Goddess of Legend

This is the 7th book of Cast's Goddess Summoning series.

Im not sure what my mental block with P.C. Cast is, but this is my very first book of hers Ive ever read, and it was only because i found it at Salvation Army on half off day (a very good day in my world). I knew I could take it to my local 2nd hand book store and trade it in for credit (a very good reason to buy any book if you ask me).  My block is now gone.

This book tells the story of King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, & Isabel. Really, you just have to take everything you know of their original tale and throw it out the window.  Isabel is a 40 something (i LOVED that she was older!) photojournalist back from the war. The Lady of the Lake needs someone to help her rouse Merlin from an eternal sleep and Isabel becomes the chosen one. When Isabel drives her car off a mountain rode, crashes into a lake and dies, she awakes not in heaven but rather in the woods outside of Camelot. Her mission? To seduce Lancelot so that Arthur and Guinevere can have a happily ever after. The problem? Lancelot is a boy while Arthur is a man. Isabel has to fight an insane attraction to the famous king and soon realizes that he too is fighting his feelings towards her.

I like this book - it was fun. It was not a book to look at too closely and get all pissed off over "inaccuracies". Isabel has a mouth like a trucker, and has no problem swearing, at times rather drastically, at King Arthur. She also is a bit of a smart mouthed brat at times. I am a huge fan of having older heroines, and while she was described as being in her 40's her actions paint her as more of a 20 year old and they are consistent throughout the entire book.

I want to read the rest of the books in this series.

Amazon: After her car plummets off a bridge, Isabel, a world-weary photojournalist, struggles between life and death when she's saved by the Water Goddess-with one tiny caveat: Isabel must travel to another time to seduce the legendary Lancelot du Lac away from Queen Guinevere.

The handsome knight is a dream for any woman in any century. But Isabel is the one who's seduced by King Arthur. For Isabel, a deal is a deal. Now, the King watches as fate takes from him the mysterious beauty he has come to worship, knowing all too well that any interference on his part could destroy the kingdom he loves.

Ruthless

Anne Stuart.  Those two names side by side and I automatically think of sex, violence, control, desire, ruthlessness, and commitment.  This book had all of those things. A very bad boy "Hero" who we see playing with and sleeping with other women while the heroine is in the very same house he is. He also kills in cold blood, is known as the King of Hell, and the master of an elite group of perverts known as The Heavenly Hosts. He is beautiful, cunning, rich, suave, and dangerous. He is no match for Elinor, the eldest sister, on her way to spinster hood with no qualms about that all. She is poor, tall, too thin, has a nose that is most prominent, carries the weight of her families survival on her shoulders as well as her own emotional baggage. A perfect Match!  Anne Stuart writes strong characters and the Hero almost always tends to ride the line of "is he a good guy or a bad guy"? It is, in the end, the Hero's commitment and yes, love, of the heroine that tips the scale to the side of good, but just barely. You really must read her Ice Series (first book is Black Ice)  if you are looking for some seriously intense alpha heroes.


Amazon Publishers Weekly: In 1760s Paris, penniless British noblewoman Elinor Harriman is struggling to support her family when her ill mother runs away to an orgy held by Viscount Rohan, a mysterious libertine known as the King of Hell. This sets in motion a chain of events that draws Elinor and Rohan into a fierce contest of wills and desires. Stuart's writing is crisp and quick, and her characters are finely and memorably drawn, but Rohan's often violent and predatory treatment of Elinor goes well beyond what most readers will find acceptable in an ostensible hero, especially given Elinor's traumatic childhood.

Savage Thunder

First of all - look at this cover! Doesnt that make you want to read it?!  Actually, one of the main reasons I never read romance before was because of the horrible covers, and it is one of the reasons now that I am so thankful for the invention of ereaders.  However, this book also now looks like this:

That's a bit more appealing isn't it? Though now the title doesn't fit the picture. Oh well, no one ever wins at these kind of things. On to the story itself!

