I have done some reading in the past month, even though I haven't posted here much. An update on what's happening to me: it's all good!
I got offered a wonderful job, doing exactly what I love doing - I'm the Business Manager of a non-profit called Discovery Green Conservancy. The organization runs a city park in the middle of downtown Houston. It's a 12-acre green space built over a parking garage. It's a sort of new concept for Houston - the park being run by a nonprofit instead of by the Parks Department itself.
The park opened in April 2008, and offers daily fun for kids and families and just folks. Oh, and dogs too! There's the regular park stuff - green space where you can sit and picnic and run and play. There's a wonderful fountain - no, 2! - with water that kids (and just folks) can get wet in and scream and have a great time. There are 2 restaurants, 1 casual, 1 a little more upscale. There are 2 actual performing spaces with stage-type platforms (mind you, it's nothing like Miller Outdoor Theatre - no major full-scale shows with drops and lights and sets). But there are scheduled bands performing and such. There are spaces to rent for birthday parties and family reunions and fund raising parties. There are free classes in yoga and pilates and more. There are 2 dog run spaces, one for smaller dogs and one for larger dogs.
On weekends you can rent little radio controlled sailboats and sail them around the "lake" (ok, it's more of a large pond, but to the tiny sailboats, it's big!) (oh - they're not really TINY - about 3 feet in length) Also on weekends, recycling collection and a green market/AKA Farmers Market.
It's really everything I love, with kids and theater and farmers markets and all that and more! And I get to work right there, in the park, in a wonderful glass building that looks out at the busiest fountain filled with kids. I have to laugh - my co-workers are pretty jaded by 18 months of kids screaming outside the office, whereas I am still filled with wonder and awe at the energy and hopefulness of it all.
What with having to find and rent an apartment and then furnish it, and start a new job in a new city, I have been a little busy. Plus - drat my friend for getting me addicted to Mafia Wars on Facebook! I need to back off the mafia stuff and get back to reading! It was bad enough when I played solitaire and freecell constantly, but add Mafia Wars, Metropolis and a couple of different gem-drop games, and I'm sunk. Then - since I had to indulge in an iPhone, I started playing games on it too! Someone stop me!!
I have read at least 4 books and listened to one and a half audio books in the past 4 weeks, and if I can remember them well enough, will post my reviews. I don't even know if I posted a summer challenge, but I can guarantee I haven't looked at it or even tried to do find books that fit.
Thanks to all who follow who knew I was going through a transformation and sent good wishes. This job is so ME - it's the skills and talents I already possess, the folks are great, the atmosphere wonderful. Now I just need to Get A Life again, one that defines me as just me, not me and someone else. That's actually harder than it sounds, for someone my age and with my history!
The books I read:
Julia Quinn, What Happens in London - 4 stars. It's good, I enjoyed it but wasn't wowed by it. There was some funny stuff, and I loved that she read the Miss Butterworth book because I howl everytime I listen to my audiobook of It's In His Kiss where Hyacinth is reading it!
Loretta Chase, Don't Tempt Me - 4 stars. Another good but not great read for me. I love a lot of Chase's books, and this one came close - but no cigar. I wasn't that taken with the heroine.
Sherry Thomas, Not Quite A Husband - 4 stars - ok it's a pattern. Three of my very favorite authors with new releases all of which I really liked but didn't love. I had higher expectations for Thomas, maybe because of the buzz, maybe because I loved her first 2 books. I just never could see the appeal of the heroine - she seemed so mannish and not attractive. What did he see in her?
Marsha Canham, Under The Desert Moon - 4 stars. Yep, another favorite author, another 4 star read. I wanted more from this book. Maybe it was the American West setting that I didn't find as appealing. But hey, I still liked it very much, just not a keeper status book.
Oh, and the audiobook was a Dave Robicheaux book (what's the author's name? James Lee Burke I think) which was just 3 stars. The half audio book is Lavinia, don't recall the author, and I was really enjoying it but have about half to go...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Gentle Warrior by Julie Garwood ****
This was a good book, especially the ending! I think this was her first (published) book - and I can see traces of her trademark writing style and conceits in it. I especially noticed how the heroine tried to manipulate (for want of a better word) the hero, in the way that many of her heroines do, not by telling him how to do things but by showing him, for instance in her trying to get him to accept her shows of affection as being something she saw her parents doing. In some of her later books, the heroines became somewhat overwhelming with this conceit, but it was more subtle in this book.
