Random Romance Sunday: Three Wives And A Baby

The Book: Just Deserts by Brenda Jackson

The Particulars: Contemporary Romance, Kimani Romance, 2008, In Print

The Blurb:

Learning that her estranged husband has passed away is the biggest shock of Danielle Timberlake-Foster's life - until she learns that she wasn't his only wife.

Though Danielle and Marc were separated, she believed they were about to reconcile and start a family. Rocked by betrayal, Danielle sees her dreams slipping away. Until her brother's best friend, Tristan Adams, offers support, comfort - and a chance to have the child she's always wanted.

Danielle is drawn to Tristan's strong, sensual nature, but she wed Marc in haste and regretted it. Is she about to repeat her mistake? Or will a marriage of convenience turn into the soulful union she's always longed for?

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: I have a couple of books by Jackson in my TBR, but not this one.

Any Reviews?: RT gave it a 4 1/2 star rating:

...the final installment of the Foster Wives stories, is the dessert after a fine meal. Brenda Jackson's gift for storytelling easily shines through characters with multilayered personalities, a plot that leaves no room for error and an entertaining story.

Anything Else?: This is book three in a multi-author trilogy. The other books are The Perfect Man by Carla Fredd and This Time For Good by Carmen Green.

I am easily confused, but this title baffles me. Deserts? Not Desserts? Wonder if it makes more sense after reading the book....

Oh and that cover? Yummers!

The Month That Was March 2010

Eight books for the month of March, which is actually very good for me. What's not so good is that two of those eight were titles I DNF'ed. I debated on counting them, but then figured since they are now out of my Ginormous TBR Mountain Range From Hell, that hell yeah I was counting them! Sneaky? Sure. Slightly dishonest? Maybe. Padding my numbers? OK, definitely. But it's my blog, my spreadsheet and therefore, my rules. The truth is out. Wendy considers herself a dictator in her own mind.

Here's how it breaks down. Title links take you to full reviews:

Pieces Of Sky by Kaki Warner - Historical western romance, 2010, Grade = B-

• Is this the greatest western ever written? No. Is it a fine debut? Yes. A heroine running from her past and a hero trying to hang on to his ranch fall in love against the back drop of a long-standing blood feud. Nice saga feel to the story, plenty of grit, but did feel that parts of the tale were given short-shift and glossed over. A nice debut, and a good start to the trilogy.

Heart Of Stone by Jill Marie Landis - Inspirational historical western romance, 2010, Grade = B

• Heroine desperate to keep her past dead and buried, finds herself attracting the attention of the hero, the local preacher whose own past shows up unannounced one day. This is a gentle inspirational story that employs forgiveness as it's central theme to set up a proposed four-book series. The hero is a little too slick and lacks depth, but the stand-out heroine and intriguing premise really sold me on the story. Looking forward to the future books.
  

Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne - Historical western romance, 2000, Grade = DNF

• DNF'ing a Maggie Osborne is a sign of the Apocalypse around the Bat Cave. I was intrigued by the heroine, but the premise wasn't gellin' for me and frankly - I thought the hero was an asswipe and was let off the hook way too easily.
  

Just One Touch by Debra Mullins - Historical Regency romance, 2005, Grade = DNF

• This story was a complete mess. The heroine's father was a moron. The hero suffered from multiple personality disorder, and the wallpaper history was beyond thin. The heroine might have been tolerable, but stacked up against those other sins, she didn't stand a chance. I gave up two-thirds of the way through.
  

Entertaining Mr. Stone by Portia Da Costa - Contemporary Erotica, 2006, Grade = C+

• My read for Keishon's TBR Challenge. Da Costa has written both erotica and erotic romance - and this book wasn't quite sure what it wanted to be. A bit kinkier than some of Da Costa's other work, I was never convinced that a relationship with the hero was really in the best interests of the heroine. A decent read, but nowhere near my favorite from this author, and one I'm unlikely to reread.
  

