The Month That Was April 2014

Lemon Drop: Oh my, for me?

Me: You look genuinely surprised kiddo.

Lemon Drop: Oh you really shouldn't have Auntie Wendy!

Me:  Ummmmm......

Lemon Drop: Finally gracing me with your presence.  Whatever did I do to deserve such generosity?

Me:  Sigh.  OK, so I'm a little late.

Lemon Drop:  Ahem.

Me:  OK, a lot late.  I've been busy!

Title links will take you to full reviews

Night Games by Lisa Marie Perry - Contemporary romance, Kimani Romance, 2014, Grade = C

• A story that tried do to "too much" within the category format and because of that the romance suffered.  Oodles of family drama, and intriguing set-up to series however - if that's how you roll.

Every Part of You: Takes Me by Megan Hart - Erotic romance serial novella, St. Martin's Press, 2014, Grade = B-

•  Final installment in serial.  Was disappointed with inclusion of sex club scene (dude, was over those in 2005 but whatever....), and felt the ending was rushed.  But some very good groveling on part of asshat hero.  I love me some groveling.

Stolen Kiss From A Prince by Teresa Carpenter - Contemporary romance, Harlequin Romance, 2014, Grade = B-

•  A traditional, throw-back sort of read - but I mean that in the best possible way.  What elevated this from typical, royalty, fairy tale fare for me was the heroine's journey.  She finds her voice over the course of the story, and that is exactly what I want out of a book that I fear will be nothing more than a simple Rescue Fantasy.  This one avoids that pitfall.

How to Misbehave by Ruthie Knox - Contemporary romance novella, Loveswept, 2013, Grade = B+

• My TBR Challenge read for the month, I really enjoyed this novella!  I loved that the Alpha Hero came off like an actual real person with real-life foibles.  I loved that the sheltered heroine, while maybe a little naive, wasn't brain-dead stupid.  And I loved the small town feel without all the annoying stuff that crops up in small town romances.  I. Want. More.

Fair Play by Deeanne Gist - Inspirational historical romance, Howard Books, 2014, Grade = B-

• I loved the history here, and once again Gist delivers an inspirational story without shoving a religious agenda down my throat.  There were times the characters drove me nutty, mostly with their "we know best" mentality to do-gooding, but also the hero's opinion of the heroine having a career (hey, he was true to his time period though!).  Not my favorite Gist I've read, but solid.  And again, great use of history. 

Lemon Drop:  You've been busy and you've read five books?  Two of which were novellas?  Really?!?!

Me:  You know I do have other obligations besides reading.

Lemon Drop:  Ahem.

Me:  And you.

Lemon Drop:  Like there is anything more important that me!  Pshaw!

Me:  OK, properly chastised.  I'll do better next month.

Lemon Drop:  You better.  My public demands it!

Me: Oh brother.

Digital Review: Tanya

I enjoy reading Rebecca Rogers Maher for a lot of reasons but the big two are: 1) she writes well "short" and 2) she slathers on the angst.  I'm an angst junkie and I like novellas.  This is a marriage made in heaven, truly.  Tanya is a follow-up to The Bridge, which was one of my favorite reads of 2013.  Tanya is what I've lovingly begun calling "the drunk sister's story."  The heroine from The Bridge?  Tanya would be her sister, who was largely missing in action in the previous story thanks to her alcohol problem.  Well now Tanya is back in Christa's life, just in time for her wedding, and wouldn't you know it?  Tanya makes a mess of it by having hot, sweaty, anonymous sex with Christa's future brother-in-law.  Oops.

Tanya is in recovery, having been off the booze for two years.  That doesn't mean she's living entirely sober however.  She's taken to anonymous pick-ups, and on the eve of her sister's wedding she finds herself in a bar sizing up a guy who cannot seem to sit still.  She propositions him, a good time is had by both, and it's not until the very next day at the ritzy mountain lodge where her sister is getting married that Tanya meets Jack, future brother-in-law, and giver of amazing orgasms.

