PONDERING: The London Book Fair
Me and the Publisher of Ellora’s Cave, Raelene Gorlinsky, courtesy of Freda Lightfoot.
First things first. I stayed at a Travelodge. Hey, they’re clean, and you know exactly what you’re going to get. And if you check at Tripadvisor, you can pick the good ones. I picked a good one. The Waterloo Travelodge has been recently renovated and it has a Sainsburys up the road and a decent Chinese takeaway and a traditional chippie next door, as well as a convenience store. If I ran a fast food place, I’d set up next to a Travelodge, too.
REVIEW: With This Kiss by Eloisa James
Sandy M’s review of With This Kiss, Parts One, Two & Three by Eloisa James
Historical Romance ebooks published by Avon Impulse 12 Mar 13
This is the first time I’ve read one of these new serial stories that seem to be popular lately. I’m glad I had all three books to read back to back, but I also wish there’d been more. It takes a very gifted storyteller to pull readers in, fill them with emotion, packing a huge punch in such a limited word count. Eloisa James does it beautifully.
REVIEW: The Devil’s Heart by Cathy Maxell
Veena’s review of Devil’s Heart (Chattan Curse, Book 3) by Cathy Maxwell
Historical Romance published by Avon 30 Apr 13
Centuries ago a Chattan male fell in love with a Macnachtan woman, only to abandon his lady love and mother-to-be of his child in the pursuit of wealth and ambition. Unable to face her ruin, Rose Macnachtan committed suicide, and her mother cursed the males of the Chattan line to die when they found love. For hundreds of years the curse came to pass and Chattan males died once their heart was engaged. Only sons were born in the Chattan line. As soon as the beloved wife became pregnant, the father was struck by a fatal illness and died, leaving a son for the cycle to then begin again. For the first time in centuries things have changed, there are three Chattan siblings and one of them is a female – the first female child born to Clan Chattan – Margaret Chattan. Is she destined to change the course of Chattan history by bringing an end to the curse and saving her beloved brothers’ lives?
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REVIEW: Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh
Sandy M’s review of Wild Invitation (Psy-Changeling Series, Book 11.5) by Nalini Singh
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 5 Mar 13
I know it’s a risk for authors to write a huge amount of books in a series. Readers’ biggest complaints, I think, is the stories start sounding the same, nothing new between the pages book after book now that the series is a number of years old, among others. So far for me, Nalini Singh isn’t even close to that happening in her Psy-Changeling series. She grabs me every time and I’m glued to each book until the last word is read. I’ll never get tired of this series. Of course, I realize there’s the chance for “famous last words” and all that, but with a talent like hers, I have my doubts that will ever happen.
REVIEW: A Legacy of Secrets by Carol Marinelli
LynneC’s review of A Legacy of Secrets by Carol Marinelli
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 23 Apr 13
Santo Corretti has a shady Sicilian family who is into a lot of unspecified bad stuff. He’s a film producer and Ella, his personal assistant, wants to be a director. But she’s a very good personal assistant, until the day she resigns. Ella has her secrets, too. She has an abusive father who regularly hits on her mother. After the day he finally turns on his daughter and puts her in the hospital, Ella leaves home. Although she’s saved enough for her mother to come, too, her mother refuses. She loves her husband.
Review & Contest: The Honey Thief by Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman
Veena’s review of The Honey Thief by Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman
Contemporary Fiction published by Viking Adult 18 Apr 13
Afghanistan is a landlocked country strategically located high in the Hindu Kush mountains of Asia. It’s in a part of the world that has been a virtual powder keg and most of us are familiar with some aspects of the people and culture thanks to the American news and media coverage. This book, however, gives us an up close and personal view of the indomitable spirit of the people who held their ground regardless of the Persians or Russians or British who wanted to conquer and rule that part of the world. In the voice of Abbas of the Hazara people, we are introduced to his family and friends, their way of life, the hardships they suffer, and the persecution they are subjected to. Reading this book is like sitting at my grandmother’s knee and hearing her reminisce about her childhood. I feel the same sense of awe and disbelief about some of the happenings in the book.
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REVIEW: Back to You by Robin Kaye
Sandy M’s review of Back to You (Bad Boys of Red Hook, Book 1) by Robin Kaye
Contemporary Romance reissued by Signet 31 Dec 12
I’m a bit perplexed at my reaction to this book. Every Robin Kaye story I’ve read so far I’ve had the best time with. But from the cover to the heroine and her attitude and the concept that we’ve read over and over again, this book just left me feeling blah. The hero and his hard-won honor are the only elements that kept me reading.
GUEST REVIEW: Shadow Woman by Linda Howard
Willa’s review of Shadow Woman by Linda Howard
Romantic Suspense published by Ballantine Books 1 Jan 13
Linda Howard has been writing for thirty years now. Her books in the 80s introduced us to alpha heroes, strong heroines, and believable suspense plotlines that you could follow, without them overshadowing the romance. Oh, and they were hot – turn-on-the-fan hot, get-an-iced-drink hot, ravish-a-man-hot – with her writing strength being the layered relationship between her heroes and heroines. I was a huge fan and have her oldies and goodies backlist. Some in triplicate! In recent years, however, the romance aspect of her books has seen a sharp decline to the slot tab A into tab B variety, with a few F bombs thrown in and the ‘suspense’ aspect being front and centre, which wouldn’t be so much of a problem if the plots weren’t so ridiculous, actually made sense, and didn’t have more holes than Swiss cheese. However, after a hiatus from Ms. Howard, I saw this book and I could not resist.
REVIEW: And The Miss Ran Away With The Rake by Elizabeth Boyle
Dinca’s review of And The Miss Ran Away With The Rake (Rhymes with Love, Book 2) by Elizabeth Boyle
Historical Romance published by Avon 26 Mar 13
So much story is crammed into these 384 pages. The author knows how to get the reader to feel the emotion. I find myself laughing and then wanting to dump something cold and wet on the hero’s head. Every character in this book has a personality for better or worse. Some you just love and some you don’t want to like but you do anyway. Others you do not like at all and that is the way it is meant to be. Even the little terrier, Mr. Muggins, has a personality and a jolly good time of his own. I can’t wait to read something else by Elizabeth Boyle.
REVIEW: Lush by Lauren Dane
Veena’s review of Lush (Delicious Series, Book 3) by Lauren Dane
Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 02 Apr 13
We first met Mary Whaley when Gillian Forster met and fell in love with famous rock star Adrian Brown. Since then most of the Delicious group have found love and are content in their new relationships. Mary is content to watch and share in her friends’ happiness as she concentrates on the growing success of her catering business and her out-of-the-park success with her weekly Supper Club. Is it time for Mary to find love? Well, Lauren Dane certainly thought so and brings Mary face to face with sexy rockstar Damien Hurley, and, lo and behold, there is this instant connection and chemistry between them, which pretty quickly takes them away from Gillian and Adrian’s engagement party to find the nearest bed and get horizontal. Could this one-night stand evolve into something more? It’s pretty interesting to see who really pursues whom in this newest offering of the Delicious series.
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