Limecello’s review of Circle of Friends: Steve’s Story by Jess Dee
Contemporary romance published by Samhain Publishing on 28 Apr 2009

I waited for what felt like a long time and was very excited for Circle of Friends: Steve’s Story… but am very sorry to say I was disappointed. I absolutely adored Tyler’s story, and was eager to see the circle of friendship be completed. I expected an emotionally loaded story, one with humor and fun, but, for some reason, it just didn’t come together for me.

In the interest of honesty and full disclosure… I have to say after getting through about three-sevenths of this book, I reverted to giving it the “grad school read.” There is a *lot* of sex and heat in this book, and that’s hot, but… it doesn’t really make up for the rest of the book. (Also, that’s not why I read romances or erotic romances, so it wouldn’t have worked for me anyway.)

I hate to say it, but the heroine, Pen (Penelope), is something of a bitch, and an idiot. I think it’s because she annoyed me so much that Steve’s nickname of “Sunshine” for her didn’t really work – and actually started reminding me of what she wasn’t. Pen is not bright light and happiness. She’s a mess of tears and seems to bring everyone around her down.

Yes, I felt horrible that she had the gene for Huntington’s Disease. Maybe it’s because I don’t know enough about it that I didn’t feel bad enough for her. Because after reading through nearly half the book, I was fed up, and had to put this book down for a number of months. [Yes, I did feel badly for her. But I'd been feeling badly for her since Tyler's story. Everyone around her was willing to accept her and love her as she is- but she just had to make everyone miserable for hundreds of pages.]

Steve Sommers is a great guy, and incredibly determined. So determined that it almost passes admirable, and reading the book is rather like watching him beat his head against a brick wall. You’d admire it, if you didn’t wonder why he didn’t just *stop.* Apparently I’m not that much of a romantic, because the happy ending didn’t excuse it. Or maybe I expected more of Pen.

Steve is great though – he’s willing to do anything and everything to get Pen, and he withholds his personal gratification in hopes that it’ll force Pen to acknowledge they have something good and the should be in a relationship.

I can understand Pen’s perspective – that she doesn’t want to put anyone though having to care for her once she begins deteriorating. And even more the pride aspect – where she doesn’t want those she loves and admires to see her in that way. I get that. But I didn’t need to be beaten over the head with it for however many pages this book was. The emotional problems, issues, and hang ups were made clear in the previous book – after the first few chapters of Steve’s story, this was just too much.

Also, their “catch phrase” of “fire it up” began to creep me out. It didn’t seem that Steve and Pen really ever had any emotional connection. It was all sex- and whenever Steve tried for something more, Pen would make it all about sex. I felt that Steve and Kate had a better emotional break through and connection than Steve and Pen, almost. And not because Steve and Kate had previously been engaged. More because they realize they still can be and are friends – and love each other as friends.

I might re-read this in the future, to see if I feel differently… but it won’t be something on the top of my to do list.
Grade: D

When love is threatened by truth, every moment counts…

Steve Sommers is having a gut-wrenching week. His fiancée has left him, the woman who broke his heart is back in town—and they’re all gathered at the bedside of his best friend, who’s in a coma. The emotional ties between them are strained to the breaking point. Like it or not, it’s up to Steve to find the strength and compassion to support the four of them through the toughest ordeal of their lives.

In the midst of the turmoil and trauma, passion unexpectedly flares anew between Steve and the woman he loves. Suddenly the future he’d believed lost lies within his reach. But she still carries the secret that once tore them apart, and determined to protect Steve from the truth, she fights their rekindled relationship every step of the way.

Now the fragile bond they’ve developed hangs in the balance, threatened by a reality that love may not be strong enough to overcome…

Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s Duckies Do Series reviews of The Hardcastle Progeny Series by Jennifer Lewis
Contemporary romances released by Silhouette Desire Feb – Apr 2009

Rawr. My original review got eaten, so please just imagine all sorts of witty brilliance throughout, ok? So – Silhouette Desire is one of my favorite Harlequin Lines. I also pick books based on author, and I know I’d read and enjoyed ones by Jennifer Lewis before. But even more so, I noticed the title to the second book in the Hardcastle Progeny series. I could be wrong, but Desire books set in Argentina are rather rare, and this one caught my attention. After reading it I realized I was in the middle of a series, so I got the other books, and here we are!

Millionaire’s Secret Seduction (Book 1)
Released 10 Feb 09

I haven’t quite managed to finish this book, but it is the first in the series! :X

Grade: N/A

Summary:

A multimillion-dollar family dynasty was hard to walk away from. And that’s what Dominic Hardcastle intended to do. Until he met his father’s employee Bella Andrews. She was intriguing and sexy beyond reason… and out to ruin his estranged, ruthless father. So Dominic offered to keep her secret if she’d keep him company…after hours.

Everything about Dominic set off alarms in Bella’s head. For he had the power to destroy her plans. Maybe some intense overtime with Mr. Tall, Dark and Dangerous was needed. Suddenly her scheme didn’t seem so simple…or her heart so safe.…

Read an excerpt here.

In the Argentine’s Bed (Book 2)
Released 10 Mar 09

This book reminds me a lot of a Harlequin Presents, but it definitely also has the tone of a Desire. The setting, the manner in which Amado treats Susannah is an interesting mix. He’s quite solicitous of her as a guest, and gentle as a lover – but as someone in a relationship… he’s your typical category hero. Of course, the interesting thing is that the heroine Susannah is the actual “bad guy” in the book. Not so much she does anything wrong, but she is the bearer of bad news and causes problems.

Amado Alvarez is a rather unique hero. He has a sense of duty, loves his home, his parents, and had a nice, well adjusted child hood. Of course, in typical romance fashion, it all comes crashing down around him. (Nevertheless, I was really excited Amado had a normal, and happy childhood. This is a good thing!) Luckily, Amado’s a big boy and can handle the skeletons that are revealed. I felt that Susannah was able to hold her own in the foreign setting, and that she could stand up to Amado. The book focused on their relationship, which I always love, but there was also a lot of plot movement as well.

I can definitely see myself re-reading this book.

Grade: B-

Summary:

It was just one “simple” mission—find out whether a winemaker in Argentina was a New York millionaire’s long-lost son. But Susannah Clarke quickly learned Amado Alvarez played by his own rules. He’d give her the DNA sample she wanted—if she spent the night with him! And in a moment of madness, she’d given in, to his demand and to her own desire. Now she had to return to South America to face this compelling, sensuous man again—and to face the consequences of that one unforgotten, unforgettable night in a stranger’s bed….

Read an excerpt here.

The Heir’s Scandalous Affair (Book 3)
Released 14 Apr 09

This book has enough material to be a novel, yet Ms. Lewis paces it perfectly, and everything that should be resolved is by the end of this category book. I also appreciated that nothing was rushed. Based on the beginning of the book I didn’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did, but everything about this book is just so right. It definitely helped that I read In the Argentine’s Bed first, because I think that gave a great -and important- foundation for Samantha’s character. If you think about it, Samantha and Louis’s relationship really is taboo. She’s his step mother. He’s… well you get the point. Even though they’re not related in any way, the social stigma exists. I was pleased that Ms. Lewis addresses this issue, and manages it in a way that I found not only believable, but convincing. (And yes, for once, the title is not only accurate, but telling.)

Samantha’s character also impressed me. Generally, the put upon window, poor me, is not someone I feel bad for. Oh boo hoo, I’m so beautiful I’ve been married so many times because men want me, and want a fabulous life. However, there’s so much more to her, and I think her character is sufficiently explained, and developed in The Heir’s Scandalous Affair (yes, this book). By the end, I was convinced Samantha and Louis had to be together, and that it not only made perfect sense, it was right.

I also liked Louis’s character. He’s very unique, and quite special. His attitude towards life is refreshingly new, and I felt that he was a great match for Samantha. Not to mention he owns a lot of restaurants, has a crazy mother, a blase outlook on life, and is mad for Samantha.

The different settings really highlight each character’s personality, and life as well. It’s nice that Samantha first goes to find Louis in New Orleans, and then after the initial meeting they go to New York. There was also enough closure to the series, and nice cameo appearances by the other “Hardcastles” as well. I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy Silhouette Desire books.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Young widow Samantha Hardcastle longs to find her late husband’s heir and bring him into the family. Even so, restaurateur Louis DuLac won’t respond to her calls or letters—or knocks at his New Orleans door. All alone, Samantha succumbs to the sensual refuge offered by a gorgeous stranger. Who turns out to be Louis DuLac.

Louis never knew his father’s identity. Now this trophy widow wants him to take a DNA test to prove—or disprove— that he is a Hardcastle. No problem—if Samantha agrees to spend another evening with him….

Read an excerpt here.

Overall Grade: B-

I think that there’s something very unique and rather special about Ms. Lewis’s books. Granted the “lost heirs” seem to take their place in the Hardcastle business or family with great equanimity – more than one might generally expect. Nevertheless, there is a reason for that, and the characters all stay true to themselves. While the basic premise of the stories I suppose aren’t that different, the way in which Ms. Lewis approaches them gives new life to these romance tropes. Although I was sure there would be the happy ending, I didn’t know how the characters would get to it. I definitely recommend these two stories to anyone who enjoys Ms. Lewis’s books or Silhouette Desires.

Gwen’s review of Doomsday Can Wait (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 2) by Lori Handeland (WARNING! Sound on her site.)
Urban Fantasy released by St. Martin’s 28 Apr 09

I dithered about the grade to give this book.  It was some good storytelling, but the plot didn’t move forward as much as I would have liked.  I have the same complaint about many serialized books these days. It seems that authors or publishers or editors (not sure who to blame) want to stretch out stories beyond a book’s reasonable length so that they get multiple books where one or two would have done better. 

I realize this is a simple economics lesson – supply-demand, etc.  However, are we really doing the story and the reader any real favors by doing this?  In many cases – one of which being, unfortunately, The Phoenix Chronicles – there just doesn’t appear to be enough story to support this many books. It feels like small-ish details are stretched out beyond all reason, dragging the story down and slowing the pace to a point where it becomes a chore to read.

Books that seem to be written this way are full of rather pointless character introspection.  You know what I mean.  Paragraph after paragraph where a character (the heroine, in this case, since it’s written in first person POV) does endless navel lint inspection.  If I want this kind of writing, I’ll pick up Gore Vidal, or Ayn Rand.  I’m here for a story, doggonnit, and I want dialogue and action.  Not paragraphs of “why me? why not me? what’s the meaning of life”.  Gah.  Dull!

Sawyer is still my favorite character in this series.  The ending was interesting, but only because something actually happened in it.  The series has some interesting characters in it and an interesting premise, but that’s not enough to carry the plot.

I hope the next book is the end to the series, though I’m unlikely to read it.  And I really don’t think it should be dragged out beyond that unless something changes significantly in these characters’ lives.

I can recommend this book to fans of the author and the series.  If you haven’t picked up the series but still feel interested, be prepared for a book with a sedate pace.

Grade: C

Read more reviews of books in this series by following its tag here.

Summary:
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SHE CAN SEE EVIL COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS…
It took the near annihilation of humanity for Liz Phoenix to understand the true meaning of her premonitions. Liz is one of the sacred few on earth who has the psychic powers to fight the malevolent forces that have tried to wipe out the human race since the beginning of time. She battled these beings once, thwarting Doomsday but losing most of her soldiers in the massacre. Now she must replenish her troops quickly-because the supernatural war isn’t over yet.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Liviania’s review of Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford
Young adult released by Hyperion 7 April 09

I may be twenty, but I still enjoy young adult novels.  They’re usually quick, fun, and willing to experiment with genre.  And, like adult novels, I don’t really care whether one is aimed at guys or girls.  Carter Finally Gets It is definitely aimed at teen guys, but I think the girls could still enjoy it.

Carter’s your basic horny fourteen-year-old, starting his freshman year of high school.  (For the first bit, he’s your basic horny thirteen-year-old, which bothers me a little.  For some reason I’m much more cool with the idea of a fourteen-year-old being sexually active rather than a thirteen-year-old.  Of course, even then, I’m glad he doesn’t go past heavy petting in the book, because I think even fourteen is young for sex.)  He wants to be popular and get a hot girl, but doesn’t really know how to go about either.

I love that he kind of stumbles into both.  Carter gains glory through sports and is smart enough to date the girl who says she’s interested in him.  Unfortunately, he messes things up with Abby when he agrees to go out with the hottest girl in the grade.  Then he’s got to get the girl back.  I love that Brent Crawford isn’t afraid to allow Carter to be a jerk.  He’s just a kid; some of his decisions are going to be less-than-admirable.  But Carter always manages to redeem himself since he’s, in general, a good guy.

Now, while I say teen girls will probably enjoy this, I probably wouldn’t have liked this one much until I was an older teen.  But I’m sure there are others who would enjoy it just fine during or before their freshman year.  I think actual adults would enjoy it to, as long as they don’t mind reading about young teens.  It’s a very funny book.  Carter Finally Gets It relies on an engaging protagonist and humor to carry one of the world’s most basic plots.  And I don’t want to give away the end, but what happens after swim season ends is awesome.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it’s a lazy nickname, but he didn’t have much say in the matter.)

Here are five things you should know about him:

1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.
2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day…unless he gets distracted.
3. He’s a virgin, mostly because he’s no good at talking to girls (see number 1).
4. He’s about to start high school.
5. He’s totally not ready.

Join Carter for his freshman year, where he’ll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he’ll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), get caught up in a messy love triangle, meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

No excerpt found.

