Got this in audiobook for a "mini review" for the Speaking of Audiobooks at AAR. Didn't like it any better in audio - narrated by Justin Eyre, who I did like. What follows in my original review here from April 2009:
I can't believe I read this one out of order!! It's actually #4 in the series after Beware A Scot's Revenge which I read last.
This one was just average/mediocre - the whole setup/premise was a little too contrived for my taste. First, the prim schoolteacher and the rake are the protagonists - (yawn) - and the prim schoolteacher has a dark secret she cannot reveal about her father, and wants to use the rake to get the resolution, so she arranges for him teach Rake Lessons at the school (this is the School For Heiresses series) to prove he can be a responsible guardian. Yes, if you are thinking "WTF?" like I was, then we agree on the premise: it's inane. It's something about his being desperate to be the guardian of his niece to protect her from his aunt - so desperate, he'll teach the lessons; meanwhile, Ms Prim Schoolteacher is also desperate, hence her convincing Mrs. Harris to allow his niece to attend if he'll prove he's responsible.
Because of her so-called "dark secret", she pretty much lies throughout to the rake - and yet she expects him to be honorable?? Once she finally gets what she wants - well, whatever, it sorta became The Big Misunderstanding - meanwhile, he's immediately attracted to her like he has never been before to any other woman, in spite of his reputation and vast experience. Doesn't that get old after a while? So he has to have her, whatever it takes and...
Jeffries writes an enjoyable enough story but this one pushed my "so what" buttons, hence the 3 stars.
Showing posts with label Spring 2009 Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring 2009 Challenge. Show all posts
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Dark Lover by J.R, Ward ****
Dark Lover by J.R. WardMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had already read this in print, and then got it for cheap at an audible.com sale on audio. I liked it okay (4 stars) in print, and I know a lot of people love the whole Black Dagger Brotherhood series, so I figured if the audio caught my interest, maybe I'd search out the rest in audio.
About an hour in, I started to wonder if this narrator, Jim Frangione, was going to grow on me or drive me crazy. In the end, it wasn't actually either. He had a gruff sort of narration voice, like a Sam Spade mystery, and didn't do much to differentiate between characters. In fact, it was more like he was just reading it aloud and not really "voice acting". But that almost worked for me by the end (not that I'd classify him as a great narrator, but not as bad as I feared.)
I'm still not particularly drawn in by vampire stories, and after determining the rest are not available at the library, I'm not going to pursue the series. I do have at least #2 in print, so if I am searching for a book to read, it might get read...
Here is my original review of the print version from April, 2009:
============
I read this for the AAR Top 100 of 2007 challenge I'm participating in - even though I'm not exactly into vampire romance (after a disastrous encounter with some Feehan audio books). It's hard to follow the world-building of paranormals sometimes, and when there's entire species to deal with - with rules and lingo and even whole languages to understand and follow. This one even had a glossary in the front, which I consulted several times.
Plus, even though there are only 6 members (well, 7 if you count Darius) of the Brotherhood, they had nicknames and such, and even by the end I wasn't 100% clear who was who. Which one was Hollywood, anyway?? Wrath. Wrage. Phury. Zsadist. Tohrment. And one more. Oh yeah, Vishous. (and Butch, human cop, who gets sorta sucked into their lives - pun intended, they didn't actually suck human blood, heh heh.)
Even so, I can see the allure - the guys are all super-tough, beyond alpha, leather clad bad boys. Bigger than life. Vampires and ass-kickers too. Humans play a very small part in this story - the really bad guys (because, face it, the vampires aren't exactly Superman, touting truth, justice and the American way...) are the "lessers" italicized because it's a Vampire word, not the word lesser as in "less than". They are also undead, and are sworn to kill the Vampires. I sorta get the idea they aren't doing it to be evil but because they are mortal enemies. Maybe I'm wrong about that.
Wrath is the king of the vampires, and he's given the charge of helping a half-human, half-vampire woman, Darius's daughter Beth, go through the "transition" from human to vampire. I guess when they're half-breeds, it's not clear until Vampire Adolescence whether they'll transition or not. But Wrath, like all vampires, has keen senses and can smell Beth, her emotions, even that she is going to transition.
Of course, there's that soulmate thing with vampires too - there's the One "shellan" which is sorta like wife/soulmate. And hey, vampire males can have more than one, but they're territorial so shellans only have one "hellbren" which is the male version. Sorta like polygamists - sux, huh??
So while we learn the story of Wrath and Beth, we also meet all the Brothers and learn about them (as I said, I was pretty much confused about who was who) so we are prepared for the followup stories, of which the next 3 are also Top 100s at AAR in 2007.
I liked her writing - she makes the vampires out to be headbangers with tattoos, and it works. While they all have slight accents, they still speak American slang, carry a lot of weapons and are mostly looking to kickass all the time. Beth is pretty normal - she was raised in the foster system, didn't know she was half-vampire, but has her own apartment, a cat, a job at a newspaper. She's completely unaware of even the existence of vampires and lessers.
Well, I'm not sure I made any sense on this - the story was suspenseful, confusing, hot - Wrath had a serious jones for Beth, making him a fairly besotted hero by the end (but not all the way through so I'm not tagging it). The heroes were bad and the bad guys badder. And some loose ends to get you to read the next books. 4 stars. Serial Challenge, Spring 2009 Challenge and AAR Top 100 Quest.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts *****
I wrote this review 7/12/08 when I read it. I've now listened to it on audio and have some additional notes at the end.
Oh that Nora! She is good!! This is the first in a 3 or 4 book series (started out as 3 but I'm thinking there's a 4th now?) about the Quinn brothers - Cam, Phillip and Ethan - all adopted as troubled adolescents by Ray and Stella Quinn.
The hero of Sea Swept is the oldest, Cam. He's a guy who likes things fast. Fast women, fast cars, fast boats. He left home and has been traveling the world in the company of all things fast - not spending much time with his now widowed father in their small hometown in Maryland on the coast. When we meet Cam, he's just won some boat race and is in the midst of getting a hot French model into his bed when he gets the news that Ray has had a car accident and isn't going to make it. He drops that model fast and heads homeward.
The mystery of the series centers on Ray and his newest foster kid, Seth. There's rumors around - that Seth is Ray's biological child from a dalliance with a student while Stella was still alive. To top it off, Ray has paid the child's mother large sums of money, and in his car is a blackmail letter from her demanding more. Ray drove the car into a telephone pole for no apparent reason - other than maybe suicide. On his deathbed, he gets a promise from each of the grown sons to take care of Seth.
The heroine is Anna Spinelli - she must be a Gemini, because during the day she's a buttoned up social worker who's been assigned to the Quinn case, but during the evening she's a hot-blooded Italian babe. She also has a troubled past which led her to social work. She and Cam have instant chemistry - and I like Anna because she doesn't beat around the bush or try to hide her attraction. She lets Cam know she's interested too - but Seth comes first.
This book practically drips testosterone from the pages, Cam is such an Alpha. But he's hiding his marshmallow core from everyone but Anna - she sees him develop a relationship with Seth that's protective and supportive and understanding, when Cam himself isn't even aware of it. And she falls head over heels for him, until she decides she will never break through his tough-guy shell. He'll always be a rambling man and she's just another of his hot conquests, and she pulls back.
Roberts writes funny, hot, drama, mystery - you want it, she gives it to you in spades. I haven't read a ton of her work (who could keep up? The woman is prolific!) but I haven't yet found her to be repetitive or boring, criticisms I've seen in Romance forums and blogs.
The mystery of Ray's death isn't solved in this book so I'm now halfway through Rising Tides, Ethan's story. I haven't yet figured Ethan out - he's a tougher nut to crack than Cam, but I'll report back.
This is an AAR Top 100, so I'm checking it off my challenge list. 5 stars for me.
----- end of original review -----
I got this as a download audio book from the library in May 2009. The narrator is good. And I have a slightly different take on Anna Spinelli this time - she's a manipulating, nervy bitch!! I felt like Cam was as open as he needed to be with her, and she jumped all over Cam for what I think was NOT a good reason!! But I still enjoyed the book and will be listening to the others as well. It fits the Spring 2009 Challenge as a book from one of the first romance authors I read, and also fits the Serial Readers Challenge 2009.
Oh that Nora! She is good!! This is the first in a 3 or 4 book series (started out as 3 but I'm thinking there's a 4th now?) about the Quinn brothers - Cam, Phillip and Ethan - all adopted as troubled adolescents by Ray and Stella Quinn.
The hero of Sea Swept is the oldest, Cam. He's a guy who likes things fast. Fast women, fast cars, fast boats. He left home and has been traveling the world in the company of all things fast - not spending much time with his now widowed father in their small hometown in Maryland on the coast. When we meet Cam, he's just won some boat race and is in the midst of getting a hot French model into his bed when he gets the news that Ray has had a car accident and isn't going to make it. He drops that model fast and heads homeward.
The mystery of the series centers on Ray and his newest foster kid, Seth. There's rumors around - that Seth is Ray's biological child from a dalliance with a student while Stella was still alive. To top it off, Ray has paid the child's mother large sums of money, and in his car is a blackmail letter from her demanding more. Ray drove the car into a telephone pole for no apparent reason - other than maybe suicide. On his deathbed, he gets a promise from each of the grown sons to take care of Seth.
The heroine is Anna Spinelli - she must be a Gemini, because during the day she's a buttoned up social worker who's been assigned to the Quinn case, but during the evening she's a hot-blooded Italian babe. She also has a troubled past which led her to social work. She and Cam have instant chemistry - and I like Anna because she doesn't beat around the bush or try to hide her attraction. She lets Cam know she's interested too - but Seth comes first.
This book practically drips testosterone from the pages, Cam is such an Alpha. But he's hiding his marshmallow core from everyone but Anna - she sees him develop a relationship with Seth that's protective and supportive and understanding, when Cam himself isn't even aware of it. And she falls head over heels for him, until she decides she will never break through his tough-guy shell. He'll always be a rambling man and she's just another of his hot conquests, and she pulls back.
Roberts writes funny, hot, drama, mystery - you want it, she gives it to you in spades. I haven't read a ton of her work (who could keep up? The woman is prolific!) but I haven't yet found her to be repetitive or boring, criticisms I've seen in Romance forums and blogs.
The mystery of Ray's death isn't solved in this book so I'm now halfway through Rising Tides, Ethan's story. I haven't yet figured Ethan out - he's a tougher nut to crack than Cam, but I'll report back.
This is an AAR Top 100, so I'm checking it off my challenge list. 5 stars for me.
----- end of original review -----
I got this as a download audio book from the library in May 2009. The narrator is good. And I have a slightly different take on Anna Spinelli this time - she's a manipulating, nervy bitch!! I felt like Cam was as open as he needed to be with her, and she jumped all over Cam for what I think was NOT a good reason!! But I still enjoyed the book and will be listening to the others as well. It fits the Spring 2009 Challenge as a book from one of the first romance authors I read, and also fits the Serial Readers Challenge 2009.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas ****
Yes, it's raining pigs and ice cream floats are free in Hell. I liked another Lisa Kleypas! I'm guessing it's her contemporary semi-women's fiction-slash-romance style that I prefer VASTLY to her mediocre Regency historicals which needed major editing and a dash of interest.
This is the second in the Hardy Cates series, and once again it's told in first person entirely from the heroine's POV. Haven Travis is the youngest child and only daughter of Churchill Travis from book 1, Sugar Daddy. She had a rich, privileged upbringing in Houston's swanky River Oaks community (which is seriously posh and exclusive) but always felt a little ashamed of the conspicuous consumption and the over-use of privilege to get ahead. She considered herself something of a rebel and a feminist, and while she was away at college in the northeast, met a fellow Texan, Nick, who became her first husband.
Her father warned her that Nick was no good, and threatened to cut her off if she married him - just the right button to push to send her into Nick's arms. There was one encounter with Hardy Cates - Haven thought it was Nick when she first started kissing him in a dark corner of a party.
Good as his word, her father did cut her off, and Nick and Haven moved to Dallas where they tried to support themselves. Quickly Nick began showing his true colors - he was manipulative and soon became abusive, first emotionally and then physically. Within 2 years, he had beat her up more than once. When he kicked her out on a cold night, barefoot, no purse or money or ID, she walked to a pay phone and placed a collect call to her oldest brother, Gage, who sent someone to pick her up and get her to Houston.
