Review: Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

Finally!! Each year, one of the books I look forward most is Ms Roberts' stand-alone and that's why I really wanted to review it. My blogging muse is still on vacation and that's why I've been working on this review on and off for a couple of weeks ^_^; So bear with me LOL. This is not going to be my best review, but I think I still manage to convey my feelings about the book :)

Enjoy!


Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts
published by Putnam in April 2013

For more than three hundred years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore - and its secrets.

To summer tourists, it's the crown jewel of the town's stunning scenery. To the residents of Whiskey Beach, it's landmark and legend. To Eli Landon, it's home...

A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigation after being accused of murdering his soon-to-be ex-wife. And though there was never enough evidence to have him arrested, his reputation is in tatters as well as his soul. He need sanctuary. He needs Bluff House.

While Eli's beloved grandmother is in Boston, recuperating from a nasty fall, Abra Walsh has card for Bluff House, among her other jobs as yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist. She is a woman with an open heart and a wide embrace, and no one is safe from her special, some would say over-bearing, brand of nurturing - including Eli.

He begins to count on Abra for far more than her cooking, cleaning, and massage skills, and starts to feel less like a victim - and more like the kind of man who can finally solve the murder of his wife and clear his name. But Bluff House's many mysteries are a siren song to someone intent on destroying Eli and reaping the rewards. He and Abra will become entangled in a centuries-old net of rumors and half-truths that could pull them under the thunderous waters of Whiskey Beach...

Passion and obsession, humor and heart flow together in a novel about two people opening themselves up to the truth - and to each other.

Genre: Contemporary romance, Romantic Suspense
Series: Stand-alone

The Story: The blurb of Whiskey Beach is pretty accurate, but let see if I can add my two cents :)

Eli Landon has just had a very rough year. His wife was murdered while they were in the middle of getting a divorce. Because of a vicious, public fight that very afternoon about her adultery and the fact that he discovered the body at their house while he was retrieving some of his family heirlooms, Eli was the prime suspect. He was acquitted on lack of evidence, but not everyone believes him innocent. Obviously, this has turned his life upside down. Knowing that his career as a criminal attorney is over and no longer having to fight to stay out of jail, Eli is at loose ends. When his grandmother moves to his parents' house in Boston to recover from a very bad fall, Eli promises that he will look over Bluff House for her... and therefore heads to Whiskey Beach where he hopes to find his new self through his writing.

There, he never expected to meet a woman like Abra Walsh. Abra has her own tragic story and understands what Eli is going through. She too left behind a successful career, came to Whiskey Beach to heal and re-invented herself. She has a multitude of odd jobs such as being a yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist as well as Bluff House's housekeeper. She can't help herself wanting to help Eli, nurture him back to health - mentally, emotionally and physically. And while it is happening, Abra and Eli are both succumbing to attraction.

However, there is still a killer lurking... And when Abra is attacked in Bluff House and a trench is found in the basement, it seems that all the events, including Eli's grandmother's fall which may not be an accident anymore, are linked up and related to Bluff House's legend of a pirate treasure...

My Opinion: I love Ms Roberts' writing. It's just that simple LOL. There's something about her voice, her style that just works for me :) It's true that her stories can be very formulaic, especially her trilogies and quartets, but in the end, there is always something that I like and enjoy. Last year's stand-alone, The Witness, was really good and therefore, a tough act to follow. While I don't think Whiskey Beach measured up to it, it wasn't the let-down so many readers felt for me because there were quite a few things about it that I really liked :)

In a sense, Whiskey Beach was a very typical NR stand-alone where one of the main character has some personal issues and needs to heal, then meets the other main character and gradually fall in love with of course, an underlying mystery that ties everything up together. The reason why I enjoyed Whiskey Beach so much though was the role/gender reversal. Not gender reversal in the sense that Eli was more sensitive and Abra, gruffier LOL. What I mean is that in most stand-alones, it's usually the heroine who has stuff to overcome and the hero who stands by and offers tough love... In Whiskey Beach, well it was the opposite. It was Eli who had his life upside down, who was going through depression and who needed to find himself. And Abra was there, trying to help him out as she could. I thought it was refreshing :) And it was also interesting to see how gender did play a role. For example, Abra was noisier and more nurturing instead of trying to stay out of things and offer tough love :P As a man, Eli coped differently as well. So in a way, Whiskey Beach managed to be both typical and different :)

