Uptown Thief by Aya de León

Uptown Thief
by Aya de León
Pages: 352
Date: July 26 2016
Publisher: Dafina (Kensington Books)
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 5 to 11 2016

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.

I read something somewhere, in a review?, in a book description? That said something like ‘Ocean’s 11 with women.’ Do not go into this book thinking that or you will be disappointed.

There’s another book that had that tagline attached to it. It was a Michael Crichton book from long ago, released under the John Lange name. That one is both a lot closer to being ‘Ocean’s 11 with women’ than this book while also being incorrect. There the storyline involved a group of people setting up to rob a hotel (I think it was a hotel). The book followed them as the planned, then as they robbed the place. It was actually quite neat. Just one thing – everyone in that gang in Lange’s book were men. So, why that tagline of ‘Ocean’s 11 with women’? Because there was in fact a group of women who robbed the place. They just did it under the noses of the male group – but it is something of a ‘disappointment’ in that the story didn’t follow them so much as it followed the male gang.

Right, so this book here. For one thing, the action that occurs does involve and follow women, so that’s one up on that unnamed Lange book. But the book is not a group of women who rob some location and go through thrills, suspense, and the like. No, the book is about a latina woman named Marisol Rivera who had a rotten childhood (mother died, father wasn’t around, then grandmother died; got left with an uncle, who sexually abused her; she, Marisol, did what she could to protect her sister; which included, once the uncle was gone, becoming a prostitute at the age of 17 to get enough money to pay the rent and bills. She, Marisol, is now in her 30s (or is it 40s? I got confused about her age) and is the executive director of a health clinic in Manhattan. Serving the poor, specifically (has this reputation though I’m not sure it is actually part of their official motto) sexual workers. Also, because the economy went into a downturn, and various grants and the like dried up or were pulled, Marisol again needs a way to pay her bills. So, she opens an escort service. Rich people can ‘donate’ to the clinic, get a tax write-off for that, and then get a ‘gift’ from the clinic (as in an escort).

Somewhere along the line that ‘Ocean’s 11’ has to come in, right? Well, that has to do with two facts. The escort service is not able to cover all the bills, and Marisol spots a few people she wants to ‘punish’. Rich CEO’s who were involved in a Mexican sex traffic ring – got put on trial, and got off (I think the judge dismissed the case or something). So, she robs them. Right off the bat that’s different from Ocean’s 11 – where a gang robs a casino. Here the ‘gang’ (a small group of Marisol’s most trusted people) robs several locations. As quietly as possible. And there’s a ton of other stuff happening in this book. So, if it had been a series of robberies, I might stretch things to include this under some altered tagline of ‘Ocean’s 11 with women’, but no, it isn’t that. It’s more of a slice of life book that just happens to have, as the main character, someone who robs rich assholes.

So, Marisol – because of the abuse from the uncle, and because of the fucking for money, she is not one who has the ability to have a natural relationship from men. She does have an ‘itch’ though. A huge number of times, she’ll head uptown to an immigrant area, pick up a man, and fuck him. With her in control.

Both of her criminal and relationship life is put in jeopardy, though, when a man from Marisol’s past turns up in the form of Raul. A man who grow up in the same neighborhood (which reminds me – for the shit life Marisol had growing up, she sure has a lot of nostalgic feeling for her ‘old community’).

When a pimp wandered near waving a gun and calling for his whore to come out, things got complicated at the clinic. At a benefit for the clinic, Marisol mentions needing some extra security. Raul steps up and offers his services. He becomes a temporary security guard. He has a certain background, being that he had been a NYPD officer. He’s an ex-cop now, though. One that still consults with the city. Which is part of the complication on the criminal side – Marisol robs people, an old friend begins working at the clinic and is an ex-cop. Then there’s the romantic side – for the first time in maybe ever, Marisol might be willing to try a relationship, she has lustful feelings toward Raul. Though there are complications – he’s an ex-cop, she’s a criminal, and she also has that past sex worker history (and current, for that matter).

