I have never been a fan of soap operas, never watched any of the daytime classics such as Day of Our Lives or All My Children to name two familiar show titles that come to mind. I will admit to being hooked on the 1978-1991 primetime weekly soap opera Dallas, with Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing and Patrick Duffy as Bobby, living on the expansive Southfork Ranch in the oil country of Texas. After all, who in America did not wonder, "Who Shot J.R."? But other than Dallas, the drama of soap operas held no appeal. A soap opera is defined as a television or radio drama series dealing typically with daily events in the lives of the same group of characters. Per Wikipedia, "The term soap opera originated from radio dramas being sponsored by soap manufacturers."
Why do I mention the soap opera genre of TV shows? Because a series of romance novels is like a soap opera where the viewer/reader gets attached to a group of characters and wonders what is going to happen to each of them. In spite of my ambivalence toward soap operas, I have been reading a lot of romance novels of late, ten of them to be exact, all from the same series. I got hooked on reading the Whiskey Creek series of romances by Brenda Novak.
Whisky Creek Series Appeal
This series takes place in the gold country of California in a small town called Whiskey Creek not far from Sacramento. I have been to many of the gold country towns mentioned in the books as being near the fictitious Whiskey Creek, so there is a bit of comfort in the familiarity of the region. The series features a cast of characters, all friends from high school who have not moved far from Whiskey Creek and who meet on Fridays at a local coffee shop. Each has a different occupation and skill set that they use not only to make a living but to help and aid each other with services and emotional support. They each meet a mate in a different manner and the courtship story of each is related. Spouses are eclectic and their diversity is welcomed as the group expands.
Each character has his minor faults and possible skeletons in his closet, but is primarily good at heart and wrestles with his actions to be kind and fair. I like how the author portrays the characters' thought processes and motivation for their actions or reluctance to act. There are few "bad" characters in the books, enough to provide interest but not so evil that they are through and through rotten. Only one that I can think of, the self-important sheriff who enjoys throwing his weight around, is a continuous thread throughout the series. Otherwise each book has its own villainous "bad guy" that stands alone.
I feel slightly apologetic and sheepish for enjoying these books so much as my "guilty pleasure". That is one reason why there is only one post for ten books. They are not the rocket science of the literary world. How deep can they be when Brenda Novak is able to churn out two to three books for publication each year?
2012 Books 1, 2
2013 Books 3, 4, 5
2014 Books 6, 7
2015 Books 8, 9
2016 Book 10
Nevertheless, they were a pleasant, enjoyable, and delightful diversion, and I had fun reading each. I remember the characters' names - pretty much all of them! In an earlier post (4/18/18) about The Wife Between Us, I had to go back and look up the names of the three main characters to write the blog entry. That bit of tell-tale information shows how memorable the characters were to me and how little intimate involvement I developed with them as the reader. Contrast that with the bonding between the Whiskey Creek residents and me; I can recall the names and varied personas from a ten book series. Just think of how many irrelevant wrinkles I have imprinted in my brain.
Reading Order Guidance
I referenced a handy checklist to help me decide my reading order for the Whiskey Creek series #11 below. The guide is a free kindle download on Amazon.
Here is what the page for the Whiskey Creek Series looks like with Amazon links to purchase the books. (See why the guide is free?) It is much more convenient than trying to read the entry for each book on Amazon and attempting to locate and order the copyright dates, especially since more than one book is published within a year.
Novel Synopses
Finally, to the specifics! Following is a brief glimpse into the storyline of each the ten novels and my comments about how well I liked it. The underlined name represents a member of the Whiskey Creek community.
When Lightning Strikes (Book 1 ©2012) Gail and Simon
Although she has her roots in Whiskey Creek, Gail runs a successful public relations firm in Los Angles. Simon, a famous, highly talented actor is one of her clients. He is a nightmare of a client, periodically indulging in wild, reckless behavior that presents a real problem for his image that Gail has to repeatedly remedy. Convincing him to spend a few months in the quiet town of Whiskey Creek out of the Los Angels limelight, Gail addresses the cause behind his erratic behavior. This book follows the theme of the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, where a manager/agent shows a deep personal concern and empathy toward his client beyond that of a profitable business relationship. The Whiskey Creek characters are introduced in this book and I think it was my favorite.
When Snow Falls (Book 2 ©2012) Cheyenne and Dylan
Cheyenne is a coffee club regular, when she can, and Dylan is an outsider with a bad boy reputation.
