Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson

Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: Fans of second chance romance, fans of romances with athletes as heroes & strong women

This book had me confused about how should I rate it because there were some very nice scenes, it was well written, had a nice -even if he didn't seem so at first- hero and a 5 year old that actually acted like one. In the end however, I was left with the feeling of lost potential.

Autumn and Sam met in Vegas six years ago where they spend a hot, wild weekend that ended in a hasty marriage, a pregnancy and a quick-as-lightning divorce. Now, they are the parents of Conner, a five year old boy, but though Sam has partial custody of him, they haven't seen each other for 2 years. That is until they meet in a wedding that Autumn, whose job is an events' planner, is managing and when she is faced with the problem of Conner's sick babysitter, Sam comes to the rescue and their relationship picks up again.

Though there were a few scenes where I became trully invested in the main heroes (most of them about how they met), more often than not these two acted like two-dimensional characters. We really don't get to see much about Autumn besides her organizing and cofident nature. The author says that they had fun with Sam when they met in Vegas, but doesn't ever show us that. And Autumn was so austere that I couldn't see her appreciating an easy going man like Sam.

On the same note, I was never able to understand what attracted Sam to her. What little we see of Autumn's character, doesn't make her remarkable in any aspect; not in appearence, nor in wit or humor. Although I could see Sam coming to care for the mother of his child since she was warm, loving and competent, I couldn't see him falling in love with such a stiff board. In the end, there seemed something to be missing between those two. I could see them deciding to be together for the shake of their child and because they eventually managed to get along pretty well (and they were good in bed), but I did not feel any wild passion between them, which is what I look forward when reading a romance. On top of that, the child was there in 9 out of 10 scenes these two had, acting as a buffer in their conversations and actions, never letting them act or say exactly what they felt like because Conner would hear/see/get confused.

So, the story for the most part revolved around the child and Sam's and Autumn's dynamics as his parents rather than two lovers. The author never let us -or Autumn- forget that they were parents first and foremost, and while that is commendable in real life, it is not the basis for a hot romance. Too bad, because the plot and characters had so much potential and I really enjoyed Gibson's voice. I'll be checking out more of her books in the future, but I do not consider this one of her best efforts.

Black Aoud by Montale

Well, I never thought I'd say it, but this smells like nail polish remover on me! It's not spicy, it's sharp and dry at the same time and in the end, it smells more of rose than aoud on my skin. I'll definitely pass on that one.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Family Drama
Recommended for: Adult readers who are willing to read an incest story between siblings with an open mind

First of all, this is not a young-adult book. Even the back cover of the book mentions that this is not suitable for younger readers.

Well, I'm a wreck today emotionally but also physically. Not only did I stay up until late in the night to finish it, but I couldn't stop thinking about it and going to sleep when I was done. The finale and the events driving to it, are so strong and addictive, that you can't put it down once you reach a certain point in the plot.

I honestly wasn't sure I was going to like this book. The subject after all is a taboo and I certainly have some pretty strong ideas about it. I will not go as far as to say that this book made me reconsider them; I still think incest, even consentual, is not right. But I will say that in this case I understood why those two felt and acted as they did. And what's making this story so poignant, is the feeling that had those two charismatic children grown up in a normal family, these things would not have happened.

I can't say enough things about Lochan. Lochan was a boy that was forced to become a father to his other 4 siblings at the tender age of 13, when his father left the family to the hands of their alcoholic and self-absorbed mother. On top of that, he has a phobia that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to speak with people outside his comfort zone, aka his family. He's in fact known as the 'weirdo Whitely' in school because he never speaks to anyone. Thus a brilliant (he's a straight A student), sensitive, intuitive, generous boy is forced to live isolated from literally everyone else besides his sister Maya, since a. he can't make friends because of his phobia and b. no one must ever learn what's going inside their family or the Social Services will separate them and take them to foster families. His sister Maya is his sole support through this, since the rest of their siblings are either too young or too immature to help.

Maya is mature and responsible herself. She seems to be the only one in the family who understands the sacrifices Lochan is making for the rest of them and seeks to help him emotionally and practically with the everyday chores. Her brother (did I already mention how handsome he is?) has become a hero in her eyes, that other boys in her age just can't measure up to. And it's during a date with one of those boys that she comes to realize how much more than a brother he has come to mean for her.

Maya was also the weak link in this story for me, and the reason I planned to rate it with 4 rather than 5 stars before the ending. For some reason, I could not see that Maya's love for Lochan was more than an infatuation. Although there's no disputing Lochan's love for her, there were a couple of scenes in the book that made me less than sure about the depth of hers.

In the end, the finale and the scenes that lead to it, more than made up for any reservations I had. It was fast, it was emotional, it was powerful, it was heart wrenching, as fit this dramatic story. I might have wished for things to turn out differently -not for them to end together I must say, but find happiness or contentment in some other way- but to be honest it would be out of place with the rest of the book. Because it's obvious from page 1, that this is more than a romance; it's a family drama. We see clearly all the members in this weird household with their unique problems, everyday struggles, how each of them tries to adapt and survive. And in my mind, what Lochan and Maya did was a survival mechanism, an effort to draw more strength from each other. So even if I don't condone what they did, I can understand them and that's finally what saved the book for me.

Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone

Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Historical Romance, Erotica

Recommended for: Readers looking for a beautifully written, unique and very heartwrenching story

In Addicted, we start with the hero, Lindsay, declaring his love to Anais, whom he has loved for over 10 years. She has always been his closest friend but he wants something more than that; he wants her love. Happily for him, Anais seems to share his feelings, which leads in a magical night of passion. Their happily ever after is ruined however when a fortune hunter manages to seduce the opium induced Lindsay and Anais sees them together. Despite Lindsay's efforts to make amends, Anais refuses to listen to his excuses and leaves for France. Lindsay tries to find her there. Failing to do so, he goes to Constaninople with his friend Wallingford, where he becomes an opium addict in his attempts to forget Anais.

Ten months later Lindsay comes back home to find Anais mysteriously ill and courted by his close friend Broughton, with whom she seems to be sharing a secret. Is Broughton Anais' lover? What is this secret they're hiding? What caused Anais' mysterious illness? Can Lindsay overcome his addiction for a future with Anais? But first, can she forgive him for what he did to her? Can he forgive her and Broughton? All these questions are what this book is about.

I admit at this point that I was misguided, by none other but myself. I somehow formed the idea, that this would be a book about the unconditional, palpable and extremely passionate love between Lindsay and Anais, as she helps him to fight his opium addiction. I was wrong. This book is mainly about forgiving and learning to accept the people you love with their mistakes and faults; not as you imagined them to be as they really are. I seem to be the only one here, thinking that Lindsay's opium addiction played little role in this whole drama until the last 40 pages, except to justify his initial betrayal. That was my first disappointment about this book.

Most of the story dealed with Lindsay trying to find out Anais' secret and her, trying to convince him that they have no future together, but at the same time not being able to deny their attraction and giving in to it again and again. While I never doubted Lindsay's love for Anais in the entire book, I cannot however say the same for hers. Her relationship with Broughton might have added suspense, but IMHO also made her unlikable to the reader for the most part of the book. And I can't say that Broughton seemed to act like a true friend in any case. When the author tried to redeem them, it was too late to change my mind for both of them. And the fact that Anais kept lying to Lindsay until the very end -even if it is "white lies"-, when she promised to tell all the truth to him, didn't endear her to me at all:( I had guessed Anais' secret early on and came to grips with that. Her decision though to keep that secret from Lindsay forever, is what made me dislike her. It follows I guess, that when a reader doesn't like the hero or heroine, she also can't feel the love & passion between them; that's what happened to me. I read their story with no real empathy for their troubles. I liked it, I wanted to see how they would solve their problems, but I didn't loose my sleep over them. Hence, the 3 stars.

I did like Lindsay however with his fierce love for Anais, his passion, his integrity, his honesty and his weaknesses. I also love Wallingford; the libertine, cynical but true friend who has never loved. If Featherstone writes a book about him, I'm gonna buy it asap!

Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone

Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Historical Romance, Erotic Romance
Recommended for: Readers looking for a beautiful, lyrical and sad story with lots of steamy scenes

I didn't like Featherstone's writing style; I loved it! It was emotional, melancholy, lyrical, heartwrenching and poignant. I also liked the characters in this one much better than in her first novel. However, this was in truth more like 3 stars than 4 stars for me. Why?

My bad mood during this weekend is probably reason enough for me to not appreciate this as much as it deserved (that's why I rated it with 4 rather than 3 stars which was what I felt like when I finished it). But, there was something else bothering me while reading this. It came to my mind that this book was like a beautiful sonata written with the explicit purpose of emotionally moving the audience and executed flawlessly by a talented performer; only while technically the execution was perfect, artistically there was something missing. There was just too much planning behind it, that in the end the emotion seemed forced and premeditated.

Also, IMHO, the author was so enthralled with her own writing, that she included many scenes which, while beautiful, were more or less a repetition of each other and didn't add anything to the plot. Thus the story lagged after the middle and the pace became too slow.

Did I enjoy reading it? Would I recommend it? Of course! Such good writing is not to be missed by romance fans and certainly the book is much much better than your average romance. But, again IMHO, the author needs to work a little more on her plot because sometimes it changes pace mid-stride, causing uncomfortable bumps.

PS: Depression level is high on this one. This is not a book to read when you're feeling down:)

The Taming of a Rake by Kasey Michaels

 The Taming of a Rake by Kasey Michaels

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Romance readers who like 'on the road' romances with a dry, snappy sense of humor


This one turned out to be unexpectedly sweet and tender, with a hero who's basically a good, decent man who has nothing to do with the 'Rake' on the title.

Lady Chelsea is told by her brother, the Earl of Brean, that she's to marry a man of his choosing, a conniving priest who's playing her brother for a fool ever since he (=the brother) had a close brush with death two years ago. In her despair, Chelsea escapes her brother's house and goes to his arch-enemy, Oliver Beau Blackthorn, asking him to marry her instead. This way, Beau can achieve his revenge on her brother and she will be out of her brother's and the priest's clutches. After some thinking Beau agrees to elope with her and with the help of his brother Puck, they start their long journey towards Gretna Green. However, many obstacles appear on their way and what starts as a typical journey, ends as an adventure and a journey of discovery for both of them.

Beau is essentially a good, clever and dutiful man, who unfortunately had to learn the hard way that all these traits matter less than nothing when you're born on the wrong side of the blanket. You can act as a gentleman, but will never be accepted as such by the ton. The Earl of Brean has hurt Beau deeply, but after getting to know Chelsea, he's quick to realise how different from her brother and sister she is. I liked the fact that he sees her as her own person, with a mind and will of her own and doesn't hold her family against her. Soon, he's beginning to understand that he's gaining much more than he expected out of this deal and doesn't hide it from himself or from Chelsea. He's protective and possessive of her and at the same time he doesn't try to smother her fiery spirit but rather admires her for it.

I also liked Chelsea a lot. She was witty, willful, honest and also bossy and impetuous, but she's basically well-intentioned. She soon starts to see the man Beau is behind the bastard's label, his strength, his devotion to his family, his decency and starts falling for him. Sure, she spoke sharply sometimes, but it came to me as snarky humor, rather than actual meanness on her part.

In the end, it was a nice story between two lonely people who slowly fell in love with each other. The adventures on their way added a nice touch of humor and spice in their tale and kept me delightfully entertained. The pace was ok, neither too fast nor too slow and the style sweeter than I usually like but still not sticky sweet which would have ruined it for me. I'm really looking forward to reading the other two brothers' stories, especially Jack's, the darker of the two Blackthorn brothers.

Ecstacy Unveiled (Demonica #4) by Larissa Ione

Ecstacy Unveiled (Demonica #4) by Larissa Ione

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Recommended for: Fans of BDB series, PNR fans looking for an easy and hot read

Very nice book and a great hero but the ending killed much of my enjoyment. The last 2 hours of the audiobooks are drenched in sticky sweet cliches and declarations of love and heartache, plain stupid or cheesy dialogues and tons of sex scenes. It deserved so much better:(

The more I read into the series, the more it comes closer to the BDB series in style and atmosphere, so lovers of those books should check these out. Those who can't stand BDB, probably don't stand a better chance with these here either. I find that reading them one after the other, I'm quickly getting tired of this series. It seems as if something is missing for me:(

Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden

Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Recommded for: Fans of dark romantic suspense who're not afraid of a few gritty scenes

Megan Flynn is a desperate woman. Her brother Sean, has been sentenced to death for a murder she's certain he didn't commit and his execution date is getting closer and closer. In her effort to prove his innocence, Megan asks the help of the policeman who arrested her brother in the first place, the man she thought she loved but who turned a deaf ear to her pleas for help, detective Cole Williams. Cole Williams is reluctant to reopen such a solid case as Sean Flynn's, but he has been unable to forget Megan even after so many years. But a new case somehow manages to bring them close once more and proves that the old flame is still burning high for both of them. If only they manage to survive this, there might still be a chance for those two...

Well, as far as romatic suspense goes, this was a great book. It had a chilling atmosphere that made me hold my breath more than a couple of times, a heroine with guts and a hero who may have started as cold and unfeeling but became better and better with every chapter.

Though the bad guy was obvious from early on, that didn't stop me from wincing at some of the heroes' actions and sit at the edge of my seat as I saw them trying to solve the murder case before the heroine's brother served his death penalty.

It was fast, it was engaging, it was dark and haunting and the chemistry between the heroes was HOT. If you're looking for a good romantic suspense, look no farther. urder she's certain he didn't commit and his execution date is getting closer and closer. In her effort to prove his innocence, Megan asks the help of the policeman who arrested her brother in the first place, the man she thought she loved but who turned a deaf ear to her pleas for help, detective Cole Williams. Cole Williams is reluctant to reopen such a solid case as Sean Flynn's, but he has been unable to forget Megan even after so many years. But a new case somehow manages to bring them close once more and proves that the old flame is still burning high for both of them. If only they manage to survive this, there might still be a chance for those two...

Well, as far as romatic suspense goes, this was a great book. It had a chilling atmosphere that made me hold my breath more than a couple of times, a heroine with guts and a hero who may have started as cold and unfeeling but became better and better with every chapter.

Though the bad guy was obvious from early on, that didn't stop me from wincing at some of the heroes' actions and sit at the edge of my seat as I saw them trying to solve the murder case before the heroine's brother served his death penalty.

It was fast, it was engaging, it was dark and haunting and the chemistry between the heroes was HOT. If you're looking for a good romantic suspense, look no farther.

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Rating: 4 stars
Genre:  Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: Fans of contemporary young adult with a rebel hero 

Well, this was a very fast and enjoyable read. I admit, I expected Carlos to be an even bigger jerk than he actually turned out to be based on some reviews I'd read and that was a huge relief.

However, this didn't have the intensity or the extreme chemistry between the heroes that Perfect Chemistry did. It was basically two high school kids fooling around and I couldn't take them too seriously because of this. I also disliked the fact that this book was focused on their relationship alone, unlike PC where we get to see each of the protagonists' life outside school and their daily problems/chores and thus was able to get a better picture of their character & personality. This seemed flat in comparison. Still, as I said, I had a jolly good time reading it. I want to read more by Simone Elkeles, she knows how to write:)

 Desire Unchained (Demonica #2) by Larissa Ione

Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Recommended for: Fans of PNR with lots of hot, steamy scenes, fans of V's book in BDB series

A huge let down after the first book. I can see why so many people have loved this and I understand their reasons, but it touched so many quirks of mine it couldn't end well.

