Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Simon & Schuster Audio (2001), Edition: Abridged
Description
Fiction. Romance. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Seamlessly blending heart-pounding romance and breathless intrigue, New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard writes a masterful, stylish, and provocative suspense novel that absolutely defies readers to put it down. Daisy Minor is bored. Worse than that, she's boring. A plain, small-town librarian, she's got a wardrobe as sexy as a dictionary and hasn't been on a date in years. She's never even had a lukewarm love affair, let alone a hot one. So when she wakes up on her thirty-fourth birthday, still living with her widowed mom and spinster aunt, she decides it's time to get a life. But can a lifelong good girl turn bad? No, not exactly. But she can pretend, right? One makeover later, Daisy has transformed herself into a party girl extraordinaire. She's letting her hair down, dancing the night away at clubs, and laughing and flirting with men for the first time in, well, ever. With a new lease on her own place and her life, it's open season for man-hunting. But on her way home late one night, Daisy sees something she's not supposed to see. Suddenly the target of a killer, she's forced to put her manhunt on hold. But the very moment she stops looking might be the moment she finds what she's wanted all along. Trouble is, before he can share her life, he might just have to save it.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member adelate
I read this book in about a day - it was a very quick read, and a very entertaining read as well. I liked the premise of the book, although I have to admit (considering I'm studying library science and really have no life [laughs]) that it hit somewhat close to home, as the main character is a
Linda Howard tends to write in a bit of mystery, too, and unlike some authors ([cough]NoraRoberts[coughcough]) the pattern doesn't seem to always be the same. What's more, the women characters she creates are intelligent and capable and I like that.
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slightly mousy librarian who lives at home with her mother. On the morning of her 34th birthday she decides it's time for a change. Linda Howard tends to write in a bit of mystery, too, and unlike some authors ([cough]NoraRoberts[coughcough]) the pattern doesn't seem to always be the same. What's more, the women characters she creates are intelligent and capable and I like that.
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LibraryThing member StefanieGeeks
I loved listening to this book. Hokey and fun fluff.
LibraryThing member wendywh
Honestly, I don't like it. Neither romantics nor thriller part works to me. I don't know why I spent 3 hours reading it.
LibraryThing member gogglemiss
I love books where the hero is a strong cop guy who gets the poor helpless girl out of scrapes. It's a hugely enjoyable book, quite funny in places, dialogue, sparks
LibraryThing member amf0001
I was in the mood for some Linda Howard, an author I love, and somehow the only book of hers I have in the house is Open Season. I've reread it several times but it really is a very silly book. The heroine just doesn't make sense to me, she's so naive and so fearless at the same time. There is no
The violence of the subplot is also disturbing with the villains being really evil, so graphically abusing these poor defenseless Mexican/Russian girls.
So I didn't fall in love with the hero (though I didn't mind him, but a SWAT Chicago cop becoming a small time sheriff of a town with a pop of 9,000 also doesn't make sense), didn't want to befriend the heroine and didn't like the crime. So sex was good, but I'm selling this book, I don't need to read it again.
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woman I know in her mid 30's with absolutely no friends barring her mother and aunt, who would go to rowdy bars by herself. It's too contradictory. The violence of the subplot is also disturbing with the villains being really evil, so graphically abusing these poor defenseless Mexican/Russian girls.
So I didn't fall in love with the hero (though I didn't mind him, but a SWAT Chicago cop becoming a small time sheriff of a town with a pop of 9,000 also doesn't make sense), didn't want to befriend the heroine and didn't like the crime. So sex was good, but I'm selling this book, I don't need to read it again.
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LibraryThing member AnneliM
Daisy, a mousy librarian in a small town in Alabama, decides to make herself over to find a husband. Instead, she finds a danger and the police chief.
LibraryThing member miyurose
This is the first Linda Howard book I've read. It was alright "” kinda corny, but in a somewhat cute way. It was more sex than mystery, I think. I'd probably pick up another of her books if I found it on the cheap, but I don't think I'd search one out. Definitely a quick-beach-read type book.
