Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: romance

The HARRIET CLUB: A NOVEL of SAN FRANCISCO by Kathe Maguire – Literary, Y/A Mystery/Thriller, Romance

In 1999, 13-year-old Virgil McCormick disappeared without a trace while waiting for the 43 Masonic bus. Thus, the Harriet Club was born, with 8-year-old Harriet, and her friends Nikki, Dahlia, and Casey, each longing to find out what happened to Virgil. Especially Harriet.

Ten years later, new leads in the cold case have emerged, including suspicious sketches by city graffiti artist Blinky, and the “Spatterer,” someone eager to erase all Blinky’s creations. Harriet’s obsession with the case hasn’t waned, even amid her life with her two moms, two dads, and their sometimes unpredictable lifestyle. The question now is whether The Harriet Club is up to the task of closing the Virgil McCormick case once and for all, as the teenagers face college applications, neglectful parents, substance abuse, and sexual advances from older men. With a complex and diverse cast of characters and incongruous developments at every turn, The Harriet Club definitely has their work cut out for them.

Kathe Maguire brings a dark, twisted humor to this mystery/thriller, demonstrating that in seemingly idyllic San Francisco, the city’s shadows can run deep and sinister. Maguire also does a great job of inserting local culture and color through realistic settings and dialogue. For example, Virgil’s fictional mystery is intertwined with San Francisco’s real-life cases of kidnapped children in the area, including Kevin Collins, Jaycee Dugard, and others, adding a dark and suspenseful element.

This is a well-written and well-paced novel that will capture readers from the opening pages all the way until the end. With exquisite description and visceral imagery, the story definitely tends more on the literary rather than the commercial side, but the break-neck pacing won’t leave genre readers disappointed. There are lots of moving pieces and plots that Maguire skillfully weaves together into a compelling read.

Although the main players in this story are teens, each with different shades of diversity, a much-needed trait in YA literature, this is not a typical YA mystery, and parents should be cautioned that the inclusion of graphic language, talk about sex, scenes of drug use, and themes makes this gritty story a selection for teens at least 16 and older. Dog lovers should also be cautioned of certain scenes involving animal violence. Regardless, this is a must-read for those looking for a compelling mystery that incorporates razor-sharp wit. Those from and in Northern California, and those who wish they were, will also relish in the book’s authentic setting and textures.

Obsession and dedication go hand in hand in Kathe Maguire’s The Harriet Club, a hard-core Y/A mystery thriller set in the shadow of San Francisco.

October 19, 2017
A CHERRY BLOSSOM in WINTER by Ron Singerton – Historical Fiction, Literary, War/Military, Romance

The story behind any war is a difficult one to tell. A Cherry Blossom in Winter by Ron Singerton takes us into not just one, but two, cultures at the turn of the last century in an attempt to show us both sides of a decisive naval conflict that would shape both countries and people for years to come.

Alexei Brusilov is a young man destined for a talented future. He is bright and courageous, lightning-quick with a saber, and longs to join the Russian Naval Academy at the turn of the 20^th century. Like his father before him and many nobles of the Russian court of Tsar Nicholas II, Alexei sees his path as a military one, full of honor and discipline. Trouble always begins at home, however, as Alexei’s best friend becomes involved with Marxist revolutionaries ready to overthrow the Tsarist regime. Luckily, elements beyond his youthful control are in motion and before he can be caught for treason, Alexei will find himself in another world, another culture, and called upon to use all of his wits for the sake of love.

Ron Singerton’s book, A Cherry Blossom in Winter, is a blending of historical and romantic fiction as we follow the young Russian Alexei to Japan and his first true test of manhood. He is there to accompany his father, Count Brusilov, a man of violent temper who disdains all things Japanese. But politics are politics, and all hints are pointing to a coming war between their two countries. It could be strategically important for young naval officers to understand Japanese in the near future, but Alexei’s goals are of a more personal nature. Readers will struggle with him as he attempts to make friends and learn the language, absorbed by the beauty and culture he sees. High Society, Religion, and Honor will all have different definitions by the time Alexei unexpectedly returns home.

