Her Favorite Rival by Sarah Mayberry

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥
I need to stop this OBSESSION already with Ms. Mayberry's books. Having one of her books on my kindle is like when I have cheesecake in the fridge. I simply CANNOT resist it, have no self control and I just HAVE to have it NOW. This is what has happened with Sarah Mayberry books. I have 3 more before I will have read EVERY SINGLE one of her super romances and then I anticipate some fierce and awful withdrawal sweats.

Let me just say (again) how very impressed I am at how beautifully this lady writes conflict. I mean we're talking proper Conflict with a capital C. Not the piddly kind - ooh she's totally into him, and he just can't commit - Mayberry conflicts are juicy, serious, intense and incredibly relate-able.

Other stuff that I totally loved:
1) The chick was kick ass, serious, awesome, cautious but when she really wanted something - she just went for it.
2) Ms. Mayberry "showed rather than told" how the H was a natural caretaker. I know authors love to say how the hero has a superhero complex, how he has a desperate need to "protect and serve", and often authors literally give the hero a profession where he protects and serves all day long. In this story, the H's every action shows how he takes care of others.  Made me feel mushy and vanilla-pudding-y inside. I wanted to weep with relief when he finally found someone to take care of him. 

"Her Favorite Rival" is a companion story to Her Favorite Temptation that featured Leah and Will. Leah's sister Audrey is the h in this story.

Here's the 2-minute synopsis:
He: Zach is a young, up-and-comer at the company. He is hard working and determined to rise above his rather horrendous childhood circumstances. He's a nice, charming guy who's wholly focused on his five-year-plan that certainly doesn't leave a whole lot of room for romancing the co-worker to whom he is so attracted.

She: Audrey grew up knowing she was second-best in her parent's eyes. She made a stupid mistake at 16 and has spent the next 17 years "atoning" for it. She keeps her head down, works hard and never complains. She's ambitious and wants the best for herself in her career and is willing to put in the time and effort to get it.

Conflict: SO MANY CONFLICTS!!! But good, meaty ones where you feel a sense of real satisfaction as Ms. Mayberry helps unravel them by the end. Not that they ever completely go away, but the characters learn the "tools" to cope with their conflicts.

One source of tension is obviously the fact that they work together and work romances are mostly a terrible idea. They both love their jobs and are intensely ambitious and don't want to do anything to jeopardize their careers for a random fling.

The other conflicts are personal demons that they both have to let go of before really jumping into something with the other. 

Her Favorite Temptation by Sarah Mayberry

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Confession: I think I am addicted to Sarah Mayberry. 

I can't stop reading her books! I finish one and barely give myself a second to catch my breath before I'm ready to attack the next one. This is reminding me of the Rachel Gibson binge of 2006. INSANITY.

Her Favorite Temptation was typical Mayberry genius. Two extremely lovable and awesome characters are facing significant personal challenges but who do it gracefully and become even MORE awesome in the process. 

And as usual I loved, loved, loved her Epilogue because it closed the loop on the way both h & H approached their personal demons and why they were so right for one another. I am constantly amazed by the way Ms. Mayberry manages to show friendship, caring and love AND show how each character is a "whole" person in themselves. They each have personal challenges, personal interests and ambitions and each is a fully realized person who manages to find a great fit with the other. I am really not a fan of characters who are shown as nothing more than almost-marrieds. Like they have no direction, interests, hobbies, passions etc except the other person. Ms. Mayberry NEVER does that to her characters. Kristan Higgins does an awesome job of writing characters that have a whole personality too and I went through a whole KH addiction phase too, I recall...

Oh man. I am just dreading the day I finish all her books. 

He: A musician who's one half of a popular band. He's in "hiding" from the world and his family because he's been given some terrible new about his health that leaves him feeling scared and unstable and he feels like he needs to withdraw from everything just to process his own feelings. He really likes her but is scared to really do anything about it because his own life hangs in such precarious balance.

She: A sweet, goofy doctor who lives next door to the H. She thinks he's a hot dish but doesn't recognize him for the rock star that he is. She has always been a good girl, always sucked up to her parents and worked hard in school and then work. But she's feeling stifled in both her job and her life. Then she meets this sweet, charming, smokin' dude who lives next door who encourages her to be brave. 

