Fall Reviews 2013

Oh dear.  It's been such a long time since I've posted! Eek! I'm reviewing books I read in August and here it is the 1st of November!  To make up for it, I threw a few more recent releases I've read as well!  Right! So... without further ado, let's get to it!

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

Book Description:
Bridget Jones is back!

Great comic writers are as rare as hen's teeth. And Helen is one of a very select band who have created a character of whom the very thought makes you smile. Bridget Jones' Diary, charting the life of a 30-something singleton in London in the 1990s was a huge international bestseller, published in 40 countries and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, published soon after was also a major international bestseller.

Set in the present, the new novel will explore a different phase in Bridget's life with an entirely new scenario. As Helen Fielding has said: "If people laugh as much reading it as I am while writing it then we'll all be very happy."

I didn't think I would, especially with the demise of one of my absolute favorite literary heroes - but I absolutely loved it!   I laughed I cried I was all over the place while reading this book, but mostly I laughed. Hysterical scenes involving texting and tweeting - all with the same old Bridget we know and love.  She really hasn't changed that much, considering she's aged a bit and is facing all sorts of new (and old) problems.  Alas no Mark Darcy, but Roxster, her 29 year old boy toy was adorable and I was so glad to see Bridget have a happy ending.  She really deserved it.  Great book!  Why am I surprised, the other Bridget's were favorites too!  Fielding has done a masterful job at mixing humor with some very tender and heart wrenching emotions.  She hasn't lost it at all, just as fresh and amusing as ever.  Can I just say - "I want a boy toy tooooo!" (Love the cover!)

5/5

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book Description: 
Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe—and won't back down . . .

Artemis Greaves toils as a lady's companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the Ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads, she recognizes a kindred spirit-and is intrigued. She's even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious Ghost is by day . . . 

Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother-or she will expose him as the Ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire-or the temptation of his embrace?

I loved this Georgian historical, as I do all her books.  Totally was into the whole Batman thing.   It would have been nearly perfect, except for the sticky problem that Maximus, the Duke of Wakefield was so selfish about wanting Artemis - yet still intending to marry Penelope who was so awful!  Points against him, but then again, you've got to have that angst and it would have been too pat otherwise.  A little realism doesn't hurt.  Still, it took him way to long to figure out that he was wrong.  Still, a good story and lived up to all my expectations!


4/5

The Best Laid Plans by Sarah Mayberry

Book Description:
"Boundaries." The key to how corporate lawyer Alexandra Knight manages her busy life. However, lately all her precisely drawn lines are getting blurred. Blame it on her out-of-control biological clock that is ignoring her single status...and on Ethan Stone.Because her sexy, no-strings colleague has posed an outrageous solution to her dilemma--he'll be her baby daddy. This from the guy who avoids all commitment? Okay, so they're attracted to each other. Really, really attracted. But crossing the line from coworker to co-parent with Ethan could ruin Alex for all other men. After all, when you've had the best...

Ordinarily I don't read Harlequins - except for when it comes to Sarah Mayberry.  As usual with her stories, this was an emotional read, but the theme of wanting to have a baby because the clock is ticking and wanting to do the whole artificial insemination theme just kind of bothered me. I really loved the hero, Ethan, in the story he was great and I felt for him, but not wanting to marry even when she tells him her feelings killed me! Alexandra was a tough heroine to like.  Overall the story fell a bit short for me since the answer to both their problems was so obvious, but I still loved it and I was up into middle of the night to finish it.

4/5

Can't Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry

Book Description:
He's everything she despises-a babe magnet with more notches on his belt than a millipede has legs.  And he thinks his coworker is wound so tightly she irons her underwear at night.  Two people couldn't be further apart.

But when Jack Brook and Claire Marsden get stuck in a sweltering elevator one afternoon, it's a different story. By the time they're rescued, Jack and Claire have swapped confidences and oh, they've had the most spectacular sex of their lives!Back in the office they're still butting heads over projects, but now there's a heightened awareness added to the mix. With this kind of tension in the air, how can they resist another round of sexy indulgence? 

Another winner Sarah Mayberry romance. An irresistible premise of what happens when you get stuck in an elevator for a few hours with the office playboy and have sex with him, against all your better judgement.  Come on, everyone has fantasized about this kind of scenario with someone at some point in their lives.  *blushing* George Clooney anyone? Although the heroine is prickly and uptight in the beginning, her personality shines through later in the book. I loved Jack, of course.  Not the best Mayberry I've read, and not as emotional as her others, but it was a fun, quick read.

4/5

Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

Book Description: 
MEET THE BLUE-EYED DEVIL - His name is Hardy Cates. He's a self-made millionaire who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. He's made enemies in the rough-and-tumble ride to the top of Houston's oil industry. He's got hot blood in his veins. And vengeance on his mind.

MEET THE HEIRESS - She's Haven Travis. Despite her family's money, she refuses to set out on the path they've chosen for her. But when Haven marries a man her family disapproves of, her life is set on a new and dangerous course. Two years later, Haven comes home, determined to guard her heart. And Hardy Cates, a family enemy, is the last person she needs darkening her door or setting her soul on fire.

