A Desert Isle Christmas Anthology

As I say at the beginning of the review for A Texas Christmas, an anthology of Christmas stories, I'm not very excited about holiday-themed novels, much less holiday-themed anthologies.  But I'd read the last anthology by Jodi Thomas, Linda Broday, Phylliss Miranda, and Dwanna Pace and really liked it.  So when I got a chance to read another of their collaborations, I jumped at the chance.

Consequently, I ended up giving it a Desert Isle Keeper grade of A- (only because one of the stories wasn't in the A category), which is another first for me.  Who would have thought I'd give an anthology an A?  Not me, that's for sure.

But this is a marvelous collection of stories, well deserving of its A ranking.  It's indeed a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year gift to readers.

5 Reviewed in Booklist's latest

The November 1, 2011, issue of Booklist carries a whopping five of my reviews:

* Demons Like It Hot by Sidney Ayers, a sequel to her Demons Prefer Blondes that I reviewed for the June 2011 edition of Booklist.  Book two follows closely on the heels of book one, so it's more of a squeekquel.

* Silver Sparks by Starr Ambrose, a cautionary tale about taking on the popular press and one of its icons.  This one asks the question, "What's truth go to do with it?"

* A Place Called Home by Jo Goodman that I read and wrote the review in August, but the publication date got pushed back until December.  It's been so long ago that I had to read the review to remember what the book was about.

* The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton, which is a cautionary tale about childhood love and trust.  I thought another character would have made a better killer, but the one Burton picks isn't totally unbelievable.

* Briar Patch by Linda Sole, which is melodrama writ large.  I couldn't believe what glowing reviews her other books have gotten.  This one was pure soap opera.

I Already Know This

Author Gwyn Cready's A Novel Seduction spends a lot of its time telling romance readers what they already know:  Romance novels are just like any other fiction.  There are really good, literary romances just as there are cookie cutter, banal romances.  The genre designation doesn't determine the quality of the writing.  As a reviewer, I was surprised that Cready felt she needed to make this point.

What's really sad is that since Cready's book emphasizes this enlighted thought, the cover of the book doesn't.  What's with the half-clad Highlander, wind whooshing his skirt in a Marilyn Manroe look-alike fashion?  The novel tells me that romances should be taken seriously; the cover tells me that Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte would have died of shame to see her work so maligned.

Get it straight, publishers!  Why profess one thing in the text and another in the cover?  Have you people no pride or sense of relationship between the inside and the outside of a product?  Obviously Pocket Books are going for the Playgirl buyer, not the serious romance reader.  I really hope this ploy backfires!

So Disappointed

My review of The Survivor by Shelley Shepard Gray is posted on AAR today.  I really, really was looking forward to reading this book since Mattie was such a compelling character in the other books.  In one of the previous books she nearly renounces her faith and her God when her cancer grows and grows.  She gets mad at her long-suffering mother and at the love of her life, Graham, because they have to see her at what she thinks is her worst.

When I read that Graham was going to be accused of fathering a child and then abandoning the pregnant mother, I was ready to see Mattie rear up like a dragon and defend her stalwart friend.  Instead, she, like the rest of the Amish community, believed the girl and didn't listen to Graham's denial.  What?!?  This is the loyalty his undying support provoked in her.  More than anything, I was disappointed in Mattie's character since she didn't seem to be worthy of Graham's love.

Unfortunately, at some point I'll bet that Graham will realize Mattie's defection and wonder about her profession of love.  I would if I were he.

The Desert Continues to Bloom

As if one Desert Isle Keeper review on AAR isn't enough, here's another -- Tall, Dark and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy.  By the look of the cover, you'd never guess what a great book is contained on the pages.  Kennedy has a light touch and likes comedy, so I totally didn't expect to find something with depth and grit.

Joanne Kennedy is now an author's name that I'll watch for in the future.