Review: Seduce Me at Sunrise

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
(Hathaways #2)

I read this riveting story right after reading the first book in the series, Mine Till Midnight, and I'm glad I did.

First, the back story. Winnifred Hathaway has been in poor health since she suffered a bout of scarlet fever that almost killed her. She was nursed back to health by her sister Amelia and family friend Merripen. Merripen is a gypsy who was abandoned as a child and adopted by the Hathaways. He has stayed with them, watched over them, and they are now his family.

When our story opens Winnifred is returning to England after a two year absence. She had been living at a clinic in France and through the talents of Dr. Harrow has completely regained her health. Dr. Harrow has returned to London with Win to conduct business as well as to court her. Winnifred is anxious to see her family and especially Kev Merripen whom she has loved for many years. Win doesn't realize that Merripen returns her affection but, because of his gypsy blood, believes himself unworthy of her.

Kev Merripen, like all of Kleypas' heroes, is terrific. He is an intense man with strong feelings for Winnifred. In lesser hands the "I'm not worthy" plot can get old. However in Kleypas' hands, Merripen's anguish, his yearning and repressed feelings are very real. The man is tortured, loving Win but unwilling to marry her and subject her to society's prejudice.

The book was a really good romance that was made even better by the other characters. Amelia and Cam from book #1, the two other sisters and Leo Hathaway are all important to the plot of this story which raises this series to a family saga romance like Mary Balogh's Bedwyn series.

I'll have to wait until fall to read the next in the series, Tempt Me at Twilight, Poppy's story. Can't wait.

Grade: A

Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

This was a very frustrating read for me. I've seen good reviews of this book and while the premise was really interesting, the execution left a lot to be desired.

Mary lives in a community dominated by the Sisterhood, a group of women who are the religious leaders of the community, and who keep everyone safe from the Unconsecrated. The village lives in fear of the Unconsecrated, the zombies, who roam the Forest of Hands and Teeth. They hunger for living human flesh and one bite can turn anyone into the undead. Mary comes to live with the Sisterhood and begins to realize that the Sisterhood has knowledge and secrets that it will not share. When the zombies breach the fence protecting the village, Mary and a group of others must leave and hope to find other humans beyond the Forest.

This book has a winning story. The idea of an isolated village fighting against an unimaginable evil is compelling. The monsters were truly scary and I love a survival story. I became frustrated with the heroine, Mary, the narrator of the story. She comes across as selfish and immature. She is obsessed with the idea of the ocean beyond the Forest and is willing to endanger herself and others of her party to find it.

I was also frustrated by how the author wrote some parts of the story. This group of people are in a survival situation yet they don't seem to have a plan; they react rather than act. At one point they are in a safe location that will eventually be breached by the zombies, yet they don't develop an escape plan or a way to kill the zombies. There is also little dialogue, so the story is mostly told through Mary's inner thoughts and concerns.

I think that if the author had approached the book a differently this could have been fabulous.

Grade C

Review: Mine Till Midnight

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

(Hathaways Book #1)

Lisa Kleypas is a great author. I've liked almost every one of her books, and even the odd book I haven't been crazy about (I'm probably the only one who didn't love The Devil in Winter) has still been well written and well plotted. Foretunately, this is one I enjoyed.

Here's the basic set-up: The ramshackle Hathaways have recently risen in society when Leo Hathaway inherited a title and a moderate income. Leo, however is griefstricken upon the death of his fiancee and is engaging in what today we would call risky behavior. Frankly, he is trying to kill himself. Drinking too much, brawling, smoking opium. So it is left to his oldest sister Amelia to look after her three younger sisters, Winnifred, Poppy and Beatrix. She encounters half-gypsy Cam Rohan, introduced in TDIW, who agrees to help her search for her missing brother. They have a few other chance encounters and he becomes more involved in the affairs of the Hathaways.

There were just a couple of things I had to overlook to enjoy this book. I had lukewarm feelings for the heroine, Amelia who keeps refusing Cam's proposals, even though she is sleeping with him and desperately needs his support, both financial and emotional. Also I was never really convinced that Cam loves Amelia for who she is. Their romance didn't come across as 100% believable.

Those elements were minor and didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book. The plot is not at all straightforward, with a complications thrown in from a hive of bees, a fire, a former suitor and a long lost treasure.

This served as an excellent intro to the Hathaways and as a set-up for the future books in the series. Winnifred's story is next with the intriguing Merripen who is also a gypsy and family friend. I also look forward to Leo who suffers much in this book and should make a great hero.

