all book related reviews
The Kissing Gate has two hurdles to jump over right from the start; it contains secondary characters who happen to be children and that it is a second chance romance. Both of these can be difficult to write well, yet Carr takes these thorny plotlines and makes them blend perfectly into the story. The suspense…
Allison Lane brings the story of the Seabrook family to a close in The Purloined Papers. For a short book, there’s a lot going on – lots of characters, complex relationships, and a murder sub-plot as well. This plot-heavy story results in the romance being somewhat marginalized, but the characters and the storyline were interesting…
Unforgettable by Meryl Sawyer is a complex story with interesting characters and a lot of twists and turns. It’s not perfect, but it’s a page turner. In an isolated area of the Hawaiian island Maui, Greg Braxton is training his dog, Dodger, in search and rescue. Dodger unexpectedly finds an unconscious young woman in a…
Once upon a time, we met Snow White, Cinderella, and scores of other characters through beloved fairy tales. These accustomed us to the idea that the heroine is usually good-looking; her Prince Charming can be counted on to save the day; and perhaps most importantly, there is almost always a happy ending. Which is why…
Sizzle is a slim 92-page novella from Harlequin’s short-lived Stolen Moments series. Only 18 books were published in this series, but this is the only one I’ve ever seen. It’s mainly remembered and sought after because it is one of Jennifer Crusie’s first appearances in print (although two of her series titles were released prior…
Maureen Shannon is at the end of her rope with her pre-teen daughter, Holly. A year ago her reckless, irresponsible husband Rod died in a mountain climbing accident, and since then Holly has become increasingly more depressed and difficult. Holly idolized her father, and has made it clear that Maureen is a very poor substitute….
The second book in C. J. Carmichael’s Proposal trilogy features a love story that is neither particularly involving nor convincing, between two less-than-rational characters, alongside a much more interesting story about those two characters’ struggle to save a pair of innocent children from neglect and abuse. While the lead characters and the romance itself left…
Maryellen Caswell has to be the screamiest heroine I’ve ever had the misfortune to read about. I wanted to punch her before I was even halfway through this book. Not that she doesn’t have a lot to deal with. A commercial artist in New York City, Maryellen wakes up one morning to discover that her…
I’m slowly getting addicted to SF/F. Whenever I need a change of pace from romance, I wander over to the SF shelves in my library and take a peek. I’ve found a number of excellent authors in the past couple of years including Sharon Shinn, Connie Willis, Charlaine Harris, and Kelley Armstrong. With her wonderful…
The Bride Fair is another of Cheryl Reavis’s historicals set in Salisbury, North Carolina, the first of which was her RITA-winning The Prisoner (she’s won three RITA’s, the other two for contemporary series titles). Both historicals revolve around Union soldiers who survived their stay in a Confederate prison. The War is over, but the Occupation…
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