Literary Event Recap

As some of you know (OK, so maybe just the So. Cal. Bloggers), my library's fourth annual literary event was this past Saturday. Once again, for the fourth year running, I was on the committee that begged lined up the authors that attended and was put in charge of moderating the romance panel. So how did it go? Pretty good. There were some bumps in the road, but at least from my perspective (I couldn't clone myself and attend every single panel discussion after all!) it seemed to be well-received.

The romance panel seems to get better every year, and despite an unforeseen cancellation, I thought we kicked butt again this year. Sadly, Linda Wisdom was not able to join us. Her husband left a message on HelenKay Dimon's voice mail, and the gist of it was "medical emergency." I've since dropped her an e-mail, but if you're reading this blog post Linda we all hope you're feeling better! And we still sold some of your books! That's always good news, right?

Even with Linda's absence, that still left us with two fantastic authors on the panel - Tessa Dare and HelenKay Dimon. A couple of things of interest - both authors got their "start" thanks to online contests. HelenKay entered a Brava novella contest that was held via Lori Foster's web site, and Tessa was part of the Avon FanLit competition. I think the audience found Tessa's experiences with her back-to-back-to-back trilogy releases interesting, and HelenKay had some great advice about finding an agent. The consensus between Tessa and I was that HelenKay is just sheer awesomeness, and a great panel-mate. She'll probably kill me for typing this on a public forum - but someone needs to rope her into more RWA workshops! (Run HelenKay! Run!)

As for their books that sold well? I'm not sure what the starting stock was - but it looked like A Lady Of Persuasion and Surrender Of A Siren sold better than Goddess Of The Hunt. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if more stock of Goddess was on hand given it is book one of the trilogy. Color me surprised, but HelenKay's debut Harlequin Intrigue went like hot cakes! I thought for sure the Harlequin logo would turn up a few noses, but the price couldn't be beat. Also, the mass market edition of Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy did very well - the trade paperback of Holding Out For A Hero, not so much. But again, price was most likely a factor, so not a total shock that the Harlequin and mass market sold better than the trade.

Besides my romance duties, it was my job this year to land enough mystery writers for two panels. I attended both of them, and thought they were both really interesting, well-attended and enjoyable. The highlight, for me, was seeing Laura Levine, whose fluffy, cotton-candy Jaine Austen (no relation) series, is like chocolate cake for me. There she was, up at the front of the room, sitting with the other authors, and she had, in her hot little hands, a copy of Death Of A Trophy Wife, the latest hard cover book that won't be out until April 27.

I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but I briefly wondered how badly it would reflect upon me and my employer if I were to tackle the author and wrestle the book away from her.

Thankfully, I didn't have to. She brought along some of her author copies to sell! Squeeeee! So now, I have my very own copy. I've dropped everything, and am reading it right now. Squeeee!

Some interesting things I learned at the event? I need to learn to read faster (so many good books and interesting authors I'm flat-out not reading), Dean Koontz has his own security detail (not surprising really, as he writes the type of books that would bring out some crazies), and Laura Levine, while an ex-television writer, also used to work in advertising and created Count Chocula and Frankenberry for General Mills.

Which probably goes a long way in explaining why I like her books so much. Heh.

Now I have about a month or so where I can breathe easy - before I have to do it all over again. I've already started making a list of authors to beg approach about doing our 2011 event. Hopefully by the time RWA Nashville rolls around, I'll be well on my way of getting things locked down for Year #5.

The "Pirate" And The "Governess"

Reading historical romances like Surrender Of A Siren by Tessa Dare always reinforces my joy that I was born in the latter half of the 20th century. While I'm certain there are some corners of the feminist ranks that would disagree with me, the truth is - I had (and still have) options. Women of the 19th century? Yeah, not so much.

Sophia Hathaway has been born, bred, and raised to look pretty, keep her mouth shut, and marry "up." Her family is counting on it. However our girl has bigger ambitions in life - oh, like namely having one. So just before she is to walk down the aisle with Sir Toby, she empties a bank account, and boards a ship heading to Tortola posing as a governess. The plan is to stay out of sight until her 21st birthday when she stands to inherit a chunk of money. Then she won't be forced to marry and can tell everyone to go to the devil.

Benedict "Gray" Grayson is a scoundrel trying to reform his privateer ways. This will be the Aphrodite's first legitimate voyage, and on that score, Gray is looking at the bottom line. Sophia, posing as "Miss Jane Turner," tells him she's a governess and she's been employed by a family he knows on the island. But something about the girl just doesn't add up. Worse still? He's attracted to her, and it certainly doesn't help matters that she's practically begging to be seduced. But he's promised his half-brother, the ship's captain, to behave himself, and that means keeping his hands off the delectable governess.

I was not surprised to learn that Surrender Of A Siren was the one book from this trilogy RWA chose to recognize with a recent RITA nomination. One thing I've learned over the years? There is a huge segment of the romance reading (and writing) community that cannot say no to shipboard romances. Sort of like me with westerns. And category romances. And books with cheesy clinch covers.

Hey, we all have our vices.

Much like Goddess Of The Hunt, this was a second half book for me. I'll be honest, this one was a slow-starter. I'm not sure if it was my mood, or the actual story, or what - but this one failed the pick-up, put-down test for the first half. It was certainly pleasant reading, but it never lit a fire in me to keep going.

The tide turned during the second half. By this point Gray and Sophia are no longer tap-dancing around each other, and the truth they've been hiding from each other begins to tear at the seams. And even with her moments of naivety, God bless her, Sophia has gumption:

"Now there is a falsehood. No one ever wants the truth from me. They just want the pretty package it comes in. If you really wanted to hear the truth, you'd listen. My feelings for you, they're as true a part of me as my name, or my place of birth. But you never want to hear them. You just keep running away."

