This week I suffered from a head cold (okay, suffered might be a bit strong...I was more inconvenienced by it than anything else) and went to bed earlier than usual a few nights which might have affected the amount of reading I did this week. However, I continue to have great book luck this year with some more great titles (and I got on a Kindle kick and was able to get through quite a few samples, freebies, and languishing titles that really needed to be read...only about 2,000 more to go...oh, dear.) On to what I read:
I started my week with Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz (review here). I love Jayne Ann Krentz (and Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick)...she was one of my first major gloms as a romance reader and I fell in love with her work. Her writing as Amanda Quick is what convinced me that I really did like historicals (although for a long time I convinced myself I didn't). Now, I know that sometimes here books can read very similarly to each other but I don't care because I love them. The last Krentz title that I really remember thinking was AMAZING was White Lies and while this one didn't live up to that one, I still really enjoyed it. The first chapter was fantastic and I zipped through this one in an afternoon. It will definitely be going on my keeper shelf.
Next up was Wrecked by Elle Casey. This was one of my freebie downloads hiding out on my Kindle and I was so glad that I finally got to it. I was sucked right in and really enjoyed all of the characters, some of whom started out somewhat stereotypical but none of whom stayed that way. I have downloaded a sample of Reckless, the sequel and can't wait to to read it.
With This Kiss by Victoria Lynne was a great historical featuring a Beauty and the Beast theme. I reviewed this book here.
The Prince with No Heart is an erotic fairy tale written by Emma Holly. Prince Augustin lives in Madrigal, a magical kingdom. At birth he was cursed: robbed of his heart. Another fairy tried to soften the blow with a "blessing," an "untiring sword." Prince Augustin has found that both the blessing and the curse have both positive and negative effects on his life. Princess Violet has been spelled by a werewolf vying for her hand--he has fated her to suffer from insatiable desire. Desperate not to succumb to the werewolf who terrorizes her people, she goes looking for a champion. A meeting with a fairy nets her a plan (complete with magical objects) to gain the help of Prince Augustin. I enjoyed this tale by Emma Holly and found it be a great length--about 120 pages--for the story being told.
Wild Desire by Lori Brighton (review here) was a fun, fast-paced adventure caper. After finishing it, I went to Amazon to see other books in the series and was able to download Wild Passion (free at the time of this post), the third entry in the series. A novella in length, this story captured the same spirit of adventure as Wild Desire. Wild Passion features Adelaide, half sister to Colin from Wild Desire, who is after one of the statues being hunted so she can sell it to finance medical care for her mother. Adelaide and her mother live in extreme poverty in Paris after Adelaide's mother fell for the wrong man and was cut off by her family. Also after the statue is James, a treasure hunter who has his own shadows in his past. I very much enjoyed James and wished at times this story had been expanded into novel form simply so I could spend more time with him.
Wicked Gift by Sean Michael was a gift to myself while I was feeling poorly with my cold. I discovered Sean Michael last year and have happily been working my way through his books ever since. This is a newer title featuring a devoted couple, Kono and Alec. Alec's roommate from college, Swan, is a Dom and Alec knows that Kono has sub fantasies that he would love to live out. Alec loves to watch so he figures that a week with Alec will be the perfect gift for both himself and Kono. What Alec doesn't expect is to have Swan recognize some of his own deeply repressed desires such as being made to submit. Swan meanwhile has his own hopes that this week will show Alec and Kono how perfect he is for both of them and how much he wants them both in his life. Watching these three men begin to see how much more this gift is giving all of them than they expected was beautiful. Also refreshing was the value all three men placed on honest, up-front communication. There was a lot at stake: love, commitment, friendships, trust, and every effort was made to protect those while also opening up avenues for growth and the potential for more. Another winner by Sean Michael. I am so glad that he produces new works quickly and consistently...I can never have enough of his storytelling!
With This Kiss by Victoria Lynne
Published by Dell, 1999
Beauty and the beast--they were the scandal of the ton....
