The Marcelli Bride by Susan Mallery

After seeing AAR's good review and enjoying Delicious a few weeks ago, I wanted to try this book. It's a continuation of the Marcelli Sisters series featuring the children of Marco Marcelli. I read the first book in the series, The Sparkling One, and it was a B read but I never got around to the next two. This book tells Joe's story. Joe is the son Marco and Colleen Marcelli gave up for adoption when they were just teenagers. His adopted parents died and he ended up in foster care until adulthood when he joined the Navy and ended up as a SEAL. Somehow he was reunited with his biological parents before this story began (maybe in a previous book which I missed). He is still very bitter and resentful towards his 'real' family and he keeps them at arm's length while they are desperately trying to show him they love him and want him as part of the family. He's not buying it though.

Darcy Jensen is the President's daughter and after a kidnapping attempt the Secret Service need to stash her someplace safe. Through some kind of connection (which I never really got) they decide that she will hide out with a team of SS agents at the Marcelli winery. Do you buy that? Well, I didn't... When Joe's SEAL team screws up, he gets assigned to head the team of SS agents at his family's winery as some sort of punishment. Weirder and weirder...

The plot was totally implausible and while that has never stopped me from enjoying a book (eg. Janzen's Crazy series) additional problems with the H/H kept me from liking this book at all. Joe was distant and angry and never convinced me that he was attracted to Darcy let alone fell in love with her. Except for his anger and resentment he was pretty much emotionless. Darcy was a bit better but I didn't like her much. The sex scene which the family overheard on the intercom made me uncomfortable. And there was no emotion in any of the sex scenes. There were lots of quirky characters but I just didn't care about the whole family. Blah! There are four sisters all together and I have only read one of their stories, but I have no interest in reading the rest of the series. Mia (the last sister) will have her story in an upcoming book but unless somebody in blogland convinces me otherwise, I'm not wasting my money.

My grade: C-

Dartmoor

Would this make a good bed?

I was curious what heather looks like in Dartmoor where The Indiscretion took place. So I found this picture from the Dartmoor National Park website.

Still doesn't look like someplace comfortable to make love. Just saying.

Pretty though.

The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory

This was an unusual book with unusual characters but turned out to be a very good read. It was divided into two parts, Part One: The English Moor, and Part Two: The Negotiation.

In Part One we meet the H/H who are from completely different worlds. Lydia Bedford-Browne is the pampered, overly-protected daughter of a viscount. Sam Cody is an American from Texas complete with a Stetson and cowboy boots. The book is set in the turn of the 19th century England where Lydia decides to set off alone across the boggy flatlands of Dartmoor by coach in the first real adventure of her life. The only other passenger of the coach is Sam who is drunk and battered, having missed his own wedding when he stopped to rescue a woman from muggers and got a beating from the thieves.

I'm a huge JI fan but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this book. The characters didn't grab me and I just couldn't care about them. Ivory writes very lush descriptions and at first I found myself skimming through the first 2 chapters. But when their inebriated driver loses control of the coach crashing them into the marsh, the book finally captures my attention. There is a very funny scene when Sam climbs out of the window of the wildly careening coach to get the driver's attention only to discover the driver has fallen off!

Sam and Lydia are stranded and lost in the moorlands for several days and their developing relationship along with the sexual tension was marvelous. The dialogue was good and seemed exactly right so that I started to love these characters. OT: On a side note... I really don't get the making love in the heather scenes I read in some books. It's supposed to be soft and downy comfortable, but the heather in the PacNW is prickly and, man, there is no way I'd lie down in it and make love. OUCH! Must be a different species in England. Anyway, it pulled me out of the story every time making love on a bed of heather was mentioned (and they did it a lot!). I suppose I should google 'heather'.

The second part of the book comes after they are rescued and Liddy returns to her world. She must come to terms with what is expected of her by her parents, family, friends and society and what she wants and feels. Sam knows what he wants and pursues her vigorously suffering many rejections by Liddy. Here's where I shed a few tears in sympathy for Sam. But I never blamed Liddy either having been raised in a straight laced Victorian society, and realizing that breaking away from that upbringing was difficult. But she learns and grows and finally understands her own power and goes after what she wants. The last chapter was so good, I may want to read it again.

Several other reviewers liked the first part more than the second part but I found myself liking the second part more. Sam and Liddy are very good characters, the dialogue is excellent, and the sensuality is hot. Not quite a keeper but very good.

My grade: B+

Next up: Review of The Outlaw by Nicole Jordan. I'm having a tough time with the review because there were so many elements that I should have hated about it, but I ended up loving it! Now I'm trying to figure out why :)

Double tagged!

Kristie and Cindy both tagged me while I was on vacation so here goes (a bit late).

1. When did you first start blogging and why? Just had my one year blog-iversay on July 17. Maili, Keishon and Rosario were the first blogs I read and I was thrilled to find fascinating entertaining people talking about books. Up until then I had visited AAR message boards but rarely posted because all those flame wars terrified me. Loved to read them, but no way would I stick my neck out. Anyway, around April of last year Maili posted a 'How To Blog' which I bookmarked and it took me until July to get up the nerve to create one.

2. What don't you talk about? Like most people I avoid religion and politics. I don't mind talking about my personal life because it's actually theraputic. Nice to get the rants out in the open so they don't fester :)

3) Are you and your blogging persona the same person? Yeah, pretty much. Although I come across a bit more serious in my blog than I am in person.

4) How do you use blogging to build friendships? It's been surprising easy to make friends from all over the world because romance readers are so friendly. I started with Maili, Keishon, and Rosario and found more bloggers from their sidebars leaving comments all over the place. Then these bloggers visit me, along with new bloggers and the circle just keeps getting bigger and bigger! I was nervous about posting on blogs at first because I figured everyone already knew everyone and I was crashing the party but it's not like that at all. It's funny how I talk about my online friends with my hubby and in-person friends just like I really KNOW them, which I do. I just have not actually MET them in person. (Bob knows his twin, also names Bob, is alive and living in Canada).

5) How would you describe your writing style? What style? Oh, you mean the bad grammar, run-on sentences, dangling participles (love that phrase), sentence fragments, spelling errors and overuse of the word 'I'? Yeah, that's me.

My God it's HOT

We just got back from a mini-vacation with the RV. I've been away from blogs since last Wednesday and I feel so behind. Kristie and Cindy both tagged me and so I'll try to post tomorrow. I've been hellaciously busy at work too so haven't been able to 'cheat' by blogging during the day.

We took the RV over to the Olympic National Park area and camped in an RV park right on water. But, jeezus, we discovered what the rest of the nation is suffering with the heat! Normally, in the Pacific NW we have natural air conditioning with the onshore flow breezes from the ocean which keeps us pretty cool in the summer (too cool sometimes). We usually don't get the really hot days till August and even then the temps rarely go into the 90's. Last year I don't remember a single day over 90. Well, we have had 4 straight days around the mid-90's. Humidity is not too bad (about 40%) so it's not all horrible. I know all of you are saying "huh, big deal, that's nothing" But the thing is that the majority of homes here don't have air conditioning (and we are one of those) and man we are all suffering. We have a tri-level home and the upstairs bedrooms have skylights with no covering. Shit! it's hot up there, must have been around 100 degrees. So I slept (very poorly) on the downstairs family room couch where it finally cooled down to about 75 degrees by 4:00 am. Really, I wish I had one of those plastic kiddie pools so I could fill it up and lay in it.

We also discovered that the air conditioner in the RV is not working properly because it just wasn't getting cooler than 85 during the heat of the day. So off to the service dept. it's going before I make another trip in it.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but the heat is making me cranky. I did get a bunch of reading done. Finished three books:

The Gate to Eden by Cathy McDavid
This book was a nice surprise. I have never heard of McDavid but Kristie recommended it and I since I like Am. Historicals I had to try it. I sometimes have problems with heroine thief characters but Maddie's actions were forgivable and understandable. The plot was fast paced, believable and the characters were well drawn with a very good hero. I wouldn't mind trying another by this author.
My grade: B

Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare
After getting past the first chapter where the heroine gets drunk and acts like an idiot with her gross questions to the hero (no woman I know would say stuff like that), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With an 'Erin Brockovich' type story which was fascinating and some very hot, steamy love scenes, this book was hard to put down. The plot was intricate but not too complicated. I loved the kick-ass heroine (FAVORITE SCENE: when she tells off her obnoxious boss), an investigative reporter, and the hero, a state senator. She's also a single mom raising her son (who was also excellently drawn). In fact all the characters were well done. Clare has yet to disappoint me.
My grade: B+

To the Edge by Cindy Gerard
There is something about plots with a poor-little-rich-girl whose daddy insists on a bodyguard that is getting on my nerves lately. I think I have read 3 or 4 with this premise this year and I'm tired of them. The H/H were OK but nothing special and I noticed that there was too much mental talk and not enough actual dialogue. The plot was fast paced but not very believable. This is my first book by Gerard, but I really would like to try another one in this series. A few people on the AAR RtR board (Kristie too I think) thought the best one of the series is To the Brink so I have it on hold at the library.
My grade: C+

I'm also working on a review for The Outlaw by Nicole Jordan.