One of the neat things about this book is how LGBT friendly the book is. Two of Marisol’s top friends/thieves/escorts are lesbians (they are each other’s girlfriends). And another character in the book, much less important character-wise, is transgender.

Marisol, though, is very much heterosexual and spends a lot of time, and I mean a lot, humping men. Well, I do not mean to make that seem like it goes to porno levels. She humps men. Every once in a while. And, at times, graphically.

To a certain extent this book took me somewhat longer than normal not because of anything to do with the book itself, I mean quality wise, but because it involves MF relations. I had to ease my way in, and then through at times. Taking breaks here and there.

There is one very big flaw/problem with the book that could have had something like a negative impact on the star rating, if the book was not an arc. Because it is, I do not push up or push down the rating in any way because of it. ‘It’ being the part wherein the formatting in the copy I read is kind of messed up. As in, it isn’t really formatted. Sentences/paragraphs/etc. are smashed together or have double spaces within the same sentence as in:

Not an exact quote:

‘That taco is very

hot don’t you think?’

While at other times I was not always certain who was saying what because of things being mushed together, as in:

Again, not an exact quote:

“How are you doing?” She looked at the floor. “Are you doing that thing later?” She asked.
“The tacos are hot.” She moaned.

Most of the time I could tell, in context, that ‘Are you doing that’ was actually someone else speaking; though occasionally I wasn’t certain.

Again, though, I do not – because it is an arc – remove anything from the rating because of that issue (though I would if this wasn’t an arc). I assume that I got a digitalized version of the paperback, as opposed to an ebook file.

One last thought – language. I began reading this one at the same time I was reading Clare Ashton’s Poppy Jenkins. Which I mention for one reason – while I was reading ‘Poppy Jenkins’, people I know who were reading it at the same time were making comments about all the Welsh words popping up. And I? I was reading that and this book here. No, there are no Welsh words popping up in this book, no there were instead a bunch of Spanish words. I probably should have mentioned that any way – the part where a bunch of Spanish gets used. But I specifically am mentioning it here for a reason I once mentioned in another book with mixed languages (not the Poppy book, but a Heyer book).

I have no inherent problem with a book filled with mixed languages; characters speaking two or more languages at the same time in the same sentence. The specific problem I had was, like in a book by Heyer about the British fighting in Spain, this book here included several occasions when a character would start talking and the author included helpful notes like ‘in Spanish’. As in, the character was speaking in Spanish, but the words were printed on the page in English. I liked the fact they were there in English so I could read along. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was the part where, remember the reader has already been told that the characters are speaking in Spanish, Spanish words would begin to appear in the sentences.

How exactly am I supposed to ‘take’ that? Spanish words popping up in a Spanish conversation that has already been specified to be translated into English. Are those words extra Spanish-y? So that’s why they appeared in Spanish? And to clarify, I’m not talking about the Spanish words that pop up before and after this specific event I’m talking about. I’m specifically talking about when the main character went to Cuba, and several occasions conversations occurred during which the author noted that the conversation had been translated from Spanish into English . . . yet still contained, here and there, Spanish words (Note: until I went to look for examples, I had forgotten that ‘in Spanish’ actually popped up in previous sections to the trip to Cuba; there are 17 occasions when ‘in Spanish’ is used in the book).

Quote from book:

“Quieres otra?” he asked
“No thanks,” she said in Spanish. “But I’ll buy you one.”
He raised his eyebrows, but then leaned back and smiled “Como no?”
She told the bartender in Spanish. “A rum and Coke.”

1) Why are his words in Spanish? Well, no. Both of their conversation are in Spanish. Why are his words only in Spanish, while hers, which, remember that ‘in Spanish’ part, are also in Spanish, but get translated?
2) Why does ‘in Spanish’ keep getting repeated?

