Review: "Marrying the Captain" by Carla Kelly

Marrying The Captain by Carla Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


4 1/2 stars

This was only my second book by Carla Kelly, but I can already say for sure that she is one of my favorite authors now. I love her writing and the way she fills her books with accurate and realistic historic details without turning them into a textbook... Well, that's how I feel after reading only two books, but I doubt they're exceptions to the rule. :)

Marrying The Captain (Channel Fleet, #1) is the first book in the Channel Fleet trilogy. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and, unlike what I've become used to read in other Regency books, the H/h are common (but not ordinary) people: Royal Navy Captain Oliver Worthy, a simple country vicar's son who's achieved his current rank by merit, and Eleanor "Nana" Massie, a scheming lord's illegitimate daughter.

Nana's been living in Plymouth with her grandmother (from her mother's side, of course) and running the Mulberry Inn with her for the past five years, since her father tried to give her to one of his "friends" as payment for his debts. Oliver has the unfortunate luck of crossing paths with Lord Ratliffe, Nana's father and an undersecretary of Admiralty House, and is asked to spy on Nana - just to make sure she's doing fine, assures Lord Ratliffe. Oliver doesn't buy it, but fate plays its hand and he ends up staying in Mulberry Inn anyway - and as they say, the rest is history...

I loved Oliver and Nana. They were fully developed characters, admirable and flawed at the same time, and their falling in love was very poignant. At first, I was afraid Oliver's connection with Nana's father would lead to a Big Misunderstanding, but Ms. Kelly knows better than that and showed me that such plot device isn't necessary to add conflict to a story and keep it interesting. The uncertainties brought by war were enough to give my heart a little squeeze.

This was a very enjoyable read to me, slow paced at times but never boring. I never doubted Oliver and Nana's love for each other, even when they tried to fight it - for sensible reasons and not just for the sake of adding angst to the story. If I have one complaint, it's the ending: this book needed an epilogue, IMHO. Call me greedy, but I needed to see Oliver and Nana living HEA after the war was over. That's the only reason I couldn't give this book 5 stars. Hopefully, I'll get to seem them again in the next books, The Surgeon's Lady (Channel Fleet, #2) and Marrying the Royal Marine. :)



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Review: "Chasing Trouble" by Anne Stuart

Chasing Trouble by Anne Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I can always count on Anne Stuart for a good read, and I'm glad to say that this book was another winner. It was written as a clear hommage to noir movies, from the heroine Sally's fascination with Bogart, Bacall, Sam Spade and Raymond Chandler to the cynical lines uttered by the jaded hero P.I. Diamond. Gotta love that! :)

Diamond smoked too much, drank too much and lived a life-style that was as foreign as it was romantic, but he was so charming doing it that I couldn't help falling for him. Obviously, it was only a matter of time before he changed his ways due to Sally's "nagging", and it was fun to watch him trying to fight that lost battle.

Sally was kind of ditzy, prone to lying and, let's say it, acted TSTL at times, but I ended up loving her anyway. Probably because she drove Diamond nuts, making room for a lot of funny banter between them. Bottom line, Diamond and Sally's interaction was what made this story work for me.

The plot was a bit convoluted, with a few twists thrown here and there, but it was in sync with the film noir setting so I'm guessing that was planned and not a result of "bad writing". As for the ending, the final showdown with the bad guys wasn't as thrilling as I had expected it to be, but Ms. Stuart made up for it later with Diamond's delightful proposal:

"James," she said in a broken little voice. "You really do love me, don't you?"
He'd almost reached her. "I thought you'd already figured that out. Who else could make me give up cigarettes and hooch?"
"You said you wouldn't love me till 1999."
...
"I'm a quick learner. So what's it gonna be, doll? Marriage to a shamus like me, or a life full of empty pleasures? Name your poison."
"Diamond," she said happily, "I'm yours."

And so am I, honey!



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Review: "Catch Me If You Can" by Nina Bruhns

Catch Me If You Can by Nina Bruhns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was Nina Bruhns's first release and, wow, what a way to start her career! This was actually my second read by her - my first was Top-Secret Bride, which I really liked and prompted me to track her backlist - and it may be too soon to say it, but I think I've become a fan.

