Opening line: "Ok. Don't panic. It's only a Visa bill. It's a piece of paper, a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be?"
It's been ag...moreOpening line: "Ok. Don't panic. It's only a Visa bill. It's a piece of paper, a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be?"
It's been ages since I’ve read any chick-lit but when I found this book amidst a bunch of “free stuff” left at the mail boxes (ironic hey, its about overspending and I find it for free) Anyways I grabbed it (along with some other useless crap) and immediately started chuckling.
Reminding me very much of Bridget Jones's Diary, this was an equally fun read, that had me LOL more than once at the antics, irrational decisions and downward spiral of a shopaholic who, oh yeah also just happens to be a financial journalist. Here Becky Bloomwood counts $$ like Bridget counts calories; binging with shopping sprees, going on cost cutting diets, avoiding the shops, scheming about how to make more money (because she can‘t possibly spend less and just HAS to have that new white coat)
Becky is an irresistible heroine but she generally makes a mess of things and it was super fun watching her make bad decisions as she fumbles through her job at Successful Savings, shopping away her lunch hours while trying to avoid her bank managers calls.
Speaking of which her over stimulated Visa card almost becomes a character of its own here, and her bank manager eventually does with the inclusion of hilarious letters from Endwich Bank and the ever inventive ways Becky finds to not pay her Visa bill or in most cases ever even receive it.
Ah yes, there’s also romance, intrigue, adventures in Indian cooking, unsuccessful part time jobs, a stalker(?) best friends, copious amounts of champagne drinking and a fantastic ending that will leave you smiling. This is an all around feel good book that reminded me why every once in a while some chick lit is a fabulous thing and best of all this was free…
And let’s face it we’ve all been there with the credit card bills which we tend to ignore as soon as that excited feeling hits us upon first entering a store. 268jb5(less)
Opening Line: "The day my life changed started out like any other."
So I have to admit this was surprisingly good. Surprising because I’m not anywhere...moreOpening Line: "The day my life changed started out like any other."
So I have to admit this was surprisingly good. Surprising because I’m not anywhere near the demographic the book is aiming at. For starters I’m far (far) from being a YA (although admittedly I do sometimes still act like it) I’ve never read any of the books from L.J Smith’s original series and I’m only a casual fan of the TV show. (Oh, but those Salvatore boys are yummy to look at) However Stefan’s Dairies was a great read and stands perfectly fine on its own, completely separate from either series, except of course for using the same characters and town setting.
Based on historical flashbacks shown briefly in the TV series, here we get to go back to the “origin” of the Salvatore brothers, set during the civil war before they became vampires. The writing is simple but the story is complete and very good with elements of suspense and romance throughout; Stefan trying to live up to his fathers expectations, young love and the jealousy yet unbreakable bond between two brothers as they vie for the same mysterious woman.
I wouldn’t have any trouble recommending this to anyone (of any age) who enjoys historical romances as it can easily be read as a stand alone without ever having seen the TV show or reading the original series. However it is pretty nice to be able to use Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder as visual references :)
Its 1864 and seventeen year old Stefan Salvatore has just proposed marriage to a girl he doesn’t love. As his overbearing father grooms him to take over the family estate his wayward brother Damon returns from the still raging Civil war and a beautiful girl named Katherine moves into the carriage house. Recently orphaned Katherine is everything his betrothed is not; seductive and mischievous she also harbours a grave secret and has fully captured the attention of both Salvatore brothers. When strange killings begin to occur within the town, Stefan’s father organizes a lynch mob to track down the killers. It seems there be vampires in Mystic Falls. Cheers(less)
“What are we if not an accumulation of our memories?”
Really, really enjoyed this one (thanks Tamster) even though suspense/thrillers aren’t my usual g...more“What are we if not an accumulation of our memories?”
Really, really enjoyed this one (thanks Tamster) even though suspense/thrillers aren’t my usual genre. The premise here reminds me of the movie 50 First Dates -girl wakes up each morning with no memories of the previous day(s) and essentially relives each new day as her first, being told about her accident and looking at photographs of her missing life. This isn’t a comedy though. The story here is dark and mysterious, with an impending sense of everyone/everything is not as it seems. As the reader you have the task of trying to figure it out who the bad guy is, who’s lying to Christine and why. I didn’t figure that out or see the big twist coming until I was right on top of it, so this was a super fun read for me.
At times the story does get repetitive because we’re continually in Christine’s head, being retold or reading and relearning everything from her journal over and over again. By the same token the first person narrative also got to be a bit much but really this couldn’t have been written any other way.
We begin with Christine waking up in a stranger’s bed. She can’t remember how she got there but her twenty-something self tells her that she must have hooked up with the man at a party. Christine is not hung over though and soon learns that she’s no longer in twenties either but from the same decade as the middle aged man washing up in the bathroom. And now he’s telling her that he’s her husband Ben, and that she suffered a devastating injury resulting in a rare form of amnesia, leaving her unable to retain memories from one day to the next.
Left alone Christine begins to putter about the house, what does she do all day anyways? Does it matter? She soon receives a phone call from a man claiming to be her Doctor; he explains that she has been keeping a journal and where it is hidden. It is through this journal that Christine begins to piece her life back together, forming a fragmented picture from those she is supposed to trust. But not everything adds up and as the days go by and the journal entries get longer Christine realizes that she is receiving two different versions of her life from her Doctor and her husband.
Relying completely on the journal Christine begins testing her husband and finally doubting herself as confusing memories return. Are they real? When the last day’s journal entry reads “Don’t trust Ben” who will she turn to? What is the truth?
I found this scary and sad in the sense that Christine has lost 20 years of her life. Imagine being in college and waking up at 45! Repeating the same day over and over, not knowing what is real, just relying on those you think you can trust. Realizing that you’ve probably been having the same conversations, asking the same questions and being told the same horrible truths (lies) every day.
This was a great read, it’s not perfect but made me stop and think. It has also been optioned for film by Ridley Scott’s production company. And I think it will make a fantastic movie.
Opening Line: “Guido Calvani took another turn along the hospital corridor, trying not to think of his uncle, lying behind the closed door, desperatel...moreOpening Line: “Guido Calvani took another turn along the hospital corridor, trying not to think of his uncle, lying behind the closed door, desperately ill.”
Ah Venice, what a beautiful character you portrayed in this book. Actually you may have been my favourite part of this book. The romance and mystic of Venice is captured perfectly here, bringing to life the maze of streets and canals, the language, food and music. Throw in a handsome gondolier, a parody of secrets, a jilted P.I and you’ve got yourselves a great escape, all without leaving your house.
To me this reads very much like a play, with every character trying to cover up their true identity through a comedy of errors. The romance is sweetly done with some great angst however this is clean romance so nobody gets naked. The real story here is Venice, everything else is just a backdrop.
Dulcie Maddox is a private investigator, in Italy on her latest assignment. It’s a plum job, as she’s to pose as an heiress on vacation in the hopes of catching the lowly gondolier scamming the young daughter of her client. The daughter claims to be in love but Dulcie is set to prove her gondolier is just after the money. However the joke may be on her client because Guido Calvani is no simple gondolier scratching a living but actually an Italian aristocrat heir to the Calvani title. He’s simply helping out a friend and enjoys the life of the canals.
Upon meeting there is an immediate attraction between our couple and as predicted Guido asks if he can show Dulcie the real Venice. Within days they are in love. Guido enjoys being with a woman who wants him for something other then his title and Dulcie is wondering how she is ever going to get out of this assignment with her heart intact.
However all is not what it seems and when Guido discovers he’s not the only one hiding a secret his world is turned upside down with everything coming to a head at what else but a masquerade ball. And that people is amore. Salute(less)
Opening Line: "I suppose the important thing is to make some sort of difference."
