Summer By The Sea by Susan Wiggs

I'm sure Susan Wiggs had her reasons for switching from historicals to contemporaries. (I'll even give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she just wanted to write contemps, rather than following the market - although I can't blame any writer for doing what she has to in order to get sold.) But gosh, I miss her historicals. "Women's Fiction" is just not as satisfying to me as a straight-up romance. Thankfully I still have quite a few of her historicals in my TBR pile.

Summer By The Sea by Susan Wiggs
(2004, Contemporary) 3/31/08
Grade: 3.5

Ten years after their summer romance ended badly, Rosa Capoletti is surprised to see Alex Montgomery in her restaurant. He’s returned to his family’s summer house in the wake of his mother’s suicide, still hoping that he can make things up to Rosa. But can Rosa trust him again, after their summer friendship ended in disappointment and tragedy and changed her life forever?

Susan Wiggs does an excellent job in creating two memorable and understandable characters, as well as a strong sense of place. Within a few chapters, I felt like I knew the hero and the heroine (particularly the heroine), as well as their summer town and their roles within it. I settled in for a comfortable and enjoyable read. Unfortunately, pacing problems in the second half kept the book from reaching its potential. First, the second flashback (to their teenage love affair) went on far too long (over 100 pages), and meandered without really telling us anything new. Then, in the last section of the book, Wiggs turned on warp speed, and covered a book’s worth of melodrama in 30 pages, and with all of the shocking revelations crammed in, she didn’t have time to complete the romance in a satisfying way. Despite the well drawn characters and vivid descriptions, I ended up feeling a bit unsatisfied.

It's probably a good thing I'm not a writer. I'm sure I'd want to smack picky readers like moi, who always finds something to nitpick about and can't just "go with the flow". How annoying!

(I'm not counting the scientific papers I've contributed to - I don't think anyone reads "Identification of Anthranilic Acid Derivatives as a Novel Class of Allosteric Inhibitors of Hepatitis C NS5B Polymerase" for its literary value.)

Bad Karma by Theresa Weir

Maybe I've gone on a romance overdose? I've started a dozen books this weekend, and none of them are doing anything for me. I'm looking for something to really thrill me, and all I'm getting is blah... am I expecting too much?

Bad Karma by Theresa Weir
(1999, Contemporary) 3/29/08
Grade: 3

Cleo may not be a real psychic, but if the chief of police in Egypt, Missouri wants to pay her to look for a key, she’s willing to do it. Police officer Daniel Sinclair is skeptical of Cleo from the first, but he soon discovers there’s more to Cleo than he imagined.

Although the characters in Bad Karma were compelling at times, the book just didn’t hold together as a romance. I particularly liked Cleo and her struggles to deal with the memories of her past. But after a while, it just got a little tiring - it seemed to be the same note over and over. (I feel bad saying that, because she was genuinely anguished about what happened to her, but I only needed to hear about her image of the broken pumpkin so many times... it went from poignant to dull.) And I didn’t see any connection between her and Daniel, other than sex. The secondary characters are portrayed well (especially Beau, Daniel’s mentally challenged brother) but the story needed more to hold it together. I just didn't feel a deep emotional connection to these characters.

I've tried several Theresa Weir books, and all of them seem to have such potential... but I haven't found one yet that really held together from start to finish. Forever came the closest, but lost momentum in the second half. I still have a couple more in my TBR box - will one of them be "the one"?

Proving Herself by Yvonne Jocks

I learned a new term in this book - "remittance man". I'm guessing this was more of a Victorian term, referring to a younger son or other troublemake who is sent away from Britain (mostly to Australia, according to the internet, but also to the US) and who is paid an allowance (or remittance) to stay away, basically. I don't remember hearing that term in any Regency historicals, and it didn't seem to be typical for younger sons to be sent away during that period. A development in the later nineteenth century, I guess? There's even a Jimmy Buffett song, "Remittance Man" - the things you learn on the internet!

Proving Herself by Yvonne Jocks
(2001, Western) 3/26/08
Grade: 4

When second son Collier Pembroke is exiled to Wyoming, he’s desperate to find some way to regain his family’s regard, even if it means investing in a homestead run by unconventional Laurel Garrison. Laurel is determined to prove her claim, but the only way she can spend the winter on the ranch is to marry Collier - but it’s just a marriage of convenience, right?

