The Wedding Gamble

The Wedding Gamble

by Cindi Myers

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Laura went to Vegas to celebrate her sister's bachlorette party, but it's also her birthday. It seems that no one even remembers that she has a reason to celebrate too, so she ends up wandering the strip on her own and feeling a little loopy since one of the other bridesmaids slipped her something with her drink. That's when she meets David, who pulls her in to a wedding chapel and asks her to do him a favor and marry him. You see, he's FBI, tracking someone in the mob and some goons are getting too close, so he needs a plausible excuse for being in Vegas.

The whole night of the wedding is pretty blurry for Laura, but the next morning she decides to stick around and help David out. She's used to helping and taking care of people and she likes feeling worthwhile.

I loved watching Laura come out of her shell. It feels like it was always there inside of her but David was able to give her the courage to actually be someone instead of just watching life pass her by.

David was a nice hero. He was protective and treated Laura really well. He didn't seem all that great at his job; we never see him getting much done, but there sure is a lot of running around and lots of zig-zagging to try and keep the bad guys off their trail.

Laura was pretty quick on her feet and came up with some nice distraction techniques. I enjoyed some of her musings like: “Not that standing in the middle of the floor naked was going to help matters, but hiding under the covers didn't seem the appropriate response to a crisis.”
And as some of the guys start their macho, alpha dog routine, “Where was a water hose when she needed one?”

I found the phrase “we need to talk” a bit overused. Nothing like making everything into freakout proportions. Our lives are in danger and we just can't discuss relationship stuff right now, but “we need to talk”.

Overall, a nice book with a fun storyline, but not hugely emotional. It's a good beach read or for an afternoon distraction. Nothing too heavy, but also nothing too gripping.

Run To You

Run To You

by Charlotte Stein

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Review:

When I read the synopsis for this book, I was a little so-so. I read a couple BDSM-type books recently that just didn't do it for me. But I shouldn't have worried. This is Charlotte Stein, after all. There's lots of kinky, dirty situations, but she writes so well that it's all wonderful. I was enchanted and slack-jawed through the whole book, it was just so awesome.

The first chapter or two got so many highlights from me because of all the great lines. The following chapters didn't get as many highlights because I was so involved I couldn't be bothered to stop and highlight. I swear, I lived as Alissa during this book. I'll probably think of this book years from now and be disappointed that I haven't had that vivid of a dream in ages, until I remember that it's really a book and I can relive it anytime I want (which will be often!).

First person narrative can be hard to pull off, but it works so well here and you don't feel like you're missing out with only the one perspective. Set from Alissa's perspective, she describes every eyebrow lift and facial expression and she's wonderfully cognizant of all that's happening around her.

Alissa feels abandoned that her friend moved away, so she find her friend's diary/calendar. When she sees the one odd entry "assignation", she's curious and decides to use her friend's appointment to see what this is about (with the deviant hope that maybe something happened to her friend instead of her just leaving). She chickens out after she arrives and hides in the closet, but is intrigued when the man in the room leaves his business card asking for her to call him. They start talking, then meeting, then work up to an almost relationship. Which is a strange thing because these "assignations" are always pretty clear: the participants know ahead of time what game they're playing and they never see each other more than once.

When they finally meet, Alissa is nervous that it's going to be some strange, kinky thing and Janos makes it better:
"'You do understand that I'm not going to suddenly perform strange perverted acts on your innocent young body, don't you?'
'Of course I understand that,' I snort, but I'm still standing by the door.
And he's still raising that one eyebrow. We both know I'm not fooling anyone.
'All right, maybe I didn't completely understand that.'"

But when things get weird and they stop talking, Alissa starts feeling insecure and like this must be the end; she's done something wrong and now she'll be abandoned again. Neither one is quite willing to let this "thing" (whatever it is) be lost. Every little interaction between these two is just so wonderful. They're not perfect, but they're amazing together. They have their difficulties, but they care about each other and accept each other.

Alissa and Janos get hooked on each other, but they each have their insecurities and vulnerabilities that are difficult to overcome. Here is where Charlotte Stein's writing is so awesome. She writes all the characters' foibles with just a hint of the absurd. Not quite that I'm laughing about them, but I say "OMG, I've really thought something like that". Like, how many time do you look at someone and feel like they're better than you, but Alissa takes it that extra step: "She's wearing a snake on her head, only the snake is beautiful and blonde and so much better than me." And it's so out of the ordinary that you have to stop and think about your own insecurity and it's slightly less scary to overcome right along with Alissa.

You can't help liking these two. They've got their issues, but they want to be together. Their issues are their own and they fess up to them and don't try to cruelly use each other to hide their problems. They're shocked and thrilled when one of them is able to overcome an issue. The sex is kinky and filthy and sometime sometime you go "did they really just do that?!", but it never veers into a place where someone is cheap and used. The relationship between Alissa and Janos is always paramount and the sex (while there's a lot of it) always furthers the story behind their relationship. Now that I've finished this book, what I want most is to immediately read it again.