So I’m going to try to write a somewhat sensible review here that doe...moreOpening Line: "I suppose the important thing is to make some sort of difference."
So I’m going to try to write a somewhat sensible review here that doesn’t come across as all gushy fan-girl. I will say (hopefully only once) that I adored this book but you should know that I'm a bit of a sucker for a tragedy too. ONE DAY was brilliant in every way; making me laugh and cry while filling me with nostalgia and longing. And because I’m the same age as Dexter and Emma the time frame here was also totally relatable (see nostalgia) with little details I had forgotten about from the past two decades.
Equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious yet also suspenseful as each chapter takes place a year to the day after the last one so you have to figure out what’s happened in that time between. And of course you want the H/h to get together so you’re waiting with bated breathe for them to finally “see” each other too. In the end this also made me want to seize the day like it’s my last, phone up all my long lost friends and lovers and look at old photographs. Hmmm and I haven’t even gotten into the genius of the writing yet (how do you put that into words?)
I knew that writing a review here was going to be difficult (when you love a book this much there doesn’t seem to be enough correct words to do it justice) and I promised myself to just keep this short and to the point so here goes... This is one of the most hilarious, perceptive, witty, moving and heartbreaking books I have ever read.
Told in 5 parts in alternating POV’s and over a span of twenty years Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley meet in 1988. Em has just graduated from university and hooked up with that boy she’s seen around for ages. He is Dexter, beautiful, pretentious and in his mind destined for greatness. As the sun rises they drink wine and talk about their futures. They have their whole lives stretching out ahead of them in an endless number of days and isn’t it going to be wonderful they can achieve anything they want to.
Starting as lovers Dexter and Emma continue as friends and the book joins them on July 15th of each year (St Swithin’s day) through their 20’s and 30’s and into their 40’s. As anyone in their 40’s knows, life happens and it doesn’t always go as planned, missed opportunities and the like.
“When I was younger everything seemed possible. Now nothing does.”
Through phone calls and letters, in different countries and towns, through assorted relationships, jobs and life’s little surprises and ruts we join Em and Dex each year in a unique snapshot of their life. They don’t always get along but they do think about each other everyday in some way and in case you haven’t figured it out this is ultimately a love story.
I can’t say much more about this without giving it all away. But when I read the last word I wanted to start it again and nothing I’ve tried to read since compares. Cheers.
“Live each day as if it’s your last, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that?” (less)
Opening Line: Damn, I think I’m dying, dying for sure. Okay first off this is not my usual reading fare (the cartoon skull at the beginning and end of...moreOpening Line: Damn, I think I’m dying, dying for sure. Okay first off this is not my usual reading fare (the cartoon skull at the beginning and end of each chapter should have clued me in) I’m not a Wrestling fan, I only knew who Stone Cold Steve Austin was because he was everywhere in the late 90’s and I have two younger brothers. In going over this book for my review I realized it was going to be very hard not to rip it to pieces what with all the skulls and awesome little quotes like this one:
“DTA, you stupid piece of trash. Don’t ever trust anybody. You ain’t gonna be my partner…never! ‘Cause you are a longhair freak, and you suck! -Austin to Mankind, after giving him the ‘stone cold stunner’ -which I now know how to do should I ever feel the need.
Why did I read this you ask? Well you see I was trapped at a secluded fishing cabin for a week without power, in the rain and I ran out of stuff to read. This just happened to be lying around (I guess its good fishing material?) Anyways due to the short chapters, cold weather, absence of television and amount of cool pictures involved here, before I knew it I was done. So I’m going to try to review this impartially, from the point of a 12 year old boy and wrestling fan. Which is I’m sure who it was aimed at, not a forty year old romance reader. Oh in case you were wondering the fishing was great.
We begin with Stone Cold preparing for his final fight in WrestleMania against The Rock (yum!) Steve’s having a bit of an episode from the amount of energy drinks and coffee he’s been ingesting and may just be having a heart attack. (FYI Chapter one is 8 pages long and contains 2 skulls, 3 almost full page photographs and a POV from his mentor Jim Ross) Then for Chapter two (which is 4 pages long) we go way back to the beginning, briefly following Austin’s childhood, growing up in Texas. He talks about his family, his brothers and love of sports; football and tennis in particular. Repeating often how important it is to respect and listen to your parents and stay in school. About 30 pages in Steve drops out of college and goes to Wrestling school and the rest as they say is history.
Well sort of. We also get tidbits from his early career when he was on the road and didn’t have any money, surviving on potatoes. Theres lots of stories about promoters and other wrestlers he met along the way into the WWF. He talks a bit about drugs and friends lost, feuds in the business and what really went down. We meet his first wife, second wife and third. We learn the story behind the “What?” gimmick, “Hell yeah”, the middle finger salute and why its more fun to be heel then a baby face (even though you’ll sell less merchandise) He also discusses his numerous injuries and what he would change about the wrestling business.
In the end I think one of my biggest problems with this book was that it was just assumed that you knew all the background behind any of the stories he was telling, so he only ever told half the story. As a wrestling fan I’m sure the half you get is awesome but as someone reading it just for the biography aspect it was a little confusing. Can anyone tell me what he was on probation for? I also never felt like I got to know the real Steve Austin as there wasn’t any insight given into his personal life. As I said theres a ton of freaking photos, like every page, as well as wrestling quotes, letters and documents all interspersed with commentary from his mother, father and good friend Jim "J.R” Ross. oh and all the skulls.
And that’s the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so. Cheers(less)
Opening line: “Life is short. Break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that makes you smile.”
Rea...moreOpening line: “Life is short. Break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that makes you smile.”
Reading about rock stars and their insane lives of excess is one of my guilty pleasures. I find the rise to success intriguing and then there are always the drugs, the girls, the inevitable rehab, more rehab and the stories behind the story. You know, how a song originated, what the lyrics really mean, why he fell off the stage. Then there’s also the feuds with band mates, personal relationships and dirty little secrets of other stars they party with.
Steven Tyler's bio is no different, all the goods are here, and he doesn’t hold anything back (understatement) the only thing is in order to get to “the goods” you have to wade through utter randomness to find them. Yes Steve the noise is your head does bother me because most of the time I can’t keep up with what you’re talking about.
This is written exactly how Tyler talks (and sings) with a what-will-he-say next, conversationally feel to it. And while its fun it’s also bizarre, crazy and at times difficult to follow. Jumping all over the place without a logical timeline and obscure song lyrics and poems thrown in whenever he feels like it. He wants to sniff J.Lo, he’s doing lines on tour, he’s driving around in a yellow convertible with some hot babe, suddenly he’s back in school, he’s married, he’s in rehab, it’s all Joe Perry’s fault, this is what black tastes like, I like to walk naked in my garden and talk to the fairies.
Page 90-“I sat down at the drums and wrote the drum line for Walk This Way. You want the story now or when we get to Toys in the Attic? Hey, I never said this was gonna be a completely linear read. How could it be? (Ha!) But we’re on DRUMS so… what the f---”
Anyways maybe if I were a true Aerosmith fan I would have appreciated this more, I don’t know? As it was though once I was able to turn the noise down there was a lot of interesting stuff here because at 63 and with 40 years in the business Steve has seen and done it all with everyone.
As expected theres a ton of drug use here which actually gets kind of boring after a while I will admit though at being surprised when after 12 years of sobriety, a slew of health problems (Hepatitis C, false brain tumour diagnosis, torn ACL, broken blood vessel in throat and all the problems with his twisted feet) sent him spinning out of control with an addiction to post surgery pain meds and back for an 8th stint in rehab in 2009.
He goes into great detail about his wardrobe and scarves which I’m sure will interest some and although his “brother” Joe Perry’s name is mentioned throughout we learn little about their ongoing love/hate relationship. We also hear about his wives (3 and counting), his children (4 and counting) and how Aerosmith always came before his family. I personally found the sections on song writing super interesting; the process, what the lyrics mean or in his case don’t because sometimes he just likes how the words feel on his tongue.
