Dr. Lara Mallory is a fallen woman since a tabloid incident involving her and Senator Clark Tackett. She had been married at the time, and found anything but a forgiving attitude following the scandal. Finally, after Clark Tackett dies and leaves her a medical practice in his home town of Eden Pass, Texas, she decides to start over there. Besides, she believes the Tackett family owes her, and she’s in town to collect a favor from Clark’s younger brother, notorious playboy Key. Things are even tougher in Eden Pass, however, because Clark’s powerful mother, Jody Tackett, has it out for her. Key seems to share his mother’s low opinion, as does his mouse of a sister, Janellen, and the rest of the town. Key despises himself for falling for his dead brother’s bimbo, but he can’t seem to resist her. At the same time, 33-year-old Janellen is finally breaking out of her shell. When an ex-con named Bowie Cato comes in to Tackett Oil looking for a job, there’s something compelling about him, and pretty soon Janellen starts restyling her hair and wearing make-up while she and Bowie sneak around to build their romance. Sandra Brown can write one heck of a gripping thriller, but sometimes her books seem to have somewhat of a hard edge to them, and this is one of those books. It’s as if the author was undergoing difficult personal turmoil at the time, and it came out in her writing. The judgmental attitude that pervades this novel seems appropriate for a small town like Eden Pass, but doesn’t fit quite so well with the rest of the country, considering that infidelity did not sink the political aspirations of Bill Clinton, and notoriety has become a form of fame. She tosses words like whore, tramp, and trash around quite liberally, which made it difficult to warm to several of the characters. Perhaps it was done on purpose to underscore the hypocrisy inherent in these characters, but it was still somewhat distasteful.The story was a good one, with a few twists and turns along the way, but I also was not horribly fond of the ending. She created and fleshed out a couple of characters simply to kill them off at the end, and another rather innocuous character meets a bad end that didn’t seem fitting to his actions throughout the book. Aside from those complaints, however, this is a pretty good novel with a compelling storyline. I just think I would have liked it better if everyone within its pages wasn’t quite so mean.
REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; 20 MARCH 2014Narrator: Natalie RossNot even Natalie Ross' narration could save this. I like most of SB's books, both her oldies and newer ones. If I've read Where There's Smoke, I must have blocked it from my memory because I did not like this at all.At first, it felt like the same old SB southern romance of rich vs white trash (which I enjoy so that's not a complaint) but I never warmed to Lara Mallory.The first half, before they left for Montesangre, was okay. Good, in fact, but once they landed, it was as if another author took over. Lara descended into TSTL territory when they landed and Key Tackett wasn't any smarter. Both MCs were bent on goading the rebel leader to kill them, or worse. Key, at least, showed some common sense later and stopped his insults. Lara, unfortunately, would do dumb, childish things like throw the water given to her to drink. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, at first, thinking maybe she was just being cautious, suspecting her Americanized gut would not take kindly to the third world water. But no, she threw it because the rebel leader was a US-hating piece of scum. Key was more practical, the book said, and drank his. But even that piece of stupidity from Dr Mallory pales in comparison to her screeching at the top of her voice (that's what Natalie Ross did, anyway) when Key was waiting for whoever to come through the door. He was going to shoot if they turned out to be the rebel soldiers who were already roaming the town looking for them. Why did she scream? Because she thought it might be Emilio, her late husband's aide, and she didn't want Key to shoot him. So of course Key is forced to shoot, anyway, and the gunfire brings the soldiers to where they are, making it even more difficult to escape. (it wasn't rebel soldiers or Emilio who was entering the room but a goat. Yup, a goat. Roaming around in the abandoned US embassy.)And, there was just way too much wailing by Lara over her dead daughter. Of course, that could have been Natalie Ross' fault. She really gave Lara's caterwauling all she had.I abandoned the duo in Central America and hoped Emilio shot them both.Rating: 2 stars for the story; 3 stars for the narration.
What do You think about Where There's Smoke (1994)?
Enjoyed this one. Love it when the main characters start out not liking each other. Well, he definitely did not like for… and for a good reason. No one knows why Dr. Lara Mallory came back home to Eden Pass, Texas to open up her medical practice after all these years. But everyone remembers her role in the well-publicized scandal that caused the downfall of White House hopeful Senator Clark Tackett....To be honest, I had figured out some of the “WOW” factors that came along but that did not deter me from enjoying the book. Some parts were a bit unbelievable but with fiction, you have to suspend the disbelief the odd time.Love was a word that poets and songwriters used … Key had never seen any evidence of its magic, unless it was black magic....There were a few twists and turns. Key’s mother was some piece of work, the manipulative bitch. The townspeople were stuck in their ways. I liked Key’s sister and her story.I have read a mixture of Sandra Brown’s old and new books and her style has definitely developed in a good way. Her will was voluntarily surrendered, and her mind went on a sensuous ride where nothing mattered except the connection mouth to mouth, tongue to tongue, man to woman. It fulfilled a primal need she wasn’t even aware she possessed ...... His name drifted across her lips - a question, a profession, a prayer ......Had to wait a long time for a steamy sex scene…but sometimes the anticipation is worth it. I love how her heroes are “real” men!! Not much sweet-talking and plenty of action.
—Mo
Jill wrote: "I liked this one more than you did, Ya but I do understand why it didn't work for you. SB still to my mind the best RS author out there though. Her characterisations and dialogue are particularly g..."Jill, I did like it in the first half of the book and was kinda ready to give it at least a 3-stars! But Lara's mission to war torn territory drove me nut! lol I totally agree with you about her characterization. Even though she wrote bunch of unlikable/flawed characters in here, I really appreciated the sharp dialogue and the supporting cast. Play Dirty is one book I enjoyed for its flawed characters.
—_Ya~
I'm on a Sandra Brown roll now. This one had another surprise that I didn't see coming. Not quite as great as Deadline, but still managed to make me say, hmm. This one is set in a small Texas town run by a matriarch of an oil family, the Tacketts. Now I've always appreciated my sweet mother, but this mama is cold and mean. Our hero turned out great anyway, though he's something of a bad boy. But we love those, don't we? Our heroine was caught in a scandal with the golden boy of the oil rich family and it ruined his political career. He later committed suicide. Mama Tackett is determined to run this floozy out of town when she dares show up to claim an inheritance, she's a doctor and the senator wannabe had bought her the local practice. I know this sounds complicated and it is. Especially when we go off to a fictional South American country to claim the body of our heroine's dead daughter. I could go on but the best part of the book is the characterization. Brown is queen of coming up with compelling characters and interesting story lines. And, like I said, surprise twists. You'll see. Pick it up.
—Gerry Bartlett
