Random Romance Sunday: The Shadow Of Vietnam

The Book: Midway Between You And Me by Rogenna Brewer

The Particulars: Harlequin SuperRomance #1070, July 2002, Out of Print

The Blurb:

She doesn't love a man in uniform.

Professor Tam Nguyen knows that most women dream of a handsome, broad-shouldered military man. But she can never forget that the man who abandoned her pregnant mother in the middle of a war zone wore a uniform.

Of course, that's before she meets Lieutenant Bowie Prince and gets to know the man behind the uniform. Once he sets out to change her mind, she finds him hard to resist. Until she discovers he holds the key to her father's identity....

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope, but I have read this one!

Any Reviews?: The Romance Reader (Judi, who was one of my favorite reviewers) gave this one 4 Hearts (equivalent to a B grade)

"These are very personal observations on the nature of what is and isn’t romantic, and this is certainly a genre in which the lines of acceptability between fantasy and reality can shift wildly, depending on the writer’s skill and the reader’s preferences and sensitivities. Those readers who like lots of gritty authenticity will enjoy this story even more than I did. For everyone else, I can still recommend it as an absorbing read; just be warned that you may not always find it a comfortable one."

RT gave this one 3 Stars:

"Tam's parents' relationship, seen in flashbacks, creates an unusual framework for romance. However, Rogenna Brewer's MIDWAY BETWEEN YOU AND ME (3) is too ambitious, tackling drug smuggling, kidnapping and the Vietnam War."

Anything Else?: I read this one years ago (as in, I was still living in Michigan years ago), and remember liking it quite a bit. I know I picked it up thanks to the TRR review, and it did not disappoint. That being said, I tend to really like "gritty" in my romances, and I suspect that's why this one worked so well for me. Brewer tackles some issues here (namely Tam's American GI father having an affair with her teenage mother!) that will obviously be harder sells for some readers.

This one didn't hit my Keeper Stash, and dang if I can give you specific reasons why now. But I do remember it being a solid read - and if you like military-type romances, and are open to some of the tougher subjects the author tackles? This one is worth hunting down at your local UBS. Alas, this is one of Harlequin's backlist titles that hasn't been digitized.

As for Ms. Brewer herself? Her last book came out in 2008, but according to her web site, she's sold a new title to HSR and it's due to her editor in late July. No word on a release date as of yet.

On The Road And Batmobile News

I have a short (teeny) wee lil' column up over at Access Romance Readers Gab about (what else?) beach reading. Or vacation reads. Whatever. Just in time for the "unofficial" start of summer - Memorial Day weekend. Why not stop on over and tell the world what sorts of books you like to read while you're lounging on the beach, or by the pool?

Speaking of Memorial Day weekend, today was Day #1 of the Staycation My Man and I decided to treat ourselves too. It's a Staycation mostly because we couldn't agree on "going away somewhere." Plus, it's honestly better for us to just veg out and soak up some relaxation time. Wonder how much reading I'll get done? If today's any indication? Yeah, probably not so much.

In other exciting news, that strange noise I heard coming from the Batmobile rear brakes? Yeah, turned out to be nothing. Thank the good Lord above. And the best part was my mechanic did the inspection at absolutely no charge. That might have something to do with the sheer amount of dollars we've dropped on the place over the years though. Just a hunch anyway. Either way, I'll take it.

The Real Little Miss Crabby Pants

There she is. Regular Bat Cave followers will recognize Little Miss Crabby Pants, the cranky lil' girl whose photo gets displayed when I'm particularly unthrilled about something. I wish I could say I know who she is - I don't. I found her while trolling around the site I use for image hosting, and since she bears a striking resemblance to my mother's side of the family, I sort of adopted her as my own.

Plus, that dress she's wearing tickles me.

Well, Lil' Sis is quite fond of Little Miss Crabby Pants, and told me the other day she had plans to snap a photo of my baby niece, Cecelia, when she's in full blown cranky, I'm-so-not-happy mode. This is what greeted me when I checked my e-mail last night:

Oooooh, someone is NOT happy with life! Lil' Sis told me that when she makes this disgusted face, my niece also makes a snorting noise. Which actually ruins the effect she's shooting for, since Lil' Sis ends up laughing at her.

No doubt Cecelia will eventually spend years in therapy because her Mommy laughed at her when she made snorting noises as an almost 2-month old.

And holy cow, is that kid porking out! I'm going to start calling her Porky McChubbikins.

A Wealth Of Bloggie Goodness

I really feel like I've been struggling lately when it comes to making this blog marginally interesting. It doesn't help matters that I have 7+ years worth of archives, and when I go tip-toeing through them I discover many of the fantastic posts I used to write. I don't know if I'm just getting old, or I was never all that interesting to begin with and I've been deluding myself all these years.

Yeah, let's go with that one. It sounds about right. Heh.

Actually, what it probably comes down too is being spread a little thin in Real Life. Lots to read, lots of tears to shed at work (our (so far) proposed materials budget for next fiscal year = not good) and I really need to hammer out the details of my presentation for the upcoming Librarians Day at RWA this summer (oh, and meet with Tessa about that. She probably needs to be in the loop since we're on the panel together. Oy!)

