Jennifer Lane Books

Compelling Love-Hate Relationship

I love sport romances, and Game On by Kyra Lennon is one of the best. I met characters Leah Walker and Radleigh McCoy during the A to Z Blog Challenge, when Kyra posted vignettes written by them. Then I was intrigued, and now I'm happy I know these characters better.

Leah is a physiotherapist who has fled her past of bar hopping and one night stands in small town England to accept an exciting job with a Major League Soccer team in Los Angeles.

The best player on the team, Radleigh, is a womanizing cad. He really irritates Leah (hmm, is this hate-hate or love-hate?) and she's one of the only people who dishes it right back to him.

"Your dad was a soccer player too, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, and my grandfather too. One day I'd like to have a son following in my footsteps."
"After all the woman you've slept with, you might already have a whole soccer team you don't even know about."

Ouch! One thing I like about this story is that Kyra never leaves the characters stewing for long with conflict or misunderstanding. Here Leah takes a small step toward detente with her unplanned confession:

"A quickie in some groupie's hotel room might satisfy you," I snapped, "but that's not my thing."
"How do you know if you've never tried it?"
"I have! It made me feel cheap and dirty, and that's why I don't do it anymore!"
He stared at me in surprise. He'd been trying to get under my skin, he hadn't expected me to confess the sins of my past.

Leah is quite a likable character due to her spunk and humor. I cracked up when she has this conversation with her bff Freya:

"Was I even right?" she asked, dryly.
"About what?"
"Did he call out his own name when he reached orgasm?"

Leah starts dating one of the coaches, Miguel, who's kind and handsome. But she never really stops thinking about Radleigh. When Radleigh suffers a bad concussion, Leah feels strangely worried about him.

This was a fun and playful romance until Radleigh shows a deep perception of who Leah really is, increasing the emotional intensity of the story.

"I've seen it a thousand times before and you're no exception, Leah. You're feisty, and independent. I'm sure Miguel was very nice and all, but he wasn't right for you. You need someone who challenges and excites you."

At this point Leah (and the reader) start to see Radleigh in a different light, and I was fascinated by the development of his character (Leah's too).

The chapter titles were fun, like "Chapter 6: There's a Teenager Inside Every Man"...amen! I did notice a few inaccuracies, like calling the team's athletic trainers "medics" (I'm guessing that's what they're called in England?) and a little confusion about flying across time zones in America, but these were very minor.

This was an excellent read and I'm hoping this will start a series exploring some of the side romances in this novel. Great job, Kyra!

Dez for Prez!

What a unique YA story that crosses many genres, including steampunk, fantasy, dystopian, and romance.

It's the year 2040, and Destiny (Dez) Harkley is a sixteen year-old descendent of an ancient Egyptian shape-shifters -- the Kythan. She's quite a likable character with just the right mix of spunk and vulnerability. As a competing race of shape-shifters (the Narcos--great name) encroach upon her world, she has to decide to stay with the old or go with the new (or maybe she can have both?) Her cool blue-eyed friend Jace represents the familiar Kythan, and red-eyed hothead Reese represents the Narcos.

This was my first steampunk novel and I found the gas lanterns, corsets, and steam-powered vehicles to be an interesting world. It seems reasonable to me that aspects of the past re-emerge in the future--just look at Dexter topsiders coming back into fashion!

I like Dez's best friends being a set of triplets: Lana (her best friend), Jace (the afore-mentioned blue-eyed cutie-pie), and Nick. Nick sometimes seems superfluous though and I wondered why he was in the story.

It's a wow moment when Trisha Wolfe provides a clue about Dez's secret past:

Staring back at me from the mirror was one glowing, violet eye -- the color I tried so desperately to conceal.

Holy cow! Perfect set up.

Jace thinks Reese is bad news and tries to protect Dez from this interloper. But Reese has an allure of all his own. He even meditates!

"I honestly didn't take you for the meditating type." My lips twitched into a small smile. "Narcos are supposed to be all hot tempered, not yoga masters."
"Stereotype. We ARE pretty hot, though." Reese grinned. "Now focus. Close your eyes. Hear the river and clear your thoughts."

Do you like love triangles? If done well, they can add to the story, and I think Trisha Wolfe did a masterful job of making me fall for both heroes. Jace is a childhood friend but Reese has a deep understanding of Dez due to their hidden histories. I enjoyed how my feelings changed for each throughout the story.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I gnawed the inside of my lip and wondered why everything with guys was so complicated.

Amen. ;-)

This is a well-written and engaging story. Excellent job, Trish!

Book #5 in the Black Ops, Inc. series was good but not great for me. Not every book can be a 5 star read, right? I think I'll take a little break before I hit #6 and #7. While I love the authenticity and action of this romantic suspense series, the characterization has become slightly stale, particularly when the romantic leads repeatedly gush over each other in their minds. I get that each BOI warrior has integrity and courage, and each woman he's paired with is beautiful and strong. I think I'd like more variety in that formula. However, I do applaud Ms. Gerard for the unique plot she develops for each book.