Conflict: *Spoiler ahead* After he undergoes the operation on his tumor, he realized he may have lost the use of his right hand - understandably a horribly difficult and traumatic event for anyone and even more so for someone who makes his living as a musician. He knows the next few months of rehabilitation are going to be intense and even though he loves her, he feels like he just can't put the h through that kind of situation - not when he feels so "unmanned" by his situation. The h meanwhile loves him but feels like she can't demand his attention and focus when he's going through such a difficult transition in his life. So they both hover about each other, in love, but uncertain whether they should really just go for it. 

The Last Goodbye by Sarah Mayberry

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

He: One of two brothers who grew up in an abusive home, and had a truly terrifying father. Now all grown up and far away from his unhappy home, Tyler, the younger of the two siblings, gets a call that his father is dying. He goes home to sort things out and to finally confront his awful father but finds that that things between them are still unsettling and painful.

She: Ally is an advice columnist who has lived her life like a gypsy. Her mother was never able to stick to one place, and she also feels like she's inherited the "nomad" gene. For a few weeks at least, she's been living next door to Tyler's father and so she meets Tyler right in the middle of what is a really crappy time for the guy.

Conflict: Tyler is traumatized by his horrendous father and painful childhood and isn't really the type of guy who feels like he can be casual about his relationships. Ally, on the other hand has only ever had casual relationships. She moves around a lot and can't seem to stay in one place for too long. They're super attracted to one another but it just seems like they both have a lot of healing to do before really getting into anything serious with anyone else.

Loved:
1) Man, oh man. I am stupefied that in the space of 85,000 words, Ms. Mayberry managed to make be feel so twisted up inside by this horrible ogre of a father, AND feel like there was hope after all for Tyler AND feel like he and Ally should leap headfirst into a relationship with one another. 

I mean, if a friend of mine came to me and said, hey, this guy I'm dating has this sick, twisted family who's left him traumatized and having nightmares, should I keep seeing him? I would be like, heeeelllllls no, sister! Get out of there NOW. 

But THIS book happened. And I felt SO much sympathy for this poor man, and SO happy that they did find each other! How did that even happen...

2) There was no nicely tied up conclusion to the abusive family bit of the story. Sometimes sh!t happens and it just sucks and that's all there is to it. Nothing can really make it go away, but there is still hope for that cycle of violence to be broken and set right for the future. Sigh. 

3) I believe I have mentioned this, but I'll do it again. I. Love. Ms. Mayberry's. Epilogues. This lady knows what to do with an Epilogue. She gives us a little MORE story. Just a sweet treat at the end that makes me gush and feel all mopey and hopeful. She never does the same old, same old dribble about couples staring moonily at each other and rocking a fat little giggling baby in their arms. I mean puhleese. I LOVE SARAH MAYBERRY'S EPILOGUES. 

Things that made me go huh?:
1) Why did this dude never seek counselling? Surely professional help (beyond the admirable, and heartfelt efforts of the agony aunt heroine) was called for for such a situation as this? I'm not saying that therapy would have solved all his problems, but honestly, the thought never crossed his mind the 100th time he wakes up from night sweats from having bad dreams of his childhood? Seemed odd to me.

Skeptic's last word: Wonderful. Amazing. I was so blown away by the way this lady manages to tell a hundred stories in the space of a HQN super romance. I mean... yeah. That's it.

Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Lovely, beautifully written and so, so sweet.

Lucy loves Toby. Toby loves Sophia. And Jeremy loves Lucy. Love is so complicated, n'est pas?

This could have turned into a hilarious romp in the vein of The Importance of Being Ernest (one of the most wonderful books I have ever read), but it was just too sincere and well, earnest, to be anything other than a darling story about love growing between friends. 

She: Lucy is the younger sister of a slightly distracted, but loving brother who has practically grown up with her brother's two best friends Toby and Jeremy. She has formed a tendre for dashing and handsome Toby who had playfully crowned her Diana, Goddess of the Hunt once when he was in a particularly flirtatious mood. She is convinced that he's the man for her even though everyone else disagrees and sets out to seduce him in order to prove her point.

