Recently Read April/May/June/July

Yulie · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 1045 Location: Elsewhere

I finally gave in and read The Hunger Games - it all started when my friend had free tickets to see the movie, only I could barely watch because of the shaky cam (shaky cam is never a good idea) but liked what little I saw of it. Since the book promised to be shaky cam-free, I decided to read it, and I can see why it was such a huge hit; it's very good.

pwm in mi · Joined: 19 Oct 2011 Posts: 182

Unlawful Contact is my favorite I-Team book, however. Did you know she's self-pubbing Megan's story as a novella some time in the coming weeks?[/quote]

Thanks for the info! I looked on Clare's web site and the novella looks good, a bit of Beauty and the Beast in the story. After the hell Megan went through, she deserves a HEA!

LikesBadBoys · Joined: 11 Jun 2008 Posts: 126

Leigh · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 2685

dick · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2250

"The Archangel Project" by C.S. Graham (Pseudonym for C. S. Harris).
A great read. From the first page to the last, the suspense and tension in the conspiracy plot were so tautly stretched, I couldn't lay the book down.

D Rogers · Joined: 31 Jul 2009 Posts: 148

Besides The Duke's Perfect Wife, I just finished The Drawing of the Dark by Timothy Powers. I can't recommend it. I basically finished it because I started it (I was halfway through when I realized I didn't like it that much). I kept expecting it to get better. I've liked his other books, though, and am looking forward to Hide Me Among the Graves.

I am also just about finished with a young adult novel called Montmorency: Thief, Gentleman, Liar? It's a pretty dark book, but I'm enjoying it. I'm very curious as to how it will turn out.

Denise

pwm in mi · Joined: 19 Oct 2011 Posts: 182

Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison
This is the 2nd book and the Elder Races series featuring Tricks and Tiago. I really enjoyed this book, perhaps even a little more than Dragon Bound. Tricks, the heir to the Dark Fae throne has gone to Chicago to assume her reign. Things do not go well and an attempt is made on her life. Tiago, the commander of Drago's army is sent to protect her. I really liked this couple. Tricks is a charming, lively character who has no one to trust in her new world. Tiago is at once a ALPHA/Killing machine who cares nothing about social graces, but clearly cares for Tricks. It is wonderful to see this huge gruff soldier be gentle and charming. Together they make a lovely couple.

Natalie · Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Posts: 1566

PatW · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 614 Location: Central Maryland

Caroline Linden -One Night in London - B+

Well, I've been busy so it took me a while to find a chance to read this. Just like Blame It on Bath - this one is sticking with me. I really liked Edward and Francesca - how both were self aware and how both realised how they "meshed"

I so loved the ending. The "I'm not that man" and "but I am that woman" statements so PERFECTLY summed up what made these two just a delight.

The most interesting thing to me is that I got a completely different impression of Charlie from this book (that I read second) than from the second one (that I read first). Although I didn't feel that I missed anything when reading Blame it on Bath, I wasn't very interested in reading Charlie's story - now I am.
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When in doubt, read.

Lillian Sulivan · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 233

The Bridal Swap - Karen Kirst

Hmm...the dress on the front cover is beautiful. And I picked it up on the library's resale rack, so it was just $1.

Best,
Lilly
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"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?"

MrsFairfax · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 1065

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

Maybe it was reading during a thunderstorm that did it, but I loved this book. Set in the 1920s in England, a young woman who's scraping by working for a temp agency gets a call to help a ghost hunter with a ghost who hates men. Actually, the ghost hates just about everyone and with good reason. There's a very gothic feel to the book, the ghost is frightening but well thought-out, not just "boo" scary. The heroine is lonely, her love interest is deeply scarred by the war (inside and out) and the plot never drags. very fun read.
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Binocular vision, no need to hop, and an ever-so-much easier time of it climbing ladders.
- James Cobham in Freedom & Necessity

CharlotteJ · Joined: 30 Jul 2010 Posts: 75

The Witness - by Nora Roberts

Not sure if this needs to be marked spoiler:

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This was much, MUCH better than Chasing Fire or The Next Always...although not quite as good as The Search or Savour The Moment IMO.

I really liked Elizabeth and I could see how she would meld into Abigail- the only downside was that I thought the detail spent on Elizabeth took time away from delving more deeply into Abigail. Brooks was very well defined, I thought. Which made me wish the book had been a bit longer so we could've gotten the same insight into Abigail. But they made a great couple Smile

I had to laugh out loud at the one scene where Brooks makes the mistake of waking up Abigail lol.

I hated that witch of a mother.

Sort of surprised that there wasn't a Big Confrontation at the end, considering all the build up to it.

Oh and she's put in another "he ran his tongue along his teeth" line [pg 211] LOL. She really loves that phrase.

I don't know if this is a book I'll reread as many times as say, Birthright, Angel Falls or The Search, but it was worth the read.

Tinabelle · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 853 Location: SE Wisconsin

Marianna - Susanna Kearsley
Grade: A-

This is one of her earlier books recently released digitally. I absolutely love the way Susanna Kearsley writes and her research is very accurate. Her work is tough to classify but this one is a reincarnation story. Her stories are so descriptively rich that you are transported to another place and time. And I like the story-within-a-story concept, too. In this case, I experienced the urgency that Julia felt in wanting to find out what had happened to Marianna and Richard and everyone else from that time. I felt her pain in reliving all of those memories from her past life.

I enjoyed the contemporary story, too. I suspected who the reincarnated Richard really was but was anxious to see how she pulled that off. I do feel the novel ended rather abruptly and I wanted a little bit more once all was revealed. I just felt that there were some loose ends that I would have liked to see spelled out a bit more. But, having read a number of Kearsley's other books, this seems to be her style.
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So many books; so little time!
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stl_reader · Joined: 03 Aug 2011 Posts: 155 Location: Missouri

Tessa Dare
A Week to be Wicked
B+

Delightful!

If you're looking for a novel with some shred of plausibility--and possibly a dark, angst-y hero--this is not the novel for you.

If you want a fun romp with likable, engaging characters and witty writing, I can highly recommend it. Very enjoyable and satisfying.

This is my first Tessa Dare book, and I look forward to the next one in this series (A Lady by Midnight).

PatW · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 614 Location: Central Maryland

Senseless and Merciless - Mary Burton

I bought the pair as an ebook bundle and was very glad to have had both to read as they are quite connected. I'm not sure how I'd grade them...

Got them on recommendations from AAR readers who lauded their suspense while noting that they are short on romance. I have to agree that as suspense novels they are gripping and I enjoyed them throughly. Since I needed a break from light and frothy and sometimes historically questionable - these were perfect!

However, they are a bit dark and not for the squeamish and I suspect I won't want to re-read them.
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When in doubt, read.