Laura Freeman's Blog, page 7

Calamity Jena: Fall in Love with Scotland

Calamity Jena: Fall in Love with Scotland (Invertary #4) 2015 by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Jena Morgan is an ex-go go dancer who has moved to Invertary, Scotland and bought a broken-down house. Every man she dates ends up injured, and the local bar is making bets on the next casualty. To make matters worse, her ex-boyfriend Frank Di Marco has joined the New Jersey mob and needs Jena to become a stripper at his bar to make it successful or he’ll get whacked.

The local policeman, Matt Donaldson finds himself guarding her to keep her safe from Frank and two ex-marines he’s hired. One of them is obsessed with Matt’s sister, Claire. Things keep getting more and more complicated as Jena’s mom arrives.

The story is written tongue-in-cheek with plenty of laughs and a lot more trouble. It’s a great escape book to read when you need a pickup or want a change in your reading genre. If you like wacky screwball comedies, this should be on your list to read.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#Scotland #romance #JanetElizabethHenderson

Using a scalpel to edit

I finished reading another book that I wanted to put down before getting halfway. It wasn’t badly written, but the characters were shallow and undeveloped. Most of the book was filled with descriptions that weren’t necessary even though many were poetic. Don’t pad a story just to reach a word count. Make sure every word counts and is necessary to move the story along.

This is where a scalpel is necessary. I finished writing and editing my latest book, “Raining Tears.” When I submitted the story, my editor said I needed to eliminate several subplots and backstories that slowed down the detective-crime story. Some writers balk at cutting any precious word from their darling manuscript, but I worked as a journalist, and when they said a 15-inch story, they meant it.

Before doing any cutting, I saved the original story under a different file name. This helps ease the pain of letting go. It also helps if I decide I need to reattach a paragraph or two. I was ruthless in my surgery even eliminating a whole chapter and summarizing it in a few lines of dialogue later in the story. Guess what? The reader will never miss that chapter, and now there is no slowdown to the flow of the action-driven story.

The story I read and won’t review opened with the hero breaking up with his long-term girlfriend and in another chapter the heroine finding out her boyfriend is gay. These chapters weren’t necessary. They could have been summed up later in the story. It took forever to get to the meat of the story.

The hero and heroine meet, but I never connected with them. The conversations were shallow and never revealed much about them except insecurities. She had lost her job but wasn’t looking for another and wondered why she had low self-esteem. He just wants to be friends because he’s afraid of a relationship even though he’s attracted to her. What a wimp. She sleeps with a guy she doesn’t have anything in common with. An unwritten rule in romance is the hero or the heroine doesn’t sleep with another person after finding “the one.” They finally get together but never have that heart-to-heart talk that explains why they love each other and where do they see themselves in ten years.

Develop your characters. Use that to fill the empty pages but make sure it drives the story forward instead of looking backwards. Couples have fights. They can sulk and let it poison the relationship or they talk about why it hurt and solve the problem. This strengthens the bond and moves the couple forward. Don’t wait until the final pages to resolve the relationship. It should rise and fall throughout the story so the characters can mature and grow. Coming together at the end should be natural after solving all their differences.

“Raining Tears” will be released Jan. 30, 2023. Here is a teaser with the blurb:

Detective Sydney Harrison thought the police shooting of an armed robber was cut and dry, but when the facts don’t add up, she finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game with a drug-addicted woman willing to sacrifice the lives of others to feel normal.

Claire’s life spiraled out of control when a grab and dash for a purse turned into a chance meeting with a stranger in a dark alley. His death wasn’t her fault, but the police are searching for her. Before running she needs to tie up loose ends even if it means another person has to die.

#detective #mystery #LauraFreeman

Relatively Normal

Relatively Normal by Whitney Dineen, 2018, romance comedy

Catriona Masterton and her partner Jasmine are event planners in New York City. During Jasmine’s wedding to Dylan, Cat meets Ethan Crenshaw when she sprains her ankle, and he comes to her rescue. They date for a year, become engaged, and live together for another year before they plan a trip to her hometown for the parents to meet.

