What: 2nds Reading Challenge
When: 1 January – 31 December 2009
Who: J. Kaye (J. Kaye’s Book Blog)
Rules: The challenge is to read a total of 12 books, written by authors that you have only read once before. The books do not have to be part of a series. List can be created/modified any time during the year.

Some are part of series. In the instances where I list only the author, I’ve left it open as to which book I’ll read — based on mood or other challenges.

Books in RED are on more than one list/alternate list

• Hail to the Chef (Julie Hyzy) — 2nd in the White House Chef series {1 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
• Ace is Wild (Penny McCall) {27 Feb 09} (REVIEW)
• Kiss of Fury (Deborah Cooke) — 2nd in the Dragonfire series {20 Apr 09} (REVIEW)
• Dawnkeepers (Jessica Andersen) — 2nd in the Final Prophecy series {15 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
• The Contestant (Stephanie Doyle) {11 Jul 09} (REVIEW)
• Duel of Hearts (Diane Farr) {21 Sep 09} (REVIEW) **pending **
• The Wallflower (Jan Freed) {31 Aug 09} (REVIEW)
• Bedded for Diamonds (Kelly Hunter) {11 Feb 09} (REVIEW)

~~ & ~~

I did slightly better at this one.  Some of these, I’ve already read a third book written by them.

The Wallflower

Title: The Wallflower
Author: Jan Freed
Copyright: 1999 (Harlequin); 296 pgs.
ISBN: 0-373-70790-8
Series: Harlequin Superromance #790
Sensuality: Warm

Who: Sarah Davidson and Jack Morgan
Where: Houston, Texas

From the back: Sarah Davidson is the lone witness to a brutal murder. After the killer makes an attempt on her life, she’s put under police protection. But one of the cops turns on her, she’s forced to hide in a place no one would ever think to look. Sarah’s solution? Roosevelt High. She’ll masquerade as a high school senior and try to blend in. But no one can ignore the “cool girl from California”. Especially not Jack Morgan, her English teacher. Under ordinary circumstances, he would be the perfect man for her. But he’ll never look at her as a woman unless she reveals her true identity — and if she does that she just might end up dead. What’s a girl to do?

Comments: The best way to describe this book is that it is a cross between Hiding Out and Never Been Kissed. The title refers to Sarah when she originally went through high school. She’d been overweight and shy. Her college roommate, Donna Kaiser, helped her overcome her problems and Sarah is now an image consultant in a public relations firm. Donna is an assistant principle and it is her idea to hide Sarah as a high school senior in her school.

Sarina Davis, as Sarah is now known as, is nothing like the eighteen-year-old, Sarah. Used to speaking her mind and being taking seriously by adults, “Sarina” gets off on the wrong foot with Jack Morgan, her English teacher. He’s strict and Sarah thinks he’s uptight. However, she’s a hit with many of the students, especially the misfits. Sarah decides to befriend and help several of these students as much as she can while waiting for the trial.

One of the students she befriends happens to be Jack’s much younger sister, Kate. Their father died while Jack was still in high school, leaving behind a pregnant wife. Jack stayed with his mother instead of going off to USC — Jack’s dream is to be a screenwriter. He went to night school and became a teacher. Every chance he gets, he works on his screenplays. He likes teaching, but lately, he’s been unhappy with his life. His sister is at a difficult stage (she’s fifteen) and their mother is always critical of Kate, comparing her to Jack, and not being an effective parent. He’s also waiting to hear from his agent about a script he submitted. And if that wasn’t maddening enough, the new female student is having an alarming effect on him.

At first, Sarah isn’t that interested in him. She calls him Moses (he has a set of personal ten commandments on his class room wall) and  is critical of his boring clothing and his aftershave. She’s more than happy to let Donna have him; she’s been interested in him for years. However, the more Sarah gets to know him, her feelings begin to change. She’s forced to reveal her true identity to him.

I really enjoyed this book. There wasn’t instant attraction, and I’m glad the author chose that route. Instead, Sarah feels guilty about her growing feelings for Jack, due to Donna’s long-standing interest in him. Jack fights against it first, because of the inappropriateness of the situation, and later because of his potential career change. I also liked that Jack discusses with Sarah whether leaving Texas for Hollywood (without his sister and mother) is the right thing to do, and Sarah — heart hurting — tells him that he’d eventually regret it and come to resent those who mean the most to him.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. And like the previous one, there are secondary romances going on in the background. Kate gets her very own knight in shining armor, and even Donna isn’t left heartbroken.

