Book Thingo » Contemporary romance

Flirting With Intent by Kelly Hunter

Kat — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Flirting With Intent by Kelly Hunter (The Wests, Book 1)

Starts off beautifully, but sizzling chemistry can’t save a couple that feels like they won’t last six months, let alone a lifetime.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

It’s no secret that, despite discovering her work only last year, Kelly Hunter is one of my favourite category romance authors. Flirting With Intent doesn’t disappoint in the writing department—it includes some beautiful, subtle scenes—but there’s just something lacking between the couple in this book.

It’s not chemistry, because from the moment Ruby Maguire and Damon West meet, the pages fairly sizzle. They embark on a high intensity, high risk affair after their attempts to flirt without intent dissolve in a blaze of kisses and hot limo sex—mostly off-page, but that doesn’t diminish Hunter’s ability to convey the passion between them.

Ruby’s father disappeared after being implicated in financial fraud, and she’s in a kind of limbo. She has a cushy job, courtesy of a Damon’s father, but it’s only a temporary gig while she recovers her equilibrium.

Damon is a computer hacker and his entire professional life is secret and possibly dodgy, depending on your ethical boundaries. He can’t offer the one thing Ruby demands even from a fling—honesty.

Up until Hunter fleshes out the internal conflicts for these characters, she had me entranced. Ruby and Damon are quick, funny and their dialogue is filled with innuendo and layers of meaning. I love that.

But the plot makes for unbelievable characters, irritating twists and, most disappointingly, a weak ending. There’s no way I can believe that a lawyer can be with an unethical hacker without it eventually destroying her career and, more likely, them ending up in gaol.

Hunter doesn’t fully explain the nature of Damon’s work, so I’m left with the impression that although he’s working for the good guys—whoever they might be—his work is shady enough that his safety is always an issue. The actual hacking methods that Damon uses are also suspect. (Some people get irritated by badly characterised sheikhs or military operatives; hackers are my pet peeve.)

Not to mention that fact that he has to involve Ruby in the shady business because she accidentally finds out what he does for a living. That’s…really not heroic, and for me it’s more problematic than the thing he later does and to which Ruby takes exception.

As for Ruby, she’s just too perfect, really. I love her character, but Damon didn’t deserve her. I felt that in their relationship, she would have to make most of the compromises.

One last thing: the story is set in Hong Kong and Sydney. Never mind that the protagonists are both Westerners—I love that Hunter explores these cities in her stories and gives them a bit of their own character.

Yay or nay?

The story starts off beautifully, but sizzling chemistry can’t save a couple that feels like they won’t last six months, let alone a lifetime.

Who might enjoy it: People who enjoyed Swordfish

Who might not enjoy it: Ethical hackers

Title: Flirting With Intent (excerpt)
Series: The Wests (Book 1)
Author: Kelly Hunter
Publisher: Mills & Boon

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Two Against The Odds by Joan Kilby

Kat — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Two Against The Odds by Joan Kilby

This book takes risks and touches on issues not often found in the romance genre, but the lack of chemistry between an unsympathetic heroine and a hero who doesn’t seem ready for a long-term commitment make this one a DNF for me.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

I wanted to like this book. There are too few older heroines in romance, and this book deals not only with a twelve-year gap between the heroine and the hero, but it tackles issues not normally found in the genre—abortion, miscarriage and tax evasion.

Rafe Ellersley is sent to audit Lexie Thatcher, an artist who hasn’t paid her taxes in four years and has so far ignored all communication with the tax office. He’s not overly enthused about his job, but he needs the money to be able to fulfil his dream of owning and running a fishing charter.

Lexie Thatcher is in the middle of a painting that she plans to enter in the Archibald Prize, but she’s experiencing painter’s block. The last thing she needs is the tax man hanging out at her place, asking her for receipts, and worrying about how much she may have to pay in back taxes and penalties.

Much is made, during their early encounters, of their attraction and their age difference. Lexie is supposed to be 38 years old, but here the writing starts to fall apart for me. She’s been painting for a while, yet she hasn’t got a handle on how to run a business. She doesn’t pay tax and ignores the tax office because it’s too stressful to handle. She doesn’t even take it seriously when Rafe appears at her doorstep. But most of all, for a woman of my generation, she sounds…like my mum. Maybe even older.

I couldn’t figure out what attracted Rafe to Lexie. She comes across as supremely annoying, and for all that she supposedly looks so young for her age—’yoga kept her firm and toned; forgetting to eat must help keep her slim’—I know people in their early twenties with a better handle on their lives.

