Recent Reads – the Lightning Reviews

Although I haven’t been blogging much lately, I have been reading and reading some good books as well as a not so good book or two. I don’t want these to get missed so these are the quickie mini review version. I’ll forgo the main stuff and go right the My Thoughts

Warning though - the fonts have a mind of their own and are completely wonky. I've tried fixing them but alas it's all too no avail

Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman

Rachel Bailey may seem like just a beautiful newcomer to most of Reidsville, Colorado, but Sheriff Wyatt Cooper knows she's much more. Through a twist of fate, Rachel is the inheritor of a very valuable commodity: control of the railway that keeps the isolated mining town connected to the world. That is, she will be, if she agrees to the surprising stipulation in her benefactor's will -- that she marry Wyatt.

Rachel has no choice: refusing the marriage could put all of Reidsville in the hands of an outsider -- and not just any outsider, but the cruel tyrant she has come here to escape. Yet living with Wyatt will be her greatest challenge. For he has a tempting way about him that makes Rachel forget theirs is a marriage in name only -- until her frightening past shows up to remind them exactly how much they have at stake...

My Thoughts: One of the things I find so appealing about Ms. Goodman’s books is the rich writing and intricate stories – so much so that characters you know at the end get aren’t really how the characters you see at the beginning. Her books can’t be read quickly; instead they are best read in small bites in order not to miss her characterisations. I’ve noticed this especially since The Compass Club series.

Because this style of writing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, there are some readers who aren’t as big of fans as I am. I think those readers just might want to try this one now. NLAL is a lot lighter book by Jo Goodman than I’ve read for a while. It was a bit disconcerting as I was expecting another deep read. So I think those readers who like a slightly lighter quicker read should give this one a try. And it is a Western.

What I always do love about Jo Goodman’s characters is their intelligence and NLAL is no exception. Both Wyatt and Rachel are smart, savy and great characters. Rachel keeps very much to herself and doesn’t let anyone get too close. She’s a favourite fantasy amongst the men of the town but she keeps them all at arms length. This all changes when Wyatt brings her the news that an old friend has passed away and left her quite a nice inheritance. But it comes with strings. One of the biggies is that she and Wyatt must marry. She is quite hesitant with this one, but Waytt convinces her that the town depends on her. She doesn’t want it to be a ‘real’ marriage, but once again, this is a romance so of course nature takes its course between the two of them. The dialogue, as always, is witty and fun and Rachel and Wyatt are both quite believable. The secondary characters are interesting and there is a nice secondary romance.

This one isn’t my favourite Goodman book, but nevertheless, it’s still a nice read. And it is a Western.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Where the Wind Blows by Caroline Fyfe

Chase Logan liked being a loner, a drifter, free and clear as a mountain stream. But one look into Jessie Strong's sky blue eyes and in the span of a heartbeat, he found himself agreeing to be her husband--and a father!

Jessie knew it was all pretend. And only temporary. Just until the adoption went through for three-year-old Sarah. But the longer Chase stayed, the less she could imagine a long, lonely Wyoming winter without him.

Times may be tough--supplies short and danger

just outside the doorstep--but with the strength of the pioneer spirit and the warm glow of love in their hearts, Chase and Jessie are determined to have a true family at last, no matter ...WHERE THE WIND BLOWS

My Thoughts: I got this book when I read Sandy M’s review at The Good, The Bad, the Unread during The Great Western Drive. It sounded right up my alley – and it was. It was a Golden Heart winner and I can see why. It’s a gentle story of two lost souls who find each other and along with two orphan children, find their way to making a family.

Chase Logan visited our heroine, Jessie Strong, to let her know about her husbands death. But he inadvertently finds himself staying to help her out of a jam. She wants to adopt a little girl and is afraid that her husband’s death will prevent that from happening. So she coerces Logan into playing her husband. Logan doesn’t plan on staying, but things get more and more complicated as the money her dead husband had that he meant to give to her is stolen, a nosy neighbour interferes and he becomes attached to the children living with Jessie.

Chase is a compassion.

ate, honest, caring Beta kind of hero and Jessie is a strong, loyal heroine who feels bad at the railroading of Logan because of her, yet needing him at the same time.

This is the kind of Western I hope readers are curious enough to try. I think they will enjoy it.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Dangerous Passions by Lisa Marie Rice

Feelings kill faster than bullets.

That is Drake's creed. A legend, a renegade, a ruthless, powerful enigma understood by no one and feared by all, Viktor "Drake" Drakovich heads up a billion-dollar empire—and shows no mercy to the many enemies who would stop at nothing to destroy him. He is a man with no love and no weakness, until...

