Review: River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz

River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Putnam in January 2014

It’s been thirteen years since Lucy Sheridan was in Summer River. The last time she visited her aunt Sara there, as a teenager, she’d been sent home suddenly after being dragged out of a wild party—by the guy she had a crush on, just to make it more embarrassing. Obviously Mason Fletcher—only a few years older but somehow a lot more of a grown-up—was the overprotective type who thought he had to come to her rescue.

Now, returning after her aunt’s fatal car accident, Lucy is learning there was more to the story than she realized at the time. Mason had saved her from a very nasty crime that night—and soon afterward, Tristan, the cold-blooded rich kid who’d targeted her, disappeared mysteriously, his body never found.

A lot has changed in thirteen years. Lucy now works for a private investigation firm as a forensic genealogist, while Mason has quit the police force to run a successful security firm with his brother—though he still knows his way around a wrench when he fills in at his uncle’s local hardware store. Even Summer River has changed, from a sleepy farm town into a trendy upscale spot in California’s wine country. But Mason is still a protector at heart, a serious (and seriously attractive) man. And when he and Lucy make a shocking discovery inside Sara’s house, and some of Tristan’s old friends start acting suspicious, Mason’s quietly fierce instincts kick into gear. He saved Lucy once, and he’ll save her again. But this time, she insists on playing a role in her own rescue . . .

Genre: Contemporary romance, Romantic suspense
Series: N/A

The Story: The blurb for River Road is pretty accurate, so I'm just going  to add a few details. Lucy Sheridan was 16 years old the last time she visited her aunt, Sarah, and was bailed out by then 19 years old Mason Fletcher. It seems the golden boy, Tristan Brinker, was into drugging and raping young girls and Lucy was his intended next victim. However, a week after the party, Tristan mysteriously disappeared.

Now, Lucy is back in Summer River to clean and ready her aunt's house before putting it on the market... but in truth, she's suspicious about the car accident, because Sarah knew River Road very well and was not the only one to die. Mary Colfax, Sarah's business partner and probably more, also died in that accident and Lucy is suspicious because of the timing. Mary detained a controlling block of shares in Colfax Inc. Colfax Inc. is a hedge fund business that was started by Mary's brother, Warner Colfax, and Tristan Brinker's father. After Tristan's disappearance, Warner bought out Brinker's father and Colfax Inc. is now solely owned by family... A family divided into two camps because of the possibility of a major merger/acquisition that would bring in millions to its shareholders: Warner who wants to keep a legacy even though he's more interested in his new wine business and all the rest of the Colfax family. Mary would have had the deciding vote due to her shares... and now Lucy is as she's inherited them through Sarah. As soon as she arrives to Summer River, Lucy starts being courted by all sides, but she won't do anything before she finds out the truth... Especially since her suspicions are only reinforced with the gruesome discovery in Sarah's house .

My Opinion: A few years ago, I posted an inquiry about a romance novel I read as a teen and wished to re-read, but for which I couldn't remember the author or the title ^_^; Thanks to blogland, the online book community and Kris, I was able to identify the book as Deep Waters by Ms Krentz... and its re-read spurred me on a Jayne Ann Krentz' binge :) Anyway, all this to say that I'm a pretty big fan of what I term as Ms Krentz' "classic/old school books", i.e. the contemporary romance stand-alones she used to write before she started taking a paranormal turn and linked her contemporary books with the other ones she wrote under her other pseudonyms into a really big series. That's why River Road caught my attention, because its blurb was reminiscent of old school JAK... and that's pretty much what I got :)

While I was looking forward to River Road because of the old school JAK factor, I was also a bit wary, afraid that the story would be too predictable. Every author has a writing/story pattern and Ms Krentz is no exception. However, I was pleasantly surprised by some interesting twists in the story. These twists weren't major, but they were enough to mix things up and change the direction of the plot. Reading the prologue, I really thought River Road would be about Tristan's murder and Mason, the main suspect, but it wasn't. That was nice and somewhat refreshing :) The rest of the suspense was quite good. A bit familiar if you have read The Golden Chance, because it does revolve around the Colfax controlling share; however, Ms Krentz added a lot of other elements to it and she was able to tie it all up together.

In my opinion, the romance wasn't as good as the suspense. Oh, it works because you can feel that Lucy and Mason do share a bond. It's simply that the romance wasn't, well, romantic ^_^; I don't know the extent of Lucy and Mason's acquaintance when they were younger, but it seemed they knew each other well enough. Their attraction never went beyond an unspoken crush, but even then, they were aware of each other. Thirteen years later, their relationship just picks up from where it left off. They are still aware of each other, but this time around, they have to deal with some subtle sexual tension. They haven't seen each other ever since that night Mason bailed Lucy out of the party, but they've had updates of each other through their aunt and uncle. For me, the romance between Lucy and Mason was believable, especially since both expressed their feelings quite well. However, their romance was pretty factual and a bit dry ^_^; Unfortunate because I actually liked Mason and Lucy's characters. I liked that they had reached a time in their life when they were content and were competent. They were two mature characters, even with their baggage... Then again, now that I think about it, perhaps their romance was a reflection of themselves LOL. They took the mature and logical way dealing with it.

As usual, I did have some quibbles with the book. There were some details that I feel Ms Krentz didn't expand enough. I guess it's the way the story was written, there were things she didn't have to explain... but it would have been nice if she did, instead of having the readers take it at face value. For example, it was mentioned a couple of times that Tristan seemed to fear or be threatened by Lucy's aunt, Sarah. It would have been nice to have a concrete example. It also wouldn't have hurt if Ms Krentz had expanded on Mason and Lucy's bond. It went quite deep if at 19 years old, Mason was ready to kill Brinker to protect Lucy. What kind of feelings, relationship could spur such dedication?


My Grade: B. Overall, I quite enjoyed River Road for what it was, a straight contemporary romance book with a healthy dose of suspense. The fact that it felt like a classic JAK book was a bonus :) I do wonder if Ms Krentz plans to write about Lucy's two best friends and perhaps Mason's brother... Having the books connected without it being a series, series - I would like that :)

Monthly Reads: January 2012

LOL, it seems to me I'll never be getting these posts "on time" anymore. So to remedy that problem? Easy, change the date! Instead of the first of the next month, you can expect my Monthly Reads posts from now on to go up during the third week of the month :) That way, it gives me time to focus on reviews of books I've just read instead of juggling both months together :)

This month, I'm really happy at the number of reviews I've written :) Plus, even though there's only been two editions, the Week-End's Minis feature is working! I got some nice mini-reviews out of it and this means I'll have less to review in this post :) I also think that instead of writing mini-reviews in this post, I'll just stick to my thoughts of the books? I'll just go with the flow and see :)

So let's take a look at what I read in January :)

1) The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander: C-

I've been wanting to read Paradise by Ms Alexander for a long time because Ames really enjoyed that book. However, I haven't had the opportunity to, but stumbled across The Sweetheart of Prosper County and decided to give it a go after reading Alex's review. I really hope that Paradise is better ^_^; The story of The Sweetheart of Prosper County goes along the lines of: every year, Prosper County has a parade and Austin Gray thinks that if she can be the parade's sweetheart, the bane of her existence will stop harassing her and making jokes. So for Christmas, she asks for a rooster and intends to enter it at the fair contest.

