The Cider House Rules

- John Irving -

Irving's mastery at characterization is unparalleled and it is apparent in this novel, where each of the characters seem so real and consistent and ultimately, because of that consistency, frustrating.

Homer's ambivalance, Candy's fear of doing the wrong thing or hurting anyone, Melony's anger - all of these traits permeate the story and stay with the characters all way through and it ultimately becomes frustrating, particular in the case of Homer and Candy, where they appear to not know how to allow themselves to be happy or stand up for what they want.

It is an enjoyable and engrossing read - one in which you can sink into the story and characters and feel completely immersed, but I ultimately find in frustrating that there is no emotional pay off, no confrontations as Angel learns his true parentage, as Wally finally acknowledges the unspoken truths of their lives and as Candy and Homer seperate for good - it's all rushed through in the last few chapters with none of the depth of exploration of the earlier parts of the book.

I do unequivocally appreciate Irvings' portrayal of abortion in all its complexities and shades of grey: he portrays it equally as both tragic and necessary in an imperfect world, and the ambiguities are wrestled with through Homer's struggles in a very human and realistic way. Seeing Homer move beyond his black and white view of the issues to accept the more complex view is very satisfying.

Captive of Sin

- Anna Campbell-

Based on this and the other book of hers I have read (Untouched), Anna Campbell seems to specialize in tortured, psychologically decimated heroes. It is a trope I love, even if I do question, particularly in this case, whether the whole "magic of love" thing is really enough to overcome the unbearable trauma the hero lives with.

Overall, I enjoyed the book - I love the idea of Charis and Gideon both being damaged and afraid and finding peace in each other, but I really did want to see more exploration of the post traumatic stress disorder that Gideon was suffering from and a more nuanced path to some sort of healing, rather than the he's so horny he gets over it style fix that was presented her.

While I love the idea of his passion for Charis ultimately being what helps him overcome his demons, it seemed like it happened too quickly. I would have liked to see a more gradual build up, both if his desire for her, and her acclimating him to her touch and turning it into a source of comfort rather than pain.

An enjoyable read, but I felt it could have had so much more emotional weight and impact if Gideon's justifiable issues had been explored more.

Lord of Pleasure

- Delilah Marvelle -

Another great new author to add to my list of must reads!

The story had a lot of humor running through it, particularly in the interactions between Charlotte and Alexander - I found myself grinning away for chunks of the story.

I really liked that Charlotte, in order to save herself from destitution or prostitution, had taken a job with a renowned courtesan's new school for gentleman, and was gradually discovering that she rather liked operating outside of societies' rules and conventions, especially given she was ruined by her late husband's actions in the eyes of society anyway, so she decided to give up trying to please them and act according to her own wants, desires and moral code.

The flip side of Charlotte's new freedom, was Alexander's determination to confine himself according to societal expectations in order to give his sisters the best possible chance for future respectability and happy marriages. Despite his family's free spirited reputation, Alexander's love and responsibility towards his sisters compels him to try and do what he believes is the right thing by leaving his "Lord of Pleasure" reputation behind.

This dedication to his family is what draws Charlotte to Alexander, beyond her physical attraction to him, and watching them come together and draw emotional as well as physical comfort from each other was such fun to read.

There are probably nits I could pick regarding the apparent lack of societal blowback any of the characters appear to face for their unconventional actions, but I enjoyed the book too much to really care.

Tempted By His Kiss

- Tracey Anne Warren -

Ugh, this one started out with so much promise since I love tortured men brought back to life by determined heroine style stories, but there was major, epic fail in the form of Too Stupid To Live behaviour from the heroine, Meg, that it ended up driving me nuts.

Cade starts off all adorable and tortured, but gets distracted by a half assed suspense plot and immediately seems to forget all his mental turmoil as he works to prove the bad guy is evil.

And Meg. Seriously, Meg? You know the bad guy is guilty of evil, evil acts including torture and MURDERING INNOCENT FEMALE BYSTANDERS, and you think it's a good idea to trot off after your super spy boyfriend to "help" instead of, I don't know, enlisting the help of any one of his multiple big strong brothers, who are all on his side? She kind of deserves the hostage situation she lands in, is what I am saying.

But no worries, cause Cade's super spy mojo is back, all trauma forgotten, and he saves the day. My eyes, they are rolling.

Disappointing because the legitimate issues between Meg and Cade could have been really compelling as they overcame their back stories and how they met to fall in love but it ended up just falling flatter than a pancake.

Scandal

- Carolyn Jewel-

Hero: Gwilym, Earl of Bannalt. A notorious rake, Bannalt has reformed his ways after falling deeply in love with Sophie, wife of one of his carousing buddies.

Heroine: Sophie Mercer. Sophie was seduced into an elopement when she was barely 17 by a man who was interested primarily in her money and abandoned her more or less destitute in the country whilst he enjoyed himself in London. She is widowed now and very reluctant to tie herself to another man.

I really love the reformed rake working his butt off to prove to the lady he loves that he has changed storyline, and this was a really beautifully told example. I loved that it was Sophie who has the doubts and misgivings based on her previous relationship and her knowledge of Bannalt's prior behaviour, and he worked constantly to prove to her that he had changed and did love her.

There were a couple of threads that I wish had been explored more, ie: what is different about Sophie and why he will remain faithful to her, what Bannalt's relationship with his first wife was like as he admitted to loving her to so why did he cheat on her and will not on Sophie? I also would have liked to seen more exploration of how the death of his beloved daughter was a catalyst for the changes in Bannalt, as the hope of Sophie's love was his ultimate goal.

The only thing I really did not like about this book was the fate of Sophie's brother, John. I was very attached to the character and really did not see what happened coming, which I suppose is a sign of good storytelling, but still, sad!

Definitely picking up Carolyn Jewel's new novel asap.

Don't Tempt Me

- Loretta Chase -

Typically entertaining read, with amusing character moments, but felt like the story was a little bit underdeveloped in this one, ie:

- never got much in the way of reaction to to story surrounding Zoe's sale into slavery by one of her family's servants - her family/friends had nothing to say about this?

- seemed a bit too easy that Zoe managed to spend 12 years in a harem but remain a virgin, whilst still being skilled in all the arts of seduction. Convenient much?

- Lucien's grief over all the losses he suffered make sense, but never really explored enough, especially as related to his disinterest in business affairs etc which resulted in a bunch of servants ripping him off.

- Zoe's assimilation back into society and ease with which she developed a normal romance with Lucien seemed.... too easy? Aside from an understandable reluctance to be kept hidden away in her home, no side effects of the whole experience? Really?

I really did enjoy the story as I was reading it, but when I put it down for a moment the glaring plot holes and lack of development get more irritating.

Kill Me Twice

- Roxanne St. Claire -

Heroine: Jazz Adams, private investigator and identical twin sister of Jessica Adams, a news anchor gone missing very suddenly.

Hero: Alex Romero, Cuban American alpha male, assigned as a bodyguard to Jessica Adams and ends up guarding Jazz who has taken her sister's place.

I loved that Alex and Jazz felt like more or less equals throughout this story, with different skills they each brought to the table as they tried to solve the mystery of Jessica's disappearance. Too often in romantic thrillers it feels like one of the leads, usually the woman unfortunately, is running around making stupid moves and nonsensical decisions in order to drive the plot and it results in one or both leads coming across as too stupid to leave and basically deserving whatever the villian does to them.

Here, Alex and Jazz disagree, have different approached, but ultimately resolve most of their issues in an adult way so the action feels organic instead of manipulated.

Looking forward to the rest of this series.

The Viscount Who Loved Me

- Julia Quinn -

Heroine: Kate Sheffield, the older sister of the most sought after belle of the season, Kate is determined to make sure her sister doesn't marry a rake like Anthony Bridgerton.

Hero: Anthony Bridgerton, the oldest of the eight Bridgerton siblings, Anthony's intense grief over the untimely death of his father left him convinced that he too was fated to die young and therefore he is determined never to fall in love so he will never have to feel the pain of knowing he will leave them behind.

Julia Quinn really is a master at dialogue - the interactions between the character, and particularly between Kate and Anthony as they spar with one another, read as so natural and lively and fun.

The circumstances leading to the actual wedding were almost identical to that of "The Duke and I", with the couple caught in a compromising position and forced to marry, but I really appreciated the fact that once they married, Anthony and Kate were remarkably upfront with each other: getting to know each other, working through their fears and generally behaving like a very well matched and realistic couple.

I am not generally a fan of the "I love him/her but must never let them know" trope because it can just seem so ridiculous and lead to totally unbelievable situations as they try to hide their completely obvious feelings, so I really appreciated the fact that, though it was used here, it wasn't completely overwrought: Kate asked Anthony honestly for his opinion when she feared he was picturing someone else whilst he was with her, Anthony ultimately realised that he could not deny his love for his wife, even if he was going to die young he wanted to enjoy life while he could.

This series so far has created such entertaining and believable family dynamics and it really is such fun to read.

To Seduce a Sinner

- Elizabeth Hoyt -

Hero: Jasper Renshaw, Lord Vale who was a secondary character in "To Taste Temptation". Jasper is looking for a wife as he knows it is his duty to procreate and he seems intent on getting the job done as quickly as possible so he can focus all his attention on who was responsible for the massacre and torture he witnessed during the war. We are told Jasper is very traumatised as a result of his experiences in the war, but it definitely seems to be something we are told about rather than see - it is never explored or discussed in much depth, much the way Melisande's past is never really gone over.

Heroine: Melisande, a 28 year old spinster who after an early love affair and engagement went wrong, has mostly hidden behind her shyness to avoid society. She has loved Jasper from afar for years and so capitalizes on his broken engagement to offer herself as a replacement bride.

