Keepers of the Cave by Gerri Hill

Publisher:                   Bella Books

Sometimes an author steps out of the box and writes a book that is different from her others.  This can be stimulating to creativity, but fans of the author may not appreciate what she does.  They’ve come to expect a certain type of book and they find something else disconcerting.  Gerri Hill did not follow her usual formula for Keepers of the Cave and there have been readers who have panned the book for that reason.  Different isn’t always bad though.  Give it a chance before passing judgment.

When a senator’s daughter disappears near Hoganville, Texas, FBI agents CJ Johnston and Paige Riley are assigned to go undercover to see if there is any connection between that case and others going back over fifty years.  CJ and Paige go to work at a correctional school near the town on what appears at first to be a useless mission.  It takes on a new dimension when they realize that the people in the town are just plain creepy.  They appear to be dominated in a cultish manner by the matriarch of the town, Mother Hogan, who is determined to block whatever the agents are trying to do.  As they poke around and make friends with a townswoman who teaches at the school, two things develop.   A sense of foreboding develops about the case and the women have to deal with a growing attraction between them.  Eventually they find themselves in a death race against an element that is the key to everything.

This may be one of the best books Gerri Hill has written.  It tells a fully comprehendible, if bizarre, story while making the readers think at the same time. The characters are fully drawn and complex.  The secondary characters are the ones that provide the real meat of the book.  Mother Hogan, as despicable as she is, is also fascinating as a study in extremism and of someone who will do whatever is necessary to achieve her ends.  The complete obedience shown to her by the rest of the town sets the unique atmosphere of the book.  CJ and Paige provide the romance in the book and the introduction to Hoganville, but they are pretty standard characters.  They are obviously there to satisfy Hill’s romance readers.  It’s the rest of the book that is an unusual type of story for Hill, which is probably why some of her usual readers have reacted poorly to it.

The writing in Keepers of the Cave is tight and well-paced.  There is a supernatural aspect to the story that could be expanded or at least better explained, but this is a page turner.  The story stays interesting from beginning to end and a reader can’t ask for much better than that.  If you’re looking for a regular Gerri Hill romance, this isn’t it.  Hill may be trying her hand at something new.  If that’s true, she should be encouraged.  Any writer should be applauded for expanding her abilities, especially if she does a good job of it.  In this case, Hill did.

Give Keepers of the Cave a chance.  If you approach it knowing what to expect, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

The Target by Gerri Hill

Publisher:                Bella Books


Gerri Hill has already proven herself to be an accomplished and popular author with several books published; however The Target may rank as one of her best. She has written a terrific adventure story, full of suspense, intrigue and a romance, that will probably have you reading the book in one sitting, an assumption based on personal experience.

Detective Jaime Hutchinson is designated by her police department to protect a woman who doesn't think she needs protecting. Sara Michaels is the owner of a self-help clinic for women and the daughter of a senator who has received death threats since announcing his candidacy for the Presidency. Sara is sure the threats can't be aimed at her since she hasn't talked to her ultraconservative father in years, so she intends to take her latest class of women on the traditional culminating activity of their therapy, a two week hiking trek in the wilderness. Jaime manages to infiltrate the group undercover and finds herself in the company of a delightful group of women, including the somewhat uptight Sara.

As the trip progresses Jaime finds she is really enjoying the experience and also begins to believe that the threats were unfounded, until someone starts shooting at them. Then a race ensues. No one knows where they are, and most of these women have never spent any time in the wild. They need to reach safety in a hurry, but they have limited skills. The trip was intended to show the women that they could be more self-reliant, and life has dealt them the ultimate test of their skills. And, if they reach safety, then the problem facing Jaime will be to figure out who is trying to kill Sara and how it might be connected to her father's political aspirations.

There are numerous positive aspects to this book. The interaction of the characters is superb. The women in the therapy group add a special dimension. They provide a good lesson in how people can restart their lives no matter what has happened to them previously, and their interactions with Jaime provide more than one humorous scene. Jaime and Sara have precisely the correct amount of tension between them, and although a romance does develop, the focus of the story is on their determination to save the women in this group from a tragedy they had no part in creating. 

