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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the Texas ranger aspect of the main character. The whole tough guy thing was pretty entertaining.
I cannot tell you how much I loved Sandra Brown as an author. 'Envy' and 'The Switch' are two of my favourite novels and I always recommend them as great books. But recently I've felt that her new novels have lost that heart-thumping tension that grips you from the first page and has you hooked until the last.
While 'Friction' was a nice example of a Romantic Suspense novel, it didn't have the elements that books such as 'Envy' and 'The Switch' did. There weren't any shocking twists that made my jaw drop, there wasn't any real romance to make my heart melt, or tension and drama to keep me skipping through the pages with heated obsession.
The characters were very flat because they lacked any emotion or depth. Though Holly and Crawford were our narrative voices, I never felt that I truly knew them as characters.
Holly seemed particularly lifeless because I knew nothing about her life outside of this story, and I never once got a sense of who she was as a person outside of being a judge or this case. Did she like to read? Was she social or an introvert? How did she relax? What pushes her buttons?
These nuances are so small but they are the foundation of building interesting characters; characters that I want to read about and that I want to get the boy or to survive the killer. It would have been so easy for Holly to have been in a bubble bath on one of the nights that Crawford gets into her house so that we know that's how she unwinds, or for him to be looking around and notice with a smirk that between the tomes of legal nonsense there is a shelf of Mills and Boon, hinting at a romantic side. It just needed something to level up the personality.
I certainly wouldn't label this novel as romantic, as it was far more concerned with the attraction and lust between Holly and Crawford. Private thoughts of the narrative voices didn't reveal any depth of emotion between them, nor was anything verbalised. All we were ever told about was Crawford's anger, and to a lesser degree, his love for his daughter. But as a couple, Holly and Crawford were as flat as their personalities.
The plot was fairly simplistic and it seemed somewhat obvious from the start the it was linked to Halcon. Even still, the 'bad guy's' reasoning felt tenuous. I understood that everything was linked but it all felt rather anticlimactic. I read it and thought, "Oh… is that it?" There wasn't any fireworks, twists or tension.
I could have forgiven all of the above had it not been for the supporting characters who were all either incapable or detestable. Joe and Lester were incredibly two-dimensional because all they cared about was bringing Crawford down, but we were never really shown why their feelings were so strong. I am still at a loss as to why Lester was doggedly chasing Crawford. Was it really as simple as a childhood dislike? Pathetic reasoning. I will never understand how Holly, as a judge, watched Lester ignore other leads and run the shoddiest of investigations, and yet never call in her law enforcement or justice contacts to have him removed. She even held a press conference toward the end of the novel to state that he was basically incapable, and yet at the end of the book he apologises to Crawford and they shake hands and all is well. How on earth is that realistic? He abused his authority as a police officer, ignored leads that contradicted his own opinion and basically harassed Crawford and almost let a murderer go free through general incompetence, but faced absolutely no investigation after the fact?
I know that Joe and Lester were supposed to add tension and to screw with Crawford a little, but they were so forced into the roles of frenemy that it all bordered on frustrating. Not in the way that it was intended, hampering the investigation and creating obstacles, but in a I-don't-want-to-be-reading-this way.
Overall I would say that it was an okay example of a Romantic Suspense novel, but there were flaws with the emotion and depth of character that made it fall very flat.
While 'Friction' was a nice example of a Romantic Suspense novel, it didn't have the elements that books such as 'Envy' and 'The Switch' did. There weren't any shocking twists that made my jaw drop, there wasn't any real romance to make my heart melt, or tension and drama to keep me skipping through the pages with heated obsession.
The characters were very flat because they lacked any emotion or depth. Though Holly and Crawford were our narrative voices, I never felt that I truly knew them as characters.
Holly seemed particularly lifeless because I knew nothing about her life outside of this story, and I never once got a sense of who she was as a person outside of being a judge or this case. Did she like to read? Was she social or an introvert? How did she relax? What pushes her buttons?
