Short Story Review: The Scandal Before Christmas

Title: The Scandal Before Christmas (The Reckless Brides #3.5)

Author: Elizabeth Essex
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Publisher: Forever
Genre: St. Martins Paperbacks
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Lieutenant Ian Worth needs a wife by Christmas, and he can't afford to be choosy. He has to find her, woo her, and wed her before he goes back to sea - all within a matter of days.

Anne Lesley is a shy spinster with no prospects, and nothing and no one to recommend her but her own self. She accepts the lieutenant’s hasty offer only for the comfort and security it will bring. But when a midwinter storm snows her and Ian in, they both find they got much more than they bargained for - daughter, light, and a Christmas filled with honest to goodness true love.

The holidays are upon, which means it's time for me to read a few holiday novellas. Historicals are my favorite when it comes to short stories and The Scandal Before Christmas looked to have all of the elements of a fun, holiday read.

Lt. Ian Worth is the second son of an overbearing father. Until now, he's been mostly left alone and is away at sea most of the time as an officer of the Royal Navy. However, when Ian's older brother suffers what could be a fatal accident, his father demands that he marry immediately and sire a child. To try and get his father off his back, Ian tells him that he's already married. Needing to find a wife quickly, Ian arranges to meet the spinster daughter of one of his naval friends. At first Ian thinks Anne is too plain and without spirit, but soon learns that underneath her plain exterior lies a passionate young woman that may just be his match.

As novellas go, The Scandal Before Christmas had more depth than most. Like most novellas, it did feel like there wasn't quite enough time to get a really well rounded story.  The pacing of story was uneven and I felt like the ending was very rushed. I was also expecting a much more dramatic ending and the quick resolution and wrap-up left me feeling a little bit underwhelmed. However, I enjoyed watching Ian and Anne getting to know each other and like their frank conversations.  Of the two, I was more drawn to Ian, who is charming and has a good heart. I liked Anne well enough though her ugly duckling status was a little overplayed. The two had a good rapport though and I enjoyed their unconventional courtship.

With a good balance of romance and drama, The Scandal Before Christmas delivers a romantic read that's great for the holidays. If you like ugly ducking tales, you may enjoy this one. This novella is part of a series but I haven't read any of the previous books and had no trouble following along. It's also piqued my interest in this series and I plan to read the first book in the Reckless Brides series soon.

*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

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Visit the author online at www.elizabethessex.com, Facebook and follow her on Twitter @EssexRomance

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Review: Live Wire by Lora Leigh

Title: Live Wire (Elite Ops #6)

Author: Lora Leigh
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository
Source: Purchased

Meet Captain Jordan Malone. For years he has been a silent warrior and guardian, operating independent of government protocol or oversight, leading his loyal team of Elite Ops agents to fight terror at all costs. A legend in the field, Jordan’s true identity has remained a mystery even to his own men…until now.

Tehya Talamosi, codename Enigma, is a force to be reckoned with. A woman this striking spells nothing but trouble for Jordan. Armed with killer secrets—and body to die for—she’ll bring Jordan to his knees as they both take on the most deadly mission they have ever faced. Because this time, it’s personal.

Live Wire is part of the Elite Ops series and I believe it's the last book in the series. I have not read any of the other books in the series. I don't think you necessarily need to read the other books in order to enjoy this one but there was obviously a lot of history between all of these characters. Tehya's been on the run for most of her life until the day, 6 years ago, that Elite Ops helped her take down her father, an infamous and cruel criminal lord. Since then she's become a valuable member of team. Jordan Malone is the leader of Elite Ops, a man who has sworn never to feel or love again after losing one of his teammates in an op. He thinks that getting too close means getting sloppy and he doesn't want to make another mistake again. Of course, the two are insanely attracted to each other but Jordan insists on maintaining his distance.

This book was just an OK read for me. There wasn't anything really wrong with it but it also had a hard time keeping my attention. It was a little too long and there were slow periods where not much happened. It was certainly steamy enough and the two main characters had a lot of physical chemistry and some intense love scenes. Those were fun to read but I also felt that some of the love scenes were a little long (I never thought I'd say that about a love scene) and, at a certain point, became repetitive.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Jordan's. I get why he didn't want to fall in love but he treated Tehya pretty poorly. He warned his teammates and friends to stay away from her but he never made a move on her himself. He wants her to give him everything but holds himself at a distance. Tehya's a really interesting character. She had a really brutal childhood but managed to survive and do well for herself. But her past has definitely left a mark on her and she often feels lonely and unloved. She's a fighter though and I admired her. I liked that she called Jordan on his BS.

