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Labels: 5 stars, books, ContemporaryRomance

// posted by Darla @ 4/17/2011 09:29:00 AM 3 comments

What does it mean to be bad?

Eric Bear has it all: a successful career, a beautiful wife, a blissful home. He knows he's been lucky; a while back, his life revolved around drugs, gambling, a gang of stuffed-animal thugs, and notorious crime boss Nicholas Dove.

But the past isn't as far away as Eric had hoped. Rumors are swirling that Dove is on the Death List and that he wants Eric to save him. If Eric fails to act, his beloved wife, Emma Rabbit, will be torn apart, limb by limb.

With a nod to the best of noir and the wisest of allegories, and interlaced with greed and gangsters, Amberville depicts an alternate world that mirrors our own realities and moral concerns, and reminds us of the inextricable link between good and evil.

Even without the inexplicable stuffed animals, the story is pretty bland and straightforward. Eric Bear (could the names be any less inspired? first name followed by type of animal. wow.) ultimately has to choose between the two people he loves the most, but... ***semi-spoiler*** that choice is rendered moot--it's not unlike the vampire books where the hero spends the entire book trying to come to terms with what he is, then at the very end the good fairy poofs him back to human more or less on a whim--not due to any effort on the hero's part.*** If it hadn't been on my e-reader, the book would have hit the wall at that point.

There's not even much suspense in the search. The bad guys are just randomly bad, and there's very little motivation for any of them except for Nicholas Dove, who, of course, doesn't want to die.

What kept this book from being a complete waste of time (at least it wasn't a waste of money--it was a freebie) were the differences in POV between Eric, his brother Teddy, and Emma. I did enjoy seeing that what each character believed was not the entire story, and how it differed drastically among them.

Bottom line: with a few minor tweaks, this could be a decent children's story. The format, stuffed animal characters, and the whole death list mechanism would fit that genre much better.

Labels: 2 stars, books, fantasy

// posted by Darla @ 5/07/2010 09:19:00 AM 3 comments

1. I'm with you, what happens to Abigail makes me so angry. Every time I read it, I'm willing Claudine to come back in time, but she never does.

3. I also liked the way the ghost references were introduced. It really made me understand how it felt to Declan, just having these incongruous thoughts pop into his head as if it was something he'd already known, seeing things that aren't there but when he's seeing them it feels natural. Somehow that gives it a whole different feeling than if he'd been immediately startled by them.

4. LOL on the "women in packs" reference. I've learned quite a bit about men from Nora's books---she definitely has a handle on what makes them tick.

7. Declan's genuine affection for Odette is one of his best traits, IMO.

8. Wow, good eye, Jill! I was completely thrown by the idea that Declan was Abigail, much later in the book. But you're right, there are hints.

10. Yes, a little misdirection there, and I fell for it.

12. I think you're right. I know I picked up more the second time around, and probably if I'd reread it immediately, I'd have picked up even more.

16. Well, probably authors do that to add conflict, but I think it made a lot of sense that Lena would pick fights with Declan. She's trying to protect herself, and to keep a little distance between them.

20. Jill, you were definitely more on the ball than I was.

His memories of giving birth were priceless. Too bad we don't have a way to induce memories like that in more fathers.

I always appreciate your notes, Jill! I knew you'd have good ones for this book.

One thing that's different about this book is that the focus is much more on the hero than on the heroine. I find myself identifying with Declan instead of Lena. Not that she's not a complete, well-drawn character, but Declan's even more so, at least for me. I liked his manners, that were so deeply ingrained that they were a part of him. And I liked his courage in leaving a career that wasn't right for him.

Labels: books, flashback, ParanormalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 12/18/2009 03:08:00 AM 2 comments

To truly appreciate this book, I probably should have read the first Carson Springs novel, Stranger in Paradise, first. Not that Taste of Honey wasn't a complete story in itself, but I'd like to see how some of these characters' stories unfolded before I met them in Taste of Honey.

Gerry's intention of becoming a nun was derailed when she became pregnant by a priest. Twenty-eight years later, after a marriage, divorce, and two more children, she finds the daughter she'd given up for adoption.

Claire had been raised by loving, but overprotective adoptive parents. The story of her being torn between two families is very poignant and real.

While they get to know each other, Gerry and Claire also learn more about themselves, and open their hearts to love.

The next Carson Springs novel, Wish Come True, is out in hardcover now, but first I'm going to catch up on events in Stranger in Paradise.

