On My Bookshelf: The Merry-Go-Round by Donna Fasano

The Merry-Go-Round by Donna Fasano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“The merry-go-round was traveling in reverse. The horses, tigers, bears, zebras were all circling tail-end first as if competing in some bizarre, backward race.” – The Merry-Go-Round

Thirty-eight-year-old lawyer Lauren Flynn harbours a lot of resentment toward her soon to be ex-husband, Greg. All she wants from him is his signature on the divorce papers. Or at least that’s what she tells herself.

While I didn’t feel that this was a comedy, it was one of the best romances I’ve read in a long time. Engaging story with strong, real people. Lots of sexual tension but no gratuitous sex scenes. Balanced pacing with no flat spots.

I didn’t warm to Lauren straight away, but the more I got to know her, the more she grew on me. In the beginning, she came across as quite hard and bitter, but I soon discovered that was only a veneer and brittle at that.

Highly recommended.

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On My Bookshelf: With Full Malice by Brenda Hill

With Full Malice by Brenda Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“She aimed for his heart and pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed from a blackened hole in his shirt and he staggered backward. The pistol recoiled, but she stepped forward and fired a second time, knocking him off his feet. Bending over his sprawled form, she fired again, putting a round through his temple.” – With Full Malice

This is the second Brenda Hill novel I’ve read. I enjoyed this one even more – it’s not quite as intense as Ten Times Guilty and the reading is effortless, the writing more assured.

Hill’s strength is her character development. The author explains it best when she says she writes about women in crisis, celebrating the inner strength women sometimes forget they possess. And it’s this growth that we see with Maddy Young, haunted by the murder of her parents when she was only six years old and the promise the killer made to return for her. I cared as much for Maddy as her grandmother and Detective Dexter Quinn did.

If you’re looking for a fast, easy read that packs a punch, then I highly recommend With Full Malice.

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