One thing I really did enjoy about this book was the genuine curiousity that both characters had about each other. They seemed to really be interested in getting to know each other, which is not something you necessarily see in a lot of historicals (the getting to know each other part seems to happen incidentally or against someones will). I did find it frustrating that between the two of them they have so much history - Melisande's previous love affair which had no apparent societal repercussions, her social shyness, Jasper's trauma, not just around the war but around the loss of his brother, the loss of his best friend, etc, - but all of it felt like it was skated around and not really dealt with in depth. I just wanted to see a little bit more conversation around the hard stuff I guess, as Melisande and Jasper got to know each other, as well as the more superficial stuff.

Overall a good read though.

The Goddess Rules

- Clare Naylor -

Heroine: Kate Disney, an animal portraitist living in the garden shed of her dad's best friend. Kate was ultimately the weak link of the story for me. She was irritatingly backbone free for most of the book, turning herself into a doormat repeatedly for a boyfriend who treated her like crap. Kate's lack of self esteem and self worth was just annoying to me - constantly putting herself down, and accepting crap treatment and treating others with disdain and like crap in the process

Hero: Louis, a conceptual artist who has been in love with Kate forever. We hardly got to know him at all, though he is clearly the smarter of the two as he cannot believe the crap Kate puts up with from Jake. He also never really asserts himself or really features in the story all that much, although the little bits we do see are very attractive as he demonstrates a quiet confidence that is pretty damn sexy.

Overall the supportive characters of Mimi, her long lost love Nick, and the gay friend Louis, are much more interesting. I will say Kate is at her best when she lets go of her snotty behaviours towards Mimi and acts as a real friend to her. Their relationship, thought the development of it is fairly superficial, is the most interesting one as Mimi forces Kate to see herself as worthy and Kate helps Mimi track down her true love.

A cute read, but totally frustrating and predictable too which ultimately killed it for me as the payoff is so perfunctory at the end.

Sunset Bay

- Susan Mallery -

Eh. It all came off a bit too histronic or a bit too pat for me.

My Life in France

- Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme -

Totally entertaining - the narrative has such an enthusiastic, conversational style that made it seem like a story I was hearing being told to me instead of reading.

Julia Child's passion for life, the world around her and, of course, her love of food and cooking made me want to jump up and start cooking. It was an incredibly vividly told story and makes me want to go back to France immediately :)

Seeing Red

- Jill Shalvis -

Yay! I didn't particularly like "Aussie Rules" so I was worried about starting this one, but it is much more in line with the "Wishful, CA" set books and "Double Play" in that the characters are full bodied and three dimensional, with realistic flaws and hang ups, and the setting and geography of the town where the story is set is so vividly and realistically created that I can see it in my head as though it was somewhere I had been before.

Anyone But You

- Jennifer Crusie -

Totally adorable (although I do call bullshit on any kind of basset hound mix being able to make it up and down a fire escape with those short little legs.)

Anyway.... the older woman, younger man thing doesn't usually work for me but here it just did as Alex and Nina were both trying to escape the various expectations/responsibilities that did not work for them and together were able to find a happy mix of what does work for them.

I did think the she raised assorted siblings who are never mentioned again so doesn't want kids/he hates family responsibilities/craziness so doesn't want kids either, thing was a bit heavy handed ( I prefer Cal & Min from "Bet Me" who are just okay with not wanting kids, full stop), and a little too convenient, but overall this book was adorable and I want to read the romance between Alex's brother and Nina's best friend, which I don't think exists anywhere except in my head.

Netherland

- Joseph O'Neill -

On the one hand, this book was strangely evocative - from the dislocation of being an expat in a strange land, to the comfortable joyousness of coming across something you loved from home like cricket, I could relate to these kinds of experiences and appreciate the dreamy quality that they have as you float between the reality of life where you are now and the familiarity of these things that remind you of home.

On the other hand, as Hans wanders the city in a emotional fog, displaced by 9/11 from his Tribeca apartment and living a solitary life in a hotel filled with transients and strangers after his wife takes their son back to London, the narrative had a very disconnected quality to it.

I think this was intentional as Hans tries to find his way out of the sad state of inertness that circumstances have left him trapped in, but it also meant that is was hard to get truly invested in the story, as Hans never really seemed to be.

He related the story of his time alone in New York and of his strange friendship with the doomed Chuck Ramiskoon as though it had all happened to someone else. It almost seems like, as he tells the story from back in his "real" life, back with his family, that it never really happened at all.

Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List

- David Leviathan & Rachel Cohn -

Eh, it was okay. Definitely cute, but the teenagers were a bit too teenagery in this one for me, and Naomi's use of symbols in place of words drove me a bit insane.

Also did not like the fact that Bruce the First just disappeared from the POV shifts once his part was done, as did Bruce the Second a bit. Almost would have been better if it was just Naomi and Ely had the POV, because it came across a little bit unbalanced as it was. Then again, neither Ely or Naomi were particularly nice people so that might have cut the sweetness to non existent.

The Calhoun Women - Catherine and Amanda

- Nora Roberts -

Have only got through the first half of the two part story, but so far: ugh.

Trent and Catherine have had no actual conversation of substance - they went from fighting to kissing, whereupon she decided (with the help of a seance) that he is the one, and she is in love with him, and when he expresses doubts about the whole insta-love thing, she swans around telling him he had let go of the best thing he will ever have in his life and she feels sorry for him. Just UGH.

Also not a fan of the scheming, matchmaking aunt feigning forgetfullness to get what she wants - too manipulative for me.

We'll see how I feel after the second part, but am suspecting I will strongly prefer the single title, longer length novels from Nora Roberts, as opposed to these shorter ones.

Bound By Your Touch

- Meredith Duran -

A mesmerizing read in a lot of ways, much more tightly plotted than "Duke of Shadow" which had the weird disconnect between the two halves.

In many ways Lydia, the spinster who prides herself on her intelligence, is a character type that just irritates me in general, but it worked here because the author wasn't afraid to have her be unlikeable. She was petty with her sister, stubborn to the point of stupidity in her loyalty to her father and clung way too tightly to the shield of propriety with Sanburne, all of which made her seem very much like a real person, flaws and all. What I loved about Lydia was her gradual journey to let go of the expectations that society placed on a woman in her situation, and that she had done her utmost to live up to. Her realization that she doesn't have to fade into the background, forgo all pleasure and that is worthy of being listened to was lovely to read.

I did get frustrated on occasion by her stubbord defense of her father, but as it tied so beatifully into what she taught Sanburne about love and faith, ultimately it made sense.

The Hero: James, Lord Sanburne. Devastated and guiltstricken over the abuse his sister suffered at the hands of her husband and her subsequent incarceration for his murder, Sanburne devotes his life to harassing and embarrassing his father, whom he believes did not do enought to help his sister.

Again, the archetype of the wastrel hero gleefully wasting his life away irritates me a little, but it was all so slowly but surely revealed to be an unsatisfying act on Sanburne's part, that it ultimately worked for me as Lydia helped him find his way out of his mess of guilt and regret.

The paralell's between each of their relationships with their family, and the various misconceptions they each had to relinquish and move on from, brought a depth to the story that I really enjoyed.

I already want to reread, now that I know how it ends, to uncover more layers.

The Leopard Prince

- Elizabeth Hoyt -

Follow up to "The Raven Prince" and despite the fact that I find the fairytale stories woven into the main story kind of overdone and useless, I really loved this book.

First of all, I loved that the hero, Harry Pye, was a commoner and the heroine, Georgiana, and wealthy, independent landowner. Just a nice change of pace for a historical.

Secondly, I loved that George had a mind of her own and wasn't afraid to use it to draw her own conclusions about the world around her. I loved her interactions with her family, particularly her brothers and I loved that she was both attracted to and interesting in Harry and did not automatically view him as beneath her because he was an employee.

Finally, I though both the mystery and the conflict were well done as Harry cleared his name, restored relations with his brothers and he and George figured out how to deal with the issues between them and be together. I could have done without the church sex scene whilst their entire family waited outside, but overall this was a really enjoyable read.

The Wedding

- Julie Garwood -

Another medieval set in Scotland and oh, wow. I really do love these Scottish heroes.

Follows the pattern of The Bride a fair bit: like Jamie and Alec, Brenna and Connor enter into a marriage approximately ten minutes after meeting as part of a revenge plot, both husbands are baffled by the unexpected lack of deference and appreciation for the honor of being chosen as brides to the lairds that their respective woman show, both men and baffled and amused by the antics of their women and finally, the clansmen around the lairds all are instantly adoring and amused by their chiefs new brides.

For all that they are formulaic though, the stories are entertaining as hell. Funny and warm and just really enjoyable. I probably prefer Jamie over Brenna as a heroine, because Brenna came off as a bit ditsy sometimes, but I genuinely enjoyed the book anyway.

Nobody's Baby But Mine

- Susan Elizabeth Phillips -

Ugh. The many reasons why I did not like and did not finish....

This is the second book in a row of SEP's that I have wanted to throw against a wall with all of my might after only a couple of chapters. In this book, unlike Heaven, Texas, I can still see potential in both the story and the two lead characters so I am not giving up yet, but I have to get this out so here we go - a list of all the things pissing me off about this story so far:

- second book in a row where awkward/socially inept woman in posing as or mistaken for a stripper/hooker by misogynistic group of football players. a) under what circumstances actually happen and b) in the case of Jane, who is supposed to be super duper smart, she seriously cannot come up with a better cover story?

