Loose And Easy by Tara Janzen

Title: Loose And Easy
Author: Tara Janzen

Type: Romantic Suspense
Published: 2008

Why: Besides Superman? Janzen is an auto-read.

Thoughts: Fun and sexy, as usual. I enjoy Janzen’s men and their over-the-top appreciation of the female body as much as I enjoy the adolescent banter among Brockmann heroes. What can I say? My inner, less-than-progressive self likes it and my old and wrinkly feminist organ gave up trying to fight it awhile back.

This male appreciation got me right from the start in Loose And Easy, when Ramos recalls Esme as a size four. Then, seeing her up close, decides her ass has definitely matured to a size six. Juvenile? Demeaning? Nope, hilarious and sexy.

And on the topic of male appreciation, I love how Janzen always comes back to comparing her alphas to Christian (Superman). Or rather, pointing out how none of them compare. No one knows his way around a woman’s body like Superman. Or her mind. That little continuous thread throughout this series comes as close as anyone else has to the ongoing love affair readers have for Robb’s Roarke. Swear.

So, Janzen’s trademark sex-on-the-brain guys entertained throughout the book. And that kept me reading. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have considered passing on this installment. Ramos and Esme are interesting, as were the night’s events and supporting cast. But overall, I found far more internal, repetitive thought than I like. I prefer Janzen’s characters’ thoughts to be more direct (like in books past)—calculating threat level, planning their next move or fondly noting a size six ass. Here, I found both Ramos and Esme over-thinking their attraction for pages at a time. There was also mention of Esme’s trauma during a failed mission and Ramos’ difficulty in dealing with post-combat issues and responsibilities. But neither were fleshed out sufficiently enough, in my mind, to add noticeably to character depth. They knew each other in high school and any baggage picked up since then should have either been given more weight—profoundly changing them—or left off altogether. Honestly? Just learning of each others’ chosen professions would have been enough. Both accounted for the honed, tough cookies they are today.

Overall: Despite the mild impatience Ramos and Esme inspired, I enjoyed the book. Again, Janzen’s hero mold appeals to me and, as long as it is significant in some way, the appearance of established characters is also appealing. Particularly when Janzen veers to more serious, emotionally meatier storylines like she did here. At the end. General Grant’s announcement sent chills up my spine. I do not want to know how long we must wait for this story to unfold. It promises to knock me back to the breathlessness of Janzen’s previous books.

Word On The Web:

Heather’s Books, Thought this was Tara at her best.

Jane, Dear Author, C+

A Bookaholic’s Review, Not what she expected from Janzen.