79b BOOKLIFE, MARCH 9, 2020
starts acting cagey as soon as the brothers
arrive. It’s going to cost a lot of Cat’s sanity
to keep both the repairs and her relation-
ships on track. Dineen’s characterizations
of her wacky cast make it easy for those new
to the series to jump into the chaos, and
there are enough twists and turns to keep
the pages turning. Readers are sure to laugh
and cringe along with the characters as they
navigate this rom-com’s many mishaps.Spent Identity
Marlene M. Bell. Ewephoric, $14.95 trade
paper (378p) ISBN 978-0-9995394-2-2
Bell’s busy follow-up to Stolen Obsession
finds New York City antiquities appraiser
Annalisse Drury having doubts about her
relationship with the vastly wealthy and
incredibly handsome Alec Zavros, who’s a
veterinarian as well as hands-on owner of a
luxury sports car company. In search of rela-
tionship advice, Annalisse sets off for her
Aunt Kate’s farm near Goshen, N.Y., only
to find Kate in a stew because her son, to
whom she quitclaimed it when she was
broke, has decided to sell the farm, which
Kate was planning on leaving to Annalisse.
Meanwhile, Ethan Fawdray, Kate’s hired
man, reports an unusually pungent smell
coming from the barn. When Annalisse,
Kate, and Ethan investigate, they find a
man’s decomposing body. Shortly there-
after, Kate vanishes. Has she been kid-
napped? How is she connected to the dead
man? The suspenseful search for Kate leads
Annalisse, Alec, and Alec’s PI friend, Bill
Drake, to past crimes as well as current ones.
This mystery is for readers who like their
romances spiced up with Glocks and
danger.Stories I Can’t Show My Mother
Ann Tinkham. Napili, $14.95 trade paper
(236p) ISBN 978-0-99901-571-1
The sex-obsessed protagonists in
Tinkham’s provocative collection (after The
Era of Lanterns and Bells) are marked by
resentment, contempt, and misanthropy.
Stronger offerings include “The Magician,”
which transforms an embittered woman’s
experience with online dating into an
epiphany; and “He Brings Me Flowers,”
which injects some compassion into a love
triangle between a young divorcée, her feck-
less artist lover, and his high-achievingwife. However, a judgmental worldview
pervades Tinkman’s other stories. The
charms of “The Sweetness of Salt”—which
follows Alexis, an MFA grad turned
erotica writer, during her time at a sem-
inar for romance writers, where she hopes
to hone her chops with sessions such as
“Arousing Adjectives”—are undermined
by a sudden mean-spirted rant directed at
the industry members, described as
“smiling suits with halitosis.” In “Direct
Deposit,” a 38-year-old woman’s quest to
conceive a child leads to a farcical
encounter at a sperm bank, but the humor
is undercut by the narrator’s puzzling use
of racial stereotypes. While Tinkham’s
stories often traffic in simplified assump-
tions about how the world works, whether
about romance publishing or fertility
clinics, and feature a pervasive malice
toward perceived faults in men, they leave
open the possibility that her protagonists
get what they deserve. Tinkham’s skill for
staging memorable set pieces would ben-
efit from stronger craft.Taming a Wicked Rake
Tammy Andresen. Swift Romance, $2.99
e-book (125p) ASIN B07SG6FPHG
Andresen’s lively ninth Taming a Duke’s
Heart Regency (after Taming a Defiant
Duke) unites an independent woman and a
reputed womanizer in an unexpected mar-
riage. When Lady Madeline Maddox sends
her essays on the plight of women to Charles
Delaney, editor of the London Standard, his
warm response leads Maddie to believe he
values her opinions, not just her social
standing and reputation as a beauty. The
two strike up a correspondence and she
agrees to meet him in person in a rose
garden during a society ball, but she
encounters rakish Lord Adam Kingsley
instead. Maddie mistakes Adam for Charles
and they share a blistering kiss, which
Charles witnesses. Feeling rebuffed, Charles
exposes Maddie’s transgression, hoping to
ruin her. To save Maddie’s reputation,
Adam proposes marriage. The only catch is
that Adam claims he will never be able to
love her, having witnessed his parents’ hor-
rible marriage. But as the simmering attrac-
tion between them gives way to mutual
respect, he may have to go back on his word.
Though the instant passion and convenientrelationship between Adam and Maddie
seem somewhat rushed, the steady growth
of their feelings is convincing. The strong
leads will appeal to fans of historical
romance.The Truth That Lies Between
W.D. McComb. TreaShore, $27.99 (310p)
ISBN 978-1-7340904-0-6
McComb neatly combines a coming-of-
age story with a whodunit in his promising
debut. In 1985, Mississippi teenager Case
Reynolds and his two best friends, Jack
Masterson and Jet Townsend, decide to
build a secret cabin on the property of the
best friend of Case’s late grandfather. That
venture turns much more serious after Case
discovers a pile of human bones. The
remains are suspected to belong to a local
itinerant known only as the Vagabond, but
when Jet examines them more closely, he
finds clear indications that the person they
belonged to had been shot through the
shoulder blade. The mystery of who was
killed, and by whom, is compounded after
Jack’s stepfather vanishes. And those puz-
zles may connect with questions about the
late Alton Hall, a county sheriff who
resigned after being charged with narcotics
trafficking and embezzlement, and whose
fatal shooting three years earlier was
deemed a hunting accident. McComb
maintains suspense without sacrificing
characterization. Believable portrayals
elevate this above the typical tale of adoles-
cent amateur sleuthing.Nonfiction
Jiffy Body: The 10-Minute System
to Avoid Joint and Muscle Pain
Bart Potter. Blue River Publishing, $20 trade
paper (146p) ISBN 978-1-73398-430-0
Potter, founder of a fitness-training
company, presents a system designed to
eliminate joint and muscle pain in this
positive and uncomplicated look at the
body and how to use it properly. Using
amusing cartoons, Potter explains that
even routine activities such as sitting,
standing, and exercise can lead to muscle
imbalances that can cause pain, stiffness,
and swelling. To combat these symptoms,
Potter outlines a program of different exer-® REVIEWS