Her Good Name by Josi S. Kilpack

At thirty-five Chrissy is still unwed ( a veritable unknown in the world of Mormons in Idaho), moreover, most men she dates are a little put off by her ethnicity or Mexican-American heritage. Still, her best friend Amanda keeps trying and eventually sets her up on one more blind date. She agrees but is fully prepared for disappointment. Micah turns out to be attractive and funny and interested. But, with one phone call everything changes because she has to ditch him to rescue her niece. Not a good ending. It's over before it has a chance to begin. Unfortunately, it is at that disastrous end that an even more disastrous event occurs, Chrissy's identity is stolen. Suddenly, she has a pile of debt amounting to $90,000, a criminal record, and no job.

The premise of this story sounded intriguing, but I didn't hold out much hope for the book to really hold my attention because the premise also seemed thin. I wondered how the author was going to drag it out for more than 300 pages. Pleasantly surprised if not shocked, I loved the story. Chrissy is a strong, smart, highly self-reliant individual, but still real. She isn't superwoman. She struggles. Looses faith. I cried when her heart became broken on top of all the rest of what she was experiencing because of other's choices. It seemed like all her agency was taken by others, but she preserved and did something to make it better.

Micah was also a very real man with shortcomings and strengths,and Chrissy saw them both. This isn't a Cinderella story. It is a real life love and crime story. I also liked the way the author introduced the "enemy" early on instead of springing her on us in the last third of the novel. While I didn't like her, or her intensity of crazy devotion to her father's cause, reading about her made me realize the depth of evil involved in identity theft as well as gaining a greater understanding of why she made the choices she did. The action was believable and exciting,even thought it drug a bit during the middle third of the story.

Faith in a god who loves and cares for his people is at the center of Chrissy's beliefs and strengths. She is comfortable in her own skin and faithful to her religion, and while, romance and crime are at the center of the plot, it is God who is at the center of Chrissy's strength. Some may be put off by that, but for me it made her real, not just some super human character who always triumphs. I would recommend this novel and this author to any one, and indeed, I have.

Term Limits by Vince Flynn

Three political powerhouses, two senators and one congressman, are all murdered in one night. The perpetrators are skilled assassins who demand that the government be given back to the people, that the budget be balanced, and that they keep their campaign promises or there will be more deaths. The president may very well be their next target, unless ex-Marine and freshman congressman Michael O'Rouke tells the FBI what he suspects.

Flynn, obviously, is a very talented writer. I thought the plot was a little tedious about half way in, but by then I was committed to see how it turned out. As the story drew closer to an end, Flynn jumped among characters less which moved the story more quickly. His foreshadowing was done with a light touch, for example, one of the main characters appears at first to mild and easy going, but Flynn adds just enough emphasis on the character's body language to hint that more might be going on there. Oddly enough, I liked that the characters were so very direct about their political beliefs, which could have come across as preachy.

A political thriller and definitely violent, Term Limits, made me wonder about whether the real FBI, SEALs, and CIA have read the novel and worry about what Flynn reveals about their strategies and tactics. I liked it, and in the end I was surprised by how much I wanted to see the bad guys to not only get caught, but also suffer. Maybe that's my vindictive streak.

Lord of the Far Island by Victoria Holt

Orphaned at 5, Ellen Kellaway remembers little of her mother and nothing of her father. She is left to be raised by her Aunt Augusta who reminds her daily of her position as a recipient of the great family's kindness. Upon reaching adulthood she is to become a governess, but at the last minute, Paul Carrington, of the Carringtons, proposes marriage to his long time friend. Ellen is rescued, but she continues to be tortured by the bad dream she has had since childhood. Who is the mysterious stranger who suddenly shows up everywhere, and what will she do when she realizes that she really doesn't love Paul?



Holt's heroine is spunky, fun and interesting. Ellen is, in fact, sassy. I liked that she didn't just simply lay down and take her Great Aunt's abuse, and the fact that she is really curious, to the point of noisy, gives the story credibility. Although, much of the plot is predictable, I was caught off guard several times and truly shocked by the turn of events that Holt introduced into the story line. The other characters are fairly stock and even the hero seems less than sincere. In fact, I had a hard time understanding what drew Ellen to him.



A classical romance by the "Queen of Romantic Suspense", The Lord of the Far Island is well written if a bit slow for our fast paced world. I enjoyed the author's writing style as well as the conclusion of the story which truly did surprise me. Holt is a must for any romance enthusiast.

