Duo Review

The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne

Kristie's Thoughts:

First of all I’ll have to get past the WOW part of this book. Barely into the New Year and already I’ve read my first 5 out of 5 book.

I think I first became aware of this one because of Jayne and Jane’s reviews at Dear Author. I was intrigued enough to know that I was going to have to read this one myself.

The story starts out with a bang and never stops.

Annique is a young French spy who’s gotten caught in the clutches of a fellow, very evil French spy. He thinks she has information he wants and is willing to do anything to get it out of her. But Annique is a very resourceful young woman and manages to escape and also to help two other men being held prisoner. The other two are English spies and when they hear what it is that Annique is supposed to have, they kidnap her and journey back to England.

Grey is the commander of the English spy department and while at first he thinks Annique is the one responsible for the death of some of his men, he soon realizes what a compassionate young woman she really is.

It’s not often that one comes across a heroine as vivid and well-written as Annique. While a poorly written heroine can ruin a book for me, I still focus more on the hero. But in this case Annique lept off the pages. She’s inventive, she’s kindhearted, she’s oddly naive, she’s intelligent. She’s simply wonderful. I told Katie that I had to find enough superlatives to describe this book and I’m probably going to go overboard with them – but I can’t help it.

And Grey is an equal match for her. He realizes very quickly how good she is in her profession and he treats her with respect. Very early on he becomes quite protective of her while still recognizing her intelligence and what a contribution she can make. One scene in particular exemplifies this for me. The third member of their quartet, Adrian, has been shot. It’s Grey’s job to try and remove the bullet and he is quite reluctant, thinking he will kill Adrian. When Annique volunteers and tells him she has experience in this kind of thing, he doesn’t doubt her for a moment. He trusts her with the life of one of his men.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving it away to anyone who hasn’t read it yet but is planning to.

One of the things that a number of people have commented on is the wonderful dialogue she writes. Here is an interesting post on how she came up with it.

I’ve gone on record about my ‘I’m over it’ thing with hero spies. Well, now I’m going to have to eat my words – except I don’t have a kitchen. I loved this one and there’s not a shadow of a doubt I’ll be reading her next one!!

And oddly enough, is the fact that I even like the cover. I’ve heard complaints about it, but I like it, I really do.

Do Not Miss this book. All the buzz is right – it’s a good one.

Katie's Thoughts:

I feel that historical romances get such a bad “rap”. From cliché plots to major heaving bosoms and naked men chests on these covers, (well I really don’t mind the naked men part!) I wasn’t too sure what to think when I saw the cover for The Spymaster’s Lady. I groaned because quite honestly, that cover is bad! It screams of that old fashioned Fabio type romance where the hero forces the heroine to do his bidding. I also felt like he is trying to be Superman by ripping off his shirt and is ready to fly away at a moment’s notice.

But then I started hearing wonderful things about this book and that of first time author, Joanna Bourne. When was the last time the consensus about one book is so good that you can not pass it up? So, I quickly got myself a copy of The Spymaster’s Lady and was blown away. If you think the hero forces the heroine to do anything in this one, watch out because Annique is unlike any heroine I had read since Eve from the JD Robb In Death series or Anita Blake from Laurel K. Hamilton’s vampire slayer series. The thing these three characters have in common is their overall tenacious attitude and their will to survive. They will do anything to come out on top and won’t go down without a fight. They would seriously fight very dirty to win aka kick a guy where it hurts. A perfect example in this book is when Annique takes her sash from her nightgown and tries to strangle Robert with it.

From that point on I became all Ricki Lake and said “You go on girl with your bad self!”

Joanna Bourne has taken a typical spy story and made it so much more. Her words come off the pages and it is so rich, especially with the dialogue. Annique reminded me so much of Maddie from The Winter Garden by Adele Ashworth. And we know how much we all love Maddie. Annique is a French spy and when she speaks, she sounds so perfectly French to my ears. She is strong, intelligent and very sly. She will lie, cheat and play any part to perfection. But a strong woman needs a strong man and that is where our British “spy master” comes into the picture. Robert Grey is England’s ultimate spy. I adored Robert because he is such a good guy. He protects his friends and associates and when he meets Annique, he is thrown for a loop.

Their attraction for each other is instant because they have a battle of wills and the foreplay between them is the words they use. Every ling spoken out of their mouths is a journey that will lead them into the bedroom. And when they get there… well their minds and hearts merge and those scene are heavy in passion but so very much more.

The plot seems so simple and should be that typical historical spy drama that is found so readily in romances today. But Joanna Bourne has done something incredibly. She has taken a cliché story and made it shine.

It all really comes down to the character of Annique. She comes alive and is not just a one-dimensional character you will read about and soon forget. But there is one thing that Kristie(J) and I have a difference of opinion on that makes my grade a bit lower. Annique has a big secret you come to realize very soon. This secret perhaps makes the relationship between Robert and Annique even more incredible, but it grated on my nerves a bit, especially when Annique’s secret is fixed suddenly. Perhaps I am just nitpicking because this truly is a wonderfully written book, but that small thing took a little bit away from making this a true masterpiece of romantic literature.