He: Jeremy is the serious one of the three friends and has been the self-appointed look-out for Lucy and her various scrapes with disaster. He has always known she is special but doesn't really let himself go for it with her because she is his best friends sister and there are Rules against that kind of thing. Plus he's an Earl and has to marry someone suitable - Lucy, for all her charms, hardly fits the mold for his perfect countess.

Conflict: First of all there is a whole love triangle. That one is solved in the first 50% of the book. The last 50% deals with a whole series of misunderstandings that keep the two apart.  

Loved:
1) The words. I LOVED all the WORDS. I cannot say enough about romance writers who treat this genre like it's "proper" literature. 

2) The heroine is a bit of a dummy (she's young), but she's a ball of unstoppable energy that just made me smile. She does a lot of dumb things but she's pretty funny doing them, so I didn't mind too much. And despite her youth, she doesn't really need anyone to take care of her which is also a departure as far as young-girl-weds-older-man tropes go.

3) The female friendships in the story. I liked that the ladies were complicated and wanted different things but still found a way to bond. I liked that there was honestly between friends and that the women showed true regard and sympathy for one other.

What wasn't as awesome:
1) I think the "Series of Misunderstandings" conflict is a bit overdone. I realize this book was written years ago, but I just think when all the tension between the hero and heroine can be instantly dissolved with a single honest discussion between the characters, then it's all a bit silly that it isn't being instantly solved with that conversation. 

Favorite lines:
"Goddess he may have dubbed her, but the worship was all on Lucy's side"

"He employed six-and-twenty footmen - in London alone - to heed to his every command. Now he catered to the whims of a despot in dotted muslin."

"This wasn't a blind, mindless craving for anything woman and willing. This was needing with a name."

Hot For Him by Sarah Mayberry

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

This is a cute little hate-becomes-love themed story about a couple of rival TV producers who manage competing daytime soaps. He's her nemesis because they're fierce competitors but otherwise we see that they would actually be great together - they're both fantastic at their jobs, both love what they do, they're both from large Greek families and have a similar sense of humor. Plus they're both attracted to each other, in a way that only people in Romancelandia can be - you know that intense groinal aching and swelling that seems to grip people in romance novels? Actually it makes it sound like they have Chlamydia when I say it like that... but you know what I mean, right? They're hot and heaving for it.

Anyway, the conflict is that he's attracted to her wants to go for it. In fact, he is ready to start a family and really wants to continue in the footsteps of his own happy My Big Fat Greek-style family. She, on the other hand grew up facing the dark side of what can sometimes happen in large, enmeshed families. She never wants to have kids because she's convinced she needs to break the cycle.

What I liked:
1) I liked how aggressive the heroine is. Not aggressive as in rude and bitchy - just aggressive in her attitudes towards sex, her relationships and her job - just going for it when she wants something. Fierce and awesome.

2) Ms. Mayberry painted the hero as totally alpha but not really in the King of His Job way. He likes his job and is good at it, but he's perfectly happy admitting that his job is just work and what really matters to him is family. I feel like in most romances, the hero comes to that conclusion right at the end after being "convinced" of this by his love for the heroine. In this case, the dude manages to come up with it all by himself. 

3) The complications didn't all get solved after she finds her Big Love. My eyes always hurt from all the eye-rolling I do whenever I see writers just tie everything up with a pink ribbon at the end of the story. Give me some messiness, dang-it!

4) The Epilogue. I LOVE Sarah Mayberry's epilogues. She's so creative and awesome about them I wonder why EVERYONE doesn't just do epilogues like hers. I am so sick of the happily married couple + mini me (or bun in the oven) scene where everyone is laughing and its all gooey romantic looks and sunshine and no actual furthering of the plot at all. In Sarah Mayberry's books, the Epilogue actually finishes the story, helps further her characters and let's you create a whole vision of how you think the rest of the character's lives will go. 

What I didn't like so much:
1) There was this somewhat contrived event that occurred that throws the H & h together - I see why the author wrote it that way - how else to get producers of rival tv shows together? But it was a bit over the top to me.

