One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Konigsburg, Texas, Book 4
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Length: 6434 Locations
Formats: Kindle


The eldest of the Toleffson brothers has long known he's the black sheep of his family. His three younger brothers are all good guys. Erik isn't. Cal, Lars, and Pete are happily married to equally good women. Erik isn't. The three also have successful careers they enjoy. Erik...well...he might have that, if the puke-face mayor of Konigsburg stops trying to get his butt fired even before his probationary period as Chief of Police comes to an end.

And then there's Bambi... Well, her name is Morgan Barrett but she's got these incredible eyes that remind Erik of...actually, never mind that. Morgan's managing Cedar Creek Winery while her father is on the mend and she's running herself ragged working sixteen hours a day trying to prove herself. When she met Erik, she was so exhausted she yawned in his face, but other than that, it was a great first impression. Heck, at least she wasn't drunk like he'd first thought.

After a rocky childhood and hoodlum youth as a bully who was too fond of booze, Erik doesn't drink. Morgan works with wine. Erik is quietly trying to make up for a past where he tormented his brothers. Morgan is desperate for an ounce of respect from her father. Erik's just doing his job, Morgan's trying to make one for herself. And somehow, though they are definitely different and complicated individuals, they're sort of made for each other.

Welcome back to Konigsburg.

I admit, I've been waiting for Erik's book since his character was first mentioned. I thought his history was an intriguing counterpoint to the almost too-good-to-be-true brothers (emphasis on almost) and as the series progressed I became more and more interested in him as a character. He always seemed so deserving of redemption and yet certain he wasn't. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find out that Long Time Gone had more going for it than featuring my favorite of the Toleffson brothers; it was the best book of the bunch for other reasons, as well.

There was much more of the Konigsburg, Texas quirkiness that I so enjoy. This delightful tourist town is full of odd and unique secondary and ancillary characters who add a depth and sense of Texas culture to each story. The first book in the series, Venus in Blue Jeans, was full of it, but the two subsequent books didn't feature the town quite as much - to their detriment, in my opinion. Thankfully, Konigsburg is back in all its quirky glory in Long Time Gone, including the shenanigans of a biker weekend and a wine festival. I just love that town and its inhabitants.

Morgan and Erik are great characters, richly layered and complex. Erik, for all his regret for his past, and all that he doesn't feel worthy of redemption just yet, is a good man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He's strong and dependable, and so drawn to Morgan that he's adorable with it. Morgan has her own inner strength and a sharp mind for business. She's got issues with her father, but her work ethic is impeccable. And the way she's drawn to Erik, accepting of his darker impulses, is heart warming.

Benjamin paced the development of their relationship nicely, and their progression through the story felt very organic and true to them as individuals. The book has a nicely layered plot arc that highlighted Erik's and Morgan's individual strengths and delved into their issues as it blended their lives together. Some of that blending was smooth, some a little ragged for the sake of conflict in the story, but it was all creative and realistic. I found myself more than a little enchanted by the journey.

I just felt this was an all around a better book than the previous three. Deeper and more interesting characters, better character development, a stronger and more comprehensive plot with pleasing layers, exceptionally well suited romantic pairing, and a background full of the quirky and odd town of Konigsburg all enhanced my reading enjoyment. I've been a big fan of this series from the very beginning, but this book just really worked for me on almost every level.

The only thing that kept this from being a fully five star read for me was the absence of a scene with the brothers in which they finally resolved their dark past. The road to redemption is more like a broken sidewalk - it's pitted and cracked and definitely uneven, littered with the detritus of life. But for those who truly seek it, and walk it diligently, it should lead to resolution and forgiveness. At least in fiction, anyway. I wanted that for Erik - that moment when he got to lay down the burden of his past and move forward with his brothers' unilateral forgiveness. Things are better for them, yes, and there has no doubt been an acceptance of the past and a burgeoning renewal of their brotherhood with Erik included. I was just hoping for a little more and I'm left feeling a bit of the bittersweet in its absence.

Meg Benjamin has hit her stride in Long Time Gone: Konigsburg, Texas Book 4 and while the Toleffsons will definitely hold a special place in my heart, I'm thrilled that the Konigsburg saga continues with Brand New Me. According to Meg Benjamin's website, this fifth book in the series will be available December 7th. That's definitely good news, because I'm not ready to move out of Konigsburg just yet. I'm hoping I don't have to for a long, long time.

