Review: Presumed Dead

Presumed Dead
Shirley Wells
Mystery
Harlequin/July 2010
Received for Review (Carina Press/NetGalley)

From the publisher's website ~

Dylan Scott has problems. Dismissed in disgrace from the police force for assaulting a suspect, he has no job, his wife has thrown him out and—worse luck—his mother has moved in. So when Holly Champion begs him to investigate the disappearance of her mother thirteen years ago, he can't say no, even though it means taking up residence in the dreary Lancashire town of Dawson's Clough for the duration.

Although the local police still believe Anita Champion took off for a better life, Dylan's inquiries turn up plenty of potential suspects: the drug-dealing, muscle-bound bouncer at the club where Anita was last seen; the missing woman's four girlfriends, out for revenge; the local landowner with rumored mob connections—the list goes on. But no one is telling Dylan all they know—and he soon finds that one sleepy Northern town can keep a lot of secrets.

Dylan Scott's life has been really messed up. Nothing seems to be going his way but when he finally gets a job it's not exactly something he wants to take but beggars can't be choosers and it will get him away from his mother, if only for a little while. Dylan doesn't think he'll find Anita Champion, it's been too long, but her daughter is willing to pay and Dylan needs the money.

The more Dylan finds out about Anita, the more he understands her and he is certain she never would have left her daughter. Not willingly. As Dylan starts connecting the dots he finds even more questions and realizes this isn't the case of an irresponsible women taking off in the middle of the night. The way the author, Wells, lead Dylan along, finding the different clues and piecing them together to make that final picture kept and held my interest. I never thought Anita was still alive but I did want to know what happened to her - why she left and were she had gone. I think for a mystery to work the reader needs to not only want to read the steps in discovery the truth but also to know the why of the mystery. Wells does a good job delivering both.

In addition to the mystery there is also a subplot concerning Dylan's marriage. He's been kicked out of his home, his wife is barely talking to him and his relationship with his son is sliding down hill. Dylan is certain his wife, Bev, will come around and let him move back home. I liked how Dylan's marital problems also reflected on his state of mind when searching for answers about Anita's disappearance. He doesn't understand why the wife he loves kicked him out. He doesn't understand why Anita Champion abandoned her daughter that she loved very much. As he slowly unravels the mystery of Anita's disappearance, he slowly understands why his wife kicked him out. Dylan is smart and applies that intelligence to solving the case. He's a little slower when it comes to his own personal mystery of his wife and their marriage.

Overall, a good solid mystery with interesting characters, plot and a dash of humor thrown in. I also liked the British flavor the book held. There were a few words that I had to look up to be certain of their meaning but I did enjoy the feel it gave the story. There was no doubt this book took place in England and the characterization of the people and country reflected that.

Rating: B+

Review: Welcome to Harmony

Welcome to Harmony
Jodi Thomas
Contemporary Romance
Harmony/Book 1
Berkley/June 2010
Library Book

From the back cover ~

Sixteen-year-old runaway Reagan has always wanted a place to belong. She's never had a real home of her own, but maybe she can borrow someone else's. At lest for a little while...

At the nursing home where Reagan works, Miss Beverly Truman's fond memories of Harmony, Texas, seem to fill an empty space inside the girl. After Miss Beverly passes away, Reagan travels to Harmony, pretending to be the woman's granddaughter, and is taken into the home of Beverly's surviving brother.

Still, Reagan is afraid to trust the gruff kindness shown to her by Jeremiah Truman and the warm friendship offered by antoher teenager named Noah, who dreams of being a rodeo star. She keeps her distance from Noah's sister, Alex McAllen, who's the town sheriff and busy with her own stormy relationship with volunteer fire chief Hank Matheson.

But when prairie fires threaten Harmony, Reagan learns the true meaning of family, friends, and home...

I liked the synopsis and thought the story had promise but I would have liked it more had it been focused on Reagan and her story about finding a place to belong. As it was, I got bored with the romance between Alex and Hank. I did like the overall feel of the town - Thomas can write a small town and make it come alive. There is also a secondary sort-of romance that takes place primarily on line which I found interesting and hope it will continue in the next book.

