Guest Review - - The Comforts of Home

The Comforts of Home
By Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Berkeley
Release Date: November 1, 2011

In her third Harmony novel, Jodi Thomas pieces together the stories of characters encountered in the earlier novels and adds the stories of new characters like a master art quilter stitching together varying shapes and colors to create a picture of this Texas town and its people.

Funeral director Tyler Wright has high hopes that Major Kate Cummings, the army arson expert who has moved in and out of his life, is finally ready for their relationship to move beyond friendship. Twenty-year-old Regan Truman is forced to accept that her Uncle Jeremiah, the man who first saw value in her and gave her a home and a family, is dying. As if that weren’t heartbreak enough, her best friend (who could be more) Noah McAllen is still risking limb and life on the rodeo circuit and seems to have lost his dreams and his resilience along the way. Noah loves Regan, but his self-doubt is a barrier between them. “She was the mirror of all he could be, held up to show him how little he’d made of himself.” Meanwhile, former bad boy Brandon Biggs is a Harmony firefighter now and still has his eye on Regan.

Liz Matheson Leary is about to give birth to twins, and her husband Gabe is terrified, feeling totally unprepared for the “alien invasion.” The career of Liz’s sister Claire is flourishing. Her paintings of men barbecued over an open fire and hanged from the Empire State Building by a rope of ugly ties are selling for $20-30 thousand. Her affair with Gabe’s friend Denver Sims is flourishing too—in hotel rooms around the country, hidden away from family and friends in Harmony.

Ronelle Logan, a lonely twenty-seven-year-old so isolated that she feels as if “in all of her life she’s never met someone of her species” delivers a package to the home of newcomer Marin Winslow, a man almost as lonely as she. He makes her feel visible, the two connect, and Ronelle’s life is changed forever. Autumn Smith, pregnant and homeless, becomes one more wanderer who finds a home and friends in Harmony.

When a tornado hits the town, it twists more than trees and homes. Crises bring changes that leave some questions answered for and others to echo long after the storm has passed.

Although there are several love stories in The Comforts of Home, even one with a most atypical hero who earns an HEA, this novel is not romance. It’s not conventional women’s fiction either. It reminds me more of a good TV dramedy series with a cast of quirky characters with whom viewers fall in love and a place that feels as familiar as the small town they know best. I see Jason Alexander as Tyler Wright.

Thomas is a superb storyteller, whatever she writes, and her Harmony books are among her best work. If you’re a fan of small-town settings, heartwarming tales, and out-of-the-ordinary characters, you don’t want to miss this book. Book 4, Just Down the Road, is scheduled to be released April 3, 2012. I can’t wait. I’m hoping to learn more about Ronelle and Marty, and, of course, I want a happy ending for Regan and Noah. In the meantime, I plan to reread Welcome to Harmony, Somewhere Along the Way, and The Comforts of Home.

~Janga 

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Review -- Spider's Revenge

Spider's Revenge
Elemental Assassin Book 5
By Jennifer Estep
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: September 27, 2011







Old habits die hard for assassins.

And I plan on murdering someone before the night is through.

Killing used to be my regular gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, assassin-for-hire. And I was very, very good at it. Now, I’m ready to make the one hit that truly matters: Mab Monroe, the dangerous Fire elemental who murdered my family when I was thirteen. Oh, I don’t think the mission will be easy, but turns out it’s a bit more problematic than expected. The bitch knows I’m coming for her. So now I’m up against the army of lethal bounty hunters Mab hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister’s head. Keeping Bria safe is my first priority. Taking Mab out is a close second. Good thing I’ve got my powerful Ice and Stone magic—and my irresistible lover, Owen Grayson—to watch my back. This battle has been years in the making, and there’s a good chance I won’t survive. But if I’m going down, then Mab’s coming with me . . . no matter what I have to do to make that happen.

Gin's showdown with the evil Fire elemental Mab Monroe has been building since the first page of book one (Spider's Bite), and I have been waiting with bated breath for Gin to kill Mab, slowly and with a great deal of pain. Whew! I sound almost as bloodthirsty as Gin, but if you've read any of the books in this fantastic series you most likely feel the same way. Mab puts the 'E' in evil, and it's high time she gets what she deserves.