The book takes place in medieval England.
The "gentle warrior" describes both the hero and the heroine - Elizabeth is also warrior-like, with her ability to shoot arrows and her courage and determination to get revenge for the massacre of her parents and siblings. She and her youngest brother witnessed the slaughter and she managed to hide them in the woods until the hero, Geoffrey, came to claim the property. The brother, about age 7, is so traumatized that he does not remember her or what happened.
Geoffrey hears her story, where she claims that her uncle is behind the massacre, and vows to find the actual culprit and bring justice. Elizabeth and Geoffrey get married (ok, it has been a few days since I finished it, and it took me several days to read it, what with driving back and forth to Houston and all, so I can't recall how they got to the point of marrying) - Geoffrey believes his marrying her will not only protect her and the property, but that he will also be able to control her. He doesn't know much about marriage and relationships, something Elizabeth tries to teach him. So they spend a lot of time at odds with each other, him trying to control her and her trying to train him.
The ending was really funny and touching, and once again brought a good book up to a great read! So I went with 4 stars - really liked it. Sorry, not much of a review but maybe this is enough to remind me of the plot...
The book takes place in medieval England.
The "gentle warrior" describes both the hero and the heroine - Elizabeth is also warrior-like, with her ability to shoot arrows and her courage and determination to get revenge for the massacre of her parents and siblings. She and her youngest brother witnessed the slaughter and she managed to hide them in the woods until the hero, Geoffrey, came to claim the property. The brother, about age 7, is so traumatized that he does not remember her or what happened.
Geoffrey hears her story, where she claims that her uncle is behind the massacre, and vows to find the actual culprit and bring justice. Elizabeth and Geoffrey get married (ok, it has been a few days since I finished it, and it took me several days to read it, what with driving back and forth to Houston and all, so I can't recall how they got to the point of marrying) - Geoffrey believes his marrying her will not only protect her and the property, but that he will also be able to control her. He doesn't know much about marriage and relationships, something Elizabeth tries to teach him. So they spend a lot of time at odds with each other, him trying to control her and her trying to train him.
The ending was really funny and touching, and once again brought a good book up to a great read! So I went with 4 stars - really liked it. Sorry, not much of a review but maybe this is enough to remind me of the plot...
Friday, June 19, 2009
Busy Month!!!
I had a job interview June 2 (after waiting anxiously since April 24 when I submitted my resume), got the job, drove back and forth from Baton Rouge to Houston 3 times, rented an apartment, and now have to pack up and move (again!). I've been doing a bit of reading, but with all the visiting and such, reading time has been cut down to the bone. I did audio books in the car except when I got sleepy, then I had to turn on music and sing along to stay awake!
So, I finished the Chesapeake Bay trilogy on audio, finished Smooth Talking Stranger by Kleypas on audio, and ... what else? I dunno, will have to back track and update the blog as soon as I'm settled (say, mid-July). I'm moving next weekend, going to visit my parents during the week of July 1, then starting the new job July 6.
whew!
So, I finished the Chesapeake Bay trilogy on audio, finished Smooth Talking Stranger by Kleypas on audio, and ... what else? I dunno, will have to back track and update the blog as soon as I'm settled (say, mid-July). I'm moving next weekend, going to visit my parents during the week of July 1, then starting the new job July 6.
whew!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Venetia by Georgette Heyer ***
This is another of the "classic" romances written by Georgette Heyer before I was born [oops, published 1958 - 3 years after I was born, sorry!]. Her stories have been hit or miss for me - and part of it is the obscure language she uses, the jargon, slang maybe, that makes it next to impossible for me to follow what the heck the characters are talking about. The story was engaging enough but... what the heck are all those weird references?
Venetia is "on the shelf" at the grand old age of 25. She is the middle child - with an older brother, off at war, and a younger brother, Aubrey, with a hip deformity. Her father has recently died, and her mother has been out of the picture for years, after her parents - *gasp*- divorced when she was young. She is now the mistress of their family home, with 2 suitors in the area calling on her from time to time. One is Edward, who is a know-it-all, and the other who is younger than Venetia and thoroughly besotted.
