UNLUCKY by Jana Deleon

You know I only post positive reviews, so take what I'm about to say in context. I'm not interested in the Mystery genre. Nearly all of the Romantic Suspense novels I've tried to read bored me. The characters were stamped out with cookie cutters, the plots followed tired formulas like a paint-by-the number picture, and, of course, there was always the Standard Issue Sex Scene. I steer wide around those sections of the bookstore.
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Unless Jana Deleon's name is on the cover, or she recommends a book.
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So, why does Jana Deleon grab me with her blend of Romance and Mystery when so few authors of similar flavor do? Why did I choose her debut novel, RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU, as my Book of the Year for 2006 over my usual fare of Historicals and Science Fiction?
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Jana Deleon has an original voice as an author. Some people don't get her brand of humor, but I totally do. Her characters go multi-dimensional the first time they step onto the page. I can't stand predictable plots which Romance and Mystery are infamous for, but she keeps me glued into the story. She's also strong on secondary characters. Most Romances I read focus totally on the Hero and Heroine and the secondary characters are cardboard. This bores me. In real life, there's so much more to a romance. We all have weird friends and family members.
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UNLUCKY starts out with the heroine, Mallory, stopping into JT's Bar for a cold one after a long, hard day at work in the construction business. Did I mention Jana's tendency to mix totally hot babes who would be stereotypical Romance Heroines if not for their totally non-traditional Romance Heroine jobs? Mallory has the standard tiny waist, perfectly sculpted legs, and boobs which stand up on their own, but, believe me, you don't want to meet this lady in a dark alley with a nail gun! If she didn't nail you with it, her bad luck would probably drop a piano on your head. One of her previous boyfriends brought along extra protection (and I'm not talking about a c-o-n-d-o-m here) on a date and accidentally blasted a rather important part of his male anatomy. Needless to say, she has a hard time getting a date, gorgeous though she may be.
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Anyway...where was I? Oh, popping into JT's for a cold one. So, she pops into JT's and is bribed into cooling a pool game because Scooter bet two hundred on the town drunk who happens to be a priest. Cooling means Mallory hangs out with the guy they want to lose so her bad luck rubs off on him. Sure, other women can destract male gamblers, but they have nothing on Mallory.
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The plot starts twisting when Mallory learns her uncle, Harry, who owns the construction business she works with and is like a father to her is putting together a big gambling tournament with some major shady characters - a politician, several criminals, and such. He's about to lose his business due to medical bills. Determined to save her uncle's keester, Mallory signs on to 'cool' the cards. She intends to get together the money he needs to keep from going under.
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What Mallory doesn't know is one of the dealers, a damn Yankee no less, is an undercover agent. His name's Jake and he's there to find out what happened to his partner and who made it happen. Jake's partner left behind a wife and child. Mallory is too caught up to really notice him at first, but Jake wouldn't be a man if he didn't notice her. And, of course, he is a man.
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The tournament gets going and things heat up. All the baddies show up and Mallory can't believe her uncle actually invited them. Then, Jake gets assigned to her table. The two lines of determination collide and allign and sparks fly.
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I won't say anymore, except that the Heat Level is Highly Sensual. The book's in the stores now or you can order it off Amazon.com.