Mini-Reviews: Light, Dark, and Snark

In between work and RWA shenanigans I'm a bit behind on blogging about recent reads, and the further away I get from these books?  The more my memory is fading.  So on to some mini-reviews!

Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare is the second book in her Castles Ever After series and one I should have probably liked more than I did.  Clio Whitmore has become a laughing-stock to the ton, having been kept waiting by her fiance for eight long years while he's on the Continent in service to the Crown.  Well, "Miss Wait-more" has had enough.  She goes to our hero, Rafe Brandon, her fiance's younger brother with dissolution papers.  Rafe is a boxer and a disappointment to his family, but with Piers on the Continent and their father dead, Rafe has been appointed Interim Marquess.  He's not about to sign the dissolution papers because he's loved Clio for years, thinks he's not good enough for her, and to prove to everyone that he's not a screw-up he's going to make sure that everything is ready and waiting for Piers' return...and that includes Clio.

Dare has this uncanny ability to write Cotton Candy Topped With A Glittery Pink Bow while still giving readers some depth.  Here it's in the form of Clio, who struggles with feelings of inadequacy and a desire to have a life that means something outside of "having a man."  Unfortunately, Rafe's way of thinking defies logic most of the time and Clio being a coward, hoping that Rafe will do "the dirty work," rather annoyed me.  Why Clio just doesn't write Piers a letter explaining that she's tired of waiting and perhaps they aren't well-suited is beyond me.  Of course it takes Dare so long to disclose that correspondence ACTUALLY HAPPENED that I spent the first half of this novel thinking "What?! I'm supposed to believe they never write each other?!"  Especially when it's disclosed VERY early on that Clio takes the time to WRITE TO RAFE!!!!!  

Authors: This is the kind of thing I nit-pick to death.  In case you care. Which you probably don't.

Plus, to be frank, I don't "get" weddings.  Oh sure, I've attended them.  I mean, say the words "open bar" to me and I'll show up just about anywhere.  But all the wedding nonsense in this book got real old, real fast.  Some women see weddings as this grand fairy tale and I see them as....a waste of money.  Say yes to the dress?  Yeah....no.  Fans of light historicals will probably love this, but it just seemed to drag on and on and on for me.  I think I'm tapping out on this series.

Final Grade = C

Badlands by Melissa Lenhardt is the final book in the trilogy about the former Dr. Catherine Bennett, now Laura Elliston, on the run after she's accused of killing one of her wealthy patients' husband.  This picks up where Blood Oath left off, and while it ties up the series well (and Laura lives happily-ever-after), I wasn't madly in love with some aspects.

For one thing, Laura starts this series as a strong, independent woman and as events unfold she becomes weaker and more dependent by the day - to the point where she's going through opium withdrawal and wringing her hands over what to do.  Yes, she's currently separated from her love, William Kindle, but get it together cupcake!

The best parts of this entry, for me, revolved around the whore, Rosamunde, who you're not quite sure is friend or foe.  Literally, it could go either way.  Finally, stuff happens, and Laura realizes she has to go back to New York City to clear her name.  This felt somewhat rushed me, after spending the whole trilogy leading up to it, but it resolves itself satisfactorily, and there's even a nice little twist thrown in from keeping the resolution from being totally obvious.

While I would easily classify this trilogy as Historical Fiction with Romantic Elements, the violence has made this a difficult series for me recommend universally.  In the previous two books I cringed at the violence, but I understood (OK, mostly) why it was there.  In this book?  Not so much.

Final Grade = B

What to say about David Spade Is Almost Interesting?  Well, it's a quick listen on audio.  Also, you have to have a tolerance for David Spade.  If you don't like him going into this book, there's nothing here to change your mind.  The parts I liked best?  The details about his career prior to Saturday Night Live, and his time with the show.  Spade knows what he's good at, and what he's not - and his struggles with writing and performing on the show (and the fact that he owns them) were refreshingly frank.

Naturally, he does talk about Chris Farley, although probably not in detail fans will want.  I'm left with the impression that they were genuine friends and cared about each other - but Spade hardly bares his soul.  Farley's excesses, and how Spade felt about all that?  Details on the aftermath?  Yeah, keep moving along. Nothing to see here.

You also have to have a high tolerance for how women are talked about in this book.  How to put this delicately?  Basically imagine eavesdropping on a conversation between stereotypical frat-bros.  A lot of it (OK, most of it) is incredibly cringe-worthy.  At least Spade owns up to when he's a dip-sh*t - but that's not always enough.