Katherine "Kit" Colfax is an insurance investigator whose job is on the line because her company is in the process of downsizing its personnel and only the most "lucrative" employees will be kept in the end. Kit has an almost perfect performance history when it comes to solving her cases, but she has some expensive ways of doing it and her boss is being pressured to let her go because of that. So he gives her one last case to redeem herself: either she brings down Remi Beaulieux, a jewel thief who's been giving hell to the insurance company by heisting its clients' jewels, or she's out of the job she loves by the end of the month. Kit's plan to catch Remi is simple: join a very private and friendly poker game with him in Las Vegas, lose her sapphire necklace to him in order to lure him to steal more where that came from, then — bam! — catch him in the act. Naturally, not everything goes according to her plans...

Simon "Beau" Beaulieux, who's Remi's cousin and shares a fair resemblance to him - not good enough to fool anyone who's close to them, but enough to fool passing acquaintances -, is also trying to track down his black sheep cousin in order to "persuade" him to return the family jewels - no pun intended - he's stolen from their grandmère. Beau's the Chief of Police in his hometown of Verdigris, LA, but he's also the head of the Beaulieux family and will do anything to protect his family - which, at the moment, means hiding the theft from his family and trying to get them back unnoticed. So he sets his own plan to catch Remi: set up a backroom game using his cousin's name in his usual Vegas haunt, and rattle him out of hiding. But as we all know, even the best plans go awry sometimes...

As the story opens, Kit and Beau are facing each other over the poker table - Kit mistakenly thinking that Beau is Remi - and they're down to the final bet. Short of chips, Kit ends up betting her sapphire necklace - which is okay, since that's actually part of her plan - and the expensive Karl Lagerfeld dress she's wearing - uh-oh, that's not part of the plan! Obviously, she loses and, in a scene that had me gigling, leaves the game backroom and crosses the hotel lobby wearing nothing but her high heels and her underwear. Only in Vegas! (To be fair, Beau isn't a sleazy bastard and offers to give the dress back to Kit, but she refuses. After all, a bet is a bet and she lost it.)

Immediately after leaving Beau, Kit discovers his true identity and now she's in a bind: she lost the necklace - and the dress - to the wrong man, and she needs them back in order to salvage any chance of keeping her job at the end of the month. And what's up with Beau pretending to be Remi? Is he a dirty cop in cahoots with his cousin? On his side, Beau's also intrigued by Kit: he knows she's after Remi, but he doesn't know why. Is she a con artist set on forming an alliance with his disreputable cousin?

As the story progresses, Kit follows Beau around - first to San Diego, then to his home in Verdigris -, both of them looking for Remi. Kit wants to bring Remi down, but Beau isn't sure his cousin's really guilty of all the thefts she claims he's done. Beau's pretty sure Remi's guilty of stealing their grandmère's jewels, but this is one theft no one but him is aware of and he's going to keep it this way. Things get more complicated as the attraction between Kit and Beau grows stronger and they start falling in love with each other. He soon realizes that he wants more than a temporary affair with her, but she's afraid of getting seriously involved with him due to a bad experience in her past. But how can she resist him? Well, she can't. ;)

I really loved this book. It was one of the sexiest books I've ever read, the love scenes were sigh-worthy and hot, and the sparks between Kit and Beau could put any Fourth of July fireworks to shame. Oh, and the plot was good too! I didn't know if Remi was innocent or guilty till the end. I had my hopes, but I didn't know how Ms. Bruhns would make it "right" for everyone. If Remi was innocent, Kit would have wasted time and money on a fruitless chase and would lose her job; if he was guilty, she would keep her job but Beau would never forgive her for being the one who got his cousin arrested. What a dilemma!

As for the H/h, Beau and Kit were very well-developed, and I fell instantly in love with them. Beau was charming, funny, sexy, and protective but not overbearing. He turned me into a puddle of goo several times while I was reading this book. *sighs* The scene where he bet Kit that he could kiss her without touching her... Wow, the man definitely knew his moves! Kit started out very well too, but then she went into her I'm-afraid-Beau-will-try-to-manipulate-and-hurt-me-so-I'm-going-to-stay-away-from-him mindframe and I got a little annoyed with her. I mean, he did manipulate her a bit but it was for her own protection and he would never, ever do anything to hurt her. Anyway, she did come to her senses in the end, so this minor "annoyance" wasn't enough to ruin the book for me.

Overall, this was one of the best SIM novels I've read, and I'm definitely going to keep tracking Ms. Bruhns's backlist.



