Reviews

Author Profile/Book Review: Against the Edge by Kat Martin

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kat martinKat Martin is a New York Times bestselling author of over fifty historical and contemporary romance suspense novels.  She currently lives in Missoula, Montana with her husband.  Kat is a graduate of the University of California where she majored in Anthropology and studied History.  Before starting her writing career in 1985, she was a real estate broker.  That’s where she met her husband, Larry Jay Martin, author of more than 20 westerns and mysteries.

Most of her ideas for books just pop up in her head, but she does occasionally get ideas from newspapers and television.  Her books are published in twenty foreign countries.

Against the Edge is book number eight in the Against series.  You  don’t need to read the others in any order as they stand alone just fine.

Former Navy SEAL Ben Slocum receives the shock of his life when a stranger appears on his doorstep announcing that a child he didn’t even know he had is missing.  Claire Chastain is a friend of the boy’s late mother and is desperate to find him and seeks Ben’s help.  They band together to track down the kidnapper, all the while trying to fight the attraction they feel for each other.  Ben enlists the help of his fellow private investigators and end up traveling through several states in search of an off grid survivalist group who might have his son, Sam.  To add an interesting twist to the story, Claire’s old boyfriend shows up with his own trouble that Claire gets drawn into.

This book is filled with drama, suspense, action, romance, and likeable characters.  It is fun to watch Ben and Claire’s relationship take hold.  The author weaves a believable story of both characters’ pasts that adds great interest to the book.  The secondary characters (some have been introduced in past Against books) add another enjoyable layer.

BOOK REVIEW: All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg

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Is it possible for the anchor of a highly popular ESPN sports show to write believable women’s fiction?  The answer is YES!

mike greenbergMike Greenberg joined ESPN in September 1996 as an anchor for ESPNEWS.  He is  usually seen each Monday evening on SportsCenter.   He was named co-host of Mike & Mike in the Morning (along with Mike Golic), a weekday morning drivetime show, in 1999.  He has various other responsibilities within ESPN that include play-by-play for Arena Football League games, various hosting duties, and TV specials.  He is a New York Times Best Sellers author and was nominated for a Quill Award.  He is married with two children, and lives in Connecticut.

All You Could Ask For is about three woman traveling different paths who become connected when each is diagnosed with cancer.  Brooke is happily married to her college sweetheart, Samantha finds out on the second day of her honeymoon that her husband is cheating on her, and Katherine is 40, single, and has a high-power job and salary in New York City.  The book is written in the first person and in two parts.  The first part sets the stage to allow you to learn about these three women.  Part two delves into how these women deal with their cancer diagnosis and life around them.

The format of the book may not be to everyone’s liking, and you probably think a man could not write such a sensitive story from a woman’s perspective, but the author delivers this novel with grace, humor, compassion and insight.

Mr. Greenberg was inspired to write this book after a friend of his wife, Stacy, was diagnosed with breast cancer.  He watched in amazement at the depth to which her circle of friends gathered around to support, love and nurture this woman.  Mike and Stacy have created a foundation called Heidi’s Angels to honor Stacy’s friend.  All of the profits from this book will be donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research to combat breast cancer.

BOOK REVIEW: What She Wants by Sheila Roberts

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This is book three of the Life in Icicle Falls series.  I didn’t read the other two and do not feel like I needed to.  This book took me completely by surprise.  Most romances center around the angst of women trying to find true love.  This book centers around men!  It was very refreshing to read a story from the man’s perspective.

Jonathan Templar and his poker buddies are single, married, separated, height challenged, balding, overweight and geeky.  Not your typical romance heroes!  But they all have good hearts and no knowledge on how to get the love of their lives, or keep the loves of their lives.

The main character of this book is Jonathan who has been in love with his childhood neighbor his whole life.  She only sees him as her “good friend”.  Their 15 year high school reunion is coming up and he is determined to change from geeky, skinny, computer nerd, to stud-muffin he-man.  He’s also determined to learn how to talk to women and learn what they want.  His poker buddies also have their women challenges from Adam who thinks he’s in love with someone at work, to Kyle whose wife kicks him out for taking her for granted, to Vance who has known love and lost love and has quite the surprise!   Ms. Roberts deftly weaves their stories and other secondary characters around Jonathan’s.  Jonathan’s sister starts planting the seed of reading romance novels to learn about women.  They attend their local library’s book sale and Jonathan ends up buying a ton of romance novels.  He approaches reading them as if they were textbooks, highlighting passages and taking notes.  He ends up actually enjoying them!  His poker buddies accidentally come upon his new hobby and he hooks them into reading the romance novels too.  It is quite interesting, humorous and thoroughly engaging to watch these men transform.

