Title: Open Season
Author: Linda Howard
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: May 21, 2002
Paperback: 368 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Zosia
RATING: 9/10
BOOK COVER SUMMARY:
Be careful what you wish for….
On her thirty-fourth birthday, Daisy Minor decides to make over her entire life. The small-town librarian has had it with her boring clothes, her ordinary looks, and nearly a decade without so much as a date. It’s time to get a life — and a sex life. The perennial good girl, Daisy transforms herself into a party girl extraordinaire — dancing the night away at clubs, laughing and flirting with abandon — and she’s declared open season for manhunting. But her free-spirited fun turns to shattering danger when she witnesses something she shouldn’t — and becomes the target of a killer. Now, before she can meet the one man who can share her life, first she may need him to save it.
REVIEW:
I did not expect to love this book so much. It has a combination of many elements I generally do not like in a story – such as a supremely conservative small town setting (alcohol isn’t even legal there), and an über-conservative heroine. However Linda Howard surprised me with her brilliant book, ‘Mr Perfect’, and so I decided to give ‘Open Season’ a chance.
First off, this book is hilarious. I sat there grinning like an idiot for much of it, and laughing out loud more than once. Poor sheltered Daisy has reached her mid-thirties and still can’t make a move in the town without everyone interfering. She tries to find a house of her own and discovers nobody will rent to her until she has her mother’s permission. Her realisation of just how pathetic everyone seems to think she is is a massive wakeup call.
Then when Daisy tries to buy a packet of condoms – in what is perhaps the funniest scene I have ever read – she ends up in huge trouble from the shop assistant, and with the whole town finding out about it in a matter of hours. The hero – Jack – happens to turn up in the middle of all the drama, and just as he ended up crying with laughter about the whole situation, I did too.
Howard’s romantic suspense is a little different to many other authors’ work. It is slow-building, setting up characters and locations before the suspense plot arrives on the scene. It borrows as much from other subgenres such as contemporary romance, chick lit and women’s fiction and they all weave together expertly. Howard’s writing style is engaging; it seems she can make me interested in reading about anything!
There was so much potential for stereotyping in this story. In fact I practically expected it. Daisy is a small town woman who’s thirty-four, a mousy librarian, and aware her life needs a makeover if she’s ever going to find a husband. She just wants the kind of life that seems to come to others so easily. She felt like a real person to me. Though she had so many clichés attached to her character, she struggled with ridding herself of them and tried so hard to get the things she wanted. Watching her slowly, tentatively mould herself into a new and improved version while still keeping her heart and soul was great to read. She’s perhaps the most naïve protagonist I have ever read – everything she knows about the world, from how to use makeup to how to converse with men, she only knows about from reading about it – but she’s willing to go out there and try things for herself. Her life was in a terrible place and yet she decides she’s the only one who can change that. I loved her even as I thought she was crazy.
For his part, Jack was an excellent counter to Daisy. Gruff, not local, happy to swear in public and happy to embarrass her into letting down her guards, he was a wonderful and flawed hero. Daisy’s initial reactions to him were priceless; her innocent shock at him when “he said the F word!” was fantastic. He’s a man with a messy past, but I loved that he decided on a relationship with Daisy and simply went for it.
Howard skilfully takes us into different characters’ heads. One moment she’s introducing a man we think is a wonderful person; he suffers through his wife’s infidelity and dotes on his children. It’s from his point of view, and he thinks he’s pretty great. The next we discover he’s a villain in the piece. In his mind he’s able to justify everything he does. It’s incredibly well-written and not at all contrived.
This was simply an all-around good book.
VERDICT:
This is an excellent read. Every aspect is equally as interesting: the romance, the suspense, the secondary characters and the all-around character development. While not my favourite book in the genre – and perhaps not quite as good as Howard’s ‘Mr Perfect’ – it is a very worthwhile way to spend a few hours.
SOURCE: This book is from Zosia’s personal library.
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6 Comments
I really need to read Linda Howard. I know! How have I not? Great review.
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Great review. I really like the sound of this book and am now promptly adding it to my TBR pile
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I have a couple of books on my shelf by Linda Howard – not this one though. But it does sound good and I think I've seen a lot of your reviews give this author good ratings so I will have to read the books I have soon. I love it when I books surprises me, makes it so much more enjoyable – thanks for the fab review!
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Hello Zosia
loved the review I'm going to read this one it sounds great. I have not read this author before.
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I thought I was the only person in the entire world who hadn’t read her books! Turns out there're lots of us. I only started Linda Howard’s books a couple of months ago, and I can't believe I waited so long.
My first book by her was Mr Perfect, which I thought was great.
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I still haven't read any of her books, but now I definitely will
I'm adding both Mr Perfect & Open Season on my tbr list! Thanks for the great review!
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