Susan Mallery: Sweet Trouble

Sweet Trouble: D-
contemp
Jesse Keyes & Matthew Fenner

Jesse Keyes has done some serious growing up. With a steady job and a vibrant four-year-old son, Gabe, she's in a far better place than when she left Seattle five years ago…pregnant and misunderstood by almost everyone in her life.

Now it's time to go home and face her demons. But her sisters, Claire and Nicole, aren't exactly impressed with the new and improved Jesse. And then there's Matt, Gabe's father, who makes it clear that he never wants to see her again despite the lust that still smolders between them.

Jesse doesn't know if she can make up for all the mistakes of her past. But the promise of sweet nights with Matt might just give her the extra incentive she needs to make it worth the trouble.… (amazon)

I shall try to make this review sweet and simple. It's not so much a consideration for you, bloggers, but because of my own shortcomings: I read this book a couple weeks ago and I cannot really... recall... what happened. Why I'm writing a review in this state, I'm not so sure myself. But I cannot blame myself entirely for neither remembering the characters nor the plot.

This book was insignificant.

It is like my favorite romance, Paradise, but, like, fifty times worse.

There are some similarities between Paradise and Sweet Trouble:

1. Both books have heroes whose name is "Matthew."
2. Both books are about lovers who reunite after years of separation.

And that is where the similarities end.

Unlike Paradise, Sweet Trouble has a lackluster and unexciting plot(s). Not only is our heroine, Jesse, trying to win back the favors of her older sisters, she is also trying to win back the love of her life.

Matt has come a far way from being the geek he was when he first met and fell in love with Jesse. Then something about a (really dumb and lame) misunderstanding that tore them apart which caused Jesse to run away and give birth to her son in secret.

And then she comes back in town after having matured.
And then copious amounts of drama ensues because her sisters are dumb and Matt is even dumber: he loves her but cannot get over the past because... of his fear, I think. Though this sort of fear is not the sort to be laughed at, Ms. Mallery does not do her characters justice by writing about him/ them in a way that makes me... care.

Oh, wait. I do believe Matt's anger stems from the fact that Jesse kept from him the fact that he fathered a son. His anger is hard to sympathize with, as I felt she had valid reason to genuinely believe that Matt would have no interest in his son. Since I couldn't sympathize with Matt and the foundation of the central conflict, I just wanted to tell Matt to "get over it and move on."

Bottom line: reading about Jesse's secret brownie recipe made me want to have a brownie by the end of the book. Mmm... brownies.....

Catherine Anderson: Morning Light

Morning Light: D
contemp
Loni MacEwen & Clint Harrigan

Crusty Clint Harrigan (of the same Harrigan clan as Anderson's Sun Kissed), is, at 37, a Catholic cowboy who's sworn off romance. The arrival of a cute Catholic clairvoyant in his hometown of Crystal Falls, Ore., challenges his resolve and his skepticism. Seer Loni Kendra MacEwen, still a virgin at 31, is shocked when she bumps into Clint at the grocery store. He's the dream cowboy she's had visions of her whole life, and she has recently connected those visions to visions of Trevor, an endangered boy who (along with his protective Saint Bernard) was lost in the Shoshone Wilderness Area after a river accident killed his mom and stepdad, an Oregon senator. Loni tells a resistant Clint he's the only one who can save Trevor, and soon the hunt is on... (amazon)

As a prelude to this especially snarky entry: I like Catherine Anderson... for the most part. I find that she writes about real characters, people who go through real hardships (not ones like, "I was unloved as a child so now I'm a heartless jerk."). Her traumatized and troubled characters are believable. I feel for them.

Buuuut...

This book wasn't fun to read.

I will surely go to hell for this - sorry, God!- but the main reason I disliked this book was because of the constant references to religion and the Catholic faith. Being a believer, I personally have nothing against Christianity or the Catholic faith. However, it grated on my nerves that the hero and heroine talked about their faith all the time. I understand that topics like that require a lengthy and a hefty discussion. But that doesn't mean I want to read all about it.

By the halfway mark, I wanted to pound on something (insert *headdesk*).

I mean, if (when??? oh drats, I'm getting old..) I am looking for a prospective husband, religion would be a huge (and quite possibly, the only) factor. But ...but .... the constant praying on rosary beads, feeling touched about how each person kneeled to pray, the fact that she's a virgin at 31 (they might have just danced to VIRGIN! VIRGIN! VIRGIN!), the decision to not do the hanky-panky, then doing the hanky-panky (losing control), then talking about talking to Father Mike (Matt?) in confession for repentance... goodness gracious!

Clint, dude. I get you. You're Catholic, you're ethically and morally upright. You're a good citizen. But for the love of God, let's get over that and talk about something else... yes? No? Oh.........dammit..

The book is a hefty one at 422 pgs aaand I wasn't too interested after the halfway point. But I made myself finish... I need to develop more perseverance in finishing books (though I'm pretty good about it most of the time)

Anyway, most of the book is spent looking for Clint's newfound son (what is up with fathers being in the dark about their children? Females: horrible decision you made!), who is lost in the Oregon wilderness after a bad rafting accident. Loni, a psychic person of some sort, sees this, contacts Clint and tells him he needs to search for his son.

Clint clearly thinks Loni is crazy since he doesn't even have a son. (He is soon surprised.)

Loni and Clint go trek through the wilderness together to search for the lost boy. They fall in love. They have epic discussions about their faith. Then they start talking about other things.

Pros in reading this story: I learned a lot about navigating my way through the woods, should I ever get lost.

Cons: their faith! It might have been better if they were both hedonists.

Bottom line: Not worth your read, though Clint is a hunky rancher.

Lisa Kleypas: Smooth Talking Stranger

Smooth Talking Stranger: B-
Ella Varner & Jack Travis

Ella Varner grew up with a troublesome mother and an insecure sister, but she has managed to come out of it reasonably sane, with a good (if vegan) boyfriend, Dane, and a job as an advice columnist. All of this gets turned upside down when her sister disappears and sticks Ella with her newborn, Luke. Determined to find Luke's father, Ella tracks down a likely suspect—millionaire playboy Jack Travis. The encounter results in Travis and Ella unexpectedly engaged in an irrepressible attraction. Meanwhile, Ella grows fond of baby Luke and fears what will happen when Tara returns. As Ella grapples with conflicting desires, she learns some important lessons about love and trust... (amazon)


Here is another installment of a Travis man, Jack Travis, and though the book had great potential, as do all the Travis men, it fell short of the greatness I was expecting.

I normally love love Lisa Kleypas' books because she is able to develop the characters and really portray the growth of the hero and heroine's relationship. The journey is as wonderful as the end, since we all know endings to romance novels are happy. Even knowing that the hero and heroine will end up together, LK makes it exciting.

This one, however, was a combination of unpleasantness, on several different levels.

1, the hero and heroine have chemistry (as Jack is hot hot!) but they don't really develop their relationship because...

2, Ella is taking care of the damned baby. I have nothing against babies, however, the fact that LK is sticking babies into romance stories left and right is starting to irritate me. Taking care of a child is a HUGE responsibiilty and needs to be of the utmost priority. But in this story, Ella is thrown into her new role as a mother around the same time she meets Jack. Things are crazy, no doubt about it, but with duties as a new mother, where is the time for romance? For love? I'm sure it happens in reality, but not in the way LK portrayed it. There needed to be more details, more development, especially because the story is not only handling a love story, it's handling a story about a mother and child. She did neither story justice.