2) The way they conflict was resolved meant that one of the characters moved all the way over to where the other character was - instead of more of a case of BOTH characters being willing to change and then maybe one actually having to change their position. I guess it's ok for one person to change their opinion in a couple - that happens all the time in real life. But it's so much nicer when BOTH change a little bit.

All Out of Love by Lori Wilde

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Look at this cover. No, you're not listening - LOOK AT IT. I actually think you don't need to read this or any other review at all to enjoy this book. You may not even have to read the book when it comes down to it... 

The Skinny -

He: The Most Popular Guy in school - football jock, gorgeous, cool AND nice - fulfills his youthful potential by becoming the QB for the Dallas Cowboys but then when everything goes horribly wrong - with his own health as well as his father's - he returns to his hometown and finds that the girl who had had a crush on him all through school is still around and has become pretty, darn hot.

She: Chubby, awkward high school teen gets her deepest secret - an unrequited crush on the school's most popular and out-of-her-league guy - outed in the most mortifying way possible. She spends a lot of the next 10 years or so getting past that and becomes a confident, fun, fulfilled person. But then The Crush rolls back into town and she has to deal with all the small town's commentary as well as his totally of arrogant assumption she would still be into him.

Conflict: Leftover effects of the trauma of teenage embarrassment on her part, and a probable end of his sterling football career mean that they both have a bunch of issues. Plus the fact that even though she's a pretty confident person, she still feels the twinge of insecurity watching all the ladies in town throw themselves at him.

Liked:
1) Both characters were fun and confident and pretty happy with themselves. No one needed "fixing" and both were able to deal with their own emotional lives without acting like asses.

2) The chick was described as cute and hot and a size 14. I am given to understand this is the US average size for a woman, so although the point that she wasn't exactly skinny was made, it wasn't belabored to the point of being annoying. In fact the hero doesn't really remark upon it at all. Nice.

3) The female character had a passion - plant biology of all things! I love it when characters have interests and passions outside of their romantic lives. It just makes me feel like they are people with the capacity for fulfilling their OWN happiness and the fact that they found a partner with whom to share that happiness is just a wonderful bonus. 

Didn't like:
1) Not that I disliked this exactly, but I do find the corn-fed, salt-of-the-earth, good old boy Texas jock a bit of a tired hero archetype. I guess there's nothing not to like about this hero - he was a nice guy along with being a hot, successful athlete - but I guess I would have liked to see a "twist" in the character somewhere. Something unusual about him that would make him be something more that the other jock heroes I read. Apart from his predisposition to like average-sized woman, that is.

What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Vintage-clad librarian gets it on with jaded, alpha-hole, ex-rocker dude. I thought I would totally hate it. But I totally, TOTALLY loved it. 

He: Earring wearing, ex-rocker and basically a stuck up jerk for most of his famous life. He had been a substance abuser and a womanizer and a wearer of purple boots. He's in New Zealand, in retirement and to escape from his rollicking LA life of dissipation.

She: A goody two shoes librarian who's got a big secret. Ohhh. I WISH I could tell you the secret. But I CAN'T because it's such a good one and I want everyone to read this book.

Conflict: They do NOT get along well. She thinks he's stuck up and he thinks she's lame. They're both right, of course. But then they spend some time together and it's sparky and hot, and super fun.

What I loved:
1) SO funny. The characters play off each other wonderfully. And it's not the cheesy way you'd expect with all the jokes at her expense (school-marmish, dowdily dressed librarian?) with him coming across as a rakish tease. The insults fly both ways and it's awesome.

And honestly even though the H is described as arrogant, he is actually hilarious about it. Supremely confident but aware of his shortcomings the way we wish all our men would be.

2) There are some intense themes (feelings of abandonment, self-discovery, family struggles) but it's all dealt with a light hand and great humor so you don't feel mopey and sad the whole time.

3) I love that the h's focus wasn't ALL about the H. She had this other secret thing she's dealing with and for more than half the book she's pretty focused on that. She recognizes the attraction between them but that doesn't overshadow her own stuff. I really don't like it when authors describe how the heroine is going through this whole life changing thing and then all of a sudden the hero swoops in and all she does is stress over HIM. 

