Limecello’s review of Tails of Love by Lori Foster, Stella Cameron, Kate Angell, Dianne Castell, Ann Christopher, Marcia James, Donna MacMeans, Sarah McCarty, Patricia Sargeant, and Sue-Ellen Welfonder
Special romantic fiction anthology released by Berkley Desire 1 Jun 09

I’d like to start out by noting that this book was written for charity- that all author and agent proceeds are going to a no-kill animal shelter. And that yes, I feel incredibly guilty about it… but I did not enjoy this book overall. The reason I finished it was because, well the book was written for charity, and it deserves a review, and also I think Sybil would have killed me if I didn’t finish it. So here we go. 

There were parts that I enjoyed, and I found some new to me authors that I plan to look into. I think also the fact that there were so many authors participating led to limited or restrictive page lengths, and that really hurt a number of the stories.

As I mentioned, a number of the novellas are incredibly short, so I’m not going to do an formal review of each one, per se. Some of the stories featured unique animals.

Ann Christopher’s novella, Atticus Saves Lisa, features a capuchin monkey. Too adorable – and its a therapy pet. Her story is well written, emotional, complete, has great characters, and is one of my favorites in this anthology.

Kate Angell’s story, Norah’s Arc, has a pygmy goat, which is cute. The interaction between the characters is also nice, and there’s a good balance between them and the animals.

Marcia James’s story, Rescue Me, was also very well written. The animal here is a Chinese crested dog. I’m impressed because her story is great, yes, but in a way mostly because she made me like cresties. And… if you’ve ever seen “ugliest dog” contest pictures, you’d know why that’s surprising. The characters have history, which also helps make this novella more realistic. It feels complete, although I would have liked more.

Sarah McCarty’s novella, Danny’s Dog, also pleasantly surprised me. I’ve read a few of Ms. McCarty’s other books, and this one was not what I was expecting. It was all about the plot, and characters, and it was rip your heart out and stomp it into the ground gut wrenching. I felt the character’s pain, and their emotions were so raw, and real. It’s a great story – I cried.

I enjoyed Lori Foster’s story, Man’s Best Friend, and was glad that it was an original one, but it was so short. Only 34 pages, and I felt that things were a bit rushed, and really it was only one scene between characters, not a story.

I don’t know what the page restrictions were, but I think writing for the anthology – not even really a novella, made it difficult for the authors to complete a story. Also, there wasn’t much cohesion within the anthology aside from animals being a part. Some novellas are contemporaries, others paranormal, or historical. This means there’s something for everyone, but it’s a little bit distracting. I think it’d help to read one story, put the book down, then come back to it, rather than reading them all in one sitting.

Some authors made animals characters, with cats and dogs talking, and I don’t mean were-animals. Although one novella did have a were-dog. Sometimes this was fine the story felt natural, but sometimes it did not. I found it very odd, and there was a distinct lack of flow in certain stories. For example the reader might jump from a cat, to a dog’s perspective – and it seems rather childlike or in the tone of a children’s book… and then all of a sudden you’re reading about the hero’s erection. The word “dissonance” comes to mind.

I’m afraid some of the stories simply didn’t work – not only were they not believable, but felt rushed and incomplete. I also kept wondering if this was actually a romance anthology or not, because so many stories ended abruptly, or without what seemed to be any real romance or relationship.

Nevertheless, there are some really great stories in Tails of Love and there were good things about each novella. I’m definitely interested in reading more books by some of the authors that I haven’t read before, such as Ann Christopher, Marcia James, and Patricia Sargeant. Others are authors that I’ve read before, and will continue to read. This anthology was written for a great cause, and that’s the most important thing of all.

Overall Grade: D+

Summary:

Ten all-new stories that celebrate our animal friends, by bestselling and award-winning authors. All Author and Agent proceeds from sales of the book will benefit the AAF – Animal Adoption Foundation – a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio.

