Chin Up, Honey-Curtiss Ann Matlock

Chin Up, Honey

Curtiss Ann Matlock

Mira, May 2009, $13.95

ISBN: 9780778325581

John Cole comes home ostensibly only to attend the wedding of his son Jonny. However, he also has returned hoping to persuade his wife Emma Berry to give them a second chance. Emma has doubts, but agrees to try again with the stipulation that together they see a marriage counselor. Reluctantly John, who hates discussing issues with loved ones let alone strangers, agrees.

As the day of the marriage ceremony comes closer, Emma realizes her in-law disapprove of her son. She wants to help Johnny with his future relations so she makes an effort to change the mind of her son’s mother-in-law and show she, her husband and Johnny are good people who will be there for her daughter.

The quirky secondary cast makes for a fun lighthearted frolic. The story line lacks action and the one of the two prime premises not significant as Johnny will have to prove his worth to his in-laws with deeds not his mom’s interference. The second chance romance aspects are also somewhat muted as the differences between John and Emma are minor. Still fans will enjoy watching the antics of the groom’s mother, making two fronts worse.

Harriet Klausner

Kissing The Man Next Door-Devon Vaughn Archer

Kissing The Man Next Door

Devon Vaughn Archer

Harlequin Kimani, May 2009, $5.99

ISBN: 037386115X

In Cheri Village, Vermont, Mackenzie Reese actually feels pretty good about the empty nest when her fifteen years old son Ryan moves to Los Angeles to live with his father Brent and stepmother. She looks forward to enjoying life with no relationship entanglements especially fostering her career as a jazz singer while feeling Brent will be good for Ryan who needs a male role model.

Leaving Westport, Connecticut, Ian Kelly accompanied by Otis the Labrador move next door to Mackenzie. The DJ at KRDQ, the jazz all the time radio station, Ian is attracted to Mackenzie and likes the idea her son moved out as he never dates any female with children. As their lives are jazzed up by their attraction, Ryan returns home with am angry chip on his shoulder; he hassles his stressed out mother. His ugliness forces Mackenzie to choose between her love for Ian who reconsiders his wisdom of no child left behind with him and her son who she still cherishes but has been difficult since returning to New England.

The “triangle makes for an interesting contemporary romance as the teen nukes the relationship between his mother and his enemy next door. Ryan makes the tale as he comes home filled with anger and resentment as he takes his ire out on his mom and indirectly her lover. His actions force the lead couple to decide whether love is enough. Although Ian is never fully developed, fans will enjoy Mackenzie’s heart breaking dilemma between KISSING THE MAN NEXT DOOR and dumping the man next door.

Harriet Klausner

Belong To Me-Marisa de los Santos

Belong To Me

Marisa de los Santos

Harper, Mar 31 2009, $14.99

ISBN: 9780061240287

After recognizing that LOVE WALKED IN to their lives, Cornelia Brown and oncologist Dr. Teo Sandoval married. Following a miscarriage and the 9/11 tragedy, the couple leave Manhattan for the suburbs of Philadelphia.

The urban Cornelia finds adjusting to the burbs quite difficult as the problems of the natives seem insignificant after 9/11. Cornelia cannot stand her disparaging neighbor Piper, unhappy wife to Kyle and mother of two, who is the vicious self-proclaimed leader of what is acceptable behavior. On the hand she seems to get on with single mom Lake whose son Dev believes they left California to be near his dad, an absentee father who vanished thirteen years ago. However she reconsiders her initial impressions and stereotyping the two women. Piper voluntarily becomes the caretaker for cancer victim Elizabeth and subsequently when her “patient” dies keeps providing support to the grieving family even as Kyle walks out on her. The brilliant young teen Dev uncovers the truth about his father.

Though the ending will not shock anyone, the complicated roads travel by the various support staff and Cornelia is deep with detours potholes and ruts making for a profound drama. Cornelia like readers will reassess her classifications of Piper and Lake; she sees the former proactively nurturing a neighbor and her family irregardless of the gossip, and the latter concealing truths from her son. Fans of contemporary family dramas will enjoy the big city immigrant struggling to adapt to life in a foreign land, the suburbs.

Harriet Klausner

Laura Rider’s Masterpiece-Jane Hamilton

Laura Rider’s Masterpiece

Jane Hamilton

Grand Central, Apr 2009, $22.99

ISBN: 9780446538954

In Hartley, Wisconsin, after dozen years of marriage, Laura and Charlie Rider are comfortable with each other though their relationship has become nonsexual. They enjoy working together in their Prairie Wind Farm nursery business and especially enjoy good storytelling.

