I'm baffled - truly baffled

Other words which mean the same thing

• confused
• mystified
• perplexed
• puzzled
• bewildered

All of those apply. Once upon a time, back in July of 2005 a book came out - a rather controversial book of the time; Passion by Lisa Valdez. I read it, I enjoyed it, Ron, without realizing I'd read it, reaped the benefits from it. But while I enjoyed it, there were parts that certainly made me go ouch and want to close my legs!!! Big time. Because of big size, big time big size. There was also a scene at the end that squicked a lot of readers out at the time. There was to be a sequel to the book and if it had come out not long after, I probably would have purchased it, hoping I didn't think OUCH during the second book.




But time passed and we readers kept hearing that due to one reason or another, the next book was delayed. Eventually, I moved on from that author and probably would have forgotten about her altogether, being the fickle type I can be. But her name kept popping up when other readers wondered when her next book was coming out - one year after Passion, two years after, three years after, four years after. The longer it took, the more confused I became as to the - well - passion that some readers had for her next book. Well, you've probably heard by now that there is finally a release date set - either at Dear Author or All About Romance. I've made my thoughts known at both places so no need to repeat them here again.


Being a long time romance reader, I remember when Loretta Chase took an extended break from writing. The previous book I read by her, The Last Hellion was published in 1998 and it wasn't until 2004 that her next book, Miss Wonderful came out. While I checked the shelves monthly for a while, hoping for her next book, gradually I got over looking and found other authors to replace her. And THIS was the author who wrote possibly one of the premier romance books in recent history, Lord of Scoundrels. I had also read other excellent books by her, Lion's Daughter and Captives of the Night. So for me, she had a track record.




Another author who just disappeared was Elizabeth Elliot. And she wrote some fine books too, The Warlord, Betrothed and Scoundrel. Now while her name kept popping up in the 'whatever happened to' questions, there still didn't seem to be the fervor, associated with Lisa Valdez. And it seemed Ms. Elliott definitely had a third story to tell. Anyone who has read The Warlord and Betrothed knows what I'm talking about. Word is though that Ms. Elliott will be coming out with the third book in this trilogy soon. Now this one I'm excited about!




But I still can't figure it out why there is this much buzz on the Valdez book as opposed to other authors who have gone missing. She just wrote the one book so it's not like she had a long track record. Is it because during the lull in Ms. Chase' books, the internet was fairly new and we didn't have the sites and message boards etc that we do now? I think that is a big part of the reason. I have noticed that Lord of Scoundrels in particular is still being read and enjoyed by newer romance fans. So if she were to 'disappear' again, would she be missed even more than Ms. Valdez?

Did Elizabeth Elliott's books come out before this 'younger' generation of romance readers meaning that many haven't read her books and therefore don't know what they are missing?

If you are one of those who has waited so long for Patience, what has kept you going? What is it about this book that was so good? I liked it but not as much as some it seems. Or are you like me - you've moved on in the past five years? If you are one of those who has waited the entire five years, do you think the anticipation might be a bit too high?

Are there any other authors who went 'missing' whose books that you are waiting for more?

Recent Reads

Four Books And A Movie

I’ve been a bit scarce lately and I haven’t really meant to be but I’ve been reading some great books lately and since it’s been quite a while since my reading mojo has been this strong, I’ve just been going with it. Normally my ‘thought’s are longer then these, but I’m behind so I’m going to have to do my best to be succinct – and I’m sure failing miserably!

Book #1

Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh

Why this one: I’ve really enjoyed this series and it was a given that I would read the next book when it came out

Steam Level: Best have a glass of COLD water with you when you read this one!

Blurb: When a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped, DarkRiver sentinel Mercy, a cat, and SnowDancer lieutenant Riley, a wolf, must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire.

My Thoughts: You can tell a book has hold of me when I go to the lengths I went to, to read Branded by Fire. I took it to Washington DC with me. I was hoping it would keep my mind busy during the terror of flying. It didn’t work during the take off and landing; I don’t think anything can do that. But I was quite content during the flight while reading it. I kept it in my purse at all times and took it out whenever I had a spare moment to read. I was reading it when a rather nice man came up to me while I was sitting outside the hotel and only reluctantly put it down. And this for a guy – talking to me!! I had it with me when Wendy, Rosie and I finally made it to the Library of Congress after a very long walk *g* and decided I would rather sit outside – where it was hot – and I don’t like hot – and read Branded by Fire then walk even more whilst touring the Library. I read it while waiting for the airbus at the airport and was almost disappointed when the bus showed up. And I finished it that night despite wanting to do nothing more then head for bed.