My favorite line: 

"I'll just get my cardigan"

Cardigan? He may not be a hell-raiser anymore but Devin valued his reputation. "Haven't you got anything sexy?"

"Yes," said Rachel. "My mind."  

You said it, sister.

All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Famous last words: It's just sex, we're not serious or anything.

Why do people even say stuff like that? If I've learned anything from romance novels (and believe me, I've learned PLENTY) saying dumb sh!t like that is like waving a baby mouse in front of a irate cobra. Pretty obvious how that story ends.

Anyway, obvious-sauce aside, I really enjoyed this story. To think I almost gave up on this series! After 3-hearting Yours to Keep, I almost threw in the towel with the Kowalski brothers because it was getting rather same-y same-y. But I guess all I needed was a break because this story, as "standard" as it was, was pretty darn fun.

He: Mitch, the town's favorite bad-boy panty-charmer rides back into town after a long absence and seems to immediately inflame the female population of the small town like a match on dry kindling. The ladies of the town chatter unceasingly about his many feats of sexual prowess so we quickly learn that the man is kind of a big deal bedroom-wise.

She: The owner of the main diner in town who is taking a break from men. She has some history and doesn't want to be the kind of woman her mom turned into - the kind of twists herself into uncomfortable shapes to please a man. Not bedroom-wise, but life-wise.

Conflict: He's just in town for a quick stint to help his brother out, she doesn't want to get into anything to wreck the careful peace she's put together for herself so they agree to just be casual. Yeaaaaah. Then one of them decides that maybe they could have something serious. But then they get their heart broken because the other one hasn't gotten there (yet). I won't say who moved faster in this case because that would be giving it away. But I'll give you a hint. 99.9% of the time it's the chick who moves too fast. And this book wasn't really that original. So...

I don't know why I'm being so mean to this book! I really liked it! It was funny, hot and even managed to be realistic in parts. It was just so regular that I actually amazed myself by not getting annoyed by all the cliches.

Skeptic's last word: At the end of the day the question I ask myself whenever I read a romance was answered: why the heck do these guys like each other? Ms. Stacey showed us clearly why these two characters liked and then loved each other and why we the readers should find them lovable, and ultimately that was all that mattered.

The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥


Loved this! This was my first Sarah Mayberry and I am SOLD. I have just picked up another few of hers and shall begin work on the backlist post haste!

This story was set in Australia. I recommend you read everything in an 'Strailian accent to maximize on your enjoyment.

He: N ice, sweet, ex-rock star/current music producer who's come to a little seaside town to lick his wounds after a particularly sucky divorce from his wife of 6 years. His divorce is still warm from the oven, having happened only a few months before, so he's not exactly in a place to be starting up with anyone else. 

She: A high powered tv producer who is recovering from a horrendous car accident. She is having a tough time physically with her recovery but worse than that is that her spirits are also in tatters when she realizes there is the chance that she may not be able to get back to the job into which she had poured prior to her accident.

Conflict: The H moves into the cottage next door to hers and things don't begin well for the two of them. She's depressed and anxious about her future prospects and behaves like a cow whenever he tries to extend any neighborly goodwill. But then, as they spend more time interacting, they discover an attraction between them. 

The trouble is that as much as they like each other, they are each in such a complicated situation personally (he is still sort of sore with all the issues surrounding his divorce, she is still trying to figure out how she wants to spend the rest of her life without her work) that the timing just feels all wrong.

What I liked:
1) H & h each have a dog. The pooches are much less slow than their owners about developing their doggy affection for one another. This could have been SO corny, but Ms. Mayberry dealt with these side characters with the respect due to their species. Awesome.

2) The Epilogue. OMG. Wait, before I oversell this I should say that I usually roll my eyes and feel annoyed at epilogues (mainly because they are ALL THE SAME - H&h still behaving like passionate honeymooners, baby/mini-me-in-the-making, perfect life, perfect friends, perfect perfect perfect (blech)). This one was still perfect, but it actually helped tie the story together and was a way of actually progressing the characters themselves and not just a way to show how the characters had achieved some sort of baby-house-perfection milestone.