However, something subtly changes between the couple when Charlie and radio show host Jenna Faroli begin exchanging emails encouraged by Laura who thinks that will enable her to write a Jane Austen quality romantic masterpiece. Laura persuades Charlie to jointly write fanciful and flowery intimate messages to lure the town’s most famous person into “The Project”. However, the game they play spins out of control when Charlie begins to desire Jenna; jealous Laura believes she is working on a masterpiece; and Jenna finds herself wanting and loathing Charlie as the “author” of those romantic emails.

This is an interesting but strange triangle as each of the prime trio has wants and flaws with a sort of modern day gender bending Cyrano take of who is writing the poetic romantic emails. Throw in Jenna’s supportive buddy Dickie into the mix to further complicate the already convoluted relationships. Amusing yet profound, LAURA RIDER’S MASTERPIECE is refreshing and original although the audience will feel Jane Hamilton could have went even further outside the conventional story line.

Harriet Klausner

The Mistake She Made-Linda Style

The Mistake She Made

Linda Style

Harlequin SuperRomance, Apr 2009, $5.50

ISBN: 9780373715572

In Arizona Artist Tori Amhearst is stunned when DNA proved Linc Crusoe is not the man who raped her. She is appalled as her testimony put him behind bars where he stayed for a decade. To make matters worse, just before he is to be freed, he is badly injured in a prison assault that rushed him to Scottsdale Trauma Center for emergency treatment; when he regains consciousness from the medically induced coma, he suffers from amnesia.

His only visitor is Tori who feels strongly she owes him for her wrongful accusation. He fails to recognize her so she explains she is a friend from college. As she falls in love with him, she knows she owes him the truth, but fears once aware of who she is he will rightfully end their relationship. She also knows he probably will regain his memory or someone will recognize her and tell him who she is.

THE MISTAKE SHE MADE is a fabulous romance starring a heroine who knows she cannot take back her error but wants to do whatever she can to make it easier on her victim. Linc is simplified by his condition, but the tormented Tori more than makes up for it with her anguish. The story line has a neat twist involving what really happened and a condemnation of states quick to convict with while ignoring DNA evidence as is Linc’s case (until another criminal offered additional information). Fans will relish this second chance at life between the accuser and the accused.

Harriet Klausner

The House Of Secrets-Elizabeth Blackwell

The House Of Secrets

Elizabeth Blackwell

Harlequin SuperRomance, Apr 2009, $5.50

ISBN: 9780373715596

The previous family, the renowned affluent Brewster clan who has a Baltimore street named for them, owned the dilapidated Oak Hill house. The large Brewster mansion was built in 1904 and remained used by the family for decades until a death drove them away. Perhaps the finality to her on and off for four years relationship with Brad represented by the house is the impetus, but designer Alissa Franklin is intrigued with the tale of those occupants.

Her contractor Daniel Pierce assists Alyssa on her investigation into the Brewster clan, but he hides from her his real reason in assisting her. As they fall in love, each conceals truths that if revealed could end their relationship while both realize there is a lot more to a deadly accident than they first realized while putting together the puzzle of the Brewster family and what was once their magnificent house.

This is an enjoyable contemporary romance with an engaging amateur sleuth investigation into the history of a house and its previous occupants. The story line works on both levels; that of a tale of love and secrets, and a mystery of love and secrets. Elizabeth Blackwell provides an entertaining novel as the hunk handyman and the delightful designer bring love back to the HOUSE OF SECRETS.

Harriet Klausner

Home At Last-Margaret Watson

Home At Last

Margaret Watson

Harlequin SuperRomance, Apr 2009, $5.50

ISBN: 9780373715541

Her sisters forced the third triplet jewelry designer Fiona McInnes to come home to Spruce Lake to help them with their late Pulitzer Prize winning father’s estate. This is the one place she does not want to be as she loathes her famous father and still nurses a broken heart though she denies it though she has avoided veterinarian Jackson Grant for five months while worrying and something is wrong with her business as her manager Barb has vanished apparently with her funds.

Babysitting her nephew Charlie while her triplet sister goes on a honeymoon, she runs into Jackson who comes to her family home while she is having a tirade over her father’s picture as she hated her dad. He is looking for his two kids Logan and Lindy. Jackson remains irate with Fiona who deserted him years ago to flee for New York, but admits he never got over her as he still wants her. As they consider a second chance at love, both have issues to work through and then there is Lindy.

The third McInnes Triplet contemporary romance (see A PLACE CALLED HOME and NO PLACE LIKE HOME) proves you can come home if love is there. The support cast is solid, but the tale belongs to the lead couple as Jackson must get over his ire and intense feelings of betrayal while Fiona must overcome her fears of commitments. Fans will enjoy this second chance at love due to the strong characterizations.