An interesting story with an unconventional hero. Collier might be right at home in Edwardian England, with his upper crust attitudes toward work and etiquette, but in Wyoming as a “remittance man”, he’s uncomfortable and frustrated. But he’s willing to take a chance and try new things, (although he expects to bring his feather bed along). I appreciated that the author was willing to make Collier a bit unlikeable from time to time, and she didn’t turn it into the usual “cowboy good, aristocrat bad” cliche that’s usual in Westerns. Laurel is a more typical romance tomboy heroine, but her dislike of society (and “girl shoes”) is explored in more depth, she’s not just “fiesty”. The main problem I had with the book is that the secondary characters are given a lot of time (setting them up for books of their own, I guess), and I would rather have used those pages to explore the hero and heroine in more depth, particularly Collier. The ending, in particular, was too abrupt. This is a fairly minor criticism, but it could have been just a little more satisfying.

When I was at the Celebrate Romance conference a few weeks ago, we had a discussion about "unconventional heroes". Most of the people there seemed to define unconventional heroes as men who turned into weird animals or sucked blood in unusual ways, but that's not what I'm looking for in an "unconventional hero". As much as I like romance, I've never been a huge fan of the typical "romance hero", particularly the alpha variety. Give me a hero who's not the usual alpha, and I'm swooning already. Looking back at some of the books I've enjoyed recently, many of them featured heroes who weren't afraid to be different, and weren't afraid to be... nice. Horrors! Alas, I'm afraid I'm out of the mainstream on this one - I think most romance readers still have the fantasy of being swept away by the commanding alpha hero. But that's just not my fantasy guy.

Marry In Haste by Lynn Kerstan

I'm a picky reader. I just don't see the point of slogging through a book that's not working for me, especially when I have 1200 books in my TBR pile, calling my name. But this can present a problem when it comes to books in a series. This book is the third book in a series, and it's very closely related to the previous book, Lucy In Disguise. I tried reading that book a while back, and it just didn't appeal to me - it started out with smugglers and a "chick in pants" (yuck and double yuck) and then became something of a Regency romp. I'm sure it had good qualities - Lynn Kerstan is a good writer - but I just didn't care for it. Like I said, I'm picky! I think I dropped it in the trade pile somewhere around page 50.

However, I felt a bit lost when trying to read this book, because obviously I missed a great deal of the plot that was revealed in the previous book. I managed to get my bearings eventually, but still, some things didn't make sense. Would I have liked this book better if I'd read the previous book? Probably. But I hate having to read books that feature plots that don't interest me, just to keep up with a series. The result is that I'm wary of buying books that seem too closely related, unless they're by a favorite author.

Authors seem to really like writing books in a series, and obviously they work for a lot of readers. But I'm often left with an "all or nothing" feeling. If one book in the series has a plot that leaves me saying "yuck, I don't want to read THAT", can I still read other books in the series without feeling lost? Or am I better off not buying these books at all?

Marry In Haste by Lynn Kerstan
(1998, Regency) 3/23/08
Grade: 3

In hiding from her dastardly uncle, Diana Whitney is usually very cautious and shy - but when a man tries to break into her house, she hits him with a frying pan! Unfortunately, he is actually Colonel Alex Valliant, her protector’s brother. They end up marrying to save her from her uncle’s schemes, but can their hasty marriage ever turn into something real?

It was hard to grade this one, because in many ways I liked the characters (particularly the insecure but determined Diana). There were some lovely scenes that showed Diana gaining her confidence, and Alex’s pride in her strength (although I wished he’d shared that pride with Diana instead of staying secretive and gruff almost to the end.) However, this book was very closely related to a previous book in the series (which I tried to read but didn’t work for me) and I felt like I was coming in the middle of a movie. Obviously I was supposed to know more about these characters than I did. Also, the book dragged for a long period in the middle. Both the characters had secrets, but Alex’s secrets were drawn out for far too long. (It almost seemed like a plot device to keep them out of bed.) When Alex’s secret was finally revealed, I appreciated that it wasn’t the typical “war memory” secret that we’ve seen before - but it was dropped in way too late and dealt with too quickly. I felt like this book had a lot of potential, but it didn’t live up to it.

When I was reading Regencies, I sometimes wondered if authors put in obstacles to keep their characters from having sex. It wasn't that significant in this book, but I've read books where the author kept coming up with one excuse after another to keep the characters at arm's length. Rather the opposite of today's books, where some authors seem to look for excuses to put their characters in bed together, even if it doesn't make sense in terms of the plot. But still, it's the same idea, isn't it? I find both strategies a bit tiring...

The Quiet Storm by Raeanne Thayne

"The Big Secret" is another one of those romance conventions. I think they can work, but too many authors keep them hidden for far too long. After a while, the reader gets bored and frustrated, waiting for the reveal. Secrets can be a great conflict, but not if the author drags it out until the last page!

