Compromise and change equals love story?

A Compromising Affair (Arabesque) – Gwynne Forester

Scott Galloway is an ambassador who has finished one assignment and wants to find a wife before taking his next assignment. Denise Miller is a philanthropist working for an organization that helps children of immigrants (important later). Since Scott decides that he wants a wife, he begins to direct his attention to Denise (I still do not know how I feel about the man being on the prowl- seems like he is getting married for the wrong reason). They have a mutual attraction, but Denise has a lot of hang ups that prevent her from committing to a serious relationship.

Scott’s interim assignment was heading the immigration division which caused additional problems with their relationship. The organization, that Denise works with, made some statements that differed with the government’s official policy. Someone made the comment that Denise should publically support Scott. I did not agree with that.

Denise should not be forced to change her opinions in order to conform with her boyfriend. To me that was saying that two political figures could not have a successful personal relationship if they support different policies.

Her friends keep telling her to get it together because Scott is everything she wants. Scott wants her to trust him so that their relationship can progress. Knowing what Denise was dealing with emotionally, I did not like the fact that Scott was so pushy. I understand he was on the fast track to get a wife that fit into his career timeline, but I do not think that was fair to Denise.

As the book progressed, so did my frown lines. There is pressure from all directions, but is the relationship that what she really wants? Do they have what it takes as a couple to have a lasting happy marriage?

Maybe I am overreacting but the moral of this story to me seemed to be this: A woman has a job until she meets the man she is going to marry. Then she compromises and changes to do what he wants.

Since I am used to a different type of romance novel where the main characters revel in their differences while giving into to their love for each other, I admit that this may be an overreaction. Check out A Compromising Affair (Arabesque) and let me know what you think.

Thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat

Sep17

All For One – Ryne Douglas Pearson

This is a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire book.

The story begins in the Prologue with Joey Travers, Elena Markworth, Bryce Hool, Micheal Prentiss, Paula Jean Allenton, and Jeff Bernstein taking a bat to Guy Edmond. It seems that this is a particularly gruesome display of violence. And the premise of the book is that these children create a pact to stick to their story so that none of them will be arrested for Guy’s death.

In the course of the story, we understand why each one would have reason to kill Guy if they did. He was evil and spiteful. Calling him a bully does not fully describe the extent to which he went to terrorize the other children in the school and neighborhood where he lived. He destroyed people’s property, played cruel practical jokes, humiliated, and demoralized others. After his death, he was gone, but the emotional and physical scars haunted those who had suffered by his hand.

Yet it is a police detective’s job to find a killer. No one should be killed because of vigilante justice.

We know it is not right, but it is difficult to want to find the killer of a horrible person whose main delight was in the intimidation of others.

During the reading of the book, I had so many questions.

Did the children kill him?
If so, who will be the one to break and tell the police?
What will happen to them if they are guilty?
If they are not guilty, who really did it?

The author creates a story that engages the reader in such a way, that there is angst and anxiety for the children. These are children that are having to deal with repressed memories of torment and oppression by a devious individual. I sympathized with his victims. I could understand why some of them were celebrating his death and treating the murder suspects with, what some would call, misplaced gratitude.

But does that make their actions justified?

My mind said no, but my heart said maybe. In the end, in All For One Pearson answered all of my questions and provided a somewhat satisfying explanation to all events.

Another hot Westmoreland going after what he wants and The Chase is ON!

Sep10

The Chase Is On (Silhouette Desire) by Brenda Jackson

Chase Westmoreland owns a soul food restaurant and Jessica opens a bakery next door. And since a romance novel is nothing without a little drama, Jessica is the granddaughter of the assumed nemesis of Chase’s grandfather. She is trying to find out what happened to cause the rift between the two men.
Chase’s grandfather told him never to trust any member of Jessica’s family. So it gets complicated. Jessica knows who Chase is hoping she can find out what really happened before Chase finds out whose family she is part of. Jessica’s reasons for leaving that information out of the introductions has a lot to do with the fact that she was hoping to prove and present Chase with the proof that will substantiate her grandfather’s innocence. But she knows that the longer she waits, the harder it will be when the truth comes out.
While Chase turned on the charm as soon as he realized he has a cutie for his business neighbor, Jessica began a losing battle trying not to reciprocate. Once she gives in hesitantly, the immediate attraction seems to be smooth sailing until Chase finds out that she has withheld some pertinent information pertaining to her ancestry. With both of them having relationship issues because of previous experiences (e.g. her father was class A jerk), it is interesting to see how they end up together at all.