The story starts with Reagan who I enjoyed reading about. She's a teen that has a lot of guts and not much to lose when she sets out on her journey to Harmony, Texas. She pretends to be related to a former resident who also happens to be related to a current resident. The current resident, Jeremiah Truman doesn't exactly throw out the welcome mat for her but he does let her stay at him home. It's a start and Reagan is willing to take it.

Crotchety, grumpy, recluse and even mean old man could all be used to describe Jeremiah Truman. At the core he's really just lonely but isn't a people person and has very little incentive to change. That's until Reagan comes along and gives him a reason to become a little more open and willing to let someone into his life. I like how these two characters who came from not only different backgrounds but different generations, became friends. They bumped and stumbled a bit but in the end they were a family, maybe not by blood but by choice.

Reagan also makes friends with Noah McAllen another teen who wants to follow in his father's footsteps and become a rodeo star. The problem is that the Trumans and the McAllens are the Hatfield and McCoys of the area. Reagan doesn't know this and she really doesn't care, she likes Noah. Theirs is a sweet friendship and I hope we see more of these two in the coming books.

Now to the part that made this such a slow read for me. Alex and Hank and their destructive relationship. It didn't remain destructive but boy did the guilt eat at both of them to the point where they couldn't see past it to the fact that they loved each other. For me, there was too much dancing around with these two. Alex getting drunk, Hank coming to her rescue then Alex telling him she wants nothing to do with him. Then they'd do it all over again the next week.

The romance of Alex and Hank just plain dragged for me and by the end I really had no interest in whether or not they found their happily-ever-after. For whatever reason I just could not connect with them. When they were on the page I was wishing it was Reagan with her oddly developing relationship with old Jeremiah or Reagan and Noah, trying to decide if they're just friends or boyfriend/girlfriend. The good news is that the next book in the series, Somewhere Along the Way, is due out November 2. I liked the excerpt so I'll be reading that and hoping for more Reagan. :)

Rating: C+

Need More Twilight in Your Life?...

I never got into the Twilight craze but I can imagine how it can get to you after a while. It's everywhere, not just the bookstores but grocery stores, Walmart, Target, well, you get the idea. :) Anyway, I saw this trailer for a Twilight-ish spoof called Vampires Suck and got a few laughs. I won't see it on the big screen but it could be fun for some mindless home entertainment when it comes on DVD after a few months.

Any fun plans for the weekend? Maybe some mindless home entertainment? :) It's been a while since I've been to Blockbuster so I'm overdue. What should I rent this weekend?


Vampires Suck Trailer

Review Up at Breezing Through...

Hey there ~ the most awesome Nath from Books, Books and more Books and I have a buddy review of Rob Thurman's Chimera up at Breezing Through. Come on over and find out what we thought about a story about two brothers who are not Cal and Niko. *Hint* We really liked it!

Ten years ago, Stefan Korsak’s younger brother was kidnapped. No one knew who took Lukas, or why. He was simply gone. But not a day has passed that Stefan hasn’t thought about him. As a rising figure in the Russian mafia, he has finally found him.

But when he rescues Lukas, he must confront a terrible truth–his brother is no longer his brother. He is a killer. Trained, brainwashed, and genetically transformed into a flesh-and-blood machine with only one purpose–assassination. Now, those who created him…will do anything to reclaim him.

And the closer Stefan grows to his brother, the more he realizes that saving Lukas may be easier than surviving him…

Review: Abandon the Night

Abandon the Night
Joss Ware
Paranormal Romance
Envy Chronicles/Book 3
Avon Books/March 2010
Library Book

*Spoilers for Previous Books*

From the back cover ~

Quentin Fielding had everything. Money. Power. Women. But now that civilization is all but annihilated, Quent only wants one thing: revenge. Harnessing a strange new "gift," he embarks on a deadly mission to find the the man responsible for the chaos and destruction, the man he should have killed years ago: his father. Only one thing stands in his way – a mysterious, arrow-wielding beauty...

Zoe Kapoor is on her own quest for vengeance, searching for the monstrous fiends who murdered her family. Soon she and Quent join together, journeying through the ruins of the world they once knew as a desperate desire builds between them. Drawing closer to an enemy they never imagined, Zoe and Quent must abandon all fear, abandon all regret, abandon the night ...

