Review: Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

I know I'm late to the party when it comes to the Anita Blake series. I've been rather dismissive of the whole paranormal trend in fiction and romance, but I'm beginning to think I've missed some great books. This book was really great and is very promising start to the series.

Anita Blake is an animator, meaning she brings people back from the dead, at least temporarily, in the form of a zombie. Very handy when there's a question about a will. She is also known to vampires as the Executioner because she's got a real talent for exterminating vampires. In this first story Anita is blackmailed into investigating the murders of innocent vampires. However vampires are unpredictible, especially the St. Louis master vampire Lothoas, and Anita realizes she's likely to be lunch no matter how her investigation goes.

More horror than mystery or romance (I believe a romance develops in later books), this book is violent, bloody and thrilling. Lots of action and smart-assness from Anita. I will definitely be reading more Anita Blake books.

My Grade: A-

Review: Practice Makes Perfect

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

My review, the short version: practically perfect.

Really this has to be one of the best contemporary romances I have ever read! I also read Just the Sexiest Man Alive and while reading both I kept thinking of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I don't mean to draw any similarities between the two authors as to characters or plot. Rather, as I was reading this authors books I had that same thunderstruck feeling of wow! that I used to get when I first started reading SEP's great contemporaries. I had the feeling that I just read something fresh and new.

J.D Jameson and Payton Kendal have worked at the same law firm for eight years. They've both worked very hard, they are very competitive with each other and both expect to make partner this year. Payton and J.D. don't like each other; she resents him because he comes from priviledge and he thinks she has an unfair advantage as a woman. When they are assigned to work together on a case they begin to respect each other until they learn that only one of them will make partner. Then the fun begins!

I can't say enough good things about this book. It was a joy to watch the romance unfold and these two prickly characters lower their defenses. The dialogue was witty and the characters were fabulous. It is so refreshing to find a workplace-set romance where the hero and heroine are equals, and where the heroine doesn't have to quit her job to make babies. The sex scenes were not graphic but were emotional and true. If you're looking for a fun, sweet contemporary that gets everything right, look no further.

My grade : A+

What I HAVEN'T Been Reading

I love to buy books. At the library booksale, at the used bookstore, through Amazon or (free, thank god!) through paperbackswap. Every few weeks I'll get an itch, and I can't rest until I scratch it. I'll be trolling the blogs, reading reviews, or an autobuy author will have a new release and nothing will please me but I must buy the new books. Oddly enough, however, owning the book is no guarantee to actually reading the book. In fact I will often pass up the books I own to read books from the library, pass up books I know I will love to read the books I might enjoy. Testiment to this is the list of great books, languishing on my bookshelf that I have yet to read.



Several Mary Balogh books -- some have been sitting for 10 YEARS

Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught -- again 10 YEARS

For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale

As You Dare and All Through the Night by Connie Brockway

Outsider by Penelope Williamson

Sugar Daddy and several historicals by Lisa Kleypas

My Lord and Spymaster by Johanna Bourne

Two books by LaVyrle Spencer

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie



This does not begin to cover the many many more historical romances that I've bought over the last few years and the non-romance books sitting on my shelves.



I joke that I'm saving them for the day I break my leg and I'm stuck at home with nothing to do, or the day when civilization breaks down and no new books are produced. Do I worry that I need to save the good ones for a rainy day? I can take a chance on a questionable book now, in these heady days when there are so many new books released. But really, I'm always able to find new books I want to read, so what's with the hoarding?



Just recently I pulled one of these well-aged books of the shelf, only to be sorely disappointed. I only gave Dance, by Judy Cuevas, 100 or so pages before shipping it off through paperbackswap. Oh well, I made someone else very happy.

Review: The Dangerous Duke

The Dangerous Duke by Christine Wells

This is a new author for me and I believe Christine Wells' second book. The plot is a bit confusing to explain, so I'll just sum up. An arsonist has burned the home of the new Duke of Lyle, killing his relatives. He is determined to find the arsonist and uses all his skills as an agent for the Home Office to find them. He jails the vicar, who is hiding information about the arsonists, and kidnaps the vicar's older sister, widow Kate Fairchild, to persuade the vicar to reveal the perpetrators. Of course the Duke falls for Kate.

This was a solid 'B' read. My biggest criticism of the book is the plot is too convoluted. There are many elements and none of the subplots are fully developed. Without giving too much away, there is a love triangle, of sorts, a secondary romance, betrayal, a murder attempt, and a second kidnapping. The story is just too busy and results in a lack of focus.