WATCH THE SPARKS FLY....Filled with Lisa Kleypas's trademark sensuality, filled with characters you love to hate and men you love to love, Blue-Eyed Devil will hold you captive in its storytelling power as the destiny of two people unfolds with every magical word.

Haven Travis escapes from an abusive marriage and into the arms of ne'er do well, self-made rich oil man, Hardy Cates - who her family hates. Good story, a bit melodramatic and reminiscent of an '80's TV miniseries. I would have liked it more if Haven hadn't been such a doormat for much of the book. I still loved Hardy though, classic Kleypas hero *sigh* but her historicals are where she really shines.

4/5

 
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Book Description:
Jack Travis leads the uncomplicated life of a millionaire Texas playboy.  He makes no commitments, he loves many women, he lives for pleasure.  But no one has ever truly touched his heart or soul.  Until one day, a woman appears on his doorstep with fury on her face and a baby in her arms.  It seems Jack is the father and this woman is the baby’s aunt. The real mother has abandoned the child to her more responsible sister.  And now, Jack is being called upon to take responsibility for the first time in his life.  With delicious romantic tension, characters so real they walk onto the page and into your heart, Lisa Kleypas delivers the kind of novel that makes you laugh, love; cry and cheer.

I loved this novel and it was my favorite in the Travis series. I didn't think I would, especially with a baby storyline, but it sucked me in all the way through to the end, bringing tears to my eyes with it's happily ever after ending. I loved Jack Travis! I had a harder time getting into Ella, but she won we over soon enough.  Despite some minor flaws I found it an emotional, touching contemporary that plucked at my heart strings, not to mention the sizzling love scenes between Ella and Jack.  A keeper!

4.5/5

The Soldier by Grace Burrowes

Book Description:
This Regency era battle of wits, wills, and the sexes features a wily duke determined to see the succession of his line secured. The duke can't force his sons to marry, but he can make their lives miserable until they do. Resisting his pressure, each gentleman holds out for true love.
The second book in the series features Devlin St. Just, the duke's oldest, but illegitimate, son. He arrives at his new estate weary in body and spirit only to find the previous owner's bastard daughter and her beautiful cousin are his responsibility and making his life almost unbearably complicated. 

Grace Burrowes has become a favorite of mine and I really enjoyed this next installment in her Duke's Obsession series. This is Devlin St. Just's story. Bastard son to the Duke of Moreland, Devlin became a soldier, but it's left him suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome as he retires to his recently acquired estate in Yorkshire. On top of that he is dealing with the recent revelations that his real mother loved him after all. While in Yorkshire, he meets Emmie Farnum, the pretty local baker and so-called guardian of Winnie, a precocious six year old who winds up living with Devlin as his ward. Burrowes has a way of tugging at your heart strings with everyday goings-on. Devlin falls in love with Emmie and she reciprocates yet she cannot marry him for she fears her secret will ruin everything and she's convinced she must let Devlin go to raise Winnie without her - like I said, complicated. I was a little confused about her obstinacy over this issue, but fear not - all is resolved by the end.

4/5

A Garden Folly by Candice Hern

Book Description:
Two sisters on the edge of poverty have a chance to meet wealthy, titled, unmarried gentlemen when they are unexpectedly invited to a house party at a famous country estate owned by the Duke of Carlisle. Though courted by a wealthy earl, Catherine Forsythe finds herself falling for the handsome estate gardener and faced with the choice of marrying for money and security, or following her heart.

I really enjoyed this quick light G-rated regency. Stephen, the Duke of Carlisle wishes he could be loved for himself and not just as a rich duke. He gets his chance when he meets Catherine Forsythe in his own gardens. Disguising himself as head gardener of his own estate, he is bent on wooing her and have her fall in love with him. She is determined to marry a rich man for she and her sister and aunt are nearly destitute. But, she succumbs to the charms of the green eyed handsome gardener, but her common sense is telling her otherwise. Cute story, but I cringed over some of the remarks Catherine unknowingly makes to the duke.  I will read more by this author, so far I've liked what I've read of hers.

3.5/5

True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson

Book Description:
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!

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.

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.

Not up to par with the previous books in her Chinooks Hockey Team series, but it was still pretty good.  Widow of billionaire Virgil Duffy, a former Playboy Playmate, Faith Duffy, inherits his hockey team and of course, she and the captain, Ty Savage (Sah-vahge) dislike each other at first sight.  But then they fall in lust and can't resist one another.  Not bad, not great, but It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a much better sports romance along these exact same lines.

3.5/5

His Every Kiss by Laura Lee Guhrke

Book Description:
Everyone knows about Dylan Moore—his brilliant talent and his pleasure-seeking ways—but no one knows the torment that lies beneath his reckless veneer. Only one woman gets a glimpse of the forces that drive Dylan's soul, a woman who haunts his dreams and evokes his passions as no other woman ever has before.

Disgraced and destitute, Grace Cheval wants nothing to do with the seductive man who desires her. When Dylan offers her a position as governess to his newfound daughter, she knows his true intentions are dishonorable. Yet she finds this charismatic man hard to resist, and she returns his passionate kisses with a fire that matches his own. Can Dylan dare hope that this proud, spirited beauty will melt the ice around his heart?

