Unusual Historical Spotlight: Elizabeth, China, Portugal, Knights & Colonists

The Taming of the Rogue by Amanda McCabe

What You Need To Know: Publication date April 17, 2012

Description:

Anna Barrett is more comfortable filling tankards at the White Heron Theater than shopping for corsets. Her "take no prisoners" attitude has earned her a tough reputation. Where she was once innocent and naive, now she's vowed never to be ensnared by a man again. Except Robert Alden is not just any man....

Gorgeous, dashing and decidedly reckless, this playwright has left a trail of broken hearts across London. He's also a spy on a dangerous assignment. Anna cannot help getting embroiled in his mission -- even if this seemingly untameable rogue is the last person with whom she should become involved....

What Makes It Unusual:  Elizabethan England!

My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin

What You Need To Know: Publication date May 22, 2012

Description:

Yan Ling tries hard to be servile -- it's what's expected of a girl of her class. Being intelligent and strong-minded, she finds it a constant battle.

Proud Fei Long is unimpressed by her spirit -- until he realizes she's the answer to his problems. He has to deliver the emperor a "princess." In two months can he train a tea girl to pass as a noblewoman?

Yet it's hard to teach good etiquette when all Fei Long wants to do is break it, by taking this tea girl for his own....

What Makes It Unusual: China baby, China!

Lisbon by Lynne Connolly

What You Need To Know: Publication date June 5, 2012 ; Digital only (for the time being) ; Book eight in series.


Description:

On a ship bound for Portugal with her children and the man she loves, Rose should be blissfully happy. Except Richard treats her like she’s made of porcelain. She’s recovered from the childbed fever that nearly killed her, yet he won’t share her bed and it’s driving her mad.

To win him back body and soul, she resolves to use every wicked, seductive trick he’s taught her. Until a possible attempted murder on board puts them both on alert for the trouble that seems to dog their every move.

Richard is almost relieved to have something to investigate. He loves Rose too much to risk losing her—which is exactly what could happen if he gets her pregnant again. When it becomes clear a series of accidents is no such thing, they realize an old enemy has caught up with them.

It’s imperative for Richard and Rose to work together to defeat this foe, but their new distance could prove their undoing. Especially when Mother Nature conspires to make them endure one last, desperate test of their love… 

What Makes It Unusual:  A ship!  Bound for Portugal!  Oh, and a married couple gettin' their groove thang on.....

The Dark Knight by Elizabeth Elliott

What You Need To Know: Publication date June 26, 2012 

Description:

Thief, assassin, and master of disguise, Dante Chiavari is the most feared mercenary of England’s King Edward. On one last assignment, Dante must play the part of a chivalrous knight to steal Avalene de Forshay from her family and thwart the ruthless Faulke Segrave, who would wed Avalene and use her to spark war between Wales and the crown. Upon seeing the beautiful and innocent young maiden, however, the mercenary suddenly finds himself at the mercy of his own intense desire.

When Avalene meets the handsome knight she knows only as Sir Percival, he sweeps her off her feet even as he spirits her away from Coleway Castle. Their escape is wrought with risks and perils, but Avalene will find that the greatest danger lies in losing her heart. And after the truth is revealed, Avalene fears that she may never again be able to trust the dark knight who has come to mean more to her than life itself.

What Makes It Unusual:  It's a medieval.  Also, it's Elliott's first book published since the late 1990s.  Her fans are going to be overjoyed to get their hands on this one!

Defiant by Pamela Clare

What You Need To Know: Publication date July 3, 2012 ; Book three in series 

Description:

Major Connor MacKinnon despises his commander, Lord William Wentworth, beyond all other men. Ordered to rescue Wentworth's niece after the Shawnee take her captive, he expects Lady Sarah Woodville to be every bit as contemptible as her uncle. Instead, he finds a brave and beautiful lass in desperate peril. But the only way to free Sarah is for Connor to defeat the Shawnee warrior who kidnapped her-and claim her himself.

What Makes It Unusual: Colonial America!  Also, it's been a long wait for this book due to Clare's other writing obligations and various publisher shuffling.  Book two first came out back in 2008.

