I need a change

I feel the urge to change my blogger template again. Anyone have any suggestion where to find some good free blogger templates?

Mary Balogh rocks!

I have been a fan of Mary Balogh's since the early 1980's when I stumbled upon her traditional regency romances accidentally. I started hanging onto her books when I realized I couldn't part with them.... my first author glommed. Her books were probably the most sensual regencies out there but still mostly subtle compared to today's historical romances. I was happy when she eventually started writing regency historicals with much warmer sex scenes which include her usual writing style that I love.

Recently I joined her Yahoo!Group for her fans MaryBaloghFans. They discuss lots of topics related to historical romances not just MB's books. Mary visits there often and is happy to answer questions from her fans. Last week she posted that she had visited a local UBS where she found a shelf full of her old traditional regencies... about 20 of them. All were on sale for low prices. Amazing. These books are very collectible and you sometimes see prices for them from $20 - $30, maybe more. So she offered them for sale at $5 each and did a drawing to pick a winner for each book.

And guess what?? I won one! The Ungrateful Governess. I just got it in the mail along with a leather Mary Balogh bookmark. And both were autographed to me! What a classy lady. Did I mention that she's Canadian (I have a great fondness for Canadians) which explains her coolness :)

For those MB fans, I learned from her Yahoo Group that The Ideal Wife is being reissued this year and A Precious Jewel next year. She says "There should be a new contract for more backlist books in the near future. I'll pass on details then." I hope some of those really rare traditional regency books (The Notorious Rake, etc.) get reprinted so others can enjoy them.

TBR Day: Lots of old categories

I made a concerted effort this month to pare down my TBR. While standing in front of the shelves that contain my TBR, I noticed that there were way too many old categories that I had picked up over the years and just never got around to reading so I decided to start with those. My intent was to read at least 2 chapters of each book and if it didn't keep my interest, toss it away into the "post on PBS" pile. If I liked it (or it wasn't too horrible), then I figured I could finish it in no more than 2 days. Great plan, huh? Anyway, I read 11 categories and not one DNF in the bunch.

So here are mini-reviews of the best of them:

Call Me by Alison Kent (1996)
This book was a real surprise. It's a short (only 216 pages) Harlequin Temptation that had been languishing in my TBR for over 4 years. It was funny, had great sexual tension and the plot was tight and characters are well written. I loved the hero (a Texas rancher - yeah, I'm into cowboys lately) and his teenager brother is a hoot too. The heroine is quite uptight at first and is still hurting from the divorce from her cheating husband. But she warms up rather quickly and things got cooking. The sexy banter and spicy love scenes were worth the price of the book alone.
My grade: A


A Wedding to Remember by Emma Darcy (1994)
This was a troubled marriage story which is one of my guilty pleasures if done right. The H/H are divorced and the heroine, Joanna, is considering remarrying but she is unsure. She decides to visit her ex, Rory, at his office to see if it's well and truly over and get on with her life. Rory is stunned to see her and after talking her into a goodbye kiss, is blown away and impulsively he scoops her up in his arms and 'kidnaps' her for a weekend of pleasure. OK, I know, not realistic. at. all. But I went with it and I'm glad I did. They have some misunderstandings to work out and Joanna learns to believe in Rory rather than vindictive gossip (although I was a bit irritated with her for not believing in him in the first place).
My grade: B+


The Return of Eden McCall by Judith Duncan (1995)
JD is one of my favorite category writers and I have several of her books in my keepers. This book is #3 in the series (Wide Open Spaces) and all of them have been wonderful. TRoEM is no exception. Eden returns to her hometown to take care of her dad who has had a heart attack. She runs into her former boyfriend (and lover), Brodie, who is angry and hurt that she left town. I love how the POV switches to Brodie in several chapters and we really get inside his head. This is a highly emotional and well written book and Brodie is a wonderful hero. Duncan is a talented author who should be writing full length romances but unfortunately she hasn't published anything since 2002. What a shame she dropped out of sight.
My grade: B+


Cattleman's Promise by Marilyn Pappano (1999)
This is book #1 in the Heartbreak Canyon series. I read book #3 a few years ago and liked it so much that I bought the rest of the series, but I'm just finally getting around to reading them. Olivia's husband has just died saving her the trouble of divorcing the rotten scoundrel. She now has the care of her twin 5-year-old daughters and not a penny to her name since the ex gambled it all away. Except she finds the deed to a ranch in Heartbreak, Oklahoma. When she travels to Heartbreak on her last dime she finds out her husband had been swindled since Guthrie owns the ranch. Guthrie is a good, decent, and kind man so he offers to let her stay in a cabin on his property. In exchange she will cook and clean his house. I loved Guthrie. I loved Olivia. And I loved the twins, Elly and Emma. Wonderful plot and characters are so real. I hate cutesy or bratty kids, but Emma (good twin) and Elly ('bad' twin) were absolutely perfect. I found myself laughing at their antics and fell in love with them.
My grade: B+


Reading now: Horseman's Bride by Marilyn Pappano (1999)
This book follows Cattleman's Promise. Very dark, slightly depressing book that I almost gave up on. Features a tortured hero (Easy) with horrendous physical disabilities caused by a serious car accident. Top that with his feelings of loneliness and tremendous guilt caused when he ran off 12 years ago with his best friend's (Guthrie from Cattleman's Promise) fiance (Shay) a few days before their wedding. To make matters worse he abandoned Shay 6 years ago because of his feelings of guilt and worthlessness over his treatment of Guthrie, expecting she would go back to him. Shay went back to Heartbreak, Oklahoma where all three of them grew up together but she never got over Easy. Now Easy is back in Heartbreak, angry and depressed and a tad full of self pity. But Shay won't let him give into it and with Shay's help comes out of it little by little. I'm a few pages from the end and can hardly put it down (late for work this morning trying to squeeze in a few more pages). Update: Just finished it and it had a great last chapter and epilogue.
My grade: B

REVIEW: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

COPYRIGHT: 2008
SETTING: Alternate Reality
TYPE: Paranormal Romance
PAGES: 328
SERIES: 4th book in Psy-Changling series

REASON FOR READING: This is my favorite paranormal series so picking this one up was a no-brainer.

