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Long, Tall Texans #31
Lawman
By purchasing a ranch in Jacobsville, Texas, FBI agent Garon Grier hopes to put his tragic marriage behind him. While he is working on the case of a child predator who recently escaped from prison, he encounters Grace Carver, the only child to escape alive from the deadly convict.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
181 people are currently reading
1,568 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
975books3,047followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
August 27, 2019
This may be my least favorite DP hero ever and that's saying something. He's not the meanest, but his assholery comes from the double whammy of complete and total arrogance because he's so awesome in his mind and his indifference to the heroine.
After the hero mans down and tries to ghost the heroine, he assumes she's stalking him because he sees her in an unusual places like the bank and the diner. He verbally abuses her LOUDLY and embarrasses everyone but the OW. As the h's lovelorn swain, Ricky Marquez who will no doubt humiliate and emotionally torture his own heroine in , points out to him in a town of 2000 you will run into people all the time, and the diner's owner gives the OW THE BEST SMACKDOWN EVER. I had to read it twice as it made me laugh.
She gets pregnant despite not being able to get pregnant and the hero sweeps her off her feet with the proposal that they will stay married for eight months until the baby comes. UGH! Hello, skillet.
The underlying search for the serial killer of 12 year old girls does not help the enjoyment.
After the hero mans down and tries to ghost the heroine, he assumes she's stalking him because he sees her in an unusual places like the bank and the diner. He verbally abuses her LOUDLY and embarrasses everyone but the OW. As the h's lovelorn swain, Ricky Marquez who will no doubt humiliate and emotionally torture his own heroine in , points out to him in a town of 2000 you will run into people all the time, and the diner's owner gives the OW THE BEST SMACKDOWN EVER. I had to read it twice as it made me laugh.
She gets pregnant despite not being able to get pregnant and the hero sweeps her off her feet with the proposal that they will stay married for eight months until the baby comes. UGH! Hello, skillet.
The underlying search for the serial killer of 12 year old girls does not help the enjoyment.
February 4, 2015
2.5 stars and I'm not rounding up on principle. The extra 1/2 star was for the heroine who I did like and who really told the H what a POS he was. Unfortunately she did forgive him, but this is a "romance".
This is no more than I deserve. I was given some recs for some older Diana Palmer books that I may enjoy. I wanted to give her another try since she's so popular, often with friends I tend to agree with and I'd only read 2 books by her in the past, one of which I saw potential in. Unfortunately those recs weren't readily available on Scribd and I didn't want to pay for one of her books at the moment. So, I picked up this mess all on my own. I will track down one of those older (pre-2K) recs, since people were nice enough to make a list before I give up on DP completely and permanently consign her to the 'not for me' bin.
Where do I start?
I've been kicking around the idea of a hero-tstl tag for some time. This book sealed the deal. Dude was dumber than a box of rocks on so many levels. I can buy the otherwise intelligent man who's an idiot when it comes to a woman, but he was just an idiot all around. This guy is an FBI agent? No wonder the federal government is a mess.
Also the investigation part and banter between the cops was like the low budget pilot for a crime show that didn't quite make the cut. Lots of the hero throwing out things DP had probably heard on CSI and then failing to interpret those pearls of wisdom he'd literally JUST spouted when the real thing was right in front of his face. It was actually comical. Almost like a satire, but I think it was supposed to be serious. It was like an SNL skit - Barney Fife does CSI.
Just for kicks, I'm going to highlight his most idiotic moments (with spoilers and a trigger warning for severe childhood sex abuse).
This is no more than I deserve. I was given some recs for some older Diana Palmer books that I may enjoy. I wanted to give her another try since she's so popular, often with friends I tend to agree with and I'd only read 2 books by her in the past, one of which I saw potential in. Unfortunately those recs weren't readily available on Scribd and I didn't want to pay for one of her books at the moment. So, I picked up this mess all on my own. I will track down one of those older (pre-2K) recs, since people were nice enough to make a list before I give up on DP completely and permanently consign her to the 'not for me' bin.
Where do I start?
I've been kicking around the idea of a hero-tstl tag for some time. This book sealed the deal. Dude was dumber than a box of rocks on so many levels. I can buy the otherwise intelligent man who's an idiot when it comes to a woman, but he was just an idiot all around. This guy is an FBI agent? No wonder the federal government is a mess.
Also the investigation part and banter between the cops was like the low budget pilot for a crime show that didn't quite make the cut. Lots of the hero throwing out things DP had probably heard on CSI and then failing to interpret those pearls of wisdom he'd literally JUST spouted when the real thing was right in front of his face. It was actually comical. Almost like a satire, but I think it was supposed to be serious. It was like an SNL skit - Barney Fife does CSI.
Just for kicks, I'm going to highlight his most idiotic moments (with spoilers and a trigger warning for severe childhood sex abuse).
May 10, 2019
3 stars
The subject matter in this one was a little heavy, but the clueless, snobby, hard-bitten lawman H was typical. The seemingly meek and mild h with a horrific past actually had some spine. I did laugh at the H's antics/thoughts - although harsh -because I've read enough spoilers to know what was going to happen and when.
This book had a small commentary on the cost of Rx medications and their affect on the poor and/or elderly. I highlighted these areas.
The subject matter in this one was a little heavy, but the clueless, snobby, hard-bitten lawman H was typical. The seemingly meek and mild h with a horrific past actually had some spine. I did laugh at the H's antics/thoughts - although harsh -because I've read enough spoilers to know what was going to happen and when.
This book had a small commentary on the cost of Rx medications and their affect on the poor and/or elderly. I highlighted these areas.
March 29, 2018
Okay I just re-read this and I don't think he slept with the gross OW. I think he might have gone out with her but no sex or anything. But I don't know. I will say this, the H was a total a$$hole! Wow he was awful. I was stunned by his mean comments and it broke my heart when he was so mean to her and accused her of stalking him. I loved how the town blacklisted him. That cracked me up. I loved the h too. She touched something inside me. She had a truly tragic life. I loved how the town loved her too. She was so special. Now back to the jerk H. He sucked. I wish she would have loved the OM that truly loved her. But I still gave it 4 stars because he grovelled in my opinion. He was very remorseful and I loved the ending so much. She was so selfless and it changed him and made him a better man. I really liked it on re-read and no Jaeger was involved. I am glad I re-read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
A sweet marriage of convenience story with a lovely ending. Hero was alpha male, deliciously over the top dominating, aggressive, and protective of his unwanted wife. He was bitter and cruel but this is exactly what I expect from a DP hero. At least he had his reasons. He lost his first wife and child so tragically I could forgive him for being so damn brooding.
Grace was a true survivor. Emotional and sexual abuse is disgusting and heartbreaking. She grew up with her mean grandmother. No one cared about her or loved her the way she deserved to be loved. But she never resented others. Such a good and warm heroine. I admired Grace for risking her life to have her baby and for fighting for love against all odds and despite all obstacles. Very emotional book.
Grace was a true survivor. Emotional and sexual abuse is disgusting and heartbreaking. She grew up with her mean grandmother. No one cared about her or loved her the way she deserved to be loved. But she never resented others. Such a good and warm heroine. I admired Grace for risking her life to have her baby and for fighting for love against all odds and despite all obstacles. Very emotional book.
August 25, 2019
I liked this one better than because the hero, while cruel and clueless, wasn’t a whiner like the hero of Outsider. Plus, I liked this heroine a lot better. She had a difficult life (escaped rape and murder when she was 12 and then had to live with a gin-drinking, verbally abusive granny for years), but still kept her sense of humor and entrepreneurship after granny finally died.
