Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

I truly enjoyed this book. It was funny, engaging and well-written.

Zoe Webster is a high school junior whose parents have divorced. Mom won the custody battle and moved them to a small town, well away from the high-powered father, prep school, and life that Zoe preferred. The story starts with a small teaser prologue about the end of the book - a good grab, and already interesting - but the book really starts on the first day of school. Since Zoe and her dad are scheming to get her back to NYC and the private prep school, she thinks she's just marking time. However, she's quickly drawn into a very bizarre quest by Digby, who is, well, odd.

There had been a kidnapping of a high school girl over the summer, and Digby is convinced that it's related to his 4-year-old sister's disappearance nearly 10 years earlier. He's returned to town to live with his mom, as his parents had divorced after the sister's disappearance. He immediately has begun trying to solve both the crimes, and is enough of a personality force that Zoe can't resist. The high school quarterback, Henry, was Digby's best friend from his earlier life, and warns Zoe that "once you care, you're in Digby World."

The story takes us through Digby's investigation (dragging Henry and Zoe kicking and screaming behind him) and Zoe's road to fitting into a new school. Some of the capers they get into are a little unbelievable, but hey, it's fiction. I can live with that. The book reminds me of the snappy dialog of an Aaron Sorkin show, the action of Percy Jackson, the uncomfortably observant BBC Sherlock, and the comedy/caper aspect of Janet Evanovich;s Stephanie Plum - all things I love.

There are some things that, as a grown-up (or maybe just an experienced reader) I can see coming from a mile away, but that's OK. I don't mind plot points that I've seen before if they make sense and are well done, and that's what I saw here.

The amazon blurb mentions this being something of "a romance between two people who aren't sure they like each other", but I wouldn't want people to think of this as a classic teen romance, just for girls. Zoe has a crush, but there are no "acts" of romance and it's not all about "How can I get him to like me?" I definitely am going to suggest that my twin 13 year old boys read this - it is NOT particularly girly, though it's told from Zoe's first person view. (Zoe acknowledges that she's "one of the guys" herself.) There might be a couple of more mentions of outfits than boys would care about, but mostly, it's a mystery/adventure/comedy, and I know they'd enjoy it. I laughed out loud more than once, and I would definitely recommend this to 7th grade and up. The content is not too R rated for middle schoolers. (But do be warned, there is a sleazy gyneocologist and the plot does involve some drug dealers. No drugs are taken. No alcohol consumption by teens.)

As they work through the mystery and the maze of high school, we see some growth and different aspects to not just the three main characters, but some of the more minor ones, as well. The end is satisfying (I like my mysteries to be solved, thank you,) but the book does end on a bit of a teaser. I hope that it means we might be seeing Zoe, Digby, and Henry again, along with their interesting pool of friends.I highly recommend this one.

This book is scheduled to be released in August. I was provided a free ARC by amazon.com in exchange for review, but I suggest running out to get it when it comes out!

Ever After (#3, Nantucket Brides triology) by Jude Deveraux

Back in the early 90's, I was a dedicated romance reader. I still have fondness for and reread some of my favorites from time to time, though I now tend to go for the more mystery/thriller romance combinations. Back in those days, Jude Deveraux was a "buy it as soon as it comes out" author for me, but I haven't read a new book of hers in years.

When I was offered this book for pre-release review, nostalgia made me take it, and I'm glad I did. This is certainly being released at the right time - perfect easy summer beachy read. But when I got it, I hadn't realized it was the third book of a trilogy, and I just knew I wouldn't enjoy it as much without having read the other two. So, off to the library I went, and I've now devoured all three books in the last four days.

This particular book is about Hallie, a newly minted physical therapist who has suddenly inherited a house on Nantucket from that plot-saving unknown rich uncle, and Jamie, who has a skiing related bum knee and has thousands of cousins/siblings/etc. who set him up as her private client. Old fans of Deveraux will not be surprised that his last name is Taggart.

