Elaine Fox (1)

I picked this book up for two reasons. First, I like time travel books and there aren't many I've read during this time period. Second, it takes place in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which is where I live. I'm glad I did, because it was a very well done book.

When Shelby stumbled across Carter on the battlefield park grounds she couldn't just leave him there. She was especially concerned by his apparent mental confusion about where/when he was, so she took him home with her. She then makes sure he gets medical attention and against her boyfriend's recommendation, brings him back to her house after he's released from the hospital. Though she is a little concerned for herself, there's something about him that makes her want to help him.

Carter doesn't know what happened. One moment he's on the battlefield, wishing he were anywhere else, the next he's in a place both familiar and vastly different. He's grateful for the young woman who has rescued him.

I loved how real all the characters felt to me. Shelby's a kindhearted person who can't stand the idea of leaving Carter alone and confused. I really enjoyed that she's a bookstore owner and has a pretty ordinary life. It's not surprising that she doesn't believe Carter's story of being a Union soldier. I really liked that it didn't stop her from helping him. I also liked the way that she stood up to her obnoxious boyfriend when he got so nasty about Carter staying at her house. I thought that Carter was amazingly calm about what had happened to him. He did get pretty vehement about not going to the hospital, but considering what Civil War hospitals were like, it's not surprising. I loved his curiosity about everything around him.

The romance between Shelby and Carter was a slow growing one as they got to know each other. Shelby saw the differences between Carter and her boyfriend, Rory, and realized that she deserved more than she was getting. She also slowly began to accept that Carter was telling the truth. I loved seeing the way that Carter treated her. He was so sweet, but also very protective. I also liked his sense of honor, that made him hold back because of his marriage. I also liked the similarities that were shown between Rory and Carter's wife Meg, both in their attitudes and their actions. It made the ending even more satisfying.

The time travel itself was really good. The trouble that Shelby had believing it was logical. I enjoyed the gradual growing of her belief, and the final confirmation that really blew her away. Carter's reactions to things like riding in a car were fun to see. His description of the Battle of Fredericksburg was incredibly vivid and moving, as was what he said about the day to day life of a soldier. The investigation they did in trying to find any descendants of Carter's was interesting, especially with what they found out.

The only complaint I have is that I would have liked to see more of what happened after Carter rescued Shelby from the fire. I wanted to see Carter's reaction to what she found out, if they found the jewels, and if Rory had to face consequences for what he did. Oh yeah - the cover is awful, but typical of when the book was published...… (mehr)

Three separate stories deal with a supernatural presence helping grumpy Christmas-avoiders discover the Christmas spirit and find love. Not particularly enjoyable. The first two stories are kisses-only and frankly I found the chaotic scenes of family Christmas to be stressful rather than delightful. I also felt that there was something anti-feminist about requiring successful career women to find their true selves in a family Christmas and an implied stepping off the ladder to go back to small town life.… (mehr)

Opening Sentence: "...Penelope Porter pulled her car up in front of her ex-husbands house..."

I really struggled to get through this book I found the heroine to be so utterly stupid I just wanted to smack her. Penelope Porter decides to woo her despicable ex-husband - she has decided he is not too bad after all, and besides she is ready to have a baby now. It is this yearning for a little bundle which propels her to buy a puppy. A puppy she calls Mr Darcy and her sexy neighbour calls Bonsai. Dylan Mersey is an ex-con - obviously a dangerous man - but a man that Penelope is very attracted to. Soon she has to decide between the two exs - and ex con or an ex husband. Maybe the puppy has made up his own mind.

None of that characters came alive for me, I didn't find any humor, in fact I found it to be dull, dull, dull.… (mehr)

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Dec08

The prim society girl and the ex-con. Talk about the ultimate in bad boy fantasies. “Bedtime for Bonsai” by Elaine Fox gives a different take on the ‘unsuited lovers’ theme in her latest from Avon romance. This book furthers her series of stories about dog owners and how their dogs help them find that special someone.

Penelope still wants a child. This longing for motherhood was a major player in her divorce from her husband. She’s always been the society-type, even though her other dog owner friends aren’t exactly cut from the same mold. Until her divorce, she was content to be taken care of, stay at home, look nice, and support ‘her man’. Now, however, she’s met someone totally different…an ex-con. Her attraction to him is very strong even when his treatment of her leaves her feeling dazed and confused.

Dylan went to prison to save his mother. Oh, he was also guilty of other petty crimes, but when the bust came…it wasn’t for his crimes, it was due to his mother’s drugs. The only good thing to come of it was that his mother got ‘clean’ afterward. Now, with a grant, he is making a fresh start in a new town and opening his pottery business. When the classy lady across the street appears interested, he figures she’s just ‘slumming’. But it quickly becomes clear that she thinks she’s interested in him. However, some old ‘friends’ are trying to blow his fresh start and Dylan is sure the best thing he can do for Penelope is to keep her out of his life.

Fox’s story appealed to me from the moment I read the back cover blurb. It sounded like a funny, light-hearted, and cute story involving an adorable puppy. There were funny, light-hearted, and cute moments in this tale, and the dog, Mr. Darcy or Bonsai depending on who you ask, was indeed adorable and did have a minor part to play in the plot of the book. My beef with the overall story is basically the heroine. I haven’t read any of her other books about Penelope’s dog-owner friends, but I definitely picked up fairly early on that the other books existed. Maybe not having read them was why I felt Penelope was a fairly shallow individual. I kept hoping that my feelings would change and Penelope would ‘grow’ a bit, but that didn’t happen until the last few pages of the book and it was almost an overnight thing. That was just a bit too contrived for me.

Maybe I was expecting too much as I’ve read some of Elaine Fox’s earlier stories and enjoyed them very much. Humor and romance are a great combination, but it is hard to find authors who do them well all the time. I also felt that maybe I was ‘missing’ some information which might have been a result of not reading the earlier books in the series, but was still irritating. Where the story shined, it shone very brightly. But for me, “Bedtime for Bonsai” just didn’t shine quite often enough.… (mehr)