Reviewer: Holly
Troublemaker (GO-Team, #1) by
Linda Howard Series: GO-Team #1 Also in this series: Troublemaker (GO-Team, #1),
Troublemaker (GO-Team, #1),
The Woman Left Behind (GO-Team, #2),
The Woman Left Behind (GO-Team, #2),
The Woman Left Behind (GO-Team, #2) Publisher:
Harper CollinsPublication Date: May 10th 2016
Point-of-View: Third Person
Genres: Romantic Suspense Pages: 400
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Series Rating: 
A thrilling, fast-paced novel of romantic suspense from sensational New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Linda Howard.
For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he’s ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who’s after the members of his elite squad—and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he’s determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.
The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian mountain town, Isabeau “Bo” Maran finally has her life figured out. She’s got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn’t need a mysterious man in her life—especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan.
The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he’s hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she’s willing to give. And when Morgan’s cover is blown, it might just cost her life.
Linda Howard was an auto-buy author for years, but I stopped picking her books up around the time Shadow Woman was released. While the technical aspects of her writing were the same, the spark was missing. I’m happy to report the spark has returned with this book.
I started
Troublemaker with caution. The beginning was a bit slow, but by the halfway mark I was fully invested in the characters and romance.
Morgan Yancy is the leader of a paramilitary group that doesn’t spend a lot of time at home. He decides to enjoy his rare time home by relaxing and going fishing. He didn’t expect to get shot and nearly killed on his way home. Since he has no idea who is after him, or why, his boss decides to send Morgan to a place no one will look for him..the boss’s estranged, ex-step-sister’s house.
Bo Marin hasn’t heard from her former step-brother in years, and she’s just fine with that. When a birthday card from him shows up she’s suspicious, and those suspicions are founded when a wounded and half-dead man turns up, asking for sanctuary. Even though it goes against all her instincts, she can’t kick him out. Especially when her ex-brother offers her the one thing she can’t say no to..enough money to finally get her out of debt.
Morgan is surprised by Bo at every turn. She isn’t a chatty-Cathy. She doesn’t expect him to pay attention to her, nor does she court attention from anyone else. Aside from her questionable relationship with her dog, she actually might be the perfect woman. Well, aside from the fact that she’s totally closed off and hands him nothing but attitude…but he kind of likes that. Bo has no intention of getting close to her unwanted house guest, but she can’t deny his intensity is compelling. And he’s pretty hot. When Morgan’s trouble follows him, Bo will have to decide if he’s worth fighting for.
I saw a lot of the Howard of old here. Quirky humor, scorching chemistry and just enough rivalry between the hero and heroine to keep things interesting. The dog, especially, provided a lot of humor. One thing Howard has always excelled at is adding just enough monotonous daily life details to make the story come to life. Example: washing dishes or cooking dinner…there isn’t enough focus on it to make the story boring, but the inclusion of these details adds a little life to the story.
The first 1/4 or so of the story felt slow to me, and I struggled to focus on what was happening. I also struggled with Bo’s position as Sheriff. A lot of emphasis was placed on the fact that it was an “administrative” position only. While I understand that is an option for some departments, I’m surprised she wasn’t at the very least sent to the academy so she could fill in during an emergency. Especially in a small town. Her lack of training took away from her character a bit; made her seem less, somehow. The suspense plot wasn’t very intriguing or mysterious. It was easy to figure out who the bad guys were, and the why behind their actions wasn’t enough to make that bit of the story interesting.
Still, I can’t deny I enjoyed the banter and every day living arrangements between Bo and Morgan. This was worth reading for their romance. While I wouldn’t recommend this as a romantic suspense, lots of chemistry, witty banter and a sweet slide into love make this a fun read.
3.5 out of 5
GO-Team Series
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I also had my fingers crossed for this one and I really enjoyed it. I like reading the daily routines, too. That’s keeping it real. And I didn’t think there was too much focus on the pooch, like some other readers. Great review!
too bad about the slow start—that can always get to me when reading. But I love great bantering. 🙂
That’s so funny because I literally just finished reading this book 15 minutes ago! I really enjoyed it but I agree with your criticisms. Bo admits she has no more training than a basic understanding of firearms. She’s carrying a service weapon so you’d figure she’d have more than basic training, and then she seems to have no further preparation at all. It felt so weird! And Bo is smart–I know crime is lower in a small town but come on, crime is everywhere in the modern world. As a smart, cautious Chief of Police, why wouldn’t you want to be as prepared as possible? I also thought things really started to drag in the middle. I know that’s kind of classic Howard, but here I felt like there was a little too much down time where they weren’t really doing anything, plot-wise OR relationship-wise. But the dog was adorable. I’m actually not usually big on “cute pets” in books but she really worked for me, possibly because I once knew a doggy genius so I felt some truth to the portrayal! Axel was also very funny (in an unintentional way)–something about the animosity between he and Bo just had me constantly snickering. I was definitely happy with this one, if not totally enthralled.
I stopped reading the review after you confirmed that the spark was back because 1) Yay! and 2) I’m going to read the book before checking out reviews. I’ll be back… 🙂
(I gave up on LH after paying full mmbp price for ICE and feeling ripped off.)
This does sound appealing. Thanks for the review.
This is how out of the Linda Howard loop I am, that I didn’t even realize she was still writing. I also gave up on her a few years back. Glad you enjoyed it. I am still on the fence!