With 32 pages of great photos fans will lick this up however I could only give it 3 stars because it took me ages to finish and at times drove me mad. (less)
Opening Line:"As soon as she heard the sound, Stevie knew without looking that it was the mystery man."
Stevie’s Chase was a super little read that rea...moreOpening Line:"As soon as she heard the sound, Stevie knew without looking that it was the mystery man."
Stevie’s Chase was a super little read that really surprised me, I mean I wasn’t expecting much based on the cover however I was blown away by the depths of this love story. In fact the entire (Holt) series is just fantastic especially if you’re anything like me and have a thing for the tortured heroes and the angst. Oh the angst. It literally drips off the pages here as we watch our tormented hero Chase try (unsuccessfully) not to fall in love with his neighbour Stevie.
I adored this couple; I mean I was really pulling for them. Davis manages to get right into their heads, writing some of the most poignant and extended (due to all the introspective feelings flying around) love scenes I’ve ever read. And while I admit that this was a bit slow in getting started I really enjoyed the fact that Chase’s “dark” past wasn’t revealed right away. In fact Davis keeps the reader guessing until almost the end of the book as to all of Chase’s secrets. Who is after Chase? Why is he on the run? What’s the deal with the scar? Is he a bad guy? The biker dude persona and gun tell us he is yet he’s so troubled and selfless when it comes to love and nothing like his outer bad-boy exterior suggests. Theres a scene where Chase leaves Stevie to keep her away from the nightmare of his past and … jeez it just kills me to see tough guys cry. Anyways I’m ranting here, this was a really great read; moving, well written, suspenseful, anguished and oh so romantic.
Chase Sullivan is very aware that getting close to anyone means putting their lives in jeopardy. He’s made that mistake before so despite the fact that he lives in a close knit apartment complex he keeps himself to himself, there are no pleasantries with the neighbours, not even the beautiful strawberry blonde, Stevie that lives next door and keeps him awake at night wishing things were different.
When Chase falls ill it’s Stevie that nurses him back to health, following his no hospital rule without question. It becomes just the two of them, allowing Chase to let down his walls for the first time in years and feel a little goodness and light in the form of his sweet neighbour. He’s been so lonely and despite trying time and again to push her away Stevie accepts his strange habits and no questions asked policy and they fall for each other. Big time. Now while Stevie is kinda written as the perfect heroine it worked for me here because she’s not an idiot either.
Eventually Chase’s past does catch up with him and as I mentioned earlier he leaves to protect her in an absolutely heartbreaking scene. And its not until Stevie begins her search for him that we that we finally learn the extent of this deep dark past. The ending held quite a few surprises for me and then just when I thought HEA had been reached Davis pulled out one last suspense card.
Opening Line:"Hospitals. He’d sworn once that he would never set foot in on again."
Sean Holt was left (you guessed it) standing at the altar. Without...moreOpening Line:"Hospitals. He’d sworn once that he would never set foot in on again."
Sean Holt was left (you guessed it) standing at the altar. Without so much as a backwards glance Aurora Sheridan (Rory) broke his heart and spirit without ever bothering to explain why. Instead a week later she just up and married another man and left town for good.
Sean had once thought that losing his leg and a promising athletic career would be the worst pain he’d ever have to face. He was wrong. It took a year long binge of self pity and then another four years of hard work to get himself back together after Rory but he’s finally in a good place now, having started a successful business he’s matured and gained back his self confidence. Although he’s never been able to let go of the pain and bitterness he feels towards the only woman he’s ever wanted.
Now with the death of her wealthy father Rory’s back in town; sporting a serious black eye, an abusive, brute of a husband and a ton of regret for the hurt she caused and the mess she’s made of her life. With her fathers passing Rory’s husband has become violent and his true agenda has come to light, leaving her nowhere to turn except to Sean. But if she wants his help she’s got some serious explaining to do. Will he even listen to her reasons for leaving let alone give them another chance?
This was a pretty good, standard Harlequin read; the love scenes are few but certainly spicy enough, theres angst a-plenty, and while the middle part dragged a bit for me as our couple hunted down a locket, jewellery box and key the ending was romantic and very suspenseful.
You can also tell that Davis has done her research here when it comes to prosthetics and living a physically challenged lifestyle however, while I appreciated our hero being an amputee I almost felt like it was talked about or used as a reason ‘why’ for everything too much. The reason why Rory left him, the reason why her father didn’t want her to marry him. Why he could/couldn’t defend himself or walk in sand. It was just mentioned in one way or another, every single page while Davis still maintained that Sean was a whole man and more then just his leg. In contradiction by mentioning it every page she wouldn’t let us forget about it. Maybe that was the point, IDK?
Written in 93/94, this is a great older Harlequin series (despite the now lame covers) with a real penchant for the tortured hero. Do yourself a favour though and read it in order. I randomly picked up book#3 The Morningside Of Dawn and then fell so in love with its sublime wounded hero Dar Cordell (sigh) that I’ve been on the hunt ever since to find the rest of the series. Cheers people.
I think I enjoyed this even more the second time around because I wasn't speeding through. I particularly liked how Ward brought this whole story in a...moreI think I enjoyed this even more the second time around because I wasn't speeding through. I particularly liked how Ward brought this whole story in a giant circle with pasts meeting presents.
**Spoiler Free** In trying to review LOVER MINE two words keep popping into my head; Amazing and Damn… just damn. How can I honestly put into words how much I loved this story and how sad I am that it’s over? Following a year long wait JR Wards 8th instalment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood finally made its way into my eager little hands. At 512 pages LOVER MINE is huge (with a fantastic cover) and I’m happy to report that it does not disappoint, in fact with John Mathews long awaited story the WARDen positively shines.
Fans are given exactly what we’ve been waiting for with ever evolving storylines, multiple POV’s, surprises, tragedies, plot twists, ass-kicking action,(Xhex much) humour and oh the romance. Completed here with erotic, blush-worthy love scenes and of course the inevitable struggle and heartache. I can tell you that this story brought me to tears more than once and not for the reasons you might expect. All of this awesomeness has been wrapped up with Wards unique style of writing, complete with product placements, rap music, unique street language, multiple f-bombs and a whole new batch of cool Wardisms I can’t wait to start using, you feel me.
The series is brought full circle within this book with loose ends cleverly tied together and resolutions brought to story threads we’ve had growing and brewing since the beginning. Sadly I realized that even with Ward continuing indefinitely JM/Darius will be the last of the original brothers to have his story told and that with this book being red, just like book 1 (Dark Lover) she’s given us book ends of a sort.
With us since the beginning, in this instalment we finally get John Mathew (and Darius‘s) story. Of all the characters John is the one we have the greatest sense of and have invested the most time in, having watched him change from a scrawny, neglected and abused pre-trans into an enormous, and angry male with a ton of fricken baggage. His pairing with the half Sympath Xhex has been in the works for some time now and with her abduction in the end of (Lover Avenged) we have the perfect place to begin their story. (Which I’m not going to give away) I will say however that I was pleased to see reflections of the sweet, sensitive John we remember (only now oozing sex appeal) and witness a softer side of Xhex. As always their path to HEA is not an easy one but its fun and sexy as hell watching them open up to each other and get there.
As a whole the storyline blew my mind. With three very separate and distinct running plotlines, (which at first had me wondering, where the hell is this going?) Ward manages to merge all the puzzle pieces together into WOW, bringing us deliciously full circle. Darker and more serious than past books my only real complaint would be the lack of banter between the Brothers and the Brothers as a whole. The moments that we’re given are excellent and while they’re all represented to a degree (some more than others) I insatiably craved more and truly missed them. Qhuinn and Blay, each now with their own POV manage to somewhat fill the gap who along with Saxton bring a different degree of heartache, sexiness and hot mess to the mix. Lash is also back as the Lessening societies leader and surprisingly awesome here as he takes things to a whole new gooey level of evil.
