Carolyn Brown's The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee introduces us to Cadillac, Tex., where the jalapeños are hot, but not as hot as the rivalries among the women. We meet five friends--twins Cathy and Marty; Darla Jean, a reformed madam now preaching at the local church; Trixie, cheated on by the odious and charismatic Andy; and old Aunt Agnes--as they romp through festivals, weddings planned and unplanned and the machinations of The Club (as the titular society is popularly known). Meanwhile, Anna Ruth and Violet, unloved by the quintet, scheme to make their lives miserable.
Cathy is engaged to Ethan, the stuffed shirt son of Violet, the self-appointed grande dame of Cadillac, but she wonders if she and Ethan are really in love. There is no evidence--at least nothing like the steamy scenes in her favorite erotic romances. What Cathy doesn't know is that her sister, Marty--who enjoys life to the max and never met a cowboy she wouldn’t sleep with--is the author of those books. Violet and her attorney present Cathy with a prenup which they think is a slam dunk, but Cathy surprises them--and herself.
Between all of these feisty characters and a very hot competition over who's got the best jalapeño recipe, Brown keeps it lively with tart and raunchy dialogue, situations that will make you laugh out loud, ancient rivalries revisited and the hope that friendship will triumph over all. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.