An Old Favorite.

Book Info: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. Published by St. Martin's Press in 2004.

4 or 5 years ago, my friend Sarah suggested I try Jennifer Crusie. I told her I would and then never did. About 3 years ago she loaned me Bet Me and told me to try it. But not until I had left over Chicken Marsala in the fridge, as the book would cause a craving. So one night, after a trip to the Olive Garden, I picked up this book. It is one of those quick reads. You know the kind.... you sit down and all of a sudden you have lost 3 hours and you are almost done with the book. It is cute and charming, and yes, I did crave Chicken Marsala by the time I was halfway through it. Though not as much as I craved Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Lol! Crusie weaves us a wonderful little fairy tale. So wonderful that this little nugget was added to my kindle last week. ( Since moving to grad school, I have told myself I can't by more books.... and I am trying to stick to it by buying e-books instead. Lol!) As I am still traveling, I decided to re-read it and see if it was as good as I remember.

So, what is the story? The stage revolves around Cal and Minerva. Minerva is 33 and her boyfriend dumps her because she isn't putting out. (I thought that ended with high school, but apparently not.) Cal, was given the ultimatum by his girlfriend, marriage or nothing. He chose the later option.  Minerva's ex-slimeball, David, bets Cal $10,000 that Cal can't get Minerva to sleep with him in 30 days. Cal declines, repeatedly. But Minerva overhears only part of the conversation and therefore believes that Cal accepted the bet... at a rate of $10. Cal does accept a bet for $10 that he can get Minerva to leave the bar with him (which he wins) But... this creates the old "Boy meets Girl, Boy and girl go to dinner, boy and girl vow not to see each other again, boy and girl protect each other from their respective families, which leads to boy and girl fall in love" scenario. You've heard of that one right? Okay probably not. It is fun. It is light. It is interesting. I suggest it.

Plus, Minerva isn't a skinny minnie... She is a heroine that comes to love herself. I always like those stories. And Cal, doesn't expect her to starve herself to become something that isn't achievable. I like that about him.

So I would say read it. It is a good one. I plan to read it again. Maybe tonight. ;)

From the road.

So I am traveling this week, but I finished a book this morning before I started my road trip and wanted to get a quick review up.

Book Info:  Burning Wild by Christine Feehan (Leopard Series). Published by Jove in 2009.

This one I just did a quick review read. It was something to read to help me fall asleep and then to finish quickly this morning before I hit the road. I have read it many times before so the story wasn't new and I was braced for the violence. I even skimmed the romance scenes because I wasn't in the mood.

Yet, as with all the other Feehan novels, I still enjoyed it. The leopard series that Feehan writes revolves around a society of shape shifters. They are both human and leopard and they must learn to control their own animalistic nature. The nature of the leopard, for the purpose of these stories, is possessive of their mates and very domineering. There are many critics of these stories for that reason. As a romance writer, Feehan steps into an in-between world. She is not a BDSM author, yet these leopard stories, especially the story of Jake and Emma, include aspects of a Dominant/Submissive relationship. Not completely, and from what I understand (which is very little), those that truly understand that type of life style would not consider this relationship to be such. Yet, for those uninitiated, it can be considered too extreme and therefore get categorized as such.
I tend to disagree with the rest of the uninitiated. I don't believe this is a Dom/Sub story. This is the story of a woman who teaches a man, not only how to love, but how to understand love. The character of Jake was a tortured soul. He was physically, verbally, and emotionally abused for most of his life. He has trained himself to cut off all emotion as a protection. In true romance genre fashion, Emma must teach him how to understand and to even express his own emotions.

From A Stray....

Book Info: A Little Ray of Sunshine by Lani Diane Rich. Published by NAL Trade in 2008.

I picked up this book on a whim. It was mentioned on one of my yahoo book groups and I thought why not? It was a free e-book through Amazon.com. Today, as I gave into the desire to continue to stay in bed, I picked up my kindle and it was at the top of the page. So again, I thought, why not?