So, in lieu, of me having anything interesting to say, I thought I'd steal mention a few of the interesting blog posts I ran up against this morning while trolling through my Google Reader. Unlike myself, some of y'all are on a tear!

• Author HelenKay Dimon asks if you (the reader) would like her to post sensuality ratings for her books on her web site. My gut feeling is that "casual" readers would like them, but for diehards like myself - chances are we already "know" what type of sensuality we're going to get when we pick up a Brava vs. a Harlequin Intrigue. Or maybe only I know that because I'm a freak and it's my "job" to know that.

• Author Susan Wiggs posted that the reprint edition of The Hostage hits bookstores today and she ::gasp:: highlights the review I did for TRR way back in the day. Dang, I used to write really good reviews. I'm not sure what happened.... ETA: Actually the author jumped the gun, and so did I. Heh. Laydown date is actually June 29. Der.

• SarahT has afterglow thanks to her shiny, new e-reader, and asks other readers if their book buying habits have changed since "going digital."

• Scandalous true confession! KristieJ doesn't like booksignings! I say we show up at her house brandishing pitchforks and torches. Mwahahahahaha!

• Author Lynne Connolly gets her Ranty McRant on over at TGTBTU about Harlequin Presents heroines who wear "designer" clothes.

• Amy had a really crap day yesterday, blogs about it, and also declares that reading the latest Virginia Henley book is like "finding an old friend." Hey, haven't we all been there? We pick up a book by an author we used to lurve back in the day, and rediscover them all over again. Sheer bliss.

• And finally, courtesy of Meghan, a YouTube clip of Betty White, who will be playing a librarian (!) on the ABC show, The Middle. Like Meghan mentioned, I'm not sure how many librarians still use circulation cards, but this is Betty White. Betty is so bad-ass that if she still wants to use cards, who are we to argue?

In other news, I drove in to work this morning only to hear my rear car brakes squeaking (ugh, I'm no mechanic, but even I know that ain't good). I'm taking it to the shop tomorrow and hopefully it won't cause my credit card to weep for mercy. Also, while I just had quite a bit of time away from work thanks to the Super Librarian Parental Units visiting, My Man is in desperate need of a break. So, we're both taking some extended time off to take advantage of Memorial Day weekend. We're sticking close to home, and have high hopes that by the time Monday rolls around we'll both still be alive. Ahhhh, togetherness....

Random Romance Sunday: Gambling Hotness

The Book: Blackjack's Lady by Cheryl Biggs

The Particulars: Historical romance, Kensington Zebra, 1999, Out of Print

The Blurb:

HE WAS HER WILD CARD...
As the feisty owner of the Silver Goose Saloon, Samantha was the best woman card player on the Mississippi. But ever since she'd been falsely accused of cheating, she vowed never to gamble again-that is until a poker-faced devil from her past threatened to reveal her true identity. Now Samantha was ready to risk all in the game of her life, but she hadn't counted on Blackjack Reid Sinclaire's striking blue eyes following her every move from across the table. Could she stake her heart on a player who might have an ace up his sleeve?

SHE WAS HIS QUEEN OF HEARTS...
Blackjack Reid Sinclaire had come to Natchez with one burning desire-to get revenge on Cord Rydelle, Samantha's partner at the saloon and the man responsible for killing his true love. Believing rumors that Samantha was Cord's mistress, Reid was determined to destroy his old enemy by seducing the redheaded temptress. But when he entered a game of cards against her, he soon discovered the tables were turned. He'd fallen for Samantha, and now he would gamble body and soul to win her...

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope. Just goes to show I don't own every western romance ever published.

Any Reviews?: The only reviews I could find were three Amazon customer reviews - two of which were scathing and the other one from a reader who declared it "wasn't that bad." I tend to patently ignore all Amazon customer reviews, but far be it from me to keep the wealth away from Bat Cave readers.

Anything Else?: I'll be honest, I'm shallow and posted this one for the yummy hotness that is the cover. The back cover blurb makes the plot (and characters) sound like a hot mess, but dang - that cover = yummers!

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Zombie Club

As a librarian (a good one, I might add) I don't believe in telling people what they should read. People should read what they want. My livelihood depends on people reading, even if I might personally think they're reading crap. One thing you learn pretty quickly in this profession (or should - some librarians are clueless, and I don't claim them as my brethren), is that crap is in the eye of the beholder. And frankly, if I didn't learn that on the job, I would have learned it over the course of reviewing books all these years. So while I've seen other bloggers froth at the mouth over the Monster Mash-Up trend, I've pretty much just chalked it up to that....a trend. Hey, if it gets people to read - I'm not about to scoff. Frankly, I hate it when people scoff at my romance novel reading, so I'm not about to turn hypocrite and scoff at their....whatever they read. That being said, I did come across a new book today that even stopped me in my tracks. For about half a minute anyway....

Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion by Alan Goldsher will be released by a division of Simon & Schuster on June 22.

Gird your loins, here's the publisher's promo:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME TO REALLY MEET THE BEATLES.

For John Lennon, a young, idealistic zombie guitarist with dreams of global domination, Liverpool seems the ideal place to form a band that could take over the world. In an inspired act, Lennon kills and reanimates local rocker Paul McCartney, kicking off an unstoppable partnership. With the addition of newly zombified guitarist George Harrison and drummer/Seventh Level Ninja Lord Ringo Starr, the Beatles soon cut a swath of bloody good music and bloody violent mayhem across Europe, America, and the entire planet.