I had trouble liking the hero in this one - not to mention the plot line, for that matter.  Yes, our hero, Dylan Moore, had some issues.  But he was much too self centered and by the time he began to change, it seemed it was only out of guilt (hence the series' name) but I didn't find it all that romantic.  Grace, the heroine, seemed to "all of a sudden" want to go to bed with him one night! (I hate it when that happens) Frankly, there just wasn't anything about this book I liked - including the annoying daughter who was a younger clone of her father.  Others by this author are much better.

3/5

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin (audio)

Book Description:
No Ordinary Time is a monumental work, a brilliantly conceived chronicle of one of the most vibrant and revolutionary periods in the history of the United States. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin masterfully weaves together a striking number of story lines;  Eleanor and Franklin's marriage and remarkable partnership, Eleanor's life as First Lady, and FDR's White House and its impact on America as well as on a world at war. Goodwin effectively melds these details and stories into an unforgettable and intimate portrait of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt and of the time during which a new, modern America was born.

A mammoth sized bio of the Roosevelt's leading up to and during WWII, fascinating on audiobook, though it took forever.  I must admit, I quizzed my mother and father-in-law much of the time while listening to this.  Peppering them with questions about what it was like back when they were teenagers during the war and what were their memories of FDR and Eleanor.  I really enjoyed this!  A must for anyone that's interested in this time period and FDR. Not much more to say than that!

5/5

 

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April and May Reviews - Part II

And now for today's second batch of reviews - I told you I was behind! (It doesn't help that I discovered Mad Men and watched all six seasons in two weeks!)

Love Irresistibly by Julie James

Book Description:
A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.

A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love... 

Another snappy contemporary from Julie James.  She really is a favorite and as much as I enjoyed this one, everything worked out too easily between the hero and heroine, from jumping into bed together up to the I love you moment, which seemed anticlimactic to me.  It needed more emotional oomph between the two.   Still, I love this author, so I really can't complain, quick read (under 300 pages), great dialogue, and I liked Cade's backstory, though Brooke's was kinda sketchy.

4/5

This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (audio)

Book Description:
Molly Somerville loves her career as the creator of the Daphne the Bunny children's book series, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. She has a reputation for trouble that started even before she gave away her fifteen-million-dollar inheritance. Then there's her long-term crush on the quarterback for the Chicago Stars football team her sister owns—that awful, gorgeous Kevin Tucker, a man who can't even remember Molly's name!

One night Kevin barges into Molly's not-quite-perfect life and turns it upside down. Unfortunately, the Ferrari-driving riving, poodle-hating jock isn't as shallow as she wishes he were, and she soon finds herself at a place called Wind Lake. Surrounded by paintbox cottages, including a charming old bed-and-breakfast, Molly and Kevin battle their attraction and each other as they face one of life's most important lessons. Sometimes love hurts, sometimes it makes you mad as hell, and sometimes—if you're lucky—it can heal in a most unexpected way.

I enjoyed Molly and Kevin's story, but it got off to a slow start and I'm not fond of the way Molly and Kevin first get together that ultimately leads to her pregnancy and forced marriage scenario which was too similar to Anyone's Baby But Mine.  I'm realizing all these books in this Chicago Stars series are somewhat formulaic, though I still enjoy them.  This one wasn't as good as the first two books in the series, but on audio, it's always a pleasure to listen to Anna Fields' version of the blustering football player bowled over by true love, but too dense to recognize it. As usual, I liked the side story, this time involving Kevin's fading actress mother and the famous artist who falls in love with her.

4/5

See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

Book Description: 
THIS IS JANE
A little subdued. A little stubborn. A little tired of going out on blind dates with men who drive vans with sofas in the back, Jane Alcott is living the Single Girl existence in the big city. She is also leading a double life. By day, she's a reporter covering the raucous Seattle Chinooks hockey team—especially their notorious goalie Luc Martineau. By night, she's a writer, secretly creating the scandalous adventures of "Honey Pie"...the magazine series that has all the men talking.

SEE JANE SPAR
Luc has made his feelings about parasite reporters—and Jane—perfectly clear. But if he thinks he's going to make her life a misery, he'd better think again.

SEE JANE ATTRACT
For as long as he can remember, Luc has been single minded about his career. The last thing he needs is a smart mouthed, pain in the backside, reporter digging into his past and getting in his way. But once the little reporter shed her black and gray clothes in favor of a sexy red dress, Luc sees that there is more to Jane than originally meets the eye.

Maybe it's time to take a risk. Maybe it's time to live out fantasies. Maybe it's time to.... SEE JANE SCORE!

Good contemporary romance, similar in some ways to Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Chicago Stars series, only here we have the world of professional hockey instead of football.  Due to the slow start, it took me a while to warm up to Luc and Jane, but once I got into the storyline I liked them. Jane knows nothing about hockey but has to write a sports column about the Chinook's hockey team.  I can relate, since I know next to nothing about hockey too!  She and the goalie, Luc, spar and argue but ultimately fall in love. He's got his own issues, among them a a teenage half-sister who's living with him after losing her mother.  Plus, he has a tendency to resist serious relationships.  Jane is the last type of girl he dates, though he is inexplicably drawn to her and they become close while traveling on the road together.  By the end of the story, I was into them and their relationship, though I felt terrible once he finds out who she really is and the way he treats her.  Fortunately he comes to his senses and love conquers all!

