The morning of her 34th birthday small-town librarian Daisy Minor wakes up and realizes that her life is slipping away. Everything about her is boring---her hair, her clothes, her job. All boring. Worse, she's lonely and hasn't had so much as a date in forever. She still lives at home with her mother and her aunt. She loves them, but knows that if she ever wants to have a family of her own she's going to have to make some changes. She decides that in a small town she can't afford to wait for Mr. Right to just show up so if she wants a man she's going to have to go out and find one. She decides to do a total make-over. She moves into a place of her own and enlists the help of the only gay man she knows to transform her clothes, hair and make-up from frumpy librarian to sexy party girl.
Jack Russo is the town's new sheriff. He was brought to run things after a corruption scandal ousted the previous sheriff. He's still getting to know the town and it's residents and he doesn't make a very good impression on Daisy. She considers him rude, demanding and more than a little intimidating. Of course he's also the sexiest man she's met in a long time. In spite of that she decides that she would be better off ignoring him and going ahead with her plan to visit local clubs to meet men. Her first try is less than a complete success, but she's willing to keep trying. She finds herself with worse problems than bad dates when she witnesses a crime and becomes a target in need of Jack's protection.
This is not one of Howard's more intense books. The mood is similar to the lighter parts of Mr. Perfect, although I preferred that book to this one. In this book the mystery works well enough, the characters are basically likable, and there are a few funny scenes. However, there were several things about Daisy and Jack's relationship that bothered me.
Soon after they started sleeping together Jack considered the possibility of not using a condom and getting Daisy pregnant so that she would marry him. I would consider that unacceptable no matter what, especially because they barely knew each other. What made it worse was that at that point Jack's motive was simply to stop Daisy from dating other men. He wasn't thinking about commitment as much as he was thinking about possession. Later Daisy and Jack do have unsafe sex, with the usual idiotic conversation about how they're sure it will be OK. Soon they were actively trying to get pregnant even though they had known each other only a couple of weeks and had been sleeping together only a few days. I found that so ridiculous that it ruined the end of the book for me.
Grade: C-
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
2009 TBR Challenge for July: Hearts of the West
Wrongly Accused/Just Released from Jail
Hearts of the West is a double volume containing two full length novels, both of which feature main characters who have recently been released from prison.
Rocky Mountain Rancher by Pamela Toth
Luther had an unhappy marriage to an unfaithful wife. When her lover was killed he was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. While he was there his ex sold his ranch and left the state. While driving away she got into a car accident and both she and their son were killed, leaving Luther with nothing.
After 8 years another man confessed to the crime and Luther was released. That didn't convince his neighbors of his innocence. When the man was killed in prison many people became convinced that Luther had called in favors to have him murdered in order to prevent him from recanting his, supposedly false, confession. The only thing Luther had to hang onto was the idea of getting his ranch back. To do that he hired on as a hand to the new owner.
Maddie has had her share of problems. She's a widow raising her 15 year old stepson and her 8 year old daughter and trying to run the ranch after losing her husband to cancer. She's as warm and open as Luther is closed off. They become lovers fairly easily, but getting to the point of admitting that they're in love is much more difficult, especially with the issue of the ownership of the ranch hanging between them. When a series of robberies in the area casts new suspicion on Luther he has to decide if he should stay and fight, risking Maddie's reputation, or give up and move on.
I liked this one quite a bit. It's my favorite sort of story---two people who have each had a hard time meet, fall in love and make things better for each other. I like people who have really earned their HEA and Luther & Maddie certainly did. I also liked the fact the the children were good kids, but in a realistic way, not overly cute as is so often the case in books.
Grade: B+
The Last Chance Ranch by Ruth Wind
Tanya Bishop fell in love and married young only to find herself in an abusive relationship. She stayed until after she gave birth to her son Antonio, then she ran to protect herself and her baby. She got a divorce but her ex, Vic, wouldn't leave her alone. She moved repeatedly and got a restraining order, but he always tracked them down. Finally Tanya realized that hiding would never keep them safe, so she bought a gun. When Vic came after her again she took her son to a babysitter and waited for Vic to return to her house. When he tried to kill her, as she knew he would, she shot him. As a result she was sent to prison for murder.
