A New Look and a New Attitude...

Hopefully.

I feel like I've been quite crabby and negative about romance lately. Although I have read and enjoyed some books, I'm just not excited about stuff like I used to be. Releases by two former auto-buy authors (Sherrilyn Kenyon and MaryJanice Davidson) have come and gone with no interest from me. I keep buying different things in an attempt to recharge the mojo, to no avail. I haven't read a book in over a week. I was annoying myself, wondering why (should I take a hiatus from romance? from blogging?), and then I realized, it's probably just summer. The heat and humidity fry my brain after awhile, and there always seem to be personal dramas that distract me. Well now that some of these dramas have been resolved, and my sister's lovely but exhausting wedding is out of the way (I looked fab, btw), I am determined to catch up on all that is going on in Romancebloglandia, and find something cool to read.

I bought myself Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice for my birthday. I really enjoyed it, and thought that it was what erotic romance should be. There were developed characters having scorching sex while developing believable chemistry and romance. Im not feeling like reviewing, but here are some reviews by Rosario, KristieJ and Gwen that I was in agreement with. There is something so durn delicious about a man who is just head over heels in love, nay, obsessed with a woman. In fact, his obsession is creepy, almost, if it wasn't so well written. I get so sick all the obsessive women in books, tv, and movies mooning over some dude on the basis of his looks or $$$. I liked seeing the tables turned. Ms. Rice guest blogged at The Good, the Bad and the Unread recently. There were a couple of interesting posts on her philosophies on Erotic Romance and the ever popular topic of Alpha Males. Her particular brand of sensuality and hero was definitely on display in Dangerous Lover, and whooo boy, I found it pretty much breath taking in its intensity. Will definitely be checking her out again. I'm thinking I'll start with Midnight Angel.

Best of the Blogosphere...

I've been meaning to do a roundup of some interesting things I've seen lately. You may or may not have seen 'em, or find 'em useful, but this way I can access them again easily.

FREE THINGS!
--Found at Dear Author: Michele Albert, who also writes as Michelle Jerrott, is offering a free download of her first book, Absolute Trouble. Her next release sounds pretty interesting, about an organization that deals with stolen art and antiquities. I love that kind of stuff.
--Also found at Dear Author--
RegencyReads.com, which rereleases traditional Regency romances in electronic format, has two free downloads, a novella called Lady Bountiful, and a sampler anthology.
--Found at Brianna's Mommy-- The members of Romance Divas challenged each other to write a story for Valentine's Day. Click on the link for short stories in a variety of genres and steam levels.

Other Blogs!
--Serial Drama, a blog for hilarious Soap Opera snark.
--Unusual Historicals, a blog by authors who set their romances in unusual locations and locales. Kristie did a column at Access Romance about how hard it is to find a variety of historicals, and Bev mentioned this site.
--It seems like every other erotic romance out there is being labelled as BDSM. I found a review site devoted to the genre. Some of us like this stuff more than others, but I've found that that "BDSM" label encompasses a huge variety of content. I was thinking there should be a review site that could help readers determine whether or not a book fits within their taste and comfort zone. And voila! It is written by an author,Miranda Heart, but it's honest. She's not just doing PR for her buddies.

That's all for now! I'm going to bed.

Gina is my homegirl...

So I've definitely been having a case of the "it's not you, it's me"s (tm KristieJ). I was having trouble getting into a book, not because it's bad, but because it just wasn't fitting my mood. I was looking forward to something grabbing me the way Demon Angel did, but it just wasn't happening. Definitely the January blahs. What to do? I pondered. Aha, time to call on an old standby. Paging Ms. Brockmann.

So I committed a breach of personal protocol, and read Breaking Point, even though I was going out of order. I needed to get some resolution on Max and Gina. I first fell in love with Max and Gina in Over The Edge. Max Bhagat was the unflappable FBI agent and ace hostage negotiator. Gina Vitagliano was the Italian-American college student from East Meadow New, York (right next store to me! Strong Island in the house!) stuck in the cockpit with the terrorists. They communicated via radio, and Max was eventually able to save Gina, but not before she was beaten and gang raped by the terrorists. While Max was forced to listen and watch. Their relationship developed over the course of the books, a mix of animal attraction and deep emotional connection mixed with a large dose of Max's guilt over his "failure" to save her, as well as his weirdness over their almost 20 year age difference. Eventually, Gina has it up to here with Max's shit, and takes off for Africa. Breaking Point begins when Gina's name appears on a list of casualities in a German terrorist attack. Jules Cassidy (He's gay. Did you know he was gay? Well, he is and don't ever forget it.) is the lucky stiff who gets to break the news to Max. And away we go!