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Review: "The Billionaire Next Door" by Jessica Bird

The Billionaire Next Door (The O'Banyon Brothers) by Jessica Bird

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was my first book by Jessica Bird, who is better known as J.R. Ward, the author of the bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. J.R. Ward's writing style is very characteristic and I was curious to see if her writing as Jessica Bird would be as "unique", so I decided to give this book a try.

So, what's my "verdict" after reading it? Well, there was definitely some similarities in the writing style of these "two" authors, especially when it comes to showing the hero's POV. That wasn't a bad thing, since I happen to like the way this author tells a story. And the best thing about this book when compared to the BDB books was the fact that there was no switching POV with the villains. Argh, how I hate those scenes with the BDB's lessers! Anyway, I'm getting a bit sidetracked here. Let's get back to the main program...

Sean O'Banyon is a Wall Street genius who doesn't do relationships, either with women or friends. He's barely survived an alcoholic and abusive father while growing up, and he has the emotional scars and constant nightmares to prove it. When he's informed of his father's death, he flies back to his hometown Boston to do his "duty": claim his father's body, arrange his cremation, pack his affairs, sell his old house, and forget the whole thing as quickly as possible.

Lizzie Bond was Sean's father's tennant and friend. With an absent father, a mentally challenged mother and on the verge of losing her job, her life is anything but easy. But she's one of those strong and no-nonsense heroines who never falter, and she's just what Sean needs to start overcoming his tortured past. Their relationship is a bit tentative at first, mainly due to his emotional hang-ups, but it isn't long before they realize there's more than a simple attraction between them. Unfortunately, trust isn't something that comes easily to Sean, so they have to face a major bump before they get a more than deserving HEA.

I loved this book! I don't remember the last time a "category" book got me so emotionally involved with the story and the characters. I could see Sean and Lizzie falling in love with each other, and I could feel their connection. Every time Sean had one of his nightmares, I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book and comfort him. Yeah, I'm crazy like that! *sighs*

As for the the plot, it wasn't unique but Ms. Bird has managed to craft an excellent story out of it, with a well-rounded hero (who I just wanted to hug and never let go) and a likable heroine (who sometimes seemed too good to be true but, hey, it fit the story). I wasn't even bothered with the fact that Sean only said his ILY on the epilogue, because that was just the right time to do it. He was so emotionally damaged that he really had a long way to go before he could open himself to say those three little words. And the waiting was more than worth it... :)

All in all, this was a more than satisfying read, and I'm going to try and find more of Ms. Bird's backlist.

Fun fact: Butch O'Neal, from the BDB series, was briefly mentioned in this book as being one of Sean's childhood buddies. While it was funny to see that loose connection, I couldn't help but wonder if Ms. Bird (or Ms. Ward, I don't know how to call her anymore) wasn't getting a bit too far with her "obsesssion" with the BDB.



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Review: "Glass Houses" by Anne Stuart

Glass Houses by Anne Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What can I say? This was another winner by Anne Stuart, who's quickly become my all-time favorite HQ author. Okay, I know she doesn't write for HQ anymore, but I've only discovered her recently so her "oldies" are all "newbies" to me. This was "only" my tenth book by her, and I couldn't be happier knowing there's still a lot of books to read considering how huge her backlist is.

Glass Houses is one of those stories about a couple who love to hate - or hate to love - each other. This kind of plot is fairly common in Romancelandia, but trust Ms. Stuart to deliver something that's entertaining, sometimes funny, sometimes intriguing, and always romantic.

Billionaire Michael Dubrovnik wants to buy the Glass House, an old glass building owned by Laura de Kelsey Winston, so he can tear it down and build his own Dubrovnik Plaza, a new, gigantic, modern building that will put the Trump Plaza to shame. He's already bought all the old properties surrounding the Glass House, so the only thing preventing him from starting the construction of his multi-million dollar dream building is Laura. The stubborn woman isn't willing to sell the Glass House and has refused every single buying offer he's made. Michael hasn't become a billionaire by taking no for an answer, so when his lawyer tells him his latest and more than generous offer was rebuffed - again! -, he knows it's time he changed tactics. If the woman wants war, he's more than happy to oblige.