Not one of her best, but it was good. Johanna Lindsey, while at times can take a bit long to get around to the actual happenings of a book, this one, while lacking a bit in the romance department- i felt like they were together for a long time without much happening in their relationship. I'm not a huge fan of drama drama sex drama drama drama drama and then an HEA.

 Hero (White Thunder aka Colt Thunder - honestly i couldn't help think that White Thunder sounded like some horrible skinhead name) is half white half Indian during the late 1800's in the wild west and has sworn off "white women" after receiving a near fatal whipping a few years prior because he was courting a "white girl" and never told anyone he was a "breed".  Okay, so enter missJocelyn Fleming, a red headed widowed duchess on the run from some maniac who wants her money, after her MUCH older husband dies shortly after their marriage. The Duke unfortunately was not able to ever consummate the marriage so Jocelyn is left a widowed virgin. She and her travelling companion Vanessa decide that Jocelyn absolutely must lose her virginity to keep her husbands name protected and so Jocelyn can remarry if she were to ever choose to do so. Enter Colt.   (you get where this is going right?)

So after the usual good guy vs bad guy drama, a few duals, kidnaps, murders, and an angry "breed" coming to terms with himself and the woman who loves him, you find yourself with a happy ending and another book in the series to read thereafter.  This is the second book of Lindsey's Wyoming trilogy.


Amazon Summary: The story pairs a quintessential Lindsey heroine and hero, but the sparks don't fly. Jocelyn Fleming, a young English widow traveling across the U.S. to escape a murderous detective, and Colt Thunder, a half-Cheyenne drifter with an implacable hatred of white women, never quite become convincing characters. The plot, obstacle-heavy and motivation-thin, fails the duo and never tests the mettle Lindsey clearly intends each principal to have. Neither narrative nor romance is sufficiently robust to sustain the long, long trek through the still-wild West.

A quick thought

I must, Must, MUST remember to post as soon as Im done with a book, or else I end up 5 books behind like I am right now. It wouldnt be so bad if maybe I didnt read so fast, or maybe if I only read one book at a time, but those things just arent going to change. I have a book on my kindle app of my iphone, a book in the living room, and a book by my bed at all times. So I will now attempt to catch up as much as I can before I have to put the kids to bed.

The Wolf and the Dove

Known as a "classic romance" & the "best medieval romance ever written", Kathleen Woodwiss's The Wolf and the Dove is a tale of overcoming hardships, strength in the face of adversity, and being raped every night by the man you love. Lost you at that last part? yeah, me too. So having read Woodwiss's The Flame and the Flower I knew what I was getting into with this book - Hero rapes heroine, cheats on her, is emotionally, mentally, and verbally abusive for awhile, but eventually they fall in love. Dont get me wrong, this book had all of that, though it also had the hero raping the heroine for the first 400 pages or so. Now, I will give Wulfgar the benefit of the doubt in that after the first few times she did start to enjoy it even before she knew she loved him, but she never willing selpt with him, and afterwards she would cry herself to sleep. Aislinn was a bit into mind games herself though - after she was able to admit her passions to herself she would do everything with Wulfgar except willingly spread her legs, and again in Wulfgars defense he was only rough with her a bit the first time. Oh boy.

I had to take some breaks while reading this as the actions and thoughts of both the H & h were starting to drive me nuts. I dont know what it is about these "old classics" that required both abuse and the ability to not communicate be front and center, but apparently it was. So, if you like well written tales of Normans and Saxons, war, lusty wenches, betrayal, bastards, rape of innocents, head games, and a HEA that requires alot of pain to to achieve, then this is your book!

