More Recent Reads

Completely Irresistible by Sheridon Smythe.
I must admit to wanting try her previous books but the covers were just so darned bad. I don't know if this one is better or I was just in a "don't give a damn" what they think mode when I bought it, but I'm glad I did get it. Tara said this in one of her reviews “I always like when I discover a good book, not necessarily a great keeper, but a book I can enjoy in the moment.”
That's what this book is like for me. I wouldn't call it a keeper, but it was fun. This is a book chalk full of misunderstandings but since that’s the point, it’s quite fun. Wyatt Love becomes the caretaker for a trio of poodles when an old rich lady dies. Kasidy Evans thinks he’s her boy toy and even though she finds him very attractive and is drawn to him, she wants nothing to do with this gigolo. Wyatt’s twin brother Dillon becomes aware of this and decides to make Wyatt pay. Meanwhile she has her own secrets she’s trying to protect. As I said, this one is fun and had me chuckling in a number of places. I think I may just break down and get the previous ones because the secondary characters were a hoot too.
Grade 3 ½ out of 5


Over the Line by Cindy Gerard
I’ve read all the other books in this series and really enjoyed them, especially To the Brink so I was anticipating this one too. And joy of joys I wasn’t disappointed. Jason Wilson who made a brief appearance as a drunk in a previous book has decided to straighten out his life. He called his old Ranger captain and joined E.D.E.N. the detective agency his old comrade now runs. His first assignment is as a body guard to Sweet Baby Jane, a very popular rock singer who has acquired herself a stalker. Janey is surprised at the youthful appearance of her new bodyguard but attracted at the same time. I found the mystery in this one more in the forefront during the first half of this book than her previous ones, but then that was OK because it was a very good mystery! Normally I would be wanting more of the romance but since the suspense was so good that turned out to be not an issue at all for me. And the romance did kick in big time in the second part so this one is a very good, very complete romantic suspense!
Grade 4 ½ out of 5


Extreme Bachelor by Julie London
This one was DNF. I really liked it right up to a certain point and I may go back to it. Others who have read this one really liked it and I can see why, but at a certain point I just found myself rolling my eyes and putting it aside – for now. Years before Leah Klein was an up and coming actress. Life was perfect for her because she was also desperately in love with Michael Raney. But when he dumped her, life fell apart. Five years later she is reduced to tacky commercials. Then when cast in a movie, she runs into Michael again when he is the stunt coordinator. He never forgot Leah, loved her even back then, but thought with his job he just couldn’t give her the commitment she wanted and needed. Now after running into her again, he decides he wants her back but Leah, once burned and burned badly, wants nothing to do with him.
As I said, I found this one a mixed bag. Part of me loved it, but the whole soccer mom movie thing was just such a turn off. I can’t imagine anything worse than a movie about soccer moms who all turn on each other and get into physical battles. I finally stopped reading when the stunt team took all the actresses on a white water rafting trip as a reward and Leah fell in the water. Silly reason not to finish a book I was enjoying I know – but there you go. It happens.
Grade: DNF - for now


Parallel Attraction by Dierdre Knight
I got this one because it fit into my criteria; a new author and a futuristic. And Wowzers. This one is great!!!
The book opens when Jared Bennet a young exiled king from another world visits earth and runs into a young Kelsey Wells. Although they are both young, the attraction is immediate and intense. But then one of the elders from Jared’s world removes their memories of each other. The book picks up some years later. Jared is still hiding and planning on earth. One evening he takes his cruiser out and it is shot down. He runs into Kelsey who saves him. They don’t remember each other but there is something strong that draws them to each other.
What can I say – both Jared and Kelsey are wonderful character. Jared is a king who has given his all to his people. Now he wants a chance of happiness in his life. Kelsey is a great strong heroine who is completely in love with Jared despite his differences. This would be an unquestionable 5 except it takes a detour into a time warp continuum that I found a bit confusing. It was heartbreaking – it made me tear up and it’s a rare book that does that – but still I found myself going “yea but”. Still – I’m giving this one a very high grade. I loved their love story. Of note though; this is only the first of a series and as such it doesn’t really end. Rather it breaks until the next book comes out to continue the story. And I am already so there for the next installment. I love the futuristic genre and this is a very, very good addition to it.
Grade 4 ¾ out of 5

'til later

The Books I've Been Reading

I can’t think of anything too insightful to say so I’m falling back to my old stand-by – recent reads. – And there are a lot of ‘em.