Laura loves her Glass House, which was built by her grandfather, and the last thing she wants is to see it on the ground. She knows the old building needs some heavy maintenance and she doesn't have the money to do all of it, but she's not about to sell it to Michael and let him destroy her grandfather's work. The ruthless man needs to know that he can't always have everything he wants, and she's just the woman to enlighten him. And so it begins, the battle between Michael and Laura that ends up shaking more than the Glass House building foundation. ;)

I really loved Michael and Laura's interactions. They were both stubborn but smart, and it was funny to try and guess what they were willing to do to win their private "war". I thought he went a little too far near the end and I was afraid she wouldn't be able to forgive him, but he made up for it in a very big and sweet way.

There was a secondary love story involving Laura's assistant and one of her clients but, quite frankly, I didn't care much for it. It was nice, but I wanted to read more about Michael and Laura, their witty banter, smoldering kisses and scorching love scenes.

There was also a somewhat weak mystery involving blackmail attempts against almost all the characters in the story. Again, I didn't think it added much to the story because it was pretty obvious who the blackmailer was. The only good thing that came out of this blackmailing business was a very hot scene between Michael and Laura while they were waiting to catch the blackmailer "with his/her hands in the cookie jar", so to speak. ;)

All things considered, this was a very entertaining and worth-reading book by Ms. Stuart.



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Review: "Winter Edge" by Anne Stuart

Winter's Edge by Anne Stuart

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I've read - and loved - several books by Anne Stuart lately, so I was more than excited to read this one even though amnesia stories aren't that attractive to me. But, hey, Lisa Kleypas made it work in Someone to Watch Over Me so I trusted Ms. Stuart to pull it off too.

Oh boy, I'm afraid to say she didn't - not for me, anyway.

Ms. Stuart can write, there's no question about it, and that's what kept me turning the pages, but there were too many holes in the plot to prevent me from fully enjoying this book.

First off, the amnesia plot device itself... I could have bought it without much of a problem, but the complete change that it brought on Molly's behavior was unbelievable! At one point, Patrick himself said, "amnesia is only supposed to cause memory loss, not total personality change." One could argue that Molly had been acting out of character during the ten months before her accident but, really, a ten-month temper tantrum doesn't qualify as an out-of-character behavior. If you could keep this trait that long, it wasn't acting, it was who you were. And that shouldn't have changed only because you lost your memory, IMHO.

Then, the hero and the heroine... I just didn't get either Molly or Patrick. Both of them were imature and I couldn't believe how they failed to communicate with each other - during ten whole months, no less! And, sin of all sins, it all started with a lie told by his jealous lover. Young, naive and gullible Molly bought it all and, from that moment on, a Big Misunderstanding was established and all lines of communication between Patrick and her were severed. Why they stayed married for so long when they couldn't even stand to stay in the same room, I'll never understand. I truly believed they hated each other and, quite frankly, I couldn't buy their HEA because they didn't spend enough time together patching things up after her accident.

As it was, Patrick turned out to be one of my least favorite heroes ever. He was cruel, cold, distant, refused to listen to Molly and never did anything to help her. Okay, she'd hurt him badly before the accident, but he was no innocent either. He cheated on her and had no qualms parading around the house with his lover by his side! He might have thought he was just getting even with Molly, for he believed she was cheating on him too, but that doesn't fly with me. My heroes don't do that! And what about when he finally realized Molly had lied about all the lovers? Why didn't he try to find out why? Since it all started on their wedding day, why didn't he try to find out what happened that day that made her act like that? I could only guess he didn't love her enough to care.

As for the mystery, I guessed from the beginning who the master villain was and couldn't understand why Molly didn't see it. He was so stereotypical and obvious that Ms. Stuart would have had to pull a hat trick if she decided to convince me it was someone else. The other "villains" came as a surprise but, at that point, I really didn't care anymore. I just wanted the story to end.

I was very disappointed with this book, but I still hold Ms. Stuart as one of my favorite authors. With a backlist as huge as hers, it was a given I wouldn't end up loving all her books, so I'm not concerned. I know there's still a lot of goodies in store. :)



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Review: "The Bride's Baby" by Liz Fielding

The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The book blurb made me think this was a Secret Baby story... Well, it was but, at the same time, it really wasn't considering the fact that the baby wasn't a secret. Confusing? Yes, that's the feeling I had throughout most of the book.

Tom and Sylvie had a brief meeting when she was introduced as the wedding planner for his upcoming nuptials to her friend Candy. An unexpected attraction sparked on both sides, but considering that he was about to get married, Tom and Sylvie shoved that feeling aside and never let anyone - including themselves - realize it. But after six months of heavy planning and preparation, Candy ditched everything to elope with one of Sylvie's employees three days before the wedding. Naturally, Tom felt it was his due to unload all his "annoyance" on Sylvie - after all, she had plagued his dreams since he had met her - and, before they knew it, their mutual suppressed attraction took over and they were having unprotected sex on his bed...

