Crazy Cool -- Tara Janzen

Book 2 of Steele Street

Adult, Romantic Suspense, Special Ops, Mystery, Crime Thriller, Contemporary

 

 

Steele Street and Tara Janzen presents to us another crazily exciting romantic suspense packed with guns, cars, gorgeous military men, a thrill ride, romance, and steamy sex.

It is absurdly ridiculous how much I enjoyed this book despite it's flimsy plot, choppy progression, messy narration, and almost non-existent resolution. But the Steele Street boys are hunks, our heroine is somehow a refreshingly unique brand of airhead that I found endearing and weirdly funny, and the tone of the entire story was somehow wonderfully comedic... in a good way.


The Story in Brief:
Thirteen years ago Christian Hawkins and Katya Dekker spent an amazing month of romance together before Christian was arrested for murder. He was then pardoned two years later and went on to go from being a car thief to a military man. Now as a special force secret operative working out of Steele Street under the guise as a car salesman, Christian has been pulled away from a current Colombian assignment to play bodyguard for Katya Dekker at the behest of someone who has high up connections.

Katya Dekker has lived in her mother's shadow for her entire life, but has managed to make a success of herself as an art dealer. But events transpire when she returns to Denver to host an art show for local talent, Nikki McKinney, ranging from exploding trees to the death of an old acquaintance and reuniting with Christian "Superman" Hawkins (How much do I love the nicknames of the Steele Street boys in this series?). And now, the murder of Jonathan Traynor III from thirteen years ago that had landed Christian in prison has resurfaced with a new death and new dangers and both Katya and Christian are caught up inside it all.


My Thoughts:
The murder mystery was pretty straight forward, even if not entirely predictable. Which is why I had a little trouble finding a connect between how we could have gotten off track of the main conflict so easily (or so readily). For a good portion of the book after the midpoint, it was almost as if the murder mystery of present (that was connected to the murder of thirteen years ago) was completely forgotten. Sure, the sex scenes were steamy and the entire side tangent with Kid and Nikki were welcome... but for that one long moment, it felt like we were in an entirely different story.

Then we proceed back into the main conflict, but as the book comes to an end, everything just spirals out of control.

But the fact is, I was entertained. Very much so.

It never occurred to me that Christian Hawkins could have a comedic tone of narration, but he did and it worked. I found his entire situation with Katya Dekker very amusing--the descriptions of how much of a slob Kat turned out to be while she eats crackers and drinks tea in the passenger of his muscle car; to her incredible transformation from wildly untamed vagrant to sophisticated princess within ten minutes of locking herself in the bathroom.

Sure, Katya was a bit of a pushover and possessed every quality of weak damsel in distress that would normally annoy the heck out of me. But her innocent honesty and sincere responses and strange behavioral antics makes her a lot more lovable than I would have expected.

Yes. There was a bemusing comedic touch to the narration that I don't remember reading from the first book, Crazy Hot. Sure, it was haphazard, messy, sometimes unfocused, but it was entertaining all the same.

And you know, I really appreciated that.

This wasn't the most inspiring book in the world (nor did it really have much of a plot), but it was definitely lots of fun.

 

 

― Crazy Hot, by Tara Janzen

(Steele Street Book # 1)

I finally finished my reread. It was taking too long! I'm glad I finally just gave in just read this straight through the past couple of days. I alternated between the Kindle version and my paperback, which is a little more beat up than it was when I started. Purses are not the best habitat for books, but what can a bookworm do?

My thoughts this time around:

*Reno, you are such a brat, and how I love you. You sexy thang! Why did it take you so long to admit you were crazy about Jilly. You were a goner from the beginning. I wish you could have refrained from putting your big cowboy boots in your mouth so much because you were trying to push her away.

*This book is really kind of chaotic at times. It's okay though. I liked the wild pace and the energy. It felt like an Ice book, but on speed.

*Jilly sure did have a potty mouth. I think it's a function of her age and trying to put on armor against the world. Her mother is an idiot, and her father is barely around. Other than her older sister, Summer, she practically raised herself.

*I thought the fist fight between Reno and Taka was hilarious. They really did act like family. It was funny how even Reno was scared of Taka. Taka is pretty scary, except maybe to Summer.

*I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Tokyo, but this book makes me feel like I did.

*I loved this book just as much. A wild, crazy love story. Complete escapism, with two people who are young, gorgeous, and in love. Sometimes that's exactly what I need to read.


Reno



Rain is definitely my Reno. He doesn't have the waist-length red hair, but it's not much of a stretch to see him with that look. Here's a picture of him after he cuts his hair and dyes it black.

Jilly



Romola Garai definitely reminds me of Jilly. In the book, she has brown eyes, but otherwise, she pulls of the rebellious, but innocent, and highly cerebral persona of Jilly very well.

Reno is a lethal weapon, I decided he would be a sai. Technically sais aren't sharp except on the tip. They are mostly a defensive weapon, but a sai is a nasty weapon in the right hands. Reno plays like he's feckless, but he's just as lethal as the other men of the Committee, and he's also Yakuza, which is a double whammy.




I needed this book right now!

Once again great writing strategy to set the tone for the book with the prologue being a set of military orders to General Grant. Is it just me or does this kind of have a Charlie's Angels feel to it? The General Grant who we don't meet and then the men who go out and complete his orders.

 

Ooh be still my heart a Dodge Charger, damn. Christian Hawkins gets major brownie points for driving this car around.

 

Not to be to girly here but I loved the line about Christian having a "whole section of his brain with her name on it", it just made me feel mushy. I like how Janzen has the men pining over the women (in some cases over years) such a nice change!

 

Alright I'm glad I didn't cheat and go straight to book 4 to read Kid and Nikki's story. It looks like Janzen is going to tease us with bits and pieces throughout the previous books until we get to their story. So don't cheat people.

 

I have to admit that the cars almost steal the show for me in these books, I can't help it every time Janzen describes a car that rumbles I get all tingly.

 

There is some comedic relief in this book, along with the one-liners Janzen is great at writing she has Christian calling Katya "bad luck" and "Godzilla in Tokyo".
Ok Christian must love her because he is allowing her to eat and drink in his Dodge Charger! I don't let people do that in my Pontiac Sunfire.

 

I feel like a broken record but Kid and Nikki again so amazing, the scene where Kid crumbles with Nikki after losing his brother almost had me teary eyed.

 

I guess I either didn't connect well with Christian and Katya or they were not a strong enough couple to carry the story and distance themselves from the other couples Janzen has rockin in this book. This was a decent (just decent) book but only when placed in the context of the series. Christian and Katya were ok but Kid and Nikki definitely overshadowed them when it wasn't even their story.

Thirteen years ago Christian Hawkins saved teenage Katya Dekker from rape (and possibly death) and ended up in jail for his troubles. Pardoned two years later, he was snapped up by SDF, a black ops team of outlaw warriors working for the US government. Now Katya and Christian are back together and the sparks are once again flying. He's pissed since she did nothing to help at his trial and she's dismayed because she knows she was wrong. Can the socialite and the street kid ever see eye to eye? We have 415 pages to find out.

I liked Christian and Katya from the beginning and was really invested in their shared past and their future. I really liked the first book in this series and this one was even better.