Cruising and Reading: Book 2 – Night Shadow by Nora Roberts

As the ship pulled into Half Moon Cay I was reading the opening pages of the second book of the cruise, Night Shadow by Nora Roberts.  I can’t say I loved this book.  Usually after reading a Nora Roberts I feel very satisfied like after eating a good dessert; not too sweet, good texture and filling.  "Night Shadow" just misses the mark.  (The book was first published in 1994 and it has been republished in large print in 2008).  I have a feeling it was a time when Ms. Roberts was beginning her transition from historical romance to modern romance/mystery.  The book is an interesting mix of paranormal, mystery, and romance. 

Gage Guthrie is a fantastically wealthy man who has a secret alter ego called Nemesis.  Deborah O’Roarke is a beautiful tough assistant district attorney.  They live in the very sophisticated and crime ridden city Urbana, located on the East Coast, (New York City).  The two meet one night when Deborah is attacked heading to her car and Nemesis rescues her from being assaulted and possibly raped.  They meet again at a swank political fund raiser for the mayor’s re-election and Gage finds he hasn’t been able to stop thinking of her since he rescued her.  There is a big drug ring operating in Urbana without punishment and unbeknown to the other both Deborah and Gage/Nemisis are working to bring it down.   They both want justice in the world but they disagree on the system and how justice should be dispensed.  Gage is a secret vigilante and Deborah is a public crusader, just opposite enough to attract.

The story was ok.  I was more intrigued with the story concept.  Reading "Night Shadow" was a little like watching an author in transition.  I can see JD Robb show up in the writing.  There are a lot of similarities between Gage and Deborah and Dallas and Roarke, right down to names.  Roarke is fabulously wealthy with a murky past.  Gage is too.  Both Roarke and Gage are really good with computers and hacking.  Deborah is a District Attorney committed to cleaning up the streets and representing the under dog.  Dallas is a cop with the same beliefs.  Both women make each victim their responsibility.  They are by the book tough women who have something to prove to themselves and the world.  

I think "Night Shadow" falls short because Ms. Roberts is still writing a romance so the mystery/suspense aspect of the story is lacking.  She really becomes a good writer of the mystery after becoming JD Robb even when writing as herself.  The romance is still important but takes a respectful backseat to the suspense. 

It was a good beach read.

Cruising and Reading: Book 1 - Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

I was away for a week or so recently on a cruise in the Eastern Caribbean. It was a superb vacation! Myself and 7 other women from work all took off for 7 days withouth spouses, boyfriends or kids. We call it the "Sisters NO Misters Cruise." We visited St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and a little private island called Half Moon Cay. Besides eating really good food, a little gambling, dancing, snorkeling and sight seeing, I got 4 books read. Like I said, this vacation was most excellent.
Heading out of Miami I was reading Kelley Armstrong’s “Men of the Otherworld.” Ms. Armstrong has written a series of novels called “The Otherworld.” This series revolves around different women who have paranormal abilities. Obviously “Men of the Otherworld” deals with their men. In this first book of the new series Clayton and Jeremy Danvers are the featured characters. The book fills in the back story of these two very important characters in the first series. Jeremy has always been an enigmatic and mystical kind of pack leader who seems to have clairvoyant abilities. In this book we discover who Jeremy’s mother was and why his father hates him so. Clayton is Jeremy’s adopted son and enforcer who has his own strange story. He was bitten by a werewolf at the age of 6 or so then lived as a wild child in the bayou until Jeremy learned of him and brought him home. We also find out how Jeremy became pack leader and why there are now two packs in the U.S.
Ms. Armstrong is a fine writer. She knows how to build and hold tension. I kept turning pages just to see what the next trouble was going to be. She is also very good at creating believable characters. While it is hard to believe a five year could wonder off and get bitten by a werewolf she has made it very plausible. I guess, too, with some of the strange things CNN and local news report these days maybe it isn’t so far fetched. I know this may sound strange since the book involves werewolves but I connected with the theme of family that tied all these characters together. Jeremy’s relationship with his father is angry and sad but like so many of us he creates his own family with other pack members and then with the foundling pup, Clayton. Clayton who seemed to know he was better off as a wild child than stay in the scary environment that was his human family becomes the best son Jeremy could have ever hoped for.
Men of the Otherworld                            This book is not without violence or even a little sex but nothing was over the top. There is a part in the story where Clayton decides he has to kill a mutt, (a mutt is a werewolf not in the pack), in a most graphic and awful way in order to protect Jeremy and the pack. It is chilling in its premeditation and my eyes were glued to each page waiting to see what would happen but nothing of the actual act was gratuitous or over the top. Clayton is a psychopath with a heart.
I am looking forward to more books from Kelley Armstrong and her Otherworld.

