Customer Reviews

Just Like That

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Everybody knows that a single woman with good money is in want of a wife (1)." English Lit majors and fans of Jane Austen will recognize this paraphrase from the opening of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Karin Kallmaker's latest romance, JUST LIKE THAT -- set in the wine country of Northern California -- is a very modern, decidedly lavender, adaptation of the Austen novel.

Syrah Ardani is 30, recently returned from years studying Oenology in France. The only daughter of the widowed Anthony Ardani, the owner of Ardani Vineyards, Syrah lives and breathes the vines like her father and is comfortably settling into life at home. Yet clearly something with the family business is... off.

Jane Lucas, Syrah's long time friend, struggling artist and former heart-breaker-butch, is about to fall hard for the new, very eligible dyke in the area, Missy Bingley. Initially Jane, who has decided to "settle down", appears to be on the calculating side about Missy with comments like, "... Definitely a dyke. And femme, so, hey, I'm thinking she needs a wife like me. I've got all the qualifications. I can fix stuff, dance, like to talk and think sex is really fun. My only strike against me is the money thing (3)."

However, Jane is thunderstruck when she meets Missy. Missy Bingley, forty-something, successful businesswoman retiring to rehabilitate her newly acquired historic Netherfield estate, appears equally smitten with Jane. Does love at first sight exist?

Before long, Syrah realizes that her gentle, intuitive, wine-knowledgeable father is the definition of naive with what has to be the antithesis of a head for business. While she was gone, he has incorporated the vineyards, over-extended his capital and been unable to cover his debt. The future of the Ardani Vineyards is in danger and the creditors have gone to court. An "axe man" is being sent to take stock of the situation.

Toni Blanchard is that "axe man." She is also very attractive. Syrah first sees a photograph of her from a Fortune magazine article and describes her thus: "Dark hair twisted at the neck and East Coast stylish, Toni Blanchard gazed out from the page with an expression Syrah could only describe as haughty. If the toes on her shoes had been any longer they'd have curled like some court jester's. Everything about her dripped wealth and superiority(12)."

An intelligent, thoughtful, skilled woman, Toni's job is to make difficult recommendations for companies that are in receivership, and she is well respected in her field. She is also the daughter of Anthony's old college friend. This connection encourages Anthony to believe that Toni will "fix" the situation. The vintner never seems to understand that Toni's role is to represent the court and creditors.

Toni arrives in the area emotionally shell-shocked. Her lover of several years, Mira, has dumped her for another woman, moved out and taken possession of funds that are not hers. Staying with her old friend Missy Bingley while reviewing the Ardani accounts, Toni begins to find some peace in the green hills of northern California.

She realizes that she had not been in love the last several years and that Mira's actions -- while unethical and unpleasant -- hurt her pride more than her heart. Still, Toni is jaded and that makes her doubt the sincerity of the woman who is courting Missy. Furthermore, falling in love is the last thing Toni needs right now; yet there is Syrah, a lovely, radiant, spirited earth goddess seeming to draw Toni to her.

Needless to say, several complications ensue. The future of the Ardani Vineyards hangs precariously. Both Toni and Syrah must deal with their preconceived notions of the other and their stubborn egos in order to have a chance at following their hearts. They must also contend with the nefarious manipulations of Mira and Caroline.

Indeed, Kallmaker has created a decidedly nasty nemesis in Lady Mira Wickham. Even after an unpleasant break up, Toni -- and this reader -- was surprised at how spiteful and meddlesome Mira could be. Missy's snarky nickname for Mira is "reech beech" and that seems mild by the end of the story. For that matter, Caroline, Missy's sister, runs a close second for the title.

Austen fans will recognize several familiar names in JUST LIKE THAT. Bennett, Netherfield, Jane, and Bingley are among the names and characters borrowed from Pride and Prejudice and some of the structure of the story is similar to Austen's. However, there should be no question in readers' minds but that Kallmaker has written a contemporary novel, with complex realistic characters set in an engaging region. She also provides interesting viniculture background. This is a lively romance with hot sex. The lead characters are sometimes frustratingly stubborn, yet this reader found them compelling and was curious to discover out how Kallmaker would solve the problems they faced.

