My top 100

Just in case you haven't heard, though I'm sure you have, AAR is holding a poll on your top 100 favourite romances of all time. It took me a while to do mine, I wanted to be sure that I included all I wanted too - and I still feel like I didn't get them all in. And ranking was very hard too! Although my top 25 - 30 were pretty set, the rest was very difficult and could just as easily be a different order. I sent it in last night so here they are:

1	Dreaming of You	Lisa Kleypas
2	Lord of Scoundrels	Loretta Chase
3	Ride the Fire	Pamela Clare
4	After the Night	Linda Howard
5	Whispers of Heaven	Candice Proctor
6	One Summer	Karen Robards
7	Outlaw Hearts	Roseanne Bittner
8	Morning Glory	Lavryle Spencer
9	Take A Chance On Me	Susan Donavan
10	Exposure	Susan Anderson
11	Lips That Touch Mine	Wendy Lindstrom
12	Windflower	Tom and Sharon Curtis
13	Conor's Way	Laura Lee Guhrke
14	Once a Pirate	Susan Grant
15	Beyond a Wicked Kiss	Jo Goodman
16	The Serpent Prince	Elizabeth Hoyt
17	Sweet Lullabye	Lorraine Heath
18	Joe's Wife	Cheryl St. John
19	Kinsman's Oath	Susan Krinard
20	Sky Pirate	Justine Dare
21	Wild At Heart	Patricia Gaffney
22	See Jane Score	Rachel Gibson
23	Mr. Perfect	Linda Howard
24	Born in Death	JD Robb
25	Lord of the Storm	Justine Dare
26	Love Alters Not	Patricia Veryan
27	If His Kiss is Wicked	Jo Goodman
28	Silk and Shadows	Mary Jo Putney
29	Thunder and Roses	Mary Jo Putney
30	Dream Fever	Katherine Sutcliffe
31	The Outsider	Penelope Williamson
32	A Reason to Believe	Maureen McKade
33	To Die For	Linda Howard
34	Drop Dead Gorgeous	Linda Howard
35	Once and Always	Judith McNaught
36	Fallen From Grace	Laura Leone
37	Bone Deep	Bonnie Dee
38	Absolute Trouble	Michelle Jerrott
39	Hard Lovin' Man	Lorraine Heath
40	Lawless	Patricia Potter
41	Portait in Death	JD Robb
42	The Bronze Horseman	Paulinna Simons
43	Heart Throb	Suzanne Brockman
44	Sunshine and Shadow	Tom and Sharon Curtis
45	The Rainbow Season	Lisa Gregory
46	Suddenly You	Lisa Kleypas
47	The Panther and the Pyramid	Bonnie Vanak
48	The Shadow and the Star	Laura Kinsale
49	Games of Command	Linnea Sinclair
50	Dangerous Lover	Lisa Marie Rice
51	Darkling I Listen	Katherine Sutcliffe
52	Lady Gallant	Suzanne Robinson
53	Jackson Rule	Dinah McCall
54	Be My Baby	Susan Anderson
55	Beyond Sunrise	Candice Proctor
56	Get Lucky	Suzanne Brockman
57	All Through the Night	Connie Brockway
58	Letters From A Stranger	Connie Rinehold
59	My Forever Love	Marsha Canham
60	Captives of the Night	Loretta Chase
61	The Raven Prince	Elizabeth Hoyt
62	Crazy Cool	Tara Janzen
63	River of Dreams	Glenna McReynolds
64	Bet Me	Jennifer Crusie
65	My False Heart	Liz Carlyle
66	A Dangerous Man	Connie Brockway
67	Tiger Eye	Karen Robards
68	Gabriel's Ghost	Linnea Sinclair
69	Bliss	Judy Cuevas
70	Cool Shade	Teresa Weir
71	Flowers From the Storm	Laura Kinsale
72	Dedicated Villain	Patricia Veryan
73	Off Limits	Michelle Albert
74	Breathless	Laura Lee Guhrke
75	Winter Garden	Adele Ashworth
76	The Devil in Winter	Lisa Kleypas
77	Keeper of the Dream	Penelope Williamson
78	The Warlord	Elizabeth Elliot
79	Homeplace	Dorothy Garlock
80	Lover Eternal	JR Ward
81	Truly Madly Yours	Rachel Gibson
82	The Iron Rose	Marsha Canham
83	Light My Fire	Jane Graves
84	Evensong	Candice Camp
85	The Cobra and The Concubine	Bonnie Vanak
86	The Nightingale's Song	Kathleen Eschenberg
87	Night Of The Phantom	Anne Stuart
88	Years	Lavryle Spencer
89	My Dark Prince	Jean Ross Ewing
90	Getting What You Want	Kathy Love
91	Prince Joe	Suzanne Brockman
92	Once In Every Lifetime	Kristin Hannah
93	Hard Evidence	Pamela Clare
94	The Rake	Mary Jo Putney
95	Leader of the Pack	Justine Dare
96	To Have and To Hold	Patricia Gaffney
97	The Devil's Waltz	Anne Stuart
98	Deception	Amada Quick
99	As You Desire	Connie Brockway
100	Midnight Jewells	Jayne Anne Krentz

A few interesting things of note
Highest number - Linda Howard - 4
Lisa Kleypas - 3
Connie Brockway - 3
Suzanne Brockman - 3
Katherine Sutcliffe had 2 but they were very different books. One was a historical and one was a Romantic Suspense.
Pamela Clare was the same. One was a Colonial (or for easier grouping I called it American History) and the other a RS
As did Anne Stuart
I tried to get a wide sampling of genres and I think I did that. By far the most were historicals but there were quite a few other genres too.

