The Longest Night

My reasons for picking up The Longest Night by Kara Braden are twofold: 1) it's a debut and 2) it got some stellar reviews in the professional library journals I read for work.  Plus it's a cabin romance (I love these!) featuring two damaged characters.  Sounds intriguing, right?  Well, in theory it would have been.  Unfortunately the execution failed to engage.

Ian Fairchild is a big shot criminal defense attorney in Manhattan.  Then he's in a car accident (during the course of an investigation - a big shot criminal lawyer who still does his own investigating?  Ohhhhhhkay), and screws up his back.  One thing leads to another and he starts popping pain pills.  After his latest stint in rehab his brother, who works for one of those private security firms that run rampant in Romancelandia, says enough is enough.  Suitably dried out, he's sending him to the middle of nowhere and away from temptation to finally kick the pills for good.

Former Marine Cecily Knight can't say no to Ian's brother, given that the man saved her life in Afghanistan.  Cecily was held captive by insurgents for five days.  It's an experience that she's naturally slow to "get over."  Now she lives, literally, in the middle of nowhere in the Canadian wilderness.  She needs a prop plane to fly to the nearest source of supplies.  She has to hunt if she wants to eat meat (and we get several hunting scenes so if you're a tree-hugger consider that your trigger warning).  Literally, middle of nowhere.  And now she has a house guest - the sexy and distracting Ian.  Gee, however will they pass the time?

That's pretty much it.  It's internal conflict all the way which is normally something I enjoy.  Unfortunately the internal conflict in this story lacks anything remotely resembling urgency.  Ian's drug problem reads like a convenient plot device to get him to Canada.  Popping ibuprofen like Tic-Tacs in the first few chapters is about as deep as we get here.  Really all it takes to make him forget about opiates is to have lots of sex with Cecily and do those exercises his doctors prescribed.  Voila!  Pain is magically gone!  Pill problem?  What pill problem?

Cecily has PTSD and, for the most part, I thought the author did an OK job with this until she had to end the book.  Unfortunately this is one of those Great Orgasms Cure All stories.  She falls in lurve with Ian, wants to be with him, and gee that's enough right there to pack up her life and move to Manhattan.  After living in the Canadian wilderness for seven years (!).  I'll concede that sex is pretty awesome, but really?  She's so screwed up that's she's living in the middle of nowhere and yet "trusting" Ian is enough to get to her to move to MANHATTAN?!?!?!  

Sorry, not buying.

There was a lack of fire here.  A lack of drive and urgency.  Prior to the resolution of the conflict (which obviously didn't work for me) I kept thinking this really should have been a category romance.  Unless you're going to really dig deep into the PTSD and addiction issues, the word count really needs to be trimmed considerably.  Instead it's filled with either 1) hunting scenes or 2) sex scenes and was a slog for me to get through.

But so many glowing reviews can't all be wrong, right?  There's enough on the page here to see promise, and it wasn't a book that made me physically angry.  No, it was just boring.  I wanted the gut-punch and instead got the whiff.

Final Grade = C-

RWA: Final Stretch (And Deep Thoughts)

You need to picture Wendy laughing in a panicked sort of way when she found out her workshop was scheduled for Saturday afternoon.  The reason for this is that I inevitably lose my voice every year at RWA and Friday night is "party night."  Ha!

Parties at RWA are different than RT in that they tend to be invitation only affairs.  What tends to get me invited to parties are two-fold 1) The Librarian Thing and 2) The Blogging For 10+ Years Thing. RWA is all about making connections, and every year I attend the conference I seem to make a couple of news ones.  This is great for me, no matter what hat I'm wearing at that moment.

I had three party invites this year, and managed to make the circuit to all of them.  The trick to keeping my voice from slipping past Kathleen Turner directly to croaking frog was alternating cocktails with water.  So by Saturday afternoon my voice was still in OK shape.  A personal best!

My workshop with Melissa Jolly and Sarah M. Anderson was Picture Them In Their Underwear: Expanding Your Audience With Speaking Engagements.  Our attendance was pretty decent, considering it was Saturday afternoon before the RITAs and post-party circuit Friday night.  Rosie and LB Gregg, bless their hearts, also sat in to listen to me blather on.  It was a good experience, and gave me an idea for maybe pitching a workshop for next year.  We shall see if I follow through with that.

After the workshop I made my way to the annual sugar-coma that is the Megan Frampton and Carolyn Jewel Donut Party.  I had managed to not see Carolyn at all by this point, and Megan only a couple of times, so it was nice to catch up with both of them plus get my sugar fix.

Saturday night was RITA night, and I always like to attend to see pretty dresses, pretty shoes, and hear speeches that will make me weepy.  I'm such a girl.  Also, Bertrice Small was this year's Lifetime Achievement Award winner.  Regardless of how you personally feel about her work, Small is more than deserving of her place in genre history and I thought Eloisa James did a really lovely job of introducing her (sadly, Small was unable to attend the conference, but she recorded a video message that played and Thea Devine accepted the award on her behalf).  This would also be when my voice finally went.  Poof!  Gone.  So sitting at home today typing this I'm about one half-step up from croaking frog.  Should be fun to get back to work tomorrow.