I know you’ve all been saying to yourself, “Self, I have not read any scintillating content from Shannon C. lately. Does she not love us anymore?”

To which the answer is, no. I’ve just been behind on reviewing, and I’ve been kind of underwhelmed by a lot of the romances I’ve picked up.

Still, I did want to post something so you’d know I hadn’t fallen off the face of the planet, so here’s a series of Quick Quack Reviews, covering the stuff I’ve been reading.

Shannon C’s Quick Quack review of The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures, Book 1) by Jennifer Ashley
Historical Romance released by Leisure Books 28 Apr 09



The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie is one of the few books I’ve read this year in which I felt the hype was even a little justified. The titular Lord Ian MacKenzie has Asperger syndrome, which makes him blunt, socially awkward, and unable to look people in the face. He is drawn to Beth Ackerley, a young widow recently freed from her obligations as a companion to a shrew of an old lady.

Beth is equally drawn to Ian, and soon she’s falling for him.There’s a lot to like here. Ian is a fascinating character, as are the rest of his family. But, surprisingly, I actually liked Beth. Romance heroines are hard to portray well, and I’m rarely pleased with them. But Beth was confident without being brash, knew what she wanted in life, and was interesting in her own right as something other than a foil for Ian.

There is a mystery that doesn’t entirely work for me, and the way in which a feud one character has with the MacKenzies is resolved in a way that didn’t work for me, since it felt a bit too schmaltzy. But this is a unique romance, and I strongly recommend it to fans of historical romance.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family–rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn’t be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them–of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz.
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The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he is decidedly odd. He’s also hard and handsome and has a penchant for Ming pottery and beautiful women.
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Beth Ackerley, widow, has recently come into a fortune. She has decided that she wants no more drama in her life. She was raised in drama–an alcoholic father who drove them into the workhouse, a frail mother she had to nurse until her death, a fussy old lady she became constant companion to. No, she wants to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband.
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And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her.
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Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C’s Quick Quack review of Burning Alive (The Sentinel Wars, Book 1) by Shannon K. Butcher
Urban Fantasy released by Onyx 5 May 09



Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher isn’t the kind of story I generally go for. It’s one of an increasingly annoying trend of books featuring groups of paranormal alpha men so manly even Chuck Norris would be forced to back down in shame. These guys, of course, fight supernatural creatures, which for some reason nobody ever notices.

As per usual, Drake, our studly manly hero is paired with a woman with all the flavor of wet Kleenex. Helen is good and sweet and gentle, and doesn’t appear to do anything with her life except take her elderly friend Miss Mabel out to dinner. Oh and she’s afraid of fire, having seen a vision of herself burning to death while a man who, coincidentally, looks like our hero, Drake, watches with a smile.

Drake discovers by accident that when he touches Helen, the constant pain he’s endured all his life dissipates, so he basically kidnaps her and throws her into the paranormal world.The setup for this book is so incredibly cheesy, but I can’t help it. I like stuff like this, in moderation. There’s something about a man being literally unable to keep his hands off the object of his desire that gets me every time. But even without my personal biases, I’m not sure I’d recommend this one.

The setup will ring familiar to many paranormal readers, and I really don’t know how many books featuring dull heroines and exaggeratedly alpha men we need. Also, the book is set in the vicinity of where I live, and so there were a few geographical mistakes that wouldn’t detract from the story that I noticed.

Grade: C

Summary:
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There are worse ways to die…
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They are the Sentinels. Three races descended from ancient guardians of mankind, each possessing unique abilities in their battle to protect humanity against their eternal foes–the Synestryn. Now, one warrior must fight his own desire if he is to discover the power that lies within his one true love…
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For too long, Helen Day has been haunted by visions of her own death, surrounded by flames as a dark-haired man watches her burn. So when she sees the man of her nightmares staring at her across a diner, she attempts to flee–and ends up in the man’s arms. There, she awakens a force more powerful and enticing than she could ever imagine.
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The instant the Theronai warrior Drake touches Helen, the anguish he has borne for years fades away. He is determined to know why this beautiful, fearful woman has such power over him. The answer lies in his very blood–and in Helen’s as well. For together, they may become more than lovers–they may become a weapon of light that could tip the balance of the war–and save Drake’s people…
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Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C’s Quick Quack review of Tomorrow by Samantha Kane
Science Fiction Romance released by Ellora’s Cave 22 Apr 09



Tomorrow by Samantha Kane is Ms. Kane’s first foray into science fiction romance. Samantha Kane’s historicals are favorites of mine for their depth of characterization and the fact that she’s one of the few authors that can convince me that any group of two men and one woman belong together. Unfortunately, this story of a bounty hunter, a rebel princess and a space pirate didn’t work at all for me. I think i was first turned off by the names.

Our heroine is Cerise, and one of her men is named Tie. Tie? I dunno, a guy named after an article of men’s clothing is just not doing it for me.The story does have its moments, but there wasn’t really anything unique in the world Ms. Kane is using, and her characters lacked the depth I’ve come to expect. The story also suffered from what felt like an overabundance of sex scenes. Yes, I know this is an erotic romance, but still… Even for that subgenre, there are still times when enough is enough. I’m not sure this is a series I’m going to continue, though if Ms. Kane writes any more historicals, I will buy them right up.

Grade: D+

Summary:
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A Hunters for Hire book.
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What if a beautiful rebel princess, on the run from an evil government, fell in love with the pirate who rescued her and with the bounty hunter who captured her? And what if the pirate and the bounty hunter used to be lovers?
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Princess Cerise Chessienne has the power to enslave men with sex. She’s never used it—until now.
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Regan is the most feared pirate in the galaxy, renowned for two things—his temper and his loyalty to the princess.
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When bounty hunter Tie captures Cerise, he gives in to his desires. Now the two are addicted to sex with each other. Then Cerise leads Tie to his long-lost lover Regan, and Tie realizes that tomorrow—the day he starts his life over—has arrived.
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The Amalgamation wants to execute all three of them. So what are a beautiful princess, a pirate and a philosophical bounty hunter to do? Have amazing sex, of course. And somehow lead the rebellion while avoiding capture.
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Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C’s Quick Quack review of Strange Attractions by Emma Holly
Erotic Romance published by Berkley 1 Nov 05



Strange Attractions by Emma Holly, on the other hand, gets the balance of eroticism and romance much better. Charity is invited to stay with eccentric physicist BG Grantham and his long-time friend, Eric. In exchange for playing sexual games with the two men, Charity will receive a full scholarship to attend college.

The setup sounds kind of hokey, but in this book, it really works. Ms. Holly creates three-dimensional characters in our three protagonists, and she does a great job of developing the characters during sex. I also liked that this was very much a story of Charity’s self-actualization. I liked the fact that Charity is much more empowered by the end, something that seems all too rare in the romance I’ve read.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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Determined not to repeat her mother’s mistakes, high-school dropout and unrepentant heartbreaker Charity Wills is eager to get an education any way she can. When she’s offered a chance to go to college for free, she jumps at it. There’s just one little catch.
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She must travel to the estate of B.G. Grantham, a reclusive physicist who likes to play sex games as exotic as the particles he studies. B.G. is obsessed with the unattainable: the meaning of life, the mysteries of desire, and the thrill of being refused the one thing he craves. Charity has more than enough spirit to provide a challenge-especial with Eric Berne, her sexy “keeper,” to lend a hand . . .
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Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C’s Quick Quack review of To Beguile a Beast (Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 3) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical romance released by Grand Central 19 May 09



To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt is the third book in Hoyt’s Legends of the Four Soldiers series. The first two books were quite entertaining, and I see why Hoyt is well-thought-of in the romance community, because she can write well. This third book, however, is my least favorite in the series. It follows Helen Fitzwilliam, the mistress of a powerful duke, who has fled with her children to the highlands of Scotland, to the castle of Sir Alister Monroe, a scarred war veteran.

What follows is a standard beauty and the beast romance, which follows the conventions of such a story in a predictable way. The predictability doesn’t make for a bad story, but it does make for a less than satisfying one, and I wish the mystery plot had been dragged forward a bit more. This isn’t a bad book, however, and Ms. Hoyt is a talented writer.

Grade C+

Summary:
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CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .
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Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he’s kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.
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TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .
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Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won’t let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.
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TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?
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Beneath Helen’s beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn’t back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen’s secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find–a happy ever after.
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Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C’s Quick Quack review of Truth and Consequences (Hearts of the South, Book 1) by Linda Winfree
Romantic Suspense published by Samhain Publishing 29 Apr 08

Truth and Consequences is the first in Linda Winfree’s Hearts of the South series, which comes highly recommended by many readers. I have to agree with them. Ms. Winfree manages to pack a lot into a rather short novel, and the romance between Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Kathleen and troubled and poor town bad boy Jason is well-executed. We also get to glimpse many of the people whose lives orbit around the main couple. I never felt overwhelmed by the number of characters, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of them.

Grade B+ 

Summary:

When deceit and desire collide, the results can be deadly…
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Book One of the Hearts of the South series.
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For undercover FBI agent Jason Harding, coming face to face with the grown-up version of his adolescent dreams is a nightmare. Kathleen Palmer sees him as a despicably corrupt small-town law officer and a murder suspect. Trapped in a web of his own making, he must see his mission through to the end and bring down the crooked cops who’ve run Haynes County for decades. To do so, he must betray the only family he’s ever known and fight his growing love for Kathleen, a relationship that could get one, or both of them, killed.
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Determined to uncover the truth, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Kathleen struggles with her attraction to the one person who’s awakened her since she buried her heart and emotions in her son’s tiny grave. Listening to her heart could destroy all she has left in life-her career and reputation. When the truth about Jason’s identity surfaces, they both face unimaginable consequences: Jason may lose his life and Kathleen the man she loves.
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Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, violence.
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Read an excerpt here.

Lynne Connolly’s review of Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell
Romantic suspense re-released by Avon 31 Mar 09

Elizabeth Lowell wrote two of my all-time favorite romances – To The Ends Of The Earth and Tell Me No Lies. I loved her heroes, who really were rough-tough men’s men, and actually seemed capable of the acts they performed between the pages of her books. They were grown-up, cynical killers, untamable until they met their women. Her heroines were hit and miss for me, but the best were intensely female, while retaining a toughness of character that took them through their ordeals and out again.

Usually, I could see why the men were attracted to them, women who had something about them, didn’t act stupid and weren’t complete doormats. Her research was always impeccable, taking the reader into the world of antiques and precious objects, archaeology and the rancher’s lot. Of course, with an author like Lowell, there were bound to be misses, but I think the romance world would be a much poorer place without her.

These days she writes more suspense than romance, although the result can be seen as romantic suspense, since there’s a romance at the heart of the books. In her latest, “Blue Smoke And Murder,” she takes the reader back to the world of antiques. This time, her heroine, Jill Breck, is a river guide, who is plunged into the world of art and art forgeries when her aunt dies, leaving her a dozen valuable paintings, which someone wants bad enough to murder for.

Her hero, Zach Balfour, works for St. Kilda Consulting, which consists of ex-agents working for an independent operation, and St. Kilda’s owes Jill a favor. While Zach doesn’t like bodyguard work, he’ll do it for Jill.

I enjoyed the connection between Zach and Jill, but maybe the names were a bit close to “Jack and Jill” at times, which made my reading a little bumpy. I got over it. I did like the pace of the book, which moves from one adrenaline-fueled set piece to the next, rarely allowing the reader a chance to get her breath back.

However, I’ve read this before from Lowell, especially in the great Donovan series. I’d love her to return to the deeper romances that provided the backbone to her books. Although I liked Zach and Jill, I could maybe have done with a little more personal connection, a reason for them to be attracted outside the bedroom as well as in it.

Jill’s fundamentalist Mormon background has raised a few hackles here and there. I can’t enter the discussion, I know very little about it, but it might have been better if she’d kept the religion a little vaguer and described a fundamentalist background that would have had the same effect on her heroine without the labels. However, Lowell prefers to give her characters a realistic background, and although sometimes her tendency to move into typecasting makes her a no-no on some readers, her sheer writing ability always draws me back.

Because I think she’s used these themes before to greater effect, I’ll give this one a…

Grade: B-

Blurb:
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Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of Lane Faroe, son of two of St. Kilda Consulting’s premier operators. But when a string of ominous events-including a mysterious fire that kills her great-aunt and a furor in the Western art world raised by a dozen Breck family paintings-culminates in a threat to her life, Jill reluctantly calls in a favor.
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Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. His expertise is gathering and analyzing information from unlikely and often dangerous sources. Though he’s got the skills to be a highly effective bodyguard, being a bullet catcher isn’t his preferred way to spend time.
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Protecting Jill will take him into familiar territory-among a strange, savagely competitive bunch of collectors who’ll do anything to stay at the top. But Jill is in deeper waters than she’s ever known; as she soon discovers, the perils of running wild rivers are tame compared with the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting.
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From the cozy rooms of the Breck homestead cabin to the cold multimillion-dollar galleries of the Western art circuit, Zach and Jill must race against time to unmask a ruthless killer hidden in a blue smoke of money, threats, lies, and death. . . .
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Read an excerpt here.

Sandy M’s review of Till There was You (Time Travel Series, Book 10) by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance published by Jove 28 Apr 09

I’m one of those Lynn Kurland fans who doesn’t care what she writes. Her writing has a flow, a feeling, a fluidness to it that just calls to me. No matter what century she takes me to in her time travels, I feel like I’m there right in the middle of the story. And though we always get at least one new character to add to our time traveling family, part of the fun of reading these books is getting to see the previous characters being woven together in a fairly complex way, now that there are so many books in the series.

