Retro Review: Hearts by Stef Ann Holm

This review of Hearts by Stef Ann Holm was first published at The Romance Reader in 2001.  At that time I rated it 5-Hearts (A Grade) with a sensuality rating of PG-13.

+++++

I was very busy last week - so busy, in fact, that I only managed to get the first 50 pages of Hearts read. I found myself too exhausted to hold the book up, let alone give it the attention it deserved, so I put it on hold until President’s Day, when I had the whole blessed day to myself. Literally finishing it in one sitting, I have decided that I may have grounds to sue my boss for unfair labor practices - you be the judge.

Since 1852, the Valentines had always married on Valentine’s Day, but the tradition will most likely stop at Truvy Valentine. Tall, athletic and a schoolteacher to boot, she might as well have spinster stamped on her forehead. Truvy has resigned herself to her fate, although she can’t deny that she wishes she would marry and have children. The fact is, men like women who are delicate, petite and feminine - qualities that Truvy doesn’t possess.

However, all her musings on her spinsterhood pale in comparison to the pickle she’s landed herself in. The main benefactress for St. Francis Academy for Girls passed out dead away when she overheard Truvy reading to her students from The Science of Life - a sexual education book. Truvy’s supervisor really has no choice but to put her on a leave of absence until after the Christmas holiday.

Truvy had been planning on visiting her old college friend, Edwina Wolcott, in Harmony, Montana anyway, so she decides to extend her visit. Edwina is very pregnant, and Truvy is anxious to make herself useful, and to keep her mind off her current state of unemployment. Instead, she comes face to face with a man who is more than happy to help her out.

Jake “Bruiser” Brewster is a former bodybuilder and boxer, who now runs his own gym in Harmony. A large hunk of a man, he’s used to women fawning all over his muscles, but then he meets Miss Valentine - an intelligent woman who seems to not find him remotely attractive and takes him for blockhead. However, from the moment they both set eyes on each other, it’s too late. They try really hard to convince themselves that it possibly couldn’t work, but can’t help being intrigued all the same.

There is so much to like about Hearts, it’s really hard to know where to begin. First, I should say that for me, a good romance is one that takes some of the old tried and true formulas and tweaks them a bit. Holm does just that, and it makes Hearts not only an original story, but a heartwarming one as well. Sure Truvy is a schoolteacher, but she’s also an athlete, something she doesn’t like to openly discuss. She wants to be feminine, desirable, and women athletes are often seen as mannish freaks of nature.

Likewise Jake is, on the surface, his own cliché - having come from an extremely humble background, leaving home at 14 to escape an abusive father. Having been abandoned by his mother at a young age, he feels that a happy marriage and family couldn’t possibly be in the cards for him - what does he know about raising a family when his is such a mess? Also, there’s the small matter of Jake having a past failed relationship, making him reluctant. What is refreshing here is that Jake does not think that all women must be spawn of Satan because of this failed relationship. I know, it was a shock to me as well.

The main source of conflict is Truvy’s insecurity (what man could possibly be attracted to an over the hill athletic school teacher) and Jake’s belief that he wasn’t meant for love and family. That’s it. No wastrel brother who squandered the family fortune. No will stating that Truvy must marry to claim an inheritance. No witchy other woman trying to keep the couple apart. No nefarious Snidely Whiplash waiting to tie Truvy to the train tracks. It is quite simple, straightforward, and utterly wonderful.

After I finished the last page (well past my bed time), I found myself unable to sleep - my thoughts drifting back to the story and wishing I could start all over again. I can think of no higher compliment than that. Charming, delightful, and sweet, Hearts has won mine. Now I think it’s time my lawyer and I had a little chat with my boss…

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: I came to romance just as the last gasps were going out of the "Americana" sub genre.  Holm went on to write contemporary romance and has self-published a few titles, but unfortunately her entire Americana backlist looks unavailable in digital and is out of print.  This is the fourth book in a series but trust me when I say it stands alone extremely well (when assigned to review this I had never read Holm before...).  I remember loving the world-building, the small town Montana setting, and the romantic couple, who both had their insecurities but were perfect for each other.  It's been a dog's age since I've read this but my memories are extremely fond.

Retro Review: Call Down The Night

This review for Call Down the Night by Sandy Moffett was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2002.  Back then, I gave it 4-Hearts (B Grade) and a MPAA sensuality rating of PG-13.  Please note: the book has been reprinted under a new title: The Seer.

+++++

Alexandra Gables came to Salem, Massachusetts, to help a friend of her father’s catalog his flower collection. When her father is unexpectedly delayed in England, Alexandra travels from their Boston home to take on the project alone. When she arrives at the docks, she comes face to face with dashing shipwright, Pierce Williams.

Pierce has taken over the family ship building business after his father decides that he would rather spend more time on his scientific hobbies. Pierce sees this as an impractical waste of time; and having to alter his busy schedule to deliver the intern to their home is just another inconvenience. Imagine his surprise when the young man he is expecting to meet turns out to be a young woman.

 Alexandra and Pierce soon find themselves engaging in a battle of wits. Pierce is sure this is another of his father’s attempts to marry him off, but can’t deny that he is attracted to Alexandra’s intelligence, spunk and beauty. In turn, Alexandra is drawn to Pierce, but soon finds life in Salem unsettling. Upon her arrival, she is plagued by strange visions - visions that may be linked to a curse rooted in the witch trials 100 years prior - visions that foretell Pierce’s death.

 Alexandra is an interesting character, as while she is “ahead of time,” she doesn’t suffer from the same pitfalls that befall other modern heroines in historical romances. Alexandra is an educated woman, thanks to a scholarly father who instilled a love of learning to his only child. She isn’t out to necessarily change the world, and realistically knows the obstacles she faces in her quest for acceptance. She just wants to be taken seriously, and not have her ideas dismissed simply because she is female.

Pierce holds the same ideals that society does - that woman should marry, have kids and maintain a household. However, he quickly finds himself enchanted with Alexandra - and comes to cherish the time they spend together, especially in discussion. Sure, she is a beautiful woman, but our hero is also attracted to her mind.

The paranormal element to the story has a light touch, and Moffett doesn’t bog the story down with otherworldly happenings. In fact, Alexandra’s visions, her search for the truth, and the mysterious happenings had me easily turning the pages. The author also includes some interesting tidbits of history about Salem, smallpox inoculation, ship building and sailing.

Sandy Moffett’s debut happens to be book 2 in The MacInness Legacy trilogy - with books 1 and 3 written by sister, Julie Moffett. While Call Down The Night does stand alone quite well, all of the conflicts are not neatly resolved in the end - leaving plenty of conflict for all the romantic couples in book 3.

Readers hungry for a gothic revival should find Call Down The Night an interesting spin on an old favorite. Be warned though - after the close of the last chapter, you may see a bookstore in your future.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: Seriously, like zero recall on this one.  None whatsoever.  Of course it's been 16 years since I read it, so that may have something to do with it....

Retro Review: Stay With Me

This review of Stay With Me by Beverly Long was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2005.  Back then, I rated this 3-Hearts (C Grade) with an MPAA sensuality content rating of PG-13.

+++++

Here’s something you don’t see everyday – a new time travel western. While not flawless, Stay With Me will certainly be of interest to time travel and western romances fans alike.

Sarah Jane Tremont is a burnt-out social worker living in Los Angeles. She’s just plain tired. For every child she helps, there are a dozen more waiting in line. She made it through her last day of work and is walking along the beach when a storm kicks up. The next thing Sarah knows she’s in John Beckett’s cabin in 1888 Wyoming Territory.

John is flabbergasted to see Sarah on his doorstep. After his brother was killed in a silver mine collapse, the grieving widow hightailed it out of town with the family’s savings. He wants to slam the door in her face, but she’s bleeding and obviously confused. Plus there’s the ultimate question – what the heck is she doing back in town?

Sarah is a bright girl and soon realizes that 1) she’s traveled back in time and 2) she’s the spitting image of John’s witchy sister-in-law. She also realizes that crazy people who go spouting off about time travel in 1888 might not be well received. So lacking options she assumes the role of Sarah Beckett until she can figure out how to get back to present day L.A.

Our Sarah is obviously nothing like Sarah One, so her shift in personality has John confused. Sarah is soon helping his widowed best friend, Fred, by babysitting his three children. She also takes to playing piano in church and even rescues a local saloon girl when a customer attacks her. The Sarah that was married to his brother would certainly never behave in such a fashion.