The story itself is an interesting one. A young woman named Emmy James (EJ) gave up her life 6 years ago to travel from place to place working odd jobs. She is cynical and obviously running from some sort of past. Enter secondary character Jess, who believes she is an angel of sorts. Jess travels the country as well, though she does so in search of people she can help. This unlikely pair ends up together on a cross country journey to attend the 8th wedding of EJ's mother, Lily to her childhood friend, the widowed Danny.The life that EJ had given up all those years ago included Danny and his two sons David (Digs) and Luke.

Luke, who EJ had been engaged to marry. Luke, who took two years to get over the devastation of losing EJ. Danny had been stand in father for EJ for years, every time Lily decided to dump her unwanted daughter for awhile. Therefore EJ's disappearance with out contact for six years caused a lot of hurt and anger.  Lily was a child star who was a critical and unloving mother. Hence EJ getting left with Danny and the boys so often. It is, therefore, quite a set of shocks for EJ to find out that, 1- Her mother is marrying Danny and, 2 - Her mother has changed drastically.

Jess is the kind of friend that everyone hopes for. She talks to EJ and forces her to face Lily. Which is not easy. While the changes to Lily seem drastic, it is obvious that she is still far from okay. Yet, using an outsiders view allows readers to understand that Lily's comments are more a reflection of personal fears then a commentary on those she is talking to. Towards the end of the story, we find out that Jess is running from her own demons which must be faced. EJ tries to be the good friend and help Jess talk but it doesn't work... until it has to.

Criticisms: 

Editing: There were grammatical errors that should have been corrected during an editing process. There weren't many, but enough of them for me to stop and have to re-write the sentences in my head so they made sense. If you have to do that, then you lose the magic of letting the story take you away. 

The Cover: I like everything except for the fact that the girl has a cigarette in her hand. In the story the main character gets a tad upset when offered a cigarette, reminding everyone that she gave it up 7 years before. It is a personal pet peeve of mine that the cover artists don't actually read the books they are creating covers for. 

My only other issue was the beginning was written in such a way as to confuse the reader. With no understanding  of the main characters choices, her remarks about them make very little sense. It is taken on faith that the author will explain them at some point. Which she does. It is just a touch unsettling at first.
Any other criticism comes from being caught off guard by the topic. I wasn't aware that it would hit a tad close to home for me and therefore it was like getting slammed with a frying pan on this dreary Sunday morning. It was a kind of emotional roller coaster for me. There was a scene in particular that brought a tear to even my jaded eye. When Jess is forced to face her demons, EJ is stuck facing her greatest fear: she is helpless. She has no idea what to do to help her friend. And therefore she turns to her mother. With the horror of Jess's past so apparent, Lily's takes Jess in her arms and lets Jess mourn. There is quite a bit of crying... the ugly kind of crying. Lily holds Jess and Danny holds EJ as both girls cry. And it is there that EJ recognizes the extent of the changes in Lily, and the changes that this trip have brought to her own life:

Mom cuddled Jess as though she were a small child, holding onto her, whispering words of encouragement and pride in her ear, selflessly giving every bit of strength she had to this motherless girl. She didn't cry a single tear, just held onto Jess and was a mom. The mom I never had. But still, there she was, fixing the unfixable, saving Jess's life, saving me. I leaned against Danny, felt him strong and solid next to me, and a bone-deep relief flowed through me. This was what it was like, I marveled, to have parents who would catch you, no matter what. This was what it was like to be loved so powerfully that it even transferred to the stray little angels you brought home with you.                                                                                       (A Little Ray of Sunshine, page 274 (e-Location 5765)  

As I read that scene, my eyes teared up and I had to put down the Kindle. Not because I was EJ, but because I was Jess. I was the stray that had been brought home and cared for. I would not be the person I am today except for people out there who have taken me under their wing. I can only hope that those of us that are lost can find the Lily and Danny's of the world. The mama and papa Thorne's of my world who catch us when the world shifts beneath our feet. 