4/5

The Heir by Grace Burrowes

Book Description:
Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the Duke of Moreland. To escape his father's inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper...

Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle Windham that she works as his housekeeper.

As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna's secrets threaten to bring the earl's orderly life crashing down - and he doesn't know how he's going to protect her from the fallout...

I really loved reading about Gayle and Anna's story, though the book had some flaws. The first half was stronger when Anna was still his housekeeper, it fizzled in the last 100 pages and I feel it could have been cut back in length.  I was frustrated over the fact they misunderstood each others feelings and love for one another for so long!  It was so obvious!  Still, it was a good book and I'm eager to continue with the series.  Burrowes does have a knack for taking ordinary situations and making them extraordinary!

4/5

What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long

Book Description: 
For years, he's been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he'll seduce Ian's innocent sister, Genevieve--the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he'll capture her heart . . . and then he'll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there anything she won't do for a duke?

I loved this historical romance - an entertaining fifth installment in the Pennyroyal Green series. It was refreshing to have an "older" hero, Alex, the Duke of Falconbridge.  His inner thoughts were great, and I loved the way everyone cow-towed to him, having no idea of what he's really thinking!  Sensational set up on the beginning with Ian too - poor man! Still, I had trouble with the whole Genevieve loving Harry bit which was the fly in the ointment. Still, best of the series so far.

4.5/5

To Wed a Wild Lord by Sabrina Jeffries (audio)

Book Description:
Drowning in guilt over his best friend's death seven years ago, Lord Gabriel Sharpe, the Angel of Death, knows his only hope at redemption is a race against a shocking opponent.

Shrouded in darkness for the past seven years, the infamous racer Lord Gabriel Sharpe is known to accept every challenge to race thrown at him. When his next challenge comes in the form of his late best friend's sister, Virginia Waverly, Gabe is shocked. Yet she presents just the opportunity Gabe needs - marriage to fulfill his grandmother's ultimatum and ensure his inheritance. What he didn't count on was needing her love.

Fourth in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series and my first on audio by this author.  This historical started out well but then our hero, Gabriel's guilt dominated the storyline rather than any actual romance with the impetuous Virginia, our heroine. The narration on audio was good for Gabe, done by Nico Evers-Swindell.  He had a very sexy voice for Gabe, but unfortunately it didn't help the often maudlin plotline revolving around Gabe's guilt over the death of Virginia's brother.  I grew very tired of his constant lament over how he was not good enough for Virginia, and so involved in his own self-pity he completely forgot that he ruined her and had to marry her!  (He did not endear himself to me after that lapse in memory!  I did like the sparks between Gran and Poppy though.  Glad she's found some one in her "senior" years.  I'm realizing historical romances don't seem to translate as well on audio - with some exceptions.  Overall, I prefer non-fiction and contemporaries, but I'll probably still listen to a few more before I give up on them.

3/5

The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

Book Description: 
The best thing between Oliver Barrett and Mackenzie Williams is a fence. Ever since Oliver's new-neighbor gestures were met with unfriendly responses, he's decided to keep his distance. After all, he's in this seaside town to get his life on track again. That doesn't include working hard to get on Mackenzie's good side—no matter how intriguing she may be. His intentions are put to the test, however, when his dog becomes infatuated with hers. The two crafty canines do their best to break down the barriers between the properties. And where the dogs go…, well, the humans must follow! It doesn't take long for a powerful attraction to build between Oliver and Mackenzie. They soon discover that the worst of first impressions can lead to the best possible outcomes….

I really loved this story. As always, author Sarah Mayberry has such deep emotion and real life sort of situations in her novels. I fell in love with Oliver and Mackenzie's courtship, both have baggage to get over, these two don't have perfect lives.  Mackenzie is recovering from a near fatal car accident in which she's been on disability for over a year.  Her life had been turned upside due to the crash and she just wants her old life and career back. Oliver is going through a divorce, dealing with the fact his wife had been having an affair for the entire time they were married.  Though both are well off and good looking people, they are walking wounded. I really cared for them and especially felt the pain that Oliver went through when he was worrying about what Mackenzie was doing that night with her ex.  Here he's falling in love with her fast, imagining a life with her and he's suffering imagining the worst scenarios as she's next door with her drop dead good looking movie star ex-husband!  Talk about insecure! And then all the emotions that Mac was going through on the phone and later on when she's realized Oliver is giving up on her.  I'm so glad she wouldn't let him! A simple but great contemporary romance.  Sarah Mayberry is a master at taking ordinary people and making their stories meaningful so that the reader is invested in them 100%.  I want to know what happens next.  After reading her books, I consistently miss her characters.  That's a good sign. ;)

4.5/5

Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner

Book Description: 
On a stagecoach traveling through New Mexico Territory, Jessica Thornton is a long way from the cool mists and lush gardens of her native England. An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to the West on a desperate search for the only family she can trust: her brother.

No one prepared Jessica for the heat and the hardships. And no one prepared her for a man like Brady Wilkins. For, despite the rancher's rough-hewn appearance and her own misgivings, Jessica must put her life in his hands after their stagecoach crashes. And she begins to see the man behind the callused hands and caustic wit. A man strong enough to carve out a home in the wilderness, brave enough to fight for his own, and passionate enough to restore her faith in herself-and in her heart.