Stay With Me is one of those books where the secondary romance works better than the primary one. John spends so much time avoiding Sarah and thinking ill of her that it’s hard to believe it when he realizes he’s in love. It’s his animosity towards Sarah One that leads our Sarah to move to town, hence triggering off the more interesting aspects of the story – Sarah’s interaction with the townspeople who knew Sarah One and the secondary romance.

Original Berkley Cover

That secondary romance features John’s widowed friend, Fred, and a local saloon girl, Suzanne. There are obvious complications however. Respectable men don’t marry saloon girls – especially when that respectable man has three children and a preacher father-in-law to worry about. Also, Fred was in love with his dead wife, he doesn’t want to be disrespectful to her memory by falling in love again.

While the primary romance is a little lackluster things roll along pretty well until the end when some unpleasantness appears. Sarah has an unfortunate too-stupid-to-live moment and the sex scene finally happens. The too-stupid-to-live moment was likely the author’s way to get John to finally admit that he loves Sarah, so while annoying, it can be understood. The sex scene though was hard to overlook since it landed firmly in Purple Prose Territory. Gems like “you taste rich and sweet and I am a greedy man,” and “your womanly scent fills my bed making me want with an urgency I cannot describe” only reinforce the opinion that heroes should never talk during love scenes.

All that said I found Stay With Me a largely entertaining read. The author writes nice characters, and I especially enjoyed the interaction Sarah had with the wide cast of secondary players. While the road isn’t always entirely smooth, it’s still a nice journey.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: I'm admittedly not much for time travel but, yes you guessed it, the historical western angle is what reeled me in here.  Long is still writing, although these days it's romantic suspense for both Harlequin Intrigue and Harlequin Romantic Suspense.  I actually read one of her Harlequin Intrigues for the 2016 TBR Challenge and didn't make the connection.  For those of you curious about this book - at the time of this posting, it was a very reasonably priced 99 cents over at Amazon.

Retro Review: Night Fires

This review of Night Fires by Karen Harbaugh was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2003.  Back then I rated it 4-Hearts (B Grade) with an MPAA sensuality rating of R.

++++++

Count this reviewer among readers who just don’t understand the current fascination with vampires in romances. Intellectually I can understand that the vampire is the ultimate wounded hero – the loner who needs the love of a good woman to make him whole. However, I can never seem to get past the fact that vampires drink blood. Aren’t those romance heroines concerned about that?

So I was slightly wary when Night Fires turned up in my latest batch of review books. However, I tried to remain optimistic. After all, there’s a suitably creepy Gothic building on the cover, and I adore Gothics. Also, Harbaugh has offered up something a little different – it is our fair heroine who is the vampire in this tale.

Simone de la Fer was ostracized from her aristocratic family, but that does not mean she was not affected when they were murdered during the madness of the French Revolution. Simone took her revenge the only why she knew how, by killing the men who were ordered to dispose of her loved ones. However she is horrified by what she has done, and seeks penance in the church. She is also hoping that by immersing herself in all things holy she can find a cure for her “curse.” The local priest tells her she must repent for her killing, and suggests she use her gifts to help innocents escape the Terror.

Michael Corday is an English spy who has been sent to France to ferret out a man who murdered two of his comrades. His superiors also think that this same villain is spreading the madness of the revolution to other countries. Michael is wearying of his life as a spy, but agrees to this mission.
Simone has been a busy girl, and agents for the Committee of Public Safety have been busy trying to capture La Flamme. It is while she is ferrying some prisoners to a ship that she runs across Michael. He immediately comes to her aid, and the two enter into an uneasy partnership. While Michael is curious about this outlaw, he also realizes he needs connections if he is to complete his mission.

Night Fires is not a perfect book, but it has so much right about it that it’s easy to forgive a few foibles. For one thing, when was the last time you saw a romance that takes place during the French Revolution on the bookstore shelves? Not a terribly romantic period in history, but Harbaugh makes it work by writing her tale in the vein of the classic Gothics of old. In fact, for a good portion of the book the romance is merely a secondary plot, with the hunt for the villains and the Gothic atmosphere taking center stage.

The vampire element to this story also reads like a subplot for a good portion of the book. It’s almost incidental early on that Simone is cursed. The author writes this element with a light touch, so readers who think they “don’t do vampires” will find themselves pleasantly surprised. However, readers who want wall-to-wall vampirism may find themselves a little disappointed. That isn’t really what this story is about.

What this story is about are two lonely, damaged people, placed in an almost impossible situation, during a horrific time in French history. They warily decide that working together is for the best, and their uneasy partnership soon grows into sometime more.

Things get a little convenient during the climatic finish, but again it’s easy to forgive because Harbaugh writes with such flair. The resolution of the vampire angle was imaginative, and the action towards the end elicited a few gasps from this reviewer.

Readers who cut their teeth on Gothics will definitely want to give Harbaugh’s latest a look. Night Fires has an old school charm to it that made it a nice trip down memory lane. Or if you’re a reader who is just fed up with Regency England, this book is definitely worth a look. I selfishly hope that Night Fires meets with success if it will urge publishers to gamble on “less popular” or “unromantic” settings.

On the front cover Mary Jo Putney proclaims that Night Fires is “the best historical romance I’ve read in a long, long, time.” I’m not sure I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, but it certainly is the most imaginative one I’ve read in ages. For that alone it deserves reader attention and my strong stamp of approval.

Side note: My R sensuality rating does indicate that the love scenes are plentiful and hot – but this story also earns that rating on a violence level. The story of how Simone becomes a vampire is a little shocking, so if you’re faint at heart, consider yourself warned.

++++++

Wendy Looks Back: Man, I really enjoyed this one back in the day. It flipped all my Gothic nostalgia switches and the French Revolution angle means I was sunk.  In hindsight it was probably a B+ for me back in 2003, but TRR never did half grades.

I cannot find any evidence that Harbaugh is still writing, which is a pity.  Although it looks like she has self-published a number of her Traditional Regencies, so quite possibly she's still scribbling away - just quietly.  Come back to Romancelandia Karen and bring me more Gothics!

Retro Review: Skin

This review for Skin by Karin Tabke was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2007.  Back in the day I gave it a 2-Heart rating (D grade) with an MPAA sensuality rating of NC-17.

+++++

Karin Tabke’s second novel has a plot like cotton candy. It’s totally bad for you, but it tastes really good and gives you a sugar high. Unfortunately, as more pages pass by, the reader will find it hard to overlook an unconvincing romance.

Francesca “Frankie” Donatello is a mafia princess. While her father had his fingers in a lot of dirty pies, Frankie has her heart set on running Skin – a legit women’s magazine owned by her father. While profits for Skin have been marginally respectable, it’s in a creative slump. Frankie has dreams of making it over into Cosmo meets Playgirl – a move that her father didn’t approve of. He hates the idea so much that he tells her she is “dead to him” and angry words are exchanged. The next day, daddy is assassinated and Frankie is more determined than ever to make over Skin in her vision. For that she needs one hot male model.

Enter Reese Bronson, an undercover cop assigned to getting the dirt on the Donatello clan. With daddy dead, the cops are concerned about a turf war, so what better way to stop it by finding out who hired the hit? Infiltrating Skin seems like a good plan, plus Frankie being her father’s daughter, she might have had something to do with his death.

If the plot sounds over the top, that’s because it is. Skin screams beach book. It’s undemanding, entertaining, and there’s plenty of hot sex. Unfortunately the characters do everything in their power to sabotage what could have been a campy, fun read.

Frankie doesn’t trust men. She made the mistake of having an affair with a man who pillow-talked all of her business secrets out of her then took them to the competition. Reese sets off all of her hormones, and because of this she almost doesn’t hire him. She doesn’t trust herself around him. But he plays up the attraction, and soon she finds herself hiring him because really, he is the best man to rise to the occasion. What will happen when she finds out that he’s a cop who only wants to get her in the sack so she’ll spill all of her family’s secrets? Take a wild guess.

Reese carries around the requisite baggage that every other stereotypical Alpha male in Romance Novel Land has. His mother abandoned him. He blames himself for his sister’s death. He’s estranged from his father. Lather, rinse repeat. He’s hot for Frankie but given that she’s a mafia princess he’s not sure he can trust her. And there’s the rub. The romance doesn’t work because the characters don’t trust each other.

Reese believes the worst, thinking Frankie played a role in her father’s death. Frankie suspects Reese is a cop, but jumps into bed with him anyway. When the truth comes out, she’s hurt, stunned and totally surprised – even though she suspected as much starting at the halfway point of the novel. To say Frankie runs hot and cold is an understatement. One minute she’s determined to not have sex with Reese because 1) she doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure and 2) he’s hiding something. But what does she do? She practically seduces him out of his pants. Then she’s back to saying they can’t have sex with each other. Make up your mind.

