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.

Stop it!

So since my last post I have read The Defiant Hero, Over the Edge, Into the Night, and Gone too Far, all by Suzanne Brockmann. Hopefully, I'll have something up about them by the end of the weekend. I think my reading slump is officially over, and I think I can be declared an official SB fangirl. But I love these despite some issues, the chief of which there was at least one character in each book that I wanted to shake until their teeth rattled.

I very rarely watch MadTV, but every once in awhile my husband will watch it on Comedy Central. It's been on for, like, a million years, did you know that? Sometimes it's funny, sometimes not, but there's one sketch that I love and we always say it to each other. In it, Bob Newhart plays a therapist who has two words of advice for everything his patient has to say--Stop It!! Not to make light of actual emotional issues and the therapy process, but I think we've all had those moments, say when a friend or relative is going on about something for the millionth time and you've given them a million pieces of advice that they never listen to, where you just want to say, Stop it! Get over it! Enough already! Here's the sketch: YouTube--Stop It!. Warning: It's bit long and the audio's out of sync, which gets a little annoying.

So now I'd like to put on my therapist/friend hat and give a little advice to some of Brockmann's characters. This is how I felt while reading these books. My apologies to those who haven't read any of SB's books, I'll clear up their identities next post.

Alyssa Locke: I love you, I really do. You're a bitch sometimes, but I totally understand your frustrations at being a woman of color in a man's world. You have to work so much harder than everyone else, and show no weakness. But you know what? Stop it. Just stop it. You're a little too mean, and protesting a little too much. Relax, have a drink or two (the liquid courage helps, doesn't it?), and go booty call Sam. I know, I know, he's a redneck, arrogant asshole, but just...stop it. Go get some redneck ass. And stop it.

Meg: Stop it! Now, seriously. Stop it! Because as much as I'd like to say I understand your trust issues due to your lousy marriage, and your desperation as a mother to save your child, you pretty much define "too stupid to live." You've got your adoring Navy SEAL ready to do anything for you. He's a trained professional, idiot! And you are annoying on a number of levels. Unlike Alyssa, I don't like you that much, but I just wanted to tell you to stop it. Shut up and accept some help.

Stan: I really like you. You seem like a great guy, your name is Stanley, and you're scary looking, which I like in a man. But you're kinda insecure, and I'm here to tell you, stop it! When the gorgeous woman of your dreams starts throwing herself at you, don't set her up with one of your men. And say that you're not good for her, when there's no evidence that you are anything but a stand up guy. Stop it!!

Joan DaCosta: Ditto for you. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You started off okay, but I really stopped liking you. Stop it already. Go find your young stud and have some fun, before he realizes how shallow and annoying you really are. Stop it!!

Max: Okay Max, I adore you. And again, I understand your reasons for wanting to keep your distance from Gina. But she's definitely Brockmann's best female character. She rocks. So just stop it. I'll give you a little hint, if you want to keep your distance from someone, you don't make sure you know their whereabouts at all time. And don't have sex with them (although I'm kind of glad you did, 'cuz it seems like you needed to get laid). And don't ask Alyssa to marry you b/c it'll be easier. Really, man! Any romance novel character can tell you that's not a good idea. Just stop it, godammit!!! And as your fake therapist, I'd like to recommend that you go see a real therapist. I love you, man, and I'm looking forward to your book, but stop it! And get some help. You worry me.

Man, giving advice is exhausting. But better than doing the bills. Ta for now.

I Feel a Glom coming on...

What is a glom, or in its verb form, glomming? See here and here.

I've never read any Suzanne Brockmann before, though she's very popular and generally gets good reviews. Not really a big romantic suspense fan, and Navy SEALS, nah. That particular fantasy doesn't appeal to me at all. Don't get me wrong, from the little I know about Navy SEALS, I would imagine they'd probably be a high percentage of hotties in real life too (best of the best and all that), and I can defintely understand the larger than life appeal...but not for me. Though I was intrigued by the fact that Brockmann has a recurring gay character who even gets his own love story (highly unusual for a mainstream, high profile author), that wasn't enough to push me past my RS bias. Terrorists, secret agents, military? Eh, I'll stick to the English Aristocracy, and leather-clad vampires.

Never let it be said that I don't try to expand my horizons, however, so I bought Brockmann's Everyday, Average Jones at work last week. First off, I should mention that I would characterize this book, despite the action-y opening scenes, as a straight up contemporary, rather than a romantic suspense. I think that this book and the other ones in her "Tall, Dark and Dangerous" series are contemporaries, and the "Troubleshooters" series is the RS. Just to clarify. So, anyway, in this book, Harlan "Cowboy" Jones rescues Melody Evans from a hostage situation in the Middle East. They have instant chemistry and celebrate their escape to safety with six days of hot sex in the unnamed Middle Eastern Country and in Paris. Then they go their separate ways, Melody back to her Massachusetts hometown, and Jones back to his life of dangerous missions. Melody made it clear that what she wants from life is an ordinary, average guy, not an adventurer she'd be worrying about constantly. But Jones can't get Melody out of his mind, so he decides to surprise her seven months later. But Melody's got a leetle surprise for him too, and I'll bet you can guess what it is. That's right, it's a big, fat belly. So Jones decides he's going to do "the right thing", whether Melody wants it or not. Ah yes, getting married for the sake of the baby, though we barely know each other. How romantic. And usually successful.

I enjoyed this book a lot though. Brockmann had both characters acknowledge the fact that they didn't really know each other all that well, and if it wasn't for the baby, marriage wouldn't be discussed. I liked that, thought it was honest, that scorching attraction doesn't equal lasting love and that both had genuine fears. Then Brockmann created a situation where the characters did actually get to know each other over time, which made the happy ending more believable. Jones, the hero, was great. Hot, intelligent and thoughtful. Melody was a bit annoying. I agree with Sybil's comment a few posts ago that she needed to get over the whole "I want a normal guy" thing. Because that guy? Was really cool. Good secondary characters as well. A B+.

So after I read and liked this book, I went over to Brockmann's website for a bit, to find out about her other books. And I read and read and read, including her 53 page PDF guide to the Troubleshooters series. I'm totally intrigued now. Besides the fact that the books and characters sound interesting, I'm also intrigued by the diversity of her characters. And there seems to be a significant subtext of tolerance in a post-9/11 world. Curious to see how overt it is. And just because she's so proud of her gay, tap-dancing son. Seriously, guess what I'm doing at work tonight? Finding people Halloween books and tracking down Brockmann's backlist. What's the best? What to start with? I have a feeling those Troubleshooters books will be easier to find.