The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer
The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer
New American Library (Penguin), June 2007
Nola Deviln is not who people think she is. Or rather she is, but Belinda Apple isn’t. You see, she’s both. On a quest to show her magazine editor that being overweight has nothing to do with how well she can write, Nola invents Belinda Apple, a thin, gorgeous, and hip writer from Britain.
She initially does it to prove a point, then gets all caught up in the fantasy. While no one’s ever met Belinda, everyone thinks she’s fabulous. Even Nola’s friends take advice from Belinda—her weight loss advice, in particular, gets their notice. Thus the Cinderella Pact is born, and Nola and her two best friends vow to lose weight by a certain date. Belinda says it’s as easy as walking it off.
As she starts to lose weight, Nola feels great, but Belinda is having issues. The magazine can’t seem to get a hold of her and have started to worry they’ve been defrauded. They aren’t happy. As Nola struggles to keep her identity hidden, lose the weight, keep up with her sister who’s getting married (with Belinda as her maid of honour), deal with a man who pops in, and then back out, of her life, she realised that it’s hard enough to be one person, let alone two.
This book was wonderful. I loved that Nola was a real woman, with real problems and real curves. I loved that even though she lost weight and became thinner, that it didn’t immediately make everything in her life become perfect. I loved that they talked about the various ways people try to lose weight, and that, mostly, Nola made sensible decisions about weight loss.
The tension and pacing in this book were very well done. I laughed out loud, I felt sorrowful, I sneered at the magazine editor, and I was smiling at the end. Even though I had guessed who the hero was, there were moments when I became unsure, moments when I wavered in my loyalty to who he was and what he was up to.
Ms. Strohmeyer has produced a witty book, with characters that are all three-dimensional. I’m not a big fan of the big girl who loses weight and suddenly has a fairy tale ending but, in this case, the author delivers the story with such finesse that I found myself sucked in. Well done! I look forward to picking up more of this author’s books.
I give it 5 Kisses, Reviewed for Romance Divas
Labels: Rating 5
Nowhere to Hide by Jennifer Elbaum
Nowhere to Hide By Jennifer ElbaumLovestruck Books
ISBN: 0-9786454-0-5
Romantic Suspense
200 pages
Publishing Date: 2006
$5.00 ebook or $10.95 trade paperback
Alex Maguire is a waitress on the run with a little girl. The little girl, Gail, is supposedly the daughter of her very good friend, Simon, and Alex is trying to protect her. The Trust is after them and there is nowhere to hide and no one they can trust.
Simon has asked Detective Dan Greywolf (Wolf) to help Alex and Gail, and that's what he plans on doing, even if Alex drives him to distraction. He's wanted her since meeting her the year before, but the woman has trust issues. It doesn't help that, no matter where they go, The Trust seems to catch up to them. Alex starts to believe that Dan is leading them there.
The Trust trained Alex and Simon, two of The Six, years before at The School. Now, apparently, they want to get The Six back together to perform one more job. It's a life or death situation and not all is as it seems. Can Dan and Alex fight their growing attraction to take on an evil entity and win? Or will it be that attraction that saves them in the end?
Nowhere to Hide has a great plot and the background behind it is very ingenious. Unfortunately, the point-of-view shifts between the main characters every paragraph or two had my head spinning. As most of you, who read my regular reviews, are aware, I am not a fan of the head-hop. As well, I have some issues with the fact that Alex did not seem to be concerned with Gail's welfare. Alex always seemed more worried about whether Wolf was ok. I understand that Alex isn't the girls mom, or even used to be around kids, but, in my opinion, a man who is a detective can take care of himself, whereas a four-year old girl can't.
That being said, I love the premise for the story, a corrupt corporation that is training young children to do their bidding. Ms. Elbaum was able to create tension, and build a very interesting world around The School and The Trust. Oh, and I loved the ending, it was brilliant. It made me smile. I can't say more than that, but it's what makes me think the author intends to do a series with The Trust, perhaps using each of The Six. I would be interested in reading this series and I hope Jennifer Elbaum continues in writing it.
I give it 3.5 Diners
Labels: Rating 3.5
Blood Seduction by J.M. Jeffries
Blood Seduction by J.M. Jeffries
Genesis Press, Inc., 2007
Major Ursula Carlson is a career military woman, who is heading a special ops team of vampires. She is trying to prove to the government that it would be beneficial to work with the vampires, rather than against them. That they could be great allies. After proving this, yet again, and pulling off a special job Ursula feels she’s in line for a promotion.
Unfortunately, her superiors feel otherwise and she is kept in the field and given a new boss. And to top it off they decide it’s better to eliminate the vampires and they want Ursula to head the clean-up team after they are destroyed. Shocked and dismayed at the idea of mass slaughter Ursula warns the vampires and goes on the run with sexy Solomon.
Blood seduction follows Solomon and Ursula as they race to save the vampire nation, and take down the head of the military branch that is running the operation.
Once again J.M. Jeffries has done a great job of sucking me in to a story. Although I have read Blood Lust, the first in this series, this book stands alone and there is no problem trying to catch up. Having read Blood Lust so long ago I was thrilled to remember some of the old characters, it felt like catching up. My favourite is Elder Turi. I think I’d really like to meet him. In any event, the pacing and action in this story are tight, and I felt the back-story was inserted at appropriate times. There were a couple of awkward phrases where I wasn’t sure if a word was missing or if that was intentional, but other than that the reading was smooth.
I picked this up and read it straight through to the end. I got a little less sleep, but was very happy with the story. The vamps are just like the rest of us, each flawed and real, but there is no horror-style gore. It is like many other suspense/adventure type books I read—it just has vampires. I look forward to the next installment, should there be one.
I give this a 4.5, Review for BE Reviews
