Retro Review: Diary of a Domestic Goddess

This review for Diary of a Domestic Goddess by Elizabeth Haribson was originally posted at The Romance Reader in 2005.  Back then, I gave it 4 Hearts (B grade) with an MPAA content rating of PG-13

+++++

Elizabeth Harbison’s latest for Silhouette Special Edition succeeds where other romances have failed. She sells her story by writing about real people – or at least characters who could easily be real people. In fact, Kit Macy is likely one of the most “real” characters I’ve come across in recent memory. Diary Of A Domestic Goddess ultimately wins because the heroine is a winner.

For the last several years, Kit Macy has been managing editor and columnist at Home Life magazine, an outdated homemaker publication that Donna Reed would have read back in the 1950s. Still, it comes as a shock when the magazine is taken over by the powerful Monahan Group and the staff is given pink slips. Kit needs her job. Not only is she a single mom to four-year-old Johnny, she’s a millimeter away from closing on her dream house. She needs to be gainfully employed, and now she’s desperate. Therefore, she resorts to begging.

Breck Monahan puts Cal Panagos in charge of Home Life hoping he’ll fail miserably. In order to salvage a shred of his once sterling reputation, Cal has to make the reinvention of the magazine work – and the first order of business is unloading a staff full of antiquated ideas. However, Kit Macy won’t go away. In fact, she confronts him and tells him that he cannot turn the magazine around without her. And because he’s a sucker for a beautiful, determined woman, Cal agrees to keep her on for two months. Secretly he knows he can do without her on the job, but dang if her feistiness doesn’t intrigue the heck out of him. Banter, libidos and double entendres are soon flying, with Kit giving tit for tat.

Office romances tend to be a hard sell to the more cynical of readers, but Harbison makes this fantasy work because Kit is very much a real person. At the beginning of the novel she’s trying to juggle her career, getting approved for a mortgage, writing her latest column, and solving Johnny’s bully problems in preschool. All stuff that women deal with every day, and like real women, Kit keeps running up against obstacles that make it all the more hairy. When Cal shows up and fires everyone a little piece of her snaps. She figures this is one instance where she has to stand up to her own bully or she will lose everything.

Cal remains a bit of a mystery for a while, but he soon shapes up into hero material. He’s a handsome, ambitious man with lady-killing charm. He’s also determined to succeed at all costs, which makes him wonder exactly what he was thinking with when he agreed to keep Kit on. He figures it’s because she reminds him of a schoolboy crush, or that it’s because he’s been neglecting his libido, but he soon realizes that in order to succeed he truly needs her.

The focus of the story is always on the birth of the new magazine and the romance. Monahan serves marginally as a villain, although he remains firmly off stage. Johnny is precocious and sweet, but not so annoying cutesy that he’ll give readers a toothache. I also enjoyed the change of pace of The Ex Husband here, as for once he’s not The Bad Guy. Kit actually has a healthy relationship with Rick, and while their marriage failed, one gets the impression that they’re civil not just for Johnny but because they do still genuinely care about each other.

Diary Of A Domestic Goddess is a quick, charming read that succeeds thanks to well-drawn, realistic characters and witty dialogue. Frankly, the state of romance would certainly get a shot in the arm if there were more heroines out there like Kit Macy. She’s the woman you see in the grocery store, at PTA meetings, or at your son’s soccer games. She is Every Woman, and because she is, you really want her to have her happily ever after. Because if it can happen to Kit, it just might happen to that PTA mom you know.

+++++

Wendy Remembers: The cover.  Honestly.  The heroine's face is so tight and shiny it's like a combination of Botox and facelift that went horribly wrong.  And what's with hero dude leering at her?  Although nice touch having the kid's school picture on the desk.  Anyway, superficial nonsense aside, since I just read another Harbison romance for the last TBR Challenge, I thought it would be fun to pull this old review out from the depths.    

Retro Review: Family Man by Carol Carson

This review of Family Man by Carol Carson was first published by The Romance Reader in 2000.  Back then I gave it a rating of 3 Hearts (C Grade) with an MPAA content rating of PG.

+++++

Jane Warner moved to Drover, Kansas in 1888 to take care of her older brother’s farm and two young sons. David Warner, grieving for his dead wife, neglected his farm and sons and eventually took off, leaving Jane in charge. Jane’s existence on the farm has been less than idyllic, and now she’s taken sick. The town doctor is a quack and claims that she’s dying and her illness, which he can’t even diagnose, is most likely the result of a curse.

Jane doesn’t believe in curses, but since the doctor can’t seem to help her, she begins to question her mortality. What would happen to the farm? Her two young nephews? She certainly can’t rely on David to reappear since she has no idea where he even is. So, she takes out an ad for a man. The boys need a father, and to be cared for if she should actually die.