From Amazon: When the Normans invade and sweep across Saxon England in 1066, lovely Aislinn of Darkenwald watches her father murdered outside her home. Wulfgar, the Iron Wolf of Normandy, arrives to rule Darkenwald, and one look at Aislinn leads him to claim her as his own. She hates the Norman conquering forces, but Wulfgar awakens a consuming passion in her that she can't deny. As she struggles with her growing love for Wulfgar, she does what she can to aid her conquered people and her bereaved mother. But a jealous lord conspires with Wulfgar's spoiled half-sister and Aislinn's very life is threatened before Wulfgar can admit that the woman he conquered has in truth, conquered his heart.

Renegade

Feeling a bit risque? Lora Leigh is an author known for steamy novels, alpha hero's, and strong love stories. I don't like when I don't read a series from book #1 til the end, but for whatever reason Leigh's Elite Ops series and I cant seem to get on the same page. This is the third book in the series that I have read (completely out of order) and I loved it. Nik Steele is a 6'5" golden god of danger, death, and sex. A member of the Elite Ops Nik is hired to help clear the name of a high powered business man when he is accused of murder by Mikayla Martin, a petite bridal shop owner.  One thing that I really like about this couple is their height difference - she's described as being 5'4" if that.  Ok, so I'm partial to short heroines - sue me, I'm 5' tall, I like short chicks who get the guy.

While I do enjoy Lora Leigh's writing style, I have to admit that her contemporary books don't blow me away. I actually blame Shannon McKenna for this for she is my all time favorite suspense/contemporary/borderline erotic author. That woman can write a sex scene that literally lasts for an entire chapter and its not the kind you want to skim over. Hate when I read a book that has scenes I want to skim. Lora Leigh thankfully is not that kind of author - hers you read - but Shannon McKenna, in my eyes, shes not. So if were to give a rating on this book I would say 3.25 out of 5 stars. A definite read for those of you who like big bad ass heros, tiny sexy strong heroines, a bit of gun fire, a who done it theme, and of course great sex.

Summary from Lora Leigh's website: As a bridal shop owner, Mikayla Martin helps make women's wedding dreams come true. Her own life, however, has become a nightmare since she witnessed a murder--and got an up-close-and-personal look at the killer. What's worse: She knows she knows him. But the police, after doing an alibi check, don't believe her. It's up to Mikayla to prove them wrong...and do whatever it takes to solve the murder by herself.

Elite Ops agent Nikolai Steele, code name Renegade, is asked to pay an old comrade a favor. This friend swears he's no killer--and Nik believes him--even though he's been mistaken as one by Mikayla. So Nik goes to set her straight...but the moment he lays eyes on the fiery and determined beauty, he knows he's in too deep. A woman this irresistible can only mean trouble and, sure enough, after sticking her nose in one too many places, someone wants Mikayla dead. Now Nik must find a way to keep her safe, clear his friend's name, and find the real killer, who remains on the loose...

The Darkest Night

I do believe that I did say I was going to start reading this series after thoroughly enjoying The Darkest Kiss (Lucien's story), so I'm starting from the beginning and working my way through (thankfully DK was only the second book in the series so I didn't throw myself off too much).

The Darkest Night is the story of Maddox - half immortal warrior, half demon of Violence. As condemnation for the role he played in the opening of Pandora's Box, Maddox has lived the last thousand years of his life being viciously murdered by his friends only to wake up the next day (after spending an agonizing night in hell) and do it all over.  Ashlyn Darrow is a human with the ability to hear conversations from years upon years ago - a talent that not only drives her mad but also is being used by Hunters (humans who know of the Lords existence and want them dead) though unbeknown  to her.

Again, love the tortured hero that Maddox is. While his looks are dashing the physical torment he endures definitely qualifies him. A typical girl meets demon, falls in lust, then falls in love, and then saves the day story. Im already reading book # 3.

Summary from genashowalter.com:
All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man trapped in a hell of his own.
Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love . . .

