After all these years, I still seriously enjoyed this one. One of my old favs from the 80's, Night Magic features an almost washed up super spy and a...moreAfter all these years, I still seriously enjoyed this one. One of my old favs from the 80's, Night Magic features an almost washed up super spy and a plucky romance novelist thrust together because of the big bad Soviets- that's Russians for the youngin's. (Interesting how Russians still feature prominently as bad guys in many a romance novel, however now as drug dealer/mobsters rather than enemies of the States. These guys do bad good I guess.)
John "Jack" McClain is all but out of the spy business, forced into Desk Jockeydom after a deal gone bad antecedent to a breakdown. Yet, he somehow becomes embroiled in a game of cat and mouse to catch a major Soviet sleeper agent who is about to attempt to assassinate the Secretary of State.
The book opens with Jack daringly escaping the bad guys- with the help of dolphins oddly enough- and making his way to a hospital. At the hospital they catch up with Jack and blame the melee that ensues on him so that the cops believe he's a renegade psycho they need to bring in.
Meanwhile Clara Winston, romance novelist having just completed her latest book, is ready for some down time at her remote family home, having no idea the trouble about to rain down on her head.
They come together when the bad guys, believing that Jack is her boyfriend because of a dedication in one of her previous novels, break into her house and threaten her life. Jack, having followed the bad guys to her place assumes she's with them till she comes running out of her house and right into him. They escape, together with her mean old fat cat, Puff (as in The Magic Dragon)- who is as memorable as the H/h- now on the run from the bad guys AND the cops.
Considering herself stolid and stay at home, Clara wants no part of this madman who obviously gets high on danger but is now in it up to her neck. (Besides he infuriates the crap out of her!) Their willy nilly flight from danger will test her mettle- and she is just as surprised as Jack with the steel in her spine that results. Oh, they do discover who the man is pulling the trigger, thanks to some microfilm, (::snort:: microfilm), but not till after being chased by police dogs, going over a falls and sleeping in a hollowed out log in the woods- and capture, torture and escaping again!
Ok, this book is a tad over-the-top, but hey it was written in the 80's, everything was over-the-top in the 80's, from our hair to our clothes to our bad guys! It was a hoot reading it once again, thirty yrs later O_O, with the outdated references,and still it worked for me.
Clara and Jack are great together, as they mutually prejudge and bicker with each other, from the very beginning. They go toe to toe like the best of romantic/comedy couples, creating tons of sexual tension which the author relieves quite fittingly. ::srsly thought some hot stuff there for the age of this novel::
There is also a scene where the bad guys torture her to get Jack to talk that stuck with me as much as anything in this book because of the way the author "went there" which, believe me, NOBODY did in romance novels back then. (She wasn't raped, thank God, but how the authored played it was very effective, imo. His and her actions, I still feel, seem believable. Well, for a romance novel anyway...)
It's a great book, though I think I'm pretty much alone on thinking so. Don't know why it does it for me, but I'm glad it does. (I'm totally gonna go back to some of my other old favs and see if any of them still strike the same chord too!)
What I liked about this one, I liked quite a bit- enjoyed the voice the author gave her main character Marnie- surprisingly the potty mouth worked for...moreWhat I liked about this one, I liked quite a bit- enjoyed the voice the author gave her main character Marnie- surprisingly the potty mouth worked for me- really liked the love interest(s)- interesting twists and turns. Didnt like all the witchy stuff and MAN is she fairly graphic- in fact, if I was watching this, i'd be covering my eyes. But then, can zombie-like ghouls be anything but gross, I mean, really?
Marnie, recently retired paranormal consultant is sucked back in with the gory death of a young girl that has much of the paranormal involved. If it were not for the fact her one time f!ckbuddy is the one who's re-recruiting her, she'd be a little less reluctant.
But jump in she does, and the person- and reason- behind the murder is much more involved then she ever imagined- and much more surprising.