Into Venetia's life comes Jasper - the rake from a nearby home who has been gone from the area for years - and by accident. Well, Aubrey's accident. He's closer to Jasper's home, so he goes there to recuperate, and Venetia visits him everyday. Jasper and Venetia develop a friendship. Venetia is outspoken, a blue-stocking, and apparently good looking as well (if you stick with the story long enough, it becomes clear) and Jasper decides perhaps this time he's in love.
It's shocking for Venetia to visit Jasper's home, and even more shocking for him to visit her home since there are no chaperones - even though they pretend he's come to visit Aubrey. Eventually, Jasper starts to declare himself to Venetia but gets thwarted. There are a couple of twists and turns - the older brother marries and sends his meek wife and odious mother-in-law to their family home; Venetia goes to London to get away from the odious mother-in-law; she learns the truth about her mother; and in the end, Jasper (on his 4th attempt) gets to ask Venetia to marry him, which is where the story ends.
It took me several days to wade through the story (I think I finished 2 audio books in the duration). OK, so perhaps her characters' manner of speaking is more authentic than Regencies written today, but if I can't understand it, how can I read it? I don't feel the least bit more educated because I've read books with weird slang and jargon.
It's an AAR Top 100 of 2007, so at least I get to check that off.
Venetia is "on the shelf" at the grand old age of 25. She is the middle child - with an older brother, off at war, and a younger brother, Aubrey, with a hip deformity. Her father has recently died, and her mother has been out of the picture for years, after her parents - *gasp*- divorced when she was young. She is now the mistress of their family home, with 2 suitors in the area calling on her from time to time. One is Edward, who is a know-it-all, and the other who is younger than Venetia and thoroughly besotted.
Into Venetia's life comes Jasper - the rake from a nearby home who has been gone from the area for years - and by accident. Well, Aubrey's accident. He's closer to Jasper's home, so he goes there to recuperate, and Venetia visits him everyday. Jasper and Venetia develop a friendship. Venetia is outspoken, a blue-stocking, and apparently good looking as well (if you stick with the story long enough, it becomes clear) and Jasper decides perhaps this time he's in love.
It's shocking for Venetia to visit Jasper's home, and even more shocking for him to visit her home since there are no chaperones - even though they pretend he's come to visit Aubrey. Eventually, Jasper starts to declare himself to Venetia but gets thwarted. There are a couple of twists and turns - the older brother marries and sends his meek wife and odious mother-in-law to their family home; Venetia goes to London to get away from the odious mother-in-law; she learns the truth about her mother; and in the end, Jasper (on his 4th attempt) gets to ask Venetia to marry him, which is where the story ends.
It took me several days to wade through the story (I think I finished 2 audio books in the duration). OK, so perhaps her characters' manner of speaking is more authentic than Regencies written today, but if I can't understand it, how can I read it? I don't feel the least bit more educated because I've read books with weird slang and jargon.
It's an AAR Top 100 of 2007, so at least I get to check that off.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Virgin River by Robyn Carr *****
I first read this book November 8, 2008 and reviewed it then. Now I have it on audio as well.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
This is an author I'd been hearing about on the forums, and truthfully I don't recall what made me add this book to my PBS wish list, but I am so glad I did! I loved it!
Author Carr managed to create a whole boatload of lovable, 3 dimensional characters, in a way that made me want to get out my flannel shirt and drive to California and live with them all. I didn't just love the hero and heroine, I loved every single character she created. (well, ok, there was a villain or 2.)
I also wanted to experience reading a book where the heroine had my name (Melinda) - however, since everyone called her Mel, and hardly anyone calls ME that, it wasn't exactly the experience I thought it might be.
Mel was a young widow, a city slicker who worked as a midwife and nurse practitioner in Los Angeles. Her husband was killed in a convenience store robbery. In an attempt to completely change her life, she answered an ad soliciting a nurse/midwife to a small, rural town in the mountains of northern California. She was promised a rent-free cabin, and lured by photogenic shots of a quaint little town. She gave up everything - her house, her things, her career, and drove to northern California for this job. Her experience wasn't quite what she expected. She arrived in a rainstorm, and managed to get her BMW convertible stuck in the mud. The cabin was filthy and falling apart, and the doctor she was being hired to help didn't want any help. Her first reaction was to plan a fast getaway.