Basically, I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the writing, the style and how time went by flawlessly. I liked how Austin got a rooster LOL. So unusual. Unfortunately, I wish there had been more development... for just about everything ^_^; I didn't really care for Austin very much. I thought she was immature and cared too much about what other people said, especially Dean - the bully. I also think that given how small the community is, some parents should have stepped up and deal with Dean's behavior. It is pretty classic of today's society, letting your kid do anything they want without real consequences and to have the parents buy their way out. There was potential in the relationships, Austin making new friends and her crush, but there just wasn't enough of it. It wasn't developed enough for me to really care :(


2) My One and Only by Kristan Higgins: C+


3) Twice Fallen by Emma Wildes: B
Upcoming Buddy Review.


4) Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie: B+


5) It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake: B


6) Hidden by Kelley Armstrong: A-


7) Whispers in the Dark by Maya Banks: E


8) Island Heat by Sarah Mayberry: C


9) No One Left to Tell by Karen Rose: A


10) Destiny by Carly Phillips: C

11) The Shy Duchess by Amanda McCabe: C-

Did you see the cover? I simply fell in love with it and after checking out the blurb, decided to give The Shy Duchess a go :) The story is about Lady Emily Carroll, the daughter of a viscount or an earl who desperately wishes for his daughter to make a good match. Lady Emily Carroll could be the belle of the ton, if only she wasn't so shy. In addition, her shyness is also mistaken for haughtiness, earning her the nickname of "Ice Princess." Nicholas, the Duke of Manning, knows his duty is to marry and have heirs and is therefore looking for a wife. While Lady Emily is beautiful, she is not the one, as she wouldn't fit in his boisterous and scandal-ridden family. However, circumstances throw them together and when they are caught in a compromising situation, both Nicholas and Emily have no choice. Especially since scandal is the last thing Nicholas wants... but sometimes, scandal is inevitable.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I really liked the characters and the romance. Emily and Nicholas were both likable characters that you could cheer for :) The romance was sweet and I liked how it progressed, the fact that they spent time together, got to know each other and fell in love. It was a very natural process. Even though Emily was not Nicholas' choice of bride, he went into the marriage open-minded and gave Emily and their marriage a chance. He found out that Emily was a lovely woman on the shy side who was very eager to please and make him happy, that she wasn't at all haughty or snobbish. As for Emily, she found out that Nicholas was a good man who took his responsibilities seriously and loved his family.

What didn't work for me was the direction the book took. From the blurb, I expected the author to focus on Emily's shyness and the ways she would overcome it. I thought Nicholas would draw her out. Instead, once Emily and Nicholas were married, her shyness was barely mentioned and instead, the focus shifted to some external conflicts that appeared a bit out of nowhere and which I thought were superfluous and a little far-fetched :( In addition, when it came time for me to write this post, I could barely remember what were those conflicts about ^_^; In the end, I really liked Nicholas and Emily... Unfortunately, they weren't enough to keep me totally engaged and in the end, The Shy Duchess turned out to not be a memorable read :(


12) Mad about the Earl by Christina Brooke: B-
Upcoming Review.

13) Midnight Caller by Leslie Tenter: C-

After reading No One Left to Tell, I was really in the mood for romantic suspense and therefore picked up Midnight Caller. The main appeal, aside from being RS, was that the hero was from the FBI and I was hoping for a story focused on the investigation.

FBI Special Agent Trevor Rivette of the Violent Crimes Unit has been pursuing a serial killer, who's been exsanguinating his victims, for over a year when he ends up in New Orleans. Trevor can't help but wonder if the end game taking place in New Orleans is a coincidence or a taunt from the killer given Trevor's past. By pure luck, Trevor figures out that Dr. Rain Sommers - psychologist, host of a late-night radio show and daughter of a deceased emerging rock star - might be a target... Or at least, the caller named Dante is a person of interest. In order to catch this killer, Trevor intends to ask for Rain's help to introduce him into the gothic circles... and potentially act as bait.

I thought Midnight Caller started out really well and was quite intriguing. Also, the storyline had some nice twists and surprises :) I also really liked Trevor's character and his background story. His reluctance to come back to New Orleans was totally understandable and I was glad to see him reconnect with his family and that the three siblings are moving forward. However, I didn't like the direction in which the storyline veered. The whole goth scene and vampiric feel of the case just didn't appeal to me. If anything, it turned me off ^_^; The romance also didn't work for me because of the lack of chemistry between the H/H, the fact that I didn't connect with Rain and therefore didn't care for her character and also, the timing and pacing of the romance. Finally, I was quite disappointed with the investigation aspect of Midnight Caller. There was just too much going on and therefore, we didn't have much of a feel of the investigation going on. And while I do believe in gut instinct, the way Trevor figured out that Dante was a person of interest in this case, by just happening to be listening to Rain's radio show? It just seemed a bit too coincidental and far-fetched to me.

That being said, Ms Tentler showed me enough potential in her debut novel that I will most probably give her another try :)

14) Joy by Jayne Ann Krentz: D

A couple of years back, I went on a Jayne Ann Krentz' binge and ever since, I've been collecting her backlist. Joy seemed like one I would enjoy based on the storyline. A.C. Reyson is celebrating his break-up with Daisy Middlebrook as he realized they didn't suit each other and both escaped from the marriage her parents were hoping for. Then Reyson meets Daisy's older sister, Virginia, and sparks fly. However, both have had bad marriages previously and have decided to take things slowly. Then, Reyson decides to take their relationship to the next level and whisk Virginia away on a Caribbean trip.  During this trip, Reyson wins an emerald bracelet during a high stake poker game. He never expected this bracelet to put them in danger...

As you can see by the grade, I didn't enjoy Joy as much as I hoped :( It's unfortunate, because Joy had all the signs of a classic JAK, but it simply didn't deliver. Once again, I thought the beginning of this book was very promising. I liked how Virginia and Reyson were taking things slow, getting to know each other. However, once they went on the trip, the book went downhill. My main issue with Joy was with Reyson. At first, I thought he was very considerate taking things slow... the problem is that it didn't last. He started pressuring Viginia - to have sex, to move in together, etc. It wasn't done meanly or abusively, but I didn't like it nonetheless. He was short-tempered when he didn't get his way and he didn't seem to hear what Virginia was telling him... and that pretty much ruined the book for me. The other thing that didn't work for me was the suspense. I thought it was pretty obvious, not well integrated into the romance and the pacing was bad.

One thing I found interesting though is that Joy was first published in 1988. In the novel, the heroine had a really bad first marriage. Basically, her husband belittled her, made her lose all her confidence, even made her believe she was frigid and everything was her fault, etc. I found it interesting that even 20 years later, we still have heroines like Virginia in our contemporary romances. With all the advancements in technology we've made in 20 years, it seems that women/men relationships have not changed all that much...

If you're a fan of JAK and have not yet read Joy, my advice is just skip it ^_^;


15) A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries: C+
Upcoming Review.


16) She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath: B+


17) My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander: B+
Upcoming Buddy Review.


