Line of Scrimmage
Title: Line of Scrimmage
Author: Marie Force
Copyright: 2008 (Sourcebooks); 356 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1424-3
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Contemporary Romance (second chance)
Spoiler-ish: I tried to be vague about a certain plot point, but if you’re good at ‘reading between the line’ and guessing things, read at you’re own risk.
Her: Susannah Sanderson. Susannah’s on the verge of divorcing her super-star quarterback husband, Ryan Sanderson, and marrying a man who has a normal job, and who can give her the quiet life she’s wants.
Him: Ryan Sanderson. After winning the Super Bowl for the third time, Ryan has only ten days to change Susannah’s mind before the divorce is final.
Sanderson vs. Sanderson: Susannah has long felt that she comes in second in his life, after football. The point is re-enforced when Ryan returns to playing shortly after a family tragedy. Years of worrying for his safety on the field and watching other women coming on to him all the time have fed her insecurities and compounded the problem. She’s finally had enough and filed for divorce. The judge insists on a six month cooling off period. Ryan spends that time playing football; Susannah spends part of that time planning her wedding.
In His Defense: Instead of turning to her husband in their time of grief, Susannah made Ryan feel like it was his fault. She chose to turn to her family for comfort. Hurting himself and feeling unwanted, Ryan returned to the only thing that made sense to him: football. Had he asked for it, he probably could have asked for a leave of absence, but what would have been the point if Susannah was closing herself off to him, refusing to talk about things. Not helping the situation is the fact her family has never thought highly of him. She came from money; he was raised by a poor, single mother in Texas. To them, Ryan is just a dumb jock, no matter what his college diploma reads. Her family approves of Henry Merrill, the man she’s on the verge of marrying. Though Ryan is hardly perfect, he’s never cheated on Susannah nor has he ever been tempted to do so. She means the world to him, and he knows that she’s part of the reason he’s not just another over-paid prima donna with a bad boy reputation. She keeps him grounded.
Reconciliation: Talking about the tragedy and its aftermath goes a long way in starting the healing process; however, there’s Henry and his parents, and Susannah’s own family who all think that she’s making a mistake. And then there are Susannah’s own insecurities. No matter how sincere and up front Ryan is, Susannah still jumps to the wrong conclusion about him and his actions. Near the end, after Henry’s last vindictive attempt to break them up, I felt that Ryan was on the brink of falling out of love with her. He doesn’t, of course. He knows if he lets things fester and allows it to drive them apart, Henry would win.
Verdict: One of the reasons I liked this book as much as I did was the fact that, when the book starts, Ryan seems to be just another smug, alpha male jerk who thinks he can win the wounded party over with a few kisses and promises. But Ryan knows he’s screwed up big time; he is sincere and he’s willing to beg for a second chance. Once he got to tell his side of the story, I started rooting for him.
Downside: At times, I found myself wanting to shake either Ryan or Susannah — mostly Susannah in the latter half of the book — when one of them did or said something stupid. And I really would have liked to have seen someone deck Henry.
Recommend to: Those looking for a straight-forward, non-paranormal romance and those who enjoy second chance romances. It’s light on football — the season is over when the book starts — so non-sports buffs can breath a little easier and give the book a chance.
Started: 22 September 2009
Finished: 29 September 2009
LOVED IT !!
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The Maverick's Greek Island Mistress
Author: Kelly Hunter
UK Title: Taken by the Bad Boy
UK ISBN: 978-0-263-86373-4
UK Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon (Modern Heat)
Copyright: 2008
N. A. Title: The Maverick’s Greek Island Mistress
N. A. ISBN: 978-0-373-12825-9
Published in N. A.: 2009 (Harlequin); 185 pgs.
Series: Harlequin Presents #2825
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Her: Serena Comino. Serena is on the island to fulfill her obligation to her grandparents by taken her turn at running the family-owned vespa rental stand. Her Greek relations also own a fishing boat, which is being run by her cousin Nico. Serena would rather be pursuing a career in photojournalism. She passes the time, and satisfies her inner shutter-bug, by taking photos to be used in postcards. Her family, even the Australian side, doesn’t understand her desire and considers her photography as a hobby. When she first sees Pete, she views him as someone who would be fun to pass the time with while on the island.
Him: Pete Bennett. Pete was an air-sea search and rescue pilot. One too many “failures” — in situations he had no power to control — have taken a toll. He’s walked away from that life, but he hasn’t made any long-term plans either. He’s in perfect position to sub for a friend, with a broken leg, flying day-trippers to and from the little island. Pete’s attracted to Serena and is willing to be her distraction, but any sort of intimate relationship is hampered by the over-protective friends of Serena’s family. That doesn’t bother Pete too much. He knows a thing or two about over-protective families. After their mother died, Pete and his brothers behave similarly in regards to their baby sister, Hallie.
Taken by the Bad Boy
The relationship progress: Neither of them are looking for a long term relationship when they first meet. Serena is looking for a career and Pete isn’t looking to settle down anytime soon. But, no matter how determined Pete is to keep things casual, he ends up falling for her. He helps her with her search for photojournalism jobs and she helps him deal with his ghosts. Serena also encourages him to return to Australia, and air-sea search and rescue.
The conflict: Just as he’s made the decision to return to his old job, hopefully with Serena at his side, Serena is offered a job in Athens.
What I liked: Pete. He’s a great guy. Good-natured, as he puts up with the crazy locals sabotaging his attempts to be alone with Serena. He supportive of Serena and understands and appreciates her dreams of being a photographer.
What I didn’t like: As it is sometimes the case, the Presents title is a little misleading. It gives the wrong impression about Pete and Serena’s relationship. A more accurate title would have been “The Maverick’s Greek Island Fling”. Pete is not married or in some other serious relationship, and Serena’s is in no way his mistress.
Miscellaneous:
- This is the 3rd book featuring one of the Bennett siblings. Previously, we met Hallie (Wife for a Week) and Tristan (Bedded for Diamonds).
- There will be two more books, featuring Luke Bennett and Jake Bennett, in 2010 (UK release).
- I know I’ve said this before, but Kelly Hunter is still my favorite Presents author. Her books are fun to read.
- There is a secondary romance between Nico and Chloe, the woman who runs the little hotel. Her young nephew Sam, befriends Pete.
- Jake, Luke, and Tristan make an appearance in this book.
Recommended to: Those who wish to try a Presents book, but are leery of over-the-top alpha men, billionaires, etc. Pete’s almost an ordinary guy. And Serena is a strong heroine: she not afraid go after the things she wants.
Favorite Quotes:
“Wedding photographer in Vegas?”
“Only if I’d be working for Elvis.”
“It’s possible.”
– Pete, Serena (looking at jobs for her)
“A British rock god needs a helicopter pilot to keep on retainer.”
“Just shoot me now.”
– Serena, Pete (looking at jobs for him)
Started: 31 August 2009
Finished: 6 September 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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
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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!
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