Another month, another drive-by review.

Six books for June. Lame, I know, but I’m just too busy to read. Sad, sad state of affairs.

Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts
Meh. Far too like last year’s summer trilogy. Different premise, but the same setup. Didn’t grab me. And when I put this one down and picked up the second book in the trilogy? Couldn’t do it. FIRST time I’ve ever put down a Nora Roberts book. I’m sure I’ll come back to it someday, but for now, I’ve no desire to waste precious reading hours in a book that does nothing for me.

Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell
Best of my June reads. A bit heavy on the technical art instruction, but that is to be expected from Lowell. She always goes ass over tea kettle when educating readers on whatever venue or industry her characters find themselves in. Jewels, art, artifacts, etc. The mystery was solid, the romance a bit more surface than I prefer, but overall an engaging read. Enough so to make me want to stick with romantic suspense for awhile.

Night’s Landing by Carla Neggars
Neggars is an author I found by accident this spring. Reading through her backlist now and, while the mysteries are good, characterization and romance in her earlier titles are not as strong as they were in the first book I picked up. Her heroines tend to be stupid, despite impressive pedigrees. And childish. In this one, the heroine “runs” out of the room in a snit on more than one occasion. I’d bitch slap someone if they did that in real life. Or write them off as an idiot not worth my energy.

Stonebrook Cottage by Carla Neggars
Another in Neggars backlist that features a heroine whose actions defy her supposed intelligence. Better than the heroine in Night’s Landing by far, but still flawed enough to annoy. Strong hero though and again, good whodunit. I’m still committed to reading Neggar’s titles, especially any new releases.

Catch A Mate by Gena Showalter
I’ve had Showalter’s paranormals on my TBR list for some time. But when Anne sent me this contemporary, I jumped at the opportunity to sample an author surrounded by good, good buzz. Ultimately, I fell for the love story. But from beginning to near end, I itched in annoyance at the shallowness of the characters. Do people like this actually exist? Too catty, jaded, self-absorbed for me. I live rurally I know, but I swear I never encountered urbanites like these women and men when I lived in big cities, doing 20-something things. Sigh. I nearly put it down a dozen or more times. Showalter’s name and reputation online were the only things preventing my surrender. And like I said, ultimately, I’m glad I persevered. Not a total win, but a worthwhile wait for the real emotion at the book’s end. I still plan to read the paranormals on my TBR list, but may hesitate in the face of any other contemps.

Every Move She Makes by Beverly Barton
A romantic suspense title I picked up at random from my library’s swap shelf. Flawed in many of the ways already mentioned here, but a decent enough read. I finished it at least. Though I must admit I was tempted to toss it when Linda Howard’s latest arrived from the library.

So…very few books and none worth the time I did spend on them. And for once, I don’t think my attitude or real-life crazies affected my opinion. There were simply no gems in this batch.