What I enjoyed about this one is it’s a changeling/changeling match so we didn’t get too much into the Phys net storyline. I still find that confusing even after all these books. I really liked the fact that Mercy was such a strong heroine. While I still enjoyed them quite a bit, in a couple of the previous books the somewhat physical helplessness of the heroines got to me a bit. But in this one Mercy is more then capable of holding her own against Riley.

I’m loving this series and this one is no exception. I think it’s my favourite so far!!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Book #2

Bound By Your Touch by Meredith Duran

Why this one: I adored her first book, The Duke of Shadows. When I read it, I knew it was special and this is an author who I want to read more of. She was on my list of books to get in DC and get it I did!

Blurb: Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London’s favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous.

But Sanburne’s golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath . . . and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger

Steam Level: *blinks eyes* I can’t remember – how can that be? But I do know the whole book was very satisfying so it must have been a good temperature

My Thoughts: It took me a while to get to her first book, The Duke of Shadows. I’d had it on the TBR pile and when I finally read it, wondered why I took so long!

I didn’t wait with this one.

Though Bound By Your Touch didn’t have quite the angst level of Duke of Shadows, I still enjoyed it immensely. Lydia was a prickly kind of heroine and as long as they aren’t overdone, I really enjoy a bristly heroine. After a brief and aborted shot at love when the man she had loved asked her for her sisters hand in marriage, Lydia pretty much dedicated herself to her father’s work. He was an Egyptologist who spent most of his time abroad while Lydia managed his affairs at home. However this is all threatened when she is giving a lecture of his work and is rudely interrupted when Sanburne breaks into the meeting and takes over with his own agenda. He has, to put it mildly, a strained relationship with his father. These two are brought together when he lords it over his father that he has a true piece of history and Lydia exposes it as a fake.

I love the relationship between these two characters. Sanburne is almost an Adonis and Lydia is described as only fair in looks, especially next to her more beautiful sisters, but to Sanburne, looks are unimportant. He finds her beautiful and that’s that.

They are a case of opposites attract. Lydia refuses to hear anything bad about her father, even when the evidences starts coming in that he might not be the ethical person she’s always believed him to be. Sanburne, on the other hand, hates his father and has made it his life’s work to become an embarrassment to the family name. If he had a few too many ‘woe is me’ moments, well, that just made him more interesting and one of the final scenes more interesting.

The dialogue between them is wonderful; I love a book with well written banter between hero and heroine and if you do too, this is one to get!

What stands out for me about Ms. Duran’s books is her writing. It’s almost lyrical in nature and follows in the mode of some of my favourite authors, Laura Kinsale, Jo Goodman. I don’t know how to put it other then she writes ‘rich’. And richly written books are too far and few between these days! I had barely finished when I knew I’d have to add her next one, Written on Your Skin to my pile and read it soon!

Grade: 4.75 out of 5

Book #3

The Fire King by Marjorie M Liu

Why this one: I received an ARC and it just ‘called’ to me. After the success of Branded by Fire, I was in the mood for another Paranormal.

Steam Level: Can a book be considered steamy when there is no “love” scene? Why, in this case I think it can.

Blurb: Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.

Zoufalstv. Eptoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication: That was why she was chosen to address the stranger. Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent, Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy. As fire consumed all he loved, so an icy sleep has been his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken. Zoufalstv. Eptoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.

My Thoughts: I read the first book in Marjorie M Liu’s Dirk and Steel series, Tiger Eye and loved it and didn’t read any more of the series. Now I’m wondering why on earth not???

I was curious going into this book how it would work since it’s book 7 in the series and the only previous one I had read was the first. I have a few minor questions, but overall, I had no trouble following the story.

