'Can't stand the Heat' Recipe for Love #1 by Louisa EDWARDS

From the BLURB:

For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple’s kitchen to write an exposé is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. But she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.

Adam’s not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn’t even know the difference between poaching and paring. He’ll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than simply preparing sumptuous food.

This is Louisa Edward’s first book, and the debut in her ‘A Recipe for Love’ series.

I really liked this book. I was a bit hesitant at first, because the premise sounded a little too ‘romantic comedy’ sickly-sweet… but I was pleasantly surprised.

Miranda Wake is not a totally-together woman. She may appear to be a suave New York food critic, but underneath her biting reviews and killer red stilettos is a woman trying to kick-start her lukewarm writing career and deal with her baby brother’s emotional withdrawal. I really liked the two sides to her character – the ‘front’ she shows the outside world, and the slow reveal to her deeper emotions and shortcomings that readers, and Adam, begin to uncover.

To be honest, ‘Can’t Stand the Heat’ could have been too cloyingly sweet and a bad rom-com schtick if not for the second storyline. As well as Miranda & Adam’s romance, Edwards writes about Miranda’s 22-year-old brother, Jess, who is coming to terms with his homosexuality and burgeoning feelings for sous chef, Frankie. Jess has thrown in his scholarship and returned to NYC to live with Miranda after a disastrous ‘outing’ to his University friends. He is coming to terms with his sexuality while navigating a flirtation with serial-dater, Frankie, all while trying to keep everything secret from Miranda.

I really loved the Jess/Frankie storyline, probably more than I liked Miranda/Adam. I probably preferred Jess’s story because he made such personal progress and took so many chances in his romance. Plus he and Frankie were super cute and hot.

That being said, Miranda and Adam are just as steamy and delicious. Edwards knows how to write her way around a smutty scene;

Hot damn, the girl had a mouth made for sin. That cupid’s bow shape all puffy and kiss-swollen, rubbed redder than usual from his own mouth. The taste of her was like nothing he’d ever encountered. If he could separate out the flavors and figure a way to re-create it, he’d have the hottest dessert the world had ever seen.

My one complaint is to do with the book’s ending. I was thinking that I’d dodged a bullet and completely avoided reading a cheesy rom-com – but the ending is a little too unbelievable and tacky – very over the top. But that is my one complaint.

I don’t know how many books Louisa Edwards has in store for her ‘A Recipe For Love’ series, but there is lots of potential in a series about the goings on of NYC restaurants. I have never worked in the food industry myself – but plenty of my friends and family have worked as waiters/waitresses, bartenders and bouncers – and I was surprised and delighted at how well Edwards knows the in’s and out’s of the behind-the-scenes of restaurants. Plenty of hook-up’s, break-up’s and cattiness to tide the series over.

I will definitely be reading the second installment ‘On the Steamy Side’, released March 1st this year – and hope that Edwards is contracted for more books.

3.5/5

'On the Steamy Side'

Release Date: March 1, 2010

'Tempest Rising' by Nicole PEELER

From the BLURB:

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie's lamp.

Nicole Peeler’s debut novel isn’t good – to be blunt.

I was a little skeptical going into this, mainly because I had an issue with the cover looking very YA and none too appealing. But I pushed my worries aside when I saw that Rachel Caine had leant her opinion to the back-cover, calling ‘Tempest Rising’ a “fascinating, fast-paced, sexy storm of a book”.

Oh Ms. Caine, how you’ve led me astray…

The plot isn’t all that bad - it’s a very slow wind-up and a hurried conclusion. Ms. Peeler also makes the mistake of telling, not showing – by including endless descriptions, scene summaries and internal monologues that make the book drag. But it is bearable. Even though, to be honest, I think a better book would have been based on the back-story of Jane's Selkie mother and human father. *That* story was more intriguing than the whole of 'Tempest Rising', complete with romance, tragedy and mystery.

No, the biggest problem with Peeler’s book is the protagonist, Jane True.

When you find yourself wanting to give a fictional character a wedgie, you’re in trouble.

