Archive for Romance Book Reviews
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.
Surrender: Wonderful Sweeping Historical Romance!
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Title: Surrender (A MacKinnon’s Rangers Novel)
Author: Pamela Clare
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Romance
I’m a big fan of Pamela Clare’s I-Team romantic suspense series and was surprised to find out that she had also written a bevy of historical romances, and in fact started out with that genre. Surrender, which came out just a few months ago, is a re-release of the book that was originally published in 2007, with extended scenes and new edits. I read this book in one night, and haven’t been able to stop gushing about it to my friends. As a historian, I appreciated the details and historical accuracy. As a romance book lover, I completely swooned over the wonderful hero and heroine, as well as the passion and emotion in the book.
In Surrender, Clare introduces her MacKinnon’s Rangers series and takes readers to New York in the 1750s, at the height of the war French and Indian War. Iain MacKinnon is the exiled Laird of the Clan MacKinnon. His family was forced to flee to the Colonies after the failed Jacobite uprising to free Scotland from British rule in 1745. In their years in the Colonies, Iain and his brothers Morgan and Connor have grown up to be brave strapping warriors, trained not only in the Highland ways, but also in Native American warfighting. Their formidable fighting skills make them the target of an ambitious British officer, who is convinced that with the MacKinnons’ fighting skills, Britain will prevail over France. The British officer arranges for the three brothers to be falsely accused of murder; they will all three hang if they don’t agree to fight for the Protestant British against the Highlanders’ long-time allies, the Catholic French. Left with no choice, Iain raises MacKinnon’s Rangers, a formidable force of fighting men, who (reluctantly) carry the banner of King George.
Lady Anne Campbell has been falsely accused of theft by her scheming uncle, arrested, branded as a thief, then deported to the Colonies as a bond slave. When her Master and Mistress are killed in French and Indian raid, Iain risks his own life, as well as that of his troops, to rescue Anne. Annie merely tells Iain that she’s Annie Burns, but hides her noble birth, her Protestant and Loyalist Campbell roots, as well as her conviction for theft. The two flee across the forests, eventually reaching the Rangers’ home base, where Iain is punished by the British for disobeying orders and rescuing Annie. As Annie nurses Iain after his brutal lashing, the two slowly fall in love, and look for ways to surmount their many differences.
Surrender is a wonderful love story that’s full of rich historical detail, passion, action, and intrigue. I especially loved Iain, who is an honorable, noble hero who is by turns protective of Annie, and a wonderful leader to his ragtag band of men. A wonderful book that I’ll be re-reading many times!
My Ruthless Prince: Regency Romance Filled with Intrigue
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Title: My Ruthless Prince (Inferno Club)
Author: Gaelen Foley
Pages: 384
Genre: Historical Romance
Regency romances are not my usual cup of tea, but I found myself being completely charmed by Gaelen Foley’s My Ruthless Prince. The book boasts a tortured hero, resourceful heroine, multi-faceted villains, and a plot filled with intrigue. While this book is the fourth book (out of five) in Foley’s Inferno Club series, it can easily be read as a standalone book.
Drake, the Earl of Westwood, had been training to be an operative for the Inferno Club since he was a boy. Ostensibly a gentlemen’s club, The Inferno Club is in fact a secret international organization of noblemen fighting on the side of God, King, and country. Their arch enemies are the members of the Prometheus group, whose thirst for wealth and power threaten the stability of England and Europe.
As the book begins, we find out that Drake, one of the more promising Inferno operatives, had been captured and tortured by the Prometheans. Their treatment of him was so brutal that he’s lost his memory. Drake is rescued, but soon runs away from London and the Inferno Club, to return to the Prometheans’ headquarters in Bavaria, where he becomes the bodyguard to a very senior official in the hierarchy.
Drake’s no traitor. He’s out to infiltrate the Prometheans to take revenge for his ill-treatment, but his colleagues in the Inferno Club all believe he’s beyond salvation and set out to eliminate him. Only Emily refuses to believe the worst of him. Emily, Drake’s childhood playmate, and daughter of his family’s woodsman and gamekeeper, had nursed Drake back to health after his rescue. The two have always loved each other, although Drake’s misplaced sense of nobility has never allowed him to even think of her in that way, as he believes he’d be taking advantage of her. Emily too, has never professed her feelings for him, thinking him above her station. However, when Emily travels from England to Bavaria to rescue him from the Prometheans, she puts herself in deep danger, and Drake is forced to confront his own feelings for her.
There were lots of plot twists to keep the reader entertained, and Foley has created in Drake an extraordinarily compelling tortured hero. He’s withstood months of physical torture by the Prometheans, and is naturally confused. But while appearing ruthless and evil, we know that he will eventually come out on the side of good. His concern for Emily while he tries to also play both sides against each other is incredibly touching. Emily too, is an amazing heroine, selfless, completely devoted to Drake, and yet so not a doormat. She’s incredibly resourceful and capable, which is always a wonderful thing to see with a Regency romance heroine. Foley has a gift with creating believable characters, and I especially liked her villains, who were all too human. A wonderful read!
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!
Whispers in the Dark: Romantic Suspense with a Paranormal Twist
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Title: Whispers in the Dark (A KGI Novel)
Author: Maya Banks
Pages: 352
Genre: Romantic Suspense / Paranormal Romance
Whispers in the Dark, the fourth book in the popular KGI series, sees bestselling author Maya Banks introduce a paranormal twist to her pulse-pounding romantic suspense series. Whispers in the Dark picks up where Hidden Away left off.
