update: 1.99 sale price on 02/14/2017In the category of lethal, dark, and dangerous character, Lee is one of my most favourite heroes in books.Honor is not a TSTL kinda heroine. Romance? I feel the ending confirmed the authenticity in their romance. It is real!The villains are multi-layered.Plot? Dynamic. Suspenseful.TBH, the identity of Bookkeeper wasnt credible to be a mastermind behind the horrific mass crimes. Lee: "But I'm not a hearts and flowers guy. I'm not even an all-night guy. I don't hold hands. I don't cuddle. I don't do any of that stuff."Agreed. Buuuuut, gush, with an ending like that, I was totally floored. It made Lee a simply unforgettable book character and a swoonworthy romantic one, imo. 5-stars for Lee character and the unique ending.

5 OH MY Stars!! YES!! Good stuff, really good stuff!!I did not see that coming. Wowwhat an ending. I thought I had it all figured it out, but Sandra Brown played me for a fool, and I'd assume the role again if I could read more books that mess with my mind like this one did! This book ticked off so many of my RS need-to-have boxes. The perfect RS coupleLee Coburn, a "lethal", protective, swoon-worthy hero with a sensitive sideHonor Gillette, a strong-willed, smart, fearless heroine-! Plenty of sexual tension-, witty sarcastic banter-, suspicious & not-so-trushworthy secondary characters-, loyal quirky friend-, death-, violence-, and a riveting plot that had me guessing right up until the end-everything I love! Oh, and lets not forget about a the in-your-face delightful 4 year old by the name of Emily, and her side-kick Elmo, who breached the so-he-thought, impenetrable wall around Coburns hearthis pixie-sized Waterloo,he didnt stand a chance---!!! My only gripethe epilogue. While it was satisfying in so many aspects and wrapped up some loose ends, it left me hanging a little. I wanted more finality in the way of the HEAfor it to play itself out, not just left to the imaginationone more paragraph and I would have been good! Just a personal preference! About the audiobookFirst rate narration by Victor Slezak! Wonderful plot and character voice depiction! Including, the lively little Emily, which for a man with a deep, rich tone as he has, was no easy task. He kept me on the edge of my seat...I didn't want to stop listening!

3.5 STARSI really enjoyed this suspense novel with a touch of romance, especially the second half. The first half was a bit too slow for me. The characterization is strong and the writing is great. The hero is just my type hot, brooding and stoic. The heroine is strong and likeable. I didnt guess who the villain was but I was a little disappointed with the Bookkeepers identity. I found it a bit unbelievable. Also, the ending felt a bit too rushed. Although I did love the epilogue, it still left me unsatisfied.

4.5 starsIs this Sandra Brown's best novel ever? Quite possibly. Is this my favourite Sandra Brown? Most probably.Is Lee Coburn my favourite Sandra Brown hero? Indubitably. Lee Coburn is a dangerous man. Accused of killing seven people, he's on the run. When Honor Gillette's four year-old daughter Emily spies a man outside their house, Honor cautiously investigates. Coburn has not turned up at her place by accident. She has something he wants, something valuable her late husband hid. But Honor knows nothing. To complicate matters Coburn has no idea what it is he's actually searching for.If this isnt Sandra Brown's best, it sure comes close. With a plot involving drug and people trafficking, crooked cops and a faciliator known as the Bookkeeper, this is a great suspense. To bring down this operation Coburn and Honor are in a race against the clock. For me Sandra Brown's two greatest strengths as a writer are her characterisations and dialogue. From the main characters Coburn and Honor, the large cast of secondary characters to the cute-as-a-button Emily, these characters are fleshed-out and real. Coburn is very much a classic Brown hero - insensitive, intelligent, brusque, a smartarse. She does these gruff alphas very well, but she may have just about outdone herself with Coburn. Her dialogue is always convincing and believable, with her signature snappy one-liners. "I don't believe you. You can't be a cop.""Not a cop.""Federal agent?""FBI.""Even more unlikely.""J. Edgar rolls over in his grave every day, but that's the way it is."For readers who love to see their romances end with a sweetly tied bow, this one may disappoint. The ending has an 'open' HEA in the sense that though we know they end up together - afterall, this is a romance - we don't actually get to see it.Sandra Brown is one of the iconic writers of romantic suspense. Lethal delivers the romance with a great story. Highly recommended.Steam: 2.5

