In the past, I have enjoyed Geralyn Dawson’s American historical romances, although I would call them charming rather than the rugged I prefer. I hadn't yet read one of her contemporaries and, eager to start the process, thought for about the first 60 pages of Give Him the Slip that I had found a winner. But after pages and pages of uninspiring characters, boring details, and a number of dead ends, I struggled to keep turning the pages.
It seems that the rock world really hates Maddie Kincaid. Known as Baby Dagger, she is the despised child the world holds responsible for breaking up her rock star father’s famous group years ago. But despite her father’s attempt to experience family life and leave the rock scene behind, fame has followed them wherever they go and no matter what Maddie does, she draws attention as well as the Paparazzi. Wanting only to find peace and stability, Maddie finally establishes a life she loves in the small town of Brazos Bend, Texas, with no one the wiser about her famous parentage. She lives a rather humble life, works hard, and owns a small senior care business.
Luke Callahan was one of those rich, wild boys growing up in Brazos Bend who rightfully earned his nickname of Sin. Leaving his hometown far behind years ago, Luke didn’t really care if he ever saw the town or his controlling, overbearing father again. Growing beyond all of those bad boy tendencies, he relished his career as an undercover DEA agent until a bust gone bad ended Luke’s partner’s life. Rage took over when he brought the killers to justice and, rather than waiting for the ax to fall over his actions, Luke hands in his badge.
Cleaning a deceased client’s home, Maddie discovers a stash of "magic" mushrooms and finds herself on the run from what she believes is a murderous drug ring. A friend directs her to seek out a female DEA agent by the name of Terry Winston for assistance and Maddie desperately searches the bayous for the agent’s houseboat. Holding her goldfish close to her (yes, she carries a goldfish around), she boards the boat to wait for her savior.
Luke’s had a god-awful day after enduring his partner Terry’s memorial service and is ready for some time alone to decompress and heal before joining his brother for an extended fishing trip. Heading out to sea, he is startled to discover a beautiful woman on board and becomes immediately suspicious of her presence. She is shocked to hear that Terry is both dead and not a woman and is frantic to leave, but Luke needs to know who sent her his way before she goes. Sure enough, her “friend” is none other than his manipulative father from Brazos Bend.
Of course, Maddie needs saving and Luke, against his better judgment, eventually finds himself taking an active role in securing her protection. Unfortunately by this point, my interest in the story had began to seriously wane and, although I hoped the chemistry between Luke and Maddie would revive some of their earlier sparkle, the story swerved this way and that with multiple suspense scenarios pounding any reasonable aspects to dust. Maddie must not only deal with drugs and her rock star heritage, but must also battle drug lords, the mob, and loan sharks, while enduring being beaten-up and having her house trashed. Most secondary characters bear some suspicion and there is even a hint of terrorist activity in the background.
Although the danger to Maddie’s life is clearly evident, she is not one to give up one iota of her new life for the sake of personal safety. Her actions lead her deep into TSTL territory while Luke’s attempts to find the villains are a bit juvenile at times. Luke may be the big DEA agent gone bad, but his unforgiving attitude towards his father is one born of immaturity and his hostility appears more contrived than realistic.
Maddie’s history of choosing the wrong man is one of the primary driving forces behind the relationship between the leads and I tired of the many references to their having nothing more than a “fling”, but I must admit I'm bored with this overused plot line anyway. Control is another unsurprising issue between these two and I indulged myself in some eye-rolling when I read yet again about Maddie wanting to make the big, bad former federal agent lose his.
The identity of the villains was unexpected, but did nothing to improve an uninspired ending that reminded me more of the closing minutes to an episode of Murder She Wrote with it’s awkward summaries and unlikely confessions as all gather around. But I think what disappointed me most is the fact that Geralyn Dawson’s is capable of so much more. The abundance of clichéd plot elements in Give Him the Slip made for both tedious reading and sorrow that I had crossed the line into her contemporary writing.
Sensuality: Hot
Publication Date: 2006
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