All eyes feasted on the beautiful flame-haired gambler in London's most infamous club. But Julia Prentisse was interested only in the rake-turned-recluse whom they now called "The Beast." She lured him out of the crowded club to a deserted warehouse, where she made her scandalous offer: If he married her and protected her from her uncle, she would help him find the arsonist who had ruined his life.
An act of heroism had left Morgan burned, scarred for life. But Julia's bold gaze lit other fires he had long suppressed. And now this glorious stranger was his bride. But when he tried to claim his husbandly rights, she demanded a three months grace--three months to know a stranger's mind, to touch a stranger's soul, to go where no woman had ever gone before. Into his lonely heart...With This Kiss. (Summary from Goodreads.com)
I downloaded this book for free from Amazon in July of 2012. I read it this past weekend and shook my head at yet another fabulous read that has been sitting on my Kindle, unread, for so long. See, I have a small (okay, large) problem. I am addicted to downloading free books from Kindle (so many of them turn out to be so good!) which means that my reading queue on the Kindle is sitting at a couple thousand books (and/or short stories and samples). That in turn means that while I might be really excited about a story line when I download the book, it quickly gets lost in the masses. I literally sat down this past weekend and started from the last book (alphabetically by title) on my Kindle and began working my way towards the front. I didn't get very far in terms of numbers but I did finally read some great books including this one.
The blurb on this book is excellent and does a great job setting up the story so I will simply fill in a bit...Beatrice needs out from under her Uncle's thumb as he is getting ready to marry her off to one of three very poor choices in men. He has two daughters of his own that we wants to find good matches for and Beatrice is in the way (plus, she has some scandal attached to her name due to smuggling on her father's part). Beatrice has also been receiving letters from Lazarus, the arsonist who terrorized London a few years ago killing some and injuring others, including Morgan. Beatrice knows that he has a vested interest in seeing Lazarus stopped and so offers him a proposal so outrageous that she is surprised when he actually accepts.
Morgan has retreated from life since the fire that left him scarred both physically and mentally. Beatrice engages his interest in a way that not many things have in a long time. He agrees to her plan and they are married. He wants an heir and to make sure Lazarus is dead and Beatrice can help him with both...but first she will turn his world inside out (for the better). Beatrice writes a very popular column, The Tattler, that blends in the need for societal reforms in with gossip of the ton. One of the first times Morgan really gets to spend some time with his new wife is when she goes "undercover" to get information for her column. She insists he dress as a chimney sweep and they go off to the stews. Morgan's eyes are opened a little bit to the true depths of his wife that day (although he is also shown first hand some of the dangers that she has courted as well).
Morgan and Julia's relationship grows slowly but steadily as they both want to work at their marriage--Julia wants love and Morgan wants a child to love with a mother that he can respect and enjoy being married to. Watching them both let go of some of their protections and open up to each other was beautiful and I felt the author did a spectacular job of showing, not telling this growth. The identity of Lazarus, who begins increasingly frequent attacks, was a surprise to me as I had fallen for some red herrings. The conclusion of the book was satisfying and there was an epilogue which some might find to be "too sweet" but which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I rate this book a 4.5/5.
Wild Desire by Lori Brighton
Published by Zebra, 2011
First He Drove Her Mad
In what feels like a moment, Beatrice Edmund goes from being a proper lady cooped up in a stuffy Scottish castle to traveling miles from anything she's ever known, in the midst of the wildest adventure of her life. And at the center of that adventure is the most infuriating, puzzling scoundrel on Earth. She cannot take her eyes off him.
Then He Drove Her Wild
Colin Fitch cannot deny he's drawn to Beatrice--but lust is all he could possibly feel for the sharp-tongued minx. Still, if there's a chance she can help him stop the madman he pursues, he must withstand her obvious disapproval. Yet withstanding the longing he feels for her is growing more troublesome by the second...And Colin has never been terribly good at staying out of trouble... (Summary from Goodreads.com)
I downloaded this title for free from Amazon in 2011 and finally got around to reading it. I am so glad I did! This was such a fun book...although there were times I could definitely tell it was part of a series and I didn't have the whole back story. Beatrice has lived in a Scottish castle with her grandmother for years with no friends, feeling like an outcast, never stepping a toe out of line. Now she is in India with her cousin Leo and his wife, Ella and Ella's cousin Colin. Colin could not be more different from Beatrice. He's an American who thrives on adventure and can't quite figure out why Leo would want his stuffy cousin along on this one.