Once in Houston, she wanted to make her own way without (too much) help. Several times I wanted to wring her neck and tell her to just let them help her a little, but I have to admit she stayed true to character. She refused an offer to be the manager of the downtown building Gage (or the family?) owned, accepting the manager's assistant position instead. The manager was brought over from another property and ended up being as manipulative and abusive in her own way as Nick had been. And Haven, true to form, just took it, didn't tattle, didn't ask for help.
When Hardy finds out Haven has divorced her husband and is living in the building, he leases an apartment there and takes up where they left off - the kiss at the party a little over 2 years before. Everyone in Haven's life, even her best friend, the bisexual playmate from her childhood (male... what was his name?), warns Haven to watch out for Hardy. Hardy had betrayed Liberty in the first book by using some information she innocently revealed to him against the Travis family, so there is an element of a family feud between the Travis men and Cates, although they all respect him.
The descriptions of Haven's slow slide into trusting Nick and then his use of emotional manipulation to control her into thinking his behavior is normal are chilling and no doubt true to life. For women who swear they would never stay with an abuser, listening to his reasoning, his begging forgiveness and promising never to hurt her again might make them rethink their holier-than-thou position. Abused women don't ask for their situation, and they don't stay because they want the abuse to continue. Haven had to rebuild her life and learn to trust again, and this is where Hardy Cates shines as a true romance novel hero.
I'm sticking by the women's fiction genre again - with a dash of romance - because once again the heroine has 2 men, and although you soon realize Hardy will play a bigger part later, once again he's separated from the heroine for a big part of the book. It's more about Haven, about her life and how she reacted to her upbringing and how she survived Nick's abuse. 4 stars.
Oh, I meant to add: I listened to it on audio. This is a different narrator from the first book. This narrator has a different approach, one that was very, very dramatic - almost too much. Her Texan/southern accent is quite a lot thicker and more pronounced than someone who actually grew up in River Oaks would really have - a girl Haven's age would have gone to the best private schools, and would have had a more cultured, rich-girl Texan accent, regardless of her parents' speech. But somehow it still worked for me. It was a dramatic tale, after all. She managed to whimper and sound scared and hurt when appropriate, and to sound contrite when speaking to her husband and her boss and even her father. I liked it, even though I sometimes winced when she went a little over-the-top.
This is the second in the Hardy Cates series, and once again it's told in first person entirely from the heroine's POV. Haven Travis is the youngest child and only daughter of Churchill Travis from book 1, Sugar Daddy. She had a rich, privileged upbringing in Houston's swanky River Oaks community (which is seriously posh and exclusive) but always felt a little ashamed of the conspicuous consumption and the over-use of privilege to get ahead. She considered herself something of a rebel and a feminist, and while she was away at college in the northeast, met a fellow Texan, Nick, who became her first husband.
Her father warned her that Nick was no good, and threatened to cut her off if she married him - just the right button to push to send her into Nick's arms. There was one encounter with Hardy Cates - Haven thought it was Nick when she first started kissing him in a dark corner of a party.
Good as his word, her father did cut her off, and Nick and Haven moved to Dallas where they tried to support themselves. Quickly Nick began showing his true colors - he was manipulative and soon became abusive, first emotionally and then physically. Within 2 years, he had beat her up more than once. When he kicked her out on a cold night, barefoot, no purse or money or ID, she walked to a pay phone and placed a collect call to her oldest brother, Gage, who sent someone to pick her up and get her to Houston.
Once in Houston, she wanted to make her own way without (too much) help. Several times I wanted to wring her neck and tell her to just let them help her a little, but I have to admit she stayed true to character. She refused an offer to be the manager of the downtown building Gage (or the family?) owned, accepting the manager's assistant position instead. The manager was brought over from another property and ended up being as manipulative and abusive in her own way as Nick had been. And Haven, true to form, just took it, didn't tattle, didn't ask for help.
When Hardy finds out Haven has divorced her husband and is living in the building, he leases an apartment there and takes up where they left off - the kiss at the party a little over 2 years before. Everyone in Haven's life, even her best friend, the bisexual playmate from her childhood (male... what was his name?), warns Haven to watch out for Hardy. Hardy had betrayed Liberty in the first book by using some information she innocently revealed to him against the Travis family, so there is an element of a family feud between the Travis men and Cates, although they all respect him.
The descriptions of Haven's slow slide into trusting Nick and then his use of emotional manipulation to control her into thinking his behavior is normal are chilling and no doubt true to life. For women who swear they would never stay with an abuser, listening to his reasoning, his begging forgiveness and promising never to hurt her again might make them rethink their holier-than-thou position. Abused women don't ask for their situation, and they don't stay because they want the abuse to continue. Haven had to rebuild her life and learn to trust again, and this is where Hardy Cates shines as a true romance novel hero.
I'm sticking by the women's fiction genre again - with a dash of romance - because once again the heroine has 2 men, and although you soon realize Hardy will play a bigger part later, once again he's separated from the heroine for a big part of the book. It's more about Haven, about her life and how she reacted to her upbringing and how she survived Nick's abuse. 4 stars.
Oh, I meant to add: I listened to it on audio. This is a different narrator from the first book. This narrator has a different approach, one that was very, very dramatic - almost too much. Her Texan/southern accent is quite a lot thicker and more pronounced than someone who actually grew up in River Oaks would really have - a girl Haven's age would have gone to the best private schools, and would have had a more cultured, rich-girl Texan accent, regardless of her parents' speech. But somehow it still worked for me. It was a dramatic tale, after all. She managed to whimper and sound scared and hurt when appropriate, and to sound contrite when speaking to her husband and her boss and even her father. I liked it, even though I sometimes winced when she went a little over-the-top.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Spring 2009 Challenge
The list has been posted at Readers of Romance Challenge Blog. FIRST 15 DONE! I have now read 15 of 15 and 14 of the next 15.
Spring '09 Challenge list:
1. Read a Western (United States)- historical or contemporary
The Princess Goes West by Nan Ryan - read 3/11 ***
Reckless Love by Elizabeth Lowell - audio finished 4/16 *****
2. Read a book set in Scotland- historical or contemporary
Shadow Music by Julie Garwood read 3/9 ***
So Enchanting by Connie Brockway read 3/20 *****
3. Title contains Sun, Moon, or Stars (Moonlight, Starlight, etc, is ok!)
Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham read 3/7 ***** New Favorite!!
Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham finished 4/20 ***** Another Favorite!!
4. Title contains Angel or Devil
Lord John and the Hand of the Devils by Diana Gabaldon finished 4/6 ****
Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas finished 5/10 **** audio
5. Read any title by one of the first romance authors you ever read (or reread one of the first romance titles you ever read)
Birthright by Nora Roberts - 3/1 *****
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts - 5/16 *****
6. Title or Cover makes you think of Spring:
Black Rose by Nora Roberts, #2 in the In The Garden trilogy, read 3/13 ***
Spring Rain by Susan Weldon - finished 3/29 - *
7. Readers Choice:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - finished audio 3/31 - **
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh - 3/31 ****
8. Select a book that has been marked favorite or 5 stars from another group member's shelf
Cindy W has Judith James' Broken Wing on her favorites - my rating is ****, read 3/3
Joni U has Suzanne Brockmann's Heartthrob on her favorites - my rating is ****, finished 4/8
9. Read an AAR top 100 title
Since I have 25 to go, I'm sure I can find something for this category!
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale - finished 3/17 ****
The Duke by Gaelen Foley - finished 4/22 - *****
10. Title contains the word "Secret" or “Lie” in it
Let Sleeping Rogues Lie by Sabrina Jeffries (School for Heiresses #4) *** read 4/6/09
Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson - re-read 3/23/09 *****
11. Read a title that was read and reviewed during the Winter Challenge
Dark Lover by J. R. Ward, reviewed 1/15 by Heather, and it's a series and an AAR Top 100
Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy, reviewed 2/10 by Debbie, and it's gotten a lot of buzz
12. Read a book with a Romeo and Juliet type theme (feuding family/clan/etc): H/H have to be on opposite sides of the feud
Untamed by Pamela Clare - read 3/3 ***** (French and Indian War, she's French, he fights for the British)
My top 2 picks are:
Velvet Angel by Jude Deveraux (I have one in this series already)
The Wedding by Julie Garwood
The Gift by Julie Garwood might also fit
The AAR list "Best Enemies" doesn't differentiate between family feud and just enemies-into-lovers so I'm stumped. Here's some things I found:
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson 9780446699457 / 0446699454
Dear Author has a review for His Captive Lady by Carol Townsend that appears to be a Norman v Saxon medieval feud
Lucky In Love by Rebecca Robbins "A lady whose marriage to a duke was arranged to settle a feud between their families vows never to give him her heart." isbn 0380774852
On PBS I got recommendations for Joan Johnston's Bitter Creek series: The Cowboy, The Loner, The Texan and some others. Also Hannah Howell's Amber Flame and Julie Garwood's The Secret (already read this).
Another Challenger is reading Laird of the Mist by Paula Quinn
Hold the Presses - a PBSer suggested this link of titles that fit this category from Romantic Times!
13. Read a trilogy (or 3 books from same series) Part 1
Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann - finished 3/5 ***** (Tall, Dark and Dangerous)
Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr - finished 3/11 **** (#5 in Virgin River series)
Spring '09 Challenge list:
1. Read a Western (United States)- historical or contemporary
The Princess Goes West by Nan Ryan - read 3/11 ***
Reckless Love by Elizabeth Lowell - audio finished 4/16 *****
2. Read a book set in Scotland- historical or contemporary
Shadow Music by Julie Garwood read 3/9 ***
So Enchanting by Connie Brockway read 3/20 *****
3. Title contains Sun, Moon, or Stars (Moonlight, Starlight, etc, is ok!)
Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham read 3/7 ***** New Favorite!!
Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham finished 4/20 ***** Another Favorite!!
4. Title contains Angel or Devil
Lord John and the Hand of the Devils by Diana Gabaldon finished 4/6 ****
Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas finished 5/10 **** audio
5. Read any title by one of the first romance authors you ever read (or reread one of the first romance titles you ever read)
Birthright by Nora Roberts - 3/1 *****
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts - 5/16 *****
6. Title or Cover makes you think of Spring:
Black Rose by Nora Roberts, #2 in the In The Garden trilogy, read 3/13 ***
Spring Rain by Susan Weldon - finished 3/29 - *
7. Readers Choice:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - finished audio 3/31 - **
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh - 3/31 ****
8. Select a book that has been marked favorite or 5 stars from another group member's shelf
Cindy W has Judith James' Broken Wing on her favorites - my rating is ****, read 3/3
Joni U has Suzanne Brockmann's Heartthrob on her favorites - my rating is ****, finished 4/8
9. Read an AAR top 100 title
Since I have 25 to go, I'm sure I can find something for this category!
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale - finished 3/17 ****
The Duke by Gaelen Foley - finished 4/22 - *****
10. Title contains the word "Secret" or “Lie” in it
Let Sleeping Rogues Lie by Sabrina Jeffries (School for Heiresses #4) *** read 4/6/09
Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson - re-read 3/23/09 *****
11. Read a title that was read and reviewed during the Winter Challenge
Dark Lover by J. R. Ward, reviewed 1/15 by Heather, and it's a series and an AAR Top 100
Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy, reviewed 2/10 by Debbie, and it's gotten a lot of buzz
12. Read a book with a Romeo and Juliet type theme (feuding family/clan/etc): H/H have to be on opposite sides of the feud
Untamed by Pamela Clare - read 3/3 ***** (French and Indian War, she's French, he fights for the British)
My top 2 picks are:
Velvet Angel by Jude Deveraux (I have one in this series already)
The Wedding by Julie Garwood
The Gift by Julie Garwood might also fit
The AAR list "Best Enemies" doesn't differentiate between family feud and just enemies-into-lovers so I'm stumped. Here's some things I found:
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson 9780446699457 / 0446699454
Dear Author has a review for His Captive Lady by Carol Townsend that appears to be a Norman v Saxon medieval feud
Lucky In Love by Rebecca Robbins "A lady whose marriage to a duke was arranged to settle a feud between their families vows never to give him her heart." isbn 0380774852
On PBS I got recommendations for Joan Johnston's Bitter Creek series: The Cowboy, The Loner, The Texan and some others. Also Hannah Howell's Amber Flame and Julie Garwood's The Secret (already read this).
