It's hard to really say what I think about this story. It starts out so beautiful, showing Milla with her beautiful new baby, and then her life becomes a living hell. Milla is a character that evolves so much over the course of this book. She really is a person who has to rebuild herself from the ground up. You see this evolution occur painstakingly, and then you see her have to go through it again near the end of the book. It's one of those books that I got to the point where I wanted no distractions while I read. I turned the tv off, pulled the covers up over me and immersed myself to see how the conclusion would unfold. And when I finished this book, it was past my bedtime, but I was too keyed up to go to sleep right away. I had to start another lighter book to wind down.This is definitely a five star book. The power of the story, the utterly believeable and intense nature of its protagonist, Milla, and her counterpart in Diaz really made this book a winner for me. There is some suspense, but really it's a book about a inner journey with an external crusade. Most of the violence is off-screen. I wonder if this was a deliberate move on Howard's part. Would this have been written differently if this was about a man's search for his lost child? I can't say I wanted more violence. I think it was great the way it was written. This is Milla's story, and she owns it. Yet, Diaz has a way of stealing the show without overshadowing Milla.There was a part of the book where I was asking, why is she showing Milla doing housework, and going through her beauty regimen in such excruciating detail? Then it occurred to me. This woman lost everything. She has to have some sort of normalcy in a life utterly bereft of normalcy. She has dropped everything so that she could find her baby, and that was all she focused on. So she needed the few moments of normalcy in her life to stay sane.Most people who have read this book talk about how it made them cry. We'll talk about the crying part later. First let's talk about how angry this book made me. I didn't get a headache, but I felt a smoldering rage inside at what Milla (and other women who went unavenged and unresolved in this novel) went through, and why. How could people be so devoid of humanity to do some things that people in this book did? Let's talk about who did it. If I had one wish that this book had shown, it was to see Milla confront the people who were the masterminds behind her son's kidnapping. The actual identities were such that my anger flourished as I read this book. Betrayal of that kind could not be easily, if ever forgiven. Yet we never see her confront anyone involved except the man who stole her baby from her arms, and a lady who took care of the baby for a short time. We never see Milla confront her betrayers. I wonder if Ms. Howard wanted to focus on the most important aspect for Milla, closure. And then let's talk about Milla's family. I wanted to be angry at her ex-husband, David, but in the end, I felt sorry for him. He didn't have it in him to be with the 'Amazon' as he called Milla. He wasn't a warrior in the sense that Diaz was. He couldn't walk at her side, as Diaz does. But he does support her in the best way he can. Not so for her brother and sister. There is a scene where I wanted to slap the living tar out of Milla's sister, Julia. She comes to pick a fight with Milla when it's clear Milla doesn't have the time or inclination to be around either her brother or sister, when they toss out callous directives like, "Forget him. He's gone." As if that's so easy a thing to do. We don't see how this is resolved either. Again, I felt that Howard wanted to keep a sharp focus on what really mattered, Milla and her resolution of losing her baby.Diaz is one of the things that kept me reading. I'm sorry if that sounds shallow of me. He was so fascinating to me. He was like the opposite of what many heroes are, and so appealing. He is a social misfit, but in the most intimidating of ways. People are scared to death of the man. He does some questionable things. But deep down, he has a lot of honor. I cannot even call him an antihero. He's a hero that willingly gets his hands dirty instead. If there was a man that was made for Milla, it's him. It was interesting to see Milla deal with her feelings for Diaz. She doesn't understand how she could connect with him on such a deep level, with him being so cold, so remote, so deadly. Well the old Milla certainly could not have. But she wasn't that person anymore. The new Milla needed a man like Diaz, in my opinion. I didn't think that Diaz was blameless when he betrays Milla. He does something that he shouldn't have. It was wrong. He knew it. But he did it for the right reasons in his mind. He didn't know what Milla would do, and he did what was characteristic of him: dirty to keep things clean in the end. I was very glad that Milla was able to forgive him, because he really did need and want her forgiveness. He needed the connection with her to be human and to have a chance at a normal life.I think that he showed his love for her unreservedly when he stood by her side when she had to do one of the hardest things any parent could have to do (there are worst things, not too many, though). I loved his caring, consideration, and patience with Milla towards the end of the book, how he watched out for in ways that few people could or would have, without ever being asked. I loved how he knew she was what he wanted and needed, and stayed the course. He was the soulmate for the new Milla. Ah, the man just fascinated me terribly.I didn't cry until the part that was very hard for Milla occurred. I started crying when she went to see her ex-husband with the news. The interaction between them was brilliantly written because it showed that they would still be happily married and a cohesive whole if their baby hadn't been kidnapped. Yet at the same time, you see that they have gone in different directions and they will never be one whole again. David was the soulmate for the old Milla, who would never exist again. Yet they would always have a bond through their mutual son and their love for him. That was one of the best scenes in this book, in my opinion.I was glad that we got a great epilogue that showed that Milla would have a good life in the future. I really needed to see that after so many years of her sacrificing, and the cost of what she gave up. It was great to see.This is one of those books it took forever for me to get around to reading. Honestly, I avoid stories with children being hurt and kidnapped and loved ones suffering. Too real life for me. But Linda Howard managed to make me love this story so much, because Milla is the kind of woman that you cannot help but admire and root for. And Diaz is the kind of hero that is needed in this dark world. One of my all time favorite kinds of heroes, dark with hidden depths of light. Cry No More is without a doubt a wonderful book.
