When Francesca Bonnard’s husband divorced her, she took with her a packet of his letters, letters that could mean the end of his position in high society. Moving from England to the Continent, Francesca became a high-priced courtesan. Now, five years later, her ex-husband wants his letters back, but he’s not the only one. James Cordier has been appointed to retrieve the letters as part of an investigation. Expecting a simple seduction to do the trick, he finds his plans derailed by the willful, independent beauty he meets. Francesca, although intrigued by James, is determined to protect both herself and her independence. But when it becomes clear that Francesca’s ex-husband will do anything to get those letters back, Francesca and James must team up.

I must admit, I’ve always enjoyed Loretta Chase’s novels. They are witty and fun, and Your Scandalous Ways is no disappointment. Chase’s characters are as amusing as ever. Francesca, in particular, has a gift for witty replies. At one point in the novel, she and a disguised James are discussing English names for a male courtesan. Her response? “A penniless aristocrat.” I couldn’t help chuckling. Wit, however, is not limited to Francesca. Some of the best dialogue occurs between her and James, as their frustration with each other develops into a verbal sparring match.

Chase also seems to enjoy putting her characters into rather unusual situations and seeing how they react to both the situation and each other. At one point, the two find themselves alone in a gondola (the story is set in Venice) and a bet is made. Francesca thinks that she can seduce him, while he believes himself able to withstand temptation. At stake is a peridot parure. It is a very entertaining scene to watch, because Francesca’s attempts at seduction and James’ attempts at self-control play off of each other so well.

The plot also rolls along at a  good clip. Not only do we have Francesca’s and James’ conlfict between each other, we also have outside agents moving the story along. Francesca’s ex-husband makes an appearance, and we also get to follow the story of his henchwoman as she attempts to retrieve the letters. She’s a little bit crazy, obsessed with emeralds and causing pain. She brings a welcome note of suspense to the conflict between James and Francesca, leaving the reader praying that the two will team up in time to thwart her.

This is a fun book to read, both in terms of the characters and plot. The setting is also well described, leving you feeling as if you could see the city of Venice and smell the waters of the canals. To give the reader even more of an Italian feel, there are also lines of Italian in the dialogue. (Translations are provided)

When you combine the plot, characters, and setting, you get a well-crafted, engrossing story that flows at an excellent pace. Chase’s characters are a joy to watch in action, and their interactions are amusing. Emotions feel genuine, not forced or faked, and the plot brings just enough tension to keep the reader hooked. A wonderfully enjoyable read!

The Redeeming

Review copy courtesy of a Twitter contest held by the author.
Available from Samhain Publishing.
Visit Shiloh Walker online.

Jonah is dead, but his guardian angel gives him a choice: go to eternal torment, or take responsibility for his choices and accept one last chance at redemption. Lilan is a daughter of Lilith, a demon born to drain men’s souls and steal children away. But she’s a demon with a soul, who feels torment over what she’s supposed to do, and that gives her one single chance at a human life. She has two months to prove she can live the life she says she wants—and that time is running out when she meets Jonah. Each of them is on a mission to save a young man’s soul, but will their attraction to each other prove a fatal distraction—or the key to saving him?

The beginning of Shiloh Walker’s The Redeeming, in which we’re introduced to the characters, their good-vs.-evil dilemmas, and their one last chance at redemption, felt like a fairly typical and straightforward story structure. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just that I’ve fallen so in love with some of Shiloh’s longer works, like Chains and The Missing, that this suffers by comparison. (This is the down side of having a reviewer become a fan—we get so familiar with an author’s work that we notice when something isn’t an author’s best!)

Over-familiarity with Shiloh’s incredible skill aside, however, I really enjoyed The Redeeming. As tales of redemption go, it’s a beautiful one. And as the story continues, despite the novella length, Shiloh manages to pack in some fascinating details of Lilith and her daughters, the use of magic in this universe, the machinations of angels, the reasons why a man might take a path of evil despite good intentions, a very unlikely romance (with some wonderful sex), and the love of family.