Another Challenger is reading Laird of the Mist by Paula Quinn
Hold the Presses - a PBSer suggested this link of titles that fit this category from Romantic Times!
13. Read a trilogy (or 3 books from same series) Part 1
Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann - finished 3/5 ***** (Tall, Dark and Dangerous)
Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr - finished 3/11 **** (#5 in Virgin River series)
14. Read a trilogy (or 3 books from same series) Part 2
Frisco's Kid by Suzanne Brockmann - finished 3/11/09 ***** (#3 Tall Dark and Dangerous)
Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr - finished 3/22/09 - **** (#6 in Virgin River)
15. Read a trilogy (or 3 books from same series) Part 3
Everyday, Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann - finished 3/18/09 **** (#4 Tall, Dark and Dangerous)
Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr - finished 3/26/09 - **** (#7 in Virgin River)
Spring Challenge FAQ’s March 1 – May 31
1. Select 5,10, or 15 books to read that fit the category.
2. Post your list on the discussion board and blog (Name’s Spring Challenge List)
3. If you need title suggestions please use the Discussion titled Spring TITLE SUGGESTIONS
4. Once you have read a book please find the corresponding discussion by searching you can search by 08 Winter # and use the number that corresponds with the list and post the book and title you read and rating, and review.
5. It is not required, but if you could post your review on the blog that would be great.
6. Reviews on the blog please include labels list the rating, author, and # of challenge only.
7. Audio books are okay
8. Rereads are okay
9. You can change your list at anytime
**Thank you to Heather D and Roberta for making the list!**
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy ***
I read this for the Spring 2009 Challenge as a book reviewed in the Winter Challenge. There was an awful lot of buzz about this book as being a model for contemporary, non-paranormal romance, the likes of which readers haven't been able to find in books recently published.
Which is why I feel like Oscar the Grouch for rating it only 3 stars - aka Average. OK, I liked it. I liked the characters, I liked the storyline. It's probably considered "romantica" or romantic erotica - to me, partly that means to expect the characters in bed before page 100. And the sex is steaming too.
The characters are Tammy, the young widow of a race car driver, raising their 2 sons on her own, and Elec, a rookie race car driver, who is 6 years younger than Tammy. He's almost 26 and she's 32, and that is one of 2 major sticking points for Tammy who feels like she's robbing the cradle. The other is she doesn't want to be involved with any race car driver again for fear of losing him like she did her first husband.
Tammy bumps into Elec, literally, at a fund raiser peopled with race car folks, and the attraction is instant - the chemistry is there - and it's been a while for her. She has a couple too many glasses of wine, and with her inhibitions lowered, they end up doing the deed in a fellow driver's motorhome and spending the entire night. She's more than a little embarrassed when the friend shows up and catches them late the next morning - and spends a few days blushing and avoiding Elec.
Elec wants more of what he got that night - and eventually more of everything. He insinuates himself (credibly and sweetly, really) into her and her children's lives, and pretty soon everyone except her in-laws are aware there's something going on there. The 2 conflict points are a blonde bimbo stalker and the potential for danger in a race - which, when it happens, causes our brave heroine to run screaming in the other direction so she can get a lecture from her father-in-law. OK, there's also a plot that Elec's family and the in-laws are bitter enemies, but that is never really explained in detail and doesn't really cause much conflict.
All that aside - the writing style just did not appeal to me. The writing style, in my humble opinion, should be like lighting in a theatrical production. It should brilliantly illuminate the story without your ever being aware that it's there. When grammar errors and injudicious use of adjectives jolt me out of the story, it's like the a gel burning out on stage, making one spot glaringly white while the rest is in shades of amber and blue. I'm not sure if McCarthy herself does not know the difference between the use of "you and I" and "you and me", or if she is using that as a character defect (at least 3 times). But Tammy is a college professor, and if college professors don't know how to use those phrases correctly, we are in trouble. Then again, the style may have been reflecting some younger generation use of language to create a particular ambiance that I didn't get. Or maybe McCarthy just needs a better editor, which is what I think.
So - good story, hot sex, imperfect style. 3 stars. She's a new author for me, it might even be a series, so it meets a lot of criteria for me to read - so maybe I am Oscar The Grouch?
Which is why I feel like Oscar the Grouch for rating it only 3 stars - aka Average. OK, I liked it. I liked the characters, I liked the storyline. It's probably considered "romantica" or romantic erotica - to me, partly that means to expect the characters in bed before page 100. And the sex is steaming too.
The characters are Tammy, the young widow of a race car driver, raising their 2 sons on her own, and Elec, a rookie race car driver, who is 6 years younger than Tammy. He's almost 26 and she's 32, and that is one of 2 major sticking points for Tammy who feels like she's robbing the cradle. The other is she doesn't want to be involved with any race car driver again for fear of losing him like she did her first husband.
Tammy bumps into Elec, literally, at a fund raiser peopled with race car folks, and the attraction is instant - the chemistry is there - and it's been a while for her. She has a couple too many glasses of wine, and with her inhibitions lowered, they end up doing the deed in a fellow driver's motorhome and spending the entire night. She's more than a little embarrassed when the friend shows up and catches them late the next morning - and spends a few days blushing and avoiding Elec.
Elec wants more of what he got that night - and eventually more of everything. He insinuates himself (credibly and sweetly, really) into her and her children's lives, and pretty soon everyone except her in-laws are aware there's something going on there. The 2 conflict points are a blonde bimbo stalker and the potential for danger in a race - which, when it happens, causes our brave heroine to run screaming in the other direction so she can get a lecture from her father-in-law. OK, there's also a plot that Elec's family and the in-laws are bitter enemies, but that is never really explained in detail and doesn't really cause much conflict.
All that aside - the writing style just did not appeal to me. The writing style, in my humble opinion, should be like lighting in a theatrical production. It should brilliantly illuminate the story without your ever being aware that it's there. When grammar errors and injudicious use of adjectives jolt me out of the story, it's like the a gel burning out on stage, making one spot glaringly white while the rest is in shades of amber and blue. I'm not sure if McCarthy herself does not know the difference between the use of "you and I" and "you and me", or if she is using that as a character defect (at least 3 times). But Tammy is a college professor, and if college professors don't know how to use those phrases correctly, we are in trouble. Then again, the style may have been reflecting some younger generation use of language to create a particular ambiance that I didn't get. Or maybe McCarthy just needs a better editor, which is what I think.
So - good story, hot sex, imperfect style. 3 stars. She's a new author for me, it might even be a series, so it meets a lot of criteria for me to read - so maybe I am Oscar The Grouch?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Duke by Gaelen Foley *****
I read this book because it's on the AAR Top 100 of 2007 and I have a quest to read them all. To be perfectly honest, about 1/3 of the way in, I was thinking this was a 3-star/average read. Frankly, the writing style wasn't particularly stellar, the way I like 5 star reads to be. If another character crossed his arms over his chest, I was gonna scream. I was envisioning all these people with their hands on their opposite shoulders - how else does one cross one's arms over one's chest??
And also, there was the idea that a gentlewoman who had been raped once could become a worldly courtesan in just a few weeks - and still not have had sex any other time than the brutal rape - and yet she was highly sought after, with no experience whatsoever. She must have been quite an actress, is all I can say. It just stretched my personal credibility somewhat.
Of course, the author finished the story with such a bang, that by the time she was done, I had already decided to go up to 4 stars and then maybe even 4.5. Since I don't use 1/2 star ratings here, I just went ahead and gave it 5 stars and can totally understand that some feel it's a true keeper. (I did not put it in my keeper shelf, however.)
To be honest, although the story blurbs indicate it is a story about a duke and a courtesan, it's very important to realize that Belinda Hamilton didn't start out a courtesan, and indeed did not want to be a courtesan. She felt that was her very last resort - at a suggestion of a lowly prostitute, who told her she was beautiful enough to be one. She was penniless, having been abandoned by her boyfriend, and her father had been thrown in jail by another titled gentleman (Dolph) who was obssessed with having her, and so sought to ruin her so he could.
The Paragon Duke of Hawkscliffe was for all intents and purposes a saint. He had raised his younger siblings, of whom only 1 was fully related, the other 3 were by-blows from his mother's affairs. He had one true love who died young, married to another, that he only loved from afar. He was a Tory by birth but felt personally responsible for righting injustices that were really only espoused by the rival party, the Whigs. Nary a scandal was associated with Hawk... until...
His lady love's widower, the elderly Earl of Coldfell, led Hawk to believe the young woman was murdered - and by his nephew, Dolph. Yes, the same Dolph who is also besotted with Belinda, enough to ruin her so she would be in his clutches. He's an evil, evil man!! Allegedly anyway.
As revenge, Hawk presents Bel with a proposition: he will be her protector for 2 months for some enormous sum; she will go along with the ruse to help him get a confession from Dolph; Hawk will not require her services in bed. WTF?? Well, as it turns out, it's the perfect arrangement for Bel since she is all but a virgin, and scared of men to boot. And he's such a paragon - how could he press her for sex?
As time goes by, they do grow a serious attraction one for the other, and Bel - harlot that she is - does step up the intimacies without actually getting a home run for a while, if you catch my drift. Hawk is totally, deeply falling in love with her BUT he is still conflicted, and part of him still sees her as a money-grubbing social-climbing high-priced whore. And face it: he's a duke and cannot marry someone of her station, either as the poor gentlewoman or the high-priced courtesan.
Eventually he realizes he must marry elsewhere, and he must break it to Bel. At this point, she's regained her self-esteem and sense of worth. Plus she did make one rule when she became a courtesan - she would not have a married man as her protector. Keep in mind, she's only had sex with 2 men - the rapist, and Hawk by this point, so she's still pretty inexperienced except for her lessons in Hawk's bed.
This is when it really started to tug on my heartstrings in a big way. He was so fully besotted but still had his honor and could not imagine marrying Bel or not marrying at all either. She stuck to her principles, though, and when she learned he was to marry, she left him. (this was after confronting Dolph about the alleged murder of Coldfell's wife)
There were a couple more plot twists which I had figured out pretty early on, and then not only a HEA but a major grand gesture that was really quite heartwarming. Yes, Lord Hawk groveled like the worm he was.
As it turns out, this is the first book in a long series - which I started to suspect as we met various of Hawk's siblings and they were introduced as if we might learn their story later. Plus it fits the Spring 2009 Challenge as a book from the AAR Top 100. 5 stars.
And also, there was the idea that a gentlewoman who had been raped once could become a worldly courtesan in just a few weeks - and still not have had sex any other time than the brutal rape - and yet she was highly sought after, with no experience whatsoever. She must have been quite an actress, is all I can say. It just stretched my personal credibility somewhat.
Of course, the author finished the story with such a bang, that by the time she was done, I had already decided to go up to 4 stars and then maybe even 4.5. Since I don't use 1/2 star ratings here, I just went ahead and gave it 5 stars and can totally understand that some feel it's a true keeper. (I did not put it in my keeper shelf, however.)
To be honest, although the story blurbs indicate it is a story about a duke and a courtesan, it's very important to realize that Belinda Hamilton didn't start out a courtesan, and indeed did not want to be a courtesan. She felt that was her very last resort - at a suggestion of a lowly prostitute, who told her she was beautiful enough to be one. She was penniless, having been abandoned by her boyfriend, and her father had been thrown in jail by another titled gentleman (Dolph) who was obssessed with having her, and so sought to ruin her so he could.
The Paragon Duke of Hawkscliffe was for all intents and purposes a saint. He had raised his younger siblings, of whom only 1 was fully related, the other 3 were by-blows from his mother's affairs. He had one true love who died young, married to another, that he only loved from afar. He was a Tory by birth but felt personally responsible for righting injustices that were really only espoused by the rival party, the Whigs. Nary a scandal was associated with Hawk... until...
His lady love's widower, the elderly Earl of Coldfell, led Hawk to believe the young woman was murdered - and by his nephew, Dolph. Yes, the same Dolph who is also besotted with Belinda, enough to ruin her so she would be in his clutches. He's an evil, evil man!! Allegedly anyway.