Never the less I give The Spymaster’s Lady 4 out of 5 stars. I probably would have given it a 4.5 if not for that secret that Robert can see in Annique’s eyes.

Duo Review - The Down Home Zombie Blues

I have never been a huge sci-fi fan. Space travel and all that entails is not my cup of tea. When I originally heard about Linnea Sinclair I wasn’t really interested in any of her books. But as I lurked the message boards, specifically AAR’s , many were raving about Gabriel’s Ghost. Why not give it a try? The worst that could happen is it would be just another DNF.


Gabriel’s Ghost was definitely not a DNF! And when I heard about The Down Home Zombie Blues, my initial thought was, “What’s up with that title??” And when Kristie(J) started reading it first and said it was pretty good, I quickly got my own copy. And as soon as I finished, it was destined to be in my top 10 for 2007.
The Down Home Zombie Blues takes place in Florida during Christmas week. Intergalactic visitors have come to find one of their crew members who has been murdered. He was living undercover in Florida to investigate the outbreak of zombies that have appeared on Earth. Now when I think of zombies, I think of Night of the Living Dead or those crazy ones from 28 Days Later. These zombies were man made as a war tool, as it is explain. I have to admit I was a bit confused by all of this, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.
Linnea can also write kick- ass heroines and in each book I have read, they are all strong and strong. She should start trade marking her heroines. Jorie is a strong and intelligent woman, but a bit fragile. Her past with men hasn’t been the best. But she has more important things to worry about at the moment. She is the commander to her crew that has come to Earth to stop these zombies from their killing rampage. They also have to figure out who has control of them. Then there is Theo, a homicide detective. He also happens to be Greek and speaks it throughout the book. I found this to be very swoon-worthy especially when he starts to fall in love with Jorie and calls her his love and darling in Greek.
Most of the time these two are trying to stop these zombie creatures. There is also a great deal of dialogue on how to do it. We also get a glimpse of world that Jorie has come from and why the Earthlings or “nils” as she calls them don’t know about her alien race. But Jorie looks like a human, so you don’t have to worry about her having a third arm or tentacles coming out of her ears.
Theo adores Jorie, where as she is a bit timid with their “courtship”. She has a lot on her plate with saving Earth and all. Plus if she gets involved with a human, they may not have a future together because her job is basically to police the universe from the baddies.
If you are looking for a steamy romance, you may be disappointed. Theo and Jorie’s path to love is more subtle and takes time. They are trying to stay alive and when they have some down time they enjoy the small things like Theo feeding Jorie peanut butter which is her new favorite food. (But if you are like me, and need to know if there is sex, there are some sex scenes, so don’t despair!)
The Down Home Zombie Blues is another great read by Linnea and she is proving to be a great sci-fi author. There are not many authors like her and she has found her niche.
Don’t let the strange title keep you away from this incredible read.
Grade: 4 out 5

Katiebabs





I read my first Linnea Sinclair book, Games of Command, earlier this year and was blown away. I had to get more by her. I followed that up with Gabriel’s Ghost and was blown away again. I also have The Accidental Goddess and Finder’s Keepers in the TBR pile and someday (hopefully soon) will get to them!
So it was with great anticipation that I began reading The Down Home Zombie Blues.
It’s not that I didn’t like this book – I did – enough to recommend it – but it wasn’t the same as the previous two and it wasn’t what I was expecting/hoping for. I love a good sci-fi romance or what used to be called futuristic so I was kind of hoping that’s what this one was. It wasn’t.
Instead this one is set in the present day and the setting is – well – Earth. It starts off in the usual sci-fi romance kind of way. Jorie Mikkalah has traveled to Earth to try and find a missing team member. Jorie is a commander whose duty it is to track down and eliminate zombies, creatures created by her people to do something – I didn’t really catch what, that have been taken over by a rival group. On earth she runs into difficulties in the name of homicide detective Theo Petrakos. When he stumbles into their search while investigating a strange murder, Jorie and her gang reluctantly agree to work with him for the good of the planet.
As I said – this one wasn’t bad. I loved Jorie. I thought her a great heroine, strong yet compassionate. I found Theo a bit colourless as a hero and rather unremarkable though. And there was a lot of the book that was just too difficult to really understand. If this was a normal kind of sci-fi romance it wouldn’t have bothered me, but I felt I should have ‘gotten’ this one a bit more. I also couldn’t get a picture of the zombies in my head – another issue since they were the villains of the book. It all takes place in a very short amount of time and I found the pace a bit frantic at times.
So – my thoughts on this one – not bad, but I liked her other ones better
Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Kristie(J)

PS - I'd link to her website but it seems to be down at the moment. I'm very excited though, that her next book due out soon, is a sequel to Gabriel's Ghost.
Yippee!

