Review: Breaking All Her Rules by Maisey Yates

This is a Cosmo Red Hot Reads and it is indeed red hot.

I enjoyed this novella quite a bit.  It's a short story about a woman who has spent her whole life focused on her work, trying so hard to please her family and be the "good daughter."  Then one day she shares a cab with a handsome cowboy, who looks very out of place in New York City, and accidentally picks up his phone instead of hers.

She tracks her phone back to his hotel and shows up to retrieve it, and standing there, looking at this cowboy with his shirt off, standing in his hotel room, she decides she's tired of always being the good girl.

I've said this many times in my reviews, but Maisey Yates is one of my favorite romance writers.  She creates the best characters.  Sometimes though, I think I like her characters because I always feel like I can relate to them on some level - not in the successful finance person sort of way, but rather the nice girl, focused on her work, too busy or uninterested in a "real" relationship, either avoiding relationships or settling for some that doesn't involve much effort.  And then someone walks into their lives and changes everything about the way they've always viewed relationships.  I like that idea, that someone might someday appear who makes taking a chance seem worthwhile.  Okay, I might get a little too caught up in these stories sometimes.

But I sincerely believe that the idea of meeting a man in a cab who makes a woman want to toss aside all her years of trying to follow all the rules is probably a woman's biggest fantasy.  The idea that it could be that simple, that one day he could just be there - this is why we read romance novels.  We know it will never happen, but isn't it nice to dream?

Very enjoyable quick, sexy read.  

Review: Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley

I liked this book quite a bit, which isn't that much of a surprise, being that I've liked everything I've read by Susanna Kearsley.  It did take me a while to get through this book, which was a bit frustrating.  I think part of the reason it took me so long to read was because I started it right before school started up again, so I was busy finishing up my summer errands and getting ready to return to the classroom.  Also, I felt like not a whole lot happened until about halfway through the book.  I felt like I was still being introduced to the characters and setting and realized I was almost at 50%, according to my kindle.

However, I did still enjoy the book, not everything needs to be a fast paced, can't-finish-quick-enough, thriller.

As is often the case with Kearsley's books, the setting is described beautifully. This book takes place at a villa in Italy with a lot of history and ghosts lingering on the villa's grounds.  There are quite a few interesting characters inhabiting these grounds.

Alex, the owner of the villa has decided to stage a play - one written by his grandfather many years earlier.  The play was never performed because the woman for which it was written - his grandfather's lover - died before the play opened.

Celia Sands, a young actress from London, has been offered the starring role, and just so happens to have the same name - though no relation - to the original actress cast for the part, many years earlier.

Rupert, the man who raised her is directing the play, and looking forward to spending time with Celia and directing her in her first starring role.  However, he seems a bit annoyed with the choice of stage manager, which is confusing to Celia as she tries to figure out what kind of history the two men have.

Then there's Madeline, an older actress, with whom Celia has a vague connection, clouded with her own guilt over what she feels was her role in breaking up Madeline's marriage.

Those are just a few of the characters.  There are plenty of others to round out the story, but no need give it all away in this review.  The mix of these people all in one place, working together to put on this "impossible" play makes for a very engaging story.  Maybe I took so long to read the book because I liked being around the characters and felt no rush to get away from them.

I was also pleasantly surprised that I was wrong in thinking I already knew what one of the big secrets was.  At one point, it seemed obvious to me, only later to discover that wasn't the case at all. I like it when the mysteries are not obvious.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book.  I'd recommend it to anyone who likes Kearsley's other books, enjoys a well written story with a bit of history, a touch of supernatural elements and some romance.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Expose Me by Kate Hewitt

The Fifth Avenue trilogy were some of my favorite books from this summer, but Expose Me, the last book, was probably the one I liked the least.  Keep in mind though, I really, really loved the first two books.

I never felt the same kind of chemistry between the characters - Alex and Chelsea - that existed in the other books in this trilogy.  I didn't like them as much.  I felt like they tried too hard to be mean to each other, too hard to avoid getting involved.  To some extent that's expected, but it went too far.  To the point where I was thinking, why even bother?  Also because the character is named Chelsea in this book, and she's the host of a TV show, I kept imagining Chelsea Handler in this role.

It's been a few months since I read the book, and don't remember the details all that well.  I still enjoyed the book and am probably being too harsh in comparing it to the other two books in the trilogy.

But the important part of this book was bringing down Jason Treffen, the man responsible for the death of one of Alex's friends.  This book provides the conclusion of what has been building up over the first two books.  To some extent, the romance is secondary to these two characters completing this task.  Alex has to convince Chelsea to assist in bringing down this man who has destroyed so many lives.  This is a big part of the story, because Chelsea doesn't want to do anything that might harm her career - at the same time, she realizes this could be the kind of story that might make her career.

This is such a great trilogy, I highly recommend it - all three of the books provide some great reading entertainment.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Read: May 4, 2014

Review: Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl

Victoria Dahl is one of those writers whose work I started reading because she's one of my favorite people to follow on twitter.  Seems like a really cool person, and in turn, that makes me want to read her books.  So far, I've very much enjoyed what I've read of hers. 

  

I remember last summer, she mentioned writing a story about a librarian who watched the firefighter next door running each day.  I was looking forward to that story because, well, my library shares a parking lot with a fire department and there are many jokes in my life regarding going to pick up books/check out the firemen.  Of course, I don't really do that.  But still, funny, right? Whatever.   However, I was a little disappointed that this wasn't a full length story.  And because it was so short, the romance felt a bit rushed.  I usually like a little more of people getting to know each other, more of a build  up.  I guess we are informed that these two people have known each other for a while, so it isn't as if they just met and fell for each other.  They do know each other, which was one of the obstacles in their relationship.  He'd been friends with her ex-husband and she had known his wife before she died.  

One of the reasons I may not have loved this story was because the main characters are older.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it isn't something to which I can relate - being older and having kids and former spouses and such.  These aren't topics that resonate with me at all.   The older part, yes, to some extent, but that's it.  

As for their story, Lauren is a librarian who, despite always being attracted to Jake, has never acted on that attraction.  But she gets talked into going out with her co-workers one night, and he's there.  And he seems quite interested in her.  As you might imagine, the two finally give into their attraction to each other.  

I still liked the story, just not as much as I usually like Dahl's books.  At about 61 pages, it's perfect for a quick, sexy read.  And it's set in Jackson, the beginning of the Girls' Night Out series, and I loved the first book in that series, Looking for Trouble.  Some of the same characters are mentioned, making this well worth reading to know what's happening with everyone involved.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: A Wedding in Provence by Ellen Sussman

I decided to read this while I was travelling this summer.  I like to read books that are set in the places I'm visiting while I'm there.  I started this while in France, visiting chateaux in the Loire Valley - so not exactly Provence, but the same country.