As revenge, Hawk presents Bel with a proposition: he will be her protector for 2 months for some enormous sum; she will go along with the ruse to help him get a confession from Dolph; Hawk will not require her services in bed. WTF?? Well, as it turns out, it's the perfect arrangement for Bel since she is all but a virgin, and scared of men to boot. And he's such a paragon - how could he press her for sex?
As time goes by, they do grow a serious attraction one for the other, and Bel - harlot that she is - does step up the intimacies without actually getting a home run for a while, if you catch my drift. Hawk is totally, deeply falling in love with her BUT he is still conflicted, and part of him still sees her as a money-grubbing social-climbing high-priced whore. And face it: he's a duke and cannot marry someone of her station, either as the poor gentlewoman or the high-priced courtesan.
Eventually he realizes he must marry elsewhere, and he must break it to Bel. At this point, she's regained her self-esteem and sense of worth. Plus she did make one rule when she became a courtesan - she would not have a married man as her protector. Keep in mind, she's only had sex with 2 men - the rapist, and Hawk by this point, so she's still pretty inexperienced except for her lessons in Hawk's bed.
This is when it really started to tug on my heartstrings in a big way. He was so fully besotted but still had his honor and could not imagine marrying Bel or not marrying at all either. She stuck to her principles, though, and when she learned he was to marry, she left him. (this was after confronting Dolph about the alleged murder of Coldfell's wife)
There were a couple more plot twists which I had figured out pretty early on, and then not only a HEA but a major grand gesture that was really quite heartwarming. Yes, Lord Hawk groveled like the worm he was.
As it turns out, this is the first book in a long series - which I started to suspect as we met various of Hawk's siblings and they were introduced as if we might learn their story later. Plus it fits the Spring 2009 Challenge as a book from the AAR Top 100. 5 stars.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Across A Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham *****
OMG! OMG! I'm squeeing like a little fangrrl with pleasure from reading this wonderful, fabuloso book!! I love it so much!!
OK - deep breath. First, like all of MC's books, it's chock full of adventure, spelled out in such a way that you feel the deck of the ship rocking under your feet and the spray of the sea in your face. It will make you want to grab your pirate costume and run out the door to board the ship for their next seafaring adventure, shouting ARRRRRRR the entire way.
Whew! The heroine is Beau - aka Isabeau, the daughter of Jonas Spence, who has kept her by his side as he sails the seas in search of treasure and booty on his ship, the Egret. Beau has become a daring helmsman as well as good with knives and pistols by her 20th year.
The hero is Simon Dante, a French count who prefers to spend his time at sea, stealing Caribbean treasure from right under the Spaniards' very noses. But on his last trip, he's betrayed by one of his comrades who steals away with the supplies and the booty, leaving him to the mercy of 6 enemy ships. He manages to limp the ship and some of the crew away - and is rescued by Jonas Spence and the Egret.
Of course, at first he is so filled with hate and rage that he cannot be civil to his rescuers, and is even less civil to the slip of a girl - a girl of all things! - that is piloting the ship. She is insolent, outspoken and insulting to him. And he does have a past life that makes him wary of women in general, with a wife who had 2 children by other men while they were married and he was at sea.
But a run-in with another Spanish galleon changes his mind about Beau and her talents as a helmsman, and with his appreciation of her skill, his appreciation of her as a woman also grows. Eventually the 2 succumb to their attraction, and have to deal with the aftermath.
When the Egret runs into a British armada led by Sir Francis Drake, Dante is confronted by the coward who left him. Dante and his sworn rival must join forces with Drake to fight the Spanish, and Dante sends Beau and the Egret back to Britain to wait for him.
But when does she ever take orders from him? (Answer: rarely!)
This was such an incredible romp! Beau is a wonderful heroine, full of spit and vinegar, able to hold her own against the men around her. She also wasn't a blushing virgin - she'd had more than one affair. And Simon - ahhh! he's a droolworthy hero. There's also a secondary romance with Simon's sidekick Pitt and their Spanish hostage, a young duchess. I'm definitely putting this in my top 10 favorites!! It's a title with the word Moon in it, for the Spring 09 challenge, and it's the first in a series for the Serial Readers Challenge.
OK - deep breath. First, like all of MC's books, it's chock full of adventure, spelled out in such a way that you feel the deck of the ship rocking under your feet and the spray of the sea in your face. It will make you want to grab your pirate costume and run out the door to board the ship for their next seafaring adventure, shouting ARRRRRRR the entire way.
Whew! The heroine is Beau - aka Isabeau, the daughter of Jonas Spence, who has kept her by his side as he sails the seas in search of treasure and booty on his ship, the Egret. Beau has become a daring helmsman as well as good with knives and pistols by her 20th year.
The hero is Simon Dante, a French count who prefers to spend his time at sea, stealing Caribbean treasure from right under the Spaniards' very noses. But on his last trip, he's betrayed by one of his comrades who steals away with the supplies and the booty, leaving him to the mercy of 6 enemy ships. He manages to limp the ship and some of the crew away - and is rescued by Jonas Spence and the Egret.
Of course, at first he is so filled with hate and rage that he cannot be civil to his rescuers, and is even less civil to the slip of a girl - a girl of all things! - that is piloting the ship. She is insolent, outspoken and insulting to him. And he does have a past life that makes him wary of women in general, with a wife who had 2 children by other men while they were married and he was at sea.
But a run-in with another Spanish galleon changes his mind about Beau and her talents as a helmsman, and with his appreciation of her skill, his appreciation of her as a woman also grows. Eventually the 2 succumb to their attraction, and have to deal with the aftermath.
When the Egret runs into a British armada led by Sir Francis Drake, Dante is confronted by the coward who left him. Dante and his sworn rival must join forces with Drake to fight the Spanish, and Dante sends Beau and the Egret back to Britain to wait for him.
But when does she ever take orders from him? (Answer: rarely!)
This was such an incredible romp! Beau is a wonderful heroine, full of spit and vinegar, able to hold her own against the men around her. She also wasn't a blushing virgin - she'd had more than one affair. And Simon - ahhh! he's a droolworthy hero. There's also a secondary romance with Simon's sidekick Pitt and their Spanish hostage, a young duchess. I'm definitely putting this in my top 10 favorites!! It's a title with the word Moon in it, for the Spring 09 challenge, and it's the first in a series for the Serial Readers Challenge.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Reckless Love by Elizabeth Lowell *****
I find that Elizabeth Lowell's prose is a bit of an acquired taste - and that sometimes her treatment of a story can be wonderful, and the next time annoying as hell. This time I found it wonderful, even though it's over the top and there were probably a dozen times or so I wanted to bitch slap the hero (usually it's her heroines I don't like, but not this time).
I got this on audio download from the library, and I must say I really did like this narrator, Laural Merlington. I wouldn't compare her to Anna Fields, or Barbara Rosenblatt, who I think are truly incredible actors who bring the story to life. But she's good - really good - with this story. Her voice is pleasing, her characters' voices are good, distinct and consistent, and she really brought a sense of urgency to the big chase scene (no, not car chase - it's a historical western!) as well as reading the love scenes just right.
The hero is Ty Mackenzie, who has just managed to escape the gauntlet after being caught by Indians. The local "bruxa" is a white woman who lives alone in the area - Janna - and she follows him and heals his wounds while they both hide from the Indians seeking them.
Janna's father died a few years back, leaving her alone in the territory. He was a doctor, so she has healing skills, and she has also developed survival and coping skills that keep the Indians and locals away. Her only real friend is a local gold miner who shares his wealth with her because of her father. She's managed to befriend the local mustangs - and Ty was there looking for a mustang named Lucifer to start his horse ranch, make a lot of money and marry the silken lady of his dreams. AKA highborn, soft, probably rich.
Of course Janna doesn't fit this description by any stretch of the imagination - in fact for several days, he thinks she's a boy. Well, she does dress in men's clothing and binds her breasts for that very effect, as a survival mechanism, but it still pisses her off that he can't figure it out. And it pisses him off that he's attracted to this boy!
The story is about Ty getting the mustang back to his ranch, and Janna's part in it. She really doesn't want the mustang(s) caught and tamed, but she's willing to help him if he will do it her way, especially since she realizes it will mean the mustang will be well-cared for. It seems the locals and the Indians are considering killing Lucifer. And while Janna and Ty are hunting the mustang, they are also avoiding the Indians and the locals. And playing a little hanky panky too (in fine Lowell style).
Of course, Ty assumes she's not a virgin, because of talk he heard in town and also - in fine Lowell style - because of her sensual reaction to his touch, so he figures it's no big deal to seduce her. Once he realizes she is a virgin (and boinks her anyway), he decides he has to protect her or else she'll end up having to be a whore. What a broad minded guy, huh? Yeah, he's a typical Lowell historical hero. His idea of protection is to get her to town and find someone to marry her. Needless to say, she wants nothing to do with this idea.
Ty almost comes around to accepting her as she is - then at the end, he makes a complete ass of himself which requires a brotherly intervention. His brothers shoulda beat him to a pulp, but instead I think they just talk to him and he finally owns up that Janna is the woman of his dreams and he was deluded to think otherwise.
The action/adventure scenes really are edge-of-the-seat exciting, and Janna is a credible, independent heroine. I liked her retorts to Ty when she tells him exactly what he's been saying to her and how it affected her! You go, girl!
It fits the Western book of the Spring 2009 challenge and it's a series for the Serial Readers Challenge. 5 stars!
I got this on audio download from the library, and I must say I really did like this narrator, Laural Merlington. I wouldn't compare her to Anna Fields, or Barbara Rosenblatt, who I think are truly incredible actors who bring the story to life. But she's good - really good - with this story. Her voice is pleasing, her characters' voices are good, distinct and consistent, and she really brought a sense of urgency to the big chase scene (no, not car chase - it's a historical western!) as well as reading the love scenes just right.
The hero is Ty Mackenzie, who has just managed to escape the gauntlet after being caught by Indians. The local "bruxa" is a white woman who lives alone in the area - Janna - and she follows him and heals his wounds while they both hide from the Indians seeking them.
Janna's father died a few years back, leaving her alone in the territory. He was a doctor, so she has healing skills, and she has also developed survival and coping skills that keep the Indians and locals away. Her only real friend is a local gold miner who shares his wealth with her because of her father. She's managed to befriend the local mustangs - and Ty was there looking for a mustang named Lucifer to start his horse ranch, make a lot of money and marry the silken lady of his dreams. AKA highborn, soft, probably rich.
Of course Janna doesn't fit this description by any stretch of the imagination - in fact for several days, he thinks she's a boy. Well, she does dress in men's clothing and binds her breasts for that very effect, as a survival mechanism, but it still pisses her off that he can't figure it out. And it pisses him off that he's attracted to this boy!
The story is about Ty getting the mustang back to his ranch, and Janna's part in it. She really doesn't want the mustang(s) caught and tamed, but she's willing to help him if he will do it her way, especially since she realizes it will mean the mustang will be well-cared for. It seems the locals and the Indians are considering killing Lucifer. And while Janna and Ty are hunting the mustang, they are also avoiding the Indians and the locals. And playing a little hanky panky too (in fine Lowell style).
Of course, Ty assumes she's not a virgin, because of talk he heard in town and also - in fine Lowell style - because of her sensual reaction to his touch, so he figures it's no big deal to seduce her. Once he realizes she is a virgin (and boinks her anyway), he decides he has to protect her or else she'll end up having to be a whore. What a broad minded guy, huh? Yeah, he's a typical Lowell historical hero. His idea of protection is to get her to town and find someone to marry her. Needless to say, she wants nothing to do with this idea.
Ty almost comes around to accepting her as she is - then at the end, he makes a complete ass of himself which requires a brotherly intervention. His brothers shoulda beat him to a pulp, but instead I think they just talk to him and he finally owns up that Janna is the woman of his dreams and he was deluded to think otherwise.
The action/adventure scenes really are edge-of-the-seat exciting, and Janna is a credible, independent heroine. I liked her retorts to Ty when she tells him exactly what he's been saying to her and how it affected her! You go, girl!
