Review: Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

It's time for my review of Nora Roberts' yearly contemporary romance suspense release. This year it is Whiskey Beach, a novel set on the coast of Massachusetts near Boston. It has been a year since Eli Landon was accused of brutally murdering his wife Lindsay. While not enough proof was found to arrest him, Eli still lost his career as a successful defense attorney and most of his so-called friends due to a painful year of close scrutiny in the public media. His spirit and will to fight are severely worn down by both the media and the cop who investigated the murder and still hounds him, determined to pin the murder on Eli one way or another.

Eli moves to the Landon family home, Bluff House, in Whiskey Beach after his grandmother Hester suffers an almost fatal accident. There he meets Abra Walsh, his grandmother's housekeeper and the woman who saved her life. Hester entrusted Abra with Eli's welfare but Eli's beaten and hostile demeanor only serves to bring out the nurturing side of this woman who also understands what it is to be hounded and hurt by others. Eli begins to heal, and a romantic relationship with Abra blooms, but their time together is plagued by accidents, assaults, a burglary, and another murder and soon the cops are knocking at Eli's door again. Will he be able to survive another round with the police? Are the murders and incidents related to Lindsay's murder? If Eli didn't kill Lindsay, who did?

Last year I loved Nora Roberts' romantic suspense release, The Witness. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Whiskey Beach because although there is romance and suspense ala Nora, neither turned out to be exceptional nor above average. Diving into this romance felt like wearing a comfortable pair of old socks, the feelings of warmth and comfort are there, but it is sorely lacking in passion and sexual tension. After they first meet, Eli is hostile and wants some space, but Abra pushes him to get him out of the depression that has been weighing him down -- and I mean she is relentless with the pushing, nurturing and manipulation. The result is that although these two people barely know each other, they quickly begin to act and speak to each other like an old married couple.

Abra - cadabra

Obviously, I wasn't crazy about Abra. In my notes I wrote: I think Abra drank a couple of cases of wine by the time this book ended. I hope she was drinking good stuff! Not that I blame her, I mean the poor woman needed a bit of R&R after her daily schedule because what didn't or couldn't Abra do? She's a personal massage therapist, a yoga instructor, a jewelry maker, a waitress, a housekeeper, the perfect cook, a volunteer and holds jobs doing all of the above. (And I know there are other skills and jobs I missed) So realistically, when does Abra have time to do all that, and still find time to: take care of Eli, sleep, eat, shower, have energetic sex, play with the dog, and drink all that wine (without getting daily hangovers) too? As unbelievable as all that sounds, you have to admire the creation of a woman like Abra, yes? However, once Roberts makes Abra part of solving the mystery and catching the villain, she definitely falls into the perfectly perfect woman category. Unbelivable.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Roberts' portrayal of Eli as a man coming out of a long bout of depression but still consumed by guilt. He allows Abra to manipulate him into eating, exercising and even getting a dog and beginning a relationship with her, all because he has no strength left to fight. But the slow healing process and recovery are well-rendered by Roberts. I loved his relationship with his grandmother Hester and the rest of his family. I adored his interactions with his dog, Bambi! And, the blooming of a new Eli, not the defense lawyer, but a caring man who learns how to live again.

Roberts weaves in the suspense with the romance well. There are no awkward separations of the two at any point during the novel and the suspense plot is technically well crafted, although I would say that it lacks edge and is rather predictable. At least it was to me since I figured it out how it would turn out early on even as specific details eluded me. Of course, Roberts is all about the details and that is as obvious in Whiskey Beach as it is in her other novels. She effectively blends in local history along with research about bootlegging, pirates, and fictional murder without resorting to long sections of info dumping.

Whiskey Beach did not wow me, but it did not overly disappoint me either. Despite my problem with the often annoying, over-the-top perfect female protagonist, the way too comfortable romance, and the technically well-crafted but predictable suspense, overall this romance suspense turned out to be a pleasant, if average read.

Category: Contemporary Romance Suspense
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Putnam (Adult)/April 16, 2013 - Kindle Ed.
Grade: C

Other Nora Roberts Romance Suspense Reviews:
 The Witness
The Search
Black Hills
High Noon

This 'n That: Reading, Television, News

Happy Sunday! This has been a good week and I'm enjoying a relaxing weekend. How about you? The good news, of course, is that I've been hitting the books again. Yay! And better yet, I had the time to post three reviews this last week. Hopefully, I'll return to my regular blogging schedule. Whatever that is!

