Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie by Marianne Stillings

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥

He: Detective investigating the murder of a wealthy, eccentric old novelist. The murdered guy was also the H's step-father.


She: The ward of the murdered author who  loved her guardian, even though he had apparently been a difficult person.

Note: H - Hero, h - heroine

Conflict: H hated the old novelist because he had been the cause of some childhood trauma involving his mother. Turns out that the murdered guy "knew" he was going to get killed by someone so he sets up a "treasure hunt" for a few chosen guests to figure out who the murderer is. The H & h are on the same team as they try and figure out the mystery from the clues the old man leaves behind. Their divergent opinions of the dead old dude keep H&h on opposing sides.

The mystery is set up as a "whodunnit" treasure hunt where the winner who figures out who the murderer is gets all the dead man's money. H&h are on the same team and must work together to figure out who committed the murder. 

This is not a terribly mysterious mystery but it was generally funny, maybe a little hammy, sometimes even sitcom-y humor, but a decent read. 

You Only Love Twice by Lori Wilde

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥

He: NCIS investigator and former SEAL is running surveillance on his neighbor who is suspected of being mixed up in some sort of political intrigue involving terrorism and secret Navy conspiracies 

She: Illustrator of the comic series featuring Angelina Avenger, sassy crime-fighting superhero, and the h's alter ego

Conflict: Oh, the tangled web of deceit and subterfuge! I can't go through the exact conflict or I'll give away the whole plot but I will say that there are many twists and turns including the following:
a) An accusation of treason that involves state secrets about weapons and terrorists
b) A hit man who is looking to cap the h in her pretty little head
c) A high speed car chase where, despite getting shot at and almost killed, both H&h are overcome by the need for sexy-times. Um, duh!... wouldn't YOU?

The goods:
1) The character development of both H&h was pretty good. I liked how the h would have full conversations with her alter ego, and how Angelina, the super hero would goad the h into doing brave/reckless things.

2) The conversation was fun and flirty and the build up was nicely paced

The weirds:
1) There is a point where it seems as though the h's mom has been killed by the baddies. It was extremely weird to see how she manages to get turned on and wanting to jump the H's bones THAT SAME EVENING. Show some respect, woman! I mean, you can control yourselves for ONE evening, right? Not even to mourn the passing of the woman who gave birth to you?

2) There was a whole "Bourne Identity"-like set up with terrorists, corrupt government representatives, conspiracy theories that turn out to be real - but then the end is a neat little package where everyone is connected to everyone else and all the baddies were horrible and all the goodies, self-sacrificing saints. 

Express Male by Elizabeth Bevarly

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥

She: Marnie is a piano teacher with a nice, tidy life which gets turned upside down when she is mistaken for someone else. That someone else happens to be a legendary spy who is believed to have gone rogue and is now wanted by this top secret government agency for questioning. There are a bunch of bad guys out there who also mistake Marnie for being the secret agent lady and once they realize Marnie isn't their girl, the agency decides to use Marnie as bait to capture the baddies.

He: Noah is a senior agent with this top secret outfit who has the task of taking care of Marnie while she undertakes this dangerous mission of baiting the baddies out of hiding.

Conflict: Noah is attracted to Marnie, but he's not really sure if it's her he likes or the fact that he had had relations with the woman who looked like her. It's her. Obviously, it's her because she's sweet and nice and strong-minded and all that good stuff. Marnie is into it, but Noah blows hot and cold so she doesn't really know what to think. She's a little insecure because she gets the feeling that he might actually have feelings for that other girl who looks like her.

I wouldn't say this was a life-altering book or anything. But it was definitely a fun, quick read that had a bit of everything - interesting side characters, properly fleshed out personalities of both Noah and Marnie, a believable build-up of chemistry and sexual tension.  

These are the hardest reviews to write because there was nothing WRONG with the book. It amused, entertained and was pretty touching at times. It was just story I feel like I have read before. Big alpha boy secret agent taking care of a wittle lady who's being hounded by baddies...Not that she comes across as weak. No. It's just that after all the description about the spy everyone mistook Marnie for - I  kinda wanted to read about a love story about that woman! Now SHE sounded fun. Bad@ss girl secret agent who was the best of the best in her field. Everyone feared and admired her skills? She sounded awesome. Marnie was just a regular Jane compared to her so it was kind of a meh in comparison.

