Review: Fly Me to the Moon: Volume One

I have discovered a new genre in romance: historical stories with science, contemporary attitudes and consent, and I am here for it.

The three-novel Fly Me to the Moon set by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner combines my favorite things by setting the novels in the space race fever of the 1950s and populating them with strong, independent women. Each book focuses on a different character within the social structure of the first astronauts in a fictional version of NASA.

In Star Dust, divorcee’ Anne-Marie faces cultural and family disapproval as she starts a new life with her children, and that new life happens to be next door to the hunky, devil-may-care Commander Kit Campbell. She doesn’t want to complicate her family’s life with a new man in the picture, and he doesn’t want to be tied down, but the attraction is hot, sexy and irresistible. His friends think she’ll be an easy mark; after all, she is divorced, right? But Kit is intrigued by Anne-Marie’s fiery hair and personality. The sex scenes in Star Dust will steam up your Kindle screen, but you’ll get a chance to catch your breath before the happy-ever-after.

The next book, Earth Bound, may be my favorite because the two characters are very difficult people to love. Dr. Charlie Eason, a brilliant computer scientist, and engineer Eugene Parsons are not cuddly meet-cute types. They are both hard, driven people who literally devote nearly every waking hour to ensuring the first space launch goes successfully.  At first, their relationship is about lust and sexual fulfillment, and love finally enters a good five paces behind duty and respect. An interesting detail is that Charlie uses her makeup like armor; once the face is on, her façade is impenetrable. The authors make these characters work for their happy ending, and it feels right. There’s no compromising Charlie or Eugene’s character in giving them what they want, and it’s a fascinating journey.

Wrapping up the trio is A Midnight Clear, a sweet Christmas romance between the unofficial head of the astronaut wives, Frances Dumfries Reynolds, and her husband Joe Reynolds. Set when they first met in 1948, it follows social norms closely while still giving Frances, an admiral’s daughter, her own agency. An admiral’s daughter, Frances insists she will never date any of the midshipmen crossing her path in Annapolis, Maryland. But Joe is determined to woo her and win her heart. The story is a bit more traditional, with only a kiss here and there until the two are married, and both are shy and confused virgins on their wedding night. The attention to historical detail is amazing, and the author’s notes on the research they did for all these books are catnip to history junkies like me.  I’m looking forward to more in this series.

The Fly Me to the Moon box set is available on Amazon.

Review: My Lady's Choosing

If you’ve ever read a romance novel and suddenly screamed “Why would she DO that?” you need My Lady’s Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris.  This interactive Regency romance is a wonderful Valentine to the genre, paired with a wicked wink and a throaty chuckle. You are the main character, a penniless lady’s companion to the cantankerous old Lady Craven, and you decide which major decision to make throughout the book in true ‘choose your adventure’ style. 

 Along the way you meet several potential paramours, including the smart, sarcastic Sir Benedict Granville, the mad, bad Lord Garraway Craven, the poor but unbelievably well-built Captain Angus MacTaggart, and the adventurous Lady Evangeline Youngblood. The drama starts, as all good Regency books do, at the ball, and from there you can launch yourself in a multitude of directions. Do you follow hunky war veteran MacTaggart to help the children, or match wits with Sir Benedict? Don't worry, you can do almost all the men in the book, looping your steamy adventures into one wild experience. Of course, you can’t forget Lady Evangeline, either, if you take the right path through Egypt.  The variety of outcomes is truly impressive, including several Happily Ever Afters where you’re the main character, and a few where you’re the sidekick with a boring but sweet life. You can explore gothic or adventure timelines with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and macho desert ruffians or run away with the bad boys. You can even end up unattached with a successful career if you like. And then there’s lovely, awkward Nigel. Hot damn, Nigel!

As you may guess, there are sex scenes here. Some are simple, others are amazing, and many of them made me laugh because of terms like moonlight bouncing off your “womanly orbs” or “being able to make love as tender as it is violent while balancing on one leg and using a bust of John Donne for support.” There’s also a whole paragraph-long sex scene with postal puns, but you should find that one for yourself.  The sex scenes are done with over-the-top descriptive but not vulgar language, and if you’ve read a lot of romances (especially older ones) then these in-jokes are for you.