3) The conflict was entirely believable and there were no unnecessary "misunderstandings". Everything was just laid out on the table and both characters behaved like sensible adults instead of loony, oversexed adolescents. I think I really like "the timing is off" books. It just feels like one of those conflicts I can really understand and find believable. I mean, we all have had those types of situations or know others who have. And I just find myself really getting drawn in because I can so easily see that happening in real life.

4) The writing was really fun! Witty and fast paced, and totally readable. I wanted to pick another one of Ms. Mayberry's up AS SOON as I finished with this one!

What I wondered about:
1) The h apparently did have family but I was a bit confused about why she was convalescing all by herself. Where were all her friends and family? No phone calls? No visits? I guess she was trying to grit her teeth and be independent and to power through all by herself. But it was still strange. I always get weirded out when a person is described as being so all alone. Does she even LIKE people? 

In the end, not a big deal because she likes him and he likes her and that's that.

Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥ 

What would it look like if two really sensible people met and fell in love? Also, what if they communicated all there feelings and hopes properly and made sure they avoided gross misunderstanding at every turn in their relationship? 

Well, what would happen is what did happen in Redwood Bend. A nice, sweet romance between two people who fall in love despite not having it All Figured Out in their own lives and who still find a way to make it work. Winner.

He: Ex-movie star, current owner and operator of a small struggling airport

She: A widowed single mother of twin boys who, after suffering through a few tough situations in the last few years, just wants a nice, stable life for her sons.

Conflict: His life is the very definition of unstable, his business is on the brink, he's from a horribly unstable family and was kind of a wild-child super star in his youth - not exactly the best resume for someone she might pick to be with. Also, he doesn't even live in the same state as she does. He even admits (actually, he insists) that he's a terrible bet and that they definitely shouldn't take their fling any further.

What I liked:

1) Both characters were rational, "with-it" folks. I don't have another good word to describe what I mean. I don't mean that they were tweedy and boring. More that they just communicated properly, both were mature and genuinely nice people whose only real trouble was that they seemed all wrong for one another at first glance. 

2) I am a big fan of characters having to overcome a big source of tension before giving in to their Big Love. Often authors will create this weird, contrived source of tension (evil villain, stalkers, crazy exes, Big Misunderstanding) as if readers won't be able to feel any urgency unless there's a crazysauce baddie to overcome. Here though, there is a great deal of tension and all of it feels totally relatable and REAL. It comes from the fact that both H & h need to decide how they want to create their lives and how they can fit the other person into it. Both end up giving something and getting something (wow! like Real Life, mom!) and it's all really nicely done.

What I thought was meh:

1) *Spoiler!* So it was all nipping along nicely, I was feeling some heart strings being played like a fiddle, everything was nice and realistic and then...dum dum dum daaaaaah! The Ruh-roh Baby Plot emerged. How, in this day and age of birth control technology, are there so many ineffective prophylactics out there!!!?? And I thought we left the Ruh-roh Baby Plot behind in the 90s!! I thought it was actually a totally unnecessary lever to pull to create urgency and tension between the characters - there was enough already without this little excursion down 90s Plot Nostalgia Avenue! Anyway, I thought it was dumb, but the book went on fine and in the end we got our little HEA Epilogue with the bouncing mini-me and Happy Family scenario. *End of Spoiler* 

Skeptic's last word: I really liked Robyn Carr's style. It felt natural and easy to read. The plot wasn't really new or anything but sometimes you just want some easy-readin'.

Mr. Unforgettable by Karina Bliss

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

This was a CLASSIC romance. Like one of those that I used to read and sigh dreamily over when I was 16: Handsome, ex-champion swimmer dude, lovely (but sad) lady who are thrown together for some contrived reason, and then wham! they're doing it. And whoosh! it's love. If I read one of those early 90s romances today, I'd be all "sistuh, please" and act like I was too good for that crap now. But then this little gem, WONDERFULLY executed, brings back the classic formula is this awesome, modern way (well 2000s, anyway).