Yet the Moscow court and the Tsar have not been idle. A violent peasant revolution seems closer to reality all the time, as Alexei enters the Academy on the cusp of a family crisis. Everything seems to be on the verge of great, though not necessarily peaceful, change as the young man, now a brave naval cadet, attempts to finish school.

In this way, Singerton’s book does a great job in presenting this pre-war time as one of both personal and national conflict. History buffs need only go to the official record to discover the facts, the dates, and the battle locations of the Russo-Japanese war, but A Cherry Blossom in Winter works hard to make it a visceral experience. By pulling in the geopolitics of the beginning of the last century, along with developments such as the introduction of Marxist ideology, the near-collapse of Russian court nobility, anti-Jewish pogroms, the mistreatment of Russian peasants, and widespread anti-Asian sentiment, the overall effect is a slow-build to the climatic and brutal naval battle. Singerton’s use of the actual historic names for places, battle ships, and generals on both sides of the conflict also help the reader to feel right in the middle of that dangerous time. And yet the wartime reality is carefully balanced with not just one, but several love stories. Passion, whether for love or war, is keenly portrayed.

Complex in its historical scope and list of characters, A Cherry Blossom in Winter is more successful in understanding men at war than the background love stories. This book won’t be for every romance reader as the plot points issue from exceptionally visceral entanglements – however, history buffs and those who love wartime epics will devour the read. Reminiscent of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, readers will journey through an emotional landscape as dangerous as the raging battles themselves.

August 26, 2017
WILLOW’S DISCOVERY by Joanne Jaytanie – Romantic Thriller, Military, Genetic Engineering

More danger lurks around the Winters Corporation with Willow as the next target in Willow’s Discovery, book three of the romantic thriller series by Joanne Jaytanie.

Willow enters her office one morning to find it completely trashed. Fortunately for them, the Winters Corporation’s files weren’t touched. But Wyatt Farraday, Tristan’s brother, believes that this was an inside job and he thinks Willow should use her newfound aura skills to interview the corporation’s staff in an attempt to uncover a mole. The interviewing process leads to clues that Biotec (connected to the infamous Kaleidoscope Group) is indeed spying on the Winters Corporation.

Meanwhile, Willow plans to meet with a potential buyer for her parent’s old complex. But when she gets there, things go from eerie to dangerous as a strange man attempts an attack. Although Willow narrowly escapes, she can’t shake the memory of the event – which is understandable – but moreover, there is something about the man that seems familiar… Willow is shocked to realize she knows the man’s voice. Now, if only she can place it.

Willow’s experience is nothing less than unnerving. Yet, she has no idea that there will be more attempts on her life. Amid unsettling scenes, a burgeoning romance ripens between Willow and her protector, Wyatt. Whether or not Wyatt can successfully shield her from harm remains to be seen, especially when she finds herself face-to-face with her stalker.

Winters series’ fans have much to look forward to in Jaytanie’s third installment. Willow’s Discovery is a nail-biter and as more familial secrets surface, danger mounts for Willow! Jaytanie surrounds Willow with both favorite and dark characters from the previous novels—plus a few new members—and then places her cast within settings that are a balanced mix of engaging dialogue, suspense, romantic tension, and steamy love scenes. Of course, as with Victory and Payton in books one and two, Willow not only discovers but also must find a way of embracing her own set of telepathic abilities in order to survive the road ahead.

Joanne Jaytanie aptly incorporates back-stories from the previous books a little at a time and savvy readers new to the series will want to go back and read from the beginning. Each book is truly a stand-alone story, but readers of the romantic thriller genre won’t want to miss one word of Jaytanie’s hot, steamy action scenes and compelling storylines. Jaytanie closes Willow’s Discovery with an eye-opening cliffhanger—a perfect set-up for book four, Corralling Kenzie.

Thrilling and tantalizing, Joanne Jaytanie’s third book in the Winters Sisters series, is sure to please loyal fans and have new readers begging for more in Willow’s Discovery.