3, Um, the ending? What was that? It was rushed and lame. And rushed.
Kind of like: "Ohhh, we have twenty pages left, so I love you Jack!"
"Oh yea, I forgot to tell you that I love you, too."
"Yay!"

4, Lack of development of Ella. She obviously grows up in a very dysfunctional family. So... I can kind of assume how she became the woman she is, but I don't want to assume. I want you write your beautiful prose, LK, and tell me, dang it!

5, Excess sex scenes. ...which, for me, without relationship development, is like too much icing. Unsatisfying and uncool to swallow.

It was decently fun to read and Jack is hot hot, but don't expect a stunner out of this one.

Lisa Kleypas's SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER excerpt

From the wonderful ladies at the Judith McNaught Bulletin Board, here is an excerpt of Lisa Kleypas's new book, Smooth Talking Stranger, that was printed in the Romantic Times Magazine.

Only twenty-seven more days! Hooray!!


Excerpt

Jack Travis kissed me until the sensations flowed in directions I couldn't go, spilling and sliding darkly. As I felt a desperate ache cambering low in my body, I finally understood that if I slept with this man, he would take everything. All the defenses I had built would be destroyed.

Shaking, I pushed at him and managed to turn my head long enough to gasp, "I can't. No. That's enough, Jack."

He stopped at once. But he kept me against him, his chest moving hard and fast.

I couldn't look at him. My voice was hoarse as I said, "That shouldn't have happened."

"I've wanted this since the first second I saw you. His arms tightened, and he bent over me until his mouth was close to my ear. Gently he whispered, "You did too."

"I didn't. I don't."

"You need some fun, Ella."

I let out an incredulous laugh. "Believe me, I don't need fun, I need--" I broke off with a gasp as he pressed my hips closer to his. The feel of him was more than my dazzled senses could handle. To my mortification, I hitched up against him before I could stop myself, heat and instinct winning out over sanity.

Feeling the reflexive response, Jack smiled against my scarlet cheek. "You should take me on. I'd be good for you."

"You are so full of yourself . . . and you would not be good for me, with your steaks and power tools and your attention-deficit libido, and . . . I'll bet you're a card-carrying member of the NRA. Admit it, you are." I couldn't seem to shut up. I was talking too much, breathing too fast, jittering like a wind-up toy that had been wound to the limits of its mechanism.

Jack nuzzled into a sensitive place behind my ear. "Why does that matter?"

"Is that a yes? It must be. God. It matters because--stop that. It matters because I would only go to bed with a man who respected me and my views. My--" I broke off with an inarticulate sound as he nibbled lightly at my skin.

"I respect you," he murmured. "And your views. I think of you as an equal. I respect your brains, and all those big words you like to use. But I also want to rip your clothes off and have sex with you until you scream and cry and see God." His mouth dragged gently along my throat. I jerked helplessly, muscles jolting with pleasure, and his hands gripped my hips, keeping me in place. "I'm gonna show you a good time, Ella. Starting with some take-no-prisoners sex. The kind when you can't remember your own name after."

"I've been with Dane for four years," I managed to say. "He understands me in a way you don't."

"I can learn you."

It seemed as if something inside me had started to unravel, weakness spreading, all my body tightening against it. I closed my eyes and bit back a whimper. "When you offered me the apartment," I said weakly, "you implied you had no ulterior motives. I don't appreciate the position this puts me in, Jack."

His head lifted, and his lips brushed the tip of my nose. "What position would you prefer?"

It's gonna be good... I can feel it in my bones. :)

Catherine Anderson: Baby Love

Baby Love: DNF
Maggie Stanley & Rafe Kendrick
Kendrick/ Coulter series 1


Though I usually love Catherine Anderon's novels, I found this one to be most uninteresting. It is the beginning of her series (one with many, many novels - like eight or nine?) and I'm glad I read some of the other books in the series before reading this one or else I would have given up on the entire series.

From reading roughly half the book (approximately 160 pages), this is what I got:

Rafe lost his beloved wife and child.
He proceeded to lose himself and "ran away" from his home and duties, traveling around to different cities on trains.
He meets Maggie on one of these trains.
She's a damsel in distress.
He falls in love with her - almost overnight.
He takes care of her when she needs to be taken care of at the hospital.
He immediately makes amends with his estranged family - and they welcome him back with open arms.

..and then I stopped.

What?!

First, I hate second-love stories.
Like, when the hero or heroine has desperately and passionately loved XYZ and XYZ dies. They're heartbroken. Then the new hero/ heroine steps in and takes the place of the former love. (Ex: Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Dream a Little Dream, Lisa Kleypas's Where Dreams Begin..)
I am a huge advocate of first-love stories and therefore, losing one's first love only to move on and love a second love, though realistic, is not something I'm chum chum with.

Second, how unrealistic is this story?
Not that I look for realism in a romance, per se, but the whole journey of falling in love (aka the reason why I read romances) was lost in this story. Rafe falls in love with Maggie ...just there and then. No real explanations. And even after the story progresses with him loving her, it never really explains why he loved her. Bogus!!, I say.

Third, I flat-out lost interest. I put it down - in mild exasperation - and never wanted to pick it back up.

Sadly, this one is a no-go, DNF.

Julie Garwood: Shadow Dance

Shadow Dance: D-
Jordan Buchanan & Noah Clayborne


Jordan Buchanan is thrilled that her brother and best friend are tying the knot. The wedding is a lavish affair–for the marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna is no ordinary occasion. It represents the joining of two family dynasties. The ceremony and reception proceed without a hitch–until a crasher appears claiming to be a MacKenna guest. The disheveled and eccentric professor of medieval history warns that there’s “bad blood” between the couple’s clans, stemming from an ancient feud that originated in Scotland, and involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure.

Jordan has always led a cautious life and has used her intelligence and reason to become a successful businesswoman. So she is intrigued but skeptical of the professor’s claims that the feud has been kept alive by the grave injustices the Buchanans have perpetrated over the centuries. But when Noah Clayborne, a close family friend and a man who has never let a good time or a pretty girl pass him by, accuses Jordan of being trapped in her comfort zone, she determines to prove him wrong and sets out on a spontaneous adventure to the small, dusty town of Serenity, Texas, to judge the professor’s research for herself.

Maneuvering through a close-knit community in which everyone knows everyone else’s business, Jordan never anticipates the danger and intrigue that lie in her path, nor the threat that will shadow her back to Boston, where even in familiar surroundings, her life is at risk... (amazon)


Huge Noah Clayborne fans will find this to be a very, very disappointing read.
I am not a big Noah Clayborne fan (since I can't really remember the books prior to this one), and I still found this to be a HUGE sub-par read.


First off, why is this book called Shadow "Dance" ?
I'm feelin' really dumb, but I don't get it. The book isn't about dancing, neither of the characters dance... nor does the villain. In fact, I don't think music and dancing is even mentioned. Oh wait, it was kind-of mentioned in Dylan and Kate's wedding. Something about it playing and people dancing.
...wait a minute. Was that why Shadow Dance was named Shadow Dance? (confusion)

.....
.............lame!!