The books biggest strength is the characters and their relationship. The hero and heroine are very likable. Kate is a frustrated widow, who longs for love. Lyle, the new duke, realizes the good qualities in Kate and easily decides to settle down. The author very nicely handles the tension in their relationship. Lyle deceives Kate before he begins their relationship. He knows what he's done is wrong and worries about her reaction. When she finally finds out he apologizes most sincerely. She's upset but doesn't do anything stupid (like run away and put herself in danger) and then she forgives him. The author never took the easy way out but allowed the characters to act like real people.

I think this author has a lot of potential. Overall, a good read.

Grade: B

May reads

May was a pretty good month for reading, with 10 books read. I tried three new authors who I will read again. Here's the list:



1. As Luck Would Have It by Alissa Johnson

Grade B-, but shows potential

2. Kept by Jami Alden

Grade B+

3. Where Are You Know by Mary Higgins Clark

Grade C-

4. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Grade B+, YA survivalist story

5. To Tempt a Scotsman by Victoria Dahl

Grade DNF (Did Not Finish), liked her contemp, would try another historial

6. Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Grade B+, autobuy

7. Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas

Grade A,

8. Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair

Grade B, would try her again

9. Moxy Maxwell Does Not Like Stuart Little by Patricia Gifford

Grade B+, cute kids book

10. Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Grade B



June is looking good so far with four books read so far.

Review: Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie or Why I Like What I Like

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

This book has gotten a lot of hype and good reviews online, in part because the hero is so unique.

Lord Ian Mackenzie, a younger son is considered mad in 1881, London. He had been institutionalized but is now returned to his family where he helps his oldest brother, Hartland, the Duke of Kilmorgan. Ian's excellent memory and facility with numbers has increased the family fortunes and become indispensable to Hart's work in diplomacy. Ian meets a colleague's fiancee, Beth, realizes that he doesn't deserve her and talks her out of the betrothal. The book continues as Ian persues Beth amidst an investigation into two murders of which he has been accused.

Lord Ian suffers from what we today would call Asperberger's syndrome. He dislikes crowds, can focus intently on an object and will rarely look anyone in the eye. I give the author a lot of credit for writing a hero who is on the autism spectrum. I'm not very familiar with autism but Ian displays characteristics of the condition consistently throughout the book. The author doesn't pretty it up either; Ian suffers from rages and we see how that affects his family.

However, while I can appreciate that the author wrote something different from so many other historical romances, and I'm all for greater diversity in settings and characters, I didn't really enjoy the book. It comes down to this for me: I have to make an emotional connection with the characters. I have to find their situation believable, agree, or at least understand, their actions and care that they deserve their HEA. This is a completely subjective but explains why I keep reading Sabrina Jeffries. Her plots are unoriginal and her writing is not very sophisticated but she ALWAYS makes me care about her characters. Unfortunately Ian and Beth left me cold.

Grade: B (for originality)

Review: Accidental Goddess

An Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair

I picked this up because this author has gotten great reviews. I've also heard a lot of good things about her by word of mouth.

After her crystal spaceship is damaged in battle, Captain Gillaine Davre' wakes up in a Khalaran sick bay to discover that she has traveled forward in time over three hundred years. More distressing, she realizes that in the intervening years she has been designated a goddess . Gillie is not able to satisfactorily explain her presence on Cirrus One Space Station to the station commander Rynan Makarian. He questions her a few times and during those interviews an attraction develops.

Gillie is a sorceress and it is her duty to protect the Khalarans. In fact it was during a battle to repel the evil Fav'lhir, that she and her ship jumped into the future. Gillie is determined to conceal her identity as the Goddess for a few reasons, not least of which is that she fears it will kill her blossoming relationship with Admiral Makarian. When the Fav'lhir plot to take over Cirrus One, Gillie must use her powers to save the space station.

The character of Gillie is really great. She is strong and powerful, the most powerful person on the station, yet still vulnerable in her relationship with Rynan. Because she is trying to keep a low profile, she becomes a type of reluctant hero and it was enjoyable to watch her finally unleash her powers. Rynan, in turn makes a nice hero. While he is shocked and confused when he discovers Gillie's identity and feels unworthy of her love, he never rejects her. Even though the romantic relationship is important to the story, this was firmly in the science fiction genre. It was a great romance for a science fiction story but not a great romance.

My only complaints was that the plot was a bit convoluted and I didn't care for the presence of magic in this sci-fi story. Still this was a solid story with plenty of action, an interesting plot and strong characters. Very nice for something different.

My grade: B