Review: SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE by Rachel Gibson

Georgeanne and John meet as she is fleeing her wedding, leaving her rich and much older fiancé at the altar.  It’s not until John agrees to give her a ride that he finds he is adding his boss’s bride to escape.  He sees her as a sexy young gold-digger and she see him as a rude, self-centered jock, but even in their mutual hate, there is undeniable chemistry.  After one long passionate night together, the magic wears off as the moon disappears and John unceremoniously dumps her at the airport.

Seven years pass.  Georgeanne has put her assets to use and become a successful caterer.  John, one of the NHL’s star hockey players, has left his alcohol and womanizing in the past.  When they accidentally run into each other, not only is the chemistry (and mutual dislike) there, but John also learns that he and Georgeanne have a little girl. 

This story is another case of opposites attract, but since each character is damaged and flawed in their own ways, you can see why they would fall for each other.  The adorable little girl, Lexie, is funny.  The scene of the big, bad hockey player playing Barbies with her in the floor is too cute for words!  While not the deepest plotline in the world, this is a sweet story with romantic fun and heart.  A great summer read.

Overall, I give Simply Irresistible…

Plot – 2 bookmarks

Character Development – 3 ½ bookmarks

Love Story – 3 bookmarks

Kid Character – 4 bookmarks (Love her make-up obsession!)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – A young Delta Burke, minus the big hair (Georgeanne), Sam Worthington (John).  

Review: TALK ME DOWN by Victoria Dahl

When Molly Jennings moves back to her hometown of Tumble Creek, CO after ten years, she brings with her a secret that even her family does not know about.  She is a best-selling erotic romance writer.  Soon after arriving, Molly discovers the flames of her old crush on Ben Lawson, now the Chief of Police, have never burnt out.  In fact, the chemistry between them is still red-hot.  Chief Lawson abhors gossip and scandal in his small town, and he is determined to hold Molly off until he discovers her secrets.  Unfortunately, Molly’s crazy stalker is on the loose and Ben’s duty-bound to protect her. 

Molly is a force of nature and not easily swayed.  I like that about her.  She is sexually empowered, but not trampy about it.  Ben is reserved and professional, yet he also has a soft artistic side that few people know about.  These characters have excellent chemistry on the page and make for an entertaining novel. 

The mystery of Molly’s stalker is slightly predictable; yet, not annoyingly so.  Even if the reader figures it out early, the love story is engaging enough to keep you hooked.  At first, I liked Molly’s keeping her profession a secret.  I understand the need for discretion and I love the idea of having a secret life.  However, her secret-keeping became annoying and blown out of proportion toward the end.  Writing erotica might require some delicate handling, but it’s not shameful.  Molly kept saying she was proud of her work and what she did, so why all the need to be Secret Squirrel about it?  Yes, I know she used Ben as her muse at times, but he probably would have handled it better had she been honest up front. 

Overall, I give Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 3 bookmarks

Love Story – 3 ½ bookmarks

Mystery Story  – 2 bookmarks

Sex Scenes – 4 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Allison Munn (Molly), Galen Gering (Ben)

Review: TRIBUTE by Nora Roberts

Cilla McGowan is the grand-daughter of a movie legend whom died before she was born.  As a former child star herself, she has been constantly compared to the grandmother she never knew.  In an attempt to start a new life away from the glitz of Hollywood, Cilla takes ownership of the neglected Virginian farm house that her grandmother lived, loved and died in.  Through her renovations, Cilla uncovers a mystery from her famous grandmother’s past. 

Ford Sawyer is a graphic novelist and a self-described nerd with a capital “N.”  When Cilla McGowan begins restoring the farm house across the road, he is immediately taken with her.  First, she inspires him to create a new female superhero for his book.  Then, she begins to inspire his heart. 

I am a Hollywood geek.  I love pop culture!  Jeez, my home page is PerezHilton.com…  I love books where characters are somehow involved in the Hollywood life style, even if it’s on the fringes.  In the beginning, that is what drew me to this book.  However, it turned out what held my interest was Ford the nerdy neighbor and his weird little dog, Spock.  If I had a “type” of man, it would be the sexy nerd.  Ford is nice looking, intelligent, extremely witty and adorably self-depreciating.  I think I might be a little bit in love with him! 

I’m also jealous of Cilla (in a good way).  I have always thought becoming a contractor and flipping houses would be the perfect career for me.  I love the idea of turning an eyesore into something beautiful and homey.  Unfortunately, I know nothing about carpentry or actually fixing anything myself.  So, for a little while, I was able to live vicariously though Cilla and her work. 

