TBR Challenge: REVIEW: The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale

COPYRIGHT: 1991
PAGES: 449
SETTING: Historical - Victorian (set in Hawaii & London)
TYPE: Straight Romance

SENSUALITY: Hot

REASON FOR READING: Well, because it's Kinsale and because it's a DIK at AAR (and appears in the Top 100 Romances consistently) and because this book has been mentioned numerous times on various blogs and message boards and it's considered a classic by many romance readers.

SUMMARY:

From nationally acclaimed bestselling author Laura Kinsale comes a boldly original, breathlessly unforgettable tale of honour, adventure and undying love.

The Shadow is wealthy, powerful and majestically handsome, he is a man of dark secrets - a master of the ancient martial arts of an exotic distant land. Scarred by a childhood of shocking degradation, he has sworn to love chastely ... but burns with the fires of unfulfilled passion.

The Star is lovely, innocent and nearly destitute, and drawn to him by a fevered yearning she could never deny - following her enigmatic 'shadow warrior' into a dangerous world of desire and righteous retribution.

THOUGHTS / OPINION:
I bought my copy of TS&TS many years ago but I just could not motivate myself to read it until recently. That is probably due to the fact that it is 449 pages long with very small print and my limit seems to be less than 400 page these days. So I knew I needed to devote a chunk of time to reading it so I procrastinated. Plus the cheesy cover put me off.

But as they say... don't judge a book by it's cover. TS&TS turned out to be a real treat and a keeper. There is so much to love about this book I don't know where to start. I love that some of it is set in Hawaii. I love the tortured dark hero and wonderful heroine. I love stories about the redeeming power of love. And I love Kinsale's writing and how she can evoke such a range of emotions.

Samual Gerard was rescued from a sexually abusive childhood by the wealthy Ashland family and brought to Hawaii and where he is shown love and accepted as a member of the family. But he still feels unworthy and overwhelmingly ashamed of his past. Their Japanese butler, Dojun, who is a master in martial arts takes him under his wing and trains him in the techniques and philosophy of martial arts which helps him heal from the trauma from his childhood. But as Samual grows into adulthood he becomes horrified with his increasing sexual awareness of women jumbling these natural feelings with the degradation of his past abuse. As a result he regards his sexual side as something to guard against. Samuel uses the rigid control of the ancient arts to quiet his inner turmoil and maintain a celibate lifestyle.

Leda Etoile is a prim and proper English woman who works as dressmaker's assistant in a London shop. When Samuel and his foster mother and sister visit the shop, he is confused by his strong physical attraction to Leda. When Leda is unfairly dismissed from her position she repeatedly fails to find employment as a typist. After a series of encounters Samuel eventually hires her as his private secretary to help him in his secret campaign to close child prostitution houses. Leda is an intelligent character, a bit naive but very sweet and oh-so-proper. I loved how she calls Samuel "Dear Sir".

The unfolding of their relationship is intensely emotional but in some ways very subtle. Kinsale is a master at this. And their first love scene is amazingly erotic even though both H/H are virgins. They are forced to marry and both of them seem afraid to show each other their true emotions even though their physical relationship is so passionate. Leda is confused by Samuel's seeming distance after losing control during their lovemaking. The story has many twists and turns which I don't wish to spoil. Let me just say there is not one wasted word. I wouldn't shorten it a bit.

As you can tell TS&TS is not a "quick" read, but it's complex fascinating characters, compelling story and intensely emotional love scenes are like savoring a piece of my favorite chocolate truffle.. rich and satisfying, leaving you with the feeling of heaven on earth. Kinsale is not for everyone but after reading Flowers from the Storm, I had to try this one and I'm so glad I did.

GRADE: A

Psst.. I like this new cover from the re-issue much better:

TBR Challenge: REVIEW: Winter Woman by Jenna Kernan

COPYRIGHT: 2003
PAGES: 296
SETTING: Historical - American West
TYPE: Series Romance
SERIES: None
SENSUALITY: Warm

REASON FOR READING: I really enjoyed High Plains Bride so when I heard good things about WW, I had to buy it. But it's been languishing in my TBR since February 2004. WW is Kernan's debut book.

SUMMARY:

Her prayer was simple: "Dear God, let me die!"

But Cordelia Channing — preacher's wife, preacher's widow — lived and was born anew as Winter Woman, a woman of power who'd survived the deadliest season in the mountains alone.

She knew she could never do it again. Though perhaps there was no need, for Providence had sent her Thomas Nash, an enigmatic Mountain Man who stirred the deep places of her questing soul.

Nash had come west to lose himself, to rail at the fates that seemed ready to destroy his life at every turn. But somehow those same fates now saw fit to put Delia in his care…. And though he was fighting it at every turn, Delia was transforming his life in ways he'd thought forever lost…!

