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

Sayuri commented in my Harlequin (not so) Lightning Reviews last week that she enjoyed Sarah Mayberry. I bought three of her books at Fictionwise: Amorous Liaisons, Island Heat, and Anything For You.

The thing I like most about Mayberry’s characters is their self honesty and the sense that these individuals could be real people. They aren’t fantasy creatures but instead, like Borrill’s characters, there’s a sense of normalcy about them (even if they are artists, chefs, or business people). Their interactions rarely are over the top and it’s like Mayberry is simply serving as the narrator of a real life couple which is really one of the best fairy tales of all. I recommend starting with Anything For You, which was my favorite.

Amorous Liasons

Maddy Green is a dancer who has been told that she hasn’t been able to recover to the tear to her ACL and that she must “hang up her slippers.” Max Laurent left dancing to care for his father. His father has just passed away and Max is ready to start his life anew (not going to say what, it’s …

Dear Ms. Holquist:

I almost didn’t write this review because it was such a struggle for me to pinpoint why I didn’t respond well to it given that I liked The Sexiest Man Alive so much. Ultimately, I think I failed to connect to the hero and heroine in a “it’s not you, it’s me” manner.

Amy Burns is a psychic who went on to Oprah to reveal Oprah’s one true love. Unfortunately, Amy and her psychic voice Maddie have had some communication problems of late and just when Amy needs her (in front a live Oprah audience), Maddie decides to stop talking to Amy altogether. Amy’s goal, notwithstanding her humiliation in front of Oprah, is to find Maddie.

Amy tracks Maddie to a gypsy named Roni to a restaurant in Philly called Les Fleurs. There she finds the hot chef/owner James LaChance but no Roni. Amy expends a huge amount of effort to find Roni which is extraordinary in that Amy’s only other huge expenditure of effort in the past is related to doing nothing, being a ne’er do well.

James LaChance’s claim to fame, other than his …

Dear Ms. Mallery:

When I was a kid, my brothers got the Boys’ Life magazine and on the back of the magazine, next to the Sea Monkeys advertisement (Oh, how I wanted that!) was the ubiquitous Charles Atlas 97 pound weakling ad. It was a cartoon that showed some guy getting sand kicked in his face and then, after enduring the Charles Atlas body building program (not help in a bottle like today’s advertisements), the 97 pound weakling gets revenge on the bully and ends up with the beautous beach babe.

Sweet Trouble reminded me of that ad, only the once nerdy hero transforms from a weakling into a suave sophisticate whose clothes, demeanor, and checkbook balance befits that of a Harlequin Presents hero. Matthew Fenner had fallen in love with a wild, outrageous girl who he had perceived to be outside his grasp. Indeed, his fears were confirmed when Fenner finds out that his love, Jesse Keyes had cheated on him and was pregnant with another man’s child. It was enough to transform the geek boy into Bond boy. Handsome, deadly, and not very nice, except in bed with the …

Dear Ms. Thomas,
When I read your historical romance debut, Private Arrangements, in February of this year, I was enchanted. The note I wrote in my book log reads as follows: “Excellent, excellent debut. Beautifully written and characterized, and quite different from the usual historical romance (especially in allowing a heroine to be less than saintly). My only complaint is it could have been a little longer - the ending felt a bit rushed.”
So, my anticipation level was quite high when I opened Delicious. Happily, I was not disappointed.
The story begins with this irresistible line:
In retrospect people said it was a Cinderella story.
…that line and my experience with your earlier book were enough to signal that I was in for one subversive fairy tale. And who doesn’t love a subversive fairy tale?
In 1892, Bertie Somerset unexpectedly drops dead at his Yorkshire estate. The death comes as a shock to everyone; Bertie was only 38 years old and not known to be in bad health. Among the surprised mourners are Bertie’s notorious cook and erstwhile lover, Verity Durant, and his estranged half-brother, barrister and rising politician Stuart Somerset. Bertie’s tangled and fraught relationships with both …

Dear Ms. Mallery:

I’ve gone on a bit of a Mallery glom and the readers here will have to suffer along with me. Delicious is the second book I read in the Buchanan series. I read book 2, Irresistible, first. I’m not sure whether knowing the outcome of the story in Delicious affected my enjoyment of it, but I found the chemistry in Delicious to be a bit tepid. (Of course, PW gave it a Starred Review, so what do I know?) However, there was a lot to like in the story and didn’t stall my 6 book Mallery gorging.

Delicious is a second chance at love story where Cal Buchanan and Penny Jackson, formerly married to each other, reunite, fall in love all over again, and get to take another stab at the elusive HEA. Three years ago, Penny walked out on Cal and he never fought to get her back. Ostensibly Penny walked out because she didn’t believe that Cal loved her and Cal never convinced her otherwise. One thing that Penny wanted more than anything was to have children but Cal was …

Dear Ms. Roberts:

Thanks for stopping by. How fortuitous since I picked up your book at Costco ($14.19) and read it this week.

Angels Fall features Reece Gilmore, a young woman who suffered a terrible emotional trauma in Boston as she was just embarking on a career as a chef at one of the hottest Boston restaurants. She ran away from Boston because of those memories and found herself Angel Fist, Wyoming. Her car breaks down and while she is waiting to get her vehicle, she sees a sign at a local diner seeking a cook. Reece is a woman who is living just one day at a time. One day, while hiking, Reece sees a murder committed but there is no physical evidence to support her and many people begin to believe that her trauma induced mind is giving mass to her terror.

Watching this brave, strong woman overcome the trauma of her past was worthwhile even without the romance. The romance was like frosting on a delectable cake. There should be no mistake about it; this book contains a strong romance thread. Brody is …