Entries Tagged '4.5 Stars' ↓
March 21st, 2010 — 1.5 Stars, 3 Stars, 4.5 Stars, Book Review, Business, Cooking, G-I, Gambling, Historic America, Housekeeper/Maid, Inspirational, Prostitute, Religious, United States of America, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower, Working with Land
I really wanted to like this novel. In fact, I would have if it hadn’t been for the ending. It did not give me what I wanted. The only person in the Van Buren family to grow was Rachel, the heroine, and that really irked me as it was the younger sister, Lissa, who flouted the heroine’s authority, refused to do honest work, pursued scandalous behavior, and rubbed her sister’s face in it all the time. I kept waiting for Lissa’s comeuppance and/or repentance and it never happened.
Michael, the brother, he was okay until he decided to hurt the heroine by saying her morals were nastier than their other sister’s promiscuous and lazy behavior. (As if he had a leg to stand on – being 14 and gambling behind Rachel’s back.) Yes, the heroine could have been more tolerable but she was doing the best she could with the morals instilled by their parents on what was right and wrong.
For the time the other sister’s behavior was wrong. If was me and my 15 year old (going on 16) sister was determined to ruin herself I would have wrestled her to the ground and shave her head or something so she wouldn’t be so full of herself, her own worth and beauty. I guess that means I’m not heroine material, but honestly, Rachel was too much of a doormat in regards to Lissa’s and Michael’s behavior, she just couldn’t control them.
The hero, Johnnie, was of no help. He enabled Michael and Lissa figuring it was better for them to screw up and do stupid things under his presence where he could watch over them, supposedly to see no true harm came to them. So he rented Michael a table at his hotel/saloon and watched Michael take a man’s entire living (which Johnnie had done at the start of the novel) and only begins to regret and question himself after the gambler goes outside and shoots himself in the head.
I could have closed this book deliriously happy with it because there were many things I liked, but I couldn’t get over how it all ended up. It just made me mad.
Rachel is twenty and in charge of her younger brother and sister. They are stranded in San Francisco when the crew abandons ship and rushes off to find gold. Determined to do the best she can for Michael and Lissa, Rachel takes on a mantle of parental responsibility. I can hardly imagine how their father would have handled Lissa and Michael had he survived the trip, but believe me he would have nipped their rebellious behavior in the butt or forcibly marry Lissa within a day if she didn’t straighten up.
Rachel procures living arrangements, food, pay and jobs under Johnnie Parker at his establishment City Hotel. Johnnie is an ex-missionary and determined never to marry sanctimonious sunbonnets ever again as he feels they are the worst hypocrites alive. Sanctimonious is not an adjective I’d attribute to the heroine which is why I feel so keenly on how everything was handled.
I put up with a lot, as did the heroine and in the end was left with a bitter pill to swallow. More realistic? You decide as it's still a relatively happy ending with all the prostitutes, fallen women, arrogant brats and the heroine being friends again in the last few pages.
My feelings with ending: 1.5 Stars
Overall Rating: 3 Stars
If ending was different: 4.5 Stars
Buy: The Measure of a Lady: A Novel
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March 18th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, Movie Reviews
I honestly thought I wouldn’t like this Tim Burton film. Everything looked just entirely too too much and over the top. The trailers didn’t really appeal to me. I went to the 2D version because it was cheaper, so if I didn’t like it I hadn’t shelled out a lot of dough to see it. I was surprised by how many kids were in the theater – I expected the movie to be dark and I thought it was rated higher for more mature audiences. It’s not. It’s pretty kid friendly actually. To make a long story short, loved it. Like LOVED it.
The Actors:
- Mia Wasikowska is a wonderful Alice. Perfect from the tips of her curly blond hair to the points of her little toes. She’s a treat to watch.
- In the trailers, Johnny Depp, looks and sounds so completely bonkers, I was afraid he’d overplay the part. But Johnny’s performance is surprisingly poignant and full of charm.
- Helena Bonham Carter was another who I thought would overplay, but she’s every inch the Red Queen without being too much.
- Anne Hathaway plays the flighty White Queen. I couldn’t tell if she was good or bad for half the movie (yes clearly I’ve not read the books… shh… bad reader no cookie.)
- Crispin Glover was great as the Knave of Hearts also known as Stayne.
