Jennifer Lane Books

Unlawful Contact is my favorite of the I-Team series so far, and when I heard Pamela Clare was writing a novella featuring Megan, the sister of Unlawful Contact's hero Marc Hunter, I definitely wanted to read it. (Marc Hunter...*swoons*) It's sometimes difficult to understand why a character would throw his life away sacrificing himself for a loved one, but when I heard Megan's traumatic past, I totally got Marc's sacrifice. Sexual abuse can destroy one's soul.

It's now four years after the conclusion of Unlawful Contact, and Megan is a single mother who works full time and somehow manages also to volunteer at a community kitchen. There she meets Nate West, a former Marine turned rancher who donates beef from his family's ranch to the kitchen. An explosion in Afghanistan left Marine Nate with severe burns on half his body. His disfigured appearance led to the dissolution of his marriage and his spirit. It's appropriate I read this story on Memorial Day--a time to acknowledge the plentiful sacrifices of our military.

Megan and Nate...talk about people with trust issues! But one way to bond together is to face a common foe, and they find him in Donny--a meth-head who's the father of Megan's child. Donny tries to get money from Megan in any way possible, but Nate is determined to stop him from hurting her.

As they get to know each other, Nate soon realizes the sadness in Megan's eyes:

Her hands stilled, and she looked at him through green eyes full of shadows--too many shadows for a woman in her twenties.

And Nate is amazed his scars don't bother Megan. Au contraire, she thinks his tall, muscular body is hawt (and so do I!) Pamela Clare does a masterful job of writing men full of integrity, and Nate's another good one.

Megan's four-year-old daughter Emily is ADORABLE, and I love how Megan calls her "sweet pea".

Emily's eyes opened, and she looked up at him from beneath heavy eyelids. She reached with one tiny hand, touched the scarred side of his face. Little blond brows furrowed, Emily's sleepy eyes filling with a child's sympathy. "Owie."
Blindsided by the child's simple gesture, her innocent compassion, Nate's throat went tight, a hitch behind his breastbone where his heart was supposed to be.
Get a grip, marine.

Nate is one wise man, as evidenced by these quotes:

"It's not so much that the world won't forgive you, Megan, honey. It seems to me that you won't forgive yourself." BINGO!

Later, when Nate is giving Megan a ride on his horse: "Relax, honey. Just because he's big and aggressive doesn't mean he's going to hurt you."
And Megan understood that Nate wasn't just talking about the horse.

This novella is a sweet and satisfying romance, featuring two individuals whose caring and tenderness begin to heal each others' wounds.

The list of other Pamela Clare titles caught my eye because I noticed there's another I-Team novella titled Heaven Can't Wait. Has anyone read this one?

The bonus story about the boys making a beer run was pure fun. Your fans thank you for the luv, Pamela Clare!

What a clever title! And the cover is fun and catchy as well.

Seventeen year-old Chuck Taylor has some intrusive and unwanted thoughts, like "The stove burners might have been left on...and they could burn the house down." These obsessive thoughts nag and nag at Chuck, skyrocketing his anxiety, until he executes a compulsive behavior to try to neutralize that anxiety. For example, he checks the burners to make sure they're turned off. He doesn't double-check or triple-check, he quadruple-gazillion-checks, which can last HOURS.

It's obvious Chuck suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and these rituals make it hard to live a normal teenage life. Somehow Chuck manages to do well in school and has a great friend named Steve, but when new-girl-at-school Amy asks him to tutor her in Calculus, he faces imminent disaster. He's totally crushing on her, but how can he act normal around her? If she finds out he has OCD, will she reject him?

Afraid of losing Amy, Chuck finally relents to starting therapy and the antidepressant Lexapro. He soon discovers that kicking this OCD thing is a lot harder than it looks.

This is definitely a book for the older YA crowd. Though author Aaron Karo tackles a serious subject matter, he is a comedian, and I giggled throughout the book. The first page discusses Chuck's compulsive count of his masturbation episodes.

I just began my masturbation tally again on January 1st. I don't know why I'm compelled to keep track of it. And to make matters worse, I'm already beating (no pun intended) last year's pace.