READING:
I used an old 'remedy' to cure my reading blues, I re-read an old favorite Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas, to help me get back on the romance reading wagon. I think I savored this romance more during this time around than any other time. I really took my time savoring all the characters, scenes, and details. I love Sara, Derek and the romance, but this time I also thoroughly enjoyed the secondary characters and really appreciated their contribution to this romance's success. Of course I ended up sighing over Derek Craven, but then that was the idea behind this re-read.

But reading this book reminded me that I had the Where's My Hero? anthology in my TBR with a related story that I had yet to read. From this anthology, I only read "Against the Odds" by Lisa Kleypas. The novella covers the romance between Lydia Craven (Sara and Derek Craven's eldest daughter) and Dr Jake Linley. Linley is a character from Kleypas' Someone to Watch Over Me.

This is a sweet, short romance that I enjoyed because it serves as a sort of epilogue to Dreaming of You, and I suspect that's exactly what I was looking for. Although Kleypas manages to insert one of her signature hot scenes between Jake and Lydia, the romance itself needed more page time in order to become more than average. Regardless, it was a pleasant read.

What else have I read? Nora Roberts' latest romance suspense, Whiskey Beach and Death by Silver, a marvelous upcoming fantasy/mystery release by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold. I will be posting my reviews soon! Additionally, I've been enjoying novellas, novelletes and some excellent articles from two of my favorite Science Fiction magazines, Asimov's Science Fiction and Clarksworld. Maybe I'll write a post about a few of my favorite pieces if I have the time!

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TELEVISION:
What else have I been up to? I didn't have the time to watch this program on Monday night when it first aired, but my husband ordered it and we watched it on Friday evening. It's the two-hour pilot movie of Defiance, the SyFy channel's latest television sci-fi program. These are my initial impressions:

SUMMARY: It is 2046. Seven alien races arrived years before and after a war between humans and aliens, Earth has been transformed. In the town of Defiance, old St. Louis, all races are building a new way of life among what is left of old Earth.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Jack Nolan and his Irathient adopted daughter, Irisa.

LOVED:
- The overall combination of the recognizable with a well-defined Science Fiction atmosphere, world and world-building.
- The in-depth introduction of key characters in the pilot.
- An alternate St. Louis as a setting is a refreshing alternative to NY, LA, and/or Chicago.
- Irisa's character.
- The scene where Jack Nolan and Irisa belt out country music! What? No slamming rock?

NOT IMPRESSED WITH: A certain predictability to the plot line and a few character roles.

PROMISING: The overall storyarc and world-building.

CONCLUSION: I love that the SyFy channel is actually (again) releasing an original Science Fiction program with aliens, CGI, and alien technology. The pilot did not blow me away, but it was good enough that I will be watching it.

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NEWS: For lovers of "vintage reads."

I received an email from Open Road Media asking me to share their news and I thought some of you might be interested. So here it is:

At Open Road Media, we think a great love story never goes out of style. It’s one of the reasons we are so excited to bring you some of the best titles in romance as ebooks for the first time. And whether you call them “vintage,” “old school,” or even “classic,” these retro romances have stood the test of time.

To spread the word about these great ebooks, we founded Retro Reads, a reader program specializing in digitally reissued romance novels. We are looking for a group of readers interested in exploring the full range of romance—readers who love the genre, who love talking about the genre, and who want to keep up with the latest digital releases.

In short, we are looking for a few good romance readers. Interested? Click here for more details!

That is it for this Sunday. I hope your weekend was as enjoyable as mine. :)

Review: My Dear Watson by L.A. Fields

My Dear Watson by L.A. Fields
Cover Art: Ben Baldwin

I treasure my volumes of Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, don't you? Needless to say, I was thrilled when I received a copy of My Dear Watson by L.A. Fields for review. This story, however, is not focused on details about the mysteries. Instead, my dear friends, Fields queers the relationship between Holmes and Watson as it evolved throughout the years they worked together as detecting partners.