I'm still reading this series. And once again, it's the world that I find fascinating with the romance coming in a distant second. Or maybe that's third? LOL I had high hopes for the hero and heroine of this one. I really liked what I had already read of the heroine, Zoe, and while I still liked her, the romance between her and Quinn didn't hold my attention the way I had hoped it would.

Abandon takes place a week or so after the end of Embrace the Night Eternal (book 2). This time it's Quinn who's in some serious trouble when he realizes his father is one of the leaders of the Cult of Atlantis and that they are the cause of the destruction and disasters that happened 50 years ago. He's determined to find his father and kill him. Okay, but Quinn not exactly Rambo or even MacGyver. Before the Change, aka destruction of the Earth as we know it, Quinn was a rich man who liked the finer things in life. He did do some volunteer work in third world countries but for the most part he's used to a life of privilege and luxury. He teams up with Zoe who is accustomed to living off the land and taking care of herself.

I liked Zoe when she first saved Quinn's neck in Beyond the Night (book 1). She was the mysterious archer who saved Quinn and then took off. She's an excellent shot with her bow & arrows and experienced in hunting gangas - the zombie like monsters that come out at night, tearing apart any humans they find. Zoe is a definitely loner, living alone with only her wolf for company. And while she may be a loner she isn't adverse to spending some time between the sheets with Quinn. Zoe tends to pull a fuck-and-run when it comes to her encounters with Quinn. This is something that Quinn isn't used to and doesn't like one damn bit. He's used to women falling all over him, not sneaking away after he's fallen asleep.

I liked some of the secondary characters and want to know more about them. Ian Marck for instance. He's a bounty hunter that works for the Strangers, and like his father no one likes or trusts him. But there's more to him that just a bounty hunter. I wouldn't be surprised if he got his own book and a heroine to go with it. And there are a couple of possible heroines for him.

The next book, Night Betrayed (January 2011) is Theo's book. Theo is one of the survivors of the Change. He's interesting and I'm curious to see who his heroine is. So, I'll probably read that one too. It's weird since I haven't really been wowed by the romances but I'm still interested in the world to even consider reading the next book. And I've still got some hope for a few of the secondary characters. Who knows, maybe Theo's romance will hold my interest more than the post-apocalyptic setting.

Rating: C+

ARC Review: Naked

Naked
Megan Hart
Contemporary Erotic Romance
Harlequin/August 2010
ARC from Harlequin/Netgalley

From the author's website ~

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent, but now he’s my tenant…with benefits. And now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back.

But I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

I love Megan Hart's writing. I have to put that out there so you know where I'm coming from. She's an author that writes out of the box. Her characters come from all walks of life, all nationalities, all races, all religions. I'm never sure what I'm going to read when I pick up one of her books, I only know that it will be a well told story filled with characters layered with strong emotions, flaws and insecurities. Characters who want to love and be loved. Most importantly, characters I come to know and care about. That's the case with Naked.

To me, this is Olivia's story. Yes, Alex is there and is the hero, if you want to give him a label. But the story is told from Olivia's POV and it's Olivia that we really get to know, inside and out. She is a complex woman with so many layers that I loved finding out about her. She was adopted as a baby, her adopted parents divorce when she was five. She doesn't come from a close family, they stay in touch but there's still some distance to the relationships.

When Olivia first sees Alex it's at the holiday party hosted by her ex-fiance' Patrick and his lover Teddy. Olivia has stayed close to Patrick and is friends with Teddy. Some might consider it an odd relationship but Olivia loves and cares about Patrick and doesn't want to loose his friendship. They have a long history that Olivia can't simply dismiss even though Patrick hurt her terribly when he broke off their engagement when he came out. She eventually forgave him and they remain friends.

I didn't care for Patrick at all. He was very self-serving and arrogant. He acted like he was concerned for Olivia when he warned her about Alex but I really think it had more to do with Patrick and what he wanted. He couldn't have Alex so he didn't want Olivia to have him. Plus, I don't think he really wanted anyone else to have Olivia. I think it was a case of he didn't want her but he didn't want anyone else to get serious with her either. Almost like he wanted to keep her in reserve, just in case he changed his mind. Bastard.

