I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Perfect Fling by Carly Phillips My rating: 4 of 5 stars I've found that I usually enjoy Carly Phillips' books and this was no different. I especially enjoyed the hero in this story--he has a tortured backstory that makes him emotionally vulnerable in many ways, but he's also a tough bad boy who's brave, kind, and honorable. The heroine is a lawyer, sensible and smart, but strong due to having to stand up to her cop brothers and father, which makes her fun to read about. Her chemistry with the hero is sizzling and fun. The story dragged a bit in the middle portion--I felt there were some things rehashed a bit too much, they became repetitive. Also, the villain was a bit psychologically disjointed to me. The villain did some things (and didn't do some things) that seemed unrealistic, maybe a bit contrived, even and especially considering the villain's motives and emotional state. However, all things considered, it was an entertaining...