Throwback Thursday: Open Season by Linda Howard

Author: Linda Howard
First published in 2001 by Pocket Books

On her thirty-fourth birthday, Daisy Minor decides to make over her entire life. The small-town librarian has had it with her boring clothes, her ordinary looks, and nearly a decade without so much as a date. It's time to get a life—and a sex life. The perennial good girl, Daisy transforms herself into a party girl extraordinaire—dancing the night away at clubs, laughing and flirting with abandon—and she's declared open season for manhunting. But her free-spirited fun turns to shattering danger when she witnesses something she shouldn't—and becomes the target of a killer. Now, before she can meet the one man who can share her life, first she may need him to save it. 

I'm definitely a fan of Ms. Howard's older works.  Open Season is definitely going to be one of my favorites!  Open season was such a great book.  I don't think I have laughed so much reading a book lately as I did with this one.  I know I won't be able to hear the phrase "Party Pack" ever again without giggling. I loved Daisy and Jack.  Jack has a way of flustering "Miss Prim and Proper" Daisy and that in turn makes for some very hilarious scenes.  Their love story is quick but sweet.  As hard as Daisy fights the attraction, Jack pushes back just as hard and into her heart. I think the thing I loved about Daisy was that even though she is a bit naive, she isn't dumb.  There are truly no TSTL moments in the book.  At one point she even remarks on that point saying she knows better than to go off on her own when her life is in danger.  Good girl!

I wouldn't say there was much mystery to this book.  You pretty much know who the bad guys are and what is going on behind the scenes.  I never really felt like Daisy's life was truly in any danger.  But, the story line was still very tight and satisfying.  I loved half of the epilogue as it made me laugh once again.  But the second half of the epilogue was puzzling.  I'm not sure why it was included and made me wonder if there was supposed to be a sequel to the book.  There isn't one that I can find.  I think you would be safe to skip the last scene in the epilogue and you wouldn't be missing out on anything.