Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

RITA Reader Challenge Review: And One Last Thing by Molly Harper

This RITA® Reader Challenge was written by me. This book was nominated in the Best Contemporary Romance category.

Plot Summary: “If Singletree’s only florist didn’t deliver her posies half-drunk, I might still be married to that floor-licking, scum-sucking, receptionist-nailing hack-accountant, Mike Terwilliger.”

Lacey Terwilliger’s shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike’s company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of “administrative support” his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike’s family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say “instant urban legend,” Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike’s defamation lawsuit.

Her seemingly perfect life up in flames, Lacey retreats to her family’s lakeside cabin, only to encounter an aggravating neighbor named Monroe. A hunky crime novelist with a low tolerance for drama, Monroe is not thrilled… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge Review: Zoe and the Tormented Tycoon by Kate Hewitt

“Yes, No, Maybe” wrote this review for the RITA® Reader Challenge, and says she had a hard time writing it because the book was so special to her.

Plot Summary: Everyone’s talking about Zoe Balfour—the illegitimate heiress! She flies to New York to discover more about her biological family and goes a little wild, shocking even herself by spending one night with a gorgeous stranger.

The gradual loss of his sight has caused Manhattan mogul Max Monroe to close himself off from the world—a wife and child are most certainly not on his agenda! How will Zoe, once just a spoiled socialite and now unexpectedly pregnant, unlock the dark heart of a man who may never see his own child?

And now, “Yes, No, Maybe’s” reviews, with spoilers blanked so highlight to read, k? K.

RITA Reader Challenge: When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer

DonnaM picked this historical novel for the RITA® Reader Challenge. This book has been nominated for best Regency Historical and for Best First Book.

The plot summary: Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he’s named by the Prince Regent as one of society’s “Impossible Bachelors,” Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: The bachelor whose mistress wins the title of “Most Delectable Companion” gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status…until his latest lightskirt abandons him.

Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry’s childhood friend—actually, “foe” is more like it—is the most unlikely companion of all. She’s attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It’s time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all…but will… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Shifting Sea by Virginia Kantra

Cleo reviewed this novella for the RITA® Reader Challenge, and despite a rough start ended up enjoying it.

First, ye plot summary: Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in her story of a wounded soldier rescued by an enigmatic young woman.

And now, Cleo’s review:

In chapter one, Jack and Morwenna meet and fall into bed immediately, with little conversation or foreplay.  It’s initially from Jack’s POV and though it’s written in 3rd person, it reminds me of a regency era letter to Penthouse - “Imagine my surprise when a beautiful woman invited me into her cottage, took off her dress, and undid my breeches.” 

Then the narrative switches to Morwenna’s POV, and the reader learns she’s an immortal finfolk who likes seducing humans, because they don’t interfere with her independence (uh oh).  With that set up, plus the BIG SECRET of her being finfolk, and my general… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge Review: Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Another YA RITA® Reader Challenge review, this time written by me. Please note: there are spoilers in the review below, but I’ve whited them out. You have to highlight to read them, but consider yourself warned.

Synopsis (sort of): Sometimes I still wake up shivering in the early hours of the morning, drowning in dreams of being out there in the ocean that summer, of looking up at the moon and feeling as invisible and free as a fish. But I’m jumping ahead, and to tell the story right I have to go back to the very beginning. To a place called Indigo Beach. To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves. To the start of something neither of us could have predicted, and which would mark us forever, making everything that came after and before seem like it belonged to another life.

My name is Mia Gordon: I was sixteen… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge Review: A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

I’ve received a few RITA® Reader Challenge Reviews already - and here’s the first, of Eloisa James’ A Kiss at Midnight, which is nominated in the Best Historical category. This review is from Jayne

First: the book description:

Miss Kate Daltry doesn’t believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he’s anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancee, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn’t love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him. Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny… read more »

Seduced by Virginia Henley, a Guest Review by RedHeadedGirl

Hi, sorry, sorry.  This semester is kicking my ass, and all my classes are things I actually give a rat’s ass about (I’m taking law in the Ancient World, and it’s the best ever), so there’s a lot less procrastination on my plate this semester than last semester.

