Review: Harlot by Victoria Dahl

A new book by Victoria Dahl is always cause for excitement as far as I'm concerned. This one being labeled as an erotic historical western, I was a little bit apprehensive. I do like historicals, but am not usually a fan of westerns, though I did enjoy the cowboys in her contemporary novels. And sometimes I find myself a little put off by books labeled erotica - I need a good story and some real romance in order to enjoy the steamy sex. But my worries were absolutely and completely unnecessary.

This book is so good. The story, the romance, the tough heroine who refuses to be a victim. Very good stuff.

The title and the description of the book are a little misleading. I mention this only because it almost scared me off. I was picturing some sassy, tough as nails whore, a Miss Kitty sort of character who was now an expert in all things sex-related. I'm not saying that would be a bad thing, but maybe not the type of story I would want to read.

Jessica isn't running a whore house nor is she a working whore. She had to do something in order to survive - but it isn't like she took it on as a profession. I don't think I'm giving anything away by mentioning that. While Jessica's former boyfriend thinks this is the case, it's pretty clear from the beginning that it isn't.

But nonetheless, Jessica feels guilty about what she did. She feels like nothing more than a whore. She can't show her face in town and everyone talks about her. And when Caleb, the only man she's ever loved returns, he's disgusted by the stories about her and furious that she didn't wait for him. He shows up at her home, angry with her, and in an attempt to punish her, offers her money in exchange for sex.

Because she's desperate and in need of money, and knows that she at least doesn't have to be afraid of Caleb, she takes him up on the offer. Also, there's part of her that wants to know what it would be like to be with him. She spent so much of her life imagining that someday she'd share a bed with him as his wife, but now she believes that chance is gone, so she may as well take what she can get.

What makes this story stand out as something much more than erotica, and makes it something I love, is the way Dahl handles the emotions and thoughts facing Jessica. She's conflicted because in a way she enjoys the sex she's having with Caleb, even if he did pay for it. On the other hand, she's furious with him for treating her as a whore when all she did was survive when placed in a position in which she felt she had no alternative.

Even better than the dirty/hot sex happening in this book is Jessica confronting Caleb about his opinions of her. While, sure, this is erotica and the sex is wow, for me, this is more importantly a story about a woman who is tired of people - especially people she thought she could trust - treating her like she's worthless and finally having the courage to demand that she get the respect she deserves.

Really good story. Liked it a lot. Highly recommend.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

I started reading this story when it was released in parts a while back. A serial I guess you might call it. I don't usually like things like that, but Margaret Atwood is a favorite author of mine, so I was willing do something I normally wouldn't.

But then the parts stopped and a few years later, this book came out.

I decided to read it from the beginning because it had been so long since I'd read those first few chapters. And I heard it had been re-written. Not sure if that's true, but no harm in re-reading.

I enjoyed this story. While this is a startling futuristic scenario, it isn't quite as terrifying as some of Atwood's other futuristic novels. I found Oryx and Crake so disturbing, I can't even read the other books in the series.

The world in Heart Goes Last is plenty scary, but the story told in this setting is a actually kind of humorous. Atwood seems to be having a lot of fun with this story. The characters, in their attempts to get some enjoyment out of their lives end up in some pretty bizarre situations.  It's very weird, with teddy bears and Elvis costumes and sex robots.

Interesting story. Not really earth shattering or mind blowing, but still good.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: After You by Jojo Moyes

I liked Jojo Moyes' Me Before You so much. I don't know that a book has ever made me cry quite like that one did. The emotional impact was intense. I was so excited when I found out she was writing a sequel.

I was very excited to read After You, but my expectation might have been too high.

I enjoyed that book for the most part, but the emotional intensity of Me Before You wasn't there. Lou seemed to change so much in Me Before You, becoming a stronger, more confident person. I had looked forward to seeing how she utilized that new found awareness.

But instead we learn that Lou didn't really continue on the path she'd been on. It makes sense that she's still sad, but she's struggling and in many ways still clinging to Will.

I was especially bothered by the story line involving the teenager who enters Lou's life. It seems to be another excuse for Lou to not move on and not take care of herself. She's more concerned with this teenager who really is not her responsibility at all. I work with teenagers on a daily basis and this characters behavior didn't make much sense to me at all. I disliked her so much and the whole bit about her feeling pressured to behave the way she did because of something caught on video. I'm not in any way saying bad things deserved to happen to her, but she wasn't the type who had previously cared about people's opinions and took pride in behaving badly. So why now all of sudden she felt ashamed and willing to commit criminal acts to hide what she'd done? Also, teenagers grow up in a world now where their idols are people made famous by sex tapes, most of them are not that upset by being caught performing sexual acts. That Lou was having to deal with all of this just upset me a lot.

On the plus side, this is a book written by Jojo Moyes and she writes in such a way that even if you don't like the characters or what they're doing, you still care because they feel real.

I'm glad the story was written, I'm glad to see where Lou is in her life, but I'm sad that her situation isn't a little better. In the end of the book, things are looking up for her considerably, and I'm going to choose to believe it continues it that upward direction because she's such a great character, she deserves a good life with people who love her and don't take advantage of her.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: To Kiss a Mermaid by Michele Hauf

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. This is the first mermaid book I've read, and I liked the history and mythology associated with the mermaids.

James Morgan grew up believing he was the descendant of a mermaid, and his whole life he's yearned for a mermaid to love. One day, when retrieving his fishing nets, there's a mermaid tangled in the nets and he believes that finally all he's ever wanted has become his.