In this searing oral history, discover how the Fab Four climbed to the Toppermost of the Poppermost while stealing the hearts, ears, and brains of smitten teenage girls. Learn the tale behind a spiritual journey that resulted in the dismemberment of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Marvel at the seemingly indestructible quartet’s survival of a fierce attack by Eighth Level Ninja Lord Yoko Ono. And find out how the boys escaped eternal death at the hands of England’s greatest zombie hunter, Mick Jagger.

Through all this, one mystery remains: Can the Beatles sublimate their hunger for gray matter, remain on top of the charts, and stay together for all eternity? After all, three of the Fab Four are zombies, and zombies live forever. . . .

Oohhhhhhkay then.

As someone who literally grew up with The Beatles (Dad started his daughters on The Fab Four right around the time Mom started us on solid food), I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, if The Beatles were zombies, that would mean John Lennon and George Harrison could still be walking the Earth. Of course they'd also be tackling people in the streets of London and eating their brains.....

Hmmmmmm

Anyway, the advance reviews I've seen are generally positive although, once again, the winner of the Best Review Ever Award goes to Kirkus, who declared:

"Goldsher turns in a classic rags-to-riches tale of aspiration and success that would do Horatio Alger proud, punctuated by no end of gore. Slight but fun. A little misguided, though, since everyone knows the Rolling Stones are the walking undead."

Heh.

And for the record, yes, I did order a couple of copies for work. And yes, I'm aware that makes me part of the problem. Somebody, somewhere is going to want to read this. Or else they'll stumble across it on the shelves and be so flabbergasted they won't be able to help themselves. Either way, we'll get the circulation stat - and we librarians love our stats. Dorks that we are.

TBR Challenge: Reunited....and it feels so obnoxious

The Book: A Convenient Proposition by Cindy Gerard

The Particulars: Silhouette Desire #1734, 2006, Out of Print

Why Was It In The Bat Cave TBR?: I stumbled across this one at a used bookstore, the back cover copy tickled my fancy, and I bought it.

The Review: Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Shallie Malone left tiny Sundown, Montana after high school and hasn't looked back since. Well, until now. Alone, and pregnant, she gets the itch to go back home. Once there, she literally runs into Brett "Mac" McDonald. They were best friends growing up, and Mac has always nursed a bit of a crush on her. He's very happy to see her back home, and before you can say reunion, these two are shacking up together. But what will happen when Mac learns the truth about Shallie and her unborn baby?

This book gets off on the wrong foot right away thanks to our heroine. Shallie is coming home to Montana because she was forced to resign from her kindergarten teaching job in Small Town, Georgia after they found out she was unmarried and knocked up. At which point I flipped to the copyright page to make sure the date read 2006, as opposed to 1956. Can people in small towns be assholes? OK, yeah. But this one strained, especially since the author kept telling me that Shallie's belly was still "flat." And then like all the annoying brain-dead romance heroines that have come before her, Shallie does nothing about being fired. Why? Because as she tells Mac:

"I know I could fight it. And I'd probably win. The truth is, I don't want to fight. I don't want to go back there."

Of course not! It makes so much more sense to run back to your home town (where you have no family whatsoever) and wait for a white knight to swoop in and fix all your problems for you. Because, you know, you wouldn't want to be proactive about not only your future, but your unborn child's future as well. Seriously, it's stupid like this that gives category romance a bad name.

As if this weren't enough to make my eyes bleed, the author then clues the reader in on the Baby Daddy. Her boyfriend started smacking her around, so Shallie leaves him. Smart girl, right? Well, actually no. Feeling unloved and unattractive, she goes out one night with some girlfriends and hops into bed with the first attractive man who pays her a compliment. Except, oopsie he's a married man! A married man who apparently has read Tiger Woods' Guide On How To Cheat On Your Wife because he didn't use a condom (I'm assuming here since birth control, failed or successful, is never mentioned). He has sex with Shallie once and she gets pregnant. How many women are in this guy's past? I spent the rest of the novel wondering how many venereal diseases could be swimming around in the heroine's blood stream. Not to mention his poor, unsuspecting wife. I sure hope that woman has good health insurance...

The hero seems like a nice enough guy - but he's very much too good to be true. He's handsome, he's charming, he can cook, he has a big fancy house and a vacation cabin in the woods, he keeps feeding the heroine decadent chocolate desserts etc. etc. etc. Frankly, the only thing I could find wrong with him is that he kept calling Shallie by the annoying pet name of "short stack." Certainly I'm all about the Beta hero, but after a while this guy got to be too much, even for me. Is there such a thing as Mary Sue heroes?

Of course the fact that Shallie doesn't come right out and tell Mac that her unborn baby is the product of an adulterous affair (even if she didn't know the sperm donor was married) blows up in her face when inexplicably the Asshole Ex Who Used To Smack Her Around decides to show up and informs Mac that he ain't the Baby Daddy - some other mystery man is.

::headdesk, headdesk, headdesk::

Not even two of my favorite tropes (friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience) were enough to save this book for me. At which point you're probably wondering why I kept reading and didn't DNF it. I honestly have no idea. I blame it on the fact that it's a Silhouette Desire and therefore only clocks in at 185 pages. On the bright side though, it's now out of my TBR Mountain Range.