5 shiny stars I just want to start off by saying that this was probably the most difficult review I've written to date. Even though my friends on GR 'warned' me that this would be a tear-jerker, nothing, and I mean NOTHING prepared me for actually reading, and experiencing what happened at the end of the story. KUDOS to Ms. Howard's storytelling! THE BEFORE1993 Mexico In the beginning of the story, We're introduced to Milla and David Boone. David is a surgeon working for a year in Mexico offering a free clinic. Milla's found out she was pregnant just before David was set out to leave, but after meeting with the teams OB-GYN, Milla she feels secure in having her baby in Mexico with David. Milla and David's baby is now 6 weeks old, and they're looking forward to finishing up in Mexico and moving back to the States. One morning while Milla is at the market getting a few groceries, two men corner her. One of the men cuts the sling that holds her baby Justin to her front and frantically she leans forward to prevent her baby from falling, only to realize that her son has been snatched out of her arms. Milla viciously fights the man clawing at his face, until he loosens his hold on her son. Just when she thinks she's able to get Justin, she feels a searing, paralyzing pain in her back and she drops like a rock to the market floor. When she finally looks up she sees the man running away carrying her son like a football under his arm, She calls out for someone.. anyone "Someone get my baby"... but no one helps her.THE AFTER 10 years later.. El Paso, New MexicoMilla is now 33 years old, and here's the countdown of her last 10 year..10 years ago, Justin was stolen from her, and she barely survived the stabbing to her kidney.9 years ago, David divorced her. She didn't blame him. David hadn’t just lost his son, he’d also lost his wife. From the time she’d regained consciousness after being stabbed, her every thought, her life, had focused on finding Justin. There simply hadn’t been anything left in her for David.8 years ago, following another lead to find Justin, Milla recovered a stolen baby, and was able to return the infant to an hysterical mother. She didn't have any closure with her own son's disappearance, but somehow she was able to offer it to some other mother.7 years ago, she organized Finders, a group of people set out to mobilize and hunt missing or stolen children.6 years ago, David remarried.5 years ago, Finders received their first missing persons case. They didn't just search for missing children, but adults as well.4 years ago, David and his new wife had their first child, a daughter.3 years ago, Milla's brother told her to get on with her life, and forget about her son. She hasn't spoken to him since.2 years ago, Milla heard the name Diaz for the first time, and the possibility of him being involved in Justin's disappearance. David and his wife had their second child, a boy. That night Milla cried herself to sleep.Tonight.. tonight following a anonymous tip telling her Diaz would be at a meeting behind a church in Mexico, she saw the man who tore her son out of her arms. She would never forget his face, but also she left her mark on him, because now he only had one eye. Milla puts word out that she' looking for Diaz. She asks her friend and a sponsor of Finder's, True Galligar to find any information on Diaz. She soon discovers that Diaz is not the person who has stolen her son, but that he is an assassin, and if the money's right, he can find anyone. After a rather scary first meeting with Diaz, Milla convinces Diaz to help her find her son. At first Milla is wary to be around Diaz, because he moves like a panther, has a 'cold' look in his eyes (like he's a sociopath), and screams 'predator' whenever you look at him. But, after awhile, Milla soon realizes that Diaz is only cold, and cruel to those who deserve it, and she knows in her heart that he would never hurt her. Milla soon starts to become attracted to Diaz. She's never had this type of attraction to anybody else in her life before... and it scares her because she knows this man can be brutally dangerous.As a reader I really did not like Diaz'z character, but as the story progresses, and the more I 'get to know him'...I soon fall in love with him. He is guarded, and only opens himself up to people who he trusts, and that seems to be only Milla.As the story builds, so does the bond between Diaz and Milla. They soon realize, by putting pieces together from information they've discovered, that for last 10 years Milla has been fed misinformation to keep her off track from finding her son.There is a huge conspiracy going on, with deceit, and absolute betrayal from people Milla thought were her friends and people she loved.This is were the story gets really exciting, and without giving too much away, I gotta say that I DID NOT expect the ending this story had.Milla's journey was so well written, and her heart breaking 'obsession' to find her son..even after so many years, after everyone else gave up was so touching and believable.When Milla finally finds out the truth, and what happened to Justin ... the best way I could describe how I felt for her is: THE PRESENT... and then there's the Epilogue. All I can say is MY GOD!!!It is how it should be because, she deserves nothing else! One of the best stories I've read to date, and definitely one I'll be re-reading!