It fits the Western book of the Spring 2009 challenge and it's a series for the Serial Readers Challenge. 5 stars!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Heartthrob by Suzanne Brockmann ****
I listened to this on audio book. I have a mixed opinion about this narrator - and I do think the narrator can affect how I feel about a book. On the one hand, he had a pleasant voice and used distinct voices for each character consistently. But some of his reading was stiff, unnatural and sorta jarred me out of the story. At one point, where Brockmann writes "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" in reference to a character (from another character's POV), this narrator said "ding dong" as though the doorbell rang, instead of in the rhythm of the song from Wizard of Oz. ???? I thought to myself, has this fellow never seen the movie?
OK - so the story is about a Hollywood heartthrob, Jed "Jericho" Beaumont, a bad boy whose career is on the skids because of his drug and alcohol addiction. He hasn't had a major movie part in 5 years - but there's an independent film being made that has a part that seems tailor-made for him. However, the producer, Kate O'Laughlin, knows him by reputation - and doesn't want him anywhere near her movie.
He goes to an open audition for the part and is cast by the director. Jed wants the part bad enough to sign an outrageous contract that includes daily urine tests and searches to be sure he isn't using/abusing again. He even has to have a bodyguard 24/7. When the bodyguard chains him to his bed and leaves him, causing him to be late for his shoot the next day, the producer fires the bodyguard and ends up having to stay with him herself until a suitable replacement is found.
Because Kate actually wrote the screenplay for the movie and is half in love with the story's fictional hero, and Jed creates a persona for the character that matches her own idea, she starts to fall for him - but Jed is a man with a dark and tortured past, who finds it easy to have casual relationships but won't open up to anyone.
There's a sweet secondary relationship between a female teen co-star and another cast member who plays a slave in this Civil War era story. Apparently the teen's parents don't get along - loudly, in front of cast and crew, and her father in particular is very critical and overprotective as well.
Despite Jed's proving himself over and over, Kate has a hard time trusting him - she can't tell the difference between his "acting" and his real feelings and emotions and decides he's just playing her. And maybe he is, a little, until she pushes him away, forcing him to re-evaluate thier relationship.
So, I actually feel sorta 3.5 about the book - partly because the narrator sorta let me down with his inconsistent reading (consistent voices, but the reading sometimes fell flat) - but I always seem to round up, so I'm calling it 4 stars.
OK - so the story is about a Hollywood heartthrob, Jed "Jericho" Beaumont, a bad boy whose career is on the skids because of his drug and alcohol addiction. He hasn't had a major movie part in 5 years - but there's an independent film being made that has a part that seems tailor-made for him. However, the producer, Kate O'Laughlin, knows him by reputation - and doesn't want him anywhere near her movie.
He goes to an open audition for the part and is cast by the director. Jed wants the part bad enough to sign an outrageous contract that includes daily urine tests and searches to be sure he isn't using/abusing again. He even has to have a bodyguard 24/7. When the bodyguard chains him to his bed and leaves him, causing him to be late for his shoot the next day, the producer fires the bodyguard and ends up having to stay with him herself until a suitable replacement is found.
Because Kate actually wrote the screenplay for the movie and is half in love with the story's fictional hero, and Jed creates a persona for the character that matches her own idea, she starts to fall for him - but Jed is a man with a dark and tortured past, who finds it easy to have casual relationships but won't open up to anyone.
There's a sweet secondary relationship between a female teen co-star and another cast member who plays a slave in this Civil War era story. Apparently the teen's parents don't get along - loudly, in front of cast and crew, and her father in particular is very critical and overprotective as well.
Despite Jed's proving himself over and over, Kate has a hard time trusting him - she can't tell the difference between his "acting" and his real feelings and emotions and decides he's just playing her. And maybe he is, a little, until she pushes him away, forcing him to re-evaluate thier relationship.
So, I actually feel sorta 3.5 about the book - partly because the narrator sorta let me down with his inconsistent reading (consistent voices, but the reading sometimes fell flat) - but I always seem to round up, so I'm calling it 4 stars.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon ****
This is a set of 3 novellas, unrelated, that feature Lord John Gray. Lord John was a minor character in the Outlander series - first, at age 16, he tries to kill Jamie in a minor skirmish several months before Culloden, but is released. Later, he's the head of the prison Jamie spends several years in after turning himself in 7 years after Culloden.
All three are murder mysteries, set in the 1750s, during some war or another (sorry, my European history isn't that well developed) - Lord John is a major, serving in Prussia, France and England during the period the stories take place. He plays detective to the crimes - sort of NCIS-ish, I guess, since he's not actually the police, military or otherwise.
The first story is Lord John and the Hellfire Club - he pursues the murderer of a young British army officer, and is taken into the Hellfire Club where the murderer is revealed - and killed by his fellow officer, the same fellow who was the head of the Scottish prison before he arrived whose name now escapes me. Since it's an audio book, I can't go back and look it up - but this fellow appears in all 3.
The second is Lord John and the Succubus - another murder mystery, but this time the rumor is a succubus is involved. There's lots of quasi-paranormal activity that seems to give credence to the rumor.
The 3rd story is Lord John and the Haunted Soldier - Lord John and several others are wounded, and some killed, by exploding cannons, and it's no accident, as Lord John sets out to prove.
It's no secret that Lord John is gay - that is, to the reader it's no secret. However, it was a fairly major crime to be a sodomite in the army, so John and his fellow sodomites have to keep their activities and proclivities very hush-hush. It's not really germane to the stories except to explain some of the goings on. John himself is not particularly sexually active, especially in these novellas - and it's also made clear that he's still in love with Jamie, even though he rarely sees him during this time period (and of course Jamie has threatened to kill him if he even touches him, so his feelings are in no way returned). There are some recurring characters in the stories from the other Lord John books as well that you won't recognize unless you've read them all.
The narrator is good - the stories are entertaining and each mystery remains so for quite a while - Gabaldon is clever about that sort of thing. 4 stars.
All three are murder mysteries, set in the 1750s, during some war or another (sorry, my European history isn't that well developed) - Lord John is a major, serving in Prussia, France and England during the period the stories take place. He plays detective to the crimes - sort of NCIS-ish, I guess, since he's not actually the police, military or otherwise.
The first story is Lord John and the Hellfire Club - he pursues the murderer of a young British army officer, and is taken into the Hellfire Club where the murderer is revealed - and killed by his fellow officer, the same fellow who was the head of the Scottish prison before he arrived whose name now escapes me. Since it's an audio book, I can't go back and look it up - but this fellow appears in all 3.
The second is Lord John and the Succubus - another murder mystery, but this time the rumor is a succubus is involved. There's lots of quasi-paranormal activity that seems to give credence to the rumor.
The 3rd story is Lord John and the Haunted Soldier - Lord John and several others are wounded, and some killed, by exploding cannons, and it's no accident, as Lord John sets out to prove.
It's no secret that Lord John is gay - that is, to the reader it's no secret. However, it was a fairly major crime to be a sodomite in the army, so John and his fellow sodomites have to keep their activities and proclivities very hush-hush. It's not really germane to the stories except to explain some of the goings on. John himself is not particularly sexually active, especially in these novellas - and it's also made clear that he's still in love with Jamie, even though he rarely sees him during this time period (and of course Jamie has threatened to kill him if he even touches him, so his feelings are in no way returned). There are some recurring characters in the stories from the other Lord John books as well that you won't recognize unless you've read them all.
The narrator is good - the stories are entertaining and each mystery remains so for quite a while - Gabaldon is clever about that sort of thing. 4 stars.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Slave To Sensation by Nalini Singh ****
I had been putting off reading this book, even though it was on the AAR Top 100 of 2007, because of its genre: paranormal. So many people are really into her series about Psy and Changelings roaming the Earth 100 years from now, with humans.
Now that I've read it, I can say I enjoyed reading it but... do not feel compelled to keep reading the series. Hmmm, weird, I know.
The Psy are theoretically the most powerful - they run the government and such. They can communicate through the PsyNet, sorta like the Internet only with their minds. Changelings are part human/part animal - basically what other authors call shape-shifters. They exist in packs and fight amongst each other and against Psy. And humans are just, well, humans.
The Psy, starting 100 years earlier (ok, in the 1970s) decided to eliminate all emotions from their behavior with a program called Silence. Psy children are taught to tightly control all emotions, and are therefore cold and robotic. They also have other talents/skills/gifts like telekinesis and telepathy and such.
When Psy Sascha Duncan realizes her mind is going, she knows she will be destined to Rehabilitation, a fate worse than death. She struggles with her apparent lack of power- even though she is the daughter of one of the most powerful Psy - trying to maintain a hold. She meets Changeling/leopard Lucas Hunter in a business deal between the Psy and his pack, of which he is the alpha member.
The story revolves around a serial killer, presumed to be a Psy, who has now maimed, raped then killed 8 changeling women around the country. The changeling packs are getting together to find the killer and bring him to justice. Sasche finds out about the plan and basically determines to help them, as they have helped her come to terms with what ends up being her powerful gift - something the Psy have tried to eliminate.
And in the process, Lucas realizes she is his destined mate, against everything he's learned about the Psy.
It's an interesting read, and I liked the characters well enough. However, it didn't really change my mind that much about the paranormal romance genre - it still takes an effort to learn the world-building elements and remember who is whom and how they operate. An effort that doesn't engage me that much, as it turns out, at least not right now.
So I'm giving it 4 stars and posting it back on the WL at PBS.
Now that I've read it, I can say I enjoyed reading it but... do not feel compelled to keep reading the series. Hmmm, weird, I know.
The Psy are theoretically the most powerful - they run the government and such. They can communicate through the PsyNet, sorta like the Internet only with their minds. Changelings are part human/part animal - basically what other authors call shape-shifters. They exist in packs and fight amongst each other and against Psy. And humans are just, well, humans.
The Psy, starting 100 years earlier (ok, in the 1970s) decided to eliminate all emotions from their behavior with a program called Silence. Psy children are taught to tightly control all emotions, and are therefore cold and robotic. They also have other talents/skills/gifts like telekinesis and telepathy and such.
When Psy Sascha Duncan realizes her mind is going, she knows she will be destined to Rehabilitation, a fate worse than death. She struggles with her apparent lack of power- even though she is the daughter of one of the most powerful Psy - trying to maintain a hold. She meets Changeling/leopard Lucas Hunter in a business deal between the Psy and his pack, of which he is the alpha member.
The story revolves around a serial killer, presumed to be a Psy, who has now maimed, raped then killed 8 changeling women around the country. The changeling packs are getting together to find the killer and bring him to justice. Sasche finds out about the plan and basically determines to help them, as they have helped her come to terms with what ends up being her powerful gift - something the Psy have tried to eliminate.
And in the process, Lucas realizes she is his destined mate, against everything he's learned about the Psy.
It's an interesting read, and I liked the characters well enough. However, it didn't really change my mind that much about the paranormal romance genre - it still takes an effort to learn the world-building elements and remember who is whom and how they operate. An effort that doesn't engage me that much, as it turns out, at least not right now.
So I'm giving it 4 stars and posting it back on the WL at PBS.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen **
OK - this is a classic in the Romance field, actually written during the Regency period that so many favorite Romance novels take place.
It's also on the AAR Top 100 of 2007 (and other years as well), so it fell in my TBR list. I decided to listen to it in audio book form when my March audible.com credit became available. First, I looked at the free online websites for audio books - it is, after all, many years out of copyright at this point. The only one I found was read by a young woman in an American accent - a few seconds into it, I decided I'd rather pay. Then I went on Audible.com only to realize there are so many versions, I would have trouble deciding. I did 2 things: I looked for reviews that praised the narrators then did the sample listenings from 4 versions I picked from those, and basically I chose one at random, since I couldn't decide.
The version I chose - for anyone interested - was narrated by Josephine Bailey. I'm trying to decide if hers was a good narration or not. Frankly, it's hard to decide since the language is so obscure, and I had so much trouble following the story. Multiple negatives turned into possible positives. Things insinuated which I couldn't understand. I think Ms. Bailey probably did a good rendition. She did manage to use a different voice for most of the characters (her Jane and her Elizabeth seemed awfully similar - her Lydia mostly higher pitched and louder than Jane/Elizabeth - her male voices different from females).
The thing is, I could not figure out when it was that Mr. Darcy (whatever was his first name?) decided he was madly in love with Elizabeth. And I guess it's supposed to be ironic that the pride Mr Darcy is accused of is what kept Elizabeth from considering him anything other than... not worthy? A bad sort of fellow? Her pride, I mean, not his, is what kept her from... whatever.