Final Grade = D-

What's In ILL?: An Actress, A Texas Ranger And Feudin' Brothers

It's been ages since I've gone snooping around in our InterLibrary Loan department, and I was in need in a fix. Holding true to my library's usual pattern, it was older Harlequins, traditional Regencies and older historical romances that were coming and going. Here's a sampling of what I found:

Christmas Belle by Mary Balogh

Description:

Once they were lovers. Isabella was a fledgling actress, struggling to survive. Jack Frazer was a youth as innocent as he was handsome, consumed by love for this girl whom he could never make his wife.

Their year together was bliss; their parting bitter with jealousy and anger. But that had been long ago. Now Isabella was the premier star of the London stage. And Jack was the city's supreme rake, a jaded libertine currently courting an exquisite if inexperienced young lady on orders from his titled grandmother. Both Isabella and Jack were utterly changed-so what danger could there be if they met again? But as they soon discovered, there are painful wounds that never heal-and burning passions that refuse to die....

Wendy Says: The actress heroine, rake hero, and reunited lovers theme has me very intrigued! Give it to me straight Balogh fangirls: is this one worth hunting down?

A Man Of His Word by Eve Gaddy (Harlequin SuperRomance #990)

Description:

Mystery Bones Near Caddo Lake Identified
Authorities Close to Arrest

Some might say the prodigal son has returned to Uncertain, Texas, but not the prodigal himself. Will McClain is nobody's son. As a kid he was on his own until the day Frannie Granger took him in. For a while he was part of a family. Then Frannie disappeared.

Nearly 20 years later, her remains are discovered by an archaeologist named Tessa Lang. And Will, now a Texas Ranger, makes a vow to find Frannie's killer. He's a man of his word, so nothing -- not even losing the chance to start a new family with Tessa, or the fact that his foster brother Jed is the prime suspect -- will stop him.

Wendy Says: I've never read Gaddy, but I have two other books by her in the TBR. This appears to be the final book in a multi-author trilogy centered around the disappearance of Frannie Granger. The other books are The Millionaire Horseman by K.N. Casper and Who Is Emerald Monday? by Roz Denny Fox. Anyone read this series? Curious HSR readers want to know. OK, this curious HSR reader wants to know....

Just One Kiss by Samantha James

Description:

JUST A DREAM

Cheated out of her inheritance by a willful stepmother, Lady Elizabeth Stanton follows Nathaniel O'Connor to America -- eager to accept the dashing shipbuilder's proposal of marriage. But it is a stranger who greets the penniless miss at her intended's door -- the true owner of the grand Boston mansion, Nathaniel's handsome, secretive and insufferable older brother, Morgan...

JUST ONE KISS
The cruel treachery of a disloyal sibling left Morgan angry and bitter -- but he takes in the cad's forsaken fiancee nonetheless. And when one stolen kiss threatens scandal, he offers to wed the proud, golden-haired beauty himself. But Elizabeth is devoted to a rogue. And Morgan must first conquer his own pain and suspicion to know a passion that can thaw a frozen heart...and a love that can heal all wounds...

Wendy Says: I've only read one previous book by James and was rather underwhelmed. It wasn't terrible, just....underwhelming. So much so, that I can't remember the title of the book (I do know it was part of her Perfect trilogy). What with the evil stepmother and feuding brothers, this description doesn't do a whole lot for me - but I seem to recall one of the So. Cal. Bloggers enjoys James' work. Lori? Maybe? Heh, and you can tell this was published in the mid-1990s. No way in heck would Avon publish a book set in Boston these days, even if the characters are from Across The Pond.

Just sayin'.

Random Romance Sunday: Wash That Gray Right Out Of Her Hair

The Book: Passion Moon Rising by Rebecca Brandewyne

The Particulars: Pocket Books, February 1988, Out of Print

The Blurb:

ILEANA: THE CHERISHED PRINCESS OF A BRAVE AND NOBLE LAND...
Violet-eyed, silver-haired, she was graced with beauty, pride and passion… born with a great gift and a rare destiny...

CAIN: A WARRIOR PRINCE WHO DENIED THE DANGER THAT COULD DESTROY HIM...
He lived by his courage and his instincts; and from the moment he gazed on Ileana, he knew nothing would vanquish his desire. In each other's arms, they shared a rich and wondrous love that brought them to exquisite ecstasy. But in a fierce and fiery clash of wills, their union was torn by betrayal and mistrust. Now, as their kingdoms are plunged into the terror of war, they must take up the only weapon that can save their world - the power that blazes in the blackest of nights ...the gleaming sword of love!

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Uh, no. Although I'm pretty sure I have an Old School western by Brandewyne floating around here somewhere.....

Any Reviews?: Taken from author's web site....

Publisher's Weekly said:

An unusual vision of the future....This is a remarkably imaginative book.

Locus said:

This novel is filled with bits and pieces of various cultures, occult philosophies, fantasy and science fiction tradition....[romance writer] Rebecca Brandewyne shows an understanding of the fantasy form rare in a non-genre writer.

