My 2008 DIKs
(from debut - June 2005 *)
My January column
My February column
My March column
My April column
My May column
My June column
* Co-authored Oct column
 What was begun as an online journal of the books I read evolved...or maybe it devolved...to also feature behind the scenes goings-on at All About Romance from my perspective (mostly based on my personal feelings - okay, it's a personal pity party); topics I've gone over ad nauseum in commentary at AAR, including the nature of reviews and online behavior; and my non-cyber life (including family and items in pop culture that capture my interest, which is just about everything). Please do not violate my trust. I restricted certain AAR-related and personal entries for a reason...to keep them as private as possible. Now that my blog is read-only, to access restricted entries you must already have a password; if you do, hold onto it so that you can continue to read restricted entries. This blog is not part of All About Romance. I ask that you keep comments or questions regarding restricted blog content off of AAR. |
To Catch a Cheat
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Kelley St. John Grade: B Sensuality: Hot This is the second book by St. John that I've read, and both have earned grades of "B" from me. |
Last year I wrote about Real Women Don't Wear Size 2; the bottom line was that it required a good deal of suspension of disbelief, but I very much liked the author's voice. Although I mentioned a few other problems with the book, the only one that sticks in my mind today is some purple prose. To Catch a Cheat did not suffer from that problem whatsoever.
Here's the book's blurb from the author's website:
Marissa Kincaid has a gift for dating the terminally unfaithful. After she finds her latest boyfriend lip-locked to another man, she decides to strike back by creating TheGuyCheats.com, a virtual Wanted poster for serial cheaters. Soon Marissa is spending almost all her time getting even—instead of getting a guy.
Enter Trenton Jackson, Marissa’s first crush from way back. Now Atlanta’s golden boy publisher, Trent is falling for the feisty siren Marissa has become and he’s determined to prove that he knows how to be true. But with Marissa afraid to ever trust a man again, Trent will have to do a lot of teasing, squeezing, and pleasing… before he can kiss away her fears and open her heart to love.
While I find St. John's voice refreshing, her premises are romance-novelesque. Where but in romanceland would a hero and heroine be forced together in a living arrangement in order to win a huge sum of money only if they don't fall in love? And yet, her writing is flirty, fun, sexy, and zippy.
What I particularly liked about this book was that the hero was strongly in pursuit of the heroine - this is no guy with commitment issues. I liked both characters as individuals, but as a couple I loved them. My grade isn't higher, though, because the book read slightly off-key. The leads are 'Net savvy people, the style is flirty, and the love scenes adult, which made the schmaltz factor disconcerting and frankly dissonant.
St. John also writes for Harlequin Blaze, and is in the middle of a six-book series, but her books for Grand Central - fka Warner - have all been stand-alones, which I really appreciate. I know I've only read two of her books, but I've already put her on my auto-buy list for her single title releases.
TTFN, Laurie Likes Books