Playing review catch-up

Way back in July I finished several books I never got around to reviewing or commenting about. So, I plan to spend the next few days playing review/commentary catch-up. August wasn't a good reading month. I think I only finished 4 of 5 books and two of those were Lisa Kleypas re-reads. I'll try to get to those too.

First up Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins.

I realized while reading this book I would probably enjoy anything Jane Austenish. This one worked for me. The book takes place during the first year of Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage, and is told completely through letters from Lizzy to her sister Jane. This worked for me as I actually like this style of writing and Jane Dawkins does a good job recreating Lizzy's voice and the style of Jane Austen.

There's one problem with reading a book in letter format. The story is being told to the reader, so there's no dialogue or action. Yet each letter/chapter is short enough to hold your attention and moves fairly quickly. Most of the letters are entertaining, but there are a few that come across as overly harsh or sarcastic, but Ms. Dawkins does this on purpose as the follow up letter usually contains some sort of apology.

The letters are the 19th century version of my daily phone call with my sister. Sometimes informative, sometimes gossipy, sometimes newsworthy and sometimes because you simply need to talk.

If you're looking for a quick easy read in the style of Jane Austen, give this one a try. It's a light entertaining read.

Lightning Reviews

I have no idea whether or not anyone actually looks at my little rating system on my sidebar. I've been adding books for the last couple of weeks but haven't written any reviews. Mostly because there are enough reviews out there to get a good idea about the books. And, hey, it's summer and I'm being lazy :)

First up Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. It's Chick Lit with a twist. I should start by saying I'm not a huge fan of Chick Lit, but do like Alexandra Potter. Simply put Emily is a book geek looking for her Mr. Darcy. So far what she's found are rather pathetic souls who never fit in the Darcy mold. On the spur of the moment, and to avoid a trashy Mexican vacation with her best friend, she decides to spend the week around New Years on a Jane Austen tour of England. She finds herself on a guided tour with a bunch of old ladies and one obnoxious journalist doing a story on "why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date." Of course he turns into the love interest. It's fun, it's light and it loosely follows P&P, though I know some have considered it a retelling of P&P, but I found it wasn't that serious about it. What kept it from being very good were regular visits of Darcy as the story unfolds, I'd have preferred to just follow Emily and the group around without the little off shoots of plot.

Next up Nora Roberts' High Noon. MUST read for any Nora fan. I found this very different from many of her books. The heroine, Phoebe, is an incredibly smart, sympathetic, loving, non-bitchy character, sometimes I find her heroines can be too bitchy (at least for me) but Phoebe is really different strong, but never comes across as a bitch. Duncan, our hero, is equally smart, kind, loving and not overly cranky. You know the feeling you get when you're so into a story that you simply sit and read and the next thing you know the book is finished and you want more. Everything about this book is right, the balance of romance to suspense, the relationship building between the h/h, the interaction between the families. You can find good reviews for this at Dear Author and an interesting commentary from Rosie

Last up for this week Linda Howard's Up Close and Dangerous. Hmmm, what to say? Not my favorite Howard but still a good solid read. Bailey is the young widow of a very rich man, she now controls the trust funds for her nasty adult step-children, who obviously hate her because of this. She desperately needs a vacation away from her everyday life and has planned a rafting trip with her brother and SIL. Cam is the pilot called in to fly her from Seattle to Colorado. The plane's been sabotaged and goes down, they survive, fall in love and figure out who's the bad guy. Solid, simple story telling, but not spectacular. Zeek has a good review up and links to another.

Next week it's P&P and a couple of tribute books.

Have a good one and happy reading.

A Round About Review

We are officially 3 weeks into Junior's summer vacation. And, I am officially ready for him to go back to school, unfortunately we still have 8 more weeks to go. He has camp at the end of the month--that can't come fast enough. Now I love my child, but like his father he knows exactly how to push that one button that will trigger an automatic response, rarely a good response. Not that he's being "bad" because he's really a very good little boy, but at 5 he thinks I have been put on this earth to be at his little beck and call. And when I don't respond fast enough it's announced I run on "Tara Time". This is something he's managed to pick up from the DH. It is true, I do run on "Tara Time", but I really don't need to be reminded of this by a 5 year old.

And yet the little stink pot knows when he's pushed too far. While on vacation he was whining while we were visiting Mystic Seaport... "It's hot, I don't want to be here, can we go..." We had brought him there to see the ships, which he wanted to see, took him on a little ride around the little bay and still he was whining. When I'd reached my limit I in turn announced "I've had it, put on a happy face or else." This was while I was dragging him into the ladies bathroom after he informed me he would go into the men's room by himself. I am rather relieved that he hasn't actually tested the "or else" threat as I'm not really sure what "or else" means. He put on a happy face and actually did enjoy himself.

The other day we took a quick run into B&N and while in there he pushed every button imaginable. "I'll wait in games." "Can I get a DVD." "I'm going to the kid section." The store was packed and I insisted he "knock it off", but being a child he kept pushing until I announced "I'd had enough." Apparently the child can judge my mood, because he could obviously tell I wasn't all that mad, he dropped prostrate on the floor and started begging my forgiveness, right smack in the middle of the one and only "Romance Aisle". I, of course, started to laugh and told him to get up. "Not until you forgive me." "Listen Barrymore, get up." He did a reenactment for his father that night--it was quite good.

So, while in B&N I pick up a couple of books, one of which was Holly Lisle's Night Echoes. Which was released back in April and somehow I'd missed completely. I heard absolutely no buzz about it and realized maybe I'm one of the only people in our little part of the romance reading world who reads her romantic suspense (I've never read her Fantasy books as 1. I'm not really into Fantasy all that much and 2. I'm not likely to get into Fantasy if I start with books as long as she writes, though I've been tempted :)

From Publisher's Weekly (Apr. 2007):

Romantic suspense twines neatly with the paranormal—and without a single vamp or were-creature—in Lisle's latest, a chilling haunted house mystery that pits a sensible couple against the supernatural...