Jack can hardly believe his luck.  Home from the Peace Corps, at loose ends, he's attending his brother's wedding when he meets a captivating woman.  He's floored by Tanya's boldness and wants more, but naturally she scurries off before he can coax a name out of her.  Finding out she's his future sister-in-law's sister?  He's not going to let the opportunity go to waste.  Now he just has to convince her to stop running scared.

Stories should stand on their own and I dislike critiquing one read based off a former one, but darn if that's not what I'm going to do here.  Tanya is good.  It's very good.  But I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed that it didn't give me that same emotional heft of The Bridge.  I think part of the problem is that this story is tied directly to the previous romantic couple.  I was so intrigued by Christa and Henry, was even happy to see them here, but having them on page did detract a bit, for me, from the new romance - Tanya and Jack.

Also, while I found The Bridge to be wonderfully self-contained and perfect for a novella, with Tanya I just wanted more.  I wanted more exploration of Tanya's self-destructive, sabotaging tendencies.  Great, she's not drinking anymore - but these random sex pick-ups she's doing smack of trading one addiction for another.  I "get" why she does it, but does she "get" why she does it?  That's the question.  I also wanted more of why Jack felt the need to avoid, running away to the Peace Corps, and his guilt over Henry's depression and suicide attempts.  More angst, more blood on the page, more, more, more.  As it is?  I felt like the surface gets scratched, we get some emotional sex scenes - but it never quite came together as a whole meal for me.

Which sounds like I'm not being fair to this story.  Maybe I'm not.  But hey, this is still a really strong read.  Maher as a way to writing highly damaged characters and somehow making me believe in the happy ending.  Tanya and Jack are far from perfect, but I think they'll be OK.  Likewise, while both Christa and Henry tried to kill themselves?  I totally bought into the idea they'd be getting married and would be able to build a life together. 

So really, the author has done her job.  Hey, that works for me.

Final Grade = B-

How You Spell Denial

W-E-N-D-Y

Yes, this was still on my key chain as of this afternoon.

Let it go Wendy.

Let.

It.

Go.

TBR Challenge 2014: Badlands Bride

The Book: Badlands Bride by Cheryl St. John

The Particulars: Historical romance, Harlequin Historical, 1996, Out of print, available digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  St. John is an autobuy for me.  I still have a few of her older backlist titles buried in the TBR, and this was one of them.

The Review:  I haven't read a St. John yet that I didn't like.  That being said, the plot description of this particular story sounds like an aneurysm just waiting to happen.  Besides the sheer, insurmountable volume of my TBR, that's probably the main reason why this story languished for so long.  I should have never had any doubt however.  Why?  Because I had forgotten what St. John does so well - and that's write characters who aren't prone to dramatics.

Hallie Wainwright wants two things in life: 1) to be a newspaper reporter and 2) for her father to take her serious.  Her father runs one of the many papers in Boston and she's desperate for him to see her as a vital part of the family business, much like her two brothers.  However they think Hallie is just a pest and decide to give her an assignment to keep her out of their hair.  Like many newspapers, they run ads.  Some of these ads are from men out west looking for brides.  So Hallie is dispatched to interview some of these potential brides and write a puff piece.  Low and behold, she does.  Then Hallie overhears her brothers talking about how the whole thing was just a ruse, and kind of a surprise that the piece was so well-received.  Shortly thereafter she learns that one of the brides, her main contact for the story, is breaking off her "engagement."  Feelings already bruised, Hallie decides to travel with the remaining brides to North Dakota and write a follow-up story.  Since the first piece was a hit, this one will probably be even bigger and then, just maybe, Daddy will open his eyes.  Naturally things don't go smoothly.  Their stagecoach gets robbed and Hallie ends up shooting one of the bandits.

Cooper DeWitt is white, but was raised by the Sioux.  With the tribe forced on to reservations, Cooper comes up with a plan.  He grabs up some land (it pays to be white) and starts a freight company.  Hauling freight means he can get supplies to the tribe, plus business is good.  Money fixes a lot of problems.  He advertises for a wife because of his sister-in-law's son.  When his Sioux brother died, it is tasked to Cooper to look after his wife and child.  Cooper realizes that for Yellow Eagle to have a life and help his people, he's going to have to learn to read and write.  He's going to have to play on the same field as the white man.  And for that?  He needs someone to teach the boy.  What he didn't expect was Hallie.  Not only did she shoot a bandit but she claims to be a reporter (of all things!) and isn't his intended bride!  Plus having been robbed, she has no money and no way to get back to Boston.  Whatever shall they do now?

