TBR Challenge October: The Chase by Adrienne Giordano

My October pick for Wendy's TBR Challenge . This book is on my TBR pile because it was given to me by a local author Adrienne Giordano. She is relatively new to the romance world but quickly making a name for herself in Romantic Suspense. The Chase is a novella in the Justifiable Cause series. Attorney Jo Pomeroy is on the trail of smugglers of designer bag knock-offs in New York. Gabe Townsend is the police sergeant assigned to the case. Jo is working for a high end designer label that wants to put and end to the counterfeit business. But as Gabe tells her, this is an impossible task. Jo is headstrong and puts herself in danger with her aggressive tactics. Gabe is attracted to her and has to juggle his feelings and also keep his eye on the case at hand. What I like about Giordano's writing is the crisp, witty dialogue also, the way she balances the seriousness of the crime and danger with humorous exchanges. This book is a quick, clever introduction to Giordano's work.

My grade for smart, tenacious heroines, the cops who love them, the mention of  designer handbags and chasing deals to good to be true A.

 

September TBR Challenge: Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr

This month's Wendy's TBR Challenge is to read a western. Well...this book is a western, at least it takes place in the west, the west coast. This is another book from the Virgin River series by Robyn
Carr. I read through the first 6 or 7 books almost back to back, when I discovered the series a few years ago, but began reading them less frequently after that. I have had Promise Canyon on the TBR pile for quite awhile.

This segment features Clay Tahoma and Lilly Yazhi, both Native Americans with a love of horses. They live in and around the town of Virgin River, California. Clay is veterinary assistant and Lilly works, among other places at her Grandfather's feed business. We are able to view how Clay has embraced his heritage and how has rejected Lilly rejected hers. Clay is a man who has terrible taste in women. Lilly remains emotionally and socially stunted because of a disastrous teenage relationship. They both have a preternatural way with horses. They are immediately attracted to each other. Clay immediately pursues her and Lilly immediately runs away.

In the meantime, we are treated to looks into the lives of the other established residents of Virgin River. The town is facing a sorrowful time when one of their beloved residents dies. Leaving the town sizable trust, she has appointed Jack to be the trustee of the funds. Who is Jack? Well that's one of the slight problems with this book. If you have not read the previous books, you can become overwhelmed with the endless parade of characters throughout this story. Carr also introduces new characters who are obviously being placed for upcoming segments of the series.

Just as you warm up to Clay and Lilly and begin to care about their relationship, the storyline switches to someone else in the town. Granted, I enjoy visiting with the established characters, but their story lines got almost an equal amount of time as the main characters. I did have the chance to learn more about farriers and dressage. The conversations between Clay and Lilly about their Native American upbringing, I found interesting.

Facing past mistakes was the key issue with this couple. Clay had to overcome his past in the flesh and Lilly had to banish her past to the past.

As with all of my trips to Virgin River I enjoyed this one. All the visiting with old friends distracted from the main couple and could be confusing to those making their first visit.

My grade for a couple you care about, a town that never gets old, and glimpses of modern Native American family life B+.

August TBR Challenge: Because You Tempt Me by Beth Kery

This month Wendy's TBR Challenge is just right for the heat wave days of August, Steamy Erotica. I have not be enticed to read erotica for quite some time. But in keeping with the challenge, I chose one that has been on reading chair stack since May. Because You Tempt Me is the first installment of a serialized e- novel, written by Beth Kery. I am too time challenged to keep up with weekly releases so I waited to buy the complete book in print form, but in keeping with the spirit of the project, I decided to limit myself to reading one section a week. I failed. 

The book begins at a reception for an aspiring artist Francesca who has won a prestigious art contest funded by multi-millionaire Ian. She is of course seduced at first sight, and he appears to be less so. He takes her to his apartment  and she has a Belle in Beauty and the Beast moment of  being in a room of her dreams. This is where the story turns into one that engages your mind and emotions. He seems to know her in a personal way, but how can he? Just when they get heated up, of course it ends. Wait until next week for the next installment. I'm not that patient.