This is a joyful blast of a book you can read over and over again, never ending up at the same place twice unless you choose to do so. It’s the perfect remedy for any of those maddening books you throw against the wall.

My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel will be available from Quirk Books on April 3.

A free ARC was provided to this reviewer.

#DollarReads Review: Farewell, Dorothy Parker

It’s rare to find a signed book for a dollar in a discount book bin, but even more so when that book turns out to be a great read. Author Ellen Meister had me at the title, and she continued her hold with a literary ride that was sweet, saucy and so much fun.

Violet Epps is a movie critic terrified of confrontation, so she’s saddled with a boyfriend she can’t dump, and may never get custody of the orphaned niece who needs a better life. The only place she feels confident is on the page, where her sarcasm reaches to the lofty heights of her hero, Dorothy Parker. When she and her boyfriend meet at the Algonquin Hotel and the manager presents the storied guest book for her signature, she receives a sharp-tongued, spine transplant in the form of Parker’s ghost. After a quick possession by Parker, she grabs the guest book and flees the scene once she tells off her worthless beau, and her life begins to veer far from the predictable, meek paths she usually follows.

Meister makes Violet a nicely rounded character with depth, showing how Violet’s present fears are rooted in her childhood relationship with her sister, Ivy. It turns out young Violet’s wicked wit was nipped in the bud by a sibling who had her own cruel ways of getting even, something Violet couldn’t heal from even when she and her sister grew close as adults. After the accident that takes her sister and brother-in-law’s lives, Violet tries to gain custody of her young niece Delaney, but her fear makes her have a meltdown at the custody hearing. Piled onto that is the new editor’s assistant at work who thinks she can re-write Violet’s columns without retribution. 

Good thing Violet has the ghost of Dorothy Parker now, and this is where Meister shines: she brings the daunting legend to full life, giving her great dialogue and showing that behind many sarcastic souls lie the tender wounds of childhood. Whenever the guest book is open, Parker is free to drink, smoke and throw shade at every oppressive corner of Violet’s life, sending her into new adventures with television appearances, blackmail opportunities, work smackdowns and even a hot tryst with her martial arts instructor. The entire plot moves as fast as Parker’s savage literary takedowns, and in the end, Violet learns how to stand up for herself and the ones she loves. She also helps Parker learn a thing or two, so the ghost can finally look straight into that bright light which beckons to her whenever she materializes. 

This book is smart, heartfelt and the perfect fantasy for any Dorothy Parker fan who always thinks of the perfect comeback after the argument is done.

KFC's Regency romance is gloriously cheesy

Kentucky Fried Chicken has released their own Regency romance novella for Mother’s Day, because it’s 2017 and nothing makes sense anymore.

Tender Wings of Desire centers on young Lady Madeline Parker, who chickens out of her betrothal to the hunky yet boring Duke of Sainsbury. She has many reasons for doing this, from the fact that he resembles a “vanilla biscuit,” to girl power and wanting to travel somewhere she doesn’t have to embroider babies or pump out useless tapestries for the rest of her days. Something like that, anyway.

Of course she runs away, ending up in The Admiral’s Arms, a tavern that caters to amazingly well-behaved sailors, and meets the mysterious Harland Sanders. In a small show of compassion, Harland isn’t portrayed as an elderly Southern spokeshead in the book; a girl wondering if she’s old enough to marry and her romance with an old Colonel Sanders would be too creepy for everyone involved. Madeline meets him when he’s young, seeing the world, and still yet to inherit the massive American restaurant empire that illogically exists in the Victorian era. Once our headstrong heroine meets Harland, he sticks in the back of her mind like a piece of gristle wedged between her teeth. Eventually feathers fly, drama hatches, and everyone receives a Happily Ever After, even the Vanilla Biscuit Duke.