Crazy Hot – Tara Janzen
I’ve been waiting for the next Glenna McReynolds book since I read the last page of River of Eden published in January 2002. For a while it seemed like she disappeared like so many other favourite authors. Then I heard she was writing under a new name – Tara Janzen and would have a series of books coming out very close together. Yippee! I thought. But then the publishing date got pushed back and back, covers changed etc until finally, finally the first one was published in October 2005. It was late getting to the shelves here and in the meantime, I saw a few people had read it and didn’t give it glowing reviews. Nuts! I thought, but decided to go ahead and read it anyway when it showed up. And boy am I glad I did! This one really worked for me. It was the exact book I needed at exactly the time I needed it. I thought it literary Calgon. It took me away. Way over the top, it made me think of the movie Fast and the Furious – except I never saw very much of the movie – just some of the fast car scenes. Hot cars, hot hero, hot (very good, very hot) sex, an innocent but very likeable heroine, an intriguing secondary story, it was the whole package. I’m not going to do much of a review because they are easy to find and lots of people know about this one.
Grade: 5 out of 5

Crazy Cool – Tara Janzen
Since the first one worked so well I couldn’t get this one fast enough. Again it really worked for me for all the same reasons. Christian was a trouble maker teen who still managed to save Katya Decker from a group of over enthusiastic rich boys’ years ago after a richy rich dance. They had a memorable few weeks until he is sent to prison for murdering one of the boys he saved Katya from – even though he was innocent. Years later he is assigned to her as a bodyguard at an art function. Things get hairy when there is an explosion and Christian is forced to flee with Katya in tow. Neither has ever forgotten the other and the chemistry is hot and stays hot. This was another Calgon book and it seems a long way until the third book is release in January. The secondary story started in the first book is continued in the second book. The only complaint I have about this one – and it’s minor – is a bit to much jumping around. I would have preferred a bit less on Katya’s assistant and a bit less on the model/ETM from the first book – since it really isn’t about them – but as I said this is minor. I can see others wanting even more of these too.
Grade 41/2 out of 5

Too Perfect – Julie Ortolon:
Oh dear. What can I say about this one except Too Perfect – not. I loved and raved about the first two in this series, but sadly *sigh* I really disliked this one. First off the heroine was a twit. I hate twits. And if that wasn’t enough, she was an overweight heroine who obsessed ad nauseum (see very recent blog for my thoughts on THAT kind of a storyline). The plot was convoluted. While working as a nanny on a cruise (why she couldn’t have just taken a cruise as a vacation I don’t know. It’s not as if she ever really went anywhere) gets fired and then stranded on a tropical island. Her fear has always been of getting lost while traveling. Guess she faced her greatest fear. She gets in touch with the ship and (the twit) has her clothes sent home. So there she is, no clothes, no money and she decides to stay for 4 more weeks. She lands herself a job as a cook (shades of another book I ranted about to friends – bad flashback time). The hero, who’s not really who he says he is, hires her. He’s posing as a French – something or other I don’t know what, who works for a recluse, who is again – the hero. But he’s not a recluse, he’s really a very wealthy playboy type who does something in Hollywood, but he’s hiding out. Confused yet? Um – so was I. Anyway the heroine who thinks orgasms are an urban legend (the twit) is very drawn to the recluse part of our hero. She never meets him – he is just a voice in another room. Suddenly, she’s all set to shag our mystery hero in his recluse role, yet she’s not drawn at all to our hero in his very hunky Frenchman’s disguise (the twit). I could go on, but I’m only depressing myself since the first two books were excellent. Needless to say, our heroine (the twit) gets over her weight complex, our hero ‘outs’ himself from his various disguises. She’s mad, he’s sorry, she gets over it and all is right with the world.
Ms Ortolon is a good writer and just because this one bombed for me big time, I will certainly continue to read her. I just wish this one had lived up to the first two.
Grade: 2 out of 5

To the Edge – Cindy Gerard
Since I had such tremendous success with the Tara Janzen books, I decided to continue my RS read-a-thon with this book, one of the ones I don’t know why I bought. Cindy Gerard is a new-to-me author so I wasn’t sure what I was in for. While I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the Tara Janzen books, I liked it well enough to buy her current release. Nolan Garrett is a burnt out ex-soldier/special forces who has been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Nolan is asked by special request to take on an assignment as a bodyguard for Jillian Kincaid, a news anchor. Jillian is less that thrilled when she realizes, after Nolan gave her quite a scare, to have a bodyguard. As the daughter of a multi-millionaire, she’s grown up surrounded by bodyguards and doesn’t want Nolan around – nuh uh, no way, even if she is receiving threatening e-mails and voice mails. Plus, he runs hot and cold on the way he treats her. Eventually though, she begins to appreciate him for his bodyguard skills – and other skills too. For his part Nolan is very attracted to Jillian but feels because of his rather tortured past he is not worthy of her. Add that to the fact he doesn’t think a rich girl like her would give him the time of day. But as they work together to try and find out who wants Gillian dead, they overcome the barriers. As I said, I enjoyed this one although the ending seemed rather rushed. I can’t quite put my finger on what is missing towards the end of the book, but something is. Nevertheless, it’s still a pretty decent read.
Grade: 31/2 out of 5

At this point I’m not going to do something I always do. I’m going to let this stand as it is and not do any proof reading. Between lengthy hospital visits, working 10 hour days to make up missed work time I’m beat. Any grammatical and spelling errors shall have to remain.
And of course there is a new episode of Lost on tonight after two weeks of repeats so I can’t miss that. Wonder who it will be??????