LibraryThing member dianaleez
Linda Howard can write five star books, but this is not one of them. Did you ever get the feeling that an author was killing time? Howard does in Open Season. I agree with the reviewers who said that this should have been a paperback. I want to like Linda Howard's books, but I will never again buy
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one of her hardbound books without looking it over very carefully first. Show Less
LibraryThing member vwbernie
This was my first Linda Howard book and I'll definately read more of her. I loved the humor and the interaction between naive Daisy and the hunky Jack Russo. It had a good mix of humor, excitement (mystery and sex) and the cute factor (that being Midas the puppy). Daisy wakes up on her 34th
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birthday and decides its time to stop being boring in her life. She gets a huge overhaul, meets the hunky chief of police and then finds herself a witness to murder. She does all of this while trying to find a husband to complete her picture. Show Less
LibraryThing member lindap69
Daisy, a small town librarian, tires of being plain and boring and begins a make over that eventually leads her into the middle of a prostitution ring (she doesn't go that far, but her nightclubbing has her at the scene and witness to a murder) illegal immigrants, and graft. Good blend of romance
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and mystery, she will be added to my to-read in summer list. Show Less
LibraryThing member jonahfied
This was the first LH novel I read and it got me hooked on her. I guess I'm a sucker for a good makeover. Daisy Minor was adorable and I loved Jack Russo's character as well. The southern setting, and Daisy's transformation, made me love this book. The suspense element is believable, and the
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romance even better (hilarious yet steamy). The only thing about this book I didn't LOVE was the beginning. Too many pages of Daisy's thoughts about why she is boring. Enough already, we get the point. As soon as she walks downstairs for her birthday breakfast, the fun starts. Definetely worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member paideiamom
I listened to the Audible edition.
I will just say straight out, I loved this book.
It had humor, it had likeable characters and villainous villains.
Did I mention there was humor?
The narrator did a great job. Lots of women's voices were needed and each was distinguishable. Intonations were spot on.
The story is simple; the execution, superb. Some people don't like the "ugly duckling" trope, but I like it. This on was quite well done. She is the one that initiates her change. She looks at her life, sees it is not going the way she wants it to and effects the changes that she thinks will get her to her desired end.
She initially has issues with the male protag. Needless to say, they work it out. There was a natural (if predictable) arc to their relationship. They tease each other, they have fun. He does not overpower her and she does not overpower him. They meld. They make a couple. The female protag is not TSTL and even chides him for thinking she would be TSTL in a certain situation.
Just fun and funny. Did I mention there was humor?
I will just say straight out, I loved this book.
It had humor, it had likeable characters and villainous villains.
Did I mention there was humor?
The narrator did a great job. Lots of women's voices were needed and each was distinguishable. Intonations were spot on.
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The men's voices were not grating or silly sounding. The emotion was properly done; there was no overacting or over-reacting.The story is simple; the execution, superb. Some people don't like the "ugly duckling" trope, but I like it. This on was quite well done. She is the one that initiates her change. She looks at her life, sees it is not going the way she wants it to and effects the changes that she thinks will get her to her desired end.
She initially has issues with the male protag. Needless to say, they work it out. There was a natural (if predictable) arc to their relationship. They tease each other, they have fun. He does not overpower her and she does not overpower him. They meld. They make a couple. The female protag is not TSTL and even chides him for thinking she would be TSTL in a certain situation.
Just fun and funny. Did I mention there was humor?
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LibraryThing member breena31
I adore this story. It's one of those that keeps me laughing out loud.
LibraryThing member SunnySD
A mid-life crisis on her thirty-fourth birthday has staid librarian Daisy Minor examining her life (predictable), her closet (staid), her hairstyle (mousy), and her future (boring). A new haircut and a wardrobe revamp later, Daisy's not only turning heads, she's toppling the local power structure.
Daisy's not only a likable, she's a librarian (bonus!). Suspense, romance, and a cute puppy - what's not to like.
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Daisy's not only a likable, she's a librarian (bonus!). Suspense, romance, and a cute puppy - what's not to like.