Started: 18 August 2009
Finished: 31 August 2009

Rating:

Enjoyed it!

The Contestant

Title: The Contestant
Author: Stephanie Doyle
Copyright: 2008 (Harlequin); 286 pgs.
ISBN: 0-373-51366-6
Series: Silhouette Bombshell #52
Sensuality: Warm

Who: Talia Mooney and Reuben Serrano
Where: South Pacific

Four and a half years after competing in her last Olympics, diver Talia Mooney finds herself participating in a different kind of competition. In an effort to help her treasure-hunting father pay off his debts to some shady people who plan to do bodily harm if they are not repaid, Talia signs up to compete on Ultimate Endurance, a new reality TV series. A group of eight contestants (four men and four women), two cameramen, and the host are dropped off on a tropical island. Through a series of competitions, the contestants will be eliminated, one by one, until there is only one remaining. The prize is a million dollars.

But things do not go smoothly. The competition has barely started when Evan — their host — informs them that, around the same time they left Hawaii, some one murdered an up-and-coming actress and made off with several millions-worth of jewelery. The police believe the murderer fled on one of ships that sailed that same night — including their yacht. Evan reassures the group that the captain searched the ship after receiving the warning and no castaway was found. As far as Evan is concerned, there is no need to worry — the game can continue. This doesn’t reassure anyone. Several members of the show were late additions, including Evan. Regardless, any one of the cast and crew could have done it, knowing they’d be sailing away from civilization for an extended period of time.

To say more about the plot might give it away, so I’ll leave it at that.

As for Talia and Reuben, both are at a crossroads in their lives; both are looking to be something other than what they were before, but for different reasons.

After her last Olympics, Talia went to school to be an accountant. After a lifetime of living on a boat, camping on tropical islands, and spending all her time in a bathing suit, Talia is looking for a normal, serious life. One where she can wear business suits and nice shoes; where she can have an apartment on solid ground and normal furnishings. Talia wants a life that she believes her mother — who died long ago — would have wanted her to have. Though Talia knows her mother loved her father very much, she can’t help believing her mother would have preferred living like a normal person. Yet, since graduating, Talia hasn’t been able to get a job. Nobody who has interviewed her for entry level positions can believe someone like her — her silver medal is listed on her resume — would be content to spend all day behind a desk, in front of a computer, crunching numbers. So far, no one will hire her, based on her background.

Half Irish, half Puerto Rican, Reuben comes from a family of cops. The only reason his maternal grandfather didn’t chase Reuben’s father off, when he starting dating his mother, was the fact that he was a cop (and Catholic). Reuben’s uncles are cops and his three brothers are cops. Being a cop was all he knew how to be. After getting shot though, Reuben had time on his hand to seriously reevaluate his life, and to decide if he truly wanted to return to the force, or if there was a dream he wanted to pursue instead Turns out, there was, but he needed ready money. He learned about the reality show from a fellow Iron Man competitor, and jumped at the chance to sign up.

Reuben is very blunt and a bit of jerk. He calls Talia “sugar” and “sweetheart”, and lets his intention be known. It was lust at first sight for him, but it has developed into something deeper. He’s reached a point where he’s thinking about a long-term commitment and finding away to have Talia in his life. He’s observant enough to know that Talia clamped down her own instant attraction to him and to know, even if she can’t figure it out, that she wouldn’t be happy confined to a cubicle. For her part, Talia initially fights the attraction because Reuben isn’t the safe, serious (boring) type she pictures herself married to; he doesn’t fit into her safe, serious (boring) future plans.

I really liked this book. I even liked Reuben, though he is a bit hard to take in the beginning. He has no problem with Talia taking the lead in situations where she has more expertise. It soften the alpha male tendencies somewhat. The rest of the characters are stereotypes, but that’s to be expected because even on reality shows, that’s what the contestants seen to be anyway. I had a hard time putting the book down. I didn’t guess who the murderer was right off and that kept me turning the pages.