My grade for setting, sensual build-up and a view to die for A.

TBR Challenge - Delaney's Desert Sheikh

This month's Wendy's TBR Challenge : Classics.

When I think of classic romance by African-American authors I think of the big four: Beverly Jenkins, Rochelle Alers, Francis Ray, who sadly, passed away earlier this month, and Brenda Jackson.

Brenda Jackson is the first African-American author to have a book published under the Harlequin/Silhouette Desire line and the first African-American romance author to make both the USA Today and the New York Times Bestsellers List.

She has published more than 90 novels in her career. Two of her most popular series, The Madaris and the Westmoreland families are commemorated with a bi-annual readers' cruise. I have read many of her books, but not the book that started off the Westmoreland dynasty Delaney's Desert Sheikh.

Because of a misunderstanding, Delaney Westmorland and     Jamal Ari Yasir are forced to share a cabin for a month. Jamal is a prince of a small country in the Middle East and Delaney has recently graduated from medical school. Although they are physically attracted to one another, the differences in their cultures cause a great deal of friction. 

The theme is a classic, a young prince who is expected to marry falls in love with an independent woman from America. Can he change his chauvinistic attitude toward women? Can she give up her career to become princess? Will there families approve? If you are a romance reader, you know the answer to all these questions.

Jackson puts a twist on this theme by having the love story between two people of color. She does an expert job with dialogue and sensual scenes. I enjoyed watching them get to know each other and fall in love in spite of their cultural obstacles.

I give it an A- for classic theme, great chemistry, and letting love conquer all.

TBR Challenge: Catch of the Day

This month's theme for Wendy's TBR Challenge 2013 is Lovely RITA - Award Winning Books.
I chose to read Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins, the winner in the 2008 Best Contemporary Single Title Romance category.
I have overlooked this for quite a while because of the title. Catch of the Day is the same title as one of my favorite romances by the late Marcia Evanick.  Along with having the same title they are both set in small seaside towns in Maine; in both books, the heroine owns a restaurant.

I start reading-- oh no--first person POV, not my favorite style. I continue reading-- oh no-- not  whiny, entitled, self-absorbed chick lit!-- but I continue reading.

Oh boy, Maggie is a mess. She has a kind heart that continues to give to others and a mouth that she can't seem to shut. Her relationship foibles are fodder for the locals. She has a twin, who according to their mother, is living a perfect life.

As I continue reading, this first person narrative starts to pull me in, it sets the mood of how lonely Maggie feels. Maggie desperately wants to find love, but for now, she is just an observer.  Maggie has a crush on the local Priest, Father Tim. After some embarrassing encounters, they become friends, in a way they both are on the outside of relationships.  Maggie's love life is so bleak that even Father Tim is setting her up on blind dates. Despite all the help, she finds a spark with a local fisherman named Malone. Malone is the polar opposite of Maggie. She is an open book with non-stop dialogue and he speaks so sparingly that you think he's afraid he'll be charged a fee per word.

The first person POV works well in the story and creates a mystery like quality. Higgins lets us wonder and worry right along with Maggie. Does Malone love her and will he ever tell her his first name? Why is her Mother so insensitive?  We get to experience everything right along with Maggie.

The writing is award worthy, every time I thought the author was going to lapse into a romance cliché she would write her way out. I really admired how she presented Maggie as a person who made mistakes, but was true to herself. She was the same throughout the book, even when she committed the dreaded "stupid misunderstanding" error, she apologizes for her mistake, but not for who she is.

Not a lot of romance scenes in this book, but a lot of heart, emotion, zingers and laughter.