The hero of Risk No Secrets is Wyatt Savage (great name!), a compact Southern boy who likes to call women "sugar". Back when he was training for the CIA, he had the hots for his Spanish instructor, Sophie Baylor. Unfortunately, his handsome buddy Hugh also found Sophie "caliente". When Hugh married Sophie, Wyatt played the loyal friend and tried to support them both. But he never stopped holding the candle for Sophie.

Fast forward over twelve years, and Sophie's now a teacher in El Salvador. Similar to the BOIs, Hugh became a gun for hire after retiring from the CIA. Unlike the sweet, loving BOIs, Hugh has grown cold and dark from the work. Sophie wanted to adopt a daughter and Hugh didn't, increasing their conflict and leading to divorce. When a kidnapping attempt puts Sophie's daughter in danger and she can't find Hugh, she calls Wyatt.

Of course Wyatt comes to help, bringing his BOI entourage. They go about the frustrating business of tracking down the kidnapped girl, but keep coming upon dead ends. I thought the story picked up with the arrival of Hugh. Sophie's suddenly embroiled in a love triangle.

Warriors, she thought, and felt her heart swell with pride. Pride for the man Wyatt was. Pride, even, in Hugh, because he'd apparently dug deep and found that part of himself she'd once respected and admired.
These men had been friends once. Brothers. And no matter that she and Hugh had gone separate ways, she had never wanted to come between them.

We're blessed with a little Johnny and Crystal Reed to lighten things up.

"I know a way that you could make me smile." Johnny tilted his head and grinned his best come-hither grin.
Crystal's fingers continued to fly over the computer keys. "That's because you're easy."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Sidenote: I'm curious how one could use the word oenophylgia in a Scrabble game. How do you create an 11 letter word like that with 7 tiles? Also, remind me never to visit El Salvador. I'm not a big fan of humidity and it sounds hellishly hot down there!

Anywho, Cindy Gerard is a fantastic author and I'm very glad Buggy has recommended this series to me. I definitely recommend it!

I continue to enjoy this series. I loved the first book for all the funny banter between Ana and Christian, and the draw of the second book is learning more about Christian's background. I have a thing for wounded heroes, and he's one of the best. Fifty Shades Darker is also interesting due to the deeper exploration of their relationship, with its peaks and valleys, negotiation, and character development.

One thing I love about this romance is how much both characters influence each other in a positive direction. Ana stands strong many times, and she's appropriately appalled when Christian buys the publishing company where she works. (I know others think this is stalkerish but for some reason this made me laugh. Boys and their toys!) We do learn Christian has some legitimate concerns about her boss.

Here Ana won't back down when Christian doesn't want her to go to work due to one of his crazy ex-subs threatening their safety:

His mouth presses into a grim line, as I place my hands on my hips. I am not budging on this. Who the f*ck does he think he is?
"I don't want you going to work."
"It's not up to you, Christian. This is not your decision to make."

I was pleased when they find a compromise. That's what couples need to do when there's disagreement.

And when Christian fights his fear to let Ana touch him? Those scenes made me well up in tears. Ana is the perfect person to help Christian overcome his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Much better than the quack Dr. Flynn, who doesn't even name the correct diagnosis for Christian:

"Of course, there are obstacles--Christian's haphephobia, for one."
His what? I gasp.
"I'm sorry. I mean his fear of being touched...He has a morbid self-abhorrence. I'm sure that comes as no surprise to you. And of course there's the parasomnia...um -- night terrors, sorry, to the layperson."

Uh, Dr. Flynn, Christian fears being touched because it triggers a re-experiencing of the trauma from his childhood, and he wants to avoid any reminders of the trauma. Nightmares are another symptom of re-experiencing. A clear case of PTSD.

It's no wonder Dr. Flynn admits "Ana, in the very limited time that you've known him, you've made more progress with my patient than I have in the last two years."

Doy! It would help to start with a proper diagnosis, Dr. Flynn!

The ending is a great way to keep the reader interested. But the "inner goddess" stuff was starting to get on my nerves so I think I'll take a little break before book three--there are a lot of awesome novels by fellow authors I can't wait to get to first.

This book shocked me. After reading snippets of approximately 1,000 reviews, I was convinced I'd hate 50 Shades. The feminist in me recoiled from claims that Christian was abusive and controlling, and from comments that spineless Ana had no choice in submitting to an abusive relationship. The author in me rolled her eyes (*watches for twitchy palms*) when E.L. James introduced Ana's subconscious and inner goddess, along with her repetitive "Double crap!" and "Holy crap!"s.

But instead of hating 50 Shades, I loved it!

Instead of Christian being abusive, he's the abused.

Instead of Ana being spineless, she's spunky and smart.

Instead of poor writing, I found a compelling, realistic story with fantastic characterization, wonderful humor, and emotional depth.

Jumping into any romantic relationship can feel like a huge risk for anyone. But that risk intensifies for both Ana and Christian in this story. Ana has to dive into the uncertainty and discomfort of an abhorrent lifestyle in order to be with the man she loves. Christian has to face demons from the past when all he wants to do is avoid ever thinking about childhood traumas. Here Ana ponders her exquisite conflict:

What if I do say yes, and in three months' time he says no, he's had enough of trying to mold me into something I'm not? How will I feel? I'll have emotionally invested three months, doing things that I'm not sure I want to do. And if he then says no...how could I cope with that rejection? Perhaps it's best to back away now with what self-esteem I have reasonably intact.
But the thought of not seeing him again is agonizing. How has he gotten under my skin so quickly?

