July Reading Frenzy

I know we're already into August, but I've been reading quite a bit lately -- actually more than I have in quite a while. Maybe not be as much as some read in a month, but it's the most I've managed in ages, and being able to read again is definitely a good thing. So here's what captured my attention last month.

It seems like most of what I read in July was written by somone I know or have met. It began with friend Toni Blake's newest release from Warner Forever, In Your Wildest Dreams. This is her second book with WF, and I admit to being especially giddy over being mentioned in the dedication. Toni and I first "met" on a message board, meeting IRL for the first time at the RWA National Conference in New Orleans, back in 2001. We seemed to run into each other everywhere during that conference, and spent a lot of time chatting together at a Publisher's party, and with other people Toni introduced me to in the infamous "red room" that served as inspiration for IYWD. We discovered we had a lot in common and have kept in touh mostly via email. We met up again at the Denver RWA, but unfortunately I have missed the last three. IYWD is a sexy read that is wonderfully written -- and I'm not just saying that because she's a friend. What i loved most is how she showed Jake's true personality through his interactions with the heroine and the runaway, Shondra (you'll love her smart mouth!).

Next up was a book by another friend, Liz Fielding, whom I met at the Denver RWA National Conference in 2002. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have looked at this title twice, were it not for the fact I know this author and like her writing, but Her Wish-List Bridegroom was a sweet and wonderful romance. It's at almost the complete opposite end of the romance spectrum as In Your Wildest Dreams. While the sex scenes in IYWD are many and scorching hot, this being a "sweet" romance contains more sexual tension than it does actual sex scenes. I loved it, and honestly liked both the hero and heroine. I could especially relate to the heroine in her attempt to save an historical district, a plot I think resonates world-wide these days as more and more of the beautiful older buildings are being razed in favor of ultra-modern designs with no character or parking garages.

During the summers of 2003 and 2004 I attended the Writers' Institute conferences here in Madison. Between that and other events around town, I've heard Marshall Cook, a professor in the University of Wisconsin's Department of Continuing Studies and author of some 20 books, speak on numerous occasions. I read his first mystery, Murder Over Easy, back in 2003 and had been eagerly awaiting the next since last summer (the original publishing date being pushed back), so next on the list was the long-awaited Murder at Midnight, the second in his Monona Quinn series. MM is a "cozy" mystery set in a fictional town outside Madison and is based on a the real, unsolved murder of a priest. Good, solid writing that reads fast. What was amazing to me was how much of local sights and politics were packed into this book, adding to the story rather than detracting from it. Bits of Cook's own personality were also present, from his love of books and baseball to the devoutness of his religious beliefs. If you love small-town characters that spring to life, this is definitely a series for you! Both are published by Bleak House Books, a small independent publisher in Madison, WI.

Rounding out July was one of the first Bombshell's, Get Blondie by Carla Cassidy (yes, yet another author I've met!). I missed this book when it was originally out in 2004. I had heard a lot of praise for it and was gifted with the Australian copy by a wonderful friend (thanks Maggie!). Maybe it's just me, my personal tastes, but I honestly did not like this one as much as others of Carla's I've read. Though the writing is good and characters well-rounded (the hero is especially likable), it just didn't do it for me. Silhouette Bombshell is touted as a serious action series featuring "kick-butt" heroines, and I honestly didn't find the action (what there was of it) all that riveting, or the plot very plausible. Will I try another in this series? Maybe. Maybe not. Let's just say I won't be actively seeking them out.