May 2007 Romantic Times

I've had the May Romantic Times for a while and thought I'd thumb through it for the blog and point out things that jump out.

• Cover: Every time I look at this cover, the picture seems odd. Maybe the background is a little too busy.
• Page 15: Here's an ad for Cerridwen Press and their traditional Regency line. I've got to check out some of these books.
• Page 18: Looks like Bonnie Dee's got more work out. I liked Bone Deep, so I'll stop by Liquid Silver to check these out.
• Page 20: The urban fantasy article is the first one I read instead of skim. It's an interesting genre.
• Page 22: I like the Q&A with urban fantasy authors. In the next few weeks, watch for an interview with one of these authors . . .
• Page 24: I've heard Jim Butcher's name a lot, but haven't read any of his books. They might be worth seeking out . . . but then I look at my current TBR list. Maybe if I ever whittle that list down, I'll think about it.
• Page 29: Interesting article about Shanna Swendson. I liked Enchanted, Inc., but still have the second book in that series TBR. Must get to it soon since the third book is out now.
• Page 30: Author Toni Blake announces she also writes as Lacey Alexander. I don't think I've read either author. Anyone have any recommendations?
• Page 53: I like the cover of Jade Lee's Tempted Tigress.
• Page 69: Julie Kenner's The Prada Paradox receives a lukewarm review. I'm still going to read the book, because I liked the first two. I also find myself disagreeing with a lot of RT's reviews in general, so the rating doesn't often keep me from trying a book.
• Page 102: I read and enjoyed Sharon Cullars's Again, so I'm intrigued by The Object of Love. I bought the book this week.
• Page 109: I want to get Stephanie Rowe's He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot.
• Page 110: Must get Nalini Singh's Visions of Heat.
• Page 111: Here's a good review of Erin McCarthy's Bled Dry. I read the first two books in this series. While I like them, they don't have the same punch as her straight contemporaries. I hope she doesn't stop writing contemps.
• Page 111: A couple of books on this page look interesting: Jenna Black's Secrets in the Shadows and the anthology Wild Thing.
• Page 113: Here are reviews for two of Bonnie Dee's books: Measure of a Man and Fruits of Betrayal. Yes, I need to check these out.
• Page 115: A glowing review of Kelley Armstrong's No Humans Involved. I've preordered this book, and I'm dying to read it.
• Page 115: I'm stuck on this line in the summary of All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris: "Eric the Norseman begins making moves that suggest he's still interested in Sookie." Yay! Looks like I may get my Eric fix. We'll see. :)
• Page 118: Here's a review of a book by one of my autobuy authors, Sarah Mayberry. I wonder what this means: "the overall tone if this book is somewhat depressing." I love Mayberry's writing, and I love angst, so I'm buying it.
• Page 129: How is RT defining Erotica? The list of reviews for this section is a full page long, in stark contrast to several of the other sections. I'm curious . . .
• Page 134: I'm interested in Samhain's Talons anthology. I'll have to get this.
• Page 146: Can't remember the last time I saw a one-star review in RT, and here are two in a row. Wow.
• Page 150: Looks like there are good reading opportunities ahead--new books from Julia Quinn, Jacquie D'Alessandro, Kelley Armstrong, and Marjorie M. Liu.
• Page 152: Kate Douglas's Wolf Tales series must be popular. She's on book IV. Based on the story I read in Sexy Beast, I don't think these are for me.

That's it for this issue.

Lush Contest Winners

It's time to announce the winners of the Lush contest. Now, I only have one book to give away, but I do have cover flats and bookmarks to give. The cover flat and bookmarks will go to . . .

. . . Amy S!

And the winner of the autographed copy of Lush is . . .

Wendy!

E-mail me at the address in the top left column, so I can get your address and send your prizes. Thanks for participating!

Unholy Sacrifice

A while back, a coworker told me about the story told in Robert Scott's Unholy Sacrifice . I was intrigued enough to run out and buy it.

San Francisco Bay area stockbroker Taylor Helzer was young, handsome, and--to all outward appearances--normal. But that was before a three-day self-awareness seminar left him convinced he was a new Messiah. In the interest of funding his own church and "saving" America from Satan, Helzer began making and selling Ecstasy and convinced girlfriend Keri Furman to pose for Playboy. She eventually left him, only to be replaced by naive, gullible Dawn Godman.