Started: 10 July 2009
Finished: 11 July 2009

Rating:

Liked A Lot

~~~~~~~~~
30 Aug – KMont – I’m not a big fan of these kinds of reality shows, but somehow it sounds like it could make for a good book setup. Glad you enjoyed your category read this month! I’ve yet to try one of the mystery/suspense ones.

30 Aug – Me – I’m no fan of them either. *shudder* Thanks for stopping by!

Kiss of Fury

Title: Kiss of Fury
Author: Deborah Cooke
Copyright: 2008 (Signet); 392 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22476-7
Series: Dragonfire #2
Sensuality: Warm

Who: Alexandra Madison and Donovan Shea (warrior/Pyr)
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota

From the Back: Scientist Alexandra Madison was on the verge of unveiling and invention that would change the world. Then her partner was murdered, their lab was burned, and their prototype destroyed. While Alex is in the hospital recovering from burns suffered in the fire, recurring dragon-haunted nightmares threaten to land her in the psychiatric ward, but she knows she has to escape to her lab to rebuild the Green Machine. Handsome, daring, and impulsive, Donovan Shea is more than willing to do his part in the Pyr/Slayer war. Assigned to protect Alex, Donovan is shocked when her presence ignites his firestorm. He has no desire for a destined mate, but Alex’s intelligence and determination inspire him to join the fight to save her invention.

Comments: I thought this one was better than the first book. I liked Donovan from the first moment we meet him in the Prologue of Kiss of Fire. He’s a fun character and I’m glad we got to know more about him so soon. I thought Alex was a good match for him. A scientist, but not absent-minded or clueless about her attraction to Donovan. I liked her a lot.

Despite the Slayers’ attack, Alex isn’t interested in being guarded by the Pyr. Given the fact that she witnessed dragons kill her partner, destroy her lab and her life’s work, it’s easy to understand why she wouldn’t feel comfortable or safe around them. That’s a lot to cope with in such a short time. It’s only natural that Alex would want to bolt. Also, she feels the Green Machine is more important than her own life. Alex can’t hide herself away when there’s still a chance she can have a workable prototype ready in time for the meeting with the investor.

Though Alex is just the sort of woman Donovan finds attractive, he’s not willing to consummate the firestorm. Unlike Quinn, who’s parents remained together and who also lost a woman he loved, Donovan was rejected by his mother and betrayed by a lover. Since the standard operating procedure for the Pyr is to leave their pregnant mates — Quinn’s father was an exception — Donovan is not about to do that to Alex. He’s a loner who’s not looking to settle down, even with a woman he finds to be smart, brave, and fun to be with.

Alex couldn’t agree more, as far as the pregnancy thing goes. The scientist in her isn’t buying “the first time leads to conception” line regarding the firestorm. And what about being a responsible adult and using protection? Alex never contemplated marriage and having a family. She had her work and was content to let others do the family thing. However, as she spends more time with Donovan, she begins to fall for him. The idea of settling down with Donovan begins to appeal to her. If only he wasn’t so dead set against it.

The on-going battle between the Slayer and Pyr continues. Some plot twists are revealed, pertaining to the Slayers. The Pyr are in for some surprises, plus some unexpected allies.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Rafferty. The only Pry the reader knows, for certain, who isn’t going to baulk at consummating his firestorm — and he gets passed over. Again. Poor guy. She better be wonderful, whoever she is, considering the length of time he’s been waiting for her.

Favorite Quotes:
“You seem tense. Your first stolen car?”
“First time someone tried to kidnapped me.”
“If it’s any consolation, this is my first attempted kidnapping. How am I doing?”
– Donovan, Alex

“I have three words for you. Archibald Forrester’s Buick.”
– Donovan

Started: 1 April 2009
Finished: 20 April 2009

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

What Others Have Said:
Scooper Speaks
SciFi Guy
Night Owl Romance
Wild on Books

Books in the Series:
Kiss of Fire

Addendum:
This is a re-post. Below are the comments that I was able to salvage from the SQL file. See this post for an explanation. I apology for the inconvenience.

Renee, 2009-07-06: So glad you reviewed this. It’s been sitting on my tbr shelf since it was released. I really need to get to reading it. It sounds like a good one!

Me, 2009-07-06: It was a fun read. I’m really looking forward to the fourth book. Of course, I still have to read book 3 first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a re-post, due to data loss. (Oct 09)

