Quartet of book reviews
I'm a little (okay, a lot) behind on book reviews again, so I'm going to combine a few reviews and basically hit the high and low points.
In order from least recently read...
Title: Catch a Mate
Author: Gena Showalter
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384 (MMP)
I love the premise of this book. The heroine, Jillian Greene, works at Catch a Mate, a company in Oklahoma City that helps people to catch their philandering significant others. Jillian caught her father in flagrante dilecto with the next door neighbor as a child, and since then hasn't trusted men. And it's no wonder, considering she's constantly acting as "bait" to catch cheating men. But then in walks Marcus Brody, a delectable piece of female bait. Ends up he's also bought the company, which Jillian had wanted to do. Sparks fly from the first time they're in the same room as each other, and things only get hotter as the story progresses.
Like I said, I loved the premise of this book. I also really enjoyed Showalter's voice. She's fun and snappy and witty, and tension between Jillian and Marcus was palpable. But...there was one thing that irked me so badly that it kept me from really, truly enjoying this book. What was that, you ask?
The way Jillian's reconciliation with her father was handled. Without spoiling too much, I thought Jillian's reconciliation and forgiveness happened way too fast. I know that she needed to forgive her father in order for her to truly feel free to be with Marcus, but it was like a split second, a small blip, really, and I don't think was treated with the gravity it should have been treated with. This is a man who broke his daughter's heart, who committed adultery and caused his daughter to have trust and emotional intimacy issues. You don't just get over those things. You don't just decide, "I need to forgive my father for cheating on my mom and leaving us all" and forgive him. It doesn't happen that easily. Especially not when you have a personality like Jillian does.
Showalter had me up until that point, but after the reconciliation scene...the rest was just really hard to enjoy and swallow. That being said, her next book (a paranormal romance) seems really interesting and I'm willing to give her another shot.
Title: Between the Sheets
Author: Robin Wells
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 400 (MMP)
Again, this is a premise I really enjoyed. Emma Wells is the most notorious woman in America, thanks to a photo taken of her leaving the mansion where the President of the U.S. had a heartache while getting it on with a prostitute. Nevermind the fact that Emma wasn't the woman with the President, and was just the housekeeper. So she's moved to her grandmother's small town in Louisiana for a fresh start. Max Duval is running for office in that same small town, and thus needs to stay as far away from scandal as possible. But he's attracted to Emma from the first time he meets her face to face. He has a hard enough time ignoring Emma, but things only get worse when their grandparents start a romance of their own.
Overall, I have to say I enjoyed this book. I laughed, which is always a good thing. And I thought Wells handled the multiple POVs well (I think there were five, maybe six, I can't remember), especially when she was in Max's grandfather's POV. See, Max's grandfather has dementia, and I thought Wells handled it very well. As someone who had a grandmother who had dementia, I've seen what it does to the mind, and I thought Wells handled the subject with grace and humor and a realistic tone that was just fantastic. And I loved Emma's grandmother--she was hilarious.
The main thing that bothered me about this book was a distinct lack of cursing, and some very purple prose. I do have to say, though, that I was shocked when Emma titty fucked Max (is there another term for that? because if there is I've never heard it). I don't think I've ever read that in a romance novel, and despite the purple prose I have to give Wells a thumbs up for doing something at least a little different.
At any rate, this was a pleasant read and I might consider buying more of Wells' books in the future.
Title: Primal Instincts
Author: Jill Monroe
Genre: Erotic Romantic Comedy (Blush)
Pages: 224 (Category MMP)
I like that Harlequin's Blaze line has started printing erotic romantic comedies, because, hey, like the "Blush" slogan says: "sex doesn't have to be serious."
The way sex was approached in this book was different, to say the least. Ava, the heroine, is an anthropologist who's written a book on sex in various cultures. Ian, the hero, is a photojournalist who's been sent to ghost write the book since Ava's writing is, well, a bit bland. So throughout the entire book, Ava and Ian are discussing (and reenacting) various practices from different cultures. Now, I have to confess, I took an anthro class as an undergrad on human sexuality, and it was by far one of the most interesting courses I took in college. So all these different stories totally captivated me.
Ava's naivete did irk me a little bit, but it was understandable considering she'd barely spent any time in America while growing up (her parents were archaeologists, so while she got lots of experience traveling the world and observing other cultures, she never really got a chance to observe her own). Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read, fun and funny.