By the way ‘Quieres otra’ apparently means ‘do you want another’. And ‘Como no?’ means . . . I don’t know what it means. Google translate is telling me it means ‘as?’. Hmm. Okay.

“I need to be on top,” she said in Spanish. “Bueno,” he said. me talking now – this is an example where the formatting got messed up – both of their lines are right after each other without a break

Here it makes sense to mix things up. I would not have known what ‘necesidad de estar en la cima’ (I have a large feeling that isn’t what ‘I need to be on top’ is in Spanish, but that’s what I get from Google), but do know Bueno = good.

Though here is what I meant specifically about mixing:

“Welcome to Cuba!” he said in Spanish, kissing her check. “Sorry we couldn’t . . .”
“our house is no Hotel Palacio, pero mi casa es tu casa.”

Gah. Okay, the mixing took place several paragraphs later. Still, same talker, I assume he is still speaking in Spanish after that ‘in Spanish’ mention, especially as they are in Cuba and everyone there speaks Spanish. So, why is pero mi casa es tu casa in Spanish in a part that is already supposed to be translated into English from Spanish? I know, from here or there, that ‘casa es tu casa’ is ‘my house is your house’ (or something like that), though I didn’t realize it needed the mi to make it ‘my’, and had no clue what pero was until I looked it up (means but – as in ‘but my house is your house’).

*shrugs* I never learned Spanish, so 99.9% of the stuff in Spanish just flies over my head unless there is some mention of what it means (several occasions someone will say something in Spanish, then within a paragraph or two, what they meant is said in English – somewhat rare, though).

I liked the book. I recommend this book. Do not expect constant action and thrills and suspense. Or, for that matter non-stop sex (there’s plenty of graphic sex, just not non-stop – oh, and, other than kissing, I believe all the sex is between a man and woman; no lesbian sex here; bah, I just recalled that there was one incident when the two girlfriends got busy while their ‘dates’ were asleep. I forget how graphic that scene was, though. Looking for ‘in Spanish’ is easy; searching for ‘lesbian sex scene’ to see if it is graphic or not does not actually work, heh).

Overall – An enjoyable book. I liked it. Just be aware that there’s graphic depictions of male-female sex, and that it isn’t a ‘thrill-a-minute’ type of book, but more of a ‘slice-of-life that occasionally includes robberies; and those robberies can occasionally be suspenseful’.

July 11 2016

Playing the Player
by Lea Santos
Pages: 208
Date: October 1 2010
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Amigas y Amor (4th in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: June 21 2016

Well, the sad day has finally occurred. I have read the fourth and last book in the Amigas y Amor series, which just happens to correspond to the last book published by Lea Santos. There is a fifth book listed on GoodReads, a start of a new series, but that book has a note indicating that it was pulled from the publication schedule. So I’ve now read everything released to the public by Santos under the Lea Santos name.

I had wondered who might pop up in the fourth book as the main character, since the ‘friends’ part of Amigas y Amor consisted of the three people who have been friends since high school. Emie Jaramillo (star of Little White Lie - and she is matched up with Gia Mendez; in addition to being a latina, Emie also adds to the diversity of lesbian fiction by being someone who isn’t exactly the standard beauty, but instead someone who cares more about brains, her own, than beauty), Iris Lujan (star of Under her Skin - supermodel, matched up with Torien Pacias, Torien adds to the diversity column by being from Mexico (the friends grew up in Denver), and last of the three friends – Paloma Vargas (Picture Imperfect, Paloma is matched up with Deanne Vargas, both of whom went to the same high school; for one reason or another, I got the impression that Deanne was not one of the ‘three musketeers’ (I believe that phrase was used at some point). So, if the three (or four if Deanne is actually supposed to be considered one of the friends) friends have had their stories told, who would pop up to star in the fourth book? Someone who has popped up in the books before, Madeira Pacias, the sister of Torien Pacias.

