Sure of You (Tales of the City, Book 6)

ARMISTEAD MAUPIN

Synopsis from Goodreads: A fiercely ambitious TV talk show host finds she must choose between national stardom in New York and a husband and child in San Francisco. Caught in the middle is their longtime friend, a gay man whose own future is even more uncertain. Wistful and compassionate, yet subversively funny, Sure of You could only come from Armistead Maupin.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, HarperPerennial, A Division of HarperCollins Publishers, 1990.

How acquired: Via Book Mooch.

First line: There was something different about his wife's face, Brian Hawkins had decided.

My thoughts:  I have loved all of the books in this series so far, until now. In the previous book, I was disappointed in the person Mary Ann had become. Being a local celebrity had gone to her head. And it's stayed there. I did not like her at all in this book. The blurb on the back of the book says she “must choose between national stardom in New York and a husband and child in San Francisco.” She didn't have to choose. The choice was made the minute a chance at stardom in New York was offered to her. She couldn't wait to shake Brian and Shawna off her coattails and leave them behind. And good riddance. She doesn't show any maternal love to Shawna, and Shawna seems a bit indifferent about her.

The blurb also says this is the author's “most enthralling tale yet”, but I respectfully beg to disagree. I was more bored than enthralled. Michael and Thack are still together, but there wasn't particularly any chemistry coming off the page, and they seemed more discontented than happy. Mrs. Madrigal takes a vacation to Lesbos with daughter Mona, and those sections, though more about Mona than her mother, were the best parts of the book. My heart broke for Brian, but as much as he loved Mary Ann, Shawna deserved better and I can only believe her life will be happier with just the two of them.

I'll continue with the series, despite being a bit disappointed with this entry, and I already have Book 7, MICHAEL TOLLIVER LIVES, which I'm still looking forward to, and Book 8, MARY ANN IN AUTUMN, which at this point I think I'll approach with a little trepidation, but I still have hope that she will get the stars out of her eyes and make me love her again. 

A Virgin River Christmas (Virgin River, Book 4)

ROBYN CARR

Synopsis from Goodreads: Last Christmas Marcie Sullivan said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. This Christmas she's come to Virgin River to find the man who saved his life and gave her three more years to love him.

Fellow marine Ian Buchanan dragged Bobby's shattered body onto a medical transport in Fallujah four years ago, then disappeared as soon as their unit arrived stateside. Since then, Marcie's letters to Ian have gone unanswered.

Marcie tracks Ian to the tiny mountain town of Virgin River and finds a man as wounded emotionally as Bobby was physically. But she is not easily scared off. As Marcie pushes her way into his rugged and reclusive life, she discovers a sweet but damaged soul beneath a rough exterior.

Ian doesn't know what to make of the determined young widow who forces him to look into the painful past and, what's worse, the uncertain future. But it is, after all, a season of miracles and maybe, just maybe, it's time to banish the ghosts and open his heart.

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Mira Books, 2009.

How acquired: Via Book Mooch.

First line: Marcie stood beside her lime-green Volkswagen, shivering in the November chill, the morning sun barely over the horizon.

My thoughts: So many feels. I loved Marcie. I loved Ian. I loved Marcie's devotion to her late husband, and to the man who brought him home and then fell off the map. I loved her determination to find Ian. To tell Ian his father was dying so he could try to see him one more time, and then to promptly switch her allegiance and stand behind Ian's reasons for not wanting to see his father. For not trying to change Ian, for accepting him exactly as he was. 

I cried a lot during this short book. Not because it was sad, but because it was just so emotional. So good. So very very good. 

This Charming Man

MARIAN KEYES

Synopsis from Goodreads: Ireland's debonair politician Paddy de Courcy -- the "John F. Kennedy Jr. of Dublin" -- has captured tabloid headlines and the imagination of his country with his charm and charisma. But the crushed hearts he's left behind him reveal more about his character than his winning, vote-getting smile. Lola, Grace, Marnie, and Alicia have all suffered from his selfishness and cruelty. But with Paddy's political star ascending, the time is finally ripe for redemption...and perhaps a bit of revenge.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Avon, 2010.

How acquired: Received from another Bookcrossing member.

My thoughts:  Between chapters were little snippets of narration describing a domestic abuse scene, but without providing any names, and each one filled me with a sense of dread and foreboding, wondering which of the women whose stories are contained in the book was the woman being abused.

Four women, all with some connection to golden boy politician Paddy de Courcy. The narration switches around between the women's viewpoints. We start with Lola, whose connection is obvious – she was romantically involved with him until she learned, via the news, that he was engaged to Alicia. While I liked Lola's story, I did not like her narration. Told in first person POV, diary format, it put me in mind of Bridget Jones, but not in a good way. Short, choppy sentences, not only in her narrative, but even when she is quoting conversations. I know the characters did not actually speak the way she depicted it, but at times it was agonizing to read.

“What you like to do?” he asked. “You hungry?”

“No, not really. Is a bit early.”

There was a scene in Buffy the Vampire Slayer when a certain beer was turning frat boys into Neanderthals, and Buffy got drunk with them, and they all grunted and talked like cave men. And after awhile in my head I was picturing Lola and her friends as grunting Neanderthal cavemen people.

Lola mentions a journalist, Grace, who keeps calling her, wanting to interview her about Paddy's surprise engagement. And Grace is who we meet next. Her chapters are also told in first person POV, but not diary style, and I very much enjoyed her story. There are hints of a connection to Paddy but we don't know what that connection is. Grace has a live in boyfriend, Damien, who I very much liked.

Then we meet Marnie, Grace's twin sister. Her chapters are told in third person point of view. Marnie is a mystery. Depressed, withdrawn, she seems to be just existing without really living. Marnie's story is the most unpredictable. You think you know where she's coming from, what's going on with her, and then you learn something that changes that thinking. I felt sorry for her, while slightly despising her for being weak and malleable.

We also get a bit of time with Alicia, but compared to the other girls her sections make up maybe ten percent of the book.

Ms. Keyes definitely does a great job of creating characters who stand out from each other, with their own distinct personalities. I've heard her described as a chick lit author, and while she does fit that category somewhat, she also touches on serious subjects. In addition to the domestic abuse I mentioned earlier, we get alcoholism and a very touching storyline about cross-dressers. Throw in some revenge, heartbreaking confessions, a new love for one of the girls, and another's relationship almost being lost, and (once you make yourself barrel through Lola's frustrating narration style) this was an enjoyable and satisfying read.