In the end Ward leaves us smiling with contentment, with new characters emerging and events opening up for future stories that I can’t wait to discover. I just wish it wasn’t so far away because I find that after getting just 3 days with the BDB its already time to leave them again and I’m not quite ready to let them go yet. See ya next year boys, stay safe Cheers!
Oh, and in case you were wondering Ward dedicates this book to John Mathew himself(which was what started my first crying jag)
Opening line: "She was the most beautful thing he'd ever seen."
I have no idea where I picked this book up but what a fabulous find especially if you’r...moreOpening line: "She was the most beautful thing he'd ever seen."
I have no idea where I picked this book up but what a fabulous find especially if you’re anything like me and have a soft spot for the wounded heroes. Written in 96 and the last in a trilogy (which I’m now actively searching for) TMSOD contains one of the most seriously shut-off and tortured heroes I’ve come across since JR Ward’s Zsadist.
Dar Cordell is bitter, standoffish, intimidating and often just downright mean. Allowing precious few into his inner circle, and even those he manages to keep at arms length. Dar is also impossibly handsome, a superior athlete and a double leg amputee, preferring a wheelchair to his seldom used prosthetics. This is one hero with a serious chip on his shoulder, belittling and biting out at everyone while using his missing legs as an excuse to shut himself off from the world.
Still, Dar would have to be up there with my top tortured heroes of all time because given the right circumstances (as is the case here) this unlikely romantic lead quickly gains your sympathy. So that despite his attitude he becomes desirable as you gain understanding as to why he is the way he is. And as it turns out Dar’s issues have very little to do with his legs.
The actual story here is pretty standard Harlequin romance; following supermodel Cassie “Cassandra” Cameron as she grows tired of the superficial world of modeling and escapes to her brothers for a much needed vacation. Of course then we have her stalker, and when he catches up with Cassie the only place she has left to turn is to her brother’s friend Dar. Forcing this reluctant couple together while the police investigate.
I really liked Cassie, despite her supermodel status she reads like a real person, managing to call Dar on his crap, which is just what he needs. As it turns out she‘s just as stubborn as he is and faces some of the same issues too, with the public just assuming she’s nothing more then her looks.
The sparks really fly between this couple with a palpable level of sexual tension throughout, despite the fact that Dar continually pushes Cassie away because he just can’t believe she would ‘want’ him. However when they finally make it into bed lookout, its smoking hot and sweetly intimate.
You can definitely tell that Davis has done her research here as we learn about the different types of wheelchairs (Dar designs racing chairs) hand controlled driving, and what it feels like to be looked down on or just looked through. And because Cassie moves in with Dar we also learn about modified kitchens and bathrooms, wheelchair ramps and accessibility issues in general.
All in all I loved this story and if it wasn’t for the authors annoying overuse of the word “Chagrin” this would have been a 5 star read. Cheers people! (less)
Opening Line: “He doesn’t wait until I’m awake. He comes into my unconscious to find me, to pull me out.”
I knew almost nothing about Portia De Rossi b...moreOpening Line: “He doesn’t wait until I’m awake. He comes into my unconscious to find me, to pull me out.”
I knew almost nothing about Portia De Rossi before reading her gripping biography. Sure I’d seen her years ago on Ally McBeal. I knew she was beautiful, I knew she was married to Ellen DeGeneres and I had just assumed she was another perfect movie star living the dream with a life to be envious of. This is so not the case here.
Unbearable Lightness is brutal, scary, well written and shocking in its honesty, chronicling Portia’s almost lifelong struggle with an eating disorder. We bare witness as she yo-yo diets through the ages of 12-25 binging and purging, basing her happiness on the number on the scale. Then finally (through the help of a nutritionist) we watch as Portia becomes successful at “dieting.” Starving and excessively excising her way down to 82 lbs. Sad, frightening, tortuous and just plain crazy, this was engrossing yet at times painful to read.
We are given some insight into Portia’s life however this does not read like your standard memoir, focusing almost exclusively on her eating disorder and shying away from any real understanding of her career or personal relationships. In a vague sense we learn of Portia’s childhood in Australia, her early modeling days, first marriage in Los Angeles and almost invisible, worthless feelings associated with Ally McBeal. The only behind the scenes we get there are regarding her fittings and the size of her powers suits. Portia’s sexuality is discussed but again vaguely, mainly it’s as a fear of being exposed and her confusion living life as a closeted gay woman.
Throughout we get the feeling that Portia doesn’t feel she deserves anything, to say she has low self esteem would be an understatement, she has no self esteem. She is lonely, obsessed with food and calorie counting and her only real relationship is with her treadmill. Basing any happiness on losing weight, because everything will be perfect if she can just lose 5-10-15 lbs. As a warning; during the height of her disease this begins to read a bit like a how-to-guide for the anorexic and I would bare this in mind if you’re at all going to be using this book as a form of recovery tool.
During one Christmas Portia hits her lowest weight. At 82 lbs she’s consuming just 300 calories a day. She knows she’s too thin, she’s hiding her bony arms and her family is crying at the sight of her however she no longer knows how to eat, food scares her and she’s afraid of going back to the binging/purging and self hatred.
Eventually on a movie set DeRossi’s body can longer take the abuse; she’s sick, exhausted and her bones ache. She has also developed osteoporosis and lupus and has to start eating. Portia’s recovery process here is insightful, uplifting and beautifully done and I really wish her the best. Cheers
This was the scariest passage for me; “I hadn’t eaten for many hours and my calorie count was fairly low that day, I would allow myself to have a piece of Extra chewing gum. I always allowed myself to have gum, but at 5 calories a stick, I had to add it to my daily calorie allowance because it was these kinds of unrecorded calories that could build up and cause you to gain weight.”
-Portia proceeds to “pig out” in a self described “frenzied feeding.” Consuming the entire pack of gum in a matter of minutes. Then filled with guilt over what she’s done and terrified she’ll gain weight again she begins running sprints (in high heels) across the mall parking lot, in a desperate attempt to rid her body of the calories and maintain control. (less)
Opening Line: “It was about nine o’clock one bleak November day that the key rattles in the heavy lock of my cell in the Lubyanka Prison and the two b...moreOpening Line: “It was about nine o’clock one bleak November day that the key rattles in the heavy lock of my cell in the Lubyanka Prison and the two broad-shouldered guards marched purposely in.”
Wow what an amazing story, epic is I guess more the word I’m looking for. I read this after watching the movie The Way Back and as is usually the case the book is much better, vastly different yet obviously maintaining the gist of the year long trek across an entire continent to freedom. As a point of interest (or not) Colin Farrell’s tattooed gang character does not exist in the book. Anyways…
Slavomir Rawicz wrote this memoir in 1959 as a form of therapy to escape the memories that still haunted him. It has lost nothing with time however and remains one of the most incredible journeys of strength, endurance and human spirit you’ll ever read.
Its 1941 and “Slav” has just spent two years in a Soviet prison. After multiple beatings and interrogations at the hands of the sadistic prison guard “the Bull” he is eventually found guilty of espionage (?) and sentenced to 25 years forced labour in a Siberian work camp. (These sections were actually some of the most brutal in the whole book)
Thus begins his journey. Transferred during the dead of winter Slav somehow survives the 3000 mile cattle car train ride and subsequent chain gang death march into inner Siberia and camp 303 in Yakutsk After enduring starvation, cold, illness and brutality he and six other prisoners escape.