Reading now: The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory. I'm a huge JI fan and I sort of promised Keishon that I would read this (DNF for her I think) and I'm already bogged down and having a hard time getting into it. *sigh* I'll give it 50 pages at least.

July TBR Challenge

This month's TBR Challenge is to read a romantic suspense. I have had this one in my TBR since March. A relatively short time considering some of them have been there for eons.

Title: Dead Wrong

Author: Janice Kay Johnson

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? I've read several Harlequin SR written by JKJ and really enjoyed them. I'm rather picky about the categories I read and she seems to be one of the better Harlequin authors. This one is a Signature Select which are longer in length than a category with 326 pages and some extra bonus stuff in the back.

Do you like the cover? Nothing special, but it does reflect the mood of the plot. It's a RS about a serial killer in Elk Springs, Oregon and takes place in the 'dead' of winter. Get it? Dead? I'm so clever (shut up).

Did you enjoy the book? Yes, very much. JKJ is a very consistent author and this longer length allowed her skills to really shine. Will is a lawyer working in the DA's office. Six years ago his girlfriend was brutally raped and murdered and the suspect arrested and sent to jail. Will left town after that not being able to face the guilt he feels. He has just returned to town when another girl he used to date is found murdered in the exact same way as the previous crime. Will's mother, Meg, is the lieutenant of the police force and picks Trina to work on the case with her. Trina has been in love with Will since the age of 12. Will is two years older and one of the popular crowd in HS and never noticed her.

This was a fantastic mystery/suspense that kept me riveted to my chair, especially the last 20 pages. However, the romance took a back seat to the mystery as often happens in RS but it was still enjoyable. When Will and Trina finally get together in a very sensual love scene, you can really understand how Trina feels in heaven when the man she has loved for years finally notices her and wants her. It was also a bit rushed but I'm not complaining, I loved it. Will is a bit of a self-centered jerk to his mother and father but he completely redeems himself when he apologizes. The villain was not obvious and not easy to figure out till the last quarter of the book. The epilogue was very good too (no babies mentioned :). If you like mysteries with some romance then this is the book for you.

My grade: B

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No, as I said, I have read several by JKJ. I rec Whose Baby? (a babies switched at birth story) and What She Wants for Christmas. I will definitely read more by her.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing it on. Good but not a keeper.

Anything else? I realized after I started this book that there was a series written leading up to it. It's called Patton's Daughters and features Meg (Will's mother) and her two sister who all make appearances in DW and all of them categories (Harlequin SR). Now I really want to go find them. No need to read them before DW, if you're worried about reading series in order.

Happy blog-iversary to me!

One year ago today I started this blog and was initially afraid I wouldn't have enough interesting stuff to say. Turns out I can ramble on and on saying almost nothing.

It's been fun talking about books and sometimes theraputic to talk about other stuff like my hubby, cat, kids, work, and my boring life. I've met readers from all over the world which is so cool.

Thanks everyone for making this such a great experience.

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

Yum, yum, yum. This was a very good book. Not quite as good as my favorite (need I name it?... ok for those of you living on another planet and are just visiting for the day...) Dreaming of You. DIW is the third book in the Wallflower series and was the best one so far.

This is Evie Jenner's story. She's the shy one who stutters and is an absolute sweetheart. Shy does not mean doormat by any means. Evie approaches Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, and asks him to marry her so that she can escape the clutches of her greedy, abusive family who are trying to force her into marriage with her repulsive cousin so that they can control her fortune. In return for marrying her, Sebastian, a true rake and fortune hunter, will instead get Evie's money. Her only condition is that she be allowed to care for her dying father. So they set off for Scotland in a long arduous journey and during the trip forge a bond between them. Sebastian is the villain of the previous book, It Happened One Autumn, where he attempted to kidnap the heroine, Lillian, and was stopped by the hero, Lord Westcliff, who beat him up. Oh, yeah, Evie makes one more condition.... no lovemaking after the wedding night.

After the wedding Sebastian realizes he is extremely attracted to Evie and she challenges him to remain celibate for three months before she'll go to bed with him again (love this girl ... she's got spunk). In the meantime they arrive back in London and Evie rushes to her father's bedside. Her father is a gambling club owner (chief rival of Derek from DoY) and Sebastian (who has never done a day's work in his life) takes over management of the club.

This is a wonderful book. I loved Evie, shy and sweet, with an inner strength who takes no crap from the hero. And Sebastian.... *sigh*... wow, he completely redeems himself and then some. He is slowly transformed from a hardened amoral rake as he falls in love with Evie and becomes so protective of her. I see why so many are comparing him to Derek Craven. Most agree that he is ALMOST as wonderful as DC (impossible to beat DC in the hero department). Very sigh-worthy. All the secondary characters are very well drawn and the plot was excellent, especially Cam, the part-gypsy croupier from the gambling club. I wonder if he gets his own book. I hope so. Also the subplot drama was good about a former employee of the club who means to harm Evie. And the love scenes were hot. A KEEPER!

My grade: A-

Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson

After reading several dark historicals and paranormals in a row I was in the mood for a lighter contemporary book. SLAOD filled the bill fairly well. Also Gibson always delivers something hot and sexy and I'm always in the mood for that.

My fav Gibsons are Truly, Madly Yours and See Jane Score but SLAOD didn't quite live up to those for me. I enjoyed it but it definitely had it's problems. Although a bit on the fluffy side with a completely implausible plot, the characters were well done and the humor was good. It was a fast easy read and I finished it quickly.

Lucy Rothchild, a murder mystery writer, is working on a new book that features a female serial killer who meets her victims online. In the name of research she decides to do some internet dating with guys with online names like "luvstick" and "bigdaddy182". Quinn McIntyre is a police detective working on a case involving a female serial killer who meets her victims online and kills them using erotic asphyxiation (what a coincidence - just like the plot of Lucy's unpubbed book!) and he creates a persona "hardluvnman" and trolls around picking up women searching for the killer. Quinn and Lucy meet online and agree to a date at the local Starbucks. Both Lucy and Quinn are pretending to be something they're not: she says she's a nurse, he says he's a plumber. But they are instantly attracted to each other.

Quinn is convinced Lucy is lying about being a nurse and she seems to know too much about the crime he is investigating. So she becomes his number one suspect. I had a bit of a problem with the scene where Quinn, still suspecting she's a serial killer, tries to lure her into trying to kill him. He has his house wired for sound and video. There was a lot of kissing, groping, sighing and moaning and he brings her to orgasm, all of it recorded on audio tape. He had maneuvered her into the hallway so not all is on video but still it bothered me that a guy would do all that in the name of catching a killer. Before they get to the bedroom, he is called away by a phone call. The real killer has struck again. Lucy is very hurt when Quinn reveals that he suspected her of being a killer. I had a real problem with the fact that Quinn did not GROVEL nearly enough to satisfy me. When Lucy's life is threatened by the real killer, she goes running back into his arms way to easily. Also Lucy had a TSTL moment near the end but I don't totally blame her.

However, I did enjoy the book over all. The sex scenes were yummy and the action was plentiful but did not take over the romance. Just not Gibson's best IMHO.

My grade: B-

Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu

I really enjoyed this unusual paranormal thriller that was loaded with action, adventure, intrigue and enough romance to satisfy. This book which follows Tiger Eye is the second one in the Dirk & Steele series about a secret private detective agency whose employees all have extraordinary paranormal talents; e.g. Shapeshifters, psychics, empaths, etc.

The setting was unusual and I won't give it away because the reader doesn't figure it out till about halfway through the book (but you can guess from the cover). The characters were fascinating and complex.

Dirk & Steele agent Artur Loginov is an empath who can sense a person's emotions and memories by touching them or an object they have touched. He is a very damaged man with a dark, ugly past as a former member of the Russian mob and is now using his talents to help rather than harm others.

Elena is a psychic healer who can get inside the minds of injured or sick patients to help them use their own mental powers to heal themselves.