The Quiet Storm by Raeanne Thayne (SIM 1218)
(2003, Contemporary Series) 3/20/08
Grade: 3

The police assumed that Tina committed suicide, but heiress Elizabeth Quinn is sure her dear friend wouldn’t have left her deaf son behind. She turns to detective Beau Riley for answers - and finds more than she expected. But could Beau ever accept a woman with the limitations that she has struggled with all her life?

There were a lot of good things about this book. The characters were well drawn, with good chemistry between them. The mystery was important without taking over the story. And Elizabeth’s struggles with her speech problems were poignant and well drawn. The problem was that the book hit a wall in the middle of the book, and for the next 100 pages or so, it just spun its wheels. Keeping Elizabeth’s speech problem a secret until almost the end of the book was a major problem - it left the characters just repeating the same “misunderstandings” for far too long. As much as I liked the characters, I came very close to giving up during that dry middle section.

I felt cheated that we never got a nice, meaty scene between the hero and heroine, where they discuss her speech problem and what it's meant to her. That kind of emotional interaction is what I look for in a romance!

Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson

A good hero goes a long way in making me like a book. However, what I like in a hero may not be the typical "romance hero type" - I like nice guy heroes who are a little insecure, not alpha manly-men. I was even a little disappointed in this book when the hero gave up his glasses for contacts - I wear contacts myself but a hero with glasses is sexy!

Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson (HT 624)
(1997, Contemporary Series) 3/18/08
Grade: 3.5

Krysta has a daily lunch date with Jack Killigan, where she advises him to get serious about his career. Unbeknownst to her, Jack’s been secretly writing a romance novel - and now it’s been accepted! But Jack needs a favor - will Krysta pose as “Candy Valentine” and accompany him to NYC? And will Krysta start seeing Jack as a sexy man and not just a project?

This was a fun book, although it was a bit fluffy. At the beginning, I found Krysta’s insistence on career success (and her obsession with her boss, Derek) a bit much. (The reasons behind it are explained, but she still seemed a bit clueless.) However, I liked her characterization of Jack, especially his ability to write romance, as well as his lack of confidence from time to time. He seemed very real, not a cardboard “romance hero”. The scenes in New York were cute, and I enjoyed the banter between Krysta and Jack - but it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted more.

Even though I buy a fair number of series books (I like contemporary books, and it's hard to find them otherwise, especially since I'm not into suspense, wacky comedy or erotica), it's hard to find a series book that feels "full" enough. I've tossed a lot of them onto the trade pile lately. But the best book I read last year was also a series book, so there are gems out there - it may be like finding a needle in a haystack, but I keep looking for that needle.

The Italian's Wife By Sunset by Lucy Gordon

I don't read many books from the Harlequin Romance line. I find them a bit thin, although this one had more sex than I might have expected from this line. Surprisinly, this book felt too long, rather than too short, despite the limited page count.

The Italian's Wife By Sunset by Lucy Gordon
(2007, Contemporary Series) 3/17/08
Grade: 3

When producer Della Hadley first meets Italian archeologist Carlo Rinucci she can’t resist his charm and sex appeal. But will their age difference keep them from having a future together - or is it just Della’s insecurity? And will a tragic accident separate them forever?

I originally bought this book because I’d read a review that mentioned the ending - which is lovely and poignant, just as promised. But the rest of the book didn’t live up to it. I liked Carlo, despite his alpha tendencies, but the “conflict” keeping Della and Carlo apart just didn’t seem that significant. A six year age difference (with both the hero and heroine in their 30’s)? It seems quite trivial. And the sexy interactions between Della and Carlo gave way to a long middle section when the two were separated. The accident at the end seemed tacked on, rather than an integral part of the plot. Maybe I was expecting something different from this book, but it just didn’t do much for me, despite the touching ending.

What makes a "happy" ending in a romance? Sometimes I think romance authors go too far making their endings not just happy for the couple, but "every single problem must be fixed, no matter how implausibly". To me, it rings a little false. When I pick up a romance, I want the promise that the couple will end up together, but I'd rather know that the hero and heroine can live with their problems, rather than having the "deus ex machina" author swoop in and eliminate them. This book didn't do that, at least, despite its other problems.

A Notorious Love by Sabrina Jeffries

I've decided on a new approach to my TBR pile. I opened up two boxes - one historical, one contemporary - and I'm going to keep reading until I work my way through both boxes. The historical box goes from Jeffries to Kinsale, the contemporary box goes from Sullivan to Wilkins. What J and K authors will I discover? (I still have a few more "Jeffries" titles to go.)

