I loved this book. It's my first crack at the Berger and Mitry series, but I am hooked. The writing is so smooth, it practically read itself to me. The humor is fantastic and Mitch and Des are such a cute couple. I love that Mitch is a plump hero, something you don't see too often, and as a fellow movie buff, I truly adored how he references movies for much of what he says and even in his crime-solving. Definitely recommend!

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.

Not bad, but I never did come to like Drew very much. He commits the cardinal sin of being way too 'entitled'. He's entitled to judge Eve at first glance, and when he gets enlightened on the situation, he feels like it's his right to seduce her into bed, even knowing that he doesn't want a commitment. So what, his heart was broken by his childhood sweetheart. No reason to become a commitment avoidant jerk. I couldn't really believe in their romance together, so that's why I didn't like this book more. Otherwise, it had a distinct atmosphere. No exotic locations or extravagant throwing of money around. It's set in a small town and Eve is just about done raising her younger brother since he's about to go to college. Drew is the uncle of Eve's brother's best friend. He's got his nephew in awe of him because of his reputation as a ladies' man and a tough city businessman. Eve is as down to earth as they come, and I really liked that about her. I think she could have done better with a love interest. I kind of liked the end, although I don't think I would be wanting to get amorous in my great-aunt's house. Not one of my favorites by this author, but it wasn't bad. I think it just caught me in a picky mood.

By the way, the name is completely erroneous.

This was a quick, involving read, and part of me wanted to rate it higher because of that and the fact that Jess reminds me favorably of Veronica Mars, but the mystery was a bit too simplistic and predictable. But overall, I like the idea of a teenage English girl sleuth very much, and I'd recommend it to YA mystery readers.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.

It took me a while to read this because of other stuff going on. This was pretty good. I think the name is hugely misleading. That's not what this book is about at all. It's nothing that exciting. Beau Garrett is a talk show host who is recuperating in the boonies after a life threatening accident. He hires female landscaper, Jaz Logan, who is living under the shadow of her mother running off with someone else's husband. They strike up an uneasy friendship that turns into love.

Beau is a bit of a misanthrope. Jaded and sophisticated, and fairly grumpy. Jaz is highly stressed with all the burdens she's had to carry her life, dealing a shame forced on her just because she is the daughter of her mother. They find an unlikely connection that isn't just physical. Beau knows he's too old for her, and Jaz feels that she's not sophisticated enough for Beau. But there seems to be something that continue pulls them together.

I didn't think this was terribly exciting. It was okay. Not bad, but not particularly distinctive. Books like this make you wonder how the writer felt when they were writing it. If I'm not excited as a reader, are they while they are writing it. Being creative is hard and lonely work. You need to feel a drive to finish that work. If the results turn out blah, doesn't the author feel that when they are in the midst of its creation? I digress. So, yes this is just a three star read from me. It kept my interest, but not in a spectacular way. It was a good read before bedtime.

I liked this, but at the same time, I didn't love the hero. He came off as a jerk from the beginning. I don't mind a hero who torments the heroine (in a gentle way like the boy at school who teases the girl he likes), but his attitude of entitlement and his overweening arrogance killed it for me. I almost felt like Nick was considered perfect with no faults, but Emily had to justify herself for her practices and beliefs because they were wrong. I guess I felt like there was a sexist overtone to this book (and a little bit of the "traditional woman is the right kind of woman" vibe to this that irritated me). I'm not saying that Emily couldn't use a different viewpoint, but how much did Nick try to understand her or show acceptance for who she was and why she lived life that way? Not much. From the beginning, Nick seemed like he was on a mission to change her or shake her up. I think I might have felt somewhat better if Nick had ever said that he loved her or in his pursuing of Emily, he showed more than purely lust or sexual attraction. It seemed like he was all about getting her into bed.

I wasn't very satisfied with the ending of this book. It left a bad taste in my mouth because no words of love were said, and Emily was the one who was doing all the giving up and submitting (other than Nick staying in town). While submitting isn't a bad word (depending on the root of the act), her submission didn't feel right to me.

I tend to over-think things and I know that I am thinking about this book from a personal vantage point because I do have issues with the perception of women in society and the persistent view that all women need to fit the same mode in relationship with men. Marriages and relationships don't always have to follow the same model, but it seemed as though being with Nick had to be according to his terms, and that's always wrong to me. I feel that love should be about mutual submission. I would have love to see Nick do some of the surrendering in this book.

** Part of men thinks the nice brown eyed guy she danced with a lot at the block party might have been a good choice for Emily. I guess we'll never know.

It's not a badly written book at all. It's good, but the underlying message that came across didn't work for me.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.