Both Elena and Arthur come to the attention of an evil organization called The Consortium that intends to use people with these special skills for their own dastardly purposes. So Elena and Arthur are drugged and kidnapped (separately) and taken to an underground prison to be brainwashed into using their skills for evil.

The story was riveting and I finished it in one sitting. I'm a bit squeamish about blood and torture and I didn't care for some of the torture that was described. I also thought the prison scenes which went on until about the midway point took up too much of the book. During this time the reader doesn't knows were they are being held and I kept wondering 'where the hell are they?' And the identity of their jailers was also kept from the reader. All was revealed very slowly and made for a captivating and sometimes frustrating read. Artur and Elena meet in the hallway of their prison and make a psychic connection. Eventually they escape together with the help of some shapeshifters and that's when the action intensifies. Unfortunately, the suspense and intrigue overwhelm the romance which took a back burner, but it was still enjoyable with some hot sexual tension and steamy love scenes.
My grade: B

The third book in the series is The Red Heart of Jade just released this month. I haven't heard anything about it but Liu has been consistently good so I'm going to find this one.

A few reviews

Still feeling fuzzy headed with this damn cold. I HATE being sick. But I went to work anyway and am now barracaded in my office. No one has come to visit me so that's a good thing. Just as easy to communicate with email and IM.

I went to Subway to get a sandwich at lunchtime and when I opened my mouth to place my order no sound came out. After much coughing and hacking (I think I may have spit in his face - poor fellow) I managed to croak my order to him. You should have seen the look on his face!

Reminder to self: Never take Nyquil again! That stuff is brutal. I took a half dose night before last and I still feel light headed. Better off with just Tylenol.

Bob was wise enough not to ask "what's for dinner?" last night. Took many years but I finally trained him not to ask that question while I'm lying on the couch looking like death warmed over. He even offered to make me a barbecued turkey burger, but all I wanted was a bowl of oatmeal.

Okay, so someone tell me where KarenS went because I lost her. Thank you. I need my KarenS fix.

Anyway, on to the books before I crash and burn:

Hope's Captive by Kate Lyon
I have never tried Lyon before but I love a good American Historical and this book was wonderful. It will fit right in with my favorite Cheryl St. John books. The heroine, Carolyn Whitley, was kidnapped and brutally tortured by the Kiowa tribe when she was very young. Eventually rescued by the Cheyenne she feels a fierce loyalty to them. Zach McCallister is searching for his son who he believes was taken captive by the Cheyenne in a raid that left the boy's mother dead and he needs Caroline's help to find him and bring him home. This gut wrenching book was almost too painful to read about how she was abused and tortured for years. Carolyn is a tough frontier woman and a fantastic heroine. Zach was a decent honorable man and such a good match for her. The Cheyenne were portrayed very realistically too. Lyon did her homework on this one. My grade: B+

The Music of the Night by Lydia Joyce
I really loved the setting of Venice which was excellently done giving an authentic ambiance to the book. The entire story was focused around the hero's need for vengeance against a man who he was convinced raped his young illegimate daughter. Normally, I'm not too fond of revenge stories but Joyce makes this one work because of the setting and an unusual heroine. I never did warm up to the hero, Sebastian Grimsthorpe, but I loved the heroine. Sarah Connelly carries scars on her face from a case of small pox she suffered as a child. Sebastian mistakenly believes she is the mistress of her employer's son and he publicly seduces and humiliates her. What an a**! Why is it that a hero out for revenge always picks on the completely innocent heroine. Sheesh! She is essentially ruined and is forced to flee her employer's household and confronts him. He realizes his mistake and offers her a position as his mistress and housekeeper of his decaying Venetian villa. He never redeems himself in my eyes, but I loved how intelligent and strong Sarah is as she takes over the refurbishing of the house. Joyce's lush descriptions of Venice was captivating and the sensuality was steamy hot. My grade: B

The Cobra & the Concubine by Bonnie Vanak
Normally I avoid sheik/arab stories like the plague but after Kristie's recommendation, this one caught my interest. I'm glad because it was pretty good. The hero, Khepri, was adopted as a young boy by the Khamsin tribe of warriors when his family are killed in Egypt. Badra was sold as a slave at the age of 11 to a sadistic sheik and suffered years of rape and torture. Reading about this type of abuse was rather difficult and made me cringe but the author's note reminds the reader that this type of thing still goes on all over the world. Khepri is actually Kenneth, heir to an English dukedom (why is it always a duke?). When Badra is captured from the evil sheik, Khepri swears to protect her and he falls in love with her. Badra had many traumatic experiences and it takes her a LOOOONG time to overcome them as one would expect. I loved Khepri, totally yummy. But Badra was too meek for my taste. My favorite part was the camaraderie and teasing about 'male parts' between Khepri and his foster brothers; a nice touch of humor. Badra finally overcovers her fears culminating in some very hot sex scenes! The decriptions of life in the desert were fascinating too. All loose ends were tied up rather tidily including burning down the brothel where Badra was imprisoned. My grade: B-

Home Sick

I'm home sick today from work and I feel like crap! But here I am snuggled with on the couch with the laptop computer so I thought I would blog since I'm bored out of my tree. I tried reading but I can't concentrate. It started out with a tickle at the back of my throat on Saturday, then worked into a sore throat on Monday. Yesterday was our big 4th of July bash in our front yard with the whole neighborhood which was a lot of fun. But I talked too much and now today I sound like a frog and I can hardly swallow. Couple that with my head congestion and I figure this must be a summer cold.

I can't remember the last time I stayed home sick from work but I couldn't get out of bed this morning. I hate being sick.

I'm about halfway through The Cobra and the Concubine and I'm enjoying it although for some strange reason I thought this was a paranormal which it is NOT.

Other books I recently finished:
Hope's Captive by Kate Lyon
The Music of the Night by Lydia Joyce
The Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu

All of these were good reads. I'll try to write some quick reviews when I'm feeling better. I'm tired now. I need a nap.

Update: Blogger sucks today. Can't get anything to publish.

Road Trip

I've been away from the computer since last Wednesday and I feel like I've been on another planet. Bob and I had plans to leave last Thursday afternoon with our RV to travel to Nampa (near Boise) so that I could attend the Area X handbell conference.

Everything was packed and we were ready to head down the road when Bob noticed that the indicator light for the RV's brakes was not lit. Uh-oh. Six hours later he and Jim (our neighbor) with all their volt meters and tools could not find the problem. But I was determined to go to the conference so I packed a bag, got into our little sports car (Mercedes SLK) and headed down the road at 5:30 A.M. Friday and drove straight through to Nampa, ID and got there in 8 hours with one stop for gas, one stop for lunch, and a few rest area stops. Interstate freeway all the way there and I made it in time for the first rehearsal on Friday evening.

I signed up for the Bronze (advanced) division and the pace was rather brutal. Saturday morning was a 3 hour rehearsal and another 2.5 hour rehearsal in the afternoon. But after standing for 5.5 hours almost constantly, my lower back rebelled, and I spent the evening flat on my back (reading of course) after taking massive amounts of tylenol. Sunday morning I felt pretty good and was able to rehearse for 2 hours. The final concert Sunday afternoon was fabulous. The last piece we played was 'Stars and Stripes Forever' and was a big hit.

The concert was over at 2pm (mountain time) and I was on the road by 2:30 and home by 9:30pm (pacific time): another 8 hour drive. It was 101 degrees for part of the way and the car ran like a champ with no problems. Lots of cars pulled off to the shoulder with their hoods up.

I spent Monday doing laundry, watering the garden, pulling weeds (damn things), and running errands. Just now trying to get caught up with blogs. I feel so out of touch when I don't blog. I hope I haven't missed any big dramas or name calling or authors behaving badly because I HATE being left out! Let me know so I can go rubberneck. The last big stink I read was at Karen's and I loved it. I want to be her when I grow up. (okay, I know I'm older, shutup).

I did not get as much reading done this weekend because I had to drive. If the RV problem had been fixed, Bob would have driven those 16 hours and I would have read! *sigh* oh, well. But I was able to finish two books. Yay!

Crazy Kisses by Tara Janzen
This was the 4th book in the Steele Street series and it was another fun read. It is Kid Chronopolous and Nikki McKinney's story who we met in the first book (Crazy Hot). Kid and Nikki have a steamy past. In CH Kid walks out on Nikki after some pretty steamy sex (she was a virgin). CK takes place months later when Nikki tracks Kid down in Panama. Their meeting is sizzling hot! And of course danger follows. Janzen again gives us an exciting ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. All of these books have been consistently entertaining reads and the steamy sex is a plus for me. My grade: B

I see Kristie reviewed the next one Crazy Love and gave it a 5 out of 5. Must go shopping.