The plot wasn't terribly interesting to me. I wanted to find out who was after Tehya but it felt like we were taking the long road to figuring it out. I wish it had been a little more fast paced as I think it would have kept my attention better. Fans who have read other books in the series will probably enjoy this one, having more invested in the characters. This book just failed to fully engage me and I found myself reading it just to finish it rather than because I was really interested in the outcome. Fans of romantic suspense might still want to check it out. It just wasn't for me.

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Visit the author online at loraleigh.com and Facebook.

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Audiobook Review: Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Title: Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2)

Author: Darynda Jones
Narrated by: Lorelei King
Publication Date: August 16, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, Audio by Brilliance Audio
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, Audible
Source: Library

If you hang around with dead people, life can get pretty complicated. Take it from Charley Davidson, part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Complicated is her middle name. The deceased find her very sparkly. Demons find her irresistible. And one entity in particular wants to seduce her in every way possible.

When Charley and Cookie (her best friend/receptionist) have to track down a missing woman, the case is not quite as open and shut as they anticipate. Cookie's friend Mimi disappeared five days earlier. Mimi then sends Cookie a cryptic message telling Cookie to meet her at an nearby coffee shop. The coffee is brewing, but Mimi's still missing. There is, however, a clue Mimi left on the bathroom wall: a woman's name. Mimi's husband explains to them that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old high school friend had been murdered. The same woman whose name Mimi had scribbled on the bathroom wall.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He's left his body because he's being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can't let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they'll have a portal to heaven...well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.

Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Can she keep those she loves out of harm's way? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel her as she does?

Here is your signpost for the most hilarious read of the year: Second Grave on the Left.

I read and really liked First Grave on the Right, the first book in the Charley Davidson series. Charley’s sarcastic wit and self-deprecating nature really appealed to me and had me laughing out loud. The super hot romance with Reyes was an added bonus and I was really happy to find a fun new series to get into. I don’t know what happened between when I read the first book and when I read the second one, but Second Grave on the Left was not fun and I really had to push myself to finish it.

The main problem for me with the book was Charley herself. I remembered that she was super sarcastic in the first book and the jokes felt a little forced at times but, overall, I liked her and enjoyed the sarcasm. This time around though, I really noticed how every sentence and word out of her mouth was a sarcastic quip or catch phrase. It’s like she could not utter a normal sentence. Because she would only speak in wisecracks, nothing that came out of her mouth seemed sincere. She also used “like,” “duh” and “totally” too much and I kept wondering if she was a grown woman or a testy teenager. She is also described as being a great PI but I did not see any evidence of this. At least 3 people tail her during the book and she doesn’t notice a single one of them. Later she ends up leading the bad guys to a witness. She makes really dumb decisions and barely manages not to get herself killed every few hours.

I was hoping that Reyes would save this book for me but I didn’t like him either. His interactions with Charley in this book consist of threatening her and saving her life. He even calls her a “whore” at one point, which isn’t a good sign in a relationship. The two still have physical chemistry but the book doesn’t go anywhere with it. And if I have to hear about Reyes’s “liquid brown eyes” one more time, I may scream. There is a reason that I have avoided audiobooks with a lot of romance. Lines that sound swoon-worthy when reading often sound cheesy when read aloud.

Then we get to the ending, which really annoyed me. I don’t want to give it away but Charley’s actions at the end of the book just show how immature and selfish she is. I really can’t think of any other reason why she does what she does.

Lorelei King read the audiobook of Second Grave. I have heard good things about King but this is the first time I have listened to her. King is very talented, giving life and expression to the words and dialogue. However, her voice didn’t quite match what my image of Charley. As I said, Charley is very immature and speaks more like a teenager than an adult. King has a really rich, deep voice that is incongruous with how I perceive Charley. It just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Sad to say that I won’t be continuing on with this series. I don’t think I can take another book of Charley’s one-liners and pouty quips. It’s unfortunate, too, because I really enjoyed the first book in this series. But Charley’s schtick gets old fast and, without a viable plot or other likeable characters, the humor simply isn’t enough.

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Visit the author online at www.daryndajones.com and follow her on Twitter @darynda

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