Hallie's stepsister is somewhat evil, and Jamie is hiding something more than a jet-setter's bum knee. Oh, and there are ghosts. ;) But, no one's life is in danger, no one is in a lot of trouble with the law... These (because all three are the same type) are just good old, (not even "will they or won't they?" but "how will they?") love stories.

The first two books (also obviously set on Nantucket) also deal with all manner of Montgomery-Taggart relations, and some other ghosts.They're fun, and I found them all to be charming, easy reads. Ms. Deveraux is clearly enchanted with Nantucket, and her descriptions are beautiful, though I admit that her characters' disdain for tourists makes me a little scared to go be one. :D

This last story would have probably stood alone better than I anticipated. Many trilogy romances seem to take the whole first book to set up, then shortchange the first story by the set up, and the second two stories by needing to keep us updated on the first couple. These were definitely pretty standalone, with some characters in common, but not having the "old" couples crowding the new story out. There is one character that you won't understand if you don't read the first one first, but it might not even matter.

Jamie and Hallie are a likeable couple, and while - since this IS romance - you figure they'll end up together, it kept me interested to see how it happened. A return of a few Montgomery/Taggarts that even I (after all these years) recognized was enough to make me smile and nod, without them taking over the storyline. The dialog rings true, I didn't question motives of the characters, and all in all, it's a very nice easy romance read for those who prefer their love stories to be just that, without murder or international spies or... ;) You get the drift.

I would recommend reading the trilogy in order, in part only because they are all good reads, but also because while this book stood alone better than I anticipated, my appreciation was clearly richer for having read all three.


This book should be released on or about July 1st. 

Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford

Can you recommend a book where the writing is fabulous, but you hate the story? I just don't know. I feel like Ms. Clifford (an award-winning writer for the New York Times) has amazing skills. I just don't love the story she tells.


Evelyn Beegan is a 26 year old living in Manhattan, and she's new money. Her father has made a boatload suing Big Pharma companies. Her mother is desperate for both herself and her daughter to fit into "old money" society, and has been for years - as shown in a flashback scene. Evelyn doesn't seem to question this at all, and herself strives to fit in to the pre-crash (and pre-Facebook/Twitter explosion) 2006 socialite world.


Evelyn's job is for a new start-up website called "People Like Us" - a pre-Facebook social site for the elitist of the elite. She's the membership director, and she did go to a fairly elite boarding school. She has the in, but she's still not feeling exactly like an insider. She knows there's something still out there, just one tier up, and she herself says she's never felt like she fit in anywhere. Her initial ideas for getting members seem reasonable, but she starts down a path to get them that involves bad decision after bad decision.


Ms. Clifford does a fabulous job writing this world. It's very easy to picture the people and places, and she really puts you in the mood of the time. Aside from the obvious hindsight that we know the bankers in the story are going to be in for a huge problem (they take a moment make fun of the NINJA mortgages, then dismiss the issue...) there is also a very strong sense of personal impending doom for Evelyn. The writing, as I said, is excellent.
My problem is the character. I had no one to root for, and that doesn't make for an enjoyable read for me. Evelyn is so desperate to join this elite group that she continually lies, manipulates people, ditches the only two people you can even think of approving of in the book... I understand that Ms. Clifford doesn't necessarily want us to like Evelyn, either, but it made the book a bit of a slog for me. I knew she was in for a fall, but I just didn't care. Some of the jacket reviews mention how delicious it is to watch someone fail, but I didn't even get that out of it. The people who cause the fall are also so unlikeable that you can't enjoy their enjoyment in her denouement, either.
So... Some people may not mind that lack of a true heroine, and if that's the case, they will certainly enjoy the pace, quality of writing, and tone. It's just personal preference for me to have someone to relate to within a novel that makes it totally enjoyable to read. The author is very good at what she does, it's just not my cup of tea as far as the premise.


This was an amazon.com Vine selection - it won't be released until August 18th, 2015. I feel like it's going to be a popular book club selection, and maybe for good reason. It's not a bad book by any means. It's just not something I totally enjoyed.