Ace is Wild

Author: Penny McCall
Copyright: 2008 (Berkley); pgs. 308
ISBN: 978-0-425-22298-0
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm

Who: Vivienne Foster and Daniel “Ace” Pierce
Where: Boston

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. Though some of the characters and plot elements from her previous books make an appearance, it’s not necessary to read either All Jacked Up or Tag, You’re it! first.

Vivienne Foster is a psychic. No, really, she is. And that’s the problem. Law enforcement types generally don’t believe in her abilities, so going to them with her knowledge pertaining to a hit on an Assistant DA is pointless. No one will believe her that Daniel Pierce is in mortal danger without solid proof — like the identity of the person ordering the hit or the name of the hired gun. Vivi’s visions don’t work that way, so she left with only one course of action — try to get his attention at a bachelor charity auction and hope he listens to her.

Daniel is a former FBI field agent, benched after a near-fatal shooting damaged his leg. Unable to return to field work in any law enforcement agency, he became a lawyer. But even that isn’t enough for guy who’s goal in life was to make the world a safer place. His track record is hardly impressive, mainly because he doesn’t compromise when it comes to his ethics or his integrity. Even though he doesn’t want to believe in Vivi’s talent, he’s willing to accept the possibility there really is a hit out on him. He wants to be actively involved in the investigation, not sitting in some safe house or guarded by federal agents. Daniel is sure that Vivi knows more than she’s letting on — there is something important she’s not telling him. Daniel doesn’t have many “wins” — cases where he sent someone to prison for life or, at least, a very long time. Narrowing down the list of possibilities and investigating them — Vivi doing a reading on them — shouldn’t be so hard, but their progress is hindered by more attempts on Daniel’s life by slightly incompetent and elusive hit men.

Both have trust issues. Vivi, obviously, has a hard time trusting cops and lawyers because they don’t believe her, and she knows that Daniel is only humoring her. Trusting the wrong person got Daniel shot, so it will take a lot of convincing before he’ll trust Vivi. They both also believe in speaking the truth. Vivi doesn’t lie to her customers. She won’t tell them only what they want to hear, unless it’s the truth. Some things — like death — she can’t bear predicting, so she tries to steer her clients away from those types of questions. Daniel is a “the world is black and white” type guy — no gray areas. He sees Vivi being sued by clients as proof she’s a con artist — and therefore a criminal. Of course, Vivi was sued by clients that didn’t like what she told them — the truth.

From the beginning, Daniel and Vivi are physically attracted to each other. Both try to ignore it. At some point, during their running around Boston eluding hit men, — and the cops and Feds who don’t want them involved in the investigation — Vivi starts to fall in love with Daniel. This is bad news because those feelings prevent her from getting a read on Daniel. With his life in danger, this could prove fatal. Naturally, it takes Daniel a little longer to realize what he’s feeling is more than lust.

I really enjoyed this book. There’s a lot of action, so the story moves pretty quickly. Vivi’s a fun character. She’s strong and she doesn’t back down, even when Daniel is biting her head off for one reason or other. She can give as good as she gets. I really liked Daniel. When you first meet him, he comes across as a slick, sophisticated lawyer, but really he’s a jeans-and-t-shirt kind of guy; happier out in the field than behind a desk.

Favorite Quotes:
“If I didn’t trust you and believe in your ability I wouldn’t be asking you to save the day, but you can’t even drum up a halfway credible premonition.”
“Because I love you, you jackass.”
“Uh. . .”
“That’s right, you moron, I love you.”
– Daniel and Vivi, in a tight spot, yelling at each other

“The place was crawling with cops and feds.”
“That’s what happens when you call and tell them you were almost murdered by a high-ranking mob figure.”
– Daniel, Vivi

Started: 19 February 2009
Finished: 27 February 2009

Rating:

Liked A Lot

Bedded for Diamonds

Author: Kelly Hunter
UK Title: Priceless (Modern Romance Series Extra)
UK ISBN: 978-0-263-85001-7
UK Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon
Copyright: 2006

N. A. Title: Bedded for Diamonds
N. A. ISBN: 978-0-373-82068-9
Published in N. A.: 2008 (Harlequin); 185 pgs.
Series: Harlequin Presents Nights of Passion
Sensuality: Warm

Who: Erin Sinclair and Tristan Bennett
