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The author of the New York Times bestseller Mirror Image delivers a smoldering tale of love, betrayal, and one woman's quest for revenge for an unspeakable sin. After three local hellions shatter Jade Sperry's dreams, she runs away as fast as she can. But someday, somehow, she'll return . . . and she'll exact a just revenge. Original.
"A masterful storyteller, carefully crafting tales that keep readers on th edge of their seats."—USA Today
From such modest beginnings, Brown has evolved into multimillion publishing empire of one, the CEO of her own literary brand; she towers over the landscape of romantic fiction. Brown has used her growing clout to insist her publishers drop the bosom-and-biceps covers and has added more intricate subplots, suspense, and even unhappy endings to her work. The result: A near-constant presence on The New York Times bestsellers list. In 1992, she had three on the list at the same time, joining that exclusive club of Stephen King, Tom Clancy, J. K. Rowling, and Danielle Steel.
Her work in the mainstream realm has taken her readers into The White House, where the president's newborn dies mysteriously; the oil fields and bedrooms of a Dallas-like family dynasty; and the sexual complications surrounding an investigation into an evangelist's murder. Such inventions have made her a distinct presence in a crowded genre.
"Brown is perhaps best known now for her longer novels of romantic suspense. The basic outline for these stories has passionate love, lust, and violence playing out against a background of unraveling secrets and skeletons jumping out of family closets," wrote Barbara E. Kemp in the book Twentieth-Century Romance & Historical Writers . Kemp also praises Brown's sharp dialogue and richly detailed characters. "However, her greatest key to success is probably that she invites her readers into a fantasy world of passion, intrigue, and danger," she wrote. "They too can face the moral and emotional dilemmas of the heroine, safe in the knowledge that justice and love will prevail."
Critics give her points for nimble storytelling but are cooler to her "serviceable prose," in the words of one Publishers Weekly reviewer. Still, when writing a crack page-turner, the plot's the thing. A 1992 New York Times review placed Brown among a group of a writers "who have mastered the art of the slow tease."
Staggeringly prolific, Brown found her writing pace ground to a halt when she was given a different assignment. A magazine had asked her for an autobiographical piece, and it took her months to complete. Her life in the suburbs, though personally fulfilling, was nonetheless blander than fiction. That may be why she dives into her fiction writing with such workhorse gusto. "I love being the bad guy," she told Publishers Weekly in 1995, "simply because I was always so responsible, so predictable growing up. I made straight A's and never got into any trouble, and I still impose those standards on myself. So writing is my chance to escape and become the sleaziest, scummiest role."
When she started writing, her goal was always to break out of the parameters of romance. After about 45 romances, the woman who counts Tennessee Williams and Taylor Caldwell among her influences told The New York Times that felt she had reached a plateau. In fact, she doesn't even look at her books as romances anymore. "I think of my books now as suspense novels, usually with a love story incorporated," she said. "They're absolutely a lot harder to write than romances. They take more plotting and real character development. Each book is a stretch for me, and I try something interesting each time that males will like as well as women."
Anonymous
Posted Thu Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2013
Big fan of Sandra Brown and this one is no exception. just wish that Barnes and Noble would put the original publishing date in the detail section. I appreciate that this may be a new release in e-book format, but it is misleading to list it as a 3/13 new release when its been out since 2006. I have wasted too much money on "new releases" only to discover a book is 10 years old!!!!
66 out of 71 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.sueLT
Posted Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
It really makes me mad that i bought this book thinking it was a new release.
. i just wasteed my money .,,,
29 out of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Mar 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This 400 page book is not one of Sandra Brown's best works. I read this many years ago and had forgotten about it. So I rebought it. I can see a lot of this book as realistic, but a lot of it is not and there in lies my problem. There is a lot of violence, rape, abuse, illness, accidents, mental abuse, police corruption, cursing, sex, revenge and plain, old fashioned meaness in this book. It is well edited. For readers 18 and up.
AD
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2013
OMG! Seriously.. people dont look at the reviews for spoiler alerts. I was considering reading this book but some user decides to say what happens so whats the point. thanks!
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Apr 04 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Not even going to bother buying this after the ending was revealed by other B&N reviewers!!! Why would anyone leave a review so that they spoil it for others? How selfish and pointless to even bother rating it!
7 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2000
This was my first Sandra Brown novel. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I cried along with Jade in her sorrow, pain and betrayal. It was only fitting that it took a man who had also experienced pain and loss to open her up once again to love. The passion they shared was so intense it took my breath away. Don't start this book if you don't have time to read it in one sitting, you will not be able to put it down. This story shows that Payback is not necessary when fate takes over. You will not regret the time you spend reading this book.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Too sexually graphic for me
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I Also Recommend:
Great Read! Also love Too Crazy to Live Too Beautiful To Die
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Good plot. Language was difficult to take after a very short while. I got the point early what kind of characters the boys were after they first spoke. Didn't need to read it forever.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Wed Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Very compelling story. Got a little sexually graphic for my taste.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Apr 04 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Cannot understand why in the world some readers have to reveal the ending of the book thereby ruining it for other readers. Please be more courteous and quit revealing the entire story.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Mar 31 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Good read; fast pace.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2013
Sandra Brown is an outstanding writer. This book will bring out all your emotions, anger, rage, frustrations, tears. But in the end the revenge willl be just as sweet to the reader as it was to Jade. I strongly recommend reading this book. It is one of the best written books I have read in a while.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 2007
This was my first Sandra Brown Book. I read it during one of my extensive travels i admit that i was suprise to read a different side of romance from her. Not intended to be a typical romance book, but still it goes straight to the heart. This book is filled with suspense and intrigue, definelty should be kept in one's bookshelf!!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2006
I love her books. Read quite a few and finished this one in a day and half, did not get much sleep. Some people outside of the south may find it hard to believe that the three got off, and she would turn out to be the loose one. As someone that lives in Texas and does love it. What happened to her is not all that surprising. Esp. considering the time it happened in. Anyway this is a great book.
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Jul 24 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I love Sandra Brown's books. This was the best one yet. I couldn't put it down!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Apr 27 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Kept me entertained from cover to cover. Highly recommend.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Mar 29 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I did enjoy reading this book. A high school senior is raped by three of her classmates. One young man is the son of the sheriff another is the son of the riches most powerful man in the community. This young woman was humiliated and her reputation was destroyed. For years she plans her revenge.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Feb 07 00:00:00 EST 2000
Excellent reading - the story-line was fascinating--all the characters managed to evoke strong feelings of either anger or sympathy and anything else in between! It certainly had an open ending--can Ms. Brown follow up with a sequel pls.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Aug 26 00:00:00 EDT 2014
This was a positivly wonderful read it was heartbreaking and healing at the same time. I have readmost of sandras book an this is lin the top three for certian. Not a waist of time this is the kind of book you remember and mskes an impact on you forever. At least for me it did
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Overview
a woman's worst nightmare at the hands of three local hell-raisers. Robbed of her youthful ideals, and at the center of scandal, she ran as far away as she could. But now she has returned to exact a just revenge and perhaps fulfill a lost promise of love.
The author of the New York Times bestseller Mirror Image delivers a smoldering tale of love, betrayal, and one woman's quest for ...