A Slice of Life

Book Info: Beginnings and Ends (Troubleshooter Short Story) by Suzanne Brockmann. Published by Ballantine Books in 2012.

Yet again we see Brockmann take on the controversial topic of gay relationships with style. Here we have a short peek at the lives of her beloved characters Jules and Robin Cassidy.

As with her previous short stories we don't have the multiple story lines. This is purely a look a a few days in the lives of our favorite couple. Jules is still working for the FBI and Robin is still working on his TV series Shadowlands. 


We see the turmoil of Robin's onscreen character, an A-list actor who believes he must hide the fact that he is gay if he wants to continue to be an A-list-er. We see the struggles and mishaps that Robin must face when dealing with his own alcoholism. In fact,  there is a mix up on set which leads to a mouthful of whiskey. It's not a good day for Robin.

And even cooler, we see Jules and Robin decide to have a family. To share the bond they have with a child. Though short, it is a great little slice of life.

Celebration

Book Info: When Tony Met Adam (Troubleshooters Short Story) By Suzanne Brockmann. Published by Ballantine Books in 2011

This is a quick story to celebrate the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2010.
Tony V is a young SEAL that has to hide for fear of losing the career that he obviously enjoys. Adam is the ex of both Robin Chadwick and Jules Cassidy that have featured in many of Suz's books.

Here Brockmann provides a glimpse of the difficulties that are caused by DADT. On the surface, DADT seems like a good idea.We just don't ask about sexual orientation, right? Bit the truth behind that is far more restrictive. As Jay Lopez states in the story:

I'm pissed at the system. How was your evening? How's Callie? How many times did I ask him that? We all did. And he couldn't answer any of us honestly. Can you imagine not being able to talk about what you did last night, or over the weekend? ...
Can you imagine? ... For all I know, T's married, and because he wants to serve our country, he can't introduce the love of his life to any of us. He can't even whisper his name. And that's just wrong."

This is again emphasized when Tony gets injured while on an op. Adam has to worry about who sees him go visit Tony in the hospital for fear it will out Tony. No one should have to hide like that. So while I am glad it DADT was repealed, what I would real like to hear is that it is more then just a house of cards. As in, we say the words to make the changes but the changes never actually happen.

The end of an era

Book Info: Breaking the Rules (Troubleshooters Book 16) by Suzanne Brockmann. Published by Ballantine Books in 2011

The final full length novel in the Troubleshooters Saga and the end of any such full length novels for the foreseeable future.  While I have 2 more short stories that I was to read and report on, this is the end of the line for these books. It is a little sad for me. I have been reading these books for over a decade now. And while this book does tie up a some of the loose ends, no one wants to actually see it end. Well, maybe there are those that are ready to be done, but I am not one of them.

Okay so onto the book: This novel again shows the various relationships that abound in the Troubleshooters world. But it is mainly focused on the worlds of Izzy Zanella and Dan Gillman. Since Izzy's wife is Dan's sister we finally get to se the reality behind their family dynamic. We also see the truth that lies behind Eden's "it's just sex" thinking. In book 13, Into the Fire, Eden had come running to Dan for help and had found Izzy instead. They end up married and her blasé attitude about sex immediately set my teeth on edge. It was obvious that there had been issues in her past. In this book the truth comes out. It is offset by the secondary plot of a young girl who had been sold in to the sex trade at the age of 8. There is no way to measure the horrors of either young woman. We also learn about the verbal and physical abuse of Danny's childhood. Which, though doesn't excuse, somewhat explains his actions and reactions to certain situations. Though Gillman will never be my favorite character, at least he is willing to man up and accept responsibility for his actions, as well as recognize his need for outside help. I love that Brockmann, in all of her books, is so open about the need for outside help when dealing with the shit of childhood. Whether it is an alcoholic parent or verbal, physical or sexual abuse, it is not something that can be overcome with out help. And even superSEALs can ask for help.