A Notorious Love by Sabrina Jeffries
(2001, Regency Historical) 3/17/08
Grade: 3.5

After her sister is kidnapped, Helena goes searching for Daniel Brennan, a former smuggler who is now in business with her brother-in-law. Perhaps he can find her wayward sister, but Helena is determined to go with him, despite her crippled leg. Daniel has always been attracted to Helena, but traveling with her makes him see her in a whole new light.

A fun, well-written book with intriguing characters. I enjoyed getting to know Daniel and Helena, and even though their interactions were a bit cliched, it was still fun to be along for the ride. I pretty much knew where the story was going and how it was going to get there, but the characters were well drawn, and I never wanted to put the book down. Overall, a fun read, if not anything spectacular.

This is an example of a book with a familiar plot that worked, at least reasonably well. I'm not a big fan of "road romances" (I get bored with all the running around) but this one worked pretty well, and didn't leave me thinking, "haven't I read this story 20 times before?"

Summer Campaign by Carla Kelly

Has Carla Kelly written a bad book? There have been some that I didn't like as much as others (this one wasn't a keeper) but I haven't found any major clunkers in her backlist so far - which isn't something I can say about my other favorite authors.

Summer Campaign by Carla Kelly
(1989, Regency) 3/16/08
Grade: 4

Illegitimate Onyx Hamilton has little choice but to marry tedious, overbearing Reverend Andrew Littletree. But on her way to the vicarage, she is attacked by highwaymen and saved by Major Jack Beresford, newly returned from Spain and desperate to get home. After Jack is injured, Onyx must take care of him - and finds a love she never expected.

As always, Carla Kelly creates realistic characters and puts them in heartrending, vividly depicted situations. The story may be simple, but the characters of Onyx and Jack are so perfectly rendered, you can’t help understanding them and feeling for them. The author can write scenes that leave you laughing (the teasing about the nonexistent “little Ned” kept me giggling for a couple of chapters) and then write scenes that leave you in tears (Jack’s wrenching memories of Badajoz, the deathbed scenes of Jack’s brother Adrian). I only had a few quibbles, which kept this from becoming a keeper. The quiet romance was lovely, but sometimes it was too quiet, almost in the background. It needed a bit more, especially at the end. And there were some plot threads that were played up in the early sections (Jack’s stammer, for example) and then were dropped. But overall, even though it didn’t reach the heights of Kelly’s best books, it was still a very enjoyable read.

Carla Kelly's books are always real, sometimes to the point of painfulness. I'm not sure I'd want a steady diet of war and illness and death, but it's a nice change from the cutesiness of so many romances.

The Forbidden Lord by Sabrina Jeffries

I was hoping I'd found a hidden treasure in Sabrina Jeffries... alas...

The Forbidden Lord by Sabrina Jeffries
(1999, Regency Historical) 3/15/08
Grade: 3

When rector’s daughter Emily Fairchild gets into the wrong carriage with the notorious Earl of Blackmore, she finds herself attracted despite herself. But when Emily reappears in London a few months later, disguised as Lady Emma, it’s Jordan who can’t stop thinking about her, and he’s determined to figure out who Emily really is!

This book started out with the same wit and charm that the previous book had, but unfortunately, it fizzled out fairly quickly. I liked the characters, and they had nice chemistry together, but by the middle of the book, it seemed like the same scenes were playing out over and over again. It became a little tedious. And the romance between Emma and Jordan began to feel a little cliched - maybe I’ve just read too many “sweet minister’s daughter tames the wicked rake” stories, but sometimes they can still work for me - this one did at the beginning, when Emily was exploring her sensual side as Lady Emma, but by the middle, continuing through to the end, it just seemed like same-old-same-old. I kept reading, but I was disappointed.

Why do familiar plots work in some books and not others? Something was missing here.

The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries

Humor is very subjective. Most of the time, "humorous" romances don't work for me. Maybe I'm too literal, but a lot of authors leave me cringing instead of laughing, when they are writing "funny". Other times, I just don't get the joke. But every now and then, I'll happen across a downright silly comedy that, surprisingly enough, works for me. Who knew?

The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries
(1998, Regency Historical) 3/14/08
Grade: 4

Sara Willis is determined to accompany a group of convict women to New South Wales, to report on the disgraceful conditions. But when the ship is attacked by pirates - pirates who want to retire and need wives - her adventure begins! To her surprise, she finds the notorious Pirate Lord, Gideon Horn, to be kind and thoughtful, and not what she’d expected at all.

