Review: Forged in the Desert Heat by Maisey Yates

I used to be something of a book snob, the sort who would roll my eyes at the words "romance" or "Harlequin".  Now though, I will hurt someone if they dare to take away my Maisey Yates' Harlequin Presents.  In the past year, I've read five or six of them and have enjoyed them quite a bit.

She creates these likable, complex characters and interesting couples.  These books provide the perfect escape and have become my go-to when I need a book that I can dive into immediately.

What I especially like about these books is that unlike some “millionaire/billionaire” books, these aren’t stories of rich men seducing helpless, young poor girls who need someone to take care of them. Most of these women are doing just fine on their own, at least with regard to careers and finances.  Suffice it to say that I don’t feel as if I’m handing in my feminist card when I read these books.  In most cases, the women wield as much power as the men.  And emotionally, they seem to be equally damaged.

In Forged in the Desert Heat, Ana comes from a wealthy background.  She was educated at nice boarding schools, she’s now getting ready to marry a Sheik.  But during a pre-wedding trip, she’s abducted, and then rescued by another Sheik from a neighboring kingdom.  (I said these books were enjoyable, not that they were realistic; I don’t read for realism.)  Zafar takes her to stay in his palace until he can figure out how to get her back to her fiancé without causing a war.  This is where the story took a very distinct Beauty and the Beast twist (oh, and I love Beauty and the Beast).  A palace that seems frozen in time, a man who has been alone for so long, he's forgotten how to behave in civilized company.  I liked it a lot.

 

As Ana waits to return home, she has plenty of time to rethink some decisions she'd made in her life - or rather the lack of decisions.  She's always done what she was told to do, what she thought would make her father happy, exactly what was expected of her.  She now realizes she's on the verge of marrying a man she thinks she loves because she's supposed to love him.  But after a kiss from Zafar, she realizes that the love she thought she felt was devoid of passion.  How can she go back to that life?  Another thing I like about the books I've read by Yates, is we see her characters fall for each other.  The attraction may be instant, but it takes a while before they develop an emotional connection, as it should be. 

 

I enjoyed reading about Ana taking control of her life, making decisions that were best for her and being willing to deal with the consequences, even if her choices weren't what were expected of her.  And, of course, this had all the steamy romance that can be expected from these books.  Overall, I really liked this book. 

 

I read this while traveling over the Thanksgiving break and it worked perfectly for keeping my mind off the dreariness of waiting in airports and riding in small planes and other "fun" holiday-ness.

 

I received a review copy via NetGalley. 

 

 

 

Review: Mine to Hold by Cynthia Eden

Mine to Hold is the third book in Cynthia Eden’s Mine series.  This book is about a different couple, Claire and Noah, who met in the second book, Mine to Keep.  I started reading this right after I finished Mine to Keep because I really enjoyed that book a lot.

I loved the suspense and mystery in this story.  Like the other books in this series, the reader is kept guessing the entire time.  By now I’ve learned to stop assuming I know who is guilty because things will change.  I didn’t want to put this book down.  Reading this series reminded me of how much I love a good mystery/crime/suspense story.  With regard to books, mysteries were my first love. That used to be all I read.  In the past few years, I’ve made an effort to read a wider variety of books, and have moved away from exclusively reading mysteries.  But these books brought back the thrill I used to get from reading a suspenseful book.

Also, the book was pretty steamy, so that along with the suspense made for a fun read. 

However, I didn’t find the romance to be all that compelling.  The first meeting between Claire and Noah in New York City – when she goes to him to interview for a job, he informs her that he wants her in his bed.  Yes, they met in Chicago, under some extreme circumstances, but they hardly had a chance to get to know each other.  Maybe he was drawn to her because she was a victim and had been through a lot of horrible things – but that isn’t very romantic.  I usually like more of a build up, a chance to see why the two people fell in love with each other.  With the previous couple – Skye and Trace – they’d known each other for years, so their obsession with each other made sense.  But Noah just sort of decided he wanted Claire.  Maybe I would have been more convinced if he’d fallen for her after he’d gone to bed with her, but for him to be so certain she was the one without knowing her at all seemed odd.  There was never any explanation as to why he wanted her, what it was about her that made her so special to him. 

But as I said in the beginning, I enjoyed the suspense in this story enough that I wasn’t all that bothered by what I considered to be an unconvincing romance.   I still really liked the book and will continue reading any books in this series.  I definitely plan to read more by this author. 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Goodreads Choice Awards and reading challenge

Sometimes when I look at these "best of lists" I get annoyed because I feel like I read a lot and yet, I haven't read anything on the list.  On Amazon's editors top 100, I'd not read a single one.  But I've read 64 books this year.  Most of them new books.  A few of amazon's picks are on my to-read list, but none have been read.

However, I was pleased to see that several of my favorite books from this year have been nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards.

My four favorite books from this year were written by two different authors.  Susanna Kearsley's Winter Sea and its sequel, Firebird, and Jojo Moyes' Girl You Left Behind and Me Before You.  If anyone asks for a book rec, I mention those four.  I read Winter Sea and Firebird one right after the other, so in a way, they're one big story in my head.  But I'm told it's possible to read Firebird as a stand-alone, but why would you want to do that?  Both books are great.  Winter Sea is set in Scotland, while Firebird takes place in Russia.  Wonderful settings, interesting history and so very romantic.  Firebird is nominated for best fantasy.  I would think of it as more historical, but I do understand the fantasy label.  Two people in present time are using their psychic abilities to see what happened in the past.  I'm not describing it well, but trust me, it's a great story, even if you aren't all that into paranormal or fantasy type books.  For me, I just sort of accept that psychic abilities are a real thing, so it didn't seem all that "fantastical" maybe.  But point being, you should read Winter Sea and Firebird.