Now let me just say, one of my favorite types of romance hero is the uptight, controlled guy who underneath it all seethes with passion. Well, Max takes it a step further. He is eaten up by passion with Gina, but he is thrown into a tailspin by what he perceives as any weakness or failure. In short, he is a mess. As I mentioned before, Max needed some therapy toute suite. What's so bad about a beautiful, intelligent, strong, nubile babe adoring you? Stop it! As for Gina, she's great. I find many of Brockmann's heroines somewhat... emasculating, but Gina's someone I'd hang out with. She's strong and down to earth, and sees through Max's facade to the mess underneath, but adores him anyway. However, she's not a doormat or a martyr, so when she's had enough of Max's crap, Gina decides to cut her losses. We see the deterioration of their relationship through flashbacks, as Max travels to Europe and then to Indonesia
to find out what happened to her. (Spoiler: she's not dead. But I bet you already guessed that).

I enjoyed this one, it definitely had me from the get go. It was interesting, emotional and hot. Although, as per usual for me, my interest in the "action-y" bits started to flag towards the end, so I started to skim to get back to the emotional bits. Max and Gina had as much chemistry as ever, and a very satisfying reunion. And I'll definitely be picking up Out of Control to get the full story on the secondary couple, do-gooder Molly and man-of-many-aliases Grady, because they were hot too. My main complaints were the fact that I started to get bored of the action, that Max and Gina were apart for too long for my tastes and that Max was such an annoying bitch sometimes.

Plus, enough already with Jules. I do live in a blue state and all, but I find it hard to believe that no one can react to Jules without discomfort and homophobia. For God's sake, "Will and Grace" was on for, like, 8 years. They're here, they're queer, aren't some people getting used to it at least? It's just so heavy handed, the way everyone's like, "Yikes, he's gay!" But then they decide he's not so bad after all, even though he's GAY. Love Jules though. Give him a man, already. Actually, I'm reading Hot Target next. I read Suze's dedication to her son, and it made me verklempt. No joke. Keep it up Brockmann, and I'll be your bitch forever. A B for this one.

Best of 2006...

Best Romantic Suspense/Best Contemporary/Best pre-2006 read

Killing several categories with one stone! I don't read much straight up comtemporary romance or romantic suspense, but on this blog I've made no secret of my love for my new(ish) discoveries, Tara Janzen and Suzanne Brockmann. I read the first four of Janzen's "Crazy" series back to back, in a frenzy. Pure over the top, escapist, fun. My favorite of the series so far has been Crazy Cool. Christian "Superman" Hawkins was an awesome hero, and his appearances in subsequent books only confirm his greatness. I didn't expect to like Katya Dekker (poor little rich girls bug), and I didn't like the idea that he had gone to jail because of her. But this story of lovers reunited delivered on all fronts: sweet romance, hot sexin' and wild action. Some of the others books were a little flawed, but this one totally hit the mark. As I'm typing this I'm thinking that I really want to give it a re-read.

What else can I say about Suzanne Brockmann? Her characterizations can be flawed, and some of the details might be a bit ridiculous, but when you mix it altogether, it just plain rocks. Brockmann is fun to read and different. You run across characters that you don't really find in romance. Although my glom got derailed by a sudden interest in reading vampire books, I'm sure I'll pick it up again in 2007. It's kinda nice, 'cuz I still have a bunch to look forward to. My favorites so far are: Over the Edge and Gone Too Far.

Sam and Alyssa, Alyssa and Sam...

I haven't read anything new since I finished Gone too Far last Thursday. I've got Out of Control and Flashpoint on my bed table, but I find myself unable to start them. I find myself feeling a little bit wistful. I read these books too fast, I fear. Because now I have to say goodbye to Sam and Alyssa. It's been a long and bumpy road, and I was right there with ya, guys. Best wishes and all that, but now I must settle for cameo appearances and mentions by other, less interesting characters. Ho-hum. I'm just not ready to continue on in a Sam and Alyssa-less SB world.

Yes, I'm afraid it's true, I'm now Suzanne Brockmann's bitch. It reminds me of J.R. Ward, where I can find so many things wrong with the books, yet I'm hanging on every word and desperate for more. I could nitpick these books to death (there were a number of small discrepancies and WTF? moments that took me out of the moment), I wasn't a big fan of the WWII subplots, there were times when the stories dragged, and a number of characters (see last post) that I wanted to bitchslap like Cher in Moonstruck ("snap out of it!"). And those were the characters I liked! Some of the love stories I found clunky. But Brockmann dragged me in. I lapped up every word, and when I finished one I picked up the next right away.