I read most of this book while on the train from Paris to Brussels, then Brussels to Bruges and back, and then Brussels to London.  It's an okay book, didn't love it, didn't hate it.  Sometimes those are the most difficult to review.

This is the story about an older couple going to Provence to get married at a friend's bed & breakfast.  The scenery is beautiful, but the people gathered for the wedding aren't feeling so fairy tale like.

There isn't anything too dramatic or horrible,  just a typical family drama.  Two sisters, one good with her act together, the other something of an irresponsible bad girl.  The irresponsible daughter shows up at the wedding with a guy she met on the plane.  The good daughter shows up alone, her boyfriend finding an excuse to avoid the trip.  Somewhere along the way the good daughter decides she's tired of being good and the bad daughter is forced to behave responsibly.  I found it a bit of a stretch to assume that their entire personalities were transformed based on the events of one weekend, but this is why it's fiction.

I didn't feel any strong connection to the characters.  In fact, I kind of disliked the couple getting married.  The mom especially seemed like a rather unpleasant person, and I don't think that was the intention.  I didn't ever get the feeling that this couple had some great love that was going to solve all their other problems.  The couple I liked more was the one running the Bed & Breakfast, despite their problems, they seemed genuine.

Overall, the book was okay.  A fairly quick read, it held my interest and did well to pass all the time I spent on trains.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

I wanted to write a really great review of this book, because it deserves one.  And I wanted to be able to say something other than, "OMG, I loved it!" because you know, that isn't especially intelligent.  And yet.

OMG, I loved it!

I read Discovery of Witches, the first book in the All Souls Trilogy, a few years ago.  I knew nothing about the book.  My library had just gotten the ability to loan kindle books, so I was looking at what was available.  Witches, I like stories about witches, I'll give it a try.

Immediately, I was lost in this world.  A witch and a vampire in Oxford.  Smart and sexy.  Romantic and intelligent.  I loved this book so much.  It's all I could talk about.  Anyone who would listen got lured into, "So, I'm reading this amazing book..."

But I didn't love Shadow of Night, the second book in the series, all that much.  Not a huge fan of time travel, though I've since read much more of it since reading this book, and I was bothered by some of the actions of the characters.  These characters that I loved so much in the first book seemed out of their element in the second book.  Diana busy keeping house and obsessing about getting pregnant and Matthew being a jerk, letting his friends treat Diana horribly.  I didn't understand what was happening.  They didn't feel like the characters I'd loved so much in the first book.  And yet, I knew they were the same, and I still cared about them.  It's a credit to the author to have created characters that can evoke this much emotion - I wouldn't get so upset about characters who didn't matter to me.  I might have been overly harsh about the second book, and I may have read it too quickly.  Though on my attempts to re-read it in preparation for the new book, I kept setting the book aside, getting upset all over again with the characters.  I ended up getting a copy of the audio book, and felt I liked it more that way.

And regardless of whether I liked or loved Shadow of Night, I was so anxious for the third book.  This was going to be the highlight of my summer.  I cheered and danced when I found out I'd been approved for a review copy via NetGalley.  (And I am not the cheering and dancing sort, not at all.  But I was that excited.)

You know how sometimes you want something so bad, and then you get it and it doesn't live up to all your expectations?  Not a problem here!  I loved this book.  Loved it!

For two days, I cut off all ties with the world, crawled in bed and read.  I was immersed in this world with these characters I loved so much, and all was right in the Universe.

Pretty much everything that bothered me about the second book was all gone.  Matthew and Diana are back in present time, he's back in the lab, she's back in the library.  These are the people I fell in love with in the beginning.  They're back to being equals, being two people in love, trying to make their relationship work under very difficult circumstances.  Besides being married and starting a family, they've got all kinds of family issues, and then we've got the congregation that doesn't approve of a relationship between a witch and a vampire.  It's all a mess, but they figure it out, together.  That's what I enjoy so much about this book.  They way they work together.  Nothing is easy for them.  There's all kinds of tough choices and heartbreak, but wow, when they get through all of that, it's pretty great.

I especially enjoyed reading about Diana embracing her powers.  She's full-on witch, unstoppable once she starts to get the hang of all the magic she possesses.  The best part is that she does this, while still maintaining the person she was originally.  This was my biggest worry, that's she set aside her career to be a vampire wife/den mother to Matthew's brood of vampire children, as well as their own children.  I wanted to see her still be her own person.  Plus, I love that Matthew, despite his excessive need to protect her and shield her from all harm, understands that she needs to be her own person, that she can't be his kept doll.  He also fully realizes that he loves her because of her independence and her strength.  Have I mentioned how very much I love this couple?

There were a few moments when I was bothered, when Diana goes on about how with children she'll have to give up her job.  Seriously?  What year is this?  I know they're vampire/witch babies, but you have like 500 immediate family members hovering around you willing to help out all the time if you're not comfortable with the idea of daycare.  (I would, however, like to point out that I liked the way the pregnancy was handled in this book, it was not the main focus of the story, which was a concern of mine before reading this story.  I wouldn't have been able to handle that.)

All the family members start to annoy me after a while also.  Part of me really wishes Diana and Matthew could just go off and have their own life, without dealing with twenty other people every single day.  But that's a personal issues, I'm not a big family person.  There was also a moment in the book when a choice was made that upset me quite a bit, but - no spoilers - in the end, I understood why the decision had been made.

Oh, and one other thing that bothered me so very much, I wanted to pause my reading and dash off a letter to the author or publisher.  When Diana reveals that she's married to a vampire and she's pregnant, her friend says something along the lines of, "That never happened on Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Then a comment is made about Joss Whedon.  Don't throw in these references if you haven't done your research!  There was indeed a vampire pregnancy on Angel, the Buffy spin-off (a Joss Whedon show).  And it was shocking and "oh my god, how is this possible? Vampires can't make babies!" sort of like Diana's pregnancy, oh and sort of like in Twilight and again in the new CW show, The Originals.  A shocking vampire pregnancy that no one thought was possible - not that original.  That's okay, it doesn't have to be, but don't try to act like it is.  Sort of like in Shadow of Night, when Matthew and Diana are talking about vampire fiction - like it's so different from their story, and really, it isn't.  Diana's telling him about the books, and she's pretty much describing him.  Oh well, not a big deal, but I'm a big Buffy fan, so that irked me a bit.

Anyway, I loved the book.  Those are minor issues, but I felt I should mention them to prove I'm not a blindly loving fan girl.  Over the past few weeks, after finishing, I'm almost jealous of those who haven't read it yet.  I think I may just read it again, at the same time as everyone else so I can join in the discussions.  I'm sure that like before, I read it too quickly.  Or maybe I'll wait until October and re-read the entire trilogy again.  Or listen to it.  That might be a nice way to spend the daily commute.