Anything Else?: Apparently the first book in the author's The Chronicles of Tintagel series, I'll be honest here: I'm spotlighting this one because of the completely over-the-top Old School cover art. From what I can gather from the blurb and bits of reviews, this story is a mix of fantasy and futuristic - which I guess explains why the heroine has hot white hair. That's how you can tell she has magical powers dontcha know.

I also am mesmerized by the background. What exactly are these cover models standing in front of? I'm thinking it might be retro 1970s-eye-bleed-inducing wallpaper in the hallway of Warrior Prince Cain's Granny's house. Right before the photo shoot she probably offered her Warrior Prince grandson and Cherished Princess Ilena some hard candy of indiscriminate age that's been sitting in the living room candy dish long enough to collect dust.

Seriously, I think I might be on to something with that one.

Little Miss Crabby Pants Takes On NBC

Seriously, NBC? Seriously?! You're thinking of canceling Law & Order? One of, like, five (and no, I'm not joking) television programs I still actually watch? What exactly would you replace it with? Another scintillating "reality" program like The Marriage Ref and Celebrity Apprentice?

::shudder::

Here's a thought: do you think maybe the ratings have slagged a bit because of your Let's Put Jay Leno On Every Blessed Night At 10PM debacle and the fact that you kept playing Russian roulette with their time slot? (Wednesdays? Fridays? No wait! It's Mondays!). And have you actually watched the show recently? Ever since they brought in the yummers Linus Roache, moved Jack McCoy into the DA job, and went back to two male cops (seriously, the Beauty Queen chick damn near killed me), the show has been surprisingly fresh. Hell, the chemistry between McCoy, Cutter and Rubirosa is reason enough to make it appointment TV.

And of course, now you're thinking of canceling it.

Give Dick Wolf however much money he wants, because as your executives should realize by now - it's all about making Wendy happy.

And you don't want to see me when I'm not happy. Just sayin'.

Sumptuous Historical Romance Covers

I'll admit it - I'm a ho for reprints. I know they tend to annoy most readers (unless the reprint in question is for a book that had been selling used online for outrageous sums), but for me it's a by-product of my job. Yes, I buy lots of shiny, new titles - but I also spend quite a bit of time scouring for reprints to replace tired, worn, pathetic looking copies of old favorites.

Sometimes the publisher simply recycles the old cover art, or uses a bland, stock image. Or in the case of Harlequin, they revamp them entirely, with delectable results. This summer, Susan Wiggs' Chicago Fire trilogy is getting reissued (for the second time, by my count) and Harlequin has slapped them with such sumptuously beautiful covers that I'm actually contemplating buying them all over again. Never mind that I already have two copies of The Firebrand in the Bat Cave Keeper Stash.






Seriously, aren't these covers dreamy? Of course if you don't like beef-cake-less, headless heroine covers, you probably think I'm demented, but....

Dreamy, dreamy sigh.

And for the record, I lurved The Hostage and The Firebrand, but was meh on The Mistress. These will be released back-to-back-to-back starting with The Hostage on June 29. I hope they sell oodles, since I keep hoping Mira will let Wiggs write Phoebe's story.

Back In The Saddle

I drove the visiting Super Librarian parents to the airport this morning, which means life (and this blog) will hopefully be settling back into a normal routine. We all had a lovely visit - my parents soaking up quality new granddaughter time (my niece). Much "tourist-y" stuff was done (hello, Disneyland!) and Wendy cooked a couple of "nice" meals (ham dinner one night, homemade lasagna another...). Which makes that the most time I've spent in my kitchen in...well...ever. Ha!

Here's what happened while I was away from my online life...

+++++

This past Saturday the Orange County Chapter of RWA asked me to speak with their published authors about my job. Basically, what I do, how I do it, how books get into the library system - all that fun stuff. I brought my Mom along for the visit and she was really impressed! The Orange County Chapter has been around since 1981, and is pretty kickass. Jacqueline Diamond gave her a copy of one of her older Harlequin American titles, Diagnosis: Expecting Boss's Baby (classic Harlequinized title if ever there was one!), which Mom proceeded to devour in a couple of sittings. She really liked it, and figures it's the first romance novel she's ever read. I have plans to read it now and see what I think of it - since Mom saying "I really liked it!" is about the only "review" I'm likely to get out of her. Heh.

+++++

I've been asked to do some contest judging for the Georgia Romance Writers, and the books arrived yesterday. When I do published author contest judging, I tend to put category romance down as my first choice, mostly because they're quicker reads I can squeeze in around my life. I also usually put down historical romance as Choice #2. Well, my package was all Harlequins, but it's a really good mix! The lines represented include Harlequin American, Silhouette Special Edition, Harlequin Intrigue, Harlequin Presents, and Harlequin SuperRomance. And, wait for it, all written by new-to-me authors! I'm hoping I'll discover at least one great new autobuy author to add to my category romance shopping list.

+++++

While I was largely off-line, longtime Detroit Tigers radio broadcaster Ernie Harwell passed away after a surprisingly lengthy battle with terminal cancer. This is how much I blather about the Tigers - some of you popped up on Twitter and in blog comments to offer your condolences. Ernie was 92, and ill, so it wasn't exactly a shock that he passed, but sad all the same. To tie this into romance novels (stay with me non-baseball peeps!), Ernie and his wife, Lulu, were married for 68 years. Which is mind-boggling anyway, but factor in how much traveling he had to do for his job, and it's doubly impressive!

