Typical anthology, some stories were good, though most were meh. I would probably have put this aside after the JD Robb story, but kept plugging away.

Possession in Death (In Death #31.5) by JD Robb (3.5 stars)- This is a futuristic romance taking place in 2060. It was nice to read an In Death story showing all of Eve's coworkers and people important to her. We start off with everyone at a fun BBQ which is quickly overshadowed by murder. I do wish that the more recent works had everyone together in them and actually just hanging out. I had no idea how much I missed that until I read this story. We have Eve called away and finds herself holding an older Romany woman (Gizi) who was stabbed to death. Eve agrees to find Gizi's granddaughter Beata that has gone missing. Eve realizes slowly though that somehow she has been possessed by Gizi. She and Roarke work together to see if they figure out what happened to Beata in order for Eve to return back to normal. I liked the thought of Eve being able to see ghosts and help lay them to rest. Frankly it's not much different from her dreams which have seemed to gotten more prophetic at times during the series. In the end though, the entire story-line moved a little too fast (not surprising since this is a short story) and we don't get a chance to digest things.

The Other Side of the Coin by Mary Blayney (5 stars)- This is a historical romance taking place in 1810. The one story not about ghosts in any way was my favorite. I liked the idea of the Earl of Fellsborough (Harry) swapping bodies with his wife (Bettina). They have an argument and both throw a mysterious coin that is nearby and wish for things at the same time. Bettina wishes that Harry could be in her shoes and Harry wishes that his wife would trust him. It was pretty funny to read them trying to deal with the ins and outs of being men and women in this time period. We also got to see their views on a lot of things such as the slave trade too. The funniest scene though was when the Earl got a period (in his wife's body) and I maybe laughed so hard I hurt my ribs. The agony he was in and the countess just rolling her eyes was hilarious. 

“Does it feel like some monster from hell is working its way through your stomach and below and the only relief will be when it explodes out of you? But before that can happen the pain fades, but only for a few moments.”

“Yes.” He sounded amazed at her insight.

“It happens every month, my lady,” Bettina said with a sarcastic emphasis on the honorific. “Indeed, it will happen monthly right before your courses for the next twenty years.”

“God help me.” 

I also like how Blayney played with romance scenes in this one too. 

Dancing Ghost by Patricia Gaffney (3 stars)-This is a historical romance taking place in 1895. A young woman (Angie Darlington) hires a man (Henry Cleland) who claims to be a paranormal investigator. Angie doesn't really believe that Henry can find or sense ghosts. She is merely trying to use him to prove her grandparent's house is haunted in order to prevent her cousin from selling it. I just found myself bored while reading this. Neither characters interested me much. I was more interested in the literary sayings about love that were appearing on a mirror in a bedroom. 

Almost Heaven by Ruth Ryan Langan (2 stars)-This is a contemporary romance. Ted and Vanessa are an older and happily married couple. They leave a party celebrating their daughter's engagement and died when the brakes fail. They get to stay on this side as ghosts and are told they can hang around for a while, but not interfere. Things get dicey though when they realize that someone purposely murdered them. This and the next story are among my least favorite in this anthology. Probably because we don't get any character development from Christina and Jake. They are just props in the overall story and you don't really root for them. I also didn't like Ted that much when he admits he thought their young son Tyler (who suffers from autism) was not intelligent. I just hard cringed at that line. 

Never Too Late for Love by Mary Kay McComas (2 stars)-This is also a contemporary romance. MJ is hell-bent on selling her mother's home and then comes to find her ghost and the ghosts of her two aunts who have passed on. The story had too much going on, and McComas trying to throw a love story in there didn't help either. I just didn't think that the story-line was remotely interesting since it seemed like all MJ was talk. And I didn't buy her romance with the guy next door (Ryan) he was beige as hell. The ending just fell flat. I wish the anthology had wrapped on a stronger note. 

Yikes. If I wasn't reading this for a square I would totally DNF it.

So far only one story is really tied together with a ghost, Eve Dallas's "Possession in Death" (In Death #31.5). it initially is okay with Eve and Roarke having a BBQ at their home with Eve's fellow cops and friends. She is still feeling awful after closing the case on two thrill killers from the last book (FYI, I forgot how much I loathed that book). Eve gets a call and goes out and finds a woman dying after being stabbed, someone though Eve invites her into herself and is able to see the newly dead. It works mostly, and I did love that Roarke this time was very much about doing what he could to get Eve back to herself. 

"The Other Side of the Coin" by Mary Blayney has the Earl and Countess of Fellsborough switching bodies. I know that many people who have read these anthologies know that Blayney also has the whole magical coin thing going on. This was pretty interesting and I loved the resolution. No ghosts though.