Sighs Matter by Marianne Stillings

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥♥


Before I begin, would it be disloyal to a writer that I am really beginning to love to say that the cover* of this book is absurd? I like a slab of bronzed and rippling abdominals as much as the next girl, but this cover looked so cheesy, I almost decided not to buy the book. Also, I don't understand the title. I've been trying to figure it out for hours now and I still don't get it. 

*Yes, I do judge books by their covers - because that's what they're there for - to be judged and to sell you on picking them up. But I'm glad I overcame my reluctance because it turned out to be awesome! 

He: Detective who's investigating a suspect who is engaged to the h's aunt. He's into her (the h, not the aunt) and has been from the time they hooked up at his brother's wedding to h's best friend.

She: Small-town doctor who's into him. But...see Conflict.

Conflict: She has issues committing to him because she can never be with a cop. Her dad was a cop and was killed in the line of duty and her brother, also a cop, was permanently injured while doing his job. So she just can't take it anymore and wants to avoid getting involved with someone in law enforcement. 

They are thrown together because of the case he is investigating and when it looks like she might be in danger, he goes all alpha on her (hearts! likes!), does the Serve and Protect thing and just melts her little heart like a marshmallow on some heated loins. I don't mind telling you that while she tried to remain unaffected by him as long as she could, I was a swooning mass of undignified female by page 4. Dang! Maybe I was subliminally affected by the abs on the cover after all.

Addicted to Love by Lori Wilde

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

A fun, interesting take on girls and our obsession with Happily Ever After. Amusing and hot, Lori Wilde deals with some very sensitive issues with wit and delicacy that I found really charming.

He: Hottie, Iraq veteran, current Sheriff of Valentine, Texas. The town of Valentine has built its reputation as the home of schmoopy-pie love and romance by aggressively embracing the romantic comedy kitch - heart-shaped lake, heart-shaped parking meters, soon a romance-themed amusement park - the works.

She: A self-diagnosed Romanceaholic - twice ditched at the alter, she decides to make some serious changes in her life so that she stops trying to make everything into a saccharine-sweet romantic comedy and start making some better decisions - especially when it comes to men.

Conflict: They have immediate chemistry but the timing's off - he's still smarting from his wife walking out on him and some lingering wounds from his experiences during September 11th and in Iraq and she needs to get her head out of the clouds and face the fact that life is not a Hallmark card. Obviously, there is an HEA for our H&h, but its cool that they both go through their respective "processes" to get there.

The good stuff:
1) There was plenty of silly sitcom-y stuff, but LW elevates it from the cliched by reminding us again and again that the H&h are characters with things they need to address in their own lives that prevents them from jumping right into the romantic fun and games. E.g. there is a scene where H&h have to spend the night in the same bedroom - it would have been very easy for us to be treated to one of those typical High Sexual Tension scenes where the H goes to bed practically unclothed because hey, he just doesn't like to be constricted by clothing while he slumbers while she pretends to ignore how "her body unwittingly responds" to his buff awesomeness. The way LW tells it, yes there is sexual tension, but there is a fun little twist that makes the scene different that the other hundred similar ones I have read. 

2) I liked the premise - girls, STOP treating our lives like we are the love children of Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant encased in a snow globe of Perfect Love and Happiness. In the story, she has some good insights about how she has treated her life and relationships with men like she was following a script in a romantic comedy - from the meet-cute to the perfect wedding - and she realizes this behavior has led her to make some stupid moves with guys. This is a great lesson for everyone and I'm impressed by LW for weaving it in so nicely in a romance novel. That said, there were some issues I had with the execution, but more on that below.

3) The H was super. He was solid, kind, mature, sensible, hot and just an all-round decent dude. Also, I believe I may have mentioned my new found love of this small-town-sheriff trope. Love It.

4) The writing, the pacing were all very good and I really enjoyed reading the book.