Ana pushes Christian like no woman can, using humor to prod him to examine long-held beliefs:

"I don't remember reading about nipple clamps in the Bible. Perhaps you were taught from a modern translation."

And his humor warms her up to try new things:

"I want you to become well acquainted, on first name terms if you will, with my favorite and most cherished part of my body. I'm very attached to this."

My favorite part of the novel was the emails between Ana and Christian. They are brilliant and funny and revealing.

Ana: Have you sought therapy for your stalker tendencies?
Christian: I pay the eminent Dr. Flynn a small fortune with regard to my stalker and other tendencies.
Ana: May I humbly suggest you seek a second opinion? I am not sure that Dr. Flynn is very effective.

(I have to agree with Ana on this one! How many years has Christian been in therapy? It doesn't seem like he's making swift progress recovering from PTSD, though I still haven't discovered the details of the horrors he sustained as a little boy. *gulps*)

C: Anastasia, "Weirding" is not a verb and should not be used by anyone who wants to go into publishing.
A: Dear sir, Language evolves and moves on. It is an organic thing. It is not stuck in an ivory tower, hung with expensive works of art and overlooking most of Seattle with a helipad stuck on its roof.

I'm learning from books like Kasi Alexander's Becoming sage that there's a whole lotta discussing and talking and compromising that goes on in a power exchange, and I loved how much that discussion revealed these two characters.

Regarding the writing style, I found it very accessible and fun--it kept me turning the pages. I found myself less annoyed with the whole inner goddess bit by going back to Freud. To me, Ana's subconscious was her "superego" (overseer of morals) and her inner goddess was her "id" (impulsive and hedonistic).

The ending made me bawl and I will DEFINITELY be reading book two, Fifty Shades Darker

And now, I'm off to read 1,000 more reviews!

I'm conflicted in my feelings for this series. Sometimes I love the main character Tris, the fascinating world-building, and the romance...and sometimes I feel angry and confused about Tris's stupid choices and the over-complexity of the story. I also feel dissatisfied that this story could be brilliant but it's missing something. I'm not fully invested in these characters and I'm not sure why.

It's been a while since I had read Divergent and at times I was confused by the plentiful characters, especially Tris's fellow Dauntless initiates. I was also confused by the book's ending and have some questions about that.

I absolutely love the stuff with the brain and simulations. My inner psychologist nerd clapped with glee when the Erudite give Tris an MRI, then discuss her huge prefrontal cortex and tiny orbitofrontal cortex. So cool! I know the orbitofrontal cortex is implicated in drug addiction so I'm wondering if Tris would be less likely to succumb to drug addiction, just like she is less affected by simulations. I hadn't heard much about "mirror neurons" so at first I thought the author had made them up but it appears they might be real.

The plot is interesting though a little hard to follow. I wanted a bit more emphasis on characterization. There are some sweet moments between Tris and Tobias:

"Sometimes," Tobias says, sliding his arm across my shoulders, "people just want to be happy, even if it's not real."
He's right. Even now, this peace between us comes from not talking about things--about Will, or my parents... But I do not dare to disturb it with the truth, because I am too busy clinging to it for support.
"You might be right," I say quietly.
"Are you CONCEDING?" he says, his mouth falling open with mock surprise. "Seems like that serum did you some good after all..."
I shove him as hard as I can. "Take that back. Take it back now."
"Okay, okay!" He puts up his hands. "It's just...I'm not very nice either, you know. That's why I like you so--"
"Out!" I shout, pointing at the door.
Laughing to himself, Tobias kisses my cheek and leaves the room.

I wish they had more moments like this. Instead, I'm left thinking Tris doesn't deserve a boy like Tobias due to her lack of communication and complete disregard for herself. I definitely nodded when he tells her:

"If you throw yourself into danger for no reason again, you will have become nothing more than a Dauntless adrenaline junkie looking for a hit, and I'm not going to help you do it."

Yeah! (Too bad he has trouble keeping his word).

I also didn't like Tris at the end. Siding with Tobias's enemy Marcus? That's a low blow. How does she know it's better to pursue the "truth" outside the fence than stay with the man she loves to take out Jeanine? I agree it's not smart to wipe out an entire faction but why doesn't Tris discuss this more with Tobias? I also wasn't quite sure I understood what was going on "outside the fence." Was there so much war and destruction that Americans created a test society with 5 factions to see how they got along? Was the woman in the video (Edith Prior) Tris's grandmother? (I can't remember the name of Tris's mother).

Overall it's an interesting series and I'm definitely reading book three. I hope the romance picks up and both characters develop more as the series continues.

I wish I could transport back in time to 1758 to meet these brave, rugged, loyal Scots known as the MacKinnon brothers. Oldest bro Iain impressed me with his integrity and sexiness in Surrender, but middle bro Morgan wooed me even more in this novel. And I can't wait to read youngest bro Connor's story in Defiant, which I hear might be the best yet!