Karr was a creature from thousands of years ago. A Chimera, a result of two different kinds of shape shifters whose kind had been hunted and killed. But they fought back and Karr was a Warlord of the Chimera who had asked to be killed when he did something unforgiveable. But instead of dying, he was in some kind of suspended animation, coming back to life when his tomb was uncovered. The leader of Dirk and Steele sends our heroine, Soria, to where he is being held as she has a knack of speaking every language out there and is probably the only one who can communicate with this person from centuries past. But it seems that while there might be any Chimera left on earth, there are still shape shifters and they have more then a passing interest in Karr. He and Soria must outrun them to hope to keep Karr alive.

I really enjoyed this book! It didn’t bother me not having read the intervening books. I do have some of them and you can bet I’ll be tracking them down.

Karr is my favourite kind of hero. Tortured, noble, alone; he has awakened in a time he knows nothing about and is truly a lost soul. But as a Warlord of his former tribe, he is strong and nicely alpha/

And I found the character of Sonia to be quite interesting. She had wounds of her own – physically as well as emotionally. She is still adjusting to the fact that she lost her arm from almost the shoulder down. I don’t know if this was brought up in a previous novel or not, but it’s finally explained how she lost it. She is still feeling quite a few phantom pains from it and dealing with everyone reactions to her. But Karr is probably the only person she feels safe with.

I mentioned earlier that there is no real love scenes between these two but there is A Lot of chemistry and I didn’t feel the lack of a consummated love scene. They came pretty close a few times and it was still pretty steamy.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Book #4

Don't Tempt Me by Loretta Chase

Why this one: I read Nath's review and it intrigued me enough and it's been while since I've read Loretta Chase and she is one of my auto buy authors that I moved this one up.

Blurb: Spunky English girl overcomes impossible odds and outsmarts heathen villains.

That's the headline when Zoe Lexham returns to England. After twelve years in the exotic east, she's shockingly adept in the sensual arts. She knows everything a young lady shouldn't and nothing she ought to know. She's a walking scandal, with no hope of a future . . . unless someone can civilize her.

Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont, is no knight in shining armor. He's cynical, easily bored, and dangerous to women. He charms, seduces, and leaves them--with parting gifts of expensive jewelry to dry their tears. But good looks, combined with money and rank, makes him welcome everywhere. The most popular bachelor in the Beau Monde can easily save Zoe's risque reputation . . . if the wayward beauty doesn't lead him into temptation, and a passion that could ruin them both.

My Thoughts: Oh My Goodness!! I LOVED this book. I thought I'd come out right off the bat and let everyone know this. This book has it all!

Lucien, after seeing everyone he loved die in his youth, the final straw being Zoe's disappearance, has decided that he won't feel anything. He's lost too much and as a result has become cold and aloof, a master of whit and everything one would detest in a hero. But the reader knows that's not his real character. He is dragged kicking back into feeling when Zoe returns to the bosom of her family and needs help in becoming a part of society again. He's wildly attracted to her and her innocent yet very seductive ways.

And Zoe - what a wonderful character she is!! She's a mix of innocence and sensuality. She knows what she wants - Lucien - and goes after him even though she's not quite sure she is ready to head back into a cage of 'marriage' after living so long in a harem.

There were many moments in this book that had me smiling and chuckling and when I close the cover, I couldn't help but think "Well Done Ms. Chase!!" While not quite up to the same level as my all time favourite by her, Lord of Scoundrels, this one comes very, very close! This one gets a real thumbs up from this satisfied reader!

Grade: 5 out of 5

And A Movie

I ordered a number of old movies from Amazon (real old *g*). I watched the first of the list just the other day.

Lady Chatterley with Jolie Richardson and Sean Bean

Why this one: I've been curious to see it for a while now

Steam Level: OK - *right, gulp* yup!!

Blurb: Those who believe British miniseries to be too proper and corseted may want to make an exception for Ken Russell's 1992, four-hour BBC adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's scandalous novel. Between the full frontal female nudity and empowering shed-rocking sex scenes, this is something for everyone to have a randy good time. To save you the bother of fast-forwarding, episodes two and three contain the very naughtiest bits involving the illicit affair between "loyal wife, good companion" Constance Chatterly (Joely Richardson) and Oliver Mellors (Sean Bean), gamekeeper to Constance's embittered, paralyzed husband (James Wilby). When he insists his wife take a lover and produce an heir to his fortune, he didn't have the lowly "wild man of the woods" in mind. Neither did Constance, but soon enough the woods are alive with the sound of heavy panting and frantic gropings up against trees. The production is impeccably mounted--no pun intended--and the performances (particularly by the daring Ms. Richardson) impassioned. Save for one dream sequence involving a black horse (a symbol of passion, one character helpfully explains), and the, at times, overheated musical score that threatens to overwhelm the lovers, Russell (Tommy, Altered States) holds his tendencies toward excess in check.

