chez_jae

Midsummer Lightning by Kate Ivers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This evening I finished reading my "spare" book: Midsummer Lightning by Kate Ivers. It's a contemporary romance, and the main characters are Kelly Sullivan and Conor O'Meara.

American Kelly Sullivan works for a high-powered hotel conglomerate, and she's on track to be named VP. If she can clinch the sale of Whitlock Castle in County Cork, Ireland, the promotion is as good as hers. Kelly arrives in Ireland, intent on her job. However, the more time she spends at Whitlock Castle, the more she falls in love with the enchanting old edifice. There's also the handsome owner, Conor, to contend with. Soon, Kelly is remembering how she used to enjoy the more hands-on job of running a hotel and wishing she didn't have to return to her stressful job in Chicago. When she learns her boss wants to gut the castle and turn it and the grounds into a medieval theme park, Kelly will have her work cut out for her to save Whitlock, her job, and her sanity.

I seldom read contemporary romance any longer, but this was a delightful story. Characters were portrayed well, from Kelly and Conor to Conor's aunts, his father, and even his ex-girlfriend. There were several odious characters introduced, from Kelly's smarmy boss to her chief rival, and even her snooty parents. The plot was a tad on the choppy side; it would have benefitted from smoother transitions between chapters. What I found most disappointing is that all along you could see that Kelly was going to give up her high-powered job in Chicago to be with her love in Ireland. Very romantic and Hallmark-y, yeah? But, it seems that the plots of far too many books (and Hallmark movies!) employ that same trope: career-oriented city girl comes to small village, falls in love with a local, and gives up everything for him--her career, her life in the city, her dreams. Can't the country boy give up his life and join her in the city, instead? Meh. One other thing that disappointed me was the slapdash ending. It came across as if the author was tired of the story and just rushed the last part. The final line in the book was utterly inane.

Favorite line: Her heart had recognized this place at once.

What to score this? I'd like to give it 3.5 stars. It was better than average, but the ending really soured me. I'll be generous and bump the score up to a four.

Coming Home by Willa Hix

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I was almost finished with the book I'd taken to work, and it was getting rather tense; therefore, I brought it home and finished reading it before lunch today. The book was Coming Home by Willa Hix, and it's part of the "Haunting Hearts" line from Jove.

Maizie Ohlinger may have died in a car accident, but her corneas were used to restore the sight of Max Kensington, the owner of Kensington Creative, where Maizie worked. Now Maizie and the ghost of Max's father, Gerald Kensington, have been assigned a mission. To that end, they follow Max to Sweetwater VA, Maizie's home, and the site of one of Kensington Creative's plants. Max knows he may have to close the plant, even though Sweetwater is his mother's home. Once there, he meets Libby Ohlinger, Maizie's sister. Max now has even more incentive to save the plant in Sweetwater, but the numbers simply don't justify trying to keep it afloat. The pall hanging over the plant threatens the budding romance between Libby and Max, but Maizie and Gerald have a few tricks up their sleeves.

I seldom read straight-up romance any longer, but this was a delightful read. It was wonderful to meet Libby's (and Maizie's) family, including their father, RJ, and Maizie's grown children. I also liked Max's mother, Belle, whom everyone in Sweetwater still considers one of their own. The two main plot points of the growing relationship between Libby and Max, along with the tension regarding the plant, were woven together seamlessly with some minor plot points, including Max's plan to open a camp for children in Sweetwater, and a rekindling of RJ and Belle's youthful romance.

Favorite lines:
♦ She hadn't seen this much action since Bessie Conver's turkeys had gotten loose the week before Thanksgiving and the whole town had been pressed into service to help round up the critters.
♦ "You could bounce a quarter on that tight little ass of his."
♦ "I gave that man the best weeks of my death, and how does he repay me?"
♦ "Lord love a duck, if you two aren't up for the title roles in the sequel to 'Dumb and Dumber', I don't know who is."

Maizie was a hoot! It was a lovely story--exactly what a contemporary romance (with a dash of paranormal) is meant to be. Four stars!

