L'amour, les fleurs et des bonbons

Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day. Everywhere I go-grocery store, Starbucks, gym- all I hear are proposed plans for the day of romance and love. After Valentine’s Day last year I’ve become a misanthrope who believes the day of love and romance is only for those who have something to prove. I’m a misanthrope about love on this day especially after a bizarre and outlandish tale that occurred last Valentine’s Day.

I had a crush on a tall, dark, handsome, educated, athletic man who happened to have a girlfriend. I admired him from afar for two years. While at work we always exchanged the usual pleasantries: Hello, how are you? Hope things are well. Talk to you later.

Four days before Valentine’s Day my crush called me at my desk to flirt and then ask me who I was dating. No one special. This tempting, naughty man proceeded to vividly explain his Valentine’s Day plans with his girlfriend. They included his homemade lasagna, wine and candles for a quiet romantic evening in. As I sat at my desk listening to the details I wondered if this was a new form of courtship. Michael Stirling would never seduce a woman this way. Thinking I need to get off the phone immediately this boorish man said he said he wanted to meet for drink later.

Fascinated by unavailable, confident, saucy men I met him for a drink on February 13th. I had a good time flirting and enjoying his sexiness and taut muscles. It’s late. I need to get home. I have to work in the morning. He dropped me off and five minutes later I received a text from this daring man asking if he could rest his tired body in my bed. I didn’t t savor the idea of being second to any woman despite lust and desire so of course I had to say no…this time.

Nora Robert’s would never have a romantic hero try and sleep with another woman at midnight on Valentine’s Day. I want a man who can seduce me with frilly things, dinner, trips, a man who wants no one else but me. I’m on the search to find just that.

When He Was Wicked

by Julia Quinn

Tell Me Something Wicked. Romance, sex and passion revolve around the intricate dance that overwhelms potential lovers without any hint of mystery, threat or danger. Michael Stirling’s intense pursuit of Francesca Bridgerton is pure romance and will make you weak at the knees. Michael Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin, is an experienced lover with a wicked reputation of amorous exploits and a string of broken hearts left behind. Francesca Bridgerton is the only woman who can tame his sinful ways if only she could see past his friendly façade.


Michael Stirling is hot, hot, hot. And he exudes sex, sex, sex. That's why I had to put him on the Sultry Six.  He is a master of seduction with a knack for words that target the weaknesses of every woman he covets. He can and will do unspeakable things to any woman he pleases to quiet his desire for Francesca, who is married to his cousin.

Michael’s pursuit of Frannie spans many years but it is only after the untimely death of his cousin that he is able to satiate his craving. Michael’s innermost thoughts and wants build and build until there is only one resolution…sex. His lips curved in his devilish grin are ready to do magnificent things to Frannie.

Demanding. Hands finding everywhere they are supposed to go, fingers caressing every crevice. Can you feel the heat of skin on skin, the heat of breathlessness as his lips explore yours. Michael Stirling is devilishly skilled and when you think you’ve had enough he will do it again. There is only one response as he asks, Marry me?

Michael Stirling is a sophisticated, experienced lover who is kind and loyal when he finds the ONE woman he wants. He understands sex and romance and will woo a woman to the ends of the earth. The heat, the sex, the foreplay is what makes this story a must read for lovers of romance novels. Although I found the cover a bit embarrassing and felt I had to cover the front while in public, it’s definitely a must read.

Eat, Pray, Love

by Elizabeth Gilbert
I must confess that I started this book about a year ago and have not finished it. It sits on my shelf, and I gloss past it everyday, look at the cover and just can’t pick it up. I'm bored with cover.  It looks like a book for a woman filled with ennui and no imagination.  A friend loaned me the book because I love Italy where the first leg of the narrator’s journey occurs. After Italy, I was bored and couldn’t trudge through it anymore.


Gilbert is the subject of this book. Battling depression from a contentious divorce, a rocky rebound romance, and a debilitating bout of self-loathing she decided at 34 to travel to Italy, Indonesia and India. The story is one of a woman trying to heal herself from an emotional and spiritual crisis.

Many reviews I’ve read of Eat, Pray, Love, praise it and the style of Elizabeth Gilbert. So many people enjoyed it that they’ve made a movie based on the book starring Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco and Billy Crudup.