My Thoughts: First off - I didn't realize it was a four part mini-series from BBC so it was four hours long. I had a girlfriend from work over watching it with me and after the first love scene we looked at each other and thought his technique needed a bit of work - it was rather 'slam bang, thank you mam'ish. And then the second one - against a tree - well my girlfriend didn't think she'd ever want to try that. As for me - I'll keep it under consideration.

But he did seem to improve with time. And the frolicking in the rain scene was everything I promised her to entice her to come watch it with me.

All jocularity aside - it was a pretty good movie - mind you - no North and South - but I think I'll watch it again - only to further study the 'against the tree' scene (damn it - I couldn't put jocularity aside after all)

I thought Sean Bean did a good job of portraying the somewhat rough hewn Mellors and Jolie Richardson did a wonderful job of playing the sexually frustrated Lady Chatterley.

There was one scene that really 'got' to me - when Chatterley was describing how the lower class were - lower - and their soul purpose was to be on hand for the 'upper' class. He went on and on, meanwhile the servants were standing right there as if they didn't have any feelings of their own. He really was a grade A jerk and it made the ending even better after that.

I've only read the 'naughty' bits of the novel by D.H. Lawrence and that was when I was a very young and impressionable and 'exploring' the stuff that goes on between men and women.

And let’s face it – a movie with Sean Bean running nekkid through a field just has to get good marks for that alone!

One thing that kept it from getting higher marks - the music!! Normally I like the musical scores in movies, but in this one, the music was too loud and to overly dramatic and too distracting!

Grade: 4 out of 5

Recent Reads

I’ve gotten behind in doing my thoughts on my latest reads so I’m doing a 4-fer here.

Call of the Highland Moon by Kendra Leigh Castle

Why this one: Katie sent me a copy and as it’s a werewolf story and I never had a thing going against werewolf stories I was quite happy to receive it.

Steam Level: Nice and steamy

Amazon Blurb: A Scottish Highlands werewolf fleeing his destiny ...

Gideon MacInnes is a werewolf from the Scottish Highlands. He loves the haunting beauty of his home, but runs away to upstate New York, grappling with his destiny of being his clan's next alpha. As a snowstorm closes in, Gideon is attacked by rogue wolves working for an enemy he never imagined existed. He stumbles, wounded and bleeding, to collapse on the doorstep of Carly Silver's tiny romance bookstore-ironic, as she's never been very good at relationships with men.

A warmhearted woman, looking for a new pet ...

Thinking he's a dog, she takes him home, treats his injuries and wakes up to find a devastatingly handsome naked man in her bed.

Trapped together through the raging storm, Gideon discovers that he's found his mate and Carly has to choose between becoming a werewolf, charged with protecting humankind from the inhabitants of an evil otherworld, or giving up the one man she's ever truly loved ...

My Thoughts: *sigh* oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. First off, this one started out quite good. Gideon has traveled to the US to escape his destiny – or at least put it off for a while – as his clan’s next Alpha. When he is very badly injured in a fight with another werewolf, he finds Carly – while still in werewolf form – and she takes him home with her. For quite some time, I was really digging the character of Gideon. He was a very fine hero. But then the hero train stopped at the station and he got off the train and for me, lost all rights to be called a hero. *sigh* he was stupid. STUPID IN CAPITAL LETTERS. He withheld vital information from Carly and as a result of this, her life was put into deadly jeopardy. And if that wasn’t bad enough

*spoilers here*

After when she was bitten by the bad werewolf, because our hero was STUPID, he whisked her back to Scotland, to his clan, she was about to go through the change, the change that killed most of the women because they weren’t strong enough – AND HE LEFT HER!! He left her all alone with the knowledge that she would probably die like so many other mates of werewolves. And this was after promising her he would stay with her!! I wasn’t too keen on him before that – the STUPID thing, but to me this was totally inexcusable. Yes, I know he had to go and fight the bad guys and as Mr. Spock says, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” but surely he could have found someone to be with her in her final painful horrendous hours. He didn’t even wait to tell her what to expect! Nope, he just left her there – all alone. At this point he was on the Unforgivable train.