Title: Shameless
Author: Tori Carrington
Genre: Erotic Romance (Extreme)
Pages: 224 (Category MMP)
This book was hot. Let's just get that out of the way.
What caught my attention with this one was the fact that it's a best friend story. And we all know how I'm a sucker for a best friend story. I'm even more of a sucker for the best friend story with a twist, and this one definitely had a twist.
Nina, Patrick and Kevin are best friends and business partners. Nina's a serial monogamist who repeatedly mistakes one-night stands for the real thing. Deciding the only way for Nina to break her destructive dating pattern is for her to experience a night of anonymous sex with a stranger, Patrick and Kevin give her a proposal she ends up not being able to refuse. Out comes the blindfold, and Nina proceeds to have the hottest sex of her life. The only problem is that she wants more. Lots more. And she has no idea which of her best friends was responsible the really hot sex.
Kevin and Patrick have both had a thing for Nina from the beginning, but whereas Patrick's feelings are more like affection tinged with attraction, Kevin's feelings are full-blown love with a really strong dose of attraction. Nina, though, has no way of knowing which one was in her bed that night. Her gut at first tells her it was Kevin, but she can't get either man to fess up. When she finds Patrick in their store (it's a combination book, bakery and music store) late one night after giving a guitar lesson, she goes downstairs wearing next to nothing (she lives in an apartment above the store), thinking maybe Patrick was the one in her room that night. When Kevin walks in and catches them having sex, and Nina sees the look on Kevin's face, she knows she's made a mistake. Patrick wasn't the one, it was Kevin. And in one moment, a friendship is completely torn apart. Patrick leaves town soon there after. Things are strained between Kevin and Nina, they're barely talking. Kevin feels betrayed. Nina feels confused and hates the fact that she hurt Kevin.
Of course, everything works out in the end, and Patrick even comes back for Nina and Kevin's wedding. But getting to that point was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. This was one of those rare books that I just could not put down and that I read in a few hours. It was so good, and I'll definitely be buying more books from Tori Carrington (including their next one, which is about one of the store's employees).
****
I still have some reviews left to do, which I'll hopefully get to over the next week. They are: Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry, What Happened in Vegas by Wendy Etherington, Tithe by Holly Black and Pleasure Exchange by Cathryn Fox.
In order from least recently read...
Title: Catch a Mate
Author: Gena Showalter
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 384 (MMP)
I love the premise of this book. The heroine, Jillian Greene, works at Catch a Mate, a company in Oklahoma City that helps people to catch their philandering significant others. Jillian caught her father in flagrante dilecto with the next door neighbor as a child, and since then hasn't trusted men. And it's no wonder, considering she's constantly acting as "bait" to catch cheating men. But then in walks Marcus Brody, a delectable piece of female bait. Ends up he's also bought the company, which Jillian had wanted to do. Sparks fly from the first time they're in the same room as each other, and things only get hotter as the story progresses.
Like I said, I loved the premise of this book. I also really enjoyed Showalter's voice. She's fun and snappy and witty, and tension between Jillian and Marcus was palpable. But...there was one thing that irked me so badly that it kept me from really, truly enjoying this book. What was that, you ask?
The way Jillian's reconciliation with her father was handled. Without spoiling too much, I thought Jillian's reconciliation and forgiveness happened way too fast. I know that she needed to forgive her father in order for her to truly feel free to be with Marcus, but it was like a split second, a small blip, really, and I don't think was treated with the gravity it should have been treated with. This is a man who broke his daughter's heart, who committed adultery and caused his daughter to have trust and emotional intimacy issues. You don't just get over those things. You don't just decide, "I need to forgive my father for cheating on my mom and leaving us all" and forgive him. It doesn't happen that easily. Especially not when you have a personality like Jillian does.
Showalter had me up until that point, but after the reconciliation scene...the rest was just really hard to enjoy and swallow. That being said, her next book (a paranormal romance) seems really interesting and I'm willing to give her another shot.
Title: Between the Sheets
Author: Robin Wells
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 400 (MMP)
Again, this is a premise I really enjoyed. Emma Wells is the most notorious woman in America, thanks to a photo taken of her leaving the mansion where the President of the U.S. had a heartache while getting it on with a prostitute. Nevermind the fact that Emma wasn't the woman with the President, and was just the housekeeper. So she's moved to her grandmother's small town in Louisiana for a fresh start. Max Duval is running for office in that same small town, and thus needs to stay as far away from scandal as possible. But he's attracted to Emma from the first time he meets her face to face. He has a hard enough time ignoring Emma, but things only get worse when their grandparents start a romance of their own.