Nathan Kelley and some of his fellow soldiers have been captured by the Taliban, and are subjected to torture in the terrorists’ strong hold. Nathan has suffered untold agony at the hands of his interrogators, and has had to endure the mental anguish of watching his brothers-in-arms killed as a means to force him to talk. After weeks of beatings and interrogations, Nathan is almost ready to give up on life when he hears a “whisper in the dark”. (Heh.) Nate hears a voice in his head urging him to hold on. At first, Nathan thinks he’s going mad, but when the voice keeps coming back, and somehow takes the pain of his injuries away, Nathan’s able to keep on going and eventually escape, together with Swanny, the only other surviving member of his team.
The voice Nate hears is Shea’s. She’s got a gift, albeit an unpredictable one, that allows her to link telepathically with certain people, and help to absorb their physical pain. Luckily for Nate, he’s one of those people. Once Nate gets away, he’s anxious to meet his savior in person. However, Shea’s broken off all contact, and Nate is left to stew in his own head, wondering if Shea was a figment of his imagination.
It’s not that Shea doesn’t want to stay in touch with Nate, but she’s got troubles of her own. A shadowy organization wants to capture her and use her gifts for military applications. The same organization is after her sister Grace, who can not only link telepathically with anyone, but who can also heal injuries. Shea doesn’t want Nate to be dragged into her problems, but when she herself is captured and tortured, she instinctively sends a telepathic SOS to Nate, who dashes across the country save her.
This isn’t my first KGI novel, and it was good to see all the close-knit Kellys again. The Kelly family is one that everyone wishes they had – caring without being overly intrusive. (Incidentally, if you’ve never read any of the KGI novels, you can segue seamlessly into the series with Whispers in the Dark, no prior knowledge required.) Shea was a strong heroine – selfless to a fault, caring, and resourceful. Nate was another great tortured (literally) hero who wasn’t afraid of showing how badly affected he had been by his experience. Shea and Nate make a lovely couple, although I can understand why their whole mind-to-mind communication method would drive some readers (and other characters) nuts. (Luckily this is a book and not a film, otherwise all the shots would be of the two gazing soulfully at each other, which doesn’t make for a very exciting movie.)
I enjoyed this book immensely. I like paranormal romances. I like romantic suspense. With an accomplished author like Banks putting both together, it’s a sure-win, at least for me. As with all Banks’ books, the pace was quick, and the plot was twisty with enough surprises to keep everyone entertained. I know some have complained that the paranormal elements beggared belief. I thought they were perfectly fine. They were a big part of the book, but they certainly weren’t too over-the-top. In any case, this is a romance novel – all romance novels (paranormal or otherwise) require the suspension of disbelief. Isn’t that why we love them? Whispers in the Darks sets up nicely for the next book in the series, Echoes at Dawn, coming out in July. It’s Rio and Grace’s story and I’m very much looking forward to it. No doubt there’ll be a paranormal element as well since Grace is a telepathic healer.
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!
She Can Run: Deft Debut by Melinda Leigh
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Title: She Can Run
Author: Melinda Leigh
Pages: 326
Genre: Romantic Suspense
She Can Run is Melinda Leigh’s action-packed debut novel, but she writes with such a deft touch and such self-assurance that you’d never guess that it’s her first.
Leigh’s heroine is Elisabeth Baker, who’s on the run from her Congressman husband. Elisabeth knows a big whopper of a secret about her husband, and the Congressman more than willing to kill Elisabeth and her two young children, to protect his secret and reputation. Elisabeth gets away with Ben and Katie and has been running for ten months, unable to turn to anyone for help because her husband put out the word that she’s insane and unstable. Fortunately her psychic ex-military Uncle James believes her, and sends her to an old friend, Danny O’Malley. An elderly gentleman, Danny offers Elisabeth a job as a caretaker at his rural estate. Elisabeth is relieved at the prospect of refuge, only to find upon her arrival at the estate that Danny has died. His nephew Jack takes over as her employer instead.
Jack’s an ex-policeman who’s had a career-ending knee injury. When he first meets Elisabeth and her kids, he instantly recognizes the signs of domestic violence. The kids and even Elisabeth herself are wary of men (especially large men like Jack!), easily scared, and jumpy. Jack’s a big softy, and wants to help. At the same time, he’s incredibly attracted to Elisabeth, but knows he needs to take things slow. In addition to the danger that Elisabeth faces from her husband, Leigh ratchets up the tension with a separate plotline about a serial killer who’s targeting women who look just like Elisabeth. The two plotlines intertwine seamlessly, and Leigh’s pacing is excellent. In classic romantic suspense style, she juggles both plotlines, and keeps the reader entranced right the way through until the denouement.
Apart from the tight plotting and excellent pacing, the characters in this book were incredibly charming. I loved Elisabeth’s fierce protectiveness of her children, and her determination to survive, and swooned at Jack’s drive to protect Elisabeth and the kids. Indeed, Jack’s interactions with Ben and Katie were some of the best parts of the book. Leigh’s portrayal of how he gently wins them over was a pleasure to read. But by far my favorite character in the book was Henry, Jack’s failed police dog, who gambols across the pages, and wins the hearts of Elisabeth and the kids, and all the readers too!
She Can Run is a marvelously deft debut effort by Melinda Leigh. Well-paced and well-written, this book was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to reading more from Leigh ni the future.
