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Cry No More

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Fueled by an obsession to fill the void in other people’s lives, Milla Edge finds lost children—all the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a tragedy in her past. Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared in the labyrinth of a sinister baby-smuggling ring. The key to nailing down the organization may rest with an elusive one-eyed man. As Milla’s search for him intensifies, the mission becomes more treacherous. For the ring is part of something far larger and more dangerous, reaching the highest echelons of power. Racing into peril, Milla suddenly finds herself the hunted—in the crosshairs of an invisible, lethal assassin who aims to silence her permanently.

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 4, 2003

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About the author

Linda Howard

253 books6,980 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Linda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication which was very successful. Her first work was published by Silhouette in 1982. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 Howard was awarded their Career Achievement Award.

Linda Howard lives in Gadsden, Alabama with her husband, Gary F. Howington, and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,169 reviews
Profile Image for  A. .
1,163 reviews4,936 followers
August 2, 2020
5 Stars

Wow, wow, wow. WOW.



I almost didn't give this book a chance. I tried reading it a long time ago (twice) but I never got past the prologue. I thought I wouldn't like it.

But, oh how wrong I was!

Because this is, hands down, best Linda Howard's book. I will never forget it. Never.

The hero and the heroine are one of the most lovable characters in the entire romantic suspense genre. How can you not love them?

Milla. One of the best heroines ever. She is such a strong character. She's honest, fierce, loyal, persistent. I love her and admire her from the bottom of my heart.


Diaz.



There was nothing romantic about Diaz, no murmured sweet things, no gallant gestures, just this kiss that went on and on, deep and voracious. She’d never been kissed like this before, with an intensity that stripped everything down to the simplest components: male, female. He held her with his hand burrowed into her hair, her skull gripped in his palm, her head tilted back while he fed from her mouth. That was what it felt like, a taking. And yet he gave, too.

It was sex as she had never known it before, raw and powerful, surprisingly sophisticated in execution but primitive in design and intent.




He is NOT just another perfect book boyfriend. He is NOT just another hottie you forget as soon as you start the next book. He deserves a shelf of his own. He belongs to the Best Hero Ever Hall of Fame. Right next to Joe Callahan, Remington Tate, Lee Nightingale and other badassest of all the badass heroes out there. Because they are in a league of their own. Dark. Deadly. Dangerous. Stoic. Silent. Brooding. Rugged. Hot. Faithful. Devoted. Strong men. Manly men. Real men in every sense.

Yum.



I'm not going to lie, this book is not an easy read. It ripped my heart out. It deals with a very difficult subject matter but the author handled it beautifully. But don't worry, .

If you’ve read Linda Howard’s books before then you already know how talented she is. But this book is written with such passion and intensity that you will never forget it for as long as you live.
It is perfect style-wise, plot-wise, character-wise and length-wise.

If you loved this book as much as I did, please recommend me another book as good as this one. I need more.



Profile Image for Blacky *Romance Addict*.
486 reviews6,510 followers
March 25, 2015

Linda Howard, where have you been all my life??????????

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I am really REALLY late on the LH train, but OMG I am so glad I started reading her <3

This will be gush all over the place, just a warning :)




The writing

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"He wasn't carrying a weapon, at least none that she could see. But though his hands were empty, she wasn't reassured, because his eyes were the coldest, most remote eyes she'd ever seen. She was looking into the eyes of a killer, and though she was so frightened she was shaking, there was something mesmerizing about that gaze and she found herself unable to look away."



You can tell this is an old-school writer. I don't want to insult any of the new ones by saying this but it has so much more quality and depth it is unbelievable. I saw it from page one to the last.
The characters are real and uber-dimensional, the story is dark and emotional, overall this is just a brilliant piece of work!
Bravo LH! You made a fan for life here :)




The story

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“She felt both relaxed and protected with him, at least from outside forces. Nothing, it seemed, could protect her from him, and tonight she wasn’t even certain she wanted to be. Claimed, and mated. She was his, but was he hers? And if he was, what in hell did they do about it?
“I don’t even know what you want,” she said fretfully, beginning to lose herself in rising sensation.
“This,” he muttered in a dark, rough tone. “You.
Everything.”



I don't want to give too much away because I started the book going in blind, I had absolutely no idea what it was about, NO IDEA!
And I think the impact was huge on me when the story started happening because I didn't see any of it coming!
I'm just gonna give you a tease about it:
She is the head of an organisation that finds lost people.
He is a mysterious assassin.
Circumstances bring them to work together, and neither of them can fight the attraction.



The emotions

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"He crouched in front of her, his eyes almost level with hers. “I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry.” Cautiously he reached out and took her hand, as if making such contact wasn’t something he normally did and he wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. His fingers were hard and hot, his palm was callused; he cradled her hand in his and stroked his thumb over her knuckles. “Are you okay?”"