Tara fixes the back blurb:

When artist Emma Beck returns to the small South Carolina where she was born to discover the truth about her roots and long dead birth mother, everything she thought she knew about her birth begins to fall apart--especially after she moves into the old wreck of a Pre-Civil War farmhouse she plans to restore. Emma is drawn to the house, which seems strangely familiar, as does Mike Ruhl, the contractor she hires to help her fix it up. She begins to feel frightened when she recognizes Mike as a recurring face in her paintings--including one in a Confederate uniform. And when Emma starts to hears soft whisperings late at night, and they discover lost letters and a hidden journal in the attic, they realize they are caught in a web of ghostly tragedy.

I like Holly Lisle's story telling and particularly like that it's a ghost story not a vampire or werewolf to be found. Emma is drawn to a house she's been recreating it in artwork since she was 5. There's a "realization" that comes about 3/4 of the way through the book that annoyed me because it should have come much sooner, like in the first 1/4. Vague, but I didn't feel like going into a big spoiler alert. But Holly's ability to raise the anxiety level makes the book worth reading even if I didn't love the plotting.

Nefertiti: Queen of Egypt, Daughter of Eternity

It's hard to believe Michelle Moran is a debut author. Nefertiti: Queen of Egypt, Daughter of Eternity is a MUST read for this summer.

The blurb is a a wonderful description of the story...

From the Publisher
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods, overthrow the priests of Amun, and introduce a new sun god for all to worship.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people. Her charisma is matched only by her husband’s perceived generosity: Amunhotep showers his subjects with lofty promises. The love of the commoners will not be enough, however, if the royal couple is not able to conceive an heir, and as Nefertiti turns her attention to producing a son, she fails to see that the powerful priests, along with the military, are plotting against her husband’s rule. The only person wise enough to recognize the shift in political winds—and brave enough to tell the queen—is her younger sister, Mutnodjmet.

Observant and contemplative, Mutnodjmet has never shared her sister’s desire for power. She yearns for a quiet existence away from family duty and the intrigues of court. Her greatest hope is to share her life with the general who has won her heart. But as Nefertiti learns of the precariousness of her reign, she declares that her sister must remain at court and marry for political gain, not love. To achieve her independence, Mutnodjmet must defy her sister, the most powerful woman in Egypt—while also remaining loyal to the needs of her family.

Love, betrayal, political unrest, plague, and religious conflict—Nefertiti brings ancient Egypt to life in vivid detail. Fast-paced and historically accurate, it is the dramatic story of two unforgettable women living through a remarkable period in history.

Told in the first person by Mutnodjmet (Mutny) the story simply unfolds brilliantly. Nefertiti's is both strong and selfish, Amunhotep/Akhenaten's selfishness and self-absorption, Mutny's goodness and strength, their father's drive for power that never overshadows the protection of his daughters, Nakhtmin's strength and love for Mutny. The story is epic in scale, but the story telling never suffers. I love that Ms. Moran tells the full story of love, anger, jealousy and betrayals between these two fascinating sisters.

Nefertiti is a July 10th hardcover release, put this one on your TBB list, it's worth every penny.

*ETA* This is one of those books you want everyone you know to read. When I sat down to review this I picked up the book to skim different passages, and found myself rereading huge chunks of the book, finally giving up and rereading the whole thing. And please visit the author's website and the 18th Dynasty Family Tree is really interesting, make sure you check out all the information at the bottom of the page as you rollover the names in red and blue.

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes...

Since it was a rainy and dreary 4th in our neck of the woods, I spent the day reading The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, a collaboration by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart. After finishing it I went in search of reviews and found Dear Author's review nailed it perfectly. Rather than write my own I decided to be lazy and simply link to Jane's :) Go over and read, I can wait...

From the Publisher
You’re invited to spend the weekend with three extraordinary sisters…

When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she’s still trying to control her shape-shifting power—no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.
Dreyer is wickedly clever and witty.”—Booklist

Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday—annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart. . . .
A consummate mistress of her craft, Stuart is a pure pleasure to indulge.”
—Romantic Times Bookreviews

The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare’s long lost love turn up. . .and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget!
“Crusie is a master of fast-paced witty dialogue.”—Seattle Times

Each author's voice is distinctive, each writing the story of one of the Fortune sisters. If you're familiar with the authors you can easily pick out who wrote what. I liked each of the sisters, Stuart's Dizzy Lizzie is sweet but not stupid--typical Stuart, Mare is vintage Crusie, but I can't say much about whether or not Dee is a typical Dreyer heroine as this is my first "Dreyer".

Crusie has some very witty dialogue and it's hard to complain about her writing style and voice. Stuart is always a favorite and Dreyer has a nice style and voice too, and yet found myself a little underwhelmed by the whole thing.

So, what was wrong--I think it was the heros, not enough time or attention to each, leaving each of the romances somewhat weak. Though the stories aren't done in a novella format each one is limited to the amount of space within the 390+/- pages. I would have loved more of a back story on Stuart's Elric. Crusie does the best giving a stronger back story for Mare and Crash.

Not bad, but not spectacular either Jane's B- is right on target.

The sum of the parts...

I finished the Silhouette Nocturne Raintree series and realized that sometimes a series can be better than the sum of it's parts. I liked this series because I enjoyed the overall story arc more than the individual stories themselves, though I liked all three of the books.

Linda Howard's Raintree: Inferno is probably the weakest romance of the three, but it does a very good job setting the stage for the overall story arc. It does most of the world building, telling of the back story and ground laying for the Raintree/Ansara storyline. I know many readers had issues with the "brain rape" but it worked okay for me within the context of the story and overall Dante and Lorna worked for me, even if he's a little over the top.

I think Linda Winstead Jones' Raintree: Haunted is probably the strongest romance of the three. Gideon and Hope work well together and their attraction is immediate and works. All three stories have a "fated and mated" theme, but Haunted worked the best of the three despite this.

It also has an interesting sub-plot to the overall story arc with the female assassin playing cat and mouse with them. Nicely done.