Chuck's friend Steve, who apparently looks like a pale Milhouse from The Simpsons, has the unfortunate last name of Sludgelacker. Naturally the school bully immediately nicknames him "Fudgepacker". *shakes head*

My opinion on the authenticity of therapy in this story is a mixed review. The author gets it right when Chuck's therapist uses a version of cognitive behavioral therapy (exposure and response prevention) to try to extinguish the compulsive behaviors. But it's highly unlikely that Chuck sees a psychiatrist for talk therapy--he'd more commonly see a psychologist or a master's level therapist for the talk therapy and a psychiatrist (medical doctor) for the medication. But perhaps that would've been cumbersome to the plot. I'm a bit disappointed that the therapist isn't very likable, though Chuck's description of her as a "pear...a tiny little head and the rest of her body just expands from there" did crack me up.

Dr. S. has been in a much better mood in the past few weeks since I started taking the Lexapro.

Hmm, Chuck. Is it your psychiatrist Dr. S who's changed, or is it YOU? I love books where characters go through significant transformation, and ultimately this book offers a lot of hope for change.

This is a quick, enjoyable read and I encourage you to give it a try!

Engrossing Mafia Tale!

This story had an authentic organized crime feel to it, and for that I applaud the author. It's appropriately gritty, with no easy happy endings.

Haven Antonelli and her mother are slaves for a boorish Mafia capo and his wife. They live in a tiny California desert town, and all Haven knows is how to cook, clean, and try to avoid her master's beatings. One day when she's 17 a stern man--Dr. Vincent DeMarco--buys her and takes her home with him to North Carolina.

Vincent comes off as a complete ass most of the time. He injects a GPS chip into her and threatens her, yet somehow her life is better than it had been. One reason for that is Vincent's two sons, Dominic and Carmine. Dominic is kind but Carmine is initially suspicious of their new house guest.

When Haven and Carmine slowly fall in love, they strengthen each other and bring out the best in each other. But it might be all for naught when Haven's secret identity is revealed, endangering both of their lives.

Here are some things I loved:

* The origin of Haven's name.

* Carmine. His potty-mouth zingers lightened the scene, every time. I like how his character's far from perfect, like his epic fail when trying to teach Haven how to drive. Haven describes him:

If there was one image of Carmine DeMarco she never wanted to forget, it was this one. It was the image of him exposed and vulnerable...Most people knew the selfish young boy, spoiled and irresponsible, but she was one of the lucky few that got to see Carmine for who he was. Completely stripped down to the core, so compassionate and caring, a gentle soul despite his scarred exterior.

* The realistic teenager voices, with lines like "I can't wait to hear DeMarco read us a love story," Graham Martin called out. "I'll be like watching him grow a vag."

* Nicholas' stupid jokes. Although I never laughed, it was a good characterization technique, giving him a unique voice that made me groan. Actually, this joke was kind of funny:

Nicholas smiled. "So, what did one snowman say to the other?"
Haven shrugged. "I don't know, what?"
"Smells like carrots."

* The development of the romance between Carmine and Haven. They've never loved before, and both have serious trust issues.

"I don't want you to back off."
"Good, because I really didn't want to," Carmine said. "I can't promise it's gonna be easy, or that it's gonna be all happiness. I've never done any of this before, so I don't know what I'm doing. But I'm gonna try to be good to you."
"I don't know what I'm doing either," Haven said.
"We can learn together. Just tell me what you want from me, and we'll figure the shit out."

* The priest Vincent visits. He's a wise soul.

What I didn't like as much:

* While I'm a fan of reading and writing longish novels, I believe this story could've benefited from tighter editing. Vincent's mysterious Jekyll & Hyde routine went on a tad too long for me. The buildup of the romance between Carmine and Haven, while sweet, consumed too much of the story before the criminal action began.

* Haven's character. My lack of connection to her interfered with my enjoyment of the novel since she's such a central character. I understand she lived an unusual life, but she seemed quite bland to me. And I really don't think she could've learned so much about life from watching Jeopardy!

How lucky I felt when I realized Susan Kaye Quinn's short story Full Speed Ahead follows the wonderful characters from her novel Life, Liberty, and Pursuit. I loved her sweet YA romance novel and was happy to learn more about secondary characters Clayton and Tea. Clayton's in the Navy, and boy do I love a man in uniform.