Yes, this deserves a special category because that part of the book was amazing.
There was that sadness involving her from the start, it is a difficult thing to endure and I can't imagine how she felt.
The middle of the book was the romance which was amazing, the sexual attraction between those two just bursting all over :D
But then came the last 20% or so.
OMG my heart just broke.
It broke for her and for him, and the absolutely horrible decision she had to make :(
I wanted to scream at her not to do it, though I understand why, but it just ISN'T FAIR!!!!!!!!!!
Diaz <3 What he did in that last part of the book...
He is the most amazing man ever. EVER!
I will always love him <3




The epilogue

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Yes, it deserves a category too.
I was keeping strong throughout the book, I didn't cry though at some parts I really wanted to, but the epilogue broke me.
Broke!!!
I am not a fan of crying while reading books I have to admit, and the fact that I still absolutely love this book should tell you something.



"She felt him move as he heaved himself up; then he was propped on his elbow, leaning over her and blocking the sun. “You’d better say no,” he murmured, flattening his hand on her stomach. The heat from his palm burned through her wet clothing to her chilled skin; then he slipped his fingertips under the waistband of her jeans and she felt the heat go all the way through her."





I was an idiot not to read this author before, but hey at least I'm starting now :)
This is a HUUUGE rec to everyone who likes suspense books, and ones that love a good emotional kick in the guts! This will deliver it for sure :)




Profile Image for Mo.
1,389 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2019
The blurb says this is my second time reading this. I am sure it is my third. Each time I read it I say to myself I am NOT reading this book again ... it is draining. It is heartbreaking. It is beautiful. I have reviewed it before but below is my little "homage" to the book ... as you can see, I loved it so much, I went out of my way to get the Hardcover ... only with firm favourites do I do that.






--------------------------------------
ORIGINAL REVIEW ...

She woke crying, as she always did.



Fueled by an obsession to fill the void in other people’s lives, Milla Edge finds lost children—all the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a tragedy in her past.


I love a tall, dark and handsome hero. Diaz certainly is that. The strong silent type.


His profile was tough, contained, a little grim. His jaw was still covered with stubble, his lips compressed as if he found nothing in his life to be joyous


Milla has been in limbo for ten years.


I suppose I don’t really want to give much of the story away as it is better to read it yourselves.

Maybe if he tried it more often, he thought with black humor, he wouldn’t seem to hungry. But taking care of the matter himself was easiest, so he did. It was been a couple of years since he’s seen a woman he was attracted to enough to consider having sex with – until he saw Milla Edge


Linda Howard is a wonderful storyteller. Especially her older books. To be honest, I have not read any of her newer books. I must.


Diaz doesn’t have much in his life, only his work.

Her mouth was completely feminine, soft and full and pink. And her eyes … her brown eyes were the saddest eyes he’d ever seen



Milla is strong, selfless – she deserves happiness.

Besides did she really want to climb into bed with a man she was half afraid of? Maybe just once, her libido whispered.




"By morning, she was raw and sore, and knew walking would be an effort. By morning, she could barely remember what it had been like to not know his body, not to have felt him inside her and held him in her arms and absorbed the power of his thrusts as he came.
By morning, she was his."


This is a tough journey that Milla and Diaz travelled. There were tears. But in the end I do hope that Milla will Cry No More.


The darkly overcast sky, the gray and turbulent Atlantic, and the cold gray rain all blended together, robbing the day of both sunlight and color
Profile Image for Kristin (KC).
266 reviews25.3k followers
April 16, 2017
*4 Stars*

An emotionally charged, action-packed read...


Cry No More boldly delivers a generous combo of suspense, mystery, unconventional love, and heart wrenching scenarios — not to mention, abundant steam, an intense alpha hero, and one of the kindest, most determined, selfless heroines to date. In an attempt to avoid revealing crucial plot details, I'll simply say that this harrowing and gripping tale had me guessing from start to finish, thoroughly exhausting my emotions in the process.

This story is expressed in a simple manner, which contrasts well with its poignant subject matter. The writing is graceful, straightforward, and not overly expressive. I do wish there had been a bit more character development, in regard to the hero; his mysterious character was wonderfully constructed, but I was hoping for a bit more of his backstory and just a deeper look into his intriguing persona.

There were multiple twists and surprising turns; some were easy to decipher and others held more shock value. The touching epilogue was a huge turning point in the story and offered a beautiful finish to a truly profound journey. This story brilliantly personifies self-sacrifice and the lengths one will go to for someone they love. Inspiring read!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Contemporary Romance/Suspense
▪ Steam Caliber: Maximum
▪ Romance: Very slow build, but solid.
▪ Characters: Mysterious alpha hero. Strong and determined heroine.
▪ Plot: Suspenseful and emotional. Twists and turns.
▪ Writing: Clean, smooth. Great storytelling.
▪ POV: 3rd Person Perspective: Alternating views
▪ Cliffhanger: None/Standalone
▪ HEA?



Profile Image for Brandi.
656 reviews1,467 followers
October 7, 2015
description

I've always heard great things about Linda Howard, but with so many books out there, I've just never gotten around to reading any of her work.I know. I must be living under a rock. Why have I waited so long??? This book was simply perfect, the suspense, the emotion, the romance, all expertly blended to create a story I will never forget. I highly recommend this one.
Profile Image for ♥Sharon♥.
983 reviews141 followers
July 25, 2022
Doing a re-read of this beauty! 💙

It was 7 years back when I read this for the first time. LOVED it then and I LOVED it just a little more the second time! Milla and Diaz will always be one of my favorite book couples. 💕

*****************************

Cry No More has been added to my FAVORITE shelf because I LOVED it. I love the way Linda Howard writes and found it refreshing that she was able to encompass so much within this story without overdoing anything. This story was intriguing, suspenseful, and emotional. The two main characters were strong and inspiring.

