hollys-icon.jpgBook CoverHolly’s guest review of On the Loose (Steele Street Book 7) by Tara Janzen
Romantic suspense published 30 Oct 07 by Dell

I want to state, for the record, that I went into this book expecting to hate it. I didn’t read the previous book in this series (Crazy Love) and didn’t care for the two entries prior to that one. The series started out strong, but moved into my “Are You Kidding Me?” category after the third book and into my “Hell No” category by the fifth.

Blurb:

He’s a special agent who never loses his cool.

She’s the heat-seeking missle headed straight for his heart.

Keeping cool under pressure is the credo C. Smith Rydell lives by. That’s why he was handpicked by the Special Defense Forces for a mission few men survive. So why has the ex–DEA superstar been reassigned to Panama City, playing bodyguard to a blond in a black string bikini? Except Honey York isn’t your average pampered socialite. She’s the woman Rydell caught smuggling cash into El Salvador four months ago. And now she wants him to take her back.

All Honey has to do is find the guerrilla camp, deliver the goods, and get the hell out of the jungle—all in forty-eight hours. Only one man is up for the job. But sharing an unforgettable one-night stand was nothing next to being stranded with Rydell on some third world mountaintop. And with bullets flying and all hell breaking loose, now is not the time for passion. As if these two could possibly resist it….

Read an excerpt.

Although I had very low expectations going into this, it really exceeded them all.

One thing Tara Janzen really excels at is dialogue. I was totally caught up in the witty banter between Smith and Honey, Smith and his other counterparts, and even the drug lords and crazy bad guys throughout. Janzen has a fun writing voice that really flows well. I liked Smith and Honey. Especially together. I didn’t read the prior book, so I missed the beginning of their relationship. In spite of that, I think Janzen did a credible job of bring two very different people together and making it work.

I had to suspend all disbelief to buy the story Janzen was trying to sell, but, regardless, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I almost feel guilty for liking it as much as I did. Between the nun pregnant by the crazy kingpin leader of the rebel cause, the big time kingpin drug dealer who’s really a sweet guy we all want to cuddle and love, a society princess getting dropped into the middle of a South American hostile environment by her government with only one badass operative to back her up. Not to mention the weapons and cash they brought in with them – and the ex of the badass operative stalking them all. It was one big cluster, but it flowed well and the witty, snappy dialogue saved it from falling into the “Hell No” category for me.

The book jumped around a lot, but that worked in this case. That would typically drive me insane but because there were so many threads being tugged at once, it was necessary. The action was non-stop, as usual, but I missed seeing some of my favorites from previous Steele Street novels.

Book CoverOn the Loose was a breath of fresh air. I think Tara Janzen may turn this series around from a slow, painful death and making it something that lasts. I’ll definitely be looking for the next in the series, Cutting Loose, coming 26 Dec 07.

Grade: B+

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Read Anne’s review of On the Loose here.