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MASTERED by Maya Banks

December 29, 2015

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The Enforcers #1

Evangeline is struggling to make ends meet. When her first serious boyfriend dumps her, her friends arrange for her to get all dressed up and go to a fancy club on a VIP pass. The bouncer doesn’t want to let her in but has no choice, and of course she runs smack into the ex, who treats her abominably. Some of the staff come to her rescue.

Drake Donovan keeps an eye on his establishment via security cameras, sees the fracas and is immediately entranced with Evangeline. He asks his bouncers to bring her upstairs to him and one thing leads to another, and Drake falls hard for his “Angel.”

Drake is a dominant and introduces Evangeline to the lifestyle very slowly. He buys her extravagant gifts and helps her family out, and she falls in love with him. Until the night he brings some business associates home…and Evangeline disobeys him, leading to a shocking ending.

The next book in the trilogy, Dominated, doesn’t comes out until May and hopefully will resolve the cliffhanger. Maya Banks’ fans (and Fifty Shades fans) will love this.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MASTERED by Maya Banks. Berkley (December 29, 2015). ISBN 978-0425280652. 368p.

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THE LAST ORIGINAL WIFE by Dorothea Benton Frank

December 27, 2015

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I have been hearing about this author for years and finally picked up a book at random. It was a quick read, and an enjoyable one. Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry, a place I’ve never been that is described so beautifully, I can’t wait to go.

Wes and Les have been married forever and live in Atlanta, Georgia. They have two grown children who are making their way in the world, albeit not in the most positive ways.

Wes is a domineering and secretive husband with a bit of a temper. Not abusive, at least not physically, but certainly demanding and shouty. Les has been a stay at home mom and housewife for all of their marriage, just the way Wes wants it. They belong to the local country club and the two couples they’ve been closest with have undergone some changes. Harold left Danette for a much younger woman, and Paolo’s wife died, and he’s with another much younger woman. Les has nothing in common with these women, making their couple time together uncomfortable at best.

Les’s brother Harlan is gay and lives in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where Les grew up. Wes is completely homophobic and has forbidden Les from having her brother stay with them or even visiting him. One day at the club, the two young trophy wives get into a cat fight, and Wes yells at Les for “allowing” it. She is pissed, leaves the club and goes home.

Les finds the file cabinet open that her husband has always kept locked, and starts looking around. She is dumbfounded to find a financial statement in both their names with a balance of over $22,000,000. Her husband leases a new Mercedes every few years, but Les has been driving used cars and scrimping and saving for years, never realizing how wealthy they were because her husband never told her. She really loses it then and decides to run away from home.

Les goes home to her brother, who is off to Italy for a month. She spends some time alone, and then with an old high school boyfriend. Learning about the deception in her marriage forces Les to do quite a bit of soul searching, with interesting results. And she rekindles her relationship with her brother.

It was refreshing to read about a woman who was turning 60 and still had a life. I enjoyed this and will be reading more of this author.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE LAST ORIGINAL WIFE by Dorothea Benton Frank. William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 1, 2014). ISBN 978-0062132475. 368p.

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THE DUKE’S DISASTER by Grace Burrowes

December 26, 2015

Noah Winters is the Duke of Anselm, and he promised his parents that he would marry by his 32nd birthday, which is rapidly approaching. He has been courting Marliss, but after several weeks she agrees to marry someone else. Noah does not want to dishonor his parents’ memory, so he asks Marliss’ companion, Lady Thea Collins, to marry him. She has been chaperoning him and Marliss and he feels comfortable with her.

Lady Thea has also lost her parents. She cares for her younger sister and her brother, who is old enough to take care of himself but instead is just running wild, leaving Lady Thea to negotiate her own wedding agreement. She is reluctant to marry the Duke, but he sweetens the pot by agreeing to allow her younger sister to live with them and to give her a good dowry, and that is enough for Lady Thea.

These two virtual strangers marry and then learn to love one another. Beginning with a proposal was a really interesting twist on the romance genre, and watching this couple learn about each other and fall in love was truly heart warming. I loved it.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE DUKE’S DISASTER by Grace Burrowes. Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 7, 2015). ISBN 978-1492605300. 448p.

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CONFESS by Colleen Hoover

December 19, 2015

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This is ostensibly an adult book, or the “New Adult” sub-genre that gets mashed in with the regular romances, but it really felt like a young adult book to me. The main characters are barely 21 (in fact one turns 21 half way through) and it starts when she is 15 years old.

Auburn has recently moved to Texas from Portland and is not very happy. She’s working as a hairstylist, but hates it and isn’t very good at it. She’s looking for a part time job when she sees a sign go up in an art gallery she passes on her way home from work.