THOUGHTS / OPINION:
Yay! I remembered to post a review for Keishon's TBR Challenge. Last year I think I only got 3 done. Here's hoping I do better this year. Anyway...

I'm a big fan of Harlequin Historicals and this is another good one. Cordelia Channing is probably one of the strongest heroines I've ever come across. She and her preacher husband were heading west to minister to the "savages" when they became separated from their wagon train somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Her husband was killed after leaving her alone to hunt for food. And somehow she survives the winter alone in the mountains. When a group of Flathead Indians find her half-starved in the spring they take her to the only white man they know, Thomas Nash, a trapper and give her to him. Nash has no choice but to take her but he's not happy about it. Cordelia wants to return back east but Nash can't take her until fall after he has finished collecting beaver pelts which he sells to earn his living.

What follows next is quite a rip-roaring adventure. Delia and Nash don't like each other much at first but they come to depend on each other for survival. Delia becomes indispensable to Nash even learning how to set the traps and skins the animals. Wow, what a woman! After Nash is attacked by a grizzly bear, Delia nurses him back to health as well as doing the cooking, hunting, and trapping. The descriptions of scenery with rapids, waterfalls, and dangerous Blackfoot Indians were fascinating and beautifully written. I also loved the details of their survival in the wilderness although sometimes it was a bit gruesome but that just made it more realistic.

These two are both lost souls. Nash is still hurting from a tragedy five years ago but his heart evenutally thaws toward Delia and they form a strong emotional attachment. He doesn't want her to leave his side ever. Delia finally realizes she is in love with him but she does not want to live in the mountains. And who can blame her after what she has been through. After they make love Delia feels very guilty and feels she has sinned and turns away from Nash and of course he is very hurt, feeling that she is rejecting him because he's not good enough for her. I dislike misunderstandings like this. But they work things out eventually and the ending was wonderful.

If you like a well-paced adventure about the early American west (set in 1835), be sure to find a copy of Winter Woman. Two very strong characters and a story that will keep you turning the pages.

GRADE: B

Sick kitty

My kitty, Bailey, is sick. :(

She has been acting very strangely the last three days. Not eating or drinking. Throwing up small amounts of liquid. Hiding behind the couch. She always sleeps on our bed but the last three nights she has been missing - doesn't seem to want to climb up the stairs.

I took her to the vet today and she says she thinks it could be her kidneys failing! So she took some blood tests and tried to get a urine sample but her bladder was empty (bad news) and gave her an injection of fluids and some anti-nausea medicine. And gave me some pills to give her for the nausea. I get the test results tomorrow. She is 11 years old and considered an older cat and the vet says this sometimes happens. I figure if it's kidney failure that there is not much they can do, but I hope it's something else that they can maybe fix or give her a pill for. But I'm preparing myself for the worst.

UPDATE: Bailey is going to be fine. The blood test results were good. Kidneys are fine. She went 5 days without eating. I finally coaxed her to eat a half of a Greenie snack on Thursday and Friday. But then on Saturday she ate a tiny bit of tuna. And everyday she eats more and more. Today it's been about 10 days and she is almost eating normally. The vet thinks it was some kind of virus or bacteria. Kinda like a kitty version of the flu. She's sleeping (and purring) on our bed again at night. Only problem now is to wean her off the tuna and back onto her regular cat food. She doesn't want to touch to cat food. Spoiled kitty.

Road Trip

Yes, we're heading south tomorrow. Straight shot through Washington, Oregon and California. I think we'll go through Palm Springs on our way to Arizona to visit my dad in Yuma. Then tour Arizona a little, head out through Sedona and points north. Just Bob and me. He has a week of vacation he needs to use up and since I am unemployed right now, this seems like the perfect time. We are both sick of the cold, and snow. Another 2 inches today (Christmas Day).

I'm all packed and ready to go. Of course, lots of books are packed too since I love to read in the car. I can hardly wait to get some sun and stock up on my Vitamin D. Funny thing is during my annual checkup this year they checked my Vitamin D level (along with cholesterol and a bunch of other stuff). My vitamin D is WAY low. Around 20 when it's supposed to be 30 - 150. So this is a sign I must need a vacation in the sun, don't you think?

Here's the books I'm bringing along:

• Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh
• Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins
• Flat-out Sexy by Erin McCarthy
• Midnight Run by Lisa Marie Rice
• A Bucket of Ashes by P. B. Ryan (an historical mystery - last in the Nell Sweeney series)
• Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale (this one has been in my TBR forever)
  

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We had a wonderful time at my sister's. But it was a close call. Almost had to cancel. She lost power around 10 am due to all the heavy snow that was falling but fortunately it came back on. Backup plan was to have it at MY house. Yikes. We also got a couple more inches of snow today and our lights were flickering. But it turned to rain thank goodness and the roads were slick as snot with rain on top of ice/packed snow. I hope it's all melted by the time we get back.