What a great plot. The prologue occurs at Fort Ticonderoga, a French stronghold. Amalie, a sweet teenager of mixed French and Abenaki Indian heritage, mourns the death of her father at the hands of the dreaded MacKinnon brothers (who are forced to fight for the British king they despise).

Flash forward over a year later and the British try to take down the fort again, and again they fail. This time the middle brother Morgan gets wounded and left behind. He's shackled to a table *fans self* and barely survives his bullet wounds. Nursing him back to health is--you guessed it--Amalie. If Morgan doesn't betray his brothers and his unit, he will be beaten and turned over to the dreaded Abenaki to be burned to death.

I love stories about star-crossed lovers, and this is one of the best. Of course Amalie at first hates Morgan, blaming him and his men for her father's death. But his gentle kindness and self-sacrifice slowly eat away at her resolve.

I believe French is such a beautiful language, and Amalie is adorable when she inserts little sayings into her monologue.

"Then you wish to marry?" Morgan's voice was deep and as smooth as midnight.
Overwhelmed by him, Amalie stammered. "I-I thought I did, until..."
"Until what?"
She felt heat rush into her cheeks and knew she was trapped, cornered by her own words. "Until Rillieux kissed me. Now, I...I'm not sure I want a husband. I do not think I would find happiness in being a wife."
His eyes narrowed, his gaze upon her as if he were studying her, a grin tugging at his lips. "There's one wee kinch to your thinkin'. What Rillieux did to you--that wasna truly a kiss."
"It...it wasn't?"
"Nay, it wasna." He reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and--mon Dieu!--she knew what he meant to do. "THIS is a kiss."

French also divides them when Morgan pretends not to understand the language in an effort to spy on the French soldiers. Amalie won't be too happy if she learns he's lied.

The romance is sweet and sizzling, and I found this novel to be a total page-turner. Thank you for yet another awesome story, Pamela Clare! You're quickly becoming my favorite author.

"Fatal Attraction of the 21st Century"

...only I'm not sure who plays the role of the psycho Glenn Close character -- the wife Amy or the husband Nick?

Gone Girl is a fascinating read, an emotional rollercoaster featuring two "whackos" (thanks for that apt description, AnneOK) who have the misfortune of marrying each other. Nick is a magazine writer from Missouri who feels guilty for his charming good looks. Amy is also a writer, a beautiful blonde, and the daughter of two psychologists (the poor thing -- she's definitely screwed for life with parents like that!)

Nick and Amy meet in NYC and fall in love with each other...or who they think is each other. When they both lose their jobs in the recession, they move to Nick's small Missouri hometown. Amy hates it there, and Nick isn't loving life either. When Amy suddenly goes missing, is Nick to blame? Did he murder his wife?

I love how the author manipulated my emotions so well. First I liked Nick. Then I hated Nick. Then I hated Amy. Then I thought they were both nutjobs who deserved each other!

The author's voice is fun and snarky. Here Nick watches Amy cook him breakfast the morning after they have a blow-out argument:

When she spied me lurking there in grubby boxers, my hair in full Heat Miser spike, she leaned against the kitchen counter and said, “Well, hello, handsome.”

New Yorker Amy is so disdainful of small town Missouri.

Yep, I have gone cold turkey off all things East Coast and I have earned my thirty-day chip (here it would be a potato chip).

Then Amy describes her neighbor Noelle, and I cringe from the spot-on snide remarks about my Midwestern home:

The Midwest is full of these types of people: the nice-enoughs. Nice enough but with a soul made of plastic--easy to mold, easy to wipe down. The woman’s entire music collection is formed from Pottery Barn compilations. Her bookshelves are stocked with coffee-table crap: The Irish in America, Mizzou Football: A History in Pictures, We Remember 9/11, Something Dumb with Kittens.

Amy's character is simultaneously scintillating and scary. Her cognitive intelligence is stellar (thanks for that insight, Mitzi) but her emotional intelligence is abysmal. I think she might meet criteria for both Borderline Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder. When she catches Nick doing something naughty, she sizzles with a revenge plan.

I had a new persona, not of my choosing. I was Average Dumb Woman Married to Average Shitty Man. He had single-handedly de-amazed Amazing Amy.

Nick's got his own issues. I diagnose him with Narcissistic Personality Disorder!

This novel takes a while to build up to the drama and suspense, but it's well worth it. All the background and characterization of the first 200 pages is likely necessary to manipulate the reader's emotions so well.

Recommended for: single people who want validation for never marrying, and married/partnered people who want to feel good about their marriage by comparison.

I felt the heat! And the emotion. I'm really enjoying the Black Ops series by Cindy Gerard (thanks for the recommendation, Buggy!) Each setting and story is unique and compelling.

This time the main character is a woman (BJ) so hurt by the past that she's terrified of falling in love. Typically that's a role reserved for a man, and it was refreshing to read this gender twist. BJ works as a U.S. Defense Intelligence officer whose sting gets interrupted by a group of BOIs. Quite an auspicious meeting between BJ and the hero.

Of course the hero has his own issues (yay!) Raphael Mendoza, the Latin lover of the BOI bunch, has a mysterious family history in Columbia (which happens to come into play in the plot).