I received this book as a complimentary ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

And Babies Make Four...

And Babies Make Four…
by Ruth Owens
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was a colorful, cute story. Originally written in 1996, it's just what you need when you're looking for a throwback to a time with less technology and some nice, passionate angst. Sam and Noel burn hot and cold all the time. They'll be thinking happy, loving thoughts about the other and then a random comment will entice all kinds of angry vitriol, followed closely by tears and making up.

I loved the way Ms. Owens has with words in this book. She was able to seamlessly weave tropical metaphors into everything. All of the ideas and emotions in the story were tied to hurricanes, winds, waves, riptides. I was truly amazed at how well written and poetic all of the imagery was.

It was amusing to read all of the computer related tidbits. All of the ideas that we had back in the 90's about what computers would turn into; some things came true and some things are just fun nostalgia. The computer personalities went back and forth between advanced adults, small petulant children and Islander teenagers. But they were fun to read and remember how we thought things would develop in the 90's. It made me stop and reminisce about what I was involved with computer-wise back in the 90's.

I didn't buy into everything in the book. There was the almost requisite surprise pregnancy that just didn't add up when calculating days. The main part of the plot, trying to solve this "Eden Equation", was a little confusing to me. Even by the end of the book, I wasn't sure why is was necessary to go to the tropical island. It almost seemed that there was some supernatural force involved in some of the decisions, but it was only slightly eluded to and I would have liked to see that explored a little more.

After seeing the epilogue and browsing Ruth Owens books on Amazon, I think this book might be the last one in a series of interconnected books. So maybe some of the other books give a little more context for this one. As of this review, the other books have not been reissued yet.

This was a nice book to sit back and read to put a smile on your face. I wouldn't say it was a hugely emotional book for me. I liked the characters and the setting, and the prose was very captivating, but I didn't feel completely invested in Sam and Noel's happily-ever-after. It was a good way to relax and unwind at the end of the long day though.

Undercover Professor

Undercover Professor
by December Gephart
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This is a new author for me and I really liked this book. I wish I had an empty afternoon where I could have read the book in one sitting. As it was, I only got a chapter or two in at a time.

Lucy is working hard to get her degree, further her career and fulfill her other life goals of marriage and a family. She's been burned so many times before, in lots of unique ways, that she has a whole list of what kind of person she'll be in a relationship with. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Things that we'd all put pretty high on the priority list. She's even got a guy that seems to meet the whole list. But no zing from him. A kiss from him was "like he was swashbuckling her mouth". Although swashbuckling looks can be nice, thinking about a kiss described like that sort of made me vomit in my mouth.

But when she meets and is attracted to Andy, things get complicated because he seems to break almost every requirement from her list. Lucy has a very open personality and is honest about her attraction to Andy and we see a lot of her internal debate. And I loved some of the lines:

"She was too warm with the sweatshirt and she considered pulling it off. But then, what if - oops - her tank top came off with it? And then maybe his shirt would be ripped off too, and the next thing you know, naked."

Andy actually fulfills Lucy's requirements just fine except for the big one - no lying. Which is why it looks like everything else is wrong with him. But these two have so much in common and have such a good time together that they just can't stay away. They like the same books and music. They have a good time going out together and talking. The lead up to their realization that they love each other was very natural and well written.

I felt like the secondary characters were a little flat - mostly used just as plot devices. Lucy's cousin, Becca, is in a lot of scenes and I liked her when she was interacting with Lucy. But when she's around Andy, I just had trouble liking her. It felt a little too unnatural to the rest of her personality - like her version of crazy can just turn on and off. Lucy was almost, vaguely cheating on her sort-of-boyfriend Dell that I had a twinge or two of "oh no", but he was such a flat, uninteresting person that I just didn't really care. I was glad Becca and Dell both ended up resolved by the end of the book.

The sexy-times were hot and enjoyable, but not overly explicit. I thought Andy/Drew did a really good job of making things right at the end. This was a cute book with an entertaining premise and I'll be happy to read more from this author in the future.

The Spy Who Left Me

Another one of my early ones.  I wish I could find a way to write more, but I don't remember much of the story anymore.

The Spy Who Left Me
by Gina Robinson
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Review:
I picked this book up as part of Kindle's 100 discounted books per month just because the description looked interesting. It took a while before I got through it. I kept picking it up and reading a little bit every now and then. I was drawn into the story but I felt a lot of pain from the heroine and it made me sad so I'd keep switching over to happy books.

The adventure was interesting and I enjoyed seeing Treflee emerge from her shell a bit and find her power. But book seemed a bit long and it was rough getting to the end.

Everyone still loves each other but the whole super-spy thing means that neither character really got to know the other one.  Once they figure things out and talk, everything was out in the open and they just sort-of move on. It felt complete, but just a bit sad - like the only problem with the relationship was that they hadn't talked to each other about the problems. Then everything is healed with just a little talking and a little time to stop feeling upset.

