4 stars
The perfect series for romance readers who enjoy murder mysteries. I will say though, that while I did like this book, I don’t think I’ll be rushing to continue anytime soon – not because it was bad, but more just because I didn’t find the romance prominent enough for my taste.
The books follow the life of New York police lieutenant Eve Dallas as she works her way though various murder cases. In book 1, we are introduced to Roarke (who is probably the main reason that most of us romance fans would read this series), a ridiculously wealthy (net worth estimated around $3,800,000,000!!), mysterious, sexy, enigmatic man who ends up being her love interest through out the course of the whole rest of the series of 35+ books (yes, you read that right… 35!).
One of the appealing factors of this series to romance fans is Roarke and Eve’s relationship because throughout all the books, they are functional, sweet, swoony, and always faithful to each other. Roarke actually reminded me a bit of Gideon Cross – tortured, self-made billionaire with a mysterious and very sad past who falls hard for his girl. I’ve also heard that there is a core set of characters that develops (almost like the main cast of a TV show) throughout the course of the series.
This book itself was good – but not amazing. It is set approximately 50 years into the future and the world is fairly similar to ours except that they have more advanced technology. The murder mystery was intriguing but I still found myself loosing interest in the parts of the book that weren’t romance focused… I guess this is my true romance-junkie side coming out here here 😛 I wish the whole book was focused Roarke and Eve. I really liked both their characters both individually and as a couple and had their relationship been the primary focus of the story, I would have been completely hooked!
This would be the perfect read for readers who want the best of both the mystery and romance worlds in one book.
“I want to see you again.” He stopped, took her face in his hands. “I need to see you again.”
Her pulse jumped, as if it had nothing to do with the rest of her. “Roarke, what’s going on here?”
“Lieutenant.” He leaned forward, touched his lips to hers. “indications are we’re having a romance.”
So overall it was good book, just not quite for me right now. My husband though LOVES them and I’ve heard of a LOT of people who are utterly addicted to this series… so I think its really just about what genre you want to read.
robin says
Oooooh you LUCKY! I get so jealous when I hear folks just starting this series for the first time. You have all the others to look forward to!! This first one touched on some darker issues that I might usually shy away from. Don’t let it deter you from continuing. I have been reading and re-reading this series for so long now the characters are like family. Stana is exactly who my girls and I had pictured for Eve. We were never sure about Roarke and I think you captured him perfectly. Sweet!
Aestas says
I actually have the whole series in paperback cuz my husband just finished reading all of them in the last 2 months and won’t stop raving about them so given that they are sitting right there, I will definitely get around to them one day.
So glad you like the casting though! For some reason, from the moment I started reading, these were exactly who I pictured in my mind 😛
pamelia says
I’ve read the first two books and while I enjoyed them neither blew me out of the water. 4 stars is about where I’d rank this one as well. I think the 35 book tally might ultimately be what scares me off, especially since they are definitely never price-discounted or bundled for cheap. If I did have access to all the books in paperback I would definitely read them though. Lucky you!
Aestas says
I know what you mean… I just don’t have the time at this point (with my TBR pile of books as long as it is) to devote time to reading 35 books in one series. But I do think I’ll get around to them eventually.. But I’ve never seen them bundled or anything either. We ended up buying the whole series in one fell swoop cuz my husband was going through them at almost one every 2 days but we got them at our local bookstore on a “buy 3, get 1 free” deal plus a 10% discount so it was a tad less painful (lol, but not much)
Beth Miller says
These are GREAT books