James is a kind, good man, and as much as he loves the mermaid who he has named Molly, he begins to feel guilty as he sees her struggling with life on dry land.  And Molly very much loves James, she has for years as she watched him from the sea, but adapting to a life outside of the sea is more difficult than she imagined it would be.

I liked the characters quite a bit, they were people I cared about and felt emotionally invested in their lives. I also, liked the setting, a seaside Welsh village during a historical time period (1800s?).

I didn't like the way the story ended. This is a romance, so rest assured that there is a Happily Ever After, but it wasn't the one I had hoped they would get. I read this book this morning and have been thinking about the ending all day, which I figure is the sign of a well-written book. But there was something so sad about James and Molly and I'd hoped they would find the happiness they wanted. Maybe what they got instead was better, I'm sure that's what readers are supposed to assume, but it still made me sad. But probably won't have the same effect on other readers.

Overall though, this is a very good book. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in mermaid stories.

Review: Enchanted by the Wolf by Michele Hauf

I liked this book so much. I've been in something of a reading slump lately, not liking anything I've tried to read for the past couple of weeks. So I tossed aside those other books and decided to read something by an author I trust. Since the book doesn't come out until October, I'd been planning to read it sometime in September, but it was very much needed this past week. I started reading after I went to bed last night and kept reading until I finished the book, sometime around 6 a.m.

In the beginning, the story line felt very similar to Her Vampire Husband, which is not really a bad thing because that's one of my favorite books. Like Her Vampire Husband, the story begins with an arranged marriage to strengthen relations between different creatures. In this case, Kir, a werewolf has been asked by his pack leader to marry the daughter of the faery king. Their first meeting is the day of the wedding,and shortly after, they have to "bond" in front of a witness. Something of an awkward beginning to a marriage.

I loved the couple in this book. Early in the story, I didn't think I was going to like Bea. She seemed a little too spoiled and immature, while Kir is so nice. Nice in a sincere way, not a boring "nice guy" way. He's kind and honorable.  Eventually it becomes clear that Bea doesn't know how else to act. She's never known "nice" or any sort of affection. This is a brand new experience for her. She begins to appreciate this husband of hers, who would do anything to make her happy. Bea's never had anyone care about her feelings or her comfort.

Though neither of them were especially pleased with being forced into the marriage, they quickly realize it isn't such a bad arrangement. They have a lot of adjusting to do - to married life, and for Bea, living in a whole new realm. But the more time they spend together and the more they get to know each other, the more they begin to truly care about each other. Kir didn't think it possible to care so much about someone who had so recently been a complete stranger and the only feeling with which Bea is familiar is hate. Seeing how they move past this creates a very nice, very romantic and sexy love story.

While falling in love with each other happens easily enough, everything else in their world seems to be conspiring against them. There's the issue of Bea being only half faery and not knowing what her other half is, or who her mother is. Then there's Kir's mother, or as Bea calls her, the monster-in-law, and she truly is horrible. Also, Kir is struggling with his feelings regarding his relationship with his father, and uncovering some disturbing information about his own pack, causing him to question his beliefs about family.

There's so much happening in this book, once I got started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  It's a fast paced story, with a lot of action and some powerful emotion. Parts of this story broke my heart, but that made the resolution that much sweeter as the characters worked through their obstacles.

Really great book. Highly recommend for fans of paranormal romance. This has got a bit of everything: werewolves, faeries, demons, vampires and a couple of witches.

Expected publication date October 1.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Bound to the Warrior King by Maisey Yates

I wanted to read this book because I'm a big fan of Maisey Yates' Presents books and I thought the cover was gorgeous. In this case, completely safe to judge the book by its cover as the story was equally gorgeous - hmm, can you call a story gorgeous?

On a different day, in a different mood, I might have been rolling my eyes at parts of this modern day, grown-up version of Beauty and the Beast with a bit of Lion King. (I'm not going to explain it, but it will make sense if you read the book). However, today, as I spent my third consecutive day sick in bed, realizing that if I succumb to this fever, it will be at least nine days before anyone even thinks to look for my body, this story of two people who felt completely alone in the world finding each other and falling in love through a somewhat arranged marriage was a really beautiful story.  If I wasn't so dehydrated, I probably would have cried through parts of it.

There were a few parts of the story that I didn't like all that much. Parts in which the characters behavior didn't seem to fit with their previous behavior.  A few too many times they went from so wrapped up in each other to a strange, nope, don't want you. It was as if the conflict was obligatory and not natural to the story. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil the story, and it's probably not something that would bother other people that much. But anyway. All that being said, I still really liked this book. The great parts of this book totally make up for any parts I didn't like.

Two years after Olivia's husband - a king of a Scandinavian country - dies, she agrees to meet with Tarek. the new leader of an oil rich Middle Eastern country, in hopes of procuring a marriage. Her husband's brother is now king and he thinks it would be a good way to strengthen ties between the two nations, and Olivia no longer feels at home at the palace she once shared with her husband, so she's completely willing to go.

At first there seemed to be something a little pathetic about Olivia, seeking out a marriage to "find her place" as if a woman can't do that without a husband. But seeing her move beyond that kind of thinking added to my interest in this story. Olivia felt neglected as a child, and her marriage had been happy, but after her husband's death, she found herself alone again, an outsider in the palace she'd once called home. Tarek also has some issues. He's spent the last fifteen years living in the desert, acting as a warrior for his brother and their country. He knew nothing of palace life or running a country when he suddenly found himself in that position following his brother's death. He's very focused on his new job and views marriage as nothing more than a way to produce an heir. He's not very impressed with Olivia at their first meeting, but she convinces him that he needs her to help figure out all the details of running a country and living in a palace - something she knows a bit about.