Konigsburg, Texas Series:

Genre: Light/Comedic Romantic Suspense
Series: Konigsburg, Texas, Book 3
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 280 Pages, 6426 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle



Gotta Love Those Toleffsons

Jessamyn Carroll fled Pennsylvania with her infant son when her rich and powerful mother-in-law made it clear that she was expected to bring the baby into the family fold...a fold that Jess's deceased husband had escaped years before he'd met and married Jessamyn. Mommy dearest will stop at nothing to get her grandson back - absolutely nothing, and Jess has taken refuge under her maiden name in Konigsburg, careful to keep her whereabouts a secret from the long reach of her mother-in-law. But making ends meet is tough for any single mother. More so when she's got to keep her head down and watch out for any potential threat.

Lars Toleffson is glad he moved down to Konigsburg after his two brothers, Cal and Pete, who are now both married and living happy lives with his new sisters-in-law. He's got willing baby sitters every time he turns around, but the stress of being a single father combined with his two year old daughter's...precocious nature (and the Mississippi is a small stream) is wearing on him. Now that his daughter's daily caretaker is moving, he's got to find someone else to watch her every day. Taking out an add in the paper for a new caretaker brings Jessamyn Carroll to his office.

The pretty Jess stirs Lars' juices, but a horrendous previous marriage and debilitating divorce keeps him firmly hands-off. Jess is as pretty as new sin and great as a caretaker, but his juices are just going to have stew for a little longer. At least until a stranger asking odd questions shows up in a town that doesn't feel too warmly about strangers and less so about presumptuous questions just before Jess' home gets broken into - twice - and she gets assaulted by the perpetrator. Before Lars even realizes it, protective instincts he hadn't counted on heat those stewing juices to a boiling point.

Welcome back to Konigsburg, Texas, tourist mecca and home to lots of quirky characters just a bit off from center. Since the Toleffson brothers showed up it's been one wild romance after another - and a true treat for happy readers everywhere. With each book, Benjamin has broadened and deepened the world of Konigsburg and the characters who populate it, improving stylistically with each turn. From a technical standpoint, I think Be My Baby is the most well rounded and developed of all the books, with a detailed plot, appealing, endearing characters, a steady, flowing narrative, and realistic dialogue, though Venus in Blue Jeans still wins my vote for the highest level of quirky character fun and humor.

The most serious of the first three books, Jess and Lars both have pasts that have scarred their hearts and impacted their daily lives, and tragedy has struck Jess in particular very deeply. The humor is more subtle and intermittent than in the previous books, though Konigsburg's finest still shine bright. Overall, the story maintains a nice balance between humor and suspense, and there are far fewer gaps in plot, timing, and transition than in the previous books in the series. I did, however, feel the ending was too slick and quickly wrapped up, with all the secondary plots threads getting tied off too cleanly. Lars' ex-wife Sherice, for example, went from being a plot thread to a footnote with jarring abruptness given the way that thread had developed. It was exceptionally anticlimactic, especially as I was hoping to finally see her get what she so richly deserves.

Still, I think Be My Baby is the most technically and stylistically well written and developed. Even with that, though, it's not my favorite of the Konigsburg books, for strictly subjective and personal preference-based reasons. In the end, I just wasn't as fond of Lars as I was of Cal and didn't think he had quite the scope of development through the story arc of book that Pete had in his. I liked him, but there just wasn't much about him that made his character really stand out for me. I felt similarly of Jess, but had the added problem of questioning her intelligence and logic in more than a few places. Maybe that's not something I should blame Jess for, but when she repeatedly turned down a safer haven closer to town because of her primary job and the promise she made to the vacationing owner, but contemplates just up and leaving town entirely when she fears her mother-in-law is closing in, I questioned her decision making. You can't move into town because of prior commitments...but leaving town is fine? That issue in particular seemed too much like author's choice to get the plot to a certain point, instead of organic character action. I also had a problem with the development of the romance between Lars and Jess. I read of their growing affection for each other and their hot little lust moments, but I never really felt there was any real fire behind it. I couldn't get fully on board with the romantic aspects of the relationship because of it.

I also had sort of an odd problem with Lars' daughter, Daisy. I freely admit that I have no kids and almost no experience with two-year-olds, but her dialogue and actions seemed to me to be advanced beyond her age and it kept tripping me up when she was in a scene. I could be totally off base with the cognitive and verbal abilities of a toddler, or she could be an atypical child, I know and acknowledge that. But even so, as I was reading, the issues I had distracted me when she was in the scene.

