Texas-BookWorm

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

2010-05-19T14:27:00.003-05:00

Savor the Moment is the third installment in Robert's Bride quartet series. I've been following this series from the get go even though I'm not a huge NR fan because I thought the whole wedding planner thing was an interesting concept, especially with a daughter that is going through the process now. The idea is that these four childhood friends have gone into the Wedding business. One is a Photographer, One a florist, one is a Baker and the final one is the juggler/organizer. These girls have been through alot in their lives and are now finding love.

I did enjoy the first two books in the series (MacKensie & Emma's story / The Photographer & Florist) but this latest installment was a bit of a disappointment. This book was the story of Laurel, the Baker of the group who has held a torch for her best friend's brother since she was young. She was not of the same social circle as her friends due to her parent's bad investment and relationship choices but she was never treated as less by either Parker (her girlfriend) or her protective brother Dell. Because she was always part of the group, Dell has always seen her in a brotherly way although in the last book he was surprised when he confused her for a possible hook up before recognizing her as Laurel.

When, after a huge argument, Laurel kisses him the relationship between them shifts and they decide to start seeing each other. Here is where the book goes into a stand still. Literally the story just sits there. They date, Laurel works on weddings, Dell disappears and pops up occasionally to date some more and that is it. Even the night that Laurel decides to sleep with Dell is barely a beep in the life of this story.

I honestly was very disappointed in the book since it had HUGE potential and Roberts just let it slip by. Honestly! Laurel had some self worth issues that were barely poked at except during an argument with one of her friend's dysfunctional mother. Dell had some SERIOUS control issue that were also left untouched. So many openings for conflict and they were left untouched and therefore left the characters with no growth at all.

Here is hoping that Parker's story will wrap the series on a high note because this one was a bit of a disappointment.

I'm alive... and Reading some Baldacci!

2010-05-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm alive. I am still ready (or listening if you are being technical about it).

Haven't reviewed a book in ages but I have been reading some REALLY great stuff this year and have found myself wanting to yell out my wonderful finds for a while. So I'll tell you...

I've been reading some David Baldacci.

I heart this man. He is my Dean Koontz (my sister loves Dean Koontz and reads everything he has been publishing lately). Baldacci really does it for me. I love him.

I noticed he had a new book out last month and when I read about it I noticed that it was a second installment to a NEW series! I had not read the first installment when it was published in 2008 so I had the pleasure of reading BOTH books back to back.

The Whole Truth is the first book in the Shaw & James series. Shaw works for some mysterious govermental agency that may or may not be sanctioned but the current goverment. He has fallen in love and is ready to quit but, of course, that won't be happening... Kate James is a journalist that has screwed up her career and has been swimming in the bottom of a bottle of booze for a while.

When Shaw saves Kate's life she realizes that this guy just might be her ticket back to stardom. That relationship changes very quickly when she realizes that his life is going down the toilet real fast and the story she is after is not worth the world chaos it would cause.

There is a puppet master that is pulling all the strings and it just might be too late for Kate to back away.

The book was wonderful and I loved all the peeps we met. Typical Baldacci with characters that we just love and invest in. Shaw's personal tragedy and Katie's growth make us want more and more and more of them.

This year, Baldacci gave us the followup... Deliver Us From Evil.

For some reason Kate is absent for most of this book so I was a bit disappointed there but we get a good serving of Shaw (still no first name, just an initial).

We are also introduced to Regina who is on a mission to kill all the former Nazi military who have evaded judgement for their past crimes. She is part of a group of assasins that are methodically killing the officers that are known to have killed mercilessly. She meets her match in Evan Waller who is still as much a vicious killer as he was back in his youth.

Shaw is in France to capture Waller who is trying to sell bombs to a terrorist group but finds that Regina (posing as a rich American) might be in danger from Waller. When he gets new orders he has to decide to either walk away from the mess or save the day. His actions put Katie, who is far removed from current events, in the sightline of a psycho killer.

I would have loved more Shaw and Kate but it was enough to tied me over until the next book, which I'm sure I'll have to wait too long for.

Holiday Reading Challenge

2009-12-02T11:36:00.000-06:00

I was reading Ana's blog and she joined a particular Reading Challenge I thought would fit the bill to wrap up my reading year. So, I'm joining too!

Nely at All About {n} is hosting the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge. Here is what she says about the challenge and the guidelines:

As I'm sure you can all tell, I'm in a "Christmassy" mood already. The blog is decked out, my giveaways are up, the iPod is set to holiday tunes, and I'm ready to snuggle up with a... Frappucino (because sadly, it is still too hot in Florida for hot chocolate). But what I'm really ready for is to crack open those holiday books that I have (bows head in shame) already begun buying. I can't help it! I love reading holiday books - they make me feel warm and toasty inside. And I thought what better way to get some of you guys in that same mood then to have (ahem) my very FIRST reading challenge. (Hooray!)

Challenge Requirements:

1- Challenge will start Friday, November 20 and will end Thursday, December 31.

2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

5- To sign up - leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.

6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links and I will allow them to pick a book of their choosing (of course, I will provide a list). Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".

I already have a couple of titles in mind so wish me luck.

October is my FAVORITE reading month.

2009-10-18T20:05:00.003-05:00

I admit I'm a bit freaky. I need a reason to justify my reading paranormal books to an excessive degree. Yes, I read the darn things all the time but during the month of October, I go all out!

I've revisited Kelley Armstrong, discovered Carrie Vaughn and caught up with Patricia Briggs. Werewolves and Witches! Oh My!!

I still have two more weeks of delicious Paranormal reading to go! Yum!!

To Spoil or not to Spoil

2009-09-14T12:41:00.003-05:00

Do you like to be spoiled as to the ending of a book?

I'm reading Scott Westerfeld's YA series 'Uglies' and I'm loving it! The problem is that I wish I could get to the end quicker. Since I'm reading it in Audiobook format I can't turn to the end of the book for a glimpse at how it will all turn out and I'm DYING here!

Yeah, I am spoiler fan. I have no problem reading the end of the book before I get to the middle. Mind you I don't do it often and I don't read the WHOLE ending but I can read the last few pages without it affecting my enjoyment of the book. I'm sure this is because I tend to select books with happy ever after endings.

Funny thing is that I will not do this for mysteries (like my Baldacci reads) which you would think are the books you would really want to spoil. For some reason I acknowledge that these books can have not-so-happy endings and I stay away. Not all character's survive in these books and I find that if I know someone will die I cannot read the book without changing the way I see that character.

But in general, I have no problems turning to the end of the book to get a glimpse of The End.

I feel the same way about movies. I have found myself renting a movie I completed disregarded because someone has spoiled it for me.

So in the end, I love to be spoiled. Sue me!

Where were you?

2009-09-11T10:45:00.005-05:00

I wanted to leave a link from my post over at Textile House about my thoughts on today's 9/11 Anniversary.

Where were you?

God Bless.

Still alive...

2009-09-11T07:50:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I'm still kicking but I've been keeping myself busy (check out what I've been up to HERE).

Work is rearing up for the busy season so I'll be even busier but I have been reading like a crazy woman too. Just not much time to blog my reviews.

I'm looking forward to many fall new releases (picking up Dan Brown's and Gabaldon's as soon as they hit the floor) but it's not just the books that have me anticipating fall reving up.

Gotta make time to watch Bones, Castle, Fringe, The Mentalist, Medium, NCIS and the most anticipated new series this season, GLEE.

I love this series! It premiered this week. We say it's like watching a musical every week! My daughter says that with the line up of Glee after So You Think You Can Dance, it's a night of song, dance and feel good music!

It's sad that it is doomed to get canceled. I jinx most of the series I fall in love with (i.e. Journey man, Eli Stone, Jericho, Tru Calling, Moonlighting, Pushing Daisies, etc) so I'm always careful about getting attached to any new series, but I was hooked on Glee since the sneak preview in May. The first episode did not disappoint. If you missed it check it out on Hulu.com

Since I'm already hooked all we can do is have a little faith. So I leave you with a glimpse of Eli.

And this is why I love my Sony Reader!

2009-08-16T14:46:00.002-05:00

As most of you know I have been trying to go paperless for the last year and I mostly have succeeded. This year, out of 119 books that I have read, only 11 have been paper-books. I think I'm doing fairly well.

When I first looked into which eBook reader I would buy I did some research and searched among those that read the largest amount of formats, because let's face it, eBooks come in different shapes and colors and until the format war was decided I wanted to be able to read all my books in the same device. Well, Sony really did it for me and I have never looked back.

What was great about the Sony Reader was that even though they sold their own format at their eBook store (format was .lrf) it also allowed you to upload .rtf files and .pdf files which for me was a biggie. I can take almost any format and change it to a .rtf file (a real text format is similar to a word document) or a PDF file which made Sony the winner for me.

Well, this past week Sony took the step that us eBook readers have been waiting to hear (from the NYTimes):

On Thursday, Sony Electronics, which sells e-book devices under the Reader brand, plans to announce that by the end of the year it will sell digital books only in the ePub format, an open standard created by a group including publishers like Random House and HarperCollins.

Sony will also scrap its proprietary anticopying software in favor of technology from the software maker Adobe that restricts how often e-books can be shared or copied.

After the change, books bought from Sony’s online store will be readable not just on its own device but on the growing constellation of other readers that support ePub. Those include the Plastic Logic eReader, a thin device that has been in development for nearly a decade and is expected to go on sale early next year.

“There is going to be a proliferation of different reading devices, with different features and capabilities and prices for a different set of consumer requirements,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading unit. “If people are going to this e-book shopping mall, they are going to want to shop at all the stores, and not just be required to shop at one store.”

Yeah... I love my Reader!

Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia Series

2009-08-16T14:28:00.003-05:00

I have been putting this review off for a while now (no reflection on the books, I'm just a lazy bum) but I thought I'd get to it since this series is probably one of my favorites in 2009. First off these books are a YA (young adult) series. I mention this because many people (adults) prefer to leave the YA books to YA, and they don't know what they are missing so I'd thought I'd give a heads up.

To set the scene, the Attolia series takes place among three kingdoms, Eddis, Sounis, and Attolia in an era that likens itself to ancient Greece with all the mythical gods and beliefs firmly in place. The main character is a thief called Eugenides who finds himself in jail more times than he would like.

The Thief (A): We start the series with Gen incarcerated in the Sounis prisons where he was thrown after boasting of and then stealing the King's seal. Gen twiddles away his time the best he can until the King's top adviser comes a calling. The Magus makes Eugenides an offer he has a tough time refusing... Help me retrieve this ancient artifact from this mythical temple or die a long, slow, excruciating death. Hmm... let me think about that one and get back to you. Yeah, Gen accepts.

Off they go, Gen, the Magus, the magus apprentices Sophos and Ambiades, and a soldier called Pol in search of the hidden temple. The story builds up slowly and at times you wonder, where is this going? but Turner has a purpose for everything, from the confrontations with the apprentices "Useless the younger and Useless the elder" to his unlikely friendship with Pol who never seems to fit in. The book just wraps around you and then when you get to the end you have to do a double take because nothing is what it seems... and then some.

Honestly, Gen wormed his way into my heart and kept a firm grasp. He made me smile, laugh out loud and finally gasp in surprise. You really need to start the series with this one because it introduces you to Eugenides and gives you a clear idea of what this mild manner Thief is capable of.

The Queen of Attolia (A): A lot to live up to as the sequel to The Thief, The Queen of Attolia doesn't disappoint. You won't find the silly Eugenides in this one but more of a man dealing with loss. The three kingdoms (Eddis, Sounis, and Attolia) are losing the uneasy balance they have achieved in the past under the pressures of the Mede Empire. No one knows who is to be trusted and the Queen of Attolia, who has had to prove herself a capable queen since she took her throne, finds herself with the reputation of an implacable and cruel monarch which is put to the test when she captures the Thief of the Queen of Eddis.

Gen had been sent to spy on the neighboring kingdom when he was captured. At first he believed that the Attolian's would kill him but was proven wrong when he receives the sentence thieves of old received and is sent home maimed. Eddis is devastated by the pain and loss that Gen suffers and retaliates by declaring war against the Attolians, something that the Mede Ambassador encourages since it falls right into plans with his Emperor

This one is full of political intrigue and alliances made and broken. The author deviates from the single point of view of Eugenides and gives us the Queen of Attolia's point of view as well. Everyone talks about this book as the star of the series because there is so much going on but it really depends on what you are looking for in the book (my favorite is the last book - more on this later).

Like in the Thief, you sometimes have to pay close attention to what you might think are insignificant details because when all is revealed you end up with a WTF? Superb writing and wonderful characterization brings the war and different sides of the confrontation to life as well as Eugenides' pain and in the end the one handed thief still is capable of stealing our hearts.

The King of Attolia (A+): For me this one was the prize that had been promised through the other two installments of this series. I graded the others as wonderful but this one was fabulous! In the King we find Eugenides married to the Queen of Attolia, which makes him... The King of Attolia! but this is not a position that he actually wanted and the Attolian's would want him off the throne too. They show him no respect and think little of him as their monarch, regarding him as a humiliation to all Attolia.

Gen is away from everything that is familiar to him and misses his carefree days but he loves his Queen and will not give up his position by her side. The Queen sees how her people disrespect the man she has chosen to rule with her and knows that the only way that they will change their minds is if Eugenides steps up to the plate and starts acting like the kind his is but he refuses to become King to her Queen.

Love Love Love this one. We see Gen not so much from his point of view but that of a complete stranger. Costis is a guard that eventually gets to know the real Eugenides and little by little finds himself respecting the thief turned king. We watch through the eyes of the Attolians how Gen is perceived and how that perception changes.

I loved the relationship between Gen and the Queen, loved how human she became from the first time we met her in the previous book. I love that she was a strong Queen but also a strong partner for Gen who needs a bit of nudging to get him going. We can see in this book how she matches him perfectly, something we were left wondering in the previous installment. Like the previous books there is a twist at the end that should not catch us off guard because we should have learned to expect this from Turner but still she marvels us with her twists and turns.

This series is my favorite (as of yet) for this year and it's a YA. Doesn't surprise me since last year a YA series was also my favorite for the year (Stephanie Meyer's Twilight). The Thief was awarded the Newbery Honor award in 1997 and each subsequent installment also deserves a prize. If you have not yet read this series, don't hesitate in picking it up, you will not regret it. I recently posted about the announcement of a new addition to this series (more of a spin off as I'm lead to believe) which is centered in the world Whalen-Turner created. It is suppose to release early 2010 and is called A Conspiracy of Kings.

Can you guess I'm a bit excited about that?

A Night with Sherrilyn Kenyon

2009-08-09T05:48:00.003-05:00

There are just a few authors I consider autobuys - which means that regardless what they write I will go out and pick it up automatically due to their proven ability to produce exceptional work. Kenyon is an autobuy for me and her Dark Hunter series is one of two series that are on my keeper shelf and actually gets re-read (on purpose).

Last Wednesday, my daughter Nyshma and I had a chance to meet Ms. Kenyon when her book signing tour brought her to Dallas.

The signing started at 5pm but we couldn't head out to Barnes & Noble until 5:15 which is when Nysh got out of work. Then we battled rush hour traffic for over an hour to arrive at 6:30 for the signing. Kenyon was to have a reading and a short Q&A that we missed but we were able to secure a ticket for the signing (#191).

While we waited, Diana Love (co-author to some of Kenyon's books from the B.A.D series) entertained us with anecdotes and gave out door prizes. We found a cozy corner where we settled in to wait our turn to get our copy of Bad Moon Rising (as well as our copy of Acheron) signed. I pulled out my Sony eReader and finished reading Night Play (I'm re-reading her Dark Hunter series) and started Phantom Lover while Nyshma started reading the new book. On occasion we would pull our noses out of our books to pay attention to the shenanigans happening around us and actually heard our door prize ticket being called. We won a little B.A.D. booklet autographed by Kenyon & Love.

While we waited we also met Sara Reyes from Fresh Fiction who was sitting next to us twittering about the signing for Fresh Fiction. She was so charming chatting us up about the Readers and Ritas get togethers and the DFW Tea Readers group. Susan Elizabeth Phillips (another favorite of mine) will be stopping by their book club in August!

It was finally our turn to get our books signed around 10pm. We spoke to Kenyon for about two minutes but she was a doll. She found Nyshma's name interesting (what a shocker there - this is why she goes by Andrea / Dre) and commented that her own children have name issues as well.

We chatted about her series coming out in Audiobook and that she is trying to get the older books done in that format and how handsome the narrator of Night Pleasure was.... It's funny how much you can chat about in a little over 2 minutes.

Pictures taken and books signed, we waved goodbye to Sara and headed home.
Wonderful evening!

Ice Series by Anne Stuart

2009-08-05T12:09:00.003-05:00

I recently found the excuse to get back into Anne Stuart's Ice Series after reading the first book a few years ago and have found that the books that have followed are a bit of a mix bag for me.

Cold as Ice (A): Genevieve Spenser is getting ready to spend the next few weeks in Costa Rica on a humanitarian expedition but her boss asks her to get a few signatures on some legal documents from their client Harry Van Dorn. Harry, though, is not your regular client, he is a bit of a psycho with a plan for seven worldwide acts of destruction that will yield him a decent profit.

Peter Jensen is an undercover operative of the 'committee' and is in place as Van Horn's personal assistant. He is waiting for just the right moment to end Harry's plans for good but when the prim lawyer comes on board the yacht his plans are shot to hell. The stuck up Genevieve cannot seem to get the hint he keeps sending her to get off the darn boat so Peter is resigned to kill her as collateral damage, but the woman just gets under his skin and even his years as a ruthless assassin cannot bring him to kill the woman that has broken through his ice laden soul.

Although the romance was rushed in this one, the heroine's personality was quirky enough to make it believable. Genny pretended to be a stuck up b*tch because it was the only way to move ahead as a lawyer but she loved coming home and letting her hair down while Jensen was constantly pretend as well, to the point that he almost lost himself completely.

I also like the action on this one, with yacht's blowing up and deserted islands and finally a race through California. I would have said this one was more an action book vs a true romance, but it worked for me.

Ice Blue (C- ): We met Taka O'Brian in Cold as Ice as the operative the can be many faces and that rescues Genny from Van Horn at great personal expense. It's Taka's turn to work on a project close to his heart when he has to recover an antique Japanese urn that a religious cult leader has deemed necessary in a plot to destroy the world.

Summer Hawthorne is a museum curator and owner of said urn. The cult leader was promised the urn by her mother and since it has an emotional connection to Summer, she has setup an elaborate hoax to avoid handing it over to the Shirosama. It is not until the Shirosama tries to kidnap her that she realizes the extent he will go in order to get his hands on the urn.

Taka is out to recover the same urn and is willing to do anything to stop the Shirosama from getting his hand on the artifact as well as the information that Summer doesn't know she has. But when the time comes to kill Summer he balks and everything goes downhill.

The difference between this operative (who I really liked in the other book) and Peter is that Genevieve made the whole I've fallen for you and now cannot kill you believable. There was NO reason why Summer should have fallen for Taka. He showed no emotion and really did nothing that could explain to me why she was hot for him and why she eventually fell for him. The reader knew Taka and could see his struggles but Summer should have had no clue. For some reason Stuart failed to show me how these two fell in love and it took away from the book.

I still enjoyed the action and being a Japanese culture junky, the chases around Japan moved this book from a D to a C-.

Because this last book was such a disappointment I think I need to stop reading this series for awhile so that I will not prejudice myself to book 4 which is the story of Madame Lambert or book 5 which is the story of Summer's sister Jilly and Taka's cousin Reno which were excellently portrayed in Ice Blue.

Format: Audiobook/eBook

Harper Connelly Series by Charlaine Harris

2009-08-03T12:01:00.003-05:00

Ms Harris has me hooked. I love her Southern Vampire series and now I am hooked on her Harper Connelly series. what is fascinating is that the series are completely different, not just in theme but also in the author's voice. Harper is not as light hearted as Sookie is, she has a more skeptical view of the world, a bit more darker, which in turn makes the books more solemn but just as delicious!

Grave Sight (B) : The first book took me a bit to get into but after I got to know Harper and her step brother, Tolliver Lang, I was off and running. Harper and Tolliver come from a messed up home. His Father hooked up with Harper's mom and their efforts to keep the so-called family together united them in a cause. Harper's mom was a alcoholic/drug addict and her father was sent to jail for one thing or another. Harper was struck by lightning when she was a teenager and as a side effect of that experience she has the ability to sense the dead. she does not speak to the dead but can sense when death is near by which allows her to easily find dead bodies. She can also determine the cause of the death by getting a glimpse of the final moments of the victims life. This final quirk comes in handy when Harper is brought in to find the body of a teenager who was suppose to be the second half of a murder-suicide. When Harper find the body of the young girl she knows it's murder but when she stands on the boy's grave it's clear to her that he also was murdered and did NOT commit suicide. This opens up a can of worms because now there is an unsolved murder on the books. The Sheriff of the little town has no problems with this since the girl found was his sister in law. His wife also died several years ago, but he suspects foul play in that death as well (which Harper confirms) and is determined to find out who wanted these sister's dead. The murder mystery just wraps itself around this small town and Harper and Tolliver just get sucked into it.

Grave Surprise (B+) : The second book draws you in from the get go. Harper has been invited to do a demonstration of their abilities at Bingham College by identifying bodies and causes of death in a historic Memphis cemetery. What She discovers among the dead is the body of Tabitha Morgenstern, a young girl she failed to find on a case several years ago. Falling under suspicion in the death Harper and Tolliver must stay in the small town attracting all sorts of characters to themselves..

When the professor that originally invited Harper to the college is found dead in the same grave that Harper had found the other body things heat up and she realizes she must unravel the mystery to clear her name if she ever expect to get out of the town in one piece. This is the book that has Harper looking at Tolliver in a not so sisterly manner and makes us re-examine that relationship too.

Ice Cold Grave (A) : At the end of the last book Harper and Tolliver's relationship shifts a bit and I was so happy I had the next book all lined up to read and I didn't miss a beat.
In this third installment Harper deals with one of her most emotional cases when she is hired by a woman to find her missing grandson. It seems that several boys have gone missing in the small town of Doraville, N.C. and although the local police had dismissed them as runaways the new sheriff, Sandra Rockwell suspects something else. She is proven correct when Harper finds, not just the missing grandson, but all the missing boys (plus two) buried in an abandoned farmhouse. They all had been tortured and abused by a serial killer who is still on the lose. Harper is emotionally drained and would do anything to get away from the horrors she sensed in those bodies but she is suddenly attacked and injured causing her and Tolliver to stay in the town that has become a media circus.

In this book we see the return of psychic Xylda Bernardo and her grandson, Manfred whom we met in the previous book. This book also has Tolliver and Harper discovering that there is no brotherly affection between them but something much more precious.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this series. I cannot wait for more Harper and Tolliver. I was greatly relieved that, even with the popularity of her Southern Vampire series, this series is still active.

We will be getting a new installment in October with the release of Grave Secrets!

Thank goodness I don't have to wait too long!

Books read in July

2009-07-31T11:57:00.002-05:00

I have been doing great on my reading this year with 111 books under my belt but July woud have to be considered a below average month with 11 books read and almost all were audiobooks. I'm still happy with my take since I have already surpassed the total books read for the whole of 2008, so every thing over that is really just topping on the cake.

My favorites this month was the Harper Connelly series by Charlain Harris and biggest disappointment was Anne Stuart's third installment in her Ice series (My only ebook this month and most likely because it took me the whole month to read it).

Discovered Percy Jackson and his gang of misfit Olympians in Riordan's YA title The Lightning Thief which I read for my Thief Challenge. I sent an audiobook copy of it to my nephew so he could prepare for the movie that is coming out next year. I'm looking forward to the next few titles in that series.

Also finally attacked Lover Avenged! I love love love this series. I wish Ward would get them out faster (maybe one every other month would be nice! LOL!) but I'm willing to wait because the quality of her work is fabulous and her world is just getting more and more interesting.

Anyway, I'll update with links as I review them but I've been a bit slow on the reviews to I thought I'd just post my reads for the month.

Simple Genius by David Baldacci (B-)
Ice Blue by Anne Stuart (C-)
Delicious by Sherry Thomas (B)
Keegan's Lady by Catherine Anderson (B)
Summer Breeze by Catherine Anderson (B)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (B)
Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward (A)
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (B)
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris (B+)
Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris (A)
Burn by Linda Howard (B)

Did you read anything interesting this month?

Keegan Paxton Series by Catherine Anderson

2009-07-19T10:12:00.000-05:00

Do you recall my traumatic experience with Catherine Anderson and how I said I would not be picking up her work in the near future? Well it took me a year and a half to get over it before I got the nerve to read her work again. When I finally did read her it was a re-read (Accidental re-read). I decided that this time I was going to post about it so that I won't have that problem again. It also lead me to pick up a sequel to the first book which was new to me!

Keegan's Lady was a very nice read. I found that it had enough bulk to the story to make it worth reading and thus the reason why in many circles it is considered a classic.