RWA always leaves me feeling inspired, like I could climb a mountain or slay a dragon.  It makes me wish I read faster too.  It also makes me take a good, long look at my blogging.  I'll admit it, this year I thought "I could be doing more.  I could take on a review staff.  I could punch up my content.  I could leave small behind and strive to increase my 'influence'."

And then I had Rosie smack me.  Hard.

There's a lot to think about when you start blogging, but really the one take-away is "What do you want."  And Wendy, she doesn't want to deal with a staff of reviewers.  Why?  Because no matter what middling or stellar content I manage to cough up in this space, it's my voice.  And really the only thing this blog has ever had going for it (be that for good or ill) is my voice.  It's what brings readers here or sends them off in droves.  It's my niche.  Why would I want to monkey around with my niche?

So I do what I can do.  I make the space my own.  I also follow some rules I came up with for myself when I started to attend public gatherings like RWA.  So far it's kept me from tucking my skirt into my panties then leaving the restroom (I hope at any rate, you'd all tell me right?)

1) Assume nobody knows who the heck you are (Rosie: Everybody knows you Wendy.  Wendy: No.  No they don't. I'm a legend in my own mind.)

2) Be polite to everybody.  Even if it kills you.

3) Be professional.  This is doubly important for me because yes, I blog - but I'm also a librarian.  I'm "industry."  How I behave is going to be a direct reflection on my employer.  Also I want people to take me seriously.  People are less inclined to take you seriously if you behave like an idiot.  Uh, says Wendy who may have fangirl'ed all over Lorraine Heath regarding Always to Remember.  Dear Ms. Heath: Really I'm not a stalker.  

4) Never assume.  I never name names directly on this blog detailing conversations I've had at conference without asking that person first.  That said, I've never had an "ugly American" encounter at RWA - so it's not like you all are missing out on juicy gossip.  Sorry to disappoint.

5) I've given many a "critical" review in my day, and yet I've never experienced the "cut direct."  I have theories about this (the "librarian thing" insulates me somewhat), but I really do think it's because I follow rules 1-4.  I rarely actually talk about reviewing at RWA other than to squee over something I read recently or to say something like, "Well I read an obscene amount of category romance....."  The only time I've ever talked "bad reviews" is when the author brings it up directly to me.  And then I've yet to have what I would deem an unprofessional exchange.  I guess I'm lucky in that way.  The vast majority of writers I've met accept that reviews, good or bad, are the cost of doing business.  

It's hard to say for certain, but so far these "rules" have worked well for me and I think I've followed them fairly well.  At least well enough that people still talk to me and I haven't been escorted out by security.  RWA has allowed me to build relationships over the years, with authors, readers, bloggers, publicists, editors, and agents.  I value these relationships.  They help me do what I do.  Of course, you know, it's kind of a two-way street.  Hopefully they're getting something out of having a relationship with me.

Rosie and I, bless the saints, took a later flight home on Sunday and by late afternoon I was blissfully unpacked (basically upending the suitcase directly into laundry basket), with a pizza ordered for dinner.  Another RWA in the books.  Now, back to Real Life.....

RWA 2014: Thus Far

Remember in the Olden Times when Wendy would blog everyday from the RWA conference?  Here we are on Day 3 of my RWA Adventures and I'm just now sitting down to write for posterity.  With no photos.  Because do you think I've taken any pictures yet?  Of course not.

Anyway, Rosie (She Who Never Blogs Anymore Because She Doesn't Love Me) and I arrived Tuesday evening and we immediately connected with World Famous Author L.B. Gregg, Sybil from TGTBTU and Holly from Book Binge.  Tuesday evening is always a chance to meet up and decompress after a day of travels, and we fought our way through the bar filled with men for a fertilizer convention (manure gives way to romance novelists, there's a really bad joke in there somewhere).

While everyone else was probably hanging out and/or sightseeing on Wednesday, I spent the morning in Librarians Day.  Once again a very lovely day put together by RWA staff.  I enjoyed all the panels, and it's impossible to name a favorite, but here are some quick hit thoughts:

Building a Story: How Authors Go from Rough Idea to Finished Book Speakers: Patty Blount, Kristan Higgins, Jeannie Moon, Carly Phillips, and Sherry Thomas

• I'm always struck by how funny Sherry Thomas is.  And it's humor that always strikes me the right way since she can be self-deprecating and Wendy is, herself, self-deprecating.  Especially when referring to herself in the third person.

LGBTQ Romance in the Library Moderator: Sarah Frantz Speakers: Vivian Arend, Z.A. Maxfield, Radclyffe, and L.A. Witt

• I'm in love with Radclyffe.  Smart.  And there was something about her voice, the inflection of it or something.  I wanted to have her read my grocery list just so I could listen to her some more.  Also, I had no clue (because I've obviously been living under a rock) that she owned Bold Strokes Books.  Duh Wendy.  And you call yourself a librarian.