Where: Australia

Bedded for Diamonds (AKA Priceless) is about Tristan Bennett, the youngest of Hallie Bennett’s (Wife For a Week) four older brothers. Tristan had a couple brief appearances in Wife For a Week, but it is not necessary to read that book first.

Tristan is an undercover operative with Interpol. After his last assignment in Prague — which ended badly — Tristan is in need of some serious down time. He returns home to Australia, on his sister’s advice, to find some peace and think about his future. Tristan is a wounded soul, and he’s not sure if he has it in him to go back to undercover work.

Priceless

As for finding peace at home instead of London, he’s not as convinced as Hallie about that possibility. Home has it’s own bad memories of a mother who died and a father who was never the same after. On plus side, his siblings are in far flung lands and dad’s on sabbatical in the Greek Islands. Tristan will have plenty of uninterrupted free time to come to a decision.

Erin Sinclair drives luxury taxis in Sydney, but she is also an aspiring jewelry designer. There is a design competition coming up and Erin plans to make a gem buying trip the following week. After picking up a gorgeous if somewhat broody passenger at the airport, her brother calls to inform her that he cannot accompany her as her co-driver/bodyguard. She doesn’t think she can get a replacement at such short notice and canceling is not an option. She rather get the stones in person than rely on on-line auctions. Desperate, she asks her passenger — who heard her side of the phone call — if he’d like the job.

Tristan points out the obvious, reminding her that they just met and she doesn’t know anything about him. Not that she didn’t try to get him to talk about himself during the car trip. He stubbornly avoided her attempts to draw him out. Erin knows she was being overly impulsive and tells him to forget she asked. But Tristan is now curious and intrigued by the sunny, friendly woman. She explains her predicament, and Tristan offers to help her — if she truly cannot find someone else. Naturally, Erin doesn’t find anyone who can make the trip and subjects Tristan to a brunch date with her mother — her idea of a screening process.

Though they are attracted to one another, once Erin learns he’s a cop, she has second thoughts about allowing him to accompany her. Not that she hates cops, it’s the fact she doesn’t want to get involved, as she tells her mother, with a “passionate crusader.” One who is so committed to his job, that he has nothing left for family and loved ones. One that can’t, or won’t, talk about his job even if he’s suffering.

Tristan is exactly that: he cares deeply, but he’s closed off and doesn’t let people get close to him. Yet Erin, with her generous heart and optimistic outlook, is just what he needs in his life. She understands the pressure and the difficult choices in his line of work. She knows how to reach through his walls and bring balance to his life. The question is, will he let her into his life.

This is the second book I’ve read by Kelly Hunter, and I really loved it. Funny at times and sweet. Pat the cockatoo is priceless. If you’re looking for a Harlequin Presents that doesn’t feature an extremely rich, arrogant CEO or royal, this is the perfect book. Tristan may be overprotective and stubborn, but he’s also a sweetheart of a guy who knows how to be supportive. Erin isn’t shy nor is she weak.

One final note: the North American title is very misleading, to say the least. Erin’s gem buying trip doesn’t involve diamonds at all — she buys opals and sapphires. Diamonds don’t enter the story until near the end.

Favorite Quotes:
“You do realize that bird is in love with you?”
– Erin, to Tristan, regarding Pat

Started: 11 February 2009
Finished: 11 February 2009

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Dawnkeepers

Author: Jessica Andersen
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); pgs. 455
ISBN: 978-0-451-22575-7
Series: 2nd in The Final Prophecy
Sensuality: Warm

Who: Alexis Gray and Nathan Blackhawk

Dawnkeepers is the second book in Jessica Andersen’s epic, paranormal/Mayan doomsday series, The Final Prophecy. Like the first one, I would say that this book is more “paranormal with really strong romantic elements” than a traditional “paranormal romance”. However, of the two, this one leans more toward the romance part mainly because Alexis and Nate spend more time together, interacting, than Strike and Leah. Plus, there isn’t as much head hopping: Anna; her grad student, Lucius Hunt; and Rabbit are the other “main characters”.