What they do, of course, is enter into an arrangement.  She'll teach Yellow Eagle, help Cooper set up accounting on his business and in exchange he'll pay for her ticket back to Boston once the stage rolls back their way.  It's a pretty desolate part of North Dakota, which means Hallie's going to be there for a while.  Which, of course, means that these two will eventually fall in love.

The conflict has all the potential to be a hot mess.  Reporter heroines have a bad reputation in the genre, mostly because they are easily prone to too-stupid-to-live shenanigans.  Hallie rashly deciding to head west all in the name of a follow-up story in the hopes of finally getting Daddy's approval sounds really, really unpleasant.  However, it totally works here.  Why?  Because St. John makes me understand Hallie.  Yes, she makes a rash decision.  But you know what?  You understand why she does it.  She does it because she's a woman ahead of her time who keeps getting figuratively backhanded by the very people who should be her biggest supporters.  Plus it helps tremendously that she's not a drama queen.  Hallie is not one prone to theatrics, praise the Lord.

Cooper is a very interesting character and I felt the author handled his back story well.  I especially appreciated that she didn't travel down the "he was kidnapped!" plot thread.  Cooper went to live with the Sioux under other circumstances, which I found refreshing.  The main conflict for him is that Hallie is a "city girl" and North Dakota is a very harsh reality in comparison.  When he starts developing feelings for her, he wrestles with what this will mean.  He would never be happy in Boston and she could never be happy in the Badlands, could she?

The secondary characters add to the story and keep things rolling along.  This is a good solid western with believable conflict and no over-the-top shenanigans.  St. John writes about nice people who you want to live happily ever after.  They're good, solid folks.  Already in the mood for a western, I inhaled this in one day - making this a good, solid read.

Final Grade = B

Various Ramblings At H&H

I've been really lax in "promoting" my H&H posts here at the blog and I've had three go up in recent memory.

I've had two First Looks go live, both historicals.  There's Deeanne Gist's latest inspriational historical, Fair Play which features a Texas Ranger hero, a doctor heroine, and the backdrop of the Chicago World's Fair.  I loved the setting and history in this story, although at times the characters drove me a little nutty.  A solid B- read for me.

Next up is Always a Stranger by Amara Royce.  A well-drawn Victorian London setting, a spare hero thrust into the heir role, a Japanese heroine, and a bit of suspense.  I found the romance a little slow in spots, but the plot is compelling and the dialogue very solid.  Another solid B-.

And finally, a round-up of unusual historicals coming out in May.  Like a dolt, I forgot to include the Royce title (that's why Baby Jesus created comments though!).  A potentially very good month for westerns - which as we all know, Wendy loves her some westerns.

Reminder: TBR Challenge for May

For those of you participating in the 2014 TBR Challenge, this is a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, May 21.  This month's theme is More Than One (an author who has more than one book in your TBR pile).  This one should be pretty easy, right?  Or am I the only reader out there who hordes backlists? However, remember - the themes are totally optional and are not required.  Maybe you aren't a horder like I am?  Hey, that's OK!  It's not important what you read, just that you pull something (anything!) out of the TBR pile.

It's also not too late to sign up for this year's challenge.  For more details, please see the information page.

Digital Review: To Recapture A Rake

When it comes to writing novellas, the plot tends to be the thing. Author should come up with an idea what allows them to flesh out a believable romance in less than 100 pages (hence, a lot of reunion stories!), all while giving readers a plot that can work in a short format.  To Recapture A Rake by Christine Merrill is a perfect example of an author who knows she's writing a novella and delivers a satisfying, fully-realized romance without stuffing the reader like a Christmas goose.