Between their growing attraction, the realization that they're falling in love, coupled with some added drama that meets them on the high seas, the second half of this story positively cooks. It's also great fun to read about Gray. Here's a guy who has spent his life making selfish decisions, skirting the law, and seducing women of varying reputations - and now he's getting his head turned by a pretty, innocent governess who likes to get lost in fantastical daydreams.

This was a pleasant read once I got over the hurdle of the slow start. Not the greatest historical romance I've ever read, but a nice addition to the trilogy, and an impressive sophomore effort. The author also does a lovely job of setting the table for the final installment of the trilogy, A Lady Of Persuasion.

Final Grade = B-

True Librarian Confessions!

OK, I'll admit it. I dragged my feet on reading Goddess Of The Hunt by Tessa Dare. I kept putting it off. Why? Well, if you've been reading this blog for any stretch of time, or you used to read my reviews during my TRR days, you've probably noticed I'm a bit bitchy particular when it comes to romance heroines. Yeah, yeah - hunky, heartthrob heroes are all well and good, but I'm reading for the heroine. That's just how I roll. After reading some reviews and various scuttlebutt online about Dare's debut novel I feared that Lucy Waltham was going to drive me bat-shit crazy. However Judgment Day has arrived. Yep, Dare is doing my library's literary event, which means I can no longer put off to tomorrow what I should have done six months ago.

Lucy Waltham is an orphan who is under the guardianship of her older brother, Henry. Henry adores her, but admittedly has no clue on how to raise a proper young lady. So instead of playing piano, learning to paint, and any other myriad of useless Regency female endeavors, she's tagging along with Henry and his friends while they ride, shoot, and traipse through the woods. Having never had a season, where she could fall in and out of love with a bevy of potential suitors, Lucy latches on to Henry's friend Toby. She's hopelessly in love with him. The problem being that Toby, having left a string of broken hearts along the way, is going to propose any day now to Miss Sophia Hathaway. Well Lucy just cannot have that! She's going to have to practice her feminine wiles on some other poor helpless schmuck so she can learn to effectively seduce Toby.

Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, is more than a little surprised when Lucy launches herself into his arms and plants a very ardent, but frankly terrible, kiss on his lips. Not exactly what he expected when he opened his bedroom door in the dead of night. He's never thought of Lucy as more than his best friend's little sister, and now with that kiss, he's thinking about her in a whole different light. However, the chit fancies herself in love with Toby. He tries to reason with her, but Lucy is nothing if not headstrong and mule-headed. Oh well. He's just going to have to keep an eye on her, won't he?

Goddess Of The Hunt is the type of book that requires patience on the part of the reader. I wouldn't necessarily call Lucy too-stupid-to-live, but she's young and very immature. Reading about Lucy is like looking back on your own impetuous teenage self. You know, when you fancied yourself in lurve with that handsome boy in your algebra class, yet he didn't know you existed because he was mooning over the snotty, blonde, popular cheerleader who had bigger boobs than you did. Of course you eventually realize you're not in love with algebra boy at all, it's just puppy love, an infatuation. And that's what Lucy must learn about Toby. In the meantime, the reader has to wait for her to learn it, and it takes the first half the book.

It's also during the first half that Lucy, and the reader, is falling under the spell of the aloof, borderline chilly, Jeremy. A man who has kept his distance in all personal affairs, and who Lucy has always seen as a cold fish, practically incapable of love. Not true of course. Like all good, solid, romance heroes, the poor guy has a fair amount of personal baggage he's failed to address. Lucy, with all her impetuous, improper, and unladylike behavior, sinks this guy so fast that he has no idea what has hit him.

This is honestly a second half book for me. Lucy, while not stupid, is definitely young - and the older I get, the harder it is to read about "young" heroines. It's too easy for me to want to smack them, even if I can totally "get" where they are coming from. Where this book really begins to cook for me is when Jeremy has to make a decision about Lucy. Should he just leave her to fend for herself, or damn it all the Hell, should he do what he desperately wants to do, and never let her out of his sight again?

There was a lot I liked here. I liked that Jeremy didn't sugarcoat the truth to Lucy in regards to Toby's plans and affections. I liked that in the latter half of the story, the shoe is on the other foot and Lucy is calling Jeremy out. I liked the fact that here were two characters who had no intention or desire to fall for each other - but they do anyway. In part because of circumstances that throw them together, and part because they're perfect for each other. If anything, the only fault I find with this story was I wanted a lot more of what I got in the second half and less time devoted to Lucy's girlish infatuation with some other guy. But, quibbles. This was an excellent debut novel, that was an enjoyable read once I got past my own peculiar eccentric reader baggage. I'm glad I thought ahead, because as I type this, a library copy of Surrender Of A Siren is in route to my humble office cubicle.

Final Grade = B

Bippity Boppity Boo

If you've hung around the Bat Cave for five minutes, you are probably well aware that I am beyond burnt out on paranormals. I'm at the point where I'm flat out not buying them (for my personal reading needs, I'm still buying bunches for work) and the only time I read one is this time of year when I have homework reading for my library's literary event. So behold Bat Cave followers, a true rare wonder! An actual paranormal romance review from yours truly!

Going into 50 Ways To Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom, I was honestly only hoping it wouldn't drive me insane. Even before I was burnt out on paranormals, I was never a fan of the Funny Ha-Ha ones. Hell, I'm not a fan of Funny Ha-Ha in any type of romance novel. Period. But again, homeworking reading. And while this one certainly didn't light my world on fire, it also didn't have me running for the nearest bottle of vodka either.