First there’s Nate. Nate isn’t buying into the destiny thing. He’s the Nightkeeper whose winikin lived long enough to get him to safety before dying of wounds received during the massacre. Raised in the foster system and run-ins with the law — which he did time for — Nate could have ended up differently. Instead, he straightened himself out and started his own video game company. To him, the past holds no other value than a reminder to not make the same mistakes twice. He has no intentions of staying with the Nightkeepers passed the December 2012 end-date should they succeed; and if he had his way, the Nightkeepers would be saving the world sooner rather than later so he can get back to his real life. He’s definitely not interested in hearing about his parents from his substitute winikin, Carlos, nor does he want to follow his father’s footsteps and become Strike’s adviser. From his perspective — raised “human” — the “destined mate” thing isn’t about love, it’s about sex as a commodity, using it to obtain a higher position in the hierarchy. A mated Nightkeeper pair is stronger than any one Nightkeeper, and mated females are potential Godkeepers. Nate always expected he’d have to woo the woman he loved, not have her assigned to him by the gods. Though he doesn’t realize it, Nate has a deeply buried need to be loved for himself.

Unlike Nate, Alexis was raised with the stories of the Nightkeepers, always wishing the stories were true and never knowing she was one herself. Her mother was Scarred-Jaguar’s other royal adviser, and Alexis feels that she must live up to her bloodline and follow her mother’s footsteps. But with her mediocre talents, she feels she will never live up to her expectations. Alexis also has a history of being dumped by boyfriends who lose interest in her. Being dumped by Nate after the talent ceremony the previous year was just another repeat in the pattern of her love life. Except the gods have decided that they should be a mated pair, and the Nightkeepers are desperate for another Godkeeper (Leah is only powerful four times a year). Even though Alexis is now living the life she was meant to, she’s miserable because she loves a man who won’t accept his destiny.

While Nate and Alexis are sorting out their personal lives and the Nightkeepers are hunting down important artifacts, Anna is back in Texas trying repair her marriage and get back to a normal life. It’s not going as well as she hoped. One of the issues she’s dealing with is Lucius and the aftermath of what happened to him in the first book. Also, Lucius presents his thesis, which doesn’t go well at all. In an attempt to salvage his future, Lucius sets out to track down Sasha Ledbetter and ends up finding more than he bargained for.

Then there’s Rabbit. He plays a major role in this book, plus he falls in love. I really started to like him. He tries so hard and I think, of all the character, he truly needs to have good things happen to him.

The bad guys in this book will be around for awhile. It appears the Order of Xibalba, an ancient organization of rogue Nightkeepers, has their own agenda. More organized and better prepared, their actions hamper the Nightkeepers. For every success Strike and the others have, there are several costly setbacks.

I really love this series. I liked this book more than the first. The story starts about four months after the first ended, so it can’t really be read as a stand alone. With most of the important stuff dished out in the first book, the author was able to spend more time on the romance, giving it just as much weight as the saving the world plot. If you’re going to read this series, definitely keep a note of who’s who. I got Izzy the winikin mixed up with Hannah the winikin, and couldn’t understand why Izzy wasn’t scarred. And it looks like we might see Snake Mendez, the Nightkeeper captured by a bounty hunter in the first book, again — maybe in Skykeepers.

Speaking of Skykeepers, there was great sneak peek for it in the book. I’m pretty sure I know who gets attack with the  spork (gross, by the way). I hope he’s not permanently damaged. And we get a glimpse of the main couple — I think. I hope so, because I was surprised and pleased when I read it, and I’m looking forward to reading the book even more than this one.

Started: 7 January 2009
Finished: 15 January 2009

Rating:

LOVED IT !!

Hail to the Chef

Author:Julie Hyzy
Copyright:2008 (Berkley); 328 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-425-22499-1
Series: 2nd in the White House Chef Mystery series

Where & When: Thanksgiving, Washington, DC
Who: Olivia Paras, White House Executive Chef

In the second book, Ollie and the White House staff are preparing for the holiday season and the First Lady is playing matchmaker. The President’s single, good-looking nephew, Sam Sean Baxter, is visiting and Mrs. Campbell asks Ollie to convince Sam Sean to spend Thanksgiving at the White House. The First Lady is unaware of Ollie’s relationship with Secret Service Agent Tom MacKenzie, who is on the President’s security detail.  Ollie is gratified to know that Mrs. Campbell thinks so highly of her, but she’s stumped on how to diplomatically tell the First Lady she’s not interested in Sam Sean and keep her relationship with Tom private.

