Review by Sandy Huseby
Ah, February, the month of Valentines. Ah, romance: ah, hearts and flowers -- and kidnapping and murder and grand theft art and shapechangers and . . .
This month's recommended reads have just that something extra -- in suspense, in historic context, in adventure -- to take you through February's long winter nights.
The bequest of a valuable studio glass collection gives her an excuse to go to Adam Daventry's estate on Frog Cove Island, ostensibly to catalog the collection, but in reality she’s determined to find out what happened to her friend.
When Cyrus Colfax invades her life, Eugenia reluctantly agrees they'll pose as a couple staying at the estate. The private investigator has his own hunt in mind, for the mysterious Hades Cup, a cut glass relic stolen while in his care.
In "Sharp Edges," Krentz uses the backdrop of the studio art scene of the Pacific northwest to etch the many facets of this intricate suspense. "Sharp Edges" describes not only the glass itself, but the snappy dialogue and headlong-into-danger relationship that grows between Eugenia and Cyrus.
The pair share a bond of honor that drives each to resolve mysteries of missing treasures -- treasures of loyalty as well as artifact.
Why read romance? BookPage asks Jayne Ann Krentz
Sharp Edges
By Jayne Ann Krentz
Pocket Books, $24
ISBN 0671523104
Also available on audio from
Simon & Schuster Audio, $18
ISBN 0671576135
The dark legend of werewolves weaves with the mysticism of Native Americans in Connie Flynn's provocative dark romance, "Shadow of the Wolf."Lily Angelica DeLaVega's innocent name belies her persona as a former member of the Lupine race, initiated by the werewolf Sebastian. But Sebastian refuses to release her.
Her unlikely rescuer is Tony White Hawk, a potential shaman of the Dawn People, a hidden tribe of Ebony Canyon, Arizona. He seeks out Lily in New York in order to fulfill a legend of the Dawn People, and brings her back with him to Ebony Canyon.
Sebastian and his minions are not far behind. As the legend of White Wolf Woman unfolds, Lily must confront the transgressions of her past and strive for redemption.
Flynn creates a vivid and absorbing world of werewolves and other shape-changers with all the mesmerizing power of a story you'll want to cuddle under a coverlet next to a cozy fire to read.
Shadow of the Wolf
By Connie Flynn
Topaz, $5.99
ISBN 0451408225
Suspense is an added fillip to the Gothic Southern Cinderella tale Susan Elizabeth Phillips evokes in "Dream a Little Dream."Who could be more hateful than a televangelist who's conned a hefty five million from his faithful followers? As far as the town of Salvation, South Carolina, is concerned, only his widow, Rachel Stone.
But this is one penniless, wronged widow who's not going to be daunted by anyone or anything in her quest for what she deserves for herself and her young son. Not the intimidating Gabriel Bonner, whose austere demeanor hides his own pain; not the town's denizens, some of whom conspire to drive her out with hellfire itself; not the Bonner brother who "gifts" her with a night in jail.
Phillips' signature naughty irreverence and wrenching emotion are in full flower in this Southern landscape where Salvation is yours for the taking, if you dare.
Dream a Little Dream
By Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Avon, $6.50
ISBN 0380794470
The fairy-tale touch to suspense blossoms also in Patricia Rice's "Garden of Dreams." Nina Toon's dream of creating a world-class botanical garden amid the Kentucky hills seems impossible.
When J.D. Marshall and his son zoom into her life, however, the impossible starts to come true. But J.D. has his own nightmare -- he's kidnapped his son and he's pursued by men who'll stop at no cost to obtain his computer technology.
Rice's first venture from the historical romance world into contemporary suspense is a solid, compelling read, as she posits the ultimate question, "Can I trust you?"
Garden of Dreams
By Patricia Rice
Topaz, $5.99
ISBN 0449150623
A not-so-civil war is waged in Heather Graham's "Surrender."Yankee Risa Magee risks everything to row into Florida's Biscayne Bay to warn her old love that his wife is a southern spy. But Jerome McKenzie is as determined to disrupt her plan as she is to carry it out.
Graham's bold saga of a family and lovers torn apart by the powerful loyalties of North and South is further enhanced by her authentic portrayal of the steamy environs of Florida.
Surrender
By Heather Graham
Topaz, $6.99
ISBN 0451406907
Discover the "something extra" of suspense in series romance, too, courtesy Eve Gaddy's "Amazing Grace".
Max Ridell is working undercover to investigate whether Texas sheriff Grace O'Malley is part of a ring smuggling aliens across the border.
Sheriff Grace lives up to her name, taking on the town's most down and out, mostly of the four-legged variety. So who could resist a savvy sheriff with a soft heart for dogs? Certainly not a Texas Ranger like Max, who's long past due for settling down.
Amazing Grace
By Eve Gaddy
Bantam Loveswept, $3.50
ISBN 0553446304
Best-selling romance author Jayne Ann Krentz -- in all her alter egos, including Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick -- ranks with Stephen King and Isaac Asimov as a writer who gives readers a wealth of stories.
She's also acknowledged in the romance field as an authority on what makes romance fiction timelessly endearing. She edited the award-winning nonfiction book, "Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women" (University of Pennsylvania Press), a compilation of essays on the appeal of romance fiction.
Sandy Huesby:What's the one message you'd give someone who has never read a romance?
Jayne Ann Krentz:Try one, you'll like it. If you enjoy exciting, well-written stories that feature a positive, optimistic view of male-female relationships and a huge variety of backgrounds and plots, you'll love romance novels. This genre's got something for everyone from romantic suspense to the paranormal.SH:Who's your real-life hero?
JAK:The hero in my real life is my husband. As far as the heroes in my books are concerned, however, they come straight out of my imagination. Like the other classic genres of popular fiction such as mysteries and science fiction, romance novels derive their power from the ancient, heroic traditions of storytelling. The heroes in them are therefore more archetypal in nature. They embody the old-fashioned heroic virtues -- and vices. That's what makes them so fascinating.SH:What is your favorite story to tell?
JAK:I love to write romantic suspense, stories in which the hero and heroine have their own agendas but are forced to team up as wary partners to face danger and solve the mystery. "Sharp Edges" is a good example. I've always felt that romance and suspense play off each other beautifully.
Sandy Huseby is an author and journalist living in Fargo, North Dakota. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is online at S Huseby@aol.com.
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