Things I didn't like:

1. A heroine who physical appearence aside (she's nice, just not a stunner) is perfect: kind, thoughful, fierce, loyal, etc.
2. An author who is ashamed to put BDSM in her books just for the kicks of it, but has to justify it with some psychological mambo-jumbo. By whipping women who ask for it, Shade is able -though he hates it- to draw the darkness from them, their hidden traumas. WTF???
3. Too much sweetness in the second half, exactly what pushed me off BDB. Everybody loved everyone, even coldhearted, selfish Wraith loved his mate Kaine. Does this friendship remind anyone else of BDB?
4. So much BDB elements that honestly put me off. I'm not looking for originality out there, but really this was too much to ignore.
5. The references of the hero and heroine having sex in warg (=werewolf) form. I know it happens, but I prefer not to be reminded of it. I'm a wussy I admit it, and this kind of thing gives me the creeps.
6. The narrator's slightly nasal tone, especially when she was 'doing' Shade's parts.
7. The heroine's name. Ok, that's a silly reason I know, but everytime I heard that 'Runa' it sounded so much like Druuna, that horny cartoon heroine, that it was inevitable not to make the connection. Plus 'guruna' in greek is a female pig, also used as a curse. Not pretty at all:)

Things I liked:
1. The secondary romance between Gem and Kynan.
2. The worldbuilding once more
3. Wraith
4. The fast pace and suspense.

I hope the next one's better than this.

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1) by Amanda Stevens

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1) by Amanda Stevens 


Rating: 6 stars
Genre: Romantic Suspense, PNR

Recommended for: Fans of very dark romantic suspense, ghost stories

Well, I'm dazzled, stunned, shocked and yes haunted. This is an amazing book, the best I've read so far in 2011. I don't feel like picking another book right now, my mind's stuck there with Amelia, Devlin and their ghosts. And for a book that does not belong in the romance genre, the attraction between them was a very powerful and vivid thing.

Many people have described the plot, but I find it difficult to explain to someone who hasn't read the book. In short, there are some gruesome murders, John Devlin is the detective in the case and Amelia is the restorer of the graveyard where the bodies are turning up. It would be a typical mystery book if Amelia wasn't able to see ghosts but tried to ignore them following her father's advice, Devlin didn't have two of his own following him around and an old fraternity who likes to delve in the occult wasn't involved. As it is, this is one complicated and highly addictive mystery that I couldn't put down until the final page. The fact that it's spiced with a lot of PNR elements and some romance doesn't hurt at all!

The writing was superb. There is no other way to put it. I've never been to Charleston or anywhere near the South, but I felt I was there, smelled the jasmines, the honeysuckle, the shrimps and even the dampness in the hot air. I just loved the way Ms Stevens pulled me in her world. And I loved how she had me sitting in the edge of my seat the whole time while Amelia went looking for clues in the graveyard and met with people who I couldn't tell if they were friends or psychopaths. Finally, I loved the palpable attraction between her and Devlin, the sizzle of electricity between them and also her fear whenever he came too near; I just couldn't get enough of their scenes together. These are two lonely and haunted people that definitely belong together, if only Devlin could escape his past.

I feel like I'm rambling instead of writing a review, so I'll just wrap it up. I loved the book (obviously) and can't wait to read the next one to find out more about Amelia, her father, Tom Garrick and of course Devlin and his ghosts. Not everything is answered by the end of the book, but at least the who-dunnit is fully explained and resolved. If you like mystery & suspense stories, this is a book you absolutely must read!

Portrait of Seduction by Carrie Loftie

Portrait of Seduction by Carrie Loftie


Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of Historical Romance who like to read stories outside England and the ton

Well, this book has been a welcome surprise. Something in the cover and plot description made me think this would be a slow paced and rather tame romance with a big emphasis on the historical background, which is Napoleon's invasion to Austria. I'm glad to say that neither of these assumptions of mine came true. This was fast, sexy and while the historical events were featured in the plot, they did NOT steal the show from the romance.

Gretta is a woman of noble birth living with her uncle after the death of her parents. Her talent lies in creating forgeries of famous paintings and initially, this was not a bad thing since the families who wanted to get their wealth out of Saltzburg before the war, ordered those paintings to put them in place of the real ones they shipped away. On a night to the opera, a rebel tries to attack the duke and when he fails to do so, gets Gretta as hostage. Good thing that Oliver is there, disguised as his brother's valet to save her and thus the story begins. The attraction between those two feel is mutual, strong and seemingly undeniable. But Gretta is planning not to repeat the same mistakes her mother did that caused her untimely death and she just wants a little bit of fun before her wedding to a man of her uncle's choice. Soon though it becomes apparent that the feelings between her and Oliver are more than lust and she will have to make a choice since the time is running out.

What can I say about the chemistry between Oliver and Gretta? It was pulpable, hot and fiery. Those two were just made for each other, there was never any doubt about that. Oliver was proud, protective, calm, strong and steady; a man who was determined to make up for the mistakes he'd made in his past and getting advantage of Gretta certainly is not the way to do that. Gretta on the other hand while she was a strong and stubborn woman, she was terrified of her uncle which, with what she'd witnessed from her parents' treatment, was very logical and realistic. It was good to see her growing up and becoming her own person.

There is also the matter of Gretta's uncle selling some of her paintings as originals that puts Gretta in trouble, Oliver's mysterious friend coming alive after many years and of course Napoleon's invasion to the city, but like I said in the beginning, the focus is the romance; have no doubt about that. I loved the pace and the writting and now I'm looking forward to read Song of Seduction which some of my GR friends say is at least as good as this one.

Dark Obsession by Allison Chase

Dark Obsession by Allison Chase

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Gothic, Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of gothic romance who are not looking for something new in the genre

Well, the book was not bad. On the other hand, it was not especially good either; like the GR rating says, it was ok.

The hero and heroine are forced to marry; he needs her money, she needs respectability after a nude portait of hers is publicly unveiled in an exhibition. Soon however they discover that they're really attracted to each other. Could this marriage work after all? Perhaps, but the hero's sense of guilt over his brother's death won't let him rest until he can clear the mysteries surrounding it. Needless to say he feels inadequate for her love so he pushes her away, only to realize that he can't resist her completely and draws her in his arms and submit to his feelings for her at some othet time. The heroine isn't sure if she can trust him or not, this brooding, dark stranger she's married but whose touch she craves. Sounds cliche? You're dead on it! And so it goes on, they're attracted, they make love, the next day he won't even talk to her but later he will be kind and thoughtful and then push her again... You get the picture.

The focus on the second half of the book is mainly in the mystery anyway. The Cornwall setting, the storms, the caves in the cliffs, the hidden rooms, the mysterious housekeeper, all make it a rather gothic setting that fans of the genre will probably appreciate. To be honest, I couldn't guess the 'who-dunnit' thing and it came as a complete surprise when the mystery was finally solved. Still, the fact that it took me about a month to get this finished, speaks volumes by itself:)

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Chick-lit
Recommended for: Fans of well-written chick lit

The heroine is a girl growing up in a small Mississipi town with her abusive mother. Her mother doesn't care for her at all, she has no friends in school and everyone laughs at her because she's black as the night and ugly compared to her beautiful mother who's more or less the town whore. At some point she even stops talking and she becomes known as the town's weirdo. Her only consolation is Mollie Ringwald's movies, where the ugly duckling may suffer and get ridiculed, but in the end she always manages to land the prince.

One day a new, rich family comes to town, and one look at James Farrell has the heroine falling heads over heels for him. And if Ringwald's movies have it right, he will soon come to see her and fall in love with her right? Well, it turns out she's very wrong and after a prank James's sister pull on her, Davidia leaves town and goes to LA, where surprisingly she starts a new career as a sexy, lounge singer. But one day the past comes to haunt her again; James Farrell appears at her nightclub and seems immediately lovestruck by her new personna. Can Davidia/Davie have her Mollie Ringwald ending after all?

For one, I really, really liked this one. It was smart, it was witty, it was fan and also very emotional at some points. The heroine who's POV we listen to during the whole length of the book was great and very likable and I really hoped she'd get her Mollie Ringwald ending.

That was until some past actions of hers are revealed. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. I never saw that coming and at that point I actually hated her. I didn't believe I could ever get over that and forgive her again, yet somehow Ernessa Carter convinced me that she was not undeserving of a second chance. Still, I could never love her again the way I did before the revelations and that killed the 'keeper' status for me. All in all, a great audiobook with a wonderful narrator, which was just short of perfect.