Alex is a character readers will be familiar with if you read Hart's Tempted. Alex was the best friend of the husband, James and became the third in that marriage's ménage. He has since moved on and now finds himself attracted to Olivia. When he rents Olivia's spare apartment, he starts spending time with her, hanging out and getting to know her. Alex is likable and I thought his heart was in the right place but he's also confused about his feelings regarding Olivia and the feelings he still has for James that go beyond best friends. I do think we see Alex trying to be there for Olivia and not cause her pain but he's still has some doubts about what he wants on a permanent level.

One difference between Olivia and Alex is financial. We often hear that finances are one of the main causes for problems among couples and Olivia and Alex are no different. Alex has made lots of money and while he still works, he can afford to take time off when he wants to. Olivia is a photographer who does print work for her clients. She's very good and hopes to make it a full-time career but she's not there yet and must also work at one of those photo places at the mall. When Alex wants to take off for a day or even a few days and Olivia has to work, it causes problems. Alex offers to help Olivia with money and that causes even more problems. I did like how Olivia didn't let Alex completely take over and continued to pursue her dream of quitting the mall job. She's did slowly let Alex into her life and her apartment but I never felt like he took total control of her.

Olivia has gone through some rough times in the past and everything isn't perfect with Alex. They both have secrets that are not easy to share, even when they fall in love. As we get to know Olivia and Olivia gets to know Alex, we see how past decisions have not only shaped these two people but how they affect the decisions they make now. I think Hart did an amazing job portraying these complex characters that have a tough time trusting and opening up to each other.

The biggest problem Olivia and Alex have hits Olivia right in the face and I could feel her pain and anger. It's a very emotional scene and really got to me. At this point I had come to like Olivia so very much. She's the type of person you hope you get to meet in real life. She's sweet, caring and fun to be with. I was so pissed off by what happened to her and how she's put in this position with no warning of what to expect. The way Hart dealt with the situation and how the characters' reactions played out made for some very emotional reading. The thing about Hart's writing is that it's far more than an erotic romance. There's sex, lots of hot sex, but as I've said in previous reviews, there is so much more to Hart's stories. Lots of character development and getting to know the big and small, the ins and outs of what makes these characters do what they do.

Another beautiful romance that I really felt a connection with the heroine. Loved the fact that she is not a typical cookie-cutter heroine. She's from a non-traditional home - adoption, divorce, religious differences and then there's the fact that Olivia is half white, half-African American. She finds herself straddling two worlds. Both with regards to her race and her religion. It all becomes intertwined with her love for Alex and her need to figure out how she can fit it all into who she is.

Rating: A

Review: Nothing to Fear

Nothing to Fear
Karen Rose
Romantic Suspense
Grand Central/August 2005
Library Book

From the back cover ~

Nothing to See

As director of an inner-city woman’s shelter, Dana Dupinsky safeguards many secrets. Some are new identities; some are new addresses; and some are even hidden truths about herself. Passionately dedicated to Hanover House and the women she protects, Dana has always been reluctant to look for love. But now, just as a case puts her and a child in mortal danger, it seems that love has come looking for her.

Nothing to Hear

Security expert Ethan Buchanan learned to stalk men in the Afghan desert. Now he vows to track down the ruthless woman who kidnapped his godson—and falling for Dana is not in the plan. Yet her very presence seems to chase away the ghosts that haunt him, and her skillful evasion of personal questions raises his hunting instincts. For there’s a deadly new secret at Hanover House. A brutal killer is weaving a web of revenge with a stolen boy at its center. And Dana is the next victim on the list…

I love finding a new to me author with a nice, long back list to enjoy. Karen Rose has become one of my go to author's for romantic suspense. She writes complex characters and dark, warped antagonists that give the heroes and heroines worthy adversaries.

We met Dana Dupinsky in Rose's first book, Don't Tell. Dana runs the same Chicago shelter that the heroine from that book, Caroline Stewart, ended up in. I really liked Dana in Don't Tell and have been looking forward to her story. She's smart and tough but has a soft side when it comes to abused women and children. She puts her heart, and her money, into running the shelter. Dana doesn't have time for romance, she barely has time to sleep, but when Ethan Buchanan shows up, Dana takes notice of the handsome security expert.

