Quick Review: Betrayal's Shadow by K.H. LeMoyne

Betrayal's Shadow by K.H. LeMoyne


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was one of the best in urban fantasy that I have read in a long time. A really long time. It's hard for me to give a book a five star rating; it really has to stand out and above other books that I've read of the genre and even above books in other genres. For a while I have been shying away from urban fantasy books; they just seemed...off. But this book was a wonderful change from what I have been reading. At first I didn't get what the backstory was all about and almost abandoned the book but then Turen (the hero) grabbed my attention. This guy is a Guardian: not quite an angel but not a demon either. His kind is charged with guarding humanity but also with preserving themselves as a society. I didn't feel like I needed to go back and read the Old Testament or Paradise Lost to understand what was going on with this book. I like some history and background to go with my stories but with some in urban fantasy, it's like I spend most of my time trying to figure out what in the hell the author is referring to.


Turen is sacrificing himself to try and redeem his former mentor and best friend, but then finds that he needed some redeeming also. Mia is a freelance writer who finds herself transported in a cave with a really big, silent guy. One thing that I liked about Turen was that he was intelligent and patient. This was no Berserker warrior who thrashes everything in sight; this guy has a purpose and the will to see it through. And even the sex came at the right time in the book. No wham-bam’s in this book. The sex was hot and totally worth the wait. Great book and one that make you want to read all that are available in the series. I found myself plotting in my head to see what happens next.






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Repost: A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

Eloisa James is amazing. I didn't think that she could have done better than A Duke of Her Own (Duchess in Love series) but she proved that she has chops. Kiss at Midnight is a story based on the Cinderella fairy tale, wicked step-mother, well meaning servants, and a real life prince, to boot. The brilliance in this story comes from both Katherine and Gabriel as they wade through their impossible romance. Katherine is no simpering miss and Gabriel is no self-absorbed dandy (ok, maybe a bit self-absorbed).


The affair starts because Gabriel is made to fulfill obligations to his odd, rag-tag family and Katherine is made to attend a house party because her sister gets herself injured, in the most impossible way, and cannot not attend. The wicked stepmother crafts some crazy scheme to have Katherine take Victoria's (the sister) place. Add in a crazy relatives, a very-knowing majordomo, and a menajerie of abandoned animals and this turns out to be the best historical romance I've read in a long, long time.

Eloisa James hass been a favorite of mine since Potent Pleasures and I continue to be a devoted fan.
 
Update:  James continued the new fairy tales with When Beauty Tames the Beast (2011) and coming soon is The Duke Is Mine (December 2011). Visit http://www.eloisajames.com/ for more information and book list.

Qucik Review: Something About You by Julie James

 So....it took me way too long to get into this book but then it grew on me and I like it. So much so that I immediately began to look for a sequel. The book started out really slow and I couldn't get past all of the FBI/DOJ jargon and I almost gave up.  Then  I picked up on the tension and back story of Camreon Lynde and Jack Pallas---these two needed a cold shower and a room with all the  heat coming off of them.  She's the U.S. Attorney he thinks got him shipped to an FBI outpost in the middle of Nowhere, Nebraska and now he's the one responsible to for keeping her alive. They have some real chemistry and it works.
Of course, there is the prerequisite gay male best friend, bossy blond, and African-American partner. Even though I liked this book, I was till waiting for something to happen. I needed for Jack to be a a little something more. Maybe, James' excellent research was too much for the story; I think so. I'm looking forward to A Lot Like Love  (2011) to see what else happens with Cameron and Jack as secondary characters.

#nowreading: Huddle with Me Tonight by Farrah Rochon

Followed by I'll Catch You by Farrah Rochon

Kindle for Libraries

    

    On Wednesday, September 21st, Amazon changed the world of reading again. Not only is the Kindle the most popular reading device in the world but now avid readers can add library books to their Kindle.  Oh! How ridiculously awesome.

Ok, yes.  I am  a nerd and complete bibliophile (sounds naughty, doesn't it?)

     When I bought my Kindle, I immediately experienced some envious feelings for those people who had Nooks, Sony e-readers, etc because with all those devices you could borrow and download library books and Kindle didn't have that.  I  have been on the verge of buying a Nook or Kobo for the sole purpose of being able to use this service; and although I have been using the OverDrive app on my Android phone for several months, it's not a very good alternative when reading lengthy novels.  But alas, the good people at Amazon have made my geeky dreams come true.

