TBR Challenge Review, or One Day Amy Will Get It Right

Whoa.  Two months since I last participated in Le TBR Challenge?  Geez, time does fly when one is having fun, or sweltering in this godforsaken South Carolina heat.  Mother Nature missed the cue cards that it's not even summer yet and decided to dial it up -- spontaneous combustion weather.  Great for the tan, which I actually have this year from all the hours I sit out on the patio to read.  Huh, you think I'd actually go inside and frollic in the air conditioning, eh?  But where's the fun in that?

If I remember right, June was supposed to be the month of the western.  And did I actually read one of those?  Noooo.  Rules, I have to break them.  Of course, Wendy is very lenient in the guidelines and we can read whatever our lil' pea-pickin' hearts want to.  This month, The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen was my vino of choice.  It's been a while since I read a book by this author, one of my faves, but I thought it fitting with the return of the television series, Rizzoli & Isles on TNT, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles latest case is a nightmare come true.  The dismembered body of a young woman is found in her apartment, and if that weren't hair-raising enough, the message on the wall, in blood, is enough to cause many sleepless nights: I Have Sinned.  The artwork along with it does not bode well either, three upside down crosses.  The case gets worse when the only lead is a hang-up call made to Joyce O'Donnell, a psychiatrist whose work makes Jane spit and her ire climb.  Joyce's life calling is working with serial killers and other losers to find out what makes them tick.  Yeah, let's just say that Jane does not care of Joyce at all.  It's surely not dumb luck that on the night of that murder, a quack who loves to talk to killers would get a hang up on her answering machine.  She goes right to Rizzoli's top ten list of persons of interest. 

It doesn't take long to find out that Joyce is a member of The Mephisto Club, a group of people who want to find out more about evil -- in an intellectual way.  They've know a lot about the symbology of various signs in religion and cultures across the world and see this murder for what it is -- evil, in all its glory.  But their beliefs go one step further than calling the Club a hobby, they truly believe there is evil in the world, not just people doing vicious things.  Jane rolls her eyes a lot during the various interviews with the club members, but she can't ignore the fact that they're an excellent resource in possibly finding out what goes on in this killer's head.
But as more bodies pile up, including one right in the backyard of the Club's leader, Jane must keep her opinions to herself and incorporate the Mephisto Club's research into her own investigation.  It's apparent that this killer is just getting started, and only he knows when and where he'll stop.  If ever...

Jane may love her work, but she'd give her left arm for a garden variety armed robbery or an open-and-shut gangbanger case.  It's a little daunting seeing what people can do to others and know that this is the world she's bringing her daughter up in.  What I loved about The Mephisto Club was that it wasn't all Jane, all the time.  We get to see more behind the scenes, if you will, with Maura, and realize that she isn't made of steel, despite what the cops she works with may think.  She is human, after all.

Now there's a lot of books in the Rizzoli and Isles series, and there was a day when I was anal retentive enough to have to read them in order.  If you've seen my TBR, you'd know that is impossible and quite harmful to my health to go spelunking for these books to be read as they should.  That said, The Mephisto Club stands well on its own, and I was able to get caught up in time.  It also helps that I read its predecessor, Vanish, sometime in the past 11 months.

I seriously could gush about this book, but why?  It's a given that I'll probably love everything Gerritsen writes, and the heat has zapped my brain enough that I'm useless in offering a more detailed and witty critique.  Let's just say -- another winner.

They're Creepy and They're Spooky II

Now that the leaves are changing color and the nights are getting cooler, it's the perfect time for the hairy, scary books that I love. During the month of October, many people reach for books featuring ghosts, vampires, ghouls, and werewolves -- me, I still stick with the tried and true thriller theme, serial killers. (*fist bump* at Wendy) My reasoning is this: what's scarier than a human being who is capable of doing some seriously heinous shit, right? Criminal Minds has a diehard fan in me (major hots for Matthew Gray Gubler, btw). But I digress...

Last week I finished up CHOSEN TO DIE by Lisa Jackson, the sequel to LEFT TO DIE from July of '08. If you don't mind spoilers, then you won't mind me saying that at the end of LTD, there was a huge set-up for a sequel when one of the main characters, Detective Regan Pescoli, was kidnapped by the as-yet unknown serial killer who's shooting women's tires out, causing them to wreck. Afterwards he nurses them back to health only to take them out and leave them stranded, naked, in the wilderness. All in the dead of winter, during some of the worst snowstorms Montana has ever seen. Real swell guy, eh?