Since this is Romancelandia, the "worst" thing you can get from unprotected sex is a pregnancy, so that's what Sylvie got. Unfortunately, Tom was no longer in the picture when Sylvie found herself pregnant, since he had left the country the day after their one-night stand. Unable to reach him by telephone, she had no choice but to deliver him the news by letter. Obviously, he never got to receive that letter and so this Failure to Communicate story took off.

This was one of those stories that wouldn't make past the first chapters if the hero and the heroine sat together and spoke clearly with each other. Regardless, Tom and Sylvie were likable characters, and that kind of "saved" the book for me and prevented me from throwing it against the wall - figuratively speaking, since this was an e-book. I rooted for their HEA and was glad when the darn Big Misunderstanding was finally resolved.

As for the writing, Ms. Fielding had the distracting habit of inserting the word "then" between the lines of the characters' speech. For example:

"Is that a fact?" Then, "So? Where are they?"

"I'd come and give you a hand but I have to take delivery of a cake." Then, "Do you need a hand up?"

I have to ask, what was the purpose of the word "then" in there? To gave us pause? To help her reach the necessary word count to meet the publisher's requirements? I know I'm nitpicking but that word was used over and over again in the story, and it was annoying.

All in all, I'm glad this was a freebie because I would have been mad if I had paid anything for this book.



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Review: "Stranded with a Spy" by Merline Lovelace

Stranded With A Spy by Merline Lovelace

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Finally! A Harlequin freebie I really enjoyed!

Tired of being stalked by the media after her sexual harassment lawsuit against her former employer has been dismissed for lack of evidence, Mallory decides a vacation in France is just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, unbeknown to her, someone puts a CD with highly classified information in her suitcase in an attempt to smuggle it outside the U.S. Airport security goes ballistic when they find the CD and OMEGA, a top secret government intelligence agency, and Cutter, one of its operatives, are called to the picture. Cutter's mission is to follow Mallory and catch her in the act of delivering the CD to the Russian criminal OMEGA believes she's working with, but he soon starts to question if she's as guilty as he thinks. And when his interest in her turns more than personal, things get complicated...

Cutter and Mallory were very likeable characters, and I had no problem believing how quickly they fell in love with each other. She was a bit too trusting at first, but I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same if I was in her shoes. As this book is part of a series, other OMEGA operatives made appearances in the story and, while they were interesting, I thought some of their scenes were unnecessary - particularly the ones featuring secondary characters Mike and Gillian, who are the H/h in Undercover Wife, BTW.

As for the plot, it was well done. The pace was a bit slow in the beginning - as much as I loved revisiting Mont St. Michel, I could have done without the detailed description provided by Ms. Lovelace - but it got better once Cutter and Mallory got together. The ending was a bit anticlimatic and, funny enough, even Mallory thought that, LOL. Anyway, I didn't need to see bullets flying and blood splattered all over the place. All in all, I was pretty much happy with the way things were.



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Review: "Partners in Crime" by Anne Stuart

Partners In Crime by Anne Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


From the book blurb:

Sandy was up to no good.

As Jane Dexter scrambled to keep a secret formula from falling into the wrong hands, her hired accomplice proved useless as a jack-of-all-illegal-trades. Convinced that a gloriously sensual woman lurked beneath Jane's ho-hum outfits and non-nonsense manner, Sandy Caldicott lost all interest in illegal activities as he singlemindedly campaigned to reform Jane.

While Jane was breaking and entering with Sandy in Princeton, New Jersey, the awful truth penetrated her muddled brain. The way things were going, she was bound to end up in the arms of the law - or in the arms of a lawless, dashing, dangerously deluded criminal.

**********

Alexander "Sandy" Caldicott was a rich and successful lawyer who was feeling a bit bored with his current life. Not even the prospect of a nice vacation in the tropics was exciting him. When mousy and plain Jane Dexter approached him with her "unusual" proposal, it was like a godsend gift. Goodbye, boredom! The thing is, due to a misprint by the newspaper, Jane believed he was Jimmy the Stoolie, an arsonist Sandy had just gotten acquitted of more-than-deserved charges. You see, she was in dire need of an arsonist because she wanted him to help her commit arson! The right thing for Sandy to do was set her straight and advise her against her criminal plan, but it had been a long time since he had so much fun so he kept the charade going. Before he knew it, he was falling in love with Jane and couldn't not help her.