First of a bunch - Clearing the record

I must clear up a matter of extreme importance.

Those silly sisters! I was NOT MEAN to Lisa and Nancy when growing up. Far, far from it. They were mean to ME! You see I am the oldest. Lisa is 3 years younger and Nance is 4 years younger. They are only 13 months apart and when we were kids they constantly ganged up on me and picked on me. No, I'm not whining or anything - just stating facts.
Their most unforgivable sin? One does not know what torture is until one, as a child, has to sit beside them in the back seat while listening to them recite Shakespeare soliloquies done with a fake heavy Southern accent done with idiot puppets named Suzie and Pipsqeak.
I can never listen to:

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll not longer be a Capulet"

without shudders of horror implanted on my brain. And they ruined a wonderful (at the time) movie. I mean who in my age range didn't swoon over this one!




Oh the stories I could tell.
Needless to say though - I managed to love them to death despite their wickedness.
Yes, on occasion I may have tried getting back at them - but it never worked. Meaness is not in me

I'm Baaaccckkkk

And had a wonderful time. Now I have so much to blog about I don't know where to begin *g* And the house is a complete disaster and it will take me hours to clean. I'd like to think that while I was away little messy elves came in and did a number, but alas - it was all me in a combination of too much work, too much procrastination, packing at the last minute and plain old fashioned laziness. Then when I go home since I was too beat to do anything, I plunked myself down in front of the telly and watched Blood Ties and then the whole North and South. Man I love those shows.
So the plan is to clean and then blog.
Thanks to Katiebabs who filled in for me while I was gone. I've asked her if she wants to be a regular contributor so I'm really hoping we get to see much more of her. We are tossing around ideas.
And finally during the brief housework break - we may have lost the latest skirmish - but The Rumble is far from over!!!
We will NOT go down to defeat my fellow Cravenators. It ain't over yet!
And my latest post for Readers Gab is up over at Access Romance. 'Tisn't my best - but ack work has so gotten in the way. And more good news there. We have more readers who have joined the team! In addition to Robin, JMC, Tara and myself, we know have:
Devon
RfP
Amanda
Rosie

'til later - and I mean that *g* - Now - Must Get To Housework

Oh - and speaking of overtime work? Not Worth It. The damn Tax Man gobbled up most of my overtime.

See how good I am at procrastination? I have to down to an art form.

Two Books You Should Read!

I feel the weekend is the best time to catch up on reading. And I have two interesting books that were very emotional, excellently written and overall recommended reads. Both are so different from each other. One is about an erotic tale of the Wild West with a heroine who has been sexually abused. And the other is a Young Adult novel written twenty-five years ago about two teen girls falling in love with each other. I read both of these book this week and they had such an emotional impact that I had to share them with others.

Caine’s Reckoning by former Elloras Cave writer, Sarah Mccarty was a very difficult read for me. If you have read Mccarty’s books from Elloras Cave, then you know what I mean. She writes about these larger than life men, who are the perfect alpha hero. They are protective and oh so sexy. The women that enter their lives have been abused in some wayor another, but the heroines are strong and don’t fall right helplessly into the arms of the hero. The poor guy has to work for it and uses his skills in the bedroom to impress his lady love. Caine is one of these heroes. He is a Texas Ranger and part of a group called Hell’s Eight. (There are eight men in this group, so this series is going to be a long one!) Caine has a horrible background, but he is pretty much well rounded. But when he meets Desi, who has gone though the most horrible things you can think of, Caine is smitten. Desi is no wilting violet. She runs away from him because she can’t stand men. Desi has been tortured sexually. I won’t go into many details, but the poor girl has been raped over and over. Caine marries Desi regardless so he can protect her. He simply wants to torture and kill these men who did Desi wrong.
Caine has his own form of therapy where Desi is concerned. She is afraid of intimacy, especially with a man like Caine. If he wanted, Caine could abuse Desi just like the men who have done to her in the past. But Caine treats Desi much like a horse that has to be broken in. He uses a steady hand plus a little TLC. A little? What am I saying! He can’t keep his hands off the woman! I knew what I was getting when reading a title by Sara Mccarty. She is not one of these fluffy romance writers that makes it easy between our two love birds. No, she likes to see them suffer, even during the most intimate parts. And those love scenes are very hot, erotic and written with such emotion!
So, if you are in the mood for some heavy reading, Caine’s Reckoning is the way to go.

The other book is, Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden. I picked this up after seeing it on the list of banned books. Written in 1982, this Young Adult novel is about teenage friendship and love. But this love story is about two teen girls. Liza, the narrator is a freshman at MIT and looks back at her senior year in high school when she met Annie. At first their friendship is more like any normal female one. These two girls bond and become best friends. Until one day, Annie kisses Liza. Liza is confused because the way she feels for Annie is unlike any she has felt for a girl or even a boy. Annie is her soul mate. But Liza doesn’t think of herself as being a lesbian. Annie is more honest with herself and says she has always been attracted to girls rather than boys. Liza is finally coming to terms with attraction and love. She loves Annie just because it feels so right and their love should not have a label.
Their friendship and eventual girlfriend relationship is sweet and beautiful, much like young love tends to be. They worry about how they will be together and when it comes time to be more intimate, how will they find a place to be alone and if they can, because taking that next step is a scary and new thing, especially because of the situation they are in. Other things happen, such as Liza parents, teachers and schoolmates finding out who she is with and basically getting caught.
I was truly in awe of this wonderful and moving story just about love in general. And because Nancy Garden has written Annie on my Mind for teens, it is quite extraodinary that I would recommend any young person (well, at least younger than me!) read.