Surrender by Pamela Clare
That plaid on the cover was deceiving. Everytime I looked at it I though "Scottish set historical" but of course it's not. The book is set in colonial America during the French and Indian War. The hero Iain MacKinnon and his brothers have emigrated from Scotland and are now being forced to lead a band of colonials to fight along side the British against the French. Anne Campbell has been forced into indentured servitude by her evil uncle. This was a wonderful book! After loving last year's Ride the Fire, I was reluctant to start this one (even though Kristie recommended it) because I was afraid it would not live up to the quality of RTF but I'm so glad I finally picked it up. The heroine is so incredibly strong. I loved the hero as well. The historical details seemed very authentic and the story flowed smoothly with a tight plot and interesting characters. Looking forward to the other brothers' stories. My grade: A-

I'm exhausted. I better head to bed.

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

We're leaving town on a short trip and I'm packing so I don't have time to go into much detail about AHLNO. CindyS, Alyssa, and several other bloggers really enjoyed this book but unfortunately I didn't like it quite as much. My main problem with it was that the pacing was uneven and there were just too many characters and species to keep straight. Vampires, Valkyrie, Lykae, Wraiths, and a bunch of other creatures and it seemed like they all hated each other and were mortal enemies. There was gobs of blood and chopping off of body parts, torture and other grossness mixed with some quirky humor and pop culture that made my head swim sometimes.

The good part was that I loved the hero, Lachlain, leader of the Lykae clan (werewolves). He scents his 'mate', Emma, at the beginning of the book and is totally commited to her immediately although he is pretty pissed to find out she is a vampire. But he slowly learns about her and her species and grows to love her and spends most of the book trying to convince her to stay with him. Emma was a lot harder to like, in fact, she got on my nerves. She's actually half vampire/half Valkyrie, was pale and small with pointed ears! I pictured her as looking like a fairy or an elf. She was rather meek but had a stubborn streak a mile wide. She wanted nothing to do with Lachlain for the longest time. And her family of Valkyrie women were also irritating and funny at the same time. All that screaming!

But I loved the ending when Emma finally grows a spine and kicks butt and how the H/H's inter-species problems were resolved. I think a good 10% of the book could have been cut and the rest tightened up and this would have been a very good book. There were a couple characters that intrigued me so I may pick another one by Cole.

My grade: C+

Games of Pleasure by Julia Ross

I commented in my review of Night of Sin about how Ross's lush sensuous writing style reminds me of Judith Ivory a little. I have to say the same again about GoP. The characters are well-drawn and three dimensional and the plot moved right along with Ross's smooth flowing style. Ross tends to write rather purple sex scenes but in this book they seemed to be less so or at least not enough to distract me from the fascinating story line.

In NoS the hero, Jack, was extremely sexually experienced due to his adventures in the Far East and Anne, the heroine, was a rather sheltered innocent virgin. In GoP, though, that scenario is reversed with hero Ryder, Jack's older brother and heir to the Duke of Blackdown, who is sexually inexperienced (although not a virgin) and the heroine, Miracle, a notorious courtesan.

As the story begins, Ryder has just had his marriage proposal rejected by a well-born lady. He is riding along a cliff at the edge of the sea when he spots a dinghy with a seemingly lifeless woman on board floating in the surf heading towards the rocks. He saves the woman and discovers that she has been badly beaten. She gives him a false name and he takes her to a nearby inn where they have the best sex evah, of course. Miracle is hiding a big secret and the next morning she sneeks out on him leaving a note:

My name is Miracle Heather. I am London’s most notorious harlot.

When you found me in the boat, I had just murdered a man.

Thank you for all you have done or offered to do for me, my lord, but you are well rid of me.

Ryder tracks her down and offers to help her clear her name. The mystery is a pretty good one. Ryder is an admirable hero who has lead a responsible virtuous life as heir to a dukedom. He is a good honorable man, but not boring in the least. And far too trusting because Miracle is able to slip away from him several times.

Miracle was the dark character is this story and her past made her sense of worthlessness understandable but when she goes on and on and on about how unworthy she is of him I became annoyed. Most of the time I can deal with that attitude considering the time and the fact that he is an aristocrat and she is a commoner. But when it goes on for almost the entire book I lose my patience. He wants to marry her and she keeps turning him down. I kept thinking "get over yourself". I'm no expert on social attitudes of that time but it seems to me that most commoners would jump at the chance. What do I know, anyway?

Overall, the book was engaging and interesting and I enjoyed it enough to recommmend it.

My grade: B

Shopping with Bob

Last night Bob surprised me. When I walked in the door from work he suggested we go eat dinner at Bellevue Square Mall and then shop for my birthday present! I was a bit stunned. There was a time he wouldn't be caught dead at the mall or grocery store or anywhere unless it involved tools, hardware, auto parts or lumber. But he has changed recently (I can't figure out why). He now volunteers to go to the grocery store with me and he loves to push the cart. Now this can be dangerous. Impulse buying is his middle name so I have to keep an eye on him 'cuz he'll sneek stuff in the cart.

When we got to the mall he suggested heading over to The Cheesecake Factory. Now this place is notoriously crowded on Friday and Saturday evenings but we got a table and only had to wait 15 minutes. Wonderful food! I had the Luau Salad and it was fabulous (mixed greens, thinly sliced chicken, red & yellow peppers, mangos, green beans, fried wontons, cucumbers, macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, and a yummy vineagrette dressing). We were both so stuffed that we wisely resisted dessert but we gawked at them in the display case on the way out. Must try some cheesecake next time (Coffee HeathBar crunch maybe).

So we headed to Macy's and Nordstrom's because I was looking for a pair of black shoes for work. Couldn't find a single thing! I needed something closed toe and everything was sandals and open toe. Bob wandered around with me very patiently. Next stop Coldwater Creek and I found two tops on sale and Bob waited patiently in their comfy chairs (with all the other men) while I tried things on.

I thought we were done but on our way out, we walked by the Brighton store and I had to go in. I found a gorgeous black leather purse (butter soft) that was VERY expensive which I loved. Bob says "I think you should get it!" I said "No, I'd feel too guilty." He said "You should get it." OK, he twisted my arm. I got it and here it is.



Today is my actual birthday (no numbers please) and I know he made reservations for dinner at this restaurant tonight at the top of Cougar Mountain that has a fabulous view of Seattle, Bellevue, and Lake Washington. He really went overboard this year but I guess I should just shutup and enjoy it.

On Sunday (Father's Day) he's going golfing and then we'll have the kids and their respective boyfriend/girlfriend over for a barbeque.

Reading now: Just finished Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu and enjoyed it although it's a strange book. I guess you'd call it a psychic thriller with some romance. But it was fascinating and hard to put down. I just picked up A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. The hero, Lachlain, is very alpha and the heroine, Emma, is kind of meek. Lachlain is furious to find that fey little Emma is his predestined mate. I like hate turned to love stories so I'm hoping for the best on this one.

June TBR Challenge

June's TBR Challenge was to read a book from your TBR pile that was recommended by someone you "know" (another blogger, friend, family member). Since most of my TBR qualifies this was not a difficult assignment. There has been an incredible amount of buzz on blogs about this book and as usual I'm late for the party. I'm probably almost the last one to read it.

Title: Lover Eternal

Author: J. R. Ward

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? When CindyS gave it her thumbs up, I had to buy it.

Do you like the cover? Oh, yes. Biting necks is very sexy.

Part of a series? Yes, this is the second book in the Brotherhood of the Dagger series.

Did you enjoy the book?I really shouldn't have liked it since there were several irritations and annoyances. But I enjoyed it despite the negatives and gave it a B+.

It was lots of fun revisiting the characters from Dark Lover. This was Rhage's story, the stunningly beautiful vampire. What's not to like about a gorgeous hunk hero falling flat on his ass in love the instant he 'sees' the heroine? Mary Luce is a cancer survivor with a lot of inner strength that I admired. However, I thought she held back from Rhage a bit too long with the "oh, I'm not beautiful enough for him, what's he see in little ol' me" routine. Rhage is under a nasty curse put on him when he pisses off the Scribe Virgin (aka Scribe Bitch (SB), since I thought she was overly cruel to Rhage). He turns into a horrible beast when he gets stressed out. Lots of fighting or lots of sex keeps the beast at bay.