Saddle Up and Get Ready to Read Speakers: Librarian John Charles and authors Lori Austin, Carolyn Brown, Laura Drake, Katie Lane, Jane Porter and Lori Wilde

• This would be the panel where Jennifer Lohmann "outted" me as a western fan and told everyone in the room to read my blog.  Also, Lori Austin (AKA Lori Handeland) is a massive Maggie Osborne fan.

Love Your Library: Librarians and Authors in a New Publishing Era (Author/Librarian Discussion Session) Speakers: Laura Florand and Jennifer Lohmann

• This was a fun presentation.  Laura and Jennifer brought in several authors who sat at every table and we discussed library/author programming - what we can do better, what we're doing "right" etc.  I'll admit it, I pilfered a few points for my own workshop which is tomorrow.

The Literacy Signing was massive and while I did buy a few books, I mostly stopped by to chit-chat with authors.  It was so lovely to meet Lacy Williams in person and I got the biggest and best hug from Karen Rock.  Some readers go to meet Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz, Wendy goes to meet category romance authors just breaking their way into the business.  Because that's how we roll here in the Bat Cave.

Thursday was another early day, meeting Melissa Jolly and Sarah M. Anderson for breakfast to discuss our presentation.  I hit a couple of the publisher book signings and saw part of a presentation by Angela Knight and her husband (a cop in real life) on how to write believable police characters.  It was a two hour session, and I only could see the first half, but it was really interesting.  

The one luncheon this year was a fast moving affair!  After the award recipients were honored (Librarian of the Year, Bookseller of the Year etc.), Sylvia Day gave the keynote address and did a lovely job.  Keynotes at RWA usually go for "inspiring" and Sylvia did a great job of encouraging while discussing the challenges of the business and how much things have changed over the years.

On that note, every RWA seems to have a theme for me.  Last year it was The Year of LGBTQ Authors Asking Wendy About Library Purchasing and Policies.  This year it's Indie Authors Asking Wendy About Library Purchasing and Policies.  Librarians have been on the front lines for many years with self-publishing, which is why I explain to today's savvy indie authors that librarians tend to be jaded.  Believe me, we accept that self-publishing is the new black, but it's hard to let go of the years where we were dealing with the endless kooks who published manifestos in their garages. 

In between all this I've had a lot of appointments, mostly connecting with bloggers, publicists, editors and authors.  I didn't really even try this year and my dance card still filled up: some of it because of the Day Job and some of it because of the Blogging Thing.

Tonight is a busy schedule for me and tomorrow is Presentation Day.  So far my voice has been holding out.  Let us all pray it stays that way.

The Gunslinger

A new Lorraine Heath western!  Well, sort of.  The Gunslinger was previously published in a shorter format in the To Tame A Texan anthology back in 1999.  The author expanded it a bit (to just over 100 pages) and Avon has reissued it under their Impulse banner.  It has some of the hallmarks that I come to expect from a Heath western but ultimately fell short for me thanks to a too big plot in too small a word count.

Chance Wilder is no hero.  He's a world-weary, soulless gunslinger.  He's not the fastest draw in the west, but he is deadly accurate.  He's sitting with his back to the wall in yet another series of endless saloons when a young boy comes running in sporting a bloody, broken nose.  His older sister is getting harassed by some local thugs, and having heard that a famed gunslinger was in town, Toby offers the man everything he owns to save his sister.  Chance agrees and ends up saving Lillian Madison from nearly being raped by shooting her assailant between the eyes.  However she's not terribly pleased that he just killed a man, and she's really not pleased when it turns out Chance was also wounded and she needs to nurse him back to health.  Close proximity and the added complications of why Chance was in town in the first place round out the conflict.

The whole time I was reading this I couldn't help thinking, why not expand it to a full length novel?  Because ultimately that is the sticking point here.  There's a lot of potential for angst here that is defused and a lot of complicated emotions that are left unexplored.  This is especially a determent to the heroine, who suffers because of the shorter word count.  Her reaction post-almost-rape is no reaction.  It's like nothing happened to her.  In fact her only reaction is to be Miss Prissy Pants that Chance killed a man.  Never mind that that the man had a legacy of harassing her and was two seconds away from raping her.  She eventually does have a breakdown moment where it finally seems to hit her, what almost happened to her, and what did happen to her, but it's a brief moment that quickly goes away after Chance holds her.

Likewise Chance has a very intriguing back-story, and while I wanted more of it, there is enough here to make hero-centric readers quite happy.  There's also a villain lurking in the background (other than the dead rapist) who wants to push Lil off her land.  This is pretty compelling conflict despite the fact that it wouldn't exist if Lil wasn't so blindly prideful.  Telling the villain the truth, instead of perpetuating rumors and lies, would have solved all her problems.  But noooooo, why ever would she want to do that?!

Everything is, naturally, right as rain in the end - which leads to another issue.  It's a very Sunshine Merry Sue Rainbow ending.  One I probably would have loved in a longer, full-length novel, but in the shorter novella length?  It strains.  The villain naturally sees the error of his ways, after Chance spills the beans (not Lil - because of course!), and the epilogue is suitably sappy with Chance's family estrangement getting blissfully swept under the rug.