Helzer, his younger brother Justin, and Dawn formed an unholy alliance called the Children of Thunder. They wanted to score big. The brothers abducted Taylor's former clients Ivan and Annette Stineman, inducing them to sign over checks totaling $100,000. The elderly couple was beaten and stabbed to death, then dismembered in a bathtub.

Selena Bishop, 22, daughter of blues great Elvin Bishop, was ensnared in the money scam--before Justin Helzer killed her with a hammer. Bishop's mother was next, shot dead along with her boyfriend by Taylor. But despite the trio's careful disposal of the evidence in the Mokelumne River, the truth came to light when a bag of body parts floated to the surface. The trials that followed would reveal every grisly detail of one of the most bizarre murder sprees in California history--bring a modern-day Manson to justice . . .

Romance is what I typically reach for, but I break up my reading now and then with a true-crime book. Unholy Sacrifice was quite interesting, if a bit gruesome at times. That's the nature of the crime, however, as you can tell from the blurb. In any case, the book kept my interest: 4 out of 5.

This book includes information from dozens of sources, which helps put together the story. Taylor's slide downward from law-abiding and religious to law-breaking and fanatic is well chronicled, even though neither Taylor nor Justin was interviewed. I still didn't quite understand how the two men went so off-track. Perhaps nothing can explain that.

And Dawn. Her perspective offers insight into the sequence of events before and during the murders, but it's still largely a mystery why she went along with the scheme.

This is the first of Robert Scott's books I've read, but I'll certainly look for others.

Secrets in the Marriage Bed

I read one of Nalini Singh's earlier Silhouette Desires. While I liked it, it didn't lead me to look for her other books. That changed after reading Slave to Sensation. So when I saw Secrets in the Marriage Bed, I bought it. I'm so, so glad I did: 4.5 out of 5.

They were reconciling. That was all Caleb Callaghan could focus on when his estranged wife, Vicki, shared the news of her pregnancy. He was determined that this time their marriage would succeed, no matter what it took.

But was Vicki's price too high? She wanted more than his love and support . . . she demanded honesty between them, starting with his secrets. But there was something in Caleb's past he could not--would not--share. For the truth would only destroy them.

Secrets of the Marriage Bed is one of those rare books that stays in your mind after it's finished. In this case, the memory lingers not because of a showy plot, but because the story is about two adults who talk to each other and work through the issues causing problems in their marriage.

Caleb's devotion to Vicki is obvious and touching. I like the way he was determined to take advantage of the opportunity to rebuild the relationship. Vicki is an equally memorable character. Her desire for a better relationship is realistically shown, as is her wariness. I loved the fact that these two work together to make things better between them.

Lush . . . and a Contest

I enjoy Sasha White's books, so I was excited to read Lush. I had an interesting reading experience and thought I'd report it in a way I've seen Rosario do.

"The Principles of Lust"
Sleek and sexy erotic art gallery owner Teal Jamison knows what she likes and isn't afraid to let carpenter Zack Dillon know that her current fantasy features him in all his masculine glory. But Zack has a deliciously different game in mind for a woman accustomed to taking charge . . .

"Passion Play"
Quick to follow where passion leads, then back off when things get too close, jewelry designer Mia Jones's sensual odyssey with singles columnist Dominick Jamison is perfect: hot, sweet, and with no risk of complications. But how long can her heart stay cold--when she's lost in the heat of a man devoted to every forbidden pleasure her body craves?

"Sexual Healing"
When massage therapist Caitlyn Ellis shows photographer Jack Lowell the joys of sensual self love for the camera, he can't resist the erotic invitation to take pleasure in her lush curves--or deny himself the hands-on ecstasy of loving a beautiful woman determined to heal his battered soul . . . by setting his body on fire.

Before opening the book: Love the cover. Wish I had hair like that. LOL!



"The Principles of Lust"

Page 3: The prologue for "The Principles of Lust." Whew! This one jumps right in to the erotic. That's Sasha for you. I like the heroine's unusual occupation: opening an erotic gallery.

Page 7: Teal (interesting name) knows what she wants. I like that, and I like the fact that she's not a repressed woman who is all show. That's an all-too-common scenario in romance novels.