My grade for excellent dialogue, making me like first person POV and keeping me up past my bedtime. A

TBR Challenge: Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble

This month's challenge from Wendy's 2013 TBR Challenge "More Than One. Read a book by an author with more than one book in my TBR pile.  I have three books by Colleen Coble who writes Inspirational suspense novels, contemporary and historical. I had the privilege of meeting the author at the RTBooklovers Convention earlier this month. I received a signed copy of Tidewater Inn and decided to read it for this challenge.

 

Tidewater Inn is the first in the Hope Beach contemporary romantic suspense series. Libby inherits a seaside hotel from a father she thought was dead. She goes to the Outer Banks to see the property and meet her half sister and brother who hate her on sight, feeling she is an interloper. Her other reason for being on the island is her business partner Nicole. Nicole went to the island before Libby to follow up on a business opportunity. Nicole has been kidnapped and throughout the story we discover what that has to do with Libby's inheritance.

 

Libby meets Coast Guard lieutenant Alec, who helps her with the search for Nicole. Alec has reasons to believe that Libby may be implicated in the kidnapping, but as they spend time together, he trusts that she is innocent. The story moves between Libby's search for Nicole and her personal search to be loved and accepted into a family. As we meet the residents of the island, and Libby's siblings, Coble  gradually builds the suspense, revealing one secret after another. Why did her father abandon her? Is Nicole still alive? Can Alec love her? Will her family accept her?  It's not a nail biter, but it's a page turner.

 

My grade for subtle suspense, soft romance, nasty half-siblings and taking place in one of my favorite settings - the Outer Banks. B-

TBR Challenge: The Family Business

This month's challenge from Wendy's 2013 TBR Challenge was to read an author that is new to me. I try to get out my romance comfort zone every now and then and read something different. I chose to read "The Family Business" by Carl Weber. I can say it was truly different. Family Business starts out with the description of the Duncans. The Duncans are a prominent family in Jamaica, Queens. They own a successful car dealership. But their real deal is crime. The father LC is about to retire and turn the business over to one of his children. Which one will it be? The mother Chippy has named all her children after cities she likes, Paris, Orlando, London, Rio and Vegas. We get to read about all their messy secrets and personal problems. There is a great deal of profanity and unromantic sex involved. It read like a straight-to-DVD movie script. I will not be watching...I mean, reading the sequel. Returning now to my HEA's.

I skimmed quite a bit so I don't feel comfortable giving this book a grade, I'll just say if you like family conflict, crime, sex, betrayal, hit men and murder in your novels, you can have my copy of Family Business.

Dyanne Davis the "Indie" Spirit

L. Wall with Bill and Dyanne Davis
 

Aurora Public Library is celebrating Romance in 2013 with programs that engage readers and encourage writers of Romance Fiction. Today's program "Indie Publishing for Authors" was presented by author Dyanne Davis. Dyanne has written over 16 books, novellas and articles. She has written traditional romance, Paranormal (as F.D. Davis) and recently Womens' Fiction. With the introduction of Epublishing, authors have more choice in the publishing and marketing of their works. Ms. Davis shared the good, bad and the ugly of publishing on your own. Her number one piece of advice for first timers is to invest in an editor before you publish your work. Indie Publishing is the first of three writers' programs that will be offered by the library. Coming in May, "Branding for Authors" presented by Blythe Gifford followed by "10 Secrets to Getting Successfully Published" presented by Joseph Durepos and Bret Nicholaus in June. For more information, visit the library's website: www.aurorapubliclibrary.org.



TBR Challenge: Playing to Win by Jaci Burton

This month's theme for Wendy's 2013 TBR Challenge: Series Catch-Up.

  

I dove expectantly into book 4 of Burton's Play-By-Play series but was a bit disappointed. Unlike the first book "The Perfect Play", this was not an all-nighter for me.