Her husband's family hated her and fought her over custody of Antonio. In order to keep him from being raised by people who hated her she asked that Antonio be allowed to live with the only one of Vic's family who had ever been kind to her---his cousin Ramon. Vic's sisters agreed on the condition that she allow Ramon to adopt the boy and that Tanya never have any contact with him. While she's in prison her only way of feeling a connection to Antonio is to write him letters which she never sends.
After eleven years Tanya gets out of prison and contacts Ramon. He agrees to modify the custody order and allow her to meet Tonio. However, the boy is bitter that his mother “abandoned” him and Ramon is concerned that he won't give Tanya a fair chance. Ramon is raising Tonio at the ranch he runs for juvenile offenders. He suggests that Tanya work at the ranch as a cook to give Tonio a chance to get to know her as a person before they tell him that she's the mother he resents so much.
Tanya agrees, but finds it difficult to be with Tonio without telling him who she is. Things are further complicated by the reawakening of the attraction that Ramon & Tanya felt for each other many years ago and by the troubled boys living at the ranch. When Tonio accidentally discovers Tanya's identity his anger threatens to destroy the the new life Tanya is struggling to build.
This was a solid story with likable characters. It was easy to root for Tanya to rebuild her life. While still in her teens she made one common, easy mistake when she fell for the wrong guy and she paid a high price for that mistake. Ramon has demons of his own and Tonio's struggle to understand what happened to his parents is understandable. All the elements came together to make a story that was heart-warming without being sappy.
Grade: B-
Hearts of the West is a double volume containing two full length novels, both of which feature main characters who have recently been released from prison.
Rocky Mountain Rancher by Pamela Toth
Luther had an unhappy marriage to an unfaithful wife. When her lover was killed he was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. While he was there his ex sold his ranch and left the state. While driving away she got into a car accident and both she and their son were killed, leaving Luther with nothing.
After 8 years another man confessed to the crime and Luther was released. That didn't convince his neighbors of his innocence. When the man was killed in prison many people became convinced that Luther had called in favors to have him murdered in order to prevent him from recanting his, supposedly false, confession. The only thing Luther had to hang onto was the idea of getting his ranch back. To do that he hired on as a hand to the new owner.
Maddie has had her share of problems. She's a widow raising her 15 year old stepson and her 8 year old daughter and trying to run the ranch after losing her husband to cancer. She's as warm and open as Luther is closed off. They become lovers fairly easily, but getting to the point of admitting that they're in love is much more difficult, especially with the issue of the ownership of the ranch hanging between them. When a series of robberies in the area casts new suspicion on Luther he has to decide if he should stay and fight, risking Maddie's reputation, or give up and move on.
I liked this one quite a bit. It's my favorite sort of story---two people who have each had a hard time meet, fall in love and make things better for each other. I like people who have really earned their HEA and Luther & Maddie certainly did. I also liked the fact the the children were good kids, but in a realistic way, not overly cute as is so often the case in books.
Grade: B+
The Last Chance Ranch by Ruth Wind
Tanya Bishop fell in love and married young only to find herself in an abusive relationship. She stayed until after she gave birth to her son Antonio, then she ran to protect herself and her baby. She got a divorce but her ex, Vic, wouldn't leave her alone. She moved repeatedly and got a restraining order, but he always tracked them down. Finally Tanya realized that hiding would never keep them safe, so she bought a gun. When Vic came after her again she took her son to a babysitter and waited for Vic to return to her house. When he tried to kill her, as she knew he would, she shot him. As a result she was sent to prison for murder.
Her husband's family hated her and fought her over custody of Antonio. In order to keep him from being raised by people who hated her she asked that Antonio be allowed to live with the only one of Vic's family who had ever been kind to her---his cousin Ramon. Vic's sisters agreed on the condition that she allow Ramon to adopt the boy and that Tanya never have any contact with him. While she's in prison her only way of feeling a connection to Antonio is to write him letters which she never sends.
After eleven years Tanya gets out of prison and contacts Ramon. He agrees to modify the custody order and allow her to meet Tonio. However, the boy is bitter that his mother “abandoned” him and Ramon is concerned that he won't give Tanya a fair chance. Ramon is raising Tonio at the ranch he runs for juvenile offenders. He suggests that Tanya work at the ranch as a cook to give Tonio a chance to get to know her as a person before they tell him that she's the mother he resents so much.