Jack Sheridan was a former Marine who had moved to Virgin River a few years back, looking for someplace to call home. He runs the local bar with the help of Preacher, a Marine buddy who is the hero in a future book in the series. He's got a little thing going on with a woman in the next town - a sort of friends-with-benefits arrangement. He's never had a serious relationship, although Carr did manage to write him as a true fantasy lover/hero - he only dallies with one woman at at time, whether that's 1 night or a few months. He gets one look at Mel and heads to the next town to break it off with Ms Benefits to free him up for Mel. Well, ok, he slips up and does her one more time - jeez, you didn't expect him to be perfect, did ya?
That's his only slip in the entire book, and since there was no relationship with Mel at that point, I guess we can all forgive him (and wish we had been the one he fell off the wagon with... sigh!). After he decides Mel is The One, he's a man on a mission.
I'm telling you, I was in love with Jack, with Mel, with Doc - shoot, I even liked Hope a whole lot - from about page 2 1/2 on. I went into their world and felt cozy and loved and accepted as if I'd been there in the back room of the store watching soap operas with Connie and Joy. It's a true gift when an author can surround you with her world and make you feel as though you were there. And, sappy as it may seem, I never felt like it was sappy - it all felt real. Yeah, all those women in Grace Valley pregnant and having a passel of kids - that is so far removed from my reality, I'm surprised I didn't just close the book and walk away. But I couldn't because I was there, I was in Virgin River, I was at the bar, I was in the Hummer driving to town.
The conceit that keeps Mel from leaving town is an abandoned baby - left on Doc's doorstep the day Mel decides to leave. This is in all the blurbs, but truthfully is only a very minor plot point in the story. We learn that Mel and her husband had tried everything for years and couldn't get pregnant, so it had me thinking the baby would be more a focal point. The baby does make Mel feel obliged to stay long enough to find foster care, but doesn't become a major issue. The longer she stays, the more she is drawn into the town and the spell it weaves around her and around me the reader.
There were even more than just a few heart-pounding moments - danger, intrigue, suspense, near death experiences - but somehow the entire story just felt like someone in flannel and jeans was sitting there picking at a guitar, singing a song and making me feel warm and cozy. It was a wonderful feeling and this one is going on the keeper shelf.
5 stars.
Audio notes: the narrator is Therese Plummer, a narrator I heard read some of Susan Mallery's Buchanan series. She's a good narrator, maybe above average but not wonderful like Barbara Rosenblat or Anna Fields. I tried to find whether "midwifery" had 2 pronunciations, since I thought the pronunciation was "mid WHIFF ery" not "mid-WIFE-ery" the way she said it. Her male voices were just ok, and since Jack is one of my all-time favorite heroes, I was hoping for something a little better.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
This is an author I'd been hearing about on the forums, and truthfully I don't recall what made me add this book to my PBS wish list, but I am so glad I did! I loved it!
Author Carr managed to create a whole boatload of lovable, 3 dimensional characters, in a way that made me want to get out my flannel shirt and drive to California and live with them all. I didn't just love the hero and heroine, I loved every single character she created. (well, ok, there was a villain or 2.)
I also wanted to experience reading a book where the heroine had my name (Melinda) - however, since everyone called her Mel, and hardly anyone calls ME that, it wasn't exactly the experience I thought it might be.
Mel was a young widow, a city slicker who worked as a midwife and nurse practitioner in Los Angeles. Her husband was killed in a convenience store robbery. In an attempt to completely change her life, she answered an ad soliciting a nurse/midwife to a small, rural town in the mountains of northern California. She was promised a rent-free cabin, and lured by photogenic shots of a quaint little town. She gave up everything - her house, her things, her career, and drove to northern California for this job. Her experience wasn't quite what she expected. She arrived in a rainstorm, and managed to get her BMW convertible stuck in the mud. The cabin was filthy and falling apart, and the doctor she was being hired to help didn't want any help. Her first reaction was to plan a fast getaway.
Jack Sheridan was a former Marine who had moved to Virgin River a few years back, looking for someplace to call home. He runs the local bar with the help of Preacher, a Marine buddy who is the hero in a future book in the series. He's got a little thing going on with a woman in the next town - a sort of friends-with-benefits arrangement. He's never had a serious relationship, although Carr did manage to write him as a true fantasy lover/hero - he only dallies with one woman at at time, whether that's 1 night or a few months. He gets one look at Mel and heads to the next town to break it off with Ms Benefits to free him up for Mel. Well, ok, he slips up and does her one more time - jeez, you didn't expect him to be perfect, did ya?