A security incident occurs and Ollie is sequestered with Mrs. Campbell and Sam Sean until an all-clear is given. She learns that Mrs. Campbell’s business partners — and life-long friends — are pressuring her to agree to sell the company they jointly own. Sam Sean, as her financial adviser, is telling her she shouldn’t sell.

With Thanksgiving and the start of the official holiday season just days away, the staff can’t afford to be held up by security threats and bomb scares. Because of the latest incident, the staff has to attend mandatory Improvised Explosive Device (IED) recognition training. Ollie gets off on the wrong foot with the special agent-in-change, and he singles her out at the first meeting. His persistence in making sure she fully understands the gravity of the situation pays off later when Ollie stumbles upon something where it shouldn’t be.

The staff receives a blow to their morale when the head electrician is accidentally electrocuted. Ollie can’t believe a man as experienced as Gene was could have made such a careless mistake. She questions a friend who comes up with a theory on what may have happened, but none of the other staff electricians want to listen to her theory.

Then, on Thanksgiving day, the First Lady receives news that Sam Sean has committed suicide. Even knowing him for such such a short time, Ollie is convinced that he wasn’t suicidal. There’s no time for her to poke her nose into things, however. Even with the recent tragedy, most of the scheduled events will go on as planned. Ollie and the rest of the staff are busy as ever. Conversations she has overheard, and a letter addressed to her written by Sam Sean, point to the possibility that maybe he was eliminated by someone who wants the First Lady to sell the company her father co-founded. All of the other partners want the sale to happen, but one is having finical and legal troubles, and that may have led to the death of Mrs. Campbell’s father as well as Sam Sean.

I liked this book more than the first one, primarily because Ollie isn’t stubbornly putting her nose into things as much as she did in the first book, and she is more confident in her new position. There is still the occasional encounter with the jerk of a sensitivity director, but she is now an equal and he has no influence over her. She’s even better at handling Bucky, the snarky assistant chef and her second-in-command. Tom doesn’t get much time in this book, because of his job, but they are still a couple.

As for the who-done-it part, I thought it was a bit far-fetched. The real draw, for me, is Ollie and the staff. I’m not a foodie, but I loved reading about the behind-the-scenes preparations. Like the previous book, recipes for the food served by the staff are provided, including one for gingerbread men.

Started: 1 January 2009
Finished: 1 January 2009

Rating:

Liked A Lot

What: 2nds Reading Challenge
When: 1 January – 31 December 2009
Who: J. Kaye (J. Kaye’s Book Blog)
Rules: The challenge is to read a total of 12 books, written by authors that you have only read once before. The books do not have to be part of a series. List can be created/modified any time during the year.

Since I read many books written by new-to-me authors in the last two years, I decided that I would participate in this challenge because I had already made the decision to read them again in 2009. Below is a pool of books — or in some cases, just an author’s name — that I’ll read from. It’s by no means a complete list — it’s what I came up with to see if I had at least 12 authors to chose from. Some are part of series.  In the instances where I list only the author, I’ve left it open as to which book I’ll read — based on mood or other challenges.

• Hail to the Chef (Julie Hyzy) — 2nd in the White House Chef series
• Ace is Wild (Penny McCall)
• My Lord and Spymaster (Joanna Bourne)
• Darth Bane: Rule of Two (Drew Karpyshyn)
• Heat Stroke (Rachel Caine) — 2nd in the Weather Warden series
• Kiss of Fury (Deborah Cooke) — 2nd in the Dragonfire series
• Dawnkeepers (Jessica Andersen) — 2nd in the Final Prophecy series
• A Regimental Murder (Ashley Gardner) — 2nd in the Captain Lacey series
• Suspense and Sensibility (Carrie Bebris) — 2nd in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy series
• Lynna Banning
• Ann Elizabeth Cree
• Stephanie Doyle
• Diane Farr
• Jan Freed
• Kelly Hunter
• Ruth Ryan Langan
• Laura Caldwell
• Beverly Barton

I’ll post my progress on this page.

Update 30 Nov 08 — had the wrong book listed for the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy series.