Tanya agrees, but finds it difficult to be with Tonio without telling him who she is. Things are further complicated by the reawakening of the attraction that Ramon & Tanya felt for each other many years ago and by the troubled boys living at the ranch. When Tonio accidentally discovers Tanya's identity his anger threatens to destroy the the new life Tanya is struggling to build.
This was a solid story with likable characters. It was easy to root for Tanya to rebuild her life. While still in her teens she made one common, easy mistake when she fell for the wrong guy and she paid a high price for that mistake. Ramon has demons of his own and Tonio's struggle to understand what happened to his parents is understandable. All the elements came together to make a story that was heart-warming without being sappy.
Grade: B-
Thursday, June 18, 2009
TBR Challenge for June: Play Dirty by Sandra Brown
June TBR Challenge---Tortured Heroes
Griff Burckett had a difficult childhood, but thanks to a talent for football and the help of a mentor he was able to make something of himself. He was the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, a job that gave him money, fame and access to all the toys and women, he could want. Unfortunately the scars of his early life left him isolated and self-destructive. The thrill he got from playing football soon wasn't enough and he turned to gambling to get the rush he craved. When he fell behind on his payments to his bookie he threw games in order to pay off his debt. His whole life fell apart when he was caught and sent to prison.
After five years in prison Griff is happy to be out, but he has nothing to go home to. His condo and most of his possessions had to be sold to pay fines and legal fees. He's banned for life from the only job he ever had and he's so notorious that it will be almost impossible to find any other kind of job. With no money and no prospects it will be difficult to abide by the terms of his parole, but Griff has to find a way because he is determined never to go back to prison. Just as Griff begins to realize exactly how desperate his situation is he receives a call from eccentric millionaire Foster Speakman.
Speakman has been a paraplegic since a car accident several years ago. What no one realizes is that his injuries also left him impotent and infertile. He and his wife Laura want a child, but Speakman refuses to consider adoption. In fact, he never wants anyone to know that the child isn't his. Because Griff shares basic physical characteristics with him Speakman wants him to act as a sperm donor. He's willing to pay handsomely for Griff's services and a lifetime of his silence. The deal sounds great to Griff until he finds out that there's a catch---Speakman insists that the child must be conceived naturally. Griff knows that this arrangement is trouble, but he has no other prospects and the money is too good to turn down.
His encounters with Laura create complications that Griff doesn't need. The detective who arrested Griff five years ago is determined to pin an unsolved murder on him and terrorizes Griff and those close to him in the hopes of getting him to lose his temper and implicate himself. Griff holds it together until Foster Speakman is found dead and Griff's feelings for Laura make him the prime suspect. Griff doesn't trust the police to find the truth so he has to track down the one person who can clear him.
I have mixed feeling about this book. One the plus side, I found Griff an interesting character because he wasn't falsely accused. He was guilty of the crime that sent him to prison. Beyond that, he simply wasn't a nice guy. He treated the people in his life quite badly and discarded them when they were no longer useful to him. His time in prison, and the circumstances in which he finds himself when he is released, cause him to do some serious soul-searching. His growth felt real to me and so did the steps that he took to try to redeem himself and make a new life.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't work nearly as well. The plot was convoluted and unbelievable and I didn't find Laura anywhere near as interesting as I found Griff. My main problem though was that the circumstances that brought Griff and Laura together were so skeevy that it was hard for me to root for them to end up together. This was definitely not one of my favorite of Sandra Brown's books.
Grade: C-
Griff Burckett had a difficult childhood, but thanks to a talent for football and the help of a mentor he was able to make something of himself. He was the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, a job that gave him money, fame and access to all the toys and women, he could want. Unfortunately the scars of his early life left him isolated and self-destructive. The thrill he got from playing football soon wasn't enough and he turned to gambling to get the rush he craved. When he fell behind on his payments to his bookie he threw games in order to pay off his debt. His whole life fell apart when he was caught and sent to prison.
