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Troublemaker: A Novel
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Troublemaker: A Novel
Unavailable
Troublemaker: A Novel
Ebook521 pages9 hours

Troublemaker: A Novel

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

A thrilling, fast-paced novel of romantic suspense from sensational New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Linda Howard.

For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he’s ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who’s after the members of his elite squad—and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he’s determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.

The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian mountain town, Isabeau “Bo” Maran finally has her life figured out. She’s got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn’t need a mysterious man in her life—especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan.

The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he’s hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she’s willing to give. And when Morgan’s cover is blown, it might just cost her life.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMay 10, 2016
ISBN9780062419002
Author

Linda Howard

Linda Howard is the award-winning author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She lives in Alabama with her husband and a golden retriever.

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Reviews for Troublemaker

Rating: 3.697674353488372 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

86 ratings10 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this story that is mostly about the dog Tricks but also about two people who end up befriending her.Morgan Yancy is just back from a tricky mission and now he's trying to relax so he heads out on his boat to fish. While there he meets some people he knows and he realises that somethings has gone badly wrong when he arrives home to an assassin. When he wakes it's in a hospital bed and he's in pain. He had survived the assassination but his boss, Axel, has no idea who and why he had been targeted.Axel decides to send Morgan to someone he hasn't seen in years and someone he seriously doesn't care for, her mother and his father were once married for a few months and they didn't get on then. She's distant enough and needs the money so Bo Maran agrees. Bo never intended to be in the house she is and part-time working as the Sherrif (mostly to get the paperwork done) and not a dog owner. But these things are what have her in the town she's in and she likes the community around her.I enjoyed the read, I liked how Morgan had to come to terms with his now body (though he didn't have enough falling over for long enough to be honest and never relapsed, it is a fantasy/thriller version of recovery). Things do get resolved fairly quickly and this is also more a romance with a taste of thriller than a full thriller. There's also a lot of dealing with a spoilt dog who walks all over the two characters (and a lot of other people in the town). I really did like how respectful Morgan was about her job and her and dealt with his issues like an actual adult.This appears to be part of a series and I'm looking forward to more and more by the author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another solid romantic suspense novel from Howard, featuring one of her alpha male heroes, a woman strong enough to stand up to him, and a very appealing dog.Morgan is a covert ops specialist, working for a secret government agency. While home on leave, he is ambushed and nearly killed. His boss sends him to recuperate--and to hide--with the boss's ex-stepsister in rural West Virginia. Bo, whose short-lived career as a house-flipper ended with the real estate crash, is a tech writer and part-time police chief (administrative only). She agrees to take Morgan in because she needs the money and because he is in no shape to go anywhere else at that point. As Morgan recovers, these two wary people forge an unexpected connection, helped along by Bo's dog Tricks, an implausibly bright golden retriever.Solid suspense, appealing characters, believable romance, hot sex, and a very smart dog.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Troublemaker by Linda HowardTroublemaker by Linda Howard is a 2016 William Morrow publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.It is so nice to see a brand new romantic suspense novel by Linda Howard! Morgan is a member of the exclusive GO-team, and an operative who has been shot, resulting in a heart attack, and is now in need of a place to lay low after his cover was compromised. Bo is the chief of police in a small W. Virginia community, trying to pull herself out of a financial bind, and mostly living a quiet, peaceful life…until a man shows up at her home, obviously in pretty bad shape, claiming her former step-brother sent him. Initially, Bo was irate, but if she will simply allow the man to stay with her until he gets back in shape and the danger he is in has passed, she stands to earn enough money to pay off her debts. This story is quintessential Linda Howard and I really enjoyed reading this romantic suspense novel written in the style I grew up with, but this story shows a new side of Ms. Howard, which is a little softer around the edges, shows more restraint by building the romantic tensity slowly, and allowing the mystery to float in the background for a while, then revving the suspense up to an action packed finale.Also, on tap is the author’s trademark humor, but in this story she adds in a sweet small town romance element, and a loyal dog named Tricks, you will fall in love with. I’m trying to remember if I have read a romantic suspense novel with this unique combination. It may seem like an odd pairing, but it works. Bo is a character I admired a lot because she has a high ranking position, and despite her sad background, she isn’t bitter, just cautious. I liked her attitude, the way she loves her job, her duties, and how she handled the situations she was faced with with aplomb and a respect for the people she works for. Morgan is a bit of an enigma for a long while, but what I loved about his story was seeing him settle into the small town life, his companionship with Tricks, and how he falls in love with Bo. The change in him is interesting and fun to watch. The suspense and mystery lies in the uncertainly of who Morgan’s enemies might be. It’s a real puzzle and it takes a long time for information to develop in this area, but once it does, things get tense in a hurry. Linda Howard is an author I have followed for many years, and I have always liked her style, and have read many of her books. This story is pretty much what I would expect from her, only better. If you are a long time fan, I think you will be happy with this one. If you have yet to discover this author, this will be a nice introduction. This story will obviously appeal to romantic suspense lovers, but contemporary romance fans will like this one too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have yet to find a Linda Howard book that I did not like. I have fun with the canine activities and the human variety was entertaining also. Bo was strong, independent and a determined to live life on her own terms. She had finally come to terms with life and knew what she did and didn’t want. One sexy, mysterious Morgan Yancy was of the didn’t want variety. She was just having trouble convincing the rest of her of that matter. Morgan had a lot on his plate to juggle around. Then to be place in a location where he was left to contend with a woman with a gun and a canine. Then to add to it the chemistry that was smoking the room. Howard gave me what I look forward to in her reads. A story. A fast pace romantic suspense where it takes just a little something extra to get the two together and a whole lot of something more to pull them apart.