Shirley Jump

Catherine Wyndham is a modern-day woman whose biography could read like the best of personal ads: "Twenty-something, blonde hair, blue-green eyes. Likes long walks on the beach, intimate conversation, and rescuing stray animals. Looking for a Prince Charming to make my life complete. Also happen to turn into a cat after dark." All right, so maybe her ad wouldn't read like everyone else's. Still, she's nothing if not persistent.

Catherine had the fortune of being born into wealthy, royal show more family, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wyndham. She also has the very bad misfortune of tangling with a witch named Hezabeth. When Catherine sets the witch's mistreated cat free, she's repaid by being cursed-in the worst way possible. And, by the way, this all occurred over two hundred years ago.

Shirley Jump has always had the ability to reel me in with the first sentence of each of her books, refusing to release me until I turn the last page. KISSED BY CAT is no different. Ms. Jump takes a story that without the magic would have been just another modern-day romance, and turns it into an out-of-this-world fairy tale.

Catherine Wyndham is a woman cursed. In a style reminiscent of the classical movie Ladyhawke, she is a thoroughly modern woman during the day, and a tree-climbing, dog avoiding, black cat at night. When she's rescued one evening by brown-eyed, animal loving veterinarian Garrett McAllister, she curses the fates that have once again thwarted her quest to live a normal life.

As a woman, though, Dr. McAllister is definitely someone worth getting to know. And as emotions churn, and hearts flutter, Catherine knows that sometime in the very near future she's going to have to tell Garrett exactly why she never seems to be available after sundown. For all these years, she's waited for a man who could break Hezabeth's spell-a man who would love her, as both woman and cat. Could Garrett possibly be that man, or will he go screaming for the men in white coats when he hears her outrageous story?

I loved KISSED BY CAT. The premise is wonderful, the dialogue witty, the emotions strong. Ms. Jump has once again turned a night of reading into a pleasurable experience, and I highly recommend this book to all lovers of magic and romance. show less

A New York chef, Carolyn, temporarily returns home to small town Montana to figure out how to juggle her new responsibility of caring for her niece and a rambunctious dog. Carolyn hadn’t counted on the additional complication of a lingering attraction to Matthew, now a veterinarian, and the high school boyfriend Carolyn left behind for life in the big city.

I liked Carolyn and Matthew together, they’re nice enough, but I didn’t love them together, for me, there wasn’t quite the level show more of sparks flying that I would have preferred. It didn’t help that Matthew, while a good, kind man, doesn’t exhibit much of a personality beyond being good and kind, his story mostly consists of worrying over whether or not Carolyn will stay in town. With Matthew somewhat underdeveloped, it gave him a dime a dozen quality that didn’t have me feeling like it was all that urgent for Carolyn to lock down a relationship with him.

For me, the urgency of the story, the high stakes, were much more present in Carolyn and little Emma’s story. As much as I love romance, I felt like I may have enjoyed this more had it ignored romance in favor of more scenes of Carolyn attempting to reconcile sudden motherhood with a demanding career and learning how to connect with a grieving child when Carolyn doesn’t feel like she’s a particularly maternal person. Those were the moments here that seemed more genuine and emotional than anything the romantic relationship had to offer. I probably would have been more engaged by this one had the focus been on Carolyn trying to give it a go as a single mom in the New York restaurant scene with no guy in the picture. show less

Diana and Mike first appeared in The Sweetheart Bargain. Diana is Olivia's sister, and Mike is Luke's Coast Guard friend. In that book, Mike came to Rescue Bay to visit Luke, and spent much of that time with Diana and her son. There was intense attraction between them, but both of them were looking for different things.

In this book, Diana still has her vet practice, which keeps her busy, and is dealing with her fifteen year old son, Jackson. He's been rude and rebellious and she worries show more about his future. Jackson's father, who has been less than attentive all of Jackson's life, is suddenly asking for custody, something else for Diana to worry about. Having Mike show up in Rescue Bay is a distraction she really doesn't need, but he's one she can't resist.

Mike is a guy who has avoided commitments whenever possible. He tried marriage when he was younger and it didn't work out. When his ex-wife forces Mike to take care of their two daughters, he is completely overwhelmed. He brings the two girls, three year old Ellie and eight year old Jenny, to Rescue Bay, where he has the support of Luke and Olivia. Having a chance to reconnect with Diana is a bonus, but can he get past his commitment issues?

Their relationship was pretty complicated. Mike is attracted to Diana and tries to convince himself that's all it is. His childhood was rough, with an abusive stepfather, and he left home at eighteen to join the Coast Guard. The rules and schedules gave him the feeling of control that he had lacked in his life. His feelings for her grow, but he doesn't believe he has what it takes to have a permanent relationship with anyone. Part of him can't let go of what they have, but part of him tries to keep her at a distance. Diana has her own issues that have her trying to keep Mike at a distance. After years of being a single mom, she is used to depending only on herself. Sharing feelings, fears or dreams isn't something she's been able to do, and she's reluctant to open up to a man who doesn't plan to stay around.

In spite of their individual issues, Mike and Diana were really good for each other. I loved seeing how Diana helped Mike to connect with his girls, showing him how to relax his regimented attitude and go with the flow. He really did love them, but had no idea how to relate to them. At the same time, Mike was able to help Diana out with the animal shelter, and also spend some time with her teenage son. He saw things that she didn't and was able to step in to help Jackson out of some bad choices. In the end, both of them had to face their insecurities and decide if they had what it takes to make a successful life with someone else. I loved seeing how they worked it all out.

The kids were a huge part of the story and showing the issues that faced Mike and Diana. I loved Mike's girls and ached for what they had been going through. At eight years old, Jenny was so cynical, I wanted her just to have the chance to be a little girl. It was so sweet to see her and Mike connect over something as simple as watching Star Trek together. Little Ellie was adorable, once they got past the temper tantrums of the beginning. Diana's son Jackson was floundering and he didn't have any idea how to stop. It was hard to see him so angry at his mom. I felt really bad for him when his dream time with his dad didn't work out the way he expected. I loved how Mike and Diana worked everything out.

The grandmothers were pretty amusing throughout, especially Greta. It's funny to see how she thinks she's so subtle, but everyone knows what she's doing. I loved her interactions with Henry and how worked up she gets. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with them in the next book. show less

Title: The Bride Wore Chocolate
Author: Shirley Jump
Publisher: Zebra
Series: Recipes With Romance #1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"The Bride Wore Chocolate" by Shirley Jump was a delightful fun contemporary romance. This author really made the read very interesting with after each chapter we were given delectable recipes that were served up with a lots of chocolate.

We find that the heroine had vowed to live life by the book, never to throw caution to the wind as she had once. Now show more Candace (Candy) was living life where it was safe, therefore picking out a very boring fiancee by the name of Barry Borkenstein. However, a Michael Vogler (hero) comes into the picture showing Candy that she should trust her heart and take that leap of faith with him. Will Candace be willing to take the plunge after her wacky grandmother, mother, and her girl friends (Rebecca & Maria) know that she was unhappy with her present decision? This is where I say you must pick up "The Bride Wore Chocolate" to see what and how of it all will turn out for Candace.

Be ready to laugh out loud because the author will definitely have you doing just that, along with the wonderful recipes that used lots of chocolate, a funny grandmother, marrying mom, good friends, and some hot sex along the way in this good novel.

The characters were off the chart good being well developed, portrayed, colorful, and most were even
likable all making this a good romantic read. This was definitely one of those read that once you
started reading it was hard to stop until it was finished and I would recommend "The Bride Wore Chocolate" as a good read show less