Archive for category Romance
Review: DYING FOR A DANCE by Cindy Sample
Posted by Marlene in Cozy mystery, Humor, Murder Mystery, Romance on November 16th, 2011
Dying For A Dance
Cindy Sample
Published by L & L Dreamspell
ISBN 978-1-60318-427-4
263 pages
Cover price $16.95
Reviewed by Marlene Pyle
You’ve got to love Laurel McKay, the main character in Cindy Sample’s novel, “Dying For a Dance.” Laurel is a divorced mom in her late thirties who works in banking by day. In the evenings she’s taking ballroom dance lessons to prepare for her best friend’s wedding. But there’s more than just the foxtrot going on in the dance studio.
When two of the dance instructors are murdered, Laurel is quickly drawn into the hunt for a killer. Her boss is one of the prime suspects, so she needs to clear his name, and it doesn’t hurt that she has the hots for the hunky lead detective either.
Laurel is funny and sarcastic. With a blade being held to her throat, her first thought is that “nobody better move, especially me.” Her second concern is that her captor had just called her fat.
Backed up by Laurel’s loving but highly critical mother, her gay work assistant, Stan, and Tom, the cute cop, the cast of characters is packed with humor. “Dying” is a light-hearted romantic comedy sure to please female mystery fans.
Copyright 2011 Marlene Pyle
Disclosure of material connection : I have a material connection because I received a review copy that i can keep in consideration for preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: IN TRANSIT by Kathleen Gerard
Posted by Amanda in Romantic Suspense, Suspense on May 26th, 2011
In Transit
Kathleen Gerard
Five Star
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-966-5
$25.95
282 pages
Reviewed by Amanda Capper
In Transit is designated as a Romantic Suspense, but I’d be tempted to file it under Educational Literature. A well-written manual instructing young women what to look for in a man they shouldn’t marry.
Unfortunately Rita Del Vecchio didn’t have a manual. The heroine of In Transit had to learn the hard way, but what did she expect? Her reason for joining the New York Police Department was to meet men, hardly a noble cause, but give her points for honesty. And meet them she did; the good, the bad and everything in between. Problem was she couldn’t tell one from the other.
Kathleen Gerard does a good job depicting the characters in this book. You get involved with them and want to know what happens to them. That’s what an author wants; to keep the reader interested. And I was, but not right away. The start was a little too cliché for me, but once past the first chapter, I was hooked. The character development of Rita and Billy was believable, well-constructed and covered their complex relationship very well.
It’s hard to review a book without going into details. I don’t want to give away plots and spoil endings, so I’m going to try the age-old rating system of giving stars. I would give In Transit three out of five stars, with the recommendation of keeping an eye out for further novels by Kathleen Gerard. I believe her stars will increase.
Copyright © 2011 Amanda Capper
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: PELE’S TEARS by Sharon K. Garner
Posted by Laura in Romantic Suspense on May 3rd, 2011
Pele’s Tears
Sharon K. Garner
Five Star Publishing/Tekno Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-43282-505-8
242 pages
$25.95
Reviewed by Laura Hartman
An interesting mix of Hawaiian folklore, romance and suspense makes Sharon K. Garner’s newest Romantic Suspense novel, Pele’s Tears, an appealing read.
Lani thought she moved on with her life when she left her childhood home in Hawaii for the mainland after the accidental death of one of her closest friends. Then mysterious threatening notes and her childhood sweetheart, Dante Kahoa, appear at her door to lure her back home to help run his family’s flower business, of which she is now part owner.
Lani’s inheritance and consequent move back to her home in Hawaii might allow her to forgive herself for bringing Pele’s Curse upon the Kahoa family, causing the death of Dom, Dante’s twin brother. Her return fans the embers of the long ago fire within her that still smolders for Dante. Will it bring her closer to him or burn them both?
Garner leads us through their search for Pele’s Tears, egg-sized precious gems, may either be Lani and Dante’s salvation or their demise. Her sprinklings of Hawaiian words is interesting, but at times I had to guess what the true meaning of the words were as it wasn’t always clear.