Gin is the Spider, and her reputation as an assassin is unparalleled. She has been patiently planning her nemesis, Mab's demise ever since Mab killed Gin's mother and sister when Gin was thirteen years old. Just like the spider she's named after, Gin knows that her patience will pay off when it comes to getting her prey. So when she blows a prime opportunity to assassinate Mab, Gin knows that she is going to have to work harder the next time...if the score of professional bounty hunters--- that Mab has brought to Ashland to hunt down Gin and her sister Bria--- don't get her before she gets Mab.

The last thing Gin wants to do is put those that she loves in danger, but they refuse to let her take on Mab alone. She is as about as tough as they come---hello, she's an assassin---but when it comes to her friends, her foster brother, her baby sister Bria, and her lover Owen Grayson, her heart is marshmallow soft. But Gin has to push those feeling deep down and become the cold-hearted, nerves-of-steel Spider if she is to defeat Mab and save those she loves from certain torture and death.

Jennifer Estep continues to serve up nonstop action and thrills in the fifth installment of her popular Elemental Assassin series---she made the New York Times bestseller list recently! I was almost certain that Spider's Revenge would be the last in this series, once Mab met her end at the hand of the Spider. That made me happy (Mab would finally be gone) and sad, because I am endlessly fascinated by Gin and the rest of the citizens of Ashland. It's a bit like opening the last present on Christmas morning---you're so happy with all that you received, but a little let down because it's all over. Well, Ms. Estep has pulled a surprise gift from the bag, like a benevolent Santa Claus; this series is not over! The last line just says it all. *g*

"My name is Gin, and I kill people."

The next book, By A Thread, will be released in March 2012 and the seventh book, Widow's Web is set to be released in September 2012. In order to get maximum enjoyment from this series, I recommend reading them in order: Spider's Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, Tangled Threads, and Spider's Revenge. I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating, this really is the best urban fantasy series out there. It is entertainment at it's best.

~ Gannon

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Guest Review - - Until There Was You

Until There Was You 
By Kristan Higgins 
Publisher: HQN 
Release Date: October 25, 2011

 

Cordelia “Posey” Osterhagen fell in love with bad boy Liam Murphy when she was fifteen and he was the bad boy with a motorcycle and guitar who was playing the lead in the fantasies of every girl in school. But Liam fell for Emma Tate, a blonde beauty from a wealthy family, and after high school followed her to California where they married.

Fifteen years later Liam has returned to Bellsford, New Hampshire. He still wears jeans and a leather jacket, still rides a motorcycle, and still raises Posey’s temperature with a single bad-boy-radiating look. Despite appearances, however, Liam has changed. He is now a widower with a teenage daughter who has her mother’s niceness and her beauty. His daughter is the most important thing in Liam’s world, and he’s not dealing well with her growing up and dating. In fact, the first time he asks Posey out, his purpose is to spy on his daughter and her date.

Posey’s life is complicated by her competitive cousin Gretchen, a celebrity chef who has moved to Bellsford and plans to renovate and reinvent Guten Tag, the old-fashioned German restaurant owned by Posey’s parents and by Posey’s reawakened interest in the birth mother who gave her away. Then there are Posey’s feelings for Liam. A word from him has a near orgasmic effect on Posey, but half the women in town, including Cousin Gretchen, are pursuing him. Posey is convinced she doesn’t have a chance.

But Liam is discovering Posey is all woman, despite the way she dresses. He finds himself thinking about her too much. If Liam can only accept that being a good father doesn’t mean giving up a life of his own, he and Posey may find their way to an HEA.

I’m a Kristan Higgins fan. Her books always make me laugh and leave me feeling that I’ve met characters I’d love to spend more time with. Until There Was You proved no exception. I smiled, I giggled, I chortled, and I guffawed. Liam’s interactions with his daughter’s boyfriend are terrific, exactly the kind of response one might expect from a former bad boy turned doting father. The elevator scene where Posey thinks Liam is having a heart attack (Actually he’s having a panic attack) is broad comedy at its best.