Questions, comments and any other fun posts are always greatly appreciated! :)

Katiebabs

I Have Infiltrated!

KristieJ has so kindly asked me to join in on the fun at her wonderful blog here from time to time, because like her I have a true love of romance novels. If there is a story where boy meets girl, (in some cases, boy meets boy, girl meets boy and then other boy and they all want each other, girl means a dragon, vampire, werewolf, a plant… well, you get the point!) I am there to read it.
And what I love most of all are discussions on characters in romances, including my favorite heroes and heroines. And lately there has been a lot of talk about two of Lisa Kleypas’s extraordinary heroes- Derek Craven from Dreaming of You and Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter. I am definitely on team Derek. Sebastian is way down on my list of wonderful Kleypas heroes. But, Derek is not my number one hero. He comes close, but my favorite of them all happens to be in my favorite book of hers.

That is Suddenly You and he is Jack Devlin.

Ah Jack! He sends shivers down my spine when I think of him. And Suddenly You is my favorite Lisa Kleypas novel and overall in my top 20 of all time favorite romances. But what is it about Jack that makes him so special, even more so than Derek?
In some ways, Derek and Jack are a lot alike. They are men who came from nothing and made their way in the world and conquered it. They are smart, handsome, overall kind and worthy. They like a different type of woman, not your regular I am so pretty you must worship me type of woman, or even that stereotypical heroine I find myself reading in other romances.
Derek falls for Sara who is a writer, spinster, wears glasses and loves and adores the man Derek is, regardless of his past. Jack also falls heads over heels in love with Amanda, who is also a writer and a spinster. But there are two things about Amanda that Jack loves most of all (and this is very swoon worthy). Jack likes older women! Amanda has just turned thirty, Jack, as we find out later is around twenty-five. And Jack goes crazy over a woman with curves. Amanda can’t understand, and I quote-

“You prefer short women with large hips?” she asks of Jack.
And the way Jack responds to her “I prefer everything about you. The way you feel beneath my hand, the way you taste…every curve and valley. But, as much as I desire your body, your most attractive feature is here.” He tapped her temple with his fingertip. “You fascinate me.” OH MY!

Jack also has this cute nickname for Amanda, “Peaches” and wants to cover her in jewels, which Amanda also can’t understand.
After Jack has bought Amanda a priceless necklace-

“But it is not appropriate for a woman like me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know quite well what my limitations are. You may as well tie a peacock father to a pigeon’s tail…”
“Limitations…. Why can’t you see yourself as I see you?” He responds.

I could quote forever from this wonderful book and praise Lisa on her incredible insights on romance between a man and woman and what I as the reader enjoys. Lisa can writer passion and love so well that I honestly believe she will go down as one of the top historical romance authors of all time. I believe I have about eight of her titles on my bookshelf, more than any one author (not counting the JD Robb in Death series).
So, besides Derek or Sebastian, what other Kleypas hero has you drooling for more?

But you can’t have Jack because he is mine! ;)

Katiebabs :)

© Lisa Kleypas. All rights reserved

Heading out of town

I'm headed out of town for a few days and I asked a fellow Cravenator to fight the fight, to do The Rumble while I'm gone! You have to strike while the iron is hot don't you know.

And I think after the latest bout of ugly, it's time to get back to what we really love. Since I'm not going to be here, I bring you *trumpets please*

Katiebabs

Many of you might recognize her as a regular poster at AAR. She will be posting her take on what on romance.

My heart is with you all.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those living in Southern California; to all the people who have lost their homes, to the firefighters, and to all my dear friends who are living through this tragedy. May all of you be safe.
It was such a short time ago that all the rest of us were all so excited and envious that you were meeting up.

The Rumble Still Continues! It ain't over 'til it's over!

I was hampered by having to work *sheesh* on the weekend so I couldn't fight the good fight. But that doesn't mean I wasn't active in The Rumble behind the scenes. I sent out appeals to a couple of fellow Cravenators for their reasons why Derek Rulz. Katiebabs was the first to come back with her salvos. Here is her take on why Derek is Number 1

From page 25: On how Derek rose from nothing and become something:

"He's not easy to describe. Derek Craven is by far the most complicated individual I've ever met. He is capable of kindness, but... He comes from a world of savage than you could being to comprehend, Miss Fielding..."

"He began to work at five or six years of age as a climbing boy for a chimney sweep. When he became too old to climb, he resorted to begging, thievery, dock labor... Somehow in the midst of it all he gained rudimentary understanding of letters and numbers. By his teens he had educated himself enough to become a Newmarket bookmaker. According to him, it was at the time that he conceived the idea of operating his own gambling club someday."

"What a remarkable ambition for a boy with such origins."

"It would have been an extraordinary achievement for him to build a small den in the city. Instead he dreamed of creating a club so exclusive that the most powerful men in the world would clamor to be allowed membership.”

“And that’s precisely what he’s done.” She marveled.

“Yes. He was born without a shilling to his name”. Worthy paused. ‘He was born without a name, as a matter of fact. Now he is wealthier than most of the gentry that patronizes his club. No one is really aware of how much Mr. Craven owns.”