The suspense thread isn’t half bad, except the author doesn’t give the reader nearly enough suspects to work with. Having read enough suspense novels in my day, it was pretty easy to see the climax of the story coming a mile off, which leaves the romance to keep the reader entertained. With Frankie running hot and cold, and the total lack of trust, it’s more than a little hard to buy into. Plus, Reese is determined to believe the worst; even with his gut telling him that Frankie is innocent of any wrongdoing.

On the surface, Skin is a campy, entertaining read that could be perfect for killing time on the beach. Unfortunately, the lack of trust really puts a damper on the fireworks. It’s hard to recommend, but as a guilty pleasure Tabke certainly shows promise.

++++++

Wendy Looks Back:  As time marches on what I did and/or didn't read during my TRR days is becoming a distant memory.  Hence this book, which I had kind of forgotten about.  Now thought?  Wow, so Tabke wrote a mafia romance 10 years ago.  I guess what they say is true - there really aren't any new ideas.

Also this now amuses me greatly: "...it was pretty easy to see the climax of the story coming a mile off..."   Ha!

Retro Review: Double Dare

This review of Double Dare by Saskia Walker was first published at The Romance Reader in 2006.  Back then I gave it a rating of 4 Hearts (B Grade) with an MPAA sensuality rating of NC-17.

+++++

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect about the recent erotica boom is that many good authors, previously published by small presses, are cracking into the more mainstream, American marketplace. Such is the case with Saskia Walker, whose first full-length novel debuts under the Berkley Heat umbrella. While a little thin on conflict, it’s easy to see that this is an author who has earned her stripes writing for respected erotica publishers like Virgin Books’ Black Lace line.

Abby Douglas is a beautiful, sexually aware investment advisor working for a prominent firm in London. While standing at the reception desk one day, a drop dead gorgeous courier comes in to drop off some documents. He thinks Abby is the receptionist, and she doesn’t correct him. This is one guy she would love to spend time with, and a lot men turn tail and run when they find out she’s a high-powered career gal. No harm, no foul, why not have some fun?

Except that sexy courier is club owner, Zac Bordino who just happens to be the son of Abby’s new client. His mother is in failing health, and has urged Zac to oversee the family portfolio. It’s when Zac gets a look at that portfolio that he realizes that Abby Douglas is no secretary. But why would she lie to him? Is it innocent enough or is she hiding something more nefarious? To find out, he begins to spend more time with her, and while he wants to find out what she’s truly about, he finds it might not be soon enough to guard his heart.

While the conflict sounds like it’s ripe for miscommunication and a big misunderstanding, Walker doesn’t write it that way. Abby’s little white lie is innocent enough, but Zac doesn’t know that – and given his playboy past and family money, he’s a little slow to trust. That doesn’t mean though that the characters sit around brooding in their internal angst. Anything but! Abby and Zac are immediately attracted to each other, with a sexual combustion that leaps off the pages. These two cannot get enough of each other, and the love scenes are sexy, erotic and imaginative without being silly and weird.

Original Cover

Also refreshing is that when the truth finally comes out in the open, both characters openly admit to what they’ve done. There’s no wailing, stomping of feet, or theatrical screaming matches. These two actually behave like adults, and admit that they both could have handled the situation better. It also gives the author time to explore the extremely pleasing fantasy of hot sex with a hot stranger.

While Abby is a sexually confident woman, once she and Zac hook up readers will find a monogamous relationship. Also, there is a smaller secondary romance between the real receptionist and Zac’s best friend that plays out quite nicely.

While the plot isn’t what one would call complex, and the conflict runs on the thin side, this is a pleasing erotic romance that works quite well. Walker’s previously published erotica consists of several novellas, and her ability in the craft of writing spicy sex shows. Having waded through some less than desirable offerings from the recent erotica boom, this is one of the better novels to land in my lap. It was a pleasant diversion indeed and a good start to Walker’s full-length novel career.

++++++

Wendy Looks Back: Walker had several shorter stories/novellas under her belt when the first big wave of what would become known as "erotic romance" hit.  By the mid-2000s, most romance publishers had some sort of a "erotic romance" imprint and veterans like Walker were getting snapped up.  This was her first full-length book for Berkley Heat and while I did find the conflict a bit on the thin side, Walker writes passion very well and tends to avoid the trap of writing kink for kink's sake.  She's still writing today and still an author I enjoy reading when I want something on the spicy side.

Retro Review: In the Groove by Pamela Britton

The review for In The Groove by Pamela Britton was originally posted at The Romance Reader in 2006.  Back then, I gave it 2 Hearts (D Grade) with an MPAA sensuality rating of G.  So yeah, if you're expecting dirty NASCAR racing shenanigans, keep on walking...

+++++

After spending over 370 pages reading about Sarah Tingle I needed to make an appointment with my dentist. Readers will be hard pressed to find a sweeter heroine – and no, that is not a compliment.

Sarah’s life has gone from bad to worse. A jealous ex doctored up some nude photographs and got them published, causing Sarah to get fired from her kindergarten teaching job. Unable to repair her damaged reputation, she takes the only job she can find – driving the motor coach for some NASCAR driver. However on her way to meet her new boss, her car breaks down and she finds herself hiking along a deserted road in the middle of nowhere.

That’s how she meets her new boss, Lance Cooper – except she doesn’t recognize him. She has no clue who he is, other than one devastatingly handsome man. Lance is immediately smitten with Sarah, a woman so sweet, so innocent, and so unaffected by his fame. Once she realizes he’s Lance Cooper she’s horrified, but he convinces her to take the job anyway. He wants to keep this woman around.

Why he wants to keep her around is a mystery unto itself. Sarah is the very definition of a Mary Sue heroine, and after 50 pages of her I was ready drink myself into oblivion. She’s sweet, she’s vulnerable, and she’s The Victim. Life has handed her a bad hand, but instead of doing something (like calling the police on the ex who is obviously obsessed with her!), she runs off to work for Lance. Lance then proceeds to shelter her, baby her, and look at her longingly. Good romance heroines fight back when life deals them a bad hand – Sarah just rolls over and dies.

Worse still, her cloying sweetness soon overflows onto the rest of the story. She doesn’t swear and says things like “holy guacamole” and “jeez oh peets.” She bakes animal-shaped sugar cookies for Lance after he has a bad day on the track. She never says a bad word to anybody – including those who think she’s “not much to look at” or her own mother who insults her at every turn. Lance should have thrown her in his race car, driven her to the hospital and demanded a spine transplant.

Lance isn’t a bad guy, and quite charming – but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what he saw in Little Miss Goody-Goody. Frankly he merely reinforces the ideal that woman should be good, innocent and sweet if they ever have hopes of landing a man. Heaven forbid she have a brain in her head and can stand up for herself.

Eventually the author tries to allow her heroine to grow, but after 300 pages of syrup, her finding a backbone is too little, too late. In fact, the resolution of the creepy ex angle is poorly handled, but at least Sarah doesn’t need Lance to come and rescue her – which I suppose says something.

The NASCAR angle is well done, and Britton continues to write well. It’s just unfortunate that she saddled this story with a heroine so cloyingly cutesy that I had a mouth full of cavities by the end of it. Sarah is probably a heroine I would have liked to have read about in high school, but being several years past that stage in my life all I could think about was Lance running over her with his car. The yellow flag is definitely out – proceed with caution.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: I love Harlequin, Lord knows I do - but they own their share of "bad ideas."  This partnership with NASCAR was one of them.  To be fair to Britton, word on the street at the time was that the deal between NASCAR and Harlequin was basically to churn out "wholesome" stories to fit with the whole American Heartland "thing" they like to hawk.  But even in the more innocent times of 2006, this portrayal of NASCAR, its drivers, its fans, and the general trappings of the sport strained considerably.  I can't imagine it's aged all that well in the 10+ years since this book was published.

Britton is still writing, mostly in category romance and I'm capable of enjoying her work.  But this one was a whole bunch of nope for me back in 2006.  And interestingly enough?  It doesn't exist in ebook format, never mind that Harlequin began digitizing it's entire front list in fall of 2007. 

Retro Review: Diary of a Domestic Goddess

This review for Diary of a Domestic Goddess by Elizabeth Haribson was originally posted at The Romance Reader in 2005.  Back then, I gave it 4 Hearts (B grade) with an MPAA content rating of PG-13

+++++

Elizabeth Harbison’s latest for Silhouette Special Edition succeeds where other romances have failed. She sells her story by writing about real people – or at least characters who could easily be real people. In fact, Kit Macy is likely one of the most “real” characters I’ve come across in recent memory. Diary Of A Domestic Goddess ultimately wins because the heroine is a winner.