SUMMARY: [from Publishers Weekly]

Earth of 2080 continues a cold war with the chilling aliens the Psy in Singh's fourth fierce installment of the Psy-Changeling series (after Caressed by Ice). Half-human, half-leopard changeling Clay Bennett is shocked when lovely Talin McKade, wracked with illness and similarly half-changeling, returns to his life, having disappeared from his childhood 20 years before. Talin works at San Francisco's Shine Foundation, dedicated to helping gifted but needy children, and a growing number of her missing charges have been turning up sans brains. There's plenty of purring passion to keeps things hot as the Leopard shape-shifters Clay and Tally fall breathlessly in love, while the Psy continue to use children as guinea pigs for developing a hive mind. While this is paranormal romance at its best, newcomers are advised to check out the earlier adventures first.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:

This book captured my attention from the very first page. In all the other Psy/Changling books, the h/h were either Psy or Changling. In MtP the hero, Clay, is a changling leopard and incredibly yummy. But the heroine, Tally, is just a plain ordinary human so I was a bit leery about how strong a character she would be matched with such an alpha male. The previous heroines in this series have been matched with alpha males and have been very strong and alpha in their own right. But I had no reason to worry. Tally was a good mate for Clay.

Clay and Tally were childhood friends who became separated after an extremely traumatic event. Tally was an abused child and when Clay finds out, he mauls and kills her abuser right in front of her. Tally associates Clay with fear and blood and death and when he tries to find her after the incident Tally has her guardians tell him that she is dead. This was the only instance in the book where I wasn't sure if I would like Tally. But she was just a child when this happened and I think her reaction was understandable after such a traumatic event.

It is now 20 years later and Tally works with street kids. When several missing kids turn up dead, she knows she needs Clays help and goes looking for him. Clay has never forgotten Tally and is haunted by his memories of her. When he finds out she is alive he is understandably angry and one particular scene was incredibly intense and emotional. But he is also very loyal and protective of Tally so they pair up and discover some very sinister motives by a group of Psy. While they work together along with the Changling packs to rescue the children, Tally and Clay must face their past and confront their feelings for one another. Tally must learn to overcome her fear and trust Clay. And Clay must learn to forgive her for her deception and her sexual past.

This is another highly emotional, sexy, and fascinating addition to this series. Singh writes the best alpha males... and really, who would not love a leopard for a mate! They are highly possessive and protective without being overbearing. Tender, sweet, sensual and just plain sexy. OK, I'll stop now. I'm looking forward to Hostage to Pleasure (love this title) due out in September 2008.

GRADE: A-

My shopping day

I had a great day today. Took the day off of work to go shopping for a MOB dress. I started the day by weighing in at Weight Watchers. I'm down 20.8 lbs. and have reached my goal. So I set off for Nordstrom in Bellevue Square Mall (which is enormous) and started in the Special Occasion dresses section and wandered all over until I reached the designer dresses in the back corner. The sales lady tries to help me out and she is coming up with zip that appealed to me.

Then she pulled out this dress that was exactly the style and fabric I wanted but the color was all wrong (swirls of pink and purple ... ). But I thought, what the hey.

So she looks me up and down and says "Size 6?"

I'm thinking "WTF, no way" but I say "uhhhhh, no, maybe 8 or 10"

She says "No, you're a size 6."

How do sales ladies do that? I think there is some serious size inflation going on with today's dress makers. Anyway, I try the dress on (it fits perfectly and I look pretty good) but the color is still wrong. I look at the price tag. $895 !!!! Uh, no. N.O. No, no, no. The most expensive dress I have ever tried on. Well, that was fun. Needless to say I didn't buy it and I didn't find anything else in the store I liked. But that's OK. It was fun shopping. I will buy something online.

I also stopped at the used bookstore but I didn't buy any books. Go figure :) I did buy some used DVDs though. Since it was a beautiful sunny warm day, I bought an ice cream and sat and read in the little outdoor courtyard.

I also stopped at Seattle Lighting and looked at light fixtures. Nothing appealed to me.

Bob has been wanting a hot air popcorn popper so on a whim I stopped at Fred Meyer and bought him one.

I did order something online...new Levolor Wood Blinds for our bedroom window. They were 25% off so I was happy.

Reading now: An oldie I heard about somewhere (probably AAR RtR board)... The Same Last Name by Kathleen Gilles Seidel (copyright 1983)
I love the heroine who is a forest ranger but hero is kinda an idiot. I like Seidel's writing style though. Almost to the end (on page 177 of 255 pages) so we'll see if the hero redeems himself.