So anyway, they end up sleeping together, and Rafe warns her that it won’t affect the result of the audit. Lexie is understandably hurt by the implication that she was trying to bribe him with sexual favours. I found it incredibly difficult to believe that Rafe is so overcome by passion that he’s willing to sacrifice his job and his dream, with the added risk of STDs when he takes Lexie’s word that she’s on birth control. I thought, Bugger this, life’s too short to keep reading a story I have zero interest in.

This is a book that doesn’t follow ye olde romance conventions. The plot points aren’t predictable and neither is the structure of the story. The ending, though happy enough, is as close to being realistic as you’re likely to get in a romance. The story delves into some deeply emotional issues; if you’ve suffered from miscarriage, keep the tissues close by. So props to Joan Kilby for taking so many risks in this one book.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t pull it off. Lexie is an annoying heroine who lacks self-awareness. She’s also excruciatingly stereotyped—an artist who has no head for business, subscribes to new age practices, works herself to exhaustion and loves cats and children. Every creative person I know issues receipts and pays taxes. And if they do take under-the-table cash payments? No one hears about it—especially not the tax man.

Rafe isn’t ready for a commitment and I have no idea what kind of life he envisages with Lexie. He seems like a more realistic and three-dimensional character, but unfortunately, the plot conspires to underscore how young he is and how unprepared he is for marriage and family. Rafe’s character also comes across as inconsistent. He’s apparently a great accountant, but instead of working for a private firm he’s at the tax office, which, I’m assuming, pays nowhere near the same, with the added bonus that he can audit corporations rather than single mothers and artists struggling to make ends meet.

This book was DNF for me, although I skimmed through the rest of the book to check if I might be able to pick up the story at a more interesting place. No such luck.

Yay or nay?

Who might enjoy it: Readers who love heroines who wear peasant skirts

Who might not enjoy it: Tax office employees

Title: Two Against The Odds (excerpt)
Series: Summerside Stories (Book 3)
Author: Joan Kilby
Publisher: Mills & Boon Special Moments

One Good Reason by Sarah Mayberry

Kat — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

One Good Reason by Sarah Mayberry & Feels Like Home by Beth Andrews

A dramatic story with moments that will break your heart. Unfortunately, the hero’s emotional catharsis is rushed and the the resolution doesn’t match the story’s earlier promise.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

Gabby Wade has held a torch for her boss and best friend Tyler Adamson for four years. Unfortunately, Tyler is now very happily married—and we know it’s for read and for good because Australian author Sarah Mayberry wrote his story in The Last Goodbye (Mills & Boon Super Romance). When Tyler’s elder brother, temporarily home for reasons unknown, mistakes her for a lesbian it’s the last straw. Gabby gets spectacularly drunk…and realises that she’s been going through a long period of heartbreak and grief.

Jon Adamson is helping Tyler out with his furniture business while coming to grips with their father’s death. They come from an abusive family and Jon is wracked with grief that he didn’t do enough to protect Tyler from their violent father.

Gabby and Jon immediately feel a connection when they meet, but it’s a slow burn and they both need to face some truths before they can even acknowledge the possibility of accepting a new relationship, no matter how temporary. Gabby guards her independence fiercely, and Jon’s instinct to protect those around him tends to irritate rather than charm her.

But Gabby isn’t invulnerable, and when she gradually lets Jon into her life—her private life, not just her life at work where she spends most of her time—they begin a passionate though fragile relationship. But Jon still has a lot healing to do, and his heart isn’t quite ready to fully open up. Gabby, however, has been through this before, and she’s unwilling to give her heart fully to someone who isn’t capable of risking his heart for her.

It’s to Australian author Sarah Mayberry’s credit that even when her books haven’t been to my taste, I still appreciate her craftsmanship and enjoy some—if not all—aspects of the story. All the characters in this story and their way of speaking with each other ring true—including all instances in which ‘mate’ is used, I’m relieved to say. Gabby is charming and complex, and Mayberry isn’t precious about Tyler. He’s almost always seen from Gabby’s perspective and doesn’t always come across as worthy of being a romantic hero.

Jon is tormented for most of the book, and although I was affected by his struggle to work through his guilt, I found this part of the novel somewhat…dull. It felt repetitive and rushed and forced and, yes, I skimmed through to the end. This should have been a longer story, based on where Mayberry starts with Jon’s character. There’s a lot for him to work through, and although the author starts off with a lot of unspoken longings, I felt that subtlety is eventually sacrificed to fit the happy ending within the word count.

