LynneC’s review of Darker After Midnight (Midnight Breed, Book 10) by Lara Adrian
Paranormal Romance published by Delacourte Press 24 Jan 11

I wanted this book because it’s Sterling Chase’s book, but while the first part keeps the reader on the edge of her seat, the second half descends into a big wtfkery, as Adrian sets the scene for what will probably be a new series. There will be spoilers in this review, however I’ll mark them for you, but the first part won’t have spoilers as such. However, we know certain things, and I don’t really consider them spoilers, such as this is a romance, so it has a HEA.

Sterling Chase is the hyper-controlled Breed male who joined the Order after giving up the Agency. Some of the best parts of this book are when Chase returns to his old Darkhaven and muses about his previous life, what he wanted and how he’d been mistaken. We actually get insights into his character and what makes him tick. But other parts of Chase’s character aren’t carried through properly. We know at the end of the last book that he has succumbed to bloodlust and so he’s doomed. He has to go cold turkey, or maybe he doesn’t, maybe he can just fight it. Bloodlust is described as an addiction, but Chase doesn’t behave like an addict. For one thing, he falls in love and puts that person above his addiction. Addicts don’t do that. It weakened that part of Chase’s character. And (spoiler) the resolution. What resolution? We just see lurve beating all, we don’t see him kicking his habit. It’s an important part of Chase’s character, until it stops being a part of his character. Until it’s not needed anymore to move the story forward. I want more about Chase and less about the badass villain.

Dragos has been the villain through the whole series. He has never been more than two-dimensional, and here he doesn’t disappoint in that respect. He’s a megalomaniac. While other megalomaniacs had quirks (Blofelt had a cat, Goldfinger had a third nipple), Dragos doesn’t even have that. He just wants to rule the world and is prepared to create chaos while he does so. Like a spoiled child wanting a toy, he doesn’t really know why he wants it or what he’ll do with it once he gets it.

As usual, we get destruction and mayhem, but some of the story threads lead nowhere and others come out of the blue. (spoiler alert). Atlantis? Really? And when Dragos dies, it’s over so fast and so easily, that you wonder why they bothered waiting so long. Dragos’s master plan is so ridiculously simple, I don’t know why he didn’t do it earlier, before the Order had a chance to fight him.

The heroine of this book is Tavia, who is more than she thinks she is at the start. And here’s another break with the rest of the rules of the series. I feel kind of cheated when I discovered what Tavia is, because, although the explanation is plausible, it negates some of the other earlier books. Tavia starts the book as an interesting character in an interesting job, but that dissipates as, before our eyes, she turns into a Mary Sue. Everybody loves her, except the villain, who wants her, and she makes everything all right. She cures addiction, she fights, she Saves The Day, and we are meant to believe that where a group of experienced warriors fail, a scheme that the aforesaid Blofelt could have spotted with one eye closed would succeed? At the end, she does something so stupid that I lost respect or interest for her.

Originality, this book has none. I don’t mind that so much as some readers. For instance, this series is about a bunch of otherworldly, vampiric badass warriors who all live together in a great big house and find their mates. Yep, definitely been there before, again and again for that matter, but the women are more proactive and interesting, and the writing is less simplistic than others in similar vein. What’s more, the characters, especially in the first three books, are far more involving, less ciphers, with motivations that make sense and story arcs that go somewhere. For me, the series started to fall apart when she turned Andreas Reichen into a totally different character for Ashes of Midnight, but I kept reading, hoping the series would turn. At some points, it did, but this last book is one of the weakest in the series, which is a real shame, as I loved Chase in the earlier books and I wanted to read about him, not some weird outer-space-meets-mythology mashup.

This story starts really well and I couldn’t stop reading, but at a certain point, it changed, and I just wanted to get to the end. Then I wish I hadn’t. Here followeth spoilers, but I’ll try not to make it too bad.

At one point toward the end, I groaned aloud. My daughter, who was in the same room, asked me what was wrong, and I said one word. “Atlantis.” She hasn’t read this series, didn’t know what I was reading, but she groaned, too. Oh dear. It’s like having a joker in the pack or playing a black two and then saying, “Oh, by the way, black twos are wild.” It came out of nowhere and it didn’t work. For that matter, the whole interpretation of dreams subplot didn’t work for me. I was tempted to skip, but I read, hoping it would come together at the end, but it didn’t.

The end of the book is one big Harlequin Presents ending. Couples cuddling and babies. Omg the babies! Sweet as sugar.

And the speech to the world? Absolutely unbelievable. I mean I didn’t believe it. It’s like a Godzilla film, with people rushing around screaming and school buses falling off high bridges, and the everything is all right, and “We’ll build a new world together.” Nu-uh. Not for this romance reader.

The book is a bit like a torn sock. All nicely knitted and working toward something interesting, and then lots of threads and tangles and an ending that doesn’t make sense.

Adrian has obviously set up a new series here, one that reads far more like urban fantasy, but I’m a romance reader. I want characters, their dilemmas and how they overcome them, drawing on resources inside themselves. I don’t want plot-heavy stories with characters who do as they are told. So this is where we part company, but the first three books of this series remain firmly on my keeper shelf.

Grade: C

Summary:

The climactic novel in Lara Adrian’s New York Times bestselling Midnight Breed series–and her hardcover debut–Darker After Midnight invites readers to enter a thrillingly sensual world where danger meets desire.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of If You Hear Her (Ash Trilogy, Book 1) by Shiloh Walker
Romantic Suspense published by Ballantine 25 Oct 11

As most of you know, Shiloh Walker is an absolute favorite of mine. I have a feeling with this new trilogy, a lot more fans are going to be coming out of the woodwork to follow this very talented author.

Ezra King has come to Ash, Kentucky to recuperate in both body and spirit. His grandmother left her home to him, so he’s healing amid a bit of grief and nostalgia. He’s been content to piddle around the place – until he meets Lena Riddle. The woman not only shoots lust through his system, but she demands respect and admiration for her determination and love of life.

Finally living on her own with no one to tell her how to do it, Lena is happy in every aspect of her life – she’s a chef for the local B&B and she’s surrounded by loving friends. When a man with a sexy voice shows interest in her lasagna, his interest in her piques even further after they share a meal or two together. But then Ezra puts on the brakes, and for a little while is one of those men who says he’ll call but doesn’t. He has his reasons, and once you learn of them you can understand why he’s so hesitant to start up a relationship with this fascinating and beautiful woman. Lena tries to forget the man, even when they run into each other in town, but after so many meetings and too much temptation, Ezra gives in and pursues Lena into a wonderful blossoming relationship.

What brings them together finally is the scream Lena hears one night outside her home at the edge of the forest. The only people who believe her are Ezra and Law, one of Lena’s best friends, and the local sheriff. But on investigation, no evidence is found of anything untoward. Lena can’t let it rest, however, and makes a trip to the sheriff’s office, where Ezra is making his own unrelated complaint. While the deputy helping Lena doesn’t believe a word she says, it’s Ezra who gets things moving to further investigate the matter, but everyone is baffled at the lack of evidence.

The reader knows exactly what’s happening, though, and sees what an evil villain lives and breathes in these pages. What he does to the women he kidnaps slowly weakens and breaks them until they’re praying to die. It’s his latest victim who Lena hears from her bedroom this fateful night that changes life for all concerned – including our villain. And from this point on, you are immersed so deeply in both the romance between Ezra and Lena and the deceptive and evil mind of a madman whose identity is kept from you the entire book. And the second book. You won’t know who it turns out to be until the last book. Talk about tension!

I love Ezra and Lena. Their romance is swift and sure. Ezra turns into the typical alpha cop he is when danger is unveiled around them and their friends. Lena is a sassy, smart, and independent woman, but she knows when to let go and do as she’s asked so everyone survives whatever situation is going on at the moment. Their lovemaking is vintage Shiloh Walker – steamy, intense, and loving. We also meet Remy and Hope, who are featured in the next book, and you love them on sight just as much as you do Ezra and Lena.

Pins and needles having nothing on this storyline. Tenterhooks is more apropos for all the goings-on, especially the suspenseful aspects of the story. If you’re ready for an edge-of-your-seat read that you can’t put down until it’s read, this is it. And do be sure to read this trilogy in order. They’re tied too closely together and left open ended to start in the middle or, heaven forbid, with the last book.

Grade: A+

Summary:

The scream Lena Riddle hears in the woods behind her house is enough to curdle her blood—she has no doubt that a woman is in real danger. Unfortunately, with no physical evidence, the local law officers in small-town Ash, Kentucky, dismiss her claim. But Lena knows what she heard—and it leaves her filled with fear and frustration.

Ezra King is on leave from the state police, but he can’t escape the guilty memories that haunt his dreams. When he sees Lena, he is immediately drawn to her. He aches to touch her—to be touched by her—but is he too burdened by his tragic past to get close?

When Ezra hears her story of an unknown woman’s screams, his instincts tell him that Lena’s life is also at risk—and his desire to protect her is as fierce as his need to possess her.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Five Ways ‘Til Sunday (Delta Heat, Book 1) by Delilah Devlin
Contemporary Erotic Romance short story ebook published by Samhain 22 Nov 11

I haven’t had such a dilemma like this with a book in quite a while. I like the characters. I like the story. Then I didn’t care for the story. Then I’d like it again, but I’d hit another snag several pages later. Mostly, I just don’t see this hero allowing such things to happen, even if his BFFs are involved.

Jackson and Marti have a very active sex life – adventurous, sexy, and fun. In fact, the opening scene is quite fun, role playing behind Marti’s locked office door. I enjoyed that a lot. Jackson is one of those men who can win a woman over every which way, so when Marti keeps rejecting his love for her and his proposals of marriage, he tells her he’ll do anything to make her feel comfortable saying yes.

For Marti, it’s more that she’s not up to his standards – no education, tattoos, blue-streaked hair, piercings, and she manages a bar for heaven’s sake. Officer Jackson Teague deserves more than that. Of course, as far as he’s concerned, it’s all in her mind. He loves all of things about her. But when Marti fudges and tells him she has a bucket list of things to try before she marries, Jackson calls her bluff and demands to see her list.

At first he’s a little taken aback at what he reads, but with the help of his five best friends on the force with him, Jackson is determined to show Marti she has no reason to fear commitment from either one of them. So they set up the situations she wants to experience – a hooker working a street corner, making love in a cop car, and other such scenarios, each a tad more erotic than the last. And while these scenes are very erotic, ménages five ways and then some to help Marti give Jackson the answer he wants, this is where my problem with all of it comes about.

These buddies may be Jackson’s best friends, two of them since high school, but a man who loves a woman as much as Jackson loves Marti (and as much as she loves him but just won’t admit it yet), I just can’t see him letting any man put his hands and mouth on her and his cock inside her. Jackson even at one point says no penetration, but the next thing you know, all kinds of penetration are going on. And when Marti discovers Jackson sees beyond her reason for concocting the list in the first place, all of the shenanigans should have ended, but it’s Jackson himself who insists they’re nowhere near done with her yearnings. Yes, in the end Marti wakes up after her fantasies are realized; the men are still best friends despite their wild and wicked weekend, so all’s well that ends well. The journey getting there just doesn’t work for me as well as it does for them. I do love the depiction of Jackson on this cover, though. Whew-boy, just like he’s described in the book.

Despite all of this, however, I like these characters, including Jackson’s buds. They’re fun and likeable, and since this is the first book in the Delta Heat series, we’re going to see more of them in the future. It will be interesting to see what Ms. Devlin does with them all.

Grade: C

Summary:

Sometimes a man’s just gotta call for backup…

Marti Kowalski is all wrong for Officer Jackson Teague—he just won’t listen to reason. She didn’t finish high school, runs a bar. Has a tattoo and a blue streak in her hair. Yet he still wants to marry her? She can’t say she’s not tempted, but she’s got a bucket list to complete before she ties the knot.

Not just any bucket—more like a fifty-five-gallon drum of sexual wishes so explicit, there’s no way one man, even Jackson, can fulfill them all.

When Marti turns him down again, Jackson doesn’t give up, he insists on knowing why. That’s when she shows him her list. He takes it, thinks about it—and calls on the only men he can trust: four buddies from his academy graduating class.

Between the five of them, he’s sure they can come up with a plan to check off every item on her list in one wild, wicked weekend. That is, if she has the nerve to follow through—and if he can bear to share her.

Read an excerpt.

LynneC’s review of  The Secret History of a Good Girl by Aimee Carson
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents  7 Feb 12

Aimee Carson is a new author to me, with two Mills and Boon/Harlequin books under her belt. I settled down for a good read, and on the whole I wasn’t disappointed.

Alyssa is an events planner, and she’s pitching for an important contract with the Samba Hotel. One thing I don’t understand is why these women with little experience get the big jobs in these books. What’s more, she has a secret, something she doesn’t tell prospective employers, but one, I would have imagined, that people in a position of trust must reveal. Why didn’t they know? But when she confesses to Pauolo later in the book, it comes as a complete surprise to him.

I know that realism isn’t a hallmark of Presents/Modern, but I do expect to be able to believe the setup. There are a few WTFs in this book, but I let them ride. The most successful of this line don’t depend on generalizations and vague explanations to tell the story, and while Pauolo and Alyssa are vividly drawn characters, some of the situations and internal thoughts I feel I’ve read before and didn’t really read like those of individuals.

Pauolo is the macho, tall, dark, handsome male who doesn’t believe in marriage. He’s been married before, and it ended badly. However, Pauolo loved his wife, and she divorced him to marry his brother. I don’t understand why, at thirty-three, Pauolo has given up. True, the loss of his wife six years before would have marked him, but he is young enough to consider another long-term affair, unless he is immature enough to think that once is it, and to do him justice, he is not the immature type. He left his father’s business and set up his own, leaving his brother in sole possession. He rides a Ducati and he never wears a suit and tie, though I wasn’t sure why. He just does. I’d have liked a little more background to give Pauolo more depth, but some factors of his personality are left hanging.

There is one scene that made me laugh aloud, when Pauolo gives Alyssa a chance to ride his motorbike. I’m assuming that the Ducati is one of the big ones, but it sounds more like the cute girly ones in this scene. I did enjoy imagining her on one of the beasts Ducati produces. I do ride motorbikes, and twisting the throttle will find you on your back on the ground, probably with a ton of metal on top of you, unless you know precisely what you’re doing. You don’t have your first motorbike lesson on one of those.