The frightening part about the book is that what happens to the women and the reason behind it are plausible. The women in the group could be better defined in their characteristics and histories, and the climax of the story is perhaps a little predictable and rushed, but neither one of those detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book.

A number of writers have shown up lately who appear to be trying to build really good stories that, oh, yes, happen to have romance involved, but the romance doesn't drive the story. The goal appears to be to prove that a story can be full of adventure, suspense, or mystery and the starring characters just happen to be lesbians, but they could be anyone. Gerri Hill has now joined that group with The Target. It's a good addition.

The Scorpion by Gerri Hill

Publisher:             Bella Books

Some of Gerri Hill's recent novels haven't been as strong as her earlier ones, but that changes with The Scorpion.  Hill has produced one of the strongest books of her career.

Marty Edwards is an investigative reporter who has found her forte in cold case crimes.  She enjoys reopening cases, discovering new information and bringing closure to the families.  When she is asked to look at a ten year old murder in Brownsville, Texas, it seems to be a routine situation.  Kristen Bailey has been a police detective in Brownsville for two years, but she hasn't been accepted by the force.  When she is assigned to babysit the evidence Marty wants to look at, she thinks it's just another example of the department not letting her do the work she's capable of.  She can't understand why her lieutenant is so paranoid about Marty looking into the case, but her curiosity is roused when someone tries to kill Marty twice.  Marty has uncovered the existence of The Scorpion, someone who not only controls the crime in the city, but the police force.  When a third murder attempt is aimed at both of them, the women flee along the Gulf Coast.  The only way they can save themselves is to go back where they started and solve the crime, but they have no idea who they can trust.  It certainly isn't the police.

The best part of The Scorpion is that Hill works the plot so expertly the reader won't know who the kingpin is until the end.  Up to that point there is tension and excitement.  The book is fast paced, so the reading moves quickly.  The awakening that comes between Marty and Bailey is a strong part of the book, but it doesn't overshadow the mystery, as happens in so many novels.  While the reader will care about them, the more intriguing question is who the Scorpion is and how he became so powerful.

Gerri Hill has crafted an intriguing crime drama with a touch of romance.  It can be a good way to spend a couple of hours of entertaining reading.

The Rainbow Cedar by Gerri Hill

Publisher:               Bella Books


Jay Burns has known for a long time that her relationship with her partner Katherine is in trouble. Katherine is so focused on making partner in her law firm that she's seldom home and they're very disconnected when she is. Jay is convinced that she shouldn't throw away eight years, so she buries herself in developing her new interior design business and avoiding confrontation. That becomes more difficult when she meets landscape designer Drew Montgomery. Jay tries to tell herself that their growing friendship is because of their mutual interests, but that delusion doesn't hold up long. The situation is further complicated when Katherine arranges a strange trip to Hawaii for them with a lawyer from her firm and the lawyer's "date" – Drew.

When Katherine and the lawyer are more interested in running off together, Jay begins to suspect that work is not all that has kept her lover away from home. As one relationship unravels, another one strengthens, until Jay finds herself in the confrontation she had hoped to avoid, but no longer fears. There is another life with Drew if they can put all of the pieces back together. 
 
This is a standard Gerri Hill romance. The story is well told and most of the characters are appealing. The reader may wonder why Jay puts up with a minimal relationship for so long, but many people get caught in a status quo situation that they don't change until something dramatic happens. The really appealing character in the book is Drew, who could easily take advantage of a situation, but holds herself to a higher standard. She provides a stark contrast to Katherine. 

At the heart of the story is a theme that often isn't popular, infidelity, by both Katherine and ultimately Jay. Jay's choice is softened by the knowledge of what Katherine has been doing, but she still cheats, with a classic reaction from Katherine. The reader will probably be able to work her way around Jay's indiscretion because of Katherine's behavior.

The Rainbow Cedar is a good vacation or weekend reading book. The story will be a good way to spend a few hours seeing how these women work out their situation.

The Cottage by Gerri Hill

Publisher:           Bella Books


Most likely, The Cottage will have you weeping by the end of the book. Whether it's from joy or despair will depend on your personal experiences.

