I just read Sunset at Keyhole Canyon by Jesse Hayworth (formerly known as Prince I mean Jessica Andersen...moreCharmed The Pants Off Me (But Not The Heroine)
I just read Sunset at Keyhole Canyon by Jesse Hayworth (formerly known as Prince I mean Jessica Andersen). This sweet novella is coming out May 7th. Jessica Andersen is known for her medical Harlequins and UF series, but she has recently reinvented herself as an author of "sassy western contemporaries." Me likey! As indicated by the title of this post, this is a sweet novella--no hot sweaty sex with a cowboy, although we could always imagine that if we have super good imaginations. *Penny imagines* This novella is an introduction to the full-length novels coming out later in the year, and I think it sets up the series nicely. I don't like too much angst and darkness in my novels, and this one is just perfect. A not-too-heavy conflict, a delicious hero who realizes he let the good girl get away and is now determined to win her back, a lovely western setting, and a heroine who finally gets her happy ending. This is a sweet and charming novella, and I'm really looking forward to digging into the ARC I have for Summer At Mustang Ridge, the full-length novel.
I forgot how seductive Meg Maguire's writing can be.
As soon as I started reading this, I got sucked back in to the Meg...moreThe Wedding Fling by Meg Maguire
I forgot how seductive Meg Maguire's writing can be.
As soon as I started reading this, I got sucked back in to the Meg Maguire Black Hole and I couldn't get out.
And I didn't want to.
Once again, Meg takes a seemingly simple premise (run-away bride off to Barbados, and conflicted pilot with a dream and an ailing father), and she makes it sing. Like an opera at the Met.
There is something about her writing. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's simple and straight-forward, and yet it has a richness to it. She has the perfect balance of deep POV and external plot. And the relationships that develop between the hero and heroine always feel organic, real and believable.
This book is no exception. Leigh is by far Maguire's most appealing heroine. She is a down-to-earth starlet and her sweetness and practicality are very appealing. The hero is sexy and complex. A rugged island pilot who falls unexpectedly in love with this woman. She shoots all of his preconceptions about Hollywood gals right out the door. His awful secret and guilt builds throughout the novel and makes a wonderful, suspenseful story arc.
I also liked the resolution. There are no big fireworks, just two troubled characters willing to take a risk after heart-ache. The end was very romantic. I would have liked an epilogue, such as the one we got with The Reluctant Nude. It was such a fine ending for that story.
Another one of Maguire's strengths is her development of setting. And believe me when I tell you, you'll be ready to jump on a plane to Barbados and bask in the setting sun with a frosty cold beer.
Maguire elevates the standard Harlequin into something special. This is a lovely and romantic contemporary, not quite as sexy as some of her other novels, but definitely emotionally satisfying.
I read Cathryn Parry's debut novel Something To Prove and I thought it was a solid first publication i...moreARC Review of The Long Way Home by Cathryn Parry
I read Cathryn Parry's debut novel Something To Prove and I thought it was a solid first publication in the great big world of Harlequin. Harlies are all over the place. Some are utterly ridiculous (inexperienced virgin mistresses and the tycoons who love them), but high on the entertainment scale if that's what you're looking for. Some are short and sweet and formulaic. Some push the envelope. I'm not looking for believability when I read a Harlequin. That's not usually an expectation with one of these romances.
Having said that, I found The Long Way Home a lovely, romantic and believable story. This is an enormous jump up from Parry's debut. Close to flawless story-telling. The writing is smooth and engaging. The characters felt real. With real issues. Hearing loss, guilt, family problems, fear of emotional entanglements.
I totally bought into Bruce and Natalie's relationship. Parry did a great job developing the character arcs for both the hero and heroine, and made their love affair believable, sweet and satisfying. I find the heroine is usually the weak spot in most romances, but I adored Natalie in this book. She has a lot of courage, but she is also a romantic at heart. She's a wonderful character.
Parry balances the story-telling with a beloved New England setting, well-fleshed out secondary characters, and touching moments of healing and love. I think sometimes authors forget that incredibly touching moments can happen in ways other than with the central romance. And these touching moments add so much richness to a romance novel. Parry does an extraordinary job with this, in particular at the end of the book with a woman who is lonely and wounded by the death of her son.