Pauolo is interesting, but he opens up to Alyssa a little too late in the book. I do like the way he treats her fairly, but the contrivances that keep her from being his employee are a little much, since she has an office in his hotel and works exclusively for him for most of the book. His stubbornness is irritating, but it is part of his character and probably meant to annoy.

There are some pleasant developments, not least when Alyssa decides to discover more about Pauolo’s first marriage. She does something I don’t like her doing, but in the process discovers that (gasp) Pauolo’s ex-wife isn’t a complete bitch and has a mind of her own. That I enjoyed. Alyssa annoys me sometimes, but she’s a bearable heroine, and she works hard for her happy ending.

The last scene doesn’t work for me at all, I’m afraid, but I’m venturing into spoiler territory here. I think I know what the author was trying to do, feature a facet of Pauolo’s personality that had proved significant to his character, but when he does the right thing, Alyssa responds with baffling stubbornness and that leads to another scene, which, let’s say, isn’t a bit romantic.

And the pop references drive me a bit nuts. They seem to be all the wrong things for my taste, and that is a risk you take when you use such references. Comparing the hero to Taylor Lautner doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t work for me a lot. I’m a David Bowie girl, George Clooney, even Brad Pitt, but no, not Lautner. Not even his chest does it for me (too much make up). And discussing a Lady Gaga concert as if I’d actually like to attend one—gah! Radiohead or nothing, I say. Constant comparisons until the book is about three-quarters overstrained the narrative a bit, without adding colour. While it’s nice to have modern references, in a year, maybe two, the book will be outdated (whereas Clooney and Radiohead will go on forever, lol!) Phones are always “cellular phones,” and not the more familiar “cell.” That might be an editorial decision, though. It did stop me once or twice.

The sex scenes are fairly standard, not too hot, and many are described in narrative or after the event. I wondered if Ms. Carson is comfortable with writing scenes at that level of heat, and euphemisms and the softer phrases are used in place of the more explicit. However, there’s no doubting that these two are into each other.

I did enjoy the read, but it isn’t a book that I’ll remember for too long. And please, (and this is addressed at the whole line, not just Ms. Carson) enough with the event planners already. We’re in a recession, so how many event planners can there be these days?

Grade: C+

Summary:

Play with fire…

Miami hotel tycoon Paulo Domingues knows that beneath his events planner’s southern priss, Alyssa Hunt is all sass. Little Miss Prim has Paulo’s inner rebel roaring to life – he’s determined to seduce the fire out from behind it!
And you might get burnt!

Tough-cookie Alyssa hasn’t fought tooth and nail to shake off her past to be blindsided by one smooth-talking boss. Until, punch-drunk with desire, she succumbs to temptation and realises what she’s been missing out on! But will Miami’s most wanted bachelor run when he discovers the real reason behind her good-girl façade…?

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

C2’s review of Lothaire (Immortals After Dark, Book 10) by Kresley Cole
Paranormal Romance published by Gallery Books 10 Jan 12

In a long-running series, there are always a couple of characters whose books are especially anticipated. However, when said book actually arrives, it’s a chancy thing…will it live up to expectations? What if it goes completely in the wrong (from the reader’s viewpoint) direction? Kresley Cole’s latest release in her Immortals After Dark series finally gives readers Lothaire’s story. You’re curious now, aren’t you, faithful reader? Oh, there might be spoilers here, yo?

Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, has been a force throughout the IAD series. Sometimes he helps, sometimes he hinders…whatever suits his mysterious (until now) ultimate goal. Finally, Lothaire is ready to claim a key piece needed to attain his goal – his Bride. Like all vampires, Lothaire searched for ages to find his Bride – the one woman that allows him to once again walk among the living. A vampire’s Bride makes his heart start beating (literally). Lothaire is an ancient being and is steps from madness…his hold on reality is getting slippery, but time with his Bride can soothe him.

Lothaire’s Bride is unique, of course. At first he thought she was plain Elizabeth (Ellie Ann) Peirce, native of West Virginia – a human, of all things! Lothaire knew fate would never be so cruel as to pair him with such a lowly creature (Lothaire’s ego is…healthy). Then he discovered that Elizabeth had been inhabited by Saroya the Soul Reaper, goddess of death and blood (and the Vampire Horde’s ancient diety – suddenly all things became clear.) With Saroya by his side, he will be able to claim the Horde (vampires who drink blood straight from the source) throne and the throne of his mother’s people, the Dacians. First, though, he must find a way to get rid of Elizabeth’s spirit so Saroya can keep the body.

Until Saroya has full control of Elizabeth’s body, she will not consummate any sort of relationship with Lothaire – and won’t even stay present (she fades into a sleep-like state). So, as you might imagine, Lothaire is inspired to find a way to get rid of Elizabeth quickly. However, these things take time and he is forced to spend some of that time with Elizabeth. As he gets to know her, he begins to wonder if it might be that Saroya isn’t his Bride…what if he is really meant to be with Elizabeth?

Elizabeth, in the meantime, has suffered all sorts of horrors due to Saroya’s possession – she’s the Soul Reaper, remember. And she really, really enjoys reaping. Thanks to Saroya’s escapes, Elizabeth ends up convicted of multiple murders and is on death row, seconds from death, when Lothaire breaks her out. Elizabeth doesn’t want to be free, though. She knows if she is free, Saroya is too and if Saroya is free, more people will die. The only alternative Elizabeth sees is her own death. When Lothaire spirits her away, he explains why he will not allow Elizabeth to die – until he is ready to extinguish her spirit so he and Saroya can rule.

Elizabeth is not on board with the plan. She decides to try whatever she can to drive a wedge between Lothaire and Saroya – including seduction. Lothaire, however, views humans as animals, so she has her work cut out for her. Somewhere along the way, though, Lothaire begins to see Elizabeth as more than a vessel for Saroya. But unbreakable vows have been made and there are more players on the field than anyone realizes.

Oh, faithful reader, as you might imagine, there is much more to this book than my summary. So much happening! So many plot threads weaving along! This is barely an overview. This book, mostly, picks up right after Dreams of a Dark Warrior leaves off (there are some prologue bits to establish things too). However, is it absolutely necessary to read DoaDW before reading this one? I say no…not if you’re pretty familiar with the series. If you’ve never read the series, this is not the place to start.

Elizabeth is an excellent heroine, says me. Smart, quick, funny – she never stops trying to find a way out of her situation and does all she can to protect her family. Lothaire ends up being a better hero than I would have ever thought. HOT! NAUGHTY! *ahem* Moving along…the supporting cast is fun, too. Some new and interesting characters (yay, spin-off series) and some characters we already know. Also, let me report that we get more information about Nix – no, not who her hero might be or anything like that…just some stuff about her background and stuff. Still…yay!

Wow, that Saroya is a piece of work. Talk about icky villains! No remorse, nothing redeeming anywhere in her character. Bleh. Not that she’s one-dimensional…just evil. Also, I think Lothaire is blind to the reality of who his bride actually is for too long. And having Elizabeth sometimes speak in a mountain dialect is unnecessary – but I find that sort of thing annoying, generally, so take that for what it’s worth.

I enjoyed the book! It’s much better (and much less bloody) than DoaDW. If you are a fan of the IAD series, you will not be disappointed. And you will definitely be intrigued by the new characters introduced. Is it worth buying in hardcover? If you are a serious fan, sure. I don’t think the payoff is as big in this book as it is in Nalini Singh’s Kiss of Snow, for example. Has Lothaire’s story been very, very anticipated? Maybe it has, but I don’t think so. So, if you are behind in the series or just curious about it (and it is an excellent series), start at the beginning…by the time you’re ready for this one, it will be out in paperback.

Grade: B+

Summary:

ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him on the brink of madness— until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience.

A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER

Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. But Lothaire is no savior, as he himself plans to sacrifice Ellie in one month’s time. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. In a bid to save her soul, Ellie surrenders her body to the wicked vampire, while vowing to protect her heart.

CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTERED

Elizabeth tempts Lothaire beyond reason, as only his fated mate could. As the month draws to a close, he must choose between a millenniaold blood vendetta and his irresistible prisoner. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past . . . or risk everything for a future with her?

Read an excerpt (opens a PDF, FYI).

Other books in the series:

LynneC’s review of More than Perfect by Day Leclaire
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Desire 7 Feb 12

I enjoyed this book, not quite as much as the first in the series, but it’s still a good, solid read. It is still more Desire than Presents/Modern, with the millionaire more human, a touch less alpha, and the heroine older and more independent minded. I enjoyed it despite the cute kid. I’m not a big fan of cute kids in romance novels.

After a one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend, she tells him she’s going back to his best friend, Geoff. Lucius thinks she’s a bitch, but she tells him he is just as bad and marries Geoff. They are killed in a train accident, leaving their small son in Lucius’s care.

Angie is Lucius’s PA, and secretly in love with him.

Get the setup? Read it before? Probably. But you haven’t read this book about this couple, and that’s what makes Day Leclaire special. While she uses stock plots, she doesn’t use stock characters.

I would love to write a series of books with the same beginning point and the same tropes but with different characters to see how they cope with it, and this, to a certain extent, is what she does.

Lucius finds the perfect PA, Angie, after consulting the program developed by Praetorius and his young assistant. Now he’s using the same program to find a wife, because he wants  someone for little Mikey and as a partner. Unbeknown to Praetorius, Angie and said assistant tweak the program a bit, so she appears to be the perfect wife candidate. I like that, instead of mooning around, she answers him back and she does something to get what she wants. So the conflict is set up. What will Lucius do when he discovers her tinkering?

Meantime, Angie and Lucius set about falling in love and fighting for custody of Mikey, when the baby’s grandparents sue. While feeling sorry for them, both Lucius and Angie are appalled by their cold, analytical nature. So they have another reason to stay together.

Lucius is bone-headed, powerful, strong, but he also has a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at himself. So I like him, and I could understand why Angie falls for him. Angie is fully aware of her folly in falling for him, but she won’t take too much from him and she will answer back, so I ended up liking her, too.

This is how to do a Desire right, and while it won’t shake the romance world to its foundation, it is a satisfying, enjoyable read. Together with Day Leclaire’s smooth, accomplished writing style, it makes for a pleasant hour or two.

Grade: B-

Summary:

When billionaire Lucius Devlin inherits his best friend’s child, he needs a wife. Preferably one who fulfills his every need. So he checks out the Pretorius Program, since it had once found him the perfect assistant.…
Angie Colter can’t understand who wouldn’t want to spend time with the sexy, caring and utterly compelling Lucius and darling baby Mikey. Then she discovers his goal. With a few tweaks to the program—and to her appearance—Angie will be the perfect wife! But what if Lucius finds out the truth about his nearly perfect fiancée?

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

Writing is hard work for me. Really, really hard work, since I can be somewhat insecure. What if I think the hero and heroine have chemistry, but they don’t? What if the sex scene I’m working on is about as steamy as a boiling pot of spaghetti?

On days when Madam Muse refuses to appear, or when I feel that writing is the equivalent of working on a chain gang, I daydream about doing something else for a living. My top escape fantasies are:

* Become a mailman. Woman. Person. Whatever the politically correct term is. The big attraction to this job is that I’d get to walk around all day, so I’d get really thin. Plus, I’d get to wear a uniform, so I wouldn’t have to worry about what to wear. This is of crucial importance to someone who once opened her front door wearing lemon colored harem pants and a Ringo Rocks! t shirt from 1975. On the negative side, I haven’t figured out yet how to handle the heat of summer, and the US Postal System is on the rocks. Note to self: see if mail people can do their job in the nude, as long as their mail satchels are strategically placed.

* Join the Merchant Marines. There’s no age limit to this profession, as long as you pass the physical. How hard could it be? I’m sure all you have to do is be able to climb a mast and properly wield a telescope. Plus I love to travel, I love the ocean, and sleeping in a mesh hammock is Number Four on my Bucket List.

* Work on a cruise ship. I’d be a really good entertainer: I can juggle, and I can also sing Bonnie Taylor’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” perfectly. I could easily brush up on my kazoo skills as well. Seriously: who doesn’t love kazoo music? Have you ever heard “Memory” from the Cats done on a kazoo? Haunting. I’m not kidding.

* Visit elementary schools as a Mary Todd Lincoln impersonator. This one is actu-ally the most viable: I’m plump, I’m moody, and I have a very tall husband with a beard who puts up with me. I’ve been trying to talk him into playing Abe to my Mary, but so far it’s a no go.

Alternate: visit nursery schools as Dora the Explorer. She’s little, plus we have the same haircut right now.

* Get a job as Bono’s personal secretary. I know, I know, I know: he’s the size of Rumpelstilskin and he never shuts up about aid to Africa. But I’ve had a mad crush on the man since 1981, when U2 released their first CD, Boy. Think about what a cool job it would be to be his PA: “Could you please call Edge and ask if he got his check for three hundred million dollars from the last tour? Because I haven’t gotten mine yet. Also, you know that luncheon I’m holding tomorrow at the Plaza to raise money for impoverished romance writers? Find out if Obama has any food allergies. I’m sure I can talk him into making a huge donation for these poor, struggling souls.”

Of course, if I ditched my profession, I wouldn’t have been able to write books like Breakaway, the latest in my New York Blades series. It combined two of my favorite subjects: hockey and Ireland. Here’s the back cover blurb:

They had it all planned out: college, marriage, happily ever after.

But it didn’t quite work out that way…

Erin O’Brien was everyone’s favorite in Ballycraig, while Rory Brady was the town’s golden boy: the local lad who moved to America and became a professional hockey player. Rory promised to return to sweep Erin away to the life of her dreams in New York. But the bright lights and late nights turned his head and he never came back.

Two years later, Rory realizes he’s made the worst mistake of his life. Heading back to Ballycraig, he’s confident that all he needs to do is flash his winning smile and Erin will fall back into his arms. But Erin’s moved on.

Racing the clock, Rory needs to prove to her that the man she fell in love with is still there. But can happy-go-lucky Erin risk it all and give another chance to the man who broke her heart?

Intrigued? Breakaway hits the shelves today, February 7th. I’m also working on the next book in the Blades series. The writing seems to be going pretty well right now, but that’s all I’ll say. I don’t want to jinx things…

To find out more about my New York Blades series as well as The Wild Hart Saga, check out my website.

[Ed. Deirdre is kindly offering up a copy of Breakaway to one very lucky commenter, so be sure to leave a meaningful comment or question for her and we'll toss your name into the hat!]