Second, where is the romance?
Something like this happened:

Jordan: Ooh, I don't Noah. He's handsome and charming. I don't want to fall for him!
Noah: Oh, kid sister of my best friend. No lookey no touchy.
Jordan: Ooh, I think I'm starting to like Noah. But I must resist! Resist!
Noah: Hey, she's pretty hot. And why are the other guys staring at her?
Jordan: Uh-oh, bad things are happening to me.
Noah: Uh-oh, bad things are happening to her.
Jordan: Noah will protect me! (But I won't like him!)
Noah: But I will protect her!
(gap)
Jordan: I love him.
Noah: ...I love her...???!
(he's surprised, like the rest of us)

See that gap?
That's where the love happens.
Sadly, it never did.

It was one of those 'blindsided by love' romances, but it was lame. I honestly don't see how they could have had more than a fondness for each other (minus the lust and physical attraction that is always so rampant in these novels).

Lame!

Third, what is going on with Ms. Garwood's writing style?
It was as if she was narrating the entire story. I wasn't there IN the action with the hero and heroine, I was looking from afar - with the story being told to me. It attempted to be witty, but fell flat.

One hundred and twenty pages in, I was still thinking, 'Okay okay, when's everything gonna start?'
Then: 'Oh. Wait. It started a hundred pages ago.'
Then: 'What the heck have I been reading?!'


Fourth, another dreadful romantic suspense!
NOT SUSPENSEFUL!


Fifth, sucky characterization.
Garwood tried to make Jordan a "smart ditz." You know, the very smart computer nerd who is "adorably ditzy" and cute. It didn't work so well; Jordan seems to have a schizophrenic nature.

Noah?
He's......

I actually don't know that much about him. I'm guessing a lot of his character was revealed in the previous books, but since I can't remember the books, I can't remember what he's like. And since the book didn't do much in describing him, minus the overall "charming handsome player" feel, I don't know why he's so damn hot.

Why?! Is it because he's an FBI agent who arrests people?
Why?! I want to know!


In short: Do not read.
It sucked.

(someone tell me why I'm reading Shadow Music?
...so far, it has not mentioned music. I'm 30 pages in.)

Lucy Monroe: The Real Deal

The Real Deal: C-
Amanda something & Simon Brant

Years after a disastrous marriage destroyed any semblance of self-esteem, all Amanda Zachary has left is her career. She scores a major coup in being assigned the task of negotiating a merger between her firm and a computer company, but one of the owners, Simon Brant, refuses. Over six feet of exotic looks, rock-hard abs, and sexy ponytail, Simon is a genius-recluse ensconced on an island near Seattle. Said genius has a few flaws, including stunted social skills and a tendency to become so engrossed in his work that he disappears for hours, even days. Overcome with a sudden idea, he abruptly ends his first meeting with Amanda and suggests that they reconvene at his house, which is how they end up living together. She keeps trying to convince Simon; he keeps disappearing; she is afraid she's falling in love, and the only way Simon can think of to keep her around is to delay making a decision.

After hearing raves about this novel, I shoved my lazy body into my car and went on my merry way to the library, where I checked it out ('hm, the cover is not too bad') and excitedly started to read the book when I'd come back home.

Mm...... disappointment!!!

It was a got-out-of-bad-relationship-will-discover-the-strong-woman-in-me novel with a little bit of I'm-insecure-about-my-body mixed in. While I'm gung-ho about women finding themselves, releasing their sexuality, finding their soul mate and falling in love.... it did not work in this less-than-pleasurable story.


So, Amanda got out of her bad marriage. She is climbing up in her company. She needs to somehow get the reclusive-but-brilliant Simon Brant to agree with her company's merger. She heads on over to his home for an interview.

I don't really remember what happened, but I'm getting the feeling that Simon sees her for a millisecond and then abandons her when a great idea pops up into his mind. She then is forced to sleep over at his home (how unprofessional of both Amanda and Simon!) because she misses the only outgoing ferry (or something like that).

Then she talks with his butler, is 'coerced' into practicing martial arts with Simon and works out with him(insert in the high sexual chemistry, tension, sweaty bodies, whatever whatever whatever). Once again, I can't see this happening in real life; super improbable and very unprofessional.

Unprofessionality set aside, Amanda really needs that merger so she stays with him, seeing him when she can and trying to convince him.

Then some things happen and then they're in bed, having the sex of their lives. Her insecurities come out. She's self-conscious (from her previous douchebaggy ex-husband) but Simon gets rid of all of those insecurities, which is really nice. (After all, if a guy can let you be confident of who you are, what more can he do for you to show that he cares?)

I do believe that that was the one good part of this novel. Simon easing Amanda's fears.

Then the latter half of the book is them rolling around in bed. They have sex like half a bajillion times. She experiences the greatest pleasure of her life, he is intrigued by her, they are........fa...ll..ing...... in ........love...?

Maybe.

I think by the end, they're in love, as expected of a hero and heroine.

But oh man, I didn't see it coming, and the rather explicit sex scenes (and there were a ton of lusty glances, touches, sighs, moans, yadda yadda yadda) was off-putting. As it is with me and all other novels, if I am not emotionally invested in the characters (and believe me, I didn't give a rat's ass about Amanda or Simon... maybe just a little for Simon, but not really) the sex is quite unenjoyable.

So. I didn't like this.
I was disappointed.

So I don't recommend this.
...but I feel that I might be in the minority about this novel.

Sophia Kinsella: Remember Me?

Remember Me? : A
Lexi Smart


Shopaholicpowerhouse Kinsella delights again with her latest, a winning if unoriginal tale of amnesia striking an ambitious shrew and changing her life for the better. After taking a nasty bump on the head, Lexi Smart awakens in a hospital convinced that it's 2004 and that she's just missed her father's funeral. It's actually three years later, and she no longer has crooked teeth, frizzy hair and a loser boyfriend. Initially wowed by what she's become—a gorgeous, cut-throat businesswoman—Lexi soon finds herself attempting to figure out how it happened.

As her personality change and lost memory threaten her job, Lexi tries to dredge up some chemistry with her handsome albeit priggish husband, Eric, though the effort is unnecessary with Eric's colleague Jon, who tells Lexi that she was about to leave Eric for him. Amnesia tales may be old hat, but Kinsella keeps things fresh and frothy with workplace politicking, romantic intrigue and a vibrant (though sometimes caricatured) cast. Though the happy ending won't come as a surprise, readers will be rooting for Lexi all along.



This is my pick of the month!!
(Technically speaking, it would have been the pick of my month in September, but I read it late-September... and this is my blog so I'm allowed to cheat. Really.)

If you know me, you know I don't put up with cruddy heroines, even if I might allow a little BS from the heroes. So I wasn't surprised when I started to read the Shopaholic series and ...put it down after thirty pages (the heroine is completely not in control of herself.. though I'm sure that changes later on.... it's a beast to put up with in the beginning.)

So when I saw this little jewel staring at me on the library shelves, I ignored the sensible, rational part of me and checked the sucker out.

I have no regrets.
The book is good enough for me to want to almost-glom all of Kinsella's novels.
(Almost glom being that I don't know if I really want to read about the uncontrollable shopper just quite yet...)


