BLUE SMOKE AND MURDER

William Morrow (2008), 404 pages, $24.95 (hardcover)
Elizabeth Lowell does many things well.
She creates compelling characters that captivate and entertain readers..
She pens snappy and witty dialog that makes readers smile and laugh.
And she researches exceptionally well.
Too well.
Because the drawback of reading most of Lowell’s recent books is that too much of her stories are devoted to sharing that research with readers. In “Blue Smoke and Murder” the topic is the art world – fraud, and the eccentricities and obsessions of collectors.
Lowell does weave all this into a rather interesting story that sends Jill and Zach on quite an adventure where they dodge bullets but don’t even try to avoid Cupid’s arrows.
Jill inherits a trunk of mysterious paintings when her great-aunt mysteriously dies. She soon figures out that the unsigned canvases are the reason her aunt was killed. When her life is threatened she calls in a favor from Joe Faroe (“The Wrong Hostage”) who sends St. Kilda operative Zach to protect her.
Of course, the romance sparks flare right away, despite the fact that Jill is in danger. And most of their courtship is spent moving around during an investigation, as they try to A) keep Jill alive, B) find out who the artist of her paintings was, C) why someone is willing to kill and be nasty to get them.
It’s all a bit convoluted, but understandable. And while the romance is tepid, you like Zach and Jill enough that your romantic interest is adequately piqued to keep reading – and that dialog is fun too, even though sometimes that’s used to deliver long lectures on the art world.
Suggestion: Just skip those.



Overall rating: 3-plus of 5 hearts. Jill and Zach make it worth reading, even though it’s not a real mushy or lovey-dovey type relationship. The art stuff does get tedious at times, but sift through that and you’ll find an intriguing, well-written story.


Hunk appeal: 10. Zach takes care of Jill from the onset, and is obviously a good guy. He respects her, protects her, and cares for her.

Steamy scene grade: XXX. Definitely cares for her.

Happily-Ever-After: Good. The romance subtlety developed so there was no grand finale for that, just a sweet ending that let you they’re together even though there is no mush and gush (or four-letter words or four word questions.) The intrigue finishes rather intensely albeit not real surprisingly.


Also this week …

NO ORDINARY MAN, by Suzanne Brockmann (1990, paperback) – 3 of 5. This is another blast from Suzanne Brockmann’s past, when she wrote more pure romances for Harlequin. Jess is a divorced mom who takes in a tenant to help make ends meet. When Rob moves in, she’s immediately intrigued and smittened. He’s a mystery man who deftly avoids talking about his past and seems to take two steps away from her every time he takes one step closer. While they’re dancing around a relationship, a serial killer is terrorizing the area and while Jess adamantly defends Rob and insists that she knows there is no way it’s him, she can’t keep help but have the tiniest of doubts at times – especially when investigators insist it’s him. But despite that, she remains his ally and at the end, that earns her a happily-ever-after.

THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM

Avon Books (2008), 371 pages, $7.99 (paperback)
From the author who gifted readers with the treasured set of Bridgerton stories comes another set of books destined to be cherished.
“The Lost Duke of Wyndham” is the first of a duo of books about two cousins, each who have a claim to that title.
The first book, due out next Tuesday, is about Jack, a former military captain and highwayman who never had a clue that his deceased father was the son, and eventual heir, of a duke.
Jack grew up happily with his maternal family in Ireland, after his father died before his birth, and his mother during. The twists and turns of his life had him eventually playing Robin Hood and robbing carriages in England.
As fate would have it, he ended up near his ancestral home. And, with fate further prodding him along, he robs his grandmother one night.
Despite his mask, his grandmother recognizes the uncanny resemblance to her deceased son. And that’s how Jack was forced to confront his family, and the possibility that he could be a duke.
Which, by the way, he doesn’t want to be.
What he wants to be is Grace’s husband. Grace is the grandmother’s companion, and she’s as instantly smitten with Jack as he is with her. But she knows if he is the real duke, he won’t be able to marry so far beneath his lofty station in life.
Silly girl.
In a refreshing twist for a romance, Jack acknowledges, at least to himself, that he’s in love with Grace early on. He likes teasing her, but he’s never cruel, heartless or nasty to her – not even when he’s “not robbing” her at their initial meeting.
Quinn’s second book of this saga will be about Thomas, the Duke of Wyndham before his cousin appears to put life as he’s always known it in jeopardy. But it won’t be a sequel. The story will be told during the same time frame as “The Lost Duke of Wyndham,” only from Thomas’ and Amelia’s perspective. This book is due out in late September.



Overall rating: 5 of 5 hearts. With wit, engaging characters and touching romance, Quinn once again charms readers with a compelling story destined to become a treasured favorite.


Hunk appeal: 10-plus. Jack is protective of Grace from the start, showing her respect and adoration. His quick wit, flirtatious manner and engaging smile truly charms the ladies – including readers.