- Voice actors Michael Sheen and Alan Rickman did wonderful in their parts.
The Costumes:
- Alice Kingsley’s multiple outfits. You’d think the magic juice and cake would make her clothing shrink and grow accordingly, but it doesn’t. It leads to a bunch of hilarity and costume changes allowing Alice to fit into this new mad world.
- I’m on the fence for Johnny Depp’s makeup as the Mad Hatter. On one hand I love it – and he can certainly wear it. The eyelashes are awesome. On the other hand I really dislike the purple on white skin palette.
- Every costume for the Red Queen was gorgeous. It’s Tudor period meets Disney.
- Did not like the White Queen’s costumes. Or more accurately put, I hated that Anne Hathaway had dark thick black eyebrows and thick black/mauve lips against all that white. Very bizarre.
- Knave of Hearts face makeup was excellently done. He really looked like he had scars on his face.
CGI:
- The scenery will blow your mind in a very good way.
- All of the creatures and inhabitants of Wonderland (Underland) are highly stylized. I loved the White Rabbit and the March Hare the best. Go Team Rabbits. Er… Team Hares?
- Absolem or the Blue Caterpillar looked like a wrinkled old man. I especially liked his forays into the real world.
Favorite Moments:
The Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
Alice Kingsley: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.
The Mad Hatter: [to Alice] You used to be much more...muchier. You've lost your muchness.
Alice Kingsley: This is impossible.
The Mad Hatter: Only if you believe it is.
If you can’t tell by my quotes you should know some of the best parts in the whole film are between Alice and Mad Hatter. They help each other, save each other, rescue each other, look out for each other… I was very disappointed when Johnny Depp didn’t appear in the real world as either himself or as someone new for Alice to meet that looked like her old friend. I thought there was romance in the air there… perhaps for a sequel?
Overall a wonderful movie and well worth the price of admission. I think I just might go see it in 3D.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Alice in Wonderland (2-Disc Special Un-Anniversary Edition)
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March 17th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Captain, Comedy of Manners, Gentry, Georgette Heyer, Great Britain, Kidnapping, Mistaken Identity, Pirate, Pirate, Sailing, Seas, Secret Agent, Spain, Travel, Tudor, Virgin Heroine
Beauvallet is one of my top favorite Georgette Heyer romances. It’s one I would recommend for a guy to read because of how daredevil the hero is and how much action and high jinks take place.
Sir Nicholas Beauvallet is a dashing pirate with a rakish charm. He’s the bane of the Spanish empire and good friends with other famous privateers such as Sir Francis Drake. He’s gallant, courageous to the point of foolhardiness, and full of confidence. His ego is adorable because it’s so over-inflated and lighthearted.
Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is a gutsy heroine. When captured she steals Beauvallet’s dagger and waves it at his nose. When forced aboard Beauvallet’s ship she snubs him, flirts outrageously with another officer, and ignores him. Obviously she’s just hiding her true feelings—the instantaneous crush, the deepening attraction, the utter fascination. The more she pushes him the more under his spell she falls.
When he promises to win her hand in marriage, she scoffs. Not likely! When he says he’ll pursue her right to her doorstep in the heart of Spain, she laughs. Impossible! When he says, “Risk not!” she begins to hope. But can it be done?
Some of the funniest scenes are Beauvallet flaunting his presence under the Spanish aristocracy and nobody being the wiser. I’m so happy that Heyer kept it in mostly Beauvallet’s point of view because we got to his side of the story and laugh at the supposedly mystical and magical escapes he managed to execute under Spanish noses.
It’s also an unusual historical I feel because of the monarchs and events happening.
Relative Time Period – Tudor:
- Spanish Inquisition – 1478 to 1834
- Henri III – 1551 to 1589
- Elizabeth I – 1533 to 1603
- Phillip II - 1527 to 1598
- Sir Francis Drake – 1577 to 1580 – around world trip
The references to the Spanish Inquisition are just cloying and realistic enough to make you shudder with all the “infinite kindness of the church” and whatnot. I’m not an expert of anything, but the way the dialogue happened almost made one think that King Phillip had no idea what truly happened during the churches inquisition sessions. Does anybody know if he did or not?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Beauvallet
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March 3rd, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, Book Review, Cinderella, Erotica, Historical Romance, J-L, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Revenge
Once upon a time, in a land far far away a beautiful girl by the name of Mariella decides to find herself a husband. Not just any husband mind you – but one that will be rich enough to provide her with a sense of freedom. She would love to wake up in the morning whenever she wanted to get up, spend the day pursuing whatever she felt like pursuing, and live a relatively carefree life that up to now she has not had. To find the husband she desires Mariella attends the balls set out for Prince Teodor’s wife hunt.
