Force of Nature and new review style

Since it appears that most of my posts are going to be written in the wee hours of the morning I've decided to try some different review styles to see if I can't get a handle on my ramblings and actually write something that makes since.

Force of Nature - Suzanne Brockmann

The Plot - Ric Alvarado is an ex-police officer who is now working as a private investigator. He has just hired Annie Dugan, his best friends younger sister to work as his receptionist/assistant in the office. Unfortunately for Ric, Annie doesn't want office work she wants to assist him in the field. In an effort to keep her from quitting Ric allows Annie to accompany him on what appears to be a routine missing persons case and they end up being "escorted" to the home of one of Florida's most dangerous crime bosses Gordon Burns. Ric and Annie end up being hired on to protect Gordon's less than intelligent son Gordie Jr. Meanwhile in Washington DC FBI agent Jules Cassidy has just been informed that Gordon Burns is planning to smuggle an Al-Quaeda operative into the country to carry out a very large terrorist attack. So Jules hops a plane to Florida where he discovers 1) that an ex-police officer he's worked with before was seen at the Burns mansion and 2) the "in the closet" actor he's been in love with for years just happens to be attending the Sarasota Film Festival and is their best chance at infiltrating Burns' lair. Once Ric and Annie learn what Burns is possibly up to they agree to work undercover to stop the potential terrorist attack.

The Hero - Which one? No really I mean there were three in this book. Let's start with Ric - he's very much a Brockmann hero - Alpha without being a jerk, capable, gorgeous, protective, smart and very kick ass. I thought he was great although I was hard pressed to find any faults with him so he was a little too good to be true. Jules - I've always loved Jules and have been waiting for his story for a long time (of course isn't that always the case with Brockmann). Robin - Well where Ric was too good to be true Robin had so many issues I was worried about Brockmann being able to convince me he was going to be worthy of Jules. Not only is he in the closet thus not being able to have the open relationship Jules needs but he has a serious drinking problem a very very serious drinking problem. Of course I worried for nothing Brockmann did a fabulous job with Jules and Robin.

The Heroine - Annie - what can I say about Annie. Annie Dugan is not your beautiful, skinny, long haired temptress - she is curvy, with short curly hair and she after spending 6 months building stone walls she isn't exactly what you would call delicate :) However, Annie seemed to be the least developed of all the characters. I mean everyone else in the book kept saying how great and wonderful she was but I didn't see it. There was nothing bad about her she was just blah.

What Worked - Jules and Robin. I'm pretty sure they were the secondary romance in this book but man did they take over the book. I've read quite a few M/M romantica e-books that had very hot sex but I was never able to buy into the love story. I bought Jules and Robin - there was so much emotion involved with their relationship along with the crazy hot sexual tension they far out shadowed Annie and Ric. The plot also worked and kept me reading into the early morning. In typical Brockmann fashion these were not card board cut out villains. They were serious baddies and there was plenty of suspense. The last half of the book flew by with me thinking - OMG how are they going to turn this around it can only end badly - even though I knew I would get my happy ending.

What didn't Work - Annie and Ric's relationship fell a little flat for me. Annie's mistaken belief that Ric was a total hound dog was kinda hard for me to buy. I mean she knows this guy so well they can communicate whole conversations with a mere glance at one another but she doesn't know his history with women? and then even when she's told by one of his best friends who knows all the details of his past relationships that he doesn't hump everything that moves she refuses to believe it. Like I said I didn't buy it. The conflict between these two just seemed too contrived for me. Thank God for Jules and Robin.

Should you read it?

If you haven't read previous Troubleshooters Books I would recommend you go back and start with the first book Unsung Hero. There are so many plot lines that are stretched out over this series it would take away sooo much from the book if you didn't read those first. If you have read them and haven't been that happy with the previous few books I'm not sure if you will love this one. I really enjoyed it but every troubleshooters book has been an A read for me. If you have been dying to read Jules's story then this book is totally worth reading even if you hate everything else about it. They make this book.