The Chase Is On (Silhouette Desire) is entertaining, funny, and a little nail-biting at the same time. As the reader, I had information that Chase did not and as I got to know his personality, I wondered how he was going to react when he found out. This is another must read from Brenda Jackson.

Way out of line was so intense

Sep9

I read Way out of line by Trish Jackson and it was so intense to me that I was motivated to write a couple of reviews about it. Since I write reviews on different websites, I try to vary the wording in case there is some issue. Below is the review I wrote for Goodreads website.

Way Out of Line by Trish Jackson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Trish Jackson weaved a wonderful plot that was refreshingly different from other romance novels that I have read. Trent and Hal have a deep connection while it seems that every possible external force is working to keep them apart.
The dialogue is well written and the characters are presented in such a way that the reader is drawn into the story immediately. One seemingly innocent little lie snowballs into a series of tragic events and Trent and Hal have to deal with the consequences. I loved the story and the twists and turns the main characters have to take on their journey.
This is a must read for anyone who likes action packed stories.
I would not be surprised if this is turned into a movie one day (that is how great this story is).

View all my reviews

I love my Kindle Fire so much

Aug30

Ever since I received my Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi , I have been using it like crazy.

I got it for my first year anniversary. I was not too sure at first if I would use it often. Confession: I have a lot of electronics that I don’t use that much even though I thought I needed them. Concerning the Kindle Fire, I thought it would be a novel toy that I take on trips to prevent boredom while travelling.

That did not happen.

The Kindle Fire is so easy to use and has a decent battery life. The wireless picks up well every time I am in an area with signal. I am able to download books and navigate the Internet quickly. I went to the AppStore and downloaded some games also.

Hardware wise, the only drawback for me is that the Kindle Fire does not come with a computer cable. I know that is a minor thing, but if I did not have wireless at home, I would be out of luck until I bought a cable. I think Amazon should include a computer cable instead of a plug in charger. Since wi-fi was not an issue for me, I can download books from Amazon straight to my Kindle Fire. {imagine me doing my happy dance}

I download books from Smashwords.com to my computer and email them to my Kindle Fire documents address. I think that is a handy little feature. As part of managing my Kindle through Amazon, I set up my email address for the wireless transfer. I also use the “Manage my Kindle” tab to manage my Kindle data in the Amazon digital cloud. Whatever is stored in the digital cloud can only be accessed when I have wi-fi connection. Any books that I am reading, I keep on my Kindle and when I am finished I delete from my device but leave in the cloud.

This is an e-reader on steroids. I has a great screen for color books, movies, blogs, or just web browsing. I watched movies for free using Amazon Prime Instant Video. I wish I could have downloaded the video to my device for watching later but I had to be connected to wireless in order to watch the movie. Other than that, the quality was good like I was watching tv. You have to have the $80 per year Amazon Prime subscription to enjoy this feature. That was no biggie for me because what I save on shipping costs through Prime is worth the membership.

If you buy a Kindle Fire, it is important to also sign up for a blog or email subscription that features daily spotlight on free or discounted books and apps. Amazon also sends emails of daily deals. Usually the books are deeply discounted for the day. I have bought a lot of books that I might not have otherwise purchased because they would have been out of my price range.

Overall: Kindle Fire is worth the price. It may not have all the functionality of an iPad (most notably no camera) but it has everything that I need at a fraction of the price. If you are thinking about getting an e-reader, I think this is the best option.