For the last several years, Kit Macy has been managing editor and columnist at Home Life magazine, an outdated homemaker publication that Donna Reed would have read back in the 1950s. Still, it comes as a shock when the magazine is taken over by the powerful Monahan Group and the staff is given pink slips. Kit needs her job. Not only is she a single mom to four-year-old Johnny, she’s a millimeter away from closing on her dream house. She needs to be gainfully employed, and now she’s desperate. Therefore, she resorts to begging.

Breck Monahan puts Cal Panagos in charge of Home Life hoping he’ll fail miserably. In order to salvage a shred of his once sterling reputation, Cal has to make the reinvention of the magazine work – and the first order of business is unloading a staff full of antiquated ideas. However, Kit Macy won’t go away. In fact, she confronts him and tells him that he cannot turn the magazine around without her. And because he’s a sucker for a beautiful, determined woman, Cal agrees to keep her on for two months. Secretly he knows he can do without her on the job, but dang if her feistiness doesn’t intrigue the heck out of him. Banter, libidos and double entendres are soon flying, with Kit giving tit for tat.

Office romances tend to be a hard sell to the more cynical of readers, but Harbison makes this fantasy work because Kit is very much a real person. At the beginning of the novel she’s trying to juggle her career, getting approved for a mortgage, writing her latest column, and solving Johnny’s bully problems in preschool. All stuff that women deal with every day, and like real women, Kit keeps running up against obstacles that make it all the more hairy. When Cal shows up and fires everyone a little piece of her snaps. She figures this is one instance where she has to stand up to her own bully or she will lose everything.

Cal remains a bit of a mystery for a while, but he soon shapes up into hero material. He’s a handsome, ambitious man with lady-killing charm. He’s also determined to succeed at all costs, which makes him wonder exactly what he was thinking with when he agreed to keep Kit on. He figures it’s because she reminds him of a schoolboy crush, or that it’s because he’s been neglecting his libido, but he soon realizes that in order to succeed he truly needs her.

The focus of the story is always on the birth of the new magazine and the romance. Monahan serves marginally as a villain, although he remains firmly off stage. Johnny is precocious and sweet, but not so annoying cutesy that he’ll give readers a toothache. I also enjoyed the change of pace of The Ex Husband here, as for once he’s not The Bad Guy. Kit actually has a healthy relationship with Rick, and while their marriage failed, one gets the impression that they’re civil not just for Johnny but because they do still genuinely care about each other.

Diary Of A Domestic Goddess is a quick, charming read that succeeds thanks to well-drawn, realistic characters and witty dialogue. Frankly, the state of romance would certainly get a shot in the arm if there were more heroines out there like Kit Macy. She’s the woman you see in the grocery store, at PTA meetings, or at your son’s soccer games. She is Every Woman, and because she is, you really want her to have her happily ever after. Because if it can happen to Kit, it just might happen to that PTA mom you know.

+++++

Wendy Remembers: The cover.  Honestly.  The heroine's face is so tight and shiny it's like a combination of Botox and facelift that went horribly wrong.  And what's with hero dude leering at her?  Although nice touch having the kid's school picture on the desk.  Anyway, superficial nonsense aside, since I just read another Harbison romance for the last TBR Challenge, I thought it would be fun to pull this old review out from the depths.    

Retro Review: Family Man by Carol Carson

This review of Family Man by Carol Carson was first published by The Romance Reader in 2000.  Back then I gave it a rating of 3 Hearts (C Grade) with an MPAA content rating of PG.

+++++

Jane Warner moved to Drover, Kansas in 1888 to take care of her older brother’s farm and two young sons. David Warner, grieving for his dead wife, neglected his farm and sons and eventually took off, leaving Jane in charge. Jane’s existence on the farm has been less than idyllic, and now she’s taken sick. The town doctor is a quack and claims that she’s dying and her illness, which he can’t even diagnose, is most likely the result of a curse.

Jane doesn’t believe in curses, but since the doctor can’t seem to help her, she begins to question her mortality. What would happen to the farm? Her two young nephews? She certainly can’t rely on David to reappear since she has no idea where he even is. So, she takes out an ad for a man. The boys need a father, and to be cared for if she should actually die.

Rider Magrane returns to Drover after a five year stint in prison. His crime involved David Warner, so Rider decides to repay his debt to the man personally. Imagine his surprise to find Jane, and not David in residence. Jane doesn’t seem to know Rider or his connection to her brother, so of course he doesn’t tell her the truth. Rider decides the best way to repay his debt to David is to answer Jane’s ad and take care of her, the boys and the farm.

Family Man had some clever moments, but there were instances where I found the main characters actions unbelievable. Jane immediately accepts this stranger, who she knows nothing about, into her home with an 18-month-old and 6-year-old in residence. This isn’t believable in 2000, let alone 1888. Also, she doesn’t seem to think her ad through very well. Rider is the one who brings up marriage, since it isn’t proper by 1888 standards for a woman and man to live under the same roof with no chaperone and unmarried. This thought never even crossed Jane’s mind.

Rider is generally a likeable romance hero, but his motives concerning Jane are less than stellar in the beginning. His feelings for her are all over the map: he’s attracted to her, even likes her, but doesn’t love her. Then he figures marrying Jane and taking care of the farm is a good way to repay David. Gee, don’t do the girl any favors.

Original Cover

But I’m a sucker for a western romance and Family Man endeared itself to me in several ways. First, Jane and Rider are pretty much equals when it comes to experience with the opposite sex. For those of you who are tired of worldly men “educating” virginal women, this aspect of the story should appeal. Also, Carson writes some amusing secondary characters including a sister straight from The Taming of the Shrew and Evie Smith, a cantankerous old woman who pulls freight for a living.

Even though I was scratching my head in the beginning, by the end Jane and Rider really do come out as a likeable romance couple. They never lit a fire in me, but I wasn’t cheering on the bad guys either and even anticipated the consummation of their relationship.

Family Man is the sequel to the author’s first Leisure publication Bad Company. She does a nice job filling in details, while leaving enough mystery for those who want to seek out the earlier title. Family Man offers readers lighthearted moments and amusing characters. A book and an author worth a look for western romance fans.

+++++

Wendy Remembers:  One of those books that I read during my TRR tenure that I now have little recall for (look, 2000 was 17 years ago...).  Reading my review, I think this may have been one of the first few handful of books I read that featured a virgin hero (but remember, my memory is hazy - reading in between the lines of my old review, pretty sure the dude's a virgin).  Anyway, if my Old School review has gotten you curious, Carson has since self-published this and it's a very affordable $1.99 (at least via Amazon).

Retro Review: Hot As Ice

This review of Hot as Ice by Merline Lovelace was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2002.  Back then I rated it 3-Hearts (C Grade) with a MPAA sensuality rating of "PG-13."

+++++

Major Charles Stone has been missing since his plane went down over Soviet airspace in 1956. Imagine the government’s surprise when Stone literally resurfaces encased in a block of ice! Not wanting to muddy relations with newfound allies, the OMEGA team is called into action. OMEGA is a top-secret government agency with highly trained operatives - operatives that tend to be called in as a last resort when crisis is afoot. They dispatch biologist Diana Remington to get the goods on Stone. Her objective is to restore him, and debrief him on why his plane went down.

Diana is witness to a scientific marvel when Major Stone is revived, and shows little effect from his years under deep freeze. The trick is to keep him concealed, get him to trust her, and gently ease him back into a society that is light years beyond 1956. It’s easier said than done though, as Diana knows immediately that her objectivity is slipping under the heated gaze of Charles Stone.

Enjoyment of this lasted entry in the Code Name: Danger series hinges on the reader swallowing the whole “Iceman” angle. I was willing to suspend belief somewhat, but was unable to wholly let myself go. The scenes when Charles is first revived provide the reader with a certain amount of hope, as the author does a good job of portraying what it was like to be a pilot during the Cold War. Charles wakes up, fiercely protecting what he knows, thinking that the people who have found him could very well be KGB agents trying to brainwash him.

However, he’s in for a bit of shock when it comes to Diana. When it comes to women’s liberation, Charles is the classic fish out of water. Diana doesn’t cook? She doesn’t wear a bra? However, her being a doctor, not to mention a biologist doesn’t seem to faze him.

