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July 05
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Ana T.
marked as to-read:
The Far Pavilions (Paperback)
by
M.M. Kaye
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
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Ana T.
marked as to-read:
The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns (Hardcover)
by
Elizabeth Leiknes
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
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July 04
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Ana T.
added:
The Sins of Lord Easterbrook (Rothwell #4)
by
Madeline Hunter
bookshelves:
read-in-2009
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my rating:
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read in July, 2009
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Ana T.
is currently reading:
The Love Knot (Paperback)
by
Vanessa Alexander
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
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July 02
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Ana T.
gave  to:
Tempted All Night (Mass Market Paperback)
by
Liz Carlyle
bookshelves:
e-book,
read-in-2009,
regency-hist
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
Ana T. said:
"Liz Carlyle's latest book includes some characters previously seen (or read about) in other books she wrote. Such is the case with both Lady Phaedra Northampton and Miss Zoe Armstrong. I must confess that I was a bit confused at first and had some tr...more
Liz Carlyle's latest book includes some characters previously seen (or read about) in other books she wrote. Such is the case with both Lady Phaedra Northampton and Miss Zoe Armstrong. I must confess that I was a bit confused at first and had some trouble locating them in the genealogical tree of Carlyle's characters but after spending sometime looking at this page on Carlyle's site I eventually remembered where I had found them last. People who haven't been reading previous books should have no such problem btw.
Phaedra and Zoe strike a friendship in the beginning of the book and it’s immediately clear that this is Phaedra's story and the next book will be about Zoe, this is good because I really enjoyed Zoe, I'm sure she is going to be a very independent and determined heroine and I really want to read her story.
Phaedra is a proper society young lady, she has shun society for the past few years and only comes to town to keep an eye on her mother and sister who spend too much time going to parties and shopping. She is the sister of ... and while he would prefer that Phaedra would also attend some social events she really isn't in the mood. She also came to town to find one of her maids who decided to leave work in the country and find some easier way to make money.
Tristan has long been the family's black sheep. His mother wasn't well accepted in his father's family and they eventually separated leaving him, a child still, alone and ignored. This lead him to grow up more interesting in having a good time and flirting with every woman in sight than accepting his responsibilities as an Earl's son and heir. But now his father is dying and he can't find it in him to refuse one last request to uncover a plot that threatens England's security.
One of the interesting things about Tempted All Night is that there are several mysteries to solve, where is the maid that Phaedra is looking for? What happened in Phaedra’s past? What is Tristan involved in? Another is that it is very action packed, right in the beginning a man is murdered at Phaedra's feet and the fact that he is involved in the plot that Tristan is investigating is what brings them together.
So Tristan is wild and reckless while Phaedra is more controlled and less sociable. But they were both interesting characters (I liked Tristan better) and the attraction between them develops quickly. My main problem with the story is that Carlyle used their physical relationship almost as a healing process for Phaedra and while I, in theory, have no problem with that it did annoy me here and I felt there was too much sex (and the type of sex) where it could have been more story and character development. That did bring the book lower in my grading scale.
The book also deals with some darker subjects - like brothels and sexual slavery, the violence of the spy's plot, women abuse, S&M - which contributes to make me conclude that while this is better than most books out there it's still not as good as her previous books. I am very interested in Zoe's story, by the way, and find it odd that there's almost no information on the internet about it.
Grade: 3.5/5 (less)
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June 30
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Ana T.
marked as to-read:
Cotillion (Paperback)
by
Georgette Heyer
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
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Ana T.
added:
Turbulent Sea (Drake Sisters, #6)
by
Christine Feehan
bookshelves:
paranormal,
read-in-2009
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
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June 27
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Ana T.
gave  to:
The School for Heiresses (School for Heiresses, Book 3)
by
Sabrina Jeffries
bookshelves:
anthology,
traded
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my rating:
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read in March, 2007
Ana T. said:
"This is an anthology about 4 heiresses that were all at Mrs Harris School for some time.
In Sabrina Jeffries Ten Reasons to Stay I think the main characters fell in lust rather than in love. The hero is very vocal about not wanting to mar...more
This is an anthology about 4 heiresses that were all at Mrs Harris School for some time.
In Sabrina Jeffries Ten Reasons to Stay I think the main characters fell in lust rather than in love. The hero is very vocal about not wanting to marry and changes his mind not because of the heroine but because of her evil uncle. Then the 10 reasons he gives her are supposed to be romantic but the whole sex scene backgroung just didn't work for me. When she makes the usual sacrifice and leaves him for his own good he discovers he loves her. Well it didn't convince me. A C.
Liz Carlyle wrote After Midnight. I liked this story much more than the previous one. The main characters are immedately attracted to one another but they don't make a move till fate, or a malevolous hand, throws them together. I thought that made for a more interesting and subtle approach. I'm glad this is the beginning of a series because I want to know more, especially what Rothewell and Xanthia are hiding. Of course, that's why she left so much unsaid. Come to think of it this story is one big cliffhanger. A B.
Julia London't The Merchant's Gift was a nice story but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had ended when the hero and heroine reunite in London. They both come from trade and the plot revolves around the heroine's father wanting her to marry within the nobility. I didn't like how she jungled two suitors at the same time, in the end I enjoyed it but I think It could have worked better without that added conflict. A B-.
Renee Bernard's Mischief's Holiday was also a good one. I particularly liked the heroine and it seems to me the story is much more about her than the hero. It's always nice to read about heroines who are a bit less than perfect and keep getting themselves in trouble and have the humour to laugh about it, this just didn't work in the scenes where everyone else laughed at her which wasn't really nice or needed. A B-.(less)
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June 26
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Ana T.
gave to:
Ice Blue (Ice, #3)
by
Anne Stuart
bookshelves:
mysteries-thrillers,
read-in-2009
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
Ana T. said:
"Book nº 3 in the Ice series this one focuses on Takashi, the Japanese committee member we met in Cold as Ice and Summer Hawthorne. A museum curator whose Japanese bawl maybe a lot more important than she thinks.
The book follows more or ...more
Book nº 3 in the Ice series this one focuses on Takashi, the Japanese committee member we met in Cold as Ice and Summer Hawthorne. A museum curator whose Japanese bawl maybe a lot more important than she thinks.
The book follows more or less the same structure than the two previous books, the hero is a member of a secret organization who fights the bad guys all over the globe, the heroine is an average woman who finds herself in a desperate situation and needs help. I must say that regarding heroes and plots this series is starting to remind me of the British TV series Spooks – I am sure Stuart would be a great scriptwriter for the series as most of the elements are common to both her books and the TV show.
I though Takashi came across as a bit too arrogant for his own good, he is ordered by the committee to retrieve Summer’s bowl and stop it from following in the hands of a secret Japanese sect whose plans for it may well involve a blood bath. To do that he must use every skill and if needed be, terminate Summer. While he is unable to kill her he keeps using a condescending tone with her that I did not really like in the beginning, but in the end we realize that he uses that as a defense against his growing attraction to her. I thought the glimpses of Japanese life and culture that Stuart shares were really interesting and in fact that made me really like the story all the more.
Summer is the usual Stuart heroine, intelligent but with big insecurities, she pretends to be much more self-assured than she really is and Takashi sees through that immediately. She knows he is dangerous and even if he saved her life several times she cannot stop being aware that he can kill her too if he decides to.
A very enjoyable read in which Stuart manages to keep the suspense until the last page. And of course now I want to know about Isobel and Reno.
Grade: 4/5
(less)
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