- Jane's plan to get Cal to knock her up. I have a hard time believing in Jane's supposed super intelligence based on this plan so far because:
1. really? She can't come up with any other way to have a child than to trap some unsuspecting guy and steal his sperm.
2. there has been no mention so far that Jane's parents are of anything other than average intelligence so presumably her "huge" intellect was a genetic fluke. On what evidence then, does she base her "can't use sperm bank potentially from med student and therefore too smart sperm" theory on.
3. Really? All sperm bank, willingly donated spunk, is from med student. All of it? She couldn't at least check and see if there were any "dumber" donors.
4. Her split second decision that Cal is dumb enough to qualify for sperm donorship in the first place. Based on a two second interview clip where he speaks with a Southern accent and is therefore clearly dumb? Based on the fact that he is an athlete and therefore can't also be smart? Come ON. There are so many holes to be poked, it's not even funny. It just makes Jane look like a snobby, judgemental moron.

- Jane's moral conflict -she KNOWS what she is doing is wrong. She herself equates it to stealing, and yet she blunders on through with it cause she wants a baby and can't come up with ANY other way to have one? It's just CREEPY. Which brings me to:

- The sex scenes. Two of them so far, both revolving around Jane's desire to conceive and Cal's inexplicable attraction to her, despite her acting like an illogical and untruthful twit. To Jane's mind, apparently if she enjoys herself while on her quest to get knocked up, THAT'S what will make the whole thing tawdry and gross (not the fact that she is lying to some guy about their use of protection and trying to get herself pregnant without his consent) so she tries NOT to enjoy herself, to focus on how humiliated she feels (for putting herself in this situation? for being so dishonest with another human being? For maybe enjoying sex with a "dumb" person? Who knows.) so the scenes end up coming across as some bizarro form of rape, where she is uncomfortable and desperate for it to end and he is just too overcome with lust to think about her strange reactions. It was deeply, deeply uncomfortable to read.

Only saving grace so far is that at least the deception of what Jane wanted from Cal hasn't gone on too long. He has just found out, one month into her pregnancy, and is confronting her as opposed to secretly plotting against her (a la that Susan Mallery book) or them falling in love only for him to find out about the deception later, but even so. How on EARTH does a real relationship with any kind of trust develop from her? Let alone the sperm stealing, Jane better have some major grovelling coming up for her baseless assumption of Cal's utter idiocy. It's so condescending and ick.

Duke of Shadows

- Meredith Duran -

Appreciate the skill here in creating incredibly vivid descriptions of places, characters and experiences, but the disconnect between the first part, set in India, and the second back in London was just too big for me.

Had to just WTF to Emma's pissiness and not even attempting to find out why Julian hadn't met her as planned - it was a freaking chaotic war zone for craps sake, it never crossed her mind that misinformation was involved in same way, given the involvement of her assy ex fiancee?

Then the conflict/mystery of the second part just seemed like it should be in a completely different book. Just very, very strange and disconnected feeling from the first part.

Practice Makes Perfect

- Julie James -

Another winner from Julie James. Such great characters that I almost don't care that they spent eight years secretly lusting/openly fighting because of the stupidest misunderstanding ever. Seemed a bit contrived, over board and immature, but like I said - the story itself is so great and funny and enjoyable that I could mostly let it go.

To Pleasure a Prince

- Sabrina Jeffries -

Score! Another writer with a back list I can't wait to read.

This was the second in a series about the illegitimate sons of the Prince of Wales, and the Duke in this case has been deeply emotionally and physically scarred by the treatment of his horrendous mother and, he believes, his father.

His interactions with Regina, who has deep secrets of her own in the form of her illiteracy, therefore has an interesting balance, as they both battle and encourage their wicked reputations and deal with their own emotional scars, whilst indulging their passion for each other.

I loved the way Regina was unafraid of the Duke's temper and willing to stand up to him completely when she believed herself to be in the right, and the way this courage gradually forced the Duke to confront his own demons (or dragons as case may be) and embrace change.

Duke of Shadows

- Meredith Duran -

Recommended by various reviewers and a very absorbing read - I loved the setting as the tensions between English colonialism, and the realities of taking over a country against its inhabitants will played out through Emma's experiences and Julian's sense of being torn between two worlds.

I did feel the shift between their experiences in India and London four years later was a bit abrupt. More than that, I guess I didn't really understand why Emma had not contacted Julian herself. Surely it must have occurred to her that in all the chaos, he may have believed her to have been dead? I think what it came down to was that she was so scarred by her experiences and what she saw in India, that she was almost afraid to contact him. I also wished she had stood up to Marcus a little more in the second half of the book - since she professes not to care for society and believes herself to have already been through the worst the world can offer, I did not 100% believe her being intimidated by her blackmailing.

Overall though, an incredibly absorbing and emotional story and I can't wait to read the author's other two books.

Hannah's Dream

- Diane Hammond -

Totally heartwarming story of a devoted elephant keeper who, after 41 years, works to send his elephant charge, Hannah, to a sanctuary to live out her days with other elephants.

I loved the cast of characters who became a family as they united in their love and concern for Hannah, I loved the flashbacks to the eccentric Maxine Biedelman who started the zoo and brought Hannah to the US in the first place, and I loved the eccentricities of the unique group of individuals who worked together to save Hannah.

My only complaint was that I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. I would have liked a little bit more of Hannah's journey to the elephant sanctuary, what happened to the zoo and most of all what happened to her carers, but as it ended on Hannah's dream of freedom being realized, it wasn't a bad finish either.

The Black Dahlia

- James Ellroy -

Did not particularly enjoy this one - I think the noirish, everyone's got a dirty secret and is lying through their teeth tropes just don't work for me.

It felt like everyone ended up miserable, no justice was had for the victim at the center of the storyline and I just walked away feeling frustrated.

Doesn't help being based on a true crime I think, because knowing what atrocities were visited on the Black Dahlia makes it all the more horrific and yet unsatisfying when the protagonist, Bucky, finally solves the crime.

Lord of Seduction

- Nicole Jordan -

While I am not sure how I feel about the secret society of nobleman protecting the world - it seems a tad cheesey - I very much enjoyed the story here, even the mystery aspects of it as Thorne triesto find out who killed his friend (the heroine's cousin).

The attraction between Thorne and Diana was very believable, although I don't really like the 'mouth saying no, body saying yes' tone that marks a lot of their earlier encounters - I don't mean it was a seems like rape situation, just that all Diana's protestations which she seemed to make for the sake of society, her nonexisitent reputation, seemed to be completely empty. I would have preferred a slower build, culminating in her finally saying to hell with society embracing the fact that her reputation is shot.

All that being said, it was a good read and I will definitely add the author to my list of backlists to catch up with.

More Than A Mistress

- Mary Balogh -

The most awesome thing about getting into historical romances relatively late is that I have SO many new authors to read, most of whom have huge backlists, and Mary Balogh is another one.

What I really enjoyed about this one if having a heroine who is unafraid to speak her mind, even when it is inappropriate for her situation in life, and having a hero who, while baffled by the audacity of a servant who dares to speak back, quickly comes to appreciate and welcome it.

The hero, Tresham, and heroine, Sara, were both characters of their time, but I loved reading how the social demands and expectations of that time had forced them to give up parts of themselves - Tresham, as the heir to a dukedom, was forced to abandon the music and art that he loved as they were deemed too weak, and Sara, left at the mercy of an unfeeling and greedy guardian, to abandon her life and identity to escape the unwelcome advances and accidental wounding of a cousin.

Together they were able to find themselves again and truly know themselves and each other, and it was such a nice way of depicting the social expectation and restrictions of the Regency period.

Thread of Fear

- Laura Griffin -

Another really enjoyable read - I definitely though the mystery/suspense dominated the story way more than they romance, and as a result I never really felt like Fiona and Jack got to know much about each other beyond the obvious I want to do that person stuff, but the mystery was interesting enough and not utterly predictable, so overall fun book.

Look forward to the next in the series, Fiona's sister Courtney and, I presume, the cop friend.

One Night Stand

- Cindy Kirk -

Light as a feather and totally fun, quick read.

Has more than one cliche that I could have lived without (small town busybodies, "bad" kid is good and vice versa, stupid misunderstanding that make little sense) but overall, a nice bit of brain candy.

Double Play

- Jill Shalvis -

I think Jill Shalvis is officially my new favorite contemporary romance author. Seriously.

Not one, but two books released within a week that make me laugh, sigh and transport myself into the worlds she has created.

I am a sucker for the wounded hero trying to cope with his injuries and what that might mean, and Pace, a major league pitcher with a shoulder injury, did not let me down. He was gruff, sweet, confused and sexy as hell.

And Holly was his perfect match. I loved the simultaneous journeys they were on as Pace realized his life was about more than baseball and Holly realized she wanted more in her life than just her work.

I also love the way Jill Shalvis throughs such realistic obstacles between her characters on the way to their happy ending, yet doesn't make them seem insurmountable and allows the characters to deal with their problems and hang ups in a real way, instead of just glossing over it to get to the happy ending. It really does result in such realistic, full realized characters and a such a satisfying story.

Cannot WAIT for the next in this series.

The Bride

- Julie Garwood -

This is an older novel, relatively anyway - published in 1991 - but I have heard Julie Garwood's historicals raved about and I have enjoyed her contemporary suspense books so decided to give it a try.

Good decision! The characters are charming, realistic and behave in a time period/society appropriate way yet are still relatable and not Too Stupid Too Live or too overbearing.

Jamie, adopted daughter of an English baron, is picked as the wife of Alec Kincaid, a scottish laird, and accompanies him back to Scotland. Alec and Jamie have vastly different views of just about everything, including the proper role of women and wives, and it was lovely to join them on their journey as they reconcile their different views and attitudes on the way to falling in love, almost despite themselves. That they each find the other completely baffling and frustrating yet they never let that get in the way of them communicating or getting to know each other was really refreshing - too often in romance novels theses frustrations lead to an irritating and nonsensical gulf between the couple.