From Seeing Eye dogs to the cat who cuddles in your lap, animals are there for us in more ways than we can count. Helping us get through the day with a wag of the tail and a tilt of the head, they let us know that someone is on our side—no matter what. They also have an amazing ability to break down barriers between people; bringing families and loved ones closer, and giving strangers an excuse to strike up a conversation. In Tails of Love, each writer draws from her own unique perspective on our loyal friends—exploring the many mysterious ways they bring love into our lives.

Read excerpts from Lori Foster, Stella Cameron, Dianne Castell here.

Read excerpts from Kate Angell, Ann Christopher, Marcia James here.

Read excerpts from Donna MacMeans, Sarah McCarty here.

Read excerpts from Patricia Sargeant, Sue-Ellen Welfonder here.

Lawson’s review of Sliding Home by Kate Angell
Contemporary romance released by Love Spell 25 Aug 09

It’s summer, and that makes me happy to see some baseball books. I do enjoy baseball, but unfortunately I don’t really know much about it or really follow it much. That said during the summer it’s a nice pastime to think about baseball and read a baseball book. So far I enjoyed Jill Shalvis’ first in her baseball series and I’ve read a few in this series by Kate Angell. So let’s step up to the plate and see what’s going to come from the pitcher’s mound.

Kason Rhodes has come home to his trailer from six weeks of training camp in Florida to find a squatter occupying his home. She’s full of fire and refuses to leave and doesn’t believe he owns the trailer she’s decided is hers. While Kason does his best to get her out of his life, she does everything she can to cling to the little slice she’s tried to make her own. Kason has his hands full with Dayne Sheridan and slowly she creeps into his life to a point where he wants to come home to her and some tasty instant butterscotch pudding.

Though Dayne doesn’t really believe Kason for a few days, when she sees his electric bill from two months ago, she believes him about the trailer. She comes up with a solution of a small camper of her own to be his neighbor. She doesn’t know he’s a famous baseball player and cares for him the way that no one has before, thinking he’s as poor and desperate as she is. When Dayne finds out the truth, her past comes out, and she’s forced to grab on to the best thing in her life or run away, like she always has.

While both Kason and Dayne have rough pasts and a lot of baggage, nothing really made them seem more than one dimensional characters. Dayne was way too needy for something to call her own, granted with her childhood in poverty and her last relationship, it’s not hard to understand. She didn’t really seem to change much throughout the book though, always afraid the rug would be pulled out from under her and worrying if she had room to store the food in bulk she felt she always needed.

Kason was little better and seemed to put much more effort into making things work and keeping Dayne from running like a scared rabbit since things had gotten tough. While there was some chemistry, since the characters didn’t seem to have much depth, it didn’t really carry through the whole book. The couple of steamy scenes worked well enough, until Dayne complains she’s sore after four times with Kason and his. . .well endowed self. Someone so well endowed will make a girl more than just a little sore after four times (no, not personal experience, but I do trust my source on this one).

Like Angell’s other books, there’s another Richmond Rogue getting lucky in love. The secondary story between Rhaden and Ravelle seemed like an addition that Angell felt she had to make to go with the rest of the series to have two happy endings in one book. It was barely touched on and never filled out. That sort of short and flat secondary story just didn’t work as a whole. If there had been more time spent on it, it could have fleshed out the book a bit more and even given more depth to Kason and Dayne as well as Rhaden and Ravelle. The shortness of the book overall was probably why the characters didn’t really flesh out. If there had been more time developing them rather than handing things over in a nice little package, it probably would have worked better.

It was a light read and it’s at least good for a summery feeling with the baseball and a happy ending.

Grade: C-

Summary:
.
WHO’D BEEN SLEEPING IN KASON RHODES’S BED? The left fielder for the Richmond Rogues had returned from six weeks of spring training in Florida to find someone had moved into his mobile home. That person was presently in his shower. And no matter how sexy the squatter might be, Kason wanted her out. He had his trusty dobie, Cimarron; he didn’t need anyone else in his life. Not even a stubborn tomboy who roused all kinds of wild reactions in him, then soothed his soul with peace offerings of home-cooked meals and kindness. The bad boy of baseball was ready to play hardball if need be, but with Dayne Sheridan firmly planted between his sheets, he found himself. . .SLIDING HOME
.
Read an excerpt here.