So the premise: hero is an FBI agent (and brother to the chief of Jacobsville police). He is trying to catch a serial killer who is targeting 12 year-old girls. He’s just bought a ranch in Jacobsville next door to the heroine and her evil granny. Evil granny mercifully dies of a heart attack and hero reluctantly helps heroine.
They end up having sex and a one-week relationship. Then hero rejects her because he never wants to be married again after his first wife died of cancer during her pregnancy. He makes an ass of himself rejecting the heroine all over town, but this isn’t extreme behavior for a DP hero � and the town thoroughly rejects him so there’s that.
There is a lot of police procedural stuff (including an autopsy of a 12 year-old victim � Really, Diana Palmer? Why was this necessary?) and the culprit was beyond obvious to this reader -so skim away if that isn’t your thing.
The last third of the story is crammed with drama � including:
Catching the murderer
Medical drama and hero’s change of heart
Heroine’s hidden abilities.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest Yes
Breast Description Small
Cigarettes No
AlcoholBrandy for the heroine. Whisky while the hero is waiting for the h’s surgery to be over.
Town Descriptions Population of 2,000! There are mansions on Main Street. Two feedstores. Florist shop. Café. Baptist church. Baptist cemetery. Funeral home. Veterinarian who cremates pets for pet funerals. There’s a strip mall with a thrift store in it � next to the Community College.
Gardenia Scent Roses
LOL detail Heroine speaks fluent Arabic having never gone beyond high school or working two part time jobs in Jacobsville.??
Cutesy detail The hero has a Bucar - the FBI’s term for a bureau conveyance. He’s very proud of this and mentions it several times.
DP hobbyhorse Small town good. Big city bad. “People in small towns mostly get married and have children and raise them. We don’t look at life the way people in cities do. Down here, honor and self-respect are a lot more important than closing a business deal and having a martini lunch. We’re just simple people, Mr. Grier. But we look deeper than outsiders do. And we judge by what we see.�
DP is trolling us“So everybody in town is celibate?� he queried.
So the premise: hero is an FBI agent (and brother to the chief of Jacobsville police). He is trying to catch a serial killer who is targeting 12 year-old girls. He’s just bought a ranch in Jacobsville next door to the heroine and her evil granny. Evil granny mercifully dies of a heart attack and hero reluctantly helps heroine.
They end up having sex and a one-week relationship. Then hero rejects her because he never wants to be married again after his first wife died of cancer during her pregnancy. He makes an ass of himself rejecting the heroine all over town, but this isn’t extreme behavior for a DP hero � and the town thoroughly rejects him so there’s that.
There is a lot of police procedural stuff (including an autopsy of a 12 year-old victim � Really, Diana Palmer? Why was this necessary?) and the culprit was beyond obvious to this reader -so skim away if that isn’t your thing.
The last third of the story is crammed with drama � including:
Catching the murderer
Medical drama and hero’s change of heart
Heroine’s hidden abilities.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest Yes
Breast Description Small
Cigarettes No
AlcoholBrandy for the heroine. Whisky while the hero is waiting for the h’s surgery to be over.
Town Descriptions Population of 2,000! There are mansions on Main Street. Two feedstores. Florist shop. Café. Baptist church. Baptist cemetery. Funeral home. Veterinarian who cremates pets for pet funerals. There’s a strip mall with a thrift store in it � next to the Community College.
Gardenia Scent Roses
LOL detail Heroine speaks fluent Arabic having never gone beyond high school or working two part time jobs in Jacobsville.??
Cutesy detail The hero has a Bucar - the FBI’s term for a bureau conveyance. He’s very proud of this and mentions it several times.
DP hobbyhorse Small town good. Big city bad. “People in small towns mostly get married and have children and raise them. We don’t look at life the way people in cities do. Down here, honor and self-respect are a lot more important than closing a business deal and having a martini lunch. We’re just simple people, Mr. Grier. But we look deeper than outsiders do. And we judge by what we see.�
DP is trolling us“So everybody in town is celibate?� he queried.
September 14, 2019
He was incredibly awful even after realized his sadistic behavior and felt guilt, while she was the perfect saint all the time. OTT drama full with angst made me cry my heart out. 😎
May 6, 2019
Garon and Grace. Thank goodness I got this from the library for free. What an excruciatingly angsty read with not nearly enough grovelling at the end! I try to find those few Diana Palmer books where the hero is redeemable by the end and imho, this wasn't one of them. Poor Grace. She just has the worst luck!
Grace had a very sad scary childhood and the people of the small town she lives in may not know all about it, but what they do know makes them very protective of her. They also keep her secrets from newcomers like Garon. Garon is her new neighbour, an FBI agent and wannabe rancher. He is dismissive of his frumpy little neighbour and her mean grandma from day one. But things happen to bring them together and he decides he's got the hots for her for a couple days. Then promptly kicks her to the curb... and is seriously despicable about it. Meanwhile he starts working on the case of a serial child killer. A killer that he finds out, didn't manage to kill one of his earliest victims. You can see where this is going I'm sure, so I won't spell it out. But Grace is a woman of many layers and secrets. Not just the obvious ones. I did like her character even if she was a bit of doormat.
Now Garon on the other hand... Like another reviewer said, if he's indicative of the FBI's intelligence level, well that's just plain worrying! Grace exhibits all the signs of a woman who's been abused, but somehow Garon fails to notice til about 3/4 into the story. I do wonder if it was willful ignorance? You know, because he wanted to get into her pants with no strings attached. He truly does spend most of the book being a complete jerk to her. Even after he marries her, he was unforgivable. The book is pure harlequin 70's style with an evil OW, an OM who pines unrequitedly, an OTT villain, a jerky Hero whose been hurt in the past, heartwarming townsfolk and a heroine whose practically a martyr. What's not to like right?
Well, I guess that would be the ending. Honestly I have a headache now.
Upon reflection, I think if DP had pulled Garon's head out of his ass earlier and less abruptly, it might have been salvagable. Maybe if DP had dribbled some of the revelations about Grace throughout the story so it doesn't seem like she just tacked that on at the end to redeem Grace's character from utter patheticness...
...and *jaqui* WTF? Safety is NOT good.
Grace had a very sad scary childhood and the people of the small town she lives in may not know all about it, but what they do know makes them very protective of her. They also keep her secrets from newcomers like Garon. Garon is her new neighbour, an FBI agent and wannabe rancher. He is dismissive of his frumpy little neighbour and her mean grandma from day one. But things happen to bring them together and he decides he's got the hots for her for a couple days. Then promptly kicks her to the curb... and is seriously despicable about it. Meanwhile he starts working on the case of a serial child killer. A killer that he finds out, didn't manage to kill one of his earliest victims. You can see where this is going I'm sure, so I won't spell it out. But Grace is a woman of many layers and secrets. Not just the obvious ones. I did like her character even if she was a bit of doormat.
Now Garon on the other hand... Like another reviewer said, if he's indicative of the FBI's intelligence level, well that's just plain worrying! Grace exhibits all the signs of a woman who's been abused, but somehow Garon fails to notice til about 3/4 into the story. I do wonder if it was willful ignorance? You know, because he wanted to get into her pants with no strings attached. He truly does spend most of the book being a complete jerk to her. Even after he marries her, he was unforgivable. The book is pure harlequin 70's style with an evil OW, an OM who pines unrequitedly, an OTT villain, a jerky Hero whose been hurt in the past, heartwarming townsfolk and a heroine whose practically a martyr. What's not to like right?
Well, I guess that would be the ending. Honestly I have a headache now.
Upon reflection, I think if DP had pulled Garon's head out of his ass earlier and less abruptly, it might have been salvagable. Maybe if DP had dribbled some of the revelations about Grace throughout the story so it doesn't seem like she just tacked that on at the end to redeem Grace's character from utter patheticness...
