaturally blessed. You can count the instant healing as your first step toward a miracle.”
“I wasn’t a virgin.”
“Well, you fuck like one.”
90% y’all. 90%! By 90% of a book shouldn’t all the harsh words be over and the hero and heroine should be preparing to ride off into sunset?? I am all for the anti-hero and nobody does it better than Anne Stuart but man, Ryder was harsh. He never seemed to let up on Jenny, even calling her Parker for most of the book- a clear way to distance himself from her. When they eventually did ride off into the sunset, a mere 5% later, I’m not sure it was as believable as it should have been.
My second issue would be a little spoilery so I will be vague with it. Ryder and Jenny needed to be painted as opposites and we clearly saw the difference in them. Ryder is distrustful and cynical, Jenny is loving and a do-gooder. But the difference was so extreme that Jenny came across as a wimpy ninny. Several things came to light in the book that made Jenny look like she had no ability to judge character and made her look stupid. Frankly, falling in love with Ryder after the way he treated her and everything played out ended up looking like another dumb decision by our heroine. She was chalk full of them.
Overall, the book is a quick read and has good suspense. You shouldn’t be able to easily guess the whole bad guy thing until you read it. The romance is sketchy but the sex is fantastic and hot. Angry sex is the best and these two are pros at it. If you are a fan of Anne Stuart, Driven by Fire is close to her normal work, if not a bit harsher. I am still looking forward to the next book which will hopefully be about the sexy Remy. Final grade- C-
Favorite Quote:
“
He cocked his head to one side. “They might believe it. I don’t. And the name’s Ryder. Matthew Ryder. You’re going to be hearing it again.”
It was a clear threat-but she simply smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to it.”
July 10, 2016
(Jul) Eh, this was only ok. Jenny is a do-gooder lawyer from a notorious gangster family. She gets word that her baby brother - the only family member she still has faith in - is in trouble, relating to a ship full of women and children that were brought to the country by sex traffickers. Believing he's innocent, she goes to the ship to try and help him. She finds him and hides him and allows him to escape, grabbing and hiding his cell phone from the authorities. She is found by Matthew Ryder, a man who works for the shadowy Committee. There is antagonism between them from the first meeting, along w/, shockingly for Jenny, a healthy dose of sexual interest.
Several weeks later, Jenny shows up at Ryder's door, w/Solidad in tow, a young girl she helped escape from the ship. She demands the Committee help Solidad with a new name, green card, and finding her a job. Ryder agrees just to get Jenny off his back, but as she is leaving the house, bullets fly. Jenny refuses to believe they were meant for her. Ryder insists she and Solidad stay until he figures out what is going on. He also suspects Jenny is hiding something and is determined to figure out what. The rest of the book focuses on the unwanted attraction between the two, Ryder's determination to find out what Jenny is hiding, and the search for the bad guys - a search that takes Jenny and Ryder out of the country and into more danger. One complaint - how did Jenny think she'd recognize the all-important cell phone that was the focus of their search? If it hadn't still been in it's distinctive case, wouldn't it have looked like all other phones? And really - do criminal masterminds keep all their important information on a phone? Something that can easily be lost, stolen, crash? That didn't make much sense to me.
There was nothing inherently wrong with this story. It was just a little flat, not up to the usual AS magic. Ryder was more Alpha than Gamma, even though there is a scene where he has to hurt Jenny (not as traumatic as when it happened in Ice Blue). Jenny kind of annoyed me - I get it, she was an optimist until the end, when she learned that trusting her instincts was a huge mistake. When she could not, even for one moment, in the face of all evidence, give up on those she believed in, she came across as stupid rather than optimistic. The end was wrapped up nicely, and I definitely will continue reading this series - hopefully Remy and Jack will both get their own stories - but while the first book was exciting, this one was more of an easy ride. Good, but not great.
