Archive for Contemporary Romance
There’s Something About “Something About You”!
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Title: Something About You (FBI Book 1)
Author: Julie James
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary Romance
There’s just something wonderful about Something About You that will delight and charm readers of contemporary romance. James’ first book in her FBI/US Attorney series is a funny, breezy, and entertaining book that will appeal to those who like a bit of chick lit, and those who like a bit of romantic suspense. In fact, it will please almost everyone though it’s a bit heavier on romance than it is on suspense.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde is taking a break by spending a night in a luxury Chicago hotel while her home is being renovated, when she over hears a high-classed call-girl being murdered in the room next door. When the authorities find that the last known person to see the call-girl alive was a U.S. Senator (courtesy of the hidden video camera taping their passionate encounter), things get a bit complicated, and the FBI is called in to protect Cameron. As the only “ear-witness” to the murder, Cameron is also the only one who can vouch that the Senator was not the murderer.
Now normally, Cameron wouldn’t have any difficulty with the FBI, except that the Special Agent Jack Pallas is in charge of the case. Cameron and Jack have a History (with a capital “H”!). Several years ago, when Cameron had just joined the U.S. Attorney’s office, she and Jack had worked together on a case to put a Chicago Mobster behind bars. When Jack’s cover was blown by another agent, he was tortured for days before he managed to escape. Jack’s confident that he’s got enough evidence to get his man, until Cameron is ordered by her boss (against her better judgment) to drop the case – and take one for the team by telling Jack that it was her decision. Jack’s disgusted and frustrated, and makes a nasty comment about her on national TV that sees him banished to another less high-profile office… naturally Jack blames Cameron for his stalled career. But the two have to put their differences aside and work together to keep Cameron safe and solve the case.
James has created in Cameron and Jack two stunningly witty characters. The wonderful repartee between the two is laugh-out-loud funny, and ramps up the sexual tension simmering between the two. I think it’s especially wonderful that both Cameron and Jack remain professional in their dealings with each other (despite all that chemistry and the Big Misunderstanding). At last, two mature adults! (I say that because I often feel like slapping heroes and heroines in romance novels where there’s a Big Misunderstanding.) Apart from Cameron and Jack, James also populates her book with some wonderful secondary characters, such as Cameron’s two best friends, and Jack’s partner, who also get some scintillating dialogue and witty one-liners.
The suspense and mystery isn’t terribly gripping and you’ll easily guess who the villain is… but don’t hold that against the book! There’s more than enough to keep you engaged, and you’ll still get some enjoyment as Cameron and Jack work the mystery out as they resist their attraction to each other.
Highly recommended – and once you’re done, read the second book in the series, A Lot Like Love.
SEAL of My Dreams: A Dream Anthology!
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Title: SEAL of My Dreams
Authors: Stephanie Bond, Elle Kennedy, Helen Brenna, Kylie Brant, Roxanne St. Claire, Cindy Gerard, Tara Janzen, Alison Kent, HelenKay Dimon, Jami Alden, Leslie Kelly, Jo Leigh, Marliss Melton, Gennita Low, Christie Ridgway, Barbara Samuel, Stephanie Tyler, Loreth Anne White
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Military Romance
As a long-time fan of military romances, SEAL of my Dreams is quite literally the book of my dreams. Comprising eighteen short stories by a list of authors that reads like a who’s who of military and contermporary romance authors, SEAL of my Dreams has a little something for everyone… and it’s for a good cause as well since all proceeds from the book’s sale will go toward medical research to benefit veterans. All eighteen short stories are worth reading, with a diversity of heroes and heroines, but I liked three stories in particular. First, I liked Barbara Samuel’s Dog Heart, which showed how war affects all combatants, whether canine or human. I’m also a sucker for a good dog story… I enjoyed reading Roxanne St. Claire’s Whirlwind, where a SEAL comes to the aid of a woman who’s being hunted, Justin the nick of time. Finally, I found myself incredibly moved by Loreth Anne White’s Letters to Ellie. For those of us who read military romances, we sometimes skim over the harsh realities that confront servicemen and their families every day. Letters to Ellie was a reminder to think of those among us who wait in hope that their loved ones who are missing in action will make it home. SEAL of My Dreams is a wonderful book, and a fabulous addition to any romance fan’s library.
Space in His Heart: Beautifully-written Contemporary Romance
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Title: Space in His Heart
Author: Roxanne St. Claire
Genre: Romantic Suspense
As a child, I always dreamed of being an astronaut. (I decided I wasn’t cut out for that when I realized how well you had to do at Mathematics to even stand a chance!) But when the opportunity to read this book came along, I jumped at it. Finally, a chance to be in space – despite my abysmal Math abilities.
