You seem to enjoy writing tough, smart mouthed heroines who don’t seem to know when the right man is just under their noses. I actually read your next book, “Everything Nice” first and backtracked to this one. Liza is not as masculine acting as Mike but she also has her moments of pushing away The One and nearly losing him. She’s also got life lessons to learn as well as lessons about herself.

Outspoken playwright Liza Weiler left Yale with everything she thought she needed to make her mark on the New York stage. So why, nearly a decade later, is she still waiting for her “real” life to finally begin? But like any great drama, Liza’s life only needs one good twist. And that’s what happens when she turns her ankle on the way out of a downtown nightspot and falls into the arms of a suspiciously gallant Wall Street prince and a practically perfect ER doc. Suddenly Liza not only has a couple of men in her life, but her play has fallen into the hands of a uber-hip theater director. Now Liza’s about to discover how much mess she can make of a seemingly good thing … and how terrifying, slightly tragic, and utterly hilarious a little success can be.

As I read the story, I got an image in my mind of a smart, acerbic young woman in NYC with a deadpan sense of humor. Liza can’t help but let her frustration at being a Yalie who’s forced to temp for rent money while her playrighting career goes nowhere. I like the foils you’ve created for her in the characters of her college friends Jeremy, thank God *not* the Gay best friend, and Parrot, the daughter of a man who might be a Mafioso but who is fiercely devoted to Liza.

And then there’re are the men in Liza’s life. Dr. Tim who honestly seems like he came straight from a box at Walmart marked, “The Perfect Man” and George, who’s box would say, “The Asshole.” All through Liza and Tim’s dating sequence, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it did, I was happy that you hadn’t turned Tim into some kind of monster in order to move him off of center stage and make room for the man who is obviously meant to partner Liza through life.

Because it’s also pretty obvious, as in any good RomCom, who the main couple is meant to be. And just as obvious that after blissfully getting together for a while, they’ll have to hit the act during which they break up and suffer before finally getting their HEA and fade to credits. Now, would the driving force behind the breakup and makeup make sense or would it ruin the book for me?

The breakup actually worked for me. You’d laid the groundwork and the dividing factor seemed to flow from the characters you’d created. Everyone has their vulnerable spots and people in love have even more of them. So far, so good. The misery each feels afterwards also seems realistic and heartfelt. The makeup, hmmm. It just seemed a little sudden and too conveniently timed for me. The epilogue wraps things up nicely but I just never quite felt I caught onto what brought George back into Liza’s life.

After all is said and written, I enjoyed the humor, I enjoyed Liza and George’s Meet Cutes, I liked the secondary characters but the resolution of the romance didn’t give me the emotional payoff and Feel Good feeling I was looking and hoping to get. B-

~Jayne
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Fictionwise | Books on Board | KoboBooks

Has it ever been a long wait for the follow up book to “Disappearing Nightly!” Which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about. When I read, and loved, it in late 2005, I was peeved that it would probably take a year to find out if Esther and Lopez would get together. Little did I know…So I was a happy camper when news of “Doppelgangster” reached me and even happier after I’d finished it and read that there should be at least two more books to look forward to in the series.

Esther Diamond, aspiring actress in New York City, finds a whole new set of Evil People up to no good in the five boroughs. After the show she was in closes, Esther returns to waiting tables at Bella Stella, a restaurant frequented by several members of the Mafia. When she witnesses a mob hit, even though she didn’t actually see anything – and isn’t that the excuse all would be witnesses tell the police? – she and Max Zadok, along with wise guy Lucky Battistuzzi, find themselves frantically racing to eliminate someone who’s clever, connected to magic, and trying to start a mob war in the Big Apple. Oh, and keep Detective Lopez, who’s just been transferred to the Organized Crime Control Bureau, from figuring out what the three of them are really up to.

While the plot, as a whole, is creepy enough to give me the same willies it does to Max, Esther and Lucky, it doesn’t exactly zip along despite the short length of time the action actually encompasses. First our three principles have to get a rough idea of what’s going on, then it all gets rehashed every time someone new has to be told about it and then the basic information must be honed and new insights discovered, usually through improbably circumstances, just when needed. As bored as Esther and Lucky got reading and researching in Max’s antique book collection, I was still more bored reading about them doing it.

There’s a lot of talking and more talking and still more talking that goes on in this book. And the sparkling dialogue that delighted me in the first book makes only sporadic appearances here. Without the A grade I gave to “Disappearing Nightly” and my anticipation for this book, I’m afraid I might have tossed in the towel before getting to the good parts here. The scattered “now why aren’t they clueing into the glaring warning signs” moments didn’t help either. It’s not that I expect this plot to make total sense, things come from seeming nowhere on a routine basis, but I expect the main characters, who’ve spent the whole book fixated on what they think the problem is, to recognize the problem when it shows up right in their faces.

I had also hoped for more romance between Esther and Lopez. They’re certainly willing and give it their best shots but I need more. And then the ending, while it does make sense, isn’t the reward I’d hoped for them for the whole book. However, I will continue to cross my fingers that you have more planned for them. And I’m also willing to overlook a lot of disappointment for Lopez’s last line in Chapter 25. Yes, it’s that line that boosts the total grade to B-.

~Jayne

| Book excerpt | Kindle | Amazon | Nook | BN | Borders |
Fictionwise | Books on Board

A reading friend initially recommended your series to me last year with the book, Big Bad Wolf. I am a big shifter fan and was looking forward to reading this release. (It crept up on me). There were two things I particularly liked in this story: the mystery and the courtship. Ironically (or not), components of those two factors also bothered me the most.

Josie Barrett is Stone Creek, Oregon’s veternarian. She took over her father’s practice upon his retirement. Her single minded focus on becoming a veternarian has left her little time for personal relationships. At least this is the excuse given for the fact that Josie has never before recognize Eli Pace as a sexual being.

Eli Pace is the sheriff of Stone Creek, a town that is comprised primarily of Others, mostly shapeshifters. Why Eli is there is a question that is raised but never really answered. He, too, has been ignorant of Josie’s charms until he barges in one night carrying a gun shot wolf.

I liked that this was a departure from the previous book which was more urban in setting and involved pack politics. This was more of a scientific whodunit. The wolf that Eli brings to Josie is really Lupine (shapeshifter) and to her surprise and dismay, the wolf does not heal nor can she shift. Worse, once the wolf’s mate is found, he, too, shows signs of a mysterious Lupine illness which is resulting in an unexplainable high white blood count.

I really enjoyed seeing Josie use her training and skill as a veterinarian as she tried to ascertain the source of her patient’s medical problems. Her employment was an integral part of the storyline. Having no medical background myself, I can only say that the medicine sounded right and added a layer of realism to the paranormal setting.

I liked their courtship which included the sudden realization of the other as a sexual and attractive being and then the banter and flirting which followed. Unfortunately, the characters move from not even knowing the other existed to true love within five days. Love is faster than a speeding bullet in this book. The rapidity of Josie and Eli’s feelings for each other were disappointing because it seemed like care had been taken to create a basis for their relationship that extended beyond the common “mate bond” that so often fills these books.

This build up and then disappointing denouement to plot points happened more than once. For example, much is made of Josie’s levelheadedness. She promises not to interfere with Eli’s investigation, after all she is human and he is preternatural. But she violates this promise to her detriment in a kind of silly way. Eli thinks about the best way to bring the villains to justice, such as considering what testimony he will need to get a conviction but then violates basic probable cause requirements (i.e., you can’t just go breaking into someone’s home to make your case). The scientific mystery held my attention for most of the book and the resolution seemed so over the top that, again, the careful planning that went into it seemed for naught.

Paranormals have a tough time catching my attention these days so that fact that I read this in one sitting, even despite some of the disappointments, means I’ll be on the look out for the next Other book. B-

Best regards,

Jane

| Author Website | Kindle | Amazon | Nook | BN | Borders |
Fictionwise | Books on Board

Proviso: This is a St. Martin’s Press book thus the current ebook price is listed at $14.00. Also, no nook link because apparently BN isn’t selling the ebook even though its subsidiary, Fictionwise, has it.
Second Proviso: I have no idea what is going on with Warren’s website

You created a splash in the subgenre of historical mysteries with the “Silent” series and now move on to something a bit different. The era is still Victorian but the place is the depths of Transylvania where the strange is normal and things are believed which defy the imagination of other countries.

With little to hold her in Scotland, Theodora receives a letter from an old school friend which will change her life. She’s been invited to the friend’s arranged wedding to a relative, Count Andrei Dragulescu. So off Theodora goes, with everything she owns, to a Carpathian castle which seems mired in the past and a family which borders on Draconian.

Theodora feels as if she’s in a totally different world from anything she’s ever known, a place where the bizarre is accepted, a land where no one questions the existence of werewolves or vampires and everyone keeps their windows shut tight at night. Can she survive this alien place and find love or will its secrets claim her very life?