REVIEW: Creation in Death by J. D. Robb

COPYRIGHT: 2007
PAGES: 352
SETTING: Futuristic NYC (2060)
TYPE: Mystery/Romantic Suspense
SERIES: #26 (of full length books) in the In Death series
SENSUALITY: Warm

SUMMARY: [from the publisher]

NYPD Lieutenant Eve Dallas keeps the streets of a near-future New York City safe in this extraordinary series. But even she makes mistakes, and is haunted by those she couldn't save-and the killers she couldn't capture. When the body of a young brunette is found in East River Park, artfully positioned and marked by signs of prolonged and painful torture, Eve is catapulted back to a case nine years earlier. The city was on edge from a killing spree that took the lives of four women in fifteen days, courtesy of a man the media tagged "The Groom"-because he put silver rings on the fingers of his victims.

When it turns out that the young brunette was employed by Eve's billionaire husband, Roarke, she brings him in on the case-a move that proves fitting when it becomes chillingly clear that the killer has made his attack personal. The victim was washed in products from a store Roarke owns, and laid out on a sheet his company manufactures.

With the Groom's monstrous return, Eve is determined to finish him once and for all. Familiar with his methods, Eve knows that he has already grabbed his next victim. Time is running out on another woman's life.

And chances are he's working up to the biggest challenge of his illustrious career-abducting a woman who will test his skills and who promises to give him days and days of pleasure before she dies: Eve.

THOUGHTS / OPINION:
CiD is another excellent book in this series and probably one of the better ones in my opinion. I read this a few months ago and I've had to think about it a while before I could figure out why I liked it so much

My favorite part about this series has been the development of the relationship between Eve and Roarke. In each book they seem to grow and evolve and their marriage gets stronger in little tiny ways as they learn more about each other. But in CiD no further insight into their relationship is revealed. Again Roarke gets involved in the murder investigation as usual, this time because the murder victim was one of his employees and he insists on being involved.

The other reason I love this series so much is the wonderful characters. In previous books Eve's team of detectives works tirelessly to solve the crime while everyone else provide some lighter moments. But in CiD, every character has an integral role in finding out the identity of the serial killer before he selects his next victim. Trina helps with her knowledge of personal skin care products, Somerset provides clues due to his knowledge of the Urban Wars, etc. And of course, Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Mira, Baxter, et al, do what they do best. A true team effort and everyone had a hand in it. The tension builds higher and higher as they get close to finding the killer (spoiler: and his latest victim who is still alive) and I was on the edge of my seat and biting my nails. And the ending did not disappoint. I loved it. Eve kicks ass. Love, love, loved it. I had to skip a bit of the gruesome details but that didn't stop me from enjoying the rest of the book. I don't know how Roberts never fails to entertain me with this series, but really she must be a goddess.

MISCELLANEOUS:
If you haven't read Marianne Stillings' Epilogue in Death, go over to AAR right now and read. It's hysterically funny.

GRADE: A-

March Madness

March Madness is upon us and my team (well, actually my daughter's since that's her alma mater) was Washington State (Cougs) just got knocked out so my interest is the whole thing is nil.

I am participating in the Romance Madness at DearAuthor (DABWAHA) 2nd Chance Pool because I totally missed the first one due to the fact that I couldn't figure out what the HELL was going on. Wow, I really suck at it too. I only have two picks left in the Elite Eight.

One of my favorite sites is GoFugYourself.com. They are doing Fug Madness and it's a riot. Go check it out. They have the Madonna Bracket, Charo Bracket, Bjork Bracket, and Cher Bracket. Go laugh yourself silly.

Wedding Update: MOB dress

Woohoo, just got back from my Weight Watcher meeting and I lost 2 lbs. this week (which included Easter). I was pretty amazed because I was expecting that I had gained weight because of Easter breakfast and dinner. Although I didn't eat any candy, I did have the lasagne, garlic bread, salad, and dessert. In small portions... that must have done the trick.

I had my checkbook out to write a check for the $12 meeting fee and they told me I had made my goal!!!! So no checkee for mee :)

So now I can go buy my MOB dress. I have done a little shopping online at nordstrom.com and I saw a few I liked. I really liked the grecian style with a high waist. Now I find out the MOG bought that exact type of dress. GRRR.

I'm very picky about what I want and don't want:

No spaghetti straps
No satin (if possible)
Length: Short (outdoor wedding - don't want dress to drag in the grass)
Color: some shade of blue or turquoise (complementary color for red) - not too dark
Fabric preference: chiffon
Style: Grecian or A-line (compliments pear shape - yeah, I've got the hips to spare)

All but one of these dresses from Nordstrom, the other one from J. Crew. Okay, so let's go shopping ladies....

Dress #1
Not sure about the halter. My bare back might gross people out :)

Dress #2
I love this color on me. But I'm not sure about the bow on the side. This is a fake wrap dress style.












Dress #3
I like the color and hemline is unusual.



Dress #4
I love the style of this one but the color is too dark I think. I am really trying to find some color more like the others shown here.









Dress #5
Love the color (periwinkle blue) but satin shows every bulge.


Dress #6
I love everything about this dress except the color. If it came in some shade of blue, I would be done shopping. GRRRRRRR!




Dress #7
Love the style and color but again, don't like satin. Can you see her little belly bulge? Well, I have an even bigger one.







Dress #8

This one is from J. Crew and has definite possibilities. Color (aquamarine), style (grecian a-line), and fabric (chiffon) are perfect. But it's only available online so I can't try it on. I may be ordering this one. I can always return it if I have to.





