The Kiss That Counted by Karin Kallmaker

Publisher:                Bella Books


CJ Roshe is an extremely successful real estate agent and more successful at getting whatever woman she wants. She leads a life with no connections and no real roots since it helps her to hide a past and a secret that could destroy everything, but she can't help wonder what it would be like to live with friends and know that she wouldn't have to always be ready to run at the first sign of danger. Nothing would have changed if CJ hadn't had an extra glass of wine one day and run a stop sign in front of a police officer, then been assigned to community service as part of her sentence. 

When she arrives at a women's shelter to do her time, CJ meets Karita Hanssen who is going to change everything. Karita lives each day as it comes also, but in a very different way. Between her job, hours at the shelter, more volunteer hours at an animal shelter and her friends, Karita has a full life, almost full enough not to miss having anyone special to share it. She's always felt she was touched by magic and she knows that magic will bring someone to her someday. As CJ and Karita build a friendship, they begin to see what each is looking for in the other, but happily ever after only occurs in fairy tales. Reality intrudes threatening the future both women would like to have.

Kallmaker has returned to the style of some of her earlier novels and has written a very strong book. The characters are well developed and the plot unfolds at a perfect pace. Kallmaker shows her experience as a writer in not rushing incidents, but allowing them to play themselves out. The reader is given time to digest the action in the book and absorb its impact on the characters, yet the timeline doesn't drag either. The characters discover things about each other gradually instead of forcing their information onto the pages. Characters are multidimensional and interact with other characters in the book on different levels, showing both strengths and weaknesses as real people would. There are also strong secondary characters who contribute to the story at key plot points.

There is a romance here, but there is also a bit of a mystery as the reader begins to wonder what CJ's secret is and how she will resolve the problem once it is revealed. In the end, The Kiss That Counted is also a testimony to friendship and the changes it can cause in a person's life. Kallmaker shows with the skill in this book why she deserves such a large fan following.

Stepping Stone by Karin Kallmaker

Publisher:                Bella Books

Stepping Stone steps into the world of Hollywood to show the behind the scenes maneuvering that can make or break careers.

Selena Ryan is a successful movie producer who has a reputation for being tough but fair.  She's putting together the most important movie she's ever worked on and the casting has to be just right.  Selena is being besieged by people who want to audition, including her ex-lover Jennifer Lamont, who happens to be the major reason she's suspicious of people and their motives. 

Gail Welles is a typical Hollywood story.  She's waitressing in a restaurant until she can get her big break.  She has no idea when she accidently dumps a tray of food on a woman that she will be the producer who holds the key to her future.  Fortunately, Gail the actress doesn't look like Gail the waitress, so she gets the part before Selena can make the connection. 

Gail is everything that Selena has come to not believe in – talented, kind to those around her and a pleasure to work with.  That's where the problems start.  Since both women are serious about their work and reputations as professionals, a relationship would be highly improper, but their growing attraction is hard to deny.  When Selena is forced to cast Jennifer as one of the leads and Gail begins to outshine her in a supporting role, the situation becomes more complicated.  Selena has to handle everything very carefully to make sure Jennifer doesn't destroy Gail's chances to be successful, but she can't be seen as favoring Gail either.  Gail isn't quite sure what to make of the situation, but would very much like to pursue something more with Selena if she can just get the producer to go against her experience and trust her.

Kallmaker has written an exceptionally strong and convincing story.  She obviously knows quite a bit about how things work behind the scenes in movie production and that information adds depth and believability to the plot.  As usual for her, the characters are multidimensional and draw the reader into the story.  Jennifer Lamont is typical of so many "starlets" who would rather be famous than known for the quality of their work.  In Gail Welles it's easy to see the roots of a young Meryl Streep, someone who is just the opposite of Jennifer.  This is a thoroughly entertaining book.

There is one serious drawback to the product.  The editors at Bella must have all taken a nap or gone on vacation when this book came through the system.  There are numerous mistakes, practically one on every page.  Words are left out, run on sentences frequently appear and the misuse of commas is routine.  At one point even the name of the character is changed from Selena to Serena.  It's a shame that what is such a good story is damaged by such poor mechanics.

This is a good story.  If the reader can overlook the mistakes, then it should be entirely enjoyable.  If that kind of thing bothers you, be prepared to put the book down occasionally to clear your head, but you'll come back for the story.

Above Temptation by Karin Kallmaker

Publisher:                Bella Books

Karin Kallmaker enters the world of cyber business for her latest romance.