Negligee Behavior by Shelli Stevens

Negligee Behavior by Shelli Stevens


Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: Readers looking for a hot and also sweet contemporary romance with likable heroes but little depth

This book has proven to be a great surprise. I admit that I didn't expect such a hilarious book when I picked it up, since I'm mostly drawn to more angsty and dark ones. However, despite this not being my usual cup of tea, I was thoroughly charmed by it. It was fun, it was sexy, it was sweet, it was fast-paced, it was engrossing. I just couldn't put it down once it started!

Brandy is having second thoughts about marrying her boyfriend and runs away leaving him standing at the altar. Just outside the Vegas' chapel she meets a man in a Harley and before she can think twice, she jumps on his motorcycle and away they go! Marco Vargas is the exact opposite from the plain, prim and so very proper Lingerie Heiress Brandy Summers: he's a sexy bartender with a couple of tattoos, long hair and dark olive skin that covers a body hot as hell. Soon Brandy finds herself attracted to him -and who wouldn't?- but the real surprise is that the attraction is not one sided. Marco finds himself lusting after the not exactly skinny, frizzy haired and badly dressed woman he's saved, once he discovers the sexy lingerie she hides beneath her styless clothes. And when he agrees to take her to his house for a few days until she decides what to do with her former fiance, it becomes only a matter of time when those two will have sex together.

I really, really liked this book; the first half was so hilarious I was laughing all the time while my kids stared at me confused. In the second half, the funny quotes were reduced but the chemistry between those two, had me fanning myself:) Well, Brandy and Marco make one hot couple, I'll tell you that! But they were also persons I could care for and like. Brandy starts as a shy, prim woman who's spent her entire life comparing herself to the skinny models that advertize her family's lingerie business and finds herself lacking. When it becomes obvious that such a sexy man like Marco wants her without even knowing who she is, it does wonders to her self-esteem and with a little help from a friendly barmaid, she gets a new look guaranteed to attract not only Marco but every man who happens to set eyes on her, much to Marco's dismay. Marco on the other hand, is a strong, sexy man who knows finally what he wants from life but Brandy is so clearly out of his world. Surely she won't stay with him for more than a couple of weeks, so he decides to hide his feelings for her as well as his past.

It was this fact, Marco's hiding facts that were sure to come and bite him in the ass, that had me rating this book with less than 5 stars. And let's face it, it wasn't as if he was a drug dealer! It just felt kind of weird to me that he felt so embarassed of what he once was. This of course, lead to some misunderstandings in the end, that could so easily be avoided it actually made me angry, but that was only for 10-20 pages and then Marco was such a hottie I eventually forgave him everything.

All in all, a lovely, fun, entertaining, sexy and witty contemporary romance that I highly recommend to all romance fans out there.

Tempted by Twilight (Hathaways #3) by Lisa Kleypas

Tempted by Twilight (Hathaways #3) by Lisa Kleypas 

Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of Historical Romance with a possessive, even ruthless hero who'll do anything to win his woman

Loved, loved, loved this one! What can I say? Much as I love a hero who'll fight his feelings till the very last page, I also adore those men who instantly recognize the right woman for them and do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to hold on to her.
Harry will always have a special place in my heart and I have absolutely no doubt that I'll be re-reading this one in the future.

Dare I say that I don't have much expectations for Leo's and Miss Marks' story? I'm very reluctant to pick that one, since the whole "I have secrets and won't speak of them" plot doesn't usually work for me:(

My Harry-as I'm having a major crash on both Armitage and Gandy and Armitage has already been done by l. Jayne- I'll do a Gandy tribute:
 


And since everyone has written down some quotes, I decided to add a couple that show Harry's darker side:

"Would you say that you're a good man, Harry?"
He had to think about that. "No," he finally said. "In the fairy tale you mentioned last night, I would probably be the villain. But it's possible the villain would treat you far better than the prince would have."

"Just remember that if you have any idea about requesting an annulment, I'll have you on your back and divested of your virginity before you can blink."

The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason (Regency Draculia #2)

The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason (Regency Draculia #2)

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Romance, PNR
Recommended for: Fans of sexy, steamy PNR romance set in Regency London

Dimitri or more offially the Earl of Corvindale, has been a vampire for many years. He seeks however to escape his covenant with Lucifer and go back to being a mere mortal again. To do so, he has dedicated his life to studying ancient tomes of wisdom and abstaining from drinking blood directly from people. He believes that self-denial is the only way that could set him free. Thus when Miss Maia Woodmore enters his life as his ward along with her two younger sisters, the last thing Dimitri is planning to do is give in to the inexplicable attraction he feels for her. He tries to ignore her as much as he can but Maia is too bossy, too opinionated to be ignored. She's also someone else's fiance.

I liked the book. I really did, especially the second half. I can't however help from feeling somewhat disappointed and let down since it didn't exactly come up to my expectations. Having read most people rave how this was even better than the first book (The Vampire Voss) and considering how much I loved Voss's book, you can understand how high those expectations were.

My problems have mainly to do with the fact that the first half is a repetition of the events that took place in the first book but from Dimitri's and Maia's point of view. Interesting as this was, the fact that I knew beforehand how these adventures would turn out each time cut down my excitement considerably. Besides, I didn't feel as if Gleason actually used the opportunity given here by the lack of suspense, to delve deeper into Dimitri's and Maia's characters. Dimitri was exactly the honorable, steady, strong and silent man we met in the previous book and Maia, still bossy and interfering but in a far less cold way than I'd first thought, making her more likable as a heroine.

Any question though that I had whether Dimitri and Maia were meant to be together, was answered in the second part of the book. The chemistry between them actually put the book on fire and I couldn't get enough of them. At the same time, Angelica and Voss were happily left in the background and Dimitri with Maia are left free -when not abducted- to pursue their own adventures. Any suspense that was missing during the first half was found here in abudance and more than made up for the slow beginning.

All in all a very nice book that has cemented my belief that Gleason's writing style and her dark heroes are a perfect match for my taste and has me looking forward to the next book with great excitement!

The Outlaw Bride by Kelly Boyce

The Outlaw Bride by Kelly Boyce

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Western Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of the genre

Well, this book is an example of how a talented author can take a good book and ruin it by a couple of bad plot twists and decisions. She wrote a beautiful, emotional and heartwarming story of two lonely people healing each other for the first half, and had to turn it into a wallbanger in the second part, by making the heroine take one wrong decision after the other.

Kate Slade is running away from her outlaw husband, but first she has a promise to keep to a dead man. To do so, she must go to Fatal Bluff but she has no money at all. Thus, when she's mistaken for a mail-order bride, she goes along with the ruse and ends up being the housekeeper for the town's sheriff. The sheriff, who also happens to be the brother of the man who was shot saving her life and to whom she has promised to deliver a message. And that same sheriff, who's dead set on getting revenge for his brother's death by killing her outlaw husband.

I could see why Kate kept her mouth shut from revealing the truth in the first part. She didn't really know Connor and he obviously kept his own secrets. Their day-to-day life, along with little Jenny, the dead brother's silent girl became alive with vivid descriptions of the countryside, the small town of Fatal Bluff, its memorable citizens and Connor's and Kate's very real attraction. I could see them both fighting it, each one for his own reasons, and still the flame between them burned stronger every day.

And just when the book was so good I couldn't put it down, revelations about Kate's past started springing out. It soon became obvious that she was lying to Connor and she knew he knew it. On top of that, her husband seems to be closing on her tracks. And how did Kate handle all these threats? By staying put, like an elephant trying to hide behind a bamboo tree and hoping for the best. If that's not running straight into TSTL territory, I don't know what it is. I have to say, beautiful writing or not, I just couldn't care for the book or the heroine from that point on. Not when she got dozens of opportunities to speak the truth and squandered every single one of them.