I most certainly recommend this book, especially to anyone who has read the first two books in the series.  This was well worth the wait.  If you haven't read the series and you're a fan of stories about vampires and witches, then you should, especially now that all three books are available.

Part of me hopes there will be more books about these characters, but at the same time, I think I'd be bothered by a story in which Diana and Matthew weren't the central characters.  I think of the Outlander series and how much I dislike the addition of all the extra story lines that take away time from Jamie and Claire.  I don't want to see that happen with these characters.  But I have enough trust in Deborah Harkness that I'll read whatever novel she writes next.

Review: To Love a Highlander by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

This book is what I consider to be pure, indulgent romance.  And I mean that in a good way.  It's probably the sort of book that someone who thinks romances are boring and sappy would dislike, but for those of us who want a really good love story, this is perfect.

There isn't a lot of conflict or angst - or rather it's there, but gets resolved without too much difficulty.  (And on this topic, I almost find the easy, quick resolution to be more realistic.  I was thinking about this as I read the book, stories in which people go out of their way and to great extents to hold grudges and carry out revenge are the less realistic characters.  In real life, won't most people just give in and do what makes life easier?)

There's just enough danger and violence to keep the story exciting - this is, after all a story about a highlander.  The setting is Stirling Castle - which I happened to visit while reading this book, so that added to my enjoyment of the story.

This is the story of Sorely and Mirabelle.  Sorely works for the king, and Mirabelle is the daughter of a Highlander who is visiting Stirling.  Years earlier, when in their teens, the two met, they danced together, but Mirabelle's father's men stepped in.  Sorely being a bastard wasn't considered worthy of Mirabelle.  But all these years, the two haven't forgotten each other, even though at first they don't mention what happened years before, leading the other to think they'd forgotten.

Mirabelle's father is in talks to have her married to someone she doesn't want to marry.  Lucky for her, this someone is an enemy of Sorely.  She goes to Sorely with a rather shocking request to make sure the marriage doesn't happen.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about this book was the way the author writes about these two characters wanting each other.  This is what I meant by indulgent romance.  The descriptions of their desires, the heat created from the slightest of touches are more intense than some actual sex scenes in other books I've read.  I very much enjoyed this, as it was perfect for pure escapism, though I'm fairly sure I may have been blushing as I was reading parts of this on the train ride to and from Stirling.  This is the second book I've read by this author.  The first was a prequel to this book, and I remember a first kiss seeming to go on for almost three pages, and enjoying every bit of it - thinking, this is what a kiss sh
ould be like.  That's how I felt with this entire book.  This is how romance should feel.  Every moment together intense and heated, before they've even touched each other.

This story is definitely steamy.  Also, I loved the characters.  Looking forward to reading the rest of this series and more by this author.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

When I read the description of this book, it didn't sound like something I'd like. Struggling single mom, road trip, corporate guy with career problems.  None of these are things to which I can relate.  But the book is written by Jojo Moyes, and the two books I read of hers last year - Me Before You and Girl You Left Behind are two of the best books I've ever read.  So I decided to give this a try, and I was so glad I did.

Moyes has the ability to create characters in such a way that even though in real life, I have absolutely nothing in common with any of these people, I still felt like I knew them.  I still cared about them, and to be quite sappy - I was happy and sad for them, laughed and cried and all that.

I admit, near the beginning of the book, I didn't really like the mom in this story.  Jess is just so very noble, it gets annoying at times. She's too good to take her kids to McDonalds (personally, I don't go to McDonalds either - but if you're on a road trip with limited time and a limited budget, come on, it's isn't like a lifestyle change, it's just a quick meal).  Little things like that bothered me.

But in the end, I pretty much loved this story. Other than Jess, I really liked all the other characters in this story - the two kids and Ed were great.  They're all a little quirky and interesting, without being annoying.  There are a few rather absurd coincidences, but you know, this is fiction, and to tell the truth, real life has some rather absurd coincidences in it if you pay enough attention.  It was never to the extent where I was saying, oh whatever, that would never happen.  If anything, I had just the opposite feeling - like maybe somehow things fall into place in the world the way they're supposed to - sometimes.

This is the third book I've read by Jojo Moyes and I'm always impressed with her ability to create these characters and this world that feels so real and can evoke so many emotions. I spent all day reading this book and when I finished, I had that moment in which I felt like my own life was pathetically dull in comparison.  Don't get me wrong, I don't envy their situation, they had some bad things happen along the way, and I never would have survived that road trip - car sickness, a smelly dog, bad food, all at 40 mph.  Road trip from hell.  Would have been so much easier to have given them the money and put them on the train - but then there wouldn't be a story.   

This is such a good book.  I'm going to recommend it to everyone.  I honestly can't imagine anyone not liking it.  So add this to your summer reading list.  You'll be glad you did.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Flying by Megan Hart

Based on the description of the book - a woman who escapes her life each weekend by traveling and picking up strangers in airport bars - I thought I'd enjoy it.  I travel a lot and well, my travel doesn't involve picking up men in airports, but I find the fantasy interesting.  Who hasn't thought of something like that while spending hours in airports waiting?

I started reading this book while in the airport, waiting to board a flight to London.  Perfect setting right?

But this fantasy was more of a nightmare.  Stella wasn't having hot sex with strangers, she was having sad, pathetic sex with other sad, pathetic people.  It kind of creeped me out.  All of a sudden, I was glad I was sleeping alone in my hotel room if that was the alternative.

I guess that was my problem with the book, the sex in the book wasn't what I would consider to be fun or enjoyable.  It was the result of people who hated themselves and didn't care much about anyone else in their lives.

Eventually, Stella meets a guy with whom she wants more than a one night fling.  Despite the distance they start trying to date and have a semi-normal relationship.  But even that relationship seemed to reek of desperation.  This guy wasn't at all worth the trouble it took to be with him.

For a romance novel, this book was really depressing, and it never got much better.  The happily ever after was possibly more depressing than the story of the couple being without each other.

I didn't like the story all that much.  It wasn't at all what I consider to be hot and sexy.  Just sad.  I don't need to read about sad people in uncomfortable relationships.  I read to escape that kind of thing.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews

This book is soooo good!  I usually hate reviews that are nothing but gushing about a story - this is amazing, so hot, et cetera.  But that's how I feel about this book.  Maybe I just haven't been reading the right books because it is rare that I enjoy a book this much.