Several weeks later, Jenny shows up at Ryder's door, w/Solidad in tow, a young girl she helped escape from the ship. She demands the Committee help Solidad with a new name, green card, and finding her a job. Ryder agrees just to get Jenny off his back, but as she is leaving the house, bullets fly. Jenny refuses to believe they were meant for her. Ryder insists she and Solidad stay until he figures out what is going on. He also suspects Jenny is hiding something and is determined to figure out what. The rest of the book focuses on the unwanted attraction between the two, Ryder's determination to find out what Jenny is hiding, and the search for the bad guys - a search that takes Jenny and Ryder out of the country and into more danger. One complaint - how did Jenny think she'd recognize the all-important cell phone that was the focus of their search? If it hadn't still been in it's distinctive case, wouldn't it have looked like all other phones? And really - do criminal masterminds keep all their important information on a phone? Something that can easily be lost, stolen, crash? That didn't make much sense to me.
There was nothing inherently wrong with this story. It was just a little flat, not up to the usual AS magic. Ryder was more Alpha than Gamma, even though there is a scene where he has to hurt Jenny (not as traumatic as when it happened in Ice Blue). Jenny kind of annoyed me - I get it, she was an optimist until the end, when she learned that trusting her instincts was a huge mistake. When she could not, even for one moment, in the face of all evidence, give up on those she believed in, she came across as stupid rather than optimistic. The end was wrapped up nicely, and I definitely will continue reading this series - hopefully Remy and Jack will both get their own stories - but while the first book was exciting, this one was more of an easy ride. Good, but not great.
January 23, 2016
Another thriller from Anne Stuart. Fans of her Ice series will love this new series. We have our Mercenary hero's who are in a league of their own. Just the fact that they are basically trained weapons just gives me the tingles. I love a man that can handle himself.
I loved how this story is basically a movie in itself. It is one big roller coaster ride. You start off in one destination but jet set in all different directions to solve the mystery. Fans of Suspense novels this one's definitely for you.
I couldn't really relate to the heroine. I think having been born in the family she was she should have been more street smart, she had a lot of bad ass potential but it didn't go that route. She tries to veer off the beaten path and go legit by providing free legal services to woman and children in need. Her character was stuck in limbo she was snarky and too much of a bitch to Ryder for me I couldn't really feel them falling in love. She is very naive in instances where I don't think she should've been and ballsy in certain instances, it just wasn't consistent.
On the upside you can't go wrong with Annes hero's. Ryder was a dick and I loved it. He was true to his character from start to finish. Just because he's in love doesn't mean he pulls a 180 and gets all mushy. I've seen that in books and it's horrible. He is a killer and he personifies that. He does what needs to be done. Could he have been more compassionate to Jenny? Probably, but this storyline works.
3 stars, but I added the additional for Ryder. Loved his character!
I look forward to find out more about Emery and Jack!
***Arc provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
I loved how this story is basically a movie in itself. It is one big roller coaster ride. You start off in one destination but jet set in all different directions to solve the mystery. Fans of Suspense novels this one's definitely for you.
I couldn't really relate to the heroine. I think having been born in the family she was she should have been more street smart, she had a lot of bad ass potential but it didn't go that route. She tries to veer off the beaten path and go legit by providing free legal services to woman and children in need. Her character was stuck in limbo she was snarky and too much of a bitch to Ryder for me I couldn't really feel them falling in love. She is very naive in instances where I don't think she should've been and ballsy in certain instances, it just wasn't consistent.
On the upside you can't go wrong with Annes hero's. Ryder was a dick and I loved it. He was true to his character from start to finish. Just because he's in love doesn't mean he pulls a 180 and gets all mushy. I've seen that in books and it's horrible. He is a killer and he personifies that. He does what needs to be done. Could he have been more compassionate to Jenny? Probably, but this storyline works.
3 stars, but I added the additional for Ryder. Loved his character!
I look forward to find out more about Emery and Jack!