"I let him kiss me, because in his summer dress whites--all crisply pressed twill, gold metal buttons, and hat in hand--he just about knocked me out with the handsome". Oo la la!

The ending of Susan's story was surprising and wonderful.

So what happens to a human who lives with vampires?

This is the question of the Black Dagger Brotherhood's fourth book, featuring Butch--the tough cop we meet at the beginning of the series.

Butch still pines for Marissa, a dainty and proper member of vampire royalty. He tries to drink his troubles away one night only to land in the clutches of the lessers. He comes face to face with the Omega, who inserts some of his blackness into Butch. (YUCK!)

As the knife came up and hovered over Butch's abdomen, Butch screamed. And he was still screaming as a shallow slice was made into his belly. The the Omega picked up the little part of itself, the black digit...and inserted its fingertip into Butch's gut...The skin sealed up, the flesh knitting together. Immediately, Butch felt the rotting inside him, sensed the evil worming around, moving.

*shudders* Infected Butch's blood is now black. I had to laugh when Buggy warned me that his blood wasn't the only thing turning black, as we later learn in an intimate scene. The blackness threatens to take Butch's life.

V rubbed his face. What the hell was he going to do without that smart-ass, tough-talking, Scotch-sucking SOB? The rough bastard somehow smoothed the edges of life, probably because he was like sandpaper, a scratchy, persistent wrong-way-rub that left everything more even.

What a unique and accurate description of Butch: sandpaper.

Parts of one character's transformation into vampire were fascinating, like the incessant word "Mine" pulsing through his brain:

His mouth opened of its own accord, and he let out a deep, rhythmic purr that ended in a growled word: Mine.

But the actual process was a bit confusing. The individual bleeds out until his heart stops? And then vampire blood is injected into his heart? But if that doesn't work he needs to feed?

J.R. Ward is just so cool. I love the Brothers' dialogue and the stream-of-consciousness thoughts by characters like Butch:

The sequence that came next was quick and efficient, proving that crime, like his Southie accent, was something he'd never quite lost...When he got to the stop sign, he came to a full-tire halt: Following traffic laws when you were in a stolen vehicle was mission critical. As he hung a louie and headed down Ninth, he felt bad for whatever Joe he'd just royally f'ed over. Losing your wheels was not fun.

And what was he doing now? Going after a female whose life was already a mess. Just so he could join the shit parade that was marching all over her...

Christ. Lately, it was like his body was a Glad PlugIn that couldn't make its mind up. But at least this spicy scent he liked...

Marissa grew on me as she experienced a transformation of her own, but she's not my favorite heroine of this series so far. Havers can go screw himself, along with the others who want sehclusion for the females.

I guess V's story is next? Bring it on!

I keep hearing the cover of my novel Streamline reminds readers of this cover, so I need to read it!

Wild, Spiritual Ride

Taking place in a bleak future, The Guardian’s Wildchild is a mystical journey starring Guardian Sidney Davenport and US Navy Captain Sam Waterhouse. The Guardians are a powerful people who oversee and care for the planet and humanity. They secretly live among us, exerting their subtle influence. Some of us are “sleeping” Guardians who haven’t realized our power.

When the Guardians catch wind of an evil plot that will destroy life as we know it, they send Sidney to steal a computer file containing the sinister plans from the Naval Base. Sidney is a beautiful young woman with fiery red hair, perceptive green eyes, and sass galore. Unfortunately the Navy captures Sidney before she can complete her mission, and she’s sent to a ship to be executed.

The ship’s captain will have his world thrown asunder with the arrival of his ginger prisoner. Captain Sam Waterhouse feels like a prisoner himself since the underhanded admiral is basically holding his sons hostage to ensure Sam does his bidding. His wife was recently murdered, bringing some depth to his character. I love that Sam is a Japanese-American and I can picture actor Ken Watanabe in this role:



Sidney’s observations of life away from the Guardians’ island are intriguing. Here two seamen escort Sidney to the captain’s office.

Interesting, she thought when she realized she was copying their movement. She felt a sense of power and unity, of belonging and security. It would be so easy to let go of one’s own personal drummer and step to the beat of another.