Grace Larsen takes Drake's breath away the first time he sees her—and quickly becomes his obsession. Never before has he burned for someone the way he desires this hauntingly beauti

ful artist who is plagued by troubling dreams. He aches to possess her, to protect her, to carry her to new heights of sensuous arousal and rapturous release.

But entering Drake's world means becoming a target—for relentless, bloodthirsty foes have been eagerly waiting for him to expose his weak spot. And the price of their passion may be their lives.

My Thoughts: Ahhhh – another Lisa Marie Rice book I really enjoyed. I find the key to her books is not to read them close together. They start reading very similar, but if you read them far apart, they are very enjoyable.

This one garnered some controversy when it came out due to the nature of Drake’s profession and the fact that the heroine shrugged it off, yet was all freaky that he didn’t sell drugs. I’ll confess, while I can see their point, this one didn’t bother me. I love Lisa Marie Rice’s books for the hero’s absolute devotion to her heroines and this one was no exception. Drake was loooove struck from the first moment he saw a painting by Grace and when he saw her, he deviated from his life of complete security so he could observe her from a distance once a month. But as you can imagine, a gun runner has many enemies and he was sold out to one of them. There was an attack on him while he was Grace’s once a month visit to the art gallery and in order to protect and save her, once they escape from his enemy, Drake takes her to his secured location.

Now in real life, to have someone this devoted; this obsessed, would be creepy but in a Lisa Marie Rice book, if you can suspend belief enough, you have a hero who is wrecked for the heroine and would do anything – anything to save her. And this can be pretty darn compelling in a work of Romantic Suspense. I found it so anyway and I think this just might be my favourite of her books so far. Drake is so gone for Grace. He’s mysterious and sexy and focused on Grace. In most of LMR’s books, the heroines are troubled innocents and this one is no exception. But I liked Grace, I really did.

If you can suspend belief, not let a gun running obsessed hero bother you, then this is a great book.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare

In this lush and seductive novel, exciting new author Tessa Dare takes desire to brazen heights. Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband. But first she needs some target practice. So she turns to her brother's best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man. But her practice kisses spark a smoldering passion -- one that could send all her plans up in smoke. Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets. He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless scheming, he must give his passions free rein. Their sensual battle of wills is as maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control. When scandal breaks, can he bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin? Or will he risk his heart and claim her for his own?

My thoughts: This one got a lot of buzz in Washington and it was one I was really hoping to scoop. But alas, when I got to her table there were no more copies. But being one who enjoys purchasing new authors, I bought a copy later. The reviews have been quite positive for this one, but I'll be honest. When I read the back cover and read things like "bold adventures" and "hone her seductive skills" I was thinking uh oh - not sure if I'll like this one.

But a funny thing happened once I started reading it. I found it charming - utterly and completely charming. Lucy is a stubborn one though. Once she tries her wiles on Jeremy and feels something, she's still determined to go after her other brothers friend Toby. You see, Toby had paid attention to a lonely young girl that Lucy was and she thinks this means they are meant to be, but Toby has his eye on another young woman. Jeremy, on the other hand is a real 'stick in the mud' and Lucy has challenged his stuffiness all their lives.

But instead of being annoying, Lucy is charming and funny and a very enjoyable heroine. And Jeremy is yummers! This book is funny in many places and I found myself smiling and chuckling quite often. I love when that happens. So the buzz has been right. This is a good one.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

Beloved Warrior by Patricia Potter

The conclusion to Potter's 16th century-set Scottish Highland Trilogy (following Beloved Stranger) gives proof to what her fans may already know: Potter keeps getting better with every outing. Sparkling with high seas drama and tender romance, the story of the eldest Maclean brother, Patrick, opens six years into his imprisonment aboard a Spanish slave ship. Following Patrick's plan, he and his fellow oarsmen successfully mutiny, putting him on the route home to Scotland, where he can find out what's become of his family and claim his inheritance. His plan is complicated, however, when he discovers two women among the passengers: the ship owner's daughter, Juliana Mendoza, and her maid, Carmita. Honor-bound to protect them despite his searing hatred for Juliana's father, Patrick keeps the two from the rapacious designs of the other mutineers. Initiall

y distrustful, they're both awakened, soon enough, to the kindness and bravery in each other. Upon reaching Scotland, both have given themselves over to mutual passion, despite Juliana's impending nuptials to a powerful English viscount, a union she can only abandon by imperiling her mother. Potter has an expert ability to invest in fully realized characters and a strong sense of place without losing momentum in the details, making this novel a pure pleasure.