Snow!

For those of you who don't know, I live in the Seattle area. Now we typically have very little snow. Some years, none at all. And I can't remember having a white Christmas in all the years I have lived here. Until this year....

Last Thursday we had about 10" of snow at my house. And instead of melting right away, like usual, the temperatures dropped and it has been cold ever since. We had another big snow storm on Saturday night and Sunday with winds 40 - 50 mph and about 6 more inches. Monday got up to about 33 degrees so some of the roads melted, but mostly the roads are covered with packed snow and ice. It's just a real mess driving since we have very few snow plows in this area. But I love my Chevy Trailblazer with 4-wheel drive. I can get around anywhere and driving is no problem.

The snow is supposed to stick around through Christmas Day so we get a white Christmas this year. They canceled church last Sunday (first time ever in the 25 years I have been going there) and may cancel Christmas Eve service. The church parking lot sits in a kind of "bowl" so getting in and out is a nightmare with about a foot of snow uncleared.

Here are some picture of my house with some looking out the back door at the deck:
















Notice the water faucet with the hose attached (next to the watering can at the bottom of the picture). Bob forgot to put the faucet covers on this fall. Good thing that faucet is next to the dryer vent so it stays warm. Another good thing - he's married to me and I noticed and harassed his ass about it. Sheesh!









Here's the pergola Bob built on the back patio:








It's pretty but I know I'm going to get sick of it soon.


Merry Christmas, everyone!

UPDATE: If you click on the top picture of my house and notice a strange object slumped near the left side of the garage (kinda looks like an old blanket suspended on a rope), well, that's the "Grinch". It's one of those blowup characters that are so popular now. The neighbor gave it to Bob last year. Very appropriate. I had to guilt him into putting up a couple strands of lights.

Best of 2008 List

So far. I still have a few more 2008 books to read that are sitting on my nightstand. (I "stole" this idea from DearAuthor).

• The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne, Grade A
  
• Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh, Grade A-
• Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas, Grade A-
• Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas, Grade A-
• Moonstruck by Susan Grant, Grade A-
• Delicious by Sherry Thomas, Grade A-
• Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare, Grade B+
• The Last Twilight by Marjorie M. Lui, Grade B+
• Sex, Straight Up by Kathleen O'Reilly, Grade B+
• Tempted by Megan Hart, Grade B+
• Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves, Grade B+
  
• Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart, Grade B+
  
• Exposing Casey by Deanna Lee, Grade B+
• Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
• Cutting Loose by Tara Janzen, Grade B+
• Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase, Grade B+
• Demon Night by Meljean Brook, Grade B+

Whew. That's quite a lot of books. I still have a few 2008 books to read before AAR's annual poll that may end up on this list. Most notibly:

• Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh (love every book I have read by this author)
• Broken Wing by Judith James (Kristie loved this book so this one has possibilities since she and I think alike so many times)

Reading Now: Guess what!? Broken Wing! I just cracked the first two pages. I better get back to reading :)

Recent good reads

I was looking through my book spreadsheet and discovered I have read an amazing number of books so far this year ... 135 (with 30 published in 2008). But I have only reviewed 20 books (8 published in 2008) this year. Pretty pathetic. Another interesting fact ... I have read 81 books from my TBR this year, some of which have been living in my closet for years. A couple of years ago my TBR had over 250 books. Now it's down to 107.

No chance of getting full length reviews done for all of my reads this year but here are some quickies of three 2008 books that are worth checking out:



TITLE/AUTHOR: Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase
SENSUALITY: HOT!

THOUGHTS/OPINIONS: Chase has demonstrated her genius yet again. Set in 1820's Venice, YSW is a wonderful book full of charm and wit. Francesa Bonnard is an unapologetic courtesan. In fact, she calls herself a "great whore". After she is publicly humiliated and divorced by her husband, she flees to the Continent and becomes a notorious and much sought after woman. James Cordier is a spy for the English government and is anxious to retire and return to England. But his last assignment is to steal a packet of letters from Francesca that are potentially damaging to her ex-husband's political career. Francesca and James are wonderfully intelligent characters, the dialog is witty and the setting was so unusual and realistically portrayed. The humor is wonderfully written as well. This is a very funny book. Here is the first paragraph:

"Penises. Everywhere."

Ha! That caught my interest immediately and the story never let me go. And the sex scenes are nice and steamy. But there is a lot of depth to this story too.

GRADE: A


TITLE/AUTHOR: Death Angel by Linda Howard
SENSUALITY: HOT!

THOUGHTS/OPINIONS: I'm having a hard time figuring out how to describe this book. It has an odd paranormal element to it that kinda freaked me out but overall I think I liked this book.