• Seriously, I feel so out of the loop right now!  This was just a quick sampling of what I dug up when I had a few moments where my brain wasn't melting.  Have you read any unusual historicals lately?  Any upcoming ones you're looking forward to?  Share away in the comments!

Back In The Saddle, Snoop, Delinsky, Recs & Victoria

So you may have noticed that the Bat Cave was a bit of a dead zone this past week.  That's because the Parental Units were in town for a visit, and that small shred of free time I have in my life was eaten up by their visit.  To make up for the neglect, let's start off this post of linky goodness with a picture of yours truly, Lil' Sis and Miss Lemon Drop taking a whirl on the Dumbo ride at Disneyland!  Weeeeeee!

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Fo' shizzle my hizzle (I have no idea what I just said!), the Chicago White Sox got none other than Mr. Snoop Dogg to throw out the ceremonial first pitch earlier this week.  In what is shocking to no one - Snoop's pitch, while very respectably over the plate, was just a wee bit high (tee hee).

You can bask in the glory of Snoopy goodness over at Yahoo's Big League Stew.

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Barbara Delinsky has a blog post over at Heroes & Heartbreakers about the Fifty Shades trilogy.  Yeah, yeah - I know.  I'm sick of those books too.  However, what I found really delightful about this post was that Delinsky has read the books and doesn't dismiss them.

While she did get her start writing romance, Delinsky has been swimming in the "women's fiction" pond for a long, long time.  Long enough that one would just assume she might dismiss Fifty Shades as intolerable crap and poo-poo everything about them.  Frankly, I find that more shocking than the news that she not only read them through once....but twice!

I don't know, but is it just me?  I can't think of any other women's fiction writer writing a blog post like this one.  I mean, can any of us see someone like....oh Jodi Picoult or Jacquelyn Mitchard writing something like this?  I just....can't.  Whether or not you agree with Delinsky's take on this trilogy is incidental.  I'm unlikely to ever read the series (for several reasons), but I love that it was Barbara Delinsky that wrote this post. It's just so...mind-blowing.  The fact that it would have been easier to dismiss it, and that she, as a Big Name Women's Fiction Author, doesn't? 

Girl Crush Alert.

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Speaking of Heroes & Heartbreakers - did you know they've started doing monthly recommendation posts?  All bloggers are invited to contribute, and so far I have every month since January 2012.  You can see May's recommendations, along with previous months by clicking the Best Of 2012 tag.

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For all you historical nuts out there, Bodlian Library and ProQuest have made the personal journals of Queen Victoria (yes, that Queen Victoria) free for viewing until June 30th.

Given that Victoria was reigning monarch of Great Britain for 60+ years, during the height of the Empire and the industrial revolution, these journals promise to be a major treasure trove for Anglophiles, researchers and authors alike.  If you write historical romances during Victoria's era?  Dude, you can't head on over there fast enough.  And you get to gorge at the trough for free for the next month.

Take notes.  Lots and lots of notes.

The Category Romance WayBack Machine

I had a new post go live at Heroes & Heartbreakers over the weekend.  This time around, I'm taking on The Forever Instinct by Barbara Delinsky, a Harlequin Temptation (#41!) from 1985.  St. Martin's is reissuing some of Ms. Delinsky's older category romances in digital format, and my editor thought it would be fun to have me tackle a couple - especially since I've never read any of them.

So go on over and take a gander - find out what I thought of this now 27 year old Harlequin.

50 Shades, Libraries And Collection Development 101

Yes, it's come this.  Wendy is going to talk about That Trilogy That Shall Not Be Named.  I know everybody else on the face of the Earth (well, at least on the face of  the Romance Blogging Earth) has beat this horse half to death, and normally with "hot topics" like this one, I don't feel like I have anything else interesting to add to the discussion.  Except in this case, I might.  Why?  Because even though my professional life has morphed just a wee bit in the last 6+ months, I'm still, in my heart of hearts, a collection development librarian.

I have a lot of pet peeves, but the one that gets my blood boiling faster than anything is when librarians lose sight of "good" collection development practices. Simply put, it's a balancing act between giving people what they want and what they need.  And as a librarian, it's not my job to beat them over the head with what I think the difference is between want and need.  My job is to provide materials and information in an unbiased manner and let folks make up their own minds.  So yeah, while I could happily never buy another Danielle Steel book ever again, I still buy her.  And when someone requests one of her books, or grabs one to take to the check-out desk, I don't pull them aside and say "Why are you reading this hack?  Let me give you something good to read!"