I also enjoyed Eli and Abra's characters very much. I liked seeing Eli adapt and adjust to his new life, to a slower rhythm. After everything Eli had gone through, he was battered... but I liked that he still had a lot going on for him and he knew it. He still had the support of his family and while he no longer had a career as a criminal attorney, he could pursue his other passion: writing. As for Abra, I know many found her annoying and it's true that she was a tad too perfect, but I liked her :) I liked her energy and her joie de vivre. I liked that after what happened to her, she was able to build a new life for herself and was happy with it and the choices she made :) I enjoyed seeing Eli and Abra interact with others as well, especially Eli's family. It was good for him to still have their support, but at the same time, understandable that he needed some distance from them... and it was also good to see that after a bad year, things do go back to normal and people can move on. As for the romance, it was nice. Eli and Abra definitively made a good couple together and they were good for each other :) And I enjoyed the way they came together - not too fast, but not too slow :P

My issue with Whiskey Beach was the mystery/intrigue. I thought the mystery was on the weak side and also, long-drawn, draggy. Perhaps if it had only focused on Eli's wife's murder, it would have been better instead of tying the whole thing up to the Bluff House's legend. Mainly because I thought the legend wasn't very interesting and also, it took time to set up. It was also obvious there was going to be a twist about the murderer's identity and so when it was uncovered, it didn't really feel like a twist anymore. Just a bit too obvious. Finally, I felt there were a bit too many coincidences, that things fell into place a bit too easily to make the intrigue in Whiskey Beach satisfying. It's fine to have lucky breaks, but when it all centers around one person... it's just too much :(

My Grade: B-. Whiskey Beach was not Ms Roberts' best book, but it's still one that I enjoyed quite a lot :)

Hauling Sunday CXVII

Hi everyone!

Sigh, week-end is almost over... Nooooo! Why does it go by so fast? I planned to spend the whole week-end writing reviews, building up a cache of posts... Unfortunately, it did not happen :( Mostly because I've been so tired... I spent Thursday and Friday cleaning out my new lab. As you know, I switched lab at the beginning of the year since my previous boss went back to China. While I started a new position, I had not "physically" moved to my new lab yet and it's to be done this week. But my new lab is like disgusting. There's so much junk everywhere, every drawer is full of stuff... So I wanted to de-junk the lab before I moved and jeez, it's a lot of work. Thrown out sooo much. I was so pumped up on Thursday evening that I did not go to sleep till 1am. I was tired but not sleepy... and then yesterday, went out with friends and again went to bed very late. It's kind of sad how I cannot stay up late anymore otherwise my body and mind are paying for it ^_^;

I'm also going to Annapolis in September for a wedding :) My sister and I are flying to Washington DC and then driving to Annapolis so that means renting a car... and I'm trying to figure out what insurances I need for it. Should I apply for a new credit card that includes some of the coverage? Ugh... anyone has advice? I need to call my personal car insurance to see what coverage I have, but it's soooo much mumbo jumbo! LOL. At least, I have time to figure that out...

This week was a slow week book-wise. There was another 25% off at Indigo and I went to the bookstore to see if there were any books that I wanted... and I ended up buying this one :)

Yet another Harlequin Kiss that caught my attention :) I have to say, I really do love their covers. Anyway, this one sounded interesting... hopefully, it'll be a winner!

What about you? Got any new books this week?

Hauling Sunday CXVI

Okay, so my post is once again late ^_^; And this time around, I have no clever reasoning to justify it LOL. My only excuse is laziness, as usual. Sigh. 

Anyway, here are my new precious of the week :)

As you can see, not a ton of books, but some very good ones :) I requested an eARC for The Chocolate Touch a couple of months ago because I couldn't wait to read Dominique's story, but I did order my own print copy :) Love this series, just a bit sad at the change of covers mid-way :( I also received Guardian Demon in the mail. I'm really excited about this book because it's the last one of the series, but at the same time... not a huge fan of Michael and Taylor. Finally, the big surprise of the week was receiving Omens by Kelley Armstrong, also in the mail. This one is only officially coming out next week... so let see if I can get it read and reviewed for then :P

So that was my new books this week :) What about you? Got any good books?

Review: The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand

Disclaimer: I've received The Chocolate Touch as an eARC from Netgalley
(but have bought my own copy since then :P)

The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand
published by Kensington in July 2013

Dominique Richard's reputation says it all--wild past, wilder flavors, black leather and smoldering heat. Jaime Corey is hardly the first woman to be drawn to all that dark, delicious danger. Sitting in Dom's opulent chocolaterie in Paris day after day, she lets his decadent creations restore her weary body and spirit, understanding that the man himself is entirely beyond her grasp.