Jane is boring (hence the name?), weak-willed and all together awful. She is also thoroughly uncouth – at one point she hocks her gum out the window while her sexy vampire lover looks on. Ew! In another instance her vampire lover places a hand over her stomach, and her response is “are you checking for food babies?” ‘Food babies’? Are you serious? And it’s made worse by the fact that Jane can’t carry off these social faux pas’ with the same zany grace as someone like Jane Jameson in Molly Harper’s series could. Jane True just comes across as a hillbilly. Peeler tries to make up for Jane’s lack of character by having her described as looking like a ‘young Selma Hayek’ – which does nothing to endear her to me, especially when you consider the fact that for the entire book she keeps up a ‘woe is me’ schtick that begins to grate to the point of antipathy.

Her vampire lover, Ryu, isn’t much better. He’s a cardboard cutout gorgeous vampire with all the usual biting mojo. Nothing original here.

The one character who intrigued me was relegated to secondary status, with hints that he’ll have a bigger part in future books. Anyan is a shape-shifting ‘hell hound’ who has been lurking on the periphery of Jane’s life for some time now. His story reminded me a bit of Sam Merlotte from Charlaine Harris’s ‘Southern Vampire: Sookie Stackhouse’ series, for his unrequited love for the heroine.

“Most of us will accept you, and many, like me, feel that you are necessary for our survival as you are, quite simply, good for our existence.” He paused, thinking. “Our kind need… shaking up. We need new blood, new ideas, new voices.” He smiled at me, running a finger across my cheek and over my lips. “Especially when those voices come from lips as sweet as yours,” he finished, leaning forward for a kiss.

The one redeeming feature of ‘Tempest Rising’ is the possible romance between Jane and Anyan – for that I *might* consider buying the e-book of the second novel, ‘Tracking the Tempest’ (July 2010) but I highly doubt it.

1/5

'The Billionaire next door' by Jessica BIRD (J.R. Ward)

From the BLURB:

Take-no-prisoners deal-maker Sean O'Banyon ate Wall Street financiers for lunch. So why was he losing sleep over a fresh-scrubbed nurse in old jeans and a too-big T-shirt? Maybe it was those warm green eyes. Or the way she blushed when he got personal. There was no denying the serious chemistry between them. But sooner or later Lizzie would learn his deep, dark secrets: First, he had trust issues. And second--he'd rather not go into the whole family thing.

He didn't do relationships…but amazingly, Lizzie made him want one anyway.

JR Ward (aka ‘Jessica Bird’) wrote ‘The billionaire next door’ in 2007, the same year that ‘Lover Revealed’ (Butch’s story) and ‘Lover Unbound’ (Vishous’s book) came out.

‘Billionaire next door’ definitely has all the romantic characteristics we’ve come to expect from JR Ward. Strong Alpha male with a fractured background. Angelic heroine who pulls the hero out of his drudgery. And of course, hot sex scenes. I wasn’t actually expecting such explicit sex because the book was published by Harlequin Silhouette, and for some reason I have this idea that Harlequin romance books are a little tame when it comes to the nitty gritty. The sex scenes aren’t as hot and heavy as they are in the ‘Blackdagger’ books (not so many dirty detailed descriptions – damn!) but they are sizzling and definitely add spark to Sean and Lizzie’s romance.

‘Billionaire next door’ reminded me quite strongly of Rehvenge’s book ‘Lover Avenged’. Rehvenge and Sean are both rich, successful Alpha males who had abusive childhoods. Elena and Lizzie are both nurses, currently experiencing tough financial times by being their single-parents soul providers – Elena’s father had a form of Alzheimer’s, while Lizzie’s mother has some sort of mental disability. For a good portion of the book Sean keeps secret his true career and financial success from Lizzie, for a plethora of reasons – just as Rehvenge kept quiet about his being a nightclub owner (among other shady dealings). And if all those parallels aren’t enough, check out this romantic exchange between Sean and Lizzie that reminded me so strongly of Rehvenge’s sweet “to me, you will always have diamonds on the soles of your shoes” line:

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he said into her hair.