I mentioned during The Great Western Drive that Patricia Potter has written some great Westerns. She is one of my favourite (former – heavy sigh) Western authors. So why I waited so long to read this book is beyond me. I’ve had it since it was published in 2007 and kind of languished there. But thank goodness I finally got around to reading it because I REALLY enjoyed this one!! Think swashbuckling and that gives you a good feel for this one. I haven’t read the previous two books in the series – but that should soon be rectified since I’d barely finished this book when I ordered the first two. Patrick MacLean had been betrayed a number of years earlier

and as a result, was a galley slave on board a Spanish ship. But over the years he’s slowly been working on a plan to free himself and his fellow slaves. Finally his chance comes and while he doesn’t think he has much of a chance, he’s willing to die trying rather then die as a slave. Much to his surprise, the plan works and he and his group take over the ship. But on board the ship is a young Spanish woman Julianna Mendoza. Although bitter and hardened over the years, Patrick still has a core of honour and protects Julianna from the rest of the mutineers. She was on her way to England to marry a man her father insisted she wed, even though she’s never met him before. This is the last thing she wants to do, but she is willing in order to save her mother who still under the thumb of her ambitious, cold hearted father.

There is a great deal of chemistry between Patrick and Julianna but neither wants to act on it; Patrick because he is still in a great deal of trouble for the mutiny and Julianna is still planning on going through with the wedding. Patrick’s plan is to sail the ship to Scotland where he will set Julianna free. But this is

a romance, so they give into the growing feelings they have for each other and plans change.

As mentioned, this is the third in the series, but it read quite well as a stand-alone. Patrick’s two brothers play large roles in the story and now I’m really wanting to read their stories. These books take place in the sixteenth century, a refreshing change of time.

Beloved Warrior is a great swashbuckling type of story and I can hardly wait until the first two arrive in the mail – that will be a good mail day

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

The Kept Woman by Susan Donovan

WHEN A GOOD-GIRL DIVORCE Playing by the rules has left Samantha Monroe with an AWOL ex-husband, maxed out credit cards, and the task of raising three children on a hairstylist''s salary. It''s time for a new game plan. When Sam learns that politician Jack Tolliver needs someone to play the part of his fiance for six months in return for a generous paycheck, she''s ready to sign up on the spot. MEETS A BAD-BOY POLITICIAN Jack needs Sam and her kids to help tone down his image from womanizing cad to dependable dad. But he was expecting Sam to be a frumpy single mom, not a wickedly smart, sexy redhead. Keeping nosey newshounds from discovering that his engagement is a charade is going to be a tough job, but one mind-blowing kiss from Sam and suddenly Jack is ready to put in all the overtime necessary... LOVE WINS IN A LANDSLIDE... Now, with scheming opponents itching to bring Jack down, Sam''s ex returning to stir up trouble, one stubborn pre-schooler, two squabbling teenagers, a crazy dog, and some out-of-this-world sex, Jack and Sam are discovering that playing make-believe can be complicated-but not nearly as much as falling in love... My Thoughts: *sigh* and then we come to this book. I seem to have almost a love/hate relationship with Susan Donovan. I loved everything she had written, specially Take A Chance on Me up until He Loves Lucy which I hated. I start out wanting to love books and it's up to them to be downgraded. Right off the bat I downgraded this one because the hero is a politician and if you read my post down further, I hate politicians. To make matters worse, Jake Tolliver is a playboy politician - double shudder. His campaign manager comes up with a plan to make him more appealing to voters since his dog ways have turned off voters. Unfortunately I just couldn't buy into the solution - not at all. The choice to con the voters is divorced mother of 3, Samantha Monroe, a hair stylist. I just couldn't buy into this solution at all. Why would the voters find this sudden turnaround - from single, dog, bachelor, rich guy who is now engaged to a middle class mother. Didn't work. I got pretty far into the book before admitting defeat and calling it a DNF. It's not the writing. I thinks she's a great writer and I will continue to give her a try. But I just could not warm up - at all - to either the hero or heroine. I'm looking forward to her next book, but The Kept Woman just wasn't for me.

I know - it's odd what I can and can't buy in a story - gun running obsessive guy - no problem. Playboy politician - nope. Grade: DNF

Book Alert! Book Alert!

Start spreading the news, I'm happy today
I want to be a part of it - new book, new book
These western made boots, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - new book, new book

I've made no secret of the fact, since the very beginning of this blog, how much I love Westerns. I've done more then one post on it and have offered up my favourite ones along the way.

So it was with a squeal of delight and an O.M.G. that I was thrilled to the nth degree that one of my favourite authors is coming out with a book in one of my favourite genres!