Owen is the young artist in residence. People leave anonymous confessions in his mailbox, and when inspiration strikes, he creates paintings based on the confessions. He is talented enough to have a following and his own gallery, which he opens once a month.

Owen is desperate for help since his girlfriend/employee quit on him and the job right before his opening. So when Auburn inquires he immediately hires her for the staggering sum of $100/hour. They have immediate chemistry, and book follows their budding romance, alternating their point of view each chapter so we get to hear what Autumn thinks and what Owen thinks.

It’s a great way to write a romance, if a bit repetitive at times, but Hoover really brings these characters to life. They each have secrets which slowly unfold to the reader, and eventually to each other. I can understand why this book is landing on some best romances of the year lists. It was a sweet yet compelling read. Rainbow Rowell and John Green fans will love it.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CONFESS by Colleen Hoover. Atria Books (March 10, 2015). ISBN 978-1476791456. 320p.

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THE HOMECOMING by Robyn Carr

December 18, 2015

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A Thunder Point Novel

This was my first Robyn Carr book and I will definitely be back for more.

The Homecoming is a contemporary romance set in a small town in Oregon and is part of a series. Of course I haven’t read any of the other books but that didn’t seem to mar my enjoyment here.

Seth was the most popular boy in school and ended up leaving college to play football for the pros. A car accident changed his life forever. Seth’s injuries were significant and he ends up with several surgeries and one leg shorter than the other. But that doesn’t stop him from applying to the Sheriff’s department. He won’t take no for an answer, and eventually he gets hired.

When the opportunity arises to return home as the Sheriff of Thunder Point, he leaps at the chance, both to be near his parents and his closest childhood friend, Iris. They haven’t spoken in many years, and Seth misses her.

Iris is still angry at what happened during their senior year in high school. Iris ran into Seth at a party after he and girlfriend broke up. She saw he was getting drunk, so she pulled him out of there to take him home. Seth invited her to the prom, but got back together with the girlfriend the next day and they went to prom instead. Worst of all, he had no memory of that night. Or the fact that he and Iris had sex. The bottom line is that Iris has been in love with Seth for as long as she remembers, but she is terribly afraid of getting hurt again.

Iris is a guidance counselor at the high school where they both went and is beloved by her students. Having been a gawky teenager, she remembers too well how difficult a journey it is through adolescence. Iris and Seth’s relationship take some interesting turns along the way to the inevitably happy ending.

What was most interesting to me about this book was they way the intricacies of friendship and the loss of a friend were explored. Whenever I hear about women who have friends for 30, 40 years or more, I’m always awed. I have lost friends over the years, found them again (thank you, Facebook) but can honestly say I do not have a real friendship that has lasted that long – other than my husband. I understand things change, sometimes we are at different points in our lives and we don’t have the same things in common, or there are geographical moves away, although with social media that no longer seems to be a problem. We have had couple friends, husbands and wives, who were incredibly close only to have them push away, without my understanding why. I have always regretted the loss of a friend, and Carr helped me realize that I am not alone, a funny thing to find out at 55+ years of age.

I found this a very thought provoking read, and a good story. More Thunder Point novels are out there, and plenty of others too. Carr is a prolific writer, and I am a most grateful reader.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE HOMECOMING by Robyn Carr. Berkley (December 8, 2015). ISBN 978-0399174483. 352p.

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THE UNEXPECTED HUSBAND by Debbie Macomber

December 17, 2015

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Jury of His Peers & Any Sunday

This is a “two book collection” rebranded under a new title and cover with a new copyright date of 2012. Originally these were published separately under Jury of His Peers (1986) and Any Sunday (1988.) There is a sweet note from the author explaining how her daughter read these and loved them, and they decided to update the books, thus the reissue and new copyright.

Having read them, I can attest to the fact that they do not feel dated at all and I can understand why Debbie’s daughter enjoyed them. There is just no denying that Debbie writes a good love story.

Jury of His Peers is about a young woman on jury duty, who runs into her old high school nemesis. Caroline and Ted grew up together, but she always found him too perfect and constantly needled him. Ted grows up into a very good looking, kind man and when they meet again Caroline is shocked at the attraction she feels. She fights it every step of the way but Ted is a patient man.

Any Sunday features Marjorie, a young, independent woman who hasn’t been feeling well for a while. Her closest friend finally forces her into a doctor’s appointment with her own doctor. Dr. Sam is an ob/gyn and when it turns out Marjorie’s problem is an appendix about to rupture, he refers to a colleague, but assists with the surgery. Marjorie has no family, and Dr. Sam finds something about her most appealing so he takes care of her – going way above and beyond what most mortal doctors do. Quickly he realizes he can’t be her doctor and her boyfriend, and since he envisions a life with her, he forces her to find a new doctor. There are a few more hitches in their path to happiness, but happiness they find.