Heck, when I reached the end my husband had to ask if I was all right, because I was sniffling—always a great sign that a story has managed to get to me. So if you’re looking for an enjoyable ebook read, The Redeeming is well worth it!

[NOTE: Dark material, such as reference to torture and rape, is touched on in this story---although handled quite gracefully.]

Joe Ledger knows he’s a good cop. But when he has to kill a terrorist that he killed the week before, his world starts to change. He becomes drawn into the Department of Military Science, a covert agency that is responsible for protecting the United States from terrorist threats. Together he and his team are looking for the terrorists that are attempting to infiltrate the States with a new bioterror weapon that turns people into zombies. It’s a race against time; a plan that has been years in the making is in motion and there is a traitor in their midst. Can Joe and his team stop the terrorists, or will this be the end of Western civilization?

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been on a little bit of a zombie kick, but when I saw this book I simply had to pick it up. Zombies as a terrorist’s weapon? Yes, please. The book, however, didn’t seem to reach its full potential until about halfway through. Maberry spends almost ninety pages getting Joe Ledger considering and then joining the Department of Military Science. I understand that it relays a lot of important background information, but the pace felt as if it dragged a little.

It also took a little while to begin to understand how some of the characters work. We get to take a peek at the villains relatively early on during the book, but I have to admit that the glimpses left me wondering why one of them was there. I can understand religious fundamentalism, that doesn’t need too much background, but I had to stop and wonder what a multi-billionaire was doing in the picture. Maberry seems to like to keep his readers waiting for explanations.

Another explanation I had to wait for was the discussion of how the zombie (or “walker”) virus worked. We catch an early reference to prion disease, but that’s about it. When I did manage to find the explanation, I had to read it twice before I actually started to understand it. In all fairness I must admit that I’m not as strong in biology as I could be, so that could have been a part of my incomprehension. It is very obvious, however, that Maberry has done his research.

The attention to detail apparent in Maberry’s research is apparent in his writing as well.  Apart from the details paid to various technological weapons and gadgets, Maberry even lets us know what happens to Joe’s cat, Cobbler. One of the DMS crew retrieves him from Joe’s home and brings him to Joe’s new quarters.

The action scenes are phenomenal. Maberry is able to narrate fights in a way that leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen. During a fight at a crab plant, I was completely sucked in, picturing the operation in my head as the team split up. What really amazed me, though, was the intensity that Maberry managed to convey through well-chosen words. He has a gift for describing battle, and Joe is also a top-notch warrior. When you combine Joe’s battle skills and Maberry’s prose, you wind up with a highly-addicting read.

This was a book that I came to enjoy after the slow and slightly confusing start. The action became hot and intense, and the plot (zombies excluded) seemed eerily possible. If you’re looking for action and intrigue that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it.

Review copy courtesy of Penguin Group.
Visit Shiloh Walker online.
Also posted on Epinions.com.

Fifteen years ago, three girls in their senior year of high school in Madison had almost nothing in common—until they experienced a terrible tragedy that bound them together and sent them fleeing from their hometown.

Renee was the icy-perfect prom queen from old money, dating the Mayor’s perfect son. After that night she fled her mother’s plans for her to become a pampered trophy wife, instead choosing to train as a chef and play at the lifestyle of a submissive. Night after night, however, she still has nightmares in which she can smell blood.

Lacey was the school’s sweetheart—as good-tempered as she was pretty and strong. She’s become a photographer, but she’s been told her work lacks heart, and she knows it’s true. Five years ago she found pleasure in the arms of Madison’s sheriff, but he walked out on her, and no one else satisfies her.

Sherra was the school’s bad girl, a pint-sized troublemaker. Now she writes best-selling horror novels to exorcise her own demons. The idea of being touched by any man terrifies her, and now because of the threatening notes and emails she’s been receiving, she’s stuck with an overbearing bodyguard.