Caroline Sydney is well and truly ruined.  As a debutante she got her head turned by Vincent Wilmont, the Earl of Blackthorne.  He did propose marriage, but in typical rakish fashion: I'm an earl, I need an heir, and gee - you'll do.  Caro being madly in love with him turned him down.  Such a man, despite her love, is destined to hurt her.  She'll do her duty, squirt out an heir and then he'll run off to bed a multitude of mistresses.  But then, as tends to happen in romance novels, "stuff happens" to damage Caro's reputation.  Vincent swoops in and in the name of protecting her takes her as a mistress.  And they carry on like this for nearly a year until Caro cannot take it anymore.  She loves him, he says he loves her - but they never go out.  He seems ashamed of her.  Like he wants to closet her away as his private play thing and nothing more.  She she tosses him out on his ear.

It's usually the guy who ends these types of relationships, so Caro throwing out the notorious rake the Earl of Blackthorne as the scandal sheets aflame.  Which is how Vincent finds himself accepting membership into the Hephaestus Club, a gentleman's club filled with social rejects.  As any reader worth her salt can deduce, this novella is naturally a set-up for a series that the author is launching in the fall.  And while, yes, it is sequel bait - it is delightful sequel bait.  Think of the Hephaestus Club as The Band Of Misfit Brothers.  Naturally it's through the workings of the club that Caro and Vincent find their way to their happy ending.

This novella is a perfect example of a story that works as a novella.  As a full-length romance I think it would have gotten on my last hot nerve.  Vincent and Caro are apart thanks to a lack of communication.  If they would just sit down, lay all their cards out on the table, well there would be no conflict.  However it's easy to understand why Caro isn't forthcoming with Vincent.  Young ladies in Regency London just don't blurt out every little thing that's on their minds.

"Even if a man's faults are plain as day, we are not to ask embarrassing questions."

And for his part?  Well, Vincent is a man.  He can't help it that he's clueless.

With the help of a secondary character (who I am, officially, half in love with), the two make their way together and there's enough verbal sparks to keep the pages flipping.  It also does a lovely job of setting up the upcoming series, and dang I love the concept of this particular gentleman's club.  Kudos!

Final Grade = B

Note: From what I can deduce, this is a Kindle exclusive.  Hopefully it will be available in other formats down the line.  Also, of note, if you are an Amazon Prime member - you can read this story for free.

Digital Review: Ruin Me

I have issues with "New Adult," most of it revolving around how much I deplore the idea that this is somehow a "new genre" that authors and publishers just happened to stumble across one day while looking for water in the desert.  To put it simply, it's not new and we call it "coming of age."  Anyway, this is a review of Jamie Brenner's latest, Ruin Me, and not Wendy's personal soap box.  Brenner also writes under the name Logan Belle, and stylistically, this story reminded me somewhat of her Blue Angel trilogy.  Direction-less 20-something girl, New York City backdrop, and a soap opera plot that would make Aaron Spelling swoon.

Lulu Sterling is an art student at NYU and her mother owns one of the most iconic art galleries in the city.  She's also dating a major hottie, Brandt Penn, who is an up-and-coming artist that her mother is poised to launch with his own one-man show.  It should all be perfect, but Lulu is lost.  There is drama behind the scenes at the gallery, thanks to Mom's sophisticated and conniving gallery manager and her "perfect" artist boyfriend is turning out to be anything but.  In the midst of these distractions is GoST, a mysterious street artist that Lulu is becoming more obsessed with.  She loves his art, she loves what his art says, now to just track down the mystery man and do what?  Exactly?  She's not sure.  She just knows that she wants to be close to him and his work.  But spending time with a street artist is complicated.  He's secretive, she has a boyfriend, and Mom would not approve.

Here's my thing about the art world.  I like art.  I think paintings are "pretty."  I'm not the sort of person who can look at a painting of geometric solid colors and say, "The artist is making a statement on our insatiable consumerism and our uncontrollable lust for fame at any cost." 

Blah, blah, blah, whatever.

So yeah, I know nothing about art other than what I like.  The author immersed me in this world, the gallery and the players.  I got completely sucked into it, and with the added punch of New York City as a backdrop?  By far my favorite elements of the story.  Readers talk a lot about world-building in historicals and paranormals, but I would argue it's just as vital in contemporary stories.  What Brenner has done here is create a whole world for her characters to run around in; a convincing world.