Drea Rousseau is a mistress to Rafael Salinas, a very dangerous crime lord and malicious killer who hires assassins to do his dirty work. After one such hit job, the assassin asks for a few hours with Salina's mistress as part of his payment so Salinas just gives Drea to him, and they spend some hours in some scorchingly hot sex. Whew! The assassin is a cold blooded killer and the "hero" of the book and we eventually find out his name is Simon Goodnight. Hmmm, so both the "hero" and "heroine" are both thoroughly unlikeable characters. Drea has been playing stupid in front Salinas for a long time but now she is desperate to get out of her situation. She outsmarts him and pulls some sneaky moves and gets away with a mountain of money. But Salinas sends "The Assassin" after her.

I don't want to spoil the story for you so I'll just say that Drea ends up turning her life around and totally redeems herself. Simon eventually realizes he loves her and protects her from Salinas. I really came to like Drea. Now Simon is a total mystery and we never find out who he really is and what makes him tick. The ending was rather abrupt but I liked it anyway. I don't think this book will appeal to everyone but Linda Howard is a must read for me. And the sex scenes alone are worth the price of the book (paperback only - due out in April 2009 - otherwise get it from the library). But then I'm slutty that way.

GRADE: B-


TITLE/AUTHOR: Tribute by Nora Roberts
SENSUALITY: Warm

THOUGHTS/OPINIONS: Roberts is a very consistent author and her skill is evident in this book and I really enjoyed it quite a bit. A lot of her recent books have had paranormal elements with ghosts and whatever but this one had none of that and I was so glad. I think she should stick to straight contemporary because ghosts just don't do it for me.

Cilla McGowan is a former child star with a lot of baggage. She returns to her famous grandmother's old neglected house in Virginia and decides to renovate it. Cilla is a pro at remodeling houses and I was fascinated by all the details of turning a run down disaster into a beautiful home. Roberts definitely did her homework in that area but if house renovation is not your thing, you should probably skip this book because while the story was good, it wasn't all that gripping. Ford Sawyer lives across the street and writes graphic novels. The story hinges around a mystery involving the death of Cilla's grandmother many years ago and was pretty tame but was so well written I enjoyed it anyway. Cilla is a very strong, smart woman and very likeable. Ford is what I would call a beta hero but yummy in his own way. A pretty good read all around.

GRADE: B



Sorry for the shortness of these "reviews". I have a few more 2008 book to review so those should be coming up shortly.

Reading now: Under the Wire by Cindy Gerard. This is a romantic suspense with a younger man plot line (one of my favorite). Very good so far.

New favorite song

Yeah, I know I promised a post about books (and I working on it - seriously) but this song keeps running through my head thanks to my aerobics class. I may have mentioned this before but anyway I'm a crazy Jazzercise fanatic. I love it. I go three or four days a week. I love the dance the best but it's a terrific all around aerobic exercise program that incorporates stretching and strength training with the dance. When I was a little girl I was a little ballerina (a chubby ballerina). Then in high school (a bit more slimmed down) I really loved gymnastics and modern dance in PE class. Anyway, Jazzercise got me back into dancing since I could never get Bob to dance EVER after we got married. And I get great exercise.

The Jazzercise routine set to That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings is my current favorite and I can't get the tune out of my head.



Here I am at Jazzercise class. Can you spot me?



I'm in the back row near the middle. Chin length blond hair wearing a white shirt.

I still alive

Yes, I haven't dropped off the planet. Just a serious case of writer's block. I would log into a new post and then stare at that blank page until I cried. Another problem... I had a serious obsession with the recent elections, both state and federal. I have many favorite political blogs I would check daily plus the online news sites. And though I'm not a big TV watcher, I tuned into CNN and MSNBC daily. Wow, I got sick of those political ads. So glad the election is over. As a result I did very little checking on my favorite reader blogs (bad Renee).

But October was a beautiful month weatherwise in the Seattle area. I was out in the yard almost daily pulling weeds, raking leaves, trimming perennials, and planting 200 bulbs. I can hardly wait till spring to see all those tulips and daffodils.

I also made some time to do some volunteer work at my church so I'm not a complete slouch. And I just finished painting Angie's old room. Next project... replace the electrical outlets and switches. I bought fabric to recover my dining room chairs and just decided I hated the fabric I picked out. *sigh* Back to the fabric store.

Remember how I had my living room, dining room and entry way redecorated last June (before Angie's wedding)? Well, the designer posted before and after pictures on her website. Here is the link in case you want to take a look. Unfortunately, there was no picture of the dining room which I liked the best.

I'm still unemployed but my elbow is starting to feel better so I'm not in a big hurry to find work. Bob hasn't pushed me out the door yet but I think the time is coming.

Next time I promise to post about some books.