Final Grade = C

Mini-Reviews: Dukes and Black Ops

If you're predisposed to hate on all "light historical romance" you'll just want to waltz right past Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare.  Everything about this book will likely have you pulling your hair out and screaming into the abyss.  But if, like me, you believe there is such a thing as "good light historicals" and "soul-sucking kill me already light historicals" - well, this is one of the good ones.

Isolde Goodnight's father made a name for himself writing insipid romantic tales where "little Izzy" played a central role. Think of her like Christopher Robin.  Daddy has died unexpectedly leaving Izzy with nothing other than the goodwill of his many fans (who treat her like a little girl and not a grown spinster of 26) and she's down to her last pennies when she finds out her godfather has bequeathed her Gostley Castle.  One small problem - the castle has a resident, Ransome, the Duke of Rothbury.  Ransome was grievously injured in a duel gone wrong and has been hiding out (all Beast-like) in HIS castle.  So needless to say when Izzy shows up proclaiming the castle is rightly hers he's a might put out.

This is light, charming and achingly romantic in parts - but it helps to go into it with your Fairy Tale Glasses firmly in place.  This is one of those light historicals that take place in Regencyville, Romancelandia with no discernible sense of place (Regency? Early Victorian? I got whiffs of both).  There are some silly inclusions, like Izzy's pet ermine and her father's cosplaying fans.  There are even what I felt were references to The Princess Bride (the movie) and Star Wars (I'm not sure if these were intentional on the part of the author, but it's how I read them.  I could be wrong.)

Some of you are already probably reaching for the vodka, and if you are?  Just save yourself the time and inevitable annoyance by staying far, far away.

That said, there is some depth here - but it tends to reside within the characters' emotions, and their reactions to various situations.  These were the moments that stuck with me and had me happy sighing my way through the book.  Yes, it's silly - but it's a fairy tale wrapped up with a big ol' giant escapist bow.  A pink one.  With maybe some glitter on it.  If that sounds like the sort of thing that appeals you'll love this and beg for seconds.

Final Grade = B

Let me share with you some of the reasons I've enjoyed HelenKay Dimon's books in the past.  1) She writes good action/adventure plots 2) She writes really good, bantering dialogue and 3) She has a knack for writing secondary characters you desperately want follow-up books about.  So it pains me to say that Playing Dirty didn't work for me at all.  In fact I DNF'ed it at the 25% mark because I was bored and didn't care.

Ford works Black Ops for Alliance, a secretive undercover unit for MI6 and the CIA.  There's anywhere from 3 to 25 hot hunky guys running around in the first 7 chapters, all of them interchangeably hunky and hot, swearing when a operation goes south (which it does - twice in the first 7 chapters) and really, I don't care.  Some wunderkind scientist has invented some evil chemical thingie that some bad guy has stolen and Ford is leasing an apartment in the heroine's building, getting close to her, because she's wunderkind scientist's cousin.  He's naturally boning her every chance he gets and explains his constant travel and workaholic tendencies on a fictional IT job.

Shay is the heroine and basically her job in the first 7 chapters is to talk in innuendo with Ford, stay off page when he's out playing Black Ops stud with all those interchangeable hunky future heroes, and have sex with him when he is around.  Seriously.  Seven chapters, three sex scenes.  Oh wait, she does have a conversation with her uncle!  So she can do something else besides stand around and wait for the hero to bone her.

Here's the problem: I am a very heroine-centric romance reader.  If you're all about hot studly manly heroes because OMG THEY ARE SO HOT AND HUNKY!!!!! -  maybe you'll love this.  There is nothing in the first 25% to give me an inkling of why I should care about Shay and all Ford seems to do is feel guilty that he's deceiving her and get cranky about work.  Blah, blah, blah - whatever.

Here's the thing: I've enjoyed similar set-ups like this in the past.  Dimon's Harlequin Intrigues feature Black Ops-style military-like units with a bevy of hunky guys standing around and I really enjoyed those.  I think I know why - short word count = tighter pacing and plotting.  Here?  None of this was holding my attention and I was getting more unreasonably annoyed by the minute.  Having liked this author's work in the past (quite a bit!), I'm chalking this up to This Series Is Not My Jam.

Final Grade = DNF

Book Trailers: Money Vs. No Money

I know a lot of readers can take or leave book trailers, and most of the time I'm in leave 'em camp. But, I'll be honest - when I run up against a particularly well done one, book trailers have a way of snagging my attention. And most days, my attention span is on par with the life cycle of a fruit fly. I've seen two particularly interesting trailers of late, one for a suspense novel, the other for a historical romance trilogy.

