A Black Tie Affair-Sherrill Bodine

A Black Tie Affair

Sherrill Bodine

Forever, Jan 4 2010, $6.99

ISBN: 9780446618595

Chicago History Museum costume curator Athena Smith looks forward to seeing the Bertha Palmer collection owned by John Clayworth and Company though that means potentially dealing with the man who broke her heart Drew Clayworth.  The firm’s Security Chief Bridget O’Flynn takes her to the renowned Secret Closet.  Athena is ecstatic as she gently touches the four dresses unaware of the toxin they contain.

Athena wakes up in the hospital after hallucinating that Drew stayed with her to help her learn the truth about her father’s alleged indiscretion.  Drew believes Athena betrayed him though he has not moved past his feelings for her.  However, while she was rushed to the hospital, someone stole the valuable nineteenth century dresses.  Athena offers to find the dresses as she has the contacts if someone tries a sale so Drew accepts.  Neither welcomes the attraction that remains strong.

The Talk of the Town in Chicago is Sherrill Bodine’s wonderful second city romance.  A second chance at love thriller, fans will enjoy the rocky ride between two individuals who distrust one another as they hold the other culpable for their break-up.  Although the whodunit takes a backseat to the romance, fans will enjoy Ms. Bodine’s entertaining joy ride.

Harriet Klausner

Lead Me On-Victoria Dahl

Lead Me On

Victoria Dahl

Harlequin HQN, Jan 2010, $7.99

ISBN: 9780373774340

 

Although her taste in men was a chip off the old maternal block as her mom craved convicts and Jane Morgan relished the bad boys, she reinvented herself into Miss prim and proper.  However, the Aspen office manager finds her perfect boyfriend Greg boring in spite of his being nice and considerate in and out of the bedroom.  She dumps an outraged Greg.

 

Thus when tattooed William Chase of Extreme Excavations enters the office where she works, Jane rationalizes he is a one night stand that will relieve the ennui and get her refocused on snooty decorum.  She failed to account for how explosive that one night proves to be as he is sympathetic to her needs as long as Jane accepts she will not be able to kick him to the curb.

 

This is an engaging contemporary romance starring a likable lead couple who make the bad image look good as the fun story line is driven by Jane and William.  Although Aspen and the support cast never come into focus, fans will enjoy confused Jane as William proves bad girls need bad boys; which neither truly is.

 

Harriet Klausner

 

 

Baby It’s Cold Outside-Jennifer Greene, Merline Lovelace and Cindi Myers

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Jennifer Greene, Merline Lovelace and Cindi Myers

Harlequin, Jan 12 2010, $7.99

ISBN: 9780373837397

 

“Blame It on the Blizzard” by Jennifer Greene.  After her patient dies, Dr. Emilie Sutherland needs time away by herself so heads to her family’s hunting lodge in Alaska.  However, engineer Rick Hunter arrives at her lodge seeking shelter from a blizzard.

 

“Deep freeze” by Merline Lovelace.  After becoming number 112 of a vile Don Juan, Mia Harrelson allows her sister Emily to persuade her to head to the Southern Hemisphere for a cruise as it is summer down there.  Bikinis prove a bit underdressed for Antarctica especially when the crew and passengers are in trouble until the Air Force arrives.  Mia is soon in deeper trouble when she meets Palmer Station manager Brent Walker.

 

“Melting Point” by Cindi Myers.  In Reykjavik, Eagle Mountain Sportswear marketing director Stacy Bristol hires Iceland’s first Olympic Gold Medal winner skier Kristjan Gunnarson as a model for Troll’s treasure sweaters.  However he proves a gold medal winner of love when he also melts the ice from the heart of the consummate professional.

 

The three terrific contemporary romances live up to the classic song that is its title as love between strangers will warm the hearts of readers.

 

Harriet Klausner

Forbidden Falls-Robyn Carr

Forbidden Falls

Robyn Carr

Mira, Dec 29 2009, $7.99

ISBN: 9780778327493

 

Hope McCrea put the abandoned church building for sale on E-Bay.  Widower reverend Noah Kincaid buys the edifice after talking with Hope as he has decided to relocate to Virgin River in Northern California to bring faith to the flock.