I love Western cowboy romances, and this is one of the better ones I've read. English gentlewoman, Jessica Thornton is heading West in search of her brother and to run away from the brother-in-law who raped her, leaving her now five months pregnant. While in New Mexico she meets Brady Wilkins, a cowboy who owns a ranch. Haunted by the death of his younger brother, Brady is determined to kill the crazed Sancho Alvarez who is bent on killing the rest of his family. Amidst the turmoil of the Wild West, Judith and Brady fall in love. Can this Englishwoman and cowboy live together when they are so different? Can Jessica overcome her fears and tragic background and find love and comfort in Brady's arms? Great story and characterizations! A real keeper - and another series about cowboy brothers - I love them!

4/5

Killing Kennedy: the end of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly (audio)

Book Description:
O'Reilly recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

Continuing my secret fascination with assassinations and the CIA, I listened to this book and found it an easy "listen". Although I've read other books that go over the Kennedy Assassination and the Kennedy's in general, this book did give me new insight into certain facts I didn't know about. I found it riveting and compelling, but couldn't help thinking it was a bit sensationalistic, especially with all the anecdotal tidbits on JFK's and MLK's sexual appetites. I'm not a TV news watcher, so I'm not an O'Reilly devotee, but his narration was fine in that direct sort of newscast way of his.  Overall, a fast and easy read and I'll definitely read - or listen - to his Killing Lincoln, which came out before this one.

4.5/5

Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath

Book Description:
Lord Rafe Easton may be of noble blood, but survival taught him to rely only on himself and to love no one. Yet when he sets his eyes on Miss Evelyn Chambers, and earl's illegitimate daughter, he is determined to have her, if only as his mistress.

After her father's death, Evelyn Chambers never imagined she would be sold to the highest bidder, yet circumstances give her little choice except to accept the lord's indecent proposal. Rafe is wealthy, as well as ruthless. Yet his coldness belies deep passion and deeper secrets. If she must be his, Evelyn intends to lay bare everything the Lord of Pembrook is hiding. But dark discoveries threaten to destroy them both until unexpected love guides the last lost lord home.

Nice wrap up and final installment of the Lost Lord of Pembrook.  Rafe's story gives his background growing up in the streets of St. Giles and his resentment towards his brothers for being left behind, even though he knows deep down it was for his own good.  Still, he's got a lot of baggage.  Evie, the woman that tames him and brings him sanity is put in an intolerable position after her father dies.  Her half-brother "sells" her to Rafe to be his mistress to settle his debts.  At first, that is Rafe's intentions, but of course, he falls for her, but only realizes it after it's too late.  Can she help him come to terms with his tortured childhood and learn to love?  Not bad, but not great either, I still prefer Heath's Westerns.

3.5/5
 

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August and July Re-cap Reviews

Ten quickie book reviews! I've been reading a lot as we head into the later part of summer, but I can't say anything has really bowled me over, with the exception of one new to me author and my first venture into Texas historical romance.  There definitely seems to be a theme to books I've read lately: scarred heroes.  I love them for some reason, probably due to Jamie Fraser.  In addition, my fascination continues with the secret service, this time regarding the assassination of JFK written by Jackie Kennedy's secret service agent.

Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath

Book Description:
Arriving on the Fort Worth train, Miss Amelia Carson, mail-order bride, had never met Dallas Leigh, the Texan she promised to marry. The tall cowboy at the station wasn't Dallas. He was Houston, Dallas's brother, sent to escort her on the rugged three-week trek to the ranch where Dallas waited. Brought up in war-ravaged Georgia, Amelia thought Dallas's letters made Texas sound like heaven, a place for her dreams to grow with the right man beside her.

By all appearances, Houston Leigh would hardly be considered the "right man." The war he survived had scarred him inside and out, and he was little competition for his handsome brother. But from the moment Houston met Amelia, he knew she possessed the courage this wild land needed. She had eyes that could see past his wounded face to his soul. And he would fight any man—except his brother—for her heart. Now he and Amelia were riding down dangerous trails, sleeping under the stars, and God help them, they were falling in love.

This was a beautiful love story of a scarred and lonely cowboy who must escort his brother's mail order bride fiancee to the brother's ranch from Ft. Worth. It's a month long trek in which they meet many trials and tribulations, but the main one is how how do they cope with the fact they are falling deeply in love with one another and she is meant for another? Much of this story was touching and bittersweet. I simply loved it and nearly cried in a few parts. Houston's scarred life both physically and mentally was sad and painful to read about, but Amelia understood him so well. They were truly soul mates for one another. Well written, evocative of the time, Texas in the late 1870's, it pulled at my heart strings. Is it any wonder? I'm a sucker for scarred hero romances. On the surface it appears to be a quiet story, involving a simple romantic triangle, but there is so much emotion going on beneath the surface, it's much, much more. It's simply great.  This is my first book by Lorraine Heath and I'm eager to read the rest of her backlist, this being one of her earlier books.

5/5 

She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath

Book Description:
Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is betrothed now to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution to fight for a love that could once again set him free.

