Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

At a Texas county fair, amidst carousels and a bustling midway, children’s book author Elle Portman is enjoying a rare night out with her favorite cowboy: her two-year-old son, Charlie. But just as they’re about to head home, the unthinkable happens: a shooter opens fire into the crowd, causing widespread panic to erupt all around them.

Also caught in the melee was corporate consultant Calder Hudson. Arrogant, self-centered, and high off his latest career win, he’s frustrated and confused when he wakes up in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his arm.  The doctor tells him that he was lucky—that as far as gunshot wounds go, he pulled through remarkably well.  Others weren’t so lucky, which instills in Calder a furious determination to get justice . . . a goal shared by Elle.

Their chance encounter at the police station leads to a surprising and inexplicable gravitation to one another, but even as the attraction grows, Elle and Calder can’t help but wonder if the unimaginable tragedy that brought them together is too painful and too complicated to sustain—especially while the shooter remains at large.

My Review:

Not like I haven’t read Sandra Brown before or was aware she’d throw in an unanticipated romance to mess up a good story, but somehow it just didn’t work at all for me in this book.

A random mass shooting at a county fair throws together Elle Portman and Calder Hudson. Elle has taken her two-year-old with her to the fair along with bestie, Glenda. When the shooting starts and the stampede begins, Elle loses hold of her son’s stroller. Calder, who sees the stroller tries to grab it and ends with devastating results.

Here’s where I have the first problem. Calder is a rich, arrogant narcissist. He is living with an ambitious TV reporter who is his narcissistic equal. I disliked both of these characters and thought Glenda was absolutely correct in her assessment of him. After a couple chance meetings, Calder turns macho protector, dictating her next movements.

For her part, Elle lost a son. A two-year-old. I couldn’t seem to get past that as the romance first blossomed then turned up the heat. She seems more than happy to be told what to do, be the object of hot pursuit, and become accommodating.

The police think they have the shooter, then they don’t, and Elle and Calder join forces to ferret out the culprit. But they keep getting distracted by the hormones shooting between them and the sex scenes get to be a bit much. Her loss and his injuries are a blink and they move on.

There are a number of twists and a big one at the conclusion. You gotta give it to the author for throwing another good zinger at the end. In the meantime, I wasn’t a fan of either main character and Glenda was a bit too good to be true, but then, that was another of those little twists. Overall, not wholly thrilled. I liked it (for the fast pace, well-plotted storyline), but I’m not in love.

I read and reviewed Overkill on June 15 of this year and had a few problems with it even though I enjoyed the unexpected twist at the end. This one just bogged down on the romance and for me a let down of what could have been more of a suspense thriller.

I downloaded a copy of this book from my local library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: B0BP2HW59K
Print Length: 417 pages
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

 The Author: Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), and the critically acclaimed RAINWATER (2010).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

©2023 V Williams