 

Noah arrives and immediately advertises for a Pastor’s Assistant although he expects no applicants, but several do; none qualify. He hires former exotic dancer with no church experience Ellie Baldwin because he feels she has earned a second chance to prove herself as “respectable” so she can regain custody of her children.  Starting with admiring her spirit and her somewhat wicked sense of humor, Noah falls in love as does Ellie.  However, both understand the children and the flock come before their desires.

 

This is an interesting addition to the Virgin River saga as two characters from different walks of life fall in love; an emotion neither wants, desires because neither has a good track record.  Ellie is not afraid to open her mouth as she is brassy and amusing while the Reverend is wallowing in self pity so much so the empathetic audience as well as many locals wants to help him.  Fans will appreciate the latest return to Virgin River as Robyn Carr provides a wonderful contemporary second chance at life and love.

 

Harriet Klausner

Prodigal Father-Kara Lynn Russell

Prodigal Father

Kara Lynn Russell

Five Star, Dec 2009, $25.95

ISBN: 9781594148231

 

In Green Bay, three and a half years ago Scott Lind left his wife Beth who had miscarried shortly before he vanished.  He never emailed or called her or his parents.  Now he is back in town praying Beth will give him a second chance.  He starts his search for her at his father’s car dealership where he hopes his dad will help him.  Instead, he is shocked to find shy Beth selling cars as he assumed she went back to her estranged parents and school.

 

After his angry cousin punches him, he persuades his wife to have coffee with him to talk.  His father arrives and yells at him about being irresponsible deserting his pregnant spouse.  Scott is stunned as he did not know his spouse was pregnant again and gave birth to a little girl Risa who has Down’s syndrome.  He explains to her he inherited a resort in Spruce Point from a late friend a few hours to the north and wants his family to join him there.  Beth wants to say no as he left once before and fears he will harm Risa, but she sees how good he is with her daughter.  Although her father in-law wants her to kick his son to the curb, she decides to take a chance on love.

 

Although his inheritance simplifies Scott’s self esteem issue by giving him what he perceived he needed before he left, this is a terrific second chance at love family drama.  His wife expects Scott to leave again when the going gets tough.  He knows he must overcome his wife’s doubts though he proves good with Risa.  Fans will enjoy this fine tale as the Prodigal Father returns home to win back his wife only to learn he has a daughter to win over too.

 

Harriet Klausner

The Mating Game-Barbara Raffin

The Mating Game

Barbara Raffin

Five Star, Dec 2009, $25.95

ISBN: 9781594148248

 

Ten years ago they met in high school.  He was a hunk and she was the too tall, too skinny and too shy.  Clay Davidson made a bet that he could score with Kelby Richards, but when he had the chance in his mother’s Winnebago, he fled.  She later learned of the wager that just added to her broken heart as she knew he could not even make love to her.

 

His action towards “Stretch” upset Clay who ran away because he became frightened of his feelings towards Kelby.  He changed how he treated people because of her.  At a dog show in Wisconsin, they meet and he begs her for a second chance, but she refuses.  He still sees the hurt in her eyes.  His mom kidnaps his dog Pirate to persuade Kelby to breed with her canine Chancey.  They sign a contract, but Stretch makes it clear one heat season only and she is not part of the deal.  However, she fails to see the fine print he put on the contract.

 

This is an entertaining second chance at love romance as Kelby sees a second chance not to atone for what he did as a teen to Stretch, but to prove his love for her that he failed to understand back when they were in high school.  The support cast enhances the tale whether they are four legged or two legged as each in their own way causes havoc.  Fans will enjoy Clay’s efforts to persuade Kelby that men like him stay (unlike him in high school or her father) though his lone regret at his desperate second chance is using his pet Pirate as a matchmaking stud.

 

Harriet Klausner

Only You-Deborah Grace Staley

Only You

Deborah Grace Staley

Bell Bridges, May 2009, $14.95

www.bellbridgebooks.com

ISBN: 9780982175637

 

Angel Ridge, Tennessee with fewer than five hundred residents is a town in which everyone knows one another especially their place in a two class society as the rich founding families dominate the supporting masses.  Not part of the elite, Josie Allen left Angel Ridge for seven years obtaining various degrees in Library Science, but has come home to be Director of the town’s library.  The society ladies expect Josie to remain within her upper class origins and getting the program she created for the library working so that the Internet interface with the library collection is bug free.