It was nice, and it was OK - but man, it could have been better.  As it stands as a novella, Lil suffered and I never warmed up to her.  Chance fares better, but his past is so dark and black I have a hard time buying into a happy ending for him (mostly because every two-bit, would-be gunslinger would come gunning for him looking to make a name for themselves - but whatever).  Toby was a real charmer however and the strongest take-away from this story for me.  Of course it's hard to not be charmed by a boy who hires a gunslinger to protect his sister and offers him "everything" he owns.  Which includes his lucky penny, a good length of string, and a rusty harmonica.  Seriously, how could you not fall in love with that kid?

Final Grade = C+

H&H, RWA and Book Orgy

My latest round-up of Unusual Historicals has posted over at Heroes & Heartbreakers.  These are all July releases, and the inaugural list featuring a new format (Megan wanted to me to add some footnotes after the blurbs - and I think it turned out nice!).

A couple of notes: I mistakenly omitted Trapped at the Altar by Jane Feather because the nondescript cover and back cover blurb gave me NO indication that it was set during the Restoration.  Also, The Mistress of Normandy by Susan Wiggs is a reprint with a new title folks.  I know, I was devastated too.  I really was hoping she had churned out a new historical.  But The Lily and the Leopard has been out of print for eons, so if you don't have it this is a good chance to score it now (plus digital edition! yippee!).

+++++

So RWA is next week and I feel like I've done nothing to get ready for it.  Somehow my dance card filled up rather alarmingly this year.  This might turn out to be the busiest RWA for me since 2011, which was Librarian of the Year year (which was borderline insanity).  If you'd like to find me next week, here are a few places I'll be:

• Librarians Day on Wednesday, July 23.  I'm actually not speaking this year, so I'll be in the audience chillin'.  

• The hotel bar probably every free moment, but especially after the Literacy Signing.  No formal Blogger Bash this year since I'm thinking there isn't a need for one.  I mean, hello?  We're always in the bar anyway, right?

And.....

Saturday, July 26th 2:00PM-3:00PM
Picture Them in Their Underwear: Expanding Your Audience with Speaking Engagements
Speakers: Sarah M. Anderson, Me!, and Melissa Jolly

Expand your career and build your audience by adding “speaker” to your resume. Join an award-winning author, the 2011 RWA Librarian of the Year, and an assistant to several best-selling authors to learn how to find your audience, craft a pitch, book and schedule an engagement, promote your event and, most importantly, become a more confident speaker.

Take pity on us folks and come to our panel.  Yes, I know it's the afternoon before the RITA ceremony, but you do not want to miss our giveaways, awesome Powerpoint (visual aids!) and I'm pretty confident that the information we'll impart to the audience will change their lives.  Change. Your. Lives.  Seriously.  How could it not?

I'm also making the party circuit Friday evening (glad they're all kind of in the same general area), so I'll be floating around hopefully not wearing shoes that will leave me hobbled before my workshop on Saturday.

+++++

In reading update news: I've been on a frenzy lately but I'm still behind because I overextended myself on review books considerably.  They're all books I'm happy to read and review since they sounded interesting to me, it's just this pesky problem of having to work for a living.  Darn it!  Authors who sent me stuff: I promise, I'm working on them.  Truly.

I probably should stop blogging and start reading huh?  Yeah.

TBR Challenge 2014: Always To Remember

Original Jove Cover - Blah

The Book: Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath

The Particulars: Historical romance, Jove, 1996, Out of Print, Available Digitally (reissued by Harpercollins)

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  This used to be the Holy Grail for western historical romance fans and like all HG's, you had to cough up a kidney and/or sell an ovary to get your hands on a used copy.  I eventually did - I think scoring it via an online romance bud.  In 1997 this won the RITA for Best Short Historical.  My print copy clocks in at 323 pages while the Harpercollins digital edition claims to be only 100 pages (which makes no sense - but there you have it.)

The Review:  Hype is a dangerous thing.  The vast majority of the time when a book is hyped it's pretty much doomed to be a meh read for me.  But this book?  This book.  People, I just can't even! This is an instance where the hype sells the book short.  It's that good.  Drop everything, call in sick to work, tell the kids someone better be on fire before they bother you - this is squee'worthy awesome-sauce every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Cedar Grove, Texas gave it's young men to the Confederacy.  The only men left in town are old and bitter or young and bitter (having been too young to join the war and fight for the Glorious Cause).  Meg Warner gave up more than most.  Three brothers and her husband.  Gone.  Killed at Gettysburg.  Buried in a mass grave.  As a constant reminder to all that she and the town has lost?  The coward Clayton Holland.  He grew up with their sons and husbands but instead of standing by them, of going off to war with them, he refused to pick up a rifle.  He refused to serve.  While their loved ones marched off to die Clayton Holland the coward was hauled off by Confederate soldiers, condemned to die, but somehow weaseled out of even doing that.  Now he's back in town, working his parents' farm with his three younger brothers.  Meg cannot abide this man.  Her hatred bleeds off the page and she wants Clay to suffer - to suffer more than she has and does.  His father used to cut stone, having done most of the tombstones in town.  Clay learned at his knee.  What better way to make him suffer than to have him carve a monument to all of the town's fallen heroes.  As he works on that monument, as he toils on it, the weight of his cowardice will crush his very soul.  Revenge complete.

