Her brain may have had a plan, but her heart just stepped in it big time. Million Dollar Devil keeps it tempting while drawing attention to some harshly, realistic truths. Evans lets her pen run free on issues such as sexism and social prejudice. Lizzy and James have a great deal to learn from each other and these fictional characters, could teach the real world a few things as well. Sexy, sassy and surprisingly, relevant when it comes to social issues. 

Million-Dollar Mate - Lynn Hagen I'm enjoying this series as much as the original Brac Pack books. Love seeing the kids as adults, and the old guard coming to help out.

Seit ich im Juni 2014 „Das Buch ohne Namen“ und „Das Buch ohne Staben“ gelesen habe, bin ich ein Fan des Bourbon Kid. Ich kann nicht genau erklären, warum ich diesen durchgeknallten Serienmörder sympathisch finde und vielleicht sollte mir das zu denken geben, aber ich weiß zumindest, warum ich die ersten beiden Bände der gleichnamigen Reihe liebe. Sie sind Trash. Sie sind Punk. Sie sind hart, dreckig und auf absurde Weise komisch. Die unbarmherzige Einstellung des Autors gegenüber seinen Figuren imponiert mir. Trotzdem mussten knapp zwei Jahre vergehen, bis ich mir endlich den dritten Band „Das Buch ohne Gnade“ vornahm. Wieso ich die Fortsetzung so lange verschleppt habe, kann ich ebenfalls nicht erklären. Vielleicht sind zwei Abenteuer mit dem Bourbon Kid genug für zwei Jahre?

 

Einmal im Jahr erfreut sich das Hotel Pasadena eines großen Auflaufs von Gästen. Jedes Jahr an Halloween veranstaltet der Inhaber des Hotels, Nigel Powell, ein Festival unter dem Motto „Back from the Dead“. Mitten in der Wüste, auf Devil’s Graveyard, treffen halbwegs talentierte Möchtegernmusiker, Kneipensternchen und abgebrannte Verzweifelte aufeinander, um sich in einem Gesangswettbewerb zu messen. Sie alle begehren das Preisgeld: einen Vertrag über 1 Million Dollar mit Nigel Powell. Kaum jemand weiß, dass Devil’s Graveyard ein gewaltiges Untotenproblem hat. Dieses Jahr sind die auferstandenen Toten jedoch die geringste Sorge der Teilnehmer. Dieses Jahr hat sich der Bourbon Kid selbst zur Party eingeladen und all die Lokalberühmtheiten müssen sich fragen, welches das schlimmere Übel ist: die Zombies oder der schlecht gelaunte Serienkiller aus Santa Mondega?

 

Ich gebe zu, ich habe mir mein Wiedersehen mit dem Bourbon Kid etwas anders vorgestellt. Besser. Meiner Meinung nach kommt „Das Buch ohne Gnade“ nicht an die beiden Vorgänger heran. Obwohl mein Liebling Bourbon Kid in diesem dritten Band weitaus präsenter ist, hatte ich das Gefühl, dass die Handlung weniger dicht und konsequent konstruiert ist. Sie führt die Geschichte der Reihe eigentlich nicht weiter, sondern wirkte wie eine losgelöste Episode, was mich etwas enttäuschte. Ich hatte erwartet, dass die Komplikationen, die sich am Ende von „Das Buch ohne Staben“ abzeichneten, nun auch thematisiert würden. Leider war das nicht der Fall, trotz des Auftretens mehrerer alter Bekannter. Es war zwar interessant und unterhaltsam, den Barkeeper Sanchez, den Auftragskiller Elvis und die Wahrsagerin Annabel de Frugyen in einer anderen Umgebung als Santa Mondega zu beobachten, doch unglücklicherweise empfand ich die räumliche Begrenzung des Hotels Pasadena eher als Fluch denn als Segen. Diese ist meiner Ansicht nach dafür verantwortlich, dass die Verbindung der Szenen nicht mehr so zufällig-absurd geriet, wie ich es aus den Vorgängern gewohnt war. Ich wusste diese surrealen Verstrickungen sehr zu schätzen und fand es schade, dass Anonymus diese spezielle Eleganz entglitt. Häufige Perspektivwechsel trugen darüber hinaus dazu bei, dass ich viele Szenen mehrfach aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln erlebte, was die Handlung künstlich steckte und sie bisweilen langatmig erscheinen ließ. Deswegen war „Das Buch ohne Gnade“ nicht weniger rasant oder witzig, mich beschlich jedoch der Eindruck, dass es kaum genug inhaltliche Substanz enthielt, um die knapp 430 Seiten zu füllen. Nichtsdestotrotz bot das neue Setting auch einen gewaltigen Vorteil: haufenweise neue Figuren, die Anonymus das Zeitliche segnen lassen konnte. Die Todesrate ist im dritten Band der „Bourbon Kid“ – Reihe ungebrochen hoch, allerdings ließ der Autor dieses Mal meist Statisten über die Klinge springen, zu denen ich keine tiefere Beziehung aufgebaut hatte. Angesichts dessen, dass ich darauf eingestellt war, mich erneut von zahllosen liebgewonnenen Charakteren verabschieden zu müssen, empfand ich es als angenehme Abwechslung, mir einmal keine kaum Sorgen um meine Favorit_innen machen zu müssen, obwohl Anonymus sie mit einer neuen Bedrohung konfrontierte: Zombies. Was ist von einem Ort, der Devil’s Graveyard heißt, auch anderes zu erwarten? Da bekommt die Redewendung „Die Wüste lebt“ gleich mal eine ganz neue Bedeutung. Ein wenig überrascht war ich trotzdem, denn ich bin irgendwie davon ausgegangen, dass es sich bei den lebenden Toten abermals um Vampire handeln würde. Letztendlich passt es aber zu Anonymus, sich kommentarlos einer weiteren übernatürlichen Spezies zuzuwenden. Ich glaube, er hatte eben einfach Bock, über Zombies zu schreiben.