Also, Me Before You is nominated for Best Fiction.  Easily my choice.  Though in the first round of voting, Girl You Left Behind was also nominated.  I loved both books and they're very different books.  Girl You Left Behind is about a painting, and part of the story takes place in France, so as an artist who loves all things French, I was a little partial to that.  But even I voted for Me Before You.  That book is amazing.  It left me an emotionally drained mess who couldn't stop crying when it was over, but nonetheless, amazing.

Other books I've read and liked that are nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards:  Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald is nominated for Best Historical Fiction.  I think any fan of the Fitzgeralds would enjoy this.  And in the humor category - Wallbanger by Alice Clayton.  Such a cute, funny story.  I loved it. 

So I was able to vote in four categories this year, made me feel somewhat accomplished.  I did find it odd that I'd not read any of the paranormal or romance books - since that's mostly what I read these days.  But oh well. 

And in other reading news, I'm one book away from reading my goal of reading 65 books this year.  Clearly, I will surpass it.  Last year I read 63 books.  I sort of feel like I've cheated because several of the books were short novellas.  But at the same time, quite a few of the books were around 800 or more pages.  My page count has by far exceeded last year's page count.

A few of the books were re-reads.  I listened the Handmaid's Tale, narrated by Claire Danes - it's a great version if you're into audio books.  I've read the book a few times, but was nice to have it read to me.  I also re-read Discovery of Witches, my third time to read that.  I was doing a real-time read, following along the same days as the characters.  Doing the same with Shadow of Night now, but won't finish that until next year.  I also finally started reading the Outlander series, or rather listening to the audio versions of those.  I'm on the fifth book.  Don't like it nearly as much as the first two books, but it keeps me entertained on my commute to and from work each day.  I finally finished listening to Great Expectations, and wasn't all that impressed.  And I listened to the entire Beautiful Creatures series.  I'm becoming quite a fan of audio books.

Well, closer to the end of the year, I'll put together my best of list, just because.  Looking over the list of books I've read, I'm seeing a lot of favorites.

I'm sort of thinking after Thanksgiving this year, I'm going to read nothing but Christmas-themed novels and novellas and anthologies.  Because I want my brain to turn to candy?  I don't know.  I don't have a real Christmas, so I have to immerse myself in fictional ones.  Same reason I watch so many Hallmark holiday movies. 

Review: Mine to Keep by Cynthia Eden

Mine to Keep is the continuation of Trace and Sky’s story, which began in Mine to Take.  (I recommend reading Mine to Take first, it's a shorter book, but very good.)  In Mine to Take, the couple was reunited after being apart for ten years, when Skye goes to her Trace, the owner of a big security company, asking for help when she felt she was being stalked.

The two met in a foster home as teenagers, but went their separate ways when Skye moved to New York to pursue a career in dance and Trace joined the military.  Now, Sky’s back in Chicago to open a dance studio, her career as a dancer over after a car accident, and Trace is a wealthy business owner, having used his military experience and connections to create a successful security company. 

The first book was about the two of them reuniting, and then hunting down who was after Skye.  Now, they’re finally together again, engaged and ready to spend their life together, but Trace’s past has returned to haunt them both. 

People from Trace’s past keep dying, brutal murders, and whoever is doing it is trying to frame Trace.  And a man like Trace has made a lot of enemies and has a lot of secrets.  As if trying to discover the identity of a murderer roaming the streets of Chicago isn’t enough, Trace is also trying to salvage his relationship with Skye.  Skye is tired of his secrets and wants Trace to be completely honest with her, but Trace is afraid he’ll lose her if she knows the whole truth.

Much like Mine to Take, this book kept me guessing.  As soon as I thought I knew who was guilty, something else would happen to change my mind.  That’s what I really enjoy about these books.  The mystery kept me hooked.  I wanted to set this book down last night because I could feel my cold medicine kicking in, but I couldn’t stop reading.  I think it was almost 4 a.m. when I finally finished the book.

I like this couple so much.  They have scorching hot chemistry and are so completely in love with each other.  I felt like Skye’s emotional conflict regarding Trace’s secrets was handled well, her desire to just ignore it all or force him to be honest with her. 

This book has everything I want for an enjoyable escape read – danger, suspense, emotional angst and lots of hot sex.  I liked it quite a bit and will continue reading more by this author.  In fact, I’ve already started reading the third book in this series, Mine to Hold, which is about a different couple who met during this book.

 

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson

I assumed Daylight Gate would be a quick read, but once I started it, felt like it went on forever.  I had to force myself to keep returning to the story.  And yet, I felt like not much information was provided about what was happening in the story. 

 

I didn’t enjoy this story because I was never clear on what exactly was happening.  Some people were accused of witchcraft.  Alice Nutter is trying to help them, but then she’s also accused.  And she’s trying to save her lover who everyone seems to be after.

 

It all just seemed kind of jumbled together.  Alice is trying to explain that these woman are simply ignorant and poor, but then we see that they are attempting to practice magic.  But their magic doesn’t seem to be powerful enough to save them. 