Laura C’s review of Breakaway by Dierdre Martin
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 07 Feb 12

I am a Dierdre Martin fan in general, so I’m always pleased to see a new book from her. Her “New York Blades” hockey romances are a treat even for people who aren’t fans. There’s enough explanation of what’s going on for people to follow, but not so much it’s dull. But this book departs from the ice—and New York—following its hero, Rory Brady, back to his hometown of Ballycraig, Ireland, where he left the woman he’d once promised to marry. Rory wants Erin back, but Erin, and the rest of the town’s citizens, aren’t eager to forgive him.

People who know me know one of my pet peeves is romance wherein the heroine, a big city girl, finds love and happiness in a small town. Not to say it can’t be done well, but all too often I end up wondering how the same person who was happy in one life can possibly be happy in the other because the change isn’t adequately explained. That’s not the case in Breakaway at all. Instead, Erin has always wanted out of Ballycraig and her resentment of Rory’s betrayal of their love is compounded by the fact that they were supposed to leave together.

“Erin, I was your ticket out of here,” Rory said slightly smug.

“Oh, saving the life of your country girlfriend, were you?” Erin snarled. “Assuming that without you, I’d have never left. You didn’t think twice about dumping me, though, did you? So much for saving me. And PS—I didn’t need you to be my ticket out of here, you bloody jackass. Once you broke things off, I realized I didn’t need you to make my dreams come true. I actually should thank you for cutting me loose, because, in the end, it’s been a gift. Now, I do what I want to do for myself, without worrying about how to please or accommodate anyone else.”

“Except your mother.”

“I’m working on that, I told you. Some of us aren’t hardhearted: we don’t just pull the plug on those we love and walk away.”

Rory winced. “Touché.”

Rory knows what he wants when he comes back to town—to take Erin away with him.  He’s also pretty sure she’ll agree to it. I must say, I had some trouble figuring out what she saw in him in the beginning. He seemed like a complete jerk. And, to be honest, he’ll never be one of my favorite of Martin’s heroes. But he did grow on me as the story went along and he figured out just how badly he’d screwed up and began to try more seriously to make amends.

This is a very sweet story when it comes right down to it without nearly as much angst as many of the books I’ve been reading of late, which is actually a relief. And it has the added bonus of being set in Ireland, which I love. Martin is never heavy-handed with dialect, but she has a great ear for it and everything rings completely true.

Grade: A

Summary:

Rory Brady was Ballycraig’s golden boy, the local lad who moved to America and became a professional hockey player. But he broke his promise to Erin O’Brien-and never went back for her. Now Erin has moved on, and Rory must race the clock to prove to her that the man she fell in love with is still there. But can happy-go-lucky Erin risk it all and give another chance to the man who broke her heart?

Other books in this series:

LynneC’s review of Stud (Cat Star Chronicles, Book Eight) by Cheryl Brooks
Futuristic Romance published by Sourcebooks 7 Feb 12

I haven’t read any of the Cat Star Chronicles before, and I plunged right in with this book, Book Eight of the series. I had few problems picking up the world and the characters, and I enjoyed the read. However, it isn’t everything I hoped it would be. I was in the mood for something different and this book certainly delivered that for me, but even though I don’t read much SF or fantasy, some of the customs were familiar to me.

The hero, Tarq, is a cat-person, and he is good at sex. Very, very good, and it helps that he has—extras. Long blond hair and pointy ears don’t usually turn me on—even when it’s Legolas—but he did have some interesting quirks, like his inability to read the menu. Not to mention his Magic Peen. He’s a very wealthy whore, who no longer charges for his services. After his world was destroyed, he is doing his bit to increase the numbers of his kind. He thinks the only thing he is good at is sex, because he’s dyslexic. The word is never used, but from the first page it’s obvious what his problem is, when he admits he can’t read the menu. I like the way Tarq copes with his problem, and it does seem realistic – learning ways around confessing his problem and thinking of himself as stupid because of it, but I don’t like the way it’s left hanging, with Lucy realizing what it is but little else.

The heroine, Lucy, is a waitress when we first encounter her, and she works in her father’s diner alongside a down-to-earth alien cook and a hermaphrodite, who is too lightly drawn for my liking. The hermaphrodites were by far the most interesting aliens for me. The beginning reads like a waitress in a category romance, with the father who shouts a lot, a notebook, albeit an electronic one, and the diner atmosphere that would be worthy of anything in the USA. She doesn’t recognize Tarq at first, but realizes her mistake when she sees an ad on the TV for his services. He works in a brothel and has produced hundreds of children. With his race under threat, it’s his duty as well as his pleasure. I think Tarq’s character is a little thin. Apart from his magical, athletic peen, which seemed to produce gallons of lubrication and ejaculate, here called snard, which tastes of chocolate and cream – which is described in huge detail and often – I find Tarq a bit of a cipher. His motivations are a little too straightforward, for a person who has lost his homeworld.

Lucy is a tiny bit irritating. At first she is a Cinderella, straight out of the story, and she only decides to run away when she gets pregnant. Her pregnancy doesn’t impinge much on the story, apart from a bit of morning sickness, and most of the story is, in fact, a road novel. She and Tarq decide they can’t stay together, even when circumstances change, and I feel that conflict becomes progressively weaker as the story goes on, and less believable. It turns into a big misunderstanding before it’s finally resolved.

There isn’t a romance and courtship in this book. Tarq recognizes Lucy as his mate from page one, and Lucy is dazzled by this glamorous, famous creature, famed for his prowess with sex. I don’t know why she falls in love with him and I’m not entirely convinced that she does.

This is a light read, an amusing one rather than anything involving or angsty. One or two things niggled me from the start. Lucy? Really? This book is set thousands of years in the future and they’re still using American-style diners? Furthermore, some of the cultural references are closer to our time than they are to anything futuristic. Kentucky Fried Chicken and the diner culture, together with some inconsistencies in the world-building. No communicators clipped to belts? With the ubiquity of cellphones, I would have put them in, but then, the second half of the book wouldn’t have been possible.

However, this is a fun read and light read, one you don’t have to concentrate on to find out what a tflwt is, or how F’rty is related to the clan Yu’oki. One for the long flight or the train journey. Or, as I read it, a late-night read before going to sleep.

Grade: C

Summary:

Even for a Zetithian, Tarq Zulveidinoe’s sexual prowess is legendary. Believing it’s all he’s good for, Tarq sets out to perpetuate his threatened species by offering his services to women across the galaxy…

BUT ONE FORCE CAN BRING THEM TOGETHER…

Lucinda Force is the sensitive dark horse in a self-absorbed family, repeatedly told that no man will ever want such a plain woman. Lucy longs for romance, but is resigned to her loveless lot in life-until Tarq walks through the door of her father’s restaurant on Talus Five…

No excerpt available.

Sandy M’s review of Fatal Heat by Lisa Marie Rice
Erotic Romantic Suspense novella published by Avon Impulse 8 Nov 11

I always love heroes written by Lisa Marie Rice. Give me a hero like Max Wright, alpha, determined, strong, but still tender and gentle, and I’m a very happy reader. It then follows she’ll also create the perfect heroine for such a man. Storyline is secondary for me, as is villain – hell, everything else, though she usually gives me something I can sink my teeth into. But it’s all about the hero for me.

Max is a former SEAL, severely wounded in Afghanistan. Taking a former commander’s offer to recuperate at his beach house, Max figures it’s better to wallow there than anywhere else; at least he’ll be alone. His military career may be over, but he’s going to prove the doctors wrong. All it takes is determination and perseverance. He’s walking when they said he wouldn’t, now it’s time to push even further.

What he doesn’t expect is the Cookie Lady, the niece of his commander. She lives next door and leaves a plate a cookies for him after a particularly strenuous exercise routine. And that’s all it takes. From the next moment on, after he gets closer for a better look, he’s taken with Paige Waring. She makes him quite happy and horny – especially because it’s been two years since he’s had any interest in sex during his healing period. She makes his body respond every which way.

Paige is surprised at her reaction to Max. She’s the staid researcher, not a seat-of-your-pants adventurous type. But this very manly SEAL has her thinking outside her lab coat on all counts. When he offers to watch her dog – Max, of all names! LOL I had as much with that as they did – her heart trips a little faster. Within twenty-four hours these two get to know one another very, very well. She’s never done anything like that in her life. With Max, however, she can’t resist the fire and desire in his eyes.

Then out of the blue Paige is kidnapped because of the knowledge she possesses about a work project that has gone terribly wrong. Hoping Max can figure out the clues she leaves behind but fearful he may be too late, Paige holds on the best she can when being “interrogated.” With the help of pet Max, our SEAL goes after his woman, pushes himself beyond all reason, refusing to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him. This is a man every woman wants in her life.

Of course, because this is a novella, a lot is packed in in a few pages. As usual, Ms. Rice does it just right – just enough alphaness, just enough emotion, plenty of lovemaking, and her SEALS always do that exactly right. Now, however, I’m in the mood for a full-length Rice novel. I never seem to get enough.

Grade: A

Read LynneC’s review here.

Summary:

Former Navy SEAL Max Wright is out of the SEAL Teams forever after being almost killed by an Afghani RPG. He retreats to his former XO’s beach house to lick his wounds. He wants to snarl at the world but finds it hard to snarl at his new neighbor, his XO’s beautiful goddaughter, Paige Waring, who also comes with a ridiculously likable, totally undisciplined dog.

As a plant geneticist, Paige has always been focused on her work, but when she and her dog run into Max, she recognizes the lonely, shattered man behind the rugged exterior. To her mind, sexiness always comes with a white lab coat, not with acres of tanned muscle and a tough mind-set.

When Paige’s work becomes the target of criminals and she’s abducted, Max springs into action. Though still terribly wounded, this tough as nails SEAL goes on his last mission—stopping at nothing to save the woman he loves.

No excerpt found.

LynneC’s review of Reckless Night (Dangerous Trilogy, Book 3.5) by Lisa Marie Rice
Contemporary Romance ebook novella published by Avon 29 Nov 11

This story is an epilogue to a book by Rice, something I didn’t realize when I started to read it. It reads well as a standalone, and Rice is a competent storyteller, but I thought the story really needed to be in context to its novel.

Viktor (“Drake”) Drakovich and his wife Grace are living under new names and a new location. As far as the world is concerned, Drake died when his office complex exploded, but with a bit of plastic surgery and a lot of money, he’s been able to start his new life.

Grace gives Drake beautiful gifts that she’s made herself. Exquisite gifts, and her latest is a painting of his hand in front of a vase of flowers. This is described so beautifully that I wanted to see the painting, not just read about it. Strange how most artists in romance novels concentrate on traditional techniques and figurative images, but at least this painting sounds like an interesting one. I’ve read about paintings in romance novels that I’ve been glad I couldn’t see, the gaudy, sentimental kind of painting that I would gladly see on the top of a bonfire, but in few other places. Not so here. Grace does sound like a woman happy with her talent, capable of creating beautiful paintings and craft items and who loves her husband. I didn’t read that Grace was unhappy in her new life or that she regretted changing her lifestyle so drastically. That’s Drake, feeling guilty about dragging her away, not Grace.

Since this story is so short, it’s hard to discuss it without spoilers. Suffice it to say that Drake plans a surprise for her that goes somewhat awry, and the end of the story we’re wondering – what? Why? I’d have been much happier had the story ended with Grace and Drake learning to live their new life. The ending read like an intrusion, something that shouldn’t be there, that turns the whole situation on its head and means that they are left in the same slightly unsatisfactory position that they had at the beginning. There’s no progression, although there are moves towards it, and then something happens to stop it.

I do like Grace and Drake, and I can see where Rice is going with the main story. Drake is immensely wealthy, was an arms dealer with more money than he can count, and used to be surrounded by security stronger than any President. Grace is a free spirit, an artist who enjoys walks and her more relaxed lifestyle. The initial story must have been interesting, but now I’ve read the outcome, I can’t say I want to read it, because Drake and Grace are in a limbo of their own making, a well-protected beautiful island where they must exist, rather than progressing and getting on with their lives. Without that shock ending (don’t worry, it’s a romance, she doesn’t commit the ultimate sin of killing off her main characters!), it would have been more satisfactory and would have made for a happier ending. As it is, we’re left wondering – so what happens now?

My other problem is that half this book is a lengthy extract from the main book, the one I no longer want to read. I do think this story spoiled the main one for me. The story is 30 pages long, so there’s another 30 pages of extract and adverts. If you buy this book on Kindle, it’s currently $3.16, but if you buy it on B & N, it’s $0.99 – I don’t know why there’s a difference or why Amazon has allowed it, but I know which price I’d rather pay. Too expensive at $3.16, fine at $0.99

Note: While I do share a publisher with Lisa Marie Rice, this book isn’t published by our mutual publisher, and Lisa Marie is not a special friend, so I felt it was fine to review this.

Grade: D

Summary:

What do you give your beautiful wife when you’ve got all the money in the world but can’t spend it?
Victor “Drake” Drakovitch used to run a criminal empire, but he gave it all up for the woman he loves. Grace, an accomplished artist, abandoned the life she knew in order to be with the one man she could never live without.
Exiled to an island far from their former lives, the two stay safe from the watchful eyes of Drake’s many enemies. This Christmas, Drake wants to show Grace how much her sacrifice means. But what can he give a woman who shuns gold jewelry and diamonds, furs and expensive cars? Grace doesn’t want fancy things; she wants what Drake can give her—unquestioning devotion, fierce protection… and the best sex a woman has ever had.
Until terror strikes and Grace realizes that the best gift of all is a dangerous husband.

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Murder, Mayhem and Mama by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romance published by BookEnds Literary Agency 20 Dec 11

Whenever I finish reading a Christie Craig book, I’m always smiling and I feel darned good. That smile usually lasts for a while too. In between the mystery of the story and her characters I love to death, her books are just plain fun.

Cali has just lost her mother, is ready to kick her boyfriend out, and is dreaming of her mama giving her advice just when she needs it most.  Then all hell breaks loose when her boyfriend begins acting bizarre, shoots her front door out, his aim much to close for comfort, and Detective Brit Lowell keeps coming back to ask her questions she has no answers to. Brit’s partner was recently killed and they’ve had no breaks in the case, so he shouldn’t be messing with an insignificant case like this domestic brouhaha. Except for that Cali. He can’t seem to shake her out of his head, though he keeps telling himself he wants no one in his life like his mother, who always returned to the abusive relationships she’s been in over the years. Cali fits that bill and that’s not for him.