Rider Magrane returns to Drover after a five year stint in prison. His crime involved David Warner, so Rider decides to repay his debt to the man personally. Imagine his surprise to find Jane, and not David in residence. Jane doesn’t seem to know Rider or his connection to her brother, so of course he doesn’t tell her the truth. Rider decides the best way to repay his debt to David is to answer Jane’s ad and take care of her, the boys and the farm.

Family Man had some clever moments, but there were instances where I found the main characters actions unbelievable. Jane immediately accepts this stranger, who she knows nothing about, into her home with an 18-month-old and 6-year-old in residence. This isn’t believable in 2000, let alone 1888. Also, she doesn’t seem to think her ad through very well. Rider is the one who brings up marriage, since it isn’t proper by 1888 standards for a woman and man to live under the same roof with no chaperone and unmarried. This thought never even crossed Jane’s mind.

Rider is generally a likeable romance hero, but his motives concerning Jane are less than stellar in the beginning. His feelings for her are all over the map: he’s attracted to her, even likes her, but doesn’t love her. Then he figures marrying Jane and taking care of the farm is a good way to repay David. Gee, don’t do the girl any favors.

Original Cover

But I’m a sucker for a western romance and Family Man endeared itself to me in several ways. First, Jane and Rider are pretty much equals when it comes to experience with the opposite sex. For those of you who are tired of worldly men “educating” virginal women, this aspect of the story should appeal. Also, Carson writes some amusing secondary characters including a sister straight from The Taming of the Shrew and Evie Smith, a cantankerous old woman who pulls freight for a living.

Even though I was scratching my head in the beginning, by the end Jane and Rider really do come out as a likeable romance couple. They never lit a fire in me, but I wasn’t cheering on the bad guys either and even anticipated the consummation of their relationship.

Family Man is the sequel to the author’s first Leisure publication Bad Company. She does a nice job filling in details, while leaving enough mystery for those who want to seek out the earlier title. Family Man offers readers lighthearted moments and amusing characters. A book and an author worth a look for western romance fans.

+++++

Wendy Remembers:  One of those books that I read during my TRR tenure that I now have little recall for (look, 2000 was 17 years ago...).  Reading my review, I think this may have been one of the first few handful of books I read that featured a virgin hero (but remember, my memory is hazy - reading in between the lines of my old review, pretty sure the dude's a virgin).  Anyway, if my Old School review has gotten you curious, Carson has since self-published this and it's a very affordable $1.99 (at least via Amazon).

Catching Up and Various Mini-Reviews

Oh hi there.  Yes, I have a blog.  A blog that I've ignored for over a week.  So what has Wendy been up to?  For one thing, work has been nutty.  I've been dealing with hiring new staff and contracts.  Both very important things, but it's made for long, mentally exhausting days at the office.

Then there's the fact that I finally bit the bullet and bought a FitBit.  Yes, I'm now officially one of The Borg.  So far it's been extremely helpful in holding me accountable.  It's made it easy for me to keep a food journal, track my exercise and smack me in the face with my inactivity during the work week (I sit a lot at my job, which I'm sure is slowly killing me....)

But I have managed to get some reading done - sort of.  I finally wrapped up a series I was neglecting and I got through two audiobooks.  Well, sort of.

You Belong to Me by Karen Rose was an audiobook I had to DNF at the 50% mark because I loathed the heroine.  She's a medical examiner and discovered a dead (and tortured) body on her regular morning run.  It's quickly determined that she was meant to find the body and that the killer is, for some reason, fixated on her.  Then more dead bodies start turning up.  There's a hunky homicide cop hero who is immediately captivated by her and the "romance" goes from zero to 60 in less than 12 hours.  The hero's boss is painted as this unreasonable jerk because he thinks the heroine is hiding something.  Gee, you don't say?

She's keeping secrets.  Some of them are just seriously stupid.  She's a musician.  Nobody can know that for some reason.  She plays the electric violin in a club she owns (while decked out in S&M-like gear because OF COURSE!) with her BFF (who does some weird act with whips - because OF COURSE!) and a defense attorney.  The hero follows her and finds out she's been keeping secrets and while they're having their first "love scene" against a back alley wall, the villain leaves another dead body in the heroine's car.

As if that weren't enough, the heroine justifies not being totally upfront with the cops because it's her private life and she wants to "keep something just for myself."

Yeah, I'm done.  Look cupcake - YOU'RE A MEDICAL EXAMINER!  You work with cops all the time.  Some mad man is out there torturing people to death, it's somehow linked to you, and YOU WANT TO KEEP SOMETHING JUST FOR YOURSELF?!?!?!?  This isn't your first rodeo. Buh bye.