...and *jaqui* WTF? Safety is NOT good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
This book does not even deserve to be a DP book! It was gross and it was vile! I can't even review all the horrible things that happen to the heroine and all the crap the hero does to the heroine. Oh and the far far fetch plot and characterizations. Wow learning to speak a foreign language in two second flat and many other silly things. I will not go back here. It was not worth my time. How could this book be so bad? I wanted it to be awesome! Just so disappointing.
March 28, 2018
UPDATE: Re-read March 2018 (Added comment and highlights)
UPDATE: Relido em 25 de junho de 2016.
ogro + doormat
--------------
Our hero is ashamed of our heroine and has only negative things to say about her.
He thinks she's ugly and uneducated.
At no time did he redeem himself in my opinion.
He was always comparing her to other women and finding her with less qualities than the others.
He never had anything positive to say to her only offensive and sarcastic things.
I think it was weird his first marriage being so perfect and his wife wonderful and in the end he start pointing out defects in the dead wife and seeing that nothing was as good as he imagined.
She will always be a second best.
I feel sorry for her.
The first time I read the book I really hope our heroine kicks him to the curb and falls in love with Rick.
UPDATE: Relido em 25 de junho de 2016.
ogro + doormat
--------------
Our hero is ashamed of our heroine and has only negative things to say about her.
He thinks she's ugly and uneducated.
At no time did he redeem himself in my opinion.
He was always comparing her to other women and finding her with less qualities than the others.
He never had anything positive to say to her only offensive and sarcastic things.
I think it was weird his first marriage being so perfect and his wife wonderful and in the end he start pointing out defects in the dead wife and seeing that nothing was as good as he imagined.
She will always be a second best.
I feel sorry for her.
The first time I read the book I really hope our heroine kicks him to the curb and falls in love with Rick.
Cash had disowned his family over his father’s remarriage just days after his beloved mother’s death from cancer.
He’d lost his one true love to cancer. It had eaten the heart out of him. Now, at thirty-six, he was resigned to being alone.
The granddaughter wasn’t much to look at. She wore her blond hair in a long pigtail, and went around mostly in loose jeans and a sweatshirt. She was shy around Garon. In fact, she seemed to be afraid of him, which was curious. Maybe his reputation had gotten around.
She had green eyes, very pale, and an oval face. She was plain, except for her pretty mouth and exquisite complexion.
Miss Carver was the sort of woman he’d never found interesting.
He loved roses, and during his brief marriage, he’d grown several varieties.
==>OW<== Jaqui Jones. Easy to remember, and her figure was more than enough to make her memorable in addition to her mom.
It didn’t take second sight to know that she was available and interested. So was he. It had been a long, dry spell.
“She’s only been in town two months and she’s already got a reputation. Put her hand down Ben Smith’s pants right in his own office!�
His little mother had been a saint. No, he couldn’t have pictured her being available to any man except his father—until his father had cheated on her and hastened her death.
The girl was doing all she could for her grandmother, who seemed about as loving as a python.
Garon glanced at her. She wouldn’t win a beauty contest, but she was a fast dresser, he thought with admiration.
“Nothing. And that’s all I want to know. I did her a favor tonight, but I am not in the mood to take on dependents. Especially spinsters who look like juvenile bag ladies.�
He didn’t like having her as a responsibility longer than he had to.
“It’s only breakfast. I’m not proposing,� he added sarcastically.
“No ambition to go to college or learn a profession?� Garon asked.
“You’re nasty, I’m nasty,� she returned. “If you ever develop a pleasant personality, I’ll even smile at you.�
“I’m amazed you’re not a number in a home for the unbalanced,� he said under his breath.
“You go to a job looking like that?� he exclaimed.
He shook his head. “The women in my office wear pantsuits and makeup.�
“You’ll never be alone in Jacobsville. We’re your family, Grace. All of us.�
“Don’t tell me she’s afraid of the dark,� he laughed.
“There are four brothers,� he replied. “Cort and Parker are the other two. Cort runs our West Texas ranch with our father. Parker’s in law enforcement.�
He didn’t want any more contact with her than necessary.
He didn’t want to know intimate things about her, either. He only felt sorry for her.
It made him angry that this frumpy little woman looked at him as if he were a rapist.
It fascinated her that some of the town’s leading lights thought so much of old Mrs. Collier, and she mentioned it to Barbara. “Don’t be silly,� she chuckled. “It’s you they’re fond of, Grace,� she added.
==>OW<== "I just wanted a look at you,� the woman chided.
She laughed coldly. “I can’t believe I was worried about the competition,� she added carelessly, and walked out without another word.
He wasn’t interested in a relationship with his neighbor.
Garon glared at him. “I’m not in the market for a frumpy girlfriend.�
“Never mind,� he said when she didn’t reply. “It isn’t as if I’m interested in you that way,� he added almost as an afterthought, and with a cold, faint smile. “Good night.�
“That niece of Mrs. Tabor’s brought food to the house,� she said. “She told me that she’d worried I was some sort of competition until she saw me. She was very insulting.�
Before she realized his intention, he brushed his hard mouth over her lips in a shiver of contact that made her heart jump.
He bent again. This time, he brushed her lips apart with slow, sensuous motions and caught her upper lip between both of his in a sensuous, nibbling motion.
He was no longer teasing. His mouth was demanding, masterful.
==>OW<== Garon felt oddly out of place with these people. Especially with Jaqui, who rubbed against him at every opportunity, almost panting with desire. He didn’t like public displays of affection, and it showed in his face.
==>OW<== “As long as you aren’t running after your little neighbor,� she chided. “God, that frumpy woman! And you had her staying in your house, I hear!�
“She’s a loser, like most people around here,� she said carelessly.
She reached up, dragged his head down and kissed him with her whole mouth.
She’d heard at work about Garon’s attendance at Jaqui Jones’s party.
Before she got the words out, he had her up in his arms, and he was kissing her as if there wouldn’t be a tomorrow.
He had a sudden, urgent arousal that he couldn’t control.
“Open your mouth, Grace,� he bit off against the taut line of her lips.
He drew away from her. He looked as shocked as she did.
She was good company, for a shy and damaged spinster.
I became a lawman. He made it sound like a holy cause. In some ways, I guess it is. We speak for victims who can no longer speak for themselves.�
“You’re good for my ego, Grace,� he murmured. “But I don’t think I’m good for you.�
“I was in an…an accident, when I was twelve,� she said. “A bad accident. I got cut up, especially my stomach. So I can’t have children.�
She’d suffered enough already at the hands of one man. She didn’t need Garon to put nails in her coffin. But Barbara knew she couldn’t stop this train wreck of a relationship from happening.
“Relationships don’t stagnate, Grace,� he said quietly, searching her wide, gray eyes. “We either go forward, or we stop seeing each other. I’m too old to settle for a platonic relationship.�
It had been too long since he’d had a woman. He was dying for her. He couldn’t stop.
“Grace, you were a virgin, weren’t you?� he asked after a minute. She stopped breathing. She hesitated. “Well, yes,�
“Grace, you do understand that I’m not in the market for a wife?� he asked quietly.
She’d been such a fool. He didn’t want to marry her. He just needed a woman, and here she was, waiting eagerly for him.
Without missing a beat, he lifted her in his arms, and kissed her as if he hadn’t seen her in a year. Moaning, helpless, she yielded at once. He turned and carried her down the hall to the bedroom.
Garon was still uncomfortable with their scrutiny, and getting cold feet. Colder by the minute,
He loved Grace in bed, but he wasn’t going to marry her because of it.
She was seeing him as a prospective husband, but he didn’t want her for keeps.