The "meh" stuff:
1) I thought there was one too many side plots. We follow 3 other romantic pairings in addition to the main one - each that ends in its own HEA. Too much. I mean, LW goes through all this trouble to set up the premise that you need to face reality and NOT get sucked into a candy-colored romantic whirlpool but in the end, that's exactly where everyone finds themselves happily spinning towards. So EVERYONE gets an HEA? Really? It was super cheesy and kind of lessens the magic of a romantic pairing that REALLY works. I mean, the H&h ain't THAT special if basically every schmo gets a perfect HEA with his perfect schmee.

2) I question whether the h really learns anything by the end of her whole self-reflection thing. She wants to learn to be independent and self-contained and not make the entire purpose of her life be the man in her life. So she gets a job and a hobby she finds fulfilling - both of which involve her talking about how Romanceaholics should wean themselves off of their drug. It frustrated me a little that she falls in love with H before she really self-actualizes - finds a purpose beyond getting married and having an HEA (the one she secretly still wants despite her big talk about rejecting romance). I realize she gains some insight (romance is not equal to love) but who is she really? At the end of it all, she still just seems like an almost-married instead of a fulfilled person who is really delighted with herself and loves the life she's in. 

Anyway, maybe that's the way some personalities just work. Maybe some people really can't be happy unless they're with someone else. That's what Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks tell me anyway. Meh. I don't believe it. But its loads of fun to read about so what the heck!

Arousing Suspicions by Marianne Stillings

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥
From The Oatmeal
Q: What do you call a psychic midget who has escaped from prison?
A: A small medium at large

This is not only a HILARIOUS  joke, it is also marvelously apropos. Because our protagonist is a psychic. I know. Stay with me, it's not that bad. Mostly because Marianne Stillings is one funny writer. The dialogue is sharp and avoids being sitcom-y, and her characters are sweet and kinda goofy. And don't even get me STARTED on this cover. I was iffy about it at first, but I came around once I stared at the lovely wideness of the gentleman's shoulders for about an hour. I was mesmerized. He could carry the weight of the world on that bronzed back. 


He: Detective who is investigating a murder where the cops have very few clues. 

She: Psychic dream interpreter.  She "witnesses" the murder he is investigating" by channeling the thoughts" of one of her clients and goes to the cops with the information. 

Conflict: He (naturally) doesn't believe she has paranormal powers and thinks she's a crackpot. But there's chemistry between them and when there is a chance she might be the killer's next target, he goes into Alpha Dog Cop Mode and swoops in for the rescue. Since this is not 1820, the h gets to do some ass kicking of her own, and everyone lives happily ever after.

This was a funny and nicely paced story. I don't normally like paranormal stuff in romances because it ends up being really lame in a drippy our-souls-are-entwined kind of way. Makes me want to rip my eyes out and stuff them in my mouth. But here, the whole psychic dream interpreter stuff was presented in a quirky, cute way - like it was a part of the h's personality that the disbelieving H just learns to accept and believe. The mystery was at least 50% believable (no creepy stalker plot - thank Poseidon's scepter). 

Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥

I though this was an entertaining read for the most part - the characters where interesting and fun and the set up was a pseudo-believable crime/romance combo - but I thought perhaps it wasn't quite the right "fit" for me. 

I am seeing a theme whenever I read a humor/crime/romance story - I don't take the crime part seriously (because honestly, when the tone is light and funny, my inner Skeptic feels like it's not really meant to be a dire life/death situation for the characters). I also don't totally invest in the romance angle, because with all the stuff about the crime and mystery, there's less time devoted to showing how the romance unfolds. I won't say that I categorically don't like these books - I do! But I guess they just don't do it for me because there is just a lot going on. In any case, this was a fun, light read and I would probably pick up another from LDR.

She: Privileged daughter of a wealthy real estate developer who doesn't really have a sense of direction or purpose until she joins the family business and is put in charge of taking care of a cute but not hugely profitable hotel that the family inherits from a dead aunt. 

He: Former cop and current bartender at the hotel who has some suspicions about an embezzlement case involving the hotel.