All three women are headed back to Madison for their 15-year reunion, and for the kickoff of Sherra’s big booksigning tour. They’ve become friends in the intervening years, and they’ve each found their own measure of success, but they’re lonely and afraid. Now they’re going to have to face their fears, conquer them, and conquer the monster that’s stalking them.

Shiloh Walker’s Chains is the best of her work I’ve read yet—and that’s saying something, as I’ve become a pretty big fan over the last year or so. It’s written in three parts, one for each woman of the tale, but the stories are woven together into one long novel.

So many of the book’s characters are fantastic—I won’t go into them individually because I’d keep you here forever! In particular the three women have a great deal of depth to them. You can easily see both how they fit into the typical niches in high school, and how they were (and grew into) so much more. The only teensy thing I wanted was a little more on how the women would end up faring in their careers after the end of the book, but there were some little hints here and there, so that’s barely even a complaint. The women encountered a variety of people from high school in their return, so it even made sense that some fit into stereotypes of that-guy-from-high-school while others didn’t. There was enough variety to make it work.

The romantic relationships were breathtakingly wonderful, as was the sex. Everything that has annoyed me about poorly-handled dom/sub relationships in some recent books was handled ideally here. Shiloh beautifully handles the creation of a character—Renee—who is submissive in bed, yet strong in character and will. And her love interest is excitingly dominant without being abusive and cruel. Each relationship in the book has its own character and feel, and I loved each one. Shiloh also writes some of the most smoothly erotic sex scenes, in my opinion. I seriously admire any author who can turn the act of a man using a condom into an erotic, loving, and respectful part of a sex scene.

However, what makes Chains so utterly amazing isn’t just the relationships, characters, and sex. As if that wasn’t enough, the suspense plot will definitely keep your pulse racing! I started reading this book over breakfast yesterday and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished the very last page. I even walked around the house reading it as I got out lunch. I was glued to every last development, wanting to find out who the bad guy was (or bad guys), what the motivation was for stalking the three women, and how things would work out.

My only warning is that this is a suspense/thriller, and it does contain some dark subject matter, such as death and rape. And of course some very explicit, very sizzling sex!

This is the best of Shiloh that I’ve seen so far, and I can’t wait to read more!

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 9/1/2009.
Visit Christina Dodd on the web.

From the back of the book:

When the world was young, twins were born. One brought light to a dark world; the other, darkness and danger. They gathered others around them, men and women destined to use their powerful gifts for good or evil. Today, their descendants walk the earth as the Chosen, and the ultimate battle is about to begin.

Rosamund Hill has spent her life buried in her parents’ work, as well as her own, and has been perfectly happy tucked away with her research. Then, in one day, two men turn her world upside down: slick, gorgeous Lance, and dark, brooding Aaron. Both of them want the same thing, information about a prophecy, and both of them are willing to nudge, seduce, and influence Rosamund to get it. Lance, however, is willing to kill—whereas Aaron finds himself becoming more and more taken with the frustrating academic. And more mysteriously, as he and Rosamund work to uncover the prophecy, his powers as one of the Chosen become stronger.

Christina Dodd’s Storm of Shadows is book two of her new series, The Chosen Ones, after Storm of Visions. In book one, Jacqueline had to face up to her reluctance to take over her mother’s role as seer for the Chosen Ones. In book two, Aaron must uncover a prophecy that could spell the success—or the disastrous failure—of the Chosen in their fight against the Devil-serving Others. He’s suave and sophisticated on the surface, elements that have helped him to be a successful antiquities thief, but underneath that he has a rugged streak of self-preservation, and a poor, if proud, past. Rosamund is the perfect foil for him, a mousy librarian with her head so buried in her books she barely even notices how attractive he is—a fact that frustrates him to no end, as does her fluttery romantic sighing over Lance.

I loved these two. Aaron manages to be more than your typical brooding dark romance novel hero, and Rosamund manages to be more than your stereotypical bookish “hidden beauty.” Rosamund is quirky and entertaining, and it’s a ton of fun to watch Aaron sputter as he’s stymied by her lack of apparent interest in him. They have an unlikely chemistry that works out beautifully!