The Crossroads Cafe

This was a freebie via kindle, and after sitting in my to be read pile for quite some time I decided to give it a shot. Now, I do not have a kindle but I do have an iphone 4 with a kindle app, which means that while reading a downloaded book isn't impossible or unpleasant, it is not my favorite way to go about consuming words of another. So, it took me a while to read this as I usually only read on my phone when I have a few minutes in between showings, or when I'm waiting for my daughter to get out of school.

This book is written in 2 first persons - Thomas and Catherine. Tom is a architect who lost is wife and son on 9/11 and has since become an alcoholic hillbilly residing in the mountains of NC. Catherine is a famous movie star known pretty much only for her beauty. Catherine has a car accident where she actually catches on fire in amidst those flames she loses her career, her beauty, her husband, and her sanity. Catherine retreats to her grandmothers cottage in the mountains of NC upon the insistance of her cousin Delta (who runs the Crossroad Cafe).

I loved the wholesomness of this book. Wholesome so often comes off as boring and slow, and while there were some parts that were slow moving, the overall book was not. There were no quick answers, magical cures, and love conquers all type of situation. It was real life, real pain, real progress and setbacks. At the end of the book you know everyones going to be okay though you also know that youre not leaving them in some magical fairyland place. I like realism every now and then and this gave me that along with a HEA - not always an easy thing to accomplish but Debroah Smith did just that.

WARNING: be prepared to crave biscuits! Biscuits are the over all theme of this book. Yes, biscuits. Thankfully Ms Smith includes biscuit recipes at the end of this book to help with your cravings. I have not tried to make them yet as Im quite sure they would have about 40 WW points in one and bathing suit season is right around the corner, but one day I will. 

From Booklist Review: Cathy is on top of the world--beautiful, rich, a top movie star about to launch a new career as a cosmetics queen--when an unscrupulous photographer in search of a story causes her car to crash and burn, destroying her perfect body as well as her career and sending her scurrying for a place to hide her scars. Thomas, on the other hand, is still mourning the deaths of his wife and young son in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and is slowly drinking himself to death while sleeping in the bed of his truck in an isolated hamlet in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. Together, however, they find they are stronger and better people, and they begin to take an active interest in the mountain community that has taken them both into their hearts, and into their kitchens. Once again, Smith has created an unforgettably poignant story in the best tradition of contemporary southern romantic women's fiction.

The Darkest Kiss

Theres just something about books like this, The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, The Highlander series, and other similar books that I just love. I know Ive mentioned before that I love a scarred hero - both physically and emotionally, and this book had them both, all wrapped up in a nice non vampire (always a plus but not necessarily a needed) yet demon package. Other than one anthology a few years ago this is actually the first Gena Showalter book I have ever read. How on earth could that have happened?!" you may exclaim, well quite honestly, the novella I read by Showalter wasnt anything that I'd write home about so I didnt bother to pursue her any further. This book however makes me change my thinking about her. In it contains good guys who are in essence bad guys, a rather awesome heroine who isnt too hardcore to be vulnerable, sex, tension, sexual tension, all set within a paranormal realm of existence. Definitely an "everyone wins" type of thing in my book.

Anya, goddess of anarchy is smitten with Lucien - warrior with the demon of death trapped inside of him. After a few adventures, lots of lust, ancient curses, Medusa like creatures, and eventually true love, this story gets the thumbs up from me.

I swung by Borders today and picked up the first one in the series The Darkest Night - going to start that tonight while Im DJing. How will I read and DJ at the same time? After about 11:30pm on a Wednesday night in south central PA, things tend to die down rather drastically. So all i need to do is put in a CD and let it play. It will still be a loooong night regardless, but Im hoping that The Lords Of the Underworld will be able to help dull the pain of staying out until 2am on a weekday when I know I have to be up at 6:45am the following morning in order to make it to the bus stop on time.

Amazon's Product Description:

She has tempted many men… but never found her equal. Until now.
 
Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death—a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.
 