Page 13: I definitely want to know more about Zack. Like Teal, I'm curious about why he backs away when he so obviously wants her.

Page 14: Enter another woman . . . uh oh. The word "Master" makes me stop reading. This is apparently a hot button for me. I read on to the end of the chapter, but the scenario doesn't do much for me. I set the book aside.

"Sexual Healing"

Before reading: OK, I'm skipping ahead to this story.

Page 179: Another heroine with an interesting occupation, this time a massage therapist. The story gets off to a sensual start. I'm intrigued . . .

Page 183: The first chapter offers a strong introduction to Caitlyn. It's clear what she wants and where her lines are.

Page 203: Jack is a wounded hero; I'm a sucker for those. He and Caitlyn are definitely generating sparks . . . and a lot more. Good stuff.

Page 208: Ah. Caitlyn wants to help Jack heal. This could be a recipe for disaster, but so far it's working.

Page 217: It's working really, really well.

Page 224: This is a great chapter. Yeah, Jack says he just wants to "f*ck," but it's clear there's a deeper connection between these two.

Page 232: Love this section.

When he's snapped a dozen pictures and showed no sign of stopping, she clued into something. He was a photographer. A man who made his living looking through a camera, and she bet he saw a lot more clearly through a lens than he ever did with the naked eye.

Words didn't mean a lot to this man. What he saw did. Actions did.

A wonderful description of Jack.

Page 248: I love the way this chapter ends.

Page 250: Oh, that was terrific. This is a great story--I just wish it had been longer. Still, it makes me excited to read another story.

"Passion Play"

Page 91: Interesting. This story is told in first-person (the other two are third-person stories). This heroine is a jewelry designer.

Page 95: Oh, good. We get the hero, Dominick's point of view as well, also told in first-person.

Page 101: OK, the first meeting of Mia and Dominick is terrific. They've got energy, heat, and fun banter.

Page 105: Hmm. She's left him behind. Should be interesting to see how he tracks her down.

Page 117: He tracked her down. :)

Page 135: I like these two together, and I'm invested in the characters.

Page 138: Oooh, I like the direction Dominick is going with his writing.

Page 150: The sex-only relationship is becoming something more . . .

Page 176: Another terrific novella. Dominick and Mia are memorable characters, and this ends up being a sweet love story. With a lot of sex, of course. :)

"The Principles of Lust," Take Two

Page 19: I've liked the other two stories. I'm brave. I can go back to this one.

Page 23: Now there's a mystery--who is sending the notes against the gallery?

Page 29: Teal confronts Zack about his interest in her. Good for you, girl. Now he's going to make her dinner.

Page 37: Zack shows Teal his basement. (No, that's not a euphemism.) I like that they don't immediately get revving. Instead, it's back to dinner.

Page 43: I'm liking Zack and Teal more. They're good together.

Page 46: Love the fact that they don't even get to the basement this first time. ;)

Page 51: Another memorable passage.

Brina was looking at her like she was crazy. "What's wrong with regular sex? There's a reason missionary is the most popular position, Miss I-know-everything-about-lust."

"Yeah?" Teal smirked at her. "And what is the reason?"

"It's the most intimate."

It hit her right between the eyes. That was why she was so freaked-out by Zack. Somehow, someway, he'd managed to control their whole night, without using any physical restraints, and it had been extremely intimate.

Now I understand the point of the earlier scene that kind of turned me off. It serves to contrast with the simple intimacy Zack and Teal share.

Page 88: I like this story more than I thought I would. Much more.

The novellas in Lush are trademark Sasha White--the stories make you think and the characters make you care: 4 out of 5.

Now, for the contest. I have an autographed copy of Lush to give away, and I want to do it this week. One thing I liked about Lush is the unusual jobs the characters have. To enter, post a comment here about an unusual occupation you'd like to see in a romance novel. I'll accept entries through April 15, 2007. You can list as many occupations as you like, although you'll be entered only once. I'll choose a random winner on April 16.

Smart and Sexy

I think every reader has authors whose books they really enjoy. One of those authors for me is Jill Shalvis. Not surprisingly, I read and loved her latest book, Smart and Sexy: 4.5 out of 5.