Reader Interview: Barefoot by Elin Hildebrand is a Summer Story

Welcome to another reader interview.  As chance may have it another friend named Debbie has been chosen as victim, eh, I mean, guest.

Mame:  Hey Deb.  Thanks for taking some time out of your day to talk books with me.

Debbie V.:  Can you untie me now?

Mame:  Ha Ha!  You are such a kidder.  I will untie you when we are done with our little chat, hehehe…. Seriously now, what are you reading these days?

Debbie V.:  Ok, I just finished “Barefoot” by Elin Hildebrand.  It is about these 3 women, 2 of whom are sisters, who are facing a life changing situation or decision.  They decide to go to Nantucket for the summer to get away from the pressures of the everyday and figure out what to do with their lives.  Vicki is a mom of two and has cancer.  Brenda, Vicki’s sister has been fired from her professorship for unethical behavior.  She had an affair with a student even though the student was her age.  Melanie is pregnant and has discovered her husband is cheating on her.  There is a fourth supporting character.  A young man named Josh who is home from school for the summer.  The ladies hire him to be babysitter for the summer.

Mame:  This sounds like classic chick lit. You know sit on the beach or on the sofa with a box of tissues and cry.  How was the read?

DebbieV.:  I enjoyed it.  It is chick lit.  I didn’t cry but it is definitely a beach read.  She really captured Summer.  I could smell the sun tan oil and feel the sand under my feet.  I knew what that beach house looked like.  It took me back to the Jersey Shore when I was a kid.  I wanted to go over to the beach and build a sand castle.

Mame:  It sounds like she makes great word pictures and can set a scene.  How was the story though?  I mean did you enjoy the story of the women?

Debbie V.:  Yeah.  I liked the way she introduced each character with a little blurb and one story triggers another for a different character.  They’re like foils for each other.  These ladies are dealing with some heavy stuff.  Vicki is so tired of being sick but she is afraid of what will happen to her girls if she quits fighting.  Her sister, Brenda wants to be there for her but she is self centered and wallowing in her own tragedy of the demise of her career.  Then there is Melanie. She is struggling over how she might have to raise this long awaited baby without a father and the betrayal of a cheating husband.  Somehow Josh who is just working through growing up and not following his father’s footsteps becomes confidante.

Mame:  This story sounds like it could have happened anytime.  Do you think there was a reason she used Summer as the backdrop?

Debbie V.:  Oh sure.  Life happens.  Summer passing becomes a metaphor for these women’s experience.  Life passes like the seasons.  Summer feels like it will last forever but like everything else it passes away to allow Fall to come. Each woman spends time looking back on her choices and what happened to her life while she was busy.  It made me think about how hard you work for something and then when you finally give up and it happens but something else has to be sacrificed.

Mame:  What would you say was the overriding theme of the book?

Debbie V.:  At first I would say death because Vicki’s cancer is a huge deal but really I think the overriding theme is Letting Go.  Letting go of what you think your life should be.  Letting go of control and maybe you never were in control and it is ok.  And love.  It may not always be wrapped in a pretty little package but in the end the only thing that matters is love. 

Mame:  Wow.  Are you sure this is a beach read?  I think I would want to read this while PMS’ing and eat chocolate.

Debbie V.:  HaHaHa!  I loved the Summer Story aspect of it, being at the beach, playing in the sand.  Reality is serious enough and if I could go back to the beach when I was 12 that’s where I’d want to be.

Mame:  On a scale of 1-10 how fast would you buy another Elin Hildebrand novel.

DebbieV.:  You know…..hmmm…I don’t think I would buy another book by her BUT I would definitely buy another “Summer Story” again.

Mame:  Ok, I get why you would buy another Summer/beach themed book again but I am curious.  You said you liked this book then why not buy another Hildebrand novel.