Never in all her wild imaginings did Mariella expect to find herself kissing the confused but eager Prince. She wasn’t looking to elevate herself in society to the point where wealth became an obligation – and with all the other girls vying for his attention she hadn’t expected him to gravitate toward her! What’s a girl to do when the devilishly good looking Prince proposes? By switching roles – I mean the rules – of course!
In the Glass Stiletto you will find what I think is light D/S. They play with ribbons and take turns being submissive (Teodor more so than Mariella.) Beyond that there aren’t any kinks that I think could possibly be offensive to anyone. There are a few words used in these scenes I would have switched out – surprisingly one of them is sexy; for the setting and the time period I felt seductive would have been more appropriate. Still, it’s hardly enough to nitpick.
I really, really, enjoyed listening the narration of the Glass Stiletto. It made all the difference. The acting in the bedroom was wonderful and a wicked thrill. Kenley knows how to tell a steamy tale that is for sure! If you’re listening in your car, the story may just fog your windows it’s so delightfully naughty.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy the audio here!
Originally posted 2009-04-06 05:33:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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March 3rd, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Africa, Contemporary, D-F, Executive, Headaches, Heiress, Marriage of Convenience, Medical, Memory Loss, Scarred Hero, Soldier, Travel, United States of America, Wartime
Mary Margret Daughtridge comes out with another fantastic SEAL story. It’s got everything! A smart savvy heiress heroine to a car empire in desperate need of a name-only husband and a hero with partial amnesia, headaches, scarring, charisma, good looks, and skilled in bed! Yum. Yum. Yum. See, I told you it had everything. Wow!
Davy Graziano is a Navy Seal corpsman. The quote at the beginning of the novel gives real insight to Davy as a hero. He figures he will die in service for the Teams and when he doesn’t he’s adrift. It doesn’t help that his mother passed away shortly after visiting him in the hospital. The situation makes him feel that his mother traded her life for his with God and he doesn’t know what to do with his second chance at life. He wants to continue being a Navy Seal but a head wound resulted in brain trauma. He’s forgetful of things he knows he knows and it’s frustrating to no end.
One thing he forgets is JJ Caruthers. Twice. Poor schmuck. Jane Jessup however is very relieved. The more she learns about Navy Seals and Davy in particular the more she sees them and him as the perfect solution to her husbandless problem. JJ contracts Davy into being her husband in an effort to get one over her grandfather who is trying to manipulate her to his liking. Davy won’t take her original offer and renegotiates the terms to his liking but as the marriage unfolds Davy just wants his life back! What’s JJ to do? I’ll tell you… she’s going to save her hero.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: SEALed with a Ring
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February 9th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, Book Review, Children, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Lisa Kleypas, Queen or Princess, Russia, Scarred Hero, Time Travel
This love story is one of the most endearing I have ever read. Lisa Kleypas spins a tale worthy of mystical magical world of fairy tales. Based on Russian superstition, a prince who is like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast meets the woman of his dreams and learns to love. The bedroom scenes are exciting and steamy. Prince of Dreams is a novel not to be missed.
Despite his wealth, Prince Nikolas did not lead a charmed life. Taught early on the abuses man could inflict, Nikolas is determined to avoid emotions at all costs. Tortured and exiled from Russia, Nikolas makes a new home in England where during his recovery he meets Emma Stokehurst. At the tender age of thirteen, Emma is the girl Nikolas is certain he will wed. She is his destiny.
Nikolas remains on the fringes of Emma’s life as she grows and now at the age of twenty, he is more certain than ever that she is the one for him. Emma is tall and lithe, her body he imagines will match his own to perfection. Her red hair, independence, and forthright attitude remind him of the women back in Russia. Though she has a large dowry, Emma is left alone and dismissed by the male of the species. Everything about her is unfashionable in the eyes of polite society.