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LibraryThing member Dawn772
Very enjoyable romantic suspense with a plot that deals serious issues and at other times incorporates humor. I liked both the hero and heroines personalities and how characters were gradually woven into the intrigue. Librarian Daisy decides to change her good girl image and seemed to frequently
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run into police chief Jack. Show Less
LibraryThing member Peg_G
Open Season by Linda Howard is a funny, romantic mystery about a librarian who, on her thirty-fourth birthday, decided that her life needed a drastic change. She was no longer content living a sheltered and lonely existence. Daisy Minor knew that to achieve the type of change she wanted, she’d
Daisy Minor was surprised to discover that after her makeover, men were not only finding her attractive, but also desirable. For the first time in Daisy’s life, she wasn’t the wallflower, but the center of attention. Daisy found though, that wherever she went, trouble and the chief of police, Jack Russo, seemed to follow. Although, Daisy was unrealistically naive for a thirty-four-year-old woman, she was strong, opinionated, and stubborn. She was also able to stand her ground against the alpha-male, chief of police, Jack Russo, which made every scene with the two of them hysterically funny.
On one of Daisy’s bar hopping expeditions, she unintentionally witnessed a crime being committed. The boss of that crime operation didn’t know exactly how much Daisy had seen, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. His men had botched the crime operation leaving him with a lot of loose ends to clean up. He would have to eliminate them one by one – including Daisy Minor.
Open Season is an unrealistic and somewhat predictable story, but the budding romance and witty dialogue between Daisy and Jack Russo, more than made up for it. The book does carry a serious sub-plot but touches upon it so lightly that it doesn’t damper the story’s humor.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, humorous mystery. I found the book enjoyable and very funny.
4 out of 5 stars, Review by Peg Glove
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have to revamp her entire image and move out, of her mother’s house. Shock and gossip was going to rumble throughout her town. How could it not? It wasn’t every day that a small southern town, plain librarian transformed herself into to a bar-hopping sexy party-girl. Oh well, she’d just have to let the tongues wag.Daisy Minor was surprised to discover that after her makeover, men were not only finding her attractive, but also desirable. For the first time in Daisy’s life, she wasn’t the wallflower, but the center of attention. Daisy found though, that wherever she went, trouble and the chief of police, Jack Russo, seemed to follow. Although, Daisy was unrealistically naive for a thirty-four-year-old woman, she was strong, opinionated, and stubborn. She was also able to stand her ground against the alpha-male, chief of police, Jack Russo, which made every scene with the two of them hysterically funny.
On one of Daisy’s bar hopping expeditions, she unintentionally witnessed a crime being committed. The boss of that crime operation didn’t know exactly how much Daisy had seen, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. His men had botched the crime operation leaving him with a lot of loose ends to clean up. He would have to eliminate them one by one – including Daisy Minor.
Open Season is an unrealistic and somewhat predictable story, but the budding romance and witty dialogue between Daisy and Jack Russo, more than made up for it. The book does carry a serious sub-plot but touches upon it so lightly that it doesn’t damper the story’s humor.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, humorous mystery. I found the book enjoyable and very funny.
4 out of 5 stars, Review by Peg Glove
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LibraryThing member Becky_McKenna
I really enjoyed Open Season. We meet Daisy on her thirty-fourth birthday, when she decides it's time to make changes to her life, living arrangement, and personal appearance. Since Hillsboro is a small town, big on gossip and resistant to change, this isn't going to be an easy process. Her aunt
I flew through more humorous dialogue as Daisy and her undeterred "team" make the transformation from lonely, dowdy, spinster librarian into head-turning, sophisticated lady. Soon Daisy is ready to get out there and turn a few heads in hope of finding a husband. Meanwhile, Chief of Police Jack Russo, repeatedly pops up and interferes with her search. Cases of date rape are on the rise in the surrounding counties and he's concerned about her choice of husband shopping venue.
I'll admit that the mystery aspect is a bit predictable, but the story between Daisy and Jack carries the plot nicely and had me laughing all the way through the book. I love the chemistry and humor the author weaves into their relationship. There's even a puppy... Come on, who doesn't like puppies?
Another great novel by Linda Howard. I highly recommend this to contemporary romance fans who like their suspense on the light side.
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and mother are adorable supporting characters and are always there to offer affection and advice. I flew through more humorous dialogue as Daisy and her undeterred "team" make the transformation from lonely, dowdy, spinster librarian into head-turning, sophisticated lady. Soon Daisy is ready to get out there and turn a few heads in hope of finding a husband. Meanwhile, Chief of Police Jack Russo, repeatedly pops up and interferes with her search. Cases of date rape are on the rise in the surrounding counties and he's concerned about her choice of husband shopping venue.