The plot and pacing are wonderful; Christina Dodd has a knack for tense, heart-pounding action with a dash of quirky humor. Aaron and Rosamund travel all over the place searching for clues and evading enemies, and the fights and close escapes will definitely keep you turning the pages.

There’s an element of the series premise revealed in this book that I think slightly disappointed me because it felt familiar, but I don’t want to get into details because it’s something that isn’t revealed until the end of the book. However, it’s a small niggle, especially since it isn’t nearly as overused as a lot of other things making the rounds in popular books right now!

The only other problem I had was that there were a couple of places where I felt I was missing a detail or a connection when the characters were putting things together from one part of the prophecy plot to the next. However, it’s possible that I missed something, or that it’s something that’ll be fixed in the final print edition (since this is an uncorrected proof), and it was only a mild issue. Certainly I was very wrapped up in the book and enjoyed it immensely!

Definitely do check out this new series when it comes out. It’s delightful, and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next!

Review book (published 2009) courtesy of Chronicle Books.
Also posted on Epinions.com.

Ahh, guacamole. Is there another food that is as decadent and yet healthful at the same time? Avocados have a rich taste and creamy texture. Sure they’re fatty, but they’re exploding with healthful nutrients. Nowadays you won’t just find avocados in food—you’ll find them in shampoos and skin treatments. They’re buttery and flavorful, and when you mash them with a little lime juice and salt, and serve with tortilla chips, they’re divine. But maybe you’ve already discovered that there’s more to guacamole than that. Some chefs add chopped tomato. Others add diced chilies. Perhaps you’ve experienced one of the more “out there” guacs with fresh herbs, mashed fruit, or a variety of veggies in it. While there are purists who run in horror from such concoctions, Nathan Myers encourages you to explore your options in Guac Off!

Guac Off! starts off with the kind of history I actually enjoy reading about: fascinating tidbits about the history of avocados, their use, and their advancement throughout the world and its cuisines. Myers keeps it lively and entertaining.

Next he provides a guide to competitive guacamole-making, or “guac offs”, with all sorts of practical, handy, and over-the-top hilarious advice! Soon you’ll be rounding up your friends to experiment with home-made variations in the backyard.

Finally, he delves into the important part of the book: recipes! They’re divided into four sections. The first handles a few classic guac recipes and variations, including my favorite from this book: the mango guac. At first I wondered why it specifically has you mash the mango in with the avocado instead of leaving it chopped, but I quickly understood the point after tasting the delightful blend of flavors! The chapter of exotic guacs includes influences from around the world, such as one inspired by Asian flavors, and a “French Guac” with blue cheese. So far my favorite from this chapter is the artichoke guac, which includes marinated artichokes, toasted pine nuts, and feta, and is surprisingly delightful! (Erm, I might have had leftovers of it for breakfast this morning.)

A chapter of “extreme guacs” adds unusual ingredients to guacamole such as marinated chicken, crab, shrimp, bacon, and so on, turning it into an entree rather than a side or appetizer. There’s a breakfast guac with hardboiled eggs, mayo, and bacon that I’m looking forward to trying, and a lobster guac that makes my mouth water!

Finally, a chapter entitled “guacamole road: the journey continues” gives you some ideas of where to go next. It lists out a plethora of guacamole varieties that the author thinks would be fun to try (cherry guac? steak sauce guac?) to inspire your own experiments. Then it includes a few drinks to go with your guacamole tastings, such as margaritas, sangria, and tequila sunrise. Of course the book wouldn’t be complete without a recipe for making your own tortilla chips, as well as chip alternatives, fresh salsa, and salsa verde.

Every recipe we tried from this book had a wonderfully-balanced blend of delicious flavors; it’s just a matter of picking the ones that suit your tastes! I guarantee that after playing around with this cookbook, you’ll no longer be afraid to come up with your own guacamole from scratch.

