Julie James writes reliably enjoyable contemporary romances that never quite rise to greatness, but are a good go-to for fun, sizzle, and a bit of excitement. It Happened One Wedding is the most recent entry in her FBI/US Attorney novels and in this case it’s the hero who meets the series requirement. The leads in all of these books are well-to-do, sexy professionals who have established their careers and are ready to pay attention to their personal lives. Investment banker Sidney Sinclair has moved back […]
First DNF of 2017 – Release the Doves!
Thin Love by Eden Butler
I still, despite all the inconsistencies, go to online reviews to help choose books to read. Thin Love was strongly recommended, cheap, and had the added appeal of a lead character who was a person of colour which is always welcome. Unfortunately, much of the romance between Keira and Kona is centered around the kind of relationship chaos that passes for passion with teenagers and in badly written novels, and resulted in it being my first DNF (did not finish) novel of the year. I […]
Fascination and Understanding
My beloved and I have been watching Leah Remini’s fascinating and savvy documentary series, Scientology and the Aftermath, and have been incredibly impressed by the sincere passion and compassion she is bringing to the topic. Having long been fascinated by the cult, I am often amazed when discovering people I would otherwise respect or think of as sensible were members, including Remini herself. It’s a judgmental attitude born of my curiosity about the group and this book goes a long way to change that for […]
Misogyny Masquerading as Erotic Romance
Make no mistake, this western historical romance was the worst book I had the displeasure to read in 2016, has a place on my online list of The Worst Romance Novels I Have Ever Read, and Vanessa Vale is on the Avoid at All Costs list I maintain in my noggin. Emma James is sold to a brothel by her evil step-brother. Given a choice between paying off the cost of her purchase by working as a prostitute or being auctioned off as a bride, […]
Terrible and Magnificent as Promised
Kulti by Mariana Zapata
When I wrote “barring a dark horse in December, I am quite sure this is going to be the best romance I read all year,” about The Hating Game, I didn’t honestly expect there to be challenger. What a pleasure it is to be rounding out the year with Kulti which is a fantastic contemporary romance and one that is on theme for 2016 with a difficult hero, c.f. Dukes Prefer Blondes, Hold Me (review to come), and Act Like It. Correctly described to me as […]
Did Lisa Kleypas Need the Money? Did Her Publisher?
An addendum to Lisa Kleypas’s Capitol Theatre series, I Will is a very bad Christmas novella that Ellepkay suggested had been lying in a drawer at the author’s house for years. Dated in many elements, I had at first suspected it was ghost written, but a long abandoned manuscript makes more sense. Shortly after I began reading, I found myself wondering how I would feel about the book and quality of the writing if it didn’t have the Queen of Romance’s name on it. Admittedly, […]
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