Thursday, June 26, 2008

Dark Lover


I was at Walden books picking up my disappointment of Dark Demon and the woman behind the counter saw what I had in my hand and recommended a new author and a new series (new to me). JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

I only planned to buy one book, but she was so adamant about this series that I bought it. She gave me the first book in the series. I have seen this series talked and reviewed on some boards and some blogs, but it took me a while to pick up the book and read it. I finally picked it up Tuesday and I read it all on one sitting. It was fabulous! I immediately went out and bought the next two books which I have since read and I am now on my fourth...

I really liked the brotherhood. Wrath the hero was strong yet emotionally vulnerable to Beth and the author did a wonderful job with him as he explored his growing feelings for her. I liked how Beth was able to take care of herself but was not opposed to the help Wrath offered. He is king, yet he feels unworthy and insecure. Strong and masculine, yet clumsy and unsure. He loves his brothers but at times does not know what to say to them. I loved the contrasts and contradictions that built this character. I will be reading this one over and over...

We also had the chance to meet the rest of the brotherhood. And many of them are flawed and hurting. Just what I like in a hero. But I have a favorite. Yes, Z or Zsadist. His book is #3 and you will have to wait for my review of him. SIGH

I highly recommend this series. Buy it and do not wait a week to read it!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Shelfari

It has taken me all weekend, but I am finally up and running on shelfari

Check out my over 500 books here Most are romance or paranormal romance but you will find a few other gems there.

Do you have a shelf at shelfari? If so share !

Friday, June 20, 2008

Crazy Wild


This series has been out for a while, but it is a good one and I wanted to post about it. This was the first book I read in the series, which happened to be the third in line. It is still by far my favorite though. Creed, tortured, alpha, sexy, tough with a heart of gold for Cody and the rest of 'Steele Street" and Cody, beautiful, on the run, mousy librarian turned goddess looking for a safe haven meet and run for their lives from the beginning of the book on.

I think I fell a little in love with Creed when he gave the very cold Cody chocolate in the library and continued to fall head over heels for him as his story unfolded and his loss was explained. The book has lots of action, some steamy sex and characters that you can really like. There is also the budding romance with Skeeter and Dylan in this book with some quality one on one dialogue between them that sets the reader up for their own story.

What I really liked about this particular story is Creeds heart. He is a powerful soldier able to run through bullets and kick the ass of any goons he runs up against, but he was unable to save his best friend and saw him die. The author lets the vulnerability of that moment change him and lets the reader into his world, his hurt and his love. And she does this with laughter, clubbing, a blizzard, hit men and the dynamic attraction between the H/H taking place. The book occurs all in one night* and you will not want to put it down.

This is a book I will pick up and re read again and again.

* minus the very end where a few months go by.... you need to read the book to get the rest.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Dark Demon


I have all of Kresley Cole's books read and some reread and I will post them soon I promise. But today lets talk about Carpathians. I have really enjoyed Christine Feehans Dark Series. Her second book is on my top 25 list for best books ever!!! I started this series in order, then when I have not been able to find a book at my local book store I started to jump around.

I have seen on some boards that this series has 'fallen out of favor' but until Dark Demon I did not understand it. Now I think I do.

This book seemed to spend the first half talking about wounds that needed to be healed. Or the heroine was fighting herself against her own nature. Natalya is part Carpathian after all. I did like Vik (for the two pages that he was not wounded and bleeding) * sarcasm* I thought he was funny and he seemed to be able to accept Natalya's warrior woman ways.

The last Carpathian book I read was Dark Celebration which is a few books after this one in the series. In it I did not understand the Gabrielle/Gary storyline but dark Demon explained it. It also opened the door to Natalya's brother and I am very intrigued by this story line. VERY INTRIGUED and between the Gabrielle/Gary and the mage stories I will continue to read the dark series.

I am giving this book a C grade. I will probably never pick this book up again to read it. I just did not enjoy the plot or the characters, but it was a book that built new story lines in the series and kept me interested in the journey of the Carpathians even if I did not enjoy the plot in this book.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Walk on the Wild Side

I have been waiting and waiting for another Warren novel on 'the others' for some time. I loved her first few books and the characters involved.

Kitty (actually very funny) does not know she is a shifter until after a car accident she shifts to escape the fire and sits on her little tabby haunches. This was actually the preview a few months ago that had me ready for it. But honestly that was the best part of the book. Kitty goes to meet her father and falls in love with Max. Some good physical action and a man that falls hard but I felt that the humor in her previous books were missing. Also, I found Kitty doing some of those stupid heroine things AKA no silly co-ed do not go down to the basement alone when all the lights are out and all your little friends have been killed by a psycho ghost. Yeah Kitty did a little of that. Which always makes me want to throw my book to the floor and watch it go skidding along.

This book gets points for 1. a hot sexy hero that is sensitive, alpha, and admits his feelings 2. a good plot and 3 new characters. However it gets a demerit for a heroine that at times displays TSTL tendencies and not as much humor as her previous books. A definite B book. Worth the read but may be a DNK unless you are like me and keep all books in a series.

On a side note.. isn't the cover neat! In person the eyes are glassy and reflect just like a real cats eye.

* TSTL (too stupid to live)
* DNK (Do Not Keep)

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Country Brides


On a thread on the AAR forum someone started a conversation about dated books. People spoke about out dated fashions, attitudes, cars etc etc. Some books are so well written that the dated materials do not matter, others make it hard to get past the shoulder pads.

One book that I remember as dated is Debbie Macomber's Country Brides. This re-release has two related stories and was originally published in 1990. In her intro, the author mentions that the story was written before the age of cell phones.

In the first story Rorie meets Clay after her car breaks down on a country road. It is a foreign car and will take days to get the part. No hotels have any vacancies so she is stuck at Clay's home. The first scene where she is stuck all alone not knowing what to do got me twitching. No cell phone to call AAA. No way to call her boyfriend. Can't call 911. Well you get the idea. I was literally going a little cookoo on that. But I read through it and the book, the characters were great. Other than the cell phone, I did not find the book too dated. I give this one an A-

That leads us to the second book. I had such high hopes for it. I liked the characters, I liked the setting. And there was no dated anything! Except for the attitudes. Yes even in 1990 a woman was expected to marry and in this theme the hero kept pressuring and pressuring the confused woman. I just wanted him to stop badgering her and her to grow a back bone and tell him she needed some space. It was not awful, and I am sure 18 years ago I would not have been so up in arms about the wimpy bride, but alas it bugged me. I did finish it on the first read and I did finish it on the second but overall I give this book a C just for that.

If you can find a stand alone copy of A Little Bit Country, Rorie and Clay's story pick it up.And let me know if the lack of a cell phone made you all twitchy too. If you see the combination go ahead too, but be prepared to want to throw the book across the room if you read another "I know you love me so we should get married'.