Yeah, I thought so too.

CHOSEN TO DIE features Regan as the potential victim of the seriously whacked MFer who "chooses" the women he'll honor...by making them trust him, and then coldly forcing them to march to their own death. The entire book is not only a suspense that tingles the spine and forced me to keep ALL the lights on in the house, but it's also a study of just how the people in Regan's life react to her disappearance, how they are at odds with not having her in their lives right now, and the possible reality of Regan never coming back. Nate Santana, Regan's lover who was only hinted at in LEFT TO DIE, is forced to come to terms with how he really feels about the her.

While it's only my opinion that LEFT TO DIE had me flipping pages faster, CHOSEN TO DIE made me pause and really take stock of just how much this woman had affected so many people in her life. Honestly, it's a neat character study. In the first book, Regan was almost unlikeable -- almost. While her kids (two teenagers) always came first, the job wasn't too far behind because she figured it was one of the few things she was good at. She doesn't portray herself as a do-good angel without sin. Regan likes to take a lil' nip from the booze bottle once in a while, and if she shows up to work a bit hungover, well, hell, it must have been a great night. However, that never once stops her from doing her job, and at the end of LEFT TO DIE, the people in her small town think that the police have nabbed the Star Crossed Killer, the aforementioned serial killer. Within the first several pages of CHOSEN TO DIE, we're affirmed that he's still out there, and Regan may be his next victim.

Wow, I totally retrospected all over myself here, eh?

CHOSEN TO DIE is vintage Lisa Jackson, and almost exactly what I've come to expect from any suspense book written by her. I think she revved it up a bit more in this one in regards to characterization, though. Was I stupefied and shocked at the end when the killer is revealed? No, not really. But there is a lot of insight as to why he goes to the lengths he does to torment these women. That's really an uncomfortable feeling, if you ask me. When you are able to read and understand some of the motive behind the crimes...oy, *shudder*.

I have it on good authority (from the author's website) that the next book in this series won't be out until 2011. What I've failed to mention in all of this is another character, Detective Selena Alvarez, Regan's partner, who has a seriously bad feeling when Regan doesn't show up to work after a day. My gut's telling me that BORN TO DIE (the title mentioned on the website) will feature Alvarez.

Visions of Heat: TBR Challenge Review

Honestly, I had despaired of being able to read a book in time for this month's TBR challenge since it's taken me two weeks close to read a book. Thankfully, it was a book that fit September's challenge of a book by a new-to-me author or one I've not read in a long time. So, this month, VISIONS OF HEAT it is!

Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous - aching need...exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her.

Changeling Vaughn D'Angelo can take the form of either man or jaguar, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar's instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating, and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith's sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced -- and keep her from Vaughn.

I'm going to do this one in a different format than what I'm used since I don't think trying to put all of my mixed emotions into one attempt at coherency would justify the book.

What I liked: First, the concept. I'm sort of new to urban/paranormal romance, especially when it features shapeshifters, in this case, changelings. Vaughn's jaguar is so damned sexy, raw, and alpha that it's hard not to like him in VISIONS OF HEAT. Usually possessive men are a big turn-off for me, but in this case it works, given that his inner core and heart is a beast and it's the only way he knows how to live, love and protect. His human side is what tempers him from becoming 100% animal and engaging in full depth catastrophe, excuse the pun.

Faith was, at first, not up to par to what I thought would suit Vaughn, but she makes up for it as the story progresses. As an F-Psy, one who can predict, her Psy designation is more prone to mental insanity if her visions would become too much. Silence is the protocol that was created to prevent any Psy from emotions, since it was apparent from the start that this race could produce the highest percentage of killers. Already one has been eradicated, although that's not known to the general Psy populace (refer to SLAVE TO SENSATION for that story). With Silence, however, the Psy do not know the definition of happiness, sadness, devastation, or contentment. They simply don't feel. It makes for an interesting pairing when a changeling who's steeped in heat and emotion realizes that his mate is a Psy.

What I didn't like: Maybe I just don't like to think too much when I read. I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm a visual person, and trying to imagine warfare and destruction on a mental plane is a tough endeavor. VISIONS OF HEAT, just like its predecessor, SLAVE TO SENSATION, is a fascinating page turner with multi-faceted characters who will surprise you. But it's also an exercise in trying to stay on top of the author's story and how she's trying to blend fantasy, paranormal romance, and urban fiction all come together in one cohesive book that will singe your fingers.