I put off writing this review because I figured I'd post it closer to release date, and also because I wanted to come up with something other than, "OMG, this book is great."  (See first paragraph, that's what I wrote right after finishing the book.)  But now, months later, book has been out for a while, I've read about twenty other books since this one and I never got around to writing my review.

Anyway, I loved this book. This is the second book in the Fifth Avenue trilogy.   I might have even loved it more than the first book, Avenge Me, which I thought was pretty darn great.  This book continues with the characters doing their part to exact revenge on Jason Treffen for the death of their friend ten years earlier.  I loved everything about this book - the characters were interesting, strong, independent heroine (that's a must for me) with a secret past, and the former football player consumed with his own guilt about past incidents.  They had scorching hot chemistry, and I very much enjoyed seeing their romance develop throughout the book.

I highly recommend these books.  Great story, hot romance, likable
characters, doesn't get much better than this.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Read April 13, 2014.

Pre-review of The Book of Life

Let’s consider this my pre-review of Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, as I’ve been asked to not post a real review until the book is released on July 15.  I’m okay with that because it’s going to take me a while to put together something  a bit more intelligent than, “OMG, I loved it!  You must read this!”  That being said, I did love it, and you really should read it.  But anyway, I digress.

Instead of telling you about the book right now, I’m going to instead tell you about how much I wanted to read this book:

Sunday afternoon, I had a strange, horrible pain in my head.  I have headaches and migraines all the time, but this was something different.  This felt as if there were something small burrowing its way through my head.  For about twenty minutes, I was convinced I was dying.  I thought maybe it was a stroke or aneurysm.  I imagined that the burrowing I felt was a blood clot moving through my head, ready to shut down my brain.  I know this all sounds a bit melodramatic, but it was really bad.

I wondered if this was the sort of pain that I should call 911 about, but decided against that because I wasn’t entirely sure of the location of my insurance card.  And even with insurance, if I survived the pain, I’d wish I was dead after I got the hospital bills.  So I remained on my bed, in the dark, unable to move, my head hurting so much, death would have been welcome at that point.

My life sort of flashed before me.  You know, the way it does when you’re on an airplane and the turbulence is so intense, you’re convinced you’re never going to see land again.  You start making mental lists of things you should have done, meant to do, wish you hadn’t put off until later, grimacing about all the loose ends you never got around to tying up.  Everyone does that, right?  It isn’t just me, is it?  Whatever. Anyway.

As I waited for the end, preparing those lists, I’m glad to say I don’t have a lot of items on my list.  And that’s by design.  I make a point of doing what I want to do, rather than waiting for someday.  So that’s all good.  I’ve traveled, I’ve met people, I’ve done things. 

The first big regret that popped into my aching head:  Damn it, I’m never going to find out what happens to Diana and Matthew. 

Seriously, people, that’s what I thought.  And it upset me, because oh, to wait so long, only to have my head burst a month before the book is released. 

I love these characters so much.  Also, I’d recently finished listening to Shadow of Night, the second book in the trilogy, and so they’ve been very much on my mind.

Well, obviously, I didn’t die.  That was on Sunday, and now we’re in the early hours of Thursday morning and I seem very much alive.  I have no idea what caused that pain in my head.  Even after the initial pain passed, I remained on the bed for a couple of hours, afraid to move.  And my head is still sore in that particular spot and sometimes I have a twinge of sharp pain, but clearly, whatever it was wasn’t life ending. 

But my head is not the important part of this story.  I’m sharing this story to demonstrate that sometimes magic happens.  Sometimes the Universe listens and understands just how much you want something and the Goddess decides to smile on you.

Monday afternoon, I was checking my email and saw an email from NetGalley saying I’d been approved to receive an advance copy of Book of Life.  I was in my bedroom when I read this.  I cheered loudly – in my empty house – and then I’m pretty sure I skipped/ran down the hall to get to my computer to accept the book and have it sent to my Kindle.  Then I spent the next two days reading.  

You know how sometimes you want something so bad, and then you get it and it isn’t that great? – not the case here!  Instead, it was every bit as great as I’d hoped, maybe even better – and I had very high hopes.  Such a good book. 

I finished reading it Tuesday night.  Then I spent Wednesday in a bit of a daze, wondering what I’m supposed to do next.  Already missing these characters.  But it’s okay, because I can revisit them when I want, I know where they are – stored safely on my kindle.  Plus, I’ve got some pretty big travel plans in the near future - like next week - that will allow me to visit the areas where the story took place – Oxford, London, France. 

But yes, point of all this being, my life is now complete, for the moment at least.  And in my mind, it makes the title, Book of Life, seem even more appropriate.  

Actual review to be posted July 15.  

Review: Burned by Sarah Morgan

This is okay for a quick read. I wasn't enjoying the longer book I'd been reading, so decided to read this before bed for something different.

I liked the main characters, enjoyed their storyline - young lovers who split up and then reunited after five years. (In my own reading and writing, I've noticed that's a storyline to which I'm drawn.)  

I also liked the London setting, the descriptions brought the city to life for me.

But I found the frequent mentions of the sister to be annoying. In general, not a big fan of the best friend/sister thing. The sister kept being mentioned, even when it didn't seem necessary. Things like, "He had a nice apartment, his apartment reminded her of the apartment her sister's boyfriend owned."

I would have rather the focus be on the two main characters - not the sister and her boyfriend - who I understand were main characters in a previous novella by this author.

Also, felt like there was a lot of repetition in the writing. Maybe instead of telling the reader over and over again about how she was clingy when she was younger, or how her parents had a bad marriage causing her sister decided to avoid marriage - we could have learned more about the current characters and their relationship.  Needed some very thorough editing, but I guess that would have made the story even shorter. Also, how many times do I need to be told that her sister has large breasts and she doesn't? Little things like that started to bother me about the writing and caused me to start doing a lot of skimming. I don't usually feel the need to skim something this short.

Review: Temptation in Shadows by Gena Showalter

A couple of summers ago, I was wanting to read more paranormal romance.    The book I wanted wasn't available at the library, so I decided to try Gena Showalters' Lords of the Underworld series, and I was hooked immediately.  I read the whole series - I think there were nine books at the time - one right after the other.  Loved them.  This was sort of the beginning of my return to reading romance novels.

But I haven't enjoyed Gena's latest books.  I don't know if they changed or if my tastes changed.  Temptation in Shadows being an older story, I assumed I'd like it, but I really didn't like it all that much.

It's a novella, only about 80 pages, and for something that short, I expect the focus to be on romance.  But there was quite a bit about some underground society who were turning people's brains into computers.  It's been a while since I read this, so I don't recall the details.  Also, I'm not even sure I understood exactly what was happening while I read the story.  I think it may have been a little too complicated for a novella.