***Arc provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
February 10, 2016
Advanced copy received from NetGalley. Writing this review pains me, it physically pains me, but I have to be honest. This book would most definitely have been on the DNF category for me followed by a 1 star review. The only reason I gave it 2 extra stars was because Mathew Ryder failed to disappoint and had all the characteristics we (Committee Addicts) have come to expect from a member of The Committee. He had his signature brand of ruthlessness, assholery and oh so sexy man-beast action. But alas, that's the only good part of the book, I'm afraid. Going into an Anne Stuart book, I'm prepared to gloss over the fact that her heroines are always a bit of a damsel in distress type, but this book's Heroine, Jenny Parker was INSUFFERABLE! She is supposed to be a smart, independent, 28 year old lawyer who is good at heart and tries to help people as much as she can because she tries to make up for her evil gangster family. Ok, the premise seems good enough, except that she acts like a stupid child throughout the entire book! Dear God I hated her and her 'goody two shoes, dumber than a sack of rocks, illogical fighting' ways! I think my favourite part of the book was when the villain slaps her across the face, the same villain whom she voluntarily went to in order to save from trouble that she conjured up in her head, despite everyone telling her otherwise! You'll understand once you read it. In any case, Miss Stuart has cast her spell on me many years ago and I will continue reading whatever she writes, I just really hope the next Fire book is better. Overall 3 disappointed, biased stars.
January 27, 2016
I'm a longtime Anne Stuart fan, and of her bad, bad boy gamma anti-heroes. These kinds of stories are not for everyone, but they sure are for me. Ryder is a cold hearted operative and assassin, and almost irredeemable. Almost. While this is not quite up to par with her 'Ice' series, I'll take what I can get.
Only one niggle with the plotline. Who in their right mind would keep sensitive, damaging info about their criminal activities on their smart phone??? Just sayin...
Only one niggle with the plotline. Who in their right mind would keep sensitive, damaging info about their criminal activities on their smart phone??? Just sayin...
January 24, 2016
You know I hate to admit it because I really like this author, but I was a bit bored when reading this one. I didn't really see the connection between Jenny and Parker. Most of the time they hated each other, the only time they seemed to be able to stand each other was when they were having sex. Even the couple of times that Ryder saved Jenny it didn't seem like he was doing it because he cared about her, but because he wanted the info she had.
I didn't find Jenny to be a sympathetic character due to her family. Yes, it seemed like she was the white sheep, within a crime family. But all she did was whine about her family, how she wasn't like them, how Billy had to be good, that they had things wrong. But it was the bit at the end that had me shaking my head, because really with family like that why need enemies.
I didn't find Jenny to be a sympathetic character due to her family. Yes, it seemed like she was the white sheep, within a crime family. But all she did was whine about her family, how she wasn't like them, how Billy had to be good, that they had things wrong. But it was the bit at the end that had me shaking my head, because really with family like that why need enemies.
August 2, 2021
I felt things between Jenny and Ryder happened way too quickly. I would have loved more of a build-up between them. Also, they just weren't as interesting as Evangeline and James. Still a great ride, though!
August 29, 2020
I had a very big lingering question when it came to our Mary-Sue heroine. I mean is she a social worker or a lawyer? I mean she says she is a lawyer and then there is some mention of her social work at the beginning and that is confusing as heck. It's all about her throwing herself into her social work and just doing enough payable lawyer stuff to pay the bills and yet the girl is trying to buy a house of sorts... And there is the Whole "I don't take a dime from my family or even talk to them." But she takes a call from her father, goes out of her way to bail out her little brother and is just so blithely ignorant of his involvement in this whole operation. I mean you can't really be involved with human trafficking and have THE phone with access to all the nefarious contacts and be just how did she put it, ahh yes: BEEN LEAD ASTRAY. Dude… And what is it with your schooling? Who paid for those bills, huh? What about law degree? That could not have been paid off in installments when you are clearly not in debt as h herself proclaims to do just enough legal work to pay the bills and then throws all her other time into pro-bono work. I ain't buying it. I get that she maybe suffering from guilty conscience from what her family does and wants to redeem herself or just offer something to offset all that badness. But she is just so clueless at how corruptible power and other vices can be, when she herself is ready to have her law degree taken away just to protect her brother. So he can do what? He clearly is not thriving in any other world but the criminal, so in a way though your blithe ignorance of him you are supporting his illegal and very evil ventures.