Books bought: + 6
Books read: -17
TBR pile: -11

Woohooo! Double digits negative number in the TBR pile! This was definitively a great start to the year 2012!   Obviously, there were some duds, but it was nicely balanced by some great reads :) Overall I'm really happy with how much I've read, how much I bought - although truth be told, I wished this number would be higher... Withdrawal people! LOL - and I'm happy to have gotten back in a good reviewing rhythm. Hopefully, February will be as good :)

P.S. - Last day to vote for this week's WEM! Check out the poll on the sidebar to see what are the choices :)

Monthly Reads: December 2010

Okay, where did my week go?!? I didn't mean to neglect my blog this week; only it's been real busy and hectic. I haven't had much time to sit and type and so have been pushing back this post a day and another... and before I know it, it's already Friday!! Sigh. Ah well, it's life LOL. But the spirit is definitely here :)

Now, let's try to get my December reads list over with :P December was kind of a rough month for me. It started off really well and then, it just lost momentum. Part of it was the holidays and therefore, work parties and general busy-ness associated to it... but another reason was simply that I needed a vacation. As a result, I kind of fell from my bandwagon and didn't log in my reads and books bought ^_^; So this might be an incomplete list, as my memory lately is quite faulty. In any case, I'm going to try to keep it short LOL. However, you know me...

1) The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron: C

This new fantasy series features Eli Monpress as the main character, a charming, wizard-y thief. Eli's purpose in life is to make a name for himself and that means getting a bounty of 1,000,000 gold standards. In order to reach this goal, he and his gang - a talented swordsman and a demonseed - are wrecking havoc wherever they go. Eli's latest scheme is the kidnapping of the King of Mellinor. Everything just gets more exciting when Miranda Lyonette, a wizard part of the Spirit court whose job is to apprehend Eli. Of course, everything goes off plan when the king's brother show up to steal the throne...

I picked up The Spirit Thief because I was looking for a new fantasy series and I love, love, love thief characters. There's just something enigmatic about them that I find attractive... and Eli Monpress is all that. He's such a fun character - charming, witty and surprising. Another interesting aspect of Eli is his interactions with his companions, Josef the swordsman and Nico the demonseed. There is definitively friendship between the three, but at the same time, they are all pushed by individual ambitions. So it's really a balance of friendship and selfishness... and while Eli can appear very selfish and whiny at times, there are key moments where his true personality and deepness appear.

Another thing that attracted me to this book was the fact that Eli was a wizard. However, a wizard in this world doesn't wield magic through spells. Instead, wizards are able to communicate and control spirits and everything has a spirit. Wood, trees, grass, moss, water, wind and the list goes on. So you can imagine how that can be handy. Anyway, while the concept is interesting, I think I would have preferred regular magic :P

The plot of The Spirit Thief is not bad either. Actually, it's quite interesting. Then again, I enjoy court intrigue and so perhaps that's why. So I enjoyed Eli's scheme to kidnap the king and demand a ransom and all for the purpose of increasing his bounty. I also liked Miranda Lyonette and what she stood for... and really, Eli and Miranda are engaging in quite a dance :P So a lot of positive in this book. However, where I'm hitting a wall is the writing I think. Either the writing or the voice. There is just something about it that stops me from completely getting into the story. Or perhaps it's the pacing? I just know that I wasn't totally engaged by The Spirit Thief, even though I liked many of its elements :(

By the way, ditto for The Spirit Rebellion and The Spirit Eater. I skimmed through most of both books and I doubt if I'll go back and read it properly ^_^; So I guess your enjoyment of this book will depend on your enjoyment of the author's writing style.

Hmmm, I'm not really keeping this short, right?

2) His Captive Lady by Anne Gracie: B

Harry Morant is the by-blow of an earl who was mistreated by his stepfather as a child, but luckily saved by his great-aunt and later went to war with one of his half-brothers. However, war is now over and Harry decides it's time to settle down. He asks his aunt to find him a wife while he searches for the right property to start his horse business. However, one glance at Lady Nell Freymore and he knows she's the one... Except she refuses to marry him!

Nell Freymore doesn't believe anymore. Her father was always full of promises and hope... and he died in the middle of the road, leaving Nell practically destitute. But one glance at Harry and maybe, maybe he can change her mind. Unfortunately she doesn't have time to find out because Nell is on a mission and needs to return to London to continue her search...

In November, I read The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie and really enjoyed it, so looked for her backlist. One of the books I hoped to read was His Captive Lady as Harry and Nell make an appearance in The Accidental Wedding and Harry has quite an interesting past.

Basically, there was a lot I enjoyed in this book. First the characters for their quiet strength and perseverance. I liked their relationship too and their instant attraction for each other. It's not attraction in terms of lust, but more like they fell under the spell of each other. It was all very sweet and even more with Harry's understanding. The whole plot was engaging and I liked that the characters actions were natural, but also understandable. Like there was nothing out of character, just to make the story moves along. Everything flowed well and the intrigue was well incorporated into the the storyline. It was really a pleasant romance; I can't say fluffy, because there was some serious issues, but but it wasn't overbearing and this is kudos to Ms Gracie's writing. Overall, an excellent job. My only complaint is I wanted more interactions between the Renfrew brothers. They share a difficult relationship that stems from their parents and I don't really feel like it was resolved. Plus, Harry and his friends (Luke and Rafe) all went to war together and were known as the Devil Riders - the name of the series. While we do meet Luke and Rafe, I didn't feel their connection. Yes, there is friendship between them, but there is something more that link them, which is why they all went to war together (they didn't meet in war, they enlisted together) and I wanted to see that. I'm not saying that I want a subplot about something that happened to them during war like the Black Cobra Quartet by Stephanie Laurens or the Legend of the Four Soldiers by Elizabeth Hoyt, because I don't. However, I feel there is something in this friendship and it could be expanded.


3) An Indecent Proposition by Emma Wildes: B
Upcoming Review.


4) Alien Tango by Gini Koch: B+
Upcoming Review.

5) The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie: C-

Prudence Merridow is the oldest of five girls who are living under the thumb of their tyrant grandfather. When the man sprained his ankle and is confined to bed for several weeks, Prudence plots their escape to London where they seek the help of their great-uncle. Prudence's hope is for her beautiful sisters to make their debut and potential marry so they could access their inheritance and never return to their grandfather. However, their great-uncle Oswald worry that the girls will overshadow plain Prudence and therefore decides that only Prudence can make her debut and the others will have to wait till Prudence's future is secured. Except, Prudence is already affianced, but has promised to keep the engagement a secret... and thus, she fakes being engaged to the reclusive duke... only to have him and his rake of a cousin show up and foil her plans...

I actually owned this Perfect series a few years ago and tried reading The Perfect Rake and it just didn't work for me. This is why I was so hesitant to buy The Accidental Wedding, but then, I ended up loving it. So I decided to give The Perfect Rake another go... and it turns out my initial impression of this book remains ^_^;

Actually, the book isn't bad at all and there is a lot to enjoy such as the sisters relationship, their love for each other. The plot is quite good and well thought out, although at times it might seem like a lot is going on. Plus, the writing is there. So what's my issue with The Perfect Rake then? The romance. It just didn't work for me, I didn't feel the connection between Prudence and Gideon (the duke's cousin) nor the chemistry. Prudence's engagement just got in the way and it stalled the whole romance. I also thought Gideon's reformation was a bit too quick... and the fact that we kept being reminded that Prudence wasn't as pretty as her sisters was annoying. Finally, the secondary romance involving Charity, the second sister, and Gideon's cousin, was a bit bland ^_^;

6) The Perfect Kiss by Anne Gracie: C

After reading The Perfect Rake, I jumped to the fourth book of the series, The Perfect Kiss, because out of the 5 sisters, I liked Grace the best :) Grace has grown into a lovely woman and has no intention to marry a fortune hunter. Instead, she plans to travel to Egypt and discover the world. Her plans are pushed aside temporarily though when her good friend Melly Pettifer is forced to marry Dominic Wolfe against her will.