The other aspect of the story that bothered me a lot was Gabby’s previous relationship with Tyler. This was no mere fling—she was with him for three years before ending it because of his lack of emotional commitment. The thought that the hero’s brother knows the heroine intimately and has seen her naked was, at best, distracting. To Mayberry’s credit, she eventually addresses the issue through Jon’s point of view. Still. It was very distracting.

Yay or nay?

One Good Reason is a dramatic story with moments that will break your heart. Unfortunately, the hero’s emotional catharsis is rushed and the the resolution doesn’t match the story’s earlier promise.

Who might enjoy it: Readers who love a slow, romantic start and a dramatic finish

Who might not enjoy it: Readers who would find the notion of a hero ending up with his brother’s ex-girlfriend more than a little distracting

This book is connected to The Last Goodbye (Mills & Boon Special Moments, April 2011), which tells the story of Jon’s brother, Tyler.

Title: One Good Reason (excerpt)
Author: Sarah Mayberry
Publisher: Mills & Boon Blush (11/2011)

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Heart Of The Desert by Carol Marinelli

Kat — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Heart Of The Desert by Carol Marinelli

A beautifully written story—the sheikh romance for readers who hate sheikh romances. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read in the Mills & Boon Sexy line.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

I’ve never reviewed a Carol Marinelli book, but I’ve tried the author’s work twice; both times were DNF, and I didn’t pick up another one of hers again until I started reading Heart Of The Desert, a sequel to her 2009 M&B Medical, Secret Sheikh, Secret Baby. It’s an absolute keeper.

Georgie Anderson almost had a one-night stand with her brother-in-law, Prince Ibrahim Zaraq, but she turned him down at the last minute and harsh words were exchanged. So when they end up back at Zaraq at the same time, it’s all they can do to be civil to each other.

A series of events finds them stranded in the desert—the desert that haunts Ibrahim and seduces Georgie. But Ibrahim is the third prince of Zaraq, and he’s bound by rules and customs that will never accept Georgie in his life even though each of them knows they may never find anyone else who will understand and accept them so completely.

Heart Of The Desert is a beautifully written book, with a lyricism I don’t often find in category romance—or any contemporary romance for that matter. Forget what you know or think of sheikh romances because this is nothing like that. Despite small misunderstandings and the occasional petulant outburst from each of the protagonists, the conflicts in this story are largely internal and deeply poignant.

One of the criticisms I tend to have about category romance is the lack of subtlety in the writing, and I recognise that this is partly a result of the reduced word count. In Heart Of The Desert, Marinelli resists the impulse; for the most part, the story is almost excruciatingly restrained without being obscure. I’m not sure if this is because some of the events alluded to were covered in the previous book (featuring Georgie’s sister and one of Ibrahim’s brothers). This may be a problem for readers who expect a more straightforward approach to backstory—some details of Georgie and Ibrahim’s past issues remain frustratingly unrevealed—but I freaking loved it. In this scene, for example, Marinelli hints at Georgie’s previous eating disorder while increasing the emotional stakes for both protagonists:

‘I don’t like goat’s cheese.’

‘Neither do I,’ Ibrahim said, ‘when it is from a high-street store. Try it.’ He held it to her mouth and it was a gesture Georgie usually could not tolerate. Despite her healing, still there were boundaries and unwittingly he had crossed one. He held the morsel to her lips, told her what she should eat, only his black eyes caressed her as they did so, and there was, for the first time in this situation, the absence of fear.

Having never been to the Middle East, I’m not the best judge of how faithfully Marinelli captures the subtlety of the culture (fictional country notwithstanding). Suffice it to say that the setting felt well-researched and presents the exoticism of the locale while avoiding the tendency to exaggerate its charms. Marinelli doesn’t ignore the hardships of adapting to a foreign culture, albeit almost solely from a white Western female’s perspective.

Despite the exotic setting—How many of us have been through a sandstorm?—there’s an emotional honesty to the characters that just made me weep. This isn’t just about a sheikh and an ingénue from the West. Georgie and Ibrahim’s story is really about two people who need each other desperately but whose relationship is forever at odds with their obligations to their families and to themselves—something almost every one of us can relate to.

But perhaps what I love most about Heart Of The Desert is that Ibrahim was a continual surprise. When I thought he’d be a boor, he became tormented. When I expected aggression, he showed controlled passion. I was totally in love with him.