I liked the interaction between the h and H initially, the suspicion between those two is well done. And H does not go easy on her when he suspects her to be involved with all the crime going on, I admire the author for going that dangerous route. I just wish the h would come to that "rude weakening" H promised her when she sees just how deep her Spanish protege (forgot her name) and her brother are in it all. It would make it more palatable to be on this journey with her with that nugget of common sense, as it is everyone in the audience is just hitting their foreheads at every statement she makes defending her brother and Soledad.
I waited years for this audiobook to become available and I cannot believe I kept checking for it when it turned out to be such a colossal disappointed. I mean every single recommended thing about this book fell apart pretty fast in the second part of the boo. The h's strong attitude and resilience fell apart at the slightest sign of difficulties. She who self-proclaimed had suffered worse circumstances cannot handle a slightly bruised and mistreated arm. She cannot handle some jet lag and bumpy roads. Goes into shock at the sight of a snake and cannot get a grip on herself.
When a person says they are self-dependent and self-reliant strong character the fact that they fall apart at the slightest possible inconvenience proved that to be a lie. And what is with that piss-poor plot excuse to keep the characters together so the h can keep on succumbing under dangerous circumstances and the H can keep on rescuing her and so fall in love with her. I mean if h is the only one who can recognize the phone when the H already copied most of the contacts from the phone would not he be able to, and here is a thought: when he gets ahold of the phone calls up his IT expert back in the states and see if they can compare the two contact lists and see if this phone is legit. Duh. I don't mind a plot point serving for two characters to keep on sticking together, but when it's weak-ass as this one and then the h keeps on falling into danger and falling apart and needing rescue I just think it's a waste of the whole book.
Finally finished this book and boy is there a rant full of spoilers and digs at the author coming.
Disclaimer: This book is the author's fall from grace.
When I do these reviews I mostly do them for me. Every once in a rare while I have to do a rant and actually hope the author reads it. I do wonder if authors read these goodreads reviews, or they are told by their manager to just stick to the positive review ones and stay away from the negative ones as they don't know who the negative reviews are coming from and could be just damn right hater stuff, not constructive criticism which can help. It makes sense I would think, if only beta readers and editors would do their job and point out what a catastrophe a book is and not just seeing same old Fifty shades abuse in a jungle and hoping that spells out dollar signs. My constructive criticism would be hire a shrink and have them read this book. Ask them how healthy and well established and not to mention prosperous relationship should look and is the way these two characters act? And then just delete the whole 2nd part of the book, hire some beta readers with less ass-kissing in them and have them take you from the top in a better direction. Cuz where this book ended up heading is straight into a big old trash fire.
Anyway, sorry I jammed everything into this one big rant blob. I would wish to disseminate the book bit by bit and offer clear cut points of reference as to where things went wrong and what is a decisive wrong turn here, but it was just piled on at this point. Everything that was wrong was just repeating or duplicating, or the author was just inserting further wrong things that she thought we would overlook as part of this big romance when it was just inherently wrong. So in the end all I could do is pile all the wrong stuff like here and hope it makes sense. Super worried about even starting the next book… I don't think it got any more positive reviews from the readers who didn't like this book.
What a let down Anne Stuart.
I liked the interaction between the h and H initially, the suspicion between those two is well done. And H does not go easy on her when he suspects her to be involved with all the crime going on, I admire the author for going that dangerous route. I just wish the h would come to that "rude weakening" H promised her when she sees just how deep her Spanish protege (forgot her name) and her brother are in it all. It would make it more palatable to be on this journey with her with that nugget of common sense, as it is everyone in the audience is just hitting their foreheads at every statement she makes defending her brother and Soledad.
I waited years for this audiobook to become available and I cannot believe I kept checking for it when it turned out to be such a colossal disappointed. I mean every single recommended thing about this book fell apart pretty fast in the second part of the boo. The h's strong attitude and resilience fell apart at the slightest sign of difficulties. She who self-proclaimed had suffered worse circumstances cannot handle a slightly bruised and mistreated arm. She cannot handle some jet lag and bumpy roads. Goes into shock at the sight of a snake and cannot get a grip on herself.