The book starts out rather slow, but by the third chapter the writing tightened up and pulled me in as I wondered where Pele’s Tears were stashed and who was trying to harm Lani and Dante as they searched for them.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: BEAUTIFUL DREAMER by Joan Naper
ISBN: 978-0-9840676-4-0
paperback, 316 pages
$14.99
_________________
Beautiful Dreamer is an enjoyable way to experience 1900 Chicago, a city just past childhood during the time of new inventions and new thoughts about education and what kind of life a young girl can hope to achieve.
That story is told through the life of Kitty, a second-generation American, living in a working class Irish-Catholic neighborhood ‘across the railroad tracks and the river and block after block of falling-down houses’. The author has some interesting insights into the nature of ‘the classes’ in Chicago. Some mothers want their children to marry someone of their own class. Others want their children to marry within their religion. In a sense, things haven’t changed all that much, yet it’s surprising to see how much social mobility there was at the beginning of the last century.
Kitty’s the age when a girl alternately thinks of marriage as life’s goal, or a trap that will doom her to a life of drudgery. Two men interest her; one, a boy much like her brothers, another, a boy from a wealthier class who is also a protestant. Or, she could strike out on her own, like her beloved aunt did, and learn to be a teacher in the new field in education science of the very young, called, ‘ kindergarten’.
This book is well researched, and anyone reading may find interesting historical tidbits.
I’m hoping Joan Naper will write another chapter in Kitty’s life. I’d like to know how both the girl and the city progressed.
Copyright 2010 by Agnes Dee
DISCLOSURE: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: FATAL DEDUCTION by Gayle Roper
Posted by Marlene in Crime, Romantic Suspense on June 24th, 2010
Fatal Deduction
Gayle Roper
ISBN 978-1-60142-013-8
Reviewed by Marlene Pyle
Gayle Roper’s latest novel, Fatal Deduction, has something for everyone. There is plenty of danger, suspense, a budding romance and even crossword puzzles!
When the main character, Libby Burton, finds a dead man on her doorstep, she doesn’t know who the man is or why he has been dumped there. Her only clue is a crossword puzzle found on the body and addressed to Libby’s twin sister, Tori. The puzzle is clearly a message, but Libby has no idea what it could be.
Libby doesn’t trust Tori. The two have little in common, but they have been forced to share their Aunt Stella’s house for six months in order to receive their inheritance. Libby is hoping to grow closer to her twin, but it isn’t looking good.
Roper weaves her story skillfully. She is a seasoned writer and that is evident here. The relationships between her characters are full of mixed emotions, as are most relationships in real life. Like most of us, everyone in this novel has complicated baggage from their past. They all have secrets, and Roper reveals them slowly, bringing us to know her characters well.
The novel touches on several complex subjects, such as mental illness, family dysfunction, religion and abortion, and Roper handles them insightfully. Her characters have very strong views on these issues, but the author manages to convey them without preaching.
While the writing could have been a little tighter, the story moves along at a fairly brisk pace. For those who like a little romance thrown in with their mysteries, this is a perfect combination.
Copyright 2010 Marlene Pyle
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION
I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: LIVE RINGER by Lynda Fitzgerald
Posted by Marlene in Crime, Romantic Suspense, Suspense on May 6th, 2010
Live Ringer
Lynda Fitzgerald
ISBN 978-1-59146-327-6
Crystal Dreams Publishing
Oshawa, Ontario
Reviewed by Marlene Pyle
Sometimes you meet someone new and you feel an instant connection. Even though you barely know the person, you can tell you’re going to be great friends. For those of us who are avid readers, it’s the same with fictional characters. From a novel’s first pages, some characters seem so real that they catch our interest immediately and hold it until the story’s end.
Allie Grainger is that kind of heroine. Fresh from a bitter divorce and still reeling from the death of an aunt she was very close to, Allie escapes to the Florida beach house her aunt left her. She’s hoping to relax and try to figure out what to do next. All she wants is time to think and make plans for the rest of her life. But on her first day back in what is supposed to be a haven, she discovers the body of a woman floating in the water, a woman who bears a strong resemblance to Allie herself.