Except, of course, it doesn't work that way.  Meg may have grown up with Clay but that doesn't mean she knows him.  He readily agrees to create the monument, and to exact her revenge, to take joy in every ounce of his suffering, she spends most of her free time supervising his progress.  But as naturally happens in romance novels?  The more time she spends with him, the more she sees how amazingly wrong she and the rest of the town are about Clay.  Turns out they don't know the first thing about courage and what it means to be truly brave.

Awesome book, two awful covers.

A large reason why I love historical westerns is that the sub genre plays nicely into universal themes that I find particularly compelling.  Heath explores the ideas of courage and bravery throughout this story.  Clay doesn't fight, but that makes him far from a coward.  Of course the town, swallowed by their grief, cannot see or understand that.  Clay is the quintessential western hero.  The man who stands up for what he believes in.  The man who does what is right, always.  It may not be popular.  It damn well could get him killed.  But he's not a man who will turn tail and run even when running would be the easiest thing in the world to do.

Meg is spiteful and hateful and you totally understand why.  She's young.  She's pretty.  And the war took everything from her.  She loved her husband.  She sent him off to war with tears in her eyes and fervent prayers for his return.  He never did, and neither did her three brothers.  The war nearly killed her spirit.  Her desire, her hatred, for Clay feeds her.  Slowly but surely that veil is lifted from her eyes, and then that's when the test of real courage comes into play.  Because she has fallen in love with a man whose reputation will surely drag her down like a sinking ship.  Does she have the courage, faith in both Clay and their love for each other to make a stand?

Heath has written some very good books.  Of her westerns in particular I've read books ranging from "It was OK" to "Keeper! Keeper! Keeper!"  But this book?  I know she's still writing.  I know she's probably got a lot of stories left in her.  But this book?  This book is a masterpiece.  It's a triumph.  I know authors who would start sacrificing virgins if the outcome was creating a story like this one.  It's that good.  I'm ordering all of you to read it right now.  Right.  Now.

Final Grade = A

Digital Review: Men Of Smithfield: Sam And Aaron

Disclaimer: I know LB Gregg.  I'm friends with LB Gregg.  In fact I fully expect to spend an exorbitant amount of time in the hotel bar with her at RWA San Antonio throwing back a few glasses of vino.  Also, this book is dedicated to me.  I'm not sure how I feel about having a book being dedicated to me when the secondary character of the town librarian is 1) old and 2) a battle ax but hey - at least she's awesome.  I want to be an awesome old battle ax librarian if I ever grow up.

You know what I'm a total sucker for?  Romances featuring nice people.  People who may have agendas, may have their own personal baggage, but at the end of the day are nice people.  That's what LB Gregg has given readers with her fictional New England town of Smithfield.  Everybody in this town is nice.  Really, really nice.  The heroes are nice, their families are nice - Gregg's world is like an m/m version of a Karen Templeton "straight" category romance.

Sam Meyers and his sister Wynne run Smithfield's Bed & Breakfast.  They inherited the place when their grandfather died.  Sam spend his childhood learning at Granddad's knee which means 1) he can fix darn near anything and 2) has never left town.  Ever.  The guy hasn't even been on an airplane.  Life is passing him by.  The few gay men that live in town are all blissfully paired up and since Sam doesn't leave town?  Yeah, he's single.  Shockers.  That is until he heads to the library late one evening to return some overdue books (Oh Sam, how could you?).  Trying to free his cell phone from the book drop (oops), he spies someone lurking around inside the building.  After hours.  A someone who in no way looks like Mrs. Strauss.  Turns out it's Aaron Saunders, visiting from California (as if breaking and entering didn't already make him a suspect - he's from CALIFORNIA!).  Sam doesn't care how sexy the guy is, he's a sneak and up to no good.  Of course only Sam thinks he's up to no good while Wynne is more than happy to cut him a deal to stay at the B&B at extremely generous off-season rates.

And that would be the crux of the conflict for this category-length story.  Aaron is in town for mysterious reasons, has secrets, and Sam cannot help but be curious (and attracted).  These two rub each other in all the right, and wrong, ways.  The secondary players round things out and give our couple more chances to get thrown together.  Sister Wynne fancies herself a Food Network wannabe and has devised weekly "date night" cooking classes hoping to drum up more business for the struggling B&B.  There's BFF Claire who thinks Sam needs to get laid (she wouldn't be wrong), plus the variety of town denizens that have popped up in previous Smithfield stories.  I've read exactly one other Smithfield book (the first one, Mark and Tony) and had no problem keeping up when the series-itis creeps in.  Again, everybody is so darn nice that I'm going back to add the stories I missed to my digital TBR.