Austen has been called the mother of the romance novel and there is a nice symmetry to Kallmaker, today's best-selling writer of lesbian romances, paying tribute to the roots of the genre with JUST LIKE THAT. She has given us a new look at prejudice and a different view of pride all painted with the dark purple of a fruity Shiraz. Kallmaker has bottled a wonderful year for her readers, JUST LIKE THAT. Decant and enjoy!

And then there were 17 of them. Beginning with In Every Port in 1989, Kallmaker has created her own fiefdom, in which she reigns and labors. If you read lesbian romances and enjoy them, you'll not be disappointed with this latest Kallmaker effort. She has earned a Lambda literary award; she has honed her craft, and she is the queen of her genre. The latest issue from this prolific author, Just Like That, contains the trademark qualities expected from Kallmaker by now, and it does not disappoint.
There is humor, attention to detail in character and setting, and sex. Syrah Ardani has returned home to her family's vineyard in the Napa valley, a beautiful area lovingly and vividly described. One can almost see and feel the quality of the sun on the hillsides; and almost taste the wines, smell the air. Toni Blanchard has made a career and a fortune rescuing troubled corporations. These two meet, clash, and sparks of various kinds fly. This author's career has been made by paying homage to the classic romance genre, all the while enriching and sustaining it. Just Like That certainly falls into that category. Kallmaker is a master at holding our attention: it is a classic, romantic setting, a classic, romantic plot, and a classic Kallmaker entry. Relax, read, become swept away. That's what a romance novel is supposed to do for the reader. There are traditional sidekicks for comic relief, lovable fatherly and motherly characters, rich city versus noble country, honor found under strained circumstances, misunderstandings, emotions wildly out of control being denied for the sake of blind stubbornness, corporate coldness losing against the simplicity of the warmth of the land itself, amazingly hurtful and wrong things done for inconceivably cockeyed reasons.
It is very entertaining and enjoyable. The romance and the scenery, the tension between the principals, the palpable desire, all are more than one would need for a fine effort in a field Kallmaker has dominated for more than a decade.

The world of lesbian fiction will lose something special when Karin Kallmaker stops writing books. With her 17th book, 'Just Like That,' this author delivers yet another enjoyable story.

Syrah Ardani's father is a skilled winemaker with no head for business. He has mistakenly buried his vineyard in debt that her cannot repay. In walks Toni Blanchard, a woman hired by the investors to ensure they are paid. Toni has just been dumped by her immature, greedy long-term girlfriend, and immediately feels an attraction to the innocent Syrah. Knowing a personal relationship with the woman would be professionally inappropriate, Toni makes every attempt to avoid the daughter and work directly with the father. Syrah is enraged this woman has entered their lives and is convinced by an anonymous source that Toni is akin to evil incarnate. A solid supporting cast that includes both of their best friends rounds out this tale, giving the reader two romances in one.

This is an intelligent story for an intelligent reader. There are "good" and "bad" characters to give the book dimensionality. Kallmaker even does a nice job with the terminology regarding wine and with details regarding the growing of grapes for wine.

Of course it's pure formula, but that's part of why we read it. No lesbian's bookshelf is complete without this newest installment from Karin Kallmaker.

As someone else said, "the reader knows how a Karin Kallmaker book will end, but it is so much fun getting there." Every journey is always different and will come with its own lessons and twists.

It would have been easy to make these characters into the stereotypical lesbians found in many lesbian romance novels. But Ms. Kallmaker never takes the easy way out. All of the major characters in this story are multifaceted. Each one brings their own experiences and backgrounds to color their interpretation of the world, and people, around them.

In this case, Toni and Syrah's individual perceptions filter their view of others. Their fear of saying too much cause miscommunications and actions that belie their true feelings. It takes courage to shake off these perceptions. They must learn to listen with their hearts, not their ears or eyes.

One thing I feel that is uniquely Kallmaker is that with every book I read I learn something more about another new subject. In this case, wines and the wine country. Each new book is an educational experience as well as an emotional one. And, of course, an erotic one.

After 17 romances, the reader knows how a Karin Kallmaker book will end, but it is so much fun getting there, and Just Like That is no exception.