 

Alice has a connection to these women, one of them having been a former lover.  So it seems that Alice also has some connection to magic and that she's been given a special anti-aging cream from John Dee.

 

I felt very confused by the story, as if I were only being given bits and pieces of what was happening, as if the real story was still concealed. 

 

I’m usually a big fan of stories about witches, but I didn’t find this very interesting.

 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: A Duchess in the Dark by Kate McKinley

I wanted something quick to read one night because I was in the middle of several long, drawn out storied and needed a change.  This worked perfectly.  It’s not very long and can be read in one sitting.

I liked this quite a bit. I had low expectations, because quite honestly most stories listed as erotic novellas aren't all that great. But this was a cute story. It's a little silly - Daphne is trying to climb into her boyfriend's bed to "compromise" herself so that her brother-in-law with have to allow them to marry. But it's dark, and she's nervous and she climbs into the wrong man's bed. I liked that the story wasn't the usual - they had sex, instantly fell in love and that's it. Turned out, there was a bit of history between the characters, they'd been eyeing each other for years, never thinking there was a chance they could be together, so that was nice.

Anyway, the characters are very likable and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley. 

 

This has a release date of December 3, 2013.

Review: Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield

Because Diane Setterfield’s Thirteenth Tale is one of my favorite books, I was looking forward to reading Bellman & Black. 

However, Bellman & Black is very different from Thirteenth Tale.

While Thirteenth Tale evoked the ghosts of the Bronte sisters, Bellman & Black seems to pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe, with its mysterious black birds (rooks) and a protagonist who becomes his own worst enemy as he’s consumed with guilt for an act he committed in his youth.

I expected this story would be scary or creepy or suspenseful.  I even saw some people call it a ghost story, but after reading this, I wasn’t convinced there was an actual ghost.  Mostly, I found this book to be very sad, too sad even. 

Bellman is an interesting character, and I felt he had a lot of potential.  In the beginning, we learn all about his complicated childhood, and his connection to the Bellman family.  I assumed more would be made of this, that family secrets would eventually come back to haunt him.  In fact I kept waiting for that to happen, but never did.

We’re told that Bellman does something when he’s young.  He’s showing off for his friends, but he had no malicious intent, and in my opinion, the act was pretty minor.  I can see how a child might view this as something major, but I can’t accept that the act itself would have such horrible repercussions.  I try not to give away important information in my reviews – I hate spoilers – but the horrible thing he did was kill a bird.  A bird.  And for the rest of his life, he’s punished because he accidentally killed a bird?  I used to work in an office building in Dallas, the walls were mostly windows, and birds flew into the glass and died on an almost daily basis.  Birds are not that important.  I can’t accept the idea that ending a bird’s life should result in Bellman’s life being ruined, forever.

This is why I think maybe the punishment existed only in Bellman’s mind.  Maybe he didn’t feel he deserved to be happy.  Maybe he associated all the bad things in his life with that one act.  But the author kept adding these bits at the end of each chapter, about the birds, as if to convince the readers that the birds were some important, powerful creatures who were out to get revenge.  If we were really supposed to believe the birds were so powerful though, I needed more than a few paragraphs about myths and powers associated with rooks.

The general story though is Bellman works very hard for everything he has.  He gets married, has a few children, and loves his family very much.  He tries to take care of everyone, while also running the family business – which he earned through hard work, more than family connections.  But he seems to be cursed because he killed a bird as a young boy.  By the end of the book, I guess we’re also supposed to think he worked too hard?  In his worst moment, he’s being told to remember, as if he’d somehow forgotten all he had and lost.  But I never got that impression, I never felt that he didn’t appreciate all he had.  I felt he did appreciate what he had and that’s why he worked so had to keep it and always improve upon what he had.  I couldn’t get past the idea that he was unfairly punished.  I felt that even when he was fully committed to his work, he still always showed he loved his family and cared about the well being of the people who depended on him. 

I cared about Bellman, so in that aspect the author succeeded.  There were moments that especially broke my heart, like when he’s looking through old books, and finds notes from his daughter where she’s added “Kiss Dora” to his to-do list.  Or when he’s not allowed near his sick baby, so he climbs the ladder so he can look through the window.  At one point, I set the book aside thinking I needed to stop reading because it was much too sad. 

Despite my anger at what happened in the books, I will concede that it is well written.  I didn’t want to put it down.  Though mostly I kept reading in hopes there would be some big revelation to explain why all of this was happening.  I suppose any book that makes me feel something so strongly, happy or sad, must have some merit. 

In the end, I felt cheated.  I’m not saying I needed a happy ending, but I wanted a reason or explanation of some sort for Bellman’s suffering.  Maybe I missed something or didn’t fully understand what I was reading, but I can’t accept that so much bad should happen to one person because he killed a bird – I don’t care what kind of bird it was. 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

 

Read October 6, 2013.

Review: Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen

I enjoyed this book, but I had expected it to be more dark and creepy.  It being a story about Edgar Allan Poe, I thought it to be more along the lines of his stories.  One description of he book claims it’s a story of sexual obsession, but I didn’t get that impression from reading the story.  I think of obsessed as being out of control, risking everything, and the characters in this story didn’t behave that way.  In fact, they seemed incredibly in control of their feelings and actions.

Poe, who is married, falls in love with Frances Osgood, a married woman.  Her husband has abandoned her and her children, but in order to protect her reputation, she must still behave like a married woman.  We find out that Poe has a very unhappy marriage.  His wife is described as a child bride, but at this point in the story, they’ve been married ten years and she’s 23 years old, not at all a child, but still behaves much like one.  Also, she’s very sickly. 

For most of the book, we are aware of the attraction between Poe and Frances, but they don’t act on it.  They walk together in the cold a lot, they touch hands sometimes, there are a few kisses, they write some poems to each other that create quite a scandal, but for the most part, they behave themselves.  They have one weekend together, but that’s near the end, after they’ve wanted each other for a long time.

What I suspect was supposed to be the big, dark revelation at the end was a bit anti-climatic.  Not what I was expecting at all, but not that shocking.  It all happened within the last few pages of the story.  However, I’m not going to give it away, in case you want to read the book for yourself.  Like I said, it is a surprise, but not exactly earth-shattering.

This is a well-written story.  I very much liked the setting of Old New York City and all the characters – well known writers and artists – that filled the pages.  The author clearly did her research.  I’m not sure I agree with some of her conclusions, but it did make for an interesting read. 

I liked the book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Edgar Allan Poe’s life.  But I remain a little bit disappointed that it wasn’t quite the dark, dreary rainy day read I was hoping for yesterday.  I guess I should stick with Poe’s work for that.       

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Expected release date:  October 1, 2013

Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Because I loved Girl You Left Behind so much, I immediately began reading Me Before You, another book by the same author.

It’s a very different story from Girl You Left Behind, but equally wonderful and beautifully written.

Me Before You is the sort of book I want to tell everyone to read, because it’s really that good and I want to be able to talk about it to my friends.  But it’s so intensely emotional.  I don’t cry easily.  I sometimes say I cried when really I meant I could have cried, but I didn’t allow myself.  I had no choice in this matter.  By the end of this book, I was a sobbing mess, lying on the bed, so emotionally drained, I couldn’t think clearly.  Any book that has that kind of effect on a person is a book that needs to be read.

But at the same time, I know there are people who avoid things that make them feel that deeply.  I’m a cold-hearted person, and it broke me.  I can’t imagine what this would do to someone who actually has a healthy, normal relationship with their feelings.

This is the story of Lou, who needs a job after the café where she’s always worked shuts down.  She is hired to sit with Will, who is paralyzed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair.  He already has a nurse, his family just wants someone to spend time with him and keep him company during the day.

One day though, Lou overhears a conversation in which she learns Will has decided to end his life in six months.  Hearing this, she decides to make it her mission to change his mind, to show him that his life is still worth living. 

Before his accident, Will had a big, bold life.  He had an amazing job, he went on exciting adventures.  And he lost everything that he loved about life one rainy morning. 

But in Lou, he sees potential.  She’s chosen to put her life on hold, and Will can’t stand to see that.  She has the chance to do all the things he couldn’t do and she chooses not to. 

And this is the story of the two of them trying to show each other how to live again. 

I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll end my summary of the book there.  I’ll only say this story is beautiful.  It’s well worth reading.  This is being added to the list of my favorite books.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

I liked this book so very much.  It’s about art and lost love and France – all things I adore in a story. 

The story revolves around a painting – a painting titled, The Girl You Left Behind.  There are two storylines, one focuses on Sophie, the original owner of the painting, who was also the subject of the painting and married to the artist, and her life in occupied France during the First World War.  The other storyline is about Liv, the current owner of the painting, a woman living in present day London.  What connects both of these women – besides the painting – is that, they’ve both lost their husbands, and have, in a sense, been left behind.  One woman lost her husband to the war, and the other to an early death.

And here’s where I’m going to suggest that you read the novella Honeymoon in Paris before reading Girl You Left Behind.  The novella focuses on the two couples immediately after their marriage.  That will give you a better idea as to the depth of loss these women are enduring now that they’re alone.

They both loved their husbands very much and they’re both struggling to go on with their lives now that they’re alone.  One is waiting anxiously for hers to return, the other is trying to figure out how to move on with her life, knowing he’s gone forever.  Both of them cling to the painting, as a symbol of what they once had and what they long to hold onto.

But Liv’s first real attempt at dating results in her putting her painting at risk.  The man she allows into her home specializes in recovering art stolen by the Nazis, and her painting is one he’s been hired to locate.  Liv isn’t aware of the painting’s history.  Her husband bought it from a woman who was throwing it out on a street in Barcelona. 

The ensuing story is about the path the painting traveled, from Sophie to Liv, and how this painting and all that it represented affected their lives.  But also, it’s a story about surviving and figuring out when to hold on and when to let go and take a chance, even when there seems to be no hope in sight. 

This was the first book I’ve read by Jojo Moyes and I thought it was wonderful.  She writes in such a way that I could feel the anguish these characters were experiencing.  If I was the type of person who cried, I would have been bawling by the end of this book.  This story broke my heart and then put it back together again, only to break it some more.  Such a beautiful story that I would recommend to anyone who wants to read a good book. 

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Honeymoon in Paris by Jojo Moyes

Honeymoon in Paris is a prequel to The Girl You Left Behind.  It’s a short story, or rather, novella, about two couples, early in their marriage and very much in love, but struggling to adjust to married life.  They’re trying to figure out how to balance work and marriage and issues from their past.  But as upset as they get, they realize they’ll make things work.

 

As a stand alone story, there isn’t much to it.  However, when read before The Girl You Left Behind, it adds quite a bit to the story.  While I understand that it was released before Girl You Left Behind as sort of a teaser for what to expect, I think it would be of move value if it was included as the first part of Girl You Left Behind, not a separate novella.