Butterfly Tattoo by Deirdre Knight - Contemporary Romance, LGBT, 2009, Grade = B+

• Bisexual hero still mourning the death of his lover, falls in love with the emotionally and physically scarred heroine. A tender romance with loads of angst-y baggage. I was less enthralled with the soap-opera-y sub plot, but this is a good, solid, emotionally charged read. It won't be to everybody's tastes, but what book is?
  

Wedding Night With The Ranger by Lauri Robinson - Historical Western eBook Short Story, 2010, Grade = C+

• The first ever western offered by the short story digital Undone line was a bit of a mixed bag. A well-done Big Misunderstanding plot, nice hero and heroine, and some risky moves like a preacher villain and a heroine sick to death of endless charity work. However, the villain is all bark, no bite, and a secondary character who sets the whole plot in motion (the heroine's Daddy) stays entirely off-page.
  

Notorious Eliza by Barbara Monajem - Historical Regency eBook Short Story, 2010, Grade = B-

• This one was a pleasant surprise! Heroine with notorious reputation is hired by hero's uncle to paint over some scandalous murals in his ballroom. Hero is looking for wife and falls under the spell of the completely unsuitable heroine. Sexy, sassy, an all-around great read. If it weren't for the huge honkin' hot button of mine that got pushed after the first sex scene I would have loved this one to pieces.
  

And that's all folks. Oh, and why Timothy Olyphant you ask? Because I'm hooked people. Well and truly hooked. Plus, why the heck not?

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-

Play Ball!

Yes kiddies, it's that time once again. The sun is shining, the daffodils are in bloom, and hope springs eternal for baseball fans around the world. Yes indeedy, today is Opening Day. The one day a year that Wendy actually allows herself to hope that maybe this year will be different. Maybe this is the year the Detroit Tigers won't leave me alone in the dark, quietly sobbing into my pillow, while My Man scurries around the Bat Cave kitchen hiding all our cutlery.

Last year was rough. What with our late season Epic Collapse From Hell and losing the tie-breaker to the Twins.

Then just to drive the knife a little further into my back, the Tigers decided to trade my fantasy boyfriend, Curtis Granderson to....

The Yankees.

My father called me at work when that news broke. Seriously. That's how bad it was.

However, having watched a few spring training games, and this being the first official day of a brand spankin' new season, I allow myself a few moments to hope. Just a few moments, on Opening Day, to wax poetic and spin glorious fantasies that our bull pen really won't be that horrible, our starting pitchers will all be the second coming of Cy Young, Miguel Cabrera will stay sober, Johnny Damon's noodle-arm in the outfield won't cost us games, and Austin Jackson will hit like Derek Jeter - and play like Torii Hunter in center field (My Man: "Way to not put any pressure on the kid Wendy." ::snort::)

Because today is Opening Day. The one day a year where I allow myself to believe that anything is possible, and all of it will be good.

Today is the day where I firmly believe the Tigers will run away with the division, crush the Yankees in the Playoffs, make it all the way to the World Series, and run the table for a sweep. This is the day where it's possible. This is the day where I allow myself to think it could actually happen. This is the day where I open my front door while brandishing a shotgun, greet reality standing on my porch, and tell her to take a hike, because what she's selling, I ain't buying.

I'll get back to the Real World tomorrow. Today is my day to dream.

Play ball!

Random Romance Sunday: Cheese Ahoy!

The Book: The Buccaneer by Donna Fletcher

The Particulars: Historical romance, Berkley Jove, 1995, Out Of Print

The Blurb:

His shoulders were broad, and muscles that had to have been developed by years of hard labor bulged from beneath his half-opened, white linen shirt. His legs were the width of mighty oaks that stretched the black material of his breeches to the limit, demonstrating every bit of prowess his body had to offer. But it was his face that made women catch their breath. A strong jaw. Sculpted cheekbones. A dangerous smile. Handsome, much too handsome. . .

