This book was not for me. From the first couple of chapters I could tell I didn't like it, but forcing myself through it was really hard. Seriously, it was really hard. I can easily admit that I'm not the right audience for this book.

It is an older book, first and foremost. This is a reprint of Slow Heat in Heaven by Sandra Brown.

I found that this book had the creepiest of starts - there's a man watching Schyler in the bayou. He has creepy Edward Cullen vibes and that continues through most of the book for me. Cash Boudreaux, this creeping man, is described as undisciplined, not well liked, rude, cruel and mischievous. And, of course, he's the romantic love interest! Let's make out with the creepy, cruel man! That makes so much sense.

Then there's all of the side characters. Schyler's sister Tricia is mean and cruel and is an absolute cow. I can't find one thing I like about her, and it frustrates me. I dislike characters who have no human trait or good thing about them. Everyone can be likable in some sense or have human qualities about them. This woman is not! Calling her sister white trash was the final straw for me.

Ken, Tricia's husband and Schyler's ex, seems nice enough but still makes me feel sick. I just don't like him.

And Schyler and Tricia's Father is named Cotton. Plus there's Jigger and his dog fighting. It's just too much.

There's so many racist and sexist comments in this that I just couldn't. It was really hard to find things I liked about this book. I'm sure there are going to be readers who like it, but it's not for me. One hundred and fifty percent not my kind of book. I finished it to give it the due respect it deserves, but I don't want to read anymore books like this. I might give Sandra Brown another chance, but the two books I've read of her I haven't exactly enjoyed.

One out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

It's hard for me to rate this, as I kind of enjoyed the sheer are-you-fucking-kidding-me levels of wtf going on, but it's difficult because there were quite a few slurs (of the racial and homophobic variety) that I had a hard time with. I understand that this was written a while ago (but not that long ago) but every time it was like being slapped in the face. There were certainly a ton of flawed, complex characters and I think that the language was used as a way to portray who the real villains were, but it felt unnecessary.

Also, too many viewpoints and an abrupt ending. ( )

This book is kinda like Gone with the Wind on crack of the 20th century and its based in Louisiana. Instead of Tara you have Belle Terre. Before the book starts you have older sister that seduced younger sister fiance and married him which caused younger sister Schyler to run away to London for 6 years.. She comes back because her father (adopted father - both daughters were adopted) had a heart attack. In coming back she finds out her home that she loves is in danger of foreclosure. That her fathers Lumber business has been closed by her brother in law (who used to be her fiance) and that his marriage to her sister is a joke and he is constantly telling Schyler he made a mistake.. Then you have Cash who grew up in a shack on Belle Terre with his mother who was Schyler's father mistress. He is the quote Hero unquote of this book. But he constantly sleeps with other women through out pretty much the whole book.. The sexual tention between him and Schyler is hot through out the whole book. He is very angry about how he and his mother was treated when he was growing up and hates Schyler's father (for good reason - I am leaving out a big spoiler on that one) Then you have one of Schyler childhood friends who had to become a whore to pay for her mothers medical bills which in turn upset her childhood sweetheart to the point he ended up throwing away his football career and ended up in prison (which in this book deplicts him getting raped in prison). Ohh and the bad guy raises dogs to fight - and we the reader get to "go to" one of these..ICK.. Man I could go on and on about the craziness and disfunction of this book.. I still give it a four rating cause it was so disfunctionable that you couldnt put it down. You needed to see how this thing was going to end. ( )

Slow Heat in Heaven
Skylar Crandall has returned home to the family estate Valtair. Cash as usual is there to protect her. When she shoots Flynns' dogs he rescues her...
He is able to update her on where everybody is and what's happened over the years: some in jail, some died, some turned prostitute.
He blames it all on her sister and her husband. The dogs have been killed and they belonged to her old time friend Gail and she's owned by Chigger now.
She learns her father Cotton had borrowed money and the banker now wants to know if she will be paying the note back. The house and land were put up for collateral.
After Cotton's heart attack Ken and Tricia had stopped the logging company from operating and there was no income to the estate.
Story also follows Johnnie who's in jail and his life there.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )

Typical early contemporary Brown. The characters make or break her books. ( )