Throwback Thursday: In Serena's Web & Raven on the Wing by Kay Hooper

The cover on this throwback from Ms. Hoopr is very giggle worthy.  How can you look at the cover and not giggle?  I am a big fan of Kay Hooper and have read most of her books, both old and new.  She is a great writer.  So, I was a little disappointed in this first book in her Hagen series.  In Serena's Web (First published in 1987 by Loveswept) was a very underwhelming story.  Not much happens.  It had the great potential to be a good romantic suspense, but the suspense fell very flat.  The reader never really has the sense that Serena is in any danger until the very end.

When I started the book, I felt like I was missing something.  Almost like I had walked into a movie about 30 minutes after the opening credits. Eventually things are explained, but by then it was too late for me to even care.  The characters were pretty boring.  Serena is a smart woman, but came across to me like a spoiled debutante.  She is in love with Brian, so she tries to make him jealous by flirting with another man.  Really? She is 26, not a 16 and still in high school.  Brian seems to want her but is ambivalent about it through most of the book.  Even the HEA at the end was a bit boring.  Honestly, I was more intrigued by Josh and his penchant for blondes than I was by Serena and Brian.

I'm never one to give up on a series if the first book is so-so.  So I did end up reading Raven on the Wing (First published in 1987 by Loveswept), which is Josh's story. This one was much better than the first in the series.  I loved Josh and Raven.  Josh is literally knocked over by pretty brunette, Raven and it is love at first sight.  He will do everything he can to win her heart and make her his.  The problem is that Raven seems to be living a double life. 

There is pretty good suspense plot woven into this romance.  I loved the twist at the end!  The reader is also introduced to Josh's friends/employees who look to be the subjects of the later books.  I knew all I had to do was trust in the author and the books would get better.  I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest of the series.