AAR

[pwm in mi]

As a result of the annual poll, I gave Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison a try. While I really enjoyed it, especially the world building, it was more in the B+ range for me. I do look forward to the next in the series.

To be honest, I think it was more about having just finished the amazing Dragonfly in Amber(Outlander#2) prior to starting this book. Usually when I finish a great book, nothing measures up for a while. A book hangover, if you will:)

[Lillian Sulivan]

Continuing with 'retro March'.

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1917)

Ah, when men wrote romance! No finely nuanced emotional journey here. I wonder what the final body count was? In context of WWI, fighting and killing thousands to save and marry a princess is kinda sweet, though.

Ah, when boys read romance! John Carter's famous description of his princess:

She was as destitute of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure.

The action/adventure set pieces are still fresh and thrilling, but on the whole the book has a dated feel, even in context of the published date. The science fiction is klunky and lacks the prophetic vision of Verne or Wells. The hero is a sword wielding fellow, one of Margaret Mitchell's 'gallant cavaliers', and oddly out of place even in the early 20th century.

A fun re-read in preparation of seeing the movie.
_________________
"Or perchance when the last little star has left the sky,
Shall we still be together with our arms around each other,
And shall you be my new romance?"

[Lillian Sulivan]

All Roads Lead Home - Christine Johnson

I began this with so much anticipation - early 1920s, automotive road trip, rich heroine/poor hero.

Well...you know how in some romances the principle conflict is the H&h won't or don't talk for 281 pages, but if they only would all the obstacles to the HEA could be cleared away by page 63? If you like that in a romance, All Roads Lead Home is your book! Of course the heroine won't talk. And of course the hero won't talk. But wait! The hero's sister/heroine's friend won't talk. The guy at the gas station won't talk. The director of the Indian school won't talk. The orphan boy won't talk. The hotel clerk won't talk. The maid and the cook at the mansion won't talk. The little girl student at the school won't talk. The pastor won't talk. The rich aviator won't talk.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk about this boundary-pushing romance!
_________________
"Or perchance when the last little star has left the sky,
Shall we still be together with our arms around each other,
And shall you be my new romance?"

[Leigh]

I have been reading through a glut of C books. I decided I couldn't take anymore and pulled up More Than One Night by Sarah Mayberry on my Kindle. Excellent Story. Just enough angst to tug at your heart strings but it didn't overwhelm the story. One night stand results in pregnancy, and the couple have to sort out their relationship.

B+
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Gone to Rainbow Bridge - Lily 2000-2011

[stl_reader]

Firelight by Kristen Callihan B-

First, I made a big mistake of peeking at the last 1/4 of the book because the reading seemed a bit slow,and sometimes I need to see the "carrot" dangling from the stick in order to motivate myself to continue. Well, that's where all the big reveals are. If you decide to read this book, I suggest you not peek ahead; it will spoil your enjoyment of the story.

That said, I still would give Firelight a B- rating.

I like the idea of the story and the way in which it resolves. I think the author is a pretty good writer who sincerely tries to give us an "authentic" experience (sights, sounds, smells) of London and other specific story locations.

I think she's also good when it comes to witty banter between the hero and heroine. I quite liked the H/h during their little exchanges.

However, the book was pretty slow going, and I think it needed to be tightened up, not dragging out with all this melodrama. He's got secrets! She's got secrets! They want each other but avoid, avoid, avoid, because, of course, each loves the other and is afraid that the love will be destroyed if the respective secrets are revealed. So much melodrama! Yeah, that dragged on way too long.

Also, Callihan does something a lot of authors seem to do that drives me nuts. She uses adjectives by the boatload. It's not just "fingers," for example. It's "Miranda's slim/little/delicate/elegant" fingers. The hero doesn't just have a "chest," he has always has a broad/massive/hard chest.

Call me crazy, but for me, sometimes a hand is just a hand and a chest is just a chest. Every sentence does not have to be a work of art, lavished with adverbs and adjectives. Some sentences merely have to be functional and move the story along.

If this novel had 50 percent fewer adjectives and similes--don't get me started on all the similes, argh!--it would have been a faster and more compelling read, I think.

This description actually made me laugh: "Eyes the color of Chinese celadon glaze ran over him in appraisal." What in the world is Chinese celadon glaze?

The book does have the occasional typo or grammatical error, but what book doesn't? I did, however, find this one amusing, when Miranda is wondering if Lord Mckinnon is malicious enough to hurt her husband: "She rather thought Mckinnon flirted with her mainly to antagonize Archer. Irritating, but not viscous."

In summary, it's a decent read. I just hope that Callihan tightens up her writing style (and learns to simplify!) in her next book, which I'll probably check out when it's published.

Edited to add: I was also confused about a plot point in this book. When Miranda and Archer consummate their marriage (start spoiler) she blurts out that this is not her first time. It rattles Archer for a couple of seconds, then they move on, no discussion, etc. For the life of me, did I miss something earlier in the book about Miranda's prior experience? (end spoiler).

[PatW]

Caroline Linden - Blame It On Bath - B+

I was going to give this a straight B, but I keep thinking about it now I've finished and for me, that mean's it is just that much better than a B.

This is the second book in a series. I have not read the first one One Night in London but I did not feel at all confused. The back story is seamlessly presented (no info dumps here).