Ethan is such a wonderful hero. He's an alpha but he's also smart, loyal and loving. Ha - sounds like a puppy! LOL I liked him a whole bunch. He's close to his family and is pulled into the kidnapping because of an old friendship and guilt. Ethan's searching for his kidnapped godson and the psycho woman who took the boy. Ethan is a security expert, not an actual PI, so it's a good thing that his brothers are Chicago police officers. Ethan is no slouch when it comes to protecting those he cares about. He's there for Dana when she needs him even though she doesn't like to lean on anyone. Ethan lets her know that it's okay to ask for help and not do everything herself.

One thing that I enjoyed was seeing some characters from the previous books play roles in solving the murders and finding the kidnapped boy. It's good to see the development of the characters prior to reading their stories as well as catching up with previous primary characters. I was especially pleased to see Evie Wilson, a young women who was attacked and brutalized in book 1. She's an interesting character and we do get her story but not until I Can See You (book 10).

The kidnapper and murderer are known to the reader. That's not kept a secret. What is kept from the reader, until the end, is the why of the kidnapping and murders. Some of the killings psycho bitch commits are really just because she can, and well, she's a psycho. I'm not sure what it says about me but I like when the antagonist is a woman who's not a watered down version of what the character would have been had the antagonist been a male. Women may not commit murder as often as men but they can be just as evil and violent as men. In a way it makes it almost colder, more evil, when it's a woman doing the killing. Women are thought to be nurtures not killers. Rose does an admiral job getting into the mind of psycho bitch and her twisted logic.

Rose does the suspense and violence well, giving this reader just enough to keep me on the edge but not completely grossing me out. I also liked the romance between Dana and Ethan but it never overtook the suspense - there was a good balance between the two. I would even go as far as saying the suspense gets more page time than the romance but that's what I've come to expect from Rose and that's fine with me. This is another long one, coming in at just over 500 pages, but it goes quickly. Another well written book in this loosely connected series.

Rating: A-

Review: TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY
Jay Asher
Young Adult Contemporary
Razorbill/October 2007
Library Book

From the inside cover ~

Clay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Hannah's voice explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself - a truth he never wanted to face.

Wow - just wow. This book is certainly different. The approach the author takes in telling the story is unique. It's told from the POV of Clay Jensen and the voice on the tapes of the deceased Hannah Baker. We get Hannah's thoughts leading up to her suicide and her reasons why she made the tapes and sent them out. Clay tells what he knows of Hannah and what happened leading up to her death but he's confused as to what part he played in her death. The reader is with Clay as he listens to the tapes and discovers the series of events that culminated in Hannah taking her life.

Clay Jensen is a nice, likable teenager. He's not one of the real popular kids but he's not a loner either. I'd call him an average high school kid. He gets decent grades, works at the local movie theater and stays out of trouble. Which is why it's such a surprise when he gets these mysterious tapes. Once he starts listening he can't believe it's Hannah's voice on the tapes and he's even more surprised when he realizes what she's done. She's telling secrets about Clay's classmates and how she feels each of them had a part in her suicide.

Clay doesn't just listen to the tapes, Hannah also included a map of the town and the "points of interest" she refers to in the tapes. It's almost like a treasure map that takes Clay on this journey as he listens to the tapes. He discovers some things he didn't know about the people in Hannah's life but mostly he learns about Hannah herself. He also makes some discoveries about himself and how he wishes he had done some things differently but he can only move forward and change how he acts in the present, not the past.

The story went by very quickly - I, like Clay, wanted to know what part Hannah thought Clay had in her suicide and more importantly why she did it. The why for me was never quite clear. Yes, she had some difficult times and she was fighting depression but there didn't seem to be any one thing that caused it. Sure, some of the people on the tapes were mean to Hannah, treated her poorly and upset her but there wasn't any one person, it was a domino effect.

What bothered me was the way Hannah spread the blame around but never seemed to include herself in that blame. In hindsight she exhibited some of the classic signs of depression and potential suicidal tendencies. The problem with hindsight is that it doesn't do you a bit of good after the fact. I'm not really sure you could say her life was any worse than other teens, but everyone has different breaking points and Hannah met hers.