Aside from the prologue and epilogue, which are set in 2011, New York Times best-selling author Roxanne St. Claire’s book is largely set in 1999, when the space program was still, if not going strong, then at least still alive and kicking, even if regular Americans simply could not relate to what NASA was doing.
Enter hard-driving PR whiz kid Jessica Marlowe. She’s given the unenviable task of making America fall in love with space again. Her grand plan is a simple one – but one that will work! She wants to give the space program a human face – and preferably a very sexy one. She chooses the attractive and intelligent Commander Deke Stockard to be NASA’s poster boy. Deke’s a Navy fighter pilot and astronaut who’s more concerned about the safety of the upcoming missions. What’s more, there’s a medical emergency on the space station, and the time pressure to get up there is intense. He simply has no time or inclination to make nice with the PR woman, and he’s incensed that Jessica’s trapped him into becoming involved in her publicity stunt. But orders are orders, and Deke acquiesces reluctantly to media training, photo-shoots, and television interviews. Not surprisingly, he becomes a media darling, falling in love with Jessica along the way.
Since this is a romantic suspense, St. Claire throws in a saboteur who jeopardizes the safety of the missions, an inside source who’s feeding false information to the media about NASA’s technical troubles and a jealous rival or two at Jessica’s PR firm. The pacing is perfect, and had me turning the pages late into the night, until the plot lines intersected neatly at the end and we finally reached the happy ever after.
While the plot was great, what I really enjoyed reading were the details about NASA and space program that went into the book. I felt almost as if I was out there in Florida with Deke as he did his safety checks. Kudos to St. Claire for all the careful research that she did! The other thing that I really enjoyed was the chemistry between Jessica and Deke. Both of them together were combustible enough to, well, launch a shuttle or two. I especially loved that Jessica was a career woman who (like many of us) had to work hard to claw her way up in a very competitive field, while dealing with lots of backstabbing. I was really rooting for her, although I was a bit disappointed that she gave up her position with her firm in the end. As for Deke, I loved how take-charge yet sensitive and intelligent he was. No wonder America (at least in St. Claire’s world) fell in love with Deke!
This was a beautifully-written, entertaining book, with wonderful characters and witty dialogue. I felt transported back to a more romantic and idealistic time, when the notion of space travel, and cooperation between the great powers in exploring the final frontier, were still high on our agenda. The highest praise I can give is that it was so good, it made me wish I had had spent more time perfecting my Mathematics!
In the Spotlight: The Fifty Shades of Grey Series by E.L. James
Posted by: | CommentsIn our earlier article, Seeing Twilight in Fifty Shades of Grey, I wrote about allegations that the Fifty Shades of Grey series may be facing copying infringement issues because it began life as Twilight fan fiction. It remains to be seen if Little, Brown (which publishes Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series) will follow up on these claims. (As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am hard pressed to see the similarities between the two!)
In the meantime, the final book of the Fifty Shades of Grey series was released on January 19, and has stormed up Amazon’s romance and erotica charts. Fifty Shades Freed peaked at the top spot in the erotica category, and is currently number 11 in romance. Not at all a bad showing for a series that has gained popularity mostly by word-of-mouth, on the back of rave reviews on romance blogs and sites such as Goodreads!
Most romance book fans will have heard about Fifty Shades, but don’t fret if you’re not familiar with the books – you can find out more from our article spotlighting the series. Written entirely from the heroine Anastasia Steele’s perspective, this series is wonderfully romantic… and yes, extremely erotic and sensual. (Deep down inside, I’m sure every girl wants to be Ana, and longs to have her own Christian!) This is one series that I’ll be re-reading for years to come and I heartily recommend all three books!
Book 1: Fifty Shades of Grey
The first book in the series introduces the reader to Christian Grey, a self-made millionaire in his late twenties, and young English major Anastasia Steele. Christian (also affectionately referred to as “Fifty Shades” by Ana throughout the trilogy) is a successful entrepreneur whose calm facade hides a painful past, and his secret Dominant tendencies. He first meets the innocent Ana when she’s bamboozled into interviewing Christian for her university’s newspaper. Ana is completely unprepared for the charismatic and gorgeous Christian, while Christian is attracted by Ana’s intelligence, submissive demeanor, and complete lack of artifice. Sparks fly between the two, and Christian decides to woo Ana, and the two struggle to establish a relationship even though Ana can’t quite wrap her head around Christian’s dark past, and interest in BDSM.