Rating 8/10

Don't Look Down - Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer

Blurb from Amazon
It sounded simple. Go to Savannah. Finish directing an action-adventure film. Earn some quick money. Get a chance to see sister Daisy and niece Pepper. Instead, as soon as Lucy Armstrong arrives on the set of Don't Look Down, she discovers that nothing about her current job is simple. The cast is lackluster. What she has seen of the script is, even by Hollywood standards, unbelievably incoherent. The stunt coordinator is none other than her annoying ex-husband, Connor Nash, and her sister seems to have become a zombie. Bryce McKay, the movie's leading man, turns up with Captain J. T. Wilder, whom Bryce has personally hired to be his stunt double and military consultant. The last thing Lucy needs is a taciturn, too-sexy-for-his-own-good male like J. T. on her set, but once the going gets tough, someone like J. T. turns out to be exactly the kind of person Lucy decides she wants in her life. This first collaboration between best-selling romance writer Crusie and adventure-thriller writer Mayer is a rare delight. Mayer's delectably dry sense of humor perfectly complements Crusie's brand of sharp wit, and together the two have cooked up a sexy, sassy, and smart combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible.

My Review

I went into this book not expecting to like it very much. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself greatly enjoying it. Maybe because I'm not a hardcore Crusie fan I was able to accept the change in writing style easier than most.

The plot was fast moving and kept me interested and J.T. was so wonderfully realistic. I imagine that was Meyers doing and I really appreciated having the male point of view so very.... male. The romance didn't really work all that well for me and I would have been happy if the book just ended with the two being together. I didn't need the declaration of love and spending the rest of their lives together after three days - that's just creepy.

I don't always enjoy kids in the books I'm reading but I really enjoyed Pepper. She was a spoiled brat and hilarious. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book nearly as much without her.

I'm looking forward to their next collaboration "Agnes and the Hitman" which I think will be even better. I actually read the preview in the back of Don't look down and that is something I never do.

Hard Evidence - Pamela Clare

After the murder of a teenage girl, a mysterious man in a black leather jacket was seen lurking near the crime scene. Investigative reporter Tessa Novak has him in her sights as the culprit…

That man was Julian Darcangelo—an undercover FBI agent working with the Denver police. He’s closing in on the trail of a human trafficker and killer. Tessa’s accusations could blow his cover—and he wants her off the investigation.

But just as Tessa has made Julian a target of interest, she is now a target—of the killer. And as they are forced to trust each other, their physical attraction escalates as intensely as the threat from a ruthless murderer who wants to see both of them dead…

My Review

Okay, before I launch into the problems I had with Ms. Tessa Novak let me just say I did enjoy this book. It was fast paced and kept me turning the pages. Julian was a great tortured anti-hero and I will be picking up the other books in this series however...

I hope to God none of the other heroines are going to be as dumb as Tessa Novak. How this girl is not dead or horribly maimed still remains a mystery to me. Why Julian would even waste his time trying to protect her is also beyond me.

Just to clarify Tessa witnessed the murder in gas station and promptly went to work and wrote up a front page article revealing every single detail of the crime. I don't work with the police on a daily basis like say... an investigative reporter would and even I understand why police withhold certain details from the public to help them catch the killer. Tessa however, can't really grasp the concept of police catching the bad guys and reporters reporting. I'm supposed to believe that Tessa is only out to help get these guys off the streets, protect all the other girls like the one who was murdered and it's not all about getting her big headlines but honestly, her headlines are driving the bad guys further underground and potentially exposing the identity of an undercover agent who is thisclose to catching them. How is that helping Tessa??? Please explain it to me.

On top of all that this girl is dumb. Let me just list a few of the bajillion stupid things she's done.

1. Writing a first person account of an unsolved murder for a major newspaper in Denver announcing to the bad guys that she Tessa Novak witnessed everything.

2. Assumes the murder was gang related and announces to the world in her article that she Tessa Novak witnessed the murder and will be singlehandedly tracking down the killers to see that they are arrested.  Then the ninny goes waltzing into gang territory and starts asking around to talk to the head of the local Crips chapter.

3. After starting a media frenzy with the intention of getting the cops to start cracking down on gang activity Tessa slips her protective cover and goes back into gang territory to finish her interview with the Crips.

4. Even after she finds out that the killers are worse than your average gangbanger, has a man break into her apartment who molests her while she is in the bathtub, has a cop get shot by the same man after he trys to break into her apartment for a second time she still insists on evading the protective custody the police have on her and doing things no her own. Oh and perhaps I should mention her best friend ( a fellow reporter) was almost killed for trying to take a story too far in a previous book.

There are just too many issues with Tessa for me to write about them all. It's enough to say that she was a complete airhead for the majority of the book and by the time reality actually hit her in the face and she started exercising common sense it was too little too late.


Grade 6.9/10


I do have to say that I love the cover of this book.

To Die For - Linda Howard

Well, here's another not so nice review from my archives...


