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This novel is Pride and Prejudice retold from Darcy’s POV. He’s very wordy–can you imagine? His version is in three parts! Part one of the Mr. Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, An Assembly Such as This, and the only one I’ve read so far, details his time in Hertfordshire. It starts with the Meryton Assembly and ends after departing Netherfield and before Jane Bennet arrives in London.

I liked the book a lot. The language matches the feel of Pride and Prejudice. It’s written in a slightly more updated fashion than Jane Austen’s original. Purists might dislike that, but it made me happy.

It’s written at a good pace. I was halfway through before I realized the novel couldn’t possibly end with them together. (I hadn’t realized it was part of the trilogy when I started.) That’s not to say it was all easy reading—some parts dragged; getting bogged down in the details. Luckily they are few and far in between and you can skimmed them and still understand what’s happening.

Observing Mr. Darcy fall for Elizabeth was a hoot. His thoughts on the subject of Elizabeth are quite a riot. I loved learning that in some situations when others see a stern visage his mind is more favorably inclined. The duality created many “aw—that’s so cute!” moments for me. Darcy comes to the conclusion he’s in love with Elizabeth at the very end and the very idea terrifies him as much as it exhilarates him.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman

I selected this novel because of the gorgeous female cover model. She looks like a fairy princess and the pink and black and warm tones are just lovely. The big plus is this is how the heroine is described… well, I think it was an angel, but you get the point: lovely, blonde, kindhearted.

Moving on, the first half of the novel can be said in three sentences:

Grace Sheffey has been jilted twice, widowed once.

Michael Ranier has murdered twice, rescued once.

These two souls get together under a single lodging and share one passionate interlude.

The second half deals with the consequences. I found Love with a Perfect Scoundrel to be a fun, fast-paced romp filled with nutty characters, sensual situations, and many a marvelous moments. Some to me seems a little over the top, like a seventy-five thousand pound promissory note, but I will let you decide for yourselves.

I had a wonderful time reading the novel and I felt great when I finished. I haven’t read anything else by Sophia Nash, but I highly recommend her if her other novels are like this one.

Love with a Perfect Scoundrel is book three of the widow club.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Love with the Perfect Scoundrel

Have you ever picked up a novel and about halfway through feel like there’s something you should know about it because it seems familiar? I thought I was going insane! I couldn’t remember the book, but I remembered the characters. I was certain I hadn’t read it before but how could I explain my knowledge of the main characters and the two of the side characters? Thank heavens I finally figured it out! Lady Sophia’s Lover is the second of the Bow Street Trilogy. The first is Someone to Watch Over Me. Where I recognized the characters was from the third Worth Any Price which follows the brother of the heroine in LSL. Nothing like solving a mystery to start off my day!

Sophia Sydney is out for revenge. She wants to destroy the man who sent her brother off to his death. Sophia is certain of her facts and equally certain of Sir Ross Cannon’s cruelty and guilt. It seems fortuitous when an ad to be his secretary appears in the papers. Taking it as a sign, Sophia appears in Cannon’s offices on Bow Street determined not to take no for an answer.

Ross is completely stunned by Sophia. Her very presence shatters his carefully constructed walls. He tries to regulate her into a housekeeping position instead of the secretary position. Her argument that he didn’t specify gender completely flummoxes him and before he knows it, Sophia is both his secretary and his housekeeper.

Sophia is equally dazzled. The fat, old, wig wearing man she expected is not there. The man she sees is not the man she pictured. Ross is distinguished, virile, and devastating. While Sophia is trying to gather evidence against Ross and his runners, she finds herself hopelessly drawn to him. Will love win out over vengeance?

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Lady Sophia’s Lover

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My Forbidden Desire starts with Harsh (from the first novel) and Alexandrine reconnecting. They are brother and sister. Alexandrine has been certain of Harsh’s death for years, she’s resentful for his sudden presence and insistence she needs protection from an evil mage… who just happens to be her real father.