For those reasons, Be My Baby wasn't my favorite in the series, even though I recognize it's a more complete and balanced book with a more fully formed and realized plot. What hasn't changed, though, is my appreciation for Benjamin's Konigsburg, Texas series as a whole and my anticipated delight in reading the story of the final, and for me the most intriguing of the Toleffson brothers, Erik. Going hand in hand with the continuing improvement of the series, Erik is the most damaged and layered of all the brothers and the juxtaposition of those two things provide tremendous potential for a meaty, fun book. I can't wait to read his story in Long Time Gone: Konigsburg, Texas Book 4.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Konigsburg, Texas, Book 2
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Length: 272 Pages, 6482 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle




Pete Toleffson is in Konigsburg, Texas because his brother Cal has finally convinced his fiance Docia to have a wedding ceremony. He's Cal's best man, but he has no idea what a best man is supposed to do, exactly. He's pretty sure he's not supposed to punch his brother, but the impulse is there every time he catches sight of Calthorpe's ever-present and perpetually satisfied grin. It's not that Pete begrudges his brother's happiness, but Pete's in a strange town full of stranger people and ragged from his job as a county attorney - a job that he tends to obsess over...to the point that he can't remember the last time he took a vacation. Staying away from his email and voicemail while he's in Konigsburg takes conscious intensive effort, and he could buy stock in the antacid company that keeps his acid reflux in check. Supporting his brother through The Wedding from hell might just be his undoing.

If sheer force of will and hard work can make The Wedding go as planned, Janie Dupree's life would be a lot less complicated. Unfortunately, everything about The Wedding seems destined to a calamitous end despite all her efforts and the best man is absolutely no help. Not to mention, he's rude. Cute though. But Janie's seeing someone...sort of...even if he is boring and self-involved. And then there's The Wedding, which is taking every single ounce of self control and mental fortitude to deal with.

Just when Pete is starting to relax, and starting to more than notice Janie and even step up a little in his best man role, Toleffsons start to pour into Konigsburg and it becomes painfully clear that the town is definitely not big enough for all of them. Neither Pete nor Janie would put money on surviving The Wedding intact.

Since stumbling across Venus in Blue Jeans when it was offered as a free Kindle download on Amazon.com, I've become totally addicted to the town and inhabitants of Konigsburg, Texas, and thoroughly pleased with Meg Benjamin as an author. With a smooth, crisp writing style that highlights the strength of the series - the quirky characters that populate Konigsburg - and makes the narrative flow surprisingly well with whatever crazy situations those characters find themselves, Benjamin has a gem of a series on her hands. As I was with Venus in Blue Jeans, I was surprised and impressed with just how quick and fun a read Wedding Bell Blues is, and credit the author for both the fluidity of the narrative and the charm of the characters and setting.

I liked Pete and Janie - perhaps not quite as much as Cal and Docia, but still they were a pleasure to read about. I don't think Pete's character was quite as well developed in the beginning of this book as Cal's had been in his, so the evolution of Pete's character from sourpuss jerk to nice guy was a bit subtle, but I enjoyed the results all the same. The Wedding is a good foil for the book, though the insular nature of wedding preparations did slightly diminish the role of the town and townspeople as the forces of nature they were in the first book. What it provided, however, was a surprisingly realistic and occasionally tragic conflict with the Toleffson and Dupree families' dynamic.

There was little smooth about that dynamic. With one brother whose wife is a vapid trollop with the maternal instinct most cobras would envy, a mother who disapproves of everything and anything, and an eldest brother with far too much bad history to forgive, Pete's family was pretty much nightmarish. I didn't much care for the mother or the sister-in-law, but thought it was great storytelling. Janie's got some conflict with her mother over the guy she's seeing and she allows herself to be a bit of a doormat in a couple of places when being nice didn't serve her very well, but I actually know people just like her so there was definitely a sense of realism to her character.

As much as I wish a couple of the less than pleasant people in the book got more of a comeuppance, I appreciated the story as a whole and was thrilled to see the direction it's taking. I had a bit of an issue in the previous book with the speed with which Cal and Docia got together, and for my personal preferences, the relationship between Pete and Janie developed in a far more pleasing time frame, right up until the end. There was a massive leap in development towards the end that seemed abrupt and precipitous, but overall I enjoyed the entirety of their relationship.