Of course since this is a romance, she didn’t die – but still. If I were her, I would have stayed in werewolf form and bitten off a certain piece of his anatomy for what he did!

Still, I give the author props for good writing and an interesting world. I’m not writing her off. Gideon has a brother who will have a story coming up and I plan on reading it. I just hope his isn’t as STUPID as his older brother.

And one other thing of note. Carly owns a book store – which is cool – but I hate the name of her bookstore; Bodice Rippers and Baubles. The only type of books she sells are romance books. I didn’t find that entirely believable – that she would make a success with such limited options.

Grade: 3 out of 5 – it would have been higher except for the hero taking the wrong train.

Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

Why this one: Because it’s Loretta Chase! I’ve read almost all her books excluding her earliest Trads and while I have Lord Perfect and Not Quite a Lady, I haven’t read them yet. But I decided to jump ahead and read YSW because of the great buzz

Steam Level: Just the way I like it

Back Cover Blurb: James Cordier is all blueblood and entirely dangerous. He's a master of disguise, a brilliant thief, a first class lover--all for King and country--and, by gad, he's so weary of it. His last mission is to “acquire” a packet of incriminating letters from one notorious woman. Then he can return to London, and meet sweet-natured heiresses--not adventuresses and fallen women.

Francesca Bonnard has weathered heartbreak, scorn, and scandal. She’s independent, happy, and definitely fallen; and she's learned that “gentlemen” are more trouble than they're worth. She can also see that her wildly attractive new neighbour is bad news.
But as bad as James is, there are others far worse also searching for Francesca's letters. And suddenly nothing is simple--especially the nearly incendiary chemistry between the two most jaded, sinful souls in Europe. And just as suddenly, risking everything may be worth the prize.

My Thoughts: I’ve seen in a few places that this one rates as high as Lord of Scoundrels. For me it wasn’t quite that good – but then very few book are. But aside from the comparison, I liked this one very much. It was refreshing in a number of ways. First off the setting is Venice rather than England. That alone gives it bonus points. Secondly, the heroine is an unabashed courtesan. Francesca made no bones or no apologies for what she did for a living. And I really liked her character. She was intelligent and fun.

James was a good match for Francesca. He was quite a hoot in his pursuit of Francesca. He acted totally out of character from himself. Yet I loved that she remained calm – at least on the outside. She really made him work for herself. I like that in a heroine. And I really adored her later on when we got to see some her vulnerabilities. And I give kudos to James for not holding it against her for her life and for wanting to marry her anyway.

Overall this was quite an enjoyable read.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves

Why this one: I’ve read all of Ms. Graves books and enjoyed them.

Level of Steam: Between warm and hot

Author Web site blurb:

Marry in haste...

Accountant Heather Montgomery is a planner. So never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd run into sexy charmer Tony McCaffrey in Vegas, play lady luck, and celebrate his jackpot with a champagne-soaked night. And she certainly never expected to wake up the next morning married! How could this good girl pick a man whose fridge is empty and whose apartment is a disaster zone, yet still drives her so crazy with lust she can't see straight?

Lust at leisure!

Quickly hitched and happily ditched, Tony can't wait to get back to his playboy ways. But when Heather's family is thrilled that their no-nonsense daughter is finally in love, he proposes a plan: stay married for a month to repay his good luck charm, even though she sterilizes his toothbrush and forbids anything between the sheets. But Heather is more than he bargained for--a sharp-witted, passionate woman who just might turn his near miss into wedded bliss!

My Thoughts: Ms. Graves has a wonderful way of taking a character you’re not sure you are going to like and writing them in such a way that by the time you’ve finished the book, you quite like that person. She did it with the character of Darcy McDaniel in Hot Wheels and High Heels and now she has done it with Tony McCaffery. I must admit when I first started reading, I didn’t really care for his character. He was a real player and that isn’t my favourite type of character. But as the book went on and his past is slowly revealed, I came to like him better and better.

But what I really enjoyed in this book was Heather, the heroine. When she wakes up the next morning and realizes they were married, her reaction is horror – much to Tony’s surprise who thinks she will be upset when he says it was a mistake.

