The month that was July

It’s taken me longer than I planned to get this post up and running. I did really well and read 14 books. Many of them were rereads and to try and keep this post somewhat reasonable in length, I’m just going to highlight the books I read for the first time.

A Hearing Heart by Bonnie Dee

The heart conveys messages beyond what ears can hear.

After the death of her fiancé, Catherine Johnson, a New York schoolteacher in 1901, travels to Nebraska to teach a one-room school and escape her sad memories. One afternoon, violence erupts in the sleepy town. Catherine saves deaf stable hand, Jim Kinney, from torture by drunken thugs.

As she takes charge of his education, teaching him to read and sign, attraction grows between them. The warmth and humor in this silent man transcends the need for speech and his eyes tell her all she needs to know about his feelings for her. But the obstacles of class difference and the stigma of his handicap are almost insurmountable barriers to their growing attachment.

Will Catherine flout society’s rules and allow herself to love again? Can Jim make his way out of poverty as a deaf man in a hearing world? And together will they beat the corrupt robber baron who has a stranglehold on the town?

I’ve read a number of books by Bonnie Dee now and enjoyed them all. I read a review that Aztec Lady did a while ago and it stayed in the back of my mind, simmering, until I got an EReader. Now that I have a Kobo, there was no reason not to give this one a go.

As with all the other books I’ve read by this author, I enjoyed this one too. It was a simple story about a young man who was deaf and couldn’t speak and the local teacher. Katherine comes to Jim’s rescue when he is being dragged by a number of drunkards who took exception to his deafness. She had traveled west in order to escape the sadness of losing her fiancé a few years ago. She finds herself very drawn to Jim and recognizes that although he can’t hear or speak, underneath he is very intelligent and just lacked the right person to unlock his world.

Jim is equally drawn to the beautiful young teacher but sees the differences in their stations and feels any relationship beyond teacher/student is impossible, but deep inside and with plans for the future, he couldn’t help but hold out a small hope.

Bonnie Dee writes books that are tender and poignant and while her heroes tend to be more on the beta side, they are still very appealing and A Hearing Heart is no exception. The conflict comes from external sources rather than any kind of misunderstanding really. I’m glad I remembered and read this book.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Risk Everything by Sophia Johnson

Upon a moonless midnight, his face in shadow, a silent man came riding...Could it be? Is it him, so far from his lands and his people? Meghan can make no mistake, not when her heart cries out his name: Rolf MacDaidh. She had loved him once, in secret - and now the man they called the Lord of Vengeance wanted her...To Rolf, Meghan of Blackthorn is more precious than gold. But he must forget his bygone dreams of her as his bride and remember that she is no more than a captive now. Yet her beauty bewitches him still - and her spirit kindles a passionate desire that cannot be tamed...

Have you ever read a book that you know drives you batty, that you know you shouldn’t like, but you can’t help but read it nevertheless? I believe we call these guilty pleasures. Such is the case with Risk Everything. I was reading it while at the RWA conference and despite all the events and meetings going on around me, I still managed to steal time to read this one – even though it drove me batty. It’s a Medieval and already this year I’m way ahead of where I was last year in reading this genre.

Meghan of Blackthorn is not your typical medieval miss. Instead she’s quite the warrior type. She is out hunting when she is captured by Rolph MacDaidh. He was a friend of her childhood, but now he holds her brother responsible for the death of his wife and child and plans on using Meghan to gain his revenge.

At first Meghan frustrated me with her warrior ways. I kept wishing these two would just sit down and talk things over, but they didn’t. By the time I either got used to Meghan or she mellowed somewhat, I’m not sure which, I was really starting to enjoy this book. And then Rolph did something so very unforgiveable. I hated what he did to the heroine and never really did forgive him it by the end of the book.

But still, the story kept me reading it even in the middle of a conference so I consider that a good sign. Although the grade isn’t that high for this one, oddly enough it doesn’t really reflect how compelling I found it. And I do want to read the others in this series so I’m thinking that’s a good thing!

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized London by leaving her husband, notorious artist Lord Mac Mackenzie, after only three turbulent years of marriage. But Mac has a few tricks to get the Lady back in his life, and more importantly, back into his bed.

I’ve been jonesing for this one ever since reading The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie. While I didn’t expect to be knocked over the head with this book like I was Lord Ian, I was hoping that still I would really enjoy it. And, joy of joys, I did!

We got to see quite a bit of Mac and Isabella in the first book and though I can’t say for certain, I would recommend those planning on reading this book should read the first book, well first. One, because it’s a great book and two, because we get a glimpse into the troubled marriage between the hero/heroine of this one.