Until he touches her...

Chocolate, Dominique understands--from the biting tang of lime-caramel to the most complex infusions of jasmine, lemon-thyme, and cayenne. But this shy, freckled American who sits alone in his salon, quietly sampling his exquisite confections as if she can't get enough of them--enough of him--is something else. She has secrets too, he can tell. Of course if she really knew him, she would run.

Yet once you have spotted your heart's true craving, simply looking is no longer enough...

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: Amour et Chocolat, Book #3

The Story: The Chocolate Touch starts with Jaime Corey catching Dominique Richard's attention. For a week, this thin, almost frail woman has come in Dominique's chocolate salon twice a day and has taken her time to savor his confections - soaking, absorbing Dominique it seems. When the two finally meet face to face, the magnetic pull is undeniable and is such that it can only lead to one thing...

However, both Jaime and Dominique somewhat lack self-confidence despite their successes. Jaime has spent the last few years of her life militating for fair trade chocolate, improving the practices and ethics as well as increasing its awareness. But all her hard work didn't negate the fact that she's an American heiress and as such, she never knew if the men she dated were attracted to her or her family's money and name. To make matter worse, Jaime always took pride in her work but with the recent event that occurred in Côte d'Ivoire, she is not sure she can find the courage to go back and continue... and therefore finds herself at loose ends. As for Dominique, he has demons of his own. Dominique believes in his worth when it comes to chocolate, but even the bleu, blanc, et rouge collar, proof that he is un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, cannot make him forget his origins. Dominique grew up in a rough neighborhood with a drunk as a father who sent him to work in a slaughterhouse at age twelve. All his successes cannot change the fact that he is a big man with rough edges who prefers dark leather to sophistication. As a result, each wonders if they are worthy of the other, if they could come to mean more to the other than just an affair.

Add in meddling family members, some cultural differences and communication difficulties and the road to a happy ending seems to be full of obstacles... but it is also paved with passion and chocolates :)

My Opinion: All right, I'm going to spare you the whole introduction on how big a fan I am of Ms Florand, LOL. Just know that Ms Florand won me over with her debut novel, Blame it on Paris, and the rest, as they say, was history :) I find that Ms Florand has a particular writing style; it doesn't agree with everyone as shown in Alex' review, but it sure does for me :)

At the end of The Chocolate Kiss, I did something that I rarely do: I read the excerpt for the next book, The Chocolate Touch. I knew the book would feature Dominique as the hero and I just want an inkling of what to expect... Oh boy! That excerpt sure got me hooked! As a result, as soon as I could, I requested the eARC on Netgalley LOL. And guess what? Ms Florand once again delivered :) I really, really enjoyed The Chocolate Touch. There was just something about it, about the writing that got to me. If you ask me to pinpoint it, I'd say it was the intensity of Dominique, of the romance and it totally made the book for me :) It added this oomph that as a reader, I am so often looking for. I loved how The Chocolate Touch was all about Dominique, Jaime and their romance. I loved how Jaime first caught Dominique's attention and seriously, to see such a big, rough man pining after a stranger, having a crush on her, it's just adorable LOL. And then, how Dominique tried to catch her attention, you could see how smitten it was... and it was really cute and meaningful because you know it was the first time for Dominique. The first time he fell head over heels for a woman... And I enjoyed seeing Dominique and Jaime fumbled, trying to figure their relationship out, which is something already not easy to do, but add in cultural differences and language barrier... It only makes it even sweeter that they managed it :)

I have to say, I really liked Dominique's character. I would love to meet someone like him because being in the same room, he'd be impossible to ignore. He seems to emanate a dark aura, but at the same time, he's marshmallow inside LOL. You can see it in the way he interacts with his employees, how they all walk over him :) And I really felt for him about his insecurities. I also admire him because he sought out for help to be sure he would treat his employees well and again, when he started his relationship with Jaime. Dominique will never be as sophisticated as Sylvain, but I feel he is more charismatic :) Jaime was a nice character... I didn't connect with her as much as I did with Dominique. I think that any character standing next to Dominique will pale because of the intensity factor I keep talking about and that's what happens with Jaime. Also the fact that she's at loose ends, searching for herself again doesn't help. She also had some self-esteem issues and I think they were more annoying, not as endearing as Dominique, because their backgrounds were so different. She had a privileged upbringing with a loving family, she had everything on her side while Dominique didn't... and so I think it's harder to understand why she feels the way she does. Nevertheless, I think Ms Florand did a great job with the characters development and the internalization.