Together they cross an entire continent on foot with nothing more than an axe, a knife, a weeks worth of food and an unbreakable will to live. Covering some of the most inhospitable conditions on earth they travel out of Siberia and through China, across the Gobi dessert into Tibet and finally over the Himalayas and into British India. This is where the epic part comes in because their journey is so brutal, so filled with despair and suffering its at times unbelievable and also impossible to put down.
The LONG WALK is written factually and Slav doesn’t ever tell us how he feels, he just gives a meticulous account of what is taking place. However for this type of storytelling it was perfect. Included in this 1997 version is an afterwards with some of the readers most persistent questions answered. What Slav’s life was like after The Long Walk, What happened to the other men? Did he ever see them again?
This is a story I won’t ever forget and I highly recommend. I mean they walked from Siberia to India, just think about that for a second.(less)
Opening Line: "Meow,"Tessa Sheridan frowned at the grey-and-white cat perched next to her on the sofa."
A lot of people really liked this book, and it’...moreOpening Line: "Meow,"Tessa Sheridan frowned at the grey-and-white cat perched next to her on the sofa."
A lot of people really liked this book, and it’s received a ton of 5 star ratings, which is of course why I bought it, unfortunately though I struggled through it. I mean this was a real effort to finish, plodding through long drawn out repetitive scenes and way too many introspective conversations that added nothing to the overall story. Even with a hunky outlaw biker hero to drool over, sizzling love scenes, and several LOL moments I still came away kind of meh about the whole thing.
That’s not to say I hated it, because I didn’t, in fact there were several things that I really enjoyed, Toni Blake’s writing style for example and the way she incorporated random ideas into her characters and story; like dancing with Ellen and the numerous classic rock songs mentioned. I also liked the issue of our heroine dealing with Chron’s disease; this was a unique affliction and dealt with very well.
I think one of my favourite things though would have to be that Lucky as a “bad boy” biker actually speaks like a biker, he swears a lot and listens to AC/DC and Metallica. He has armloads of tattoos and a realistic past considering his gang ties. It was also obvious that Blake put some research into Harley motorcycles, specialized paint jobs and the MC language and lifestyle in general. But overall at almost 400 pages this felt like a VERY long drawn out Harlequin and would have held my interest a whole lot more and benefited with about 100 less pages.
In this 3rd instalment from the “Destiny” series Tessa Sheridan has returned to her quaint hometown of Destiny (lots of that going on in romanlandia these days) She’s had to leave her career in the big city because of a chronic illness and now all she wants to do is recover, spend time with family, and embrace life. Tessa wants to be a bit wild and experience things the old Tessa would never dream of, like skydiving, and having commitment free sex with her delicious biker dude neighbour.
However Lucky Roma may be a little more then the shy, sweet Tessa can handle, he not only looks the biker part but comes complete with a gang past and more skeletons in the closet then any woman should have to deal with. Still, Lucky has a way of making Tessa feel alive again and she just can‘t resist; he’s dangerous, sexy and exactly what she needs. What starts out as a fling soon becomes much more until Lucky’s past finally catches up with him and Tessa learns that this bad boy is in fact dangerous too and she may not know him at all(less)
Opening Line: “On the morning of August 29, 1988, a little more than two years after his wife had passed away, Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of h...moreOpening Line: “On the morning of August 29, 1988, a little more than two years after his wife had passed away, Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house, smoking a cigarette, watching as the rising sun slowly changed the morning sky from dusky grey to orange.”
Nicholas Sparks is like comfort food, I always know going in the kind of emotional love story I’m going to get and I can count on being sucked into the lives, loves and heartache of his small town characters. They’re written realistically, I mean I feel like I know them, flaws and all and I usually want to move to whatever town it is he’s describing. Sure sometimes the stories are predictable and I find that the couple de jour spouts the “I love you’s” too soon for my liking or realism’s sake but still his stories are always a pleasure to read, which is what keeps me coming back for more.
A BEND IN THE ROAD was a surprise in that it keeps a sense of mystery going throughout, often leaving the main couples love story and allowing us into the mind of the anonymous “bad guy”. Slowly unravelling their story until the shocking big reveal at the end. I honestly didn’t know how Sparks was going to wrap things up here, his couples doesn’t always end up together and that too added to the mystery.
Sheriff’s deputy Miles Ryan is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his beloved wife in a hit-and-run accident nearly two years ago. High school sweethearts, theirs was a love destined to last and Miles can’t seem to let go of the grief or the fact that as an officer of the law he’s been unable to find the person responsible. If it weren’t for their young son Jonah it’s unlikely that Miles would find the strength to get through the day.
Which brings into play Jonah’s second grade teacher Sarah Andrews. When Jonah begins having trouble keeping up in school Sarah offers to tutor him and a tentative relationship begins to form. Sarah is running away from a bad divorce (is there a good one?) and has a few skeletons in her closet as well. Our couple fall in love pretty fast (from one page to the next) and are just beginning to see a real future together when Miles’ past comes back, tearing everything apart. Unwilling to let go of his dead wife and obsessed with finding her killer and ultimately closure I can honestly say that I was surprised by events I didn’t see coming.
As I hinted at earlier I really enjoyed getting inside the head of the hit-and-run driver and slowly discovering who it was, becoming very sympathetic towards their situation. However I could have done without spending so much time running around with county sheriff Charlie and subsequently the middle parts of this story lagged. Still a recommended read. Cheers!(less)
Opening line:“As Katie wound her way among the tables, a breeze from the Atlantic rippled through her hair."
Wow, this is definitely one of the better...moreOpening line:“As Katie wound her way among the tables, a breeze from the Atlantic rippled through her hair."
Wow, this is definitely one of the better Sparks books I’ve read, I sure hope he keeps going in this darker, less sappy direction with the next book too. I picked up SAFE HAVEN during a very busy time in my life and still found it unputdownable. Full of twists and turns, mystery and surprise and a HUGE suspense factor throughout. Of course we also get the romance (nicely done) and it again takes place in a small North Carolina town (write what you know) but this was way darker then anything of Sparks’ I’ve read before.
With a slowly and deliciously unravelling story, we don’t ever get a huge background dump with any of the characters multiple POV’s instead their lives, secrets and issues are gradually introduced, which I loved. And the bad guy here, jeez he was horrible, and I mean that in a good way. The kind of character that you love to hate, but I also really enjoyed getting into his head, as he slowly fell apart. Intriguing, creepy and well written. I highly recommended this one even for those non-Nicholas Sparks fans; I think you’ll be surprised.
The story here is somewhat reminiscent of (A Bend in the Road)but way better, it also reminded me very much of that older Julia Roberts movie (Sleeping With the Enemy) but again its better then that too. I won’t give away too much here with the synopsis, its well worth discovering on your own. Cheers.
Katie is on the run, but the good people of Southport don’t know that, they’re too busy wondering what the pretty new waitresses’ story is and why she keeps to herself so much, after all everyone here knows everybody else. For the first time in months Katie is allowing herself to breathe again, she’s found a good paying job, a secluded place to live, and avoiding any personal ties should allow her enough time here to save some real money before she has to move on again.
What she hadn’t counted on was being drawn into the lives of anyone in this small town. First it was her outspoken single neighbour Jo, who only made her realize how much she missed having friends and then it was Alex, the widowed shop owner and his two adorable children. Slowly Katie is letting her guard down, growing attached and falling in love, allowing herself to dream of a future with a man that won’t hurt her. But Kevin is good and he’s on her trail.
I’ve just learned that this is going to be made into a movie, can’t wait. I just got a chill(less)
I am rapidly reaching the point with Megan Hart that if she were to write a phone book I’m pretty sure I...moreOpening Line: "This was the life she'd made."