Recent Book Order

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments about my "laid off" news. And for reminding me that other people have it worse than me. I'm pretty lucky. Bob and I paid off our mortgage in 2003 which is probably the smartest thing we ever did. Bob is part owner of a business but he has no retirement so my salary was basically our retirement money. Our biggest worry is the value of our retirement money due to the stock market crash. *sigh* My stomach can't handle any more worry so I choose not to think about it now.

I have been updating my resume, filing for unemployment (I get $541/week... not bad, really), and working on recovering my dining room chairs, and cleaning out some closets.

Plus I bought some new track lighting for the living room. It's just too dark in there and I thought it would brighten it up. Bob put it up yesterday with some help from me. Whew! Man, I can't tell you how many times I heard the f-bomb and other assorted cuss words. The living room has a 12-foot ceiling and he had to crawl up in the attic with all the insulation and pull wiring through the wall while I pushed the wire from down below. I came close to being knocked out when a metal rod fell from the ceiling! Bob came downstairs yelling "Are you OK, I could have killed you!" Nice, honey. Missed me by a whole 2 feet.

Anyway, I have been doing lots of reading too. And I spent my gift certificate money that I won from Cindy. Here's what I bought:


Warrior: The Time Hunters by Angela Knight






Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh






Delicious by Sherry Thomas

Yum! I already finished this one and loved it. Setting is a Victorian Historical with heroine who is a chef and hero who is a MP. Made me hungry and put me in the mood to do some cooking. I may have to write a review of this one.


Reading now: The Marriage Bed by Stephanie Mittman.
This is an oldie (1996) that I just found at a UBS. Can't remember how it got on my list. Somebody raved about it on their blog (maybe Kristie or Cindy? - can't remember). I've only read a couple pages and I can tell it will probably be a tear jerker - which I love. We'll see.

Suckitude

Let me quote the Urban Dictionary: "Something that sucks to a higher level of sucking. This is called suckitude."

Okay, so "why has she been MIA?", you ask. I got laid off on Monday. As you can imagine I have been feeling a tad depressed. I have been complaining about this job and have been meaning to update my resume for a while now, so looking at the bright side, this is a good thing. I'm getting 6 weeks severance pay plus they are paying my insurance through the end of October.

It's just the way they did it that pisses me off. My boss's boss calls me in at about 10:15 am with the HR rep and basically says you are no longer employed as of this very minute. Pack your stuff and leave. Or I could leave right now and come back later to pack. Well, of course, I gave them a piece of my mind. I have the most seniority of all the test engineers, but he sheepishly confessed that lots of other testers were being laid off too. Basically, my job has been outsourced to China. Wonderful, huh? Anyway, I was out the door (in shock) by 10:30 am and will go back to pack my stuff on Friday. Wasn't able to say goodbye to any of my friends.

Turns out they laid off 20% of the employees that day. The company has been making a series of bad management decisions (IMHO) and had a drop in sales last month. Best of luck to them (NOT).

My elbow problem has been much better lately. I have been going to physical therapy twice a week and I think it has helped. My insurance covers the whole thing but now that my insurance will be cut in half (Bob's plan still covers me), I may have to give that up. But then I'm not typing so much now anyway. I took a picture of the brace I have been wearing.




Oh, well, life sucks sometimes. There's some saying about lemons and lemonade I'm too stupid to quote right now. But you know what I mean. I have been making lists of projects I want to work on like painting the spare room, and reupholstering my dining room chairs. After updating my resume and job hunting (yuck). But I have more time for reading and blogging. Say a prayer for me to find job quickly. :)

I'm a winner!

Yes, I won a contest at Cindy's. Woohoo!! $25 gift certificate for online bookstore of my choice. I loved the video she made of the drawing. Cody is so cute. Thanks, Cindy!

I'm on quite a roll lately. I just found out the other day I won a book at LibraryThing. I signed up for their Early Reviews program where you get can get free ARCs. Problem is there are very few romances. I requested this book and won:

I have no freaking clue what kind of book this is or who this author is. Has anyone read her? I should do some research. Some of the tags are "urban fantasy", "vampire", "paranormal". I should check out her website. I hope it has some romance. Oh, well, it's free.










Oh, yeah, and I won this book from Katiebabs in one of their Guess That Book contests: Demon Kiss by Eve Silver. A signed copy! Thanks Katiebabs and Kristie for having these contests.






I also won another book at LT's Early Reviewers a couple months ago:


I have no clue who this author is either. It kind of looks like chicklit. I have it sitting on my nightstand. Part of the expectation of winning the books is that you will write a review and post it on LT or your blog or wherever. I will probably crack it open after I finish my current book.







I can't believe how lucky I've been lately. I enter lots of contests and rarely win anything.

Elbow update: Went to the doctor today and she gave me a referral to an occupational therapist who specializes in hand/arm problems. I think that will be just the thing. It is settling down and feels a bit better but still aches when I type too much. It's now telling me to get to bed.