Body Check by Deirdre Martin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I brought my book from work home with me to finish this weekend. There wasn't much left to read, and I had suffered enough. The book was Body Check by Deirdre Martin--a contemporary romance and the first set in her "New York Blades" series.

Janna MacNeil is a publicist who's been hired by the new owners of the New York Blades to come in and help clean up the image of hockey's bad boys. Ty Gallagher is the captain of the team. He brought the Stanley Cup to New York last year, and he's determined to do so again this year. Hockey is his life, and he has no time for publicity stunts, photo opportunities, or charity work. Janna knows if she can get the team captain to fall into line, the rest of the players will follow suit. She and Ty inevitably butt heads, but even their professional animosity can't diminish their growing attraction to one another.

I don't read much contemporary romance any longer, but I kept this one because of the hockey angle. It was disappointing. While it's obvious Ms Martin knows the game of hockey, it's equally obvious she has no concept of the spirit of hockey. Hockey players, at any level, are famous for their generosity, kind hearts, and charitable work. None of them needs to be browbeaten into it. Furthermore, the team captain knows that public relations come with the honor of wearing a 'C' on his uniform. Any player who is unwilling to step into that role would decline the captaincy.

( More griping under the cut )

Okay, now that I got all that off my chest, what really soured me on the book was ( Spoiler alert and trigger warning )

And another thing, ( Spoiler )

Favorite line: "You'll be amazed at how quickly the universe will catch you if you're willing to fall."

Characters were fully realized, it was fun to follow the Blades through their season, and the plot progressed in an orderly fashion. Doesn't matter, hated it. I think I may have another book or two by this author, and right now, I'm not sure I'll bother reading them. Two stars.

Unlucky by Jana Deleon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I almost finished my "work" book at the office yesterday. Since I was so close, I brought it home and just finished reading it now. The book was Unlucky by Jana DeLeon, with main character Mallory Devereaux, who is bad luck all around.

Mallory has been unlucky her entire life, and that bad luck can literally rub off on someone if she touches them. Naturally, she's had to take a job for a company that does demolition. When Mallory learns her Uncle Reginald is hosting a high-stakes poker tournament on board his casino boat, she signs on to "cool" the cards. One touch from her, and a player's luck will go bad.

What Mallory and her uncle don't know is that the FBI is also interested in this tournament, in hopes of catching a money launderer. Agent Jake Randoll is a good enough card player to land a spot as a dealer, and his sole focus is taking down Silas Hebert. He doesn't need the distraction of the beautiful Mallory Devereaux at his table.

Eventually, Mallory and Jake realize they're on the same team, so to speak, and they begin working together. Jake needs this bust, and Mallory needs the money she'll earn for shutting down the table to buy out her employer and keep her job. Mallory's bad luck holds true, until Silas finds a way to thwart her abilities. As more players drop out of the tournament and the pressure builds, the stakes have never been higher.

This was a fun story. A mild paranormal element ran through it, what with Mallory's "curse", but I wouldn't classify this as paranormal. Characters were marvelous, from Jake and Mallory to Mal's BFFs Amy and Scooter to drunken Father Thomas. Much of the action centered around the casino boat and the tournament, but even though I'm not a poker afficionado, I didn't have any issues following along. Sex scenes were hot and explosive (literally!), and the conclusion was exciting.

Favorite lines:
♦ Oh goodie, he was moving in on every woman's erogenous zone. For thousands of years, no woman had been able to resist a good squeeze to the knee.
♦ "When assessing a man as husband material, you have to ask yourself: If I were to die a tragic death, would he dress my children stupid?"

Humorous story, with action and sizzle. Very good!

At work yesterday, I finished reading my "work" book, Valentine Fantasy by Jamie Denton. It's an old Harlequin Temptation that I'd had around forever and finally picked up to read. The plan was to have something Valentine-y to read around Valentine's Day, but I got through it more quickly than I had anticipated!