Lexi Smart wakes up from her mild 3-day coma with her brain from three years ago: she is shocked at her changed appearance, her gorgeous husband, her no-longer-close best friends, and the high-status at her job.

What happened?
What happened?

That is the question she asks - and one that you will undoubtedly ask.

Slowly, but surely, old-Lexi finds the life that new-Lexi has created for herself and tries to continue living her life as the new-Lexi, only to find that the new-Lexi is radically different from the old.

She is no longer the awkward, easygoing girl.
She's a powerhorse: a beast at work, sharp dresser, always-shrewd.Off-tune karaoke singing has been replaced by glamorous parties with expensive wine. She has a personal assistant who shops for her. She drives a Mercedes Benz.

When she meets Jon, her gorgeous husband's architect, she feels chemistry and a thrill that she is unable to muster up for her husband. It can't be!, she thinks. I married Eric so I must love him!

Little by little, old-Lexi tries to right the wrongs... and in doing so, completes herself, something that new-Lexi had been unable to do.



I read this book at, like, 11:30pm, thinking, 'Oh, I'll read a couple of pages now and read little bits over the next couple of days' - a result of the disastrous exams that were sneaking up on me.

Oh, I was wrong!!
I remained GLUED to the book for the next four hours (read it in record time).
It was 4:30am when I finished and I wanted to kill myself for the tiredness I would feel from the lack of sleep. I also wanted to kick Kinsella: after all, she was the reason why I hadn't slept that night.

I laughed, shrieking sometimes.
I felt the chemistry between Jon and old-Lexi.
And, of course, I groaned at old-Lexi-trying-to-be-new-Lexi.

A fast, funny, delightfully entertaining read - I declare this a must read for chick-lit and non-chick-lit lovers alike.

Go! Now! Read it!

Linda Howard: Death Angel

Death Angel: B
Drea Rosseau


A striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau is more than content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord who deals with betrayal through quick and treacherous means: a bullet to the back of the head, a blade across the neck, an incendiary device beneath a car. Eager to break with Rafael, Drea makes a fateful decision and a desperate move, stealing a mountain of cash from the malicious killer. After all, an escape needs to be financed.

Though Drea runs, Salinas knows she can’t hide–and he dispatches a cold-blooded assassin in hot pursuit, resulting in a tragic turn of events. Or does it?

Left for dead, Drea miraculously returns to the realm of the living a changed woman. She’s no longer shallow and selfish, no longer steals or cheats or sells herself short. Both humbled and thrilled with this unexpected second chance, Drea embraces her new life. But in order to feel safe and sound–and stop nervously looking over her shoulder–she will need to take down those who marked her for death.

Joining forces with the FBI, supplying vital inside information that only she can provide, Drea finds herself working with the most dangerous man she’s ever known. Yet the closer they get to danger, the more intense their feelings for each other become, and the more Drea realizes that the cost of her new life may be her life itself–as well as her heart.


This was a most interesting read.
Very interesting.

When I read it a month ago, I gave it an A-. Now I'm obliged to give it a substantially lower grade.

Drea is the girlfriend of really-bad-guy Rafael Salinas. Coming from an impoverished background, she's done whatever she could to provide for herself... and she's done pretty well for herself in terms of material wealth. However, Salinas doesn't give her the love and acceptance that she so yearns for in her heart.

When she meets Salinas' go-to man (aka assassin), they share an incredible experience and crazily, (seriously, crazily) she wants to turn to this man for comfort, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able, or willing to, care for her.

In realizing this and in realizing the shittiness of her situation with Salinas, she makes a run for it, taking $2mil of Salinas cash with her.

He, of course, finds out and is furious.
He dispatches the hit man to go after her and effectively take her off the radar.

She runs from everyone and through a car accident, dies. (it says left for dead - she actually dies) Miraculously (and ever-so-slightly touching the paranormal realm), shed is given another chance at life... and she is a changed woman.

When she and the hit man meet again, they try to put an end to the bad Salinas.



I don't mind paranormals, dying, and etc etc. However, I do mind relating to the hero and heroine. I understood and sympathized (somewhat) with Drea. But I could not relate to the hero.

Similar to Diaz from Cry No More, the hero is hard to read, closed, distant, cold-blooded, and... well... what you would expect hit-men and assassins to be.

However, unlike Diaz, our hero remains distant to the end of the novel. While he changes - albeit slightly- for Drea, I still couldn't understand how Drea could have possibly loved him. He was stoic. He didn't talk. He just.... he just... I don't know... just... was there. It was apparent that he cared for her, yet I felt something was missing.

As for Drea caring for hero - she kind-of fell into love with him the moment she met him, so she just... loved him. BUT, I can't relate to how she came to feel safe and wanted and cared-for in his arms, as Howard wrote.

It's this strange mesh of incomprehension that I'm left with, even at the end of the story.

I think that Ms. Howard might have taken her uber alpha hero a bit too far.
If you're going to have someone fall in love with a sniper/ assassin/ killer-dude, make him somewhat ...human?

Other than this, the story was interesting to read.

..so I'm not sure if I truly recommend this or not. I say GO FOR IT - but borrow from your local library before purchasing this baby.

Lauren Weisberger: Everyone Worth Knowing

Everyone Worth Knowing: A+
Bette Robinson & Sammy


When Bette Robinson quits her Manhattan banking job like the impulsive girl she's never been, she knows she won't miss the 80-hour workweeks, her claustrophobic cubicle, or her revolting boss. But soon the novelty of walking her four-pound dog around her unglamorous Murray Hill neighborhood wears as thin as the "What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?" phone calls from her parents.

Then Bette meets Kelly, head of Manhattan's hottest PR firm, and suddenly she has a brand-new job where the primary requirement is to see and be seen inside the VIP rooms of the city's most exclusive nightclubs. Bette learns not to blink at the famous faces, the black Amex cards, or the ruthless paparazzi. Soon she's dating an infamous playboy—and scaring off the one decent guy she meets. Still, how can she complain about a job that pays her to party? But when Bette begins appearing in a vicious new gossip column, she realizes that the line between her personal and professional life is . . . invisible.


I'm sure everyone hear has read and/or seen The Devil Wears Prada, the debut novel written by Lauren Weisberger.

It was funny, I admit.

Weisberger's second novel, Everyone Worth Knowing, is even funnier.
I loved it.

It's about Bette, raised by hippy-organic-earth loving-vegan parents, who after quitting her fairly successful job at an investment banking firm, chooses to work for an event-planning public-relations firm.

While doing so, she becomes the newest girl-toy for Manhattan's hottest and most eligible bachelor, Phillip Weston.

She doesn't really know how it happens.

In what it seems like a mere second, her life becomes flipped upside-down; she's staying out late, going into expensive bars and the trendiest "it" places in town. Everything else that's not part of this rich-people-but-superficially-shallow world gets cast aside.

Strangely enough, it's in this atmosphere that she meets a cutey bouncer at one of the clubs. He sees Bette and realizes that she's different from all of the other party-going girls.. it's when they're put together to put on a huge party that they get to know each other.

(Ohmygosh, may I add in here that Sammy is adorably adorable???!)