I loved the scenes in Italy probably because it’s a country I love and am familiar with (I’ve dated 2 Italians). But after Italy it I found it to be un-engaging.

Maybe I was bored because I have never been married and therefore never divorced. I didn’t identify in any way with the utter depression and self hatred expressed by Gilbert. I was depressed reading her narrative of a woman on the verge of giving up. It also could have been that I found the first person narrative grating.

Perhaps I was bored by the incessant travelogue of spiritual healing in India, which for me was bland and banal. I found the spiritual healers she encounters trivial. In Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts, created a vibrant India in which I felt a connection to the country and the people. I felt like I could smell the city, hear the taxis and people bartering in the streets. Comparatively, Gilbert’s India lacked anything interesting or lively.

I dropped the book half way in India and didn’t make it to Indonesia and I can’t say that I care. If you’ve read the book and think it’s worth it to finish please let me know. Otherwise it is going in my donation pile.

Stay In Bed Sundays

Sundays are the one day where I like to do absolutely nothing except focus on me, which since I’ve been unemployed is really all I do everyday. But if you take some time for yourself this Sunday, like Lifetime romantic movies with fairy tale endings then you need to take some time to watch Lying to Be Perfect.



Nola Devlin is a talented writer with sizable thighs and zero fashion sense who edits the advice column of the beautiful and successful Belinda Apple. Nola’s devilish boss won’t give her a chance to be a writer because of her ample bum so she is stuck being a going nowhere trampled on employee. Feeling down and depressed and inspired by the advice of Belinda Apple, Nola and her two overweight and equally depressed friends form the Cinderella Pact; an agreement to lose weight, eat healthier and go after the lives they deserve.

On the journey towards slimmer figures and future success Nola meets hunky Computer Chip. Computer Chip is a computer technician who romances the guarded, gutsy and funny Nola with dinners and walks in the park, not caring about her size 16 figure. Computer Chip is tall, dark and handsome with stylish sensibilities and he might just be Nola’s prince. Can I find one of those please?


The Cinderella Pact allows the three women to embark on a journey of self-discovery that re-awakens the women sexy within. However, as the women begin losing weight, struggles and lies come to the surface which threatens everything they have been working for. This is the perfect movie if you believe in fairy-tale endings and the lovable men who are out there and ready for romance.


Lying To Be Perfect is based on the book The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer. Haven’t read the book but I’ll keep my eye out for it to put on by Books To Read (BTR) list.

Deep Freeze

by Lisa Jackson

In the Oregon countryside, during the worst storm of the last 50 years, Jenna Hughes and her daughters are trapped in their rural farmhouse with no way to escape a deadly stalker.

Falls Crossing is the newest home to ex-Hollywood starlet Jenna Hughes and her two teenage daughters. Jenna left behind her glamorous life in Beverly Hills for a fresh start on a farm in Oregon. However, just as she is adjusting to the never ending snowstorms and below freezing cold, women begin to turn up dead.

Shane Carter is the local sheriff with the dark eyes, a dark moustache, square jaw and a tough yet sexy attitude. The sheriff is the resident town bachelor haunted by the mistakes of his past. As he investigates the series of disappearances and his attraction to the beautiful Jenna Hughes can’t be contained.

Jenna and Shane are attracted to each other throughout the book but never act on their desire for one another. Shane acts on his attraction for her by protecting her from a mysterious stalker and making regular house calls to ensure her safety. There is one mild love scene near end of the book.

The suspense throughout the book will keep you guessing although the book is littered with extraneous details not pertinent to the gripping suspense. A series of mechanical failures on the property, an alarm system that continuously shorts out, car problems and a long line of mysterious men who intensely desire Jenna but also have the opportunity to harm her will keep you guessing until the end. The climax was a bit rushed but it was still a satisfying conclusion.

If you like to read suspense and don’t care about the romance then you will enjoy this book.

