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

Here’s your weekly dose of Author Talk with amateur actors, producers and filmographers, but purportedly professional writers talking about about Roxanne St. Claire’s Bulletcatcher series. Roxanne’s latest book, Now You Die, is in stores now.

A friend of mine was asking me about Roxanne St. Claire’s books the other day complaining (rightfully so) about the generic covers of Roxanne’s books. I told her that I thought Roxanne did a great job of blending romance and suspense in her books and that it looks effortless even though it is a blend that a lot of authors don’t get quite right.

Dear Ms. St. Claire:

This is the 7th installment in the BulletCatcher series comprised of five books and two novellas. Generally, I’ve liked each one of the installations. A lot of the times I think how well I like one of these books depends on how well I respond to the main characters.

Then You Hide is a continuation of a trilogy of books designed around three sisters, separated at birth. The mother of each sister is in prison for killing another woman. She claims she didn’t do it and has convinced the head of the BulletCatchers that their help would be worthwhile. In addition to the Bulletcatchers attempting to solve the mystery of the murder, they are also attempting to save her life. The mother has Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant.

Each sister has a tattoo on the back of her neck. The Bulletcatchers have been dispatched to find the sisters, locate the tattoo, and report back. It is believed that the tattoos might hold some clue to the murderer.

Vanessa Porter heads down to the Carribean to search for her best friend, Clive Easterbrook, who hasn’t …

Dear Ms. St. Claire:

Your books and I have had a rocky relationship. It has been up and down and now, I am glad to say, we are up again. First You Run is my favorite of your bodyguard series so far. It was tightly plotted with no lapses that pulled me out of my suspension of disbelief, although the concept of the plot is a bit, um, out there. However, I went with it and was glad that I did.

Miranda Lang is an assistant professor of Mayan culture who has written a successful book that has made its way into pop culture. She’s currently on tour to promote her book. Unfortunately there is a group of radicals that believe that the Mayan Calendar predicts the end of the world as the end of the Long Count calendar is December 21, 2012. One of her speaking engagements is interrupted by a few of these cultists and Miranda is saved by a hunky man in the back. (Hunky men usually do not attend speaking engagements about Mayan culture).

Adrien Fletcher aka Fletch is a laid …

Dear Ms. St. Claire,

So I am on my way to a small town for a business trip and I have a Pocket PC full of books to read. This one made my four hour trip seem like 1 hour. And I gleefully reminded myself that I only paid $3.89 at SimonSays.com.

Thrill Me to Death is an action packed book that reunites two old lovers. Cori Paker nee Cooper is the widowed wife of billionaire mall developer William Parker. Theirs was a May to December romance that lasted five years. William died of a heart attack in his bed but Beckwith International, the insurance company, questions whether this is really a homicide. Cori is concerned for her safety and contacts Beckwith who refers her to Bullet Catchers. Now, it bothered me a lot that BC was hired both by the insurance company and by Cori. It was a huge confict AND BC took on the case with no real loyalty to Cori.

Lucy, the enigmatic head of BC, taps Max Roper to be the muscle. She does so intentionally because Max …

Dear Ms. St. Claire,

Alex Romero has a bad habit of allowing his libido interfere with his jobs. He signed on to Bullet catchers, not just for its super rich salary, but for the opportunity to guard “presidents, princes, and the head of Scotland Yard.” His boss, Lucy Sharpe, assigns him to guard the body of a tv news anchor in Miami. Alex recognizes this is both punishment and probation. He resolves to be on his best behavior despite the fact that his principal (the body to be guarded) is well, let me just quote you:

she added, “Don't let me down, Alex. You know the rules.”
“Jeez, Luce. It's insulting that you think I'm such a dog that I can't resist one measly news—”
She heard the folder flip open, then his long, slow whistle.
“Those are real,” she said without taking her attention from her handheld device. When he didn't answer, she finally looked at him, seeing a glint in his eyes that was both threatening and amused.
“You're evil, Lucy. Truly black-hearted and evil.”

The principal is supposed to be Jessica Adams, but Jessica has asked her twin sister, Jazz, to impersonate her …