Throwback Thursday: Surrender The Dark by Donna Kauffman

Author: Donna Kauffman
First published in 1995 by Loveswept

They call themselves the Three Musketeers: three lifelong friends, men who will put it all on the line in the name of honor and loyalty. Jarrett McCullough values those bonds as seriously as he values his job heading a covert group of operatives skilled in handling sensitive international information. But his current mission has suddenly gone very wrong—and he finds himself wounded and near death in the last place he ever expected to be.
 
Rae Gannon is stunned to find her ex-boss bleeding from a gunshot wound, mere paces from her front door. It has been two years since her move to the remote Blue Ridge Mountains, where she tried to erase the memories and the pain she suffered from having been part of McCullough’s team. Yet as Rae tends to Jarrett’s battered body she realizes that the air between them is still sizzling with a slow-burning need. But this time there are more than just hearts at stake. The mission that almost got Jarrett killed threatens to put Rae back in harm’s way. And if they surrender to their desires, it may cost them their lives.

It has been a while since I have read a book by this author.  What better way to get reacquainted than to pick up one of her older works?  Surrender the Dark is the first in a series about three men who have been friends sine childhood.  They call themselves The Three Musketeers of Madison County.  This is Jarrett's book.  He owns a business that deals in delivering sensitive information to dangerous places.  Someone has sabotaged his latest mission and he ends up wounded and recovering in Rae's sanctuary on the mountain.  Rae is a former employee who hates her ex-boss.  

I enjoyed this one.  It borders on romantic suspense, but is more about the romance than anything.  I liked Rae and Jarrett.  Watching them go from enemies to lovers was definitely engaging.  Jarrett's transformation from stone-cold agent to relaxed happy guy was farily beleivable.  The guy was really in need of a vacation.  I think I would have liked a little more intrigue than was present, but it's a fairly short book so that probably wasn't a lot of room for it.

This was reissued a couple of years back by Loveswept, so pick up your copy today!

Throwback Thursday: Silent Warrior by Donna Kaufman

Author: Donna Kaufman
First published in 1997 by  Loveswept

Her note read, "I'm in trouble," and John McShane sensed the desperation in Cali Ellis's plea for help. He'd flown to the Caribbean on a rescue mission, but the woman whose defiant beauty still heated his blood refused to leave without answers. Unable to deny her desire for this fierce warrior, Cali longed to taste the fire of his possession. She'd always trusted him with her life, but was she sure enough to dare surrender?


Silent Warrior is the second in the Delgado Dozen series.   John McShane showed up briefly in the first book, Santerra's Sins.  This time around, McShane receives a note from an old friend saying she is in trouble.  He has loved her forever, but she was married to his partner.  After 10 years, he can't resist lending a helping hand. Cali is in trouble, but she isn't exactly sure who is after her or why.  She just knows that is has to do with something her long dead husband was working on before his death 10 years earlier.  She is hoping her old  John will be able to help.

This one was just kind of OK for me.  Throughout the book, I kept feeling like I was missing a key piece of the plot.  So, the mystery was just kind of meh.  The romance was too rushed.  I know that John had wanted Cali for a long time.  So his fall was understandable, but for Cali, it should have been slower.  She had no idea he felt that way about her.  The whole thing seemed too rushed and force.  The next one is Light My Fire and it's T.J.'s story.  I'll be giving it a shot soon.

Throwback Thursday: Santerra's Sin by Donna Kauffman

Author: Donna Kaufman
First published in by Bantam in 1996
Re-issued by Loveswept in 2012

When she answered his knock with "Enter at your own risk," Diego Santerra realized he'd have his hands full protecting Blue Delgado without her knowledge. He'd taken more than a little pleasure keeping an eye on her the past three weeks, but now he had to get closer -- and that meant getting a job in her cantina. Blue could feel the danger he exuded, and yearned for the excitement he aroused in her passionate soul. But could surrendering to this mystery man be a sin?

Santerra's Sin is a early book by this Ms. Kauffman.  It's a really quick read.  I was able to read it in one sitting.  One thing about shit author is that she can really write a good alpha male.  Diego is exactly that, but he meets his match in Blue.  He has been hired to protect Blue without her knowing.  The attraction is there from the start, but Diego never gets involved.

While I did like Diego and Blue together, I felt like they fell in love a little too fast for me.  Blue barely knows him and she is telling him she loves him within a couple of days.  I didn't totally buy it.  I did like Diego's back story and to see him finally find a way to love.  There is a little bit of action, but no real suspense.  The bad guys keep finding Blue and Diego really quickly. There was a hint of a mole in the operation, but it was never fleshed out.  I also would have liked to see Blue confront her father. Having said that, it was still an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the sequel.

Throwback Thursday: Bayou Heat by Donna Kauffman

Author: Donna Kaufman
First published in 1996 by Loveswept.
Reissued by Loveswept in 2012

Dr. Erin McClure needs a guide who knows every inch of Cajun voodoo country. Enter Teague Comeaux—wild, reckless, with a sharp tracking sense that doesn’t quit. As he leads Erin deep into the steamy reaches of places she never knew existed, she surrenders to the primal longing unleashed by his seductive heat, losing herself in a world of danger, desire, and spirit magic.
 
Teague might be a renegade with a past built on trouble, but this Louisiana native and bar owner understands the land and the lore better than anybody. He just didn’t plan on falling so hard for Erin. Now he’ll go to desperate lengths to keep her safe—and to allow the power of love to rescue a loner’s heart.


I haven't read many of Donna Kauffman's early books, so I was glad to see that Loveswept has reissued some of them.  Bayou Heat is a quick and enjoyable read.  It is one story that I wish was longer.  I would have loved to get to know Erin and Teague a bit more in-depth.  Their relationship sizzles off the pages from the first chapter.  It's quick, passionate and really hot! 

There is a little intrigue, but nothing ultra exciting. I think it would have been better had it been longer.  The reveal at the end was pretty easy to figure out.  If you are a fan of her more recent books, you can see that she has come along way in her writing.  If you are looking for a quick steamy romance, definitely give this one a try!