Suzanne Brockman
Forever Blue (1996)
Author: Suzanne Brockman
Genre: Romance/Suspense
Plot Summary:
This is the second book in the "Tall, Dark, and Dangerous" series by Suzanne Brockman. (A 1996 Romantic Times Reviewers' Award winner.) This series focuses on U.S. Navy Seals. Each book in the series deals with a particular member of an elite team, in this case, "Blue" McCoy. Lieutenant McCoy is tall, blond, and beautiful, in addition to being able to do almost anything. He is the strong silent type, who does not share is feelings, nor does he have a window open for "love." When he comes back to the town he had been raised in, for the wedding of his step-brother to his own former girlfriend, all hell breaks loose. His step-brother is found dead after the rehearsal dinner, at which the two men had argued. A small town rookie-policewoman, Lucy Tait, initally is in charge of the police investigation. She is a beautiful and feisty young woman, who has harbored a crush on Blue since her high school days. And, she is totally on Blue's side in this situation. She is much more capable than she seems to be at first. As the story unfolds, the whole town (other than Lucy) is convinced that Blue is the murderer, and when he is instructed to stay in town, but no one will rent him a room, he ends up staying at Lucy's house. The remainder of the story is rather predictable; of course they fall in love; there is a major misunderstanding, at a very crucial time which separates them, and ultimately Lucy is responsible for uncovering the real murderer and saving Blue's life. There is a good element of suspense, and a few surprises as to what actually happened to Blue's step-brother and why, as well as some really hot sex.
Geographical Setting: Hatboro Creek, South Carolina.
Time Period: the present
Series: second book in the "Tall, Dark, and Dangerous" series.
Appeal Characteristics:
This is a fairly fast paced, character driven murder/suspense tale with a lot of romance and sex thrown in. Very attractive main characters, both of whom are strong and smart. There is quite a bit of information as to what Navy Seals do, and how admirable their performance in the military is. There is also a focus on loyal friendships and how valuable that is in life. For those who enjoy reading about steamy sex, in a rather romantic light, this book would certainly appeal.
Read-alikes: The most apparent read-alike suggestions for this book would be the remainder of the "Tall, Dark, and Dangerous" series of which there are nine, including Prince Joe, Everyday Average Jones, Harvard's Education, and Frisco's Kid. These books all center around some sort of mystery, as well as the love life of an individual Seal. The characters in the series appear in each others' stories as major friends. Other possible suggestions could be Linda Howard's series of military romances, such as MacKenzie's Pleasure, featuring a Navy Seal. It has the same elements, strong men, military details, and "love." Elizabeth Lowell's romantic adventure tales, such as Pearl Cove, don't deal with the military, but do have similar suspense elements, and strong men and women. The Hunter, by Bennita Low, does feature a Navy Seal working with a beautiful and brilliant female CIA agent on a dangerous assignment. For His Eyes Only, by Candace Irwin, features a female Navy officer, with a non-military love interest, and a lot of suspense. Amy Fetzer's Tell it to the Marines is actually three novellas portraying military rescues of strong women characters. And probably for a reader who just wants a good romance, almost anything written by Nora Roberts or Elizabeth Lowell would suffice .
Red Flags: Heavy sexual content; some violence.
|top|
|