    As a voracious reader, I love the feel and smell of turned pages. But I'm also a person who reads several books at a time and it's not very comfortable to lug around three or four books at a time.  I can save my budget by using the local library and have the opportunity to read books that have been in my TBR pile for ages.  Like Crown of Thrones, Things Fall Apart, etc. 
    I know that a lot of people have been reluctant to embrace e-readers and their ilk (myself included) but they are the new revolution in literacy. In this gadget friendly world of ours, e-readers have captured the attentionof former non-readers and has changed them into people who speak "book". The stigma of being a bookworm is no longer---it is now cool to read. WHAT! My 13 year old daughter was one of these such people: she would read as assigned by a teacher. Since getting her a Kindle of her own, a whole new world has been opened up. She is almost never without her Kindle near by. Amazing.
    So, now that I have celebrated a new Kindle breakthrough, I'm off to enjoy one of many Kimani romance novels in my reading queue.

#nowreading:

Hudson's Crossing By Altonya Washington
Every Chance I Get by Altonya Washington

(both on Kindle courtesy of the Dallas Public Library)

A Time to Heal by Barbara Cameron


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Great book. Good romance that tugs at the heart. As much as I like this book, I still think some of the language used by the Plain people was a bit modern but I can't criticize since I haven't has any contct with Amish people. I will be definetly looking forward to A Time for Peace (Book #3).




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Review: Revenge at Bella Terra by Christina Dodd

Oh my! I'm so loving book two of the Bella Terra series. I knew Eli had hidden depths but this guy had some serious issues.This book is where Secrets of Bella Terra was leading us (and it's not quite over). Where Rafe was pretty much a Hollywood kid who got tired of living in the spotlight of his parents, Eli was a truly tortured kid. With a volatile mother and a throw-away father, Eli has allowed himself only to love his grandmother, his brothers and his precious vines. Due to an error in judgement, Eli now has to compromise everything to save Bella Terra. He has to seduce and marry the daughert of a very rich man; and if he does, his fortunes will be restored. Sounds easy except for the fact that Chloe Robinson knows that her father is a scheming old man and that Eli is bound to be one of the many men that her father has thrown in her path. And she, as she is to later find, is right. Chloe stays in Eli's home to finish work on her latest mystery novel when all hell breaks loose. There is another body that is discovered on the grounds of Bella Terra, someone is there to betray the Di Luca's, and still more romance in the air.


As much as I like the books so far, I still think that there is something missing. And I just dont know what it is yet. As more and more about Massimo's wines are revealed, the more I want to know. And what about the other Di Luca women that Sarah called in The Secrets of Bella Terra? We haven't heard from them yet. I hope Noah's story is awesome...especially if I have to wait until April 2012 to get it.

#nowreading: Revenge at Bella Terra by Christina Dodd

Eli's story

Best book since The Color Purple (Yeah! I said it)

Yeah...I said it. This is one of the best (and most important books) in women's fiction since Alice Walker's The Color Purple.   I don't even no where to begin when describing the gamut of emotions that I went through while reading this book.  All I can say is, that I am most pleasantly surprised and pleased with they way this book turned out. Based on reviews from other readers, I was expecting to be more offended by Stockett's words and descriptions than I was by the actual history itself.   Yes, I reacted strongly to the depictions of Southern life, the language, and the complete  disregard for human compassion...but i have reacted to this my whole life and to have felt anything else would have been a falsehood.

   What I liked most about this book, was the validity of the white female voice.  Oops! I said that too. Yes, a white woman  living in 1960's Mississippi had a voice.  Stockett giving voice to such a character has allowed myself and, no doubt, others to understand that history does not occur in a vacuum. Everyone was there and will be haunted by the same ghosts of generations past.  Found it quite tragic that Black and white women danced very delicately around each other, as if any normal interaction would upset the balance and change the world. And that is exactly what this era was about: upsetting the balance. Making it uncomfortable to continue to exist with the status quo. Though  the book was, at times, funny and other times sobering, I think this book was really the memoir of every woman in the South who had to become the equivalent of an FBI agent to do something right and good.

    Alice Walker coined the term womanist.  The womanist theme is found stamped all the way through The Color Purple: the struggle and triumph of every woman.  The Help is such a book as to pay homage to the Walker's work.  The Color Purple was about an awakening: "I'm here", Celie says, "I'm here".  That in no matter what situation I may find myself, I have made it through and I have arrived at this moment. In  The Help, Minnie once muses that she wonders at who she could be without Leroy. This is Minnie's I'm here moment.  Skeeter has one. Abeliene has one as well. This is why I compare the literary mastery of The Color  Purple.

