These Boots Were Made for Stomping (Paranormal Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Julie Kenner (Author), Jade Lee (Author), Marianne Mancusi (Author)
Key Phrases: school cop, Comic Con, Karma Kitty, Kung Fu Shoes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When three separate heroines place orders at the same online shoe store-www.hiheelia.com-they receive shoes that not only look fabulous, but also give them superpowers that help them find true love and take charge of their lives. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (April 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 050552760X
• ISBN-13: 978-0505527608
• Product Dimensions: 22.5 x 6.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #447,283 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Three short stories about magical footwear, May 28, 2008

By	Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Advanced Reader's Edition of this book had the following marketing information accompanying it: "The theme of 'These Boots Were Made for Stomping' is one that every woman can understand: the right pair of footwear can change your life." Well I'm a woman and I don't understand that, I'm actually pretty uninterested in shoes and I doubt that many people's lives are changed by shoe purchasing. Oh well.

The book's back cover adds: "Whether facing the forces of evil or simply battling a bad hair day, fantastic footwear is key... Sometimes a woman's gotta be fierce as well as feminine, fiery as well as fragile. And when the legwork required is a roundhouse, when a girl's mantra has to become 'I am woman, hear me roar,' those are the times it's good to know there's magic in the world... because in super-powered pumps, the shrinking-est Violet or the nervous-est Nellie can do anything. Every step in magic shoes is sure to be a big one."

Well, what amazing twaddle! I've rarely read anything that ridiculous on the back of a book. Let alone the marketing idea of having the three characters in these short stories buying their books from a website that actually exists in the real world and from which one can buy shoes (which I briefly looked at after reading this book). Sometimes one wonders what the marketing people who came up with this idea were thinking.

But underneath the strange marketing blurb lies a book of three short stories by different authors. The first story, 'A Step in the Right Direction' by Julie Kenner, introduces the non-human Protectors, people with superpowers. Nikko is in trouble for messing up one of his assignments and being revealed to the general public who have now made him into a comicbook character named Silver Streak. When Lydia Carmichael's purchase of some new boots seems to give her extra backbone and bravery - as well as an ability to rescue people - she finds herself meeting her hero Silver Streak and discovering that he thinks she's just like him, one of the Protectors. She goes along with it for a little while, having unwittingly interfered with an operation to catch Rex Ruthless, a man who is planning to shrink New York to a tiny blob with a special weapon he is creating. When Nikko and Lydia find themselves trapped by Ruthless they have to work together to save New York and Lydia has to discover whether her superpowers and bravery are linked to the shoes or whether she can do good on her own. It's an enjoyable read if a little formulaic.

The second short story, Kung Fu Shoes by Jade Lee, features teacher Micki Becker whose confidence in her teaching skills in a rough school in Indianapolis is rapidly ebbing away. Micki is trying to encourage student Lucy to leave her dodgy boyfriend Damien and make something of herself. When Micki finds herself tangling directly with Damien, including fighting him, she discovers an unexpected skill at kung fu. The School cop Joe DeLuce seems to be taking an interest in Micki, apparently to encourage her to move on to a better school where she can be safer, but soon also becoming involved in her new kung fu ability. When her skills are linked to her new pair of shoes she offers them to Lucy to help her - but perhaps this means that Joe will no longer like her as she returns to her mousy nature. Can Joe see beyond the kung fu shoes?

This story was also reasonable, particularly with the setting of the school and the difficulties facing many teachers, especially those like Micki who are perhaps not as streetwise as they should be. However the underlying plot was pretty thin and I found my attention wandering at times. I wasn't too sure about Joe's motivations initially but he seemed to improve as the story progressed. It was a reasonable read but nothing special.

The third story, 'Karma Kitty Goes To Comic Con' by Marianne Mancusi, was rather better. In this story Hailey Hills, author of the Karma Kitty comic strip, is attending a convention with her artist, Thomas, when she bumps into her old fiancé Collin. Hailey had often had problems during her relationship because weird things kept happening to her and Collin found it hard to believe in them. When Hailey stood him up at the altar and disappeared for three weeks because she had been abducted by aliens Collin gave up, moved away and became a successful film producer. When Hailey sees him again at the Comic Con and he wants to reconnect with her she vows to be as normal as possible. Unfortunately Hailey's new Karma Kitty boots aren't going to let her as they give her Kitty's superpowers and Hailey finds herself rescuing another comic writer from attacking Ninjas. Her date with Collin is a disaster and she thinks it's all over. But there's something going on in the world of film rights for the comics and it might take Hailey with her boots and Collin to save the day.

This was more fun than the previous two stories and although I had to suspend my disbelief just as much as for the other stories this one felt more rounded and had better pacing. Mancusi has a good writing style and Hailey was an appealing, if rather ditsy, character.

All in all this book didn't live up to the overblown marketing hype to me. It contained three stories of medium interest and the shoe website thread seemed rather tenuous. Those who like superpowered heroines might enjoy reading this but it's not worth a special trip to the bookshop.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very fun!, March 30, 2008

By	Gypsy Jacobpito - See all my reviews

Who does not enjoy a great pair of shoes no matter what kind?? now these three women find the fabulous Shoestra the goddess of shoes and BAM they are Kicking and fighting and surprising themselves with their new found confidence and skill and budding sensuality. I so absolutely adored the tongue in cheek and fantastic geeky, strong, funny and fabulous stories in this compilation I couldn't put it down! There is nothing better to read to give you a break between your regular series. I laughed out loud and Kung Fu shoes actually gave me that cheesy laugh cry you get when someone gets the cool Happy Ever After. Oh yes. love this! -Deneishia

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars three lighthearted satirical romantic romps , March 28, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"A Step in the Right Direction" by Julie Kenner. Mortal Lydia Carmichael has no powers and in fact gets in the way of the Protector Nikko the Silver Streak on his mission. The superhero must capture technology thief Rex Ruthless and his cohorts before they cause harm. When Lydia puts on the special footwear everything changes.

"Kung Fu Shoes" by Jade Lee. In Indianapolis English literature teacher Michaela Becker fears for her life but still tries to reach smart student Lucy Varner. Her dreams seem futile until she dons the "Kung Fu Shoes" that turn her into a sexual fighting machine; just ask her boyfriend Joe.

"Karma Kitty Goes to Comic Com" by Marianne Mancusi. Karma Kitty comic book author Hailey Hills and her artist Thomas Carol have a booth at the 2008 New York Comic Con. Though she loves being here, she fears the love of her life Collin Robinson will be too. Their relationship ended when comic publishers rejected his art work on the original Karma Kitty though a misunderstanding caused the final break. As they see one another, both knows they still love the other, but who will make the first dangerous move becomes moot when Hailey gets embroiled in a mess requiring a superhero not a lover.

These three lighthearted satirical romantic romps are fun to read as each stars mortal females turning into superheroes ostensibly because of special shoes; yet they had the fortitude inside them embellished by a loving caring hunk or geek.

Harriet Klausner