I also very much enjoyed seeing the Corey family again :) The grandfather is just so funny, especially with his obsession with spinach chocolate. It was nice to see Magalie and Philippe as well. It'd be fun to get a peek of Eloise and Simon as well eventually. Another thing to love about The Chocolate Touch was Ms Florand's descriptions of chocolates, caramels and Paris. These are important elements because they are the foundation of the setting, the atmosphere that Ms Florand is creating for the series. It was actually doubly fun for me this time around because Ms Florand's inspiration for Dominique's chocolate salon and work was Jacques Genin's and I had the chance to see it all for myself last year during my trip to Paris :) For those who are curious, Ms Florand really has it spot on and those caramels... they are divine! Love them :)

Of course, The Chocolate Touch is not without flaws. My biggest issue with the book is the storyline. The book really focuses on the couple and the romance which I really liked and I personally didn't mind the lack of intrigue... However, it does feel like The Chocolate Touch lacks a bit of direction. There's mention of the Chocolate Expo at the beginning, but it doesn't occur during the storyline which I would actually have loved to see. There's also Jaime's professional future that still feels up in the air. This was an aspect that I would have liked more closure about because it's a big part of Jaime's character development. So when you combine these two missing elements, it feels like The Chocolate Touch is a bit unfinished for me.

My Grade: B+. The Chocolate Touch had some notable flaws, but it also had that oomph factor that I'm always looking for in books. It along with the intensity made up for the flaws and hence the grade :) Ms Florand seems to really have hit her stride with this series and I hope it continues on with The Chocolate Heart which comes out at the end of the year. Can't wait!

Hauling Sunday CXV

I know, I know, we are not Sunday. However, I have a long week-end and am only going back to work tomorrow, so today is like Sunday, right? :) Okay, the real truth is I did not manage to get my Week-End's Mini post ready for Saturday as I wanted, so everything was shifted ^_^; However, as I said, today is like Sunday so it works LOL.

Finally, there's been new releases!! Yes!! Seriously, publishing houses need to review their releasing schedules. Not having any new romance books in the middle of the month is practically killing me ^_^; Okay, I'm exaggerating obviously... but it seems to be inducing mini reading slumps :( I know I have a TBR pile and a pretty huge one at that, but it's always so hard to pick up a book from it. So much depends on the mood... While new releases seem to put me in the mood. Does that make sense? LOL.

So here are my new books :)

 In print:

In e-format:

Some Like it Hot and Magic Rises were both pre-orders and I'm so happy they came in promptly. I haven't been in the mood much for historical romance this year, but Love and Other Scandals' blurb caught my attention. It sounds cute and that's why I picked it up today in-store with a nice 25% off coupon. Throughout the week, Kobo offered coupons if you played their trivia game and that's how I ended up buying Her Favorite Temptation and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by nice discounts :) I'm actually quite excited for Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. I used her recipe for the vanilla ice cream and really liked its texture :) Next, I'm going to tackle the pistachio recipe! :)

What about you? Any good books to suggest?


*PS - Her Favorite Temptation by Sarah Newberry is now free on Amazon! Get it while you can :)

Week-End's Minis XXXVIII: Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery

Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery
published by Harlequin (HQN Books) in June 2013

Felicia Swift never dreamed she'd hear a deep, sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool's Gold, California. The last time Gideon Boylan whispered in her ear was half a world away...on the morning after the hottest night of her life. Her freaky smarts have limited her close friendships, and romance, but she came to Fool's Gold looking for ordinary. Gorgeous, brooding Gideon is anything but that.

Black Ops taught Gideon that love could be deadly. Now he pretends to fit in while keeping everyone at arm's length. Felicia wants more than he can give-a home, family, love-but she has a lot to learn about men...and Gideon needs to be the man to teach her.

As these two misfits discover that passion isn't the only thing they have in common, they just might figure out that two of a kind should never be split apart.

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: Fool's Gold, Book #11

What do you need to know? Let see... Our heroine, Felicia Swift, is a genius. At the age of four, her parents gave up their rights and Felicia was whisked away to an university where she studied in various fields. Later, she decided to join the military where she became a logistics expert. And now, she's settling in Fool's Gold because it is where her friend Justice Garrett is planning to open a bodyguard school along with a few buddies of theirs and because she's ready to tackle normal life.

