Recent Read and Not So Recent Read

Hot Wheels and High Heels by Jane Graves

Why this one: I’ve read quite a few of her books and except for one I wanted to throw into a mud puddle, I’ve really enjoyed everything she’s written. It seemed like a while since her last book so I was delighted to see this one. I read this one a few days before I went to Dallas

Steam level: This one will get the kettle heated nicely

Amazon Blurb: Trophy wife Darcy McDaniel has just discovered that, thanks to her embezzling husband, her posh, upper-class life is gone for good. Now she's trading her suburban palace for a trailer park and her weekly salon appointments for a job. Darcy needs a new man--fast--one who'll keep her in the manner she darn well deserves. Problem is, the hottest prospect around is the my-way-or-the-highway hunk who's making off with her beloved Mercedes!
Ex-cop turned repo man John Stark is sure that hiring the furious blonde in his headlights is a colossal mistake. He knows Darcy's high-maintenance, designer-labels-only type--after all, he's used to taking their cars. But he never expected this hellion to have the smarts and the spunk to go from receptionist to repo agent in record time...or to drive him insane with desire. She's the last thing this tall, dark, and dangerous loner needs...and everything he never knew he wanted.

My Thoughts: Once again, this is another book I really enjoyed by Ms. Graves – and I got to tell her in person. If she had kept the character of Darcy the same, I would have hated it. Darcy started off pretty shallow and when faced with adversity, her only solution was to marry rich rather than solve things on her own.
But instead we get to see Darcy grow as a character and become a very likeable person. And John, the owner of a repossession business is adorable as a character. Gruff as a teddy bear, rather then give in to Darcy’s neediness, he encourages her to discover the answer herself, but I always felt if worse came to worse, he would be there for her. This one provided a number of laughs too. Humor can be very subjective, but I found this one delightful.
I’m glad to see Jane Graves out with another book. This one is a delight

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Forget Me Not by Marliss Melton

Why this one: I picked this one up in Dallas at one of the publisher signings. Actually I had another book by her to sign and after she signed it, I picked this one up and noticed it was the first of a series. I put it back and went back about 10 minutes later to get a second book.

Level of Steam: This one's not really boiling hot

Amazon Blurb: Navy SEAL lieutenant Gabe Renault was a man driven to succeed in his chosen career. He was so driven that he shut out his family in the mistaken belief that emotions would weaken his effectiveness. But then a covert mission results in his capture by the North Koreans. A year later, just one week after being declared officially dead, he returns home to his wife, Helen, but his memory of the past three years--including crucial details about the high-level corruption that caused his ordeal--is gone. And even though he now wants to do better by his family, Helen has resolved on divorce.

My Thoughts: I love finding new authors I can enjoy and I’m quite happy at the moment that I found this author. Despite lacking a high level of steam, I really quite liked this one and I’ll be sure to buy more of her books in the series. In fact there is another one coming out August 1 I’ll be on the lookout for.
This is a second-chance-at-love book mixed up with a mystery as to who is responsible for Gabe’s capture and subsequent capture.
I thought Gabe a damn fine hero. Strong yet filled with doubt, he doesn’t remember his family but he knows he wants to keep them. It makes him such a deliciously vulnerable hero. I had a few more issues with Helen. She is bound and determined to keep Gabe at a distance. She wanted her independence and didn’t want to relinquish it. I don’t blame her but as far as I could tell, it was never even an issue with Gabe – before or after his memory loss. She was also overly insistent that she wants to keep a distance from Gabe. I could kind of see this; but still I thought it went a bit overboard. But compared to how much I enjoyed this one, that’s small potatoes.
Those liking SEAL stories should add this series to the list

Grade: 4 out of 5

'til later