Recent Read

See! Told you I’ve been reading lots!! And I have 3 more to do!!

True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson

Why this one: Rachel Gibson’s books either work very, very well for me or I don’t care for them at all. But since there are a lot more that work very, very well and I was in the mood for a contemporary, this was the book I picked.

Steam Level: Not too hot, not too cold

Blurb: Disaster Number One: MEN
Hard knocks and hunger taught Faith Duffy not to believe in love. Still, when she married her very wealthy--and very old--husband, she became the perfect wife. And then he went to that big bank in the sky, leaving Faith with lonely nights, a pile of money, and a total mess of a pro hockey team. Heck, Faith doesn't even watch hockey!

Disaster Number Two: PASSION
But most of America and half of Canada is watching Ty Savage. His lethal sex appeal and deadly right hook make him the favorite of fans. For most of Ty's life, he's dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup. The last thing he needs is a bimbo messing up his plans.

Disaster Number Three: LOVE
Faith loathes Ty on sight, but she can't stop thinking about him all day . . . and night. Then a moment of temptation ends with Faith in Ty's bed, and she begins to see there's more to him than sex appeal. Ty discovers there's far more to Faith than beauty and billions. But a relationship with Faith is impossible, and falling in love--that would be a disaster.

My Thoughts: I held off a bit on reading this one as it sounded quite a bit like SEP’s It Had To Be You and as I’ve been turned off on SEP books, I didn’t really want to read a book similar to any of her books. But this was Rachel Gibson who I like much more and it was a “hockey” book and See Jane Score is my all time sports romance and it was a “hockey” book too so I took a chance.

First off, I thought the back blurb misleading. I didn’t get the impression that Faith loathed Ty. She was that impressed with him though she did find him attractive, but I wouldn’t say loathing.

I couldn’t help comparing this one to See Jane Score seeing as they both were about the same hockey team. I didn’t like Faith quite as much as Jane – but still I liked her quite a bit. She was former stripper whose mother was a stripper and so she kind of knew the lifestyle. And while she married her much older husband for his money – not unlike in an Anna Nicole Smith kind of way, she did love him in a grandfather/granddaughter kind of way. And while she started out as a bit of a sugar daddy kind of girl, she grew and changed through the book and that’s what counts for me in an otherwise less than stellar kind of heroine. Once she decided to keep the hockey team, she really invested a lot of time and energy in learning all she could about it so Faith gets major points for that.

And as for Ty Savage – he was quite a good hero. And I will confess I did a real squeal when I was reading along about his hockey history!!!!! So much so that after reading that little bit I simply had to send a message to Rachel Gibson. You see – in the book he played his junior hockey for the Knights in London Ontario!!!! Now that just happens to be the real team in London here (see – in case one didn’t already know this – this is the city I live in) and I listen to the Knights game on the radio quite a bit. In fact – I was listening to the game on the radio when I read this so it was very Twilight Zone-ish way.

And a couple of other things I must point out. We do not pronounce about like aboat ;-). And when we use the word eh after a sentence – something I didn’t realize I said a lot myself until someone pointed it out in Washington – we don’t pause after so there was no need for a comma to indicate a pause *g*. And I got a kick out of his annoyance with people pronouncing his name as Savage – rather than Sauvage. I knew right away the proper way to pronounce his name – but that’s because I follow hockey here in Canada, the Great White North.

All in all this was one of her books I quite enjoyed and if you’re a fan of sports romance and/or of Rachel Gibson, this is a good one to read.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

Recent Reads

If you haven’t seen me around quite as much lately, it’s because I’ve been on a great reading binge lately. And boy am I happy that I have been. I haven’t read this many books so quickly in a long time! Giving up TV has proved to be very beneficial to the reader in me.

Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Why this one: I’ve read all her other books and some I love, some not so much, some I didn’t like at all – but except for one – Daisy’s Back in Town. That one was a hot button for me – heroine has secret baby but decides not to tell the daddy. See Jane Score is one of my all time favourite books so I’m always going to at least give her a try.