There are some paranormal elements to this book that I thoroughly enjoyed even when I did not thoroughly understand who exactly could do what. I do know that Colin has the ability to heal the sick and injured although it drains him physically and mentally to do so. Ella seemed to have an affinity for animals and Leo and Beatrice's blood is needed to help in the finding of statues that have something to do with the future of the world. Even with some lingering questions in my mind, I zipped through this book, laughing out loud along the way.
Colin is a fabulous character and parts of this book definitely reminded me (at least in spirit) of Loretta Chase's Mr. Impossible. Beatrice and Colin find themselves attracted to each other for reasons they can neither name nor comprehend but as they spend more time together and see new facets of each others' personalities mutual respect is established. That is not to say that there are not still times when one would have cheerfully throttled the other (and in fact, Beatrice firmly put Colin in his place at one point rather than acting like a wounded-woe-is-me-he-done-me-wrong victim).
This is definitely a road-trip book as Beatrice and Colin travel (and at times are chased) all over India in search of temples and hidden statues. I enjoyed the setting as it is not one I have read a lot of. There was also mention of riots on the part of some of the native Indians against the Brits and I thought it added some great tension to the story. I need to go back now and find the first book in this series to see what I missed out on!
This book rates a 4/5.
Wrecked by Elle Casey
Self-Published by Author
An ill-fated Caribbean cruise and four teenagers: a nerd, a jock, a mouse, and a beauty queen...an island, a treehouse, some nefarious interlopers...life and death...fear and loathing...love and laughter. Follow Jonathon, Kevin, Candi, and Sarah as they find their typical high school lives and their worlds totally Wrecked.
(Summary from Goodreads.com)
This was a free download from Amazon.com at some point and I finally got around to reading it...and now I wish I hadn't waited. I really enjoyed this YA adventure/romance story. Two families are going on a cruise, Sarah and Kevin's father is desperate to get his hands on an invention created by Jonathon and Candi's father. There are some applications of this invention that could bring in big money in some shady dealings. Sarah has no interest in going on this cruise, she wants to stay home and spend time with her boyfriend, Barry...until she finds him in a compromising situation with Gretchen, Sarah's brother's girlfriend. Even with this setback to her plan, Sarah is not crazy about spending time with Jonathon or Candi, neither of whom are in Sarah's social circles. To further complicate matters, there is no love lost between Sarah and her father who are locked in a cold war with each other. Kevin isn't crazy about the idea of the cruise either but figures that free buffets and cruise chicks can't be all bad.
Meanwhile, Jonathon and Candi have their own reservations about the cruise. Jonathon is fairly socially awkward. Candi has long yearned to be in Sarah's social circle and hopes to use the cruise to develop a friendship with her...and if she happens to catch the eye of Kevin, the recipient of her crush for the past two years, so much the better. Things get off to a rough start on the way to the cruise itself, however, when the four teenagers realize they have been assigned rooms next-door to each other, things begin to change. Kevin realizes that there is more to Jonathon than he first gave him credit for, and Candi begins to see glimpses of a nice girl hidden deep under Sarah's careless attitude and sarcastic comments.
Before these new friendships can be completely cemented in place, a storm arises causing damage to the cruise ship...The four teens, the only ones who board their lifeboat when the alarm sounds, are cast adrift in severe weather with rogue waves and the few supplies they were able to gather (at Jonathon's level-headed insistence). Eventually, and not without some mishaps, the four teens wash ashore an island and then the real work begins. Each of them have to come to terms with their new reality and none of them remain unchanged. The relationships that develop between them, both familial and romantic, felt realistic and unrushed. The evolution of their characters into who they are when all of the trappings are stripped away felt realistic and fair. None of the characters suddenly became perfect nor were their lives easy although I was amazed at how well they managed to survive considering their backgrounds before the cruise.