The more he’s thrown into her path, discovering both cases are somehow connected, the more the woman gets under his skin. Though she’s fed up with men right at the moment, there is something about the detective that makes her want to give in and take what he seems to be offering. But there’s a few issues that prohibit their getting involved – the most important being the fact Cali’s a witness in Brit’s case. Brit does his best to keep his hands and mouth to himself, but he finally crosses the line of “I don’t care” and gets Cali in his bed. And, heavens, do they tangle the sheets and steam up the windows. They both still have their doubts, especially Brit, and that, of course, causes an extra set of problems in the long run.

In between all of this, Cali’s mama is still doling out advice. He’s a good man. He needs your help but you can’t fix him. Don’t go to lunch tomorrow when at work. And many more, all designed to keep Cali alive and on the right track toward a good relationship with Brit. Hopefully. At one point, however, Cali tries to put distance between her and Brit, and I like her solution to putting an end to her sweet Charmin baby face – take bitch lessons. That’s only one of the numerous fun parts of this book that had my ear-to-ear grin in full swing.

Brit is falling hard for Cali, despite his misgivings and his acknowledgment of that fact. He desires her, yes; lusts for her; wants her constantly; and wants to protect her from harm at all costs. But he won’t go any further in the feelings department. He still feels she’s too much like his mother, even though she assures him differently. And Cali has gone the distance as far as feelings, but she knows Brit is unable to commit to her. I do feel for both of them, caught up in circumstances beyond their control – and dangerous to boot – thus confusing their emotions outside the bedroom. They’d be good together, so you definitely want them to get beyond the bumps they keep racing over.

I also enjoyed the relationship between Brit and his sister – and his sister getting involved with his partner. Brit gnashes his teeth at that budding relationship, cautions his partner to be very careful not to hurt his sibling, all the while refusing to look as closely into his own relationship problems. Cali gets her chance at the ex once he’s caught, and I cheered her on every step of the way. That jerk is something else. Brit solves the case, of course, and then has to face himself and Cali. A very lovely scene at the end when he finally decides to fight for her.

This book is vintage Christie Craig. Wonderful characters who draw in from page one. Emotions pinging away on both sides. Sizzling love scenes throughout – you don’t have to wait until the book is nearly over before you get some lovin’. A mystery that keeps you guessing and is far from one dimensional. And it’s fun and full of laughter. Can’t beat that any day of the week.

Grade: A

Summary:

Being a mama is hard. But the job’s even tougher when you’re dead.

Cali McKay’s mama isn’t ready to pass over to the “other side” yet. Her unlucky-in-love daughter needs her now more than ever. Before Mama can chain-smoke her way to heaven, she’s gotta make sure Cali’s ex deadbeat boyfriend doesn’t get her daughter killed.

Grief Sucks. Love Heals.

Cali lost her mom to cancer. Detective Brit Lowell, lost his partner to murder. Now he’s in the mood to take down some dirtbags and Cali’s ex just happens to be a dirtbag leaving a trail of dead bodies behind him. Can Brit trust this beautiful woman to help take down her ex? Can Cali look past this sexy cop’s hard exterior to trust him with her heart? Can life get any crazier when Mama starts meddling from the grave? Only one thing is for sure–none of it will matter, unless they catch a killer before the killer catches them.

No excerpt available.

Sandy M’s review of The Lure of Song and Magic (Magic Series, Book 7) by Patricia Rice
Paranormal Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Jan 12

I’ve not read many of Patricia Rice’s books, but the few I have read, I’ve totally loved. Her voice is what first draws me into a story. As mysterious as the characters’ backgrounds are or the direction the storyline takes a reader, there’s a whimsical tone to her storytelling that gives the entire book an extra layer for a terrific reading experience.

Dylan “Oz” Oswin has been getting mysterious texts from someone calling themselves The Librarian. Those messages have led him to Phillipa Seraphina Malcolm James, the former teen singing sensation Syrene. Somehow she has a way of finding his kidnapped son, and he’ll do whatever is necessary to see that she helps, despite her vow to stay out of the limelight, tucked away in her little house in a little town in the middle of nowhere.

Having a voice that can cause riots, even kill, among other things, is a curse Phillipa will not allow to control her again. Her young husband is dead because of her, and these past years teaching children and writing children’s books has been a balm to her soul after the disaster of her musical career and such heartbreaking loss. When Oz shows up at her day care, wanting to make her the star of his new children’s TV show, her answer is no. She’ll never sing to the masses again.

These characters are total opposites. Oz is a legend in his profession, making money hand over fist for his clients as well as himself. Phillipa needs little in the way of material things. Nothing matters anymore but her inner peace and finding her family. So when Oz keeps after her to participate in the program, she’ll agree only if he’ll help find her any living relative she may have out there. She knows nothing about her family, having been left on the steps of a fire station in Bakersfield. Oz immediately takes her up on the offer, knowing he has the resources to solve her puzzle, and now he can move forward with his plan to find his son.

Oz is one not to let anything stand in his way, especially when it comes to the whereabouts of his son. The townsfolk all protect Phillipa in their own strange ways. But he finds that he likes these different people as he slowly gets to know them. The same with Pippa. There’s a quality about her that just calls to him. She’s thrilled to learn her voice has no effect on Oz. And once she relents, opens herself to him, her life begins to change. Again. Keeping the panic at bay is a very tall order, but with Oz at her side, perhaps she can have more than ever before.

I so enjoyed this couple. Their banter is fun, even when Pippa is pushing Oz away in the beginning. Then once they become more open to their attraction and Pippa’s desire to help Oz begins to overshadow her own needs and she now knows Oz will help her in any way possible, the relationship blossoms and is that much more fun to read.

The mystery of Oz’s missing son and Pippa’s family come together in a slow revealing and then a crashing crescendo. I like the family dynamic on both sides, but it’s Oz’s brothers who really pique my interest. Conan is the private investigator who does all of the legwork for whatever is needed to make progress for Oz. It’s interesting that Oz describes their family has one not wanting to be in the same room together for any length of time, but these brothers, while in their own worlds, would do anything and everything for each other. I’m hoping Oz’s siblings eventually get their own books.

If you’ve not read any of Ms. Rice’s paranormal books, you really should. They’re exquisitely written and the characters are unique and charming every time, with never-before-read concepts that keep you turning the pages well into the early morning hours. What else can a reader ask for?

Grade:  A

Summary:

Her voice was a curse…

When Dylan “Oz” Oswin’s son is kidnapped, the high-powered producer will do anything to get him back. Desperately following an anonymous tip, he seeks help from a former child singing sensation called Syrene, only to find she’s vowed never to sing again. Immune to her voice but not her charm, Oz is convinced she holds the key to his son’s disappearance-and he’ll stop at nothing to make her break her vow.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Laura C’s review of If You See Her (Ash Trilogy, Book 2) by Shiloh Walker
Romantic Suspense published by Ballantine 31 Jan 12

First things first: if you haven’t already read the first book in this series—If You Hear Her—you should run out and do so before you pick this up. The books are tied much more closely together than the usual trilogy. In fact, you may find the beginning of this a bit confusing if you haven’t read the first one. You’ll adjust quickly though, so if you find yourself a bit lost, just forge ahead; the rest will definitely be worth your while!

Hope Carson has the kind of past that should make me shudder as a reader. I’ve mentioned before how overdone I think the “abused wife running for her life” thing is. But Shiloh Walker doesn’t follow the formula here. Sure, Hope is an abuse survivor. But she’s not hiding from her ex, even though he went so far as to have her committed to an asylum to keep control over her. As anyone would, Hope has moments where she doubts her own sanity, and more where she doubts her own worth. But she’s not self-pitying about it.

“So it doesn’t bother you that I was hospitalized?” she said, tossing it out like a challenge.

Carefully, Remy laid the knife down. Then, not trusting himself to speak just yet, he reached for his wine, but he didn’t go for sipping it. He tossed it back, but it didn’t do a damn thing to cool the rage burning inside, He’d be doing better if it was tequila. Or whiskey—straight, burning a path down to his stomach, and maybe burning through the fog of rage in his brain.

Looking at her, he bit off, “Oh, hell, yes it bothers me. But not for the reasons you think. You didn’t belong in there and we both know it. That bastard you were married to somehow managed to manipulate the system to put you in there and keep you in there and that pisses me off in more ways that you can imagine. Yeah, it bothers me. But not like you think.”

“Thank you.” She glanced down at her glass and then back up at him.

“Don’t thank me.” He reached for his knife and went to work on the rest of the vegetables, chopping up red bell peppers with a vengeance. “Don’t thank me, okay?”

It seemed kind of weird, but as he stood there, the sleeves of his blue dress shirt rolled up, the silver knife flashing as he cut up the vegetables, Hope felt her heart flutter.

Remy’s fury is doubled because Hope’s ex used the system—a system he, as a prosecutor, is an integral part of—to abuse her. If this book has one weakness it is that we don’t get to see enough of Remy’s personality away from Hope. He’s a great guy, no doubt about it, and he’s obviously just what Hope needs, but I didn’t feel as if I quite knew him the way I wanted to.

The romance progresses very slowly, as one would expect for a character like Hope, and the suspense is a slow build, too. There are double villains at work, both the serial killer who haunts the whole trilogy and another criminal specific to this book. But even with the dual threats, if I were going to categorize this book in some way, I would say that it’s more about Hope’s growth and self-realization than it is about either the mystery or the romance. That is possibly a function of this being the middle book in the trilogy—like the middle child, it finds its way in the shadow of the one before, which was strongly romance-centered (I didn’t review that here, but it’s one of very few books I’d give an A), and the final book, which I suspect will be villain-focused since the killer has escaped detection in the first two books.

Don’t get me wrong: there’s plenty to fear here and plenty of emotion. The relationship between Hope and her friend Law (who will be the hero of the third book) is gut-wrenching in and of itself, even before you add in her romance with Remy. So settle back in front of a roaring fire and read the first two books of this series. Then you can wait along with me for the third!

Grade: B+

Summary:

Hope Carson may not look like a survivor, but she has escaped an abusive ex-husband and recovered from a vicious assault. Now she endures the painful memories and suspicious rumors surrounding her involvement in the attack. Her ex is a cop, so the last people she trusts are law enforcement officials—and she certainly doesn’t trust how the local DA makes her feel inside.

Remy Jennings should know better. He has no business falling for a woman who he suspects may have a deeply troubled mind. And even if he did make a move, she’d bolt like a frightened rabbit. But how can he deny a burning desire that threatens to consume him? As Hope’s past catches up with her in the worst way, Remy is determined to break through her defenses, earn her trust, and keep her safe in his arms—before it’s too late.

Other books in this series:

C2’s review of She Tempts the Duke (Lost Lords of Pembrook, Book 1) by Lorraine Heath
Historical Romance published by Avon 31 Jan 12

In her new series, Lorraine Heath tell the stories of the Lost Lords of Pembrook – three boys who ran away from their scheming uncle.  They escaped a locked tower (with some help from a friend) and fled into the night, promising to return for retribution when they were adults.  One went to the army, one went to sea, and one was left in a workhouse.  The boys decided it would be best for them to run away until they were older and better able to fight their uncle.  They made plans to reunite in ten years but they didn’t manage.  Now they have returned…

Sebastian, the oldest (and new Duke of Keswick), and his twin brother, Tristan, were fourteen and their younger brother, Rafe, was ten when their father (a skilled horseman) was killed in a riding accident.  Their father’s brother locked then in a tower on the family estate, but after Mary (also fourteen and from the neighboring estate) overheard him give orders to kill the boys, she went looking for them and managed to break them out of the tower. While the boys were fleeing, Mary told her (remarkably ineffectual) father what she heard – even though Sebastian said not to tell anyone – and was sent to a nunnery for her trouble.

Fast forward a dozen years – Mary is finally having a Season, thanks to her aunt rescuing her from the nunnery.  She has recently been betrothed, even.  Imagine her surprise when, after years of hearing nothing from them, the lost lords of Pembrook arrive at a ball given by their uncle.  The brothers have come to reclaim their inheritance and assume their rightful places in society.  Society, however, is less than welcoming.  The ton doesn’t like the looks of these uncivilized young men.  But the brothers continue with their plans – they throw their uncle out of the family home and cut off his money and try to find their way in society.  But scandal continues to plague them.  And Mary’s unwavering support of them turns society’s suspicious eyes on her.  Her friends want to know more about the brothers, her fiancé wants her to stay away from them, and Mary just wants Sebastian. Even though Sebastian thinks she deserves so much better.
Sebastian was horribly injured during his time in the army.  He lost an eye and has terrible scars over most of one side of this body.  How could any woman stand to be with him?  And yet Mary doesn’t seem to mind at all.  She was his best friend when they were children and knew him better than anyone, except maybe Tristan.  Could it really be that the scars don’t matter to her?

After rumors blemish Mary’s reputation and her betrothed’s father forces him to withdraw his suit, the brothers know one of them must step up and marry her – both to save her reputation and to thank her for all she has done for them.  And Sebastian knows he could never let one of his brothers marry her.  But does he care for her the way she needs him to?  Or is he only grateful for her help to him and his brothers?  Is he even capable of loving anyone now or has his time away taken that from him?  Is Pembrook all that matters or does Mary still hold part of his heart?

A lot of Sebastian and Mary’s story was set up for the next two books, I think.  There was a lot of information to pass along to the reader.  Still, I always enjoy Ms. Heath’s books.  She has a way of drawing the reader into both the emotional side of the story and the intrigues that tend to surround her characters.  This series is loosely tied to her Scoundrels of St. James series.  It is not necessary to read those books before reading this one but, if you have read them, you will run across some familiar names.  I like it when an author stays consistent within the world he/she has created – it makes it seem more real.

If you are in the mood for a solid historical and a story arc that promises to continue to intrigue, look no further.  I am already anticipating the other two books.

Grade: B

Summary:

Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is now betrothed to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution and fight for a love that could once again set him free.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series:

Lord of Temptation – October 2012

Sandy M’s review of Scrumptious by Amanda Usen
Contemporary Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Jan 12

I’m one of those people who likes upscale food in fancy-schmancy restaurants. Being a hillbilly at heart, I also like down-home food where the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. Amanda Usen gives me all that and more in this fun and light-hearted read.