From the back of the book:

We survived the zombie apocalypse, but how many of us are still haunted by that terrible time? We have (temporarily?) defeated the living dead, but at what cost? Told in the haunting and riveting voices of the men and women who witnessed the horror firsthand, World War Z is the only record of the plague years.

One of the first things that struck me about this book was the way the author chose to handle the plot. Instead of a linear plot focusing on one character’s journey, we instead have a collection of viewpoints that through their observations paint a picture of the overall plot of what is happening in the world at that time. This isn’t an easy format to follow without losing the thread of the narrative, but Brooks gets around that quite handily by paring down each character’s contribution so that the details provided are details that advance the story.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the characters are mere plot devices to forward the overall story. Instead, when a military perspective is needed, we hear from a general or a foot soldier. Other times we see doctors, pilots, and even a young child who was four years old when the zombies attacked her town. That was one of the most memorable vignettes for me, seeing other people’s terror through the eyes of one so young she doesn’t know why she should be afraid.

Another thing that is impressive is the range of characters. Over forty appear in the novel, each with their own set of experiences and their own perspective on the war. Despite all of the variety, I felt as if there was an element of each story that I could connect to, whether it was a feeling of hope, of fear, or even of desperation in the face of destruction. Brooks doesn’t paint idealistic heroes, he paints people trying to survive, trying to help others, trying to retain their humanity in the face of something completely inhuman.

Which brings me to another important element: the zombies. I spent a while trying to pin down exactly what it was that creeped me out so badly. (I spent the night before listening for the sounds of moaning and shuffling outside my window). What I finally realized was that I couldn’t understand them. We aren’t told the mechanics of how the virus spreads, only that it is transmitted through bites. We also aren’t given any understanding of why they behave the way that they do, why they swarm, why they are so strong, or why they are able to move along the ocean floor well beyond the human crush depth. The characters don’t know, and so neither do we. Uncertainty is a large part of fear.

The only thing that broke the flow of the story occurred during some of the military oriented stories. A lot of abbreviations and slang were used, and every once in a while I would have to backtrack among the text looking for the meaning of the abbreviation I had just encountered. A little nitpicky, but it did slow down reading.

The more I read, the more I started wondering, “What would I do? How would I feel?” It made it so easy to relate to these characters, struggling for their very survival. I became involved with the book on a personal level  that not many stories engage me at. Even after the book was done, I kept wondering what I would do, how I would handle situations. Or would I just give up? This book hasn’t just made me think, it’s made me think about myself, something books don’t often do.

Elizabeth Bennett is a young woman trained in the arts of war; her enemies are the zombies rising from the earth of England. Added to her woes is the presence of Mr. Darcy, who has accompanied his friend from London to the village of Meryton. The two are quickly at odds with each other, despite Mr. Darcy’s growing feelings. Will misunderstandings and ideals keep the two from each other? Or will zombies get to them first?

When I looked at this book, I was immediately intrigued by the idea. Classical literature and zombies? This could either be something very wonderful, or very terrible. The potential was too good to pass up. Unfortunately, as I began to read I was overwhelmed by references to the zombie infestation and the necessity of combat and training. I understand that the author’s trying to set up the situation, but I don’t need to have my nose rubbed in it. A few references would have sufficed.

There were also moments in the story when I just had to stop, set the book down, and go, “What?” There were elements that felt completely out of place. Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters have all received training in the “deadly arts” from a master in China. They made the trip, both to and from China, in the 19th century. I couldn’t help but wonder how long the journey would have taken, and then to add the years of training on top of that; it just didn’t make sense to me. And then there were the ninjas. Yes, ninjas. Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy’s aunt, keeps an entourage of Japanese ninjas, a few of whom Elizabeth duels at one point in the book. It just ruined my picture of Elizabeth’s world, to have these seeming random elements thrown in.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never actually read Pride and Prejudice, but from what I do know of the story, Grahame-Smith has kept to the original text as much as possible, adding in various zombie encounters as he goes. Most of these fit decently well into the story, but the very first zombie encounter had a couple of details that didn’t seem to mesh. Zombies attack during a ball, and Elizabeth and her four sisters form the “Pentagram of Death” and proceed to clear the entire room of zombies by beheading them with their daggers. Now we’re never told how many zombies make up the attack, but I have a rather hard time believing that five young girls, no matter how well trained, could take out a large amount of zombies while emerging completely unscathed. I also have a hard time picturing a dagger beheading anything human sized without the wielder being injured somehow.