I also have serious issues with public libraries that become personal shrines to what the library staff likes to read.  Hey, if I had my druthers my library would be a monument to category romance, historical western romances and suspense novels.  But guess what?  Not everybody likes to read what I like to read.  People actually like to read things besides category romance, historical western romances and suspense novels (mores the pity).  I figure I'm not doing my job as a collection development librarian if the thought of 75% of what I purchase for work doesn't make me want to drive nails up my arms.

The argument bandied about over public libraries not collecting 50 Shades is that the reviews have been "bad."  That it's poorly written.  A flash in the pan.  A novelty.  A series with absolutely no staying power that will fade into obscurity in a few years.

To which I say, fine.  It can sit next to The Da Vinci Code in The Book Obscurity Grave Yard.

Do librarians base their purchases off "good reviews?"  Yes.  Yes we do.  But we also, if we're halfway decent at our job, learn quickly to read between the lines.  "Bad reviews" also sell books to public libraries.  Whether we're talking professional review journals or blogs, reviews are still one person's opinion.   My job is to look at the black, white and gray (tee hee), take out my crystal ball, and figure out if the audience exists for Book X within the population my library serves.

Also, I'll be blunt - as many reviews as I read, there are some books I just don't bother with reading the "critical" commentary.  John Grisham could publish a major turd of a book, but you know what?  I'm buying it.  It's John Grisham.  And it doesn't even have to be a "huge" author to get me to not read reviews.  Folks who are "names" within their genre get a free pass as well.  Ask the average person walking down the street who Julia Quinn is and they probably won't know.  But guess what?  She's a major name in romance circles, which means I'm buying Julia Quinn.  I just am folks.  I don't need to see the reviews.

You know who also gets a free pass?  When the media gets a hold of something.  I often say that a book can get the worst reviews in the history of publishing, and if the author lands on the Today Show?  Guess what, those reviews don't mean squat anymore.  Because as much as I love readers?  Dude, we're sheep.  Something gets enough attention and there's going to be a body somewhere who wants it.  (In the case of something like 50 Shades, a lot of bodies).

 Does this mean librarians should throw their baby expertise out with the bath water?  No.  Because I don't think libraries should solely be in the business of popularity contests either.  It's about finding a way, and the room, to have things like 50 Shades and the latest installment from the James Patterson Writing Sweat Shop sitting next to Shakespeare, Voltaire and that critically-lauded coming of age story translated from the original Swahili.

Is this always possible?  Is this always easy?  No.  No it's not.  There are days I look at my budget, look at the resources at my disposal, and slowly start banging my head against my desk.  Then I fix myself a nice cup of tea, pull up my Big Girl Librarian Panties, and find a way.  There are days when I figure it out, and then there are days when I really suck at my job.  That's the thing about library work, it keeps your ego in check.  The minute that anyone in this profession loses sight of that?  The minute we think we've got it all figured out, that we can do no wrong?  The minute we take collection development and turn it into something "personal?"  We've lost our way.

TBR Challenge 2012: Wendy Makes Fangirls Cry, Again

The Book: Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall (AKA Sharon Sala)

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Harpercollins, 1996, in print and available in digital

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR: Lots of online readers I "know" have gushed over this book, so when it was reprinted some years back I picked up a copy - brand spankin' new thankyouverymuch.

Danger, danger, thar be spoilers ahoy mateys!

The Review: A criticism I sometimes see for contemporary romance is that it doesn't operate in anything resembling "our reality."  That's exactly what I thought of while reading this book.  The title is taken from the hero's name, and I suspect I'm supposed to be won over by his sheer hottie-hotness.  The fact that he has long hair and rides a Harley is somehow supposed to make up for the fact that the story takes place in La La Fantasy Land.  But more on that in a minute....