Cole is a football star with image problems...enter Savannah an image consultant assigned to eliminate said problem. Of course Cole is reluctant to take orders from someone he views as interfering with his life. Savannah starts out with a smooth approach in getting to know Cole so she can figure out how to help him. She states many times that she is not a psychiatrist, but after fifty-something pages that's exactly what she sounds like. Her observation and analysis of every move and comment Cole makes becomes tedious. It's obvious that Cole is hiding something from Savannah, he wants her sexually, but does not trust her with his private feelings. Savannah suppresses her sexual feelings for Cole, but she also is hiding her true self from Cole. Around page 103 I was starting not to care about either of them but I kept reading, hoping it would get better. As in the other books, the intimate encounters were well written and I enjoyed glimpses of the couples from the previous books. This was not my favorite in the series but it was decent.

My grade for a slow start, hot stuff and a book cover impossible to ignore C+.

TBR Challange Feb 2013 - Sweet Talk

For this month's choice in Wendy's 2013 TBR Challenge I read Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood. For some reason in the winter months, I seem to tend toward Paranoramals and Romanctic Suspense novels (see last month's TBR post).

Sweet Talk is romantic suspense from veteran writer Julie Garwood. I don't think I've ever read a Garwood book I didn't like, I like some less than others, and this was a less than others book.

Olivia had a serious illness as a child which separates her from her family. Her father is the poster child for Swindlers Inc. Her mother and older sister only exist to fawn over the father. Olivia rises above with the love of her aunt and the friendship of her childhood hospital mates known as the Pips. (I hope the pips each get a book). After attaining degrees in law and accounting she crusades for children at risk part-time and works for the IRS with the mission to expose her father's ponzi scheme.

On an ill-fated job interview Olivia meets Grayson as he, for the first of many times, stands between her and certain death. Grayson is a handsome, rich, well connected FBI agent who fights mixing business with pleasure especially, after he is placed in charge of Olivia's protection.

The verbal exchanges between Olivia and Grayson are enjoyable and I liked it when Grayson's wit sometimes got the best of Olivia. Her background allowed me to forgive some of her naivety and foolish zeal in some situations. What got on my nerves was after she was almost killed and Grayson asks if she has any enemies, she spouts a long list of people who might want to off her but then goes all Whitney Houston in the "Bodyguard" on him and freaks out when he assigns personal security to her. I don't need it blah, blah, blah...! Really! After what happened to her, any sane woman would be grateful instead of taking every opportunity to ditch her protection.

Anyway, I enjoyed Olivia and Grayson as a couple, I could picture them as crime fighting duo battling for truth and justice. The epilogue made me smile and I hope to hear more about this couple in future books.

My grade for a hot millionaire protector, a gusty, sincere, sometimes irritating heroine, the family from hell, the "Pips"  and some breath holding suspense : B-.

TBR Challenge Jan 2013 - Story of Son

This month's Challenge is to read a Novella, I chose Dead after Dark. Dead After Dark is a Paranormal Anthology by J.R. Ward, Susan Squires and Dianna Love.

In an effort to catch up with J.R. Ward's BDB series I read  "Story of Son". She did not disappoint me.

Clarie is a lawyer obsessed with work and this obsessive behavior leads her to visit a client instead of taking off for a long holiday weekend. She is taken prisoner by the client as source to "feed" the client's vampire son who is held captive in the home. I enjoy the way that Ward describes the situation and gets you to identify with emotions of a tortured hero. I was particularly impressed with the strength of the heroine in this piece. Ward has come under much fire for writing weak women in her BDB series.

Claire has a physical and emotional encounter during her captivity and her lawyer instincts will not allow her leave and ignore an injustice although, she does not fully understand the consequences her interference will bring.

This book is apparently a stand alone and not directly tied to the BDB series but.... she left some unanswered questions 1. Why is this guy being held captive? 2. Can he survive without a vampire support system?

I am 2 books behind in the BDB series so I don't know if  Claire & Co appear in other books or may be the start of a spinoff.

My grade for sensual intensity, likeable heroine, tourtured hero and leaving me wanting more - A.