Jasmine "Jazz" Tremaine is a 700 year old witch who works as a part-time chauffeur and a part-time "curse eliminator." Having been banished by the Witches' High Council (along with 12 of her friends), she's essentially going about her business, living her life, until the Powers That Be decide she's been a good lil' witch and can come back into the fold. Until then, she's hardly breaking a sweat over it.

Unfortunately for Jazz, her nice orderly life is about to get complicated. Nikolai Gregorivich AKA Nick Gregory is back in town and has waltzed back into her life. Nick is a vampire, and their on-again, mostly off-again relationship has been riding the merry-go-round for about 300 years. She hasn't seen his sexy, sorry behind in 70-odd years and now he's come back to ask for her help in solving the mystery of some missing-in-action vampires. Well no way, and no how. Every time Jazz helps Nick she either ends up in his bed, or in jail, and she's not falling for his charms again. That's what she's telling herself anyway....

There was actually quite a bit about this story that I rather enjoyed. The Southern California setting (mostly Pasadena/L.A. area) was well done and Jazz has her charms (literally and figuratively). I also really, really, really (this can't be overstated) enjoyed the fact that the author did not ignore the history of her two main characters. By far and away my biggest pet peeve with paranormals is that you have some frickin' old ass character (let's go with 700 year old vampire hero) who has seen all these things, witnessed all these events and lived a life (OK, an "undead" life) rich with what 700 years will give a person and yet he falls in lurve with some 22-year-old brain-dead bimbo? Seriously?! Once they stop having sex like bunnies, what the hell do they have in common? No, really. What? I wanna know. In the case of this story, Jazz and Nick are both "old," have a shared past, and history is actually mentioned. Jazz remembers the Civil War, when the Hollywood sign was Hollywood Land and the various witch trials throughout history. Loved this. Loved it!

Unfortunately what doesn't work so well is the pacing of this story which was on life support very early on. The plot description I gave above is essentially what is on the back cover blurb. Yet Jazz pretty much avoids Nick, and they don't meet to even discuss his missing vampire problem until page 113 of a 361 page book. And even after her and Nick "talk" - it's not like he's hanging around all that much. They don't spend a ton of page time together, which makes buying into the "romance" (even if they have been an on-again, off-again item for 300 years) a bit of an issue. Also, the villain is suitably bad-ass, off-the-charts creepy, yet the he's given very little screen time. The guy is so vile that I thought it was to the detriment of this story that the author didn't take more advantage of his existence. Seriously - he's way creepy.

At the end of the day, what we have is a very light (cotton candy light) urban fantasy slash paranormal romance that is filled with cutesy-wootsy (creepy, evil villain aside). Jazz has a classic car that is haunted by the ghost of an annoying 1950s, chain-smoking housewife and a pair of possessed bunny slippers named Fluff and Puff. Is it silly? Yes. Is it slapstick? Not necessarily in my mind (no pratfalls and only a handful of fart references) - although I survived the unfortunate romantic comedy trend in the genre some years back (which I still have psychological scars from by the way).

If you're a reader who knows, upfront, that light, Funny Ha-Ha, cutesy paranormals just don't work for you? In my opinion, there's nothing in 50 Ways To Hex Your Lover that is likely to change your mind. However, if you can't get enough of this sort of book? If you wish all paranormals were light, cotton candy confections that you could gorge endlessly on? This one is worth a look - and happy day for you, it's the first book in a series.

Final Grade = C

He's Gotta Be Fresh From The Fight

Since my library's literary event is coming up in (very) early April, I'm past due to get truckin' on my "homework reading." When preparing for the romance fiction panel discussion, it's honestly completely incidental whether or not I "like" a featured author's book(s). It's much more about familiarizing myself with their work, and being able to moderate the discussion while sounding like I know what the heck I'm talking about.

But I ain't lyin' - this job is a lot easier when I "like" the book(s).

Holding Out For A Hero by HelenKay Dimon is the most recent in her Hawaii Heroes and stands alone very well. I think it's a good "test" for an author when they can make series stories stand alone (this is one of my personal reading quirks) and I'll be honest - the plot sounded delicious.

Deana Armstrong needs a private investigator. Her nephew (the family fuck-up golden boy) is rotting away in prison for a crime he couldn't possibly have committed. Unfortunately for Deana, the best man for the job is Josh Windsor and their history is a bit....complicated. Not only did Josh once arrest her nephew, he didn't take kindly to her hiring a team of investigators to dig around in his life, trying to find anything to discredit his good name in court. She hardly thinks he should hold that against her though. All she learned was that the guy was so honorable and squeaky clean that even his ex-girlfriends wouldn't talk trash about him. Now to convince him to take the job.

Josh has just left the DEA thanks to his boss trying to pass the buck of a botched investigation on to him. The whole incident has not only confirmed that his boss is a prick, but that he's damn tired of rescuing people. He's done. He's out. Then Deana approaches him with her job offer, and he somehow keeps it together long enough to not laugh in her face. This woman, and her family, have repeatedly shown that they are more than willing to throw their money around to try to weasel out of trouble, and now she wants his help?! He should be telling her to go to Hell, but damn, he finds himself saying yes.

What we have here is your classic adversarial romantic relationship. Countless authors have tread this ground before and many, many of them have failed (sorry, you have) because they forget a key ingredient in the mix. The adversarial "stuff" has to be believable. It can't be trumped up and stupid. Josh has a very credible reason for disliking Deana and her family. Not only did her mother try to blackmail him once - but Deana herself once hired a team of investigators to dig through his life, looking for evidence to discredit his good name.