Reading now: My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne
Good so far. Not quite as gripping as The Spymaster's Lady but I love the heroine. Smart and tough and a real fighter. Hero is a sea captain and very yummy.

Elbow problems

Well, I'm still having pain in my right elbow so, consequently, I'm not typing much. I finally made a doctor's appointment for this Friday. I'm not sure I'll be able to post much this week (not that I've been doing much anyway). I have been wearing a brace and it helped a lot at first but not so much anymore. To top it off I banged my elbow on the door and that didn't do me any good (damn it - I'm a klutzy idiot!)

I'm working on this spreadsheet at work and it's going slow. I'm not setting any speed typing records. And I'm trying to use my left hand for my mouse which takes some of the strain off using my right hand. My left hand has not quite got the knack of left click and right click. My mom was ambidextrous but I am definitely NOT. God, I hate this!

Anyway, I'm still around reading a bunch. And trying to keep up with bloggers.

Okay, here I am

I disappeared for a while again. We went camping to the ocean beaches and just got back. We had a lovely time. The weather was nearly perfect and our camping spot was quiet and secluded. We went walking on the beach every day. The water was a little too cold to swim in but it was great for walking barefoot in the waves and sand. We managed not to overeat (which we tend to do when we camp - I get so hungry in the fresh air). But we did find a great seafood restaurant in Westport.

My right elbow started bothering me in June and is getting progressively worse. I think it's called tennis elbow and is caused by a repetitive stress injury which I believe is related to my computer typing. I need to see the doctor but I read up on it on google and I have it iced right now (brrrr). I bought a brace and that really seems to help too. I hate this.

I have done lots of reading out of my TBR (and purged a bunch too - some of those books I know I will never read). I have read 15 books so far in August, 11 of which were from my TBR. Most were in the B range with 2 C's. So I have about 125 books left in my TBR which is truly amazing. At one time my TBR had over 250 books. Alright, making progress.

Will get some reviews ready soon.

Reading now:

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
I guess you would classify this one as chick lit with a romantic subplot. This book was recommended by Janine at DearAuthor and since I also enjoyed Giffin's Something Borrowed, decided to give it a try. The heroine's voice is sometimes irritating but most of the time I'm enjoying it.

REVIEW: Moonstruck by Susan Grant

SETTING/TYPE: Science Fiction Romance
COPYRIGHT: 2008
SERIES: Borderland series (Book 1)
SENSUALITY: Hot
SUMMARY:

Peace is for little girls.

And Coalition starship admiral Brit Bandar is one tough woman. A mere intergalactic treaty could never get her to trust the Drakken Horde. There was too much bad blood between the Coalition and the Horde and, for intensely personal reasons, Brit wasn’t sure that she was through spilling it! But now a peaceful accord has made Finn Rorkken, a notorious Drakken rogue, second-in command on her starship – and through some grand cosmic irony – front and center in her thoughts…and her heart.

Warleader. Pirate.

Either title sat easily on Finn’s battle-hardened shoulders. Though second-in-command to “Stone-Heart” Bandar? That would take some getting used to. Peace required as much sacrifice as war, so he’d comply even if his reaction to the gorgeous admiral fell decidedly outside protocol. But would he end up kissing or killing her if the galaxy’s tentative truce turned into all out war?

THOUGHTS/OPINION:

SF Romance is one of my favorite genres but I don't seem to read many of them lately. I'm glad I finally pulled this one out of my TBR pile because I found it thoroughly enjoyable. I have not read the previous series which leads up to this book and had no problem following the story.

This books begins at the end of the Horde war (and the previous "Otherworldly Men" series). After being at war for hundreds of years the Coalition, Drakken Horde, and Earth have united into The Triad Alliance. The transition to peace is a difficult one for any society. Coalition Admiral Brit "Stone-Heart" Bandar has spent her career hunting and killing the hated Drakken. But now she has a new assignment - command a new diplomatic ship called "Unity" and staff it with members of all three societies. Her second in command is her former Drakken enemy, Warleader Finnar Rorkken.

Brit has good reason to hate and distrust the Drakken and she has earned her nickname "Stone-Heart". But she is a complex and admirable character. I was struck by how fair she was to her former enemies trying to integrate them into her crew in leadership roles rather than relegate them to subservient roles. Finn is another well written character. He has had to struggle his whole life to advance to his present position, but he is very smart and loyal to his crew. I admired both the H/H very much. All the characters were 3 dimensional and the action adventure story was fast paced. Kind of like watching an old episode of Star Trek (one of my favorites). Someone is out to sabotage the peace and Brit and Finn must learn to trust each other as they finally explore their attraction. The spicy loves scenes and touches of light humor made this a memorable read ... you'll find yourself laughing, crying and having a hard time putting it down. I look forward to the next book in the series - The Warlord's Daughter - due out in March 2009.

