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

Dear Ms. Kelly,

I’m not usually a fan of Blaze books nor of anthologies. Often elements of a story I love such as characterization and believability are sacrificed for the hot sex that the imprint is known for and anthologies in general sometimes irk me due to the short word count that demands I believe that two people who just met are in love forevah after 80-100 pages. When you offered us a copy of your latest book, I debated with myself if I really felt I could read it and do a decent review. In the end, I took the plunge. While I’ve not been turned into a babbling proselyte, I was rewarded with a fun, fast, and yes hot, story of five couples enjoying themselves immensely.

My usual sticking point with short stories, novellas and anthologies is trying to believe that two people who just met have now fallen hopelessly in love. Love at first sight will only carry so many stories for me. After that, it’s up to the author to wisely use her word count to convey an entire story arc in a manner that doesn’t strain credulity. Since you were …

Dear Mrs Frankel,

This has to be every woman’s nightmare. The details have been haggled over for months, the $$$ dress has been bought, guests are gathered, the shrimp is marinating, the ice sculpture is being chiseled into shape and the groom is a &^%$#@ no show. And if the wedding is costing her parents a fortune, they have to be out for blood as well. After reading your book “I Take This Man,” I think prospective grooms will know better than to try this with a Jersey girl.
Here comes the bride . . . there goes the groom.

Penny Bracket waited two years to marry dream man Bram Shiraz. Then on the morning of the Big Day, while she’s trying on her veil, Penny receives the worst two-line letter of her life: “Penny, I can’t go through with it. Sorry, Bram.”

Penny’s hurt and upset. But Esther, Penny’s divorced mom, wants Bram’s head on a platter. So Mom ambushes the cold-footed coward before he hot-foots it out of town, bonks him on the head with a champagne bottle, and spirits him away to a hidden room in her gargantuan mansion in Short Hares, …

Dear Ms Adams,

“Reality Check” might be short but it has what I need in a novella. Semi-believable plot (OK, honestly are there families out there who will drive people to invent fake finace(e)s?) that tells a story beyond just hawt sex scenes, nice lead characters, fun but not too nutty families (well, maybe the heroine’s mother verged on nutty), not too much action-comes-to-a-screeching-halt mental lusting and hawt sex. Sure, I want hawt sex but I want a story too.

Rachel and Doug are nicely done lead characters. They’re normal people I might meet anywhere. And the misunderstanding leading to the office rumor about Doug’s sexuality is a scream. His response when finding out the whole office thinks he’s gay is hysterical. I like how he sees the true Rachel under her cool facade. That lends credence to a real HEA for me. I also appreciate that the main story ends with “this could be love given time to get to know each other” rather than a forced “we’ll love each other 4evah after only being together for three days!” I dunno about having hawt sex in a house filled to bursting with family members, …

Dear Ms Pattillo,

I am delighted to meet up again with Betsy, David and the good people at the Church of the Shepherd. You’ve managed the neat trick of making a series about a the personal and professional tribulations of a female senior pastor not only interesting but also funny, warm and at times deeply emotional.

In “Heaven’s to Betsy” we were introduced to the Reverend Betsy Blessing, interim Senior Pastor at the old downtown Church of the Shepherd in Nashville, TN. That book ended with Betsy starting a romantic relationship with her long time friend and fellow minister, David Swenson, or The Lutheran, as some of Betsy’s congregation call him. Now, a few weeks later, what Betsy thinks is going to be a real first date with David turns into a proposal. Which is quickly followed by David’s mother, who works for Budget Bride Magazine, taking over the wedding planning and turning it into a Skinflint Wedding from Hell.

Add to that, Betsy and her congregation are faced with an offer from a real estate agent which might give them a chance to move their dying downtown church out to the Nashville suburbs. Just …