PAYBACK: Review

I'm a sucker for romantic suspense novels usually, and I hate when one fails to deliver. I've been reading Jasmine Cresswell's Raven trilogy and finally got around to finishing it up with PAYBACK, the last one in the series. I was left a little bit disappointed by it, honestly.

From the back blurb:

For twenty-five years multimillionaire businessman Ron Raven played the loving husband and father -- to two very different households. But when Ron disappears, his deception is revealed. Now it's time for...PAYBACK.

The police assume bigamist and wealthy businessman Ron Raven paid the price ofhis crimes with his life -- a conclusion his "second" family, the Fairfaxes, accepts. So when restaurateur Luke Savarini outrageously claims to have seen his former investor -- in the flesh! -- Kate Fairfax is furious.

When her anger cools, evidence leaves Kate facing the possibility that her father is still alive. With Luke's help, Kate is willing to risk everything to find Ron Raven, if it means bringing him to justice, once and for all.

I'm not sure if it's because there was such a lengthy time between my reading the first two books and then finally this one, or if it just felt like the trilogy-ender was the final book because the series needed one. The Raven trilogy features all of Ron Raven's three kids -- two by his first wife, and one by his "second" wife -- and how they're left dealing with the aftermath of Ron's deceptions. His first - and real - wife, Ellie, has a secondary friendship in the last two books that builds into a romance, and I found myself enjoying that more than PAYBACK. Avery, his "second" wife, is a character that grows in the short span of this book, but what I liked was the fact that she didn't feel she needed to 'find' someone to be with to be complete. I was very afraid that this would happen.

Onto the romance between the two main characters, Luke and Kate. It was temperate, and maybe a bit far-reaching? Yes, the two had chemistry and a past history, but they play Nancy Drew just a bit two easily when the private detective they hire to track down Ron Raven is murdered. Two individuals who know and love the pastry and restaurant world should know next-to-nothing about sleuthing, but guess what...they're just as good at it as they are in the foodie world.

All in all, PAYBACK seemed to not ring true to the series for me. I enjoyed MISSING and SUSPECT, the first two books, much better, with MISSING being my favorite. If I were a grading girl, I'd probably rate it on a C+ scale, with B- tendencies.

Stimulating the Economy, One Book At A Time

I had a remarkable afternoon yesterday at Barnes & Noble -- and spent an assload of money. Clearly, I'm only doing my part in stimulating the economy. Am I supposed to ignore the fact that Nalini Singh's newest release hit the shelves Tuesday, and the fact that the bookstore had it in?? Uh, no. But thank you for any concern.

So, since I'm not in SoCal and can't participate in the bloggers' Super Saturday (*sniff* they always make it sound so fun!), I got an early jump and made my checkbook weep. But only just a bit:

Break Neck - Erica Spindler
Archangel's Kiss - Nalini Singh
Charming the Devil - Lois Greiman
All Night with a Rogue - Alexandra Hawkins
Lessons In French - Laura Kinsale (only everyone has read and loved it)
The Elusive Bride - Stephanie Laurens
Blonde With a Wand - Vicki Lewis Thompson

Also, I received Storm of Shadows by Christina Dodd in the mail today. So now my little retail-lovin' heart is satisfied. I have books, and I'm a happy girl. I think I also have a date with eHarlequin.com to place an order later on tonight...

I finally finished up a book earlier this week and am at odds about it. Maybe I'll hammer it out in a review later this weekend when I'm not cooking up carb-ridden and calorie-packed amounts of food for the Superbowl tomorrow. John hates football, but he does at least know who's playing tomorrow night - that's a start.

Oh! And I also saw the cover for Anna Campbell's upcoming June release. Can you say gorgeous?? You can see it for yourself here. Beautiful book covers make me smile.

January , an Image in the Rearview Mirror

While I didn't break any records or go on any wild, mad reading binges, January shaped up to be a half-decent month of reads for me. Granted, five books read isn't a huge list, but it is what it is.

1 - CAPTIVE OF SIN by Anne Campbell, a book I'd almost forgotten about reading last month and not because it was a bad one, but because I'd forgotten to record it anywhere, other than at RRT. Katiebabs and I had slightly differing opinions, but it made for interesting reading for me to see just what didn't work for her, and what made me smile. And, yes, I'm counting it as a January read because I think I finished it up on the 1st or so.

2 - FORTY-EIGHT X: The Lemuria Project by Barry Pollack is a book that normally I would never have picked out for myself. My review boss did. :-) Now I'm glad she did and that I persevered and actually read the blasted thing. It was a nice change of pace for me, albeit a step outside of my comfort zone.

3 - DOUBLE LIFE by Amanda Stevens was my first challenge book for Keishon's TBR challenge for 2010, and one I've actually reviewed for the blog.

4 - SOMETHING WONDERFUL by Judith McNaught is my hallmark read for the month, I think. An oldie but a goody many have said and, despite my worries, it read very well by today's standards.

5 - NIGHT SHADOWS by Cherry Adair is a book I need to write a review for RRT (ditto for FORTY-EIGHT X), but I'm still my normal procrastinating self. It's considered part of her T-FLAC series, but is third in what I consider a spin-off trilogy. I *heart* Cherry Adair!

