Books I’ve Read

Finished Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas. It’s the last book in her “Wallflower” series.

It’s about Daisy Bowman, the last unmarried wallflower. She’s a whimsical, fun-loving woman, so you can imagine her horror when her father decides to marry her off to Matthew Swift, his business associate. But Matthew has secretly been in love with Daisy for years, and she soon realizes that there’s more to him than just business …

It was an entertaining read, but not as good as the third book (and best) book in the series, Devil in Winter. I just didn’t feel there was enough focus on Daisy in Scandal in Spring. There are lots of long passages that aren’t told from either Daisy or Matthew’s point of view, and the main conflict is resolved “off-page.” Plus, the last chapter ends from the point of view of another character.

Still, it’s a good, solid series, and if you like historical romance, you’ll really enjoy it.

One thing I liked about the “Wallflower” series is that it didn’t drag on forever, unlike Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” books. Kleypas set out in the first book with four characters, she stuck to her plan, and she delivered in every one of the books. That’s what a series should really be. I might reread the “Wallflower” series one day, but I doubt that I’ll slog through Jordan’s thousands of pages of overdone description once I finish it the first time.

What about you? Are you sad when a series end? Relieved that it didn’t go on longer? Inquiring minds want to know …

Finished reading All U Can Eat by Emma Holly.

It’s about Frankie Smith, a diner owner whose boyfriend leaves her for another woman. Soon after, a body is found behind Frankie’s diner, and she becomes a suspect in the murder — and catches the eye of police chief Jack West.

To say that this book is steamy is a major understatement. There’s a lot of sex in this book. A lot. That, in and of itself, didn’t bother me. What bothered me were the characters, Frankie in particular.

In the course of the book, Frankie sleeps with four men (five, if you count the boyfriend who dumps her in the first chapter) — including two at the same time. She does this all in about the space of two weeks, after having been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend.

I just didn’t understand her motivations for being with all these men. One guy is pretty much a complete stranger to her, while two more let themselves into her house uninvited. If I came home to find two guys inside, I’d be screaming my head off, calling the police, getting a gun, and siccing my dog on them. All at the same time.

Plus, I wish there had been more scenes between Frankie and the hero, instead of the two of them just thinking about each other while they were seperated.

In short, this book just wasn’t for me.

But steamy romance is a major trend in publishing these days. The sexier, the better, some folks say. But I think there’s a point when it just becomes gratuitous. I don’t mind all the sex scenes — I just want the characters to have a reason for being together, other than being hot and bothered. I want them to care about each other, even if they don’t realize it yet. I just didn’t get that feeling in Holly’s book.

What about you? Is steamier better? Iniquiring minds want to know …

I’m on a reading roll. Just finished Hundred-Dollar Baby by Robert Parker. It’s his latest Spenser book and finds the intrepid private investigator trying to help a madam manage her upscale, call-girl business.

Like all of Parker’s books, it’s heavy on dialogue and light on description with very short, easy-to-read chapters. I can read one of his books in about two hours. And still savor every word.

Every time I read a Parker book, I can’t help but marvel at his heavy emphasis on dialogue. That’s really all his books are. We are talking minimal description of everything else — rooms, people, cars, the weather, etc. The most-used word in his books is probably said.

The only other person that I know of who writes in a similar style is James Patterson.

What about you? Which do you prefer — lots of description or lots of dialogue? Inquiring minds want to know …

Finished The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann. It’s the first book in her popular “Troubleshooter” series about U.S. Seals. I got a booklet on the series at the RWA conference this year, so I thought I would check it out.

It’s about Tom Paoletti, a Navy SEAL lieutenant who goes back to his hometown to rest after a severe head injury. Naturally, Dr. Kelly Ashton, the girl he’s always loved, just happens to be in town at the same time …

Overall, a good read. I knew how it was going to end the second I learned that one of the characters had terminal cancer. But Brockmann still made me sniffle a little in the end. My only quibble is that she saved most of the action for the last 10 pages of the book. I would have liked a little more focus on the current military/terrorist hunt and a little less on the war memories of two older characters.

But, if you like a pretty even mix of romance and military action, then you’d probably like this book. 

What about you? What are you reading now? Inquiring minds want to know …

Finished Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. It’s the third book in her “Wallflower” series. This read brings me within striking distance of reading my 800th book by the end of the year. Yeah! 🙂

It’s about Evie, a shy, stammering heiress who’s so desperate to get away from her abusive family that she approaches Sebastian, a roguish lord who’s fallen on hard times, with an offer of marraige. Evie gets Sebastian’s protection, while he gets her considerable fortune. It’s a marriage of convenience, but turns into much more than that …

I have to say that it’s the best of the bunch so far, which surprises me. Sometimes, I find that the more books an author writes in a series, the worse they get. The characters don’t grow and change, the plots mirror each other, and you get the same jokes over and over again.

There is one very popular author in particular who is guilty of all three of these things, and it drives me crazy. Her last four books have all been carbon copies of each other, and I no longer feel a pressing urge to read them as soon as they come out.

As an author of a series of books (who also hopes to write more than one series), I’m concerned about falling into this trap. 

It’s a delicate balance between keeping your writing fresh and interesting, and hitting all the high points that your readers come to expect. I think it helps to write about different characters, like I’m doing in my Bigtime series. But, there are some authors who write about different characters in their series, and their books are pretty much interchangeable.

It’s a slippery slope that I hope I don’t ever start down.

What about you? Do you think series get better or worse with age? Inquiring minds want to know …