 

Je länger ich über „Das Buch ohne Gnade“ nachdenke, desto mehr wächst in mir die Hoffnung, dass dieser dritte Band eine Verbindung zur übergeordneten Handlung der Reihe hat, die ich einfach noch nicht abschätzen kann. Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, dass Anonymus die ursprüngliche Geschichte so sträflich vernachlässigt und links liegen lässt, obwohl sie noch nicht abgeschlossen ist. Bisher zeichneten sich die Bände immer durch eine beeindruckend runde Konstruktion aus. Vielleicht braucht er dieses Mal lediglich mehr Anlauf, um den Kreis zu schließen. Ich vermute, dass die Fortsetzung „Das Buch des Todes“ das Finale der Reihe darstellt – es wäre möglich, dass die verbindenden Fäden erst dort zu Tage treten. Das sähe Anonymus ähnlich. Dementsprechend werde ich „Das Buch des Todes“ auf jeden Fall lesen. Ich will wissen, wie „Das Buch ohne Gnade“ in die Reihe hineinpasst.
Ich weiß nicht genau, wie ich „Das Buch ohne Gnade“ empfehlen soll, denn welchen Wert es für die Reihe hat, ob man es lesen muss oder getrost auslassen kann, kann ich noch nicht sagen. Für sich genommen ist ein solider Urban Fantasy – Roman, der den Leser_innen nichts abverlangt, außer einer gewissen Unempfindlichkeit gegenüber Blut und Tod. Anonymus will nicht fordern. Er will unterhalten, schockieren. Und das ist ihm durchaus gelungen.

Million Dollar Staircase (Will Harper No... [b:Million Dollar Staircase|29004874|Million Dollar Staircase (Will Harper Mystery, #1)|David Crosby|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1455026596s/29004874.jpg|49244808]
[a:David Crosby|7368909|David Crosby|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1385827524p2/7368909.jpg]

276 pages $4.99 on Kindle

Former journalist Will Harper struck it lucky when Aunt Dotty kicked the bucket and left him enough to kiss his job goodbye and buy a boat. Then his luck runs even hotter when the attractive French-speaking owner of the run-down marina where he parks his boat gets romantic. But they’ve got trouble with a capital “T” because evil developers want the city fathers to wield the weapon of eminent domain to bulldoze her marina and put up a million dollar staircase, ADA-compliant, of course, in the middle of their new development. With the help of a hotshot lawyer who owes him a favor and armed with his journalistic sleuthing skills, fearless and generous Will swings into action to help his new lady friend.