Page 177 Why Derek is so unselfish and quite the poet!

”I want you to leave. You’re not safe here. As long as you’re in London you’re not safe from me.”

His gazed raked over the rippling mass of her hair, her delectate face, her bewildered eyes. With a sudden grown, he pulled her against him, burying his face in her hair. Sara closed her eyes, her mind spinning. She felt him tremble with the force of his need. He spoke just beneath her ear, his voice thick with tormented pleasure.

“You have to leave, Sara... because I want to hold you like this until your skin melts into mind. I want you in my bed, the smell of you on my sheets, your hair spread across my pillow. I want to take your innocence. I want to ruin you for anyone else.”

Blindly Sara flattened her hand on his cheek, against the scratch of newly grown beard. “What if I want the same?” she whispered.

“No,” he said fiercely and turned his mouth to the tender skin of her neck. “If you were mine, I would make you into someone you didn’t recognize. I would hurt you in ways you never dream of. I won’t let that happen. But don’t ever think I didn’t want you.”

His hands gripped her closer, and they both began to breathe harshly. The hard jut of his arousal burned against her stomach. “That’s for you.” He muttered. “Only for you.”

Page 280- 281 why Derek is even good with children!

Too long to write! *g*

Page 212- 214 on what Sara truly means to him beginning with Tabitha tell me how he

And page 349 to 350 after Sara asks “Does my appearance mean so much to you?....

© Lisa Kleypas. All rights reserved

And now that Sula has given us a GREAT visual of Derek








I ask you - fellow Cravenators - to email me why Derek is the Creme de la Creme (email is in my profile) and I will post your responses.

The Rumble continues!!!

Power to the Cravenators

The Rumble Continues

We are starting to marshal our forces. Sadly I have to work again this weekend, but I will be checking in from work - being that not so noble worker bee.

Remember Cravenators

Derek Rulz!!!!

We've been Challenged to a Blog Rumble!!!!

All you fellow Cravenators - we've been challenged to a Rumble by Sybil of The Good, The Bad and the Unread. Now you may know that Sybil and her gang are all 'het' up on Sebastian of The Devil in Winter. And I'll admit - he's a good hero, one of the the better ones. But she and her group keep insisting - wrongly of course, that he's the best.
It wasn't enough that Derek beat him in the poll. Nope - despite coming in second, she is still claiming that her Sebastian gang is first.

But we Cravenators know that Derek Craven is Numero Uno!! So join with me fellow Derek Lovers. Let's show her who's REALLY the Champion of our Hearts.

JOIN US IN THE RUMBLE!!!!! WE NEED ALL CRAVENATORS TO UNITE!!!!

Declare yourselves for Derek. He needs us!

Recent Read

Well, after a day of blogging about socks of all things and then a day mostly off the computer, it’s time to do another Recent Read

Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake – Laurie Brown

Why this one: I received an email from someone from SourceBooks asking if I would write a blog about this book. Normally I say no to such answers ‘cause knowing me, I’d feel obligated to like it and then if I didn’t then I wouldn’t feel as free to offer my thoughts. But the brief outline on this one sounded intriguing, a ghost and time traveling both together. I’ve always liked both genres so I decided to bite the bullet and say yes.

Heat level: It took a while to get to it, but once it did – it was quite steamy. I was happy.

Blurb:

A modern career woman thrust back in time into the glittering Regency period and the arms of an unscrupulous rake

Josephine Drummond is a professional paranormal researcher (aka, a ghostbuster) hired to prove that the ghost of Lord Deverell Thornton, the very handsome Earl and a notorious rake in his time, haunts the crumbling Waite Castle. But the ghost drags Josephine back to the Regency period to help him try to prevent the swindle that impoverished the Earl and threatens to turn his castle into a most undignified modern-day tourist attraction.

Josephine has to contend with being a modern career woman trying to navigate the complex social scene of the Regency period, make sure no one discovers her real identity and unmask a charlatan. But all of these are easier than resisting her undeniable attraction to the Earl, who is clearly determined to sweep her off her feet.

My Thoughts: I was very (very) pleasantly surprised by this book. It was quite delightful, funny in spots and poignant in others. I’m the kind of reader who goes by feel, rather than fact and this one made me feel good when I finished it. I could have driven myself crazy trying to figure out how a ghost could travel back in time with someone else to the very same time he lived – but I figured ‘what the hey – just go with it'. This made the book a very pleasant enjoyable read.

I adored Dev/Deverell – both incarnations; his ghost self and his real self. It was very cute watching ghost Deverell getting jealous over real Dev and the growing feelings Josephine had for the real Dev.

And Josephine who was emphatically Not a Ghostbuster, made a great heroine. I felt pulled along with her towards the end with her growing feelings for Dev and her mixed feelings about returning to her own time. I thought the resolution quite satisfying.

Also I noticed the author had a wonderful way of imparting interesting facts about the regency period – many of which I didn’t know. She has obviously done her homework, yet it all had a natural flow to it – what I and other readers were learning.

It took a while to read this one – in between I read The Serpent’s Prince and Mine Till Midnight, but they were both exceptional books and ones I’d been waiting a while for.

When I did go back to reading Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake, I didn’t feel any of the let down you can feel after a great book. Instead I continued to enjoy this one very much.

So – I took a gamble with this book and it paid off very nicely! A new author for me to keep my eyes on; I like it. It get’s a thumb’s up from me and I will certainly be interested in other books this author has to write.