What do You think about Cry No More (2004)?
5+ stars – Romantic SuspenseCry No More...No kidding...I don’t think I had any tears left after reading this book. I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning to finish because I just had to find out what happened and the ending made me bawl like a baby. Seriously, I needed a box of tissues and a big hug when I turned the last page. It’s an intense, gut-wrenching, thought provoking, heartbreaking, emotional roller coaster ride that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Milla is one of the strongest and most selfless heroines of any book that I’ve read, and her resilient determination in the face of such agonizing grief was brave yet often painful to witness.Diaz...Sigh...The bounty hunter/assassin is a calm, calculating, ruthless, sexy, complex, dark gamma anti-hero worthy of his own Anne Stuart Ice story. He’s such a fascinating, hardened yet vulnerable character, and I just flat-out couldn’t get enough of him. Although Diaz is a cold man of few words, he and Milla share a powerful, volatile connection and explosive sexual chemistry. Their romantic relationship is complicated and intense, and the love scenes are off the charts, singe your fingertips, smokin’ hot! With a plot that centers on a mother’s relentless hunt for justice and involves atrocious issues like baby snatching, child smuggling, and brutal killings for harvesting and selling organs on the black market, it’s a tough, unforgiving, and poignant read. This is the ideal antidote for anyone who says that romance novels are shallow, meaningless wastes of time. Big 5 stars!
—Shawna
Cry No More has been added to my FAVORITE shelf because I LOVED it. I love the way Linda Howard writes and found it refreshing that she was able to encompass so much within this story without overdoing anything. This story was intriguing, suspenseful, and emotional. The two main characters were strong and inspiring. Milla had a full life. She was married to an honorable man that she adored and she was blissfully happy that they had just started a family. She loved them and they loved her. And then one day it was all gone. Her life was ripped from her. She wasn’t supposed to survive such anguish but she did. Milla ~ was such an inspiring heroine. She had an unwavering faith that what she was doing, what she was living for, would one day fill the emptiness in her heart. She wouldn’t be deterred by her family or friends that couldn’t understand. She held on to hope and took every risk necessary. Milla had no way of knowing what would happen when she decided to take a risk on Diaz. Diaz ~ Oh my. ❤ What a sexy and mysterious hero he was. Parts of him were ruthless and dark but he was also comforting and merciful. Even though Milla feared him on some level, it was his strength and determination that Milla held on to. The road that Milla and Diaz was about to travel wasn’t going to be an easy one. Milla’s determination would be tested and Diaz would find himself struggling with choices he has to make so he can hold on to the little bit of happiness he has finally found. There wasn't anything he wouldn't risk. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. He would take her pain and he would be patient. I absolutely loved the rollercoaster ride that this story took me on. What a heart wrenching, sexy, sweet, tender and inspiring love story this was. I loved that Diaz quietly gave Milla his strength when she needed it most and Milla had the courage to accept it and be happy. Lots to love with this one....right to the very end. Kudos to Linda Howard for writing a pretty fantastic, sexy and different romance story.
—♥Sharon♥
Price drop to $1.991/14/2014http://www.amazon.com/Cry-No-More-How...**Tissues required while reading this story**Milla is living the picturesque life with her husband, David, and newborn. She’s the wife to a surgeon who is child prodigy. They are in Mexico for a year while he is donating his time and skills to a free clinic. His year of donated time is coming to a close and soon they will be back in America. One beautiful afternoon Milla and their infant son are in the Mexican Open Market when their whole world is CHANGED FOREVER. After that afternoon Milla’s life has taken on a new purpose and meaning. ”Everything feels like the end of the world, and you can’t reason with someone who can’t see tomorrow.” Diaz is NOT a man of many words but the ones he uses are golden. Enigma is the best word I can use to describe him. Each scene with him had me on the edge of my seat. "Nothing much impresses me, but that was the bravest thing I've ever seen." Yesterday my husband and I were at a restaurant for lunch and I was recapping what I had read so far in this book to him and I posed the question:Me-”How do you think this will end? (view spoiler)[ Son dead or alive? (hide spoiler)]
—Amy (Foxy)