This novel thrusts you into the glamour world and the craziness that is event-planning. From Manhattan to Poughkeepsie, New York to Istanbul, Turkey, this novel has it all: romance, laughs, friends, and shitty co-workers. A definite keeper on my shelf.

Is it March yet?

I cracked and I read the preview of Lisa Kleypas's latest contemporary, Smooth Talking Stranger.

Aw, damn it!

I think this might be the second book - ever - that I plan on buying without reading. Well, maybe not, but if I don't read it the week it comes out, I'm off to my closest bookstore and getting my grubby little hands a copy!

Catherine Anderson: Sweet Nothings

Sweet Nothings: B+
Molly Sterling and Jake Coulter

Kendrick/ Coulter series #3

Out of work, out of luck, and almost out of money, Molly Sterling Wells shows up at Jake Coulter's ranch, the Lazy J, with Sonora Sunset, a beautiful horse who has been so badly beaten he may even be beyond Jake's talents as a horse whisperer. Jake intuitively knows there is more to Molly's story, but he agrees to help if Molly will stay on as the ranch's new cook and housekeeper. Little by little, Molly and Sonora Sunset find peace and security at the Lazy J until the day Molly's past catches up with her. Anderson continues to demonstrate a gift for creating richly emotional, deeply satisfying romances with her newest tale, which features Jake Coulter… (amazon)

Catherine Anderson is terrific at bringing a sense of realism into the fantastical romance world. She is not afraid of delving into difficult physical and emotional scars and does a superb job of showing the growth of the heroine.

My first CA was Blue Skies, a story where the heroine has an eye disease which has a huge impact on her and the hero’s life when she discovers that she is carrying his child. When I read it, I remember being blown away (and a little overwhelmed) at the range of emotions shown in the story, the book being more than the usual fluff.

In Sweet Nothings, an abused woman, Molly Sterling, shows up on sexy Jake’s horse ranch with an abused horse, Sunset. With a bit of luck and Jake’s kindness, she manages to stay on the ranch to pay for her horse.

Within hours of knowing her, Jake sees Molly’s nonexistent self esteem and her self-consciousness in everything she does. He does his best to reassure her as she struggles with her own inner demons.

I love how Jake is patient with Molly; he is the type of friend (or lover, heh) that she needs in order to deal with her insecurities. He is confident and kind enough to guide her and to love her for her golden heart, something she realizes she’s never had from her ex-husband. I love how Jake falls in love with Molly’s personality, despite her looks (which he is also attracted to). I love how he encourages her and I love how Molly finally comes to trust Jake.

When Molly is able to acknowledge and love herself, she is able to see Jake, which is wonderful.

Sweet Nothings is a tender tale with lots of love.

Tilly Bagshawe: Showdown

Showdown: F
Milly Lockwood Groves & Bobby Cameron

The Horse Whisperer and National Velvet meet Jackie Collins behind the barn in this libidinous fly-on-the-stall peek at horse racing and California real estate chicanery, just in time for beach read season. Irresistible Bobby Cameron, 23, and already one of the most skilled horse breakers and trainers in the world, inherits Highwood, his father's 3,000-acre California ranch, but not the money to keep it out of foreclosure.

He takes a job training two horses on a highly regarded racing stud farm in Newmarket, England, where he falls for the farm owner's 17-year-old daughter, Milly Lockwood Groves. Milly is a frustrated rider forced by her family to give up her career after a neck injury, and she's living in the shadow of her neighbor and rival, Rachel Delaney, a sexy and successful pro rider. Milly's dad has a minor stroke and finally agrees to let her return to riding and to train with Bobby at Highwood. While Milly grows closer to her dream of professional riding—and outshining Rachel—naïve Bobby takes on a sleazy partner with big bucks and an ulterior motive. (amazon)

A quite unsatisfying read… in that I wanted to throw it against the wall and curse aloud. Oh wait, I did do that. Huh..

There are several things I’d like to say about the novel and I will try my best to do it in a manner that doesn’t give away spoilers and isn’t quite so offensive. I would also add in the fact this story would probably not be classified as a romance. Probably a novel with a love story type thing.

start vent

Bobby is twenty three and Milly is seventeen. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Aw, a story about first loves! Puppy love! How adorable!’ That most definitely is not the case. They’re young and obnoxious, and not in the least bit cute. I’m pretty sure seventeen and twenty-three years olds aren’t the smartest kids on the block, and Milly and Bobby show that very well by being superbly immature. They really do act their age. The rivalry that Milly has with neighboring rider, Rachel is so childish, it’s a little amusing. I’d expect kids in middle school to have grudges against one another as Milly and Rachel do. Oh, and the things they do to blatantly show each other they hate each other… I hope I wasn’t like that in high school.

So, the first quarter of the book is of Milly and Bobby getting acquainted with each other and introduces the reader to the world of horse racing. It also sets the groundwork for some romance. Now you might be thinking, ‘Ooh romance!’ That is also not the case. Milly and Bobby might be loving each other secretly, but they have a really funny way of showing it. Funny as in they refuse to communicate properly and have tons and tons of miscommunications.

“But Alice, 99% of romances are like that!” you might be thinking. I agree, most romances are riddled with conflict and miscommunications. However, it’s not like Showdown, where the miscommunications cause Milly to actually hook-up with another person, spurn Bobby, have their conflict last for a freaking year and a half, and have all of that shown to you in explicit detail. Are ya kidding me? Where’s the happiness? Where’s the love? Where’s the romance? Definitely not here.

Three fourths of the book was of how miserable Milly and Bobby were, not only because of their miscommunications with each other but because of the hardballs life threw at them. As Milly refused Bobby’s advice and went on to further her horse riding career, Bobby feels the repercussions of being a impulsive, rash twenty-three year old attempting to manage his father’s ranch. Milly’s career soars while Bobby’s falls. His ranch is in deep help. And it doesn’t help that Milly’s new boyfriend is the one causing Bobby tons and tons of shit. Milly, of course, is unaware, but then again, she loses herself in the world of anorexic celebrities and of Hollywood. She has great sex with her boyfriend (as does Bobby with other people), and they tell each other that they hate each other, when it’s clear that they don’t.

Realistic, yes, but agonizing to read about.

So this “little” miscommunication goes on for a good three hundred pages. And when Bagshawe has their lives fall apart, it really falls apart. It’s painful to read.

I kept reading thinking that from despair, their love will be born with even stronger fervor and passion and… no, not really.

The ending stays true to a romance in that the hero and heroine end up together. But even to the last ten pages of the book, they’re still riddled with conflict and confusion. It’s in the last three pages (literally, three) of the book that they’re together. And they love each other. (For crying out loud, they don’t even sleep together. That’s how rushed it was).

It was a magical ending, for sure, because somehow, everything came together in the worst of ways. Completely unbelievable and totally absurd. After reading three hundred pages of booze, sleazy sex, backstabbers, and mistakes, the author could have at least made their reunion great. BUT SHE DIDN’T! Agh, it killed me! Three pages? Seriously?!