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the story of Morgan Yancy, who is a team leader in a paramilitary group. He is shot & goes to a small West VA town to recuperate with the Chief of Police, Bo Maran. Bo is the step-sister of Morgan's leader. Bo isn't thrilled to have someone staying at her house but slowly gets used to Morgan. Bo has a golden retriever named Tricks who seems to understand English at a level higher than most dogs (who can understand like a 2 year old toddler). Tricks is a huge part of this story so if you don't like or understand the bond between an animal and their owners you might not enjoy this book.As Morgan recovers from his injuries, Axel (his leader) is trying to unravel who tried to kill Morgan. It is close to the end of the book when Morgan, with Bo's help, starts to figure that out. Things move really fast after that. I wasn't that satisfied with the way the killer or killers story ended.I rate this a 3.5 because I thought it was a slow moving story and didn't keep my interest. I would go a couple of days without reading it which is unusual for me once I am into a book. I like all the characters but weren't invested in them.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Isabeau (Bo) is a small town police chief who is forced to accept a house guest in Morgan, an operative who has survived a gunshot wound and needs someplace quiet and safe to heal. In the beginning, Morgan is extremely weak, but as he gets stronger, he and Bo become more and more attracted to one another. When Bo's beloved dog, Tricks, is threatened, Morgan saves her and the relationship is consummated. There really isn't much suspense in the story until near then end when the culprit who was responsible for shooting Morgan is finally revealed.
    The interaction between the two lead characters made for a light and fun developing romance which is enhanced by the love of a good dog, but the suspense aspect of the story is left shortchanged. The middle of the story drags on a bit as the relationship between the characters is explored for almost too long. A good light read by Linda Howard, but there are so many of her books that I liked more than this one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    awesome dog
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought that this was good. Years ago I read a ton of Linda Howard but I stopped picking up her books for one reason or another. I decided to give this one a try and I found that I do still enjoy her writing. I found this to be a really enjoyable listen.I really only have one main complaint with this book. I can't believe that I am going to say this but too much of this book was about the dog. I love dogs. My world revolves around my three dogs and I have to admit that they are incredibly spoiled. I love it when dogs are a part of the story. This book took things a bit far even for me. I felt like I had spent hours listening to how Tricks liked to play catch, how smart she was, how she liked to be fed, where she thought she needed to sit in the car, and the list goes on. Do you see that cover? It should have had the dog in the foreground with the humans in the background because that would have been more accurate.Now, on to the humans. Morgan works for an elite unit and is enjoying some time off at the start of the story. He is attacked near his own home comes close to losing his life. Once he has recovered enough to leave constant medical care, his supervisor arranges for him to go to the home of his step-sister, Bo, who lives in a small remote town. Bo is the part-time police chief of a small town. It's is an administrative position and she fills in the rest of her time with computer work out of her home. She does not expect to find an incredibly sick man on her doorstep but he is in such bad shape she can't bring herself to send him away.There is a lot going on in this book. Not only do they need to figure out who is responsible for the attack on Morgan at the start of the book, but Bo also has some issues in town that prove to be more dangerous than she counted on. It did feel like nothing happened with the mystery of who was responsible for trying to kill Morgan for the majority of the book and then everything came together really quickly at the end of the story. Bo's situation in town filled in the main part of the book nicely.I thought that Morgan and Bo worked well together. Morgan was pretty open and shared as much with Bo as he could. Morgan was in pretty rough shape for a long time in this story but when he started to recover he seemed to do so very quickly and that is when things started to heat up between the pair. I thought that they had good chemistry with each other and I liked them as a couple.I thought that Tanya Eby did a good job with the narration. It did take me just a bit to get used to her voice but once I did, I had no complaints. She handled all of the character voices very well and was able to add a lot of emotion to the story. I had no problem listening to her voice for hours at a time.I think that readers who enjoy romantic suspense and love dogs will enjoy this one. I didn't think that this was Linda Howard's best work but it was an enjoyable story. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of her work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from William Morrow via Edelweiss and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the story of Morgan Yancy, who is a team leader in a paramilitary group. He is shot & goes to a small West VA town to recuperate with the Chief of Police, Bo Maran. Bo is the step-sister of Morgan's leader. Bo isn't thrilled to have someone staying at her house but slowly gets used to Morgan. Bo has a golden retriever named Tricks who seems to understand English at a level higher than most dogs (who can understand like a 2 year old toddler). Tricks is a huge part of this story so if you don't like or understand the bond between an animal and their owners you might not enjoy this book.As Morgan recovers from his injuries, Axel (his leader) is trying to unravel who tried to kill Morgan. It is close to the end of the book when Morgan, with Bo's help, starts to figure that out. Things move really fast after that. I wasn't that satisfied with the way the killer or killers story ended.I rate this a 3.5 because I thought it was a slow moving story and didn't keep my interest. I would go a couple of days without reading it which is unusual for me once I am into a book. I like all the characters but weren't invested in them.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Isabeau (Bo) is a small town police chief who is forced to accept a house guest in Morgan, an operative who has survived a gunshot wound and needs someplace quiet and safe to heal. In the beginning, Morgan is extremely weak, but as he gets stronger, he and Bo become more and more attracted to one another. When Bo's beloved dog, Tricks, is threatened, Morgan saves her and the relationship is consummated. There really isn't much suspense in the story until near then end when the culprit who was responsible for shooting Morgan is finally revealed.
    The interaction between the two lead characters made for a light and fun developing romance which is enhanced by the love of a good dog, but the suspense aspect of the story is left shortchanged. The middle of the story drags on a bit as the relationship between the characters is explored for almost too long. A good light read by Linda Howard, but there are so many of her books that I liked more than this one.