Written in first person (for the record, I love me first person - sneer all you want naysayers), the story isn't without a few bumps along the way, but charming all the same.  There were a few instances where I would have liked a few added pages by way of fleshing out story and conflict.  I also felt that when Sam finally gets wind of why Aaron is really in town?  He's way too slow to shake the truth out of him.  It borders on slightly icky.  As the reader I knew there was going to be a reasonable explanation (and there is), but Sam not putting his foot down immediately and demanding answers before partaking in more Naughty Sexy Times with Aaron is just.....well, kinda icky.

But it's supposed to be fun, charming, and kind of like the m/m off-shoot of chick lit.  Which, you know, it is.  I'm not supposed to take it deadly serious, so I don't.  And now I want to move to Smithfield.  Hey, Mrs. Strauss is old.  Certainly she'll die soon, right?

Final Grade = B-

Time Of Possession

World-building is something that is discussed frequently among romance readers.  Yeah, we're in it for the romance, the characters, the happy ending - but a good book, a solid book, is going to transport us to another reality.  When the world-building is solid, more often than not it adds to the strength of the characterizations.

Where Jami Davenport has succeeded with her Seattle Lumberjacks (American football) series is with the world-building.  I've liked some of the romances better than others, but man - I get sucked into the world every single time.  The author does a good job with the "football stuff" without info-dumping a bunch of "inside baseball" jargon in the text.  My issues with sports romances and athlete main characters is typically when the sport, a very important aspect of that character's life, is either dismissed entirely (Why yes I am Super Hunky Quarterback but it's not like I need to watch film, practice, be at the training facility at all hours of the day - I have plenty of time to screw your brains out!) or is addressed and just flat-out wrong (research is thy friend).

Davenport has avoided these pitfalls.  Her heroes have jobs, so we see them working at it while trying to juggle the romance.  They talk like guys, act like guys, and the football stuff has a nice, authentic feel.  What I love about her football heroes is that they remind me of guys who could be playing in the league.  Brett Gunnels, hero in Time Of Possession is a career back-up quarterback, drafted dead last (Mr. Irrelevant), and is constantly downgraded because he's "too short."  He's like Frank Reich, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and every back-up who sat behind Brett Favre in Green Bay rolled into one.  And naturally he lands in the soup when the starting quarterback gets knocked out for the rest of the season and he finds himself getting distracted by the guy's very attractive, and already engaged, sister (our heroine).

I read this story for a First Look over at Hero & Heartbreakers - a post to make all you football geeks swoon.  On the Wendy Scale, I rated it a B-.  I loved Brett, I loved Estie, I loved their romance - heck I even loved all the pets they had running around in this story.  My only quibble was that the author may have bit off more conflict than the story could contain - namely Brett's past military service, which sometimes got lost in the shuffle.  Still, it was a very enjoyable read that once again sucked me back into Davenport's world.  If you like sports romances you really, really need to be reading this series.

Reminder: TBR Challenge for July

For those of you participating in the 2014 TBR Challenge, this is a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, July 16.  This month's theme is Lovely Rita (past RITA winners or nominees).  I have links to past winners and nominees (for several years) on the TBR Challenge page (listed next to July under the monthly schedule).  However, remember - the themes are totally optional and are not required.  It's not important what you read, just that you pull something (anything!) out of the TBR pile.

To learn more about the challenge and see a list of participants, please see the information page.

Digital Review: It Had To Be You

There are certain key words that can crop up on back cover blurbs that cause my brain to freeze up.  It Had To Be You by Delynn Royer threw up a big road block for me when the heroine is described as an "heiress" who dreams of being a "crime reporter."  Seriously, this book could have been a hot mess.  Thankfully the 1920s New York City backdrop was enough to hook me and I'm glad I gave this story a whirl.  It's not without issues, but it was an agreeable way to spend some time.

Trixie Frank's father owns a chain of super successful five and dime stores.  She could rest on her laurels, she could play the part of party-girl heiress, but Trixie has ambitions.  She wants to be a crime reporter.  Through luck and pluck she did land herself one big story at her former paper and parlayed that into a job with the New York Morning Examiner, an up-and-coming tabloid.  Unfortunately her new job has landed her on the rewrite desk and when she does get a story of her own to cover?  Yeah, it's the holiday parade interviewing Santa Claus.  However as luck would have it, she has an altercation with a young street kid who tries to steal her purse.  Trixie smells a story, so gives the kid her makeshift business card.  When that same card turns up next to the body of a dead mobster, well Trixie is in the soup now.

Sean Costigan is a cop on the wrong side of the current political tide within the department.  Sean comes from a family a cops, and his uncle had a reputation for being incorruptible.  But times change, the men in power change, dear old uncle was forced out and has since passed on.  Which means Sean with his last name is trying to claw his way back into favor.  He knew Johnny from the old neighborhood, which is why he's working the dead mobster case despite his current falling out of favor.  He also has a history with the man's missing wife, a gal from the neighborhood that Sean used to be engaged to before she threw him over.  The business card on the scene leads him to Trixie, who in turn leads him to the missing street kid who just may have witnessed the crime.  But in order to crack the case he needs to find the kid, figure out who he can trust, and scratch Trixie's back if he expects her to scratch his.