Dominic Wolfe hated his father and intended to let the family estate go to ruins. However, once he shows up at the estate, he realizes he cannot let that happen for the sake of the tenants whom his father has neglected. Unfortunately, the only way Dominic is going to inherit is if he marries Melly... unless the Pettifers break the contract. Only Melly's father is dying and is adamant that Melly marry Dominic believing the man will fall in love with his daughter and Melly is too shy to stand for herself - that's where Grace comes in.

I chose to read The Perfect Rake, because I really liked Grace character in The Perfect Rake. She was only 12 years old, but full of spirits. While her sisters worried about balls and men, she was more down to earth, a real skeptic and overall, fun :) In The Perfect Kiss, Grace has grown up and I felt she was a bit more subdued. Oh, her strong personality was still there, but it was a bit overshadowed by her doubts about finding happiness like her sisters. As for Dominic, he was a good hero in the rough around the edge kind. He came across a bit at a hard man and I wouldn't say he was mellow inside, but reasonable and who understood what a hard life was.

Overall, I thought The Perfect Kiss was a good read. I liked how Dominic got attached to his estate and the people. I also thought his past was very interesting and would have liked it to be a bit more developed. Where I have a problem is the romance once again. Not the attraction or interactions between Dominic and Grace, but the conflict. The reason why Dominic and Grace could not be together despite their love was that Dominic would then lose the estate. At first, he didn't care... and then, when he was ready to give it up, Grace wouldn't let him. I understood the dilemma and that there were people dependent on the decision, but I felt the selflessness was out of character. Instead, I expected Dominic and Grace to fight and find a solution to allow them to be together. I thought our H/H gave up a bit too easily and the selflessness just dragged down the romance :( In the end, there was a solution and it was actually quite obvious ^_^;

7) Cold Midnight by Joyce Lamb: C-

At 17 years old, Kylie McKay was a tennis star on the rise; however, a vicious attack damaged her knee permanently, putting an end to her career. After the attack, as a way to cope, Kylie left Kendall Falls, Florida, and ran all over the way to California... leaving behind a broken-hearted Chase Manning.

Ten years later, Kylie finally returns to Kendall Falls intending to build a tennis center in the memory of her father. However, construction is delayed when a baseball bat covered in blood is found... Perhaps the bat that ended Kylie's career. Things get more complicated when Chase, now a police detective, is assigned to the investigation. It soon becomes that neither Kylie or Chase have let go of their feelings for each other...

I was looking for the upcoming new releases when I stumbled across Ms Lamb True Colors. I thought this was Ms Lamb's debut novel, but I was wrong. However, the surprise came when I found out that True Colors was going to be Ms Lamb's third release with Berkley... I like Berkley as a publisher and thus, am usually aware of the authors associated with it and somehow, not one, but two romance books by Ms Lamb with Berkley have slipped through my radar. Okay... So that's why I picked up Cold Midnight... plus, it sounded like a promising RS book.

Overall, I thought the premise was promising and the case, potential. Unfortunately, the romance got into the way ^_^; Or more specifically, Kylie and Chase's relationship. Is there a difference? So Kylie construction crew unearths the baseball bat that might have been used in Kylie's attack and Chase is assigned to the case. Already, there's a problem because Chase is too close to the case, he cannot remain impartial and detached. Then, he is so not over Kylie. While investigating, he's trying to figure out the new Kylie and is pissed all over again that she abandoned him. I don't know, I felt like he was spending too much time on Kylie instead of on the investigation. He also blamed Kylie for abandoning him behind, which she did. However, in a matter of 2 or 3 months after she left, Kylie realized that she made a mistake and planned to come back to Chase, only to find out that he was getting married and was going to be a father soon. In that situation, I don't think you can put all the blame on Kylie. Sure she did a mistake, but really, she couldn't come back to him... and yes, the situation arise because Kylie broke his heart, but seriously, it doesn't excuse drunk sex. However, I think what annoyed me most in the end was the fact that Chase arrested Quinn. Yes, the clues pointed to Quinn and he had motives, but there were no solid evidences! Chase knew Kylie's reaction to Quinn's arrest wouldn't be favorable to their relationship and yet, he still went ahead with the arrest with the reasoning being that he could build a case for trial... and then, he was angry at Kylie for shying from their relationship. Seriously?!?! You just arrested your girlfriend's half-brother whom she loves and believes is innocent for an attack that changed her life without real, solid evidence... and when she feels guilty about your relationship, you are angry that she's choosing her family over you. Wow.

So yeah, this is why the book didn't work for me. I think that instead of focusing so much on this insane relationship, Ms Lamb could have developed the secondary characters better and make use of her premises and settings better. All this would have made this book more thrilling in my opinion. I mean, the case overall was interesting, but it could have been much better by simply shifting the focus a little. Still, I'm going to try more of Ms Lamb because she definitively showed promise to me :)

8) Silver and Spice by Jennifer Greene: E

Anne Blake and Jake Rivard grew up in the same neighborhood, both raised by their grandparents, and friendship became love. However, all Anne wants is a normal and simple life, while Jake is always looking for the next adventure. Of course, this has never stopped Anne for falling into bed with Jake whenever he is back, although she knows there is no future for the two of them as they want different things out of life. Unknown to Anne though, Jake does not agree and this time is different. This time, Jake has come back with the intent of marrying Anne... He's given her ample time to settle down with someone, to make a life for herself and she hasn't and so they will together.

Silver and Spice was originally written by Ms Green as Jeanne Grant and has been picked up by Carina Press to be re-published. While I usually love free-spirit heroine thawing the stuffy hero theme, the reverse is not always true. I find that heroines can be more stubborn than heroes when it comes to adjusting their lifestyle.

Anyway, Silver and Spice was not totally what I expected it to be. First, from the blurb, I had no idea Anne and Jake knew each other. Then, I felt Anne was too unwilling to try, to simply listen to Jake and think about it. Playing hard to get is a ploy that can work sometimes, but in this case, that's not what was happening. Anne truly believed that she had no future with Jake because they were so different, although she loved him. She didn't even consider it and it was just annoying. Jake could be charming at times, but I didn't get him, I didn't understand him and thought he was a bit under-developed. I loved the fact though he came back to Anne. Overall, I just didn't hit it off with this book and ended up skimming through a lot of it :(

9) The Family Way by Jayne Ann Krentz: C

Prudence Kenyon agreed to embark in an affair with Case McCord even though he was very clear from the beginning that he was not interested in marriage because she believed he was the one... and perhaps she could have continued simply living with him as his lover. However, getting pregnant changed the rules. The last thing that Pru wanted was for Case to marry  her out of duty, she wanted him to marry her for love... and thus, gave him an ultimatum. Unfortunately, Case thought she was bluffing and Pru walked out.

This is a pretty classic old-school JAK with a hero who's a bit of a jerk and a heroine that loves him despite everything. I thought the book would focus more on the relationship between Pru and Case, him trying to woo her back. LOL, I don't know what I was thinking since it's so not JAK style ^_^; The romance between Case and Pru was resolved quite rapidly, although Case should have grovelled a lot more for Pru to come back. And instead, the story delved in Case's past and his relationship with his family. Overall, the story was good and interesting... but it would have been better if it didn't remind me so strongly of The Golden Chance. There were a lot of similarities between the two books - hero estranged with family, the pregnancy, heroine's belief that hero would have done what's right because of pregnancy, etc. So much that I believe The Family Way is the precursor of The Golden Chance and that dampened my enjoyment of the book a little bit. Also, in the end, The Family Way could not really compare to The Golden Chance given the difference in length and the way the book wrapped everything up a bit too neatly and abruptly.