I think Venus in Blue Jeans was a bit more quirky in both character and story, and just a touch more charming because of it, but Wedding Bell Blues was a more complex tale that provided more depth with the familial issues and in my personal opinion, was more realistic with an overall better plot. I've become a huge fan of Benjamin and this series and am looking forward to continuing with Be My Baby. I've enjoyed the Toleffsons and love the town and people of Konigsburg. I can't wait to return.

Konigsburg, Texas Series:
  

Genre: Light/Comedic Romantic Suspense
Series: Konigsburg, Texas, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Paperback, Kindle



Very Cute and Quirky Texas Romance With a Dash of Suspense

Konigsburg, Texas may be a tourist's nirvana, but the residents have to live there year round and they take their town pretty seriously. New business owners like Dorcia Kent are given the hairy eyeball for a while until they prove themselves, even if they have lived in town for two years. If meddling Margret Hastings has her way, in fact, Docia would be run out on a rail with her hair on fire. Meanwhile, tall and good looking veterinarians like Cal Toleffson who've only been in town for a couple of months don't have quite the same problem. He's charmingly oblivious, but everyone else has surely noticed that the veterinarian clinic he bought into when he moved to town has had a huge swell of female pet owners of late...though he has been appreciating the cookies and brownies that have been pouring in. That doesn't keep him from heading to the Dew Drop for a beer after work. It may not be the shiniest place in town, but the tourists tend to stay away, and he can get a cold drink and talk to a few of the acquaintances becoming friends.

The Dew Drop didn't offer much in the way of female companionship, though. Not until he looked up and felt the heart fall out of his chest. Botticelli's Venus was suddenly standing at the other end of the bar, ordering a margarita and glancing his way. In that instant, Cal was a goner, the zing of attraction for her more like a lightning bolt in his chest. So he did what any self respecting veterinarian smelling like the back end of a goat would do...he fled.

Unable to get the woman off his mind, however, he had every intention of regrouping and following up with the woman his friends told him was Docia Kent, gorgeous, yes, but according to rumor, uninterested in the local male population. Little did Cal know that a feline emergency would drop the delectable Docia right into his lap - but he's got to save her beloved...if a bit bedeviled...cat first.

Full of zany secondary characters and a town that takes on a personality all it's own, Venus in Blue Jeans is a quirky, sweet romp in the Texas heat. The attraction between Cal and Docia is instantaneous, and the developing relationship is fun to watch. There's a bit of suspense, a bit of mystery, and a bit of laughter to be found on the pages of this book, and Benjamin's style is cool, crisp, and smooth. I enjoyed both Cal, the vegetarian veterinarian, and Docia, the land magnate's headstrong and independent bookselling daughter. Cal is fairly uncomplicated and easy going, and watching him try to avoid the romantic clutches of Margaret Hastings is quite adorable. Docia is a bit more complex, with Daddy issues and still bearing the scars of a money-hungry ex-boyfriend who used her for her connections. Toss in a feisty chihuahua and a slightly deranged self proclaimed nemesis and a few shady happenings, and you have several hours of enjoyable reading.

I liked it quite a bit, actually, despite a few small issues. The relationship between Cal and Docia developed a bit too quickly for my personal tastes, and the inevitable relationship conflict seemed a wee bit lacking in the conflict department. Cal's reaction to what happened (details withheld to prevent spoilers) came off as a bit too harsh given his personality, and when I looked at the big picture, I sorta understood where Docia was coming from and why she felt the way she felt at that point in the story. Because everything moved so fast between them, I just think a little more give on both sides would have been more realistic.

The book was an incredibly quick read, and I'm not sure if it was just that the narrative was that smooth and the characters and plot that interesting, or if it was just remarkably well paced and pleasing for me stylistically. Both are true, so regardless, I found myself surprised at how quickly I was invested in the story and town. It did lack a little...oomph, I guess, in the emotional impact department. That's not a criticism at all, though. That's more personal preference, maybe. I liked it, and as it's the first Meg Benjamin book I've read, I'm pleased to have found a new author I enjoy. If you like romances that are more sweet than intense, with humor and a bit of suspense thrown in, you can't get much better than Venus in Blue Jeans - especially while it's being offered as a free Kindle download. I've already bought the second in the series, Wedding Bell Blues: Konigsburg, Texas Book 2. Can't wait to see what's up in Konigsburg next!

Konigsburg, Texas Series: