Review: Hot Secrets: A Dangerous Lover Novella by Lisa Marie Rice

Hot Secrets: A Dangerous Lover Novella by Lisa Marie Rice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I got this via NetGalley. I've only ever read one of Rice's books before, Hotter than Wildfire. When I saw this, I thought it was related to that series so I requested it, but it actually goes with the Dangerous trilogy.

First off, while the file read 58 pages, the story itself is only 30 pages. This is an Avon Impulse title so it's $3.99 and I don't think any 30 pages of new content is worth that price. The quality of the story is excellent, but I wouldn't recommend paying more than $1.99 for it. The other 28 pages are excerpts for the three Dangerous books.

This book accomplishes its purpose, however, as my immediate reaction was to check my local library for Dangerous Lover, the first book featuring these characters. It grabbed me right away and I was immediately invested, despite not having any knowledge of the back-story. The story packs a lot of punch for only 30 pages and I liked how smart the heroine was. I don't think it really functions as an epilogue, but Hot Secrets gives a glimpse of the characters' lives during their happily ever after and assures the readers they are still being the people we grew to love.

Bottom line, I'm definitely going to get my hands on this trilogy and I would definitely recommend this book as a quick read, but I'd wait for a coupon.

Review: In Christofides' Keeping by Abby Green

In Christofides' Keeping by Abby Green

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I feel that if I'm going to rate a book below three stars, then I need to explain why I rated it that way. Especially since this one is freaking nominated for an award.

I hate to keep re-using the phrase 'soap opera in a can,' but I can't think of anything else that describes how I feel about these books. The very best secret child reveal I've ever read was in Lauren Dane's Never Enough. In that book, the hero and heroine handled the situation mostly like adults and they always had the best interest of the child in mind.

By contrast, while she did have some basis for keeping the baby's existence a secret from the hero, the heroine, Gypsy, annoyed the ever-living shit out of me. Your child should come first. You get fired from your job, the job that's keeping food in your child's mouth and a roof over her head, because the hero's sudden reappearance makes you wibbly. Woman up. The hero, who is very wealthy by the way, tracks you down in the ghetto where you are living (with no heat!) and wants to move you to a better neighborhood, but you fight him on it because of your stupid pride. Woman up. Even if you believe you can cover your child's immediate needs, what about college? What happens if she gets sick? At least in Maya Banks's Wanted by Her Lost Love, the heroine kept the check the hero threw at her, just in case she needed it.

I'm not saying Gypsy should've rolled over and let Rico call the shots. She could have laid down some ground rules, like demanding a separate residence or child support or something. In fact, I feel like the whole book could have been solved with a two-hour couple's therapy session and a lot of 'How does it make you feel when your partner...' questions. It seemed like every freaking time Rico tried to initiate an adult discussion, Gypsy threw a hissy fit. WOMAN UP!

Also, because I am me and a champion nit-picker, the fact that Rico was able to whisk Gypsy and the baby to Greece without nary a word about passports didn't sit right. I would have thought that, even with private jets, you had to have some kind of documentation. Especially in today's day and age.

*sigh* I don't know. I've read categories that I've liked so I don't think it's entirely just me, but now I'm a little scared to read the other nominees.



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