Engagement and Espionage

de Penny Reid (2020)

Résumé : Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil . . . and now they’re engaged !
But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most "fowl" need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancé. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.
Sabotage!
Will an undercover mission unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked ?


Si vous faites partie de celles qui ont besoin d'une dose supplémentaire de Cletus Winston dans leur vie, ce livre est fait pour vous : c'est un mixte entre le cosy mystery et la romance, dans la suite direct du tome de Cletus et Jennifer (Beard Science), il vaut mieux l'avoir lu avant de vous plonger dans celui-là, sinon beaucoup de choses vont vous échapper.

Branle-bas de combat à Green Valley après que des poules d'un éleveur soient sauvagement assassinées. Ce sont leurs oeufs que Jennifer utilise pour ses pâtisserie, très vite d'autres de ses producteurs fétiches vont avoir des déconvenues et cela devient vite un drame pour son activité (en plus de celle des producteurs hein ne l'oublions pas xD). Alors que le chérif et ses adjoints doivent se concerntrés sur des affaires impliquant biker, Cletus et Jennifer décident de tout faire pour résoudre le mystère qui leur tombe dessus et qui en est responsable... Très vite plusieurs personnes sont suspectées, restent à Cletus et Jenn a rassembler les preuves discrètement.

Outre cette affaire à élucider, ce roman nous offre une vraie suite de Beard Science, en nous montrant Jenn et Cletus dans les premiers temps de leur relations, avec tous les nouveaux challenges que cela représente pour chacun d'eux. Malgré l'ambiance légère et un peu loufoque du roman, il y a quand même de sérieuses étapes de couple qu'ils vont devoir passer ensemble, des discussions importantes et, comme son nom l'indique, des engagements à prendre !

Ce roman montre aussi comment la relation entre Jennifer et sa mère évolue. On a pu avoir des infos furtives dans les tomes des Winston, ici on approfondi les choses. Penny Reid nous donne aussi quelques scènes entre frères qui sont toujours adorables (Billy, soupirs...).

If you are one of those who needs an extra dose of Cletus Winston in their life, this book is for you : it's a mix between cozy mystery and romance, it directly follows Cletus and Jennifer's book ( Beard Science ), you better read it before you dive into this one, otherwise you might not understand some things.

Uproar in Green Valley after a breeder's hens are brutally murdered. It's their eggs that Jennifer uses for her pastry, very quickly other of her favorite producers will have troubles and it quickly becomes a tragedy for her activity (in addition to that of the producers let's not forget xD). While the sheriff and his assistants must work on matters involving biker, Cletus and Jennifer decide to do everything to solve the mystery that falls on them and find the culprit... Very quickly several people are suspected, Cletus and Jenn must discreetly gather the evidence.

In addition to this mystery to be elucidated, this novel offers us a real sequel to Beard Science, showing us Jenn and Cletus in the early stages of their relationship, with all the new challenges that this represents for each of them. Despite the light and a little wacky atmosphere of the novel, there are still some serious couple stages that they will have to go through together, important discussions and, as the name suggests, engagement to make !

This novel also shows how the relationship between Jennifer and her mother evolves. We were able to get some sneaky info in the Winston tomes, here we dig deeper. Penny Reid also gives us some scenes between the brothers who are always adorable (Billy, sighs...).

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Love in Deed

de L.B. Dunbar (2020) Smartypants Romances

Résumé : Sometimes it takes an outsider to force us to see who we are. The real struggle is accepting what we learn.

For Beverly Townsen, nothing could be closer to the truth. Virtually a shut-in, Beverly has pulled back from Green Valley’s community, preferring the isolation of her farmhouse and her daily routine of viewing home improvement television shows. When the opportunity arises for her own home improvement and a personal re-assessment, she’s not so excited about the reality of real life versus DIY programs.

Jedd Flemming understands physical pain and personal loss, but it’s never stopped him from bucking forward in life. A former military man and rodeo star, his life as a nomad comes to an end with false accusations and a family matter back in the Valley. It’s been a long journey to find his way home and once there, there’s nothing he wants more than to reclaim what he’s lost…and maybe the elusive female reclusive who holds a sliver of his past.

With an unprecedented proposition, Beverly finds a stranger living in her barn, raising horses on borrowed pastures, and plowing his way into her vacant heart. Old hurts linger, but sometimes love in deed is louder than words.


Même si cette romance a de très bons atouts : des héros ayant +40 ans, des histoires de vie bien compliquées, une complicité qui s'acquière à un bon rythme, un pitch intéressant... C'était pas le coup de coeur, et j'ai eu un peu de mal avec le trop plein de drames et de dramaturgie.

Disons que je n'ai rien contre lire des histoires sur des gens qui ont souffert d'une façon ou une autre, mais quand ça cumule trop ça donne un peu l'impression de tragédie grecque... et du coup le roman est majoritairement dépressif, assez chargé émotionnellement, et même avec un happy end on est soulagé de le finir.

Bon, tout ça ne veut pas dire que la romance est pas bien hein ^^ . L'histoire entre Beverly et Jedd est touchante, ils sont comme deux animaux sauvages qui s'apprivoisent l'un l'autre. Jedd réveille la Beverly qui s'était enfouie tellement profondément qu'elle-même ne savait plus qu'elle existait.

Par une connexion bizarre du cerveau, je me suis imaginé James Hetfield en Jedd, le chanteur de Metallica, je sais pas, le côté bourrin sans être méchant xD bref...

Even if this romance has very good assets: heroes over 40 years old, very complicated life stories, a bond that grew at a good pace, an interesting pitch... It was not my favorite, and I had a little trouble with the overflow of drama and dramatics.