I am rapidly reaching the point with Megan Hart that if she were to write a phone book I’m pretty sure I would read it because she’s just that good at making words beautiful. She also manages to put those words into exactly the emotions and private thoughts I assumed I was alone in having while weaving and layering together an achingly thoughtful story. And here with Precious And Fragile Things I’ve learned that she can hold my attention without the erotica too. Because this was so not erotic, it wasn’t even in any way a romance, in fact it was kind of disturbing. Yet in the end I would have to say that it was also amazing, because its lingered with me for days now.
I’ve never read anything like this before, (which I seem to say with each of Hart’s books) 99% of this takes place within a secluded, snowed in, mountain cabin and its here within those 4 walls, in a simple character study that we watch two very different yet equally damaged souls bounce off each other. By all rights this should have been boring and tedious read yet because of Hart’s gifts as a writer I was left utterly entranced.
Gilly Solomon is exhausted. Mentally and physically burnt out from the endless cycle of looking after her house, her husband, and her two young children. All she dreams about is a couple of hour’s peace, a break from the constant crying children, menial tasks, and endless demands to her time, someone to look after her for a change. Gilly’s at a breaking point the night a man jumps into her Suburban, holds a knife to her throat and tells her to drive. She isn’t thinking clearly when she manages to get the children out and she’s definitely lost it when they stop for gas and Gilly doesn’t run….
Now she’s stranded in a remote cabin with a dangerous knife wielding stranger who can’t release her because he fears going back to prison and she’s only got herself to blame. Time however forges a bond of sorts between the captor and the captive and as the snow piles up around them and the days turn into months she learns that her kidnapper -Todd is not the lunatic she first believed. He’s but a man shaped by his horrific past much in the same way Gilly is.
The tension throughout this is palpable by the end though the suspense was killing me because I had absolutely no idea how this was going to play out, and I knew there couldn’t really be any kind of conventional HEA. All I will say about “that” is I was VERY surprised by what did happen and my only disappointment in this book lies here as well, as I would have liked more details on the …afterwards. Cheers people.(less)
Cattleman Bran Turner (Bran, really!?) is left shorthanded during calving season and since rural Wyoming and in partic...moreOpening line:"You're firing me?"
Cattleman Bran Turner (Bran, really!?) is left shorthanded during calving season and since rural Wyoming and in particular the sleepy town of Muddy Gap doesn’t have an overabundance of qualified help he reluctantly hires Harper Masterson for the job. Now while this down on her luck, former beauty queen may not look the part of your typical ranch hand (the gem encrusted sunglasses and leopard print gloves are a dead giveaway) Harper proves to be a quick study and more then capable of gettin’ er done.
What starts out as a strictly a professional relationship of course builds into something more; Bran just can’t keep his eyes off Harpers curves and she in turn doesn’t mind getting down and dirty. He can’t believe that this gorgeous beauty queen would have anything to do with the likes of him and Harper well, she can’t believe what she’s been missing, who knew sex could be so good.
Besides there’s no harm done right? They’ve both agreed that this is only going to be a temporary affair, just until Bran’s injured help returns and Harpers younger sister Bailey graduates high school. A few weeks tops, then she’s outta this dusty little town, and never looking back, right?
If you’ve read any of Lorelei James’s other books (I highly recommend the Roughriders series) then you’ll know what to expect from this one. Erotic love scenes, emotion filled storylines, a couple of dustups at the local saloon and a whole town of unique characters and situations to keep you interested.
I have to be honest though, this book didn’t quite grab me like her Roughriders series always does and I was honestly surprised at how difficult a time I had getting into it. Neither of the main characters made much of an impression on me until later on in the book (which ended up being awesome) and I just never felt their supposed “spark”. And while the sex scenes where certainly steamy enough they lacked genuine emotion or even excitement of the usual level I’ve come to expect from James. It just seemed like our couple was going through the motions (sexy as they may be) and I had a hard time caring.
However like I said at around chapter 16 it all seemed to come together. With the ranch job ending, Harper is leaving, Bran’s not stopping her and nobody is talking about how they really feel. I also enjoyed the storyline involving her sister Bailey’s bombshell decision and *sigh, Bran’s last minute attempts at romance. For such a strong silent style he sure came out of his shell. Interesting events also open up for book #3 in the Blacktop Cowboys series; Wrangled and Tangled.(less)
Opening Line:"My grandfather, the knife fighter, killed two Germans before he was eighteen."
I came away from this feeling, very cold, very hungry and...moreOpening Line:"My grandfather, the knife fighter, killed two Germans before he was eighteen."
I came away from this feeling, very cold, very hungry and with an inexplicable need to make sure my pantry was full. CITY OF THIEVES is a fantastic story; set in 1942 during the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad. It’s a coming of age story filled with adventure, suspense, friendship, romance and tragedy all washed down with (from what I understand) a historically accurate picture of Leningrad during the blockade.
I should point out that despite the events of the time this is also a surprisingly funny read as our two main characters; Kolya the romantic optimist and Lev with his random internal observations both have an interesting way of looking at life around them during the absurdities of war.
The story begins with a powerful opening chapter; a writer asks his grandfather to tell him about his experiences during the war. All the narrator knows -and he doesn’t remember anyone telling him its just one of those family folklores that he always has- is that his grandfather, "the knife fighter" killed two Germans before he was eighteen and is missing a finger. And so Lev begins to tell his story to his grandson. Talking openly for the first time about his childhood, coming to America and sex. Mostly though he talks about a two week period in 1942 when he met his best friend, the woman that would become his wife and killed two Germans. I actually referred back to this chapter several times during the course of the book and again when I finished.
Its January 1942 Leningrad is under marshal law, surrounded by the German army and what’s left of its inhabitants are starving. Our hero 17 year old Lev Beniov has just been arrested for looting and placed in a cell with a handsome friendly deserter named Kolya Vlasov. Both of their crimes are grounds for execution and as our heroes get to know each other that’s what they expect come morning. However in a twist of fate they are given a chance to save their own lives, a secret mission for a powerful soviet colonel, all they have to do is find a dozen eggs for his daughter’s wedding cake.
A dozen eggs in a city cut off from supplies, a city resorting to cannibalism and eating glue from book spines to survive. It is of course a ludicrous and impossible task one which takes our new friends far into German occupied territory, through the bitter cold of winter and countless adventures and atrocities. The outcome didn’t really surprise me but I haven't stopped thinking about it either.
“One moment I thought I had a few minutes left to live; the next a sniper was flirting with me. Was she flirting with me? The days had become a confusion of catastrophes; what seemed impossible in the afternoon was blunt fact by the evening. German corpses fell from the sky; cannibals sold sausage links made from ground human in the Haymarket; apartments blocs collapsed to the ground; dogs became bombs; frozen soldiers became sign posts. I had no food in my belly, no fat on my bones and no energy to reflect on this parade of atrocities. I just kept moving, hoping to find another half slice of bread for myself and a dozen eggs for the colonel’s daughter.”(less)
Opening Line: “Navy Seal Chief Bobby Taylor was in trouble.”
This is my favourite book from the whole series… Hmmm haven’t I said that before? (The Adm...moreOpening Line: “Navy Seal Chief Bobby Taylor was in trouble.”
This is my favourite book from the whole series… Hmmm haven’t I said that before? (The Admirals Bride, Prince Joe, Frisco, Hawken) Anyways this one was super good.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the books from Suzanne Brockmann’s Tall Dark and Dangerous series though. They’re all well written, with to-die-for Navy SEAL heroes (who usually shed a tear in the name of love) and just the right amount of action, suspense and sweet, sweet romance to keep you coming back for more. I think this instalment might be the sexiest of the bunch too (have I said that before?) Poor Taylor, struggling to keep his hands off his best BUD’s little sister. And she isn’t helping matters either because she wants him and nothing he says will change her mind. Yup, this is going to be his toughest mission yet.