So, it's 5 for the first half and a mere 2 for the second, thus an average of 3.5 stars. It's a fast and easy to read book, that I wished had not raised my expectations so high in the first part; perhaps then, I wouldn't have felt so let down.

Never a Gentleman by Eileen Dreyer (The Drake's Rakes #2)

Never a Gentleman by Eileen Dreyer (The Drake's Rakes #2)

Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of angsty romances who are willing to accept a hero making sacrifices for his country, even if they seem immoral

Warning: This review contains spoilers!!!

I hate that GR doesn't allow for half stars. This is a 4.5 for me, not 4 nor 5 either. Still, the ending was just my cuppa, emotional, angsty, heartwrenching and I liked the heroes, especially the heroine so much I decided to round it to 5 stars.

The hero is part of an English spy group, called Drake's Rakes. After a meeting with an informant and while on his way back to London to report, he's drugged along with the heroine and put in the same bed where they're soon discovered by a dozen ton members. So, a marriage of convenience is mandatory.
The hero, Diccan, is one of the most popular men of the ton; tall, handsome, stylish, suave, he's the man everyone tries to follow. The heroine Grace on the other hand, is 6 feet tall, thin and straight as a board, with a bad leg; she's considered the most 'unfortunate' spinster in England. So, a lot of eyes are on this wedding and all of them see it as a joke. No one is expecting Diccan to stay true to his wife and soon enough, Diccan proves them right.

There are many reviews out there for this one and I believe most if not all of them address the main issue of this book, so I guess it's not a spoiler anymore. However, since some people don't want to read any hint about the book's plot, I'm using the new spoiler brackets. So, if you already know what the big fuss is you may read on, since nothing else is revealed. If not, then this is the time to leave the boat!

<SPOILER ALERT!>

 Well, here we go:
Diccan is trying to gain information about a group of traitors, The British Lions, who are threatening to overule the king, and in order to gain this information he has to sleep with his former mistress. On top of that, since he's been warned that people he cares about, like his wife, might be used by the Lions to blackmail him, he's decided to show to everyone how indifferent and cold he is towards Grace. As it's obvious from this point, his actions towards Grace at some points are so cruel and devastating that I felt like crying. At the same time though, there are times when he can't control himself and lets the respect and admiration he's starting to feel for her show... only to raise Grace's hopes again until the next blow comes.

It's clear I believe, that readers who draw the line at abusive husbands and cheating under any circumstances, are going to hate this book with a passion. Personally, I felt that his actions were justified and even necessary, so I could get over it. To the author's credit, she made me feel that Diccan hurt as much as Grace everytime he acted like this, so I could in no way hate him; I even ached for him and the marriage those two might have had. 

 <END OF SPOILER>

I read in a review, that Grace was a weak heroine; I didn't see that. On the contrary, she's one of my favorite heroines ever. She knew what she wanted, how much of what she wanted could she get and set to get it, without whinning or wallowing. She knew when to step back and listen to the voice of reason and when not to. She knew her husband enough, even after he hurt her, to not believe everything she heard about him. She got in a marriage she didn't want to and tried to make the best of it without hysterics or temper tantrums as many romance heroines are prone to do. I loved her for that.

The one thing I didn't like was a couple of stupid plot turns/scenes. There really is no other word than 'stupid' to describe them. They made no sense, didn't fit with the heroes' personalities, and only served the plot's and author's convenience. I wish the author had found another way to handle those issues. And I have to say that if Marcus Drake, as head of Drake Rake's is set up for a next book, Ms Dreyer is doing a piss poor job of setting him up; he hasn't made ONE right decision in the whole book.

In the end though, I liked the author's writing style and the heroes too much to let these 'stupid' scenes destroy my appreciation of the story. I loved it and look forward to more books my Eileen Dreyer.

Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson

Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson

Rating: 6 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of epic historical romance set in America in the early 1900s

I can't say much to do this book justice. It's incredible. It's an epic romance set in wild Montana during the era of silver mining and the main theme is the forbidden love between the heroine and her husband's brother. But to say that the book is solely focused on that would be a lie; there are also other points addressed like racism and fear of strangers, a woman's place in society, the insecurities caused by the love affair between an older, rich woman and her young, poor lover, the question whether a woman should or could have other goals in life besides being a mother, the difference of love between husband and wife and the all consuming passion Clementine feels for her brother-in-law, and so much more.

I loved it and it's going to stay in my mind for a long time. AJ and willaful, I can't thank you enough for recommending me this one!

I just have to add a couple of quotes from this book, though there were so many it's hard to choose:

'Clementine', he said, and her name came out of him broken and mangled. 'My love for you won't stop with my leaving. Come an evenin' over the years, when you step outside your door and hear the wind blowing through the cottonwoods, that'll be me, thinking of you, whispering your name, and loving you.'

He let go of her hand and pressed his fingers against her lips, stopping her words. 'It's hard, Clementine. Hard for a man to look into a woman's eyes and see love lookin' back at him. And to know that when she's lookin' at him, she's seeing not who he is, but what he ought to be.'
'You are the world to me.'
He laughed raggedly. 'And you say you're scared.'

Rafferty gripped his brother's shoulder and pushed him in the direction of his wife. She was rolling on the fresh-turned earth of <<...>>. Go on, brother, before I do, because if I do, you ain't ever gettin' her back.

A Marriage of Inconvenience by Susanna Fraser

A Marriage of Inconvenience by Susanna Fraser

Rating 3.5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of Historical Romance with little tension and two heroes who get together well from start

This is a book difficult to rate because it went from a keeper to a wall banger to an enganging read only to end as just OK.

I don't feel like saying much about the plot, since the description here in Goodreads says it all:
The heroine gets secretly engaged to her favorite cousin but then he meets the hero's sister, jilts her for the rich-chick and the hero and heroine who have been friends so far, get caught in a compromising position and forced to wed.

The first half/part of the book was perfect. The part where Lucy and James get better acquainted with each other, the friendship that slowly turns to attraction, Lucy's feelings of guilt since she's betrothed to another, James' admiration of Lucy's strength and courage, all were exquisitely done. I felt their attraction, their tenderness, their misgivings, their hesitation, their passion. And then, they were forced to marry and everything went downhill. Suddenly, Lucy transformed from a calm, steady, intelligent and self-possessed heroine to a frightened, insecure, self-questioning woman that couldn't believe she was worthy of being a viscountess. On top of that, for a woman with enough passion and sufficient lack of self-control to get caught in 'flagrante delicto', she suddenly develops so much self control that she "can't let herself go" during the physical act and have an orgasm. At that point and for the following 60 pages or so, the whole focus of the book turned to whether Lucy would have an orgasm or not. She was frustrated, her husband was frustrated and this poor reader was even more frustrated than both of them.

However, eventually Lucy did get an orgasm -hallelujah!- and the plot could move forward once more. I really liked this part of the book as well, where a big misunderstanding forces our heroes apart and threatens their newfound happiness. I found their reactions realistic, their angst heartbreaking and was looking forward to their reconciliation. And since this a romance, of course there was one. It left me however somewhat disappointed. The ending in my opinion lacked oomph, a certain passion, a feeling that those two were really indispensable to each other instead of just a good match. Though those two were well suited, I read romances for that rare smoldering heat and passion that are not easily met in real life; Not for the understanding and tenderness that's so often met in most happy marriages anyway. But that might just be me after all. I can't help but wishing that the ending was stronger though.

So, 3 stars for the second half and 5 for the first, result in a total of 4 stars. Still, I can't help but feel saddened for the feeling of lost potential in this one. I did like the author's writing style so much though, that I'll probably try more books of hers in the future.