Xia, a secondary character in My Wicked Enemy, is a newly freed fiend and the one charged with protecting Alexandrine. When Carolyn said she had refashioned bad boy Xia into a hero I knew I had to read his story! His intense hate, eagerness to kill, and desire to give out pain would be hard to overcome for any writer. Even more so when you planned to pair him up with someone who Xia considers his enemy, no matter how harmless. In my opinion, Carolyn has done a phenomenal job revealing the witch hater’s inner good qualities. Xia is very easily worth the price of the book.

Alexandrine Marit as a heroine is very likeable… despite being a witch. She possesses a great amount of unselfishness, though she has to work for it. The talisman she has found is putting a number on her similar to Golem’s reaction around the one ring in The Lord of the Rings. Her self-sacrifices pile up throughout the novel – if I were to list them it would seem ridiculous, but I assure it is not. Simply put it is quite the only way to prove her character to Xia.

It took me a while to get into this book. The first chapter or two was pretty rough. I started and stopped twice before finally overcoming the strangeness of the novel’s set up. As with Carolyn’s other novels, once you are involved in the story you simply can’t put it down!

Rating: 3 Stars

Buy: My Forbidden Desire

Today’s guest blogger is debut author, Sandy Lender, of the Choices Trilogy. Please, extend a warm welcome to her for joining us!

I’m pretty doggone lucky. Not only did I get a publisher to give me a contract for my first novel CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS, that publisher asked for my opinion on the design of the cover.

So often in the publishing industry, authors have to sit back and wince over what a marketing department has selected for their book’s cover. When I met Terry Goodkind several years ago, he told me how disappointed he’d been in the first/original cover for WIZARD’S FIRST RULE. It had a red dragon on the cover with his main characters looking all dramatic and windblown. When I first saw the cover in the bookstore, I was intrigued enough to pick it up, but it didn’t “impress” me. What impressed me to buy Terry’s book (and I told him this) was his thank-you to Richard and Kahlin (his main characters) in the acknowledgments. THAT turned this writer to mush. I bought the book. It turns out, the dragon in Terry’s story is introduced late and plays a minor role.

Anyway, Terry shared that once his books became amazingly popular, he got to have some say in the cover design and the first novel was being reissued with a more artistic, dreamy look to match the rest of the series. (My description, not his.)

I’ve heard horror stories of images with lighthouses when the storyline takes place inland, images with a three-armed woman, back cover copy that mis-spells the hero’s name, back cover copy that reflects events that don’t take place in the story, etc. I was thrilled, as a new author, that my publisher said, “Send me some copy for the back cover” and “Here’s a cover idea; what do you think?”

The first image he sent me for CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS had a picture of my heroine’s head big and huge in the foreground with her hair very dark red and some kind of actual photograph of a modern dagger in the background. I feared making any comment. I turned off the computer and went to bed. The next morning, he had already sent a new concept. Thank God. He had a couple sword images for me to choose from. And he was reflecting part of Chariss’s image out of the sword. EXCELLENT! It’s quite cool because the amethyst that she’s got on her cheek and her lavender eyes are included on the cover without giving the reader a false idea of what she looks like…It’s perfect.

I didn’t want him to put the hero, Nigel, and the heroine, Chariss, on the cover together. While their relationship draws a lot of attention (and e-mails) from readers, we didn’t want to make it the focal point. There are several plotlines and their romance is just one in the fantasy novel. I think what my publisher came up with contains important elements to attract fantasy enthusiasts, and the back cover copy that we worked up draws all sorts of readers in.

Thanks for checking in today!