I very much enjoyed this book and felt the author did a great job of balancing humor and action. There were times when parts of the book felt a little predictable but it did not lessen my enjoyment of it in any way. I was excited to see a sequel, Reckless, available at Amazon. I have downloaded a sample and have a hunch that I will be sucked back into the world created by Elle Casey before long.
This book rates a 4.5/5.
Dream Eyes by Jayne Ann Krentz
Published by Penguin, Jan. 2012
Gwen Frazier is no stranger to ghosts. She sees them in pools of water, windows, mirrors--any reflective surface--at the scene of violent deaths. But finding justice for the dead is something she's not trained to do and a luxury she can't afford. What pays the bills is her work as a psychic counselor who sees auras and interprets dreams.
The death of her friend and mentor, Evelyn Ballinger, brings Gwen back to the small town of Wilby , Oregon, and brings back memories she would rather forget. Two years ago, a killer stalked the members of one of Ballinger's research studies--including Gwen. She survived, but two others didn't, though the deaths were attributed to natural causes. The apparent suicide of the killer closed the case, yet Gwen knows otherwise. And now, she's a suspect.
Enter Judson Coppersmith--a man of startling power and disturbing energy. Sent by a friend to help Gwen, the psychic investigator arrives in Wilby barely in control of his own talent and his own life, haunted by urgent dreams. His attraction to Gwen is primal, but there are secrets he must keep to protect himself from surrendering to her completely.
As their investigation into deaths past and present draws them ever closer to danger, Gwen finds herself going too far--into dreamscapes, into decades of deception, and into the fires of a desire too strong to resist...
The first chapter of Dream Eyes sucked me right in...It was like reading old-school Jayne Ann Krentz and I loved it. Locked in an underwater cavern whose entrance has been blocked, Judson Coppersmith is desperately trying to survive a cavern system that has claimed countless lives. He is running short on air, has a dead flashlight, and is not at all sure he will come out alive...it is a roller-coaster ride of a chapter. From there we are dropped into Gwen Frazier's point of view as she converses with the ghost of her dead mentor. The sheriff is not thrilled to get a call from Gwen saying she has found a dead body--after all, she has called him in that situation before, at least twice.
Gwen is left with Evelyn's, her murdered mentor's, estate--part of which is a very large cat named Max. Between trying to find out why Evelyn was murdered, determining if this murder tied into those from two years before, and deciding what to do with Evelyn's estate, Gwen is feeling rather frazzled and in need of help. Judson Coppersmith to the rescue. Now that Gwen's best friend and pseudo-sister Abby is marrying Judson's brother Sam, Judson is the perfect candidate to lend a hand. It also doesn't hurt that Judson's family are extremely concerned about his well-being after a consulting job that went fatally wrong and hope that helping Gwen will get him out of his funk.
I very much enjoyed the interactions between Gwen and Judson, along with glimpses into how Abby and Sam are doing. We see more of Judson and Sam's dad, Elias, and Abby and Gwen's "brother" Nick who really would have made a world-class jewel thief. Using clues that Gwen and Judson discover in one of Evelyn's mysterious inventions, along with the help of Nick and the Coppersmith family, the mysterious events slowly begin to merge into a modern day murder scheme with ties to the past.
I enjoyed Jayne Ann Krentz's latest work although the majority of the book did not quite live up to the amazing first chapter for me...it lost some of its steam at times and I felt that the ending was a little convoluted for my tastes, but I did enjoy Gwen and Judson. I really loved seeing more of Nick and would love for him to get a book all his own. There were also quite a few mentions of Gideon Barrett, the son of Elias Coppersmith's rival, and I wonder if he might end up being paired up with the last Coppersmith offspring, Emma. I have a feeling there is more to the Barretts than we have been let in on at this point.
This book rates a 4/5.
Man, oh man, 2013 has been good to me book-wise so far. I have read some excellent titles and am really anticipating a wonderful year in literature land. Let's see what I read this week:
I started the week off with Tangle of Need which I thoroughly enjoyed (see my review here). This title may end up being one of my favorites in the series; I have really spent a lot of time thinking about this entry in the Psy/Changling series since I finished the book. Riaz and Adria were wonderful characters who dealt with some very serious situations in a way that left me feeling both empathetic and satisfied. Nalini Singh is a goddess and I have got to get started on the Guild Hunters series.