August 24, 2017
A FOOLISH CONSISTENCY by Andrea Weir – Women’s Literature, Family Drama, Romance

The course of true love almost never runs in a true straight-line, and this is certainly the case in Andrea Weir’s lovely romantic novel about second chances, A Foolish Consistency.

Although Fate seems to have smiled on Dr. Will Tremaine and Callie Winwood, former sweethearts a couple of decades ago, when they meet again in an emergency room, their second chance at love is problematic. Will is a widower in Westin, a community in the East, and Callie is a divorcée in California. It’s not just the entire country that separates them, but the events of the last twenty-five years. Their attraction to each other is undeniable, however, and as feelings reawaken, they take the first steps to reconnect and build something new, something they hope will last.

Inevitably, they have obstacles to overcome. Will’s children, Lizzy and Wiley, are thirteen and eleven, respectively, and still grieving the death of their mother, Joanna, two years earlier. Their maternal grandparents behave almost as if their mother were still alive, and they never acknowledge that Joanna suffered from mental health issues. While Lizzy reacts to her father’s new girlfriend with typical adolescent angst and anger, her grandparents completely overreact and plot to gain custody of their grandchildren. Their motives for doing so blind them to the reality of the situation and pit Will and his children against Callie and her grown children, especially her son, Ben, in his early twenties.

Considerable depth is added to the narrative by Callie’s understanding of Lizzie’s feelings. Having lost her own mother at an early age, Callie vividly recalls how difficult it was to accept her father’s new girlfriend who eventually became her stepmother. Although Callie loves Will deeply and wants a future with him, she also understands that Lizzy’s feelings are a priority, one that requires a great deal of patience and sensitivity. These qualities make Callie even more attractive to Will who reassures his children that his girlfriend is not seeking to take their mother’s place.

Most scenes alternate between Callie’s first-person point of view and Will’s third-person outlook. This interchange between the female and male experiences of the romance gives the novel an intimate robustness, very appropriate for the narrative. The author handles the pacing just right, and the reader roots for the outcome one always wants in a romance. Still, the protagonists have much to learn about each other and themselves, and the author does not settle for a too easy denouement.

Love once lost is not always easy to regain, even when the couple in question are like peas and carrots. Andrea Weir brings memorable characters, shimmering and confident prose, and realistic dialogue to her stellar contemporary romance of mid-life star-crossed lovers seeking a second chance in A Foolish Consistency.

July 31, 2017
MAKE NO BONES ABOUT IT by Ann Charles – Action/Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Ann Charles has another true winner on her hands as she reunites the intrepid band of archeologists led by Angélica García for the second installment of her crackerjack series A Dig Site Mystery. From the very first sentence, Make No Bones About It is an entertaining thrill ride of the first order.

Top-notch archaeologist, Angélica García, admits that after her divorce she “suffered from trust issues—as having no faith in her own ability to judge character.” She leaves her university teaching job for a change of pace and heads to Mexico where she is hired by the National Institute of Anthropology and History to clean up and prepare derelict dig sites (ruins) for the current tourism boon— archaeo-tourism.

Angélica’s latest project has a few challenges she must overcome. It is located in a remote part of Mexican jungle infested with a myriad of hazards: scorpions, spiders, toxic fauna, bloodthirsty insects, hungry Jaguars, mounds of skeletal remains, and a seemingly endless supply of deadly rattlesnakes. Oh, and it is the same place where her mother, a top archaeologist in her own right, was killed in a helicopter crash—some say because of a curse.

To accomplish her mission, Angélica is joined by her father, Juan, a brilliant man nursing a leg injury who is saddled with his fair share of superstition anxiety. Quint Parker, a handsome photojournalist that jets off across the globe on assignments on short notice, but returns to lend a hand and tug on Angélica’s heart strings: she is ready with open arms and a razor-sharp machete! Pedro, her quasi-adopted brother and helicopter pilot, and several others round out a solid cast that adds color, context, and pathos to the story.