I really liked Sandy and Jane. They were smart, entertaining and had great lines. He kept the deception about his true identify a little longer than I liked, but it was funny to see him try and cover his slips of the tongue - after all, he wasn't an accomplished liar... Oh wait, he was a lawyer! (LOL)

The plot twist at the end came as no surprise to me, and I still don't understand how Jane didn't see it coming. Maybe I've read too many books and I'm jaded. The villain's final act was also a bit of a disappointment. After everything that he'd done, I was braced for a big showdown, but all I got was a dull resolution.

All things considered, this was a very fun and enjoyable read marred by a somewhat unsatisfying ending.



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Review: "Blue Sage" by Anne Stuart

Blue Sage by Anne Stuart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book has an interesting and unique premise. Charles Tanner, Sr. was a war veteran who, suffering from PTSD, went ballistic one day, killed sixteen innocent people and badly wounded a young girl, and then killed himself. Fifteen years later, his son Charles Tanner, Jr. comes back to Morey's Fall, the small town his father almost destroyed. He and his mother had been long gone when his father went nuts but, bearing the same name as his father, Tanner had to live with the burden of his father's doings all his life and it's high time he tried to understand the reasons behind his father's killing spree and, maybe, get some sense in his own life. Naturally, the 1st person Tanner meets when he reaches Morey's Fall is Ellie Lundquist, who happens to be the young girl who survived his father's massacre. And from this moment on, there's no turning back for either of them...

What can I say about this book? I loved it! It wasn't a "nice and cozy" read - not that I expected it to be, with a premise like that - but it grabbed me from the start and I found myself rooting for Tanner and Ellie. They were both wounded, in different ways, by what had happened fifteen years in the past, and it was only fitting they would help each other heal and move on. Granted, Tanner was downright cruel to Ellie a couple of times and I even flinched at his harsh words, but I understood why he did it and, in the end, it was for her own good. Simply put, he wasn't going to let her keep her martyr/victim act any longer. Enough was enough, and she needed to snap out of it! And so she did. :)

The mystery/suspense part of the story kept me guessing till the end. I wasn't surprised by the villain's identity, but I admit it wasn't who I was betting on. I never think it's the most obvious choice but, in this case, it was. I have nothing to complain, though. As usual, Mrs. Stuart's writing was compelling enough to keep me glued to the pages.

This was "only" my seventh book by Mrs. Stuart, and I'm happy to say it's another winner. A must-read, IMHO.



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Review: "Catspaw II" by Anne Stuart

Catspaw II (Harlequin Intrigue, No 103) by Anne Stuart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blackheart and Ferris are back with a vengeance in this sequel to Catspaw, which I loved. Obviously!

It was wonderful to see them again, trying to overcome their feelings of mutual distrust: on one hand, she was afraid he was back to his thieving past; on the other hand, he chose to keep his whereabouts from her, thus furthering her doubts. No wonder their engagement took a serious hit. However, amidst it all, there was never any question about their loving each other. They were just too proud to be the first to cave, and it was fun to see them banter while working things out.

There was a secondary love story, involving Blackheart's sister and the cop set on getting him. It was nice, but it didn't hold my attention and it's my only "complaint" about this book.

The plot was full of action, with not only one but two mysteries to be solved. Blackheart was in serious trouble, poised to be framed for two thefts (a Van Gogh painting and some Fabergé eggs), getting reacquainted with his long-lost sister and trying to make amends with Ferris - all that at the same time! Yup, not a dull moment in sight.

As it happened in the first book of this "series" (are two books enough to make a series?), Blackheart and Ferris were the stuff that made the story work. Too bad Ms. Stuart didn't write more books with this couple. I would gladly follow their future adventures as a married couple, as I'm sure the words "sedate" and "boring" are not to be found in their dictionary. :)



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Review: "Catspaw" by Anne Stuart

Catspaw by Anne Stuart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the book blurb:

It was like a scene from an old romantic movie...

Ferris Byrd didn't know what to expect when she first met Patrick Blackheart. Aside from reading that he was one of San Francisco's most eligible bachelors, she really didn't know too much about his background. While he ran a respectable security business, there were all those nasty rumors about his past life on the other side of the law...

