Review: Disappointing
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 09 12, 2011
Realizing that his and his wife's life are threatened by a terror organization, Paul Benante stages secretly his death. The plan is so secret that his wife Jolene doesn't know anything about it and isn't involved in its realization. However, she has to pick up the bits and pieces of her life, has to get used to the idea of being a widow and has to try to go on with her life.Six years after the death of her husband Jolene is a successful deputy marshal on an elite warrant team but her private life still suffers - she hasn't been involved with any man after her husband's death. Then, all of a sudden, Paul's worst fears seem to come true: an attempt on Jolene's life is made and Paul decides to "secure" his wife by taking her to the high security military base he is working. But what thinks Jolene about her husband's "resurrection"?I would've liked to elaborate more on above summary but was really afraid to spoil too much since the plot was simple and straight forward, without creating any mentionable ups and downs. Except for few pages at the beginning of the novel, the whole book took place in the secret military base. Furthermore, the book didn't have any serious sub-characters, except for two of Jolene's colleagues and one of Paul's, who all made very rare and unmentionable appearances.  That wouldn't really matter if the interaction between the two main characters would've been outstanding and making the change in scenery and characters needless, which really wasn't the case, especially since Paul's  main target was completely one dimensional: he wanted only to get her into his bed and she couldn't resist.The more I read about Paul the less I liked him. By choosing his career he very consciously made the decision to lead a solitarily and withdrawn life, gaining in return for this sacrifice self-fulfillment through his academic achievements. Basically he made the very active decision to barter his private life for his professional life. So far so good, until he decides to marry Jolene against his better knowledge and for one reason only: he wants to get her into his bed.  As if this wasn't selfish enough, he decides to "reappear" after six years, without taking his wife's career and private life into consideration. This is no alpha male but just a stupid egoist!This isn't the first book I read from this author, however, I was deeply disappointed and very much surprised by the many 5* ratings it got!  Anyway, maybe I just wasn't in the mood to appreciate a book with an elementary and simplistic storyline, no suspense, no twists and turns, which tried to compensate and focus the reader's interest by  using blunt and badly integrated sex scenes. Nothing else!