 

Nobody including Josie expected her to become involved with handyman Cole Craig, son of one of the founding family. He was her childhood protector and had a crush on her before she left town.  He fixes a busted pipe at her home that flooded her kitchen.  Despite the townsfolk disapproval of the professional librarian and the handyman dating with the help of matchmaking Dixie Ferguson, owner of Ferguson’s Diner and the opposition of high society who threatens Josie’s employment if she fails to break up with Cole, Josie does what she thinks is right for her.

 

Anyone seeking a sweet old fashioned contemporary regional romance will enjoy Only You.  There are two stars who find something special in their relationship while the townsfolk mostly stand in their way.  Cole is an interesting silent hero (think of a modern day Gary Cooper) who takes the handyman jobs he does because he likes fixing things and that trait proves handy in winning Josie.  This is a sweet tale of love could not care less what color collar you wear.

 

Harriet Klausner

Sex Drive-Susan Lyons

Sex Drive

Susan Lyons

Kensington Aphrodisia, Dec 2009, $12.95

ISBN: 9780758238252

 

On a flight from Australia to Canada, University of Sydney professor Dr. Theresa Fallon and author Damien Black share a row in the business class section.  They are instantly attracted to one another although neither knows why.  They still want one another even after introductions as she ripped his last novel.

 

Damien asks Theresa to join him on a getaway.  She shocks both of them when she accepts his sexy invitation though she convinces herself this is research.  They share the erotic and the intellectual with great pleasure and delight in both until her family intrudes with rage and the media feeding frenzy threatens both their careers.

 

The conflict in this fun entertaining mile high contemporary romance is how she sees his books as shallow crap, which when he recognizes who she is, a literary academic snob, is intrigued by her.  Although the plot is as thin as the air the plane crosses through on the way to Vancouver, fans will enjoy this fun tale of the literary snob and the novelist falling in love over the Pacific.

 

Harriet Klausner

Breathless-Bonnie Edwards

Breathless

Bonnie Edwards

Kensington Aphrodisia, Dec 2009, $12.95

ISBN: 9780758238283

 

“Breathless”.  At the TimeShop Blue McCann is confused by her desire to put on a silk corset, but cannot stop herself from doing so.  She is transported back to 1913 into the body of midwife Stella McCann, but when she meets Dr. Stephens she knows where she belongs.

 

“To Die For”.  In Seattle Tawny James is afraid of the stalker who apparently is so perverted he went through her laundry.  She reluctantly asks her former employer private investigator Stack Hamilton, for help with a stalker, but she unknowingly holds a deadly secret involving a four plus decade old theft.

 

“Body by Gibson”.  In Seattle, three years ago, an odious gallery owner Withers destroyed Mariel Gibson‘s dreams of becoming an artist as he called her mediocre except for her breasts, but carpenter Danny Glenn hopes to become her muse.

 

These three fun erotic novellas are tied together by undergarments and plenty of sex although the story lines are thin (except for the lead males’ lower heads.

 

Harriet Klausner

 

Ain’t Too Proud To Beg-Susan Donovan

Ain’t Too Proud To Beg

Susan Donovan

St. Martin’s, Nov 2009, $7.99

ISBN: 9780312366049

 

San Francisco Herald obit writer Josephine Sheehan would like a two legged hunk in her life; her only male being Genghis the Labradoodle.  However, her work is not exactly the best place to meet a man.  Although she promises her friends to give up men for dogs, she draws up a list of the attributes of her ideal man.

 

Soon afterward, she meets Celestial Pet Superstore owner Rick Rousseau who was working as a groomer at one of his fourteen shops.  She asks him out for coffee, but he agrees though he has sworn to have a life of celibacy as his comatose girlfriend Margot Cumming never recovered from their motorcycle accident that left him severely injured.  When the CEO and the reporter first meet, each hopes this is their eternal mate.  However, when Josephine writes the obit for his girlfriend who just died after seven years in a coma in Rhode island, she has doubts that she can deal with it or him anymore even as Margot’s raging father Bennett vowed vengeance once again.

 

This is a lighthearted contemporary wacky romance that feels like a throwback to the 1930s madcap comedies.  The lead couple is an entertaining pair struggling with issues especially him while the support cast is solid except for Teeny’s knees.  Fans will enjoy this fun dog-walking tale while wondering if Katherine Hepburn will play Josie (should have been a cat-walker) and Cary Grant as Rick.

 

Harriet Klausner