Up Close and Dangerous: A Novel
by Linda Howard
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Book Reviews of Up Close and Dangerous: A Novel
Book Review: Up Close And Dangerous
Summary: 5 Stars
Up Close and Dangerous revolves around two main characters in a romance sorta way. The tension of the book slowly builds all the way to the end. Bailey Wingate married her boss Jim Wingate, who was much older, but then dies. So then the two step children Seth and Tamzin enter more into the picture. Wingate being convinced that his children wouldn't be capable of handling money affairs appoints Bailey to manage the trusts. She had the comfort of being a wealthy widow but suffers from much verbal abuse from her spoiled step children. Son Seth even at one point threatens to kill her during a phone conversation. So then enters Cameron Justice who owns J&L Executive Air Limo along with partner Bret Larsen. Their main client is the Wingate group. But Cameron isn't very fond of the Wingate kids or the wife so Bret usually flies the plane when the family calls for services. Bailey then makes plans to meet her brother and sister-in-law in Denver but Bret was sick so Cam had to pilot the plane. While flying over the mountains of Idaho the engine of the plane gives out and they had to glide the plane until it crashes into the trees. They are injured and don't know if they're calls to be rescued are even heard. Up Close and Dangerous is different because she exceeds over great expectations in this life and death situation. Romance between the two ends up flowering in a oddly interesting way and being two strong characters how are they going to make it off the mountain?Book Review: Not the best LH book out there. Not the worst
Summary: 2 Stars
Not the author's best effort, for certain. What I disliked: (1) Too much time was spent with detailing the crash and the survival techniques following the crash. (2) I found it hard to believe that two people who had recently been involved in a near fatal plane crash would, within days of being rescued, hop willingly onboard another small plane to go home. (3) Major holes. For example, Cam was supposed to be so close to his family. He was in a crash and presumed dead. Why didn't the author bother to include his family in the final chapters, when Cam and Bailey were found safe and being welcomed home? These are minor details, perhaps, but it made it difficult for me to suspend reality long enough to really buy into the story. (4) The plane crash itself reeked of deja vu. Didn't she do something very similar in one of the MacKenzie books?
What I liked: The fact that the characters took some time getting to know each other before embarking on a sexual relationship. Don't get me wrong, I have loved some of her earlier books where boy meets girl and it's immediate chemistry, followed by a head spinningly fast romance, steamy sex and happily ever after. That doesn't happen in real life...which is probably why I love to read about it. If I wanted real life, I'd not be reading romance/suspence novels, lol. But, it's nice to have a small dose of reality from time to time and to read about a couple who get to the happily ever after by traditional means.
Book Review: Not deserving of all the flack!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I was compelled to write this review bc of all the really negative reviews I read about this book. I held of reading it for a while bc of all of them but I finally bit the bullet, so to speak, and it actually wasnt bad at all. Maybe my expectations were so so low but honestly I enjoyed the book. All of the characters, including the secondary ones, were well written and likeable (except the ones that werent supposed to be) and the plot was interesting with a really good twist at the end. While I felt that cam could have been a little more developed he was great and funny and you could really see why he developed real feelings for bailey and you could see where the chemistry was coming from besides for the fact that they were stranded together in the wilderness. I dont always feel like LHs main characters really connect other than physically they really do in this book, working together and sparing so naturally. Of course i do have to agree that the book was a little rushed in the sense that LH did spend way to much time on the details of how to survive in the wild and how a plane would crash...i totally skimmed those parts. But this book, while not her best, was a fun and solid read and I found myself laughing and smiling throughout the whole book, which is not something I can say for most books. So even though its not her best read, its a fun light read. Take it for what it is and enjoy!!Book Review: Romantic Suspense at it's Best
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like your thrillers mixed with some romance than you will like Up UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS. One of the main characters of this novel is Bailey who gets married to her much older, yet wealthy boss, Jim Wingate, but soon after finds herself a widow. He had two stepchildren, Seth and Tamzin, still alive at the time of his passing, but had Bailey handle his trust because he didn't think they were responsible enough.
Bailey and the stepchildren didn't quite get along which complicates matters, of course. There was much tension and verbal abuse that she had to take when dealing with them. The Wingate Group employs J&L Executive Air Limo owned by Cameron Justice and Bret Larsen for all their flying obligations. When the family calls for their services Bret usually is the one to fly the plane because Cameron didn't really like the Wingate kids or the wife.
One day Bailey calls them to fly her to Denver and Bret is sick so Cameron reluctantly has to take the job. Trouble happens when the engine gives out and they crash into the trees while going over the mountains in Idaho. They both suffer from desperation of being stuck, injured and not knowing if help is even on the way. Bailey ends up pushing herself more than she thought herself capable and romance ends up happening between the two in this life and death situation. Overall an excellent novel from Linda Howard.
Book Review: A Mild Mystery, Major Romance
Summary: 3 Stars
Bailey Wingate was both married and widowed within one year and left in charge of a multi million-dollar trust fund for her two stepchildren who whose sole priority is to make her life miserable. In an attempt to escape the drama, Bailey embarks from Washington on a two-week river-rafting trip to Denver Colorado. She is paired with Cam Justice as her pilot to ferry her across the air. Cam had made it clear that he dislikes Bailey and she returns the sentiment. While crossing the mountains the plane experiences some serious problems and both Cam and Bailey crash on top of a snow covered mountain. Left with little options Bailey drags an injured Cam from the destroyed aircraft and aids to his serious head injury. Stuck on the top of a mountain with the realization of sabotage and no hope of rescue, Cam and Bailey work together to help themselves and along the way Bailey gives more of herself to Cam than she ever has to anyone else before. Set in snow, Linda Howard provides some hot and steamy scenes between the two leading characters and strings along a minor mystery. Up Close and Dangerous is a good read, the main characters are highly developed and intense and the minor characters are very interesting but do not play an important to the story. The book lacks a strong mystery and would be better classified as a romance. Valerie Jones mrsvaljones@netzero.net