The author takes a very big risk in this story in the form of Deana. I'll be blunt - the girl just doesn't "get" it for a good chunk of this story. It's easy for her to accuse Josh of hating money, as opposed to admitting that what he really hates is her family trying to buy their way out of trouble. She's also still lugging around guilt for a past event that I suspect many readers will balk at. Romance readers love wounded characters when they're "wrongly" wounded. It's a lot trickier when said wounded character makes the choice that ultimately leads to their downfall. Deana is risky enough that, I'll admit it, during my reading, it wasn't all sunshine and roses. But ultimately, that is what makes this story so interesting. That the heroine doesn't fit into a safe mold where you always "like" her. Plus, it helps that she eventually does "get" it.

It's been a while since I've read a book where I literally wanted to drop everything (oh, like my entire life!) to keep reading. The dialogue is fantastic, the story is solid, and the final chapters are just....wow, amazing! If I had been on the ball at all, this easily would have made my Best Of 2009 list. As it stands right now, don't be surprised if Holding Out For A Hero makes my Best Of 2010 list.

Final Grade = B+

It's Good To Be King

Kathleen Givens' Rivals For The Crown was the last of the books I had to read in preparation for my library's upcoming literary event. That's right kiddies - I am officially done with my homework reading! So far I've read, and enjoyed to varying degrees, a paranormal and a contemporary. What did I think of this Scottish historical set in the late 13th century? Well, it ended up being a mixed bag.

This story is more historical romantic saga than traditional historical romance, following the adventures of several characters. The author mostly focuses her story on Rachel Anjou and Isabel de Burke. The story opens with Rachel and her family getting kicked out of London. Their crime? Being Jewish. King Edward I, formerly their champion, has decided he no longer has use for them. So Rachel's family travels to the Scottish border, changes their last name, and open an inn.

Isabel has only known London, and has just been tapped to be the queen's newest lady in waiting. She is heartsick that the king has forced her BFF, Rachel, out of London, and is hoping to gain enough influence in court to bend the queen's ear. Unfortunately the stupid chit didn't listen to her mother, a bitter hag of a woman who sees conspiracies around every corner. Well surprise, surprise - turns out mama was right and trouble follows.

Naturally this story needs some men, and the author provides us several. Rachel catches the eye of a brave Highlander named Kieran MacDonald, while Isabel attracts the attentions of two men- an English knight and Kieran's cousin Rory. On top of all this, the crown for Scotland is up for grabs, with England's King Edward I throwing his considerable weight around. Y'all know what this means right? Yep, enter stage right - William Wallace.

The last book I read that featured saga-like tones and scope was Broken Wing by Judith James. Interestingly enough, I had the exact same problems with both books. Rivals For The Crown spans a seven-year period, and even though the author is working with over 500 pages, there were still moments where I found this story very choppy. There's quite a bit of jumping ahead in time, several instances of info-dumping (this is a sequel to a previous book, On A Highland Shore), and a little too much telling over showing. Also, there were several events that were glossed over entirely, some of them extremely important to the plot at hand. The best example of this is when Rory comes across a gang of men raping a woman. He kills one of the men, rescues the woman, but naturally he was a moron and left the others alive - thus putting a price and blood feud on his head. This big scene? Yeah, takes place off stage. The author tells the reader about it after the fact. And since Rory spends 3/4 of the story with thugs chasing after him, it's kind of a significant plot point. To not be privy to the details, as they were happening, was a little disconcerting. This isn't the only example from the book either - just the most glaring one.

The most memorable aspect of this story for me was Rachel. I think Lori would enjoy her as well, given that she's Jewish and not a stereotype. It was nice to read about the traditional Jewish religious practices/customs and the author does a fine job creating the unsettling times for Rachel's family under Edward I's rule. Isabel wasn't nearly as interesting, mostly because I wanted to shake some sense into her. Her mother practically beats it into her head that she must watch herself at court, to trust no one. Of course she doesn't heed mama's advice and is betrayed. But does she learn? Of course not. Her entire time in court is one huge misstep after another.

I admired the author's scope of the story, her handle on the history, and the fact that she kept the use of the brogue to a minimum (basically just ken, ye and dinna are tossed around). This is a big, sweeping book, and should appeal to those historical fans who bemoan the lack of "saga-ness" in today's offerings. Also, I think it will really appeal to readers who have watched the movie Braveheart so much that they can recite whole passages. As for me? While I didn't get swept up in this book, and it didn't make my heart go pitter-patter, it certainly didn't make my brain melt either. Which means I recommend it with qualifications - just like I did Broken Wing. If it sounds like your cuppa, by all means - take a drink.

Final Grade = C

Fun In The Sun

If it weren't for the fact that I once read books entitled Honk If You Love Real Men and Million Dollar Stud, I would say How to Knit a Wild Bikini was the dopiest title I'd ever seen on a book. At this point, it's coming in at third place. Since I know the question is on your lips - the reason I read this dopey titled book was because Christie Ridgway is one of the authors on the romance panel for my library's upcoming literary event. Yes, the panel I'm moderating. Yep, more homework reading.

Nikki Carmichael is a chef with a shitty knee. It's because of her shitty knee that she's quit the restaurant job she loves. Now she's unemployed with a shitty knee, but luckily there is hope on the horizon. One of her culinary school friends has recommended her to magazine editor Jay Buchanan. Jay runs a Rah-Rah-Man magazine that's like a cross between Playboy, GQ and FHM. He's Hef Jr. Peter Pan. A love 'em and leave 'em sort of guy who has a bevy of beauties more than willing to warm his bed for one-night-stands. Unfortunately he made the mistake of sleeping with his insecure next-door neighbor, Shanna (yes, named after the Kathleen Woodiwiss novel) and Jay wants her off his back. So he hires Nikki as his personal chef (he and his visiting teenage cousin, Fern, need to eat real meals after all) and to play his girlfriend on the side until Shanna gets the hint.