So to close out this blog post I'm going to post a piece that Ernie wrote in 1955 and read during his 1981 induction into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. God speed Ernie.

Baseball is the President tossing out the first ball of the season and a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That's baseball. And so is the big, fat guy with a bulbous nose running home one of his (Babe Ruth's) 714 home runs.

There's a man in Mobile who remembers that Honus Wagner hit a triple in Pittsburgh forty-six years ago. That's baseball. So is the scout reporting that a sixteen year old pitcher in Cheyenne is a coming Walter Johnson. Baseball is a spirited race of man against man, reflex against reflex. A game of inches. Every skill is measured. Every heroic, every failing is seen and cheered, or booed. And then becomes a statistic.

In baseball democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team's uniform from another.

Baseball is a rookie. His experience no bigger than the lump in his throat as he begins fulfillment of his dream. It's a veteran too, a tired old man of thirty-five hoping that those aching muscles can pull him through another sweltering August and September. Nicknames are baseball, names like Zeke and Pie and Kiki and Home Run and Cracker and Dizzy and Dazzy.

Baseball is the cool, clear eyes of Rogers Hornsby. The flashing spikes of Ty Cobb, an over aged pixie named Rabbit Maranville.

Baseball just a game as simple as a ball and bat. Yet, as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.

Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World's Series catch. And then dashing off to play stick ball in the street with his teenage pals. That's baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrig saying, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”

Baseball is cigar smoke, hot roasted peanuts, The Sporting News, ladies day, "Down in Front", Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and the Star Spangled Banner.

Baseball is a tongue tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball! Thank you.

Random Romance Sunday: He Don't Need No Stinkin' Razor!

The Book: Bridge To Yesterday by Stephanie Mittman

The Particulars: Time Travel Romance, Harpercollins, 1995, Out of Print

The Blurb:

DESIRE'S TRAIL

Investigator Mary Grace O'Reilly would go to the ends of the earth to find abducted children. But when a case took her to a mysterious Arizona canyon, she never expected to be transported one hundred years into the past--to help hell-raising cowboy Sloan Westin free his baby son from an outlaw gang. And she certainly didn't plan on letting the ruggedly handsome Sloan, spark desires impossible to deny.

With a perilous desert trek ahead of him, Sloan needed all the help he could get, even if it came from a stubborn redheaded spitfire who claimed she was from the future. But no amount of danger could stop Sloan from hungering for "Sweet Mary's" passion--or defying fate for the love of a lifetime.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: I have other books by Mittman in my TBR, but not this one.

Any Reviews?: In one of the more awkwardly written reviews I've stumbled across in a while, Romantic Times gave this 4 Stars:

Warm and wonderful, sensual and exciting, BRIDGE TO YESTERDAY is a beautiful, ingenious novel by a bright new voice in romantic fiction.

Anything Else?: This was Mittman's debut, and she went on to write several more Americana historicals and a handful of contemporary-set books for the now-defunct Harlequin Next line (under the name Stevi Mittman). Her web site indicates she's "taking a break from writing." No word if the break is still on-going.

A couple of reasons I wanted to spotlight this title. 1) It's a time travel, and there is a small, loyal fan base for these in Romancelandia (our dear KristieJ being one of their charter members). Also, I loved that the hero has facial hair! There's something you don't see every day. The current crop of romance heroes are all depicted on covers has having been waxed half to death. When I need a beard fix, I can always count on older Americana (and western) historicals to hook me up!

And neither here nor there - "Sweet Mary?" "Stubborn redheaded spitfire?" Gah!

Sex And The Single Earl

There is a segment of the romance reading population that is very discerning when it comes to Regency historicals. I like to call these fine folks The Old Guard. Those readers who cut their teeth on sweet traditional Regencies, know the era better than current events, and get rather annoyed when the history is "off" in historical romances. Reading Vanessa Kelly's second book, Sex And The Single Earl, had me thinking of these readers quite a bit. While there are elements in this story that hit all the right notes, there were other elements that felt...off.

Simon St. James, the Earl of Trask, is fascinated by business, numbers and math - much to his family's horror. He has designs on cornering the wool market, and has even had an architect draw up plans for some textile mills. The problem? His chief investor is concerned about Simon's ability to get his hands on the necessary fuel to run the factories. In this case? Coal. The Stanton family is sitting on some coal rich land, and Simon figures he can lease it from them. That is, until the land is tossed in as dowry for Miss Sophie Stanton. Well, bother. He's known her since she was a girl - always pulling her out of one scrape or another. He's certainly fond of her, and they were practically raised together. The idea of marrying her is hardly repulsive, and besides? He needs that coal.

Sophie is entering her fourth season and is very close to being on the shelf. The girl just doesn't know how to play the game. Couple that with her knack of finding trouble and the fact that she's been hopelessly in love with Simon for years? Yeah, it's not a surprise she's still unmarried. But what will happen when she finds out that Simon, the man she's been carrying a torch for, only wants to marry her for her land? And what will Simon's reaction be when his intended bride keeps getting into scrapes that scandalize the ton?

