Review of Joan Kilby's Gentlemen Prefer Nerds

Title: Gentlemen Prefer Nerds

Author: Joan Kilby

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: March 12, 2012

Rating: 3 out of 5

I’m a big fan of nerds, so when I saw the title to Joan Kilby’s book, I immediately snatched it up. Gentlemen Prefer Nerds features a mild, unassuming woman who becomes entangled in a jewelry heist, thanks to a sexy secret agent.  I’m more than a little nerdy myself, so I was rooting for the gemologist heroine, Maddie, to get her man while living the high life of the spy in Australia. While Gentlemen Prefer Nerds is a fun romp, the romance fell a bit flat, but the hijinks poor Maddie finds herself in make for more than a few laughs, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Maddie Maloney is a gemologist working for her aunt’s jewelry store while finishing her PhD. Her aunt is auctioning off the famous Rose Diamond, and Maddie is conducting research on the unusual pink diamond before the auction takes place. While Maddie’s at the store studying the gem, a man mysteriously approaches her and warns Maddie that a notorious jewel thief, the Chameleon, has plans to steal the Rose Diamond.

Maddie discounts the strange man’s warnings, and when the Rose Diamond is stolen right from under her nose, the police believe that she orchestrated the heist! Fabian Montgomery, snooty British Lord, is the man who warned Maddie, and he comes to her rescue, only to inform her that he expects her help in retrieving the gem. Maddie has to be transformed into a femme fatale and attract the attention of the Chameleon so they can recover the gem. Unfortunately, Maddie considers herself all too ordinary, is the world’s worst liar, and is fighting an attraction to Fabian. Can she step out of her ordinary life and return the Rose Diamond to its proper owner?

Maddie is an adorable heroine, clumsy and very much your girl-next-door. At times I really liked her, but other times she came across as so naïve as to be TSTL. She’s a highly intelligent woman seeking an advanced degree, yet some of her actions seem ridiculously dumb. Why on Earth would she allow her date to view the Rose Diamond while the store is closed? It just seems like asking for trouble! Granted, the date in question was posing as someone more trustworthy, but in this situation Maddie’s common sense seems to be lacking, and unfortunately that was the case throughout the book.

Despite her somewhat questionable actions, I found Maddie to be likeable, and I could easily see why Fabian (an unfortunate choice of name, IMO) would fall for her, but I couldn’t really understand the attraction on Maddie’s part for him. She’s charming and sweet natured; Fabian’s just good-looking and snooty. They don’t really have any moments where Fabian confides in her, and Fabian persists in hiding the truth about the Chameleon while insulting her appearance and attire. I just never really understood why she would feel anything more than lust for him.

That said, this was a fun book to read, and Maddie’s family was a hoot, while the Australian setting was a nice surprise. The action was non-stop and over the top, and watching poor Maddie try to fit into a world of high intrigue made for a lot of laughs. The romance might have been a little flat, but the ending hinted at the possibility of more Maddie and Fabian in the future, and I’m intrigued enough to check out the second book in the series.

Review of Rachel Johns' One Perfect Night

Happy Friday the 13^th, everyone! It has been a loooong week, since the semester just began, but I’m really looking forward to a great spring semester. I’ve got almost all repeat students in my classes, and they are simply delightful, so this is going to be a fun spring. Now that the craziness of writing syllabi and getting started with school is over, I’m hoping that I can crank out my reviews a little more regularly than over the holidays. Here’s hoping, right?

Title: One Perfect Night

Author: Rachel Johns

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: ebook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: December 19, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

This was a delightful short novel by an author I’d never read before. I’ve really enjoyed reading the Australian authors published by Carina Press, and Rachel Johns was no exception. In fact, I was a bit surprised that this book was published by Carina Press, rather than being published in print as a category romance by one of the Harlequin lines (Carina Press is owned by Harlequin). One Perfect Night has several of the hallmark tropes that you see in a category romance: boss-employee romance, hero devastated by wife’s death and refusing to love again, plus a traumatic event that spurs hero to realize his love for the heroine. And while the set-up and resolution of the romance in One Perfect Night sound somewhat clichéd, the unique setting and likeable characters make this a fun, light-hearted romance well worth reading.

Peppa Grant works for Lyrique Recordings, an audiobook company, and when the company’s family Christmas party is about to tank because the Santa has been delayed, Peppa steps in as the entertainer for the kids in a rented fairy costume. She’s a bit stressed, because she just sideswiped the boss’s very expensive sports car but hasn’t had time to tell him about it. Lyrique’s CEO, Cameron McCormac, is already in a bit of a foul mood, because he’s spending time around all the families at the party, forcing him to remember his frustrated plans to start a family four years ago. The widower is also dreading his family’s Christmas party after the work function, but the children’s entertainer in her short faerie skirt is exactly the distraction he needs.