Steam Level: Nice and warm, the kettle could have boiled a little bit more though

Author Web site blurb: Adele Harris has never had a problem finding a man it’s finding a good man that’s damn near impossible

Adele Harris has dated them all-geeks, nerds, liars, losers. Egomaniacs, nymphomaniacs, and just plain maniacs. She's been set up and stood up, and now she's had it up to here with the jerks of the world. It’s enough to make a girl give up dating forever. If only she could find a guy that made her heart flutter like her first love, Zach, the college quarterback who swept her off her feet senior year... before dumping her to marry someone else. Okay, so he wasn't perfect. But when Adele heads back to Cedar Creek, Texas, for a family emergency, she discovers that her hometown heartthrob is still as sexy as ever and now he’s single.

It could be the end of Adele's streak. After all, forgiving Zach for breaking her heart years ago and learning to trust him again will take everything she's got, but Adele can handle anything... anything but another bad date.

My Thoughts: I’ve said before that while I love a good hero, it’s the heroine that can make or break a book for me. Cough – The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockman – Cough. This one is the opposite of that one that came out while I was coughing. I really did not like Zach, but the book wasn’t broken because I did like Adele. First off, Zach. He came across to me as real jerk. I did not like him – at all. First off, he broke Adele’s heart years earlier when he just dropped her to go on and marry his previous girlfriend when she became pregnant. He acted like it was such a noble thing for him to do – then proceeded to cheat on her. Real swell guy he was. Mind you his first wife, Devon, wasn’t all that great. She got pregnant on purpose.

Then, later in the book, when he finally says he feels bad about hurting Adele those many years ago, he does the “but” thing and says he would do the same thing again. What a prince. I also didn’t like him because he just struck me as being real stuck on himself – god’s gift to women – that kind of attitude. Adele was the only woman who didn’t drop dead at his feet and he really didn’t like that. He also pretty much ignored his daughter for years so he could do his own thing and screw other woman. Excuse me – he married her mother because he was the father – and then made a real rotten one for years.

On the other hand, Adele really worked for me. She gave up her own life – reluctantly – to come back and help her sister and niece out when they needed her. She wasn’t the best aunt – she felt. She wasn’t all motherish and I liked that about her. She was anxious and looking forward to getting back to her own like, which I felt was pretty realistic. She floundered and she had moments of resenting the sacrifice she made. I found that to be believable too.

Another thing that kind of had me scratching my head was the inclusion of the first wife. For the life of me, I couldn’t really figure out why that was in there at all. On top of that – having said one thing, I couldn’t help but notice the rather large almost double spaced font in this book. While it made it easier to read, it almost seemed like it was done just to make a certain page count. I could be wrong though.

Overall, it’s kind of hard to grade this one. The ‘hero’ was a jerk, but the heroine was great. And it was very readable. I finished it in a day and a half and even though I didn’t like Zach, it was no hardship to read. I’d give it a better grade but really, even though it’s the heroine that makes or breaks the book, still it helps a lot if you can like the hero, and I didn’t in this one. Hopefully I will like her next hero, because I will read her next book.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

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Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian

Why this one: I read her first book, Kiss of Midnight and really enjoyed it. I went out and bought all the other ones so far in the series. Plus it’s not too bad a cover to take to work.

Steam Level: Although there weren’t a lot of love scenes, the ones that were in the book were smokin’

Blurb from Author Web Site: He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling hims

elf Dante is no man at all, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment Tess is plunged into his world--a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.

Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need--but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm . . . and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself . . . .

My Thoughts: I don’t know how I avoided it – becoming addicted to JR Wards BDB series. I’ve read the first two so far and while I really enjoyed them, especially Rhage’s story, somehow I haven’t become what Katie calls a BDB crack addict. Now the Midnight Breed series are almost a different story. I may be one of a very few, but I actually am enjoying this series more. I find the world building better, the heroines much stronger, the villains not nearly as obnoxious and thank the stars – no silly Scribe Virgin.

Dante is the kind of hero who wants no entanglements. His prophetic mother predicted a bad ending for him and he’s almost just putting in time until his number is up. He is badly injured in a fight with some Rogues – the bad guys

in this series, vampires who have succumbed to blood lust and gone over to the dark side. He stumbles into the veterinary clinic of the heroine, Tess, and in a weakened state, drinks her blood, only to discover much to his horror that she is a blood mate – a rare kind of human female that can mate with and give birth to one of the Breed heroes. He is more than dismayed because this creates a bond between them that can only be broken by death and he wants nothing to do with having a mate.