Ace Keegan witnessed the lynching of his stepfather and the rape of his mother. He was a mere boy when his stepfather moved the family to No Name, Colorado where he had purchased a bit of land but when he arrived the sale proved to be a hoax and the group men that cheated him on the deal proceeded to accuse him of murder and hung him in front of his family. During the fight Ace was also injured and his mother raped. Ace promises to return one day and exact revenge on the whole lot of them.
Ace finally returns to No Name with a plot to bankrupt the men but ends up ruining the daughter of one of his enemies. His sense of justice and moral upbringing does not allow him to walk away from the situation and he marries Caitlin O'Shannessy without realizing that the girl had suffered at the hands of her dispicable father too.

Caitlin not only was beaten by her father but battered and traded for whiskey which lead to a brutal rape. This has caused her to shy away from any man that was not her brother. She doesn't trust any man and when she finds herself married and surrounded by a gaggle of Paxton men, all of which have a reason to hate her, her life is turned upside down and her nerves stretched to a breaking point. It is with the patience of a Saint that Ace coaxes her to give him her trust and she finds that his every action leads to her surrendering a piece of her heart.

Poor Ace had his hands full with a skittish wife and a brain damaged cat (the poor cat had been damaged by Caitlin's father and led to a few humourous episodes in the book - one of them involving a morning capture of the mouse between Ace's legs).

This book was originally published back in 1996 and it has sustained the test of time such that 10 years later Anderson gave us the sequel - Summer Breeze.

Summer Breeze was the story of Ace's younger brother Joseph who we actually fell in love with in Keegan's Lady. He was the short but burly half brother that made himself look mean so that he could fend off bullies and pass as a intimidating gunslinger. It has been 4 years since Keegan's Lady and Joe has his own parcel of land in No Name. He is trying to make his own way in the world when the foreman from the neighboring ranch staggers into his land with a bullet in his back.

The Hollister's ranch has been mostly empty for five years, since the family had been slaughtered while out on a picnic. The only surviving daughter has been hold up in the house with just Darby (the foreman) as the go between between the world and her. Darby asks Joe to take care of Rachel because he suspects that the man who shot him is the same person that killed her family and will try to kill Rachel too.

Anderson does a wonderful job in describing Rachel's condition and how the relationship between these two develop to a point that the determined bachelor is ready to turn his life around to accomodate Rachel's illness. I also think that the investigation into the shooting was well developed giving us many suspects but not allowing us to really narrow it down to anyone in particular.

I find that Anderson follows a typical formula in her books and I would like to see what she can do when she steps out of her comfort zone. She writes mostly about damaged females and men that come to thier rescue. I think I would like to see the shoe on the other foot or just some more light hearted work. Anyone know of any of her titles that are like that?

I won't be giving up on Anderson completely since these two books reminded me that she is worth reading (just not too often).

Grade: B (on both)
Format: Audiobook

Accidental Re-Reading

2009-07-13T16:25:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if this is a good thing but... have you ever anticipated reading a book to an extent that when you finally get your hands on it, you put aside all other books to read that one just to find out that you already read it? Does that speak to the book being very good or very bad?

This has happened to me twice in the last two months.

The first incident came when after MONTHS searching for a copy of an unabridged versionof Linda Howard's Open Season. All the libraries in the area had abridged versions and I would not hear the short version of the story. I had heard that the book was so good that I didn't want to miss a thing! Well, I finally found it unabridged and what would you know... I had read it years before! Well, I re-read the darn thing becasue I had put too much effort into finding it.

Well the same thing happened to me with Catherine Anderson's Keegan's Lady. I received the book in paperback a while ago but after a recent bad experience with one of Anderson
s books I had decided to forgo the joy of reading her again. I recently ran into an unabridged copy of the book at my library and with the bad experience behind me decided to give the book a whirl. Again, I remember reading the book.

What do you think this is all about? Old age? Bad books ? Both were very good the second time around so I'm not sure what is this all about.

Anyway, Have this happened to you? What do you think it's all about?

Traveling without a book

2009-06-29T14:15:00.003-05:00

Don't you hate traveling without a good book? I'm not talking about air travel (yes, that too would suck) but getting in your car for a long ass road trip without a book. Even when you have great company in the vehicle it comes a time that conversation lags and you wish you could just turn on your book and emerse yourself in the book.

Last weekend I took my daughter to Houston for a job interview and since my parents have been hanging around the house the last 4 weeks (they are visiting from Puerto Rico) I decided to invite them. I'm not sure if the trip was enjoyable for them and although I want them to feel like they are welcome to join me, I sometimes hestitate to invite them because I feel they will not enjoy themselves. This was the case in this instance.

The interview was over in about 10 minutes (she was called in for a second longer interview later this week - way to go Dre!!) but the trip was about 4.5 hours. We then spent the rest of the day scoping out apartments in case she actually gets the job. The purpose of the trip was just that. If we had some time we would have tried to do some touristy things but unfortunately we didn't. So the parents spent the two days in a car and going from one apartment to another (we saw about 7-8) not so entertaining.

Those 4 1/2 hours of traveling were a bit on the boring side since they would not have appreciated listening to my audiobooks and I would have felt so rude turning on the iPod to continue listening to Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord.

So I survived the trip but it made me realize how much I HATE traveling without a good book.

How about you? Do you have some essential you cannot fathom traveling without?

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

2009-06-18T12:22:00.001-05:00

Scottoline has another hit on her hands. Yes, it is not a Rosoto & Associates book but Scottoline has proven that she can step outside of her well known series and provide us with great work nontheless.

Ellen Gleeson is confronted with an adoptive parents worst nightmare when she sees her son's face on a "Have you seen this Child?" postcard. The age progressed image is that of a Florida boy called Timothy Braverman. The boy was kidnapped by a man that has a striking resemblance to the 'father' of her own adopted son. As a seasoned investigative reporter she cannot let the resemblance go and she finds herself jeopardizing her own career to followup on her suspicions even though the road can lead to heartache.

The tension in this story just seems to grow with every step Ellen takes closer to the truth and when you think that this story can go only one way, Scottoline throws us a curve ball out of no where and we end up sitting in the car staring off in space listening with bated breath to what is coming next.

If you didn't get it by my above statements let me spell it out: I loved this book! I could not turn off my iPod; I listened to it all in one day (which should not be a good thing since it was during a work day and then I had to go back and double check all my work).

If you don't know of Lisa Scottoline's work pick up anything in her backlist and you won't be disappointed but if you do, keep in mind that she writes a great ongoing series on a group of female attornies better known as Rosato & Associates so try to find one of her stand alone books (like this one!) so you don't fall into the middle of the series.

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein

2009-06-17T10:35:00.001-05:00

I recently mentioned that my reading for June had picked up nicely. I am edging my way to completing my first challenge in 2009 by reading 100 books. Seeing that last year I read just over 100 during the whole year, meeting this challenge in the first 6 months of 2009 reflects a great reading year.

Now not all is rosey when it comes to reading because among the 100 books there are some great titles (Megan Whalen-Turner's Attolia Series; Kelley Armstrong's Bitten; Nalini Singh's work; etc) but you also have titles that were not so successful (Kay Hooper's CJ's Fate; Michele Bradsley's I'm the Vampire, That's why; Kinsella's Remember Me) and then you have those that disappoint you to the point that you wonder what happened to the author while writing the piece. Especially when the author has consistenetly been a winner in your book.

That was what happened with Linda Fairstien's new book Lethal Legacy. If you follow my blog you will know Fairstien has been a great source of enjoyment for me but Killer Heat really didn't give me the rush her work usually does and this last one... I could not believe how disappointed I was.

The story follows our trio of cohorts Alex Cooper, Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace as they investigate a murder that appears to be related to certain historical books from the NY Public Library. Now I was thinking that I would be loving this one because the whole bibliophile thing and being a big fan of libraries, NY being a weird variety of the ones we visit in our local town, but I felt lost from the get go.

Like for Killer Heat, there appeared to be way to much history thrown at the reader with out any real reason. I just can't see these people sitting around talking about the history of the library in so much detail. I love the history lesson but feed it to me seamlessly through the story. At one point I completely lost track of what these characters were after. Didn't really know what the crime was. Then Alex would mention the victim and I would then recall what was the end game.

The ending itself was very anticlimactic. The book flatlined early on and didn't give a sign of life again. After two disappointments I'm really going to have to rethink Fairstein's newer work. Unfortunately, she will no longer be an autobuy for me but I will still keep an eye on her since I know she has the potential to be great!

Grade: D
Format: Audiobook

Update and News from Megan Whalen-Turner

2009-06-16T09:52:00.008-05:00

Yeah, have not posted in a while but I have updated the blog. Ain't it looking pretty? I am sticking with this look for a while so I hope you all like.

Now on the reading front I have lagged off in May because it was a bit crazy at work and I had a graduation to attend.

I'm a bit proud on that front. :)

But June has picked up quite nicely (except for the last book I read which I will comment later) and yet that is not what has dragged my butt out of slackville to post.

I just heard the most wonderful news over at Avidbookreader.com and I had to share with those that didn't pick it up on her blog. Megan Whalen Turner will have a new title released next year called A Conspiracy of Kings, adding another chapter to the Attolia series. It seems that this one is not focused on Eugenides but on Sophos - it's more a spin off than an actual new installment on the series. You can see the cover and a brief synopsis here.

If you haven't read the Attolia series you are missing out on great work. I first heard of the series around Valentine's day when there were a few posts about romance in the young adult genre and this series was mentioned. I found the premise interesting and looked it up. I devoured the books in short order. I loved the main character of Eugenides and the world Whalen-Turner built around him (a bit like old atlantean/greek mythology type). Gen first appears as the Queen's Thief in The Thief, he falls for the rival Queen in The Queen of Attolia and finally takes his place as King in The King of Attolia.

This new book has gone on my list of 'Most Anticipated Releases for 2010'

If you haven't read the series.. go out and get it so you will be ready for this new book!

Going on a Jet Plane....

2009-05-19T14:06:00.006-05:00

Hi all! Yes I have been missing in action for a while but I have kept up with my reading, I just have not had much time to post my reviews. I'm hoping things will calm down soon but you never know.. I'm not complaining! I am happy that I'm being kept busy at work because there are too many people out there without jobs. I'm blessed to have what I have!

Today I'm leaving for Rochester, NY where my baby girl is graduating from college!
I'm bursting with pride and had to post to share.

My daughter graduates with honors from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) with a Marketing major and a minor in Japanese. As parents we always want for our children what we lacked and to see her graduate on such a strong foot fills me with happiness. She deserves everything she is awarded because she worked hard for it.

Big congrats to Dre!!

Getting to know Kelley Armstrong – Bitten

2009-04-07T16:08:00.004-05:00

How many times we are drawn to the water and refuse to drink until we are good and ready? Too many times to count. With books I have kind of given up the resistance and go with the flow. Most often I’m not disappointed. Thus the case of the series by Kelley Armstrong, Woman of the Otherworld. For the longest time I have read the reviews (the series is on it’s 10 installment) and heard the praise but I kept putting it off. That is until I found the first book in Audiobook. Then there is really no excuse not to read it because selection is slim for audiobooks and I have been listening to the books too quickly to be picky.

I want to just tell you that I loved the book and not really explain why because it’s just too difficult to put in worlds why I loved the book. It’s not chuck full of romance, it’s read in first person POV and many cool characters are killed – what’s there to like?

How about a heroine that feels real? A hero that is not really a hero but you still call him a hero? A book that is not about lovers but about people that love each other?

Elena is the only female werewolf in existence. She was betrayed by her lover when he bit her in his werewolf form without explaining to her what he was and what he was doing to her. She has since struggled to live two lives, struggled to stay within the human confines of society and suppress the wolf in her. She stayed with the pack early on in her change but realized that she could not forgive Clay for his betrayal and leaves to live as a human again. She has developed a relationship with a good man who knows nothing of who she really is and holds down a steady job... When the pack calls her back because they need help tracking down some killer ‘mutt’ (werewolves that are not part of a pack) she grudgingly returns. This is when she feels most threatened, when she can finally let the wolf out.

Elena can’t find her place in the world and Armstrong makes this clear to the reader. The story is strong and the darkness that Elena at times finds her self in is told so clearly that I found my skin crawling. If I could compare Armstrong’s voice I would say that the feeling of this book reminded me at times of Dean Koontz, which is quite a praise. The murders start to pile up and the pack is on the verge of destruction. The mutts want Elena, they want revenge on the pack and they want to take over the territory. No one seems to be able to stop them and Elena must decide what she wants before she loses it all.

Don’t wait to pick this one up.

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Glitter Baby and More by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

2009-04-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

Recently Susan Elizabeth Phillips reissued a novel first published in 1983 called Glitter Baby. It was then followed by her newest release What I did for Love, that coincidently takes place in the same hollywood environment and in which the couple from Glitter Baby makes a cameo appearance.

Glitter Baby (B-)
The book started out very slow with a retelling of Fleur's life and it was a bit disturbing. I had read reviews on this portion of the book and was expecting a really bad taste in my mouth when reading about the pedophile that was Fleur’s father (and step father) but I was surprised to find Phillips wrote it edging on impropriety (edging REALLY closely in some places) but not crossing the line. I will also note at this point that the book although re-issued was not re-written so it is a bit dated in descriptions and the sorts.

After the first portion of the book the story picks up and in a way takes off. The battle between Fleur and her step father, her dysfunctional and, at times, demented mother, her feelings of being too little in her big body, leads to a great story of a woman who fought hard to rise above her past and conquer her future.

Fleur was always led by someone in one way or the other, first by her mother whom she would never want to disappoint and then her father who had never given her the time of day. When she finally sheds herself from her past she emerges as a strong, smart and beautiful woman who is willing to do what it takes to dig her own niche in the world. She becomes a success and in a way that is her own revenge. I didn’t really think of this book as a romance. It was more of a ‘growing’ book.

What I did for Love (B-)
This one takes place in the same ‘Hollywood’ world as Glitter Baby and even had a cameo appearance from Fleur and Jake but the story itself revolves around Georgie …

She was a child actress in a sitcom but lost herself as an adult in roles that mean very little to her. Her father has geared her career into corner where she has been typecast into the funny girl.

Bram was Georgie’s co-star and love interest on the sitcom but his destructive attitude earned him a bad rap that later destroyed his career. He is looking for a way back into respected society but a night in Vegas threatens to kill what has yet to be revived.

Georgie wakes up married to the same man that stomped on her tender young heart as a girl. She also cannot afford a scandal and convinces Bram to stay married for a while as to not add fuel to the paparazzi frenzy that has been hounding her since her husband left her for his most recent co-star.

I actually loved Bram. He was very secretive but I had him pegged from the get go. I had never read a character that entrenched on not falling in love as Bram. He just didn’t see it coming and although his ‘aha’ moment was a bit choppy I really loved seeing him get hit over the head with it. What I did find a bit weak was the final acceptance of Bram by Georgie. If she was so dead set against him the acceptance was just too easy. I also did not really feel much for Georgie throughout the book. I never really connected with her. I did like the secondary characters (like with most SEP books), they just really added juice to this one. Chaz, the homeless girl Bram picked up and employed as his cook, Ernie, Georgie’s overweight personal assistant, Peter, Georgie’s father who never knew how to be a father after his wife passed away and Laura, Georgie’s ineffective agent.

Although What I did for Love had the characters from Glitter Baby they are completely unrelated and can be read separately. Which did I like better? Honestly, both stood on thier own merit and I found them very different. Although Glitter Baby was dated it had a more darker undertone than the newest book but we are looking at 26 years of growth in writting style so I would expect it to be different. The newest book is more of what we expect of SEP now (multiple couples finding love, strong focus on each side of the main couple and thier dysfunctional lives, etc.) and yet we don't see much of the humor and wittiness in these characters as we have seen in Phillips more recent work .

I think both were well worth picking up.

Format: Audiobook

Book Thief Challenge 2009

2009-03-30T11:42:00.005-05:00

I’m adding another challenge to my list. This challenge is hosted by The Young Reader, whose blog I just recently discovered. The blogger is young individual who is enjoying the reading adventure. I definitely want to encourage any literacy in our youth so when I found that a challenge was being hosted, I had to jump in.

This one is more based on a theme and not really much of a challenge since I already scoped out the books I’ll be reading to fulfill the challenge.

Here are the details: (Can also be found here at The Young Reader):

This challenge is all about getting to know the thief. You may pick how many books to read (since I know a lot of you have many other books to read!):

1-3 books ~ Pickpocket
3-6 books ~ Candy Shoplifter
6-9 books ~Bank Robber
9-12+ books ~ Grand Thief

Guidelines/Rules/Notes

* The book can be of any genre (fiction or nonfiction) but must have some relation to thieves/theft. The book can have the word “Thief” in the title, can be about thieves, can involve a scene where something is stolen, etc. Use your imagination if necessary.
* Since this started later in the year, any thief-related books may be added to your current list.
* Please sign up with Mr. Linky. Make sure the link you added leads to your list/post not just your blog.
* Please feel free to use books you read here for other challenges too!
* It’s not required for you to pre-list your books
* The challenge begins today (3/19/2009) and ends December 31st, 2009

I love the categories for the number of books read.

I have two books on my list to start this challenge but I plan to add more. My personal goal is to read at least 6 books to reach the ‘Bank Robber’ status.

1) The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
2) The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
3) The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
4)
5)
6)

Beachcomber’s Series by Catherine Mann

2009-03-15T12:31:00.002-05:00

I picked up the first book in this series as my selection for the AvidBookReader’s TBR challenge and enjoyed it enough to pick up the second in the series.
The series is about three women who became sisters as they moved into foster care. Each girl arrived at Beachcomber with her own baggage and each found a home.

Baby, I’m Yours tells the story of Claire who had a bit of a romantic encounter with Vic Jansen. He is the one that has the real scars even though Claire suffered from abandonment issues. Vic once had a wife and child but when his daughter drowned in an accident his world fell apart. He has an affair with Claire but things get rocky quick and they break it off even though they are both attracted to each other. It’s not until Claire finds herself pregnant that Vic realizes that he will need to risk his heart and trust himself to love again.

This one was a nice well rounded story that picks up in the middle of a romance allowing the story to flow within the short pages of a Category Romance. The relationship was already there and we just needed to get a recap of what happened before. This one landed a solid B and made me look for the next book.

Grade: B
Format: ebook

Under the Millionaire’s Influence did not have the same impact. Star was the troublemaker among the three girls because her road into foster care was the most traumatic. She was not abandoned so to say but neglected. Her parents are still alive and pop in on occasion to suck the life out of her. As a child and teenager she found solace with her wealthy neighbor’s son, David. He had his own family issues but has become a strong man who wants to make a life of his own far from the Beachcomber’s B&B. Star on the other hand will not leave the only home she has known.

The story was very choppy and Star seemed to be all over the place on her feelings. One moment she doesn’t want David, another she wants him. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages because I felt I had missed something and actions were taking place with no forethought. It was just a mess. It was so bad I decided not to look up the last in the series (don’t know if it actually exists but there was still one more sister with a story to tell).

Grade: a solid D (not an F because I liked David)
Format: ebook

Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh

2009-02-20T12:48:00.003-06:00

This series was highly recommended across so many outlets I added it to my TBR pile last year but for one reason or another it simply did not jump off the shelf to get read. Even though I had not read the book I actually recommended it to my daughter who had the same reaction that I did.. egh.

This year the next installment is coming out and I'm sure I will hear everyone raving over the darn series once again and I'll be wondering what the hoopla is all about, so I was determined to read the darn thing!! I have consumed three doses of Singh's Psy-Changeling pairings since the beginning of the year and I'm actually quite hooked.

To give you a bit of a background, the series takes place in an alternate universe where the races are subdivided between the humans, the Psy and the Changelings. Humans are easy to define, they are humans. Changelings can be divided into different categories depending on the animal they have the capacity to change into (wolf, leopards, jaguars, deers, hyenas, etc), and they all share that animals special trait (strong sense of smell, great night vision, speed, stealth, etc). They live in a pack like society and seldom relate to other packs, yet they share a common dislike for the Psy.

The Psy is the top of the food chain. It is a race of beings who have had all traces of emotions wiped. They developed a conditioning called Silence which eradicates all feelings from the individual creating less emotion driven reactions in their culture. At first this was done to erase violent behavior that was triggered by uncontrolled emotions but they noticed that emotions could also affect their judgment in business and politics, so it became a society trait. To make this world a bit more complex, the Psy can also be sub-classified based on their additional 'gifts'. These designations can range from an M-Psy (healers/ scientist), F-Psy (foreseers), Tk-Psy (telekinesis), Tp-Psy (telepathic), E-Psy (empath), etc. When you have highly developed abilities you have a specific designation called Cardinals. If you are a Cardinal you are prized w/in the Psy society. The Psy are interconnected by the PsyNet where everyone's subconscious is linked in a Matrix-like environment which is governed by a council of Cardinals. The Council's word is law and they are not judged by any one. They make the decisions that rule this unusual society.

Complicated enough? In an effort to save some time I'm going to give just a short run down of the three books I've read until now.

Slave to Sensation (A) : The first in the series tells the story of Sascha Duncan, a Cardinal of the Psy world who is fighting an internal battle to hide the fact that her emotions are not as 'Silent' as they should be. She has been told all her life that she is 'flawed' and fears that if anyone discovers that she is actually 'feeling' she will be sent in for rehabilitation (which leaves the rehabilitated in a vegetative state). She is put in a more difficult position when she is put in charge of the first Psy-Changeling business venture and has to work closely with one of the most passionate men she has ever met.

Lucas Hunter is on the prowl. The Alpha of the Dark River leopard pack is hunting a serial killer amongst the Psy and the business venture that brings a Psy Cardinal to his door is the best way to infiltrate the closely guarded ranks of the higher Council (Sascha's mother is a Council member). What he didn't expect was that the Psy in question feels more than she lets on and it doesn't take long before the alpha in Lucas wants to claim her as his own. When another female is abducted from the Snow Dancer's pack - a rival wolf changeling group, it become a race against time to discover who is the killer, who is covering for him and if the Psy Lucas has given his heart to can be trusted.

There are some series that really don't need to be read in order. This one is not it. This book is essential to the whole storyline and those that are to follow. We not only get to see the strain between these two races in this book but the events that take place here open a subplot that carries on to all the other books. Similar to the J.R. Ward's Lessers and Kenyon's Dark Hunter plight. The Psy Council wants to be the last one standing and will do anything to stop the flow of information. Sascha needs to find a way to break away from the PsyNet to survive but if she does break free it will punctuate a severe flaw in the Net, one that opens the door for others to rebel. It is with this book that Singh introduces us to her world and those that inhabit it, promising us a wonderful ride into that Psy-Changeling world.

Visions of Heat (A) : This installment takes place a few months after Slave and follows Faith Nightstar as she struggles with similar feelings of instability as Sascha had but with the peculiarity that Faith expects insanity as her fate. As a foreseer (F-Psy) insanity is the final frontier - so to say. She is being considered for a post on the newly vacated seat in the Council but she is hiding the fact that she is seeing visions of death and torture instead of market gains and fluctuations (which is what the foreseers are used for since 'the Psy no longer have crime'). As her senses are very delicate she has lived most of her life in isolation and it is here that Vaughn finds her.

Vaughn is a jaguar that joined the Dark River leopards after suffering a tragedy that marks his life. He has pledged his loyalty to Lucas and his fellow changelings. He is intrigued by Faith and feels drawn to her but he questions her motives in seeking help controlling her visions.

The complexity in this relationship is what put meat on this book. Faith cannot withstand physical stimuli because it overwhelms her mental shields. To do so can lead to complete mental and physical breakdown, yet Vaughn pushes the edge of her boundaries over and over. He is determined to claim her as his own but he has to walk a fine line to extract her from the Psy world intact. And the Psy is not willing to give up Faith as easily as they did Sascha because Faith represents a strong flow of income. All this and another Psy murderer is on the lose but this time the victims are not a random selection but ones that make the killer feel threatened.

I simply loved the push and pull Vaughn had with his 'Red' and Singh didn't bore us with another Psy disappearing from the Net, but figured a way to get Faith out of the Psy's reach in a very believable manner.

Caressed by Ice (B+) : This one was a bit different. The Psy in question is already out of the PsyNet and he has been living as part of the Snow Dancer's pack for a while.

Judd was an Arrow, an elite team of assassins, when part of the Net but he's family was marked for 'rehabilitation' when his sister killed herself showing signs of deteriorating conditioning. It was believed that the problem was genetic and every one of the Lauren's received a sentence of rehab. Judd was not amongst them due to his elite status he was not even acknowledged as a Lauren but he ran to protect his family, a weak sign as it is. the Laurens were the first to discover that the Psy could survive outside of the PsyNet if they can connect to another type of Net that could provide the neurological feedback that is needed for a Psy to function.

Although he has been out side and part of the wolf pack for some time, he is really not accepted because he is not tactile. He refuses to break conditioning, but in many ways he does. He was part of the team that helped Sascha and Lucas bring down the Serial Killer in our first book and it's that female that brings him down.

