A Body Guard Butler? Yep

Linda Howard continues to intrigue her readers with a perfect blend of romance and mystery in this book and the outcome is very enjoyable. DYING TO PLEASE is a great combination and has something for everyone.

The story focuses on Sarah Stevens, a butler for a retired judge. But Sarah is not any ordinary butler but also a bodyguard, martial arts expert, and other talents not usually associated with butler duties. When Sarah foils a robbery attempt, she meets Tom Cahill, a cranky detective still feeling the fallout from a bad divorce. The attraction between the two is instantly tamped and they go their separate ways without another thought. But Howard won’t leave them alone…

They once again cross paths when a local television station features Sarah in a story on her as a butler and hero for stopping the robbery. The villain is watching and becomes obsessed, deciding that she must be his. He lives in a world in which he believes he’s doing Sarah a favor by wanting her, by offering himself to her, by wanting to basically capture her and never let her go. He can’t understand how she cannot return his affections and that is not a possibility in his thought process. Now he has to figure out how to make Sarah his…

Soon after the television story, Sarah returns home from her day off and finds her the judge murdered. Tom once again comes to the rescue and is the investigating officer. He has to clear her of any suspicion before he can act on his feelings towards her. So begins the romantic aspect of the story. Interlaced is the mystery involved keeping things a bit more interesting than if this only focused on romance. The mystery adheres the story together and keeps it interesting for everyone.

The suspense of trying to figure out Sarah’s stalker is not mind-boggling. I actually figured it out about mid-book. Even with this predictability, the story never falters and continued to keep me amused and entertained. The banter between Sarah and Tom was highly pleasurable.

The character development is excellent. The reader completely understands what has happened in Sarah’s and Tom’s pasts to make them the people they are currently. The reader is even given a glimpse into the psyche of the villain. In addition to the insights into the characters, physical descriptions are very vivid and the reader can easily form a mental picture of each and every scene. Little is left to the imagination.

DYING TO PLEASE is one book that should definitely be added to your summer reading list. It’s very entertaining and a great way to spend a few hours.