Book 2: Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Darker picks up immediately where Fifty Shades of Grey left off. Ana simply can’t deal with Christian’s need to control her or his sexual preferences, and decides to break the relationship off. Ana starts afresh with a new job at a boutique publishing house, and tries to forget Christian. But the separation is too painful for both Christian and Ana, and the two rekindle their romance and try to come to a middle ground that will work for them both. We get to learn more about Christian’s tortured past. A number of secondary characters, most notably a past lover/stalker, are introduced, further complicating the dynamics between Christian and Ana.
Book 3: Fifty Shades Freed
The final book in the trilogy ties up all the loose ends beautifully, although I was sorry to see the series end. Christian and Ana have are now in a committed relationship. Ana both enjoys and feels uncomfortable with the luxuries that Christian’s wealth can afford her, and she continues to struggle with Christian’s need to protect her by controlling her actions. There are some wonderfully touching moments involving Christian and Ana’s families. There’s also an exciting sub-plot involving an attempt to kidnap Ana, and a dicey scene where she places her life at risk to face down Christian’s dark past. Needless to say, Christian and Ana get their happy ever after, as do most of the other popular characters in the book. Includes a great bonus chapter showing Christian’s perspective of his first meeting with Ana.
Guest Post by Romance Author of the Month Robyn Carr
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We’re extremely fortunate to have best-selling author Robyn Carr contribute a guest blog post as part of our Romance Author of the Month series. In this guest post, Robyn shares her thoughts on the town of Virgin River, and how readers have fallen in love with not only the wonderful characters who live there, but with the town itself.
Welcome to My Virgin River…
by Robyn Carr
A lot of readers have written to ask if Virgin River is based on an actual town, because they’d like to move there. Unpack those boxes – the town lives only in my mind.
It didn’t take long for readers to reach out to me, to let me know what appealed to them about the series. They have naturally enjoyed the strong, handsome, virile men of Virgin River; they’ve admired the beauty, inner strength and intelligence of the women. But what I hear about most is a place where commitment is law – and not just romantic commitment, but the bonding of brotherhood, the fealty of neighbors, the loyalty in friendship. It seems the number of people who have ties to the military is simply huge – and the fact that the Virgin River men have served their country in times of war has lent greatly to their appeal. Not their sex appeal nearly as much as their emotional appeal. They seem to embody those values that readers hold as admirable. Honorable.
My readers like to watch the Virgin River characters work out their problems, cope with their challenges, get their lives on track again. It begs the question – can we find answers and role models in fiction? Well, considering one of the reasons we read fiction is for entertainment and we’re not very entertained unless the characters are up against a lot, must overcome great odds and evolve, I think it’s possible.
Virgin River is a town that not only exists in my mind, but can be created in any heart – it’s a place where the glass is half full, where burdens and challenges give us strength rather than break us, where fealty and friendship have more value than money, commitment is honored, and people do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do. And there’s lots more to come from Virgin River.
Want to live in Virgin River? Close your eyes… Open your heart…
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A big thank you to Robyn for her wonderful guest post! This is the last of our four articles on Robyn, but you can find out more about Robyn in our earlier article about her. You might also find our exclusive interview with Robyn an interesting read. To find out more about Robyn’s extremely popular Virgin River series, including Hidden Summit, the latest book in the series, check out our article spotlighting all the books in the series!
Serendipity: Wonderful New Romance by Carly Phillips
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Title: Serendipity
Author: Carly Phillips
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Serendipity is the first in a trilogy of contemporary romances featuring the estranged Barron brothers, and is a wonderful start to a promising new series by best-selling author Carly Phillips. Featuring a fabulously appealing hero and extremely likeable heroine, the series also has a cast of charming supporting characters who live in the small upstate New York town of Serendipity.
Faith Harrington bravely returns to her home town of Serendipity to make a new start after her father is arrested and convicted of perpetrating a Ponzi-like fraud, cheating numerous Serendipity residents of their life savings. Faith’s also been bruised by her discovery that her husband, who she married at her father’s insistence, was cheating on her… What’s more, he proudly admitted that he married her only as a way to advance his own career.
Some of the townspeople blame Faith for her father’s actions, and snub her, while others are cautiously welcoming. While I can understand why some would be upset with Faith, I do think that their blame is misplaced. Nonetheless, Faith’s dignified and humble response, willingness to take responsibility, and steadfast refusal to let their hostility cow her, make her a very appealing character. This is especially in contrast to her mother’s continued insistence on living in the past, when she was the most influential and wealthy woman in Serendipity.