I very much enjoyed reading about how these two fell for each other. As I said in the beginning, it's quite reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast (one of my favorite movies). And it's very, very romantic. I don't just mean the sex is good - it is, of course - but it's so much more than that. It's the thoughts running through their heads as they discover each other and in turn, themselves and become aware of these feelings they didn't even think were possible. This is two people who weren't at all sure about each other who gradually reach a point in which they can't bear to be away from each other. Two people who had nothing and no one who find everything in each other. I know that's what all romances are to some extent, but this is so good. Yates does a great job of showing just how alone these two people were before meeting each other.  You aren't just told they were alone, you can feel their emptiness as well as feel them finally moving away from that. As I warned in the beginning, I'm running a fever and I'm taking all kinds of cold medicine, so maybe I'm feeling a little extra sappy today, but some of these scenes rank among the best I've ever read with regard to pure, indulgent romance.  Swoon-worthy. The scene out in the desert when Tarek takes Olivia to show her the place he lived for the fifteen years he was away. Wow.

It's a quick read, perfect for a brief escape from reality. Highly recommend this book if sexy, romantic modern day fairy tales are your thing.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.
  

Review: The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle

This was a good book. It held my interest. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the story. Takes place in DC, involving a former journalist. I saw one review compare it to an episode of Scandal, which I've never seen, but have some idea as to what it is about.

In the beginning, we're told about a story Abigail wrote - the one that ended her career. After exposing someone, the person committed suicide and Abigail left journalism due to her guilt. Initially, I thought the story would be about this particular case, but it gets mentioned a little bit, and then the focus of the story is on something completely different.

I felt like maybe there were too many "ripped from the headlines" issues happening in this book. Every time something else was mentioned, I thought of an actual news story that was similar.  I think maybe this book would have worked better if there had been more focus on one particular story line.

After receiving a mysterious envelope on her doorstep, Abigail finds herself doing research again and getting involved with the Armstrong family. Gabe Armstrong lost a brother in Afghanistan and he doesn't believe the story being told by the army. Coincidentally, Abigail's dad is the general involved in what appears to be a cover-up.

I guess I expected something more sinister and dramatic. The truth was certainly intense and a pretty big surprise, but not what I thought it was going to be.

Rather than a mystery/suspense story about a journalist uncovering government scandals, which is what I assumed this book was leading up to be, it turned out to be more about families and guilt and forgiveness and most importantly, trust.  There's also a bit of a romance happening in the story, but it's not at all the main point of the story.

I think I wanted more shocking scandal, more journalist in action and less family drama. Overall, it's a good book. I didn't love it but I also didn't dislike it.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Beware of Me by Cynthia Eden

I liked this book a lot. This is the fourth book in Cynthia Eden's Dark Obsession series and it was as entertaining as the other books in the series. As expected from this series, lots of action and danger, plenty of surprise twists in the story that keep you guessing and a very steamy romance.

Ethan Barclay has had a fairly significant role in all the books in this series. He's something of a crime boss - maybe - sort of a shadowy character, involved with a lot of bad people. But there's always been something about him - in each book we got to see a little more of him, always realizing he wasn't quite as bad as he seems.

I was so glad that he got a story of his own in Beware of Me. Ethan's the first to point out that he's a bad guy. But this bad guy would do anything for the woman he loves, the woman he feels he owes his life to. Carly was just a teenager when she saved Ethan's life. Afterwards, he thought the best thing he could do for her was keep her far away from him. But in Carly's eyes, he abandoned her when she needed him the most. Now, years later, he wants back in her life and knowing what he's become, she wants nothing to do with him.

Someone is after Carly though, and it's connected to what happened in their past, and Ethan isn't going to let Carly get hurt.

I like that Eden's heroines are always tough and independent. Even when her life is in danger, Carly's determined to not depend entirely on Ethan. She's not stupid, she figures out fairly quickly that she does need his help, but that doesn't mean she's going to let him control her. No matter what, she needs to be in control of her own life. And I loved how Ethan was so careful with Carly, taking into account what she'd been through in the past and making sure she never felt threatened by him, even if it meant having to exhibit some serious willpower. That's my favorite kind of hero - the guy who has all the potential to be bad but he refuses to give into his dark tendencies because that's how much he cares about the woman he's with.  That describes a lot of the guys Eden writes about and that's why I really love reading her books.

The story is very fast paced, which I usually like because I do tend to read these while traveling and like to finish the book before the plane lands - but maybe because I read this one at home, I found myself kind of wishing there was more to the story. That's not a complaint about the story, I just really liked these characters and didn't want their story to end so quickly.

This book is considered a stand alone, but I highly recommend you read the entire series, especially for this book because the other books add so much to who Ethan is. Also the books are good and worth reading.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl

Dear friends, fellow readers, and/or anyone who thinks they may enjoy a fun, sexy, summer romance, do yourself a favor and get a copy of Victoria Dahl’s Taking the Heat. Pour yourself a drink, locate a spot by the pool – or a comfy chair in the air conditioning – whatever works, and block out a few hours for yourself and enjoy.

 

The title is appropriate because this book is so hot. So very hot. Perfect summer escape. 

This is the third book in Dahl’s Girls’ Night Out

series, but no worries if you’ve not read the others.  (Though I guarantee you’ll want to read them all after you read this, and while you’re at it, go ahead and read her first three books connected to this town of Jackson Hole.)