I will say that it is a book that depicted Hollywood and the “fast life” pretty reasonably (or so reasonable, it seems). Then again, I’m no Britney Spears so I have no clue if people really act in the way they do in the book. All I’m saying is, if I was Milly, I’d feel pretty pissed for not having a proper get-together with my fated beloved. Grr…

/vent

Lisa Kleypas: Sugar Daddy

Sugar Daddy: A
Liberty Jones & Gage Travis

I wasn’t too tempted to read this one, but when I saw Trollop giving it praises over at The Book Bitches, I was piqued… and good thing too, because this read was so totally worth it. I keep on doing that thing where I tell myself that I’m only going to read for thirty minutes before bed, and end up staying up all night to finish the book. So the next morning, I’m in that tingly mood from having finished a good love story, but also look like shit because I got no sleep.

This novel is written in first person and tells of the life of Liberty Jones, a poor girl from a small city in Texas. (Interjection: what kind of a name is Liberty…?) She and her mom live in a trailer park where she meets endearing friends and falls in love with a boy named Hardy Cates. It tells of her first experience with makeup, the multiple boyfriends her mother had, and the relationships Liberty went through in high school. It tells of how she raises her younger sister, born when Liberty was fifteen (?), and how after their mother’s death, Liberty fights to support herself and young Carrington.

Eventually, Liberty moves to Houston to work as a hairdresser at a swanky salon where she catches the eye of bajillionaire and much older man, Churchill Travis.

At this point in the book, I was totally praying she would NOT hook up with Churchill. Liberty is approximately twenty-four years old and Churchill is fifty-something. That would have been icky.

However, Liberty and Churchill develop a very caring relationship, and when Churchill asks Liberty and Carrington to move into his house, she consents after long consideration. They continue their father-daughter relationship.

It isn’t until Liberty meets Churchill’s eldest son, Gage Travis, that sparks start to fly. (Interjection 2: And the name Gage? Kinda like, ‘I want to gage the temperature of this thermometer… that kind of gage? …weird.) He assumes she is one of his father’s “side thing,” and is a total douchebag to her. She tries to ignore him, his rudeness, and his completely dark-tall-and-handsomeness.

May I add in here that I absolutely loved the scene where Gage realizes how soft-hearted and kind Liberty is? It reminds me of Paradise when Meredith goes over to Matt’s farmhouse and he’s dying from sickness. (Note to self: if hot boy is ever dying from sickness and is in need of assistance, go over to his house ASAP. Romances indicate something poignant and amazing will happen.)

So Gage and Liberty are mightily attracted to each other, do the I-like-you tango, and have some awesome bedroom moments… when Hardy Cates shows up in his blue-eyed splendor. He is now a self-made millionaire and ten times more potent than when he was seventeen.

Liberty is confused.

Gage is pissed.

Hardy? Hardy is hot.

What to do what to do?! Which drop-dead gorgeous super-rich hunk will she pick? OH man, if only my name was Liberty Jones…

This was such a powerful read, though I wanted to read Gage’s perspectives too. What was he thinking? Was he totally drooling over beautiful Liberty? When did he really start loving her? The chemistry between Liberty and Gage is to die for and will give you shivers…

My two complaints: I wish more pages of the book were devoted to Liberty and Gage’s romance, not so much of Liberty-growing-up, even though her background helped me to understand what kind of person she was. And even though I really liked the HEA, I disliked the epilogue.

*Spoiler*

Come on, Lisa Kleypas! Liberty just spent eight or nine years raising her younger sister, who basically was Liberty’s very own baby. Why did the book have to end with Liberty getting pregnant? Doesn’t she want a freakin’ break? I would, even if it is Gage’s baby!

*End spoiler*

With that said, I heartily recommend this book. Fo’sho, it’s a satisfying (and drool-inducing) read. No kidding!

Lisa Kleypas: Blue-Eyed Devil

Blue-Eyed Devil: A+

Haven Travis & Hardy Cates
Sequel to Sugar Daddy


Scenes of domestic abuse and the journey to recovery make Kleypas's modern romance anything but fluff. A Wellesley grad and daughter of a Houston energy baron, Haven Travis is an unlikely romantic heroine until her brief but ardent encounter with a man who turns out to be Hardy Cates, the East Texas roughneck from Sugar Daddy who worked his way up from poverty and then outmaneuvered the Travis clan in a business deal.

Haven's engaged to Nick Tanner—a man her dad thinks is unfit for her—and though she and Hardy have a charged interaction, she elopes with Nick, and her father cuts her off. Nick turns out to be a bad guy, and a beaten and bruised Haven returns to Houston, where Hardy's still at odds with her family. Their passion proves as fervent as ever, but demons from Haven's recent past—as well as strife with her family and troubles at work and in bed—stand in the way. Kleypas isn't a literary stylist, but she delivers a page-turning, formula-breaking romance that takes on social issues and escalates passion to new heights. (amazon)

Ohhhhhh my goodness, I am so in love with Gage Travis and Hardy Cates. It’s unbelievable. Even though both men are in the oil industry, I forgive them for it.

Haven is the only daughter of the Travis family, younger sister to Gage, Jack, Joe (I could be wrong about this particular Travis. He is still very obscure to me). The book starts out at Liberty
and Gage’s wedding. Sugar Daddy was also a very satisfying read (but one whose ending I did not like) and I loved seeing them again in BED.

It is at their wedding that Haven first meets Hardy Cates. Tall, weathered, tanned, and broad-shouldered, he is what dreams are made of. And who can forget those electric blue eyes? Hardy is at the wedding, but is uninvited, due to the debacle that happened at the end of Sugar Daddy. Haven is attracted to Hardy (though honestly, who wouldn’t be?) but she has a boyfriend whom she is in love with, and one her family disapproves of. Feeling that Nick is the man of her dreams, they marry… and Haven’s life is changed forever.

She is domestically abused and returns to her family when she divorces Nick. It’s then that Hardy reappears in her life – tanned eyes, blue eyes all. Haven is thrown into a funk when she is unable to tamp down the attraction she feels for Hardy and struggling to put her past behind her. It’s even harder when Nick refuses to disappear from her life, and she is plagued with a jerk boss at work.

To tell you the truth, I thought Hardy was a douchebag when Sugar Daddy ended. But readers, do not fear. Hardy fully redeems himself in Blue-Eyed Devil. Not only is he an amazing kisser and smoking hot, he is with Haven as she battles her sexual insecurities and memories of her ex-husband. He saves her life and in turn she saves his. The love that they experience is fast-paced, but the tale is so engrossing, you can’t help but to believe that what they’re experiencing is true.

The book is in first-person, so I still don’t really know what Haven looks like. And I don’t know what Hardy really thinks of her, as you would know in a regular third-person story. But really, that’s not important because you get a wholly satisfying story with a very delicious hero. I love Hardy! I love Gage! I love this book!

I keep striking gold with Lisa Kleypas… and I’m so glad. I hear that the next contemporary is going to be Jack Travis’s story. I’m psyched for it – it’ll be an auto-read (and maybe auto-buy, depending on the state of my back account) for me.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips: This Heart of Mine

This Heart of Mine: D
Chicago Stars #5

Molly Somerville & Kevin Tucker

Ever since she was a teenager, children's book author Molly Somerville has been infatuated with handsome Kevin Tucker, quarterback for her sister's Chicago Stars football team. Unfortunately, Kevin doesn't know she's alive until one fateful weekend when they're marooned together at the family vacation cabin. When Molly gets carried away by her creative imagination and compromises Kevin, the results are disastrous and before the dust settles, Kevin's in trouble with his boss, Molly's in deep trouble with her emotions, and both of them are in danger of losing their hearts… (amazon)

Ms. Phillips. I swear, sometimes you’re a freaking genius and at other times, you’re a complete loony! This book was horrid. Absolutely horrible. It’s a good thing I’d read Match Me If You Can (which is wonderful, comedic, and completely lovable) before reading this and Dream A Little Dream, or else I would have stopped reading your stories.