I have nothing against reading stories about people who have suffered in one way or another, but when it accumulates too much it gives a little the impression of a Greek tragedy... as a result the novel is mainly depressive, quite emotionally charged, and even with a happy ending you are relieved to finish it.

Well, all that doesn't mean that the romance is not good ^^. The story between Beverly and Jedd is touching, they are like two wild animals that tame each other. Jedd awakens the Beverly who had buried herself so deeply that she herself no longer knew that she existed.

By a bizarre connection of the brain, I imagined James Hetfield as Jedd, the singer of Metallica, I don't know, the naughty side without being mean xD anyway...

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Upsy Daisy

de Chelsie Edwards (2020) - Smartypants Romance

Résumé : College, cookies, capers, Oh my! Daisy Payton has everything. Exceptional grades. Impeccable clothes. Model family.

But perfection comes at a high cost, and Daisy is wilting. Determined to use college as her chance to bloom anew, she’s focused on only one thing, leaving the Payton name behind and forging her own path—even if she has to tell the teeniest of fibs to do it.

Trevor Boone has nothing. Abandoned as a child. Raised by distant relatives. Constantly reminded he’s a burden.

Trevor’s lived at the edges of opulence for years, having all he’s ever desired dangled just out of reach. But his ambition is finally about to pay off and nothing will distract him from his goal—finishing college top of his class and starting life, on his own terms.

When Daisy and Trevor meet it’s clear from the start that they’ll tempt each other to distraction, can they learn to put their ambitions aside and fall or will they lose it al l?


J'ai eu un peu de mal à rentrer dans l'histoire, j'ai eu l'impression que ça traînait un peu en longueur sur les introductions de chacun des héros et le début de leurs interactions. A un moment donné l'intrigue est lancée et la lecture avance plus vite. Petit point d'adaptation aussi sur le contexte historique que je ne connaissais pas du tout : le Tennessee, en 1975, l'université Fisk qui a joué un rôle dans l'éducation afro-américaine aux USA (enfin c'est ce qui est écrit sur leur site, j'ai aucune idée du degré d'implication historique...).

Ca va paraître bizarre, mais Daisy et Trevor c'est pas the couple qui fait couiner et qui envoie des arc-en-ciel et des coeurs dans tous les sens. Ils passent quand même la plupart du temps séparés, et leur scènes ensemble sont pas hyper nombreuses, ensuite on un énorme quiproquo qui auraient pu être résolu si les deux savaient se parler... Cette histoire est sauvée grâce aux personnages secondaires qui prennent une place très importante, c'est plus pour eux que j'ai aimé ce roman que pour le couple principal !

Il y a Dolly, la soeur ainée de Daisy qui est absolument magnifique. Les deux soeurs n'ont pas beaucoup de moments entre elles, mais il y a une scène dramatique très forte et Dolly est juste wouahou... James et Odie les deux amies de Daisy ont besoin d'avoir leur roman à elles, on ne peut pas introduire deux nanas comme ça et les laissez dans la nature sans leur happy ends xD. Julian et Elodie, les deux meilleurs amis de Trevor, méritent aussi qu'on s'intéresse à eux ;)

Daisy et Trevor sont tellement rongés par leur secret respectif, qu'ils ne se donnent même pas une chance, et forcément chacune de leur charade va exploser à leur tête et c'est le drame : chacun accuse l'autre de ne pas lui avoir fait confiance, et têtus comme ils sont, ils vont perdre du temps à se faire la tête... Ils ont chacun des histoires de vies compliquées, ils viennent de milieux différents mais ils ont eu des blessures qu'ils vont devoir dépasser.

Ce roman est intéressant sur la vie estudiantine afro-américaine des années 70 (même si le fonctionnement des universités américaines m'a toujours échappée xD) : la rentrée, les soirées, les dortoirs, le prix des livres O_o, le tutorat, le réfectoire, les commissions disciplinaires... Même si Chelsie Edwards dit (en note) qu'elle a prix des libertés pour simplifier les choses, son roman est très bien documenté et elle est arrivée à créé une vie quotidienne sur les campus très palpable.

I had a little trouble getting into the story, I had the impression that it dragged on a bit for between the introductions of each main characters and the start of their interactions. At some point the intrigue is launched and the reading goes faster. Small adaptation also on the historical context that I didn't know at all : Tennessee, 1975, Fisk University which played a role in African-American education in the USA (well that's what is written on their website, I have no idea of ​​the degree of historical involvement...).

It might sound weird, but Daisy and Trevor are not the couple that makes you swoon and throws rainbows and hearts in every directions. They spend most of the time separated from one another, and their scenes together are not very few, then there is a huge misunderstanding that could have been resolved if the two knew how to communicate... This story is saved thanks to the secondary characters who take a very important place, it's for them that I liked this novel more than for the main couple !

There is Dolly, Daisy's older sister who is absolutely outstanding. The two sisters do not have a lot of moments together, but there is a very strong dramatic scene and Dolly is just WOW... James and Odie, the two girlfriends of Daisy need to have their own novel, we can't introduce two girls like that and leave them in the wild without their happy endings xD. Julian and Elodie, Trevor's two best friends, also deserve to be developped in a book ;)

Daisy and Trevor are so consumed by their respective secrets, that they do not even give themselves a chance, and inevitably each of their charade will explode in their face and it is the end of their world : each accuses the other of not trusting, and as stubborn as they are, they will waste time being in a mood with each other... They each have complicated life stories, they come from different backgrounds but they have had trauma that they will have to overcome.

This novel is interesting on the African-American student life of the 70s (even if the functioning of American universities has always eluded me xD) : back to school, evenings parties, dormitories, the price of books O_o, tutoring, the refectory, disciplinary commissions... Even if Chelsie Edwards says (in a note) that she has taken liberties to simplify things, her novel is very well documented and she has managed to create a very tangible campus life.


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