I also really enjoyed the way Jamie adapted to life in the Highlands, yet also made their way of life accomodate her as she insisted on using her skills as a healer and treating everyone with respect and courtesy.

Definitely going to be getting more Garwood historicals from the library ASAP!

Start Me Up

- Victoria Dahl -

I wasn't engrossed in this one as I have been in all of Victoria Dahl's other books - I kept putting it down and wandering away.

I think ultimately it's because the two lead characters weren't as three dimensional or as entertaining as characters like Molly or Ben in "Talk Me Down".

Lori's attitude was a real drag on enjoying the story for me - for the bulk of it she just came across as very defeatist and sorry for herself. While you could impute the real reasoning, it didn't feel like it was explored throughout the story enough and consequently her attitude came across as very 'woe is me' and frustrating.

Quinn remained a bit of a cypher the whole way through too - I was a bit irritated by his attitude, ie: constantly getting absorbed in work to the exclusion of all else, realizing that he was often exceptionally rude and inconsiderate because of this yet seemingly making very little effort to change his ways or try harder.

Finally the mystery and it's resolution, with Lori's surrogate father ultimately killing himself, was just too depressing for me. It felt a bit too melodramatic, even though it was probably was a realistic enough scenario.

I am definitely looking forward to the next contemporary in this series though - judging from the excerpt, the characters are going to be much more assertive and more my style.

Untouched

- Anna Campbell -

Decidedly mixed feelings on this one - there were plot elements I really did not like, but the writing itself was very strong and vivid, and makes me want to read more from this author.

The plot revolves around Matthew, Marquesse of Sheene, imprisoned by his power hungry uncle since he was teenager and deprived of freedrom, friends and female companionship. His uncle provides him with a whore, in the form of Grace Paget, a widowed and impoverished gentlewoman whom his servants have mistaken for a whore and kidnapped.

Grace and Matthew are inevitably attracted to each other and ultimately fall in love. Part of what draws them together is their situations, both now being imprisoned and both, to varying degrees, having experienced deprived and unhappy lives. Where I felt the plotting fell down was in the description of Grace as, despite having been married for many years, equally as inexperienced sexually as Matthew.

Particularly in historical romances, there is quite often a huge imbalance in the sexual experiences of the hero and heroine due to the societal norms and conventions of the time. Having Grace a widow provided an opportunity for the woman in this situation to be the experienced one and consequently to take the lead in the sexual relationship, which would have been a) sexy and b) a refreshing yet believable difference from other historicals.

Instead, Matthew is very much the dominant one, almost unbelievably in the end since he demonstrates an awful lot of confindence and social skill for someone who has been completely isolated from the world at large since the age of 12. The result is a character almost too good to be true, and he ends up seeming a little bit self righteous.

Ultimately the writing was strong enough that I wanted to follow the story through to the end, and definitely want to read something else from the author where hopefully these plotting and characterisation niggles won't be there.

Instant Gratification

- Jill Shalvis -

- Jill Shalvis -

Another winner. Seriously happy I kept picking up her books after not being blown away by the first one I read, cause this series in particular is just lovely.

Like their counterparts, Katie & Cam from "Instant Attraction", both Stone and Emma are beautifully well rounded and flawed characters. Stone in particular was just a joy to read about (okay, I admit it: I wish he were real. And available.), showing such patience with Emma's fears and hesitation even as he gently tried to break through her fear of opening herself up to someone.

The setting, a town in the Sierra Mountains of California called Wishful, is just as much a character in these books as it's inhabitants and it gives such a wonderful sense of freedom and challenge to the story, as the vivid descriptions of the terrain the Wilder brothers work in and the challenges and rewards they face there mimics the challenges and rewards of their relationships with each other and with the women in their lives.

I am getting unbearably cheesy with this review, suffice to say: I loved this book, can't wait for TJ's story or Shalvis's next book, "Double Play" which I think is out next week.

Honey Trap

- Julie Cohen -

I couldn't get into this one quite as much as "One Night Stand", mainly because I never really felt like I got to know the heroine, Sophie. She was so self contained and restrained all the time, that she seemed like an enigma all the way through, even when we got little hints of her past life etc.

Even in her relationship with Dominic, it also seemed liked she was holding back and there was never that moment where she seemed to give in to him, or to her emotions or anything. The lack of vulnerability or relatability made it hard to get invested in her story, or the inevitable happy ending.

Dominic was a more interesting character in that we had a much clearer idea of what his demons were, but again it seemed like they were skipped over fairly easily. He wanted to avoid thinking about how he had screwed up his marriage, his band etc, so we never learnt much about this situations, which were supposed to inform who he was now and why he had stopped drinking finally.

What I loved about "One Night Stand" was that the characters felt so real, like people I might know with real problems and emotions. The characters in "Honey Trap" felt much more remote and consequently I was much less invested in their story.

Bending the Rules

- Susan Andersen -

Susan Andersen is typically on of my favorite contemporary romance writers and, while this one was characteristically fast paced with mostly relatable characters, it also felt a bit lacking in a few area.

Andersen is usually the master at building the sexual tension between the leads, but the tension and the relationship itself felt was more erratic here. Poppy and Jason were both immediately attracted to each other and it felt like the reasoning for their bickering and trying to ignore the attraction were either fairly contrived or swept away as soon as it was convenient.

Jason's constant references to how he was a de Sanges man and therefore unable to love or interact in a normal manner felt a bit over done too. It's one think to have hangups related to your family or childhood, it's another to rigidly cling to these hangups despite all evidence to the contrary.

Finally the thing that really drove me INSANE reading this was the way language was used, primaryily with the dialogue: so may 'you betchas', "ohmigawd", and other types of contractions and slang that I guess is supposed to convey speak patterns, etc especially amongst the teenagers in the story, but is so prevalent and irritating to read that it just started to become nonsensical for me.

This is definitely one of Susan Andersen's weaker efforts in my opinion.

Bet Me

- Jennifer Crusie -

Picked up because this gets a lot of recs around the Smart Bitches website and I knew I had read it years ago, but couldn't really remember, so wanted to see what the fuss was about.

As usual most of the time, I was not steered wrong.

Cal was a really lovely hero, strong and take charge yet that rarity among alpha type heroes: able to admit when he was wrong.

Min was pretty awesome too, though I am not a huge fan of the chubby girl doesn't dress flatteringly but has cool shoes thing for some reason, it just bugs me. Also wish her weight wasn't such an issue, in the form of her horrible mother mainly and Min's constant diet talk, but as it provided the opportunity for Cal to demonstrate repeatedly how not an issue Min's size was for him, I can let it go.

Funny and quirky, with awesome secondary characters and a really fun story. Definitely deserves all the recs it gets.

Stupid and Contagious

- Caprice Crane -

I really wanted to enjoy this one because the writing was super charming in parts, but I think the first person POV, which went back and forth between Heaven and Brady, really killed it for me.

Brady in particular came off as really kind of narcissistic and a bit douchey, and Heaven as a bit too flaky. I think if is had been in third person, I wouldn't have been bothered by this as much but being so in the head of these two characters just didn't work for me.

I have another book of Caprice Crane's on my bookshelf, so hopefully the POV is different, because she has a really lighthearted, relatable style that normally I would really like.

The Painted Veil

- W. Somerset Maugham -

I really enjoyed the movie version of this book, and so wanted to read the original source.

Not surprisingly the movie sexed up the story a bit by adding a romantic reconciliation between Walter and Kitty before his death, and while I enjoyed that in the movie, the book really shone without it.

Written in simple, evocative language, the book takes us on a vivid inner and outer journey with Kitty as she develops from an immature, selfish girl into a more mature and self aware woman.

Despite being told more or less from Kitty's point of view, the book gives the reader ample opportunities to understand Kitty's impulsive and self entitled behaviour and despise her for it a little, but as the outer journey progresses, as Kitty is forced to leave behind her traitorous lover and accompany Walter on his voyage into the heart of 'cholera country', it is accompanied by Kitty's steady realization of how insignificant and misguided she really is.

Kitty's character growth is really what makes this story, as she stumbles, doubts herself and questions everything about herself and the path she has chosen, she is eminently relatable, and when she finally finds some measure of peace over her future, it feels as though she is appropriately awarded for the choices she has made and the growth she had experienced.

The setting of the novel itself, China in the early 20th Century is equally fascinating as it tells of a world so foreign to us, and English settlers method of adapting even as they cling to traditions and class consciousness of the country they left behind them.

The final element in a novel that packs so much into a relatively short book, features the struggles and faith in the face of horrifying loss of life due to the cholera epidemic of the french nuns living in the small town Kitty and Walter move to. The faith and devotion of these women is both admired and questioned by Kitty and acts as a counterpoint to her own struggle to grow and develop a more balanced view of the world.

There was so much packed in to this book, I feel like I need to reread it all over again to find all the stuff I missed first go round. Definitely a keeper.

A Rake's Guide to Pleasure

- Victoria Dahl -

I think my new favorite things about Victoria Dahl's historicals is that she finds a way to put the protagonists on a level playing field. Despite the disparity between the genders during this time period and despite the socioeconomic inequalities, Emma and Hart are drawn to each other both in spite of and because of their fears and insecurities. Emma fears being discovered before she can make the money she needs to survive. Hart fears being made a fool of again. They both fear the lack of control that their fierce attraction to each other results in and this above all else comes the closest to bringing them to equal footing with each other.

My other favorite new thing about Victoria Dahl's books is the way she writes angsty, tortured men like nobody's business. Turns out I am a total sucker for the type, and she does an excellent job creating men who for one reason or another feel they have to deny themselves something - in Hart's case, excessive passion and emotion in order to avoid another humiliation.

