Oh man, I love summer reading! I can't ever seem to squeeze enough
reading in before it's time for me to return to my second love after writing:
teaching. This summer I've been blessed with some great books to read, as well
as, a few stink-o-ramas. Next Wednesday I'm going to pretend to be Oprah and
post my top summer reads.
Today I'm focusing on a great read that I think you'll
enjoy--Voodoo Love by Victoria Richards. It's perfect for that last minute trip
to the beach or just lounging on a hammock with a dirty martini. But be sure
you have a someone your romantically involved with nearby--you're gonna need
them after reading this book!
Yes, it is a paranormal romance, but it isn't all sex and
damsel in distress type stuff. In fact, the protagonist is a pretty sassy chick
named Elizabeth who has a wry sense of humor and a talent for getting into
trouble.
Here is the synopsis from the book:
Elizabeth Brown is a gun totin' hottie--though she claims on the gun
totin' part is right! Elizabeth knows what adventure is about or at least she
would if her memory would ever come back to her. She's been told that two years
ago she was chased by a greedy thug, Diego Martes, who believed she knew the
location to a pirate treasure cursed by voodoo and hidden deep in the sultry
bayous of Louisiana. During the process of escaping, Elizabeth's lover and
assassin for hire, Juan Carlos Montoya, drowned trying to save her. Though she
now lives in a government arranged marriage to a cop in the small town of
Barataria Bay, Elizabeth is still trying to remember the past, remember the
danger, and most of all remember Juan Carlos, the dead Latino dreamboat who
dragged her into the mess in the first place.
When Elizabeth's idyllic new life is interrupted by a ghostly visit from a still sexy Juan, she finds herself once again plunged into unwanted intrigue. With his help, her memory of the past begins to come back, along with her memories of their nights of passion. Together they must outwit an insane villain, Diego and go back to where Jean Lafitte's cursed pirate treasure is hidden in order to lift a deadly voodoo curse that threatens to end their love forever.
When Elizabeth's idyllic new life is interrupted by a ghostly visit from a still sexy Juan, she finds herself once again plunged into unwanted intrigue. With his help, her memory of the past begins to come back, along with her memories of their nights of passion. Together they must outwit an insane villain, Diego and go back to where Jean Lafitte's cursed pirate treasure is hidden in order to lift a deadly voodoo curse that threatens to end their love forever.
Victoria Richards does a good job
of blending humor, romance, and the paranormal together, drawing the reader in
and holding their attention. Fast paced, the book is an easy read. By the way,
it's actually episodic on Amazon, meaning you can buy each section individually
for .99 or you can buy the whole thing. I think selling episodes is an
interesting idea. It gives the reader a chance to see if they like it without
committing to the whole thing. I know that Amazon already offers the sneak peek
option, but this lets you go just a little bit further.
So let's talk characters:
Elizabeth is a hoot and not a push over, despite her situation. She handles
things with humor and sarcasm, but comes across as tough and confident, too. I would
like to have known a tad more about her back story, but hey--it's meant to be
episodic. I think she and Eddie have an interesting marriage and Eddie was full
of surprises that kept me wondering what he was really up to.
I liked the relationship between
Elizabeth and Juan. It's sexy, but got some funny moments that surprised me and
that you don't usually find in this type of book. Think of Stephanie Plum and Joe
Morrelli or that '80s movie, Romancing the Stone, and you'll understand what I
mean. Diego was a strong bad guy, if not a bit of a stereotype, and I loved how
the ghost of a long dead pirate affected him. I think having victims of your
past crimes haunt you would be a pretty gruesome thing to deal with!
Each episode ends with a cliffhanger
and I have to admit that there were a few endings that really surprised me! These
days that's tough to do.
Of course, I'm always a sucker for
a tale that takes place in the bayou or in New Orleans and in this book, I got
the best of both worlds. I hope Victoria Richards is busy writing something
new!
You can check out Voodoo Love for
yourself or learn more about the author at the following links:
No comments:
Post a Comment