Short Reviews - Dough, Shakespeare, and a Guardian (12-14)

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie's bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso--a suspiciously wealthy, working-class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend--the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli--who is trying to beat Stephanie to the punch--only makes the hunt more thrilling...

Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol-packing Grandma Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move...and his next move might be Stephanie's last.

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum #2
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 10 January 1996
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My Copy: bought - mass market paperback

Review:
This is the second book in what has so far been an extremely fun series. It's definitely guaranteed to make you laugh. The trouble Stephanie gets into is very entertaining, especially when Grandma Mazur is involved. I love tough ol' Grandma Mazur. Morelli shows his sweet side in this installment. I just wish the story had a little more Ranger in it. Besides the murder mystery, Stephanie is hired to find a bunch of stolen coffins and as a personal bodyguard. The story moves along at a satisfyingly quick pace.






Review breakdown:
Plot: 5 hearts
Pacing: 5 hearts
Characters: 5 hearts
Character relationships: 5 hearts
Recommend: Absolutely!

From the author of the Aurora Teagarden novels comes a new series set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, a Southern town brimming with charm and a definite touch of noir. When her landlord is murdered, loner Lily Bard looks like the prime suspect. Uncovering the real killer may be the only way to prove her innocence, and Lily soon focuses on the other residents of tiny Shakespeare in her quest to expose the culprit.

Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
Series: Lily Bard Mystery #1
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Publication Date: 1 May 1996
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My Copy: library - mass market paperback

Review:
This is the first book in one of Harris's lesser known mystery series. It's kind of dark in places. The story was a little hard to get into at first. Lily is continually hinting about some event in her past without really explaining what it has to do with the present. After awhile, I just found myself frustrated with it. Eventually the reader does learn what happened to Lily, and pieces of the story begin to fall into place. Despite this, I found myself really liking the story by the end. Lily is an extremely strong woman, and I respect her character. I look forward to seeing what happens with Lily and her new friends and clients in the next book.

Memorable quote:
I wasn’t set on gaining some kind of vengeance on all men for what had happened to me. But I certainly wasn’t a trusting person anymore, and I definitely never expected much of people, and I would never be surprised to hear of any perfidy again.

I did not believe in the underlying goodwill of men or the unspoken sisterhood of women.

I did not believe that people everywhere are really the same, or that if you treat people kindly you will get kindness in return.

I did not believe in the sanctity of life.

-pg 79

Rating breakdown:
Plot: 5 hearts
Pacing: 3 hearts
Characters: 5 hearts
Character relationships: 4 hearts
Recommend: Yes

Four young Highlanders - Connor, Ian, Alex and Duncan - hurry home from France after hearing news of the disastrous Battle of Flodden against Henry VIII's forces. With his father among the dead, Connor must take his place as chieftain. Before he can lead his clan through the perilous times ahead, however, he must first dislodge the usurper who has taken his family's castle and claimed leadership of the clan.

Connor's cousins and best friend, Ian, Alex and Duncan, will stand shoulder to shoulder with him in every fight. They are willing to give their lives for their clan and their new chieftain. But taking wives to serve the clan's interests is a different matter altogether...

The Guardian by Margaret Mallory
Series: Return of the Highlanders #1
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: 1 May 2011
Genre: Historical Romance - Scotland
My Copy: received for review from NetGalley - ebook (Kindle)

Review:
This is the first book by Mallory that I have read, but I've read many historical romances, and most of those were set in Scotland. The synopsis really fits the series better than the book itself. This book focuses on Ian as he returns home to a wife he was forced to marry when he was young, Sileas. A battle has just wiped out a good number of warriors from the clan, and a cruel man has taken control. I finished this book a few days ago, and I'm still not sure what I think of it. I liked nearly all of the characters except Ian. Not liking the main male character makes a romance novel a little harder to enjoy. I kind of felt like he didn't care enough about Sileas in a romantic way to make the novel work. I liked Ian's family though and the other three warriors, especially Alex, and the story line and action were good. I am looking forward to the second book.






Rating breakdown:
Plot: 5 hearts
Pacing: 4 hearts
Characters: 3 hearts
Character relationships: 2 hearts

*Links go to Goodreads*

Review - Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell (7)

Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: 1 May 2011
Genre: Romance - historical
My Copy: received for review from NetGalley - Kindle

London's most notorious seducer, Nicholas Challoner lives solely for revenge . . .

The dashing, licentious Marquess of Ranelaw can never forgive Godfrey Demarest for ruining his sister—now the time has come to repay the villain in the same coin. But one formidably intriguing impediment stands in the way of Nicholas's vengeance: Miss Antonia Smith, companion to his foe's unsuspecting daughter.

Having herself been deceived and disgraced by a rogue—banished by her privileged family as a result and forced to live a lie—Antonia vows to protect her charge from the same cruel fate. She recognizes Ranelaw for the shameless blackguard he is and will devote every ounce of her intelligence and resolve to thwarting him.

Yet Antonia has always had a fatal weakness for rakes . . .

Review:
This review is going to be set up into pros and cons because I was rather torn about how I felt. I liked it overall, but there were parts that I really didn't like too.

Pros:

• Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw, is a charming and mostly gentle character
  
• Antonia Hilliard/Smith is an awesome heroine. She has to be somewhere in my top ten favorite romance novel heroines. She's very feisty and witty. She was the bright highlight of the novel.
  
• Cassandra Demarest is a great secondary character. I love how she's not dim-witted like a lot of characters of her age in romance novels. She's very aware of the world around her and yet still innocent. I kind of hope to read a book with her as the main heroine, but I'm not sure that there are any plans for that.
• I really liked the connections between all the characters, even if it was one big circle of ruination.
  

Cons:

• The book has an erratic story line and pace.
  
• The way the point of view changes from Antonia to Nicholas and back without warning and so often caused me to have to go back and figure out who's mind I was in at times.
  
• A slow and disjointed beginning almost made me put it down.
• Nicholas's character is somewhat inconsistent in the story.
  
• Nicholas's continued desire for revenge against Godfrey Demarest towards the end of the novel after learning more about Antonia didn't fit well with my view of his character.
  
• Without giving away too much, Godfrey's little idea at the end of the novel didn't really seem necessary. Wasn't there enough going on without adding something else in the last couple chapters? I kept waiting for Nicholas to found out and come to beat him up or something.

Favorite quotes:
*Sorry for the locations instead of page numbers. I read it on the Kindle which sadly does not provide the page number. Total locations for this novel: 4656*

His lips quirked with familiar amusement. "Can't you kiss it better?" -Locations 671-78

He smiled at her as if she were the birthday present he'd begged for all year. "You're a remarkable woman, Antonia." -Locations 684-90

She tilted her head to meet his eyes. The blue was so clear, he saw all the way to her soul. He'd spoken the truth when he said he didn't deserve her. The tragedy was at some profound level, he wished he did. -Locations 2557-63



Rating breakdown:
Plot: 3 stars
Pacing: 2 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Character Relationships: 5 stars
Sex Scenes: Hot!
Recommend: Maybe

*All links go to Goodreads*