I've been trying to decide how to do this post. Every time I've been in the mood to blog this week, blogger hasn't been working, compounding the problem. So I've just decided to be my usual rambly, long winded, slightly unhinged self. This post will not so much be a straight up review as a series of observations. If you've read it, you'll get it, if not, hopefully your interest will be piqued. Or maybe you'll think it sounds like a pile of crap. Either way, I ain't going to sweat it. I'll provide links for each book for a better summary and excerpt, and if you're interested in reading more, you can find a 53 page PDF guide on the front page of Suzanne Brockmann's Website, which gives loads of info about the books. Is it just me, or should she really do something about her site? It looks like a middle school class project or something. Now, onto the books.


The Defiant Hero is the first one I read, but is actually the second one in the series. It is the story of Navy SEAL Lt.(jg) John Nilsson and translator Meg Moore, who once had a brief friendship (that didn't turn into anything more b/c of Meg's marriage), who are reunited under extreme circumstances. Meg's daughter and grandmother have been kidnapped by terrorists, and if she wants to get them back she has to grab a terrorist leader who is posing as a diplomat. Or something. I'm kinda fuzzy on the details. Did quite a bit of skimming on this one.

Observations: KristieJ warned me that Meg was her choice for worst heroine evah, and she is definitely a contender. I understand that she's been hurt in the past, and that she is in an extremely difficult situation,and determined to protect her family but her repeated refusal of help from Nils, who she had brought into the situation, started to grate. She kept flying off back into danger. Gee-zus, he's a Navy SEAL. They're, like, specially trained and shit. She? Is a translator. Maybe he could give her some tips or something, that's all I'm saying. John Nilsson is an archetypal Suzanne Brockmann hero: handsome, intelligent, capable, romantic and kinda masochistic. I'm serious. Brockmann's heroes seem to like being abused by mean women. To different degrees. There's a WWII subplot of course, because there are in all of these books for some reason. I find the WWII plots harmless, but not all that interesting either, and I just breeze through them to get back to the main plot. This one was decent, about Meg's grandmother and her brother's tutor and Dunkirk, but who really cares? I've spent enough time talking about this book, which was just ok. Let's talk about the most interesting stuff.

That's right, Sam and Alyssa. So we've got Ensign Roger "Sam" Starrett and FBI Agent Alyssa Locke, who got off on the wrong foot in The Unsung Hero, which I haven't read. Sam's a good ol' boy from Texas: arrogant, cocksure and loud (and foul) mouthed. Alyssa's somewhat too good to be true: in great physical shape, super intelligent and confident, ace sharp shooter and extremely beautiful (part African American, part Hispanic, part White). A former Naval officer herself, she resigned her commission, chafing at the restrictions placed on her due to gender. Now with the FBI, Alyssa comes off as cold and bitchy, pretty much because she's hyperaware that as a gorgeous woman of color, she's going to be looked at differently, and judged differently. She's got to show no weakness in order to be seen as the best of the best. Alyssa has dismissed Sam as a rednecked, bigoted idiot and despises him. Sam totally digs Alyssa, but then she needles him and he finds himself shooting his mouth off and completely playing into her preconceived notions about him. The sparks fly whenever these two meet, and, as you know, where there's smoke, there's fire, so after celebratory whiskey, you can guess what happens. That's right, handcuffs, chocolate syrup and hot, hot sex. And angst, regrets and anger the morning after. A totally, hot glorious mess, which saved the book for me. Alyssa comes off as a bit too mean and too bitchy (though I get where she's coming from). Sam can be obnoxious, but it's pretty clear that he's way into Alyssa and just can't help reacting to her. I love him (but more on that later) I don't even know why I loved this subplot so much. I mean please, drunken one-night stands betwen two people who don't like each other, but these two just grabbed me.



Next up, Over the Edge. Observations: This one was a lot better. Our intrepid hero and heroine are Naval Reserve Lt. Teri Howe, a pilot, and Seal Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok (what a great romance hero name), a strong, steady, very nice guy. Teri was a very different heroine from Meg. She's had a troubled past, but once she realizes that she wants Stan, she goes right after him. Stan the one resisting, because he's not that good looking or he wouldn't be good for her or some such hogwash. But I got over it, because everything just gelled in this one much better. The "action" plot was much better, a hostage situation on the plane. It kept me glued. I really liked Gina Vitagliano, the hostage who dealt with the FBI. Only a college student, she had an intelligence and grace about her, lacked that grating quality of some of SB's other female characters. We also get Max Bhagat, top FBI negotiator and Alyssa's boss. Intriguing character as well. I should mention Jules Cassidy, Alyssa's flaming gay partner, who in the great tradition of gay best friends, is a very nice guy and a good listener. Luckily for him and us, he gets his own romance down the line and I hear it's some good shit.

And of course, Sam and Alyssa. Sam's been pining for Alyssa for the last six months. Alyssa is wracked with guilt and shame over sleeping with Sam, and is none too pleased to find that she's still attracted to him. So she's gets drunk with some Brits and booty calls him late at night!! Kind of a bitch move, but again, a hot scene. More regrets and recriminations the next morning. Poor angry Alyssa. Poor sad Sam. After a conversation with the gay and therefore wise Jules, Sam decides to tell Alyssa about his feelings. Just when it seems that these two crazy kids might stop with the misguided (but really, really awesome) sex, and work towards a real relationship, we all get blindsided. In an effort to forget Alyssa, Sam had engaged in a brief affair with a dumb, stacked SEAL groupie. Oops, she's pregnant! Sorry Alyssa, Sam's going to do the right thing and marry this girl, who he doesn't give a damn about. WTF!!! WTF!! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stop it Sam, just stop it! Seriously, this should all have me clawing out my eyes in anger and frustration, but instead I was verklempt. Brockmann has me totally buying into the "love story" of these two, which so far is just a case of good chemistry and drunken sex, pretty much. Damn you SB, for making me love them.

Oh yeah, and there's a WWII subplot about Denmark and the Nazis. Is there anyone out there who really loves these subplots? Who feels that they bring something to the table? I can't be bothered. They aren't bad, but they're taking up valuable page time. I'm going to stop here, because I wrote way more than I was planning to. What a surprise. Will pick up tomorrow.

Crazy Love by Tara Janzen

Crazy Love, the newest (and very highly anticipated by me) book in Tara Janzen's Steele Street series, came out yesterday. I ran out and bought it, read it already, re-read parts, and of course, I've got some thoughts on it.

Crazy Love was another fast and enjoyable read, as evidenced by the fact that I totally devoured it. But I was a little disappointed, which I think is more of a risk when you're seriously excited for a book. This was the story of Dylan Hart, the ultra-cool and elegant head of SDF and Skeeter Bang, the barely 21, psychic, computer geek, ex-street kid. The two characters have great chemistry. Dylan is becoming increasingly unhinged by his obsession with Skeeter, and his internal musings are hilarious. I also have to say I just love Skeeter. I read a book like Moon Called, and I wonder why fantasy and mystery authors are so much better at creating strong, intelligent (and sexy) heroines than romance authors, whose genre is more character driven than plot driven (a topic for another post, I guess). But Janzen has created a great character in Skeeter. I didn't even mind her age (a bit younger than I normally like in a heroine). I think that the key is restraint. Skeeter is set up as an over the top character--her appearance, her interests etc. But her personality is intelligent, mature and caring (well, apart from a few lapses when Dylan makes her crazy).

So what was disappointing? I wanted more of them. This was one book where I felt the other characters and all the action were taking away from the main story. And we saw so much of what they were feeling inside, I wanted some more meaty scenes between them. At the end, Dylan has pretty much acted like a total asshat. Throughout the book, Skeeter (with good reason) has been pretty unsure if Dylan has any real feelings for her, and he plays right into that. But all that seems a little glossed over and they just jump into bed. I was looking for a bit more soul-baring emotion, I guess. True confessions and all that. Skeeter deserved that. I love that shit.

As for secondary characters, I jest lurve Travis James and how Janzen has developed his character over the course of the books. I thought that his book was being set up in Crazy Kisses (4th book in the series), and I didn't like the girl. When I realized that wasn't the case, I was happy, 'cuz I love me some Travis. This time I was like, yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Just what I would do. [Amongst other things, I love that he loves the older ladies. Older women-younger men stories are hot. My second husband's going to be younger than me. Just Kidding! Sorry, honey.] Then Ms. Janzen threw a big ol' monkey wrench into the works. I, for one, am very curious to see what's going to happen. But I have to wait until November. Boo. Despite being a little bit disappointing, Crazy Love was still a fun read and a keeper.