She chuckled a little. “This jeans and T-shirt combo isn’t exactly Miss America-worthy.”

He held on even harder. “The hell they aren’t. To me, whatever you have on is a ball gown.”

She stiffened, but then eased back into him. “You scare me when you say things like that.”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid I’ll start believing them.”

He pulled back and looked her in the eye. “Believe them, Lizzie. Trust me and believe them.”

There is a small nod to the ‘Blackdagger Brotherhood’ during one of Sean’s childhood flashbacks. He mentions that growing up his father wasn’t much of a cook, and so Sean and his brothers relied on the kindness of his best friends mother. The best friend in question was one Butch O’Neal. Has to be the same cop turned vampire, right? Butch is a Southie boy who had a big family – and Sean mentions that Butch was one of five kids. Reading that small Blackdagger reference had me doing a little fan-girl squeal.

I really, really liked this book. It has all the best aspects of the Blackdagger Brotherhood, minus intense plot, heavy action and heroes vs. villains. It’s just romance – boy meets girl and everything that ensues.

Perhaps the only negative thing about the book is the fact that it beautifully sets up a series (subsequent books intended to tell the story of Sean’s older brother, Mick and younger brother, Billy) that by all accounts JR Ward has no real intention of continuing. It’s a real shame because there is plenty of potential here – but rumour on the chat boards is that since the ‘Blackdagger’ books blew up, Ward put the ‘O’Banyon Brothers’ on the backburner indefinitely.

But ‘Jessica Bird’ did write an earlier series for Harlequin, the ‘Moorehouse Legacy’ series has 4 books, and I intend to read all of them because I was so impressed with ‘The Billionaire next door’.

5/5

'Skin Game' by Ava GRAY

From the BLURB:

A beautiful fugitive—wanted dead or alive.


Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target’s strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist—anything she wants… for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father’s murder; with deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerard Serrano’s inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

A hit man who never misses the mark.


Reyes has nothing but his work. Pity for Kyra, he’s the best and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He’s been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash—and bring her back to face Serrano’s “justice.” Dead will do, if he can’t locate the loot. He’s never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce heat and her outlaw heart. So Reyes has a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

I think ‘Skin Game’ was a favorite read of 2009 for lots of people. Having finally read the book myself, I can definitely understand what all the fuss was about. Hot-Damn!

The author ‘Ava Gray’ is in fact Ann Aguirre of the ‘Sirantha Jax’ series (a personal favorite of mine). I’m not really sure why Ms. Aguirre felt the need to write this new ‘Skin’ series under a pseudonym? Maybe it’s like Beyonce Knowles being ‘Sasha Fierce’ on stage – writing erotica may demand an alter ego?

The best way I can think to describe ‘Skin Game’ is as the thinking woman’s supernatural romance. This is a hot read, but there is also lots of nitty-gritty action and a plot to sink your teeth into. ‘Skin Game’ is a cross between ‘The Bourne Identity’, James Bond and ‘Alias’. I knew from the ‘Sirantha Jax’ series that Ms. Aguirre is a master of writing edge-of-your-seat drama; with detailed action scenes and fights to make reading them seem like watching a movie play out in your head. She out-does herself in ‘Skin Game’. Just reading her descriptions of Reyes in hand-to-hand combat is detailed and magnificent – completely thrilling.

Whereas in the ‘Sirantha Jax’ series, main protagonists Jax & March offer up plenty of sizzle and scorch minus explicit detail – in ‘Skin Game’ Aguirre takes the romance to the next erotic level. And she is good at writing sex scenes – so very good.

“Harder,” he rasped. “God, yeah.”

Then his whole body stiffened. A shudder tore through him, and he came in her mouth, long waves that had the Marquis wandering all over the road. Kyra swallowed and wiped her mouth.

Reyes and Kyra are H-O-T. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that a love story between a hit-man and con-artist was quite romantic (even their Bonnie & Clyde post-fight sex scene had a certain ‘awww’ to it). I think Reyes and Kyra are such a compelling couple because they are imperfect, and by all logic they shouldn’t fit so well. But they are both social outcasts, used to living in solitude with no one to depend on – so when they find each other and discover how badly they need connection, it’s a full-force love affair.

