Sunday's Oldies but Goodies......

Welcome to the Sunday Oldies but Goodies review!

Well, since this is the very first Oldies review, I am not going back very far. We’ll try easing into things and see how it goes, alright?

Hang on to your hats, folks ~ and here we go!

Sleeping with the Fishes
by MaryJanice Davidson

Released December, 2006

Every time I read a novel by MaryJanice Davidson, I know I am in for a fun read.

I was not disappointed with this one.
(And it also looks like it will be the first in a new series – YAY!)

This story opens up with Fred (short for Fredrika) walking into her parent’s living room and catching them – well – let’s just say her eyeballs almost caught on fire.

Did I mention that Fred is a mermaid?
Well, half-mermaid, anyway.
A very cranky half-mermaid.
With green hair.


Fred, a marine biologist, works for the New England Aquarium. She currently has her hands full dealing with a fish insurrection at the aquarium, (they won't eat unless she blasts 'The Pet Shop Boys' music) , and a perky intern that turns Fred’s stomach. She gets seasick when she steps so much as one foot onto a boat. She’s allergic to seafood. Oh, and her best friend Jonas is in love with her boss, Dr. Barb.

Enter Artur, merman and High Prince of the Black Sea, and Dr. Thomas Pearson, human marine biologist and romance novelist. Both happen to be looking for the same thing ~ a mysterious source of contamination in the bay, and both have the hots for Fred.

While this story centers on the trio’s search for the source of the contamination, the banter between the three had me chuckling quite often. Fred has an acerbic wit that she unleashes regularly on both guys, and often says exactly what she thinks. And I gotta say - the scenes between Fred and the intern had me laughing out loud.

The love scenes in the book do not take place with who you might think. (And no, I am not going to tell you who gets together ~ or why ~ because that would be giving too much away!)
The heat level was mild – I would say sensual, but written with a humorous bent.
I also liked the way the book ended. It left things open for the next novel in the series, but it could definitely stand alone. (Although I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to find out what happens next!)

I love MaryJanice’s books. She writes with a fabulous sense of humor that I just love. You can find out more about her books on her website – http://www.maryjanicedavidson.net/ or visit her blog at http://www.maryjanicedavidson.blogspot.com/

So…if you like a good romantic comedy (in book form), you must buy this novel!
Seriously.
Buy.
It.

You will be glad you did!

Happy reading!


p.s….

Look out for my review next week for a favorite historical of mine from 1998!

Announcements!

Good evening and happy weekend to all! Couple of things...
1) I've exhausted my booklist for the Enduring Romance website. Would dearly love to have your recommendations start rolling in. Please see the criteria to the left.
2) Lady Bronco is my co-moderator. She will be blogging here on Sundays and says she'd like to focus on reviewing oldies, but goodies. That'll work fine for me. I'll be reviewing New Releases, most likely. Unless I can convince a couple other Blog Buddies to help out, I'm going to be blogging on Wednesdays. That's it - Sundays and Wednesdays - for new columns. Except for special announcements or activities, like Cyber-Launch Parties.

SWEET SENSATION by Gwyneth Bolton

Gwyneth Bolton is like Secretariat winning the Triple Crown waaaay back in the 1970’s. She accelerates as she races around the track to the astonishment of all. Each new novel has more depth and dimension than the one before.

SWEET SENSATION is the story of Deidre, a former hip-hop star who gave up the limelight to be a mommy to her secret baby. She never stopped loving the father of her baby, but she didn’t want to raise her daughter in that lifestyle. Especially after a friend was murdered. Fast forward and their secret baby is on the verge of adolescence and Deidre is outted by a television show. Daddy comes calling and Daughter gangs up with him to be a real family. But, Deidre is still scared. Turns out, she has good reason. Flex, her baby’s daddy, knows the murderer is out there again. And he knows Deidre and their daughter will be targeted. Will Deidre have the courage to believe in their enduring love? Can Flex really protect them?

I loved that the daughter was a fully involved protagonist in this story, because THE STAR CAPTAINS’ DAUGHTER is also a triangular story. Turns out, that’s kind of rare in the romance genre.

I love Flex and Deidre’s flaws. He wants a traditional family for his daughter that he never had. She’s afraid to take a leap of faith with their relationship. Their love scenes are well-supported by the story and enhance their enduring love. *Heat Level: Sensual.*

Some of you may worry that you won’t get this story because it’s set in the hip-hop culture, but I can testify that Gwyneth does an excellent job of defining the culture in the context of the story so you’re never wondering what the slang means or anything. The themes and feelings of this story are universal and will make your heart soar at the end of a long, hard day at the office. Trust me. Go out and buy this book. Good authors you can count on to consistently deliver the goods are hard to find. Don’t let Gwyneth get away!

Work in Progress!

I'm working on New Releases today. I have room for one more on that page of the website if anyone wants to make recommendation. As new releases come up, the oldest new release will fall off the page. I only have room for four at a time.

The next thing I'll work on will be linking to Amazon. Of course, I have to reshuffle my schedule to accomadate this new venture, so this is going to be a work-in-progress for a few days.

Launching a New Website and a New Blog!

I thought I would try this and see what kind of feedback I get on it. If you all find this useful, please let me know!

This blog will be linked to the website to receive and discuss authors whose romance novels consistantly have well-balanced, well-developed love scenes, whether sensual or sweet.

The purpose of the website and this blog is twofold.
1) To help readers find the authors whose novels consistantly well-developed and well-balanced love scenes.
2) To promote the authors who write these novels so they stay in the business of writing them.

This is all still very much in development. I would appreciate suggestions from both authors and readers.

While this blog will be for recommendations and discussion, it can also be for interviews and reviews. It could be a multi-user queue if any of my Blog Buddies want to volunteer a guest column once a week.

Check out the website and see if you like how it is set up. I wanted to have clear categories so readers could find the heat level they can handle. Some only want Sweet (no sex.) Some are fine with Sensual. Whatever. The point is readers want to know what they're buying up front. We hate the disappointment. Makes us feel cheated. Here is the website:

http://kimberan7.tripod.com/index.html

So, have at it, Blog Buds!