Labels: books, ContemporaryRomance, flashback

// posted by Darla @ 12/11/2009 03:30:00 AM 0 comments

I'm so glad that paranormal romance has become popular lately! I've always read fantasy and science fiction, and am only a recent fan of romance, so it's nice to combine the two. If I'd known of stories like this one years ago, I'd have been reading romance longer than 6 or 7 years.

Harn, Hartley, Cornelius, whatever name he goes by, he's an interesting character. He has the Fane outlook---superior, selfish, powerful, and he believes himself incapable of and above the emotion of love. It's interesting to watch him slowly get caught up in emotion. He keeps telling himself that it's practicality or his own whims that drive him, when really, he's falling in love. Always fun watching romance heroes delude themselves, and The Forest Lord is better at it than most.

Eden began as a naive girl, turned into a rather jaded young woman, then matured almost overnight when her husband died. It was understandable that she believed her father responsible for taking her son away---after all, he'd disappeared himself. Finding her son, providing a good future for him, and restoring Hartsmere gave her a purpose she'd been lacking before. She was deluding herself as much as Hartley was, thinking that she'd make a better life for Donal by marrying Rushborough and getting Donal accepted in society. It became clearer every day that the sort of life she envisioned wouldn't be good at all for Donal, but it was the life she knew.

I kept trying to see Aunt Claudia as someone who just wanted the best for Eden, someone who truly believed that Eden was happier with her previous social life in the city, and only wanted to help her return to that life with Lord Rushborough, but she made me so mad! I didn't suspect that she was responsible for sending Donal away, but I did feel vindicated when I found out! Very interesting ending to that part of the story, I thought. I wonder if her husband was the fox who'd been hunted earlier in the story.

I loved that Donal had inherited his father's magic. The scene with Hartley teaching him in the woods was very sweet.

It was perfect that Hartley did take Donal to Tir-Na-Nog. I always worry when characters just end up changing their minds, that they'll have second thoughts later, after the book ends. I think it was important that he did follow through with what he planned, and thought it was so appropriate that he couldn't enter because of the love in his heart. It made me laugh when the fairy offered to get rid of it for him!

And what a nice little jolt at the end, finding out that Mrs. Byrne, who I'd thought was just a nice housekeeper, turned out to be Nuala---I'm imagining Mother Nature.

All in all, a wonderful, entertaining story. Definitely a keeper!

Labels: books, flashback, ParanormalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 12/04/2009 02:57:00 AM 0 comments

The Puzzle Bark Tree is an intriguing puzzle. Grace's parents have always been cold and distant, and she has been plagued with nightmares of drowning and a fear of water for as long as she can remember.

Her parents' dual suicide and their bequest to Grace of an island home she'd never known they owned suggest a clue to the answers she needs.

The crisis also puts a spotlight on Grace's shaky marriage, forcing her to contrast it with her sister's happy one. When she travels to the island against her husband's wishes, she finds someone who provides her with some of her answers, as well as the compassion, comfort, friendship, and passion she'd been missing.

Beneath Grace's story of the discovery of her own past is the story of how tragedy changed and shaped the lives of her family, particularly those of her parents.

The Puzzle Bark Tree is intriguing and thought-provoking, making me wonder how different personalities would react to the same tragedy, and particularly how I would react.

Labels: books, flashback, WomensFiction

// posted by Darla @ 11/27/2009 03:24:00 AM 0 comments

It's been a long time since I've read a Western historical romance. Didn't they used to be more common? Seems like they've been replaced by Regencies in popularity lately. Anyway, it was a nice change of pace, and a fun story. I never watched many Westerns on TV (well, except the Wild Wild West, but somehow I don't think that's quite the same.)---if they were anything like this story, though, I missed out on quite a lot!

I wasn't sure what to expect from the beginning of the story---at first I was expecting the drifter to end up being a rough-around-the-edges cowboy who'd end up just needing the right woman to tame him. Have I mentioned I don't read the backs of books so as not to prejudice my reading of the story? Boy, was I wrong! I liked the teamwork between the 3 women---all of them taking a whack so that Bailee wouldn't be the only one guilty of murder.

I really felt for the sheriff. He had his hands full with 3 women confessing to murder, and a town full of single men. The lottery was inspired.

Once again, I wasn't sure what to expect from Carter. He took me by surprise with his silence. I was thinking macho, strong silent type. Well, he was strong and silent, but not because of being macho. Once I started understanding him better, I just wanted to give him a hug. Awwwwww....

