Merciless...Review...DNF

About the book:
Tall, dark and eligible? That’s all that matters to the women of Jacobsville when it comes to handsome and aloof FBI agent Jon Blackhawk. But if it were up to him, he would never settle down. Luckily, Jon has the best gatekeeper: his efficient and reliable assistant, Joceline Perry. Without her help, he’d be at the mercy of husband hunters — but the more he comes to rely on her, the more he notices how invaluable she really is....

While Joceline can’t deny that her boss is attractive, as a single mother with responsibilities she’s determined to be professional. But when Jon is accosted by a criminal seeking revenge, she comes to his aid — fueling the spark that is growing between them.

As the attempts on Jon’s life increase, Joceline stands by his side. But when the smoke clears, will the man who avoided love realize that all he ever needed was right there all along?

I can't do it. I usually try and be fair in my negative reviews, but I honestly can't find anything good to say about this one. The blurb sounded interesting, but the story is completely implausible and the characters shallow and one-dimensional.  The big secret for why Joceline keeps the paternity of her son a secret?  Predictable and lame.  There is also at least one mildly explicit sex scene.

I did not care for any of these characters and felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of a soap opera after having missed the first several hours of drama.  The video gaming vernacular and the history-obsessed characters and their need to spout facts were annoying.  I finally skimmed the book enough to realize I wasn't missing anything.

Diana's fans may enjoy this one as it's apparently necessary to have read her previous books to understand who everyone is and how their stories fit together.  The book, however, is not billed as part of a series, so I'd have no idea which books to read, if I had the desire to do so.

Thanks to Jaime at Planned Television Arts for the opportunity to review this book.  You can learn more about Diana Palmer here.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 8/11

*
1/5 Stars