Most of my issues with the story stem from Jay who spends 3/4 of the novel walking around shirtless, calling Nikki "cookie," and just not manning up and being honest with Shanna. In real life guys of this ilk set off my Douchebag Alarm. They just do. And while Jay has his nice moments (he's not all douchebaggery), those initial first impressions are hard to shake.

Nikki seems like a nice, albeit distant, girl. She's very much a loner. An I'm An Independent Woman Gosh Darnit So Back Off. What I really liked about her was that she called Jay on 99.9% of his douchebagginess. She's got a smart mouth. Hell, I have a smart mouth so naturally I loved her. Unfortunately she's got a mountain of baggage and hang-ups. Almost too much really. A panel of shrinks could have a field day with this girl. After a while I was desperately hoping for something (anything!) "normal" to crop up about her.

The secondary characters round out this story - Fern, Jay's niece; Cassandra, who owns the local yarn shop; and Shanna, the bimbo next door. I have to admit the secondary romance featuring Shanna intrigued me quite a bit. Think of Shanna as Paris Hilton in ten years. A girl made famous by her famous family (Daddy is an Aaron Spelling-like TV producer) and her wild child ways. Well now she's 30-something, no longer all that famous, totally alone, and with no skills outside of being able to call her manicurist and hairstylist. Ridgway pairs her up with a blue-collar guy, and it was a great mix until the ending which got very soap-operay. I can't decide if the relationship is doomed to be toxic or built on a lifetime of enabling. I suspect it would have worked better for me if Shanna had her own book devoted to her. Girlfriend has some issues that needed hammering out in more pages than a secondary romantic storyline can allow.

So where does that leave me? Well, I generally liked this book. I wasn't madly in love with any of the characters, but it flew along at a good clip and I think Ridgway writes quite well. It was breezy and sunny (not unlike the Malibu, California setting), with some depth added to the mix so that it wasn't total cotton candy. I happily kept flipping the pages to see how it would turn out for all the characters. Hell, I'm even mildly curious about the next two books in the series. Which I guess means I'm more than willing to read Christie Ridgway again....you know, when it's not homework.

My Grade = B-/C+. I'm still waffling.

Welcome To The Jungle

It's that time again kiddies. Time for Wendy to get her Homework Reading done. For the third year running, my library is hosting a literary event, and once again I planned and will be moderating the romance panel. I like to include a nice mix of sub genres, and this year's paranormal author is Chris Marie Green (who also writes for Harlequin under the name Crystal Green). I'm so unbelievably burnt out on paranormal anything right now that I think the last time I read one was this time last year. While Night Rising didn't rock my world, and it didn't cure me of my "paranormal burn out," it was still a decent read.

Stuntwoman Dawn Madison came home to Los Angeles for one reason: to find her missing father. While no one will ever accuse Frank of being Ward Cleaver, and Dawn was essentially estranged from him, he's still her father. However once she lands in L.A., she soon finds herself in a world she was completely ill-prepared for.

Frank was working for Limpet & Associates when he vanished. The firm consists of Breisi, a washed up Telenova actress and tech geek; Kiko, a psychic little person with big dreams of Hollywood stardom; and "The Voice," the mysterious never seen, but always heard boss behind the business. Frank was working with these people when he disappeared, and now Dawn hires on in hopes of finding him. Which means working the case that Frank was working - the reappearance of a child star who tragically died over 20 years ago. He's been caught on film, looking exactly as he did the day he died. Yep, he's "still" 12 years old.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the setting. Certainly a lot of celebrity crap passes for "news" these days (shit, just look at all the hub-bub about Jessica Simpson's weight). Certainly no one with a TV or Internet connection is immune from this "reporting." But sometimes I think it's even worse (if that's even humanly possible) in southern California. It's a breeding ground for narcissism. It's just wrong. And sad. And pretty pathetic. Green does a good job of tapping into this narcissism, and it actually fuels the world she has created.

I also liked Dawn. She is, at times, quite abrasive. But I enjoyed the stuntwoman angle, and I enjoyed that she didn't blindly accept that vampires and the paranormal exist, but she also didn't stupidly deny their existence when she begins to see proof with her own eyes. I also liked her baggage. Green gives her heroine a Hollywood superstar mother, who was beyond gorgeous, talented, and tragically murdered when Dawn was still an infant. Her mother's death not only continues to haunt Dawn, it also deeply effects her relationship with her father.

But....

One of the big reasons I'm so burnt out on paranormals is that so many authors seem incapable of writing endings for their books. This continues to grate on me, since I'm a long time mystery reader. Mystery authors can tie up books and still make them part of series. Why do so many romance and urban fantasy authors have trouble with this? That being said, Green does give the reader some resolution to the not-so-dead child star angle, but there's a ton of other stuff left swinging in the breeze. Also there's the introduction of a Oh Gee Big Surprise Love Triangle! and I have the impression I already know exactly where a couple of these plot threads are heading and how they'll conclude.

But who knows? I've been wrong before, and I could be wrong again.

Green indicates on her web site that the Vampire Babylon series is meant to feature 3-book story arcs. Book four, the soon to be released A Drop Of Red, features the same characters, but they've moved on to another adventure.