OK, that's what I have so far. I haven't actually tried anything on. I really need to take a day off of work and go shopping at Bellevue Square Mall.

I'll let you know what I come up with.

New Mary Stewart website

Jennie over at Jennie's B(ook)log and her twin, Julie, created a website at MaryStewartNovels.com. It's a great site for all you Mary Stewart fans out there. It has some great features: synopses of her books, cover galley, and (my favorite) a map of settings.

I started reading Mary Stewart in high school. I may have told this story before but bear with me. I was sitting in the school library talking with a bunch of friends. I had a copy of Gone with the Wind and we were discussing what we liked about the book. I said I liked the romantic aspect (although it's not a romance at all). My friend Katie grabbed my arm and dragged me out of my chair over to the Fiction books section and there she pointed at a whole row of Mary Stewart books and said "You have GOT to read these books!"

I said "Which one do I start with?"

She said "Any of them!"

So I looked at all the titles and grabbed Nine Coaches Waiting thinking that this one must have romance. I vaguely recall my thought process:

Coaches = Cinderella = Romance

OK, give me a break, I was 14.

Well, the rest is history. I finished off every book on that shelf over the next few months and then I headed over to the public library to find anything else written by her that our school library didn't have.

I loved the exotic locations (England, Greece, France, Austria), the suspense, and the romance. They were "kisses only" but boy, did my young heart pitter patter over those kisses. They were pretty tame by today's standards but pretty spicy to me as a naive young girl.

Here is my list of Mary Stewart books read with my 3 favorites at the top:

The Moon Spinners (takes place in Crete with a very spunky heroine who was played by Hayley Mills in the Disney movie - I had a major girl crush on her for years after that)

This Rough Magic (takes place in Greece and has my favorite scene on the beach when the heroine meets the hero for the first time who she thinks is shooting at a dolphin she is trying to protect)

Touch Not the Cat (heroine is telepathic and has a psychic connection to the hero, but she doesn't know who he is until nearly the end of the book)

Madam, Will You Talk
Wildfire at Midnight
Thunder on the Right
Nine Coaches Waiting
My Brother Michael
The Ivy Tree
Airs Above the Ground
The Gabriel Hounds
Rose Cottage

I see from the list of MS books that there are a few of her later books that I have never heard of:

Wind Off the Small Isles
Thornyhold
The Stormy Petrel

I need to look for these. She also wrote some historical novels based on the Arthurian legend that never interested me but I had heard good things about them. I think I tried reading The Crystal Cave but it was so unlike her romantic suspense that I gave up. I also haven't read the YA novels she wrote.

Some day I will dig up some of my old favorites and do some re-reading.

Odds and ends

OK, I suck at blogging. I admit it. I have proof. I finally got with the program and set up Google Reader with all my favorite blogs. Turns out all yous guys post way more than me. I can hardly keep up with y'all (that trip to Galveston influenced my accent recently - I love me a Texas accent). Anyway, I will attempt to reform, if possible. I have lots of things to blog about, just a few of which are book related. Maybe I'll hold back on a couple items so I can post two days in a row. Wooeee, wouldn't that be amazing.

First up, Easter. I took the "Lazy Renee" route this year. Instead of doing my usual roast turkey or ham, I decided to bake one of those frozen lasagnas from Costco which are incredibly good. I bought garlic bread, tossed a salad, and cooked up some glazed carrots. There you go... a complete meal with very little work involved. Oh, and I baked a frozen raspberry-peach pie from Remlinger Farms which are fabulous. Top it with Breyer's vanilla ice cream and you are set. There were the six of us (me, Bob, Jason + girlfriend, Angie + boyfriend). I only bought TWO bags of Easter candy (pastel M&Ms, and caramel filled chocolate eggs). Can you believe it?.... I did not have ANY candy. And I took the leftover candy to work. My willpower is truly amazing when I'm motivated to lose weight. I am 1-1/2 pounds from my goal... yup, amazing. I wanted that candy too, really, really, really wanted it. But I resisted. Not one measly little M&M, zilch, zip, nada. It's amazing how you can resist stuff when you know you have to fit into a dress. That's another story I'll post about tomorrow night.

Reading now: Call Me by Alison Kent
This book is a short (only 216 pages) Harlequin Temptation that has been languishing in my TBR for over 4 years. Wow, this rather innocuous little book is blowing my socks off. Why has it been sitting in my TBR for so long? It's funny, cute, and the sexual tension is ... wow. Love the hero (a Texas rancher - yeah, I'm into Texas lately) and his teenager brother is a hoot too. The heroine is rather uptight at first and is still hurting from the divorce from her cheating husband. But she warms up rather quickly. The sexy banter and spicy love scenes are worth the price of the book alone. I haven't found that many categories that are this well done and I'm hoping the last half of the book is as good as the first. If it is, it may end up as an A. We'll see.

TBR Day: Review: Reap the Wind by Iris Johansen

COPYRIGHT: 1991
SETTING: Contemporary
TYPE: Romantic Suspense
PAGES: 532
SERIES: 3rd book in the Wind Dancer Trilogy
REASON FOR READING:
Keishon recommended this book a while back and since the premise sounded very original and intriguing, I tracked down a copy on PBS. Keishon mentioned that Johansen revised this book in 2002 to appeal more to her suspense fans and I'm betting she took out the hot sex scenes and the romance. That's just so wrong. So if you're interested in tracking down this book DO NOT GET THE REVISED VERSION. Get this one (cover shown here).