When he discovers that a man is wooing her under false pretenses, Nikolas strikes swift and sure, cutting her secret beau out of her life with a single conversation. Everything is working according to his plan as Nikolas seduces and marries the bewitching Emma. Now with her by his side as his wife, he is positive that his life is going to turn for the better. He was wrong.
Emma’s gentle nature and guileless giving is more threatening than the memories of those that tortured him in Russia. She can cause more havoc with a single kiss than Nikolas is comfortable with. His life has been dedicated to suppressing his emotions and the feelings Emma brings out are threatening to destroy all that he’s worked for, so Nikolas does the most hateful thing he can think of… he sleeps with another woman.
But despite the wedge he’s driven between them, the bewildering flashes of déjà vu keep happening to him. Snippets of conversation leave him in a cold sweat and a painting once revealed causes him to faint dead away. When Nikolas awakes he is angry and confused. Destiny has taken him back in time to mother Russia, where he lives life through the eyes of his ancestor Prince Nikolai. It is here in the midst of the past, Nikolas learns to become a better man… Emelia, beautiful Emelia, who is in every way his wife Emma, teaches Nikolas how to love. Disaster tears them apart and sends Nikolas to the future.
Realizing what a mess he’s made of his own life, Nikolas is determined to set things right. But Emma won’t have him. She doesn’t trust in the changes Nikolas has under gone. She won’t love him… won’t let herself love him. This new man who is in every way the man she had hoped he would be can't last, because she knows his nature. As soon as she loved him he’d revert and mock her for her love. After all Nikolas is not a man that can change, he is a product of others hatred and fear, whose innate stubbornness rejects all kinds of affection. But he has changed and he will prove it. If it’s the last thing he does, he’ll make her believe in him; love him as she once did in the past.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Prince of Dreams
Originally posted 2008-12-07 19:34:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 8th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, 5 Stars, Book Review, Cooking, Foster/Orphan, G-I, Historic America, Inspirational, Logging Industry, Mail Order, Nurse, Religious, Seas, Travel, United States of America, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
I didn’t know I was thirsting for this type of novel until I glutted myself on it. The story itself is an inspirational set in America during the Civil War aftermath. I picked it up and read and read and read. It’s sweet and chaste, with both leads good God fearing people, which I found refreshing and charming. Deeanne Gist is a master weaver of storytelling, effortlessly combining fact and fiction into one cohesive whole.
The premise of the book truly is based on fact, which is really cool. Obviously the writer exercised creative license with her research but a good amount of that research appeared in some manifestation in the book. Clippings from newspapers, edited and/or condensed, are sprinkled throughout the novel and help set the mood. The letter to the heroine from her father was inspired by a similar missive one man sent his daughter. And so forth…
It does not talk down to you and doesn’t hold any ulterior religious agenda. Yes, both leads are Christian and quote the Bible, but neither they nor the author try to persuade the reader into Christianity or a particular sect of Christianity. There are only two churches and they’re named after the color of their paint. You shouldn’t shy from this book because of the fact it’s inspirational. I have limited experience in inspirational romance, but that will change because of this novel and Deeanne’s expert handling. I plan to get all of her published works from the library and glom on them.
When you open the book you are transported to 1860s Seattle (part of the Washington Territory at that time). Joseph Denton is a lumberjack whose land claim is in jeopardy because his wife died and never showed up in the Territory. It wouldn’t be an issue, except he’s being sued by a man he fired.
The judge through marriage is related to this man and while having a bias is pretty fair-minded toward Joe. He gives Joe a year to get a new wife or hand over his wife’s death certificate. Against his better judgment, Joe takes part of Asa Shinn Mercer’s bride importation project for the Territory. He would go East to get war widows and orphans and bring them back to the Pacific Northwest.
Anna Ivey, one of Mercer’s Girls, desires to be a cook and not a bride. When Mercer gives her a certificate for passage it’s with the understanding that her future employer would settle the debt and she would work it off. Needless to say Joe is not happy, but then it’s not Anna’s problem. Her paperwork from Mercer is different from Joe’s.
The judge is not happy but he gives Joe an extension. Joe is fortunate enough to have another choice, but the woman is old enough to be his grandmother and she hasn’t any teeth and refuses to wed until she gets them!
So Joe brings Anna back where she starts to cook for him and his men. Not even a week passes before news comes that his elderly betrothed’s husband is not dead, but very much alive and coming to claim his wife. That leaves Anna and Joe is more than happy to pursue her… but she can’t find out his intentions or about the returned husband until her answer to his proposal is yes.
