Recent Read

A Reason to Sin by Maureen McKade

Why This One: I love Westerns and I'd loved her two previous books in this series so there was no doubt I'd be getting this one

Steam Level: I'd say it would be tea that's sat around for half an hour

Back Cover Blurb: Once upon a time, Rebecca Colfax was a well-to-do young woman with a bright future in St. Louis. Then her husband gambled all her money away and disappeared int the night. Alone, homeless, and desperate, she was forced to take her son to an orphanage, but now she's determined to get him back. Little did she know that during her search she'd encounter a man destined to change the course of her life...
Rebecca Colfax was out of options. Which is how she wound up working at the Scarlet Garter in Oaktree, Kansas, as a singer and hurdy-gurdy girl, trying to scrape together enough money to get her son back. At the saloon, she reveals nothing of herself, not even her real name. She doesn't want anyone to know her secrets - especially not sexy Slater Forrester, a faro dealer and ex-spy who's clearly haunted by something in his past. But when violence burst through the saloon's doors, she discovers a dangerously appealing side to Slater, a side she finds herself hard to resist. But how will the man she's falling for react when he uncovers the secrets she's keeping?

My Thoughts: I'd read the reviews both Wendy (at least I think Wendy reviewed it - now of course I can't find her review) and Rosie gave for this one and to be honest I was hoping it was them not the book as they weren't the best.
Sadly - it wasn't them and I agree with both of them. I was hoping this one would be as good as A Reason to Live - one of my favourite books of 2007 but A Reason To Sin just didn't have the same emotional punch as it's predecessor. It could have - it certainly had the potential, but it didn't quite live up to it.
For example, Rebecca was forced to leave her son at an orphanage while she looked for her no-good gambling husband yet I didn't feel the tearing loss such an action would cause. And her conversion to good decent girl to fallen dancing girl went just a bit too smoothly for me. I also didn't really feel the angst when she decided to sleep with Slater.
And while I thought Slater a good hero, I still would have liked to see more of his past. It was done in more of a tell rather than show kind of way. This was also something Rosie noticed.
I was also disappointed at the end. For anyone who has read the first two books, this is about three brothers separated when they were young. The ending had them finally altogether - but it seemed rushed and hurried.
I'm glad I read it. I love Westerns and there are still not enough of them for me and I hope Ms. McKade writes more even though it looks like her next release will be a romantic suspense. I just was left wishing for a bit more.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Recent Reads

Tangled Up In You by Rachel Gibson

Why This One: Rachel Gibson – ah Rachel Gibson. She’s probably my most up and down author. When I love her book, I really, really love it. But when I don’t, it’s such a disappointment. But I get all her books hoping for that thrill I get when I read one of her really really good ones.

Steam Level: Would make a drink nice and hot

Chapters Blurb: Maddie is determined to uncover the untold story about the town’s sordid past—her past. As a child, Maddie lost everything, and now she’s back at the scene of the scandal—a local establishment that’s always belonged to the Hennessys—determined to uncover the truth, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Especially not a black-haired, blue-eyed Hennessy.

Everyone in Truly knows that the Hennessy men are irresistible, and the current owner, Mick, is no exception. His late father was a skirt-chasing heartbreaker who ended up causing disaster for two families. So far, Mick’s managed to keep the ladies in line, but when he claps eyes on Maddie, with her luscious curves and tempting lips, he can’t resist getting tangled up with her.

But Maddie is keeping secrets, not the least of which is her true reason for being in town. And when Mick discovers what‘s really going on, there is going to be a whole lot of trouble in Truly.

My Thoughts. While it’s not quite up there with my favourite Gibson book, See Jane Score, it’s pretty damn close and I did really, really enjoy this one.

It reminded me a bit of After The Night – my favourite Linda Howard, in that both books had the heroine returning to the scene of the crime many years later to try and puzzle out what happened. Both books also featured a somewhat off-kilter sister of the hero. And both featured the heroine’s mother having a thing with the hero’s father. But other than those similarities, the books weren’t the same feel at all.

Mick is adorable. He’s pretty scarred from what happened to his family in his youth but lives in a state of denial. He loves his sister and his nephew and moves back to a place he hated in his youth to take care of them.

And I really liked Maddie. I thought she was a great heroine. She was strong and overcame a terrible childhood. She writes true crime books and while she has been affected by her subject matter, still she has maintained her sense of right and wrong. She knows it’s wrong that she kept something major from Mick, but I could really buy her reasons. The banter between them is very well-written and this is Rachel Gibson at the top of her game.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5


A Reason To Believe by Maureen McKade

Why this one: It’s a Western, I loved the first one and I’ve read a few by the author that I’ve really enjoyed.

Steam Level: Warm but it’s not going to burn your tongue.