After all that, I do have to confess one small thing. The beginning of this book didn’t hook me like her others have. Looking back, however, I’m blaming that on my mood at the time, because after laying the book after one chapter, I picked it up again several days later and it hit the spot with me like all of Ms. Kurland’s books usually do.

This time around the story is about Zachary Smith, the youngest of the Smith siblings and the one who has century-hopped with Jamie for years since Jamie made his home permanently in the future. They know where a good portion of these time portals are, but when they find a new one, they’re off to investigate it. Zachary, though, is tired of all the time traveling. Tired of fighting for his life when a journey here and there doesn’t go as expected. On top of that, he’s also dissatisfied with his job, so he’s quit. Walked away wanting happily ever after with the right woman.

Having car trouble on his way to that better future, he stops in at Artane, home of the de Piaget family for generations. While there he stumbles into one of those heretofore unknown portals and finds himself still at Artane, only it’s now 1258.

Finding himself thrown into the castle dungeon after trying to rescue a servant girl from a number of bloodthirsty warriors, he’s surprised when the same girl tries to free him from his prison. What he doesn’t know yet is this is Mary de Piaget, only daughter of Robin of Artane, a man he comes to respect and admire while having to take advantage of his patience and hospitality during his sojourn in Robin’s time.

Mary, it seems, is running from her current suitor, one who doesn’t give up easily, much to Mary’s dismay. So she needs this new stranger to help her flee to a relative’s abode far enough away until said suitor leaves her home to try again another day to win her favor. Though she truly hopes not.

Thus begins the fight of Mary to keep her life independent from a money-hungry husband combined with the fight of Zachary to keep her alive without letting on who he is and where he’s from and without changing history. Tossed into the mix, besides Robin’s ever-increasing irritation with Zachary’s comings and goings in and out of his home, are Mary’s numerous cousins who love her dearly and will protect her no matter the cost. They even make it difficult for the couple after they’ve declared their love for one another; terrific comic relief at times.

Zachary hopes to keep Mary alive past the date of her death and still return home, leaving her behind because there really isn’t a future for them because of the time distance between them. He knows that will be difficult, but sometimes you have to make difficult decisions in life. But when fate proves to him you can’t change what was meant to be, his choices aren’t many to choose from. Leave her in his time to die or try to take her to his time where she may have a chance at life after all, even though there’s no guarantee he’ll get her there before it’s too late.

We also get a good look at the intricacies of all the different players who have time traveled and settled down in the 21st century, all very interesting and intriguing the way Ms. Kurland has woven everything together. There’s also hints of future travelers, which will give us fans many more books to come. I, for one, am very glad of that!

Grade: A+

Summary:
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Zachary Smith is finished with high-maintenance women, impossible clients, and paranormal adventures. But when he walks through a doorway into a different century—and meets Mary de Piaget—he knows his life isn’t going to turn out quite the way he planned.
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No excerpt found.

Other books in Kurland’s Time Travel series – go here for the reading order for the de Piaget Family series:

C2’s review of Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan
Historical romance by Avon released 31 Mar 09

Dominic Hale, the Duke of Damon, a.k.a. the Demon Duke, is numb. He has spent most of his adult life searching out ways to make himself feel. Women, gambling, revelry of all sorts – he’s tried everything with little success. He still feels empty. Why, then, can’t he forget the flame-haired vixen who turned him down flat?

Fallon O’Rourke is tired. She is fed up with fending off advances from the so-called gentlemen of the houses she has worked in. Since she was a child she has been treated differently because of her quick temper and fiery tresses and she has had enough. Even a would-be rescuer managed to proposition her as he transported her from the scene of her most recent encounter with her employer’s son to a friend’s lodgings – and he was traveling with two women of questionable morals! Fallon decides that the only way to earn a living and remain unmolested is to disguise herself as a young man.

Ah, faithful reader, I’ll admit I so enjoy a story with the heroine in drag. Don’t judge me.

After cutting her distinctive hair and finding the clothes necessary for her disguise, Fallon (her name gave me Dynasty flashbacks every time I read it… I think I’m showing my age here) goes to the employment agency for a referral. Guess where she is sent? To the home of the Demon Duke, of course. She becomes the newest footman, Francis. The duke is intrigued by his disapproving new footman – not in a reluctant OMG-why-am-I-staring-at-a-boy’s-mouth way – he is just aware of the young servant.

When Dominic’s valet leaves in a fit of pique, Francis (very reluctantly) agrees to replace him. Fallon is saving all her pennies to escape the city and live independently so a raise in salary is a good thing…mostly. More time spent with the duke means she begins to see behind the public persona. Maybe he isn’t a demon after all?

A drunken kiss in the dark, a hidden painting and an unexpected inheritance all play a part in bringing our couple together and keeping them apart. Dominic is an artist but we don’t see that side of him, really. It seems more like a device that is thrown in to show that he never stopped thinking of Fallon after their first meeting. However, the device never manages to be as pivotal a plot point as it might have been.

Both of the lead characters had wretched childhoods (and I have to say I am growing weary of all the horrible-ness – it seems like there are too many of those characters lately) and don’t seem to be attempting to move past the wretchedness for most of the book. Eventually they do – in the very last chapter – but the character growth seems rushed.

This is a quiet, thoughtful look at two damaged people who do not expect to find love and how they deal with love when it finds them. In the prologue we see a young Fallon and two friends make wishes on a falling star. Fallon gets her wish in this book and I look forward to seeing her friends get their wishes too.

Grade: B-

Summary:
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She works to live …
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One would think the last place a beauty like Fallon O’Rourke could keep her virtue was in the Mayfair mansion of London’s most licentious duke, the notorious Dominic Hale. Yet Fallon – who’s endured nothing but lecherous advances since her father’s tragic death – is perfectly safe there … disguised as a footman! Beneath the notice of the dark-haired devil with his smoldering blue eyes and sinful smile, Fallon never imagines her secret will be discovered. But how long can her deception last when she begins to wish she is one of the many women traipsing in and out of the sinful rogue’s bedchamber?
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He lives to sin …
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Most men envy the duke, never suspecting his pleasure-loving ways are a desperate attempt to escape, however briefly, the pain of a past that’s left him with a heart of stone. Only one woman can break down his defenses. Only one woman can win his love … if she reveals her secret and succumbs to the sins of a wicked duke.
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Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of Always by Lauren Dane
Contemporary romance released by Samhain 14 Apr 09

I had been looking for a simple romantic contemporary story. I wanted to read about a guy and a girl falling in love, and only about that. No secret mafia wars, no exploding bombs, no secret family curses or vampires, werewolves, or were-anything. That’s exactly what Always offered, and I really enjoyed it. Caitlin and Eamon are extremely likable characters.

Caitlin Moore is a great heroine. She’s 26 years old, and when the book begins, finishing up the first half of her year as a 2L, which is a second year law student. She lives in Seattle, and runs into Eamon at a club. They met in Ireland a few years ago, when she worked at his father’s pub for a summer during college. Caitlin has had an interesting life. While growing up with a privileged childhood, she was emotionally impoverished. Her parents aren’t the warm and loving type, and she also had a bad experience with her ex-fiance, which put her life on hold. However, all of that really caused Caitlin to become who she is today. Caitlin knows what she wants, and knows how to get it. She’s not pushy or overbearing, but she doesn’t let others control her or negatively influence her. She’s extremely capable, and satisfyingly independent.

Eamon Blake is a photographer who moved to LA for his career, and to be closer to his brother and sister-in-law. He’s charming, a lot of fun, and very career oriented. I liked that he had a sense of humor, and a close relationship with his family. It’s nice to see a hero who already has experienced real and fulfilling interpersonal relationships. It’s also nice that he’s so into Caitlin. Although Eamon is in no way static or incomplete, he does cede the stage to Caitlin.

I really liked that Caitlin and Eamon had history, even though it was just as fuck buddies. They had their summer fling of food and fun, and they were done. Caitlin went back home to the states, and Eamon stayed in Ireland. They left with no strings and no regrets, knowing their affair was only temporary. However, a chance meeting at a club in Seattle brings them together again, and this time, feelings begin to develop. And now, we come to the part that I really enjoyed. The realistic development of the relationship between Caitlin and Eamon.

Yes, they have really hot sex. A lot of really hot sex. And through that, both of them start to realize that they’re developing feelings for the other. But more than that, they speak to each other daily. Over the phone, internet, video chat, and remain um… intimate that way as well. It’s cute. They visit each other a few times a year, and it helps develop the relationship because Caitlin and Eamon are able to interact with the other’s friends. I think the interaction between mutual really helps develop and legitimize the relationship. (As an aside, I really liked how both Caitlin and Eamon had their own friends and personalities outside of just each other. And I must add, that I really liked all of the secondary characters.)

I felt that the tension between the relationship was extremely realistic, and legitimate. Both of the characters had their own hang ups to overcome, and Ms. Dane treated them respectfully and perfectly. I could understand and accept what motivated the characters and the actions that they took. In fact, I think all the events that happened were exactly as they should have occurred. Nothing was easy, but at the same time, nothing ridiculous. No missing someone by seconds to delay events, or drag on the story.

My only issues were that I felt like there might need to be a little bit more to this book. while I really enjoyed the story, I wasn’t gripped by it. I will say, however, that I didn’t really have a problem with, or notice a number of the dialogue issues that usually jump out at me with Ms. Dane’s writing. The characters still use dialogue for emotion (it’s hard to explain) – but it worked much better here. Always is a great story that follows the relationship of two unique and fun characters. I really liked that the relationship slowly developed over 1-2 years, which really adds credibility to the story. I definitely recommend Always to anyone looking for a great read that is a straight contemporary romance.

Grade: B

Summary:
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Sometimes you have to go more than halfway to meet in the middle.
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Caitlin Moore has every reason to celebrate. She’s through with law-school finals, and out for some post-semester fun when she runs smack dab into Eamon Blake, the Irishman with whom she had a summer fling years ago. Time hasn’t dimmed their lingering friendship—or their sexual chemistry.
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Eamon isn’t looking for love when he bumps into Cat while he’s in Seattle on a job. Yet over the next year, he finds himself involved in a rekindled long-distance romance that moves from casual to a lot more.
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That’s the rub. Cat is determined not to repeat her past mistakes with men and give up the dream job for which she’s worked so hard. Independence is something she’s spent years achieving. Eamon can start over so much easier than she can—why shouldn’t he make the sacrifice this time?
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But Eamon doesn’t much relish leaving the life he’s been building in Los Angeles—and he really doesn’t like ultimatums. At an impasse, goodbye seems the only direction to go. Ending it is the right thing to do…or the biggest mistake they ever made.
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Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of When His Kiss Is Wicked by Kaitlin O’Riley
Historical romance released by Zebra 1 Apr 09

Kaitlin O’Riley was a surprise find for me when I read her first book, Secrets of a Duchess. Her second book, One Sinful Night, was an emotional read and made O’Riley a must read for me. O’Riley’s third book starts a new series of five sisters in London. Collette Hamilton is the oldest of the five Hamilton sisters, who are running their father’s bookstore after he has passed on.

Collette meets Lucien Sinclair, Earl of Waverly, when he comes into the bookstore to get some books to read to his own invalid father. Since it had been some time since he’d been to Hamilton’s, he’s surprised to see a woman working there, and equally as surprised to be attracted to her and want to kiss her. After he places an order, Collette thinks she’ll never see him again, but in fact she meets him at a ball later. Her uncle is trying to marry off Collette and her sister Juliette as quickly as possible so he can get some money from them as well as sell the bookstore.

Lucien keeps coming back to the bookstore to see Collette and meets the rest of her family, and they begin to dance around each other in the way that people do when they don’t want to admit an attraction. Along the way Lucien’s friend Jeffery gets involved with the Hamilton family and Lucien, as well as Collette, have to decide if they can live the life they thought they wanted, or live a life with each other and be happy.

One of the biggest problems in this book was as Lucien and Collette take one step forward in their relationship, inevitably they take two steps back. Collette is desperate to make the bookstore a success and support her family, and Lucien thinks that women shouldn’t work or run a business as that’s the man’s domain. When their relationship goes all the way, Lucien is cold to Collette and she lets him treat her like she’d been used. It was frustrating.

Another issue was Lucien’s inability to recognize his own feelings. Not just realizing he’d fallen in love with Collette, but what feelings he was having at any time with his father, his mother who has returned after abandoning him years ago, and how he truly felt about Collette trying to save her family on her own without any help. Only his time with his friend Jeffery seems to have any sort of emotional sincerity. When other characters tell him he’s in love with Collette instead of realizing this himself, does he work to make sure she doesn’t get away.

Collette herself, though knowing herself a bit better than Lucien, just tried too hard to do it all herself. In a time when women weren’t really allowed to own and run a business, she thinks she can change minds in a very short amount of time. Her business plan is sound for her family’s bookstore, but it smack too much of trying to almost Barnes and Noble-ize the business. Most likely sound business practice, but also ahead of it’s time. Not to mention thinking she can get away with not getting married when she’s got a greedy uncle pushing her in that direction.