Please, don't misunderstand me. When read between the lines, VISIONS OF HEAT is a sensual story, beautifully written, that features not only a fantastical cast of characters who think they know their way in life, but are really fledglings. That's really the core of this series by Nalini Singh. While they be higher beings of non-human origin, Faith and Vaughn, and the rest of the cast, are still as messed up as the rest of us lame humans when it comes to emotions and journeys of the heart.

That's why this makes me glad that I have the rest of the series thus far to catch up on. Sometimes it's good to have an extensive TBR.

REVENANT: TBR Review

I think REVENANT was highly recommended by Wendy last year, and I've been slow on the uptake. In all honesty, I'd started and stopped it a few times but finally sat down last week, determined to finish it. What started out as a bit slow actually turned into a riveting read that I couldn't put down this morning until I'd finished it.

When a decades-old mass grave near a notorious Biloxi nightclub is unearthed, reporter Carson Lynch is among the first on the scene. The remains of five women lie within, each one buried with a bridal veil -- and without her ring finger.

Once an award-winning journalist, Carson knows her career is now hanging by a thread. This story has pulled her out of a pit of alcohol and self-loathing, and with justice and redemption in mind she begins to investigate. Days later two more bodies appear, begging the question -- is a copycat murderer terrorizing Biloxi, or has a serial killer awoken from a twenty-four slumber?

First off: the book is told in first-person, which is not always my first choice. But for REVENANT it worked. Carson is a journalist at a small newspaper, basically the only paper that would hire a washed-up alcoholic journalist, despite the fact that she'd been an ace back in the day. That Carson is long gone, now replaced by the hollow shell of a woman she is now, wounded and scarred by the loss of her daughter in a fire that was meant for her. Since Annabelle's death, Carson has had to come to terms with the break-up of her marriage and getting on with life. With the discovery of the bodies, Carson can concentrate on someone else's pain and story, instead of her own.

But what should've been just a story, albeit one that may jumpstart her career again, turns into something more. Now instead of her pain being easily numbed by the booze, Carson is among the living, keenly feeling the loss of the women who are mourned by loved ones. And this is where REVENANT turned from an ordinary suspense novel into one with bite, depth, and character. Carson's story isn't told from the very beginning, but spread into layers, revealed slowly in stages. What's most poignant are the raw wounds that are slowly reopened as she goes the extra mile to write columns featuring the Bridal Veil murders that don't result in splashy news, but award-potential material. Yes, she's a journalist with heart who not only wants to give people the news they deserve, but do it in a humanistic way.

Yeah, yeah, I wax on, but honestly, this was one killer book that I'm hard-pressed to give away. My only disappointment is that it doesn't seem there will be any future books featuring Carson, and there so easily could be. She's someone I *want* to read about and grow with. I'm definitely not sorry I finally picked this one up and gave it the read it deserved...

TBR Wednesday: The Veil of Night - Review

As I've been plodding along in my reading and participating in not one, but two, challenges this year, it's a wonder I've been able to find books that fit the criteria for Keishon's mini-challenges. Y'all may have seen the state of my TBR, and the fact that there's no rhyme or reason to how they're stacked boggles the mind. Organization is not my strong suit -- just ask my mom. Oh, and John.

THE VEIL OF NIGHT by Lydia Joyce almost fell into my hands when I went searching this past weekend for a book that featured either a tortured hero or heroine. According to AAR's lengthy themes list, the heroine, Lady Victoria Wakefield, is the tortured one in this book, and that perked my interest. Too often the hero is the one who has suffered emotionally or physically and must learn how to accept his feelings for his woman. What I found was that while Victoria has her reasons for why she's become such a staid, matronly woman, Byron Stratford, Duke of Raeburn, shares an equal amount of stage in terms of torment and emotional pain.

From the blurb:

Under cover of night, he awaits her...

Byron Stratford, Duke of Raeburn, walks in shadow. Spoken of only in whispers, he lives alone in his crumbling manor, a cold, enigmatic recluse. Rarely appearing by the light of day, he moves as a wrait in the night, answering to no man. He cares little for those who dwell outside and does not abide the intrusion of others, lest they discover his secret shame...

Lord Raeburn is the sinister man Lady Victoria Wakefield must confront if she is to save herself from her family's ruin. Little does she suspect that she will become his shining star -- or that the passion radiating between them will be their only defense against the true darkness threatening to destroy them both...