Once I, a woman who gains ten pounds from smelling a doughnut, forgave Posey for having a metabolism so fast that she has to eat candy bars and ice cream daily, I loved the character. She’s bright and funny and self-deprecating. I also found her job fascinating. She owns a salvage yard, Irreplaceable Artifacts, and builds architectural models of buildings that are being torn down. The only jarring note was her repeated exclamations of “Beiber” and “Holy Elvis Pressley” in lieu of swearing. I found it hard to believe a thirty-three year-old woman who expressed her sexual fantasies so freely would restrict her expletives in such a fashion—even when they are only in her head.

Liam is definitely a swoonworthy hero. To borrow a line from a country song, he’s “a real bad boy” who became “a real good man” with a high S.Q. (Sexiness Quotient) and a tender heart. Some of the best scenes are those between Liam and his daughter that show their love for each other and conflict that is part of a teen’s struggle for independence and a parent’s protective instincts. Since Higgins uses the hero’s point of view (I think for the first time), I felt as if I knew Liam in ways that I have not known her other heroes.

Posey does have a dog, Shilo, a Great Dane, but Shilo plays a lesser role than do the dogs in earlier books. Cat lovers will be pleased that felines (five) get their share of attention. Higgins gives Posey a quirky but loving family. I particularly liked her relationship with her super-intelligent surgeon brother Henry and his partner Jon, a high school home economics teacher.

I really wanted to give this book a five-star rating because there are so many things I love about it, but it has one flaw I could not get past. There are too many secondary characters. I’m a reader who prefers contexts and loves ensemble books, and one of my pet peeves is a hero or heroine who exists in a vacuum with no family or friends. But just a quick recounting allows me to list more than twenty-five characters, a number of whom serve no discernible purpose. I would have been happy to see Posey’s friend Kate and her son, whose relationship hit my ick button, omitted. Until There Was You has many of Higgins’s trademark strengths, and her fans will likely forgive the flaws. I recommend it with the caveat that readers may find themselves lost in the mix of characters at times.

~Janga

October's Hot Dish

With piercing eyes and abs just calling for you to touch them, this month's Hot Dish (model Chris W.) could be the hero in any of the romance novels we love to read. He's definitely an alpha male hero!

Do you think you could be the heroine in his story? It sure would be fun trying ;-)

~ Buffie

Review - - Holly Lane

Holly Lane
Destiny Series - Book #4
By Toni Blake
Publisher:  Avon Books
Relase Date:  October 25, 2011

Sue Ann Simpkins had the perfect marriage...or so she thought.  She and Jeff had been sweethearts since high school and their happy marriage was the kind all of their friends aspired to, until Jeff blindsided her with the news that he was in love with someone else and wanted a divorce.  Now, six months later, Sue Ann is still reeling from the betrayal while trying to hold things together for her seven year old daughter, Sophie as they face their first Christmas without Jeff.  She needs a break from the stress and lets her friends talk her into renting a cottage at the lake for a quiet weekend alone.

Adam Becker has known Sue Ann for most of their lives.  He and Jeff have been best friends since school, he was best man at their wedding and is Sophie's godfather.  The divorced dad of twin boys is not looking forward to the holidays.  The fact that his sons are spending the month of December in Colorado with their grandparents has him feeling decidedly Scrooge-like and when he arrives at the cabin he's rented for the weekend he only wants to be alone.  The last thing he expects is to discover that his cabin has been mistakenly rented to Sue Ann and there are no other vacancies.  To make matters worse, a blizzard has closed the roads, forcing Adam and Sue Ann to share the cabin and suddenly, with no warning, his eyes - and other body parts - are viewing the woman who has always been his friend - only his friend - in a whole new light.