But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining.…

Sunshine

Robin McKinley's Sunshine is a story about a girl, a vampire, life on earth after the Voodoo Wars, and a bunch of other things that I'm still confused about. No, confused isn't the right word, a bunch of other things that I'm still left wondering about - pondering if you will. The book is broken up into 4 parts opposed to individual chapters. The first part for me was like one giant run on sentence. After I got used to the 1st person story telling (let me just add that I usually have no problem at all with 1st person, but this one took a bit getting used to), it took me until the end of the 2nd section to realize that severe lack of dialogue amongst the characters was in fact intentional and would continue throughout the rest of the book. By the third section I found that I could skip paragraphs and still know what was going on - and while it shames me to admit it, since I detest skimming, I did in fact skip a bit. The whole book is basically one huge adjective.  The author goes into colorful depth of everything from the scenery, to the magic used, to Sunshine's clothing, state of mind, fear, anger, confusion...etc.  I know a book, a good book, is suppose to transport you to the place, time, and amongst the characters, but this one was so drastic in description. Not a bad thing, merely how I perceived it.

Sunshine is abducted by vampires and as a result of this her entire world changes - as it should I would think. She is forced to use the magic her grandmother showed her how to briefly use when she was a child, magic that she had ignored for 15 years. In the process of escaping she also rescues a vampire who was also being held captive - Constantine. The entire rest of the store keeps you locked in Sunshine's unsure, fearful, and confusing head. I liked the fact that from beginning to end she is who she is. She does not get a dose of super human ninja courage just because she realizes the power she has, but nor does she really seem to obtain any real form of self confidence. Theres also an underlying sexual tension between Sunshine and Constantine that is never resolved, never goes away, and is never expounded upon. Sunshine also has a boyfriend, Mel, who remains a mystery as to what he is, why hes a part of Sunshine's life, and to what extent they care for one another. She never leaves Mel, despite Constantine, but then again she doesn't really do anything with Con either.

The ending of the story left me trying to talk myself into getting the sequel. When i finally decided that I could in fact read the second book I was shocked to find that there is no second book nor will there be! The ending is left very open. Seeing as how this book does not provide answers of any kind to any question, the ending actually works. This is not a typical story. The whole thing flows on the same wave length throughout with a climax near the end during the "big battle" but then it straightens itself out and and continues on again until it simply ends.

I liked it. Despite the questions, and the openendedness, the extreme lack of dialogue, and the extreme amount of description to the point of overkill, I liked this book. Still cant figure out why I did...Kudos to McKinley for writing a book that makes you think. Even if the thought you're having is "what the heck did I just read?"

From Booklist via Amazon:
Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, lives a quiet life working at her stepfather's bakery. One night, she goes out to the lake for some peace and quiet. Big mistake. She is set upon by vampires, who take her to an old mansion. They chain her to the wall and leave her with another vampire, who is also chained. But the vampire, Constantine, doesn't try to eat her. Instead, he implores her to tell him stories to keep them both sane. Realizing she will have to save herself, Sunshine calls on the long-forgotten powers her grandmother began to cultivate in her when she was a child. She transforms her pocketknife into a key and unchains herself--and Constantine. Surprised, he agrees to flee with her when she offers to protect him from the sun with magic. They escape back to town, but Constantine knows his enemies won't be far behind, which means that he and Sunshine will have to face them together. A luminous, entrancing novel with an enthralling pair of characters at its heart. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Time Weaver

First allow me to apologize for the size of the above picture. I could not for the life of me find a larger picture online, and my phone is dead (a very rare occurrence) so I cant take a picture and upload it right now.

Time Weaver by Kate Donovan is an early 90's time travel romance (for some reason all time travels tend to be labeled as paranormal romance, and while I will admit that there is a paranormal factor to time travel, that in and of itself is not, in my head, a reason to label it as such).  It also appears that this is the second and last book of Donovans time travel series revolving around Native Americans some 300 odd years ago. Timeless is the first book.

