Library Loot Review: Danger Next Door

CW: murdered child 

Having enjoyed several books by Donna Alward in the past (she's written some great Harlequin Romance and Harlequin American Romance titles...) I was curious to try her first Love Inspired Suspense novel. For her first romantic suspense title, she certainly didn't take the easy way out. It's not exactly cheery holiday reading (hey, my library hold came in - whatcha gonna do?) and I suspect the dark plot of Danger Next Door is going to give more than a few romance readers pause.

Seven years ago Andi Wallace's 3-year-old daughter, Chelsea, was taken from their Cadence Creek home and was found dead in the woods.  Andi was suffering from a cold, and fell asleep after taking cold medicine. Consumed by guilt and grief, her marriage to Jim eventually disintegrated and now Andi lives alone.  Every year on the anniversary of her child's murder she goes to the woods where they found her body to leave a bouquet of daisies and mourn. However this year something is waiting for her. Chelsea's stuffed bunny rabbit. The toy she never let out of her sight. The toy she took with her everywhere is nailed to the tree where they found Chelsea's body.  The stuffed rabbit that hasn't been seen for seven years.

Andi is, understandably, upset. She knows she needs to call the cops. But how she was treated 7 years ago (as a suspect) and the fact that her daughter's murder was never solved, makes her distrustful.  So she calls Ryan Davenport. He's her BFF's brother and he's a cop.  He knows her. Their families go way back. He's a safe alternative and will likely believe her (also he won't think she's nuts if the stuffed toy nailed to the tree turns out to be a grief-induced hallucination - although, of course, it isn't).

Ryan was a rookie RCMP when Chelsea was murdered and it's a case that's always haunted him.  Now, with the case cold, the killer has resurfaced to toy with Andi. Incidents start happening.  Vandalism, gaslighting, and it looks like someone has broken into her house on more than one occasion. As he turns up the heat to solve this case, he and Andi get closer - further complicating an already extremely complicated situation.

Right up front I want to disclose that this book isn't graphic (Love Inspired books aren't graphic) but it doesn't have to be to be "dark." I mean, a murdered toddler is Dark AF. It's the kind of plot you'd expect in a grim suspense novel with doom closing in from all angles.  Alward doesn't write dark, the Love Inspired lines aren't dark, so the tone of this story isn't dark.  It's a weird juxtaposition - to have such a grim plot thread but the tone of the story isn't swaddled under a cloak of depression and angst.  I suspect the author realized this, and having the story set seven years after the crime, I think, helps add a certain perspective.  But still, murdered toddlers are Dark AF.

For her first time out of the gate, the author does a good job building suspense.  After the appearance of the stuffed toy, she slowly ramps up the incidents targeting Andi. Who is toying with her? What will happen next?  Andi is, naturally, scared and I loved the turning point when she goes from scared to seriously pissed off.  Someone murdered her child. Someone is screwing with her. She wants answers and justice. There's a couple of possibilities and even though I thought I had it all figured out, I was only partially right - so the story did keep me guessing.

The romance here is a slow-burner and of the just kisses variety but it moves along at an expected pace for a plot of this nature.  It could have ended on a happy for now, but the author chose to put an epilogue in (fast-forwarding a year later) which I thought worked things out nicely.  Given this is a Love Inspired, there's going to be some God Stuff - and I'd call it slightly more than middle of the road. Andi has lost her faith (like, duh), characters go to church, they pray, there's a Bible verse thrown in at one point, but I never felt like I was trying to be converted. It was more of a "characters struggling leaning on faith/God" variety of inspirational.

I have a complicated relationship with romantic suspense and while I wasn't in love with this one, and the Dark AF plot is a lot, it didn't annoy me or make me want to rip my hair out - which is more than I can say for a lot of romantic suspense.  Andi and Ryan are nice people, the bad guy gets caught and Chelsea gets justice. It delivered what I wanted and kept me reading. A solid first suspense offering from a veteran author.

Final Grade = B-

#TBRChallenge 2021: One Cowboy, One Christmas

The Book: One Cowboy, One Christmas by Kathleen Eagle

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Silhouette Special Edition #2011, Book 2 in series, 2009, out of print, available digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR: It's a Christmas Harlequin - that's really about it. To elaborate, Eagle is a solid writer and I like Special Editions. My print copy indicates I likely bought this used while visiting my family in Michigan (the Meijer price tag on the front cover is kind of a dead giveaway).