This literally has almost all the elements listed for a gothic novel. I looked. You must have looked at numerous sources and checked off each element as you worked it into the plot. The parts makes a satisfying whole yet there is almost nothing new. The book isn’t a parody of gothics, it doesn’t use those standard elements as a springboard to something different, it merely tells a story which has been told many times already. It’s told well, it’s readable, it uses the usual gothic features to convey what you want but unless the status quo is what a reader wants, I’m afraid fans of the genre will find themselves on autopilot to the finish.

I do like that there are explanations for all the supposed supernatural events described. And that the explanations make sense both in the story and in a historical context. I like that the heroine is a strong enough character to go about doing some of her own saving. Even if at the end, she still needed to rely on others for her final salvation, she wasn’t totally weak and fainting. I like that the hero appreciates a smart woman and reading and writing woman even more. There’s a great dog. I even like that both Theodora and Andrei compromise their life goals at the end in order to work towards their HEA.

Yet I found parts of the story to lag and drag and noticed that my reading pace varied markedly throughout the book. After a certain amount of time stuck spent reiterating the same things, my mind would drift a bit and I’d have to wrestle it back onto the subject. Built in reading breaks became a necessity instead of breathlessly turning pages to discover “what’s next.” For some reason, the relationship between Andrei and Theodora lacked “oomph” for me. Maybe because it sticks so closely to the established stereotype in gothic novels thus not allowing for any surprises along the way.

The imagery of the countryside, the peasants, the castle – all were nicely done. And if you’re going to write a gothic novel, where better to set it than Transylvania? And what better nationality to use to counter all that gothic-y-ness than a Scotswoman of English descent. No offense to either country but both have an image of solid implacability and sound sense. There is Theodora with her stout walking shoes and plaid wraps, ready to face anything that overblown Transylvania might try and throw at her.

I’m not sorry to have read the book and I felt almost certain that with your name on it, the book would prove to be well written. But it didn’t turn me into a fan of the genre though it served as a nice change from my usual fare. B-

~Jayne

| Book Link | eHarlequin.com in print | eHarlequin.com in digital |
| Kindle | Amazon | nook | BN | Borders |
Fictionwise | Books on Board (couldn’t find)

Eighteenth century conspiracy theorists would have had a field day with this movie and the real events that inspired it. As it is, twenty-first century film goers can watch it then wonder, “What on earth did I just see?” It’s a monster film! It’s a historical! It’s a romance! It’s a bromance! It’s even a martial arts film! That’s right, it’s damn near everything!

It’s during the Reign of Terror. As peasants scream for an aristo’s blood, he ponders events which occurred many years ago. Determined that the truth should be known, he begins to write….

We start with an opening scene that could be called “Jaws on land.” A terrified French peasant girl flees – something – which grabs her and flings her back and forth before killing her. Then two muffled riders find a father and daughter (?) being attacked by more peasants. (The peasants in this film will give you the creeps.) Martial arts fight ensues. The riders ride on and we discover they are Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and Mani (Mark Dacascos), his faithful Mohawk companion/blood brother. Fronsac, a naturalist, has been sent by the King to the province of Gevaudan to investigate the mysterious killings which have terrorized the land for over a year. No one knows what the beast is but it’s evaded the soldiers sent to kill it and Something Must Be Done.

Fronsac and Mani shack up with some decadent aristos and wow them with stories of America. Fronsac flirts with the daughter of the house (Émilie Dequenne) while Mani makes Deep Pronouncements. He’s a Noble Savage, you know. Talks to trees. Does cool martial arts fighting. Communes with nature. A beautiful hunt scene follows which actually does…nothing. The beast kills again. Fronsac flirts more then visits a high class brothel which has a madame (the beautiful Monica Bellucci) who’s into weird shit.

More killing despite the hunt which wiped out most of the area wolves. The King sends his top man who kills a wolf and leans on Fronsac to stuff it and make it look good. Political pressure is applied and Fronsac caves in. But he knows the real beast is still out there. When it kills again, he yields to the entreaties of the young aristo ( Jérémie Renier) he’s befriended and goes back with Mani. More hunting, more martial arts, and we begin to get an inkling of what’s really happening. Well, as much as you can in this film.

Mani is killed. Fronsac mourns then buries him in grand style, vowing revenge. Bizarre nastiness occurs between Fronsac’s wannabe aristo girlfriend and her brother (Vincent Cassel). All of a sudden we’re getting Voice Overs telling us what’s going on – which is good because at this point I totally lose track of the plot. I mean it gets really strange from here on. But I do know…the beast is killed, we’re given some half ass excuse as to what happened and why it was occurring and Fronsac sails off with his lady love – as written down by the aristo who is thoughtfully allowed the night before his execution to pen all this. Yeah, right…

So, why watch this movie? It’s gorgeously filmed. The colors of the aristos’ clothing just jump out and grab you by the throat. The misty landscape is beautiful and director Christophe Gans shows it to best advantage. The martial arts scenes are lovingly shot in real time and slo-mo. The costumes are great, the interiors are fantastic, the music is fine, there’s pageantry all over the place and it’s got a plethora of hunky actors to drool over. There’s also an interesting plot angle of the entrenched aristocrats vs the new Age of Reason sweeping the world if you want to get intellectual. What’s not to love?

Okay, so if you want your movies to actually make sense this one will give you fits. But I’m enjoying the visual feast so much that by the time everything goes to hell in a handcart, I don’t care. The strong cast of actors actually do a pretty good job with what they’re given and I’m still believing in what they’re presenting even as a tiny part of my mind is asking, “WTF?” But I get the idea it’s supposed to be totally over the top so I can’t complain when it is. One reviewer at IMDB calls it “Merchant Ivory takes up kickboxing.” Others label it an amazing genre film. It’s definitely one of a kind – at least so far.

~Jayne

Who is it who said that books about rock stars don’t sell? Well, in the case of this book, I hope that saying is wrong.

Adam Nash parties like a rock star – even if he’s a country and western rock star. And he’s got the headlines and tabloid stories to prove it. But after his latest “trash the hotel room” episode, he’s determined to clean up his act. He also needs to get something for his assistant’s birthday or she’ll make his life hell.

Spying a flower shop, he insists the car be stopped so he can duck in and make the purchase himself. Inside, he finds Jade Graham who just happens to be about the only woman in LA who doesn’t know who he is – courtesy of her past 6 years spent cataloging flora in Colombia. Curious to see how long he can remain anonymous, Adam flirts with her than later calls her for a date.

Things go well, due to the work of his assistant and bodyguard, and Adam finds himself falling for this unpretentious woman. Meanwhile, Jade is also falling hard for the mysterious Adam – kudos for having her realize that something is up – who wants her to get to know him for himself before she learns who he is. Because at that point, he knows all hell will break loose. Is there a future for this celebrity singer and his florist?

Since this is a short book, you’ve got to cram a lot of story into a little space. But I like that you only take us from initial meeting and flirting to a potential HEA. I also like that Adam is well aware that any relationship with him will change Jade’s life and perhaps cause her a lot of hurt in the process. Good for him that he makes sure she’s also aware of it. The details of Jade learning about Adam’s world – checking out the limousine and the crowds – seemed realistic to me even if she was so quickly forgiving of him for not initially revealing who he was.

The details about Adam’s career and lifestyle give me a sense of who he is without overwhelming the story. Since he lives in this extravagant world, I needed to see some of it as well as see it contrasted with Jade’s normal, ho-hum world. Adam must be selling music better than Garth Brooks at his best in order to fund his house, cars, bodyguard and boat!

The scenes in which Jade and her roommate Dean are salivating over the plants at Adam’s house make sense based on what the two of them do and add an additional touch of humor to the story.

I liked Dean and Jade’s relationship, their bantering and care for each other and the story’s easy acceptance of Dean’s homosexuality. It’s definitely a Gay friendly world. But I wish that Dean hadn’t also come across as such a stereotypical Gay Best Friend. At least the two of them weren’t squealing together like Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett.

As I said, I’m glad that the book ends with Adam and Jade only headed down the road to commitment instead of already happily planning their wedding – despite Adam checking out rings at Tiffany’s. I can believe the sexual heat between them and the beginnings of love but with the one and only conflict occurring so late in the story, I think they rightly need some more time before any wedding bells. Thanks for giving it to them. B-

~Jayne

This book can be purchased at Liquid Silver.

I’d call this book a loose sequel to last year’s “Jane Austen Ruined My Life.” It’s not necessary to have read that one to jump right into “Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart.” I also love that while you take advantage of the current “Austen craze,” this book isn’t one of the many books out there that seek to take Austen’s secondary characters and write HEA novels for them.

Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister’s behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn’t looking for Mr. Anyone. She’s been dating Neil — a nice if a bit negligent — sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine?
Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice — in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy — leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author’s own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil’s unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire’s journey to finding her own romantic lead. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn’t logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places.