Brenna was violated in the most horrendous manner for a Changeling. She had her mind raped and her body tortured to a point where she was barely functional when finally rescued, but she has fought her way back. Now there has been a murder in the Den. She had seen the murder take place in her dreams, it made her part of the killer and the death simulates what had been done to her. She finds that the only person that can keep the demons away is Judd. His cold nature does not sugar coat anything for her, but it infuriates the wolf in her.

This book was very closely tied tot he first two books. Judd had some serious issues because he was not only mentally programed in Silence but he was physically attached tot he conditioning where shards of pain would be sent to his body every time he felt anything outside of Silence. He also had a problem WANTING to break Silence because his particular 'abilities' could have him kill without really wanting to. If he felt anger too strongly, or felt any negative emotions he could inadvertently kill who ever was close by. The book itself was slow at the get go but when Judd started to give in to Brenna's insistence the story just took off! There is a lot of development of the subplot here, a lot of foundation put in place for the next few installments of the series so you really can't miss these first few books.

I'm getting ready to start the fourth book Mine to Posses and then Hostage to Pleasure. This will bring me up to date with the series and prepare me for the release of Branded by Fire, a cross over between the Snow Dancer wolf pack and the Dark River leopards, coming out this July.

Shards of Honor by Lois McMasters Bujold

2009-02-17T08:26:00.001-06:00

This month the AOM for my yahoo reading group pushed the edges of Romance and made me step into a realm I don’t typically read. There is a big difference between the sci-fi aspects of a book like Justin Davis’ Sky Pirate and Lois McMasters Bujold’s Vorkosigan series. One is focused on the romance and the other has the romance squeezed into the story.

Shards of Honor is not well known outside of the Sci-fi genre just because the books that followed quite overshadowed this one. It is better known as the first part of the omnibus that is Cordelia’s Honor. This installment tells the story of how the parents of Miles Vorkosigan (the hero of the series) met and fell in love.

Cordelia Naismith is commanding a scientific expedition from Beta Colony on a newly discovered planet when her team is attacked by Barrayarans. She finds herself captured by Aral Vorkosigan, better known as the Butcher of Komarr. She later discovers that the attack was mostly for his sake and that there is a plot to get rid of the honorable warrior.

Aral has molded himself from the environment he has lived in and has sharpened his teeth on the political intrigue that has surrounded his planet. He is a strategist and has no patient for those he perceives as weak. In Cordelia his assumptions are put to the test and his beliefs challenged when he discovers her strength and moral values, something unexpected among her race.

These two have been stranded on this new planet and without being able to trust anyone, they must rely on each other to get out of the dangerous situation they find themselves in. This trust serves as a foundation to the relationship they develop and need to survive, not just the trek to safety but the ensuing political plotting on both ends of their race (but mostly on Barrayar).

For such a short book it did hold quite a bang and a lot of things were squeezed into its pages. I think I need to re-read the book because even though I got the gist of it, I think I missed a bit. So many things kept going on and the time line of events kept jumping forward that it was hard to grasp how much time had elapsed between one event and the other. And yet the book was very satisfying, very engaging and opens you up to want to find out what else is going to happen.

Grade: B-
Format: Audiobook

The Next Great Read....

2009-02-15T10:10:00.001-06:00

I have been thinking about this for the last couple of days and finally thought I'd put it out there. I have been having a another great month in February with only half the month gone by and 11 books under my belt. The amazing thing is that many of the books have been actually wonderful reads. I think I have 5 books with A's and just a few in the C's. So it's not like I'm not enjoying what I read and yet I feel I'm missing something.

I feel I'm looking for that next great read.

Have you ever felt that way? You are enjoying what you are reading but you know that it will not be a story to haunt you for years to come. It is not an automatic classic in your eyes.

The last book I read that will stick with me for a VERY long time was "The Host by Stephenie Meyer". Yeah, she has become almost a cliche for her Twilight series (You either love her series or you hate it - and I loved that series) but her venture into adult fiction was what solidified her for me. She just did it for me. Her Wanderer, searching for her own place among the friends and family of her host, her loyalty to Mel and her selflessness will be with me for a long time.

I recently read Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr and although the book gardnered an A it did not impact me the way I wanted it to. Yes, it's a must read. Yes, the characters left me wide open for more. Yes, I already have Ink Exchange (the sequel) on my iPod for reading but I feel myself still searching for that next great book.

I honestly think I'm addicted to the rush I get when I'm in the middle of a book and discover that this one is it! This is the great read. This is the one I can talk about until I'm blue in the face and still be excited over it. The one I have to curb the urge to buy three or four copies and send them out into the world so that everyone can read it.

So.. With that said... Have you found your next great book? If you have, can you share it with me? I think if I don't get a fix soon I'm going to go into withdrawal.

Have you seen the Pretty Cover?

2009-02-08T09:56:00.000-06:00

It’s not so much that the cover is the coolest cover out there, it’s the fact that this cover is for the new Jamie and Claire book. Yes!!! Can you hear me squeal in delight! Ms. Gabaldon recently posted the US cover on her blog and I had to share.

Amazon has a tentative (I try to focus on this part so I won’t be too disappointed if it gets pushed back) date of September 22nd for the publishing of this new installment of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

It’s been too long since we have heard from Jamie and Claire. I miss them terribly!

On a side note and while we are the topic of the Outlander series… My wonderful sister Brenda bought me the first two installments in Audio! Yes, I have the CDs. Yes, I can listen to Davina Porter bring my favorite all time characters to life WHENEVER I WANT!!!

So now back to Echo … keep your fingers crossed for publication this year. Send Gabaldon good vibes.

Fragile by Shiloh Walker

2009-02-05T15:03:00.000-06:00

Last month I had a great reading month but I honestly had a terrible blogging month. I have been remiss on my reviews for the last few months and I will admit that November and December were due to work and the holidays but January gives me no excuses. So, I'm determined to put in at least 5 posts per month from this point forward. So let's start with a new release from one of my favorite authors.

Fragile arrived at a bookstore near you on the 3rd of February. I was fortunate to receive an ARC which let me read it in January. and before I go on... Don't you just love that cover!

Fragile tells the story of Devon Manning, a social worker who is struggling to keep her head above water. She carries a dark past which makes her push away those that wish to develop any type of relationship with her. Devon was orphaned at a young age and put in the care of her Aunt who was not much of a care giver. She was abused by her Aunt's boyfriend and eventually kicked out of the house. By the age of 13 she was an addict headed on the road to nowhere. She was 'saved' so to say by a social worker that cared enough to look past the façade that she had put up. This inspires Devon to follow in that work, to be that one person that stands between a battered child and a system with too many cracks. She spends a lot of her time in the hospital rescuing those children. And it is there that she meets Luke.

Luke is looking for something. He has not been able to put his finger on what is missing in his life but he knows that he needs to find it soon. His life was never one of distress but he surrounds himself by those that need rescuing, especially his twin brother, Quinn, who had the unfortunate luck to have been raised by their alcoholic mother. She stole him from the hospital after birth, leaving a weaker Luke in the care of his father. Luke has stayed close to Quinn since he came back into their lives at the age of 11, but after Luke gets injured in the armed forces they head their separate ways. Luke finds military life empty and seeks meaning to his life, so he studies medicine and becomes a doctor.

Luke falls hard for Devon and she allows him to creep into her life. They develop a fragile relationship where Luke gets to play the role of hero and Devon gets face some of the fears she has been holding onto for most of her adult life.

If you think that this is where the story lies you would be wrong. The meat of the story lies in the suspenseful thriller that takes front and center by the middle of the book. Devon's work leaves her open to many people that might carry a grudge. Not every one appreciates some one meddling in how you raise your child, especially those with the propensity for abuse. This is why no one really pays much attention when she develops the attention of a stalker. No one that is, except Luke, who has the feeling this is more than just a disgruntled parent looking for payback.

The suspense is strong and when you think you know who's done it… you need to guess again.

Walker brings her talent for angst to the pages of this book but I think there was too much misdirection to keep me from being blown away as I was with The Missing. The most flawed / damaged of all the characters was the one that attracted me the most. Luke was very much the man who wanted to solve everyone’s problem, his super hero attitude pulled me away from really caring for him. It could be that I felt he wanted to take over Devon’s life in the guise of protection.

Devon had much baggage but she was holding her own. Her background gives her the characteristics of a strong female and the beginning of the story gives us a glimpse of that person – when she opens up to Luke and lets him in, but as the story moves forward she becomes just an image of the woman she was. There is an explanation for her 180 at the end of the story but we don’t get the chance to justify her behavior and get our feelings in check before then. It made me lose my admiration for her character and the explanation at the end was not enough to pull me back to my original opinion of her.

I also thought that the villain really came out of no where. I know that it would have killed the suspense but I felt we were being pushed into one direction and then forced into another at the last minute. If you are driving a car and try a maneuver like that, you just might fall off of a cliff.

Regardless of these 'weaknesses' the book kept me glued to its pages, it made me really think about these characters and what I expected from each one. It made me question my judgment on each and every one. I was never sure if I really knew the character or if I was being led on a merry chase.

Walker recently announced (see her post here) that she would be writing romantic suspense for Ballantine Publishing. I think this is definitely right up her alley. She can definitely keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages to uncover the true villain of the tale.

If you haven’t already picked up Fragile, don’t miss out, it will have your heart pumping until the very end.

Grade: B-

Format: eBook

Counting Down to 100 +

2009-01-30T00:00:00.002-06:00

For my 100+ Reading Challenge I need to post my reads to date. Since I really don't get around to reviewing ALL my books I thought I would post my reads per month.

This will help keep a tally of how things are going toward my Challenge Goals and will let you all know my reading for the month.

I'll then have a chance to go back and add the links to the books that I review. I will post the grade the book received even though I haven't posted the review.

January: Great month with 23 books read. Started a new series (Psy-Changeling by Nalini Singh) and had some closure on another (Merry Gentry)

Club Dead	Charlaine Harris	B
Over the Edge	Suzanne Brockmann	C+
Tech Support	Jet Mykles	B
Feels So Right	Carol Lyne	D
Snagged	Jet Mykles	B
The Strength of Three	Annmarie McKenna	DNF
Swallowing Darkness	Laurell K. Hamilton	A+
Out of Control	Suzanne Brockmann	B+
Slave to Sensation	Nalini Singh	A
Inkheart	Cornelia Funke	B+
Lost Duke of Wyndham	Julia Quinn	B
Back From Hell	Shiloh Walker	B
Fragile	Shiloh Walker	B-
Mr Cavendish, I Presume	Julia Quinn	B-
Menange	Emma Holly	B-
BodyGuard	Suzanne Brockmann	B
Visions of Heat	Nalini Singh	A
Into the Night	Suzanne Brockmann	B
Baby, I'm Yours	Catherine Mann	B
3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys	Lucy Monroe	B
Irresistable	Mary Balogh	C
My Darling Caroline	Adele Ashworth	B-
Bacchus	Jordan Summer	C-

February: Keeping the momentum going with 16 more added to the list. Loved the last installment to the Camel Club series by Baldacci. This is a great suspense series and is highly recommended across the board. Also continued with my Dark hunter and Troubleshooters re-reads. I’m trying to catch up to the series at some point so I can read the newest additions.

March: Adding 16 more to my total. I’m finally caught up with the Troubleshooter’s series. – from this point on they are new books for me. It was a great reading month but the quality of the reading was not up to snuff.

April: Can you believe I added 21 books to my books read list? Yup. Discovered Megan Whalen Turner this month and I'm in love!!

May: Just 8 books read but that in itself is a miracle! My baby graduated!! Yup crazy month but very happy and proud.

June: Back on my game with 16 books read. None that jump out as winners but good titles none the less.

July: I discovered that Charlaine Harris can write more than just vampire books. Started reading another series by her that is just fabulous. Haper Conelly is a unique character that gets herself into just terrible scraps. I also read the latest J.R. Ward book!! I LOVE my Brotherhood boys!! Got 11 books under my belt.

August: Out of the 13 books read this month 4 were re-reads. I'm trying to catch upto my daughter in her Dark Hunter reading. We met with Sherrilyn Kenyon in Dallas so I had to get into the mood. I also opened the door to another new author, Robyn Carr. Her Virgin River series is just wonderful!

September: Excellent reading month in quantity (19 books read) but not so much in quality. Best of the bunch was Scott Westerfelds Uglies Series. Tally and her Pretties kept me engaged.

October: Yup! October is here and the best reading was done. Read 16 books so it's not about the numbers but quality was regained. Discovered authors like Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, Meljean Brooks, etc. I also started another Charlaine Harris series, Lily Bard kicks a**

November: November only brought 7 books to the finish line but all were A's with exception of one B+ and a B-, so that was not too shabby!!

December:

Challenges for 2009 Part 5 - 100+ Reading 09

2009-01-25T12:23:00.003-06:00

Last but not least I’m joining the 100+ Reading challenge. Last year I read 110 books and was very happy so I expect to hit that number w/o a problem – although you never know when life can get in the way of your reading.

Here is the info on this one:

100+ Reading Challenge

http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/

The 100+ Reading Challenge will be hosted here this year. Here are the guidelines:

1) You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading your books prior to 2009.
2) This challenge is for 2009 only. The last day to have all your books read is December 31, 2009.
3) You can join anytime until December 31, 2009.
4) If you don’t have a blog, please join our Yahoo Groups.

5) When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your 100+ books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.

6) All books count: children’s, YA, adults, fiction, non-fiction, how-tos, etc.
7) Feel free to post in the comment section or on Yahoo Groups your monthly progress as well as your favorite books that month.

I'm keeping track of the books on a separate list here:
Count Down to 100+

Okay, so those are my challenges for this year. There were so many great ones out there… audiobook, ebook, etc but I felt like I was cheating by signing up since they would have been so easy and then they wouldn’t be much of a challenge!

Good Luck on your reading Challenges in 2009!!

Challenges for 2009 Part 4 - TBR Themed 09

2009-01-25T12:12:00.003-06:00

I love themed book challenges but 2009 did not offer a challenge of that nature so I was about to create my own challenge when I ran into AvidBookReaders TBR challenge.

The details are more difficult to post so I recommend you visit the site to hear more about it. AvidBookReader Blog - TBR Challenge

There is one hitch... There is a specific day to post the reviews… I guess that might be a problem but I’ll wing it and see how things go.

January: Category – Baby, I’m Yours by Catherine Mann
February: Keepers as definied by AAR – Gone too Far by Suzanne Brockmann
March: Historical Romance – Secrets of a Summer’s Night by Lisa Kleypas
April: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal – Bitten by Kelly Armstrong
May: Friends to Lovers/Unrequited Love –
June: Tortured Hero -
July: Wrongfully Accused/Just released from Jail -
August: New Authors/Old forgotten Authors -
September: New Authors/Old forgotten Authors -
October: Horror/Suspense -
Novemeber: Thanksgiving -
December: Holiday -

Challenges for 2009 Part 3 - TBR Lite 09

2009-01-25T12:04:00.001-06:00

The TBR challenge is going 'Lite' this year since this was too restrictive for me last year. It seems many others found it iqually restrictive and the host decided to accomadate us with slightly different challenge:

TBR Challenge Lite

For those who love the original TBR Challenge, but need a little less “pressure” on their reading, the TBR Challenge *LITE* offers you that option!

You have your choice of ONE of the 3 options:

OPTION A: read 6 books in 12 months ~ your list of books CANNOT be changed, but you are allowed to have an “Alternates” list to choose from (like in the Original TBR Challenge).
OPTION B: read 6 books in 12 months ~ you CAN change your reading list throughout the year
OPTION C: make up a list of however many books you think you could get read in 12 months, as long as they are from your TBR stack/list, and then read them between January 1st and December 31st. You must have at least 3 books on your list.

Some Other General Guidelines:
- You are allowed to overlap with other challenges
- Audiobooks are allowed
- e-Books are allowed, but must still be books that you’ve wanted to read for at least 3, or more, months
- You should still have a list of books posted somewhere for others to see
- You don’t have to read your books in the order you put them on your list

http://tbrlite.wordpress.com/

Option B:
1) Inkheart by Funke
2) Lost duke of Wyndham by Quinn
3) Lover Avenged by Ward
4) Caressed by Ice by Singh
5) Mind Game by Feehan
6) Divine Justice by Baldacci

Challenges for 2009 Part 2 - Pub 09

2009-01-25T11:58:00.004-06:00

Second on my List of Challenges is for those books published in 2009. Sponsored once more by 1morechapter.com

Pub 09

http://1morechapter.com/pub/

Here are the 2009 rules:

1. Read a minimum of 9 books first published in 2009. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audios, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2009, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2008, and then published in the USA in 2009, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2009. Any questions on what qualifies? Just leave a comment here, and I’ll respond with the answer.
2. No children’s/YA titles allowed, since we’re at the ‘pub.’
3. At least 5 titles must be fiction.
4. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
5. You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.
6. Sign up below using Mr. Linky.
7. Have fun reading your 2009 books

1) Burning Wild by Christine Feehan (6/09)
2) Fragile by Shiloh Walker
3) Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann (4/09)
4) Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis (3/09)
5) Dead and Gone by Charlain Harris (6/09)
6) Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstien
7) Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
8) First Comes Love by Mary Balogh(6/09)
9) What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Update: I have completed this challenge although I have not reviewed many of the titles.

Challenges for 2009 Part 1- Triple 9

2009-01-25T11:20:00.002-06:00

Some challenges are just great to motivate you and others make you resent having to read. I take challenges to be in the first group and so I decided to join just as many challenges this year as in 2008 but with fewer restrictions.

The first challenge I joined was this year’s version of Triple 8. It’s called Triple 9 and here are the rules:

Triple 9 Challenge

Read 9 books each in 9 different categories in 2009.

1. Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2009.
2. Choose 9 categories of your own that you would like to read 9 books EACH in.
3. You will be allowed 9 overlaps (books that fit into more than one category).
4. You may overlap your titles with any other challenge.
5. You may change your list or your categories at any time.

To make it harder --- If you need more of a challenge…Complete all your books by 9/9/09

http://the999challenge.blogspot.com/

Group 1: Paranormals:
1) Swallowing Darkness by Hamilton
2) Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
3) Back From Hell by Shiloh Walker
4) Lover Avenged by J.R Ward
5) Dance with the Devil by Kenyon
6) Kiss the Night by Kenyon
7) Night Play by Kenyon
8) Fangs for the Memories by Kathy Love
9) Bitten by Kelly Armstrong

Group 2: Young Adults:
1) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
2) The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
3) Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
4) The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
5) Vampire Academy by Mead
6) The Uglies by Westerfield
7) Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
8) The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
9) Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Group 3: Suspense
1) The Appeal by John Grisham
2) Divine Justice by David Baldacci
3) Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
4) Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstien
5) Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
6) Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner
7)
8)
9)

Group 4: 2009 New Releases
1) Lover Avenged by J.R Ward
2) Fragile by Shiloh Walker
3) Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann
4) Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
5) First Family by David Baldacci
6) Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstien
7) Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
8) Burn by Linda Howard
9) What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Group 5: Published on or before 2000
1) Bodyguard by Suzanne Brockmann
2) Menage by Emma Holly
3) Iresistible by Mary Balogh
4) Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (1983)
5) Undercover Princess by Suzanne Brockmann
6)
7)
8)
9)

Group 6: Series/Category Romance:
1) Baby I’m yours by Catherine Mann
2) Price for Passion by Susan Napier
3) Reckless Conduct by Susan Napier
4) Accidental Mistress by Susan Napier
5) In Bed with the Boss by Susan Napier
6) Under the Millionaire's Influence by Catherine Mann
7)
8)
9)

Group 7: Books in Series:
1) Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
2) Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh
3) Naked in Death by JD Robb
4) Confessions of a Shopoholic by Sophia Kinsella
5) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
6) Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
7) Split Second by David Baldacci
8) Tempted by His Kiss by Tracy Anne Warren
9) First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh

Group 8: New Authors
1) Salve to Sensation by Nalini Singh
2) Baby I’m yours by Catherine Mann
3) My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
4) The Bride Bed by Linda Needham
5) Shards of Honor by Lois McMasters Bujold
6) Fangs for the Memories by Kathy Love
7) Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis
8) An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan
9) Darkest Fire by Gena Showalter

Group 9: Historicals
1) Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
2) Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
3) To Sin With a Stranger by Kathryn Caskie
4) To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt
5) To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt
6) It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
7) Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
8) Duty and Desire by Pamela Aidan
9)

Some categories are easier to fill up while others will remain open until I run into a book that might fit the bill.

I have decided to break up this post on challenges so that each challenge will have it's own link.
Keep your eyes out for the other challenges.

One challenge I won't be posting about is the Chunkster Challenge. I was keeping an eye out so I could join on time but reading the rules it does not allow for YA books (which I think should not have been put as a limit since some of us love YA books and read them a lot) and it also restricts the chunksters from being Audiobooks (which I also think unfair but I can understand since some people don’t consider Audiobooks as a valid reading vehicle) – so that challenge is out!
:(

2008 Challenge Wrap-up

2009-01-04T15:31:00.001-06:00

Running a bit late on this one but better late than never!

In 2008 I joined several challenges that had mixed success. Even those I didn't complete I still enjoyed and I have plans on repeating the exercise again in 2009.

Wrapping up the year I'll start with a run down of the challenges for 2008.

Triple 8 Challenge - 8 books in 8 categories in 2008.
For my categories I had selected Anthologies, Audiobooks, Romantic Suspense, Paranormals, Published before 2000, Series Romance, Young Adults and New Authors. I completed all categories except Anthologies. It's the category that I suspected would give me the hardest time but I noticed that Romantic Suspense was also difficult to complete. Still I really enjoyed this challenge and I will be joining it again in 2009.

To Be Read Challenge (TBR) was another challenge I missed from completing. I was one book away. I honestly did not enjoy this one because the restrictions were too tight. You had to select your reading list out the door and you could not change those you selected. I am not always in the mood to read certain books and the ability to change my list is important to me. That is why in 2009 I'll join a lighter version of this challenge which will afford me some more flexibility. I think you should read what you enjoy and if I'm forcing myself to read something it feels more like homework that pleasure.

I missed completing The Classic Romances by one book as well. This one was not bad but it became an afterthought more like - hey I have a challenge.. let me see if I have read any of the books on the list. I think I'll pass on this one.

Book A Month was the most challenging of all my reading challenges (no pun intended), I missed 3 themes on this one because I just could not find a book I wanted to read for that theme. I missed the first month's theme because I signed up late (TIME) and then I missed May (MOTHER) and July (INDEPENDENCE). Yeah, that last one should have been a no brainer but in July.. Could not think of ANYTHING to read with that theme,

I completed all my other challenges with plenty of time to spare....

Pub 08 - 8 books published in 2008
Stephenie Meyer mini challenge - read all of Ms Meyer's books in 2008
Chunkster Challenge - I didn't officially sign up for this one but I still did it. Had to read a few BIG CHUNKY books and all the Twilight books qualified.
100+ Reading Challenge - Read 110 books in 2008 so I did get to meet this challenge as well.

This wraps up the Challenges that I signed up for in 2008. I have not posted all the reviews for the books that I had pending but at this stage if the game it's unlikely that I will, so I thought I'd just post the wrap up and move on.

2009 Challenges will be up soon.

Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich

2008-11-19T15:04:00.002-06:00

Was looking for a book about Thanksgiving and the only thing I was remotely interested in reading (and could get my hands on) was Evanovich's Thanksgiving. This title was recently re-issued and can easily be found on your local bookstore’s shelf.

What was nice about this story was that:
1) It was about your everyday people. Megan Murphy is a local pottery artist and Patrick Hunter is the town's pediatrician.
2) They weren't so ordinary as to bore you. Megan has been engaged 3 times (if you count her first engagement at the age of 5) but gets the boot EVERY time. Her bad luck with fiancés stem from the fact that her parents tend to push the relationships on her. Patrick is not the handsome doctor but the guy that is every girls best friend. The 'cute' boy that has a rabbit as pet.
3) And this book is not full of crazy things jumping at you at every conceivable opportunity (which I associate with most of Evanovich’s work)

Megan meets Patrick when his rabbit escapes and crosses path with her. She goes to return the pet and while she is there one of Dr. Hunter's patients shows up and his parent abandons the boy into the Dr. and his 'wife's' hands.

The Mother promised to be back for her son in two weeks and Megan agrees to help with the infant so that the child does not have to get into the foster system. During the time that they spend together pretending to play house, they fall for each other.

Megan is a bit weary after having being dumped at the altar the last time, and Patrick is not sure he is in a place in his life that he can have the luxury of a wife and maybe children. But the parent's descend on them for Thanksgiving as well as an ex-boyfriend and a bit of stirring up takes place.

The book was entertaining and very short which allowed me to listen to it from start to finish in about 4 hours (unabridged!). Not too over the top, but not a title to blow you away.

Grade: C+
Format: Audiobook

Booking through Thursday - Presents!

2008-11-06T21:23:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I joined in on a Booking through Thursday but this one jumped at me because it's about books as presents, and as Deb celebrated her b'day today (Happy Birthday!!!), I'll be celebrating on Monday. So let's talk about Presents.

What, if any, memorable or special book have you ever gotten as a present? Birthday or otherwise. What made it so notable? The person who gave it? The book itself? The "gift aura?"