As much as I loved the world-building and the soap opera plot (seriously, I'm so predictable), the romance was an issue.  Ruin Me has the same problem I tend to have with a lot of stories like this.  In other words, I don't want Lulu to have a romance.  Frankly Lulu doesn't need a romance.  You know what Lulu needs?  She needs to give everyone in her life the middle finger and just be.  As in, be by herself.  Figure out who she is without all these people yapping in her face.  She's dating Brandt not because she loves him.  She's with him because she's 1) in awe of how hot he is and 2) that a hot guy like him would be interested in a girl like her.  This is not a girl who needs a romance.  This is a girl who needs to learn that she's good enough.  Period.  And that she starts to realize that after spending time with GoST kind of annoys me.

Speaking of, GoST is an interesting character but towards the end of it all I wanted to smack him into next week.  I just don't think he's "good" for Lulu - mostly because he's got baggage I don't think he's prepared to deal with.  Plus, I'll be honest, he's kind of a pretentious prick when it comes to his art.  But then, he's an artist - so there you go.  Being a prick is probably a prerequisite.

In the end, this is a romance - so Lulu and GoST will somehow find their way together and while I don't think Lulu should have a romance (right now at least) and GoST did kind of tick me off at times?  The ending shows some promise.  Lulu is in a better place and GoST seems like he's not going to be a total jackass.  Which makes this is a hard book to assign a grade to.  In the end, the romance really should be everything, but the world and the soap opera?  Those flipped major switches for me.  

Final Grade = B-

Digital Review: Island Peril

I know just as many readers who dislike novellas as who claim to like them.  I'm in the "like them" camp, but even I have a certain set of mile markers I like to see an author hit.  Just because the author is writing short, I still want a fully realized, fully contained story.  In other words, don't try to sell me a prologue.  However I also don't want the author to bite off more than a novella can chew on.  Don't take a 300-page idea and try to cram it into 100 pages or less.

What little commentary I've read about Island Peril by Jill Sorenson seems to fall into two camps: 1) it's "too short" and/or 2) it short-changes what Sorenson does best - which is oodles of interesting character back story and baggage.  These are valid concerns, but I think it dismisses what Sorenson has done "right" with this novella.  Honestly? Just about everything.

Ella Hammond is on a kayaking holiday with her sister, Abby and niece, Brooke.  They're having a great time so far, and it doesn't hurt that their guide, Paul, is a major hottie.  Abby notices he's making eyes at Ella, but she immediately dismisses it.  She's just gotten out of a relationship, and honestly why would Paul be looking at her when, in her opinion, the better looking Abby is around?  Anyway, they set off in their kayaks when Abby has a panic attack.  She and Brooke turn back to camp, with Paul and Ella carrying on.  They get to their island destination only to find themselves stumbling across drug smugglers and running for their lives (gah, don't you hate it when that happens?).

This is a quick read with just the right amount of believable action and enough steamy sexy times to feed into the chemistry between Paul and Ella.  What I loved here is that Sorenson doesn't try to do too much.  She keeps the suspense very action-oriented and straight-forward.  In other words, she doesn't try to cram in an island serial killer into the mix.  She also keeps the romance extremely believable.  The attraction between Paul and Ella burns hot and fast, but they're not declaring their undying love in the final chapter or planning a wedding.  Ella muses she's happy, she likes Paul, and maybe they are moving fast but what the heck?  Why not go for it?  It's happy-for-now all the way, but Ella and Paul fit together so nicely that it's easy to imagine a full-blown happily-ever-after in the future.

Island Peril also serves to give readers a brief introduction to Abby and Brooke, who are main players in the full-length novel, Backwoods.  If you've never read Sorenson before, this novella serves as a nice taste in regards to her writing style as well as her brand of suspense.  It's not a bad way to test the waters if you've been curious but unwilling to invest yourself in a full-length read.

Final Grade = B

Note: At the time of this review posting, this novella is free through most, if not all, digital retailers.

