Tears of the Renegade by Linda Howard

Publisher: Harlequin
Pub. Date: March 2009
ISBN-13: 9780373200030
256pp
Series: Famous Firsts
Edition Description: Reissue







Back Book Blurb:

Susan has never known anyone like Cord Blackstone. His pale blue eyes shine with temptation...and dark menace.

Cord has a score to settle with his family -- the same genteel clan that sheltered Susan after her husband's death. He will stop at nothing to punish the Blackstones--even if it means ruining the one woman who can't stop loving him....

End Back Book Blurb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It has been five years since Susan Blackstone's husband died, and he left her everything instead of returning it to his mother and brother. She kept herself busy with the family company while she still live with them. Susan never thought she will ever feel alive and fall in love again. Not until she met colt Blackstone, the family black sheep.

She first met Colt when he crashed the Blackstone house party. He stood by the french door, watching her. As they started to dance around the room, the intimate touch of their body close together, spark some fire! They just couldn't get enough of each other, and find that they need each other to satisfied the need and want. Even when Susan knew it dangerous to be near him.

She soon discover that he had return back home for revenge and destroy the family company that she is part of. The president end up having to bow out to stop the damaged, after Colt demand for payment on load that he gave to the company. Susan decided than to step up and sell everything that her husband left her. Even when this mean she have to take side between Colt, the man she loves, or her family.

When she around Colt, she get weak and can't help but want him. She think about him when he not around and get disappointed when he doesn't want to stay. But family come first because she married her husband and his family is all she ever had. They have treated her like she part of their family for many years. Colt, being the alpha male, is a stubborn bad boy, who everyone hate. When he become intimate with Susan, he find that she could satisfied his need -- in bed with her. But he never counted to fall in love with Susan. Colt has his own personal reason to take his revenge against the family and he tend to go on with the plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts:

The bookcover at the top is a reissues paperback cover because it was chosen to be part of the celebrate 60th Anniversary of The Harlequin Famous First Collection.

Let me say first that lately, that Linda Howard's recently books have been either a hit or miss it for me. I still love her earlier books and I'm never disappointed with them. I'm still trying to collect some of her earlier books to add to my bookshelves keeper. Now, I only waited until the hardcover book reissued into paperback to buy the most recent books lately. I still buy her books, yes I do.

Now that I've said that, I am very happy to say I find Tears of the Renegade really good! I felt like I am reading one of Howard's best book again. The book does have romance and steamy level too. And a tough, stubborn guy to fall in love with. It might lacked drama but the emotions and the main characters will keep you entertained. I think reader might judge the heroes for his past mistake. But even if I didn't like what he did, I think everyone make mistake and have learn their lesson from that experience as they growth and find love again. And Susan have shown Colt just that.

Although at first in the beginning, I thought that Susan was bit naive and weak. And that Colt was ruthless and stubborn. But I warm up to them when I learned of their past and problem that made them the way they are. I did felt that the romance happen a bit too quick and rushed, instead of slowly (and I don't mean turtle "slow"). But I don't think it bad thing, either.

Tears of the Renegade was an emotional and sexy. It was well written descriptive scenes with few good dialogues in between. It was steamy and about 90% of the book were more romance than suspense.

I do realized that this book was first published in 1985 from Silhouette Intimate Moments series romance, but I thought what a big different it was for Howard when she was still in her early stages of writing when she wrote this book and compare it with the books follow after it and with the recent one. It was lot different! While I do prefer books like After the Night, Dream Man, Mr. Perfect. I love all of the book from her Kell Sabin series and John Medina series. Even though these books are more better to my taste, I still think that Tears of the Renegade is one of the best I have read lately, IMO. The recent books have it's moment sometime too, again IMO.

Do check out these books I mention above, you won't regret it. Also give Howard's Tears of Renegade a try too! I think you'll enjoy it :)

Grade: 5 stars