Seriously, Don't Bother

Source: Author Website

Hanover House by Brenda Novak (Brenda Novak, Inc., 2015, 244pp.)

Twenty years ago, Evelyn Talbot was raped and brutalized by her high school boyfriend and left for dead. After years of therapy, she’s now a forensic psychiatrist who studies the psychopathic mind. Her latest achievement is the opening of a new facility in Hilltop, Alaska, where she can study the worst humanity has to offer. Not surprisingly, there’s resistance from the locals, who protest her facility’s arrival by defacing its buildings. When she reports the damage, it brings her into contact with good-looking Sergeant Amarok, an Alaskan state trooper. Although Evelyn feels that her early-life trauma ruined her for romantic relationships, she is surprised when her interactions with Amarok awaken long-dead feelings of physical desire. Is the time finally right for her to move on from her tortuous past? Possibly. Except what she doesn’t know is that her past, i.e. ex-boyfriend Jasper, is close behind.

Hanover House is a short prequel that serves as the foundation for a new romantic suspense/thriller series. After finishing it, however, all I can say is that I hope the rest of the series is better, because this founding installment stinks. Okay, so I do have to give Novak credit for her idea: Hanover House has a lot of elements to make an interesting story. For example, Evelyn’s desire to pursue a rewarding career conflicts with her worry-stricken mother’s desire to keep her safe. Evelyn also desires to have healthy romantic relationships, despite the crippling intimacy issues that stem from her early trauma. Oh, and let’s not forget the angry Alaskan locals who fear for their families’ safety, despite the research breakthroughs that might occur at the facility. Although that’s just three items in a list, it’s quite a bit of ground to cover—and a novella certainly isn’t the proper medium one should use to explore that much material. However, that’s just what we get. At 244 pages, Hanover House covers a novel’s worth of story ideas with the brevity of a “serial killer of the week” episode you might see in a weekly crime series. As a result, it’s more of a shallow preview than a proper work on its own. Add to this the story’s unremarkable cast of characters, and an anti-climactic ending, and you have one poorly written excuse for a story.

Enjoyable

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts (Jove, 2007, 464pp.)

After two years of major therapy neglects to heal the psychic wounds afflicted by a horrific tragedy, Boston-born chef Reece Gilmore flees to the remote town of Angel’s Fist, Wyoming, looking to find peace. Although at first welcomed by the community, things take a turn for the worse after she witnesses a murder that leaves no body behind, and few clues to prove that it even happened. When the truth comes out that she’s a recovering trauma victim, this only hurts her credibility. Only Brody, a snarky former reporter-turned-mystery novelist, believes her enough to help her solve the crime.

I was originally a bit skeptical once I started the book (I picked it up after my Book Lover’s Calendar suggested it) but I’d have to say, I’m suitably impressed. The mystery is engaging, and while Reece, as a heroine, could have been fleshed out a little more, the supporting cast was very well-rounded, and the love interest, Brody, was amusing and definitely likable. I would recommend this to any fan of romantic suspense.

The Title Says It All: This Book Is A Nice, Safe Read

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing, 2010, 340pp.)

Set in idyllic Southport, North Carolina, Safe Haven centers on the budding relationship between Alex Wheatley, a widowed grocery store owner with kids, and Katie, a timid young woman with a secret. What starts as a friendship naturally develops into mutual attraction. Just as Katie thinks she’s safe from her past, however, it comes rushing back in the form of Kevin, her violently jealous husband.

To be honest, I found the characters to be unremarkable and a little bland. Alex is nothing more than a nice guy, and Kevin is a garden-variety psychopath who harkens back to Biblical scripture whenever faced with a moral dilemma. What really worked for me were the harrowing flashbacks to Katie’s past, which allow us to see exactly what horrors she’s running from. These alone possess enough dramatic tension that made it hard to put the book down. The ending is a bit predictable, though it does contain a sweet twist (I myself don’t care for sentimentalism, but I still found myself going, “Awwww.”) Recommended for the deeply sentimental who are looking for a nice, safe read.

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Eau de Intrigue

The Book of Lost Fragrances (Reincarnationist Series) by M.J. Rose (Atria, 2012, 384pp.)

Ever caught a whiff of a scent that reminds you of a person or place you haven’t visited in years? The premise of Rose’s novel, The Book of Lost Fragrances, is this: what if there was a perfume that made you remember your past lives? The answer is a lot more complicated than you might think.

The L’Etoile family runs a perfume business in Paris, France that has been around for centuries. When a few shards of ancient pottery - brought home to France generations earlier - are rediscovered by the family’s modern descendants, research reveals that the clay pieces may a powerful memory tool. The shards, it turns out, are pieces of a shattered perfume bottle recovered from an Egyptian tomb, and although the perfume itself has long evaporated, the scent remains impregnated in the clay.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government, intent on destroying the Dalai Lama’s political power, hears about the L’Etoile discovery. Fearing that this memory tool will be used to find the next Panchen Lama (the Dalai Lama’s next incarnation), government officials scheme to destroy it. At the same time, Robbie L’Etoile, a devout Buddhist, looks for a way to deliver the shards safely to Tibet’s god-king. The fourth installment of Rose’s Reincarnationist series, The Book of Lost Fragrances uses current world politics and events to form a complex and imaginative stand-alone thriller.

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A Romantic Suspense Novel That’s More Romantic Than Suspenseful

Veil of Night by Linda Howard (Ballantine, 2010, 340pp.)

When Southern bridezilla Carrie Edwards is found stabbed to death with barbecue skewers only days before her wedding day, wedding and events planner Jaclyn Wilde finds herself the primary suspect. What’s worse, the killer seems to think of Jaclyn as a witness to the murder, and is trying to do her in as well. Now only Detective Eric Wilder, her recent one-night stand, can help her, but she seems more interested in getting away from him than surviving the killer’s next strike. Entrenched in sexual tension, this romantic suspense offering turns out to be more romantic than suspenseful. Any elements of suspense are generally restricted to the question of “Is this it? Are they finally going to have sex?” Howard is so intent on describing her the carnal desires of her two protagonists that she just plumb forgets to give the killer a motive. And while the novel is close to being a total disaster, it does have its few saving graces. Humorous moments are sprinkled throughout, with references to college football that only a Southerner could appreciate (two of Jaclyn’s clients request that she plan their wedding with the theme of the University of Georgia’s bulldog mascot, Uga, in mind). So if you care more about the fulfillment of romance than a good, solid mystery, then Veil of Night is definitely for you. If not, then you’ll do best to skip it.

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