West Houston RWA

The Billionaire and His Boss
By Patricia Kay
Silhouette SE
January 2008
ISBN: 978-0373281237

Think of all the romance readers who’ve sacrificed sleep to finish stories of alpha-male tycoons tamed by the love of good women. That story arc works. Nevertheless, Houston’s own Pat Kay upends it in THE BILLIONAIRE AND HIS BOSS. Her recent Special Edition tweaks time-honored genre conventions but will keep readers up past bedtime.

Alex Hunt stands to inherit billions. He likes money only because it offers him chances to do good. To show solidarity with his half-brothers and save the charitable foundation he runs, Alex agrees to an outlandish request made by his father after a brush with death: like his halfbrothers, Alex will hide his identity and fortune to seek a bride. What’s more, he’ll marry and start a family within a year.

P.J. Kinkaid supervises the distribution center for the company Alex’s father founded. When Alex reports for work as a stock picker, she makes him as a pretender and fears he’s been sent from the corporate office to spy on her operation. She resolves to keep an eye on him.

Meanwhile, Alex can’t keep his eyes off his boss, P.J. She’s friendly with her workers, fair, and very much in charge. Unfortunately for him, she doesn’t believe in dating anyone at work. When he finally overcomes that dating block, he finds she’s dead-set against marriage.

P.J. has many more secrets than Alex does, and the billionaire struggles mightily to win his bride. I won’t tell you how Alex fights for P.J., but I’ll confide that the ending of THE BILLIONAIRE AND HIS BOSS presented this reader with what she hopes for from every romance novel: a good cry.

-reviewed by Pat O’Dea Rosen

One Bite Stand
By Nina Bangs
Berkley
January 2008
ISBN: 978-0843959543

Daria Abarr is desperate to look ugly. And act mean. She needs to pass the ultimate harpy test; collecting a soul and whisking it down to Hades. So why is none of this coming naturally to her? Maybe if she becomes the night manager for the Woo Woo Inn she can choose the most powerful of guests to carry off and take her rightful place among the ranks of famous harpies like her mom.

Declan MacKenzie, a 900-year-old hunky vampire, has sworn off relationships and sticks to One Bite Stands. Someone or something has been killing off his brethren near the Woo Woo Inn and he’s just arrived to kick some butt. Only the new night manager is causing him enormous distraction. It’s obvious she’s a harpy without the requisite Ugly, but why’s she studying him like she’s either gonna drag him down to Hades with her or jump his bones?

3 Reasons I recommend you buy this book:

1) Ever see a movie where the first guy goes in the house and never comes out- they eventually just find a finger? The second guy goes in and you’re thinking ‘this isn’t a good decision’ and he never comes out and they eventually just find his finger. Then the third guy says “I’m going in.” What do you shout at the screen? Well- that’s where this book opens!

2) Nina’s heroine, Daria, is a harpy; meaning she’s cruel, vicious, ugly and wants to carry someone with her to Hades and on certain days, ladies, can’t we just relate? P.S. The “office memos” from Hades are worth the price alone!

3) Ganymede’s conflict requires a Donald Maass-type decision. In all of the stories he’s been in, he’s never been faced such a horrible set of options. You read these paragraphs open-mouthed and think his life can’t possibly get any worse for him. And then it does. Once again, Nina’s creative plot twists astound me: One Bite Stand is rich with suspense, unique humor and her ever present, over-the-top sexual adventures.

–Reviewed by Sarah Andre

The Senator’s Daughter
By Christine Carroll
Medallion Press
January 2008
ISBN: 978-1933836300

The Senator’s Daughter is a fast-moving romantic suspense novel that follows its two very complex, very passionate characters from the ultra swanky hot spots of San Fransisco, to the lush green, but deceptive quiet of the Napa Valley’s vineyard country.

Sylvia Chatsworth, the wild-child daughter of a U.S. Senator, and Lyle Thomas, the man-to-watch in the San Francisco D.A.’s office, are the city’s new “hot couple”. Their romance doesn’t have time to get off the ground, because to the displeasure of her appearance-conscience parents, the local tabloids soon focus their white hot, destructive lenses on Sylvia. Sylvia decides it would be better for everyone if she disappeared.

For a price, the Sylvia’s Senator father sends Lyle to find his daughter. When Lyle tracks her down in Napa Valley, he finds she’s changed, and finds himself even more attracted and intrigued than before. Reluctant to reveal Sylvia to her parents, Lyle holes up with her at a Victorian Inn. Their passion grows even hotter amidst a suspense thread that involves a missing land developer and his vintner brother.

There were so many things I, as a reader, loved about this romance, but the main thing that kept me riveted was the way Carroll allowed me to watch the transformation of her two main characters. As a reader I love a huge character arc, so it was a true joy to watch Sylvia and Lyle, who’ve layered on their different forms of mental and emotional armor to survive in the glittering, but cut throat social and political society of San Francisco, and watch those layers of armor be slowly peeled away. The story provided an escape into a fantasy many readers might have — of leaving all the complications of real life behind, and getting “real” with the person you really want to be. That the transformations occurred in such a gorgeous setting, and amidst exciting plot twists, made the story even more of a fantasy.

-reviewed by Kimberly Ungar

Please join us for the 2008 Emily awards meeting featuring Margie Lawson’s day long workshop on “Deep Editing”.
Margie Lawson is collecting rave reviews with every master class she teaches. A counseling psychologist, Margie has developed innovative psychologically-anchored editing systems and techniques that will teach you how to write a page-turner.