I don’t usually read books dealing with food. I’ve not found one that’s been written by a classically trained chef who make culinary delights believable and enjoyable. Until now. Ms. Usen is a chef in her own right, and she does a terrific job of describing life in a fast-paced kitchen, while also tantalizing the reader with dishes served up for lunch, dinner, and even Sunday brunch. I also like that the heroine, Marly, is not a school-taught chef. She’s one of those who just loves to cook, found her affinity for it early enough through the help of friends, and gets a thrill every time she steps into a kitchen, professional or not. She’s living my dream.

Olivia owns Chameleon, a family restaurant, and Marly is her best friend and has helped her out from day one, keeping the place running smoothly, especially after Olivia meets Keith in culinary school, marries him and then brings him back to restaurant and puts him on the line with Marly. The man is a total screw-up, and it’s Marly who’s making him look good all the time, until she’s had enough. Asking to be taken off the line, she retreats to the bakeshop where her desserts are as mouthwatering as her entrees. The lady is talented in every aspect of the kitchen. She ran Chameleon while Olivia was in school. Now when things begin to truly fall apart, Keith is tossed out after one too many of his shenanigans, Olivia doesn’t turn to her for help. She brings in an outsider.

A sexy outsider who Marly would dearly love to have in her bed. Joe Rafferty is the love’em and leave’em type of man and a master in the kitchen. He never stays in one place long enough to be more than that, but he’s trying to change. He promised his mother on her deathbed  he’d find someone to fall in love with and start a family. No more sluts. But he’s just as attracted to Marly as she is to him, despite the bit of hard feelings when Joe does agree to put off his trip toward a new job in California to help Olivia until she finds a new chef. And so begins a sexy but battling dance between these two chefs.

After a couple of foolish and childish pranks on Marly’s part (which I’m glad didn’t go any further, didn’t sit well with me) and when strange things begin happening around the kitchen, Joe and Marly begin to work together to figure it all out and to keep Olivia from taking back the snake or even selling the restaurant. It’s Joe who finally realizes what they have, is willing to give up his plans to stay with Marly. But she’s just not there yet. Love and marriage aren’t for her, just like it’s never been for her mother. But with Joe? Her eyes should have opened much sooner than they did. After all they’ve been through, all the loving they’ve shared, Marly still drags her feet. A little too far for me, but at least she does wise up before it’s really too late.

I like the issue each of them has with their fathers. It takes a lot of long, hard looking to resolve those issues in the end. The mysterious goings-on in the restaurant are also solved, Marly ultimately being the cardsharp needed to get to the heart of it. All in all, you keep turning the pages for the fun in the kitchen, the food being served in the dining room,the lovemaking that is sizzling and sweet once it begin, and the laughs along the way.

Grade: B

Summary:

Joe Rafferty is just as mouthwatering as the food he cooks. But if he thinks he’s going to waltz in and take over her kitchen, he’s denser than a thick slice of chocolate-ripple cheesecake. Marly has invested too much of her life in Chameleon to hand off the restaurant to someone else—especially a cocky-as-all-get-out superstar chef.  But there’s no denying the man knows how to light her fire. Question is: Can she have the sizzle without feeling the burn?

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series:

Lucious – July 2012

Laura C’s review of One More Summer by Liz Flaherty
Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction published by Carina Press 02 Jan 12

Don’t be fooled by the cover. This is not the light-hearted contemporary romance you might expect from the artwork. There is a romance, it’s true, but the focus is far more on the heroine’s personal growth and the relationships and stories surrounding the secondary characters than it is about the romance.

Here’s the thing: if you’re looking for a happy-go-lucky, humorous read, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re after an exploration of the meaning of family and friendship, it may well be. Sometimes, I think the author goes a bit overboard on the “life-trauma” side and in those moments, I feel as if I’m being manipulated, but most of the time I enjoyed the ride.

Grace has a boatload of trouble: survivor’s guilt over her mother’s death, a best friend with possibly terminal cancer, and secrets she keeps from everyone, along with those being kept from her. Grace’s secret (and I don’t want to spoil it, so I am going to tiptoe around it) is the one I find least believable. I knew what it was going to be from the moment it’s hinted at, and I didn’t think it fit with her personality or the history the author gave her.

But outside of that, the story is a good one. Grace’s relationship with Promise, her bff, is particularly sweet. Promise’s cancer serves as a catalyst for Grace’s growth, perhaps even more so than her own father’s death. Grace’s aunt, Maxie, is portrayed in an amusing but delicate manner; the symptoms of dementia she suffers are not overdone or maudlin, which can be a tough balance.

Grace’s relationship with Dillon falls under the “friends-to-lovers” umbrella. He’s the ultimate “nice guy,” a successful writer who shows up to spend the summer at Grace’s because his best friend—her brother—insists that Grace needs the rent money. But he ends up fixing screens, painting, and generally making Grace’s life easier. The pressures on their relationship (notwithstanding that he stood her up for prom years earlier—she’s not so stupid that she can’t forgive that) are largely external. There’s no real question that he and Grace will end up together as their relationship grows slowly and fairly evenly.

I rarely found myself getting emotional or angsting over the romance, but the other plots have plenty of that to go around, so if you’re looking for solid women’s fiction with a strong romantic element, this might be for you.

Grade: B

Summary:

Grace has taken care of her widowed father her entire adult life and the ornery old goat has finally died. She has no job, no skills and very little money, and has heard her father’s prediction that no decent man would ever want her so often she accepts it as fact.

But she does have a big old house on Lawyers Row in Peacock, Tennessee. She opens a rooming house and quickly gathers a motley crew of tenants: Promise, Grace’s best friend since kindergarten, who’s fighting cancer; Maxie, an aging soap opera actress who hasn’t lost her flair for the dramatic; Jonah, a sweet, gullible old man with a crush on Maxie.

And Dillon, Grace’s brother’s best friend, who stood her up on the night of her senior prom and has regretted it ever since. Dillon rents Grace’s guest house for the summer and hopes to make up for lost time and past hurts—but first, he’ll have to convince Grace that she’s worth loving…

Read an excerpt.

LynneC’s review of  The Petrov Proposal by Maisey Yates
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Desire 24 Jan 12

Maisey Yates is one of my go-to authors and while she didn’t disappoint with this book, it isn’t as amazing as last year’s Highest Price to Pay. It is still a highly enjoyable read.

Madeleine is event planner for Aleksei Petrov’s highly successful jewellery company. He designs high-end jewellery, so prestigious presentations at luxury resorts and hotels is an important part of the job. She’s worked for him for a while, but hasn’t met him, although she’s seen his picture. He is, naturally, gorgeous. The story starts when they meet, and it’s a satisfactory “wow, you’re gorgeous” kind of meeting, but, of course, they don’t act on it. Yates does the stages of intimacy thing very well, increasing and teasing until the reader is really ready for them to get together.

Aleksei believes in love, but he doesn’t want it. His wife was killed in a car accident six years before, and he loved her to bits. Until she was in bits, so to speak. (sorry!) He has designed nothing for six years, but has used other designers and concentrated on the business side. I think there’s a slight problem here, because Aleksei is known as a brilliant designer of jewellery, and by his own admission later in the book, he wasn’t the tycoon he is now when his wife died, he was “getting there.” So how is he a brilliant designer? I suppose people could retrospectively love his work, but most designers have to keep current and that is very noticeable in jewellery. But he has designed a necklace, and it will be shown at the upcoming exhibition.

I think that’s my problem with the book. The background is drawn very lightly, and in some parts it doesn’t make sense, like the designer conundrum. When the necklace is shown, Madeleine wears it for him, and she’s hardly at the party five minutes before Aleksei drags her on the dance floor, then kisses her a lot, then drags her off to bed. It just doesn’t seem realistic to me, and the necklace is priceless, so taking it off and dropping it on the bedside table seems a bit nutso, too. I just can’t see it happening, even if the necklace belongs to Aleksei’s company. But it is for sale, it’s not a personal possession. It would be the centre of the show, and she’d be expected to show it off to the clients. Then it would be in the media. When she wrote about fashion in Highest Price To Pay, I got a real sense of the industry, although, of course, romanticised and simplified somewhat. (When I told my mother I wanted to go into the fashion industry, she said, “Over my dead body.”) I didn’t get the same sense in this book of the jewellery trade. For one thing, security is frightening. Every diamond has its own ID number, and the really expensive stuff is so rigidly controlled, it hardly gets an outing.

I think Aleksei is a little more in the usual mold. I do like the way he listens and understands Madeleine, but I have read his kind of hero a lot. He is powerful, from humble roots, is self-made, and the Russian side of him is drawn very lightly. A couple of endearments and references to Moscow. I’d have liked something a little more specific. Maybe not Moscow, maybe more of a Russian syntax, or reference to the gangsters who run much of Russia these days.

The heroine, Madeleine, is an interesting character, too. And a grown-up, which is something I really appreciate about Yates’s books, Madeleine is the daughter of wealthy parents who don’t care. She has a brother, Gage, who loves her, and Gage is considerably older than Maddy. I think she is more developed as a character, and something from her youth, discussed later in the book, is really heart-stopping. But she doesn’t repine, and even her later, and very public, affair with a married man is treated with stoicism. In fact, part of Maddy’s journey is to get over the way her lover deceived her and then left her to face the press on her own. I did enjoy this part, and it does account for most of the higher grade I gave the book. She has a lot to get over, but she does it with humour and without self-pity. Maddy doesn’t believe in love, and at first she’s happy to indulge in an affair, even if it is with her boss, but she comes to admit that she’s falling for him.

I don’t want to denigrate this book, as it’s a well-written, entertaining romance, but I would like a few more specifics. The hero is satisfyingly alpha, but not as well depicted as some of Yates’s other heroes. Still, I can’t deny I had a good time with this book.

Grade: B-

Summary

The first time Maddy Forrester heard her boss’s mesmerizing voice barking orders down the phone, she knew he was a force to be reckoned with. But nothing prepared her for the sight of Aleksei Petrov. He is the last thing Maddy needs, but the first thing she wants!

Aleksei is determined not to mix business with pleasure, but he struggles with the irresistible sparks his feisty secretary ignites in him—she’s a problem he does not want.

The proposed solution? One unforgettable night to fulfill their every wicked desire.

Read an excerpt.

Laura C’s review of Because of You by Jessica Scott
Contemporary Romance published by Loveswept 14 Nov 11

This is a great read, if a tough one. When Shane Garrison wakes up in the hospital, all he can remember is being blown up, and all he can think about is getting back to Iraq and taking care of his men. But it’s not going to happen. And nothing, not even the presence of Jen St. James, the woman he hasn’t been able to forget since meeting her the night before he was deployed, is enough to soothe him.

I really enjoyed this book. I put off reading it for quite a while because I was afraid the subject matter—Jen’s a breast cancer survivor and Shane is a wounded vet—would subsume the romance. And, in a sense, it did for me: I found Jen difficult to get a handle on because of her reactions to the fact that she’d had a mastectomy. Perhaps I was meant to feel that way, but it still distanced me a bit from the character.

She knew how hard it was to look at her own missing pieces. After all this time, her hand was still shaking at the thought of what she was about to see. She braced herself and pulled her bra away. The silicone form flopped to the floor with a splat, but she didn’t bend to pick it up. This. This was what she avoided. The scar had long ago faded from angry red, but it still held her gaze. The raised pink scar and the indent in her skin where her nipple had once been cut across her chest like a jagged ravine through a field. The stark contrast between the swell of her right breast and the jagged, hollow left. Her other breast, still full and round, still with a perfect pink nipple, stood in the shadow of that scar and the missing flesh. How long had she been hiding from what she was? The silicone mound gave the illusion that she was still a whole woman. Who had she been trying to fool? No one but herself.

Shane seems more consistent to me. His reaction to his injuries is what I would expect. He’s angry, furious even, frustrated, depressed…and he can’t see how he’s going to fit into the only life he’s ever known. His reactions do more than tug at the heartstrings, they haul them around with a hydraulic winch. There’s no way you can read Shane’s story and not feel for him.

A slow burn started in his guts, and then it sparked into something that was at once odd and familiar and terrifying. Responsibility. By taking this single sheet of paper, he was resuming responsibility, no matter how bastardized, for one of his men.

But as soon as the feeling came, so did the realization of all that had changed. He couldn’t do this, He couldn’t make sure that Osterman made it to formation or take him for a run when he finally got a prosthetic leg. He couldn’t do anything but sit in PT with him. Who was he kidding? Carponti was right about him not being a leader anymore. And this little sheet of paper wasn’t going to give that back to him. He stared down at it. It mocked him for everything he no longer was. He was lying to himself and everyone around him. He had nothing left to give. All he could do now was take.

There’s a thread of humor in the story in the person of Shane’s buddy Vic Carponti, who Jen calls to bring Shane out of his funk. The fact that she understands that Shane needs someone like Vic, someone other than her, is actually a refreshing change from many romance novels where the hero/heroine seem to believe all the other needs is them.

There’s also a secondary storyline between Jen’s friend, Laura, and her husband. This is unresolved at the end of the book, clearly waiting for a followup, which kind of irks me. I feel like this book could have been bigger, encompassed both stories, along with the secondary suspense plot that also remains unresolved at the end of this book.

But, that said, the romance between Jen and Shane is very satisfying. Shane’s realization is perfectly true to life:

He’d fallen for her and he didn’t even know when it had happened. He just knew that today, she’d pushed her way into his personal hell and shoved him out of it. And he was so damn grateful that she was there.

That’s what I want in a book. Plenty of angst suffered by well-developed characters, followed by a happy ending. It’s amazing how rarely I get it, so I’m very pleased to have finally read Because of You and I look forward to Ms. Scott’s next book.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.  Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire.

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of A Cowboy Comes Home (Colorado Cattle Barons, Book 1) by Barbara Dunlop
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Desire 03 Jan 12

Books like this one seriously depress me.  On the surface, it has a lot going for it.  We have a sexy guy on the cover, a cowboy that returns to his hometown many years after leaving, it’s the first book in a projected series, and on top of the whole “reunion”-vibe, the hero falls for the sexy girl next door.  Seriously, I couldn’t download this one fast enough.  Unfortunately, it seriously flubs on the execution.

Caleb Terrell left home at 17 and didn’t look back.  Naturally he turns out to be one of those 27-year-old global CEO-types that proliferate in Romance Novel Land.  Anyhoo, his asshole daddy (the reason he left home in the first place) has finally kicked the bucket.  But the old man is still causing chaos from beyond the grave.  Instead of leaving the family ranch to Caleb’s fraternal twin brother, Reed – you know, the one who stayed behind even though Caleb begged him to come with him?  Yeah, the old man left the ranch to Caleb.  Sick jerk-wad that he was.