Back Cover Blurb
Blair Mallory lives the good life. She’s pretty, confident, and the owner of a thriving up-scale fitness center. But in the shadow of success, a troubled member of the club develops a strange fixation on Blair, imitating her style and dress. Matters take a darker turn when the look-alike is shot dead–and Blair witnesses the horror.

As the media speculates on the tawdry details of the homicide and pushes Blair into the harsh spotlight, she locks horns with police lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth. He wants to lead an investigation without interference, while Blair is determined to probe the dead woman’s life on her own. But when someone begins to menace Blair with mounting threats, Wyatt takes notice: Was this murder indeed a lethal case of mistaken identity–and was Blair the intended victim?

My Review

Okay, let me sum this up quickly for you.

Blair Mallory our heroine is annoying, snarky, self-delusional and pathetic. The worst part - you are stuck in this girls head for the entire book and have to listen to her constantly tell her self that she isn't going to sleep with Wyatt again because you know the Mallory girls are made of better stuff then that only to roll over and sleep with him again the next time he kisses her neck which is alot.

Wyatt Bloodsworth - our hero is a total jackass in every sense of the word. Don't get me wrong I like alpha heros but they have to have a redeeming quality among there many resemblance's to neanderthals. Not this guy.

The relationship - considering there isn't too much to like about either character do I actually believe in the relationship? Umm well they are both like totally hot so I guess considering the integrity of these two already is enough to build a relationship on. Maybe I'd have a better idea if the relationship actually grew or evolved through out this book but no - I'm supposed to believe that these two fell in love on three dates two years ago and when they get together again they are already in love with one another and just don't want to admit it.

The suspense plot - this was the only ok part of the book for me. I've read a thousand better plots but this one was okay enough to compel me to finish the book despite the irritating characters.

Over all it was not worth the aggravation those two caused me to get to the end of the book. I've read one other Howard and I hope most of her books are more like that one and not To Die For. Yeesh

Grade 5/10

This is my first post (yea!). Since I’ve just barely started my current book I’m going to post a review I wrote sometime ago. I have a number of reviews already written so I’ll be posting them along with reviews of books I’m currently reading. The Shadowy Horses – Susanna Kearsley Back Cover Blurb Verity Grey has never been a woman who recoils from a challenge. But when she is invited to a windy coastal town in Scotland to work on an archaeological dig, she wonders if she has stepped over the line. “It’s not the ancient Roman history that intimidates Veity — even when that history takes the ghostly form of a slain Roman sentinel — it’s her co-worker David Fortune, who frustrates her with his remoteness. “As the group of archaeologists strives to uncover the truth of the mysterious Roman campsite, science must contend with the paranormal. The ghost’s appearances become more urgent and more chilling until Verity can no longer deny its message — someone is in great danger. Could the deadly warning be for her or for David? Somehow they’ll have to communicate with each other, which is proving to be the biggest hurdle they face at the dig site … “The wild Scottish landscape is a perfect backdrop for intrigue, as Verity learns that outside the scientist’s laboratory the shadowy horses of history carry messages from the past.” My Review I can’t believe I left this book languishing in my TBR pile for 4 years. There are so many things I loved about this book. First and foremost is the atmosphere. The atmosphere in this book is so present and defined it’s like a character itself. It was perfectly spooky without being out and out scary. The ghost of the sentinel is wonderfully drawn and such a tragic figure walking the same lines night after night and did not come off cheesy or hokey at all. I loved the fact that the author made the ghost such an integral part of the story rather than just throwing him in a opportune times to scare the reader. The book is written in the first person and although you only get inside Verity’s head, I had no problem understanding the rest of the characters in the story they were so 3 dimensional and well written. This book worked for me on so many levels but I can see why it may not work for all romance readers. The romance between Verity and David is equally balanced with the mystery of the ninth legion and then again with the suspense plot of the present day danger to either Verity or David so people looking for the love story front and centre may be disappointed. With that being said, I found the relationship to be wonderfully drawn between Verity and David and I loved watching these two find one another. The sexual tension between these two was so hot it didn’t matter that everything outside of kissing happened behind closed doors. The other problem readers may have (which wasn’t a problem for me) is that the mystery is not all that hard to figure out. I didn’t figure it out but I was so distracted by all the characters that when it was revealed I felt kinda silly for not realizing it earlier. This book is most definitely going on my keeper shelf and probably into my conversion kit for non romance readers as well. I think as long as your not going into this book expecting the main focus to be on Verity and David most people will really enjoy this book. It’s books like this that make me positively giddy when I look at my bookshelves because I can’t help but think how many other fabulous books must be in there waiting for me to pick them up… even if it takes 4+ years

Grade 9/10