When a person says they are self-dependent and self-reliant strong character the fact that they fall apart at the slightest possible inconvenience proved that to be a lie. And what is with that piss-poor plot excuse to keep the characters together so the h can keep on succumbing under dangerous circumstances and the H can keep on rescuing her and so fall in love with her. I mean if h is the only one who can recognize the phone when the H already copied most of the contacts from the phone would not he be able to, and here is a thought: when he gets ahold of the phone calls up his IT expert back in the states and see if they can compare the two contact lists and see if this phone is legit. Duh. I don't mind a plot point serving for two characters to keep on sticking together, but when it's weak-ass as this one and then the h keeps on falling into danger and falling apart and needing rescue I just think it's a waste of the whole book.
Finally finished this book and boy is there a rant full of spoilers and digs at the author coming.
Disclaimer: This book is the author's fall from grace.
When I do these reviews I mostly do them for me. Every once in a rare while I have to do a rant and actually hope the author reads it. I do wonder if authors read these goodreads reviews, or they are told by their manager to just stick to the positive review ones and stay away from the negative ones as they don't know who the negative reviews are coming from and could be just damn right hater stuff, not constructive criticism which can help. It makes sense I would think, if only beta readers and editors would do their job and point out what a catastrophe a book is and not just seeing same old Fifty shades abuse in a jungle and hoping that spells out dollar signs. My constructive criticism would be hire a shrink and have them read this book. Ask them how healthy and well established and not to mention prosperous relationship should look and is the way these two characters act? And then just delete the whole 2nd part of the book, hire some beta readers with less ass-kissing in them and have them take you from the top in a better direction. Cuz where this book ended up heading is straight into a big old trash fire.
Anyway, sorry I jammed everything into this one big rant blob. I would wish to disseminate the book bit by bit and offer clear cut points of reference as to where things went wrong and what is a decisive wrong turn here, but it was just piled on at this point. Everything that was wrong was just repeating or duplicating, or the author was just inserting further wrong things that she thought we would overlook as part of this big romance when it was just inherently wrong. So in the end all I could do is pile all the wrong stuff like here and hope it makes sense. Super worried about even starting the next book… I don't think it got any more positive reviews from the readers who didn't like this book.
What a let down Anne Stuart.
February 17, 2016
(Puretextuality.com) 3.5/5 Stars Anne Stuart has been my go to author for romantic suspense for more years than I can remember. Usually I rate them between 4 and 5 stars in my mind. This book didn’t quite live up to the usual for me.
Jennifer Parker is a lawyer in New Orleans. She works for the poor and doesn’t always get paid. Her father is a crime lord and her brothers are all part of his network. She has washed her hands of all of them, with one of exception. Her younger brother, Billy. When her father asks her to try and get Billy out of a major jam of epic proportions, she reluctantly does. This puts her into the cross-hairs of the Committee. The Committee is an international crime fighting group. This time the Committee is trying to bring down a major human trafficking ring and Jenny finds herself in the middle of it all.
Jennifer is one of those heroines that have too dumb to live moments a lot during this read. Her moments involved outright stupidly believing things, when all evidence points to the contrary. I had major problems with her due to that. The hero? Ryder-he’s an agent with the Committee, hardcore against romance, all about the work and actually didn’t seem to have a nice bone in his body. So neither one of these characters were very likable. So unusual with a book by this author-usually I really like her heroines.
This was a mystery and quite the adventure story as well. Only not adventure in a good way. Parts of it take place in the South American jungle, and I readily admit that I don’t enjoy books that take place in a jungle. New Orleans however, is one of my favorite cities for a book to be set in and since there is a good bit of it set there, that redeemed it a bit for me.
Dark romantic suspense? Yes that would describe this book, and really quite a few books by this author and I always enjoyed them. This one had an element that I couldn’t get past easily and I was shocked that the heroine does. To me, it would be goodbye, and good riddance, but that doesn’t happen. And after that, I had a hard time even wanting to finish the book. But of course I did because I wanted to see how the author redeemed the hero. Did she? Well you would have to read it yourself, because I am still on the fence.