Andrew Jackson Rule was sent to prison at 16 for killing his abusive a-hole father.  Oh, and yes - he did it.  He confessed to it even.  His time served, he's now a free man - although he's discovering life on the outside isn't very welcoming.  After being dismissed everywhere, he lands a job at Rebecca Hill's nursery (as in greenhouses, plants and such).  He met Rebecca some days earlier, after he fixed her broken down truck.  A preacher's daughter, Rebecca is constantly thwarting Daddy's attempts to marry her off, and she hires Jackson on the spot - even though she knows he's an ex-con who did time for murder.  You see, our girl took those Bible lessons about redemption and "judge not" to heart - much to her father's horror that his baby girl has hired a killer.

Oh boy, where to begin.  First off, it's hard to take a book seriously when our ex-con hero just leaves prison without so much as a by-your-leave.  Apparently in New Orleans ex-cons don't need to worry about silly things like parole officers and/or halfway houses ::headdesk::.

Then there's Rebecca who is so goody-goody that she doesn't bat an eye when hiring Jackson.  Or sure, he fixed her truck and saved her from walking out into traffic (don't ask) - but he's very upfront about the whole Went To Prison For Murdering My Daddy thing.  Now ladies, if someone told you something like this - what would you do?  Maybe it's the librarian in me, but I'd be off to the search the Internet to dig up the dirt.  Granted, let's give Rebecca the benefit of the doubt - this was 1996.  Maybe she doesn't have a home computer hooked up to AOL or Compuserve.  Still, she lives in New-frickin'-Orleans!  The thought doesn't cross her tiny pea brain to head to the public library and search back issues of the newspaper(s) on microfilm?  I mean, really sweetheart?  Really?!?!?!  It's like the brain-dead heroine in historical romances who doesn't read the letter that would explain everything - and instead hangs on to it, unopened, until the final chapter when she finally does read it and she learns that the hero really didn't abandon her pregnant and penniless but was instead shanghaied.   

Seriously, who doesn't open the letter?!??!?!?!

Uh, sorry.  Where was I?  Oh yeah....

Things move along at a decent clip, with Jackson and Rebecca finally succumbing to their attraction.  Then we get into Big Secret conflict.  The Big Secret Jackson is keeping from Rebecca?  He has a sister in a mental hospital.  Of course this really shouldn't have been a Big Secret because Jackson keeps having nightmares about his sister covered in their Daddy's blood.  Which means she was there when Jackson killed their father.  What, the cops didn't mention that in their police report?  And since Jackson confessed, I'm to believe no reporter/journalist let that bit of news leak for public consumption?  Of course since Rebecca lacks any curiosity or survival instincts whatsoever - we already know she didn't go to the local library.

Further developments include Jackson turning into a Poetry Spouting Care Bear once he gets laid (sadly, not a virgin hero since he got rid of that pesky nuisance at age 15...) and somehow managing to get a volunteer job at a homeless shelter working with at-risk kids.  Seriously, I know these organizations are hard-up for help - but an ex-con who admits to killing his father?  Really?!?!?  That just smacks of a lawsuit waiting to happen, even back in 1996.

The final straw for me was with the ending when the author takes the one unique element to this story, back-tracks on it, and undoes it all.  OK, yeah - I saw it coming a mile away (blame it on too many mystery novels and Law & Order episodes), but it was still disappointing to see the one unique element of this story completely unraveled for the sake of making the happy ending more palpable.  \start spoiler Because you know, we can't have the ex-con hero actually be guilty of the crime he did time for.  Never mind that much is made over the fact that Dead Daddy is a raging, colossal, abusive dill-hole.  Killing in self-defense might turn some readers off, so let's neuter the hero by having him take the fall, plus rescue every secondary character that comes on the scene from certain doom, all while morphing into a Poetry Spouting Care Bear.  /end spoiler

Sorry folks, I partly get it on the whole Wounded Hero level - but that's really about it for me.  There just wasn't enough on the page here to make me look past all the problems I had.  However, the writing does flow and I read this story at a fairly good clip.  If you can look past the complete and total lack of reality, this isn't necessarily a "bad" read.  After all, Jackson does have long hair and rides a Harley.

Final Grade = D+

Harlequin Pusher

In honor of Mother's Day (which is Sunday here in the States), I've got a new column up over at Heroes & Heartbreakers called Converting Your Mom to Romance: A Test Study.

No, I do not have one of those Moms who kept a upiquitous grocery bag of Harlequins in her bedroom, nor did she push Georgette Heyer on me. It was on me to discover the romance genre and then convert her into a romance reader.

