Lawson’s review of Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill
Contemporary romance released by Grand Central 1 Mar 08

There’s quite a bit of plot and set-up that happens in the first few chapters of Wild Jinx, it’s almost overwhelming. That and the overdone Cajun-isms and plays to the life on the bayou. Celine Arseneux, self proclaimed geek and investigative reporter is on assignment at a sex club. The night she’s there happens to be the night John LeDeux and his police force raid the club. The Dixie Mafia is going down, but John needs to go into hiding until the trial for his protection and Celine needs another scoop. Enter Jinx, Inc., a treasure hunting company searching for pirate gold in the bayou. And all of that is just the set-up for the rest of the story.

From there Celine and John dance around each other at the site of the supposed treasure, eventually succumbing to their chemistry and impulses. Eventually the deep dark secret that Celine is hiding from John comes out and all hell breaks loose. What is evident with the big revelation are two important character traits of Celine and John: she’s overly stubborn and protective and he just doesn’t want to grow up. Sure, he’s a cop, he’s independent, but he really just wants to have fun.

The other distracting thing in the story, besides the fast and vast set-up, is the large amount of secondary characters. This book ties together two different series with multiple books each and it got a little overwhelming after awhile. And they are all good, decent characters, but there’s just too much stereotyping, especially with the Cajun LeDeux clan. The members of Jinx Inc. all seem to be two or three things at once (example is Caleb Peachy, who obviously had his own love story earlier in the series, who is an ex-Amish Navy SEAL) and all of them start to grate.

Overblown characters and too many things going on distract from Celine and John, not that they seem to be great characters to start with. Oh, and when the author pimps one of her previous books in the one you’re reading (though the effect seems to be to tie the Jinx and the Cajun series together), it gives shades of unprofessionalism. And it just seems wrong.

Grade: D

Blurb:

HOT…
When reporter Celine Arseneaux entered The Playpen, a Baton Rouge club for men and women, she never expected John LeDeux to swagger up to her. Sure, the bayou’s notorious bad boy is pure sex on the hoof, but even with her expose on the line, Celine refuses to be a conquest left cryin’ in her crayfish–at least not again. Not for a man who doesn’t remember her!

BOTHERED…
Detective LeDeux has always been too hot to handle, but now he’s on fire as the cop who posed as a gigolo to bust the Dixie Mafia. Joining Tante Lulu’s treasure hunt seems a fine way to avoid the media ruckus–until Celine pursues
her story deep into the bayou, stoking John’s hazy memories of a sizzling night five years ago.

AND READY TO TAKE IT ALL OFF!
Lovers and pirates and gangsters–oh my! It’s another wild ride with Jinx, Inc., where trouble is no match for a cagey Cajun matchmaker…and passion conquers all.