The Highwayman of Tanglewood by Marcia Lynn McClure

Faris Shayhan knows fear. As a chambermaid in the Tremeshton home, she is constantly under the threat of Kade Tremeshton's unwanted attentions. She has, so far, avoided being used, but Kade the Heinous will not be put off much longer. When Lady Maranda Rockrimmon visits the Tremeshton home for dinner one evening, she guesses at the cause of the young chambermaid's fearful eyes and offers her placement in her own home. Faris wants to leave! That night she slips out and makes her way toward the Rockrimmon home. But, in the Tanglewood meadow she is come upon by the famous Highwayman of Tanglewood, a Robin Hood rogue, who rescues those in the clutches of evil wealthy men and punishes those same men with humiliation. The Highwayman intends to steal from Faris, and as he steals a kiss he, of course, steals her heart.

A lovely little clean romance, The Highwayman of Tanglewood, is not deep reading. It is designed for escape on a variety of levels. It is a fairy tale and a good one, at that. Faris is believable and her fears are real. As she struggles with love at first sight (ironic that he is masked at the time), she discovers a wealth of goodness in the Rockrimmon home: comfort, kindness, and honor. Yet, her love for the Highwayman becomes entangled in her confusion about who the Highwayman really is as she doubts herself and her own honor. I liked the accents, the playful banter, the almost kisses, and the genuine pursuit of goodness.

Classic in every sense of the old fashioned romances that were once written, I enjoyed my escape into Faris's life. I laughed. I worried. I couldn't believe how naive she could be, but in the end the author almost fooled me and that made the novel really worth reading.

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs

Tempe Brennan, forensic anthropologist, is on her way to put a man in jail for murder with her testimony when she is diverted by a pizza parlor. Not, for pizza but to watch Sergeant Claudel shoot at rats in the basement. The plumber, working on a remodel, located three skeletal remains and quickly turned it over to the police. Nothing is left but the bones and Tempe is the expert on bones. The building has been around for centuries, who knows when the bodies were placed there, and Claudel is certain they are too old to be recent, especially when buttons turn up that were from the 19th century. Tempe's gut says otherwise and when carbon-14 dating places the deaths firmly in the 20th century, she pushes everyone on to discover the cruel killer still alive.

I've read Reichs' work before and really liked her style, but this time she spent so much time describing Montreal, it's streets, restaurants and monuments, that I was ready to shoot a few rats of my own. Finely, things started to move and when they did, watch out. Reich threw just enough foreshadowing in to keep me interested. And, I'm a sucker for a mystery that I can't solve, of course, this time there didn't seem to be many suspects, but I really liked how she pulled all the bits and pieces together. I also liked the twists at the end.

Reichs inspired the hit series Bones and is on the New York Times Bestseller list frequently with her forensic thrillers based on the character of Temperance Brennan. She is definitely an author for mature audiences who can stomach ugliness, evil and grief. Monday Mourning had some pretty strong material and if your not a fan of Bones, Criminal Minds, etc. because of the evil that is explored, you'd better avoid this novel. Me? I ended up fascinated with the science and Tempe's ability to make sense of it all.

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

Every woman wants her very own Mr. Darcy, of course, every woman but Claire, who simply doesn't understand his appeal. He's arrogant, proud, and frequently rude. Yet, Claire finds herself, filling in for her sister, at a seminar in Oxford, England reading a paper about Pride and Prejudice and engaged in some serious flirtations with a tall, dark, handsome, and slightly arrogant modern day version of Darcy.

To complicate matters, a daft old woman shows Claire an original manuscript of the book and Claire discovers that Miss Elizabeth Bennet wasn't always destined for Mr. Darcy. Suddenly her usually negligent boyfriend, Neil, shows up and the "heat" of her emotions as well as her indecision force her to face who she really is.

I'm not sure why little English word like "delightful" always come to mind when I read stories set in England, but delightful fits this book perfectly. The plot is fairly predictable, but the characters are genuine, with deep and true conflicts over self and a touch of romance and mystery make for a lovely, quick read.

Simplify: A Guide to Caring for the Soul

Simplify is a self-help book in the classic "lean on God" genre providing readers with 8 key lessons based on each letter of the word SIMPLIFY. The method is overused, but effective, perhaps that is why its overused.

As with most self-help books, I started this one and got through about 3 chapters before I gave up. I always mean to try their suggestions, but ironically I never find the time. The author, Carolyn J. Rasmus actually encourages the reader to take a chapter at a time and work on it for awhile. Definitely not my strategy, hence the overwhelmed feeling the book produced.

I finally returned to the book after I suggested it to a book club that I'm hosting tomorrow night, and I had to sit down to read it this time. Not really wanting to like this gimmicky book, the author had a hard sell. She succeeded. The section of each chapter called "Getting Started" saved the book for me. Because specific steps were presented, the book goes beyond the "Sunday School" answers.

An LDS read, this book is great for those people feeling overwhelmed by the pace of 21st Century life. The power lies in the focus on priorities, but most importantly on feeding the soul so you can stay focused on the important things in life.