I was impressed by the realistic portrayal of dysfunction in BJ's alcoholic mother. What a bleak family story. Without parents who ever seemed to care for her, no wonder BJ feels like damaged goods.

BJ's character made me quite emotional. The countless number of times she rejects Raphael could totally frustrate the reader, but instead of frustration I felt sympathy for her. Here's a woman who has no problem gunning down the enemy, but put her in the arms of a man who loves her? The fight or flight syndrome kicks in big time.

As he wiped at the blood, she didn't say a word but she didn't pull away either. She just looked up at him with those big blue eyes full of something that could have been challenge, could have been annoyance...or, he realized, could have been bafflement over the fact that he was taking care of her.
That was it, he realized. She wasn't used to having anyone take care of her or sticking tight when she'd done her damndest to warn him away. He guessed he shouldn't have been surprised by that. This one would chew her own arm off before she'd ask anyone to help her out of a bear trap.

How incredibly sad!

Yet there's more to BJ than sadness. She's also competent at her job, like when she needs to play a blond floozy hanging off Rafe's arm when they go undercover in Columbia.

The Munozes tried to hide it, but they were clearly appalled by her brash manner.
"Why aren't they saying anything?" she added in a stage whisper that could have been heard in Cambodia.

I was also impressed by the terrorist plot to unleash a special bomb that would knock out a huge power grid and disable the American economy. Cindy Gerard spoke about her intricate research for these novels at the Romantic Times convention I attended, and I'm a believer!

The little character mysteries about BJ's name and Rafe's tattoo keep the story fun, as well as the insulting banter between the boys. I thought the side romance between Stephanie Thompkins and one of the BOI's was interesting but not as well-developed or emotional as it could have been.

I think I only have three more novels left in this series *cries* and I can't wait to read them!

I'm happy to be a stop on the blog tour for Swimming Out of Water by Catherine Garceau. Thank you to Babs from Babs Book Bistro for hosting the tour! Check out my review on my blog http://jenniferlanebooks.blogspot.com/2012/08/swimming-out-of-water-blog-tour.html

I truly enjoyed this memoir by synchronized swimming Olympic medalist Catherine Garceau. She struggled with eating disorders, crises of faith, and countless disappointments to represent Team Canada at the 2000 Sydney Games. Although I was a speed swimmer and utterly graceless in the water, I have done psychotherapy with athletes with eating disorders, so this memoir intrigued me.

It's an interesting format for a memoir, flashing back to the past from a perilous present. Catherine decides to take one last hike before leaving Las Vegas, where she's been working in a Cirque du Soleil type water show after retiring from swimming. Unfortunately, she hops down a mountain ledge only to find she's stuck there, with no one to help and no water or food. Perched on the ledge, she scribbles in her journal, and these memories and bits of wisdom form the bulk of her story.

As a seven year old, French-Canadian Catherine started competitive swimming, and soon after began synchronized swimming (two vastly different sports -- speed swimming is like track whereas synchronized swimming is like gymnastics underwater). At age eleven she had to choose to "synch or swim" and she chose synchronized swimming. Later she questions that choice:

Throughout my years in competition, especially when I cried more than I laughed in the sport I had chosen as my vocation, I imagined what my life would have been like if I had remained a speed swimmer and continued accumulating accolades in backstroke.

I admit I wondered what that would be like for Catherine as well. As a judged sport, synchronized swimming is brutal in its politics. Speed swimming is simply about who gets her hand on the wall first. But Catherine obviously made the best of her choice, winning an Olympic medal and more importantly discovering some important life lessons like:

Today, when I catch myself feeling down, discouraged with my progress, or judgmental of others, I bring compassion to the situation and choose to move forward with love. I’ve come to accept that if I do lose myself in negativity for a while, it’s probably Life asking me to walk through another tunnel in order to see the Light. This involves choosing to feel and release the arising emotions instead of avoiding them with exercise or food. And in the event that I succumb to old habits of eating instead of feeling, I remind myself that the journey towards emotional freedom and the acceptance of imperfections is always unfolding.

Compassion for self and others is key. I also agree that eating disorders and other addictive behaviors develop when we don't cope with our feelings effectively.

When Catherine sees a sport psychologist, she works hard to manage feelings better:

Learning how to deal with my struggles was a journey of balancing outside support with my own work of getting to know myself -- and getting to know how I was wired to think. I read inspiring books, I wrote in a journal, I reflected on my feelings, and I learned to recognize my negative tendencies. The process took much dedication and sometimes made me feel hopeless.

Sounds quite realistic as a therapy experience. At one point Catherine goes swimming with dolphins -- this is definitely on my bucket list! I wasn't aware that dolphins have unique healing abilities.

Catherine claims that chlorine can be damaging to those who are most sensitive to its effects. I've been around chlorine all my life and haven't had negative physical consequences other than bouts of bronchitis each swim season, so at first I was a bit skeptical. But she argues that some are more susceptible than others, and I can buy that. Catherine does share interesting findings about the "brain" in our gut, and how food can have a strong impact on mood and physiology.