To say Cat’s family is eccentric is an understatement, and the uptight Crenshaws don’t know what to make of Cat’s grandma Nan who cusses, her father Dougal, who wears kilts, and her mother, Maggie, who collects things. Her brother Travis smokes pot in the basement.

Unknown to Cat, her family has invited Sam Hawking, her childhood friend and sweetheart who broke her heart after graduating from high school by going off on his own course in life instead of marrying her and living happily ever after. He is shocked to learn she is engaged and professes he’s still in love with her.

Dineen does an excellent job of taking us along on Cat’s journey as she questions her feelings for Ethan and Sam. Ethan is steady and predictable but lacks a love of life and spontaneity that Cass longs for. Sam broke her heart, and she has trouble forgiving him. He has to prove himself.

Humor is Dineen’s strength, and there are plenty of laughs throughout the book as the characters find what is important to them and make life changes. You’ll enjoy the ride.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#romance #Scottish #WhitneyDineen

Maids of Misfortune

Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke, 2009, A Victorian San Francisco Mystery

This is the first book in the series about Annie Fuller, a widow, who inherited a home and turned it into a boarding house. She makes extra money as a clairvoyant giving financial advice to customers. Her current life is contrasted against an unhappy marriage to a controlling drunkard and gambler. After his death she had to live on the charity of his relatives. This motivates her to be independent, but that is threatened by an old debt of her husband.

Her customer Matthew Voss has become a friend who plans to take his wife on a trip from the money he’s made from his stocks, ones Annie advised him to buy. Only he is murdered in his home. Those familiar with the series know the boarders, the policeman Patrick, and the maid Kathleen and housekeeper Beatrice.

The Voss lawyer is Nate Dawson who is attracted to Annie but has to overcome his old-fashioned notions about women, especially when she investigates the murder. When the Voss maid Nellie is killed, Annie takes her place. Her actions for the time period are natural and smart but constricted by her role as a maid.

Locke uses her education to share the details of life in Victorian San Francisco with every ache and pain as Annie does the chores required by hired help. Annie also has a personal stake because Voss left her stocks that would pay off her husband’s debt. Give your heroine more than one reason to put herself in danger. It’s more believable.

Locke allows Annie and the women in the story to solve their own problems and rescue themselves. This is refreshing in a story which could easily allow the men to come to the rescue. They do arrive, but too late to save the day.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#mystery #Victorian #historical #MLouisaLocke

Not Quite a Duchess

Not Quite a Duchess by Ava Rose, 2020, romance with mystery

This is a romance with a mystery that adds a layer to the story set in 1891 Boston. Anna Trevallyn is an independent woman who believes in women’s equality. She and her best friend, Libby, would choose to be spinsters rather than marry an overbearing man.

Libby’s brother, Prince Penford Armstrong-Leeds, retired from the navy with a leg injury and then inherited his title. He is in love with Anna but hides behind a moody aloofness, afraid to show his feelings or show a weakness.

Libby gives Pen a list of reasons she won’t marry him. A list like this sets up the story as each item on the list must be addressed for a happily ever after. Obstacles don’t have to be spelled out in a list, but they have to be present to make a story interesting.

During a party, Libby is kidnapped, but the police think she has eloped and won’t investigate. Pen and Anna join forces to find her and grow in their own understanding of themselves and each other. She provides plenty of action as they track down clues, interview witnesses, and uncover a kidnapping plot larger than Libby, who stars in the next story in the series.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#romance #Victorian #mystery #AvaRose

Wisteria Witches

Wisteria Witches by Angela Pepper, supernatural

If you’re looking for a scary supernatural story, skip this one. If you’re looking for a gut-laughing-out-loud story, this is your cup of tea. Zara Riddle and her teenage daughter, Zoey, move to Wisteria where life is odd. She buys a Victorian house that is haunted by its former owner, Winona, a social diva.

Zara has a wicked sense of humor that not everyone gets and a wonderful relationship with Zoey. They live next to three generations of Moore men who have secrets of their own. Zara is a librarian and is surrounded by wacky characters who add to the charm of the story.

She discovers her Aunt Zinnia lives in Wisteria. Surprise! Zinnia tells Zara and Zoey they are witches, and that Zara, as a Spirit Charmed, is a magnet for ghost. Zara helps figure out who killed Winona so she can be free of her spirit.