Let me start off my complete bash by saying that I loved Kevin Tucker. What a dreamboat. However, I didn’t love Molly. In fact, I thought she was a complete loser and not good enough for Kevin in the least .

Even thinking back on the book now (I must have read it a good five months ago), I still don’t understand as to how Kevin “fell in love” with Molly. If this is what happens in real life, I ought to be able to snag Leonardo Di Caprio or Tom Brady in a snap.

Molly has been in lurve with Kevin since forever. The only problem is… Kevin doesn’t know she exists because he’s a gorgeous, athletic, charming, and completely dreamy sounding hunk. Molly is a kind-of-weird, strangely compulsive woman who is antsy with her life. She is quiet and bookish (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but she’s made to sound so unattractive.

So when Molly has the chance to be with Kevin, she takes the ball and runs with it. Literally.

I really can’t explain my disgust with Molly without a few minor spoilers. (highlight with mouse for spoiler)

*spoiler*

Let me tell you that I personally believe that sex has to be consensual – all the freaking time. And what Molly does is pretty idiotic and stupid and retarded and dumb and stupid. ...Have I said stupid?

She, in her idiocy, does really stupid things, and then cannot man up to face problems that life throws at her. She whines, gets depressed, mopes, and is all-around stupid. Please. For someone so smart, you’re really not.

*end spoiler*

Magically, Kevin turns out to be a really understanding guy because if Molly did to me what she did to him, I would have punched her… really hard.

Molly is stressed with life and can’t handle her problems, so Kevin takes it upon himself to go to the campground (?) that his parents used to own. It’s at the camp that Kevin has a concussion and realizes that Molly is the woman for him.

After reading all of the Stars books (this was my last), I see how Phillips has taken ideas from books and recycled them. Nothing in the book surprised me (although it would have been later books that I would have been un-surprised at if I had read in order), the ‘romance’ between the characters were laughable.

However, Phillips does a great job with secondary characters, and their stories. I cannot remember the characters’ names, but the older couple had a really strong connection, and I loved reading their story. It’s probably what got me through this book.

In all, don’t read this unless you want to see a really pitiable heroine and a flawed, incomprehensible relationship. It is, by far, the weakest of the Chicago Star books. Sorry Kevin, even you couldn’t make this book make sense.

Linda Howard: Cry No More

Cry No More: A+
Milla Edge & James Diaz

You might not know this about me, but I am, in fact, a huge ass crybaby. I’m like a leaking faucet; it takes very little to get me started. As expected, I’m very emotional, and I love authors who can evoke emotions in me.

However, I find that this particular expectation is lost in a many romance novels. For one thing, it’s a given that romance novels must must must have a happily-ever-after. Therefore, when the hero or heroine falls sick near the end of the novel …who cares? I know that within a flip of a few pages, that the hero/heroine will become un-sick and everything will be peachy. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to become jaded with romance novels – it can get very mundane – and very formulaic.

If you can sympathetize with this, worry not! Cry No More is an intensely emotional and passionate read about a mother’s love. In fact, I find that the mother-child love is more explained than the normal hero-heroine love relationship.

Milla Edge is twenty-three, married of one year to a genius doctor, and is in Mexico with their newborn child. Then the unthinkable happens and her baby, Justin, is snatched from her arms. However, Milla refuses to give up and makes it her personal goal to find her child.

I was exasperated for the first half of this book, but I fear it is out of ignorance and naivety, more than anything. I’m not a mother and I’ve never had a child. I don’t know the love a mother has for a child – I just know that it is something intense and wholly consuming.

So, reading through Milla’s pain, her gritty determinance to find Justin, was something I understood but didn’t. The pain that she must have felt – I don’t know for sure, but I shallowly empathize. It must be a heartwrenching, soul-scarring pain and hurt. However, one question always stayed with me – when is it appropriate to move on? And is moving on synonymous with giving up?

Because Milla could have given up – and nobody would have faulted her for it. She looked for ten long years – gave up ten long years, grueled, grieved, and continuously thought of the could-haves and what-ifs. When is it enough to simply… stop?

Maybe never.

In understanding Milla’s pain, I know why she chose to keep fighting, yet a part of me wanted to rattle her – to shake her and tell her, life’s not fair. Move on with your life – rebuild it!

But really, who am I to say? And how can I so callously tell someone to move on regarding a situation that has to do with another person? Her child??

That was dilemma number one, and the most thought-provoking reaction/ question/ confusion…

The second question is a little harder to ask without giving the story away, but to say very vaguely (if you’re a spoiler-HATIST like me, skip the next paragraph please):

Is it ever all right to kill someone, even if it is done in the name of justice, of retribution? After all, there’s karma, right? But is it ever justified in taking someone’s life for even the most heinous crime (deaths of millions of people, child rape…)?

As for the relationship between Diaz and Milla – I can’t help but to wonder if there are males out there who are so cold and so… cold. Diaz is supposed to be an assassin, I understand, but from what I’ve heard, the personality/ heart of a sniper or an assassin is a huge dichotomy, in that the most kind-hearted person can have the succinct ability to kill with precision and without emotion.

Nevertheless, Diaz is practically an amphibian with cold blood running through him, who basically has no huge communication needs and with eyes that are so cold, it would, apparently, freeze your toes.

But the things he does for Milla when she is grieving… the love and affection he shows for her, and the clear love that he has for her (though unable to really verbalize until later) is so heartwarming and utterly charming. It’s like, he understood Milla – knew her better than she knew herself – and catered to her when she needed him most.

I’m totally up for that kind of love – the kind of love where the other person knows you inside-and-out, and can comfort you in your troubles, tickle your toes when you want to laugh, and one who will simply take care of you because… that’s what love does.

Boy, was I in for the shock of my life when after two hundred pages, Cry No More became an intensely intense read. And then, I wasn’t too shocked when I started to bawl my eyes out… and then continued to cry continuously the last thirty-something pages of the book. (Oh jeepers, I’m a dork.)

The ending is absolutely wonderful and so great, I think I might have actually sighed in content (while nastily blowing my nose and wiping tears away)

If you’re not afraid of thinking while reading – and feeling something other than “aw, that’s cuddly,” please give this a try.

A+ for emotion, writing skill, and characterization. Bravo, Ms. Howards!

Oh gosh, that was a long ass review. Sorry, I had a lot to say. But basically it all boils down to: read the damn book!

Penny McCall: Tag You're It!

Wow, it's been a while. I won't lie to you, life in general has been kicking my ass and to my dismay, I've got like 5 books read in the past two and a half months. It was pretty miserable existence.

I'm back with a review... and unfortunately, the book sucked.





Tag, You're It! : D
Alexandra Scott & FBI Agent Tag Donovan


FBI Agent Tag Donovan isn't your typical hero – oh, he has a bit of a tortured past, and despite his sarcastic wit and laid-back attitude he's making no secret of the fact that his number one priority is finding the man who killed his partner and left Tag fighting for his life. And he'll do whatever it takes to get justice, including using a completely innocent woman.

