Serpent in Paradise

I honestly liked this book. Very well written, everything (the romance and suspense) was very well put together so you didnt think it was corny. The only reason why I give this book 4 stars was because she was drinking while she was pregnant. I know it was like the 80's when this book was written, but that still pissed me off.

I thought that this book was really good. The only part I didn't understand was why she was on the island in the first place. Looking for the value of the mask and trying to find out what happened to Ty was stupid, because her sister was already in love with another man, so for saying it was for her or her child was not very believable. Also, I found it annoying that she kept wanting to leave the island. I would want to stay forever!!! I wouldn't want to go back to San Fran when I was in love with a very independent, handsome, bar owner on a tropical island. Lot's of entertaining scenes. When they were running from dirk in the cove and in the scenes they were in the bar. The surroundings sounded beautiful! Too short though. Would liked to have learned more about Jase. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves tropical romance books

Jayne Ann Krentz wrote under several names early in her career, still does, with her Amanda Quick Historicals and Jayne Castle Paranormals. Her Stephanie James wrote for Temptation, Candlelight Ecstasy Supreme and several others back ages ago. A few really have suffered dating badly, but most come through as a bright delight of a writer coming into her power. This is one of the Stephanie GEMS written twenty-one years ago. Amy Shannon shows up on the out of the way island. Instantly, ex-patriot, islander Jase Lassiter spots her as not belonging in the seedy bar he runs on an isle with a rough character. Jase has seen tourist out looking for a bit of the wild side of life before, but Amy doesn't strike him as that sort of a lady. Just what sort she is causes him too much worry. Jase will play a bit macho for today's reader, but not too much so they cannot enjoy the early JAK work, and her characters have always been quite adapt of putting any man in their place. To Jase, Amy was such a puzzle sitting, waiting for some mysterious stranger. She won't tell him why she is waiting for Dirk Haley. At first, Jase thinks he will bed her and then send her on her way, but within a few minutes he finds that's not going to be the case. The feisty lady won't let him play his typical games. After he returns her to her hotel room, they find it wrecked, Jase thumps his chests and hauls Amy home so he can protect her from this Dirk, and whatever business Amy insists she has with Haley. It's a fun tale that shows JAK as she was evolving into the talent she is today.

Jase Lassiter has lived on remote Saint Clair, a Southern Pacific island for the past decade. There he owns the Serpent bar and offers himself as a "souvenir" to females. When Amy Shannon shows up at his bar, Jase concludes that she does not belong in a dive like his. Still he figures he can score with her before he sends her on her way. However, he soon realizes how far outside her lane she is when thugs threaten her if she fails to stop her inquiries over what happened to her former brother-in-law. Unable to mind his business, Jase decides to protect Amy, not expecting to fall in love with visiting Miss Innocent. This is a reprint of a 1980s tale (written under the name Stephanie James) that will please fans of Jayne Ann Krentz. The story line is vintage Ms. Krentz as the lead male is more an antiheroic rogue until he meets the love of his life; his heart subsequently supersedes his brain forcing him to keep his cherished Amy safe. Though the male lead seems to be overly protective to the point of ordering his beloved around (hey this was the Reagan macho conservative age not the compassionate conservative Bush era - we still had a long way to go baby), fans will enjoy this fine island romantic suspense. Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by: Danyelle Warden Jase Lassiter owns The Serpent, a local bar on Saint Clair, an out-of-the-way Southern Pacific isle. Jase has been in the South Pacific for the past decade trying not to think too much about his dismal future as he declares himself an interesting "souvenir" for adventurous female tourists seeking vacation flings. When Amy Shannon shows up in his establishment, Jase realizes immediately that she's the wrong kind of woman in the wrong place; however, Jase is intrigued despite his misgivings. Initially, Jase believes he can have a simple affair, but after it becomes evident that Amy is in over her head with some unsavory characters in her attempt to find out what has happened to her ex-brother-in-law, Jase decides to become Amy's protector and confidante. Jase, alpha-male extraordinaire, does a fine job of protecting Amy and steps up to shoulder his responsibilities (would JAK ever let one of her heroes off the hook? I think not!) after an unexpected turn of events occurs. Jase and Amy are fairly predictable characters, but the book fits nicely into the themes so often explored in JAK novels - trust, faith, commitment, and family ties.There are two things to consider when evaluating this book: The first item - JAK wrote this book in the early eighties, a time that touted the alpha-male as the end-all-be-all of romantic fiction; and secondly -Silhouette's stringent page limits are inflexible. Serpent in Paradise has the makings of an excellent single-title release. The characters' motivations are rock solid as are the plot devices that drive the action. My only complaint is that there weren't enough pages to fully delve into the characters and the elements of mystery and danger.