She: The mayor of a beach town in New Zealand. She's the widow of an older man, the love of her life, who was the mayor before her. Her deceased husband was also the favorite son of the town so she's kind of living a little in his shadow.

He: A property developer who is fighting with the city council to get all the permits for his beachfront property so that he can finally get his camp for underprivileged youths started. He's gun shy about getting into a relationship because of a rather traumatic childhood and then an ugly divorce so even though he's attracted to the h, he tries to keep it casual.

Conflict: They are both attracted to one another but there are a zillion issues keeping them apart - not least of which is that she's the mayor running in a highly contested re-election race and his property development is a hotbed issue for her campaign. They both also have a ton of difficult issues in their pasts that they need to overcome before really letting go.

What I really loved:
1) She's in a position of "power" and is awesome at it. She's the mayor and she's been a good mayor. Even though she's lived under her husband's shadow and even though she's been grieving for the loss of a man she loved. She's tireless, she works hard, and she's focused. But she's not a Hot Bitch. Which is what a lot of career women in romance are portrayed to be. 

When she's vulnerable, she's not pathetic. She is still able to manage her life and you figure even if he was not around, she'd figure it out. Yeah! <First pump in the air.>

2) The dialogue was so non-cheesy I had to do a double-take once in a while. I mean, this story is as old as the worm living in Eve's apple, and Karina Bliss manages to make it all sound NEW and FUN. My hat off to you, Madam!

3) SO much going on. The book is packed. In a short amount of time we learn about their respective childhoods, their past relationships, their past lives, their current friendships, their likes and dislikes and their vision for their future. I mean, that is hella good storytelling.

4) Their romance is so sweet. He was a darling. Not beta exactly. But a dignified alpha - one who is confident of himself and gentle with others and just totally owns being a MAN. <Shivers>.

Skeptic's last word: This was awesome. Apparently, Karina Bliss has written a whole bunch of other HQN Super Romances which I shall be digging up NOW! 

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Awwwwwwwwwwwww (how many w's am I allowed). God this woman is SO good at dialogue. And her h's are always so wonderful.

I loved, loved, LOVED that the h was tall, strong, kickass and good at sports. I love that she beat everyone at running and could defend herself in various physical and other situations. I like how Kristan Higgins always has her heroines doing stuff they love. And that there's always an adorable poochie in the story who plays a "main character" role. She always makes her ladies this awesome, full people, with hobbies and interests and SO much more than a whiny little where's-my-man type. 

As always my only "complaint" about KH's stuff is that I'm just a quivering mass of yearning and I want more together-time for the h&H. But they only ever really get together AT THE VERY END. But that's the ticket, I guess. To make us want him as bad as the h does. So bad you almost can't TAKE it anymore. 

Somehow all the little plot holes and occasional irrationality of the H's actions never quite matter. For example, KH is such a magician, I simply ACCEPT the fact that the H never, NEVER acts on his apparently deep feelings for the h - we're talking radio silence for the better part of a decade. 

Why, was the phone broken that whole time? You can't write an email or a letter, buddy? NO INTERACTION AT ALL AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE YOU LOVED HER THE WHOLE TIME???? Sigh. But we do. KH makes sure we bloody well believe it all. Because she's a genius.

Re-read.

Side note on the re-read: So... I knew a moment (a mere NANOSECOND, really) of panic at the HEA here...A comment on another blog got me thinking...Why doesn't the hero just move his (hot) ass and do something about his apparently deep, abiding love for her? He never really makes the first move whenever they look like they MAY get together. He actually pursues (or is pursued by) other women when the h is perfectly unattached and available. He seems sort of passive a lot of the time. Like he waits for her to make a declaration before he actually FINALLY does something decisive. And even then until he finds out she IS unattached for reals, he was going to keep mum about it!? WTF?? Come on dude. Reach out and grab the girl. Just earn a man point, will you!!?? 

Anyway... KH fan-girl that I am, I can't straight out CRITICIZE the H - or be impartial in any way. But I will say that this element of his beta-ness is somewhat less than awesome. Argh. It hurts too much! Don't care. Still loved the book.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrow

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

What a lovely little book. I call it "little" only  because it made me feel like I was in a cozy little world containing just me and the 15 odd characters from the book writing each other letters and chatting over our knitting.