Fields approaches the queering of these favorite characters from a different and creative angle by utilizing the second Mrs. Watson as narrator. Mrs. Watson's somewhat acerbic narrative voice rivals that of Holmes himself, as do her well-honed powers of observation and deduction -- particularly when it comes to the relationship that existed and still exists between her dear, sweet Dr. Watson and the odious Mr. Holmes. It is most telling that as she begins her narrative, Mrs. Watson casually mentions her acceptance of her husband's flexible sexuality and relationship with the well-known detective, yet when referring to Sherlock Holmes in her journal, she uses the three dreaded capital H's: He, Him and Holmes. What does that tell you?

I can smell a hint of salt from here, so my dear Watson must be overwhelmed with the scent, since he has his face buried in Holmes's shoulder.

They are embracing each other tightly, blissfully, as if they've been a lifetime away from one another. I don't believe I am jealous --- I'm a modern woman, and I knew of my husband's flexible nature before I married him --- but I am rather destabilized by this scene. They just look so desperately happy to be holding one another. It's touching, but it touches one awfully hard.

You see, although Mrs. Watson doesn't openly oppose Watson's relationship with Holmes and says she understands her husband's obsession with the great detective, she believes in her heart that this only came to pass because of Holmes' manipulative nature. Mrs. Watson narrates Holmes' courtship and seduction of an initially unaware, naive Watson who then becomes enthralled and devoted to Him throughout the years. The relationship between the two men fluctuates between happy and deep dark times until their time together at 221B Baker Street ends. The first separation takes place when deeply hurt and disappointed in Holmes, Watson marries his first wife Mary only to be seduced away from her within a short period of time. Mrs. Watson shows sympathy for Mary but understands her sweet Watson, after all "He is rather infectious, Sherlock Holmes. A dark and glamorous thing. "

The story is divided into sections. In the present time Mrs. Watson and her household receive Holmes during his first visit to Watson's home. In other more abundant sections, Fields employs a rather interesting flashback format by having Mrs. Watson narrate the complete history of the men's relationship as it unfolds while they solve mysteries, until the timelines merge in the present. This presentation works rather splendidly as Fields concentrates mainly on the history of the relationship with spare entries dedicated to the present.

And speaking of spare, each chapter/mystery case revealing the building intimate relationship between Holmes and Watson is also short in length. Usually short chapters make for a quick read, however that was not the case in this instance. The relationship as it unfolds between Holmes and Watson and Fields' approach to this story is quite creative. However, while Mrs. Watson's narrative gives the reader an immediate sense of her perceptions and inner emotions, there are sections where it simultaneously creates a certain distance between the reader and the other main characters -- a disconnect -- that slows down the pace.

Fields' characterization of Holmes is notable in that it reveals the man behind the legend by overtly magnifying his weaknesses while subtly depicting strengths. Watson's characterization is not as well defined as that of Holmes, but the portrayal is just as subtle. Fields portrays Watson as an extremely sympathetic character, but look under the surface and you'll find that this depiction is deceiving. On the other hand, our narrator Mrs. Watson becomes as fascinating a character as Mr. Holmes. A contradiction, she's a woman to be reckoned with -- astute and intuitive, possessive and giving, protective, strong and vulnerable -- and I do believe that in the end Mrs. Watson has the last word!

To summarize, I enjoyed My Dear Watson, particularly L.A. Fields' subtle execution and creative approach to building of a complex queer romantic relationship riddled with conflict, jealousy, resentment, love, tenderness, and understanding -- one that involves two of my favorite fictional characters of all time. A solid read.

Category: LGBT/Queer Historical Fiction
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Lethe Press/April 4, 2013
Source: ARC Lethe Press
Grade: B

TBR Review: Here Comes the Bride by Pamela Morsi

The theme for this month's TBR Challenge is "new-to-me-author." Unfortunately, I picked up and discarded a slew of books that just did not work for me this month -- an unusual event that I think has more to do with my current "reader's block" that the books themselves. In the end, I decided to read a book from a favorite author's backlist. Pamela Morsi.