Go forth!

Reminder: TBR Challenge for May

For those of you participating in the 2012 TBR Challenge, a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, May 16. 

The theme this month is Old School.  Basically any book that is in your TBR that was published prior to 2000.  As scary as this is to admit - 2000 was 12 years ago.  Already.  Geez.

Remember, the themes are completely and totally optional.  If you are not a freak like me and do not have any "old" books in your TBR?  Hey, that's cool.  Just randomly pick something from the pile and dig in.  The themes aren't important - reading something that's been lying around neglected is the real goal.

And hey, and it's only May!  It's not too late to sign-up for the challenge and join in on the fun.   If you're interested, or just want to be a snoop, please check out the TBR Challenge 2012 information page.

Review: When She Wasn't Looking

I've always read a fair amount of category romance, but it wasn't until I started reviewing at The Good, The Bad And The Unread that I made a concerted effort to branch out from just reading my "tried and true" lines.  I've been floundering about a bit with Harlequin Intrigue.  When they work for me, they're super-quick, action-packed reads.  When they don't work?  Meh.  Lucky for me I've discovered one author who consistently has been delivering for me in Intrigue - and that's HelenKay Dimon.  When She Wasn't Looking, a rare unicorn of a stand-alone book, features a nicely involved suspense thread and non-stop action that had me staying up way past my bedtime.

After his career took a nose-dive in Los Angeles, Jonas Porter relocated to Oregon and is working as a deputy sheriff.  It's been a long day, and he's tired.  He just wants to go home and crawl into bed.  However he's got one last stop, a "wellness check" on a woman whose husband has been unable to get a hold of her.  However when he arrives at the house?  It's not some little old blue-haired grandmother, but a sexy young woman.  What the aces is going on here?

Courtney Allen has been in hiding for pretty much her whole adult life.  When the cop shows up at her door dropping various names from her past, she knows that it's time to run.  However, Jonas just won't seem to take the hint and keeps asking questions she does not want to answer.  Worse still, he wants to haul her into his office.  And while she's trying to extricate herself from the deputy?  Bad Guy #1 shows up, and all bets are off.

What I tend to really like about Dimon's Intrigues is that she works well with what I call The Slow Reveal.  She teases readers along, laying out just enough tasty morsels of plot and suspense to keep you flipping pages.  It takes a while to learn Courtney's whole back-story, why she is hiding and why she's so cagey with Jonas.  Jonas' baggage helps to define him as a cop, but also gives him the tools to be well-prepared for the crap he has to wade through in this story.  One innocent wellness check has turned into killers coming to his sleepy Oregon town, with the body count rising, and Courtney somehow being in the eye of the storm.

The suspense here is very good, and quite involved for an Intrigue.  The author weaves in a nice amount of twists and turns, and throws in a suitable number of red herrings.  Readers meet The Head Bad Guy fairly early on, which makes this story more action-style cat-and-mouse, although Dimon does throw in a wee bit of mystery to spice up the details.  She also keeps that action flowing easily from chapter-to-chapter, making this a hard book to put down once you start it.  "I'll just read one more chapter," quickly turns into finishing the book, and me staying up too late.  I also really appreciated that she avoids the pit-fall of making her characters "super human."  In other words?  Jonas and Courtney have to make more than one trip to the hospital over the course of the story.

The romance here is pretty much standard Intrigue, which means it's not without some issues.  Readers need to be willing to roll with a romance that develops on a very short time-line, against a back-drop of danger and suspense.  It's the sort of thing that never strikes me as having much staying power in real life, but you like Dimon's characters so much, and their shared dialogue alone has enough sizzle and spark to convince me of a long-term happy-ever-after.

When She Wasn't Looking is exactly what I want out of my romantic suspense reading.  Lots of action, good suspense, and lively chemistry between the romantic couple.  And in probably the highest compliment I can give a book?  I stayed up late and finished it in one sitting.

