Customer Reviews

Doing It Right

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According to the forward in the book, the first part of Doing it Right originated as an e-book. It was called Thief of Hearts. Now the book has been re-released in print form, with a follow-up story called Wild Hearts.

All the MJ Davidson elements are here: the cute/nice protagonists; the quick, witty reparte; the action-packed start which plunges you right into the action of the story. Ms. Davidson's characters are fun, funny, and strong.

What I liked most about the stories is that the characters were not two-dimensional. Their backgrounds, childhoods, and motivations were exposed, which gives the reader a real sense of who the characters are while still not dragging down the quick plot. Some of the scenes are funny, some are action-packed, some are steamy; there's a little in there for everyone. I thought I might miss some paranormal creatures jumping out every so often, because I am a big fan of the author's Betsy the Vampire series. But nothing is missing here, and fans of contemporary romance will not be disappointed.

This "novella" was originally an electronic book, obviously knocked out by the writer in record time without editing or without much thought. The protagonists instantly fall in love with each other, are instantly in jeopardy, and instantly find resolution (with the requisite gratuitous sex thrown in, to try to keep the reader interested). There is an unfortunate trend amongst some authors to turn out what is little more than dreck to make a few bucks, merely to capitalize on their earlier well-deserved reputation, and I deeply regret that MJD of late has fallen into that category. If you expect character and plot development in a book, then you will not get your money's worth with this one.

When I pick up a MJD I'm expecting chick lit light-a fast walk on the paranormal with great shoes. This story is a little darker, featuring an ER doc and a beautiful thief who is trying to right wrongs by stealing from child molesters, sexual abusers and just plain abusive people. While I missed MJD's trademark lightness, this book showed a more mature hero and heroine that was nice to see.

"Thief of Hearts". In a Minnesota emergency room Dr. Jared Dean is stunned when he sees urban legend the Avenging Angel for the first time though he is not sure whether amazes him more her petit beauty or the fact that she kicks the butt of a gorilla the Coreleone-wannabe Carlotti. Jared wants to meet her, but when she realizes security is coming she leaves without even leaving her name. He soon finds Kara protecting him from gangsters, as Carlotti uses him as a pawn to get at her. The DA also uses him to get at her as no one will make this politician look bad. As the doctor and the vigilante fall in love, she struggles to trust her heart with anyone even this caring doctor.

"Wild Hearts". At the Florida parking lot of Minnesota's Mall of America, Kat Wechter catches Chester "Chess" McNamara inside her car obviously trying to steal it; but she refuses to let him get away with taking her vehicle by jumping on the hood. Exasperated he takes the lunatic, who keeps claiming her brother is the DA taking down mobsters, with him. He finally gives up and leaves her car to steal another, but she joins him anyway. As he challenges a mobster with Kat and the renowned urban legend turned mom A.A. at his side, Chess' heart shifts gears as he watches his grape bubblegum chewer and A.A. protect him.

The fun novel and a follow up short story sequel star strong women protecting their men from mobsters as MaryJanice Davidson is DOING IT RIGHT with this pairing.

Harriet Klausner

'Doing it right' is not a novel, but contains two novellas, 'Thief of hearts' and 'Wild hearts'. 'Thief of hearts' is a novella Davidson wrote at the beginning of her career and which was unavailable for a long time. After her success with the 'Undead' series, it was republished but since it is relatively short and wouldn't fill a whole trade paperback (or justify the rather high price), she added the loosely connected (and even shorter) 'Wild hearts'. Both stories are romances with some eroticism and a lot of humour.
'Thief of hearts': Dr. Jared Dean is on night shift in the hospital when he witnesses a beautiful young woman beat up a big, tough mobster. She's Kara, the 'Avenging Angel', a kind of Robin Hood protecting the weak and fighting criminals. Since Jared's life is at risk from the mobster who wants to get rid of both Kara and the witness to their fight, she decides to protect him. The attraction between them is strong, but Kara has had a hard life and is afraid of letting anyone close to her heart. And then there's the police, who are also quite interested in The Avenging Angel...
'Wild hearts': When Kat does a citizen's arrest on the thief stealing her car, she doesn't know she will be drawn into an undercover operation against a man with a strong hatred towards her - or that she will find the love of her life in Chess McNamara...
Both novellas are funny and entertaining, so I would recommend this book. What I'm less than happy with is that the publisher uses Davidson's popularity to publish two pretty short novellas as a trade paperback at an exaggerated price. Since you never know if the book will ever be published as a paperback you're stuck with an unnecessarily large and expensive book. That aside, I would recommend 'Doing it right' as light, romantic entertainment.