The events are outlandish, the people full of surprises, and the conversations fun. It’s a book to enjoy whether you believe in magic or not.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#supernatural #witches #magic #AngelaPepper

His Lady of Fire

His Lady of Fire by Charlotte Jardine, 2021, historical romance

This story provides a meet cute by having the hero and heroine share the same last name yet are strangers. Mary Stanfield, 38, is a nurse who served in the Crimean War and goes on holiday to recover from pneumonia. When she gives the porter her name, she is taken to a first-class suite on the train even though she has a second-class ticket.

Major Albon Stanfield is suffering from foot rot and meets Mary when she drops her carpet bag on his sore foot. He then finds her in his private suite and sends her off to the second-class car. The same mix up with names has him assigned to her room at the hotel only this is her room. When he can’t find another, they share it.

She tends to his foot and recommends treatment. Both were married and lost their spouses. Mary’s husband was controlling and thwarted her dreams of being an independent woman who runs a nursing facility. She is trying to find office space to open her fledgling business. Albon’s wife wanted to be socialite and resented Albon being in trade and not spending more money to advance their social status.

Because of their past experiences, they resist any new romance, but to save Mary’s reputation, pretend to be married. They form a friendship but an interfering relative causes trouble. This is a wonderful romance that brings two strangers together for a second chance at love. In most second chance stories a couple falls in love, breaks apart, and then has a second chance years later where only the incident that drove them apart needs to be addressed. This is a second chance after a bad relationship, which is often harder because both parties have doubts about a happily ever after. The story also highlights a middle-aged couple who value friendship and respect.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#romance #historical #CrimeanWar #CharlotteJardine

Nothing to Fear

Nothing to Fear by Claire Boston, mystery, The Blackridge Series #1

This story takes place in Australia and contains the charm of the language and locations. There are plenty of subplots in this story to keep the reader guessing what will happen next and the action is fast paced. A slight clue is given, and those who are familiar with mysteries will pick up on it, but it doesn’t ruin the surprise of the ending.

Hannah Novak was date raped while in college and returns to her grandparents Blackridge Holiday Park to create a hideaway luxury retreat. Sgt. Lincoln Zanettie hires his best friend Ryan Kilpatrick who has a son, Felix, 8. He has gone through a nasty divorce from Paula and takes a cabin at the park.

Hannah is afraid to be alone with men but is attracted to Ryan. The story takes the two through the hardships of a relationship when both have been bruised by the past. They grow stronger with each other, and their romance ties the story together beyond the mystery.

Hannah’s troubles begin with phone calls with hang ups; gifts left on her doorstep; and her rapists, Justin, showing up in town. If that isn’t enough, her father, who killed her mother, has early parole and visits. Then her cabins are broken into and trashed. Finally, her dog is poisoned. Did I say the story was action packed?

Hannah survives all these trials with the help of Ryan, Felix, and her best friends, Kit, Fleur, and Mai who will be featured in future stories. In this story friendship plays a key role in keeping Hannah safe. She doesn’t act stupid like many heroines being stalked. She even learns self-defense. But that doesn’t prevent the killer from making his final move. You’ll want to keep the pages turning on this story.

More book reviews can be found at authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#mystery #thriller #police #ClaireBoston

Writing a series

The story I was reading turned out to be really bad, so I’m writing about my own experiences instead. The bad book was first in a series and had too many characters introduced in the first chapter with many of them having names that started with the same letter, so they blended into an unidentifiable mass. It also dumped a whole lot of regency rules and manners on the reader before any plot developed. I didn’t make it past a third of the story, and I rarely do that.

That brings me to my own writing, and what I’ve learned from writing a series. My first published novel was part of a six-book series. I wrote the first novel with only the other characters’ names and basic plot in mind, so it was a miracle the series fit together as well as it did. For those writing a series, at least have an outline for the other stories. That doesn’t mean you’ll follow it. My characters tend to write the story, and I’m amazed how talented they are.