I'll admit that the mystery aspect is a bit predictable, but the story between Daisy and Jack carries the plot nicely and had me laughing all the way through the book. I love the chemistry and humor the author weaves into their relationship. There's even a puppy... Come on, who doesn't like puppies?
Another great novel by Linda Howard. I highly recommend this to contemporary romance fans who like their suspense on the light side.
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LibraryThing member mom2lnb
Open Season was my first read by Linda Howard. It’s been on my TBR pile for a while, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. The story has an interesting mix of flavors. It’s part straight-up contemporary romance and part romantic suspense. The contemporary parts lean toward the
I greatly enjoyed Daisy’s character. You could transplant me into the story, and I could easily double for Daisy. That’s how much she and I are alike, maybe not exact duplicates but very, very close. She considers herself to be plain and boring, and so do I. She thinks she’s very average looking, as do I, and the way her pre-makeover physical appearance is described is very similar to my own. She’s the head librarian in her small town of Hillsboro, and in another life, that most definitely could have been me. Put me anywhere near books and I’m happy as a clam just like Daisy. Also like me, she’s pretty intelligent and well-read, learning a lot of things from the books she loves so much. Daisy is a very good girl, who goes to church on Sundays and never, ever breaks the rules (Yup, ditto. :-)). But on the day of her thirty-fourth birthday, she decides she’s never going to get what she wants in life, namely a husband and kids, if she doesn’t step out of her comfort zone and do something, live on the edge a little. So she sets about getting a makeover of her physical appearance as well as trying things like going out to a nightclub to meet eligible men. The whole transformation process was pretty humorous. I loved how she was completely inept at putting on makeup, which is totally me too. LOL! I don’t necessarily want to say that Daisy is naive, but she does have a very innocent way of looking at life and a certain trustfulness in other people’s innate goodness. I liked that in spite of putting herself out there and trying new things, she never really loses that side of her personality. That’s not to say that she’s a pushover or that she does stupid stuff. She’s a really smart girl and I had to laugh when Jack thought that maybe she’d not followed his instructions to stay put for her own safety and she responded by telling him she wasn’t an idiot like the characters in movies who do that and get themselves killed. It was really refreshing to see a heroine who wasn’t acting the least bit TSTL.
Jack is kind of the opposite of Daisy. He’s a big-city cop who’s seen the dregs of society and has become somewhat jaded by it. After a failed marriage, he decided a move to the small town where he used to spend summers with his great aunt was in order, and he was lucky enough to get the job as chief of police in Hillsboro. It’s a sleepy little town where nothing ever happens except the occasional domestic disturbance or drunk and disorderly, until a couple of dead bodies show up and Daisy thinks she knows one of the people who was murdered. Then it leads to a huge human trafficking conspiracy, involving pillars of the community that no one ever expected. I have to admit, when Jack was first introduced I wasn’t sure if he was the intended hero or not. Daisy thinks of him in a pretty unfavorable way that didn’t endear me to him at all, but much like he gradually grew on Daisy, he grew on me as well. He could occasionally have his demanding alpha moments, but overall, he wasn’t as bad as many alpha heroes I’ve read. There were several things that I admired him for, such as his protectiveness of Daisy. Much like her, he’s sharp as a tack and puts his investigative ability to work, figuring things out. He doesn’t take anything for granted and meets everything with a healthy does of skepticism without being a total downer. I love how he’s drawn to Daisy’s innocence and goodness, how she can sometimes drive him just a little crazy, but that deep down, he enjoys bantering with her. He may have initially thought that he only wanted a short-term affair with the buttoned-up librarian, but she changed his mind in very short order. I also liked that, while Jack could be a little gruff at times, he has a good heart, and that shows not only in his interactions with Daisy but also with her new puppy.
