About Dabney Grinnan

http://www.thepassionatereader.com/

I loved romances when, back in the mid 70's, in junior high, I read every Barbara Cartland novel I could check out from the library. Then, thanks to a savvy babysitter, I got my hands on the hot stuff. To this day I can remember how astonishingly steamy I found Rosemary Rogers' Sweet Savage Love. I abandoned romance when I went to college and didn't pick one up again until 2007 when I got my first Kindle. Since then, I’ve read countless romances; loved many, liked more, hated some. Most of what I read is historical and contemporary romance, but I’m open to almost any genre. I like my books to have sizzle, wit, and plots that make sense. I’d take sexy over sweet any day. I’m a sucker for smart heroes and smart-mouthed heroines. When not reading or writing about reading, or wishing I could rule the world, I'm meddling in the lives of my kids--I have four, ages 17 to 21--, managing my husband's practice, doing bossy volunteer work, and hanging out with Dr. Feelgood.

Posts by Dabney Grinnan:

REVIEW:  Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry

REVIEW: Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry

Dear Ms. Mayberry, Years ago I saw a made for TV movie called The Substitute Wife. Set in “Pioneer Times,” it starred Lea Thompson as a woman with four children who knows she’s dying. She’s determined to find someone to replace her and ultimately brings home a hooker with a heart of gold played by(…)

REVIEW:  Broken Harbour by Tana French

REVIEW: Broken Harbour by Tana French

Dear Ms. French– OK, deep breath and here goes. I love your work but I’ve read this book three times now and I really don’t get it. Broken Harbour is obsessively readable and jammed with sumptuous language. It has a fabulous first person narrator with an idiosyncratic voice. And yet, Broken Harbour didn’t add up for me.(…)

REVIEW:  Almost a Scandal by Elizabeth Essex

REVIEW: Almost a Scandal by Elizabeth Essex

For generations, the Kents have served proudly with the British Royal Navy. So when her younger brother refuses to report for duty, Sally Kent slips into a uniform and takes his place—at least until he comes to his senses. Boldly climbing aboard the Audacious, Sally is as able-bodied as any sailor there. But one man(…)

REVIEW:  The Legendary Playboy Surgeon by Alison Roberts

REVIEW: The Legendary Playboy Surgeon by Alison Roberts

Dear Ms. Roberts– I am baffled why such a good book has such a stupid title. Really, I am. When I first saw your book The Legendary Playboy Surgeon I snorted.  The cover is awful–some dark-haired dude wearing oversized aviators is going for sexy and coming across surly–and the series description, “Heartbreakers of St. Patrick’s(…)

REVIEW:  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

REVIEW: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

“‘What are you thinking, Amy? The question I’ve asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we(…)

REVIEW:  Caught in the Act by Jill Sorenson

REVIEW: Caught in the Act by Jill Sorenson

Dear Ms. Sorenson: Jane sent me Caught in the Act months ago to peruse and I ignored it. This proved to be an error on my part. In my defense, I’d just read a couple of awful romantic suspense novels and couldn’t generate any interest in another. Then a friend of mine on Twittter praised(…)

REVIEW:  A Scandalous Scot by Karen Ranney

REVIEW: A Scandalous Scot by Karen Ranney

Dear Ms. Ranney, They were a pair, weren’t they? The earl who’d divorced his wife, and the maid who hid her past. Perhaps they deserved each other. I enjoyed your latest book A Scandalous Scot. It’s a straightforward love story–a Cinderella story, really–between a smart, competent woman and a compassionate, passionate man. The plot made(…)

REVIEW:  Skin Deep (I-Team #5.5) by Pamela Clare

REVIEW: Skin Deep (I-Team #5.5) by Pamela Clare

Dear Ms. Clare, I was interested to read your I-Team novella, Skin Deep (I-Team 5.5) for two reasons. The first is, in general, I’ve enjoyed the series. I loved the last book, Breaking Point (reviewed here by Jane), and I’ve grown invested in the lives of the men and women the series features. Secondly, I(…)

REVIEW:  Three Weddings and a Murder by Tessa Dare, Leigh LaValle, Courtney Milan, Carey Baldwin

REVIEW: Three Weddings and a Murder by Tessa Dare, Leigh LaValle, Courtney Milan, Carey Baldwin

This anthology contains stories by Tessa Dare, Leigh LaValle, Courtney Milan, and Carey Baldwin. The four authors–who call themselves The Bodice Rippers–published this anthology to raise money for the fight against breast cancer.  When the women were interviewed by USA Today, Ms. Baldwin said: We are a group of four friends who, inspired by the many examples of(…)

REVIEW:  At Last by Jill Shalvis

REVIEW: At Last by Jill Shalvis

Dear Ms. Shalvis, At Last is the fifth book you’ve written set in the small Washington State coastal town of Lucky Harbor. I’ve read all five and, as I began this one, I wondered if the charms of that happy hamlet might finally begin to pale for me. They did not. In fact, in At Last, Lucky Harbor(…)

REVIEW:  By His Desire by Kate Grey

REVIEW: By His Desire by Kate Grey

Dear Ms. Grey, I don’t have a clue who you are. Your book By His Desire is currently the third best-selling erotica and the twenty-eighth best selling contemporary on Amazon’s eBook list; it appears to be the first book you’ve published. By His Desire, currently going for 99¢, is actually a novella, and is worth(…)

REVIEW:  An Heir of Deception by Beverley Kendall

REVIEW: An Heir of Deception by Beverley Kendall

Dear Ms. Kendall, It was a foregone conclusion I’d read An Heir of Deception, your latest entry into The Elusive Lords series. I’ve read the first two and novella and while neither the second book nor the novella rocked my socks like your debut novel A Taste of Desire, I’ve had fun reading them all. The heroes are gorgeous, dominant(…)

REVIEW:  A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

REVIEW: A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

Dear Ms. Quinn— It’s taken me way too long to write up my review of your latest Regency romance A Night Like This. I finished it weeks ago and found it wanting but couldn’t figure out what exactly it wanted. So, I went back and read several older books of yours I think are grand.(…)

Reading List of What Dabney read in April and May

Reading List of What Dabney read in April and May

Modern Love by edited by Daniel Jones I’m a long-time fan of the New York Time’s Modern Love column. I recently picked up this book which is a collection of some of the best posts from the past fifteen years. Some of them will break your heart–the now famous ones by Ann Hood are almost too(…)

REVIEW:  Let Me In by Callie Croix

REVIEW: Let Me In by Callie Croix

Dear Ms. Croix, I enjoyed your book but am baffled it’s listed as a BDSM novel. Carina Press is touting it as such and it’s not. Yes, hottie Liam Brodie likes to call the shots between the sheets and he’s had a (straight) sexually adventurous past. But, even though he has some smoking sex with(…)