It was almost the same as it had once been, this charge, this pull, that propelled him to her, and she wanted to give in and run, to cross the club and just run to him, but instead she stood there, shivering inside as he came back to her, rare tears in her eyes as he bent his head and offered words she’d neither expected nor sought.

‘I apologise.’

And she couldn’t say anything, because she’d have wept or, worse, she’d have turned to him, to the mouth that she’d craved for so long now.

‘Not for all of it, but for some of the things I said. You’re not…’ His voice was husky. He did not have to repeat it, the word had been ringing in her ears for months now. ‘I apologise.’

‘Thank you.’ Somehow she found her voice. ‘I’m sorry too.’

She was.

Every day.

Every hour.

She was sorry.

And then he turned away and she could not stand to watch him leave a second time so she took her seat instead.

The story does have its weaknesses. The use of mysticism of massage to express Georgie and Ibrahim’s deepening connection doesn’t work well. Marinelli tries to do too much with this and it feels painfully contrived—a jarring note in an otherwise restrained book; fortunately, it only happens a couple of times.

I mentioned the petulance, the biggest of which is Ibrahim’s dummy spit towards the end of the book. In this case, Marinelli’s soft touch works against the story because it’s not always clear why Ibrahim is being so combative. Even by the end of the book, his emotional crisis has to be unpacked by the reader based on subtle cues.

The epilogue, while not unexpected, resolves external conflicts much too conveniently and serves to diminish some of the hard decisions that Ibraham and Georgie have had to make. It’s satisfying, but even if not everything had fallen into place I felt that Georgie and Ibrahim would not only make it, but that they’d have a wonderful life together.

Yay or nay?

Heart Of The Desert is a beautifully written story—the sheikh romance for readers who hate sheikh romances. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read in the Mills & Boon Sexy line.

Who might enjoy it: People who love a thrilling, angsty rollercoaster romance

Who might not enjoy it: Skeptics

This book is connected to Secret Sheikh, Secret Baby (published under the Medical line in 2009), which tells the story of Georgie’s sister and Ibrahim’s brother.

Title: Heart Of The Desert (excerpt)
Author: Carol Marinelli
Publisher: Mills & Boon
Australia: 9781742778259 (8/2011)
UK: 9780263886726 (7/2011)
US: 9780373130207 (20/9/2011)
Ebook: 9781742907666 (8/2011)

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Innocent In The Ivory Tower by Lucy Ellis

Kat — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Innocent In The Ivory Tower by Lucy Ellis

When this book gets good, it’s, oh, so very good. Alexei and Maisy may reflect the traditional alpha male and ingénue pairing in category romance, but they don’t always behave as expected. And that’s a good thing.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

This book is the reason I try to read past a bad beginning to get to the meat of a story. Maisy Edmonds has been left caring for her best friend’s baby, Kostya, when she and her husband die in an accident. When the house suddenly explodes with strange men, it’s all she can do to convince Alexei Ranaevsky that Kostya needs her.

Alexei is Kostya’s godfather and he takes his role seriously. So much so that without any warning whatsoever, he storms the house where the baby is living, agrees to bring Maisy with him to provide some constancy in the baby’s life…and proceeds to pash her when he accidentally but conveniently walks in while she’s clad in nothing but a towel.

First of all…WTF? Second, when a man barges into your house looking like he’s about to take the baby in your care, then forces you to be ready to join them, who the hell takes the time to have a shower? No, you find a phone and call the goddamn police.

Anyway.

If you can slog through that ridiculously over-the-top premise, you won’t be sorry, because the story is actually quite lovely, and Alexei generally comes across as someone who understands Maisy and wants the best for her.

Yes, there are times when Alexei verges into uber-alpha male domain, but author Lucy Ellis (who used to write as Lucy Snowe) pulls him back before he goes too far. There are some gorgeous moments in this book, and the book had me hooked after a scene in which Maisy throws Alexei’s accusations that she’s dressing up for the local men back in his face, and instead of acting like a petulant brat as I was expecting, he walks away. He sees through her bravado: ‘She was taunting him because he’d offended her. She didn’t mean to push his buttons. But she had.’

I’ll be honest. There are some odd notes in the dialogue, the plot and the characters, but none big enough to dampen my enjoyment of the story or my fondness for this couple. I think what I disliked most was a kind of underlying stereotype about how men and women behave—’”If you leave it to the men they’ll never be ready,’ said [Alexei's housekeeper]. ‘They always need a little nudge.”‘—but I’ll be the first to admit that this is poor criticism given that the book is published under Mills & Boon’s Sexy imprint.

