Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

Dear Ms Griffin,

You impressed me with your response to my review of your previous book, “One Wrong Step.” When I finished it, I wasn’t sure I would care to read another of your books. But your email offering me a copy of “Thread of Fear” sparked my interest because a) of your gracious offer and b) due to the heroine’s profession. I will admit to being a real life CSI junkie and faithfully watch A&E’s “American Justice” and several other cable programs dealing with real life detectives and those who help them solve crimes. I also have a cousin who works in law enforcement and her main duty is to follow up on crimes involving children. So I’d like to dedicate this review to her and all the officers working hard out there.

Fiona Glass is a talented artist who teaches at a community college. She spends far too little time working on her own art - she’s finally got a gallery show coming up - due to her third job. Fiona is one of the most talented artists working with law enforcement officers trying to get sketches of the scumbags of the …

Dear Ms. Roberts:

Usually your single title books work for me and work well. It’s the single titles, not the JD Robb books or the categories, that made me a fan. Unfortunately, I never quite grasped hold of the characters in Tribute. I like Cilla well enough but Ford, well, I did not lose the creepy stalker vibe he gave off in the beginning.

Cilla McGowan is a former child star whose been ducking the limelight for several years. Her greatest desire is to get her contractor’s license and make a career out of flipping houses. Cilla’s former husband, and now good friend, got her into the business. Cilla manages to wrest her grandmother’s farm from her neurotic mother (an A list wannabe) and begins to renovate the farmhouse as a start to her business.

Ford Sawyer is a graphic novelist who is famous for his “The Seeker” series. He lives across the road from the Hardy farm. His first impression of Cilla is she is a vandal and he ambles over to warn her off. When he finds out she is legit, he’s pretty taken with her …

Mistress to the Tycoon by Nicola Marsh. Ariel Wallace is an artist struggling to fulfill her aunt’s dream of sponsoring young troubled locals into launching an art career. The dream is in jeopardy due to the plans of a rich real estate developer. The straight laced dude v. the free form spirit is a worn trope and there is nothing new to see in this book.

The one thing that elevated this story, however, was the relationship that the hero had with his dad. Cooper Vance wants to close this real estate buy because it is his ticket out of his dad’s firm. The relationship between his father and Cooper has become increasingly strained over the years due to Cooper’s successes. The reader gets glimpses that both cooper and his dad regret the way their relationship has disintegrated but neither really is brave enough to speak out and try to mend it. C+.

This book can be purchased in mass market or ebook format.

The Mediterranean Rebel’s Bride by Lucy Gordon. This book was recommended by Sherry Thomas …

Dear Ms. Bryan:

I understand that this is your debut novel and your voice was good enough that I’ll be looking out for your next one book. Unfortunately this one had some problems for me. The main problem was that one part of the conflict was fresh and exciting and the other part was dated and the juxtaposition made the book read uneven.

Artemisia Dalrymple Pelham-Smythe, Duchess of Southwyke, aka Larla is an artist doing a series of paintings of gods and goddesses. Larla was a child prodigy, creating small sculptures and portraitures which were of great demand. As she has aged, though, her work isn’t as well received and she is of the belief that the set of paintings featuring the denizens of the Pantheon will bring her the recognition that she desires. Society looks upon her with some paternalistic amusement and some dismay for Larla is always doing something such as cavorting in a fountain to assist in infusing her Neptune with a wonderful sense of motion.

Trevelyn Deveridge is the younger son of Earl of Warre. He’s the younger son only by a space of minutes as his twin …

Dear Ms. North:

Ned opens the packages at our house and when he opened the Avon November 2007 box and saw this book, he proffered his opinion on the plot. “This book,” he said holding up the novel with its cover toward me, “is about a guy whose been having sex with a married woman and he just jumped out of the window because the husband got home; he hasn’t even had time to put on his shirt yet, but plans on getting one last smacker in before the husband comes and beats the crap out of him.”

I guess that is one interpretation of it. The cover did imply some type of furtive coupling but I didn’t actually see anything in the book that actually pertained to the scene on the front other than the heroine’s hair is, indeed, short, spiky and dark. The story actually started off strong for me. The heroine is one of those nerds in high school returning triumphant and I like that story. It had a secret baby plot, but it seemed that the heroine had a pretty legitimate excuse for not informing …