But the Von Emmerling emeralds were Ferris's responsibility and needed protection during the Puffin Ball. She had to choose a security agency that would be reliable, and Patrick Blackheart had a certain irresistible charm...

**********

Like the book blurb says, Catspaw has that "old romantic movie" feel and I happen to love that, so it's no wonder I ended up loving this book.

Blackheart and Ferris were wonderful characters, sparks flew the moment they met and the chemistry between them jumped off the pages. There was some mystery surrounding the identity of the third bad guy in cahoots with the villain couple, who were unveiled to the reader rather early in the book, to steal the famous Von Emmerling emeralds, but it didn't take the attention away from the central focus of the story - and that was Blackheart and Ferris. Have I mentioned before how wonderful they were? ;)

Note: This book has a follow-up, Catspaw II (Harlequin Intrigue, No 103), with the same H/h. I can't wait to read it!



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Review: "Cinderman" by Anne Stuart

Cinderman by Anne Stuart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the book blurb:

HE'D BEEN SO ELUSIVE

Suzanna Molloy was trailing top-secret Dr. Daniel Crompton-a man reputed to be as hot as his experiments with chemical fusion. But even Suzanna didn't expect their meeting to be so explosive!

HE WAS SO DANGEROUS

A suspect lab accident gave Daniel fantastical powers-and threw Suzanna right into his arms. Now she was on the run with a man whose fiery gaze could reduce objects--and her resistance--to cinders.

HE'D BECOME MORE THAN A MAN...

With his newfound power of invisibility, Daniel kept catching--and kissing--Suzanna unawares. She'd found her fantasy man, but the only way to keep him was to keep him alive!

**********

Nice characters, great story with the right touch of scientific stuff to satisfy the geek in me, and there you have it: another winner by Ms. Stuart! I really like her oldies and I'm more than happy to having found this one.



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Review: "Georgia Meets Her Groom" by Elizabeth Bevarly

Georgia Meets Her Groom (The Family Mccormick, #3) by Elizabeth Bevarly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a very nice and feel-good read, with a couple of mature H/h - he was 40 and she was 37 - who actually talked to each other... Well, most of the time... Jack didn't tell Georgia the real reason behind his return and we all know what happens when the hero hides something from the heroine, right? Thankfully, that "misunderstanding" was not dragged on and on because, as I mentioned before, Jack and Georgia were mature adults who talked to each other, instead of pouting and stomping their feet when things got complicated.

The ending could have been a bit less "happy" - it would have been more realistic - but I'm not one to complain about a HEA tied with a pink bow. :)



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Review: "Going... Going... Wed!" by Amy J. Fetzer

Going ... Going ... Wed! (The Bridal Bid / Wife, Inc.) by Amy J. Fetzer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


From the book blurb:

THE MILLIONAIRE'S MARRIAGE BID...

When Alex Donahue won Madison Holt's domestic services at a charity auction, he didn't know he'd need her help to secure the deal of his lifetime. Madison had no illusions about their pretend marriage, but her innocent kisses had this marriage-shy millionaire dreaming about a very different merger...

Alex had never known a female who seemed to care more for who and not what he was. And while his instincts warned him away from a woman meant for marrying, he was drawn to his virginal bride like a moth to flame. Could he convince his wife-for-hire to take on the role for a lifetime?

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This was another sweet and lovely book by Amy Fetzer. I like the way she shows how her heroes and heroines fall in love with each other - not only in this book, but in all the other books by her that I've read so far. There's always the required initial sexual attraction between them, of course, but they actually talk and get to know each other before jumping into bed. How "refreshing" is that? :)

I adored Alex, but Madison was a little too good to be true. And why did she have to get pregnant? Okay, it was very close to the end of the book, but I really don't see the need for it and the fact that she didn't intend to tell Alex about it bothered me. Anyway, aside from that minor "complaint", I had a very good time reading this book and I'm still a fan of Ms. Fetzer's writing style.



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Review: "Awakening Beauty" by Amy J. Fetzer

Awakening Beauty by Amy J. Fetzer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the book blurb:

MONEY CAN´T BUY EVERYTHING...

It certainly couldn't buy Lane Douglas a way out of the scandalous rumors that followed her everywhere, leaving her no choice but to take on a new identity in a new town. But she never imagined this endeavor to disguise her heiress status would awaken her dormant desire.

