Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing and muddled
Review: I've read the previous Francesca Cahill novels and enjoyed them enough to purchase this one. But, it was disappointing and unbelievable from the beginning. Francesca severely burns her hand while catching the villian in the previous book but is up the next day racing around town, using her hands, as if nothing had happened. The editor must have been napping on this one. Things are said to have happened "this morning" when they clearly should have happened "yesterday morning". While the premise of these stories is interesting, I got bored with Francesca and had trouble finishing this one. Francesca has abandoned her college classes without a second thought, can't decide which brother she loves, ignores any opinion she disagrees with and pushes orphans on the police commissioner and than promptly forgets about them. Ms. Joyce should either have Francesca grow up or put this series to bed.
Rating: 
Summary: "Wicked Fun"
Review: Just so much fun that it brings a smile to your face....Brenda Joyce defintely has hit the mark with this series. For those who would like to be invited into the lives of Fran, Hart, and Rick be prepared... The whole family will join in the fun by the time you get to Deadly Desire...Make sure you read them in sequence for it only makes it more enjoyable...I'm waiting for the next one and can't wait for the story line to explode...For romance and mysteries make great partners !
Rating: 
Summary: This one will hold your attention!
Review: Set in 1902. New York City's Police Commissioner Rick Bragg was dragged into another crime investigation with Francesca Cahill. This time Francesca was out to help her best friend, Sarah Channing. Sarah's home had been broken into and a few of the paintings she had been creating had been destroyed. But was it an attack against Sarah or against one of the two people who were the subjects of the paintings that had been destroyed? Add to this a love triangle involving Francesca, Rick, and Calder, as well as, someone stalking Lucy (Rick and Calder's sister). **** This book is a mixture of adventure, excitement, and mysteries. The love triangle seems to continue in each book of the series. There is always something going on to hold the attention of the readers. Great reading! **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Deadly Desire
Review: The "Deadly" series just gets better. I liked this one a lot, Fran is really starting to mature. In some of the earlier books I thought she was a little annoying. I really like the secondary characters. I keep changing my mind on if Fran should be with Calder or Rick. I can barely wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Shamelessly dramatic - and loving it
Review: The attraction to Brenda Joyce's Deadly series should be no mystery by now. Joyce's series unfurls like a soap opera that is shamelessly dramatic and her latest effort Deadly Desire is no exception. The book opens with a vandalism of Sarah Channing's portraits - and as her brother's fiancee, Francesca feels obliged to root out the culprit. The mystery is actually a red herring though because as the book progresses, you find the subplot a diversion to the love affairs of Fran. She is thrust between the married police commissioner Rick Bragg and his half-brother Calder Hart. Rick's wife Leigh Anne returns to claim back him; Hart wishes to marry Fran - and Fran's brother Evans is hitched to Sarah's cousin Countess Bartolla. Add this on to threats heaped onto Rick's sister Lucy and a kidnap attempt on her children to put Fran's sleuthing skills to the test, this book deliciously taunts you on the stunning revelations of the characters' personal lives. Deadly Desire is guilty of being an overblown melodrama but it is a guilty pleasure with the readers caught in the whirlwind affairs and their options. Brenda Joyce pens it fast and straight - though the mystery here is a feeble one to engage readers, Deadly desire proves an engaging read to indulge in scandals and multi love-triangles.
Rating:
Summary: Great book but Fran needs to get a life
Review: The story line was great. I like how everything moves right along. I think it finally did Francesa justice. She was so involved with her family that she had become so self-righteous. In the other books she is daming her brother-in law and her brother for having affairs, but she does the same thing in this book. Love will you make you do foolish things. Hopefully, she will wake up that Bragg is not going to give up is political career and neither is Leigh Ann going to give up her husband and the money that comes so freely. I think it is interesting how Calder Hart is coming out on top. I am in his corner. He is the hunk to go after. P.S.:I hope you put Rourke Bragg and Sarah Channing together. They really would make a good couple. He is the only one who seams to understand her. Evan and Mrs Kennedy would also be a good match. He really seams to really care about her and her kids. Bartolla is a waste of time and energy. She is only looking for money and a good lay. There also needs to be more time in between the events. Everything has happend in less than 2 months.Brenda, don't leave us hanging. We have got to know what the ending will be. I hope you are writing very fast.
Rating:
Summary: I love Calder and Fran :)
Review: This book is my favorite of the series, although they all are wonderful reads. This book came out during final week at college, but that did not stop me from buying it the day it came out. This book picks up with someone having vandalized Sarah's (Fran's future/potential sister-in-law)studio. Of course Fran's on the case, but she also has her hands full with solving what's happening with Lucy Bragg (Rick and Calder's sister). They are some very romantic moments for both Rick and Fran and Calder and Fran, but I'm pulling for Calder. Fran seems to be maturing more in this book and it shows her growing more as a woman. Their are also some interesting subplots being played out with Fran's brother and sister. Basically, this book is wonderful and should be on the top of your list to read next. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Sleuthing with a little spice
Review: This is book four of a series that holds a lot of promise. Set in the early 1900s, the heroine is a young woman of the New York City elite, chaffing at some of the restrictions that her class and gender impose on her. In the tradition of so called "bluestocking" heroines, Franscesca Cahill is both intelligent yet astoundingly naive, largely a result of the privileged existence she has led. She speaks passionately about social reform, but what really drives Franscesca is a sense of curiosity and a need for excitement in an otherwise stale if charmed existence. She finds what she is seeking by becoming a sleuth, and engaging in an ever growing and dangerous flirtation with the newly appointed Police Commissioner. What separates this heroine from others in the genre is the cast of supporting characters, many of them interesting in their own right; the series format, which allows for much greater character development; and the cases that the heroine tackles. The fact that the heroine is torn between two compelling male heroes, and that these men are half brothers, does not hurt the story. Rather, Franscesca displays an amount of confusion quite credible for a young woman of her age and time. This installment is particularly full of turns and twists, leading the reader in all kinds of directions. It begins with a teaser -- a violent attack on the property of Franscesca's brother fiance. However, the heart of the story is dedicated to helping solve an extortion case, involving a young mother, sister to one of the heroes. Intrigue abounds, and the author keeps the reader guessing about the actions and intentions of all those drawn into the case. And as with the other books in the series, there is no end nor epilogue, but rather the first hint of the next mystery to be solved.
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Deadly Novel
Review: This like all of the novels in the series is worth reading. I love the interactions between the characters, especially Francesca and Hart.
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Deadly Novel
Review: This like all of the novels in the series is worth reading. I love the interactions between the characters, especially Francesca and Hart.
| 