 

Girl You Left Behind focuses on the two women in Honeymoon in Paris, who as the title indicates, have now been "left behind."  It's the story of what happens to them after their husbands are gone – one because of death, the other because of war.  Knowing how they felt about their husbands, and having read about them when they were with their husbands, rather than simply relying on their memories enhances the emotional aspect of the story.  I think you have a better understanding of why the women did the things they did after having read Honeymoon in Paris.

 

So I very much recommend reading Honeymoon in Paris before reading Girl You Left Behind.  If you don’t plan to read Girl You Left Behind, not any reason to read this, however, I very much recommend reading Girl You Left Behind, because it’s a great book.  (Will post review of that book separately.)

 

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Cake by Lauren Dane

I knew I would be spending a large part of my day in waiting areas - my day started with a dentist appointment, followed by a hair appointment, then car maintenance type things.  So I needed a book that would keep me occupied during those times.  Something fun, not too heavy.  I'd just finished reading Bronze Horseman (800+ page epic set during WWII) and was not looking for any sort of heavy, long-term commitment.

 

And Cake was perfect for what I needed.

 

This is exactly what something called Cake from a line called "Red-Hot Reads" should be - quick, sweet and very hot and sexy.

 

I liked the setting, an art student and a successful artist, their circle of friends and social activity all being in the art world.  As a former art student, I enjoy revisiting this world - even though my own experiences weren't quite this entertaining.  No hot Russian artist to mentor me, darn it.

 

I liked Wren and I liked how she was so determined to succeed in art as well as go after what she wanted.  However, I didn't really love Gregori.  When Wren decided to make the big gesture and tell him how she felt, I cringed a bit, thinking that in most cases, with a guy like Gregori, she would face mortifying rejection.  To me, he didn't seem worth all the effort.  Yeah, I know things worth having take a lot of work and all that, but relationships shouldn't feel that one-sided.  But this is fiction and this is a romance story, in the end, of course we find out the guy feels the same way, but really, I didn't see a lot in the story that indicated he did.  Wren and her friend just assumed that Gregori must feel the same way and went with it, her friend assisting in setting up Wren's plan.  Part of me kept thinking, he's okay for now, but do you really want to be with a guy like that in a "real" relationship?  Yes, I know, I'm overthinking this. I ruin everything that way.  I've noticed I do this a lot with novellas.   

 

Overall, this is a quick, fun story.  Nothing too intense or deep.  And it kept me fully engaged during my day of running errands.  I'd readily recommend this to anyone wanting a quick, sexy story.

 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: The Bronze Horesman by Paullina Simons

I was hoping to like this book a lot more than I did. I have a very strong interest in things associated with WWII and also a strange fascination with Russia, so this book seemed perfect for me.  I was specifically searching for a book, a historical romance of some sort, based in Russia during WWII and saw this mentioned and it was only 1.99 on amazon.  Several people I follow on twitter had mentioned loving this book, so I was eager to read it. 

 

I liked the book, but I wasn't blown away by it, the way I expected to be.  I really didn't like Tatiana very much, she was a little too perfect, too heroic, too selfless. She's so childlike. There seemed to be something disturbing about a grown man being so attracted to someone who acted like such a child - I get that he was drawn to her innocence while surrounded by the horrors of war, but still. Even after they're married, she's wanting to play games with him all the time. Also, near the end of the book, I grew so tired of the "it's a sign from God" statements she kept making. She's surrounded by sickness and starvation and death and perfect little Tatiania is so arrogant as to think for some reason God has singled her out to save, but he cares nothing for the bodies piling up in the snow on the side of the street?  (That's one of those things that always bothers me when people start involving God in tragedies. When someone says, "God saved my child" and to me I'm hearing, God neglected the people who died.)

The story did hold my interest, I'd been worried about the length, but finished it in about a week, reading the last 50% in one night. But despite being interested in what happened to the characters, I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters. Their story didn't break my heart as I expected it should. (Also, I know that there are two sequels, so the ending isn't as devastating as it might have been had I not known there were sequels.) I don't feel any strong compulsion to read the sequels. Maybe if I ever see them at the library or I can find them at a deep discount. But at the moment, too many other books I want to read more. 

 

Suffice it to say I'm still in search of a great Russian romance/war story.  I've got a list, but welcome any suggestions.

Review: Thinking Woman's Guide to Practical Magic by Emily Croy Barker

I was so excited about reading this book.  It sounded so cool based on the description.  University setting and magic, other worlds and romance.  All things I love.

And it started out okay.  I loved the magical world the main character found herself in.  Everything seemed so beautiful and wonderful.  I was a little thrown by the writing style, seemed to be a lot of, this happened and then this and this and this.  I suppose it was intentional, so that as readers we had the same blurry, fast-paced impressions as Nora.

Once Nora left this world though, and ended up living with an old wizard, I quickly began to lose interest and wished I'd not already invested so much time in the story.

I thought the author did a great job in creating these other worlds and complex characters.  But I didn't like the characters, the more I knew about them, the more I disliked them.  And the world they were in didn't seem all that wonderful either.  It was cold and the people seemed kind of dirty and crude.  It simply wasn't a place when I wanted to spend time.

People I respect have given this book high praise, so I forced myself to finish the book - though I admit to skimming parts of it, because things kept happening that made me angry. 

Nora was so weak.  She was supposed to be a smart grad student, but she didn't seem very intelligent at all.  In the beginning, she's upset about being dumped by her boyfriend, and she doesn't seem to be doing very well at her job either.  It's understandable that she would behave submissively while enchanted.  But even after the enchantment, when she's living with the wizard, she behaves so weakly, I found it difficult to read.

There's a scene where she's ordered to burn her boots - boots which she bought herself.  I got so angry reading that.  I wanted to stop then, but like I said, I'd already put quite a bit of time into the book.

What bothered me the most though is that I felt readers were expected to view the wizard as some sort of romantic hero.  In my mind, he just seemed old (yuck) and grouchy - not sexy.  The idea that Nora would be attracted to him creeped  me out quite a bit.  Just another example of her weakness.

This book simply wasn't for me.  I need the women in my stories to be a bit stronger, a bit more interesting and independent.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.  I also received a copy of this book through a GoodReads giveaway, and thus feel quite guilty about not liking it.  I do plan to pass on the copy I won to a friend that I think may like it more than I did.    

Review: Beautiful Danger by Michele Hauf

I started to read this book while I was on vacation, but it takes place in Paris, and I was in London at the time, so I decided to wait until I returned home and wished I was somewhere like Paris.  Paris is one of my favorite cities, so any book set there already has points in its favor.  Add in a kickass heroine and a mentally unstable vampire and yeah, it's ranking high on my list.

I liked this book so much.  Beautiful Danger is all the things I want a vampire novel to be – dirty, sexy, bloody, with emotionally conflicted characters, and lots of danger.  I’ve loved vampires for as long as I can remember, and as a teenager, devoured every vampire story I could find.  But now, for me, it seems to be a struggle to find vampire books that I really like.  Seems like vampires have gotten a little too normal, too safe and too often seem like just regular guys who happen to be vampires.  Not the case with this story. 

Domingos LaRoque is messed up.  He’s suffering from extreme UV sickness and struggling to cling to his sanity, forever in a battle against the voices in his head, or worse the screeching cats that refuse to be quiet.  All this is the result of being tortured by werewolves and forced to participate in their brutal blood games.  In order to survive he had to kill other creatures, most likely other innocent creatures, who were also being held prisoner – all for no reason other than to provide entertainment for the werewolves.  And to make the situation worse, he was never especially happy about being a vampire, having been turned against his will only five years earlier.  He’s bitter and he’s not quite sane.  But there’s something about Lark that gives him a sense of peace, and maybe a glimmer of hope.

Lark is a knight of the Order of the Stake.  Her job is to hunt vampires and she’s very good at her job.  She’s supposed to kill Domingos.  But then he saves her life when some werewolves attack, and they make a deal.  She’ll let him live for 24 hours, that’s all.  However, during that time, she begins to see him as more than just a deadly, bloodsucker.  She sees him as a person, a damaged person, suffering from demons similar to her own.

She became a knight to avenge her husband’s death.  Her goal was to kill a vampire for every day they held him prisoner, then she’d move on with her life.  But then she begins to question whether all the killing she is doing is really helping her.  Domingos never takes innocent victims, he’s specifically going after the wolves who tortured him, and he saved her life, knowing she planned to kill him. 

These two characters have both suffered so much in the past.  As strange as it seems, this vampire and vampire hunter need each other.  They have an understanding of the pain they’ve each been through.  I very much enjoyed reading about how they began to gradually set aside the baggage from their past in order to finally reach some sort of peace in which they could focus on their present lives, and maybe even a future. 

I was slightly hesitant to read this book, because the last few Harlequin Nocturnes I’ve read have seemed very tame and kind of boring.  I was afraid that was standard for that line of books.  But this was hot, very hot and all kinds of steamy.  Nothing at all tame about this book.  Lots of messy, dangerous sex, complete with teeth, the way vampire sex should be.  

Along with the romance, there’s quite a bit of action, several fight scenes.  I loved that Lark was such a badass knight.  Sure, Domingos helped her out in the beginning, but she probably could have held her own.  She saves Domingos as often as he saves her.  Nothing weak about this character with regard to her fighting abilities. 

Overall, I really liked this book and will be recommending it anyone who enjoys vampire stories. 

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. 

Review: Couple Who Fooled the World by Maisey Yates

At the end of the second week of my three and half week trip, I was repacking my suitcase, about to get on yet another plane - my 7th flight in two weeks  – this time from Zurich to London – and I was panicking because I’d finished what I was reading the night before and needed a new book. I usually know exactly what I’m going to read next, but had decided to be more spontaneous on this trip – that’s the point of having a Kindle, right?  You can carry your whole library around with you.

 
I turned on the Kindle to try and figure out what I wanted to read next and was very happy to see The Couple Who Fooled the World had appeared on my Kindle’s home page.  I’d pre-ordered it weeks earlier, and had forgotten when it would be released.  Also, when traveling, I lose all sense of dates.  No more worries about what to read that day.

I got to the Zurich airport hours earlier than I needed to be there.  Then my flight was delayed.  But none of this bothered me at all, because I was fully immersed in the adventures of The Couple Who Fooled the World.

I absolutely love the characters Maisey Yates creates.  I’ve yet to be disappointed with any of her books.  In this case, we have two very wealthy, very successful leaders in the tech field.  Ferro and Julia each own their own companies – creating things like phones and navigation systems.  They’re fierce competitors, but in order to beat out their mutual competition for a project, Ferro suggests to Julia that they work together.  His system is more sophisticated, hers is more user-friendly.  But in order for their plan to seem convincing, they’re going to pretend like they’re dating.  It’s only until they get the project, then they plant to go back to being enemies.