There were several other storylines interwined that were equally as fascinating with a glimpse of Zsadist and his story that will be coming up in the next book. Overall, this was a compelling read with a few nitpicks that others have mentions such as those silly names for the brothers. And those phrases like "you feel me?" or "my brother". For the ending, I wasn't too crazy about how the Scribe 'Bitch' was going to make Rhage miserable for eternity (because she loves him ... yeah right!) but eventually takes pity on him spoiler: because Mary is unable to have children creating a too convenient happy ending.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Not new to me since I read the first book in the series. Yes, like the rest of the JR Ward fandom, I will definitely read the next one in the series (Lover Awakened). I'm hoping that every book in the series will be as good as these first two. But I realize that I rarely like every book in a series so I have my fingers crossed.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? I can't make up my mind. I may keep it for a while just so I can reread a couple scenes

Anything else? Is it just me or do those lessers 'names' seem wonky? O, M, or X, etc. Does this mean there are only 26 of them? Maybe they move into O2, M2, or X2, etc when they run out of letters of the alphabet. Just wondering....

Visit to the library

I think I have calmed my TBR anxiety for a while by whittling down the pile a bit. Since April I have read 23 books from my TBR and DNF on 4 others.

During that time I tried really hard not to walk into a bookstore and only lost the battle twice I think (one of those times I didn't buy anything). Plus several books on my wishlist at PBS came available so, of course, so I had to get them. But overall, I reduced the pile by about 15 books.

So I gave myself permission to go the library and check out some newer books that have been on my wishlist.

The Music of the Night by Lydia Joyce

I read Veil of Night so I've been meaning to try this book. AAR gave it an A- and a Hot rating.

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

CindyS loved this one so, of course, I have to try it.

Crazy Kisses by Tara Janzen

This is the 4th book in this series. The other three were fast-paced and fun (although not perfect by any means) so I had to get this (and the next two I'm sure to round out the series).

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll

Not sure why I had this on my wishlist but I did love P&P so it will be interesting to revisit Elizabeth and Darcy. Plus I heard the sex was hot, so that's a plus!

Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu

I loved two others by Liu, Tiger Eye and A Taste of Crimson, and I think several bloggers liked this (can't remember who) but some didn't. We will see how it goes. I'm on Chapter 3 and liking it hugely. I do like the author's voice.



I also got a bunch of books on window treatments to help me figure out what to put on the living room and dining room windows. And I got a wonderful cookbook called "The Best Light Recipes" where they take regular recipes for some favorite foods (chicken parmasian, choc chip cookies, cheesecake, etc.) and created a light version that actually tastes good.

All these books were quite a heavy load. I should have asked for a bag since I managed to drop a couple on my way out to the car. Very fun trip to the library.

Dentists and doctors

I just got back from the dentist where I had a filling replaced. My lip is all fat and I can't talk so I'll blog even though I should be working. The dentist was trying to figure out how old the filling was and couldn't figure it out (I have pages of dental records) so it must have been older than 10 years. That's something dentists never tell you.... once you get a filling (or crown) it will eventually need to be replaced. They don't last forever. That's why they are all so freaking rich. My previous dentist drove a Jag and it was parked in the front slot of the dental building and he eventually retired at the ripe old age of 45.

Anyway, my daughter had the Lasik eye surgery done yesterday (paid for it herself - yay!) and I had to take her into the eye doctor this morning bright and early so they could check how she is doing. Everything's good. She's a trooper because she planned to go to her 11:30 class but I have my doubts since she went straight to bed after I dropped her at home. Last night when she was having pain she took four Tylenol PM!

Almost finished with Lover Eternal and still loving it! In fact, I'm having a hard time putting it down. I think I like it a tiny bit more than Dark Lover but we'll see how the last 100 pages go.

Lazy girl

I've been a lazy blogger this past week. Very busy at work and busy at home with no time for anything... blogging or reading. I did managed to finish one category and two books-on-tape in the last couple weeks.

Shameless by Glenna McReynolds
Published in 1992, this old Loveswept by McReynolds (who now publishes under the name Tara Janzen) was a very short read with only 179 pages and I was able to finish it in one evening. First of all I thought the cover was very deceiving. I thought he looked like some kind of airline pilot (click to see a bigger image). But actually he was a ranch hand/cowboy turned Navy SEAL. That's a Navy uniform the hero, Colt, is wearing.

Colt Haines leaves Rock Creek, Wyoming, after taking Sarah Brooks' innocence and breaking all his promises to her. He heads to California where he joins the Navy and eventually becomes a SEAL. Ten years later he returns to Rock Creek to attend his mother's funeral. He hopes to avoid Sarah, but of course that's impossible. Sarah does not understand why he left town breaking her heart.

I really love the sensuality of McReynolds' writing and although Shameless was one of her earlier works, she was quite good at it even in this work published in 1992. But the other thing that struck me was that there was very little dialog. Maybe that goes along with the fact that Colt was keeping secrets and the less talking the better. But really it was extremely irritating. I thought his 'secret' was rather obvious considering he was carrying the scar across his face and neck. They have steamy sex and still he keeps his secrets and intends to leave town. At this point I was talking into the book (good thing Bob had already gone to bed). "Tell her already!"

Anyway, it was a toss up whether I would give this one a B- or C+. But the hot sex tipped the scales in the favorable direction.

My grade: B-


Memory in Death by J. D. Robb
By my count this book was the 22nd full length novel in the series and not one of my favorites. Eve's foster mother, Trudy, turns up and attempts to blackmail her and Roarke so that she won't reveal Eve's shady past. Eve is stunned but Roarke won't take her crap and dismisses her with threats. When Eve and Roarke visit Trudy in her hotel to make clear that they won't fall for her line of BS they, of course, find she has been murdered. I thought the murder mystery was ho-hum and not engaging at all. The most fascinating part of the story was how more of Eve's past is revealed. And I enjoyed Roarke and Eve's continuing developing relationship.

My grade: B-



All I Ever Needed by Jo Goodman
This book was my first by Goodman and I was rather please with how well she writes. AIEN is one of the Compass Club series which all take place simultaneously so can be read in any order (I think that's what I heard). But I thought she was rather 'wordy'. The four books in the series feature four heros whose nicknames are North, South, East, and West. This is East's story.

The rumors are flying that Lady Sopia Colley and the Marquess of Eastlyn are engaged. When he arrives to straighten out the mess, he proposes to Sophie but she turns him down flat. There is a bit of a contrived mystery that was mildly interesting but the best part was seeing East and Sophie interact. The sensual descriptions reminded me a little of Judith Ivory and the dialogue was superb with some nice steamy love scenes. But I found myself bored with the mystery again and felt the whole thing could have been shortened up a bit. But still an enjoyable read.

My grade: B-

Hmmm, look at that... I gave all three books the same grade.

Reading now: I'm on page 71 of Lover Eternal by J. R. Ward and really loving it. I had my doubts before I finally cracked open the cover since I have heard good and bad about it. But I think this one is going to work for me. (OK, I peeked ahead just a little.. shut up). I think I'll go read now.

My weekend

It was nice having the house (and remote control) to myself this past weekend but the weather was lousy. It's such typical Memorial Day weekend weather for the Seattle area. In all of my 30+ years living in this area, I remember very few sunny MD weekends. I wanted to do some gardening but it was too soggy. So I did laundry, finished a quilt top I volunteered to sew for the church ladies, went to two birthday parties, and went on a Linda Howard re-reading mini-binge thanks to Tara! Mostly I just skimmed through the good parts :) of these books:

Mackenzie's Pleasure (my favorite Mackenzie book)
All the Queen's Men
Duncan's Bride
After the Night

Also she mentioned a book by Alison Kent, Four Men and a Lady, that I have in my TBR, so I pulled it out and was glad I did. It turned out to be an enjoyable read (B+). Another thanks to Tara!

Oh, and I rented (with my free blockbuster coupon) the first LOTR which I admit I have never seen before and I enjoyed it.

Bob said he had a good time golfing although I don't understand why he thought it was fun. The first day of golfing their cart's battery ran down and they had to push it up and down the hills over 6 holes. The next day they asked for a cart with lots of 'juice' but the cart they got had two speeds - fast or stop. Every time he stepped on the pedal it would go full blast, then when he let up on the pedal it would stop. Can you picture these two guys getting whiplash all over the course? They both came home with sore necks and I couldn't help it, I laughed my a** off just picturing it.