Maybe if I had actually read the words, I could have spent more time allowing my brain to find the meaning of them. As they flowed into my brain in Ms. Bailey's voice, I found myself mostly frowning and wondering what the hell she just said.
So - did I dislike the recording, or the story? Unfortunately, they are at this moment the same. I have only the recording of the story to go by - and I did not like the mental calisthenics I had to go through to figure out what was being said. I guess I need the contemporary American translation to understand it.
So sue me. 2 stars.
It's also on the AAR Top 100 of 2007 (and other years as well), so it fell in my TBR list. I decided to listen to it in audio book form when my March audible.com credit became available. First, I looked at the free online websites for audio books - it is, after all, many years out of copyright at this point. The only one I found was read by a young woman in an American accent - a few seconds into it, I decided I'd rather pay. Then I went on Audible.com only to realize there are so many versions, I would have trouble deciding. I did 2 things: I looked for reviews that praised the narrators then did the sample listenings from 4 versions I picked from those, and basically I chose one at random, since I couldn't decide.
The version I chose - for anyone interested - was narrated by Josephine Bailey. I'm trying to decide if hers was a good narration or not. Frankly, it's hard to decide since the language is so obscure, and I had so much trouble following the story. Multiple negatives turned into possible positives. Things insinuated which I couldn't understand. I think Ms. Bailey probably did a good rendition. She did manage to use a different voice for most of the characters (her Jane and her Elizabeth seemed awfully similar - her Lydia mostly higher pitched and louder than Jane/Elizabeth - her male voices different from females).
The thing is, I could not figure out when it was that Mr. Darcy (whatever was his first name?) decided he was madly in love with Elizabeth. And I guess it's supposed to be ironic that the pride Mr Darcy is accused of is what kept Elizabeth from considering him anything other than... not worthy? A bad sort of fellow? Her pride, I mean, not his, is what kept her from... whatever.
Maybe if I had actually read the words, I could have spent more time allowing my brain to find the meaning of them. As they flowed into my brain in Ms. Bailey's voice, I found myself mostly frowning and wondering what the hell she just said.
So - did I dislike the recording, or the story? Unfortunately, they are at this moment the same. I have only the recording of the story to go by - and I did not like the mental calisthenics I had to go through to figure out what was being said. I guess I need the contemporary American translation to understand it.
So sue me. 2 stars.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Spring Rain by Susan Weldon *
OMG. This was so awful I just had to read it all to believe how awful it was. Purple Prose. Cliche after cliche. Bad plot. Worse characterizations. Ghosts. OMG.
This was a story that has been written sooooo much better by Elizabeth Lowell in Only His. It's a heroine and hero drawn so much better by LaVyrle Spencer in Hummingbird. I'm sure any number of better authors have done better jobs with this subject matter.
It's almost laughable how bad it is. As I got towards the end, fully haven given up on its ever redeeming itself, I admit to skimming just to get to the last page.
It's 1872 in America. A prim, proper, Eastern virgin spinster of the advanced and decrepit age of 25 (gasp!) - a piano teacher with limited means - goes west to Denver to find her lost fiance. Ok, it's her 2nd fiance - her first one died on their wedding day. The 2nd fellow, while ok, is just someone with whom to spend her life - she doesn't really love him as she did #1. He decided to try his hand at finding gold so he could support her in style, as his own general store is just middling successful. After 1 year gone, his letters stopped and she began having nightmares of his death. At first, she sent money to friends in Denver who hired a scout to find him, but with no luck.
Now she plans to accompany the newest scout on a search so she can locate Clarence's body and put him to his final rest.
Well, who is this scout? Well, little lady, he's the roughest, the toughest, the meanest badass hunk of gorgeous man around - Reno McCord!! He bursts out of a saloon and knocks her over, taunts her a little, then proceeds to brawl his way to jail, where she finds him the next day. She tells him she's wealthy so he'll do it (why that matters, as long as she can pay her fee, I dunno.)
Then she tricks him into taking her along, lying to him that she can ride a horse. He insists she wears men's clothing - so she buys some but wears a dress on top so that he can't see her legs and ass shamefully displayed in the tight pants.
Yeah, doesn't this all sound credible enough?
So they spend the next several days traveling together, each of them switching back and forth like quicksilver from hate to lust to teasing to haughtiness and round and round they go. My head was spinning. I'm thinking to myself, the woman has never been on a horse and she can even WALK the next day? Not. But, hey, yeah, she does.
It's so over-the-top purple prose that I found myself groaning inwardly AND outwardly over and over. It's another virgin who manages to have wild monkey sex several times in one night - the first night, the next night and several more nights, including in a freezing cold waterfall (what a real man he is, no?). It's got the "I'll never marry, I can't settle down" multi-experienced man. It's got the "I'm now desperately in love with you after 1 day" virgin spinster. And to top it all off, it's also got the Secret Baby and the sudden-change-of-mind man proud of how potent he is that she's pregnant (after a couple dozen tries, at least) too. I just finished it so I could put it in my Spring 2009 Challenge under the title that reminds you of Spring (not that the story has anything to do with Spring) - and as a bonus, in my New Authors 2009 and A To Z challenges too. But I don't plan to give Ms Weldon another chance because it wasn't just mediocre, it was plain awful.
Do not read this book if you are looking for a good read. That's my advice anyway. But LLB over at AAR says it's one of her favorite Westerns and gave it a fairly high rating. Just goes to show, it takes all kinds, no?
This was a story that has been written sooooo much better by Elizabeth Lowell in Only His. It's a heroine and hero drawn so much better by LaVyrle Spencer in Hummingbird. I'm sure any number of better authors have done better jobs with this subject matter.
It's almost laughable how bad it is. As I got towards the end, fully haven given up on its ever redeeming itself, I admit to skimming just to get to the last page.
It's 1872 in America. A prim, proper, Eastern virgin spinster of the advanced and decrepit age of 25 (gasp!) - a piano teacher with limited means - goes west to Denver to find her lost fiance. Ok, it's her 2nd fiance - her first one died on their wedding day. The 2nd fellow, while ok, is just someone with whom to spend her life - she doesn't really love him as she did #1. He decided to try his hand at finding gold so he could support her in style, as his own general store is just middling successful. After 1 year gone, his letters stopped and she began having nightmares of his death. At first, she sent money to friends in Denver who hired a scout to find him, but with no luck.
Now she plans to accompany the newest scout on a search so she can locate Clarence's body and put him to his final rest.
Well, who is this scout? Well, little lady, he's the roughest, the toughest, the meanest badass hunk of gorgeous man around - Reno McCord!! He bursts out of a saloon and knocks her over, taunts her a little, then proceeds to brawl his way to jail, where she finds him the next day. She tells him she's wealthy so he'll do it (why that matters, as long as she can pay her fee, I dunno.)
Then she tricks him into taking her along, lying to him that she can ride a horse. He insists she wears men's clothing - so she buys some but wears a dress on top so that he can't see her legs and ass shamefully displayed in the tight pants.
Yeah, doesn't this all sound credible enough?
So they spend the next several days traveling together, each of them switching back and forth like quicksilver from hate to lust to teasing to haughtiness and round and round they go. My head was spinning. I'm thinking to myself, the woman has never been on a horse and she can even WALK the next day? Not. But, hey, yeah, she does.
It's so over-the-top purple prose that I found myself groaning inwardly AND outwardly over and over. It's another virgin who manages to have wild monkey sex several times in one night - the first night, the next night and several more nights, including in a freezing cold waterfall (what a real man he is, no?). It's got the "I'll never marry, I can't settle down" multi-experienced man. It's got the "I'm now desperately in love with you after 1 day" virgin spinster. And to top it all off, it's also got the Secret Baby and the sudden-change-of-mind man proud of how potent he is that she's pregnant (after a couple dozen tries, at least) too. I just finished it so I could put it in my Spring 2009 Challenge under the title that reminds you of Spring (not that the story has anything to do with Spring) - and as a bonus, in my New Authors 2009 and A To Z challenges too. But I don't plan to give Ms Weldon another chance because it wasn't just mediocre, it was plain awful.
Do not read this book if you are looking for a good read. That's my advice anyway. But LLB over at AAR says it's one of her favorite Westerns and gave it a fairly high rating. Just goes to show, it takes all kinds, no?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr ****
This is installment #7 in the Virgin River series, and as I commented on #6 (Temptation Ridge), it's sorta slowing down for me. I still enjoy it but not as much as the original Virgin River.
This one features several of the couples who haven't yet had their HEAs - the fellow we only knew as a pot grower is in town, post-prison sentence, and is introduced as Dan Brady. He meets the town former drunk now recovering alcoholic Cheryl Creighton. While they don't reach a true HEA, they do get to know each other a little better. I'm sure there'll be more to their saga in one of the 3 upcoming books.
Vanni's father and Shelby's uncle Walt and the movie star Muriel go a little further in their relationship - Muriel gets a chance to do a movie with Jack Nicholson, and leaves town for 6 months, and their relationship is tested.
Cameron and Abby deal with their relationship as the biological parents of her in-utero twins, and Abby also has to deal with her pre-nup issues from the drug-using rock star Kid Crawford. That gets resolved quite nicely and frankly a little bit too sweet for me.
And the biggest shocker of all is Rick getting critically injured in Iraq and coming home to deal with his injuries, and the way he deals with his situation and his friends. It's not good but for anyone squeamish, he comes to a better understanding before all is said and done. I wanted this to affect me more than it did, however. I just wasn't very moved by his story.
Meanwhile, we still have Brie and Mike - Brie gets to show her lawyer chops off in this one; Jack and Mel - Jack's an old busybody! and Mel's doing fine, dealing with her new partner in Cameron; Vanni and Paul - ok, Paul is a sorta dimwit, really, although he means well. For once I thought Vanni called it as it is (calling him a dimwit, which he proved more than once).
It's another chapter in the lives and loves of Virgin River, and their perfect, alpha-but-in-touch-with-their-feminine-sides men and their incredible women and jaysus I wanna live there and have them for my friends! Maybe I can be the new town drunk!
So I'm rating it 4 stars - I did really like it but never felt the emotional surges that other earlier books in the series gave me. I do want her to continue to keep us updated, though! It fits several of my challenges. Cool.
This one features several of the couples who haven't yet had their HEAs - the fellow we only knew as a pot grower is in town, post-prison sentence, and is introduced as Dan Brady. He meets the town former drunk now recovering alcoholic Cheryl Creighton. While they don't reach a true HEA, they do get to know each other a little better. I'm sure there'll be more to their saga in one of the 3 upcoming books.
Vanni's father and Shelby's uncle Walt and the movie star Muriel go a little further in their relationship - Muriel gets a chance to do a movie with Jack Nicholson, and leaves town for 6 months, and their relationship is tested.
Cameron and Abby deal with their relationship as the biological parents of her in-utero twins, and Abby also has to deal with her pre-nup issues from the drug-using rock star Kid Crawford. That gets resolved quite nicely and frankly a little bit too sweet for me.
And the biggest shocker of all is Rick getting critically injured in Iraq and coming home to deal with his injuries, and the way he deals with his situation and his friends. It's not good but for anyone squeamish, he comes to a better understanding before all is said and done. I wanted this to affect me more than it did, however. I just wasn't very moved by his story.
Meanwhile, we still have Brie and Mike - Brie gets to show her lawyer chops off in this one; Jack and Mel - Jack's an old busybody! and Mel's doing fine, dealing with her new partner in Cameron; Vanni and Paul - ok, Paul is a sorta dimwit, really, although he means well. For once I thought Vanni called it as it is (calling him a dimwit, which he proved more than once).
It's another chapter in the lives and loves of Virgin River, and their perfect, alpha-but-in-touch-with-their-feminine-sides men and their incredible women and jaysus I wanna live there and have them for my friends! Maybe I can be the new town drunk!
So I'm rating it 4 stars - I did really like it but never felt the emotional surges that other earlier books in the series gave me. I do want her to continue to keep us updated, though! It fits several of my challenges. Cool.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson *****
FIRST POSTED JULY 2, 2008 which is when I first read this. I just did a re-read (March 23, 2009) and loved it as much, maybe more!
This is the first in her Author Friends series, based on 4 women authors living in Boise, Idaho. I've already read books #2, 3 and 4. You can read them out of order, but in a way I'm sorry I did, because this book sets up the other books so nicely!