I loved her character. She isn’t the brainless beauty that Tony usually dates, but she knows her own worth. She doesn’t take any crap from him and doesn’t hesitate to dress him down - in very funny ways. She’s had kind of crush on him for a while but she still sees him for the player he is.

The secondary characters are also quite interesting from Heather’s best friend to her cousin who’s getting married – with Heather as a Very Reluctant Bridesmaid. This one recently got an A at AAR and I can see why. It’s so refreshing to read a straight contemporary. They are getting more and more rare

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian

Why this one: I’ve read the previous three books in this series and I’ve really enjoyed them

Steam Level: Hot!!

Author Website Blurb: In a world of shadows and dark, consuming hungers, desire is the deadliest weapon…

The Breed Warrior Rio has endured a shattering betrayal of the heart – one that has left his body scarred and broken, his mind on the brink of madness. For him, redemption seems out of reach, and never more so than when he finds himself craving a fiery tabloid reporter in pursuit of a story that’s closer to the truth than she could ever imagine. A dangerous seduction begins, blurring the lines between predator and prey, lover and enemy…

My Thoughts: I haven’t got caught up in the whole JR Ward and BDB phenomenon, But I have in this lesser known (and lesser appreciated I think) vampire series. What I like about this series over the BDB series is the heroines are much stronger – they seem to be on a more equal footing with the heroes and I think the world building is more consistent, something I’ve said before about the previous books. The strong bond behind The Breed is just as strong I think.

This book is Rio’s story. Near the end of the first book he was badly injured in an explosion and it turned out he and his fellow band of warriors were betrayed by his breed mate.

Scarred both inside and out, he feels he is no longer any use as a Warrior and after his final mission, blowing up a cave that once held one of the monsters they were all descended from, he was going to seal himself inside the cave.

But before he can do that, our heroine, finds him hiding out in the cave and proceeds to take pictures. She plans on doing an article for a rag type newspaper. She’s a journalist but at the time, this is the only kind of work she can find. As this could reveal things that are not to be known about the Breed, Rio has no choice but to ditch his suicide plans and follow her and take her captive. But much to his dismay, she is a breed mate, one of the few humans that can mate with Breeds and as such is to be treated with care and reverence.

Because Rio is so damaged, he has trouble controlling himself at times and suffers breakdowns. When Heather witnesses one she is terrified. But she gradually begins to see beneath the surface to the tender, kind and honourable man underneath.

I was fortunate to read the first four books of this series in a relatively short period of time but alas now I have a longer wait for the next one. But I have a feeling it will be worth it as so far I have quite enjoyed each and every one of these books.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Recent Reads - and a reread

Well – our cable seems to momentarily down so I can’t blog hop - either that or Blogger is acting up again. I might as well do some reviews I’ve been behind on.

First up:

The Ultimatum - Susan Kearney

Once again, this fit my main criteria these days. She’s a new to me author, I like the genre; Futuristic and while I don’t find the cover all that great, it’s not too bad. I’ve seen Ms. Kearney’s name around a bit lately for winning awards. I was perusing the bookshelves not too long ago and saw this one and decided to give it a try.
Dr. Alara Calladar is a scientist working on fixing a most peculiar problem the women of her planet face. It seems they go into heat on a regular basis and if not ‘satisfied’ by their mates, they die. This happened to her mother. As a result, the men of her planet see no reason to put any effort forth into being decent husbands – the womenfolk need them anyway. She also has other talents – such as being able to read DNA. Because of this, her help is needed by star pilot Xander in locating the DNA of the old-timers and saving the galaxy from certain annihilation. Alara is very reluctant to help, but with the help of the leader of her planet, who sees her as a trouble maker, she is kidnapped by Xander and his crew. Thus begins a race to find a cure and save the universe.
I liked this book. I liked it quite a bit. There are two previous books in this series and it probably would have helped if I had read them first since I got lost a few times, but I found my way again and went on to enjoy this one. I really liked the character of Alara. She hates being bound by her body chemistry and is determined to find a cure, yet once she realizes the severity of the entire galaxy, she is willing to fight for it. Xander also makes quite a good hero. He’s noble and brave and is willing to do whatever it takes.
I like the twist of making Alara a slave to her ‘biology and needing Xander to save her life. This book is hot; which I like. When I was halfway through, I went to the bookstore to pick up the next one in the series and I know I’ll be looking forward to the previous two. She kind of reminds me a bit of Robin Owens without the annoying cats (and remember – I am a cat lover)
Grade 4 out of 5