Conflict: There was no conflict between the H&h per se. There is chemistry and attraction between the two as they try to solve the embezzlement case together and then the only thing standing between them is whether she will stay at the hotel or whether she will return to her driftless life in the city.

What I liked:

1) I thought the mystery part was handled well - there weren't many characters in the novel so it was easy to feel like "oh, I knew it!" when you get to the whodunnit. But honestly, I wasn't trying to "pre-solve" the mystery so it was engaging.

2) Both characters were likable and nice. The H seemed very young. I couldn't say why - maybe because he wasn't a game-player - he just seemed like a genuinely nice dude. She too came across and someone who was sincere in trying to find somewhere where she really fit.

What I thought was only meh:

1) They were attracted to one another, yes, but there wasn't like a big wham! scene where they were hot and heavy and clearly meant to happen. It all was very nice and cute and a tad bit slow...

2) There was a thing about the dead aunt's ghost "communicating" with the h. I guess I just don't dig paranormal stuff because it razzes my Skepto-meter and makes everything else just a little less believable.

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

First of all, KH is wonderful and amazing and I want to jump up and down every time I read a new book of hers. Ok, now that that's out of the way, let's begin. 

He: Chief of Police* of a small upstate NY town. He used to be a bad boy in high school but has shaped up nicely and is now universally loved by everyone in town. 

She: Girl who gets jilted at the altar and then leaves her hometown to get away from her ex-fiance and the inevitable gossiping, but also to "find herself". She does manage to rebuild a great life for herself in San Francisco but never quite stops blaming the H, her ex-fiance's best friend, for ruining her wedding to the "perfect man".

Conflict: 1) She has to get over the fact that the H "ruined" her wedding, 2) Will she really move back to her hometown and will the H sack up and ask her to stay?

A few things that I thought were especially great/interesting:

1) Lovely setting - wine country in upstate NY. Lends to the sweet and romantic mood but in KH's hands, avoids being trite. I mean, a vineyard? This could easily have veered off into a horrible morass of sickly sweet grapey-ness - remember a Walk in the Clouds? Oh Keanu, you beautiful dummy.

2) The H was more alpha that KH's usual Hs. Which I hearted greatly.

3) There were some interesting examples of difficult relationships - particularly the one between the h's grandparents. It was very refreshing to see that issue dealt with so well in a romance novel - some (maybe most) relationships are products of circumstance and chance and don't really progress perfectly. It was a good reminder that we are living in a generation that is lucky enough to get to even pursue love and romance for their own sake. All the examples of disastrous relationships also provide good contrast to the main romantic relationship in the book between the h & H.

4) Once again we get to see a KH protagonist have a passion for something other than her man. This h loves the outdoors, nature, and her family's land and legacy. She works as a landscape designer and is good at her job. And she has a dog.

Things that were strange-interesting:

1) The H's name is Levi Cooper... anyone else thinking about a dude in a denim shirt and jeans. Maybe a Lee Cooper shirt and jeans from Levi's?

2) Seemed like the h was angry at the wrong guy the whole time. Surely it was a good thing that the H put an end to her marriage to a TOTALLY wrong guy? Why did she stay so angry with him? She does thank him for it in the end, but seemed like he saved her from a huge disaster up front so her bitterness towards him was extremely misplaced.

That's it...I'm such a KH fan-girl that I can't even think critically anymore... 

*There is something about this small-town sheriff/police chief trope that I am really beginning to enjoy. They're alpha but in a different way than a big-city lawyer/detective/biz tycoon is alpha. I guess there is the underlying theme of "caretaking" of the citizenry that automatically shows him to be a father-figure and a man of action and responsibility. Oooo mama. I feel safer just knowing such a man is out there (in my imagination).

Damsel in This Dress by Marianne Stillings

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Fairly typical, not-so-mysterious-stalker mystery, but who the hell cares? It was cute and well-written and generally a good time read. MS is a fun, fun, fun writer. Quick, snappy banter and some really silly situations that MS manages to make seem believable and charming.


He: Detective and writer of tough-guy crime novels whose literary efforts, despite earning him a large fan following, fail to make an agreeable impression on the h.