After five years in prison Griff is happy to be out, but he has nothing to go home to. His condo and most of his possessions had to be sold to pay fines and legal fees. He's banned for life from the only job he ever had and he's so notorious that it will be almost impossible to find any other kind of job. With no money and no prospects it will be difficult to abide by the terms of his parole, but Griff has to find a way because he is determined never to go back to prison. Just as Griff begins to realize exactly how desperate his situation is he receives a call from eccentric millionaire Foster Speakman.
Speakman has been a paraplegic since a car accident several years ago. What no one realizes is that his injuries also left him impotent and infertile. He and his wife Laura want a child, but Speakman refuses to consider adoption. In fact, he never wants anyone to know that the child isn't his. Because Griff shares basic physical characteristics with him Speakman wants him to act as a sperm donor. He's willing to pay handsomely for Griff's services and a lifetime of his silence. The deal sounds great to Griff until he finds out that there's a catch---Speakman insists that the child must be conceived naturally. Griff knows that this arrangement is trouble, but he has no other prospects and the money is too good to turn down.
His encounters with Laura create complications that Griff doesn't need. The detective who arrested Griff five years ago is determined to pin an unsolved murder on him and terrorizes Griff and those close to him in the hopes of getting him to lose his temper and implicate himself. Griff holds it together until Foster Speakman is found dead and Griff's feelings for Laura make him the prime suspect. Griff doesn't trust the police to find the truth so he has to track down the one person who can clear him.
I have mixed feeling about this book. One the plus side, I found Griff an interesting character because he wasn't falsely accused. He was guilty of the crime that sent him to prison. Beyond that, he simply wasn't a nice guy. He treated the people in his life quite badly and discarded them when they were no longer useful to him. His time in prison, and the circumstances in which he finds himself when he is released, cause him to do some serious soul-searching. His growth felt real to me and so did the steps that he took to try to redeem himself and make a new life.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't work nearly as well. The plot was convoluted and unbelievable and I didn't find Laura anywhere near as interesting as I found Griff. My main problem though was that the circumstances that brought Griff and Laura together were so skeevy that it was hard for me to root for them to end up together. This was definitely not one of my favorite of Sandra Brown's books.
Grade: C-
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hot Mail by Janice Maynard
Jane and Ethan were best friends for years. Jane wanted it to be something more but Ethan never seemed receptive so Jane never found the courage to tell him how she really felt. Then Ethan got engaged to another woman. Jane knew that the woman was all wrong for him but she also know that if she said anything she would just come across as jealous. She couldn't bear to stand by and watch Ethan with someone else, especially when the relationship was a huge mistake, so she drifted out of Ethan's life. Even after Ethan broke the engagement Jane didn't renew the friendship because she couldn't continue to be “just friends”.
Four years pass with no contact between them, but Jane is never able to completely let go of her feelings for Ethan. The rest of her life is going well. She has friends and her stationery business is a success, but something is missing. She wants to marry and have children, but she can't get interested in other men because she still is still dreaming of Ethan. She realizes that she has to find a way to tell him her feelings and find out once and for all if there's any hope for a relationship. She can't bring herself to simply approach him out of the blue after so many years so she needs to find a way to introduce the idea more gradually. The fact that Valentine's Day is coming up gives Jane an idea. She decides that in the weeks leading up to the holiday she will send Ethan a series of anonymous cards expressing her feelings. Then on Valentine's Day she'll reveal herself as the author and hope that Ethan is intrigued enough to give them a chance.
Unfortunately after she sends the first card her store is vandalized. Ethan is the assistant police chief so it's his job to investigate. Being thrown back together renews their friendship, but there is also the spark of something more. Jane finds herself torn between continuing with her plan and trying a more direct approach.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked both Jane and Ethan and I felt that their story made sense. I could understand why their relationship had been platonic in the past. Ethan was comfortable with the friendship and focused on his career. He had no interest in doing anything that would disrupt his routine. Like most other people, Jane was afraid of rejection. They live in a small town and she knows that if Ethan doesn't return her feelings she won't be able to stand living in such close proximity to him and will have to move. I also understood how a four year separation could cause Ethan to see Jane in a different light, even without the help of the Valentines.