My daughter used to get me books for my birthday or other occasions all the time. I keep my wish list updated on Amazon so anyone can just pull it up and see what I'm waiting for. This was before I started going paperless. The problem I have with books as presents is if the book was REALLY bad, I will be stuck with the book for forever more. I will not giveaway a book regardless of how bad it is because it was a present.

Now the book that immediately comes to mind when I'm thinking of a gifted book is The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It's the last book Dre got me and I recall she said it was to be a book we read together (I read it and then I share it with her) but I haven't read it. I really wanted to read it at the time and now that I have it, it's waiting it's turn.

Other books that I've gotten as presents, Megan's Mark by Lora Leigh, Carrie's Story and it's sequel Safe Word by Molly Weatherfield, books by Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker (she got my the earlier Hunter books in PRINT!). These titles will always be on my shelf because they are gifts and it's not about the words between the cover but the person that put it in my hands.

And the Winner is......

2008-11-03T05:30:00.006-06:00

Thank you all for dropping by and participating in The Missing Giveaway.

Based on the Random Integer Generator at Random.org:

Random Integer Generator

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Timestamp: 2008-11-03 04:16:28

Comment #5 takes the book - That would be Brenda who said:

me,me,me!Pick me!

# Posted by Brenda at 12:34 AM, November 02, 2008

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!!!

Those that did not win the copy I was giving away, don't forget that Shiloh has a give away going at her site for those that pre-order or purchase the book during this week (READ ALL ABOUT IT). I hope you don't miss out on this one.

Oh! And don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!!

The Missing by Shiloh Walker & Give-away

2008-10-31T21:52:00.003-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of reading Shiloh Walker’s newest book The Missing and my first impression was Wow! I enjoyed the book to the extent that I am eager to share it with you all. Since I cannot give away my own copy I’m going to purchase a copy to share, so make sure you read on to get details.

Now to the Review:

Taige Branch has had to live her life in isolation because she is 'gifted' with psychic abilities. She has the ability to 'see' things. As an orphaned teenager living in Gulf Shore, Ala with her religious zealot of an uncle, her prospects are low, as is her patience for the summer boys that come to vacation at the beach front town. Until one of those boys proves to be more than just a pretty face with deep pockets.

Cullen Morgan is not from old money and he lives in a loving family so he knows how a girl should be treated. Regardless of her social standing, they deserve respect, so when he encounters two boys trying to rape a local girl he is compelled to step in and help. That the girl is the one that recently saved the life of a drowning boy bowls him over. He discovers that there is more to the girl than the mysterious air around her and over the summer, he falls in love. He returns to her every summer and every summer their love deepens. 4 years after they first meet, tragedy strikes at the heart of Cullen's family and with his heart torn he lashes out at Taige, destroying her faith in him.

At this point the book jumps forward 12 years, where Cullen has become a successful writer. He is a single parent of a 9 year daughter who appears to have some 'gifts' of her own. Taige also has achieved success but in a whole different area. She went on to college and after graduation became a consultant for the FBI on a special task force that helps the missing. She uses her abilities to find the lost but at a great emotional price. She has learned to master her gift but every time she uses it to save a child or to find one that is already lost, the toll weighs heavy on her.

Over the years she never has forgotten her only love and although she believes she loved more than she was loved, she dreams about him often. Vivid dreams that haunt her. They are more disturbing to her than the monsters she saves kids from. Unbeknownst to her, Cullen has been dreaming about her too. Dreams that wake him in the middle of the night, that make him yearn for the girl he chased away, that make him relive the loss.

When Jillian, Cullen's daughter gets abducted, he remembers those dreams and knows that Taige is the only person that can help him. When he shows up at her door she knows what he is looking for but seeing him again doesn't make it easier to accept. She would never say no to a missing child but knowing that the child is Cullen's makes the case more compelling. But there is more to the kidnapping than we are first lead to believe, there have been others that have gone missing, and the children share a commonality, something that has made them a target and if Taige cannot stop the madman, there will be even more lost.

The story is not just about lost love that is found again. This is a thriller that has you on the edge of your seat. The desperation that Cullen feels when he loses Jillian is palpable; the distress that Taige goes through every time she taps into her gift has you tensing. The villain is well hidden and you don’t suspect who it is (or I didn’t) until a little before it’s actually revealed in the story. But when his deeds are unveiled you feel him. The feeling was like when I saw Silence of the Lambs and Clarese was talking about the lambs being slaughtered. The same hushed disturbing visual, the same screams giving me the chills.

The relationship between Taige and Cullen is VERY believable. They have never really been apart, although they never realized it, because they have been linked through their dreams. So when he demands a place in Taige's life it doesn't come off as arrogant or presumptive. Cullen knows he messed up but he also knows that the love they had is still there. Taige's reluctance in accepting Cullen's feelings could have been annoying but Ms. Walker did not dwell upon that and made the reader know that Taige knew in her heart the truth but her mind rebelled against it. The internal conflict she felt for Cullen just made the story more grittier.

The book was reminiscent to works by authors like Sandra Brown. It was all about the romantic suspense. The darkness in Taige's visions, the evil the villain committed and the pursuit to find that person had you keeping your eyes glued to the page and refusing to put the book down.

I can't imagine the effort it took to write this, because I was exhausted by the end of the book. Like when you tense yourself for so long your body is tired when you finally relax. One of the best Romantic Suspense books I’ve read this year.

Grade: A+
Format: eBook

Now to the Giveaway, I really felt the need to share this one with you all so I will pick at random one name amongst those that leave a comment (make sure you also post your email address so I can contact you) and send them a brand new copy of the book when it’s released on Tuesday. Since postage can be pricey I need to limit this to those in the US.

Shiloh Walker is also having a giveaway at her site for those that pre-order their copy of The Missing or buy the book on release week (READ ALL ABOUT IT) where you can win, not just an ARC of her next release Fragile but also a $40 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice and other goodies.

So, to give you a chance to get in on her giveaway, I’ll be picking my winner by Midnight EST on Sunday November, 2nd. That way if you didn’t win my copy, you can still pre-order your own copy and get in on Shiloh’s Giveaway.

I know you will enjoy this book as much as I did, so post away!

Go. Vote!!

2008-10-30T18:24:00.004-05:00

So I was reading my subscriptions in my Google Reader and Karen Knows Best had posted about voting. It really hit home and I went out and voted. No it’s not Nov 4th but in 31 states there is early voting and Texas is one of them. You can vote early and miss the long lines on Tuesday but you have until Oct 31st to get ahead of the crowds if not you NEED to get out and Vote on Tuesday (Yes, it's almost here - This coming Tuesday!!).

This is one of the most important elections in my lifetime. The Economy, The War, HealthCare, Gay Rights, Gun Control… Too much is on the line for you to leave that decision in others hand.

Did you know that 537 people decided the 2000 elections? Did you stay home that year and let others decide your countries fate? Do you realize that there are more than 537 people at the supermarket at any given time on a Sunday. That's how close it was.

Check out the Video and… Go. Vote!!!!

Anthology - Hot Spell

2008-10-26T12:22:00.002-05:00

The great thing about going paperless is that you can take a book and break it into small books. Like an Anthology. Essentially an Anthology is just a book that is divided into several smaller tales. For some reason I can attack four short stories better than one big one.

Yes, it’s the same thing but just like a 200 question test is overwhelming when you break up that test into 4 - 50 question tests it becomes do-able. This has been my plan of attack for those Anthologies I challenged myself to read in the Triple 8 Challenge.

Since we are in the month of October and I am all about paranormals this month I thought it appropriate to tackle a title that has been sitting in my TBR pile forever. Now that I got it in ebook I chopped and split it up into 4 really great stories. There really was no loser in this one, but that should not have surprised me since all but one were well loved authors.

Let’s start with the one author that was new to me:

Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brook: (A) This is the first in Brook’s Guardian series. Anthony Ramsdell would prefer to do anything than to serve as the personal physician to a Major General in the peninsula but the Earl of Norbridge had paid for his studies and he now owed him his livelihood. This was a small price to pay for the future the Earl had put in his hands. Two days before departing Anthony has a strange encounter with Emily, the Earl’s daughter, who he has secretly loved for many years. She is furious with her father and in a rebellious act, seduces Anthony in the library. He promise to return from the war and put thing right, if she will have him. But that was not meant to be.

On the battlefield in Spain he and a friend are attacked by a vampire and he sacrifices himself to save his friend. His sacrifice is not in vain since a Guardian give him the option to either die or serve in protecting humanity. Either way he is not to return to the life he knew. When Michael (head Guardian) pulls Anthony from his training months later, it is because a Nosferatu (a rouge vamp) has attacked the Ames-Beaumont searching for a sword. His friend Colin is about to turn and his sister, Emily is in danger. Michael goes against Guardian law and asks Anthony to return to earth to resolve the matter. This one was the best of all the tales. It was a strong story that did not feel like a short. It was so well written it makes me want to pick up the rest of this series immediately.

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh: (B+) Another story that did not feel like a short. There were villains, love, character conflicts, even some in-laws and yet I didn’t feel rushed at all! I am a big breeds fan and this title was a treat. Tarek Jordan is a breed in hiding and acclimating to normal life has been a difficult transition.

His current assignment is to search for a trainer from the Breeds lab that had murdered many of his brethren. His current problem is his neighbor, Lyra Mason. She has gotten under his skin and he would do anything to get some of her coffee and fresh baked bread in his belly and if he can get a piece of her as well, more the merrier. Lyra has a few big brothers that are trained Seal soldiers that might not appreciate his intent but if the lady ain’t complaining? In just a few pages I was feeling Tarek’s isolation, his need for more than just a romp. Lyra was feisty and having grown up with overprotective brother, strong willed. She could handle anything thrown at her and more and when she made up her mind to have Tarek, breed and all, she never backed down. Loved her!

The Blood Kiss by Shiloh Walker: (B+) Roman Montgomery is the An Ri Mac Tire, Wolf king of Wolf Clan Montgomery and his brother has been abducted, well not really but almost the same. Seems his little brother Steve ventured into Vamp territory and the House of Capiet has taken him as a prisoner for trespassing. In reality they are testing the new king and Roman rises to the challenge.

When Roman arrives (in secret) to rescue his brother he finds out that there is a celebration that is taking place as Lord Eduard presents his blood child to society, what surprises him most is that the daughter in question is the same young woman he has seen earlier in the plaza painting tourists in a street stand. She had attracted him at that time and now she is revealed to be the daughter of his mortal enemy. Well, he won’t let such a little thing as a long standing feud stand in his way.

This one had so much story in so few pages you could have blinked and you might have missed something but Roman and Julianna (a play on Romeo and Juliet) held their own. Loved the character of Mikhail, a truly old soul that needs a story of his own. Maybe he already has one and I just have not read it. I need to search for it since this book was published several years ago.

The Countess Pleasure by Emma Holly: (B) And last but never least, Emma Holly’s contribution. This one was the most difficult to read just because it takes place in an alternate universe where there are demons and alternate life forces.

Georgiana DuBarry, The Countess of Ware is a widow with the exceptional quality that she is still a virgin (although honestly, if you read enough romance you will ultimately agree that this is not such an exceptional quality). She goes to Bhamjran (the equivalent to Vegas) with the hopes she will discover passion and not regret having put that off for the sake of her husband. She has heard great things about the striptease preformed by Lyan and wanted to see for herself.

Lyan was trapped into the degrading profession after his mother was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. He is force into indentured service until the crime is paid in full. When he finally believes that his debt is about to be paid, further charges are pressed and he looks to a future with no freedom. He has never prostituted himself but when the woman that stirred his blood during his performance approaches him with a proposal he cannot deny himself.

Even though the whole – I slept with you and you turned my world around enough to make me love you- is a line I hate to accept, this story had other things going for it. Yes, Ms. Holly is queen of eroticism, but not just was the sensuality of the story red hot, the world building was very interesting since it paralleled our own world back when the Irish were seen as less, the black were unworthy. The prejudice against the demon race was a great twist to your typical short.

This anthology was definitely worth picking up. If you haven’t had your serving of the paranormal variety this month reach out for this one. Every tale was a success!

Grade: B+

Format: eBook

Tagged!

2008-10-25T10:12:00.004-05:00

So Marg tagged me to post Seven Random Things About Myself and since I learn from others I will not procrastinate in posting because, based on what Marg says these things have the potential to grow!

Random thing about myself…

1) I've lost 40 pounds this year!! Yeah Me! Last year I had said I wanted to be a size 12 by Xmas and my sister thought that joining a Gym would accomplish this. Instead of being a smaller size at the end of the year I had gained! I was almost a size 18 (I was squeezing into my size 16s, and buying stretch jeans so I wouldn't have to go another size up. I told my sister that she could do whatever she wanted but this year I was joining Weight Watchers. She reluctantly agreed to join me that first week and the rest is history. She has lost 60 pounds and I am wearing a size 10 (with 9 weeks left until Xmas).

2) I feel a bit inept in my new job. I started a new role at work in September and after 8 weeks I still feel like I have no clue what I’m doing. I get the work done, I sound competent when I'm talking but the insecurity is just under the surface. The position was a promotion and I guess I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, like "What were they thinking in giving me this responsibility"

3) I'm going paperless. Yeah, I've put most of my paperbacks up for trade in Paperback swap and I'm working to replace them in eBooks. This definitely reduces the space issue I have had trying to store over 300 paperbacks in a closet with my clothing. I will say that I'm loving it. I put more books than I can read in a month on my Sony 505 eReader and I don't have to worry about ever running out of books to read when I'm about to finish a title. If you haven't thought about getting an eReader, think about.

4) I back date my blog posts. If you haven’t noticed the dates on my posts, pay attention next time. I have a problem having the same date on several posts (yeah, I’m anal) so I spread out the posts across several dates. Sometimes it takes forever to post my reviews but then I’ll go crazy (like this weekend) and do some major catch up so I back post them to better coincide with the date I read the books.

5) I like watching Korean soap operas. I started watching Anime with my daughter when she was in high school. I realized there was more to Anime than Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon. There was Anime targeted for adult audiences (not in the porn variety but in the mature variety – although if your into it you can find X rated anime). I got my hands on a Japanese soap opera (usually an 11 episode series) and realized that I liked it. They were like watching a season of some TV show but instead of the season lasting 22 episodes and returning after summer – these lasted 11 and there was not return. After watching a few Japanese shows I discovered that Koreans had a larger variety of shows and better quality of actors. So I watch them often and love them.

6) I do all my computer work in bed. I don’t have a desk in my room and that is where I have the most privacy, so I have a small lap desk where my laptop lives. As soon as I get home from work I jump into bed and start catching up. In the morning, I open my eyes and my computer is right there next to me. I have a desktop on a small table in my room (yeah I have 2 computers in my room) but I don’t use it much because it’s old and I don’t have a proper chair to sit in front of the machine. I use it just for printing. So, I do everything from my bed (and this is why I had gained so much weight).

7) I have another blog that I use for my crafty adventures. These are mostly related to my quilting (which I haven’t done in a VERY long time) but I thought I’d feel more motivated if I could talk about my hobby, so I set up a new blog (http://textilehouse.blogspot.com/). I’m currently working on two quilts, one is a hush hush project and the other is a quilt for my cousin. Feel free to drop by.

So there! I shared 7 things bout myself, some of you might already have known this but others might have just discovered a new side of me.

Who will I tag? I’m tagging three ladies that share my passion for reading at different levels:

Samantha.1020 (Sam’s Book Blog) ; Brenda (Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe) ; Dre (DEFENESTRATE... (and other musings) )

The Hollows Book 2 & 3 by Kim Harrison

2008-10-20T00:09:00.002-05:00

I’ve been reading Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series and unfortunately it’s not something I can review without some MAJOR spoilers. So here is a short breakdown of the books without revealing too much:

In The Good, The Bad and The Undead, three months have past since the events of the first book, Dead Witch Walking. No more hunting Rachel and she is finally making a name for herself but there has been a string of murders taking place in the city and they have been focusing on ley line witches. The FIB contracts Rachel to go undercover as a college student and snoop out their major suspect and since Sara Jane's boyfriend is among those missing she feels obligated to accept the job (Sara is Trent's secretary who in book 1 helped Rachel when she was captured as a Mink).

Glenn, the chief of police’s son is assigned to partner with Rachel, since she is not 'officially' working on the case. Immediately Rachel sees connections between Trent and each murdered witch, making him #1 suspect in her book.

A lot of bad mojo goes down in this book. It’s the beginning of the end for Rachel’s relationship with Nick. She mistakenly makes him her familiar so he feels everything as she funnels power from the ley lines through him and in the final battle Rachel forges an alliance with Kisten, Ivy's old boyfriend and Piscary's scion. The bad mojo that I mentioned earlier leaves Ivy very damaged and Rachel indebted to the Daemon Al (the demon that tried to kill her in book 1). She has committed herself to become his familiar in exchange for his help in escaping the ‘bad guy’

We really have no clue who this bad guy is until the end and I must say Rachel is one daring witch to have been able to walk out of that confrontation alive.

Grade: A

In Every Which Way but Dead our third helping of the Hollows there is a turf war taking place after the evil one from TGTBATU is put away. Quinn, Trent’s bodyguard cannot protect Trent during a meeting with a rival gang because he was bitten by a vamp in the previous book and he is vulnerable to their lure, so he hires Rachel to take his place (like she is not vulnerable).
Rachel has to pay her debt to the daemon Al and becomes his familiar, to do so she negotiates the release of his current familiar, an elf called Ceri. In the process she tricks the daemon and Al does not like that. Rachel has a unique genetic build that allows her to do daemon magic even though she is just a witch and this is why she is so valued as a familiar to Al.

We get to know a lot about Trent in this one as well as discover a lot about Rachel’s past (like the tidbit about her genetic markers). Every book makes Trent a little less evil and more a guy with his own fears and his own vulnerabilities. Rachel also develops a relationship with Kisten after Nick walks out on her. She has a huge argument with Jenks at the end of the book leaving the relationship with him fractured.

I found this to be the weakest installment so far. It seemed that there was plenty of action with Rachel battling her daemon in hopes to keep her soul intact and the turf war that brings a few new characters to the fold but neither of these story lines could sustain the book. Still you cannot skip any of the books since this series is so tightly woven you would miss a lot of info you will reference in the future.

Grade: B-

Both of these books were read in Audiobook Format

Body Language by Suzanne Brockmann

2008-10-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

Not all series romance can be winners, not even with Suzanne Brockmann's talent to back you up.

Clint McCade is heading home or better said to the only home he has really known. He has discovered that after many years of traveling around the world as a videographer / photographer his heart belongs where ever Sandy Kirk is and he is not wasting another moment. He heads out to tell his childhood friend that she is the one for him but gets a little surprise when he arrives.

Cassandra Kirk grew up on the wrong side of the tracks always yearning for more. She wanted everything the country club set had to offer and then some. But one thing she wanted above all else was the heart of her best friend McCade. He flew around the world from job to job and from skirt to skirt but he never saw her other than his best friend. Well now Sandy is leaving that love behind and pursuing something more real.

When McCade shows up at her door she confesses that she is finally in love but the guy has no clue she exists. McCade hides his disappointment in arriving too late to claim his own love and suggests to Sandy that he help her attract this man's attention. He says that her problem is all in the body language. She sends blaring signals to this guy that she is not interested. He suggests that she practice with him, pretending they are a couple and using her body language to reflect her interest in him.

Yeah, you can follow the premise from here. She realizes that she still has feelings for Clint, Clint thinks he is unworthy, yada, yada, yada. Writing was good, this is a Brockmann, but the plot was so used and old I could have stop reading half way through and I would have know how it ended.

Grade: C-
Format: eBook

Awakening Beauty by Amy Fetzer

2008-10-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

Another AOM selection, this one for the month of September. This was a short series romance that really impressed me.

Lane Douglas appears to be a dowdy bookkeeper but there are secrets she works hard to hide. She has done a great job until Tyler McKay crashes into her parked car and he sees more than he should.

Tyler has been burnt before; he was just about to marry a woman who wanted him only for his money. Luckily he discovered the truth before it was too late but he has developed trust issues (obviously) and has been swinging from girl to girl until he discovers Lane. Lane actually wants nothing to do with him. She avoids him like the plague and this just makes her someone he wants to know more about.

With the help of his family and friends he coerces Lane into taking part of the small town’s celebrations. He gets enough time with Lane to prove to her that he is the good guy he appears to be. Still he knows she hides something.

Lane knows about getting burnt. She gave her heart to the wrong man, a journalist who was not really looking for money but fame. Her man destroyed the career she loved and exposed her family to an investigation into possible mafia ties. The press had a field day until she disappeared. Now she fears being discovered but her attraction to Tyler is enough to have her risk stepping out from the shadows.

What I really liked about the book was Fetzer’s writing. The story is old and recycled many times over but Fetzer makes it seem fresh. Laney is smart but also afraid of getting hurt. Tyler is charming and a bit of an idiot at the end but his character jumps off the pages.
I always pick up these short stories with hesitation just because you can always go bad with so few pages to work with but I will say Fetzer did a great job showing us how these two learn to trust again and how that lead to love.

I have several more of her titles in my TBR pile. I won’t hesitate in pulling them out when I want a quick read.

Grade: B
Format: eBook

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe

2008-10-12T12:31:00.002-05:00

Pick this one up as my AOM selection in July. I read it back then but had not gotten around to posting about this title. I had heard many great things about this series and when Abe was selected as AOM I had my excuse to pick up the title.

There is a thief running around London. A thief rumored to have the ability to disappear into thin air. London police are beside themselves with no clue to go on.
Christoff, the Marquess of Langford has more than a clue. Leader of the Dra'kons he recognizes the thief as a 'runner' who has fled Darkfirth. Dra'kon laws forbid dragons to step out of Darkfirth and as their leader it’s his duty to bring the thief back and he has the best bait out there, the Langford Diamond. A diamond so full of mystical lore that the Dra'kon in the thief would not be able to resist steal.

Clarissa Rue escaped Darkfirth once and has no intentions of returning. A society more antiquated than London itself, Rue can only see her future decided for her if her secret is discovered. With the Dra'kon heritage dying with every new generation born, females with the purest blood are considered Alphas and are destined to marry the pure blood males. Although Rue's blood is very much mixed, she is the first female in generations to have the ability to withstand the Turn. There are no female dragons flying the skies and if discovered she would be forced to take her place as Alpha female among her kind and marry Christoff. She would never be free again.

When the diamond arrives Rue knows it’s a trap but feels confident that as a woman she would never be discovered. She doesn’t want to steal the diamond but she does want to see Kit, who she has always loved but was found unworthy as a mixed blood to even lick his boots.

She is discovered by Kit himself, who yearns the freedom runners search for but is forced by his responsibilities to his position and his people to stay behind. When he realizes that Rue is his true Alpha he knows he must have her. When he discovers that she is Clarissa, the young girl he watched as a child, his determination doubles. She brings life to his existence and her fierce spirit sings to him. Now he needs to prove to her that he loves her for her self and not for the fact that she can Turn.

These two learn to trust each other and love each other as they pursue another runner who has in fact stolen the Langford Diamond in a bid to negotiate for his freedom.

It had been a while since I read a book that mixed Fantasy and romance so well. The world Abe built balances the romance very well. I did find Rue a bit on the annoying side at times and Kit was very arrogant as well but the romance was great and the scenes where they took dragon form were wonderful. I think the book could use less prose to tell the story but all in all I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Grade: B-

Kill and Tell by Linda Howard

2008-10-10T11:02:00.002-05:00

I had this title in my TBR pile forever. I picked it up when I found out it was the first installment in the series involving John Medina the hero in the first Linda Howard book I had ever read, All the Queen's Men. This book introduces us to his character when he is drawn into the murder investigation of his father, Rick Medina.

Karen Whitlaw has recently buried her mother when she receives a package from her absent father, Dexter. He had walked out on them shortly after returning from war but her mother always held a torch for him and lived for his memory and the hope he would return. Karen cannot forgive him and wants nothing to do with him, so she packs up the contents of the package and promptly forgets it's existence until she receives a call from Det. Marc Chastain from the New Orleans police informing her that her father has just been murdered.

Seems Dexter Whitlaw had a blackmail going that blew up in his face when Senator Stephen Lake contracts Rick Medina to take out his problem. Rick has been led to believe that this hit is a matter of security and that Dexter is harming others. What he is not told is that Dexter has been so difficult to find they need an expert like Medina to uncover him but Medina will suffer the same fate as Whitlaw does. This does not go over well with his son, John.

Det. Chastain is a bit rough with Karen when she arrives to identify her father because he believes that Dexter was just an old vet abandoned by his well to do family. He realizes his error in short order but Karen still feels the bad vibes thrown her way, which is why it was tough for me to swallow the 'I've fallen for you' . After the funeral there is a passionate encounter between these two (call it a slip on Karen's behalf) and the morning after has Karen running away, back to her home town where there is a killer looking for the blackmail material her Dad sent her. She realizes something is not right and runs back to where she feels safe, New Orleans.

Even though you knew who the villain was straight off the bat, you really didn't know what the black mail was about, what was the big secret the Senator was going to great extremes to cover up. It was a believable blackmail which is what tipped this book over for me. The heat between the couple was great but the love blooming between them was not. It was difficult to believe the couples feelings where real and I would have liked the book much more if Howard had not pushed a HEA but more of the beginning of something really good between these two.