Also, I didn't feel as if the romance was all that well developed.  There was no real explanation as to why they were attracted to each other.  We're just told they are, and then they're in love.  Okay.

But still, for a novella, a quick real that doesn't require much emotional involvement, this story worked just fine.  I turn to stories like this when I need to escape a long read that's dragging or I can't decide what big book I want to dive into next.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Looking for Trouble by Victoria Dahl

I loved this book.  Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  This was how I spent my first weekend of the summer break - devouring this book.  Even though I'm not usually a fan of small town, contemporary romances - I still love Dahl's books.  Her stories don't have the elements that usually annoy me about small town stories.  Her characters are intelligent and independent.  

I liked the characters in this story and I enjoyed all of the back story about the families involved.  Sophie and Alex both have some messed up family histories, and both are wanting to do whatever they can to avoid the drama caused by their families.  But unfortunately, they can't avoid the connection made years ago between their parents, and all the gossip that accompanied that.  I enjoyed seeing how these two people worked through those issues and how their attraction for each other developed.  Plus, they have great chemistry and of course, the sex was smoking hot.  I also really liked that the happy ending didn't mean marriage and a baby.  Sometimes that's appropriate, but sometimes, when it doesn't fit with the characters, it really bothers me.

Books that I loved are some of the most difficult reviews to write.  I don't know what else to say about the book.  It's great, if you want a good, sexy romance story, you should read this. 

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Break for Me by Shiloh Walker

This is one of those stories that didn't produce any strong feelings in me, good or bad.  When I first started it, I didn't like it much.  I'm not a big fan of small town contemporary stories, and this began with everything I dislike about that type of story - the fifteen best friends (slight exaggeration), everyone knowing everyone's business, the dwelling on past events - never moving forward.

In the beginning of the story, they go to a bar, and everyone there knows that Jensen is upset because it's nearing the anniversary of her mother's disappearance.  Everyone except the new guy in town, and they all get on his case for not knowing.  I guess they forgot to hand him a calendar of special events - things people get upset about in bars for the past decade.

I set the story aside, not planning to finish it.  But then one night, I wanted something short, something I could finish before I fell asleep, so I decided to give it another try.  And this time, I thought the story was okay.  Once the focus was on the two main characters, it got better.  In novellas, I don't want too many other things happening.  But this is also a prequel to a series, so I might have appreciated it more if viewed in that context - as just a small part of a much bigger story.  

I liked it enough that I may pick up the other books in this series, but didn't love it.  

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Dating Cary Grant by Emelle Gamble

This is a very light-hearted story, and I know that's what some people enjoy.  I tend to read things that are a little grittier, I need more angst, more intensity. This book just wasn't the sort of thing I usually read.

I did enjoy the New York City setting and all of the movie references.

I had been looking forward to reading this book because I'm a big Cary Grant fan.  Based on the title and description of the book, I thought the character was going to have an affair with the ghost of Cary Grant or a Cary Grant look-a-like or something like that.  I was sort of hoping for that.

Instead this was more about a woman, Tracy, trying to save her marriage, or maybe escape her marriage.  Escape is how I viewed it in the beginning.  She had a job in New York City, and wanted to be near her job, while her husband was working as a small town mayor in Connecticut.  For someone like me, New York City seems like the obvious choice.  If you have the opportunity to live there, who wouldn't?  Maybe that's just me.

I suppose I hoped this was a story about a woman finding herself and figuring out what she really wanted out of life..  Okay, it sort of is, but what she found and what she realized she wanted wasn't what I would have wanted, so I guess that bothered me.  I wanted her to find what she wanted in the arms of a handsome, Cary Grant-like stranger.

In general, I don't like stories in which women are made to feel guilty because they want to pursue their careers.  I know I'm supposed to understand that she realized love was more important - but I didn't feel like I ever knew enough about her marriage or her husband to accept that.

I felt like there was a lot going on in this story - we have Tracy trying to figure out what she wants and the issues with her job, then there are these strange characters that keep popping up, then it's sort of a romance.  I think I would have enjoyed the book more if there had been a stronger focus on one of those elements - either make it more of a ghost story or more of a romance.  Overall, I didn't have any strong feelings either way about the book.  I didn't love it, didn't hate it.  It wasn't at all what I expected though, so that might have been what threw me off.

I'm sure this book would work just fine for someone who did want a sweet, nice romance that takes place in New York City, with a few appearance from some rather well-known ghosts.

Review: Avenge Me by Maisey Yates

I loved this book.  I really loved this book.  I'm probably going to end up buying a few copies of this book to give to friends who I think will also love this book. 


And before I go on, let me just get this out of the way, because every book out there seems to get compared to 50 Shades of Grey, and I'm sure that will happen with this one as well.  It's almost as if the author knew that would happen, and just to show you she knew, she threw in a few lines - such as the comment that they were too many shades of messed up to be together, and then there's a mention of the sky being a shade of grey. 


There is the element of domination and submission and such but that's where any comparison ends because I believe that even on her worst day, Maisey Yates can outwrite EL James, and she doesn't need the framework of a teenage vampire love story to do so.  Anyway, that said, I usually stay away from books that involve domination.  If I see that in the description or notice that people on GoodReads have tagged a book BDSM, I usually don't even bother to read it.  I found myself cringing for a moment in this book and thinking, no, don't go there.  But I kept reading and I'm glad I did.  This was the first time I've read about these situations and heard it explained in such a way that it made sense to me.  As I said, I don't read a lot of stories labeled BDSM, so maybe there are lots of great examples, but anyway.  Point being, as someone usually a little icked out about this, I wasn't icked out by this - icked, really putting that Master's Degree to work here, aren't I?

Now to the point of my review.  This book is so good.  This is the sort of book, I want all my friends to read, so we can discuss it later.  Intense storyline - dark, gritty, tragic; strong characters dealing with loads of internal angst, including a decade of guilt, as well as some messed up external circumstances with which these characters are having to cope - family problems, work issues, difficult friends - it's all there.  And, of course, it's got the usual elements of a Harlequin Presents - money, power and sex - and in this case, maybe more so than the usual Presents, abuse of all three.  Before I got my hands on this book, I kept reading about how this book was different from the usual Presents -  and it is, mostly in that it's longer, and there's more of a storyline, or rather a more involved storyline.  Usually the books focus on a couple and their relationship.  There is a couple and there is the focus on their relationship, but there's also a lot more happening.  These two people are a mission to destroy a man that ruined the life of someone who was very important to them.  That part of the story continues in the other two books in this trilogy.

