Outside of a Dog: Kate Nepveu's Book Log

Suzanne Enoch's contemporary caper/romance series had a stealth entry with Twice the Temptation, which is basically her Remember When: two novellas linked by diamonds, one in each of the author's principal genres. The first, "A Diamond or Forever," is a Regency romance featuring Rick Addison's ancestors which gave the book its cover (hence the stealth nature). I enjoyed this perfectly well, but didn't find it notable enough to motivate me to read Enoch's other Regencies. The other novella, "Diamonds Are Not A Girl's Best Friend," is the contemporary tale featuring Rick and Samantha Jellicoe. Perhaps because I was a bit under the weather when I read it a while ago, it made me cranky: I didn't approve of the way the ongoing power and trust struggles played out.

The fourth novel in the series, A Touch of Minx, is a lot better (even if its title has nothing to do with anything). Samantha is juggling two retrieval jobs, a set of valuable stolen museum goods and an anatomical classroom model (as a favor to an honorary niece), which amused me inordinately. Plus, in her personal life, Rick is getting impatient with her ongoing commitment issues.

I liked the actual plot in this one, and the continuing development of secondary characters. I still skip the sex scenes (not only are they repetitive, but I am jarred by Enoch's word choices), but otherwise this was good winter-afternoon reading.