An Academic Affair

Finished November 10

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister

This is a romance novel with its own special setting and the details are so well done. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since first year university where they argued interpretations during an English seminar. They have also lived in the same large shared house with several other roommates in Sydney since Jonah's master degree time when Sadie was working to save up money. They ended up graduating with their English literature Ph.Ds. at the same time and have both been working at whatever teaching jobs they could since then. I really liked how this novel showed academia for what it truly is, underpaid, lots of unrecognized time spent in prep and marking, and few opportunities for permanent positions. 

When a permanent position is announced at the university in Hobart, both are aware the other will be applying. For Sadie, who specialized in popular fiction, the job mentions this as one of the specialties they are looking for, something that is rare indeed. For Jonah, the permanent position also mentions his specialty as one of the three they are looking for. Plus he has strong motivation to move close to his sister Fiona, who is dealing with the end of her marriage. 

When Sadie is going over the contract, she notes that their is an option for partner hire. This is an interesting detail of academic that definitely shows possibilities, the idea that one's life partner could also get a position, making the move more appealing to couples. 

Sadie approaches Jonah with the idea of getting married so that they both get the job, after all they are already living in the same house, which works to make it look that they've been together for a while.

The personal side of their lives was also something that added to their character. Sadie is very close to her older sister who pretty much raised her. Jonah grew up with a professor father who encouraged debate among his children and pushed them toward academia, something that only Fiona rebelled against. But Jonah knows that this advantage isn't always something he likes in his life, and makes choices about his own wants when he can. 

There is also a storyline around wine, with Sadie's sister having a passion for the national wine industry, and Fiona being close to two brothers who run a winery and restaurant. With Jonah's older brother having his own competitive rival, I can see possibilities for more books involving these characters.

This a read with believable characters with depth, interesting career and personal situations, and both fun banter and serious conversations. A definite winner for me. 

Last Resort

Finished June 9

Last Resort by Jill Sanders

This is the first book in a series following the Grayton family, a closeknit family made up of children rescued from bad homes. The main character here is the youngest child, Cassandra (Cassey) who is in her mid-twenties for the main story. We see her backstory of joining the family, and then her beginning to owning the Boardwalk Bar and Grill, in a building that was family owned and had previously been run by her aunt Karen, but sat empty for a few years. We see her family chipping in and fixing up the building, which also has a small apartment where Cassey lives. 

This is all in a small beachside community called Surf Breeze on the Florida Gulf coast. As the main part of the book begins, the county has recently stopped running shuttle buses from the larger tourist town of Emerald Beach to Surf Breeze and it is hurting the businesses there. It seems to be a ploy to get the owners of businesses on the boardwalk to sell to a large hotel in Emerald Beach, called Crystal Shores. When Luke, the son of the owner of Crystal Shores is sent to talk to Cassey about selling he finds that he has met his match, and he begins to question his father's tactics and methods of doing business. The chemistry between Cassey and Luke is fast-acting and they become intimate quickly, but that doesn't necessarily equal a relationship. This was an interesting look at a strong woman posing more of a challenge than anticipated, and the respect that she is due for making her business work well. Cassey's siblings are part of the story, except for a sister who disappeared of her own volition a few years ago, and I can already see that there are stories that will develop for each one of them. A fun summer read. 

Love at 350°

Finished September 21 

Love at 350° by Lisa Peers

This lesbian romance revolves around a competitive baking television show. The two central characters are one of the competitors and a judge on the show. The food definitely takes prominence here, with the romance always on the edge. 

Tori Moore is a high school chemistry teacher who has, along with another teacher at her school, taught a class combining chemistry and baking that considers the scientific aspects of baking while teaching the kids kitchen skills too. It actually sounds like a pretty cool course and reminds me of the recent novel Lessons in Chemistry. She is fairly recently divorced from her wife, after he wife left her to "pursue her dreams." She has twins who are in the senior year of high school and who worry about her being on her own after they leave for college. They have entered her in the competition to be on the reality television show Bake-O-Rama without her knowledge. When she finds that she's made it to the level of being asked to tryout for the show, she doesn't hesitate long. 

Kendra Campbell is one of the two hosts on the show, and definitely the more critical one, with her ruthless critiques driving some previous contestants to tears. She owns a chain of upscale cookie outlets, and a high-end restaurant. Her agent (who is also her brother) has encouraged her to soften her approach as a way to make the show's producers more likely to keep her on as a judge. 