Last in the series is Beverly Barton's Raintree: Sanctuary. This was one of those books that shouldn't work, but somehow does anyway. A back story filled with a secret identity and secret baby should have sent the book against the wall, but somehow it works even though I didn't particularly like the little girl (secret baby), but ultimately she's pivotal to the story arc resolution. He's kind of an Anne Stuart type of anti-hero. He's dishonest in the past and the present, but it works within the context of the story.

Raintree/Ansara story line comes to a head in the final book with a satisfying conclusion and overall worked for me.

Tempting by Susan Mallery

Some times I wonder at my reading choices. For some reason I felt the need to finish Susan Mallery's Buchanan series even though I was underwhelmed by each and every book in the series. Tempting didn't change my opinion of the series. An "Okay" book to finish an overall "Okay" series.

After three romantic flame-outs in a year and a restaurant career going nowhere, Dani Buchanan needs a fresh start. She goes looking for her biological father, but never expects to find a senator running for president. As his long-lost 'love child,' Dani could seriously derail the election— something his handsome campaign manager Alex Canfield isn't going to let happen. Dani isn't about to let Alex run her life, no matter how tempting she finds him—and Alex isn't going to allow Dani to melt his cynicism, no matter how close he has to get. The last thing either of them wants is love, especially with scandals brewing and family trouble on the way. But Dani and Alex are forced to trust each other, and when trust turns to passion, the potential for disaster is only a tabloid scandal away.

If you've been following the series you know Dani's had a rough year--her marriage falls apart, she falls for an ex-priest and has an affair with a man that's married, not that she knows this before hand. Through the first 2 books she treated like crap by her over the top evil Grandmother (Grandma goes through an amazing transformation in book 3--evil to good) because she's actually not her biological grandchild. Finding this out sends Dani looking for her real Father. And low and behold he's a Senator considering a run for President, has the perfect wife and a household of adopted special needs children. Ms. Mallery seems to have a thing for Presidential type characters.

Alex is the best part of the story, he's smart, loyal and caring. Dani is a mess, lots of contradictions and immaturity, not all bad as she very good with the children, but she's doesn't seem to deal as well with adults.

Not horrible just kind of blah.

Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy by HelenKay Dimon

If you're a fan of exceptionally good, sparkling dialogue then Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy by HelenKay Dimon is a must read.

From the Publisher:

Her mouth should be a dangerous weapon. So should his—but for different reasons. Thrown together by chance—and a pair of handcuffs—they're about to make Hawaii even steamier.

NEVER LET ME GO

Annie Parks came to Hawaii to gather information and settle a score, not spend time handcuffed to a sexy stranger's bed. Okay, so this particular stranger saved her from drowning after she was pitched overboard by some goons. And he's about six feet of hard, Hawaiian muscle and gorgeous cool that's making forgotten parts of her say, "A—lo—ha!" She needs to stay focused, but a side dish of Kane Travers is awfully tempting.

Kauai Police Chief Kane Travers is not a vacation kind of guy. So it figures that when Internal Affairs suspended him, he'd end up rescuing a sarcastic, dishonest, extremely hot redhead who is clearly hiding something. Amnesia? Yeah, right. Kane's got half a mind to give Miss Whoever She Is something she'll never forget. His cop senses tell him that the lady's in deep and needs his protection. But how can he get her to tell him anything when all he wants is to take her home and do everything?

HelenKay's Viva Las Bad Boys convinced me that not only could she write, but she writes fantastic dialogue. Knowing this I had high expectations for YMDMC. And then I saw "Amnesia" in the blurb and went "Oh! No!" anyone that knows my reading habits knows how much I hate amnesia story lines. But it's evident Kane doesn't buy Annie's story and the fun begins. The attraction and tension between them immediate.

Annie's on a mission--revenge. And she's not talking. Well, that's not really true, she's running her amazingly clever smart mouth, but not explaining how she ended up naked on his beach. But Kane's right there with her with a come back for every one of her smart mouth comments. It's a perfect balance of dialogue--clever, sarcastic with lots of sexual innuendos.

The suspense part of the plot is good, with just enough twists and turns, but I had small issues with how the story unfolds. Annie can come clean as to what she's doing sooner, but this doesn't really take away from the suspense part of the story, and it allows the banter to continue.

Without the dialogue this would have been a good romantic suspense. But the dialogue kicks this up to Very Good and quite possibly a "Keeper".

Demon Moon by Meljean Brook *originally posted May 14, 2007*

I've been putting off reviewing this one, not because I didn't like it, but rather because...

• I'm afraid I wont be able to do it justice--it's that good.
• I was waiting until closer to the release date (June 5th)
• It's almost impossible to write without spoilers

The back blurb:

No one would call vampire Colin Ames-Beaumont kind, but they would call him unnaturally beautiful. For two centuries his tainted blood has kept him isolated from other vampires, sustained only by his beauty and vanity—bitter comforts, since a curse has erased his mirror reflection, replacing it with a terrifying glimpse of Chaos.

Savi Murray's insatiable curiosity had gotten her into trouble before, but she'd always escaped unscathed. Then came Colin. In the midst of Heaven, he gave her a taste of ecstasy—and of Chaos. Deadly creatures from that realm herald the return of an imprisoned nosferatu horde, and Colin and Savi’s bond is their only protection—and their only passion…

Meljean has created a book with two characters that could have been unlikeable, but she creates smart, sympathetic and loving characters instead. After finishing Demon Angel I knew I'd be interested in Colin's story even though he was vain and self-absorbed, but I was less enthralled with Savi, her "insatiable curiosity" isn't the most endearing quality. But I should have realized that if Meljean could make Lilith sympathetic then Savi would be an angel.

One of the things Meljean does well is create levels of fear and horror that I normally find lacking in paranormal romance. The opening scene hits this mark and in the process completely hooks me for the rest of the book. It's hit again with the scenes involving Chaos and in the process we feel Colin anxiety and fear being thrown into that environment.