He was bad-tempered and impatient since he’d stopped seeing Grace, because he knew it was going to hurt her when she realized that he was ending their brief relationship.
She hadn’t gotten the message, he realized.
Grace was a sweet woman. He liked her. But she wasn’t the sort of woman who normally appealed to him. He liked aggressive, confident, powerful women; women like Jaqui. A quiet, clinging woman who couldn’t relate to him intellectually wasn’t going to fit into his world.
“You don’t take hints, do you, Grace?� he asked coldly. “I tried to do it the easy way, but you’re persistent. So let’s get it straight. I don’t want to see you again. I don’t want to hear from you. Don’t call, and don’t come here again.�
“You’re a small town spinster, Grace, with few talents and minimum education,� he said firmly, hating the words even as he forced them out. “We don’t have anything in common except physical attraction, and it doesn’t last. You need some steady cowboy who wants a domesticated little woman to keep house for him.�
I’m tired of having people gossip about us. That’s over. I don’t want you, Grace. Go home.�
She went to the bank the following Friday, and there he was, standing in the next line. He looked at her and glared, as if he thought she’d followed him there.
He turned and saw her standing behind him and his eyes flashed with fury. He threw down the reel and strode to her.
“I told you I wasn’t interested, Grace,� he said through his teeth. “Following me around isn’t going to get you anything! Didn’t you get it? I don’t want you!�
==>OW<== BUT THE FOLLOWING Friday, there was a performance by the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra at the Jacobsville High School Auditorium. Garon invited Jaqui to go with him. She dressed in a scanty little black number that emphasized her lush figure, and she clung to him like glue.
“Again?� he asked curtly. “Why the hell can’t you stop following me around?� he demanded. “What does it take to convince you that I’m not interested?!�
“Stalking is against the law, Grace, in case you didn’t know,� he added icily. “I could have you prosecuted!�
She grew paler and thinner.
==>OW<== Grace felt her heart sink. Before she could speak, there he was, just coming in the front door, with Jaqui hanging languidly on his arm.
“Good God, not again!� he raged. “Do you have radar? Every damned place I go, you turn up! How did you know I was coming here? Do you have someone spying on me, to make sure you don’t waste an opportunity to ruin my day?�
“No, you don’t understand!� he snapped, moving forward. “You’re thick as a plank, Grace. I don’t want you in my life! How many times do I have to say it before you believe it?!�
“It’s no loss, the food here sucks anyway,� Jaqui tossed over her shoulder. “I’m sure the food isn’t everything that sucks around here,� Barbara told the other woman with a smug, demeaning smile.
...the older woman added with a cold gleam in her eyes. “He’ll wish he’d never moved here.�
He scowled. “She turned up everywhere I went, after I told her flatly that I didn’t want to take her out again.�
...he’d seduced her and then pushed her out of his life, like a man discarding a used towel.
“DNA.� He stared at Cash while the truth drilled a hole in his heart. “DNA.� His teeth ground together. The son of a bitch had raped Grace�!
He’d knocked her back, savaged her verbally and emotionally. He’d frightened her so badly in the café that she’d backed away from him, shaking like a leaf.
“She doesn’t hide her assets,� he admitted. “She likes having men around her.� She gave him a cold smile. “Lucky girl, not to have my history.�
She was a strong, independent, intelligent woman. We both knew on the first date that we’d be together forever.�
“When she was five months pregnant, she started feeling tired all the time.
“The oncologist diagnosed it as non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.�
“That was ten years ago. I decided that I’d never take that risk again.
“But you don’t want to marry me,� she started again. “No, I don’t,� he said honestly. “But it’s only for eight months,� he added. “After the baby comes, we’ll make decisions.�
She’d never expected him to want her permanently. Nobody ever had.
It had been a long time, but he still remembered the joy of his first wedding. He was fond of Grace, and he wanted the child, but he couldn’t separate himself from the past.
“Grace, if you don’t eat properly, you could hurt the baby,� he said in desperation. She felt part of herself die every time he said things like that.
But all of it, everything, was for the baby. She had no illusions about his feelings for her.
==>OW<== Jaqui had phoned her, unbeknownst to Garon, to remind her that as soon as the baby came, Grace was only going to be a footnote in Garon’s life. Jaqui insinuated that Garon was sneaking around to see her.
She didn’t tell Garon about the phone calls. She knew he wouldn’t care, unless Jaqui’s harassment was endangering the baby, of course.
He’d told her they’d only be married until the baby came. He’d probably forgotten saying that, but Grace hadn’t. She was just marking time, feeling like an insignificant incubator in his house.
“You’ve lived in an open grave since you lost your wife and child,� she said simply. “Don’t you think it’s time you lived in the present? You have another wife, and a child on the way. It isn’t fair to them to make them second best after ghosts.�
“Obviously Jaqui is the sort of woman you admire,� Barbara said, her eyes growing cold. “Once the baby’s born, you can get a quiet divorce and saddle up with your ideal woman. With any luck, Grace will realize that Rick is far more her style than you are. Excuse me. I have to get ready to open.�
“You can speak Arabic?� the agent exclaimed. “Yes. What do you want to know?� she asked. “Come right in,� the agent invited, smiling.
“Well, it looks like you had a good time.� Her eyebrows lifted. “Yes, you can sometimes take me out in public. I can talk and walk,� she replied.
“Anyway,� she added, fastening her seat belt, “I guess getting to know me better doesn’t really concern you. Once the baby’s born, I’m going home.�
“You’re working part-time at menial labor jobs. I thought you wouldn’t be able to handle a more sophisticated level,� he pointed out curtly.
“Garon,� he said gently, “Grace has a bad heart valve. It’s gone critical. If they don’t operate very soon, she won’t make it.�
“Then I took her to work with me and left her in the waiting room. When I came back, she was happily chatting away in Arabic to a Jordanian murder witness, translating for him. She speaks several languages,�
In a way, he’d resented the fact that he had to marry Grace because of the child.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2023
3.5 stars
A nice little read with a nice little heroine and a mean little hero 😗😗
Garon Grier (H)� this guy was something else, just two days into his no-strings-attached relationship with Grace Carver (h) and he decided to break it off because, quote,
My boy, Garon, you could’ve at least waited a couple of weeks to come to that jarring decision. And my girl, Grace, you could have been more inconspicuous about your feelings.
This could have been more angsty, considering it started off with great banter between the MCs and there was no insta lust or insta attraction whatsoever. The hero didn’t find the heroine attractive, and tried to avoid her at all costs. This is quite literally my favorite thing in these romance books, when either the heroine or the hero is not much to look at because
Something about the hero not finding the heroine attractive and then later falling in love with her always hits different. I’d prefer a plain Jane heroine over a smoldering hot one any day, considering she’s not an imbecile, of course! I loved Grace in this one, she didn’t swoon over Garon or chase after him at the cost of her self respect after he broke it off with her. She just accepted her fate and after Garon had persecuted her simply went to stay with her Cousin demanding no explanations from him.
This is a surprise pregnancy book because the heroine had lost an ovary due to an accident, and the chances of her having a kid were next to zero. I was banking on the hero freaking out and accusing the heroine of lying to him and trapping him with a child, but he wasdisappointingly calm about his impending fatherhood.
The meanest Garon had been in this book was accusing Grace of stalking him and humiliating her in public
It was almost funny how every time Grace coincidentally showed up where he was in their small town of 2 thousand people he would lose it. Hello, Mr. Arrogant not everything revolves around you!
Anyway, she cleared up that she was never chasing him in the end and they all lived happily ever after. This was a cute little book. Would love to read something more like it in the future. Preferably something longer also.