As I read the book, I couldn’t help but get frustrated at times with Claire. Just as frustrated as those who love her probably feel about how she’s put off her own life to do for them. This book is more, I think, women’s fiction with a romance at the end than a romance. It’s told in 1st person POV and deals more with Claire and her journey to understanding herself and what she’s done with and allowed to happen in her life. It packs a lot of change and self examination into a weeks time.

As with the first book, I just accepted the Formidables. But the thought of a hidden Austen manuscript would be tantalizing. I like the bits and pieces of the version of “First Impressions” you’ve created and think it makes sense given what little I know of Austen’s life. We see what could have been the outcome of Jane examining her own life and the people in it, just as Claire does. And how that could have changed what is probably her most widely read book, “Pride and Prejudice.”

There is a romance here and as with the previous book in this series, “Jane Austen Ruined My Life,” the heroine has to deal with two men in her life. Who are they both and what does each want from her? Claire has to determine that, and learn her own heart, before the end of the story. Part of my difficulty with the book is that since it’s from Claire’s POV, all we know is what she has figured out or thinks she knows. It’s not until late in the story that we learn more about both men, which helps to illuminate who they truly are and what they feel for Claire. I was willing to keep reading because watching Claire come to self realization caught my attention. She’s a flawed person but then aren’t we all? She doesn’t come to immediate self knowledge and fights what she discovers about herself along the way. And who doesn’t do that too? After she finally figures it all out, though, I’m glad that she’s going to wait almost another year before tying the knot. I think settling into her new relationship needs a little time.

You did have me guessing about who she’d end up with. It swung back and forth, chapter to chapter and even within chapters. I was even to the point of thinking that she’d not end up with anyone but perhaps take more time to find out what she really wants from life before looking for a relationship. And honestly, I think I would have been fine with that too. I do like her choice because who doesn’t want a hero like that?

But even as you kept me guessing about Claire’s ultimate hero, I discovered that I don’t care for books which make me guess. Love triangles have rarely been my reading choice and I think I know why. I want to know who the hero and heroine are going to be and not be pulled back and forth over the course of the book as to which person another ends up with. Sure, I want to watch a couple work out their relationship but I want to know who I’m supposed to cheer for. Here, the information needed to see who would be the hero seemed to come from left field.

I do like the way you’ve woven Austen and her books into these stories as it’s more unique than just another rehash of the characters she left without HEAs. In the end, my grade is based, somewhat, on what is my own personal dislike of love triangles. I think that people who don’t mind these will ultimately enjoy the book more than I did. B-

~Jayne
This book can be purchased at Amazon (affiliate link) and Barnes and Noble (non affiliate link). No ebook version.

Since I love the time frame, I’ve done a number of reviews of books set in ancient Rome and am always on the look out for more. Hence when Samhain offered us your book, “Damon’s Price,” this month, I pounced. Pounce is a good word to use here since the book involves a hot Roman Cougar heroine x hot Greek slave hero. Roar!

Thirty-eight year old widow Claudia Sabina has returned to the estate she inherited from her father. She’s wealthy but most importantly, she enjoys a degree of freedom from male control that is rare in her world. Though determined to manage the estate herself, she realizes that the estate steward, a young Greek slave named Damon, is an invaluable resource. Claudia finds him attractive and accepts the physical release he can give her. Such relationships, though officially forbidden, are not unknown and as long as discretion is maintained, no harm, no foul. What she doesn’t realize, until it’s too late, is that not only has Damon fallen in love with her but she has fallen for him. Can Claudia keep her independence? And is there any kind of future for them?

You manage to deliver a lot of information about Claudia’s and Damon’s pasts very economically then dive into the story. Since I’m not initially looking for romance between these two, I’m not dismayed when they begin a physical relationship almost immediately. I’m also delighted that Claudia has no false modesty and goes for what she wants. Since it’s what Damon has dreamt of, I say “go for it.”

The quick glance she’d intended to judge his reaction became a prolonged gaze into his eyes when she recognized in them something she had not seen in a very long time. This beautiful young man lusted for her—for her, a woman twelve years his senior. “What would you do?” she whispered.

The sex is hawt and initially their relationship is kept strictly to that – which makes sense. The change to a realization of mutual affection then love, on Claudia’s part since Damon has always loved her, is handled well and I didn’t get a rushed feeling about it.

The intervention, on the part of the world, follows the hints and warnings you’ve included in the text so when it happens, there’s no surprise about it. It’s only the manner in which Damon leaves which I didn’t expect. Their reunion is touching, heartfelt and a neat way around the initial problems their relationship posed.

The main problem I have with the story is in Damon. Simply put, he’s almost too good to be true and he has no character arc. He’s loved Claudia from afar, he loves her physically and emotionally when offered the chance then ends up staying true to her for quite a long while before they can finally be together. He’s an excellent steward, he’s loyal, intelligent, handsome as sin, and a fantastic lover. All that sounds lovely but not too realistic. At least make him snore or scratch in public or get impatient – something that tells me he’s not so perfect. Secondly, he doesn’t change – at all – over the course of the book. He reaches no revelations on his own, he doesn’t grow as a character, he just stays perfect and static.

His attitude towards his slavery also seemed a little off to me. Had he been born a slave, I could see his seemingly easy acceptance of his servitude but as he wasn’t always a slave, his perfect submission was odd. His experiences before coming to the estate also seem to have left little mark on him emotionally. Perhaps this is all in tune with the mores of the day but it all struck me as odd.

I enjoyed a lot about the book and think you did a good job with the timing and pacing. It was neither too long nor too short. The resolution of Damon’s slavery seems believable and a HEA granted to two people who deserve it. But Damon needed – something. Some growth or emotional stretching. Just something. B-

~Jayne

| Book excerpt | Kindle | Samhain |

A reader recommended this book to me. She said that she had picked it up during the All Romance eBook holiday giveaway for free and that it reminded her, a bit, of The Satin Sash. Specifically it was a menage a trois with a strong emotional component. I purchased the book on her recommendation.

Once you get past the set up, I agree with  Kaetrin that there is a strong and compelling romance between three people. Sonja Love is a sex advice columnist for Cali Chronicle and somehow she scores an interview on a press junket with Hollywood movie star Jacob Brandon, the same Jacob Brandon that stars in her fantasies.

The night before the interview, Sonja runs out of batteries for her vibrator. On the way back from the store, wet from the rain, Sonja finds herself alone in the elevator with Jacob and stuck. After revealing her batteries and a light flirtation, she offers Jacob a blowjob. Her fantasy. Initially, when Jacob finds out that Sonja is press, he is angered but after Sonja reassures him that she would never, ever tell, he finds his way to her hotel room where they proceed to fulfill a few more of Sonja’s fantasies. Jacob leaves with Sonja’s card.

Sonja doubts she’ll hear from Jacob again but two weeks later, he is IMing her. (I could have down without Jacob employing smiley and frowny face emoticons). Jacob is looking for a place to hang out for a few weeks and Sonja lives in a nice remote location. Jacob and Sonja explore each other fantasies and we learn more about the two of them.  Sonja is a free spirit and Jacob is an interested explorer.   I liked how, through the sexual encounters, we get to know the characters.

Sonja tells herself that this is only temporary and that she is not going to fall in love with him. There is no point, no matter how generous Jacob is, no matter how sweet he is.   They have a weird dynamic.  They have had sex with each other, everywhere in the house, multiple times,  and at the end of the day, go to their separate bedrooms.

One day, Jacob comes to the house with Henry.  Henry is a soap actor and Jacob’s best friend.  Jacob has brought him to fulfill one of Sonja’s fantasies and some of his own.   Henry is unsure.  Sonja is unsure but Jacob leads them both through it.

His kiss is different. Slow, inquiring. I somehow think he is making his decision as we kiss as to whether or not he will go through with this. As he re-positions and opens his mouth to share his tongue with me, I know he has been roped into our sordid affair.

The three of them form a unit, for however short a time they will be together.  Jacob and Henry have had some latent feelings for each other, yet I never felt that Sonja was a replacement or even a conduit but being with her helped them get over their initial reluctance and perhaps fear of ruining their lifelong friendship.

There’s an effervescence about their encounters.  Sometimes the sex is passionate and sometimes it is playful.  Jacob is sure of everything.  He’s the leader. He knows what he wants.  Sonja and Henry are less sure.   While the three have conflict from time to time, it does seem idyllic.  The ending is very bittersweet and I wondered if it was a copout.  I was not completely sure if Sonja had embraced the two of the men loving each other, excluding her from time to time.  I wasn’t certain that the menage would have lasted into that ephemeral “forever” but I still enjoyed the story feeling that it explored the emotional, as well as sexual aspects, of a menage.  .  B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased at all romance ebooks, fictionwise or other etailers.

This is a cute mystery which I think readers of the “old” chick lit mysteries would enjoy. Like the chick lit books of old, this is told in the first person and features a heroine who is learning to be more sure of herself.

Lucy Valentine is the last in a long line of matchmakers who can read auras of people and using that ability matches people together. But unfortunately Lucy does not have that psychic ability. In an electrical accident when Lucy was fourteen, that skill was “zapped right out of [her]” and it was replaced with a different kind of ability. Lucy finds lost items.