These are two quick reads and like all of Macomber’s books, very sweet, romantic love stories without a hint of sex. Give it to your grandmother or teenage daughter without a qualm.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE UNEXPECTED HUSBAND by Debbie Macomber. Mira; Reissue edition (May 29, 2012). ISBN 978-0778313410. 368p.

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THE GOLEM OF HOLLYWOOD by Jonathan Kellerman & Jesse Kellerman

December 16, 2015

Jacob Lev left homicide because of the toll it was taking on him, but that doesn’t seem to matter to Special Projects. They’re a unit no one, including Jacob, has ever heard of but they seem to be able to pull strings all over the city and they want Jacob on their latest case.

An unidentified head has been found in an abandoned house in the Hollywood hills. The lack of blood and a body seems to suggest the murder took place elsewhere and the only evidence at the scene, aside from the head itself, is a pool of puke and the Hebrew word for justice carved into a countertop. With very little to go on, Jacob is unsure exactly where to begin, but then DNA on the victim comes back as a match to one of two strains tied to a decades old serial case. Digging into those old files could finally lead to a resolution and identifying the head is sure to be the first step in finding the current killer. But as the case proceeds, it takes on more and more bizarre aspects that seem to defy explanation. And Special Projects is starting to look like more of a hindrance than a help in solving the case.

Both Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman have made their respective marks on the thriller scene, but The Golem of Hollywood is their first outing as co-authors (Jonathan of course has co-authored with Faye Kellerman prior to this). I must say the partnership is quite successful.

The Golem of Hollywood is unique in that it ties a gruesome modern murder to a story as old as Genesis – literally. That ancient tale is told in chapters that appear throughout the book, tracing its way from the days of Cain and Abel through to sixteenth century Prague, Rabbi Loew, and the golem.

I definitely had some mixed feelings about the book at first. The current storyline, the murder mystery, grabbed me immediately. The interspersed historical chapters hung up the pacing and were so confusing when they first appeared that I really had no idea what I was in for. Fortunately, the overall plotting is fantastic and the thread of the secondary story began to make more sense the further the book progressed. By the time The Golem of Hollywood started to go into unexpectedly strange and supernatural territory (that occasionally begged for some serious suspension of disbelief), I didn’t care. I was sold and was enjoying myself quite a bit.

I’ve no doubt this is the kind of book that’s going to draw extremely mixed reviews. The blend of Jewish lore, biblical history, and mystery wasn’t completely unexpected. It brought to mind Faye Kellerman’s work more so than what I’ve experienced from Jesse Kellerman (I’ve not read Jonathan Kellerman’s solo work as of yet) but I think having read her prior left me prepared for that possibility. The supernatural aspects were definitely a surprise, again based on what I know about the Kellerman family’s work in general, but it was something I didn’t mind at all thanks to my own reading tastes. I do think that readers more open to something different and unique will take away more from The Golem of Hollywood than someone who’s staunchly opposed to the mixing of genres. But I do hope that even the latter will give the book a shot. As I said, it’s quite fun.

The Golem of Hollywood is the first in a series. The follow up, The Golem of Paris, is out now.

12/15 Becky LeJeune

THE GOLEM OF HOLLYWOOD by Jonathan Kellerman & Jesse Kellerman. Jove (July 28, 2015). ISBN 978-0425276136. 688p.

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THE PROMISE by Robert Crais

December 15, 2015

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An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel

After multiple delays, The Promise was finally released last month and all I can say is it was worth the wait!

Crais’ last book, The Suspect, was a fabulous stand alone introducing K9 officer Scott James and his ex-Marine turned police dog, Maggie. They are back, joining forces with the “world’s greatest detective,” Elvis Cole, his silent, smart & deadly partner, Joe Pike, and from The Watchman, the enigmatic mercenary, Jon Stone. Having all these characters in one book is like a Christmas gift come early.

So, the story – Cole is hired by a woman to find a missing employee, Amy. Amy is involved in the manufacture of explosives for a government contract company. She and almost half a million dollars have gone missing. Turns out Amy’s son was killed by a possible al-Qaeda suicide bomber and she hasn’t gotten over the loss. In an intricate plot, one twist leads to another until James, Maggie, Cole, Pike and Stone solve the mystery.

I loved this book and stayed up late into the night to finish it. Crais has turned out another real page turner and one terrific read. Don’t miss it.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE PROMISE by Robert Crais. G.P. Putnam’s Sons; First Edition first Printing edition (November 10, 2015). ISBN 978-0399161490. 416p.