Suddenly she was embroiled in a wild tango of temperaments with high-powered playboy Tyler McKay, who was determined to have her in his bed. Lane was tempted beyond reason to take Tyler up on his offer and share the sheets in a blazing affair with this man who aroused her passion like no other. But would succumbing to Tyler's seduction bare their relationship to the tabloids and reveal her most closely guarded secret — or bring her everlasting pleasure?

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This was my 3rd book by Amy Fetzer and, by now, I think it´s safe to say that she´s become one of my favorite Harlequin/Silhouette authors. I don´t know why I kept her books on my TBR for so long...

The book blurb was a little misleading - surprise, surprise! ;) - because Tyler was not a playboy and was interested in more than some "action in the sac" with Lane. Okay, he was marriage-shy due to a bad experience in the past but, after meeting and getting to know her, he wanted more than a "blazing affair" with her.

I loved Tyler, Lane and their continuing witty banter. Apart from a "sad" moment near the end of the book - you´ve got to have that "climatic" moment where the hero and the heroine have an argument before realizing they belong together, right? :) -, I think I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading the book.



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Review: "Speed Dating" by Nancy Warren

Speed Dating by Nancy Warren

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I only finished this book because I'm stubborn and kept hoping things would get better. Unfortunately, they never did and I just lost two hours of my life.

Dylan and Kendall were annoyingly stupid and had zero chemistry together. He spent the whole book as a pawn to his ex-wife's demands, to the point that he just let her sit on his lap and kiss him passionately, all the while finding nothing wrong with it - and that happened very close to the end of the book, not at the beginning or even at the middle of it! Kendall wasn't exactly a doormat but she was just too passive and forgiving. At one point, I really thought she should dump Dylan and hook up with his ex-wife's new husband because they would make a better match. If I cared, I'd still be wondering how I was supposed to believe Dylan and Kendall's HEA; as I don't, I'll just wish them luck and forget I've ever met them.

The only saving grace here was the fact that I didn't pay a cent for this book, since this was one of the freebies that Harlequin gave away in celebration of its 60th Anniversary. Other than that, this was a complete waste of my time.



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Review: "Desert Warrior" by Nalini Singh

Desert Warrior by Nalini Singh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm not a big fan of Sheikh books but I'm a huge fan of Nalini Singh, so I had to read this book. I don't regret reading it - it was a good, average book - but it's a blessing to know that NS's writing has vastly improved since this first release.



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Review: "Taming the Beast" by Amy J. Fetzer

Taming The Beast by Amy J. Fetzer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the book blurb:

Summoned like a serving girl to the king, Laura Cambridge was hired as nanny to Richard Blackthrone's secret child. Rumors about this hulking recluse didn't daunt Laura - he beauty-queen past had taught her the inner person didn't always match the facade. But Richard's heart was as painfully scarred as his chiseled features...

To Richard, lovely Laura was like candy dangled in front of a baby - he was offered the sweet, but denied the taste. Yet sometimes grizzly bears enjoyed a taste of honey... and the love of Jane Eyre. So Richard dared to woo his green-eyed goddess, gambing that - like Jane - Laura would one day declare, "Reader, I married him."

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This is one of the best Beauty and the Beast stories I've ever read. Considering how short the book is, I was happily surprised to see the depth of emotions Amy Fetzer had managed to pack in it.

Richard was a very angsty hero, physically and emotionally scarred, and Laura and his daughter Kelly were perfect in helping him realize he should stop hiding from the world and start living again.

If there's one thing I'd "complain", it would be Laura's behavior near the end of the book. It sounded a little off and I didn't understand how she came to the conclusion that Richard didn't love her. Anyway, it was just a silly moment on her part and, all things considered, it didn't bother me that much because I was already in love with the book. :)

This is definitely a MUST READ to everyone who loves an emotional and enchanting love story!



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Review: "Last Virgin in California" by Maureen Child

Last Virgin In California (Bachelor Battalion) by Maureen Child

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a quick and funny read. Kevin and Lilah were likeable enough (but a bit stereotypical) and the storyline was enjoyable (but nothing new). What I found "different" was, he couldn't tell she was a virgin when they made love for the first time and she was kind of "disappointed" by that, because all the heros in the romance books she'd read had known the heroine had been a virgin, LOL.

You could say this book is your typical Harlequin/Silhouette novel: nice but not unforgettable.



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