Oct 31 2007

REVIEW: On the Loose by Tara Janzen

By Jane • B Reviews, B Reviews Category, Book Reviews • • Tags: • • • Author:

Dear Ms. Janzen:

Book CoverI admit that I had fallen off the Tara Janzen wagon. I loved the first three books in the Crazy series and then it all kind of fell apart for me and I didn’t even read the book about Red and the Angel imprinter or whatever he was. So I never asked for the ARC to On the Loose but the book showed up on my doorstep one day. I picked it to just see what it was all about and I found I couldn’t put it back down.

Honey York is a socialite who disguises her “advanced degree from Harvard” brain behind big sunglasses and a to die for body. Her “dating pool started on Madison Avenue in Manhattan and ended at the State Department in Washington, D.C.” Her sister is a trust fund baby turned sister of mercy serving the Lord in El Salvador. Sister Julia is in trouble according to a guerilla in the Morazan Province, El Salvador and the State Department sends Honey in with five huge Louis Vuitton suitcases, one briefcase, and one hired muscle in the form of C. Rydell Smith.

Smith and Honey have a little backstory. A few months earlier they shared an explosive one night stand but Smith never called Honey and Honey never called Smith and ostensibly they forgot all about each other. Except Smith keeps her silk underwear in his pocket everywhere he goes and Honey can’t forget him. These two are forced to battle secret assassins, double agents, and crazy guerillas in order to save themselves and Honey’s sister.

All that I loved about the first three Crazy books was back in On the Loose. There was a super sexy heroine who was smart, capable, fiercely loyal to her family, and one who knows how to get what she wants matched with a super sexy hero who wants to forget the best night of his life but can’t once she’s standing right in front of him with only a few threads of cloth separating her body from being kissed by the sun in total.

The book has action, subplots, nuns, crazy guerillas with guns, and it somehow never loses sight that the reader wants to know about the two main characters. While the sex in the car feature is still a strong part of the series, it’s more playful than overplayed. Honey and Rydell are well matched and their couplings are steamy hot.

The drawback is that this action adventure story takes place in a compressed time frame and much of the story requires a suspension of disbelief. If you aren’t on for the ride, it’s not going to be enjoyable. There isn’t great depth to the story and I don’t know if I could re-read it because of the superficiality but for the period I was entertained, the time sped by. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and it’s revived my interest in the Steele Street Gang which I thought had been killed off. That’s no small thing. B

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market or ebook format.

Random House says that this book is available in ebook format but I can’t find it for sale anywhere. Maybe one of the sharp eyed commenters might help us readers out. I want to buy the ebook too!

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