Mandy Jacobs is worried about her neighbor and BFF, Reed.  He hasn’t been seen since his father’s funeral, and now his estranged brother is in town.  Caleb had plans to sign over the ranch to Reed, what with him staying behind and putting up with their old man for ten years.  But now that Reed has vanished?  With only a snotty note left behind?  Yeah, Caleb can’t sell the place fast enough and get back to his life in Chicago.  Standing in his way?  Mandy.  Who isn’t about to let him up and sell the place while Reed is off pouting.

This book suffers from what I call Hero Logic.  The backstory of Caleb’s rotten childhood is certainly compelling stuff, and even if my eyes were rolling excessively at a globe-trottin’ 27-year-old CEO, you can’t help but admire his work ethic.  Unfortunately, he’s also a jerk.  He’s all set to just turn the ranch over to Reed.  But because Reed isn’t waiting for him when he gets there?  Yeah, Caleb takes this to mean that Reed must not want the ranch, so hey, he’ll just sell it and give the money to him.  Seriously, I’ve met rocks smarter than Caleb.

Mandy’s a nice enough girl, even though her meddling does get tiresome.  I like that she has a sharp tongue and doesn’t let Caleb walk all over the situation.  The first chapter in particular is really good stuff, with Mandy giving as good as she gets.

Ultimately, though, the problem with this book is that it’s a Desire (so less than 200 pages) that is the first book in what I’m assuming is going to be a long series. There’s too much noise surrounding the romance.  Mandy has six siblings, three of whom get quite a bit of lip service here, plus a sister in New York who’s mentioned more than once.  Then you have Caleb’s sexy, high-powered lawyer showing up.  Oh, and, of course, a mysterious private investigator gets name-dropped once said lawyer convinces Mandy to hire him to find Reed.  There’s also Mandy’s parents, a local gal they run into at the rodeo, and so on and so on.  I can appreciate that the author needs to set up the series, but, seriously, do all these people need to be in this book?  Uh, no.  And because they are, that means we spend less time on what the reader really cares about – the romance between Caleb and Mandy.

So, at the end of the day, I’m depressed.  Granted, I could just be hitting a wall with series, because there are moments here that really sparkle for me.  But then the noise would intrude, or Caleb’s Hero Logic would kick in, and I couldn’t slog through the rest of the book fast enough.  Reed’s book is up next, and given that he does run away to pout instead of confronting his estranged brother?  Yeah, not interested.  Moving on.

Grade: C

Summary:

At a Crossroads

After years of being the black sheep, an unexpected inheritance has finally drawn Caleb Terrell home. But that doesn’t mean the cowboy-turned-CEO plans to settle down on his family’s Colorado ranch. His single-minded goal is to sell and get out… until he’s reunited with the sexy girl next door, Mandy Jacobs.

Her mere presence reminds him of happier times. Denying Many seems impossible, but seducing her can lead only to heartbreak. There’s no room in Caleb’s agenda for such a delectable distraction. Because once he gives in to temptation, he may not be able to walk away.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

LynneC’s review of Once A Ferarra Wife by Sarah Morgan
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 24 Jan 12

Sarah Morgan is a great Mills and Boon writer. Her books contain real characters and fresh takes on the standard Mills and Boon tropes. I know I’m in for a good read when I pick up one of her books and this is no exception.

Laurel is flying into Sicily to attend her best friend’s wedding, but when she arrives at the airport, the passengers are asked to wait until a VIP has embarked. She looks out of the window to see some posh limousines and her soon-to-be ex-husband. The VIP is her.

A delicious beginning and from then on the book doesn’t let up. This is a reunited, second-chance story, but although the tropes are more than familiar, the treatment isn’t. Laurel and Cristiano have their specific problems and they concern them, nobody else. Cardboard characters don’t belong here, nor do situations that are just excuses for drama. What happened to these people is because of what they are, and the external events are triggers.

Cristiano never stopped loving Laurel, and he is the one with the emotional openness. He is also a workaholic, and after returning from college in his early twenties at his father’s death, he’s parlayed the company into a big multimillion concern. His brother, Santo, who is, I hope, the subject of an upcoming story, also has a lot to do with the company’s rebirth and continued prosperity.

Laurel left Cristiano after she lost their baby, and he only sent her a text to say he’d see her soon. Well, you would, wouldn’t you? But where I objected to the casual use of a stillbirth in Lynne Graham’s recent offering, Bride For Real, here this incident is given serious treatment and consideration. It’s the characters’ reaction to the event that starts them on the road to reunion, but only after a painful separation.

Cristiano didn’t realise that Laurel’s pains were serious, but his real problem was that he didn’t understand Laurel properly, or her needs. If he had, he would have recognised her cry for help and come immediately, but he didn’t. He comes from a loving, close family who have given him the confidence to display his feelings. Plus, he’s Italian.

Laurel is the opposite, coming from a childhood in care homes and foster homes, where she has learned to keep her emotions to herself. So when Cristiano demands affection, she can give it, but only up to a point. She doesn’t understand Cristiano, or rather, she doesn’t dare to. She’s no Cinderella, though, she has a successful fitness business, and although not as wealthy as her husband, she doesn’t need him.

The reversal of the roles works really well. While Cristiano is still a powerful alpha male, his ability to express his emotions acts in his favour. He is closer to himself, and he can reason, but in the case of his wife, he makes assumptions that, in reality, don’t work. The dazzling sexual attraction between them blinds them to their problems at first, and then it is too late.

#The story unfolds naturally and after one heartbreaking scene at the wedding, the story takes a turn, and they start to reconnect. Almost. Nearly, not quite. Morgan doles out the surprises and developments into a smooth, engrossing read that I didn’t want to put down until I’d finished it.

This is what a Modern/Presents book should be, the use of the standard tropes to examine and delve into character, to show us what happens when a standard external plot happens to a particular couple. So what Laurel will do wouldn’t be what Polly (from Ms. Morgan’s last book) would do in the same situation.

That’s the joy of it, and that’s why I look forward to each release from Sarah Morgan.

Grade: A

Summary:

For better…or for bedding? Laurel Ferrara wouldn’t know a happy ending if she fell over it – of course her whirlwind wedding was always going to end in disaster. But it wasn’t as simple as just walking away. From the moment she is summoned back to Sicily the shivers of unease set in… The command comes from legendary billionaire Cristiano Ferrara, the husband she can’t forget – but it might as well have come from the devil himself. The outrageously gorgeous Cristiano’s power is a potent reminder of this Sicilian dynasty’s unbreakable rule: once a Ferrara wife, always a Ferrara wife…

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason with Mia Marlowe
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablance 1 Jan 12

What historical romance reader hasn’t daydreamed of a braw Scottish Highlander abducting her from the altar and a future of boring days on end, racing across the countryside with her in his arms, toward an unknown destiny filled with steamy nights and never-ending love? Come on, ‘fess up. What’s not to love about such a romantic scenario, especially with a sexy, yummy hero like Mad Rob MacLaren.

I will admit this is one my of favorite tropes (I stole that from LynneC!  ) when getting lost in pages of the Highlands. The hero abducts the heroine, of course, for his own purposes, mostly revenge, and over the course of the story his feelings change, as do hers, paving the way for love and romance. It’s what’s in between the bride stealing and the love that either makes or breaks the book.

Robin MacLaren – dubbed Mad Rob due to his wild and dangerous behavior since his wife’s death – has hatched a plan to gain some revenge on the man who had a hand in Fiona’s demise. They shared only twelve days of wedded bliss before she was gone, and now all of his scheming has finally come to fruition. What he doesn’t factor into his plans is the woman he plans to abduct. He discovers very quickly she’s more than a possession to be fought over.

Doing her duty of marrying a man to unite their clans is the only reason Elspeth Stewart is standing before God, her family, and the two involved clans. She hopes for love, but her husband to be doesn’t excite her in any way. And when the doors to the kirk are thrown open and a wild man on a huge, black horse plucks her up and tosses her over his saddle while holding a broadsword to Lachlan’s throat, she now understands the vision her Sight had given her . She should feel afraid of this rough and rude warrior, but something about him causes that much awaited excitement to rush through her.

However, Elspeth will do all she can to escape her captor, and Rob will do everything in his power to keep her to make his enemy sweat. She thinks the man truly is mad to do such a thing – in a kirk of all places. His opinion of her changes when she bravely faces him and the dangers they encounter on their journey to his home. Rob now looks at her as someone of worth and definitely not worthy of the man she’s to marry. And as Rob protects her from wolves and even her fiance, Elspeth also sees him in a different light, one that has her thinking perhaps she’s better off with a madman than the evil bore she’s been promised to. Her eyes are now wide open as far he’s concerned.

Upon arriving at Rob’s home, an army is awaiting them, effectively imprisoning his clan. But another plan has formed, and he desperately hopes after all they’ve shared that Elspeth will be in agreement when she learns what his negotiation with her betrothed and her father entails. Another flash of her Sight and Elspeth knows that all will end in disaster, something she can’t allow. Sneaking away and taking Rob’s secrets with her, she tries to save everyone’s lives while leaving her heart behind. Unbeknownst to all, there’s another faction planning Elspeth’s downfall, and now not even her visions will be able to save her.

I enjoyed these characters, even the villain. He’s smarmy enough to be interesting, but it’s still nice to see him get what he deserves. Rob and Elspeth are both honorable and trustworthy. Their love grows steadily and sweetly. This is a couple I could read about over and over again.

From heart-pounding moments to gentle and sensual steaminess, this story of revenge and love moves at a nice pace, keeping a reader’s interest throughout. I’m not sure what I expected with two authors working on the same book, and not having read either of them before, I don’t know whose voice is dominant. Either way, the tone of voice is pleasing and works very well for the genre.

Grade: A

Summary:

Abduction

Elspeth Stewart’s gift of Sight hadn’t warned her of the dark-haired madman who charged into her wedding and bore her away into the wild Scottish highlands. Pressed against his hard chest and nestled between his strong thighs, she ought to fear for her life. But her captor silenced all protest with a soul-searing kiss, giving Elspeth a glimpse of the pain behind his passion—pain only she could ease.

Obsession

“Mad Rob” MacLaren thought stealing his enemy’s bride would be the perfect revenge. But Rob never reckoned that this beautiful, innocent lass would awaken the part of him he thought dead and buried with his wife. Against all reason, he longs to introduce the luscious Elspeth to the pleasures of the flesh, to make her his, and only his forever.

With two clans against them burning for battle, they must find a way to join—body, breath and soul. Or both will be made to pay for the … Sins of the Highlander.

Read an excerpt.

Laura C’s review of The Professor by Cathy Perkins
Romantic Suspense published by Carina Press 23 Jan 12

Meg Connelly just wants to get through her complicated life as a grad student, student advisor, and waitress. She has a hard enough time with the rich, spoiled kids in the sorority she oversees, she doesn’t need hot SLED Agent Mick O’Shaughnessy upsetting her life. But Mick’s investigating a serial murderer and Meg’s right at the center of the investigation.  And even if she weren’t, he’s not so sure he could leave her alone.

I began this book with great expectations. Despite their pervasiveness, I still enjoy serial killer stories. And the descriptive passage that begins this book, with the police at the scene of a body’s discovery, is nicely narrated:

The body lay in dappled shade. Patches of light caught pale flesh—an ankle here, a hip there. Resurrection ferns spread lacy fronds, partially concealing the limbs. Mick wondered if the irony was deliberate.

This deep into the woods, the trees blocked the breeze and the humidity increased as the air sucked moisture from the thick mulch spread across the forest floor. The noxious mixture of smells pressed against him in a cloying layer that was nearly visible amid the shifting patterns cast by the overhead branches. Pausing at the edge of the clearing, he batted at the flies circling his head. He hated flies. He associated them so strongly with death that a fly in his condo drove him crazy.

Two local detectives looked up, acknowledging Mick’s presence. His short hair marked him as a cop as much as the holstered pistol and gold badge clipped to his belt. The locals would already know who he was. He hadn’t been able to escape the publicity surrounding the murders—the Captain kept putting him in front of television cameras.

Unfortunately, the procedural stuff is really the only aspect of the book that is strong, and it’s not strong enough to support the rest of the story. The characters are cardboard. There’s no real intimacy between the hero and heroine. She spends her time running away from him and he spends his time alternately chasing after her and telling himself he shouldn’t pay her attention since he knows nothing about her.

And then there’s the sex. I don’t mind whether my romances do or don’t have sex, so that’s not a problem, but this book has the worst of both worlds—plenty of perverted villain sex, but no lovemaking, no happy sex to offset the ugly sex. To me, that’s a problem, particularly in a book that calls itself a romance. I had no sense that these two characters could make it as a couple.

I also had issues with the villain. “The Professor” is such a cartoon that I had to stop reading his sections entirely in order to finish the book. Here’s a sample of the interminable scenes with the villain:

He returned to his den, intending to work, but found himself contemplating his current situation instead. All too soon, the coverage of Emily’s death would degenerate into a repetition of the same limited facts, followed by more inane commentary from a consulting psychologist. The Professor wasn’t sure if he found them an irritation or pompous frauds. Their sloppy research and analysis would never be tolerated in his field. Settling more comfortably in his desk chair, he reviewed their arguments.

They thought he was “afraid” of women; that he had “issues”—who came up with that term anyway? Whatever happened to plain-old problems?—with a domineering mother. After Ashley, they’d debated whether he was using a condom or “failing to maintain an erection.” Whether he was a homosexual. Whether he could have normal sexual relations.

He’d laughed over that. How much more normal could you get than using a woman for her sole purpose in life—sex? He didn’t use a condom to protect himself from the women or disease. Semen was evidence, so he eliminated it.

None of them—the police, the shrinks, the reporters—understood. The pleasure, the euphoria transcended mere sex. He closed his eyes, sinking into the vivid memory: He presses his palm against her flank, feeling the liquid warmth of her blood, hotter than her skin. Hot, like the passion that burns inside the human beast. Hot, like the life force that he has claimed.

He lifts his hand to his nose. The scent is distinctive and metallic. Opening his mouth, he licks the wet slickness. Even the taste is metallic. The ancients ate the flesh of their vanquished. Cut out the heart and consumed the soul, taking their enemy’s strength for their own.