This is also the first book I’m reviewing from my brand new Kindle, which I adore more than is reasonable.  I got it for school (really) and also so people can’t judge me for the covers of what I read.  Yay for eink!

This book is so deliciously fucked up, you guys.  SO.  FUCKED.  UP.

It’s set in the pre-Regency Georgian period, where George III is crazy, but not yet irredeemably crazy (spoilers), the Prince of Wales (future George IV) is a hellraising, seriously in debt and horny youth, and the ton is more fucked up than you can dream.

Our heroine is seventeen Antonia Lamb, daughter of Lord Lamb, and twin sister of Anthony Lamb.  She’s about to have her debut on society when their father dies, and Anthony inherits the title and all property associated therewith.  Antonia, being… read more »

One Con Glory by Sarah Kuhn, a guest review by Carrie S.

My much awaited copy of One Con Glory arrived on the same day that I was supposed to be preparing for my daughter’s seventh birthday party.  Let me give you some context here.  This is my only child.  She is a girl so beautiful that I can’t believe she’s real, a kid who can take on five boys at recess during a spirited game of Star Wars and whup them all into submission while wearing pink sparkly tennis shoes that light up.  So, when the book arrived in the mail, I did what any good mommy would do and set it aside until the following week, right?  HA!  AS IF!  I sat down and read that sucker cover to cover right away!  Well, I did stop long enough to pick the kid up from school.  She puts up with a lot of reading - related neglect, but outright abandonment is probably going too far.

Fortunately for the fate of the birthday party, One Con Glory is a quick and easy read.  Not only is it easy to read, it’s easy to review, because I can tell immediately who will like… read more »

Linkage, and an UBER Short Review of Marguerite Kaye

First: Unusual Historicals is four years old! Given how much I enjoy historical novels in other locations, and how many more I see each year, I think this is a good anniversary. Have a look at the Unusual Historicals site for prizes and fun, and tell me, what’s your favorite unusual setting?

This post from Penny Romance made me snort-laugh: A Day in the Life of Amazon Romance Boards. My favorite part: Bosnia.

I had this link a few days ago and cannot believe I forgot to share it: College QB or Roance Novel Hero?. I got 10 out of 11 - and did better than Hubby. I’m particularly proud of myself on that one. What’s your score?

And finally…

Behold, the briefest review ever in the history of this site because I am crazy busy and under Le Deadline as well as Must Pack the Familyitis: this weekend I read Temptation is the Night by Marguerite Kaye, and I really liked it. In terms of grade, this one is a solid B+ with me.

It’s set in the 20s! They meet on a steamship! There’s… read more »

Red Hot Renegade by Kelly Hunter

Thanks to Jane Litte, I spent a few hours on the water’s edge in Vancouver reading this book, and I am so pleased that I did.

Through total coincidence, I’ve read a lot of reconciliation romance, which is totally fine with me as I love to read romances featuring people growing wiser, healing and repairing relationships. This was another romance after a few in a row featuring a couple that endured a long separation, during which they grew up a little, and learned to appreciate each other better than when they’d originally connected.

But the difficult balance of reconciliation is to explain to the reader where the hero and heroine put that ardor, love and trusting attraction for 10 or 12 years. In this case, Jianne and Jacob were married 12 years prior and they separated. Jianne had left her marriage with Jacob for a number of reasons, some of which were based on misunderstandings and some of which were based on pride and hurt.

When they get back together this time, it is because of an overly-attentive suitor who looks at Jianne as his next challenge and a… read more »

Playing with Fire by Amy Knupp

I bought this book because I love beach stories, romances set in small beach towns, friends-to-lovers plotlines, and, I’ll be honest, I liked the cover, too. In the end, I struggled to finish it because while the beginning grabbed me, the middle let go of realistic emotion that I wasn’t sure whether to finish it - except that I wanted to know what happened to the heroine at the end.

