Odalie Everett is a singer who has a lifelong dream – to sing at the Met. She has the talent, but she gets very severe stage fright, almost to the point of being physically ill. Her nemesis Tony Garza is an old LAWBREAKER, the former New Jersey crime boss now art gallery owner and mostly legit in his dealings. He knows Odalie has the voice and no matter what his feelings for her are, he pushes her away to allow her to live the dream. Too bad his past has a way of causing problems for both of them. Odalie tries to decide if the dream is worth the actual terror she goes through or if she would be better off living with a man she can love.
LAWBREAKER is part of author Diana Palmer’s Long Tall Texan series. Having met Tony in various other books, fans have been waiting a long time for him to find his happily ever after. Ms. Palmer knows how to throw a darker side into a book without overwhelming her “happily ever after” fans. Odalie is a sweetheart who has the talent but is flawed with being unable to overcome her fears, but then after a while, she decides he is worth more than the Met.
There is a lot going on in LAWBREAKER, a definite page-turner. We watch their relationship build with part of the angst being Tony’s past wanting to exact revenge. This brings in past characters from the series and it was good to see them. The biggest problem with LAWBREAKER was what seemed to be Tony’s inability to discuss things with Odalie. He made decisions – especially the ones that pushed her away – without giving her a choice. Even sending her away was, of course, for her own good.
This is just my observation, and I love Diana Palmer’s books, but it feels that her plots lately are a bit dated. They seem to follow the lines of – a foolish man loses his girl through his own fault; she takes him back and immediately forgives him and all is right with the world. Most modern women would make him at least grovel a bit. That said as a lovely romantic read that will take you away LAWBREAKER will work beautifully.
If you are looking for an enjoyable, non-complicated, sweet yet steamy story then LAWBREAKER will certainly be the book you want in your hands.
Tony Garza has been Odalie Everett's nemesis since the day they met. Once a New Jersey crime boss, Tony now owns an art gallery in New York, where he spends most of his time delegating his shadier business to subordinates. Odalie is a professional singer whose lifelong dream is to perform at the Met. She never expected to run into the heartbreaker from her past when she rents a small house near Tony's Manhattan apartment while taking voice lessons. But when they reconnect, they can't help but give in to unforgettable passion.
As their relationship blossoms, deadly figures from Tony's past come back to exact revenge, and he'll do anything to protect Odalie…even bring her back home to her family ranch in Texas. But as Odalie struggles with the idea of leaving behind her dreams in the city to have true love in Texas, she finds herself caught in the ultimate trap—and Tony's past won't let them go.
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