The story was actually quite good, in large part because Grahame-Smith does keep relatively faithful to Austen’s ideas. I was captivated by the zombieless areas of the plot, and by the interactions between characters. Given the frustration with the elements, I was surprised at how much I was beginning to care about what was going to happen between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. It’s a tribute to Austen’s skill with prose, that she could keep me involved with the story. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to pick up the original Pride and Prejudice and give it a read.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad book, but there were definitely areas with room for improvement. If you’re looking for random zombie encounters with the occasional ninja, this is the book for you. Otherwise, the original Pride and Prejudice might be a little more up your alley.

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
Also posted on Epinions.

Sun Valley sheriff Walt Fleming is just trying to reconnect with his nephew through a little fly fishing. Unfortunately it seems he can’t leave the job behind, and when he spots a suspicious truck driving past, he has to investigate. When he realizes he’s interrupted the kidnapping of a courier and the theft of the courier’s expensive cargo, he’s determined to figure out who’s behind it.

Walt’s nephew, Kevin, is still reeling from the death of his father and all the family shock waves that created. He’s working at the local inn when he meets Summer, the daughter of a wealthy movie-maker. Summer’s a headstrong girl who’s chafing at her father’s overprotectiveness and is determined to go her own way—with Kevin’s help. Unfortunately, the two of them are about to cross paths with a complicated heist and some dangerous people…
 

Okay, I admit it, I’m a sucker for heist movies & books. I adored Ocean’s 11, and Ridley Pearson’s Killer Summer definitely takes a page from that book. (It even openly acknowledges this, as Walt takes to calling the unidentified mastermind of the heist “George Clooney,” which is a nice touch.) The heist in this book is complex and satisfying, with plenty of twists and turns. Unfortunately I can’t say much more than that without risking giving away something important!

I loved the characterizations in Killer Summer as well, and my only complaint there was that there were enough interesting characters that it felt as though some of them got short shrift. In particular, I would have loved to see more detail on “George Clooney” and his partner, Lorraine. Walt is surprisingly socially awkward for a main character, and I love it. He has trouble relating to Kevin, Fiona (a friend and co-worker he’s developing feelings for), and his own dad, not to mention his soon-to-be-ex-wife, the deputy she’s leaving him for, and more. He’s a dogged and determined man, often confused and hurt by the people around him, yet who won’t give up on anyone.

My other favorite characters were the teens, Summer & Kevin. It’s rare to see teen characters in an adult novel that are handled this well. They aren’t overly precious or annoying. They aren’t perfect, too-smart, too-dumb, or transparent plot devices. They have their own personalities, make mistakes, try to do what they think is right or reasonable, and just generally succeed at being every bit as interesting and fun to follow along with as the adults. My only difficulty with them, in fact, was that I never did understand how Summer intended to pull off a particular part of her plan—again, I don’t want to go into too much detail here.

I did run into one detail that jerked me out of the story a bit when a side character is referred to as having a “master’s in science from MIT.” I paused, blinked a couple of times, read that aloud to my husband (who graduated from MIT), and watched him (literally) facepalm. Hopefully this is an artifact of the fact that this is an uncorrected proof and will be fixed before publication. In case you know nothing about MIT and are wondering why that detail threw me, let’s just say that my husband’s second reaction was, “which ONE? Or does he have a master’s in all of them? Because that would be awfully impressive!”

Anyway, that’s a niggly detail that I imagine most people wouldn’t notice. This is a highly enjoyable book with plenty of characterization, small-town scenery, and complicated heist details to keep you satisfied!