The story is revealed through letters and telegrams to and from the "narrator", the journalist and author, Juliet Ashton. There are a few bits of correspondence between other characters in the book talking directly to one another, but mainly the story is about how Juliet learns of the experience of the inhabitants of the Channel Islands during German Occupation of the islands during WWII. She grows to love the people with whom she corresponds and even moves there to immerse herself in the Guernsey experience.

There were several things I thought were a little odd about the book:
1) The fact that all the letters are written in the same "voice" - the pig farmer's letter sound almost exactly like those Juliet writes, and those bear strong resemblance to the letters written by the Juliet's publisher.

2) Juliet ends up adopting a 4 year old child after knowing her for what seems like a matter of months. Not sure how that would even come to pass...

3) Spoiler! The main "romance" happens between Juliet and a pig farmer. But apart from their initial correspondence where they talk about poets, and then their casual talks about the history of the Guernsey and books, they don't really seem to really know a whole lot about each other.
That's the trouble with this "letter and note" format - everything we know about the characters is confined to these snippets and anecdotes - which can get frustrating if you want to get a real sense of character and motivation. End of spoiler.

4) I was expecting a lot more trauma and angst in the characters. I mean, these people just 
spent a few rather horrific years being imprisoned in their own home and treated like slaves, they know close friends who have been brutalized by the Nazi campaign. But everyone seems to have suffered nothing more lasting that a general sense of sadness and melancholy. There are a couple characters who are worse affected, but those seems like outliers rather than the norm.

5) The characters all seem a bit "caricatur-ish" - like there a meddlesome old woman, a stoic and stalwart farmer, a drunk, a termagant spinster who hates "fun", a crass and confident American, a lovely and appealing main character who seems to be universally adored and who effortlessly attracts men wherever she goes. And so on...

6) There is reference to this one "special" character from the island - Elizabeth - who is painted as some sort of saintly Madonna that I found to be rather a stretch. I think we are supposed to feel EXTRA sad about how she was sent to a Nazi prison camp because she was such a wonderful person. But I thought she was a little too perfect to be a believable character and you almost feel like it was unnecessary to show her as such. It would have been sad enough that she was sent to a camp if she were just a regular person - she didn't need to be a saint for me to feel bad.

Ultimately though, these things didn't change the fact that I did enjoy reading this book. The writing was witty and easy to digest and despite some of my criticisms above, I did begin to care for the characters.

What I liked:
1) What I enjoyed most of all was the writing. There were some wonderful, easy-on-the-ear snippets and clever little turns of phrase that had me smiling often.

2) I didn't know much about the Channel Islands and the islanders' experience during WWII so I learned something new about the war and it gives one good perspective of how far reaching the effects of that horrible time were.

3) I thought the love story (although a little unbelievable) was really sweet.

4) I liked the contained little universe created by the letter writers - it makes you feel like you're on an island yourself, far away from everything "real", like bombed out buildings or concentration camps. 

Friendly little quotes that I highlighted while I was reading: 
"That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book , and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment"

"I much prefer whining to counting my blessings"

"I can imagine their entire lives from a glimpse of a bookshelves, or desks, or lit candles, or bright sofa cushions."

(Of bookshop owners) "...clever customers ask for a recommendation...whereupon we frog-march them over to a particular volume and command them to read it."

 (Of a character's trophy shelf) "There were statues for everything a man could jump over, either by himself or on a horse."

"...as a token of our long friendship, you do not need to comment on this story - not ever. In fact, I'd far prefer it if you didn't."

(On the efforts of a particularly persistent suitor) "So far, his blandishments are entirely floral"

"'Life goes on.' What nonsense, I thought, of course it doesn't. It's death that goes on; Ian is dead now and will be dead tomorrow and next year and forever."

"The Mind will make friends with any thing."

"I sat; arms crossed, hands tucked under my armpits, glaring like a molting eagle, looking around for someone to hate."

"Light griefs are loquacious, but the great are dumb." Quote from Roman philosopher Seneca

"[She] believes in breaking the ice by stomping on it."