The Review: Oh reader expectations. We all have them but when it comes to category romance readers, they're amplified. I have a very different set of expectations with category romance than I do single titles. I expect the stories to adhere to line specifications and given the shorter word counts I expect a hyper-aware focus on the romance. Special Editions usually land around 220 pages - that's not a lot - and it's a problem for this story that Eagle chose to write. Honestly? This read like a women's fiction novel that she trimmed down to fit Special Edition guidelines and for that reason it missed the romance mark for me.

Zach Beaudry is a broken down rodeo cowboy (more parts ache than not) making his way to Texas. Where he currently is is driving a neglected pick-up truck through a South Dakota snowstorm. Naturally the pick-up truck quits on him and he finds himself walking to the nearest shelter - which turns out to be Ann Drexler's front porch.  He's near delirium by this point and spies her from the front window decorating for Christmas. Naturally he thinks she's an angel.  Lucky for him she opens the front door, recognizes him, and hauls his near frozen butt inside.

Ann recognizes Zach because she had a one-night stand with him when she was a shy, plumper 19-year-old college student.  She met him at a party through her older sister Sally, who used to supply bulls to the rodeo circuit.  Anyway Ann looks different now - she's lost weight, less make-up and her hair is styled drastically different.  Still, she'd be lying if she didn't say it pricks her pride that Zach doesn't recognize her or even recall their one-night together.

Zach's truck needs repairs requiring parts, so he agrees to help out at the Drexler horse rescue ranch in exchange parts and labor. Beside Ann and Sally, there's a "like family" older ranch hand and a teenager student of Ann's (she's a teacher) who lands on the wrong side of the law and his sentence is community service at the ranch.  Zach is pure itchy feet cowboy and Ann is guarded, reticent and is fully expecting him to take off the moment he can. That's basically it for conflict folks.

Back to expectations, there's a lot of homespun banter and a lot of secondary characters (three of them) vying for page time. When I first started this book I checked the back cover to make sure Ann was the heroine because Sally (who has MS) spends JUST as much time on the page in Zach's orbit.  There's also an annoying neighbor who shows up halfway through to (I think?) juice up the conflict but it's a plot thread that doesn't really go anywhere.  There's other books after this one in the series, maybe he shows up in later books to cause trouble?  Who knows.

What we've got is basically a story about found family with a romance relegated to secondary plot line. This is fine for women's fiction. It's great in fact! I've loved books like this.  But this is a Silhouette Special Edition. It's category romance. Hence, I don't think it's fine. The romance should be front and center, dominating the bulk of the story.  Instead it feels like an afterthought.

Normally I would ding a book with this sort of execution mightily but, and here's the thing, Eagle can write. She's a wiz at setting, atmosphere and characters. It fails on nearly every level of 217 page category romance, but all that other stuff I just mentioned?  Really good. Very solid. It just shouldn't have been published or marketed as a category romance.  Says Wendy.

Final Grade = C-

Glad Tidings: Unusual Historical Picks for December 2021

I honestly don't know how much the average reader pays attention to the vagaries of the publishing world - but even with the advent of self-publishing I can state for a fact that December tends to be The Dead Zone. It's traditionally been a very, very light month. That said, when my swashbuckling through Amazon's forest of terrible algorithms only netted three titles I thought "This can't be right."  So I looked at my Unusual Historical post for December 2020 and found....four titles.  Yeah.  So here it is folks! The last Unusual Historical post for 2021. She be small but she be mighty!  Enjoy!

 

The Knight's Convenient Alliance by Melissa Oliver

The only man who’s tempted her… 

Now poses as her husband! 

When an injured knight arrives on Brida O’Conaill’s doorstep, the village assumes he’s her long-lost husband. But her only previous connection to Sir Thomas Lovent was an intense shared moment at a tournament years ago. Brida maintains the pretense while she nurses him, yet once he’s back to full, virile health, she cannot reveal Thomas is not her husband—or that she’s unmarried!—when everyone is expecting them to act like husband and wife…

Oliver's debut medieval romance landed in 2020 and here we are - already on book 4 of her Notorious Knights series. Do romance authors sleep?  Because seriously, I'm exhausted.  Anyway, the fake engagement/marriage/relationship trope is one of my all-time favorites (Forced proximity! Having to put on a show to convince others!) so I'm looking forward to this.

The Viking's Stolen Princess by Sarah Rodi

A kidnapped royal… 

Could be the Viking's undoing! 

After Brand Ivarsson of Kald abducts Anne of Termarth on the eve of her wedding, the Viking’s consumed with only one thing: revenge against her loathsome betrothed. But confronted with the stunning princess, so foreign to his world, Brand’s captivated not only by her beauty, but by her spirit and her kindness. Is Anne his prisoner…or is she the one who’s captured his scarred heart?