I saw at Wendy's and then followed to The Good, The Bad, The Unread that Jo Goodman's next book is going to be a Western. All three of us are huge fans of this genre so there will be celebrating tonight I think.

And although I mentioned it briefly in the comments - I just had to expand a bit here. I have been a Very Huge Fan of Jo Goodman for years. Whenever there was a chance to put a plug in for one of her books I was so there. So it was with incredible delight I've seen her readership grow in the past few years. More and more readers are finding her.

She's not the writer for everyone. If you are looking for something light and quick she is NOT the author for you. Instead her writing is rich and she relies very heavily on the dialogue between the characters. Her book are very character-oriented with many layers to them. In just about every book we think we know at the beginning isn't that person at all. I'm a quick reader by nature, but when I settle down with a Jo Goodman book I know it's not going to be a quick read. Normally I do a lot of skimming but if I were to do this with a Goodman book, it would really be a loss because it seems at times as if each and every word is carefully placed, painting a picture as you go along.

And now that she is finally gaining recognition, she comes out with a Western, a much less traveled genre then the historical set in England. And I am thrilled by this!! Here is an author who is being true to herself; being true to what she wants to write. I wish more authors would do this - stay true to what I think, it their real 'voice'.

This isn't her first Western. She wrote the Dennehy series many years ago about seven sisters. I've read some of them but not all of them yet. But I think her writing has come a long way since then and I know I CAN'T WAIT until September to dive into this one!

Recent Read

If His Kiss Is Wicked by Jo Goodman

Why This One: Because she's one of the best writers in the romance genre and there's not a shadow of a doubt I will buy every book she writes!

Steam Level: Perfect

Amazon Blurb: Goodman's latest Regency romance concerns Emmalyn Hathaway, living with her relatives in London since the tragic death of her parents three years earlier. Emma spends her days assisting her artist uncle and her privileged younger cousin, Marisol, until she becomes the victim of a savage attack. Believing that the attack was meant for her cousin, Emma seeks out Restell Gardner, who offers protection and sleuthing services for a price. A confirmed bachelor and notorious rake (or so he wishes), Restell is taken with young Miss Hathaway and her plight. By taking on her case, he soon discovers that all is not as it seems in the Vega household and that Emma may truly be in danger. The attraction between Restell and Emma is hard to deny, and their dialogue sparkles with wit and emotion. Though there's enough intrigue and romantic charm to please any Regency fan, the mystery takes center stage, casting the romance in a secondary role. Regardless, authentic characters and a thrilling story line will keep readers smiling and guessing.

My Thoughts: Warning - Complete and Adoring Gushing To Follow

I actually started writing my thoughts on this book before I finished – a very rare thing for me to do. Jo Goodman isn’t for everyone – I’ll be the first to admit that. In some ways she’s not even for me. I read fast, at times very fast. That’s impossible to do with a Jo Goodman book. If you don’t take the time to read slow and savour, there are so many very precious bits you’ll miss. I tend to skip a lot and kind of pass over words when I read. Again, I can’t do that with on of her books.

But when I can slow myself down, take the time to read every word, what you have with Ms. Goodman’s writing is a very rich feast indeed. She is a master at putting words together to create those small moments that make you sigh with delight in pure reading enjoyment.

I’m not one to mark up my books. As sister Lisa can testify, I can barely bring myself to break open the spine, but as I started reading this book, there were so many passages I wanted to earmark, to underline, and to highlight so I can somehow convey the richness of her prose. Instead, the book is full of little bits of paper to mark the pages of particularly enjoyable passages.

I just finished this little tidbit – thus the need to start this review early, so I won’t be swamped with magical moments to share.

Before Emma agreed to marry Restell she thought she had touched on every concern of import. A point she failed to clarify was the speed at which the thing was likely to occur. She had imagined there would be time enough to visit a modiste and have a gown made for her. She thought there would be fittings. She wanted to speak to the priest who would marry them and she had particular thoughts about the flowers she would carry. She had depended upon the bans being read.
She presented all this to Restell the same evening they became engaged. He listened to her quite closely, tilting his head just so as she rattled on about gowns and flowers and vows. He listened to her argue about tradition without offering an opinion of his own. He listened to her discuss the guest list at great length, not inquiring once how she had come suddenly to have so many friends. And when she fell silent, finally satisfied with the persuasiveness of her discourse, he presented her with the special license he had procured a few hours after securing her promise.
“We’ll exchange vows in the morning,” he’d said.