Overall, Open Season was a very enjoyable read. The supporting cast, from the townspeople to the villains, were all very well-crafted with strong individual personalities and motivations. Sometimes, it’s the little things that are memorable, such as the mystery behind how Jack’s secretary, Eva Fay, always manages to be there before him and have a piping hot cup of coffee ready to hand him as he walks in the door or the gossipy pharmacist’s wife who spreads it all over town that Daisy and Jack are seeing each other and purchased a Party Pack of condoms after a hilarious encounter in the store. It’s small-town life at it’s best. Then there’s the suspense that was also well-written. It’s not so much a mystery, as we know who the bad guys are early on, as it is about their evil plans unraveling and them getting caught, but it still kept me engaged. Everything somehow worked together to create a fun story that I’d definitely recommend. It may have been my first Linda Howard book, but it certainly won’t be my last. I’m now looking forward to exploring more of her backlist soon.
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humorous side with Daisy’s transformation having something of a chick-lit vibe to it. While I hesitate to call it a romantic comedy, some of her scenes with Jack do end up being laugh-out-loud funny. The suspense portion is intense but perhaps not in quite the same way as a Karen Rose novel for example. It’s a small-town romance with that sense of tight-knit community, where everybody knows everybody else, but then you have Jack who’s a big-city transplant. It might seem like all these different elements are too disparate to work together, but somehow they all did, because Open Season ended up being a very good read for me.I greatly enjoyed Daisy’s character. You could transplant me into the story, and I could easily double for Daisy. That’s how much she and I are alike, maybe not exact duplicates but very, very close. She considers herself to be plain and boring, and so do I. She thinks she’s very average looking, as do I, and the way her pre-makeover physical appearance is described is very similar to my own. She’s the head librarian in her small town of Hillsboro, and in another life, that most definitely could have been me. Put me anywhere near books and I’m happy as a clam just like Daisy. Also like me, she’s pretty intelligent and well-read, learning a lot of things from the books she loves so much. Daisy is a very good girl, who goes to church on Sundays and never, ever breaks the rules (Yup, ditto. :-)). But on the day of her thirty-fourth birthday, she decides she’s never going to get what she wants in life, namely a husband and kids, if she doesn’t step out of her comfort zone and do something, live on the edge a little. So she sets about getting a makeover of her physical appearance as well as trying things like going out to a nightclub to meet eligible men. The whole transformation process was pretty humorous. I loved how she was completely inept at putting on makeup, which is totally me too. LOL! I don’t necessarily want to say that Daisy is naive, but she does have a very innocent way of looking at life and a certain trustfulness in other people’s innate goodness. I liked that in spite of putting herself out there and trying new things, she never really loses that side of her personality. That’s not to say that she’s a pushover or that she does stupid stuff. She’s a really smart girl and I had to laugh when Jack thought that maybe she’d not followed his instructions to stay put for her own safety and she responded by telling him she wasn’t an idiot like the characters in movies who do that and get themselves killed. It was really refreshing to see a heroine who wasn’t acting the least bit TSTL.
Jack is kind of the opposite of Daisy. He’s a big-city cop who’s seen the dregs of society and has become somewhat jaded by it. After a failed marriage, he decided a move to the small town where he used to spend summers with his great aunt was in order, and he was lucky enough to get the job as chief of police in Hillsboro. It’s a sleepy little town where nothing ever happens except the occasional domestic disturbance or drunk and disorderly, until a couple of dead bodies show up and Daisy thinks she knows one of the people who was murdered. Then it leads to a huge human trafficking conspiracy, involving pillars of the community that no one ever expected. I have to admit, when Jack was first introduced I wasn’t sure if he was the intended hero or not. Daisy thinks of him in a pretty unfavorable way that didn’t endear me to him at all, but much like he gradually grew on Daisy, he grew on me as well. He could occasionally have his demanding alpha moments, but overall, he wasn’t as bad as many alpha heroes I’ve read. There were several things that I admired him for, such as his protectiveness of Daisy. Much like her, he’s sharp as a tack and puts his investigative ability to work, figuring things out. He doesn’t take anything for granted and meets everything with a healthy does of skepticism without being a total downer. I love how he’s drawn to Daisy’s innocence and goodness, how she can sometimes drive him just a little crazy, but that deep down, he enjoys bantering with her. He may have initially thought that he only wanted a short-term affair with the buttoned-up librarian, but she changed his mind in very short order. I also liked that, while Jack could be a little gruff at times, he has a good heart, and that shows not only in his interactions with Daisy but also with her new puppy.