That's his only slip in the entire book, and since there was no relationship with Mel at that point, I guess we can all forgive him (and wish we had been the one he fell off the wagon with... sigh!). After he decides Mel is The One, he's a man on a mission.
I'm telling you, I was in love with Jack, with Mel, with Doc - shoot, I even liked Hope a whole lot - from about page 2 1/2 on. I went into their world and felt cozy and loved and accepted as if I'd been there in the back room of the store watching soap operas with Connie and Joy. It's a true gift when an author can surround you with her world and make you feel as though you were there. And, sappy as it may seem, I never felt like it was sappy - it all felt real. Yeah, all those women in Grace Valley pregnant and having a passel of kids - that is so far removed from my reality, I'm surprised I didn't just close the book and walk away. But I couldn't because I was there, I was in Virgin River, I was at the bar, I was in the Hummer driving to town.
The conceit that keeps Mel from leaving town is an abandoned baby - left on Doc's doorstep the day Mel decides to leave. This is in all the blurbs, but truthfully is only a very minor plot point in the story. We learn that Mel and her husband had tried everything for years and couldn't get pregnant, so it had me thinking the baby would be more a focal point. The baby does make Mel feel obliged to stay long enough to find foster care, but doesn't become a major issue. The longer she stays, the more she is drawn into the town and the spell it weaves around her and around me the reader.
There were even more than just a few heart-pounding moments - danger, intrigue, suspense, near death experiences - but somehow the entire story just felt like someone in flannel and jeans was sitting there picking at a guitar, singing a song and making me feel warm and cozy. It was a wonderful feeling and this one is going on the keeper shelf.
5 stars.
Audio notes: the narrator is Therese Plummer, a narrator I heard read some of Susan Mallery's Buchanan series. She's a good narrator, maybe above average but not wonderful like Barbara Rosenblat or Anna Fields. I tried to find whether "midwifery" had 2 pronunciations, since I thought the pronunciation was "mid WHIFF ery" not "mid-WIFE-ery" the way she said it. Her male voices were just ok, and since Jack is one of my all-time favorite heroes, I was hoping for something a little better.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Rising Tides by Nora Roberts *****
First reviewed July 2008 when I read it - I have now listened to it on audio book as well!
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have now finished the trilogy and love them all, although Sea Swept is still my favorite. Maybe it was Cam's personality, or maybe it was the freshness and newness of just meeting all the characters, but that one grabbed me and ran with it and left me breathless and smiling and - but not quite happy because it does leave the mystery open!
Ethan has been secretly in love with local girl Grace for years. I had a hard time figuring out the Quinn brothers' ages - I guess they were all about the same age? But he was about 7-8 years older than Grace, and first noticed her when she was only 14 and still officially jailbait. That, coupled with his fear that he was bad blood, has kept him from acting on the relationship even though Grace is now 23, divorced and has the cutest baby ever to grace the pages of a novel. That Nora - she writes men, she writes women - she even writes toddlers to perfection.
Grace is trying to make ends meet - all the time. As a single mom, it's tough. It's tougher still when you have parents nearby that you feel didn't lend their support when you needed it, so you refuse to ask again. Growing up, Grace wanted to be a dancer, but when push came to shove and it was time to go to NYC and give it a try, Daddy put his foot down. After years of dance lessons, he felt it was time for her to get realistic and stop dreaming. I never did get a feel of whether she actually had the talent and motivation to make it - that part is sorta skipped over. But when Daddy cut the dance funding, she was going to do it on her own - but met the baby's father and married him instead when she got pregnant. Speaking of skipped - that's what the baby's father did before the baby was even born.
Ethan was pretty much an asshole to Grace a lot of the times - more than seemed judicious, more than seemed necessary and more than I liked. He was protective, but he didn't seem to want to discuss it with her, he just made wild and crazy ultimatums and accusations about her jobs and her life. So what if she worked in a bar, so what if she flaunted her body a little to get better tips - that's how it's done. It seemed a little weird to me that he kept offering to pay for things, like getting her car fixed and such, when they had no relationship other than she was the Quinn housekeeper and they were friends.
Meanwhile, the story of Seth continues and we learn more about his upbringing and get more tantalizing clues about his mother.