The plot is painted with large, wide brushstrokes, a winking parody of all those tumultuous romances I read in the 1970s. It’s fun and overblown, never taking itself seriously. My favorite line was “Madeline herself did not mind balls,” which made me snort before I finished the sentence about dancing and all the beautiful gowns. Follow that up with “You are too much. Our Madeline is going to have her hands full with you,” and I was cry-laughing through the rest of the book. Aside from the wicked humor sprinkled throughout, there’s only one sex scene, and it was so subtle I had to read the page three times to make sure they HAD done it, and not just participated in a stellar make-out session. Some news outlets have labeled this a “steamy” read, but they don’t read the same books I do.

While the novella itself may be a light-hearted PR move, KFC’s intentions are not. They know that the romance novel industry is worth $1 billion every year. They also know that Mother’s Day is their busiest day of the year. It’s nice to see them recognize that romance sells, and everyone needs an escape now and then, even if it’s with a bucket of chicken and a free cheeseball read for dessert. Maybe for Halloween, Yum! Brands will give us star-crossed lovers and a werewolf romance in Taco Bell.

**This piece also appeared on The Huffington Post**

First Friday AW Review: The First Ghost by Marguerite Butler

Portia Mahaffey had a crummy job, no boyfriend and a tiny apartment. Still, she believed she had a good life until the ghosts showed up. Who knew adventures with the undead could get you fired, make you solve a murder and help you find not one but two hot guys?

THE FIRST GHOST by Marguerite Butler is a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced paranormal ride. When the reader first meets Portia, she’s unlikable and slightly pathetic, a Muggle in a family of clairvoyant women. She thinks her life is perfectly fine without the family ‘gift,’ but when she finally sees her first ghost, her universe is tumbled upside down with clingy spirits, a farty dog and a talent for finding trouble.

I loved Butler’s new characterization of Death: she’s sharp with a deadpan (naturally!) sense of humor. In fact, all the characters are fully-rounded and very believable. Each has his or her own flaws and talents, and the dialogue is very natural, from the hot doctor she starts dating to her neurotic, funeral home-owning family. These characters act like real people and it makes this book a joy to read.

At first I didn’t care for Portia, but once she began her journey and her ultimate transformation from selfish chick to kind-hearted protector, it all made perfect sense. The story really took off for me from the initial hospital room scene where she meets the ghost of murdered secretary Corinne, and I was hooked from there until the very last page. Butler has a deft hand for weaving plotlines together and keeping the action flowing from one chaotic day to the next without losing the reader in a flurry of murders, suspects, industrial espionage and romance. This is the story I would wish for Nancy Drew; you know, if she grew up, got a concussion and saw dead people.

The book ties up some loose threads but not all of them. I’m hoping that’s because Butler plans to continue the series and give Portia a rich, full, dangerous life.

THE FIRST GHOST by Marguerite Butler is published by Lyrical Press and available in a variety of ebook formats on the publisher's website and at Amazon.

First Friday AW Review: Dustin Time by June Kramin

I haven’t read a romance in a long time, but when I heard about a time-traveling romance I was intrigued. So I downloaded Dustin Time by June Kramin late one night and opened it up to make sure the download worked. Four chapters later, I realized I was about to have a weekend devoted to reading about Kaitlyn and Dusty.

Dumping your boyfriend on your birthday? That’s no problem for Kaitlyn. Too bad she can’t follow through with that thought before she starts traveling more than Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap.

As she jumps through time, she creates different timelines with the man in her life, but what will scare her more: love, marriage and a baby carriage or ending up alone? While spinning through disastrous first dates to an ultimate sacrifice that may cost Kaitlyn her true love, she finally works out the reasons behind her dimension-hopping. Too bad time may not be on her side.

Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, Kramin expertly turned me on my ear. This was literally a story I could not put down. Plus, the plentiful love scenes were sexy without being X-rated.

You hear people say “I couldn’t put this book down!” That was the honest truth with this book. Every time I turned off my e-reader, ten minutes later I turned it back on. Dustin Time is an irresistible story of love with a neat sci-fi kick with a thoroughly satisfying ending. Thanks to June Kramin, I’m back on the romance bandwagon!

Dustin Time is published by Champagne Books, and is available in both ebook and print.