I love the friends to lovers trope, especially when that flare of sexual attraction comes with no warning, as it does with Sue Ann and Adam. A storm may be raging outside their cabin but inside, these two sizzle.  By morning, Sue Ann knows three things:  she's never felt so desired, never had sex that good and never been so scared.  She's clearly ready for some good lovin' but, as a woman whose trust was blown to smithereens by her ex-husband, a new relationship is a whole other story.   As these two gradually get to know one another on a new level, will they discover the magic of Christmas in each other's arms?  Or will Sue Ann's fears and a revealed secret from Adam's past derail their romance before it has a chance to begin?

With each visit I make to Toni Blake's Destiny, Ohio, I can count on a richly emotional story with likable characters, appealing humor and sizzling sensuality.  HOLLY LANE is no exception.  Sue Ann and Adam are both good people who have been given a second chance at love at the most magical time of year.  Each has an individual journey to make as, together, they grow as a couple.  I especially like how Blake moves Adam along his pathway through the use of dreams past, present and future ala Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  A very sweet and endearing part of this story is the relationship between Adam and Sophie, Sue Ann's daughter, and a Christmas morning promise that had me in tears.  If I hadn't already been in love with him, that scene would have sealed the deal.

As a fan of series, one of my favorite parts of reading a third or fourth book is catching up with previously introduced characters.  In HOLLY LANE, Blake has included a heartwarming secondary story featuring Mick and Jenny, hero and heroine from ONE RECKLESS SUMMER, the first book in this series.  Other characters are featured as well although Blake does a good job of keeping the focus on the main couple throughout. 

Pick up a copy of HOLLY LANE and kick off the holiday season with another sexy, heartwarming story from Toni Blake.


~PJ

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for November! As always, there are a lot of good books coming out! Here are some of the books we're looking forward to next month. Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones?

The Next Always
By Nora Roberts


The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it's getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett's social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there's another project he's got his eye on: the girl he's been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen...


(Berkley)



*******

The Black Hawk
By Joanna Bourne


When veteran spy, Justine DeCabrillac, is attacked on a rainy London street, she knows only one man can save her: Adrian Hawkhurst, her oldest friend...her oldest enemy.

London's crawling with hidden assassins and someone is out to frame Hawker for her murder. The two spies must work together to find out who wants to destroy them.


(Berkley)



*******

Until There Was You
By Kristan Higgins

Posey Osterhagen can't complain. She owns a successful architectural salvaging company, she's surrounded by her loveable, if off-center, family and she has a boyfriend—sort of. Still, something's missing. Something tall, brooding and criminally good-looking...something like Liam Murphy.

When Posey was sixteen, the bad boy of Bellsford, New Hampshire, broke her heart. But now he's back, sending Posey's traitorous schoolgirl heart into overdrive once again. She should be giving him a wide berth, but it seems fate has other ideas...

(HQN)



*******

Scandalous Desires
By Elizabeth Hoyt

Widowed Silence Hollingbrook is impoverished, lovely, and kind--and nine months ago she made a horrible mistake. She went to a river pirate for help in saving her husband and in the process made a bargain that cost her her marriage. That night wounded her so terribly that she hides in the foundling home she helps run with her brother. Except now that same river pirate is back...and he's asking for her help.

"Charming" Mickey O'Connor is the most ruthless river pirate in London. Devastatingly handsome and fearsomely intelligent, he clawed his way up through London's criminal underworld. Mickey has no use for tender emotions like compassion and love, and he sees people as pawns to be manipulated. And yet he's never been able to forget the naive captain's wife who came to him for help and spent one memorable night in his bed...talking.

When his bastard baby girl was dumped in his lap--her mother having died--Mickey couldn't resist the Machiavellian urge to leave the baby on Silence's doorstep. The baby would be hidden from his enemies and he'd also bind Silence to him by her love for his daughter.

(Grand Central)


*******

A Most Dangerous Profession
By Karen Hawkins

AN ENTRANCING THIEF

For beautiful, seductive Moira MacAllister, the stakes have become terrifyingly high. Her daughter has been abducted and a priceless ancient relic is the ransom. Moira must acquire it at any cost, even if it means confronting the man she once duped and left, a man who still doesn't know she has a child...and that he is the father.