Hart was really the yummiest hero. I was a fan after meeting him in his sister's book, and now even more so :)

Hard & Fast

- Erin McCarthy -

One of my favorite things about Erin McCarthy's books is that her characters always come across as real people. Not cliched, too perfect for words romance novel characters, but people that you know or would totally be friends with in real life.

Hard and Fast is no exception. Ty and Imogen are both flawed, aware of their imperfections and very, very human. They are also funny as hell to read about and ride along with as their romance develops.

My favorite thing about this story in particular is how well Ty and Imogen communicate. A lot of romances stories feature couples who, usually for contrivance's sake, can't or won't speak openly and honestly with each other. This is certainly not the case with Ty & Imogen, resulting in some truly hilarious discussions due to their differing approaches to everything. Even the inevitable confrontation between them comes more from them saying the wrong things, or expressing themselves badly in the heat of the moment, rather than not communicating at all.

I am totally shocked by how much I am enjoyed the stock car racing world that both this and the previous book in the series, Flat Out Sexy, are set in because it is foreign to me and not something that I would generally be interested in.

But the family dynamics of the close knit car driving world is what really informs the atmosphere of these books and it is just really fun to read about and feel a part of.

Dirty Sexy Knitting

- Christie Ridgway -

Mixed response to this one as well.

One the one hand, I did like Gabe despite his selfish and self destructive behaviour (although did not need the 'he feels guilt for not being the perfect husband slash father' as the partial basis of his actions as a) no such things as the perfect husband/father and b) am fairly convinced that losing your wife and child to a drunk driver is more than enough reason to feel self destructive and suicidal, without the added rationalization of the guilt factor) and though his transition to more responsible behaviour felt fairly erratic and unexplained, I enjoyed the 'love of a good woman' trope pulling him out of it.

On the other hand: Cassandra. I said after the last book in the series that I wasn't really down with her taking all this action regarding the sperm donor father etc without her sister's consent and that is magnified even more in this book. As a character, and despite all the times we are told she is so sympathetic, nurturing etc to everyone else, she came across as way too self pitying to me. What's more, all the self pity - as in poor me, I never had a father and they did - was used as her rationalization for acting expliciting against her sister's wishes and contacting their father. I spend a lot of time just wishing she would stop feeling so sorry for herself over everything.

I enjoyed the Marlys and Dean storyline in this book way more and loved seeing her realize how atrocious her actions had been, and learn to grow up, grieve for her father and open herself up to emotion. Plus Dean is just sexy.

So overall this series has been enjoyable generally, but frustrating if I think too much about the specifics of many of the situations.

Fire & Ice

- Julie Garwood -

Very, very mixed feelings on this one... the mystery was beyond lame and I mostly skipped over the boring diary bits interspersed throughout because I just did not care. The resolution ended up being similarly ridiculous.

I did like the characters of Jack and Sophie though - despite Sophie's occasional too stupid to live moments. Really, girl who is getting death threats? You are going to open the curtain and stand in the window because a stranger on the phone tells you too? WTF? - and Jack remaining a fairly enigmatic character throughout. We don't really get to know him all that well.

I think what I liked about them was that they were upfront about their attraction to each other, acknowledged it was a bad idea for whatever reason, but also acknowledged that it was pretty much going to happen anyway.

Definitely glad I did not pay for this one though. Thank you, library.

True Love & Other Disasters

- Rachel Gibson -

This actually way exceeded my expectations for some reason, even though Rachel Gibson is generally a fairly reliable, fun read.

I think it was because the last hockey themed book of hers I read (See Jane Score) had a couple of elements I didn't like, but that wasn't the case here so it was just a really fun read.

The plot is very similar to Susan Elizabeth Phillip's "It Had to Be You" (woman inherits sports team and takes over running over team despite lack of sports knowledge, clashes then sparks with Alpha Male involved with team, etc) but both Faith and Ty were such fun characters and the relationship between them flowed so well, that it was just fun to read, despite similarities.

I really liked the fact that Faith was honest and comfortable with her reasons for marrying and staying with a man fifty years her senior and felt no need to apologize for it. Similarly, I loved that Ty had the perfect blend of Alpha Male, "big strong man" syndrome, and common sense, ie: he didn't hold onto preconceptions of who Faith was once he got to know her and so on. They ended up coming across as a very well matched, sexy couple.

Am really looking forward to Rachel Gibson's next book (spring 2010, sob!) which is the story of Mark Bressler, a former hockey captain who suffered devastating, career ending injuries in a car accident. Looks like his physiotherapist will be the female love interest - and I do love an injured alpha male storyline!

Mr Darcy's Diary

- Maya Slater -

Recommended by Mum!

Retells the events of Pride and Prejudice from Mr Darcy's perspective in the form of a diary that he has kept since the death of his mother.

Was certainly well written in the sense that it wasn't gratuitously over the top or unrecognisable as the character from the original, and I was enjoying it as I read along for the most part, but after finishing and the more that I think about, the more I think:meh.

It went a bit far for me in terms of making excuses for Mr. Darcy, ie: he was just distracted worrying about his sister (who was raped by Wickham which I certainly could have lived without) hence his initial rudeness to Elizabeth et al. Subsequently, he describes himself as so overcome by her beauty and wit that he is speechless and so on.

The inclusion of Lord Byron as an old school friend and corrupter of both Darcy and Bingley just did not work for me either. Over the top and unnecessary, I thought, and makes Darcy's disapproval of Wickham (who is now a repeat rapist instead of just a serial eloper to make him seem measurably worse) seem hypocritical given that Darcy is also portrayed as having flings with various servants and visiting bordellos.

Not that those things would not have occured, I suppose, but reading about Darcy taking a housemaid for a tumble at Netherfield or getting unintentionally drunk with Byron just does not ring true for me. What of his legendary pride and self control?

Marriage By Design

- Lynn Michaels -

Totally random find at the thrift store bookshelf turned out to be such a fun read!

Entertaining characters, engaging mystery and completely adorable romance. I really love that Mia and Joe had a very natural arc (despite the ridiculously short time period, I completely bought their relationship) and while there was natural conflict, in the form of Joe's investigation at Mia's family's business, there was no artificial issues thrown between them just for the sake of stringing out the happy ending.

I could have done with the last bit, featuring Mia's rabid desperation for a proposal from Joe, but given the wedding dress design business the family runs, I guess it was to be expected.

Divorced, Desperate & Dating

- Christie Craig -

I really kind of hate the titles of these books (previous one is "Divorced, Desperate & Delicious") and I think they do the stories themselves a disservice, because if the books hadn't been recommended to me, I would absolutely have been put off by the title and missed out on a really fun story.

Light as a feather plot wise, but in a good way - the action and the mystery fill out the edges while the developing relationships between Sue and Jason is the gooey center, and it's exactly as sweet as you would hope.

Not much else to say really - this book totally falls into the category of books that I really enjoy as I read them but will remember very little of a few weeks from now.

The Harder They Fall

- Jill Shalvis -

Jill Shalvis is rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors.

Despite a few quibbles, ie I never quite understood why Hunter was so adamantly against the idea of being in love - his control issues aside I felt like that was never quite understood - and I would have liked a little bit more of an explanation of how Trisha had moved past her traumatic childhood because she seemed to veer between confidence and sassiness and traumatic reactions to change fairly inexplicably, but overall they were both such likeable characters and their interactions, chemistry and developing relationship was so enjoyable, that I could totally overlook minor issues I had.

Heaven, Texas

- Susan Elizabeth Phillips -

Instead of reviewing, I am just going to write a list of the tropes, characteristics and plot elements that I hate with a fiery passion in romance stories, all of which appears in the first twenty pages:

- Over the top alpha male who is a "character", as evidenced by descriptions of colorful, outrageous outfits and insistence on wearing cowboy boots and stetson at all times, even when at a hot tub.

- Socially awkward female who has reached the age of thirty without learning even basic life skills, as evidenced by inability to dress, fix her fair, interact with people normally. Being shy and not caring about your appearance is one thing - Gracie, as presented in the first few chapters, is completely over the top. Equally as over the top in one direction as Bobby Tom is in the other, I suppose, but they do not cancel and/or balance each other out.

- Misogynistic male characters who treat women like disposable morons (ie: dude not letting Gracie get a word in edgewise to say she is not a stripper, Bobby Tom and his football quizzes.)

- Women, however shy they may be, apparently completely incapable of standing up for themselves in even the most basic way or in the most ludicrous circumstances (ie when one has been mistaken for a stripper and is being forcibly undressed).

- The implication that a man can tell a woman how to dress, think, talk etc and boom! True love. Ugh.


So basically in the first pages Gracie was socially awkward, spineless and desperate for a man to find her attractive, Bobby Tom was condescending, rude and misogynistic. Reviews on Amazon would have me believe that they both go through a journey/reveal layers in the course of the book, but I was honestly so put off by the setup and the awful, awful themes that seemed to be playing out, that I have zero interest in finding out.

This instinct feels fairly justified given that I flipped to the end and found Bobby Tom administering his future wife football quiz to Gracie and gamely going along with her wrong answers as a sign of his TWU WUV (you know, instead of realizing that such arbitrary and useless tests should probably not be applied to anyone, let alone one's future wife).

I say again: UGH.

I really enjoyed other books by SEP - "Lady Be Good" particularly - and also 'It Had To Be You' which is the first in a series of which "Heaven, Texas" is second. Now that I am thinking about those books, they featured similar themes, ie: ugly ducklings/overtly alpha men, but I think the characters felt more real instead of cariactures, and the were more discernible motivations and reasons for the power imbalances (ie: Phoebe in "It Had to Be You" was sexually assaulted as a teenager, hence her lack of subsequent sexual experiences, Molly in "Lady Be Good" was inexperienced. but had back bone to spare and no problem expressing and standing up for herself).