When Tori makes it to the final selection of contestants who will appear on the upcoming season's shows, she is both excited and nervous. Her friends and children all are encouraging and supportive. 

Both women notice a spark between them, but their contracts stipulate no fraternization for a year after the show airs, which means that they can't act on those nascent feelings without jeopardize Tori's spot in the competition, or Kendra's job. They do manage to find some ways to let each other know there is interest and hope for a future. While this limited the romantic aspect of the book, I found it realistic. The women are mature, and able to consider the pros and cons of reacting to their feelings on a more immediate basis. 

I learned a lot about different kinds of baking, and there is a recipe included at the end of the book. 

The characters are appealing and vulnerable and I really was captured by the book. Some of the other contestants in the contest were interesting as well and had a little depth that grew through the plot. 

A definite winner. 

Nothing But the Truth

Finished March 24

Nothing But the Truth by Holly James

Most of the action in this book takes place over a single day, and there is a lot going on. The main character is Lucy Green, a publicist for a PR firm based in Hollywood. She's hoping for a promotion, a proposal, a high-profile new client, and a very satisfying 30th birthday. 

The book begins the evening before where Lucy is waiting in a bar near work for her boyfriend Caleb to arrive. They've been together for two years and will be moving in together into a condo they've leased very soon. But Lucy admits to herself that she isn't excited about their relationship, and the bartender notices that she's not that excited about her drink either. When Lucy realizes that he's right and lets him bring her something else, she uses the new drink to make a silent wish for her birthday, that it be perfect.

From the moment she awakens the following morning, she starts noticing differences. She doesn't hold back from responding to her mother's criticism, she doesn't want to wear the Spanx her new dress requires, she doesn't want to smooth her hair into submission or cake her face with make-up. After a few interactions on her way into work, she realizes that what has really happened is that she cannot lie. Not verbally, not physically. A very interesting situation. 

As Lucy maneuvers her way through her day, dealing with wooing her new client, facing up to her boyfriend, and dealing with unacceptable actions at work, she finds herself realizing how unhappy she's been for a while, and how much she wants things to change. 

I loved the character of Lucy, and her friendships with Oliver and Nina, the way she treats Annie at the office, and Lily and Leo as clients. Lucy is stronger than she realized and very capable at her job and she has many people in her life who care about her.

There is, of course, great conversation, and a lot going on, but the way it all seems to flow well makes it a read that will keep you engaged and focused on Lucy and hoping that her day will be as perfect as she wished. 

Fantastic read. 

Gold

Finished August 4
Gold by Chris Cleave

I was a little reluctant to start this novel as I'm not a big sports fan, but boy am I glad I read it. The plot does revolve around 2 British women, Olympic-level cyclists, but it is about them as people. That's not to see I didn't learn a lot about competitive cycling that I didn't know (admittedly I didn't know much), because there is definitely information on that here, but it is woven seamlessly into the plot. We see the training, the structure and support behind the competitors, and the long road to success.
Kate and Zoe are the two women, and they met at the age of nineteen at a national training program in track cycling, the kind that is done in the velodrome, where they also began training with their coach Tom, and met Jack, Kate's future partner.
As the book begins, they are 24 and Zoe, Jack, and Tom are at the Athens Olympics, while Kate is back in England with baby Sophie. The book goes forward from there, with the background story brought in through the characters' looking back. The main action takes place in the lead up to the 2012 London Olympics, with both Zoe and Kate training for the events, Zoe struggling with her drive, her history, and her fame, and Kate struggling to continue to be a good mother to her fragile daughter.
For both women, this is their last chance at an Olympics. Next time, their age will mean they won't be able to vie against younger competitors. We see Zoe as she struggles with her emotions, her anger, her guilt, her strong competitive drive that has her taking crazy risks, even off the track.
Kate is a natural rider and has the drive, but has been sidetracked before by her love and concern for her family. Jack tries to be a good father, but Kate isn't always willing to step away, and Jack often feels that he is more the fun parent. Sophie has health issues, but she wants her parents to do well too, and hides the extent of her illness when she can.
This book is about drive, friendships, love, and just being human. The characters come alive for us as complex people, not just the Olympic stars we see in the news. A great read.