Where does that leave me? I found this book to be OK. It didn't knock my socks off, but I kept flipping the pages, and I'll more than likely read the next two books in the series. Just as soon as I plow through my other current reading obligations. I would, however, strongly recommend this book to younger readers. I know me, but more importantly I know me from 10-15 years ago. I would have lapped this up with a spoon in my early twenties and turned into a slobbering fangirl. If you know a paranormal-lovin' college student? Yeah, she'll more than likely really dig this one.

Final Grade = B-

Ending On A High Note

One With The Shadows by Susan Squires officially ends my self-imposed exile of homework reading. Now I know why I gave up Heavy Lifting Review Obligations. This past month just about damn near killed me and only served to ramp up my TBR Anxiety to a near epic high. That said, at least I'm ending this "obligation" on a high note. When the last Squires I tried to read was a DNF, I vowed to go back to what works for me - her vampire novels.

A couple of reasons why Squires' vampire world appeals to me is that she has an interesting take on the mythology (vampires are infected with a parasite they call "The Companion") and her vampires tend to be "broody." I happen to like "broody," and I much prefer dark paranormals to their lighter, fluffy counterparts.

Kate Malone is charlatan. Born in a gutter, she survived the streets of London thanks to her wits. She eventually hooks up with a man named Matthew who teaches her a very lucrative con. Pretend to be psychic, reading the future of the elite by using tarot cards, and naturally bilking them for money along the way. A drunk, and afraid she'd eventually leave him for a "protector", Matthew sees to it that Kate is facially scarred, essentially enslaving her. Fortunately the bastard is a drunk and eventually has the good sense to die. Not so fortunately, he drank all their money away and Kate is now left to fend for herself.

She lands in Italy, and has just weaseled an invitation into a very fine home as after-dinner entertainment when Gian Urbano walks in the door. Kate immediately realizes this guy is trouble. He won't be so easily duped by her act, plus he's so gorgeous that women fall at his feet. No matter, she ends up taking him down a notch or two with a very convincing tarot reading.

Gian is a vampire, one bound by duty and honor. His latest mission is to track down an emerald, one that is rumored to drive humans insane and can drain a vampire's powers. He is to find the emerald before the power-hungry and villainous Elyta does and bring the stone to The Elders. Imagine his shock when the vampire carrying the emerald to Elyta gets his pocket-picked, by none other than Miss Kate Malone.

Kate sees the emerald as her ticket out. All she has to do is get it cut down and she'll have enough money to retire from the confidence game to a quiet cottage in the English country-side. Of course she wasn't planning on weirdos coming after her, demanding the stone. And when it appears her very life might be in danger, she finds herself relying on none other than the arrogant, devilish, and did I mention handsome, Gian Urbano.

Two big selling points on Squires' series and this book in particular, she makes it easy for readers to skip around and get caught up. I've now officially read books one, three and five and have never felt lost, confused or like I'm missing some vital tidbit of series information. Also, she writes fantastic locales. Sure, it takes place in the late Regency period, but we don't even see the shores of England in this book. Instead the author treats readers to Italy and Algeria, and it ain't wallpaper! There's a great sense of place in this story.

Any criticism(s) I've seen for Squires' vampires usually involve two things, 1) her heroes brood too much and 2) there's too much unpleasant, violent torture going on. There's less of both in One With The Shadows. Certainly Elyta is a naughty girl, but the author doesn't spend a ton of time detailing every naughty, nasty thing the villain has done or even thought up. And Gian, while he does brood, doesn't seem to wallow quite as much. That said, Gian isn't really the star of the show here, and I suspect that won't work for many romance readers.

That's right kiddies, what we have here is an honest-to-goodness heroine driven romance. Just the kind I happen to love and most of you all don't. I adored Kate because she's cynical, resilient, and knows exactly who she is. Yes, she makes her living by dishonest means - but it's either charlatan or whore - and with her facial scar she would certainly be the lowliest of whores. Which is why she has a plan, albeit a sketchy one, for getting out of "the life." On the flip side, the reader doesn't really get a good, long glimpse into Gian's mind until around page 85 (yes, page 85!), although the author reveals bits of his character through Kate's eyes. I suspect waiting this long to get inside the hero's head will bother some readers, but it works well in this story, as Kate really is the more remarkable of the two (Hey, just saying. A vampire I can get any day of the week in RomanceLandia, but a gutter-born heroine who lives by her considerable wits? I think I've made my point).

But ultimately what makes this tale is the journey. The transformation that both characters go through as they fight Elyta and return the emerald to it's rightful home. Kate is not the same Kate in the beginning as she is in the end, and the same holds true for Gian. It's really a very good story, and a rather remarkable book, if not for the ending - which is so darn conventional it takes some of the wind out of the sails. Still, it's easy to see why Publisher's Weekly named this book one of the best of 2007. Me? It probably would have cracked my Honorable Mentions for 2007 - which might not make it great, but does make it pretty darn good.

Final Grade = B+

Grain Of Salt

Brace yourself, I'm writing one of those reviews.

I tend to really dislike it when paranormal is mixed with erotica. I don't really know why. Yes, I'm burnt out on paranormal - but I am still capable of liking non-erotic paranormal books. I also love erotica. So what's the problem? No clue. Maybe I don't like the idea that women have to hold out hope that "other worldly" men do exist just so we can all have fabulous orgasms (tongue in cheek)? Whatever the reason, it's always been an uneasy mix for me. If anyone has theories, I'm more than happy to entertain them, cuz I can't seem to find an answer.

So if this is the case, exactly why did I attempt to read Pleasures of the Night by Sylvia Day? Yep, more homework reading. Plus I felt it was important, for homework purposes, to get an idea of Day's other sub genre writing. It's all in the name of being well-prepared.