Like I said, I liked the characters, enough to want to read the next book, but this first one has a few issues- too much meandering and I was a bit startled with where she went relationship-wise. Not sure I'm okay with it, BUT she didnt close doors AND surprising this jaded reader is never a bad thing.
When a gunslinger arrives in place of someone else, at the ranch her father left her alone on, Cassie Stuart knew she had to run him off before he mad...moreWhen a gunslinger arrives in place of someone else, at the ranch her father left her alone on, Cassie Stuart knew she had to run him off before he made things worse for her. Having sent for a peacemaker to settle a neighboring feud- not someone who would stir up a hornet’s nest- the man known as the Angel of Death simply would not do.
Angel had never met a woman quite like the Stuart girl, not exactly a beauty- but definitely intriguing. At first thinking he didn’t even like her, he found himself surprised to want to stick around and help her out.
To exact their revenge on Cassie for her meddling ways, the townsfolk force her to marry Angel- which ends up being little hardship as Cassie sees to his lonely noble heart and he’s decided she’s gotten better looking with every passing day. It’s when her parents- who’ve only talked to each other thru Cassie for years- show up, that things get turned awry… and Cassie and Angel not telling each other their true fears about romantic relationships, doesn’t help either.
Angel takes off soon after, believing he’s not good enough for Cassie, and Cassie- though incredibly hurt- lets him leave. Still, being who she is, she cant let it completely go. She resolves to find Angel’s missing parents. Which of course she does.
sigh
Another sweet, quirky romance from the Dowager of Romance. These oldies by Lindsey read so easily and charm every time. Even on 100th re-read. (less)
Beginning soon after the close of the first book, Tara and Howard have taken up Sam’s offer of transportation and a place to stay on the isle of Puert...moreBeginning soon after the close of the first book, Tara and Howard have taken up Sam’s offer of transportation and a place to stay on the isle of Puerto Rico for some rest and recovery time from the doings of Revenge Gifts.
But it’s not so restful for Tara. First she’s mixing business with pleasure by picking up some material for her thriving online business- selling gifts of revenge at top dollar. Second, Sam’s hacienda is haunted…with sex perverts, of course. But that’s not her biggest problem, no, the bigger problem is being on the radar of smugglers and drug Lords and mystical lovers whom, by all appearance, want to consummate their love and come back from the dead to rule the world- through Tara.
Howard is Tara's grounding wire in this world- but will he be able to handle the chaos and stick around? Or bigger question, will she let him?
I loved Envy.exe, even more than the first. Containing the same characters and a setting that breathes Hemingway, I loved revisiting them. Mostly though, I loved getting to see this side of Sam. Why? Because, I wanted to tame that man from the time he tilted those shades down, and flashed his baby blues. I knew there was more to him- there just had to be. And, thankfully, we do get to plumb below the surface persona here, yesssssss!
Still. This is all about Tara and you gotta love her in all her insecurities. (Oh don’t think I don’t see behind your cruel indifference, Missy.) You got a lot of heart Girl, and that’s why I keep coming back for more.
Finally, Ms. Cruciger? You have a warped sense of revenge, you sicko, which makes me only wish I was half as clever. ;) I bow down before you. (less)
Whereas I truly enjouyed the latest edition to the Mercy T series, I did have a few issues with the ending. (Felt a little kitchen-sinkie)
The book sta...moreWhereas I truly enjouyed the latest edition to the Mercy T series, I did have a few issues with the ending. (Felt a little kitchen-sinkie)
The book starts out with Mercy black Friday shopping with her step daughter. A moment of anxiety causes an accident in traffic crushing her beloved VW rabbit, and soon after, she discovers through her mate bond, that her husband- alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack- is in trouble. Deep trouble.
Adam has been kidnapped, along with the rest of the pack, and only Mercy, one wounded werewolf- along with whichever magical person she can gather to aid her- are left to figure out how to rescue them.
One thing's for sure, Adam's in pain and she can't sit around waiting...