(If you happen to disagree......oh well)

#Nowreading: The Help

 I have started reading another book that has been turned into a major motion picture. With this book, however, I had no misgivings about what I might find within its pages; I simply had not gotten around to it. So when a friend finished reading her copy, I asked to borrow it.  I have already  experienced anger, sadness, joy and disappointment (and I'm not done yet).  This is a book that I want to savor. It's that rich with history and truth.  I'm gonna have to finish this book before watching the movie just be able to understand all the nooks and crannies of this book.

On page 251 of 522.

Free read: Alexandra's Legacy by N. J. Walters

 Ok, so this could be yet another variation on  the werewolf paranormal story. And it is. But it's one that I haven't read so it's all good to me.   As far as  vampires and werewolves it is very hard to create a story that hasn't already been done to death but if  you can write a good story using the existing myth, then you might have a chance.    

     Alexandra has grown up on the tough streets of Chicago under the protective wing of her father, James. Life has been rather uneventful but now things are about to change. James has something that he needs to tell Alexandra...and in a hurry.  This is where Joshua comes in.....he's been sent to bring them home back to Wolf Creek, North Carolina.   The journey home has never been so treacherous. Joshua and Alexandra are on the run from werewolves and hunters and are not sure who to trust.  All-in-all, this was just an entertaining  story with a pretty hot werewolf with some serious control issues.  Good enough to make me want to purchase the next two in the series.

Also available:  Isaiah's Haven: Legacy, Book 2 and Legacy Found: Legacy, Book 3

Secrets of Bella Terra by Christina Dodd

I bought this book because it was written by Christina Dodd and I have ALWAYS enjoyed her books...historical, comtemporary, romantic suspense, etc.  So, I got the book and made the mistake of reading some customer reviews from Amazon.com. What a mistake.  Here  I has spent six smackeroo's on a book that people were saying wasn't worth what I paid for it. WOW! One reviewer's comments really had me doubt my purchase. Here is what she wrote:

This is not romantic suspense. This is a suspense book, with some romance sprinkled in almost as an afterthought. I bought this book based on the 7 previous glowing reviews, and because several of Christina Dodd's older books (across all her genres) are definitely on my "keeper" shelf. A long-time fan, I've noticed that her books are getting less and less wonderful--her "Darkness Chosen" series had some hits and misses, and I found the first couple of books in her "Chosen Ones" series so disappointing that I took Ms. Dodd off my "buy as soon as it's published" list.

I won't give another synopsis of the book, since you can get it from other reviewers and from Ms. Dodd's website. What I WILL say is that, as a romance reader of over 20 years, I've noticed the worrying trend of stories, classified as romances, being focused on things other than the interactions between the hero and heroine. The preferred "romance" plot devices now seem to be breaking a spy ring, catching a killer, stopping a plot against the government, or any combination thereof.
In this book, for instance, it seemed like the primary story was the Di Luca family dynamics, the mystery of a missing wine bottle and the suspense of killers/saboteurs on the loose. The romance between Rafe and Brooke was definitely a secondary plot--I'd be surprised if Brooke and Rafe's relationship covered more than 50 of the 448 pages. That would be okay if I bought this book in the Mystery section of the bookstore, but if I go shopping in the Romance section then romance is what I want to read...for at least 350 of the pages. I also thought it was a bit of a cop-out to just say these two loved each other from before, so that the author didn't have to spend much time writing about these two characters re-discovering each other--come on, that's the best part (along with lusty scenes)!!!. I rarely say this but I really struggled to finish this book, because in the end I was not invested in whether Brooke and Rafe actually ended up together--seems like it wouldn't have made a difference either way, as long as the everyone kept trying to solve the mystery...


See what I mean? But I started reading this book anyway (because I had spent $6.00) and by page 50 I was wondering if the reviewer had experienced a "senior moment"...maybe?  Then by page 300, I knew that  something had to be wrong; the book  I was reading was getting along OK. Good background on the Di Luca family, although some details are a bit vague (but there are two books left to clear things up) and the romance , it was definitely there. I liked knowing why Rafe and Brooke kept messing up with each other.  And the reviewer's tangent about govt plot, huh?  There was also another reviewer that mentioned something about Rafe flirting with other women while professing love to Brooke....I looked for it.........but  I didn't find it.

This is the point: If you love an author and their work, buy the damned book. If it's not as good as some others, OK. Just go back and read your favorite and recapture the magic. Some reviews are going to be brutally honest, some will be of few words, and others with give Paula Abdul-type criticism but take them with a grain of salt. It's all up to you.  You might miss out on a book that you love and will cherish.  Example, One Day by David Nicholls: one of my fav reviewers said that it wasn't going to end up on her favorite list because it was romantic enough. WTH? I loved the book and thought it to be one of the most romantic novels I've read in a long time.