Retro Review: At Twilight by Beth Henderson

This review of At Twilight by Beth Henderson was first published at The Romance Reader in 2004.  I rated it 4-Hearts (B range) with a MPAA content rating of "PG."

+++++

Contrary to popular belief, a handful of western romances are still published every month. Unfortunately as the quantity has dropped off, so has the quality – leaving diehard western devotees scouring used bookstores for the days when quality ruled the roost. Maybe that’s why this reviewer finds Henderson’s latest to be such a breath of fresh air.

J.W. Walford is not only haunted by his time as a Union cavalry officer, but also for the fact that a notorious band of outlaws, using the Confederacy as a convenient excuse, murdered his wife and committed unspeakable acts against his sister Tess. Both of them hungry for revenge, they have spent the last three years hunting each member of the outlaw gang down. Assuming the identity of a fallen Southern belle, Tess has taken to gambling and going by the name of Diamond to ferret out information. J.W. is the one who has been pulling the trigger, and after he disposes of one of the gang members in Lone Tree, Texas, he has a posse on his tail and a hangman’s noose with his name on it.

With the posse hot on his heels, J.W. comes across a pitiful excuse of a ranch where he finds an unconscious woman and her infant daughter. Louisa “Lou” Burgess is newly widowed, and thanks to her no good dead husband, she’s now indentured to the town’s powerful banker. Seems Frank not only got killed for cheating at cards, he also lost the deed to the ranch and threw his wife into the pot for kicks. Seeing J.W.’s arrival as the perfect opportunity, she proposes that they pose as a traveling family to run away from their troubles. Naturally the trouble follows them, and there’s still the Walford family’s quest for revenge to contend with as well.

At Twilight works so well because it has grit. This isn’t a western featuring nosy townspeople, quaint misunderstandings, and Little House charm. Lou’s life is a mess thanks to a husband who left her with nothing, a banker who wants to claim her, and a family that has all but abandoned her. She has a vague notion of heading towards Mexico City and her long, lost mother – but this is a woman with few options.

J.W. is a haunted man thanks to a dead wife he has trouble recalling, a dead son he never met, and a sister who is the walking wounded. He is immediately taken with Lou’s determination and her spunk pulls his bacon out of the fire on more than one occasion. But these are two people playing their cards close to the vest. They are introspective, thoughtful, and careful not only with their charade, but their tattered emotions as well. And ultimately it is the characters and their various emotional states that make this story work.

Henderson also writes in some wonderfully developed secondary players that very nearly steal the show. J.W.’s sister, Diamond, has survived unspeakable horrors due to the war and the outlaw gang’s molestation. Her best friend, a free black woman named Nedra, travels with her, mainly to keep an eye on Diamond who is dancing close to the flame. They are both fascinating characters, and I selfishly hope Henderson isn’t done with them yet.

The pacing of the story is a bit off at times, with the author spending 100 pages on the first day, then jumping ahead in time for the later chapters. The story picks up after a saggy middle when J.W. and Lou find their way to San Antonio – but then the ending comes a little rushed with a couple of loose threads. With the vastness of Texas, and majority of the villains dealt with, it’s easy to assume that our couple is able to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.

Beth Henderson is not a debut author, having employed the pseudonyms Lisa Dane and Elizabeth Daniels for previous efforts. With the quantity and quality of western romances hanging in a precarious balance these days I hope she continues to explore the sub genre. Her history and sense of place are evocative, her characters fully fleshed, and she has proven her ability to write gritty plots with this latest effort. This is why readers miss the western romance so much, and why it’s still viable in today’s market place. Don’t miss it.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: This is one of those books I have zero recall on.  I mean, like, none.  But after reading this review I want to drop my life, buy the Kindle version (currently $3.99) and reread this.  This was a period in reading time where I was desperate for western historicals, but the vast majority of what was getting published was - ugh, words cannot describe The Badness.  So to have this book land in my review pile at that time?  I was probably dancing a jig.  I just, uh - don't remember it.  Also, unless my brief attempt at GoogleFu has failed me - I don't think Henderson ever did write a book featuring the sister.  Mores the pity.