Grade: B
Four years pass with no contact between them, but Jane is never able to completely let go of her feelings for Ethan. The rest of her life is going well. She has friends and her stationery business is a success, but something is missing. She wants to marry and have children, but she can't get interested in other men because she still is still dreaming of Ethan. She realizes that she has to find a way to tell him her feelings and find out once and for all if there's any hope for a relationship. She can't bring herself to simply approach him out of the blue after so many years so she needs to find a way to introduce the idea more gradually. The fact that Valentine's Day is coming up gives Jane an idea. She decides that in the weeks leading up to the holiday she will send Ethan a series of anonymous cards expressing her feelings. Then on Valentine's Day she'll reveal herself as the author and hope that Ethan is intrigued enough to give them a chance.
Unfortunately after she sends the first card her store is vandalized. Ethan is the assistant police chief so it's his job to investigate. Being thrown back together renews their friendship, but there is also the spark of something more. Jane finds herself torn between continuing with her plan and trying a more direct approach.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked both Jane and Ethan and I felt that their story made sense. I could understand why their relationship had been platonic in the past. Ethan was comfortable with the friendship and focused on his career. He had no interest in doing anything that would disrupt his routine. Like most other people, Jane was afraid of rejection. They live in a small town and she knows that if Ethan doesn't return her feelings she won't be able to stand living in such close proximity to him and will have to move. I also understood how a four year separation could cause Ethan to see Jane in a different light, even without the help of the Valentines.
Grade: B
A Whole New Light by Sandra Brown
Cyn McCall is a young widow raising a young son with the help of her mother, who is also widowed. Her husband Tim died suddenly two years ago and now people are telling her that she has grieved long enough needs to be get back into the dating scene, but Cyn doesn't feel ready. She just wants to focus her energies on her son and her career as a counselor for women facing unplanned pregnancies. Aside from her son the only man in her life is her late husband's friend and business partner, Worth Lansing. Worth and Cyn have never seen each other as anything more than friends. Not only were they both loyal to Tim, but when it comes to romance they have nothing in common. Cyn is conservative and concerned with appearances and Tim was her only lover. Worth is a playboy who has never had a serious relationship.
They're both perfectly content with the situation until Worth finds himself with a trip for two to Mexico and no one to join him. Cyn needs a break in her routine so he talks her into going with him, strictly as friends. They're both surprised by the fact that the resort is focused on couples and there's only one bed in the room. The situation creates a new level of awareness between them and they soon become lovers. They then have to decide if they can still be friends.
I've enjoyed many of Sandra Brown's books over the years, but not this one. The fact that this is an older book that was originally published as a category may have contributed to the problems, but I don't think it was a major factor. I simply didn't like any of the characters.
I have sympathy for how difficult it must be to open up to a new relationship after a beloved spouse dies. Still, Cyn was so prissy and difficult that it was hard for me to like her. Her interpretation of Worth's actions after they sleep together the 1st time was pretty much nuts. I can understand how her guilt and insecurity would make her jump to those conclusions but that didn't make it any less annoying.
I also didn't like Cyn's mother, Ladonia. She was pushy and nagged Cyn about her social life, which isn't right. No one, not even a mother, has the right to tell a person how long she should grieve and Ladonia had no respect for that at all. The mother/daughter relationship is often difficult that way so I could probably have let that go, but there was another major issue.
Ladonia has been having a relationship that she deliberately kept secret from Cyn. The secrecy extended to getting Cyn's son not to tell her about outings the couple took him on. When Cyn returns home from Mexico early and finds them together she's understandably shocked, but because she isn't immediately thrilled Ladonia accuses her of being selfish. She goes on to say that she would have told Cyn about the relationship but she couldn't because Cyn has been widowed longer but wouldn't take the initiative to go out and get a man of her own. Ladonia acts as if this reasoning is a show of sensitivity on her part, but when you think about it it's just another criticism of Cyn. Ladonia is basically accusing her of being incapable of being happy for another couple while she is alone. Cyn is a pain in the behind but there's no evidence that she's anywhere near that bad. In fact, it seems that Ladonia is the selfish one. She acted as if she wanted Cyn to begin dating for Cyn's sake, but it seemed that she was at least as interested in being able to enjoy her own relationship without guilt. In spite of all this both Worth and Cyn act like Ladonia is the greatest. Cyn even says that she couldn't possibly have a better mother. I just couldn't see that.