My first hesitation in beginning this book was its Gothic tones and the utter grimness of a man who apparently lives in darkness for whatever reasons. As a nightshifter, while I'm most active at night and look at 2a.m. as dinner time more often than not, I cannot see being unable to see sunlight as a healthy way to live. Healthcare advocates even go so far as saying that going against the body's natural biorhythms of sleeping at night and wakefulness during the day is detrimental to one's health. But for Byron, he has good reasons for being a man of the night, and I'll elucidate no further than that. It's suffice to say, his reasons actually worked for the story and were very unique for the character.

When Victoria and Byron first meet, she's on a mission to save her family from shame by placing herself at his mercy in order so he may forgive her brother's debts. Byron is a hard man and an even tougher negotiator, and the deal is almost entirely cut off when he turns a cold shoulder to her predicament. In turn, he'll consider it if she spends one week with him in whatever capacity he chooses. Almost from the beginning, it's expected that she'll spend most of those days and nights in his bed. While Victoria presents an iron will and hides her true emotions behind bombazine and restrictive corsets, at her core she's a woman who has tasted passion and is not afraid of passion. She agrees to Byron's arrangement, but girds herself to put up with the Duke's austerity and quicksilver moodiness. What she finds instead is an attraction with such intensity that's both frightening and invigorating, and before too long she's ensnared.

I'm not a fan of characters who could easily be cast of marble and display hardly any emotion until they've discovered the pleasures in someone's bed. I hope that makes sense. Victoria could very easily have been such a creation, but the author wrote her with such passion and showed this reader why she hides her true self from those who have the power to hurt her.

THE VEIL OF NIGHT worked for me on almost every level, and I can honestly say that I was flipping pages as fast as I could, totally caught up in Lydia Joyce's skill at spinning a tale. I try not to gush whenever I recommend books to people, but I find that I may be guilty of a lot of *Squeeing* if I'm not careful. I love discovering new authors, and it's even more delightful that I don't have to search TOO much for this author's backlist since I seem to have quite a few of them in my TBR monstrosity already. I'm definitely hooked.

Review: COURTING MISS HATTIE (where Amy gets long-winded)

It's the third Wednesday of May, so that means TBR Wednesday, if you're following the TBR Challenge from Keishon over at Avid Book Reader. This month's challenge was to pick one with the theme of unrequited love, or friends-to-lovers. It was daunting for me to even find a book featuring this despite the many lists and websites there are featuring titles, because, well, I had to FIND the book in my TBR once I picked. Fortunately, COURTING MISS HATTIE was almost right here at hand in the office, and it's one that I've had when I first worked at a hospital up in WV after graduating college. Yes, 3,000 years ago...

COURTING MISS HATTIE - Pamela Morsi
Release Date: 1991

For almost too many years to count, Reed Tyler has worked on Miss Hattie Colfax's farm, first as a plowboy, and now as a sharecropper. One day he plans on buying her farm from her, lock, stock, and barrel, but first he must prove himself as not just the young man she's always looked upon as a younger brother, but as a successful farmer who's not afraid to try new things. Four years may separate them in age, but those years have melted away as he and Hattie have gotten older, working side by side on the farm and becoming the best of friends. Once Reed buys the farm - an agreement to which Hattie is most agreeable - he'll finally be stable enough to marry his young lady, Miss Bessie Jane Turpin, the sweetheart of the county.

Hattie Colfax is one of the most successful farmers in this county of Arkansas, and she's not above the pride she feels after all of her hard work. While she may not be the most prettiest girl in town, she sure is one of the hardest working. As a young girl, she'd been victim to the children's taunts and cruel title of "Horseface Hattie", but those days are over. Pretty is as pretty does, and if strength and loyalty were aesthetic qualities, then Hattie is beautiful to the core. Despite this, Hattie has never had a gentleman caller, let alone one interested in wooing her. So it's with extreme giddiness that she receives word of a local farmer who's interested in getting to know her a little better, perhaps do a bit of courting.

What Reed isn't prepared for is the jealousy he experiences when he realizes that Ancil Drayton, Hattie's gentleman caller, is intent on making her his wife. Sure, Reed and Hattie are the dearest of friends, but he can't help but want to shield her from any hurt or disappointment in a man who is not her equal. Ancil's farming techniques leave little to be desired, and if his work is sloppy then there's no telling how he'd treat a woman. Hattie, on the other hand, is slowly learning the ways of a courtship, but it's not Ancil's face she imagines when she shares an illicit kiss or two with her beau. It didn't help that she'd had to learn the find art of kissing by Reed, but it sure was a lesson to be remembered.