Final Grade = DNF

Unlaced by the Outlaw by Michelle Willingham is the fourth and final book in the author's Secrets in Silk quartet for Amazon Montlake (Attention: Kindle Unlimited users...).  This series has mostly ranged from OK (the majority of the books) to Oh Man, That Was Really Good (the second book).  This book is Margaret's story, the sister who is wound so tight that you'll find diamonds if you follow her into the bathroom.  She's spent the entire series tap dancing around the hero, a totally unsuitable and way beneath her Scottish Highlander-type.

This is the sort of book that wraps up the series well, and is a pleasant distraction while reading, but doesn't have a lot of staying power.  The high points of this series has been Willingham's interesting premise, her not throwing out the history baby with the historical bathwater, and the world-building.  But I'll be honest - I think I prefer the author's medievals to when she ventures into Regency era.

Final Grade = C+

I first discovered Marcia Muller as a teenager, browsing the stacks at my local, small town library.  I'm feeling nostalgic, so decided to relisten to the first book in her Sharon McCone, private investigator series, Edwin of the Iron Shoes on audio.  This was first published in the late 1970s, and mostly holds up well - namely thanks to the McCone character, an independent young woman working and living in San Francisco.

What didn't hold up so well was the homicide cop character of Greg Marcus - who has particular ideas on a woman's role, and refers to Sharon by the incredibly offensive "nickname" Papoose (Sharon is of Native American heritage).  But, if I'm being totally honest - his character fits well within the landscape and era Muller was writing this book in - and guys like Greg Marcus still exist today so....yeah.

The mystery itself was engaging, and the book (on the short side) was a quick listen on audio.  Muller could have fleshed out the secondary characters a bit better, and it reads like a mystery from the late 1970s (stylistically speaking) - but I enjoyed the nostalgia trip.

Final Grade = B-

#TBRChallenge 2017: Drive Me Wild by Elizabeth Harbison

The Book: Drive Me Wild by Elizabeth Harbison

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Silhouette Special Edition #1476, 2002, Out of Print, Available Digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: The blurb intrigued me and the amusement park / carnival backdrop on the cover reeled me in.  It's stayed in my TBR all this time (and dodged weeding) because I read another Harbison (Diary of a Domestic Goddess) during my TRR days and really enjoyed it.

The Review: What we have here ladies and gents is the very definition of a Chocolate Chip Cookie Read.  It's tasty, you can't stop yourself from gorging, but it's not a "meal" you rave about to all your friends a week after the fact.  In a nutshell?  It's the sort of romantic comedy that Lifetime would option for a TV movie.

Grace Bowes couldn't wait to leave the small town of Blue Moon Bay in the dust.   She married the high school football star, a union that produced a son (Jimmy), and she settled into life as a stay-at-home Mom.  Then one day her husband announces he wants a divorce, which she saw coming.  She probably would have gotten around to asking for one eventually, it's just Michael pulled the trigger first.  But not before she learned that their well-heeled, upper-middle-class lifestyle was all smoke and mirrors.  Their garage sales became legendary.  She and Jimmy are now back in Blue Moon Bay, living with her mother, and Grace is discovering former housewives don't have a ton of marketable skills, even in a small town economy.  She's got one option.  Her former school needs a bus driver.

Yes, a bus driver.

Luke Stewart used to have a it bad for Grace, but she was his best friend's girl.  Then there was a fateful night when he gave her a ride home from the boardwalk and they partook in some "reindeer games."  But ultimately Grace opted to stay with Michael and Luke stayed in his hometown nursing a broken heart.  Well, now Grace is back and guess who would be her new boss, assuming she can convince him she's cut out to be a bus driver?  Yeah.

There's a lot to like here, most notably that Harbison doesn't make a muck of things that could have easily been mucked up.  For one thing, the details about being a school bus driver.  Grace doesn't just waltz in and get the job.  No.  You need a commercial driver's license, which she doesn't have, which requires a test, and that test?  Besides the road test, Grace has to be able to identify all the various bits and bobs on a bus.

Luke, of course, has preconceived notions about Grace - not only because of his unrequited feelings for her, but also because Michael planted erroneous information in his head.  I wouldn't go so far as to call this Enemy to Lovers, but there's some definite friction between Luke and Grace, which creates some nicely well done verbal sparring matches early on.  It infuses a nice amount of humor into the narrative.

What doesn't work so well?  The author kind of loses her way a bit towards the end involving funding issues the school is having.  It's how those funding issues are resolved that were a bit fantastical, but it's the kind of thing that small town contemporary readers will be used to and likely gobble up.  I also felt like the romance ran a little fast to the finish line.  These are two characters with a history, and the author has an extended time line (several months) - but a marriage proposal seemed like a little much to me.

