Gym Dandy

Title: Gym Dandy by Storm Grant
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis from MLR Press:
Mixed signals or glitchy gaydar? After a first kiss gone horribly wrong, out and outgoing personal trainer Victor Brighton settles for friendship with handsome new client Douglas Newkirk. But is Doug in denial? Each time the boys get close, something or someone interferes: ex-wives, ex-boyfriends, bitchy bosses, even the cable guy.

Gym Dandy is a hilarious and entertaining read with just the right touch of angst to keep you interested in the romance. The characters are fun and realistic, though I get a kick out of Doug's manner of speaking. And I like the way Grant builds up their back stories over the course of the book, so that it explains aspects of their personalities that we've already noticed. I also thought that Grant put her knowledge of Toronto to good use in her depictions of the city. The portrayals of Church St. and the Yonge and Eg area seemed familiar and faithful to the city. Even the fictional locations seemed to fit right in. I was a little surprised by the plot twist at the end, because it felt a little like it came out of nowhere but looking back there are a couple of hints throughout.

In the end, I'd definitely recommend Gym Dandy to other readers and personally I'd like to read one of Storm Grant's other books myself.

Stash

Title: Stash by David Klein
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2/5

Gwen Raine's your average stay-at-home mom living in an idyllic suburban neighborhood. But Gwen's perfect world starts to fall apart when she's involved in a car accident and the cops find marijuana in her car. Thanks to a recent rise in drugs-related crime, they're taking this seriously even though the accident wasn't Gwen's fault.

Sadly, I wasn't overly impressed by Stash. While I do think it was well-written, I didn't find it very engaging. It just seemed to fall flat.

For the most part, I found the characters stereotypical and dry. Gwen's your average well-off stay-at-home mom - school volunteer, vice-president of the PTA and very aware of her appearance in the community - who smokes up on occasion (with her best friend) to relax. Her husband's a workaholic whose company is going through its own crisis at the moment, and who's being pursued by a coworker. The character I found most interesting was Dana, one of the secondary characters. An athlete who avoids drugs and alcohol despite the example her parents set for her (or perhaps because of it). She seems unique thanks to a venous malformation that makes her look like she has a permanent black eye. Even when she makes some less than intelligent decisions, she fights back and takes care of herself.

The narrative switched points of view throughout the book and I found it distracted from the story. I also found the story predictable at points. I was only surprised a few times by the events in the book, one of which occurred towards the end and actually got me interested in the story for a while. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

As the book progressed, I thought maybe the moral of the story was going to be how drugs can mess up your life, but considering the conclusion I'm not sure any of the characters learned anything.

I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have finished Stash if I wasn't reviewing it for this blog. Personally, I'm not likely to recommend it to anyone but I've seen some very positive reviews out there, so give it a try and decide for yourself.

Thanks to Broadway Books for the Advanced Reading Copy of Stash. The views expressed above are my own. For more information on Stash, check out the Random House website.

The Reckoning

Title: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Fiction, YA, Paranormal
Rating: 5/5

Two weeks ago, Chloe Saunders was your average fifteen-year-old girl. Then she started seeing ghosts. Now she's on the run from the corporation that experimented on her as a child and is attempting to cover up what they see as their mistakes. And the only people she can trust are the other three teenage paranormals who are running with her.

I absolutely loved The Reckoning. I admit that I'm a bit biased because I think Kelley Armstrong's a fantastic writer, but I was completely captivated by the story. All that suspense and action, I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the character development over the trilogy, which was rounded out in this book. Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori have all gained increased control over their powers, though it's less noticeable with Simon. Derek's still over-protective but he tries to listen to the others' opinions and to think before he flips out. Tori's probably grown the most, having come to some unpleasant realizations about her family. She's no longer the spoiled brat that she was to start and she's willing do her part to help out.

I don't really have anything negative to say about the book. The only thing I found disappointing was that we didn't really see any of the characters of Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. Perhaps that will come. Armstrong's kicking off a new YA trilogy in April with The Gathering and I can't wait to read it.

I have to say that The Darkest Powers trilogy is probably one of the best YA paranormal series that I've read since I started reading the genre in the mid-1990s. I completely recommend The Reckoning. But make sure to read The Summoning and The Awakening first. You don't want to miss the setup.

The King's Mistress

Title: The King's Mistress by Emma Campion
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Rating: 3/5

History remembers Alice Perrers as a greedy and conniving harlot who took advantage of an aging king. But is that who Alice truly was? Or was she a woman who was taught always to obey and who cared for her family so greatly that she was easily manipulated by those in power?

The King's Mistress is a really good book. It's well-written, contains some beautiful imagery and Campion's obviously done her research, even if she doesn't necessarily agree with the popular beliefs on Alice Perrers. Unfortunately, the book just didn't grip me. It's not to say that I didn't want to read the complete book, just that I didn't mind putting it down for a day or two to read something else for work, which meant it took me a while to finish it.

I liked the stylistic symmetry of including lines of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde as epigraphs to the chapters. It's a tragic love story set against the background of the Trojan war where the female protagonist's decisions are influenced by society and her family. It complements Alice's story and the way her own choices are influenced by her love for her family. However, my minimal knowledge of middle English meant reading the epigraphs took a little deciphering.

I really enjoyed Campion's characterizations of Alice, King Edward and the other historical figures. It's interesting to see Alice as a young girl with no say in what happens to her, who falls in love against her better judgment and grows to become a woman willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family. I found the manipulative and secretive nature of the royal family completely believable, particularly Edward's temperamental nature. And his spiral into dementia was heartbreaking. I also really liked the friendship that Campion imagined between Alice and Chaucer. Considering Chaucer's connections to two of Edward's sons, it is entirely believable that he and Alice may have known each other, and in the book he proves to be one of the few confidantes she can trust.

In the end, I'd recommend The King's Mistress to history lovers, particularly those interested in the British monarchy, and those that enjoy family fictions. It's definitely worth the read and I look forward to reading Emma Campion's future books.

Thanks to Crown Publishers for the Advanced Reading Copy of The King's Mistress. A positive review was not a requirement and the views expressed above are my own. For more information on The King's Mistress, check out the Random House website.