Review: Blind Tiger

Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

“You'll thank me later.” He produced a pistol from the pocket of his coat, put it beneath his chin, and pulled the trigger. 

It's 1920, Laurel's husband made it back from the war, at least physically, but there's little work to be had and they have a new baby to support. When he says he's found work with his father, they pack up and head out. Except the father wasn't expecting them and Laurel's husband commits suicide in front of her. Her father-in-law, Irv, offers her to stay with him but he lives in a shack a couple miles from town. He's the handyman of the town and that helps to persuade him to rent a house in town but Laurel knows they'll need to bring in more money. When Irv is forced to reveal his little moonshine business to Laurel, she plans to pair it with her bakery delivery and expand the business. 

She looked beyond him at the glow of the fire. “You camp out here?” 

“Damn, girl. Wha'd'ya think? I'm making whiskey.” 

Thatcher survived the war and is trying to make his way back to his mentor and the ranch he grew up on. When he has to jump from a train early to avoid some other hobos that didn't like losing their poker winnings to him, he comes upon a small shack. He's instantly drawn to Laurel but thinking she is married, just takes his drink of water and continues into town. There he gets accused of taking the town doctor's wife and has the whole town suspicious of him, except for the Sheriff. They can't pin the doctor's wife's disappearance on him, no matter how hard the doctor and the town mayor try to, and with news that his mentor has died, Thatcher gets roped into being deputized by the sheriff and the moonshine wars that are ramping up. 

“I hope it doesn't turn into a bloodbath, Bill. But a war between moonshiners isn't my fight, and I'm staying out of it.” 

The sheriff held his gaze for several seconds. “We'll see.” 

Blind Tiger was a slow burn of a suspense story that had a compelling moonshine plot during the time of Prohibition. The romance was a little weaker, I'm not sure I completely felt the deep connection between Laurel and Thatcher, they had an insta-lust/love vibe and it took to around 40% before the romance really got addressed and ramped up some. This is a story that takes time to build and mature, the last 20% is where the action takes place. Each side character is built with care and they all serve a purpose but that purpose is in service of the moonshine plot, you want to show up for that and less for the romance. 

He dropped his voice so she'd have to listen really close to his last part, because it was an ultimatum of his own. “But if you genuinely don't want me coming at you again, be careful you don't dare me.” 

The first half feels a little slow with the crafting of the setting, the town and the people's dynamic in it, the question of what happened to the doctor's wife, and the three competing moonshiners, the mayor and his smarmy partner Landry, the hillbilly Johnsons, and Laurel's building business. There's a little of Laurel and Thatcher starting to be on opposite sides as Thatcher gets roped in by the sheriff but, for the most part, it's all more about the building tension about to come to a head than actual on opposite sides between the two. The romance wasn't as captivating as the moonshine plot. I loved all the research details the author included, possible spies working for the Anti-Saloon League, talking about corn liquor and the process of how to make it, and even mentioning boll weevils and how they destroyed crops during this time, making people turn to moonshining even more. These additives and others set the time period and I felt the depression of the time and helped to put me in the setting. 

“Does this speakeasy have a name?” 

“Blind Tiger.” 

As I said, you'll want to prepare for a slow burn suspense, a beginning that takes its time crafting the setting and characters, less focus on the romance, but then an ending that ramps up the pace and delivers on all those building tensions. There's also a brutal rape scene that some might want to prepare for that happens to a secondary character and two surprising revelations that change some characters' profiles. The 1920s vibe, moonshine business details, and the ties and binds that threaded the characters together, made this a compelling read. I'll be on the lookout for more books in this time period.

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Reading Update: Page 1

Fall is definitely in the air in my neck of the woods, crisp air and pretty changing leaves 🍂🍁 

Fantastic book reading weather! Can't wait to get lost in the roaring '20s and a moonshine war.