Duo Review

Katie and I are doing something different this time. I don’t know if anyone noticed, but we just happened to be reading the same book at the same time, I thought it would be fun to do dueling reviews.
So here you go – two for the price of one on





Untouched by Anna Campbell

Kristie’s Thoughts

I heard all the buzz and controversy about Claiming the Courtesan. Of course that meant I had to buy it. I haven’t read it yet – but I bought it. So when I noticed her newest book was on the shelves I decided to get it too. Then I read ‘virgin hero’ and I decided to bump it ahead of CtC.
I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect and I had a few issues, but overall, I thought it a decently good read.
The Very Handsome Mathew, Lord Sheene had been held as a prisoner on a country estate since the age of fourteen when he had a fit of madness. His Evil Uncle John declared him a madman and kept him away from society for years. After a number of escape attempts Mathew finally stopped trying.
In order to calm his nephew, Evil Uncle John decided to get him a plaything – a young doxy. But his evil henchman grabbed a young widow by mistake.
At first the Very Handsome Mathew is quite rightly suspicious of our Vulnerable Young Heroine, Grace Paget. But he eventually believes her tale. Well naturally nature takes it’s course between The Very Handsome Mathew and the Vulnerable Young Heroine. I give the author kudos for the first love scene. It was Not Good for her. I found that very refreshing in a genre where it’s usually multiple orgasms first time out of the gate for hero/heroine.
But because our Very Handsome Hero was the studious sort, he managed to get things right by the second go-round and made things very good for our Vulnerable Young Heroine. When it was brought home to him how much danger she was in from the Nasty Bad Henchmen, he planned her escape at great cost to himself.
All kidding aside though, this was a pretty descent book. Mathew was delicious as the lonely young man and is pretty high up there with other very good heroes. Grace I found a bit too self-sacrificing. There is a bit at the end where I found her a little overboard in her sacrificing ways. I could see where she was coming from and kind of understand why she did what she did, but I thought the length of time much too long. I know I’m being vague here but those who’ve read this book will know what I’m talking about and those who haven’t – well, I don’t want to spoil it for them.
Also – the bad guys were pretty over the top bad, but I found this a bit campy and I could deal and enjoy that.
I don’t think this one will create quite the stir her first book did. But now I will certainly read Claiming the Courtesan and I will read future books by this author. And if you know the publisher, you will note that’s quite a concession for me *g*.

Grade: 4 out of 5




Katie's Thoughts

I have been hearing great buzz about Anna Campbell’s latest- Untouched. Last year she had created quite the stir with Claiming the Courtesan, which reminded me greatly of Anne Stuart’s A Rose at Midnight. Claiming the Courtesan is one of those books that brings out a great deal of emotion and many were burning up the message boards about this book and Anna herself.
So this weekend I grabbed a copy of Untouched not knowing what to expect. I read an excerpt from the book off Anna’s website and I had some email conversations about her thoughts about her second release. Untouched is a very different book from her first. I seriously read Untouched in less than three hours and I am on the fence on what grade I would give.
First off Anna has a way of writing remarkable characters. In Claiming the Courtesan I adored her heroine, Verity. With Untouched it is all about Matthew. Now the main reason I had to read this book is because Matthew is a virgin. There is nothing sexier to me that having a virgin hero. And Matthew is truly a virgin in every sense of the word. His evil and diabolical uncle has held him hostage since he has been eleven. Matthew is now in his mid twenties and has never kissed a woman, let alone been intimate with one. Matthew is a truly wonderful hero. He is the reason to read Untouched. When he realizes Grace, the pious widow is the ONE for him, he is a goner. He falls headlong into love. He admits his love first, has a holy experience from making love to Grace and even though she will not say those three little words back to him, he doesn’t care. He now knows love and would shout it to the sky if he could. He is faithful and generous. Yes, very, very generous when it comes to showing his love for Grace.
Now with Grace I had some issues with. Yup, she is one of THOSE widows. Not the one that is married and never had sex because her first husband is missing some parts down below, which I really hate. But Grace eloped with a much, much older man when she was only sixteen. Her husband at the time was in his fifties. Just plain…ewww. Grace has been disowned by her parents, has no money, is mistaken for a whore, kidnapped, drugged and wears black mourning clothes. If I was Grace I would have had a breakdown. But then comes Matthew and he becomes Grace’s protector and knight in shining armor.
There are also some small things that took away from my enjoyment of this book. Evil uncle gets Matthew a whore so he can have a mistress. We really never know why. He thinks Matthew will continue to go along as is, as long as he is getting some loving. Evil uncle is so… evil, just because. He is very one-dimensional and I really could not understand why he acted the way he did. Of course it comes down to money, but come on his character is a little too much.
In essence, this is a very passionate love story. Anna has an excellent way in writing some luscious love scenes. Matthew is a quick learner, and a believable one. And Grace does act the way I would expect a woman like herself to be.
The title is also very appropriate. Matthew has been untouched physically, no hugs, kisses or slaps on the back, that is until Grace enters his world. Grace is untouched in her emotions and never feeling any love from her husband or even her parents.
Even though I do have some issues with Untouched, Anna Campbell has a way of writing stories and characters that get people talking. There are not many authors out there that can do that. I have to applaud her for being able to do that.My grade is a bit lower but I would give it a 3 out of 5. The “3” is all due to Matthew. Thank you for writing a hero like Matthew!