Now, about the weird little dog named Spock… I am a cat person, but this dog made me want to run out and get a dog like this of my own.  He is so dang adorable!!!  The dog is a perfect nerdy reflection of his owner, and I love that!  Spock alone is worth reading this book. 

Oh, and before I forget, the plot is actually very strong in this novel.  I have been gushing about the characters, but seriously, the mystery is pretty good.  I did figure it out earlier than I would have wanted to, but in no way would I say that it’s predictable. 

Overall, I give Tribute…

Plot – 3 ½ bookmarks

Characters – 4 bookmarks

Love Story – 3 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Alexander Skarsgard (Ford), Anna Torv (Cilla), Grace Kelly (Janet), Blake Lively (Angie)

Review: DARKER THAN MIDNIGHT by Maggie Shayne

Cassandra “Jax” Jackson goes to Blackberry, VT after being offered the job as the new Chief of Police.  Who said small towns are sleepy?  When an escaped mental patient saves her from drowning, Jax makes it her mission to clear him of the murder of his wife and unborn child. 

Michael “River” Corbett used to be a hero at the NYPD, but after taking a bullet to the brain, he suffers from blackouts and missing time.  Did he really kill his pregnant wife?  He doesn’t remember.  With Jax’s help, he intends to find out once and for all. 

Aside from being somewhat predictable, this is actually a decent romantic suspense novel.  I liked the characters, the police work, the action.  Having the girl with ESP conveniently getting clues from dead people at the end, nearly ruined it for me, but not completely.  ESP girl could have worked had she been more involved in the first half of the book.  I was also disappointed that the reader (meaning me) was able to figure out the killer before the two seasoned cops and without the aid of ESP girl. 

While the mystery left me lukewarm, the relationship between Jax and River was red hot!  I really loved the compassion they showed for each other and the gradual descent into love.  Jax’s father was also a very touching secondary character.  Rex the dog was cute, too.

While this is the first book I have read by Maggie Shayne, it is actually the third in a series.  Coming in where I did was not confusing.  Shayne does well with getting the reader up to speed. 

Overall, I give Darker Than Midnight…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 3 bookmarks

Use of the Paranormal – 1 bookmark

Love Story – 3 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Mark Wahlberg (River), Anna Torv (Jax)

Review: LAIRD OF THE MIST by Paula Quinn

They say you should not judge a book by its cover.  The cover of this book has the obligatory hunk in a kilt ripping open the bodice of a gorgeous model.  I have no problem with a cliché book cover--What made me laugh is that the story takes place in the 17^th century and the woman had her ears double pierced.  Um… I don’t think they did that back then.  Nor did they have spray tans, silicone boobs and chest waxing.  (Sigh.)  If I’m going to read trashy novels, I have to stop being so picky. 

Enough with the cover, let’s talk about the story.  The Campbells and the MacGregors have been involved in a feud for over a century.  The result is that the MacGregor name has been outlawed and all members of the clan are legally able to be persecuted and killed.  (As crazy as this sounds, this is an historical fact.  The MacGregors were almost wiped out.  Can you imagine a world where Ewan MacGregor didn’t exist?  Tragedy!)  When outlaw laird, Callum MacGregor captures Kate Campbell, his plan is to hold her for ransom until her uncle, the Earl of Argyle comes for her and Callum can kill him.  In typical Romeo & Juliet fashion, the two become intensely sexually attracted to each other and eventually fall in love.  (Not really a spoiler, since you can see it coming a mile away.) 

Kate hates Callum in the beginning because she was raised to believe that he had murdered both her grandfather and her dad.  By the third chapter, it is pretty easy to figure out that the rat-bastard uncle is really the one who took out his own family members in an attempt to inherit the family title, wealth and power. 

Well, that’s the book in a nut shell.  An entertaining way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but too predictable. 

Overall, I give Laird of the Mist…

Plot – 1 bookmark

Character Development – 1 ½ bookmarks

Love Story – 2 bookmarks

Historical References – 3 ½ bookmarks (Most interesting thing about the book in my opinion.)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Sean Patrick Flanery (Callum MacGregor), a younger Catherine Zeta Jones (Kate), Chris Sarandon (Uncle Duncan – Earl of Argyle)

Review: VISION IN WHITE by Nora Roberts

As children, the four best friends played Wedding Day.  They repeatedly staged play wedding where they married each other, various stuffed animals, a couple of cats and their Labrador.  As adults, the four women run the premier wedding planning company in Connecticut.  Each woman has her own niche in the business.  Mackenzie is the photographer, Emma handles flowers and décor, Laurel is the baker and Parker manages the details with OCD precision. 

