Lauren Willig has an excellent sense of humor and language—masterfully weaving internal and external dialogue that makes turning the pages of Night Jasmine a delight. Her voice is modern and refreshing and works successfully both in the past and contemporary settings as she presents two love stories to readers.
I loved the way Lauren put words together on the page. Her ability to turn an ordinary expression or phrase into something more exotic and poetic is a skill she has honed to perfection. At first it was unexpected and I made note of particular sentences that caught my eye but as I got swept away into the story they became a part of the scenery and the characters themselves.
Robert, Duke of Dovedale and Charlotte’s hero, is a wonderful character. He and Charlotte foil each other perfectly. He makes mistakes and does some seriously foolish things in the name of love but he does it with heart and good intentions. But as they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions… literally in this case.
Charlotte is a heroine who has believed in fairytales all her life until Robert inexpertly dashes her hopes and dreams to smithereens in an effort to protect her. Disillusioned by love, believing herself prone to fanciful childish delusions, Charlotte comes to the conclusion she is not a storybook heroine. She acknowledges her shortcomings and lack of gumption and decides to change all that.
Another heroine from 2004 is studying and researching into the Pink Carnation for her dissertation. Her story is woven throughout Charlotte’s and Robert’s as we break from them to learn more about the present happenings. Eloise is disconcerted that her boyfriend Colin avoids the question of his current line of work now that he’s left his city job. With all the spies and espionage from the past filling her head and random comments thrown in from one jealous woman, Eloise comes to the unlikely conclusion that Colin is a spy. She scoffs at her own foolishness until evidence confirms her crazy theory.
I was so absorbed in the reading I was reluctant to put the book down for any reason. Sleeping and eating just sounded like too much bother. I will definitely be on the lookout for the rest of Lauren’s Pink Carnation series.
Rating: 5 Stars
Buy: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
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Keira: What made you decide to write about cowboys?
Joanne: I’ve always loved Western history, and when I first moved to Wyoming, I was amazed to see how much of the Wild West is still alive and kickin’ out here. Libby makes a comment early in the book that moving to Wyoming and seeing a guy wearing chaps is like moving to Austria and finding your neighbors decked out in Lederhosen, and that’s how I felt. Cowboys are the norm here in Cheyenne, especially during our annual Frontier Days rodeo, but at first, they seemed like another, very exotic species to me. I was like a googly-eyed tourist for the first two years I lived here, just taking in all the frontier flavor.
Keira: What does it take to win a cowboy’s heart?
Joanne: Well, it turns out they’re humans like the rest of us, so I think they’re looking for what all men look for—though a tight pair of Wranglers doesn’t hurt when it comes to getting things started! Seriously, though, I think what cowboys want in a wife is different from what they want in a girlfriend. When things get serious, all of a sudden honesty and smarts matter a lot more than looks!
Keira: What makes a hero perfect? What makes Luke Rawlins a hero readers will fall in love with?
Joanne: To some extent, what makes a hero perfect is imperfection—or at least, his own awareness that he has a few flaws, as well as a sense of humor that lets him laugh at them.
What makes Luke special is that the qualities that draw him to Libby are the ones that might drive other men away—her independence and spirit. He also understands that she’s been hurt and he’s willing to wait until she’s ready for a relationship. At one point in the story, Libby tells him to give up, that she’s damaged goods. His reply is simply, “You’ll heal. I’ll help.” I think that’s the heart of the book, and the essence of Luke’s appeal.
Keira: You’ve worked in bookstores all your life; what’s your favorite job in one? What would you say is the biggest perk?
Joanne: It’s hard to say what my favorite job is. I loved management because I could make a difference; I love being a bookseller because I get to sell my favorite books; and I loved being a buyer because it was a lot like shopping!
But the biggest perk? I met my significant other at the store; he was my best customer! And my favorite:)
Keira: Cowboy Trouble takes place in Lackaduck, Wyoming. Is the town fictional and are they lacking ducks there? Does Lackaduck resemble small town life in Wyoming?
Joanne: Lackaduck is a combination of many small towns in Wyoming, with elements taken from each. To some extent, it’s also my hometown of Cheyenne, distilled and condensed.
As for the lack of ducks, I don’t know. I just love weird town names, like Bug Tussle, Kentucky and Burnt Corn, Alabama. I wanted a name that had that kind of quirkiness to it, and Lackaduck just popped into my head and declared itself. A writer’s mind often makes about as much sense as calling a town Bug Tussle!
Keira: This next question is tough. Ready? How do you define romantic love?
