She just wanted a husband and to shed her image as a homely, boring librarian. Instead, she ended up in the middle of a dangerous investigation with her life on the line.
I read Open Season by Linda Howard in under 24 hours, so let’s talk about it.
Published in 2001, this romantic suspense fits right into the ‘80s to early 2000s timeline I usually focus on for Books Your Mom Never Told You About.
Content warning: this book includes a date-rape drug (GHB), murder, and sex trafficking. Please check content warnings before you start.
Quick Info
📖 Book: Open Season
✍️ Author: Linda Howard
⭐ Rating: 4.25/5
🌶️ Spice: 1.5/5
📅 Published: 2001
🕵️ Genre: Romantic Suspense
📖 Format: Physical / audio (65/35)
📲 How to read:
Hardcover (Amazon Prime)
K+ (formerly Kindle Unlimited).
What are the tropes?
🕵️ Romantic Suspense
🔍 Mystery
🛡️ Protective Hero
💄 Heroine Transformation
🔥 Fast Burn
📼 Nostalgic Romance
What is it about?
On her 34th birthday, small-town librarian Daisy Minor decides she’s done being the boring, lonely one. She’s going to make herself over so she can build a life, find a husband, and start a family.
With the help of a fashionable male friend, Daisy’s wardrobe and look go from drab to chic and covetable. To really start fresh, she knows she has to get out of her mom’s house, so she gets her own apartment (in a terrible part of town) and heads out on the town to meet men and find her beau.
Her new nightlife puts her in the path of a murder, and suddenly she’s the one in danger.
Police chief Jack Russo is the only one who can protect her, and as the mystery around the town unravels, the two of them get closer than either planned.
What did I love?
The suspense. Once I hit chapter four or so, I could not put this book down. The mystery unravels slowly, with a lot of moving parts, and I finished it in under 24 hours.
Daisy’s transformation. She’s a great heroine and so well developed, and following her reinvention made me root for her even more. Her story is about coming into her own, not just about getting a man.
Jack. We see him through Daisy’s eyes, so he isn’t as fleshed out as she is, but he still felt like a full person. He’s smart, dedicated, protective, and completely into her. The moment around chapter 19 when she doesn’t answer the phone and you see how worried he is was my favorite part of the book.
The chemistry and humor. The romance develops fast, which is common in romantic suspense, but the chemistry worked for me, and there’s nice humor sprinkled in to lighten the tension.
What didn't work?
The ending came together fast, with less drama than I expected after all that buildup.
I also wanted a bigger declaration from Jack. After how worried he was about Daisy, she’s the one who has to ask him if he loves her, and I wanted him to say it first and in general to show a bit more romance at the end.
Finally, I could have used a smidge more spice. The tension was great in spots, like when Jack freaked out because Daisy didn’t answer the phone, but it never fully came together for me. The steam that was there was good, I just wanted it to be closer to a 50/50 blend of suspense and romance. To me it felt more like 65/35 suspense to romance.
Does it hold up in 2026?
Yes! A fast, fun romantic suspense with a protective hero and a heroine to cheer for still works, and I’d happily pick up more Linda Howard.
The suspense holds up so well that you’d never know this book is 25 years old. It’s a true page-turner, and the pacing is the kind you still find in suspense novels today.
The one thing that feels a little dated is the makeover. Makeovers are done much less often today, with a larger emphasis on acceptance, so I think the full scale of Daisy’s transformation would be toned down today. As a millennial who is very familiar with this plot device, it didn’t bother me.
If I’m being picky, the antagonists are written in a very binary, purely negative way for the most part. You do get a little development around what drives the muscle, but not for the mayor. If you like a page-turner, though, this is one to pick up.
Alli's Scorecard
Here’s how Open Season stacked up for me:
🫂 Characters ████████░░ 4/5
🔥 Chemistry ███████░░░ 3.5/5
📖 Plot ████████░░ 4/5
⏱️ Pacing ██████████ 5/5
🌶️ Spice ███░░░░░░░ 1.5/5
⭐ Overall ████████░░ 4.25/5
Final Thoughts
A gripping, suspenseful read with a heroine I loved and a hero who was all in. The ending fell a little flat for me, but it’s a quick, fun read I’d recommend to anyone who loves romantic suspense.
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