Romancing the Stones by Catherine Berlin

Look, look! Another book post! This time up is Romancing the Stones by Catherine Berlin.

Okay, I admit that it was the title that first got me to look at this book. And then the blurb hooked me in. And the cover is pretty good too.



Blurb from Samhain:

Naked. Wet. Pointing a gun at your dream guy. What a way to start the day…

Archaeologist Charlotte “Charlie” Blair arrives home from a dig in Peru to find a dead body in her house—and herself suspected of murder. Sorting out the truth, that a serial killer has been using her place to stash his kills, proves easier than shaking off the detective who’s determined to protect her.

Detective Rob Vaiden’s first sight of Charlie is naked, wet, and pointing a Glock at his chest. Oh yeah, this is going to be a hell of a case. Something about the bombshell has attracted the attention of Orion, a killer Vaiden’s been pursuing since his days as a rookie cop. To catch Orion, he needs to be near Charlie. Trouble is, while she’s easy on the eyes, the maddeningly independent woman is determined she doesn’t need his help.

Vaiden gets on Charlie’s last nerve, but she’s got her own problems. The golden rod of Manco Copac, the greatest find in her career, has disappeared. In place of the gold phallus she finds a bag of mythical Ica stones. Stones for which Orion is willing to kill.

Charlie…the stones…Orion. What connects this deadly triangle? Vaiden and Charlie race to figure it out—before Orion chooses his next target.

I'm of two minds with this book. On one hand I liked it and found it very readable, but on the other, I was left with way too many questions about just what the story was about. It all just didn't make any sense.

And with that title and cover, I was expecting more of an exotic adventure. Yes, the blurb says nothing about that, but that's my personal feeling.

Anyways, I don't mind that I read the book, but it was kind of meh. So probably a C if I had to grade it. It's possible I'll read something else from the author as I did feel she had potential.

Without a Sound by Carla Cassidy

Haley Lambert has moved back to her Kansas City childhood home to care for her orphaned niece, Molly-and to find the monster who murdered her own sister. Molly may have witnessed her mother's murder, but whatever the little girl saw on that fateful night, she isn't talking. Now, with the killer still loose, another game of hide-and-seek is about to begin.

I read this one over two lunch hours at work. It's a nice fast-paced romantic suspense, though a bit on the average side. Average isn't bad, but it wasn't a book I wanted to tell everyone that they must read it.

The mystery/suspense element here is nicely done. I certainly didn't guess who the bad guy was. I also really enjoyed how Haley and Molly interacted. Haley's more of a nomad and her sister was definitely a homebody, so Haley's definitely got her hands full dealing with everything. Grey, the hero, is a former child therapist/psychologist (I really can never remember the differences) and consults with the police, but doesn't do any therapy anymore for reasons that are later revealed in the book. I really liked the back story on the main characters as it all worked for me.

What makes this only an average grade is the romance. It's a decent sort of romance, and by the end of the story I believed in their HEA, I still thought that there wasn't enough face time between them. I wanted more between them. But there wasn't anything that really stood out as being bad. I did enjoy reading the book. And will still definitely read future Carla Cassidy books since I've enjoyed all of hers that I've read.

Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard

What would make the perfect man?

That's the deliciously racy topic that Jaine Bright and her three girlfriends are pondering one night at their favorite after-hours hot spot: Mr. Perfect. Would he be tall, dark, and handsome? Caring and warmhearted -- or will just muscular do? As their conversation hears up, they concoct a tongue-in-cheek checklist that becomes an overnight sensation, spreading like wildfire at work and sizzling along e-mail lines. But what began as a joke among friends turns deadly serious when one of the four women is murdered....Turning to her neighbor, an unpredictable police detective, for help, Jaine must unmask a killer to save her friends -- and herself. Now, knowing whom to trust and whom to love is a matter of survival -- as the dream of Mr. Perfect becomes a chilling nightmare.

Title: Mr. Perfect

Author: Linda Howard

Year published: 2001 (hardcover 2000)

Why I picked up this book: I'm not sure why. I was fooling around with my iPaq and clicked on the file.

Do I like the cover? Nah, it's fairly bland.

Is this part of a series? No.

What I enjoyed about the book: I loved Sam. Just loved him. He's alpha, but not a jerk and more than a match for Jaine, who is equally wonderful. The banter between them is just fabulous and one of my favorite parts of the book. I also loved the idea of the list and how it got out of control. I really felt for the characters and kept hoping that none of them would die.

What I didn’t like about the book? I did figure out who the bad guy was fairly early on. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

Is this a new-to-me author and would I read something by this author again? Not a new-to-me author, but this is the first romantic suspense by her that I've read. Will definitely read more.

Am I keeping it or passing it on? I'm keeping it since it's an ebook.

The Matchmaker by Jamie Denton

YOU CAN RUN FROM YOUR PAST

The dead always have a story to tell. All he has to do is wait for the truth to be revealed to him. The living trust him with their grief - and their dirty little secrets. Only then is he able to ensure that the dead are given the happy ending they'd been deprived of in life. Only then can he set about playing matchmaker, uniting the dead with their true soul mates ... for all eternity ...

BUT IT WILL CATCH UP TO YOU

Exhuming a body over a contested will is the last thing former FBI profiler Greer Lomax wants to do. Just the thought of it brings on the panic attacks she's fought for two years. Now, as deputy sheriff, Greer Lomax is going to have to face her darkest fears. Becaue the body she's exhumed isn't alone. He's joined by a young woman whose name is on a missing person's list.

WITH A VENGEANCE

The one person Greer can call for help is FBI agent Ash Keller. Ash hasn't forgotten the hot blonde with the too-sexy smile - the one who spend many sizzling nights in his bed - and he hasn't forgiven her for leaving him behind when she quit the Bureau. But he's not about to let her go solo on this one, not after last time. Working the case sparks the fiery attraction they've tried to deny for too long and unleashes a passion they can't control - one that could blind them to the most dangerous mistakes of the past ...

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of The Matchmaker from Jamie at Deadline Hellions.

I really enjoyed this book. It's got suspense, but it's also got a good dose of romance to go along with that suspense. Greer has come home after a FBI operation went bad while dealing with a nasty serial killer. She doesn't really want to have anything to do with law enforcement, but it's a small town and she was suckered into "temporarily" taking a sheriff's job. Nothing much happens in the town, so she figures she's safe from the things that bring on her panic attacks.

When a body has to be exhumed to be tested (family thinks wife poisoned husband, lots of money hinges on finding), it turns out that there's another body with dead guy. This happens in the second chapter, so I'm not really spoiling anything. Well, now Greer has to figure out who the second body is and of course, after some things go on, it turns out there's a serial killer on the loose.

We actually know who the bad guy is from the very beginning. The story really deals with is how Greer finds him and how she deals with Ash when he comes on the scene. She's got a past with Ash (and I won't tell you since the blurb doesn't and I was kinda surprised). I liked how that aspect of the story was handled, though at the end I thought things were patched up a little too pat, except that it also worked in that one couldn't really expect her to be back to normal so soon after the end of the action. So I suppose the story does really end in the right place.

I really liked it. Greer and Ash really have some things to work through in order to get together. Greer's definitely messed up, but it's shown in a way that you really think that she's getting the help she needs from all around her. Ash is a great hero and they work well together.

Thanks, Jamie. And I'm glad you finally get to see this book on the shelf after all that you've gone through.