Rating: 4.5-5 Stars
Buy: A Bride in the Bargain
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January 27th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, ARC, Contemporary, Dukes and Earls, Entrepreneur, Ghost, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Memory Loss, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Scarred Hero, Survival, Teacher, Time Travel
WWJAD is quick fun read. The story is flirty and cute just like the hero, Lord James Shermont. Read it in the bathtub, on the beach, while waiting in line at the post office, wherever, it’s sure to make you smile and leave you eager to turn the page.
Eleanor Pottinger (yes it is unfortunate that is her real last name) is a fan of Jane Austen. We meet her trying to get a room at a Jane Austen convention only to be told the room she booked has been given to somebody else. Luckily there was a newly renovated suite that was available…if she didn’t mind ghosts!
Of course Eleanor changes her mind about ghosts the minute they materialize. Sisters Deidre and Mina from the time of Jane Austen need Eleanor’s help. They are stuck as ghosts and can’t move on without her help. Eleanor jokingly offers to help if they can guarantee she can meet Jane Austen. They agree and before Eleanor can cry “Just Kidding!” Deidre and Mina have transported Eleanor back into the past.
When Eleanor wakes up she is stuck in the Regency era and is believed to be the girls’ widowed cousin Ellen who was arriving from America. Eleanor plays along and gets away with it because they haven’t seen the real Ellen since childhood. The ghosts tell Eleanor her tasks are to keep them out of the clutches of Lord Shermont, a rakehell of the worst sort, and to make sure their brother, Teddy, doesn’t enter into a duel with Shermont over their reputations.
Eleanor was once foolish enough to try and make a Mr. Darcy out of a Wickham, is she smart enough not to do the opposite? What would Jane Austen do?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: What Would Jane Austen Do?
Originally posted 2009-04-28 05:47:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 26th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Contemporary, Detective, Guest Reviews, Paranormal, Police, S-U, Science, Survival, Suspense/Thriller, United States of America, Werewolf
by Susan S., guest reviewer
Spear’s latest novel is bursting with romance, suspense, and heart-pounding excitement!
Legend of the White Wolf is the fourth book in Terry Spear’s werewolf series.
Does it stand alone? Yes.
Recommendations: This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy both paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.
The heroine (Faith O’Malley) is a forensic scientist working with the police dept. in Portland, Oregon. She’s also a woman on a mission. Faith is traveling from Oregon to Maine, in search of her soon-to-be, ex-boyfriend Hilson. Apparently, he just stole her father’s research.
Meet Cameron MacPherson, a sandy haired, blue-eyed gorgeous hero. He’s a physically fit private investigator, and former police officer. Cameron has a mission of his own, to find his missing partners, Owen and David.
But, when Faith and Cameron stumble onto a murder scene, their plans are not only sidetracked, but they are now persons of interest in a murder-mystery.
Will they find the person(s) responsible, or will they become the next targets?
More importantly, can two jilted people learn to love and trust their hearts again? Read Legend of the White Wolf to find out.
Here are some things I enjoyed: There’s a scene, where Cameron runs a towel over Faith’s wet hair. I thought it was both simple and utterly romantic. The author’s description of an Aurora Borealis was also beautifully written.
What will you enjoy? Hunky- wolfish men shedding their clothes, wolf bites, hotel clerk’s key mix-ups, and the reference to the Sleeping Beauty trio.
Legend of the White Wolf will leave you howling for more! Don’t worry, Terry Spear promises to feed our wolf addiction with books five and six, set to release by fall of 2010. Both novels will be published by Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca-titled Seduced by the Wolf and Wolf Fever.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Legend of the White Wolf
Paranormal Romance, ARC, Series, Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca, February 2010, Mass Market Paperback, Print Pages, 367. ISBN-13# 978-1-4022-1905-4.
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January 15th, 2010 — 4 Stars, 4.5 Stars, Book Review, Dukes and Earls, Friends, Georgian, Great Britain, Heiress, J-L, Politician, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Widow or Widower, Writer
How I felt about Scandal by Carolyn Jewel in 140 characters:
@cjewel I just finished Scandal & it was completely wonderful. Thx for the past hours spent happily reading. Luv the "I hate you" love scene
I finished the book just before midnight with a happy glow. My favorite scene was in fact the scene after they got married. She was telling him how much she hated him, despised him, and deplored him with every breath as he brought her to orgasm. What makes it so hot is that we know as the reader the heroine really does love the hero, even if she’s unwilling to face it just yet. It’s toe-curling yumminess.