Collette’s sister Juliette and Lucien’s friend Jeffery become fast friends and they seemed to have a genuine rapport, they seemed too alike and I hope they don’t get their story in the next book as it didn’t seem to be the way those two characters should go. The rest of the secondaries, the sisters and mother of the Hamilton family and the uncle, and Lucien’s parents are all rather stereotypical. Each of the sisters has one unique characteristic, and their mother is of the fading belle of the ball variety who is depressed because she didn’t get the life she wished. At least the sisters can handle the machinations of the uncle, even if the mother can’t. Lucien’s parents, while having touching reunion, at least show why Lucien can’t actualize what feelings he’s having.

It did have potential to be an interesting story, but it’s just a muddle and though Juliette and Jeffery had some bright spots for the book, they shouldn’t have to be the ones that save it, it should be Collette and Lucien. I’ll keep reading O’Riley’s books, but this one was a letdown and I hope not a predictor of the rest of the series.

Grade: D+

Summary:
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After her father’s death, Colette Hamilton is left with four sisters, an invalid mother and a failing bookshop. The only way she can save the family business is with her unconventional ideas…or let her uncle marry her off. As for the handsome stranger is the bookshop? He’s Lucien Sinclair, son of an earl, and a notorious rogue uninterested in marriage.
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Unknown to Colette, Lucien has begun an urgent search for a bride, so that his ailing father might see him married before he dies. He knows what he wants– a plain biddable woman without the curse of beauty to endanger his heart. Yet no matter how he tries, Lucien finds himself unable to stay away from Colette. And as sinful pleasure lures them ever closer to the edge of ruin, the only question that matter is whether they can survive the fall…
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Read an excerpt.

Holly‘s review of The Bravo Bachelor by Christine Rimmer
Contemporary Romance released by Silhouette Special Edition 1 Apr 09

I really love these “pregnant widow” stories. I don’t know why, exactly, since they often leave me feeling frustrated and annoyed (depending on the heroine’s feelings for her dead husband), but there you have it. Luckily this one worked very well for me.

I really liked Mary. Although the Bravo’s have really been putting pressure on her to sell, she wasn’t intimidated nor did she ever waiver in her desire to keep her ranch. She was practical and down to earth, a plain speaking woman who didn’t beat around the bush or try to play emotional games. I really loved that about her. I also thought her fears that she was moving too quickly with Gabe were spot on. Rimmer didn’t push it too far in either direction, so it really worked.

Gabe was a confirmed bachelor and proud of it. He had no desire to settle down because he liked playing the field too much. But after witnessing the birth of Mary’s baby he realizes there may be more to life than a different woman every night. The more time he spends with them, the more he wants them forever.

I really liked that even though Gabe admitted to himself that he wanted something more meaningful with Mary, he wasn’t really on board with marriage. He was happy to commit himself to her, but he really didn’t want to make it official. I found this to be much more believable than if he’d just done a complete 180. I also loved how, right from the beginning, Gabe jumped in and helped Mary with the baby.

Two things overshadowed my enjoyment somewhat. The first is Gabe’s father. He was determined to get Mary’s farm and was willing to stop at nothing to get it. He even went so far as to threaten her and I’m pretty sure he had every intention of following through had Gabe not stopped him. While I understand there are ruthless businessmen, I couldn’t understand the lengths he was willing to go to. Especially since Mary was a widow with an infant.

The second was the end. Though the final resolution was inevitable (and welcome) I didn’t like how fast it came about, or the circumstances behind it. The whole situation seemed to come out of left field. Then it was wrapped up rather quickly. A few more pages would have really helped, I think.

Otherwise this was a sweet contemporary romance. I enjoyed both the story and characters, despite the few issues I had.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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All Gabe Bravo wanted was to convince Mary Hofstetter to sell him her land. But the young widow had barely told him to hightail it off her property before going into labor. Being an honorable Bravo bachelor, he stayed by her side, even after her little bundle of joy appeared.There was no denying Gabe had declared himself permanently single—and proud of it. But with his feelings for Mary growing deeper, he was suddenly torn: walk away from mother and child, or do what he’d sworn he’d never do—get hitched!
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Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Heiress’s Two-Week Affair by Marie Ferrarella
Romantic suspense released by Silhouette Romantic Suspense 1 Apr 09

Romantic suspense is a tricky genre to write in because the author has to satisfy both camps of readers. The suspense has to be suspenseful, the romance has to be romantic, and both of them have to be convincing. Then try to do that in a shorter category format, and it’s a pretty tall order to fill. This first book in the multi-author Love In 60 Seconds series also has the added task of setting the whole wheel in motion. While the author does an amiable job juggling it all, I still found the experience a bit of a mixed bag.

Natalie Rothchild is from a notorious Las Vegas family, but for the last several years has shunned the lifestyle and opulence for a quieter (if you can believe it!) life as a homicide detective for the LVPD . Her estranged twin sister, Candace, had other ideas. Think Paris Hilton, only about 1000 times more obnoxious and evil. So when Candace winds up murdered, there are a long list of possibilities. Determined to nab her sister’s killer, Natalie knows that she has to tread very carefully. Not only because the department has put her on bereavement leave, but also because her father is babbling about a cursed diamond ring that Candace was seen wearing the night she was murdered. A diamond ring that is now missing in action.

As if dealing with her sister’s murder isn’t enough, Natalie has come face-to-face with a man who broke her heart eight years ago. Matt Schaffer was desperately in love with Natalie, but between his family’s underworld ties, and the fact that there is no love lost between the Schaffer and Rothchild clans, he left her instead. Mr. Compassion did this by sneaking off in the night for L.A. with nothing but a Dear Natalie note left on his pillow. What a guy! Needless to say, Natalie is not prepared to deal with him, but she must. Matt is the head of security at the casino where Candace was seen before her murder. He was also one of the last people to see her sister alive.

The suspense angle centering around the missing diamond ring and Candace’s murder is very engaging and keeps the pages turning. I also loved the “soapy” nature of this plot. A “cursed” diamond ring, two very dysfunctional families, and years of resentment that is anything but water under the bridge. I could easily see myself buying all four books in this series, tossing them in my beach bag, and reading them back-to-back while soaking up sun, sand and surf.

Unfortunately, as interesting as I found the suspense angle, the romance mostly didn’t work for me. I really liked Natalie, who has lived her life in the shadow of an extremely dysfunctional family, but is determined to make something of herself. She’s the one grounded person surrounded by a sea of loony toons . It’s amazing she didn’t haul off and smack every single one of the secondary characters. Matt, on the other hand, comes off as a sanctimonious prick. He’s one of those “sacrificing” romance heroes, who instead of treating the heroine like an adult, leaves her for “her own good.” Oh, and doesn’t bother explaining to her “why” it’s for her own good. It’s been eight years. Eight years of not knowing, of not having any answers, and he continues to give her the same “it was because I loved you so much” claptrap for the first half of this story. I couldn’t help but think she should have asked a patrolmen for his night stick so she could beat Matt to death. Maybe not quite as satisfying as hot sex, but after eight years I figure the girl is justified.

It’s also problematic that this story is left with some loose ends. While the romance runs it’s natural course, the small matter of the bad guy and the missing diamond ring are still very much up in the air. Most definitely fodder for the next three books in this series, although still annoying that the reader doesn’t get at least some closure in book one. Still, it’s certainly an engaging enough read for those looking to get hooked into a soap-style series for their summer vacation.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Shell-shocked detective Natalie Rothchild wasn’t sure what stung more—knowing that her twin had paid dearly for flaunting their fortune at a Las Vegas hot spot—or prying information from the man who went AWOL after promising her forever.
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In between lame excuses and darkly possessive glances, casino security expert Matt Schaffer revealed how the bejeweled tabloid queen sashayed down the red carpet before she died. Yet he couldn’t say whether Natalie was dealing with a crime of passion or a family foe on a wild rampage.
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Would the two ex-lovers partner up to solve this horrific crime—or would they give the sizzling heat of Sin City a run for its money?
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Ménage On A Train by Alice Gaines
Erotica ebook short story released by Spice Briefs 1 Apr 09

Travel is a popular theme often explored in erotic romance and erotica. Makes me wonder if there’s a travel agency somewhere that specializes in these sorts of getaways: 5 days, 4 nights, and your own personal horny cabana boy! In Alice Gaines’ latest story for Spice Briefs, the heroine finds herself ditching the Mile High Club in favor of a luxury train through eastern Europe.

Cass Weston’s idea of fun isn’t getting off in a cramped airplane bathroom (and seriously, who could blame her?). So she leaves behind her home in California for a train trip through Europe. Better yet? This particular train boasts a ride through a particularly long, dark tunnel, ideal for sexual escapades and trysts. Heck, the train has such a notorious reputation, that those looking for an anonymous hook-up even have a signal.

Cass has found her man, a guy named Tom, and is all set for some fun when his friend, Nigel, shows up. Without a “date” of his own, the two men suggest to Cass that she double her pleasure – and after a split-second of “Did they just ask me what I think they just asked me?” she agrees wholeheartedly.

Enjoyment of this story requires the reader to check reality at the door. If the reader needs that condom moment in the story? Um yeah, just keep on walking. And if you’re looking for a realistic, in-depth analysis of a ménage relationship? Yeah, you’re not going to find it in this short story. This is all about the fantasy, and it fills that role amiably with a couple of sexual encounters that are hot enough to singe off your eyebrows.

Ménage On A Train is ideal for readers looking for a quick, hot, fantasy-fueled read and for those who cannot get enough of the M/M/F dynamic. However, this probably isn’t going to work for readers who need a healthy dollop of reality, and condoms, in their spicy reads.

Grade: B

Summary:
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Cass Weston hated the idea of joining the mile high club. After all, who wanted to grope in a crowded airplane bathroom when you could have the erotic trip of a lifetime on a luxury train through the Eastern European mountains? Especially when the journey boasted a long, dark tunnel that provided the perfect opportunity for sex with a stranger. Make that strangers. The man Cass set her sights on also had a friend without a partner of his own. Lucky for them that Cass is up for a little adventure….
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No excerpt found.

Lawson’s review of The Immortal Hunter (Argeneau Vampires, Book 11, or Rogue Hunters, Book 2) by Lynsay Sands
Paranormal romance released by Avon 31 Mar 09

I am a fan of Sands’ Argeneau or vampire (Immortals) series and will probably be for some time. This isn’t to say that some of the books are better than others, but there are many other stories to tell in this world. This is the second in a loose series following Council Enforcers, or rouge vampire hunters. Enforcers keep the peace in the community and when an immortal goes rogue, or starts hurting humans for a variety of dastardly purposes. The first book followed one of these hunters, and Immortal Hunter follows another, Decker (Argeneau) Pimms.

It’s hard to know where to start with this book. Most of the plot of this book, or at least the rogue hunter part, was introduced in the first book, The Rogue Hunter, in the prologue, and then never mentioned again. Probably not the best way to have things flow, but since it’s a loose series, letting it go is not a big deal. The action picks up right where Rogue Hunter left off, with Mortimer and his life-mate having to prove she won’t reveal all the immortal secrets as she’s decided not to be turned yet.

From some other events in Rogue Hunter that are revealed in this one, a rogue that has been on the run for 50 years is discovered and Decker and Mortimer’s partner Bricker are sent after him. The rogue, Nicholas Argeneau, is on the hunt of some other rogues who kidnap women and. . . let’s just say it’s not pretty. While trying to free two new victims of the rogues, as well as take them into custody, Nicholas disappears, as one of the rogues has escaped with one of the victims.

And the chase begins. The story takes place over about 48 hours, and it’s pretty fast paced. Decker and Bricker chase Nicholas and the rogues, as well as try to convince Dr. Danielle McGill, whose sister was taken by the one rogue, that they will get their man and her sister back alive. Danielle also has to cope with the fact that she’s been told she’s Decker’s life-mate and what that could mean for her own future.

Since the action takes place over about 48 hours, there’s a lot of things that are rather heavy handed, like Danielle’s being told about the immortals, being Decker’s life-mate, and some of her actions in trying to get her sister back. It’s not as though she’s TSTL and I’m sure many people would behave the same way in the same situation, but she comes across as a bit flighty rather than a strong woman. Decker is a bit the same way, as he does lie to Danielle a bit to hide the facts about his life, which of course most people don’t know, and seems to not know how to talk to her very well.

There’s also a big back and forth in the character’s actions in seeking the rogue and Danielle’s sister, as well as trying to find Nicholas Argeneau. Danielle, obviously overwhelmed by the whole thing, isn’t really thinking all that straight, what with her sister missing, the life-mate thing, but she does roll in the hay with Decker rather quickly (and literally) and buys into the immortal world and lifestyle much faster than quite a few of the previous newbies.

The other thing is the introduction of a new group in the vampire world, the edentata, which just seemed like a convenient plot device to add to the craziness of the rogues and their plan for. . .whatever they think they need to accomplish. Everything added together makes a big jumbled mess and there’s not an easy way to not be confused by the lighter moments mixed in with the darker moments that get mixed into the chasing down the rogues story. I don’t even know what grade to give this book. What comes out of it though, is perhaps a hope that Nicholas’ story, the next book, will be a bit less of a muddle and maybe explain things a little more.

Grade: C- D+ D ????

Read more info and reviews of this series by following its tag.