“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”

Buy: Choices Meant for Gods

Don’t forget to comment on today’s post for a chance to win an autographed, hard cover, first edition of Choices Meant for Gods! One lucky winner will be drawn at the end of each week during the tour. If you don’t win this week follow along for next week! Details here:

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I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not a fan of the love triangle for many reasons. The first and foremost reason is because I feel it’s just a ploy by an author to fuel the angst and drama of a mediocre story. Haymore proves me wrong. She does not do this. The love triangle is a valid part of the plot and wholly integral with the storyline. She approaches the love triangle in a very unique manner. I don’t want to spoil anyone, because it’s so different than anything I’ve encountered before in my readings.

Another reason I have trouble with the love triangle situation is the waffling. I simply don’t get it. I’m told this is because I haven’t been in one and until I have triangles are hard to appreciate or sympathize with. If you’re like me you probably think it’s very black and white and very little gray. In my head, I know it’s gray. I know that it is possible to love two people at once, but the Grinch side of me feels that if you can’t make a choice between them then you don’t love either one enough and should let both go. Haymore made me feel the conflict that Sophie, who is in the middle, goes through. I appreciate her position and I sympathize with her, something that is way out of the norm with me.

I have a feeling that a second read through will make it a better read, because I know where it’s going. I was looking at all the wrong things in the book the first time and therefore was anxious and worried about how the plot was developing, certain that Haymore was going to bungle it. I just couldn’t see how it was going to work out.

Haymore surprised me, the ending surprised me, and that says something. It made me reevaluate the whole book and all my complaints and worries held no weight.

A fan of the love triangle will be placing this novel on their favorite shelf. Someone who like me, needs a little persuasion about the loving the love triangle can read this and appreciate it. Who knows, it may hook you so completely you can’t wait to grab a hold of another love triangle!

A brief summary:
Sophie loved Garrett since she was 16 years old and was devastated when he didn’t return home from Water-Loo. Tristan is her best friend and together over many years they healed from their mutual loss. One night after their marriage Garrett returns. Everything as they knew it is changed from property to titles, from money to marriages–Haymore explores Regency law and Regency hearts.

Rating: 3.5-4 Stars

Buy: A Hint of Wicked

This novel is definitely one of my overall favorites of Heyer’s so far. It’s easy to read and follow despite the language and research. I loved all the side characters and Rule most of all. The leads were very well matched for each other.

Lizzie Winwood, the Beauty, is engaged to the Earl of Rule, an older man whom she does not love. Edward Heron holds her heart, but Lizzie is too well bred to ignore the duty she owes her family to accept this great match. Her youngest sister, Horatia—Horry—Winwood, decides this situation will just not do. In a scandalously forward manner Horry approaches Rule and offers herself up in trade to her sister despite her disadvantages in looks and speech. She knows she’s not his first choice, but as Marcus obviously does not know Lizzie well enough to love her, he must agree any Winwood would do. Amused by the young girl, (he’s twice her age), Rule accepts her proposal and marries her right away.

Horry experiences wealth and freedom for the first time and goes a little wild. She learns to gamble, though she does fairly poorly, purchases things without any real thought to cost, and makes friends with unacceptable members of society. Horry comes off immature for the first half of the book because she is, but Rule keeps an eye on her in his usual casual and easy going manner and does not involve himself overmuch. He came to the marriage thinking he was in love with a widow. He did not marry the widow because he knew she could not, or perhaps, would not be faithful in the years to come and has determined Horry is and will be even if she is young and prone to fancy.

Rule’s amusement and fondness easily translate themselves to the reader. From his actions you can tell he’s falling for his young new wife. It’s harder to tell with Horry, as she spends a good portion of the book running around after Lord Lethbridge in pursuit of his friendship and the chance to pit her card skills against his. Lord Lethbridge is after revenge against Rule and uses Horry in an attempt to instigate it. Other characters seek to help him or eagerly wait in the wings watching for a chance to run to Rule with news of her scandalous ways. Luckily Rule, her brother and his friends come time and again to Horry’s rescue. A Convenient Marriage is an amusing romp through Regency England and sure to win your heart.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: The Convenient Marriage

Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros is truly an exceptional read. She’s done it again creating characters that I love and a story line that makes me laugh and close the book with a happy sigh. The sex was tantalizing, decadent, and sizzling hot. The end has a bit of a cliff hanger as this is the first story of a sibling set.