The book was still worth the read and I definitely would recommend it to those John Medina fans. He did not have a main role but we meet him and saw the softer side of him at the end.

Grade: C+
Format: Audiobook

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

2008-10-06T10:54:00.001-05:00

Following up on my second take of Sookie and her gang of misfits. There are two mysteries in this story.

The first pops up when Lafayette, Merlotte's cook, is found murdered in the back seat of detective Andy Bellefleur's car. The car had sat in the parking lot the night before because Andy had been too drunk to drive it but when Sookie showed up for work she found the body (just the girl's luck!).

Before Sookie can look into this mystery she is pulled into the Vampire drama that takes her to Dallas where a vampire is missing and all fingers point to a minister that leads a racist congregation. Sookie is pulled into this when Eric requests her service on behalf of Stan Davis, the Dallas area's leader. Bill who became some sort of sheriff with the hopes it would give him enough political clout against Eric to protect Sookie, is forced to accept her involvement. Things start going wrong from the moment Sookie arrives there seems to be a traitor among Stan Davis' employees and they need Sookie to question everyone that was present at the time the kidnapped bouncer disappeared. Sookie has to deal with a suicidal vampires, ignorant cult followers and the disillusion from discovering that Bill is very much a vampire and struggles day to day to stay mainstream. When Sookie finally returns from Dallas, she returns alone.

Her breakup with Bill does not damper her need to find out what happened to Lafayette and she discovers that Lafayette was involved in some orgy stuff that was being kept hush hush in town. She makes herself a target for an invitation and recruits Eric to help her infiltrate the orgy party. It’s hilarious to read of how Eric dressed in some extreme costume (Lycra pants) to pass himself off as gay. Worlds collide when the minister whose plans she fouled in Dallas comes to Bon Temps to exact revenge on Sookie and attacks the house where the party was taking place.

Sookie is always a pleasure to read with the mix of innocence and determination she brings to the table. This installment did not disappoint, it had me on quite a roller coaster ride, even tearing up a bit for the suicidal vamp that was evil but needed redemption in a desperate way.

Club Dead is the next in the series and I’m happy to say it recently was release in Audiobook so I will be able to read it soon!! Yeah me!

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Dead and Loving it by Mary Janice Davidson

2008-10-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

This one is more of a compendium of short stories published previously in other anthologies but all from the Wyndham Wolf series. This series is very good but because they are all printed in different Anthologies it has been a pain in the butt to follow so I was jumping all over this Anthology when it first came out.

Now to be honest, I had not read any of the Wyndham Werewolf books but my daughter raved about Derik's Bane and since I knew Derik's Bane was the third book in the series I put off picking it up until I had collected all the books and could read them in order.

My suggestion is to NOT do this. The short stories are not strong plots and if you read too many of them, you kind of get sick of the tales. I read the first 4 on vacation back in August and then read the rest in September. Now all I need to read is Derik's Bane.

The Prequels to the Anthologies are:

Love's Prisoner : (C-) SPOILER ALERT!!!
I cannot fathom why I didn't give this story a worse grade. What I keep remembering is that Michael rapes Jeannie… more than once! I think that when I read it I forced myself to step out of my contemporary shoes and go into this alternate universe where werewolves exist and pack law determines how one deals with every day situation. He tries to explain this to his mate (who is human) and I REALLY had to work on getting past the whole rape issue. The story was good enough to bring up the grade even after the incidents but it is not for everyone.

Jared's Wolf : (C) Jared's sister was killed by a rouge Were and he has been searching for the culprit for years. Now he believes he has finally found him and is stalking the mansion waiting for his chance for revenge. He believes that only men can be Weres and kidnaps Moira from the grounds thinking she is in danger. Moira realizes the security risk Jared is and decides to stay close to him to 'protect' her pack. Yeah right!

Derik's Bane should be at this point.

From the Anthology though we have:

Santa Claws (C+): Cute little Xmas story but it was mostly a no plot story (thus why it didn't go over a C+). Just saw you, screwed you, committed to you. Didn't give it anything lower because the heroine, Giselle was a short plump girl that dressed in a Santa's costume. She was just too cute! The Hero, Alec was a Scot that came to pay homage to Michael and Jenny's daughter.

Monster Love (C+): In this one Janet Lupo, who must be a dominatrix in another life since she is such an overbearing b*tch, finds her mate in a vampire that kidnaps her (what is with these Weres getting kidnapped?), hot monkey sex ensues and she makes him heel to her – okay so she does give a little too.

There is no Such Thing as Werewolves (B-): This one was different. The hero was a blind Were who was not feeling welcomed in his pack. He has made a life for himself as a doctor among the humans and runs into some homeless kids that try to mug him. Cresent Muhn is among them but decides that mugging a blind guy is a bit much for her and offers him protection. Drake realizes that there is something different about Crescent and not in the wacko way (even though she is determined to fly). He had some issue due to an age difference but there is more different about them than age. This one was pretty good.

A Fiend in Need – (B): A crossover with Queen Betsy series. This story was a big seller for me on this Anthology. I want to say it was what made me buy the book but not really.. I wanted to read the story of George, The Fiend from the Betsy books and how he finds love with Antonia, the Were that doesn't change but has premonitions. These premonitions are what guides Antonia to Betsy's door and ultimately leads her to George.

Overall, I like this type of anthology where it’s one author and many of their shorts.

Grade: B-
Format: eBook

2008 Challenges Recap / Update

2008-09-30T16:07:00.000-05:00

With 3 months from the end of the year I thought I should go and recap my challenges to make sure I'm on track to complete them. Some have been more successful than others but they have been fun nonetheless.

In no particular order:

Triple 8 Challenge:

I think I'll be missing the mark with one of my categories.
The one I always have problems with - Anthologies.
I have read three of eight and I have three months to go. Not very promising.

I completed the Audiobook category in no time. I have listened to 35 audiobooks as of today so the 8 the challenge required was not much of a challenge.

The romantic suspense is 5/8 at this time. This category proved to be more difficult than I expected. For some reason some of the books I thought of categorizing as rom. suspense really weren't (too much suspense, no romance or too much romance, no suspense). I recently selected Midnight Rainbow by Howard to be my last Rom. Suspense but I'm not sure if it will fit the bill – When I read it I'll decide if I’m keeping it in the pool.

Paranormals... no problem. I seem to move in that direction lately so I finished this category fairly early although I have not reviewed the books I have read, I'm done with this category.

Done with the category for books published before 2000 as well. I found great titles that are just as enjoyable today as they were 8+ years ago.

Just finished Series Romance with the last two titles being picked up from my yahoo groups AOM (Amy Fetzer) and Suzanne Brockmann's Body Language. I read many Suzanne Brockmann's for this category. The woman can definitely write a good Short.

In the Young Adult category I have just one title to read and I'll be taking care of that by the end of the year. I typically pick up a YA or two over the year but this year I have read several and I must admit being a bit envious of the kids today. Most YA books tended to be category/serial books when I was growing up but with authors like Brian Jacques, Tamora Pierce and Stephenie Meyer out there, today's YA have more substantial reading material. Wonderful choices out there.

And then the New Authors category... With my Yahoo group sponsoring an AOM program, I didn't think this one would be very difficult to complete and I was right. Although I did notice that many of the books I read were in my TBR list and not necessarily a recommendation from my AOM group.

So in total I am 9 books away from completing the Challenge.
5 - Anthologies
3 - Romantic Suspense
1 - YA

>>>>>>>

TBR challenge:

I realized that this one was a bit more of a challenge. The fact that you create your list upfront and MUST follow it was a killer for me. The Triple 8 challenge allowed me to change my mind on the books as long as I kept the categories I felt good. I use the lists as guide by not as set in stone.

Still I have been holding my own. With three months left in the year, I have 3 books to complete.
I have kept to my main list and not had to tap into the Alternates but I think that will change in October since I challenge my self to read only Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Paranormal genre in October. I'm happy that I have a book that I can tap into, allowing me to continue the book a month rhythm I have developed on this one.

>>>>>>>

Classic Romances:

Another one that is on track to be completed in December.
I am 3 books away from this one and I'm doing well. Some of these were a hit but others where complete flops so I think I'll skip this one next year.

>>>>>>>>

Book A Month challenge:

This has been the most challenging of all the Challenges I signed up for.
The theme for the month is not announced until the first few days of the month and some of them have left me stumped to find a book.

I have missed 3 books so far. The month of January (signed up a bit late), May (theme: Mother) and July (theme: Independence) so I'm six books behind and just 3 months to compete.

Any suggestions on the topics from these missing months?

>>>>>>>

I completed the PUB 08 challenge reading more than the required books published in 2008. As of today I have read a total of 15 books published in 2008.

I also completed the Stephenie Meyer Mini-Challenge and the Chunkster challenge (This was an unofficial challenge since I discovered the challenge a bit late and couldn't sign up for it).

And last but not least the 100+ Reading Challenge.

I will complete this one without a problem; I have read a total of 92 books as of today. This puts me at 8 books to reach the 100 book goal. I've been reading an average of 8-10 books a month this year and if I continue on that vein I will be at around 113-115 for the year, about 12 books below last year. I think I'll see if I can get a few more reads here and there so I can meet last years numbers.

Anyway, I'll be posting my yearly report card in January and we'll see how things wrap up.

The Lightkeeper by Susan Wiggs

2008-09-17T11:40:00.002-05:00

I had not read a Susan Wiggs book in a very long time. I scoffed down her titles like a madwoman when I started reading romance and collected everything in her historical genre (yes, even those VERY HTF and OOP titles) but I discovered other great historical writers and Ms Wiggs books sat forever in my TBR pile. When I had to make a list of books and authors I wanted to get back to for my challenges, Wiggs was on that list of "why did I stop reading her?"

Now I remember!!

The Lightkeeper was close to ending with a DNF grade (Did Not Finish) not because of bad writing or because of uninteresting characters but because the narrative went on forever! There was so little interaction from the characters for the first ¼ of the book it felt as if they lived mostly in their own little world. When Wiggs finally woke up and the interaction between Mary Dare and Jesse Morgan started I had almost lost interest.

Mary Dare is a survivor of a ship wreck who lands on the beach next to the Light house Jesse Morgan watches. He had lost everything in his life to the sea 12 years ago (wife and unborn child) and his guilt and remorse for their deaths has him commited to live without ties in the world. When a pregnant Mary washes ashore he is determined to shut her out but the feisty Irish woman will not allow it.

Both of these characters are damaged and they find strength and purpose in each other (in Jesse's case he finds it kicking and screaming). The book has great scenes that will stay with you for a long time, like a Norman Rockwell picture of early American life. The narrative that had me considering dropping the book in favor of another really made the book jump out.

The loneliness in which Jessi lived is brought into stark relief with his monologues. Mary's desperate attempts to attain some semblance of happiness and security is seem in her recriminations for herself and Jessi.

There is a villian in the story. The father of Mary's child tries to come between her and Jessi when they are close to finding peace. Because of who this man is, the threat he presents is credible and you don't roll your eyes when the villian drops in, although you know a HEA will arrive.

This one is recommended for those that can deal with a narrative tale. It is not everyone's cup of tea but if you can get past the first 100 pages, you will find a great story.

Grade: C+
Format: eBook

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

2008-09-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

First in the Southern Vampire series and I really don’t know why I didn’t pick this series up before. I absolutely fell in love with Sookie!!! I can’t even explain her. She is a good girl that won't take your sh*t. She’s a country thang that tries to find good in everyone even when it’s obvious that that the person is a cesspool of evil.

Sookie is a small town girl that has a difficult disability to live with. She can hear people's thoughts. She works as a waitress in a bar (Merlotte's ) in a universe where Vampires have come out of the coffin so to say. They have spread to the world that being a Vampire is not an undead thing but a virus thing. The virus that makes people vampires cause sensibility to light and allergic reactions to silver. People have accepted this and cautiously accepted the vamps into society, although a lot of discrimination exists.

One day Bill Compton (a vampire who recently relocated to Bon Temps) walks into Merlotte's and she is instantly intrigued. This curiosity leads her to discover that a local couple plans to kidnap Bill and drain him of his blood (which is very sought after for it's healing affects and it's addictive nature). Sookie saves the day and rescues Bill earning her his gratitude. During the process of rescuing Bill, Sookie discovers that she cannot hear Bill's thoughts, which is a great relief and she becomes attracted to him.

Besides Sookie's romance with Bill (which is not the main focus in the book) there are other happening in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Someone has been going out of their way to murder some of the women that have enjoyed vampiric companionship. The problem is that all fingers point to Sookie's witless brother Jason. Jason is a dumb mutt of a man, screwing everything in his sight but he is not a serial killer and Sookie sets out to find out who is the real killer.

It's hard to see how Sookie keeps her moral compass when she has such a 'disability'. Hearing so much evil going around can make you lose faith in humanity but that is what is so charming about Sookie, she keeps her head on straight and is always clear on what is right and what is wrong. The cast of characters that Harris introduces brings to life this little town and allows us to root for them, feel their pain and their joy.

I never suspected the killer and that in itself made this book a thrill to read. I recently finished the second book in the series and the fun continues there (Review to follow)

If you haven't made Harris a must read on your TBR pile, do it. You won't regret it.

The books have actually been picked up by HBO to be made a series staring Anna Paquin (Oscar winning actress for 'The Piano'). Look for it listed as True Blood.

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

2008-09-05T09:14:00.001-05:00

First in the Hollows series that follows the witch Rachel Morgan through her investigations and adventures. Had this one as an ebook but then discovered it as an Audiobook at my library and jumped on it. I am so happy I did since the book was the beginning of a wonderful series.

The book takes place in an alternate universe where many humans were annihilated after a man made virus ran across the world. The virus was introduced to the population via tomatoes and since then the vegetable has been banned right along with all medical research that might lead to another biological engineering accident.

Civilization is saved because of all the witches, vampires and fey that lived undetected among the human. This side of the population now live out in the open but are policed by several governmental agencies (Federal Inderland Security and it’s sister branch the IS).

Rachel Morgan worked for one of them, the Inderland Security agency – IS for short, but decided that her career was in the toilet and she needed to quit. Quitting is not so easy and although she was let go without fuss (she was a bit deficient in her duties), when her departure causes the best runner the agency has to leave with her (that would be Ivy, a half vampire that is a top notch agent), Rachel’s boss becomes very upset and decides that she will pay dearly for the loss. Jenks a fertile pixy decides to complete the mismatch crew.

Rachel thinks that if she brings in a huge catch her old boss will call off the assassins, so she sets her eyes on Trent Kalamack, a city councilor and successful businessman, who has been under surveillance for running brimstone (an edgy drug) but during her investigation she discovers that the handsome drug lord has his hands in a whole different type of cookie jar and she is determined to bring him in and save her hide.

There was not a lick of romance / sex / pairing in this book. I still loved this! Loved the world building, loved the unique characters, loved the mystery behind everyone’s motives. In the end there is so much more to learn and yet you don’t feel like you were left with any unanswered questions.

For those that need to know how to start a series, this is a great example. Make every single character interesting and with their own story to tell. Rachel was quirky but not stupid, Ivy was spooky but not a zombie, and Jenks was just plain adorable!!! I’m looking forward to reading the other 5 books in the series.

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Death Angel by Linda Howard

2008-09-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

The newest addition to the Linda Howard backlist was a bit of a disappointment. Nothing really jumped at me to tell me why I was not thrilled by it but I wasn't.

Drea Russo is the fluff piece for a drug lord called Salinas. She has her dimwit act down to the tee and she is making sure that when he dumps her she walks away with a comfortable retirement. She makes sure she minds her own business and takes everything that Salina throws her way. Her mouth shut and her head empty assures that she will have a life when Salina tires of her. What her plan did not include was Salinas using her as payment for a hit job.

Simon Goodnight, the assassin Salinas is contracting has asked for an unusual payment for his services. He wants a one time run with the boss's woman. He wanted it but didn't expect to get it. He was willing to walk away from the job and Salinas knew it and that was what turned the table in his favor. The little lady was not thrilled but when everything was said and done, both he and Drea walked away changed by the 4 hours they spent together.

Drea was not sure what she was going to do but she knew she could not stay by Salina's side after he gave her away. She was so moved by the few hours with the assassin, she knew she could no longer pretend. What she did to get away just leads her to a "near death" experience that further changed who she was and what she valued in her life. This transformation also takes place in the assassin.

Simon watched Drea die and the fact that she is still walking and breathing proved to him that there was more out there than just the here and now. He re-evaluates his life and decides that he wants something different. Not necessarily more, but different.

This is not a suspenseful book and that is what was missing. Now that I am writing this I can put my finger on that being my major disappointment. There was no real edge of the seat chases or great elaborate deceptions or anything that I have associated with a Howard book (at least her more recent ones). This was more story telling and it really was a bit out there even under that classification. If you are a Howard fan you will read it regardless, if you are not looking for much, it’s better than most, but if you are looking for great, skip this one.

Grade: C
Format: Audiobook

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie

2008-09-01T09:14:00.001-05:00

I realized that I have very little tolerance for novels with too much insanity in them. For example the disjointed stories of the Stephanie Plum series… Reviews to follow. This one was along that vein, where it has so many bizarre things going on, the book itself falls flat. Not that it wasn’t entertaining, because you enjoy the ride, but it borders on the ludicrous. There were pink flamingos, hitmen left and right, a psycho grandma, a gaggle of mobsters and food. Lots of Food.

Agnes has always yearned for a home to call her own and as a young girl she treasured the time she spent in the home of her best friend Lisa Lydia. As an adult she had the opportunity to buy the house her friend grew up in from Brenda Fortunato (LL’s mother). Brenda has agreed to privately finance the house and will waive the first three months of mortgage if Agnes agrees to host the wedding of LL’s daughter, Maria. Agnes eagerly agrees (she helped raise Maria so it’s an honor for Agnes)

Agnes plans to open a catering business with her fiancé so this gives them a great opportunity to put themselves on the map. Wanting to host the wedding and getting it done proves to be very difficult. There are several threats on her life, a mob hit scheduled for the wedding day, flamingos stolen from the zoo, dead people popping up in a basement Agnes never knew she had, and a very hot hitman that proves there is more underneath his cloths than his weapons.

The book definitely kept moving. It was fast paced and a whirlwind of commotion but as I mentioned earlier, maybe just a bit too much. It really needed more substance to all the action / comedy. I would recommend the book for a quick read on a day you don’t want to do much of anything.

Grade: C
Format: Audiobook

Unforgiven by Mary Balogh

2008-08-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

This book was very different from the first installment of this series (Indiscreet). When reading this book you get the impression that the author was in a bit of a rush to tell a story but not committed to it’s outcome.

At the end of Indiscreet we find that Kenneth Woodfall, the Earl of Harverford needs to rush back home to Dunbarton Hall in Cornwall because he needs to marry a woman he hates since she will be having his baby in 6 months time. So based on the timeline of the novels, while Rex is getting in trouble with Caroline, Ken had already done his damage to his neighbor, Moira.

Moira Hayes has given up hope for a HEA after many years of hatred poisoning her heart for a man she once loved and that betrayed her. Her father has died and a distant relative has inherited her home. He has decided that Moira would make just as good of a wife as the next and formalizes that betrothal over the Xmas season. What Moira didn’t expect was that Ken would return to his home seat after 8 years absence and that the idiot that she is to marry wants to mend fences with the Earl.

The book is divided in two parts. Before the pregnancy and after. The first part we see the enmity between these two fester and explode after a Christmas Ball, where Moira’s pride gets her into a predicament that causes her to be trapped in a cabin under a snow storm with Ken.

The After takes place when Ken returns from the duel fought by Rex in Indiscreet. The hasty marriage and the terrible aftermath the day after the wedding. I can’t say what happens there since it would be a spoiler but Ken removes himself from his home a week after the wedding and spends two months in London with his buddies trying to forget. When that fails he decides that he must at least try to make the marriage work and calls for Moira to come up to London.

Now, first of all, the story is mostly narrated with an occasional dialog here and there. I don’t get that. There is a lot of story telling but not enough content that SHOWS us what is going on. I think Ken and Moira really shouldn’t have been together. Too much had gone on. There were too many misunderstandings that had sat in their hearts for too long. Then all of a sudden Moira goes off to London and within 24 hours discovers that SHE loves him. I could believe Ken’s affections since he only thought himself betrayed but Moira thought that Ken had not just betrayed her but also lied to her, caused her brother’s death and, if we follow the chain reaction, her own destitution.

I was very disappointed in this one and hope that the last in the trilogy will return to the first's great writting.

Grade: D+
Format: eBook

Indiscreet by Mary Balogh

2008-08-23T15:47:00.001-05:00

For the longest time I thought this series was a category romance but when I went to pull it out to read I realized that it was a full length novel masquerading as a category (look at the cover!). Balogh is mostly a hit for me but she is also an author that writes more serious regency romances. They are books that have more bite to them and at times that is not what I’m looking for. This is why the book has been in my TBR pile for such a long time.
This year I put it on several of my challenges so that I could get it off my TBR list.

Rex Adams, Viscount Rawleigh heads out to visit his twin brother with two of his friends. When he arrives he lays eyes on Caroline Winters who has confused him with his brother and smiles at him. Rex confuses this gesture with flirtation and singles her out for his attention.

Caroline wants nothing to do with the Viscount. Her past holds many secrets that must remain hidden if she is to continue enjoying the peaceful life she has made for herself. She is frightened by her own urges but holds herself steadfast and denies Rex.

Rex, being the dumbass he is, thinks she is playing hard to get and continues on his pursuit until it’s too late. With her name in tatters, Lord Rawleigh must do the right thing and step up to the plate. Caroline is forced to expose her past to the man that has destroyed her present.

Rex was a bit moronic through most of the beginning of this book. His arrogance was his downfall. He just could not accept that Caroline wanted nothing to do with him. She avoided him like a plague and yet he kept seeing a game she was playing with him instead of seeing it for what it was. She was scared that her attraction for him would lead her to an indiscretion that would cause her to lose everything she had built.

Caroline was a strong heroine. A regency woman that learned from her mistakes and was determined not to fall again. She was so determined to keep what she had, she gave up all pleasures. She was frightened of living beyond the comforts her current life offered. But when she had to confront that past she did (kicking and screaming by her husband but she did do it).

Great first installment to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse trilogy.

Grade: A
Format: eBook

Twilight - The Movie

2008-08-21T13:54:00.005-05:00

Ain't it Pretty!!

News from StephenieMeyer.com

August 15, 2008

Movie News Flash!

So, many of you have heard that the release of the sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has been moved from this Thanksgiving to next summer. First and foremost, please know that this schedule change has absolutely nothing to do with Twilight, me, or Summit Films (so enough with the imdb death wishes, okay?). This is Warner Bros. decision, and it was not motivated by anything Twilight-related.
Now for the good news! Though we're all sad to have to wait for Harry Potter, this open spot at the theater creates a cool opportunity. The good people at Summit were thrilled to let me know that now Twilight fans are going to get their movie three weeks earlier than scheduled. That's right—Twilight will be released in theaters November 21st! Let the merry-making commence!

--Stephenie

So I'm a bit excited about the movie now but at the same time I'm a bit weary. I have an obsessive relationship with another YA author, Christopher Paolini.

His Inheritance series is a dream for those that love the Fantasy Genre. Dragons and Wars and Monsters.. It's a Lord of the Rings for the YA with a bit of Dragon Heart thrown in to make it tasty. When the movie Eragon was announced I was all over that!! I waited with baited breath for the release. And the day it opened I was there dragging my daughter and sister to the movie to watch this GREAT story.

I almost walked out of the theater, it was so bad. Just thinking of it gives me a bad taste in my mouth (like when you throw up and are forced to swallow it back down). So when I think of this movie and the potential for great work, I get worried that it won't live up to my expectations. My expectations are not for it to be like the books but for it to keep the story intact. Don't change the story so it will fit in the hour and a half the film might be. Cut non-essentials but don't change the story (like in Eragon and The Golden Compass).

I will keep the faith and head over to the theater the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Rules of Engagement by Christina Dodd

2008-08-20T13:48:00.002-05:00

This was the second installment in the "Governess Series" and although Dodd has not been rocking my boat lately I still enjoyed this book a lot.
It seems that the Distinguished Academy of Governesses is in a bit of a financial bind and Pamela Lockhart is trying her best to get their heads above water but things are going from bad to worse when on her way home after receiving her pay for services she is robbed. Leaving everyone in the lurch, so to say.

In comes Devon, the Earl of Kerrich who is having a hell of a time himself. Seems that the Queen knows some secrets from his past and is using the info to blackmail Kerrich into some semblance of respectability. She has threatened to expose his secret if he doesn't get his act together. So he decides that the best way to show he is respectable is to bring in an orphan to show his more charitable side. Of course the child will need a governess and so he goes off to hire a governess that will then pick out a orphan who he will sponsor until the coast is clear of the Queen’s threat.