And while she's created this at times frightening world, the romance never suffers. There is a sexual tension that is palpable. She moves us through their attraction--desire and ultimately love.

Their backstories are told beautifully. We realize how much Colin misses his sister and Anthony. With glimpses into Savi's past we come to understand why her relationship with her grandmother is so important. And why she's willing to pass on love to find someone that would please her grandmother. There's a resigned sadness in Colin when he's willing to stand back and just be friends.

I found myself on the verge of tears as they try to figure out a way to be together.

I've already read it twice, reread the ending several times.

This one's good, it's better than good, it's a keeper.

Creepin' -- Anthology

Creepin' -- An anthology of African American paranormal erotic romance featuring L.A. Bank, Donna Hill, Monica Jackson, J.M. Jeffries and Janice Sims.

I'm going to start by saying I'm not a huge fan of anthologies, normally something doesn't work within each story, whether it's pacing, or amount of story or back story.

But, I absolutely LOVED Creepin'. Each story is unique and different. Each hits different levels of romance, erotica and horror. It's the horror mark that really works for me. Each story deals with revenge and justice, but in a paranormal environment.

Payback is a Bitch by L.A. Banks--Sidney Coleburn-West has a cheating bastard for a husband. And he needs to be dealt with, in comes Mitchell "Brick" Brickland to the rescue. Turns out Brick is a werewolf and decides Sidney's going to be his mate, but first they need to deal with the husband. I particularly liked this one, it was my first L.A. Banks story and I'll be looking for her back list.

The Heat of the Night by Donna Hill--Chris has been in love with her best friend, Melody, for years. Mel has no idea, but Chris now has a nightly visitor, and she is completely hot for whatever it is and loves what it does to her body. And, she's not willing to share, not even with Mel. This is by far my favorite story of the five. It's hot, it's spooky and it has an ending that could rival anything by the favorites within the horror genre. If you like the odd ironies of Stephen King short stories, this one will probably work for you--it did for me.

Vamped by Monica Jackson--another fun story. Joy's fiance, Andre, is a bit of a homebody. Goes to work and comes home, nothing in between. Joy insists he make an appearance at a work related event to prove to her coworkers he actually exists. Well, there's a reason he doesn't go out in public, regular visits from a vampire named Dahlia, she uses him for feeding and sex and he wants no part of it. Somehow (I'm not telling) Joy is infected. I'm stopping here in the story synopsis because I don't want to give anything else away. This one's an erotic romance and the ending is a little convenient, but I liked it and it certainly didn't take away from the overall story. And, I'm not certain if there would have been any other way to reach the HEA--so it works.

Balancing the Scales by J.M. Jeffries--Paloma Alexander is a Superstar with a lying, cheating, thief for a husband. She's willing to give up everything to be free of him even her most prized possession--her voice. Loved this story, not only is it about revenge, it's about the poetic justice that can go with it.

Avenging Angel by Janice Sims--Sarai is a member of the Nephilim group Grigori. The Grigoris are dedicated to God, unlike the Nephilim group The Sons of the Morning Star who are dedicated to Lucifer. It turns out an old boyfriend from The Sons of the Morning Star wants her back, but she's happily married to a human, a professional boxer turned politician, a good man doing good things and Sarai loves her husband and wants no part of the ex. The ex needs to be dealt with--that's it anything else is a spoiler. This was my least favorite of the group and it's still a good story, of course a Good vs. Evil story always works for me.

Be prepared not all the stories are romances, but all are extremely erotic. I read the entire book in one sitting at my computer, anyone who knows me, knows that's saying something about just how good this book is.

May Contain Spoilers...

Finally, I'm sitting down to review/comment about Lynn Viehl's Night Lost.

Have you ever picked up a book and after reading it realized whoever wrote the back blurb nailed the description? ...

A Noble Prisoner...
Gabriel Seran has fallen into the hands of the fanatical religious order known as the Brethren. Though abandoned by his fellow Kyn, he remains honor bound to protect their secrets from his interrogators. Blinded, nailed to a cross,k and sealed in a chapel cellar beneath a ruined chateau, Gabriel faces an eternity of suffering.

An Obsessed Thief...
Nicola "Nick" Jefferson has been traveling across Europe, looting churches of their precious artwork and fencing the treasures to make her living. At each destination, she liberates the captive vampires, hoping they'll provide her with information leading to the one artifact she so desperately craves: the Golden Madonna.

A Fateful Coupling...
Gabriel and Nick have met before in each other's dreams. Bound together by more than coincidence, their destinies intertwine even as their passions ignite...

Well, there you have a perfect summary. Actually a perfect summary of half the book. Gabriel and Nick's story. Both characters are strong and smart, devoted to their own causes. Once she's saved him from the Brethren it turns into a little bit of a road tale--pulling them toward Ireland and the rest of the story... Alex, Michael and Richard...

If you've been following the series at the end of Dark Need Richard has kidnapped Alex and brought her back to Ireland to help cure him. The King of the Darkyn has a problem. When he was held in captivity by the Brethren he only feed on animals, his system doesn't tolerate human blood. And we also discovered at the end of DN that Kyn who don't feed on human blood slowly become changelings turning into a bizarre version of animal/human. Richard's becoming more animal than human. He desperately needs Alex to save him. Alex wants out, Michael wants Alex out and this slowly builds to a climax that includes Gabriel and Nick and a villain they're all looking for.