Catriona Kincaid first met Simon when she was sixteen years old. He was seducing her prickly older cousin in the barn at the time. Of course she was discovered and her cousin throws a tantrum, but Simon intervenes between the two cousins with an easy charm and a devilish smile. His heroic actions placed stars in young Cariona’s eyes and she gave her heart in that moment.

Simon Wescott, bastard son of an earl, became the heir to that earldom when the legitimate son died. However, he wants nothing from his father, the man was too hard to impress and Simon was through being a disappointment. When Catriona storms his cell in debtor’s prison with an outrageous bargain, he calls her bluff with one of his own and is beaten at his own game.

He finds himself out of prison and chained into a marriage to the beguiling and bewitching Highland princess. Now if only he could break the trust she held in him and prove to her that he was nobody’s hero, Simon might be free of the spell she was throwing over him. After all, love doesn’t last and it’s the riskiest bet in the business to make and Simon is no one’s fool.

Also based on the dates mentioned in the book this novel falls under Georgian Romance.

Rating: 5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-08-28 05:58:48. Republished by Old Post Promoter

This lovely little book was a quick and delightful read. I was sad to finish it because it meant that I would have to let the leads Julian Ravenwood and Sophy Dorring go their own way. The novel starts out with Julian accepting Sophy’s refusal to marry him. The word was passed down to him through her grandfather and Julian is stunned. Little Sophy could not hope to make a better match and his offer was generous to the extreme. Determined to gain an audience with Sophy Julian contrives of a way to do so. He tracks her down and demands to know her requirements to marry him. She spouts of a few outrageous ideas and he agrees and adds a few of his own turning the tables and leaving Sophy stunned.

Julian is an earl and all that implies. He’s the epitome of the controlling domineering alpha male. He’s also a widower; his late wife drowned. Not that this was a hardship, there was something wrong with the woman. Elizabeth, the dead wife, was for the lack of a better word a nymphomaniac. She loved to cuckold Julian, especially since she didn’t want to marry him in the first place. She took what was warm and good inside Julian and killed it. After the second duel to defend her honor, Julian came to the realization that his wife was not virtuous and didn’t have any honor. He labeled all women susceptible to the madness and vowed never to risk his fool neck for a woman again, but he needs a wife to supply him an heir and Sophy as far as he’s concerned is as different from Elizabeth as night and day.

Sophy is a typical unusual female for her times, but in slightly new way. She’s not put together and far from sophisticated. Pieces of her clothing and accessories like ribbons and feathers are always askew. She loves to read (mostly herbals and a treatise on women’s rights). She doesn’t trust seduction or lust without love. The reason Sophy doesn’t trust a man’s passion is because her sister, Amelia, was seduced and killed by one man’s passion. Sophy thinks sex without love is the epitome of masculine ruthlessness. She has the ring of the man who seduced Amelia and plans to find him and ruin him.

When Julian corner’s her for her list of demands she begs of him three things. One, that she not be forced into the childbed right away or more accurately forced into the marriage bed. Julian promises her three months of leeway. This is acceptable to her because she’s loved Julian since she was 18 not that the fool would notice, panting after Elizabeth as he was. She hopes to make him love her in the time they are not sharing a bed. Two, she wants to control her inheritance. Julian counters that his quarterly allowance for her exceeds the money her grandfather will leave her, but she insists. Three, she wants no interference from him on what she can and cannot read.