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TRICKY TWENTY-TWO by Janet Evanovich

December 14, 2015

A Stephanie Plum Novel

Anyone who peruses my reviews knows that I am a long time Evanovich fan. I have received review copies of her books since about book five; her publisher would just send them. She changed publishers a few years ago, and I had to ask for her books but still, no problem. Until this book.

There are a handful of authors who don’t make their books available for review prior to publication. This is usually a big deal, involving leaks, accidental sales (Walmart was notorious for selling Harry Potter books prior to publication) and really, it usually isn’t the author, it’s the publicist, trying to drum up even more anticipation.

There are occasionally books that aren’t released for review because they are so bad, they want to avoid the inevitable for as long as possible. And there are books by New York Times bestselling authors that aren’t released for review because too many reviewers enjoy taking pot shots at them, denigrating their writing, their stories, their characters because frankly, some reviewers enjoy the power that brings. Must I add I am not one of them? I hate writing negative reviews, and I’m rarely snarky. When I do feel compelled to write a negative review, I try and keep it as appropriate to the subject as possible, specifics about writing style or characters or whatever I’m not liking. I never attack an author and I never write anything disparaging without careful consideration and criticism.

So when I was told there would be no review copies for this book, and none of the review journals published a review prior to publication, I got nervous. Let’s face it, Janet has been taking a lot of pot shots for the last 10, 12 books – which hasn’t diminished their popularity one iota. This newish publisher not wanting early reviews made me think that maybe this book was going to be the last one I’d want to read.

I am thrilled to say I was wrong, I was nervous for nothing. I loved Twenty-Two, and think it’s her best book in years. I haven’t loved the last ten or so, but I enjoyed them. I knew what I was getting and she always made me laugh. In a way I felt like I was putting up with the inevitable car explosions, the back and forth between Joe and Ranger, and all the other crazy, quirky characters because I loved these people so much. Takedown Twenty almost did me in – that giraffe was so over the top (sorry, couldn’t help it) that I really thought Janet had finally pushed me away. But habits, especially reading habits, are hard to break so I read Top Secret Twenty-One and enjoyed it again.

Which brings me, finally, to Tricky Twenty-Two. It’s short. Publisher claims 304 pages, but that includes a preview of Scam, the new book in the Fox & O’Hare series co-written with Lee Goldberg. I love that series, by the way. So in actuality, the new Plum book clocks in at a fast 280 pages, easily read in one sitting. And that includes a lot of laughing, too.

Lula is here in all her glittery, spandex glory as is Grandma Mazur, who is still packing heat, and Stephanie’s mom, who is still ironing and drinking whenever Stephanie gets into trouble. And Stephanie gets into plenty of trouble. Ranger and Joe are both heating things up and yes, a car or two are blown up. This is a Stephanie Plum book after all, and the plot is the usual bounty hunting goes awry.

All you really have to know is that it is tightly written, moves along at a nice clip, has lots of laughs and lots of romance. All the characters are true to themselves and have earned their longevity. If you’ve given up on the Plum books, it’s time to come back to the fold. If you haven’t read them, or worse yet saw that God-awful movie and were afraid of the books, read this one then go back and start with One for the Money.

I am delighted to say I loved it!

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

TRICKY TWENTY-TWO by Janet Evanovich. Bantam; 1St Edition edition (November 17, 2015). ISBN 978-0345542960. 304p.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction, Romance | Tagged: Romantic Suspense | Permalink
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LOST IN HIS EYES by Andrew Neiderman

December 13, 2015

A story of marital infidelity told through the eyes of the wife. Clea Howard is married to a man that is more and more successful in his career as an Insurance company manager. They have a teen age daughter that is in the l6 going on 30 stage. A beautiful home, friends and possessions with time for Clea to enjoy everything since there is no need for her to work to help maintain their lifestyle. With all that she has Clea comes to the conclusion that she is unhappy with her marriage, and her role in the life that she has chosen. At the seemingly right time she meets a man in the supermarket and begins an affair with him.

The man indicates that his name is Lancaster, he is independently wealthy, travels quite a lot and is very intelligent. Clea learns that somehow her lover knows everything there is to know about her and seems to anticipate her wishes. How is this possible since the meeting is by chance, but at the right time to allow Clea to think of other things beyond her seemingly failed marriage.

Lancaster anticipates Clea’s desires, and always is available for her when she wants him to be. What does he want? Where does he want to go with this relationship with the same question posed for Clea.

A fast read, one that is not overly complicated leading to an ending which is not telegraphed, but is correct for the characters described. Well done.

12/15 Paul Lane

LOST IN HIS EYES by Andrew Neiderman. Severn House Publishers; First World Publication edition (December 1, 2015). ISBN 978-0727885425. 224p.

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