The academy is outraged at the mere suggestion that they would be an accomplice to such fraud but they need the money and Pamela decides that she is the best candidate for the position. She has enough hostility stored up that she will not be influenced by the Earl's good looks. This is something that the Earl himself has stipulated. He arrogantly request that the governess in question not be attractive but more on the old and worn side (as governesses should be) with no aspirations to his bed (he has had a few issues with women showing up naked in his bed)

Loved that Devon was such an arrogant bastard. He would say the most outrageous things with a straight face. I also love that he made a move on Pamela before she shed her costume. It showed more depth to his feelings. There was plenty of humor to go around but the last portion of the book just seemed a bit out there and could have been left out. Honestly, why the drama?

Until the last few pages of the book I had been enjoying every minute. I would still recommend this book because the HEA was not affected at all.

Grade:B-

Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

2008-08-18T13:37:00.001-05:00

I read this one as part of many of the challenges I entered this year. It is the sequel to Phillips earlier title Fancy Pants. I did not read the first book but I've heard I really didn't miss much and even after reading this one, I honestly don’t have the inclination to pick up the first in the series. In other words this one does a great job as a stand alone title.

Lady Emma Wells-Finch is visiting the Lone Star state at the suggestion of her friend to finish some research on a paper she is publishing. She also has the intention of losing her reputation as a goody two shoes. Her pristine reputation has led her to be engaged to a pompous windbag in order to save her treasured boarding school (dysfunctional childhood and all that). She is picked up at the airport by a very handsome man who, she believes, her friend has contracted to be her driver / guide while in Texas.

Kenny Traveler would like to stay VERY far away from scandal. The suspended golf mega star agrees to cart Lady Emma around in hopes that the golf commissioner’s wife will put in a good word for him and have his suspension lifted so he can play in the Masters.

The problem is that Lady Emma is quite determined to do something a bit outrageous in the most public place so that news of the scandal reaches British soil and her fiance can be sufficiently offended to break off the engagement but not too outraged that he will close down the school. Difficult edge to walk on and Kenny is not helping her at all!!

I found the book quite humorous and at times I was wondering why Emma was doing this. I just had a problem following her whole reasoning. In the end it was good enough to get the B because it kept me engaged until the final confrontation and I love when a bad boy gets put in his place. You have to love Kenny and how he tries to avoid the temptation that is Emma.

Grade: B

TheThirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

2008-08-15T13:27:00.002-05:00

There has always been questions on how a cover of a book might influence the buyer/reader. It has been debated many times and it always results in a resounding YES, the cover is a big draw on a book. A bad cover will have a book wither away on the shelf but a good cover will have the book flying out the door.

I absolutely feel in love with the cover of this book. I had no idea what the book was about but I saw the cover and knew I had to read it. For the longest time I thought this was a romance (never opened the book to read the jacket insert). I finally got over the cover and opened the book to read what the book was about and felt myself get disappointed.

With a cover that beautiful, why was the book not about love?

This book was definitely about love but a whole different type of love and I just had to read the darn thing to find that out.

The book is about the famous author, Vida Winters who is very ill and in her last days decides that her biography should be told. She had related her biography before but, as a storyteller, she would yield a new story about her life every time, swearing that the new version was the truth. Now she decides that the truth must be told but it's easier said than done. How does a storyteller step out of herself and deal with facts vs fiction when the fact is that her whole life has been fictionalized.

Margaret Lea, a young novice in the writing community is called upon to write the biography. But part of the challenge for Margaret is to decipher the true story out of the facts that Vida Winter gives her.

The love story is about the love of sisters, the love of family and the extent you go to in protecting those you love. This is reflected not just in the life of Vida Winters but also in Margaret who's own story needs to be told.

This is a ghost story, a story of identities lost and then found, a story of lies that were forced into truths.

Diane Setterfield's debut novel is not to be missed. The book reads like a fairytale and every glimpse we are given into Vida Winter's past is a story on it's own.

Don't miss this one. It's definitely one of my best reads of this year.

Grade:A+
Format: Audiobook

Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

2008-08-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

Okay, I don't even want to go into this one. I have read all the previous installments of the Gemma Doyle series (A Great and Terrible Beauty & Rebel Angels) but this last installment made me want to cry at seeing how this great story just took a nose dive into mediocracy. This was a strong story that was brought down by a lack of continuity in characterization.

As the book starts we find out that Gemma has not been able to return to the Realms since she bound the power to herself. Kartek has disappeared even though we thought him part of an alliance with Gemma. When she finally get back into the Realms we find that the place has changed... ALOT. It is a more scary place and everyone wants a piece of the power. Gemma's alliance with the forest folks has not been completed and they are very resentful that they had helped her defeat Surcy and yet she has not lived up to their side of the bargain.

This is my big problem. Gemma always has had a bit of a problem with fitting in but I've never known her to be so easy to manipulate. She was such a mat, letting everyone govern her actions while saying it was all on her. She kept doing things so that people would like her with no regard of the outcome of her actions.

Gemma was very abusive with her power and had so little regard for her duties as the vessel to that power that it just was a disaster. Felicity was her typical self but Gemma was the one with the power. She needed to learn to say NO and move on. The book dragged on forever with all the idiocies that the girls were doing and all the "I do what I want because Felicity/Anne/ said so!"

The book could have been so much shorter and then the ending was terrible when we lose so many strong characters in the end !!! I would stop anyone from even starting this series because the last installment was such a GREAT AND TERRIBLE DISASTER!!

Grade: D-

Format: Audiobook

Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward

2008-08-10T12:56:00.001-05:00

I waited with great anticipation for this installment of the Black Daggerhood series.
We would finally give Phury his HEA, yet as the date of release approached many reviews of ARC popped up and the buz was that the book was a complete and utter disappointment. My anticipation for the release deflated.
My daughter was leaving for her two month journey to Japan the day of the release and I wanted to give her the book so she could read it on her 12 hour plane ride so when I got my hands on a copy the night before I happily gave it to her who had not read the reviews and still was on a high. I went out an purchased a copy of it for my eBook reader. I didn't get around to reading it until mid July.

It was FABULOUS!! I will try not to let reviews influence my mood on a book ever again. the main complaint on the book was that Phury's story was loss in all the other storylines going on. Also that Ward was deviating from the paranormal romance theme. All true. Wonderfully true!!

After reading the book I think Phury wasn't strong enough to carry a book the way the others did. Even Butch's story (which is my least favorite of all) had so many things going on for the romance between him and Marissa to reach that HEA that they had to be the main focus.

I think that Phurry's story was not cheated at all. We got to see his HEA and so much more. The War took a place front and center and it was very intense. I think if you wanted a pure romance this series is not going to be offering you that in the future. This book brought the series into a Alt-Universe/Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre with some elements of romance. I couldn't be more thrilled.

Phurry deals with alot of self doubt and with alot of pity parties between it all. Many thought he was overreacting but honestly the guy put his life on hold to search for his twin. The guilt of having been the one not taken shadowed his whole life, then when he finds him, the guy is so messed up that you got to wonder if he did Zadist any favors in saving his hide. I think he is owed some gratitude but I don’t think he should expect it. Zadist is not going to see the need for gratitude because he has too many emotional scars to accept anything good going his way. This is totally dished out in one of the more poignant scenes of the book.

The caretaker became the one needing the care. I loved that Ward explored this relationship because Phurry needed to hit bottom before he could get up. I think there was more that could have been dredged up but I think it was sufficient to get a feel of what was going on there.

The rest of the book was focused on the war between the brotherhood and the lessen society. Seems the Omega fathered a son and infiltrated him into the brotherhood. There is a traitor and when you find out who it is you are a bit thrown back but honestly not surprised.

Love, Love, Love John Matthew in this installment as well as his two buddies Qhuinn (who has problems of his own) and Blaylock (who blew us away with his own little secret!).

Rehvenge shows another side of himself and Xhex is finally intrigued by John Matthew!

And if all that is not enough… We have a new ally bringing home a lost brother!

Rumors are that we won’t be seeing a new brotherhood book for sometime. I am a bit bummed on that front. This is a series that has been on my list of must reads but it has moved to a positions that rivals my all time favorite series (The Outlander series by Gabaldon)

Grade: A

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

2008-08-05T08:52:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when reading a series it's difficult to ascertain if you like the story because the book was everything you wanted or because you are reunited with old friends (which give you everything you really wanted anyway). The last installment in the Twilight series was a finale worth remembering and worth every hour spent reading the mammoth book.

Bella finally gets her wish to join Edward in his world but it does not come without a cost and the rollercoaster ride to get to her final destination made for one hell of a read.

It's difficult reviewing this one since the whole story is packed with one surprise after the other. If you haven't read the book and don't want ANY spoilers...

Stop reading now.

The books opens on Bella and Edwards wedding. This part is told from Bella's POV and it goes over the phobia she has of marriage and we see how difficult it is for her to go through the process of the marriage. She is not afraid or concerned about the commitment (hell she wants to be a vampire and live eternity with Edward, so it's not a commitment issue) but the word marriage has always been voodoo for her, yet she survives the ceremony with grace.

Move on to a somewhat stressful honeymoon that for Bella is dreamy but has Edward rethinking the "I don't want to turn you just yet" proposition. and just when Edward thought it was safe to be with his wife, it turns out that Vampire males have a fertility issue... they can reproduce children on mortal women. Yup!! The marriage phobic Bella becomes pregnant. The thing is that this is no normal pregnancy. A Hybrid child who is half human and half vampire can make gestation period a bit difficult.

This leads us into the second part of the book that is told from Jacob's POV.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this transition.
Jacob is the epitome of a tortured soul. To have him guide the reader through this delicate time is wonderful because his love for Bella stops him from walking away and he has to suffer through his emotions every step of the way.

The last part moves us back into Bella's mind. She starts her life as a newborn vampire and everything that entails. The pain of transitioning, the urges, the discoveries and on top of that.. motherhood. She finds blissful happiness but it doesn't take long for the other shoe to drop. Those pesky Italian vamps (the Volturi who we met at the end of New Moon) are back to create havoc. If you didn't see it coming you really didn't pay attention to our encounter with them in New Moon.

I had not heard any resounding reviews on the book that was highly anticipated by young and old so I was intimidated and went in a bit skeptical. After reading 3 books you don't want the last book to bring you down. I should not have doubted the quality of Meyer's work. She came through for me with flying colors.

This was the best series I have read this year and if you haven't been lured yet into the world of Twilight, don't hesitate. Go out and pick up this series before the movie (coming out in December) taints your view of it.

Grade: A

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

2008-07-15T17:18:00.002-05:00

It has been awhile since my last post and I am back dating this one since it was written last month but I never got it out of draft. So let's see if I can catch up with my posting;

June saw me read the last of the available titles of the Twilight series. This series has been out since last year but it has been an uproar recently and was highlighted in my Borders monthly newsletter. Meyers was interviewed and I was intrigued but what put a cap on my jump into Twilight was when I found out it was to be made a movie. I headed over to view the Trailer (wwww.twilightthemovie.com) and recognized the actor playing Edward as Robert Pattinson who played Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies. I knew I needed to watch the movie and I could not see the movie until I read the darn books. So borrowed them in Audiobook from my local library. I'm hooked and I will be forever a fan.

I recently spent the day harassing my daughter about the release of Breaking Dawn on the 2nd of August. I want to read the last installment soo bad but I will be in Puerto Rico for a visit after 11 years and I don't foresee having a lot of time on my hands to read it but I will be reading it in the month of August for sure.

Anyway, I thought it important to give a break down of the books I had read up until now so I will have them all documented when Breaking Dawn is read. So from the top:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

The first installment of the Twilight series introduces us to all the main characters.
There is Bella who transports herself to Forks, WA when her mother Renee re-marries an athlete and goes on the road with him. Charlie, her father and sheriff of Forks has always been a bit uneasy with Bella but is happy to have a chance to deepen his bond with her. The Cullens are the family of Vampires that accept Bella as one of their own instead of the appetizer she could have been. There is Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett & Edward. We get to know these characters in more detail over the series but in Twilight we get a glimpse of them. Edward is the main man who saves Bella from death and causes a chain reaction that takes him to reveal his true nature to her. Bella becomes somewhat obsessed with him and that obsession leads to love.
Of course there is quite a bit of danger involved in loving a vampire. You have the secrecy issue... who can you trust with that type of secret? Not many people actually, at least not many that can stay alive after knowing. Then you have the other vampire families that just will not play nice with your pet human. It's like taking your puppy to dinner with your distant relatives from China. Your adorable little Beagle is being eyed as the main dish. This does not promote neighborly relations.

Twilight wet our appetite for much more to come. Don't expect a lot of action until the end of the book, when those "other vamps" (a vampire named James, his mate Victoria and a minion called Laurant) come sniffing around and want to take a bite out of Bella. The book focused mostly on Bella and Edward. Getting to know each other and how their lives change to fit into each others world.

Grade: A

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

In New Moon Bella is faced with Edwards desertion. Edward feels it's best for Bella that they break up and Bella has to learn to live without him. She doesn't do well in that area until Jacob Black lures her out of her depression.

Jacob has a secret of his own and it makes Bella realize that there are more than one anomaly in the population of Forks (although Jacob is really part of the population of La Push). Bella takes these new revelations in stride but she becomes very reckless with her life. She develops a strong relationship with the natural enemies of the vampires especially with Jacob. She doesn't really lead him on but she doesn't dissuade him either and that didn't really sit well but in the end there was a good chunk of movement in this book that kept the grade so strong.

The trip to Italy with Alice to save Edward who was on a suicide mission not just introduces a whole new set of Vampires but also gives us a glimpse into Vampire politics. With Bella's strong relationship with Jacob and then the reemergence of Edward into Bella's life at the end, the book was a winner for me.

Grade: A

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

This was the weakest in the series and yet it had me going.
The relationship between Bella, Jacob and Edward gets redefined. Bella needs to make a choice between these two and although her heart belongs to Edward, she accept and acknowledges her deep feelings for Jake.

Jake is a bit underhanded in this book and it pissed me off but the truth is that you really need to give the story points for eliciting that type of reaction from me.
When Bella is the mark for Victoria (the vamp from Twilight who loses her lover James) Jake and Edward have to put aside their jealousy and make a truce that will assure Bella's safety against an army of newborn vampires that are creating havoc in Seattle. The Cullens and the la Push pack find themselves fighting side by side to protect their homes from this threat.

As I mentioned, what killed me on this one was Bella's feelings for Jake. I felt it a betrayal to Edward especially when Jacob was such a rat about getting what he wanted. When Bella admits her feelings for Jacob I was so upset but when you look at a book that kicks you in the gut and when you close it you are grinning, you can't complain!

I am really looking forward to Breaking Dawn.

Grade: B+

Since writing these reviews I actually had a chance to read Breaking Dawn and will post the review shortly.

The Future King's Pregnant Mistress by Penny Jordan

2008-07-03T22:14:00.001-05:00

Yeah another one with an appealing title. I really have very little to say good about this one. It was written from the same vein as the Susan Stephen's entry for this series.

Marco Fierezza is almost as cold hearted as Nico was in Expecting his Royal Baby, the only difference is that this one shows he is falling in love with Emily as the book moves forward.

Emily, a self made woman who is an interior designer with her own business, is a doormat to Marco and folds to his every whim.

The book was bad but as I mentioned it had it's moments and we see Marco changing a bit (you need to watch out for the change because you can easily miss it before the end of the book) which is why the book did not end up with an F and walked away with the better score of D-

I don't think I'll pick up another Harlequin Presents.

Grade: D-
Format: eBook

Expecting His Royal Baby by Susan Stephens

2008-07-02T23:56:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since a read a book that was so all over the place. This was an eBook I picked up after looking over the eHarlequin book store. It was one that I just picked up out of no place because it was affordable and was part of a series that had good reviews.

Nico Fierezza is a bit of a dare devil. He has no regard for his safety and thrives of extreme sports. He owns a business in London (not clear what type of business since it was not clear in the book) which gives him the edgy excitement he needs on a day to day basis but he is not just a businessman. He is also the grandson to the King of Niroli. After his older brother renounces claim to the throne (this happened in the first book of the series) his grandfather seeks him out to make him heir to the throne. Something he knows right off the bat will never happen. Still he packs up his bags and heads out to the small island to answer the old man's summons.

Carrie Evans was Nico's secretary until a roll on the table with her boss in the conference room made her feel used and she decided to quit and move in with her elderly aunt. When her Aunt dies and she finds herself pregnant and homeless she goes looking for Nico to tell him she is going to have his baby.

This is the prologue and a bit into Chapter One of the book. Quit reading. It goes completely down hill from here. It's not just the asinine back and forth with the heroine but the complete unorganized plot and inconsistencies. The hero is an A*s from the get go, no false illusions there, but the heroine could have been the savior of the book and unfortunately she gave it the kiss of death.

Carrie picks up her bags and flies to Niroli to tell Nico of his impending fatherhood but keeps telling herself that she doesn't want anything from him. Yet the moment she is alone with him, he touches her and her panties drop to the floor. How is it that she could afford to fly to this island in the first place. She finds herself invited to stay in the palace just when she had told Nico she was leaving. Why accept the invitation? To speak to the man that treated you like a gold digging whore a few hours ago?

This was an easy book to read because after the first few pages it became a farce you just couldn't tear yourself away, although I almost threw in the towel when Carrie, haven gotten away from Nico and his insane life, manages to make a decent start on a future for herself but then throws it all away when he strolls in to her life and tells her to pack her stuff and return with him. No pleading or groveling, just let's go.

Sorry but this one was a complete disappointment (do you think the title should have given me a hint?)

Grade: F
Format: eBook

One Hundred Book Challenge

2008-06-29T22:26:00.002-05:00

Wrapping up my posts for this year challenges I still need to report on two more challenges that I have been working on from the sidelines.

This challenge is hosted by J. Kaye Book blog and you an sign up at the 100+ Reading Challenge Blog.

The One Hundred plus Reading Challenge is an extreme challenge for those casual readers. There is just one rule and that is to reach the goal of reading 100 books in 2008. For the last four years I have successfully met that goal so I'm hoping that I will be able to complete this one with out a problem. I am well on my way so I think I'm good.

Have you read over 100 books in a year? That would be 1 book every 3.65 days. Was it difficult to pass the 100 mark? If you didn't get there, What was the most books you ever read in a year?

The Stephenie Meyer mini-Challenge

2008-06-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

Marg from the Reading Adventures blog recently posted a mini-Challenge she joined that was right up my alley since I had recently discovered Stephenie Meyer, so I rushed over to Becky's Reading reviews and joined.

If you think you would like to join and discover the wonderful talent that is Meyer head on over to Becky's blog and leave her a comment.

Let me break down the challenge:
:: The challenge started on June 1st and you have until January 30th 2009 to finish it.
:: You need to read two (yup, just two) books authored by Stephenie Meyer.
:: No reviews are required but you need to leave a comment on Becky's site letting her know the titles you read.
:: IF you read the Twilight series, she would like to know who you are rooting for, Edward or Jacob.

That's it. Pretty straight forward, huh? Well, I recently completed this challenge (will post reviews shortly) but I'm not closing the door on this one just yet.

The newest installment of the Twilight Series will be out in August and it is a must read for everyone that has been following the adventures of Bella Swan.

So keep an eye out for Breaking Dawn (Don't you just love the covers!!)

Another of Meyer's titles I'm waiting on is The Host. I'm on the hold list at the library but I'm number 18. So it might be a while. This is Meyer's first Mainstream title, since the Twilight Series is marketed to Young Adults (I believe I'm young and I am an adult, nothing wrong with my enjoying them!)

So if you read twilight and decided it was not for you, give The Host a chance, it just might be your cup of tea!

Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline

2008-06-23T17:04:00.004-05:00

Lady Killer brings us back to Bennie Rosato's land where Mary DiNunzio is her star attorney and bringing in the bulk of the business for Rosato and Associates. Mary is a bit conflicted with her role in life. She has loved and lost, she wants to stay one of the neighborhood girls but her duties threaten her loyalties to the neighborhood and we see those ties seriously tested when Trish Gambone goes missing.

Trish had approached Mary out of the blue asking for legal advice because her boyfriend, Bobby was physically abusing her and she was scared for her life. Unfortunately there is just so much Mary could offer and when Trish refuses to go to the police her options are reduced to nothing. When Trish turns up missing Mary is raked by guilt for not being able to do more for her, but when The Mean Girls (Giulia, Missy and Yolanda, all of who made Mary's life miserable while attending St. Maria Goretti High) show up at her office her guilt goes into overdrive. She sets out to find Trish at all costs.

On the flip side those "loyal" neighborhood clients that are helping Mary align herself for a partnership (if Mary can ever develop enough nerve to ask Bennie) start distancing themselves from her because they have heard that she stiffed Trish in her most vulnerable time. Mary starts spending time with another outsider from the neighborhood, Anthony, the 'gay' son of one of the few neighbors sticking by her. It doesn't take long to discover that Anthony is not flying the rainbow colors and Mary finds herself once more conflicted about her feelings. She feels she is betraying her deceased husbands memories every time Anthony comes over to her parents house. Mary is a complete mess at this time.

Excellent installment in the Rosato & Associate series. Mary eventually shows she has a back bone but not after letting everyone and their brother stomp all over her. She runs the gambit searching for Trish putting up with hostile brothers, groping parents and especially her past. Seems that Bobby, Trish's abusive boyfriend was Mary's boyfriend too and she questions whether their life would have been different if fate had not stepped in the way and caused them to drift apart. We discover a very big secret Mary keeps from everyone which makes us appreciate her more for what she has gone through.

All this and sprinkle a bit of humor in the pot... we have a excellent read! Scottoline does not disappoint and even though this book has the recurring character from her previous novels the book can easily stand alone in the series as most of the other installments have.

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Stone Cold by David Baldacci

2008-06-22T14:54:00.000-05:00

I love David Baldacci as an author. He has so much to give those readers that could care less about the HEA in a story and are adrenaline junkies. His books just keep you glued to your chair and keep you guessing. Even his bad books (yeah, everyone can't be perfect) are really not bad. And if you are returning to a group of characters you have grown to love... It's the bomb!

Stone Cold is the last of the Camel Club series and it picks up where The Collectors left off. We left our merry bunch of conspiracy theorist completely unaware that shunned mob boss Jerry Baggert was closing in on our newest member of the club, Annabelle Conroy because she conned him out of mula money. She is determined to pack her bags and flee the scene but Oliver convinces her to stay and stand her ground. He has a plan and one of the players is someone Annabelle would more likely not be around. Her Father, Patty Conroy.

Patty is very ill and is regretful for many things in his life but most of all he regrets not being there when his wife was killed at the hands of Baggert. It seems he was not guilty of abandoning his wife and child to this monster but just not able to get to them in time. Between Patty, Annabelle, Oliver and Alex Ford (another side member of the club and ex-secret service agent) a plan takes shape to end Baggerts tyranny and avenge those that have been hurt by his actions. Unfortunately there is another plan afoot and Oliver has to turn tail and run himself.

This new plot brings an assassin into the fold. The assassin is systematically killing off old tripe 6 members. John Carr (Oliver Stone for us fangirls) is off his radar because John is supposedly dead and buried but when Carter Gray exposes Oliver's true identity, he has to go on the offensive instead of waiting for Finn (our local assassin) to come for him.

This last installment brings closure to many of the story lines that have carried over since our first intro to the Camel Club. We find out more about John Carr's life and what made him take the persona of Oliver Stone. We also discover Carter Gray's role in John's life. We also lose one of our Camel Club members making it impossible to ever get back the lightheartedness of this group of friends. Baldacci wraps things up nicely although not in the HEA way we would like but he does give us the resolution needed to rest on this series. And yet... I hope Baldacci finds it in his heart to bring the group together again.

For those new to the series, to really enjoy this one you NEED to read the first two installments. Stone Cold will be released in Paperback on Aug. 26th 2008. The others (The Camel Club & The Collectors) are already available in Paperback and for those like me that prefer to hear it, they are all available in Audiobook as well.

Grade: A
Format: Audiobook

Family Man by Jayne A. Krentz

2008-06-20T12:42:00.001-05:00

Krentz is a hit or miss with me. She publishes under several alias most notably Amanda Quick. This title in particular has been recommended to me in so many instances I needed to just break down and read it. It helped that I put it among the lists of many of the Reading Challenges I am doing this year. This year would not pass without me reading the darn book!

Katy Wade is the personal assistant to the matriarch of the Gilchrist empire. The Gilchrist restaurant business is floundering and the grandmother asks Katy to bring back to the family fold Luke Gilchrist. He is the son of the black sheep of the family. Luke's father ran off with a nobody and lived happily ever after before dying in a car accident that claimed his life, his wife's and Luke's wife and daughter. The accident left Luke alone in life and he has lounged in the solitary life style for Four years. He hates his grandmother for causing pain to his family by her dismissal. He has no intentions of helping the family save their business. Until Katy shows up at his door and he cannot refuse her allure and the challenge she presents.

Katy is the daughter of the woman Luke's father left at the altar. Her parents died when she was a teenager and she had to take on the responsibility of raising her brother. Matt is about to graduate high school and go off to college some place, giving Katy a chance to start living her own life. She is determined to have Luke step into his role as savior to the Gilchrist fortune so that she can step down from keeping everything in order and she can open up her own business.