Sophy was quite loveable as a character I thought; Julian on the other hand at times was not. While his motives are quite known he still comes off as stern, intractable, and unwilling to reach compromises not in his favor… he breaks his side of the bargain while Sophy always keeps hers and dares to get mad when Sophy questions his honor. Depending on the reader you might be tempted to throw the book because of his outlandish behavior. Also true, however, is that you might enjoy his high handedness. In addition Julian is protective and concerned for his new wife. By the end I was persuaded to like him, but he was definitely ridiculous at times. Perhaps that makes him flawed realistically. Grin.

Rating 3.5 to 4 Stars

Originally posted 2008-12-19 19:25:35. Republished by Old Post Promoter

I was very excited to get my Breaking Dawn in the mail from Amazon. They managed to get it to me one day before they told me that it would arrive on my doorstep and I devoured the novel, all 700+ pages, in two days, which is consistent with how I’ve read the other three that came before.

The novel did many things I did not expect, and one thing in particular that I did expect. This review will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. Suffice it to say I give Breaking Dawn four stars.

The wedding, surprisingly takes place within the first hundred pages. I thought that it would happen at the end after Jacob did something to delay it so he could win Bella for his own. This is not the case. The wedding is lovely and Bella gets through it just fine and afterwards can’t believe how uptight she was about the whole thing.

On their honeymoon, Bella and Edward make love successfully; unfortunately the scene fades to black, which annoyed me. The morning after Bella stirs and is blissfully happy but sore, Edward is composed and staring blankly at the ceiling and ruins her buzz by killing the mood. He won’t make love to her again, claims that she’s lying when she says she’s feeling fine—no great, all because he can see how rough he was with her. Bella only recalls that he held her tighter when she wanted him to, etc. Edward is sickened by how much of her skin is covered in bruises that match his hands.

Luckily, Bella manages to break him out of his funk through the use of sexy lingerie Alice packed for her and some innocent seduction. The second and third and so on times, Edward manages to ruin furniture instead of Bella’s skin, making him extremely satisfied… Bella too.

Meanwhile, I started to think about how much food Bella was consuming and came to the conclusion before it was revealed that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy is ridiculously accelerated and Edward freaks out. Bella knowing something is up, makes plans of her own to protect the life inside her and calls Rosalie for help, making the female vampire happy for the first time with her decisions.

From here the novel switches from Bella’s point of view to Jacob’s, which made me call up my friend and ask for some spoilers because I just don’t like the werewolf. During this part of the novel we witness Bella’s pregnancy, a break in the werewolf tribe as Jacob takes partial leadership, and Bella becoming very attached to Jacob’s presence.

The pregnancy takes a lot out of Bella until they realize that because the child is part vampire Bella’s diet needs to change from human food to a liquid diet of blood. Drinking blood immediately affects Bella’s health for the better, but also that of the baby’s. Every time the child moves inside Bella it leaves bruises on her skin and potentially breaks a rib in the process.

Edward is seriously going crazy and blames himself at this point and goes as far as offering Bella to Jacob if she really wanted a child as long as she’d be willing to give their child up as it was hurting her so much. Of course Jacob thinks on the idea and manages to bring it up to Bella who denies that its children she wants so much as her and Edward’s child that she wants.

Bella dies during birth, but luckily Edward manages to successfully turn her into a vampire while Jacob does CPR to keep the venomous blood flowing through her veins before it activates. Jacob leaves when he thinks it’s failed and goes downstairs where he intends to kill the child, now in Rosalie’s care. He never does, because once he lays eyes on their baby girl he bonds with her. This ends Jacob’s point of view in the story and switches back to Bella’s viewpoint.

The rest of the story deals with what I thought would happen to postpone the wedding—the Volturi are coming and they plan to execute the Cullen family for their Immortal Child (which is not what Edward and Bella’s child is per se, the term refers to something else). Alice and Jasper leave after Alice gives some very stern instructions to the family. The whole Western hemisphere is being herded together to witness the growth and humanity of the child.

It ends happily and Bella has amazing control on her thirst and on her special gift. I love the last few scenes between her and Edward. I am looking forward to reading the series again from Edward’s point of view, starting with Midnight Sun.