The premise here is actually quite imaginative. Captain Aidan Cross is a Dream Guardian. He protects Dreamers (uh, that would be us humans) while we are sleeping so the evil Nightmares don't warp our fragile little minds. How does he do this? Um, he has "dream sex" with us. Ladies, you know that dream you had last night featuring you and Brad Pitt in Cabo San Lucas rubbing coconut oil all over each other? Well, that was a Dream Guardian disguised as Brad Pitt so the Nightmares didn't attack you. See, clever.

There's also some intrigue going on involving The Elders (those in power in Aidan's world) and their search for The Key. The Key is allegedly "bad." In their quest for The Key, The Elders decide to send Aidan on a mission to crack one Dreamer's mind. Lyssa Bates is a pretty veterinarian who has always had trouble sleeping. No wonder, the girl can't dream. Aidan has to break through a serious door she's erected, and there she sits, alone in the dark. Once he teaches her to dream though (and they do the nasty), he realizes that she could be in danger from The Elders, who Aidan has begun to question. So off he hops to the mortal world to protect Lyssa, arriving on her doorstep and wasting no time getting down to business.

I'll be honest, I skimmed most of this book. It's not bad, it just ain't my bag baby. I do see it strongly appealing to other readers though. The paranormal aspect is interesting, and the sex is certainly hot enough, I'm just being difficult. The only "complaint" I can hang my hat on is that when Lyssa opens her front door to find Aidan there and she doesn't "know" him. She has a sense of deja vu, but that's it. So - strange, albeit hunky, stud shows up on your front door and what do you do? Have sex with him of course! Then, after a few chapters, he tells her who he is, she suspects he's whack-a-do, but quickly shifts into "I love you," "I trust you" mode. Um, yeah, sure.

Readers should be warned that while the ending is happy, the paranormal aspect and intrigue surrounding The Elders, Nightmares and Dream Guardians isn't wrapped up. Which gives Day more fodder for this series, but readers should be aware that if they want total closure, they're going to have to look for future installments.

So Final Grade = Technically a DNF. I skimmed such a large chunk of it that I don't feel comfortable assigning a grade. Well that and my weird mental block regarding paranormal erotica. If you were to back me into a corner I'd probably fall somewhere in the C+/B- camp - but take that for what it's worth. In other words, break out the salt.

Hijacked By Stupid People

Nothing I hate more than reading what should be a very good book only to have The Scene happen. Every reader knows what The Scene is. The Scene is that moment in the book where everything goes to Hell and you want to chuck the damn book across the room. In this instance, I was able to finish In Between Men by Mary Castillo, but damn if The Scene didn't ruin an otherwise great read for me.

Isa Avellan is having a really bad day. An ESL teacher, this southern California single mom has just learned that the students of her school have voted her the most unfuckable teacher. She's so undesirable, she took first place over of the science teacher nicknamed Bilbo and the librarian who is 500 years old. When the fallout happens (as in press coverage because some students feel they're wrongly suspended) her slime-ball ex-husband cashes in on her 15 minutes by trash-talkin' her on a sleazy morning radio show (think Howard Stern). On top of all this, she takes a soccer ball to the head at her son's practice and starts having visions of Joan Collins (as Alexis Carrington) as her guardian angel. Then there's Alex Lujon, her son's soccer coach, hunky single guy, and way, way out of her league. Why are they always finding themselves alone together?

This starts out as a fun, fast read. I love the Joan Collins' touch (hey, I've always wanted my own Pips), and the author alternates first person point of view between Isa and Alex. I really like Isa, who seems like a nice woman, overwhelmed and a little unsure of herself. It's funny without being slapstick, and there's a lot of interesting, meddling characters around that keep things moving along.

I'm even willing to overlook a few things. Namely, the list that circulates among the students naming Isa as the most unfuckable teacher. It's a photocopy. Um no. This was published in 2006. High school kids would IM it, text message it, or post it on MySpace before they'd hand out photocopied lists. Just saying.

And I'm willing to overlook the author's glaring lack of Beatles knowledge. Something was not written about Yoko Ono and it is not sung by John Lennon. That's all George Harrison, and it was written about rock n' roll muse Patty Boyd (who also inspired Eric Clapton's Layla and Wonderful Night). Sure I'm a huge Beatles fan, but geesh, doesn't everybody know this?

Ahem, anyway - I'm going along for the ride. I'm overlooking the little annoyances. It's fun, it's reading fast, things are going along just fine and then I get to it. The Scene That Ruins Everything. The Scene That Makes Me Want To Scream. You guessed it. Yep, the characters have impulsive, unprotected, didn't even think about birth control until after the fact sex. ::hurling book against wall::

I'm all for characters having free will. I'm all for them making "bad" choices. But when the characters are too damn stupid to learn from their past mistakes? That just makes them idiots. Idiots who are incapable of learning. Isa's son was the result of an unplanned pregnancy at 19. She shelves her "dream" of going to med school and instead goes into teaching. Her asshole husband leaves, and she's now a single mom. I'm not one, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say being a single mom is no walk on easy street. Don't you think this would make Isa more diligent about birth control? And to have sex with the guy in the back seat of his car and not for one single moment think "condom" or "did I take my pill?" No, she isn't even on the pill. Hey, I know she hasn't had sex in a long time but - hellosy, you're a single mom!!!! You can take the pill even though you aren't having hot, sweaty sex every day of the week. Honest.

Ugh.

