SMUT TY
SUMMER
READING By Stacey Eidson Summer is officially here. The temperature outside is unbearable; people everywhere are stripping down to stay cool; and it’s the time of year when many are looking for a little extra romance in their lives. But for those who may be a little lonely under their sheets, The Spirit is offering the next best thing. Love found between the pages of 10 of the latest and most popular romance novels. Some are sexy. Some are sleazy. Some are terribly passionate. And some are simply terrible. But it all depends on the taste of the reader. So, enjoy this summer’s forbidden fruit, available at a bookstore near you.
“Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas” by James Patterson (Warner Books paperback, 266 pages, $12.95) James Patterson, author of the New York Times bestseller “Kiss the Girls” which was later made into a 1997 motion picture starring Morgan Freeman, has turned his focus from thrilling suspense novels to what is being called the love story of the year by many critics. The leading lady in Patterson’s novel is Katie Wilkinson, a stunning North Carolina farm girl who now lives in Manhattan and is the senior editor of a New York publishing house which specializes in literary novels and poetry. This is where she meets and falls in love with a Boston poet named Matt. For 11 months their relationship is all that she ever dreamed, but one day, Matt suddenly and inexplicably ends their relationship. Katie is devastated because she never questioned Matt’s love and she was actually anticipating a proposal from him soon. Unable to go to work that day, she returns to her apartment to find a package waiting at her doorstep from Matt. Inside is a small, antique looking diary with the words, “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas,” handwritten on the front of it. As she opens the diary, she finds a letter from Matt that reads: “No words or actions could begin to tell you what I’m feeling now. I’m so sorry about what I allowed to happen between us. ... You are perfect, wonderful, beautiful. It’s not you. It’s me. Maybe this diary will explain things better than I ever could. If you have the heart, read it. It’s about my wife and son, and me. I will warn you, though, there will be parts that may be hard for you to read. I never expected to fall in love with you, but I did.” With each page, Patterson allows the reader to take the place of Katie while she learns more about the past life of Matt through the heart-wrenching words of his wife, Suzanne.
“To Trust a Stranger” by Karen Robards (Pocket Books hardback, 341 pages, $25) With a love scene that is three chapters long, “To Trust a Stranger” has every right to be on this sizzling summer reading list. But beyond being an extremely descriptive romance writer, Karen Robards is also an excellent storyteller. With her book set in nearby Charleston, S.C., Robards introduces Julie Carlson, a 29-year-old woman whose husband describes her as coming from meager, “trailer trash” beginnings. Her life starts to change after she is crowned Miss South Carolina at 19 and one year later marries a millionaire named John Sidney Carlson IV. Sid is a local contractor with a shady past. His first wife, Kelly, mysteriously disappeared without a trace along with Sid’s best friend Daniel McQuarry. In the beginning of the book, Robards reveals that Daniel and Kelly were executed 15 years ago by Sid’s goons, but Julie is completely unaware of the murders. Her biggest concern is that, after eight years of marriage, she recently found Viagra pills hidden within Sid’s bottle of vitamins and she hasn’t had sex with Sid for more than eight months. So, one night, as she hears her husband sneak out of the house at midnight, Julie decides to follow Sid, but ends up in a dangerous section of downtown Charleston. Her jaguar is stolen and the only person left to help her is a drag queen named Debbie. Julie soon learns that this quirky, bosomy-blonde drag queen is an undercover private investigator named Mac McQuarry. Mac immediately recognizes Julie as the wife of the man who he believes ruined his career with the Charleston P.D. and is responsible for the disappearance of his brother, Daniel. Mac realizes that, by helping Julie find out if Sid is having an affair, he can get closer to the man he thinks killed Daniel. But little does Mac know that Sid has already hired a hit man to assassinate Julie. Instead of being her private investigator, Mac soon finds it hard to concentrate on anything but keeping Julie safe in his arms.
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