Notes re: Linda Howard's Burn

[jmc_bks]

First let me say that Linda Howard used to be an auto-buy for me.  A couple of years ago she fell off my auto-buy list; since then the only book of hers I've read is the second Blair-Wyatt installment. 

The release of Burn tempted me, since it was on sale for $9.95 at ereader.com.  With rebates, I ended up paying mass market price for the book, which would be a bargain since it is out in hardback right now.  Except not really, because I can't pass the ebook on the way I would a paper book.

What did I think?  Well, I enjoyed Burn more than Killing Time and Cover of Night, which were both DNFs.  I've read a couple of comments in which Burn is described as more like her older stuff.  It felt a little recycled to me, but not in a greener, good for the Earth kind of way.

General observations:

• Standard LH sex scene including immediate penetration without foreplay, but which somehow results in amazing orgasm nonetheless.
• Mishmash of plot and characters that have been seen before
  • Morally ambiguous hero
  • Plucky, pain in the ass heroine
  • Cartoon villain who was both treasonous and crazy.  (Because one possible suspense issue was not enough? Or is the implicit message there than only the crazy can be treasonous?)
  • Bomb on a boat?  (Speed 2)
  • Boat evacuation and rush? (Titanic) 

Stuff I liked:

• Heroine's relationship with her friend Syd
• Secondary characters (not in a series bait kind of way, but the way they interacted)
• Early chapters of the book, in which the heroine's life changes immensely and she negotiates those changes fairly wisely

Stuff I didn't like:

• If prologue had been the excerpt I read, I would not have bought this book.  If I had realized that the hero was the mastermind of a kidnap plot of two other characters in the book, I would not have been interested.  Kidnapping is kidnapping, regardless of "good cause".
• Also, using "money laundering" in the hero's mental meanderings about himself?  Off-putting since it is fraud. 
• Lesbian financial planner felt like a huge stereotype, tossed in to be politically correct.  How was her sexuality relevant?
• Heroine with trust issues (harped on) immediately drops trusts issues, bonding with her kidnapper and deciding he must be a Good Guy. (Because she couldn't want to do a Bad Guy?)
• Hot sexxoring turns to True Love at the moment lives were threatened, no mention of emotion/feelings other than physical attraction til that point, even in the character's internal monologues.  (Did they even say the words?  I can't remember.  It's okay if they don't, but it hadn't really been shown either IMO.)

Afterthought:  the heroine moves to the South.  Is Palm Beach the South?  I mean, yes, geographically speaking, but is it Southern in the full sense of the word? 

Comments

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness you reviewed this one cause I thought maybe it was time to re-open a Howard but I'm with you, I didn't finish the last few and the one I did finish bore me to weeping.

Thanks for saving me major money cause I would have ended up paying more than I should have!

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. :)

This one would probably be a good library book. If I hadn't paid for it, I'd feel less bitter about the blahness of the book. (Does that make sense?)