When Luke shows up the whole family expresses their misgivings and question his motivations. He sees this all as a business arrangement that will gain him possession of the one restaurant he really cares for, the key stone to the Gilchrist empire and the restaurant his father most missed. He does not hide why he is stepping up to the plate but everyone thinks he is out for revenge (which he would have been entitled to). Between Luke and Katy, they must find why the businesses are failing after so many years of prosperity and take action to stop those that are really seeking revenge.

Katy Wade drove me mad with Gilchrist this and Gilchrist that. Everyone referred to those in the family as Gilchrist this and that. Everyone except Luke and it was refreshing. I liked that he was fed up with it too. I understand that Krentz wanted to make the family sound elitest but I feel she overplayed that hand.
I kept waiting for the big misunderstanding and it never arrived. Yeah Krentz! Luke and Katy had complete faith in each other and that was such a relief. When Luke, at one point, shows a bit of doubt, he smacks himself over the head and recommits himself to Katy almost immediately. Katy never doubts Luke and doesn't hide things from him which is a step off the beaten path in the romance genre, especially back when this one was published (1992). It was re-issued in 1997 and is available in Audiobook (cassette) format but it's HTF (Hard to Find)

Although I don't regret reading the book since it was very entertaining and is among Krentz best, I could not give it an A because Katy's third person reference and generalization of the Gilchrist family drove me to really despise her at one point. It was such a strong flaw that I had to kick the book down a bit. I would highly recommend this one, even with the annoying heroine.

Grade: B+

Baby, I'm Yours by Karen Templeton

2008-06-17T11:10:00.000-05:00

What a refreshing read. Short, sweet and very strong. Picked up this recommendation from The Good, The Bad and The Unread. They were having a Harlequin spotlight and Karen Templeton was featured (You can find the Spotlight Here). The premise and reviews were very good so I picked it up in eBook. It was wonderful! I will definitely be keeping Ms. Templeton in my radar for her future work.

Kevin Vaccaro is a recovering addict who after wandering through life in a misguided effort of rebellion decides to get his act together. Unfortunately at the time his girlfriend was an addict herself and, although he tried to help her, he realizes that he needs to help himself first. He walks away from the relationship ignorant of the fact that she was pregnant. A year later he is ready to make amends. He is not looking to go back the relationship but to salvage the friendship he once had with Robyn. When he arrives at the home of Victor Booth he finds a hostile welcome from Robyn's father and sister. He later discovers that their hostility is justified having discovered that his ex-girlfriend is dead and he is a father.

Julianne Booth seems to find herself always recovering. First she has to recover from her mother's suicide, taking on the role of caregiver to her parent and younger sister, then when she finally thinks she will live her own happily ever after, a drunk driver takes the life of her husband and subsequently her own unborn child. Since the accident her life has been left in limbo until she is called to care for her pregnant sister and then for her newborn niece. She has built a barrier around herself, limiting her life to her niece's existence. When Kevin shows up her world threatens to crumble once again.

This is a book about growth. It's about three people learning to overcome the fear of living. Kevin, who is the recovering addict is actually the less damaged among them all.
Victor (Robyn and Julianne's father) writes self help book but cannot seem to help those closes to him. The only ways he feels he can protect them is by isolating them from the big bad world, but by doing so he is shutting himself out from the world too. He has given up on a second chance for love himself in an effort to stay close and protect the only daughter left to him.
Julianne's compliance to her father's safe harbor is destroying her. She knows that the right thing to do is to give up Pippa (the baby) to Kevin but she is lost without her and cannot find the strength to recover from that blow. When she starts falling for Kevin, her fears magnify because she cannot love again.

Templeton is a master and her trade. She took what could have been a cliche of a plot line (grieving widows, surprise pregnancies, love between in laws) and made it a poignant tale of individual growth and strength. Each character find within themselves the strength to heal so they could be open tot he love they were being offered. Wonderful!

Grade: A
Format: eBook

Racing the Moon by Michele Hauf

2008-06-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Sybil and The Good, The Bad and The Unread blog I won a copy of this intro title to the new Silhouette Nocturne Bites line. It's a very short tale whose premise promised an interesting story but as most short stories go, it fell short.

Sunday is a Familar (as in witchcraft and demons) that has a bit of a control issue when in the through of a sexual climax. She tends to open bridges between her world and that of the demon world which allows the demons to infiltrate our world. Unfortunately her human lovers don't appreciate the evil demons that appear after Sunday's climax or the fact that she turns into a cat at that time either. So Sunday has given up on Sex as well as humanity.

Dean is a werewolf racing against the moon. He needs to "get some" before the full moon rises to stop the wolf from emerging but his truck has left him stranded in the middle of nowhere just hours away from midnight. It's just his luck that a sexy mechanic drives by and offers him a tow to her garage. If he plays his cards right he might be able to stave off the wolf after all. All he needs to do is convince the greasy sex 'kitten' to let him flush her pipes.

The book actually started quite good, having a different standard for short stories. But when I hit page 30 and Dean starts talking about "booty calls", Hauf lost me. She had me rolling my eyes in disgust and when Dean starts showing feelings for Sunday, I was about to drop the book altogether. I was happy that in the end there was no real commitment of feelings or words because I would have graded this VERY low.

Hauf has a strong voice and I think she would do well in a longer format. It felt like those last twenty pages were written by someone else. As if Hauf gave up on the story. I would give her another try just because the first half of the book had me quite engaged.

Grade: C-
Format: eBook

Only with a Highlander by Janet Chapman

2008-06-12T08:52:00.001-05:00

I've read all of Chapman's Highlander series with exception of the last two and I guess Robbie's story was so forgettable I really put this one on the back burner for a while even though I had it in the TBR pile. When my Yahoo reading group selected Chapman as AOM in June it gave me the perfect excuse to pull it out.

Winter MacKeage is the prophesied 7th Daughter of Grey and Grace. She was the reason why Father Daar pulled Grey and his brothers (these were an accident) into the future. He was destined to meet Grace and have seven daughters on the winter solstice, the last one would inherit Daar's druid powers and save mankind.
Winter has no idea she has a destiny to fulfill because Grey and Grace want to give her choices. She can renounce her calling and live a normal life but by doing so, she will cause the end of the world as we know it (not much of a choice if you ask me). Winter is a successful artist in Pine Creek and owns her own gallery where she meet the man that will alter her destiny.

Matt Gregor walks into Winter's gallery and sees in her art more than most. He has just bought Bear Mountain and wants to build his home there. He also wants a bit of the magic Winter puts in her art and commissions her to find the best site to build his home.

Winter is a bit skeptical of the offer but there is a mystery and an allure to Matt that she cannot resist. She is drawn to him in a way that defies all reason.

From the get go you get a vibe about Matt. You know he is more than what he says he is but he is also a contradiction. He is a successful business man and he pays attention to his business, (it's not just a front) which is what I would expect if he was the 'bad' guy. He also runs away from Winter whenever he feels he can't control his baser needs, again not typical of the 'bad' guy that comes to steal the heroine's magic. So, although I knew who he was from early on, I really could not discern his intentions.

The book unfortunately suffered from a flat line syndrome that gave me an entertaining read but held no surprises. The only really blip in that line was when Winter finally discovers who and what she is and the turns around and discovers who and what Matt is. Even the 'end of the world' scenario was a anti climactic because you knew where salvation was coming from.
Chapman did well in hiding Matt's intentions but she needed to keep a bit of everything else locked up and close to her chest so that there would be more suspense. Still the book was entertaining and I really enjoyed revisiting the clan.

While reading the book I discovered that it not only met my need for the AOM reading but all was a good fit for my Book A Month Challenge.
In June the theme was Knowledge and Winter had to go through a transference of knowledge where all Father Daar's powers and knowledge of nature passes to the heir of the druid powers. Also there is alot of discovery that takes place when Winter finds out where her destiny lies. Matt also discovers his own heart with Winter.

Grade: C+

An Unexpected Song by Iris Johansen

2008-06-09T23:46:00.001-05:00

This is one of Johansen's earlier titles. Like Sandra Brown's earlier work, I find these category romances by Johansen not able to stand up to her more recent work, yet sometimes I need something lite and these short pieces work. This title actually surprised me.

Daisy Justine is a talented singer/actress that is living in a remote town in Europe when Eric Hayes discovers her and convinces his brother Jason to travel away from his Connecticut estate to listen to her perform. Eric is convinced that she would be perfect for the new musical they are producing. Daisy though is not so convinced since she has decided to stay close to her ailing father who is suffering from a rare disease and has little time left.

Jason Hayes is a bit of a cynic. His life has made him a bit rough around the edges but when he hears Daisy sing he is enchanted. When she refuses to join the production he is even more intrigued since his work is renowned and to have her shoot down this opportunity has him curious. No one will do for the main character to his musical except her and he sets out to conquer her and his rampant desire for her.

At first I really disliked Jason. Found him to be very arrogant and brash with a side of manipulator (playing on her desires to get her into bed). But he really grew on me by overcoming his fear to love. He never came out and told Daisy he loved her but after getting the whole picture we can see by his actions his deep love for her. Yet his reasons for isolating himself were a bit far fetched since his reputation and clout should have given him the leverage to put that situation to rest, but I guess Johansen had to rely on some type of plot twist to separate our lovers.

Daisy showed herself to be a bit weak at first, giving into anything a man said but she became a strong character toward the end. Don't get me wrong, she was never annoyingly like a doormat, which is usually the case with weak heroines but she seemed to take everything at face value and lets herself fall into situations that were a bit bizarre (agreeing to Jason's demands of evening meetings for example).

The writing was good enough to keep me engaged but the passage of time was not clear enough to avoid confusion. What appeared to be a day in the lives of our characters, at times, turned out to be weeks which caused the confusion that I mentioned and had me readjusting my perspective in many scenes.

The book was a nice short read that gave me more than I expected.
Grade: C+
Format: Audiobook

Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker

2008-05-27T18:08:00.001-05:00

If you thought you were familiar with Shiloh Walker's work... think again! Through the Veil is Walker's newest work and it hits the stand this coming Tuesday. The story offers us a glimpse to another side of Walker's talent by moving toward the Sci-fi genre when I, personally, had only read her paranormal Hunter series.

The story takes place between three worldly dimensions. Our contemporary world where we first encounter Lee, our heroine. Ishtan where Kalen, our hero belongs, and Anqar where the world is ruled by Warlords bent on destroying Ishtan for it's women. These worlds interconnect through gates that can be opened and closed by the Warlords and their power. Less powerful beings might not be able to open a gate to pass into these other worlds but they could look through the Veil between worlds and covet all they saw, like the females and the daughter's they produced. The women in Ishtan had powers that when breed upon produce strong offspring which Anqar needed. They had been losing their natural female population and this lead the Warlords to invade Ishtan and take the women as body slaves back to Anqar where they would try to breed upon them.
The Warlords had been raiding Ishtan for as long as anyone could remember.

Lee lives in the contemporary world but goes to Ishtan in her dreams. She fights alongside the rebel forces to stop the Warlords from destroying that world but she believes that it is all part of an elaborate dream. She wakes with bruises on her body but dismisses them as over active sleep patterns.

Kalen knows that Lee is a strong force that belongs by his side in Ishtan. He is capable of looking through the veil between his world and hers. He watches her confusion and her rationalization of the bruises she acquires in her fight, but doesn't know how to reach her to convince her of the truth. The convincing takes place early on in the book and then Lee moves on to struggle with her new reality because although she is a fierce warrior for the rebellion she comes to Ishtan in her new form as a novice. Her denial of this new reality is overwhelming and blocks her knowledge of how to control her powers.

Lee is a mystery not just to everyone around her but also to herself. She has no idea where she comes from and how is it that she is able to cross over to Ishtan from her world. Kalen only knows that Lee is important not just to the cause but to himself. He has loved her and desired her for many years but between getting shot at and evading a new attack there is little time for romance. now that Lee is back to stay he is ready to claim her for himself.

If you are expecting the story to be a romance you might be disappointed because although the romance and passion are there the main focus is on Lee and how she comes to unite her old self with the warrior she has become. The first 30 pages are difficult due to acclamation to the new world. The definitions at the start of the book is where this information should be since you will need to know this information from the get go. The definitions allow you to get to know the inhabitants of this new world because as soon as you start the book you are thrown into that world, no real introduction just slam-bam thank you ma.am.

But how do you introduce such a dark existence as those living in Ishtan have? The world building is extraordinary and so vivid that you can feel the desolation and the hopelessness when Kalen describes the future of his world. The story doesn't just paint the bleak panorama that exist now but the richness and vitality that existed in the past. You mourn the loss of Ishtan as you see it through Kalen's eyes. Wonderfully done!

Despite the difficult start, the book picked up and was a smooth read. There were parts that I would have liked to see more of the Warlords and their threat especially after I accepted the prominent Sci-fi theme. I would have liked to see more of the characters from Ishtan, not just their struggle. This would have made the story more robust and yet by the end not only was I looking for Kalen & Lee's happy ever after but it also left me wanting to hear Morne's story (he was the rebellion's healer and carried a history of his own).

I was divided about the grade on this one just because I loved many things about this book (the strong visuals, the strength of Kalen and his commitment to his people, the unique characters that brought the book to life) but in the end I had to bring it down because it was a difficult start and there was so much focus on Lee's dilemma and the part she was to play in the rebellion that I was left wanting more of the people of Ishtan, more of Kalen, more of Morne and Eira (the witch elder that trains Lee).

Grade: B

Friday Fun - Take 4

2008-05-23T07:06:00.003-05:00

Yeah! Friday is finally here! I picked up my daughter at the airport last night and I have the day off so, I'm on cloud nine! Tomorrow my other girl comes to town and I'll have double trouble roaming the house!

We have a full weekend packed with fun stuff so I hope the weather holds. With tons of stuff on the To do list, let's start off the weekend right with some Friday Fun!

1. On my laziest day I like to Read! (Nothing better than to curl into bed with a good book and let the time roll by!)
2. Quilting makes me feel like I'm being productive. (After a day of quilting I have tangible proof of my work. Even when I'm at work there is no end product, just a constant stream of things to do, but when you sit down and take pieces of fabric, put them together and produce a work of art or just a hug that can be wrapped around a loved ones shoulders... now that is productivity!!)
3. I love little Gadgets and big TV's. (Love my eReader and any other small electronic toy I can get my hands on. But for TV's, the bigger the better - what can I say, I'm my father's daughter! LOL!)
4. This summer I want to Lose 15 pounds. (Since the start of the year I've lost 27 pounds so I'm hoping the trend will continue and I can get to goal soon.)
5. Reading made me start my blog. (I had been reading for a couple of years and saw many book review blogs popping up everywhere. I already kept track of my reading and kept short reviews in a file so I could go back and reference them when I needed to look back on a book I had read, so I thought why not put it out there on a blog so others looking for reviews could use them too. And I just started posting)
6. Red, Yellow and orange are my favorite summer colors! (my sister says they are too bright but honestly, they are the colors of sunshine and when you put them on, you get to feel happy from the outside in!)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching the movies we got in the mail this week, tomorrow my plans include going to my weigh-in, picking up Lindsay at the airport and Game Night with friends and Sunday, I want to go to the Renaissance fair at Scarsborough!

Our Chef was on vacation this week but Tina stepped in and gave us a menu:

Appetizer

Wii, Playstation or XBox? Playstation! Absolutely!

Soup

Would you ever go skydiving? Never! I am scared of heights so skydiving is out of the question.

Salad

Name a sequel that you think is better than the original movie. Dang! This one is hard because I can name a few sequels that were just as good as the original but Better? Ah! Got it! Harry Potter. The first one had special effect that were lacking, the story as great but the Special Effects were poor while the subsequent movies have held the story lines and have improved on the imagery.

Main Course

Share your most wonderful birthday celebration. It would have to be on my fourth or fifth birthday. I remember that I felt like a princess. I had a special velvet dress that reached my ankles and I had my mother put my hair up in a beehive do. I remember feeling so darn special and grownup because I had my hair done up like my moms (this was in the late sixties, early seventies). I had my favorite teach from my pre-school there, her name was Betty and although my family and her were friends she was coming to MY party. I have many pictures of the event and when I look at them I still can feel the excitement of the day. I rate this one higher than my Sweet Fifteen (I'm Hispanic we celebrate 15 instead of 16) where awkwardness and boys had already poked there influences on me.

Dessert

If you dare, post a picture of yourself making a silly face. I would dare but I haven't taken a picture in many years and least of all one making a silly face. I'll owe you thin one.

That's it for this week! I hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Booking Through Thursday - Books vs Movies

2008-05-22T11:11:00.002-05:00

This weeks Booking Through Thursday combines two of my favorite topics, Books and Movies.Let's delve right in.

Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?

In a sense I have the same expectations from a movie than I do from a book. Entertainment. A picture of a fantasy come to life. A Suspense that makes me hold my breath. A thriller that has me tapping my feet with nerves. A Happy Ever After.

The difference between a book and a movie is that with the movie I rely on someone elses imagination to bring things to life and I can sit back and just enjoy their efforts. With a book, it's all on me. There are times when I do a better job in the imagination arena and when a book moves to film, I am sooo disapointed I don't follow any more of the series in that media (ie. Eragon) but then you have a time when the film is so well done, you will never pick up the book again (ie Jane Austen Book Club & Lord of the Ring Trilogy). And then you have those films that come from a screenplay and not an adaptation. You are completely at the mercy of the creative team and you go to be swept away (ie, X-files, Ironman, Sex and the City).

I was watching Oprah yesterday and she was saying how we, as individuals, find oursleves happy but not doing things that make us Happy. My sister and I originally agreed with the statement. Then on further thought I realized that I do things that make me happy just not based on some archaic definintion of 'Happy'. Reading makes me happy. I laugh and cry and invest myself emotionally in my reading. Movies give me the same sensation.

I will walk into a movie and (if it's a good movie) I will walk out with endorphines running rampant. I don't have to go skiing or go to a concert or go on a vacation to a far off land to be happy. I can do all that from the warmth of my home with a book in hand or a good movie on the TV. Wow, I've just diverge from this week's topic.

Do I want something different from a movie than from a book? No. I want to walk out of the movie with the same smile I get after turning the last page on a great book.

What about you? Do you expect something different from a Movie than from a Book?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Bartlett Bro. Series by Suzanne Brockmann

2008-05-18T06:54:00.003-05:00

I've been on a bit of a Brockmann binge lately. Seems that many of her earlier titles are bing reissued and these two peaked my interest, so I picked them up. They definitely were not of her later caliber but these were originally issued ten years ago (three years before Unsung Hero) so I think we can cut her a break.

First in the series is Forbidden. Kayla Grey seeks out Cal Bartlett when she hears rumors that Liam, the man who'd wanted to marry her, is believed to be alive and held captive in the jungles of San Salustiano. When this city girl arrives in Montana the first thing she does is almost die. Caught in a freak snow storm she finds herself being rescued by the same man who she came searching for, unfortunately sparks fly before they realize who is who.

Cal doesn't let himself get carried away but after saving the life of the city slicker, the attraction is a bit too much for him. Having her almost naked in front of him and he touches her. Just enough to realize that it's not enough. When he discovers that she is the woman his little brother fell in love with and was to marry, he feels as guilty as if Liam was alive. Then on top of that the little lady decides to renew the spark of hope he once had that his brother had survived the bombing of the bus he was riding in. It has been two years and those wounds are just starting to heal, but this woman is threatening his sanity, because he can't lose his brother again.

I'm not so sure about this one. The big issue with this was that there was no real foundation for the love these two claim to have found. It was definitely lust. There was really no reason for her to love him. He started pushing her away as soon as he found out who she was. She had experienced a traumatic event when she was younger and that bonded her with Liam but there was nothing that I could see to warrant her great love with Cal except that they were in a dangerous place and in a stressful situation. The saving grace of the book was really the search for Liam. Trying to discover if the police were good or bad. Not knowing who to trust. I think Brockmann sharpened her suspense but flopped on the romance.

Grade: B-

Following Forbidden we get Liam's story in Freedom's Price. Last we saw of Liam he is recovering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and just opening up. We find out that he has completely shut down after making some initial strides in his recovery. He has written a book on the atrocities of the war that held him imprisoned but he has not written about his own personal experiences. Those are the experiences that are driving him mad.

When Liam finds himself serving as a chaperon/guardian to the girl that saved his life in the jungle, he is not sure that he can confront those memories. Marisala was always his shining light, a brave 16 year old at the time she has now become an enticing woman. She has come to Boston to attend college but after a screw up with the dorms she finds herself living in Liam's apartment.
Marisala fell in love with the American journalist the first time she saw him in her father's house. Many years have past since that first encounter and she is no longer a child. She lead a revolution in her country, saw things that no child should ever witness, and now she is expected to assume the role of a meek young woman who should find herself an ordinary husband.

This one was better than the first. Brockmann put some meat in this story with Liam dealing with his trauma and Marisala trying to adjust to life after a war. These two were made for each other. The fear that had been pounded into Liam could only be overcome with the courage of a revolutionary leader like Marisala.The support system she brings to Liam enables him to recover from his trauma and allows him to love free of the torment that had haunted him for many years.
Would have liked to visit with Kayla and Cal but there is just so much you can squeeze into 250 pages and it did not deter from the story at all.

Grade: B

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

2008-05-17T06:36:00.000-05:00

Like most 'between the numbers' Stephanie Plum books, this one was just a bit on the dull side.

Stephanie finds herself in Atlantic City chasing after Grandma Mazur who has found a duffel bag full of cash and is spending it like there is no tomorrow. Stephanie is not the only one chasing after Grandma. Snuggy O'Connor, a little person who thinks he is a leprechaun, is also after the duffel bag and Diesel is after Snuggy.

It seem Mr. Leprechaun stole the money from a local mobster to pay for the surgery that would save his horse's life, but on his getaway lost the money (which is how Grandma Mazur has it). It seems Mr. Mobster is not the giving type so he is after the whole bunch of them, taking said horse hostage until he gets his money back. This is how they all end up trying to come up with a plan to rescue a horse that is being held for ransom.

It's a hodge pod of characters who don't really go together and the story was asking too much of us. It was nice visiting with the team again but I was not impressed and was disappointed.

Grade: C-
Format: Audiobook

Friday Fun - Take 3

2008-05-16T21:41:00.003-05:00

Not only is it Friday but this is the last Friday before I have my DD back at home and that is something to be happy about. This is the longest time I've been away from my daughter ever and it has been a bit difficult (even though we talk a few times a week on the phone). The sad part is that she is coming home for just a week and then heading off to Japan for another 6-8 weeks. So, I'll be really trying to squeeze some lovin' the week and a half she is here. On top of that... I get to see my other little girl.

My surrogate daughter is coming to visit for a week too. It will be two years in august since I last saw Lindsay and I miss her and Jessie (my other surrogate Daughter) so much it sometime hurts (especially during their b'days and holidays) but I'll have my girls home for a week and will be counting the days until next Friday.

For this week lets do some fill-ins and some feasting to get me through the week.

1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to bungee jump, skydive or do anything from far above! (can you say Fear of Heights?)
2. No AC in my car reminds me that summer is almost here! (yeah.. I live in Texas in case you didn't know. No AC is a b*tch!!)
3. I cannot live without my laptop. (I'm a techie, what can I say?)
4. Tole Painting and knitting are two things I'd like to try. (I love all things crafty but I have never tried to paint or to knit - well, I once bought everything I needed to knit but didn't have any one to teach me and knitting really can't be learned from a book)
5. When life hands you lemons you make lemon poppy bread. (Not as fond of Lemonade as the bread)
6. Riding my Granfather's tracker when we visited Puerto Rico in the summer is my favorite childhood memory.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to posting this, tomorrow my plans include my weight watcher meeting and grocery shopping ... maybe and Sunday, I want to read the ARC I have waiting for me next to my bed!

Appetizer

What is the nearest big city to your home? Dallas

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? 7, depends on who's secret and who I'm telling.

Salad

Describe your hair (color, texture, length). Short, Brown (for this week), straight (for today) but thick (a bit rowdy in the mornings)

Main Course

What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow? Depends on how close to that time of the month I am. Really it depends on where I'm driving and who is with me.

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week? NEVER!!! To have a bad week you have to be really negative, but to have a bad day is a whole different matter. My last bad day was April 25th. When I had to call the cable company for a discrepancy in the bill.

That's it for this week! See you all soon!!

Booking Through Thursday - Manual Labor

2008-05-15T21:40:00.010-05:00

So I missed last weeks Booking theme but I'm back on board this week. I was not feeling very much like a blogger when all I posted was my weekly Booking and Friday Fun so I resolved I was not posting again until I got a few of the accrued reviews out of the way. I still have a few more to post but at least I got several under my belt and I don't feel to guilty.

This weeks Booking through Thursday follows up on last weeks entry (which I missed but will post here this week anyway.. Sue me!)

Last Weeks read:

Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library?

Guilty! I have lots of writing guides. I went on a binge of these books a few years ago and I bought enough of them to fill a shelf on my bookcase. Since I moved to Texas I have not unpacked them.
When they were unpacked, did I read them? Nope. The only writing reference book that I have opened in the last ten years has been the Student Writing Guide my daughter bought in her freshman year of High school.
Dictionaries? Why?? Spell check works (most of the time).