She certainly goes to the beat of her own drummer! Sam is quite puzzled by Sidney, especially after conversations like this:

”Sidney, for the last time. Is there anything you can tell me that would give me enough reason to reject this execution order?”
She got up and went to the window. He swiveled his chair to watch her. She gazed at the ocean’s horizon.
“No.” She glanced back at Sam and grinned. “Unless you resign from the Navy.”
“You mean if I were to step out of this uniform?”
“Please, Captain. You know how easily I blush,” she teased.
“How can you make jokes when you’re just hours from being executed?”
She returned her focus to the ocean. “Trust me, Captain, I’m not looking forward to it. But I see the death of the body only as a release of my attachment to the physical world. I’d simply return to my true home.”

My favorite part of the story is the appearance of the child Savannah. The visions and the mysticism of the story really make her appearance beautiful to both Sidney and Sam.

I love the nickname Sam bestows upon Sidney during an intimate scene:

He kissed her lips, caressed her, wove his fingers into her hair and down her back. She teased him with her kisses and held her body close to his.
Finally Sam spoke. “Tonight I’ll hold you in my arms, my precious witch.”.

The action and adventure of this story are entertaining, and I enjoyed the twists. I didn’t connect to the characters as closely as I would’ve liked, but readers who get into fantasy, romance, and mysticism will be big fans of this novel.

Fun Football Story!

Young Adult Sports Romance is my kind of genre, and I loved this book.

Jordan Woods is a high school senior who's captain and quarterback of the football team. When I read this premise, I was a bit skeptical. Could a girl possess the upper body strength and speed to excel at such a rough game? However, Jordan quickly won me over--she's six feet tall, the daughter of an NFL quarterback, and can zing insults with the best of her male teammates. She's crushed that her father ignores her football career (thinking she has no business playing this "man's" game), and her rocky college recruiting process seems realistic to me.

Jordan, or "Woods" as her teammates call her, is just like one of the guys. She's grown up with wide receiver Sam Henry, a tall lanky goofball with blond curly hair constantly falling in his face. Their friendship is funny and cute. Henry's family is poor, and Henry often eats dinner with the Woods then sleeps in Jordan's bed, with his feet by her head. It's a purely platonic relationship, or so Jordan thinks.

The funniest part of the story is when Jordan and Henry have to take care of an electronic baby for a week as a Home Ec assignment.

"Okay," Mrs. Bonner says. "Now that we all have partners, all husbands should come pick up their babies."
I stand up and stretch my arms. Henry also stands. "No way, dude," I say. "I'm the man in the relationship."
"Oh yeah, absolutely," he says, grinning.
The doll has these creepy glass eyes that look like they're staring straight into my soul. I hold the doll out in front of me like it's a flaming bag of poo and carry it back to Henry.
"Congratulations, Mommy," I say, dropping the doll into his hands. "You could've told me I knocked you up."
"My bad. I thought you'd force me to get an abortion," Henry replies. "He has your eyes, Woods."
"And your hair." The doll is bald. "Can we name him Joe Montana?"
"Hells no, his name is Jerry Rice."
"No, his name is Joe Montana."
"I was in labor with him for fourteen hours!" Henry exclaims as he rocks the baby back and forth. "His name is Jerry Rice."
I grin. "Fine."

Jordan's at practice one day, dreaming of her future as the starting quarterback for Alabama, when Tyler Green walks in. After a family tragedy, Texas star quarterback Ty had to move to Tennessee and now he's a part of Jordan's team. But the potential competition for her spot isn't what distracts Jordan. She thinks Ty's smokin' hot. He's tall, muscular, talented, with just the right mix of cockiness and vulnerability. Can Jordan pursue her dreams despite falling for the boy who might take over her starting role?

Here Ty watches a college football player come on to Jordan:

"That's Jake Reynolds?" Ty says, turning to stare. His eyes are opened so wide, he looks like one of those poison dart frogs. "Holy shit. He's so awesome."
I laugh. "Trust me, he's not."
"Seems like he likes you. Don't you want to date a first-rounder?"
"Excuse me while I go vomit."
"So you're not interested in him?" Ty asks, smiling.
"Hells no. I'd rather date O.J. Simpson."
Ty laughs. "I'm glad to hear that...I think."

