Sunday, July 27, 2008

Storm Front


This is NOT a new book that I am reviewing. A few years ago Sci Fi ran a show that lasted one season (it may not have even been a complete season) called the Dresden Files. Basically it was about a down and out wizard that was a PI and had some series bad karma. Add a ghost like being and some cops and you had the Dresden Files. I only caught one show but it was intriguing.

Fast forward a few years, and these books have received great reviews. It has been on my list of series I want to try and tonight I read the first one.

I am hooked and I want more more more. Why is it 1:30 at night and the book stores closed? The book starts with Harry seeming like a inept wizard that can not get anything right. He has a bad history with the ruling wizards council, a failing business, no girl in his life, and a small apartment. But thorough out the book, you realize that he has friends, respect and a whole lot of wizardly power that gets quite sexy as the story develops.

I can not wait until I can get the 11 other books on this wizard. There are also links on the authors website for free short stories to download.

This book was very good, an A even if the only romance was a love potion and some misplaced kisses.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Hello from not so far away

My TBR pile is growing and I am too busy to see to it. Sad sad days.

In other news, next Friday hubby and I will be at a party with a publisher (e publisher here in town) so excited to meet some people in the business next week.


If anyone has any hints, tips or advice please comment.

Reviews will return early next week. I promise. Or I may be killed by the pile of books awaiting my attention :)

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Again the Magic & Devil in Winter


Reading Julia Quinn the other day has really re-awakened my regency cravings. After The Lost Duke of Wyndham I pulled out the other Quinns I have in my collection. Then I pulled out two of my favorites from Lisa Kleypas.

I have three favorites by Ms. Kleypas and one I have already reviewed here. The two that I pulled out to read this weekend were Again the Magic and Devil In Winter.

Devil In Winter Is the third in her Wallflower series. While the entire series is good this is by far the best book in the series. It opens with the villain in the second book being propositioned by the heroine in a must unlikely manner. The villain is the hero in this book and what a flawed yet romantic hero he is. What drew me to Sebastian, is the same thing that draws me to many of my favorite heros, the layers to his personality, his vulnerability and the way he cares for his love interest. And Sebastian does all of these three things in the first chapter while maintaining his arrogant ways.

LOVE HIM!

In Again the Magic, the reader is introduced to characters that will be in the Wallflower series but years before they come out into their own. So here we have a forbidden love. The tittled aristocratic heiress and the servant boy all fused up with youth and passion. Add and evil duke/father and you have a recipe for angst.

The evil duke has Aline send the hero McKenna away when he finds out about their love. The reader is with Aline as she bargains for his life and tells McKenna that she no longer loves him.

Years pass and McKenna returns for revenge. He is determined to get the one thing from Aline now that he never had before. Yes dear readers I am talking about sex. While McKenna is not the easiest hero to like, Aline is one of the best heroines I have read in a long time. I love how she battles with herself over her feelings for him and the fear she has of intimate relations (not to spoil the book I will not tell you why). The author takes a hold of you and whips you into the emotions and thoughts of this happy couple.

Oh and did I mention that this book has - GASP- a homosexual secondary character AND another love story wrapped up in it? No, well it does and you get all of that for the price of one very good novel.

If you have a hankering for a regency novel or two or three check out these titles. I think you will be pleased. As always, let me know what you think.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Lost Duke of Wyndham

I have stayed away from historicals for awhile now. They used to be my favorite, but the bodice ripping and headstrong virgins got to me and I have pretty much stopped reading them.

I have seen on message boards and review sites this novel by Julia Quinn and once upon a time I had many of her books. Her new novel was getting some good press and from readers and bloggers whose opinion I trusted. So I went out and purchased this one.

I am so glad I did. I found her characters are funny, vulnerable and imperfect and her story line drew me in. Her hero, Jack, is dashing (of course) a bit of a rebel (of course) and a thief gasp. Albeit one with a slight conscience.
He is the son of a lost son and is instantly recognized by his up in years wicked witch, I mean grandmother.

The heroine is the companion of said grandmother and must have vats of patience stored up. The two fall in love, actually he falls in love and convinces Grace that it is love. The current Duke , who is about to be unseated, is a character that I plan to follow. It looks like his story will be coming out shortly.

Stolen moments, a trip across Britain, reuniting with the family that raised Jack and culminating in a scene between Jack and the current Duke (Thomas) where they both sacrifice something tugged at my heart strings.