This weeks follow-up:

Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not?

Do you ever read manuals?

How-to books?

Self-help guides?

Anything at all?

If I buy any new gadget I do read MOST of the manual. I use the index to decide what part of the manual I need to read to get my gadget to do what I want it to do.

Okay more confessions of a gatherer. I love software manuals. I will go to Barnes & Noble and dive into the software manuals. Those that I buy, will be read and then saved as reference guides.
I also love Quilting/Craft books. I have so many How-to books on crafts in my library I don't have any place to put them. Other types of books I collect... Cookbooks. Love Love Love cookbooks with Lots of pictures. If it doesn't have pictures, I won't buy it.

Self Help books? Nope. Not a one. I just don't put much credit into them. I think if i ever feel the need Self Help I will go to a professional (Therapist, Financial Advisor, Dating Service, etc). I have seen too many fads pass by and what one person says will help you today will be a no-no tomorrow (like the dieting industry). I will pick up and inspirational book of poems or a motivational book (like Chicken Soup for the Soul) but beyond that... nope.

What do you read to improve yourself?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves

Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann

2008-05-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

I have been looking forward to starting this series for a very long time.
The first time I listened to Brockmann was when I picked up Flashpoint and I realized I stepped into the middle of a fantastic series with characters already established. I loved listening to the books that followed until I stopped myself and decided to start from square one. Unfortunately not all the books are available in Audiobook so I collected the first five in paperback. Last month I found the first in the series in Audio format and jumped at the chance to pick it up from my library.

Tom Paoletti is commander of Seal Team 16 and has suffered a head injury that has him on forced medical leave for 30 days. He takes advantage of the time and goes 'home' to visit his great uncle Joe. Tom grew up with Joe in Baldwin Bridge, MA where he earned the reputation of being a bad boy/delinquent. His visit starts off on the wrong foot from the moment he gets off his plane since he catches a glimpse of, who he believes, is a world renowned terrorist. Between believing that his injury has lead him to some serious hallucinations and believing that the terrorist is real he heads out in pursuit but loses the suspect. Needless to say his superior is not too happy with him and attributes the sighting to his injuries. He doesn't believe so but puts it to the side and heads home, where things don't get any better when he runs smack into Kelly Ashton, the one girl that has always made him feel more than what he felt comfortable feeling.

Kelly has been commuting between her practice as a pediatrician in Boston and Baldwin's Bridge since her father was diagnosed with Terminal Cancer. Her father is Joe Paoletti's best friend and is one of the riches men in town. He has had a rough relationship with everyone in his life and Kelly hopes to give him an opportunity to make amends before he leaves them. When she encounters Tom she really has no idea what to say. He had walked out on her, breaking her heart after sharing 3 unforgettable kisses the night before he disappeared from her life, 16 years ago. She has gotten over him, or so she says, but wouldn't mind exploring the physical side of the attraction which is obviously still vibrant in both of them. She will take the sex but this time, her heart won't be offered.

The book does not have a dull moment although I will say that the World War II subplot where we learn about the rivalry between Joe and Charles Ashton (Kelly's father) didn't do it for me. A similar subplot is carried through many of books in this series and is great for those that like to explore that era. It really didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book since it made us get to know Joe and Charles and to understand the bond of a friendship that lasted 60 years.

There is still another storyline in the romance of Mallory Paolettti and David Sullivan. David is the geek comic book artist that sees Mallory (Tom's niece) for who she really is and not the sex kitten everyone makes her out to be, She is a bit reluctant to give David the time of day since he has dweeb written all over his face (I kept visualizing Mac boy - Justin Long) but after he proves he is made of sterner stuff, she understands that she is doing to him what everyone has always done to her, judge her by what she looks like.

Then the final subplot, the terrorist attack. When the final confrontation came about I found it to go fairly quick but it did not take away from the edge of your seat action. Everyone was involved! Even Charles and his walker! Great start to what I know is a fantastic series!

Grade: B+
Format: Audiobook

Friday Fun

2008-05-02T05:52:00.004-05:00

It's Friday again and the weekend is finally here. Yeah!! I'm so behind on my book reviews it's a joke but I've been so engrossed with my reading I really don't care! LOL!

A new Friday Fill-ins and Friday's Feast has hit the blogsphere.

Let's see what we are talking about this week....

1. Two of my favorite ingredients in a drink are Bailey's & Godiva Chocolate Liquor!
2. My daughter often amazes me. (You can see why when she posts things like this on her blog; From Good to Great)
3. You can keep doing that forever, the dog is Never going to get it. (My shit-zu Pepper was a bit on the hard headed side - loved her to death but sometimes you could not get her to move )
4. Take Politics and Friendships, mix it all together and voila! You have a Royal Mess!
5. If I had a yard with a garden, I would love to grow Daisies. (the most unpretentious flower out there!)
6. Pizza is best au naturel. (Yeah, you can add tons of crap on it but honestly, a plain cheese pizza is all you really need. The rest is decoration on perfection! - Can you tell I'm going through a pizza withdrawal)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to catching up on some blogging & watching what I have on my TiVo, tomorrow my plans include going to my Weigth Watcher's Weigh-in and catching up on some sewing and Sunday, I want to go to the movies to see Robert Downey Jr as Ironman!

Appetizer

What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child? Candy Candy & Captain Harlock

Soup

Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it? I'm a dog person, so it would have to be a dog. When I moved to Texas I left my dog with my older sister and nephew because he had grown very attached to Pepper (short for Peppermint Dreams). My younger sister, whom I live with now, has grown an itch to get a pet but I can't bring myself to get a new pet when, in my heart, Pepper is still mine, but if I DID get a new pet, it would have to be a dog. Maybe a Chocolate Lab or a Beagle. I would name him/her something that would suit it's personality or looks. Can't put aside a name without looking at them in the eyes and getting to know them.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion? 3 - I enjoy seeing the results but the getting there is such a pain in the Arse! I'm very much a jean / t-shirt type of gal. My sister is always harping on me that I don't have feminine cloths in my closet. Comfort before Beauty is my motto!

Main Course

What kind of music do you listen to while you drive? I don't really listen to music. I listen to Audiobooks. On the rare occasion I change the iPod to something musical it would be either Country (love the Dixie Chicks!), Alternative (Counting Crow rocks!) or Korean Pop (Bi/Rain is the bomb!!!)

Dessert

When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it? I don't remember ever buying a clock. I have an alarm clock that I inherited from my daughter when she went off to college. The clock that is in the family room was among my sisters possessions when we merged our stuff together in the new house. I have NEVER bought a clock! Interesting tid-bit I never knew about myself.

Booking through Thursday - Mayday!

2008-05-01T19:19:00.006-05:00

This week's Booking column was so improbable that I had to really stretch myself.

Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??

And, no, you did NOT have time to grab your bookbag, or the book next to your bed. You were . . . grocery shopping when you got the call and have nothing with you but your wallet and your passport (which you fortuitously brought with you in case they asked for ID in the ethnic food aisle). This is hypothetical, remember….

I said I had to stretch myself because anyone that knows me knows that I ALWAYS have a book in my purse. When I go to buy a purse I take my book from my current purse and see if the paperback fits in the new purse, if it doesn't... no matter HOW beautiful the purse is, I don't buy it. Now with my eBook reader, sometimes I have 16 books in my purse :)

So in my fantasy scenario, where I did not have a book in an airport, what would I do? Head on over to the nearest magazine shop (you know the ones, they sell everything you never knew you needed on a flight) and pick up anything that could keep me from going mad. That could be a magazine of Logic puzzles, an Entertainment magazine or if lucky, maybe they have a good selection of books. I would also stock up on a healthy (or maybe unhealthy) amount of candy, chips, snacks, chocolate and gum. Then after leaving all my cash in the store I would sit back and be too freaked out about the family emergency to eat any of the 'cavities in a box' I just purchased for an insane amount of money or crack open the reading material I chose.

What would you do in a scenario like this?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein

2008-04-29T20:38:00.001-05:00

As many of you know Fairstein is a must read for me. I cannot get enough of Alex Cooper, Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace but this one... I was devastated while reading.

The story opens up with Alex arriving at the scene of a murder that took place in an abandoned Maritime building off the coast of Staten Island. The girl has been tortured and brutally stabbed and by the stench she has been there for a while. When the bodies of two more young women show up they suspect a serial killer is on the loose. One that has an affinity to women in uniforms.

The connection between the girls seem to be the bars of Jimmy and Kiernan Dylan, a father/son business that have had a brush with the law for serving alcohol to underage patrons. When Kieran is arrested, it flushes out an unlikely source that points to another more viable candidate.

And the chase begins. That chase takes them back to the string of islands that surround Manhattan and when a storm comes rolling in our favorite team is stranded on one of the islands with the latest victim and only survivor of the maniac, but has the Serial Killer escaped or is he hiding behind the storm to finish the job he started?

Besides the main story we also follow Alex as she tries to balance her job with her new romantic interest, French man Luc Rouget (sp??) and we see her wrap up on the conviction of serial rapist Floyd Warren who raped Kerry Hastings over 30 years ago. Justice might be slow but it always catches up with you. While in court and while dealing with the murders of these women, the members of the Latin Princes gang are bent on hurting Alex and making her regret putting their gang leader behind bars.

Okay here is the thing with this installment of the Alex Cooper series. I only LISTEN to these books. They are Audiobook reads for me. Not because I love them less than my romances, but because I have a terrible imagination and the spoken word will put the pressure on the narrator to bring to life my favorite crime fighting team, Barbara Rosenblat has read all the Alex Cooper books I have listened to. Except this one. I actually considered NOT listening to it. I had such a hard time getting into the story because the voices were not of Alex, Mike and Mercer
Think of Harry Potter with someone else playing Harry. Think of The Outlander without Davina Porter giving that beautiful Scottish accent to Jamie! Yeah, I took it hard!

What else went wrong with this one? The History Channel was transported to the pages of the book. Fairstein always includes a good dose of NY history in her stories, it's part of the charm. Mike knows EVERYTHING about NY. He is a walking Wikipedia. But in this one, it went a bit overboard. Mike tends to throw out these historical facts as he moves along the crime but in this one, it seemed as if he pauses and regurgitates his knowledge. Not just him but Alex throws out her share of historical facts. Too much info all at once feels like I'm watching the History channel. Also, Mike was very out of character. He seemed to dismiss and, in a way, belittled Alex. At times there was so little respect for her knowledge and for the things that they had gone through, I had to attribute it to the narrator but in reality, it was the writing. It seemed Linda took our Mike Chapman and gave him a dose of Dr. Jekyll / Mr Hyde potion, because honestly, at times I didn't even recognize Mike.

Regardless of these flaws the book still earned a decent grade because when the Storm rolled in I was glued to my seat in anticipation of what would happen to our trio of crime fighters.

Grade: B-
Format: Audiobook

After the Kiss by Karen Ranney

2008-04-27T20:29:00.001-05:00

Karen Ranney is a new Author to me. I had read a small piece by her in the Tapestry Anthology but this was my first full length novel by her. I have much of her backlist in my TBR pile after a strong recommendation from my Yahoo reading group but I had a feeling that these books would be emotional heavy hitters and I had put off reading them. When I was selecting books for my challenges I made sure that I added one of Ranney's titles in the challenges so I would be motivated to start reading them. I am happy that I did because the emotional backlash was not as bad as I expected and Ranney's talent surpasses many classic romance authors.

Michael Hawthorne, Earl of Montraine is in need of a wife. He doesn't necessarily want a wife, he would be happy to spend his days surrounded by his mathematical equipment cyphering. Michael works secretly for the English government as a code breaker. He hates the social circles his title forces him to be part of but as a second son he never really expected to have to be part of the ton. When his father and brother died he inherited the title and the responsibility it brings with it. In essence, he inherited his mother and three sisters. They don't seem to understand that the money is scarce and if he is to keep the properties that are not entailed, they need to economize. They believe that by having Michael marry an heiress they will be able to continue living the lifestyle they have become accustom to, thus Michael needs a wife.

Margaret Easterly was content to be a booksellers wife. She was never titled, never had a hidden father who was actually a Duke hidden in her closet. No, she was just plain Margaret, married to the bastard son of a Duke (okay, so there was a Duke hidden around there). When a fire leaves her widowed with barely the cloths on her back and a small strong box in her hands she decides to move away from London and the memories. After a couple of years when the small amount that was in the strong box is depleted she is forced to look into selling the other items in the box. Three journals of a very sensuous nature from a mysterious Augustine X. These journals appear to be very valuable since her husband had kept them separate with a short list of potential buyers. Margaret had hesitated in selling them because it awoke a curiosity in her that was not easily assuaged, but her circumstances force her to send inquiries to the names on the list to see if there is a potential buyer for one of the journals.

When Margaret arrives at the home of the buyer, she discovers that he is hosting a masquerade. As she is leaving with her money in hand she stops to observe the festivities from the balcony that leads to the gardens. That is where Michael first encounters Margaret. he confuses her with one of the guests but is surprised that she is not frightened/intimidated by his brooding presence. Most young ladies of the ton hold a fascination with Michael but at the same time find him a bit frightening. Margaret does not know anything about the stranger and feels no inhibitions (they will never meet again anyway). They share a few words, a few glances, a dance that almost leads to a kiss and then Michael is left bereft when Margaret flees his arms.

Of course Michael becomes his obsessive self and cannot seem to put aside the image of the woman he almost kissed. his search for a wife has gone down the drain and he can't break a code even if his life depended on it. When he hears from his friend that his mystery lady will be returning to London to sell another volume of the Journals, he arranges to intercept her and claim his kiss.

The story blossoms with the kiss and the bit more that was taken before the kiss took place. Ranney weaves a tale of passionate encounters, obsession, lust and finally love. The sensuality of the scenes were wonderful written burning the pages of the story. The struggles between morality and the love they feel for each other is vividly written and is never dismissed. The circumstances of their lives makes their relationship impossible and yet they find themselves so drawn to each other, it puts their values to the test.

Wonderfully written piece that should be read by anyone who is a romance lover.

Grade: A

Friday Fun

2008-04-25T05:13:00.003-05:00

Found a few more things to add to my blog...

I found the Friday Fill-Ins while I was out reading someone elses blog and loved the idea, so I decided to join the fun.

Friday's Feast was found while I was reading someones Friday Fill-Ins! LOL! Are you confused yet? I thought it was food related but it's more a meal for the mind!

Okay, so here we go:

1. When I fell in love it scared me!
2. Everything looks sooo pretty when the flowers bloom and it heats up outside!
3. Oh no! The internet connection is down, I hate that %^&@# Cable Company!
4. Eli Stone is the craziest tv show ever.
5. Cheese and anything make a great meal!
6. I would kill every plant if I had a garden.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to coming home from work, tomorrow my plans include Weight Watchers Weigh-in and Sunday, I want to finish my Merry Gentry book!

Appetizer

Name something you would categorize as weird: Some of my daughter's roommates!

Soup

What color was the last piece of food you ate?: Brown (an ice cream bar)

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?
8, I'm more of a loner and love doing solitary things like reading, writing & watching foreign films (not alot of people like these)

Main Course

Fill in the blank:

I will need to decide who to vote for when elections come around in November.

Dessert

Describe your sleeping habits: Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Booking Through Thursday - Springing

2008-04-24T20:16:00.003-05:00

So I was thinking a bit about the blog and how I would like to put more time into it and all that. But there is just so many books I can review and sometimes I'm really stumped about what to say about a particular book, so I'm expanding my views and adding a bit of a kick to the blog.

I decided to join the Booking through Thursday movement! It's a weekly meme mostly about reading or books... right up my alley. So here is the question of the week:

Do your reading habits change in the Spring? Do you read gardening books? Even if you don’t have a garden? More light fiction than during the Winter? Less? Travel books? Light paperbacks you can stick in a knapsack?

Or do you pretty much read the same kinds of things in the Spring as you do the rest of the year?

I will say Spring is not a big 'season' to go specialty reading for me. Big seasons for reading something special is Halloween (a month that gives me the excuse to only read Paranormals) and Christmas (you have to get into the holiday spirit somehow). Other than those two holidays, the change in seasons does not inspire me to change my reading habits.

How about you? Are you a seasonal reader?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

To Bed a Beauty by Nicole Jordan

2008-04-20T13:11:00.003-05:00

This story was the 2nd book in the Courtship Wars series and one I was looking forward to. Although To Pleasure a Lady, the first installment left me a bit dissatisfied it didn't leave without the curiosity to know the fates of the other two Loring sisters, especially Roslyn who is known as the beauty of the group.

Poor Roslyn has had her share of bad luck with men since the sisters feel in disgrace after their mother ran off with a Frenchman. We discovered in the first book that the mom was a victim of circumstance as much as any other and that the real culprit for the sister's disastrous reputation could easily be laid on the father's feet.

After experiencing several years in poverty, Roslyn was not seen by men as a Lady, but as a fallen woman, a woman that has been propositioned several times. Roslyn seeks love in her marriage and won't settle for less. She witnessed many parental arguments due to her father's infidelities and then her mother's. She has sworn to avoid a marriage of convenience at any cost and has set out to educate herself in the art of making a man fall in love. She has her eyes set on a particular neighbor who just came into his title and who, she observes, has all the characteristics of a man she could love. Now all she needs to do is make him fall in love with her. She recruits Fanny Irwin, the courtesan family friend we met in To Pleasure a Lady, to help her. Fanny takes Roslyn to a Cyprian Ball so that she can observe how the courtesan's entice the men. She never expected to see the Duke of Arden at the ball.

Drew Moncrief, the Duke of Arden is one of Marcus, Lord Danver's best friends. He has put aside his most recent mistress and is out shopping at the ball when he catches a glimpse of a newcomer. He goes off to pursue her only to have her run from him. When he finds her, he seduces her into a few kisses and a bit of first base, but is completely confounded by her reluctance in accepting his protection. This is completely cleared up later on when he discovers that the beauty he was seducing was his friend's new sister in law! He is a bit upset but quickly puts it aside when he discovers that she was not out to trap anyone into marriage (one of his worst nightmares) but was in fact trying to pick up skills to capture the heart of another. Obviously he has decided to offer his services in teaching her everything a man is looking for in the woman to be his bride.

The book itself has a worn premise and the whole 'I met you in a masked ball and could not get you out of my mind' has been used so many times it should be banned among plots that can be used in a romance but then the story moved into another plot outline that has been so overused it also should be banned "Let me teach you the secrets of love so that you can seduce the man you REALLY want". What is different about this book is that Jordan made it work.

Arden was so jaded and Roslyn so refreshing that the story just worked. Arden has never been loved for himself and because Roslyn only had eyes for her neighbor, she didn't pose a threat to him, he never felt pursued and could bring his guard down, learning to savor a relationship with a woman that, although lustful, was relaxing. I loved that even though the time line was short he fell in love with a friend.

Roslyn on her part found herself the resistant one. She did not want to fall for the Duke, a man who admitted he did not have a heart to give. Someone that she argued with and who caused painful memories to resurface. When she was found compromised, she still resisted the marriage because she wanted love. She was a wonderful character who had some wounds to heal. She would eventually learn that she could not have love without trust and she needed to trust Arden capable of loving her.

There was a secondary story line where Winifred, lady Freemantle, discovers that her husband not only kept a mistress but a whole separate family. She recruits Drew and Roslyn to find out who is trying to steal a brooch with a picture of her late husband only to discover the alternate life he had led before dying,

It seems that the third installment to this series was taking place at the same time this story was evolving because Lily, the youngest Loring sister, runs away to London. What is she running from, we will have to wait to read about it in her story.

Grade: B+

A Caress of Twilight by Laurell K. Hamilton

2008-04-15T11:54:00.003-05:00

I'm loving this series. This was the second installment in the Merry Gentry series and in this one we get to delve more into the crazy life of a Sidhe princess.

In A Kiss of Shadows, Merry was told she would be crowned Queen of the Unseelie court if she can bear an heir before her cousin, Prince Cel could have a child of his own. This caused enough noise in court to have Prince Cel punished for his assassination attempts and have Princess Meredith running back to her familiar life in LA. She has brought with her her Ravens, a retinue of guards that have been supplying her with enough sex to keep Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness, happy that she is at least TRYING to get pregnant.

Merry has refused any monetary funds from the Queen (her motto being if you take, you owe) so she is living with her 5 guards (Doyle, Frost, Galen, Rhys and Nicca) and one goblin (Kitto) in a tiny, one bedroom apartment. To pay her bills she continues to work as a PI for Grey's Detective Agency which brings her in contact with Maeve Reeds. Maeve, who is now a famous movie star, has been exiled from the Seelie court after she angered Taranis, King of Light and Shadow. She has been prohibited from seeking out another Fey but she risks it all because she wants a child with her dying husband.

Merry shows that she is a very politically minded advisory and what she lacks in immortality she has in smarts. Although she was concerned over her meeting with Maeve she believes that the movie star holds a secret so big, that if shared with Meridith, will give her an edge over her uncle, King Taranis. But the King is not likely to allow that and when an ancient power is released onto humans causing mass murders to pop up everywhere, Merry wonders if the King has not shown his hand too quickly.

On top of her dealings with Maeve and the King, Merry also is working an alliance with Queen Niceven, the Queen of the Demi Fey who we met in the previous book. The damage that has been done to her Raven, Galen during the first book appears to be permanent and it would eliminate him as a candidate to father her child but Merry is not accepting of this and calls upon Niceven to provide for a cure. When a much guarded secret of the Demi Fey is revealed, Merry jumps all over it to assure an alliance between herself and Niceven. The deal adds Sage to Meredith's male followers, as an emissary to Queen Niceven.

In this installment we get to know so much more about the Ravens and their previous lives, not just as the Queen's guard but also as Fey themselves. Doyle, the Queen's Darkness finally gives into the flesh and beds Merry, causing conflicts of loyalties. We also discover an interesting fact about his parentage. Frost's feelings for Merry have grown strong and he fears losing her by not being able to give her the heir she needs. Rhy's prejudice against Kitto as a goblin comes to a collision which causes Merry to question who has the power in her relationship with her guards. She has to balance her love for the men and her position as the future Queen. Rhys also reveals his past which puts him in a whole new light and not so much the charlatan and movie buff he portrays himself to be.

There was a lot of growth happening in this installment and a lot of alliances which is positioning Merry to be the heir to the throne. Now if she can only get herself pregnant!

Grade: A

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

2008-04-11T09:03:00.000-05:00

First time reading this author. I had heard great things about her Inkheart series but it was a YA book and unless I get a vibe I tend to push it aside, but I have discovered with books like Eragon and the Gemma Doyle series, you sometimes have to take a leap of faith, so I picked up one of Funke's earlier titles and was pleasantly surprised. I think the fact that this audiobook was narrated by Brendan Fraser added to the enjoyment. The man is the real deal. His manager should be fired for not getting him the roles he deserves because he has an extraordinary range and brought to life each and every character in the book.

Humans are invading the mountain caves that a group of dragons call home. One of the dragons has decided to go in search of a legendary sanctuary all think to be just just that, a legend and not really 'REAL'. Firedrake was raised on the tales of the Rim of Heaven and decides to journey into the world in search of this place so that the dragons of his clan can go live a peaceful existence with out the humans breathing down their throat. He takes his closest friend, a brownie girl called Sorrell, and collects quite a few more companions on his way.

One of these companions is a homeless boy called Ben. Firedrake and Sorrell have flown to the city to get the assistance of a mouse called Gilbert Great Tail who is a cartographer known for his maps and who, is rumored to know how to reach the Rim of Heaven. While they are hiding from the humans, Ben runs into them, offering his assistance in navigating the streets, hiding from the other humans and finding the mouse cartographer among all the mouses in the city. Firedrake agrees over Sorrell's protestations and by the time they leave the city Ben has joined their adventure.

Before they do leave, Gilbert Great Tail tells them how to get more information on finding the sanctuary by giving them a map that will take them to a genie, who can answer questions on how to get to the Rim of Heaven, the mouse also tells them that they are not the only ones searching for this place. The Ravens have been asking about it for many years. They have been searching for The Golden One, a dragon said to reside in the Rim of Heaven. But the Ravens are not searching for the Golden One, they work for Nettle Brand who is in fact a dragon with Golden scales. Nettlebrand searches for the dragons that have fled to the Rim of Heaven. And he has very bad intentions when he does find them.

This book was filled with great adventures and is a true treasure for children. The trio adds another companion in the form of a homunculus called Twiglegs. Twiglegs was first a spy to Nettlebrand but finds love and acceptance with Ben and Firedrake (Sorrell is always disagreeable in a humorous way). It's Twiglegs emotional growth and his turnaround that gives the book the moral lessons that parents are looking for in a children's book (there is always a lesson learned).

When I looked for books for my daughter I remember always searching for a book that held enough fantasy to intrigue her, enough adventure to grab her and a lesson that would add to her moral fiber. This book has it all. A book that if she would have read it as a child would most likely still be sitting on her bookshelf with her keepers.

Grade: B+
Format: Audiobook