Like many athletes, Catherine struggles when she retires from synchronized swimming. There's no structure, no urgency, no beta-endorphin high. Athletes suffering from eating disorders have it doubly hard upon retirement due to the fear of weight gain. She talks about the personalities that take over during binge eating episodes -- Miss Sweet Eater, Mr. Car Eater, Forget-All-Rules Eater...reminding me of the fantastic book Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too. Luckily Catherine also gets to know Ms. Nurture-U as she learns to eat more wholesome and organic foods.

At first the writing style seemed stilted, but when I learned that English is Catherine's second language, it made more sense. I loved all the quotes and references she includes.

My favorite part of Catherine's story is how she uses heartache and struggle to teach her optimism and strength.

Clearly, moments of despair are catalysts for profound change and action.

Amen!

I'll leave you with a video of Team Canada's medal performance at the 2000 Olympics, honoring different Olympic sports. Check out their awesome representation of rowing and cycling!

http://www.youtube.com/v/tHtofBD-Bks?version=3&hl=en_US

What a shock--another 5 star review for a Pamela Clare novel! Here I thought she couldn't top her romantic suspense I-Team series but she comes damn close with this first novel in her historical romance series MacKinnon's Rangers. I know the series' third novel, [b:Defiant|357642|The Defiant Hero (Troubleshooters, #2)|Suzanne Brockmann|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320537350s/357642.jpg|618371], just came out, and I can't wait to catch up.

Surrender features Iain MacKinnon--the oldest of three Scot brothers, and Anne Campbell--a Scot aristocrat who was forsaken by her uncle. Both Iain and Annie were accused of crimes they didn't commit, and are now paying the consequences. The despicable Lord Wentworth has forced Iain and his brothers to fight for England in the French and Indian War. And after her uncle accused Annie of theft, she has to sail to the new world as an indentured servant.

Iain and Annie meet in the wilds of 1758 America. Indians have just attacked Annie's masters and she's about to be defiled and scalped when Iain rushes in to rescue her. Problem is, Iain's heroic efforts to see Annie to safety completely contradict his orders, and it's not pretty when soldiers disobey their English superiors.

Complicating Iain's plight is his strong attraction to the virgin Annie, who hides her criminal status from him. She's just as infatuated with her strong tattooed rescuer, with his barbarian exterior but loving and gentle character.

Pamela sure does know how to write hot romance, as seen through Annie's inexperienced eyes:

When next she looked up, she found his eyes squeezed shut and his head turned to the side, exposing the corded muscles of his neck. One strong arm was thrown above his head, his fist clenched. His hair had fanned out across the dark bearskin, like the black of a raven's wing against the night sky.

There's also a fair bit of humor, like when Iain deflowers Annie:

"Holy Mary!" Morgan glared at Iain in disgust. "When McHugh told me you'd given the order not to be disturbed, I thought you'd gone to comfort her. What did you do?"
Iain looked at his brothers. "We need a priest."

Lord Wentworth is difficult to figure out, and I like his complexity. He acts like a cold bastard most of the time but then there are glimpses of humanity, and I'm eager to see what Ms. Clare has in store for his character in the next two books.

I've read every book in Diana Gabaldon's [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1304187141s/10964.jpg|2489796] series, and I found myself comparing this story to those wonderful novels. Similarities include the Scottish brogue, a military Scot hero full of integrity paired with a sassy English sympathizer heroine nurse, prison scenes, and a hated English lord who lashes the Scot hero mercilessly. Though I love Jamie Fraser from Outlander, I appreciate the sharper focus of this shorter novel. I'll say more about the comparisons once I've read more of this series.

This is a page-turner that's thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended!

Iran Has a Nuclear Bomb!

The Last Refuge is a political thriller spanning from the US to Iran. The plot is intricate, plausible, and gripping. This is my first read by author Ben Coe but it won't be my last.

The story revolves around two men: Dewey Andreas, former US military, and Kohl Meir, Israeli special forces commander. Dewey is the whole package--hard, intelligent, and competent. Kohl, the grandson of Golda Meir, helped saved Dewey's life once. Now, Kohl's the one with his life on the chopping block, and only Dewey to save him.

Iranians kidnap Kohl in the US and secret him away to an Iranian prison, where they torture him with methods that will make your skin crawl. When the CIA finds out, they're furious:

"What is it with these f-ing Iranians and their hostages?" asked Calibrisi. "It's like an industry over there. It's the only thing they're good at."

Though humorous, that comment made me wonder if the author would paint all Iranians in a negative light. Then he describes the Iranian president's maniacal smile (that) crept like a small garter snake across his lips and my concern increased (great description, though!). But I liked how the author then makes a point that there are good men and women in every country despite the malfeasance of their leaders.

Dewey Andreas is so confident that he views any threat as a fun challenge. Upon learning that a needed weapons dealer is the same man who almost got him killed, Dewey actually grins. You can almost hear him say, "Bring it on." It's a good thing he's so feisty because he has to rescue Kohl from an impenetrable prison all the while a nuclear bomb sits hidden deep in Iran, waiting to blast Tel Aviv into oblivion. The pressure's on!

Dewey also has a keen sense of humor. I love what he writes to replace "Goodbye, Tel Aviv" on the bomb.