I was surprised by this book that was released back in 1991, only a year after I'd graduated high school. Now, I don't like to think that that's too long ago, but I was prepared for a letdown in thinking it too dated. I LIKED that! Pamela Morsi has gone on to do many things now, I think she's writing women's fiction with some contemporaries thrown in for good measure, but you can see the raw talent shine through in this book, long before she'd became a staple in the romance industry. COURTING MISS HATTIE features an entire ensemble of characters that could've stepped out from Little House on the Prairie (a childhood fave TV show), and I couldn't help but keep turning the pages to see what would happens next. I railed right beside her when Ancil's tarnish begins to show, and smiled at Reed's less-than-attractive hay allergy to which Hattie nurses him through. The romance is sweet with hints of sensuality enhanced by Hattie's innocence and wonderment at things like her first kiss. I adored Reed Tyler, plain and simple. He's a man who excels in learning new techniques and experimenting in different routes of farming -- just reading of his exploits in making rice one of their new crops is a testament to the author's obvious research and detail.

So -- I've learned something this week. I actually do enjoy a romance that's not set in London and doesn't feature a bloodbath! I'm a hardcore fan of anything Regency, as well as romantic suspense, but COURTING MISS HATTIE is neither. It's romance at its best, where the author didn't just tell a story, she showed it to me. And I'm afraid to say that I won't be giving this one up -- it's definitely a keeper for me.

Review: WITCHLING

Yasmine Galenorn has created a monster (or another one) now. That would be me. After reading WITCHLING, I'm hooked and now must read the rest of the books in this series. As of now, there's 4 more out there, and another one to be released later this year. *clapping in glee*

WITCHLING features Camille D'Artigo, half Faerie/half human, and the first of three sisters we meet in the first book of the D'Artigo series. Used to her own people's condescension of her and her sisters due to their mixed blood, but Earthside, the paranormal are very much celebrities. She misses her home, Otherworld, and will miss Earthside's amenities even more when it's time to return home, however. FBH's have long accepted and become fixated with those of the fey nature. What they don't know is that the three women are operatives for the OIA, Otherworld Intelligence Agency. It's their job to keep a watchful eye on the portals that provide a bridge between Otherworld and Earth. Or at least that's what they think their job is, since it's long been a fact that being sent on assignment to Earth is nothing better than relocation to the farthest realms.

Now one of their buddies, Jocko, a 7'3" giant who may be tall according to human standards but is a shrimp on Otherworld, has been murdered. It's not long before Camille and her merry band of sisters and the humans that aid the OIA realize that the baddest bad ass, Shadow Wing, is doing his utmost best to annihilate the human race. But how will a fledgling vampire (Menolly) who could be considered a newbie, a witch who misfires more than hits with her magic (Camille), and a shapeshifter who changes into a tabby cat under the slightest stress (Delilah), take on one of the strongest foes they've ever encountered?

What struck me with WITCHLING was the easy rapport the author develops with the reader. Told in first person by Camille, the story does not get lost in a vacuum with just seeing things from her perspective only. First person POV, while not my favorite, always seems like a faster read, but with this one, it empowers the story more and gave me a better sense of direction with Camille as the storyteller and heroine.

What bothered me, and maybe for some others out there too, is the number of acronyms, species, funked-out names, and the sheer amount of new information you need to retain to keep it all straight. It's a lot to take in, but the payoff is the story itself.

One other thing - I wouldn't say that this leans strongly toward romance. Instead, it's a combination of paranormal and urban fantasy with some romantic twists. Camille seriously has the hots for one guy from Otherworld, but there seems to be some interest on her part when she meets a friend of a friend.

Oh -- and did I mention the cover? Darkly gorgeous! The artwork for the entire series is absolutely nummy. I can't wait to find out if those books meet my expectations after reading WITCHLING.

Love Me Forever: TBR Challenge Book # 3

Alright, I actually did it this month and picked a book that had been languishing on my TBR for oodles of years! At the time I bought it, I was all about collecting these big name authors and basically gobbling up anything that had anything to do with the romantic fiction genre. LOVE ME FOREVER by Johanna Lindsey may not have been bought for a reason other than the eye candy on the inside flap, but I later found out that Johanna Lindsey wasn't just AN author, she was THE author of her time. Fortunately for me, LOVE ME FOREVER stands the test and actually reads very well after almost 12 1/2 years. The scary thing is, I bought this book brand new...

