You Can Run But There's No Place To Hide . . . "Play Dirty" by Lorie O'Clare

Heartthrob bounty hunter Greg King knows how to work it—and he knows that he can have any woman he wants. But there’s more to Greg than meets the eye…and he’s still haunted by the memory of his beautiful, estranged wife. Much as he’s tried to move on, he’s never been able to stop wondering why Haley left him. Or what he could have done to make their marriage better—and make her stay…

After putting a vicious criminal behind bars, Haley King had no choice but to leave her loved ones behind and enter the witness protection program. Turns out that, in her new life, Haley has once again found herself in serious trouble—and needs help from the only person she can trust: her husband. Now, as old secrets threaten to tear them apart and danger closes in from all sides, it’s up to Greg to keep Haley safe…and convince her that this time, he’s playing for keeps.

Greg & Haley King have been married a very long time. But the last six years of their marriage have been hell. Not only that, they have been totally out of touch with one another due to the fact that Mrs. King has been living under an assumed name in the Witness Protection Program. So Greg and their two sons, Marc and Jake, have been busy moving forward with their business as bounty hunters, but Greg's personal life has been on hold. The relationship between these two very serious people forms the underpining of this novel and provides the sexual tension that keeps the interest level so high. Add in the fact that this is a mystery/suspense/action novel complete with international players and unfriendly foreign law enforcement personnel, and you have a novel that is edgy, with very sharp and rough characters, and lots of unanswered questions.

I have to take issue with the publisher's blurb as to Greg's puzzlement over his wife's leaving. He knew why she did it. That he disagreed with her decision is never in doubt. But the curious factor here is that for neither one of them did time or space ever dilute their emotional intensity or their certainty that the other was the only person they could ever love with this kind of intensity. Yet while those six years apart did not dilute their love for one another, it did bring about some serious changes in both these people and in their sons. Haley missed out on the last years of her sons' maturation process and when she came home, they were no longer boys. She also made some important discoveries about her professional abilities and about the role she was prepared to resume in the marriage if ever they could be together again. For Greg, these years were misery personified, and for a man who was the quintessential Alpha male, he came to a point where he had to accept that being willing to accept Haley as she was did not mean that he was weak or inept. Learning to give as well as take, to cooperate rather than always having to be in command was a journey of discovery for this talented and able individual.

This novel is really about how two people learned some important lessons about themselves and then faced the challenge of integrating those changes into a relationship neither was willing to give up. Greg faced a woman who was no longer satisfied to be at his beck and call, putting aside her opinions and thoughts, allowing him to set the pace of their lives. Now Haley knew that she was good at her profession, knew how to investigate with the best of them, could handle herself in a crisis, and wanted to be Greg's partner, not just "the little woman." Quite a change for this hunky guy to absorb. His challenge: keeping his wife and his marriage, but having to accept this person who was almost like a stranger in many ways.

Haley's challenge was patience--she knew Greg's strengths and she was also aware that he had a gentle side that he didn't want anyone to see. She needed him to show it to her and to be comfortable doing so. That she loved him more than anyone else on the planet gave her the strength to go after him and to insist that he find these deeper strengths within himself.

I really liked the mystery/suspense/action aspect of this novel. I know that for many this was not a plus and the wide range and number of background characters was confusing for some, but I think that is the kind of story this author writes. It seems that she really functions on many levels and her stories reflect the fact that she "digs" complicated, multi-layered, heavily populated novels and this one certainly is that kind of novel. I appreciated that quality as I get a little irritated and impatient at the simplistic stories. That is not to say that there aren't times when I just want to indulge in romantic fiction that is a boy-meets-girl-and-they-fall-in-love-and-live-happily-ever-after kind of novel. This is not one of those, and if that is what the reader is seeking, lots of luck. Not here, and not often with Lorie O'Clare. For those of us who are looking for the deeper and more challenging reading experience, this is more to my taste.

I first encountered this author through her paranormal romances and reviewed two of those for The Book Binge and found them to be fine reading experiences. This novel is a new direction for me and one that I have enjoyed a great deal. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I give this a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Review: Black Passion by Lorie O'Clare

A number of months ago I reviewed the first in this series from Lorie O'Clare entitled Black Seduction, the story of a den of jaguar shapeshifters, the VicMoran brothers, plus Angela Kalusian, who live in a community in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Angela's littermate, Natasha, once her closest and dearest friend besides being her sister, now has decided that the coffers of the community can be enriched by "selling" her community members as mercenary killers for hire. She is bloated with the greed for wealth and power, and the VicMoran brothers and Angela are wanting no part of it. They leave, and their destination is Central America, the only other place where jaguar shapeshifters reside, deep in the heart of the Costa Rican rain forest. In the course of their journey, Angela and Raul become mates.

Now this second novel in the series picks up the story of these brothers as they have not settled in their new home. Angela and Raul VicMoran have established their own den, and the Ran and Rafe, as single males, have a den of their own. This novel is really Ran's story and how he acquires a mate, one he is not sure he really wants but obtains in spite of his reservations about her family, especially her mother.

While the first novel was really insight more into the personal relationship of Raul and Angela and the inner workings of a family, this second novel expands on what it means to be a part of the greater community with its power struggles, its family dynamics, and how this jaguar community resolves the issues that are vital to its survival. The evil that was left behind in Colorado is now threatening them and Ran's expertise with computer technology assists them in being prepared for the onslaught of unprincipled forces who want to capture these shapeshifters and force them to be mercenary killers to satisfy Natash's greed and lust for power.

At the core of this story, however, is Ran and Olivia's love story and the dynamics of their mating. Olivia is out of step with her community; she wants to be independent, determining her future for herself, yet forced to remain in her parents' den as a single female, under the heavy hand of her overbearing mother and her seeminly passive father. Yet her desire to mate with Ran, a male who has fascinated her ever since the brothers arrived in her community, gets out of control. Even though Ran is aware of her mother's penchant for being in charge (a position that is not favored throughout the jaguar community), Ran is drawn to this beautiful feline and mates with her. He is distressed at her unwillingness to be cooperative with the rules of the community and resists moving forward with the mating process. Yet his desire for her does not fade, and in spite of all his efforts, her scent remains on him--proof positive that she is already his mate.

The ups and downs of this rocky romance, complicated by a manipulative mom, outside pressures from those seeking to capture and imprison the jaguars, form the core of this novel. I think Ms O'Clare has a true story teller's heart and yet in this second novel I think the words got just a little bit away from her. Unlike the first book, she lost just a little of her edge, efficiency and economy of word usage and the passages containing internal dialogue, especially over the problems with Olivia's mother, just seemed to get away from her. Now this may be more about me as a former English teacher than about the author. I am more than willing to acknowledge that. But in spite of what I felt was an overload of verbage at some points, I think this is a really good story and a very enjoyable one. I like shapeshifter stories anyway so was fascinated with the fictional society that O'Clare created. It was inventive and brought in the tension often encountered when two males are interested in one female, the part played by the larger community in the process, and the internal family dynamic. The loving was certainly hot, but I felt it was well balanced within the context of the wider community. I was quite taken with their interdependence. Would that humans could work so well together.

So I can recommend this novel as one that feline shapeshifter fans as well as romance fans would probably enjoy and find readable and stimulating. I give it a rating of 3.75 out of 5.