The Admiral's Bride: Tall, Dark and Dangerous

Holy Cow! What a STUD! If my husband is like Jake when He is 50ish I am going to lock him up in a cage! Kidding aside, I really enjoyed this book. The only part I didn't like was Jake obsessing with his dead wife,however...that did add alittle sexual tension between him and Zoe. I also likes Zoe's character, she was a strong woman who was not afraid to show or say her feelings, and she definitly knew what a catch her hero Jake was. Go for it girl! This book is a fast read because it is good, and believe me once you get a mindful of the Admiral you will definitly want to keep reading!

Out of Ms. Brockmann's many fabulous heroes, all of whom I adore, I *totally* fell in love with Admiral Jake Robinson! What a man! He is utterly idealistic and principled, but there is never a second of "sappiness" in the author's presentation of his heroism. She provides totally believable motivation for exactly why he seems so noble to others. In short: no matter how many people he has saved in Vietnam and throughout the rest of his illustrious career, he has always regretted the ones he wasn't able to save.At 52, Jake has been widowed for several years after a happy, 30-year marriage to an artist. The heroine, Zoe Lange, is different in every way from Jake's deceased wife, but she is truly his soul mate. Like him, she works in covert operations and feels a huge adrenaline rush from the danger. Because their work is so similar, Zoe understands Jake's career as his dead wife never could. Many times internal conflicts such as Jake's guilt about the age difference between him and Zoe can get tedious in romance because the hero's "angsting" gets excessive. Happily, Ms. Brockmann never crosses that line. The very traits of honor and commitment and deep, abiding love that make the heroine fall in love with Jake are the things that believably keep them apart until the tumultuous climax.Zoe is a fabulous heroine. Brilliant, competent, and independent, she never wanted to marry because she put her career above everything else in life. She loves her work as a scientist specializing in biological warfare. Like Jake, she knows her work is very important because it saves so many lives. So up until Jake, she only got involved with men as potential lovers that she was sure she would fall in love with only a little bit. However, almost immediately with Jake she realizes this is not going to be the case. She loses her previous control, because it is impossible to keep any distance from this incredible man.As for the love scenes--whew! TOTALLY HOT! Because Ms. Brockmann writes in close-third point of view, we get to be intensely immersed in the passionate feelings of each character in these scenes as well as all others. The author never distracts us by the dizzying head-hopping many other romance authors succumb to. We are always close-in and utterly personally involved by her seamless writing style.All in all this is a truly magnificent book worthy of the many awards it will undoubtedly win, as so many other of Ms. Brockmann's books have. The only "complaint" I have is that the book had to end!

I was getting so disgusted by category romances (very tired of the amnesiac virgins/pregnant brides/woman-hating ranchers/fabulously wealthy creeps that are so prevalent in the genre now!) but Suzanne Brockmann has restored my faith in the category romance. I really enjoyed this book. The writing was witty, Zoe was an awesome character, and Jake...well, I certainly wouldn't mind the fact that he was 20+ years older... (I kept picturing a blue-eyed George Clooney - yum!) I am now going to rush out and find all of her previous books. Bye!

Suzanne Brockmann's work just gets better and better, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not a big military/suspense fan, but Ms. Brockmann does such a terrific job with her characters, and never lets the suspense elements of the story overshadow the romance (which is why I'm reading the book, after all!) that I've yet to read one of her books that I haven't enjoyed, no matter what the storyline.Zoe and Jake are simply wonderful characters, and Ms. Brockmann's sensitive handling of the age-difference issue was superb. Jake's conflicts regarding his attraction to Zoe while still in love with his dead wife were truly heart-wrenching, and the resolution believeable and oh-so-satisfying. Loved the characters, loved the book.Thanks, Suzanne!

This is the first book that I have read of Brockman's series and I plan to read the rest. Couldn't put it down from the time I picked it up than hated when the story was done. Jake and Zoe were great characters and you could see the sparks between them from the beginning. Brockman handled the age difference conflict very well with Jake having to learn to cope with the fact that Zoe was 20+ years younger than him. It never mattered that he was older because he had no problem keeping up with any member on his team. A great read.