While the plot is A+, the characterization was a bit lacking for me. I was invested in Kohl's future but Dewey wasn't as easy to connect with for me. However, I haven't read the first two novels in this series, AND the suspense/thriller novels I read have more romance in them, so take this criticism with a grain of desert sand.

I'm in awe of the painstaking research this novel must have taken. Fans of political thrillers will love this taut, suspenseful story!

(I received an ARC from the publisher for a fair review.)

Adam is a Shooting Star

Thank you to Smash for recommending this series! While I really liked If I Stay, I LOVED Where She Went. Adam is one of the best male characters I've read, and the author made an excellent decision to write the story from his point of view.

*This review is spoilerish so if you haven't read If I Stay, you should stop now.*

Adam Wilde is a 21 year-old rock star sensation, living out his dream of becoming a wildly successful musician. However, he's jaded and morose. His fame and money mean nothing to him because he's missing the most important part of his life: Mia.

Three years ago, Mia let their relationship end without a word why. Granted, she was messed up after losing her family in a horrible car crash, but I was angry with her for never providing an explanation to Adam. He was gutted after losing her family AND her. After holing up in his parents' basement for months, he wrote a heartbreaking CD for his band, which elevated Shooting Star to the stratosphere (think Britney Spears fame).

What's your favorite breakup CD? I'm partial to Chris Isaak's Forever Blue, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, and of course Adele's 21. Adam's lyrics were my favorite part of the story. Gorgeous and devastating all at once:

I'll be your mess, you be mine
That was the deal that we had signed
I bought a hazmat suit to clean up your waste
Gas masks, gloves, to keep us safe
But now I'm alone in an empty room
Staring down immaculate doom

and

There's a piece of lead where my heart should be
Doctor said too dangerous to take out
You'd better just leave it be
Body grew back around it, a miracle, praise be,
Now, if only I could get through airport security

I want to buy this CD Collateral Damage!

Some of my favorite psychotherapy clients are young adult/new adult men because they try so damn hard to be tough and strong but they have vulnerabilities just like the rest of us. It can be immensely cathartic for them to express those feelings, and this novel is like one big therapy session for Adam. Adam is so sweet--I just want to hug him--especially when he thinks things like this:

Mia's grandfather just looked at me in that quiet sad way that made me inexplicably want to kneel at the foot of his chair and put my head in his lap.

*sobs* You'll make it Adam, hang in there!

This book is a tearjerker but in a touching, satisfying way. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Buggy for recommending this series! Whisper No Lies is the third book in the Black Ops romantic suspense series, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Though she doesn't look like your typical security agent, showty Crystal works for a casino in Las Vegas. She's a red-haired, green-eyed firecracker who doesn't take anyone's shit. She's best friend to Abbie, the heroine of Take No Prisoners, and met Black Ops team member Johnny Duane Reed while helping Abbie out of a tight spot in book #2.

Reed is a tall, lean, blond cowboy with an easy grin and a long list of female conquests. He's a love-'em-and-leave-'em type which makes Crystal quite wary, justifiably so.

Crystal and Reed are wonderful characters with intense interactions. Their chemistry is crackling with conflict and connection. When the conflict between them eventually smolders into a slow burn, any harsh word or avoided eye contact can reignite the fight. Not surprisingly, the sex between them is amazing. But both begin to wonder...is this more than sex? The idea of a relationship terrifies Reed, whose self-esteem is in the toilet thanks to an abusive father.

I love Cindy Gerard's little one-liners, like:

"Damn, woman," Reed muttered, then walked inside the room and shut the door. He dropped down on his back on the bed, angrily folded his hands behind his head. "Thinks she's James freaking Bond."

This was why he'd always shied away from intelligent women. They were just too...intelligent.

She watched him move about the room, gathering his things, all buff and beautiful and capable and thought, So help me god, if he lets me down, I'm going to slit my wrists--right after I cut off his dangly parts."

This novel tackles the horrifying crime of human sex trafficking in a realistic manner. As a psychologist, I have worked with survivors of sexual abuse and this story makes me want to help these individuals even more. I wish Reed's background had a little more depth, but overall this is a wonderful story.

If you're a romantic suspense fan and haven't started this series, get on it!

Thank you to Karla and Lady Jayne for recommending this book to me! I was definitely enthralled by the psychological mystery of the Watkins family.

Julie is about to start her freshman year at a small college in Boston. She's from Ohio (like me!) and is a bit overwhelmed by the move, particularly when she discovers the apartment her mother helped her find doesn't exist.

"I'm at the correct address. The taxi driver assured me I was in the right place. But my supposed apartment building is a burrito restaurant."
"Burritos! Holy mother of God!" her mother said.
"I know. Burritos are always alarming." Julie looked around, totally unsure what she should do next.

If you think Julie's sense of humor is quirky, just wait until you meet the Watkins family. Julie's mother asks her old college roommate Erin Watkins--now a professor at Harvard--to house Julie until she can find another apartment. Appearing to fulfill the role of absentminded professor, Erin lives with her husband and two children. Matthew is an uber-smart junior at MIT and Celeste is a precocious 13 year-old. The oldest son, Finn, is away traveling the world.