As mentioned before, I didn't knock over any records with last month's tally, but I did begin to get back into something I miss sorely: reading for hours - when I could - just for the sheer pleasure of it. And that's what it's all about, my friends.

Here's to hoping February blesses me with good books, higher numbers, and the diligence to up my posting/reviewing...

YOTH January Review: Something Wonderful

Earlier this month, I treated myself to a book from the Wayback Machine -- SOMETHING WONDERFUL by Judith McNaught.  My plans to use this book as my inaugural post for the Year of the Historical Challenge over at Kmont's still stands, but where do I start?  I guess we could begin with a synopsis of sorts:

Alexandra Lawrence, a penniless country girl, fell almost immediately in love with Jordan Townsende, the Duke of Hawthorne, the day she saved his life.  It wasn't apparent to them that this attempt on his life, which Alex bungled by shooting a would-be assassin, would be the first in multiple attempts on Jordan's life.  Nor did they figure that this chain of events would force Jordan into marrying the young girl  -- but her mama ensured that he would.  Needless to say, the Townsende marriage did not start off on the brightest of notes.  Given Jordan's less-than-positive opinion of women and their beguiling, manipulating ways (his own mother's bed hopping ways did not help), it wasn't long before his initial enchantment with Alex would tarnish.

What follows in a book that I would consider almost like a saga is a beautifully written love story that depicts Alex's undying love for her husband, even after it's proven that he is not the hero or good man she once believed him to be.  Oh, he doesn't kick puppies or pinch children, but his reputation in London is that of a man who gets what he wants and doesn't lose sleep over wasted things like emotions.  The ton gets off on keeping up with his latest mistress and betting on whose bed he'll jump into next.  So, yeah -- he's the antithesis of what we may call a hero.

But what makes him one?  Is he dashing and resourceful, heroic and unafraid of death?  Well, no...ok, yeah, he's resourceful.  And of course he's handsome, so that would probable make him dashing... 

Moving on -- is he unafraid to give his life for the ones he loves?  Does he stare danger in the eye and win each battle?  Hmm, well...

He learns to admit when he's wrong.  And yes -- that made me stand up and pay attention.  Granted, it almost came too late, but it will have to do. There's a distinct difference between heroes written back in the romances of the 1980s (SOMETHING WONDERFUL's copyright is1988) and those being published now.  Let's face it -- Jordan Townsende is an ass.  He's an endearing ass, true, but let's call a spade a spade.  Given his upbringing in which both of his parents were involved in open affairs and his father wasn't exactly going to take him to any father-son banquet, I can hardly fault Jordan for being a snob.  The heroes in today's romances, while many of them are highly memorable and make many of our hearts go pitter-patter, they just don't seem to carry the same baggage as earlier counterparts.  Maybe it's just me...*shrug*

Anyway, I didn't intend for this review to be a character study on Jordan or an investigation into heroes then and now.  SOMETHING WONDERFUL did something for me that I haven't been able to do in a while -- it parked my ass in a chair and forced me to read just for the sake of finding out what happens next.  And Jordan, damn his sexy butt, made my lower lip tremble at the end when he pleads with Alex, saying, "I love you, and if you die I'll never be able to tell you that."

Yeah, I'm sappy like that...

*sniff*         
  

The Year So Far

Well, I'm not breaking any records or causing a stir with my reading, but I am making progress. I know there's a week left in the first month of '10, and I've read four books so far. For me in the past year, that's something to write home about. Yesterday I had planned on planting my ass in a chair and reading until my eyes watered, but my body and female brain had to reassert itself and it turned out not being such a great day. I was a veritable watering pot and wound up going to bed at 7:30pm. As I was scanning a blog here and there this morning and checking Facebook, it was odd to read that yesterday was not a good day for many of my girlfriends. Was it something in the air? Or just winter doldrums? For me, I know what caused mine and since I'm determined to have a better day (John is too!), then I'm not going to dwell by going into details. By nature I'm not a moody person, so it's time to snap out of that funk and be thankful for what I have in my life.

It's too early to do a mini round-up for January, but I'm playing with the idea of tracking my reads for each month here on the blog. Will this motivate me to read more and faster just to have bragging rights? Not sure, but it may make me kick it up a gear just so I have something to talk about. :-S

I was finally able to spend some birthday money and got a copy of the Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. For some reason, I'm drawn to cookbooks as much as I am to romance fiction and the occasional British history non-fiction book. Maybe it's the shiny pictures in cookbooks or maybe it's truly because I have an OCD personality and have to have 1000s of the things I love. I think I've now collected all but one of Rachael Ray's cookbooks and have the entire Tyler Florence cookbook collection, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Of course, the Pioneer Woman has become what I consider a blog sensation, much like the mastermind behind My Milk Toof. I've been tuning into PW's blog for a couple years now, and all I can say is -- I want to be Ree Drummond when I grow up. She takes food as a guilty pleasure and turns it into something ten thousand times more. And now I have her in my house. Well, ok, I have the cookbook, and there's already a couple of recipes I've drooled over and bookmarked to try out later. Can you say olive cheese bread? OMG -- *faints*.