When it came to Scandal, I savored it. At first because it took me a bit to get into the story, which is entirely my fault and not the fault of Jewel’s writing. I’ve been a bit scatterbrained and have read several books all in a short period of time. It was good to slow down, read slower, linger longer on passages.
The way Jewel weaves the story is different than most historicals in that fact that it feels truer to life in several aspects with its depictions of personal tragedies and interwoven story of two people engaged elsewhere slowly coming together. The story takes place in the present and in the past, where the characters are now and where they were. I was expecting this divergence in the timeline and still it tripped me up once or twice. If I’m correct in my calculations Sophie is about twenty-five and Banallt is thirty-four or thirty-five in the present timeline. Or perhaps that was in the past timeline? In any case they're a bit older than the usual romance couple.
Sophie Evans is a tragic character. She made the worst choice possible in her youth and eloped with a scoundrel. Tommy had her convinced he loved her for herself when in truth Tommy loved only himself and the money his new wife brought to his pockets. Her marriage caused a rift between her family and herself that wasn’t mended until after her husband’s and her parent’s deaths.
The Earl of Banallt, whose first name I am currently unable to locate in the book, was exactly like Tommy if not worse when he first encountered Mrs. Evans. Her plain features and intelligent blue-green eyes arrested him and featured in his dreams. He too was married and unfaithful to his wife. With the deaths of loved ones Banallt grew up, but not before making an utter mess of things with Sophie.
They meet again, a few years after Tommy’s death and Banallt is quite determined to prove himself to Sophie. He wants her, desires her, loves her but Sophie is equally determined not to let another man hold power over her heart. She is good at denial and self-denial. The book nearly ends with Sophie refusing to give ground and admit her feelings, but happily she does and the result is spectacular if a bit hushed.
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars
Buy: Scandal
Originally posted 2009-04-26 05:44:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 10th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, 5 Stars, Book Review, Convict, Cooking, Foster/Orphan, Historic America, Marriage of Convenience, Pregnant, S-U, Soldier, Survival, Travel, United States of America, Wartime, Widow or Widower
Morning Glory is easily one of the top five romances LaVyrle Spencer wrote. It spans two years from 1941-1943. Small town America is still recovering from the Great Depression. America is holding neutrality while helping the Allies in the Second World War by supplying them material aid. It’s about five or six months before Pearl Harbor is attacked officially drawing America into the war.
Will Parker is an ex-convict drifter. He’s skinny, starving, and down on his luck. When he is fired unfairly from a job at Whitney, Georgia’s local sawmill, Will obtains a local paper and sees in the classified ads a woman advertising for a husband. (This is quite the reverse of most romances, because it is usually the man who advertises for a wife.) On a whim he decides to answer it.
When he meets Crazy Elly Dinsmore, will is not sure what to expect. She’s several months pregnant, has two young children, and looks tired and haggard. Her place is falling apart around her ears and she looks like she could do the same. It is obvious that she is desperate, but then so is he, and both are looking for a change in their fortunes.
They both agree to a trial period where they will see how they get along. Will is determined to prove his worth. Elly is hoping to prove she’s not crazy, though a woman taking on an ex-convict who was in prison for killing a woman (whore or not) is more than a bit crazy not to ask for more information than, “did you have a good reason?”
Three side characters are wonderfully written and created with just a few scenes and phrases. First there is Miss Beasley, the spinster librarian, who reads to be between her forties and fifties. She’s brilliant but fussy. Lula Peak, the town slut, is itching all the time for a man. Anyone will do so long as he can supply her with some of the finer things in life. Will Parker is her wet dream, but he’ll have none of her. Harley Overmire, the superintendent at the local sawmill, is a vain and cowardly man. When the draft starts, he is the first to run his trigger finger through the saw.
Spencer really gets you inside the heads of the characters. The low self esteem of both Will and Elly keep them from each other when they desperately desire to be closer. War is hard on them and changes Will so much. His trauma is handled well, but before the two can become solid lovers and partners again the sheriff rolls up and arrests Will for the murder of Lula Peak. Is a HEA possible for two people who never seem to catch a break?