Angélica leads the team to unlock and document the secrets of the ruins, but she is consumed by a quenchless drive to complete her mother’s unfinished work. As the team delves deeper into labyrinth warning signs abound and it becomes clear that they are in mortal danger. The book’s first sentence states, “The Mexican jungle had devoured the remains of the dead, bones and all,” and so for those who ignore history could become history.

At the beginning of the book, Ann Charles discusses her extensive research, which pays off tremendously and adds incredible depth and texture to a well-crafted story. Additionally, C.S. Kunkle’s fabulous illustrations are dramatic, prescient and add substance to the story.

Make No Bones About It, simply put, is one of those books you pick up and cannot put down.

June 20, 2017
PAYTON’S PURSUIT, The WINTERS SISTERS, BOOK TWO by Joanne Jaytanie – Paranormal/Military Romance

A diabolical plot brews in the midst of a steamy romance in author Joanne Jaytanie’s second Winters’ sisters’ novel, Payton’s Pursuit.

Continuing where book one left off, Victory and Tristan marry, and Morgan and Collin—Lawrence Braxton’s DNA guinea pigs—join forces with Tristan’s team and the Winters Corporation in Washington State for book two. Payton Winters, one in a set of triplet sisters, learns from Victory that her ability to detect and inadvertently calm Collin’s unstable emotional levels has something to do with the specially formulated fertility drug their mother used for conception.

Concurrently, Braxton, his company Biotec, and the clandestine Kaleidoscope Group remain at large, which means that Victory (and quite possibly all of the sisters) is still a prime target because of her powerful telepathic ability to communicate with animals.

Payton attends dog shows with the last person she would want assigned to be her bodyguard: Collin McBain, the very same man who kidnapped Victory when she was held captive at Biotec (in book one).

During one of the dog shows, Collin finds out that his young stepsister, Emma, may be in trouble and assigns a team to keep an eye on her. After connecting the dots, he and Payton learn that the Kaleidoscope Group runs the boarding school for specialized students, and that the group has chosen Emma for more reasons than Collin and Payton realize. What’s even worse is Victory’s discovery of their mother’s fertility research, which has ties to none other than Biotec.

Needless to say, close quarters breeds love, and Collin and Payton fall in love. Amid their burgeoning romance, Braxton relentlessly searches for Emma. Providing for Emma’s safety, however, turns out to be a more complex problem than Collin and Tristan’s crew thought.

Many returning characters, as well as a new supporting cast, grace the pages of Jaytanie’s second book in the Winters series. Punctuated with aspects of book one, Chasing Victory, Payton’s Pursuit clearly can function as a stand-alone, yet, it is highly recommended for readers new to Jaytanie’s Winters series to start with book one to appreciate the series’ plot dynamics. One of the most important plot dynamics is in understanding how telepathy plays into the sisters’ lives. This begins with Victory who first discovers that her gift—which is heightened when she meets her future husband Tristan—goes well beyond working with animals. Of course, Jaytanie does not dwell on the details of Victory’s story—kidnapping and romantic ties to Tristan. So, first-time readers will miss out on those nerve-racking and spicy tidbits.

Payton’s Pursuit plot tension builds slowly while throwing in a whole bunch of twisty turns that will have your engines racing until the very end. Consistent with her series is Jaytanie’s writing style, including a well-defined cast, woven together with engaging dialogue and riveting scenes.

June 20, 2017
CHASING VICTORY: The Winter Sisters, Book One by Joanne Jaytanie – Romance, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Psychics

Greed, power, and genetics combine with a steamy love story to stir up an action-packed, hot read in Joanne Jaytanie’s Chasing Victory: The Winters Sisters, Book One.

Responding to a cryptic phone call from an old college classmate, Victory Winters, veterinarian and geneticist, makes her way through the foothills of the Olympic Mountains to the agreed upon meeting point. Spotting him from a distance, Victory’s excitement quickly turns to dread when shots ring out.

To make matters worse, Victory observes a local police detective at the scene – and not in a law-enforcement capacity, either. She can’t go to the cops, and she’s terrified the killers know she witnessed the murder. Needing a safe space to retreat to, Victory flees to her sister, Payton, who is residing in a motorhome at the San Francisco Fairground for a dog show.