My opinion about Secrets of Bella Terra: great start to an awesome series. Now I have to go out and buy Revenge at Bella Terra, which released on 9/6/2011. Want to see what happened to Eli when he was kidnapped; why this old Italian guy knows so much about Bella Terra and what is up with this fabled bottle of wine.

#nowreading : Secrets of Bella Terra by Chrsitina Dodd

So happy about my new purchase which I will, no doubt, spend all night reading. I love Christina Dodd in all her romantic incarnations: contempoary, historical, paranormal. You name it and this lady writes it and does it well. Can;t wait to sink my teeth into this new series.

E-book vs. Print Pricing

     There's a lot of  talk that paperback books are becoming obsolete. While the tide may be shifting because of new e-book technology, not everyone is caught up in the phenomenon. Some can't afford one and others are doing just fine turning pages.  Though I do have an e-reader, I am still a fan of books in print. Especially when some prices for e-books rival those for hardbacks. I thought the whole point would be to have lower prices but sometimes we find this not to be true.  I have seen e-books priced up to$14.99 when the same book can be purchased in print for $9.99. Crazy!!! If I have to pay full price for a book, I'd rather but the same book in print.
     So, today I was shopping at a major discount retailer and while perusing through the books & magazine section, I found an author whose books I read just because. Christina Dodd. I'd knew that the Secrets of Bella Terra had come out a few weeks ago but I had not been able to make the purchase.  Well I saw the $5.99 price point on the discount print book then compared the price with an e-book retailer price and the price matched the cover price of $7.99. So of course, I purchased the book in print and will be purchasing the sequels in the same fashion.  Though I but a lot of e-books, I do so when I feel that the price is reflective of the books worth . I am not going to pay $7.99 for a book by an author I have never heard of; but I will spend $2.99 or $3.99 and then I'm able to buy more. An endless cycle.
   OK, I'm done with my rant and now I must begin Secrets of Bella Terra.
 

Oh, My Damn: King's Passion by Adrianne Byrd

                                        I purchased this book (Kindle) at 6 am and I have devoured it. I have been  fan of Ms. Byrd's for a while and I regret not picking this one up as soon as it was released (please forgive me, Ms. Byrd). These King brothers are no joke.  Eamon King is a confirmed bachelor until he is entice into the thinking differently, by a jilted bride. As the owner of a gentleman's club and specialty event planning for men, Victoria Gregory holds Eamon responsible for her being left at the alter after her potential groom attends one of his parties. Oh, and what happened afterwards will make you sit with your legs crossed. Mmmmm hmmmm. Like that.

  Aside from the fabulous sexual chemistry displayed by the characters, as always, Ms. Byrd has penned a wonderful, engaging story with links to previous novels.  Anybody remember Q Hinton?  Oh, yeah he's back as well with a broken heart and too much time and money on his hands. Hopefully we'll see the completion of his story soon.  Now, I am off to read King's Promise (Arabesque) and see what happens when another bachelor changes his mind.

Quick Review: Midnight Sins by Lora Leigh

 I have to wait until March 2012 to see what else happens with the Callahan Triplets (cousins, really)? WTH? Ok, so done with the rant.
  There's evil afoot  in Sweetrock, Colorado and everyone is intent for blaming the Callahan cousins for every evil act. One thing that Lora Leigh does well is give her readers a seriously, bad ass alpha male. The air around Sweetrock must be heavy with Semper Fi. Ok. Rafe Callahan along with his cousins, Crowe and Logan, were orphaned after an accident killed their parents. But instead of the boys being protected, they were ostracized by the town, which is run by the Barons (the boys' grandfathers). Twelve years ago, several young women were brutalized including Rafe's best friend. It was Cambria Flanagan's sister who was murder after a series of mysterious calls warning her away from Rafe. At the time of her sister's death Cambria had a huge crush on Rafe...something that has turned into more of an obsession. And Rafe feels the same way. This book is a bit frustrating, in that, this is the first one of Leigh's series that I didnt know what to expect. There is a real build up of the unknown here and I had no idea what was going to happen. Even in the last few chapters I was clueless as to who the killer really was (and I still don't know). That is the frustrating part: I have to wait for the second book to get a little more. Being an avid reader of Lora Leigh, I know there will be plenty make-you-sweat sex but this, mystery, thing is something new and something I could get used to. Just angry that have to wait until next March to year more from the Callahan Triplets.