Overall, I have to say I enjoyed this book. I laughed, which is always a good thing. And I thought Wells handled the multiple POVs well (I think there were five, maybe six, I can't remember), especially when she was in Max's grandfather's POV. See, Max's grandfather has dementia, and I thought Wells handled it very well. As someone who had a grandmother who had dementia, I've seen what it does to the mind, and I thought Wells handled the subject with grace and humor and a realistic tone that was just fantastic. And I loved Emma's grandmother--she was hilarious.
The main thing that bothered me about this book was a distinct lack of cursing, and some very purple prose. I do have to say, though, that I was shocked when Emma titty fucked Max (is there another term for that? because if there is I've never heard it). I don't think I've ever read that in a romance novel, and despite the purple prose I have to give Wells a thumbs up for doing something at least a little different.
At any rate, this was a pleasant read and I might consider buying more of Wells' books in the future.
Title: Primal Instincts
Author: Jill Monroe
Genre: Erotic Romantic Comedy (Blush)
Pages: 224 (Category MMP)
I like that Harlequin's Blaze line has started printing erotic romantic comedies, because, hey, like the "Blush" slogan says: "sex doesn't have to be serious."
The way sex was approached in this book was different, to say the least. Ava, the heroine, is an anthropologist who's written a book on sex in various cultures. Ian, the hero, is a photojournalist who's been sent to ghost write the book since Ava's writing is, well, a bit bland. So throughout the entire book, Ava and Ian are discussing (and reenacting) various practices from different cultures. Now, I have to confess, I took an anthro class as an undergrad on human sexuality, and it was by far one of the most interesting courses I took in college. So all these different stories totally captivated me.
Ava's naivete did irk me a little bit, but it was understandable considering she'd barely spent any time in America while growing up (her parents were archaeologists, so while she got lots of experience traveling the world and observing other cultures, she never really got a chance to observe her own). Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read, fun and funny.
Title: Shameless
Author: Tori Carrington
Genre: Erotic Romance (Extreme)
Pages: 224 (Category MMP)
This book was hot. Let's just get that out of the way.
What caught my attention with this one was the fact that it's a best friend story. And we all know how I'm a sucker for a best friend story. I'm even more of a sucker for the best friend story with a twist, and this one definitely had a twist.
Nina, Patrick and Kevin are best friends and business partners. Nina's a serial monogamist who repeatedly mistakes one-night stands for the real thing. Deciding the only way for Nina to break her destructive dating pattern is for her to experience a night of anonymous sex with a stranger, Patrick and Kevin give her a proposal she ends up not being able to refuse. Out comes the blindfold, and Nina proceeds to have the hottest sex of her life. The only problem is that she wants more. Lots more. And she has no idea which of her best friends was responsible the really hot sex.
Kevin and Patrick have both had a thing for Nina from the beginning, but whereas Patrick's feelings are more like affection tinged with attraction, Kevin's feelings are full-blown love with a really strong dose of attraction. Nina, though, has no way of knowing which one was in her bed that night. Her gut at first tells her it was Kevin, but she can't get either man to fess up. When she finds Patrick in their store (it's a combination book, bakery and music store) late one night after giving a guitar lesson, she goes downstairs wearing next to nothing (she lives in an apartment above the store), thinking maybe Patrick was the one in her room that night. When Kevin walks in and catches them having sex, and Nina sees the look on Kevin's face, she knows she's made a mistake. Patrick wasn't the one, it was Kevin. And in one moment, a friendship is completely torn apart. Patrick leaves town soon there after. Things are strained between Kevin and Nina, they're barely talking. Kevin feels betrayed. Nina feels confused and hates the fact that she hurt Kevin.
Of course, everything works out in the end, and Patrick even comes back for Nina and Kevin's wedding. But getting to that point was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. This was one of those rare books that I just could not put down and that I read in a few hours. It was so good, and I'll definitely be buying more books from Tori Carrington (including their next one, which is about one of the store's employees).
****
I still have some reviews left to do, which I'll hopefully get to over the next week. They are: Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry, What Happened in Vegas by Wendy Etherington, Tithe by Holly Black and Pleasure Exchange by Cathryn Fox.