Milla had a full life. She was married to an honorable man that she adored and she was blissfully happy that they had just started a family. She loved them and they loved her. And then one day it was all gone. Her life was ripped from her. She wasn’t supposed to survive such anguish but she did.

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Milla ~ was such an inspiring heroine. She had an unwavering faith that what she was doing, what she was living for, would one day fill the emptiness in her heart. She wouldn’t be deterred by her family or friends that couldn’t understand. She held on to hope and took every risk necessary. Milla had no way of knowing what would happen when she decided to take a risk on Diaz.

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Diaz ~ Oh my. ❤ What a sexy and mysterious hero he was. Parts of him were ruthless and dark but he was also comforting and merciful. Even though Milla feared him on some level, it was his strength and determination that Milla held on to.

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The road that Milla and Diaz was about to travel wasn’t going to be an easy one. Milla’s determination would be tested and Diaz would find himself struggling with choices he has to make so he can hold on to the little bit of happiness he has finally found. There wasn't anything he wouldn't risk. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. He would take her pain and he would be patient.

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I absolutely loved the rollercoaster ride that this story took me on. What a heart wrenching, sexy, sweet, tender and inspiring love story this was. I loved that Diaz quietly gave Milla his strength when she needed it most and Milla had the courage to accept it and be happy.

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Lots to love with this one....right to the very end. Kudos to Linda Howard for writing a pretty fantastic, sexy and different romance story.
Profile Image for Nazanin.
1,182 reviews783 followers
June 19, 2017
4.5 Stars

I’d like to thank my dear friend Karla for recommending this great book to me! You know me well, Karla! Even better than myself! I don’t know why I didn’t notice this book!

This story is about a couple (Milla and David) that when they were in a foreign country (Mexico) their son (Justin) was born. But six-week after his birth, he was kidnapped. They took him from her arms in a supermarket, she really tried to not let them take him but at the end she lost him. Now after 10 years, her life’s isn’t like her former life. They divorced. David has his own life with his new wife and children. But Milla has not stopped looking for her son. Even she has organized Finders. It’s a group that their duties are finding missing ones. So after 10 years how she can find his son? Is he alive after these years? If he's alive is he happy or sad? Who was behind this kidnapping? Who is friend and who is enemy?

Okay it was a little predictable and I guessed right but it was an exciting read even though you know who is/are behind everything! I mean at some point it can surprise you and you think your heart is stopped beating! Milla’s character was so much good! I loved her! I loved she hadn’t lost her hope even after that, those around her were constantly dissuade her and no one had any hope! She reminds me of my own mother or any other mothers who want dearly protect their own children and rest assured that they will live forever, well and happy.

I had difficulty to connect with Diaz! But I really could feel how scary he is! When I was reading this book I thought I’m reading a series, it was so complete in everything. And let’s don’t forget about that ending! It was sooo perfect!

It was my first read by this author and definitely isn’t last! The writing was perfect and compelling! I think it’s a talent. The story is told in multiple POV, 3rd person. It’s a standalone story. All in all, I loved it and enjoyed it, hope you enjoy it as well!
Profile Image for Shawna.
3,655 reviews4,712 followers
February 2, 2015
5+ stars – Romantic Suspense

Cry No More...No kidding...I don’t think I had any tears left after reading this book. I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning to finish because I just had to find out what happened and the ending made me bawl like a baby. Seriously, I needed a box of tissues and a big hug when I turned the last page. It’s an intense, gut-wrenching, thought provoking, heartbreaking, emotional roller coaster ride that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

Milla is one of the strongest and most selfless heroines of any book that I’ve read, and her resilient determination in the face of such agonizing grief was brave yet often painful to witness.

Diaz...Sigh...The bounty hunter/assassin is a calm, calculating, ruthless, sexy, complex, dark gamma anti-hero worthy of his own Anne Stuart Ice story. He’s such a fascinating, hardened yet vulnerable character, and I just flat-out couldn’t get enough of him. Although Diaz is a cold man of few words, he and Milla share a powerful, volatile connection and explosive sexual chemistry. Their romantic relationship is complicated and intense, and the love scenes are off the charts, singe your fingertips, smokin’ hot!

With a plot that centers on a mother’s relentless hunt for justice and involves atrocious issues like baby snatching, child smuggling, and brutal killings for harvesting and selling organs on the black market, it’s a tough, unforgiving, and poignant read. This is the ideal antidote for anyone who says that romance novels are shallow, meaningless wastes of time. Big 5 stars!

Profile Image for  Danielle The Book Huntress .
2,701 reviews6,444 followers
September 2, 2009
It's hard to really say what I think about this story. It starts out so beautiful, showing Milla with her beautiful new baby, and then her life becomes a living hell. Milla is a character that evolves so much over the course of this book. She really is a person who has to rebuild herself from the ground up. You see this evolution occur painstakingly, and then you see her have to go through it again near the end of the book. It's one of those books that I got to the point where I wanted no distractions while I read. I turned the tv off, pulled the covers up over me and immersed myself to see how the conclusion would unfold. And when I finished this book, it was past my bedtime, but I was too keyed up to go to sleep right away. I had to start another lighter book to wind down.