I love, love, loved this book. And I am so happy that Aguirre has at least 3 more books contracted for the ‘Skin’ series. Book No. 2 is ‘Skin Tight’ (released June 1st this year) and that book is about two characters introduced in ‘Skin Game’. Foster definitely peaked my interest in ‘Skin Game’ and I can see lots of potential between him and Mia. Really looking forward to this one.

5/5

'Branded by Fire' by Nalini SINGH

From the BLURB:

When a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped, DarkRiver sentinel Mercy, a cat, and SnowDancer lieutenant Riley, a wolf, must work together to track the young man - before his shadowy captors decide he's no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it'll leave them both branded by fire.

I sort of slacked off with this series. I read up to ‘Hostage to Pleasure’ and then left ‘Branded by Fire’ sitting on my TBR shelf. Well, then Mandi (i.e.: Ms. Smexy) had to go and say that Riley and Mercy made the list of her top 10 sex scenes of 2009. How could I resist?

I loved Mercy and Riley! They have an ‘opposites attract’ relationship, that works so well because their strengths and weakness compliment each other very sweetly. Singh did a great job of writing two very distinctive characters, with just the right amount of hot-headedness mixed with steamy sparkage;

He bit her lower lip.

Her eyes snapped open. “Kiss it better.”

“No.” He nipped her again. Sharp. Sexy. “You make me so fucking insane, I want to mark you all over. So everyone knows you’re mine.”

The leopard growled in her throat. “Not yours.” She was her own person, a predator same as him.

“We’ll see about that.” This time, he dipped his head… and bit her neck in a suckling kiss that made her moan and thrust her hand into his hair, tugging him back.

‘Branded by Fire’ is the 6th book in Singh’s Psy-Changeling series.

I have a confession to make – I skipped over all the bits concerning the Psy council. I do the same thing with J.R. Ward’s ‘Blackdagger Brotherhood’ series and any scenes concerning the ‘lessers’. I can’t help it! When the leading man and lady are so compelling and steamy it’s such a struggle to get through all the boring villain bits. Luckily Singh and Ward do the same thing of filling the reader in on the bad-guy’s developments by having the main characters recap the intel they’ve gathered.

‘Branded’ has a really interesting second love story told alongside Mercy and Riley’s relationship. Wolf Alpha, Hawke, has been a bit of an enigma since the start of the series. We know very little about his personal life – except that he was once mated, and his young mate died, and he’s been single ever since. We also know that the one person who gets under Hawke’s skin is Psy teenager, Sienna Lauren. Hawke and Sienna are constantly at each other’s throats – he tries to keep her in line, she questions his authority. They’re very sparky – and it has been obvious for some time now that there was more to their snarky battles than met the eye. In ‘Branded’ Hawke reluctantly admits that he is aware of Sienna’s teenage crush (she’s 18), he also maintains that she is a child and he would never take advantage of her infatuation. Meanwhile, Sienna reveals that she knows the futility of her feelings for Hawke – since he is adamant that he will never mate again. Sienna confesses that her feelings for Hawke are wreaking havoc on her Psy-shields, and she volunteers to stay with Lucas’s leopard pack to regain her equilibrium away from the Wolf Alpha.

I really loved the Hawke/Sienna storyline (even more so when, in the final chapter, it turns into a potential love triangle), and I was really looking forward to reading their full story. That’s why I was so disappointed to discover that book #7 in this series isn’t about Sienna and Hawke, but two characters I do not remember ever reading about before (Katya and Dev?!). What a rip-off! And then I jump onto Nalini Singh’s website and discover Hawke & Sienna’s story won’t be out until 2011?!?

I really liked ‘Branded by Fire’. I was in the mood for a sexy/smutty read and this book delivered tenfold. I am bitterly disappointed that there is a LONG wait for Hawke and Sienna’s continued story – how frustrating!

3.5/5

'Kitty's House of Horrors' by Carrie VAUGHN

From the BLURB:

Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But what begins as a publicity stunt will turn into a fight for her life.