Diana finds herself warming up to Charles mainly because she begins to feel sorry for him. Here’s a man who has missed out on half of his life, with no family left, and many friends dead. There is also the issue of Diana being involved with another man, and Charles once having been engaged to an army nurse. These issues are briefly explored, and dropped entirely once the story reaches the climax.

While I liked Diana and Charles, my skepticism of the “Iceman” angle, and my desire for more background exploration left me lukewarm. That said, I did finish Hot As Ice in one morning, and found the premise of a top-secret government agency like OMEGA an appealing one. Readers who enjoy military themes, or have followed this series will likely enjoy a return visit regardless.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: Back in the day Harlequin would (occasionally) squeak through with a completely banana-pants plot for a romance - oh, like military heroes found frozen in a giant block of ice.  Makes secret babies and amnesia look almost quaint, doesn't it?

Also, I obviously was completely oblivious at the time - but DIANA AND CHARLES?!?!?  If that name combo wasn't outlawed in Romancelandia in 1981, it definitely should have been by 2002.

Lovelace had a 20+ year career in the US Air Force and retired as a Colonel.  She's written a bazillion books and is still writing today, for a variety of Harlequin lines.

Retro Review: Derik's Bane

This review of Derik's Bane by MaryJanice Davidson was first published at The Romance Reader in 2005.  Back then I rated it 2-Hearts (D grade) with a MPAA sensuality rating of R.

+++++

Derik Gardner is a werewolf with a problem – turns out he’s Alpha. Derik’s pack already has an Alpha, his best friend, and two Alphas in one pack is not a good thing. So not wanting to usurp his best friend’s rule, he’s pretty much decided to hit the road. Then a mission comes along that hastens his departure.

Dr. Sara Gunn happens to be the reincarnation of Morgan Le Fay, King Arthur’s dreaded half-sister. Another werewolf tells Derik that Sara (who doesn’t realize that she’s Morgan) will destroy the world if he doesn’t “take care of her.” So Derik hops in a convertible and hits the road for sunny California.

Sara is not having a good day. Her car bites the dust, some robed weirdoes show up at her hospital and try to kill her, and now there’s a werewolf standing in her kitchen who half-heartedly tries to strangle her. Derik naturally cannot kill Sara – not only is she cute, but she’s just too ditzy to be an evil sorceress. So the two decide to hit the road to change her fate and save the world from the robed weirdoes.

Derik’s Bane is book 3 in Davidson’s Wyndham Werewolf series – the first two stories being entries in Secrets anthologies from Red Sage Publishing. While previous characters do make appearances, Davidson doesn’t clutter up this tale with too much back-story. Newcomers will have no problem keeping up.

Unfortunately, enjoyment of Derik’s Bane hinges solely on how well the reader likes quirky. This book is so full of quirky that by the halfway point I had spots dancing before my eyes. Sara, Derik and every other character speak constant wisecrack. In fact, there are so many one-liners, pop culture references, and foul-mouthed asides that it is safe to say there isn’t one meaningful conversation in this entire book. It’s okay and a little fun for the first 100 pages, but by page 300 it strains the seams of credulity.

Somewhere in the middle of all the smart-ass dialogue, the romance gets lost – as in there just plain isn’t one to speak of. Oh sure, Sara and Derik end up together but their courtship leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, one gets the feeling that besides the great sex they have (and really, there’s only one scene where the sex is “great,” the other two instances are rather pathetic) what they really like is the adventure they are on.

Ultimately, this is a very silly book. Silly can be good when it’s done right, and for the first 100 or so pages it’s done right here. But somewhere around the time that Derik tries to kill Sara and she hurls insults and a jar of Noxema his way it started to quickly lose charm. Who defends themselves against an attacker by throwing DVD cases, Noxema and an empty box of chocolates them? Why not grab a butcher knife from the kitchen or run down your residential street screaming at the top of your lungs? But that’s neither here nor there.

Davidson certainly has a very distinctive voice, one that will divide readers. Either you’ll love this book or strongly dislike it – there’s not a whole lot of room for middle ground here. Readers looking for fluff or enjoy silly for silly’s sake will find a lot to like here. It’s not that this book isn’t humorous, there is just absolutely nothing serious tossed in to add dimension and diversity.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: This would be the point in my romance reading life where I discovered that a little wacky goes a long way for me.

Retro Review: Only in Your Arms

This review of Only In Your Arms by Tracy Cozzens was originally published by The Romance Reader in 2000.  Back then I rated in 5-Hearts (A grade) with an "R" sensuality content rating (oh boy, times have changed - take that R rating with a grain of salt me thinks).

+++++

In 1601 London, Marcus Sinclair is just another actor working with William Shakespeare when a friend asks him for a very big favor. Lord Richard Langsforth is determined to marry Lady Judith Ashton, but despite his attempts at wooing her, Lady Judith is betrothed to the despicable Viscount Mowbray, a man who has been through four wives already. So Richard asks Marcus to rescue Lady Judith and return her to the Langsforth estate so they can marry.

However, there are a few flaws in the plan. For one thing, Marcus finds himself entranced with Judith and must fight his growing attraction. After all, he’s a lowly actor, she’s the only daughter of a baron, not to mention that his best friend wants to marry her!

On top of all this, Lady Judith is reluctant to disobey her father. While the thought of marrying the Viscount turns her stomach, she was raised to honor her father. She certainly can’t just run off and marry an Earl’s son that she vaguely remembers. But Marcus’ pleas for her safety, and his haunting gray eyes, help Judith realize that maybe true love isn’t just for fairy tales.

And that’s just the first seven chapters. What happens in the remaining sixteen? Will Marcus convince Judith to leave her father and her doomed betrothal? Will she marry Lord Richard? Will Marcus and Judith find happiness with each other in a society ruled by class, nobility and rank?

Only in Your Arms is emotionally draining and satisfying all at once. There’s something for every reader within its pages, whether it be plot, character development or atmosphere, this story has it in spades.

Tracy Cozzens should be commended for her wonderful character development and plot pacing. All of the main characters are wonderfully complex, with good and bad qualities. One minute I was disgusted by their behavior, the next I was cheering them on. Because of this, they felt distinctly real to me, and I became invested in their struggles.

And what struggles they have! The action in this story is never ending. Whether it be wrestling with their emotions, or running towards freedom, there is no down time. The main characters must face one challenge after another.

But what ultimately sealed this book in 5 Heart glory was Audrey, Judith’s outspoken and fearless maid. Her story alone could easily have found its way into another novel, but by weaving her tale in with Marcus and Judith, Cozzens gives readers two great romances for the price of one.
Only in Your Arms has everything a great Shakespearean romance should -- tragedy, comedy, star-crossed lovers, betrayal, conspiracies, and Elizabethan intrigue. Cozzens is definitely a rising star to watch.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: Yet another book I have no recall on, but obviously back in 2000 (and this was early days in my stint with TRR...) I really loved this book.  What I do I recall?  This won the RWA Golden Heart in 1998 for Best Unpublished Long Historical manuscript and after reading this book I decided that being assigned by my editor to review Golden Heart winners was not a bad thing.  By and large?  Even if the book isn't my personal cup o' tea - a Golden Heart winner is sure to at least be a competently written book.

Cozzens wrote several more books for Kensington but seems to have vanished off the Internet map.  Where oh where are you Ms. Cozzens?  Also, this book is out of print and is not available for purchase as an ebook.  If you'd like to read other reviews before going used bookstore hunting (you know, like in the olden days...) - All About Romance gave this one a B+ and Mrs. Giggles gave it high marks, albeit with some quibbles.

Retro Review: Heart of Texas by Mary Lynn Baxter

This review of Heart of Texas by Mary Lynn Baxter was first posted at The Romance Reader in 1999.  Back then I rated it 3-Hearts (C grade) with a MPAA sensuality content rating of PG-13.

+++++

Clark Garrison is on a mission. He has been sent by his boss to purchase Quiet Haven nursing home in his hometown of River Oaks, Texas. The only obstacle is Sara Ann Wilson, chiropractor and part owner of Quiet Haven. Five years her junior, Clark knew Sara from the days when he was a high school football player and the town’s resident bad boy. Sara and her mother were not pleased that back in those days Clark was dating Sara’s younger sister, Alice. So, to persuade Sara to sell, he has try and convince her he’s a changed man.

Sara is 39, single, and a workaholic. She loves her practice, and her work at the nursing home. She gave up a lucrative practice in Dallas to return to River Oaks and take care of her mother. She’s happy and fulfilled with her job, but her personal life is none existent.