Now I am not about to go out and start looking for historical novels, but I did pull out two older Quinn novels that I held onto and dove into their story lines. I think I may hold onto this one as well. If you see it in the store pick it up. I think you will like it.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Fried Modem

Sorry I have been gone. My cable box was hit by lightning and it took the cable company 3 days to get a tech out here. sigh

But now we have a new box (the tech said that it must have taken a direct hit b/c the box was melted and he had to break the cover in pieces to get it open) and new lines running into the house. And more importantly, I can get on line.

Having my Internet torn from me these last few days has been interesting. While I was a little jittery not being able to go to my favorite sites, I found I was not as productive as I thought I would be. I always assumed that the computer sucked me in and that was the reason the laundry did not get done or the bedroom was not dusted.

Nope that is not the case. The reason is still books books books. I read Julia Quinn's latest and that had me pulling out all of her other books for a quick visit and reading.

While the computer certainly takes my attention, my first and deepest love continues to be reading.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Hollow

Didn't I read this book before? No It was the Key of Valor book. Or was it Red Lilly? Or was it... Oh what am I saying. It was the second book in a Nora Roberts trilogy. It was standard, formatted, the characters were familiar -because, hey they have been written before- but it was also good!

I bought this book a few weeks ago but kept it in my to be read pile for a while. I just could not seem to get the energy up to read this book that was going to be so much like others I have read. Why did I buy it you ask. Well, how could I not.

In this book three childhood friends battle a great evil. They meet and fall in love with three beautiful women who are an intricate part of this battle. In this book, the hero Fox has all the characteristics of a Roberts hero that I love. Patient, steady, loyal and hot. OK so I could be describing a dog until the hot part but my favorite Roberts heros are the Ethans, the Harpers and the Shawns of her world.

Fox is the steady and level headed friend. He falls for Layla the beautiful New Yorker. While I did not feel the heat in this book between the characters I enjoyed the interaction between Fox's family and the twist with his alternative lifestyle sister. He made my heart grow showing his love and support for his family

A couple of chapters into the book I considered putting it down. Her last three trilogies have not been engaging for me. But I soldiered on and the talented writer that she is quickly caught me up in her story.

I am looking forward to the final installment of this series because I think we may actually see some heat and passion from Gabe and his love interest.

I say read the book if you are looking for mindless and easy. It is a great read if your mind is occupied on something serious and you want to escape, a hospital waiting room, watching the kids at the beach or after paying bills.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Lover Eternal

After I read Dark Lover I ran out the next day and bought the next two books in this series. The second book was Rhage's story. A troubled vampire (but they are all troubled right?) that falls in love with Mary a (gasp) human. The third was Zsadists story. He is going to be one of my favorite heros of this series if not my favorite. This story also introduces us to other characters that will have their own stories and weave in and out of the next books.

Lover Eternal: Grade A- This book had a totally different feeling then the first book. It was not a stand alone H/H with a HEA. The first book was definitely the standard HEA that you see in many romance books. I was not expecting the change and when I first read it, I gave it a much lower grade b/c it was different from the first and a surprise. However, after reading the rest of the series TWICE I have since changed my opinion!

In this book, the hero hears the voice of his love and starts doing the hero things that hero's do. However Rhage and the vampires in this book bond to their mates differently than other author's vampires. One scene that sticks with me is his bonding while feeding Mary (heroine) his food. Can I get an AWWWW on that ladies?

All in all, Rhage and Mary had a nice love story but just a love story. What made this series so darn good, and my rating of this book higher, was the interaction between the characters. I really enjoy the bonding between the brothers in this series. Rhage's ability to lighten a situation where he is going to be hurt with laughter shows the reader that the brothers are true family. While the heroine was nice, strong and smart she did not engage me as much as the brothers in the story. This book also introduced the only character that can take Zsadists place as my favorite. His name is John and we will have to wait for the rest of his story...

Lover Awakened Grade A : Zsadist. The brother that you THINK has all the problems. I knew I was going to like this book. I do fancy the crazy heros. And I liked the Heroine as well. Zsadist is a tortured soul, the brother that can not show his feelings (did he really have any) and can not stand to be touched. The brother that has had such horror in his life that he is as scared on the inside as the outside. Yet biology or fate draws him to his mate Bella.

Bella is a strong vampire in her own right. She enjoys making her captures cry and shows bravery and selflessness (wow that was a lot of s's) helping another escape.

My favorite scene was the one where Zsadist hugs his twin have a meeting of the hearts and for the first time Zsadist hugs his brother. Bella finds them asleep in bed back to back as she imagined they must have been in their mothers womb.

Zsadist is not as crazy as I thought he was going to be, he was damaged and fought himself but in the end love won out.

Keep checking back for Butch's and V's reviews.