When Carter Maguire attends a wedding consult with his sister who is getting married, he runs into his old high school crush, Mackenzie.  She is artistic and colorful… full of life.  Carter is a Yale educated, English professor who likes to read Shakespeare wear tweed.  While they seem mismatched on the surface, both have depths and flaws in common.  It could be the perfect relationship, if only Mackenzie can get over her cynicism about love. 

This was a sweet book.  I really liked both main characters.  They were both flawed.  Carter was such an unlikely hero—bookish and clumsy—yet he has an inner strength and tough character which shine through.  There is nothing sexier to me than a hot book-nerd.  I think I might be a little bit in love with him! 

Yes, it’s predictable.  Yes, it is a bit fluffy.  Yes, Roberts drones on a bit too much over the details of various weddings.  That being said, I liked it. J

Overall, I give Vision In White…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 3 bookmarks

Love Story – 3 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured in my head while reading) – Brenda – the red-head chick from last season’s ANTM (Mackenzie), Robert Pattinson (Carter – because he is bookish, would be hot in wire-rim glasses and runs like a girl.)  

Review: STARTING OVER by Robin Pilcher

Liz Dewhurst was born and raised on a farm in rural Scotland, near the iconic St. Andrew’s Golf Course.  When her husband publically runs off with another woman, Liz and her son move across the fields and into the farm owned by her father.  Unfortunately, the neighboring farms are tied together financially and both are sinking fast.  When developers offer to purchase the land for a new golf course development, it has the potential for bailing the family out, but at the expense of losing the land they’ve lived on for five generations. 

At the beginning of this story, Liz is bitter and worn out.  She is in desperate need of getting her groove back.  In fact, at the start of this novel all of the characters seems gray and dreary.  (Understandably.  They are dealing with some tough stuff.)  However, through some chance encounters with foreign strangers, the family is given new life. 

I loved the tie to the land that this family had.  Coming from a farming area of the country, I know how the family farms struggle.  It was nice to see how the characters coped with the inevitable demise of their livelihood and sought to carve out new niches for themselves. 

One of the things I thought the author did well was including all of the family in on the story, even Liz’s wayward husband.  The character development of Liz’s father was especially touching.  I have to say though… Liz makes an extremely poor decision near the end of the book that made me want to hurl it across the room.  Oh, well, characters will break your heart sometimes. 

Overall, I give Starting Over…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 3 bookmarks

Love Story – 2 bookmarks  (This is hard because there are multiple love stories going on at the same time, yet none of them dominate the plot.)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Tilda Swinton (Liz), Daniel Craig (Will), Cherry Jones (Roberta)

Review: THE MARRIAGE OF STICKS by Jonathan Carroll

I finished this book a few days ago, but needed to think about it a little longer before posting a review.  Just so you are aware, this will contain spoilers, because I honestly don’t know how to talk about it without them. 

This book is a contemporary surrealist fantasy.  This book is about a woman confronted with her past and forced to accept responsibility for her past wrongs.  This book is about love.  This book is about… vampires?

While the writing was well done and at times brilliant, I found myself disturbed by the story.  In the end, it left me with more questions than answers.  Miranda is a thirty-three year old rare book dealer operating out of Manhattan.  When she goes back to her high school reunion, she discovers her high school boyfriend has died in an auto accident.  A few weeks later, she goes to a dinner party and meets Hugh, a former business acquaintance of her high school boyfriend.  They end up falling in love and moving in together in an old house in the suburbs.  Once in the house, Miranda starts to get strange visions and have ghostly encounters.  Eventually, the people in her visions begin to lead her on a journey to discover something about herself.  In one of the very last chapters of the books, Miranda discovers that she is… a vampire??  WTF?????  Okay, not in the “I vant to suk ur blooood” way, but more like a psychic vampire who takes from others endlessly without giving back.  Oh, and she is immortal in the fact that her soul can be reincarnated endless times, while the humans just fade into nothing at death. 

I have several problems with this book.  To be fair to the author, I don’t do well with surrealist fiction.  It makes me feel like I’m living in one of those dreams that keeps going on and on without connecting in on itself in any linear fashion.  I call it the funhouse effect.  I also have an issue with Miranda’s “selfishness.”  I didn’t think she was that bad of a person.  It seems if the point of the story revolves around her being selfish, we should get more of that up front.  To me she seemed like a normal woman who makes mistakes like everyone else.  I also didn’t understand why certain characters aged (Declan) while others didn’t (Shumda).  And the big reveal at the end that she was a vampire opened up more questions without giving a feeling of satisfaction. 