What did you think of the series ending?

Rating: 3 Stars

Originally posted 2008-08-13 05:03:13. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Cathy Maxwell spins a charming little tale with delightful leads that are fun to read. I was disappointed in the bedroom scenes, however, when the story finally got there. I would have given this novel a four, but the dissatisfaction gleaned out of the lovemaking knocked it down a notch.

In the Highlander’s Bed a clan of Highlanders are in dire need of land, wealth, security, and they’re willing to fight for it. Or they were, but even Gordon’s most persuasive arguments lack the enthralling power to galvanize the people into action. They are becoming lazy, unorganized, and defeated. The pride that once held up their heads is gone and bickering has broken out amongst them.

Gordon needs the Sword of MacKenna to rouse them from their lackadaisical doldrums. However the Sword belongs to an ex-clansman who now enjoys a title from the peerage of England. But there is one thing Gordon is sure of about Tavis, he will protect what is his… even if it’s his sister by marriage. With plans to kidnap Constance Cameron from her remote boarding school, this is where our story starts.

Constance is more than Gordon thought he would get. Feisty and captivating, she fights like the devil and gives pride and purpose back to his people. Constance is more than he imagined and makes him yearn for peace. But the bounty on his head reminds Gordon, that he alone cannot escape the hangman’s noose and what kind of life is that to offer a woman?

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Buy: In the Highlander’s Bed

Originally posted 2008-12-07 06:44:13. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Q - I had so much fun reading Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark; what was your inspiration for the book? Do you have any photos you worked from for the imposing castle and grounds?

A - Thank you, Keira… I appreciate the kind words! I am a rational person, and so is Lady Anne. When she hears a werewolf has been spotted, she thinks, ‘big dog on the loose’. Once I saw that, and put it together with the Georgian era, when there was a lot of superstition (not that there isn’t that now!) the rest flowed from there. As for photos of the castle… what actually inspired Darkefell Castle is a pen, ink and watercolor picture I bought at a rummage sale; it is of an old castle with a modern (Georgian modern, probably mid-1700s) addition, and it is exactly Darkefell Castle! I’ve searched and searched online, but I can’t find the original that the artist worked from.

Q - What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Thinking up the plot.

Writing it.

Editing final drafts.

Depends upon what stage I’m at working, what I would answer to that question. Right now I would say, final editing is agonizing, because you know that after it’s gone, sent off to your editor, you will likely not have any opportunity to substantially change the course of the book again. You have to be sure of it!

Q - How did Sourcebooks find out about your novel?

I have a great agent with his nose to the ground, looking for intriguing new opportunities. When we were looking about for a publisher for the Lady Anne series, he included Sourcebooks Casablanca among the recipients, as he found their recent acquisitions interesting. We took it from there, sending it to the acquisitions editor, Deb Werksman, and she like it!

Q - How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?

It depends on a) what I’m writing and b) what else is on my plate. If I have a book due, it’s full-time days writing. If I have a book being released, then promotion takes over. But most days, overall, I tend to write about five hours a day.

Q - What do you think is the greatest creative risk you’ve taken?

Blending mystery and romance so thoroughly in the Lady Anne series. I adore romances with mystery elements and love mysteries with a strong thread of romance, and I hope readers do, too. I mean, both romance and mystery are parts of life, why can’t they co-exist in a novel genre?

Q - What are some plot devices you like? Can’t stand?

I don’t know so much if they are plot devices, but I despise emotionally manipulative writers, the ones who set you up to have certain expectations, then dash them. I think they believe that it’s more ‘literary’ to put characters (and readers) through pain than to give them a happy ending. Not necessarily.

Also, I hatehatehate (I feel so strongly about this I had to repeat it three times!) writers who aren’t true to their characters. When I close a book, I want to know, even if the end is sad, that it makes sense, that how the characters acted was true to their soul as the writer created them, and not some behavior that feels superimposed by the author because he or she had a certain ending in mind.

