Two quick romance reviews

Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

I am a complete Sarah Morgan fangirl, but this one, oh it tested me. It's a friends to lovers story, which I love, and for the vast majority of the book I was all in.  Jake had some commitment issues, but he was willing to admit (to himself) that this relationship was a good thing. He wanted it out in the open even. He just didn't want love. Well anyone who has ever read a romance knows what's gonna happen, right?  Even that was fine, because of course that was the point, but immediately after the big showdown there is this scene that is so absolutely mortifying (to them, and moreso to ME) that I put the book aside. For weeks. I just could. not. imagine. seeing how that was gonna play out. Then my NetGalley Guilt (TM) got the best of me and I picked it back up, and shockingly, it was just fine. Because of course it was.  I have the next one in the series locked and loaded on my Kindle, and as soon as I have a quiet moment we're on.

Hold Your Breath by Katie Ruggle

Now this one I LOVED. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. In fact, as soon as I finished I ran right to my NetGalley account to see if I couldn't pick up the next book, only to discover that I had missed out on book 2, but could still grab book 3.   Lou is a bit annoying at first, but she settles down a bit as the book progresses, and I loved her interactions with Callum.  Cal is s take charge, alpha leader, but isn't overly loud or obnoxious about it, as heroes can often be. I loved seeing them fall for each other, and thought the ultimate resolution to this book was excellent. However, there is an overarching story line involving the dead body that isn't cleared up and is obviously going to be the thread that ties the series together, so if you're interested, know that there is a completely unresolved plot point.

The Dead Play On by Heather Graham

The Dead Play On is my first Heather Graham. I've always meant to try her, as my mom always loved her books, back when she wrote historical. I never got around to it (you know how that is, right?) until Katherine mentioned this one in one of her posts. I decided that my love of books set in New Orleans and my desire to try something new (new author, new genre- romantic suspense) was good enough reason.

Here's the summary.

Play a song for me… 

Musicians are being murdered in New Orleans. But Arnie Watson apparently died by his own hand. When Tyler Anderson plays the saxophone he inherited from Arnie, a soldier and musician who died soon after his return, he believes he sees visions of his friend's life—and death. He becomes convinced Arnie was murdered and that the instrument had something to do with whatever happened, and with whatever's happening all over the city… 

Tyler knows his theory sounds crazy to the police, so he approaches Danni Cafferty, hoping she and Michael Quinn will find out what the cops couldn't. Or wouldn't. After all, Cafferty and Quinn have become famous for solving unusual crimes. 

They're partners in their personal lives, too. Quinn's a private investigator and Danni works with him. When they look into the case, they discover a secret lover of Arnie's and a history of jealousies and old hatreds that leads them back to the band Arnie once played with—and Tyler plays with now. 

They discover that sometimes, for some people, the line between passion and obsession is hard to draw. Only in uncovering the truth can they hope to save others—and themselves—from the deadly hands of a killer.

So was it worth the wait? Well, yes and no. While I very much enjoyed the plot, I have to say the writing did very little for me and I knew who-done-it well before 50%. Let's start with the writing. Graham is one of those writers (I say, based on my sample of one) who writes a sentence for every single action. He said. She said. She turned. He sat.  Longer sentences, but it was kind of like reading a play, and I hate to read plays.  Then, there are about 642 characters. I understand this, we have to hide the killer's identity as long as possible, but when all of them are doing step by step things, it gets tiring.

I also did not find the romance to be very believable. I liked Quinn and Danni well enough individually, but I didn't see any heat between them, despite their amazing ability to have sex on zero hours sleep. Every time they stepped into the bedroom one of them made an incredibly lame come on and suddenly all tiredness and stress was forgotten. I'd like to believe that I missed something by not starting at the beginning of the series, but their relationship should only be getting stronger.

I also wished there was a bit more of the paranormal aspect that is hinted at all the way through the book, but in reality, there was absolutely nothing paranormal about it at all. And there were so many loose ends- the cafe owner? Sharon? All that said, I did very much enjoy the New Orleans/ Bourbon Street setting and really wish I liked it enough to go back for more.