While I had issues with the books, I have to admit that Carroll is a brilliant writer.  His comments on Irish music and his story of the ill fitting suit were wonderful and I’ll remember them always.  I would say that if you like surrealist fiction, then you would love this book.  I think it was just not my thing. 

Overall, I give The Marriage of Sticks…

Plot – 2 bookmarks

Character Development – 2 bookmarks

Writing Quality – 4 bookmarks

Love Story – 2 bookmarks

Interpretation of Vampire Lore – 1 bookmark (Could have been really cool and inventive if given more time in the book.  Instead, it cropped up right at the end and wasn’t fleshed out well.)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – The physical looks of the characters were not described to the point that I could get a picture of them.  Here is who I ended up with based on my own thoughts.  Hugh Laurie (Hugh – basically because of the name), River Phoenix (James), Hilary Swank (Miranda).  

Review: AND ONE RODE WEST by Heather Graham

I’ve never really read anything remotely Western before.  For some reason, the Wild West period in history just doesn’t appeal to me.  However, I met Heather Graham at RT a couple months ago and found her to be a very nice woman, so when I saw this book on the shelf at Goodwill, I thought I would give it a shot. 

And One Rode West is one of Graham’s earlier novels and the third in her Civil War series.  (No, it is not necessary to read these in order, since each novel follows a different member of the same family.)  The novel opens in the early days after the Civil War has ended and Reconstruction is ravaging the South.  Christa lived through the war in her family’s Virginia plantation house with her sister-in-laws and several freed slaves.  No longer a Southern Belle, Christ is tough and has learned how to survive off the land.  As a Rebel, she has an extreme fear and fear of Yankees.  When some Northerner illegally attempts to take the family home and land from her, Christa is willing to do anything to save it, including convincing her Yankee brother-in-law whom she detests to marry her.  (If a Yankee has legitimate claim to the property, it will prevent the seizure.)  The brother-in-law Jeremy agrees to marry her, but insists it be a “real” marriage.  As a Colonel in the Army, he is being sent to lead troops west into Indian Territory.  He forces Christa to come with him. 

Much of the novel is spent with these two fighting the fact that they love each other.  Christa has a hot temper and can be unreasonable.  She thinks about herself and the South first, always putting her husband’s needs last.  Jeremy is stubborn and gives up trying too easy.  The love story in this book can get rather frustrating.  There were times when I almost wished the Comanche would run off with Christa so Jeremy could find a woman who appreciated him.  As for his attraction to her, it almost seems purely physical.  He is struck by her beauty and his sexual feelings for her.  As a result, she is able to manipulate him with seduction.  I’m just not a big Christa fan. 

One thing I liked about this book was the history involved.  It is obvious that Graham did a lot of research about the Civil War and the Native Tribes of the time.  She also provided a somewhat balanced view, not taking sides between the North and the South.  Instead, she describes both of their arguments and faults. 

Overall, I give And One Rode West…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 2 bookmarks

Love Story – 1 ½ bookmark

History – 3 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Megan Fox (Christa), Eric Dane (Jeremy)

Review: SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER by Lisa Kleypas

Despite the cheesy title, this wasn’t a bad book.  When Ella Varner’s flaky little sister dumps off a surprise new born baby and splits, she is forced head-first into motherhood.  The first task on her agenda is to locate both her sister and the bio-father.  First on the possible baby-daddy list is Jack Travis, an incredibly hot Houston billionaire. (I know.  It’s never the dude working nights and the Kwik Stop.)  After Jack is quickly eliminated from the list of suspects (he never even slept with the sister), he offers to help use his connections and resources to help Ella. 

Yes, I think everyone can predict that they end up together, but there are many other interesting things about this book that make it a good summer read.  First, Ella has a boyfriend at the beginning by the name of Dane.  The story of their relationship and how that played out was different.  There was also the subplot of Ella struggling with caring for her nephew and how her maternal feeling begin to grow, even though she knows she will not be able to keep him in the end.  Ella’s creepy mother and the story of the girls’ upbringing also added a nice dimension.  Lastly, I liked the way Jack and his family were handled.  These were not the materialistic, power hungry types that people with money are often portrayed as.  Their success came from brains and hard work.  The love they had for each other was just what Ella needed. 

Overall, I give Smooth Talking Stranger…

Plot – 3 bookmarks (The skeleton has been done a million times, but the subplots save it.)

Character Development – 2 bookmarks

Love Story – 3 bookmarks

Sex Scenes – 2 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Joe Manganiello (Jack), Reese Witherspoon (Ella), Eric Stoltz (Dane)