As for plot devices I like, all I ask of a writer is that they are true to their characters, and I’ll go with almost anything!

Q - Could you provide a picture of your bookshelf?

I don’t have just one bookshelf! They’re kind of scattered all over the house!

Q - Share some of your favorite books!

Favorite books… ah, the list is endless! A Flaw in the Blood, by Stephanie Barron blew me away… such a great writer. People know her from her fabulous Jane Austen as a detective series, but she’s good at everything she writes. I like classics, of course. Who hasn’t been inspired by Pride & Prejudice? But for day-to-day reading, I love mystery novels! Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson, many others!

Q - What do you do to relax and get away from writing? Is there something that really gets you away from it all?

Mostly, just ordinary stuff. I love to read; I can’t imagine there’s an author alive who wouldn’t say that! Reading is such a great escape, and that’s what I try to write for my readers, a great escape from care and worry. I do have a few hobbies - including karaoke - and hanging out with friends on the weekend. That is about it. I’m a very simple gal. A good book on the patio and a glass of wine or cup of tea is about the perfect end of a day.

Q - I have a spoiler question… Will there be a sequel so that Darkefell can win over Lady Anne? Oh please say yes!

Okay, I’m not one to release spoilers, but I will say this much, in Lady Anne and the Ghost’s Revenge (August 2009) things heat up considerably between Darkefell and Anne, and in Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (November 2009) the passion reaches bonfire proportions on the heat scale! Some do like it hot!

Q - How do you define love?

Love: wow, definitions are tough, but my idea of love is caring so much about another person, that you put them first in your thoughts. You know their faults and don’t give a damn. You would make any sacrifice to make them happy.

Q - Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I had a great time with these characters; they often did quite unexpected things! And I hope readers enjoy them as much as I did writing about their adventures.

Visit me at http://www.donnaleasimpson.com for more information on the Lady Anne series, and if you’d like to learn more about the Georgian era, in which they are set!

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By: Cara Lynn, guest reviewer

Love You to Death by Melissa Senate is a light, summer read.

Who is turning Abby Foote’s life upside down? Abby has had the unfortunate (or fortunate) experience of loving and losing a number of truly unsuitable men.

Her latest is unable to attend the bris of her nephew and deserts her in LL Bean. But he is substantially better than her last love. While serious about him, she found him in intimate circumstances with the woman who is now about to become his wife. Or is he?

His engagement picture hits the paper the day of the bris.

Then he is found murdered. In the course of the investigation, it is learned that two other of her former lovers have had attempts on their lives.

Enter Detective Benjamin Orr, the best thing that has ever happened to her. She is the police’s number one suspect, but if she isn’t the one who has committed these crimes, then someone close to her is liable to harm her also.

To the author’s credit, the family dynamics, the fiance to her ex-love, and the co-workers are all developed well. There is a lot of humor as those close to her suck up to her, while claiming they don’t believe it, because they think she is capable of murder and who knows if they might be next on the list.

Then again, it is a serious subject and in real life it might not tie up as neatly. It’s a lucky thing for her that she is believed and the real murderer is found out.

I give it a 2.5.

Buy: Love You To Death

Writing a review for a novel is easy! Check out LRP’s submission guidelines for more information on how you can be a guest writer for this blog.

Originally posted 2008-12-04 15:40:41. Republished by Old Post Promoter

There are few books that I can’t finish reading. The Anonymous Miss Addams is one that list. Some books make you question how publishing companies work and this is one of them. In two words I can sum up the whole of the book: utter drivel. I have no idea how it got published or why somebody didn’t put a halt to production once the cover was done. The cover to this novel is by far the best thing about the book.

Pierre Standish is a male lead that you’d sooner laugh at then swoon at. Pierre is a fop, pure and simple. He carries a hanky and it’s scented. His diction is by far the worst aspect of his character. He talks like a pansy and acts like one in my opinion. Pierre is definitely a turn off.

