Rowena’s review of Cry No More by Linda Howard.
Hero: James Diaz
Heroine: Milla Edge
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
Count your blessings; they can be snatched away in an instant. It is a sentiment Milla Edge knows too well. With an astonishing blend of savvy, instinct, and passion, Milla displays an uncanny gift for finding lost children. When all seems helpless, desperate souls from across the country come to her for hope and results. Driven by an obsessive desire to fill the void in other people’s lives, Milla throws herself into every case – all the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a horrific tragedy in her past. Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared over the years in the labyrinth of a sinister baby-smuggling ring. The key to nailing down the organization may rest with an elusive one-eyed man. To find him, Milla joins forces with James Diaz, a suspicious stranger known as the Tracker who conceals his own sinister agenda. As the search intensifies, the mission becomes more treacherous. For the ring is part of something far larger and more dangerous, reaching the highest echelons of power and influence. Caught between growing passion and imminent peril, Milla suddenly finds herself the hunted – in the crosshairs of an invisible, lethal assassin who aims to silence her permanently.
Linda Howard is the author that got me hooked on romantic suspense. When I first started reading romance novels, I only read from four authors. Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey (the Malory series) and Linda Howard. I went to each author for different things, Johanna Lindsey gave me the awesome historical family, Judith McNaught gave me awesome contemporaries that sent me on an emotional rollercoaster, Julie Garwood had the sexy highlanders and Linda Howard kept me on my toes with her sexy romantic suspense books.
This book was one of those books that had me thinking the same way that I think when I’m watching an episode of Law & Order: SVU. Bad things happen on that show and seeing Olivia and Elliott piece the clues together to catch the bad guys was the same exact thing that I was doing while I was reading this book. Linda Howard did a fantastic job for me of drawing the mystery behind the whole kidnapping operation out. I agree with some people who say that the romance in this book took a back seat to the whole finding Justin and bringing him back home but for me, it was okay. I was totally gripped from the beginning.
Milla Edge is on a mission to find her missing son. She’s obsessed with finding him and nothing or no one is going to dissuade her from accomplishing that goal. Her son was kidnapped right out of her hands when she was living in Mexico with her ex husband. She hasn’t ever gotten over it and as a mother myself, I understood her pain. I thought Linda Howard did a phenomenal job of writing the grief and the emotions that drove Milla to do what she did and live the way that she did. I connected with Milla in the sense that I understood what drove her. She was broken but she was strong and I really respected her for having the guts to do what she did. I don’t think I could have been as strong as her but she never gave up and she made those bastards pay. Really, what’s not to respect about that?
I thought that James Diaz was the perfect hero for Milla. He was dark, strong and capable of doing what needed to be done and Milla needed someone like that in her corner. I didn’t feel like we got to know Diaz the same way that we know some of LH’s heroes but that didn’t bother me too much because the whole mystery around Diaz worked. It made him sexier and when he said things like, “I’d give me left nut to be inside you right now,” it made me want to do him even more.
Overall, this book brought out the water works in me. I cry each and every time I re-read this book. I thought LH did a great job of entertaining me with such a dark storyline. I was right there all up in the mix from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. I grieved with Milla after she lost Justin and I pulled for her when she tried to find him. I wanted her to win and beat the bad guys and when she finally did, I rejoiced in her efforts and at the end, it was bittersweet and I hurt for her but I thought the way that it ended was the right way to end the story.
I would totally recommend this book to all of those Linda Howard fans who haven’t taken the time to read this one. It’s a dark read but a very good one as well.
This book is available from Ballantine. You can buy it here, here in e-format or here in Kindle format.
((DIAZ)) the scene on the rock where he offers Milla his nut gets me everytime I read it.
This was my least favorite of all Howard’s books… 🙁
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I completely agree – this book was incredible! And you’re right, I was left wanting to know more about Diaz, but accepted it as part of his dark, mysterious character – which made it even hotter! Diaz kind of reminded me of the torture alpha heros that Anne Stuart writes (especially Sebastian!). The way it ended with him taking her to that cabin is what I think of first about this book. I even bought the audio version of this and it’s just as incredible as reading it again.
I love love love this book–and I cannot re-read it often. The emotional impact is sometimes too much to bear.
One of the things that gets me each and every time is Milla’s relationship with her siblings…
Okay, I’ll shut up now.
Did I mention that I love this book?
I think this is one of her strongest books – i will always remember how i felt when i first read it – completely wrecked.
the only thing (it would have been problem if the rest of the story wasn’t so powerful) was the swift and convenient ending to the whole operation. i couldn’t believe Milla’s nonchalant reaction to finding out who betrayed her. i would have seriously ripped that someone’s head off and set fire to it.
uuh, did i mention strong emotions……?
mph – I totally agree about the ending. I was so frustrated w/ the way things were resolved.
But you’re right – the rest of the book more than made up for it.
Ween, great review. I might have to do a re-read now.