Tucker, by Juliana Stone

Tucker, by Juliana Stone

Amazing, I’m going to make this month’s SLWendy’s TRB Challenge–even if by the skin of my teeth.

w00t! w00t!

Two things to know before you read this review: first, I met Ms Stone briefly at RWA 2009 in Washington DC. If memory serves, it was also her first RWA, and she had just signed with HarperCollins (which published His Darkest Hunger, first in her Jaguar Warriors series). I have not kept in contact with Ms Stone, and I still have my copy of His Darkest Hunger somewhere in the TBR mountain range of doom.

Second, I won a copy of this book in a giveaway for Jen’s July Monthly Glom over at the Fiction Vixen blog, which is where she recommended it.

Without further ado, the blurb (from the author’s website):

The Mistress Diaries, by Julianne MacLean

The Mistress Diaries, Julianne MacLean

I honestly have no idea how this book came to be in the immense TBR Mountain Range, though it must probably landed here from some giveaway at some point in the past five years or so. However, I have heard good things about Ms MacLean’s work* and since this months’ TBR challenge is a “new to me” author, I thought I would finally try it.

Boy oh boy.

Let’s just say that I’ll look for another book for the challenge—there’s bound to be something in this house that I haven’t read yet that will not make me wish I could stab its protagonists. With a fork.

Reader beware: profanity laced ranting ahead.

While the novel is narrated in the traditional third person, the blurb is—apparently—taken from the eponymous mistress’ diary:

A Man of His Word, by Sarah M. Anderson

A Man of His Word, by Sarah M. Anderson

A category length romance (scarcely 187 pages) published under Harlequin’s Desire imprint, A Man of His Word is Ms Anderson’s print debut and (from what I gather) the first in the Lawyers in Love trilogy, with the next two titles released in July and September.

My copy comes directly from the author, via a giveaway at Novel Thoughts right around the release date. Life being what it is and reading/reviewing mojo in the state is was, I only read this book a couple of weeks ago—and just now am I writing the review.¹

Confession number one: I can’t read the heroine’s name without giggling. Yes, I know, I suck and I’m mean, but there you have it: an acquaintance has a 14 year old teacup Yorkie named Rosebud. So, after giggling a few times in a row where laughter really wasn’t warranted, I mentally changed her name to Rose—and the book flowed so much better for me!

Here is what the blurb² tells us about the story:

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, by Lisa Kleypas

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, by Lisa Kleypas

At just over 200 pages, this is another one of those skinny hardback novels put out by St Martin’s Press during the 2010 holiday season. In all honesty, despite liking most of what I’ve read by Ms Kleypas¹, I wouldn’t have picked this up for myself—$17.00 for a book that’s barely longer than a SuperRomance? erm…nope. Luckily, I didn’t have to—I was one of the lucky recipients of a giveaway held by the lovely Christine (who happens to be one of Lisa’s Divas).

A contemporary romance, this one of those rare beasts with nary a suspense thread nor a psychotic ex or malicious family members working over time to thwart a budding romance. In fact, there’s basically no conflict in the novel.

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself—here’s the jacket blurb: