On Twins: A Review of Stand in Wife by Karina Bliss

Here Comes the Groom by Karina Bliss altered, forever, my perception of category romance. I would go so far as to say it legitimized the genre in my eyes. This, the second book in that same universe, is not nearly as ground breaking for me, but it's still very good.

Viv has always been the wild, impulsive, fun twin. But now, her sister's life is in tatters and a weight of responsibility settles on her shoulders. Suddenly, the twins have swapped places, and Vivian must adjust to the life of a soccer mom with a broken marriage and a dozen important tasks to complete. Ross, her sister's brother in law, is a reluctant accomplice in the twin's deception. Ross wants nothing more than to spend as much time as possible training to return to active duty in Afghanistan. Vivian is a distraction, with her fun personality and natural sexuality. Soon the two find themselves succumbing to lust born from years of denial.

Positive Comments

I love the family dynamics. I really felt for both Viv and Merry, and I found their life experiences as identical twins to be very believable. Yes, their situation is wacky, but their emotions are honest. A broken marriage, unfulfilled desires, feelings of inadequacy, dealing with personality labels--all issues that Bliss handles gracefully.

I like Ross and Viv together. I didn't feel the connection to Ross that I did with Dan in the first book. He's not a memorable hero, but he is likeable. He's a frustrated alpha coping with huge life changes. He makes a great balance to Viv, who embraces adventure, because he's a practical man and a planner. The sexy times are room temperature rather than hot, but that's typical for the Super Romance books.

Critical Comments

Tilly, the seven year old niece, is an utterly unlikeable brat. I thought that at some point in the story she'd learn a lesson about not always getting what she wants, or about not manipulating her parents, or about ANYTHING AT ALL...but she doesn't. She's spoiled, demanding, and has not yet developed a sense of empathy (which is not unusual for a young kid). Her lack of character arch bothered me.

Charlie, Merry's husband, is a tool. I had trouble rooting for their marriage to fixed because the guy just seemed like a giant man-child to me.

Recommendation

I really like Karina Bliss's books in terms of their style and the emotion that she puts into them. This wasn't my favorite, but I think you should still check out her work if you are at all interested in contemporary romance. 3.5 stars.

Stand-in Wife (Harlequin Superromance)

Sheikhs! A Review of To Tame a Sheikh by Olivia Gates

This was my first ever sheikh book. That's right, I popped my sheikh cherry. And as far as my experiences with category romance go, it was pretty positive. I'll start my review with a quick trope count. To Tame a Sheik contains (but is not limited to) the following tropes and cliches.

--Falling in lust/love with an old friend
--The ugly duckling turned swan heroine
--Mistaken identity
--Class difference
--Age difference
--Business/Duty vs. Love

Sounds like a lot for one little book, right? This book does do a lot in a really short space. So even though it's a cheesy little category, and even though I could probably explain the entire plot in cliches, I found myself really enjoying it.

The basic premise is that Johara, our heroine, has been in love with Shaheen her entire life. After years of separation, they encounter one another at a party. Shaheen doesn't recognize Johara, but is enthralled by her and seduces her into coming home with him. Johara has every intention of spending one night in his bed and then leaving, because doing otherwise would have catastrophic consequences to Shaheen's political position. He is expected to marry for political purposes. But even after learning her true identity, Shaheen is determined to have Johara as his wife at any cost.

What made this book enjoyable to me, aside from the novelty of reading about sheiks, was that the characters genuinely care about one another. This is a fact that is reflected in all of their actions. There is never any doubt that Shaheen and Johara are in love and should be together. They behave like people who've known one another for years. The conflicts are external, which is a good thing because in such a small book internal conflicts are often impossible to solve to the reader's satisfaction. It's a simple, steamy love story about overcoming social and political barriers to find happiness. I also really liked Shaheen's family, and the way they come together to help him when he's in need.

My primary complaint is that there's really know character development to speak of. Two people want something that seems impossible, but then it turns out it is possible, and the story ends. No radical transformations. That's the downside of not having an internal conflict. I thought perhaps Johara might have some sort of breakthrough, because throughout the book she's painfully self-sacrificing and martyr-like. I was hoping she'd stand up and start demanding the things that she wanted and needed, demand to stay with Shaheen and damn the cost. Sadly though, she's angelically selfless to the end.

Considering that I got this book from paperbackswap.com and read it all in one sitting, I'm pretty confident that it was worth the time and money I invested in it. I'd be willing to read more books by Olivia Gates, and I understand their are a handful out set in the same universe. 3.5 stars for this one.

In Defense of Category Romance: A Night of Scandal

Shy Puppy!

A Night of Scandal by Sarah Morgan is this month's book club pick over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, but lucky for me it also serves to further prove my point that category romance is a diverse and varied sub-genre. This is one of those cases where the tropes and silliness are used pretty sparingly, and as a result you are free to take the book seriously.

Nathaniel Wolfe is a movie star who can't stop acting. He has very dark past which he makes every effort to bury by constantly keeping up a persona as a bored and disinterested celebrity. Katie Field is a costume designer working on Nathaniel's latest play. When Nathaniel's past creeps up on him unexpectedly, he recruits Katie to help him escape. She's then drawn into his world and drawn to him as a person. Katie is a chatty person, and honest to a fault. Katie has some confidence issues which she hides by wearing drab cloths (the color of the adorable puppy). They are opposites in many ways, and so they are able to help each other and heal many past wounds together.

I'm a fan of the opposites attract thing, so this romance really worked for me. I thought the relationship had a nice pace to it and developed along with the characters. For such a short book, it spans a variety of settings and each reflects where the characters are emotionally--from London, to a secluded island, to Rio, to L.A. I especially enjoyed Nathaniel's back story and how Morgan chose to reveal it in pieces until the end when the reader grasps the full horrific picture. I liked Katie's personality, she's very optimistic and personable.

I didn't care for Katie's character arc. Basically the focus is on her finding confidence in herself (particularly with regard to her appearance). I get that this is a deep seated emotional issue for many women, and the author handles it with grace. However, it pales in comparison to Nathaniel's story of childhood abuse and overcoming his emotionally stunted existence. In some ways I kept wondering how Katie, of the relatively happy (if poor and frumpy) life could begin to understand Nathaniel's pain. It's a testament to Morgan's style that I did believe their happily ever after despite this sort of uneven development.

Overall, I recommend this book. It isn't to fluffy, nor is it too dark. There are a lot of touching emotional moments and a surprisingly satisfying romance. 4 stars.


In Defense of Category Romance: Here Comes the Groom

My twelfth grade AP Lit teacher once dedicated several classes to talking about the difference between popular fiction and literary fiction. When she got to romance, she told us a story of how her elderly grandmother had a subscription to Harlequin, reading them by the piles. She would place her initials in the corner of each book upon completing it to remind herself that she'd read that one. The punch line of the joke, according to my teacher, was that all romance novels are the same anyway! Ha!

My teacher (ignorantly) thought she was referring to romance novels in general, but her comments applied much more specifically to category romance--those little 200 page things you pick up at air ports and grocery stores that have names like "The Virgin Secretary and the Playboy Boss Have a Secret Baby". I don't think I need to point out that there is a huge world of romance outside of Harlequin. But what I do want to address is this accusation of sameness among the category romance. Yes, category romance is the most guilty of repeatedly using the same tropes and silly premises over and over again. And of course, because it's romance, they all end with a supper sappy happily ever after. I absolutely acknowledge that some of them are just plain awful, without a single original thought in the whole book. But there are also books in this genre that have amazing characters, original plots, and heart breaking dilemmas.

I think the best defense I can offer is to show a few examples of good category books. The first is one of my favorite books that I've read this year, Here Comes the Groom by Karina Bliss. This is an example of how a good author can take a really silly premise and turn it into an awesome and satisfying story. Here is my review:

Dan and Jo are best friends who long ago made a marriage pact as a joke, which Dan then decides to take seriously. He starts planning the wedding against Jo's wishes and does everything possible to talk her into it. It sounds silly, I realize. But there is a lot more going on in this book then is apparent. In the interest of not spoiling the story, I'll just say that Jo and Dan have both been through and are still going through a lot of tough stuff. They are problems which I believe a lot of people can relate to.

Dan is an ex-soldier, now returned home for good and wants to take over the family farm. After the trama he experienced at war, he just wants a normal and happy life. This is partly why he fixates on the idea of a fast marriage of convenience with his best friend. Over time, however, Dan discovers that his feelings run deeper then that, and struggle to come to terms with those feelings as well as a number of other issues in his life.

Jo is a great female lead, all the way around. She's tough, smart, flawed but easy to relate to. She's struggled with a demanding career, ailing grandmother, and burdensome secrets that have lead her to stop hoping for a husband and family. The way in which each issue is resolved is emotional, imperfect and realistic, and just generally very well written. I love that this book delivers a happily ever after ending without becomming sugary sweet.

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars, because there was just one plot aspect that I did not like. I won't spoil it, but near the end there is a rather contrived and silly plan on Jo's part that had me cringing. This aside, the plot of the book had excellent flow and good taste. Overall, I highly recommend this book as a quick and satisfying feel good read.