Grade: B+

The Book Fairy

I've never seen her; I suspect she is invisible to the naked eye. She waits until no one is home to bestow her gifts. With a wave of her wand she deposits a neat little package, filled with those items most necessary to my happiness and sanity, books. Just yesterday the Fairy dropped of the following items:

1. Madness of Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
2. A Hunger Like No Other by Krelsey Cole
3. View to a Kiss by Caroline Linden
4. If You Desire by Kresley Cole
5. Passion by Lisa Valdez
6. Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan
7. At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh
8. Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye

While I am grateful for her gifts, I don't understand why she brings me more books when I ALREADY HAVE SO MANY!

What I've Been Reading

Kept by Jami Alden

(Gemini Men #2)



This was a very enjoyable romantic suspense novel. While working security at a big society shindig, Derek Taggart meets Alyssa Miles. He doesn't not recognize her as the infamous party girl whose picture frequently appears in the celebrity magazines. Alyssa is attracted to Derek right off the bat but when she realizes he doesn't know who she is, he becomes irresistible. She is tempted to do what she hasn't done in months -- throw caution to the wind and indulge in a one night stand. Three weeks later, Alyssa's world has undergone a huge change ande her uncle decides she needs a bodyguard/babysitter and who should he hire but Derek Taggart.

I have not mentioned the suspense part of this romantic suspense book, not because it is insignificant. The author does a great job of integrating the suspense into the romance. Alyssa is in danger, the danger is real and makes sense in the story and with these characters.

This was a fast read with likeable characters who truly care for each other. This is a new author for me. I will be sure to hunt down Jami Alden's backlist and look forward to her future books.

Grade: B+

New Favorite Author

If You Dare by Kresley Cole
(MacCarrick Brothers Book #1)

I've had the best book related experience there is -- I've discvoered a new author, and her name is Kresley Cole! Not a new author you say? Well, no you are correct. Ms. Cole has been publishing since 2003, according to http://www.fictiondb.com/. However she is new to me, having published during the years I was in the babycave. Ms. Cole has won this new fan on the strength of one book, If You Dare.

This historical romance has a very unusual setting -- the tiny country of Andorra in the Pyrenees in the 1850s. Courtland MacCarick has been working as a mercenary in this politically unstable country but has angered the dictator. Court escapes execution by jumping into a river, barley survives, and washes ashore to be found by the aristocratic Annalia. Against her better judgment, Annalia takes him home to heal. Meanwhile the dictataor is holding Annalia's brother prisoner in an effort to blackmail Annalia into marriage to cement his political power. After Courtland is well, Annalia attempts to hire him to rescue her brother. He puts her off at first but then ends up helping her and taking her to London.

Annalia is a great heroine, she is related to the royal family and acts the aristocrat. She does not nurse Courtland, doesn't really get to know him while he is in her home and does not trust him. Even as he is helping her she doesn't trust him or believe that he is acting in her best interests. They are strangers. I found this refreshingly realistic. In many novels the hero and heroine fall in love/lust way too quickly and easily. The best part of the story for me was gradually watching Annalia come to trust Court and Court accept his feelings for Annalia.

With action and intense emotion, the historical romance If You Dare was a great read and introduced me to a fabulous new author.

Grade: A

Reading Goals for 2009

My two reading goals for the year are:

1. Try more new authors. Over the past ten years or so I've been reading for work and haven't had as much time to read romances. I've been able to keep up with my favorite authors but I've had little time to branch out. I've had a lot of luck so far, discovering several new authors with decent backlists.

2. Read 100 books. My all time high was in 1996 (pre-kids), when I read 133 books. My all time low was 37 in 2001, with two kids in diapers. Since then my numbers have steadily increased: 90 books in 2006, 92 in 2007, 97 in 2008. So I don't think 100 is an unreasonable goal. At this date I'm up to 52 books.

Inaugural Post

Welcome to my blog!

Reading is my favorite pastime. There's nothing like a book to help me relax after work, and nothing like a romance novel to escape from kids and housework. I started reading romances as a teenager in the 1980s, and then got away from them in college when I read literature and read rarely for pleasure. I devoured romances when I picked them up again in the 1990s, discovering such great authors as Amanda Quick, Mary Balogh, Jayne Ann Krentz, Betina Krahn and Loretta Chase. I took another break when I had my babies and when I focused on reading for work. Now my kids are a bit older and I've returned to reading romances with a vengeance, discovering new authors and subgenres. I read at least one romance a week, and occasionally books from other genres. Check back here to read my thoughts and ratings on the books I'm reading.