This is definitely a five star book. The power of the story, the utterly believeable and intense nature of its protagonist, Milla, and her counterpart in Diaz really made this book a winner for me. There is some suspense, but really it's a book about a inner journey with an external crusade. Most of the violence is off-screen. I wonder if this was a deliberate move on Howard's part. Would this have been written differently if this was about a man's search for his lost child? I can't say I wanted more violence. I think it was great the way it was written. This is Milla's story, and she owns it. Yet, Diaz has a way of stealing the show without overshadowing Milla.

There was a part of the book where I was asking, why is she showing Milla doing housework, and going through her beauty regimen in such excruciating detail? Then it occurred to me. This woman lost everything. She has to have some sort of normalcy in a life utterly bereft of normalcy. She has dropped everything so that she could find her baby, and that was all she focused on. So she needed the few moments of normalcy in her life to stay sane.

Most people who have read this book talk about how it made them cry. We'll talk about the crying part later. First let's talk about how angry this book made me. I didn't get a headache, but I felt a smoldering rage inside at what Milla (and other women who went unavenged and unresolved in this novel) went through, and why. How could people be so devoid of humanity to do some things that people in this book did? Let's talk about who did it. If I had one wish that this book had shown, it was to see Milla confront the people who were the masterminds behind her son's kidnapping. The actual identities were such that my anger flourished as I read this book. Betrayal of that kind could not be easily, if ever forgiven. Yet we never see her confront anyone involved except the man who stole her baby from her arms, and a lady who took care of the baby for a short time. We never see Milla confront her betrayers. I wonder if Ms. Howard wanted to focus on the most important aspect for Milla, closure.

And then let's talk about Milla's family. I wanted to be angry at her ex-husband, David, but in the end, I felt sorry for him. He didn't have it in him to be with the 'Amazon' as he called Milla. He wasn't a warrior in the sense that Diaz was. He couldn't walk at her side, as Diaz does. But he does support her in the best way he can. Not so for her brother and sister. There is a scene where I wanted to slap the living tar out of Milla's sister, Julia. She comes to pick a fight with Milla when it's clear Milla doesn't have the time or inclination to be around either her brother or sister, when they toss out callous directives like, "Forget him. He's gone." As if that's so easy a thing to do. We don't see how this is resolved either. Again, I felt that Howard wanted to keep a sharp focus on what really mattered, Milla and her resolution of losing her baby.

Diaz is one of the things that kept me reading. I'm sorry if that sounds shallow of me. He was so fascinating to me. He was like the opposite of what many heroes are, and so appealing. He is a social misfit, but in the most intimidating of ways. People are scared to death of the man. He does some questionable things. But deep down, he has a lot of honor. I cannot even call him an antihero. He's a hero that willingly gets his hands dirty instead. If there was a man that was made for Milla, it's him. It was interesting to see Milla deal with her feelings for Diaz. She doesn't understand how she could connect with him on such a deep level, with him being so cold, so remote, so deadly. Well the old Milla certainly could not have. But she wasn't that person anymore. The new Milla needed a man like Diaz, in my opinion.

I didn't think that Diaz was blameless when he betrays Milla. He does something that he shouldn't have. It was wrong. He knew it. But he did it for the right reasons in his mind. He didn't know what Milla would do, and he did what was characteristic of him: dirty to keep things clean in the end. I was very glad that Milla was able to forgive him, because he really did need and want her forgiveness. He needed the connection with her to be human and to have a chance at a normal life.

I think that he showed his love for her unreservedly when he stood by her side when she had to do one of the hardest things any parent could have to do (there are worst things, not too many, though). I loved his caring, consideration, and patience with Milla towards the end of the book, how he watched out for in ways that few people could or would have, without ever being asked. I loved how he knew she was what he wanted and needed, and stayed the course. He was the soulmate for the new Milla. Ah, the man just fascinated me terribly.

I didn't cry until the part that was very hard for Milla occurred. I started crying when she went to see her ex-husband with the news. The interaction between them was brilliantly written because it showed that they would still be happily married and a cohesive whole if their baby hadn't been kidnapped. Yet at the same time, you see that they have gone in different directions and they will never be one whole again. David was the soulmate for the old Milla, who would never exist again. Yet they would always have a bond through their mutual son and their love for him. That was one of the best scenes in this book, in my opinion.

I was glad that we got a great epilogue that showed that Milla would have a good life in the future. I really needed to see that after so many years of her sacrificing, and the cost of what she gave up. It was great to see.

This is one of those books it took forever for me to get around to reading. Honestly, I avoid stories with children being hurt and kidnapped and loved ones suffering. Too real life for me. But Linda Howard managed to make me love this story so much, because Milla is the kind of woman that you cannot help but admire and root for. And Diaz is the kind of hero that is needed in this dark world. One of my all time favorite kinds of heroes, dark with hidden depths of light. Cry No More is without a doubt a wonderful book.

Profile Image for Lady Heather .
1,304 reviews769 followers
November 29, 2013


5 shiny stars

I just want to start off by saying that this was probably the most difficult review I've written to date.
Even though my friends on GR 'warned' me that this would be a tear-jerker, nothing, and I mean NOTHING prepared me for actually reading, and experiencing what happened at the end of the story.