Another by Lorraine Heath, one of her latest in a new series, but I had my ups and downs with this one.  Set during Regency times in England, instead of late 1870's Texas,  I saw many similarities between this story and Texas Destiny, most notably another scarred hero and silhouettes as a seduction technique. Though I love scarred heroes, Sebastian is much too obsessed with regaining his title as Duke and regaining his lands.  Not to mention,  seeking revenge on the uncle who tried to have him killed.   Because of his obsession, he treated Mary badly, the woman he's supposed to care so much about.  I scratched my head over Sebastian's treatment of her, as did she.  I had trouble warming up to him and Mary's character was much too spontaneous and thoughtless of what she was doing.   Though she knew better, she disregarded the rules of avoiding scandal, to the point that it was unbelievable.  Still, this story wasn't bad, but I much preferred Texas Destiny.  Still, I look forward to Tristan and Rafe's stories.

3.5/5

Slightly Tempted by Mary Balogh

Book Description:
Meet the Bedwyns—six brothers and sisters—men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality.  Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Morgan Bedwyn, the willful youngest daughter, discovers that true love is a temptation no woman can—or should—resist.

Young. Ravishing. Exquisitely marriageable. From the moment he spies Lady Morgan Bedwyn across the glittering ballroom, Gervase Ashford, Earl of Rosthorn, knows he has found the perfect instrument of his revenge. But wedlock is not on the mind of the continent’s most notorious rake. Nor is it of interest to the fiercely independent Lady Morgan herself…until one night of shocking intimacy erupts in a scandal that could make Gervase’s vengeance all the sweeter. There is only one thing standing in his way: Morgan, who has achieved the impossible—she’s melted his coolly guarded heart. For Gervase, only the marriage bed will do, but Morgan simply will not have him. Thus begins a sizzling courtship where two wary hearts are about to be undone by the most scandalous passion of all: glorious, all-consuming love.

Morgan's story took me forever to read and I barely liked it.  For one thing, I dislike revenge plot lines and then I found Morgan to be the most annoying, headstrong, impetuous heroine I've come across in a long time.  I just felt like slapping her.  Over and over I rolled my eyes over something she did.  The worse being when she makes an incredibly rash mistake with the hero, Gervase, while in Brussels.  Didn't she care or understand the implications of it - and what that might mean on her wedding night with a future husband?!  Plus, the whole thing, brief as it was, was anything but romantic.  I cringed.  On top of that, the whole theme of revenge and misunderstanding was tiresome. It took me a while to warm up to Gervase, but once we learn the truth behind his scandal, I had more sympathy for him, but he really did nothing for me as a hero, and the constant French phrases of endearment he uses ma chérie and mon chère became irritating and clichéd. 

The first half of the book while in Brussels bored me to tears, and the endless nursing and bandaging of the soldiers after the Battle of Waterloo went on and on.  It was almost reminiscent of Gone With the Wind, but without the intriguing characters of Rhett and Scarlett.  Once they return to England it wasn't much better - maybe... slightly.  Morgan became impossible once she learns the truth of Gervase's original intent to woo her and why.  Her behavior towards him was inconsistent, which is it?  Does she want to jump his bones or remain indifferent to him and keep up the charade of being betrothed and then jilt him?  I hated this entire scenario, which comes up a lot in this series, fake engagements.  Yes, I get it, Morgan is only 18, but she was so childish, yet we're supposed to believe she is so mature in other ways?  I could not wait for this book to be over, and the only reason why I finished it and didn't give up on it long ago was because I want to read all the books leading up to Wulfric's story!  The best part of this book was the very last line - the cliffhanger lead in for the next book in the series.  Hopefully it's better than this disappointment.

2.5/5

Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn

Book Description:

Lady Arabella Blydon can sense the secrets smoldering behind the dark, penetrating gaze of Lord John Blackwood. Still she desires this handsome, mysterious stranger who stirs her passions like no other man--even as he warns her to stay away.

War scarred Lord John's body and soul. But this brazen, intoxicating, infuriating bluestocking poses an even greater threat: she is forcing him to care again. For Belle is a woman of bold, independent spirit, equally unconcerned about society's petty restrictions and love's hidden perils. And the beautiful, determined schemer will not rest until she returns joy and light to the damaged lord's life...and wins a place in his shuttered heart forever.

I really loved the previous book in this series, but this one fell a bit short.  This is Belle's story, she is the cousin to the heroine in Splendid.  She meets John Blackwood, the man of her dreams and shamelessly pursues him, only she doesn't realize that he is the target of a vengeful lunatic out to kill him.  John is also suffering from guilt because he was too drunk to stop said lunatic from raping a young Spanish girl when he said he'd protect her during the war.  It's been eating him up for five years and he feels he's not worthy to fall in love with anyone - until he meets Belle.  Not as endearing a story as Splendid, and I found much of it was sort of disjointed.  It also doesn't have the same seamless fluidity and humor of her later books.  Belle was kind of nutty - a bit too nutty - and their romance and marriage happened ridiculously fast.  Still, not a bad historical, it is Julia Quinn after all, but light.