I loved the characters in this book.  Strong female character, that's always a necessity for me to enjoy a romance.  Katy's determined and she's not at all intimidated by a guy with a lot of money, and she's very much in control of her life.  But before she can truly begin to live her life, she's got to avenge the death of her sister.  Austin is another big reason to love this book.   Austin wants the same thing as Katy, her sister having been one of his best friends.  For ten years, he's lived with the guilt of not having done more to help her.  But despite wanting to focus on avenging the death of Katy's sister - he also wants Katy, in a way that he feels he shouldn't.  The chemistry between these two is great and the sex, so hot.  I enjoyed reading about the way the two grew to care about each other.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a steamy, sexy read with a great storyline.

Review: Perfect 10 by Erin McCarthy

Thus far, I've really enjoyed the Cosmo Hot Reads novellas I've read.  They're perfect for something quick and sexy.  I'm in the midst of reading a rather large non-fiction book, so thought I'd take a little break and read this before going to bed last night.

And I didn't like it very much.

The characters seem very, very young.  I know that may be the audience they're aiming for with these books - maybe - but it isn't something that has bothered me in the past.  Maybe it isn't so much that they're young, but so very immature.  I didn't like any of the characters in this book, didn't care about what happened to them, they were not people I'd want to know in real life.  Even when I was that age, I stayed clear of people that immature.  Also, the sex wasn't even all that hot - sometimes that can redeem an otherwise not so great story - but, no.  Too many pop culture reference - "What did the fox say?"  Really?  Kids, maybe you don't need to be having sex yet.  And the whole Williamsburg, hipster setting bothered me - those are the people I try to avoid, so why would I want to read about them?  A lot about this story felt like it was trying too hard to be hip and trendy.  

Also, I'm beginning to realize that I don't like the friends to lovers storylines.  I don't know that I've read all that many, but this one is clearly that.  When I think about the idea of good friends becoming lovers it bothers me, because it seems like such an obvious betrayal of friendship.  Lying to someone you care about doesn't seem like a great way to begin a relationship.  I know that I would be really upset if I found out a guy who I thought was a friend was really wanting to be more than a friend - would feel like he had ulterior motives.  Overall, just really didn't like this story.

Review: Her Best Laid Plans by Cara McKenna

I enjoyed this story so much! I liked the characters - Jamie who just got out of relationship and ready to get her life back on track and Connor the sexy bartender who is also on the verge of trying to become a responsible adult, the setting - Ireland, the storyline - Jamie's in Ireland to take a vacation before returning to Boston for school, she just wants a holiday fling.

She meets Connor her first night in Ireland, at a local pub near the house where she's staying. She jokes that she and Connor are the only two in the area under 30. She only has ten days, and she wants to have some fun. And does she ever.

Because of their limited amount of time, they can't be bothered with the usual courting, "getting to know each other" rules. They enter into this knowing that after ten days, they'll probably never see each other again. This story is so hot and so sexy. I really, really liked it. It's the sort of book I want to tell all my friends to read because it's so enjoyable and fun and, oh, did I mention, sexy?

This is a quick, fun read.  This story is exactly what I expect from the Cosmo Red Hot Reads line - a story about a young woman, doing what she wants, deciding what's best for her and having a great time in the process.

Even though her work has been recommended to me in the past, this is the first story I've read by Cara McKenna, but I will definitely be reading more in the future.

Review: A Night with the Bride by Kate McKinely

Night with the Bride is the third novella in the By Invitation Only trilogy.  I've read all three of the stories, but not sure how they're connected.  Maybe they were all at the same party?  I probably read them too far apart from each other to remember.  However, I mention this only to point out that they stand alone just fine.

This is a very quick story.  Sometimes when I'm between books or in the midst of reading something heavy, I want a quick story to read before bed, and this served that purpose. 

In this story, Gabriella makes a bet with her friends that she can claim a kiss from the Duke of Somerset.  This escalates quickly.  She ends up getting much more than a kiss.  And she realizes the reason people call the Duke mad is because he suffers from what we would consider a form of obsessive compulsive disorder.  He's haunted by dark thoughts of his sister dying and he has counting issues.  Rather than frighten Gabriella, she's finds herself drawn to him, having had an uncle suffer from a similar condition and realizing the Duke needs help not ridicule. 

I enjoyed the story, though I did think they resolved their issues rather quickly.  But this being a short story, they didn't have much time. 

Review: Ballerina by Edward Stewart

I always feel a little guilty writing a bad review of a book, but I didn't like this book very much.  The characters who get the most attention are all bad people, Anna's constant lying and manipulation and the way the director of one of the ballet companies worked to destroy the most talented dancers.  These people are evil.  Anna ruined her life, her husband's life and she'd doing everything she can to destroy her daughter as well.  The director - his name I can't remember right off - was such a gross person, cruel to the dancers, wanting them to fail so he could have his way.

It seemed as if only bad things happened to any of these people.  They get hurt, lied to, beat up.  Nothing good ever happened.  I began to feel depressed reading about all the bad things the characters in this book did or went through.  I kept waiting for the revenge or the comeback, the hope and inspiration that should result from all this ugliness, and it never really happened. 

I never felt any sort of emotional connection to these people.  It was like I was observing what happened from a distance, without every really knowing how anyone felt or what they wanted.

This book was originally published in 1979, and I think the reissue should have included dates or some sort of explanation to explain the time period in which the story is taking place.  Otherwise the story feels very dated.  Someone who bought this ebook, thinking it was new might be very confused. 

I recently read a really great book about ballerinas in New York City - Cranes Dance - and reading this so soon afterwards might have affected my opinion of the book.  While Cranes Dance explored the emotional world of dancing and the intensity and devotion required, Ballerina presented dancing as cold and filled with horrible experiences. 

I'm glad I read the book, because I'm trying to gather as much information on ballet as I can because of one of my own projects, but I can't say I actually enjoyed the experience of reading this book. 

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: For His Eyes Only by Liz Fellows

I selected this book because it was about an artist, and as a wannabe artist, I'm drawn to stories about artists.

But I didn't like this story all that much.  A real estate agent, Natasha, is trying to sell a huge, expensive country home - which is owned by a somewhat reclusive artist, Darius.  The agent's full page ad is sabotaged by a co-worker, and to prove she's still the best at her job, Natasha approaches Darius and asks for another chance to try and sell his house.

I might have liked the story more if not for the ridiculous descriptions of the two characters reactions to each other.  Upon first setting eyes on each other, it sounded as if they were experiencing strange allergic reactions.  She couldn't breathe, could barely stand, stomach clenching - well, that's sexy.  It was too much.  And Darius was the same way, his instant attraction to her was unreasonable.

I got tired of hearing how plump Natasha was - all because of her childhood filled with illness and her parents insisting she eat a lot.  This is described as if too much custard was some form of mild child abuse.  These characters both have these sad incidents in their past, but it doesn't seem to have much effect on them.  They tell their stories then they move on.