First off, they were both very appealing characters in this book. That’s a big plus. I was already predisposed to liking them both and it continued on in this book. It was never a lack of love between the two of them that tore their marriage apart so going in, the reader can already sense the love. Rather it was Mac’s wildness and an inability to communicate that drove them apart. They are both passionate people and theirs was a ‘love at first sight’ kind of marriage. They eloped the night they met without getting to know how the other one ticks that caused such contentious issues. And Mac was on one of his many absences when Isabella suffered a tragic loss. And his drunkenness and childish attitude doom the marriage.

But since a lack of love was never the issue, Mac spends the next several years growing up and when an opportunity arises for him to spend time with Isabella and show her that he has changed.

I really enjoyed this ‘marriage in trouble’ book and ended up being quite pleased with it, but waiting for the next one in the series.

Grade: 4.75 out of 5

The Missing by Shiloh Walker

Her psychic gift drove away the man she loved— and years later has drawn him back to her…

As a teenager, Taige Branch hated her psychic gift. No one could understand—except for Cullen Morgan, the boy who stole her heart. He did his best to accept her, until his mother was brutally murdered—and he couldn’t forgive Taige for not preventing it.

Now a widowed father, Cullen Morgan has never forgotten Taige. But what brings her back into his life is another tragedy. His beloved little girl has been kidnapped, and Taige is his only hope of finding her. Working together against the clock, Cullen and Taige can’t help but wonder whether—if they find his daughter in time—it isn’t too late for the overpowering love that still burns between them…

I was really blown away earlier this year when I read Broken so when I saw this one was out in MM size, it was almost a given that I’d be giving it a read. While it didn’t blow me away as much as Broken, still I thought it good enough that I was glad I read it.

I really loved the start of the book; the young love between Taige Branch, the heroine and the loner with the strange talents and Cullen Morgan, the wealthy young man who visited the coastal town every summer. I loved reading about the growing love between them and how accepting Cullen was of Taige’s gift. And it was very touching. But then I ran into the same kind of problem I did with Risk Everything. Cullen did something so nasty to Taige that I couldn’t really forgive him for it. I know he was very angry at his mother’s death and lashed out at Taige. But he did in such a cruel way.

So while the book worked very well as a mystery, it kind of failed a bit as a romance. It was clear that had his daughter not gone missing and he needed Taige’s help in finding her, he never would have reconnected with Taige and all the ugliness would have gone unresolved and Taige still would have carried the burden of it. Even after he reconnected with her, he was still planning on just leaving for a while.

So, as a romantic suspense, the suspense worked but the romantic didn’t. But I love her writing enough to certainly keep reading her.

Grade: 4 out of 5

The Lost Enchantress by Patricia Coughlin

Long ago Eve Lockhart discovered that the ancient magic that was her birthright could cost her everything. So she vowed to create a normal life and was convinced she'd succeeded-until a long-lost family talisman resurfaces. A prize beyond price, the hourglass pendant ignites the fevered interest of mysterious forces who'll risk anything to possess it-forces that include one very seductive man...

The priceless pendant isn't the only thing Gabriel Hazard wants from Eve. For nearly two centuries he's searched for the hidden magic that can break a spell and grant him the one thing he craves. But he isn't alone in wanting the pendant-or Eve's magic.

Now Eve has no choice but to break her long-ago vow and claim her power, her dream of everlasting love-and her destiny.

Many years ago I read a couple of historicals that she wrote, Lord Savage and Merely Married. When I saw she was coming out, finally, with another single title book, I knew I wanted to read it but since it was a trade size, the price was a bit scary. Then, when I got the Kobo and could get it cheaper as an ebook, I went for it.

When I started reading it though I was a bit surprised as for some reason I just assumed it would be another historical. But it wasn’t. Instead it’s a contemporary with a bit of the paranormal thrown in.

Eve Lockhart has magical abilities but since she felt they lead to a tragedy in her youth, she has done everything she can to deny them. Instead she’s become a journalist who refuses to do anything magical. That is until she sees a pendant that she is strongly attached to at an auction and unknowingly uses her talent to wrest it away from Gabriel Hazard who needs it for its magical properties. When he visits her, trying to get it back, she refuses to sell it, but she does agree to let him use it for whatever mysterious purpose he has up his sleeve.

This book was another winner – I had a lot of them in the month of July! Both Eve and Gabriel make for fascinating characters. At first Gabriel has no plans to do anything with or for Eve, but she does have something about her that changes his mind. I thought he made for quite an interesting hero.