Bobby Taylor is the 10th member of Alpha squad to have his story told and we begin with him taking a couple bullets for his best friend and swim buddy Wes Skelly. These guys are close, having been friends since hell week and now able to function almost as one. Finishing each other sentences and relying on the other without question when the shit hit’s the fan. When Wes is called out on the teams latest op he asks the still recovering Bobby to go to Boston and try to talk some sense into his little sister Colleen who has joined an earthquake relief organization and is planning on travelling into a known terrorist hot spot.
Unfortunately Wes doesn’t know just how much he’s asking because Taylor’s had a thing for his best friend’s sister for years and well, now it would just be him. And her. And she’s all grown up and beautiful and sexy as hell and funny and outrageous and she wants him just once, just until he leaves and Wes is going to kill him, Wes should kill him, it might be worth it. Help!
I just loved this story. The characters are so well written and that they come alive and I felt all of their emotions. The internal dialogue and sexual tension is excellently done as is Bobby’s desire for Colleen and his subsequent guilt and struggles with loyalty to Wes. Bobby never stood a chance against Colleen though who is a fun and delightful temptress; I never knew what she was going to say next and when they finally get together it’s sizzling.
There’s also several LOL moments especially the scenes with Colleen’s three goofy college friends. And as always updates and brief appearances from the other TEAM members including Admiral Jake (sigh) Towards the end we even get a brief mission to the made up country of Tulgaria. Why do authors do this?
This is an excellent addition to the series which thankfully has just been re-released as 2-in-1’s with WAY better covers. Taylor’s Temptation can be found in See, WAY better cover. Cheers(less)
Opening Line: “All early-morning conversation in Captain Joe Catalanotto’s office stopped dead as everyone turned to look at Lucky.”
You really can’t g...moreOpening Line: “All early-morning conversation in Captain Joe Catalanotto’s office stopped dead as everyone turned to look at Lucky.”
You really can’t go wrong with any of the books from Suzanne Brockmann’s Tall Dark and Dangerous series. Each is well written with a delicious alpha male hero and just the right amount of action, suspense and melodrama to keep you coming back for more. All the stories are loosely connected (following Seal Team 10’s Alpha squad members) yet still different enough that they feel fresh and unique.
Thankfully this series has just been re-released as 2 in1’s with WAY better covers, because this has to be one of the worst. It’s embarrassingly bad; especially when you consider that our hero is meant to be some kind of super gorgeous, godlike person. The word FUGLY comes to mind for this cover.
Love-‘em and leave-‘em specialist Luke “Lucky” O’Donlon is the 9th Navy SEAL to have his story told and while he’s no Prince Joe or Admiral Jake Robinson The Admiral's Bride(sigh) this was still a super enjoyable, sexy read. The serial rapist storyline is well played, surprising and very suspenseful. And watching Lucky finally grow up and fall in love with a woman that isn’t Barbie doll perfect is a hell of a lot of fun. Yes we even get to see him cry.
The other thing I really enjoyed here was how Brockmann brought all the past heroines back into the story. Even though I couldn’t keep them straight (who was married to who) I appreciated the effort as most times the women get forgotten about in an ongoing series while the men continue to have reoccurring roles.
Lucky the babe magnet has just turned down a covert mission in Eastern Europe. It’s the kind of plum job that he lives for however with his baby sister getting married he wants to make sure he’s around to walk her down the aisle. Reassigned to a special task force Lucky’s new assignment has him working alongside Sydney Jameson. She’s a frustrating yet pretty (in an Annie Hall kinda way) freelance journalist. Syd also just happens to be their only eye witness as she “bumped” into the rapist on his way out of his latest victim’s apartment. To make matters worse all the victims have had the SEAL‘s Budweiser burned into their skin. It looks the bad guy here is going too be one of their own.
With Sydney becoming the bait in their sting operation the pair is forced into a fake relationship, even going so far as fake moving in together. The problem is Lucky likes having her around and likes fake kissing her even more. Yes, the lines between make believe and reality are beginning to blur.
I really disliked Lucky in the beginning of this; he’s a strutting, overly confident, a-hole, who uses women to get what he wants. However by the end he’s fully redeemed himself thanks to Syd. She calls him on his crap, has a wicked sense of humour and doesn’t swoon when he walks into a room. Possessing enough brains to actually hold an intelligent conversation (unlike his past conquests). I think the fact that these two became friends first was why they fell in love and watching them was a treat. Cheers. (less)
Opening Line: "Leila Hunt stared into the mirror at the bottom of the staircase, and Cinderella did not stare back."
Kiss and Tell is a straightforward...moreOpening Line: "Leila Hunt stared into the mirror at the bottom of the staircase, and Cinderella did not stare back."
Kiss and Tell is a straightforward, very sweet, quickie romance that I ended up enjoying way more then I thought I would. Written in 96 you can tell it’s one of Brockmann’s early romances although her style still shines through with well written, fully developed characters. I love how she gives her heroes individual little traits (like his hair always being in his eyes and the heroine wanting to push it back)
There is humour throughout this one with some particularly amusing dialogue between the heroine and her brother. Brockmann does this really well. She also manages not to fall (too far) into the usual misunderstandings and clichés required from a serial romance, which may have played a part in why I enjoyed this so much. There is also the fact that the Sunrise Key Trilogy (this is book #1) takes place in Florida and for a Canadian in the deep of winter the white sand beaches, gently swaying palms and shorts and tank tops were a welcome relief.
Leila Hunt has returned home to Sunrise Key for her brother Simon’s New Years Eve costume party. With a loosely based Cinderella theme, Leila dresses the part and at the stroke of midnight a ninja sweeps her onto the dance floor and off her feet. Kissing Leila like she’s never been kissed before, including those from her all too often absentee fiancé. Then with the beep of a pager he disappears.
Unable to forget the kiss and with two weeks before she has to head back to New York Leila sets about finding her mysterious ninja. Calling on the talents of her private investigator best friend and wayward brother for help in eliminating possible suspects. Complicating matters is Marshall Devlin, Simon’s recent house guest and the town Doctor. Marshall and Leila have known each other since childhood but have never seen eye to eye in fact when they’re in the same room all they seem to do is fight.
But, well this is a romance so of course Marshall is in love with Leila, he has been for years but being stereotypically British he doesn’t know how to show his feelings and often appears cold, standoffish and callous. He is of course also the ninja in question. (Not a spoiler) I don’t usually care for beta hero’s but Marshall was fun and interesting to watch bumbling around, trying to woo Leila while she goes about kissing possible ninja suspects. He's shy with a kind heart and reminded me very much of Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones's Diary.
There aren’t any bad guys here or real suspense of any kind, in all honesty there isn’t even much sexual tension. However I didn’t seem to miss it and can recommend this light and amusing early Brockmann.(You’ll finish it in a couple of hours) Cheers
“I do love you rather desperately. So if I begin to weep or utterly loose control you’ll know why.” Her eyes filled with tears. "Marsh" “Shh” He kissed her. “You don’t have to say a single word. Just let me love you.”(less)
The Book Of Awesome is a really fun idea. Its also a very pretty book, makes a great gift and is being marketed like crazy, I mean its everywhere and...moreThe Book Of Awesome is a really fun idea. Its also a very pretty book, makes a great gift and is being marketed like crazy, I mean its everywhere and yes there are a lot of things included here that made me smile however it really reads better in list form and I’m sure most people did like I did and just skimmed through, reading the chapter titles of familiar relatable happy things that you don't often stop to appreciate and moving on.
I mean honestly do we need 4 pages explaining why having a whole row to yourself on an airplane is awesome (that really is awesome) but I don’t need a breakdown about being able to pee when I want, having elbow room, able to lie down, cocoon in a blanket or having the choice of aisle or window. I get it. The same goes for popping bubble wrap. Yup that’s fun, maybe even awesome but after reading 3-4 pages about its invention and the different ways to pop it, not so awesome anymore.