It's great to see parents who are kind and involved. Jordan's mother tried to help her deal with her feelings:

For my seventeenth birthday, she bought me this lame journal.
"Jordan," she said, "writing allows me to blah, blah, blah, think deeply about karma, blah, blah, blah, and helps me figure out my problems."
Mom should get a job creating lame-ass mantras for the bottoms of juice-bottle lids.

This is one example of many where the author nails the teenage voice. Jordan finds that journaling actually does help (I hate when moms are always right) and her poetry adds a nice touch to the story.

I actually enjoyed the love triangle, though the story seemed to sag a bit as Jordan was working out her true feelings. The ending is satisfying and fun.

Fans of romance, sports, and YA will love Catching Jordan!

Is it Wise to Choose the Good Guy?

Lola Nolan has been through a lot in her seventeen years. Her drug addict mother was incapable of caring for her so Lola had to be raised by her uncle and his gay partner. She doesn't know her father. But does she let that heartbreaking history derail her? Heck, no! Lola turns her family pain into a creative flair and a bright future. Her quirky fashion sense has her wearing all kinds of outrageous costumes, like a pink wig, sequined prom dress turned minidress, David Bowie pin covered jean jacket, and glittery false eyelashes.

Today I'm wearing cat-eye glasses and a cheetah-print dress I made last spring. I've pinned oversize red brooches like bullet wounds to the front of the dress, and I have bloodred ribbons tied up and down my arms and throughout my hair. I'm protesting big-game hunting in Africa.

Lola performs well in school and at her job at a movie theater (with a familiar coworker...Anna!) But her dads are disgruntled by her 22 year-old rocker boyfriend Max, with his tattoos and piercings. Lola thinks she'll be with Max forever until her old neighbors--the Bell twins--move back to town. Calliope Bell is an Olympic figure skater and Cricket is her loyal brother, who had a connection with Lola but abruptly moved away after dissing her.

I love the character of Cricket. He's tall and gangly, sweet and smart. He's devastated when he meets Lola's boyfriend Max for the first time:

My boyfriend squints, almost imperceptibly, as his mind sorts this information. It's the exact opposite of Cricket, who is at a complete loss to hide his emotions. His face is stricken, and he's backing up.

Aww, poor Cricket!

Stephanie Perkins makes San Francisco come alive in this story. I love the fact that Lola has two dads and lives in a mint-green Victorian house. Even the San Francisco homeless feel true to life. I worked as a counselor in a homeless shelter in Indiana and learned to look the homeless in the eye as a sign of respect. However, when I met the eyes of homeless people in San Francisco, I felt accosted. One guy got in my face and as I tried to hurry by he hollered, "Oh, are you scared?" I was indeed freaked. Therefore, this part felt very real:

We break apart to find a guy in head-to-toe dirty patchwork corduroy glaring at us.
"No need to be sorry." He glowers at me underneath his white-boy dreadlocks. "I'm only f-ing starving."

It's also great how Lola speaks to the moon. The moon and her cycles are tied to feminine wisdom, so this was a nice touch.

I was cheering for Lola to be with good boy Cricket, but there are obstacles in the way (like her current bad boy boyfriend Max and Cricket's jealous twin sister). I liked the realism of Calliope's figure skating career creating many sacrifices for her family. Cricket's explanation even matched research on Olympians, finding that bronze medal winners feel more satisfied than silver medal winners:

"Cal's been the most talented ladies' figure skater for years, but she's never skated two clean programs in a row in a major competition...it's why she'd rather get third than second. When she gets third, at least she's happy to have placed. But second. That's too close to first."

I've heard other reviewers comment that they liked Anna and the French Kiss better than Lola, but I enjoyed them both for their unique quirks. Stephanie Perkins really knows how to write realistic, feel-good YA romances, and I look forward to her third book featuring Isla.

The Violet Family Puts the Fun in Dysfunction

I'm happy my book club chose this domestic comedy--a funny and interesting read that kept me turning the pages. Tom Violet is a 35 year old married father of one who hates his stupid corporate job. However, he isn't quite ready to risk trying to publish the novel he's written the past seven years, especially with a father who just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Tom's easy humor makes him imminently likable. It's no surprise one of his favorite authors is Richard Russo since I could see the similar sense of dry wit and sarcasm. Here Tom reveals his competence as a father:

I can see by my daughter's expression that she'll do whatever she damn well pleases. By now she's old enough to know that we're not going to beat her, so she's pretty much got the run of the place.