I spy with my little eye a debut author! It's got royalty, it's got a Viking, and it's got a revenge plot. I mean, what more could a girl possibly ask for?  Rodi has a background in magazines and is a long-time Mills & Boon fan, so one imagines she's chuffed to have gotten the call for this book - which she finished in one month (!) after being furloughed from her day job.  I'm not sure what I would do if I were furloughed - probably sleep for at least the first two weeks.  Finishing a novel that eventually sells sounds way more productive.

Protecting Virginia by Kate Bridges (Kindle Unlimited)

When Virginia is jilted at the altar, her former fiancé’s brother Zack, a rugged Mountie, proposes a marriage of convenience. 

For Mountie Inspector Zack Bullock, marrying his brother’s cast-off bride would fulfill his family obligations. Zack could marry Dr. Virginia Waters and not get emotionally involved. Their marriage would have other benefits. He could continue his risky work as a detective, and she could blossom in her role as a new doctor. However, the awkward girl that Zack recalls has grown into a stunning, desirable woman and he finds himself emotionally entangled. 

Virginia survived the shame of a first botched wedding. Now she has to survive the humiliation of knowing that Zack is marrying her only because of his sense of duty. But when dangerous criminals put her safety in jeopardy, Zack wonders if the marriage will ever happen. He does everything he can to guard Virginia, and protect himself from his growing feelings of love.

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 2004 with the title The Engagement, I'm telling you right now I think I have a print copy of that edition buried somewhere in the depths of what I affectionately call my "Harlequin cupboard." Bridges wrote several historicals set in Canada with Mountie heroes and she's been self-publishing them now that her rights have reverted.  She's written some very good books and reading this plot description - HOW HAVE I NOT READ THIS YET?!  I need it in my eyeballs now.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to reading?

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is December 15!

OMG YOU GUYS! It's the last #TBRChallenge of 2021!  We made it!  Whether you are participating or just following along, the final #TBRChallenge Day of 2021 is Wednesday, December 15. This month's (always optional) theme is Festive.

Long-time Challengers probably lament December because it's the "Why is Wendy determined to shove Christmas books down our throats?" theme.  Well ho, ho, ho and not so fast!  The theme is festive. That doesn't just mean Christmas! It can mean darn near any other holiday on the calendar.  It can also mean swanky parties, masquerade balls - anything with a "festive" atmosphere.

But remember, the themes are always optional.  It's OK to not feel particularly festive this month.  The goal of this challenge is always to pull something, any book!, out of your neglected TBR pile.

Sign-ups for the 2022 TBR Challenge are now underway! To learn more about next year's Challenge check out the 2022 TBR Challenge Information Page.

Review: The Billionaire's Christmas Baby

I'm a sucker for a Christmas romance and this December I've decided to take a deep (deeeeep) dive into my Kindle and read the oldest books I could find languishing there with "Christmas" in the title.  So far this plan has been a success, given that the first book I unearthed was the 2017 gem, The Billionaire's Christmas Baby by Marion Lennox.  If the mountain of Christmas romances in my TBR are half this good - well, I'll be a fortunate reader indeed.

Max Grayland is a nice guy hiding under a loner exterior. He's also very rich. The kind of hotel guest that causes staff to say "how high" when he says jump. He's a savvy businessman determined to right the ship at his father's company and undo all the shady environmental deals Dear Old Dad wrought over the years. He's smart and capable. What he can't do? Deal with a tiny infant unceremoniously dumped in his lap by his father's much younger, social climbing mistress.  Daddy Dearest promised her a big pay day if she could get pregnant with another heir so he could disinherit Max - of course a male heir (I mean, do you even have to ask?).  Well Phoebe came out a girl and Daddy Dearest up and died before changing his will.  Max inherits it all, the scheming mistress gets diddly squat, which means she has no use or time for a baby.  Here she is Max, Phoebe is your problem now.

In this Sydney hotel room witnessing Max's dilemma is hotel maid, Sunny Raye (yes, that's her real name), who is naturally horrified by the entire spectacle. Max, who seems cold, indifferent and completely out of his depth. The child's vile mother. And there's Phoebe, a tiny defenseless child who asked for none of this bullshit. It's Christmas Eve, Sunny has worked a double-shift (she needs the money) and she just realized she forgot to buy her Gran's favorite cherry cordials. She doesn't have time for this. But Max takes one look at how she handles his screaming half-sister and before you can say cherry cordials, she's spending the night in the suite to help with Phoebe. 