Rating: 4.5-5 Stars
Buy: Morning Glory
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January 9th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Cursed Lead, Dukes and Earls, Farming, Foster/Orphan, France, Great Britain, Gypsy, Interracial, Invalid, Lisa Kleypas, Spinster, Victorian, Virgin Heroine, Warrior
Seduce Me at Sunrise is darkly passionate, sensual, and utterly devastating. Kev is the type of hero that is pure indulgence. He'll make your hips grow just looking at him... or should I say reading him. In summation he is fierce, broody, and desperately in love. Half Romany, half Irish, Kev was raised by his abusive uncle. The man turned him into a cruel heartless Romany warrior, hurting him emotionally and physically until everything soft inside him died... or so Kev thought. Left for dead by his clan and taken in by the Hathaways provides Kev with another chance. It's unclear his exact age when this happens, I would say sometime between his teens and early twenties. While recovering under the Hathaways' roof Kev notices Winnifred, young, delicate, and fragile. She is everything good and kind and gentle. In her presence the vicious side of him quietens. He decides to stay and in doing so changes his whole life.
Tragedy strikes the Hathaway a few short years later leaving the older siblings in charge of the younger ones. Fate takes a hand again when scarlet fever strikes two members of the family. One is Win. Both survive, but Win is left weakened. Two years of being weak and helpless watching others live life while she stays in bed incite Win to get herself better at all costs. She makes plans to go to France to a unorthodox clinic (they make you exercise gasp!) which Kev tries to stop from taking place. Win offers him a choice - tell her he loves her or she goes. He can not bring himself to say it, because if he did he could never refrain from claiming her... which he doesn't want to do because he doesn't think he's good enough for her. Lots of circular logic, but there you go.
Win is at the age of spinsterhood upon her return from the clinic. She's twenty-five if I remember correctly and more than ready to begin her life. She refuses to take anything for granted and plans to marry (Kev) and have children (his).
The emotional drive of this novel is completely fulfilling and can get you high on endorphins. For example:
When Win leaves to go to France she says to Kev:
"I am running after you, and life, in desperate pursuit. My dream is that someday you will both turn and let me catch you. That dream carries me through every night I long to tell you so many things, but I am not free yet I hope to be well enough someday to shock you again, with far more pleasing results."
Or Kev when he finally declares himself:
"All the fires of hell could burn for a thousand years and it wouldn't equal what I feel for you in one minute of the day. I love you so much there is no pleasure in it. Nothing but torment. Because if I could dilute what I feel for you to the millionth part, it would still be enough to kill you. And even if it drives me mad, I would rather see you live in the arms of that cold, soulless bastard than die in mine."
Edward Cullen eat your heart out. Blissed out sigh.
And while some of the motivation is a little hard to grasp, it's so good, you can't help but be drawn in by the magic spell Kleypas weaves.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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Originally posted 2009-03-23 05:39:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 6th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Dukes and Earls, Great Britain, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Virgin Heroine
Kathryn Caskie spins a delightful tale in How to Engage an Earl. My only complaint is the hero's name. I mean really, Laird? I can't decide if I am supposed to pronounce it like Lard, Lord, or L'AIR-ed. Apparently, Laird is a Scottish name, if that helps anyone else figure out how to say it.
So after Laird, Caskie gives us a much easier name to pronounce: Anne Royle. Anne is one of three Royle sisters; Mary was married off in How to Seduce a Duke and Elizabeth is younger than Anne. I figure that makes Anne the middle child. She's very pale in coloring; white skin, flax hair, gold eyes, red lips. She's also used to not being noticed. In fact, Anne is so unnoticed in crowds that she can literally steal the goblet that they are drinking from right out of their hands.
Of course, this is how Laird MacLaren first notices her and maneuvers her to try to steal his glass. Anne distracts him and manages to escape... with his drink, back into the crowd. That was not the last time Laird saw her that night however. Anne is set on the mission of finding the letters that will prove her heritage as a daughter of the Prince Regent. These letters are rumored to be in the Earl MacLaren's bedroom. Thrilling and sexy, Anne's presence in the master bedroom is only topped by Laird's, who had gone up earlier to sleep off the brandy.