Steamy scene grade: XXXX. He definitely adores Grace.

Happily-Ever-After: Good. No surprises, but definitely a sweet proposal from Jack and a nice epilogue that illustrates the couple’s happily-ever-after rather well.


Also this week …

THERE AND NOW, by Linda Lael Miller (1992, paperback) – 4 of 5. One of the “oldies” being re-released by Harlequin’s Silhouette series, this is a time travel story that sends 20th century heroine Elisabeth back 100 years to find her true love. Of course the problem is, her true love thinks she’s an asylum escapee. That doesn’t keep Jonathan from falling in love with her, though. (At one point, Elisabeth asks him why he trusts her with his daughter if he thinks she’s a lunatic, and he replies “Because I think you’re a harmless lunatic.” Words every woman wants to hear from her soul mate, eh?) The ending has a touching, albeit not real surprising, ending and overall, it’s just a pure, easy-to-read and easy-to-enjoy romance.

THE DEATH DEALER

MIRA (2008), 297 pages, $24.95 (hardcover)
This sequel to “The Dead Room” has an interesting way of reviving some of its former characters.
These would be the characters that died in the first book.
Matt and Leslie are back in “The Death Dealer,” two ghosts enjoying a rather unique happily-ever-after. This time, they’re speaking from “beyond” with the book’s two living heroes, Joe and Genevieve, trying to keep them alive and helping them find a serial killer.
It makes for an interesting alliance.
For those who didn’t read “The Dead Room” – and you can still read “The Death Dealer” with no problem if that’s the case – Joe and Genevieve met when he helped rescue her from a deranged killer. (That would also be when Leslie died and was reunited with her soul mate, Matt.)
About a year later, Genevieve recruits Joe to help her find a killer. A man in her mother’s Edgar Allan Poe “fan club” was killed, and Genevieve fears for Eileen’s safety.
They discover someone has murdered several people with Poe connections, in Poe-type fashion.
The intrigue overshadows the romance in this book, but the smidgen of passion that is there is enough to cultivate an interest in Joe and Genevieve’s happily-ever-after.
Early in the book, Joe discovers he suddenly has the ability to see and speak to dead people. He’s not happy and doesn’t want this “gift” but can’t find a way to refuse it. Genevieve, who is experiencing some of the same thing herself, realizes what is going on with Joe and senses that he’s struggling to accept it and deal with it. So she calls in a mutual acquaintance to help.
Because not only does she care, she loves.
The problem is, Joe doesn’t see it as an act of love. He sees it as a betrayal and spends most of the rest of the book pouting and sulking.
That would be the biggest strike against Joe, and the story.
He does get over it by the end, but never sufficiently explains or rectifies his behavior.



Overall rating: 3 of 5 hearts. A good enough read but not bursting with passion and romance. It’s well-written with a cast of interesting characters – alive and dead. If you’re in the mood for a good suspense story with a bit of romance, this will work.


Hunk appeal: 10. Joe starts off strong, treating Genevieve with tenderness and affection and being attentive and protective. He hits a slump, however, and never really adequately grovels his way out of it.


Steamy scene grade: XXX. Very attentive.

Happily-Ever-After: Good. An epilogue ties up all very well, but there’s no grand romantic finale.


Also this week …

IRON COWBOY, by Diana Palmer (2008, paperback) – 3-plus of 5. Another of Palmer’s beloved “Long, Tall Texans” stories, this one a short Silhouette book. When Sara first meets Jared, she calls him an ogre. But as she gets to know him, she changes her mind – drastically. As with most Palmer books, Jared treats Sara abysmally, feels guilty about it and then makes tender amends once he realizes how much he really loves her. And of course Sara is the young, innocent and wholesome heroine with a tragic past. What’s not to like?

Editorial Policy

One of the differences between newspapers & "new media" is the wide variety of ways people make money. As a long-time journalist, I just got a paycheck, while the newspaper made money from ads & subscriptions.

In the case of this blog, I feel like there are two things that I need to fully disclose:

1. Just like at the newspaper, the publishers send me the books at no cost. I read 2-3 books a week and skim many more. In some cases, I buy books that are not sent to me, but I could not afford to do this if I had to pay for all the books. Free books do not get preferential treatment.
2. Unlike the newspaper, you will see links on this blog that link to Amazon so you can buy the books directly if you're interested. You will also see Google ads. I get paid a very small amount for each of these clicks and/or purchases. The income helps offset the cost of maintaining the blog & buying the occasional book that isn't sent to me. Again, I do not let this influence what I write in my reviews. I do think it's a nice service to be able to buy the book immediately if you're interested in it. And I don't even get to choose what shows up in the Google ads.

My husband maintains these ad links for me, and I don't typically even know if I'm making $.10 or $10. I'm just grateful that I can continue to share these reviews with you. As I did when I wrote for the paper, I just pick the books I'm interested in, and then tell you what I think about them.

Thanks for reading!