A nice little read with a nice little heroine and a mean little hero 😗😗
“Relationships don’t stagnate, Grace,� he said quietly, searching her wide, gray eyes. “We either go forward, or we stop seeing each other. I’m too old to settle for a platonic relationship.�
Garon Grier (H)� this guy was something else, just two days into his no-strings-attached relationship with Grace Carver (h) and he decided to break it off because, quote,
he wasn’t going to see Grace alone again. She was seeing him as a prospective husband, but he didn’t want her for keeps,unquote.
My boy, Garon, you could’ve at least waited a couple of weeks to come to that jarring decision. And my girl, Grace, you could have been more inconspicuous about your feelings.
“He wasn’t interested. He liked an occasional night out with an attractive woman, preferably a modern, educated one. Miss Carver was the sort of woman he’d never found interesting.�
This could have been more angsty, considering it started off with great banter between the MCs and there was no insta lust or insta attraction whatsoever. The hero didn’t find the heroine attractive, and tried to avoid her at all costs. This is quite literally my favorite thing in these romance books, when either the heroine or the hero is not much to look at because
Anyone can love a rose,
but it takes a great deal to love a leaf.
It’s ordinary to love the beautiful,
but it’s beautiful to love the ordinary. �
Something about the hero not finding the heroine attractive and then later falling in love with her always hits different. I’d prefer a plain Jane heroine over a smoldering hot one any day, considering she’s not an imbecile, of course! I loved Grace in this one, she didn’t swoon over Garon or chase after him at the cost of her self respect after he broke it off with her. She just accepted her fate and after Garon had persecuted her simply went to stay with her Cousin demanding no explanations from him.
This is a surprise pregnancy book because the heroine had lost an ovary due to an accident, and the chances of her having a kid were next to zero. I was banking on the hero freaking out and accusing the heroine of lying to him and trapping him with a child, but he was
The meanest Garon had been in this book was accusing Grace of stalking him and humiliating her in public
“You don’t understand,� Grace began slowly, trying to reason with him despite the fear he was kindling in her.
“No, you don’t understand!� he snapped, moving forward. “You’re thick as a plank, Grace. I don’t want you in my life! How many times do I have to say it before you believe it?!�
It was almost funny how every time Grace coincidentally showed up where he was in their small town of 2 thousand people he would lose it. Hello, Mr. Arrogant not everything revolves around you!
Anyway, she cleared up that she was never chasing him in the end and they all lived happily ever after. This was a cute little book. Would love to read something more like it in the future. Preferably something longer also.
July 2, 2021
No, the title is wrong.
It’s not lawman, it’s low man.
Because I’ve never seen a male character behaving like this. And he should be an FBI agent? Lacking in intelligence, insight and empathy. Poor FBI, they’re not going very well do they. The man had sex with the heroine, who he knew was abused as a child, and then rejected her more and more times shaming her in front of all town, and started dating the town wh**e. Better and better. Luckily all town refused him and scorned him for the way he treated her. This is what I call civic mindedness. Then he married her but only until their child is born.
The heroine was the most unlucky woman ever.
Tortured and abused as a child, with an alcoholic grandmother, she falls in love with another abusive man and has a heart defect.
DP really hated this heroine.
Anyway the man doesn’t deserve to live.
And then there’s a sort of thriller story with a serial killer of little girls, with details of abuse.
Everyone understood who he was in a minute, but for the FBI hero.
I didn’t like this part very much.
It lacks the main thing that a thriller story must have: suspense.
I find it quite boring and I really hated the hero after he abused the heroine, so I wasn’t interested in the story.
He was cruel and coward, not someone who fight against criminals
He only had to tell her clearly and without much fuss that he didn’t want to see her anymore because he didn’t want any permanent relationship, instead he hurt her repeatedly. Not man enough.
Just a low man.
Not good for me this one.
It’s not lawman, it’s low man.
Because I’ve never seen a male character behaving like this. And he should be an FBI agent? Lacking in intelligence, insight and empathy. Poor FBI, they’re not going very well do they. The man had sex with the heroine, who he knew was abused as a child, and then rejected her more and more times shaming her in front of all town, and started dating the town wh**e. Better and better. Luckily all town refused him and scorned him for the way he treated her. This is what I call civic mindedness. Then he married her but only until their child is born.
The heroine was the most unlucky woman ever.
Tortured and abused as a child, with an alcoholic grandmother, she falls in love with another abusive man and has a heart defect.
DP really hated this heroine.
Anyway the man doesn’t deserve to live.
And then there’s a sort of thriller story with a serial killer of little girls, with details of abuse.
Everyone understood who he was in a minute, but for the FBI hero.
I didn’t like this part very much.
It lacks the main thing that a thriller story must have: suspense.
I find it quite boring and I really hated the hero after he abused the heroine, so I wasn’t interested in the story.
He was cruel and coward, not someone who fight against criminals
He only had to tell her clearly and without much fuss that he didn’t want to see her anymore because he didn’t want any permanent relationship, instead he hurt her repeatedly. Not man enough.
Just a low man.
Not good for me this one.
May 21, 2022
⭐️⭐️1/2 stars
This “hero� was difficult to like. Arrogant Asshat is just the tip of the iceberg. He was cruel and stupid. It’s amazing that he had any sort of a career in the FBI because he had zero Intuition, emotional intelligence, or even a tiny bit of empathy or tact.
This poor heroine deserved better than being this guy’s reluctant begrudging second choice.
The angst and drama was the only thing that salvaged this. However, even that fell flat. While the h is heavily pregnant and ill, the H goes to a social event and is photographed looking cozy with an evil OW, someone he was seeing before the shotgun wedding. When the h confronts him about it, he poo-poos her concerns� he doesn’t say he would never do that because of his feelings for her� instead he says that he could never get away with cheating in such a gossipy small town. So she has nothing to worry about. 👀 Fantastic. What a prince. 😐
And does the h ever tell him the awful things the same Evil OW is viciously whispering to her on the DL? No. No, she doesn’t. So, I never got to see that witch told off by the H.
Bottom Line? Womp-womp. This was a flop for me. Loads of potential here but even the dramatic emotional ending couldn’t fix this mess. I’m giving it an extra half star for some good tear-jerking angst. 🤷🏼♀� ⭐️⭐️1/2 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - there’s a Evil Cackling Whore after the H - she makes trouble and causes a lot of angst for the h
- OM drama - the h has a friend who is in love with her who makes the H jealous
- no dubcon
- h is 24 - she has never had consensual sex - she was sexually assaulted as a child
- H is 35 and was married 10 years prior - wife died
- descriptions of abductions and assault and rape of a children (FBI case)
- no condoms - h thinks she can’t get pregnant
This “hero� was difficult to like. Arrogant Asshat is just the tip of the iceberg. He was cruel and stupid. It’s amazing that he had any sort of a career in the FBI because he had zero Intuition, emotional intelligence, or even a tiny bit of empathy or tact.
This poor heroine deserved better than being this guy’s reluctant begrudging second choice.
The angst and drama was the only thing that salvaged this. However, even that fell flat. While the h is heavily pregnant and ill, the H goes to a social event and is photographed looking cozy with an evil OW, someone he was seeing before the shotgun wedding. When the h confronts him about it, he poo-poos her concerns� he doesn’t say he would never do that because of his feelings for her� instead he says that he could never get away with cheating in such a gossipy small town. So she has nothing to worry about. 👀 Fantastic. What a prince. 😐
And does the h ever tell him the awful things the same Evil OW is viciously whispering to her on the DL? No. No, she doesn’t. So, I never got to see that witch told off by the H.