The complete lack of realism and subtlety in the first few chapters just irritated me too much to keep reading.

Wedding Season

- Katie Fforde -

I always find Katie Fforde's novels so enjoyable. They always seem like such a slice of life, with quirky, realistic characters and created in their own very believable little worlds.

Wedding Season was no exception in that it was very sweet and fun to read.

Seemed majorly, majorly low on plot though with some weird dropped thread style additions. For example, there was quite a bit of time devoted to Sarah's flaky little sister, Lily and the shotgun wedding that Sarah was helping her organize, that didn't seem to go anywhere.

There was no real conflict or anything anywhere, ie: Bron wanted to leave her boyfriend, was afraid to tell him, in the end she did and... that was that. Again, felt underdeveloped.

I do really enjoy Fforde's writing, but this one felt like it had no stakes, no conflict or surprises and while the story of three women finding their way in the world both personally and professionally and relying on each other's friendship to help then do so, is a lovely one, it felt like it couldn't have been much more developed.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows -

This book is just a joyful reading experience.

Set in the days after the end of World War II, as England struggled to define a new normal, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is constructed almost entirely of letters to and from Juliet Ashton, a writer living in London.

Juliet is a writer searching for a new subject now that the war is over. After her interest is piqued by a letter from Dawsey, a farmer from Guernsey who has happened upon a second hand book with Juliet's name in it, Juliet begins to correspond with the members of the Guernsey Literary Society and decides on their stories of life in the German occupied Channel Islands during the war, and how the literary society that started as an excuse for being out after curfew became a sanity saving source of debate, laughter and human interaction during the isolation of the war years as the topic for her new book.

In relatively brief letters, the authors create such vivid and complete portraits of who these people are that it almost seems impossible that they be fictional. They must be real letters. They are not of course, but the lives and experiences of the characters in this book feel so real and full and well lived, that I felt like I knew them all in person.

Beautifully, beautifully written. Probably the best book I have read this year.

To Catch A Highlander

- Karen Hawkins -

Third in the series about the McLean siblings, and fairly entertaining.

I like the comedic approach Hawkins takes to the story, with both Dougal and Sophia playing each other for all their worth, and ultimately realizing their love of games and challenge makes them perfect for one another.

Not particularly in depth in terms of characterisation or even plotting, but just a fun, easy read.

Be My Baby

- Susan Anderson -

Totally enjoyable read from Susan Anderson, as always.

This is one of her earliest books, I think, and it does go a wee bit over the top with the stereotyped alpha male hero and the repressed, uptight heroine, but it is mostly made up for in the genuinely warm and enjoyable give and take between Beau and Juliet, and the evocative setting and believeable secondary characters.

Paths of Glory

- Jeffrey Archer -

This novel, based on the true story of George Mallory's attempts to be the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest, is a departure for Jeffrey Archer.

Archer's books have typically been set in the field of politics or business, with well developed characters and strong rivalries.

In this case, I never felt like I got to know George Mallory particularly well - he loved to climb and was motivated to be the first up Everest. Apart from that, the character felt very cookie cutter.

The stakes of the story felt fairly low too - despite knowing what a physical ordeal the climbers are going through, the fact that the prologue (and history) has already told us how the story ends, means that I was reluctant, and uninspired to, get particularly emotionally involved in the story.

Overall, the entire book felt shallow and underdeveloped. I think when constrained by the realities of real people and the history of what happened to them, Archer found himself boxed in and unable to create the kinds of situations and stakes that usually make his novels so engrossing.

Lord of Scoundrels

- Loretta Chase -

I defy anyone to read this book and then continue to dismiss historical romances as fluff(oh look, I have become a convert).

Loretta Chase created such believable, damaged characters whose childhoods and past traumas continued to have a strong hold over them, and then took us on the journey as these issues were worked through and the characters emerged stronger on the other side.

The hero, Dain (as he is referred to through most of the story), was abandoned by his mother and unloved by his father, abused at school and has grown up convinced he is unworthy of love and determined to live life as shallowly as possible to compensate.

Jessica, a determined and self reliant woman, has come to bail her useless younger brother out of the latest trouble he has gotten himself into.

The two are immediately attracted to each other, resistant at first and ultimately, when circumstances faciliate their getting married to avoid scandal on her part and humiliation on his, they come together both sexually and emotionally and Jessica is able to draw Dain out and come to understand how he became so emotionally withdrawn.

What I loved the most about this (apart from how well developed, written and paced it was) was that Dain was the one with the severe emotional problems to overcome, and Jessica was the one drawing him out and trying to understand how to help him. Too often in historicals, it seems like the hero (by virtue of generally being the one with sexual/life experience) ends up in the role of teacher/guide to the heroine.

In this book, Jessica was firmly in that role as she tried to make Dain see that he was worthy of being loved, of being a father and even of being happy. He was in such genuine, heartbreaking pain and to see him overcome that with her assistance was a brilliant emotional journey to be a part of.

Instant Attraction

- Jill Shalvis -

Grabbed this one after the great review from "Smart Bitches, Trashy Books" and, as usual, they did not lead me astray!

Shalvis's latest represents a huge leap forward from some of the earlier stuff I have read from her in terms of characterization and story development.

Both Cam and Katie came across as real people, aware of their flaws and shortcomings and trying to acknowledge and overcome them. Most refreshingly of all, they talk about and acknowledge their issues to each other. Consequently their relationship seemed incredibly realistic, well developed and sustainable not to mention sexy as hell.

I also really enjoyed the family dynamics set up both with the Wilder family and the small town they live in, a dynamic that Katie quickly found herself embracing and being embraced by.

Am really looking forward to the next in the series - Instant Gratification.

Take No Prisoners

- Cindy Gerard

I really have to stop reading series books so close together (back to back in this case), because the nature of the genre means there are always similarities and they end up being harder to distinguish the differences when read so close together.

I enjoyed this one, didn't love it, mostly because the emotional stakes for all the extenuating circumstances (ie: Sam looking to avenge his sister's death, Abbie hell bent on saving her brother) were so high, that it felt like the development of the relationship between the two of them took a back seat.

I do like the way secondary characters are so vivid and well drawn in Gerard's books though. It always makes me super interested in reading the next story in the series to see how their stories turn out.

Show No Mercy

- Cindy Gerard -

A new series from the author of the 'Bodyguards' series, and much like those books, it's heavy on the action, mystery and hot love scenes and fairly light on character development.

Despite feeling that Gabe and Jenna's relationship seemed to be primarily based on sexual attraction and adrenaline, they were a likeable couple and I wanted them to have the inevitable happy ending. I do wish the angst had been toned down a bit, because it seemed like it wasn't explored deeply enough to feel wholly connected to the story or necessary.

Will keep reading the series, hopefully it will not be too cookie cutter.

One Night Stand

- Julie Cohen -


After one book I am officially a huge fan of Julie Cohen's writing.

One Night Stand featured multiple romance story tropes that I generally hate or find to be overdone and predictable (pregnancy, suddenly attracted and/or in love, instant family/baby ten seconds after getting together) and created a story that was fresh, realistic and sweet.

Eleanor & Hugh have been friends since their first day of university and when Eleanor accidentally finds herself pregnant after a one night stand, Hugh is by her side every step of the way as she tries to find her child's father, deal with her own parental issues and figures out what to do about her sudden attraction to her best friend.

Every step in Hugh and Eleanor's journey together felt so natural and realistic, and earned, that I was completely unfazed by those story elements that normally would have driven me insane.

Am totally regretting that I didn't pick up the other Julie Cohen book that was on the bookstore shelf in London.

Assassination Vacation

- Sarah Vowell -


Both hilarious and fascinating, this book details the author's travels to famous sites and to view artifacts, however arbitrary, connected to the presidential assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley.

As someone with a fairly vague knowledge of American history, and absolutely zero awareness of the fact that two out of three of these presidents were even assassinated (that's how Teddy Roosevelt became president initially - by being McKinley's vice-president. Who knew?), I found the historical aspects of the book fascinating, and would even read more on the subject if I thought I could find history books that deal with these events with as much affection, exasperation and even humour as Sarah Vowell's writing does.

Her style reminds me a lot of Bill Bryson, in that it is very personal, describing her unique experience and yet as a reader I felt like I learned and experienced right along with the writer.

Will definitely be looking for more of her work.

The Department of Lost and Found

- Alison Winn Scotch -

Wow, finally. I've had this from the library for over two months, and I just kept putting it off because it's such a confronting subject matter - a thirty year old woman fighting breast cancer.

Ultimately though this was a very uplifting book - as she made her way successfully through treatment, Natalie learned how to rely on her family, her friends and how to open herself up, accept help and realize what she really wanted and needed out of her life.

This is also a great example of first-person POV working really well, because the journey Natalie is going through is such a personal one, the intimate perspective and occasional use of the diary allow a deeper insight into the ups and downs of her journey, and allow the reader to really revel in the catharsis and the happy ending that Natalie experiences.

What She Doesn't Know

- Beverly Barton -

Am only a couple of chapters into this, but so far it has a couple of plot points that I haaaate so, in the hopes of the author defying expectations and going in a different direction, I want to write about them here and hope I am pleasantly surprised later.

Jolie Royale was sent away from home after an attempt on her life, a second attempt that followed the murders of her mother & aunt and their gardener and the almost fatal injuries she suffered in the same attack. When her father marries his mistress, the same woman he was screwing whilst the murders where taking place, six months after her mother's death, Jolie refuses to returned home to the family plantation again and has been estranged from her father and most of her extended family for almost 20 years.