Not five minutes after her discovery by Laird in his bedroom than the rest of the ton finds out. The scandal was only narrowly subverted by his friend, Apsley, who claimed that she was in his room because Anne was Laird's betrothed. Thrust into the center of attention, Anne is shocked speechless and highly uncomfortable. All Anne wants is out!
The next day Laird agrees she can end the engagement only after she helps change his character in the eyes of the ton. Laird wants to marry Constance Henceforth, but she will only have him if he's changed. After all who would want a rake?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: How to Engage an Earl
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Originally posted 2008-12-02 02:08:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 1st, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, Blind, Book Review, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Governess / Companion, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Poor Eyesight
I loved The Viscount in Her Bedroom by Gayle Callen the third in the Sisters of Willow Pond Trilogy. What I like about Gayle Callen is that you don’t have to read the first two in the trilogy to really enjoy this book. You can pick up at the end and go backwards and have just as much pleasure in the reading of the love matches. The descriptions in this book are so sensual and touching.
The sisters of willow pond found themselves out of money and out of favor in little society, not to mention big society when their father died. Louisa Shelby is the last remaining sister to be unmarried. She doesn’t need to work anymore, but Louisa has found comfort in helping others. Being a companion to elderly women; reading to them, writing letters for them, singing and talking to them makes her feel useful. Louisa left her previous position when the men in the family pursued her as if she were nothing but a common whore. She couldn’t believe that men would treat her differently just because of a lowered status. Never again, she thinks. But when Dowager Wade asks her to come be her companion, Louisa can hardly resist, especially when she factors in Simon Wade.
Simon Wade was blinded in a riding accident. Adrift in the world of the seeing, Simon retreated to his grandmother’s estate. There he has learned to cope reasonably well with being blinded and his manservant Manvil is there for him when he can not let his family into his world. Mostly he is afraid of being seen as a creature to be pitied and refuses to show his personal accomplishments in front of his grandmother, sister… or one Miss Louisa Shelby. Simon is especially worried about Miss Louisa Shelby, before his accident he had heard that she was fast. What kind of an influence would that be on his poor already socially awkward sister? He is determined to make sure nothing untoward happens, but the more he supervises Louisa, the more he’s sure those awful words against her are just that words. Now, however, he wants to ruin her reputation worse than any rumor. He wants her for his own.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: The Viscount in Her Bedroom
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Happy Readings!
Originally posted 2008-11-20 17:15:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 30th, 2009 — 4 Stars, 4.5 Stars, ARC, Bastard, Children, Contemporary, Cursed Lead, D-F, Politician, Revenge, Sailing, Scarred Hero, Soldier, Teacher, United States of America
J.C Roat and Rick Bremseth, both former SEALs who helped with the research for SEALed with a Promise, might tease Daughtridge about writing mush, but it is mush I definitely like. SEALed is very hero-centric. I closed this book with an urge to call up my best friend to get her dad to find me my very own Do-Lord. In the immortal words of LolCat "I can haz SEAL?" or maybe it was cheezburger, I tend to forget. This book is definitely recommended for the Save the Contemporary project Dear Authors and Smart Bitches are hosting together.
Dry-witted Emmie was a blast. She was smart, intelligent, analytical, observant, goal oriented and true to character. A professor of ecology, Emmie is well read and knowledgeable in many areas. She's the definition of an avid scholar. She dresses down to hide herself and makes it an art form to remain unnoticed, which is why it's so disconcerting that Navy SEAL Caleb "Do-Lord" Delaude does. Emmie is here to support her best friend Pickett in her upcoming nuptials - she is not here looking for a brawny jock, especially the brawny jock who's the best man.
Caleb Delaude is extremely smart. He's down played his intelligence to fit in better amongst his peers. Able to retain facts after reading or glancing at print, he also has an uncanny ability to see things others can't. He's great at picturing layouts from a map, knowing where to place people in any situation and sometimes he gets strange moments of déjà vu where the present and near-future collide. Caleb finds himself fiercely attracted to Emmie and before he knows it he's worming his way into her life... but only because he needs her connections for a revenge plot... right? Strange how the operative changes all because of a slip of a thing!
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars
Buy: SEALed with a Promise
Filed under cursed lead because of Do-Lord's visions.
Originally posted 2009-04-09 05:45:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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