A DASHING RAKEHELL

Robert Hurst, an operative in the king's service, has never forgiven the mysterious spy who seduced him into marriage and then disappeared without a trace. Now, as he pursues the onyx box that will save his brother's life, their paths cross again. But Robert isn't sure which he longs for more—to satisfy his lust for revenge or to quench his relentless hunger for this bewitching woman.

A PERILOUS MISSION

When Moira reveals to Robert her long-kept secret, however, he realizes his burning desires must wait as a treacherous foe closes in, threatening all they hold dear...and their second chance at love.

(Pocket)


*******

Highlander for the Holidays
By Janet Chapman

After a brutal attack, Jessie Pringle moved to the small mountain town of Pine Creek, Maine, to start over. But she never expected to meet Ian MacKeage, who had seemingly stepped right out of the Scottish Highlands. As drawn to Ian as he is to her, Jessie finds it more and more difficult to deny her own desires...

Then, on one of her long walks through the wilderness, she meets a kindly hermit who sells her a walking stick-one imbued with a magic that may allow Jessie to finally be rid of the pain of her past, and build a future with Ian.


(Jove)



*******

Real Men Will
By Victoria Dahl

It was meant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching hot. Then Beth Cantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s the only reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild younger brother. Hiding his own identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good” one.

But passion has its own logic, and Eric finds he cannot forget the sable-haired beauty with whom he shared one night of passion. When Beth discovers that Eric has lied, however, she knows he cannot be trusted. Her mind tells her to forget the blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being did not burn to call him back.

(HQN)


*******

The Sinner
By Margaret Mallory

Alex MacDonald is known for his skill as a warrior, his prowess with women, and his vow to never take a wife. But now his chieftain has asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice: wed Glynis MacNeil, a lass famed throughout the Highlands for her exquisite beauty-and defiant ways.

Familiar with heartbreak, Glynis refuses to fall for another handsome scoundrel. Yet when Alex's past sins force an unlikely union, Glynis gives in to temptation and becomes his wife. Will their newfound passion be strong enough to fight the enemy that threatens their home, their clan, and their very lives?


(Grand Central)



*******

Baby It's Cold Outside
By Addison Fox

After a frantic call, Sloan McKinley travels to the heart of the Alaskan wilderness to be there for her best friend, who’s just inherited property in the small town of Indigo. The last thing she expects is to be lured by the town’s matriarchs into their annual contest to get their grandsons married off.

But Sloan can’t deny the appeal of the rugged local men-Walker Montgomery in particular. Soon she finds herself falling in love with the wild outdoors…and with one of Indigo’s most beloved residents. There’s just one question that remains: is the town’s most confirmed bachelor ready to get caught?

(Signet)

The Teen Menu

Welcome to the October edition of The Teen Menu. (BTW, how is it October already!?)

YA News

For those who have been waiting for e-book versions of the Harry Potter books, which were originally scheduled to be available this month on the Pottermore site, those releases have been delayed until the first half of 2012.

The Guardian ran a preview of what fans will see when the "Making of Harry Potter" exhibition opens at Leavesden Studios in England next year.

YA Reviews

This month I read Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, a book I spotted while at a book signing for a friend earlier this year. It's the story of Corrinne Corcoran, a rich girl living in New York City until the recession puts her father out of job. Suddenly, her dad has to take a job in Dubai, she has her credit cards taken way (no shopping at Barney's!), and has to move, along with her mom and little brother, in with her grandparents in Broken Spoke, Texas (aka the middle of nowhere).

The book starts with a letter to the reader from Corrinne herself. In it, she admits that at the beginning of the story you might not like her a lot. After all, she's selfish and not always nice. But she asks that you stick with the story to see what kinds of changes she undergoes. When she arrives in Broken Spoke, she's got that turned-up nose attitude about her grandparents' small, modest home, the paltry shopping and entertainment options in the little town, and the hicks she has to go to school with. But gradually, Corrinne starts to fit into her new life, even seeing some positives along the way -- be it a unexpected but true friend or a boy she could have never imagined liking before the recession turned her life upside down.