Chapters blurb: Lonely and filled with regrets, Dulcie McDaniels struggles to provide a decent life for her daughter. Usually shunned by proper folks, she's suspicious of Rye Forrester, a drifter offering to work for his keep. But after he helps harvest the crop, her feelings toward the handsome stranger turn into a consuming passion. But Rye has his own secrets. When their tragic pasts catch up with them, these two wounded souls must fight for the love that will keep them together for a lifetime.

My thoughts: I loved this one. Sybil told us that Ms. McKade told her it wasn’t A Reason to Live and I agree, it didn’t have the same kind of punch to it that ARTL did, but I enjoyed it quite a bit for it’s own sake.

Dulcie is a very prickly heroine and at times almost a little too prickly. She took a long time to trust Rye, but eventually she let her guard down. She also had certain issues that I’d never really read about before and I thought they were very believable and very well handled by the author.

Rye is one of those ‘oh so wonderful’ tortured heroes. He feels responsible for the dire straights that Dulcie finds herself in and works hard to help her out. What I appreciated is while he didn’t approve of the ‘issue’ that Dulcie had, he never judges or condemns her for it.

I’ve been reading another book, The Stranger, by Elizabeth Lane. It has a very similar storyline but while it’s taking me quite a while to get through – not that it’s bad, I’ve had times where I haven’t been reading or reading something else, I zipped through Reason to Believe in a day and a half.

If I could change anything, it might be to make Dulcie just a tad less prickly and turn up the steam level just a bit. But other than that, this was a fine book and a great addition for Western fans. It's also a good one for those thinking of trying a Wester.

(well all except Cindy because there is a little girl who plays a role and Cindy's not to keen on children in her romance *g*)

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

'til later

Recent Reads

The Untamed One by Ronda Thompson
I read the first book, Untamed One, in this series a while ago and really liked it. I’ve had this one, the second one, sitting on my TBR pile for a while now and finally got around to reading it after Sizzling. It was kind of interesting because the hero in this one was also the same type of character – only in a different setting. This is a blend of historical and the paranormal. Jackson, the youngest Wulf brother is a physically beautiful wastrel and a drunk and a womanizer. He is also cursed, like the rest of his brothers. They turn into a wolf when violent passions are raised or when the moon in full. In order end the curse for both himself and his brothers, he comes up with the idea that if he kills a witch, that should do the trick. He hies off to the country in search of a witch and finds Lucinda, a young and beautiful witch about to give birth. He helps her and soon realizes he can’t kill her. Instead they strike up a bargain. Jackson will take care of her newborn son and Lucinda will try and break the curse.

Is it a hit or a miss?

As I said, Jackson starts out in this book not a very admirable character but he decides it’s time for him to make a few life changes and grow up. And the author does a marvelous job in transforming him. It doesn’t take overnight and we get to see him struggle along on his journey into becoming a better man. She also gives us glimpses into why he became the kind of person he was and I felt myself sympathizing with him and understanding why he was the way he was.
And Lucinda makes a wonderful heroine. She’s intelligent and strong; she is able to hold her own against the animal magnetism of Jackson and she fully realizes the difference in their status. And unlike the heroine in Sizzling, she didn’t capitulate to Jackson’s charm like a wet tissue. No, she made him work and therefore it was much more satisfying when they finally ‘came together’. This is a fairly new-to-me author and one I will be glomming. I have her final book in the trilogy and I also recently purchased Love at First Bite – not for Sherrilyn Kenyon the lead author, not for LA Banks and not for Susan Squires – nope the reason I bought this one was for the other brother in this intriguing series by Ronda Thompson
Grade 4.5 out of 5


A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade
I’ve been trying to get as many reads in as I can for the AAR Reader Poll. Usually I vote fairly early, but since I didn’t read as much as normal last year, I’m going to vote later than normal. With that thought in mind, I picked this book up. I had intended on reading it earlier in the year but I knew from others reviews that this would be a very emotional read and I wasn’t quite ready.
And it is! A very emotional read that is. Laurel was a nurse during the Civil War. During that time she saw many terrible things. After the war she sets out on a mission to deliver the dying words of her patients who didn’t make it. Creede Forrester who had lost his wife years earlier and lost his son in the war has been looking for Laurel to find out about the last moments of his son’s life. He decides to join and protect her on her journey to visit the few remaining families.
Laurel is the heart and the soul of this book. When I finished the last page I knew right away I had found my favourite heroine of the year. She is suffering from PTS Syndrome although of course they had no idea what it was back then. She has nightmares and now is beginning to have the same kind of thing when she is awake. She thinks she is going crazy as at each stop she seems to get a little worse. Yet despite this, she doesn’t hesitate in her mission. Along the way she and Creede experience adventures, some good, some not so good.