When her father finally dies, Jolie returns home for the funeral and reading of the will in the hopes of finally enacting revenge on her stepmother, Georgette, and reopening the investigation into the murders. Georgette's son, Max, who Jolie once had a childhood crush on, is there to protect him mother and the half sister he and Jolie share, and try to prevent Jolie from hurting his family.

The part of all this set up that I strongly object to is the suggestion, already spoken via entreaties from her aunt and an old family friend, that Jolie is wrong to have hard feelings, or be unwilling to accept her step mother, whilst the step mother is so far being portrayed as weak, but essentially in the right.

If the narrative of this plot follows through to the conclusion that seems to be coming so far, Jolie will ultimately forgive her stepmother, shack up with Max and all the rest of the family and they will all live happily ever after.

Again, I really, REALLY hope I am wrong, because it just drives me insane that a woman who went through seeing her father shagging another woman, discovered the bodies of her aunt and mother, was shot herself, packed off to boarding school only to have her father marry the other woman, all within a period of six months, isn't entitled to some majorly negative attached to the whole experience.

I want to see Georgette, as well as Max and the little sister, Mallory, for that matter, acknowledge that she was, and continues to be with her petulant attitude towards Jolie, in the wrong.

I also want Max to drop his self-righteous 'how dare she not forgive and forget' attitude and acknowledge that Jolie is entitled be plenty pissed off with her dad over his actions.

Fingers crossed any of it actually happens!

And the verdict is....

Mixed. While there wasn't quite the prostration of "OMG, I am so terrible" from Jolie that I was afraid of, it was never really explored in all that much depth. She just sort of...got over it.

Depth was pretty much the problem with the whole book - there was no depth to any of the relationships. Max and Jolie never appear to really even get to know each other much beyond the sexual attraction between them, yet all of a sudden there are very impassioned declarations of true love for ever.

I also really, really disliked the way the storyline for the younger sister, Mallory, was dealt with on pretty much every level. In a deeply uncomfortable scene she gives up her virginity to a 23 year old playboy, RJ, who comes across as an opportunistic sexual predator (case in point: the first time they are having sex, even though Mallory is telling him she is uncomfortable, his internal monologue consists of "Oh well, too late too stop now. You asked me to do this.") He then decides the sex would be even better bareback, so without a word to Mallory he forgoes a condom the next time, leading to the inevitable teenage pregnancy storyline, which is also resolved absurdly easily with Mallory having the baby just in time for RJ to return (having ditched her and taken off before she discovers she is pregnant) and vow to be there for Mallory and the baby forever.

This resolution is all taken care of in a matter of sentences in the epilogue, in conjuction with Jolie also discovering she is pregnant (Max and Jolie's relationship is all of nine months old at this point. But of course they are already married). I am beyond irritated with the recurring theme in romance novels where the author feels the need to tie the entire story and/or relationship up a in a happy little bow and, instead of just giving us the happy ending of the two people finding love together, feel compelled to add the obligatory marriage/babies/perfect life, irrespective of the time lines involved and the riduculousness of the assumption that marriage and babies would be the ultimate happy ending, as opposed to just leaving us with two adults, happy and content with each other and their relationship.

I also felt the massacre resolution was spectacularly anti-climactic here, especially considering the emotional stakes involved. And really? Georgette knew her brother had killed multiple people and was just totally fine with that? Ugh. So much ugh.

The writing itself here was fast pace and engaging, but without the character, relationship and plot development to back it up, it's just not enough.

Romeo, Romeo

- Robin Kaye -

Eh. Fairly uninspiring.

I really do not enjoy the over the top Italian stereotypes. Maybe it is true to life, but it has been done a million times before in a million different ways and there was nothing original or interesting about this.

My other big issue was that the relationship between the two leads (whose names I have already forgotten, which says it all) was written such that I completely did not understand why they had the inevitable separation. After essentially moving in together, Nick and Rosalie (there we go! Names! Also, wtf was up with Nick giving Rosalie a nickname she flat out told him she did not life? Not so much charming as arrogant and annoying) kept finding out all these supposedly life changing or relationship threatening "secrets" (fairly innocuous ones at that) about each other that they promptly rationalized away themselves without ever discussing it with each other. The conflict felt completely manafactured and worse, completely unimportant. Add in a very bizarre encounter with a former boyfriend of Rosalie's turned priest turned Mafia goon, plus a ridiculous subplot involving Rosalie losing a bunch of weight for no apparent reason, affording Nick to act all macho again, and I pretty much put this down thinking "what a waste of a book".

Beauty Like The Night

- Liz Carlyle -

So reading this historical back to back with "Every Night I'm Yours" definitely reinforces how much better the genre works for me when there is a more balanced relationship between the protagonists.

Helene is a woman of dubious background who understood that her only hope in life was to be well educated and make something of herself that way, rather than being utterly dependent on men as her mother was.

Camden is the oldest child of a dissolute man and as such has had to bear the brunt of the responsibility for his siblings and their estate for most of his life.

The two, who have an intense history together, whilst not equals in social standing perhaps, have both had significant obstacles to overcome and work through and consequently some understanding and respect for what the other has accomplished.

This forms a basis for their relationship that, when coupled with their past history, makes the relationship feel very believable even as the inevitable obstacles and misunderstandings come up between them.

The family relationships where a nice addition here as well - they way Camden and Helene interacted with his brother, sister and daughter all gave clear insight into their characters and they dynamics of the home, and the background mystery that came to light through the story regarding why Cam's daughter would not speak, highlighted the family bonds and was very believable rather than seeming contrived.

Enjoyed this much more than the previous Liz Carlyle I had read too (One Little Sin).

Every Night I'm Yours

- Christie Kelley -

Meh. I really liked the concept for this one (spinster writer seeks lover to teach her how to write love scenes through experience), but the execution was mostly pretty boring.

The characters all felt fairly cardboard cutout and flat, with a few undeveloped complications thrown in here and there for good measure.

One thing I am definitely finding as I read more historicals is that I really strongly prefer stories where the man and woman are on more equal footing. Not in terms of social standing - that can work well for me in any combination - but in terms of experiences and confidence. I really do not enjoy the innocent virgin being seduced and/or tranforming the worldly man tropes. It just comes off as too unbalanced for me (even if this is probably fairly representative of the dynamics of many relationships of the time), I must prefer it when the heroine is more unconventional or scandalous and experienced.

Just the Sexiest Man Alive

- Julie James -

This was an unusual and refreshing romance, in that the two leads had virtually no physical contact until the very end of the story. No sex = insta-love, no constant making out one minute and hating each other the next, just lots of tension, sexual and otherwise, and arguing and actual getting to know each other as people.

I also really like that neither Jason or Taylor had to undergo and personality revolutions to get to their happy ending, but rather as they got to know each other really well, they each came to appreciate one another flaws and all.

The story was also just really fun, and funny, to read as they dealt with their respective jobs, Jason's fame (I particularly enjoyed reading the friends' reaction to Jason's presence in Taylor's home) and how they interacted with each other and the world around them.

Really, really enjoyable book.

Thirty Nothing

- Lisa Jewell -

This was an extremely interesting experiment in finding a book both awesome and excruciating all at the same time.

Awesome: Jewell creates amazingly realistic and believable characters, and captures completely the feeling of indecisiveness and 'what now?' that comes with reaching a certain age and realizing nothing is how you thought it would be or how you want to be and having no idea what to do about that fact.

Exruciating: Because the characters felt so real, when they fucked up it felt very real too - to the point where it made me cringe with embarrassment and regret on their behalf. A sign of good writing? Absolutely. Extreme humiliation as only the Brits can render it? Absolutely.

Overall, I really enjoyed Dig and Nadine's story, and enjoyed the fact that the 'other woman' Delilah was also a three dimensional character with her own story, not just a complication.

Accidentally Yours

-Susan Mallery-


In general I really enjoy this writer. She creates great characters, believable stories and her writing style is very easygoing and readable.

So that being said, there were things I really enjoyed about this book and one major thread I did not.

Kerri is desperate to find a cure for her son's terminal (made up, I think) disease, and she turns for research funds to Nathan King, a billionaire who lost his son to that same disease. When Nathan refuses her the funds, she has no problem indulging in a little blackmail to get the money if that is what is needed to save her son.

I really enjoyed the way the blackmail went on - it was generally presented in such a good humored way. Kerri needed the money, Nathan needed good publicity, so she forced him into a position where they both got what they want and was cheerfully unrepentant about doing so. Once it was fait accompli, and Nathan was forced out of the emotional retreat and lack of engagement with the world he had retreated into after his son's death and earlier tragedies in his life, Nathan also took the situation and stride and generally showed a willingness to grow and ultimately deal with his emotional hangups and issues that generally you don't see as readily in romance novels. There are usually more 'complicatations' before they get to that point.

The thread that I really had a problem with here was Kerri and the way she dealt with her son's illness, which was to take a total head in the sand approach with regards to the ultimate outcome (we are told it is a degenerative, terminal illness). I totally get wanting to believe and hope for a miracle, and wanting to give your kid hope and inspiration too, but the Wonder Mom stuff was just irritating to me the way it seemed to be more for Kerri than for Cody, and I really disliked that Kerri's attitude meant her son, in exruciating pain or so we are told, was left feeling guilty about potentially leaving her alone. Talk about a crappy burden to put on a kid who already has too much crap to deal with.

Anyway, after we go through the emotional turmoil of Kerri being forced to realize what is happening and what a burden she is putting on her child, of course, the researcher her blackmail funded pops up with a cure. I just felt like it was too easy and too abrupt. The whole story takes place in a matter of weeks, all we see of the researcher is some whinging about the pressures and how he can't find the cure fast enough, and then boom! All better.