Sometimes things don’t quite work out as planned.  In order to pretend to date, they have to start spending time together.  And while they’re spending time together, their attraction for each other is growing.  They’re both adults, they can do this, no strings attached, then go their separate ways.  No problem, right?

But these two, as successful as they are in the tech world, are completely messed up emotionally.  As a teenager, in order to get off the streets of Rome, Ferro worked as a prostitute.  Even though he’s moved far beyond those days, he still feels tainted by what he did.  Mentally, he’s still trying to run from his past and feels that he’s undeserving of ever having a real lover.  And Julia’s avoided men most of her life after a traumatic experience she had as a teenager.  Her whole life, she’s been made to feel that if she was herself she would be regarded as weird or strange.  No matter that her “weirdness” turned her into a successful billionaire who designed a very popular smartphone.  She has a team of people hired to make her appear “normal” to the rest of the world. 

They’re both damaged enough to be perfect for each other.  They manage to see in each other what they’re missing in life.  Ferro convinces Julia that she doesn’t need to keep hiding who she is, and she finally makes him believe that he doesn’t have to keep living in shame for what he did to survive as a teenager.  Of course, it takes them a while to get to that point, but what a fun journey that is.

Another excellent read by Maisey Yates.  Glamorous setting, interesting, complicated characters, lots of hot sex and romance.  This book is very fast paced.  I couldn’t put it down.  It was a bit awkward reading some of the um, sexy times, while sitting next to two college boys who were getting smashed on Scotch on the flight to London.  They kept wanting to talk and be friendly and didn’t seem to understand that the book I was reading was much more interesting to me than they were.  I ended up finishing the book that night.  I sort of wished I hadn’t rushed through it because I wanted more time with the characters, but was glad to have had the distraction during what could have been a long, boring travel day.

Review: City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte

I got a copy of this book from Netgalley a while back, and had been so excited about reading it, because it took place in Prague, and I was in the process of planning a trip to Prague.  But for some reason, I didn’t read it.  There may have been other books I had already committed to reviewing or maybe things got busy at work.

Anyway, the book kept getting set aside.  And the reviews I saw on Goodreads were pretty harsh, so I was hesitant to read this.  But it remained on my list.

Well, I got to Prague.  I wandered around the Old Town area my first afternoon there, and I couldn’t get a feel for the place.  I was bothered by the huge crowds of tourists, everyone gathering around watching a guy in the middle of the square cracking a whip.  I go to these cities hoping for culture and history, and in Prague especially, I was in search of something dark and mysterious.  A sweaty guy in a torn tank top cracking a whip was not producing any magic or mystery.  I got some ice cream and went back to my hotel room.

That’s when I decided to start reading City of Dark Magic, hoping it could provide some hint of what to look for in this city.  The story pulled me in immediately.  Very fast paced story.

The next morning, as the rain poured down, I spent a few extra hours in bed reading.  (I had to be somewhere that afternoon and night, and I still had a few more days to explore the city, so no worries, I did not spend my entire time in Prague in my hotel room reading.)

But I am so glad I had this book to read while I was in Prague, waiting out the rain. 

The story is about a group of students -  academics, experts in their field - who have been hired to put together the Lobkowicz Palace’s Museum.  The family’s belongings have recently been returned to them – following WWII and then communism.  It’s a very strange group of people – as should be expected from a group such as this.  (Two trips through grad school, I know a little bit about these academic types.) 

I especially liked the main character, Sarah.  She’s smart and knowledgeable in her field – she’s hired to catalogue Beethoven’s manuscripts – and seems to have her act together.  Nice to read about a heroine who is comfortable in her sexuality, has no real hang-ups about enjoying herself.  (Oddly enough, a lot of the negative reviews complained about the sex in this book – so I was bracing myself for something dreadful – but didn’t see anything at all wrong with it.)  Now as far as romance, I thought more could have been done in that area.  I was surprised when all of a sudden she’s claiming she’s in love with Max, because I didn’t see much leading to love, other than them having great sex.  Maybe that’s enough, I don’t know.  I felt there was more to it, I think Max had been in love with her since fourth grade, and that’s hinted at, but not elaborated, and I felt it could have been.  But that’s a minor complaint.  I liked both of these characters and feel like they have a lot of potential.

 I very much enjoyed the mystery and the action in the story.  I think reading this while I was in Prague enhanced my visit to the city and added the magic for which I had been searching.  When I was about 60% through the book, I visited Prague castle and the Lobkowicz Palace.  I thought it was so cool to walk through the museum, having read the book.  I know it was fiction, but the authors did an excellent job with their research.  As I walked through each room, I felt like I was looking at the work put together by the characters in the book because it matched the descriptions in the book so accurately. 

I liked this book a lot and was very happy to learn there’s a sequel that is going to take place in Vienna – a city I visited a few summers ago and liked very much. 

Review: Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

I loved this book.  Absolutely loved it, easily one of my favorite reads of the summer.

I'd just finished listening to Winter Sea and liked that so much that I wanted to read something by the same author.  Only after I had decided to read this did I realize it was a sequel to Winter Sea, so in my head, the two books are one big story.  One big, wonderful, interesting, mysterious and romantic story.