Ethan has to think he's dreaming when Ray Quinn appears to him as he did to Cam - eventually Ethan accepts Ray's presence and guidance, which I found to be a great addition to all 3 books. Ethan's main hurdle is overcoming his fear of himself - he has spent all these years thinking he was genetically off and couldn't have a relationship for fear of exposing his bad side or passing on his bad seed. He needed to look around, wake up and smell the goddam coffee!! Lucky for him, Grace was a kind of take-charge girl who pushed him to figure it all out.
While it wasn't quite as good for me as Sea Swept, it's still a 5-star keeper. Now I have to find Seth's story - and see what secret he'd been hiding from us!
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have now finished the trilogy and love them all, although Sea Swept is still my favorite. Maybe it was Cam's personality, or maybe it was the freshness and newness of just meeting all the characters, but that one grabbed me and ran with it and left me breathless and smiling and - but not quite happy because it does leave the mystery open!
Ethan has been secretly in love with local girl Grace for years. I had a hard time figuring out the Quinn brothers' ages - I guess they were all about the same age? But he was about 7-8 years older than Grace, and first noticed her when she was only 14 and still officially jailbait. That, coupled with his fear that he was bad blood, has kept him from acting on the relationship even though Grace is now 23, divorced and has the cutest baby ever to grace the pages of a novel. That Nora - she writes men, she writes women - she even writes toddlers to perfection.
Grace is trying to make ends meet - all the time. As a single mom, it's tough. It's tougher still when you have parents nearby that you feel didn't lend their support when you needed it, so you refuse to ask again. Growing up, Grace wanted to be a dancer, but when push came to shove and it was time to go to NYC and give it a try, Daddy put his foot down. After years of dance lessons, he felt it was time for her to get realistic and stop dreaming. I never did get a feel of whether she actually had the talent and motivation to make it - that part is sorta skipped over. But when Daddy cut the dance funding, she was going to do it on her own - but met the baby's father and married him instead when she got pregnant. Speaking of skipped - that's what the baby's father did before the baby was even born.
Ethan was pretty much an asshole to Grace a lot of the times - more than seemed judicious, more than seemed necessary and more than I liked. He was protective, but he didn't seem to want to discuss it with her, he just made wild and crazy ultimatums and accusations about her jobs and her life. So what if she worked in a bar, so what if she flaunted her body a little to get better tips - that's how it's done. It seemed a little weird to me that he kept offering to pay for things, like getting her car fixed and such, when they had no relationship other than she was the Quinn housekeeper and they were friends.
Meanwhile, the story of Seth continues and we learn more about his upbringing and get more tantalizing clues about his mother.
Ethan has to think he's dreaming when Ray Quinn appears to him as he did to Cam - eventually Ethan accepts Ray's presence and guidance, which I found to be a great addition to all 3 books. Ethan's main hurdle is overcoming his fear of himself - he has spent all these years thinking he was genetically off and couldn't have a relationship for fear of exposing his bad side or passing on his bad seed. He needed to look around, wake up and smell the goddam coffee!! Lucky for him, Grace was a kind of take-charge girl who pushed him to figure it all out.
While it wasn't quite as good for me as Sea Swept, it's still a 5-star keeper. Now I have to find Seth's story - and see what secret he'd been hiding from us!
Monday, June 1, 2009
AAR's Best of 2008 Quest
OK, another challenge for me: the winners of the Best of 2008 at AAR. I have read 9.
I have this theory that I need to sort of "catch up" with romance readers in general before voting in these types of polls, which is one reason I am reading all the AAR Top 100 of 2007. Since I really only started reading in the genre a little less than 2 years ago, I feel like I need to have read a lot of the popular books and authors to get an idea of how things stack up. Do I like books more (or possibly less?) after having read a number of those books considered the best? Do I gain a better understanding of what is good and what isn't? Or do I still react the way I would if I just picked it up, having never read a romance before?
I dunno. But I do feel I can give a better review and comparison if I have more books under my belt.