This was a fun read that featured a pretty solid mystery.  It's 1924 New York City, so we're knee deep in Prohibition, gangsters and corrupt cops.  The author twists and turns the plot and did a solid job of keeping me guessing until the end.  I liked that Trixie was smart and thought quick on her feet without running off half-cocked playing "girl reporter."  Sean puzzles things out, does get his head turned a bit by his past, but yet is smart enough to not trust everything everyone tries to sell him on.

The writing style does get a little lumpy in spots, mostly when the author relies on telling over showing.  There are instances where events take place "off page" and the author relays them to the reader through the characters' internal monologues.  A good example of this is when Trixie's apartment is broken into.  Sean decides to do a stakeout and uncovers who is behind the break-in.  Instead of being with Sean as he is "doing" this?  He relays it to the reader after the fact and the actual uncovering of the culprit takes place "off page."  It defuses the tension and stalls the momentum of the suspense thread.

Writing quibbles aside, this was an enjoyable light mystery with strong romantic elements.  A good bet for cozy mystery fans, historical mystery fans, or historical romance fans looking for something not set in Regency England.  Royer could easily morph this into a series featuring further adventures of Sean and Trixie.  Here's hoping she does.

Final Grade = B-

The Heir Of The Castle

Ever read a romance novel that you wished had existed when you were 16-years-old?  That's how I felt about The Heir of the Castle by Scarlet Wilson.  The entire time I was reading it I thought of Awkward Teenage Wendy who I keep locked up in a corner of my psyche and thought about how much she would have loved this story.  She would have clutched the book to her non-existent bosom, sighed dreamily, and declared it the BESTEST BOOK EVAH!!!!

For the record, Grown-up Jaded Wendy also liked this story, but it's admittedly not without issues.

Laurie Jenkins is an unhappy, overworked lawyer for a prestigious London law firm.  She's smart, came from a working-class background, and when she got accepted to law school her father was so over-the-moon proud.  He worked his butt off to help her through law school that it made it impossible for her to admit that she knew the profession wasn't for her almost the moment she landed at Cambridge.  Her father now dead, she gets the shock of her life when she receives a letter from a solicitor.  Her grandfather, a man who was basically her father's sperm donor, has passed away and she's inherited his castle in Scotland.  Well, sort of.  Turns out Angus MacLean was a busy guy and had six children by six different women, none of whom he ever acknowledged.  Angus stipulated in his will that all relatives come to Scotland to compete in a Murder Mystery Weekend, and the "winner" of the event (the one who guesses whodunit correctly) wins the castle.  Laurie can't see how any of this is possibly legal, but heck - girlfriend needs a vacation.

Callan MacGregor essentially grew up at the castle.  Angus found him hiding on the grounds one stormy night after Callan's father went into an alcoholic rage.  Callan thinks of Angus like a father.  Now a wealthy man, he kept trying to convince Angus to sell him the castle.  I mean, Angus was a lifelong bachelor with no children, but the man kept claiming he wanted the castle to "stay in the family," which made Callan think there was some distant cousin somewhere.  He cannot reconcile that the Angus he knew, the wonderful man, would have six children and not acknowledge them.  It's mind-boggling.  But now he has all these strangers snooping around where he considers "home" - most of them making no secret of the fact that they plan to sell the antiques and the land to the highest bidder.  Then there is Laurie Jenkins, who is so different from the others.  Laurie who doesn't seem to care so much about "winning" and more about enjoying the castle, the history, the land.  Laurie who seems like she cares about the place as much as he does.  But Callan doesn't trust easily.

Seriously, it's like a Scooby Doo cartoon, which is probably why I loved it so dang much.  The Murder Mystery Weekend plays a nice backdrop, but doesn't overwhelm the page count.  There are a lot of secondary players, but Wilson doesn't make the mistake of spending too much time on them.  There's a castle, unknown family history to crack, and two characters who behave in a believable manner.  I "got" why Callan was so bitter about all the outsiders.  I appreciated that the author addresses the legal elephant in the room by having her characters question it.  I loved that when Callan tries to lump Laurie in with the others, she puts him in his place.

What didn't work quite so well was some of the secondary elements to the romance.  Part of Callan's baggage is that his mother abandoned him when he was a young boy, leaving him with an abusive, drunk father.  The excuse given for this is that she was mentally ill, specifically schizophrenia.  This just seemed like a bit much to me.  Even with medication, it's a hard row to hoe for schizophrenics and apparently Callan's dad goes off the deep end after she leaves because he loved her so much.  I'm not saying schizophrenics can't be lovable, but to get married, get pregnant, and be stable enough to the point where Callan doesn't have any "bad" memories of his mother (only his father's drunken rages)?  Then there is the fact that schizophrenia occurs in 1% of the population, but when you have a family history?  It jumps up to 10%.  So now I'm worrying about future kidlets that Callan and Laurie may have.  It would have worked better for me if Mommy were bipolar or, you know, simply left to escape the abuse.