Despite being legendary matchmakers, Lucy’s family has never been very lucky in love. They call this the Cupid’s curse because her family has the inability to stay happily wed. Lucy’s father got caught with another woman who was not Lucy’s mother. The truth is that Lucy’s father and her mother are quite content with their separation but who trusts a matchmaker who is not with his purported one true love. Lucy’s father leaves Boston to hide while the scandal dies down. In the meantime, Lucy is charged with manning the matchmaking agency. Lucy’s father leaves her color coded files to help her match up the clients while he is gone. It is supposed to be simple, painless.

Lucy’s first client is Peter who hasn’t been able to get over his first love, Jennifer. Peter is filled with regret. After a fight with Jennifer, he got very drunk and woke up in bed with one of Jennifer’s nemesis. He tried to apologize to Jennifer, but she refused to see him and her family wouldn’t let him near her. Peter is ready to move on after six years of regrets. Lucy is moved to try to track Jennifer down, to tell her how badly Peter feels about their breakup. When they shake hands as he is leaving, Lucy gets a vision of a skeleton’s hand with a diamond ring and she begins to wonder about Jennifer and her client.

Upstairs is a PI firm and Sean Donahue is filling in for his brother. Lucy asks Sean to find Jennifer. Upon touching Sean, she sees a vision, not of the past, but of the future, of the two of them naked and in bed with each other. Problem is that Sean is still living with his ex-fiancee and seemingly still attached to said ex. Sean admits that he and Cara, the ex, are in the process of decoupling.

The romance that develops between Lucy and Sean is very slow, snail like for romance readers, but probably more believable. This is the first in the series and a slow building romance is easier to maintain over a series than one that is more settled. Of course, we readers don’t know where this will take us. Authors like Charlaine Harris have readers buy into relationships only to kill off the lover and/or spouse. Not that I am bitter about it or anything.

One problem is that it seems like Lucy’s “finding” abilities really weren’t well exercised before the start of the story. For example, Lucy becomes caught up in the search for a missing boy and she is moved to break her family’s code of silence to lend her abilities to the search. Why wouldn’t she have done that before? When she touches Sean, she sees a vision of the future for the first time. Why? There is no concrete period of time given for how long Lucy has had these abilities, only that they’ve not been tested or used a great deal. Lucy is also one of those storybook trust fund kids who lives totally frugally and doesn’t ever tap her trust fund.

Lucy’s attempts to find Jennifer, locate the boy, and run her father’s matchmaking agency get her in trouble more often than not. She doesn’t need Sean to bail her out, but she does have to confront the law on several occasions. As I said at the outset, this was a cute mystery, somewhat in the vein of the chick lit books because Lucy is trying to find herself after several failed and miserable attempts to hold down a job or a relationship. I’m up for the next book in the series. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased at Amazon (affiliate link) and Barnes and Noble (affiliate link) or other etailers. There is no ebook version that appears to be available. SMP is the publisher, a division of Macmillan.

2006’s Jellicoe Road, which I reviewed here, was one of my absolute favorite books read last year. When I heard you were about to publish another book, this time, a YA fantasy titled Finnikin of the Rock, I requested an ARC of the book and was thrilled when one showed up in my mailbox.

Perhaps partly because of my high expectations, I did not love Finnikin of the Rock the same way I adore Jellicoe Road, but I did enjoy the book and I do recommend it to readers, albeit with some caveats.

Set in a land called Skuldenore, the novel is about the people of Lumatere, one of Skuldenore’s kingdoms. The book begins with a prologue in which a twelve year old boy named Finnikin dreams that he is to sacrifice a pound of flesh to save the royal house of Lumatere.

Finnikin is the son of Trevanion, the captain of the king’s guard. His best friends are Balthazar, the heir to the kingdom, and Lucian, a cousin of Balthazar’s. When Finnikin tells Balthazar and Lucian of his dream, the boys make a pledge, a blood oath, to protect the royal house of Lumatere in different ways.

But then come what Lumaterans call the five days of the unspeakable. The king, the queen, and the four princesses are murdered. Balthazar, the only remaining member of the Royal House, is seen escaping through the forest, but he cannot be found. Infighting over who is to blame breaks out. The king’s cousin and his men enter Lumatere from the neighboring kingdom of Charyn in order to take control of Lumatere.

When Trevanion, Finnikin’s father, refuses to kneel before the new king, whom he views as an impostor, his wife, Finnikin’s gentle, pregnant stepmother Beatriss, is tortured. Realizing that his son will be next, Trevanion confesses to treason in order to save Finnikin. Trevanion is then imprisoned outside the kingdom, while his wife dies in childbirth, her baby stillborn.

The impostor king’s men burn Lumatere’s forest dwellers’ homes and then get ready to burn Serannona, the forest-dwelling holy woman, at the stake. But Serannona cries out a curse, one that causes an earthquake, and as some of the Lumaterans escape the kingdom, Finnikin among them, the curse seals the rest within the kingdom’s walls.

All this is summarized within the first few pages of the prologue. The book’s first chapter begins ten years later. Finnikin is now in his early twenties, and he travels with Sir Topher, the king’s first man. He has been with Sir Topher since the curse entombed Lumatere and turned so many of its people into exiles.

Now Finnikin and Topher journey from kingdom to kingdom, trying to improve the circumstances of their countrymen. They visit royal courts, pleading on behalf of Lumaterans living in refugee camps, and they visit those camps as well, trying to keep a record of the dead in a book that Finnikin carries with him.

During the course of their journeys, Sir Topher has become a second father to Finnikin, and Finnikin has learned many languages as well as fighting techniques. Finnikin believes they should petition one of the other kingdoms to give them a parcel of land in which the Lumateran exiles now scattered in different kingdoms can settle.

But one night, while Finnikin is sleeping in an exiles’ camp, the name of his childhood friend Balthazar is whispered in his ear, along with the name of a place, the cloister of Sendecane. And Finnikin starts to believe that the heir to the kingdom has survived in hiding, and might, perhaps, be restored to Lumatere’s throne if the curse can somehow be lifted.

Finnikin and Sir Topher travel to the cloister, scaling a high cliff to reach it. Yet when they arrive, the high priestess thinks they have come for a girl. Finnikin is furious with himself for believing he would see Balthazar again, for allowing himself to hope. And he is therefore also angry at the girl the high priestess gives into his and Sir Topher’s care — a simpleminded Lumateran girl named Evanjalin.

Evajalin, the high priestess explains, lost her family in the kingdom of Sarnak. She has lived in the cloister as a novice for two years, and has shorn her hair and taken a vow of silence. The high priestess believes that Balthazar has spoken to Evanjalin in her dreams, that Evanjalin is intended to marry the future king, and that the girl’s message to the priestess, Finnikin’s name, means that Balthazar has chosen Finnikin to lead the Lumaterans home.

Finnikin believes none of it, but Sir Topher overrules him and the two men take Evanjalin with them. As they leave the cloister, Finnikin sees Evanjalin’s vulnerable demeanor disappear and a triumphant expression cross her face. In the days that follow, it becomes clear that Evanjalin isn’t the simpleton she first appeared to be. She can fight to defend herself, she can speak, sometimes scathingly, and she can insist on guiding their journey through Skuldenore.

She can also demand what Finnikin fears most — that he give up his dream of finding a new land for the Lumateran exiles, and dream of something greater: of the heir’s return to lift the curse and reunite the Lumaterans in their own beloved kingdom.

Is Evanjalin telling the truth when she says that a mystical power allows her to visit the dreams of those trapped inside Lumatere? Is she to be trusted, or will she betray Sir Topher and Finnikin? And how is it that Finnikin, whose loyalty to the people of Lumatere and his childhood friend Balthazar is paramount, finds himself attracted to this fierce girl who is destined to be Balthazar’s bride?

Finnikin of the Rock is prefaced by a poem written by Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, and on one level, the book can be read as an allegory, with the Lumaterans standing in for oppressed and displaced peoples. But on another level, the story also works as a quest fantasy, and uses the fantasy genre trope of a group traveling through foreign lands on a mission.

Along their way, Finnikin, Sir Topher and Evanjalin pick up a teenaged thief who was orphaned during his exile from Lumatere, and several other Lumaterans as well, some of whom they have long missed. The group encounters a variety of dangers and adventures, and camaraderie develops among them.

Finnikin is both strong and sensitive; he is also honorable, idealistic and pragmatic. He has great empathy toward the Lumateran exiles and wants to find a home for them, but he is afraid to believe that that home can be found in Lumatere itself, and thinks it is more realistic to try to find a new homeland.

Evanjalin has an indomitable will, though, and she will not give up the dream of restoring Lumatere to the refugees and reuniting all its people. She too, is pragmatic, but in a different, more ruthless way — she will do whatever needs doing to fulfill her vision.