It sounds liked I was rooting for the kid to die, which of course I was not, but the way the story presented the facts, the cure and the subsequent 'miracle' of Cody's survival felt like they weren't earned, but just thrown in so as not to spoil the happily ever after.

I think the moral of the review may possibly be that kids with painful terminal illnesses and romance novels are a hard, if not impossible, combination to get right.

One Little Sin

- Liz Carlyle -

Started off very slowly and I almost gave up, but once it got going it was a fun story.

Both characters really went on journeys - getting to know each other and themselves and what they wanted, and there was real growth which was nice to read instead of the magical romance 'now we love each other so we're perfect saints' style transformation that often happens in romance novels.

Will probably read more in the series.

Impulse & Initiative

- Abigail Reynolds -

OMG, it's Pride and Prejudice fan fic in published form.

Once I'd managed to disassociate from Jane Austen's characters and basically pretend this book was about entirely different people with coincidentally similar names, it was't the worse book I've ever read.

As the Darcy & Elizabeth I know from the original of course, it was wildly implausible. I just can't see those characters acting the way they do in this book and more importantly, I wouldn't want them too. One of the most beautiful aspects of Pride and Prejudice is the slow build between Darcy and Elizabeth as they move past first impressions and preconceptions and truly get to know one another. Yes, the implicit attraction is there between them from the start as they converse and disagree, but the way they circle each other and come to know one another with the broader contextual knowledge of each of their circles of families and friends is what makes it such a beautifully developed relationship.
So assuming we are pretending this is just a regency-set romance novel? Eh. As alternate universe Pride and Prejudice fan fic? Gigantic thumbs down.

And finally, all of the above being said, the author completely and 100% lost me with the final few chapters - the most ludicrous pregnancy/childbirth/oh noes, Darcy is scared crap, and totally unnecessary. Ugh.

Three Nights of Sin

- Anne Mallory -

Decent mystery combined with an opposites' attract sort of scenario for the romance. I hated how often the difference in the physical attractiveness of the hero and heroine where brought up, but on the other hand I really liked that Gabriel immediately appreciated and came to respect Marietta's ability to read people and adapt to situations.

Gabriel had some fairly significant emotional trauma that I wish had been explored a bit more, and not just glossed over, and I am still a little unclear on the resolution of what happened to the murdered, but overall a good read.

I am getting into the historical romances big time!

Too Good To Be True

- Kristan Higgins -

Another enjoyable read from this author (though I would love to read something she did in another POV, all of them have been first person which has a bit of a sameness after a while.)

I would have liked Grace to have a little bit more backbone occasionally, but really I guess the premise of the story is her need to people please, and what that leads her to do, so not really surprising that she doesn't stand up for herself until the end.

Higgins writes great heroes - strong, sexy and yet they don't read like cariactures the way some romance heroes do.

Not quite as good as "Just One of the Guys", but definitely a good way to spend a couple of hours.

To Scotland With Love

- Karen Hawkins-

Another fun read from this author. I'm always a fan of stories with long time friends who start realizing they are attracted to each other, and Gregor and Venetia were great examples of this trope.

They've been friends since childhood, know each other inside out and never really looked at each other in a romantic way until Venetia is trapped into a misguided elopement and Gregor charges to the rescue.

Once again, I really enjoyed both the main characters and all the supporting ones and it was a really fun read.

Into the Dark

- Cindy Gerard -

This felt a bit more erratic than the last book I read in the "Bodyguards" series, like Dallas and Amy didn't really get to know each other or take the time to deal with each of their massive, trauma related emotional problems before plunging into a relationship.

I also felt like the villains, and the conspiracy they uncovered came across as a too over the top, at least for this style of book. There just isn't the time to investigate the issues surrounding it all, and so it comes off as all a bit too easy when they blow up the compound and destroy the immediate villians.

That being said, I really like this author in general and there is a tease of the story between Jenna and Jones that I know I am going to want to read so the problems in this particular story weren't enough to put me off the author in general.

The Murder Game

- Beverly Barton -

Sequel to "They Dying Game" and I enjoyed this one more, I think, mainly because Nicole and Griffin appeared to be equals all the way through, whereas Lindsay and Judd from the first story was a much more out of balance relationship for most of the book.

Barton does a great job of creating a truly scary, psychopathic killer and an equally good of job of giving little snippets of his victims lives before he kills them, so that I was really invested in each victim and hoping like hell that Griff and Nic would track down the killer before he killed each victim (I liked this touch in "The Murder Game" as well - it really ups the stakes and creates a sense of urgency for the reader).

Seems fairly clear that other characters from this book will be getting their own stories, and I will definitely read more.

Love Walked In

- Marisa De Los Santos -

I adored this book, absolutely adored it.

The characters are people I want to invite over for coffee and a hug, the language used and the imagery were so beautifully evocative and complete that it felt like these people really do exist, in a world just out of reach.

I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to them all and I never wanted it to end.

Just gorgeous.

How To Abduct A Highland Lord

- Karen Hawkins -

My historical romance experiment continues... picked this one up because I enjoyed one of this authors' contemporaries (Talk of the Town), and mostly enjoyed it!

The happy ending happens a little inexplicably - I would have liked to read more about their prior relationship because as it is, it seems like Jack goes from happily whoring around to happily married fairly abruptly (there is no indication he wanted a change in his lifestyle before Fiona tricked him into marriage), it seemed liked there was a lot glossed over or ignored with regards to Jack's relationship with his family and I wish Fiona seemed to have more inner conflict over what she is forced to do to end the feud, but overall I mostly enjoyed the characters, the story moved quickly and the larger family relationships of the McLeans and Jack's household (ie: the butler and the housekeeper being gobsmacked when Fiona announces herself as lady of the house) were fun to read.

Between The Sheets

- Robin Wells -

Mostly meh.

The characters weren't particularly in depth or interesting - I was way more interested in the secondary romance between the grandparents - and the conflicts and problems with Emma's reputation and the scandal that made her move to Louisiana were way over the top and logic deficient (what Secret Service team bent on protecting the reputation of their protectee would send a half naked women into a herd of photographers that they knew would be there?) and then the resolution was way too easy in the end.

Her Sexiest Mistake

- Jill Shalvis -

Despite the stupid title, I enjoyed the hell out of this book - reading it through in one sitting.

It's leaps and bounds ahead of the other Jill Shalvis I have read (Get A Clue) in terms of characterisation and conflict that actually made sense between Mia and Kevin.

I also really enjoyed the role reversal in that Kevin was the one who was emotionally invested and open from the start and Mia was the one constantly running away, or claiming it was just sex. It's much more interesting than the cliched gender roles you find in a lot of romance novels, where the woman is all clingy and 'in love' right away and the man is constantly walking away.

I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn't a 'love at first sight/kiss" deal for either of them. Kevin liked her, wanted to get to know more and was up front about that and Mia ended up wanting to first avoid and then develop the relationship more in spite of herself and all her rules and fears about her relationships with men. It all came across as very upfront and honest, and therefore natural conflict, instead of artificial obstacles.

Playing James, Society Girls, Party Girls

- Sarah Mason -

Cheating a bit and reviewing all three in one, since they are all much the same.

I don't mean that in a bad way at all- they are much the same in terms on formula, yes, in that they all have heroines getting into miscellaneous scrapes, butting heads with the male protagonists, and generally making fools of themselves a bit before getting to the inevitable happy ending.

But in all three of these books the characters are completely charming, the stories are at times laugh out loud funny, and they are just so entertaining that the lack of originality is a complete non-issue.

Doesn't look like Sarah Mason has anything else in print, at least in the US, but I would totally read more if there more to read.

Flat-Out Sexy

- Erin McCarthy -

Set in the world of stock car racing which I know (and care) very little about, but decided to give it a go based on great reviews from Smart Bitches and the fact that I pretty much always enjoy this author.

Totally glad that I did! The actual racing aspect is pretty much secondary to the community and lifestyle that springs up around the sport, and I really enjoyed that aspect. The friendships between the drivers and their families felt very natural and I enjoyed the comradery.

Tamara and Elec (stupid name - pronounced a-leck, I assume?) made a nice couple - I generally don't enjoy stories where the guy is this young (25) because it rarely feels believable to me, especially when there are kids involved, but in this case the overall sense of family and community surrounding the sport, and the natural care that people seemed to take of one another, made his instant rapport with Tamara's kids feel more believable.

I also enjoyed the fact that, for the most part, both Tamara and Elec were willing to take chances with each other, open up emotionally, and that the hiccups in their relationship seemed a natural part of the development of them as a couple as opposed to unnecessary obstacles.

I also really enjoyed the secondary characters - am already looking forward to Suzanne & Ryder getting a book of their own (am assuming this will happen!).

To The Brink

- Cindy Gerard -

Third in the "Bodyguards" series, and my favorite by a country mile, I think.

The fact that Ethan and Darcy have a history is what did it for me, I think. They used to be married, and in the course of flashing back to their meeting, marriage and breakup, along with the present-day adventure as Ethan and his brothers rescue Darcy after she was abducted in the Phillipinnes, there is just a lot of opportunities for character details to come out in the course of the story without seeming forced. The reasons for their initial break up were just as believable as their reasons for coming back together and it was fun to read.

To The Brink also had much more characterization and development of the other characters, particularly with the B-story of Ethan's brother, Dallas, and Darcy's fellow abductee, Amy. Despite being a very secondary thread in this book, I felt like I got a lot of information about them and am really looking forward to their story (book 6). We also got to see a fair bit of Nolan, from To The Limit, who is a lot more cheerful now that he's got his happy ending. I really enjoyed that book too, so fun to see those characters again (and to know that Jillian's father is well and truly on board with his son in law's career and adventures now, to the point of paying for them).

The second book was really the weak link in this series for me, the characterization in the other two is just so much better.