Agnes and the Hitman

The second collaborative project by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, Agnes and the Hitman, was well worth the wait. Agnes Crandell, also known as "Cranky Agnes" seems to have it all; she purchased the house of her childhood dreams, has a successful career, and is engaged to a man who shares her passion for the culinary arts. Her plate is full with planning and catering a fabulous wedding for her god-daughter, juggling extended dysfunctional family members and the local mob, and is less than thrilled to have a series of strange men appearing in her magnificent kitchen threatening her life. Dealing with this takes a determined woman and Agnes is up to the task. Not all sweetness and light, "Cranky" Agnes has a few anger management issues; she swings a mean frying pan.

Shane, "just Shane," is a hit man for the government. Asked to look after uncle Joey's "Little Agnes" and perform his job/craft regarding a mobster attending Agnes's god-daughter Maria's wedding, Shane is not surprised to learn Joey has left a few pertinent facts out of his story. There is a small matter of missing mobsters, a contract on Agnes, and $5 million that went missing thirty years ago. Soon Shane and Agnes are caught up in mystery, mayhem, and murder, as well as enjoying inevitable sparks between them. If they can only decide what to do with those flamingos. A fast paced, enjoyable read with plenty of saucy and snarky dialogue between the main characters, Agnes and the Hitman begs to be read from start to finish, more than once.

Attesting to the appeal of Crusie and Mayer's writing, on the way to dinner this evening I mentioned to the student circulation worker I had to go back upstairs and get my book to read. She said, "is it anything good?" I told her what I was reading, she was excited and yes, a bit envious. We immediately began to talk about the Crusie books we had read (Alas, she had not yet read any of Bob's titles beyond DLD) and bonded over the clever dust jacket and cover on Agnes. Her aunt is going to one of the Crusie/Mayer book signings on their current tour and has promised to get her an autographed copy of Agnes and the Hitman for Christmas. I gave my word I would bring her my copy of The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, and told her to check out Bob's book Body of Lies. Everybody loves a good book.

Check out the Crusie Mayer website for more information on Agnes and their first novel Don't Look Down.


Tags: Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer, Fiction, Recreational reading

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, better known in Salem’s Fork, West Virginia as Dee, Lizzie, and Mare, have lived seemingly normal, to some extent boring, lives as of late. But normal is not easy for three witches, especially when they have little control over their powers; oldest sibling Dee is a shape-shifter with an affinity for animals and predisposition to change at inopportune moments, middle sister Lizzie has imperfect transmutative powers that more often than not result in bunnies and shoes, and youngest sister Mare is a telekinetic who sees little use for her power beyond parlor tricks and stocking shelves at Value Video!! Xantippe Fortune, their aunt and quintessential she-who-should-not-be-named witch, has concocted a multifaceted scheme to bring Dee, Lizzie, and Mare each “one true love,” and steal their powers for herself. Things backfire for Xan when instead of becoming blindly besotted with her soul mate, each woman learns the depth of not only her given power, but also of the ultimate power, love. A tightly woven tale, this is a pleasingly smooth collaboration from three well-known authors of the romance genre.

As previously noted in the post Mail Call: Miss Fortunes, I received this novel in the mail last week after answering a post on Crusie’s web site for people interested in reading the book and subsequently discussing it on their blog.It is no great hardship to talk about a book, but after agreeing to do so I worried about not liking it (silly me). Why? I am not a big fan of collaborative novels (and I won’t get into my dislike of anthologies featuring favorite authors who always seem to have the shortest novella in the book). I invariably spend too much time trying to decide who wrote what and it ruins a great read. While I was able to pinpoint Crusie’s “Mare” and briefly perused a review on Amazon by a fan of Stuart’s work that was thrilled with Elric, the writing style of each author complemented the others. After the first few busy chapters of character introduction, there were a lot of people in this book; it was easy to enjoy it as a whole (though yes, I did wonder if they shared writing cheerfully evil Xan). Whether a fan of one, or all of the authors contributing to this collaboration, readers will not be disappointed.

Lastly, I would be remiss not to confirm this is indeed a novel, not an anthology as reported by an overworked and overwhelmed, as opposed to misinformed, professional reviewer.

Thanks for the book. It was a fun read.

Update: 7/10/07

For those interested in another professional review, the June 1-15 issue of Booklist (volume 103, number 19-20) features The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes as part of their Romance in Brief section on page 48:

"Earth-shaking sex and belly-shaking laughs abound."
(Diana Tixier Herald)

Tags: The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dryer, Anne Stuart, Recreational reading

Mail Call: "Miss Fortunes"

A few weeks ago I submitted my name to Jennifer Crusie's The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes web site, via a call on her blog Argh Ink titled "Free Books," to receive a copy of her newest collaborative project with Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart called "The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes." In return, entrants promised to write a review and/or talk about it on their blog (no great hardship).

"Here’s the deal: If you have a blog that’s been active at least six months (that’s active, folks, not in existence) and you would like to review The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes on that blog, please enter below. Mollie will choose fifty people from the first 100 entries and send a copy of the real book (not the butt ugly ARC) with this gorgeous cover that says “A Novel,” right there on it. In exchange, all we ask is that you review the book. You don’t have to give it a good review if you don’t like it, but you do have to talk about it. And if you let us know, we’ll link back to your review from the UMF site." (Argh Ink, Free Books, 6/19/07)

After filling out the online form I went gleefully on my way to ALA and, because I'm invariably number 51 on any proverbial list of 50, forgot about the entry. This afternoon I lugged my accumulated mail into the apartment and found joy amongst the bills ... a copy of The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes. How cool is that? Anyway, while Amazon does have a Publisher's Weekly review posted (I won't get into that), it does not have a book synopsis. So, here's the back cover blurb:

"You're invited to spend the weekend with three extraordinary sisters ..."

"When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she's still trying to control her shape-shifting power - no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past."

"Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now, if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday - annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart."

"The youngest Miss Fortune, mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare's long-lost love turn up ... and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget!" (The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, Back cover)

A regular reader of Argh Ink and a fan of Crusie's work I must admit to two things before reading and/or discussing/reviewing this book: (1) I have not read the Miss Fortune's blog and website, and (2) I am unfamiliar with Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart's writing. Depending on your point of view, that may help or hinder my enjoyment of the book. I'll put this book at the top of my "to-read" pile and enjoy it over the upcoming holiday. Thanks for the book!

Tags: Argh Ink, The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer, Ann Stuart, Recreational reading

Trilogies, a perfect set of three?

Having recently completed the final book in Nora Robert's newest trilogy, The Circle Trilogy, I found myself going back through some of her other trilogy/series. Most of are paperbacks; some with her current publisher Jove, and the older ones were Harlequin and/or Silhouette. Were I'm concerned, Nora Roberts could put her name on a cereal box and I'd buy it to read, same with Jayne Ann Krentz (or any of her other names) and Jennifer Crusie. Though the latter does not "do" trilogies, I did just buy her newest novella Hot Toy in a Christmas anthology Santa Baby. Anyway, after I finish a trilogy by a particular author I find myself compelled to go back through and read my favorite titles contained other trilogies they have published. I've noticed recently that most often, though not always, the book I am drawn to is the middle of the series. Consider these Nora Roberts titles:

• The Circle Trilogy
  Morrigan's Cross (2006), Dance of the Gods (2006), Valley of Silence (2006)
• In The Garden Trilogy
  Blue Dahlia (2004), Black Rose (2005), Red Lily (2005)
• Key Trilogy
  Key of Light (2003), Key of Knowledge (2003) , Key of Valor (2004)
• Three Sisters Trilogy
  Dance Upon the Air (2001), Heaven and Earth (2001), Face the Fire (2002)
• The Irish Trilogy
  Jewels of the Sun(1999), Tears of the Moon (2000), and Heart of the Sea (2000)
• Dream Trilogy
  Daring to Dream (1996), Holding the Dream (1997), Finding the Dream (1997)
• The Stars of Mithra
  Hidden Star ( 1997), Captive Star (1997), Secret Star ( 1998)
• The Concannon Sisters
  Born in Fire (1994), Born in Ice (1995), Born in Shame (1996)

... and these Jayne Ann Krentz titles:

• Eclipse Bay
  Eclipse Bay (2001), Dawn in Eclipse Bay (2001), Summer in Eclipse Bay (2002)
• The Curtain
  Amaryllis (1996), Zinnia (1997), Orchid (1998)

There are obviously more linked books than these, but they are nice sampling of what I mean. So I wonder, what is it about the magic number three? And, why do I usually like the middle book in the series. Keep in mind I am not an author and have no training either in the craft or as a reviewer of this genre of book. But it is my theory nonetheless. Here goes; I think the first book is "burdened" by setting up all three titles as well as having it's own story; the last book has to wrap everything up and stand alone; and this leaves the middle book free of obligations to do anything but tell a story. Obviously the theory is not without its flaws, in some instances I liked the first or last title best. And I haven't even touched on the magic of three within a single title like in The Three Fates or Montanna Sky. Regardless, I will be finishing Key of Valor this evening for the fifth or sixth time and will be saving my new Crusie for the weekend.

As long as these talented ladies keep writing, I'm a happy camper.

(Sigh, should it take four times for a post to publish? I think not!)

Tags: Romance novel trilogies, Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jayne Castle, Romance novels, Romantic fiction, Great reads!