This book had the potential to be very, very silly. The plot itself was beyond implausible, but somehow, the author made me willing to suspend disbelief and just go with it. Despite the back story, the characters themselves were well written and grounded. I especially appreciated that the pirate hero wasn’t the typical 80’s alpha jerk pirate - he was nice (and even a bit tortured), while the heroine was strong and not at all ninny-ish. There was strong chemistry between the hero and heroine, and their dialogue was both witty and sexy. The secondary characters were also well done and added to the story. There were a few false notes - surprisingly, I didn’t think the hero’s back story worked here - even though I love a tortured hero, the part about his parents and how that problem was resolved seemed a little too pat. And some of the travel times in the book seemed way too short, especially near the end when people were popping over to the island like it was next door. But overall, it was truly enjoyable, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

One reason I think this worked was because in the middle of the silly plot, there was a real story - not just "hijinks".

Lord Hadleigh's Rebellion by Paula Marshall

When I first started reading romance, in the early 80's, the "big misunderstanding" was a staple of romance. All the major authors of the time depended on it to keep the hero and heroine apart, their grand passion desperately thwarted because of some minor misunderstanding that tore them apart. It worked in the 80's, I guess. I can remember a few of those books that I enjoyed. But I haven't read a true "big misunderstanding" book in a long time (especially when the misunderstanding is something so simple that a two minute conversation could clear it up). Maybe I just don't pick up these books anymore, but the device just feels very dated to me. I found it surprising to find such a trite plot device in a recent book (although it came out in the UK in 2001, it was only released here in January of this year.)

Lord Hadleigh's Rebellion by Paula Marshall
(2001, Regency) 3/14/08
Grade: 2.5

All his life, Lord Hadleigh has been made to feel second best to his younger twin brother, Ritchie. Even though he is the heir, his father has forced him to remain idle, which doesn’t suit him at all. A chance encounter with Mary, the girl he loved and lost many years earlier, inspires him to change his life - in more ways than one!

This was a surprisingly frustrating book. The biggest problem was the old romance cliche, the “big misunderstanding”. It was blindingly obvious why Russell “abandoned” Mary thirteen years earlier, but it takes 170 pages (over half the book!) before these supposedly intelligent characters to talk to each other and figure it out. Maybe for good reason, because once they make up, all of the chemistry between them fizzled out. Russell’s character also felt a little inconsistent - the author kept telling me who Russell was, but it didn’t always reflect the way he was depicted on the page. (And there was also something odd about the point of view - it jumps around within scenes - something I don’t normally notice but I noticed it here.) So why did I keep reading? There were some good things. I liked Russell as the idle heir who secretly loved mathematics and wanting to be more responsible. Especially in the first half, there was nice chemistry between the hero and heroine. And by the time I’d gotten 170+ pages into it, I wanted to find out what happened! But I came close to giving up.

One thing I wondered about - is "stern" considered a good thing in Britain? The heroine kept admiring the hero because of how "stern" he was. It didn't seem like a compliment to me (in romance, it's the mean father who's described as "stern", not the hero), but maybe that's a difference in English usage. It made me curious.

Heritage of Shadows by Madeline Brent

I remember reading a few Madeline Brent novels years ago, but they never really stood out, as compared to my gothic favorites, Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney. I barely remember them, although the plots are vaguely familiar when I read about them at Amazon. I guess I stopped reading them before this one was published. But since a good friend (and fellow angst lover) recommended this one, I decided to take another look.

Heritage of Shadows by Madeline Brent
(1983, 1890's Europe) 3/11/08
Grade: 4.5

18-year old Hannah McLeod is working as a waitress in Paris in 1891. Although her life is modest, she finds happiness in her indepenence, as well as the kind painter next door. But when she’s forced to return to England to work as a governess, she quickly discovers that she’s become a pawn in a revenge plot, that reveals the secret life she put behind her.

This began as a well-written gothic novel, in the style of Victoria Holt. The heroine was strong and well characterized, and the story familiar but well done. At least, I thought it was heading down the usual path, when it took a surprising turn, one that I wasn’t expecting. It’s been a long time since a book really surprised me, but this one did. As we learn more about Hannah’s past, she becomes even more courageous and interesting. (There is a certain stiltedness about her, which was a convention in these kinds of books, but I got used to it after a while.) Unfortunately, the men in her life are less developed, although I appreciated that she ended up with the nice guy who cared for her from the beginning, rather than the usual gothic hero. I thought the side trip to Mexico, in the last section of the book, was unnecessary and somewhat cliched (I would rather have seen more in-depth development of her relationship with Toby) but overall, this was a very enjoyable and memorable read.