Grade: 4 out of 5

'til later

The Case of the Shedding Socks

Occasionally I like to talk about other things besides romance books that make up my world. Such is the case of the shedding socks.

Before I begin this tale, you must understand that while our neighbours to the south are remarkable similar to us Canadians, there is one crucial difference. When we enter someone’s home, unless expressly told not to (and often we ignore that instruction) we take off our shoes. It’s an automatic thing. Close the door and take off the shoes.

Last Christmas my sister got me these socks. These very comfortable, make my feet smile and go ‘ooohhhh’ socks. Not long ago though I discovered they were not the perfect socks. You see – they shed. I think they are fleece or flannelet or something. I hadn’t worn them up until recently as it wasn’t cold enough. The first time I wore them was when I went to our most recent girl’s night with the friends I went to school with. It was the middle of the evening and I’d been walking around with very happy, comfy, cozy feet when I felt this rather large lump of something soft and gushy at the bottom by my toes. I tried rather unobtrusively to remove my sock and see what was at the end. Unfortunately I’d had a couple of glasses of wine and it’s hard to do anything unobtrusive with a nice wine glow going. I got the sock off and there was this huge clump of fluff. I’m talking Very Big. My socks were shedding! It seems though that I was observed and my friends got quite the kick out of me. The worst part though was the shedding wasn’t only happening on the inside of my socks. I kind of looked around and all over the light beige carpet were little balls of navy blue shedding sock stuff. I was horrified! The more I looked the more navy blue balls of shedding sock bits I found. The friend who was hosting the party didn’t seem to mind that there would be major vacuuming to be done the next day.

Sadly, I didn’t learn my lesson. Or I thought they had shed all they’re fluffy stuff. I wore them next to my neighbours’ house for our weekly ‘talk and watch Survivor night’. I hadn’t really thought about what I had on my feet until I got up to go home. I glanced down and there were little navy blue bits of shedding socks on her carpet. A dilemma! Do I confess to the little blue bits being from me socks or do I pretend I don’t notice? For the most part I’m a very honest person, but occasionally I’m not quite as honest as I know I should be and I already went the ‘confess and turn red’ thing. So, being a coward, I decide to let it remain a mystery to her where the little blue shedding socks bits came from. She probably didn’t realize they used to be attached to my socks. Now my neighbour occasionally reads this blog so if she does, here is my cowardly confession. Those navy blue bits are from me.

But if it’s any consolation, I’ve been wearing them around the house. They make my feet so happy and cozy. And I have little blue bits All Over The House! And I’m to damn tired to vacuum.

'til later

Taking a wee break

I decided to take a week's break from Guess That Book. Mainly because I'm a tad worn out from work and just couldn't think of a book for people to try and guess *g*. The contest will be back again next week.
But in the meantime, I'll still be here :)

'til later

The Guess that Book has been guessed

But first!!


I love my job. I love everything about it, the work I do, the people I work with, the hours (with a tiny exception that will come shortly), just everything. After years of working at many jobs and each one had issues; either I liked the job but didn't like the people or was more often the case, loved the people but the job gave me problems, it's finally all come together and everything is great. I work closely with two other people that I will call A and R who do the same thing only for different people. We get along swimmingly well and spend much of the day (when we aren't hard at work) laughing and I wake up every day eager to go to work.
A has one of those Far Side calendars and each one is hilarious. But there is one that she kept and shows it to everyone who comes by and says that ones me.
Now for the little tiny exception. We work weekends - we take turns so that we only work every third weekend. This works for me although A isn't so fond of it. When we work weekends, we have the Friday before and the Monday after off. But for a number of different reasons, I worked the past two weekends and was very much looking forward to having this entire weekend off as it's my turn to work again next weekend. But alas - that call came this morning. R, who was supposed to work today couldn't make it in so they called me. Fool that I am - just like the guy on the right, I said yes. So it turns out that it will be a month without two days in a row off. And after working next weekend, the following one is the weekend we're traveling south to visit baby Sis, so it won't be relaxing that weekend. So I'm thinking the next time they call me in on a weekend, I'll just say NO.


Now for the winnah!

Wendy won this weeks book. While she has it in her TBR pile, she hasn't read it yet and I got to give her a 'Wendy, Wendy, Wendy' sad shake of my head.
I adore Lorraine Heath's Westerns and I don't think I've been shy about mourning the fact that she's no longer writing them.
But this book, yes this book is the one I've reread most often. It has one of my favourite themes, younger man/older woman although they are only 2 1/2 years apart. Here's the blurb:

When Kelley Spencer moves back to her hometown of Hopeful with her sister, she hopes desperately to protect sixteen-year-old Madison from the trouble that seemed to find her in Dallas. Almost immediately, a brush with the law reveals that the police chief is none other than Jack Morgan -- the man who broke Kelley's heart many years before. He's the last man she thought she'd find still living in Hopeful...and the only man she''s ever loved.

Jack Morgan wants nothing more than a second chance with Kelley Spencer -- and he's not shy about showing it. Their love might have been doomed all those years ago, but nothings stopping him now. That is, nothing but Kelley's dark secret that might drive Jack to leave her again...this time forever.

I don't know what it is about this one - it gets me every time I read it (like I'm doing again now :-) ) It's pretty high up on my ballot for the AAR poll.
It's a bit of a controversial book - AAR only gave it a D whereas TRR gave it 5 stars. I'm with TRR on this one *g*.
I hope Wendy you read it soon so we can discuss it. I'm thinking you're more likely to agree with the AAR review so I look forward to debating it.
And I'll be in touch.