These nuances are so small but they are the foundation of building interesting characters; characters that I want to read about and that I want to get the boy or to survive the killer. It would have been so easy for Holly to have been in a bubble bath on one of the nights that Crawford gets into her house so that we know that's how she unwinds, or for him to be looking around and notice with a smirk that between the tomes of legal nonsense there is a shelf of Mills and Boon, hinting at a romantic side. It just needed something to level up the personality.
I certainly wouldn't label this novel as romantic, as it was far more concerned with the attraction and lust between Holly and Crawford. Private thoughts of the narrative voices didn't reveal any depth of emotion between them, nor was anything verbalised. All we were ever told about was Crawford's anger, and to a lesser degree, his love for his daughter. But as a couple, Holly and Crawford were as flat as their personalities.
The plot was fairly simplistic and it seemed somewhat obvious from the start the it was linked to Halcon. Even still, the 'bad guy's' reasoning felt tenuous. I understood that everything was linked but it all felt rather anticlimactic. I read it and thought, "Oh… is that it?" There wasn't any fireworks, twists or tension.
I could have forgiven all of the above had it not been for the supporting characters who were all either incapable or detestable. Joe and Lester were incredibly two-dimensional because all they cared about was bringing Crawford down, but we were never really shown why their feelings were so strong. I am still at a loss as to why Lester was doggedly chasing Crawford. Was it really as simple as a childhood dislike? Pathetic reasoning. I will never understand how Holly, as a judge, watched Lester ignore other leads and run the shoddiest of investigations, and yet never call in her law enforcement or justice contacts to have him removed. She even held a press conference toward the end of the novel to state that he was basically incapable, and yet at the end of the book he apologises to Crawford and they shake hands and all is well. How on earth is that realistic? He abused his authority as a police officer, ignored leads that contradicted his own opinion and basically harassed Crawford and almost let a murderer go free through general incompetence, but faced absolutely no investigation after the fact?
I know that Joe and Lester were supposed to add tension and to screw with Crawford a little, but they were so forced into the roles of frenemy that it all bordered on frustrating. Not in the way that it was intended, hampering the investigation and creating obstacles, but in a I-don't-want-to-be-reading-this way.
Overall I would say that it was an okay example of a Romantic Suspense novel, but there were flaws with the emotion and depth of character that made it fall very flat.
emotional
mysterious
tense
I found this yesterday in the Quick Pick section and am returning it today totally happy that I found it. I didn't even know it was out already.
Crawford Hart is a Texas Ranger who has a reputation for being a hot head and who fell apart spectacurlary after his wife's death 4 years ago. As part of his climb out of despair, he let his in laws raise his daughter but now he wants her back. It is his day in court that brings him face to face with Judge Holly Spencer who will decide his fate as a father.
Just as she's about to issue her ruling, a gunman bursts into the courtroom and Crawford's Ranger training kicks in as he protects Holly from the gunman. Once the dust has settled, the lawman and the judge realize the gunman is still at large and an intriguing game of cat and mouse is on.
Let's just add some major attraction between these two and some hot action, you've got yourself a 5 star Sandra Brown stand alone that I highly recommend. Now off to the library :)
Crawford Hart is a Texas Ranger who has a reputation for being a hot head and who fell apart spectacurlary after his wife's death 4 years ago. As part of his climb out of despair, he let his in laws raise his daughter but now he wants her back. It is his day in court that brings him face to face with Judge Holly Spencer who will decide his fate as a father.
Just as she's about to issue her ruling, a gunman bursts into the courtroom and Crawford's Ranger training kicks in as he protects Holly from the gunman. Once the dust has settled, the lawman and the judge realize the gunman is still at large and an intriguing game of cat and mouse is on.
Let's just add some major attraction between these two and some hot action, you've got yourself a 5 star Sandra Brown stand alone that I highly recommend. Now off to the library :)
Why can't I give half star ratings? :) IF I could, I would give this 3.5.