So without further ado, here is the list:
Best Contemporary Romance Blue-Eyed Devil, Lisa Kleypas - 5/10/2009 ****
Best Romantic Suspense Death Angel, Linda Howard - 9/1/2008 *****
Best Paranormal Romance Lover Enshrined, J.R. Ward
Honorable Mentions - tie Dark Desires after Dusk, Kresley Cole
Mine to Possess, Nalini Singh
Best Historical Romance Set in the U.K. The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna Bourne
Honorable Mention Private Arrangements, Sherry Thomas - 8/5/2008 ****
Best Historical Romance Not Set in the U.K. Your Scandalous Ways, Loretta Chase - 7/7/2008 *****
Funniest Romance Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson - 6/25/2008 *****
Honorable Mentions – tie Like No Other Lover, Julie Anne Long
The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Julia Quinn - 6/11/2008 ***
Just One of the Guys, Kristan Higgins
Biggest Tearjerker Blue-Eyed Devil, Lisa Kleypas 5/10/2009 ****
Honorable Mention Broken Wing, Judith James - 3/3/2009 ****
Best Love Scenes (in a Mainstream Romance) - tie To Seduce a Sinner, Elizabeth Hoyt - 2/24/2009 ****
Your Scandalous Ways, Loretta Chase - 7/7/2008 *****
Honorable Mention To Taste Temptation, Elizabeth Hoyt - 1/25/2009 ***
Best Debut Author Sherry Thomas
Best Series Romance A Most Unconventional Match, Julia Justiss
Best Chick Lit/Women's Fiction Just One of the Guys, Kristan Higgins
Honorable Mentions – tie Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, Meg Cabot
Remember Me, Sophie Kinsella
Best Erotica Wicked Burn, Beth Kery
Honorable Mention Dangerous Secrets, Lisa Marie Rice
Best Romance Short Story From This Moment On in It Happened One Night, Candice Hern
Honorable Mention Spellbound in It Happened One Night, Mary Balogh
Guiltiest Pleasure Romance Lover Enshrined, J.R. Ward
I have this theory that I need to sort of "catch up" with romance readers in general before voting in these types of polls, which is one reason I am reading all the AAR Top 100 of 2007. Since I really only started reading in the genre a little less than 2 years ago, I feel like I need to have read a lot of the popular books and authors to get an idea of how things stack up. Do I like books more (or possibly less?) after having read a number of those books considered the best? Do I gain a better understanding of what is good and what isn't? Or do I still react the way I would if I just picked it up, having never read a romance before?
I dunno. But I do feel I can give a better review and comparison if I have more books under my belt.
So without further ado, here is the list:
Best 2008 Romance Novels (from AAR)
Best Romance The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna BourneBest Contemporary Romance Blue-Eyed Devil, Lisa Kleypas - 5/10/2009 ****
Best Romantic Suspense Death Angel, Linda Howard - 9/1/2008 *****
Best Paranormal Romance Lover Enshrined, J.R. Ward
Honorable Mentions - tie Dark Desires after Dusk, Kresley Cole
Mine to Possess, Nalini Singh
Best Historical Romance Set in the U.K. The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna Bourne
Honorable Mention Private Arrangements, Sherry Thomas - 8/5/2008 ****
Best Historical Romance Not Set in the U.K. Your Scandalous Ways, Loretta Chase - 7/7/2008 *****
Funniest Romance Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson - 6/25/2008 *****
Honorable Mentions – tie Like No Other Lover, Julie Anne Long
The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Julia Quinn - 6/11/2008 ***
Just One of the Guys, Kristan Higgins
Biggest Tearjerker Blue-Eyed Devil, Lisa Kleypas 5/10/2009 ****
Honorable Mention Broken Wing, Judith James - 3/3/2009 ****
Best Love Scenes (in a Mainstream Romance) - tie To Seduce a Sinner, Elizabeth Hoyt - 2/24/2009 ****
Your Scandalous Ways, Loretta Chase - 7/7/2008 *****
Honorable Mention To Taste Temptation, Elizabeth Hoyt - 1/25/2009 ***
Best Debut Author Sherry Thomas
Best Series Romance A Most Unconventional Match, Julia Justiss
Best Chick Lit/Women's Fiction Just One of the Guys, Kristan Higgins
Honorable Mentions – tie Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, Meg Cabot
Remember Me, Sophie Kinsella
Best Erotica Wicked Burn, Beth Kery
Honorable Mention Dangerous Secrets, Lisa Marie Rice
Best Romance Short Story From This Moment On in It Happened One Night, Candice Hern
Honorable Mention Spellbound in It Happened One Night, Mary Balogh
Guiltiest Pleasure Romance Lover Enshrined, J.R. Ward
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