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Becka's Song by Frankie J. Jones

Becka's Song by Frankie J. Jones

Bella Books, 2008

Overview: Lee Dresher enjoys her quiet life running a successful art gallery in Christmas, Arkansas, where tourists flock every holiday season as the town makes itself over into a Victorian wonderland. She is even happy being single until she meets Becka James who, despite a mysterious and troubled past, might prove too compelling for Lee to ignore.

My Reaction:I was sold on Becka's Song when it opened with Lee hiding in the woods in the early morning, trying to photograph a shy twelve-point buck. Any character that likes nature that much is fine by me. Though the ending fell victim to a few too many cheesy lines, my overall impression of the book confirmed my initial judgment; Becka's Song is a solidly plotted romance with a beautiful setting - a very enjoyable read.

Often, one of my biggest complaints about romances is the lack of convincing characters or plot lines. Here, Jones drew a three-dimensional protagonist, and while the love plot is certainly the center of the book, other occurrences don't feel like they are only there to carry the characters from one sex scene to another. What with Becka's mysterious past and other unsettling events around town, it almost reads like a mystery. A perfect book for a snow day (it is set in Christmas after all, where the holiday season lasts three months), though it works just as well for Christmas in July!

Sticky Fingers by Morgan Hunt

Sticky Fingers by Morgan Hunt

Alyson Books, 2007

Overview: When Tess Camillo finds a rattlesnake in her bedroom, she knows it isn't there by accident, especially after another San Diego-area lesbian dies mysteriously of snake bites only a few days later. Convinced that others may be in danger, Tess begins to investigate the case, despite her own better judgment and that of those around her.

My Reaction: Sticky Fingers is one of those books that is just okay - not engrossing, not off-putting, not the inspiration for any particular emotional response. It has good qualities, including a discussion of breast cancer (the author is a survivor), a fast-paced mystery and a mostly likable lead sleuth. The writing is okay, and got better as the book progressed. If the whole thing contained REALLY BAD similes such as "the snake's tail vibrated like a cicada with Parkinson's" (2), I probably would have put it down. If you want a quick read requiring little investment of emotion or time (it took me less that four hours), you could do a lot worse. I will likely read the other two in the series, since they are also short, to see if they get any better (the third book won a 2009 Indie Excellence Award, for what it's worth).

Tess Camillo Mysteries

Sticky Fingers, 2007

Fool on the Hill, 2008

Blinded by the Light, 2009

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Riverhead Books, 2002

Overview: Orphan Sue Trinder agrees, at the urging of the woman who raised her, to pose as a servant in order to cheat the heiress Maud Lilly out of her inheritance, but finds herself increasingly attracted to her victim.

My Reaction: If you like a book that keeps you guessing what will happen next, I have good news for you: Fingersmith has enough plot twists to make Dickens proud. As The Bookwhisperer can attest, our apartment was often filled with my outraged exclamations or squeaks of surprise as I slowly made my way through this most excellent novel. I say slowly for a reason, though, since it's not easy going. Perhaps I am particularly sensitive, but I often had difficulty getting past the excess of human suffering and unfairness of the world that Sue and Maud inhabit and had to put the book down to recover for a while. We had planned to do a "Sarah Waters Week" last week, but I couldn't get through my contribution in time - we'll have to make it a two week celebration, which is what this talented author deserves anyway.

Despite the sometimes overwhelming plot, I can't help but recommend this book for its beautiful writing and strong sense of place that is present in all of Waters' other work.