Ms. Viehl does an amazing job combining story line and overall series arc--it completely works and flows together beautifully, and yet the overall series arc isn't finished only a part of it, leaving the Brethren, John and other Kyn with interesting story lines that still need to be told--LOVE IT :D

Next up on the TBR pile was Ms. Viehl's Midnight Blues, another great tale. On some level it's a small continuation of DN bringing us back to Sam and Lucan, almost an epilogue with an extra tale for Rafael, Sam's detective partner and also Kyn. Daniela Nieves needs rescuing from an evil Kyn member many have thought long dead. Rafael to the rescue. What makes this novella particularly entertaining is just who the villain is, and I'm not telling :D

So after a reading high I moved on to another "favorite" author. Unfortunately it lead to a little bit of a let down. I like Adele Ashworth's stories, writing style and voice. But The Duke's Indiscretion didn't really work for me. Conceptually it's an interesting story. An Earl's sister living a double life as aristocrat and opera singer attracts the attention of a smart, rakish Duke. She manipulates him into marriage and he's willing because he thinks he's getting the hot opera singer, what he actually gets is the cold aristocrat. He's made to feel the cad and she needs to work through her "feelings" about the whole thing. Throw in a little mystery and that's it.

Basically, I liked Colin, the hero, but didn't like Charlotte/Lottie, the heroine.

And again Ms. Ashworth falls victim to bad proof reading. The opening of one chapter has Charlotte spelled without the "h".

Last weeks books... This will probably be long :)

Annie Dean emailed me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I'd be interested in reading her new book The Average Girl's Guide to Getting Laid. I'd read a couple of reviews (Dear Author and Mrs. G) and from those reviews I was expecting an average read.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised when it was more than that. I enjoyed this book. I felt comfortable with Ellie, she's sweet and self conscious and at times full of forced bravado, but not in a bad way. Ash is cool.

Sexy and smart, well paced. The dialogue works (though I hated the "babygirl" endearment--but that's mostly because one of my BILs calls his 3 year old "babygirl). Mostly I liked Ellie and Ash, they were good people. A very sexy story about everyday average people falling in love.

It's not perfect, some of the conflict seemed a little forced and there's little side trips within the story that aren't really necessary, but don't really hurt the story.

This one was better than average for me.

I wish Mary Balogh's Simply Magic was better than average. I was disappointed with this story. I'm not going to write a full review or commentary for this one. All I can say about it is BORING. The hero and heroine are both nice people, but the story is a character driven one and it basically goes absolutely no where. I found myself skimming and skipping whole sections. Mary Balogh is still an auto read for me, simply because I like her writing style and voice, but this book didn't work for me.

Count to Ten has put Karen Rose on my autobuy list. This is a non-stop thriller with a great balance between suspense and romance. I'm very picky when it comes to romantic suspense, I usually find the balance doesn't work for me (to heavy on the romance not enough chills and thrills). Smart, well-developed characters (main and secondary), strong story, good dialogue, the pacing was perfect. I tried to find some of her backlist at the UBS today, but there wasn't a single book in stock.

They Call Me Naughty Lola Personal Ads from the LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS--Edited and with an Introduction by David Rose. Incredibly fun reading. The ads are funny, sarcastic, dry and at times beyond desperate. If you have an opportunity to pick this one up--do, it's worth it. I borrowed it from the library and hate having to give it back. I may have to buy myself a copy.

That's it for last weeks reading.

I've got some good books on the TBR pile, I may come up for air long enough to post about them as I finish them.

Have a good one and happy reading.

Raintree: Inferno

The middle of the night seemed to be a good time to finally finish Linda Howard's RAINTREE: Inferno. Apparently I'm an oddity in romance blogland. I liked it. :D It had entertainment value. Different from a typical Linda Howard, but not as much as some people are complaining about.

Back blurb:

Two hundred years after the Raintree clan defeated them, the Ansara wizards are rising again to take on their bitterest foes. As king, it's up to Dante Raintree to protect his clan, but his heart--and maybe his loyalties--may be fatally divided when Lorna Clay walks into his life. Suddenly fire, always his to control defeats him taking with it his livelihood. Unsure whether Lorna is to blame yet unable to walk away from her, Dante faces the fight of his lifetime, a fight even his strength and that of the Raintree clan may not be enough to win.

That sounded way more dramatic than the actual telling of the story...contains spoilers...

Lorna Clay is somehow cheating while she's playing blackjack at Dante Raintree's Reno casino. He's not happy. Pulls her into his office and while they're discussing the situation two things happen. 1. He realizes she has some sort of psychic abilities that's why she wins consistently (it's a number thing) and 2. The casino is on fire. Here's where the "brain-rape" comes in. He needs to control the fire and the only way he can is with the help of someone else with strong psychic ability. So he does what he thinks he has to forcibly links with Lorna and controls the fire in order to save lives. Not nice, but certainly explainable and is explained after the fact.

Now he thinks maybe she's Ansara, tears off her clothing to see if she has the "Ansara birthmark". Of course she doesn't and at this point she's really pissed off. He forces her to stay at his home (force field thingy) and she wreaks havoc with little get even tricks.

Dante is over the top and bullyish, but hey he's a king, he's used to getting his way. I'm not horrified by what happened up to this point, everything fits within the context of the story.

There's a turning point near the end of the book right before they have sex for the first time, she basically says no more mind control and they need to be equals or they don't go forward...

Reading him wasn't easy, but she could see he didn't like relinquishing control at all. Intuitively, she grasped his dilemma. On a purely intellectual basis, he understood. On a more primitive level he didn't want to lose her, and he was prepared to be as autocratic and heavy-handed as necessary..."All or nothing."...

If you are a Linda Howard fangirl this book shouldn't shock you. If you're a borderline fan you're not going to like it. And if you're not a fan at all, avoid it completely.

I'll finish the series. The ending of this book is very reminiscent of Jane and Grant's part in Diamond Bay, she's told to stay put and of course she wont. Got to see where it goes.

Finally 3 more books...

It took me 2 weeks to finish Jane Feather's A Wicked Gentleman, which surprises me as I actually liked the story. Lady Cornelia (Nell) Dagenham is a widow with 2 children, her son is the heir to an earldom, her controlling father-in-law is looking for an excuse to take custody of his grandchildren. She and the children escape life under his thumb by going to London for the Season with her are her two best friends--her SIL Aurelia and their friend Liv Lacey. Liv has inherited a falling down town house and small inheritance to repair the building--can you tell this is a three book series??