Syrah Ardani returns from Europe to find that her father has turned their Napa Valley winery and vineyards into a corporation that is now in receivership. Toni Blanchard is a corporate guru who has been hired by the courts to rescue Ardani Vineyards for the creditors by whatever means necessary. While Toni is working for the creditors, she subconsciously is trying to help the Ardanis save their winery. She truly likes Syrah's father, but is also attracted to Syrah. After a recent break-up with a lover who was shallow and using her for her money, Toni doesn't want any more entanglements, but her heart isn't willing to cooperate.

Kallmaker creates a funny, enchanting and heartfelt love story with Just Like That. She sets up the story well by delving into Toni's and Syrah's histories so that we understand the characters and their motivations better. Within this, she depicts vividly Toni's harsh break-up with her ex-lover Mira. The scene is so well written that I could feel how hurt and livid Toni was. The scene is a turning point for Toni as it establishes the tone for her future encounters with Syrah. We can appreciate why Toni is drawn to the quiet countryside of Napa, California and the charms of the Ardanis and how the New Yorker is transformed by this.

The heart of the story lies in the half-truths and misunderstandings between Toni and Syrah. They judge each other by their current actions, and what others say about them rather than really getting to know each other without outside influences. Time and again, Kallmaker has shown her expertise at portraying conflict and the accompanying trust issues that prevent her main characters from realizing what is in their hearts. We experience Toni's and Syrah's angst along with them.

In Just Like That, the reader is treated to prose that is pure poetry. Kallmaker compares love to grapes growing into wine. She composes this beautifully and captures our hearts as well.

Ohhhh...Kallmaker does it again. A 5 star awesome novel.

In this novel, we find Syrah (named after the wine) trying to assist her father from losing their vineyard and business. Since his business' credit has been maxed, the creditors are sending in someone to assist her father in making good solid judgements with his business.

Syrah doesn't want the axe man to come, but he cometh in the form of Toni Blanchard. Toni's beautiful, competent, smart and also happens to be the daughter of Syrah's father's college roommate.

As Syrah and Toni do battle over business and bookkeeping, Syrah's friend Jane (tough butchie looking for love in all the wrong places) also gets hooked by the love bug.

Pick it up and you won't be able to put it down.

This the 17th outing for Kallmaker, and she brings us something new. This is the story of Syrah, born with grapes in her DNA. And Toni, a businesswoman who works for stockholders and courts and essentially tells companies how to restructure their businesses and then walks away. When Toni is asked to look at Syrah's family vineyard, she discovers that while she likes Syrah's father, he is a poor businessman. What will Toni find when she goes through the books?

Kallmaker slowly builds the attraction between Syrah and Toni as she explains the business of winemaking to the reader. Each character is well-written as are the minor characters - Jane, Syrah's best friend; Missy, Toni's best friend; Mira, Toni's ex and the woman you love to hate; and Caroline, the avaricious sister of Missy.

This is a traditional lesbian romance, and is to today's romances as cozies are to mysteries. It is well worth the read if for no other reason than the reader will learn something about making wine while enjoying a romance.

Friends ask why I prefer her work over most of the other lesbian fiction writers out there, and by the time I'm done explaining they're not listening any more. I read a variety of writers, too, and there are many good ones out there, to be sure. But Kallmaker is easily my favorite, and here in Just Like That is the perfect example of why.

When Syrah and Toni leave dinner together, after what neither of them will admit is a date, we know they are probably headed for a sexual encounter. Many writers can competently get the two women into bed, the sex will happen and on goes the story. Kallmaker, however, layers the scene between Syrah and Toni with other elements an attentive reader can appreciate, elements that deepen the conflict and shed light on the nature of the two women and what they would bring to the eventual relationship we hope they will forge.

To open the possibility of privacy, on the drive home, Syrah suggests taking the back roads. On the surface, that's a simple writer's choice to deepen the intimacy. But the back roads lead through the vineyards of Syrah's family, the land that she labors in and loves. To enter, Syrah herself gets out and opens the gate. Metaphorically, she actively invites Toni into her private world, one full of green and life and perhaps even magic starlight that a jaded New Yorker can feel.