The physical and emotional pull Finnikin feels toward Evanjalin is in conflict with his honor, not only because she is intended for Balthazar, but because he feels guilty for dreaming, as a child, of someday being king himself. I understood why he feared allowing himself to love Evanjalin, when, if her story was true, it meant that she would never be his, and if it was a lie, she was raising his hopes for Lumatere only to dash them.

There were many exciting parts of this story and I especially enjoyed the adventures and the reunions between exiles who had long been separated from one another. It was moving to see people regain their hope, too. There was also some nice dialogue, such as this exchange between Finnikin and Evanjalin, in which Finnikin discovers that Evanjalin knows the Osterian language:

“Why is it that you choose silence, Evajalin?” he said. “Something to hide?”

Her eyes met his. “Why speak when I can respond to your whistle like a dog?”

He gave a humorless laugh. There was nothing simple about this one.

“And anyway, I was so enjoying the discussions about fragile Lady Zarah.”

He and Sir Topher had discussed Lord Tascan’s daughter in Osterian. Finnikin’s eyes narrowed as he tried to bite back his anger. What they didn’t know about this girl could fill the Book of Lumatere.

“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?” he asked.

“Jealousy? Of a vacuous member of the nobility who trills like a bird, according to Sir Topher?”

“Your voice could do with a bit more of a trill,” he said.

“Really? Because yours could do with a bit more refinement. For someone who’s supposed to be the future king’s First Man, you sound like a fishmonger.”

“First,” he seethed, “I belong to the future King’s Guard and second, my father was the son of a fishmonger, so I would choose my insults more carefully if I were you.”

“Finnikin! Practice,” Sir Topher called out again.

Evnajalin returned to the task with the pheasant as if Finnikin were no longer there.

“You have a very dark heart,” he accused.

“It’s good of you to recognize, Finnikin,” she said without looking up. “There’s hope for you yet.”

I did, however, feel that the book has some problems. There were parts of the story I would have loved to see developed more. Perhaps because I also guessed what was going on with Evanjalin very early on, I felt impatient for the other characters to catch on. A conflict between Evanjalin and Finnikin late in the book seemed a bit contrived, and I wanted more romantic moments than there were. At times I felt that the melancholy feel of the book’s early sections didn’t completely fit with the adventure and romance elements of the later sections.

Still, I recommend Finnikin of the Rock overall because the characters were memorable, interesting, and worth rooting for, because Evanjalin was out of the usual mold for a main character, because the dynamics of the relationships were intriguing, because of some plot twists which I can’t reveal, and because in its final third, the book became difficult to put down and kept me reading long past my bedtime.

Finnikin of the Rock is narrated in third person from several POVs, but we never get Evanjalin’s viewpoint, and I closed it feeling that if you were to write a sequel, especially one that focuses on Evanjalin and her past experiences as well as her future ones, I would want to read it. For this reason and for the reasons mentioned above, Finnikin of the Rock earns a B- from me.

Sincerely,

Janine

This book can be purchased at Amazon (affiliate link). This book does not appear to be in ebook format.

Ravishing in Red begins a set of stories about a home for beguines. As the book describes it, “They were common in medieval France. Lay-women would live together as we do. Some would take employment outside the walls, and none took vows, but they lived communally.” After the war, many women were left without fathers, fiances, and husbands, and without a viable support system. Banding together is one way for the women to live without placing unnecessary strains on their family and to retain a certain form of independence.

Audrianna came to live with her cousin Daphne, a purported widow with a small property, after Audrianna’s father killed himself upon being accused of allowing bad gunpowder to be used during the Penninsular War. There are four women that live there and they all contribute to the household funds. Audrianna sells songs but she also helps to garden and harvest the flowers for Daphne’s trade, The Rarest Blooms.

Audrianna is determined to clear her father’s name, post mortem. She reads a notice that asks for an assignation with her father and immediately believes that this will lead her to information that will exonerate her family name. Once there, however, she is confronted by Sebastien Summerhays who is also seeking to discover the source of this bad gunpowder. A gun goes off, winging Sebastien. Sebastien obtains Audrianna’s agreement that they will present this as some sort of lover’s tiff which will damn Audrianna’s reputation but keep her from being hauled away for attempted murder of a Marquess’ brother.

Eventually the scandal becomes so big that Sebastien is villified and there is nothing to do but to ask for Audrianna to marry him.

Sebastien was a very engaging hero. He dallied in all sorts of scandalous activities until his brother, the Marquess went off to war and returned paralyzed. Sebastien becomes the de facto leader of the family. He notes that his life is not his own anymore, but instead he lives a shared existence.

“The life you must share with your brother. It was the reason you gave me for the investigation. You named an uncomfortable truth.”

“I did not mean that the two of you live one life.”

“Except we do.”

“I do not see—”

“Then look again. I wield his influence. I have his power. I play the lord on his estates and I sit at his place at tables. I have molded my life and myself to this duty of standing in for him, but not replacing him. Had he died in the war, it would have been a more tragic reason to take his place, but the duty and role would have been a natural inheritance.”

Sebastien is not a brooding hero but one beset with guilt, anger, and resentment. He falls easily for Audrianna yet she does not seem to reciprocate his love, instead sharing her confidences and smiles with his brother and only her body with Sebastien. The brother relationship was also compelling with both brothers thinking that the other is so much more worthy.

I’ve written the most about Sebastien in this book because Audrianna was a pale bloom for me, if I can use the flower metaphor. Audrianna acted silly, trying to insert herself into dangerous places assuring Sebastien that she had a gun (even if she never could use it). The hard lines she drew in the sand were quickly smudged away by her own behaviors. In found her to be lackluster in the portrayal. My attention was riveted on Sebastien and the struggles he had to cope with his new life, his love for Audrianna, and his duty and devotion to his family and Audrianna felt like a placeholder. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased at Amazon, Kindle or in ebook format from other etailers.

One negative aspect of having titles like the one that is given to your book is that it diminishes the content of the story Bachelor Cop is actually fairly intense emotional story but the title suggests something far more flippant. Perhaps that works in both positive and negative ways. Positive because the reader who believe she does not like the more serious books may pick up this story and enjoy it regardless of her original expectations but negative in that readers who are looking for something more meaty might pass this over.

Randy Railsback is the titular character. He has a reputation for being a womanizer and has no desire to settle down. In addition to his peacekeeping duties, he also runs a self-defense clinic for women. One in his new trainees is English professor, Helen Norcross. Helen is a divorced single mother who suffered a horrible rape and assault. The serial rapist who attacked Helen targets professional women; and sometimes, but not always, will return to the victim and kill her.

Helen is having a hard time recovering from her attack and attending the self-defense course is part of her goal to protect herself and her family from the criminal. Helen presents an interesting character because she is struck by panic attacks and is prone to having a number management issues. She’s not a very typical romance heroine and I really appreciated the diversity of character presented here.

In order for Helen to protect yourself however she really needs to control her rage. I did not feel as if the story suggested that women should not be angry or that Helen was not justified in her rage. Instead it was presented that Helen’s behavior from time to time would actually endanger herself because the anger would overcome her ability to fight back in a particular situation. Other readers assessment of this may be very different.

Randy is attracted to Helen, a little against his will. He ordinarily goes for the women who are into the same type of no strings physical enjoyment attachment versus the type of women like Helen who could barely stand next to him but there is something about Helen that really draws Randy. He exerts himself to get to know Helen, meet her daughter, and learn about how smart she is.

The the sex scenes were handled well. Helen is still in the recovery stage and she attempts to use Randy to test her resiliency when it comes to the opposite sex. This place is Randy in a very unique and uncomfortable situation, one that he has not been in before. His momentary outrage at being the test subject provides a little of it to a given his background with women. Randy’s transformation from tom cat to domesticated lap cat provides the humor in the story:

Randy was worn-out. All this celibacy and extra exercise was sapping his energy instead of giving him more. He ought to feel pumped, ready to hit the clubs down on Beale Street, have a margarita or two, check out the ladies.

Instead he went home. As he watched a basketball game on ESPN, he said, “Before long I’ll adopt a cat.”

Whether Helen’s recovery is believable will depend upon the reader. This story takes place over a fairly short period of time, maybe a few weeks, although it has been two years since Helen’s abduction and rape. I chose to accept that she had recovered because I felt that Helen’s greatest emotional challenge at the start of the story was overcoming her fear and anger rather than the shame of the attack itself. And it’s never suggested that she has to let go of her anger only that it’s dangerous to allow the anger to control her.

The story is very dialogue heavy and at times I felt that the dialogue was almost too mundane to be shared with the reader. Further, the emphasis on dialogue and lack of internal introspection could have contributed to my uncertainty over Helen’s recovery. As I said previously I accepted that she was because I was told that she was but in truth, I didn’t spend as much time in Helen’s head as I would have liked. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased at Amazon, Kindle, eharlequin, ebook Harlequin, or other etailers.

