Stormy Weather

I came across a reprint of a novel Carl Hiaasen originally published after Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida - Stormy Weather (#1,037).  It was replete with the usual scams which abound after any natural disaster: fake contractors, gypsy roofers and insurance fraud.    Here, Hiaasen follows newlyweds Max and Bonnie Lamb who ditch their DisneyWorld honeymoon to drive south to Miami to rubberneck.  Or rather, Max is hellbent on videotaping piles of rubble and pathetic families who have lost everything.  For Bonnie, the bloom is already starting to fade from their hours-old marriage.

Max manages to get himself kidnapped by Skink, a recurring character in Hiaasen's books.  Once governor of Florida, now he lives off the land and off the grid, trying to right the wrongs perpetrated against Florida by unscrupulous businessmen and developers.  Filming other peoples' misery offends him deeply, so in response, he abducts Max.  

A whole host of colorful scammers ply their schemes here in pursuit of financial gain in paradise.  How many will make it out alive, let alone richer?

This is an amusing tale which rings true if you've ever had the dubious pleasure of living through a destructive tropical hurricane.  Much as I enjoyed this reprint, I still must confess that I think Tim Dorsey has the edge over Hiaasen for me.

Honey Girl

I stopped reading Morgan Rogers' Honey Girl (#1,036) midway through when I realized how depressed I had become reading it.  Plus, I got tired of the constant "Fuck white people." leitmotif.  How in the world did this book make it to a list of 2021's best rom-coms?  And did the critic who placed this book on the list actually read this book, or did they merely do it based on the cover blurb and the fact that the author is queer and Black?

The set-up of marrying drunk in Las Vegas and waking to an empty bed and a totally unknown spouse who abandoned you there has plenty of room for comic potential.  Too bad the author chose to dwell instead on how Grace Porter, the title Honey Girl, can't find meaning in life or a job after devoting eleven years of her life to a doctorate in astronomy.  It takes her months to get off her duff and actually track down the woman she married months ago.  When she finds her, it turns out spouse Yuki Yamamoto is living an equally depressing, unfulfilling, squalid life in New York City.

If you're in the mood for rom-com, do yourself a favor and go find an actual example of the genre, like Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A For Aunties (See my post of 11/20/2021.), or While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (See my post of 1/19/2022.).

While We Were Dating

I did not feel "othered" in the least while reading Jasmine Guillory's steamy romance While We Were Dating (#1,035).  Although Ben Stephens and Anna Gardiner are Black, who, with an ounce of romance in his or her heart, wouldn't root for a happy ending for this couple?

Ben has a chance to pitch an ad campaign for a high-profile client when the rest of his team is stranded in LA.   Rising movie star Anna Gardiner is playing the lead role in this series of spots, and it's instant chemistry between the pair.  When Anna insists that Ben take the lead on running the production schedule, she's guaranteed them time together in San Francisco, the home base for both of them, and the location for their client's campaign.  When a family crisis brings them even closer together, Anna's manager sees a perfect opportunity to create positive publicity to boost Anna's chances for a plum role she's coveting.  Complications and lots and lots of sex ensue.

Likable characters, interesting plot twists and romance keep the pages turning in this one.  A few too many F bombs for my taste are but a minor quibble for this enjoyable romance.  Guaranteed to turn up the heat on a cold winter's night!

Incense and Sensibility

What I liked best about Sonali Dev's latest romance novel is the title: Incense and Sensibility (#1,034).  The only other connections to Jane Austen's original Sense and Sensibility that I could find were that the heroine in Dev's book is named India Dashwood, and that her younger sister has her heart broken by a totally unsuitable lover.

India is a yoga teacher and stress life coach, which brings her into the orbit of Yash Rafe, the handsome young politician running for Governor of California on a progressive platform.  An assassination attempt has resulted in minor physical injuries to Yash, but almost killed his bodyguard.  He is left with crippling panic attacks and slipping poll numbers.  His sisters suggest counseling sessions with their friend India so he can continue on the campaign trail.  Unbeknownst to them, India and Yash have a history, and therein lies the tale.

Although I did finish this book, the characters who are mainly brown or black, spend a lot of time complaining about being "othered" by American society.  Frankly, that made ME feel "othered" as I read this.  I also thought one of the plot points - about Yash losing the election if he publicly ditches his strictly window-dressing girlfriend in mid-campaign - was totally unrealistic.  Has the author not been paying attention to a presidential campaign where the successful candidate was caught on tape admitting to a pattern of sexual molestation, or that the current Governor of California easily survived the scandal of a lavish dinner party when the entire state was supposed to be on lockdown?  I hardly think the voters would even blink at the (Gasp!) potential scandal here if India and Yash DID get together.  Oh, and did I mention how tired I got of reading about Yash's tortured eyes following India worshipfully?

I expected a Jane Austen tribute novel.  What I got was not worth the time it took to read it.  

I Alone Can Fix It

Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker's book chronicling the last year of Donald Trump's presidency, I Alone Can Fix It (#1,033) is certainly a sobering read.  It makes me wonder why he and his enablers aren't all behind bars after the damage they've done to our democracy.  It's thoroughly researched, but that won't matter to his supporters.  Truth is whatever Trump determines it to be, as evidenced here.  The Germans freely elected Hitler, too.

The Devil May Dance

I did finish Jake Tapper's novel The Devil May Dance (#1,032), but it seemed to take me years to do it.  Congressman Charlie Marder is strong-armed by Attorney General Bobby Kennedy to do some investigating of the Hollywood scene, and in particular, the Rat Pack.  Since Marder is a conservative Republican, why would he do this for the Kennedys, for whom he has no respect?  The leverage they hold, literally, is his father in a fetid jail cell to ensure his cooperation.

Soon Charlie and his wife are mingling with Sinatra, Martin and Davis at lavish parties replete with underage eye candy and mobsters.  It's not their scene, but until they turn up some useful information for the Kennedys, they are obligated to keep looking...

I'm not a big fan of any of the Rat Pack, so while it was interesting, the story didn't pull me in.  Sex trafficking, drugs, blackmail, Cuba and Disneyland all played a role here, but to me, in many ways, the most interesting thing was the song which Sinatra sings at an Academy Award performance, The Devil May Dance.  As it turns out, the song is fictitious as Tapper notes at the end.  Saved me (and a whole bunch of other people, too, I'm sure!) the trouble of searching for a recording on Google.  It struck me that this song, with these lyrics, was totally absurd to accompany the soundtrack of El Cid, of all movies! 

I think that your interest in this time period and the Rat Pack itself will be the driving factors in whether or not this book will appeal to you.