::yaaawwwwnnnnn:: (and it was totally worth it)

Final Grade = B+

Review: The Homesteader's Sweetheart

Some readers like inspirationals because they like that message of "faith" weaved into the story, but honestly?  I know just as many, if not more, readers who have turned to inspirationals because either they're 1) western fans tired of being ignored by secular publishers or 2) they're readers who just want a "clean" read.  No iffy language, no wall-to-wall sexy times.  Just a nice, sweet, romantic story.  It's now official, I'm declaring Lacy Williams as one of my go-to authors in the inspirational market.  While taking place in the same universe as her debut, Marrying Miss Marshal, The Homesteader's Sweetheart couldn't be more different.  Different sort of hero, different sort of heroine, and there are a whole passel of kidlets running around in this story.  The one thing that has stayed the same?  Her light touch with the religious elements of the genre, and her seamless weaving of them into the story.

Penny Castlerock is a young lady raised to appreciate the finer things in life.  Her father is the town banker, her mother a proper society maven.  Penny was even sent away to finishing school in Philadelphia, and when she came back home to Wyoming, her father was a little put-out that she didn't bring a husband with her.  No matter, he has plans to marry her off to his business partner - a man Penny cannot abide.  First, he's positively old and second, there's just something "off" about him.  But her father just won't listen to reason, and Penny figures time away might cool her would-be suitor's ardor.  When she learns that her grandfather, who lives outside of town on a horse farm, isn't feeling well and needs some help?  She packs up her younger brother, Sam, who is in need of some discipline, and they hit the road.

She hitches a ride to Grandfather's place with Jonas White, a man she first "knew" in Philadelphia.  See, back east, Jonas was a brick layer's apprentice and was working on a residence next door to Penny's finishing school.  Penny knew he existed mostly because the other girls twittered behind their hands about him.  Then there was a scandal involving one of the girl's at the school, and Penny hadn't thought another moment about him until he shows up at a dinner party her father is hosting hoping to conduct some business.

Jonas went to that dinner party hoping to secure a loan.  His younger daughter suffers from epileptic seizures and the doctor he found in Cheyenne wants payment in full, up front.  He's hoping the letter in his pocket from his neighbor, coincidentally Penny's grandfather, will pave the way - but no such luck.  Now he's got Penny Castlerock, the girl he's had a crush on since his Philadelphia days, sitting in his wagon with him. But that's all it can ever be - a crush.  All he's ever wanted is a family, and he has one with his daughter and 7 (yes, 7!) adopted sons.  But Penny?  Yeah, way too good for the likes of him and a girl who certainly was not raised to be a homesteader's wife.

This is the sort of story that one can poke holes in all day long if you're so inclined.  First, there's the huge coincidence that after leaving Philadelphia with a cloud over his head that Jonas just happens to settle in the same area of Wyoming as the Castlerock's. The villain here is strictly of the one-dimensional variety.  You can practically see him twirling his mustache and hear him chuckling menacingly. Penny's grandfather also has to be the simplest man alive.  He knows the kind of man his daughter married.  He knows how Penny was raised.  So exactly what makes him think she's capable of cooking?  Naturally she practically burns down his kitchen.

Readers also need to be willing to roll with the single man adopting that many kids aspect of this story.  I'll admit it, it's pretty syrupy at times.  Luckily though, while Jonas is classic Beta hero all the way - he never treads into dreaded "Gary Stu" territory.  Plus, the author does sell his back-story well enough for me to "buy in" to the blended family aspect of the conflict.

However it's hard to hate on this story, well at all, because the author has a way of sucking me in.  I'll be honest - I like these people.  They're nice people.  And you really feel for Jonas, a man who desperately wants a family, goes about getting himself one, but is pretty inept when it comes to women.  Part of it is his shyness, the other part of it is that he just doesn't know anything about courting or woo'ing.  The guy is, like, hopeless on that score.  And what does he do?  Falls for the one woman in town that he positively has absolutely no shot in heck with.
 
Penny has a nice way with the kids, and I liked that she doesn't have immediate success when it comes to dealing with them.  She doesn't want to marry to secure her father's business alliances, she wants a marriage like her grandparents had - one based on love.  And while she thinks she's falling for Jonas White and his family, could she be happy living on a homestead?  Away from town and the pretty things she's come to enjoy?