I'm glad everyone felt good at the end, but it didn't feel like a real relationship that you want to root for.

Making It Last

Making It Last
by Ruthie Knox
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Wow! I couldn't believe how spot on this book was at the beginning. Within five pages, I was crying because it voiced so many unspoken nuances of being a stay at home mom.

Amber and Tony have been married for 10+ years, with three kids. The story opens with the whole family in Jamaica on the way home from their first vacation since their third child was born (he's now six). Amber is so downtrodden by the disappointment of how much harder life is on vacation when you're mom and you have three kids. She's lonely and feels unseen. I have to be honest that some of my tears were because of the fears I have that even as my kids get older, this will be the way life plays out.

As the story continues, we see all of the pain that Amber's been carrying. She feels completely isolated and wishes for something that's just hers. But even having the chance to stay in Jamaica for a few days on her own, she feels bereft. It's been so long since she's wanted anything that she doesn't even have any conscious desires. And everything that used to be what she wanted or what would have made her happy, does not feel like anything to her.

Tony's been working non-stop for a long time and knows there's a problem but has no idea how to get out of the endless loop they're stuck in. When he heads back to Jamaica to try and save their marriage, the two of them pretend to be strangers and Amber's able to begin revealing why she's been depressed.

Within the first couple pages of reading, I had really high hopes for how this book would end. Like maybe it would give this magic solution of how to get through these feelings. I finished the book feeling hopeful and happy with the way it ended, but felt like it left out some of the serious concerns. Yes, hope-found can be life giving when you've lost sight of why you're with someone. But even hopes and dreams and "someday things will be better" can only take you so far when life has been dragging you down for so long.

It really felt like all of the characters love each other, but they can't really figure out how to make boundaries. I felt good at the end, because Amber and Tony decided to look forward to the future and could see that they'd be together and work out what was wrong. But it didn't feel like them as a family were getting the help they needed. Maybe some of it is my own pet peeves.

I'm glad that Amber felt hopeful again but from my own experiences, not feeling for a long time takes a really long time to unlearn. Maybe in one to five years she'll have realized some of her dreams and be feeling good, but for right now, today, it's back to the daily grind that's weighing her down.

The kids were totally, understandably freaking out about their mom being gone for the first time, but so much of their words and interactions were over the top nasty feeling to me. And the adults said and did nothing about it. In fact, Amber wanted to do something but was so burned out that she stayed in Jamaica so Dad and Grandma gave the kids whatever they wanted because it just wasn't worth the fight. At the very beginning, Amber thinks that she's correcting the boys so they won't grow up to be monsters, but as soon as she's not actively in control, everyone steps right on her rules to do whatever they want with the kids. This is honestly one of my biggest fears with raising my own kids - that no matter what I do, it's not going to matter and they'll be little monsters like this.

I wish this could have been dealt with a little more in the book - showing Amber standing up to Tony or her mom to get them to treat her rules as important. Or how they helped the kids figure out how to treat their mom like a person too. If she's getting better from being numb, I would have expected her fight to come back too - to stick up for herself with her family and kids.

I give this book 4 stars for it's realism but it's definitely not a beach read and if I were close friends with Amber and Tony, I'd say that I don't believe their "happily-ever-after" will stick without a lot of work. This book has stuck with me long after I read it and I hope there will be more books in the future that are able to voice this part of life and continue to explore how women can be whole no matter what their life choices are.

In Love With The Man

In Love with the Man 
by Marjorie Lewty
Rating: 1 of 5 stars

My Review:
Oh the things you can find at library book sales.  So many books that you're not really sure about, but for 25 to 50 cents, how can you go wrong...

This is the story about "the Man". "The Man" is important. "The Man" makes the decisions. "The Man" is smart and capable and will do what needs to be done. But wait. This is a romance novel from the 80's. There needs to be a female. We need to know all the feelings that she's having. But don't forget, this story is about "The Man".

Any time anything exciting might happen, the heroine is confined to the hotel room while "The Man" takes care of things. One time she's allowed to go and sit in the lobby, drinking tea, while business is taken care of. She's allowed to go because she broke down crying about how alone she felt being left behind.

This woman is really, really a doormat and she's supposedly smart because she got this job as an almost programmer, but we never see her do anything smart. "The Man" even tells her at one point to stop thinking (and not in a "don't over analyze" way, it definitely felt like "you're the woman, I'm the man, so I'll do the thinking for us").

There's a vengeful woman/ex who visits the heroine to imply that the hero is involved already, but one word from the hero and this heroine doesn't care. This book is really good at showing you, quit your job, don't care if the hero is two-timing you, don't ask for explanations, don't tell a man what you want. He's "The Man" and he'll give you what he deems you need and that's as good as it gets.