Noah Fisher has worked for months to make Sky High the most prestigious charter airline in California. He's long overdue for a break--something involving ski slopes, cold beers, and hot ski bunny babes, not necessarily in that order. The itinerary doesn't include being hijacked by Bailey Sinclair, gorgeous widow of one of Sky High's wealthiest (ex-) clients. But here they are, and being crammed in a cockpit with the scared, stubborn, unbelievably sexy former model he's been fantasizing about invokes Superman tendencies that could get Noah in serious trouble.

Bailey is desperate to find the stash of money hidden by her conniving, thieving late husband--before the bad guys he owed find her. It's a long shot, but nothing compared to the gamble she's taking by being so close to Noah. Every minute in his company has Bailey thinking about doing crazy, reckless things like touching, grabbing, kissing . . . and oh wow, being kissed right back. Suddenly, seat-of-your-pants seems like the only way to fly, and maybe it's the altitude playing tricks, but this is one trip she never wants to end . . .

The tone of the back cover suggested Smart and Sexy would be a light-hearted romp. It isn't. Instead, it's a gripping romantic suspense novel with characters who lingered in my mind long after I finished the book.

Speaking of the characters, the way Shalvis sets up the situation is perfect. Noah and Bailey aren't strangers--in fact, Noah's had a weak spot for Bailey for some time. This makes it all the more believable that he would want to help with her quest. Bailey is equally drawn to Noah; it is no accident that she tags along on a flight where he is the pilot.

I loved Noah. He's a well-rounded character with strengths and insecurities. His connection with and protection of Bailey is wonderful to watch. Bailey is initially secretive; trust comes slowly for her. The way her trust grows is realistic and compelling.

These two characters generate a lot of heat together. This book includes some of the best love scenes Shalvis has written.

The mystery is also excellent, and I loved that it complemented rather than overshadowed the romance. Smart and Sexy is the start of a series, and I can't wait to read the next one!

Innocent in Death

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the In Death series. When I heard that Innocent in Death featured a significant Eve/Roarke conflict, I wondered what it would entail and how I would like the book.

The death of history teacher Craig Foster devastated his young wife, who'd sent him off to work that morning with a lovingly packed lunch. It shocked the colleagues at the Upper West Side private school. And as for the ten-year-old girls who found him in his classroom in a pool of bodily fluids, they may have been traumatized for life.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas, of course, is more hardened to murder cases. And this is clearly a murder case. That lovingly packed lunch was tainted with deadly ricin. And Mr. Foster's colleagues, shocked as they may be, have some shocking secrets of their own. It's Eve's job to get a feel for all the potential suspects, and find out why someone would have done this to a man who seemed so inoffensive, so pleasant . . . so innocent.

Now Magdalena Percell--there's someone Eve can picture as a murder victim. Possibly at Eve's own hands. The slinky blonde--and old flame of her billionaire husband, Roarke, from his days on the wrong side of the law--has turned up in New York, and she's anything but innocent. Unfortunately, Roarke seems blind to Magdalena's manipulation, but not to her shapely figure and flirtacious ways. And he insists that the occasional lunch or business meeting with her is nothing to worry about . . . and none of Eve's business. Eve's so unnerved by the situation that she finds it hard to focus on the Foster case. Still, she'll have to put aside her anger, jealousy, and heartbreak, for a while at least--because another man has just turned up dead, and the case is taking some strange turns and hitting some frustrating dead ends.

Eve knows all too well that innocence can be a facade. Keeping that in mind may help her solve this case at last. But it may also tear apart her marriage.

Innocent in Death is a strong entry in the series: 4 out of 5. I read the In Death books more to follow the relationships, and the way the Magdalena plot plays out is fascinating to watch. Eve's reaction to Maggie's appearance is different from anything we've seen in past books--justifiably so, since it's clear she's different from any of Roarke's other former lovers. Now I'd love to see Roarke react to one of Eve's formers . . . someone who isn't Webster. :)

Eve does something at the end that surprised me a bit, but seemed more in character the second time I read it.

Although I read the In Death books to follow the characters, I enjoy the mystery as well. This one is quite good, and different from anything we've seen in past books. I enjoyed it, I think partly because of its chilling moments. To me, it has even more impact when you listen to the audiobook.