Now - after a hard days unexpected work, I have to get ready for my fourth night in a row episode of Blood Ties. This is a new-to-me one where Henry escapes the dreaded vampire hunter - I hope. And since it's on early, I just may follow it up with a re-watching of the first DVD of North and South.

'til later


*ETA*
Pwhooo - Henry survived although I still have questions but after I had the biggest laugh I've had in quite some time. I was curious to see the credits at the end. I know it's filmed in Toronto. Tonight they even referred to Spadina, a well-known Toronto street. But the laugh came at the end of the credits where they gave thanks to the Government of Ontario. In essence, through my tax dollars, I'm helping to fund the making of a series about a hot sexy vampire.

I love it! I mean I really, really love it!!! Somehow paying all those taxes doesn't hurt quite so bad anymore.

Let's hope we don't get to eleven - Here's Clue #7

This contemporary book and its sequel were a departure for the author better know for her Westerns and later, when she switched publishers, her English Historicals

You will need fans for this one!

See what watching great TV, late nights, a beer or two and a nudge from Sula can do?




'til later

Sometimes ya gotta love TV

I'm not that much of a television watcher. Ron used to watch so many sports and since I rather would have sat in the room with him then watch TV in another room, I used to watch sports and read at the same time.
I have my favourites of course, Dancing With The Stars, Private Practice and a few others, but they don't compare to the following two programs.

My newest obsession is Blood Ties. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it's about private detective, Vicky, who was a cop but gave it up when she started having vision problems. She opened her own agency and gets help from Henry. a 400 or so old vampire named Henry. He's the illegitimate son of Henry VIII (for some reason that cracks me up). He asked to be turned by a woman he loved. In the present time he's a graphic artist, but he also helps Vicky with her very odd cases. Then there is Mike, her former partner with whom she seems to have an on and off again relationship.
I blogged about it before so I won't go into too much detail except to say my obsession with this show is growing not diminishing. I watched it Thursday night, Friday night, tonight and it's on again tomorrow night. And three out of the four were episodes I hadn't/haven't seen before. That's four nights in a row so you know I'm addicted!




But after Blood Ties tonight I watched the second part of a British series I ordered a while ago, North and South. I'd seen this talked up at AAR and at first I thought it was another adaption of the American series North and South, a series from the 80's about the Civil War. But I was wrong. Here's a blurb about it from the website:

Set against the backdrop of Victorian England's industrial north, it

follows the fortunes of Margaret Hale, one of 19th century literature's most original heroines.

Played by Daniela Denby-Ashe, Margaret is a privileged, middle class southerner who is forced to settle in the northern town of Milton.

Margaret takes instant offence to the town and its people. She becomes terribly lonely and hates the dirt, noise and lack of civilization, blaming their new way of life for her mother's ailing health.

Her distaste for the town and its people extends to handsome and charismatic cotton mill owner John Thornton, (Richard Armitage), whom she believes epitomises everything she dislikes about the North.

However, Margaret gradually begins to settle in Milton. Her social conscience awakens and she befriends some of the local mill workers, learning about their poverty and workplace struggles.

As events conspire to throw Margaret and Thornton together, the two spirited characters have to overcome their repressed physical attraction for one another and conquer prejudices of class and circumstance.

I watched the first DVD a while ago and was captivated. But RL interrupted and I didn't get a chance to watch the second one until tonight. And repressed is right! Although there was very little physical contact between them, you could feel the heat and attraction coming off them in waves. John Thornton's pointed stares *ooooh shiver*

May I say this is a series not to be missed!!! It was fantastic. Richard Armitage was mesmerizing as the seemingly controlled but underneath seething with passion mill owner. He is captivated by Margaret who doesn't realize for a while what a truly honourable man he is. Although I was pretty sure, I wasn't 100% sure there was a HEA and as I watched the final episode unfold, my heart was almost in my throat hoping that Mr. Thornton and Margaret Hale could overcome their obstacles. There is a rather lengthy thread on this at AAR, but I've mainly been ignoring it so as to avoid spoilers.

But as the final scene played out and credits started rolling, I had this loopy grin on my face and tears forming after watching this wonderful series.

So here is two Very Hearty Thumbs Up shows from this infrequent television watcher!!

'til later

One more to the mix – Here’s Clue #6

Even though she's not much older, she was his teacher years ago.

You knew it would arrive – Here’s Clue #5

She has a heartbreaking secret regarding her younger sister

And yet one more – Here’s Clue #4

He has a small son by a previous marriage.

I wasn't tagged but......

Holly tagged a few people on doing their background. Although not tagged by her, I decided to put mine up anyway. Cause Will Turner is just soooooo mighty fine. Is he just not cover model material in this pic? *sigh*
And as you can see I'm a pack rat even with files. I clean them up every so often if they start covering too much of Will. My sons saw the background and both rolled their eyes. *g*



Holly gives great instructions on how to do this.

'til later

**ETA**

Ooops - Tim Daly interrupted my blog hopping. Seems I was tagged by Devonna :)
If I'm going to get interrupted, Tim is a fine thing to be interrupted by.

**ETA again**
Ooops - I guess you are supposed to add this part - see what he does to me?
Here's how you play:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key). Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.