Bachelorette

That's me this weekend. Bob is taking off for a golf weekend with a buddy over to Eastern Washington and he decided to take the RV. He leaves this afternoon, and man, it's not a second too soon. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but he's driving me freaking crazy and I'm ready to tear my hair out.

Last night he was busily getting the RV packed up and ready to go. This is a nightmare for me.

Keys:
Bob: Where are the keys?
Me: (*what keys? pickup? trailblazer? Mercedes? house?*) : What keys?
Bob: *gives me the well-duh look* The trailer keys.
Me: How am I supposed to read your mind? Don't you think you could use an adjective once in a while?

Money:
Bob: I need some cash.
Me: (*so? go get some. It's 8:00 pm and I'm not going to drive over to the cash machine in the dark*): Oh, really?
Bob: Why didn't you get me some cash? You knew I was leaving town.
Me: (*I don't read minds*) : If you knew you needed cash you should have asked me yesterday.
Bob: I thought you would have figured it out.
Me: (*can I smack him now?*) I don't read minds.

Towels:
Bob: Where are the towels?
Me: (*we have lived in this house since 1990 and you don't know where the towels are?*) In the closet.
Bob: No, I mean in the RV.
Me: Oh, they're in the RV's bathroom cupboard under the sink.
Bob: I could only find one.
Me: (*sigh, I know there are two there, but they are too low for him to see them. He hates to bend over that far. You can easily hide anything from him by putting it on the lowest shelf*) Well, grab one from the closet.
Bob: What closet?
Me: (*sigh*) The upstairs bathroom closet where we keep the towels for the last 15 years.

Clothes:
Bob: Remind me not to forget my clothes.
Me: (???? *you're on your own, buddy.*): Sure

Camping chairs:
Bob: Where are the camping chairs?
Me: (*that's not my job, and he put them away after last years July 4th picnic*): I have no clue.
Bob: Did you see where I put them?
Me: No.

Boy, I sound bitchy, don't I?

After he has finished packing and loading he comes in to sit on the couch and harrass me about the remote control... I have it and he doesn't. This is bad news for him.

So I have the remote for the whole weekend. And I can decide what I want to eat and when I want to eat it. But I'll miss him. I'll probably get freaked out by house creaking noises tonight. And I always have a hard time sleeping when he's gone.

I plan to read, go to a movie maybe, garden, and read some more. The weather is supposed to be lousy. Hope everyone has a nice three day weekend (Canada had one last weekend, right?)

Thanks for listening to my tirade.

May TBR Challenge

Lovelace writes the best military themed romantic suspense. So when AngieW announced that the May TBR Challenge was to read a military/police themed book in honor of Memorial Day, I immediately dug this one out from the depths of my TBR.

Title: Duty and Dishonor

Author: Merline Lovelace

Year published: 1997

Date purchased: 03/24/2004

Why did you get this book? I have read several of Lovelace's books and I find her pretty consistent. As a former military officer in the Air Force, she really knows her stuff.

Do you like the cover? It's okay, no nonsense.

Did you enjoy the book? Very much. The murder mystery was gripping and the flashbacks to the war in Vietnam in 1972 were so realistic that I'm guessing that Lovelace was actually there. Or else she did her homework. Update: I just checked out her bio and she was there in 1972. That explains why it felt so authentic.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No, not new to me. I have several of her books in my keepers and some on my wishlist.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Trading. There wasn't quite enough romance in DAD to please me since it focused more on the murder mystery. The romance only came into play in the last 1/4 of the book although it was well done with some nice love scenes. The first half of the book was mainly devoted to flashbacks to Vietnam with little time spent in the present. The H/H fell into bed rather too quickly after that and I didn't get the sense that they were that attracted to each other, then, wham, they're in bed together. Could have had a bit more getting to know each other.

Anything else? Despite the negatives I mentioned above, I did enjoy it. The mystery aspect was so well done that I had a hard time putting it down. And it had just enough romance to be passable.

My grade: B

Books and authors and readers and reviewers

Delicious by Susan Mallery was very. Delicious, that is. KristieJ did a review and she got it exactly right. I agree with her and I can't be arsed (as KarenS would say) to do a review so go check out her review.


I have detected a note of hostility lately between authors and readers all over the internet these days. CW posted a terrific summary of all the strife that has been going on between authors and readers all started by a rant (letter) posted at SB by PCCast about ARCs. MJD chimed in and stuck her foot in it too. All very fascinating. She's also the one that dissed reviewers and then called it sarcasm over at RTB. PCC tried that ploy at SB too. Ladies, please, spare me, I'm not falling for it. As a teenager I used to be a snot to my sisters and then called it sarcasm, but my mom didn't fall for it then either.

KarenS wrote an article at AARs ATBF about how utterly worthless the RITA awards are (to readers anyway). Several authors have posted comments including Rachel Gibson, Lucy Blue and Laura Kinsale. IMO The best part about the RITA awards was the train wreck awards ceremony last year and all the buzz it created for weeks afterwards. LLG dissed epub authors and Jaid Black called her a pickle (well, sort of, she said it was an accident and I believe her. But still, I get the giggles every time I read it).

Adele Ashworth got her feelings hurt by something written about her latest book by a reader on the reviews MB at AAR. I thought the reader's post was too long and nitpicky but she's entitled to her opinion. AA should have just ignored it. I don't think you can win this type of argument over a MB. I tend to ignore long posts by readers anyway and figure lots of others do too.

So everything is not lovely-dovey, chocolate and roses between readers & authors, and authors & authors, huh? All this drama has caused some reader to quote whatsisface "Can't we all get along?" Why? I'm loving it. Great entertainment. I'm just glad none of my favorite authors is involved in all this. I really don't care what authors say to each other. And I really don't care if authors call readers and reviewers f*cking stupid as long as they don't flame me personally. Easy for me to say because authors that have done this are ones I don't read anyway. If Anne Stuart or another favorite said something like that I may have to re-think my attitude.

Movie recs, please

Bob and I went to the movies Friday night. A big occasion for us since we are the rent and watch from home kind of people. I got free movie ticket coupons at Safeway (no clue why they gave them to me, but I didn't argue). Aren't we the hip, happening couple. We get free movie tickets and we go see.... Ice Age: The Meltdown. How pathetic is that?

Hey, it was funny, okay. I love a good laugh and I wasn't in the mood for any of the lame offerings at the theatre. I recommend this one.

Any good movies out now? We have another free movie coupon from fandango (I won it at work as a prize for the extra work on a special project.)

I usually pay no attention to what's out in the theatres since we usually rent through Blockbuster Online. So I need some recommendations. Help me out here.

A Fine Work of Art by Shelby Reed

Lots of other people have been doing reviews of ebooks lately so I though I would jump on the bandwagon. AFWOA was my very first ebook which I purchased from Ellora's Cave several years ago. I got a PDA for Christmas in 2003 and it came with Microsoft Reader but I downloaded a free copy of Mobipocket because my library uses that format. I picked this book because someone had made some ebooks recommendations on the RtR message board at AAR and the blurb sounded just my speed since I love younger man/older woman stories.

At thirty-six, university art professor Elizabeth Gilstrom finds herself facing a bleak, lonely future when her husband leaves her for his young medical assistant. After giving up her own career as an artist a decade before, Elizabeth has nothing to show for their ten-year marriage...only the faded memory of a paintbrush's weight in her hand, an empty bed, and an empty heart. She's still reeling from shock and devastation when graduate student Boone McCrea walks into her office...and into her bed. Boone might only be twenty-four, but he is, quite simply, one of the most attractive men Elizabeth has ever seen, a work of art that stirs wild sensations she has long repressed.

AFWOA is a character-driven story and is considered a category in length. It was a very quick read and I finished it in one sitting since I found it impossible to put down. Elizabeth and Boone are very likeable, well-drawn characters. Elizabeth with her insecurities and wounded self-esteem, and Boone with his total self confidence (minus arrogance). The growing attraction between Elizabeth and her student, Boone, was handled very realistically. Elizabeth is newly divorced from her cheating husband and feeling vulnerable. She fights her attraction to Boone since teacher/student relationships are big no-nos and he is 12 years younger. But Boone has other ideas. I loved how he is so certain in his approach to her without being aggressive or arrogant. A thoroughly yummy man, just what Elizabeth needs. We see Elizabeth grow in confidence but she backslides into self doubt causing some very emotional intense moments near the end.

The sensuality level was very hot, but not over the top with S&M or kinky stuff. I was afraid that the age difference in this story would turn me off, but it really worked well. Reed is a gifted writer and has been flying under the radar for most readers; a buried treasure author that is not getting enough recognition. I want to try another by her, but I haven't got around to it yet. But I will. If anyone has a recommendation, I'd love to hear it.