When Tom's mother asks him about his manuscript, he replies:

"It's a period piece. A team of crime-fighting lesbians travel back in time to assassinate Hitler."

Ha ha! Tom suspects his schoolteacher wife of cheating on him, and tells his friend about the suspect while they hit golf balls:

"You should've seen that book he gave her, man. Kids writing essays about how great reading is. It was like something out of a John Cusack movie. He'll probably show up at my house next week in the rain holding a f-ing ghetto blaster over his head."

When Tom gets revenge on his meddling, clueless manager, it's the stuff of dreams for every person who's worked in an Office Space environment. Here's the headline of Tom's press release:

STUPID AMERICAN COMPANY NAMES EMPTY-HEADED, OPPORTUNISITiC, UTTERLY UNCREATIVE DOUCHE BAG AS NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF U.S. MARKETING

I really enjoyed the relationship arc between Tom and his famous-writer father Curtis. There were a couple of twists that surprised me, but their characterization felt real and solid. Curtis is a philanderer and womanizer, but when it really counts, he gives Tom excellent advice about his wife Anna:

"Don't be an idiot," he says. "Anna is the sort of woman who writers write about, Tom. Somewhere in the third act, women like her save characters like you and me from ourselves. She's the loveliest literary device in the word. So get your ass out of this room right now and go tell her that she doesn't have to be with anyone else. Because you love her, and because you're not going anywhere. And mean it."

In some ways this is a novel about writing good novels, and Matthew Norman seems to have it down pat.

I read this years ago and found it so suspenseful that I couldn't put it down. The Charm School is a hidden "camp" in Russia where captured Americans are forced to teach KGB agents how to act American so as to blend in and spy in the U.S. Nelson DeMille is one of my favorite authors and he weaved a chilling action story taking place in the heart of the Cold War. I need to read this again!

Catherine McKenzie Spins a Great Story

Though Kate Sanford has thirty years under her belt, what she really needs is thirty days of rehab. Luckily fate intervenes to procure the much needed treatment when she shows up completely drunk to a coveted journalist interview. It's no surprise when the magazine writes her off for that position, but they have another opportunity in mind: go to rehab (undercover) to spy on the latest it-girl actress Amber Sheppard. If she gets the goods on Amber, Kate may win her prized job.

What a catchy plot! I've wanted to read this since reading the blurb, and Harper Collins made that easier when they released the novel in the U.S.

Believing she doesn't need treatment (just like every alcoholic) but desperately wanting the job, Kate agrees to the undercover assignment. The slow dawning of realization about her addiction was interesting to read. I also enjoyed the added complexity of the whirlwind surrounding Amber, including the paparazzi stalking every move and her disdainful hot actor ex-boyfriend Connor. Amber is a typical actress who relies on the audience's applause for her self-worth, and believes she should be dating Connor simply because he's cool.

At the beginning Amber seems obnoxious and entitled, but as Kate gets to know her they forge a tentative friendship. My favorite part of the story is Kate's ethical dilemma--should she write a tell-all expose about her new friend once they get out of rehab?

When Connor shows up at the same rehab facility, with his personal assistant Henry, things get even more interesting. Henry isn't an alcoholic but he has an addiction of another kind, which adds some depth to the story. Henry and Kate begin flirting, and there's a hint of reuniting between Amber and Connor.

I read this novel quickly and felt satisfied by how Ms. McKenzie resolves Kate's ethical conflict. I would've liked a bit more explanation of Kate's family dynamics and why she chose to leave home so abruptly. The author strikes just the right tone for characterizing the heroine of the story--at times she's not very likable but her journey toward becoming a better person is compelling and strong.

Two book club friends recommended this novel to me, knowing my young adult sports romance Streamline had just been published. I'm a former small college athlete and this well-written story was indeed right up my alley with its low-budget athletic departments, locker room banter, mental health issues like depression and eating disorders, and anxious, angst-ridden student-athletes. Fielding's NCAA Division III baseball players spout poetry and write theses, deftly defying the dumb-jock stereotype.

The plot is intriguing, leading up to a wonderful NCAA championship game where it's all on the line. Will highly-scouted shortstop Henry Skrimshander overcome his mental block and lead his team to victory? It's tense and suspenseful, ending in a satisfying yet unpredictable manner.

