White Offerings by Ann Roberts

Publisher:                 Bella Books


Ari Adams promised her girlfriend, Detective Molly Nelson, that she wouldn't get involved with any more mysteries. After all, the first one nearly cost her life. When white orchids start arriving for her best friend, Jane Frank, though, Ari can't help but be curious and concerned. Jane is happily sleeping her way through most of the lesbians in Phoenix and insists she hasn't created an enemy in the bunch, but both women become worried as the messages with the flowers become more threatening. 

Jane hires private detective Elizabeth "Biz" Stone to find out what is going on, but it's Ari who is disturbed to feel an attraction to the woman. Ari is sure she loves Molly, but Molly isn't being very communicative about her feelings. As Ari battles with these feelings and the messages become more disturbing, an orchid arrives for Ari. Who is doing this? What are the intentions for Jane, and how much danger is Ari in for being her friend? Worse yet, with so many suspects, including some close to them, who can the women trust?

White Offerings is the sequel to Roberts' previous book Paid in Full. It's a simple mystery with plenty of suspects thrown in to keep the reader guessing. The characters of Ari and Jane are well developed because they interact so much in the book and take up the majority of the story. 

Molly and "Biz" could have used some more attention, especially Molly. Her reluctance to commit to Ari isn't really explained and it's a tad curious that, while the woman she claims to love is threatened, she's more interested in a case she's working on with the FBI. The relationship between Ari and Molly is juxtaposed next to Jane's profligate behavior as a contrasting picture of how people live their lives, though what they see in each other is sometimes unclear.

While the mystery is intriguing, it's difficult to develop any feeling for the characters. Ari is the most appealing, while Jane is somewhat humorous, although the reader may come to feel that she deserves the stalker she's acquired through her behavior. Molly is more involved when she's working her case than she is with Ari, and "Biz" doesn't do that much to solve the question of who is sending the flowers. The ending is rather abrupt and there is a set up in the final scene for what is obviously a third book in the series.

Roberts knows how to write a story and White Offerings is entertaining.  It's not her best book though, so give her others a chance.

Keeping Up Appearances by Ann Roberts

Publisher:               Bella Books

Keeping Up Appearances is about people who struggle.  Set in a middle school, the reader is taken on an exploration of the difficulties faced by lesbian teachers, the battles that revolve around special education students and the unhappiness of a child who tries to relieve her pain by cutting herself.

Faye Burton is the principal of Cedar Hills Elementary, but that may not last for long.  There is a rumor that the new school superintendent is going to try to fire her because she's a lesbian.  Faye isn't "out" at school because that alone would be grounds for firing her, but everyone seems to "know."  It totally complicates the relationship Faye begins with the new special education director Andrea Loomis because Andi is totally closeted and doesn't "look the part."  Where Faye is about ready to reveal herself and take the consequences, Andi isn't.  Their lives are further complicated because of Constance Richardson and her autistic nephew AJ.  The school can no longer meet AJ's needs and he is becoming disruptive to the program.  Constance is a high powered lawyer however and she's determined he is going to stay at Cedar Hills where she feels he will get the best education.  If that means using a private detective to gather information on Faye and Andi to blackmail them into what she wants, then she'll do it.  AJ's one real friend is Pandy Webber.  She understands struggling with life since she was abandoned by her neglectful mother and lives with her grandfather.  Working with AJ helps ease her depression and gives her a sense of purpose.

The interactions between the characters send several messages.  Sometimes in schools and life decisions are made not in the best interests of the people involved, but because they are politically expedient.  People can get so caught up in their own interests and concerns that they fail to see or understand what other people are coping with.  People with good intentions can often disagree on a course of action because of their own perspectives or because they fail to comprehend another person's motivations.  Prejudice comes in many forms, whether racial, sexual, economic or involving those with special needs.  Finally, the life that evolves in a school is extremely complex in its relationships and subtleness.  Anyone who thinks there are easy solutions to any of these situations has failed to grasp what is going on.

Ann Roberts has created a book that could be dismissed as a romance that takes place in a school, but there is a lot more going on in this story.  She blends the stories together in a seamless manner.  Someone might read this and only see the plot lines while missing the connections between them.  That would be a shame.  There is a lot to think about in this book and it deserves more attention than to just be considered another romance.

Beach Town by Ann Roberts

Publisher:               Bella Books


Beach Town spans fifteen years in the lives of two women. Kira Drake is a rising star in Hollywood. She knows that an actress only has a certain number of years while she can enjoy real box office success and she's determined to stay there as long as she can. Her dedication to her career puts her at the mercy of her manager and her ruthless mother, either of whom is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Kira at the top so that they can benefit from her popularity. Things threaten to derail when Kira goes to Ocean Beach to film a movie and meets Flynn McFadden. 

Flynn is the local surfing phenomena and a veterinary student. The McFadden family is at the heart of the community and Flynn has never known anything but total acceptance for her "out" lifestyle. There is an instant attraction between Kira and Flynn that makes Kira daring and reckless. When her career is threatened by tabloid stories, her manager shows up to wrench the women apart and Kira lets him do it. 

The story then leaps forward to when both women have moved on with their very different lives. When a surprising turn of events brings Kira back to Ocean Beach, she has to face Flynn and deal with what she did to both of them. An attraction is still there, but the obstacles are huge. Kira still has a successful career that she may lose and Flynn isn't sure if she wants to expose herself to the kind of pain that Kira inflicted before. The people of Ocean Beach rally to protect Flynn while they watch to see if the women can resolve the situation in a way that will make both of them happy.

Beach Town takes an interesting approach to a standard story. The women meet, fall madly in love and, if it were the usual romance, would overcome all the odds, but they don't. The separation allows each one to develop as she thought she wanted to, and when they come back together, the reader knows that it isn't a given that the situation will end happily. The characters stay true to who they are. Kira may be in love, but she wants her career more than anything and that made it possible for her to be selfish and cruel when she was younger. Flynn grows the most of the two characters, but she maintains that wild spirit encased in responsibility that draws people to her. 

The interesting part of the book is the second half when it's obvious that the attraction is still there, but life has taught both women that love isn't everything. More important at that point is being able to trust and rely on the other person and the women may not have enough of either trait to be able to let their love reassert itself.
Roberts has created a pleasant romance. The reader can easily feel Kira's desperation and Flynn's pain. There is also humor in the story and a good cast of supporting characters. Beach Town is good entertainment.