First up, is the money trailer. This is for Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen, which comes out in late June. Gerritsen is a Big New York Times Bestselling Author, so naturally there's some money to throw around on a book trailer. Also, a new TNT series based on this series is debuting this summer, so it behooves the publisher (and author) to throw some extra promo dollars around. I don't love this trailer as much as the one she did for her previous book, The Keepsake, but I still like it quite a bit.

(ETA 5/1: The author popped up in the comments section to say that the trailer was actually the product of some local guys, a hand-held camera, and a snowy Maine day. So a low-budget affair, and the publisher didn't foot the bill. I think it looks slick!)



On the other end of the spectrum, in regards to money and genre, we have Tessa Dare, who has done a book trailer for her upcoming Stud Club trilogy, which lands this summer. Dare did this promo trailer herself, and while it has a decidedly homemade feel to it, it's so charming and funny I can't help but be tickled by it. If I didn't already have plans to buy and read this new trilogy, this trailer would have tipped me right over the edge. Yes authors, this is sometimes all it takes. Amuse Wendy and she'll open up her wallet.

The "Pirate" And The "Governess"

Reading historical romances like Surrender Of A Siren by Tessa Dare always reinforces my joy that I was born in the latter half of the 20th century. While I'm certain there are some corners of the feminist ranks that would disagree with me, the truth is - I had (and still have) options. Women of the 19th century? Yeah, not so much.

Sophia Hathaway has been born, bred, and raised to look pretty, keep her mouth shut, and marry "up." Her family is counting on it. However our girl has bigger ambitions in life - oh, like namely having one. So just before she is to walk down the aisle with Sir Toby, she empties a bank account, and boards a ship heading to Tortola posing as a governess. The plan is to stay out of sight until her 21st birthday when she stands to inherit a chunk of money. Then she won't be forced to marry and can tell everyone to go to the devil.

Benedict "Gray" Grayson is a scoundrel trying to reform his privateer ways. This will be the Aphrodite's first legitimate voyage, and on that score, Gray is looking at the bottom line. Sophia, posing as "Miss Jane Turner," tells him she's a governess and she's been employed by a family he knows on the island. But something about the girl just doesn't add up. Worse still? He's attracted to her, and it certainly doesn't help matters that she's practically begging to be seduced. But he's promised his half-brother, the ship's captain, to behave himself, and that means keeping his hands off the delectable governess.

I was not surprised to learn that Surrender Of A Siren was the one book from this trilogy RWA chose to recognize with a recent RITA nomination. One thing I've learned over the years? There is a huge segment of the romance reading (and writing) community that cannot say no to shipboard romances. Sort of like me with westerns. And category romances. And books with cheesy clinch covers.

Hey, we all have our vices.

Much like Goddess Of The Hunt, this was a second half book for me. I'll be honest, this one was a slow-starter. I'm not sure if it was my mood, or the actual story, or what - but this one failed the pick-up, put-down test for the first half. It was certainly pleasant reading, but it never lit a fire in me to keep going.

The tide turned during the second half. By this point Gray and Sophia are no longer tap-dancing around each other, and the truth they've been hiding from each other begins to tear at the seams. And even with her moments of naivety, God bless her, Sophia has gumption:

"Now there is a falsehood. No one ever wants the truth from me. They just want the pretty package it comes in. If you really wanted to hear the truth, you'd listen. My feelings for you, they're as true a part of me as my name, or my place of birth. But you never want to hear them. You just keep running away."

Between their growing attraction, the realization that they're falling in love, coupled with some added drama that meets them on the high seas, the second half of this story positively cooks. It's also great fun to read about Gray. Here's a guy who has spent his life making selfish decisions, skirting the law, and seducing women of varying reputations - and now he's getting his head turned by a pretty, innocent governess who likes to get lost in fantastical daydreams.

This was a pleasant read once I got over the hurdle of the slow start. Not the greatest historical romance I've ever read, but a nice addition to the trilogy, and an impressive sophomore effort. The author also does a lovely job of setting the table for the final installment of the trilogy, A Lady Of Persuasion.

Final Grade = B-

True Librarian Confessions!

OK, I'll admit it. I dragged my feet on reading Goddess Of The Hunt by Tessa Dare. I kept putting it off. Why? Well, if you've been reading this blog for any stretch of time, or you used to read my reviews during my TRR days, you've probably noticed I'm a bit bitchy particular when it comes to romance heroines. Yeah, yeah - hunky, heartthrob heroes are all well and good, but I'm reading for the heroine. That's just how I roll. After reading some reviews and various scuttlebutt online about Dare's debut novel I feared that Lucy Waltham was going to drive me bat-shit crazy. However Judgment Day has arrived. Yep, Dare is doing my library's literary event, which means I can no longer put off to tomorrow what I should have done six months ago.