OPEN

by Andre Agassi

The hair. The fashion. The bad boy attitude. Andre Agassi has always been my kind of man. I’ve been a life long tennis fan especially during the intense rivalry of Agassi/Sampras. However, you don’t need to be a fan of tennis to enjoy the heart-tugging drama of Agassi’s life. You’ve heard about the crystal meth usage, failed drug test and the hair piece but his story contains much more framed by the beautiful words of J.R. Moehringer, the man who helped write the book.


Andre's fragile childhood was dominated by a man so ferocious that he pulled out his own nose hairs. His father tortured Andre with hours of practice against the “monster” in the backyard as well as organized matches with other young boys around Las Vegas until he could beat all of them. The relationship between father and son shaped the rebellious attitude of the intense minded Agassi throughout his life.  Their relationship is a focal point of the book and the influence of one man’s passion on his young son was thought provoking and sad.  

Thrown into the mix is a great deal of dirt about Andre’s first wife, the malevolent Brooke Shields. Her portrayal is shrill, annoying, shallow, egotistical, materialistic and dense whose only concern is the rejuvenation of her career (hell hath no fury like a man scorned). She is oblivious to her husband’s drug usage and his laziness. Clearly, she was the wrong woman for him.  After Andre has moved on to the leggy Steffi Graf, Brooke tries to rekindle the relationship to no avail.

A lot of time is devoted to tennis matches. The book opens and closes with the retelling of two important tennis matches retold with a clarity of both Agassi’s fragile psyche and herculean bravado.  You don't have to be a tennis fan to enjoy the suspense fo each match and the behind the scenes locker room tales.  During one match Andre forgets to wear his underwear and wins the match. He vows never to wear underwear while playing again.  I have never been a fan of Pete Sampras, too boring, too doltish. Andre says, “I envy Pete’s dullness.” He then adds, “I wish I could emulate his spectacular lack of inspiration, and his peculiar lack of need for inspiration.” According to Andre, Pete is a cheap tipper, like a dollar cheap for the valet. CHEAP is a deal breaker. 

As for Steffi Graf, Andre’s beguiling wife, the romantic flair of the prose leads leads to a fairy-tale finale. His enchantment and fascination with her is evident from his earliest days as a professional. He sends flowers to her hotel room despite her serious boyfriend sharing the room with her.  He chases her until finally she relents and goes on a date with him.  You have to admire Andre for never taking No for an answer.  Two kids, a home in Vegas, the book ends with a love match as the two play a pick-up match at the local court for fun.

Multicolored Totes

Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz

I should have dared to keep walking past this book but it was just lying there calling my name...so of course I had to pick it up. Ethan Truax, Zoe Luce and the capacious totes are back for another adventure or two or three. There’s so much going on in this book and none of it is done well. Ethan is still hunky, Zoe is grating and, well…the totes accompany them on every adventure. It’s amazing that they come in so many colors and are able to carry a wallet, lipstick, a flashlight, a tool kit, band aids, a camera, measuring tape, appointment calendar, sketchbook, box of colored pencils, felt markers, tile samples and fabric swatches. All the basic tools for a crime fighting interior designer.  All that was left out was a can of paint.

It’s been six weeks since Zoe and Ethan eloped in Vegas and she has become a nagging wife who’s concerned about healthy prostates, sunscreen, cereal choices, soy milk and key chain flashlights for her sexy PI husband, Ethan.  Zoe’s psychic spider webs are a bore considering she senses something everywhere and yet nothing ever comes of them except a crazy apartment manager.  At least they have sex on a regular basis but it’s not really that steamy.

Zoe's questionable fashion choices are back especially when compared to her chic design rival from LA, Lindsey Voyle.  Lindsey wears tailored black suits with a leather satchel and Zoe wears a long, sleeveless dress in violet,  with a green duster and red tote or a light turqoise pullover with a skirt the same clolor with gauzy fabric that drifts around her calves. 

JAK is so disjointed in this book. She spends the first half of the book recounting the happenings of Light in Shadow, then there’s the mystery with Arcadia and Harry, psychic spider webs with Zoe, an interior decorating contest, a loony bodybuilder, an over-the-hill Private Investigator, a crazy meditation guru, the pink house remodeling (it’s about time) and a cold case from years ago trying to be solved. Like I said Ethan is still sexy.

There’s limited romance in this book and a whole lot of boredom.