Based on context, on what is mentioned over the course of the books, the first three books all happen, chronologically, one after the other in a short span of time. The fourth book, for whatever reason, opens three years after Iris and Torien meet and opened their charity together (and became a committed couple). A reader does not immediately know this factoid, though, since the book does not open with Madeira, but with Grace Obregon.

The book opens with Grace driving down a highway after a parent teacher night. She’s annoyed/upset/frustrated with the fact that her past, which she has been trying to outgrow, has intruded into her new life. She was a wild party girl once upon a time, the kind who impulsively gets two tattoos just because the tattoo artist was doing a 2 for 1 deal. But Grace is no longer that woman. She still has the ‘scars’, though, and occasionally they appear. Like when ‘little Stevie’ pulled on her sweater. Revealing the tattoo on her chest, the one that is a yellow caution sign that has the words ‘easy vixen’ written on it. Recall, if you will, that this was a parent teacher conference – and yes, Stevie’s parents did in fact see that tattoo. Their expressions immediately changed upon seeing such a tattoo. The other tattoo says ‘unbreakable’, but is in a spot a child cannot accidentally reveal, being on her inner thigh. Grace is, naturally, horrified that her new life as a teacher is already ruined. As she drives down the highway. At least she has Mrs. Wright next to her – Mrs. Wright being a beat up bear that Grace’s mother had given her.

Then, a truck begins to skid/crash/become an obstacle upon the highway. Grace clips the rear of the truck and her own SUV goes flipping through the air, to land on the roof. Grace is left dangling upside down. Mrs. Wright has flown free from her belted position (yes, Grace had pulled a seatbelt around Mrs. Wright, little good that it did) and flown through a window.

Point of view change. Madeira Pacias is driving down the highway. Thinking about her night. About going to a new lesbian bar, cruising, picking up women, humping them. As her thoughts fill with such ideas, Madeira spots a semi-truck skidding, watches as a vehicle clips said truck then goes spinning. Madeira barely misses hitting a horrified chicken before braking in the emergency lane. Braces for someone to slam into her rear, but luckily the person behind her is able to stop. Barely. Madeira gets out and wonders how to help. More chickens run past screaming – apparently the semi was transporting chickens. Others have gotten out of their vehicles as well. An old man reacts first and begins checking vehicles. Finds that someone is still alive in the SUV and calls upon Madeira for help, as she is small enough to squeeze inside.

Madeira wiggles into the car, looks around, spots a blood covered woman dangling from above her in the upside down SUV. Her leg doesn’t look good. There’s lots of blood. She’s not even sure if that woman is actually alive. Just then the woman makes noises, blinks at Madeira, before exclaiming ‘You are not Mrs. Wright.’ Madeira stays with Grace until help comes. Making a promise to find ‘Mrs. Wright’, and to contact Grace’s grandmother. Madeira is not the kind of woman that gives another woman promises, but she is unable to stop herself, this time.

All of the above takes place in the first one or two chapters. The next chapter begins a year later (so now it is four years since the previous book in the Amigas y Amor series). Grace is yelling at Lolo, her sister. For her sister has given the newspaper a story. The story of Grace and her lost soul mate good Samaritan. The one who ‘saved her’ in the accident. A story about how Grace wants to find said Samaritan. It’s the year anniversary of the accident. Grace has just restarted her new teaching job. She does not need this distraction. Especially as the article makes her look like a loon, someone looking for their soul mate. The paper calls. Grace answers. Before she can explain that she isn’t the one to have given them the story, that it was her sister pretending to be her, the man on the phone indicates that they are being swamped with calls in response to the article. And they need some way to filter them. Grace gives them a way.

Days pass. People come forward. But not the good Samaritan.