She: Editor of a small town paper who sometimes reviews books. She writes several harsh reviews of his books for her small readership to which he takes great umbrage.

Conflict: After a pugnacious back-and-forth over email over her unfavorable review of his latest book, H&h meet by chance at a writer's conference. Once they realize who the other is, each is predisposed to dislike the other - except for the pesky attraction buzzing between them. When it turns out she has stalker*, he sets aside his annoyance at her unfairly negative reviews and puts on his Protector hat and sets out to save the day, and the pretty lady. 

Sooo cheesy. But we love it.


*On that note, I must wonder why on earth so many contemporaries go with the Crazy Stalker plotline. I mean, how many stalkers can there possibly on earth? Any why are they all out to get these lovely, adorable ladies. Well...at least these chicks have a delicious detective to take care of them and keep them safe. Lucky them.

Chasing Venus by Diana Dempsey

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥

Two parts whodunnit, one part crazy sexual tension for a total of three parts feeling edgy and tweakish.

I must say I am surprised to have not read anything by this lady before! She is a really solid writer. I don't know how to describe it but you feel like you are in the hands of a pro - perfect grammar, sentence structure is clean and crisp and she didn't have those tics that some contemporary writers have that end up being irritating to the reader (e.g. weird, affected Southernisms to demonstrate the H's aw-shucks charm).

He: Ex-cop, host of an America's Most Wanted-like show that helps track down criminals by appealing to the public. Backstory is that he had lost a fiancee to a crime so has attending internal turmoil related to that.

She: Crime writer who gets mixed up in a string of serial murders of other crime writers. Her issues are related to having had a bad relationship in her past and is now determined to break free from her earlier patterns with men and to assert her girl power.

Conflict: There is immediate chemistry between the two but then she becomes a suspect in the murders and he's the only one who can help her clear her name. He has to fight his attraction for her, help her solve the mystery while risking his own reputation as an investigative reporter if he ends up being wrong about her.

The mystery was tight and interesting, the conflicts were believable and while it may seem like a damsel in distress tale, there end up being some fierce scenes where she takes care of business herself.  

Side note: There was a really interesting and well-written side story about one of the minor characters who has feelings for the H. It was sympathetically written, not over blown and really touching.

It's hard for me to re-read mystery stories but I need to find more from DD! 

Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥♥♥

WANTED: One Kristan Higgins hero. Just one. I only want to meet him. If you know one (or <gasp> have one of your own), I promise I'll give him back. Pinky swear. Just let me meet him.

I'm super serious. I wish I could just meet one of these H's! KH is a MASTER of witty banter. She just keeps you smiling the whole way through. I am really coming around to this 1st person narrative style in a romance novel. I mean, everything feels like a big surprise that's happening to me! And she is so fantastic at dialogue, the reader still manages to catch the pov's of the other characters.

This one is a sweet little twist in the high-school unrequited crush thing.

She: Sweet, friendly, goofy dog-owning doctor who is seriously crushing on her high school love - a beautiful, lovable carpenter who charms everyone in panties. He's obviously wrong, wrong, wrong for her, but she is fixated until she finally opens her eyes to the right guy. 

He: Ex-brother in law (older sister's ex-husband). Small town cop and all round good guy.

Conflict: Obviously, there is the awkwardness of him being her sister's ex-husband. He is wonderful and so is she - they just never look at each other "that way" until one day, they do. It's sweet and nice and makes you feel like that girl who's been trying to get her best friends together like, forever and then when they finally do hook up you're like, finally...

I love how the story has a lot to do with how the h grows as a person - she gets fit, makes a life and a home for herself in the town, and finds a great career - not just that she finds her man. In the story, like in real life, she only finds her real someone when she's figured herself out. 

I wish we had a little more time with the H. Because of the 1st person angle, its hard to get a handle on the H's personality but we are led to believe that he is a wonderful person worthy of the h's adoration. Oh, I believed it alright. At the end of the day, does it even really matter? I mean, after having read ~1,000 romance novels, aren't the H's all basically just the same dude? Tall, handsome, charming, sweet, funny, protective and honorable? Throw in roguish and arrogant for the historical heroes and we basically have the amalgam of the Most Perfect Human Man.