Heiress Lady Kimberly Richards is barely out of mourning her beloved mother before she finds that her wretched father not only wants to see her married off, but to get her out of his life entirely. Theirs was never a loving father-daughter relationship, but the bright side of this is that Kimberly will be rid of the man who has constantly reminded her of what a failure she is in her eyes. Packing her bags, Kimberly finds that she is to be sent to Sherring Cross Estate, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Wrothston, and girds herself for a visit that will entail shopping for a husband that will not only satisfy her father (he does essentially guard her purse strings), but also herself.

Lachlan MacGregor, laird of the MacGregors, is getting tired of reaving and thieving to make the fortunes that he can never quite attain. It's gotten him nothing but a dastardly reputation, but also a roguish reputation with the ladies. While he may be a hulking great giant of a man, God may have blessed him with the looks, but beauty and brawn do not pay the bills. Lachlan needs a rich wife, and he may have to go to bloody England to find one that will have him. With an aunt-by-marriage at Sherring Cross Estate that may be able to help him with his bridal hunt, Lachlan may be able to dig his clan out of the financial heap they're in.

Arranged marriages, Scottish rogues, and misunderstanding abounds in LOVE ME FOREVER. Kimberly and Lachlan do not fall instantly in love upon first meeting -- in fact, he thinks she's a shrew, and she finds him to be an insufferable giant of a Highlander. But there is more than matchmaking and machinations at play at Sherring Cross Estate, and Megan St. James, the Duchess of Wrothston, is at the heart of it all. Apparently, she and her husband, Devlin, had their own book, but I'll be damned if I haven't found out what that title is...yet.

(.....A little back story: Y'see, Megan was the object of Lachlan's fixation earlier on, and now that she's found love, and he's determined to rekindle a relationship that never existed, Megan wants to do a little Cupid-playing. Yes, Lachlan loves another woman in the beginning of LOVE ME FOREVER, alas it's true. But when he meets Kimberly, he simply doesn't know what to do with her: bosh her over the head, or tumble into bed with her.)........

Trust me, it all works out, and I actually had a lot of fun watching the gigantic lummox of a man take on a mouse of woman who became a goddess in his eyes. Kimberly literally blossoms at Sherring Cross and becomes the darling of the house party. It's up to Lachlan to see that she belongs to him, and no one else.

I may not call this one a keeper, but I can see why fans adore Johanna Lindsey. I think I've only read one of her books ages ago (maybe a Viking one?), but I definitely need to do a bit of harvesting and see what I've got waiting for me in my TBR by this beloved author. It's like shopping for new books and authors all over again...

Watch Me: A Review

WATCH ME by Brenda Novak is only dated August 2008, but I think it makes the cut for the TBR Challenge. I did randomly grab it off of my toppling TBR, it is from the previous year, and quite honestly, I wasn't able to finish the Hoag book (PRIOR BAD ACTS) I'm reading now. So while I can use this as my entry for the challenge, it will also allow me to work out the kinks I still feel after reading it. Maybe...

So, the facts...

Sheridan Kohl, a victim advocate for a California-based organization, the Last Stand, returns home to Tennessee to finally lay the ghosts to rest and figure out who killed her high school boyfriend many years ago. The fact that he died that night while she only escaped with a bullet wound is enough to cause her the guilt that she's lived with for many years. During her recuperation, her parents moved her out of the state and it became an accepted fact that she was supposed to forget it all.

It becomes quite evident that not everybody is welcoming. When Sheridan is attacked upon her return to Tennessee, it's only sheer luck and the help of Cain Granger that saves her life when an unknown assailant tries to beat her to death. She and Cain shared one night back in their teen years, and for Sheridan it was a night to forget. She'd given up her virginity for a guy who wasn't her boyfriend, while she'd been seeing his own brother. But while many people may blame her for the death of Jason, nobody knows her secret with Cain.

Or at least she thought...