SUMMARY:[back blurb]

A DESPERATE RACE AGAINST DEATH
Alex. Brilliant Alex Karazov always regarded his wild talent as merely a tool in the high-tech chessboard of wold events...until murder galvanized him into a global cat-and-mouse game that could cost him not only his life but the woman he loves.

A FIRESTORM OF PASSION
Caitlin. Exquisite Caitlin Vasaro created a perfume whose scent enchants and whose fame may endure through the centuries...but her desire for Alex Karazov may rob her of both her dream and her life.

THE SIZZLING PRICE OF FAME
Chelsea Benedict had fought her way from the depths of poverty and scandal to the heights of international film stardom. Now she must fight the biggest battle of her life, to save the man she loves - from herself.

A LOVE FOR ALL TIME
Jonathan Andreas possesses power, fame, and one of the most valuable treasures on the face of the earth. He is willing to risk everything on the greatest gamble a man can dare...or to lose his life in the balance.

For centuries it was spoken of in whispers, a legendary masterpiece of unspeakable power...and immeasurable beauty. But once the winds had swept the stars from the night sky; who would own the Wind Dancer?

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
Caitlin Vasaro owns and manages a flower farm that has been in her family for generations. Due to many problems they are on the verge of bankruptcy and they can't pay their mortgage or make payroll. One day Alex Karazov a wealthy businessman (and ex-KGB/CIA) visits and offers to invest a huge chuck of cash so they can pay off their mortgage and allow Caitlin to market the perfume she has created and calls "Vasaro". Of course there are strings attached but Caitlin accepts the deal.

The reader is aware from the prologue that there is something not quite right about Alex. He is manipulating Caitlin so he can get his hands on "The Wind Dancer" an antique statue of Pegasus that is supposed to have magical properties. I really didn't like him at first because I thought he was a manipulating people user. And I thought Caitlin was way too stupid for falling for the "too good to be true" offer. But eventually Caitlin reveals that she is fully aware that Alex was using her, she just didn't care because she was so desperate to get her perfume to market. As part of the marketing campaign Alex wants to use the Wind Dancer which is in the possession of Caitlin's cousin, Jonathan Andreas.

What follows is a roller coaster ride of an non-stop action packed adventure across Europe. Oh, and Alex and Caitlin fall in love. Wow, and the sex scenes were pretty spicy. I especially loved the first sex scene which followed several chapters of some scorching sexual tension culminating in a fantastic scene in a lavender field. I could almost smell the lavender while I was reading that part. Another scene I liked is when Caitlin is anticipating that Alex is going to dump her so she dumps him first. I don't think that was really his plan but he was acting kind of like a jerk and really needed a smackdown. And Caitlin doesn't take him back right away...she makes him suffer for a while. She eventually takes him back after some good groveling. I liked that *evil grin*.

The only part I didn't care for was the secondary romance between Caitlin's cousin, Jonathan (a presidential candidate) and Chelsea (an famous actress). It wasn't bad really, just unnecessary to the plot and a tad bit unrealistic given we are in presidential campaign season. I wanted more of Alex and Caitlin. But I will say that Jonathan and Chelsea were well written characters along with Alex and Caitlin. And for a book with over 500 pages, this one flew by fast.

GRADE: B+



OTHER BOOKS READ FROM MY TBR:

The Medusa Project (Silhouette Bombshell) by Cindy Dees (B+)
Surprisingly excellent read about a team of women who go through Special Forces training. Non-stop action and seemed very realistic with a romance subplot. My only complaint... I was expecting at least one sex scene... but no, no sex here.

The Warlord by Elizabeth Elliott (C)
After hearing all the glowing praise about EE I was a bit disappointed because hero was a complete ALPHA-JERK! I liked the heroine though.

Movie Review: North & South

I finished the last episode of North & South last night. Now I get it. What all the fuss was about. When I first heard about it from KristieJ I knew I would love it but I went the lazy route and reserved it on my Blockbuster online account. Which took forever. And it has 2 discs so I had to wait a week after watching the first disc.

After watching N&S, I see the similarities to P&P: a dark brooding seemingly cold hero, a headstrong outspoken heroine who takes an immediate dislike to him. A marriage proposal by the hero flung back in his face. The eventual reversal of her feelings for him. But N&S had a much darker tone. This is much more than a love story, although that was the highlight of the movie. It's also a story of class struggle, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the union movement. The struggle of factory workers to survive and raise their families while they worked in horrendous conditions was brought to life dramatically.

The period costumes and cinematography was superb. The music was hauntingly beautiful and the setting in the historic 19th century mill captured the mood perfectly. The scenes inside the mill which showed the "snow" flurries of cotton had a dreamlike quality and were brilliant. Best of all the casting was perfect with some excellent actors giving some wonderful performances. And the acting... just wow. Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret Hale and Sinead Cusack as Hannah Thornton and Brendan Coyle as Nicholas Higgins were outstanding along with several others. But the performance of Richard Armitage as John Thornton was awesome and captivating.

There were many memorable scenes. The scene where Margaret rides off in a carriage in the snow and John stands there watching her leave hoping she will turn back and look at him. The scene where Margaret gets injured trying to protect John from an mob of angry mill workers. And of course, the final train scene. Again, just... wow.

