Dying For Siena
Elizabeth JenningsRomantic suspense
Available from Cerridwen Press
ISBN: 1-4199-0257-1
July 2005
| Nick wakes up with a hangover, and still reeling from the affects of a concussion that just put a halt to his hockey career. He has a few flashes of lovemaking the night before, but can't remember the woman's name, just that it was one of the best nights of his life. When the woman wakes, too, she's very upset by that fact, and rushes out of his apartment. Only then does he remember her name is Faith, friend of the family and of himself. Now he has to track her down to apologize, but it's harder than he expected.
Faith decides she has no luck with men. The first guy was NOT spectacular, and the second couldn't even remember her name. So she happily heads off for Siena for a convention of like-minded math nerds, grateful that she was dragged along at all. Of course, one there, a little murder stirs things up. Dying for Siena handled the murder mystery really well. Until the last few chapters, I didn't have on inkling of the culprit. When I first began reading this, I was slightly annoyed by all the attention to non-necessary detail, but once I got used to it, enjoyed the way it enhanced the setting and tone of the story. However, this was primarily a romance, and because of the attention to detail and Faith's many interactions with other characters, I was left a little putout by the end. Nick and Faith's romance felt real, and enough attention was given to them together to give genuineness to it, but not enough was given to make me feel the relationship pull at my romantic side. But the writing was really good, as was pretty much every other aspect of the story from characterization to dialogue. I’d love to see a book by Ms. Jennings with more attention to the romance, but I was pretty happy with Dying for Siena. And despite it being the first book I’ve seen by Ms. Jennings, the writing is that of an experienced and talented author.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Tara Black |