I guess you don’t always have to love everything a favorite author writes, and that was this book for me. I liked some aspects, but a lot of aspects weren’t a favorite for me. That’s really hard for me to say about an Anne Stuart book, but it’s my honest opinion. And actually, it did keep it from being cookie cutter in any way, shape, or form, so there’s that. It’s recommended to adult romance readers. A copy of this was given to me by Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Jennifer Parker is a lawyer in New Orleans. She works for the poor and doesn’t always get paid. Her father is a crime lord and her brothers are all part of his network. She has washed her hands of all of them, with one of exception. Her younger brother, Billy. When her father asks her to try and get Billy out of a major jam of epic proportions, she reluctantly does. This puts her into the cross-hairs of the Committee. The Committee is an international crime fighting group. This time the Committee is trying to bring down a major human trafficking ring and Jenny finds herself in the middle of it all.
Jennifer is one of those heroines that have too dumb to live moments a lot during this read. Her moments involved outright stupidly believing things, when all evidence points to the contrary. I had major problems with her due to that. The hero? Ryder-he’s an agent with the Committee, hardcore against romance, all about the work and actually didn’t seem to have a nice bone in his body. So neither one of these characters were very likable. So unusual with a book by this author-usually I really like her heroines.
This was a mystery and quite the adventure story as well. Only not adventure in a good way. Parts of it take place in the South American jungle, and I readily admit that I don’t enjoy books that take place in a jungle. New Orleans however, is one of my favorite cities for a book to be set in and since there is a good bit of it set there, that redeemed it a bit for me.
Dark romantic suspense? Yes that would describe this book, and really quite a few books by this author and I always enjoyed them. This one had an element that I couldn’t get past easily and I was shocked that the heroine does. To me, it would be goodbye, and good riddance, but that doesn’t happen. And after that, I had a hard time even wanting to finish the book. But of course I did because I wanted to see how the author redeemed the hero. Did she? Well you would have to read it yourself, because I am still on the fence.
I guess you don’t always have to love everything a favorite author writes, and that was this book for me. I liked some aspects, but a lot of aspects weren’t a favorite for me. That’s really hard for me to say about an Anne Stuart book, but it’s my honest opinion. And actually, it did keep it from being cookie cutter in any way, shape, or form, so there’s that. It’s recommended to adult romance readers. A copy of this was given to me by Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 1, 2016
ARC REVIEW
Book two in Anne Stuart's Fires series. I didn't like this one as much as her others. Jenny was a little too stubborn for her own good and she just got annoying after a while. I loved the action and the suspense but character interaction wasn't my favorite. There was a lot of overreacting going on and Ryder at one point feels like he has to do something very bad to Jenny and he feels justified doing but he really didn't need to go that far. He hated himself for doing it, it made him physically ill and that's good he should feel bad for it. Jenny wasn't easy to forgive but she was annoying at that point. Jenny for having the family that she had was very naive and trusting, and it just did not help her at all. I like how raw and gritty and violent Stuart's books get this was no exception. It was just lacking the magic of her other books.
Jenny Parker wanted to stay as far away from her family who was deep rooted in the mob and political corruption. Jenny does Pro Bono work. But when her baby brother screws up she tries to cover for him but that only lands her deeper involved than she thought. Keeping his phone and not returning it was the biggest mistake. Trying to help a young woman who was found on a boat full of white slave trade Jenny's only hope to help this young girl is to go to Ryder and the Committee. Ryder doesn't believe Jenny's story and thinks the worst of her, and knows that she is hiding something. He is determined to do anything to prove she isn't as innocent as she says. His strong sexual attraction to her isn't helping matters. But as Ryder spends more time with her he realizes just who she really is and changes from trying to condemn her to saving her.
As I previously have said this does have strong violent themes, if you don't enjoy that sort of thing this book might not be for you. Overall, I wanted to like it more than I did, but the characters just weren't there for me.