I really liked this book; I thought both Dante and Tess were great characters. Tess was a fairly strong character, much more so than the heroines in the BDB books I think. As I said there weren’t that many sex scenes, but th

e sexual tension between the two was very good. I mentioned in my previous post on Kiss of Midnight, that I kind of like the idea that these vampires are actually from another planet that ended up on earth a long time ago.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

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Moonstruck by Susan Grant

Why this one: I’ve loved Susan Grant’s books for years and she’s an autobuy author for me.

Steam Level: Had to blow on my fingers, they were pretty crispy

Blurb from author’s website:

PEACE IS FOR LITTLE GIRLS.

And Coalition starship admiral Brit Bandar is one tough woman. A mere intergalactic treaty could never get her to trust the Drakken Horde. There was too much bad blood between the Coalition and the Horde and, for intensely personal reasons, Brit wasn’t sure that she was through spilling it! But now a peaceful accord has made Finn Rorkken, a notorious Drakken rogue, second-in command on her starship – and through some grand cosmic irony – front and center in her thoughts…and her heart.

WARLEADER. PIRATE.

Either title sat easily on Finn’s battle-hardened shoulders. Though second-in-command to “Stone-Heart” Bandar? That would take some getting used to. Peace required as much sacrifice as war, so he’d comply even if his reaction to the gorgeous admiral fell decidedly outside protocol. But would he end up kissing or killing her if the galaxy’s tentative truce turned into all out war?

My Thoughts: It’s books like this one that make me glad I read Sci Fi Romance!!! If Katie and I had had our favourite books of 2008 after I read this one – this is one I’d be saying is on my list for sure and I’d be URGING Kate to read. In fact – Kate – READ THIS BOOK!! READ IT I SAY. I know you love Linnea Sinclair so you and everyone else who love Ms. Sinclair's books should enjoy this one!

Wowzers this book is good! Brit Bandar is one of the strongest heroines I’ve read! Think Captain Janeaway from Star Trek Voyager and you get kind of a feel for Brit. She is an admiral and the captain of a ship. She is tough when she has to be, but is still loved by her crew. She suffered a great tragedy earlier in her life and rose from the ashes to become a tremendous success. She is admired by her friends and feared by her enemies. She is unapologetic in her sexuality, though she is discreet. She is tough, but fair and doesn’t make hasty decisions she will regret later. She has zoomed right up to the top and become one of my favourite heroines.

To give a bit of the storyline, she has been the captain of her own space ship and been a very successful commander in the ongoing war between the coalition and the Horde, their enemies for years. But peace has been declared and she is given command of a much bigger ship. But much to her dismay, her second in command is Finn Rorrken, a former War Leader of the Horde. Brit hates the Horde and with good reason and is not a happy camper that she must accept Finn and his crew. But, she reluctantly agrees to take them on and as I said, she is fair in her dealings with them.

Finn Rorrken is a great hero. Although he has suffered greatly himself, he is more than willing to let bygones be bygones and has actually long held great admiration for Brit, though he’s never met her. He is grateful to be given such a great opportunity and fully sees that the truce is a good thing. The Coalition has always had a higher standard of living than the Horde. Once he meets and slowly gets to know the woman behind the mask, he is totally and completely smitten with
her. I love when that happens with the hero. Despite being despised by many of the crew because of the bitterness left behind due to the war between the two races, he slowly earns their respect with his leadership qualities. Even though he is second to Brit, he is not bothered by it at all. In fact his previous admiration for grows into a deep love although Brit is most reluctant. Theirs is a great love story.

And I have to mention too, how multi-dimensional the secondary characters are, in particular her assistant Hadley Keyren, a young woman who a total fangirl of Brit and Bolivvar, one of Finn’s crew. Theirs is a tender secondary story I enjoyed very much.

I’ve loved many of Ms. Grant’s books and Moonstruck is one of the best! This is the first in a new series and if the rest are as good as the first, we are in for a real treat! And if you don't want to take just my word for it *g*, Jayne at DA really enjoyed this one too.

Grade: 5 out of 5

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So - that's three good books I really enjoyed. I'm on a roll I tell you - and I like it!

All three get my seal of approval

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