I haven't listened to a Linda Howard novel for ages, but unexpectedly I came across another of hers on audiobook.

This is apparently my 20th Linda Howard audiobook! She is great at weaving together the romance and the suspense in her story. it struck me once again how smoothly her books are knitted together, and how well written they are.

I've been reading new books lately - published in the past 3 years. This is 2011, a dozen years ago. And can't say what exactly the reasons are but it doesn't seem like the recent romance novel style.

It confirms for me what I already know that romance is constantly evolving - relentlessly so - becoming more personal, more tender - and the way the sexes relate is always changing. For the good, mostly. It's one reason why I haven't given my usual 4 stars when I enjoy a novel. Despite all the positives, I'm tough on these novels, after reading 20! as I want just a little bit more from Linda Howard, who was one of the reasons why I took a left turn into Romance 3 years ago and haven't pull off that road yet.

However the novel does have some sections that remind me of seeing a movie that is the 'uncut' version. Not censored. However, I didn't find it inappropriate, just unexpected, highly charged and morally ambiguous.

Briefly, the story involves two CIA agents, John and Niema. John is the man who has seen and done it all, and has survived due to his ability to do anything for the mission. He's known for preparing for every contingency, and being quick witted and reactive, to a super human degree. The presence of Naiema introduces new ways of doing things to his very very carefully controlled modus operandi. Foremost, she is absolutely honest. I'd say 'open and honest', except she does hide the feelings she forms when meeting John again after 5 years.

Narrated by Kate Forbes - who was right for this book - less romance novel narrator, more on the suspense side. ( )

"There was nothing staid about Dallas. Need a cat out of a tree? Dallas could climb that tree as if HE were a cat. Need the plumbing fixed? Dallas could fix it. Need to be dragged out from the surf? He was a superior swimmer. Need someone to make a difficult shot? He was an expert marksman. Need to blow up a building in Iran? Dallas was your man".

All The Queen's Men by Linda Howard

Spies, spies and more spies!

I really really liked this book which is unlike me as I do not usually read many Spy tales. But this was at once Spies, adventure and romance wrapped in a pretty thrilling package. And the book's pace is amazing. Linda Howard is such a great writer.

I'd actually been looking for this book. I had read it quite awhile ago and just forgot the title. Luckily, some cool people on Goodreads were able to help me find it again and I recently reread.

This book starts with immediate tragedy when Niema's husband is killed on special assignment. Obviously, she is devastated. That is not a spoiler since it occurs in the beginning of the book.

The man who was supervising that mission, John Medina, now approaches Niema, quite some time later, with a new assignment.

However, she still has feelings of resentment toward John..and also a wee bit of attraction! Can the two work together and keep it professional? Can they keep themselves out of danger?

I liked the book then and I like it now. The romance element is pretty cool but I love the "spy games" and the two leads had so much chemistry. I did feel awful about what happened to the husband though. It was fascinating reading since the main characters are very interesting and the pace keeps you reading.

I do like Linda Howard alot and though this does not come near the level of "Death Angel" (does anything?) it was still a fun and exciting read. Very much recommended to fans of Spy novels and romantic suspense. ( )

This book was okay but not one of my favorites from LH. I didn't feel that the relationship was as satisfying as it could have been. I did feel the desperation that John felt for Niema and some of the sex scenes were pretty intense and hot. The suspense part was okay but I didn't like that he put her in a dangerous situation just to spend time with her.

The ending was unsatisfying for a romance. They shook hands and decided to be partners? WTF? Are they going to work together? Are they going to be lovers? Get married? Some combination of the two? There were no words of love from him even though it was implied. Will he retire and take Frank's job? I need better closure. ( )

Powerful beginning and an exciting action packed ending to this romantic suspense. I liked all the multiple facets of the characters but sometimes there were too many overly descriptive details. Five years after their first meeting, CIA agent John wants communications expert Niema to join him on his next mission. ( )

Howard is one of those authors I keep going back to even though I always end up annoyed at the end of her books. This time was no different.

After losing her husband during a military mission gone wrong, Niema Burdock has sworn off her adventurous life style. Throwing away her thrill seeking days, Niema has molded herself into a military gadget inventor. A nice safe job, that keeps her indoors most of the time. But when the spy, John Medina, reappears in her life claiming to need her for an undercover black ops mission she can't resist the temptation. One thing that I always love about Howard's writing, and the reason why I keep picking up her books, is the heroines. She always writes some pretty great female characters and Niema was no exception. Niema is charmingly blunt and extremely competitive. And once she puts her mind towards something, she goes for it. I had no problem believing that she was competent enough for an undercover mission.

What killed the book for me this time around was that I didn't really like John. I could've cared less if he ended up jumping off a bridge at the end of the book. I just wasn't feeling his and Niema's relationship. Especially, when a large chunk in the middle is Niema interacting with the target of the mission. The target, Ronsard, had a lot more depth to him than John. I actually cared what happened to him and dreaded when he'd find out that Niema was an undercover agent.

So, I don't think I'll be picking up the last book in this trilogy of Howard's as I really didn't care for this or the first one. But in the future I probably will end up reading another book by Howard. ( )