Ok so here's my quick thoughts of this book: I liked it. I love time travel books, you throw in a cheesy cover and some large men with dark hair and broad chests, and I am a happy lady (you should meet my husband - I'm a very happy lady). 

Our neighbors just came in (its Friday night and we're having pizza. let the kids play together, wear one another out, early bed times...you know how it goes) so I'm going to just post the product review and call it a day.

Time Weaver overview from Kate Donovans website: Native American attorney Alex BlackKnife is a man with a mission: to find Shannon Cleary, last seen crossing the border into sacred Indian territory.  Instead, he meets Cassie Stone, an artist with her own ideas about her famous cousin's disappearance.  But her journey to the ancient burial ground takes Cassie farther than she expected---300 years back in time!  And she drags tall, dark and good-looking Alex along for the ride . . .

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

This was another of my very common found at a thrift store books. Saw the cover, recognized the author (Julia Quinn), it was .47 cents, so I grabbed it. Oh I know I sound so negative so often about so many of these books, but I just didn't care for this. I wanted too - I always want to love what i read - I finished it, but it was a challenge. So our heroine in this story - Miranda - falls in love with her best friends older brother when she is a little girl. He gets married, his wife cheats on him multiple times, eventually dies, and he is back on the market so to speak - though he claims he will never marry again. There was no real romance to this book. This was the story of a young girl throwing herself at the man she has wanted for years and he taking advantage of that, eventually knocking her up, having to hunt her down after she runs away, marrying her against her will, and then at the very end realizing he loves her too. *gag*  And if that wasn't a run-on sentence I don't know what is! 

Sorry Julia - this book rather sucked. Please don't judge all of Ms Quinn's based on this one book - read The Viscount Who Loved Me .

Amazon Product Description:

2 March 1810 . . .
Today, I fell in love.
At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.
But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers . . .

Once A Rake

So think Phantom of the Opera but with an HEA and masked scarred hero who really turns out to be gorgeous. Yeah, I was hooked until that last part too. Actually though, I did enjoy this book. This was a Kindle special that I had remembered someone suggesting one time when I was looking for scarred and broken men (what can I say I like my men emotionally tormented and not beautiful).

Lord Ashby is a war hero/duke/best friend of Will who happened to be the older brother of Isabel aka: the heroine. (I cant help it, but whenever i write the word "heroine" I feel naughty). Lord Ashby is 13 years older the Isable and they have known each other since she was a little girl. In fact, Isabel kisses him when she is but 15 and he 28.  So of course theres alot of miscommuncation between the H & h (if there wasnt then there would be no plot), but in the end it all works out.

I did enjoy this story despite the frustration of Ashby and Isables mind games - I can say that they were not nearly as bad as some, but still there none the less. I also loved that Ashby was a masked recluse in the beginning of the story. I wish he wouldve stayed that way instead of unveiling and stepping back out into society only to be viewed as even more handsome and manly as ever.

A definite heart warming and sensual story.

Devon says: read it.

Amazons Product Description:

War had scarred the Earl of Ashby's face...and perhaps his soul. Before being wounded in the Napoleonic war and shunning society, the dashing lord had been a notorious rake. Now, Isabel Aubrey, a proper lady, dares to approach the masked, reclusive nobleman for a large donation to a worthy charity - and decides she must save him from his self-loathing. She begins to flirt. He responds. She invites him to a masquerade ball. He accepts and dazzles her with a kiss.But Isabel already has a fiance and despite her attraction to the earl she knows she must reject him. Yet no force on earth is greater than the passion that leads her into his bed; nothing she has ever experienced is more exciting and erotic. Now he asks her to stay with him although it will mean her ruin. Isabel must not say yes - and the smitten earl cannot let her say no. To win her body and her heart, he initiates an outrageous scheme that only a rake would devise - and no woman can resist.

