TEST
DIKlassic Review
originally published on December 13, 2007
This year I’ve discovered several new writers whom I plan to put on my auto-buy list. One whose books I have particularly enjoyed is Lisa Marie Rice who is fast becoming my very favorite erotic romance author. Her books are scorching hot, but her characters don’t just tear up the sheets (although they do just that). Rice excels in depicting characters whose emotions are as strong as their physical appetites. Midnight Run is the middle of three loosely connected books and it’s my favorite in the Midnight series.
Tyler “Bud” Morrison is a police officer who is undercover at The Warehouse, a decadent nightclub in Portland. Bud is there waiting for a snitch who has information on case he’s working involving the Russian Mafia, but as time passes, it looks as though the snitch isn’t going to show up. Bud is about to leave The Warehouse when he sees Claire Parks, who obviously doesn’t belong there. Claire is a dainty, pretty, delicate woman who stands out among the jaded “partyers” like a princess in a workhouse. When a sleazy creep tries to force her to go with him, Bud intervenes. Claire is grateful for Bud’s help and they talk, sparks fly and when the woman Claire came with leaves with a man and Claire has no way home, Bud offers to take her to her house.
When she was a child, Claire was ill for a number of years with leukemia. By all accounts, she should have died several times, but Claire was stubborn and had a strong will to live. It took two bone marrow transplants, but she eventually recovered and has been cancer-free for more than five years. Claire’s illness robbed her of years of normal life and she wants to experience all that she has missed, hence her appearance at The Warehouse. Bud is an overpoweringly masculine man and Claire is a virgin. It’s very obvious that he is powerfully attracted to her, and one of the things that Claire wants to do is have sex, so she lets Bud know that she is attracted to him.
From then on, the book should have been written on asbestos paper. Bud and Claire’s relationship is scorching hot, blazing hot, white hot – but there are lots of books that feature hot relationships. What Midnight Run excels at is combining hot sex with an even hotter emotional relationship. Bud, whose prior relationships have been nothing but one night stands, finds out that he needs Claire in order to exist. He is tinder to her fire and when she is near him, he ignites. Bud prides himself on being a 60 minute man (or even longer) but with Claire, it’s all he can do to last a few seconds (something that deeply embarrasses him). He finds that he loves her, he likes her, he wants to be her protector, her friend, her companion, her everything. When a Lisa Marie Rice hero falls – he falls hard and forever.
Claire grew up the pampered daughter of wealthy parents and since her recovery from her illness she has had to fight to be treated as a normal woman. When Bud finds out about her past, he treats her as if she was made of spun sugar, which leads to a temporary estrangement until a dangerous situation brings them back together.
If I have any complaint about Midnight Run, it’s that it ends a bit too abruptly. If you read the other books in the series, Midnight Man and Midnight Angel, they fill out this book (the stories in all three books take place at the same time).
Lisa Marie Rice is one of the best writers of erotic romance out there. I love her alpha heroes – they are rough, not handsome, hairy chested men who all their lives have been looking for The One. When they find her, they become the most faithful, devoted and loving spouses imaginable. If you love alpha heroes, but hate cruel ones, please give Lisa Marie Rice’s books a try. You will want to glom them all.
Grade: A-
Book Type: Contemporary Romance|Erotic Romance
Sensuality: Burning
Review Date: 06/03/07
Publication Date: 2004
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.