Is it a hit or a miss?

It’s fascinating to read all the different reactions the families have to their loved ones final words.
Laurel shows a great deal of compassion while trying to remain somewhat detached in order to survive. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming to read about a young cat that adopts Laurel & Creede. Laurel is afraid to get close to it, yet afraid it will leave them. Rarely have I seen a heroine so well-written and so alive.
And while the character of Laurel is a stand-out, the hero, Creede is also a fascinating character in his own right. A former gunslinger who took up a life of revenge after the death of his parents, he gave up his violent ways when he met and fell in love with Anna his wife who tragically died 10 years before the story begins. He is also suffering greatly from the death of his young 16 year old son during the war and haunted by the final bitter words between them.
This story should be read by everyone who enjoys the Western genre and even those who don’t but are looking for a beautiful story of bravery and sorrow. I know this is one that will stay with me for days.
Grade: 5 out of 5

From the Library

I seem to be in a bit of a slump again as far as new books go, but I can still read some of my old favourites. Since there are so many new bloggers and readers of romance I thought I'd review some of my oldie but goodies - now that they are "out of the box". I'm starting with this one because I brought it up when I highlighted some of my favourite pirate romances. It called me - it really did - and said "read me." Well - when a book does that, you really have no choice. I've mentioned more than once that this is one of my favourite futuristics but it's been a few years since I've actually read it - so here goes

The Skypirate by Justine Davis

back blurb:

A LEGENDARY ROGUE OF THE GALAXY - AND HIS BEAUTIFUL CAPTIVE
He is Dax, the skypirate hunted to the ends of the universe by the cruel interstellar Coalition. He has survived the destruction of his planet, but he can't escape the demons haunting his soul - or the allure of the woman captive who wears the notorious golden golden slave collar.

She is Captain Califa Claxton, once the Coalition's top battle strategist. Only a great cosmic irony has her rescued by Dax, the Coalition's deadliest enemy. Although she knows secrets that can make him triumphant, he posses the collar controller which can break her will. But his touch alone arouses her passion. If she can gain his trust, a chance to destroy the Coalition together awaits them among the stars. And in the white heat of their explosive union a new bond may be forged - souls joined by a maginifcent love!
(whoever comes up with these blurbs sure does go heavy on the cheese don't they?)
This is the second of a two book series. The first one - Lord of the Storm - tells the story of a fabled planet Trios and how it was raided and destroyed by the evil coalition. The hero was the Triotian prince who had been made into a slave and the heroine was a pilot in the coalition who met, fell in love with and rescued the Triotian prince. He had been owned by the heroine of Skypirate - Califa.
This one takes place several years later. Califa has been made a gold collar slave herself. It is thought by the Coalition that she had knowledge of Dare and Shayla - the hero/heroine of the previous book. When the story opens, she is a prisoner along with another female, Rina, who had been captured cheating in a card game. When Rina, a member of the Dax's crew is rescued, he takes Califa along with him, not knowing who she is. Dax and Calipha dance around each other but both are very attracted to the other. Dax makes such a wonderful hero!!! One of the best. He still feels very guilty that he wasn't around when his planet was destroyed and does whatever it takes to do his part to take down the Coalition. Califa was a nasty piece of work in the first book and because Ms. Davis is such a talented writer, she does a remarkable job in not only redeeming her but makes her a sympathetic character that you actually root for. I really enjoy Lord of the Storm, but I like this one just a wee bit better. Unlike LOTS, in this one we get the point of view of both Dax and Califa. She really makes us feel the pain that Dax does on thinking he is one of the last of his kind and the depth of anguish he feels.
This is one heck of a good book and I know it's a favourite of many. For those who haven't read it, I highly recommend it. I wish Ms Davis were still writing books like this. It's a real loss for us readers that she isn't anymore! And to be honest - considering it was published in 1995 - I even kind of like the cover *ducking*

Grade: 5 out of 5

I haven't updated my recent buys in ever so long!! There have been a bunch - here are just a few of them



Lord of the Beasts - Susan Krinard - some of hers really work for me - some not so much. Hopefully this will be one that works.


A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade - finally found this one! A Western *sigh* And it's been getting rave reviews.


What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden - I've heard good things about her previous book


An Unexpected Pleasure by Candace Camp - I've recently rediscovered her and wondered why I "lost" her. She's very good.


True Blood by Patria Waddell - I read another futuristic by her, enjoyed it and wanted to read this one. Besides - I really like the cover


O'Rourke's Bride by Barbara Dan - bought this one on pure spec. The hero is a down on his luck Irish actor and it takes place in the west. How could I resist. Add in the price and it seems like a great deal.

And on a side note - why or why did I let myself get hooked on Dancing with the Stars????

'til later