As for Worth, I didn't have much feeling about him positive or negative, except to wonder what in the world he saw in either Cyn or Ladonia. None of that added up to me caring about the HEA at all.
Grade: D
They're both perfectly content with the situation until Worth finds himself with a trip for two to Mexico and no one to join him. Cyn needs a break in her routine so he talks her into going with him, strictly as friends. They're both surprised by the fact that the resort is focused on couples and there's only one bed in the room. The situation creates a new level of awareness between them and they soon become lovers. They then have to decide if they can still be friends.
I've enjoyed many of Sandra Brown's books over the years, but not this one. The fact that this is an older book that was originally published as a category may have contributed to the problems, but I don't think it was a major factor. I simply didn't like any of the characters.
I have sympathy for how difficult it must be to open up to a new relationship after a beloved spouse dies. Still, Cyn was so prissy and difficult that it was hard for me to like her. Her interpretation of Worth's actions after they sleep together the 1st time was pretty much nuts. I can understand how her guilt and insecurity would make her jump to those conclusions but that didn't make it any less annoying.
I also didn't like Cyn's mother, Ladonia. She was pushy and nagged Cyn about her social life, which isn't right. No one, not even a mother, has the right to tell a person how long she should grieve and Ladonia had no respect for that at all. The mother/daughter relationship is often difficult that way so I could probably have let that go, but there was another major issue.
Ladonia has been having a relationship that she deliberately kept secret from Cyn. The secrecy extended to getting Cyn's son not to tell her about outings the couple took him on. When Cyn returns home from Mexico early and finds them together she's understandably shocked, but because she isn't immediately thrilled Ladonia accuses her of being selfish. She goes on to say that she would have told Cyn about the relationship but she couldn't because Cyn has been widowed longer but wouldn't take the initiative to go out and get a man of her own. Ladonia acts as if this reasoning is a show of sensitivity on her part, but when you think about it it's just another criticism of Cyn. Ladonia is basically accusing her of being incapable of being happy for another couple while she is alone. Cyn is a pain in the behind but there's no evidence that she's anywhere near that bad. In fact, it seems that Ladonia is the selfish one. She acted as if she wanted Cyn to begin dating for Cyn's sake, but it seemed that she was at least as interested in being able to enjoy her own relationship without guilt. In spite of all this both Worth and Cyn act like Ladonia is the greatest. Cyn even says that she couldn't possibly have a better mother. I just couldn't see that.
As for Worth, I didn't have much feeling about him positive or negative, except to wonder what in the world he saw in either Cyn or Ladonia. None of that added up to me caring about the HEA at all.
Grade: D
Basic Training by Julie Miller
Marine captain Travis McCormick was badly injured in a training accident more than a year ago. After extensive rehab he still isn't back to his old self and the time is coming when a decision will have to be made about his future with the Corps. After he reinjures his knee by pushing himself too hard his commanding officer orders him to take six weeks of R&R. He returns to his Virginia hometown where he finds his family's worries about him stifling. In order to alleviate their concerns he pretends to agree to have his old friend Tess act as his physiotherapist. However, he makes it clear to her than he neither wants or needs her professional expertise. All he wants is for her to act as his cover story with his father.
Tess has loved Travis for years but he never looked at her as anything more than a buddy. He's not the only one sees Tess as just one of the guys and she has no sexual confidence. This hasn't been a major problem for her because her love for Travis has kept her from being interested in other men. However, at 33 she's starting to worry that she's going to end up the town spinster. Tess knows that Travis really does need a physiotherapist but she also knows that he's too stubborn to accept her help, so she takes his request as an opportunity to make some changes in her life. She agrees to help him with his family if he'll teach her to be more sexually confident. Tess figures that she'll either get his attention or she'll be forced to finally move on and find another man. Either way she'll be better off than she is now.
Travis is surprised, first by his own sudden awareness of Tess' charms and then by her offer, but he's happy to help a friend. Problems start when Travis finds himself jealous of the attention that a newly-confident Tess receives from other men. Now he has to decide what he wants from his future and where Tess will fit into his life.