What we have here is most definitely a mixed bag. Having read my fair share of historicals over the years that feature heroines constantly getting into trouble, I read this book waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sophie toes the line for pretty much the whole book, and maybe I am getting soft in my old age, but she never completely went off the deep end into Too Stupid To Live territory for me. It helped that the girl's heart is always in the right place, and that most of her impetuous behavior can be explained away by her reacting to situations (for example: chasing after the thief who swipes her reticule while she's walking through the streets of Bath).

Simon is a bit of a cold fish. One of those exacting Regency heroes feeling the pressure of family obligation, his title, and society. He abhors scandal, and Sophie's knack for finding it tends to throw a wrench in his life. Over the course of the story he threatens to spank her, or lock her away in a closet, on more than one occasion. Essentially, he wishes he could control her. Keep her in line. With heroes of this ilk, the reader just has to wait him out for that moment when he realizes he doesn't want to control the heroine, that he's breathlessly in love with her, and wouldn't change a thing about her for all the tea in China. The problem here is that I never warmed up to Simon. Sophie does whine that he treats her like a child (which, at times, she totally deserves), but I also found myself agreeing with her when she thunders at him that she doesn't need a Daddy or another older brother - she needs a husband who loves her.

Simon's desire to marry to further his business dealings, along with the descriptions of ton society in Bath, all have the requisite Regency sparkle. The author also throws in some grit in the form of two children that Sophie desires to save from an abusive father. On the flip side though, there are the love scenes which never gelled for me. The timing of the first one was rather troublesome, with an inebriated Sophie throwing herself at Simon, not giving her virginity so much as a by-your-leave. And given Simon's consuming desire to get his hands on Sophie's land, her deflowering reeked of a half-baked plan to bring her to heel. Like I said, troublesome.

Finally, the author keeps the conflict churning along thanks to an Evil Ex-Mistress. I think every romance reader has at least one trope, that no matter how well-written, just doesn't work for them anymore. The Evil Other Woman/Ex-Mistress/Ex-Wife is one of mine. This is hardly the author's fault. I've DNF'ed books by favorite authors because of this trope. This one is all on me.

In the end what I'm left with is the writing, which is crisp and clean, and a heroine that I liked, despite her tendency to get into trouble. On the downside, I never warmed up to the hero, the love scenes felt off, and the Evil Ex-Mistress is admittedly an issue for me. I wasn't bowled over by this story, but I also wasn't greatly annoyed by it either. Like I said, mixed bag.

Final Grade = C

The Month That Was April 2010

Looking back on my reading for the month of April, I'm struck by two things. 1) I managed to read 8 books, which surprises me (I thought I was more of a slacker) and 2) I had a good reading month as far as quality goes. A new book joined the ranks of the Bat Cave Keeper Stash and look at all those B grades! Title links will take you to full reviews.


Surrender Of A Siren by Tessa Dare - Historical romance, Regency, 2009, Grade = B-

• Enjoyed the shipboard setting, liked the heroine, really liked the hero. That said, this was a second half read for me, mostly because the pacing made the first half slow-going. A solid book, and it sets up the final book in the trilogy quite nicely.
  

Under The Gun by HelenKay Dimon - Harlequin Intrigue, 2010, Grade = B-

• A solid suspense story delivered in the postage stamp word count of the Intrigue line. Author continues to write good, solid "hero-worthy" heroes. Would have liked a bit more detail concerning hero's job as a "recovery agent" and admittedly, I had a hard time warming up to the heroine. That said, I'm looking forward to the future books in this series. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Bad Ass Secret Agent Hero, Heroine Who Done Him Wrong, Evil Ex Husband, Sequel Baiting Coworkers (But Not Annoying Sequel Baiting).
  

The Captain's Wicked Wager by Marguerite Kaye - Harlequin Undone, Short Story, Ebook, Georgian, Grade = B

• Desperate heroine enters into wager with hero, and sexy shenanigans ensue. Loved the Georgian setting, and the author writes "anticipation" very well. The traditional happily-ever-after strains a bit given the short time-table, but this was a sexy, solid read and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Wager Plot, Self-Sacrificing Heroine, Military Hero.
  

Death Of A Trophy Wife by Laura Levine - Cozy Mystery, 2010, Grade = B

• Latest installment in one of my favorite cozy mystery series. This time out the intrepid heroine finds herself working to clear her neighbor's name when the police label him a prime suspect in the death of an obnoxious Los Angeles trophy wife.
  

Leave Me Breathless by HelenKay Dimon - Romantic Suspense, 2010, Grade = B

• Former FBI heroine is hired to protect the judge hero after he receives threats and his car is bombed. Good banter, steamy sexual tension, and a nice secondary romance involving another judge and the hero's brother.
  

John Riley's Girl by Inglath Cooper - Harlequin SuperRomance, 2004, Grade = B-

• My read for Keishon's TBR Challenge. Emotionally charged story about two reunited high school sweethearts. Suspension of disbelief heavily required, but I enjoyed it. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: High School Sweethearts, Small Town = Goody Goodness, Unhappy Career Gal, One Kid (Not Obnoxious), One Dead Wife, Single Dad.

Sex And The Single Earl by Vanessa Kelly - Historical romance, Regency, 2010, Grade = C

• A full review of this will be posted on Friday. A heroine who toes the "impetuous line," and a hero I never really warmed up to. Enjoyed the Bath setting, and the "gritty" Regency details the author included in the story. Could have done without the Evil Ex-Mistress, but admittedly this is a personal quirk of mine. An OK read.
  