Cheyenne has led a rough itinerant life, being dragged from town to town by a homeless crack-whore mother, living day to day with no reliable source of food or shelter. Now the "mother" is on her death bed and they have settled in Whiskey Creek where Cheyenne selflessly spends her days caring for the dying woman. Dylan is the oldest of the five Amos brothers, a wild reckless crew whose mother died when Dylan was 15 and whose father was sent to jail two years later. Dylan drops out of high school to hang on to the family business and raise his four younger brothers. The story reveals how two people who were dealt a poor hand of cards remain self-sacrificing. Both from "the wrong side of the tracks" Cheyenne and Dylan meet and, against the odds, realize how deeply they care for each other. I liked that this world was quite a contrast from the upscale life of Gail and Simon in Book 1 showing that loves thrives in all settings. The theme reminded me to keep an open mind about people.
When Summer Comes (Book 3 - ©2013) Callie and Levi
The villain in this book is the liver disease contracted by Callie, a coffee club member and author of children's books. Unwilling to disclose her terminal diagnosis to her friends and change the dynamic between them, she moves off to the peace of a cabin on her grandparents' farm. A blood-soaked stranger comes knocking on her door in the middle of one night seeking help. The drama which unfolds about the people who are persecuting Levi and about Callie's struggles to cope with and yet conceal her sickness make for a page turning story with several ups and downs. I liked the tenderness and mutual respect and trust that developed between Callie and Levi.
Home to Whiskey Creek (Book 4 - ©2013) Noah and Adelaide
Noah owns a bike shop in town. Adelaide had a slight crush on him from high school days when he was two grades ahead of her, but he never really noticed her. She left Whiskey Creek after an episode at graduation made her uncomfortable to stay but she returns to help her aging grandmother run the popular local restaurant Just Like Mom's. Noah definitely notices her now, but she avoids him. Could it have anything to do with the death of his twin brother? Or perhaps her seeking justice for a crime of the past can be an issue. Noah's mingling parents complicated the situation. Book 4 had an air of mystery about it that urged me on, but it was not one of my favorites.
Take Me Home for Christmas (Book 5 - ©2013) Ted and Sophia
Ted is a very well established bachelor who writes successful thriller novels for a living. Sophia is married to a very rich man and lives in wealth under the thumb of her abusive husband. Her husband gained his wealth by committing fraud and then disappears leaving her penniless, destitute, and abandoned by friends who can not believe she was not complicit in the deception. Ted comes to her aid. This book presented the case of those who are not guilty of a crime but are scorned and treated as if they have, merely from association with the perpetrator. They are victims, too, and deserve appropriate consideration, not harsh judgment. I found the interference of Ted's mother in the Ted/Sophia relationship to be quite entertaining.
Come Home to Me (Book 6 - ©2014) Aaron and Presley
Aaron is the second oldest of the five Amos who ran pretty wild in their late teen years. He is pretty settled now and works in the family auto body business. Aaron holds a deep affection for his older brother Dylan, though he would never display it, even grudgingly. The two boys had been constantly at odds with each other during Aaron's teen years since Dylan needed to act as the father figure toward a resentful and rebellious Aaron who was only two years younger. I liked this slant on relationships in this book because it reached beyond a typical male/female romance. Presley was Aaron's cohort in reckless behavior in her late adolescence. She left Whiskey Creek for a couple years and returns with her two year old son to be with her sister Cheyenne, now married to Dylan. She too has turned over a new leaf and is opening a yoga studio and massage business. Will Aaron and Presley resume their wild ways if they associate with each other and allow their former attraction for each other to resume? Come Home to Me had a secondary portion of the plot line that was a bit too far fetched to make it a favorite of mine but redeemed itself in some part with the brother-to-brother interactions.
The Heart of Christmas (Book 7 - 2014) Eve and a dark stranger
Eve is suddenly attracted to a dark stranger who is a guest at the bed and breakfast she runs. He seems mysterious and evasive in nature but she is drawn to him for some inexplicable reason. Eve's friends want to accept this man into their social circle, giving him the benefit of the doubt, but still are cautiously leery of his character. They surreptitiously conduct a search to discern the stranger's true identity. Most of the book was more of a mystery and action novel than a romance genre, but a romance novel by definition contains some sensuality. The timing and location of Eve's sexual encounters with this man seemed very improbable and contrived to me. To me, they were merely a distraction from The Heart of Christmas's overall mystery, action, and fast moving plot. The exquisite overarching Christmas season and Victorian type celebrations were delightful features of this book, too. A bed and breakfast in a renovated Victorian decked out with all the traditional wreaths, greenery, bows, and baubles makes for a very festive and enjoyable backdrop.