Like Faith, Ethan Barron has also returned to Serendipity. But unlike Faith, the reformed bad boy returns home as a wealthy entrepreneur with a successful business. Reformed rebels make the best heroes, and Ethan certainly is right up there with some of my favorites. After his parents were killed in a motor accident on the way to bail him out of a scrape, Ethan was unable to bear the guilt. He ran away and joined the Army, leaving his two younger brothers in Serendipity to be fostered out to different families. His time in the military straightened him out, and now he’s back to try and make things right with his brothers.
Ethan and Faith had some heated moments together back in high school, but haven’t seen each other since then. When Ethan returns to Serendipity, he thinks that buying the old Barrington home will set him on the road to respectability, and hires interior designer Faith to remodel the house. Although it hurts Faith to have to redesign her childhood home, her determination to make her interior design business succeed prompts her to agree. Faith becomes embroiled in Ethan’s attempts at reconciliation with his brothers, who are understandably antagonistic, since they blame Ethan for causing their parents death, and for abandoning them. However, when Ethan has a teenage half-sister thrust upon him, the three brothers reluctantly set aside their differences to make sure that Tess has the structure and support she needs.
I loved reading this book, and especially enjoyed seeing Ethan and Faith’s interactions with the rebellious and vulnerable Tess, who really only wants a bit of attention and affection. I found my heart going out to Ethan and his brothers, as they struggled to find common ground, and my heart broke a little when I saw how Ethan so willingly accepted how Nash (a lawyer with an acid tongue) and Dare (a cop with a soft heart) rudely rebuffed his advances. I especially loved how Faith stood up for Ethan with his brothers.
This was a wonderfully romantic and sexy story that had you rooting for Ethan and Faith to have their happy ever after. I was also intrigued and entertained by the cast of extended family characters. I can hardly wait to see what happens with the slow-to-forgive Nash in the next book, Destiny!
Seeing Twilight in Fifty Shades of Grey?
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E.L. James’ book, Fifty Shades of Grey, has garnered plenty of positive reviews on various book review sites, and has had fans of both romantic fiction, and erotica, swooning. Fifty Shades of Grey is the first in a trilogy of the same name. It is followed by Fifty Shades Darker. The final book in the trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed, is due for release on Jan 19. The trilogy follows the very young and naive English major Anastacia Steel as she navigates an intense romance with billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey. Written from Ana’s perspective, we get a glimpse into her thought processes as Christian introduces the innocent to his interest in BDSM.
As a fan of Cherise Sinclair and Joey W. Hill, I have read and enjoyed the first and second books in James’ series, and am waiting impatiently for the final book in the series. The books were more romance than erotica (although the sex scenes were indeed hot). For the squeamish among us, the BDSM element was fairly light, and in fact, J.R. Ward’s portrayal of V’s predilections in the Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) series is far more graphic and dark.
Given the incredibly romantic nature of the books, and the gentle BDSM elements, it came as no surprise that Hollywood scouts have been sniffing around the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy for a possible movie or series. (I for one, would love to see how the book translates into film or television – particularly since James is herself a TV executive!) But I was stunned by the follow-up article detailing the responses from readers who claimed that because Fifty Shades of Grey began life as Twilight fan fiction, there could be copyright infringement issues.
Now, I’ve read the Fifty Shades books very carefully, and read some parts (heh) more than twice. I’d be hard pressed to find a single sparkly vampire in the book. Nor have I come across any fangs, werewolves, or even high school students. There’s nary a single drop of blood in the books. (Well, if I must be indelicate, Ana does talk a bit about tampons, but that’s hardly the stuff that Edward’s after.) I’ve also read the Twilight books. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t see the similarities between the two! While one might argue that like the Twilight books, Fifty Shades is also written from the point of view of a young female narrator, surely Stephenie Meyer can’t have a monopoly on that, or Little, Brown (Meyer’s publisher) would be suing authors left, right, and center.
Although Little, Brown has said that its policy is to “proactively monitor and investigate all reports of potential copyright infringements” I doubt they’ll be able to pin anything on James. The similarities, if any, are far too nebulous. No doubt, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Amanda Hayward, CEO of The Writer’s Coffee Shop, which published Fifty Shades of Grey, said James’s book “bore very little resemblance to Twilight…Twilight and Fifty Shades Trilogy are worlds apart, new readers are totally surprised it was ever a Twilight fan fiction story.” To quote Christian Grey, “fair point, well made”.