Viscount Bonham (Harry) is a code breaker for the Crown. Something has been left in the ramshackle old town house that he needs and he befriends the ladies of the house in order to find it. Thus is the set up for the growing relationship between Nell and Harry.

I liked that this is an adult story, not a debutant in sight. All of the characters are interesting and well developed. The story is very character driven. Yet the pace of the story is painfully slow, a little too meandering. I'm not sure her writing style and voice support the slow pace. It reminds me why I like Eloisa James so much, even when her plot is weak the characters are strong and fun enough to carry the story.

Overall I liked it, but would have really preferred to see it cut from 474 pages to 374+/-. (B-)

Anne Stuart!! For some readers that's all you have to say. I'm one of them. I read her books for the heros and if the heroine works too all the better. Ice Blue's heroine worked for me, not as stupidly annoying as Genevieve from Cold as Ice and not as naive as Black Ice's Chloe. Though Summer does have some inconsistencies, mostly having to do with her background (I know I'm being vague, but avoiding spoilers). I like Summer, but this is Takashi O'Brien's story, at least it was for me :)

From the Publisher:

Museum curator Summer Hawthorne considered the exquisite ice-blue ceramic bowl given to her by her beloved Japanese nanny a treasure of sentimental value—until somebody tried to kill her for it.

The priceless relic is about to ignite a global power struggle that must be stopped at all costs. It's a desperate situation, and international operative Takashi O'Brien has received his directive: everybody is expendable. Everybody. Especially the woman who is getting dangerously under his skin as the lethal game crosses the Pacific to the remote and beautiful mountains of Japan, where the truth can be as seductive as it is deadly . . .

The somebody tried to kill her for it part of the story features her La La Land mother's spiritual guru, a phony that believes his destiny is to change the world. The Committee sends Taka to the rescue, should he kill her or save her--what do you think? It's action and adventure and fun. Why else do you read Anne Stuart?

Hmmm, what to say about Kathleen O'Reilly's Beyond Daring? A book that starts with two not so likable characters. Sheldon is the Paris Hilton of the consumer product set, Daddy sells everything from toothpaste to cleaning supplies. She's a useless princess--why, it's never really explained why she behaves so abysmally. Is she acting out to avoid an up coming marriage/merger? No because she's doing this willing or so she says. Her parents are likable, her sister rather sweet, but she's icky. Jeff is a PR dream, can sell "ice to Eskimos" and sleeps with anything remotely interested in his pretty boy looks and demeanor. Jeff's sister is still using her brothers to further her carreer and honestly I think she may be even less likable than these two.

And yet, the darned thing still worked for me. Ultimately I liked where the story took me so it gets a thumbs up or a B- anyway.

My new best friend, by way of Rosario...

Today I discovered a new author. Well, she not new, she's been around a while, but I've never read anything by her. Terri Brisbin.

This morning I read Rosario's review of The King's Mistress. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge medieval fan, add to that an unusual story line, an atypical heroine and an interesting hero and I'm going to search for the book ASAP. And then I reached the end of the review to find this...

I'll definitely be reading more by this author. Any recs? My interest was caught by The Duchess' Next Husband, but then I saw that the hero keeps a mistress while he's already married to the heroine, and that's a bit of a deal-breaker for me, so maybe I should start with something else. Suggestions are very welcome!

Then I read Ms. Brisban's comment...

About THE DUCHESS'S NEXT HUSBAND -- I would suggest (trying not to spoil it for you) that you could safely read it even with your concern about a mistress while married. It's loosely based on the old Rock Hudson-Doris Day movie -- Send Me No Flowers -- and you know Doris would never stand for a mistress!

OMG, I love that movie. I knew I'd be hitting the UBS to search out this one in particular. I have a confession of sorts to make. While other's find cheating husbands a deal breaker, I'm absolutely fascinated by historicals featuring couples that are married but not in love.

So instead of spending the afternoon nagging the school's office staff into helping me pick out graphics for the new website, I went to the UBS. Found several of Terri Brisban's backlist including The King's Mistress and The Duchess's Next Husband. And couldn't wait to get home and start reading. And I would have been reading promptly at 3:15 if I hadn't promised to spend the afternoon coloring eggs with 2 five year olds. The kids had a great time, we had pizza for dinner, got home around 6:30, put the child to bed by 7:30 and I started reading by 8:00, by 10:30 I was done (thank God the hubby tapped LOST) and I'm here to tell you....
I LOVED IT

The Duke of Windmere receives word that he’s going to die, and tries to get his affairs in order—which includes finding his wife a new husband!

But as the duke's efforts go awry and he starts to fall in love with the duchess again, dare he hope they will find true happiness together -- before it's too late?

Adrian is the current Duke of Windmere, but when he and Miranda married he was actually the "spare" and she wasn't quite good enough for the then Duke (Adrian's brother), but her dowry certainly made her good enough for the back-up. The unexpected death of his brother turns their lives upside down, a contented marriage turns into a society one and 5 years later, they're basically living separate lives. Add to this Adrian has chronic asthma and it's getting worse. After meeting with his doctor's and eavesdropping on a conversation he's left believing he'll be dead before the year is out. He needs to get all his ducks in a row, and that's what drives the story.

Miranda is an interesting character, after 5 years of being under the Dowager's thumb she's more than ready to ditch the old lady and try to make something of her marriage. She's dumbfounded by Adrian's behavior changes, but wants a happy marriage and a loving husband. Adrian is somehow endearing with how he wants to make sure Miranda will find some sort of happiness without him. First he feels the desperate need for an heir, when he realizes that may not happen, he needs to set her up financially, without an heir she may be left penniless and when he realizes he's in love with her he doesn't want her to be alone and starts introducing her to potential husbands. Doing all of this without ever telling her he's "dieing".

At times humorous, at times sad, even knowing he wasn't "dieing" I still cried when he finally tells her.

My only complaint, the "big misunderstanding" near the end, caused by his evil mother, the conclusion of which is very reminiscent of the one in Judith McNaught's Whitney, My Love.

