Gwen’s review of Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice
Erotic romance published 31 Jul 07 by Avon Red
This suspenseful erotic romance is set in modern day Washington state. The heroine, Caroline, is a beautiful owner/operator of a small bookstore, and the hero, Jack, is a rough-and-ready former soldier. They knew each other when they were teenagers and he’s loved her with a single-minded focus in all the years they’ve been separated. This is the story of how they meet again and fall wildly in love.
Here’s the book blurb:
 “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Caroline Lake can hardly believe she would ever say these words to someone she’d never met before. When a tall, dark stranger arrives wanting to rent a room in her beautiful empty shell of a mansion, she hesitates. Though she is in dire financial straits, the man looks dangerous—dangerously sexy. She’s overwhelmed by the desire he sparks in her—hotter than anything she’s ever felt before, making her ache to experience his sensuous touch. But who is this armed and mysterious man with danger following in his wake? He’s not who she thinks he is . . .
Jack Prescott has wanted Caroline forever. He has spent the past twelve years dreaming of her, desiring her, while fighting in some of the worst hellholes on earth. Now he’s back, with twenty million dollars in blood diamonds and a relentless enemy stalking him. But this time Jack’s determined that nothing will stop him from finally making Caroline his.
Read an excerpt.
By now, most of you know that I enjoy erotic romances. Hey. A girl has to get her thrills somewhere, right?  Problem is, some authors mistake “erotic romance” with “erotica” or “just plain porn” (“JPP” in Gwen’s Dictionary O’ Acronyms). Thankfully, Ms Rice (a.k.a. Elizabeth Jennings, or so I hear) didn’t give us JPP with this book. She gave us a true-to-life erotic romance that is gritty and real, and oh so hot.
Caroline is a little too goody-goody for me; she has no faults whatsoever and that’s just not that real or that gritty. However, Jack is a whole ‘nother kettle of fish. He’s a bad boy with a noble streak, but isn’t above doing anything and everything to go after what he wants and what he wants is Caroline. Oh lordy lordy – does he ever. Luckily, we know a lot about his motivations because it feels like most of the book is told from his perspective, though, (thankfully) not in first person.  I love a book told from a male perspective.
This book has some very erotic love (sex) scenes that leave nothing to your imagination and I loved every one of them. It also has a very sweet love story and an excellent climax, so to speak. My only complaint is that the book ended too abruptly, only suggesting the HEA. I know some authors bemoan epilogues, but I would have liked to have seen one in this book – something telling me what Jack and Caroline do afterwards. Trite and corny as it is, I love to read “and they lived happily ever after with their umpteen children in the castle on the hill” or some such drivel. It’s good and satisfying drivel. Don’t just cut me off at the knees, giving me no drivel!
It’s a good book and you should get it if you want a smokin’ hot love story, sudden ending or not. Now, where’s the thermostat – I know it got hotter in here. Perhaps I just need my HRT…
Grade: B+ (an epilogue would have given it an A)
I read her Midnight series recently and really enjoyed it – well mostly. I read them back to back to back and by the middle of the third one it seemed a leetle bit repetative. But she really is an excellent writer and I’m pea green that you’ve read this one already.
This looks good. I’m a sucker for tough guys who have been obsessed with the same woman forever. In fiction anyway. In RL, it’s a little creepy.
I really liked this, great read but could have been better. Solid B read for me and I just love me some LMR.
I think fans who have read her EC’s books will really enjoy this and it is a very nice introduction to LMR if you have never read her.
She writes a very passionate novel and is often compared to Linda Howard. errr… older linda howard novels more so than new ones… Her men are very much men. And the language is not prettied up, in fact I recall reading on a MB (either AAR or RT) that LMR HAS to be a man. The poster was just positive because no woman could write such a man without being one.
I think I have the post saved somewhere because it annoyed me greatly. How insulting to ever romance writer.
Lisa Marie Rice will be on blog this month to guest and has assured me she isn’t a man. And found the whole thing more amusing than I did. She isn’t Shannon McKenna either, in fact she sent me a photo with both of them in it. LOL they both live in Italy in case you don’t know, and it was rumored for a while they were the same person.
I think it was Devon who pointed out on another post that LMR is Elizbeth Jennings. We’ll have to probe her when she arrives, see if we can get her to admit anything.
“…in fact I recall reading on a MB (either AAR or RT) that LMR HAS to be a man. The poster was just positive because no woman could write such a man without being one.”
This person needs to read some Brockmann. On Suzanne’s website (at least her old site had it) she has a description of how she learned to write men’s dialogue so it would sound like a man. Things like showing excitement and stress by using short, clipped phrases instead of exclamation points.
BTW, I’ll be getting this book!
I remember that post. It was on AAR and I thought it was hilarious. I looked for DL at Borders last Thurs. and it wasnt out. Now I probably wont buy it. I’m ornery that way.
It was AAR cuz she posted about this book again and was yet again saying LMR MUST be a man cuz no way a woman could write that.
I know this is late but I just had to put my two cents in!~ I love the drivel also!~ LOL Nothing satisfies me more than reading the happily ever after epilogue. Even if its just a short paragraph, elizabeth lowell was good at the short paragraph thing. And was there any confirmation on Lisa Marie Rice having another name…I love her work, I would definately pick up anything else she might have wrote.
WE WANT DRIVEL!
WE WANT DRIVEL!
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WE WANT DRIVEL!
WE WANT DRIVEL!
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