Casee‘s review of Dying to Please by Linda Howard.
Loyal. Beautiful. Professional. Impeccably organized. Potentially lethal. Sarah Stevens is a woman with many distinct qualities. First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, she is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman–indispensable to her elderly employer, a courtly gentleman whom Sarah has come to respect and love as a father.
Then one night she thwarts a burglary in progress, a courageous act that rewards Sarah her requisite “fifteen minutes of fame” with the local press. But the exposure is enough to catch the attention of a tortured soul who, unbeknownst to Sarah, will stop at nothing to have her for himself.
Sarah’s perfectly ordered life is shattered when tragedy strikes: her beloved employer is brutally murdered. The detective investigating the case, assures Sarah that she is not a suspect. Until lightning strikes twice. There’s a second killing–and this time, despite a lack of evidence connecting her to the crime, Sarah cannot escape the shadow of guilt.
The only option left for Sarah is to carry on with her life. But she doesn’t realize that a deranged stalker is luring her into an elaborate trap . . . one in which she, once ensnared, might never escape. For Sarah soon finds herself at the mercy of a man who will tend to her every whim, smother her with affection, and crush her in his all-consuming embrace.
I think this is the last Linda Howard book that I actually loved. It had the perfect balance of romance and suspense. The suspense didn’t overshadow the romance and the romance was sweet and hot at the same time.
Sarah Stevens in a butler/bodyguard. Her current job puts her at the house of a retired judge. While Sarah never expects to need her bodyguard skills for the judge, she makes sure that she’s ready for anything. That’s why she’s so broken up when she arrives home from her day off and finds the judge dead in his den. Though she expects to be a suspect, the attitude of one of the detectives grates on her nerves.
Detective Tom Cahill is pretty sure he has Sarah figured out from the moment he sets eyes on her. He’s never heard of a modern day “butler” so he figures that she is just a young plaything the judge had living with him. It doesn’t take Cahill long to realize that the person he thought Sarah was is far from the person she really is.
After Sarah helps the judge’s family get his estate settled, she takes some time before taking another position. Sarah and Cahill slowly develop a relationship, even though Sarah is far from convinced that they’re good for each other. While everything seems to be going good for Sarah and Cahill together, her employment “issues” are another matter entirely.
It was originally thought that the judge’s murder was an anomaly. Then Sarah’s new employers, a couple new to the area, are found murdered. While Cahill wants to think the best of Sarah, he doesn’t usually believe in coincidences. When Sarah thinks that Cahill actually believes she could be responsible for something so reprehensible, she is devastated.
Matt quickly realizes his mistake, but is too late to correct it. In an unlikely move, Sarah has taken a job on the spur of the moment. When Cahill finally figures out who is responsible for the murders, he has to save her from a potential deadly situation and get her to forgive him.
I loved Sarah and Cahill’s relationship. They were so perfect for each other. And the sex scene in the basement? HAWT!
4.5 out of 5.
This book is available from Ballantine. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
Oh goodness, I loved this one as well. I loved both Sarah and Cahill, the both of them together and the scene where they’re wrestling? *swoon* talk about steamy!
Great review sweetie, it makes me want to reread it again.
Oooh, I loved this one, too. Read it on my Howard glom a couple years ago when I discovered her. Fabulous!
This was the very first Linda Howard I read and it’s funny, but I don’t remember much about it. I certainly don’t remember the basement sex scene. I feel a reread coming on.