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Title: Midnight Raider
ISBN: 0380762935
Author:
Shelly Thacker
Publicate Date: 1992-02
Publish: 1992-02
List Price: $4.50
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.50
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.31
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| Customer Review: |
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1: I normally adore Shelly Thacker's novels, but I could not like the hero in this one
From the back cover:
Dangerous alliance...
By day, she is Elizabeth Thornhill, lovely young widow; by night, cleverly disguised, she becomes the notorious Blackerby Swift, riding a mission of vengeance against the ruthless villain who condemned her to a debtor's prison. But she is not alone on the shadowed highway...
Pierce Wolverton, Earl of Darkridge, travels the same roads in search of the same scoundrel--the man who stole his family fortune. Darkly handsome, Pierce is known as the Night Raider, the most feared highwayman in England, and he'll share his prey with no other. Until he encounters his infamous rival, Blackerby Swift...and discovers an exquisite beauty whose reckless determination fills him with both fury and desire. Thrown together in a game of intrigue and revenge, they dare not trust each other. Yet they are compelled to dance a dangerous duet, tempting fate with a passion that will either destroy them...or unite them forever in a alliance that will thunder with the overwhelming power of love.
And my review:
Well, first off, I want to say that I am a huge fan of Shelly Thacker. Before I read this book, every single novel I'd tried by her had been one I'd loved. So I expected MIDNIGHT RAIDER to be yet another winner by this talented author. I was so shocked that the hero in this one was a horrible person! Even now, I can hardly believe that I'm about to give a negative review to a Shelly Thacker novel.
Usually, I love Shelly Thacker's characters. In fact, I find that her greatest strength is in creating honorable people that, while they have their human flaws, are basically good people that the reader can cheer for. And while the heroine in this book was a person I could cheer for, the hero wasn't.
Where to start? Well, for one, I didn't like the way he almost immediately decides to seduce the heroine, whom he believes is married. She's actually a widow, but he doesn't know that. His reasoning? She must not really love the guy, since he's away all the time, supposedly travelling. So cheating is okay if the marriage is loveless? Not in my book. He believes that the heroine is married, yet the thought of committing adultery with her doesn't even register as a blip on his moral radar. That was a big turn-off.
But what really sealed his doom was when he tries to force himself on the heroine. He only stops when she screams that what he's doing is rape. Okay, okay, he does stop then, but still, that he would actually get to such a state is disgusting! I can't have any respect for a man who would ever even THINK of trying to force himself on a woman, let alone almost do it.
Also, I couldn't really understand why the hero and heroine couldn't just team up to destroy the villain. Since they both hated the guy and wanted to see him suffer for his crimes, why not work together to achieve that mutual goal? After all, as the saying goes "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". The story would have made more sense that way, rather than having the hero and heroine fight amongst themselves.
I cannot believe that this book was written by the same author who wrote the wonderful HIS FORBIDDEN TOUCH, A STRANGER'S KISS or the very enjoyable INTO THE SUNSET. Try those books for a true test of what this author is capable of. All of the heros (and heroines) in those books were good, honorable people. No raping or domineering jerks masquarading as heros in those books. Even if you're a die-hard fan of this author (which I am), don't buy MIDNIGHT RAIDER. Try one of the other books I mentioned, but stay away from this one.
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2: Fantastic!
This book has managed to make Shelley Thacker one of my top favorite romance authors. It has everyething -romance, action, and a very intresting plot. The hero - Pierce Wolverton Lord of Darkridge is just perfect- neither too harsh nor too gentle. Just the way I like my heroes. I also love the way the heroine is portrayed - adventurous and brave and full of spunk. A definite must for all lovers of Shelly Thaker's books. I have also read A Stranger's Kiss which is also by her but I prefered Midnight Raider much more.
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3: ABSOLUTLY GREAT!
I NEVER EVER cry when reading a book but this one i did! I also caught myself laughing out loud. This book is terrific! Wouldnt it be great to have a sequence???? Very few books have I hunted down to have for my very own. This is one i had to have! Looking forward to reading the rest of shelly's books!
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4: Disappointing
The story idea is OK, but the characters' continuous denials of the obvious and not saying what they mean gets old quick. For excellent Shelly Thacker reads try _His Forbidden Touch_ and _Timeless_.
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