There comes a time in every woman's life when she must get herself a man or give up on the idea entirely. Augusta Mudd had reached that moment. Miss Gussie, as she was known to all, was in the spring of her thirty-first year. All through her twenties she had reminded herself that there was still plenty of youth ahead. At thirty itself she had taken comfort in the fact that she was barely out of her twenties. But thirty-one --- thirty-one was definitely an accounting that brought realization, or perhaps even resignation.

"Get it done or past contemplation."

Thus begins Here Comes the Bride by Pamela Morsi. It is the late 1890's in Cottonwood, Texas. At thirty-one, Gussie has inherited a successful ice-making business and property from her father. She has become a keen businesswoman happy with her lot in life, but is missing only one thing to make it complete -- a man. Gussie is also a straight shooter and after walking out for three years with Amos Dewey, she decides that it is past time that he proposes, but since he hasn't, she approaches him with her own marriage proposal. Go Gussie! But, Amos bulks and flees leaving Gussie angry and not a bit humiliated, but not defeated. She thinks about the situation overnight and comes up with a plan to have a perfect wedding and her man.

The next day she approaches her employee, Rome Akers, with a direct proposal: to make Amos jealous and bring him to heel, all Rome has to do is pretend to be Gussie's new beau. As an incentive, Gussie offers Rome the partnership in her business – his dreams come true. Rome admires Gussie for her business sense and straightforward manner and thinks she deserves to be happy. He has certain reservations about this plan, but being an ambitious young man, Rome accepts and throws himself into his role wholeheartedly.

Problems soon arise when both Rome and Gussie realize they have much in common and begin having fun together. Admiration for each other grows and kisses soon come into the equation. In the meantime Amos is fighting his attraction for Pansy Reynolds, the town's wicked widow and Rome's longtime secret lover. Rome and Gussie, Amos and Pansy will have to make decisions that in the end may break their collective hearts.

Here Comes the Bride is another romance where Morsi uses the collective town to both aid and to create conflict while developing the romance. There are two factors that play a major role here, human nature and societal views of the times. Morsi plays one against the other deftly by using two couples whose lives interact closely, but that in the end deal with two very different conflicts.
Morsi's female characters drive the story, and not surprisingly, they also contrast sharply against each other. Gussie is the virginal, sexually naive female who shows strength as a businesswoman with a keen mind and not a few feminist views. However, Gussie works within traditional boundaries set by local society so that she is accepted and respected regardless of her role as a business owner. This stands out only because this historical romance is set in a small town where conservative views prevailed.

Pansy, on the other hand, is portrayed as a widow who loved her husband and was a faithful wife, but became the town pariah after her husband's death when she rejected society's traditions by taking lovers. Pansy is scorned and only allowed to gain love and/or show courage through public self-humiliation. Morsi also makes a point of showing that although men may also be shunned by a conservative society for having illicit liaisons, they are quickly forgiven, particularly if or when that man is a respected businessman. Money, respectability, sex, and religious foundations -- all very interesting subjects that interconnect from a historical perspective in this romance.

The romance between Gussie and Rome is sweet! I loved Rome's admiration for this woman and his absolute adoration and passion for her once the two click. And Gussie's contradictory character is another favorite, as she goes from being an authoritative and driven businesswoman to a woman in love who learns to appreciate passion in her life. The romance between Amos and Pansy on the other hand did not work for me. I believe that is because I couldn't stand Amos and his brutal rejection of Pansy or his lack of understanding/care for Gussie. I did not buy his love for Pansy or frankly, Pansy's love for Amos. I did like Pansy! I liked her loyalty and courage, even though I hated, hated, hated what she did in the end.

Here Comes the Bride is a historical romance that seems sweet on the surface. However, Morsi is sneaky in that she makes her romances seem simple, but by keeping her characters true to the mores of the times, she also manages to make points that make me think in contemporary terms. As always, an enjoyable, solid read, by a favorite author.

April 2013

Category: Historical Romance/Americana
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Avon/July 3, 2000 - Print Ed.
Grade: B

Written in Red: A Novel of the Others by Anne Bishop

Last month when I was suffering from some serious reader's block, Nath recommended Written in Red by Anne Bishop, a fantasy with romance elements or "urban fantasy," and the first book of Bishop's The Others series.

