#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.