It feels like its being ages since I have been invested in a story, its characters and its final outcome as much as I did when reading Lethal by Sandra Brown. And it has been quite sometime since I picked up a Sandra Brown, who always manages to keep the reader glued to the pages, whether it be because of the strong elemental connection she manages to make with the reader or because of the suspense element in her later novels that always manages to entice the reader to put everything else on hold and indulge.Lee Coburn is a federal agent deep undercover going on 13 months when all hell breaks loose and he is forced to flee for his life after being implicated in the mass murder of 7 men which had initiated a nationwide man hunt for him. His destination is one that will either help him make or break the case of a wide ring of smugglers who dabbles in transportation of young girls to drugs to weaponary.When widow Honor Gillette's 4 year old daughter Emily discovers the wounded man outside of their home, Honor has no inkling that her whole life is about turn upside down when the dangerous man with menace emanating from his very pores makes her regret the impulse to check on him. But what Lee brings home to light makes Honor question the circumstances surrounding the seemingly innocent death of her husband Eddie two years back and place her trust in Lee to keep Honor and her daughter safe when everything familiar seems so murky in comparison. Lee with his ingrained mistrust for everyone tries hard to not be disarned by a pair of hazel-green eyes that entices and beckons at the same time. With everyone involved in the man hunt with unclear agendas of their own, Lee trudges his way through with the woman and her child in tow, knowing that anything else would mean a swift death for both of them which he just cannot fathom having on his conscience. And all the while, the awareness that singes through both Honor and Lee's blood grows with every passing minute, practically making the very air between them electrifying.Sandra Brown takes the reader on a harrowing journey told from multiple viewpoints, the story's impact a much more profound one because of the fact. The villian when brought to light towards the end proved to be a shocker which is a testament to Ms. Brown's ability to spin a well effectuated thriller.Lacking in romance is this one not for the fans of Sandra Brown who enjoys the way she brings together her two main protagonists. Both Lee and Honor are reason enough to bow down to Ms. Brown's superior talent when it comes to delivering on heroes and heroines a reader can relate to and characters that you want to open up your heart to.Lee is the version of a dying breed of heroes that few authors have the gumption to write in the present times. Lethal and dangerous, Lee is a former Marine who had a tough childhood, whose days in the military had honed his skills of killing to the extent that he practically feels nothing until Emily and Honor both pierce through the fog of nothingness that has surrounded him all his adult life. With a delcious barbed wire tattoo on his bicep and a straightforwardness to his manner that is both exhilarating and alluring at the same time, Lee is a hero who raced towards my shelf of favorite heroes before I had the time to blink!Honor is a worthy heroine for a man like Lee. A second grade school teacher who is a total babe in the woods when it comes to the likes of Lee, Honor nevertheless has a backbone of steel that propels her to make the right decisions even when everything else tells her otherwise. Her attraction when it comes to Lee is a visceral one that has her falling hard and fast before she even has the time to gather her wits around her.Emily was just plain adorable I say and I think my heart just practically turned over during the 1st couple of chapters which brought to light her cherubic character. I knew then and there that if nothing else could get through to a hero of Lee's calibre, Emily could with her innocent and trusting nature that can heal even the most wounded heart.When it comes to the suspense aspect of the novel, it is how Ms. Brown manages to keep the reader on tenterhooks about her characters, wondering which one's the ally and which one the foe that makes this one hard to put down. With the turn of one page, you think you have learnt a bit more about the characters that constantly keeps you on your toes. But then at the turn of the next page you realize that you might not know as much as you think you do, which makes this an instant page-turner!My one teensy bit of disappointment stems from how the story ended, though there were elements that makes the reader draw the conclusion that there is a happily ever after in store for both Honor and Lee. But then again, I guess it was because of the ending that Lethal would remain in my heart for a long time, the riot of emotions that coursed through me at that very moment being one I wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.A game of cat and mouse timed to perfection & flawless in its execution, Lethal by Sandra Brown is another winner by master storyteller Sandra Brown.Momentous Scenes- The moment Emily places a kiss on Lee's cheek. Had me going all Aww! because of how much it affected the stoic Lee Coburn.- The moments during which Lee holds Honor in his arms, just wanting the moment to linger on, a first for him. Such a sweet and throat tightening moment.My quotes included below the review. Rating=5/5 Original review posted on MBR's Realm of Romance