DEEP EDITING is for the writer who wants to impact the unconscious of the reader, learn fresh editing techniques, and edit for power. Participants will learn the EDITS System and take it deeper, see the interplay of patterns on the page and analyze what’s needed to strengthen their scene. This is not a broad-brush approach; it’s a roll up your sleeves and get to work making a difference on your manuscript workshop. In addition, 25 rhetorical devices will be introduced, along with when and how to use them.

In the last three years, Margie has taught a dozen on-line courses and presented full-day Master Classes in over thirty cities across the U.S and Canada. Her deep editing techniques have been used by hundreds of pre-published writers as well as authors ranging from debut to multi-award-winning. Formerly a college professor, Ms. Lawson holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. Her resume includes clinical trainer, psychologist, sex therapist, director of an impotence clinic, hypnotherapist and keynote speaker. For further information, see her website: www.margielawson.com.

How to Sign-Up:

Registration is required for this meeting and there will be a limit of 90 attendees so sign up early. Registration will open January 20th. Registration is Closed.

Materials

This is an all-day hands-on workshop. Attendees should bring the three chapters of their work in progress, a red pen, and a set of multi-colored highlighters (pink, yellow, orange, blue and green).

COST: (checks or cash only)

WHRWA Members: $20
RWA Members: $45
Non-RWA Members: $60

Location

Memorial Drive Christian Church
11750 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77024

Announcing the 2008 Emily Finalists!

** WHRWA members

Single Title

BREAKING DAYLIGHT by Mary Fechter
A BRIGHT HOT LIGHT by Karen King
RAWK MY WORLD by Brenda Kranz
JUSTICE IN THE BARREL by Linley Maroney
THE BLESSING by Janice Martin **
DANGEROUS CHOICES by Donna Meier

Historical

THE DUCHESS COMPETITION by Vicky Dreiling **
A BRIDE FOR ANGEL by Karen Seaton
THE DEVIL’S VIRTUE by Laura Williams

Series

HER TROPHY HUSBAND by Laura Fasick
REMEMBER THIS by Jeannine Ramey
PROJECT HONEYMOON by Becke Turner

Paranormal

HUNGRY HEART by Fran Abram
AN EARLY FROST by Tanya Holmes
LOVE CAME HOWLING by Carolyn Matkowsky

ONE NIGHT WITH YOU
By Sophie Jordan
Avon
December 26, 2007
ISBN: 978-006133264

Lady Jane Guthrie doesn’t mind being a widow, but she loathes being treated like a servant in her own home. Sneaking out to a masquerade ball seems a daring adventure until she encounters Seth Rutledge, the man she’s always secretly loved, and the man her sister bewitched and humiliated. Her mask makes her bold and he clearly desires her. She
promises herself if he makes love to her as the mysterious masked golden lady just once, she’ll be content with her lot for the rest of her life.

Seth, the new Earl of Sinclair, needs a wife. Unfortunately he wants the golden temptress he made passionate love to and who now haunts his thoughts. If only he could forget her and find a suitable young woman to marry, someone to be a companion, friend and protector to his blind sister. When his sister insists on renewing her childhood friendship with Jane, the irritating, proper widow arouses the most improper fantasies. Can he really desire two such different women—the passionate golden goddess and the prickly Jane?

Life has damaged Jane and Seth. Once they were best friends but Seth became infatuated with the wrong sister and Jane was given to a man who used her badly. Now years later can they overcome the cruelty and hurt that has scarred their lives and allow themselves to trust each other again?

Once again Sophie Jordan brings together a rich, colorful cast of characters in a sexy, original love story. Jane
and Seth are both fairly mature by historical romance standards and disillusioned with life. They must contend with personal tragedies and their own mistakes as well as the harsh restrictions of the social conventions of the time.
Even so, they have a natural optimism, brought to life by the attraction they feel for each other. I love Ms. Jordan’s secondary characters for their individuality and depth, especially Seth’s blind sister who’s determined to defy a world where her blindness condemns her to spinsterhood and dependence.

One Night with You is a wonderful story I couldn’t put down until the happily ever after. Don’t miss this one!

-reviewed by Lark Howard

Marked by Moonlight
By Sharie Kohler
Pocket
December 26, 2007
ISBN: 978-1416542278

In this fast paced tale of a newly infected lycan and a dedicated lycan hunter, Sharie Kohler has created an intriguing world that draws the reader in from the first page.

Claire Morgan is a teacher looking for a missing student when she’s attached by a werewolf. Gideon March kills the beast but not before Claire’s infected. He knows he should kill her too, but for the first time in his life he wants to save a lycan from the fate that awaits her at the next full moon. As Claire and Gideon race against time to find and kill the Alpha of the lycan pack and free Claire, they must learn to trust each other even as they fight the dangerous passion they both feel.

The book’s world unfolds to the reader as Claire learns about the lycans and the secret society of lycan hunters who will kill her on sight. While Claire finds a new strength as a lycan to deal with childhood abuse, Gideon faces his own ghosts to heal the burning hatred that has driven him since he was a teenager. One of the secondary characters, an ancient lycan named Darius, is especially fascinating because he forces both Claire and Gideon to look
beyond the stereotype and trust him.

Although I had never read a werewolf paranormal before, Ms. Kohler’s characters and their world were so skillfully developed, familiarity with the mythology was not necessary. My only disappointment was that the story ended. I sure hope Ms. Kohler writes Darius’s story one day soon.

-reviewed by Lark Howard