Summary:
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Even vampires need a vacation. But Decker Argeneau’s ends abruptly when he’s asked to help hunt the group of rogue vampires targeting mortals — one that might include a defector in his own family. Before he can worry about that, though, he’s got to rescue the latest victim. It’s all part of the job, including taking a bullet for a beautiful doctor.
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Dr. Danielle McGill doesn’t know if she can trust the man who just saved her life. There are too many questions, such as what is the secret organization he says he’s part of, and why do his wounds hardly bleed? However, with her sister in the hands of some dangerous men, she doesn’t have much choice but to trust him.
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Except now Decker’s talking about life mates and awakening a passion that’s taking Dani beyond anything she’s ever known. Being undead may not be half-bad…especially if it means spending forever with a man who would love her with his mind, body, and immortal soul.
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Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other books in the series:

Holly‘s review of A Not-So-Perfect Past by Beth Andrews
Contemporary Romance released by Harlequin SuperRomance 14 Apr 09

Beth Andrews is a fairly new Harlequin author, this being her second release with them. I liked the blurb so figured I’d give it a try. I think I may have suffered a bit for not reading her debut novel, Not Without Her Family, since I believe it probably offered quite a bit of backstory on the hero that was absent in this one.

I think Dillon was a very complex character. Because he was convicted of killing his step-father and spent several years in prison he is very cynical and hard. His experiences since he’s been home haven’t done much to change his attitude either. Yet underneath it all, he’s still managed to retain his common decency and innate goodness. Though he’s afraid to reach for it, he craves love and stability just as much as the next person. I loved that though he was a wonderful man underneath he was rough around the edges. Sometimes this works for the heroes of our novels and sometimes it doesn’t. Andrews made it work.

As the book beings we see that Nina is mostly a doormat. Her ex-husband and family run roughshod over her while she sits back and lets them. She thinks to herself that she should be stronger and stand up to them, but she never does. They tell her what to do in regards to everything: Dillon Ward, her tenant that lives above her bakery, her kids, her career, everything. I found myself becoming very frustrated with her for not standing up for herself, but I was furious with her for not standing up for her children. Her ex-husband was very verbally abusive to her and that carried over to her children.

To be fair, I don’t think she realized he was treating her children as badly as he was. Unfortunately that doesn’t do much to take my frustration from her because it was fairly obvious. I think she just didn’t want to see how bad it was. To make matters worse, in an attempt to prove herself – though I’m not quite sure to who – she began to take on massive amounts of work, further bogging herself down and taking her away from her children. She did show quite a bit of growth in the end, but I kind of felt like it was too little, too late.

I like the two of them together. They really brought out the best in each other. Dillon encouraged Nina to stand up for herself and take charge of her own life. She showed him it was okay to open up. Although I disliked the way Nina let other people take advantage of her, I liked that with Dillon’s help she was able to stand strong on her own.

I also really liked her children and the other secondary characters, with the exception of Nina’s ex, who was a complete ass, and her father, who didn’t redeem himself in my eyes. Her older sister and the teenager who has to make restitution by rebuilding her shop with Dillon were great additions, however. I also really enjoyed Dillon’s sister. So much so that I plan to buy her book.

I had issues with Nina, but I think Dillon and the secondary characters saved the story in the end.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Everyone makes mistakes…but he isn’t looking for redemption
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He’s the most dangerous man she’s ever met…
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Nina Carlson knows all about Dillon Ward. Knows he served time in prison. Knows nobody pulled out the welcome mat when he moved to Serenity Springs. But that doesn’t stop her from renting him a place to live. And when someone crashes into her bakery, he’s just the man to fix the damage.
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And Nina isn’t the only one who thinks Dillon’s the perfect man for the job: her two kids have taken a shine to him. Still, she can’t afford to get close to Dillon, even if he is tempting her to toss out her good girl shoes. Because it’s not that she doesn’t trust him. It’s that she doesn’t trust herself.
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Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Dark Needs at Night’s Edge (Immortals After Dark, Book 4) by Kresley Cole
Paranormal Romance released by Pocket 1 Apr 08

This is another series that I’m behind on reading, and I hate being behind on this one because I have loved every single word of it so far. Ms. Cole has a knack for writing the type of heroes that I adore. Alpha. To the core. But with enough sensitivity to savor love when it comes their way. If I had nothing but Kresley Cole books to read, I’d be pretty damn happy all the time.

The only thing I’m unhappy about is I read the first three books so long ago, I don’t remember things as clearly as I’d like when I came across them in this book. But that doesn’t take away much from a book when the writing is this good. It goes without saying that I absolutely loved Conrad. Talk about a tortured hero. His childhood is terrible, at the brink of death turned into a vampire by his oldest brother, he is now the very creature that he’d learned to hate and hunt. Centuries later he’s nearly insane, memories from those he’s killed by drinking from their veins dogging his every waking moment.

His brothers have been searching for him for hundreds of years, wanting nothing more than to help him regain his life and his sanity. Capturing him at last they have him holed up in the abandoned home of a twentieth century Hollywood legend who died there. And now she haunts the place, has for the last eighty years. Eventually Néomi runs off any who live in her home. However, she’s now been alone for quite a while so she is ecstatic when Conrad and his brothers take up residence. She’s also stunned when she realizes Conrad is able to see and hear her.

Of course, Conrad believes his insanity is only getting worse when he sees the lovely apparition while he waits for his mind and body to calm and return to as normal as possible.  His brothers have assured him he can live without the need to kill when he feeds. The more he interacts with his beautiful ghost, he hopes that is true. But he has other troubles in the guise of a couple of demons who would do him harm, so he must take care of them before moving on with his life. It seems Néomi is not his bride, though he wants nothing more than to be with her. He will do what it takes to keep her safe and just maybe she’ll want him to stay.

These two enjoy a fun and loving relationship even before Néomi gets her second chance at life. Once that happens things change, of course; Conrad is blooded, their relationship goes to the next level, and the action takes off.  Not all turns out the way either Conrad or Néomi hope for, but what a great reason to bring in characters we know and love from the previous books. Ms. Cole kept me enthralled for all 384 pages of this book, never letting up once.

No wonder I keep going back for more.

Grade: A+

Read more info and reviews for this series by following its tag.

Summary:
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A vampire warrior consumed by madness, trapped in the lair of an otherworldly temptress only he can see. The beauty wants him gone–the warrior can’t leave. Let the games begin…
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Néomi Laress, a famous ballerina in the early 1900s, became a phantom the night she was murdered. Imbued with powers, but invisible to the living, she haunts her beloved home, scaring away any trespassers–until she encounters a ruthless immortal even more terrifying than Néomi herself.
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To prevent him from harming others, Conrad Wroth’s brothers imprison him in an abandoned manor. There only Conrad can see the dancer with wild raven hair–who seems determined to drive him further into madness. The exquisite creature inflames him with desire, leaving his body racked with lust and his soul torn as he finds himself coveting her for his own.
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Yet even if Conrad can win Néomi and claim her completely, evil still surrounds her. Once he returns to the brutality of his past to protect her, will he succumb to the dark needs seething inside him?
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

		Not That Innocent,anthology with Cole,Kenyon, Showalter,and Kohler, coming31 Jul 09

Holly‘s review of She’s Got It Bad by Sarah Mayberry
Contemporary Romance released by Harlequin Blaze 1 Apr 09

I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about Sarah Mayberry, so I decided to check her out. I was really impressed with how unconventional the heroine is, even for a contemporary romance.

When the blurb says, “Zoe is as tough and wild as they come” that’s absolutely the truth. Though she was a quiet good-girl twelve years ago, she grew up hard and fast. Now she’s a tattoo artist and the lead singer of a punk rock band. She’s taken her share of hard knocks, but she’s doing the best she can. Although she wishes she could go back into the past and change some things, she’s accepted her lot in life and is determined to do things her own way.

When Liam sees a naked painting of Zoe at an art gallery he knows he has to find her and help her out. The Zoe he knew twelve years ago never would have done something like that. But twelve years is a long time and Liam is surprised at the changes in Zoe. Not only is she tough and wild, but she’s completely comfortable with her sexuality. Not that he’s interested..well, ok, so he’s really interested, but he doesn’t want to take advantage of her. He only wants to help get her back on her feet. Walking away from her twelve years ago was one of the hardest things he’s ever done..so there’s pretty much no chance in hell he’ll be able to walk away again.

The attraction between these two was sizzling hot. Their sexual chemistry crackled. Not only that, they truly did have an emotional connection. I thought it was it was a wonderful that Liam wanted to help Zoe just to help her. He wasn’t looking for anything in return, and he wasn’t smug or condescending or trying to make himself look/feel better, he just wanted to help out the girl he once loved.

As I mentioned above, Zoe was a very unconventional heroine. She drank hard liquor, danced dirty and worked in a tattoo parlor. She also had a lot of emotional scarring. With Liam’s help she was able to work past many of her issues, but I like that she’d never completely be able to let everything from her past go. That was totally realistic. Though we often move on from things in our past, they shape who we are in the future. Mayberry really nailed that with Zoe.

I did have a few issues with both characters, however. Mostly because neither wanted to set their pride aside for the other. Not only that, but each swore they knew what was best for the other. Liam walked away from Zoe twelve years ago because he knew she’d be better off without him and even after all that time he still thinks it’s true. Because of things that happened to Zoe in her past, she’s convinced Liam would be better off without her. Plus, either are really willing to put themselves out there.

Despite that I really did enjoy the story. The characters were well developed and was emotionally engaging. I’ll definitely be looking for more by Sarah Mayberry in the future.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Twelve years ago Zoe Ford let Liam Masters break her heart. But now? There’s not a chance. Zoe is as tough and wild as they come. So when Liam shows up at her tattoo parlor, she’s more than ready to take him on again. That’s not going to be a hardship, since he’s hotter than he ever was.

This time she’s staying in charge. And she’s not going to consider their score settled until he’s hot, bothered and begging for more! Then she’ll move on as callously as he left her. Unless all that deliciously bad sex is just too good to give up…

Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of Taken and Seduced by Julia Latham
Historical romance released by Avon 31 Mar 09

Time for another medieval romance from Julia Latham. This one again follows the story of a member of the League of the Blade, the society in Latham’s early Tudor England that protects the innocent and seeks justice for the wrongs of society. The League is the only thing that ties this book to Latham’s other three, as the characters here are new and possibly give a set up for another series following more of the knights and the ladies that come into their lives.

Adam Hilliard has been raised by the League, but feels their justice has not been extended to his family. He sets out on his own to kidnap the youngest daughter of the Marquess of Martindale, without letting the League know what he’s doing. Adam believes that the Marquess murdered his parents and wants to use his daughter, Lady Florence as leverage to be able to challenge him to combat and hopefully get the truth about his parents. Though he does his best to keep things in hand, Florrie provides a challenge, as she’s different than he expected.

Florrie hasn’t spent much time away from the secluded castle in Yorkshire. Her father kept her hidden and she behaved more as a servant to her family rather than a daughter of the house. Though afraid at first, she sees her kidnapping as a way to have an adventure with some new friends before she has to give up the small amount of freedom she has to go to a convent and completely cut off from the world and her family.

When Adam learns along the way how her father really feels about Florrie, he is more determined to face the man, especially when Florrie does everything she can to work her way into his heart. Florrie makes it her mission not only to have an adventure, but to find out the truth behind her kidnapping and why Adam is as driven, yet doesn’t seem to understand the odd way he behaves around her. When they reach London, both have a decision to make about their future and hope there is room for love.

What could be an interesting story is bogged down by Adam’s need for revenge, his singlemindedness until it’s almost too late, and the constant reminder that he was raised by the League of the Blade. When his parents died, the League took him and his brothers to a secluded castle and educated them in the ways of fighting, stealth and other things a Bladesmen would need to know. What they lost out on was dealing with living day to day in the real world. This, in the end, makes Adam a deadly, yet naive character and I felt there was much eye rolling on my part as I was reading his handling of certain situations.

Florrie is also naïve, but she comes off more in the way of a sheltered lady, rather than someone who is happy to be oblivious to the nature of life as Adam sometimes is. Due to a childhood injury, she’s left with a severe limp, but she’s coped well with it and has an optimistic outlook on life, though it’s definitely not a rosy outlook. She understands the nature of people and is willing to go with life as it happens, mostly because she’s been handed a harder life due to her injury and her father.

What starts to grate and give much eye rolling besides Adam is the constant repetition of Florrie’s destiny of entering a convent, Adam’s refusal to reveal anything of himself while he wants to know everything about Florrie, his constant need to be the protector, even over his brother Robert who is a man himself, Florrie thinking she can change Adam from his quest and Adam thinking that what he’s doing is justice and not revenge. That’s quite a list. Latham’s books, while entertaining, of course aren’t really historically accurate, but the characters in this one don’t really save it to being about average as the other three she’s written.

Grade: D+ C- (Florrie did save it, though Adam just needs to grow up quite a bit more)

Read more reviews of the related series by following the series’ tag.

Summary:
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Adam Hilliard, secret Earl of Keswick, lives for one thing: to kill the man who slew his parents. Raised in secrecy by the League of the Blade, he would do anything to restore his family’s honor.
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Lady Florence Becket is the key to his revenge. But when he kidnaps her, Florrie is neither frightened nor furious, as most other young ladies would be. The bold and powerful stranger who spirited her from her father’s castle could give her the freedom and adventure she craves.
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She is moved by his quest. He is captivated by her courage. They have no defense against the passion ignited by a single kiss. Adam has taken her from all she’s ever known–but now Florrie will delight in her scandalous seduction.
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Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight
Contemporary romance published by Samhain Publishing on 21 Apr 2009

I heard a lot of talk about Butterfly Tattoo, all good things. Excessively good things, in fact, so I had to see for myself what the hype was all about. While I don’t think I liked it quite as much as everyone else did, I do think it’s a great book and very thought provoking. I think it would make an amazing film, if it stayed true to the book. I’m try not give too much away in the review, but I hope I’ve intrigued you, and that you read this book.