There was a point in the book though where I felt so sad about what was happening, I had to stop reading it for a bit. The situation Anna was in seemed so wrong and unnecessary and the result of careless men, it upset me, knowing what her mother had gone through to protect her (her mother was one of the main characters in Winter Sea) and knowing this wasn't the life her mother had wanted for her. But, of course, I went back to the book, and my love for the character of Edmund wiped out all that sadness.

There are two stories happening here, the one in present time, and the one in the past, being viewed by two people with psychic abilities. That might sound a little odd, but it isn't. I'm a big fan of pretty much anything involving paranormal or psychic powers - and I'm not a big fan of time travel, and this isn't time travel. They see into the past, but don't travel into the past.

I also really enjoy the historical elements of this book. I feel like I'm learning quite a bit, while also getting a great, entertaining story. I actually felt quite knowledgeable while visiting some historic sights in Edinburgh - largely because of what I'd learned in this book and Winter Sea.  Before I read these books, I knew nothing of the Jacobites and the struggles for the throne during that time period.  (We don't go over a lot of that - or any of that - in our history classes here in the U.S.)

And it's so romantic, like truly romantic. Like, oh my god, that's so awesome, why can't I find someone like that, romantic. There's a line near the end, something along the lines of, "I'm not good with fragile things.... but I would take care of you" and I just melted. I'm being purposely vague so as to not spoil it for potential readers. I very much recommend this book, along with Winter Sea. Very glad I read them.

Review: Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (audio)

I got a copy of this book a while back - I think maybe it was an amazon kindle daily deal, or something like that. I'm also thinking it was a "if you liked Discovery of Witches" you'll like this. Whatever the case, I got it, but then kept putting off reading it. I'm about to take a trip that includes a visit to Scotland, so I've been trying to read books set in Scotland (and the other places I'm planning to visit) to get me in the right mindset for my trip. I ended up downloading a copy of this vi...more I got a copy of this book a while back - I think maybe it was an amazon kindle daily deal, or something like that. I'm also thinking it was a "if you liked Discovery of Witches" you'll like this. Whatever the case, I got it, but then kept putting off reading it. I'm about to take a trip that includes a visit to Scotland, so I've been trying to read books set in Scotland (and the other places I'm planning to visit) to get me in the right mindset for my trip. I ended up downloading a copy of this via audible - you get a special price if you already have the kindle version - and the plan was to just listen to it while doing some last minute yard work, housecleaning, tanning and whatever. But immediately, this story drew me in, and I found that I was avoiding other things so that I would have an excuse to listen to this. I did end up getting quite a bit of yard work done, and didn't bother me nearly as much as it usually does because I my mind was so immersed in this world. And a few times, I just laid down on the couch and listened, not doing any of those productive things I'd planned to do while listening. I liked this story so much. It's so romantic, with a lush historical setting, as well as an interesting contemporary storyline. It's sort of a time travel story - but only in that the narrator can see into the past, she doesn't actually travel into the past. (I point that out because I don't usually like time travel stories.) It's also really sad, like at one point, as I was listening, I found myself sitting down in the yard, feeling overcome with sadness as what was happening to these characters. (I was working in the flower bed, it's not like I sat down in the middle of mowing the yard or something.) I'm not the type of person who is usually curious about my ancestors. But my family claims to be Scottish, and this almost made me want to learn more about my own family background - though I doubt it's anywhere near as interesting as what the character discovered in the story. Overall, this was a great book. The story reminded me a bit of Byatt's Possession. After having spent so much time listening to this book, I felt a little lost after it was over. Then I realized that Firebird is a sequel. Had no idea, but I got a copy of that book a few weeks ago, so I've started reading that now. And I should add,  because this was the audio book, the narration by Rosalyn Landor is great.  There have been a few audio books that I think I disliked because I couldn't stand the sound of the narrator's voice.  But not the case with this book.  (Turns out she's narrated a couple of audio books that I really enjoy - Never Let Me Go and Water's Lovely.)

Review: Loving a Prince Charming by Danielle Monsch

This novella (only about 90 pages) is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.  I was eager to read it because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite fairy tales - largely because I love the art in the Disney version, and that has, over the years, prompted me to seek out other versions of the fairy tale.

This is a cute, quick story about the prince, Seth, and his best friend, Kira.  They've been best friends since childhood, and as Kira gets older, her job is to act as bodyguard for the prince.  Kira is a great character.  I like that she's the protector of Prince Charming.  As you might imagine, feelings beyond friendship develop between these two as they reach adulthood.  However, the prince's father has already made arrangements for him to marry another princess - the princess who was cursed at birth.

The prince, because he's noble, accepts his fate and has every intention of honoring his obligation, despite being in love with Kira.  After meeting the princess he's to marry - also known as Sleeping Beauty --  he feels protective of her, she doesn't have much of a life, hidden away in an effort to prevent the curse from happening.  He promises to take care of her, and later feels it's his duty to marry her because he keeps his promises.

There's a journey and a few brief battle scenes and a bit of angst as Seth and Kira try to decide what to do with their feelings for each other as they also try to do what's right.  Then there are some big secrets revealed.

There's an interesting twist in the end.  I don't want to give it away.  It's a very different take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.  I respect that it was original, but didn't love it.  After I finished reading this, I probably thought about it too much and a few things didn't seem to make sense to me. 

But as long as you don't think too hard about it, it's a quick, enjoyable story. 

Also - the cover is beautiful - that's what initially drew me to the book - I love castles, as well as the color purple.

I received a review copy of this via Netgalley.