I did have some trouble with the characterization of this novel. Mr. Harbach's character were rich and complex, yet they didn't grab me emotionally. The characters seem distant and aloof, like the reader's sitting in the nose-bleed section and can't make out their faces or expressions. Though all the characters suffer---particularly Henry---I didn't find myself truly sympathizing or caring as much as I'd like.

Apparently Herman Melville once visited and praised Westish College, and the school now boasts his statue along with the mascot "Harpooners". I don't know about you, but reading Moby Dick in high school was sheer torture for me, and I enjoyed the subtle jabs to Melville and his novel in the story:

And over the years a thriving cult of Melvilleania had developed at the college, such that you could walk across campus and see girls wearing T-shirts with a whale on the front and lettering on the back that said, WESTISH COLLEGE: OUR DICK IS BIGGER THAN YOURS.

Mr. Harbach nailed the smelly, safe ambiance of locker rooms:

Locker rooms, in Schwartz's experience, were always underground, like bunkers and bomb shelters. This was less a structural necessity than a symbolic one. The locker room protected you when you were most vulnerable: just before a game, and just after. Before the game, you took off the uniform you wore to face the world and you put on the one you wore to face your opponent. In between you were naked in every way. After the game ended, you couldn't carry your game-time emotions out into the world--you'd be put in an asylum if you did--so you went underground and purged them. You yelled and threw things and pounded on your locker, in anguish or joy. You hugged your teammate, or bitched him out, or punched him in the face. Whatever happened, the locker room remained a haven.

The author has a deep understanding of the athletic experience, and in many ways this was an interesting read. I wish there was a sport psychologist on staff to help out these troubled athletes, but they are able to find their own way through the journey of college athletics.

Concessions is a short story by Robin DeJarnett. Her romantic suspense novel Whirlwind was fantastic and I couldn’t wait to read her foray into paranormal romance.

The story features Lindsey, a bored young adult concessions worker at a movie theater in Las Vegas. The typical customers for matinees are local Goths who dress head-to-toe in black despite the intense heat of the city. One such Goth is Clyde, who takes Lindsey back to the control room and begins kissing her. His kisses make her remember that he’s really Devon, sexy vampire, gradually turning her into a vampire as well. His gentle bite mixes their blood and erases her memory until their next rendezvous.

I love the idea of Goths as hidden vampires, and once again Robin weaves an interesting story around family relationships, creepy bad guys, and sweet romance.

Shackled is a short story by Debra Anastasia. My friends know that I have a thing for men in shackles *blushes* so I was eager to read this story and it did not disappoint! I loved Debra’s novel Crushed Seraphim as well.

Aeliea is a bitchy real-life princess who gets whatever she wants and kills whoever she wants, especially when she’s PMSing (hee hee). She’s about to order the death of an innocent woman when the woman’s grown son steps forward, sacrificing himself to take her place. Markus definitely catches Aeliea’s eye:

He locked his deep green eyes on Aelia. He was tall and well-muscled. His hair was too long and disheveled, but his jaw was strong and his confidence was huge. The hate in his eyes glowed.

Aeliea orders Markus to be shackled and brought to the castle as her new boy toy. Her threats to kill him mean nothing to him, and she’s shocked he won’t bow down to her. The sexual tension is thick, though Aeliea won’t stoop to consider a commoner and Markus would rather die than touch her.

My favorite stories involve characters growing and changing, and when Markus says “You know you don’t have to be like this. You could change. If you could find even one drop of sensitivity…” I got excited. Can Aeliea develop some empathy for those she rules? If anyone can teach her how to love, it’s Markus.

Starstruck is an awesome short story by Lisa Sanchez.

Amberly gets a flat tire and handsome boy “T” stops to help her out. She’s been unlucky in love but has a blind date that evening, and he’s so smoking gorgeous she wishes he could be her date. They’re changing the tire when a brilliant meteor crashes nearby.

Deciding to check out the crash site, T encourages Amberly to make a wish on the “fallen star”. That’s when the meteor explodes, covering them in green goo and turning the story into an other-worldly romance.

I liked how we get both Amberly and T’s perspectives, and T’s mysterious identity makes for a great ending. Lisa’s writing is sexy and fun.