This just in…

Mark your calendars now for Lori Foster’s and Dianne Castell’s 2009 Reader and Author Get Together. This is the fifth year for the event that not only allows readers to mingle with authors, but also for aspiring writers to meet with editors and hopefully sell their ideas.

~ This year’s event will be held June 5th through 7th at the Cincinnati Marriott North in West Chester, Ohio. Currently there are 61 authors signed up for the event, but there may be many more by the time of the get-together.  Last year’s event had more than 200 authors (both print and ebook published) and readers.

~ The cost to register for this year’s event is $50 and includes two dinners and a lunch.   Registration is open until May 19, 2009.  Be sure to register early and get your hotel reservation made now.  Last year a second hotel had to be added to accommodate all the attendees.

~ As in the past, there will be lots of baskets being raffled to raise money for a charity.  This year all the money raised from the raffle will go to One Way Farm Children’s Home of Fairfield Ohio.  Also the anthology, Tails of Love, which features not only Lori but Stella Cameron, Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Kate Angell, Sarah McCarty, Donna MacMeans, Dianne Castell, Patricia Sargeant, Ann Christopher, and Marcia James, will be for sale. Author and agent proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Animal Adoption Foundation, which is a no-kill shelter.

~ I went last year and must say if you get the chance to go…GO! It is fun weekend. I got to meet so many wonderful people. I had my books signed by my favorite authors, had breakfast with Anya Bast, Lauren Dane, and Megan Hart and discussed books with Anne Rainey and Kelley Nyrae.

Consider yourself flashed.

Lawson’s review of Strike Zone by Kate Angell
Contemporary romance released by Love Spell 1 April 08

This is the third in a series about the players of the fictional Richmond Rogues baseball team. It follows the stories of two sisters who fall for two Rogues pitchers. One of the things I’ve seen in other reviews is a criticism of the baseball in the books of this series. How accurate is it? I really can’t say, I don’t know that much about baseball. I like the sport, but I don’t know much about it really. The baseball in the book, though, does give a good feeling for the sport and it at least made me ready for summer time and watching baseball. In a general sense.

Taylor Hannah is a thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie. She runs a family business called Thrill Seekers for people who enjoy extreme sports. Taylor leads the expeditions and her sister Eve Hannah runs the office and business end of Thrill Seekers since she doesn’t have the need for a rush like Taylor does. Though based in Richmond, Taylor travels around the world to do the extreme sports, until skiing in France she hurts her knee.

Back in Richmond she hears her former fiancee she left at the alter is getting remarried. Brek Stryker is the love of her life, but Taylor knows she doesn’t have a chance since she left Brek three years ago. She has to see him though and dresses in the Rogue mascot costume to see him one more time. Her stunt doesn’t help her though, because she hurts her knee more and she gets the attention of not only Brek, but the media as well.

Brek doesn’t want Taylor back in his life, she brings back too many bad memories. He has a sweet fiancee and wants to move on with his life. When said finacee turns out to be a bad, bad girl (in the doing things to go to prison sort of way) and Brek gets injured, he spends more time with Taylor, who is recovering from her knee injury and he falls in love with her all over again.

Throw in some retiree love and Eve’s love story and it’s a cute romance through and through. Well, Eve’s story is anyway. Though Sloan McCaffrey starts of lusting after Taylor, he feels the sparks with Eve and slowly bring her around to see he’s a decent guy underneath his player persona on the outside. Eve ends up putting up with some bad boy things, but it’s nice to see Sloan’s turn around and change in the end.