Bind Tiger by Sandra Brown purchase link

Creamy White Wine Vegan Gnocchi recipe

Review: Thick as Thieves

Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

 After leaving her home twenty years ago with her father missing and older sister now responsible for her care, Arden Maxwell is back in Penton. Pregnant and wanting to fix up her childhood home to start fresh, Arden suddenly loses the baby. With her sister Lisa hounding her to leave Penton and come live with her, two months later Arden is rising out of her grief and deciding that she needs answers to the night her father disappeared. 

Ledge Burnet knows that Arden is in town and has been trying to keep an eye on her while keeping his distance. He's always been waiting for the truth of that night twenty years ago to come out but he doesn't want Arden to get caught in the crossfire. 

The past with all its lies and history swirl in the Texas bayou. 

“Talking about it is the surefire way to get caught.” 

Thick as Thieves starts with a prologue from twenty years ago as four individuals meet after robbing a large family goods store. From there we jump to present time and interspersed with Arden and Ledge's point-of-view chapters, we get flashbacks to the robbery night from the individuals involved. The main robbery outline is revealed early and instead the finer details of the night are left to be colored in as you read. For the most part, the reader knows more than Arden, which I liked, and we're following along as she discovers what happened and who to trust. 

“One of these days I'll probably have to kill him.” 

The leader of the robbery group, Rusty Dyle, had a credible role as villain but while he had the power, sheriff's son and then District Attorney, he lacked a strong motive or a certain je nais sais qoui to his thoughts and actions; he fell a little flat as the bully for the sake of being a bully villain. Ledge as our cool, solid, but shadowed hero that almost had more chemistry with his hate relationship with Dusty than his lusty one with Arden. There's some underlining sizzle between the two but the romance thread felt forced with Ledge instantly lusting after Arden and Arden feeling strong caution but physical attraction seeping through. They lacked an emotional and relationship development closeness and we mostly just get in kisses and “I want you” forced in between the robbery and murder mystery and Arden searching for answers. 

He lowered his head and focused on the one stair step between them. “Because I would be seeing you every day, but having to keep my hands off you.” He looked up at her from beneath his brows and spoke from the heart. “And I don't think I can do that.” 

I thought the mystery, thriller aspect of this was paced well, it's gradual with answer reveals but the story pulls you in. As this read more as a mystery/thriller to me, I did like it but anyone reading this for a strong romance plot, I would say lower your expectations as Arden and Ledge's relationship depth isn't there. A big reveal was left to the very end that made me want to go back and read the story to see if there were clues I missed and while there was some surprise to it, I felt more irked deceived than enjoyed deceived because of how late it was left to be revealed. While I enjoyed the easy pace for the vast majority, I did think the ending left too much for the very end and made it feel piled on, especially for the character of Arden, who don't get to really see work through the reveals. 

“I take to you, Ledge.” She hugged him tighter. 

This had a strong beginning and middle with a gradual paced mystery that gives a lot of answers but saves big truths until the very end. The romance felt forced for the most part but the overall story will definitely capture your attention and have you contently wandering in the slow mysterious Texas bayou for hours.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

Starting Monday off with a dessert-y meal I can pass off as breakfast 😋 With a side of romantic suspense, this week is going to be fantastic!

Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown purchase link

Strawberry French Toast Casserole with Cream Cheese recipe

I soaked mine overnight, sweet and feels more dessert than breakfast

Review: Tailspin

Tailspin by Sandra Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Tailspin is a suspense ride from start to finish, the story takes place over a 48hr period, most of it in just 24hrs. Rye is a retired Air Force pilot dealing with guilt over a crash he felt he could have prevented from happening. He now is a “freight dog” flying for a cargo company and when the weather turns extremely foul, he's the only one willing to fly a black box to a doctor in Georgia.
Brynn is the doctor that shows up to pickup the mystery cargo but a plane crash and unconscious air traffic controller, there is a lot to explain to the cops. Especially when Rye and Brynn go on the run as life and death hang in the balance.

He was in this damn thing whether he wanted to be or not.