I enjoyed this book - it was my first Sandra Brown book, and I would be happy to check out her other works. I have recently been trying suspense/crime dramas like James Patterson, and I like them for the most part. One thing I don't like is that too many parts seem so unrealistic, like the conversations that people in the legal system have with each other, or that those in the legal system have with potential suspects and others. I don't have enough knowledge of how these things work in real life, but if people talk this freely in real life about cases like murder and whatnot, I would be floored.
This book definitely kept me guessing, which I enjoy, and because I am not someone who tries overly hard to figure it all out before the end of the book, I remained in suspense. At one point I thought that the author should have started to provide more details about possible solutions, but I guess I understood why she didn't. There were just enough side plots to keep it interesting but not confusing, and they tied in well to try to fool the reader into thinking, "Maybe that person is connected...wait, no...but maybe..." The writing was solid and interesting, the plot kept moving, and I definitely wanted to keep reading. I like most of the characters as they were written, but I was annoyed by the cliches of the two main characters - the uber-macho Texas Ranger who wants to possess and protect the woman, and the female judge who is supposed to be strong and intelligent but somehow falls into the "weak damsel" role when it comes to him. *eye roll* I may have liked this when I was younger, but as an independent adult female in 2020, it just irked me a bit.
I have two main complaints, as silly as they might be. One is the use of the word "pistol" to refer to a gun. Who says that? The story takes place in current times, and in other parts of the book she uses other (more appropriate) terms like "gun" or "9 millimeter." The other thing that threw me off a bit were the sex scenes. Not sure this is a spoiler alert, but if you are iffy about graphic sex scenes, be ready for them if you choose to read this book. I am fine with graphic sex scenes, but these felt a bit too detailed unnecessarily. I understand that her purpose was to emphasize the chemistry and attraction between the two involved, but I feel like she could have accomplished this without many of the details she added.
I am learning about this genre, so my criticisms may simply mean this is not my favorite type of book.
Lastly, I listened to the audio book, which in this case I definitely feel was the wrong choice for this book. The male narrator was fine, but not good, and his voices for some of the characters did not fit for me. I think it is time for me to go back to regular reading for a bit. I prefer the voices and pictures in my head. :)
I enjoyed this book - it was my first Sandra Brown book, and I would be happy to check out her other works. I have recently been trying suspense/crime dramas like James Patterson, and I like them for the most part. One thing I don't like is that too many parts seem so unrealistic, like the conversations that people in the legal system have with each other, or that those in the legal system have with potential suspects and others. I don't have enough knowledge of how these things work in real life, but if people talk this freely in real life about cases like murder and whatnot, I would be floored.
This book definitely kept me guessing, which I enjoy, and because I am not someone who tries overly hard to figure it all out before the end of the book, I remained in suspense. At one point I thought that the author should have started to provide more details about possible solutions, but I guess I understood why she didn't. There were just enough side plots to keep it interesting but not confusing, and they tied in well to try to fool the reader into thinking, "Maybe that person is connected...wait, no...but maybe..." The writing was solid and interesting, the plot kept moving, and I definitely wanted to keep reading. I like most of the characters as they were written, but I was annoyed by the cliches of the two main characters - the uber-macho Texas Ranger who wants to possess and protect the woman, and the female judge who is supposed to be strong and intelligent but somehow falls into the "weak damsel" role when it comes to him. *eye roll* I may have liked this when I was younger, but as an independent adult female in 2020, it just irked me a bit.
I have two main complaints, as silly as they might be. One is the use of the word "pistol" to refer to a gun. Who says that? The story takes place in current times, and in other parts of the book she uses other (more appropriate) terms like "gun" or "9 millimeter." The other thing that threw me off a bit were the sex scenes. Not sure this is a spoiler alert, but if you are iffy about graphic sex scenes, be ready for them if you choose to read this book. I am fine with graphic sex scenes, but these felt a bit too detailed unnecessarily. I understand that her purpose was to emphasize the chemistry and attraction between the two involved, but I feel like she could have accomplished this without many of the details she added.
I am learning about this genre, so my criticisms may simply mean this is not my favorite type of book.