I realized when I started reading Midnight Resolutions that I have grown somewhat complacent with my expectations regarding your books. I was prepared for the very independent heroine, and the lust-struck good guy hero, and the witty banter between them. What I wasn’t expecting, and what I found both compelling and problematic about Midnight Resolutions, was the depth of the heroine’s darkness and its impact on the romantic development.

Ian Cumberland is a former Wall Street whiz who now uses his problem-solving acumen to find jobs for other New Yorkers displaced by the economic restriction. He misses his previous fat cat lifestyle, but is proud of his ingenious frugality and his ability to place even the most difficult job candidate. And when he encounters a stranger in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, he believes that his luck is back, and it’s being hand delivered by an earth-bound angel.

Rose Hildebrande cannot believe that she let that handsome stranger kiss her at midnight in Times Square. Of course he did help her find her phone in the midst of that crowd, but still, she has a doctor to woo and a life of luxury to pursue. She has worked extremely hard, planned everything out, and kept an incredible focus in order to position herself just right for everything she wants. She may not have had control or safety as a child, but she can create those for herself now, because she has control over her own life now, and she will do what she has to do to create adequate safety and security for herself.

Which is why Rose can hardly recognize the woman who responds to Ian Cumberland’s Missed Connections ad on Craigslist, accepting a date with the handsome, unplanned stranger.

In some ways, Midnight Resolutions reminded me of Shaken and Stirred in the way both heroines adamantly resist emotional entanglement and romantic commitment with the hero. But Rose is much more troubled than Tess, her history much darker and more traumatized. While on the surface she appears to be somewhat of a clichéd gold digger, her ambitions are intimately connected to what she suffered as a child, the truth of which is slowly revealed during the course of the novel.

Ian certainly doesn’t expect the complexity Rose presents, although his intelligence and sensitivity makes him a quick, if not fully informed, student. He senses Rose’s wariness but cannot discern the cause, in large part because she has perfected the role of the young, well-bred debutante in complete control of her life, when the reality is anything but. So Ian does not expect it when Rose sleeps with him and then leaves a note in lipstick on his bathroom mirror asking him not to call her. Nor does he understand it when she shows up at his apartment days later, for a booty call:

“Why can’t we do this?” she asked, not getting the whole rejection thing.

“Do what?”

“Sex. Why can’t we do sex?”

At the word, sex, Ian could only stare, slack-jawed, engines starting to fire. Obviously forgetting that last crash landing. “You’re fucking kidding me,” he said, mainly to himself.

“No. There are things I won’t give up. I assumed you wanted something more than sex, and that was arrogant and conceited and unfair.”

Now she’d done it. He stopped worrying about the door and collapsed on his couch. “So you’re willing to fuck me?”

“Yes.” Nervously she remained a statue, not moving.

He didn’t like the look on her face. Fear and vulnerability, as though she was putting herself on the line. Ian scrubbed his eyes, wiping it away. “Why?”

“Because I want you. And I like the sex.”

What might be such a simple thing for other women was fraught with danger for Rose, because Ian was out of her comfort zone in almost every way. She had given him her virginity, something she had stubbornly held on to as one more symbol of her self-control. She had violated her own promise never to see him again so that she could focus on the handsome and handsomely loaded doctor. As personal assistant to a countess, she was mere steps away from everything she had dreamed. The secrets of her childhood have kept her focused on her goals for a long time, but Ian is definitely an unexpected temptation.

And Ian is desperate to figure Rose out. She gives him bits and pieces of her childhood – some truths, some falsehoods – and he can read that there’s much more to understand. He knows she likes to be on top during sex, but doesn’t understand why she becomes stiff and blank beneath him. He knows she doesn’t want a traditional relationship, but he cannot fathom why she would tell him about her upcoming date with another man in the middle of seducing him. She wounds him regularly, but he just can’t quit her and her wounded eyes and alluring Honeysuckle scent.

I don’t want to give too much away here, but I will say that I found Midnight Resolutions to be a brave book in some ways. I suspect many readers will dislike Rose, because she feels more comfortable in the guise of a shallow society insider than in her own skin. She’s not always likeable, and she wounds nice guy Ian more than once. Ian, on the other hand, is the more nurturing and care-taking one. He begins to realize that he likes his “post-layoff” life and job, and the ambition he always had seems to have found another outlet. He’s the one who wants the committed relationship. It’s an interesting role reversal and one with mixed results for me.

What worked well for me is the way Rose is unapologetic for her ambitions and very aware of the power of her sexuality. She studies and employs Sun Tzu’s Art of War like it’s an etiquette guide. I understood why she felt the need to exercise so much control and why she was comfortable with things others might view as purely mercenary. Ian I understood a little less. He thought Rose was his fate, but for much of the novel, he was always a few steps away from seeming the sucker. That he understood this about himself did not, ironically, make it better for me, except in so far as I believed his persistent desire to solve a problem accounted for some of his motivation regarding Rose. But that isn’t the same thing as love, and despite the powerful pull of lust, I did wonder more than once how his faith in everything soft underneath Rose’s brittle-beautiful exterior would be validated.

Words came to her tongue, words she’d never spoken in her life. I love you. I’ll stay with you, whatever you choose. Whatever you do. Don’t leave me. Please.

They were easy words to say. So much easier than anything she’d ever said before. So much easier than what she’d ever been through. She’d survived hell, this was a walk in the park.

His eyes flickered. That same defensive vulnerability that had affected her before. The defiant bravado that shouted: “Go ahead. Get it over with so that I can move on with my life.”

But he didn’t think she could move on, and something small and fragile within her, died.

“I haven’t changed,” she told him, because she hadn’t. She hadn’t changed a damned thing.

“I think you have.”

“Some. Not enough.”

“Why, Rose? You’re not greedy, you’d never have a maid, and you’d never let anyone else touch your laundry. This isn’t who you are.”

“No. But money can buy anything. It’s power. Control. The dreams go away, because you have it all. When you live up there in the penthouse, no one can touch you. You’re invulnerable to the rest of the world.”

“Only if you’re made of stone, Rose.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” she defended, because stone was a material of myriad uses. She wouldn’t be sane if she hadn’t been stone. She wouldn’t be alive if she hadn’t been stone.

In the end, it’s plotting that brings Rose and Ian to where they need to be with each other, and that plotting is a little too contrived for me to be as poignant as I felt the set up promised. It’s a difficult balance, making a character damaged enough to refuse love but capable enough of changing to facilitate a happy ending for the couple. And despite my admiration for the risk here, I found the last section of the novel rushed and not fully convincing. Further, there was a secondary romance between Ian’s two best college friends that I think was intended to demonstrate Ian’s attraction to difficult and complex people, but that was itself difficult and complex enough to require more page time than it got. Consequently, I felt alternately frustrated and distracted that I was not getting much more or way less of Beckett and Phoebe’s rocky friends to lovers story.

Still, though, I liked the turn to a more serious book (I loved how Sex Straight Up dealt with 9/11, for example), and appreciated the riskier choices for both hero and heroine. And I hope we get a glimpse of these two in a later book. B-

~ Janet

This book can be purchased at Amazon (affiliate link), Kindle (non affiliate link), eHarlequin.com (affiliate link), ebook at Harlequin (affiliate link) or other etailers.

One day I’ll read something that’s not a novella, right? One day I’ll have the mental energy for it. Until I do, I’m glutting on novellas and (mostly) really enjoying them. Quick enough for a satisfying read, not too long that I stress about not having time to read.

Dylan’s sister calls him up and asks him to come back home to the ranch in Montana. He’s been running for 14 months from the grief of losing his (adopted) brother in a car accident while he walked away unscathed. And he’s been running from his feelings for his brother’s lover, Wade. Wade owns the ranch that Dylan works on (I never really figured out who owned what, when, and why Dylan worked there, but it didn’t really matter, I don’t think) but he’s given up in his own grief and is letting it go to hell. In a short 50 pages or so, these two men both come out of their grief and find each other.

More than anything else, this story is about the loss of Simon and how both Dylan and Wade have to give themselves permission and time to get over it, to find their way to the other side, to find happiness and contentment and joy again. It felt incredibly poignant to me, very true to life and what I know of grief (although I’ve not yet lost anyone close to me ::touchwood::). And you give them enough time to do that. They don’t get it on as soon as Dylan shows up and everything’s hunky-dorey. They work through their issues over months, which makes me trust it.

The one thing that made me question it, though, was that the story is first person POV from Dylan’s perspective. And while I could feel Wade’s wrenching grief and got the impression that his feelings for Dylan were as deeply felt as Dylan’s for him, the men didn’t discuss their feelings for each other at all. They had some heart-to-heart talks about Simon and how and why each other them was running from his death, but they never talked about their own relationship except to say that they weren’t going to talk about it at various points. And while the ending was satisfying and felt real, I would have liked an opportunity to figure out when and how and why Wade wanted a relationship with his dead lover’s brother.

Conversely, while I (somewhat perversely) trusted in Wade’s commitment to the relationship, I didn’t trust Dylan not to go running again, either physically or emotionally, the next time something was difficult. Because that was what he kept doing all the way through the book, avoiding Wade when he didn’t understand what was going on. Hopefully they’ll both learn a little more communication skills, but I couldn’t count on it.