This Side of the Grave

I started reading Jeanine Frost's Night Huntress series a couple of years ago. The series features Bones - an English rake of a vampire, and Cat, a half vampire half human vampire hunter. Phew, that was a mouthful. I absolutely loved the first 3 books in this series, the 4th wasn't as great, but still good, and her spin off series Night Huntress World is also def worth the read. Typical PNR's with HEAs.

When This Side of the Grave came out I was excited. I only have a handful of series I actively follow and this has been one of them. It took me forever to find it though - after stopping at Borders & Target, I finally went to Wal-mart (i do my best to avoid that store whenever I can) and got it there.

Unfortunately, not only did I give money to my nemesis, I also wasted 5$ on a mediocre urban fantasy. I started reading this series because of the love story between Bones and Cat. It was great. Wonderfully done sex scenes (most of them very spicy), passion, even my ultimate weakness: a rather powerful separation and reunion (I'm such a sucker for a reunion - think Jamie and Claire in Voyager....I have read and reread that book so many times...the entire Outlander series for that matter....but my declarations of my undieing devotion to Jamie and Claire is for another entry). Sorry - got a bit sidetracked there...  Anyways, so this book has def crossed from PNR to UF and with the change, robbed me of my romance.  I could barely finish it. After the first 2 chapters I just wanted to put it down.

If you like UF then you will probably enjoy this book - Jeanine Frost is a very talented writer and like I said, up until this book I have been a huge advocate of all of her work.  This just missed the mark for me. I will buy the next in her Night Huntress World series but I will not be buying any more of this particular series. I'll just wait til the library has it.

Amazon Product Description: Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance...

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing.  A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"--the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war. ...to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Whitney, My Love

                                                                         2 out of 5  
This is another book that I had heard good things about. A "classic" of the romance novels. All I can say is that I am very thankful that a "classic" does not represent all of a genre. Written in rather true bodice ripper fashion, this book has a innocent young virgin & a duke who is a jackass. Actually, both characters are all about mind games, and the duke is also okay with forced sex, physical abuse, and wanting to punish the heroine every other chapter.  I actually had to skip sections because I couldnt handle all the miscommunication between the Hero and the heroine. Heaven forbid they actually talk to one another opposed to jumping to the most outlandish conclusion possible.  So, if you like "women" (and I use that term loosely when talking about Whitney Stone) who have a Daddy Complex, and if youre all about abusive relationships, then this is, without question the book for you. 

Honestly, this book pissed me off. Im all about scarred and damaged heroes, heck Im even okay with a Gamma Hero, but Clayton Westmoreland was none of those things. I need to go grab a favorite to calm me down - probablly gonna go with Kresley Cole and one of her IAD series.
Amazon Summary:
Whitney Stone's teenage crush on a neighbor has her cold, unfeeling father banishing her to Paris into the care of her aunt and uncle. Under their loving guidance, the young woman blossoms into a ravishing beauty and becomes the darling of glittering Parisian society--a fact not lost on the handsome and equally powerful Duke of Claymore, who determines to make her his wife. Despite the duke's fervent interest, Whitney remains fixed on her childhood love. That is, until she finds herself tempted by the Duke--an attraction that both delights and baffles Whitney, causing her to be increasingly wary of what her heart may lead her to do. The Duke suffers no such confusion. He wants Whitney. And he plans to have her, despite a number of obstacles, including the infatuation Whitney seems to have for another; her aunt's growing concerns; and her greedy father's bungling efforts to control his beautiful daughter. But before the Duke and Whitney's plans can reach fruition, they'll have to work their way through a morass of misunderstandings that threaten any hope of a happy ending.

Sword of Darkness

                                                                      3.25 out of 5

Being a fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon and her Dark Hunter series, and being in the mood for a bad guy Hero, I decided to try the first book of Kinley MacGregors (aka: Sherrilyn Kenyon) Lords of Avalon series.  Kenyon, er I mean MacGregor, writes in a way that I can easily read one of her books in only a day - Sword of Darkness took me a day and a half.  The story flowed well, I will admit I was a bit confused at first as this series is a "dark spin off" of the tales of King Arthur and Camelot. Once I got past that though, I found myself enjoying this story as well as the cast of interesting character MacGregor introduces.