KUDOS to Ms. Howard's storytelling!


THE BEFORE

1993 Mexico

In the beginning of the story, We're introduced to Milla and David Boone. David is a surgeon working for a year in Mexico offering a free clinic. Milla's found out she was pregnant just before David was set out to leave, but after meeting with the teams OB-GYN, Milla she feels secure in having her baby in Mexico with David.

Milla and David's baby is now 6 weeks old, and they're looking forward to finishing up in Mexico and moving back to the States.
One morning while Milla is at the market getting a few groceries, two men corner her. One of the men cuts the sling that holds her baby Justin to her front and frantically she leans forward to prevent her baby from falling, only to realize that her son has been snatched out of her arms. Milla viciously fights the man clawing at his face, until he loosens his hold on her son. Just when she thinks she's able to get Justin, she feels a searing, paralyzing pain in her back and she drops like a rock to the market floor. When she finally looks up she sees the man running away carrying her son like a football under his arm, She calls out for someone.. anyone "Someone get my baby"... but no one helps her.


THE AFTER

10 years later.. El Paso, New Mexico

Milla is now 33 years old, and here's the countdown of her last 10 year..

10 years ago, Justin was stolen from her, and she barely survived the stabbing to her kidney.
9 years ago, David divorced her. She didn't blame him. David hadn’t just lost his son, he’d also lost his wife. From the time she’d regained consciousness after being stabbed, her every thought, her life, had focused on finding Justin. There simply hadn’t been anything left in her for David.
8 years ago, following another lead to find Justin, Milla recovered a stolen baby, and was able to return the infant to an hysterical mother. She didn't have any closure with her own son's disappearance, but somehow she was able to offer it to some other mother.
7 years ago, she organized Finders, a group of people set out to mobilize and hunt missing or stolen children.
6 years ago, David remarried.
5 years ago, Finders received their first missing persons case. They didn't just search for missing children, but adults as well.
4 years ago, David and his new wife had their first child, a daughter.
3 years ago, Milla's brother told her to get on with her life, and forget about her son. She hasn't spoken to him since.
2 years ago, Milla heard the name Diaz for the first time, and the possibility of him being involved in Justin's disappearance. David and his wife had their second child, a boy. That night Milla cried herself to sleep.
Tonight.. tonight following a anonymous tip telling her Diaz would be at a meeting behind a church in Mexico, she saw the man who tore her son out of her arms.
She would never forget his face, but also she left her mark on him, because now he only had one eye.

Milla puts word out that she' looking for Diaz. She asks her friend and a sponsor of Finder's, True Galligar to find any information on Diaz. She soon discovers that Diaz is not the person who has stolen her son, but that he is an assassin, and if the money's right, he can find anyone.

After a rather scary first meeting with Diaz, Milla convinces Diaz to help her find her son. At first Milla is wary to be around Diaz, because he moves like a panther, has a 'cold' look in his eyes (like he's a sociopath), and screams 'predator' whenever you look at him. But, after awhile, Milla soon realizes that Diaz is only cold, and cruel to those who deserve it, and she knows in her heart that he would never hurt her. Milla soon starts to become attracted to Diaz. She's never had this type of attraction to anybody else in her life before... and it scares her because she knows this man can be brutally dangerous.

As a reader I really did not like Diaz'z character, but as the story progresses, and the more I 'get to know him'...I soon fall in love with him. He is guarded, and only opens himself up to people who he trusts, and that seems to be only Milla.

As the story builds, so does the bond between Diaz and Milla.
They soon realize, by putting pieces together from information they've discovered, that for last 10 years Milla has been fed misinformation to keep her off track from finding her son.
There is a huge conspiracy going on, with deceit, and absolute betrayal from people Milla thought were her friends and people she loved.

This is were the story gets really exciting, and without giving too much away, I gotta say that I DID NOT expect the ending this story had.

Milla's journey was so well written, and her heart breaking 'obsession' to find her son..even after so many years, after everyone else gave up was so touching and believable.

When Milla finally finds out the truth, and what happened to Justin ...
the best way I could describe how I felt for her is:

milla the end


THE PRESENT

... and then there's the Epilogue. All I can say is MY GOD!!!

It is how it should be because, she deserves nothing else!


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One of the best stories I've read to date, and definitely one I'll be re-reading!

July 3, 2018
Good bye Howard. I'm never reading another book of yours again!!

http://ivyquinnauthor.blogspot.com/20...

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It’s been close to 30 years since I’ve read a Linda Howard book. There was a time when none of her books were safe from my clutches. Seems with time my tastes have changed because I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. The story started off well enough but then it started to fizzle. It became too predictable and safe.

I liked Milla and Diaz as individuals. As a couple, I wasn’t feeling it at all. The chemistry was not there. To me the romance felt like it came out of left field. I probably would have enjoyed the story more if there had been less focus on the lackluster romance and more on the punishment of the people behind the kidnapping of Milla’s son. It’s like once all the players were identified, that was it. Pavon’s torture was glossed over. There was only a mention of the others getting arrested. Not an actually scene. It doesn't get any more anticlimactic than that. These were evil people, and I wanted details on their suffering. Yes, I’m unapologetically vengeful like that. Oh well….

