Liviania‘s Quick Quack Reviews of A Bunch of Category Romances by a Bunch of Authors
Paranormal and contemporary romances released Jun-Jul 2009

That’s right, I’m back in the US and all moved into my apartment.  But . . . I’ve got a lot to catch up on.  So here’s some short reviews of various Harlequins I read on vacation.  That’s the lovely thing about eBooks – you can take them anywhere without affecting the weight of your baggage.  [Gwen ed.: we made her save room in her luggage for booze and chocolate souvenirs for us ducks.] 

The Highwayman (Wicked Games, Book 1) by Michele Hauf
Paranormal romance released by Silhouette Nocturne 1 Jul 09

This is my second exposure to Michele Hauf, the first being a Nocturne Bite.  I enjoyed the short story, but found it a bit thin.  It can be hard to develop two characters in a very limited page count.  Luckily, the hero and heroine of The Highwayman get more development, though part of the hero’s reasoning still remains opaque to me.

Aby is a familiar – in the case, a familiar is someone who brings demons into the world through having sex.  Max has a deprivation demon trapped inside of him, making him unable to sleep, orgasm, or feel full.  This has made him a little testy.  But he’s found a way to escape his fate with Aby’s help – but he still plans to kill her afterwards, even after he gets to know her.  I prefer my heroes to be less intent on spilling the heroine’s blood.  Especially when they’re an otherwise reasonable person and the heroine has given them no reason.

Max’s stubborn homicidal tendencies would annoy me more if the plot didn’t work so well.  It moves right along, building the mythology of familiars, revealing Max’s past, and moving the characters to France for the final showdown.  It’s quick and fun, just like a category should be. I look forward to the second book in the miniseries, Moon Kissed, available September 1.

Grade: B

Summary:
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Max Fitzroy, the legendary Highwayman, had slain scores of demons with a razorlike whip and a burning need for revenge. Now, to rid himself of the demon inside him—who’d cursed him with immortality and stolen all sensual pleasures—Max needed a witch’s familiar, the one creature he’d made a career of killing.
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But the Highwayman wasn’t prepared for the familiar named Aby. The sleek and sexy conduit to the demon world saw past his swirling shadow as easily as he scaled the walls she’d erected to protect herself. Max needed Aby to grant him his freedom, and then he needed to slay her. But how could he destroy the only creature he’d desired in centuries?
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Read an excerpt here.

Wild Wolf (The Pack) by Karen Whiddon
Paranormal romance released by Silhouette Nocturne 1 Jul 09

I haven’t read any of Karen Whiddon’s other Pack books, but she quickly sketches out the important parts of her world and moves onto the relationship and plot. Simon is a member of the Pack, charged with finding feral werewolves and deciding whether they can be rehabilitated or need to be put down. Raven is a feral werewolf, living along after a traumatic experience with a mad scientist.

I can buy that feral werewolves are dangerous. Raven manages to fit into wolf society because she is sane – she just doesn’t want to live among humans because of her past. Since she is reasonable and Simon can see it, things have to go terribly awry in order for the plot to have enough excitement. And go awry they do.

Seeing how corrupt this segment of the Pack has become really makes me wonder how Whiddon set this up in the previous novels. It seems like something that was probably building. I love that Wild Wolf gives a sense of the larger world while standing fine on its own. The leads work well together. Both of them are strong, neither deferring to the other. Raven’s got as much alpha instinct as Simon does. It’s a nice change.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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Turning her back on humans because of her ability to shape-shift into a wolf, young and beautiful Raven doesn’t believe she needs anyone. Until the day a darkly handsome man appears near her remote cave…and she watches him turn into a wolf.
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Simon Caldwell has been sent to assess the threat of a new feral wolf prowling the Rockies. But he’s wholly unprepared for his intense attraction to Raven. His investigation is about to take a deadly turn as he and Raven become the hunted. Now their very survival depends on Simon’s ability to win what this wild wolf holds most dear!
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Read an excerpt here.

Return of the Wolf by Karen Whiddon
Paranormal romance novella released by Silhouette Nocturne Bites 1 Jun 09

After finishing White Wolf, I headed happily into this Bite by the same author. Three tries later and I still haven’t finished the sixty or so pages of this story, so I’m giving up. It begins slow, with the hero and heroine fishing together. They’re instantly attracted – Gideon knows she’s his wolf’s mate, and Memphis believes their reincarnated lovers.