Clark and Sara meet up at her house after he throws out his back. Sexual tension is crackling in the air, and Clark (of course) does not reveal the real reason he’s returned to River Oaks. This makes up the story’s central conflict, although Sara’s insecurities also play a major role.

Heart of Texas has some interesting ideas, the story is too formulaic to make a real impact. The older woman -- younger man (even if it is only 5 years) was a nice change of pace. What I found disagreeable was Sara’s lack of experience with personal relationships. She’s 39 and a doctor. I find it unlikely that someone with her life experiences (college, living in Dallas) would be that naïve. Instead, Clark calls the shots through most of book, and Sara just coasts along having doubts.

The sexual tension between Clark and Sara is also well done. Baxter doesn’t mince words, and it’s apparent from the second chapter these two have it bad for each other. The progression of their attraction moves along nicely, and I never came across a chapter that was “dead weight.”

However, there are no new ideas here, and anyone who’s read at least five romances will know exactly where the story is going before they even get there. Some good ideas, wasted in predictability.

+++++

Note: This book was published in October 1999 and I started reviewing for TRR in August 1999 - not terribly long after I rediscovered the genre.  So in less than one year of devouring romance novels I thought this was predictable - which is saying something.

I'm almost tempted to reread this, but dang - that paragraph about Sara's "inexperience" has me thinking I probably shouldn't.  What I do recall?  I think the "leanness" of this book and other Desires I read in that era quickly led it to becoming my favorite category line at that time.  Even back then I had little patience for "dead weight" and "filler."

(Heh - if that cover model is 34-years-old I'm 25.)

Retro Review: Million Dollar Stud (Yes, Really.)

This review of Million Dollar Stud by Meg Lacey was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2002.  Back then I rated it 1-Heart (F Grade) with an MPAA sensuality content rating of PG-13.

+++++

As a reader nothing bothers me more than when my intelligence is being insulted. Honestly Harlequin, Million Dollar Stud?! The only logical explanation I have for this moronic title is that it was conceived during the office happy hour. However, Harlequin does have this knack for putting dopey titles on good books, so despite cringing every time I had to haul this book out in public, I kept an open mind when reading the story. Unfortunately, it’s equally as insulting.

Richard Darcy Kristof is a bored gazillionaire. Desperate for an adventure, he makes a wager with his lawyer cousin - Darcy is going to live one month, in the middle of nowhere, without any of his gazillionaire resources. Going under the assumed name of Rick Darcy, he is soon working as temporary manager of Braybourne Farms in tiny Cecil, Kentucky.

Sylvia “Silver” Braybourne is a daddy’s little girl who wants to turn the family farm around. All she’s ever wanted to do is run the farm, but Daddy just can’t get past the fact that she’s a girl. Not only does he keep trying to marry her off, but he also doesn’t take her seriously when she tries to show him that the troubled horse he won in a poker game is a sure winner. Adding insult to injury he hires Rick Darcy for the job she should rightfully have.

Where does one begin? Darcy is conceited, spoiled and an egomaniac. Women are mere playthings, and he freely admits within the first chapter that they tend to bore him to tears. Well, that is, they don’t bore him enough to make him stop wanting to seduce them - and the minute he meets Silver he’s working overtime to get into her pants.

Silver falls into the feisty heroine category. The only thing that was missing to complete the picture was her whining “But Daddy…” and stamping her feet. Not only does the reader have the read the same old “I can run the family business better than any man” claptrap, but Silver is completely spineless. So Daddy won’t let her run the farm - why doesn’t she pack her bags, and go to work for someone who does take her seriously? Instead she continues to train the troubled horse, succumb to Darcy’s busy hands, and allow Daddy to treat her like a brainless twit.

The secondary characters are all out central casting. There’s the clueless yet doting father, the steel magnolia mother, the brash local woman who runs a burger joint, and the wise, old farm hand (nicknamed Tater of all things). Add to this the I-hate-you-I-want-you relationship between Darcy and Silver and I think I actually felt my brain begin to melt.

There is a very minor bright spot towards the end of the story, which features Silver telling Darcy off big time. Unfortunately this is a romance, and there has to be a happily-ever-after. Silly me, I held out hope that she would keep on walking - I know nothing would have made me happier.

Stories with titles like Million Dollar Stud do little to improve the image of category romance. My advice is to check out some of the more favorable category reviews featured at TRR. Anything has to be better than this.

Retro Review: Can You Forget? by Melissa James

This review of Can You Forget? by Melissa James was first published at The Romance Reader in 2004.  Back then I rated it 3-Hearts (C grade) and gave it an MPAA sensuality content rating of PG-13.

+++++

Dr. Tallan “Irish” O’Rierdan has spent the last several years working as search and rescue for a spy organization called the Nighthawks. It’s his job to go into war zones and save the innocent, and it is on one such mission that he nearly dies. Now with a leg that barely works right and a scarred face, he’s hiding out on a tropical island playing the role of a beach-bum pilot and ignoring persistent calls from his Nighthawk boss.

Mary-Anne Poole is Tal’s childhood sweetheart and a nurse who turned her back on medicine to become world famous singer Verity West. She too is recruited by the Nighthawks, because as Verity West she can get close to the rich, famous, and unscrupulous. She hides behind her ice princess persona, plays cat burglar when necessary – but in actuality she hasn’t left the chubby girl who so desperately loved Tal that far behind. When Tal drops out of his job as Nighthawk operative, Mary-Anne is called to bring him back into the fold and complete a dangerous mission. Seems there is a traitor in the Nighthawk camp – and it’s up to Tal and Mary-Anne to catch the bad guys.

Can You Forget? features two of the more credible themes in Romance Novel Land – friends-to-lovers and reunion. Mary-Anne and Tal are both desperately in love with each other, but circumstances have kept them apart. Even though they both were married to other people, they couldn’t seem to completely let go of each other. While they find themselves now thrown together for the sake of a mission – they both think that staying together would be impossible. After all, Verity West is an international star with paparazzi hiding around every corner, and Tal is a scarred has-been. Their past and present circumstances, along with their unresolved feelings for one another, make this a very emotional read.

Unfortunately it all gets a little lost in the technicalities. Can You Forget? is book two in the author’s Nighthawk series and reads like a book two. There is a lot of back story that just isn’t provided. For instance, I never got a good handle on exactly who the Nighthawks were. They’re super-secret, the operatives know nothing about each other, and call each other by code name. Mary-Anne and Tal are both Australian, much of the story takes place in the Mediterranean, and there is mention of an office in Virginia. So are the Nighthawks an international, U.S. or Australian organization? And how do they recruit?

It also doesn’t help matters that there are two main bad guys in this story. Bad guy #1 is obsessed with Verity West and is some sort of arms dealer. I’m assuming that bad guy #2 is a holdover from the first book in the series, Who Do You Trust? He’s mildly interested in getting at Tal, but he’s more interested in getting at the couple from that first book. The need for revenge on this earlier couple isn’t explained outside of the villain’s obsession with that earlier heroine.

It’s these unexplained details that make the book a little too crowded. When the focus is solely on romance between Tal and Mary-Anne the story really works. James has the talent to write an emotional love story, with lots of angst and tears to pull at the reader’s heartstrings. Unfortunately, Can You Forget? reads very much like a series and the technical, on-going aspects of the Nighthawk story left this first time reader at a disadvantage. If you’ve read that first book, by all means this book two is an accomplished series romance. However, curious newcomers would do well to start at the beginning.

Retro Review: The Taming of Shaw MacCade

This review of The Taming of Shaw MacCade by Judith E. French was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2001.  I rated it 4-Hearts (B Grade) with a MPAA rating of "R" for sensuality content (which by today's standards would probably make it PG-13...)

+++++

Romeo & Juliet never did much for me. Shakespeare took the time to write a story of forbidden love, only to have them die in the end. Talk about a let down. Well, Judith E. French looks to rectify the situation with her own spin on the classic tale in her latest offering.

Rebecca Raeburn and Shaw MacCade met as children and became fast friends. Nothing odd about two children getting along, except that the Raeburns and MacCades have been feuding for generations, dating back to when the families lived in Scotland. However, kids have a tendency to grow up, which means that Shaw and Becca soon discover that they both have budding romantic feelings for each other. But when Becca catches Shaw kissing her own sister, Eve, she makes a break and stops secretly seeing him. Shaw then ups and leaves for adventure out west.