As for the last chapter, it was sweet, but it still left me wanting more.

Based on the ratings, this is clearly a case of me and not the book.
Profile Image for Jenny••Steamy Reads Blog••.
987 reviews1,936 followers
June 25, 2017
Cry No More 4.5 tears....
Gonna try and keep this short. If you haven't picked this gem up, do it. It's a book that was recommended to me, and thank god I took my dear friends advice and gave it a chance.

This book completely rocked my world. It made me smile, it made me cry, it definitely made me wish to god I could kick book assholes asses, it made me love, it really made me smile, and oh my god did this book make me fall in love with the strongest hero I've ever read. Milla Edge, how I love your strength. You are simply amazing. Its indescribable at how strong you are!!! What you did, what you had to endure, and how you conquered, oh my heart!!
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And lastly, I am absolutely in love with the new baddest man in town. James Diaz you complete me!!
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And that ending, couldn't have been any more perfect!!!!
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Thanks dear Karla, so thankful I took your advice and read this one❤️❤️❤️
Profile Image for Mareeva.
382 reviews8,907 followers
May 30, 2024
5 stars

Holy shit....

A heroine with-
With common sense??

Y'all this girl actually listened to Diaz's warnings AND DIDN'T do stupid shit that she knew would get her killed for the sake of an angsty plot. Am I dreaming?

I was skeptical when I started this. The ratings were so high, everyone I follow gave this book 5 stars. After reading the prologue, I knew this book might play with my fragile ass emotions and I didn't know if I was ready.

Unfortunately, it did fuck me up emotionally so bad that I had a full-length dream about this book. So I guess y'all were onto something here😔

The portrayal of grief was so beautiful, I had to take a break cause that shit had me mourning my own kid, and I don't even have kids.

And the ending? I usually find happy endings satisfactory but kinda boring. But here...I couldn't help my buffoon ass smile.
Profile Image for Birjis.
456 reviews309 followers
April 25, 2021
Linda Howard's books needs praising for she not only writes her stories amazing her characters flow with the blood until you live with them. I have yet to be disappointed by a book I pick from this author and I fail to complain.

Cry No More is a beautiful story of a mother in search for her stolen child. Her determination, dedication and love beyond for her baby is expressed and felt just by reading. The story delivers an unconventional love, mystery, suspense and a heavy dose of a cold alpha hero. This book has quality and depth so meaningful, I cried with the mother that broke my dam for my own fur babies. Before you begin this book remember to have a proper dedication while reading because this book deserves it.

Milla is of faith and loyalty. At twenty-three-years she was married to a handsome, honorouble doctor and they have a new born son, Justin. Her future was already planned, she would complete her studies and one day teach students. Her blissful life was snatched away when two thugs snatched her baby, her life wasn't same anymore. 10-years later she is divorced and still searching for her son. She organized a group called the Finders who search for the missing children. She finds happiness by finding the missing children and returning them to their families but there is a large hole in her chest that wouldn't fill. Neither her family nor her friends could deter her from searching for her son. She was bottled in anguish and took risks until Diaz came to her life. Diaz is an assasin, he is a mystery from the beginning. He comes and disappears, everyone seems to fear him. Circumstances brought Diaz and Milla together, their sexual attraction was bursting over the place. You'll all love Diaz.

This books writing is enchanting. How enchanting and meaningful the story was. I'm hitting my head for not highlighting any quotes, there are some spectacular lines that's so heart gripping. The ending is bittersweet but there is a HEA. After everything Diaz is what Milla needs. Milla is an inspiring woman. This couple is one of my favourite. I highly recommend this book, it's going to be a miss if you don't read it. I had all the feels.
Profile Image for boogenhagen.
1,986 reviews786 followers
April 11, 2017
I liked this, up until the end and then when the blobfish pustule H betrayed the h by destroying her son's information, I was reaching for the Captain and a skillet. There is no way I believe a woman who searched so hard and so long would forgive that action - no matter how good a pike poker he was.

I also have serious doubts about any adoptive parents who get into a situation where they have a kidnapped child and don't let that child know or get to know the rightful parents. That was 100% fertilizer in my estimation. Do you really want people like that raising a kid? I sure as heck did not.

I can see not pulling the kid from his innocent family, but srsly - they bought a baby, yet they werent' suspicious? Also the h and her ex husband should have gotten visitation at least. LH gives us nothing on the rage and problems that kid must have felt when his adoptive parents told him the truth all those years later.

Anyhows, the end ruined the rest of it and I wanted the H to die by a toilet seat to the head.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for peachygirl.
291 reviews840 followers
October 13, 2020
For a book titled Cry no more, this sure made me cry buckets.
LH at her best!
Profile Image for Carol.
1,349 reviews256 followers
August 31, 2018
5 stars.
My first Linda Howard book ever.
What a bittersweet and poignant romance. I had such a lump in my throat when I finished reading this. She literally had me in tears.
Milla's story was such an emotional journey and I really was unprepared for how deeply I would feel her pain.
With a title like "Cry No More" is it really surprising that this was a tear-jerker.
This romantic suspense was written with characters and in a style that totally absorbed me and kept me turning pages well after midnight. I simply had to finish.
Diaz was a much harder character for me to fully relate to, but the tender and loving care he directed towards Milla at the end of this story totally captured my heart.
LOVED everything about this book and can't wait to read my next one by this author.
Profile Image for JAN.
1,197 reviews917 followers
April 11, 2017
****4.5 Stars ****

Cry No More was almost perfect. For that, I needed a bit more from the male MC.  I can't pinpoint why but I couldn't read him.
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but he was too mysterious and not in that fascinating enigmatic way, it was more like in a shady way. There was something missing, like a piece of a puzzle to make the whole him make sense.