Oh-So-Sensible Secretary by Jessica Hart - Harlequin Romance, 2010, Grade = A

• The best read of the month. Uptight, personal assistant heroine finds herself working for the hero, a wealthy minor celebrity who is more at home traveling the world than behind the desk in an office. Great first-person narration, no silly misunderstandings, and a heroine who "grows" over the course of the story. Harlequin Cheat-Sheet: Wealthy Hero, Wound-Tight Heroine, One Ex-Boyfriend (Not Evil), Office Romance.
  

My Internet Life, RWA Hotel and RT Drama

A heads-up that for the next week my face time on the Interwebs will be extremely limited. I'll be skimming blog posts, rarely commenting, absent from Twitter and mostly glancing at my e-mail - because the Super Librarian parental units are paying a visit to the Bat Cave. They've spent the last week visiting with Lil' Sis and my new baby niece, and now it's my turn. Honestly, I'm a little surprised I'm seeing them much at all - what with my niece being way cuter than I am. Of course, I can take them to Disneyland, and my niece isn't quite up for such fun and frivolity yet.

I've got a few posts scheduled to go live while I'll largely be unplugged - so at least this blog won't be a vast wasteland of nothingness while I'm away.

+++++

The RWA conference is in Nashville this year, and word came down today that the Gaylord Opryland hotel (that would be the conference hotel) is flooded - along with most of Nashville. RWA has issued a press release - but at this point, it's too soon to know what's going to happen. The conference is still three months away, and hopefully the city will be well on it's way to recovery by then. If the Opryland hotel isn't doable, I'm hoping RWA can find another hotel in Nashville to accommodate the conference - as it would be lovely if my tourist dollars could stay in the city. Nothing helps recovery quite like tourists throwing their cash around.

Here's hoping the area sees some relief from the waters soon. I had no idea how bad it was/is. Further proof that my head has been in the sand thanks to my parents impending arrival, my new niece, my review backlog, and the end of the fiscal year crunch here at work.

+++++

Readers and authors are starting to pop back online after returning to their normal existences after the RT Booklover's convention. Dear Author has a recap post up, and naturally, drama has erupted in the comments thread courtesy of the Mr. Romance pageant.

I don't have the time (or inclination) to rubberneck, but that won't stop me from offering my 2 cents. I'm more than likely going to attend RT next year, since they'll be in Los Angeles, and I want to put my money where my mouth is after whining the last several years that they've been nowhere near the west coast in recent memory. That said, I know there will be some elements at RT that won't be my thing. And that's cool. I have yet to attend any conference (romance novel or library related) where everything on the schedule was of interest to me. And inevitably, no matter how many people enjoy the event, no matter how well organized the conference planners are - shit happens. There's always some wee bit of drama, someone who hated the hotel/food/weather/city/whatever. Nothing can ever be 100% perfect, 100% enjoyable to everybody. So while this bit of drama has inevitably erupted regarding the conference, I'm sure there are oodles more attendees who had a blast and enjoyed themselves immensely.

Plus, let's be honest. It's easier to rubberneck over the uh, more over-the-top elements of the romance genre than it is to rubberneck over a bunch of a nice, respectable, intelligent women discussing their favorite novels. There's no drama in that, and the Interwebs needz dramz. If it bleeds, it leads.

ETA: Holy crap. So I lied and rubbernecked. Read a comment left by KristieJ and was gobsmacked! Not by her, but by something she heard/witnessed. Seriously? Seriously?! WTF?!?!?! Today I am ashamed I have ovaries.

Random Romance Sunday: Alien Baby From The Planet Zoltan!

The Book: The Soldier's Secret Daughter by Cindy Dees

The Particulars: Silhouette Romance Suspense #1588, 2009, In Print

The Blurb:

Dashing spy Jagger Holtz lived in a world of danger. Not even a sweet brown-eyed siren alone on New Year's Eve could be trusted, especially when he had to bring down her employer. Somehow Emily Grainger broke through his defenses—and set him up for two years of torturous captivity. Or so he thought.

Emily hadn't expected a cryptic message to lead her to rescue the man who'd disappeared after their night of passion. Nor had she known that he'd been held prisoner all that time and believed that she was responsible. Despite the suspicion, they must work together to stop the threat against them…and protect their precious
daughter.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: I tend to avoid books with the One Night Of Passion And Oopsie Heroine Got Knocked-Up trope like the plague. So, um, that would be a no.

Any Reviews?: RT gave this one four stars:

Dees brings her wonderfully vivid and intense storytelling to the Top Secret Deliveries series. She does a terrific job of embedding a someday-my-prince-will- come fairy tale into the nonstop action.

My favorite line from the RT review though is, hands down:

Two years later, Emily sees Jagger every day in the face of their daughter.

But more on that in a minute....

Anything Else?: Dear Lord, what is wrong with that baby? Seriously? I mean, what is wrong with that kid? Did the heroine have to go on bed-rest during her pregnancy and decide a nuclear reactor was as good a place as any? I mean, that baby don't look right!

That being said, despite one of the more jaw-dropping babies I've seen slapped on a Harlequin cover in a while, this particular book is RITA-nominated in the Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure category. So congrats to Ms. Dees on her nomination and my condolences for the cover. Yikes!