Madeira is cleaning an ambulance after their most recent pick up. Her partner, Simon, is reading the paper. Simon begins asking Madeira questions. Madeira had let slip why she had decided to become a paramedic, that it involved stopping at an accident one night. Simon draws Madeira’s attention to the article in the paper. About this ‘Grace’ person who is looking for their soul mate. Madeira is stunned. That is Grace in the picture. But, Madeira was told, when she tried to follow through on her promises and return the bear that Grace had died (there were two in the accident named Grace, one had, in fact, died).

Madeira is reluctant to contact the paper. But. She had made a promise to find and return Mrs. Wright. And, even though she thought Grace was dead, Mrs. Wright had been sitting on her dresser starring at her for a year. It is time to return the bear.

Madeira and Grace then spend the rest of the book circling each other. Madeira, initially, is reluctant to meet this overly romantic Grace (what with ‘soul mate’ and stuff), and just wants to let her know that she’s not a commitment type person; but later certain feelings develop; but Grace, immediately upon meeting Madeira, stresses that it was her sister who worded things like ‘soul mate’, and that she has no desire for Madeira. Or, ‘someone like you’. Grace had acquired an impression of what 'someone like Madeira' was like because the paper ran a story after Madeira had contacted them. A story that painted Madeira as being a major player.

Of the four Santos books I’ve read, I do believe that I liked this one best of all. I’m not really sure why. A player (Madeira) and an ex-player (Grace) circling each other for a book does not exactly sound like it would necessarily be something I would be interested in. But I rather enjoyed/loved the book.

Well, that’s that. My time with Santos draws to a close. Crush, the first in the Viñedo Valley series, looks quite interesting, but it was cancelled. These have been a rather good bunch of highly polished, well written books, but alas, I’ve read them now. And there are no more to read.

June 22 2016

Picture Imperfect by Lea Santos

Picture Imperfect
by Lea Santos
Pages: 208
Date: September 1 2010
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Amigas y Amor (3rd in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: June 21 2016

My third book by this author. This is the third of the four Lea Santos books. I gave the first two I read ratings of 5 stars each. The third book is the one that I had noticed, even before trying the first Santos book, that everyone loved most of all.

Paloma Perea Vargas and Deanne Vargas have been together seventeen years, since high school, specifically some time in sophomore year (baring a brief father induced separation during sophomore-junior summer break). They have been ‘married’ for fourteen years now. But Paloma has just had enough with feeling like Deanne doesn’t even see her any longer, and has kicked Deanne out of the house they share together with their two children (one is 8, other is 6 – the children, not Paloma and Deanne, that would be weird).

Their relationship problems stem directly from their own childhood experiences, and from the fact that they have never had a romantic relationship beyond the one they share with each other, so they do not have any personal experience with relationships beyond whatever they’ve picked up together.

By ‘directly from their own childhood experiences’ I mean: Deanne developed two traits that she picked up in reaction from growing up. Victor, Deanne’s father (who she always refers to as Victor), left Deanne’s mother at some point when Deanne was still a child. He was lazy and lived to party. Victor, by leaving, abandoned both a wife, and five children. The mother, Rosario, had to pick up three jobs just to make ends meet. In reaction to this issue, Deanne has developed the need to not be her father. To not be lazy, to not run out/party/etc. So she shows her love by working, by providing, by self-sacrificing her free time. So, sometimes, certain ‘events’ get forgotten or missed, because of ‘work’. Deanne sees this as providing for her family the way she knows how. Paloma sees this as putting work first as priority, and basically abandoning her family – though she never actually says anything, but we’ll get to Paloma shortly.

To add to that need to work in reaction to her lazy father, Deanne also picked up something from her mother. Though based on her interactions with her mother, not based on her mother’s own experiences. At times Deanne did certain things that caused her mother to become angry with her. Deanne reacted by hiding from the problem. Her mother would, eventually, return to her normal happy personality. Deanne learned, from repeated cycles of this hiding, that the way to deal with issues is to hide from them. They will fix themselves. So, when Deanne feels/knows/senses that Paloma is upset, and angry with her, she reverts to her childhood – she hides. Paloma, though, just seems to get angrier and not revert to a happy state. Deanne does not know how to react to this situation. Like the part about not having sex for the last six months – Deanne wants to hump Paloma, but Paloma is giving off massive ‘keep away’ vibes. So, Deanne keeps away.