On the other hand, the female character exceeded my expectations. Milla had her world ripped apart.

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But instead of being carried away by darkness and depression,

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and she became a lady on a mission.

my little world..

Tireless on her mission, I must say. Ten years, a pillar, steady, strong, fierce on what she believed. Helping other families, who were facing the same kind of nightmare she had once been through in her life.

I couldn't be prouder of her and yet, at the end, she astonished me again, showing that on top of all her other qualities she was also the most selfless character I came across in a book.



Because c’mon, what she did at the end?  I am not sure I would be able to do the same. Maybe. Maybe not. It's that kind of situation where you only know what to do once you come across it: to deal with your heart or your reason?

I won't forget this any time soon and that is the reason I will round it up to 5 *.

A remarkable story.

A big thanks to Anna, Anna's review.

This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obsession

 
Profile Image for Amy | Foxy Blogs.
1,682 reviews1,035 followers
January 15, 2014
Price drop to $1.99
1/14/2014

http://www.amazon.com/Cry-No-More-How...


**Tissues required while reading this story**

Milla is living the picturesque life with her husband, David, and newborn. She’s the wife to a surgeon who is child prodigy. They are in Mexico for a year while he is donating his time and skills to a free clinic. His year of donated time is coming to a close and soon they will be back in America.

One beautiful afternoon Milla and their infant son are in the Mexican Open Market when their whole world is CHANGED FOREVER. After that afternoon Milla’s life has taken on a new purpose and meaning.
”Everything feels like the end of the world, and you can’t reason with someone who can’t see tomorrow.”

Diaz is NOT a man of many words but the ones he uses are golden. Enigma is the best word I can use to describe him. Each scene with him had me on the edge of my seat.
"Nothing much impresses me, but that was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

Yesterday my husband and I were at a restaurant for lunch and I was recapping what I had read so far in this book to him and I posed the question:

Me-”How do you think this will end?
Husband- “Yes,
Me- “Does she get
Husband- “No, she lets

I looked at him dumbfounded and broke down crying in the restaurant.

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Standalone
Profile Image for Karen.
814 reviews1,193 followers
May 23, 2015
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SENSATIONAL! My first LInda Howard book, and most definitely not my last. I loved it. More review to come.
Profile Image for Karla.
987 reviews1,105 followers
November 8, 2013

5+ Stars for the audio version!!

Not only is this my favorite Linda Howard book, it's one of my top ten reads. I've read it several times, and it always every bit as good as reading it the first time, but the audio book took it to another level...fantastic!! For those of you who have read the book, that last emotional chapter, you know what I mean...OMG...James Alejandro Xavier Diaz...I love you, again and again and again...*swoon*!! A top ten hero!! And that epilogue...oh my heart be still...perfect!! Paperback, ebook, audio, it doesn't matter how you read it, just read it. You will not be disappointed!!

Check out Shawna's review, she says it all, and does it so well!!
Profile Image for Shaikha.
126 reviews37 followers
September 8, 2021
Love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love
Profile Image for Glass.
646 reviews4 followers
July 16, 2014
Thank you, Blacky. As I have been told, the best way to cure bad case of a reading slump is to read genres and authors that wouldn't usually be your first choice. So, I did just that - thanks to wonderful Blacky from Goodreads, I got Linda Howard bug. My favorite are romantic suspense novels and out of those that I have read so far, Cry No More is the one that left me completely speechless.

Why I love this book? Oh, where to start... How about because of everything? Let me put it like this - this is Kristen Ashley kind of story but without all of the annoying and bad things that are unavoidable in her novels. There is mystery, there is epic love story, angst and emotional breakdowns, action, amazing characters...

Story. Linda Howard is a good with putting everything that makes a good story on the paper. Cry No More is a heartbreaking tale about a woman who doesn't give up and the strongest kind of love there is - the one that connects mother to her child. In 1993 Milla's six weeks old son was abducted. Ten years later she is leading group called Finders who help find missing people and she is still looking for her son. This is not a romance with alpha male that will save a day and get the girl. Main focus of the story is on Milla and her inner struggle. Yes, there is a love interest, but not of the kind you will expect.

Characters. If you are sick of thirty year old women acting like teenage girls and drama queens, I think that you should read this. Both Milla and Diaz were believable characters, portrayed with positive and negative sides. I was especially intrigued by Diaz because it took me a while to decide if he was a good or a bad guy.

Who should read Cry No More? Fans of a strong female characters, a good story that will keep your attention until the very last page, everyone who wants to read something a little bit more "grown up".