It's hard to say if I would recommend this book. It really depends on your comfort zone. Teen suicide isn't a light subject and while this story presented it in a different way, it's still teen suicide - a dark, sad and potentially upsetting subject. I do think the impact of Hannah's death was muted by the fact that we meet her after her death. If she had been alive and I had gotten to know her, then she committed suicide, I think it would have had a more in-your-face effect. By having Hannah on the tapes, it allows the reader to take a step back from direct contact with her. We see her through Clay's eyes and through Hannah's words but those words were spoken after she made the decision to end her life. Overall, an interesting story but possibly not for everyone.

Rating: B+

ARC Review: Libertine's Kiss

Libertine's Kiss
Judith James
Historical Romance (England/1660)
Harlequin/August 2010
ARC from Publisher/NetGalley

From the author's website ~

A Restoration era love story inspired by the character of the Earl of Rochester, King Charles II’s court poet who was rumored to be the model for Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff. William de Veres, the handsome son of a hard-drinking cavalier was abandoned at an early age to a brutal school system and a predatory and abusive tutor. He soon discovers the escapes of poetry, literature, alcohol and sex, and the defenses of a sharp sword and lacerating wit. As a titanic struggle erupts between parliament and king, William takes up arms in the Royalist cause and pursued by Cromwell’s men finds himself seeking shelter from a sober young Puritan woman in a cottage deep in the woods.

The Civil war has cost the once high spirited Elizabeth Walters her best friend and her father, leaving her unprotected and alone. She flees an unwanted marriage, seeking safe haven, but what she finds there is something she never expected. Despite William’s gratitude and promise to aid her, Elizabeth never expects to see him again, but the Restoration of Charles II to his throne will bring her to the attention of both William and the king.

Can a promise long forgotten and a friendship forged in the past help two lonely people find each other and themselves? Can a debauched court poet and notorious libertine convince the wary Elizabeth he is capable of love? These are the questions asked by Libertine’s Kiss…

After having read and enjoyed Ms. James previous books I was looking forward to reading this, her latest release. The time period is not one of the more common periods found in historical romances. While I like Regency and Victorian settings, I also enjoy something different. The fact that the characters are inspired by real people from history made me curious enough to look up information on them. And left me curious as to how they would be portrayed in the novel.

William de Veres is a true rake. He is loyal to his king, living in exile with Charles and returning to England when Charles takes the thrown. William is also very loyal to himself. He enjoys drinking and women and he doesn't try to make any excuses for his actions. It was refreshing to have him not use past abuses as an excuse for his debauchery. His way of thinking is that the excessive drinking and numerous women are simply how things are done.

Elizabeth Walters is a 27 year old widow, living quietly in the country when William bursts into her life again. They knew each other as children, were close friends even, but their families chose opposites sides during the war. It has been years since they have seen each other and now William needs Elizabeth's help and she willing gives it. Years pass before they meet again. This time it's William who helps Elizabeth when she needs it the most. Elizabeth is desperate to get her land back and William is there to guide her through the intrigues of court life.

Once William decided to help Elizabeth get her lands back, he sees that she is dressed in the height of fashion and lets the other members of court think that Elizabeth is his mistress, which she is. He doesn't concern himself with this since it's what they will believe, no matter what he tells them. This side of William was a little hard to take. He cares for Elizabeth but still maintains the lifestyle of a rake.

With William, Elizabeth experiences so many new things and seems to enjoy her time at court. She falls into love with William quickly and is having the time of her life. I liked that Elizabeth embraced her time with William. Of course she wished it wouldn't end but can't see herself with a man who can not swear to be faithful to her. William's life is at court and while Elizabeth enjoys her time at there, she longs for the simpler life in the country.

William believes in looking out for himself and playing the politics of the court. He has this habit of blaming his nature, or the nature of men, for his debauchery. After Elizabeth comes back into his life he doesn't suddenly become a new man, fully redeemed by love. His life with Charles, both as a fugitive and now at court, have left him very cynical. Even with this outlook he still holds fond memories of Lizzie as a child. His first love and his only good childhood memories. There were times when he could be cold and unloving but you could feel his need to take care of Elizabeth and that hidden need to love and be loved.