But what makes up for it all is that The Ex stays off page.  I seriously read this whole category waiting for Michael to show up on page, spread a bunch of BS around, and drive a wedge between the couple to spur the reader towards the HEA.  And...no.  Harbison avoids that all too common cliche.  Which is ultimately what I'll remember about this book.  The avoidance of well worn plot devices and the fact that the heroine drives a school bus.  No, this won't change your life - but it's quick, breezy and just the sort of lighthearted palate cleansing book you keep around when you're tired of Angst-O-Rama-Jama.  Break glass in case of emergency.

Final Grade = B

Review: I Know A Secret

Hello, Future Wendy.  This is Past Wendy.  Several months ago you practically broke a finger requesting I Know A Secret by Tess Gerritsen from NetGalley.  You love the Rizzoli and Isles series (the books; the TV show never did much for you) and to have the latest book so far ahead of the publication date was like Christmas morning and your birthday all rolled into one.  Still, you somehow managed to resist and not read it until late May - inhaling the last half of the book over Memorial Day weekend.  You've probably read a few books since then, so what did you think of this one?  Let Past Wendy refresh your memory.

Jane Rizzoli and her partner Barry Frost catch the case of a horror movie producer found dead in her Boston apartment.  Jane figures it's going to be a weird one the moment she sets foot inside the crime scene.  I mean, who chooses the movie poster for Carrie as home decor?  But it's when she gets into the victim's bedroom that things really get weird.  Cassandra Coyle is dead alright.  And the killer decided to scoop out her eyeballs and leave them lying in her open hand.

Meanwhile, medical examiner Maura Isles is dealing with her own creepy - her biological birth mother and convicted murderer, Amalthea Lank.  Amalthea has cancer and is dying, but that doesn't mean she's not determined to try and manipulate Maura for old time's sake.  Then Jane discovers that her dead horror movie producer may be linked to other homicides and somehow, someway, Amalthea knows something about it all.

This is one of Gerritsen's more straight forward plots.  By the halfway point I was thinking, "Ok, where's the twist - you've got to have a twist in here somewhere."  Up until that point this story is interesting, a return visit with characters that are like putting on your favorite pair of shoes, and the writing kept me engaged.  But I wasn't white-knuckling my way through the reading experience like I did with Die Again (the last book in the series) or Ice Cold (my absolute favorite of the more recent entries).  Still, it's a good solid plot and kept me engaged.

What makes Gerritsen such a good suspense writer (I think) is that she got her start in romance.  It's the way she crafts her characters and has them orbiting each other that is her strength.  We've all read suspense series where it felt like the author got bored with their creations - but I don't feel like that with Rizzoli or Isles.  Gerritsen has allowed her characters to change and grow while keeping them true to themselves.  Also, it's those teasing glimpses into their personal lives that keep many of us coming back to this series for more.

That being said, this felt like a regressive entry in the series when it comes to The Personal Stuff.  Jane, bless her heart, has always been a black and white, good or bad, sort of character.  She's not the sort who sees a lot of gray in the world.  She spends this book largely frustrated by the people around her.  Barry, who is on the verge of taking back the wife who cheated on him.  Maura, who can't seem to let Daniel go (ugh!), and her own mother, who has fallen back into a routine now that Jane's father Frank has broken up with The Bimbo.  Gerritsen brings the stuff with Jane's parents to a head, although it's far from over.  I suspect it'll take a couple more books to fully spin that out.  But Maura?  Dead Lord.  I was SO HAPPY with Ice Cold mostly because the Maura and Daniel "thing" seemed to finally have it's conclusion and here we are....back again.  Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Some of this probably reads damning with faint praise, Future Wendy.  But you did like this one.  And Gerritsen sets herself up well for future books in the series, leaving a believably villainous secondary character twisting out in the breeze.  It hasn't been since the first two books in the series that the author gave Jane a carryover villain to struggle over, so it's rather clever really.  Warren Hoyt was your textbook serial killer, the bogeyman hiding in your closet.  But this new villain?  More cerebral.  More cunning.  The kind of villain that will play mind games with you.  Not the sort to physically gut victims, but the kind that will gaslight them until they question whether up really is down.  And that's just as terrifying.

Final Grade = B

Reminder: #TBRChallenge for August 2017

For those of you participating in the 2017 TBR Challenge, this is a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, August 16.  This month's theme is Kicking It Old School.

This means any book in your TBR that was published, at least, 10 years ago.  And get ready to weep that means 2007.  

But what if you don't have anything that fits the time frame in your TBR?  First, let me just say I'm overcome with jealousy.  Second, I'm not sure you're human.  But hey,  no problem! Remember: the themes are optional!  The whole point of the TBR Challenge is to read something, anything, that has been languishing for far too long.

You can find more information about the challenge, and see the list of participants, on the 2017 Information Page.  (And it's never too late to sign-up!)

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