Pressing his tongue to his palm, he savors the woman’s blood and feels her mystery enter him. It runs through him, triumphantly adding to his mastery. His penis stirs in response. Earlier, he’d climaxed explosively while his hands tightened around her neck. Her fear fed his appetite. Stripped of the veneer of respectability, she’d shown her true nature—a groveling whore. Pleading, desperately begging, offering her body in a pathetic bargain, as women have bargained throughout history.

Finally, I had problems with the setup. The hoary old saying “write what you know” comes to mind. Take it from a career academic with degrees from schools big and small, private and public, the atmosphere and relationships within the college are all wrong. Meg refers to one of her professors, a man she both TAs for and writes papers for, as “Mr.”  Um, no. If he’s teaching grad students, he’s a “Dr.” And Meg never goes to class. We never really see her studying. Grad students are consumed with academics. Yeah, they have jobs, frequently more than one, but nothing is more important than their classes while they’re in that phase of their education or their dissertations when they get to that phase.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Someone is murdering women on South Carolina’s college campuses: three women, three different schools. The Governor’s order to State Law Enforcement Agent Mick O’Shaughnessy is simple: make it stop. More political maneuvering diverts Mick to nearby Douglass College. There, instead of another dead body, he finds Meg Connelly, grad student and faculty advisor for the latest victim.

Determined to finish her master’s degree, Meg doesn’t need anybody’s help – including her estranged family – to succeed. There’s something irresistible about Mick, but the last time she let someone get close to her, she lost everything except her self-respect.

As the investigation heats up, so does their relationship. But Mick’s interest in Meg doesn’t just endanger her heart–it puts her in the sights of the killer.

No excerpt available.

LynneC’s review of Nothing Short of Perfect by Day Leclaire
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Desire 1 Nov 11

Day LeClaire is a great example of someone who has been writing for the Desire line for a very long time but manages to keep her characters and situations fresh and interesting. More than interesting. I love the hero and heroine in this book.

While many category writers are out of step with modern technology, writing about PDAs instead of smart phones, for instance, Day LeClaire’s geek hero knows his way around technology. True, he’s an engineer, but engineers have a great deal to do with tech these days. The deliciously named Justice has developed a computer program to help employers find the perfect employee for certain jobs, and he and his uncle have tweaked with the program to provide himself with the perfect wife.

He wants a wife partly for him and partly for his uncle, who suffers badly from agoraphobia and never leaves the house. After a car accident six months before, he realizes he needs someone in his life. When the emergency staff ask him who to contact, he has no one. His uncle can’t come because of his illness. He has a housekeeper, but he wants more. He wants children. Justice has no problem attracting women, but he spends most of his time in his remote house. However, he has to go to a conference.

This is where the story starts. Daisy is at the same hotel as Justice and recognizes his name. She’s there to sign the children’s’ books she’s written, but she gatecrashes the engineering conference. She doesn’t understand much of Justice’s speech, and while she recognizes that he’s done well since she last saw him, she doesn’t realize how much people idolize him. Justice is a star of the engineering world, and since his childhood in foster homes, he has made himself rich. He met Daisy in his last foster home and the two young people fell in love.

What Daisy doesn’t realize is why Justice walked away. I won’t spoil the reason, but suffice it to say it’s a really, really good reason. While I don’t usually believe in many of the reasons why a couple is separated, this one is perfectly believable, and although Daisy wasn’t at fault, the consequences of their affair hurt Justice badly. But he doesn’t recognize her and they spend the night together. His car accident caused him some amnesia, and although he doesn’t recognize her, he is drawn to her and they spend the night together. Then he recognizes her and boots her out.

Daisy arrives at his house with their child nineteen months later. Normally I’d object to that, too, but Daisy has done her best to contact Justice. Because of his remote address, and because he has instructed everyone that he doesn’t want to talk to her, she has resorted to setting a teenager and computer geek to find out where he is. They find a strange house. Daisy has brought the teenager, her housekeeper and the baby with her, and that is something else I shouldn’t like – a cute kid and a precocious teenager, as well as a loveable and capable housekeeper. But LeClaire makes them real people, albeit heightened ones.

She takes the reader, in this case me, on a journey, after making me care about her two leading characters. I read the book wanting Justice and Daisy to get together, understanding that they fill parts of each other’s personalities they would otherwise be missing. The book shows how people have to change and adapt if they want to love and be loved. Both Justice and Daisy have a way to go, but they set out with humour and courage to achieve it, and by the end of the story, I get what I haven’t had for some time – the happy sigh.

I wanted more Dantes, but the “perfect” story is obviously the first in a new series, where the program concocted by Justice’s uncle, with help from the teen terror, will form the basis. So far, so good. I’m happy.

Grade: B+

Summary:

First comes marriage—and Justice St. John has a plan. Using a foolproof equation, the brilliant scientist designs a program to find the perfect woman. But after a night of unexpected passion, he discovers that Daisy Marcellus is entirely the wrong woman—and it’s back to the drawing board.
But their passion has consequences…. And when Daisy—with little Noelle in tow—tracks him down, she brings life and color and chaos to his cold and orderly world. Their negotiations for the future are just starting when Daisy discovers he’s still searching for the perfect wife….

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Craving the Highlander’s Touch by Michelle Willingham
Historical romance short story ebook published by Harlequin Historical Undone 01 Sep 11

As the Undone line has evolved, many authors have chosen to utilize the shorter format as a “teaser” for their full-length Harlequin Historical books.  Like all things concerning series books, it all boils down to how much series-itis creeps in, and whether or not as the reader I feel like I’m being manipulated.  Yes, I’m talking execution.  Michelle Willingham is one who loves to use the Undone line to flesh out secondary characters from her connected novels, and she’s also one that generally makes it work for me.  This short story tied to her MacKinloch Clan books is no exception.

Alys Fitzroy, Lady of Harkirk, has endured a marriage to a brutish English husband.  Besides terrorizing her, he’s made many enemies among the local Scots – who he has a habit of imprisoning and torturing.  Although English herself, this treatment of the locals sickens Alys, especially when it involves children.  So she does what she can, freeing as many of them as she can – helping them to run away.

Finian MacLachor is his clan’s chief, and his failed uprising against Alys’ dear husband has not gone well.  He’s a man who has lost everything – his wife, his daughter, and his very soul.  Beaten, bloody, and sitting in the dungeons waiting to be made an example of, he’s resigned himself to die, because he thinks he has no right to live.  Then Alys shows up with the keys.

Willingham tends to put a lot of story in her Undones, but this one might take first prize.  This really could have been a full-length novel.  Between the various character baggage, the battle scene, the love scenes, and the final chapter?  There’s a lot going on here.  While the author does have to take a few “happens off page” short cuts to keep things moving along, this is a story I could really sink my teeth into.  It is also especially lovely to read love scenes that are an intricate part of the romance and character development.  They aren’t here just for filler – they need to be in this story.

I do think reading the two full-length novels will allow readers to get a bit more out of this story.  However, that being said, I still have both novels languishing in my TBR and I rather liked this short tale.  If anything, it succeeded in me kicking my own behind for letting those novels sit unread for these last several months.  So in the end?  The author’s ploy worked.  Teasing me with the short makes me want to run out and read the full-length stories.  Which makes me part of the problem, but given how much I enjoyed this story?  I don’t rightly care.

Grade: B

Summary:

Scotland, 1306

For Alys Fitzroy, Lady of Harkirk, her brutish husband is more of an enemy than the wild Scots she is supposed to hate. Her heart longs to help her husband’s prisoners—especially Finian MacLachor, the intense Highland chief who bears the scars of his own failed uprising, both inside and out. With her help, he has a second chance to make things right for his clan—and and to show Alys the nights of unbelievable pleasure she’s been missing.…

No Excerpt Found.

Other books in this series:

LynneC’s review of Tool Belt Defender (Lawmen of Black Rock, Book 5) by Carla Cassidy
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Romantic Suspense 20 Dec 11

Occasionally I venture into romantic suspense territory, and this book is from that Harlequin line. And, in any case, how can I resist a book with the title Tool Belt Defender?

Unfortunately, I don’t share Cassidy’s tool belt fetish, even when Batman is wearing it, and the hero of this book is no Batman. He’s an ordinary guy, an ex-lawyer from Chicago who is setting up in the small town as what we in the UK would call an odd-job man. It isn’t the most obvious place for hero material (my odd-job man also worked as Captain Mayhem, a childrens’ entertainer, so I can say that my new shed was built by Captain Mayhem – there has to be a book in that!). In this book, the occupation gives the ex-lawyer a chance to develop his muscles so he can rescue the heroine from her dilemma.

The heroine is Brittany, who was the town’s deputy to her brother’s sherriff, but is now recovering from a trauma. I found it difficult to believe she could recover so quickly from a trauma that involved her getting kidnapped by a serial killer and kept confined for four months, while the baddie tormented her every day talking about what he was going to do to her. She is shown as jumpy, but she isn’t going to therapy, something I’d have thought her employer would have insisted on for quite a long time, and she doesn’t have many other symptoms. She was kidnapped from her car, for instance, but we see her pootling around quite happily in the story. She doesn’t like to go into town because people stare, and she’s lived as a virtual recluse since the attack. Considering how quickly she gets together with the hero, especially since he’s a stranger to her at the start of the story, her trauma seems to come and go, as the story demands.

Although the serial killer is dead, Brittany starts seeing signs that he’s around, such as a red balloon tied to her mailbox and a note pushed through her door which mysteriously disappears. Her brother the sheriff and everyone, except Alex, thinks it’s part of her trauma and dismiss it as her imagination. I find that somewhat hard to believe, too, considering one of the things the experts in serial killers always look for are copycat killers. Any sign would have been followed up, unless the sheriff is incompetent, and since he’s Brittany’s brother, I don’t think he’s meant to be. And if it is her imagination, then surely they would encourage her to see a shrink?

Alex has a daughter. He’s a widower, and one reason he’s moved to a small town is for the family infrastructure he can have there (the girl’s grandparents live in the town). Although he does explain why he’s given up lawyering for odd-jobbing to Brittany, I’m not sure I buy it. He seems somewhat without ambition and a bit directionless to me, although he’s perfectly happy building Brittany’s deck. Yes, she has a deck. Alex’s daughter is a moppet, a poppet, and she is infuriating. When events catch up with them later in the book, I found her Pollyanna attitude distinctly annoying, and I would have told her about death and taxes a lot earlier. It’s just me, I know, but I really don’t like it when cute kids show up in romances. They tend to bring the sugar level right up and provide a useful McGuffin for the author, which can lead to lazy writing.

The book is easy to read, and the events unfold as they should, apart from the “oh, let’s have sex” scene which I find a bit puzzling, as if it’s put in because, well, there has to be one somewhere. I’d have preferred it towards the end, perhaps when the heroine has gone through her ordeal and the hero wants to prove his love to her. It doesn’t seem to fit where it is. They are vaguely fancying each other, and then it’s, oh, well, we might as well, and there it is.

The weakest part of the story is the internal plot, which deals with the motivations and inner feelings of the characters. All too often the reader is told how the character is feeling and not shown it, or told the feeling and then the character made to act accordingly. The reasons that keep the hero and heroine apart are weak and not altogether convincing. The external plot works well, and if the internal motivations had matched that, it would have been a better read.

Grade: C

Summary:

“It’s party time.”That’s the “invitation” shoved under her door. It’s got Brittany Grayson fearing for her life…and her sanity. She’s sure the monster who once held her captive for months is dead, so why his chilling words in the note? His menacing face in the window? And why won’t anyone —even her lawmen brothers—believe that somehow he’s after her again?

Brittany just wants a normal, independent life in Black Rock. Romance is out of the question…although she’s okay as friends-with-benefits with Alex Crawford, her hunky, marriage-phobic contractor. Alex, a single dad, has his own good reasons not to fall for Brittany. But none of them matter when the race is on to find the killer who’s kidnapped her!

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

Other books in this series:

Sandy M’s review of Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Young Adult published by Viking Juvenile 19 Jan 12

As most of you who read my reviews know, I’m not a stickler for accuracy or total believability and realism in my romance novels. That doesn’t mean a lot to me when given terrific characters and an intriguing storyline. I have to say, however, in this instance with Jennifer Hubbard’s young adult book, all of those elements are well done when it comes to teen suicide.

The best parts of this book for me are those dealing with both Ryan’s sarcastic humor and his reaction to people, including his parents, when faced with attempted suicide. Then there’s his parents’ reactions to both the attempt and the aftermath. I find these to be quite believable and real. It makes me wonder how close to home the author has experienced these things in her book. It just seems more than good research has put the pain and emotion in this story.

At first I wondered why Ryan’s attempt at suicide is really hardly an attempt at all. He is depressed, has the usual teenage issues, and when he thinks about killing himself, he chooses to do so in the family car in the garage, with a towel wedged under the door to the house to block any effect on his mother inside. But the car runs only a minute, two at the most, and then his father comes home, interrupting Ryan’s plans. All hell breaks loose and he ends up at a mental hospital. It’s later during scenes with his parents, both together and separately, that it becomes clear to me it doesn’t matter to them how long or how half-hearted the attempt was. This is their son. He tried to kill himself. They don’t know why. They don’t know what to do with him or around him after he comes home. Those scenes are intense, especially with Ryan’s mother when she breaks down while talking to him. His father now seems to listen to him more when they sit down together for their father-son ballgames on TV.

Ryan’s favorite place is a waterfall near his home, especially when kids at school back away and stare now that they know what he tried to do. There’s a peacefulness at the falls for Ryan, and it’s where he meets Nicki. She’s the only one who doesn’t sensor what she says to Ryan, doesn’t wince if the wrong is said or implied, doesn’t think he’s that sensitive anymore when it comes to his depression and subsequent decision. In fact, she wants to talk about his suicide attempt, wants to know what he felt, why he did it, did he leave a note. Not wanting to talk about it himself, Ryan tries to dodge Nicki’s questions, but when he learns her father killed himself, he relents and tells her a little, though he knows it won’t be enough for her. His answers are his alone.

Along for the ride to healing with him are Ryan’s friends from the hospital, Jake and Valerie. The three friends have stayed in touch since their releases, and it’s Valerie who Ryan is always thinking about, hoping she feels the same about him. It’s after he accompanies Nicki to see a psychic or two to get her answers about her dad that Ryan finally gets to see Valerie once again. Though she’s too young at fifteen to drive, Nicki handles her brother’s truck like a pro and drops Ryan off to spend a few hours with Val, all of which he wishes never happens after she rebuffs him, thinking they live too far apart for anything to happen between them.