I wasnt all that sold on Kerrigans (hero) evil dark demon self, which is a bit of a bummer because Ive been in the mood for a main character that is truly dark and bad despite loving the heroine. Kerrigan was close, but again I couldnt really buy the "darkness" MacGregor attempted to shroud him in. Close, but not quite.

The heroine, Seren, I enjoyed. She was spunky without being a female warrior man hater, or a defenseless baby who couldnt do anything for herself.  The story has your typical HEA which I expect to find when I read a book deemed a "romance". Be it PNR, historical, or contemporary - i need an HEA. If I want to cry at the end of something Ill eat a pint of Ben and Jerrys in one sitting.

So will I continue on with this series? yes, but Im in no rush to run right out and grab the next one. This will be a library only type of read. Wouldnt spend any money on it in order to find out what happens next as I would with some series.

Amazons Product Description:
The new king of Camelot wears no shining armor: Arthur and his knights have fallen and a new king rules.

In the darkest forest...
A scared, forsaken youth has become the most powerful—and feared—man in the world. Ruthless and unrestrained, Kerrigan has long ceased to be human.

In the heart of London...
A spirited peasant mired in drudgery, Seren dreams of becoming her own woman, but never expects that by fleeing her fate, she will meet her destiny.

Their worlds are forever changed...

Kerrigan's goal is simple: barter or kill Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table. Yet she is the one person who holds no fear of him. More than that, her nobility sparks something foreign inside him. In his nether realm, kindness is weakness and a king who harbors any sort of compassion loses his throne.

For countless centuries, Kerrigan has lived alone in the shadows. Now Seren's courage has forced him into the light that will bring either salvation to both of them...or death.

Bet Me

                                                                     rating: 2 out of 5

This was my very first Jennifer Crusie book. It came HIGHLY recommended via amazons online romance message board (a great group of people who know their romance). Having received numerous recommendations from there that have been wonderful, I hit my local library for Bet Me.

This was not my kind of book. At all. I found it fluffy and drab, with no plot, and a cast of so-so characters. Also, it made me hungry. The story itself centers around chicken Marsala, bread, and donuts. All three things are delicious, but when on Weight Watchers, they are definite "can't haves". And the fact that I read at night, doesn't help any either - last thing I should be doing is craving junk food at 10pm.

I do see the appeal for alot of women however in that the heroine was not a perfect size 2 with high firm breasts, and thick hair down to her ass. She was plus sized, with full and round everything and frizzy hair (until she cuts it short and shows off her curls - a girl after my own head...er heart).

So if you re looking for an easy read with a predictable HEA and you want to read about a gorgeous Hero and a not perfect Heroine, this is your book. Just watch out for late night cravings.


Amazon's Review:
Thirty-three-year-old Minerva Dobbs is annoyed when her current boyfriend dumps her three weeks before her sisters' wedding. But she's downright furious a few moments later when she overhears her now "ex" boyfriend bet hunky Calvin Morrisey that he can't take her home and bed her. In fact, she's so angry at them both that she lets Cal take her to dinner and decides to string him along until after her sisters' wedding. Minerva pegs Cal as a handsome "used car salesman of seducers." Cal thinks Minerva is a "cranky, starving, risk-averse statistician." But Minerva's hormones keep whispering "this one," although she knows the gorgeous Cal isn't the man for her practical, white-cotton-bra, several-pounds-over-thin, self. And Cal is blindsided by the lust he feels for the voluptuous, sensual woman he glimpses behind Min's actuary exterior. While Cal and Min struggle to deal with their mutual distrust and attraction, their friends and families try their best to interfere and direct the progression of the unlikely romantic connection.