Outside In (Insider #2) by Maria V. Snyder

Outside (Insider #2) In by Maria V. Snyder

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Recommended for: Fans of the genre looking for a strong female lead

At the end of Inside Out things seem to be working out for everyone and especially our heroine Trella. She has a boyfriend she likes, people in the Inside have found extra space where they can expand from their crowded space and the cruel Travas have lost their power. So, it is with surprise that the reader realizes at the beginning of Outside In that things are looking less than rosy for everyone after the rebellion's success. The Comittee in charge of Inside can't seem to agree on anything, scrubs refuse to work when the uppers seem to have a much easier work to do, Trella has little free time to do anything she really wants like exploring or meeting with her boyfriend, Riley, and soon it becomes obvious that the new security force -ISF- are just as hated by the citizens of Inside as the old Pop Cops and not half as productive. To make matters even worse, it soons becomes apparent that someone is trying to sabotage the new status quo and the Insiders have to deal with this new threat.

As was the case with the first book, the action and suspense start early on and never let go until the last page. This is not a book that will get you bored or that you may put aside easily when the time comes to go to sleep. The writing is excellent as usual and Snyder's descriptions made me actually see the inside of the Inside. New characters were introduced, some good and some evil, alliances are tested, dynamics change and Trella grows up at last. I must admit that I had a problem with her for the first 1/3 of the book; she was selfish, immature and irresponsible. I was very frustrated with her, even though I understood that she had a lot of things going on and she's still a teenager after all. Luckily for her and for us, through error and trial -and a good dressing down from Riley- she eventually realized her mistakes and at last she became a heroine I could cheer and care for. I still wish though that Snyder wrote stronger male heroes; Just like Valek, Riley has so much potential but he ends up like a minor moon orbiting around the heroine's bright sun. I'd like to see him more fleshed out in the next books (which I definitely plan to read).

Wyndham's Legacy (Legacy, #1) by Catherine Coulter

Wyndham's Legacy (Legacy, #1) by Catherine Coulter

Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of humorous boddice rippers

I can't be impartial about this because blandly put Coulter's humor, just like Julie Garwood's, doesn't work for me at all. Had I known this was more on the humorous rather than the angsty side, I'd never have picked it to begin with.

Impartially though, the heroine had little to recommend her in the first half of the book. For the first 100 pages she only reacts with nods and single line answers to her encounters with every person she meets, including the hero, even when she's insulted. Such a cold fish, I've rarely met before. And then to make matters worse, she proceeds to drug and force to marriage a man who has said to her face that he doesn't want her!

Disgusted as I was with her at that point, Coulter did turn the tables on me and made me more sympathetic to her in the second half, mainly by making the hero a brute. At this point, I felt those two totally deserved each other. And just when some angst was starting to come out of their struggles and making me interested, the humor crept in. Well, the book lost me at that point. I believe however, that this is where things got interesting for most readers who actually liked the book.

If you like Garwood's humor and bodice rippers, this is a good mix of both of them, along with a really good and hard to solve mystery. If you like crazy servants that intervene in their lords' lives and make you laugh out loud, again, this is the book for you. A note though, that the hero and heroine are first cousins and though that was not frowned upon at that time, some readers might still feel repulsed by this detail.
If you however don't like any of the above tropes, you may skip this with no regrets whatsoever.

Wither byLaurenDeStefano (Chemical Garden #1)

Wither byLaurenDeStefano (Chemical Garden #1)

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Recommended for: Readers looking for a darker young adult book, beautifully written

Hauntingly beautiful. Would have gotten a 5 stars rating from me, if not for two reasons:

1. Rhine talked of how important freedom was to her and that was what she had in her previous life (before the kidnap), but I don't consider being unable to feel safe in your own home or go outside the strets on your own as signs of freedom. So, life outside the mansion was not exactly as free or as filled with happy mornings of fishing in the wharfs as she preached to Gabriel.

2. (view spoiler)I can't imagine a young man who's in love with his wife, not asking her to make love with him more than once. Yes, he was shy and she refused him the one time he asked, but that was before she started showing she cared for him. The night where she said she loved him, that was the deal breaker for me. I couldn't believe any man in love would leave the woman, who less than an hour ago claimed she loved him, at the door of her bedroom and go quietly away without even asking her to let him share her bed!

Otherwise, it was a great psychological thriller, which I couldn't put down for fear of what might happen next. Fans of adventure packed YA will have to look elsewhere.

The Perfect Scandal by Delilah Marvelle

The Perfect Scandal by Delilah Marvelle

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of the genre looking for physically disabled heroines and imperfect heroes

Countess Zosia of Poland needs to marry soon. Though the King of England, who happens to be her guardian, is determined to marry her with an insignificant aristrocrat and keep her away from the political scene, she has different plans. She wants to marry someone who's active in the House of Lords, someone who is willing to fight for her cause to help Poland against the Russian oppresion.

Enter Lord Moreland, her neighboor and also a Marquis who's a tactic member in the House of Lords. Lord Moreland is respectable, intelligent and not bad to look at; Hence, the perfect candidate for Zosia's plans. When Zosia captures his attention one night, it's obvious they would fit well together. Their dialogues are witty, their scenes are funny and they seem to understand one another. But both Zosia and Tristan have skeletons in their closets. Tristan is a cutter; he actually finds relief and pleasure in cutting himself with a blade. He also has submissive tendencies in sex and is quite fond of whips. These characteristics make him feel ashamed and unworthy of a decent woman. Zosia on the other hand, a great beauty and most soughted after bride once, has lost her leg in an accident and she hardly believes any man will find her attractive as she is now.

What starts as a plan to help her country, soon becomes an affair of the heart. Though Moreland is attracted to her from the start, it's Zosia who comes to realize that Moreland could be so much more than a husband; he could be the love of her life.

What I liked:
1. The fact that Zosia never lied to Moreland about the reasons she wanted to marry him and her plans.
2. Moreland. The man was dedicated, selfless, devoted, passionate, sweet and tortured by his feelings of shame and unworthiness.
3. The angst and intensity that cracked my heart at some points, mixed well with humorous scenes like Zosia's suitors making a line in the square.
4. The writing, though it had something different from usual historical romances, had a freshness and quality I enjoyed.
5. The fact that Zosia was a practical woman and acted as such. She did not fall or pretend to fall, in love with Moreland at first sight. She became attracted to him more and more, the better she got to know him, which I find quite refreshing and realistic.

What I didn't like:
1. It took me quite a long time to get into Zosia's head and heart. Since most of the story was told from Moreland's POV, it was after 1/3 of the book that I could finally say I knew what kind of woman Zosia was.
2. Moreland's submissive tendencies and whips turning to ashes. A subject raised in the first chapters and promptly forgotten later. It's a bad attitude to raise expectations you're not intending to answer.
3. The anticlimatic ending, due to too much politics taking the front seat. I realy, really disliked that, especially after some of the most angsty and emotional scenes I've recently read. Taking the focus out of the leading couple in the final chapters, was the worst mistake of this book in my opinion.

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot and would be willing to read another by the same author, providing no politics were involved this time. Though there were parts where I grew slightly bored, the parts that were told well, were extremely good and made up for any displeasure I had in between. Had the ending been different, this could even be a 4.5 book for me.

His for the Holidays by Josh Lanyon, Z.A. Maxfield, L.B. Gregg, Harper Fox

His for the Holidays by Josh Lanyon, Z.A. Maxfield, L.B. Gregg, Harper Fox   

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Anthology, Contemporary Romance, M-M Romance
Recommended for: Fans of the genre looking for nicely written, emotional stories with a little Christmas spirit in the background


Well, this is my first m-m book and I have to say, it's so much more than I expected from the genre. I especially loved the fact that most stories seem to emphasize the emotional rather than the sexual part of the heroes' relationship.

Mistletoe at Midnight - 4.5 stars
A sweet and tender but sometimes funny story about two men who started a relationship as teens, only to meet again unexpectendly 17 years later. The whole family of one of the heroes is in attendance at this rustic lodge, trying to bring them together again and many funny scenes, especially with the hero's mother, take place that had me laughing out loud sometimes. On the other hand, there were many emotional scenes too, especially of their past and how difficult it must have been for two boys to admit they're attracted to each other while in high school. I felt connected with the heroes, their heartaches, their desires and pretty much everything. This was my second favorite of the bunch.