His name was Captain Lucifer. His ruthless mastery of the sea was a notorious as his wicked way with women. And Catherine Abelard was his beautiful captive. By enslaving the stepdaughter of his enemy, the infamous pirate would have his final revenge. He would punish her with his kisses and force her to surrender to his every whim, every passion, every desire. But the devilish captor became the prisoner of his own longing. For Catherine found the tenderness beneath the treachery, the beauty within the beast. . . the lover behind the legend.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: With a cover blurb like that? Uh, no. I thought I had some other books by Donna Fletcher in my TBR, but my LibraryThing account is telling me I don't. Hmmmm.

Any Reviews?: 1995 folks. So I got nothing other than some Squeeeeee! Amazon reviews.

Anything Else?: Oh good heavens, where to begin? That back cover blurb is probably solely responsible for the fair amount of crap the romance genre (and the readers) have had to endure over the years. Mighty oaks? Seriously? Mighty-frickin-oaks? And Captain Lucifer? Seriously? Captain-frickin'-Lucifer? They even threw the "punishing kisses" nonsense in there.

That being said, this whole affair sounds like just the ticket for you Old School Pirate On The High Seas fans. Heck, I know of at least a couple of readers who would pick up this book based on the staggering amount of purple prose on the back cover blurb alone.

Not that I'm throwing stones mind you. If this were a western, I'd probably be unable to resist rescuing it from a used bookstore. Sick monkey that I am.

We all have our vices.

Go On With Your Bad Self Lil' Sis!

Longtime Bat Cave followers will undoubtedly "know" my Lil' Sis, occasional commenter, all-around kick ass babe, high school English teacher and now? First time Mommy.

I woke up this morning to find a text message on my cell phone - sent at 2:45AM that read:

"At hospital. 4cm with contractions 2-4min apart and water broke. Looks like a fool will be born today :)"

Baby Cecelia came into the world at 9:42AM, weighing 7lbs 11oz and is a whopping 21 inches.

Mother, Father and baby are doing fine. I'm heading up to the hospital tomorrow for a visit.

And You Think I'm A Harsh?

I've been hanging around the online romance community for more years than I care to admit, which means at this stage in the game I ignore all "discussions" on reviewing and "mean girl reviewers and/or bloggers." Mostly because it's pointless. Authors hate bad reviews. Readers like to vent when they read, in their estimation, a crappy book.

And never the twain shall meet....

My assertion has always been, that outside of anonymous troll-y Amazon reviews that no one in their right mind puts any stock in anyway, most of the reviews I see online for romance novels are actually pretty tame. Even the "bad" ones. If you don't have a life, and were willing to wade through my archives to find D and F rated reviews, you'll notice that while I tend to froth at the mouth (a lot, in some cases), I never make it personal. I never say the author is ugly, smells bad, is a hack, should be publicly flogged for subjecting this crap on an unwitting reading public etc. etc. etc.

I may think it - but I never say it. I tend to keep the focus where it belongs - on the brain-dead characters and nonsensical plot lines.

Also, I've read way nastier reviews from "mainstream press," than anything I've seen some online reviewer/blogger cough up. This coming from the girl who reads book reviews...for a living.

But if you won't take my word for it, how about a juicy prime rib of an example? Here at the Bat Cave I occasionally like to educate as well as entertain, so consider this today's public service announcement. An example of Hey, It Could Be Worse or At Least They Didn't Say That About My Book....

Authors, the next time you see a negative review for one of your books online, take a deep breath and read this excerpt from the review for the children's book The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy by Clive Cussler, which can be found in the April 1, 2010 issue of Kirkus Reviews:

"Cussler's sequel to his abysmal Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006) suffers from all the same problems: stilted prose, gender stereotypes, unrealistic dialogue, deus-ex-magicus solutions to every problem. Both read as if written by someone who closed the cover on their last children's book in 1940. A publishing event that demands an apology to the industry, all children and the trees that gave their lives."
(Emphasis Super Librarian)

Now go back and read that "scathing" online review from that "mean girl" for your book.

Um, yeah.

P.S. - I've read many a snotty review in Kirkus over the years, but this one, by far and away, takes the cake. Actually, come to think of it, this may be the meanest review I've ever read. Period.

P.P.S. - Feel free to star this blog post in your feed reader, bookmark it in your web browser, or print it out for future reference. Go ahead. I won't mind.