This reinforces the problems, adding to them. In Paloma’s own mind, Deanne’s lack of attention, lack of pouncing on her indicates that Deanne doesn’t want her any longer. Is physically repulsed by her or something. Plus she senses that Deanne has had some odd change that occurred 8 years ago – right around the time their first child was born. But Paloma also picked up something from her childhood. Directly from her mother. The need to self-sacrifice, to support, to be a housewife. To not complain. So Paloma shows her ‘problems’ with the current situation by withdrawing, though with a smile, to keeping her emotions bottled up, to never, once, using her mouth to actually convey that there is an issue.

Discussing the break-up, after Paloma kicked Deanne out of the house, one of Paloma’s friends made some comment or another. Probably along the lines of ‘well, did you ever tell her what the issue(s) were?’ to which Paloma responded with something like ‘but I shouldn’t have to if she really loved me!’ I’ve seen that attitude in MF books. This might be the first time I’ve seen that in an FF book.

Well, as noted, 14 – 17 year relationship. Poof. Gone. Because neither party knew how to communicate and things got steadily worse. Until one finally broke down and kicked the other out of the house. Instead of, you know, ever actually mentioning that there were issues. Or talking. Hell, they never even fought. Just, boom.

Paloma: ‘We haven’t had sex in six months! She hasn’t made a move on me!’
A friend: ‘Did you?’
Paloma: ‘I shouldn’t have to!’
A friend: ‘How did ‘action’ initiate in the past?’
Paloma: ‘Well, I’d make a move first.’
*stares*

Right. So. The friends saw Paloma and Deanne’s relationship as perfect. From the outside. But it wasn’t, not from the inside. Hence the book title – ‘Picture Imperfect’. Though I mentioned the friends more so that I could indicate that the other couples from books 1 and 2 of this series pop up in this book. And the one who turns up in the fourth book, Madeira Pacias, Torien Pacias sister, is mentioned in this book (in an ‘I haven’t had sex in six months, I need sex, I should hump Madeira, and she humps everyone.’ ‘Don’t talk about my future sister that way; even if I admit that she is a player’).

Ah, this book. I felt a certain wave of anger at both parties while reading this book. That is not how I wish to spend my time reading, in a state of anger. Of the four Santos books, though, this one is the one everyone apparently loved the most.

Oh, and for those who care about such things – the series moved from super fit and chiseled gardener hooking up with a supermodel to a woman who self-describes herself as being chubby (‘I had two children!’). Though she might have lost that chubbiness along the way. There was some indication of that.

And, another tidbit of information I do not know where to put: “I’m thirty-two years old, for God’s sake.” (As said by Paloma, so, she is 32).

Right, so, good book. *nods* On to next.

June 21 2016

Little White Lie by Lea Santos

Little White Lie
by Lea Santos
Pages: 264
Date: July 1 2010
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (Matinee Romance)
Series: Amigas y Amor (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: May 27 2016
I'm quite happy that a random thought that floated through my brain this week did in fact float through my brain. For it lead me to this book here. Granted, I've had the thought before; I just acted on it this time. I'm being awfully vague, no? Not communicating directly? The two main stars in this book had that problem. Figured I'd include something like. But let's move on.

The thought that had floated through my mind was the idea that I wanted to read more books with non-traditional characters in them. This is weird, right, considering I’m talking about books involving lesbians. To someone outside looking in, any random lesbian, regardless of shape, race, religion, socio-economic status, would be non-traditional. Me? Well, lesbians come in all shapes, sizes and . . . um . . . forms. I was kind of hoping for, as a starter at least, one in a fictional book who wasn’t lily white.