Four years later, in 1849, Shaw MacCade has the nerve to return to Angel Crossing, Missouri. He may have been gone a long time, but he’s never been able to forget the only girl he’s truly loved. Becca is anything but pleased to see him though. After Shaw left, it was discovered that Eve was pregnant. She claimed that the child was Shaw’s, and it didn’t help matters that the boy looked just like a MacCade. Ostracized at home, Eve then took off for St. Louis, her honor in tatters.

Shaw knows darn well he isn’t the father of Eve’s baby, but Becca doesn’t want to hear it. On top of all this, he discovers that in his absence his brother, Laird, was shot in the back, supposedly by Becca’s father. Even though a jury found him innocent, Shaw is determined to find the murderer and bring him to justice. But how can Shaw seek revenge when it’s very likely that it will cause Becca pain? And will Becca come to accept that Shaw did not dishonor her sister and abandon his child?

French adds lots of conflict to this mix, which makes The Taming of Shaw MacCade a real head-spinner. With an honest-to-goodness Hatfield and McCoy type feud, the question about Eve, and the hunt for Laird’s murderer, there is little room for the romance, which I found slightly lacking. Shaw and Becca sort of jump right in where they left off, and with so much conflict to deal with, there’s very little time for them to discover their true feelings for each other. Admittedly, I’m a reader that likes to watch a slow, natural progression of a relationship, and that’s not what is offered here. Aside from a couple of flashback scenes, the romance starts half way through the race, instead of at the starting gate.

That said though, the author does craft a real pager turner. There is no down time for this story, and things soon get even more fast paced when Becca and Shaw set out to locate Eve and her child. While the identity of the father is no real mystery, the revelation about Laird’s killer and the resolution of the feud are both satisfying to read about. While there is a touch of melodrama at the end, it is never over the top, and everything is wrapped up in a nice, neat package.

Readers who are drawn to forbidden love storylines will undoubtedly find quite a bit to enjoy, and I predict that The Taming of Shaw MacCade will land on a few keeper shelves. While I wanted a bit more exploration into the romance, nicely done conflict and a solid storyline had me easily and quickly turning the pages. As exciting as this one was, I’m sure glad I have some of French’s backlist ready and waiting.

+++++

Wendy's Reflections: So I have zero recall of this book, but then I read it 15 years ago (yes, 2001 was 15 years ago....) so that's probably to be expected.  What I find intriguing?  I was obviously willing to suspend quite a bit of disbelief.  I mean, the two families hatred for each other dates back to Scotland and yet when they move to America both families JUST HAPPEN to settle near each other in Missouri?!?!?!  The US is pretty big - they couldn't avoid each other?

(Although maybe this is explained in the book?  Again, 15 years ago....)

Retro Review: Windwalker

This review for Windwalker by Natasha Mostert was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2005.  I gave it 1-Heart (F grade) and a MPAA G-rating for sensuality content.

+++++

No reviewer associated with TRR ever gives a one-heart review lightly. We agonize over them. Is the book really that bad that it deserves such a harsh review? Is there nothing redeemable? In the case of Windwalker there is something redeemable – this author can write. Mostert also has a real sense of place, and a portion of the story takes place in Africa - an unusual setting by romance standards. Unfortunately Windwalker is also boring, almost completely lacking in dialogue, cluttered with Gothic elements that lack suspense, and worst of all – it breaks the cardinal rule of romance novels. Since this book is published by Tor’s paranormal romance line, it’s a rude little surprise indeed.

Justine Callaway is a photojournalist running from her past. She feels guilty over her role in her beloved brother’s death, has a horrible relationship with her mother, and has even tried to commit suicide. Her solution to her problems is to run away to a mansion in the English countryside, where she takes on the job of caretaker. However once she arrives spooky things begin to happen.

A ghostly wolf-like image begins appearing in her photographs of the house. She ticks off one of the local teenage punks. She garners the attention of the town’s creepy stalker who calls himself The Watcher. Plus, she begins to obsess over the family who previously owned the house – the Buchanans.

Adam Buchanan is living a life of exile in Africa. Nine years earlier he killed his spoiled brother in an altercation. So he runs away from home. While he’s cut himself off from the outside world, Adam does believe in the concept of soul mates, and has been writing letters to a mysterious woman for years. Turns out that mysterious woman is Justine and she’s now living in his abandoned family home.

Now this all sounds interesting right? There’s a great Gothic tone, and Mostert really has a way of painting a setting with words. Unfortunately the whole thing is really bloody boring! There is barely any dialogue to speak of. Chapters go by without any of the characters speaking to anyone. I kept waiting for something to happen, and when it finally does it is extremely anti-climatic.

Several instances that could have been quite suspenseful come off as tedious. The idea of Justine having a stalker could have been exciting – but instead the reader knows immediately the identity of the man. There’s absolutely no mystery to it. There’s also the presence of a villain in Africa, but given that he’s motivated by greed and underworld ties, it’s not a big leap to know exactly where his story arc will go.

The romance here is non-existent. Adam and Justine don’t even meet until the last 100 pages of the book, and when they do they simply declare that they’re “soul mates” and are so in love. Color me skeptical. Given Justine’s questionable mental condition (the girl needs a therapist not a romance) and Adam’s homicidal tendencies, it’s a bit of a leap to buy into a grand cosmic love affair.

However it’s the ending that really sinks the book. Readers tend to clamor for different ideas in their romantic fiction, but something tells me they won’t be prepared for an ending like this one. Mostert breaks the cardinal rule of romance. It's the stuff of women’s fiction, fantasy, and literary circles – not romance.

Ultimately that is what sinks Windwalker into one heart territory. Sure the writing is crisp and I loved Mostert’s descriptive settings. But with virtually no dialogue, a plot that packs no suspenseful punch, a completely unsatisfactory romance, and an ending that has no business being in a novel marketed as romance – Windwalker more than earned this one-heart review.

+++++

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A Rather Lengthy Note: Given the recent brouhahas about books marketed as romances that feature not-happy endings, I thought it would be fun to revisit this review.  2005 was the height of the paranormal boom and Tor launched a "paranormal romance" line - which is the imprint this book was released under.  It was a disservice to both the author and the reader because when you pick up something published under a "paranormal romance" imprint you kinda, sorta expect to get a romance novel.

Obviously from my review, I had numerous issues with the book - but the final nail in the coffin was that ending.  If you're curious - Spoiler = The details are fuzzy now but I'm positive the hero dies in the end.  I *think* the heroine lives - but damn if I can remember now.  The brain bleach I drank did a halfway decent job of scrubbing my memory. /end Spoiler.

It was also a book in a long parade of paranormal romances I read during those years that made me loathe the "soul mate" theme.  I'm sorry folks, it has and always will smack of a storytelling shortcut to me.

So this is just to say that yep - this kind of nonsense happened 10+ years ago too.  Although I think more so today since we have so many self-published authors clamoring for name recognition and publishers spit-balling outrageous ideas to hit upon The Next Big Thing.  And, you know, generally chasing after the fact that romance readers drop a serious amount of money on our book budgets.

Stay strong Romancelandia.  Stay strong.

Retro Review: Ex and the Single Girl

This review of Ex and the Single Girl by Lani Diane Rich was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2005.  I rated it 5-Hearts (an A grade) with a MPAA G-rating for sensuality.

+++++

“Honey, there’s no such thing as crazy. There’s just degrees of interesting.” – Aunt Vera

And those literary snobs keep saying that Chick Lit is dead. If Rich’s third book is any indication the funeral needs to be postponed indefinitely. After finishing my advanced copy in one sitting, I closed the back cover only to realize that I hadn’t been this emotionally invested in a book in a long time.

Portia Fallon has been dumped by her long-time boyfriend, on Valentine’s Day no less. He didn’t even break up to her face. No, Portia came home to discover a hastily scribbled goodbye on the title page of Peter’s well-reviewed but poorly sold literary novel. For the last several months, she has taken to watching Pride & Prejudice repeatedly, drinking bottles of chardonnay and eating bags of Cheetos. Oh, and she’s pretty much ceased to work on her dissertation.

Then Portia’s mother calls telling stories of a horrible back injury and could she please come home and help run the family bookstore? She’s all set to say no when Portia realizes a startling truth – she’s about one step away from becoming a Crazy Cat Lady. So she packs her bags, sublets her apartment and leaves Syracuse, New York for Truly, Georgia.

However once in Truly Portia realizes she’s been had. Her mother, Mags, is perfectly fine. So are her aunt, Vera, and her grandmother, Bev. In fact, they’ve asked Portia to make the long drive to Truly for the sole purpose of getting her laid. She’s been entirely too mopey since Peter left. The girl needs a “Flyer” or in code understood by everyone else, a Rebound Man. A guy Portia can have great sex with and who can help get Peter out of her system. The Miz Fallons have just the guy – sexy British spy novelist Ian Beckett, who is in town working on his latest book.

