Sandra Brown - Sting

When Jordie Bennet and Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something definitely sparks. Shaw gives off a dangerous vibe that makes men wary and inspires women to sit up and take notice. None feel that undercurrent more strongly than savvy businesswoman Jordie, who doesn't belong in a seedy dive on the banks of a bayou. But here she is . . . and Shaw Kinnard is here to kill her.
As Shaw and his partner take aim, Jordie is certain her time has come. But Shaw has other plans and abducts Jordie, hoping to get his hands on the $30 million her brother has stolen and, presumably, hidden. However, Shaw is not the only one looking for the fortune. Her brother's ruthless boss and the FBI are after it as well. Now on the run from the feds and a notorious criminal, Jordie and Shaw must rely on their wits-and each other-to stay alive.
Miles away from civilization and surrounded by swampland, the two play each other against their common enemies. Jordie's only chance of survival is to outwit Shaw, but it soon becomes clear to Shaw that Jordie isn't entirely trustworthy, either. Was she in on her brother's scam, or is she an innocent pawn in a deadly vendetta? And just how valuable is her life to Shaw, her remorseless and manipulative captor? Burning for answers-and for each other-this unlikely pair ultimately make a desperate move that could be their last.

Comment: Sandra Brown is probably one of the authors with long backlists that I have dedicated myself to more often. At a time I was devouring romance, this was one of my favorite authors to read and I practically have all her books in my shelves. I've been savoring her latest releases to space reading them and this month I picked Sting.

In this book we meet Shaw Kinnard, a mercenary who partners up with another man to do a job. However, things don't work that well and Shaw ends up kidnapping Jordan Bennet instead. The two of them seem to have a weird chemistry, considering the situation but Jordan wants her freedom more than anything. The issue is her brother, who got himself in a complicated situation with a very wealthy but uncompromising man. Jordan wants to help but there isn't a lot she can do if her brother doesn't help himself.

When things get to an unbearable point, Jordan discovers something that changes the way she thought about what happened until then. Can she actually trust Shaw? Has he been using her to get to her brother?

I confess the blurb of this book didn't make me that eager to read the book. I don't tend to like heroes or heroines that are on a grey line when it comes to fair/unfair or doubtful morals, such as a hit man, for instance. I was a little reluctant to read about a man who might only reform himself for love or something but then, I should have thought about the fact it could be likely that this scenario would be possible or, also, that he might not be who we assume. 

This shouldn't be such a surprise, after all mrs Brown takes chances in how her characters are defined but usually they are all naturally good, although sometimes the shades of grey can be questionable.

It also took me some time to get into the story. I usually just go all speed into one of her novels, because I'm used to the style of her writing but this time  just didn't seem to find eagerness to read. The story reminded me of another one which I cannot place now, whether by her or another author, whose story line was quite similar. I think I only really got into the flow of it from around half way.

I'm actually glad the villain wasn't as sadistic or morally doubtful on the page. I mean, the villain was always bad from the start and not one of those you can't really trust because he also has a good side. I think this helped me to move on; if he had had a "double agent" type of behavior I think it would be too annoying.

The secondary characters played their part, they certainly didn't steal the show from the protagonists but at the same time I wish hey could have had a bit more development, they didn't seem to have been that fleshed out. I can understand it's just not possible to put everything on the page but the characters in this book were under developed in my point of view.

The romance had its moments and if there's one thing the author is excellent at is how she portrays sexual tension. Even if the characters aren't very likable, they do seem to have chemistry. This happened in this book and a fan can easily recognize the tactics to convince the reader how in sync the main couple is. I think it can be pretty obvious how they are connected and how they can be a team but I always wonder how their lives would be if their HEA holds. Usually the characters meet in situations filled with adrenaline or stress and that does exacerbate people's reactions and behavior. In a steady or slower mode, could the same people be that balanced?

Still, of course I liked how their relationship evolved and how they were able to trust each other after the conversation that solved how they felt about one another.

In terms of personality, a friend commented Jordan's wasn't that complex and in a way I agree. Shaw has more to him than what we initially assume but it is a pity we don't really get to connect with these characters in a more emotional level.

The plot is solved rather easily, the final twist wasn't that surprising for me although I admit for a while there I thought about an idea... not a good one but I guess I let myself be mislead by the way the information about secondary characters was given.

All in all, a good enough story but I've read better by the author.

Grade: 7/10