4.1 stars – 24 Reviews
Text-to-Speech and Lending: Enabled
Here’s the set-up:
AMANDA’S BLUE MARINE marks the return of Doreen Owens Malek to publishing after a 12 year absence. It is with great pleasure that Doreen presents her new, never before published contemporary romance. AMANDA’S BLUE MARINE.
When Amanda Redfield, an assistant district attorney from a wealthy and prominent Philadelphia family, is being harassed by a mysterious stalker, she meets Brendan Kelly, the police detective assigned to her case. Smart and capable but deeply troubled, Kelly protects Amanda while he works to find her tormentor, but his disturbing presence and rogue behavior disrupt Amanda’s settled life. She is helplessly drawn to the sexy and charming but barely controlled cop, and as their passion grows she must choose between her prosperous and settled past and an uncertain future with a man whose own life is spiraling out of control. How she draws on her wits and resources to eventually rescue Kelly emotionally in the same way that he rescues her physically makes for a powerful and satisfying love story.
ARC Review of Amanda’s Blue Marine by Doreen Owens Malek
Rating: Entrée
Even though Amanda Redfield had come from a privileged background, her life wasn’t all about designer shoes and charity luncheons. Amanda was a well respected attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. She also had a stalker who was sending her nasty notes of the incredibly scary and threatening variety. Rookie Detective Brendan Kelly was about as far from Amanda’s social circles as a person could get and still remain on the planet. An ex-Marine who had put in some hard time in the Iraqi war and the son of an alcoholic cop who had been kicked off the force, Kelly was a hard drinking, womanizing, time bomb. As the case, circumstances, and chemistry draw the pair closer together, the inevitable happens and feelings develop. But there are huge hurdles to clear before this couple can have even the slightest chance at happiness.
I was absolutely over the moon when I found out one of my favorite authors was returning to the publishing world after a decade of silence. And when I was offered the opportunity to review her newest work, well if that didn’t butter my biscuit, nothing would. Doreen Owens Malek writes about people who have real issues and real flaws. There are no cookie cutter characters or otherwordly scenarios to move the story along. She relies on her natural talent to give the reader a entertaining, compelling story that will pull them into her books by their heartstrings. I also love the fact that her books use a realistic time frame. This book takes place over years, and you can see the evolution of the characters. When I first encountered Amanda, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t her biggest fan. She was sheltered, and even though she was in a tough profession, she lacked the independence I like in my heroines. By the end of this book, I was her biggest fan. When she decided to take control of her life and her future, she did it with a vengeance.
Now, it’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the bad boy, damaged hero. But realistically they come with a lot of baggage that is not going to disappear overnight. And while I believe love can conquer most problems, I still think it requires a proactive approach and a lot of work to keep it going. Ms. Malek takes the reader through these stages. She knows that it is highly unlikely that the bad habits of a lifetime are just going to magically fade away without some big bumps in the road and a few hurt feelings. Her villains likewise have both good and bad, some more than others. So it’s not always easy to come down quite so hard on the bad guys. It’s all in the intent. Amanda’s mother and her BFF had varying shades of grey. This offering is as top of the line as it gets. Welcome back, Doreen
5 Star Amazon Review
“I enjoyed Amanda’s Blue Marine very much. It kept me interested thru the whole book. It had intrigue and lots of romance. Brendan Kelly was the police detective that helped Amanda when she was being stalked and the attaction between the two was something neither one of them could deny, even though Amanda was engaged to someone else. She stood by him when he was in trouble and was in jail and later helped him get help for his post traumatic stress from his time in Iraq.”
About The Author
I am Doreen Owens Malek, author of over forty books and lifelong fan of romantic fiction. I live in PA with my husband and college student daughter, a mini dachshund and a sun conyer parrot. I would like to tell you a little about myself.
I came to writing by a circuitous route, starting out as an avid reader of JANE EYRE and WUTHERING HEIGHTS and GONE WITH THE WIND and REBECCA and any other similarly themed books I could find. I first worked as a teacher and then graduated from law school when I desired a more lucrative and independent career. I had always been discouraged from pursuing a writing career by the volatile nature of the business and the relatively poor chance for success. But the realization that I needed a focus for the future encouraged me to do what I had always wanted to do. I sold my fledgling novel to the first editor who read it, and I have been writing ever since. I have written all types of books for all types of people, but my favorite literary pursuit is and always has been romance. Nothing is as rewarding as hearing from my readers, so please use my website to communicate your thoughts and criticisms, as I am always eager to learn from you.
A romance novel rarely disappoints me: in an uncertain world filled with tragedy and sadness, reading about an appealing woman finding a strong man to love her and share her life is the perfect escape. I like to read and write stories in which the main characters overcome obstacles to get together, and then stay together because their mutual devotion cannot be denied no matter what else is happening around them. They always HELP each other and reinforce the quaint but enduring notion that love conquers all – at least in the fictional universe of my imagination. So pull up a chair and take down a book- or pick up a Kindle- and join me in a world where the heroes are tough and headstrong but never boorish and the heroines are feminine and sympathetic but never helpless.
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