A standalone that keeps the pace up, Rye was a calm, cool, character that anchored the story. His background is hinted at and through his thoughts, actions, and feelings, the reader gets a pretty good idea of what emotional turmoil is affecting him. When he finally tells the story to Brynn, he almost works through the guilt at the same time and it felt like a quick resolve for an issue that had previously drove his character actions.

I wish we could have gotten more of Brynn's background, she didn't feel like a completely flushed out character. In order to keep some mystery to the story, Brynn's thoughts and reason for actions is kept veiled. When we reach around the half-way point, her reasons are revealed and we get to know her a little better. The side tangent with her father helped humanize her and was a great little emotional additive to a heavy action plot.

She gave him a murderous look, which only caused him to grin.

As this takes place over two days, the romance doesn't really have time to fully develop. Brynn and Rye are pretty much together from the beginning to end but the on the run aspect really does dominate this. I thought the first half was a bit hard to get into, as I mentioned, to keep the mystery up, the author leaves some motivations and explanations veiled. This caused me to be confused by some of Brynn's actions, not buy into why Rye would keep it a secret what caused him to crash, and how all the character pieces fit into the puzzle. The second half was easier to get into the flow, with some key information revealed, characters began to make more sense. There were multiple povs, the senator and his wife, the two goons, the two police detectives, and Violet, Brynn's patient. For the most part, I liked this, it gave a better rounded out look into the story and helped place all the moving pieces.

He sighed. “You're gonna make me come after you, aren't you?”
“If you want me, it's required.”

The ending was somewhat messy with betrayals and finger pointing whirling around to and from everyone; there was a truly unnecessary double cross that clogged up the end and only was surprising because there wasn't any character ground work for it. I wish things could have slowed down for the romance between Rye and Brynn, their love wasn't truly felt but the plot and action dictated the pace. If looking for lighter on romance depth but an on the run with some emotional depth occasionally popping up, Brown's writing is always worth a read.

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Reading Update: 50%

Rye Mallet, a fearless “freight dog” & Dr. Brynn O’Neal, mysterious and alluring, must learn to trust each other so they can protect their valuable cargo from those who would kill for it. 

What could go better with a romance thriller than Cotton Candy donuts? ;)

Tailspin by Sandra Brown purchase link

Cotton Candy Baked Cake Donuts recipe

Review: In a Class By Itself

In a Class By Itself by Sandra Brown
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I've been posting my reviews online for about 10yrs now, I know I've liked books that could have some problematic characters, actions, and storylines (This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, comes to mind) but as I get older and in our current climate, I'm really having to challenge and make decisions on what I'll go along with for the sake of the story.

Suddenly he bellowed and vaulted out of the tub. Reaching down, he closed his fist around her mane of hair and hauled her up with him. Furious, dripping water and rage in equal proportions, he shoved his angry face toward hers. His voice was surprisingly mild. She would have preferred shouting.

I wish I could say that this would have stopped me in my tracks at 25yrs old as it did at 35yrs old, but I'm not sure. All I know is that currently, it made me immediately put the book down. This is the "hero" acting towards the heroine.

They were high school sweethearts who ran away to get married but her parents forced them to get an annulment because they thought the hero was too poor and other-side of the tracks. They meet back up at their 10yr high school reunion where the hero not quite so teasingly demands a wedding night. They are being hot and heavy when the heroine tries to put the breaks on and she then tells him why she stayed after the reunion broke up at his house, the charity she helps wants to buy some land the hero owns. He gets angry because he thinks she was using her body to get a good deal on the land. He then basically holds her hostage claiming he'll sell her the land if she lives at this house as his concubine.

It's a hurt revenge angle that was seen quite often in '80s romance, along with the endless descriptions of fashion (the heroine has an eel skin purse and matching heels!). After this scene, there really was no hope for me to ever connect to the hero, he physically assaulted the heroine in my eyes. I skim read the rest of the book (I rate books whether I read fully, skim, or dnf, it is the way I keep track of books so don't @ me) and wasn't all into the heroine still wanting the hero to love her.

Everyone has their own opinions but please, let's all agree that this was assault/abuse and call it as so.

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