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Men of Smithfield: Sam and Aaron by LB Gregg

June 16, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve read and enjoyed the earlier books and was happily surprised to see a brand new story in the series. I was provided with a review copy by the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) With our family’s legacy, Meyers B&B, in the flailing hands of me, Sam Meyers, and my sister Wynne, we’re determined to revive the place. We’ve started a series of blind-date cooking classes, and taken on our first boarder. Granddad is even now rolling in his grave.

Signed up for the class is our new guest, Aaron Saunders, a Californian transplant who’s distractingly handsome and clearly up to no good. I can’t quite figure him out. He blew into town and has been relentless in his search for…something.

The sexy sneak is intriguing. And we’ve had a steamy moment. Or two. But now I can’t stop wondering why he’s searching in secret. From the library, to the historical society, to my own backyard, Aaron leaves no stone unturned or record book unopened. He’s definitely gotten my attention. But that might not be the only thing he’s after.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Anyone who’s ever read a book by LB Gregg before will know she has a quirky sense of humour – so it ought not be a surprise that the “meet cute” here is when Sam, his butt hanging out of his ripped jeans (argument with a fence), has his arm stuck in the after hours book return slot at the local library, meets Aaron, who appears to be a thief and has a bag of handy lock-picks tries to get him out. Until the police arrive that is.

Only Love by Garrett Leigh

June 13, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: My Goodreads feed was buzzing so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I liked this book quite a bit but I have to say it doesn’t have the usual romance structure. Or, at least, the structure I expect anyways.

Jed Cooper returns to Ashton, Oregon after being medically discharged from the Army. He suffered some severe burns to his left shoulder and a serious wound and break to his left leg (multiple surgeries and pins in his femur) in a mortar and air attack while on convoy in northern Iraq (circa 2006). Those injuries were so severe he was shipped stateside and he was in hospital for months. They are the obvious injuries. But he also has a condition called gastroparesis. It is a paralysis of the vagus nerve which controls the stomach and means that the stomach doesn’t move food on into the small intestine in the timely manner it should. It causes abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, anemia (iron is much harder to absorb through food) and is a lifelong incurable condition. Eating is difficult and it can obviously be a very debilitating condition. Jed, being the person he is, doesn’t tell anyone about the gastroparesis. He’s a man used to being relied upon, not one to rely upon others.

Review at AudioGals

June 12, 2014 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Wait for You by J. Lynn, narrated by Sophie Eastlake. I reviewed it in print here and it was fun to revisit the story with a favourite narrator.

Concealed in Death by JD Robb

June 11, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought it. It’s a trade paperback – it bugs me that my In Death collection is all different sizes but what can you do?

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.

The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This is book 38 in the series and I’m not sick of it yet. While there is less focus on the romance aspect (Roarke and Eve are happy – no conflict means there’s not a lot of story that can be told in an interesting way), what there was in this book was satisfying in its way. Eve realised some things about where she is now as opposed to before she met Roarke and it’s not just (or even) about the money, but more about the sense of home and connection she didn’t even know she wanted until there it was.

As usual, Robb can make me care about a character very quickly and the parts where Eve and Peabody were doing notifications once the remains began to be identified were particularly moving. While the suspense part of the story didn’t blow my mind – I picked it early and I’m not usually good at that sort of thing; plus, I was hoping for a twist in the tail which didn’t really arrive – it was a solid entry in the series. There is a melancholy sadness to the ending which I won’t go into because spoilers but I had a tear in my eye on the last page. The villain as it turned out, wasn’t your run of the mill criminal. While I would have liked to understand some aspects of said villain a little more, I did appreciate the variety in terms of the villains in past books. I also appreciated that there was no torture porn or gratuitous violence.

The Return of Rafe MacKade by Nora Roberts, narrated by Luke Daniels

June 8, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve had this entire series on my TBR for ages. I’m reviewing the second book for AudioGals and I thought I’d listen to the first one as well (and beforehand) so I bought it from Audible. My TBL is much shorter than my TBR and sometimes, listening is a way I can get to something more quickly.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Ten years after disappearing from Antietam, Maryland, the bad boy has returned. Cleaned up and successful now—and still dangerously good-looking—Rafe MacKade sets the town on fire, and tongues wagging.

Lovely newcomer Regan Bishop is intrigued—what kind of man could cause this sort of talk? She’ s just about to find out.…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): What struck me the most about this book, is its plot similarities to the first Inn Boonsboro book, The Next Always. That series had three brothers, this one has four but, Rafe returns to town, having bought a rundown old mansion which had historic significance in terms of the US Civil War and which is also haunted. There is also a domestic violence subplot – although in The Next Always, it is a stalker wanna-be-boyfriend and in this book it relates to one of the secondary characters – who is the heroine of book 3, The Heart of Devin MacKade. Of course, The Return of Rafe MacKade was first published in 1995 by Silhouette and so pre-dates The Next Always by decades. But because this book came second to my ears, it is the one I’m giving the side-eye to. I realise that’s ass backwards.

Take Me On by Katie McGarry

June 6, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was provided with a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Champion kickboxer Haley swore she’d never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can’t stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she’d stay away from. Yet he won’t last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it’s his fault his family is falling apart. He can’t change the past, but maybe he can change Haley’s future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they’ll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

*Spoilers for previous books in the series follow. Be ye warned.*

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I quite liked West in the previous book in the series, Crash Into You. West was good looking, a little cocky and therefore not perfect, but he also tries hard, in his own way, to help his family. Unfortunately, he feels his actions always lead to disaster and he perceives himself to be a failure. In fact, given that he was always told he was conceived in order to be a bone marrow match for his then-dying sister Colleen (he was not a match), he feels he has been a failure from birth. He resents his dad, who spends almost all of his time working and most all of what attention is left over is for West’s mum. West wants his attention sure, but he also wants his dad to step up and be a more active dad. Then maybe West won’t feel like it’s up to him to fix things for everyone. Then maybe West won’t muck up as much. West is impulsive (which often gets him into trouble) and, after he gets into yet another fight at school, he is finally expelled. His dad, fed up with the drama from West, confronts him, they have a nasty fight and West is thrown out.