It's funny. I've been reading a lot of holiday romances since the season is upon us. This book is not really a Christmas romance, but in many ways the themes here are perfect for this time of the year. There are themes of home-coming, forgiveness, family, generosity and love that are not only timeless, but are also very appropriate for the holiday season.
I was really touched by this sweet story. Bravo, Cathryn Parry!
First up, let me just say that Stabenow must be sweating bullets. Folks have been chomping at the bit...moreReview for Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow
First up, let me just say that Stabenow must be sweating bullets. Folks have been chomping at the bit for this book for a long, long time. Which means expectations are up. Which means, as an author, that you're worried about not living up to those expectations. As we all know, readers are a tough bunch. This book takes two of her larger-than-life characters, Alaskan state trooper Liam (from the Liam Campbell Series) and private investigator Kate (from the Kate Shugak Series) and puts them into one extraordinary book. Not only did this book meet my expectations, it surpassed them. In grand fashion. This book has the perfect balance of setting, characters, suspense, wit, gravity, and I-didn't-see-that-one-coming surprises. Plural. Because Stabenow heaps on the surprises at the end of this tale. Some are tragic, if not inevitable. And some are intriguing. And some catapult Kate into 007, Ms. Bad-Ass Heroine territory.
I love cozy mysteries...they're quick, light, and easy to digest. Some romantic suspense and straight up mysteries are too disturbing for me to read. And often, I find that the authors focus too much on the storyline, and not enough on the characters. The characters make the book. Period. No matter how clever the mystery is, if the characters don't have enough meat on their bones, the book is flat.
Stabenow's books are pure magic. Not only are her storylines clever, complex and chock full of cool tidbits (ranging from the Alaskan fishing industry, historical and cultural details, background about flying and airplanes, etc), but she makes the Alaskan setting come to life. And she should. She lives there. Everything about it is crystal clear....the funky people, the difficult economy, the brutal weather, the spectacular wildlife. Stabenow is in love with Alaska, and every word of her stories brings this fact to life. But the best part of her books, for me, showcases her talent with inventing real, gritty, complex characters. Kate is a ballsy bad-ass, but she is still a conflicted woman struggling with day-to-day problems. Liam is the most swoon-ilicious Alaskan state trooper ever....hot, hunky, sexy, loyal to his family. But also finely nuanced with many shades of gray. Stabenow is a master at creating real characters. And this is what propels her books to the top o' the mystery heap for me.
I was curious about how successful she would be mixing Kate and Liam together into one book. Would I be satisfied? Honestly, I could read 4,000 books about Liam and it wouldn't be enough, but I thought she did a pretty damned good job incorporating both Kate and Liam into this story. I would have liked a bit more Liam, of course....it's been too long since we had a Liam story, and I was ravenous. But, this was enough to satisfy my appetite. And watching Moses bully Kate into her yoga poses was brilliant. Seeing a character from Liam's world butt his way into Kate's world was spine-tingling cool. Even as Stabenow put this book on a path toward tragedy.
The ending of this book is the best ending I've read, probably ever. When I thought the book was over, she added on one more surprise. Then, another. Then, another. One was shocking and tragic. One was paranormal and intriguing. And one had the promise for a future romance. Honest to God, I couldn't stop smiling after I finished this book.
My expectations were high. And Restless in the Grave blew them right out of the water. Out of the frigid, icy Alaskan waters.
Grade: A
Planning my trip to Alaska and hoping to meet some beardy state troopers, Penelope(less)
As most of you know, I am not a huge lover of Harlequins. (I like to call them Harlies...☺). I find many...moreReview of Something To Prove by Cathryn Parry
As most of you know, I am not a huge lover of Harlequins. (I like to call them Harlies...☺). I find many of them too shallow, too formulaic, and too generic. I guess the Superromance series are longer, and because of that the author has more time for character and relationship development. Which is a good thing. Harlequin still loves the hard-to-believe totally convoluted plotlines, love-at-first sight premise, and chiseled six-pack-abs kind of hero (I'm right on board with that last one!).
Anyhoo, Something To Prove has a difficult-to-swallow plotline. It involves secrets and betrayal and ambition, etc etc. It's a typical Harly sort of thing, which I just over-looked, because I really don't give a crap about plot. I give a crap about characters. Characters make the story. Plot schmott. And the characters in this book are excellent. Parry does an amazing job creating a ski legend hero running scared, but dedicated to his team, a journalist heroine who is loyal and loving with her sister, and has been crushed by a son-of-a-bitch father, and plenty of interesting secondary characters who are not just thrown into the book for no good reason, but actually help to paint a fuller portrait of the leads. Most importantly, in spite of the crazy storyline and instant love/lust-at first sight, the chemistry between the hero and heroine is totally believable. Parry does an excellent job with their chemistry, growing trust for each other, and eventually, love.
This is Parry's debut novel, and I am impressed with her writing. Something To Prove is a rock-solid debut, which showcases her writing skills, talent with character development, and ability to create an emotional and satisfying story. What is also showcases is her potential. As I was reading, I felt myself wishing that the author could slip out of the Harly restraints for a bit, and let herself go. Outside of the formula, outside of the box. This new author has a lot of potential, and I hope she gets a chance to let it shine.
Grade: B
(This is an ARC Review. Something To Prove will be released on January 3, 2012.)
This story looked appealing to me for a couple of reasons....1.) a multi-cultural couple (I'm part of a...moreARC Review of Xavier's Loving Arms by KT Grant
This story looked appealing to me for a couple of reasons....1.) a multi-cultural couple (I'm part of a multi-cultural couple) and 2.) Xavier has a goatee (I like goatees). Anyway, I really had no idea what this book was about when I started reading it. In fact, I wasn't exactly sure who the hero was supposed to be. We are introduced to Dev, who kept wavering back and forth between being a good guy and a douche. I wasn't sure if he was going to end up being the hero or not. Grant keeps the reader guessing, and does an excellent job making Dev a complex character, with both good and bad qualities.
I finally figured out that Xavier would be the hero, and what a great hero he is! A kind, thoughtful, sexy family man who is protective and loving of Rebecca, the heroine. I'm not usually a big fan of beta heroes, but Xavier is perfect for this story. Rebecca is incredibly vulnerable....she has a borderline abusive ex-boyfriend, a devastating eating disorder, financial woes, and a sick grandmother. She needed someone kind and supportive, not a caveman ready to drag her off to the mountains.
Even though this seems like a lot of problems for one poor heroine to deal with, they don't seem unbelievable in this story. There are plenty of people dealing w/ financial difficulties, emotional difficulties and self-esteem issues. The great part of this book is how Becca survives all these things, determined to do it on her own, but learning that love and friendship can ease her burden.
As a former eating disorder patient (I had anorexia when I was younger), I found Grant's portrayal of Becca especially heartening. Women suffering from eating disorders have control issues. They need to feel like they are not totally powerless about their lives. Dev (who is alpha-possessive) wants Becca to quit her jobs, let him pay off her mortgage and take care of her. On the flip side, Xavier helps her get a job interview for a better position. In spite of Xavier's overprotective streak, he understands that Becca needs to help herself, not be babied and coddled. That is a huge part of recovering from an eating disorder. This level of understanding made me really fall in love with Xavier.
This book packs it in. There are numerous secondary characters, story lines involving Becca's grandmother, jobs, ex-boyfriend, and home. And of course, there is a highly lusty relationship going on, as well. (This is an erotica after all). The sex part of the story was the weakest part...it didn't detract from the story, but it wasn't really necessary either. This book would have done just as well, if not better, as a romance instead of an erotica. The meat and potatoes of this story is the emotional journey for Becca. Xavier was sexy because of his caring, compassionate nature.
After experiencing this bumpy journey with Becca, the HEA was a wonderful ending to the story. She finally found hope for her future, a chance at recovery, and a man to share her life with. (I teared up a bit at the end....sap!)
To be honest, I was not expecting such an emotional and touching story. Most erotica that I've been reading lately has been about spanky elves. This book takes some very real and troubling issues, and handles them perfectly. The girl gets the guy and a happy ending. Every woman who has struggled with body issues or an eating disorder needs this message of hope.
Grade: A-/B+
(This is an ARC review; Xavier's Loving Arms will be available for purchase on Friday, December 30.)
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