Bottom Line? Womp-womp. This was a flop for me. Loads of potential here but even the dramatic emotional ending couldn’t fix this mess. I’m giving it an extra half star for some good tear-jerking angst. 🤷🏼♀� ⭐️⭐️1/2 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - there’s a Evil Cackling Whore after the H - she makes trouble and causes a lot of angst for the h
- OM drama - the h has a friend who is in love with her who makes the H jealous
- no dubcon
- h is 24 - she has never had consensual sex - she was sexually assaulted as a child
- H is 35 and was married 10 years prior - wife died
- descriptions of abductions and assault and rape of a children (FBI case)
- no condoms - h thinks she can’t get pregnant
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2008
I can't believe this book was even printed, let alone that I actually bought it and MADE myself finish it! I even spent some time online searching for some sign that this was written in the 80's and was just reprinted with some gratuitous mention of e-mail and cell phones. The banter was straight out of some cheesy b-movie. That's not the worst of it...
Garon had NO redeeming qualities whatsoever. He thinks she's an unattractive, frumpy spinster even after getting to know her. Despite his better judgment he begins to date her and eventually sleeps with her only to break it off quickly after he realizes he's embarrassed to be seen in public with her. 'A quiet, clinging woman who couldn't relate to him intellectually wasn't going to fit into his world.' Can you imagine the person you care about thinking that about you after multiple dates and sex?! That's just embarrassing! But poor, dumb Grace just doesn't get it so he proceeds to publicly humiliate the emotionally unstable little female in her hometown. His cruelty is unforgivable. Truly, it was that bad.
Trying to like EITHER of these two was excruciatingly difficult. Grace is mind-numbingly unappealing as a person. She's apparently so fragile in mind and spirit that the entire town has to take care of her. She has lived a sheltered existence rotting away in her mean grandmother's house. And yet, inexplicably at the end of the book she is a member of MENSA, a successful business woman, and an expert linguist....yeah, right!
I won't even mention the serial killer plot that is a part of the story except to say that I don't think such graphic details about crimes against children have a place in ANY fiction book let alone a damned stupid ROMANCE novel! I can't even express how many times this book pissed me off. There's even a part of the book where Garon discovers that Grace is pregnant (before she does) just by brushing against her 'hardened swollen belly' when she's just 1 month pregnant. PUH-lease!!!
Garon had NO redeeming qualities whatsoever. He thinks she's an unattractive, frumpy spinster even after getting to know her. Despite his better judgment he begins to date her and eventually sleeps with her only to break it off quickly after he realizes he's embarrassed to be seen in public with her. 'A quiet, clinging woman who couldn't relate to him intellectually wasn't going to fit into his world.' Can you imagine the person you care about thinking that about you after multiple dates and sex?! That's just embarrassing! But poor, dumb Grace just doesn't get it so he proceeds to publicly humiliate the emotionally unstable little female in her hometown. His cruelty is unforgivable. Truly, it was that bad.
Trying to like EITHER of these two was excruciatingly difficult. Grace is mind-numbingly unappealing as a person. She's apparently so fragile in mind and spirit that the entire town has to take care of her. She has lived a sheltered existence rotting away in her mean grandmother's house. And yet, inexplicably at the end of the book she is a member of MENSA, a successful business woman, and an expert linguist....yeah, right!
I won't even mention the serial killer plot that is a part of the story except to say that I don't think such graphic details about crimes against children have a place in ANY fiction book let alone a damned stupid ROMANCE novel! I can't even express how many times this book pissed me off. There's even a part of the book where Garon discovers that Grace is pregnant (before she does) just by brushing against her 'hardened swollen belly' when she's just 1 month pregnant. PUH-lease!!!
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
January 25, 2023DNF @ 20%
I stopped at the words fanny pack. I just can't. I decided to give Palmer another try with and this one. This author has a serious MAJOR fixation for unfeeling, selfish, belligerent, misogynistic, sexist, dickwad heroes who have the emotional depth of a stick. No dimension, no growth and absolutely ZERO self-awareness which is a deal breaker for me. It's almost offensive how she writes these guys--no actually it IS offensive. Am I supposed to be swooning? And having a victimized heroine who's scared of her own shadow with no back bone and stuck in the dark ages has no appeal to me. I have no patience for this kind of dated trope. I just really don't want to read about a selfish asshole who acts like he's g-d's gift to an unassuming abused woman. And the charity case attitude? Honey please....
Sorry Diana Palmer, I tried but once again... I'm out.
I stopped at the words fanny pack. I just can't. I decided to give Palmer another try with and this one. This author has a serious MAJOR fixation for unfeeling, selfish, belligerent, misogynistic, sexist, dickwad heroes who have the emotional depth of a stick. No dimension, no growth and absolutely ZERO self-awareness which is a deal breaker for me. It's almost offensive how she writes these guys--no actually it IS offensive. Am I supposed to be swooning? And having a victimized heroine who's scared of her own shadow with no back bone and stuck in the dark ages has no appeal to me. I have no patience for this kind of dated trope. I just really don't want to read about a selfish asshole who acts like he's g-d's gift to an unassuming abused woman. And the charity case attitude? Honey please....
Sorry Diana Palmer, I tried but once again... I'm out.
January 28, 2013
3.5 stars
Welp. I went looking for one with an uber-mean, nasty dude and got it. The first half wasn't anything special, though the topic of multiple child murders was disturbing.
A little over half-way, our typical Diana Palmer alphahole took a deep dive into the cruel and unforgivable. Me being the trainwreck ho that I am, perked to attention. He stayed pretty disagreeable until almost the very end. After finishing the story, I'm still wondering if he could be believed or forgiven.
There was no unfortunately. That always spices things up. Or maybe there was. It never said specifically. There was definitely high doses of that was cringe-worthy. I have no idea how she's ever going to be able to show her face again if she stays with him. I still hate his guts...which is always a recipe for a good time in my opinion.
So if you're looking for a good angry/hater story, then you'll be a happy camper with this one.
Welp. I went looking for one with an uber-mean, nasty dude and got it. The first half wasn't anything special, though the topic of multiple child murders was disturbing.
A little over half-way, our typical Diana Palmer alphahole took a deep dive into the cruel and unforgivable. Me being the trainwreck ho that I am, perked to attention. He stayed pretty disagreeable until almost the very end. After finishing the story, I'm still wondering if he could be believed or forgiven.
There was no unfortunately. That always spices things up. Or maybe there was. It never said specifically. There was definitely high doses of that was cringe-worthy. I have no idea how she's ever going to be able to show her face again if she stays with him. I still hate his guts...which is always a recipe for a good time in my opinion.
So if you're looking for a good angry/hater story, then you'll be a happy camper with this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2008
This one is about Cash's brother Garon. Garon is an FBI agent and is working on a possible serial-killer case invovling little girls. Grace is the town sweetheart but she is holding a secret that other people in the town of Jacobsville knows about but are unwilling to talk about. This is oneof the better books of Diana Palmer's little town of Jacobsville.
August 11, 2011
FBI Agent Garon Grier is married to his work and has no plans to change that, when he helps his neighbor Grace Carver he is intrigued by the woman who has obviously had a very hard life but brings a ray of sunshine in everything she does, and doesn't have any qualms about putting him in his place.
When Garon is asked to help with a possible child serial killer investigation, Garon is shocked when he finds out one of the victims maybe closer to home than he expected.
Heart wrenching story, I cried several times. Grace is a survivor through and through and with many of Diana Palmer's male characters Garon is treading backwards when it comes to Grace and does some things that look to be unredeemable. I give this a 4.5 probably one of my favortie books by the author, it would have recieved the whole 5 if I didn't feel like there was something missing when Garon realizes his mistake in handling Grace. Otherwise a book you just can't put down.