I never felt a strong connection to these characters.  I was too busy skimming over the excessive descriptions of their bodies' weird physical reactions to each other.  I never felt like I knew much of anything about these two characters except that they were very attracted to each other.

I considered quitting this book midway through because I simply didn't like the characters very much, but I finished it, but now I really can't even remember exactly how it ended. 

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: To Tempt a Viking by Michelle Willingham

I didn't enjoy To Tempt a Viking as much as I did To Sin with a Viking.  The two books are about a couple in an arranged marriage that isn't working out so well.  To Sin with a Viking focuses on the husband, while To Tempt a Viking is the story of the wife, Elena, in this situation.

Because I'd read To Sin with a Viking, I already had a pretty good idea as to what happens in the beginning, so I found that to be a little boring.  I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that I knew the marriage was going to end.  This story focuses more on how Elena moves on after her husband leaves.  She finds herself drawn to Ragnar, her husband's best friend, who has always been in love with her.  But he came from the poor family, and was always just the tag along friend, while it was his friend who came from an important family and got the beautiful girl.

I didn't like Ragnar all that much.  He spends an awful lot of time trying to convince Elena that he isn't good enough for her, and I often found myself agreeing with him.  I thought he was mean to her.  She was alone and she clearly needed someone and she had very strong feelings for him.  But he was so wrapped up in his own lack of self confidence and certain he couldn't compare to her ex-husband, that he couldn't see how much she wanted and needed him.

Elena's a strong character, determined to make a life for herself and figure out what she wants.   But I couldn't relate to her intense desire to have a child.  I know that's just one of my issues, and it's an issue to which a lot of readers can relate.  I'm just not one of those readers.  And this plays a pretty big role in the story.  Her inability to have a child played a big role in the demise of her marriage.  Now that her marriage is over, her yearning for a child hasn't in any way lessened.  Eventually she learns that she doesn't have to get pregnant in order to be a mother.

It's an interesting story, and held my attention, but I couldn't relate to the characters or care about them as much as I did with the other book.  

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: To Sin with a Viking by Michelle Willingham

I started hearing a lot about this book on twitter.  There was quite a stir about a story focusing on an arranged marriage not working out (not sure why that's a surprise, maybe in most romance novels they do conveniently work out - but I don't read a lot of those) and the married man falls in love with someone else.  Also, I guess a lot of people have a problem with cheating in romance novels.  I've got to admit that doesn't really bother me - maybe I spent too much of my younger years watching daytime and nighttime soaps, and tend to assume cheating happens.

Anyway, the book sounded different and I'm somewhat intrigued by the idea of Vikings, so I decided to read this.

I liked this story quite a bit.  I thought the author handled the idea of married man falling for someone else quite well.  He's been stuck in an unhappy, arranged marriage for a while.  He still respects his wife and feels obligated to her.  In the intro to the book, the author explains there is no adultery, and this concerned me because I was worried I was going to be reading a Harlequin Historical with no sex, and well, I read plenty of books without sex, but when I read a Harlequin, there are certain expectations.  No need to worry though - plenty of sexy times to keep me entertained.

So this Viking in this story, Styr, finds himself being held prisoner by Caragh after his ship lands in Ireland, and through a misunderstanding, Caragh's brother and his friends attack the Vikings.  Styr could probably easily escape Caragh, but he's intrigued by her.  She's starving and she's alone.  He wants to help her.  If he escapes and abandons her, he's fairly certain she won't survive on her own.  What I especially liked about the story is the way their relationship develops.  They get to know each other and gradually begin to care about one another.  All along, Styr is determined to remain faithful to his wife.  Despite growing close to Caragh, his ultimate goal is to find his wife and make sure she's safe - even though he can't help but feel his marriage is over.  The time away from his wife and the time spent with Caragh serve to convince him that maybe it's time to give up on a marriage that simply wasn't working. 

Lots of adventure and danger in the story.  I liked that Caragh's such a strong character, refusing to be a victim of her circumstances and I liked that Styr is so noble.  His struggle between doing what's right and what he wants provides plenty of tension in the story. 

This is the first historical I've read about Vikings, probably the first book I've read set in this time period.  The environment is pretty harsh and a few things happened that did make me cringe, but nonetheless I found the setting to be interesting and different from what I'm used to reading. 

I liked the story, and quickly moved on to read the companion book to this - To Tempt a Viking, which focuses on the wife in this unhappy, arranged marriage.

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: Vienna Nocturne by Vivien Shotwell

I’ve been on something of a reading binge this week.  Not working or traveling this week, so I’ve been spending a few hours every morning in bed reading, and going through a book a day, and for the most part loving the books I’ve been reading.  This book may have suffered as a result of having followed a really great book - the sort of book that I feel is written just for me.  So a bit of a letdown might have been inevitable.

I didn’t love this book, I’m not even sure if I liked it all that much.  For most of the story, I felt such a strong dislike for the main character, Anna.  Sometimes I felt sorry for her because all kinds of bad things were happening to her.  But still, I didn’t like her.

In the beginning, she’s writing a letter to her brother, and telling him about how much fun she’s having, and she keeps writing, after every two or three sentences.  “I’m such a silly girl!”  And for the rest of the book, that’s how I thought of her.  Such a silly girl! 

I know in the beginning, she was very young and maybe didn't understand the consequences of her behavior, but she never seemed to learn from her mistakes. 
 

Every man who set eyes on her loved her, including the emperor and the happily married Mozart.  But I never quite understood what was so remarkable about her.  She sang well.  But Mozart’s claiming his wife is stupid and Anna is brilliant.  What did she do that was so brilliant?  I can accept that she was talented, but she didn’t seem all that bright.

I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction recently, quite a few novels about famous artists and writers.  What I enjoy about these books is that they give life to these names, and tell the stories behind their work.  But I didn’t feel that with this book.  The characters all acted like performers in a play or an opera.  They never felt like real people to me.  Their behavior was too extreme and unnatural.   

And maybe part of the problem is unlike the artists and writers I usually read about, I don’t know a lot about Mozart.  I’d hoped this book would provide me with a better understanding of him, but he actually has a very small role in this story.  His relationship with Anna doesn't begin until almost 70% into the book.  I’d been under the impression this was a book about him and Anna, but mostly it was about Anna.

Also, even though I realize this is a novel, not non-fiction, I expect the main events to be accurate.  After finishing this book, I did a bit of reading about Anna Storace, and turns out most of the horrible things in the book didn’t even happen, at least not in the way they’re presented in the novel.  I understand it’s the author’s prerogative to take some liberties with history when writing a novel, but these were significant events that served as the basis for the character’s behavior.  All of this was created or rearranged by the author.  I felt a little cheated after learning this.