10) Call it Destiny by Jayne Ann Krentz: D

As a teenager, Heather Strand just couldn't see eye to eye with her father, probably because the two were so similar. As a result, she left Texas at 18 years old and wounded up in California... where she learned all about the family business - hotels. Now that her father has retired, Heather has come back to Tucson to take over the rein of the family business. To this end, Heather proposes a marriage of convenience to Jake Lavender, the man  who's become her father's right-hand man. However, Jake is not interested in a marriage of convenience. Instead, he wants a real marriage and somewhere to belong.

Okay, a quick disclaimer. I picked this book up at around mid-December, exactly the time when I started growing restless and also knew that my vacation was coming up and this probably influenced the way I feel about this book. Anyway, I'm a sucker for marriage of convenience and thought it was interesting that for once, it's the man that wants more. I thought Call it Destiny started out really well and was very promising. However, it all went south when Heather found out that her father has already sold the business to Jake. I have to agree with Jake on this count that it was very arrogant of Heather to believe she could just come back and take the rein... Not knowing anything about the difficulties the resort has gone through while she was away. Plus, I don't know, spending so much time away, why would you come back for the family business that you didn't follow, pay attention to? Why not just start something of your own? At the same time, it was bad of Jake and Heather's father to keep the truth from her... I think they should have told Heather and then, Jake would have had more success just wooing her afterward. So anyway, Heather makes a mega scene at her wedding... and then proceed to run into her ex-boyfriend, the one she ran away with. That's where I started losing interest in the book. I personally think that Ms Krentz had enough conflict between the characters to focus on instead of bringing in a villain and external events. It just seems very superfluous... And when finally, Heather falls in love with Jake, it seems just too quick to be believable. Overall, Call it Destiny was just okay... but the last scene was cute :)

11) Test of Time by Jayne Ann Krentz: DNF

Okay, I'm cheating. The synopsis is from Goodreads LOL.

He had married for all the best reasons: They liked and respected each other; they had a lot in common and would be great together in business . . . and in bed; and marriage to Katy Randall would help make people forget just how rough Garrett Coltrane's past has been. But she had married for only one reason: love. And that was the one thing Garrett didn't want.

I think that part of the synopsis is wrong though. It's not that Garrett didn't want love, but he didn't consider it the best reason to get married. Garrett and Katy knew each other since Garrett used to be a stable hand in Katy's family. Then, he returned as a self-made man and Garrett and Katy went through a whirlwind courtship. However, after their wedding night, Katy realizes that Garrett doesn't love her and she wants to annul the marriage. Garrett convinces her to stay, see how things go and take a decision after a few months...

I picked this up because I didn't know what to read... but quite frankly, after xxx, I should have picked something else. I think I simply wasn't in the mood for this book and so ended up getting bored and not wanting to finish it ^_^; Sometimes, you need something familiar to get you through a slump... but it was not the case this time. That being said, I might pick up this book again in the future...

12) At the Duke's Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren: D+

Edward Byron, Duke of Clybourne, and Lady Claire Marsden have been engaged ever since Claire has been a little baby, the marriage arranged by their fathers. Edward has ignored the engagement as long as possible, but it is now time for him to settle down. And why bother looking for a new bride when Claire, the daughter of an earl, has been raised all her life to be his duchess? However, Claire does not want to marry Edward... When she was a young girl of 16, Claire reached out to Edward, believing in their love... only to find him in the arms of another woman. At 21 years old, Claire is no longer deluded about their engagement... Unfortunately for Claire, her father doesn't want to hear about her refusal to marry. The only way she'll get out of this marriage is if Edward breaks the engagement...

At the end of 2010, I was on a historical romances binge. I read what is an unusual high number for me and enjoyed quite a few of them. When I picked up At the Duke's Pleasure, I thought it was going to be a perfect fit for me. I love arranged marriage and was looking forward to Edward and Claire getting to know each other which is what was hinted in the blurb. However, I was in for a few surprises. First, there was the fact that Edward was working as some kind of secret agent. I guess authors find this ploy handy to add some intrigue or mysterious element, but it's seriously being over-used and the problem is, authors are not coming up with any original idea. The secret agent is usually looking for a traitor or someone that did him/her wrong for revenge and being so secretive, it leads to misunderstand and ultimately, at the end, someone - usually, the loved one, is going to be in cross-fire/danger. So as soon as you learn about a secret agent, you know half the story already and it takes away from the book.

Then, I thought At the Duke's Pleasure would be about Edward and Claire getting to know each other. Instead, it's more about Claire getting into mischief, hoping it'll be scandalous enough to embarrass Edward and push him to break off the engagement. Unfortunately for Claire, Edward is used to scandal as his family is known to be "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" and therefore, he has a high threshold of tolerance. Instead of embarrassing him, she actually she intrigues him. The whole was supposed to be amusing, but it fell short for me because Claire seemed too childish. I mean, she is 21 years old and the oldest of three, so I expected a certain level of maturity and the way she handled the issue, it didn't show.

Overall, At the Duke's Pleasure was just an okay read for me, especially in comparison to "similar" storyline such as His Sinful Secret by Emma Wildes or Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath.

13) The Homecoming by JoAnn Ross: C+

Cheating again LOL. From Goodreads...

Former Navy SEAL Sax Douchett returns to his home town and is hailed as a local hero. But starting over is difficult when he unearths a long- buried secret that reunites him with a past he's never forgotten. She's Sheriff Kara Conway, a girl who's always held a special place in his heart. But as he cautiously reconnects with Kara and bonds with her young son, another long-held secret in Shelter Bar threatens their second chance at a life together...

I'm not really up-to-date on Ms Ross books, not having read her last few releases. However, The Homecoming had favorable reviews and a strong voucher, Holly :) This book turned out to be  a surprise for me, mainly because it is not quite what I expected. Ms Ross' latest releases have been mostly romantic suspense featuring SEALs and army men, a little a la Suzanne Brockmann. The Homecoming though was on the light side of RS and more of a small-town romance.

I really liked the pacing of The Homecoming. Perhaps because that's what I needed :P The relationship between Sax and Kara happened at its own pace and was well developed. I liked that they were attracted to each other, but took things slowly. They each had issues and things to figure out and were in no hurry to jump into a relationship. I also liked Sax' friendship with Kara's son, how Sax was considerate of the boy's feelings.

As for the suspense, it was light, but interesting... except the end when they arrested the villain. That was quite anti-climatic. However, I did like how everything was linked together as well as the balance with the romance. I'm not too sure how I feel about the whole case being made easier by Sax' contacts though... but oh well. Few things that didn't work too much for me. First, the side story involving Kara's mother and deputy. Not too interesting in my opinion. Second, Sax' ghosts - totally superfluous. Sax having ghosts is totally understandable considering what he went through, but have them being apparition? Perhaps if they did something... It felt like Ms Ross included them in the story because she had a plan in the beginning and then got side-tracked by something else and so the ghosts end up doing nothing ^_^;

Overall, The Homecoming was a very enjoyable read, especially if you enjoy small-town romances :)

14) A Christmas Waltz by Jane Goodger: D

Tired of waiting for her American fiancé to send for her, Lady Amelia Wellesley decides to surprise him, traveling all the way from England to Texas. Only when she arrives, she discovers that Carson Kitteridge is not the man she thought she knew. Even worst, he has no intention of marrying her and has only proposed in order to get under her skirts!! Unfortunately for Amelia, she cannot return to England unwed, as she would be ruined... luckily for her, Carson's older brother, Boone, is willing to marry her... However, can these two persons coming from such different and contrasting worlds find happiness together?

