The Rainbow Reader Welcomes Special
Guest Reviewer
MICHELLE BROOKS
Fellow
Lesfic Aficionado and Humorist-In-Training
This week, Michelle tackles perception,
Family Jewels by Kate Christie,
and Tactical Pursuit by Lynette Mae
and Tactical Pursuit by Lynette Mae
Book: Family Jewels
Author: Kate Christie
Publisher: Bella Books
Perception is a funny thing—while we use our senses to identify any number
of things, it is our collective life experiences which shape how we perceive
the world around us.
Don’t worry, I am not going to go off on some existential rant about
perception. I simply find it interesting that people can perceive the same
event in vastly different ways. Some find Cupid to be a perfectly acceptable
personification of love and romance. To me, a short, chubby kid in a diaper
wielding a weapon hardly screams romance.
Interpersonal relationships be they with friends, family members or
romantic in nature, can thrive or wane depending on the perceptions held by the
individuals involved. Years ago, my friend Liz ended a relationship because the
person she was dating hated Jazz music and she perceived that as a significant
character flaw. Another friend, Maria despises anything that combines chocolate
and peanut butter. My perception is that Liz needs to lighten up a bit and
Maria would do well to embrace what I consider to be an especially brilliant
culinary amalgamation.
Then again, many people participate in Easter egg hunts where they search for colorfully dyed eggs which have been hidden outdoors. First of all, my hunting and gathering begins and ends at the grocery store. Secondly, I store my eggs in a relatively modern invention called a refrigerator. Hiding perfectly good food outdoors, searching for it, and then eating it once it has been found seems like a rather circuitous and potentially health threatening route to take simply because one has a taste for hard boiled eggs.
Then again, many people participate in Easter egg hunts where they search for colorfully dyed eggs which have been hidden outdoors. First of all, my hunting and gathering begins and ends at the grocery store. Secondly, I store my eggs in a relatively modern invention called a refrigerator. Hiding perfectly good food outdoors, searching for it, and then eating it once it has been found seems like a rather circuitous and potentially health threatening route to take simply because one has a taste for hard boiled eggs.
For the record, Maria and I have remained friends but Liz is still
single, and continues her yearly trek to the Newport Jazz festival hoping to
bring home a compatible Jazz aficionado.
When Junior came out to her family shortly after high
school, it created a chasm in her relationship with her father. As time went
on, it grew deeper and despite her attendance at Sunday family dinners, Juniors
relationship with her father was strained at best. He ignores her and she tries
to ignore his obvious disappointment of her. When her father proposes that she
accompany him on a business trip to a jeweler’s convention, Juniors first
response is to decline. However after hearing that the trip would include a
visit to Holland to see the tulips, Junior quickly changes her mind. While she
and her father have different reasons motivating them to take this trip, they
both discover that spending time together reaps greater benefits than either
had anticipated.
Family Jewels includes numerous descriptive
passages which allow the reader to accompany Junior as she experiences the
beauty of the Netherlands. It is quite evident that Kate Christie has either
done a tremendous amount of research, or she has been to the Netherlands
herself. On more than one occasion, I could swear that a caught a whiff of
tulips in the air.
Or maybe it was my new plug in room freshener.
The pacing in the beginning of the book is a bit slower
and much of the storyline includes the kind of dyke drama one would expect a
twenty-something to be experiencing. The pace picks up after Junior and
her father embark on their trip, and the story mellows into an enjoyable
journey through the streets of Antwerp and the Netherlands. The writing is
clean and there was only one formatting error, a rare occurrence in the world
of e-books.
Kate Christie takes her time developing the main
characters in Family Jewels. While Junior’s character develops
throughout the book, Kate does an admirable job by quickly inviting the reader
into her world in such a way the reader can relate to her and her growing
pains. Junior’s character immediately brings to mind people I have known, and
readers may even see a bit of themselves in her character. While aspects of
Junior’s character are revealed from the beginning, her father’s character
develops more slowly. Ms. Christie initially provides little detail about Mr.
Starreveld, encouraging the reader to cultivate their opinion based solely on
Junior’s perception of him. As the story progresses, the author skillfully
allows this character to become more multi-dimensional, allowing the reader to
gain a deeper understanding of, and empathy for, his character.
Family Jewels is more than a simple story about
the relationship we have, or think we have with a family member. It is a story
about how our perception impacts not only how we choose to interact with that
individual, but how it often serves as a reflection of how we perceive
ourselves.
I give Family Jewels a solid 5.1 out of 6.0 on the Rainbow Scale
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I give Family Jewels a solid 5.1 out of 6.0 on the Rainbow Scale
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Book: Tactical Pursuit
Author: Lynette Mae
Publisher: Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC
Let me just put this out there. Ordinarily, I am not a fan of sequels.
First of all, my experience has been that oftentimes the sequel is not as good
as the first book. And, secondly, the author has to walk a tightrope with the
sequel, balancing the need to provide enough information so that those who
haven’t read the first book aren’t lost, while not providing too much
information and thus boring those who did.
Luckily for all of us, Lynette Mae is a talented tightrope walker.
I wonder if she has that listed on her resume?
Tactical Pursuit continues the story of Devon James and her friend
Mac McKinley, characters first introduced in
Lynette Mae’s debut novel, Faithful Service, Silent Hearts. Devon is
working as a police corporal and SWAT officer in Florida after years of serving
in the military. She is dedicated to her job, one that she does quite well. Her
life has taken on a comfortable rhythm of work and spending time with her
friends save for the nightmares that she still experiences ten years after
leaving the military. When a chance encounter with rookie officer Jessie Kilbride leaves her flustered and more than a bit
tongue tied, Devon begins to wonder if she is ready to make room in her life
for something other than work.
As a mutual attraction between Devon and Jessie begins to
grow, Devon must face demons that she has tried to leave in the past. It is an
arduous task, especially in light of the connection that exists between the
prime suspect in a string of recent crimes and a ominous adversary from Devon’s
days in the military. Devon’s safety and that of the people she holds dear
hangs in the balance as an elusive, maniacal killer seeks revenge. Devon will
need to call upon every ounce of the skills she has honed over the years and
rely on assistance from friends past and present if she is to have a future
with the woman she loves.
In her book, Tactical Pursuit, Lynette Mae combines
characters who are well developed, an interesting and fast paced storyline, and
romantic elements to create a book easily able to stand alone on its own
merits. That being said, this reviewer does recommend that those who have not
already done so, read Faithful Service, Silent Hearts.
Lynette’s considerable breadth of knowledge about law
enforcement is peppered in passages throughout the story, but the reader does
not need to be able to distinguish a Glock from a glockenspiel in order to
fully enjoy this book. The plot has moments of heart pounding action, which are
offset well by the inclusion of romantic moments and scenes which illustrate
the deep friendship shared by Devon and Mac.
Tactical Pursuit draws the reader in from the first
page and keeps hold of the reader through the final page of the book. The
pacing is steady throughout and the cast is a well rounded collection of both
main and supporting characters. Tactical Pursuit is a solid offering
from author Lynette Mae, who once again proves her skill as a talented
storyteller.
I am standing at attention and saluting as I give Tactical Pursuit a solid 5.3 out of 6.0 on the Rainbow Scale.