Nine Lights Over Edinburg - 3.5 stars
This was the darker of the four stories and too much time was spent on the suspense rather than the romance. The hero is pretty much an alcoholic cop, whose life is shattered when he first meets a Mosad agent who saves his life and shorty after that, when his daughter gets kidnapped by a trafficing crime lord. There were a few things I thought were very unrealistic, like the lengths to which Tobias would go to help a man he's barely met and who was, pretty much, an alcoholic, without any obvious redeeming qualities. On the other hand, it felt difficult to put down and I did fall for the attraction that sprung so quickly between those two. So, while it had its weaknesses, I enjoyed it as a whole.

I Heard Him Exclaim - 2 stars
What can I say? I found the whole premise of this completely unrealistic and just couldn't get into it because of that. A man who's recently became the guardian of a 5 year-old girl, is scared to death of this responsibility and refuses to let her out of his eyes, agrees to get in the car and later spend Christmas with a man he's just met. I just couldn't buy it. And then, well, it felt for me as if Steve was too much what Chandler needed at that time; someone to lean on. Would Chandler fall for him in other circumstances or was their romance fueled by Chandler's need for someone strong he can depend on? I was never fully sure of that and so I couldn't warm up to them.

Icecapade - 5 stars
Dina's review of this story is what made me try the whole book and I'm glad for it! The story was as good as she said it would be and more. Noel has been a retired thief for years when Robert, an FBI agent with whom he's shared one hot night ten years ago, catches up with him. Noel, may have been a thief, but he's the sweetest, most loving one I've read about and hadn't he been gay and a figment of Lanyon's imagination to boot, I'd love to spend some 'quality' time with him:) Robert was cooler, a silent man, but that personna fitted with the story well and though he spoke little, I did feel his attraction and deep feelings for Noel. Being a man of the law, it mustn't be easy for him to admit he trully cared for the man he was supposed to catch, even to himself. A very emotional and engaging story, that I'd love to read again in the future.

Wintergreen by Jennifer Greene

Wintergreen by Jennifer Greene

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: Readers looking for an undemanding but still emotional romance

This was a surprisingly good book for its genre. I was seriously considering rating it with 4 stars, until the very end where the heroine's panic attack came out of nowhere -for me at least- and cooled me down somewhat. But despite that, it was an emotionally engaging story and I really enjoyed reading it.

Lorna -or Misha as the hero calls her- is the mother of a gifted 9 year-old boy. Finding herself in desperate need of funds to pay the tuition for her son's special school, her only option is turning to her late husband's older brother. But ever since her husband divorced her for adultery, his family has severed every bond with her. Matthew used to be a friend as well as her brother in law, so she's counting on his being somewhat more lenient and give her the money she desperately needs. This is of course an opportunity for those two to get together again and it immediately becomes clear that there's more to their old friendship than either of them thought. Very soon though, they find themselves struggling with the past; Can they move forward if there's no trust between them?

The attraction between Matthew and Lorna becomes evident from the start, and the fact that they were supposed to be friends in the past, makes it easy to believe. Matthew is the kind of steady and strong hero, not quick with his judgements and ready to listen to what Lorna has to say. I found myself liking him very much indeed. Lorna also was a nice heroine, though as a woman(?) she's more prone to changing her mind and coming to hasty conclusions. Still, she was easy going most of the time and I didn't have a problem liking her, though Matthew was my favorite of the two.

A really nice book, all in all. I read it in almost one night sitting by the fireplace and thus enjoyed the descriptions of snow and cold Michigan winter even more:)

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason (The Regency Draculia #1)

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason (The Regency Draculia #1)

Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance
Recommended for: Fans of PNR romance set in Regency London with true rake as a hero

Well, it's obvious me and Gleason have a chemistry, because I like her writing so much, I'm willing to forgive her faults in plot or heroes that I usually wouldn't, and still enjoy her books very much (like in The Rest Falls Away). However, I'm happy to say I didn't need to forgive her anything in this book: I loved the writing (of course), the plot, the selfish, rakish hero who did not have a personality transplant and become a besotted fool the moment he met the heroine, as is often the case with rakes. I also loved the heroine who had a good mind in her head at all times and I loved the subtle -but so interesting- twists in the vampir myth she added. In short, I loved this book.

The story goes like this:
Chas Woodmore has disappeared for quite some time. Before he did, he asked his sisters to contact the Earl of Corvindale if such an event occured. Corvindale, a vampire but also Woodmore's friend, has promised to act as their guardian should the need arise. The one to inform Dimitri that Woodmore has disappeared, is none other than Voss, Viscount Dewhurst, a man who is in no way a friend of his. In fact no vampire likes Voss, because he likes to gather information about them and use it for his own advantage. And Voss does see in this occasion a fine opportunity; One of the Woodmore sisters is rumored to have the Sight. That could gain him some very valuable information and thus more power. While her brother is missing and before Dimitri assertains his authority over them, he plans to meet her and use her for his own nefarious purposes. But things seem to go awry... Angelica's scent tempts Voss the way no one else's has for over a century. He soon finds himself wanting her -and her sweet blood- more and more but wanting to protect her at the same time. But when his bloodlust hits, even Angelica is not safe...

This was a dark, intense book, where Gleason made me feel as if I was in a hidden corner actually seeing all these things come to life: the secret vampire meetings in cellars, the dark, sinister streets of London at night, the catacombs in Paris. I was magically transported in this place and era and I feel cudos are in order for managing to create such an atmospheric read.

Once more, I have to say I loved Voss. Voss was a mercenary hero and rake, who actually acted like one. He liked Angelica, but that didn't stop him from trying to use her. On the other hand, he did his best to protect her from her enemies, even from himself. I loved his internal struggles, his dilemma, his slow realization that his woman actually made him to be someone else, someone better. I could feel his hurt, his ache, his passion and the struggle he put to protect her against his own nature and I'm happy to say that Angelica was worth all of it. I also liked the fact that this is a rare case where vampires are not made to look as the best thing to walk on earth and it took Angelica a lot of time to overcome her natural and completely realistic fear of Voss.

I will say it one final time: I loved this book. This was one of these books that wouldn't let me put it down and I was two days in a row sleepy at work because the previous nights I stayed up until late, wanting to read 'one-more-page' that turned to a whole chapter or more. I'm dying to read the next of the series, The Vampire Dimitri, even though the heroine who is Angelica's older sister, is the only thing I didn't like in this book. But Dimitri seems hot enough to make up for both of them and with Gleason doing the writing, I can only hope for the best!

The Mogul's Maybe Marriage by Mindy Klasky

The Mogul's Maybe Marriage by Mindy Klasky

Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: Readers who like reading about serious real life problems in their romance

Warning! Review contains spoilers!!!

I may be unfair in my rating of this book, but honestly there's only so much depression I can handle in an harlequin. I mean, the writing was great, the characters well developed and interesting, but the problems these two faced.... man, that was some serious stuff!

I pick up harlequins for something quick and easy, not to read about life threatening issues! I do firmly believe that the issues tackled in this one were just too much for this kind of book and since I generally try to avoid books or films with depressing plots, I'd have steered away had I known beforehand just how miserable this one is.

As it is, the first half of the book was very, very good. It was emotional, it was very well written, it was touching. But when the clouds appeared in the horizon, I started wishing that I'd never picked it up. Perhaps, that's just me; I like to read mainly books that picture life with rose colored clouds and pretty rainbows. I don't want that much realism in what I consider my escapist reads. If however you appreciate realism in your romances and a good writing even if that means suffering a little heartache, I think this one does deliver. Well, the hero's love for the heroine may come out as a bit out of the blue, but it's a harlequin people! These things are meant to happen. However, things like going through a pregnancy where there's a high possibility of a baby being born with a fatal dicease AND having a puppy that's suffering from a fatal disease to boot  are not meant to happen. I'm truthfully, too shocked to see all these things happening in such a book. It'd be different if the book belonged in another genre, like general fiction so I'd have been prepares, but as a romance, and a short one at that, I find it more serious than what I enjoy.