When I read a book by Ms Goodger, I expect something emotionally poignant. A story that will make my heart ache and my eyes tear. However, it didn't happen with A Christmas Waltz. It was missing that omphf factor, that little something that pull the readers into the story and make them care so much about the characters. Part of the problem is that it was very hard to sympathize with Amelia. Yes, it was unfortunate that she got sweet-talked by Carson and that she fell in love with a man that didn't exist. However, leaving England in pursuit of her fiancé was her decision and therefore, the situation was her own doing ^_^; Also, there was Amelia herself. To me, she came across as immature, spoiled and selfish. It didn't show too much in the beginning of the book, but when she was reunited with her brother and sister-in-law. Not wanting to assume the consequences of her action - the fact that she'd be ruined because of her decisions if she returned to England unmarried. Then, later when she did return to England with Boone, it felt like she didn't think of Boone. Didn't try to understand his discomfort with her obvious wealth or even help him adapt to his new surrounding. Not adjusting to her new situation either - wanting such a grand house, such a big staff, etc. It was a lot of "me, me, me" and that really got on my nerve... Mostly because despite her foolishness, she ended up with a great man. Really unfair. Luckily, what saved the book for me was Boone's character. He's pretty much Amelia's opposite, the strong and silent type, very observant, with a pure heart and so generous. He deserved a lot more than what he got in life. It was very heart-breaking, his childhood and his belief that he was not lovable :( I felt that Boone's character was well-developed and layered and his relationship with Carson was quite interesting.

 The rest was pretty decent. The storyline was okay, I liked the setting and the book did have its moments. One that comes to mind is when Carson comes to Amelia and tells her to take care of Boone, that he deserves to be loved. That was very touching. So really, the H/H is what made and broke A Christmas Waltz and while Boone was a great hero, he unfortunately cannot make up completely for Amelia :(


15) Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rache Cohn & David Levithan: B+
Upcoming Review.


16) The Lady Most Likely... by Julia Quinn, Connie Brockway and Eloisa James: B-
Upcoming Review.

Books bought: +24
Books read: -16
TBR pile: +8

So, still here? LOL. I think I still need to work on keeping things short ^_^; But there you have it, my December reads!! LOL, now I can finally move onto full reviews :) I hope that I'll be able to review all I want, but I wouldn't bet on it ^_^; If there's any books you really want me to review, feel free to let me know and I'll prioritize them :)

A quick look at my numbers. I read quite a few more books than I thought, 16. I'm really surprised at the number, because I remember having a few bad days. Days where I really didn't know what to read, picking up books just to put them right down... and while those bad days don't reflect in the number of books read, I think it shows in my grades. Yes, I did read, but nothing came across as awesome and part of the reason might have been my mood when I read those books. I also bought much more books than I thought ^_^; And I know that 24 is not the exact number. In fact, I should have a few more to that number, as I know there are a few category JAK that I did not include in my Hauling Sunday post... However, what is a few more going to change? LOL.

So this is done :) Hopefully, this week-end, I'll be able to wrap-up all the 2010 posts that I wanted to write :)

Have a nice week-end!!

Re-Read: The Golden Chance by Jayne Ann Krentz

Last day of the month of September! It's hard to tell whether the month has gone by quickly or slowly LOL. It seems just a few days since it was Labor Day week-end. At the same time, the weeks without new releases have gone by oh-so slowly! Anyway, it's useless to complain about it, LOL. All I can say with certainty is that fall is here... and seriously, it shows - at least, over here. Temperatures have dropped a lot and we've been getting lots of rain. The only nice touch is that the leaves have started changing colors as well - was it earlier than the previous year?

Good news, bad news for this month's re-read challenge. The good news is I did re-read a book. The bad news? Not the one that I planned... but does it really matter? LOL. I guess not. I was planning to read Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, but I just never got around to it. I've been kind of in a slump at some point this month... nothing was appealing to read ^_^; Then, I had a friend who was purging her books. She was getting rid of many Jayne Ann Krentz and while going through my own stash of JAK books to see which ones I've read and which ones I haven't, I came across The Golden Chance... and just felt like re-reading it :) So The Golden Chance it is this month :)

The Golden Chance by Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Simon & Schuster in December 1997

When she gains control of his family fortune, it's love at first fight.

Stunning, stubborn, and independent, Philadelphia Fox lost her best friend because of the fabulously rich and powerful Lightfoot family of Washington state. Now she's got her friend's controlling shares in Lightfoot Industries - an inheritance that brings Nick, the family's prodigal and supremely attractive son, knocking at her door.

An unexpected and irrepressible spark between them blazes into extraordinary passion, and Phila - historically unlucky in love - finds the deepest satisfaction she has ever known. But behind Nick's gray eyes lurks a disturbing enigma? and Phila must make the choice of her life. Trusting Nick may come with quite a price - but giving in to his strong, sensual seduction is a golden chance that may never come again.

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

You can read my previous review of The Golden Chance here. Since there's already a review, I'm not going to summarize the plot again :P

My Opinion: I cannot believe it's been already more than a year since I went on my Jayne Ann Krentz binge! Seems like yesterday, really.

Okay, so I read this book till 3am in the morning, that must tell you something about my enjoyment, right? :P This is pretty much a classic JAK book - hero is a businessman with a hidden agenda and heroine is someone a bit eccentric, a lot unique :) They meet, they are attracted and they try to navigate all the obstacles - usually involved family and business. It might be classic and in some way, predictable; however, it's well written and I liked it :)

I like Phila's determination and loyalty and the fact that she tries to understand the situation and the people she has to deal with. She's not ruthless, but at the same time, she doesn't let people run over her. She stands by her own beliefs and values and that's what make her such an admirable character... and I can totally see why Nick finds her so attractive. As for Nick, I think he's a great match for her. Not as direct as her, but I do think he believes in the same thing as her... Simply, it comes off differently because they were raised in different environments. LOL, is it me or reading this time, it seems that Nick is a bit nerd-ish. Totally missed that :P In any case, I think he complements Phila well and I like that he wants to take care of her. Not simply because he wants her, but because that's who he is. Also, he's not above being sneaky or harsh to get what he wants... in this case, I think that's manly or typically male. As in, it's too much bother explaining his motives and reasoning, I'll just do it and you can think whatever you want. LOL, typically male ^_^;

One aspect of this book that I enjoyed is the whole family. Everyone fighting to protect or advance their own interest. It's a bit saga-ish and I like that style of story. I also think it's a good kind of plot when you want to focus on relationship, but have something else. I mean, you can make it as complex or uncomplicated as you want, so it will match with other elements of your storyline... and Ms Krentz knows how to take advantage of this kind of plotline.

I cannot really pinpoint what makes me enjoy this book so much. Could be the relationship between Nick and Phila, could be the story, the writing. I simply do LOL. I know, not very helpful as a review, but The Golden Chance has become somehow a comfort read.

