The ReRead Challenge for February

I know, I know - I'm a day early. But I'm having a couple of friends over tomorrow night and if you could see my house you would understand that I will be spending quite some time cleaning. Plus I got Promises in Death in the mail today so I'll be diving into that too! And since my books were read and my review(s) were written and Nath said I could, I decided to jump the gun.

Open Season by Linda Howard

I didn’t really plan on this one being the reread book of the month but I was in the mood for something light and something that would make me smile and this one worked the first few times I read so I knew it would probably do it again.

And it did.

Daisy Minor is the small town librarian. She celebrating her 34^th birthday and she is not happy with her life. Her life is drab and unexciting and she hasn’t dated anyone for years. She still lives at home with her mother and aunt.

Then she has what she calls an epiphany and decides to change everything about her life. Open Season is about the changes she makes in her life and every time I read it, I find it delightful. Daisy is a librarian so that makes her a planner. As she also wants to meet a man and get married she comes up with the wackiest of plans. She gets herself a makeover; courtesy of Todd the (supposedly gay) Vintage furniture store owner. She moves out on her own and gets (not) a guard dog. So she has all her ducks lined up in a row but there is a fly in her ointment in the guise of Jack Russo, the chief of police. Jack is alternately annoyed, amused and finally turned on by Daisy and her small town prim and proper ways. He’s a hardened cop from the big city who worked on the SWAT team and is now ready for the slower pace of a small town.

Reading about these two fighting their attraction and fighting each other is delightful. NO ONE can do the kind of dialogue of an angry yet attracted guy better then Linda Howard whether it’s Sam from Mr. Perfect, Wyatt from To Die For/Drop Dead Gorgeous or Jack from Open Season.

There is one scene in particular when Daisy goes to the local drug store and picks up a certain item sure that the gossipy owner will let the town know what she is buying and thus letting everyone know she is ‘in the market’ and Jack shows up which is simply classic. Watching Daisy change from a ‘good girl’ to a ‘party girl’ is very amusing. Although pretty naive, she is not a TSTL heroine by any means.

And Jack is the standard yummy Linda Howard hero. She does have quite a way of writing them, that’s for sure.

There is also a mystery which Jack is trying to solve that involves Daisy.

I don’t know if our own SuperLibrarian has read this one or not. Being in ‘the biz’ I think she is tough on books with librarian heroines but I loved Daisy. I loved Jack. I loved Daisy and Jack together and I love this book. I think this is about the fourth time reading this book and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Next month I’m going to try and read something I haven’t read for years for the ReRead Challenge!

To Die For by Linda Howard

I was only planning on doing one reread this month. I lent To Die For, also by Linda Howard, to a girl at work and she loved it. When she brought it back, I threw it in my purse and the book and I had the following conversation over the next two days

To Die For: Read Me

Me: Look, I can’t read you. I’ve already finished my February Reread book and it was your cousin.

To Die For: Read Me

Me: I told you – I can’t. Look around. I have books in the bedroom to read, books in the second bedroom to read, books in the third bedroom to read. There are books in the kitchen, books in the living room, books in the ‘library; even books in the bathroom all saying the same thing.

I just don’t have time to read you. And if I’m not mistaken, I’ve probably already done a review for you.

To Die For: Read Me

Me: Stop it! I’ve read you already. In fact I think I’ve read you three times; the last time last August or something like that.

To Die For: Read Me

Me: Enough!!! Yes, I love you. I loved you the first time I read you. I loved you the second time. I know, I know – not everyone loves Blair Mallory as much as I do. She’s not everyone’s cup of tea. They think she’s a fluff bunny cheerleader who carries on too much, but I see her as a very savvy business woman who started her own business, a health club and she knows her own worth and expects and demands that Wyatt respect that. In fact she is one of my favourite funniest heroines.

And speaking of tea, I agree - you are a hawt one – that Wyatt is a sex machine who knows Blair’s weak spot.

And yes, yes I love Police Lieutenant Wyatt Bloodworth too – even though he had hurt Blair pretty good two years before when after the two of them had chemistry he stopped seeing her for no apparent reason and we don’t always forgive those kinds of heroes. But she made him pay for it. He’s a typical Howard hero – sexy as all get out, strong (he has to be to stay up with Blair’s machinations) and a great manly man. No pink tools for this macho man. And he is determined to find the person who is trying to get rid of Blair – permanently and that person will not be a happy camper let me tell you.

And true, this book is written in the first person and I normally don’t read first person books – at least I didn’t when I first read you. And the fact that it was first person didn’t bother me at all. And I will grant you that I can’t read this book without smiling and laughing in quite a number of places like when Blair and Wyatt first meet up at the murder scene and Blair pretends not to remember him, or the lists she’s constantly making of his faults. I love the fact that these are both very strong personalities and watching them battle for position is wonderfully funny.

But I just Don’t. Have. Time. End of story.

To Die For: Read Me

Me: You’re not going to give it a rest are you?

To Die For: Read Me, Read Me, Read Me, Read Me

Me: Alright (giving a heavy sigh) I’ll read you again. I hope you’re happy looking at all these other books – knowing I’m neglecting them.

Two Days Later

Me: There! Are you happy? I read you. I loved you. You made me laugh again. I loved Blair and Wyatt just as much as the first time and if you promise not to tell anyone, I’m glad you were insistent that I read you again. You get to keep that 5 out of 5 I gave you the first time I read you. And yes – I recommend you highly. Didn’t I just get you back from a coworker and she also loved you and we even talked about some of the real funny parts? So will you leave me alone now for at least a year now?

To Die For: I have a sequel

Me: Head – Meet desk.