That aside, this story was angsty but with reason and purpose. It was a satisfying and heart-warming glimpse into a devastating time in the lives of two men and how they got over it. The relationship was almost a bonus to the beautifully-done story of loss and recovery. So don’t look for the romance so much as just the human interaction.

Grade: B-

Best regards,
-Joan/Sarah F.

This book can be purchased from Samhain.

I’ve enjoyed nearly all your books and I’m glad to say that your most recent release, Her Secret Fling, was just as satisfying as your backlist titles.

Poppy Birmingham is a former Olympic gold medalist who suffered an injury and quit the sport. Poppy is almost relieved to be out of competitive swimming, something that had dominated her entire life. She gets a job as a sports writer for Melbourne Herald.

Jake Stevens greets Poppy with disdain and hostility. He views her as nothing more than a stupid jock. Jack’s behavior vacillates from rudeness to mockery which makes Poppy even more unsure of her decision to become a sports columnist. The irony is that Poppy’s admiration for Jack’s work was what made her decide to come to work at the Herald instead of endorsing cereal or other marketing opportunities.

Poppy showed that she didn’t leave her drive to be the best in the pool. Instead, she resolves to show everyone, including herself, that she is worthy of the position.

Jake is part angry at Poppy for being given “the kind of job it took dedicated journalists years to achieve” and part angry at himself for being a failure. Jake is a celebrated writer but it looks like he might be a one hit wonder. He can’t seem to write another word on his second book. “[W]hat writer with any ambition to be a novelist wrote only one book and never completed another.”

Jake is a real asshole in the beginning of the book. He’s openly rude to Poppy. He says and thinks crude and unkind things toward her. Poppy refused to take Jake’s insults without giving him a few home truths as well. At nearly every juncture, when Poppy could have been beaten down, she shows how she had the inner drive to be an Olympic medalist.

I found Jake very unlikeable in the first part of the story to the point that when Jake and Poppy have sex it is more based on Poppy’s previous image of Jake (the one she constructed before she met him) than the current Jake. The two get stuck sharing a car because of an airline strike and the proximity leads them to having a series of one night stands that eventually leads to a secret affair about which neither of them want their office co workers to know.

While Poppy was growing and moving forward, Jake was stagnating, held captive by his past. It was an interesting contrast. Poppy was gaining confidence, with each article, with having a somewhat healthy relationship with Jake, enjoying her co workers, appreciating the freedom of no longer being an athlete in training. Jake had lost his confidence because of a past relationship. He felt emotionally stunted, as if he had nothing to offer anyone, let alone Poppy. He couldn’t write his next novel. He couldn’t offer himself freely in a relationship.

“Mom, I’m fine. I swear. I go out, I do stuff. It’s not like I’m some bitter divorce holed up in my apartment living off canned food.”

His mother walked to the freezer and opened the door like a lawyer inviting the jury to examine exhibit A. Jake stared at the neat stack of frozen meals and pizzas filling the small space.

“Okay, maybe I could eat a little better,” he conceded.

His mother looked at him sadly. “I wish I could show you how much you’ve changed. The look in your eyes, the way you carry yourself–it’s as though you’re always braced, ready to defend yourself in case someone gets too close.”

I thought the resolution to Jake’s situation came a bit too suddenly. It could be said that the resolution started with Poppy and the beginning of the book, but I didn’t totally buy into that. Poppy’s character carries the book for me. I thought Jake was such a jerk and while he was hurting inside and suffering from his own insecurities, I thought that those were excuses that he never really acknowledged. His redemption, I guess, was incomplete for me. Poppy’s maturation from cub journalist to a really good sports reporting, employing her skills and experience, her natural empathy, and incorporating the advice that others, including Jake gave her, was a pleasure to read. B-

Best regards

Jane

This book can be purchased at Amazon (affiliate link), Kindle (nonaffiliate link), Harlequin (nonaffiliate link), or Harlequin ebook (nonaffiliate link).

This book was provided to the reviewer by either the author or publisher. The reviewer did not pay for this book but received it free.

I enjoyed, as I always do, your sublime prose and the beautiful love story. I had more reservations about this story than I have for the previous two of yours I reviewed, though, reservations all revolving around the plot. In addition, I’m pretty much paranormaled out, so reading a ghost story was not high on my list of things to do in the New Year. I enjoyed the ghost aspects of the story, though, because the sheer brilliance of your writing made it sufficiently spooky and I thought the premise of the ghost of a woman scorned in a m/m romance was a fascinating choice.

You focus in “Wages of Sin” mostly on a ghostly mystery. Charles Latham arrives at the family manor, scared out of his wits from an overactive imagination and a truly ghostly encounter, to find his father dead. He’s convinced it’s murder, but his older brother’s friend, Jasper, a Catholic priest, declares the house haunted. Turns out both are right and as Charles and Jasper discover each other, they also uncover the mysteries of death and hauntings at Clitheroe Hall.

Historical m/m romances have a hard row to hoe (harhar) in that they have to deal with the man’s own understanding of what we would term his homosexuality and they have to provide a believable HEA in a time where discovery equaled death, both in ways that contemporary romances can avoid. If the conflict of the book is NOT in these two areas, the story seems anachronistic, but the conflict can get boring and repetitive if always and only based in these two areas. In this story, you try to deal with this issue in two ways.

First, Charles is a complete virgin and seems to have very few issues after his encounters with Jasper, which seems a little unbelievable. Jasper, on the other hand, has a dark and terrible history because of his homosexuality that I won’t reveal because of spoilers. But for a Catholic priest in the 1750s to have completely reconciled his religion and his homosexuality seems a lot unbelievable without a great deal of explanation that the 86 pages of this story don’t really have time to give us.

Second, the narrative suspense and action is almost entirely taken up with the ghostly mystery, rather than the romance, leaving the heroes’ themselves realistically constructed, if slightly thin, but their relationship, to my mind, entirely underdeveloped. In addition, while the story itself is short, the narrative timeline is a mere few days, making the romance sudden and their commitment to each other at the end unrealistic, especially considering Jasper’s history with Charles’ family. In a connected concern, the pacing seemed uneven, with high tension, hidden trips, and a long reveal at the end between the main characters that all seemed to pull and push the story along in jerks and pauses and starts. (But I don’t know how much of this was my own distractedness, to be honest.)

That said, your writing performed its normal ravishing of my soul and I almost didn’t mind about my issues. Your grasp of the fashions, sights, sound, smells, and feel of the mid-eighteenth century was stunningly vivid. People die of weird medical concerns. Things smell bad. The fashions for men are strange to us. Men are brutal to women and the upper classes brutal to the servants who make their lives comfortable. They cared about things — Papists and class — in ways we don’t understand today. I don’t think I’ve ever FELT like I was *in* a particular time more than I did in this book. Even your other books weren’t as good with the smells and sounds and feels of another time.

And I’m still pondering the use of gender dynamics as the center of the ghostly mystery. What does it mean that a woman scorned is the focus of the suspense in a romance about gay men? I find that a fascinating juxtaposition.

So although I’ll probably be writing a paper about this story when I write my book about romance heroes, and I’ll be rereading the ghostly mystery to see how you did it, I won’t be rereading it for the romance the way I will your other books.

Grade: B-

Best regards,
-Joan/Sarah F.

This story is available individually from MLR Press as an ebok, mobipocket, and will be combined later this month in print with stories by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon in a volume called The Mysterious.

Thanks for submitting your first historical novel to Dear Author for review and thanks to Michelle Styles, whose first book I read was also a gladiator novel, for suggesting it. Today we use the phrases “thrown to the lions” or “throw ‘em another Christian” in all sorts of situations but here’s a book where you actually do it.

He won his fame—and his freedom—in the gory pits of Rome’s Colosseum. Yet the greatest challenge for once-legendary gladiator Caros Viriathos comes to him through a slave. His slave, the beautiful and mysterious Pelonia Valeria. Her secret brings danger to his household but offers Caros a love like he’s never known….

Should anyone learn she is a Christian, Pelonia will be executed. Her faith threatens not only herself, but her master. Can she convince a man who found fame through unforgiving brutality to show mercy? And when she’s ultimately given the choice, will Pelonia choose freedom or the love of a gladiator?

First off, I have to wonder at how leniently Caros treats Pelonia despite her numerous stated intentions to run away and her one attempt at it. Sure, he’s in love but, as he says regarding the jealous Lucia, he can’t afford to have anyone in the ludus or his household question his authority. So this whole part of the story, including the jealous female trope, I just had to accept and move on. Ditto on the pet tiger though you do use him imaginatively to save the day.

I appreciate the effort you put into choreographing the training and fight scenes in the story. Too often all I get is some generic “their swords clashed together” and that’s it. If the novel is about fighters, then I want some fighting action and here I got it. That being said, readers should know that the scenes in the Flavian Amphitheater might be more than they’re expecting in an inspy.