The cast members, including Kitty, arrive at the remote mountain lodge where the show is set. As soon as filming starts, violence erupts and Kitty suspects that the show is a cover for a nefarious plot. Then the cameras stop rolling, cast members start dying, and Kitty realizes she and her monster housemates are ironically the ultimate prize in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in . . . before it kills them all.

This is the first book to be released on my ‘most anticipated books of 2010’ list. I love, love, love the ‘Kitty Norville’ series – and this 7th instalment to the series definitely delivers.

About 60 pages into this 292-page book I was getting a little bit worried. The book’s plot has Kitty traipsing off into the Montana wilderness with a motley crew of supernatural celebrities to film a reality TV show, ‘Big Brother’ style. I was a bit put-off because the plot meant that Kitty was cut-off from home, hearth and all the secondary characters I have come to love. I had the same problem with 6th book, ‘Kitty Raises Hell’, in which Kitty and her mate Ben travel to Las Vegas. But at least in that book Ben was still around. In ‘House of Horrors’ there is only one small lovey-dovey scene between the two:

“I’m not going to wash the sheets ‘til you get back.”

I pulled away so I could look at him, and so he could see my goofy smile. “That’s so romantic.”

“It is? I was thinking it was another one of those creepy things that only a lycanthrope would say.”

“That, too,” I said. “Maybe I can get myself voted off the island early.”

“Hmm, cool.”

We kissed again, and again, and again.

I was also put-off by this books premise because very early on in the story it is announced that our favourite bounty hunter, Cormac, will be up for parole while Kitty is in Montana. I love Cormac, and he has been sorely missed since being thrown into jail back in book 3.

So, not a great start to one of my most anticipated books of 2010...

Boy, was I wrong to criticize.

I admit, the story does drag in the beginning while Kitty and the other celebrities make like MTV stars – but then things go pear-shaped and the novel kicks into high gear. Kitty and her cohorts are actually the targets of an elaborate hunting party – being picked off one by one for the cameras. The real story kicks in about page 100 and doesn’t let-up a fast and frantic pace until the very last page.

Carrie Vaughn has said on her blog that she is contracted for 3 more Kitty books after ‘Horrors’– ending the series with a total of 10 books. She has also said that she knows exactly how the series will end, but isn’t sure if the conclusion will come by book #10 or if she’ll be contracted for more books.

Whatever her plans, it becomes clear in ‘House of Horrors’ that Vaughn has a ‘long game’ plan for the series – and if the hints, twists and turns Vaughn drops in ‘Horrors’ are any indication, she is gearing up for one hell of a finale.

‘Kitty’s House of Horrors’ is a thrilling read – the drama is intense and the stakes are heightened for future books. And the ending is *amazing*, and makes me super excited for book #8. I’m not sure when book 8 will be released, because Carrie Vaughn has 2 Young Adult novels coming out this year. ‘Voices of Dragons’ is released March 16th and ‘Discord’s Apple’ July 20th – which probably means another Kitty book won’t be released until 2011. OH! The suspense!

5/5

I’m not overly concerned about waiting until 2011 for the next Kitty book, mostly because ‘Voices of Dragons’ sounds (and looks) amazing and I’m really looking forward to it:

No proper blurb has yet been released, but Vaughn describes the book thus;

Carrie's first young adult novel is just your typical "girl meets dragon" story. With bonus rock climbing and jet fighters!

'The Missing Ink' by Karen E. OLSON

From the BLURB:

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of The Painted Lady, catering to high-profile clients in Las Vegas. But in her free time, she does a little investigating too - because murder really gets under her skin. . . .

When a girl makes an appointment to get devotion ink with the name of her fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job, but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her mysterious client and the name she wanted on the tattoo isn't the name of her fiancé.

An alliance with an unlikely partner leads Brett to a dead body, a suave Englishman, and an Elvis karaoke bar. And who is the tattooed stranger stalking her? Brett draws lines between the clues, unwittingly putting herself in danger. But she intends to see justice done, since death, like a tattoo, is permanent. . . .

