Finished Black Ice by Anne Stuart. This is the first book in her Ice series, about the operatives of The Committee, a group of spies who’ll do anything it takes to keep the world safe.

In this one, Chloe Underwood is a young American woman living in Paris and working as a children’s book translator. Eager to make some extra money, she takes a weekend gig translating for a group of grocery store owners. Except, of course, they’re not really grocery store owners, but international arms dealers. Among the bad guys is Bastien Touissant, an undercover agent for The Committee who is weary of his double life. Soon, Bastien and Chloe are on the run from the arms dealers and The Committee.

I haven’t read much romantic suspense, but I’d heard a lot about Stuart’s books and decided to give her a try. I really enjoyed this one. Stuart has a sparse, lean writing style that was powerful but still easy to read. Her descriptions were lovely turns of phrases, and her dialogue was sharp and witty. Overall, her writing was just excellent.

My only real quibble was Chloe and Bastien. There were things I didn’t like about their characters. Chloe was just too naive for me. C’mon Chloe, you’re in your twenties living in Paris. You had the gumption to move away from your parents. You think you’d be a little more worldly, too. (Weak female characters are a pet peeve of mine).

And Bastien … he’s definitely not hero material (at least not in the beginning). He seduces Chloe to get information out of her and saves her on a whim, not because he feels some moral or loving obligation to do so. A definite turn-off for me. And I didn’t think he improved much during the course of the book. I just never felt like he really loved Chloe.

If Chloe has been a lot smarter and if Bastien had been a little less of a jerk, this one would have been a great read for me. Still, it was really good, and I’ve asked Santa for the next two books for Christmas. 😉

So, thumbs up.

Up next: Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward.

Finished Hit Man by Lawrence Block.

This is the first book in Block’s series about John Keller, a professional hit man. To Keller, killing people is just like any other job, and it doesn’t bother him too much. He just happens to leave New York eight or ten times a year to go help people quit breathing. Along the way, he goes into therapy, gets and loses a dog, gets and loses a live-in girlfriend, and starts collecting stamps.

The book was enjoyable, but it felt more like a series of short stories strung together rather than a cohesive novel. You could really read every chapter like it was its own seperate story. There wasn’t a lot of plot threads to tie the whole thing together, and I didn’t feel like Keller really had to overcome anything in the end. 

For that reason, I’m going to have to give it a thumbs down. But I will mention that the second book in the series, Hit List, is much more cohesive and much better.

Up next: Black Ice by Anne Stuart

Finished A Fate Worse Than Dragons by John Moore.

This is a fairy tale spoof about Terry, a knight who jumps through hoop after hoop so he can be with his true love, Princess Gloria. The book opens with Terry killing a dragon, a feat that will win him Gloria’s hand … except the border was recently redrawn. That means that Terry wins the hand of the princess in the next kingdom, instead of his beloved Gloria. So, the two of them go back to the drawing board and devise a kidnapping scheme sure to work … except it doesn’t. I think you can see where this is going.

This book was a lot of fun. Moore knows his fantasy and fairy tales, and he pokes loving fun at the lot of them. For instance, people are suspicious of toasted bread and nasty creatures always eat virgins. Mostly, I enjoyed the absurdity, although some of the jokes fell flat at times, and the toasted bread thing did get a little stale after a while. (Sorry, couldn’t resist). But if you’re looking for a light fantasy read, this one shouldn’t disappoint.

So, thumbs up.

Up next: Hit Man by Lawrence Block.

I’ve been slacking off about reviewing the books I’ve read. So, expect to get a lot of quick reviews this week, like this one.

Finished Rain Fall by Barry Eisler. It’s about John Rain, a half-American, half-Japanese assassin living in Tokyo. Rain specializes in “death by natural causes.” The book opens with Rain killing a businessman by messing with his pacemaker and making it look like the man had a heart attack. But the job’s not done. The businessman had a computer disc full of information that several people are eager to get their hands on. Rain is brought in to kill the man’s daughter, which he balks at, and soon, the two of them are on the run from several shady characters.

The book reminds me of a noir movie, the way that Eisler describes the Tokyo landscape. He really gives you a feel for the city — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Rain is a likeable character, despite his profession, and the plot moves along at a swift clip.

The only real quibble I had with the book is a guy from Rain’s past who shows up and a revelation about him that I saw coming the second he was introduced. It was a little too convenient. But overall, this is a solid thriller.

So, thumbs up.

Up next: A Fate Worse Than Dragons by John Moore.