On first glance Ex And The Single Girl reminded me a lot of the play (or movie) Steel Magnolias, if it were told in first person and without any death. Rich writes about an engaging small Southern town populated by eccentric and endearing characters. The Miz Fallons play a very large role in this story as Portia comes to terms with who she is, why the women in her family are destined to be man-less, and what she wants out of her life. Portia must take a hard look at herself, and she does this by taking an equally hard look at the women who raised her.

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The romance here is sweet, as Ian and Portia have a fantastic repartee and friendship starting right when they meet for the first time. It’s all very charming and witty, and gets further complicated when Portia finds herself confronted once again with the Peter mess. That’s all well and good, but it is the emotional depth that ultimately elevates this novel to keeper status. Rich does not take the easy way out.

 While this story is very funny, it’s not just funny. The author easily could have kept the funny going and never really allowed her characters to grow and analyze their feelings and shortcomings. Portia may start the novel wallowing in self-pity, but by the end she has made herself better. She doesn’t do this just by bagging a man, but by really looking at herself, understanding who she is and who the women in her family are.

Ex And The Single Girl isn’t a long book (less than 300 pages), but it packs a punch. I was most struck by how there were no real villains in this story, only real people with their own baggage and foibles. Even the seemingly despicable Peter is allowed to have some depth, making Portia’s exploration into her past all the more complex. Our girl has choices to make, a past to examine and a life to live. As the reader, I wanted nothing more than for her win. She does, and it makes for a most satisfying read. Highly, highly recommended. Bravo Ms. Rich!

+++++

Note: Looks like the ebook reprint is only available via Amazon (don't shoot the messenger!).  Also, added bit of trivia - this book was a RITA finalist for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (RIP) in 2006.  Lakeshore Cottage by Susan Wiggs ended up taking the award.

Retro Review: The Virgin and the Vengeful Groom

This review of The Virgin and the Vengeful Groom by Dixie Browning was first posted at The Romance Reader in 2000.  I rated it 3-Hearts (C Grade) with a sensuality content rating of PG-13.

+++++

Semi-retired Navy SEAL, Curt Powers, was happily minding his own business when fate steps in to foul things up. After surviving a dangerous mission that has left him physically and emotionally aching, he discovers that his father has recently passed away. This is big news to him, since his mother told him years ago that his father was already dead. Dear old dad left him a cabin by the ocean, Power’s Point, along with six boxes of old family papers. A rolling stone for most of his life, he had finally decided to take a look through the old boxes, when a gray-eyed vixen steals them right out from under him!

Romantic suspense writer, Lily O’Malley, was on her way to drop off some of her books in a storage unit when she happened on an auction. On the block were six sealed boxes, and her curiosity getting the better of her, she puts in the highest bid. What she discovers turns out to be a gold mine of inspiration - so, when Curt shows up at one of her book signings demanding his property back, she’s hesitant to relinquish it. After all, she’s the one who bought the boxes all nice and legal after he missed three payments on the storage unit.

Since Lily is unwilling to back down, Curt offers a compromise - why not return to Power’s Point with him where they can sort through the boxes together? While Lily is a little hesitant to run off with a strange man, she’s not all that anxious to stay in town. Lily’s success as a writer has come with her own stalker. Not only has this man left dirty messages on her machine, but he’s also broken into her house to leave her “gifts.” While going away with Curt isn’t exactly appealing, the idea of getting out of town is.

After groaning upon seeing the title (why do categories always have the dopiest titles?), I found myself pleasantly surprised after the first few chapters. For one thing, Curt and Lily have oodles of sexual chemistry, and the tension is thick right from the very start. Browning has crafted two fine characters that play very well off each other. Curt is an alpha hero with a wounded past, and sexy as hell. The author had me scrapping my chin off the floor by the close of the first chapter, and completely envious of the heroine by the time they are sharing living space.

As the title implies, this story has a virgin and (big shock here) it’s Lily. The great thing about her is that she’s not the standard “shrinking-violet-must-have-man-to-protect-me” type of romance virgin. She grew up in a very tough environment and learned to take care of herself at a very young age. She may be a successful writer now, but she never takes it for granted, and still has a tendency to worry about where her next meal will come from. In her own words, her body grew up but her brain barely made it past puberty.  

The main problem with this story is that it needs to be twice as long. There was too much going on that needed to be explored in depth, and the length of the Desire line just doesn’t provide the author with the opportunity. For one thing, the stalker issue is wrapped up a little too neatly in the very last chapter. It practically screamed “plot device,” and it often detracted from the sheer enjoyment of reading about the romantic couple.  

Also, Curt’s ancestors play a prominent role in the form of the historical information that both of the characters want to keep their hands on. While these ancestors are briefly explored, it only served to wet my appetite and left me with lots of questions by the close of the story.  

Most unsettling were the unanswered questions about Curt. Why did his mother leave his father and tell Curt he was dead? Exactly what happened on that fateful secret mission that left him scarred and almost broken? Since this title appears to be a part of the “Passionate Powers” series, I can only assume that some of the information I crave is locked away in early books.

While an enjoyable story with excellent sexual tension, I can’t help but wonder what might have been if this story was twice as long. With an expanded suspense thread (or omitting it altogether) and more information about Curt’s past, The Virgin And The Vengeful Groom could have been a real blockbuster. Browning has a real knack for characterization, and I’d love to see what she could do with a full-length single title.

Retro Review: Ashes of Dreams

This review of Ashes of Dreams by Ruth Ryan Langan was first published at The Romance Reader in 2005.  I rated it 4-Hearts (B grade) with a sensuality rating of PG-13.

+++++

When one reads genre fiction, one has to expect that there’s going to be a formula. Also, plots have a way of getting recycled. I’ve read Ashes Of Dreams before. Just with different titles and different authors writing the story. But it doesn’t make this version any less entertaining. When I settled into the first chapter I knew this story was being told by a pro. Ashes Of Dreams is a pleasure to read.

Amanda Jeffrey is hanging on by a thread. When her husband died the previous year, he left her with a Kentucky horse farm in debt to the bank, a crotchety father-in-law and three young boys to raise. When her father-in-law takes a tumble while repairing the barn roof, it’s up to Amanda and her overwhelmed children to pick up the slack.

Like manna from heaven, Colin “Cole” Donnelly and his young son, Devin, come riding to the rescue. In exchange for meals and a place to sleep, they’ll take over the farm chores and do repairs on her barn and fences. Having left Ireland several years previously, the Donnellys came to America and immediately started working their way west.

Toss in the disapproving father-in-law, the immediate attraction between Amanda and Colin, Colin’s past in Ireland, a neighboring farmer who wants Amanda’s land and you have a tried and true story. However, Langan keeps it fresh and lively, throwing in a couple of twists. It’s also very evident that Langan has spent many years writing for Harlequin Historicals. Don’t let the short page count (278 pages) turn you off. This story is lean and mean, with no fat mucking up the flow of the tale.

Amanda is a strong woman trying to make the best of an unenviable situation. The horse farm was Shane’s dream. When he died, that dream went up in smoke. Still, it’s in honor of his memory that she doesn’t sell and move on. She wants to try and make a go of it, not only for Shane’s memory, but also as a legacy for her sons. Frankly, it’s nice to read about a widowed heroine who loved her husband, worked beside him, misses him, and actually misses sex. Colin’s arrival awakens a lot of buried feelings.

While raised in privilege, Colin’s memories of Ireland are not happy ones. He drags his son halfway around the world in order for a fresh start, but is unable to work through his past. He’s attracted to Amanda’s spunk, work ethic, beauty and just the fact that she’s a good woman. These are nice people who deserve their happily ever after.

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The secondary characters help move the story along and add most of the conflict. Most notable are the children, who actually behave like children. Amanda’s sons want to help their mother, but given their young ages they’re a bit overwhelmed. The real standout though is Colin’s son, who adds another dimension to the story and takes on a more prominent role in the second half.

Langan has a tendency to wax poetic during the love scenes, most notably with Colin’s dialogue – but he’s a romantic Irishman, so that’s probably to be expected. And she merely wades in Purple Prose Lake instead of jumping in the deep end. The late 19th century Kentucky setting is drawn well, and should be just the ticket for readers who want an American historical, as opposed to a flat-out western or English setting. For sheer entertainment value, Ashes Of Dreams is a treat. The fact that Langan is a skilled writer certainly doesn’t hurt either.