This one is heroically wonderful and nice, and she's sweet and kind - they need to be together. When they are, you're genuinely stoked for them. 

Sidenote - KH has this strange thing for the brother/sister-in-law, best friend, widowed/abandoned hero shtick  But it works, goddammit, she makes it work! I see why she would do it - I don't think its for the "forbidden" angle but more to show closeness and a solid relationship to begin with before layering on the romance. I never thought it would work, and I admit to feeling squeamish at the very beginning but then I too relax and become a steaming, whimpering pile of mush and any hesitancy I may have felt is put firmly to bed. Like the h. Hooyah!

Hot by Julia Harper

Skeptic scale: ♥♥♥

"I'm going to take you down. I'm going to be the one to put handcuffs on you. No one but me." This is an actual line in the book. Use it often.


I'd never read anything by this author and I think she's good fun. I enjoyed her style and the story was decent but I was left slightly unconvinced that our H & h were Made For Each Other.

She: Librarian and part time bank teller on a four year vendetta to clear her wrongfully accused uncle's name and expose the true villain of the crime for which he was accused.

He: FBI Special Agent who is hot on her tail. Um. 

Conflict: One would think that the natural conflict would be baked into the fact that there is security camera footage clearly showing that she is committing a crime and that he is responsible for catching criminals...it turns out that this is not so much a conflict as a way to keep the H & h apart for most of the book. 

What I liked:

1) I thought the predator/quarry dynamic was quite well done. It wasn't totally cheesy and made for some fun lines ("I always get my man. Or woman", "I can't stop searching for you, either. You know that don't you.", "I'm going to take you down. I'm going to be the one to put handcuffs on you. No one but me.") Ok, so they were pretty cheesy.

2) The spark they build over the phone during their cat and mouse game was quite cool. It was different and even though it was a bit ridiculous to think that a real FBI agent would ever interact that way with a potential criminal, it was all very entertaining. 

3) I debated whether to put this in the "pros" or "cons" list and in the end it was so amusing I went with "pros" - JH uses the word "vulva" an awful lot. It is silly of me to be this kicked by it - it is a part of a woman's anatomy after all, and it is quite appropriate to use the word in the sex scenes. But it's just uncommon to read and I had to suppress immature giggles every time I came across it. Am I the only one to be struck thusly? I dunno. Here you try it: Vulva.

You smiled, right? See?

What I thought was weird:

1) Total and utter disregard for police procedure. I get that there needed to be alone-time for H & h but this dude is supposed to be a senior guy - doesn't he work with back up, his partner, have to file any paperwork? There is one point where there is a hit man hired to do some killing, and the H doesn't exactly rush to report it. What? And he seems awfully quick to start flirting with the h over the phone. Surely there are some procedures to be followed when trying to question a suspect that do not involve vaguely sexual undertone?

2) The h seems like kind of a loser. She seems to have lived like a barn mouse for 4 years as she plotted her revenge on those who destroyed her uncle's good name. But then when she is trying to execute it, it all seems rather disorganized and unplanned. 

3) What was the point of making her a librarian AND a bank teller? Why not one or the other? I think the librarian bit was supposed to be a shorthand way to tell us that she is quiet, missish and dresses tweedily. And the bank teller bit? Who even knows. I guess she needed to be working at the bank to put in motion her revenge plan...But it seemed like overkill. And this woman doesn't have ANY friends? Not a one, apparently. She also has some really weird sexual hang ups which were rather off-putting such as never letting a man go south. How to even relate to this girl?? 

She doesn't seem like a person I would want to know...(NB: While with the H though, she seems functional. Ok so maybe that was the point. he completes her and all that...)

Overall, it was an entertaining read. The writing was fun and snappy. There was enough sexy-time for the H&h, which was an upside surprise given that they were apart for most of the book. And except for the aforementioned references to her vulva (heheh), the sex bits were nice and tingly. Like her vulva. 

Not sure this particular one is a re-read, but I would definitely look into more from JH.