I couldn’t sympathize with either of the characters. Memphis especially seems rather dippy. It takes quite a bit to make the destined lovers work, and I wasn’t buying. It didn’t help that I found the beginning boring. Fishing just doesn’t appeal to me.

This may work for others, but for me it’s a pass.

Grade: DNF

Summary:
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When Gideon Aronditis meets his new client Memphis Ayers for a fishing expedition, they both feel an instant attraction–and sense that they’ve met before. For shape-shifter Gideon, the explanation is clear: Memphis is his true mate and destined to be with him. Yet Gideon refuses to accept Memphis’s belief that knew each other in a past life, even though she has seen Gideon in her dreams for years. Can Memphis convince Gideon of the truth, or are they doomed to lose each other once again?
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No excerpt found.

The Illegitimate King (The Castaldini Crown, Book 3) by Olivia Gates
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 14 Jul 09

I liked the summary of this one, even though I’m not that familiar with the line. Clarissa and Ferruccio would have had love at first sight, if they hadn’t managed to deeply insult each other at first conversation. Ferruccio pursued Clarissa for years, and now has the leverage to make her romance him since she’s trying to convince him to accept the position of king of Castaldini. (Yes, the country name is ridiculous.)

This one had a few problems. Ferruccio could be kind of sleazy and their inability to communicate doesn’t bode well for a future relationship. (That doesn’t prevent a baby-filled epilogue since this is the end of a miniseries. If I were one of the wives, I’d insist on condoms. That many pregnancies takes a toll on the body.) Still, it was a perfect vacation book. It kept me interested and there was definitely sexual tension.

I might skip the first sex scene. It includes such awful descriptions as Ferruccio “feeling like a sword just out of the fire” to Clarissa. Not all of it is that painful, but none of it is sexy. It does get better, but that one scene is truly awful.

If you like family secrets or the other novels in this miniseries, you’ll probably like this one. The Illegitimate King made me want to try to the previous two novels, even with all of it’s problems.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Once, she’d scorned him. And illegitimate secret prince Ferruccio Selvaggio had sworn he would make her pay. Now, Princess Clarissa D’Agostino was in his power. It was time to teach her a lesson…. The future of the kingdom rested on her. Clarissa knew she had to do whatever it took to convince Ferruccio to accept the crown and save them all. Even if it meant marrying a man who believed the worst of her. Even if it meant giving him her heart.
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Read an excerpt here (click “Read the prologue”).

Endless Summer by Julie Kenner, Karen Anders, and Jill Monroe
Contemporary romance anthology released by Harlequin Blaze 1 Jul 09

Normally I would separate all the novellas, but these are intertwined so I’ll do them as one. I picked up this anthology since I enjoy Julie Kenner’s paranormal books and wanted to try one of her contemporary offerings. It helped that Endless Summer, as the name implies, was a surfing collection. I enjoy surfing stories even though I’ve only been to a beach where you actually could surf once.

I’m not which of the stories was my favorite. I liked Drea, from Jill Monroe’s story, the best of the heroines because of her strong personality. I liked Zach, from Karen Anders’ story, the best of the heroes. Due to an injury, he became overly cautious. It’s a change from the take-charge hero. He’s also not afraid to design clothing. Now that’s a man. Kenner’s Laci and Taylor were a bit more bland. And Laci makes the classic mistake of not explaining why she’s angry. For some reason I want my romantic leads to communicate well even though I know miscommunication is a standard part of life.

But while each story had elements I liked, part of the reason I can’t pick a favorite is that nothing really stood out. While perfectly readable, each story was by-the-numbers – not what the risk-taking heroines deserve. I read these stories just yesterday and they’re already fading from my mind.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Summer has never been sexier!
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Making Waves by Julie Kenner, Laci Montgomery is determined to be pro surfing’s Golden Girl. Does she need help from her ex—hottie sports promoter Taylor Dutton? No way! Well, not unless she’s on top…
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Surf’s Up by Karen Anders, After a crash meeting in the waves, surfer J. C. Wilcox and entrepreneur Zack Fanning practice daring moves that would make fish blush. But is it just sexy fun in the sun—or are they ready to risk their hearts?
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Read an excerpt here.
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Wet and Wild by Jill Monroe, Daredevil Rookie of the Year Andrea “Drea” Powell needs a sponsor. Superstar pro Kirk Murray needs a flashy new surfer to back. The explosive results heat up the competition…and the bedroom!