While the subtlety of the place might escape Toni, the pull of sensual nature - and Syrah's marked sensuality when in her fields - is powerful. It's the always-in-control Toni who is overwhelmed and Syrah who gives, eagerly and naturally, the pleasure. She's in her element and has let Toni in - for the moment.

When Toni tries to return the pleasure, however, Syrah is spooked. Could it be because Toni is offering only her body and not her inner self? Could it be that Syrah senses that there is no place - yet - that touches Toni's soul the way the vineyards touch Syrah's? These questions and insecurities are embedded into the sexual exchange, not tacked on after - that's the magic Kallmaker creates. Toni, so rich and eligible, abruptly finds herself the one who is bankrupt in the things that Syrah values.

Many readers will fly through this scene because it's hot - they are after all doing it on the hood of a car under a starlit sky. Kallmaker knows how to turn up the steam in a love scene but she never stops there.

Certainly, the deeper levels in the scene are not essential to understanding the plot or being wholly satisfied by the ending, but for the people who ask me why Karin Kallmaker is my favorite - and in my opinion one of the best lesbian fiction writers out there - that's why.

Her work is as deep or as simple as the reader wants to make it. I read her for depth and have never been disappointed at the skillful and insightful way she writes about women, lesbians and the nature of trust and love.

I recently took a brief business trip through Sonoma, then that weekend found myself watching Pride and Prejudice and it made me think of this book, which I remembered fondly, so I picked it up again. It was just as good as I remembered it being, and really hit the spot; it was perfect for my mood. I think you enjoy this book more if you're in on and completely accept the "joke" of its homage to Pride and Prejudice. In fact I was quite tickled with the elements of that classic that the author decided to use, and the alternately clever and amusing ways in which she incorporated them.

A lot of the suspension of disbelief with how events unfolded and their timing had to do with the strength of the chemistry between the main characters, and I think that Karin did a superb job with their inner thoughts and voices, with how confused they were at their own uncharacteristic behavior, with the high emotions and pressures surrounding them, that it was easy for me to buy. Events do tend to move along quickly. There was just enough angst to add spice, and enough sap to soothe all the hurt caused. I love how human and real the characters she creates seem. You like them (well, except the villains of course) and you want them to be happy, and that's what makes these books fun to read for the entertainment and escapism they provide: because in the end you are assured that they will be happy.

A thoughtful friend gave me this latest Karin Kallmaker novel for Christmas - signed no less! - and it was a true delight to read. Pride & Prejudice is one of those books I know I *ought* to have read, but I haven't. Since it's apparently the birthplace of the romance novel - and the blueprint from which Just Like That was developed - I think I have to read it.

There were plenty of twists and turns in the story. I knew all along that somehow Toni would save the day, but exactly how was a surprise. I knew that Toni would declare herself in love with Syrah but sat there with my mouth hanging open when Syrah threw every word back in Toni's face. Syrah and Toni struggle to understand each other, and both of them are more than willing to let their pride and their misconceptions flourish.

Meanwhile, Jane and Missy, in beautiful contrast, take one look and fall madly in love. Everything goes easily - well, until well-meaning friends get in the way. At one point Syrah says that looking at their happiness felt like it was breaking her heart, since her own eluded her.

The prose of this tale is easy and rich. Others have of course compared it to wine, which is natural, so I won't. Even though it's the perfect comparison. The story comes to the reader without a lot of effort, but thoughtful consideration of the intricacies of the emotions involved, as well as the structured metaphors of nature, only deepened the pleasure for me.

I think my favorite scene was when Toni accidentally catches Syrah and Jane skinnydipping - the layers to all of that exchange are wonderful with Syrah angry for the dust settling on the grapes from Toni's thoughtless driving and Toni hardly listening as she contemplates Syrah's half-covered bum. And the visual of the Sophia-Lorenesque Syrah in nothing but a wet T-shirt...pure eye candy. Be still my libido!

I can't wait for Karin's next book - every single one is a different iteration of the lesbian romance novel, each a gem in its own right, often for different reasons. It wasn't that long ago I thought romance novels had nothing to offer a sophisticated reader. I was wrong. I admit it. This is pure romance and I think I'll read Pride & Prejudice very soon.