3.5/5

Dark Desires after Dusk by Kresley Cole

Book Description:
Kresley Cole continues her bestselling Immortals After Dark series with this electrifying tale of a ruthless demon mercenary and the lovely young halfling who enchants him. A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can't resist... 
 
Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.

Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?

I really enjoyed Cadeon and Holly's story, it was hard to put down!  Holly, an OCD math genius in New Orleans, finds out that she's really not just an average woman, but really a Valkyrie, who's also "a Vessel" and tons of Lore people are after her to either kill her or breed with her (long story.)  Cadeon, a mercenary has been hired to capture her and bring her to this evil sorcerer in exchange for a legendary sword that he's been looking for - for 900 years!  To make matters worse, Holly is the woman that is destined to be his mate - and he's been spying on her for the past year, all the while knowing he can't have her because she is human... or is she?  Much happens on this crazed road trip as they travel north in the wilds of Canada to the sorcerer's castle.  It's oh-so-complicated, but also oh-so-exciting and filled with adventure and - heat, especially for the big "first time." Very sexy.  I recommend it! 

4/5

Something About Emmaline by Elizabeth Boyle



Book Description:
Alexander Denford, Baron Sedgwick, is a gentleman to be envied. He lives a rakish life of well-celebrated ease and contentment and has one person to thank for his perfectly ordered existence—his dearest wife, Emmaline. She never complains about his mistresses or his penchant for late nights out. His friends are envious, but they don't know the truth—Emmaline doesn't exist. But when he starts receiving bills from London for clothes, shoes, hats and a staggering amount of other female accoutrements, he realises something is decidedly amiss.

Posing as Emmaline isn't a stretch for the newly arrived Lady Sedgwick, she's been conning gentry for years. But as the popular baron's wife, she now has the one thing that has eluded her—entree into London's inner circles. Against Alexander's better judgment, Emmaline is impossibly fixed in his life. And suddenly Emmaline is challenging him to be the husband she deserves.

Emmaline is simply adorable.  Alex, Baron Sedgwick is nonplussed when the imaginary bride he made up to get all the matchmaking mamas and his grandmother off his back, becomes a reality!  Emmaline turns up in his London townhouse, posing as his countess and against all common sense, he goes along with it and becomes "besotted" with her!  She is a great character and I loved this book! It was a pleasure to see how the two of them work things out and fall in love.  Many mad-cap moments as Emmaline charms her way into Society, and Alex, against all good judgment and common sense - falls in love with his wife!  A charming romance, light, fluffy and fun - as long as you suspend disbelief!

4/5

The Last Good-bye by Sarah Mayberry

Book Description:
Ally Bishop knows the settling kind when she sees one. And Tyler Adamson is definitely one. Ordinarily this never-in-one-place-long girl would stay far, far away. Maybe it's the way he looks in jeans, or the way he looks at her, but suddenly Ally is breaking her own rules with dizzying speed. All that Australian temptation right next door...well, there's only so much resistance one girl can have.

As she dives into a fling with Tyler, Ally assures herself she can maintain perspective. After all, he's only here long enough to care for his ailing father. That gives them a time limit, right? With each passing day, however, she falls for Tyler more. And soon she has the strongest urge to unpack her suitcase and stay a while.
 
Another winner by Harlequin author, Sarah Mayberry.  The poignant story of grown son, Tyler Adamson, returning to his once abusive home to care for his estranged father during his last dying days of cancer.  There is a lot of baggage to deal with which makes the story bittersweet.  Lots of emotion and realistic issues to deal with, I really felt this was Tyler's story more than Ally's.  Although it might not sound romantic, it was.  The relationship the develops when Tyler meets Ally, the next door neighbor who manages to capture his heart, is a nice foil to what is going on with his father .  This was an overall good story with some serious issues, but a good love story too, though Ally's side of the story seemed weak in comparison to Tyler's.  I preferred the sequel to this one about his brother, One Good Reason, but this one still had me up in the middle of the night reading until I finished it.

4/5

Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill

Book Description:
HE CALLED HER MRS. KENNEDY. SHE CALLED HIM MR. HILL. 
For four years, from the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1960 until after the election of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to guard the glamorous and intensely private Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. During those four years, he went from being a reluctant guardian to a fiercely loyal watchdog and, in many ways, her closest friend.

Now, looking back fifty years, Clint Hill tells his story for the first time, offering a tender, enthralling, and tragic portrayal of how a Secret Service agent who started life in a North Dakota orphanage became the most trusted man in the life of the First Lady who captivated first the nation and then the world.

When he was initially assigned to the new First Lady, Agent Hill envisioned tea parties and gray-haired matrons. But as soon as he met her, he was swept up in the whirlwind of her beauty, her grace, her intelligence, her coy humor, her magnificent composure, and her extraordinary spirit.

From the start, the job was like no other, and Clint was by her side through the early days of JFK's presidency; the birth of sons John and Patrick and Patrick's sudden death; Kennedy-family holidays in Hyannis Port and Palm Beach; Jackie's trips to Europe, Asia, and South America; Jackie's intriguing meetings with men like Aristotle Onassis, Gianni Agnelli, and André Malraux; the dark days of the year that followed the assassination to the farewell party she threw for Clint when he left her protective detail after four years. All she wanted was the one thing he could not give her: a private life for her and her children.

