Judith‘s review of Downstroke by Desiree Holt
It’s been twenty years since Charley Roper and Dallas Creed had their bitter parting. Now a killer in stalking mode has brought the security specialist and the country music icon together again, but are either of them ready for this? It’s obvious that the explosive chemistry is still there. She can’t forget the feel of his hands on her body. He can’t forget the hot touch of her mouth. When they finally tumble into bed together, the sex is hot enough to singe the sheets, but is it really enough?
Set against the music industry with a killer nipping at their heels, Dallas and Charley find themselves on a roller coaster ride that is hot, suspenseful, and erotic. Can Dallas convince Charley to trust her heart to him one more time, to reach out for a deeper, richer, more mature love? Can she keep him safe long enough to give him a chance?
Unlike much of Holt’s writing, this is a full-length novel and is a composite of mystery and erotic romance. Set in the context of a country musician’s professional tour, with a murderous stalker threatening not only Dallas’ safety but his life, Charley Roper is hired to provide special security for Dallas and his band and crew for the remainder of the tour. That Dallas and Charley have history has the potential for making problems, especially if these two can’t find a way to work together to keep Dallas safe. That they were once lovers, that they each believed that the other was their “forever one,” really complicated this reunion more than if they had just been casual dates. That they parted angry and bitter really put them both under the gun in many ways. Yet Charley believed that she was a professional and able to provide the security for which she was contracted, and the past was still in the past.
This is a compelling novel that takes a look not only at the pressures, logistics, and relationships that can make or break a professional music tour, but it also takes the reader into an old relationship where both Dallas and Charley put their dreams for the future before their love for each other. That they loved each other was never in doubt. Perhaps that’s why the hurt and bitterness was so acute when they parted. Like so many lovers they made assumptions that weren’t based on truth, fact, or good communication. And when their dreams collided, their relationship broke apart in the most wounding way. Now they are faced once again with finding a way back, if for no other reason than Dallas’ safety is at stake.
Here you have two people who know that each of them bears a portion of the blame for their bitter parting. They know also that each has blamed the other for the last 20 years. This reunion of sorts has given them the chance to face their own culpability for wasting the past two decades and for the wounds that hurt them both. I came to like Dallas a lot–he had come back from his descent into drugs and alcohol, for spending money like water and cutting a swath through crowds of women–easy booze, easy drugs, easy women. An auto accident nearly claimed his life and through months of painful recovery, he not only got his body back but his life and his good sense as well. Now he has reclaimed his fans but a killer is out for blood. The novel really doesn’t give many hints as to the identity of this maniac. Holt teases her readers almost to the very end. But during the course of the story, the reader not only encounters the stalker but also walks the journey of reclaiming their relationship with Dallas and Charley. Now they are really grown-ups, having dealt with real life, having had to learn to live with the consequences of their choices, learning what it means to put their dreams ahead of their love. I found that it was curiously redemptive to experience their renewal–Holt has a wonderful ability to bring her readers into the meat of the story. And while the unrelieved presence of the killer keeps the tension level high, it is also the pressure-cooker of circumstances that forces Charley and Dallas to make some important decisions about their future together.
This is a great read which is full of tension, mystery, hot loving, and some wonderful caring, affectionate concern, and genuine relationship, not only between Dallas and Charley, but between Dallas and his brother, with Dallas and the members of his crew and band as well. Their mutual respect and regard get them all through some trying days. I like to experience that kind of dynamic in stories. I am also delighted that Holt has given her readers a full-length novel. Her ability to tell a story never fail to delight, but I have really felt cheated when some of her tales are so short. They get the job done, but the encounter with the characters is way too brief. So Holt fans: enjoy! I think you’ll really like this one!
I give this novel a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
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