A&E's interpretation of P&P has been my favorite romantic movie of all time. But the ending to N&S was probably the most romantic ending to any movie ever. Completely "sigh-worthy" and even better than P&P's ending. I will always love P&P for a more light hearted version of the ultimate romantic movie, but N&S will hold a special place on my shelf of DVD's right along side it. And it will be a toss up as to which I love most. One light, one dark, two great hunky actors (Richard Armitage and Colin Firth) to drool over.

When I finally get my own copy, I will be watching it again and again.

REVIEW: On the Loose by Tara Janzen

COPYRIGHT: 2007
PAGES: 403
SETTING: Contemporary
TYPE: Romantic Suspense
SERIES: Book 7 in the Steele Street series
SENSUALITY: Hot
REASON FOR READING: I enjoyed most of the other books in the "Crazy" series. Here is the order:
Crazy Hot (B)
Crazy Cool (B)
Crazy Wild (C+)
Crazy Kisses (B)
Crazy Love (A-)
Crazy Sweet (B)
On the Loose
Cutting Loose

SUMMARY:

He's a special agent who never loses his cool.

She's the heat-seeking missile headed straight for his heart.

Keeping cool under pressure is the credo C. Smith Rydell lives by. That’s why he was handpicked by the Special Defense Forces for a mission few men survive. So why has the ex-DEA superstar been reassigned to Panama City, playing bodyguard to a blond in a black string bikini? Except Honey York isn’t your average pampered socialite. She’s the woman Rydell caught smuggling cash into El Salvador four months ago. And now she wants him to take her back.

All Honey has to do is find the guerrilla camp, deliver the goods, and get the hell out of the jungle—all in forty-eight hours. Only one man is up for the job. But sharing an unforgettable one-night stand was nothing next to being stranded with Rydell on some third world mountaintop. And with bullets flying and all hell breaking loose, now is not the time for passion. As if these two could possibly resist it….

THOUGHTS / OPINION:
I have to admit to a great fondness for all the books in the series. The books are not terribly deep but they all been quick reads with non-stop action, yummy heroes, and hot sex - a lot of it in cars ... the front seat, the back seat, the hood, etc. And I believe all the books, if I'm not mistaken, feature heroes who are secretly in love with the heroines. OTL follows this convention as well. C. Smith Rydell is an agent for the SDF (Special Defense Force), and has been assigned as bodyguard to Honey York. But he and Honey have a past history. Four months earlier they shared a steamy one night stand after he rescued her from a dangerous situation in San Luis. The next morning he put her on a plane back to the States determined to forget her, but he carries a little momento (her silk underwear) from the experience in his pocket.

Now Smith must escort and protect Honey on a mission to El Salvador to deliver a pile of money to a guerrilla leader in exchange for kidnapped nuns one of whom is her sister. While there Smith must locate a plane that crashed in the jungle and recover some highly secret information. There is also a backstory of Smith's former lover who he thought was dead, but is stalking him and wants to kill him. The sexual tension sizzles and the action is non-stop and compressed into a couple of days just as all the other Steele Street series have been. Reading this book was like eating a chocolate covered caramel (my favorite candy).... short, sweet, and done way too quickly but leaves a lingering memory of sweetness and a craving for more. Well, maybe not exactly, but you know what I mean.

GRADE: B+

Heat or Ice?

I'm in pain. I work out 3 days a week and yesterday I got to aerobics class late. I normally use 4 pound weights but they were all gone so I grabbed the 5 pounders. I realized this morning that I had pulled a muscle and I ache from my lower neck, across my right shoulder and down my arm to my elbow.

I've been in pain all day.... it just aches like a bad toothache. I have taken 6 ibuprofen, two extra strength Tylenol, and an Aleve over the last 12 hours and nothing works. Not even a twinge of relief. It's just throbbing.

I never know when to use ice versus a heating pad. I hate the idea of ice since I'm already cold. A heating pad sounds good. Must go find it.

It was torturous at work today because I had a test plan to write. If I'm in this much pain tomorrow, I'm staying home. *sigh* God, I feel old.

AAR Reader Poll Results

I'm feeling very smug. AAR Reader Poll results are in and I think I did pretty good at matching the final results in the major book categories. But I sucked at picking the character awards (only 1). Here are the winners and honorable mentions I picked:

Best Romance: The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (it tied with If His Kiss Is Wicked by Jo Goodman which I haven't read yet)

Favorite Funny: Natural Born Charmer by SEP

Most Luscious: The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

Best Cabin/Road Romance: Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard (tied with Driven by Eve Kenin which I have read and loved)

Best New Author: Anna Campbell

Guiltiest Pleasure (honorable mention - tie): Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell

Best European Historical (honorable mention): The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt


Best Contemporary: Natural Born Charmer by SEP


Best S/F & Futuristic: Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair

Best Paranormal: Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh

Best Chick Lit: Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas

Most Tortured Hero (honorable mention): James from Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly


That's 9 winners and 3 honorable mentions I picked. I did better last year because I picked 4 of the character awards.

Go here to check out the final results.