Author Joanne Jaytanie is off and running with a tension-driven novel, opening with a gripping scene. Jaytanie sets the stage for her story by featuring Victory—a vet who combines telepathy with acupuncture to heal dogs. Victory is also close to finding “a genetic link between the canine world and the human world,” an endeavor that has promising potential to cure diseases in humans. This work of hers makes her a hot commodity – so hot, in fact, others will go to great lengths to gain control of her and her work.

Two entities are indeed keeping track of our heroine. One, Tristan Farraday, a special ops hunk from the U.S. military sent to protect Victory. And second, a nefarious group headed by the malicious Lawrence Braxton, a genetics corporation. Of course, our gal doesn’t know about Braxton’s intentions when he sends her a rather flattering job offer which is where the proverbial screws tighten, and the story takes flight.

Jaytanie shifts character POVs which increases tension gives her the opportunity to develop her characters and drives the story forward. There are some proofreading errors, but on the whole, this book is a good start for the first in the series. Jaytanie adds chapter cliffhangers, sprinkles in romance and everything sinister, and proves her worth through rich descriptions and excellent dialogue all to produce a flurry of narrative twists to make a fast, fun read.

April 26, 2017
ONCE UPON A SCANDAL by Julie LeMense – Regency Romance/Historical Romance

Since there’s no such thing as a perfect person, we can’t say that Julie LeMense has written a perfect Regency romance.

Darn close, though.

Once Upon a Scandal nails it on so many levels: plot and characters driven by the era they live in; smooth, clean writing; a fully realized heroine who’s smart, vulnerable, resourceful, flawed, compassionate, and funny; an aristocrat hero who’s believable as a man; and a fresh, twisty plot that demands pages be turned to find out what happens next.

Because the story is a romance, we can expect a happy ending. How Jane and Benjamin are ever going to find it, however, remains a mystery until the end. Both are trapped in their roles in society and hide dangerous secrets behind their identities. Jane actually has to give up her identity and become a false person in order to escape poverty and shame. Her sacrifice, it turns out, helps save her country from a traitor—who just might be her own father.

Operating in disguise creates a satisfying turnabout, wherein the honest woman rejected by society allures the snobs, doyennes, and chauvinists into eating out of her dishonest hand. Jane observes: “Their strict rules and codes of conduct had been instituted for one reason and one alone: to prove themselves superior. They didn’t judge a person’s suitability by intellect, achievement, or even kindness.”

That thought forms the theme of the novel and the deceptions practiced throughout it.

Jane’s identity switcheroo is engineered by Benjamin for his own noble yet selfish purposes, though he soon realizes he’s bitten off more than he can chew and falls crazy in love with the real Jane—jeopardizing both of their masquerades.

The moral and behavioral strictures of society during England’s Regency period seem unbelievable to those of us reading about it generations later. But they were painfully real at the time and forced many a clandestine affair. This suppression gives plausibility to the characters’ secrets and skulduggery; and the era’s lack of technology as we know it allows them to get away with stunts that would be immediately caught, and widely broadcast, today. Thus, when modern anachronisms appear in the narrative, they draw attention to themselves. The word “feminist,” for example, used in conversation by Jane in 1813, was not actually coined until decades later. Bloopers like this in such a period-sensitive novel raise doubts about the rest in the reader’s mind.

Fortunately, the story holds its own with romantic intrigue and close brushes with disaster. The result is a conflict parfait, with Jane and Benjamin’s impossible love at the top, overlying the contradictions and inequities of their society, which forms a harsh class division between the haves and have-nots, in a country deep at war. In this multi-layer mess, how can anyone dream that true love will conquer all?

Jane and Benjamin give it their best shot in this classy, cork-screwy romance that turns scandal on its head.