My grade: A

I have since re-read this one 3 or 4 times since I take my PDA everywhere and it comes in handy when I have forgotten my current read.

WARNING: Don't click on the 'See More' link if you are at work in case someone is looking over your shoulder. When I bought the ebook version online it had a different cover than the one above and, wow, is it HOT. It shows the gorgeous backside of a sleeping male.






What do you think? Pretty sexy, huh?

Tough (nice) weekend

Great weather all weekend but I've discovered muscles I didn't know I had. Bob and I spent almost the whole weekend in the yard, weeding, digging, planting, and trimming. Wait a minute, I forgot... Bob went golfing on Saturday and was gone almost ALL day. He showed up at around 4:00 in the afternoon and needless to say I was a bit snippy with him when he got home. He washed my car (trying to suck up I'm sure) and mowed the lawn, then took me for a ride in the convertible with the top down (the car's, not mine in case you were wondering) to the XXX drive in. After eating a fabulous grilled chicken sandwich (and fries.. shouldn't have eaten them but they were to-die-for) we walked over to the parking lot next door where they were holding an antique car show. Bob was in heaven.

Mother's Day was nice. Bob rototilled my garden beds (still trying to suck up) and I planted tons of annuals (lobelia, marigolds, nicotiana, petunias, pansies, alysum, cosmos, and impatiens). I went overboard at our church plant sale. Son and daughter were here with their respective girlfriend/boyfriend. We barbequed and ate out on the newly washed deck furniture under the sun umbrella. One thing about the Seattle area, we get day after day of grey skies and rain, but when the sun finally comes out it is fabulously gorgeous. Everything is green, the lakes very blue, and snowtopped mountains to the east and west. Winter blahs are done, for a few months anyway.

I volunteer to sew a quilt top every year for our confirmands at church so I barracaded myself in my craft/sewing room on Saturday night with the portable DVD player and watched The Last of the Mohicans while I sewed 140 six-inch squares together. Didn't quite finish the quilt but at midnight I was exhausted so I quit. And the movie wore me out too. Wow, it was emotionally intense! Loved it. Glad I bought it so I can watch it again and again. Kristie, you were right! I kept thinking about Ride the Fire through the whole movie. And that scene under the waterfall *sigh*.

After all that I managed to read some more of Delicious by Susan Mallery on Sunday evening and I'm really enjoying it. But I fell asleep after reading only a few chapters. It wasn't the book, it was me, I was worn out.

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

For those of you looking for a 'typical' Crusie, this is NOT it and I have no idea what a typical Mayer is since I have never read him. There has been lots of buzz on message boards and blogs about this book both positive and negative. Most of the negative stuff seemed to come from people not getting that this is a collaboration and Crusie's voice has been muted somewhat.

I had a difficult time getting into this book since I continually picked it up and put it down over the course of 4 or 5 days. That's unusual for me to be so patient but I confess that I probably stuck with it because I didn't want to be left out on all the discussions. The problem was that the beginning 50-100 pages was a bit confusing, the pacing was uneven and there were too many characters introduced all at once but after that I sped through it. Crusie's voice is evident (but not prominent) and the humor worked. The voice for the hero, J.T. Wilder, was pure male and I could see Mayer's influence there. I like when a male character actually thinks and speaks like "real" men do. Too many times it's obvious that the male voice is "feminized." Is that a word?

I liked the heroine and her niece, Pepper, was adorable, but not too cutesy, and J.T was yummy. And I loved the Wonder Woman party! The love scenes were hot too. I posted about the fact that J.T sort of 'cheats' on Lucy because after meeting her he has sex with an actress when finding her naked in his bed. This made me uncomfortable at first. But eventually I changed my mind because it caused some great conflict between H/H. Lucy finds out and she gives him crap about it. He has the good sense to look and feel ashamed of himself.

I have been reading all the comments on the AAR RtR MB and one particular comment was a bit disturbing to me:

It didn't feel like a collaboration to me either. It read to me as if one of my most beloved authors stepped back and allowed her voice to be overpowered and all but drowned out by a stonger, louder, more male voice. My inner feminist is sad and sorely disillusioned.

Excuse me? That's hitting below the belt ;) I consider myself a feminist from WAY back, even when the ultra-right and most many men had turned the word into a derogatory term and my women friends all started saying things like "I'm not a feminist, but..." Hey, I am a feminist, dammit! I enjoyed this book and don't believe Crusie "allowed her voice to be overpowered". What's wrong with women thinking and talking like women and men thinking and talking like men? My 'inner feminist' rejoices in the differences. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. I lost control for a second.

I would agree with Nicole and call this one a romantic action/adventure. There is a romance (a good one) with lots of action and reminded me of a Brockmann but with more humor (and without a bunch of SEALs who are all going to get their own book!)

My grade: B-

The Heart Breaker by Nicole Jordan

THB had three things going for it before I cracked the cover:
1) I'm a fan of American Historicals (i.e. Westerns) (especially those written by Cheryl St. John)
2) I like marriage of convenience stories and
3) I had heard that Jordan writes very steamy love scenes

Fortunately for me all three of these elements came together beautifully for a wonderful emotionally satisfying read.

Heather's father died leaving behind huge gambling debts. The sleazy banker who holds her responsible for those debts is trying to force her into marriage. Sloan McCord's Cheyenne wife, Doe, was murdered over a year ago. He is still consumed with grief, guilt and rage and he doesn't really want a wife. But his housekeeper is moving away so he really needs a wife and mother to care for and raise his infant daughter and do the household chores. In addition, he plans on running for state office so a wife would be good for his political career. When Sloan's SIL suggests he propose to Heather for the good of both of them, Sloan agrees, but he is determined never to give her his heart. He feels he had the perfect love match and can never love again. And he does not want to betray the memory of his late wife.

The entire rest of the book deals with their growing relationship. Sloan is a tortured soul consumed with lots of guilt. He is sometimes a cold-hearted jerk and treats Heather badly so that I wanted to slap him. But grief and guilt made his behavior understandable. Heather is a bit too soft and wimpy at first but her growth into a brave admirable woman who tells him she's not going to take his crap anymore was a joy to read. It took him all the way to the end of the book for him to admit to himself that he really loved and needed her. Sloan carried out his angst and guilt a bit longer than I like and Heather put up with his crap too long.

The dialogue was neither witty or clever, just plain and simple with lots of angst at the appropriate places, but it worked for me. Not quite a tearjerker, but almost.

Oh, and about those lovemaking scenes... Wow. Very intense, emotional and lots of them. And the best part....scorchingly hot! And a tad bit purple but I loved them anyway.

My grade: B+

Sybil told me this one is a gem and she is right! I need to track down the prequel to this story about Jake (Sloan's brother) titled The Outlaw. I checked on Jordan's website and found out that she originally planned TO and THB as the first two in a trilogy but she has never written the third book! It's supposed to be Doe's half-brother Wolf's story. But it's been almost 10 years! I doubt it's going to happen but here's a quote from her website.

"I definitely intend to write Wolf Logan's story to finish my Rocky Mountain Trilogy that began with THE OUTLAW and THE HEART BREAKER. But Ballantine wants me to wait till the market for Westerns is stronger. A few years ago, a large part of the reading public quit buying Western romances, so Ballantine wants me to write Regency historicals for the time being. I have Wolf's story all worked out, and I'm eager to tell it, I promise. It's just going to be a while longer. I hope Wolf will be worth your patience."

I'm halfway tempted to write to her and beg. Would that be over the top? What's she waiting for anyway? I don't think the Western market is going to get hotter, so write it already.

P.S. I love the cover too.

Unwritten rules

I started thinking about this topic today because I am trying to read the new Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer book, Don't Look Down. I would pick it up, read a page, put it down, pick it up, read a couple more pages, put it down. Repeat. I started the book on Monday and here it is Friday and I'm on page 98. Normally I would have two books finished in that time. But I will persist because it's getting good now.

Anyway, I digress. My point is the hero has just done something that breaks one of the unwritten rules of romance: he has cheated on the heroine with another woman. Now don't get too excited because the H/H just met that morning and have never even kissed or made love at this point. But the reader can tell from their internal thoughts that they are very attracted to each other although with a touch of hostility. So technically he hasn't cheated, right?