The retreat Allie had envisioned is not to be. Her two closest childhood friends still live in the area, and both have joined the police force. Though Allie hasn’t seen them in years, she’d hoped to rekindle those relationships from a less complicated time. She just hadn’t imagined it would happen quite like this, and now she isn’t sure who she can trust.
Fitzgerald has created an appealing and well-developed character that could easily carry a sequel. Allie has a background in the newspaper field at the Atlanta Journal Constitution. By the end of this novel, she is considering a reporter’s job at a local paper, so it would make sense for her to research story lines and become involved in crime investigations. The door has also been left open for a possible love interest, so there is a romantic path to explore as well. Readers will look forward to meeting Allie Grainger again.
DISCLOSURE: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Copyright Ⓒ2010 Marlene Pyle
Review: THIS TIME by Joan Szechtman
Posted by betsym in Alternate History, Romance, Speculative Fiction, adventure on March 3rd, 2010
This Time
Joan Szechtman
2009
Basset Books
Trade paperback. 343 pages
$19.95
Reviewed by Betsy Murphy
There is something about the time-travel genre which leads readers to expect an endless series of comparisons between the marvels of today and the far simpler times from which the main characters hail. How ever will they adjust to indoor plumbing, interstate highways, or even the capacious closets now needed to house the ordinary person’s changes of clothing and bedding?
This Time by Joan Szechtman is a welcome departure from the expected gee-wizardy of the genre. In its pages Szechtman leverages her own engineering expertise into a story in which Richard III is snatched from the jaws of certain death at the battle of Bosworth and brought forward 519 years into the lab of a technology company in Portland, Oregon, a project financed and shepherded by a entrepreneurial Korean War veteran who believes that Richard has been unfairly maligned by historians in general and one particular bard of Avon in particular.
The how and why of Richard’s transportation across time is deftly handled, but not dwelt upon beyond that. Although he was originally intended to be debriefed and then returned to his 1485 battlefield, complications emerge including two love affairs; one with the early 21st century and the other with a woman who had developed the prototype for the time-travel machine while still a high school student but is now divorced with two children and – most unsuitable to the old Richard II – Jewish.
What makes this unlikely story work is Richard’s character and how he chooses to adapt to being the oldest 30-something man on the block. Szechtman mercifully avoids the obvious devices of the newly transplanted looking for the newscaster inside the television and focuses on Richard’s development as an individual – one who confronts his era’s antisemitism after watching a holocaust documentary and wrestles with the accountability issues raised by the Abu Ghraib in both a modern context and Richard’s own.
Historical issues surface as would be expected: What happened to Edward V and Richard of York - Richard’s two illegitimate nephews by his brother Edward IV and potential contenders to the throne: Did Richard III have them killed after sending them to the tower of London, as some historians have claimed, or can he prove that he had them sent to Portugal for their own safety? Judging by the number of King Richard III societies and blogs on the Internet and meeting groups in larger cities, curiosity about the princes in the tower is at least as strong today as it was 500 years ago.
Along with clearing his good name, Richard most wants to use technology to save the lives of his wife Anne and his son Edward although for technical reasons only Edward turns out to be the only one who can be saved if brought into modern times. Much of the second half of the book deals with Richard’s increasing leadership in the company which is responsible for bringing him into the present day. It is this rapid rise of Richard’s corporate career which strains credulity, or at least asks the reader to accept a fair degree of elastic pretense.
Still, This Time is an engaging read; well done, intriguing, and a different look at both Richard III’s character and our own times as well.