Character driven, with well developed characters and a nice writing style and voice. I can't wait to read the rest of her backlist.

*edited* to correct "dying" to "dieing", the poor man thought he was near death not changing colors--LOL

Three more books

I've finished 3 books in the last couple of days. Two were ARCs for book due out in June and July. I'll be writing reviews/commentary for both closer to their release dates, but thought I'd mention them as I enjoyed both...

Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy by HelenKay Dimon has incredibly dialogue and banter. I'm a huge fan of really good realisitic dialogue, and HelenKay more than hits that mark for me. Put it on your June wish list.


Nefertiti a novel by Michelle Moran is a must read for any lover of historical fiction, an amazing, interesting and entertaining view of Ancient Egypt. A July hardcover release, and even though I've an ARC I still plan to get this one in hardcover.

Book number three is Nalini Singh's Visions of Heat.

From the Publisher
Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous - aching need...exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her.

Changeling Vaughn D'Angelo can take the form of either man or jaguar, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar's instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating, and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith's sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced - and keep her from Vaughn.

I liked this book, but not as much as most of the other reviewers/commentators out on blogland. I prefered Slave to Sensation. I really enjoyed interaction between Faith and Vaughn, but found all the different "Net" stuff becoming mind numbing in detail--I'm not a techie and these parts didn't hold my attention. Faith is an interesting character, she's been completely cut off from her own society and other people in general for all of her life, so all the changes in her and her surroundings were life threatening for her and yet she's strong enough to take the chance to leave everything she's known. I found the interaction between her and her father very telling. Are the Psy really Silent or does the Council only think they are?

Rarely do I visualize characters when I read, but I have to admit the name Vaughn triggered visions of Vince Vaughn in my head (don't ask--LOL) but then visions of VV lead to visions of Jennifer Aniston, so they were prowling around in my head throughout the book.

The next book in the series, Caressed by Ice, is already on my wish list. Does anyone know the release date?

Review/Commentary times three

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

From the Publisher:
Wealthy Lady Georgina Maitland doesn't want a husband, though she could use a good steward to run her estates. One look at Harry Pye, and Georgina knows she's not just dealing with a servant, but a man. Harry has known many aristocrats-including one particular nobleman who is his sworn enemy. But Harry has never met a beautiful lady so independent, uninhibited, and eager to be in his arms. Still, it's impossible to conduct a discreet liaison when poisoned sheep, murdered villagers, and an enraged magistrate have the county in an uproar.

This is a fun book, George is an interesting change from the average historical heroine, she's a little older (29), she's independently wealthy (thanks to an aunt) and she's not looking for a husband and not being forced to look for one either. She's quirky, independent and loved by her family and staff. Harry is also strong and independent, confident and comfortable with who he is, pulled himself out of tragedy and has worked hard for what he has. She wants him, and goes after him. Maybe not the most historically accurate because of class distinctions, but works because neither George nor Harry are typical or average characters.

I picked up Vivi Anna's Blood Secrets because I liked the cover and the blurb. The "Otherworld Crime Unit" really caught my attention.

From the Publisher
Caine Valorian and his Otherworld Crime Unit crack all the unusual cases before any humans take notice. When a young woman is found ritualistically murdered it's his team of professionals with paranormal gifts who must stop the nameless evil stalking the streets. But the toughest case of Caine's 200-year career gets even harder when a new member, Eve Grant, is assigned to their unit. Not only is she green and eager to impress, she's human.
As they sink deeper into the workings of the case, Caine's attraction to the alluring Eve is causing his blood to boil. And with war brewing between species, the all-consuming passion between a human and a vampire won't be the only thing to spill on the city's mean streets...

It's obvious from the blurb and Ms. Anna's "Dear Reader" letter in the book that she's a huge fan of CSI. Me too.

Simple world building, strong story, excellent chemistry between Eve and Caine and secondary characters screaming for their own stories. It felt like a paranormal CSI episode, which I'm hoping was Ms. Anna's point. This series is going on my auto-buy list.

I picked up Rosina Lippi's (Sara Donati) Tied to the Tracks because I found the review on SBTB interesting. I also discovered a very good review by Monica Jackson. I'll wait while you check out their reviews... Are you back?

From the Publisher
Miss Zula Bragg, award-winning writer in residence at Ogilvie College in Ogilvie, Georgia, has finally said yes to a documentary about her life. She insists that Tied to the Tracks, a shoestring film company from up North produce it-because, she says, they have an edge. So the entire company is summoned to Ogilvie-Angie Mangiamele, who writes, produces, and keeps it all together; Rivera Rosenblum, who photographs and edits; and Tony Russo, principal photographer and soundman. Only Angie is reluctant to head south because the new chair of the English department at Ogilvie is John Grant, and John and Angie have a fiery past.

A member of the founding Ogilvie family on his mother's side, John has finally returned home after years "up North" to take up his place in the community and to marry the lovely Caroline Rose, the last unmarried daughter of the prominent Rose family in what Ogilvie residents regard as the wedding of the century. The town-rich with tradition and rife with gossip-is fascinated by the three Yankees, but when it seems as though sparks still fly between John and Angie, the townsfolk rally to protect their own.

From Monica Jackson's Review:
The book has a pleasing literary turn of phrase, the words don’t get in the way of the story. But it could have been more.

There is no black point of view in the book at all, which detracted for me. I know what it’s like being black in a small Southern town and it’s profoundly different from not being black. Miss Zula and her story was far more interesting than the central love story and it was glossed over, lost in the blinding whiteness of it all.

But don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and give it a recommend. The author was correct in not taking on what she possibly couldn’t have been sure of pulling off–a black southern small town point of view.

I had the hardest time writing a review for this book. As much as I liked it, I kept waiting for more. I wanted not only Miss Zula's back story, I wanted it from her POV. I wanted her sister's POV, I wanted more about her relationship with Miss Junie. As good as it was "...it could have been more."

PS Hopefully 4th time lucky and this time the damned post will go through.

Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly

I was really looking forward to this book. Which is probably obvious because I chose to read it before the new Ward and Joyce books. But I hate to admit Beau Crusoe left me disappointed.

From the Publisher:

Shipwrecked!

Stranded alone on a desert island, he had lived to tell the tale. A triumphant return to the ton saw James Trevenen hailed as Beau Crusoe--a gentleman of spirit, verve and action. But only he knew the true cost of his survival!

Scandalous!

Susannah Park had been shunned by Society. She lived content with her calm existence--until Beau Crusoe determinedly cut up her peace! The beautiful widow wanted to help him heal the wounds of the past--but what secrets was this glorious man hiding?

This should be a character driven story and in part it is. James (Beau Crusoe) is a wonderful fully developed character, the secondary characters are interesting and quirky (love the tailor and the foppish Sir Percieval) but the heroine, Susannah is never fully developed. As I write this I think maybe she is fully developed but not a character that I actually like. Passive, maybe even a little passive/aggressive, would be a good description for her. She's the beautiful, good daughter until she runs away with her father's secretary, comes back after his death. Her family is already shunned by society she allows herself to be shunned within her parent's own household and her child to be treated abominably by her not so nice or pretty sister.

Can you tell I don't like Susannah? But I love James. He saves the book from being a complete failure. He's funny, smart, strong and has enough issues hanging over his head to be less than perfect and very interesting.

I read the book with a certain level of detachment, and never felt fully engaged. I'm vascillating between B-/C+ (leaning toward C+) simply because Ms. Kelly's a good writer.

I might come back and add more to this--the time change has messed me up and I need to get to Mass. Have a good one and happy reading.

And Then He Kissed Her

The first book finished from the new additions to my TBR pile is Laura Lee Guhrke's And Then He Kissed Her, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but then she is an autobuy for me. I ordered it without even reading the blurb or synopsis and was pleasantly surprised to find it set in 1893 London and incredibly forward thinking with a "Girl-Bachelor" heroine and a divorced Viscount hero who actually works.

Supremely sensible Emmaline Dove wishes to share her etiquette expertise with London’s readers, and as secretary to Viscount Marlowe, Emma knows she’s in the perfect position to make her dreams come true. Marlowe might be a rake with a preference for cancan dancers and an aversion to matrimony, but he is also the city’s leading publisher, and Emma is convinced he’s her best chance to see her work in print…until she discovers the lying scoundrel has been rejecting her manuscripts without ever reading a single page!

As a publisher, Harry finds reading etiquette books akin to slow, painful torture. Besides, he can’t believe his proper secretary has the passion to write anything worth reading. Then she has the nerve to call him a liar, and even resigns without notice, leaving his business in uproar and his honor in question. Harry decides it’s time to teach Miss Dove a few things that aren’t proper. But when he kisses her, he discovers that his former secretary has more passion and fire than he ever imagined, for one luscious taste of her lips only leaves him hungry for more…

So when I first read the blurb I thought "Oh no, it's going to be a redo of Guilty Pleasures", it may be one of my favorites, but I wasn't interested in rehashing it.

Ah, but it's not a redo. The only thing resembling GP is the employer/employee theme. You can't tell by the cover art this book is set in 1893 London. Emma Dove is Lord Harry Marlowe's incredibly efficient secretary, keeping his publishing empire and his personal life on schedule. Emma wants to be the Martha Stewart of the Turn of the Century, without the bad temper and jail time. Harry can't imagine anyone being remotely interested in what Miss Dove has to offer. Until she quits and takes her ideas to the competition and all of London's talking about the amazing Mrs. Bartleby (Emma's alter ego).

At first their relationship is one of indifference, moves toward adversarial and then slowly grows into love. Ms. Guhrke does a nice job developing the characters, you watch as Emma outgrows her strict upbringing to become her own person. And you understand why Harry's past has created a man who hates societal structure and rules.

A character driven story--this one really worked for me.

All The News Fit To Print

It's snowing, not very hard, but enough to keep the schools closed in our area. Well, I don't think hard enough to keep the schools closed but no one consults me. I remember my parents taking the glass out of the storm door so we could climb out and go to school, the snow was so deep they couldn't swing the door out--snow days were few and far between--I guess that was the olden days :)

It's probably just as well, Junior woke with a fever and is complaining of a stomach ache, a little toast, a little Motrin and so far so good.

The hubby, good man that he is dug us out, and the neighbors on either side--Mrs. B is in her 70's and had a knee replacement about 6 months ago, on the other side is Miss B and she lives alone. Both would love to pay a neighborhood kid to dig them out but the kids don't seem all that interested in making money.

I finally finished a couple of books--one romance, okay/good--one women's fiction/chick lit, very good. I'm finding myself somewhat disenchanted with romance. I'm thinking I need a major break from romance. In the last couple of months I have more INYIM DNFs than books finished. There can't possibly be a problem with that many books and the last two books I really liked weren't romances.

The Romance: Date Me, Baby, One More Time by Stephanie Rowe. To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed. Fun story, but rather innocuous. Katie MacAlister called it "A hilarious underworld romp." I don't know how hilarious I'd consider it. Kind of cute though. I vacillated between giving it a B- and a C+.

The Women's Fiction/Chick Lit: Good Things by Mia King (click on the title for a link to B&N and a blurb). Debut novel I discovered on the "New Release" table at B&N the last time I was in. The cover caught my eye and I liked the blurb and I still have gift cards burning a hole in my pocket so I figured what the heck, not what I'd normally pick up but worth a try--I'm glad I did. This one I liked a lot. A nice story about a 40 year old woman finding herself again when life throws her a curve, and she even finds love, but the romance isn't the thrust of the story. After having a pity party she basically decides when life gives you a lemon make "Peace of Mind Tea", you thought I was going to say lemonade, but Peace of Mind Tea is one of a bunch of interesting recipes included in the back of the book.

Junior has just announced he's feeling much better and wants to go out and play in the snow--it's going to be an interesting day.

Have a good one and happy reading.