First, the fun. It’s a sun-drenched Florida coastal setting, with ramshackle bait shacks, live aboard boats, lazy boozy meals, flowered shirts, greedy developers, corrupt local politicians and scary tattooed “muscle.” My apologies for bringing current events into a review, but I write this review in the heat of the 2016 presidential campaign, where it’s the Donald and his eminent domain wielded against little old ladies so he can build a casino parking lot vs. Bernie fighting for the revolution of the little guy against Big Money. Mr. Crosby has written a timely book, and built a fictional world around a real and current issue. He’s definitely fighting for the little guy, or in this case, the lovely Sandy of the French accent who is in danger of losing her marina to the evil developers. The author had a good grasp of the legalities of eminent domain and the strategies of evil developers and did a solid job of helping the reader understand them as well. He also knows his way around journalism and boats.

Somewhat confusingly, the book is marketed as a mystery. It is not a mystery, or at least it is not mysterious. The villains are introduced straight off as villains, rather selfish and ham-handed villains in fact, and the only mystery is how and when they will receive their come-uppance for being so villainous and dastardly. “Million Dollar Staircase” is not so much a mystery as it is the introductory pilot for what looks to be a private detective series built around the dashing, justice-minded, generous, brave, gentlemanly, independently affluent and conveniently skilled Will Harper. Think of it as an extended character sketch with some fun action sequences as the bad guys are foiled and brought low.

I like Will, although I question his judgment at times…in ways I cannot detail without spilling plot beans. He makes some very strange decisions. Let’s just say I found myself chanting “Call the police!! Call the police!!” several times. I guess hard-boiled detectives-to-be don’t instinctively do that when confronted by awkward corpses. He’s a nice guy, a gentleman, smooth enough with the ladies and treats them well, which is also appealing, but he lacks a certain cluefulness about the fair and mysterious sex. I liked him enough to want to pull him aside a couple of times and just tell him, “Dude, she’s just not that into you…” His difficulties with love form a kind of subplot as a backdrop to all the legal proceedings and action sequences.

Mr. Crosby is a good storyteller, although I’m not sure he’s demonstrated his mystery chops with this book. (Need more…mystery.) I would also quibble with his dialogue style, which is naturalistic to the point of being too real—greetings and small talk--and not as effective as it could be in showing character and pushing the plot along. Minor typos and formatting issues distracted slightly. He’s a great world-builder. I could feel the Florida mugginess and taste the seafood. I enjoyed his little guys and gals vs. the Big Bad Money Boys plot. His characters are colorful and memorable enough if not particularly complex. The story is conveyed with a warm, earnest upbeat feel, gliding calmly over the occasional murders and kidnappings and difficulties in romance with a gentle humor.

Mystery fans looking for a new series should check out Will Harper, perfectly positioned at the end of Book 1 to start solving crimes and mysteries, although Mr. Crosby’s ability to create mystery and tension remains, in this first pilot book, as yet unproven.

I know I have a day dream or a dozen about winning the lottery. How would that play out in your love life?

 

These Romance Novels explore that question. Enjoy!

 

1. Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

 

Colton Nelson was twenty-eight years old when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. Now he's desperate to keep the gold diggers away. It shouldn't be too hard to find a pretty girl and hire her to pretend to be his one-and-only. 

Laura Baker's got mixed feelings about this-she's on the ranch to work, not to be arm candy. On the other hand, being stuck for a while in the boondocks with a gorgeous cowboy isn't half-bad.

What neither Colton nor Laura expects are the intensely hard lessons they have to learn about the real cost of love...

 

2. Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich

 

For months he'd thought of her as the Mystery Woman, draped in a black velvet cloak, with outrageous red curls, flawless skin, and carrying a large, odd case--but the night David Dodd saw a helicopter drop a chunk of metal through the roof of his lovely neighbor's bedroom, he got to meet the formidable and delightful Katherine Finn at last! Rescuing damsels and fixing roofs was dangerous work, he told her, and at the very least he deserved a kiss--didn't he? Kate couldn't argue with Dave's logic, but how could she, the driven concert musician with more commitments than hours in the day, be falling head over heels for a likable cuddler who seemed to be drifting through life? No one had ever made her feel as cherished or desirable, and she'd never had so much fun, but even though her eccentric boarder, Elsie, assured her that where Kate was concerned Dave had plenty of ambition, could she really love a guy who was just smart, sexy and rich?

 

3. Fifty Million Reasons by Heather Wardell

 

Angela has typical lottery-player plans: help friends and family, give more to charity, and escape her rut. But when she wins big, she faces angry relatives, her own unexpected greed, and a lawsuit from the person who put her in that rut. Almost nobody treats her normally, and they've got fifty million reasons not to. 