I think that for a friends to lovers story to work it needs to be clear why the h/h have been strictly platonic in the past and why the situation has changed. I thought that Basic Training answered the first question well enough, but not the second. When Travis first begins to have lustful thoughts about Tess he keeps thinking that she has breasts and that he never noticed them before. He wonders when she developed them. That would make sense if they were fairly young or it had been many years since they had seen each other, but they're 33 and they last saw each other a year ago. I have no idea when Tess developed breasts but I feel confident that it was before she turned 32. So why is Travis suddenly seeing them? The logical assumption would seem to be that his injuries have caused him to see his life in a new light, but that's not the case. No explanation is ever given for his new-found sexual interest in Tess, it simply exists and for me that really doesn't work . I also didn't completely believe some of the decisions that Tess makes.
The love scenes had a nice level of heat and I liked that fact that Tess had a job that you don't see much in books, but ultimately I wasn't able to buy into the transition from just friends to HEA. Since that was the point of the story this ended up being a pretty unsatisfying read.
Grade: C-
Note: I didn't realize this before I started reading, but this is the 2nd of a pair of stories and I haven't read the first book, Major Attraction. There is a subplot in Basic Training that is obviously a carry over. Because I didn't read Major Attraction that subplot was of absolutely no interest to me and was in fact a little annoying. I assume that people who read the first book would feel differently.
Tess has loved Travis for years but he never looked at her as anything more than a buddy. He's not the only one sees Tess as just one of the guys and she has no sexual confidence. This hasn't been a major problem for her because her love for Travis has kept her from being interested in other men. However, at 33 she's starting to worry that she's going to end up the town spinster. Tess knows that Travis really does need a physiotherapist but she also knows that he's too stubborn to accept her help, so she takes his request as an opportunity to make some changes in her life. She agrees to help him with his family if he'll teach her to be more sexually confident. Tess figures that she'll either get his attention or she'll be forced to finally move on and find another man. Either way she'll be better off than she is now.
Travis is surprised, first by his own sudden awareness of Tess' charms and then by her offer, but he's happy to help a friend. Problems start when Travis finds himself jealous of the attention that a newly-confident Tess receives from other men. Now he has to decide what he wants from his future and where Tess will fit into his life.
I think that for a friends to lovers story to work it needs to be clear why the h/h have been strictly platonic in the past and why the situation has changed. I thought that Basic Training answered the first question well enough, but not the second. When Travis first begins to have lustful thoughts about Tess he keeps thinking that she has breasts and that he never noticed them before. He wonders when she developed them. That would make sense if they were fairly young or it had been many years since they had seen each other, but they're 33 and they last saw each other a year ago. I have no idea when Tess developed breasts but I feel confident that it was before she turned 32. So why is Travis suddenly seeing them? The logical assumption would seem to be that his injuries have caused him to see his life in a new light, but that's not the case. No explanation is ever given for his new-found sexual interest in Tess, it simply exists and for me that really doesn't work . I also didn't completely believe some of the decisions that Tess makes.
The love scenes had a nice level of heat and I liked that fact that Tess had a job that you don't see much in books, but ultimately I wasn't able to buy into the transition from just friends to HEA. Since that was the point of the story this ended up being a pretty unsatisfying read.
Grade: C-
Note: I didn't realize this before I started reading, but this is the 2nd of a pair of stories and I haven't read the first book, Major Attraction. There is a subplot in Basic Training that is obviously a carry over. Because I didn't read Major Attraction that subplot was of absolutely no interest to me and was in fact a little annoying. I assume that people who read the first book would feel differently.
2009 TBR Challenge for May: Last Man in Town by Susan Kay Law
May TBR Challenge: Friends to Lovers
Lucas Garrett is the last able-bodied man left in Maple Falls, Minnesota. A series of setbacks shut down most of the businesses in town and the lack of opportunity caused the rest of the men to go west with the Gold Rush. That left the town's women lonely and in need of male attention. Lucas is initially happy to provide it, but he eventually finds himself worn out and looking for a way to take a break from his various "arrangements" without hurting anyone's feelings. To do that he turns to his best friend Priscilla Wentworth and asks her to pretend that the two of them are engaged. Lucas feels confident that this will cause the women to leave him alone because Priscilla is so well loved by the town that no one would ever consider poaching on her territiory.