Gideon Boylan was also part of the military, with the Special Ops. During a mission, his team got captured and he witnessed his comrades dying one by one. He's walked away physically intact, but plagued by nightmares. He's also settled in Fool's Gold, the proud owner of the radio station.

Felicia and Gideon share a past - a one-night stand that held a lot of meaning for each of them. They never expected to see each other again, especially not in Fool's Gold.  Gideon knows he's a bad bet and is not meant for long-term relationship...  but the attraction is still there, so why not enjoy each other's company? Things change though when Gideon's son - one he didn't know exist - shows up...

Why this book? As I mentioned in Breezing Through's New Releases post of June, I wanted to give this book a try because both Felicia and Gideon are newcomers to Fool's Gold and I thought it'd be an interesting perspective. Refreshing.

What did I like? I thought the beginning of Two of a Kind was really strong and showed a lot of potential for the story. I liked the characters and the fact that they had an history. Felicia's geekiness and social awkwardness were very endearing and understandable given how she grew up. She grew up in an university where everyone was older than her and obviously, she never experienced the normal rites of passage. So it was cute to see her being too blunt, blurb out facts and go on tangents. It was also fun to see her take in new challenges such as working as a barista or becoming the new festivals coordinator. Felicia really seemed to embrace life and enjoy every new experience and that was nice :) As for Gideon, his character was not as developed as Felicia, but still likable. I liked the way Gideon listened to Felicia, just listened :)

I think it would have been interesting if Felicia and Gideon didn't know each other prior Two of a Kind. Being both newcomers to Fool's Gold could have been an aspect that Ms Mallery could have focused on. However, it is not the route Ms Mallery took and the fact that they had an history also worked. They were an understanding between the two, a connection that made their romance believable and sweet.

What didn't work for me? As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed the beginning of Two of a Kind - the set up of the story. Unfortunately, while the beginning was strong, I feel the rest of the book was average. One of my biggest problems with this story was the apparition of Gideon's son, Carter. Don't get me wrong, I like kids in my romance and Carter was quite likable, but in Two of a Kind, I thought adding a son that Gideon didn't know about was an unnecessary subplot. I felt Felicia and Gideon each had enough issues to work through, they really didn't need a catalyst for their HEA ending to happen. By adding Carter, Ms Mallery suddenly derailed her set up and took the story in another direction :(

I had a few more issues such as I thought it unfortunate that Ms Mallery resorted to a cliché to rekindle Felicia and Gideon's relationship. I'm just tired of the cliché that everything with geeks turn into an experiment, especially finding love or getting into a relationship. It's really getting old and I think it's not the only way to solve social awkwardness. The ending was also a bit disappointing because of how Gideon's issues were resolved. I seriously doubt it would take only one talk with other ex-military guys for Gideon to believe he was no longer a bad long-term relationship bet. And finally, I thought there was too much sequel baiting in the series :( It's hard to find the right balance in long series about how much old characters to show, because you want the main characters to be the focus of the story. At the same time, it's annoying to know that every single character introduced over the age of 20 is a potential future characters. Let see, we already know that Ford Hendrix and Isabel Carlisle are getting their book, then there's Consuelo who's obviously going to be paired up with Kent Hendrix, Noelle Perkins - the new Christmas store owner and last of Felicia's trio, and you can be sure that all the owners of the new business in town, Score, will get their story... That's Taryn Crawford  with three ex-football players IIRC.  Oh wait, I forgot Angel, the last of the new bodyguard school's instructors! I count at least 6 other stories/books.... Sometimes, less is better. Seriously.

My Grade? C+. That's the initial grade I gave Two of a Kind when I was done reading it and I did debate lowering to a C, but in the end, I'm going to stick with my gut feeling because I feel Felicia and Gideon and the strong start of the book do deserve some recognition :P

New Releases - August!

Hi everyone :)

I'm still alive. Yay! I don't know why, but this week's social calendar was really jam-packed! Soooo busy and as a result, didn't have time to write any reviews. I had plans, but you know what happens... Also at work, I was hoping not to have to cut any tissues for a while, but I'm back on the machine :(

What I did manage though is to put up Breezing Through's New Releases post with Ames and Monroe. Take a look at what books I'm looking forward to in August! :) Here's a hint...