Miss Addams is annoying for no other purpose than to be annoying. She lost her memory after taking a spill in the road. Lucky for her she managed to escape into the road when she did or she’d have been killed by her pursuer. Money is involved of course, but the exact reasons why killing her will make the two plotters rich is beyond me. I could not be bothered to find out.

Their first kiss was short and dispassionate with slightly witty dialog bracketing it. She can’t eat unless he’s not perfect and looks human and he can’t eat until he feels human. The plot should have picked up since this is about halfway through the book, but it didn’t. It tried and failed with the mother of her attacker (one of the two plotters) protects her in a shoe store from a man hell bent on kissing her (who is the same man who tried to kill her earlier.)

That ‘kind’ act is rewarded with an offer for the position of companion as Miss Addams thinks to use this woman to protect her from Pierre. But since Pierre is so unmanly in my opinion it’s hardly worth the effort to write it out let alone read.

Rating: 1 Star

Originally posted 2008-11-28 23:15:04. Republished by Old Post Promoter

By: Cara Lynn, guest reviewer

I wasn’t going to review this book, but figured, what the hey!

First, I didn’t like the book.

Island Heat by Susan Kearney had a lot of possibilities. I figured it would have some military tones as the guy on the cover looks like he could be military.

He is, but he’s from another planet.

OK, that could be seriously interesting. Sort of like time travel with a twist. After all, they are more advanced than us and had to travel a long time to get here.

But while the author maintains the fantasy with words she has made up, like ‘quait’ for the ability to mentally influence the actions of another, or like ‘underfirst’ to delineate all those who aren’t Firstborn, the story is unpalatable in parts.

Cade Archer literally falls into the sea in front of Shara Weston’s remote island retreat. His ship is destroyed, but he falls without a parachute and recovers faster than you’d expect. That is because he isn’t strictly human. He is able to use this power to save himself and those that are with him as he is avoiding being murdered.

It’s all tied into the story of the underfirsts needing salt to gain their strength. (She develops this nicely.) On his planet, only the Firstborn are given salt. This also gives them their quait which they use in horrific ways, basically enslaving the underfirsts. (You never see life on this planet, only as told by Cade as the story unfolds or as you see actions of his Firstborn brother, Jamal.)

Cade is shot down by Jamal who is dead set on killing him however he has to do it. Cade had thought his mission was secret, but somehow Jamal knew.

Throw in a psychic who has real powers to foresee the future, some of which can be changed by one’s actions, and a reporter, and a volcano expert, and a security officer, and you have a story that could have been quite interesting.

But Jamal has a malicious streak a mile wide as is shown off page when he kills a Polynesian woman he has taken and ‘trained’ — but not trained so well that she doesn’t try to exhibit her individuality. The more troubling scenes are the sadistic ones involving mental (and physical) rape, torture and blood that he is capable of. And that he takes pleasure in it even though he already has the information he was seeking.

Of course Cade and Shara fall in love. Jamal is killed (I expected him to recover and the scene to go on). Cade finds he gains quait powers, even as Jamal’s powers diminish slightly, but Cade is disturbed by his powers knowing how it corrupts the user, and asks that Shara kill him after his mission, if necessary. And the earth is saved.

There were huge sections of this book that I glossed over or went back to see what happened without taking it in.

I give it a 1/2 star. But for originality, it could be a 2. But I’d even take some of that away because of the troubling scenes. They make you think how you would be able to break a mind hold, or if you would be able to. Like hypnotism, is it not something that you could decide NOT to go under? Evidently not. Ugh.

Good, bad, indifferent, or life altering, LRP wants your reviews! Help us out by submitting a review to a novel you’ve read. It only takes a few minutes and your contribution would be a welcomed addition to this site.

Originally posted 2008-11-26 09:52:04. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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