I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: KILLER CAREER by Morgan Mandel
Posted by Gray in Romantic Suspense on August 26th, 2009
Choice One Publishing 
ISBN: 978-0981991603
Softcover, 300 pages
$13.95
Reviewed by Gray Bridges
Killer Career is a delightful combination of love and murder. On page one, Morgan Mandel presents a scenario nearly everyone can relate to—thereby luring the reader in right away. The protagonist, Julie McGuire, longs to change her job and her life. Julie soon finds herself struggling with more than the plot of her debut novel, she finds herself struggling for her very life.
Pretty, hardworking, levelheaded Julie is law partners with handsome, hardworking, protective Dade Donovan. Julie and Dade grew up in the same poor neighborhood and, after her family is killed, his family becomes her family, and Dade becomes a brother-figure. Only, she wonders, are you supposed to feel like that about your almost-brother?
Ignoring romantic feelings for Dade becomes easier when the gorgeous and mysterious best selling author Tyler Jensen enters her life. The problem is, not long after Tyler comes on the scene, everything starts to go wrong. Problems pop up at the office, relations with Dade become strained, the people around her begin disappearing. . . and dying.
Mandel is excellent with both plot and endearing her characters to the reader. Some of the suspense is edge-of-your-seat good, and I think the title is clever. However, I have two complaints. One, I wish Mandel had kept the reader guessing the killer’s identity until the very end—this would have amped up the already great tension. And two, although I like the back cover with the blurbs by the characters’ “movie stills,” the front cover seems a little dark, unfocused and not professionally done. But in all, the book is a good read, and I would recommend it to fans of romantic suspense.
Copyright ©2009 Gray Bridges
Review: ROYAL ESCAPE by Susan Froetschel
Posted by Crystal Guess in Romantic Suspense, Suspense on August 4th, 2009
ISBN: 978-1594147173
Five Star Publishing
Hardcover, 376 pages
$25.95
Reviewed by Crystal Guess
When the book Royal Escape by Susan Froetschel was presented to me, my “inner little girl” squealed in excitement. A book about a princess! Of course then that spoilsport “inner adult” reared her head and pointed out that the main character was based on a beloved childhood heroine, Princess Diana. The notion made me establish high expectations despite the cynical little voice in the back of my head that has witnessed me throw many a book and movie into my closet in broken-hearted frustration.
Thirty-six sleepless, over-caffeinated hours later I was on the phone with my mother, a fellow bibliophile, telling her that I had a book she had to read. Right now.
Royal Escape begins with a prologue that features Derrick Wilson, Lady Elena, Princess of Wales’ solicitor. We meet him on memory lane and are thus introduced to Elena through his recollections of her; however, we part rather abruptly with Mr. Wilson when he is murdered in his office. The killers flee into the night and we can only read as they go before our attention is diverted to a pair of servants scathingly criticizing the flower-arranging skills of the lady we figuratively came to see.
Elena is anxiously awaiting a call from her just-nearly-ex-mother-in-law, the queen, when we readers join her. Like many women in the same situation (divorce), her biggest concern is for her children. It is clear from the start that her two sons, Richard and Larry, are her number one priority and were it not for them she would have taken leave of the Wyndham family a good while before, since the Wyndhams quite obviously have no affection for her. To them she is a commoner who will do anything to steal the spotlight, though that is far from the truth.
Her concerns become greater than making sure she stands in the proper corner of the garden or staying out of pictures with her sons to please the royals after she unwittingly escapes a car bomb. The incident puts a further gap between her and her boys, who were supposed to leave with her that day but did not, and for their safety she complies with the separation for a little while. Things get worse when the few people who Elena trusts are going the way of Mr. Wilson and are dying suddenly until she is utterly isolated in a world belonging only to one such as herself, a woman beloved by the world and yet despised by those who were supposed to protect her. Elena can only take so much of being shot at, so many bombs, and so much scheming before she decides to go for broke and escape her gilded cage at any cost.
The tale of Elena is a superb what-if that circles around the fractured fairy tale of royal life. Each chapter begins with a few lines of dialogue from mysterious persons that point fingers this way and that way in regards to who is out to get Elena. It is a clever little trap that Ms. Froetschel has laid to entice the reader to keep going to see what happens even when the reader’s body is begging for a few hours of rest. The printed words on the pages of this book have all the lure of a siren’s song, and I for one fell in love with them. Reading Royal Escape was like spending time with a dear old friend; I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to rough up quite a few fictitious jerks.