Pris is tired of being alone so she agrees to the plan on the condition that Lucas helps her find an actual husband. After years of being platonic friends their fake engagement stirs up real feelings but neither one of them is convinced that Lucas has what it takes to commit to anyone, even his oldest friend.
This book was well-written, but I never really warmed up to it. The book opens with Lucas sleeping with half the women in town. Some of them have regular days of the week that they show up to be serviced. That just felt skanky to me and I wasn't able to shake that feeling even though the story goes on to show Lucas to be a kind, caring person.
I was also bothered by Priscilla's relationship with her family. Her father is dead and she lives with her mother and her sister Jeanette. They are described as being close, but that rang false for me for several reasons. My main issue is that both of them become involved with men who were courting Priscilla. Jeanette married Pris' first suitor. She later attempts to seduce Lucas, supposedly to save Priscilla from falling for a man who can't be faithful to her. It was true that she was worried about Pris, but she seemed more worried about her own ego. Jeanette was "the pretty one" in the family she found it unbearable that her husband had run off to the gold fields and left her alone while her sister had the attention of the only eligible man in town. Worse, when Priscilla gets another suitor her mother ends up with him. This struck me as ironic considering Lucas' belief that no one who knew her would be cruel enough to hurt Priscilla by making a move on her man. Obviously this all works out fine, but I still found it more distasteful than charming.
In the end these problems kept me from being able to really invest in the story. As a result it seemed to drag. It felt like it took forever for Lucas and Priscilla to work out their issues. That's too bad because both characters and their relationship had a lot going for them.
Grade: C
I also read three other friends to lovers books this month.
A Whole New Light by Sandra Brown
Basic Training by Julie Miller
Hot Mail by Janice Maynard
Lucas Garrett is the last able-bodied man left in Maple Falls, Minnesota. A series of setbacks shut down most of the businesses in town and the lack of opportunity caused the rest of the men to go west with the Gold Rush. That left the town's women lonely and in need of male attention. Lucas is initially happy to provide it, but he eventually finds himself worn out and looking for a way to take a break from his various "arrangements" without hurting anyone's feelings. To do that he turns to his best friend Priscilla Wentworth and asks her to pretend that the two of them are engaged. Lucas feels confident that this will cause the women to leave him alone because Priscilla is so well loved by the town that no one would ever consider poaching on her territiory.
Pris is tired of being alone so she agrees to the plan on the condition that Lucas helps her find an actual husband. After years of being platonic friends their fake engagement stirs up real feelings but neither one of them is convinced that Lucas has what it takes to commit to anyone, even his oldest friend.
This book was well-written, but I never really warmed up to it. The book opens with Lucas sleeping with half the women in town. Some of them have regular days of the week that they show up to be serviced. That just felt skanky to me and I wasn't able to shake that feeling even though the story goes on to show Lucas to be a kind, caring person.
I was also bothered by Priscilla's relationship with her family. Her father is dead and she lives with her mother and her sister Jeanette. They are described as being close, but that rang false for me for several reasons. My main issue is that both of them become involved with men who were courting Priscilla. Jeanette married Pris' first suitor. She later attempts to seduce Lucas, supposedly to save Priscilla from falling for a man who can't be faithful to her. It was true that she was worried about Pris, but she seemed more worried about her own ego. Jeanette was "the pretty one" in the family she found it unbearable that her husband had run off to the gold fields and left her alone while her sister had the attention of the only eligible man in town. Worse, when Priscilla gets another suitor her mother ends up with him. This struck me as ironic considering Lucas' belief that no one who knew her would be cruel enough to hurt Priscilla by making a move on her man. Obviously this all works out fine, but I still found it more distasteful than charming.
In the end these problems kept me from being able to really invest in the story. As a result it seemed to drag. It felt like it took forever for Lucas and Priscilla to work out their issues. That's too bad because both characters and their relationship had a lot going for them.
Grade: C
I also read three other friends to lovers books this month.
A Whole New Light by Sandra Brown
Basic Training by Julie Miller
Hot Mail by Janice Maynard
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