TO SURRENDER TO A ROGUE by Cara Elliott

TO SURRENDER TO A ROGUE by Cara Elliott June 2010 (Grand Central Publishing) Mass Market Paperback ISBN #9780446541312 (Historical Romance) 384 Pages Wow this book is too wonderful for words – Lord James “Black Jack” Jacquehart Pierson had been a soldier who fought bravely regardless of the situation and without fear. He always stood strong with his brothers and friends doing right by those he felt had been wronged. But when he is going toe-to-toe with Marchesa Alessandra della Giamatti with her lecturing him on his behavior the man is truly at a loss for words and finally understands the meaning of fear. Granted he had tied her daughter to a tree but that was to protect the little imp from causing more chaos to an already out of control situation yet she kept on lecturing. Jack thought they might have a few cross words and part company but little did he know that the fiery Italian would keep coming back to haunt his day time hours and have him up with night time fantasies. Alessandra was a rare woman of her times a financially independent widow with a superior intelligent who belonged to a unique group of women known as The Circle. Each woman in the group brought a unique gift to the mix which helped their scientific discussions and experiments. Jack had never come across such a female before even though he harbored a unique talent himself as an artist. He could not display his talent as freely as he would have liked for the males of his time did not behave in such a manner, a clash of swords was considered to be a true manly objective not capturing the sunset on a cloudy day. But Jack loved the feel of brush against canvas and knew he had a calling even though it was not something he could freely discuss. But Jack has an ally in his oldest brother who understands Jack’s dream and steps up to help him move forward with his talent by securing Jack a job at an excavation site not knowing that the one person Jack did not want to see was the person in charge - Alessandra. Jack and Alessandra start heating thing up almost immediately because polite society is not around now and they unleash their passion for one another and act upon their desires. Jack is more than willing to show her the fire he has built inside for her but Alessandra is not quite so sure that she is ready to return his affection. But with a little persuasion and allot of warm kisses Alessandra loses all clear thought and learns to trust again. Yet everything changes when an evil stranger from her past shows up to remind her of what she had done and why she was forced to leave Italy. Can she truly go along with this monster’s plan and again ruin her reputation but she knows her choices are gone when it means she has to in order to save her daughter. But is it possible Jack can help her and be the knight she seeks in her darkest hour or is he just using her to relieve some built up tension. Lovely is a mild word for this dazzling book with fiery characters and a mystery to keep you guessing what will happen next. While it is the second in the series it easily stands alone with a captivating setting for the story and characters that jump out at you from every page. The mystery is dark and leaves you wondering what Alessandra could have done that she can be blackmailed so easily. You are also shown a refreshing side the male-female role in a time and place when men and women had defined positions to play and moving out of those was a herculean feat of character. Mary Gramlich (The Reading Reviewer) www.marygramlich.com

MONTANA DESTINY (Book #2 in the Montana Series) by R.C. Ryan

MONTANA DESTINY (Book #2 in the Montana Series) by R.C. Ryan

Grand Central Publishing in May 2010

ISBN #9780446548632

352 pages

This great book has good old fashioned romance, adventure and mystery.

Home is where everything in your life evolves from and revolves around. You find peace there and fill the empty gaps in our lives. Wyatt McCord was searching for his haven called home and believed that traveling the world would fill the gap left in his heart after his parents’ death. But when he returned to the place of his childhood after his grandfather passed away he realized that home was the ranch in Montana and family was his cousins Jesse and Zane. He had spent his youth running wild with his cousins and the friendship he formed with them was the foundation of his existence. They worked through the initial struggles of being back together after many years apart and now that Jesse was married new challenges presented themselves.

However the one constant in the background that kept everyone talking was the search for the gold his grandfather swore was buried on the family land. Everyone called the old man crazy but when it was proven that his death was no accident the mystery surrounding the gold and where it might be hidden became escalated and Wyatt leads his cousins in an intense search to solve this mystery. Notes and clues are being found all over the ranch and even in unlikely storage containers in neighbors’ basements. Coot’s notes are helpful and validate the gold’s existence but not enough to just say X marks the spot.

Before Wyatt is even fully settled into the ranch he meets Marilee Trainor and his entire life takes another huge jolt right to the heart. She is the town’s EMT and has a past similar to Wyatt’s with having moved constantly as a child keeping her unsettled and looking for a place to call home. She was always trying to find a place that was a good fit for her and feel like she belonged and it seems she has in Gold Fever working hard for the town and its inhabitants. She is at first not enamored by Wyatt’s smooth talk and charming way about him but he wins her over and before either realizes it they have fallen fast and furious in love.

But someone does not want them to be in love or even alive. One accident was scary, a second terrifying but the third is horrifying and has everyone running for cover and trying to figure out who wants Marilee dead and why. Wyatt thinks it could be her connection to the family and specifically him but does that make sense or has Marilee stepped on the wrong toes and created this crisis in her life.

Finding the place you belong is very difficult when you have had an unsettled childhood. You wander for far too long looking for just the right fit and when you find it the pieces come together and you take a deep breath and say out loud the phrase you have craved forever – I am home. Wyatt and Marilee have both been wanderlust at times but when they come together they realize that home is more than a place to live it is a state of mind. It is a place where you snuggle up at night next to the person you love who keeps you warm and makes you feel the comfort of their existence in your life. Wyatt and Marilee are wonderful characters because they come across as real and people that you would meet on any given day in your life and be proud to call them friends.

Mary Gramlich – The Reading Reviewer – www.marygramlich.com

AMONG THIEVES by David Hosp

AMONG THIEVES by David Hosp

January 2010 by Grand Central Publishing in Hardcover format

373 pages

ISBN-13: 9780446580151

Fact and fiction combined tell a great story

Scott Finn has created a stand up law career from a checkered past and stays within the lines of conformity these days. But when a former acquaintance calls asking for Finn to get him out of jail he does not think twice. Finn tends to go with the gut and be the miracle man to his clients and this looks like an open and shut case that he can win.