My Grade: B+

Re-Read: Deep Waters and Hunter X Hunter

For this month's Re-Read challenge, you guys get a twofer. First, my comfort read of the year, Deep Waters by Jayne Ann Krentz, and a manga series, Hunter X Hunter :)


Deep Waters by Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Simon & Schuster in January 1997

You can read my review here.

The first time I've ever read this book, I was still a teen, still going to the town library and still reading in French. My, so many things have changed right? LOL :)

For years, this book has been on my mind. I remembered parts of the storyline, but did not remember the author or the title - let me tell you, it makes it hard to find the book and re-read it. Then, I decided to ask blogland and I was quite lucky, I got an answer :P So in February, I read Deep Waters and somehow, it has become one of my comfort reads this year.

I'm not going to write a detailed review, since I've already posted one earlier this year... Just write my impressions on my re-read.

My Impressions: Having read Deep Waters not that long ago, the re-read wasn't as powerful. Back in February, when I read Deep Waters, it was like discovering a new book, partly because I was reading it in English for the first time, partly because it's been so long ago... So this time, I wasn't so entranced by the book. The mystery didn't interest me at all and I focused on the romance in the book. I still really like Elias and Charity's characters... they are very different from one another, but somehow, they match. It's kind of fun to see Elias so clueless at times and figuring things out. It seems to me it's always delayed LOL. A lightbulb goes on and then, you see his mind working and finally, he jumps in. I think that only Charity could handle him :) It's also very interesting to see their relationship progresses... I think that back in February, I was so focused on the entire book... I didn't realize that their relationship wasn't that smooth. It seems to me, despite his water talks, Elias has a quick temper and too often, Charity seems to give in. Also, she was nervous and insecure in too many instances :( That did take out a bit of my enjoyment :(

Still overall, it's a pretty good story. I still enjoy their cooking contest and the "sweet" part LOL.

However, I think this is a book that the longer you haven't read, the better it's going to be on the re-read. So maybe I should wait a while before my next re-read :)


Hunter x Hunter by Togashi Yoshihiro

Hunter x Hunter is a manga drawn and written by Togashi Yoshihiro. The first chapter was published back in March 1998 and is still ongoing. There are currently 291 chapters released, compiled into 27 volumes and I have 26 of them in French.

This manga was hugely popular when it was released and even got its own anime adaptation as well as several OVAs which followed the manga very closely (those are the best). The only problem however is that the author is kind weak/sickly. As a result, the art has suffered a lot and he's been going on and off hiatus a lot. However, he should be starting up again (yay!!) and actually, chapter 291 is the first one of this come back. Hopefully, this time, he'll draw more than one volume... because at this rate, we'll never see the end ^_^;

The Story: Hunter X Hunter is the story of a young boy, Gon, who has been raised by his aunt on an isolated island. Much to his aunt's sorrow, Gon has decided to follow his father's footstep and become a professional Hunter. In this world, being a professional Hunter is quite an achievement and speaks loudly of who you are. They are several types of Hunters - bounty hunters, archeologist hunters, etc. Thus the story starts with Gon taking the exam and follows his friendship and adventures. However, the ultimate test that Gon has to face - find his father.

Like any manga, the story is divided into many story arcs. So far, we could divide Hunter X Hunter as followed:

1) Hunter exam (vol. 1 to 4)
2) Celestial Tower (vol. 5 to 7)
3) York Shin City (vol. 8 to 13)
4) Greed Island (vol. 14 to 18)
5) The Insects (vol. 19 to ?)

My Opinion: This manga is one of the best and it's really no wonder that it has so many fans and people are waiting so impatiently for its continuation. This is a fighting manga and the protagonist is very young, Gon and Killua (his best friend) are 11-12 years old when the story started and about 1.5 years has gone by. So Hunter X Hunter is mostly written for a male audience... still, I like it :)

It was great re-reading Hunter X Hunter. I have forgotten how fast the pacing of the story was. It's one great story arc after another and everything is moving swiftly. The whole story consists of clever twists and good ideas. The action is pretty non-stop, but it's balanced with a great story and world building.

I really enjoy the main characters - Gon and Killua. These boys are just fun to read and follow, quite endearing actually. Gon is pure and honest. He's quite direct, but he is not dumb. Killua is more interesting because he has more depth and dimensions... He comes from a family of assassins, so he's been trained quite strictly since he was young... So seeing him with a character so pure such as Gon, you can sometimes see Killua's internal struggles... the many shades of grey that makes up his characters. There are also two other characters worth mentioning: Kurapika and Leolio. They appear quite early in the manga (actually, even before Killua) and become very good friends with Gon... however, after the Hunter exam, they each go their own way. The characters do return for the York Shin City story arc which is very exciting. Anyway, this band of four would be invincible in a couple of years in my opinion :)

So yes, I really enjoy this manga. However, I'm not that much into the last story arc, the Insects one... and to my discontent, it's been the longest story arc :( Part of the problem I think is the slowness at which it's being written - the author having taken many hiatus. I just can't wait till he finishes and moves on. Seriously. I mean, this story arc is almost 1/3 of the whole story... I do hope that there'll be more story arcs after the Insects too. That's the problem with manga... the ending is always uncertain ^_^;

Also, since we're talking manga, we cannot forget the art. I think that Hunter X Hunter's art is very nice, easy on the eye. It's quite simple, but it works. Of course, the art also has suffered while the author was on hiatus (some of the chapters released in the magazines looked like draft @_@ Luckily, the author redrew them for the release of the volumes, phew). Still, it's a good style and I like that he plays with clothings and detailing ;)

Oh and since it's a re-read review, I'll say this... Hunter X Hunter is the kind of story that will withstand time and will become a classic, really :) As a re-read, I think that again, it depends on how long it's been since you've last read it. There's a lot of exciting moments and again, the longer it's been since you've read it, the better the re-read will be... because you'll be sitting at the edge of your seat and turning the pages so fast :)

My Grade: A-. It'd be an A if it wasn't for the last story arc...

More Jayne Ann Krentz reviews...

Still alive. Life is busy at work - too busy if you ask me. Grant application deadline coming up, I hope to survive it. Meanwhile, I've been watching curling and been reading very little :( I have yet to finish one book this week... that is just too depressing! Also, there's so many little new releases this month! I went to the bookstore yesterday and it was also very depressing... Can't wait till April!

Well as you know, I've been on a Jayne Ann Krentz's kick. What helps is that most of her books are available at the library - UNBELIEVABLE!! LOL :) Let just say that's rare ^_^;

So let see what I've been reading...


Family Man by Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Simon & Schuster in July 1996

Almost a decade of working for the high-powered Gilchrist family empire has made Katy Wade sassy, spunky -- and secretly determined to open her own business. There's one last problem she has to solve before she feels free to leave. The Gilchrists need an heir apparent to save their mysteriously floundering fortunes, and there's only one man for the job: Luke Gilchrist. All his life the Gilchrists have made Luke pay for his father's scandal, and now he's a renegade who's sworn he'll never go home -- except to get even. Katy must persuade Luke to use his business expertise to rescue his family, but one look in his sexy green eyes, and she knows why they affectionately call him "the Bastard."

What she doesn't know is that Luke's decided he wants her even more than he wants revenge. He agrees to play savior, but only with Katy at his side. It's a high-handed tactic sure to make this saucy red haired angel madder than hell, but she's the only one who can turn this devilish rogue into a family man. Luke may be an SOB of a CEO, but he knows the bottom line is heartbreak...unless he can trust Katy with his secrets and she can believe in his love.

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

The Story: The Gilchrist family has always been a family-operative business and is now in difficulty. The matriarch's only hope is to convince her grandson Luke to take charge... Only problem is Luke's father was disinherited by the matriarch when he left Katy's mother at the altar and both sides have been at odds ever since, even if only Luke remains - his parents and wife having died in a plane accident. Luke has no interest in his family or coming to terms with them... however, he is intrigued by Katy, the matriarch's personal assistant.

After her parents died, Katy had to raise her younger brother. Luckily for her, the Gilchrist's matriarch took her under her wing and thus, has earned Katy's loyalty for life. However, Katy has had enough of dealing with the melodramatic family and wants to start her own business. Her only hope is to convince Luke to come and take charge and thus, she will be freed... Only problem is Luke doesn't want to...

My Opinion: I read this one on Li's recommendation. In the back blurb, it says that the family affectionately call him "the Bastard." Ugh no!!! They call him that way to be mean, especially since he is NOT a bastard!! Basically, Family Man was an okay book - it pretty much follows Ms Krentz's outline - heroine meets hero for some business reasons. H/H are wildly attracted to each other and quickly get into a relationship... but their HEA ending is threatened by a villain because of said business. Then, you add a mix of colorful secondary characters - most of them, family relatives.

Although Family Man is formulatic, I didn't mind, because I didn't expect it to be otherwise. My main problem with this book however is everyone's perception of Luke. I mean, the Gilchrists have basically been ignoring Luke even before he was born! They've treated him like a non-relative, even calling him a bastard just because the matriarch didn't approve of his parents' marriage... and now that the business is going down, he has to come and clean up everyone's mess? Seriously? Sure, family is important and family bonds/relationships are too... but hey, it goes both ways! That's why Katy's arguments to get Luke back to help annoyed me so much. She just expected him to come back because it was his duty as a member of the family... Like I said, seriously?!?! Even when he finally agreed, everyone was suspicious of him, expecting him to cross them, to get revenge. Ugh.

Another thing that I found annoying was Katy's generalization of the Gilchrist family. How she was used to deal with them and how "Gilchrist" Luke was acting. I mean, it annoyed him and it annoyed me as well.

Otherwise, the rest of the story was all right. I mean, it doesn't stand out from other JAK I've read... Luke getting closer to his family, him mentoring Katy's younger brother... Katy and Luke falling in love. The parts that stood out the most would be the ones with Luke's dog, Zeke. LOL, it was so funny how he became addicted to pesto and how he wouldn't go anywhere without his bowl! The whole sabotage plot was a bit weak, but I liked the resolution of it. Very clever.

My Grade: C. It would have gotten a better grade minus the annoying bits I explained.


Perfect Partners by Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Simon & Schuster in April 1992

Midwestern librarian Letitia Thornquist didn't have the right stuff to run Thornquist Gear, Inc. That was the bottom-line opinion of Joel Blackstone, the seasoned CEO who had built the small Seattle sporting goods store into an industry giant. But Letty's rich Uncle Charlie willed her the company, and now she was bubbling with enthusiasm to have Joel, a perfect mentor, show her the ropes.

Teaching her the business was all Joel grudgingly planned to do...until the sensuous curves under Letty's navy suit and the unabashed desire in her wide, innocent eyes left him longing for a personal kind of merger. Soon his sizzling kisses convinced her that she wasn't in Kansas anymore. But no matter how skilled Joel was in the art of love, Letty knew she was at risk in his arms. Behind his tough facade she sensed a world of hurt that cried out for her warmth and understanding. She realized the "L" word might never be spoken if trust didn't make them perfect partners 9 to 5...and in the loving after-hours of midnight to dawn.

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

The Story: Joel Blackstone is the CEO of Thornquist Gear, Inc. and was supposed to buy the business from the original owner... Unfortunately, the owner died and left it to his grand-niece, Letitia Thornquist. Letty is a librarian at an university and Joel has no worries that he'll be able to buy her out and use the company to get revenge on his hometown... However, it turns out that Letty has different plans.

Letty is at crossroads. She was engaged to a professor at the university, but no longer after finding a grad student between his legs. Thornquist Gear, Inc. seems to provide her with new opportunities and a new life and Letty is no fool to let it pass... Only problem: is it safe to start an affair with Blackstone? What interests him? Her, the company or revenge?

My Opinion: Again, Perfect Partners is not a bad book, but it doesn't stand out from the bunch either. It actually was quite bland compared to other JAKs and one of the weakness I think were the secondary characters. They just weren't interesting... they actually were annoying ^_^;

The interaction between Letty and Blackstone was interesting. There were some cute moments. I think that Ms Krentz did go overboard a bit with the librarian stereotype ^_^; It's not because we like to read that we'll read a lot of articles. I was surprised that the revenge plot took so much of the story, but that actually kind of save the book... however, the resolution was just so-so.

My Grade: C. Basically, I think it was missing the omph factor.


Hidden Talents by Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Simon & Schuster in January 1994

Serenity Makepeace knows a lot about whole-grain bread, but she doesn't know beans about business. Her new catalog company featuring local handicrafts will benefit her offbeat artist community in Witt's End, Washington, but she needs a crack financial adviser to make it work. So she charms her way into the office, of Caleb Ventress, only to find a handsome wolf in conservative clothing.

An expert in the art of the deal, Caleb has no talent for long term relationships, and isn't sure what to do about this unconventional beauty who walks into his life. A pass from a paragon of conformity -- even one as handsome as Caleb -- is more than free-spirited Serenity bargained for. But when intrigues back in Witt's End threaten Serenity's plans and perhaps her life, she begins to trust Caleb without reading his fine print...and the bottom line might be true love....

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

The Story: Serenity's mother died in childbirth and Serenity was adopted by the town of Witt's End and has been raised by its people - an eclectic group of people... The economy of Witt's End is going downhill and in Serenity's opinion, the only way to save the town is to start a catalog company offering the crafts of Witt's End's townspeople. In order to start the business, she needs the help of Caleb Ventress.

Caleb Ventress had always lived a strict and rigid life, making up for his father's mistake. However, Serenity is completely different and she brings out a new face of Caleb... Then, Serenity is blackmailed by nude pictures and it reminds Caleb of his own parents' scandal. As a result, he doesn't want to get involved with Serenity... but attraction is stronger.

My Opinion: Out of the three books, I think this one was the best... Although when I first read it, I gave it a lower grade... but in comparison, this one was really better. Basically, it has a theme that I enjoy a lot - the happy-go-lucky heroine thawing out the stuffy hero. In addition, there's a great cast of secondary characters that helps the heroine doing her job. It definitively was an enjoyable book :) The intrigue was also well-written and developed.

My only complaint about this book is Caleb's tantrum scene... when he finally explodes and let his grandfather, aunt and uncle what he really feels. I thought Caleb was a bit harsh. Perhaps they really deserved it, but most of it is due to these people not communicating well.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and liked the characters :) I liked Serenity, although I thought she was a bit aloof in the beginning. I mean, dropping during a conversation that you're being blackmailed... well if the opposition doesn't freak out, they just don't care right? Still, she had spunk and she was fun. Caleb is pretty much a carbon copy of most of JAK's heroes... If you liked them, you'll like Caleb. Some funny scenes in addition :) I just like how he got involved in the town's business without wanting to LOL :)

My Grade: B-. Better than Family Man and Perfect Partners... but still missing the omph factor.