Overall, Open Season was a very enjoyable read. The supporting cast, from the townspeople to the villains, were all very well-crafted with strong individual personalities and motivations. Sometimes, it’s the little things that are memorable, such as the mystery behind how Jack’s secretary, Eva Fay, always manages to be there before him and have a piping hot cup of coffee ready to hand him as he walks in the door or the gossipy pharmacist’s wife who spreads it all over town that Daisy and Jack are seeing each other and purchased a Party Pack of condoms after a hilarious encounter in the store. It’s small-town life at it’s best. Then there’s the suspense that was also well-written. It’s not so much a mystery, as we know who the bad guys are early on, as it is about their evil plans unraveling and them getting caught, but it still kept me engaged. Everything somehow worked together to create a fun story that I’d definitely recommend. It may have been my first Linda Howard book, but it certainly won’t be my last. I’m now looking forward to exploring more of her backlist soon.
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LibraryThing member FerneMysteryReader
I enjoyed the story of small-town librarian Daisy Minor and am delighted to see that she was able to find the love of her life. It's also absolutely wonderful that the love of her life was attracted to who Daisy was as a person even before her "make-over."
LibraryThing member MyaB
This was a great book, it made me laugh and the suspense kept me reading. The characters were likeable and I was thoroughly pulled into the story. Kept me up way to late!
LibraryThing member Lauren2013
Open Season
3.5 Stars
On her birthday, small-town librarian Daisy Minor, decides that she is in dire need of a makeover. After transforming herself from a colorless mouse to an outspoken siren, Daisy starts attracting the wrong sort of attention from two very different men - the sexy new chief of
The first half of the book detailing Daisy’s early midlife crisis is slow and plodding with an excessive amount of detail on her transformation. The second half, however, is exciting and action packed, and the romance is fantastic.
Daisy and Jack Russo’s relationship incorporates the best aspects of the “opposites attract” trope and their banter is simply wonderful.
Daisy is an endearing heroine although she is quite naive, far too trusting and not all that observant. On the other hand, this could be explained away by her secluded lifestyle and small-town upbringing.
Jack is a man on a mission! What’s not to love about a sexy alpha male in pursuit of the woman who pushes all of his buttons?!
The suspense plot has incredible potential and the prologue is quite dark and troubling. Unfortunately, this does not really play out in the book itself and the gritty theme of human trafficking is underplayed. Nevertheless, the climax plays out well and the resolution is satisfying.
Overall, Open Season is my first Linda Howard book and I enjoyed it enough to read another.
3.5 Stars
On her birthday, small-town librarian Daisy Minor, decides that she is in dire need of a makeover. After transforming herself from a colorless mouse to an outspoken siren, Daisy starts attracting the wrong sort of attention from two very different men - the sexy new chief of
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police and a determined killer who is sure Daisy has seen something she shouldn’t have. Which one will get to her first?The first half of the book detailing Daisy’s early midlife crisis is slow and plodding with an excessive amount of detail on her transformation. The second half, however, is exciting and action packed, and the romance is fantastic.
Daisy and Jack Russo’s relationship incorporates the best aspects of the “opposites attract” trope and their banter is simply wonderful.
Daisy is an endearing heroine although she is quite naive, far too trusting and not all that observant. On the other hand, this could be explained away by her secluded lifestyle and small-town upbringing.
Jack is a man on a mission! What’s not to love about a sexy alpha male in pursuit of the woman who pushes all of his buttons?!
The suspense plot has incredible potential and the prologue is quite dark and troubling. Unfortunately, this does not really play out in the book itself and the gritty theme of human trafficking is underplayed. Nevertheless, the climax plays out well and the resolution is satisfying.
Overall, Open Season is my first Linda Howard book and I enjoyed it enough to read another.
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LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian
Much better than the last one I read. I enjoyed this book, a good mystery/romance rolled into one.
Awards
AAR Annual Reader Poll (2002)
AAR Top 100 Romances (92 — Most Recent Rank - 2007)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001-07
ISBN
0743504720 / 9780743504720