What Finn does not expect is that his client, Devon had been caught red-handed at the scene of the crime and that part of his legal responsibilities includes taking care of his Devon’s teenage daughter. But when some of the unsavory fellows that Devon has been known to work with start showing up systematically tortured to death the problems escalate out of control and endanger everyone’s life. The FBI is following Finn, the police are following the FBI and everyone is trying to figure out why a small time hood is now the hottest ticket in town. Something does not smell right in Boston and Finn thinks that his client is the one that has left the fish out to rot.

The deeper Finn investigates the worse the scenario becomes, the body count increases and the violence becomes more violent. When all angles point to an infamous art theft from the 1990’s and Devon’s part in it the twists and turns becomes swerves and sways taking all of them way off the road. Too many suspects and not enough evidence keep throwing Finn and his team off course but when Devon’s daughter is kidnapped as collateral in return for the missing art work Finn kicks it up a notch and decides to solve all the mysteries and crimes in one fell swoop.

When you take a real life scenario and turn it into a “how this could have played out” reality it does not always make for a good read. This book however is the exception to all those rules because it is well written, the art mystery played out to a fine tune and the characters believable and interesting. If asked did I see where this book was leading the answer is no and that is exactly as it should be. If this is a mystery the reader should not be able to guess the bad person until it is revealed and that is the case with this book for sure.

Mary Gramlich (The Reading Reviewer) www.marygramlich.com

MONTANA LEGACY Book #1 in the Montana Series by R.C. Ryan

MONTANA LEGACY Book #1 in the Montana Series by R.C. Ryan

March 2010 by Grand Central Publishing (Forever) Mass Market Paperback

ISBN #9780446548618 Contemporary Romance 304 Pages

Love, danger and gold rush fever make for a winning combination!

Jesse McCord knew from birth he was a cowboy who loved the open spaces and hard work on his family ranch. Growing up with his cousins and the grandfather he adored made the life worthwhile everyday he came home tired and weary. But his cousins had left young and some hard feelings were developed but now they are back after their grandfather’s untimely death and the reunion is bittersweet. The other person back in his life is Amy Parrish, his first and only love. She came to care for her father but they are both crossing paths with one another and fighting off the passion that drew them together as young adults and it is as uncontrollable now as it was before.

Jesse works through the troubles of having his cousins back to share the responsibility of ranch life added to the hatred Amy’s father feels towards him but resolves to work out past hurt and despair to move forward with Amy in his life. Adding to all this emotion the secret search for the gold their grandfather spent his life seeking is back on everyone’s mind. Old notes his grandfather had written show up and town gossip is stirring up the fact that there is gold in the hills and the cousins plus Amy may just be able to find it with fresh eyes, new thoughts and modern technology.

But along the rocky path to finding their relationship Jesse and Amy discover someone does not want that to happen and one near death experience after another haunts Amy distracting everyone from the search for gold. Could it be that someone is trying to harm Amy to get back at Jesse, but why he has enemies but nothing worth killing over or is there something no one is aware of stirring up the troubles they are fighting off.

If this book is any indication what the next two will be I can’t wait to read them. The action never stops and when you are drawn into the story you find yourself unable to stop reading. This was a start to finish in one day book because only stops for snacks are worth putting this book down.

Mary Gramlich (The Reading Reviewer) www.marygramlich.com

WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER by Kathy Cano-Murillo

WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER

A Crafty Chica Novel

Kathy Cano-Murillo

Mass Market Paperback

Grand Central Publishing

03/01/2010

ISBN-13: 9780446509244

336 pages

Simply a wonderful story that should be read by everyone it is that good!

Female friendships are born from diversity and survive by tenacity. The relationships that make it are road tested over the years but each person in the friendship knows that while bumps in the road come and knock you off the cart they do not stop you from getting back in and finishing the ride. Ofie, Star and Chloe are three sides to a triangle that are different from one another but there is a superglue that has them sticking it out regardless of the cost. While Ofie and Star are old friends with years of memories it is the new addition of Chloe that breaths life into their circle and a little bit of anguish as everything starts to change.

Ofie is a wife, mother and crafting addict gone wrong; Star is an out of control woman who refuses to be a responsible adult and her crazy antics have cost her the love of her love and the tolerance of her parents; Crafty Chloe is a TV personality that while appearing put together and acting all about it on the air is an insecure mess after the camera shuts down and the truth of her crafting inefficiencies comes out.

With the CraftOlympics coming to Phoenix these three unlikely people are drawn together to create some of the most beautiful artwork ever seen and push each other toward greatness when hidden talents start bubbling to the surface. Each of these women has been forced to face the reality of sick or swim for this event and when they come together to create they make one another more independent and create such magic tears are shed even some family drama can’t slow the crafting process. But all good relationships get tested and the real push for any true friendship is when you get to the top of the mountain and your fears of failure come out and you know your worth of self is built around the complexities of your friends and they share their strength with you not keep it for themselves.

This book covers so many areas but has the basis built in friendship and moves the story out from there. Friends are the wonder in your life as well as create some of the difficulties but building on these difficulties we realize all is not glitter and gold in our lives and you can’t always put memories in a scrapbook but you can pull together something beautiful and touching with the right word or having a sincere friend stand beside you when you need it the most. Life is not about crafts that have gone wrong or pictures hanging on the wall crocked, it is about what we show with a simple act of kindness which after all is a grand deed. However, everything seriously does look great with glitter on top and you cannot put too much on anything.

Mary Gramlich – The Reading Reviewer – www.marygramlich.com