Harriet Klausner

The Demon’s Librarian-Lilith Saintcrow

The Demon’s Librarian

Lilith Saintcrow

ImaJinn, Mar 2009, $14.00

ISBN: 9781933417448

She is the librarian in Jericho City who found a secret room filled with books of magical instructions and information. When Francesca “Chess” Barnes sees a demon eating a child, she vows to do something about that. She reads the books written by the founder of the Order, an organization pledged to keep humans safe. Chess learns spells including casting a demon out and owns a magic knife called Fang that can kill hell’s spawn, which she uses to eliminate one of these ugly amoral creatures.

Two men claiming to be from the Order arrive and ask if the founder of the Order’s library is in her library and she denies it. They smell the use of sorcery and Paul the Malik,, a human mage with magical powers, and Ryan, the Drakul half demon, which makes him a second class citizen in the Order, are in the front line war with the demons. Ryan follows Chess while Paul turns to another human he believes is using magic. Ryan realizes that Chess is using magic, but is much more as a Golden almost pure Phoenicus practitioner who if she attains her full potential will be able to kill even the almost invincible demonic High Ones. To his shock, Ryan falls in love with Chess, which may be the only reason she might survive as a traitor inside the Order knowing who she is wants to give her to the Inkani demons as a sacrifice for a rare rite.

The outwardly prim and proper (and underpaid) librarian gets down and dirty when she realizes the lethal threat to schools kids as her library is a battle zone between the paranormal and the normal. Ryan is the more intriguing character as he always assumed he was tainted with bad blood and the Order enforced his lack of self esteem (outside of his fighting demons); but Chess soothes the troubled beast through love. Lilith Saintcrow has written an enjoyable romantic urban fantasy in which the book world will agree don’t mess with THE DEMON’S LIBRARIAN as she silences the evil ones.

Harriet Klausner

Decision and Destiny-DeVa Gantt

Decision and Destiny

DeVa Gantt

Avon, Apr 7 2009, $13.99

ISBN: 9780061578250

By 1837, the dysfunctional Duvoisins family struggles with inner turmoil since the death of the patriarch Frederic’s second wife frail Colette. Her twin daughters born in 1828 Yvette and Jeannette struggle with their mom’s death and the almost immediate third marriage of their father to his late first wife’s sister Agatha. Jeannette is especially hurting as she is closer in temperament to her mom than the somewhat wild Yvette. Their governess nineteen year old Charmaine Ryan has helped them adapt to their wicked stepmother as she protects them as best she can especially the youngest infant Pierre from Agatha’s abusive anger.

However, Frederic has withdrawn while his two oldest sons, both born in 1808, the illegitimate Virginian Paul and his heir from his first wife John argue over business, family, and Charmaine. With treachery from within leading to tragedy, the Duvoisins family, already split due to the late Colette’s ties to father and son, seems on the verge of total destruction; only Charmaine is the one person who might save them from themselves, but she is pulled between the two oldest sons.

The second Duvoisins historical saga (see AN OCEAN AWAY) is a terrific entry that uses humor and innocent events like a picnic or horse riding to somewhat defuse the overwhelming family strife. The story line is character driven with the ensemble cast coming across as fully developed especially their differing passions to include loathing. More of what caused the schism is revealed as the writing team of DeVa Gantt provides an interesting middle tale; however though newcomers will enjoy aptly titled DECISION AND DESTINY, they will relish the dynamic interrelationships and rivalries much more if they read the first novel.

Harriet Klausner

Spirit Horses-Alan S. Evans

Spirit Horses

Alan S. Evans

Oceanview, Apr 1 2009, $25.95

ISBN: 9781933515250

In 1996 in Cheatham County, Tennessee Shane Carson believes he lives the perfect life. He loves his wife Jen, their preadolescent kids Jacob and Tina and the horses he raises; and loves his work as a horse trainer and has earned a well deserved reputation as one of the best

Mrs. Erickson drops off a feisty mare she bought at auction from a cranky owner. She asks Shane to “start” the spirited Mustang and when ready find the steed a home with caring people. Shane realizes the animal is part of the legendary Spirit Horse herd roaming the Shoshone reservation in Wyoming. After a tragic accident caused by a man running a light kills his wife and kids in a car crash, Shane drinks away his grief until he recalls the promise he made to his son to return the Spirit Horse to his home. He escorts the horse back to her Wyoming home and makes friends amongst the Shoshone especially Chief Tigee and his granddaughter Tara while making enemies when he helps the tribe with a danger that threatens them and the herd.

With a touch of whimsy, this is a great story of a man reeling from a sudden tragedy that wiped out his beloved family, but finds redemption with the horses he loves. The strong characterizations especially the support players like his mother-in-law and his friend a ranch hand enhance a deep look into the soul of a person who was living heaven on earth until the vehicle accident moved him into hell until he finds a second chance at life through his love of horses.

Harriet Klausner