Next one up

Swan’s Grace - Linda Francis Lee

This one was in a bunch of books I picked out and ordered from Amazon. It hadn’t been one of the better days so when I noticed a box o’ books sitting at our back door, well I did a little happy dance there.
I’ve long been a fan of Linda Francis Lee. This is the second book in a three book series. I read Nightingale’s Gate a number of years ago (and may I say that Mrs. Giggles and I completely disagree on it. I loved the book, while she……didn’t.). Ever since I read it, I’ve been on the look out for the other two of the series, Dove’s Way, the first one, and Swan’s Grace. I fond Dove’s Way a couple of years ago, but couldn’t find Swan’s Grace. Thus the happy dance when I got this one.
This book takes place in 1892. Sophie Wentworth is a successful cellist in Europe when she is called home to Boston by her father. She thinks it’s because her father misses her and wants her home, but in reality it’s because her father has betrothed her to Grayson Hawthorne, the man Sophie has been in love with most of her life. Although she is in love with Grayson, when she finds out the truth, she is dismayed and refuses to marry him. She has changed since she was that young and naïve girl who ran away and so has Grayson. Now he is a very successful, very stuffy lawyer.
This book is wonderful – truly, truly wonderful! Sophie is one of the best heroines I’ve read in a long while. She headstrong, she’s a lost soul, she’s complicated and she’s a diva. She hides behind a mask of confidence, but really she is still an insecure woman. She’s fabulous. Grayson is no slouch in the hero department either. Kicked out of his home at age 16 and expected to fend for himself, he relied heavily on the small kindnesses of Sophie years ago. He’s never forgotten her in all the years and he refuses to let her out of the betrothal. He’s much more than the stuffy lawyer he appears to be. The other two books in this series are who knows where in the house, but I’m looking forward to finding them, reuniting them and reading them all over again – in order this time.
Linda Francis Lee is now writing contemporaries. I don’t know if she has plans to go back in time; the market isn’t really publishing many of these days, but *sigh* at least there are these ones to reread.
Grade: 5 out of 5


and then the reread

The Lion’s Daughter by Loretta Chase

It’s no secret that Lord of Scoundrels is one of my all time favourite books. I read it years ago and after I did, I went in search of her other books. Luckily I found both Lion’s Daughter and Captives of the Night. This was all years ago and while I’ve read Lord of Scoundrels many times, I’ve only read The Lion’s Daughter once. While I remember liking it, it didn’t have the same impact as LOS. Since my tastes have changed so much over the years and the came out with a reprint I thought I would read this one again to see if I liked it any better. I’m happy to say that yes, I like it much better on the reread.
Esme Brentmore is the daughter of Jason Brentmore and a Albanian woman. Jason (the Red Lion) was banished from England many years ago when he lost at cards and was disgraced. He met and married and fathered a daughter while working for the leader of Albania. She has since grown into a very wild young woman. Jason decides in the view of all the political intrigue going on, that he would be more effective if he was dead so he faked his own death. Unfortunately he didn’t really make plans on what would happen with Esme. Through a round about way that would be too complicated to summarize, she lands in the hands of Varian Edenmont, a real wastrel in every sense of the word.
While Esme got on my nerves a bit with her stubbornness and affinity for getting into trouble, the real enjoyment of this book is with Varian. He starts out, simply put, a jerk. Too handsome for his own good, he depends on the generosity of others, never doing anything of value with his life. At the beginning of this book he’s a very dislikeable hero. But what makes this book so good is his transformation into a worthwhile and compassionate character. It takes a rare talent for an author to do this believably and Ms. Chase pulls it off so by the end of the book I was fully captivated by Varian. When I first read this one years’ ago, I didn’t fully appreciate what she had accomplished with his character, so I’m so glad I decided to give this one a reread. The next book in the series, Captive of the Night is another one I read years ago and is Ismal, the charismatic villain of The Lion’s Daughter. I’m going to start reading this one later tonight I think (while I watch the Jays and hope they don’t blow another one) (I did - they did - aarrrggghhh)
Grade: 4 out of 5 (5 for the hero, 3 for the heroine)

'til later