So Ryan turns to the one recent constant in his life – Nicki. Young hormones race and rage, feelings bubble to the surface, more secrets are revealed, and it feels good. For a little while anyway. Just when everything seems to be going right for him, Ryan finds perhaps it was a scam, definitely all a lie. Even his waterfall suddenly becomes tainted by deceit. A friend goes back into the hospital. Will life ever get back on a stable keel for Ryan?

Try Not to Breathe is a very frank look at all sides in the aftermath of a teen suicide attempt, even though it’s from Ryan’s POV. Ms. Hubbard does a terrific job of getting all those sides represented, good and bad. Ryan is a very likable young man, coming out relatively intact after such an event. You feel for him, no matter the situation. A good book to pass to anyone who’s walked in the same steps as Ryan, letting them know, if nothing else, they’re not alone.

Grade: B

Summary:

Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it’s the only thing that makes him feel alive. He’s sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan’s depression that no one else has ever been brave enough – or cared enough – to ask. Ryan isn’t sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again.

No excerpt available.

Here it is, my best read books in 2011.  Some of these still stand out in my mind and were easy to decide on, and others I really had to think about. Out of so many books, it was hard to decide, so I picked the ones which are worthy of the keeper shelf.

5. Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch – Not the type of book I usually read, though I always say I will read more of. I love both Kitty and Jeff. It’s one of those stories where you really need to suspend belief and just go along for the ride. It’s a fun break away from the real world and I loved that about it.

4. Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen -  One of the reasons this is one of my favorites is because it’s the last book and it just ends so well. I’m not left with any burning questions, I know I won’t have to wait through 5…10…15 more books to get answers. I am happy with it, and I like the fact that there could be more, but there doesn’t have to be. Declan is still one of my favorite characters.

3. Defiant by Kris Kennedy -  It has almost everything I could ask for in a historical, which I am picky about since it’s not my favorite genre.  I was hooked after the first sentence and that is a must for me. If more historicals had heroines like Eva, I would be reading them more.

2. Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison – I am so glad this didn’t sit on my TBR for any longer then it did. This book broke a really bad reading slump and Thea Harrison is now one of my favorite paranormal authors. Dragos is just awesome, and I wish there were more dragon books like this out there.

1. Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh – One word…Hawke. Do I really need to say more? Just thinking about this book makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I can’t imagine this being topped any time soon, or at least until the next one…but maybe not then either.

It wasn’t hard at all to pick my worst books. I didn’t give many bad ratings last year, which is a good thing. These are the ones I wish I could go back and forget I ever read them.

5. Ascension by Caris Roane -  This book is just one giant eye roll. I had to stop myself from throwing it against the wall many times. I think of it as everything I never want to read in a paranormal.

4. Secrets to Seducing a Scot by Michelle Marcos – The problem here is I was bored. There was nothing exciting and the romance was lacking.

3. Finding Forgiveness by Dana Marie Bell – I disliked one of the main characters and I couldn’t get past it. There was nothing about him that said ‘hero’ to me. I was rooting for the other guy to leave him.

2. Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian – Great series, terrible book. I skimmed it just so I could move onto the next one. I disliked the characters and found them boring.

1. A Thread of Deepest Black by Finn Marlowe – I think this is the only book that got an F from me last year. I didn’t like a single thing about it.

Sandy M’s review of An Unexpected Gentleman by Alissa Johnson
Historical Romance published by Berkley 6 Dec 11

The elements of this book come together quite nicely to give readers what they’ve come to expect from Alissa Johnson. Revenge against a brother, an attraction that begins from afar, jealousy that leads to false accusations, and a love that grows despite everything working against such emotion.

Adelaide is expecting a proposal from Baron Maxwell, but she’s dragging her feet to face him this night. As much as her family needs his money, this is certainly not a love match. But it is up to her to make the sacrifice – her sister needs a Season, her brother’s debts need to paid, and her young nephew needs a stable home life. But before she makes her way to the house party, she is waylaid by a handsome gentleman and then trapped in his company as they wait for the coast to clear so they’re not caught in improper circumstances. Connor Brice is a charming rogue and has a way of seemingly reading her mind about her reluctance to actually make it inside for the party.

Revenge has been on Connor’s mind for years. He and Baron Maxwell have a very contentious history, with luck not being on Connor’s side throughout. Discovering the baron’s interest in Adelaide, his plans now include her. He slowly seduces her, but Adelaide surprises him. She has a good head on her shoulders and looks at all sides of a situation. So he takes matters into his hands to make sure she’s tied to him. But even compromising the lady doesn’t work as neatly as he figured.

With two men’s proposals waiting for an answer from her, Adelaide is determined to make the right choice, though after all the revealing things she learned about the baron tonight, her choice really is clear. But she’s cautious and intelligent and makes doubly sure the men know she’s in charge, especially because they don’t see her as a person or a woman but more of something to fight over. She accepts Connor’s proposal with her eyes wide open. Too bad her heart doesn’t follow suit.

While Connor keeps his eyes on his revenge plans, Adelaide begins to see him in a new light in this new life they share. The sweet way he makes love to her, the way he cares for her nephew, the revelation of his feelings for her before he even knew she was involved with the baron. Even the way he listens to her when she stands up for herself in their marriage.

But when love enters the equation, Adelaide wants more from Connor. His life has and is consumed with revenge, but if they’re going to have a life, a family together, he needs to step back and see what’s more important to him. And Connor does listen to her, but he’s running on a one-track mind. He decision is made swiftly, however, and to me it’s a little too fast. Seems like to me after fifteen years of nothing in his life but his revenge that it should have taken just a bit longer to whittle it down the way he does. Does he give it all up? Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?

I enjoyed these characters immensely. Connor is the one who must truly change, even though Adelaide is taken with his unexpected gentlemanliness as she gets to know him. There’s more to him than meets the eye, and it all comes out through his growing love for her. I like that Adelaide is not a beguiling beauty, but just your everyday girl next door and she doesn’t leave that behind despite what happens in her life. The baron is one piece of work, and I thoroughly reveled in his downfall.

Alissa Johnson always gives readers a lovely romance featuring charming characters, wicked and handsome heroes, along with intelligent and independent heroines. I enjoy her storytelling and look forward to the next book by the time I’ve finished reading the one currently in hand.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Her heart was a target…

Adelaide Ward has but one goal—to obtain an offer of marriage from the respectable, if less-than-appealing Baron Maxwell before her family is ruined. But it’s the devilishly handsome Connor Brice who captures her imagination—and a kiss in broad daylight—in front of a dozen members of the ton.  Now Adelaide must decide if the charming scoundrel who stole away her reputation might still be trusted with her heart.

His aim must be true…

Connor Brice seeks a long overdue revenge on the baron. And what better way to launch his campaign than to steal the lovely Miss Ward for his own? A quick “compromising” and an even quicker wedding ought to do. But if Connor wants to establish any sort of domestic tranquility, he’ll have to regain Adelaide’s trust and choose what means more to him—his thirst for vengeance, or his need for Adelaide.

Read an excerpt.

This is the second year in a row I’ve not been able to decide which of two terrific books should be my No. 1. So I have a tie once again. Last year it was two fantasies that made the top spot. This year one of those authors has maintained her position, but she’s now sharing it with an historical author who never lets me down in story or character. And who rounds out the rest of my list? Think I can surprise you? Hmmmmm. Maybe not totally, but I think a few of my picks just might!

10. A Forever Kind of Love by Shiloh Walker – emotion is going to be the word of the day for this list. Combined with an alpha hero and a romance to die for, an author has a life-long fan in me if she can pull that off. Shiloh Walker is definitely one of those authors. This book is chockful of emotion, pulling on your heartstrings so much you’re sure they’ll definitely break. Just what I’ve come to expect from her.

9. Saddled and Spurred/Wrangled and Tangled & Chasin’ Eight/Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James – I’m not sure how she does it, releasing these four books, plus others, in one year, but I’m sure glad Ms. James does. I couldn’t leave any of these books off the list over another, they’re all so good. My favorite, I think, is W&T – I love Renner and Tierney, they’re such fun. Her cowboys from both of her current series will keep you hot and bothered long after you’ve finished reading them!

8. Hidden Embers by Tessa Adams – sigh. Dragons. I love’em. And this edition of Tessa Adams’ Dragon’s Heat series is right on target for me with the emotion the hero goes through and all those alpha dragons breathing fire everywhere. The aerial fight scenes are as intense as the lovemaking, and with a mysterious disease that could end their clan, this is one all-consuming read. And how can you not lust over that cover, for heaven’s sake?

7. Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day – I so enjoy an author who can write in more than one genre, and Sylvia Day is a master. I love her paranormals every bit as much as I love her historicals. This new series featuring angels is spectacular. ToC is the perfect opening, and I can’t wait for more, especially since next up is a werewolf hero. Shifters do it for me every time.

6. Pride and Pleasure by Sylvia Day – this is the first time an author has made my list in two different genres. Doesn’t surprise me it’s Ms. Day. Both hero and heroine in this book are fascinating characters, something this author excels at like no other. I can’t imagine anyone reading this list hasn’t read Sylvia Day before, but if so, you have to pick up one of her books like yesterday. Seriously.

5. Breaking Point by Pamela Clare – another author who writes alpha heroes and gives them the perfect heroine for our reading pleasure. And who can insert emotion that breaks your heart and then shows you action until you’re ready to collapse with exhaustion. You get everything in a Pamela Clare book. The hero in this story goes through hell, but his heroine, of course, helps pull him through.

4. Hidden Away by Maya Banks – If you’ve read my reviews of Ms. Banks’ KGI series books, you know I love these Kelly boys. They go through hell to find love, but that makes it all the more sweet and pleasurable in the end. It’s also the family aspect of these stories that I love. You mess with one Kelly, you mess with them all. The brothers tease and fight like boys do, but they back each other up no matter what. Heroes, every one of them.

3. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley – more brothers that have burrowed into my heart. This book is my second favorite so far, right behind The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie. We find out what drives Cam, how his past has shaped him. And what a past it is. I also like the father-son aspect of this book. I was hoping that would be a good part of it when we met Daniel in earlier stories, and Ms. Ashley gave me that hope in spades, and then some.

2. Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh – there’s not a thing about Ms. Singh’s Psy-Changeling series that I don’t like. I like/love certain books over others, especially the ones that made me cry – but every one of them calls to and satisfies the paranormal/shifter fan in me. Hawke and Sienna live up to the expectations in my mind, I loved every single word.

1. Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath – all three books in this trilogy are wonderful, but this one, this one was the most emotional of all, and that’s saying something after the very talented Ms. Heath turned a not-so-nice character into a hero you couldn’t help but love on the very first page of his book. The untenable situation in WUwtD, the characters who live it, and the love they share is what puts this book in the No. 1 position for me.

1. Haunting Desire and Haunting Embrace by Erin Quinn – this series has been, well, haunting to read. Ms. Quinn has given this reader a whole new lo ok at Ireland and paranormal stories the like of which I’ve never read before. So beautifully written.

The series has ended with Haunting Embrace, so if you’re looking for something different, these books will hit the spot perfectly.

I always give a few honorable mentions, because it’s such a difficult time whittling down the list of all the great books I’ve read in a year’s time. So I want to share those with you too. Here they are in no particular order:

Second Chance at the Sugar Shack/Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry – what fun these books are! I’m glad I discovered Ms. Terry. She’s a joy to read. Great sense of humor and a mama ghost. You can’t go wrong!

A Light at Winter’s End by Julia London – I’m so glad this book was written. I was very upset at the ending of Summer of Two Wishes. The heroine picked the wrong man, as far as I’m concerned. And when he walked off into the sunset, so to speak, with no other information about where he went, what he did, how he coped, well, I wasn’t happy at all. Here we find out. And now I’m happy. (You should read SoTW first!)

The King’s Mistress by Sandy Blair – it’s nice to have a new book by Sandy Blair on the shelves. And she’s done one heck of a job weaving her hero and heroine into Scottish history to give readers a wonderful romance. No one does it better.

Making Waves by Tawna Fenske – I enjoy an author who can make me laugh out loud. There aren’t many out there who can. Tawna Fenske is a new voice on the scene, and she knows how to write humor. Her characters and storylines are just plain old fun! I still chuckle thinking about that black thong…

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long – this was my first Julie Anne Long book and I can certainly say I’m hooked. I really enjoyed these characters and just had fun with them. I look forward to reading a lot more of her books in the future. With all of the historicals on my list this year, this one didn’t miss the cut by much at all. So very close!

Well, now we go from my Best of the Year to my Worst of the Year reads. I’m teased by some of the reviewers here at the Pond that I like everything I read. Well, that’s not technically true, because there are those books that sometimes don’t do it even for me. So I have a few. One doesn’t surprise me, one does, and the others just surprised me as I read them. And the biggest surprise is they’re all Scottish historicals, which I love to read. Now you know really how painful these were for me!

~ Must Love Kilts by Allie Mackay – I always try to give an author a second chance when one of their books doesn’t work for me. I believe I’ve given Ms. MacKay a third and fourth chance. I doubt there will be another chance in the offing any time soon. So this one didn’t surprise me at all. And that’s really too bad, because I wouldn’t mind getting a look at the covers on her books. Those I love. You can see my review here, if you’d like.

~ In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks – needless to say, this one surprised the ever livin’ hell out of me, as much as I love Ms. Banks’ romantic suspense novels. Honestly, I’m still flabbergasted at my reaction to this book. I expected to love it, every last word. But something went horribly wrong for me. I didn’t grade it super low just because of who the author is – at least the characters worked for me – but I just couldn’t get past other things. I feel another tear coming on. My review is here.

~ Captured by the Highlander/Claimed by the Highlander by Julianne MacLean – I’ve not read Ms. MacLean before these books, and I now know I shouldn’t have started here. I have a lot of her books in the TBR mountain, so it definitely surprised me during reading that these books just don’t work for me on any level, except maybe her characters. Despite their sounding like modern-day people and the books being nearly mirror images of each other, I do like the heroes and heroines. It’s everything else that needs work. I have yet to try the third book, and I don’t know how soon, if at all, that’s going to happen. My reviews can be read here and here.

So how do your 2011 reads stack up to my list? Any you agree with? How about vehemently disagree with?