Always the Best-Man and Never the Groom: The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Women have been known to lament, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." For Johnny Smith, the problem is, "Always a Best Man, never a groom." At age 33, housepainter Johnny has been Best Man eight times. The ultimate man's man, Johnny loves the Mets, the Jets, his weekly poker game, and the hula girl lamp that hangs over his basement pool table. Johnny has the instant affection of nearly every man he meets, but one thing he doesn't have is a woman to share his life with, and he wants that desperately. When Johnny meets District Attorney Helen Troy, he decides to renounce his bro-magnet ways in order to impress her. With the aid and advice of his friends and family, soon he's transforming his wardrobe, buying throw pillows, ditching the hula girl lamp, getting a cat and even changing his name to the more mature-sounding John. And through it all, he's pretending to have no interest in sports, which Helen claims to abhor. As things heat up with Helen, the questions arise: Will Johnny finally get the girl? And, if he's successful in that pursuit, who will he be now that he's no longer really himself? THE BRO-MAGNET is a rollicking comedic novel about what one man is willing to give up for the sake of love.

It's hard to believe that there is a man "out there" who has the kinds of problems that Johnny Smith has--a good-looking guy fighting off the gals. Instead, Johnny is the pal that every man longs for and will do almost anything to keep. It's not a gay thing by any means. Just that Johnny is one of those guys that really understands men and projects that in such a way that guys feel connected to him and want to be his friend. He really is the quintessential man--sports, poker, hanging out for no reasons, a college graduate that is part-owner of a "blue collar" business, and so forth. Yet the one thing that Johnny wants more than anything in the world is the love of a good woman and all that goes along with that relationship. He hasn't been a total wipe-out with women. He gets lucky every once in a while. But so far, there has been no long-term relationship that smells of and feels like "forever."

This is one of the funniest books I have read in a very long time. How Johnny manages his friendships, how he relates to his long-time friends, the advice he seeks from his best friend Sam (who is a lesbian and doesn't claim to have a clue about what women would find attractive about a man), and the disdain Johnny receives from the woman who was, for all his growing-up years, the person who made his elementary age and teenage heart go "pitter pat." The dialogue is a hoot and most of all, as it is a story told in the first person, knowing what is going through Johnny's head keeps the reader chuckling often if not outright laughing. Yet under all the humor is the story of people who really desire genuine relationship and who are willing to do almost anything to attract a person who can love them forever, even if that means being someone other than who they are. This is the case with both Johnny and Helen and leads to some really humorous situations and conversations. How it all gets resolved is also comedic and readers are in for a comic treat.

I think it is important to remember that we often find humor in situations and people that come very close to our own experience. Watching stand-up comedy on the Comedy Channel is a case in point. The jokes and one liners that get the biggest laughs are the ones that are drawn from human experiences that are common to most people. That's probably why this book hits fairly close to home. I found myself thinking back to my early years of dating, wondering if I really did go to these lengths to be acceptable to the guys I was hoping to attract. I think it is a common theme in many romance novels, but here it is really the core issue. The story highlights the sort of sad fact that two very intelligent people just can't seem to get it together sufficiently to feel confident and attractive to the opposite sex and still be themselves. The author has told the story with a deft touch and the dialogue flows beautifully--never ponderous or overloaded with Johnny's internal monologue. There's almost no overt sex here but the tension is there as well as a strong sense of what's going on with Johnny and Helen's feelings.

I think you'll find this a compelling and engaging novel, one that will be hard to put down and which will be the kind of story where most of us can see ourselves, at least in varying degrees. I think all adults go through the issues of insecurity while dating, and this story will probably remind all of us about those days. In Johnny and Helen's case, those insecurities are still plaguing them long after they should have been put to rest. A terrific read and one I can almost guarantee you will enjoy. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

This Novel was released in December, 2011, by TKA Distribution.

Review: A Wicked Wolf by Brenda Williamson

Brenda Williamson's name has popped up often at the ebook online bookseller I visit but I must own up to not having read any of her work previously. She has a fine portfolio of literary achievement and has held her own among the bevy of romance writers who are producing some fine romance fiction for today's readers. So I was excited about reading this novel. I must also admit that until about a year ago I had not read paranormal anything and wasn't particularly interested in doing so. That is no longer the case and I have become a serious fan of paranormal romance. I was not disappointed with this story.

Randi Brown was your quintessential real estate agent, good looking, aggressive, driven--not by personal ambition particularly, but by the need to support her two siblings since the death of their parents. Her boss wants her to get a reclusive billionaire to sell some of his land on Wolfe Mountain, properties that are dream acreage for potential developers. Unfortunately, Mr. Wolfe has repeatedly declared that none of his property is for sale, and unfortunately, Randi attempted to contact him in the middle of a terrifying rain storm. Following a slide into a ditch--an accident that rendered her car unusable, she encounters an individual that allows her to believe he is caretaker for Mr Wolfe's mountain residence. He tells her his name is "Jr" which is not a lie--his name is Nicolas Wolfe, Jr. She is also unaware that he is a werewolf and that he is overwhelmed with her scent--the scent of his mate. He tries very hard to resist her as she is a human. Doesn't work, not even, no way. It doesn't help that she has had a long relational dry spell and his good looks and masculinity are like a blow to her stomach. He scents her attraction and they are both down for the count.

This is a very erotic story and goes back and forth between "J.R.'s" inability to resist her, their mutual determination to resist one another that keeps falling by the wayside, his reluctance to tell her anything about himself and his prevarication regarding "Mr. Wolfe." Randi's car is inoperable so she is stranded several days by the storm. She is puzzled by the occasional appearance of wolves at the edge of the property, and she is perplexed that J. R. keeps insisting that she must remain within the boundaries of house and yard. She is a bit distressed that in the heat of passion he had bitten her. Little does she realize what the long-term ramifications of that marking will be. And overshadowing all this is the occasional surfacing of a mystery involving the death of his first wife, the appearance of his attorney and that man's negative reaction to Randi's presence, a chance meeting with an "old man" when she is out for a walk which brings warning to her that make her very uneasy.

This is a story about trust, about caring for those who need protection from a society that will assuredly misunderstand and persecute, about the right of someone to preserve one's own surroundings for the greater good, and about the power of love and kindness and trust to overcome fear, greed, and death. Ms Williamson has written a story that is full of hot loving, gentle caring, a friendship that grows quietly but persistently, and a journey of discovery for Randi about herself and her abilities to move beyond her comfort zones. Nick (J.R.) must also find a way to move out of the confines of his carefully orchestrated lifestyle, his self-imposed prison of aloneness and silence. He and Randi both must find ways to resolve the tension between what others do not accept or believe, and their love that can bridge both the world of humans and those who don't fit well into the human context.

I liked this story a lot. It was entertaining and very romantic, well-written with a story line that reflected a good plot. The resolution to the mistaken identity, Randi's need to make an adequate living for her family, the mystery of the death of the Mrs. Wolfe, and the impasse between J. R. and Randi was surprising and well-done. This tale will be a worthy way to spend some reading time and will be a stroke for the libido as well. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

This novel was released by Red Sage Publishing on 01 November 2010