Retro Review: Bad Moon Rising by Katherine Sutcliffe

This review of Bad Moon Rising by Katherine Sutcliffe was first published at The Romance Reader in 2003.  I rated it 4-Hearts (B range) with a MPAA content rating of "R."

+++++

“Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye” Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival

J.D. Damascus is a fallen golden boy. Once a prominent and feared assistant district attorney for New Orleans, he’s now an ambulance-chasing lawyer with a bleeding ulcer. His clientele are mainly hookers who never pay their legal fees. Why has our man fallen so hard? A serial killer murdered his wife and two young children.

The French Quarter Killer had been targeting prostitutes, but the heat really turns up with the death of the Damascus family. The killer is eventually caught, tried and executed - but J.D. merely thinks the man, while an odious child molester, was a fall guy. He has spent the last several years trying to convince the cops that his family’s murderer is still at large - but no one is listening to him. Then the murders start up again, and the last thing the law wants to admit was that they fried the wrong guy.

Holly Jones is a former prostitute who left behind the seedy streets of New Orleans for Branson, Missouri. She’s trying to put together a real life for herself when she gets a panicked call from a friend who is still working the streets. Melissa is so freaked that Holly decides to pack her meager belongings and go back to New Orleans - even though it means putting her own life in danger.

Holly and J.D. are ultimately thrown together when Holly is arrested, her car and belongings stolen. Not only that, but Melissa is missing - and after her panicked phone call Holly fears the worst. Can Holly and J.D. uncover the truth before the death toll rises any higher?

Let’s get this out of the way right up front - Holly is a former prostitute. Personally, I applaud Sutcliffe for writing a non-traditional heroine into a romantic suspense novel, and kudos to Jove for publishing it! Frankly, if I read about one more naïve, too-stupid-to-live virgin I swear I’m going to run head first into a cement wall. With Holly’s moxie and sass, I adored every inch of her.

That said I found Bad Moon Rising to be J.D.’s story. Here is a man who brings new meaning to the term “wounded hero.” He feels guilty over the death of his family, not only because he was away on business at the time, but also because his marriage was on the rocks. He was never really in love with Laura, but did care for her deeply and he was over the moon for the kids. He merely exists, feeding on his need for revenge, when Holly begins to show him just how lonely and miserable he truly is.

Along for the ride are an assortment of secondary characters - other hookers, pimps, drug lords, politicians and J.D.’s extended family. They add their own suspenseful moments to the story and throw in more than a few obstacles for our romantic couple. The romance is secondary, but equally as satisfying. If you are a fan of romances that feature strong redemptive themes, look no further. Who would need more redemption that an ex-hooker and a down-and-out lawyer?

The only thing keeping Sutcliffe’s latest from 5 Heart territory is my own finicky nature. I’m a genre fiction reader who likes everything tied up at the end, and while the climactic finish is satisfying, I found there were one or two loose threads left dangling. That said, with strong characters and a suspense thread that delivers, I know I’ll be pressing this book upon many of my library patrons.
 
When most romance readers were cutting their teeth on Kathleen Woodiwiss, I was gnawing on Mary Higgins Clark - so it’s not surprising that a good suspense story gets my blood moving. Bad Moon Rising had me excited from page 1 and didn’t let go. I seriously wanted to take a sick day, call in dead, anything to get more reading time in. It’s that strong, that readable and that memorable. Don’t be surprised if you see it on many Best of 2003 lists.

Side note: My R rating reflects the violence in the story more than the sensuality. The majority of the violence is against women, and the killer gets off on torture and fear. Those prone to nightmares should consider themselves warned.

+++++

Wendy Looks Back: In hindsight I probably should have rated this 5-Hearts as the book ultimately ended up in my keeper stash.  It's been ages since I read it, but I recall distinctly that, at the time, the online message boards were in a fit of apoplexy over Holly being a former 'ho.  By this point in my romance reading I was so bloody sick of Mary Sue Sunshine that I was ready to have babies with Holly, but to each her own.  I believe this was Sutcliffe's last book and last I heard through the grapevine she was raising horses and enjoying her retirement.