Wolfsbane Winter by Jane Fletcher

Wolfsbane Winter by Jane Fletcher
Bold Strokes Books, 2010.

Overview: In the land of Galvonia, we meet Deryn, a female mercenary (a.k.a. an Iron Wolf) who has serious attachment issues due to her tragic past, and Alana, a member of the demon-spawn nobility with a semi-legitimate fear of starting a romantic relationship with a commoner. (Yes, I’m serious—demon-spawn.) Deryn and Alana’s paths cross about 100 pages into the 254 page book, and the rest of the book details their struggles to maintain their defenses in the face of extreme sexual attraction.

My reaction: While this was definitely as ridiculous as I was expecting a paperback romance to be, it was a quick and enjoyable read. There were plot points that pushed my ability to suspend my disbelief to the limit, demon-spawn politics fell into the unfortunate category of “Too-fleshed-out-to-be-forgotten-yet-too-spare-to-be-anything-more-than-semi-annoying-and/or-tantalizing.” I guess that I got a kick out of seeing how little the nobility’s antics affected commoners, but that made the slimy king’s counselor’s machinations pretty irrelevant. The sex scenes are kind of absurd and remarkably scarce, considering that the first sentence of the blurb on the back cover is “The Iron Wolf mercenaries who guard travelers on the Misery Trail are notorious for their quick and casual sex lives.” However, they’re perfect for a good read-aloud/laugh, and I will give Fletcher credit—I actually wanted Deryn and Alana together, and genuinely rooted for them through my laughter. 

Behind the Pine Curtain by Gerri Hill

Behind the Pine Curtain by Gerri Hill

Bella Books, 2006

Overview: Jackie never intended to return to Pine Springs, not after her parents sent her away on a bus after she came out to them. And she never intended to act on her feelings for her best friend Kay, feelings that were her first sign that she was gay all those years ago. But now, upon her father's death, she has no choice bu to return to her childhood home and come face to face with the past she tried so hard to leave behind.

My Reaction: Behind the Pine Curtain has a pretty classic plot: our heroine falls in love with the girl next door and finds that first love is always the best. However, despite some skepticism about the writing (telling us that Kay "stopped breathing" seemed to be one of the author's ticks), I was drawn right into the story, hopeless romantic that I am. If you are a fan of the longing look, a la Jane Austen, there are plenty of those to go around, as well as enough electric touches and colliding eyeballs to keep you guessing when they'll FINALLY KISS ALREADY. Despite a major plot hole/implausible backstory, I still found Hill's book enjoyable. A guilty pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.

Beautiful Journey by Kenna White

Beautiful Journey by Kenna White

Bella Books, 2008

Overview: World War two is in full swing and Kit Anderson has moved from her Kansas hometown to England to fly as part of the Women's Air Transport Auxiliary. Though she is fearless in the air, braving enemy fire and severe weather, can she find the courage to face her feelings for feisty British school teacher Emily Mills?

My Reaction: I wanted this book to be good, but unfortunately it just wasn't. While I appreciated the history lesson - I would be interested to read more about the Air Transport Auxiliary - the story and characters were one dimensional and even the the action sequences lacked any sense of excitement. Most notable, perhaps, was the quite inventive use of vagina metaphors during a couple of laugh-out-loud sex scenes. "Honey path?" Is that a thing? 

On top of the questionable writing, the ending was just silly; a classic romance trope in which the one of the heroine's friends dies, making her realize she doesn't want to lose her relationship, but with a bizarre sequence involving spanking. If you like WWII history or airplanes, this books has some fun detail to offer, but if you just want a romance, I'd skip it.

Note: For more information about female pilots in WWII, try this list of recommended books from the British Air Transport Auxiliary website. The site is run by former ATA pilots - I definitely recommend checking it out!

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!

Nora and Liz by Nancy Garden

Nora and Liz by Nancy Garden

Bella Books, 2002

Overview: Nora is reasonably happy with her quiet life in rural Rhode Island, until city girl Liz shows up at her front door with a flat tire and she begins to see the possibilities outside her limited country existence.

My Reaction: I had high hopes for this book, since it's by the famed Nancy Garden, author of Annie on My Mind, one of the most influential (and frequently banned) LGBT young adult novels written in the 20th century. Nora and Liz is Garden's first adult romance, and for me, it fell flat. Before I go into the many issues I had with it, I'll admit that the sappy part of me enjoyed rooting for Liz and Nora to live happily ever after. If you want a sweet, gentle romance (the kind of gentle where the lovebirds take hands, walk up the stairs, and close the bedroom door behind them), I think you'll enjoy this book, despite its flaws.

The critical part of me had difficultly suspending enough disbelief to get into the story. I found Nora especially hard to understand. She is nearly forty, lives in a house with no electricity, running water or phone, and doesn't even drive because her misogynistic dad doesn't think women are capable. Maybe I could understand her lack of rebellion if she lived in isolation, but she is surrounded by women who drive, and has never once thought to question her father's judgement until Liz comes along. I am all for the transformative power of love, but I have a hard time believing that a forty-year-old woman doesn't have the ovaries to stand up to her ageing father for probably twenty years, then suddenly gets the nerve to completely change her life over the course of one summer. Actually, I had a hard time believing that either character was forty - they just didn't seem mature enough. I often felt they had the over-emotional quality found in so many young adult novels that I identified with so well as a teenager, but that now seems a like a little too much to handle. Garden IS primarily a YA author, after all, and I think it shows.

I had a hard time deciding which rating to give Nora and Liz , since my reactions to it were so mixed. I decided on a "meh," not because it's poorly written on a technical level, but because I couldn't identify with the characters. Yes, I wanted them to be happy, but I couldn't see myself in them, and isn't that what reading a romance should be all about?

You Can’t Run from Love by Kate Snowdon

You Can’t Run from Love by Kate Snowdon

Bella Books, 2013.

Overview: Jess Brewster, an attractive outdoorsy Scot, meets Rachel Cummings, a "gorgeous" American children's book illustrator, at the lodge she owns with her uncle, who raised her after her parents were killed in a car accident. Pining and palpable sexual tension ensues, with more than a splash of tragic backstory for both lovebirds. 

My reaction: This is the first romance reviewed on this blog, and after laughing and cringing my way through a few chapters of a Harlequin romance (the Lesbrarian had to read one for a class on adult genre fiction), it soars high over that low bar in terms of writing. I can't go so far as to praise the plot on its own merits, but on the whole it was an enjoyable and quick read. That said, I'd give the plot a B-. It's definitely a fun setting, mostly appealing protagonists, etc., but my goodness, some things just don't make sense. Your dying uncle wants you to be happy? MUST. NOT. GET. TOGETHER with someone who has an awesome (totally platonic) relationship with him (It's not like he's homophobic!). Instead, be unhappy because you're extremely horny for each other and won't do anything about it. Perfectly logical. That's the major thing  that drove me crazy, but it was pretty important to the plot. Also, when communication issues cropped up, I wanted to  yell, "Talk to each other!!" 

On the other hand, sex scenes get an A-. The "-" is for some giggle-inducing terminology (WHY must this not be the first book I've read in which a woman has "feasted" on another??! Blech) and some things that are slightly unrealistic (in my opinion) but still sexy. I've gotta say, Jess and Rachel are REALLY into each other, and that definitely carries it.

Strictly speaking, this falls into our "Meh" category, but I wouldn't want that to scare anyone off from a good afternoon read. It might be NSFW, though, depending on how susceptible you are to the genre!