But the real draw for me with this book was Eve. I loved how protective she was of her grandmother and sister and niece. She really is the glue that holds them altogether. She is dead set against acknowledging her magical abilities, but slowly, over the course of the story, she begins embracing them once more.

I hope Ms. Coughlin doesn’t take as long this time to come out with another single title book. Though when she does, I’ll be there.

I'm crossing my fingers that when I post this live it looks alright because goodness knows it sure is looking wonky in the compose view!!!

The new job is turning out to be not nearly as busy as the old one and I have lots of time on my hands. I did part of this at work whilst trying to stretch time and I did it in a word doc and then emailed it to my home email. Looking at it in compose view, the words are huge and all smooshed together. I'm just going to cross my fingers and hit publish post now

Fingers crossed.............

Recent Read

Taking a bit of a break from the jocularity that is The Mullet Challenge (heh heh heh) I'm getting back to business for a bit. One of my self thought challenges was to do a recent read on every book I read this year. Well, what with my reading mojo on high, I can't catch up writing 'em as I read 'em.

Broken by Shiloh Walker

Why this one: I've read some good buzz on this one plus I met her last year in Washington and shared a pint or two - though I don't know if she remembers me.

Steam Level: Oooh, it warmed my insides and I didn't mind even though we went through an early April hot spell.

Blurb: Shattered

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s tempted by her beauty—but he knows from experience that anyone desperate enough to live in his building is damaged goods. Besides, he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Desperate

Sara Davis is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She’s not an abused wife, and she’s not a criminal. But she does have a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. There’s just too much at stake.

Driven to desire…

But Quinn must get closer to Sara when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and he discovers that there is something more complex and dangerous to her than he thought. Now, both Quinn and Sara will have to expose their true feelings—as well as their fragile hearts—if they hope their love will survive…

My Thoughts: The reason for the preamble at the top of this review is since I'm not having time to do as many reviews as I hoped, I'd rather concentrate on books I loved. It's not that I'm a Pollyanna, and will give singing praises to every book I read - Harriet Klausner I ain't. But it is about sharing the love - and I loved this book.

I read the previous book, Fragile, and while I liked it, I didn't loooovvee it. Not so with this one. I was intrigued by Quinn in Fragile - I'll always take a bad boy over a good guy in my heroes. And Quinn was oh so deliciously bad.

He grew up as an abused child, neglected and beaten by his alcoholic, druggie mother. When she dies, he discovers he has another family including a loving father and a twin brother. Because of his ugly early years though, he is unable to trust them and even when he does slowly realize that they aren't out to hurt him, he still can't let his walls down and really let them in. All this makes for just my kind of hero!!

He is working as a bounty hunter when he meets his new neighbour Sara. Sara is running, from what we don't know for the longest time. But when a kindly woman notices that Sara is on edge she offers to let Sara move into an apartment at her place. Sara is tough and strong and though we don't know what she is hiding from, at least I found myself routing for her. We have our suspicions, but it's never confirmed.

So Quinn and Sarah, due to different reasons hold a lot back from each other and neither wants to get involved. But they can't keep their attraction in check. It's touching seeing this wounded, gruff, self-contained Quinn get all protective of Sara, even though he doesn't know from what or who he thinks she needs protection from. And Sara knows she needs to move on, but she just can't seem to leave her new life - and Quinn - behind.

These are two wonderful wounded, lonely people who find and need each other and I absolutely loved this book.
A word of caution though for those end peekers like myself.

TRY YOUR DARNDEST TO AVOID READING THE END.

I read the end way before I got to it and there is a twist that's probably better left until the end. Knowing in advance didn't spoil the book for me at all, but I do wonder how it would have been if I didn't already know :-)

Grade: 5 out of 5


And now I'm off to take my car in for a check up before my long drive to Columbus (YES!!) in a couple of weeks - hopefully it won't be too bad

Blossum does Through the Veil *The Triple Threat Review*

Blossum has decided to take over reviewing for the day since Kate is oh so busy whining about what to pack on her trip to San Francisco. *Blossum sticks her tongue out at Kate and rolls her eyes*. Bubbles and Buttercup, my two other partners in crime have taken over at The Book Smugglers while Thea and Ana get ready for the fabulous Batman weekend they have planned in honor of The Dark Knight that comes out on Friday. Thea has advance tickets to see Dark Knight and Blossum is trying to figure out a way to steal those suckers away from her. *Gives Thea the special Blossum stare that brings most villains to their knees!* It doesn’t work. *pout*

For our very first Powerpuff Girls’ Triple review, we settled on Shiloh Walker’s Through the Veil. I must say the cover is very eye-catching, and one of the best this year. Through the Veil is a cross between Lord of the Rings and the Terminator. Shiloh is a great and talented storyteller, but with Through the Veil, there were some things that were left to be desired. I had some problems concentrating on everything that was going on because of the combination of too many genres from sci-fi/fantasy/urban romance… need I go on?