I liked both hero and heroine (slightly older widow, though a bit sheltered by her first husband). They actually talked to each other - not easliy, but that was a nice part of the character development. This is a character driven novel, no spies or other dashing adventures in sight.

I liked Bath as locale - refreshing change from London. The secondary characters were pretty vivid and not cookie cutter, even though they are "standard" fare - loyal maid, comrade in arms friend, annoying mother, etc.

The mystery that drives this triology is not solved in this installment. The end is a bit of a set-uo for the third book. I will definitely read the first one and am looking forward to the third which is coming in August.

By the way: you know how some of us like to complain about historical accuracy? I would like to commend Ms Linden on getting most of the details about the posting of letters in this time frame absolutely correct! Since this is one of the clues to her mystery it's important! Also the journey from London to Bath is loooong and uncomfortable - also pretty accurate.
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When in doubt, read.

[roseisa]

A definite A-. (because it ended)

Released in paperback 10/2004, ebook 3/2012. Intelligent imperfect adults, best if you're in the mood for reading a delightful story!

Read A Princess of Mars - yes Burrough could write, totally enjoyable; although I found John Carter's bragging about his skill as a warrior a bit of excess baggage - yes it's funny.

All the Mars books by Burroughs can be download at Gutenberg

Waiting for a quiet day to (savor) read the end story of Gail Carriger's latest....Timeless. I hate seeing the series end for Alexia and Maccon...

Sunny California - outside planting, reading later....

[pwm in mi]

Cowboy Cassanova by Lorelei James

This book explores the relationship between Ben McKay, a rancher/furniture maker/ Dom, and Ainsley, bank president, who has been unsatisfied in her sexual relationships. Ainsley goes to a BDSM club to explore this side of her sexuality. After 2 initial meetings at the club, they discover they live in the same town (club identities are masked). They agree to engage in a month long affair to explore their BDSM connection. Essentially, Ben is serving as guide to Ainsely's newly discovered submissive side. What I especially enjoyed was Ben insisted Ainsley talk about their BDSM experiences together. This allowed the reader to understand the psychological needs that are met through the relationship.


For those who read and liked the heat of Fifty Shades of Grey, you may like this book about a Dom, who is not an emotional mess, but is a true Dom by nature. The heroine is not trying this in order to please her partner, but to understand her sexuality. This book does not pathologize BDSM, but provides a non-judgemental explanation of the relational/sexual needs of the participants.

Warning- this book heat level is Burning!
While this is the 12th book in the McKay series, you do not need to read previous books to enjoy this one.

B+

[veasleyd1]

Mercedes Lackey, Fortune's Fool (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 3).

This is a 2007 book that I somehow missed when it came out. Nice love story; not as much fun as the first volume. B

[bethaboo]

[Leigh]

Trouble Me by Laura Moore - the last book in her trilogy is being released today. (my goal is to clean house today then sit back and relax and read it tomorrow in a nice clean house). I have been looking forward to this one for a while.
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Gone to Rainbow Bridge - Lily 2000-2011

[Eliza]

[stl_reader]

My Wicked Little Lies
B-

I just saw Jane's review of this book today, so I thought I'd chime in with my 2 cents.

I agree with the rating, though I think Jane enjoyed it waaayyy more than I did.

The author seemed very competent, had a respectable way with words, and the novel was not poorly put together or anything.

But I found myself quickly bored! I guess I’m a reader who prefers some real conflict, and, since the H/h loved each other from the get-go, and that didn’t change, I just felt the conflict was lacking. And there was a little too much “what if”-ing for my taste. “What if she/he knew my secret...” and so on.

The most “exciting” thing about the book for me was the title. For my money, any novel with the title My Wicked Little Lies should be a bit spicier, a little more scintillating, than this one turned out to be. YMMV.

[Eliza]

Tallie's Knight by Anne Gracie and Arabella by Georgette Heyer.

Yes, I know I'm late to the fair but better late than never, right? Many lovely coincidences on afterthought that never occurred to me when reading each book.

There are two very likeable, genuine heroines who are "average"--one a poor relation turned governess and the other a vicar's daughter--and two gallant knights as heroes--both top-lofty gentlemen--who are drawn to the heroines' charm and authenticity. And both stories happened to have a brother as a side plot point.

I loved both stories a whole bunch, being the kind I particularly prefer where the focus is more on characters I can really care about and less on plot devices. And again it's all about the quality of writing for me that makes me love the characters.

I'm in a terrific reading place right now, alternating between classics I've never read, with new to me authors I'm thoroughly enjoying. Before these two classics, I read Blame It on Bath by Caroline Linden which I completely enjoyed, and now I'm on to Miranda Neville's Confessions from an Arranged Marriage, to be followed on Tuesday by Hart Mackenzie's story by Jennifer Ashley.

(Apologies if I gushed too much for some; I'm just a very happy romance camper at the moment.)

[Eggletina]

My winner for the weekend was Liz Fielding's Flirting with Italian. I don't read many contemporaries and usually only pick up Harlequins only upon recommendation. So glad I picked this up based on the review here because I loved everything about it: the characters, the setting, the way the relationship developed and how sex did not take over the story. This will go on my comfort read pile to read again when I'm in the mood for it.

Next up: Stacia Kane's next Downside book, Sacrificial Magic. I love the characters in this series, so I'm expecting this to be a good one (and it's been one of my most anticipated reads so far this year).