Max is out of his depth. He's only in Sydney for his father's memorial service and when Phoebe storms into his life he's struggling to write a eulogy for a man he had an extremely complicated relationship with (I mean, if you can call it "a relationship").  Anyway, one thing leads to another, because of course. Max begs Sunny to stay and help him while he's in Sydney.  She agrees, on one condition. She's not missing Christmas with her grandparents and four siblings. Max is coming home for the holidays, Phoebe in tow. And what Max learns, very quickly, is that Sunny is aptly named. Sunny is the glue. She kept her younger siblings together while her mother battled drug addiction. When Mom died, they were saved from being split up in foster care by the appearance of their grandparents (who they never knew existed). Still, Sunny was a young teenager.  Yeah, Gran and Pa were there - but she raised her siblings up to that point, so she didn't stop.  They got an education, Sunny didn't finish school.  She works hard and dreams big.  And here comes this billionaire into her life like some sort of Prince Charming.  Prince Charming who thinks he can throw money at any problem. Prince Charming who doesn't understand or really know what love and family mean.

And that's the crux of our story. Sunny with her love of family and Max who grew up with the silver spoon but nothing else outside of material possessions.  On the surface this book easily could have fallen down the Cinderella rabbit hole, and certainly it would have been a fine read. What makes this story work though is Sunny. She sacrifices for her family but doesn't truly see it that way. Certainly there were times when I wanted her to run away, be selfish, live her best life, but that would break her heart. She loves her family, they love her, and never once as the reader do you feel like Sunny is being taken advantage of.  There's a dignity about her character that is very appealing and welcoming. Sunny is all about dignity, even as she's scrubbing a carpet stain in Max's hotel room suite as the story opens.

What I liked about Max is that while he's clueless is many ways, he's not a bad guy. He's, in fact, a pretty nice guy.  He just doesn't "get it."  He's completely ill-prepared for the arrival of an infant and for his attraction to Sunny that's more than just sexual chemistry. But even as he recognizes his feelings, even has he professes those feelings to Sunny, this poor sap still doesn't get it. The last couple of chapters of their going their separate ways, then coming back together are really well done.

This did lose a little steam for me in the second half, but it's pretty much everything I want in a holiday romance. It's warm, it's cozy, I really, really liked Max and Sunny - as individuals and as a couple - and the baby serves as a nice dose of relatable conflict (not everybody would be comfortable dealing with an infant that just suddenly fell into their lap!). This story is tailor-made for a Hallmark movie adaptation, right down to the trip to New York City that happens midway through.  If you're looking for something cozy and heartwarming to read by the fire this holiday season? Look no further.

Final Grade = B+

It's Heeeeere! Sign-Up for the 2022 #TBRChallenge!

 

Thank you everyone who recently took the time to fill out my Google Form soliciting theme suggestions for the 2022 TBR Challenge.  There were some really interesting suggestions this year and while some of these might seem "limiting" on the surface - well, they really aren't.  Tales of Old for example could cover anything from historicals, to retellings (so many Austen options!), to time travel.  After the War could be, quite literally, after a war or it could mean a heroine recovering from a terrible divorce and/or break-up.  I'm all about bending and shaping the themes to your whims.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.  What is the #TBRChallenge?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: once a month pull a dormant book out of your TBR pile and read it.  On the 3rd Wednesday of the month, talk about that book.

Participation is as easy as being on social media!

• If you're on social media all you need to do is use the #TBRChallenge hashtag - there's no need to sign-up and your participation can vary throughout the year.
• You can use this hashtag on any day, at any time - but we're still going to concentrate on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to kick our commentary into high gear.  
• The idea is to have at least one day a month where we can always count on there being book chatter.

Want to let your blogging freak flag fly?  If you have a blog and want to post TBR commentary there, drop me a comment on this post with a link to your blog or hit me up on Twitter.  I like to post links to the various blogs on my TBR Challenge page so those who follow along can start following you.

Sound good?  Of course it does!  So what are the themes for 2022?  So glad you asked!

January 19 - Quickie
February 16 - Fairy Tale
March 16 - Grumpy
April 20 - Location, Location, Location
May 18 - Tales of Old
June 15 - After the War
July 20 - Vintage
August 17 - Blue Collar
September 21 - Animals
October 19 - Flirting with Danger
November 16 - Lies
December 21 - Festive

All of the themes were suggestions culled from the survey, with a couple minor tweaks on my part.  I know some of these are going to require a bit of planning on my part, but remember - if it all seems like too much bother - the themes are always optional. The goal of this challenge isn't so much what you read, so long as you're reading something (anything!) out of your TBR.

My hope is always for this Challenge to be low-key, stress-free and fun!  So I hope you'll consider joining this year. Be like me - use this Challenge to delude yourself into thinking you're actually making some progress on your book hording 😉.