When someone lands on your hotel in Monopoly super awesome but then when we get a detailed description of Monopoly you’ve now lost my attention and I’m moving on to bakery air, snow days and the other side of the pillow and I’ve stopped reading the essays on the whys.
This is a feel good book that will make you smile and is fun to read out loud with friends because everyone can relate but at 400 pages (!) the long winded explanations and filler killed the awesomeness for me.
Entries include: Old dangerous playground equipment, Wearing underwear just out of the dryer, Being the first table called up for the dinner buffet at a wedding, Watching The Price Is Right when you're home sick, When the vending machine gives you two things instead of one, The first shower you take after not showering for a really long time, When cashiers open up new checkout lanes at the grocery store, Sleeping in new bed sheets, Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking, Finding an old mixed tape, The moment at a concert after the lights go out and before the band comes on stage, Fixing electronics by smacking them, The smell of rain on a hot sidewalk, and hundreds more. (less)
Opening Line: “Luke Colter’s number one rule of self preservation: Don’t ignore the itch.”
How great is it to be back with the BOI’s of Black-Ops Inc?...moreOpening Line: “Luke Colter’s number one rule of self preservation: Don’t ignore the itch.”
How great is it to be back with the BOI’s of Black-Ops Inc? I’ve seriously missed this series, as its been over a year since the last book and I think its one of the best romantic suspense's running right now. With this 6th instalment Cindy Gerard doesn’t disappoint either because we finally get Doc’s story and it's oh SO good.
I knew this fun loving cowboy medic would steal my heart I just didn’t expect to fall quite so hard or be given such candour into his fears and “ghosts”. Who knew that behind that sexy smile and sense of humour he was suffering so much? I loved getting to know the real Luke Colter (Indy fedora and all) and watching him find purpose with the woman of his dreams (literally).
WITH NO REMORSE starts with a bang and just keeps going. Filled with non-stop action, adventure, passion and clever writing. Gerard whisks us away to yet another exotic South American location where we engage in shootouts, train robberies, kidnappings, explosions, donkey rides, the occasional pesky potato and some wicked arms dealers as our bad guys.
The romance is sweet, steamy and believable and with the entire wise cracking team showing up at about the half way mark I couldn’t have been happier. Yup, everyone makes a reappearance for the final show down including the ever lovable Johnny Reed, my boyfriend Gabe, Crystal and BJ (who kick serious ass) and even team leader Nate. It was fantastic catching up with everyone and seeing them in action. I should also mention that we get an intriguing look at Joe Green here and jeez does his upcoming story Last Man Standing (*sigh* last in the series) ever have me excited.
We join our man Luke on a train in Peru. Its about a year since he was injured in the last book Risk No Secrets and he’s just coming off a much needed reprieve. Luke's body may be mended but his head still isn’t in the game and for the first time in his career he’s doubting his ability to still function as a valued team member. When bandits board the train and attempt to kidnap a “young boy” Doc’s training takes over, forcing him reluctantly back into hero mode.
With the bad guys in full pursuit it takes about a minute for Luke to realize he hasn’t rescued a boy but the woman of his teenaged fantasies. Just what the hell is supermodel philanthropist Valentina doing on a train in the middle of Peru? And who are the armed and very pissed off men hunting them down? More importantly though is how exactly is he going to not come across like a bumbling, star crazed stalker as he attempts to get her to safety?
I liked this romance a lot. Valentina although beautiful (she looks like Angelina Jolie, puleese) had a great back story and when it came right down to it was able to man up and well… save her man.
Together they had some fantastic moments evoking such memorable lines as “You had me at potato” and “We’ll always have Peru” I also loved that she called him Indy (the fedora was awesome and gave a nice visual aspect to Doc) Of course then there was the tear jerking secret goodbye at the limo, and damn that man knows how to grab a reader where it hurts.
I can’t say enough good things about this series, it captured me from book 1 Show No Mercy and never let go. Each instalment is excellent; with hot alpha men falling hard for their lady loves. These guys are funny, endearing, good in bed and manage to give us quite a few sigh worthy moments while still packing a big gun and kicking major ass. The storylines are always exciting, expertly written and with a nice balance between the action and romance. I never find myself going “yeah right” with this series its just always amazing. Cheers (less)
Really!? How did I not know earlier that the hero of this book was going to be Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr from Lover Unleashed
Gah, how awesome is th...moreReally!? How did I not know earlier that the hero of this book was going to be Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr from Lover Unleashed
Gah, how awesome is this? I love the crossover.
This must mean we'll also get to see his partner...Jose del la Cruz, yippee. Endless possibilities here; Butch sightings, Lessers, The Band of Bastards (Throe) and the subsequent headaches leftover from his scrubbing.
The year long wait for Tohr's book just got a little easier! You rock warden.
*Confirmation given at Ward's latest signing (thanks Mahlet) that Throe from the Band Of Bastards will indeed play a role -"has a meaningful moment in it" and that we will see more crossover between the two series in general.
~So here's my Spoiler Free review~
As others have mentioned this is the best yet from Ward’s Fallen Angels series. She seems to have gotten the mix just right here and I found myself completely caught up in the story, it’s romance and all the many sub characters and their ongoing battles. I suppose introducing the hero in the last BDB book didn’t hurt matters, as from the get-go I was wondering how a Vampire attack and Veck’s subsequent “memory loss” was going to be explained. However the two series feel very different to me now, and even though I can still sense the BDB world in the background, its no longer a distraction.(I do become a squealing fan girl when I find those cameos though) Speeding black Escalade in the rain or old landlord in a butlers uniform anyone.
I would describe this as a romance wrapped in urban fantasy. The mix works though, along with Ward’s usual hilarious male banter, excessive product placement, seriously hot love scenes and a few major surprises -which we should see the trickle down effect from for several books to come. I also feel that she finally got the romance right here; I enjoyed Veck and Reilly and found myself rooting for their HEA.
Through some unique world building we also get a much closer look at arch angels Nigel and Colin(who are growing on me) and of course our sexy saviour Jim and his badass fallen angel sidekicks Adrian and Eddie… (Sigh)
Lastly I have to mention Devina. She is just awesome, probably Ward’s best female character to date and a superb villain. Yes she is evil but she is also so much more, what with her therapy sessions, hoarding issues, insecurities and school girl crush on Jim -which let me tell you he uses to his full advantage. Alls fair in love and war bitch.
As with all of Ward’s books there are many characters fighting for POV time; popping us back and forth between hero and heroine, into heaven and hell and the minds of angels, demons and anyone else caught in the crossfire of battle #3. I can honestly say though that I didn’t ever want to skip any of their sections (Lessers) as each POV was an integral part of the story and more than held my interest.
Yes, the WARDen got it right with ENVY and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Homicide detective Thomas “Veck” Delvecchio is convinced he’s just killed a man. Haunted by the legacy of his serial killer father and followed by a dark shadow, it was really only a matter of time until he gave in to the dark side. The problem is he doesn’t remember the attack and the evidence says he’s innocent. Sent to monitor Veck is internal affairs officer Sophia Reilly whose interest in Veck grows increasingly personal as they share pizza and a mutual admiration for Victoria’s Secret.
Entwined in their budding romance is Jim Heron, now facing the 3rd round in the ultimate end game of good VS evil. He and his two back up angels have been given the task of battling against the devil for Veck’s very soul.
Bringing our group together is Reilly and Veck’s investigation of missing person Sissy Barton. She is of course being held by Devina (Crave) Jim is determined to find her body and retrieve her soul from hell whatever the consequences which gives him more reason then ever to shadow Veck, who’s own internal struggle is just beginning. Honestly I could go on and on about the plot. So much happens and I‘m not doing it justice here so I will stop. It is intricate, shocking, suspenseful, exciting, sexy and just well played. Cheers (less)
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