I guess I've become a cynical romance reader - I can recognize most romance plot "twists" long before they make their appearance. But this book genuinely surprised me - maybe because I wasn't expecting this type of twist in an old-fashioned gothic, maybe because it wasn't given the typical romance novel treatment. It's been quite a while since I found myself surprised by the way a book develops, especially while still being emotionally true to the characters.

Lady of the Knight by Tori Phillips

Although I'm not a big fan of humorous stories, I have a soft spot for charming and amusing heroes. Who could resist a hero with bells on his codpiece?

Lady of the Knight by Tori Phillips
(1999, Medieval) 3/9/08
Grade: 4

When Sir Andrew sees Rosie standing on a barrel, about to be sold as a prostitute, his heart goes out to her - and he recklessly bets that he can pass her off as a lady at the king’s feast. He finds that there is more to Rosie than meets the eye - and she finds that under the feathers and bells, there’s the heart of a true hero.

This was a cute and charming book that was a lot of fun to read. I loved Andrew, with his belled and tassled codpieces, who is quick to admire Rosie’s wit and quick mind, as well as her body. And Rosie gives as good as she gets, without being a “fiesty” cliche. The interplay between these two is a lot of fun to watch. However, I had a few quibbles. The main one is the lack of emotional depth, especially with Andrew. Although we get a few glimpses into his inner life - his regret over his late wife, the way he cares for his squires - but for the most part, it’s all surface. We don’t get a lot of his life and personality, other than his concern and love for Rosie. I wanted to know more, because he was such an appealing hero! Rosie’s background was also a romance novel cliche, and there were a few other historically questionable things - but for the most part, the story was great fun, and I enjoyed spending time with such a charming hero and heroine.

I'm always a bit disappointed by the romance novel insistence on secret nobility. I don't mean the characters' attitudes toward the lower classes - I know that's historically accurate, and I wouldn't want an anachronistic heroine who is best buddies with all of her servants. But when a thief, or prostitute, or serving wench, is pulled from the gutter and made over by a noble, he immediately sees her "inner nobility" because she's smart and kind and has a long straight nose. He can't help but think, she must be more than what she appears. And usually, she's secretly the daugher of a noble or the bastard of the king or something like that.

I know this comes from fairy tales - after all, the goose girl is always secretly a princess, isn't she? - and it also makes the happy ending easier, in the context of the period. But still, this "inner nobility" stuff always gives me a bit of a twinge - it's if the author is saying that someone without a drop of blue blood couldn't be smart and kind and pretty too. It must be her noble blood coming through. Ugh! Must be my egalitarian American blood coming through...

Strangers In Death by J.D. Robb

The JD Robb books are a total contrast from my usual reading - they're more like the CSI and Law & Order shows I enjoy on TV. I've tried other suspense and procedural books and found them boring, but the combination of the unique characters of Eve and Roarke and the well-crafted mysteries have kept me happy, at least until recently.

Strangers In Death by JD Robb
(2008, Futuristic Suspense) 3/8/08
Grade: 3

When Tommy Anders is killed, it appears to be a sexual scenario gone wrong, but Eve Dallas doesn’t quite buy it. As she (and Roarke) begin to pull apart the details, the tearful widow doesn’t look quite as innocent as she first appeared...

Not the best installment in the series. Many of the Death books have a strong feeling for the victim and that gives the crime momentum and passion, but in this one, it just felt kind of blah. The murder was solved by the halfway point of the book, and from that point, it was just a question of figuring out the details. (Although the Strangers on a Train scenario was clever.) The whole thing just felt a bit routine. And there wasn’t much that was new or exciting in the Eve-Roarke interactions, either. As always, the author paints vivid characters - I especially liked the German housekeeper, the ex-Mafia daughter suspect and the good-mom stripper - but, as cold and calculating as Ava was, she didn’t give the book a lot of pop. The Robb books are usually worth reading, but I often felt I was slogging through this one, especially in the second half.


Although I have enjoyed the JD Robb books from the beginning, the last few books have been more and more "blah" to me. The last two I really liked were Origin in Death (from 2005) and Visions in Death (from 2004). I hate to give these up, since the police procedurals are a nice break from my usual reading, I really like Eve and Roarke, and I keep hoping for another great one, but I'm getting a bit blah-d out.

Beguiled by Susan Spencer Paul

It's always a problem when the hero and heroine are clearly happy and in love by the middle of the book. What do you do with them for the next 150 pages? Unfortunately, a lot of authors turn to misunderstandings...