Theresa Romain Winner

The winner of a copy of SEASON FOR TEMPTATION by Theresa Romain is

MELANIE

Congratulations!  To claim your book, please send your full name and mailing address to us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com.

~PJ

New Releases winner!

The random winner of a book from my prize stash is:

TxDee

Congratulations, TxDee! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom and I'll get your book in the mail.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Animal Magnetism winner!

The random winner of a copy of Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis is:

cheryl c (comment #13)

Congratulations, Cheryl! Please send your full name and address to theromancedishATgmailDOTcom and I'll get your book in the mail.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Guest Review - Saturday Shorts

One Brave Cowboy 
By Kathleen Eagle 
Publisher: Harlequin (Harlequin Special Edition) 
Release Date: September 20, 2011

His name is Cougar. Just Cougar. He’s the latest of Kathleen Eagle’s strong, stoic Indian cowboys who need love’s healing touch. Cougar is a former soldier recently released from a VA hospital where horse therapy helped him recover from physical and psychological wounds of war. At the suggestion of his friend Sergeant Mary Tutan, he’s visiting the Double D Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota to check out the wild horse training competition run by Sally Drexler White Horse.

Cougar meets schoolteacher Celia Banyon when he almost runs down her young son Mark. He is drawn to both mother and son, two more wounded warriors even though their battleground has been a domestic one. Cougar and Celia move from friendship to love, and Cougar helps Mark bond with a horse. The breakthrough when Cougar and Celia trust one another enough to admit their love is quieter but no less powerful than the breakthrough when Mark, who has been deaf and mute since a horrific accident, names his horse Flyboy.

These are not showy characters, but their vulnerabilities and their strengths make them deeply human. They survive pain, betrayal, and broken dreams to discover a love strong enough to heal their wounds. My only disappointment in this book was that it ended too soon, making the HEA feel a bit rushed. Some of the best contemporary romances being written are category romance, and Kathleen Eagle’s books are in that company. I recommend not only One Brave Cowboy but also the other books in the series: In Care of Sam Beaudry; One Cowboy, One Christmas; Cool Hand Hank; Once a Father; and Cowboy, Take Me Away.


All That Remains
By Janice Kay Johnson
Publisher: Harlequin (Harlequin Superromance)
Release Date: October 4, 2011

Wren Fraser is on the run, hoping to find a safe place with her best friend from college, when she’s caught in a flash flood. Her car runs off the road, and she takes sanctuary in an abandoned house. She’s alone in an empty house somewhere in Arkansas, with flood waters rising and labor pains getting stronger and closer together. Retreating to the attic, she hangs a white sheet out the window and hopes help will come.

Police Detective Alec Harper has spent three days rescuing stranded people in a borrowed aluminum fishing boat. He almost skips the old Maynard house because he knows the owner is in a nursing home but decides to check it out on the chance that someone has taken shelter there. He sees the white sheet. He knows there is no way the heavily pregnant woman can make it to the boat, and so when he learns she’s in labor, he joins her in the attic and delivers her baby.

The intimacy created by this act is intensified as their isolation continues. Wren tells Alec about the father of her child, the abusive boyfriend from whom she is running, and Alec tells her that he and his ex-wife have two daughters. By the time they are rescued after several days in survivalist mode, a bond has formed between the two. When Wren finds out that her friend no longer lives in Saddler’s Mill, Alec invites her to be his guest until her identification and credit cards can be replaced. With the connection that has already been created between Wren and Alec, it’s no surprise that the two fall in love. But Wren is determined to prove she can be independent of any man, and Alec is afraid of letting anyone inside the walls he’s built to protect himself from more losses. They can build a life together only of Wren overcomes her pride and Alec overcomes his fears.

Janice Kay Johnson has been an autobuy author for me since I read her Patton’s Daughters series in 1999. I have learned that I can count on her books to give me well-developed characters with depth who confront credible challenges and are changed by their experiences. All That Remains is vintage Johnson, and I highly recommend it.

~Janga