Since I come at inspirationals from a secular standpoint, I don’t want to be preached at. Sure I want to see how faith changes the characters and is part of their daily lives but I’m never looking for something along the lines of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” And as with the fight scenes, you come through in spades. Brava. What continued to strike me throughout reading this book is the immediacy of it all in a time when to be a Christian often meant a quick trip to an ugly death.

You also present the characters with all inclusive tests of faith. Pelonia gets to live the lament, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” She’s also forced to make a life or death decision about whether to renounce her faith and live, or stay true and be condemned. Added bonus: she’s watched Christians die in the arena and truly knows what she’s accepting when she makes her choice. Her friends are shown worrying about whether or not they’ll be turned in to the authorities thus living the question “Who can you trust?”

I think Caros’s gradual path towards his new faith seems realistic. At first, he’s just going to listen to Pelonia because, basically, he thinks it will get him laid. His change of heart is slow and due to incremental exposure to this faith which might offer redemption to even a former gladiator who, despite the adoring throngs of women, historically was fairly low on the social totem pole of Roman life. Added bonus two: his past, as an actual fighter in the arena, as well as a currently being a lanista who had supplied fighters who had killed Christians, beefs up the conflict between Pelonia and himself. Can she forgive this, as Jesus instructs? Added bonus three: Pelonia has to wrestle with her doubts and faltering moments of faith.

From early in the book, I had a feeling where the story was headed and I wasn’t wrong. But I do have a question. Now that Caros has saved Pelonia and committed himself to Christ, what’s going to happen to them? She’s been outed to the authorities and her evil uncle is still alive, though his power will undoubtedly be curtailed thanks to the political maneuverings of the Senator. I can’t see Pelonia and Caros being safe in Rome anymore – or anywhere in the Empire for that matter.

Books set in Rome were once few and far between. Thankfully, the setting appears to gaining popularity now. Yours is the first inspy I’ve read from Harlequin employing this setting but I hope it won’t be the last.

~Jayne

This book can be purchased at Amazon or in ebook format from Sony or other etailers.

This book was provided to the reviewer by either the author or publisher. The reviewer did not pay for this book but received it free. The Amazon Affiliate link earns us a 6-7% affiliate fee if you purchase a book through the link (or anything for that matter) and the Sony link is in conjunction with the sponsorship deal we made for the year of 2009. We do not earn an affiliate fee from Sony through the book link.

Someone sent me an email pointing me to this blog post by Lani Diane Rich wherein she lamented that there was a great book out there that no one was reading.  I was intrigued. I knew you wrote historicals for Harlequin but I admit to never having read you.

While I don’t know if this is the best book that no one was reading, I did enjoy it.  I don’t read many thrillers so my assessment of what makes a great thriller is probably very different from someone steeped in that genre. Having said that I found this book to be fast paced and interesting enough to make me wonder if there will be a book 2.

Liz Monahan is in New York with her newest boyfriend, Doug. He’s been acting very strange and she wonders if he is married. After all, he’s booked her a room in the same hotel where he is staying and won’t let her go to his room. She’s been snooping through his things, like his wallet and his pants pockets (the latter might have been an accident) to see if he is secretly married.  She seems to have the unfortunate tendency to end up with married men.

After being kissed six ways from Sunday by Doug in the elevator, Liz is sent off on her way to seek her own room as Doug answers an emergency phone call, or so he says. When she arrives at her room, she sees a man with a roll of duct tape and a corpse on the ground. Before she can scream for help, the man with the duct tape grabs her and presses her face down on the bed. Liz is able to get away and she runs to the lobby but by the time the management can respond to her, the room is spotless with no sign of the dead guy or any foul play.

Even her boyfriend, Doug, thinks that she’s made up her story. This is the last straw for Liz and she returns home to Chicago sans Doug.

Harper is the man with the duct tape. He works for some secret government agency and his partner, Max, is the one that created the corpse. Max is a known wild card and Harper was matched with Max to keep him in check. Only it doesn’t work and Harper is left with a corpse, a witness, an unaccounted for amount of money in his account, and an unhappy fiance.

Harper has to convince Liz that he’s not a killer and that she should help him. Along the way, Liz shows a surprising capacity for observation, quick decision making, and common sense.

Liz’s personal life is a mess and she works as a research librarian at a major tech company. Her ability to learn and retain information is what helps keep her alive. She finds herself attracted to unsuitable men and this really is never explained. At one point she wonders why she always ends up dating married men, but there is no real explanation for this, nor does she seem actively interested in ascertaining why she makes the decisions she does in regards to men.  Instead, she wonders why she attracts the wrong kind of guy.

Harper’s very tired of the secret agent life or so he keeps telling himself and Liz. He wants this to be his last mission, his last case. But Liz thinks he really is addicted to the thrill. She notes that he is a man that runs toward danger and not away from it.

I felt like both Liz and Harper were very interesting characters but their story arcs weren’t taken far enough. Liz’s bad decision making in men is more of a gimmick that excuses her decision to be with Doug rather than utilized to make her a more three dimensional character. I felt more connected with Harper, but even his character arc seemed stunted. In some sense I felt that the beginning of character growth showed up at the end of the story which is more common with extended series books of which this could definitely be.

I found myself confused at times in the beginning but once both Liz and Harper are in Chicago, the story really took off and I was engrossed. Most all of the story seemed plausible which is an important aspect for a thriller. I would like to read another Harper/Liz story if you ever decide to write another.  This is a self published book but other than some formatting issues, the end product is indistinguishable from one that comes from a traditional publishing house.

For readers who like a fast paced action story with a decent hint of romance, I don’t think this would disappoint. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased at Amazon in Kindle format or at Lulu.com.

I am ordinarily not a fan of the holiday focused book although I know that these are popular with many many readers (including my dear blogging partner, Jayne).  However, I did enjoy your first book with Harlequin, A Christmas Wedding.  That book contained quite a few out of the ordinary elements including the age of the couple as well as the characterization of the matriarch that I wanted to give this one a try.  I was glad I did.

The Christmas Present is more traditional in its plot (lovers from the opposites sides of the track) but the characterization is still strong.  Vivian Wentworth is a young divorce attorney in a large, prestigious firm in San Francisco.  Her senior partner takes on a pro bono case representing a young man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and assigns this case to Vivian.  She does not have any experience in a criminal law and feels that this can only turn out badly.

Rafael Cardoza runs the community center, Helping Hands, where Vivian’s client is currently residing. Rafa believes strongly that Diego is innocent and is just as convinced that Vivian is out to screw Diego over.  Rafa learned early on that rich girls liked to have men like him to be a dirty side secret and at the first hint of a public relationship and the rich girl would cry assault.  Rafa went to prison because of a rich girl.

Vivian begins to investigate the murder and becomes convinced that Diego is innocent.  Her beliefs become cemented as she interviews dirty cops and fields threats to back off.  Her parents, interested more in their social standing, become concerned with her insistence on trying the case instead of arranging for a plea.  The case is beginning to get increased attention.  Vivian’s father and mother remind her that she needs to be concerned about her standing with the firm because it is clear that Richard, the senior partner, assigned this case knowing Vivian had no experience in criminal law. It’s as if he is waiting for her to fail.

Rafa has a big chip on his shoulder.  He struggles between thinking that he’s not good enough for Vivian and that Vivian isn’t good enough for him.  As Rafa and Vivian spend more time together, Rafa sees how smart Vivian is, how steadfast she is, and how attractive she is.  He is drawn to her but against his wishes.  He is afraid of what his family will say and how being with him will cause rifts in Vivian’s family.

Vivian and Rafa’s family are polar opposites.  Vivian’s father and mother plan holiday trips without their daughter.  Their family get togethers are to ensure that Vivian is upholding the family name.  Rafa’s family is big and colorful.  Their family celebrations are to enjoy everyone’s company.

Vivian simply didn’t care enough for the San Francisco social scene to be bothered either by Rafa’s criminal background or his less than perfect job. The only thing that prevented them from being together was Rafa’s fear and his pride. I enjoyed the legal part of the story although Vivian’s initial meeting with Diego took place in front of Rafa which I think would be a violation of the attorney client privilege.   The mystery surrounding Diego and the murder of his pregnant girlfriend seemed a bit far fetched but it didn’t detract from love story between Vivian and Rafa.

I appreciated Rafa as a non caucasion, WASP male protagonist.  While class played a bigger role in the conflict than race, Rafa couldn’t have been replaced by any other white male character.  The story didn’t revolve around Christmas but it did use the holiday as a scene to bring the two together.  B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased at eHarlequin.com or in ebook format from Sony or other etailers.

This book was provided to the reviewer by either the author or publisher. The reviewer did not pay for this book but received it free. The Harlequin Affiliate link earns us an affiliate fee if you purchase a book through the link and the Sony link is in conjunction with the sponsorship deal we made for the year of 2009. We do not earn an affiliate fee from Sony through the book link.