When Garon is asked to help with a possible child serial killer investigation, Garon is shocked when he finds out one of the victims maybe closer to home than he expected.
Heart wrenching story, I cried several times. Grace is a survivor through and through and with many of Diana Palmer's male characters Garon is treading backwards when it comes to Grace and does some things that look to be unredeemable. I give this a 4.5 probably one of my favortie books by the author, it would have recieved the whole 5 if I didn't feel like there was something missing when Garon realizes his mistake in handling Grace. Otherwise a book you just can't put down.
January 17, 2010
I was trying a few of this author's books because so many people seem to like her. After 3 books I've decided I don't. The hero is an idiot and a nasty one at that in this book. The heroine is a wimp. That seems to be par for the course with Palmer. I can stand a wimpy heroine better than a hero who is verbally cruel to the heroine. In addition he thinks she is stalking him whenever he sees her in a town of 2000. That's a pretty small town and you're bound to run into people at social events and for him to not realize that was assinine. And that she just gave up and left everytime was too wimpy. But I repeat myself. I think I'm done with my Diana Palmer experiment.
January 1, 2021
The H was a self-centered little toad. I'd write a healing epilogue but this is another one where I would want him never to have been born.
August 20, 2020
Finally. This DP hit all the check boxes for me! I’d take away maybe a star because it deserved more romance between the mcs. But have to give fair rating to a book that claims to be a suspense/romance genre.
I love DP’s descriptive writing and the intricacy of hundreds of side characters in the special forces. You’d feel like she really knows the whole town when she writes her book and they’re all important characters. The melancholy of it is rather sweet and soulful.
Grace is a sweet and shy next door neighbor to Garon. Her mundane life bothers Garon who’s forever on the go, hunting for trouble. With her sole guardian’s passing, her abusive grandma, the whole town is worried about Grace’s future and safety. Apparently the whole town is on a small secret of Grace’s past and no one is willing to share.
Incidentally Grace ends up having temporary residence with Garon and he can’t but fall for her. The more Garon spends time with her, the more he realizes that she’s built of strong stuff. Deeming himself a man who has no patience for small town girls, he says the cruelest unkindest things to Grace to push her away.
Their HEA is a sweet surrender of Garon. I stayed up the whole night to finish off this book and just wished that there was a bit more loving between the mcs. They barely get a page of an epilogue and the climax really doesn’t wrap up till the page before that.
Also trigger warning: this might not be for someone looking for easy reading. There is some really disturbing ghastly inclusion of serial killing involving young children. Crime scene details and such.
However still, this ones’s a keeper!
I love DP’s descriptive writing and the intricacy of hundreds of side characters in the special forces. You’d feel like she really knows the whole town when she writes her book and they’re all important characters. The melancholy of it is rather sweet and soulful.
Grace is a sweet and shy next door neighbor to Garon. Her mundane life bothers Garon who’s forever on the go, hunting for trouble. With her sole guardian’s passing, her abusive grandma, the whole town is worried about Grace’s future and safety. Apparently the whole town is on a small secret of Grace’s past and no one is willing to share.
Incidentally Grace ends up having temporary residence with Garon and he can’t but fall for her. The more Garon spends time with her, the more he realizes that she’s built of strong stuff. Deeming himself a man who has no patience for small town girls, he says the cruelest unkindest things to Grace to push her away.
Their HEA is a sweet surrender of Garon. I stayed up the whole night to finish off this book and just wished that there was a bit more loving between the mcs. They barely get a page of an epilogue and the climax really doesn’t wrap up till the page before that.
Also trigger warning: this might not be for someone looking for easy reading. There is some really disturbing ghastly inclusion of serial killing involving young children. Crime scene details and such.
However still, this ones’s a keeper!
December 12, 2022
This has been languishing on my TBR forever, and recently popped up in my GR feed and thought ‘hey, read that one�. All I can say is it borders on “How bad can it be?�
Includes possible triggers�
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I get that this is Diana Palmer, and she probably doesn’t need to pitch her stories, but honestly, someone should have said no, this is too much.
1. He’s an FBI agent working on a child rapist, serial killer case.
2. From the beginning, you know she’s obviously a victim of said serial killer.
3. It’s Diana Palmer, of course, he treats her like crap, and has a slutty OW floating in the background.
4. His backstory leaves him unable to love again, when he finds out she’s pregnant, he semi-forces a wedding with an 8 month plan. First wife died from cancer while pregnant.
5. He pokes at her, she should be more ambitious, she should go to college, she should want a career�
6. Serial killer comes back to kill the one that survived.
7. Serial killer is dead, but now we find out she has a serious heat condition that requires surgery, she needs to deliver the baby before they can do the surgery.
8. She survives, baby boy is born, heading to HEA.
9. Maybe first wife wasn’t such a paragon, oh well, he loves heroine more anyway.
10. She’s a genius, member of MENSA, doesn’t need a career, she’s created a line of successful toys.
2 please even this is too much for DP stars.
Includes possible triggers�
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I get that this is Diana Palmer, and she probably doesn’t need to pitch her stories, but honestly, someone should have said no, this is too much.
1. He’s an FBI agent working on a child rapist, serial killer case.
2. From the beginning, you know she’s obviously a victim of said serial killer.
3. It’s Diana Palmer, of course, he treats her like crap, and has a slutty OW floating in the background.
4. His backstory leaves him unable to love again, when he finds out she’s pregnant, he semi-forces a wedding with an 8 month plan. First wife died from cancer while pregnant.
5. He pokes at her, she should be more ambitious, she should go to college, she should want a career�
6. Serial killer comes back to kill the one that survived.
7. Serial killer is dead, but now we find out she has a serious heat condition that requires surgery, she needs to deliver the baby before they can do the surgery.
8. She survives, baby boy is born, heading to HEA.
9. Maybe first wife wasn’t such a paragon, oh well, he loves heroine more anyway.
10. She’s a genius, member of MENSA, doesn’t need a career, she’s created a line of successful toys.
2 please even this is too much for DP stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2012
This "hero" was the biggest jackass I've ever had the misfortune to read about. I've read books before (mostly older ones from the 80's and 90's lol) where the male lead is cold, distant, cruel-whatever. This idiot htakes the cake. He has absolutely NO redeeming qualities so even by the end, I was left wishing she had picked the OTHER guy who had, evidently, loved her forever. Normally, authors at least give the losers an epiphany moment early enough to make you root for them before the final wrap up, but no-not in this book. To compound the horror, the heroine is literally Sweet Polly Purebread, with a heart as big as Texas, loved by all who know her(except the jackass) and...wait for it......a child rape victim. My heart. Did nothing but ache for this woman and I never got the satisfaction of a time when she really told him off the way he deserved. A few flashes here and there but DEFINITELY not enough to have put up with mistreatment and flat out degradation this chump put her through. Horrible. Just horrible.
December 30, 2011
This little book packed quite the emotional punch...a little too much at times for me. There was violence against children and that always gets to me.
The romance part was your typical DP, however, with the obligatory virginal heroine, lonely/still mourning or hurting over his ex hero, and Jacobsville's finest. Gotta luv it!!
The part you don't end up lovin': how absolutely STUPID these supposed FBI agents are!! You gotta read the book to understand, but I just can't see how any crimes get solved with these hunky, clueless agents in charge. LOL
The romance part was your typical DP, however, with the obligatory virginal heroine, lonely/still mourning or hurting over his ex hero, and Jacobsville's finest. Gotta luv it!!