In recent years there has been a literary insurgence of murder mystery series with unique twists regarding protagonist and setting.

A quick search on ‘Fantastic Fiction’ reveals a plethora of such books. Kate Carlisle’s ‘Bibliophile Mystery’ series has a leading lady who collects and restores old books in between solving crime. Cleo Coyle’s ‘Coffeehouse’ mystery series has murders and other intrigues all occurring in her protagonists’ coffeehouse. Even Charlaine Harris wrote two such series – ‘Aurora Teagarden’ revolved around a librarian who found herself drawn into various murders around her small town. Likewise, ‘Lily Bard’ concerned a local cleaning lady who found herself caught up in her clients’ criminal trials and tribulations. I am a huge fan of both ‘Aurora Teagarden’ and ‘Lily Bard’ – and have been meaning to delve further into this slightly bizarre genre since I loved both those series so much.

No quirky murder mystery series had caught my eye until Karen E. Olson’s ‘Tattoo Shop Mysteries’. I really loved this premise – and I thought there was lots of potential for the leading lady, Brett Kavanaugh, to get caught up in various criminal cases. When you think about it, criminals and tattoos pretty much go hand-in-hand (stereotypical, but true).

In theory, I really liked Brett. She’s sort of a walking contradiction, and Olson plays on that. Plenty of times throughout the book she observes and shatters common misconceptions about people who have ink. Brett is no exception. She may own a tattoo parlor in Vegas – but she has an arts degree from Philadelphia’s Fine Arts University. She sports a reconstruction of Monet’s ‘Water Lillies’ as a sleeve tat on her arm and has an older brother on the Las Vegas Police Department. But Brett’s veneer runs thin. She isn’t a particularly charismatic person; in fact she is quite boring except for her interesting job and appearance. Furthermore, she’s a bit stupid. So many moments reading ‘The Missing Ink’ I just wanted to (figuratively) slap her on the face and tell her to “wake the hell up!”.

She has a detective brother who is working on the missing persons case that she is at the center of – yet she withholds so much vital information from him and is then surprised when she discovers that her silence causes more problems that she could have easily prevented. For many inexplicable reasons she feels the need to take matters into her own hands – and is surprised when she finds herself in increasingly hotter and hotter water.

And the big ‘DUH!’ moments come when she develops a crush on one of the suspects in the missing persons case. The man in question is obviously using her, and is clearly a sleazy womanizer, but she falls for his bedroom eyes and pretty accent. To be honest it’s pathetic and frustrating to read and made me fairly unsympathetic to Brett.

The thing is, Karen E. Olson has a great plot working in ‘The Missing Ink’. It thickens and congeals and becomes so darn titillating you can’t help but keep reading, even when you all but lose faith in the books’ heroine. Olson knows how to draw the reader in, leaving just enough bread crumbs to keep you reading and so many twisty turns that you’ll be speculating on ‘whodunnit’ until the last page.

Part of the reason Olson’s storyline works so well is the Vegas setting. The desert town becomes a character in itself, and a reflection of sinister characters twisted motives. Olson really knows this city, and it shows in her writing. I particularly love this description of the Entertainment Capital of the world;

As I approached, I saw the Strip’s lights were off, the glitz diminished by the glare of the sun. The magic just wasn’t there in the daytime. From a distance, it looked like a kid had dropped a bunch of toys in one spot and hadn’t bothered to straighten them out: a castle, the statue of Liberty, a golden lion, the Eiffel Tower, an Egyptian pyramid, a Space Needle. A playground for adults, where no one can really win, but the illusion puts blinders on.

I did enjoy this book. The murder mystery is wonderfully constructed, a genuine page-turner. And the Vegas setting is pure genius. The cover art by Craig Phillips is divine (as it should be, when visuals and appearance mean so much in the book). But a gaping hole does lie in character – mainly that Brett Kavanagh is so darn annoying and stupid that you almost become antipathetic to her plight. It’s a shame, but one that you’d think could be easily overcome in subsequent books with more characterization. For that reason I do intend to read the second book ‘Pretty in Ink’, released March 2nd this year.

2.5/5