Meg Mims

The title of this book makes me think of gambling, and I guess there are a few times it happens, but there is also Ace Diamond, and with that name it also brings up card games, etc.
The story takes place in 1869 California, and the author paints wonderful mind pictures of the area. Hilly San Francisco, and the poor horses going up those steep hills.
We catch up with Lily Granville, a young woman with a lot of tragedy and heartache in her past. She is now living under her Uncles thumb, but she also has a rebellious streak. Her Uncle is really unhappy with some of her choices.
Now this is the second book in this series, but you can read them separately, but don't miss the first one. This one is full of action from beginning to end. Lily has such a tender heart, and want to help with injustices.
On her wedding night, in their room, the police barge in...um, think I might have had a heart attack. Be ready for a few murders, wheeler dealers, and when you have the answers, beware! You probably don't!

I received this book through First Wild Card Publicity Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.… (més)

Reviewed by: JoAnne
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

This was a cute novella that was a sweet contemporary romance but needed better closure. There was an anticipated happily ever after but it left me wanting more. There were so many loose ends that it made the storyline choppy – the state of Jennette’s parents marriage, what Tiffany was really up to, the future co-op gallery and Adam’s threats. This easily could have been a novel or at the least I would love to read another novella with these characters in it (hint, hint).

It was fun to watch the friendship grow between Jenn and Steve. Steve was a really good guy – there for his father and also wanting to be there for Jenn. They each seemed to be what the other was looking for in their life without realizing it. I loved the touch of the flower deliveries and that the key woven throughout was the center of the story.

I had read Double Crossing by Mims that was an historical romance and a full length novel and enjoyed it. I hope the author returns to writing that format instead of novellas in the future unless she can give better closure when doing so.

Favorite Quote: Jennette considered Steve Harmon. What was he like? Barb was right, she didn’t know. That didn’t mean she cared. Or did she? What guy had ever called to make sure she got home, or sent a package at the tail end of a huge storm? That still floored her. Maybe Steve Harmon wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe he was a nice guy. A decent, trustworthy, honest guy.… (més)

My first disappointment of the year, Double Crossing by Meg Mims simply did not measure up to what I hoped for. This is a 2012 Spur Award winner for Best First Novel, and I was expecting a much better book than I got. The story was predictable, the characters one dimensional, and to make matters even worse, there is obviously meant to be a sequel as the storyline was pretty much left hanging.

The plot sounds like it might have come from an old 1950’s TV western involving as it does the missing deed to a gold mine, a young, headstrong heiress torn between a earnest young missionary and a wild Texan cowboy. The action takes place mostly on trains as the various characters travel west from Chicago to Sacramento. There were a few characters that were introduced along the way that I am sure will be appearing in future books.

That this book is a Spur Award winner led me to believe I was going to be reading a well written, intriguing story but what I read was more of a light romance with Christian overtures that happened to take place in the 1870’s. I could have accepted that much more graciously if the writing had shown more promise. Instead I can definitely state that I will not be following along with this series.… (més)