Month: February 2019

Connections In Death by J.D. Robb

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, MysteryLeave a comment

Connections in Death (In Death, #48)Connections in Death by J.D. Robb

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: In Death #48
Publication Date: 2/5/19
Number of Pages: 384

You might think that after 48 books this series would start to get stale, but that is definitely NOT the case. I look forward to each new book with as much enthusiasm as I did at the beginning of the series. I have absolutely loved watching Eve’s transformation – which is why I am a firm believer that you really should read the series from the beginning – or at least read the first five or six books to get an idea of who Eve and Roarke are and where they came from. You won’t regret it. I’ve seen several reviewers who have said that they think Eve and Roarke should have a baby, but since I’m positive that would end the series, I disagree with that. Besides, they have only been married for two or three years, so give them some time – and more books.

I adore all of the recurring characters in the series, so it was nice to have a reappearance of Crack. This time, he has a love interest and it will be nice to see where that goes in future books.

Lots of progress has been made on Roarke and Eve’s new school and youth center – An Didean (means Haven). It is state-of-the-art and offers everything a disadvantaged youth could need to become successful in life. One of the things it offers is psychological counseling and Roarke is in the process of hiring a head psychologist. Dr. Rochelle Pickering is a psychologist specializing in children – and she is Roarke’s top pick as the head psychologist. The fact that she is the love interest of Eve’s friend Crack is unexpected, but not unwelcome.

When Eve’s link signaled, she almost ignored it, until she noticed that the incoming was from Crack and he almost never tagged her. Something serious must be up – and it was. Crack and Rochelle discovered the body of her brother as they returned to Rochelle’s apartment after an evening out. Crack immediately called Eve rather than calling police dispatch – he wanted someone he trusted and someone he knew would stand for Lyle (Rochelle’s brother) and wouldn’t just write it off as an overdose.

Eve’s investigation brings her to admire the young man who had turned his life around. He’d gone from a member of the Bangers gang to prison to leading a straight life and having nothing to do with the gang or drugs. Could it be the gang who held him down and shot a lethal dose of drugs into him? Who else would have wanted him dead? Eve’s investigation takes her into the dangerous Underground, into gang territories and even to sleazy disbarred lawyers before she finally rounds up all of the culprits.

Eve and Roarke are always a wonderful read, and this is no exception. The book is well written, the plot is well executed and the characters are some of the best and strongest I’ve read. I love that Eve takes things literally and always questions and really messes up those old axioms/sayings – like March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. She’s funny, bright, serious and totally dedicated to those victims whose deaths she investigates.

Another great read and I highly recommend it!

Scandalous Heiress by Cerise DeLand

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)4 Comments

Scandalous Heiress (Those Notorious Americans, #4)Scandalous Heiress by Cerise DeLand

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Those Notorious Americans #4
Publication Date: 2/4/19
Number of Pages: 284

I really enjoyed this story. It was well written and the characters were interesting and relatable. I loved Ada. She was bright, mature, steady and loyal and she comes from a large loving family. I had more of a love/hate relationship with Victor. I really loved him and felt his pain, but he annoyed me at the same time. His father gave him money (£10,000 per year) and property but he was still constantly worried about money – and it also bugged me that his first thought was to run away when scandal/trouble came rather than stay and fight. He’s panicked, worried about money, worried about supporting Ada, and the whole time Ada is just calmly going along and fixing everything.

Ada Hanniford is an American heiress living in England with her family. Her father is rich as Croesus – he just has that golden touch when it comes to business. She reads the newspapers, is interested in politics, designs garden layouts and is totally unimpressed with all those titled gentlemen who are interested in her £50,000 dowry. Ada doesn’t hate men and doesn’t really have anything against marriage, she’s just never seen a man she wanted to spend any time with. Well, at least she hadn’t until she accompanied her best friend Ezzie to a house party at the home of the man they expect to propose to Ezzie.

Lord Victor Arthur Sunderland Cole is the second son of the Duke of Brentwood. He adores his parents but is sad that his father is very ill. His father’s illness is the main reason he and his two daughters have returned from Shanghai where his business is headquartered. Victor’s first marriage was a huge, scandalous disaster and he’s certainly not interested in ever marrying again. His first wife created such a scandal that Victor had to take her and the girls and move to Shanghai to let it die down. When he first arrives at his parents home he hears the most enticing, tinkling laughter outside the window. Hmmm, it must be the young woman to whom his brother, Richard, is planning to propose.

Over the next few weeks, Victor and Ada see each other more and more and become closer and closer to each other. Victor still isn’t sure he wants to marry again, but he is certainly drawn to Ada. Then, a terrifying event occurs and they are forced into marriage. Can they make it work? Each admits to loving the other, but – is love enough? Maybe not, because at one point Victor says, “I will go and you will stay. Because love is not enough to change the world.”

As I mentioned above, Victor’s propensity to run away bothers me. He hurts Ada unbelievably because he, evidently, can’t stand the heat. In just a very short period of time he went from, “From this day forward, he wished to never let her go.” to “Go to bed. Stay there. Do not come here because I cannot have you. Not tonight. Not… perhaps ever.” to “I must return to Shanghai. There is no future for me here.” At that point, there was no ‘we’, it was all about ‘I’ and ‘me’.

Luckily for Victor, Ada is a sharp cookie and knew what to do to fix everything and it didn’t require running away. However, what I have to wonder is – where were all of those friends and family while Victor and Ada were on their honeymoon? Ada’s father had vowed revenge, but then evidently did nothing on his own. Friends were the same story. They could have prevented the whole thing had they REALLY been friends and family.

I really hate it when the villain gets totally away with whatever crime they have committed and this villain was a nasty piece of work. Why couldn’t he, in a drunken, drugged-up stupor fall off his horse and break his neck? It would have been so very good for so many people.

Anyway, it is an excellent read and I really enjoyed it – even if Victor annoyed me on occasion. It has to be a sign of a well-written book when the characters are so believable that you want to grab one of them by the shoulders and shake them!

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