Case File #: 00015
The Perp: Dahl, Victoria
The Crime: Talk Me Down
Classification: Contemporary Romance
The Weapons: Secrets, stalkers and quite guys who like sex. Plus lots of dirty jokes. I am totally sending this book to Agent Green.
The Victims:
- Molly Jennings: the small town girl who left ten years ago for Denver, only to return in hopes of some inspiration for her major writer’s block. Nobody knows that she writes erotic romance for a living, and she wants to keep it that way.
- Ben Lawson: the man that Molly lusted after when she was a teenager, he’s her older brother’s best friend. He’s tall, he wears a cowboy hat and his eye was always kinda on Molly even though he tries desperately not to look.
The Accessories:
- Cameron Kasten: the hostage negotiator from Denver that Molly broke up with six months ago. He has the uncanny ability to convince all of her potential love interests that she’s still hung up on him.
- Brenda White: the police station secretary who isn’t too keen on Molly being back in town.
Violations: Gratuitous use of sex and dirty jokes? I kid, I kid, this was a funny book!
Analysis: Dahl is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. Her books are fun, fast paced and her characters are really conflicted, in a good way of course. Also, she is the first author that has tempted me to venture into the world of Contemporary Romance. I’m not sure if it’s something I’ll do all the time, but for Dahl, I might make an exception.
So the book itself was engrossing, which is saying a lot since I have been running into a bit of ‘romance novel overload’ marked by my inability to stay invested in a story long enough to read it to the end. There are some really great minor characters and let’s just say, Dahl takes the the sex part just a bit past my personal comfort level, but the books are good, so I let it slide.
My only real issue, and it’s not with this book particularly but something within all the books she’s published so far (3 total) because I’m starting to notice a trend–what’s up with the gal always having a stalker? I understand it adds an element of mystery and drives the couples together, but since I grew up on Queen Christie herself, I can usually guess who it is. And I’m right. Even when you try to trick the audience Ms. Dahl, even when you try to trick us. So for me, it’s the weakest part of the story.
Recommended Action: Just go read it. It’s pretty fucking funny. A
2 Comments
Agent Me wants to read it once Agent Green is through with it. As long as you’ve no objection to my putting a plain, brown, completely innocent book-cover on it?
Get in line, Agent Beauregard wants a peek as well!
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[...] While I read Dahl’s Talk me Down, I was really curious about the book her heroine, Molly Jennings a.k.a. Holly Summer, [...]