The reason I bring this up is because I have read countless message boards with people ranting about this kind of thing because most women prefer that the instant the H/H meet they don't 'cheat' on each other even if stuff keeps them apart for most of the book. It's like an unwritten rule. And if the H/H marry other people the loves scenes are only vaguely alluded to or implied (and of course, it was very bad sex) or not mentioned at all.

In DLD, the hero finds a naked actress in his bed and he gets an eyefull of her breasts. And she wants to touch his gun :) So what's a guy to do? Of course, you guessed it. He turns out the light and we use our imaginations.

I can think of a several books where the hero cheats during the course of the book, but they were all historicals. But I can't think of any contemporaries. And I mean romance not women's fiction.

One of my first thoughts when I read this scene was that the male co-author probably influenced this aspect of the story because I can't think of any book where Crusie has the hero 'cheating' on the heroine. I've never read Mayer. Am I being sexist here? I just can't think of a single male with no attachments or commitments who wouldn't take advantage of this situation.

While this 'cheating' scene made me a bit uncomfortable, it's not a book-killer. I want to finish it especially since it's just getting good. So someone tell me, is this book not considered a romance? Maybe it's crossing over into women's fiction. I suppose the lines between women's fiction and romance are starting to blur, but if it doesn't have an HEA, it's going back to the library. So I may need to 'cheat' and read the last chapter.

Night of Sin by Julia Ross

I was enthralled by my first book by Julia Ross, The Seduction, and was pleased with her lush, sensual descriptions that reminded me a little of Judith Ivory.

Night of Sin was also very lush and highly sensual but the prose was also much more poetic and lyrical bordering on purple and that's where Ross sometimes lost me. I'm was going to dig up some quotes to make my point but I took it back to the library.

Oh, wait, here are a few I found on the internet:

"But she had not been wrong about his eyes, colored like winter forest shadows dappled with sunlight."

"Her hair smelled of lavender water and roses, the fragrance of a Dorset summer garden basking in the sun"

Oh, guess what Ross is talking about here:

"the rainbow tumult of their mutual release"

Some of the imagery was quite vivid but some of it was a bit over the top at times.

World traveler Lord Jonathan Devoran St. George, aka Wild Lord Jack, returns to England from the Far East in search of a valuable stolen fossil. He follows the thief who has stashed the fossil in an innocent woman's basket. Anne Marsh is the engaged daughter of a minister. After he finds the thief murdered Jack knows that her life is in danger and insists that she leave her home and accompany him to his family estate so that he can protect her.

Jack has learned all kinds of mysterious exotic sexual skills on his advertures in the Far East that were only hinted at. But he is ashamed of some of his experiences and the things he was forced to do. Anne, our virgin heroine, realizes that sexually-experienced Jack can teach her a few things and literally begs the hero to make love to her. What man would turn that down? You all know I'm a big fan of highly erotic or sensual romances but I think this plot with the innocent maiden pleading with the worldly hero to tutor her in the sensual delights has been done too many times before. After they make love Jack knows he has compromised her and so they have to marry.

Jack with all his secret shame was a dark complex character. Anne turns out to be a surprisingly brave and adventurous heroine despite her initial timidity and I liked her character even though I thought her behavior was at times implausible. The mystery/suspense was well done and did not overpower the romance. The entire story flowed pretty smoothly except for those moments when the purple prose and poetic style went over the top.

My grade: B-

Oldies

I think I must be slightly nutty (there's a news flash) when I bid on this box of old romance books from ebay because it had one HTF collectible in the batch. My winning bid was a whole $2.24. See if you can spot it from this list.

Texas Kingdoms - Robert W. Broomall (1989)
Prairie Flame - Jessica Howard (1983)
Torrents - Marie-Anne Desmarest (1977)
Moscow Mists - Clarissa Ross (1977)
Alyx - Lolah Burford (1977)
Blood Relations - Eilis Dillon (1979)
Daughters of the Summer Storm - Frances Patton Statham (1981)
Valley Forge - MacKinlay Kantor (1976)
Love's Scarlet Banner - Fiona Harrowe (1977)
Caresse - Pamela Wallace (1979)
Red Sky at Night Love's Delight - Jane-Aiken Hodge (1978)
Border Gentry - Nancy Sortore (1983)
The Golden Warrior - Hope Muntz (1970)
Wild Horizon - Evan Wyck Mason (1977)
The Burning Woman - Margaret Ritter (1979)
Southland - Amanda Carlisle (1982)
Knight's Keep - Rona Randall (1993)
Beloved Captive - Catherine Dillon (1979)
Fever Moon - Susanna Howe (1978)
Jamaica - Amanda Hart Douglass (1977)
Affinity - Katherine Hale (1979)
Dargonard - Rupert Gilchrist (1976)
The Liaison - Maria Matray & Answald Krueger (1975)
The Silver Devil - Teresa Denys (1978)
Zulu Warrior - Lou Cameron (1971)
Listen for Rachel - Lou Kassem (1996)
The Seventeenth Stair - Barbara Paul (1976)
Weep No More My Lady - Amanda Jean Jarrett (?)
Warwyck's Woman - Rosalind Laker (1983)
Wave of Destiny - Martha Melahn (1981)

What was surprising to me was how tame the covers are (could not find any images online and I don't have a scanner). No bare chested men, no women with their head thrown back at an awkward angle and their dress falling off.

Now what am I going to do with the rest of this collection? I'd be embarassed to donate them to the library used book sales or a nursing home because they are so freaking old. The ones that had ISBN numbers (about half) I listed on PBS but I don't expect any takers.

Suggestions?

Final TBRRP

I did pretty well on my goal of reducing my TBR. I read a total of 17 books for the month of April which was above average for me. Well, to be totally accurate, I read 16 books and about 50 pages of one before tossing it aside - it was just too boring. Two of those 17 were from the library, the rest from my TBR. I have reviewed all but these last three:

Hot Shot by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
This is one of SEP's earlier books (published 1991) and her writing style has really changed (for the better) since then. There was little evidence of her typical humor that I loved in books like It Had to Be You and Match Me If You Can. The story (which felt more like a saga covering almost 500 pages) focuses around Susannah Faulconer's life from a small child through her rise in the corporate world and the computer industry. But there was too much detail on the emerging computer industry and not enough romance. The characters were complex and interesting but the romance felt tacked on. Not my favorite SEP.
My grade: C+


Warrior by Elizabeth Lowell
After dissing the last Lowell I read (Granite Man) I hate to admit how much more I liked this book. Nevada is an uber-alpha (as are all Lowell's heroes) but he has a softer heart and doesn't believe all women are sluts. No, his flaw is that he doesn't believe in love (*rolls eyes*). I liked the heroine Eden, a wildlife biologist, who doesn't take any crap from him. But of course she's a virgin (*another eye roll*). My biggest peeve with this book was Lowell's signature characteristic which is so evident in many of her books: hero invents a nickname for the heroine. I hate that. Nevada's nickname for Eden is fairy-tale girl. "Dear Ms. Lowell: ....STOP THAT!!!" Whew, sorry, lost control. With these irritations aside Warrior was quite a good book. Eden finds Nevada who has injured himself in the middle of a snow storm and takes him to safety. The mental lusting begins... really, dialog is not Lowell's strong suit. But I loved Baby, Eden's dog/part wolf, and the cougar tracking and scenery descriptions of the Colorado Rockies. Oh, yeah, it's pretty hot too ;)
My grade: B-


Heart of Deception by Taylor Chase
Wow, the best book I read all month! Set in Elizabethan England, Vivian Swift and her brother, Nick, rule the underworld of the Southwark area of London. Viv is Queen of the Klink and oversees the smuggling, prostitution, gambling, thievery, and assorted crimes of that time in her own corner of London. She's an extremely strong character and I admired her which surprised me because I'm not a fan of criminals as heroes/heroines. But she is very loyal to Queen Elizabeth who she considers her counterpart. Into her domain comes Rafe Fletcher who earns her trust to become her bodyguard. But he is hiding secrets and eventually betrays her in the most intense emotional scenes. The book is filled with political intrigue, betrayals, treason, murder and revenge but it is very fast paced and totally absorbing. All the characters, both real and fiction, are three dimensional and complex. HOD was an compelling read and very hard to put down. Very steamy too. It's a keeper! Has anyone read the sequel, Heart of Night, and is it worth tracking down? Taylor Chase also wrote two books as Gayle Feyrer and I'm wondering if I should try to locate them too. Keishon says they are HTF. Just my luck.
My grade: A

Currently reading: Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Having a hard time getting into it. Lots of stuff going on and seems like a lot of POV changes, but maybe I've got too many distractions the last couple of days. Will try to concentrate tonight.