Lastly, I listened to the audio book, which in this case I definitely feel was the wrong choice for this book. The male narrator was fine, but not good, and his voices for some of the characters did not fit for me. I think it is time for me to go back to regular reading for a bit. I prefer the voices and pictures in my head. :)
“You don’t have a claim.”
His eyes narrowed. “I kinda do.” He started walking toward her, and for each step forward he took, she took one back until she came up against her desk. “That unreasonable, unrefined fuck on your sofa gave me a claim.”
Sandra Brown is one of those authors that I always look forward to reading. Since Ms. Brown publishes just one novel a year of late, her stories have become that much more coveted. Because in a genre that is overburdened with stories that don’t really make the cut, Ms. Brown still manages to deliver highly readable ones, worth every penny they cost you.
Texas Ranger Crawford Hunt is pursuing the battle of his life, i.e. the battle for custody of his daughter Georgia. On the day of the verdict, like a nightmare that you can’t wake up from, a lone gunman bursts into the courtroom, firing his weapon, not giving much of a consideration at who might be hit. Acting on instinct, Crawford saves Judge Holly Spencer’s life, the woman who actually stands between him and the custody of his daughter.
Unwillingly, Crawford is drawn to the investigation surrounding the lone gunman, a hero to the public owing to his fearlessness, a person of interest to the lead investigators on the case, all because of a personal grudge with Crawford. To make matters more complex, Crawford and Holly’s reaction to one another definitely goes beyond a matter of “conflict of interest”, made that much more vexing by Holly’s campaign for renewal of judgeship.
With a multifaceted cast of secondary characters that gives the story an added richness, Ms. Brown throws all your senses haywire, the mystery behind the shooting turning taking more puzzling turns as the clock ticks. I had my theories about where the story was headed. Whether Holly was the target as initially thought to be or not. It’s always a delight when an author juggles multiple characters with fascinating aspects to them that gives a story that ultimate grandeur making it unputdownable. I like a book that makes my brain whirl around, trying to put the pieces together and Friction did that for me.
Holly and Crawford’s reaction to one another was the coup de grâce for me. All of it was nothing short of hot and all consuming! From the very first time these two get together; and I was ready to throw iPad at the wall thinking Ms. Brown had cheated out on us by just referring to the brazenly hot quickie, I was a goner. Holly the judge whose job makes her see things in black and white and the big bad Texas ranger who always colors in between the black and white and operates with his own set of rules. Both are characters you fall in love with from the very start and that’s how you convince readers of the fact that they belong together, even though they seemingly have nothing in common and have insurmountable odds stacked against them. Ms. Brown is a wizard at delivering just the right touch, where its needed.
Crawford deserves a few lines of his own if you ask me. So effing hot. No two ways about it. Just the kind of hero that Ms. Brown is famous for delivering, in almost all her stories. Tall, grey eyed, commanding, handsome and the list goes on; Ms. Brown creates heroes of the kind that you fantasize over, over & over again. Crawford’s brand of seduction works – works so well that I definitely craved for more! Georgia’s character too deserves a mention. Adorable is the word I would use to describe her and I believe no reader would be left untouched by the charm her character delivers to the story.
Fear not if you think that Friction might have the sort of ending the story Lethal did. Friction delivers a well rounded ending to a tale that had my gut churning from all the nervous anticipation, not to mention the moments of fear upon facing the sheer evil that drove Crawford to the lengths he had to go to. In other words Ms. Brown, splendid, as always.
Definitely recommended. For fans of suspense with that bite of romance, commanding heroes & long lasting love that defies everything!
Rating = 4.75/5
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Typical Sandra Brown book. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Repetitive and boring. I have read many Sandra Brown books. I liked some of them, but recently i realized that i am reading about the same characters in different stories. The same successful female, the same rude and hunky male. There is some misunderstanding between them, the male is angry at the female. He is way too rude and obnoxious. She is nice and weak. While they are having an important conversation about an important matter like murder, he is thinking about her breasts etc.
They have sex . :|
They have sex . :|
Couldn’t put it down. Was truly hanging on to every word. Sandra Brown never fails to disappoint.