I also had major issues with Angus MacLean.  The author does offer up a reason on why he never acknowledged his six (SIX!!!) children, but it strains.  I mean, it really strains.  Especially since the man lived to be almost 100.  But it's hard to write a character, even if he is off page, that is so great with the hero and yet could be such a jerk to his own kids.  The author had to come up with something, and unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

Still, I liked this story for the most part.  The heroine, a castle, a slightly bitter and wealthy hero - it pushed major nostalgia buttons for me.  So much so that I inhaled it in one sitting.  Yes, there were issues.  Yes, I picked it apart quite a bit.  Then Awkward Teenage Wendy kicked Grown-Up Jaded Wendy in the shins.

Final Grade = B-

To Charm A Naughty Countess

I picked up To Charm a Naughty Countess by Theresa Romain because it promised a virgin duke hero.  This may seem somewhat out of character since I've built a reputation in Romancelandia over the years for being a heroine-centric reader.  But Lord above, I have a hard time saying no to virgin heroes (uh, wait a minute....).  So it's slightly ironic that my takeaway from this story is to be annoyed and indifferent to the duke and more than half in love with the heroine.

"But I've already sold myself once, Michael.  I won't do it again.  I have earned the right to live for my own pleasure at last.  And you insult me by offering an apology for the life I have built."

Seriously, I want to have her babies.  But enough about me.

Michael Layward, Duke of Wyverne, is in a bind.  The longest, coldest winter on record has sapped what was left of his meager finances.  To make matters worse, his creditors are not inclined to extend him any more credit.  For you see, Michael has a reputation for being "mad."  As in Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.  In reality, Michael isn't mad - just socially inept.  A fact that Caroline Graves, the dowager countess of Stratton knows all too well.  She first met Michael ten years ago and their encounter was almost her undoing.  He retreated to the country where he has stayed ever since.  She married a much older man who was "kind" to her and left her a great deal of money upon his death.  These funds are not tied to the Stratton seat which means even if Caro does remarry?  Yeah, she keeps the coin.  Which, as you can imagine, makes her a very popular widow.

Loathe as he is to leave the country, Michael has no choice but to return to London.  His money problems being what they are, he needs to marry an heiress, and naturally he's making a muck of things on his own.  Enter Caro, the woman who had him tied in knots ten years ago.  And now here she is again, just as lovely as she was a decade ago, offering to play matchmaker and find him a bride.

On paper, there should have been plenty in this story to propel it into Squee Territory for me.  Sadly though, it ended up being a slog.  Most of my reservations stemmed from Michael's characterization which bordered on unbelievable ignorance.  He doesn't do well in social situations.  He's whispered and gossiped about.  A crowded ballroom propels him full blown into anxiety and panic.  I "get" that.  But there is a world of difference between not liking something and flat-out not knowing.  He may not like society, but that doesn't mean I buy into the idea that he's ignorant about the way it works.  He's a duke.  The heir (not the spare).  Cradle to grave this guy would have been spoon-fed the way society works. So when he (and the reader) finally learn at the end of the book about the fallout Caro faced ten years ago he's shocked.  Shocked!  He had NO idea!

Yeah, not buying.

Nobody could possibly be this stupid.  Unless he doesn't care - which would actually make more sense - but then he wouldn't be the hero.  He has to care.  So instead he just looks ignorant and stupid for not knowing very basic things about society, gossip and a woman's reputation being everything.

It also didn't help matters that Michael gets clued in about Caro's baggage thanks to her well-meaning BFF.  I tend to prefer it when the dunderheaded main couple clues in to their own ignorance by way of epiphany, as opposed to having to be schooled by a secondary character - but that may just be me.  It just, once again, makes him look unobservant and stupid.  Open your bloody eyes Michael. 

Speaking of schooling, that's where this story picks up some slack.  Caro is delightfully refreshing, the type of heroine you don't see all that often in historical romance.  Simply put, she's a hero in ladies' dress.  We're even privy to a scene with her current lover in one of the very early chapters.  It's not a full-blown love scene, but dude - we totally know they've done it.  She makes no apologies for her life.  She came from a gently born background, but hardly high up the food chain.  She wanted a "better life" - and she got it.  She likes her life.  She likes society.  And you know what?  Michael can sod off if he thinks she's some poor downtrodden lass who was taken advantage of.

"I chose to make myself a countess, even though I knew what it would cost.  I took the gifts I had been granted - youth and beauty and a fair amount of wit - and I sold them as dearly as I could.  Even before I met you, I never expected to marry for love.  I wanted a different sort of life, and I considered that above all."

So I'm left with a heroine I want to have babies with and a hero that I wanted to swoon over before I even started this book and.....meh.  It also didn't really help matters that between Caro's pride (as much as I loved her!) and Michael's clueless naivety that they started to talk in circles after a while.  The author delivers some wonderful dressing-down scenes at the end (of Caro schooling Michael in all the ways he's a moron), but I had to slog through big chunks to get to those scenes.  A great heroine is a sight to behold, but not enough for me to overlook the other stuff (and the hero is some pretty big other "stuff") that didn't work for me.

Final Grade = C+