And Maisy isn’t always your typical naive heroine. She shows flashes of naughtiness and humour that are just delightful. When Alexei invites her to fix herself up, Maisy wonders if, with enough force, the soap dish would crack his skull. When she has an orgasm after some vigorous but non-penetrative activity, she’s mortified that she’s used Alex as a sex toy.

But my favourite scene is an intimate one, and it’s writing like this that lures me back to category romance, time and time again:

Maisy hung on to him, but she had gone very still and quiet inside. Her instincts were telling he something and she didn’t want to hear it right now. Easier just to take him at his word. But those words settled like stones in her belly.

This was her power over him. This was what she used for leverage. She had just manipulated a situation her way with sex. Those games he had tried to play with her early on and quickly given up she had now instigated as her own, however unconsciously [sic].

But something about this relationship—probably to do with how it started, the imbalances between them and Alexei’s history—was changing her. Changing them.

She didn’t want to be this woman. She didn’t want to be this way with Alexei. She wanted honest, and real, and for him to love her. The realisation flashed with neon clarity across her mind. She was in love with him.

Yay or nay?

Skim through the beginning, because when this book gets good, it’s, oh, so very good. Alexei and Maisy may reflect the traditional alpha male and ingénue pairing in category romance, but they don’t always behave as expected. And that’s a good thing.

Who might enjoy it: Category romance tragics

Who might not enjoy it: Readers who expect a realistic plot

This book is part of a connected series featuring Alexei’s friends—all Russian heroes who grew up together in an orphanage. Unfortunately, I can’t find a complete list of titles and order of release. I think Innocent In The Ivory Tower is the third book, because it features two other couples who, I’m assuming, got their story in previous books. But I could be wrong!

Title: Innocent In The Ivory Tower
Author: Lucy Ellis
Publisher: Millls & Boon

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Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl

Kat — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl (Tumble Creek, Book 3)

The heroine’s struggle for self-acceptance may get a little dull, but a sexy hero, some hilarious dialogue and the snappy writing make this book a delight to read.

Lead Me On is the third book in a connected series set in Tumble Creek, Colorado, although the plot and characters stand alone and there’s absolutely no reason you couldn’t read them out of order.

Jane Morgan has changed her name and appearance to shed any trace of her troubled childhood, and the last thing she wants is a man like Chase—not only does he blow things up for a living, he’s inked and clearly so far away from the conservative, suited up man she’s looking for that she really should never have called him while tipsy.

Chase agrees to be Jane’s birthday present to herself—despite the prim demeanour, she’s completely uninhibited in the bedroom—he’s outraged when she sneaks off while he’s in the shower.

I love the way Victoria Dahl sets up these two characters. Jane, with her insecurities and snobbiness, could have been irritating if not for the humour and passion that Dahl provides. Chase is a hero to swoon over. He looks like a bad boy and used to be somewhat of a bad boy, but by the time the story starts, he’s in the right place in his life to be the dependable and patient guy that Jane needs.

It turns out that Jane’s mum used to chase after men in prison for life, and Jane refuses to be like her mum. She was also pretty wild as a teenager, and after an incident that changed her, Jane is determined never to be that girl again.

Of course, Chase is the perfect guy for her. He’s just bad enough to push her buttons, but mature enough not to be a destructive force in her life. I love that he calls her out on ‘being fucking rude’ and treating him ‘like a worthless piece of garbage’ after their first encounter. I love that he gets angry with her, but doesn’t issue ultimatums and believes in Jane enough to give her space to work it out in her head and in her heart.

Dahl reverses some typical romance roles in this book. Jane is the one who insists on a casual relationship, and she’s the one who initiates the booty calls. Chase is first to recognise and admit his deepening feelings for Jane, and he’s the one who attempts to seduce her into capitulating—by withholding sex and then shaving his head so his tattoos stand out.

Jane snatched up the phone and flipped it open. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t call him, but here was a way around that.

Pulling up his number, she typed out a text message.

Want to come over?

She counted to ten. Then counted again. Then she set her phone down and walked away from it to make it beep. It worked. Jane raced back and picked it up.

Dinner? A walk? It’s a beautiful evening.

She scowled at the screen.

No, just here.

This time she didn’t put it down—she only glared and waited, tapping her foot. Finally her answer arrived.

Thank you, but no. Have a good nite.