This story certainly won't be for everybody, but if you're a fan of gentler westerns and like a family vibe to your romances?  This is a good one.  The "God Stuff" is painted with a very light brush - mostly consisting of the characters attending church and, at one point, Penny reading her grandmother's Bible.  Honestly, it's no more "preachy" than a huge chunk of the secular westerns I've read.  Even with me nit-picking the whole affair half to death (because, that's how I roll), I still enjoyed this story immensely and inhaled it in one day.  I liked Jonas.  I liked Penny.  And I loved that this family got their happy ending.

Final Grade = B-

All The Boys Get Lonely After You Leave

You know why authors and publishers keep cramming connected books down our throats?  I'll tell you why - because readers are suckers.  Truly we are.  Oh sure, we may moan and grown "Dear God, not another series?!" - but secretly, deep down inside, in places we don't want to acknowledge?  We want that series.  We need that series.  We want to get hooked.

Which brings me to Naked Angel by Logan Belle, the third and final book in her Club Burlesque trilogy.  What I loved about the first two books were the world-building, the colorful secondary characters, and the huge-honkin' soap opera plot.  What I didn't love so much?  The main character Mallory Dale.  So it was a bit of a relief to find Mallory and her boyfriend Alec are relegated to minor roles for the vast majority of this closing chapter.

After months of hard work it's opening night for The Painted Lady, the sexy new burlesque club Mallory and Alec are launching.  The biggest night of her life just keeps getting better too, because right there on stage, Alec gets down on bended knee and proposes!  Mallory, of course, accepts - but it's a bumpy ride on the way to wedded bliss.  First, there's Nadia - a ballerina who has had to hang up her pointe shoes after one too many foot injuries.  She's hoping to find solace and satisfaction on the stage of The Painted Lady - if only the new man in her life weren't so outraged by the idea.  Then one half of the married financial backers of the club decides to get involved with the sexy British costume designer Mallory has hired - not only putting his marriage at risk, but also the financial stability of Mallory's new endeavor.  Waiting in the wings?  Our villain, Violet Offender, new owner of the Blue Angel, and gunning for Mallory at an upcoming burlesque competition in Las Vegas. 

Let's get this out of the way first - this book does not stand alone.  Readers should start at the beginning of the trilogy and read in order to achieve the maximum effect of soapy goodness.  While all the players in this story are certainly interesting, there's not a whole lot of what I call in-depth character development.  This is more of a plot driven story, and no this is not automatically a "bad" thing.  It just means it's a different sort of read with different sorts of expectations.  I want to be transported back into the world that Belle has created, and that is what she does.  She gives me the scandal, the sex, the drama, all wrapped up in feather boas and tasseled pasties.

While Mallory and Alex are still the main players in this universe, this story focuses more on ballerina Nadia and costume designer, Gemma Kole.  While it was good to see that Mallory and Alec have, for the most part, moved past the issues that were clogging up the first two books - here they seem firmly rooted in Happy Ever After Land, although the author does try to juice up some conflict by having Alec suggest that maybe Mallory might want to cut back on preforming once they marry.  I didn't really buy into that though, as far as "serious" conflict.  No, the meat and potatoes involve Nadia, and her burgeoning relationship with a man who runs his own ballet academy - a man who thinks that just because she can no longer dance en pointe, doesn't mean she should throw out the baby with the bathwater.  He's also big on issuing ultimatums as far as the burlesque thing goes.  Honestly, even though the author does sell it fairly well in terms of his back-story and "personal issues," I still couldn't help but feel like Nadia should have told this jackass to take a long walk off a short pier - but to each his own.

Gemma is the show-stopper though.  She's one part sex kitten, two parts cold fish.  And for a big chunk of the story you're not sure what side of the page she's going to fall on - heroine or villain?  Enter Violet Offender, our clear-cut villain from the previous book, who arrives on the scene to muck things up a bit.

Everything culminates at the end of the book, with Mallory and Alec getting more page time once the story lands in Las Vegas.  This is also where the author wraps up her trilogy with a skilled hand.  I loved that while it ends happily, it isn't unrelenting sunshine and rainbows.  I loved that while it didn't seem like the villains were totally vanquished - it also doesn't mean they really "won" either.  Mallory and Alec do ride off into the sunset though, and while we don't have a crystal ball - I think those two crazy kids just might be able to make things work.  And trust me, that wouldn't have been the easiest thing to say after the first two books.