The story features journalist Cait Sullivan, who is tired of being handed "fluff" assignments, and architect Jordan McBride, who has stepped in to run his brother's business, Fantasy for Hire, while his brother is honeymooning with his new wife. This was the second installment in a two-for. I probably should have read the other one first, but it is what it is.

Cait has been approached by a man who offers her the chance to sink her teeth into some real investigative reporting. He claims that Fantasy for Hire is a front, and that clients are paying for sex. Cait decides to go undercover as a client. She goes to the company's office and pays Jordan McBride $2,000.00 up front to be her "Valentine fantasy", saying she wants the works. Jordan, who has been making appointments and scheduling male exotic dancers for bachelorette parties and the like, is unsure what Cait means by "the works", but he isn't about to turn down money his brother needs for the business. Instead, he begins sending her chocolates and flowers and taking her on lovely, romantic dates.

Cait is having difficulty separating reality from her fantasy, and she finds herself hoping that her source was wrong about the nature of Fantasy for Hire. Cait feels especially bad when Jordan confesses to her that he left a large, established architectural firm because he felt that they were using him. He pulled in a big client for them, but a partnership in the firm was offered to someone else. It leaves Cait feeling like a heel, knowing she is using him in her own way, but she's determined to break the story.

As one can imagine, Cait and Jordan fall in love, misunderstandings abound, feelings are hurt, and it's going to take a miracle for them to get their happily ever after. I don't really read contemporary romance any more, and this book didn't exactly make me miss it. The sex scenes were hot, but the main characters fell in love in a week. Seriously?! That was definitely off-putting. Plus, it was so predictable that it was almost yawn-worthy.

Favorite line: "Drowning your sorrows in ice cream rarely works. It just makes the disappointment a little easier to swallow."

Not a bad read if you enjoy contemporary romance, but no longer my cuppa. Average score:

***

On my afternoon break today, I finished reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie by Marianne Stillings. This was a departure for me, in that it was a contemporary romance without any paranormal elements.

Evie Randall's former guardian, millionaire author Thomas Heyworth, is dead. Lacking any heirs, he instead has chosen six people to participate in a treasure hunt, with the prize being the entirety of his estate. Heyworth has paired Evie with Max Galloway, police detective, lone wolf, and Heyworth's stepson. Max isn't just on board to participate in the treasure hunt, however; he is also working on solving the case of who murdered Heyworth. During the madcap search for clues, attempts are made on Evie's life, as someone apparently thinks she may be Heyworth's illegitimate daughter. Even Evie suspects that may be the case.

Overall, this was a fun story. I found myself laughing at some parts, while others were just harrowing enough to keep things interesting. The author did a good job of keeping the killer's identity a secret, and other characters had secret identities of their own.

If I have one complaint about the book, it's that the author prefaced each chapter with an excerpt from Evie's childhood diary. I saw no real reason for it, and I found it distracting. I wish I could say I'd watch for more from this author, but I no longer buy/read contemporary romance. This book has a print date of 2005, and chances are I bought it that long ago. Yikes. I would certainly recommend it, though, and I plan to hand it off to a co-worker now that I'm done with it.

Four stars:

★★★★

I just, as in just now, finished reading Slow Surrender by Cecilia Tan (LJ's own ravenna_c_tan!). All I can say is, "Wow!"

If UST is your thing, don't miss this book. It was page after page of slow burning foreplay, as college student Karina begins playing a decadent game with a stranger she meets in a bar. James challenges Karina to explore her sexuality in ways she could never have imagined. Always, it is her choice as to how far they go, but Karina boldly meets and exceeds each challenge, whetting her appetite for more.

This is the first in a trilogy, and I am looking forward to reading the rest.

Five stars!

★★★★★

I finished reading book number three today. It was "Hello, Gorgeous!" by Mary Janice Davidson. If you haven't read her books yet, give them a try. She writes contemporary romances, usually with a cute twist, and her work is light-hearted and funny. I adored this particular heroine, because she was sassy and brassy, just how I like my female leads.

Forty-seven more to go!