Okay, I really liked seeing the tightening of Adam and Mercy's mate-bond- and how deep it runs- in Frost Burned. I also loved her accepting her coyote nature- she really doesnt care who sees her skinwalker alter ego anymore- as well as her true magic that comes along with it. Adam's true nature is dane-ger-ous and his love (and protectiveness) for Mercy sure brings it out! Love it or hate it- he's a werewolf and can and will tear. you. up. (literally) if you mess with one of his.
What I didnt buy was who ended being the people behind the kidnapping. (view spoiler)[ vampire politics? again?? srsly?? And then some dude who barely had a mention before this is the big bad?? wha??? she should have stuck with the goverment-made more sense. (hide spoiler)]. As much as I love her, felt like PB was just throwing stuff at the plot to bring back a beloved character or two- or hated as the case may be- just to end the book quickly. I dunno- felt sorta out-of-no-whereish and rushed. ::shrug::
Would have been a total 5 star for me otherwise, because I hated having to put the book down!(less)
First- I watched the BBC miniseries for Gaskell’s North and South long before I read the novel and I have to say... I’m so glad I did! What an awesome...moreFirst- I watched the BBC miniseries for Gaskell’s North and South long before I read the novel and I have to say... I’m so glad I did! What an awesome thing to have the perfect cast that was BBC North and South running around in my head as I read this! Second- Richard Armitage portrayed Thornton perfectly- not a perfect match to the book- but perfectly how I would relate best to him. It was fun though, getting in his head a bit more- I actually believe all the feelings seen in the book were inside RA’s portrayal- he just expressed it through his eyes and silence. I’m serious- he spoke volumes when he said nothing at all- and Holy COW did it make the story all the richer.
But we’re talking about the book- so here goes.
Written in the 1850’s as a social novel on industrial class vs common worker- let’s face it, Gaskell is no D H Lawerance. And THANK GOD- (man I hated Lady Chatterly’s Lover). Unlike his work, I found North and South engaging AND it made a point- albeit better formed in the tv series. Sure it's no high brow novel, but I sometimes get tired of those stories that think itself rather important. So important it doesnt mind leaving behind the reader to make it's overblown point.
Set in Milton, a fictional town in the North of England, North and South opens with our heroine, Margaret Hale, living in the peaceful south of England, but soon forced to leave her home for the dirty, smoky Milton. It’s harsh in the industiral North and utterly foreign to the life she once lived- even down to how a northerner welcomes a lady vs a southern way. Because she’s no shinking violet, despite her upbringing, she quickly finds herself in the middle of a clash between employers and workers- with her having “friends” on both sides. On the one hand, her first real friends are the lower class Higgons’ whom welcome her despite their differences. On the other hand- the Thorntons, led by Mr. Thornton, not titled, but a captain of the Cotton trade. He helps Margaret’s father settle in even as Mr. Hale, an educated man who left the vicarage on some vague matter of conscious, tutors Mr. Thornton, whom obviously values education. Despite this, immediately Mr. Thornton and Margaret clash, for he’s instantly attracted to her and she’s startled by his forceful opinions and attitudes toward the workers who have now become her friends.
Misunderstandings ensue between them ala Darcy and Lizzie Bennet, even down to a rejected proposal, but, in the end, they soften each other and find a balance- both between their feelings for each other and differences between workers and employers around the time of the first organized strikes.
Seriously, I enjoyed this book. I think the author did a fantastic job of making the reader feel sympathetic to the working poor by couching a romance in the midst of the turmoil.
If you’re a romance lover but not into reading the classics, do yourself a favor and rent the dvd. You’ll thank me for it. (less)
A peek in the window of womens' lives from a culture I must admit not understanding. Still their stories, are many womens'...
This is a thin book of cl...moreA peek in the window of womens' lives from a culture I must admit not understanding. Still their stories, are many womens'...
This is a thin book of clear, honest(the book begins with a woman bored and embittered by her husband...in the middle of intercourse), concise, relateable- but mostly sad- short short stories written by an arab woman untainted by western influence, (according to the back cover). Important book imo.
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