The part you don't end up lovin': how absolutely STUPID these supposed FBI agents are!! You gotta read the book to understand, but I just can't see how any crimes get solved with these hunky, clueless agents in charge. LOL
February 27, 2017
This had it all going on, pretty much every hardship you can think of was thrown at the h. Ok, thats a bit of an exaggeration but it seemed like it. The suspense element was a big fail, utterly boring. The 2* rating was for the romance and that largely for the angst that went with the cruelty but alas we were deprived of any kind of a grovel. The H, well...words fail me. what a complete douche.
September 2, 2020
I cried my eyes out 😥
Grace girl you are a hero a survivor and an angel I am happy you found peace and happiness � and I am happy your baby is healthy �
Garon 😑 you were an ass jerk I hated you ,you don't deserve such a pure person like Grace but .... she loves you , God knows why!
Very enjoyable read
Loved it
Grace girl you are a hero a survivor and an angel I am happy you found peace and happiness � and I am happy your baby is healthy �
Garon 😑 you were an ass jerk I hated you ,you don't deserve such a pure person like Grace but .... she loves you , God knows why!
Very enjoyable read
Loved it
February 10, 2025
the MMC doesn't deserve the FMC at all, but I like the story and plot. would give 5 if the MMC wasn't a big asshole
March 24, 2020
Despite the difficult topic, it was very good, mostly thanks to awesome heroine and no thanks to totally delusional hero who thinks he’s really awesome.
July 8, 2024
Yesterday when I started this book, I was amazed at how fast I flew through it! I felt that way because even though I liked the last book I read, it was historical fiction and I believe more words on the page.
I suspected the murderer, but it was still one of the most interesting subplots I've read for a romance novel!
For twelve years, once a year, a twelve-year-old girl with blonde hair and light-colored eyes has been raped, mutilated, and murdered in one of three states (Texas, Oklahoma, and I can't recall the third state). The only girl who escaped is Grace Carver, who hasn't had an easy life regardless of that. The new FBI agent in town, who is assigned to the case, is Grace's neighbor.
I like how Palmer's heroines are described as being average in terms of looks, but the hero comes to find the heroine beautiful by the end of the book, as in most romance novels, the heroines are always tens. The change is refreshing, and I like the message it sends about how average-looking women can find love too.
Even though Garon had his asshole tendencies, I appreciated how realistic it was! Despite himself, he ended up being attracted to Grace. However, he thought she expected marriage, and after losing his first wife, who was pregnant, to cancer, he didn't want to get involved with anyone. So he ghosted her! It was a nice change of pace to read about a hero who wasn't over-the-top dreamy. Garon resembled your everyday man who fucks up occasionally, lol.
For being published in 2007 and the characters saying they were in the 21st century, this book still reads like it was set in the 1900s! First off, Grace was considered a spinster at 24...Ummm. I'll be 24 in a few months, and I'm not expecting any guy I date to marry me because I am still so young...though I'm pretty sure I'll be marrying G, but that's because I manifested him, lol. Otherwise, marriage would not be on my mind.
Even though the sex scenes weren't so graphic, I still want to read more romance published in the 90s and early 2000s as contemporary romance from that period now has a slight historical feel, LOL.
The climax was excellent, and I had tears streaming down my face. I recommended it to my friend right after I finished it.
The writing style was interesting too, but maybe that's because I'm so used to reading romance written in first person POV these days.
I'm going to check out Detective Marquez's book after this one. It's a shame that his love for Grace was unrequited, but she felt that no one had ever wanted her :///
I suspected the murderer, but it was still one of the most interesting subplots I've read for a romance novel!
For twelve years, once a year, a twelve-year-old girl with blonde hair and light-colored eyes has been raped, mutilated, and murdered in one of three states (Texas, Oklahoma, and I can't recall the third state). The only girl who escaped is Grace Carver, who hasn't had an easy life regardless of that. The new FBI agent in town, who is assigned to the case, is Grace's neighbor.
I like how Palmer's heroines are described as being average in terms of looks, but the hero comes to find the heroine beautiful by the end of the book, as in most romance novels, the heroines are always tens. The change is refreshing, and I like the message it sends about how average-looking women can find love too.
Even though Garon had his asshole tendencies, I appreciated how realistic it was! Despite himself, he ended up being attracted to Grace. However, he thought she expected marriage, and after losing his first wife, who was pregnant, to cancer, he didn't want to get involved with anyone. So he ghosted her! It was a nice change of pace to read about a hero who wasn't over-the-top dreamy. Garon resembled your everyday man who fucks up occasionally, lol.
For being published in 2007 and the characters saying they were in the 21st century, this book still reads like it was set in the 1900s! First off, Grace was considered a spinster at 24...Ummm. I'll be 24 in a few months, and I'm not expecting any guy I date to marry me because I am still so young...though I'm pretty sure I'll be marrying G, but that's because I manifested him, lol. Otherwise, marriage would not be on my mind.
Even though the sex scenes weren't so graphic, I still want to read more romance published in the 90s and early 2000s as contemporary romance from that period now has a slight historical feel, LOL.
The climax was excellent, and I had tears streaming down my face. I recommended it to my friend right after I finished it.
The writing style was interesting too, but maybe that's because I'm so used to reading romance written in first person POV these days.
I'm going to check out Detective Marquez's book after this one. It's a shame that his love for Grace was unrequited, but she felt that no one had ever wanted her :///
April 29, 2019
1,5
Sometimes I hate my inability to dnf a book...such is the case with the Lawman.
I have rated quite a number of books with 1 star because I hate them intensely...
But this one cant't even evoke such a strong emotion from me....it's just plain stupid!
Our main protagonists are so unintelligent that I kept asking myself have I ever read any book that had a worse set of characters while reading this one.
I can read a book with an old fashioned feel to it,where characters have some backward attitudes toward some things that are regarded as normal nowadays if the characters are well developed or if the plot is amazing. But "hero" from Lawman, Garon Grier is a pathetic paragon of every horrible masculine trait imaginable multiplied by zillion. He supposedly works for FBI. I would buy into that if the FBI is acronym for Foul Brainless Imbecils.
Let's not discuss our heroine, Grace Carver whose awful childhood trauma made us sympathize with her but later I forgot everything about it while reading about her ceaseless TSTL behaviour. I believe she is a member of MENSA ( if that stands for Mindless Exasperating Naive Slow-witted Anonymous).
The mystery around serial killer could have been solved by a blind 100 year old person with Alzheimer's symptoms. But our characters got rid of him when he approached them himself.
I have taken into account the publication date of this book and the fact that the plot is set into a small southern city but the characters were too obtuse even considering above mentioned things.
Sometimes I hate my inability to dnf a book...such is the case with the Lawman.
I have rated quite a number of books with 1 star because I hate them intensely...
But this one cant't even evoke such a strong emotion from me....it's just plain stupid!
Our main protagonists are so unintelligent that I kept asking myself have I ever read any book that had a worse set of characters while reading this one.
I can read a book with an old fashioned feel to it,where characters have some backward attitudes toward some things that are regarded as normal nowadays if the characters are well developed or if the plot is amazing. But "hero" from Lawman, Garon Grier is a pathetic paragon of every horrible masculine trait imaginable multiplied by zillion. He supposedly works for FBI. I would buy into that if the FBI is acronym for Foul Brainless Imbecils.
Let's not discuss our heroine, Grace Carver whose awful childhood trauma made us sympathize with her but later I forgot everything about it while reading about her ceaseless TSTL behaviour. I believe she is a member of MENSA ( if that stands for Mindless Exasperating Naive Slow-witted Anonymous).
The mystery around serial killer could have been solved by a blind 100 year old person with Alzheimer's symptoms. But our characters got rid of him when he approached them himself.
I have taken into account the publication date of this book and the fact that the plot is set into a small southern city but the characters were too obtuse even considering above mentioned things.
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