Lucy Waltham is an orphan who is under the guardianship of her older brother, Henry. Henry adores her, but admittedly has no clue on how to raise a proper young lady. So instead of playing piano, learning to paint, and any other myriad of useless Regency female endeavors, she's tagging along with Henry and his friends while they ride, shoot, and traipse through the woods. Having never had a season, where she could fall in and out of love with a bevy of potential suitors, Lucy latches on to Henry's friend Toby. She's hopelessly in love with him. The problem being that Toby, having left a string of broken hearts along the way, is going to propose any day now to Miss Sophia Hathaway. Well Lucy just cannot have that! She's going to have to practice her feminine wiles on some other poor helpless schmuck so she can learn to effectively seduce Toby.

Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, is more than a little surprised when Lucy launches herself into his arms and plants a very ardent, but frankly terrible, kiss on his lips. Not exactly what he expected when he opened his bedroom door in the dead of night. He's never thought of Lucy as more than his best friend's little sister, and now with that kiss, he's thinking about her in a whole different light. However, the chit fancies herself in love with Toby. He tries to reason with her, but Lucy is nothing if not headstrong and mule-headed. Oh well. He's just going to have to keep an eye on her, won't he?

Goddess Of The Hunt is the type of book that requires patience on the part of the reader. I wouldn't necessarily call Lucy too-stupid-to-live, but she's young and very immature. Reading about Lucy is like looking back on your own impetuous teenage self. You know, when you fancied yourself in lurve with that handsome boy in your algebra class, yet he didn't know you existed because he was mooning over the snotty, blonde, popular cheerleader who had bigger boobs than you did. Of course you eventually realize you're not in love with algebra boy at all, it's just puppy love, an infatuation. And that's what Lucy must learn about Toby. In the meantime, the reader has to wait for her to learn it, and it takes the first half the book.

It's also during the first half that Lucy, and the reader, is falling under the spell of the aloof, borderline chilly, Jeremy. A man who has kept his distance in all personal affairs, and who Lucy has always seen as a cold fish, practically incapable of love. Not true of course. Like all good, solid, romance heroes, the poor guy has a fair amount of personal baggage he's failed to address. Lucy, with all her impetuous, improper, and unladylike behavior, sinks this guy so fast that he has no idea what has hit him.

This is honestly a second half book for me. Lucy, while not stupid, is definitely young - and the older I get, the harder it is to read about "young" heroines. It's too easy for me to want to smack them, even if I can totally "get" where they are coming from. Where this book really begins to cook for me is when Jeremy has to make a decision about Lucy. Should he just leave her to fend for herself, or damn it all the Hell, should he do what he desperately wants to do, and never let her out of his sight again?

There was a lot I liked here. I liked that Jeremy didn't sugarcoat the truth to Lucy in regards to Toby's plans and affections. I liked that in the latter half of the story, the shoe is on the other foot and Lucy is calling Jeremy out. I liked the fact that here were two characters who had no intention or desire to fall for each other - but they do anyway. In part because of circumstances that throw them together, and part because they're perfect for each other. If anything, the only fault I find with this story was I wanted a lot more of what I got in the second half and less time devoted to Lucy's girlish infatuation with some other guy. But, quibbles. This was an excellent debut novel, that was an enjoyable read once I got past my own peculiar eccentric reader baggage. I'm glad I thought ahead, because as I type this, a library copy of Surrender Of A Siren is in route to my humble office cubicle.

Final Grade = B

Hey, I'm Working Here!

In one week I'll be on a plane, on my way to Washington D.C. for the annual RWA conference. This will be my fifth time attending, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to nerves and excitement-induced jitters. I will say though that this year is proving to be much more sedate than last year. Why? Because this time last year I was sweating over the fact that I only had one confirmed romance author for my library's literary event. Which meant that I spent a lot of time at RWA in San Francisco passing out my business card, giving my "sales pitch" and trying not to look too desperate. It all worked out in the end, and thankfully the trip helped me net two more authors.

D.C. should be much more "relaxing," at least in terms of Wendy Doing Her Librarian Thang. Why? I broke a land-speed record in securing three authors for the romance panel for my library's fourth annual literary event in April 2010.














Once again, I've outdone myself. See how modest I am? My only goal in securing the romance fiction panel is that I get authors who all write "different." Which means every year I shoot for historical, contemporary and paranormal representatives. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep this up indefinitely, but so far this is the third time I've managed to pull it off.

As for the mystery panels I'm supposed to be working on? Well, they're almost done. I really only need to secure one more author, which I'm thinking will have to wait until after I get back from vacation. Still, it's all shaping up quite nicely.