Jill and Carrie have a lot in common. Both are married, have teenage children and love the local park. Both of their marriages also have been in trouble for a long time before they meet. Jill likes to spend her lunch hour eating in the park, watching the people and enjoying being totally alone. One day she notices Carrie sketching and finds that she is compelled to go see what she is doing. That begins a relationship that barely lasts a year, yet changes their lives tremendously. The women feel an instant connection, as if they have always known each other, though they have never met. They think alike, they feel alike, they love alike and they soon realize that they love each other. These are mature women however who understand that they have obligations to their families that complicate everything. Despite the fact that both of their husbands basically ignore them and their children are living independent lives, Jill and Carrie hesitate to cause disruptions in everyone's lives. Ultimately, they come to realize that no one can be happy around them if they are personally unhappy and it's clear what needs to be done. But what if the decision is made too late?

This is not a typical Gerri Hill novel, nor for that matter a typical lesbian romance. Anyone who is using fiction as an escape mechanism from the real world won't find that here. What the reader will find is a well-crafted exploration of two women who discover things about themselves. The story is told from Jill's perspective, so you get a good sense of the irrelevancy she feels in her marriage and her confusion when she realizes that Carrie is beginning to mean more to her than a casual friendship. The stress that she feels from dealing with her husband, daughter and mother-in-law can be felt from the pages. Likewise, the emotion and peace that she shares with Carrie is just as strong. Carrie is less well drawn, but the warmth of her personality and her feelings for Jill are very clear. 

Jill and Carrie's story asks the reader to believe in the concept of "soul mates," souls that travel together, reappearing and being drawn to each other in multiple lifetimes. Souls that are linked in time may appear to each other in any form or relationship, but they cannot avoid each other. These women, who have had no reason to believe until now that they have any lesbian tendencies, also know that they are meant to be together regardless of what society says is proper. Some people would say the book has a "sad" ending, but, if you believe in the concept, then the resolution of their story is also "hopeful." That is where the reader's experiences will come into play.

The Cottage is a well-told story with a very personal feel to it. It can easily be read in one sitting, but the emotions it brings up will probably linger with the reader for a long time. Hill has proven in previous novels that she can write by the formulas so popular in lesbian fiction. This book proves that she can also move outside of the formula to tell a different kind of tale.

No Strings by Gerri Hill

Publisher:              Bella Books

Gerri Hill delivers one of her better crafted stories in No Strings.

Forest Ranger M.Z. Morgan has come to love life in tiny Lake City, Colorado.  Sure, everyone knows everything that is going on in her life, but, except for the deep snows in the winter, the people and quiet life there suit her nature completely.  Being the only lesbian in town means her social life is limited to when the tourists arrive for the summer, but she finds that easier to deal with than the fact that the entire town is trying to find her a woman to settle down with.  When Reese Daniels arrives to be the interim sheriff for a year the rumor mill kicks into high gear.  To the local people the fact that there are now two lesbians seems to work out perfectly, even though Morgan and Reese don't exactly hit it off at first.  Reese takes her job very seriously and makes it clear that she views this as a period in exile for certain "indiscretions." Her stay will not be extended any longer than necessary.  Eventually the women find themselves becoming friends and decide to form a relationship as "friends with benefits."  Why not take care of each other's physical needs for a while as long as they both understand there are "no strings attached?"  The winter is long and cold and the comfort is nice.  Great in fact.  Really, really great.  The coming spring may melt more than just the snow and there may be strings that they didn't anticipate.

Some of Gerri Hill's novels have been a little flat and routine recently, but No Strings breaks that pattern.  Hill demonstrates some of her stronger abilities in crafting a story.  The characters of Morgan and Reese are feisty and well developed.  The sparring that goes on between them reveals deeper aspects of their personalities instead of the reader just being "told" about them.  The atmosphere in the town flows off of the pages and the quirkiness of the people adds to the story.  One of the better parts of the book is the struggle Reese goes through trying to adapt her professional standards to a small town and its oddities.  The supporting characters are totally believable and help to add depth and humor to the situations.  This is a standard romance with girls meeting and coming together, but the characters are a little more engaging than usual.  There is an interesting tension that runs between the environment, the people and the situations and makes this more than just a romance.  

Gerri Hill's die-hard fans will enjoy this book, but readers who might have found some of her recent books lackluster should find that she has returned to her stronger style.