Book two in Anne Stuart's Fires series. I didn't like this one as much as her others. Jenny was a little too stubborn for her own good and she just got annoying after a while. I loved the action and the suspense but character interaction wasn't my favorite. There was a lot of overreacting going on and Ryder at one point feels like he has to do something very bad to Jenny and he feels justified doing but he really didn't need to go that far. He hated himself for doing it, it made him physically ill and that's good he should feel bad for it. Jenny wasn't easy to forgive but she was annoying at that point. Jenny for having the family that she had was very naive and trusting, and it just did not help her at all. I like how raw and gritty and violent Stuart's books get this was no exception. It was just lacking the magic of her other books.
Jenny Parker wanted to stay as far away from her family who was deep rooted in the mob and political corruption. Jenny does Pro Bono work. But when her baby brother screws up she tries to cover for him but that only lands her deeper involved than she thought. Keeping his phone and not returning it was the biggest mistake. Trying to help a young woman who was found on a boat full of white slave trade Jenny's only hope to help this young girl is to go to Ryder and the Committee. Ryder doesn't believe Jenny's story and thinks the worst of her, and knows that she is hiding something. He is determined to do anything to prove she isn't as innocent as she says. His strong sexual attraction to her isn't helping matters. But as Ryder spends more time with her he realizes just who she really is and changes from trying to condemn her to saving her.
As I previously have said this does have strong violent themes, if you don't enjoy that sort of thing this book might not be for you. Overall, I wanted to like it more than I did, but the characters just weren't there for me.
March 14, 2016
I swear my reviews are disappearing!!
While i liked the overall story the heroine made me want to throat punch her. NOBODY can be that damn stupid. You get shot at "nobody is trying to kill me". Your house was BLOWN UP and you just barely made it out. "nope, no one is trying to kill me. they must have been after you." You get beat up and stuffed in a closet and the good guys TELL YOU the woman you were trying to help was in on it "oh no we need to save her, she's been kidnapped". She was told her brother ratted her out "oh no he's my brother, the only criminal in my family of criminals i still consider my family even though i haven't talked to or seen him in months." you catch your brother on a damn ship of stollen people "oh you poor naive little brother. you obviously had no idea what you were getting into. here let me like and cover for you". I was totally rooting for her to just be put out of her misery.
I LOVED the ICE series. When I heard Anne Stuart was writing this FIRE series I was beyond excited. The first book was ok but not up to her usual standard and this second book is not giving me confidence. I'm hoping and praying that the 3rd book she finds her stride and starts to give us good stories with memorable characters.
story 2
narrator 2.5
While i liked the overall story the heroine made me want to throat punch her. NOBODY can be that damn stupid. You get shot at "nobody is trying to kill me". Your house was BLOWN UP and you just barely made it out. "nope, no one is trying to kill me. they must have been after you." You get beat up and stuffed in a closet and the good guys TELL YOU the woman you were trying to help was in on it "oh no we need to save her, she's been kidnapped". She was told her brother ratted her out "oh no he's my brother, the only criminal in my family of criminals i still consider my family even though i haven't talked to or seen him in months." you catch your brother on a damn ship of stollen people "oh you poor naive little brother. you obviously had no idea what you were getting into. here let me like and cover for you". I was totally rooting for her to just be put out of her misery.
I LOVED the ICE series. When I heard Anne Stuart was writing this FIRE series I was beyond excited. The first book was ok but not up to her usual standard and this second book is not giving me confidence. I'm hoping and praying that the 3rd book she finds her stride and starts to give us good stories with memorable characters.
story 2
narrator 2.5
January 25, 2016
Jenny is the white sheep in the family, and even though her father and brothers are all deep in criminal activity, when her youngest brother needs help, she´s quick to assist.
She never expected though that this would lead to threats on her own life.
Matthew knows that the key to breaking this last case with human trafficking is the clueless woman who claims to know nothing. But he´s not taking no for an answer, and when Jenny is targeted, Matthew has to keep her alive if he wants results.
Contemporary romance, action, suspense and smutty fluff.
Disclaimer; I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
She never expected though that this would lead to threats on her own life.
Matthew knows that the key to breaking this last case with human trafficking is the clueless woman who claims to know nothing. But he´s not taking no for an answer, and when Jenny is targeted, Matthew has to keep her alive if he wants results.
Contemporary romance, action, suspense and smutty fluff.
Disclaimer; I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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