Veronica has returned to her hometown after having to admit to herself that New York City wasn’t working for her.  (On a side note, reading about Veronica and her decision to leave New York City is maybe the first time I felt okay with my own decision to not stick it out in New York City. That’s always been this big disappointment of mine, that I didn’t try harder when I was younger, but I read this and thought, hey, NYC isn’t for everyone and it’s okay to admit that.)  She’s also the judge’s daughter and she doesn’t have the best relationship with her dad so returning home wasn’t the easiest of decisions. But she’s doing what’s best for her. She has a job writing an advice column at the local paper, but she feels like something of a fake because truth is, she isn’t nearly as experienced as she seems to be.  She’s not the typical virgin heroine. This wasn't really intentional on her part. She was just sort of busy with life, focused on school and work, and by the time she got around to dating, well, guys get a little freaked out when they learn someone has reached adult age without well, you know.

Enter Gabe. Hot new librarian in town. Hot guy who reads. Enough said. Like sighting a unicorn. He’s kind of perfect. (Okay, not entirely perfect, he’s got his issues, as you’ll find out later, but completely manageable issues.)  He’s from New York City and he’s escaped the city to enjoy the outdoors offered by Wyoming. At first, when learning Veronica once lived in New York City, he thinks he wants to avoid her, because he had enough of New York women. But he gets over that quick enough. And when he finds out about Veronica’s little “secret” – he’s not freaked out. Not at all. 

This book is so hot. So damn hot. I don’t know how else to describe it. You’ll just have to read it for yourself to understand.

Unlike several of Dahl’s other books, this one didn’t break my heart before putting it back together, and there was no sobbing. There weren't any devastating betrayals or anything like that. This is a fun book. This was a case of even if the relationship didn’t work out, Veronica would be just fine.

Veronica isn’t simply learning about what she wants in the bedroom. We see her become more involved in her career, taking her advice column to another level as well as working on her relationship with her father.

My favorite thing about Dahl’s book are her heroines.  They’re real. They’re people to which I can relate, I understand why they do and say the things they do. They’re a little quirky, a bit nerdy, flawed and confused, and yet, they still manage to find love, as well as some sort of purpose to their life – if they don’t already have one.  I read these books and think, oh wow, people like that really can find someone who will want them. And then I remember it’s fiction, but whatever. I love these books. They make me happy. When I can’t deal with work or people or I’m overwhelmed with oh-my-god-what-am-I- going-to-do-with-the-rest-of-my-life – I escape to my room, I clear my calendar, I tell everyone I’m much too busy for ______ whatever it is I’ve been asked to do – and I dive into these books.  There is no happiness quite like knowing there’s a brand new, unread Victoria Dahl book waiting for me on my kindle.

So I repeat, do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this book.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Bad News Cowboy by Maisey Yates

This book was okay. I didn't dislike the story quite as much as I disliked the second book in the series.  But I still had issues with it.  Time to accept that cowboy stories and small town, family stories are really not my thing.  I think I'm probably a little too picky about romances, I seem to like certain ones a lot and others not much at all.  There's rarely any in-between with me. This one didn't fit into my "type."

This story is about the Garrett's little sister, Kate. She's in her early twenties and has never even been kissed.  She was raised by her brothers after her mother left and her father was too drunk to be of much help. I'm usually a fan of awkward characters, but this character wasn't a sort of awkward to which I could relate. I grew up around rodeo people, spent many weekends at rodeos.  I kept picturing some of the rodeo girls I knew and well, Yates captured the character fairly accurately. But at the same time, I never much liked those people, because of their awkwardness and weird clothes - the big hair and the starched shirts.  There's a scene in which Kate attempts to get dressed up for a date and I cringed picturing the clothes she put on.

Anyway, after a lifetime of never giving boys much thought, suddenly Kate is lusting after her brothers' friend Jack, who she has known since she was a small child.  That isn't completely strange - he was a familiar, attractive presence in her life and it isn't like she knew many other men. He seems like an obvious choice for her.

My biggest problem with the story though was Jack. Over and over again, we're told that he helped Eli and Connor Garrett raise their little sister Katie.  So he's sort of a big brother to her, in spirit if not in blood.  Again, this made me think of people I know, family friends who were like family. The idea of there being any sort of relationship really creeped me out.  He knew her as a small child and helped care for her.  Maybe if Katie had gone away to college or been out riding the rodeo circuit for a while and then returned and he realized she was all grown up, I would have be more okay with the relationship. But that isn't the case. He sees her on a regular basis, having dinner and playing poker at her brother's house, always thinking of her as a little sister. Then she makes clear she wants more and without much hesitation, he goes for it.

I didn't find their relationship very realistic or convincing. The jump from seeing her as his best friends' little sister to his lover was a bit too abrupt.  And him deciding he loved her seemed to be more a case of simply wanting something stable for once in his life and being flattered that she wanted him.

Overall, I just didn't like this book much.  Simply not my kind of story.  I need to be able to relate to the characters somehow in order to fully enjoy a book like this, and nothing these characters did made sense to me.

I did enjoy reading about the wedding of Eli and Sadie (from Part Time Cowboy, the first book in this series, which I liked quite a bit.)  Some of my favorite scenes though were not between Jack and Kate, but rather the interactions with Connor, or Jack dealing with his own family.  I continue to strongly dislike Connor's wife, Liss. She may have been even more annoying in this book.  Even though the story didn't resonate with me, the writing is still strong. And even though I wasn't convinced by the romance, the sex scenes are still pretty hot.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Last Summer on Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff

I devoted a significant portion of my day to reading this book - when I really needed to be doing other things - and in the end, I didn't even like it very much.

It did hold my attention, but the main character and her frequent running away got to be a bit much, and she sounds so meek and plain and yet these wonderful men are crazy in love with her. (To the author's credit, at one point a character does very bluntly say to her that she can't quite figure out why it is two great guys are falling all over themselves for her.)

I would have liked the book much better if it had ended before part three. I could have handled the book ending with the conclusion of part 2, it was sad, but it made sense to me and made Addie seem like a stronger character. But part 3 is what sort of ruined the rest of the story for me. It just made me angry.

What I did enjoy about this book was the London setting during WWII and the characters' involvement in the war. That's what kept me reading. The writing really brought this era to life. Overall the story is okay. Other people may not feel the same sort of disappointment I felt at the way the story ended.

**** possible spoiler ****


In the acknowledgments, the author mentions this story being somewhat influenced by Little Women and it figures because even though I love Little Women, it's one of my favorite books, I get so angry about Jo not ending up with Laurie and him marrying Amy and Jo settling for some boring old man. The romance twist in this story created very similar feelings of anger within me. I dislike the ending so much. Parts of this book were leading up to being a great love story. I would have been okay with the love story not ending well and Addie going off on her own, but instead she ends up in a relationship that to me, seemed very much like settling for damaged leftovers. It was like she'd learned nothing from all of her experiences. So disappointing.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Past Encounters by Davina Blake

I enjoyed this book. Parts of it were slow and bits of the story seemed to drag on for a little too long, but overall, it was a good book.

The backdrop for the story is the filming of the movie Brief Encounter - a really beautiful movie about a couple who meet on the train on a regular basis, gradually fall for each other, consider having an affair, but don't. If you're familiar with that story - and now that I think about it, the movie is never thoroughly explained in the book and is only mentioned by name in the beginning when one of the characters is watching it - the story of that movie sort of echoes throughout the lives of the characters.

After noticing her husband's strange behavior - this usually very calm man puts his fist through the window - Rhoda becomes suspicious and starts going through his letters.  She finds a note thanking him for flowers. Thinking her husband of almost ten years is having an affair she decides to confront the woman who sent the note.  When she does, she learns that this woman, is actually the wife of her husband's best friend, Archie, who recently died. From this man's wife Rhoda learns that Archie and her husband, Peter, were in a Prisoner of War camp together for five years.

Rhoda begins meeting with this woman in an attempt to learn more about her husband's past. She doesn't understand why he's never shared any of this information, and yet, at the same time, we learn that Rhoda has been keeping her own secrets about the years when Peter was away.

She was only 18 when she said she'd marry him, moments before he left for war.  The next time she saw him, she was 24.  Both of them suffered through life altering experiences during their time apart.

The story is told in flashbacks, revealing the details of Rhoda's life at home as she waited and Peter's life as a prisoner.  My only complaint about the story is it felt very choppy, a few moments of Peter at war, then a couple of pages about Rhoda. I wish there hadn't been so much back and forth.

I really liked Rhoda's story, though it broke my heart. (I'm not sure why I seem to be reading all these tragic love stories lately, but whatever, I do seem to be drawn to them.) And Peter's experience was harrowing. It hurt to read those parts, but I suppose that was necessary to show why Peter acted the way he did.

I liked the book, it showed the horrors of war and the lasting effects on the individuals who went through it at home and in battle.  But it was also very much about a marriage and communication and learning to accept each and understand each other and move forward when necessary.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: The River Witch by Kimberly Brock

I bought this book for my kindle a while back, but never got around to reading it. I bought it thinking it was more "witchy" than it appeared when I read the description later.

But I needed an audio book for a road trip from Dallas to Austin, and I wanted something different from what I've been reading.  And this sounded about right.  I got the audible version for only a few dollars because I already had the kindle version.

So I listened to this on the way to Austin and then while driving to and from class during my stay in Austin.

I really liked this book. It is different from what I usually listen to, it's contemporary and it's very Southern. I'm more a based in London/France, historical type of person. I really loved the character of Rosalyn. She was a successful dancer, thought she had her life together, and then it all fell apart. She got involved with a married man, got pregnant, was in a terrible car accident and while recovering from the accident at her mother's home, delivered a still born baby.  She's hit rock bottom. Her injury is too severe for her to return to dancing at her age - around 30, I believe.

She rents a place at an island, hoping to be alone for a few months to find some peace and figure out what she's going to do with the rest of her life now that all her dreams and plans have died.  The career she's worked on for most of her life is over, the child she thought she would have is gone. She's a lost soul.

But what she finds at the island is far from solitude. There's a child in search of a mother who is growing pumpkins near her house and there's the child's aunt and her strange, eccentric father. Without wanting to, Rosalyn becomes entangled in their lives. Along the way, as she's trying to help everyone around her, she begins to realize she's also saving herself.  She has to put her old life behind her because there's nothing she can do to bring it back and she has to figure out her next move in life.

She makes connections through music and dance and nature and developing an understanding of the old magic that inhabits the area.  While there wasn't quite the element of magic I'd hoped for when buying this book, it was there nonetheless.

Also because I was not reading, but rather listening while driving - and sometimes having to pay attention to the road and not the story - there were a few parts I'm not quite sure I understood, so I have every intention of going back and reading some sections.

Overall though, I liked this book. Very powerful story about learning to save yourself and forgive yourself and letting go of the expectations you have about life, and that others have about your life and doing what's right for you.

Review: Stealing Venice by Heather Redding

This is one of my new favorite books.  I loved this book. I have been talking about this book to anyone who will listen to me. It's such a good story, so interesting and complex and I want people to read it. For the past few weeks, anytime someone says, I'm looking for a book to read, I mention this one.