Everything sounds pretty normal so far, right?

There's just one thing. Celeste is obsessed with a life-size cardboard cutout of her absent brother, which she's named "Flat Finn". She takes Flat Finn with her wherever she goes (except for school), and panics if he's not nearby. Hence the adorable title of the novel.

"We have to show Flat Finn that photo of you in the red dress," Celeste said. "He is going to love it! And the one of you at graduation. You look so happy getting your diploma."
Celeste pushed the blanket aside and retrieved the cardboard cutout of her brother that she'd left by the piano.
Celeste entered the room carrying the cutout in front of her, eerily giving the impression that Flat Finn was able to glide around by himself. She stood him next to the coffee table near Julie and adjusted the panels by his feet that kept him standing, struggling to make him balance on the thick rug.
"Come on, Flat Finn!" she muttered, the wavering figure looming over her. She looked up to his head, her blond curls falling off her face and revealing the determination in her eyes. "Please!" she said with agitation. "You have to help out."

Riiiiiiiight. Julie kindly goes along with this weirdness but experiences her own determination to figure out what the heck is going on in this family, especially when she tells her psychology professor about Flat Finn and the professor hints that the family might have endured a trauma.

Julie follows Finn on Facebook, beginning their witty repartee. I loved reading their Facebook instant messages. The inclusion of Facebook status updates for Finn, Matthew, and Julie was a great idea, though most of the time I didn't quite get the humor. Sometimes I felt like a bit of an outsider in this intellectual world, trying to keep up with the cool kids and their big vocabularies (which probably would've happened to me in real life had I attended Yale instead of a small college in Ohio). I did enjoy this update by 13 year-old Celeste when she jumps in the Facebook status game:

Celeste Watkins thinks the expression should be, "Free to be you OR me," because "Free to be you AND me" makes one think of dissociative identity disorder.

That's some GREAT psychology humor right there!

While the family mystery kept me turning the pages, I felt let down upon the unveiling of the secret. It seemed the story lost a little of its allure there, for me. But I think the author did a fantastic job of writing realistic emotions and behaviors of a family that's simply trying to find its way back from trauma.

Overall the writing is EXCELLENT and I'm definitely interested in reading more from Jessica Park!

This may be my first Harlequin romance I've ever read, and I'll definitely be back for more. This author will also be one I'll check out further. I can't remember if a Goodreads friend recommended this or I was drawn in by the cover.

The heroine Marissa is a psychologist, and the hero Danny is a Naval officer. I'm a psychologist and I have a THING for men in uniform, so I felt like this story was written for me! The setting is the Naval Academy--a location I researched for one of my novels--making me feel right at home.

Marissa is a new psychologist who paid for grad school via her secret career as "Mad-Mari", a self-help author whose titles include Why Do Men Suck? and Thanks, But I'll Just Keep My Vibrator . She maintains a popular author blog and her blog posts are included in the story.

I can relate to Marissa wondering if her graduate degree and independent spirit might intimidate guys. I also nodded when Danny finds out her profession:

"I'm twenty-nine. Just got my doctorate in psychology."
He gaped. "I don't know where to start. The doctorate at twenty-nine part, or the fact that you're a shrink."
The reaction was a familiar one. Especially the psychologist part. Everybody worried about that one, as if she would be head-shrinking them from their first meeting.

Marissa is hilarious. She rushes to an interview as a guest lecturer at the Naval Academy, and she's not feeling a lot of body confidence that day:

But the interview had come up suddenly and a borrowed skirt in her size had sounded fine, until she'd put it on this morning. It seemed the months of writing at home had added to her waistline, not to mention her hips and butt. The long pencil skirt fit like a casing on a sausage. And the sausage was trying to escape.

She shouldn't worry about her appearance, because Danny thinks her waist is small and her curves are kickin'. When he sees her teaching a class of midshipmen, he had the refrain from Van Halen's Hot for Teacher going through his head. Ha!

Danny is a good guy who looks GREAT in his whites *swoons*. Their physical chemistry is psycho-military hot. To Marissa, A first kiss was a critical thing. It set a tone, lifted a bar. Danny lifts that bar sky HIGH.

At times their banter is so sexy and fun.

He reached for a bread stick, offering her a sly look. "You mean you haven't told them you've been shagged to within an inch of your life?"
She gave him that look--that warm, sensual look that told him where her mind had gone. "You mean, I still have an inch left?"
He gave as good as he got. "You can have as many inches as you want."
Her eyes closed and her lips parted..."I could use a lot," she whispered. "I could use them right now, as a matter of fact. Damn, I should have worn panties tonight."
His hand tightened reflexively, and the bread stick snapped in half. "Don't," he warned her.

The beginning of the story is fantastic but I got a little annoyed by Marissa withdrawing from Danny a few times later on due to her fear of intimacy. This is why shrinks need their own shrinks. Girlfriend's got family issues that interfere with her relationship with Danny, and he's very patient to let her figure it out. The whole "I won't date military men because they cheat and are gone all the time" just didn't ring true for me in this story, for some reason. That conflict felt slightly contrived.

But I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it! It's fun and flirty.