In Sex, Lies and Online Dating, we meet Lucy, the mystery writer. She is penning a novel about a female serial killer who meets her victims online and kills them with erotic asphyxiation. She's knocked off 3 victims in her story so far, and for research she is dating men she meets online. Her online persona is a nurse, but she does use her real name. She's managed to meet some guys whose attributes she uses in her book, but she needs one more...
Hardluvnman - I loved this handle!! Our hero is detective Quinn, also undercover on this mission - but his mission is to find Breathless, a woman who is actually murdering men using Lucy's plot MO. Although he's tall, dark and dangerous, his cover is he's a plumber whose wife died and he's trying to move on. There's an instant chemistry between them, but Quinn needs to keep it professional since after all, he is wearing a wire.
Lucy doesn't normally meet the men a second time, but Quinn pursues her since she is now the #1 suspect in the case. After a couple of dates, he gets a look at her work-in-process and nearly faints, because her character is killing the men in exactly the same way as the real life Breathless.
The one part I had a hard time with was when he invites her to his home as bait, to get her to try to kill him - the reader knows the house is wired for video and audio. He seduces her - pushes her HARD even though she's already said it's too soon. Knowing there are 2 detectives watching, I just skimmed this hot scene, almost as if I was embarrassed for her. No - I was embarrassed for her. And later in the book, when he finally reveals the truth to her, she was justifiably mortified along with me.
The book was funny, and also touching - I figured out the mystery killer a little sooner than her identity was revealed, but it was still a good suspense. I loved both the hero and the heroine - and I laughed out loud when early in the book, Lucy wonders why Clare is the only one who doesn't realize her fiance is gay!! (that's inthe next book in the series)
5 stars, a keeper! I say this in almost every Rachel Gibson review I write, but I'm so glad I gave her books a second chance. The first one I read, the only one that made the AAR Top 100, was See Jane Score. I actually gave it a 4 - but I was disappointed because I didn't feel it was as good as I was expecting. Since then I've liked (almost) every other book of hers I've read, quite a lot more than See Jane Score even when I also rated them 4 stars. Maybe it's just me.
This is the first in her Author Friends series, based on 4 women authors living in Boise, Idaho. I've already read books #2, 3 and 4. You can read them out of order, but in a way I'm sorry I did, because this book sets up the other books so nicely!
In Sex, Lies and Online Dating, we meet Lucy, the mystery writer. She is penning a novel about a female serial killer who meets her victims online and kills them with erotic asphyxiation. She's knocked off 3 victims in her story so far, and for research she is dating men she meets online. Her online persona is a nurse, but she does use her real name. She's managed to meet some guys whose attributes she uses in her book, but she needs one more...
Hardluvnman - I loved this handle!! Our hero is detective Quinn, also undercover on this mission - but his mission is to find Breathless, a woman who is actually murdering men using Lucy's plot MO. Although he's tall, dark and dangerous, his cover is he's a plumber whose wife died and he's trying to move on. There's an instant chemistry between them, but Quinn needs to keep it professional since after all, he is wearing a wire.
Lucy doesn't normally meet the men a second time, but Quinn pursues her since she is now the #1 suspect in the case. After a couple of dates, he gets a look at her work-in-process and nearly faints, because her character is killing the men in exactly the same way as the real life Breathless.
The one part I had a hard time with was when he invites her to his home as bait, to get her to try to kill him - the reader knows the house is wired for video and audio. He seduces her - pushes her HARD even though she's already said it's too soon. Knowing there are 2 detectives watching, I just skimmed this hot scene, almost as if I was embarrassed for her. No - I was embarrassed for her. And later in the book, when he finally reveals the truth to her, she was justifiably mortified along with me.
The book was funny, and also touching - I figured out the mystery killer a little sooner than her identity was revealed, but it was still a good suspense. I loved both the hero and the heroine - and I laughed out loud when early in the book, Lucy wonders why Clare is the only one who doesn't realize her fiance is gay!! (that's inthe next book in the series)
5 stars, a keeper! I say this in almost every Rachel Gibson review I write, but I'm so glad I gave her books a second chance. The first one I read, the only one that made the AAR Top 100, was See Jane Score. I actually gave it a 4 - but I was disappointed because I didn't feel it was as good as I was expecting. Since then I've liked (almost) every other book of hers I've read, quite a lot more than See Jane Score even when I also rated them 4 stars. Maybe it's just me.
Friday, March 20, 2009
So Enchanting by Connie Brockway *****
This was truly So Enchanting! It's a book with a magical premise, and it's even magical to read. I'm not sure why I hadn't heard much about Brockway before, but I've liked the ones I've read and this one is a real keeper too.
Grey has spent his adult life devoted to debunking all sorts of paranormal shyster activity - people who prey on those hoping to make contact with the dead especially - because his father lost the family fortune to people like this. During his raid on a seance by Alphonse Brown, Grey is entranced by Brown's wife, Francesca - but pushes aside his feelings.
Fanny, formerly Francesca Brown, soon thereafter widowed, gets a chance at a new life. She has some power over animals - when she is upset, the nearby animals react, and as a child, animals attacked and crippled her brother, so she became a sort of pariah in her family and her neighborhood. When a neighbor comes to her after her husband's death and asks her to be his daughter's companion, she agrees only if she can use a new name and identity, and no one but the 2 of them will know.
Then she spends the next 6 years in the Scottish Highlands as Fanny Walcott, with Amelie as her ward. Now that Amelie is 18, though, she's tired of being cooped up in a small town away from all the excitement of town, and yearns to be free and travel. Unfortunately, she has 3 more years to go before she comes into her inheritance and freedom.
Her guardian, a Lord Collier, receives a letter warning that Amelie's life may be in danger, so he sends his brother in law and son to check out the situation. Coincidentally enough, Grey is the brother in law - and his son is Hayden, a young man of 21. Amelie and Hayden immediately take to one another, and in the space of one day are declaring their undying love, and spending long moments mooning about.
The spark is also still there for Grey and Fanny - but there's no declarations of love or mooning - their sparks are more the flint v steel type. Brockway's style is so humorous and witty - while the young lovers are chastely holding hands and murmuring endearments on the terrace, Grey and Fanny are first fighting like cats and dogs, then the next minute they are passionately kissing and ripping at each other's clothing in the next room. Meanwhile, Fanny's spell over the animals has them all howling and hollering and tweeting and boinking like mad in the garden, on the paths and pretty much everywhere they look - it's laugh out loud funny!
She continues to contrast the 2 couples - one chapter starts with Hayden declaring it's the most wonderful day, and describing his day with his love Amelie. The next chapter is Grey declaring it's the most dreadful day - the same day, only from Grey's POV. When the plot to harm Amelie becomes more real - a large pot is pushed off a balcony and barely misses Amelie - Grey and Hayden try to figure out who is behind the plot. Meanwhile, Grey cannot let himself be enchanted by Fanny - he does remember who and what she is - and tries to figure out how she is scamming Amelie and her guardian.
I enjoyed every minute of this story! It fits as my second book for the novel set in Scotland category of the Spring 2009 Challenge, and I think I'll tag it Besotted Hero - Grey was slightly besotted, but Hayden was truly smittenly besotted!!
Grey has spent his adult life devoted to debunking all sorts of paranormal shyster activity - people who prey on those hoping to make contact with the dead especially - because his father lost the family fortune to people like this. During his raid on a seance by Alphonse Brown, Grey is entranced by Brown's wife, Francesca - but pushes aside his feelings.
Fanny, formerly Francesca Brown, soon thereafter widowed, gets a chance at a new life. She has some power over animals - when she is upset, the nearby animals react, and as a child, animals attacked and crippled her brother, so she became a sort of pariah in her family and her neighborhood. When a neighbor comes to her after her husband's death and asks her to be his daughter's companion, she agrees only if she can use a new name and identity, and no one but the 2 of them will know.
Then she spends the next 6 years in the Scottish Highlands as Fanny Walcott, with Amelie as her ward. Now that Amelie is 18, though, she's tired of being cooped up in a small town away from all the excitement of town, and yearns to be free and travel. Unfortunately, she has 3 more years to go before she comes into her inheritance and freedom.
Her guardian, a Lord Collier, receives a letter warning that Amelie's life may be in danger, so he sends his brother in law and son to check out the situation. Coincidentally enough, Grey is the brother in law - and his son is Hayden, a young man of 21. Amelie and Hayden immediately take to one another, and in the space of one day are declaring their undying love, and spending long moments mooning about.
The spark is also still there for Grey and Fanny - but there's no declarations of love or mooning - their sparks are more the flint v steel type. Brockway's style is so humorous and witty - while the young lovers are chastely holding hands and murmuring endearments on the terrace, Grey and Fanny are first fighting like cats and dogs, then the next minute they are passionately kissing and ripping at each other's clothing in the next room. Meanwhile, Fanny's spell over the animals has them all howling and hollering and tweeting and boinking like mad in the garden, on the paths and pretty much everywhere they look - it's laugh out loud funny!
She continues to contrast the 2 couples - one chapter starts with Hayden declaring it's the most wonderful day, and describing his day with his love Amelie. The next chapter is Grey declaring it's the most dreadful day - the same day, only from Grey's POV. When the plot to harm Amelie becomes more real - a large pot is pushed off a balcony and barely misses Amelie - Grey and Hayden try to figure out who is behind the plot. Meanwhile, Grey cannot let himself be enchanted by Fanny - he does remember who and what she is - and tries to figure out how she is scamming Amelie and her guardian.
I enjoyed every minute of this story! It fits as my second book for the novel set in Scotland category of the Spring 2009 Challenge, and I think I'll tag it Besotted Hero - Grey was slightly besotted, but Hayden was truly smittenly besotted!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Everyday, Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann ****
I went back and forth between rating this one 3 stars or 4 stars - maybe it's a 3.75?
This is #4 in Brockmann's Tall, Dark and Dangerous series - her first Navy SEAL series (before Troubleshooters), in which she uses the members of her fictional Team Ten Alpha Squad as the heroes. I enjoyed the first 3 - even rated them 5 stars, but not really keepers. But this one, Cowboy Jones' story, sorta rubbed me the wrong way.
First off, spoiler-ish, it's the Secret Baby plot. And not only is it the Secret Baby - Melody's not only keeping it secret, she's stubbornly refusing to even have anything to do with him. And she pissed me off.
See, she's always assumed she'd marry some everday, average guy - maybe an accountant. He'd be some guy whose biggest risk might be mowing the lawn on weekends. And it's because she figures, although she fell in love with Cowboy when he rescued her from a hostage situation in MakeBelievakia 7 months ago, she's too ordinary for him.
Of course, he's thought of nothing but the 6 days they spent together, boinking like bunnies after her rescue was over. So much that - in spite of his rogue-ish reputation - he's never even looked at another woman since those 6 days, 7 months ago.
So when he shows up in her middle-class, average town to see if he can woo her again, he's pretty dang shocked to see her hugely pregnant. He thinks she's 9 months pregnant and he's not the dad (which sort of pisses him off, really) - then he discovers the truth.
He spends a few weeks, literally camped out in her back yard, trying to convince her to marry him, but Melody is stubborn and won't marry except for love. See, what's annoying is, she won't even let him have his say - and she also won't own up to how she feels. She just shuts him out.
There's a sub-plot with a foster boy next door that shows his tender side, which she likes, but also makes Cowboy believe maybe he isn't father material after all - and since it's obvious to him that Melody doesn't want him (she worked hard enough to show him that), he finally gives up and leaves, promising to share custody and pay child support, but leaving her free to find a man she can love to marry.
Frankly, she's a bitch and she deserved his leaving her. But all in all, I still enjoyed reading their story, even if I wanted to smack her across the face a few times. Isn't that odd? It's just that I like Brockmann's style and her story-telling. Oh, and guess what, he goes back and they get a HEA after all.
It fit my Serial Readers Challenge, as well as the A To Z Challenge under title. Hmmm - was he besotted, or just determined. Naw, not besotted.
This is #4 in Brockmann's Tall, Dark and Dangerous series - her first Navy SEAL series (before Troubleshooters), in which she uses the members of her fictional Team Ten Alpha Squad as the heroes. I enjoyed the first 3 - even rated them 5 stars, but not really keepers. But this one, Cowboy Jones' story, sorta rubbed me the wrong way.