Beguiled by Susan Spencer Paul
(1998, Regency Historical) 3/7/08
Grade: 4

After the Earl of Cardemore buys up his debts, Anthony, the Earl of Graydon, is compelled to escort his sister, Lillian, and guide her through her first season. Because Lillian is unable to speak, she is ignored and even denigrated by most of society, but Anthony begins to admire and love her, and is glad when they’re forced into marriage.

There was a lot to like in this book. Lillian was a strong and interesting heroine, and Anthony a very likeable hero. (I especially liked the way he kept Lillian’s notes - a charming way to show his growing love for her.) I appreciated that Anthony loved Lillian the way she was, and that she didn’t magically regain her ability to speak in the end. The background information about treatment of the deaf and mute during this period was fascinating and shocking. The secondary romance between Margaret and Cardemore was also lovely (I could have read a lot more about them!) But the book had an odd, stilted quality, which became even more pronounced in the second half, when the plot turned on one misunderstanding after another, and Anthony and Lillian were separated. As much as I liked the characters, I found the plot machinations increasingly frustrating. It just wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been.

I was fascinated to read about the attitudes toward "deaf-mutes" during this time period. It was pretty shocking to discover that people assumed they didn't have souls (!!!) and were little more than animals.

The Silence of Midnight by Karen Young

Not sure why this book is called "The Silence of Midnight" - I don't remember any scenes that took place at midnight, or that were particularly silent - but it sounds good.

The Silence Of Midnight by Karen Young
(1992, Contemporary Series) 3/2/08
Grade: 3.5

Three months after the disappearance of their four year old son, Jake and Rachel are struggling to get by. But when Michael appears on their doorstep, the result of an affair Jake had 15 years ago, it nearly tears their marriage apart. Rachel wants to treat Michael fairly, but it’s hard to see Jake enjoying his new son, when her beloved child is gone.

This book was full of wonderful, emotional scenes and well drawn characters. Rachel’s struggle to accept Michael, her grief over the loss of their son, Jake’s frustration with his deteriorating marriage and his love for his newly discovered child, Michael’s quiet joy at finding a home - all of those things are done so well. Unfortunately, there are a lot of plot points thrown in that detract from these good points - a suspense plotline involving “those evil drugs”, a tendency to blame Rachel for being angry and hurt, and most especially, the resolution of Scotty’s fate. It’s not that I wanted Scotty to be dead, but he’s discovered and rescued in such a contrived way, it just felt false. It’s hard to know how to rate this book - I really loved a lot of it, but it ended on a note that left me feeling disappointed.

Having Scotty magically rescued at the end - and he's not even scratched! - took a lot of the specialness out of this book for me. But I know a romance novel could never kill off a child - even though Karen Keast did it years ago.

One More Night by Kathleen Creighton

How to review a book with a flaw that probably wouldn't bother anyone else? That's why I don't write official reviews!

One More Knight by Kathleen Creighton (SIM 890)
(1998, Contemporary Series) 3/1/08
Grade: 3

Twenty years after running away from home, Charly Phelps has decided to pay a visit to her past. But when she ends up in jail, she ends up being rescued by Troy Starr, an ex-Navy Seal and the brother-in-law of her best friend. Troy is immediately attracted to Charly, and determined to help her as she revisits the most painful and tragic months of her life.

It was hard to grade this one. The book was well written and heart wrenching, with believable characters, but it suffered from a couple of serious flaws. One problem was that the story of Charly’s past took over the book, to the point that the romance with Troy almost felt like an intrusion at times. The chemistry between the two characters was strong, and it worked most of the time, but there were points that it just seemed out of place. That was a fairly minor problem, though. The bigger problem for me was the resolution of the story. It felt like Charly was being blamed for her choice to give up her child for adoption. She’s the one who’s made to feel guilty for not coming back home, even though it was her father who forced her to give up her child, drove her out of town and then never tried to find her. But somehow, he’s the good guy (because anyone who gives up their child must be bad, bad, bad). Maybe the author could have explored this in a more nuanced way in a longer book, but here, it just left me feeling uncomfortable.

I waffled when trying to assign a rating to this one. The main characters had great chemistry, the story of Charly's teen pregnancy was poignant, the writing was good. But the ending just left me with a bad taste - and I know that's because it pushes my personal buttons. But hey, it's my blog!

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

I don't normally report on books that I don't finish, but I got pretty far in this one - over 100 pages - so I decided to include it.