Macey has just returned from two years away in Thailand in the Peace Corps where she used her business degree to help small family businesses develop working plans to grow and become more successful. She’s decided to take her six week vacation on San Amaro, a small Texas island, to help her childhood best friend Derek come back to the land of the living. Derek has taken over his uncle’s beach bar and removed himself entirely from his former career of fighting fires after a terrible and tragic fire killed his girlfriend Julie five months prior. Macey has had it bad for Derek for a long time, and while she knew Julie vaguely as she and Derek… read more »

Harper’s Bride by Alexis Harrington

I bought this book after reading an article in RT’s May issue about what some romance authors from back in the day are doing now. Their profile of one author, Alexis Harrington (whose name was vaguely familiar to me), mentioned that she’d recently published her backlist on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle. Clickity, click, I had a sample, and then a few clicks later I had to buy the whole book.

Harper’s Bride is a quiet, thoughtful romance. It’s a historical, so it takes place in the past, but something about the style, the way it was written and the language and prose also seemed historical, too. It was originally published in 1997, which isn’t that long ago, but as I read I kept thinking, “Wow, I haven’t read a book like this in a long time.”

Melissa Logan is standing behind her abusive waste of molecules husband Coy while Coy confronts the local shop keeper, Dylan Harper, about his debt. Seems Coy is over $1500 in the hole to Harper’s store, which in the days of the 1890’s Yukon gold rush was a whole lot of money. Coy comes up with… read more »

Something About You by Julie James

Three years ago, U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde worked closely with Jack Pallas on an investigation that went totally FUBAR. His career was in the toilet, and he blamed her for totally screwing him over. He ended up in the remote wilds of some place that wasn’t Chicago nursing a big old asshurt over how wrong things went and doesn’t expect to see her again - until she overhears a murder in a hotel room next door to her own, and Pallas is assigned to the case.

I don’t think I can do justice to how freaking fun this book is. Something About You is a perfect storm of awesome. From first impressions to the last page, it’s worth shaking your tail feather over.

Part Awesome the First: Cover is unique, hot, and also eye-catching. And in fact, the cover art reflects a dress that the heroine wears - how in the world did James pull that off? I suspect chickens and voodoo were involved.

Part Awesome the Second: from the first scenes, the dialogue is dry champagne crossed with poprocks. (That’s a good thing.) It crackles, it’s funny, it makes… read more »

Play With Me by Leslie Kelly

I mentioned this book during a giveaway last week: it’s a light and fun contemporary that’s sexy and poignant at some moments. Amanda Bauer is a pilot for her uncle’s small private aviation firm, and when a client cancels at the last minute, she has a flight of one instead of five from Pittsburgh to Chicago. It’s Halloween, and the client who cancels is one of her favorite people - an older lady who told her she had to dress in costume. So Amanda’s standing on the tarmac in a vintage flight attendant’s costume from the early 70s, complete with boots and hot pants. And her flight of one? A very good looking man named Reese Campbell. When she decides to accept his invitation to a Halloween party he’s attending for a prospective client of his company’s, and decides to try to instigate a one night stand, he’s all for it. The trouble is, there’s more than just hot pants between them. They actually like each other.

The problems were mostly questions of accuracy and infodumpage. I’ve joked that a duke can drive a Porsche to Almack’s and it won’t bother me… read more »

Heart of the Volcano by Imogen Howson

My internal monologue while reading this novella went as follows for the first third:

“Oh, now that’s different.”

“Ok, cool.”

“Huh. That’s some smart use of rock and fire imagery.”

“Ok, now that’s COOL.”

“This is really, really different.”

I love cool and different.

The story opens on Aera’s final test as a priestess of fire: she must enter a labyrinth of the volcano, pass through multiple gates to the eye of the maze, and find a criminal who has committed blasphemy. Her job is to kill him to appease the Fire God before the priests release the lava to flood the labyrinth. Because she can become lava herself, if she has the energy and strength to change, the volcano won’t hurt her. If Aera does not execute the prisoner, she will be killed. Many, many priestess candidates have failed in this test and are tossed into the volcano or run voluntarily, sacrificing themselves.

Aera is confident that she will pass, as her isolation as a priestess and her alienated childhood before that have left her with few connections to people who care for her. She… read more »