Which lead to ‘acted on’. I’d figure I’d try diversify my reading a little more by actually noting what I’ve been reading – genres/themes/occupations/ages/race/still wondering if I should had religion to the mix (though that one’s harder to determine). Did find that I’d read some non-lily white books. So my impression, based somewhat on reading books by authors who are not lily white themselves but who seemed to fixate on lily-white characters (I appear to be fixated, myself, on the phrase ‘lily white’), was inaccurate. But still. I wanted more.

Which lead me to books by Lea Santos. And every character name in the book descriptions, seemed to indicate, at the very least, non-lily white characters. Also lead me to notice she had five books listed (not including the omnibus collection of all four in her friends and lovers series), and one had that ‘not published’ indication. Hate when I see things like that. I tend to see those on authors who died before books got published (though after they got mentioned as upcoming); or publishing changes occurred (publisher closing down; those in control of series changing their minds (specifically referring here to things like when Star Trek commissioned books set in the new alternate universe, signed up authors, and the books themselves had gone through the stages of being written, but then the Star Trek people squeaked, and cancelled all of them (except for a young adult series); etc.

So, while five books are listed, I only have four I can access and read. But hey, I have four books I can read! So, I started first one. I think I read somewhere, maybe in a review, that the books are linked – well, I can say immediately that I’ve only read the first book and the book descriptions, but I already know the books are linked. The second book in the series stars Iris – Iris plays a large role in this first book.

The first book, though, involves a professor/researcher named Emie Jaramillo who, early on – based on ‘things’, decided to not pay any attention (or little) to looks, and devote as much attention as possible to brains. As in, she wasn’t going to make an effort to ‘look good’, but she was going to make an effort to develop a keen brain. Course that can kind of backfire as she’s in the position now, at least in the start of the book, of believing she’s ugly (or at least so plain no one would want anything to do with her (she makes some comment like ‘not even a philosophy professor would make a pass at her!’, which indicates either that all philosophy professor’s are sluts, or desperate)) and disbelieving of anyone who says otherwise. She’s the first point of view meet in the book, but not the only one in the book.

No, there’s also Gia Mendez, an artist who works on a specific television show. As a make-up artist (though she’d prefer to try to make her living through her art). She’s somewhere nearish 34, and – judging from Emie’s reactions, drop dead gorgeous (judging from some of her own reactions, she doesn’t think she’s that bad looking, but not drop dead gorgeous).

Emie and Gia meet well on a television show – backstage. Emie believes that she is there to describe cloning. Gia’s there to provide some make-up duties. They flirt. They seem to get along well together. Then Emie goes out and immediately sees that things look odd for a discussion on cloning. But sits. The audience makes noises. The host makes noises. Eventually it comes out that Emie is there because another professor at her university thinks that Emie is too bookish looking to date. Emie is horrified and flees. All of this occurred in front of her parents and friends (who were in the audience, though not in on the ‘humiliating prank’). Naturally Emie now wants nothing to do with Gia.

Gia, though, is horrified by the whole event. And quits. And drives long distance to apologize in person.

The two, Gia and Emie, then circle each other. Neither trusting in their own feelings, or in the feelings of the other.

Emie decides that she’s going to ‘get back at’ that other professor by getting a make-over. Gia, trying to come up with some reason to be allowed to stick around, says that she will help with the make-over. Gia, though, is under the impression that Emie does in fact lust for that professor. She’s the only one who thinks that though.

This is a brilliant great work. Lovely characters involved. A solid five star work. And, judging by reviews, this isn’t even the ‘good’ book in the series, so I have that issue to look forward to. *bounces around happily*

(Oh, and by the way, Gia Mendez? From Chicago. I do not recall if they mention where Emie is from – possibly from where she currently lives, Denver, but somewhat unlikely for various reasons).

May 27 2016