GRADE: A-

REVIEW: Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare

SETTING/TYPE: Romantic Suspense
COPYRIGHT: 2008
SENSUALITY: Hot
SERIES: I-Team series (Book 3)

SUMMARY:

Taken hostage by a convicted murderer while reporting at a prison, Sophie Alton has no idea that the man holding the gun to her head is the bad boy who was her first love in high school. Condemned to life without parole, Marc Hunter finds himself with no choice but to break out of prison after his younger sister disappears with her baby.

Though he regrets what he has to put Sophie through, he can’t let anything get in the way of his stopping the corrupt officials who are set on destroying what’s left of his family. But being near Sophie rekindles memories for both of them. As the passion between them heats up, so does the conspiracy to put both of them in their graves.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:

UC is another book in her series about a team of investigative reporters. However, all of these books stand alone so no need to go back and read them in order. I have long been a fan of Pamela Clare's writing whether it's historical or romantic suspense. Ms. Clare is an auto-buy author for me but I was especially anxious to read UC after reading that she had spent 24 hours in jail as part of her research for this book. And wow, does it pay off for the reader. I found it very realistic and gripping from the first page and had a hard time putting it down.

Sophie Alton is a reporter who has been writing a series about women in prison and is focusing on the story of one prisoner, Megan Rawlings. Sophie has come to care about Megan as she struggles to get off drugs and gives birth to a baby while in prison. After Megan is released from prison Sophie wants to follow Megan and her baby as they adjust to life on the outside through a halfway program. But Megan runs away with her baby in violation of her parole.

Sophie knows that Megan's brother, Marc "Hunt" Hunter, is serving time in federal prison for the murder of a DEA agent. But she is unaware of the fact that she and Hunt have a past history. He is her first love from high school who walked out on her. She requests an interview with Hunt hoping he can help her find Megan. Hunt realizes that Sophie is his past lover but he is a desperate man. When she comes for the interview he uses Sophie as a hostage and flees the prison with her.

Sophie is fearful and angry but quickly discovers Hunt's connection to her past and eventually is sympathetic to his plight. She believes him when he tells her about how he was framed for murder and Megan's disappearance is somehow connected. Sophie and Hunt team up and she uses all her skills in investigative journalism to escape the police and find his sister. What follows is a roller coaster ride with all its twists and turns. This is a story of corruption and betrayal and there are lots of complications. Although I found a few scenes that were not quite believable, UC is a real page turner with some scorching hot love scenes and well done characterizations. Hunt and Sophie are a great couple. I love a good steamy romantic suspense that doesn't skimp on the romance and Clare delivers another one with Unlawful Contact. My favorite RS of the year so far.

GRADE: B+

Wedding Pictures!

The photographer posted a few pictures on her blog.

Here's the link.

Aren't they just the cutest couple? Beautiful location too.

I'll post some of my own soon.

I'm baaaaack

The big day was Saturday and I managed to survive it. The wedding went off without a hitch. My daughter was beautiful and the ceremony was wonderful. I get choked up just thinking about it. The outdoor setting was lovely and the weather was perfect - about 75 degrees. Food was good and music and dancing was great fun. We got so many complements from everyone on how well we planned and organized the event and I gave all the credit to my daughter.

I hosted a brunch the day after (Sunday) in my newly decorated living room so everyone could watch the newlyweds open their gifts. Weather was again magnificent. I took them to the airport on Monday where they flew off to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Whew! I'm exhausted. I'm just getting my house back in order. We still have one guest (grandpa from North Dakota) and he'll stick around until Thursday. There are some odds and ends to tie up (like return vases, bowls etc to florist), but otherwise I'm starting to feel halfway normal.

Lots of pictures were taken but I don't have any right now but I will soon.

I don't know how I did it but I managed to read some good books in my "spare" time (especially when I woke up at 5:00 AM and couldn't go back to sleep - this happened pretty much every day). Here's my list:

Tempted by Megan Hart (B+)
Strangers in Death by J. D. Robb (B+)
Pursuit by Elizabeth Jennings (B)
Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas (A-)
Tall Tales & Wedding Veils by Jane Graves (B+)
Moonstruck by Susan Grant (A-)
Fire & Ice by Anne Stuart (B)

I hope to get into the swing of writing reviews soon. Let me know if you have a request.

What's been happening in the romance reading world? Any new really good books out I should check out?

Birthday and ... time for a break

Yeah, it's my birthday. I'm really trying not to have them anymore but they keep sneaking up on me every year. In fact I completely forgot about it until my daughter called me around 9 am and wished me happy birthday. What? Oh! Yeah!

In other news... I've decided to take a break from blogging for awhile. I don't have many people stopping by anymore because I don't post that often. My life is just too hectic. The wedding is only a month away and I have been working non-stop trying to get the house ready.