Loved the sign language parts--I'm picturing Bailee learning it and them using it quite frequently. And his thoughts about wanting the first thing he said to his wife to be something special nearly made me cry.

Bailee really stirred up his life, and, as in the best romances, they both saved each other. The gypsies were just hilarious. I loved how he accepted their presence for her.

Another thing that surprised me was Carter's secret room---I thought he'd end up telling Bailee about it eventually, but too late, and that she'd be hurt and upset with him, etc. I'm really glad it didn't turn out that way.

I'm also glad we got the little teaser for Sarah's story at the end---I'd been worrying about her, and I'm eagerly awaiting it. Too bad there wasn't a title attached.

Labels: books, flashback, HistoricalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 11/20/2009 02:46:00 AM 0 comments

It's hard to say anything without giving away the twists that happen at the end. I like twists, and a couple of them I really didn't see coming.

What an idyllic way to fall in love---secluded in a cabin, just the two of them.... of course, the injuries weren't fun, but that gave them the excuse to stay where they were and spend time with each other.

I had the impression that Brianna's brother Ian and his wife Moira had a story of their own--or was that wishful thinking?

Labels: books, flashback, HistoricalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 11/13/2009 03:17:00 PM 0 comments

Labels: 4 stars, books, HistoricalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 11/12/2009 09:42:00 AM 1 comments

It's been quite a while since I've read a romantic suspense---odd, since it's one of my favorite kinds of books to read. I fell into this one right away. It reminded me of Barbara Michaels' books, with the creepy house with all those mirrors, and I was hooked from there.

Labels: books, flashback, gothic, RomanticSuspense

// posted by Darla @ 11/06/2009 04:34:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: 4 stars, action, books

// posted by Darla @ 10/30/2009 09:38:00 AM 0 comments

Originally written in 1982, this is a good introduction to Martha Grimes's Richard Jury mysteries.

I must confess that while Martha Grimes is a familiar name to me in the mystery genre, I'd never read any of her books until now.

This story is filled with the atmosphere of British mysteries, and features a mystery within a mystery--not only whodunit, but who-was-it-done-to.

A clever mystery with an engaging cast of characters, The Old Fox Deceiv'd has ensured that the next time I'm in the mood for a British mystery, Martha Grimes will be on my list of authors to look for.

Labels: books, flashback, mystery

// posted by Darla @ 10/30/2009 04:28:00 AM 0 comments

Wicked Lies is definitely a good title for this book. Lies and deception are behind almost everything that happens in it.

It was fascinating watching these two very loyal, responsible, determined people dance around each other and slowly untangle the net of lies surrounding them.

The circumstances of their first meeting hardly inspired trust. Catherine protecting her brother, Julian protecting his identity. I loved the irony of neither one trusting the other, yet having to rely on each other to escape and survive.

Laura pushed the boundaries here by making their first sexual encounter more about affirming that they're still alive than about falling in love. Not that I think Catherine would have had sex with just anyone at that point---there was an attraction---but I think it mostly a matter of needing to connect to someone after being in such danger.

The boundaries get pushed again when Julian turns out to be Catherine's brother-in-law. I was surprised that they had such different memories of Patrick, but he, too, wasn't what he seemed.

I don't want to get into too many details in case someone's reading this who hasn't read the book yet, but Julian and Catherine aren't the only ones deceiving each other.

What I liked so much about this book is that it took one of my least favorite conflicts---one of the characters keeping a secret from the other---and turned it into one of my most favorite types of story: a convoluted tale in which nothing is what it seems. And of course Merlin is very like the Scarlet Pimpernel, my favorite story from my childhood.

The secondary characters are engaging as well. I was very upset with Catherine's family in the beginning, but they redeemed themselves, especially Daniel.

Labels: books, flashback, HistoricalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 10/23/2009 04:16:00 AM 0 comments

The cover of this book say it's a debut novel. So I thought I'd read it with a kind eye. I didn't have to. In fact, I had to force myself to put it down a couple of times.

And now I'm not quite sure what to say--so many things are going on in this book.

Nicci seems to be like any other 20-something single, dealing with work, dating, and family. And like others, she's not quite satisfied. Through the events in the book, she begins to realize who she is and what she wants out of life.

It sounds pretty ordinary, describing the plot like that. But what makes Coffee and Kung Fu special is the characters. Nicci, of course, with her habit of judging dates by the type of movie they like, but also the large cast of secondary characters, from her friend Carol to the mysterious guy at the coffee shop. They're all very vivid and three-dimensional.