In the end, I'm left with fond memories of the world, the soap opera that left me in a swoon, and a cast of colorful secondary characters that I loved re-visiting.  I rationally know it's not the sort of thing that could go on forever without wearing thin, but darn it all - I didn't really want it to end.  The sign of any memorable trilogy, to be sure.

Final Grade = B-

Side note: I was reading this book on my lunch breaks at work, and my boss got one look at the cover and suggested, jokingly, he "book talk" it at the next manager's meeting.  I told him that wasn't a bad idea (it would certainly spice up those affairs!) - but that he really should tackle the books in order. 

The Month That Was April 2012

 Lemon Drop: I like sitting on your lap Auntie Wendy, you're all soft and squishy.

Me: Wow.  Thanks kid.  Way to boost the ol' ego there.  I've turned over a new leaf though, so hopefully the next time you see me some of these squishy bits will have firmed up.

Lemon Drop: Or, you know, you could stop hitting the chocolate so hard....

Me: Do you want Auntie Wendy to end up in jail?


Lemon Drop: Well, no.  I don't think you can buy me new books from a jail cell.  Speaking of books, what did you read last month?

Me: I did OK.  Only six books, but pretty solid quality-wise.

Title links will take you to full reviews.

Diamond Dreams by Zuri Day - Contemporary romance, Harlequin/Kimani, 2012 - Grade = C-

•  Pampered daughter of a glitzy wine-making family meets her match in self-made man from the wrong side of the tracks.  Some interesting elements here, and I liked the glam setting.  However the suspense sub plot and some lumping writing, especially during love scenes, didn't work for me.  Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine Done Wrong, One Slimy Ex, Former Gang-Bangin' Hero, Mommy Doesn't Love Me, Family Dynasty, Two Over-Protective Sequel-Baitin' Brothers.

We'll Always Have Paris by Jessica Hart - Contemporary romance, Harlequin Romance, 2012 - Grade = A

•  My absolute favorite read of the month.  Opposites attract when a bubbly fun-loving production assistant goes after a stuffed-shirt, button-up'ed hero for her company's latest documentary.  Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Free Spirit Heroine, All Business Hero, Hero Done Wrong, Road Romance.

The Edge of Night by Jill Sorenson - Romantic suspense, Bantam Dell, 2011 - Grade = B

•  My TBR Challenge read of the month. Loved the gritty SoCal setting, and that the author didn't shy away from her depiction of gangs, drugs and crime.  Solid suspense delivered along with a steamy romance.  Glad I have more books by this author in my TBR!

Dancing At The Chance by DeAnna Cameron - Romantic historical fiction, Berkley, 2012 - Grade = B-

•  Historical fiction with a very strong romance element.  Vaudeville dancer heroine pins her hopes on the fact that the theater owner's son is back in town.  Surely he's come back for her, and to save the struggling theater.

Always In My Heart by Kayla Perrin - Contemporary romance, Harlequin/Kimani, 2012 - Grade = D

•  My bad for not reading the back cover description before picking up this book.  The secret baby plot pretty much insured that I was going to loathe the heroine with every fiber of my being.  Perrin can write though.  Review is forthcoming at TGTBTU.  Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Single Mom, Cop Hero, Secret Baby, One Kidlet, Two Sequel-Baitin' Sisters

Lady Drusilla's Road To Ruin by Christine Merrill - Historical romance, Harlequin Historical, 2012 - Grade = B-

• A frothy confection set in Regency England.  Older sister is on the way to Gretna Green to stop feather-brained younger sister from eloping with her smarmy dance instructor.  Along the way she meets a love-sick Mister who agrees to help her reach her destination.  Review is forthcoming at TGTBTU.  Harlequin Cheat Sheet: One Duty Bound Older Sister, One Brain Dead Younger Sister, One Reaching Above His Station Hero, One Cold-Fish Father

Me: So, do you like the books I got you?

Lemon Drop: Mommy likes Bears In The Night because of its excellent use of prepositional phrases.  Whatever the heck that means!  I like it because I've finally figured out ways I can sneak out of my bedroom.  This is, like, the best How-To book ever!  Thanks Auntie Wendy!

Me: ::headdesk::