After failing to qualify as a Secret Service agent, Kip Barrett went to work for Sterling Fraud Investigations where she specializes in tracking financial transactions.  She's very good at her job, but she's still surprised when CEO Tamara Sterling gives her the special assignment to find out who is embezzling money from the company.  Kip has complete access to all of the company's records, but she can't tell anyone else what she is doing and she is to trust no one, including Tam.  That proves to be prudent because, as she tracks the culprit through paperwork and cyber information, she can't prove that Tam isn't the thief.  Kip and Tam develop an attraction for each other, but there is a strict non-fraternization policy at the company and Kip refuses to compromise her integrity.  If Tam turns out to be the thief, Kip is going to make sure she is prosecuted.  As they dodge government investigators, rumors in financial newspapers and use false identities to sneak out of the country, Kip is determined to do her job first and worry about a relationship later.  At the heart of the story is the issue of trust between the two women and the answer to the puzzle turns out to be the worst kind of betrayal possible.

Kallmaker has written a nice tight suspense story with some action included.  Though it's a romance, that's not what drives most of the action.  Sometimes the reader can get a little lost in the discussion of the technology involved and the details of how information is gathered, but that's a minor point.  This is the type of solid romance that Kallmaker's fans expect from her.  The most curious question about the book is the cover.  It really doesn't reflect the story at all and could mislead a reader about what to expect.

Karin Kallmaker is referred to sometimes as the "queen" of lesbian romance.  Above Temptation is an example of why she has earned the title, but it is proof that she can handle other aspects of a story also.

18th & Castro by Karin Kallmaker

Publisher:                      Bella Books

18th & Castro by Karin Kallmaker was written under the Bella After Dark logo, which is the imprint for Bella Books' erotica line. The book is a collection of short stories, all written by Kallmaker, who took the unusual approach of building the stories around a central theme.

It's Halloween night in San Francisco and the Castro area is rocking with celebrations. Outrageous costumes and noisy parties are the themes of the night as Suze and Amy sneak to the top of a building to observe the festivities. These two are used periodically to provide a weak story line that loosely ties the stories together as they peer into the lives of other people. The stories are set up to take place in each of the different apartments in the building at 18th & Castro Streets. Something in the story from one apartment connects to the story in another apartment. The stories vary in their intensity and quality and not all of them are classically erotic. There are stories of lost love rediscovered, old friends who realize a new relationship, and lust in place of love. In keeping with the Halloween theme, one story deals with the possibility of vampires. The most poignant story is about a woman who kissed her partner good-bye thinking she would see her in the evening, only to have the partner die during the day. What would you say if you had just a few minutes more before she goes out the door?

18th & Castro is composed of vignettes. Kallmaker doesn't have to be as concerned with character development because the reader is looking into one brief interlude in the lives of each of the characters.  Motivation also becomes less important. This is a convenient way to tell a story because you can focus just on the facts of the moment. The danger is that sometimes stories may not be quite clear because you don't have the evolution of a tale around it. The vampire story illustrates this danger. 

On the whole though, this is a pleasant collection. It's perfect for reading at night before you go to bed or when you have a short period before you need to do something, although some of the stories are steamy and you might want to be careful where you read them. You can read a story, put it down and come back later not having to worry about previous plot points. If you're looking for erotica, some of the stories are heavy in it, but not all of them and this provides a good variety. 

Because all of the stories are written by the same person and around a theme, there is a flow to the book even though each story stands alone. There is also continuity through the book that is often missing when multiple authors are involved. Short story collections are not usually as appealing to this reviewer because it is more difficult to get involved in a story, but this one doesn't fit the usual mold and therefore was better to read. 18th & Castro is recommended for those who like a good blush and some heat to a story.

Frosting on the Cake 2 by Karin Kallmaker

Publisher:                   Bella Books

Karin Kallmaker occasionally creates anthologies that are a gift to her regular readers.  She goes back to her books and writes short stories that allow the readers to visit characters again.  These stories extend the original stories, enhance the characters or satisfy the curiosity of "What happened next?"

Frosting on the Cake 2 revisits sixteen of Kallmaker's books.  Some of them go back to her earlier works like Car Pool, Touchwood and In Every Port, while others are inspired by recent books, such as Above Temptation, The Kiss That Counted and Warming Trend.  The styles range from humorous to serious to erotic and visit a number of different issues.

"Snap Judgment" (Above Temptation) shows Kip Barrett establishing her new company. "Good Morning" (Warming Trend) deals with the issue of gay marriage and "The Curve of Her" (Touchwood) addresses how age differences don't really matter when two people are in love.  In "Losing Faith" (Wild Things) the problem of trying to balance two different careers is the issue.  "Divided Highway" (Car Pool) shows that when a child's health is threatened, nothing else should matter.  The other stories are in the same manner, adding touches to tales that readers might have thought were completed.

At the end of the book, Kallmaker discusses the inspirations for some of her books, why some of them get added chapters and the reasons she's left others alone.  The reader doesn't have to have read the books the stories are based on, but some of the stories won't have their full impact if the background story isn't known.

If the reader is a Kallmaker fan and is looking for a book that can be read a little and put down without losing the continuity of a story, then Frosting on the Cake 2: Second Helpings suits the purpose.