Lee Ross has horrible nightmares where she wakes up bruised and beaten. She dreams of war, death and… him. “Him” happens to be Kalen, a warrior in another dimension where Lee really belongs. It seems when Lee was a little girl, she was able to break through the Veil, which is a barrier between the world she was born in and the world she lives in now, which is present day Earth. This other dimension is called Ishtan (I kept wanting to say Ishtar). For hundreds of years, the Warlords of Anqar, who are the enemy of the Ishtanians, have kidnapped their females to make them Warlord slaves and try to impregnate them. Kalen has been leading this resistance against the Warlords for fifteen years. The Warlords have all types of magic and really nasty creatures at their disposal to defeat Kalen and his ragtag army. Kalen is about to have a breakdown because he no longer knows what to do to keep the fight going. The only answer he may have to save his people is Lee.

For some reason, whenever Lee dreams, she is able to go through the Veil and fight along side Kalen. Kalen needs Lee to stay in Ishtan and have her join in the fight. Kalen and Lee have quite a history together because she has popped in and out of his life since she was a girl. Kalen feels she is the preverbal light at the end of the tunnel and also has major feelings for her. Lee is also at her wits end, but for another reason all together. She thinks she is hallucinating because she now sees things outside her dreams. She decides to open her mind and is taken back to Ishtan, like Dorothy who ends up in Oz. And can you guess who is waiting for her there? I expected Kalen to jump and down like a giddy little boy when her finally has Lee in front of him. Instead, he kisses the life out of her, which was a very sweet and hot moment. This gives you a good idea of what is to come between these two.

As Kalen shows Lee the destruction and mayhem the Warlords have placed on the poor people of Ishtan, Lee really wants to go home. Her main complaint is that they don’t have coffee and real bathrooms! Plus, Lee is expected to undergo a harsh training session so she will be able to reach inside herself. She has an extra special power that can possibly save everyone. Lee is not really down with this, after all she is a bit of a girly girl. But Kalen knows that there is just something about Lee because anytime he was in trouble, she would appear and help him. Plus, the lack of women tends to make a man like Kalen horny, so Lee is perfect in so many other ways. Even though these two have only interacted a hand full of times in the past, Lee wants to jum Kalen's bones. The same goes for Kalen. Hey, they both could be dead tomorrow so whenever they have a free moment, Kalen and Lee try to find some peace and tenderness in each other’s arms. As the war rages on, Lee comes to some conclusions and that means sacrificing her own life. See, Lee’s daddy wants her on his side and it is definitely not the side Kalen is on.

Shiloh has written a gritty, dark tale that is a cross between fantasy and science fiction. One minute I felt like I was reading a medieval fantasy where two countries are at a bloody war with each other, then the next I was thrown into a sci-fi urban fantasy. Along with the magic used by the Warlords and fantasy creatures, Kalen’s army uses high tech guns and ammunition that seems a bit out of place. It may just be me, but I would have preferred one over the other. You either pick the magic or stick with bombs and plasma ray guns.

Kalen is portrayed as a wonderful hero. He is strong, intelligent and so very sexy. This is a man who has a perfect tan even though the sun never shines as it is always cloudy and rainy. As for Lee, I found her to be a bit too one-dimensional. If I were Lee, I would have probably acted the same way she did, being thrown into a situation of constant pain and suffering. But after awhile I really couldn’t see how Lee was so very important to the cause. She may have magic that no one else has, but her moaning and groaning tended to grate on my nerves. I almost felt as if Kalen was trying to trick himself into believing that Lee is the savior he was looking for. He tries his hardest to make everyone feel the same way he does. But, the way he treats Lee, is very sweet and endearing as if he was without such loveliness for so long and only Lee can fill that place in his cold heart.

Through the Veil should appeal to fans of fantasy romance, along with that touch of an urban fantasy feel. Most will probably agree that Shiloh can grab a reader and doesn’t let up on the action till the very last page. Perhaps because of this non-stop action, there wasn’t enough time to invest an emotional response with Lee and Kalen. Yes, I found their sex scenes together to be excellent, but as for love and being each other’s soul mates, well that is a bit lacking. At least Kalen has a nice tan and six pack abs that Lee can really appreciate when all is said and done.

2 ½ stars out of 5

Blossum