So, I am going to tag:
Sula
Lesabea
Wanda
Tumperkin
Bookdaze

My as well break in the newest bloggers :)
The list of Free Viewers so far is:

iRonnie - I Set No Corner
Thess - Thesserie
Rebecca - Skippy Heart

Knoizki - A Dialogue With K

Beng - Kauderwelch

Tina- My Good Finds

Rachel - Heart of Rachel

Alice - Hello, My Name Is Alice

Julia - Julia's Books Corner!

Darla - Nichtszusagen

Marg - Reading Adventures

Holly - What Were you Expecting?

ames - Thrifty Reader

Dev - Good Reads
KristieJ - Ramblings on Romance

Odd & Ends

I crumpled like a cheap suit! Don't ever trust me - I'm afraid I'm a vow breaker. I was going to read 6 books before buying more, but I didn't make it. I do have an explanation though. You see, first off, I'm going to visit my sister in the States in a couple of weeks. I asked her if I could order books from Amazon and have them sent to her. You see they are so much cheaper in the States. And if you order a certain number then you don't have to pay for shipping. So I had some fun the other night ordering the books. But I won't be getting them until I go visit, so it's not like I'm getting them or anything. I won't put them up now since I don't have them yet because maybe by that time I will have read the six books I was determined to read.
But then last night I broke again. I was in this store - no, not a books store - and they had these two books on for a most reasonable price!! I've been looking for Killing Moon for ages now. I don't even think they have it in Canada for some reason. And, well, since I already broke and since it was such a good price ($4.99) I thought I may as well get the one on the right because Amazon has recommended it for me a couple of times. So, since I technically still haven't gone into a book store, it doesn't really count. Right?




And in other news - I am a winner!!! I won an ARC of Sarah McCarty's new release, Caine's Reckoning. It came in the mail today and I'm a happy camper. It's a Western!!! You can see where it says not for resale. Not a problem for me since I have no intentions of letting this one go :)



And thirdly, I always get excited to find new reader bloggers. I've found three in the past few days. First off there is Sula of Sula's Space. She's a regular poster at AAR. It's great to see she's joined the blogging world. Then just the other day I found Lisabea of Nose in a Book. She's brand new to the world of blogging too. And she loves Derek - a fellow Cravenator *g*. And then there is Tumperkin of Isn't it Romance, another baby blog born in October.
And we have Leya of Wandeca Reads. Turns out she's almost a neighbour from just down the highway a bit. And there's Bookdaze of Me and my books.
I love finding new blogs!!

'til later

Well slap my knee - here's Clue #3

Theirs was a forbidden love that ended badly years ago.

Recent Reads

The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

Why this one: I adored her first two

Level of Heat: Ohhhhhhhhhh yeeeaaaaaaa

Amazon blurb: Lucy Craddock-Hayes thought the man lying in the ditch was dead, but he survived the assault. With the help of her servant, Lucy brings the gentleman home, and learns that he is Viscount Simon Iddesleigh. As Simon slowly recuperates, he finds himself falling in love with sharp-witted and surprisingly sharp-tongued Lucy, but he also knows that the longer he stays, the more likely it is that his quest for vengeance will endanger Lucy and her family. Delectably clever writing, deliciously complex characters, and a delightfully sexy romance between two perfectly matched protagonists are the key ingredients in the third book in Hoyt's superbly crafted, loosely connected Georgian-era Princes trilogy.

My thoughts: The first time I met Elizabeth Hoyt, was in the elevator. I gushed, I followed her way past my floor in full gushing mode. I made an idiot of myself and gave my roomies lots of laughs. If I had read The Serpent Prince before I ran into her in Dallas I probably would have followed her off the elevator, down the hall, into her room and just sat on the bed and not wanted to leave, I loved this book that much.

Simon is just not that nice a guy in some ways. He is bent on revenge for the murder of his brother and nothing is going to stop him. He makes a great anti-hero. There is something you don’t like about him, yet he is so compelling, so riveting, you just have this attraction to his character. You don’t see this kind of character all that often so when you do – Wowzers – he makes an impression. And what really sold me on Simon and on this book, was how he was completely wrecked for the heroine. I’ve mentioned before how I love this in a romance book; when the hero is so gone for the heroine. Simon says that Lucy is his salvation and you really get the feeling that she is. This otherwise urbane, dissolute, revenge seeking anti-hero really needs the heroine to keep going.

And Lucy is also a great heroine. Not quite as memorable as Simon, but I think she was a great match for him. Although somewhat innocent, she still has a lot of sense to her. And I love how Ms. Hoyt captures the atmosphere of the time. I love a good Georgian setting and this is a Very Good One.

I know this is going to be a book I read over and over. I’ve already placed it on my Top 100 of all time Romance books

Grade: 5 out of 5

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Why this one: heh, heh – I don’t think this needs any splainin’ It’s Lisa Kleypas.

Level of Heat: She’s had hotter, but this one is just fine

Amazon Blurb: When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men’s dreams, Cam has tired of society’s petty restrictions and longs to return to his “uncivilized” Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship—but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter….

My Thoughts: Cam Rohan blazed onto the scene in The Devil in Winter. It didn’t take much for him to captivate all of us and I think many of us were counting the time until this one came out. I had an ARC but I didn’t want to read it too far ahead of everyone else. But with it’s eminent release I decided the time was right. Now I’m not even nearly the first to post their thoughts on this book.

First up – it didn’t knock Dreaming of You off it’s pedestal but then it would take an EXTREMELY rare book to do that. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this one.