Alexandra Scott was just minding her own business, studying mountain lions in the Colorado Rockies and keeping her distance from the rest of humanity. It's not that she has anything against other people, she just likes being alone more. What she doesn't like is having an FBI agent tossed out of a low-flying plane and into her life. She’s really not thrilled that he's trying to charm – or trick - her into looking for an infamous buried treasure left over from Colorado's gold rush days. In fact, she’s not too fond of Tag at all – and he’s equally wary of her, because, after all, he wasn’t dropped on her by accident..



Look carefully. That :D is not a smiley face. It's a colon, then the grade that I chose to give this book.

It's just too bad because the title of the book was what caught my eye. The hero's name is Tag - hence the "Tag, you're it!" pun-ish statement (would that be a pun?...hm..). The heroine's name is sexy and flows well.

But other than the names of the h/h, what are some other attributes that make for a good read?

I'd say, plot, suspense (if it is a "romantic suspense"), chemistry, and all-around readability...and I'd say that this books fails in just about all of the categories. I did get through the book and didn't want to write hate mail to the author for wasting a good three hours of my life, but I did have that bitter aftertaste in my mouth. More of, 'What a shitty read. If this can get published, I'm sure I can write type something up blindfolded with my toes and have that get published too.'

The plot wasn’t interesting – something to do with a treasure hunt, which of course, has the potential to be interesting and exciting, however, this story was convoluted with the various motives of characters getting in the way of the main plot, whether it be the romance or the suspense (and it ended up focusing on neither.)

In short, Alexandra and Tag are on a wild goose chase to look for a chest of gold somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Tag is searching for it because the person he is working for (who doesn’t know Tag is an FBI Agent) wants him to; Tag is going along with the plan because he thinks that his “boss” has the answers to who killed his partner during an operation.

Tag is ordered to bring Alexandra into the hunt, but is unsure as to why. There is another team who is searching for the treasure: this team is the “enemy” of Tag and Alex, but have been sent by Tag’s boss as well (confused yet?)

Tag realizes that this treasure holds deep significance when he realizes his boss sent out two separate teams to search for it and when he finds out that his boss has also sent guards to watch Tag and Alex.

It turns out that the treasure hunt is a scheme formulated by Alexandra’s ex-fiance, Bennet Harper. Furious that he was spurned by Alex, he brings her into the hunt. Harper had been investing large amounts of money of the wealthy (Alex’s former social circle). However, he has been steadily losing his investor’s money and building a bad reputation. In order to remedy this, he tells his investors that there is hidden treasure, gets money for investments, sends search teams to “search” for the treasure, and later, planned to tell them that Tag and Alex ran off with the money.

By the time I reached the real plot of the story, I was uninterested and bored, just about skimming pages to finish.

There was an aspect I did like: I liked that the ending mirrored the very beginning; clever way to show closure.

However, the story isn’t worth reading just for that. No romance, no suspense. Just three hundred and twenty-six pages of boredom.

Rachel Gibson: Tangled Up In You

Tangled Up In You: C-
Maddie Dupree & Mick Hennessy

Maddie returns to her hometown to find out the truth of her murdered mother. She meets Mick, the man who is in the center of the entire problem.

She is attracted to him and without meaning to, lies to him by not telling him of her true identity – that she is the daughter of the woman who was murdered by Mick’s mother because Mick’s playboy father was having an affair with her.

At first, Mick just thinks that Maddie is an author, trying to write about his family secrets. But when he finds out the truth, things get ugly. He is pissed and betrayed, with good reason.

There’s a little bit of drama, a little bit of sadness and separation, and then resolution.

They resolve it by talking to each other in looooooong monologues. Like, Mick stood in front of Maddie and gave a ten-minute recap of how he felt, how he missed her, and eventually, that he loved her. She then responded with a ten-minute response of how she felt, how she missed him, and eventually, that she loved him.

I hate it when characters do that. How awkward and unrealistic. First, do guys talk for that long going on about how he feels? And second… how awkward. I feel it’s just a really easy way for an author to resolve the situation. “Hm, I’ll just have the characters talk everything out for a really long time until they tell each other everything.” It makes sense, after all, I don’t deny that communication is uber important. But for them to be upset at each other and then in the last ten pages, have them spill their guts to each other… makey no sensey.

Decent read. Some hot scenes. Nothing special.

Catherine Anderson: Sun Kissed

Sun Kissed: C-
Kendrick/ Coulter series #7
Samantha Harrigan and Tucker Coulter


One need not be an equine lover to appreciate Anderson's sweet contemporary romance centering on fiercely honest horse rancher Samantha Harrigan and handsome neophyte veterinarian Tucker Coulter, who meet while trying to protect a horse from its abusive owner. Samantha has always cared deeply for her horses, so when they suddenly fall ill, she's distraught; when it turns out they've been poisoned, she's horrified, immediately suspecting that her violent and vindictive ex-husband is the culprit.

Unfortunately, the authorities are pointing fingers at Samantha, alleging that she plans to defraud her insurance company. Wary of letting a new man into her life, Samantha nevertheless recognizes that she must call on Tucker to nurse her horses back to health. As he tends to the horses and grows closer to Samantha, Tucker becomes her confidante and champion, realizing that the only way for Samantha to save herself is to catch the offender before the police arrest her. In Samantha, Anderson has created a strong and gentle heroine, and a cast of family and friends proves charming throughout. This smart, wholesome tale should appeal to any fan of traditional romance. (amazon)


Haven’t I read this story before? Something happening to the horses? Falling ill and trying to find the culprit… oh wait, I think I have. It kind of sounds like the other Kendrick/ Coulter books… but not as good.

All of the heroines of Ms. Anderson’s books are broken people and it’s the love of the steady, handsome, understanding heroes that they find out the strength that is in them. However, I feel that the heroine-under-the-clutches-of-the-evil-ex-husband-and-divorces-him-only-to-have-him-come-after-her plot is becoming a little redundant. And the obsession with the horses, too.

This story wasn’t as good as some of the others because of the lack of chemistry between the two characters. The love that Samantha had for her horse was admirable, heroic, even, however, she spent all of her time and all her energy worrying about her horse, praying for her horse, crying for her horse, and I thought, ‘how about Tucker? What’s going on with him? You’re supposed to be falling in love with him!’

Tucker is falling in love with Samantha. He sees her love for her horse (that damned horse again!) wonderful, and seeing that he and his brothers are veterinarians (who love animals, horses included) he likes that Samantha is loyal to her horse.

But really, the romance falls short between these two: they just don’t spend time to really be falling in love… and she’s so burnt from her ex-marriage that she is super wary around men. I don’t know how they did manage to find a babysitter for the horses and spend some time together, but they did minimally – just enough to be in love (which I totally don’t buy).

There were the introduction of Samantha’s brothers (I see books for them in the near future! Jeepers, more horse books?!), but the heroines and heroes are all starting to sound the same. They have the same traits, same jobs, same families… same everything, and it’s getting to be repetitive.

I’m not sure if I would pick up Ms. Anderson’s latest book quite yet. I’m a bit horsed-out.