I’m in awe that she can convey such emotion with her writing. Maybe it’s because I take the time to really read her books, but I can so clearly picture the entire story in my mind as I read along. She doesn’t have a lot of action in her books, but wow can she convey what she is trying to say. Her love scenes aren’t very graphic, but there is such a richness, such a subtle eroticism to them. Here’s another page that I bookmarked

Pleasure was in the touch, the fragrance, the sight of his hand on her hip and her fingers buried deep in his hair. It was the sounds he could not hold back and the ones he whispered quite deliberately against her ear. Her skin prickled. The muscles of his back and arms grew taut. They were conscious of their own breathing, of the coursing of their blood, and the sense of friction, tension, and heat as they skimmed the surface of pleasure

For a while restrain offered reward. The pitch of everything was sweeter, sharper, and more defined and for all those reasons it could not last. They teased it out as long as was possible, but in the end it was what lay just below the surface that they wanted.

Closing their eyes, they dove headlong into it.

Moment of silence here…………… Ah, now that is a love scene.

She also can write the most subtle yet funniest of short little scenes. Here’s one I found priceless.

Suitably chastened, Hobbes said, “Well, then if I might know the approximate size of the—

“ Restell interrupted. “It is all for my wife.”

Now the valet’s sandy eyebrows jumped in the direction of his hairline. “Miss Hathaway?”

“Yes, but we’re calling her Mrs. Gardner now, remember?”

Hobbes did not respond to Restell’s wry rejoinder. He simply stared.

Another thing I really appreciate about all of her books and certainly in this one, is the way the hero treats the heroine. Above all, he respects her. Restell is no exception and although he does things for Emma that she might disagree with, it is always for her own protection and deep inside, she realizes it. Also, while the hero always seem very self-confident, there are such subtle little moments when it's clear that he is very unsure of himself where the heroine is concerned. I like that in a hero!

I've finished the book now, with a deep sigh that it's over, another wonderful book by an author I think is one of the best there is.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Recent Read

One Forbidden Evening by Jo Goodman

I seem to be getting my fiesitiness back and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Right now for example, I’m holding myself back from bopping our neighbour on the nose! I wanted to sit on our deck for my morning tea and he has had this generator running all morning. The really loud generator that is disturbing the peace of the morning!

So I came in and decided to write this.

I was checking out the Chapters website for the picture when I noticed this review

If I could give this book less than 1 star I would. This is the first book by Jo Goodman that I've read and it will be the last. The characters spend so much time talking that you get bored with the book and you just quit caring. If you want a guaranteed good read, grab a book by Lisa Kleypas or Julia Quinn, both great writers that keep you interested up to the very last sentence.

Booo, hisss! Someone left this review on the website. I objected to the whole thing. Being a great fan of her work, I thought, “characters actually talking to each other and getting to know each other – how dare Ms. Goodman write such a thing!!” Well, I just couldn’t let that stand!!! So I counteracted her review with one of my own.

I have long been a fan of Ms. Goodman and this is another excellent read.

Christopher Hollins, Earl of Ferrin was approached and propositioned by a mysterious woman at a masked ball. Not content to just let her go as she requested, he sought her out. Cybelline, a young widow, was a young woman who had secrets that she didn't want to share.

When Ferrin finally tracks her down, we slowly begin to see that neither of them are what the other thought.

Jo Goodman has a way of slowly, carefully unveiling her characters a little bit at a time until we come to know them intimately. Her writing is rich and deep and very, very good. To me she is one of the "hidden gem" authors of the genre. She is one of the few authors that I linger over, enjoying every word and nuance on every page. I highly recommend this book for those who are tired of the trite, lite historical romances that are so prevalent today. Her writing is sensuous and evocative. If you are looking for something deeper with character, she is a 'must read' author!!

I’ve just finished this book and as per all her work, it’s wonderful. Yes! Her characters ‘talk’ to each other. That’s because her characters are intelligent, have depth to them and don’t suffer the annoying “Big M”. When a problem arises between the Ferrin and Cybelline, they talk it through it and work things out.

I love how Ferrin is introduced as rather hardened rake but instead he is an entirely different character. He is compassionate, intelligent, in fact an inventor. He treats Cybelline with respect and honour. He doesn’t push her or force his thoughts onto her, rather he allows her to come to her own conclusions. When we first me Cybelline, we see her as rather wanton, seducing a perfect stranger at a ball. But once Ms. Goodman unveils her true character, we see a young woman deeply hurt by betrayal of one she trusted the most. Her reasons for doing what she did make perfect sense.

If you like your historical romance only on the lite side, then this one might not work. But if you like depth to a romance, then this one is one to be added. I think Jo Goodman ranks right up there with the best of them, Ivory, Kinsale and the other big names of the genre.

Grade: 5 out of 5