Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Okay, so it was a really bad week, and I couldn’t stop at just one Stephanie Plum novel. I read right into Eleven on Top. I’m glad I did. Stephanie quits her job as a fugitive apprehension agent--much to her mother’s delight. Joe’s happy about it, too. Stephanie figures once she finds a normal job, people will stop trying to kill her. Yeah, right! Can Stephanie survive Kan Klean Dry Cleaners and Cluck-in-a-Bucket? More accurately, can those stellar businesses survive Stephanie? Can her relationship with Joe survive her job with Ranger? This is another fast-paced winner from Janet Evanovich. Now, I can get some work done because Twelve Sharp isn’t on my bookshelf, yet, and likely won’t be until it comes out in paperback. Four out of four bookworms.

Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich

Last week was a really bad week. First, it was my oldest daughter’s birthday. She would have been 13 years old, but she died when she was five. Every year we celebrate her birthday. I don’t know if that’s considered morbid or not. Every year, I ask my kids if they still want to celebrate her birthday, and every year they say yes. So I make her favorite cake and prepare her favorite meal. I’d just gotten the pizza in the oven when I heard a pop and an “Uh oh!” I figured my son had electrocuted himself. He’s always playing with electricity.
I yelled, “What happened?”
He said, “This can’t be good.”
I yelled again, “What happened,” and started for the computer room.
My son made it to the kitchen before I got to the computer room. He was holding a very bloody thumb. I ran water over it to check the depth of the cut. He needed stitches. So we headed for the ER where he spent the next seven and a half hours—most of that time in the waiting area. Sooo, we didn’t celebrate my daughter’s birthday until the following day.
After such a lousy week, I needed some fun. I needed Stephanie Plum. I got just what I needed in Ten Big Ones. This time, Stephanie is standing outside the local deli with Lula when trouble finds her in the form of the notorious Red Devil robber. Her life is seriously on the line, and the only place she feels safe is Ranger’s bat cave. Yes, folks, we finally get a peek inside Ranger’s private life. One of my favorite characters, Sally Sweet, returns, so you know this is gonna be good. Four out of four bookworms.

Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught

I love Judith McNaught. Her historical romances are my favorites. I’m always reluctant to read her contemporaries. I don’t know why. I always enjoy them. Every Breath You Take was no exception. McNaught understands that sexual tension does not arise from the characters having sex. It arises from the characters not having sex. Unlike many contemporary romance authors, she does not throw her hero and heroine into bed immediately. They get to know each other first. They don’t bicker. They have real problems and real obstacles to romantic happiness. Such is the case with Kate Donovan and Mitchell Wyatt. They meet while Kate is waiting for her boyfriend to join her on the island of Anguilla. In fact, Kate has just finished a list of pros and cons to help her decide whether to break off the four-year relationship. The attraction is instant. The sex isn’t, much to Mitchell’s disappointment. Unfortunately, Kate’s boyfriend shows up, and Kate trusts him more than she does Mitchell. She believes her boyfriend’s lies about Mitchell over what her heart tells her. I have to admit, the boyfriend is convincing—he is, after all, a very skilled lawyer. Three years later, a kidnapping brings Kate and Mitchell together again. But is it too late? Four out of four bookworms.

The Marcelli Princess by Susan Mallery

I loved the first four Marcelli books: The Sparkling One, The Sassy One, The Seductive One, and The Marcelli Bride. So when The Marcelli Princess came out, I picked up a copy with confidence. I knew I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t. As I’ve said before, I'm not real big on royalty in contemporary romances. However, that wasn’t my biggest problem with this book. My biggest problem was the hero planning to steal the heroine’s son. The only reason he didn’t get away with it was because he got caught. I’m sorry, but there are too many men out there stealing children and hiding them in countries where Mom will never find them. As far as I’m concerned, it’s an unforgivable offense unless the mother is abusing the child. That was clearly not the case here. I can’t imagine ever trusting such a man again, much less desiring him physically. However, Mia Marcelli doesn’t seem to have the same problem that I do. This man has lied to her twice—first when he lets her believe he is dead and again five years later when he tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. And she still wants to have sex with him, and she still loves him. It’s like a woman who still loves and desires the man who beats her or her children. It doesn’t work for me. How do you trust a man like that? Sure, he’s sorry, and he’s charming and kind and considerate and loving for a day or two, maybe even longer, but who knows when Mr. Hyde will strike again? With my child at stake, I wouldn’t want to find out. I finished the book because I wanted to know if Ms. Mallery could wrap things up to my satisfaction. She didn’t, and in truth, I don’t think there’s any way she could have. Yes, this is fantasy. But too many women live with abusive men whom they believe have changed or will change, only to be beaten again. Romances should not perpetuate that fantasy. One out of four bookworms.

Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson

Sultana (not her real name) is a member of the royal family in Saudi Arabia. This is the horror of her “privileged” life and the lives of women in a country that our U.S. government calls friend. How fathers can treat their daughters this way escapes me. That my government can claim friendship with a country that treats its women this way infuriates me--executions for perceived wrongs, purdah (solitary confinement for the rest of a woman’s or girl’s life), arranged marriages to abusive husbands, allowing men and boys to rape young girls and women then stoning these women to death. Sultana’s constant battles against her trivialization as a human being simply because she is a female are beyond frustrating. I wonder how she continues to fight. Or has she given up? Four out of four bookworms.

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

I needed a fun book for a road trip last weekend, so picked up To the Nines. Stephanie Plum never disappoints me. This book was no exception. When Stephanie tries to track down a visa bond violator, she becomes the target in a deadly game. Even Ranger’s tough guys can’t keep her safe. In fact, they can’t even keep themselves safe. A little slow to start, but soon I was riding the Stephanie Plum roller coaster at full speed. And I enjoyed the change of scenery when Stephanie and the gang headed to Vegas. Three out of four bookworms.

Trouble in High Heels by Christina Dodd

Christina Dodd's historicals are my favorites, but I also read her contemporaries when I’m in the mood. Trouble in High Heels was my car book for the past week. I was so hooked at the beginning that I took my car book inside the house and read. I know. That’s cheating, but I couldn’t help it. About two-thirds of the way through, I took it back to the car and finished it there. I liked Brandi Michaels, for the most part. She becomes a little ditzoid around jewelry. In fact, she gets so ditzoid at a pawn shop that she doesn’t realize the salesman is in big trouble. It was so obvious that I was a little put out with the author at that point, but I got over it. (It is a fantasy, after all.) The hero, Count Roberto Bartolini, didn’t do a lot for me. Firstly, I’m not into royalty. Secondly, he was something of a door mat. No matter how bitchy and unreasonable Brandi got, he just smiled indulgently. (Yes, it is a fantasy.) Thirdly, we didn’t really get to know him. Still, the story was fast-paced, especially in the beginning. It didn’t keep me up all night, but it did keep me reading. Three out of four bookworms.