If I have not made it clear; this story is wonderful. The writing was easy to read and understand and did not sacrifice a smidgen of quality in order to make it so. Another thing that truly impressed me was that Elena is a person and not just a proverbial performing monkey. She is a character that will charm her way into one’s heart so one will carry her there always, much like a real person: when her heart aches, yours does; when she bristles with fear, you do too; and when she wants to bludgeon someone in frustration, so do you.
For anyone who has a weak spot for mystery, who ever wondered what might have happened if Princess Diana’s life had been a little different, or who just wants to read an amazing book, I strongly recommend that you acquire a copy of Royal Escape. Right now.
Copyright ©2009 Crystal R. Guess
Review: CALICO by Dorien Grey
Posted by Crystal Guess in GLBT Fiction, Romance, Western, Classic on July 24th, 2009
Calico by Dorien Grey
Cover of CALICO
ISBN 10: 1-934135-33-X
Zumaya Publications, LLC
Paperback, 184 pages
Reviewed by Crystal Guess
Calico Ramsay is a cowboy the likes of which I have never before encountered in any of the books I’ve read or the movies I’ve seen. He is a genuinely good man with a desire to live his life with as few difficulties as possible, and mismatched eyes that gave him his name. His life is one similar to so many others living in the harsh wilderness of the Old West, but he responds to it in a way that few other Western characters do. Instead of picking up a vindictive gun or brusque personality, he accepts his rugged existence, white-knuckles his way through the day, and does the best he can with what he is given.
At twelve years old, Calico came under the unofficial and accidental guardianship of a man named Dan Overholt, who Calico refers to as “Uncle Dan”. The orphan and the man who had no family he much cared for, become just as close, if not closer, than blood kin. Even after Calico comes of age, he remains with Dan as a ranch-hand and never thinks of a different sort of life for himself. He is pretty content right where he is.
We readers saddle up and join the ride when Dan informs Calico that Dan’s brother died and left the guardianship of his grandchildren to him. Dan admits that he has no idea how to raise kids, but decides to try anyways despite a brisk letter from his niece concerning the matter. With the decision made, Dan makes the arrangements to leave his ranch near the little town of Grady and set out to retrieve Joshua and Sarah Howard, his great-niece and -nephew, and bring them back to live with him until their majority.
The plans change upon the tragic death of the closest thing Calico has to family. With his final breath, Dan instructs Calico to pick up the twins and escort them to their Aunt Rebecca. It seems like a simple enough task and Calico sets off to take care of that particular bit of business so he can return to the ranch and try to smooth down the ruffled feathers of his life. However, there are two things that make the trip to Rebecca’s the hardest that Calico’s ever set out on; his attraction to his temporary ward, Joshua, and the people out to kill them all. The simplicity of life that Calico prefers all but disappears after many murder attempts and the reanimation of Calico’s own long-repressed emotions.
From the beginning, I was enchanted with Calico. He is reserved, keen-witted, and a bit socially awkward, especially with girls that show interest in him. What I enjoyed most was his interactions with Joshua Howard, one of the twins he has to escort safely to their aunt’s ranch. Josh’s blatant attraction to the rugged cowboy and said cowboy’s attempts to deflect and discourage it, even though he enjoys it, brought a smile to my face many a time. It is an innocent romance through the course of the book, though there are hints that it could become otherwise further along.
Aside from the story itself, I was very impressed with the author’s writing. The details paint a perfect picture without being long-winded, and the form of speech used by most of the characters is true to life, yet still very comprehensible. To me it flowed as well as anything one would see on the Western channel.
Calico by Dorien Grey is heartwarming and one-of-a-kind. Anyone who loves the Old West, action, mystery, or romance will definitely want to ride off into the sunset with this tale.
Copyright ©2009 Crystal Guess
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