Can you tell this is a bit of a hot button for me? Which makes it sound like I loathed and hated this book. I didn't. I really enjoyed parts of it. But the unprotected, is-she-pregnant conflict drove me bat shit crazy. There was enough going on in this book conflict-wise without this bit of nonsense. But I take comfort in knowing I'm not alone, because one of the characters towards the end says exactly what I had been thinking since The Scene. Isa's best friend, Tamara, implies that Isa might not have made the best decision in the whole world by having unprotected sex. Isa then reams her out by saying:

"You're not the one who has to live through this again. Think I forgot? Am I that stupid to you?"

Um yes darling, you are. You really, really are. And it's a shame too because for the vast majority of this story I really liked you. Bugger.

Final Grade = C-

But We Can Still Be Friends

I'm still working on my homework reading for my upcoming turn as romance fiction panel moderator in April. But after slogging through 100 pages of the RITA-nominated No More Lies by Susan Squires, I'm calling it quits. Nothing personal to Squires. I've read and enjoyed her work in the past. This particular book just wasn't working for me. Not because it's "bad," but because the plot just wasn't doing a whole lot for me.

Dr. Holland Banks is a preeminent psychiatrist living in Los Angeles. Her ground-breaking work with schizophrenics has brought her acclaim, recognition, and naturally a deep understanding of the disease. So when she starts hearing voices she fears for her sanity. Couple that with her father's unethical DNA studies, a sniper picking off people in L.A. and a guy in a flannel shirt stalking her - well it's easy to see why she feels crazy.

I think my main issue here was the set-up. It takes forever (or maybe it just seems like forever) for this story to go anywhere. And even at page 100, I feel like I'm still waiting for something to "happen." We don't learn until page 50 that the stalker is our hero, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times who also is hearing voices. By page 100 he's a patient in Holly's hospital and she's discovered that when they touch, the voices in their heads are silenced. It also doesn't help that the first 100 pages are filled with "science-talk." It's not incredibly involved, but I'm a science idiot. Start talking science and my eyes roll back in my head. I guess it was necessary to set-up the back story and plot - but I found it dull. And boring. And I was getting impatient for the plot to show up already.

Plus, being really burnt out on paranormal-anything these days - the author really has to grip me in the opening pages to invest me. That's not the author's fault, it's merely a product of the paranormal tidal wave that has engulfed Romancelandia for the last several years.

So Final Grade = DNF. I think this is probably a good book that other readers will enjoy. Me? It was like trying to eat plain broccoli without any veggie dip or cheese sauce. I'd slog on through, but I've got a lot of homework reading to cover before April 5, and Squire's vampire novels have worked for me in the past. I'm thinking I need to stick with the vampires.

Homework Assignment

As I mentioned in a previous post, come April I'll be moderating a romance panel discussion - and while I hand-picked all of the authors, I still need to do some "homework" reading. First out of the gate is Sylvia Day.

I had an interesting reaction upon reading The Stranger I Married. It's the type of story where I can see the "problems" with it, but I don't really care all that much. I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Trust me when I say homework has never been so much fun.

Gerard Faulkner, Marquess of Grayson is a rake of the first order. He drinks, he gambles and he adores having sex with other men's wives. While he pretty much does as he pleases (this is a man keeping two mistresses after all!), he's getting weary of being single. For one thing, even with his reputation, he's still dodging debutantes. Plus, he's really peeved off at his meddling mother. So he proposes a marriage of convenience to Isabel, the scandalous Lady Pelham. Like him she has no desire to marry, enjoying her widowhood by taking a series of devoted lovers. However Grayson is very persuasive and convinces her that a marriage of convenience would be beneficial to them both. They're friends, like each other well enough, and they wouldn't have to worry about servicing each other as neither of them is lacking in lovers. She agrees, they wed, and it all is going quite swimmingly until Grayson's mistress, a married woman he adores, dies giving birth to his child. The child dies as well. This is too much to bare, and Gray takes off for parts unknown.

Four years pass. Pel is still a scandalous figure in society, and rumors abound given how Grayson up and disappeared. Then one day, he unexpectedly returns - a very different man than the one she married four years ago. Grayson was a boy. A petulant, selfish boy that she could easily control. This man who has returned in his place has trouble written all over him. This is a man Pel could lose herself in, body and soul. And having already been spurned by her first husband, and haunted by his ghost, she has no desire for a repeat performance.

Gray has returned to court his wife. Now he wants a real marriage, and this is where the book loses some footing. The reader never really understands why Gray chooses this moment to return. He claims it's because of the rumors surrounding his abandonment, but four years? It takes him four years to figure out that his leaving affected her reputation more than his? And while Pel wrote to him during his absence, he returned all of her letters unopened. He's literally had no contact with her outside of handling her monetary affairs from a distance. So why now? And why four years? Certainly the reader understands that he "grows up" - but it just wasn't enough to entirely convince me.

What follows is a battle of wills. Gray wants his wife and Pel is determined to resist. Naturally they don't resist for long, and the love scenes ignite this story. This one is a real barn-burner, and better yet? There's no over-the-top, kinky, acrobatic sex mucking up the works (not that there's anything wrong with that). What we have here ladies (and gentlemen) is just good, old-fashioned hot sex with some franker language tossed in (the F-bomb and both C-bombs are dropped on a fairly regular basis).

Overall I liked the tone of this story. Pel and Gray are both rakes, both with healthy appetites. I loved the way the author portrayed the scandal-ridden goings-on among the elite, and the banter between the two main characters is particularly well done.

There were moments that I wished both Pel and Gray were a bit more self-aware, and I could have used one good long emotionally confrontational scene between the couple, but it doesn't diminish the fact that I had a good time reading this book and I finished it in less than 24 hours. So, who am I to quibble?

Final Grade = B