Dark Summer

I purchased this book because I love dogs and thrillers. It is _not_ a thriller but a poorly written romance novel with the two main characters panting after each other within a sketchy thriller-type setting.

The characters are predictable. The strong but vulnerable woman and the handsome tough guy with a heart of gold falling for a woman for the first time.

There are many repetitive phrases; "he twisted his lips" is a favorite, whatever that means. Also "if he touches me I will [burst into flames] [melt]" etc.; pick one.

If you like panting romances you might like this book but if you are looking for a thriller give this one a pass.

I have read or listened to many, if not most of Iris Johansen's books, but I just can't finish this one. I am about half way through and have decided to move on to another book. I may or may not return to this one later. I have never left any of her other works unfinished.

This is the most mediocre of her books. These characters feel like bad copies of her other characters. On a very basic level, many of her books can be summed up as: "Strong, independent woman meets mysterious strong man. Woman resists the desire to give into animalistic urges. Man tells her he must have her. Mystery solved, bad guy dead, happily ever after." Usually, her storytelling is enjoyable enough to make this pattern a non-issue. Not so with this book (at least up to the point that I called it quits).

The narrator makes it almost painful to listen to. We have all stumbled upon the odd book where the author narrates the audio version and really shouldn't have. This is a tiny bit better than that. Jennifer Van Dyke does a great job with narrating many of Iris Johansen's other books, I wish she had done this one. I might have finished it.

Hope others like this more than I did...consider yourself warned though.

Being a dog lover and thoroughly enjoying a story with engaging characters and a story that pulls my imagination along with every scene, every question, and every revelation, I must say I very much enjoyed this story. A delightful vacation for my mind. At the end of the book I was smiling, happy and hoping Iris Johansen had written more books like this one.

This author rarely fails to give a good read and she didn't this time

An animal lovers good read. Iris Johanson keeps the twists and turns coming. I always enjoy that to keep the read exciting and page turning. Give it a try

Very disappointing. Not a believable plot, nor believable situations. Save your money, unless you like sappy romance novels.

The writing was really good and kept you on the edge of your seat, but paired with Joyce Bean's narration, was fantastic! I had to keep reminding myself that she was doing all the narration by herself. She's a pleasure to listen to and her timing is unparalleled in my opinion. I will be looking for more books she's narrated to listen to!

This is the sort of book that causes a listener to lose IQ points.

Poorly written, poorly plotted, worthless romance novel trash - stay away.