Do not introduce all the characters in the series together at the beginning of a story and if you must introduce them, keep it brief. Focus on the main character for that book. In “Impending Love and War” I had Courtney Beecher staying with a widow, so she was not living with her five younger sisters. This made her the main focus and allowed the reader to get to know her apart from her family.

Try not to introduce your main characters at a ball or social event where others will have to be introduced unless you have them alone either dancing, as dinner partners, or caught in an awkward situation. Focus on the hero and heroine before introducing anyone else. The alternative is to introduce the problem and then introduce the hero.

Introduce the problem early on. In “Impending Love and Death” Jem is worried about her husband who hasn’t written after the First Battle of Bull Run. The book is about her quest to find answers to what happened to him, and she relies on the hero, Logan Pierce, to help her, although he initially refuses. Logan is visiting the small town where the Beecher sisters live, but he and Jem soon travel to Washington to uncover news about her missing husband. This allows time alone for them and their relationship to develop.

Characters from one book should appear in another but not in a bunch and only if there is a purpose to the appearance. All of the sisters make a brief appearance together in the first book when Courtney visits home and their personalities are briefly exposed. In later books, usually one or two sisters makes an appearance and plays a role in the story. Those who are reading the series, will recognize the established characters, and you can add inside jokes or comments for their benefit.

The villains in my story make appearances in nearly all of the stories and cause trouble in each of them. I enjoy writing the villain and without one, your story will lack tension and problems outside the romantic arc. And it should be something more dangerous than another man trying to steal the heroine away. Plots can be simple but add a twist or new concept to it for the reader. Avoid boring.

Focus your story on the plot and characters’ interactions. Having a character think about the past or flashbacks slows a story down. Keep necessary past information short and infrequent. This is true for historical information. I had to weigh what information about the Civil War I wanted to include. Each book in my series focused on a single battle or short period in the war. If the information doesn’t advance the story, leave it out. They can always look it up in a history book.

It’s always good to have a love triangle. In “Impending Love and Lies” Colleen Beecher is jilted early on, and Blake Ellsworth is more interested in joining the army than romancing her. And in “Impending Love and Madness” both Zach and Harry, army buddies, compete for the attention of Cassandra Beecher. Which one will she choose?

I like to have a deeper meaning in my historical stories. Anyone can read about history, but what is the impact? What have we learned? In “Impending Love and Capture” Jessica Beecher travels to Gettysburg to break off her relationship with Ed and witnesses the battle. She asks. “What is the purpose of the battle? No one will claim the land. Once the smoke is cleared, the leaders will still have to negotiate the peace.” She isn’t against war. She’s an abolitionist, but what purpose does it serve but to kill more men than the enemy. How will that free the slaves? But don’t go too deep. It’s a romance not a commentary on social reform.

The series should be tied up with the last book. “In Impending Love and Promise,” the last bad guy is dealt with and put to rest. The family is reunited, and old friends make an appearance. It should satisfy the reader who has read the previous books and make the reader who started with the last want to read the others.

More book reviews can be found at authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#writing #historical #romance

Let Me In

Let Me In by Adam Nicholls, 2021, thriller

Great cover art.

Morgan Young is a private investigator whose best friend, Gary, works for the Washington Homicide Department. When his old girlfriend, Carrie, and her husband are brutally murdered, he asks Morgan to help with the investigation.

This is a good example of writing a crime thriller. There are ties to the police, but Morgan can work outside the law and also get into trouble to heighten the tension. Morgan doesn’t carry a gun which puts him in danger as well. He also loves his wife, Rachel, which gives him a vulnerable spot, and Nicholls uses that.

Morgan follows the usual with interviews, looking at neighborhood videos, and making the rounds. Actions of a routine investigation add authenticity to a story like this. There’s also the local cafe where cops hang out and more murders to increase the need to solve the crime.

The murderer is identified as “the killer” in the beginning and insight is given into his motive. All the victims are tied to a high school experience, and many people can relate to that uncomfortable time with both good and horrible memories.

This is the first book in a series and the crimes are personal and brutal although not graphic. The POV is both from the killer and from Morgan. They balance each other out in a cat and mouse game to win.

More book reviews can be found at http://www.authorfreeman.wordpress.com

#mystery #crime #detective #AdamNicholls