Review posted at Ja čitam, a ti?
Profile Image for Eastofoz.
636 reviews394 followers
July 10, 2008
In the mood to rip out your soul, cry buckets, say OMG a few times too many for everything from abject misery to pure rapture? Then read this book! It is sooooooooo good! The hero looks like he was plucked straight out of one of Anne Stuart’s Ice novels—he is incredible. He doesn’t say much, but when he does and how he does what he does just makes you go all limp and you fall down in a puddle of what used to be you--guaranteed! He is the uber alpha/gamma hero, hotness personified. This is one of those rare books that is so exceptionally well put together and so not a “typical” romance novel that you just don’t know what to say because it leaves you speechless.

The story is packed with action and unimaginable betrayal, profound love and hate, heinous people—and to think that these dregs of humanity actually exist—and people who should be sainted.

Milla, the heroine, will just make you cry and cry until you can’t breathe. What happens to her is horrific, the care that the hero takes in bringing her back to something that resembles a life is one of the most incredible expressions of love I’ve ever read. And the ending, your whole chest cavity just hurts because of what happens.

It’s hard to give a decent review without giving away any parts of this book. I knew nothing about the story and I’d rather not even give a little blurb about who’s who so that you can really appreciate all the twists and turns and the emotional roller coaster ride this book will take you on.

Just get it, and make room on your keeper shelf before you’ve even started reading it because that’s where it's headed---and then be prepared to call all your friends and tell them to do the same :D

**warning: make sure you have Kleenex in the house (your sleeve will be soaked otherwise--ew) and don’t read it at night unless you plan on not sleeping
Profile Image for Tanya.
97 reviews4 followers
January 17, 2022
She had known for over three years now that even if she found him, she would still never have him. On his seventh birthday, she had awakened to the realization that he was irrevocably gone. Even if she found him that very day, his life and security were centered around other people, and to take him away from that would be devastating to him. Because she loved him, she knew she would have to let him go. She still had to search, she had to make certain he was okay . . . but he was gone. He would never be hers again.
It's been so long since I ugly cried over a book. Linda Howard is the queen of romantic suspense, period.
Profile Image for Rose.
357 reviews33 followers
October 2, 2021
Crying by the end of this book, even though the title says (Cry No More). An amazing journey about a mother's undying love and strong will to find her missing child. The true hero in this book was Milla, the mother. Who unfortunately has her 6 weeks old baby taken savagely away from her, and she was left fighting for her own life.

“I can no more stop looking for him than I can stop breathing...But I couldn’t see anything else, couldn’t listen to anything else. I knew he was out there, and I had to find him.”

This book centered mostly on finding the road that would ultimately lead her to finding her own son. It was so incredible, it broke my heart what she had to go through. The hard choices... decisions she had to make around her own family, in order to find her lost child. She gave up on her own happiness to find her child. She sacrifice many years of her life, which ultimately displayed the great love of a mother who never gave up.

"I have a name. Finally, I have a name! Do you know what this means?” Tears scorched her eyes and seeped from beneath her closed lids. “I have a real chance now of finding my baby; for the first time I have a chance!”

Along this path, she meets Diaz. A cold assassin, who never knew what love truly was, or understood the undying powerful love of a mother towards her child. He becomes her anchor and her protector through this journey. And falls deeply in love with her.

I don’t even know what you want,” she said fretfully, beginning to lose herself..."This,” he muttered in a darkrough tone. “You. Everything.”

I highly recommend this. If you love thrillers and heroic tales of a mother's love, this book is for you.

5 stars❤
Profile Image for Amanda.
1,392 reviews325 followers
May 5, 2015
This is one of my old time favorite by Linda Howard. Reading it again after all these years never seemed to diminish my love for this book. Cry No More is one of the best romantic suspense I've ever read.

The heroine, Milla Edge - a mum desperately seeking for her child who was abducted from her own hands when he was just over a months old. For ten years she never give up hope and in the meantime she set up a volunteer group to help others in her predicament.

The hero, James Diaz - an assassin, a bounty hunter or a vigilante? He seems shadowy and his true motivation behind the work he had done over the years was not clearly explained to me. But I'm captivated by his personality. A man who isn't verbal, but let action speaks for himself. After he found out that the smuggling ring that Milla looking into coincide with his own interest, he decided to help her locate her lost child. Though we never got his POV, I think he admire Milla's spirit and love the sense of accomplishment when he could help someone in need.

For me, a perfect romantic suspense is when the author can make me rooting for the couple and at the same time feeling engage with the suspense plot as well. From the beginning, I'm so invested with Milla and her struggling for justice. I wanted her to find her son back. With little clues thrown along the way, she stumble nearer and nearer to the truth. I'm totally at edge and wondering who is the bad guys.

As for the romance, what I like most of the absence of anything insta. I felt that too many romantic suspense use the insta-lust way to speed things up. Milla and Diaz initially encounter was hostile and she was kinda freaked out by his reputation. But she decided to risk it and tried to get the help from this infamous assassin. I enjoyed their slow pace of getting to know each other and doing the sleuthing tasks together. There isn't a lot of flowery speeches considering Diaz was pretty uncommunicative kind of man, but you will just feel in love with him.

I love the ending and the epilogue. Is not what I would have envisioned in the beginning, but is still perfect in every way leaving you closing the book with happy tears.

"It's okay to live. It's okay to be happy again."
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