Meg Corbyn is on the run and inadvertently finds refuge at the Lakeside Courtyard where the Others rule and uninvited stray humans can easily become the evening's dinner or next day's "special meat" at the butcher shop. Meg is a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, with a special ability to see visions of the future when her skin is cut. For this reason, she has been kept enslaved her entire life by a Controller in a government sanctioned facility where her visions are sold for profit. Meg knows they won't allow her to stay free for long. Luckily, she finds a job with the Others as Human Liaison and gains their trust and protection.

Simon Wolfgard is the head of the Lakeside Courtyard. He deals with humans because he has to, and although the Courtyard has been set up to bring humans and shifters closer, Simon has little understanding and/or respect for humans. To him they are nothing more than prey. However, when Meg comes in looking for a job and a place to stay and Simon notices that she doesn't smell like prey, he hires her to work in the mail room as their Human Liaison. But he's aware that she is lying about something and her weird smell drives him a little crazy from the beginning. When Meg is discovered, will the Others protect her? Or will she die at the Courtyard as her vision predicts?

I loved the shape-shifters in this fantasy. The Others are not your cutesy, likable shape-shifters, vampires and/or elementals. Oh no! In Bishop's world these are ancient beings who roamed the earth before humans evolved, and humans exist only by the Others' leave. They are portrayed as a rather scary different breed, as unlike humans as they can possibly be, with a disregard for human life and contempt for what we think of as humanity. While the two sides have worked out a livable and workable agreement, in this world the Others are top dogs and humans, the underdogs.

As the head of the Lakeside Courtyard, wolf shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is a total control freak when it comes to keeping his people and his territory safe. He is cold and ruthless with very little understanding or caring for humans (or Others) who break his laws. However as a result of Simon's  interactions with Meg, there is character growth as the story moves along. What I liked about his character is that although he accepts some changes, Simon maintains the edge that makes him different to the end.

Meg's character on the other hand is a bit of a problem for me. She is an extremely likable character both to the reader and to the characters in the story. Meg wins hearts and minds easily with her kindness, naivete, and nobility. I loved the scenes between Meg and the young wolf shape-shifter Sam, the growth that you see in her as she slowly comes out of her shell and makes friends around the community is heartwarming, and those moments when she stands up for herself are encouraging for the future. Throughout and by the end of the story, everyone who knows Meg is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect her life because she deserves it.

My problems? Meg is not a kickass heroine, which is usually okay with me, but she comes off as a bit too naive, nice, sweet and perfect (a Mary Sue), although one with growth potential. But Meg is such a nice and kind soul that her likability factor is on the high end of the scale and I have a feeling that as she stays around the Others, she'll learn how to take care of herself -- that's where the growth potential comes in. Additionally, there are some very strong female secondary characters that serve as a great contrast to Meg. What really became a bit troubling for me is the cutting and the description of how this affects Meg. Cutting is such a serious issue that I'm not quite sure how I feel about the fact that Bishop is using self-mutilation as the trigger for Meg's "special power." I'm actually withholding my final thoughts on that until I see how Bishop works this issue into the series.

There's also a romance building between Meg and Simon in Written in Red. Actually it is more of a special friendship between Simon and Meg that bloomed from hostility and distrust. Simon's wolf actually accepts Meg first, and there is a matter of trust and bonding going on there that I really like. Obviously sweet Meg is not ready for more and frankly I don't think that Simon is ready for an intimate relationship with a human either. I believe he has a long way to go yet.

Written in Red is a well-written, character driven fantasy with a bit of action, mystery, edginess, gore, and a touch of humor that surprised me. The secondary characters -- Monty, Tess, Henry, Vlad, Sam, Jasper -- play significant roles and are worth mentioning because they make this a well-rounded read. The action is limited but makes an impact, and the mystery revealed at the end is well done. However, when it comes to villains I was a bit disappointed as the threat felt more dangerous than the reality, particularly Asia who in my opinion comes off as more TSTL than truly dangerous. Of course there are threads left open to resolve in future installments and I look forward to finding out more! Even with my reservations, my grade is going to be on the high end. I really enjoyed Written in Read as a whole (read  it in two straight sittings!), and see a lot of potential in this fantasy series.

Category: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
Series: The Others, #1
Publisher/Release Date: Roc/March 5, 2013 -- Kindle Ed.
Grade: B+

Visit Anne Bishop here.