This book will make you laugh, cry, and cheer for the underdog.  It is very well written, with great character development and scene setting.  You’ll fall in love with the Town of Icicle Falls and all its characters!

BOOK REVIEW: Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

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I have mixed feelings about this latest book from Nora Roberts.  It was very good –  entertaining, intriguing, enjoyable – but it just didn’t flow as well as some of her other books.

Eli Landon is a Boston lawyer who endured an intense year being accused of murdering his soon-to-be ex-wife.  There wasn’t enough evidence and the case was dismissed, but his reputation, life and career are ruined.  He needs to get away and he chooses to go to his family’s home in Whiskey Beach, Mass.  Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach for more than 300 years and not only is it stunning in its appearance, it holds the key to a long ago mystery of death, treasure, and betrayal.  Eli not only needs to heal from his ordeal, but he has promised his grandmother, who lives at Bluff House, but is currently recuperating in Boston from a fall, that he would look after the house.

Abra Walsh has been caring for Bluff House and Gran for a few years now.  She was once a mover and shaker in Washington, D.C., but has escaped to Whiskey Beach to become a jill-of-all-trades:  maid, cook, massage therapist, yoga instructor, jewelry maker.  She, too, is escaping a terrible ordeal and chose Whiskey Beach to do her healing.

It takes awhile for Ms. Roberts to give the reader some insight to Abra’s past and Eli’s troubles.  The story moves a bit sluggishly.  But the characters have vintage Roberts’ charm and likeability.  You are still drawn into the story (there is danger, murder, mystery, pirate treasure and romance) and are anxious to read the book to its conclusion.  The characters are multi-faceted and likeable, although Abra Walsh seems just a little too good to be true.  I was quite disappointed in the ending.  It took a long time to get there, then was hurried and stingy in details.  But the theme of love, trust, and friendship ring true.

Nora Roberts fans will enjoy this book, she truly has never written a bad book.  It just doesn’t have the “zing” some of her other books have.

BOOK REVIEW: The Trouble With Love by Beth Ciotta

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This is book two of the trilogy Cupcake Lovers.  Rocky Monroe is the owner of a bed and breakfast in Sugar Creek, Vermont.  She’s also president of the Cupcake Lover’s club, a group of women (and one hunky man) that bakes cupcakes to raise money for charities.  Ten years ago, when she was only 17, she lost her virginity to her brothers’ best friend and family friend, Jayce Bello.  He was 22 at the time and overwhelmed with the love he felt for Rocky and the fear of being found out by her brothers.  He felt at the time that the best thing he could do was leave town, so he begins a new life in New York City.  Rocky was hurt and confused and claims to hate Jayce, but in reality, she can’t get him out of her head.  It would be helpful to read book one first – Fool For Love – as it sets up the background story of Rocky and Jayce.  But if you don’t get to read it, you can still understand the dynamics between them.

Rocky needs to go to New York City to help negotiate a publishing deal for the Cupcake Lover’s Club’s first cookbook.  Of course the very first day she is there, she gets mugged and hit by a car.  Having no money and reluctantly needing help, she calls Jayce, who is more than happy to help.  He’s been doing a lot of thinking and has just made the decision to move back to Sugar Creek and try to come to terms with his demons about his family and to try to reconcile with Rocky.  The timing of Rocky’s call couldn’t have come at a better time.  He begins his plan to woo her while she’s in New York and continues it when they return to Sugar Creek.

There are many twists and turns in Rocky and Jayce’s journey.  With true love, you have to fight hard for that someone special and that’s what this story is about.   The whole Town is behind them and the cast of characters provides comic relief as well as emotional support. It was also nice to see the continuation of Dev and Chloe’s story from book one, and Luke’s story is nicely set up for book three – Anything But Love coming out in September.