I enjoyed the snippets from Jackie Chan movies that Nicci uses to illustrate greater truths. I'm really feeling the urge to watch some Jackie Chan movies.

Coffee and Kung Fu is a perfect title for this book, even though Nicci doesn't drink coffee. The coffee shop and kung fu movies are the two things Nicci can count on while everything else is crashing in on her.

Labels: books, ChickLit, flashback

// posted by Darla @ 10/16/2009 04:09:00 AM 0 comments

This is one of the funniest books I've read in a while. Colin has such a unique and.... manly way of looking at things.

Alienore was different from the usual heroine who's masquerading as a man---she wasn't a tomboy, and she didn't particularly like the masquerade, but it seemed the only way out of her predicament.

I loved the irony of two years of running leading her to exactly what she was trying to avoid.

Alienore was a very believable and admirable heroine. It was fun watching her learn fighting with Colin. She started having a lot of pride in what she'd learned.

And Colin's wooing of her.... He took her out in the lists, cleaned her gear, & couldn't think of anything else she'd like better.

Obviously Alienore was the perfect match for him.

It's hard to say too much about this book without giving away all the funny stuff. I've been recommending this one.

Labels: books, flashback, HistoricalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 10/09/2009 04:00:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: 5 stars, books, mystery

// posted by Darla @ 10/05/2009 03:41:00 PM 0 comments

This is a trade paperback reprint of After Dark and the novella "Bridal Jitters", but since I hadn't read either of them before, it was new to me.

I read a lot of science fiction, so I didn't have any trouble with the different world scenario. I did drive myself a little crazy trying to figure out when the books take place, since the inhabitants of Harmony were cut off from Earth 200 years before the story starts---is it 200 or more years in the future, or did they lose contact with Earth 200 years ago? I finally had to just ignore that. (OCD much? me? )

In both stories, the hero is a ghost-hunter, and the heroine is a tangler. Tanglers apparently have a deep distrust of ghost hunters, who are kind of like Harmony's version of the maverick cowboy, or a fighter jet pilot---sexy, arrogant, not reliable. I really liked that the strength these men had was mental strength, rather than just physical strength, although they did have nice bodies, of course. And what was really nice is that tanglers & hunters have complementary skills---they have to work together, which crosses over nicely into their personal lives.

Also interesting in "Bridal Jitters" were the two forms of marriage---the MC, or marriage of convenience, and the covenant marriage. Nice idea. The MC was for a limited period of time, renewable---basically conferring legal benefits to an affair, while a covenant marriage was considered permanent. I was thinking it would be a good solution to the high divorce rate, but then I realized that everyone thinks it'll be forever when they get married. Maybe in 200 years....

Anyway, these were fun, entertaining stories. I'm glad I read them.

Labels: books, flashback, ParanormalRomance

// posted by Darla @ 10/02/2009 03:48:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: 5 stars, books, mystery

// posted by Darla @ 9/30/2009 03:47:00 PM 2 comments

• *** Mystery Man.
  The first book is about Chelsea Reed, who's looking for her disappeared fiance, Devlin McVey. She doesn't believe he would just leave her, and despite what everyone else tells her, is afraid something happened to him. The search leads her to the Caribbean and Mitch Russell, who she thinks might be Devlin in disguise.
  
  It's a readable story, but I did have trouble believing a beard and different clothes could keep her from recognizing her fiance. A casual friend, sure, but not a fiance. Mystery Man is about what I expected from a backlist story from Lisa Jackson.
  
  
• ** Obsession.
  The second book was more of a disappointment, though I can see why these two were combined in one volume: both are about reuniting old loves.
  
  Kaylie is an actress; Zane Flannery was her bodyguard. They fell in love when he was protecting her and married, but he turned her into a virtual prisoner after a stalker attacked her, and it led to a divorce. Now the stalker is out of prison, and Zane wants back in her life.
  
  Truthfully, I didn't see a lot of difference between Zane, who ends up kidnapping Kaylie "for her own good" and the stalker. I could almost see Zane's point, because Kaylie was too stupid to live, but geez, I seriously disliked both these characters, and I absolutely cannot find the story remotely romantic.
  

Labels: 2 stars, 3 stars, books, RomanticSuspense

// posted by Darla @ 9/30/2009 09:30:00 AM 2 comments

Labels: 3.5 stars, action, books, JuvenileFiction

// posted by Darla @ 9/28/2009 07:21:00 AM 0 comments