Joanne: Oh, that is tough, because to some extent, it’s indefinable. I think the core of it is that the two people in love know, deep down, that they belong together, and that being together makes them complete. Being with that person gives you a feeling of deep satisfaction that makes the stress of everyday life trivial in comparison.
Keira: If you were in a romance novel, what subgenre would you be in and why?
Joanne: I’d be in one of those zany contemporary romances where the heroine always has her head in the clouds and screws up a lot!
Keira: In your opinion, is it tougher to write mystery or romance? Do you do anything in particular to keep track of key points and facts?
Joanne: I think they both have their challenges, and it really depends who you are. I originally started “Cowboy Trouble” as a mystery, but Luke and Libby couldn’t keep their hands off each other and their love story totally took over. Romance just comes naturally to me.
To keep track of the story, I use multicolored sticky notes. I write in the attic, and I stick the notes to the slanted ceiling above my desk. The different colors represent different elements of the story, and I move them around to make changes as the story takes shape.
Keira: What is your secret guilty plot or character type that you love beyond reason?
Joanne: I love gutsy screwball heroines! Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum is probably the best example. My favorite books have a mixture of humor and kick-a** adventure.
Keira: Shameless self promotion time: What’s next?
Joanne: Next is “One Fine Cowboy” which will be released this fall. It’s another cowboy contemporary about a psychology grad student/animal rights activist from New Jersey who goes to a horse-training clinic in Wyoming to learn about inter-species communication. The cowboy who’s teaching the clinic isn’t much for talking, but it turns out he’s an expert in non-verbal communication.
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Joanne: Just a big thank you for inviting me for an interview. I love your site – your reviews are fun to read and I think you do a great job of helping readers make informed choices.
And for readers – I hope you enjoy reading “Cowboy Trouble” as much as I enjoyed writing it!
COWBOY TROUBLE by JOANNE KENNEDY—IN STORES MARCH 2010
Fleeing her latest love life disaster, big city journalist Libby Brown's transition to rural living isn't going exactly as planned. Her childhood dream has always been to own a chicken farm—but without the constant help of her charming, sexy, cowboy neighbor; she'd never have made it through her first Wyoming season.
Handsome rancher Luke Rawlins is impressed by this sassy, independent city girl. But he yearns to do more than help Libby out with her ranch…he's ready for love, and he wants to go the distance. When the two get embroiled in their tiny town's one and only crime story, Libby discovers that their sizzling hot attraction is going to complicate her life in every way possible…
Buy: Cowboy Trouble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanne Kennedy has worked in bookstores all her life in positions ranging from bookseller to buyer. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and won first place in the Colorado Gold Writing Contest and second place in the Heart of the Rockies contest in 2007. Joanne lives and writes in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more information please visit http://kennedysmyth.com/ and http://www.cowboytrouble.com/.
Giveaway: 2 copies of Cowboy Trouble are up for grabs. Perfect for anyone in the mood for a lighthearted mystery! Open to US and Canadian readers only. Sorry international readers! To enter ask Joanne a question. One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends: March 22, 2010. Best of luck!
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This is the first time I read the books. I admit I am a bad girl and watched the movies first. That said, I really liked the reader, Barbara Rosenblat, as she reminded me of the movie. Her voice for the mother was fabulous. It was airy, a bit ditzy, and a tad lofty. Her Bridget was cute, the voice and inflections similar to Renee Zellweger in the movies.
There was less cursing than you’d think considering the movie which was full of fucks. The most used curse word was probably bloody.
The book and the movie are very different:
- For instance in the book there was no mix-up of who cheated who’s wife. That’s a plus.
- However on the other hand there wasn’t a fight scene between Daniel and Mark, which really was a deliciously wonderful and sexy dorky scene. Boo.
- Also, Bridget’s mother’s new boy toy Hoo-lio (Julian) is a scam artist opposed to a home shopping sales rep.
- Richard, the television boss, is not a rescuing savior but a revoltingly nasal and crass man. There were elements of the ridiculous in the movie but not nearly as over the top as in the book.
- Sadly Mark never read her diary in the book as he did in the movie and the super cute ending with kiss in snow isn’t there either. They do share a cute ending though.
On another note, Hugh Grant must have a great sense of humor because he’s mentioned in this book for the prostitute thing and Bridget compares Daniel Cleaver to Grant. I busted a gut laughing. It is only funny because he ends up playing Daniel Cleaver in the movie.
Overall, I loved the book. In my opinion it is much better to get this as an audio book versus reading because I didn’t mind at all the cigarette, alcohol units, and calorie counting as I would have in reading it. I also would probably skipped them all after a certain point and missed the subtle humor in it.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Bridget Jones's Diary
Buy on Audible.com: Bridget Jones's Diary
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