My love for Izzy solidifies with this novel. Not only does he sacrifice his life for his arch nemesis (aka his brother-in-law, aka Dan Gillman), he repeatedly tries to do what he thinks is best for all parties involved. Granted, at one point he thinks what is best is to get out of dodge, but that is just because he doesn't have the whole story. He figures it out.

Another aspect of this novel that is a reoccurring theme for Brockmann, is the difficulty of being an openly gay person in this day and age. In past novels we read about Robin, Jules, and even Tony. Here we see a whole different perspective - that of the teenage boy. The youngest Gillman, Ben, comes out of the closet and sets off a chain reaction that horrifies me. Here we catch a glimpse of the hate that can be caused by other's homophobic tendencies. The only thing I thought was missing, was someone that Ben could talk to that might understand him. Not that Jenn, Eden, Izzy, or Dan loved Ben any less, but it is hard to be the odd man out whatever the circumstances and therefore it might have been a nice conversation. Granted the era of this novel was during the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" bull, so the guys couldn't have called Tony to swing by Vegas. But Jules or Robin might have been helpful when trying to deal with the craptastic step-father. Though the conversation with Peter Sinclair III is one that I won't forget anytime soon. While only a page or two in the book, the scene of poor Peter talking about his boyfriend back in Connecticut, while cuffed to a bed with bandages around his wrists from him trying to kill himself, is one to remember.

The Shift

Book Info: Hot Pursuit (Troubleshooters Book 15) by Suzanne Brockmann. Published by Ballantine Books in 2009.

While each of Brockmann's books have been placed on a backdrop of trouble, in my opinion, this is the first book where the relationships take a backseat to that trouble. Granted the serial killer Brockmann names The Dentist, has appeared in a couple of the short stories she has written. Yet, this is the first time where the story seems to be about the bad guy with a secondary plot of individual problems. Yes, we see Dan and Izzy and Lopez again. Yes, we see the progression of Jules and Robin's relationship. Yes, we also get more on Sam and Alyssa - Ashton even takes his first steps. But that is not the focus of her novel here. Earlier books seemed to concentrate on the relationships, and how the trauma of the situation highlighted that relationship. Culminating in the couple understanding each other and working together towards an end.

The new relationships that this novel has focused on do not resolve happily and they contrast directly with the established relationships that we do see. Brockmann has always been very good at providing a view of contrasting relationships. Here, Izzy is approached for a marriage of convenience while he is pining for Eden. Dan, on the other hand is a total douchebag, in my opinion. He seduces Jenni for the sake of getting laid and then clinically explains to Izzy how he does it. Shocker of the century Jenni over hears it and Dan is upset when she doesn't accept his apology right away. These are offset by Sam working to contain his inner caveman and let Alyssa do her dangerous job and Robin just trying to help Jules do that very same dangerous job.

Again we see another contrast between the Alpha and Beta relationships. Sam and Alyssa are both very Alpha and that is what frustrates Sam. He could step in and help but knows that he should allow Alyssa to do it her way. Robin and Jules, on the other hand, are Beta and Alpha. Robin knows that he can do nothing but wait and pray that Jules returns safe. He does use his intelligence to help, but he can't hunt down the bad guy and save the day like Sam.

It is interesting to see Gillman talk of his family. As one who comes from a .... well let's just say a dysfunctional background, I can see his issues and even understand them to some extent. Yet, in my opinion, his choices make him more of a douche and less of someone who garners sympathy. As a matter of fact, Izzy has gotten my support from the beginning. Dan makes me want to smack him in the head.

It looks like the next book with be Dan and Jenni and Izzy and Eden again. And then it appears she is down with her TS world for awhile. I do have two short stories to read by Brockmann before her collection is released next year. So I will review those as well before moving on to the next author..... I can't decide who it will be.