Burn

Burn by Linda Howard B-/C+

Status: Library Book
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Characterization C
Plot C-
Readability/Writing Style A

Plot: When Jenner Redwine wins a large lottery she sheds the confines of working class life in Chicago for the hot, rich lifestyle available to wealthy in Miami. Jenner is not surprised she doesn't fit perfectly into the world of socialites and trust fund babies and she doesn't really care -- she is satisfied with the challenge of managing some of her own money and sweet hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett is all she really needs in terms of friends. Together they make the rounds of charity events and dance clubs gripping about boyfriends and trying to find true love in a world where many men look at them and see only dollar signs.

It is as they are preparing for one of these charity events -- a cruise on a luxury liner complete with balls, art auctions and snorkeling in Hawaii -- that they find themselves not in the warm waters of the pacific but in the hot waters of the world of intrigue. Sydney is whisked away to a hotel room while Jenner is forced to share their cruise cabin with a decidedly grim kidnapper. Told to cooperate or she risks Syd's life, Jenner is forced into a world where missteps are final steps, masks are not worn only at charity balls and the only allies you have may be the very people who got you into this mess in the first place. In spite of herself Jenner finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into this fascinating new world and deeper and deeper into a relationship with her kidnapper, the enigmatic, captivating Cael.

I had a couple problems with the plot. One was the long set up -- we are with Jenner when she wins the money and learn all about what it is like to be a lottery winner. I've seen this before (one memorable "Cold Case" dealt with a lottery winner turned victim) and I just didn't need it in that much detail. My second problem was the sheer unbelievability of it -- spying is sneaky work and I just find this completely unreal, over the top, and frankly, at some points, down right silly.

Characterization: I found Jenner a bit cold hearted. I could totally understand her feelings toward her father, her feelings toward her dead beat loser of a boyfriend and her bruised sense of being used. But I also felt she never gave her friend Michelle a real chance and was far too wary of all the men around her being after her for her money. I felt like she would never have gotten with Cael if he hadn't been rich and that bugged me. It is one thing to be able to look after yourself, it is another to be paranoid and judgmental of others. If Jenner had earned that money I might cut her more slack but she won it (yes, she wisely invested it rather than blowing it on cars or whatever but still, she won it). Her attitude to those less lucky just struck me as something of a character flaw.

I also felt Cael was sketched rather than fully drawn. I didn't really get to know him and I wished I had.

Readability/Writing Style: The book didn't seem to take itself very seriously and that helped me over look its flaws and just go with the flow. Howard is a very experienced writer and is easy to read, even in the sections that turn into info dumps about lottery winning. I think this makes a good summer, sitting in the lawn chair and don't really want to think read. Is it as good as old Howards? No. I returned it to the library with no qualms. But did I like it? Not enough to buy it but to read it and relax, yes.

Caveat: The names were darn distracting. I think authors try for too much creativity in this area. Really, when a character is well drawn and likable you can name them anything -- even something ordinary like Harry, Bella or Edward or Elizabeth or Darcy.


Tea: The only tea to drink in a lawn chair on a hot summer day is Southern Sweet Tea. I do the lazy thing and use six to eight bags of Lipton Ice Tea blend in the Iced Tea Machine I have. Then I add sugar (to taste although technically I use Splenda) OR I sometimes buy DaVinci Sugar Free Peach Syrup and DaVinci Sugar Free Raspberry Syrup and add about 1/4-1/2 cup each to the mix. This tastes very much like Bellini Iced Tea from the Olive Garden. The syrups are available online or at Cost Plus World Market.