This Heart of Mine (Book 8 - 2015) Riley, son Jacob, and Phoenix
Riley and Phoenix used to be boyfriend and girlfriend back in their high school days. They conceived a child together, Jacob their son. But when Riley was pressured by parents and others to move on to a different girl under the premise that Phoenix was not good enough for him, he did. Phoenix tried hard to win him back. She was convicted of running down and killing his new love interest at the side of the road and was sent to jail despite her protestations of innocence. The motive of jealousy was too strong and she was behind the wheel of the car. In addition to the circumstantial evidence from the car death, Phoenix comes from a impoverished background and has a crass, trailer park type mother who is a hoarder. No one rushes to her defense. Immediately after his birth in prison, Jacob was taken from her and sent to live with his father. Riley allowed no contact between Phoenix and Jacob while she was incarcerated, again on advice from others as to what was best for Jacob. The action of the novel focuses on what transpires when Phoenix is released from jail. She desperately wants to establish a relationship with her now teen age son. How will Riley handle the situation? Phoenix now has a prison record as a additional obstacle. The odds are stacked against her to resume a position in society. Riley loved her once. Can that love rekindle and can Phoenix gain joy from relationships she has been denied for the term of her imprisonment? Was she even guilty of the crime for which she was jailed? The unfairness of people toward those who are trying to make a fresh start in life is very irritating in This Heart of Mine. Phoenix's struggles were painful enough that this book had diminished enjoyment for me.
Kyle and his best friend Riley are the only remaining souls of the group of coffee house friends who are unmatched with a mate. The love of Kyle's life married his stepbrother and he never quite recovered. After a divorce from a marriage of obligation to an ex-wife who badgers him and will not let go, he is resigned to a single life, only hoping it will become more peaceful. Although unlucky in love, Kyle is exceedingly successful at running a thriving and growing solar panel business as well as owning and managing several rental properties. A famous country singer comes to stay at one of his rentals and takes it upon herself to help him find a mate on the computer dating sites. There is little doubt where this is going to lead for the two unsuspecting parties. The path there is bemusing and there is some criminal action along the way to energize the novel. Winter Wedding was fun. Don't jump to conclusions and be fooled, though. The wedding in the title is not Kyle's. It is the wedding of his best friend Riley.
Discovering You (Book 10) Rod and India , Mack and Natasha
The tenth book of the Whiskey Creek Series focuses on the romantic interests of the third and fifth of the Amos brothers. India is a regular attendee of the coffee club, but to me Rod, Mack, and Natasha are satellite characters in whose life story I was not as invested. India's husband was murdered in front of her in their bedroom and his parents (her in-laws) blame her since she knew the invader. The murderer escaped conviction and India fears for him seeking her out again and relocates to Whisky Creek to "hide". Her neighbor, Rod does some sleuthing to find evidence that will prove the guilt of the criminal. The sleuthing he does seems improbable and his methods of ingratiating himself with the man to gain information is distasteful. In the process he is attracted to India. In parallel there is a one-sided romance developing between Mack and Natasha. This was my least favorite of the ten romances. Perhaps I was tired of them by now but I do not think that is the reason. Trying to cram two relationship pairs about people I have little interest in does not make for absorbing fiction. But I was bound and determined to complete the set of ten and I did!
Cover Stories
When I review a book in one of my posts I always include an image of the book cover to draw in my reader visually. Who is enticed to read a post that is all text? Yet the adage "you can't judge a book by its cover" is certainly true in this series. When I scroll up and look at the ten covers of these books, none of them is relevant to the storyline of the book, other than kissing and romantic poses. Hair color and skin tones do not match the text description. In some cases even the season on the cover is wrong. Also, when I searched Google images of appropriate cover pictures to include in this post I found several choices for the same book. Why is this?
I read all ten of these novels in the digital version from an Amazon download via a Kindle app. I researched and learned that a Kindle book has different requirements for a cover than does a hard copy of the same book. The Kindle cover needs to be attractive and recognizable as a thumbnail. It has to read well in black and white as well as in color. The cover of a hardcover version of a book may be entirely different. There is also no need for a spine or a back cover on a Kindle book. So if a book is available in only a Kindle version, there very well may not be any back cover. I found interesting information on cover art in the article https://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/02/26/kindle-book-covers-what-you-should-know/. These tidbits of fact that I have just shared prove that I can indeed gain some intellectual value from reading romance novels!
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