I thought about Butterfly Tattoo for a day or two before I sat down to review it. There’s a lot to process, and so much going on, yet at the same time the book is quite sedate, and almost painstakingly slow and measured. Nevertheless I was completely engaged and involved in the story. I thought about the characters throughout the day, and wondered about their situation and emotional state.

I liked how you got to know the characters throughout the course of the book. Both Michael and Rebecca are a bit stilted, but become much more personable as you read on. This also makes sense because the two open up, and begin living their lives once they end up together.  I don’t normally like books written in first person, but I got used to it in Butterfly Tattoo, and felt it was the best style for the characters. It was necessary, and possibly the only way to actually get to know Michael and Rebecca. It also helps underscore how very isolated each of them is.

I don’t normally do this… but I’m going to discuss the hero first. Michael Warner is an extremely unexpected character. His life and past makes him very interesting, and I can honestly say he is unlike any other hero I’ve ever read about, in a very good way. He’s very intense, and quite special. Anybody would be lucky to have someone like Michael in his or her life. He’s completely broken at the beginning of the book, yet doing a respectable job of keeping it together and providing for his daughter. He’s quite charming when he tries, and I loved getting into his head.

Rebecca O’Neill is a studio executive, but she used to be an actress. She’s led an entirely different life after being attacked by a fan and almost dying. After the incident, Rebecca has tried to pull her life back together, but still closes herself off. I really liked seeing Rebecca coming back to life. She’s a kind, warm, and good person. I was continually impressed by her generosity and strength. The amount of crap Rebecca is willing to put up with from Michael is also admirable, yet for once I wasn’t annoyed or felt that the heroine was being a doormat.

For once, I liked a child in a book. Andrea, Michael’s daughter, and Rebecca connected because they both bear scars, which is very fortuitous. (That they connected. The reasons for both their scars are excessively tragic.) At the same time, Rebecca and Michael connect well. I like how they bumble along, and their relationship is stilted, and flawed, yet so perfect. In fact, there was the slight theme of butterflies which I enjoyed (and I hate butterflies), with the characters slowly emerging from their cocoons of grief/living a half life, and reclaiming their place in the world.

I will say there was a time or two when I got a little fed up with the characters and how much they stayed in their heads. However, that was minor. There’s a special quality to Butterfly Tattoo that I’m having difficulty articulating. There was so much going on in this book. I loved the secondary characters and the complexities. While Butterfly Tattoo didn’t have a lot of action, it had a lot of drama, in a good sense. It’s a pipe dream, but I do think this would be the perfect film. There are so many intricate and progressive aspects to this book. It’d be great as an indie movie. I definitely recommend reading this book – and staying with it. (I will, however, say this is likely not a book to read in one sitting.)

Grade: A-

Just when the darkness seems permanent, fate flips a switch.

Michael Warner has been drifting in a numb haze since his lover was killed by a drunk driver. As the anniversary of the wreck approaches, Michael’s grief grows more suffocating. Yet he must find a way through the maze of pain and secrets to live for their troubled young daughter who struggles with guilt that she survived the crash.

Out of the darkness comes a voice, a lifeline he never expected to find—Rebecca O’Neill, a development executive in the studio where Michael works as an electrician.

Rebecca, a former sitcom celebrity left scarred from a crazed fan’s attack, has retreated from the limelight and from life in general, certain no man can ever get past her disfigurement. The instant sparks between her and Michael, who arrives to help her during a power outage, come as a complete surprise—and so does her uncanny bond with his daughter.

For the first time, all three feel compelled to examine their inner and outer scars in the light of love. But trust is hard to come by, especially when you’re not sure what to believe when you look in the mirror. The scars? Or the truth?

Limecello’s Reflection of Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7) by J.R. Ward
Paranormal romance hardcover released by NAL 28 Apr 09

Well now. That’s about as much of a review as you’re going to get. After “talking” to Sybil about it, we decided this would go in the Ponderings section, which made everything much easier for me. No reason to be professional, or thoughtful and insightful within the constraints of writing a good review. Now, I get to ramble and let my thoughts wander at will. If I can even manage to type these words correctly. 

Oh… right… and since this isn’t a review, this post will likely be spoilerific. If you hate spoilers, skip the middle part, and scroll down to the end where I talk general book stuff, please, because I really would like your input. (And I’m sure you’ll have something important to add – my hope, as always, is that someone important will see it and listen.)

I can’t write a review for this book in good conscience, because I’d say I didn’t read a good 40% of it. How does that work? I flipped through all the pages that had anything to do with “lessers.” And the civilian vampires. Frankly, I don’t care. I came into this series expecting to read about the Black Dagger Brotherhood members. And that’s what I chose to read. All the rest? Pretty un-involving.

I came into the series, and really liked it. (Oh as an aside, can I say I really like this cover? Looks great. Of course he also looks nothing like what I imagined Rehv would look like, but win some lose some. I will say that Ms. Ward does a pretty good job of including characters from previous books. (Perhaps a problem is she can’t let them go? Or at least… they jump in and out of importance as she needs them.)

First issue with the book? Wrath. And Beth. And you know, the other Brothers too. How would nobody but Butch know that Wrath is out hunting? First of all, I think the character are all too clever to be tricked for four months. Yes, Wrath has all those smart king genes, but come on. Aside from the obvious – in that Wrath is madly in love with Beth, and Beth is not a blithering idiot, the truth would have come out sooner. Wrath would have told her. He may have gone out regardless, but… it’s not really a secret he could keep. It would not have been a shock to Beth.

Then, Butch knows because he has to inhale the lessers. Ok, whatever. However, when Butch does this, he needs to be healed by Vishous. If Wrath has indeed been out killing lessers for four months, you’d think he’d have killed a lot. So Butch has to do his thing a lot. Which means a lot of recovery, and healing. He has a wife you know, okay, a shellan. Marissa would know. And she’d probably let it slip to someone else. And Vishous would’ve known too, as he would’ve had to heal Butch. Major gap here, but that’s like the first few pages, so we’ll ignore that.

I’m not really clear on the sympaths thing. I’m sure we’ll find out more about it later. I’m going to be honest and also say I pretty much forgot everything about the book already. I probably would’ve given it a C+ based on what I read. I mean, it’s good, don’t get me wrong – on the better side of average, a good, average read. Gets a C+ here. I don’t like what is going on with Phury. (And what is going on there?)

But I will say I LOVED Ehlena. She of course has a difficult life as all J.R. Ward heroines do, but she’s a real person, with a relatively normal struggle… and then she goes has a weak moment and steals drugs. (Ehlena is a nurse -she steals prescription meds for Rehv.) Of course she’s also fallen aristocracy. Whoops. There goes the normalcy. I don’t care. I heart Ehlena. I thought she was very realistic – until the breakup with Rehv. Yes, it made some sense because she was a nurse and so horrified by the drug overdose deaths, and finds out Rhev = the master dealer… but she was so emotionally invested at that point. I didn’t believe she could just walk away, or be so very unwilling to hear what he had to say. Then she bounces back a few chapters in – so it was all for dramatic effect, really.

Anyway, the strange and twisted courtship between Ehlena and Rehvenge is the cutest thing ever. I wish I could re-read all the scenes between them, but I can’t because the book was due. (Yes, I got it from the library. I’ve been drifting away from this series so I didn’t want to shell out the $25 for it – but also, I generally read books from the library. Libraries, being the wonderful, terrific things they are probably provide 70% of my leisure reading material, possibly more.)

My personal pet peeve is how spastic the characters are. Especially in their speech. And… I cannot imagine a brother, if he’s seriously as hardcore and badass as the book suggests, saying “oh em gee.” Even my uber geeky nerdboy friends don’t say “omg.”

Anyway, I love how Rehv and Ehlena are connected – they both feel alone, are drawn to each other, and find such comfort in the other’s presence. I loved their stilted courtship, and the conversations they had over the phone. It was so high school and cute. (I wonder if this is what the Twilight books are like – sans the high school/hormonal teenage emotion.) I really liked how into Ehlena Rehv was. There’s one line where it says his chest sparkled because he was so happy to be with her. It just makes you love them.

I will say that I liked Lover Avenged a lot more than the previous two books. I know it being in hardcover annoyed a lot of people, but …  well it didn’t bother me because I got it from the library! I also liked that Ehlena had purpose, and was necessary. She also really and truly didn’t need Rehv to survive. Ehlena and her father were lucky enough to inherit a good sum of money, and she was totally fine on her own. (Aside from that whole emotionally involved thing.)

And now, we come to what bothered me most in the book. Xhex being “lost.” Are you kidding me? Especially considering how Ehlena found Rehv? Even if there’s some weird thing that empath blood is different… Rehv can still track Xhex down. Why? Because he’s half vampire. Accordingly, he can sense his blood in Xhex. Thus, Rehv can pinpoint where Xhex is, which is how a number of other characters have been found previously in the series. Perhaps John doesn’t know this. However, I think this is a giant plot hole, and I really hate unnecessary or weak drama. Ridiculous. (I’m also not big on a John/Xhex romance, but then what do I know. I also hate the idea of a Teddy/Lucy romance, for SEP.)

I also think everything has gone a bit far. Lash can now shoot energy balls? (And I didn’t know about it until the end/the big fight because remember I don’t read Lesser stuff. How the hell can you win over that? And Lassiter just stands around being useless – but I hope he hooks up with some vampire girl. That would be fun. Also because it doesn’t seem like the end is near, so with a slew of more books in this never ending series, I can hope for all sorts of ridiculous things that have a high likelihood of happening.

And what is with Dr. Manny? I also think/hope that Tohr and Payne will get together.

Anyway, enough with my wild conjectures. What do you think about the series? What did you think?

Oh, and here are a couple of excerpts:  here and here.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Unlacing of Miss Leigh by Diane Gaston
Historical romance eBook short story released by Harlequin Historical Undone 1 Apr 09

Not surprisingly, many romance readers cite Beauty And The Beast as their favorite fairy tale. There’s something so magical and compelling about a heroine who has the gumption to open up the guarded heart of a wounded and scarred hero. The romance landscape is practically riddled with such tales and heroes, but romance readers cannot (and dare I say it – will not) tire of the plot. Gaston is counting on it with this short story for the Undone line.

Unlike many younger sons, Captain Graham Veall, didn’t join his king’s army for the money and prestige, he joined it to defeat Napoleon. What he got for his trouble came at the end of a Frenchman’s sword, and Graham now hides behind a mask while lurking about a friend’s hunting lodge. However, he’s desperately lonely….and horny.

Certainly he could just head to the local brothel to scratch his itch, but he does not want only sex, but companionship as well. A woman to spend time with, to talk with, a woman to chase away the loneliness. So in a most business-like manner, he advertises for a mistress and Miss Margaret Leigh responds. The daughter of a vicar, her father is now dead, and Margaret is desperate to pay for her younger brother’s schooling. So she answers the ad, only to discover that the man she’s been corresponding with is Graham Veall, a hero from her childhood, and a man she’s never forgotten.

What follows is Graham and Margaret striking a bargain, spending time together and falling in love. It’s a pleasant story that follows the path of many Beauty And The Beast-type tales. I did have a couple of niggles, mostly revolving around Margaret – who seems positively wanton when one considers her upbringing. Certainly it helps that she “knows” Graham, but she jumps into his bed awfully quick. The author explains this by pushing her heroine’s back up against the wall (no money, brother needs to go to school), but still, for a proper young Regency miss to go from zero to sixty is a little jarring. Also, the plot device the author tosses in at the end to “get” Graham and Margaret to their happily-ever-after, is admittedly not a favorite of mine. It will work for other readers, but I couldn’t help wishing she’d found a different way.

Still, this is a nice pleasant story that I easily and happily devoured on a lazy Sunday afternoon. For Beauty And The Beast story fans, this tasty morsel hits many of the right notes.

Grade: B

Summary:
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Disfigured in battle against Napoleon’s forces, Captain Graham Veall has become a recluse, spending months alone on his estate and appearing masked in public. Yet Graham is determined not to forgo life’s pleasures forever…especially the delight of a woman’s touch.
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He hardly expects virginal Miss Margaret Leigh to respond to his advertisement for female company, thinking he sought a lady’s companion. Still, the impoverished vicar’s daughter is a surprising temptation he can’t ignore. His proposition? That she live with him for two months as his mistress in exchange for supporting her and her brother for the rest of their lives.
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But Margaret has a secret. Graham once saved her life as a child and she has dreamed about him ever since. As he awakens her desire, she longs to soothe his inner wounds—though only two months with her damaged hero may not be enough….
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Wet by Lauren Hawkeye
Erotic romance eBook short story released by Harlequin Spice Briefs 1 Apr 09

I’ll be blunt. Sometimes erotica and romance cannot co-exist peacefully. A story could make a halfway decent erotica story, about a woman “finding herself,” but the moment the author tries to shoehorn in a traditional, romantic happily ever after, complete with some truly mind-numbing plot devices, the whole affair goes to hell in a hand basket. Or in this case, the story ends up all wet. And not in a good way.

Tabitha is an overworked graduate student stuck in her dorm room during a heat wave. She needs a break, and hits the local spa in order to get it. There she meets Susan and Adam. Despite the fact that Tabitha has never been attracted to women before, she’s now all hot to trot to get in Susan’s panties and agrees to go out to dinner with the couple. There they proposition a studly waiter, and the merry quartet go back to the spa for naughty shenanigans….and it doesn’t end well.

I’m not naïve. I know that sex isn’t always pretty, people get hurt, and even used. I just don’t want to read about it. Which is what I was subjected to here in the form of Susan and Adam who are so selfish I wanted to reach through the hard drive of my Sony Reader and happily strangle them. Tabitha is hurt, but ultimately reassured, another sexual encounter ensues, soul mate drivel enters stage left and swear to God….talk about how they were just so swept up in the moment that golly, she could be pregnant.

Seriously, shoot me now.

Color me cynical, but I’m just not buying the whole “this was meant to happen, I feel like I’ve known you forever” claptrap that’s masquerading as a “happily ever after.” How much better would this story have been with just the hot sex, a confrontation and a heroine who grows a pair? Yeah, a lot.

Grade: D-

Summary:
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All I wanted was to escape my stifling grad school dorm room and soak away my stress in the nearby hot springs.
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Then I meet Susan and Adam, a slick city couple who intrigue from the moment I spot them at reception. And from my first encounter with Susan in the pool, it’s clear I’ve caught their eye, too.
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But once they offer me up to a complete stranger and take us back to their suite, I realize I’ve been made a pawn in their own sexual game. A game in which I don’t know the rules and I have no idea what might come next…
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No excerpt found.

Shannon C.’s review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Humorous fiction released by Quirk Books 4 Apr 09

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a blogger in possession of an opinion must be in want of a platform to post it in. And after reading Dear Author’s haiku review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I felt compelled to offer my own, quite different, take on this story. As it happens, I’d only read the original, non-zombified version of Pride and Prejudice recently, so I’m by no means an Austen fangirl, although I think I could be persuaded to become one in short order. As Sybil constantly points out, though, I am a sucker for what in fandom terms is referred to as crack-fic. And on this account, P&P&Z largely works.

The premise is basically exactly what you think it is. Grahame-Smith basically takes Pride and Prejudice and cuts and pastes random battles with zombies. Whether you like that sort of thing really does depend on your tolerance for crack-fic. Me, I laughed. Very hard. A lot, especially since I’d just finished reading the original Pride and Prejudice. And I know, being one of those readers that tends to take things in her escapist literature far too seriously, that it’s entirely hypocritical of me to not mind that in many ways the presence of zombies totally butchers the characterization and historical context of the novel. Because, honestly, would there have been any way to write this story that *wouldn’t* have butchered one of these things or both?

For me, the best part of the book was its sheer absurdity. The image of Elizabeth Bennet, decked out in Regency costume, fighting scores of the undead made me giggle. Every time Darcy made a joke about balls, I laughed. When Elizabeth demonstrates her accomplishments to Lady Catherine de Bourgh by gutting some of that lady’s ninjas, I found the scene hilarious.

Not all of it works, though. What I liked about Austen’s writing was that she was much more subtle in mocking the characters who deserved it.  Grahame-Smith steamrolls right over subtlety. What he does to Wickham and Mr. Collins, while cathartic in their ways, was, well, a bit too much. I’m also not a fan of gore for its own sake, and there’s a lot of that. After a while, and after the 87th reference to a character vomiting, I kind of wanted to vomit a little myself.

I’m not really sure who I’d recommend this book to. It’s certainly not going to please fans of historical accuracy, and I kind of doubt it will please zombie lovers as well. But if your sense of humor leans to the absurd, and you’re curious about this book, which has been hyped quite a lot, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Grade: B

Summary:
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“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life!
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Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead.
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Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.
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Read an excerpt.

Liviania’s review of Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, Book 1) by Jaye Wells
Urban fantasy released by Orbit 1 April 09

I’ve been looking forward to reading this one.  I’ve been reading Jaye Wells’ blog for a year, and she’s a vastly entertaining woman.  Of course, that also made me extra afraid that I’d be disappointed.  What if the quality of her blog completely misled me as to the quality of her novel?  I can build up quite a bit of expectation in a year.  It’s a good thing Wells delivered the goods.

Sabina Kane is half-vampire, half-mage, and working as an assassin, one of the few jobs available to a semi-outcast mixed blood.  She’s got a lot of rage and shooting others is good stress relief.  Of course, she’s got a lingering bit of guilt over her most recent job: killing a close friend.  Now she’s right into another one she’s barely qualified for, not being a spy.  She also doesn’t have quite the balance of temper and thought for the job.  She tends to act quickly when she should think and ponders things when she should go on instinct.  But she is caught between her loyalty to the Dominae and the fact they consistently treat her like nothing.

It doesn’t help that there are two guys around to confuse her further.  Cult leader Clovis says almost nothing but BS, but Sabina is still attracted to the fellow mixed blood.  He has that confidence that’s somewhat more repellent than it is attractive.  She’s annoyed by and attracted to the mage who is stalking her and got her stuck with a demon for a roommate.  (Clovis only stuck her with a bubbly nymph for a roommate.  I do wish there was a bit more of Sabina’s budding friendship with Vinca, as Vinca and Gighul – the demon – are both hilarious.)

There is less resolution than I like, but Red-Headed Stepchild is the first in a trilogy, so I can let it go.  The vampires are the most fleshed out species in the novel, with a lineage trailing back to Lilith.  I do hope the others include more about the mages, faeries, and demons as well as their history.  Sabina’s ignorance about the other species made sense but I hope to learn more about them along with her.  Wells’ world is well-drawn and may make you tiptoe around redheads for a couple of days after finishing.

I’m a sucker for a good vampire novel, but I think my recommendation of Red-Headed Stepchild still counts.  Action, building sexual tension, and interspecies politics.  Three things that help make an entertaining urban fantasy.  Red-Headed Stepchild was a very quick read, due to a plot that moves along briskly without adding enough factors to become muddled.  Now I just need to let my anticipation build another year for the second book.  (There’s one character I’m particularly eager to see Sabina meet face-to-face.  Really, really eager.  This is the problem with reading a book in a series before the next is available.)

Grade: B+

Summary:
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In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she’s on. She’s never brought her work home with her—until now.
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This time, it’s personal.
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Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Eternal Craving (Gods of the Nights, Book 2) by Nina Bangs
Paranormal romance released by Leisure Books 28 Apr 09

Nina Bangs always surprises me when I read her books. There’s usually a little something — the book starts out slow, a certain character bugs me, whatever — that makes me think I’m not going to enjoy the story. Next thing I know, I’m caught up in everything going on and can’t put it down. Same thing with Eternal Craving. The issue with this book? Men who shift into dinosaurs. Please.

And I’ll be damned if I didn’t love every last word of this book, despite my initial eye rolling. I kept thinking there’s no way this is going to work for me, but I do enjoy when an author proves me wrong. Ms. Bangs does so quite well in this case. Finn is the leader of the Eleven, ancient predators he’s brought back to life in human form but who still have the soul of their respective dinosaurs. The mission of the Eleven is to rid the world of immortals who are on course to destroy all humans, as they interpret Mayan calendar, in 2012. One thing I’m glad of is that Ms. Bangs took the easy road when she named her characters after their respective dinos.

Al is having a hard time with the new human part of himself. He thinks Finn is not being honest with the group, knows for a fact there’s something wrong with his memories and believes Finn is behind that. Al is an Allosaurus, and he would rather be back in his prehistoric days when all he had to worry about was to hunt, kill, eat, and mate. That’s better than these human emotions he now has to deal with, especially when it comes to Jenna.

Making the trip to Philly to find out what the heck is going on with her sister, Kelly, who is the heroine of the first book in the series, Eternal Pleasure, Jenna is bound and determined the finally get the truth out of her. Kelly married Ty (yep, he’s a T. Rex) and is now running across the country god knows doing what. She has no idea what she’s about to step into. But as fearful as she is of the huge hunters when they appear, she gets to know them and begins to care for them, especially Al.  She also learns she is the key to vanquishing the next immortal before he can put his plan in motion.

While the predators themselves aren’t the sexy part of the story — the men in human form are a completely different story, however — Ms. Bangs makes you feel for them, shows you how they struggle between all they’ve ever known and what is now so new to them. You even get to the point you cheer them on when it’s time fight. Both Al and Jenna have a lot of growing to do; Al to balance his past and his human-ness, Jenna to believe in herself and finally put that belief to work. I also laughed out loud a few times, so there’s a little bit of everything to be had in this book.

I’m quite surprised I loved a romance about hero-worthy dinosaurs. I still chuckle at that thought, but I also look forward to reading the first book in the series — I know I have it around here somewhere — and then all of the subsequent books. Not only are there more of those huge beasts who get the girl, but there’s still  a few mysteries to be figured out and I’m itching to know what they are.

Grade: B

Summary:
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THE ELEVEN—an alliance of ultimate predators. Primal, lethal, irresistible.
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THE PROPHECY—an ancient Mayan prediction that the world will end on 12-21-12.
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THE PREY—where can you hide from pure evil?
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Lies. He’s been promised a new life as the hunter he once was. But Al soon learns that all the rules have changed. Now he must control his most basic urges—the need to kill, to feed, to mate. And the woman he wants looks at him with both heat and fear in her eyes. Jenna Maloy doesn’t buy the story that he’s come to Philadelphia to save souls. She seems to see through the layers of deception to the primitive heart of him. With her beside him, Al stalks the dark forces that crouch in the city’s night shadows. But the real battle rages in his heart. Love is a formidable opponent. How can he ask her to stay with him after she’s seen the savagery of his beast? He only knows that if she turns from him he’ll be cursed with an Eternal Craving.
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Eleven Gods of the Night…
The only creatures more deadly are the ones they’ve been summoned to destroy.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of A Not So Perfect Past by Beth Andrews
Contemporary romance released by Harlequin SuperRomance 14 Apr 09

Some of my favorite types of books are those I don’t fall in love with during Chapter One. Those books that might even start out a little bumpy, but over the course of the story the author weaves her magic, casts a spell, and has me falling in love hook, line and sinker. Beth Andrews’ second book for Harlequin SuperRomance is just such a story. I’ll be honest, I was more than a little concerned about the doormat heroine, but for readers who have the patience? A Not-So-Perfect Past hits all the right emotional notes.

Dillon Ward knows all about being an outcast. As an ex-con, convicted of murdering his stepfather, the people of Serenity Springs haven’t exactly thrown out the welcome mat. He’s doing construction work, renting an apartment above a bakery, and his baby sister is about to get married. Sure everybody in town thinks he’s the devil, but he’s doing just fine.  That is, until the sexy and sweet bakery owner, Nina Carlson tells him she’s evicting him from the apartment.

Nina tells him she wants to expand the bakery to include a tea room, but he knows that’s bull. Lucky for Dillon fate steps in when an SUV literally crashes through the front end of the bakery. With every other construction outfit in town booked up, Nina has no choice but to turn to Dillon Ward for help, and that scares her out of her mind. With two kids to raise, an odious asshole for an ex-husband, and an over-protective family breathing down her neck, it’s probably not a smart idea to be hiring the town pariah to fix the bakery. But Nina figures it high-time she grows a spine, and why not jump into the deep end head first?

I’ll be brutally honest – I wanted to smack Nina on several occasions during the early portion of this book. Doormat, thy name is Nina. Her ex was abusive emotionally and physically – but instead of leaving him, he left her for another woman. Everyone walks all over her, she hates to make waves, never stands up for herself, and is so very tired. This story is all about Nina taking baby steps to becoming her own woman. About her taking control of her life, doing what she thinks is best, and damn everyone else to hell if they don’t like it. It’s not always smooth, but by the end of this story I was madly in love with her and cheering her on as she found her spine, stood her ground, and stopped letting everyone push her around.

With a heroine that I didn’t start out liking all that much, Dillon carried much of the early portion of the story for me. What a hunky guy this hero turns out to be! He spent time in prison for killing a man in self-defense, and that time changed him. The man he was is gone, and what is left is a guy scorned by just about everyone in town except for his sister, her soon-to-be-husband, and the local bar owner. That is until he starts working for Nina – and he finds himself falling in love with her and her two kids. But a relationship between them would be beyond complicated, and even if Nina does learn to stand on her own, he knows a future between them is impossible.

Like all great romantic stories, it’s the journey that makes the reader fall in love. It’s Nina’s and Dillon’s journey, along with the conflict surrounding them, that give A Not So Perfect Past it’s emotional punch. It plucks all the right heartstrings and there is nothing more than I want right now than to read the story again, for the very first time. If that’s not a keeper, I don’t know what is.

Grade: A-

Summary:
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Nina Carlson knows all about Dillon Ward. Knows he served time in prison. Knows nobody put out the welcome mat when he moved to Serenity Springs. But that doesn’t stop her from renting him a place to live. And when someone crashes into her bakery, he’s just the man to fix the damage.
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And Nina isn’t the only one who thinks Dillon’s the perfect man for the job: her two kids have taken a shine to him. Still, she can’t afford to get close to Dillon, even if he is tempting her to toss out her good-girl shoes. Because it’s not that she doesn’t trust him. It’s that she doesn’t trust herself.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

C2’s review of Always a Scoundrel (The Notorious Gentlemen, Book 3) by Suzanne Enoch
Historical romance released by Avon 28 April 09

Lord Bramwell Lowry Johns is a thief.  As the notorious Black Cat, he prowls through the dark streets of Mayfair stealing the ton’s baubles right from under their noble noses.  He doesn’t steal because he needs the money (although his father, the Duke of Levonzy, has cut him off again)…he steals for the thrill, the adrenalin rush he gets from stealing and the satisfaction of knowing that his father is aware of exactly who the thief is.  Double win!

During one of his forays as the Black Cat, Bram overhears that Lady Rosamund Davies is going to be married to the Marquis of Cosgrove to settle a 10,000 pound debt incurred by her brother James.  Since Bram is very well acquainted with Cosgrove, he knows no innocent chit should ever be forced to marry him.  Bram decides he needs to take a closer look at the situation.

Lady Rosamund has lived a quiet life, managing her flighty family members without them realizing it.  Since they didn’t realize how Rose made their lives easier, her relatives have no appreciation for her or any sympathy for the predicament they have placed her in.  They expect her to, as they see it, do her duty to her family and to be grateful that she is getting married at all.

Bram finds himself intrigued and baffled by Rosamund – intrigued because by her straightforward personality and baffled by her dedication to her family.  His curiosity aroused, Bram sets out to learn more about Rosamund.  As he gets to know her, Bram realizes just how disastrous a match between Rosamund and the deceptively angelic Cosgrove would be.

He offers to help her run away from London to avoid the marriage but she refuses…at first.  After a few encounters with Cosgrove alone, she begins to see what marriage to him will be.  Finally, she agrees that if no other solution can be found by the day the engagement is to be announced, she will let Bram help her run away and start a new life.  A wrench is thrown into the works when the announcement date is unexpectedly moved up.  Bram has to ask for help from people he neither wanted or expected help from.

The attitude of Rose’s family toward her was horrifying, from a modern standpoint especially.  To be told that the only thing she was good for was to bail out her thoughtless younger brother, rather than make him responsible for his own actions, is beyond insulting and belittling.  However, it is probably quite accurate, historically speaking.  Daughters seemed to be regarded as an odd sort of currency in the days of arranged marriages and political pairings.  Grrrr.  *glances at soapbox and steps down*

Watching Bram become more and more attracted to Rosamund, even though he considers himself beyond such attachments, and deal with his growing feelings for her is the best part of the book.  At the beginning Bram has already started down a very slippery slope – he is becoming a bitter wastrel with little regard for anyone.  Over the course of the story, he first realizes there are good people that deserve good things (although he doesn’t consider himself one of them) and later sees he can have a different life than the one he envisioned for himself.  I love Bram – he’s my new fave of Suzie E’s heroes (it used to be Bit)!  Also, she gets bonus points for best disposal of a villain EVER.  Heh.

Grade: A

Summary:
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Never a gentleman . . . until now.
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Lord Bramwell Johns, the second son of a duke, is an unrepentant scoundrel. Now that his two closest friends are disgustingly ensconced in domestic bliss, Bram is feeling strangely restless. And not even relieving London’s least deserving artistocrats of their ill-gotten jewels is enough—until the night he overhears an argument. It seems that Lady Rosamund Davies is about to be forced into marriage with a rogue even worse than himself.
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Rose is well aware of Bram’s scandalous reputation, so any reason for his sudden interest in her is suspect; more so since he’s close friends with the man about to ruin her family! She has her own plan though, and Bram may be just what she requires—as long as she remembers that he is only looking out for himself. As long as she remembers that his kisses and caresses don’t mean anything. As long as she can keep from wondering whether she can trust a scoundrel . . . with her heart.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Sandy M’s review of Enchanting the Beast (Relics of Merlin, Book 3) by Kathryne Kennedy
Historical Paranormal Romance released by Lovespell 28 Apr 09

I know I’ve probably said this before in my previous two reviews of Ms. Kennedy’s books, but if you haven’t started reading her Merlin’s Relics series, you’re missing out on some great reads and a whole lot of fun. She gives us great characters, shapeshifters, intriguing stories, and a magical Regency England you’ve not seen before. I’ll give you odds if you try one, you’ll immediately want more.

Lady Philomena is a ghost hunter. She likes to give reassurance to the living by communicating with their departed loved ones, and normally things usually go along as they should, but her latest seance is just short of a disaster.  That doesn’t deter Sir Nicodemus, though. He is desperate to help his brother, so he lures the lovely Phil to Grimspell Castle where supposed spirits are slowly draining his sibling with their mysterious anger.

Phil is taken with the handsome baronet, who is immune to magic and is a shapeshifter. So she travels to his home to figure out why the resident ghosts are up in arms. She knows Nico is not a believer, but she’s determined to find an answer for his family. While there, however, she hears gossip that Nico killed his wife, and then murders suddenly begin anew now that he’s home. The village is wary of Nico and his pack, especially since a large black wolf has been seen in the area.

She tries to reconcile this information with the man who loves his family, takes care of his villagers despite their ire, and who knows who to seduce a woman, even one much older than himself. Nico has his work cut out for him in tearing down the walls Philomena has built around herself against nonbelievers and a past that has left it’s mark on her. He’s also shedding his disbelief of her abilities and talents when it comes to the spirit world the more he sees her in action.

Amid all the mystery and magic, the romance between these two characters is delightful. Nico is taken with Phil from the start, all the while she tries to discourage him because of their age difference, but he’s a man who knows his own mind. He ruthlessly seduces her until she can hardly see straight. I really liked that the mystery involved Nico and his wolves, the shapeshifting scenes are really terrific, and we’re given a few twists and turns along the way before a surprising resolution. Each story is very different from the last, and this time the older woman/younger man concept worked wonderfully well.

Once again Ms. Kennedy weaves her magic and pulls the reader in from the first page and doesn’t end until the very last word. You should pick up any of her Merlin’s Relics books and prepare to be thoroughly enchanted.

Be sure to check our interview of Ms. Kennedy in our Duck Chat feature here at the Pond to learn more about her and her writing.

Grade: A+

Read reviews and info about this series by following its tag.

Summary:
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Grimspell castle. With its dark, imposing stone walls, it certainly looked haunted. As a ghost-hunter, Lady Philomena was accustomed to restless spirits. But she found the dark, imposing nature of the castle’s owner far more haunting than any specter. London Society might not approve of shape-shifters such as Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, but firmly-on-the-shelf Philomena rather enjoyed the young baronet’s sudden interest in sniffing around her skirts. She’d even consider giving in to him altogether if not for a murderer on the loose-a beast that might just be Nico himself.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Rake’s Inherited Courtesan by Ann Lethbridge
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Apr 09

God bless Harlequin. When it comes to slapping books with sensational titles and back cover descriptions, they just can’t seem to help themselves. The heroine in Ann Lethbridge’s first book for Harlequin Historicals is not a courtesan. Her mother was a prostitute, she is not. And the hero? The exact opposite of a rake. Not even remotely rakish. In fact, he wouldn’t know how to be rake even if he had a private tutor and a handbook on the subject. Harlequinization aside, this is a decent little story and ideal for readers who can’t get enough of Regency propriety.

Christopher Evernden is at the reading of his late uncle’s will when he spies his uncle’s lovely “ward” for the first time, Mademoiselle Sylvia Boisette. She’s impossibly, breathtakingly beautiful, and everyone in the family just knows that she was his late uncle’s mistress. Mistresses aren’t necessarily scandalous, unless, like Uncle John, you bring home a lovely bit of muslin from France when the girl is barely 12-years-old. Because of that scandal, Christopher has had virtually no contact with his uncle and is mostly at the funeral to represent the family because, scandal or not, someone should be there.

However, he gets the shock of his life when Uncle John’s will requires him to be Sylvia’s new guardian and protector! Sylvia isn’t any happier with the arrangement. Longing for a quiet life and respectability, she had big plans to strike out on her own. However, as she quickly learns, those plans have gone up in smoke. With nowhere to turn to, and no one running to her aid, she finds herself dependent on Christopher. Even more so when it becomes apparent that some very bad men are after her.

This story starts out a leisurely pace, and relies quite a bit on Christopher’s gentleman’s propriety to fuel the early scenes between him and Sylvia. Christopher is very proper, very gentlemanly, and genuinely a nice guy. It’s his older brother, Garth, who is the reprobate (and boy howdy, I cannot wait to read Garth’s story!) and Christopher has spent his whole life overcompensating. Garth antagonizes their mother, Christopher placates her. So to find himself wrapped up with Sylvia causes quite a bit of commotion in the family dynamic.

I did find myself frustrated by the lack of communication between Sylvia and Christopher. Lord deliver me from Regency characters who just won’t come out and say exactly what’s on their minds. Misunderstandings and miscommunication ensues, Syliva runs, Sylvia gets in trouble , Christopher rescues, Christopher assumes, Christopher runs etc. etc. etc. After a while I wanted to shake them both senseless.

The latter half of the story comes to a boil a lot faster than the earlier chapters, with some spicy love scenes, a dramatic soap-opera ending to the conflict, and the final happily-ever-after. All in all, it was a pleasant story and I happily kept flipping the pages to see how the peril Sylvia found herself in would be resolved. But propriety be damned, I couldn’t help but wish they would just sit over a pot of tea and really, truly talk to each other. Of course that probably would have made the story 100+ pages shorter.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Daughter of a Parisian courtesan, Sylvia Boisette longs for respectability, though gossips say she is nothing more than a gentleman’s paramour. Now, with her guardian dead, she finds herself in a shocking situation….
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Christopher Evernden is appalled by his uncle’s will—Mademoiselle Boisette is now his courtesan! Although his body responds to Sylvia’s tempting sensuality, he knows he should rid himself of his disreputable charge. But, surprisingly, Sylvia has a vulnerability to match her exceptional beauty. Perhaps his inherited mistress could become his rightful bride!
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Read an excerpt

Gwen’s review of Eve of Darkness (Marked, Book 1) by S.J. Day
Urban Fantasy released by Tor 28 Apr 09

Let me just say that it’s nice to see some ethnic flavor in a heroine for once.  And this heroine kicks some serious butt.  Not to mention that the heroes (yes, more than one) are oh so yummy and kick butt right along with her.  Read on to see what else I thought about this new Urban Fantasy series from Sylvia Day – one of my favorite erotic romance writers on the planet. 

The Marked series is built on a present day world where angels, seraphim, and demons are a hidden, but very real power.  The soldiers of the “good” are the Marked, or Marks – humans who have the Mark of Cain as punishment for sin.  They have to serve, or fight for, Jehovah to work off the Mark and make it into Heaven.  To do this, Day uses the Catholic practice of “indulgences.” Yes, Martin Luther is laughing his protestant hienie off, but work with us here.

Archangels are the primary terrestrial power, running whole firms of Marks.  These firms are masquerading as large corporations that fund the Marks’ work.  Marks are jostling for seniority to be made archangels and to maybe run their own firm.  Archangels are jostling for power amongst each other for power and prestige, and the love of Jehovah, etc.  It’s all very “corporate politicky” at the terrestrial level, and could be a tad boring, but Day manages to keep it fresh and interesting.  Then, once you get past the archangels, it becomes very much about the seraphim and the absolute and consuming love of God.  A Christian God, but again, work with us here.

So that’s the basis of the series.  Then, for the Eve books, add into it the ages old struggle between the brothers Cain and Abel.  Both are attracted to the same woman, Evangeline (Eve for short – yeah, I know – nothing Oedipal about that ::smirk::).  She becomes one of the Marked because of her acting on this love/lust from the brothers.  Unbeknownst to her, her induction into the ranks of the Marked is linked to some bigger, deeper, older, more Machiavellian doings by one of the archangels.  This all unfolds slowly thru this book and into the next.  All pretty interesting and left me wondering what the heck was going to happen next as the pattern begins to emerge in EoD.

One of the criticisms I have of most new Urban Fantasy series is the amount of a novel’s real estate an author feels they must spend on world building.  And when you have a world as complex as this one, there is quite a bit.  It becomes worth it as you get further into this first book and as the variety of subtexts and subplots become apparent, but it’s a bit of a slog to get thru at first. Where the author is taking you is not quite clear, so there’s some reluctance to wade thru all that detail.  It’s worth it, though, for the surprises and tension it brings to the read.

As you can guess, the sexual and general tension between the three main characters – Cain, Abel, and Eve – is fun and is the real reason I finished the book.  While Eve seemed a little too accepting of this alternate reality, I realized the “fantasy” part of Urban Fantasy has to start somewhere.  Not to mention that Day excels at writing hot sex scenes and this book is no exception.  I love the passion she can imbue her characters with, while also making them doubt themselves – it’s a very humanizing thing to do for such mythic characters.

The villains in this first book are scary dudes.  You’re not sure how the heck Eve, et al, are going to protect themselves against them – particularly with their own side working against them to an extent.  It makes for a fun suspense thread and good action.

I recommend this book to any Urban Fantasy fans out there who like the plots a little twisted and the sexual tension high.  I recomend it to fans of Day’s historical romances – this is a different take from this wonderful author and one I didn’t regret reading.  The series promises to be a fun ride.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel… All in a day’s work.
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For Evangeline Hollis, a long-ago fling with a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks just became a disaster of biblical proportions. One night with a leather-clad man of mystery has led to a divine punishment: the Mark of Cain.
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Thrust into a world where sinners are drafted to kill demons, Eve knows her learning curve must be short. A longtime agnostic, she begrudgingly maneuvers through a celestial bureaucracy where she is a valuable but ill-treated pawn. She’s also become the latest point of contention in the oldest case of sibling rivalry in history…
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But she’ll worry about all that later. Right now she’s more concerned with learning to kill while staying alive. And saving the soul she’d never quite believed she had.
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Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other books in the series: