33. Where There's Smoke - Sandra Brown

Audio read by Natalie Ross
14 cds (16:44) unabridged cds
Read in car between Tennessee and Pennsylvania
1993 - Brillianc Audio edition 2009
417 pgs.
CRF/Mystery
Finished 6/2/16
Goodreads rating: 3.92 (5523 ratings)
My rating: 1.5 (2 for goodreads; 1 as I recollect)
Setting: contemporary tiny Texas town and unknown (because the name is changed) Central American country.

First line/s:  "He'd never like cats.  His problem however was that the woman lying beside him purred like one."
        This alone should have tipped me off.....

My comments:  I've always shied away from Sandra Brown, but recently read Deadline, which was pretty good.  So when I saw the chance to nab another - unabridged on cd - I went for it.  Big disappointment.  Simply put: not enough characters to like, and plenty to not like.  Too many unanswered ridiculous maneuvers and happenings.  Bullying and meanness.  Way too much romance for me.  Couldn't wait until it ended.  (And probably should have given it a "1".)

Goodreads synopsis: No one knows why Lara Mallory opens up her medical practice in the rowdy Texas town where Tackett Oil owns everything. But everyone remembers her role in the well-publicized scandal that caused the downfall of White House hopeful Senator Clark Tackett. Now the ironfisted matriarch of Tackett Oil intends to use her money and power to drive Lara out of town…especially when Lara meets Key, the hell-raising, youngest Tackett son. Before long, this determined woman doctor and brash, daring flyer find themselves hurtling on a soul-searing quest for the one secret that can destroy the Tackett empire, as rumors start flying that…Where There’s Smoke.

35. This is What Happy Looks Like - Jennifer E. Smith

2013 Little Brown & Co.

407 pgs.

YA CRF

Finished 6/7/2014

Goodreads Rating: 3.71

My Rating:  4/Really liked it a lot

TPPL

Setting: Contemporary small-town southern Maine coast

1^st sentence/s:  (email) "Hey, we're running pretty behind here.  Any chance you could walk Wilbur for me tonight?"

My comments:  This is a charming story of unlikely teenagers in a place very familiar to me -- smalltown coastal Maine. Although over 400 pages it was a fast read, all in one day - and you can't keep telling yourself how improbable it all is.  Just take it as it is, a sweet, feel-good, thoughtful kind of tale.

Goodreads Review:  If fate sent you an email, would you answer?
          When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 
          Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs.

71. Fragile - Lisa Unger

Audio read by Nancy Linari
Books On Tape, 2010
10 unabridged cds
11 hrs. 35 min.
327 pages
Rating: 2

The last two disks were not needed. The book went on and on....and on. Yes, it was a mystery, but not the gritty type of mystery that I usually like, where clues mount up until they all fit together. This is not a cozy, but one of the more nicey-nice "thrillers." Sorry, it didn't seem too thrilling to me.

Set in small town The Hollow, New York, where everybody knows everybody and what they had for dinner, we meet the Cooper family: Jones and Maggie and their son, Ricky. We meet Maggie's mother, retired HS principal and a parade of interwoven characters that only a small town could dream up. Ricky's girlfriend Charlene disappears, and it brings back uncomfortable memories for most of the players - when a high school girl named Sarah was murdered 20 years previously. (Like what was kept under wraps for 20 years with this crowd would REALLY be kept under wraps....mmhmm) The blurbs made it sound really intriguing. But....it's ultra-predictable. It's told from different points-of-view and gets a little laborious. Perfect Maggie is the perfect wife, mother and psychologist. Son Ricky is the rebellious though super-smart son that will, of course, go to a major college without too much protesting, husband Jones is the super handsome dynamic cop who was the high school super star....and most of the other characters are damaged pretty much beyond repair or really, really good. There's supposedly redemption at the end, but everything becomes way too pat. Come on!

I've spent a couple of weeks listening to this as I drive back and forth to school. It was pretty endless, I've got to admit. Guess I've got to stick to police procedurals or private eye whodunnits when I look for my mysteries from now on. I'm sure there's a great audience for this book out there, but it's not the genre for me. I wonder how I should separate the mystery genre. Cozies (I know these aren't my cuppa tea), police procedurals, private eye whodunnits, and these mysteries that unfold without cops and private eyes. It's the private eye wodunnits that I really enjoy.