Secrets are the main theme in WATCH ME and Sheridan is almost helpless as some of her past deeds are discovered and paraded in front of anyone who may hold an interest in seeing her quieted. What I didn't get in this whole book is how both main characters are inhibited by the past deeds of their youth. The fact that they'd slept together ONE NIGHT (yes, just one night, and a total disaster at that) is the secret of all secrets, but when that is discovered, it not only colors the investigation of Sheridan's attack, but casts doubts upon her character. C'mon, people, I know we all have something to hide and there are many things that we're not proud of, but get over it! Even my tiny hometown - and I do mean tiny, at 5000 population - accepts the fact that SEX does happen. It's unavoidable, and I certainly don't advocate teenaged sex, but just because the prom queen might've been doing the star quarterback doesn't mean she's a slut for the rest of her life!

So, here's the thing -- Sheridan's trying to get over an attack on her life - I mean, the perp was stopped just as he is digging her grave - and now she's got to deal with the narrow-mindedness of small town living. She's almost MORE afraid that news of her and Cain's past misdeeds (again, he broke her cherry) will get back to her parents than she is of being attacked again, or even worse...uh, killed.

Ok, so all that aside -- someone's gunning to make sure Sheridan doesn't find out who killed Jason. And, trust me, they'll do anything to make sure that doesn't happen. In the mean time, Cain has his own baggage to deal with, in the form of an ex-wife who also happens to be part of the small police force Whiterock has. She's jealous of any of Cain's free time, or even the thought that another woman may snap him up. And it's 50/50 whether or not exie will try to acquit Cain of killing his own brother, or seeing that he suffers for even daring to diss her... Yeah, small town, narrow-mindedness. It sucks.

Having said all of that...I can't say that I was totally gobsmacked when the killer is finally revealed, but I can't say that I was honestly surprised either. I did enjoy WATCH ME for what it was, a bookend for a trilogy that started off with a bang. I felt almost cheated that WATCH ME, the third book in the Last Stand trilogy, was a little less than desired. But in the same breath, I can't say that I hated it either.

HOWEVER, at the end of WATCH ME is a teaser for a new TLS book, hopefully coming out this August, and that totally has my jets revved. Yeah, I'm a sicko... and it looks like Brenda Novak has a lot in store for us.

First Book of the Challenge(s)!

Review: Strokes of Midnight by Hope Tarr

STROKES OF MIDNIGHT is actually the inaugural review of the two challenges I've joined for '09; fitting since my country is celebrating (still) the new President of the United States. Why I felt compelled to compare this review to January 20th, 2009, I'll never know. But it should stand for something, right?

From the blurb:

Becky's New Year's Resolutions:

1. Hit the NYT bestseller list with latest novel
2. Find a great guy and start living a perfect life
3. Try to stay in her own bed!

When author Becky Stone's horoscope predicted that the New Year would bring her great things, she never expected the first thing she'd experience would be great sex! But after the crushing news that the only way to save her career is to coauthor a book with chauvinistic Adam Maxwell, Becky needs something to go right. And what could be more right than spending an incredible New Year's Eve in the arms of a seriously sexy stranger?

Only, the man in her bed isn't going to be a stranger much longer...

It's funny -- I've reviewed books for a certain website for several years, and now that this is my first informal review for reading challenges, I'm nervous! Not of what people will think of my opinions (I've been going against the grain for years), but that I do it right. It should come as a no-brainer that I'd enjoy STROKES -- part of theWrong Bed series, featuring authors (which is a dream job for me), and sexiness to boot. Yes, this book is sexy!

What worked for me, once I realized where Becky Stone's New Year was headed when she realized the bad news her agent would impart, was that she never gave up. She didn't particularly savor working with a partner on a new book, but she was willing to give it a shot. Especially after the night of rockin' great sex she'd had with her own modern-day hero who had helped her out on the busy streets of New York City. Another thing worth mentioning: I'm a huge fan of Pretty Woman, and one of my favorite scenes in that movie is the piano scene with Richard Gere. Hubba hubba! And, yes, Becky gets her own night to remember in this book.

I can't finish this review off without talking about Max (Adam Maxwell) a bit. It's been a year since he lost his wife to cancer, and two years since he'd had sex. The last year he'd spent with his wife were the days that will haunt him for the rest of his life, but he wouldn't change it for the world. So, it goes without saying that Max is not looking for someone to take her place. Becky, however, fills a niche in his life and soul and makes him a better person on a totally different level. It's hard for me to imagine creating a hero so complete within such a short page limit, but Hope Tarr made this guy one to remember.

STROKES OF MIDNIGHT was a great way to start off my 2009 reading challenges.