Notorious by Nicola Cornick

Notorious by Nicola Cornick

Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: Fans of angsty romances who care more about emotions than details

Devlin is a man on the lower steps of the ton's scale, with a less than stelar reputation and in sore need of funds. His only hope to escape his debts, is a good marriage for both him and his sister. But just when it seems that they've both made it, with Devlin being betrothed to a rich earl's daughter and his sister on the verge of being proposed to by a Marquis, Susanna enters. Susanna, happens to be not only his sister's rival for the Marquis' affections, but also Devlin's ex-wife. And suddenly, it appears that the attraction that brought them together 10 years ago, is still there. But is attraction enough to make them forget their lifelong goals and duties?

Yes, I am aware of the fact that technically speaking, this book is far from perfect. I also am not oblivious to the cold-hearted heroine, or that this was mostly a tale of falling in lust than in love with each other. However, being a big fan of angsty, heartwrenching romances I can't help but be captivated with it!

Well, as I said, the most obvious problem for the story, is that throughout the whole book, Devlin pretty much hates Susanna and with good reason. What he sees, is a cold-hearted, ambitious, manipulative female, even if the reader knows otherwise. Of course, this is a romance, so at the same time, Devlin can't fight his attraction to her. It would be much easier to believe that those two finally fell in love than in lust, had Susanna revealed the truth to Devlin at some point earlier in the plot and thus become more sympathetic to him. As it is though, and with hardly an insight as to how those two met and fell in love in the first place, it is difficult to believe that Devlin not only desires her but also loves her. On top of that, the resolution given to the romance between Devlin's sister and her beloved, was hardly satisfactory at all.

On the other hand, the angst, tension and heat between those two, set the pages on fire:) I cried with them, ached with them and was really anxious about how they could escape all the obstacles that seemed to get endlessly in their way. Susanna, for the reader if not for Devlin, is a woman to be admired despite the mistakes she's done in the past. She does whatever she must to survive on her own, using her wits and beauty in the best way she can. I can understand that there are readers who will still think of her as cold-hearted, but personally, I refuse to castigate people for doing what they must, not to gain money or power, but simply to survive. As for Devlin, he might have been a rake in the past, but what the reader sees here is a man devoted to his sister, a man with purpose, patience, decency and reluctant to hurt back the person who has most injured him in the past. Much of the story is told by his point of view and I really appreciated that, especially as I could feel his ache, sorrow and internal conflict between duty and desire as if it were mine.

In the end, whatever the book's faults, the fact remains that the book managed to touch me deeply emotionally, as few books have, and that makes it a winner for me. So, it's a solid 5 stars for the emotional punch delivered and a 3 for the plot & technical execution. If you love angsty reads, you should check this out. I know I'll definitely be on the lookout for more works by this author.

August 3, 2011

August 3, 2011

Yesterday, I got up at 5.45 am today to get to work. Husband was still sleeping and I fervently wished I was to but alas, duty called!

I put on my favorite new skirt, filled with chinese prints and flowers and tried on a new perfume sample: Red Aoud by Montale. It turned out to be a surprise: too soft and warm and cosy for an aoud, but with a special spiciness. I think I may have to buy it eventually. Just not now I'm afraid; I'm trying to save money for a trip in October with hubby. Dublin! Can you imagine it? I'll get to walk the same streets MacKayla and Barrons walked (if only I manage to gather money for the tickets until then!).


On the plus side, I did get a new perfume today: my Blue Sugar by Aqualina arrived in the post today. For 14$ the 1.7 oz bottle this was a steal! I'm so happy:)

So, with my favorite skirt and lovely Red Aoud, I drove an hour to get to work, listening to the Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson. I'm so disappointed books 2 and 3 are not available as audiobooks! I wonder at who's making these stupid decisions, since 4 and 5 ARE available. It doesn't make any sense, right? Well, I finally arrived at work. The good thing is that anyone that counts is on vacation, so things are pretty cool here. I surfed in my favorite book sites, my perfume sites and then got to work. Work involves sitting in a desk for many hours a day, in an office where the air condition either freezes us to death or doesn't work at all. Thank god, yesterday was a good day: the AC didn't work, but there was a draft between our office and the one across the corridor that helped us keep cool. The one positive side of my work, is that I work in a place with tons of men. And I mean TONS. And they're uniformed to boot! Are you envying me already?

Well, you shouldn't. I discovered by first hand experience, that the myth about uniformed men is that: a myth. They have love handles, beer bellies and few hair on their head but pretty much everywhere else, just like everyone else. I would be a very disappointed young woman had I been single and in search of a man, but since I'm happily married I guess I shouldn't be bothered. A lot. But at least there is the occasional hot stud/eye candy to make my day. And one thing is for certain: they do have nice manners and know how to treat a lady:)

At 3.00 pm, it was time to go home. This time I listened to Fahreneit 451 by Ray Bradbury while driving. "It was a pleasure to burn" is a phrase I've known even before I picked this book; I guess it was high time I read the rest of it as well. 


A swim at the sea in the afternoon is a great relaxant I've discovered lately. I don't know what I'd do without them. And finally my favorite time of day: a couple of hours of reading! Of course trying to read 2 books at the same time is not as easy as I hoped. At least both books look good, though it's too soon to tell. I'm trying to juggle "The Red and the Black" by Stendhal and "The cemetery of Prague" by Umberto Eco at the same time. Surprisingly, they're of the same style, something I didn't expect when I picked them up, in that they are both written with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor; my favorite kind. I hope they don't let me up.


Lights out.

Back to Black by Kilian

Back to Black by Kilian

Well, I have long suspected that Luckyscent's samples are more diluted the more expensive the FB costs and this one's a prime example: little to medium longevity and zero sillage for this one, when most people describe it as a sillage monster:)

So, longevity and sillage aside, I'll try to focus on the fragrance itself: honey, tobacco and rasberry in the beginning, but after an hour or so, the rasberry leaves and the vanilla takes its place. It's an elegant, warm and also comforting fragrance that's almost impossible to annoy anyone since there's nothing sharp about it. I like it, it makes me feel more confident and as if I'm wearing my best dress instead of shorts and flipflops which I actually am. At the same time, I don't detect anything black or noir about it. Also got a sample of Cruel Intentions along with this one, and I find that one much more dark.

I like it very much, but I like my perfumes with a bite; this one's too smooth for me right now. CI is my favorite of the line so far.

Review: Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

Lord of the Fading Lands - C.L. Wilson

As far as romantic fantasy goes, this was an awesome book. From the moment I picked it up, it grabbed me and didn't let go until the end. It had suspense, it has twists that I didn't see coming, it had  a fast pace, a yummy, sexy alpha hero and a strong heroine to boot. One thing I really liked is that not all evil ones are revealed and some of the bad guys are not exactly evil but only self-motivated. It'll be interesting to see who could be turned around in the books to come and who'll become really evil.

At the same time, there are a couple of things that annoyed me:

First, the fact that no one seems concerned about a thousand years old Fey mating with a mortal. Since mating for Fey means that they die when their other half dies, that would mean the end of Rain and the Tairen Souls with him when Ellysetta dies. But surprisingly, they all seem very happy with his mating and no one is concerned that a time bomb has started ticking the moment he recognised her. How weird is that?

Secondly, I have a problem with 'fated to be mated' themes in general and this book is the proof why: no explanation is given on why they fall in love, they just do because it's fated. They've known each other for a week or two and they're speaking of each other as 'beloved' and 'dear one'. Add to that, the turn to sugary sweet their romance took after the first half and you have one unhappy romance reader.

Still, personal preferences aside -as to the level of sweetness in a romance- this book was great. It's a dark fairytale, an riveting story and an interesting romance all combined. Highly recommended for female readers!

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog!

This is an exciting day for me today, since I start my own blog at last. I've been an avid reader since my childhood, but for the past 10 years my interests run mainly in romance books. I'll be posting my reviews here, along with some rants so have patience(!).

I'm also a perfume-addict; I have over 40 bottles in my collection and like to constantly test new ones, so I'll be writing down my views on the perfumes I try too.

I hope you have a good time here!

Goodreads quotes

Goodreads Quotes