She can buy anything she wants now, but can she buy the life she needs? 

 

4. Burn by Linda Howard

 

When Jenner Redwine wins a lottery jackpot, she can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she finds an ally—and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege—in the kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner. But what Jenner gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, with nowhere to run, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feelings she hasn’t had in years—and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.

 

5. The Devil and Miss Jones by Kate Walker

 

THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES (3) by Kate Walker: Lottery winner Martha Jones narrowly escapes marrying a con artist, but when she runs out on her wedding she runs straight into a storm. Carlos Ortega swoops in to rescue her, and Martha is shocked by her immediate attraction to her Argentinian motorcycle-driving savior. A single night of uncomplicated, anonymous passion was what they both wanted. So how will they handle the unexpected consequences of their single night together?

 

6. Winning Amelia by Ingrid Weaver

 

Can fate really be this cruel?

Amelia Goodfellow can't escape her bad luck. After her ex-husband's embezzlement conviction cost her everything, winning the lottery seemed like fate's way of paying her back. But to then lose the painting she hid the winning ticket in? Amelia is done with luck. She's going to get that painting and her life back. Even if it means hiring her old flame, private investigator Hank Jones.

 

Trust isn't easy for Amelia, so keeping Hank in the dark about the ticket just makes sense. Tracking the yard-sale purchaser of the painting should be simple, but then an auction of stolen art complicates the search, and Amelia suddenly has more to lose than money. A second chance with Hank might be priceless.

 

7. Cherry On Top by Kathleen Long

 

Life... When Cherry Harte wins the lottery, she sets out to reinvent her life. New villa. New wardrobe. New personal history. The only thing that can stop her now is her wacky family and the hunky mechanic who kicks her libido from zero to sixty in no time flat.

Luck... Luke Chance has had it with women, especially women with new money, yet Cherry Harte seems to be far more than a pretty package. But is she on the lam? The woman's hiding something, and Luke intends to find out what. He's a man on mission. Call it...

Love.

 

8. Kiss Me Deadly by Susan Kearney

 

Her luck may have just run out . . . 

Dedicated family attorney Amanda "Mandy" Newman may have survived an attempted drowning and, along with co-workers, just won the biggest lottery in history, but before she can collect, the ticket is stolen. Now, her co-workers are being murdered one by one.  

She needs help, and that puts her between a rock and a hard man—the brother of a co-worker.

DEA officer Zack Taylor was a one-night stand who'd turned into so much more. Now that his family and Mandy are in danger, he is back in the picture. The attraction between them still simmers; Zack can feel it. But can he resist his desire for her long enough to discover her secret? 

With her life on the line, the attraction between them should be kept on ice. After all, under the circumstances, a kiss could be deadly.

 

9. Frisky Business by Tawna Fenske

 

There he is again

No more rich men for Marley Cartman. Absolutely not. Thanks to her dad, her ex-fiancé, and the overbearing donors she schmoozes for a living, she's had more than her fill. From now on, she wants blue-collar men with dirt under their fingernails. But when Marley makes a break to handle donor relations for a wildlife sanctuary, she finds herself drawn to the annoyingly charming—and disturbingly wealthy—chairman of the board.

The kind of man she doesn't want

Judging by his hipster T-shirts, motley assortment of canine companions, and penchant for shaking up stuffy board meetings, you'd never guess that William Barclay the Fifth is a brilliantly successful businessman. Will has good reason to be leery of scheming women, and as he and Marley butt heads over the wisdom of bringing grumpy badgers to charity events, he can't help but wonder if his new donor relations coordinator is hiding something other than a perfect figure beneath that designer suit...

 

10. Million Dollar Dilemma by Judy Baer

 

So when over $20 million falls into her lap, Cassia Carr views her Midas touch as a cross, not a blessing—and certainly doesn't anticipate the difficulty of giving it all away!

And it's hard enough to gauge romantic feelings without the chaos of a major windfall. Her globetrotting neighbor, Adam Cavanaugh, seems interested—but in Cassia or her fortune? When Adam abruptly disappears, should Cassia forget him or follow her heart to an unknown, life-changing destination?

 

Do you have a favorite? Let me know! Vote on my Goodreads list:  Windfall: Lottery Winners in Romance