Vlad All Over by Beth Orsoff

Review by Cynthia F. (frazerc)

Umm.  This is a difficult book to review.  I liked the characters, I loved the dialogue, and the setting was interesting [you can hear the BUT coming, can’t you?] but I hated the ending.  The reasons are two fold and may be only my personal hangups – I read romance with the expectation that there will be a happily ever after and I expect the story to be complete when it reaches the end.  This story struck out on both counts.  The hero and heroine do fall in love and then things happen she feels are unforgivable but they can’t really go their separate ways – she’s pregnant with his child, his daughter adores her, etc., etc. He wants to get back together, she wants to settle for friends but nothing else.  And then there’s the teaser for the next book which makes it obvious the story continues and our hero is still pitching for a reconciliation above the `just friends and co-parents’ thing.  Hence my judgment of the first book as a cliffhanger…

So, bottom line this book was like a really great road trip to a place I didn’t want to go… I won’t be pursuing this series.  I might, perhaps, try a different one of her books at some future date.

These are non-series books also by Beth Orsoff:

Sly Fox by Jeanine Pirro

Review by Susan R. (Sue-in-AZ)

Story Synopsis

The year is 1976 and Dani Fox is the first ever female Assistant DA in Westchester County NY. She faces constant (and widely accepted) sexism, but nothing slows her down. She fights her way into the boy’s club and becomes a public advocate for women’s rights.

Along the way she makes some enemies – within the DA’s office, with the police, and even with the FBI. She’s also got a few crazy criminals who want revenge for her successful prosecution of wife abusers.  Everything comes together in a series of high-profile court cases that will make or break Dani’s entire career.

The story is loosely based on Jeanine Pirro’s personal story. She was in fact the first Assistant DA in Westchester County – but it wasn’t in the 70’s. 1993 was the first time a woman was made Assistant DA in that county! The rampant sexism fits with what I remember from the 70’s. “Women’s Lib” was the phrase used back then to represent women who just wouldn’t stay in the kitchen – and the author captures the tone of the times perfectly!

My Review

I love courtroom/police procedurals and this is a great example. Lots of good character development, great suspense in the story line, and lots of sub-story lines that all come together.  Just a couple loose ends left hanging – for what I hope will be the next book in the series.

Definitely a good read and engaging story!