‘Oh, you bastard,’ she huffed, tossing the phone onto the couch. ‘What kind of man refuses sex?’

Jane’s journey to self-acceptance is a little heavy-handed at times, but Chase provides a good foil for these moments. Still, I would have preferred her to develop more gradual sense of awareness rather than an epiphany that felt contrived and banal.

The secondary characters in the story don’t get much character development, so they tend to seem like cardboard cutouts, particularly Jane’s ex-boyfriend. To Dahl’s credit, though, the external plot doesn’t detract from the romance.

One last thing: I love a hero who never forgets to use a condom. There’s a fantastic scene in this book where Chase is tempted to go without, and Jane pretty much gives him permission, but he controls himself enough to get the thing done. With much swearing involved. I also love a hero who knows when it’s appropriate to say adult words.

Yay or nay?

The heroine’s struggle for self-acceptance may get a little dull, but a sexy hero, some hilarious dialogue and the snappy writing make this book a delight to read.

Who might enjoy it: Readers who like sexual confident heroes and heroines

Who might not enjoy it: Prison groupies

Title: Lead Me On (excerpt)
Series: Tumble Creek (Book 3)
Author: Victoria Dahl
Publisher: HQN/Harlequin

One Perfect Night by Rachael Johns

Kat — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:00:31 +0000

One Perfect Night by Rachael Johns

Gets off to a great start but plateaus when the conflicts are piled on to sustain the tension. It doesn’t always work, but there’s enough here for a quick, enjoyable read.

This review is part of the AWW2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Click here for a list of books I’ve read so far.

As many of you know, I’m always a little wary of romances featuring Australian characters because, well, they can be done so, so badly. Rachael Johns’s debut novel, One Perfect Night, is set in Sydney and features heroine Peppa Grant, who has a one-night stand with the company CEO, Cameron McCormac, after she dings his car and has to pay him back by pretending to be his date.

Oh, it’s a short-length romance. You know how it is.

Despite the far-fetched premise, One Perfect Night starts off at a good pace, with, I was relieved to discover, an unobtrusive Aussie voice. Yes, it’s difficult to imagine a Lamborghini zipping around in the city—not that it doesn’t occur, but culturally, it seems to me that driving such an upmarket car would generally be considered a little…wankerish—and most people give up their bomby VW Beetle obsession by the time they graduate from uni, but whatever. I suppose they’re supposed to symbolise his wealth and her free spirit. Or something. At least Peppa didn’t walk around in peasant skirts all day. And anyone from Sydney knows that it’s not the Lamborghini that matters—it’s the underground parking space in the city.

Unfortunately, the plot plateaus halfway through the book. The employee/boss relationship between the main characters is touched on but doesn’t provide enough tension, so the conflicts between the characters are largely external. Peppa is mourning her recent discovery that she is unlikely to ever conceive children; Cameron is still mourning the loss of his wife. It all becomes too melodramatic and predictable.

While it’s great to see a hero who’s had a healthy relationship and, more importantly, acts like he knows how to be in one, Cameron’s internal struggle to let go of his dead wife doesn’t always inspire sympathy. By the same token, the too-happy resolution to Peppa’s conflict, while not unexpected, certainly doesn’t feel realistic.

Yay or nay?

Gets off to a great start but plateaus when the conflicts are piled on to sustain the tension. It doesn’t always work, but there’s enough here for a quick, enjoyable read.

Who might enjoy it: Drivers of bomby cars they can’t bear to part with

Who might not enjoy it: Readers who want realistic portrayals of infertility

Title: One Perfect Night (excerpt)
Author: Rachael Johns
Publisher: Carina Press
Ebook: 9781426892912 (19/12/2011)

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A Stormy Greek Marriage by Lynne Graham

Kat — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0000

A Stormy Greek Marriage by Lynne Graham (The Drakos Baby, Book 2)

Books like this are the reason I stopped reading category romance in my mid-20s. I hope I don’t come across too many more of them in the near future. DNF.

I have five more titles in my Lynne Graham glom pile, but I’m not sure I can bear to go on. On one hand, I knew getting into this book that Graham writes domineering heroes of the 80s alpha kind. I thought I could cope with it, but this book is such a trainwreck I gave up halfway through.

Surprisingly for a category romance, this is part two of a series. (Perhaps Graham should have just written a full length book, did anyone think of that?) The back story is explained well enough to get the gist—I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be prepared to slog through an entire book to basically learn that Alexei finally slept with his personal assistant, Billie, taking her virginity. She’s pined for him in secret but felt she was no match for the dazzling beauties that naturally flock to her rich, handsome boss.

Unfortunately, Alexei tripped and hit his head and managed to conveniently forget the two nights they were together. More unfortunately for Billie, the oblivious Alexei tried to rekindle a childhood romance as Billie coped with the consequences of their nights together—yes, the old secret baby.

Anyway, back to this book. Billie and Alexei ended up together at the end of book one, but on their wedding night at the start of book two, Alexei magically divines that Billie is no virgin. He’s enraged and walks out on her. Or so she thinks. He doesn’t think it was walking out. More like having a tantrum because she lied. Except she tells him the truth about their child, Nicky, and he thinks it’s a lie. DNA is taken, Alexei realises she was telling the truth, but even then Graham refuses to bestow any sort of power on the heroine.

When Billie threatens to divorce Alexei, he whisks Nicky off to a different country, deliberately making Billie think he’d been kidnapped. Way to go to convince a woman to spend the rest of her life with you and her son. There’s nothing redeeming about a man who lets his wife think he’s kidnapping their son to convince her not to get a divorce.

At that point I put the book down. In many ways, I can see the appeal of Graham’s story to an older generation of women and in women today who are products of different cultures, who may have had to endure marriages rife with infidelity, lies and an enormous imbalance of power. I feel sorry for them, and a book like A Stormy Greek Marriage may be a way to express their frustrations while providing a glimmer of hope that love and dedication and faith might result in a happy ending.

But I’m not from that generation, and Alexei’s actions are abhorrent to me. A man who refuses to listen to someone he purports to love, who puts the principle of honesty before compassion by refusing to listen to her explanations, is not a hero in my mind. He’s an immature bully undeserving of the wealth and power and good looks with which fate—or the author—has gifted him.

Yay or nay?

Books like this are the reason I stopped reading category romance in my mid-20s. I hope I don’t come across too many more of them in the near future. DNF.

Who might enjoy it: Martyrs

Who might not enjoy it: Potential paperweight targets

This book is no longer in print.

Title: A Stormy Greek Marriage
Series: Drakos Baby (Book 2)
Author: Lynne Graham
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon
Australia (Sexy): 9781742787879 (10/2010)
UK (Modern) 9780263878332 (20/4/2010)
US (Presents): 9780373129577 (16/11/2010)

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Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham

Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham

Kat — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham (Pregnant Brides, Book 2)

There’s nothing earth-shattering about this story. I didn’t hate the hero or the heroine, but that might be damning with faint praise.

Back in my 20s, I would have loved this book. This may be spoilery to some readers—although if you regularly read in this Mills & Boon line it would amaze me if any of this surprises you—but Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife features a tycoon hero who borders on misogyny, a contract marriage, a virgin heroine, an accidental pregnancy and a Small Misunderstanding.

But as far as these things go, Lynne Graham does a decent enough job with the plot. Sergei Antonovich was saved from a troubled childhood by his grandmother, and as she gets older he wants to give her what he knows would make her happy—a grandchild.

As you do when you’re insanely rich but scarred by a money-grubbing first wife and young hotties forever flashing their cleavage in exchange for your wad (of cash, people!), Sergei sets up a business arrangement to acquire a wife and child.

Alissa Bartlett discovers that her identical twin, Alexa, entered an agreement to marry a rich Russian guy—in Alissa’s name. Their mother desperately needs the money, and when Alexa can’t go through with the bargain, Alissa reluctantly agrees to fulfil the obligations of the contract.

Graham tries to give Alissa a little more backbone that your typical mistress-but-for-the-marriage-contract heroine. Despite her attraction to Sergei, she’s indignant when he assumes she’ll just make out—and eventually have sex—with him as he pleases. Unfortunately, Alissa tips into TSTL (too stupid to live) territory when she fails to read the contract that her sister signed. Wouldn’t that be the first thing you do before agreeing to go through with a contract marriage? Heaven help her if she ever decides to take out a mortgage.

Anyway, she’s in for a very rude shock when she learns that pregnancy is part of the deal. Sergei is equally shocked and angry at being duped, and his only capitulation is to hold off on the baby-making while emphasising the mistress part of the bargain.

It all comes to a head in a big dramatic scene where Alexa goes completely loopy—seriously, I couldn’t believe she and Alissa were related, let alone twins—the Small Misunderstanding is resolved and the epilogue gives everyone what they so clearly deserve, with the possible exception of Alissa’s dad.

All this while I was sitting in a bus, stuck in peak-hour traffic. That’s what category romance is for.

Yay or nay?

There’s nothing earth-shattering about this story. I didn’t hate the hero or the heroine, but that might be damning with faint praise.

Who might enjoy it: Readers who also enjoy daytime soapies

Who might not enjoy it: Family Court solicitors

This book is no longer in print.

Title: Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife (excerpt)
Series: Pregnant Brides (Book 2)
Author: Lynne Graham
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon
Australia (Sexy): 9780733598654 (2/2010)
UK (Modern) 9780263877533 (12/2009)
US (Presents): 9780373128921 (2/2010)

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A Stormy Greek Marriage by Lynne Graham

With This Fling… by Kelly Hunter

Kat — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:00:00 +0000

With This Fling... by Kelly Hunter

This book proves that finely tuned character development and emotional honesty can turn even the most maligned clichés in romance fiction not just into an enjoyable read, but a story worth savouring.

The more I read Kelly Hunter’s work, the more I admire how well she’s able to make each couple and each story fresh, interesting and fun.

With This Fling… features what seems to be Hunter’s favourite type of heroine—a rich one. Charlotte Greenstone invents a fiancé to reassure her dying godmother that she won’t be alone. When said fiancé fails to turn up at the funeral, Charlotte concocts a story in which he’s killed in the wilds of Papua New Guinea.

But in series of spectacular coincidences, she finds herself in possession of Grey Tyler’s, well, office. Her fictional fiancé is not only not dead, he’s back from PNG, he’s hot and it seems he may just have need of a fictional girlfriend of his own.

If you’re looking for an elaborate external plot, you’re in for disappointment. With This Fling… is romance distilled. The conflicts in this story are all from within. Even secondary characters only serve to get Charlotte and Grey questioning what it is they truly want and hold dear.

Grey is a biologist whose life is all about pursuing research opportunities all over the world. Charlotte is an archaeologist who grew up travelling all over the world, and she’s determined to put down roots. Knowing their plans for the future are diametrically opposed, Charlotte and Grey agree to a short-term affair. Of course, it gets very complicated very quickly.

Hunter excels in this kind of setup—intense, passionate and with an increasing sense of desperation as the hero and heroine begin to realise what it’ll cost them to let the other go. But even as they go through heartache, their interactions include a certain playfulness that underscores their growing affection for each other.

‘There are benefits to having a man around the house that you haven’t even dreamed of yet,’ he said.

‘Oh, really?’

‘Oh, yes.’

‘We’ll see.’ She leaned against the door, more relaxed than he’d seen her all evening. ‘Do you cook?’

‘Not often, but I hunt and I can gather.’

‘Do you clean?’

‘No, but I do appreciate a tidy house.’

‘Do you iron?’

‘That’s what laundry services are for.’

‘Do you mow?’ she asked silkily.

‘What? And do a groundsman out of his job?’

‘Greyson, you’ve spent the last dozen or so years living out of a suitcase, eating hotel food and answering to no one. You’re not even housebroken. I’d go easy on the promises of domestic bliss if I were you.’

‘If you say so, dear,’ he murmured. ‘Little phrase I picked up picked up from my father. Like it?’

‘Yes, but it’s a little early in the relationship for weary resignation, don’t you think? You need to keep that in reserve.’

There are certain plot points that are, admittedly, a tad contrived, but there’s so much delicious angst in this story that even the most eyeroll-inducing Mills & Boon cliché—hello, accidental pregnancy!—surprised me. (This can’t possibly be a spoiler because it’s right there on the cover.) To Hunter’s credit, she refrains from dragging out the oh-look-she’s-feeling-nauseated-maybe-she-has-a-tummy-bug moment and just forces her characters to face the issue.

I do wonder what the UK Riva cover is about. This book has nothing to do with diamonds and there’s no way a field scientist would ever need to wear as much make-up as that cover model does.

Yay or nay?

This book proves that finely tuned character development and emotional honesty can turn even the most maligned clichés in romance fiction not just into an enjoyable read, but a story worth savouring.

Who might enjoy it: Scientists and heiresses

Who might not enjoy it: Readers who like heroes in suits

Title: With This Fling… (excerpt)
Author: Kelly Hunter
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon
Australia (Sexy): 9781742907154 (2/2011)
UK (Riva): 9780263883619 (1/2011)
USA (Presents): 9780373528196 (6/2011)

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