Next up were two short stories from an anthology called Opposites Attract that I read for my TBR January Challenge. I enjoyed them both but probably won't reread them.
Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood was a pleasant surprise as I have read mixed reviews about this one in blog-land. I enjoyed this book quite a bit (see my review here) and am looking forward to reading about the other pipsqueaks.
Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie (review here) was fantastic!! I picked up The Cinderella Deal at the library when I saw in on the shelf...I can't believe there are so many of her older titles that I haven't read. I am thinking I might need to go on a Crusie binge...I have tried Bet Me before but didn't enjoy it. However, I must be missing something based on the rave reviews I see everywhere.
Alpha One by Cynthia Eden was a fun, fast read and I already have Guardian Ranger on hold at my public library. I very much enjoyed Eden's foray into the Harlequin Intrigue line and hope she writes many more. I will gladly pick up any that I see if they continue to be as enjoyable as Alpha One proved to be. (review here)
Impact by Tiffinie Helmer is the third book I have read in her Wild Men of Alaska series. Skip Ozhuwan and Wren Terni have a strained history--she used drugs to escape a harsh reality and Skip pressed charges after a drunken assault. His testimony put her in jail rather than on probation. They haven't spoken in five years until now when Skip's sister, who happened to be Wren's best friend growing up, insists on having them both attend her wedding. Wren and Skip have to fly together on a bush plane to get to the small Alaskan town where the wedding will take place. On the way, the pilot has a heart attack and the plane goes down. Skip and Wren must not only find a way to survive the harsh Alaskan climate, but Skip is also determined to use this forced togetherness to get Wren to see the potential for them finally having the kind of relationship she wasn't strong enough to have before. First love is powerful, but so was the hurt both suffered at the hands of the person who loved them. This was a short story but I very much enjoyed it.
Lastly I read Wicked Appetite and Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich (reviews here and here). Lots of over-the-top everything in this book but I ate it up with a spoon and was left wanting more!
I can't wait to see what fabulous books are in store for me this week (hint, I was super excited to see a copy of Jayne Ann Krentz's newest, Dream Eyes, on the 7-Day Checkout table at my library this morning!)
Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
Published by Bantam Books, 2012
Lizzy Tucker's once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts, turns upside down as she battles both sinister forces and an inconvenient attraction to her unnaturally talented but off-limits partner, Diesel.
When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences. On their way they'll leave behind a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and general mayhem.
Treasures will be sought and the power of lust will be unmistakable as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to stay ahead of Diesel's black sheep cousin Gerewulf, his medieval minion, Hatchet, and a dark devotee of chaos known only as Anarchy--all involved in an ancient game of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek.
Whew! Another winner by Janet Evanovich. I went into this book expecting funny antics and lots of action and boy, did I get both. It is October when news of the Luxuria stone and a man who has been on its trail surface...when the man in question is found thrown from his fourth floor apartment with a burned hand print on his neck. While the hand print points to Wulf, the messiness with which the man was dispatched does not leaving Diesel and Lizzie unsure of who or what is responsible.
Soon Lizzie and Diesel (and Glo and Carl) are on the trail of a string of clues that lead them all over Salem, Boston, and Cambridge. Hatchet, with his sword in hand, is devotedly serving Wulf and doing all he can to prove his worth but generally is proving to be a big nuisance (although there was one incident in this book that made me view Hatchet much differently). Wulf continues to enigmatically and unexpectedly show up and Lizzie continues to feel a pull towards him. We also see another side to Wulf in this book and I felt he was a more sympathetic character...at least for now.
Carl continued to amuse and there is something to his character...he is too "human" to be just a monkey. I am curious to see what develops with his story. Glo also continued to crack me up--she wants to be a wizard so badly and her spells that go awry provide some great humor. Poor Clara though. I felt that her employees were always leaving her for this reason or that and then she gets physically injured! But that wasn't as bad as it could have been, I believe that at least one house, one store, and two cars burned to a crisp in this book. Yikes!
This book rates a 4.5/5.