This book is about Venice and love and art and history and heartbreak and figuring out what you want in life and getting older and accepting what you have and what you can and can't change and it is just so very, very good.

Also, there's a bit of a Susanna Kearsley time slip happening throughout the story, so I think this book will appeal to fans of hers (and everyone I know is a fan of hers because her books are amazing.)  There are two story lines happening. In present time, Anna goes to Venice to visit her more adventurous friend.  Anna's taken the safe route, gotten a job in finance and a flat in London, remaining close to her family, while her two best friends have taken risks, one living with a boyfriend in Venice while teaching English and the other in Paris, writing crime novels.  After a series of events - a death and a breakup and the realization that her job isn't her whole life - Anna decides to take her father's advice and travel, beginning with an extended stay in Venice.

In another story line, Ginerva who lived centuries before Anna, during a time when women had much less freedom.  She's struggling to pursue her interests. Despite the many years separating their lives, we see similarities in their lives and the two are connected by a painting. The painting will play an important role in both their lives, as it ties them to their loved ones, and reflects their losses and they both try to preserve this work of art, in different ways for different reasons.

The author does a wonderful job of bringing Venice to life, both past and present.  I recently returned from a trip to Italy, which included a stop in Venice, which is why I wanted to read this book. I was happy with how vividly the city is described and it felt as if I was allowed to extend my trip beyond the three days I spent wandering around this beautiful city. I was also impressed with the depth of art history included in this book, I kept my iPad next to me, looking up paintings as I read.

Along with the history and art though are some very real, heartbreaking stories about love and friendship. These characters don't have neatly tied up happily ever afters. This book has a very harsh element of real life to it. It made me angry and sad, but then hopeful. There's something powerful about the way these characters overcome the heartaches and put their lives back together and move on.  In the end, it all returns to art, and as artist an an art teacher, I very much appreciated that.

I will admit, my one qualm about the story, I thought Anna forgave a bit too easily at one point, I didn't feel as if the extent of her forgiveness was deserved - because I'm the type who stays angry forever. But upon further reflection realized she was in a position in which she didn't have anything to lose. Even if it ended up not working out, she'd still probably be right back where she began, not any worse off than before and she'd made sure she was in a pretty good place to begin with.

I highly recommend this book. It has everything a great story needs - art, history, love and heartbreak.

And the ebook is only 99 cents on amazon at the moment. I like this book so much, I'd seriously consider buying copies for all my friends if I could be certain they'd read it.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Playing by the Greek's Rules by Sarah Morgan

I liked this book well enough. Quick, cute, nice little romance.

The main character, Lily, irritated me some. She was so very perfect. This even with the awareness that she'd had an affair with a married man - but even then, she had no idea he was married and she was so upset about what she'd done. (Obviously, that's not the romance in the story, it's something that happened right before the story begins and she's feeling so guilty about this.) We find out later that she had this horrible childhood, but she's still so very optimistic and full of sunshine. There's only so much of that I can tolerate.

She's never been one for casual relationships. She gets too involved and she falls in love and then she gets hurt. She decides she's going to stop that and have sex with someone simply for the pleasure of having sex. Rebound sex, even though this is not something she's ever done before and doesn't really know how to go about behaving this way.

She's working on a archaeological dig in Greece, but because it pays so little she has two other jobs. While doing her house cleaning job, she runs into Nik, the owner of the house, who also happens to be her boss at her office job. He ends up needing a date for the night, because he's attending some important event involving the archaeological dig and just so happens, that he needs someone who knows about Greek pottery.

This is a Harlequin Presents, so of course there are some convenient coincidences and a few absurd situations. These books are like modern day fairy tales - handsome, wealthy, successful men who didn't realize they needed love in their lives and beautiful, kind-hearted women to show them the way, and exotic settings.  Nothing wrong with that. I like these stories quite a bit. Perfect choice when you want something fun and quick and romantic, something you know will have problems solved quickly and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Lily thinks she can have a casual fling with Nik, but the more time they spend together, the more they realize they care about each other. You can guess how it ends.  I could have done without all the story about Nik's dad and his half-sister. They seemed to be added for mush factor and it irritated me. I want more sexy, less sweet.  But that's just me.

Overall though, I liked the book. Very fast paced, nice, beautiful Greek setting, allowed me to avoid the world for a while so served its purpose quite well.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Suddenly Last Summer by Sarah Morgan

I loved this romance novel. It's the first thing I read after returning home from a three and a half week trip to Europe and it was exactly what I needed. After all that traveling, I was in no shape to do much of anything except read and this was the perfect book for that.  Something very sexy and romantic, with just enough angst and conflict to keep the story interesting and emotionally satisfying.

I read the first book in this series, Sleigh Bells in the Snow, around Christmas and I absolutely loved it. As anxious as I was to keep reading about the O'Neil brothers, I decided to wait until summer for this one.  And I'm going to make myself hold off until closer to Christmas for the third one, as that's also Christmas-themed. But it will probably be the first book I read when I get started on the holiday books.

This book is about Sean, the doctor who doesn't live at his family's resort in Vermont. There's some animosity about this, their grandfather not understanding why he doesn't want to be more involved in the family business. But for Sean, this was just never the life for him. He wanted to be a doctor and he wanted to get away. However when his grandfather becomes ill and ends up in the hospital, it's the doctor in the family they want there to translate the medical speak.

A few months earlier, Sean had a one night fling with the resort's French cook, Elise. Even though they're both adults and knew exactly what they were doing, with no intention of it being more than a fun night, there's a little bit of awkwardness between them. Elise, not realizing the extent of his family issues was concerned he was avoiding the family because of her.