Filled with unforgettable details, startling revelations, and sparkling, intimate moments, this is the once-in-a-lifetime story of a man doing the most exciting job in the world, with a woman all the world loved, and the tragedy that ended it all too soon— a tragedy that haunted him for fifty years.

I enjoyed this quick read about what it was like to be Mrs. Kennedy's secret service man. Lots of interesting antidotes, but I must admit I was exhausted reading about all her travels and after a while it all began to sound like a repetitive travelogue.  She went all over the place - Greece, Paris, Pakistan, India - many times on her own without JFK.  I had no idea that she spent so much of her time away from the White House!  Almost every weekend she'd go to their rented house in Middleburg, Virginia (she was a huge riding enthusiast), then it was in Hyannis Port for the entire summer, Newport with her parents in September and Palm Beach for the holidays.  I had no idea!  I do wonder what the public thought of that at the time when JFK was president.  (I was too young to remember.)  Was their any criticism that Jackie was away from the White House so often?  The last parts of the book describing the events of the assassination, the aftermath and Kennedy's funeral were riveting and my heart went out to Mr. Hill and his eyewitness account of what it was like for him right there at the limousine when it happened and after.  He was very close to her, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn he fell in love with her during his time as her agent.  Who wouldn't?  A good book and must read for anyone interested in what life was like in the Kennedy White House (and outside it as well.)  Lot of wonderful pictures of Mrs. Kennedy I'd never seen before too. 

4/5

 One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (audio)

Book Description:
Jasper Fforde's exuberant return to the fantastical BookWorld opens during a time of great unrest. All-out Genre war is rumbling, and the BookWorld desperately needs a heroine like Thursday Next. But with the real Thursday apparently retired to the Realworld, the Council of Genres turns to the written Thursday.

The Council wants her to pretend to be the real Thursday and travel as a peacekeeping emissary to the warring factions. A trip up the mighty Metaphoric River beckons-a trip that will reveal a fiendish plot that threatens the very fabric of the BookWorld itself.

Once again New York Times bestselling author Jasper Fforde has a field day gleefully blending satire, romance, and thriller with literary allusions galore in a fantastic adventure through the landscape of a frisky and fertile imagination. Fans will rejoice that their favorite character in the Fforde universe is back.

I've really enjoyed all of the previous Thursday Next book in this series, most of which I've listened to on audio, as was this one.  But this sixth installment to the series was simply... awful. I could barely makes heads or tails of it, it wasn't even the "real" Thursday through the entire book. Most of it just seemed to be a number of literary and grammatically themed gags all thrown together higgledy-piggledy in order to create an incoherent plot line about Thursday Next being missing (or is she?) and the "written" Thursday Next has to masquerade as the "real" Thursday to find out what happened to the real Thursday! Yes, we see some old familiar faces, but I missed the real Thursday as she's supposed to be! It just wasn't the same, although the narration was fine, as usual.  Still there was no jumping in and out of books, or seeing familiar classic characters from books we all know and love.  The fact I even finished this book took superhuman effort on my part. Big disappointment.

2.5/5

A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant

Book Description:
Newly widowed and desperate to protect her estate and beloved servants from her malevolent brother-in-law, Martha Russell conceives a daring plan. Or rather, a daring plan to conceive. After all, if she has an heir on the way, her future will be secured. Forsaking all she knows of propriety, Martha approaches her neighbor, a London exile with a wicked reputation, and offers a strictly business proposition: a month of illicit interludes . . . for a fee.

Theophilus Mirkwood ought to be insulted. Should be appalled. But how can he resist this siren in widow’s weeds, whose offer is simply too outrageously tempting to decline? Determined she’ll get her money’s worth, Theo endeavors to awaken this shamefully neglected beauty to the pleasures of the flesh—only to find her dead set against taking any enjoyment in the scandalous bargain. Surely she can’t resist him forever. But could a lady’s sweet surrender open their hearts to the most unexpected arrival of all . . . love?

I had high hopes for this debut romance from this author, but it just didn't win me over.  The premise of why Martha wanted the baby was noble but unrealistic to me and I couldn't get into the storyline.  It's just not my kind of romance, I guess.  I liked the hero, Theo, but Martha was prickly and unlikeable for the majority of the book.  She was too "good." Yes, I see how she is "awakened" but I found the love scenes awkward (as they were meant to be at first) but they actually made me uncomfortable.  The ending was rushed as well, I would have liked to have seen them have their moment together, finally happy - an epilogue, at least?  The fact she could not enjoy sex unless she admired and respected Theo as a person, explained a lot.  Theirs was a quiet burgeoning of feelings between two people who find themselves thrown together in a highly unlikely situation.  As a result, it took me a while to finish this.  Martha was just too noble and driven in her quest, to the point where she was blind to see that what she was doing was wrong - until the end.  The first part of the book was a bit dull with all her "goodness" interspersed with the daily grim business of getting her with child, but it did at least pick up in the second half as we see Theo's transformation into a responsible young man with a conscience.  Still, much of it was about his estate matters and trying to win over Martha by being a concerned landowner.  This had it's moments, but not as lascivious as the book blurb makes it sound.  A quiet romance heavy with the theme of noblesse oblige.

3.5/5

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