Debbie V.:  She set a great scene but I never really connected to her characters.  I didn’t really care about them.  I felt like I had read the girlfriends and heartache story before and it had been done better than this.  I wanted a big moment like in “Fire Fly Lane” by Kristin Hannah or a deeper connection like in “Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd.  She just didn’t connect for me.

Mame:  So what I think you are saying is this book didn’t feel personal to the author.  She wasn’t connected to her characters and you felt that absence. 

Debbie V.:  Exactly.

Mame:  Ok, I get you and I loved both of those other books!  Well lunch hour is over and it is time to get back to work.  Thanks for the chat and I will catch you later.

Debbie V.:  You are most welcome.

Mame:  Bye

Debbie V.:  Wait!

Mame:  What?

Debbie V.:  Untie me now.

Mame:  Ooops.  Have a great day Deb!

Debbie V.:  You too.  Now get out of here you nut!

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

Goldens, Angels, Children, Oh My!
What does a golden retriever, down syndrome child and 3 psychotic killers have in common? The answer: Dean Koontz. "The Darkest Evening of the Year" had me on the edge of my seat one moment, thinking about the divine in the next and crying over the cruelty of humans toward other living beings including themselves. With help of the Divine Mr. Koontz tells the story of hope and love that transcends the tragedies of this world.
This story is amazing. I finished it last night and I dreamed of golden retrievers and angels. I could feel the passion of the author for his story. The subjects of child and animal abuse are important to Mr. Koontz. The book was sometimes hard to read, especially when Moon Girl/Vanessa is torturing her unwanted child.
Let me tell you a little bit about the story and then I can get back to raving about what a terrific writer Dean Koontz is.
Amy Redwing is a young woman who was orphaned as a baby and then again as a small child and ended up being raised in an orphanage, Our Mother of Mercy. When she returned to the orphanage the second time after the sudden death of her adoptive parents she was withdrawn, depressed and the nuns feared for her health. One day a stray golden retriever shows up at the orphanage and Amy makes an immediate connection to the animal. She helps the sisters get the dog cleaned and settled and convinces them to keep the dog . She gives the female dog the name Nickie. For the next 10 years or so Amy and Nickie are inseparable and are almost legend amongst the other children. Shortly before Amy goes out on her own Nickie gets sick and dies in her arms.
Fast forward another 10 years and Amy runs Golden Heart, an animal rescue shelter for golden retrievers. One night she gets a call for a rescue and with her boyfriend Brian goes to a house to help a woman save her dog from her abusive husband. In the process Amy rescues not only the dog but the mother and her two children from the drunken, angry, violent man. She also discovers a strange and wonderful connection to the new retriever. Instead of setting the dog up for a “forever home” she adopts the dog herself and you guessed it, names her Nickie.
Brian, the boyfriend, is an up and coming architect with a past of his own which involves a short affair with a beautiful but manipulative girl who is crazy. He gets her pregnant and she demands he signs away his rights to her so the new man in her life, a very wealthy but sterile businessman, can adopt the child. At first he is relieved to not be burdened with a baby but as the birth approaches he realizes that it wouldn't be right to not be there for his child. When the baby is born and discovered to have down syndrome the businessman drops her like a rotten potato. Even though Brian tells Vanessa he would be more than happy to take on the burden of the baby girl, crazy girl makes it her mission for the next ten years to torture both Brian and the baby.
Both Amy’s and Brian’s stories are deeper and more horrible than my short blurb can say. These separate and unrelated pasts converge into one very long evening in a violent confrontation. I will tell you the good beats out evil but the question you have to ask is, at what cost?

Dean Koontz is, in my opinion, an extraordinary author. His ability to create horrible situations and not only make them feel real but to make me, the reader, feel such compassion and empathy for the characters is equaled only by Stephen King.
I couldn’t put this story down. I was at times smiling, other times grossed out and angry. Mr. Koontz made me feel. I didn’t just read the emotions of the characters, I felt them. I was pulling for the good guys and I wanted the bad guys hurt, in the words of Vanessa, “Hurt Hard”. "The Darkest Evening of the Years" is 5 stars, 2 thumbs up and an angel on top good.

The adjoining picture is of Dean and his Golden, Trixie.