Having said all that, the book did for the most part hold my attention.  I found the descriptions about how the operas were put together and staged to be of interest.  I enjoyed reading about the locations in Vienna because I visited there a few years ago.  So when they were at certain locations, I could visualize the settings.

I think someone with more knowledge about music and Mozart might have enjoyed this more than I did.  Overall, the story was okay, but not really my thing.   

On a side note - I think the cover of this book is absolutely beautiful. 

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: A Countess by Chance by Kate McKinley

Lately, I've been reading very long books about heavy topics.  I wanted a break.  I wanted something fun and quick, that I could finish before going to bed.  I read the first story Kate McKinley's By Invitation Only series, so felt pretty confident that I'd enjoy this as well.

It's a cute, short story.  The couple split up years ago and run into each other at a party.  I enjoy reading stories like this, in these fun settings, someone's big, fancy house, with everyone just playing games and dancing.  Sounds so nice.

Anyway, they see each other, and the attraction is still there, but there's also quite a bit of anger.  As you can imagine, they work through this.  Very hot and sexy scene in the library.  I do love libraries. 

I liked this.  It's exactly the sort of story I wanted.  Short and sweet and hot.  Will continue to read this series.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Spendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley

This summer, after reading a couple of her books, Susanna Kearsley became one of my favorite writers, so I’m eager to read anything from her.  The Splendour Falls is the fifth book of hers I’ve read since this summer.

I loved this book.  It is the perfect combination of all my favorite things:  France, castles, art, mystery. 

Emily’s cousin Harry talks her into taking some time off work and visiting Chinon, France, where he’s doing some historical research involving hidden treasure, secret tunnels and a castle.  But when Emily gets to France, her cousin isn’t waiting for her, nor is he at the hotel.  Instead she meets a very interesting group of people staying at her hotel, along with their local friends:  A couple of young men from Canada, an unhappily married couple from America, an English musician who now lives in Austria, a German artist and a French woman who’s ex-husband has mysteriously died.

I found the details and interactions between this odd assortment of characters to be so interesting and entertaining.  Though, I’m also rather jealous.  I travel all the time, have stayed in plenty of little hotels in Europe, and never have I met a group like this.  (I suppose that's good and bad in some ways.)

The best thing about this book is how all the connections between the characters and the castle and the past begin to unfold.  One surprise after another.  While it may appear to be a fairy tale like setting, there are some villains hidden behind the castle walls, or more aptly within the castle tunnels, maybe.  So many secrets and connections to the past.

I couldn’t put this book down.  I was completely immersed in this story.  Picturesque setting, well-developed characters, intriguing story, lots of surprise twists, and even a bit of romance. 

After I read this, all I could think about the rest of the day was how much I want to go to France to visit castles.  Someday.  Maybe in a few months.  After reading this, I made a few decisions about where I’ll be visiting this summer.  Not Chinon, but  hoping to include a few castles in France.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan

I enjoyed Under the Wide and Starry Sky quite a bit.  This is the story of Fanny Osbourne and her relationship with Robert Louis Stevenson. 

 

Before reading this, I didn’t know much about Robert Louis Stevenson, other than what he’d written.  This story though paints such an attractive picture of him as a young, determined writer.  He was the only son of parents with very high, specific expectations for him.  Being a writer was not part of their plan for him. 

 

Stevenson met Fanny after she left her philandering husband in America and moved to Europe with her children.  She was there to learn art.  She wanted to live a creative life because she’d already spent too much of her life being trapped in a miserable marriage. 

 

She’s older than Stevenson, with a daughter closer to his age than she is, but that doesn’t seem to bother either of them. 

 

Their story is very romantic.  I told my friends as I was reading this that I was developing quite the crush on Robert Louis Stevenson.  He’s so sincere and devoted to Fanny.

 

But after a while, reality sets in, and things are far from perfect.  But throughout it all, I think despite any problems they had, the two remained devoted to each other. 

 

I felt like the author did a very thorough job with her research, following the couple from the time they met until Stevenson’s death.   As I was reading this, I felt like I knew these characters and understood what they were going through.  At times, I felt that maybe they weren’t entirely good for each other, that maybe they’d have been better off if they had tried to go their separate ways early in the relationship.  (Actually they did go their separate ways, but Stevenson nearly died trying to make his way to her as soon as he got the word that she wanted to see him again.)  Seeing the flaws in their relationship though is what made this story seem so real.

 

My only complaint is that toward the end, I felt as if we got too much information.  I didn’t need to know every conversation and every island they visited and outfit worn and all that.  The details got boring.  I was more interested in the emotional turmoil that was brewing below the surface of their seemingly happy relationship. 

 

Overall though, I liked this book a lot, would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in Robert Louis Stevenson and the time period during which he lived.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley. 

Review: Mine to Crave by Cynthia Eden

I really like Cynthia Eden's Mine series.  Reading this series reminded me of how much I used to love good mystery/suspense novels.  I was so happy to get this fourth book in the series, I set aside everything I was doing or was supposed to do, and read the entire book beginning to end in one sitting on a Saturday morning.  Suffice it to say, time well spent, loved this book.

This series focuses on a group of men who share a very dark, dangerous past.  They were involved in the military, went on some top secret missions and did things they don't like to talk about or think about now.  They've moved on, each successful in their own business - security, hotels, and in this case, casinos.  They bonded over the shared events in their past and are always there to watch out for each other.

Mine to Crave is Drake's story.  In the earlier books in the series, we've seen his friends succumb to obsession, or in other words, fall in love and get married.  He thinks he's above all that "falling in love" stuff, thinks his friends are fools for falling as hard as they've fallen.  Then one night he notices Jasmine sitting at the bar as a casino he owns in Vegas.  Some time with Jasmine has him thinking all kinds of things he's never thought before.

I especially like the heroine in this book.  Jasmine is tough and knows what she wants and what she has to do to get it.  There are so many layers to her character. Nothing weak about this woman at all.  She's the perfect match for Drake. 

I enjoyed reading about how their attraction develops.  While it may be instant lust, it's their time together than turns that into something more.  (One of my big complaints about some romance novels is the lack of buildup before the characters decide they're "in love".)  This book handled that well, had me thoroughly convinced of their feelings for each other.

As always with this series, the suspense and danger is there.  Lots of bad guys, mystery, secrets from their pasts, cool Vegas and New Orleans settings, explosions and trips on private jets.  So good.  And did I mention how hot Drake and Jasmine are together?        

If you are a fan of romantic suspense - the kind with all sorts of action, twists and turns and no clue who the bad guy is until the very end, and lots of hot, hot sex - this series is for you.  Anxiously awaiting the next in the series.  

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.