I have two big projects going now. Project #1 is refinishing my kitchen cupboards. We talked about replacing the cupboards but that's a huge expense and I'm not sure how much longer we will be in this house. The cupboard doors are solid oak and after 18 years of buildup of oils from your hands, they look pretty gunky. Never knew we should have put knobs or handles on the doors. So Bob took them all off and I carted them off to The Furniture Spa where they dipped them in tanks of stripper. When I got them home I lined them up for a coat of varathane. Wow, what a difference. They look brand new. Just need to put on one more coat, then Bob gets to put on the new antique brass knobs and drawer pulls.

Project #2 is redecorating my living room. I finally broke down and hired a decorator. I have been trying for months to do something but I would go to furniture stores, lighting stores, etc. etc. and just wander around and come home with nutin'. I just can't do it. I have no artistic talent. So I hired a decorator and it's a great relief. She came up with a plan and I will do all the shopping. I have most of the major furniture ordered and it will be here soon. Then I get started on the small stuff (rugs, artwork, lighting, drapes). She has assured me that we will be able to get it all done before the wedding.

If I get a chance I'll post pictures. Oh, and I may get a review out for TBR day. Otherwise, I'm going to be AWOL for a while.

REVIEW: Hidden by Eve Kenin

SETTING/TYPE: Futuristic Romance
SENSUALITY: Warm
COPYRIGHT: 2008 (release date July 2008)

THOUGHTS/OPINIONS:

Hidden is the sequel to Driven (which was one of my favorite reads from 2007). It's not necessary to read Driven first because Kenin again provides some first rate world building. This story is set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world called the Northern Waste - like a Mad Max movie only set in the frozen tundra.

Tatiana (or TTN081) is the product of genetic engineering and the prologue (set in 2088) gives the reader an idea of the horrors of her early life. She was born in an underground laboratory and has spent her life being subjected to torturous medical experiments (like something out of Nazi Germany) along with her two siblings, Wizard (hero from Driven) and Yuriko. Duncan Bane is her tormentor along with Dr. Gavin Ward. These two are truly evil and creepy. They supposedly conduct the experiments to test her ability to heal and to make her stronger but I never really understood their main purpose.

Fast forward to the year 2093 and we learn that Duncan Bane is dead. Tatiana has recently escaped and is trying to keep one step ahead of Gavin Ward who now controls the New Government Order. She has come to Abbott's General Store to buy information when she meets a rag swathed settler named Tristan who intrigues her. The store owner is a slimy individual but Tatiana has been hired to recover a stolen ring and she thinks he has information. And she wants to find Tolliver, a scientist specializing in genetic and infectious diseases who works for Ward in a hidden lab where she believes he is testing a horrific plague he had created from her genetic code. She doesn't learn anything about Tolliver but does get a lead on the ring. And does recover it from a couple of Siberian ice pirates in a gruesome scene.

You see, Tatiana is one kick-ass heroine. Since her escape her dormant genetic enhancements have begun to gradually bloom. She finds that she can withstand extreme cold, read minds, heal from almost any wound, and has enhanced telescopic vision. When she confronts the ice pirate about the ring, she surprised herself (and me) when she severs his hand with just her fingers.

After recovering the ring and returning it to it's rightful owner, she makes her way to the Maori Talisman, a mountain of ice and rock, which she thinks may be a linked to Tolliver somehow. But instead she encounters a very odd scene. A group of settlers on snowscooters are chasing a lone man on a scooter across the ice and snow. When they catch him, it appears to be a case of vigilante justice but Tatiana has a hard time figuring out what is going on at first. But Tristan is one of the group. In the tussle with the culprit, Tatiana doesn't realize that she has been exposed to a deadly plague. Tristan invites her back to their underground compound with the promise of hydrogen fuel for her snowscooter.

What follows is a fascinating action adventure laced with some science and blended well with the romance. Tristan is an enigmatic character at first. Kenin likes to keep secrets about her characters and only reveals information on a need-to-know basis, thus keeping the reader in suspense. It was hard for me not to peek ahead (a bad habit of mine). One particular scene is incredibly tense when she and Tristan find their only route to escape the underground compound is through an elevator shaft protected by deadly laser beams. I was chewing my nails on that one. Tatiana is a good strong heroine although a little too trusting of Tristan when she first meets him. Both of them are rather tortured characters due to events in their past but Tristan's sense of humor lightened the mood on occasion. The romance builds slowly along with the trust between them. There is a very romantic and sexy love scene which takes place in an underground hot spring/pool which was well done.

Although the story dragged a bit through some of middle, I really enjoyed it overall. I liked Driven a tad better, but Hidden is a solid read with good characters, a mostly fast moving plot and a great romance. If you liked Driven, I'm sure Hidden will be worth picking up when it's released in July.

GRADE: B