March 21, 2017
Fit to be Dead by Nancy West – Cozy Mystery for clue fans

Aggie is the author of the “Stay Young with Aggie” column and today she decides to follow her own advice. After all, she’s well over 30, admits to a few extra pounds, and looks ahead to growing old with sheer fear. She pulls into the Fit and Firm Fitness Center with the thought that she might be able to improve her social life along with her figure. Once inside, she receives a guest pass and another kind of pass – from a gorgeous blond who introduces himself as Pete Reeves and offers her a tour of the club. She declines the latter and heads for the locker room.

As she enters the swimming area, however, she spots something strange at the far end of the pool. It’s a body. And it isn’t moving! Aggie rushes to the rescue and not a minute too soon. Her yell for help brings instructor Sarah Savoy to revive the young woman, Holly. To their combined horror, the women spot an electric cord snaking across the pool. Hard to say what would have happened to Holly first – drowning or electrocution – if Aggie hadn’t been there. Was it an accident or…? Such questions always make Aggie’s feet itch.

The next day at the gym Holly confesses to Aggie that she had recently given her newborn baby girl—born out of wedlock—to an adoption agency. Trying to swallow her concern and sorrow, Aggie goes to the locker room to shower and dress. But soon she’s hearing screams. She rushes outside just as the medics arrive. Aggie knows two things: it’s Holly and she’s dead.

Aggie decides she owes it to Holly to find out what happened. She’s certain that the hit and run was a second—this time successful—attempt on Holly’s life. But questions remain: Who? Why? As the column writer becomes sleuth, her spunk and determination return, along with her unique madcap approach to life.

As Nancy West finished her award-winning Nine Days to Evil (2012), something about one of the supporting characters, Aggie Mundeen, wouldn’t let her rest. This character seemed to demand that West make her the protagonist of a new book. Thus, Fit to Be Dead was created!

West crafts her characters with considerable expertise and an extensive vocabulary. West knows how to turn a phrase and how to keep you turning the pages. Additionally, this author has the keen knack of slyly tucking in clues so that they slip past readers at first, then pop up later. Thank you, Nancy West for crafting the Aggie Mundeen mysteries!

March 2, 2017
Sati and the Rider by Winslow Eliot – Cozy Mystery/Woman Sleuth

Do you need a little mystery in your life? It may be in your cards with Winslow Eliot’s new book, Sati and the Rider!

Just when she thinks she’s lost her juju, Satyana, the heroine of Winslow Eliot’s new mystery series, finds it in a most unexpected way.

Satyana and the Rider opens with Satyana – just Satyana – a fortune teller, coming to grips with the possibility that she has lost her ability to tell fortunes. After a horrendous loss, misdirection, and failed attempts to rescue a child, she has packed her bags and moved into a brownstone smack dab in the center of a posh neighborhood in New York City. How does she afford the home? A wealthy client willed it to her when she died.

But with no money to speak of, no clients lining up on her steps, and grappling with her gift that seemingly has flown the coop, Satyana is lonely and depressed – until a sexy young delivery man slips on her stairs and fractures his ankle.

Cue motherly instincts – or a keen sense of responsibility – or an instant attraction – cue whatever you like, Sati (Satyana) is bound to care for the hapless delivery man, Percy is his name, until he can to walk up the five flights of stairs to his apartment across town… which, you know, he never does!

This is the set-up for Winslow Eliot’s first book in the Satyana Mystery Series. A cozy, fast-paced, fun read, Eliot has set the stage for future adventures. Is it perfect? Not quite. There are some continuity issues, but not enough to stop a reader cold. The author, a card reader herself, utilizes the troupe of cards in her title and throughout the book. Here, the Rider indicates the following: News, a delivery, a young man, perhaps a lover. A new person or situation entering your life. A visit. A horse, a car, or other means of transportation. Opportunity. Things moving quickly. A vibrant social life. Elegance. Energy. Comings and goings. 9 of Hearts: a wish fulfilled. Timing: Soon, in a day, next week, in January.

The above description is mentioned at the beginning of the book and skillfully woven in throughout the work. Ultimately, Sati and the Rider is well-written and engaging. A perfect escape from reality for readers of the cozy mystery genre.

February 19, 2017