I started "Dancing Ghost" by Patricia Gaffney and so far am not a fan. Reading two people sending letters back and forth to each other is boring me to tears. At least this one is about ghost hunters it seems operating in the 1800s. 

Hello, friends. I have had a couple of bad weeks. I was so depressed I couldn’t write, not even book reviews. I couldn’t socialize either, face to face or online, so I didn’t logon to BL or any other of my usual social media haunts. I missed you guys, missed your reviews and comments. Hopefully, I've shaken the worst of it off and I’m back now.

I did read during this time, but most of what I read wasn’t any good (or maybe it was my depression talking). So a quick reading recap of the last two weeks. And tomorrow, I promise, I’ll start reading your reviews again.

Jayne Ann Krentz – Secret Sisters

Meh. Probably 2 stars. I did finish the book

Lisa Shearin – The Brimstone Deception

Not bad. Not very good either, just a solid novel of urban fantasy. A bit of humor, a bit of enjoyment, and utterly forgettable. 3 stars.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips – The Great Escape

A reread. Last time I read it, I gave it 3 stars. This time, I’d probably bump it to 4 stars. I enjoyed reading the novel, but then I usually like anything written by this writer. A charming novel of chic lit.

Jayne Ann Krentz – Running Hot

Another reread. I liked it. It was published in 2009 and it was probably the last book this author published that was of a high enough standard. Afterwards, her quality dropped dramatically. It was the usual Krentz’s romantic suspense, with some paranormal arabesques thrown in to make it more interesting, a couple of likable protagonists, and a juicy thriller twist. Easy and fun. 4 stars.

Jennifer Crusie – Welcome to Temptation

I smiled from start to finish while I read this book. A reread as well, but I haven’t read it for a while, so it felt fresh and utterly delicious. I love Crusie. 4.5 stars. There is a bit of sagging in the middle of the novel, but otherwise, an almost perfect book.

Ilona Andrews – Magic Stars

Didn’t enjoy it at all. It was quick though, not much time wasted, but then I’m not a Kate Daniels fan.

Patricia Gaffney – Sweet Everlasting

Didn’t finish. I like many books by this author, but this particular novel was so sugary and so false, I got a toothache.

Anne Gracie – Gallant Waif

Some of you might remember that this writer is my recent delightful discovery. I found four earlier books of hers that are out of print now and were never issued in e-format. This particular novel was her debut, and I liked it. It was not as polished as her later books. There were POV jumps and lots of other writing glitches, but the master storyteller she has become now is visible even in this earlier effort. 3 stars and many smiles.

    It's funny, dealing with one of the worse reader's slump this year. I think I have read more these two months then I have all year. Plus them being traditional and sweet Christmas stories- it's been great escape from a busy time of year

A love story between two shysters in San Francisco circa 1890, this novel is a bit unusual for the historical romance genre. When we meet the heroes, Grace and Reuben, she is masquerading as a nun, collecting donations for the children’s hospital in Africa. He is playing the role of a blind Spanish rancher educated at Oxford. He is not collecting any money, just doing it for fun. Then the stage they are traveling on is attacked by armed robbers. There are guns involved, Chinese mafia, shams and card cheating, and all that with the foggy, windy San Francisco in the background.

The story is surprisingly engrossing. The protagonists constantly deal with money problems, run from disgruntled customers they’ve tricked, and handle other unsavory types who seem to populate the city. There are no honest characters in the story at all. Everyone robs and cheats everyone. The heroes are unsavory themselves, and so is their universe, stuffed to bursting by frauds, thieves, and hoodlums.

The protagonists also seem to be falling in love, but until the epilogue, they don’t trust each other. The sex is hot, and the heroes’ dreams are even hotter, but I don’t believe that love can exist alongside mistrust. Here lies my first problem with the story. You can’t love someone and be sure he would deceive you or steal from you at a moment’s notice. That’s not love. For me, love and trust are inherently linked. This issue really spoiled the romantic line for me.

My second problem – the heroes are supposed to be smart. They are swindlers. They live by their wits. But they frequently behave stupidly, make dumb choices that would’ve had them killed, had they not existed in a fictional world. The only reasons for their foolish actions that I could see were the needs of the plot. I don’t believe a competent con artist could behave this way.

My third problem is racial. All the Chinese characters in the story except one are either helpless whores, or cleaver-waving thugs, or evil gang leaders. This professional distribution might somewhat reflect the point of view of our heroes (they are both white) in the end of the 19th century, but the writer lives here and now. The book was published in 1994. She could’ve inserted some modern take on the Chinese citizens of San Francisco into the story.

Other than these three problems, it’s not a bad book. It’s interesting. It’s written in a clear, precise language. Its pacing is fast, and the narrative beautifully constructed. Overall, I enjoyed reading it.