Double Life: TBR Challenge Review

So, for my first TBR Challenge endeavor this year, I feel cheated. Actually, I cheated myself because I didn't set enough time aside to write up a proper review (I was planning to last night at work, but because of whiny people at work, I had to step into staffing), so I have to do a drive-by quickie. But, I did read the book. And I did enjoy it. It's got my taste buds yearning for more category books. Maybe a glom is on the horizon?

Anyhoo, from the blurb because I'm too tired from work last night to formulate my own synopsis...

An oil fortune and an ill-fated heir...

Ash Corbett had been gone for twelve years. And now he was back in Jacob's Pass, Texas, as brash and as beautiful as ever. But something about him wasn't right. His family knew it...Emma Novick knew it. And what would take DNA typing precious time to reveal, Emma had only to look in his eyes and sample one kiss to know for sure.

As a child, Emma would watch the grand Corbett parties through the windows and from the trees, catching only glimpses of the gowns and glamour inside. She was the gardener's daughter, not the sort of girl Ash would ever be attracted to. He was educated and well-bred, the kind of man who commanded respect wherever he went. But he and Emma shared secrets that only intensified over the years. Even though they were little more than strangers now, the passion between them burned strong still. But someone knew about them and would use their forbidden past to forge a new future...without Ash.

DOUBLE LIFE, by Amanda Stevens, is from Nov. '06 and part of a mini-series called He's A Mystery. What I enjoyed about this one was the "full" feeling I got, like that of the longer, mass market suspense books. I think that came from the history between Emma and Ash, as well as Emma's ongoing recovery as an assault victim (her reason for being back in Jacob's Pass, Texas). Jacob's Pass may be a peaceful, idyllic little town, but it has many dark secrets...namely the unsolved murders of several women from when Emma was a young girl. She may call the town "home", but she can't ignore foreboding feeling of dread that something bad is about to happen. Within the first two chapters, another dead body is found on the beach...

On the blurb, it doesn't mention that Ash Corbett is actually an imposter. He's really Tom Black, a man down on his luck with a bit of jail time under his belt, eager to prove himself and make a quick buck. Or is he? As the story goes on, it becomes quite evident that there is more beneath the surface of Tom Black/Ash Corbett, and he steps into Ash's life with ease. The true test of his new identity will really be tested when he sees Emma. They hadn't just had a summer fling before Ash Corbett had disappeared, and that is evident when he sees the heart that Emma wears on her sleeve for all to witness.

I liked the layering in DOUBLE LIFE, and the well-rounded feeling of it all, especially the unsolved murder threat that is never lost in the background. It kind of sets the tone of the whole novel and reminds you that even if Ash and Emma do get their happily ever after, things will never be right until a murderer is caught. Shell Island, a tiny abandoned island off the shores of Jacob's Pass, used to be home for a cult of sorts in the 60s. It's also the place where several bodies had been found, mentioned earlier in this "review". Could Emma's feeling of dread be tied to that? Or is she just frightened of her own shadow after her attack?

(And just a question -- why is Blogger not allowing me to publish posts without attaching labels?)

This and That, II

I think I stepped in it today. I forgot that when living in the south, one should never bash the SEC. Unless it's FL, and then all bets are off. Sorry, Tebow and Meyer, I just can't hang with y'all. But one does not dare criticize the 'Bama/Texas championship game and how it was won. Now, I'm funny in how I choose my teams. I'm a diehard Buckeye fan and always will be, first and foremost. WVU is right behind them, and then comes Penn State. By rote, I root for South Carolina's Gamecocks because of my locale (I'm an hour from the Gamecock country), and then after that I pick by how I'm feeling. But last week, I was pulling for Alabama. Today, I made the mistake of saying that I wished Colt McCoy, the QB for Texas, had been able to play the entire game since I thought it would've made for a better, more interesting game. And, y'all, the gloves came off and the claws came out... Whew! I'm just glad it was a girlfriend of mine, because I'm pretty sure if it hadn't been, I might've lost a limb. And my hair. Because everyone knows how women fight.

I'm taking a pause from planting my butt in a chair tonight and reading/hopefully finishing SOMETHING WONDERFUL. This has really been a great book where I get to go back to my "grassroots" of romance and rediscover the classics I started out with. Judith McNaught has a backlist that many people love, and I'm really needing to step up my reading of her books. I'm not sure where I'll go from here, but I'm enjoying this one so much that I may have to indulge in a rare glom.

New TV episodes returned this week, and I'm scrambling to clear out my DVR to make room for all of my shows this week. I did not know that I had 35 episodes of House Hunters on there until I was scanning my recorded list last night. Uh, wow -- HGTV and Food Network got a workout on my DVR box this past month!

I saw where Lisa Valdez's greatly anticipated PATIENCE is being released this April, finally, after something like five years of waiting and stalling. Do I plan on buying it? Not sure. LOL I still have yet to read the first book, PASSION, which is you-know-where.