Rest of the Best

Here are some quickie reviews of the rest of my favorite 2007 books that I never got around to reviewing:

Demon Moon by Meljean Brook
I had a hard time reading the previous book in the series, Demon Angel, because of some intense world building full of complex rules that demons, angels, vampires, hellhounds, nosferatu, and guardians must follow. I found it extremely confusing, but I was intrigued enough to keep reading and re-reading confusing passages until I sorted it out. I ended up doing some research on Brook's website (see The Primer) and online reviews with spoilers so that I think I figured things out. Fortunately, DM was much clearer and much easier to understand. The hero Colin is a 200 year old vampire who made this book worth reading on his character alone. He was made by a nosferatu and therefore cannot feed from other vampires so he feeds on humans. Colin is an extremely beautiful man and utterly vain and I was half in love with him myself. Savi is brilliant and fascinating and seemed to be a perfect match for him. The non-stop action kept me riveted to the story and I had a hard time putting it down. It's one of those books where you aren't sure how H/H could get their HEA, but they did and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My grade: A-


Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh
This is the third book in the Psy/Changling series and I liked it almost as well as the first book (Slave to Sensation). Judd Lauren is a telekinetic and a Psy who has left the PsyNet along with his family to escape having their minds destroyed. They have sought refuge with the Snowdancers, a wolf changling clan, and have been accepted into their pack. Judd's mind is still locked into Silence and any emotion causes him excruciating pain. Brenna Kincaid, a wolf changling and member of Snowdancer, first appeared in another book in the series. She had been kidnapped and tortured by a psychopathic Psy serial killer and her mind was invaded. She has now healed physically but she has been emotionally damaged. I love books with the theme centered on the healing power of love. Brenna and Judd are basically emotionally broken. Judd continually tries to push Brenna away and Brenna can't keep away from him because she knows he's her mate. The gradual progression of their relationship and the sexual tension culminating in some very hot love scenes were phenomenal. This book was a great addition to the series and I look forward to Mine to Possess.
My grade: A-

Lover Revealed by J. R. Ward
Butch O'Neal was one of my favorite characters in the previous books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and I was excited to learn that this book, #4 in the series, focuses on his story. Butch, an ex-cop, is the only human who has been living among the vampire warriors of the Brotherhood. He has secretly been in love with Marissa, an aristocratic vampire, since book #1. Butch feels caught between two worlds; he doesn't fit into the human world anymore and the vampires won't let him help in their fight against the lessers. Butch has bonded with the brotherhood, especially Vishous. The action was non-stop and scenes with the lessers was far less annoying than in previous books. The love scenes were hot and steamy but Marissa was a bit of a dull character. Overall, I liked this book and gave it the same grade as the others in the series which is good because at least I'm consistent.
My grade: B+


Play Dirty by Sandra Brown
I haven't read Brown's newest releases lately because she seems to have strayed away from romance and into suspense, but I decided to pick up this book based on a recommendation from Keishon. The book had an unusual premise and I had to give it a try. As the book begins Griff Birkett is an ex-con just out of prison on parole and looking for work. He was a star pro football quarterback when he was caught gambling and throwing games for millions of dollars and sent to prison for 5 years in disgrace. I can't remember a book where the hero was such a thoroughly unlikeable character. Foster Speakman, a wealthy businessman, invites Griff to his home to offer him a job. Foster is a paraplegic and in a wheel chair. His beautiful wife, Laura, loves him and is devoted to him. But Foster wants an heir and he feels nothing from the waist down and cannot impregnate Laura. And he refuses to use artificial insemination. He wants Laura to conceive and deliver a baby in the natural way and has finally convinced her to do just that with a surrogate. He offers Griff 100 thousand dollars to impregnate Laura with an additional 500 thousand when the baby is born and then a million a year after that. Griff is reluctant at first and he can see that Laura is reluctant but determined to go along with her husband's wishes so he finally agrees. This is a suspense novel not technically a romance, but a romance sub-plot is there. I was completely shocked near the end when the villain was finally revealed and it really took me by surprise. Griff's complete story was eventually revealed and he manages to redeem himself a little and I kinda liked him at the end. He turned his life around and started to repair the damage he had done to the people in his life. The action kept me on edge and turning the pages late at night. The ending along with a couple of love scenes are satisfying enough for most romance readers to enjoy. And Keishon and I agree on the grade :)
My grade: B+

Ice Storm by Anne Stuart
This book is Isobel Lambert's story who is the head of The Committee, a covert mercenary organization who employs secret agents and assassins to save the world from nasty low lifes like drug dealers, arms smugglers and terrorists. Isobel has appeared in all the other books in the "Ice" series and has been an intriguing character. Joseph Serafin is an assassin and a dangerous man. Isobel is called on to pull his butt out of trouble in Morocco because they need him for the intelligence he can supply them. But Isobel and Serafin have a past history. She shot him and left him for dead 17 years ago... but he's the only man she has ever loved. I liked this book a lot. Almost as much as Black Ice, my favorite in this series. I like older heroines and I believe Isobel and Serafin are in their early 40's. Both characters are deliciously dark which Stuart does so well. I loved their past history and how it was all revealed to the reader. The action was well done with some spicy love scenes which made it a very quick read. And the ending was also typical of Stuart - a bit spare. She never wastes words on her endings.
My grade: B+

My 2007 AAR Ballot

Here is most of my ballot as promised. I left a few categories blank including Best Short Story and Best Medieval. I read lots of medieval out of my TBR but none of them were 2007.