With Sean back home more to help his grandfather, he and Elise keep spending more time together, and the attraction that led to their one night together is still very much there.  Over time the two begin to learn more about each other, about Sean's family and Elise's reason for leaving Paris.  Gradually, their attraction becomes more than just a strong physical connection.  I really love books like this, where you see the characters begin to fall for each other and their attraction makes sense. We aren't simply told they like each other, we understand why they want to be together.

But of course, falling for each other isn't that easy, Sean's still having issues with his family, and Elise promised herself long ago that she would never fall in love because it only led to destruction.  I really loved how they resolved their issues. Very nice love story here.  

Am very much looking forward to reading the third book in this series.  The first two have been wonderful. 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Leonardo and The Last Supper by Ross King

I was talking to my tour guide in Florence about books about the city.  She mentioned Ross King's Brunelleschi's Dome, which I think I may have a copy of, but have never read, and then someone else mentioned that Ross King had also written a book called Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. That's when I remembered that I had an unread copy of Ross King's Leonardo and the Last Supper on my kindle. Well, I felt like a fool because in the weeks leading up to my trip, I was trying to find books that might enhance the trip and didn't even think of these.  And days earlier I'd visited The Last Supper in Milan. So I debated between downloading Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling and trying to hurry and read it before visiting the Sistine Chapel (Rome was the next stop after Florence) or going ahead and reading Leonardo and the Last Supper.

I went with the book on Leonardo because, well, I've developed something of a fixation on Leonardo da Vinci over the past couple of years.  The more I learn about him, the more interesting he becomes and the more I want to know.  Also, I decided to read this because I already had it. Duh. I ended up really enjoying this book.  I think part of the reason I liked it so much is because I had recently viewed The Last Supper and spent some time in Milan and Florence - both cities that feature in this story.  So I almost think I got more out of it by reading the book after viewing the work rather than before. The book reinforces the things I'd learned from my tour guides and I could more easily recreate what I'd recently seen as I was reading the book.

I'd also visited an amazing da Vinci exhibit in Milan, and during that saw a lot of the work the book mentions, especially the model and sketches for the horse sculpture Leonardo wanted so much to make. 

But at the same time, I do not by any means think you need to make a trip to Milan to view The Last Supper in order to appreciate this book.  There are quite a few photos and illustrations in the book to provide you with necessary visuals.

  

This is a great book. So much information, presented in a way that is accessible to someone, even if they don't have a strong art history background. It's nonfiction, but written in such a way that it is thoroughly entertaining and reads like a story, not a history lesson. (Not that there's anything wrong with history lessons, but you know what I mean.) King brings da Vinci to life and discusses, not only the Last Supper, but also the events in the artist's life that led him to that point, and the circumstances of the area in which he was living.  I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about da Vinci, but I learned a lot I didn't already know. Reading this also made me realize that quite a few scenes in the show da Vinci's Demons that I thought were pure fiction are actually based on facts.

I was on vacation while reading this, and supposed to be spending most of my time out sightseeing, the book was just for times when I was waiting on trains or planes or something to read before going to bed at night. But I found myself staying up later than I should, or taking longer at breakfast or lunch than necessary to get in more reading time because I didn't want to put this book down.  

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in art history or Leonardo da Vinci or Italian art and/or history.  Very enjoyable read.

I received a review copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Deal with the Devil by Cynthia Eden

Deal with the Devil is the fourth book in Cynthia Eden's Purgatory series. Purgatory is the prison where paranormals are kept. Earlier in the series the prison was infiltrated, but has since been cleaned up and Eric Pate is in charge.

All along there's been something a bit shady about Eric. Sure he's the "good" guy, but it was clear he was keeping secrets and had some ulterior motives.  His intentions were never straightforward. This is the book in which those secrets are finally revealed.

It's been a few weeks since I've read the book, so my memory is a little cloudy, but I believe the heroine of this story, Ella, was first seen and rescued in the third book, Charming the Beast. I might be wrong. I began reading this book as soon as I finished the third, as in on the same flight, and the two stories have sort of merged in my head.

Ella was being held prisoner and she wants to escape, but Eric feels as though she needs to be protected  What exactly Ella is is something of a mystery. But she feels a connection with Eric that she can't quite explain.  She thinks she has finally found someone like her, but she's in for a few surprises.

This book provided some very interesting backstory about Ella and the paranormal creatures origins.

Like all the books in this series and everything I've read by this author, the story was fast paced, action packed, full of suspense and very heavy on some steamy romance.

I liked this book a lot. Highly recommend to fans of paranormal romance.

I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Review: Charming the Beast by Cynthia Eden

I sort of feel like all of my reviews of Cynthia Eden's books sound the same. Fast paced, lots of action and danger, plenty of mystery and suspense and smoking hot sexy times.  Something like that. But if it works, stick with it. That's why I love these books.

Also, they've become my perfect travel companions. Stuck for hours in an airport, long, uncomfortable flight, boring train ride - these books provide the perfect escape. This one I read on my flight from Dallas to Milan and it worked well.  Nice to be able to open up a book and all of a sudden, you're not in some grimy airport anymore, you're running for your life, alongside some sexy as sin werewolf.

This was the third of the Purgatory books, and it's been a few months since I read the first two, but it seems like I enjoyed this one and the next book much more than the first two. Could have just been my mood or the setting in which I was in when reading them.  Not sure.  But thoroughly enjoyed this book.