First off, spoiler-ish, it's the Secret Baby plot. And not only is it the Secret Baby - Melody's not only keeping it secret, she's stubbornly refusing to even have anything to do with him. And she pissed me off.
See, she's always assumed she'd marry some everday, average guy - maybe an accountant. He'd be some guy whose biggest risk might be mowing the lawn on weekends. And it's because she figures, although she fell in love with Cowboy when he rescued her from a hostage situation in MakeBelievakia 7 months ago, she's too ordinary for him.
Of course, he's thought of nothing but the 6 days they spent together, boinking like bunnies after her rescue was over. So much that - in spite of his rogue-ish reputation - he's never even looked at another woman since those 6 days, 7 months ago.
So when he shows up in her middle-class, average town to see if he can woo her again, he's pretty dang shocked to see her hugely pregnant. He thinks she's 9 months pregnant and he's not the dad (which sort of pisses him off, really) - then he discovers the truth.
He spends a few weeks, literally camped out in her back yard, trying to convince her to marry him, but Melody is stubborn and won't marry except for love. See, what's annoying is, she won't even let him have his say - and she also won't own up to how she feels. She just shuts him out.
There's a sub-plot with a foster boy next door that shows his tender side, which she likes, but also makes Cowboy believe maybe he isn't father material after all - and since it's obvious to him that Melody doesn't want him (she worked hard enough to show him that), he finally gives up and leaves, promising to share custody and pay child support, but leaving her free to find a man she can love to marry.
Frankly, she's a bitch and she deserved his leaving her. But all in all, I still enjoyed reading their story, even if I wanted to smack her across the face a few times. Isn't that odd? It's just that I like Brockmann's style and her story-telling. Oh, and guess what, he goes back and they get a HEA after all.
It fit my Serial Readers Challenge, as well as the A To Z Challenge under title. Hmmm - was he besotted, or just determined. Naw, not besotted.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale ****
This was a hard book to read and digest, with much of the dialogue written in a sort of pseudo-Middle-English-speak to give it the flavor of medieval thought and speech. In addition, the author used different forms of English to convey speech in Italian and French. I felt like my brain was being taxed the entire time.
Also, it was so hard to feel anything positive for the heroine. Melanthe was English by birth, but married into an Italian family at age 12, to a man many years older, and then a widow. There were 3 Italian families represented - I think - as being enemies each of the other, and many of the characters were aligned with one of the 3, Riata, Monteverde (Melanthe's husband) and Navona.
Allegreto Navona is a youth of 16 traveling with Melanthe to England so that she could claim her father's lands and then return to Gian, his father, to be his wife. Allegreto is an assassin and is also portrayed as a eunuch so that he can stay close to Melanthe at all times, even in bed. (How she never knew the truth, I'm not sure...)
The hero is Ruck, an English knight - the Green Knight - who swore his loyalty to Melanthe when he and she were just 17. He was accompanying his wife Isabelle to become a nun, when Melanthe - already a princess - saved his life by telling the religious leaders he wasn't chaste, that he was staring at her and having lustful thoughts about her. Although he had loved Isabelle, he didn't understand her - she was portrayed as either having a gift or being insane, having visions and prophecies. By not being chaste enough for the religious leaders, he wasn't allowed to join his wife - which eventually saved his life.
It was all pretty confusing, to be honest. 13 years go by, and Ruck has managed to become an anonymous knight - something about not having proof of his birth/ownership of his father's property since everyone in his family died in the plague. He was concerned if he said where he was from and what his name was, it would come to the attention of the king that his family's lands were without owner and they would be taken. He meets Melanthe again, and again swears his loyalty to her - only this time he announces it so everyone knows (whereas before this, it was just in his own heart and mind).
Melanthe, in truth, is scared to death of everyone, and mostly for good reason. Her husband taught her not to trust anyone, and from him she learned to be aloof and disdainful in manner, as a way to save herself. She pits her servants one against the other as a way to keep them from harming her, and for them to be ever afraid of her and each other. When Ruck leads a small party of her servants and her into England, she pretends to be struck with the plague - and she and Ruck are abandoned by the entire party. At this point, when it's just the 2 of them, she is alternately in his debt and falling for him, and playing him for a fool. It was very hard to feel sympathy for her, even though you were meant to believe she was constantly in fear of her life even from Ruck.
They make their way not to her lands, but to his, where for a time they live as husband and wife, an idyllic life where she is loved by his people and seems to have relaxed and started to enjoy life. Unfortunately, Ruck is now never sure when she is telling the truth, and when she is acting (aka Lying). He keeps thinking that she will want to leave and go to her own lands and people - and therein lies his mistake. When he sends a youth to her property to see if it's safe, the youth is caught up in the web of intrigue to find her and bind her to Gian Navona again.
So not only was it hard to read because of the language issues, it was hard to be sympathetic for this lying, wheeling-and-dealing heroine who pretty much shot herself in the foot everytime she opened her dang mouth! Poor naive Ruck was truly led on a not-so-merry chase to save her from everyone including herself.
I think I would classify Ruck as a Besotted Hero - after all, he was able to remain celibate for 13 years in his pursuit of her! And even not knowing her, not understanding her, he never gave up on her, and followed her into the snake pit that was her home, where Gian and Allegreto and Cara and nameless others meant her harm - and from where she did everything she could to push Ruck away, meaning to save him again. He was more faithful, more patient than any hero I've read about so far. For that, and for the artistry of the prose (as hard as it was to digest) I give the story 4 stars. It's the first in a 2-book series (Serial Reader's Challenge) and it's an AAR Top 100 of 2007 which also puts it in the Spring 2009 Challenge under that category!
Also, it was so hard to feel anything positive for the heroine. Melanthe was English by birth, but married into an Italian family at age 12, to a man many years older, and then a widow. There were 3 Italian families represented - I think - as being enemies each of the other, and many of the characters were aligned with one of the 3, Riata, Monteverde (Melanthe's husband) and Navona.
Allegreto Navona is a youth of 16 traveling with Melanthe to England so that she could claim her father's lands and then return to Gian, his father, to be his wife. Allegreto is an assassin and is also portrayed as a eunuch so that he can stay close to Melanthe at all times, even in bed. (How she never knew the truth, I'm not sure...)
The hero is Ruck, an English knight - the Green Knight - who swore his loyalty to Melanthe when he and she were just 17. He was accompanying his wife Isabelle to become a nun, when Melanthe - already a princess - saved his life by telling the religious leaders he wasn't chaste, that he was staring at her and having lustful thoughts about her. Although he had loved Isabelle, he didn't understand her - she was portrayed as either having a gift or being insane, having visions and prophecies. By not being chaste enough for the religious leaders, he wasn't allowed to join his wife - which eventually saved his life.
It was all pretty confusing, to be honest. 13 years go by, and Ruck has managed to become an anonymous knight - something about not having proof of his birth/ownership of his father's property since everyone in his family died in the plague. He was concerned if he said where he was from and what his name was, it would come to the attention of the king that his family's lands were without owner and they would be taken. He meets Melanthe again, and again swears his loyalty to her - only this time he announces it so everyone knows (whereas before this, it was just in his own heart and mind).
Melanthe, in truth, is scared to death of everyone, and mostly for good reason. Her husband taught her not to trust anyone, and from him she learned to be aloof and disdainful in manner, as a way to save herself. She pits her servants one against the other as a way to keep them from harming her, and for them to be ever afraid of her and each other. When Ruck leads a small party of her servants and her into England, she pretends to be struck with the plague - and she and Ruck are abandoned by the entire party. At this point, when it's just the 2 of them, she is alternately in his debt and falling for him, and playing him for a fool. It was very hard to feel sympathy for her, even though you were meant to believe she was constantly in fear of her life even from Ruck.
They make their way not to her lands, but to his, where for a time they live as husband and wife, an idyllic life where she is loved by his people and seems to have relaxed and started to enjoy life. Unfortunately, Ruck is now never sure when she is telling the truth, and when she is acting (aka Lying). He keeps thinking that she will want to leave and go to her own lands and people - and therein lies his mistake. When he sends a youth to her property to see if it's safe, the youth is caught up in the web of intrigue to find her and bind her to Gian Navona again.
So not only was it hard to read because of the language issues, it was hard to be sympathetic for this lying, wheeling-and-dealing heroine who pretty much shot herself in the foot everytime she opened her dang mouth! Poor naive Ruck was truly led on a not-so-merry chase to save her from everyone including herself.
I think I would classify Ruck as a Besotted Hero - after all, he was able to remain celibate for 13 years in his pursuit of her! And even not knowing her, not understanding her, he never gave up on her, and followed her into the snake pit that was her home, where Gian and Allegreto and Cara and nameless others meant her harm - and from where she did everything she could to push Ruck away, meaning to save him again. He was more faithful, more patient than any hero I've read about so far. For that, and for the artistry of the prose (as hard as it was to digest) I give the story 4 stars. It's the first in a 2-book series (Serial Reader's Challenge) and it's an AAR Top 100 of 2007 which also puts it in the Spring 2009 Challenge under that category!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Black Rose by Nora Roberts ***
This is the 2nd in the In The Garden trilogy, about 3 women in different stages of their lives. The first dealt with Stella, a young widow with 2 boys, who moved to Tennessee and got a job with Roz, the owner of the nursery, In The Garden.
This one is Roz's story. In the first installment, she hired Mitch Carnegie, a genealogist, to help her discover the identity of the house ghost, the "Harper Bride" who haunted the mansion she inherited. The ghost seems to like children, and hate men. Of course, as the reader, I knew who it was from the prologues of each book - the mistress of an ancestor who bore him a son. The son was stolen from her, and she was told it was a stillborn girl - and although I don't know yet how she died, she haunts the house to warn women away from men.
The other women (Stella and Hayley) refer to Mitch in such terms as Dr. Studly - a tribute to his hunkiness of course! Isn't it always fun to have an academic hero, a sort of beta/alpha mix who knows when to step forward and offer to smash someone in the nose, and when to step back and let Roz deal with her own problems?
Her main problem is a con artist ex-husband who keeps popping up, trying to ruin her life. The ghost, even though she gets more violent as time goes by, is a minor diversion in comparison. So Mitch and Roz, yes, fall in love and battle the ghost and the demon ex-husband before getting their HEA. And we get whispers of Hayley's HEA when Harper starts having lustful thoughts about her... But that's the next book.
3 stars, Serial Readers Challenge and... something in the Spring 2009 Challenge, can't decide which. Parker the dog didn't warrant a Notable Pet tag, but even Dr Studly refers to himself as besotted early on, so I'll tag it as Besotted Hero.
It's a pleasant enough story - I would say 3 stars meaning "average" as opposed to "mediocre" - I wouldn't go out on a limb and highly recommend it, but I enjoyed the story enough.
This one is Roz's story. In the first installment, she hired Mitch Carnegie, a genealogist, to help her discover the identity of the house ghost, the "Harper Bride" who haunted the mansion she inherited. The ghost seems to like children, and hate men. Of course, as the reader, I knew who it was from the prologues of each book - the mistress of an ancestor who bore him a son. The son was stolen from her, and she was told it was a stillborn girl - and although I don't know yet how she died, she haunts the house to warn women away from men.
The other women (Stella and Hayley) refer to Mitch in such terms as Dr. Studly - a tribute to his hunkiness of course! Isn't it always fun to have an academic hero, a sort of beta/alpha mix who knows when to step forward and offer to smash someone in the nose, and when to step back and let Roz deal with her own problems?
Her main problem is a con artist ex-husband who keeps popping up, trying to ruin her life. The ghost, even though she gets more violent as time goes by, is a minor diversion in comparison. So Mitch and Roz, yes, fall in love and battle the ghost and the demon ex-husband before getting their HEA. And we get whispers of Hayley's HEA when Harper starts having lustful thoughts about her... But that's the next book.
3 stars, Serial Readers Challenge and... something in the Spring 2009 Challenge, can't decide which. Parker the dog didn't warrant a Notable Pet tag, but even Dr Studly refers to himself as besotted early on, so I'll tag it as Besotted Hero.
It's a pleasant enough story - I would say 3 stars meaning "average" as opposed to "mediocre" - I wouldn't go out on a limb and highly recommend it, but I enjoyed the story enough.
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