The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt:
Best Romance
Most Luscious Romance
Best European Historical







Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Favorite Funny Romance
Best Couple
Best Contemporary









Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas
Most-Hanky Romance
Best Heroine
Best Chick Lit







Broken by Megan Hart
Best Erotic Romance









Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly
Best Series/Category
Most Tortured Hero: James Trevenan










Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair
Best SF, Fantasy, or Futuristic
Best Hero: Brandon Kel-Paten











Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh
Best Paranormal









Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
Guiltiest Pleasure Read
Best Debut Author
Least believable HEA







Driven by Eve Kenin
Best Buried Treasure
Strongest Heroine: Raina Bowen








Ice Storm by Anne Stuart
Best Romantic Suspense
Author Most Glommed










Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard
Best Cabin/Road Romance









High Plains Bride by Jenna Kernan
Best American Historical











I'm grateful to all those who help compile the results (including Cindy!) and can hardly wait till AAR publishes them. I have seen a couple bloggers post their own ballot. These are fun to look at and compare favorites so I hope more of you do this.

Wedding Update: Mother of the bride dress

No, I haven't bought it yet. I need to lose at least 10 pounds before I go shopping... just started Weight Watchers again this week. I hope I can stick to it. "One day at a time" I tell myself.

Anyway, I found a picture of a dress that I kinda like but I'd want it in a different color. If you ignore the fake boobs on this woman, the dress looks similar to what I'm looking for. Although I'd want my boobs covered up a bit more. Not appropriate for MOB to look too slutty :).

Here's the link.

The problem now is finding something like this.

Feedback is welcome.

Favorite 2007 books

I just submitted my ballot for AAR's 2007 Annual Reader Poll so using my spreadsheet I compiled a list of my 2007 favorites and thought I would share. Not all of these books actually made it to my ballot but I enjoyed them all to one degree or another. I have reviewed most of these so I have included link. I'm working on quick reviews of the rest.


The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (A)
Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas (A)
Demon Moon by Meljean Brook (A-)
Broken by Megan Hart (A-)
Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard(A-)
Natural Born Charmer by SEP (A-)
Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair (A-)
Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh (A-)
Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (A-)
Demon Angel by Meljean Brook (B+)
Play Dirty by Sandra Brown (B+)
Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell (B+)
Mad Dash by Patricia Gaffney (B+)
Hot Wheels & High Heels by Jane Graves (B+)
Dirty by Megan Hart (B+)
The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (B+)
Salvation, Texas by Anna Jeffrey (B+)
Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly (B+)
Driven by Eve Kenin (B+)
High Plains Bride by Jenna Kernan (B+)
Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb (B+)
Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh (B+)
Ice Storm by Anne Stuart (B+)
Wild, Wild West by Charlene Teglia (B+)

I'll post my ballot later.

Soul Song by Marjorie M. Liu

COPYRIGHT: 2007
PAGES: 331
SETTING: Contemporary - Vancouver, BC
TYPE: Paranormal Romance
SERIES: Book 6 - Dirk & Steele series
SENSUALITY: Warm

REASON FOR READING: I have read the other books in the series (except the short story from the anthology Dark Dreamers) and really enjoyed them.

SUMMARY:

Against her will, Kitala Bell forsees the future. But only deaths, and only violent. Kitala's own future is in peril. From the Ocean's depths rises an impossible blend of fantasy and danger, a creature whose voice is seduction incarnate, whose song can manipulate lives the way that Kitala herself manipulates the strings of her violin...even to the point of breaking. He is a prince of the sea, an enigma - a captive stretched to the limit of his endurance by a woman intent on using him for the purest evil. And when survival requires he and Kitala form a closer partnership than either has ever know, the price of their bond will threaten not just their lives, but the essence of their very souls.

THOUGHTS / OPINION:
I really wanted to like this one.. I really did. I have loved Liu's previous books in the series even though I thought they were a bit light on the romance (and sex). But too many other problems in SS conspired against me and I almost gave up a couple times. Well, I bravely stuck with it and finished it (but at one point wished I hadn't).

The biggest problem: the violence. Too much blood and knives and torture. Maybe my memory is lacking but this book seemed more violent and bloody than all the previous books.

M'cal is a merman which I found very unusual and fascinating. Kitala Bell is a world-renown violinist and is gifted with the ability to foresee the violent death of others. The book starts when Kitala is performing in concert and she sees a woman in the audience with a knife sticking out of her eye! Only Kitala sees this since she has the "gift" and she decides to warn her about her portending murder after the concert (although she has tried this in the past and it never worked out). When Kitala approaches her later on the street, she becomes involved in some complicated events that lead to her kidnapping by some corrupt police officers and rescue by M'cal.

The action is non-stop with several kidnappings of both M'cal and Kitala, separately and together, beatings, stabbings, blood and general violence which takes place all over the city (on land and underwater). An evil witch and her vampire henchman were rather over the top and I never really understood their motivations. In one extremely violent scene, I almost lost my lunch. SPOILER (DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EATING): M'cal gets in a physical battle with the witch and bites off her nose!!! What follows is descriptions of the blood pouring out of her face. Plus he has to spit it out! BLERG!!! I almost lost it right there. Can you believe I finished this book? I'm getting nauseous just typing this. I wish I could burn that memory out of my brain.

One other little complaint: The sex scene was hot but there one only ONE and I kept hoping and hoping there were more so it would make up for all the violence.

Liu's writing is very smooth flowing and rather poetic in descriptions of scenery and emotions but the character's actions and movements were not always clear to me and I found myself confused sometimes. The H/H were well written and believable but I think I would have liked the book a whole lot better without the violence.

I'm not ready to give up on Liu based on one book that didn't work for me. Her next book (7th) in the Dirk & Steele series, The Last Twilight, that has just been released takes place in Africa and sounds really good. Check out Liu's cool website. She has wallpaper and book trailers for the Dirke & Steele series. Very cool.

GRADE: C-