I think Amelia made a fine heroine for Cam after we all thought that he was going to end up with Daisy. I much prefer Amelia. I enjoyed how she was the spine in her family and took care of all of them after the death of her family.

And Cam – oh he was delish! I’ve read a number of books with heroes of Gypsy heritage and he is right up there now on the top of the list – well, he shares it with Nicolas from MJP’s Thunder and Roses. I loved how he so quickly became so protective of Amelia and her family.

To me this seemed a bit different than Lisa Kleypas’ other series. I’m not sure how to put it, but it seemed more like a first chapter of a continuing story and I almost expected the words “To Be Continued” to be on the final page. I found that very intriguing and smart.

I can’t say a whole lot more other than I love, just love her books, her writing and her personally and this book only adds to the love.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

'til later

Don't be blue - Here's Clue #2

She has returned to town with her small family after a long absence.

We’ve only just begun – Here’s Clue #1

He's the chief of police.

Guess That Book

Yep - it's guess that book time again. This week's give-a-way book is To Love A Scoundrel by Kristina Cook. Yet again, I haven't read my copy yet, but by the sounds of it, it's a good one!
So put on the thinking caps and try and Guess That Book!

$420.00 Later

Sister Lisa and I are taking a road trip in a couple of weeks to visit youngest sister Nancy in Massachusetts. This is supposed to be an 8 hour or so trip. The last one took us much longer - closer to 13 hours. It's along story, but if you've been in a different country, so lost you don't even know what state you are in and it's late at night, it can be pretty hairy.
Did I tell that story? How Lisa and I didn't think to buy maps. We had a GPS that Nance sent and Lisa printed off directions from Map Quest. But at one point Map Quest told us to go one way and the GPS told us to go a different way. We went with the GPS - and two hours later it quit on us! And then there was the 3 hour traffic jam at the border and I had an extra large coffee and a diet coke before we got to it. I didn't really know pain until then. I asked the border guy where the nearest washroom was when we finally got across and then I was in such a hurry I drove right by it.
Although I've had my car since 2001 - and it was new that year, I haven't got that many kilometers (or miles for the neighbours to the south) on it. I don't drive far very often and for the first couple of years I had the car, I car pooled with a neighbour. But I wanted to make sure it was in tip top shape before heading out on the long eight hour drive. So I took it into the dealer. I called to make an appointment and they said it would be $99 for the regular tune-up, check-up, tire rotation etc.
But when I took it in this morning, there were lots of other small minor things it needed, like an engine flush, steering fluid, engine fluid etc. I am in a completely foreign world when it comes to car repairs so I have no idea whether it needs all that stuff or not. But it all added up to $420.00.
I'm not really complaining. The car is paid off so I have no car payments. And for the first few years the extended warranty was in place so I didn't have to pay much at all. I've escaped relatively clear of car repairs.
And I do like the security of knowing before we leave that the car is in good shape.
So - I'm not too upset. But still - that much for just routine things does sound a bit steep.
Ah well - the joys of being a car owner

'til later

Blog pimping

Be sure to check out both The Good, The Bad and the Unread and Dear Author. They are both featuring Lisa Kleypas today. Lisa is one of the best there is!!!
I still have to post my thoughts on Mine Till Midnight! Quickie though - I loved it

'ti later

It's October 3rd and this is starting to get tough!

I said no more book buying until I read the 5 books I listed, but I gotta tell you it's starting to get pretty hard. I'm going through the beginnings of book withdrawal. It's especially hard since it's the beginning of the month when all the new books are coming out. I can say Thank Goodness I already had Mine 'til Midnight. But still there are a few books coming out or are already out that I'm whimpering over. What if they're all gone by the time I finish the fifth book?!?!?!
This is tough I tell you.
So far I've read one and a half so I still have a ways to go before I can buy more. But I'll just have to suck it up. I'm determined to do this!!

'til later

This Week's Winnah

Congratulations to Renee who guessed the book! Kinsman's Oath by Susan Krinard. And here I thought it would take longer than normal. Instead it took less time and only two clues.
I really loved this one. I loved the hero. He was very complicated, very tortured. Here's a great review for it.
I was quite upset after I read it to find out the author had no intentions of writing anymore of this universe she had started to build. I still haven't given up hope that she does go back because it just didn't feel like the author was finished with these people and this universe.

Here are the rest of the clues:

He has been tolerated by his captors most of his life and oftentimes tortured

She is taking a real risk in saving him

He was captured years ago when his family was destroyed

She has special telepathic talents

As does he

This is the first full-length book but the world was first created in a short story in an out of this world anthology

Renee: I think I have your address. If not, I'll email you.

I'll have another 'Guess that book' starting Monday.

'til later

Yabba Dabb Doo – Here’s Clue #2

She is a captain of her own ship – sort of

We've only just begun - Here's Clue #1

He is running away from enemy spaceships when he is rescued.

Guess That Book

Yep - Once again it's time to 'Guess That Book'. I already had a copy of this one and picked up another one in Dallas. I thought I was getting the next one, but nope - it was the same one.
Again, I haven't read my copy yet - so many books, so little time. I decided to offer it up rather than trade it in.

Warning though. This week's 'Guess That Book' is a toughie.

My latest post is up at Reader's Gab over at Access Romance. I didn't have as much time to work on it as I would have liked. I was planning on writing it Friday - but that fell by the wayside. I had to get up early today - my day off :( so it's not quite what I planned.

Now I'm headed back to bed. The weekly 'Guess that Book' will come later today - along with a review of a certain book (being mysterious).

'til later