There are some cartoonish element to the story though. Brek’s false fiancee is just annoying and her betrayal rather over the top. There never is a really good resolution to that story either. Taylor herself does things that don’t make much sense. She gets into the mascot costume to see Brek one more time? When they get back together while they’re both recuperating from their injuries, she distances herself because she can’t really commit. Taylor never really seems to grow up past her wanting to risk her life stage, then she suddenly quits it all.

Again, the baseball . . . probably not accurate. Midseason trades and the pettiness between the players aside, it at least does give a good setting for the story and a fun way to anticipate the summer. Eve’s story is worth it, Taylor’s not so much. It’s a cute, light, if rather forgettable pre-summer read.

Grade: C-

     Summary:

     She’s back. Part owner of ‘Thrill Seekers’ (a personal tour guide company for extreme adrenaline junkies) Taylor Hannah, a.k.a. ‘Fearless’, is back in town and about to tackle her biggest challenge and regret; leaving the only man she’s ever loved. Pro-baseball pitcher Brek Srtyker, is getting married. But not to her. No, she had her chance three years ago and left him standing at the altar. But now its time for closure. Time to mend fences. Face her mistakes. Move on. She owes it to herself, and most of all, she owes an explanation to Brek.

     Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Curveball by Kate Angell
Contemporary romance single-author anthology released by Lovespell 29 May 07

Ah, the Boys of Summer. America’s Pastime and sexy men in uniforms. Curveball has that in threes, with Psycho, Romeo and Chaser. Baseball players have some strange nicknames, don’t they? Not that it takes anything away from this cute romance about these power hitters and the women they come to love. This is the second in a series about players of the fictional Richmond Rogues, focusing on the “Bat Pack”, the three power hitters and some apparent major league hotties . . .

Whether it’s an anthology or just a romance focusing on three stories, it’s cute all around. However it starts on a bad foot, as the Bad Pack get into a fight with some of their own teammates and earn a 13 game suspension. They still practice and travel with the team, but they don’t start. Which for these guys, it almost makes a tragic life. Or at least the rough start to a season.

But Psycho hires Keely Douglas to restore the interior of his historic colonial home and gets distracted by her vulnerabilities as well as a feeling of connection due to poor childhoods. Romeo is used to getting attention and what he wants from the ladies but having to make amends to sports reporter Emerson Kent makes him run against a wall. She’s the only woman who’s able to ignore is good looks and charm. So he sets out to change her mind. Chaser is a good hometown boy who realizes he wants the girl next door, Jen Reid. A classically trained dancer, she’s come home to run her family’s concession stands at the stadium. But she and Chaser still live next door and both realize an attraction that blossoms out of years of friendship.

All are very sweet love stories, and though they are intertwined through the book, it’s very easy to tell the stories apart. All baseball heroes have a distinct personality, but they are good men underneath. The women that come into their lives bring out the good qualities as well as remain the strong independent heroines they should be.

It would have been nice to have more time with all three stories though. They most likely could have made their own books on their own, and the love stories wouldn’t have felt so rushed, even though everything unfolds over the course of an entire season. Some of the baseball is hard to read, being a little out of left field (ha!), but then it’s a read more for the romance than the game itself.

Overall a good, light read and makes me happy that baseball season is here.

Grade: B-

     Angell continues her pairing of baseball and romance following Squeeze Play (2006) with a sexy, quick-paced tale about the Richmond Rogues. On Media Day, the three members of the “Bat Pack,” the Rogues’ power hitters, get into a very public altercation that ends with their suspensions for 13 games. Nicknamed Psycho, Chaser, and Romeo, they are left at loose ends. Psycho holes up in his historical Richmond colonial and is surprised when a down-on-her-luck young woman shows up professing to be an interior designer. Chaser hangs out with his childhood friend, who has inherited the ballpark concession stand. They’ve always been close, but will one accidental kiss lead to more? Challenged by the indifference of a reporter, aptly named Romeo redoubles his efforts to win her over. Ultimately, all three gentlemen meet their perfect match in Angell’s sporty romance.

     Read an excerpt.