When Peppa tells Cormac that she bumped his car and needs to exchange insurance information, he seizes the opportunity to have her pretend to be his date to his family’s party, not realizing that Peppa’s one of his employees. Her presence at the family party will prevent any pesky questions about his dating life and forestall any attempts to set him up with other women. Of course, Peppa’s a smashing success with his family, which creates more complications down the road, especially since Cormac’s determined to get Peppa in bed but only wants a fling. Peppa wants nothing more than to settle down and start a family. With two such disparate interests, can their affair ever turn into anything more?

The novel is only about 100 pages long, but it packs a lot into such a short book. Both the hero and the heroine have heartbreaking pasts, yet the book doesn’t get bogged down in all the angst, which is a relief. Peppa’s ex is a real stinker, yet she’s still hopeful for the future, even though she feels as though she’s been put through the ringer. She’s very likeable, and while you can see that an affair with Cormac can only lead to heartbreak in her future, you’ll be rooting for everything to work out between them.

Cormac, or “McSexy” as the women in the office call him, also has a painful past, which makes him a brooding, troubled hero – no doubt that adds to his appeal! His wife’s death 4 years ago still haunts him, but it’s a pleasure to see Peppa bringing fun back into his life. He manages to be a bit bone-headed a few times, but everything all works out for the best.

All in all, this was a fun debut novel with a lot of promise. I’m looking forward to reading more of Ms. Johns’ books, especially since the Australian setting plays such a prominent role in the book. I’d love to see her books in print, as I think One Perfect Night would make an excellent category romance.

Review of Coleen Kwan's When Harriet Came Home

Title: When Harriet Came Home

Author: Coleen Kwan

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: October 24, 2011

Rating: 3 out of 5

One of the reasons I’m enjoying the eBooks published by Carina Press these days is that I get to read authors from other English-speaking countries. When Harriet Came Home author Coleen Kwan is from Australia, and every now and then a lovely phrase or reference will draw your attention to her small-town setting of Wilmot, Australia. It’s not that different than most small town contemporary romances I’ve read, but I like the variety. This book is short at only 50,000 words, but it’s a quick and engaging read.

Harriet Brown finds herself returning to her small town of Wilmot after a decade of self-exile when her father is injured in a car accident. Ten years ago she unwittingly caught the town’s mayor on film taking a bribe and meeting women for sordid affairs. He’s killed in a car accident shortly thereafter, and the town turns on the overweight, shy teen they consider responsible. The situation was all the more upsetting for Harriet because the teenager had a crush on the mayor’s son, Adam Blackstone. When years later she’s forced to return to Wilmot after her father’s accident, the first person she sees at the hospital is hunky carpenter Adam, and he is not pleased that she’s back in town.

But Harriet’s father wants the two to reconcile, and his accident provides the perfect excuse for his matchmaking. He was supposed to cater the town’s charity Harvest Ball that Adam’s organizing, but his injury has made that impossible, so he volunteers Harriet’s catering services. Harriet reluctantly agrees, because it’s obviously important to her father, but she’s not thrilled that she’ll have to spend more time with Adam. He’s not happy about it either, because the shy teen he remembers is now a beautiful, curvaceous woman who’s proving irresistible to the handyman. Sparks fly between the two, but will Adam’s love be enough to keep Harriet in Wilmot?

This is a cute small town romance with one sexy carpenter hero, complete with “mean girls” who never grew up after high school and a lot of nasty gossip. Ms. Kwan’s writing flows smoothly and the premise of the heroine returning home after making good in the big city is an appealing one. Plus, Adam is a really great hero material. He confesses to Harriet that he was really self-absorbed in his teens and that he enjoys working with his hands (nice!!). He’s clearly turned his life around, despite the painful events of ten years ago. And let’s face it, sexy carpenters who are good with their hands and have sexy Aussie accents are a win-win in the hero category!

So why didn’t I like it more? I actually remembered most of the details of the plot from when I read the novel well over a month ago, but I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt indifferent about it, so I re-read the book. As I said, the writing is good, and the pacing of the romance and the nature of the conflict were all good. And truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with the story; it just didn’t capture my interest.

I think part of why I feel “meh” towards this book is that Harriet is not as enjoyable a character as Adam. She begins strongly, since she’s lost weight, had eye surgery, and founded a successful catering company in Sydney in the last ten years, setting her up for a triumphant return to the town that cruelly rejected her in her teens. When Adam meets up with her again he’s surprised by how sassy she is compared to the awkward teenager he knew. But she’s not actually all that sassy. In fact, she’s a bit of a wimp and really insecure. She constantly questions herself and Adam’s motives towards her, allows her sister to use her for free babysitting services, and nearly has a breakdown during the Harvest Ball. That struck me as odd, given that she’s been catering for years and owned her own company for three. Harriet is a likeable character, but her insecurities left me wondering what Adam saw in her.

Despite the flaws, I liked Ms. Kwan’s writing, and on her website it mentions that she just sold her second novel, a steampunk romance, to Carina Press. Given the sexy hero and solid writing in When Harriet Came Home, I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with in the steampunk genre.