I must say Judith James makes the court of King Charles come alive with vivid details and descriptions of the ornateness of the palace and the people at court. The life at court with all its finery and excesses, politics and subterfuge, add another dimension to the story. I loved seeing William use his knowledge of Charles and the court to help Elizabeth navigate through those rough waters. Until a misunderstanding due to William's reputation and Elizabeth's previous experience comes between them. They keep their distance from each other but can't stop themselves from caring for each other.

I did, at times have some problems with the slow pace of the story. While I found most of the descriptions interesting there were points when the pacing dragged and I would have liked for William and Elizabeth to have spent less time apart. They do get their happily ever after but James really made these two work for it. They both go through some changes but they didn't happen overnight. They way it played out made it far more realistic with Elizabeth standing her ground and William, being William, and doing the unexpected. Judith James delivers an enjoyable love story with unique characters set in an equally unique historical period.

Rating: B+

Review: No Mercy

No Mercy
Lori Armstrong
Mystery
Mercy Gunderson/Book 1
Touchstone/January 2010
Library Book

From the inside cover ~

Mercy Gunderson is a straight shooter with a hard edge. On medical leave from the Army, she returns home to South Dakota, which isn’t much safer for her than Iraq. Arriving just after the death of her father, it is up to Mercy to decide what to do with the family ranch. Trying to deal with her irresponsible sister and nephew and feeling guilty that she didn’t make it home soon enough to see her father one last time; Mercy is suddenly pulled into the local community when the body of a Native American boy is found on her land. But nobody seems to be doing anything about it, especially not the local law enforcement.

When tragedy strikes again, Mercy is ready to throw all her energy into her own investigation, and she’s out for revenge. As she digs up the truth behind the shocking crimes, Mercy uncovers dark and dangerous secrets and must race to stop a killer before everything she’s fought for is destroyed forever.

If you've been around my blog lately you know how much I love Lorelei James and her Rough Riders series but did you know that she also writes mysteries under the pen-name Lori Armstrong? She writes the Julie Collins series and this year started the Mercy Gunderson series. I decided to give Mercy a try. I liked the idea of a female Army sniper and Mercy, being 38, has got some wear to her.

Let me start with saying Armstrong writes some amazingly complete characters. I never felt that any character was there simply for filler. They all had a part to play in this mystery. The story takes place in a small town in South Dakota. It's a place where everyone knows everybody's business. Mercy comes back on medical leave to help her sister with the family ranch. Her father is dead and the ranch and it's responsibility have fallen to the two sisters. There are developers wanting to buy the ranch and the sisters need to make a decision about what to do with the ranch.

The book opens with the death of a teenager. His body is found on Gunderson land which is how Mercy first becomes involved. The description of the body, and the land is both vivid and stark. "The blazing sun and dry wind burn the most resilient flesh into dried meat." Armstrong does a good job making the reader feel what the environment is like, not only the physical but the emotional environment that the people live in. It's a ranching community but there is also a population of Native Americans in the community who play a key role in the murders.

Mercy is pulled into the murder investigations and begins to find evidence of some sinister goings on in her community. She often finds herself in the company of Mason Dawson, the sheriff, who doesn't want Mercy involved in his investigation. Mercy has mixed feelings for Dawson - she's attracted to him but she's also not pleased with how his murder investigations are going. As Mercy continues to discover some pretty dark secrets she finds herself in danger and her Army training proves to be very useful. I liked that Mercy was tough and didn't back down once she gave her word. She came across as standoffish but she did care about her family and friends, she simply wasn't as demonstrative in her feelings as you might expect a woman to be.

The mystery is the central storyline and it is played out well, with the reader, along with Mercy, uncovering bits and pieces of the puzzle that lead to the final confrontation. The way it all played out made sense and kept me not only engaged but wanting revenge for Mercy and her family. I liked how Armstrong incorporated the ranch life, the military and the Native American culture into the plot and gave the reader much to think about by the end of the book. The actual mystery of the who and why of the murders had some twists and turns that kept me not only interested but entertained as well. Armstrong's writing is at times brutal - showing the harsh realities of life and death. But I liked the brutal because she also softened it with those quiet moments of contemplation and family loyalty. Overall a well written mystery with intriguing characters that left me wanting more.

Rating: A-