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
(2007, Georgian) 3/1/08
Grade: 2.5

Lady Georgina Maitland is in Yorkshire, visiting her estates, when she discovers someone has been poisoning sheep in the area. She turns to her estate manager, Harrry Pye, even though he’s been accused of the crime. As she and Harry investigate, she finds there’s more to her employee than she might have expected.

I found this book oddly disappointing, to the point that I couldn’t finish it. I had high hopes for it at first. I really liked the interactions between the aristocratic heroine and the lower class hero - her assumption that she can order him around, his frustrations with her and his position. It was an interesting exploration of social class and how two people could overcome it. But the book really went off for me in the second half. First, the sex. I don’t mind love scenes, but here, the author seemed to go out of her way to make them crass and tawdry, from her word choices to the descriptions. Maybe I’m just too picky, but I found them off-putting rather than sexy. Then there was the mystery plot, which took up too much space. And then, Georgina completely changes her personality and we get a contrived romance plot twist, “let’s push them together with a baby”. I was skimming at this point, but it just seemed like the last straw. It was disappointing, because there were a lot of interesting things in the first part of the book.

I have a mixed view of erotica. I don't mind a hot love scene, and I've been known to read some pretty spicy stuff. But in this book, the blunt, somewhat crass erotic scenes just didn't mesh with the emotional feelings of the love story. Maybe this makes me prissy, but I don't find cold and unemotional references to pricks and f**ks particularly romantic or sexy - it can work in certain contexts (Emma Holly is one author who can do it - I quite enjoyed the frank sexuality of Menage) but most of the time, it just seems jarring and offputting to me.

Jack of Hearts by Marjorie Farrell

I appreciate an author who includes a taste of history in her books (I ascribe some of my love of history to my childhood romance reads) but I get a bit frustrated when the romance is pushed aside in favor of a history lesson.

Jack of Hearts by Marjorie Farrell
(2000, Regency Historical) 2/29/08
Grade: 3.5

The daughter of a mill owner, Anne has decided she needs a titled husband. Her solicitor gives her a list of 3 candidates, all in need of money, and she sets out to choose one. Careless rake Jack Belden is at the bottom of the list. But as problems at the mill come forward, she begins to realize that she wants something different from life, and from marriage.

This book started off well, but lost its way in the second half. I liked the practical heroine, although her dislike of Jack seemed a bit flimsy and went on for too long. (It felt like a plot contrivance.) Jack was also an interesting character, although I thought he wasn’t as deeply drawn as Anne. I also appreciated the secondary romance between Anne’s companion Sarah and her groom, Patrick - very moving and well done. When the concerns about the mill workers was first introduced, I thought it was handled very well - it gave Anne a good reason to rethink her life, and wonder how to handle the human side of her inheritance. But the mill plot took over the book in the second half, to the detriment of the romance storyline. If Jack had been a part of the story, it might have worked, but instead, Jack was missing from the book for a large section in the middle, and Anne made some stupid decisions that didn’t make much sense. It’s an interesting story about the industrial development in the Regency period, but the romance was pretty much dropped, to my disappointment.

Thinking about this book a few days later, I remember the mill plot in detail, but the character of Jack fades from memory. Not what you want in a romance!

Nobody Does It Better by Jan Freed

As I often do when I'm on a trip, I took a bunch of older, "falling apart" books out of my TBR pile and brought them on the plane. Some were duds (a few landed in the trash within 20 or 30 pages) but some were worth reading!

Nobody Does It Better by Jan Freed (HSR 741)
(1997, Contemporary Series) 2/28/08
Grade: 4

In the middle of a stressful merger, business executive Hope Manning is forced to take a “wilderness survival course”, led by Jared Austin. At first, Hope can’t stand the idea of life away from Diet Coke, but she grows to appreciate the outdoors - especially if a certain hunky wilderness guide is with her.

This is a book that succeeds almost entirely on tone. Hope has a wonderful, snarky tone that immediately makes her character stand out, even though she’s a familiar romance character. Although she’s a bit unlikeable at first, she quickly shows her softer side in her interactions with the other students (particularly the emotionally abused wife who struggles to keep up). Jared is also well developed - he could have been a cliche, and he’s not quite as memorable as Hope, but I appreciated how he admired Hope for her sass, rather than trying to turn her into something else. The suspense plot was better integrated than most, but the end of the book was a bit cliched, and I thought the ending was rather rushed - it seemed like Hope and Jared rushed from attraction to “true love” far too quickly. But that may just be a necessity of the series format. Overall, a fun and enjoyable read.

Whatever happened to Jan Freed? She wrote wrote several excellent series books, but then disappeared. Too bad!