In this book Connor - who was sort of a bad guy werewolf in previous books - is now having to work with the "good" guys.  He's been assigned to guard Chloe. Chloe just wants to be free, despite her attraction to Connor, she's tired of being a prisoner. But she's not safe on her own.  There are too many people after her and she doesn't know who to trust.  So they're together, reluctantly, at first. But they can't fight their attraction for each other. I think Connor is one of my favorites, something about the bad guy doing good, even though he still sees himself as a bad guy, always gets me.

This book has everything you need for a perfect escape: action and romance, with a heavy dose of paranormal. Highly recommend if that's your sort of thing.  

Review: Brokedown Cowboy by Maisey Yates

This book didn't work for me at all. I read this because I'd read the first book in the series and for the most part enjoyed it and wanted to see what happened with the rest of the family.

I'm not a big fan of friends to lovers story lines. To me, that seems like a huge betrayal of friendship. It's like someone isn't really a friend because they have an ulterior motive, and that makes me angry. Every once in a while though, I pick up a book with that story line and it is written in such a way that I'm okay with it, but this was not one of those books.  In fact, this book sort of confirmed and emphasized all the this I find wrong with "friends to lovers" story lines. I found the way friendship was abused in this story to be kind of horrifying.  Let me further explain.

Three years ago, Connor Garrett lost his wife, Jesse, in a car accident. She'd been his first and only love, the two having been together since they were in high school.  In one moment he lost his entire future and he's not sure how to move on.  Now it's him and his alcohol in a big empty house, remembering everything he ever did wrong in his marriage and all he'll never have.  He has his family and his friends to help him get through this. One of those friends is Liss.  She was friends with both he and his wife, and now has taken on the role of bringing Connor food on a regular basis, for fear that he won't remember to eat otherwise.

When Liss is thrown out of her rental house and can't find another place to stay, due to an ex ruining her credit (which kind of doesn't make sense if the town is as small as it seems, but anyway), Connor offers to let her stay with him.  This is when things get complicated because turns out, Liss has a crush on Connor.  She's had a crush on Connor since she was a teenager. And even worse, turns out that even though he was dating her friend, when that friend went away to college, Liss harbored hopes of him deciding he wanted her instead of Jesse and was devastated when he proposed to his girlfriend.  She even says she ran off during the wedding reception and cried her heart out, while wearing her bridesmaid dress because good friend that she was, she was, of course, part of the wedding party.  Sorry, that's not a friend. You don't lust after your friend's boyfriend like that. Yuck.

Connor and Jesse are married for eight years. Happily married. Oh sure, they have their issues, but nothing more than typical marriage type issues. Still, Liss is longing for Connor. Finally, Jesse dies and she has her chance. She steps in and tries to play the wife, acting like his house is her own and buying him groceries - even though Connor wants his wife, not a replacement wife. Connor thinks she's just being a friend because she was friends to both he and Jesse.

This is the point where I find this isn't even a "friends to lovers" story but more a Single White Female type story, but maybe that's just me.  Maybe I could have accepted this story if Liss had begun to develop feelings for Connor after Jesse's death. Maybe if they'd grieved together, and grown closer in their shared loss.  But to say she always wanted him? That she ached for him while he was married to her friend? She needs mental help. She should talk to Sadie, Connor's future sister-in-law who is a professional counselor.

After living in the house together for a while, things get a little awkward, Connor accidentally grabbing Liss' underwear when it's in the dryer, and then Liss walking in on him in his underwear.  This is the point where it starts to hit Connor that he's been without sex for three years and now there's a somewhat attractive woman living in his house. Pretty soon, this woman is throwing herself at him. He's a guy, so he has sex with her, but he's pretty clear about it just being sex. In fact, he tells her many times that he wants nothing more than sex, and she doesn't seem to be able to take that answer. She's literally throwing her naked self at him and continues to do so, despite him saying he doesn't love her, doesn't want to love anyone. They finally get to a point in which she says if he doesn't love her, then he'll even lose her as a friend.  She gives him an ultimatum. I guess this is where we're supposed to believe that he sees the light and realizes he does in fact love her. But to me, it read more like, may as well keep her, easier than finding someone else and he didn't want to be alone forever.

Suffice it to say, I didn't find this love story to be very convincing. I thought Liss was kind of pathetic and so very, very desperate. I did not like her at all. She waited around for her friend to die to get her hands on the man she wanted.  (Wouldn't be surprised if she had something to do with the car wreck, but that's just my twisted mind.) Then she took advantage of the fact that he was painfully lonely and sad and wallowing in his grief and hadn't had sex in years.  He settled for her because she was convenient.  He liked having sex with her and he appreciated what she did for him, but I never felt he loved her.

One other thing I didn't like about this book though, and it bothered me a lot, was the need to try to describe the dead wife as having been inadequate in bed. Is that some rule in romance books - the only great sex the characters can have is with each other?  That seemed so cruel and unnecessary. How can you say this man is so sad and grieving, and then try to say the wife he's grieving was kind of boring in bed?

What I'd really like to read would be a novella/prequel about Connor and Jesse, though I suspect that won't happen because well, they don't get a happy ever after, do they?

As much as I disapproved of the romance in this story, there must be something of quality to the storytelling for me to feel this wound up about a story. The characters are interesting, and realistic.  Obviously, I care about the characters, otherwise, I wouldn't get so angry about the things that happen to them.  This isn't by any means a bad book, I just didn't like what happened in the book. I especially liked some of the scenes between Connor and his brother, Eli, thought those scenes were more poignant than any of the scenes between Connor and Liss. I really liked Eli and Sadie from the first book, so was glad to see some of them in this book.

I received a copy via NetGalley.