Dls’s Comments (group member since Sep 14, 2010)

Dls’s comments from the Fans of Eloisa James & Julia Quinn group.

She says she still wants to write that last brothers book so fingers crossed.

Ahem. Time for the reveal.

Okie—ouch! My sympathies!

I finally read the third Julie Anne Long. I loved it. For some reason the second one so far is a DNF for me. Two tries, too.

I’ve been reading a lot of the re released Cadells. And a lot of rereading of Mary Stewart and Barbara Samuels/ONeal. Somehow January is comfort foods and comfort reads...and I was getting ready for a Board meeting and my annual review which is always stressful.

Has anyone tried Man Card? I really didn’t like the first in the series and haven’t bought Man Card yet but am looking forward to Brooklynaire.

I have it on my Nook.
Or rather I bought it from Barnes and Noble and read it on my phone in the Nook ap.

Molester place is a substitute so you won’t recognize it by same Susan.

I guess I was one who had read it because I certainly recognized it.

Man hands didn’t work for me either. And I love most of her books. Im going to blame it on her co author and I’m not likely to buy the next one in her series

I know it.

I think Guilty Pleasures and And Then He Kissed Her are her best.

Snow angel. It’s an old Mary Balogh that just got re released that I had never even heard of.

Such a great book!

Oops. Crusie. Sorry about autocorrect

It’s Hot Toy by Jennifer Cruise

I’m going to do the reveal tomorrow on the theory that Monday didn’t count because it went up late and everyone was busy

I just had the latest Kristin Higgins and Rachel Gibson books download so I’m sure I will get to them...

I just counted my Christmas books--eight of them. So I'm going to be reading cookbooks and "Call the Midwife" (based on the British National Health in its early days) that my daughter is obsessed with, and a gardening book, and a book about the start of ballet in America, and a very strange book on how things are made... the last with my son, who will I hope explain it to me.

I'm also reading some old Elizabeth Cadells. But that may stop soon. I hadn't realized just how much they reinforce female stereotypes.

Happy holidays to all of you!

I think I have read one too many saccharine holiday stories, so I’m sharing instead this, which captures the holidays as many of us are experiencing them. Hard to find toys, families as we know them, and heroic men using their best tools to save the day.

“We did it to him, you know.” Heroine blinked back tears. “We should have said, ‘Nephew, there’s no Santa, and there is not going to be a Mac Two under the tree on Christmas day, although we will do whatever we have to do to get you one as soon as possible because we love you and always will.’ We should have told him the truth. Hell, Evil Nemesis Friend told him the truth. Pretty damn bad when the only person you can trust is your Evil Nemesis.” You and me, Nephew.

“I hate the truth. Except this part.” Sister gestured to the Twinkletoes box. ”The part where you almost got yourself killed trying to get him that MacGuffin. The part where you bought me a Twinkletoes to make up for twenty years ago. The part where you’re fixing my gingerbread house. The part where we’ll take care of Nephew together tomorrow. I like that part of the truth.”

Heroine dropped the gumdrops and sat back next to her sister and Sister snuggled closer and put her head on Heroine’s shoulder. “Yeah,” Heroine said, patting her arm. “I like the part where you waited up for me, and did the boring part of the gingerbread house. And didn’t tell me I’m an idiot for still wanting a lying bastard.”

“So it’s not so bad,” sister said as the first gumdrop slid off the roof of the gingerbread house.

They watched for a minute while another slowly followed the first one.

Heroine thought about putting them back again and decided to let them slide. “What are we going to tell Nephew tomorrow?”

“How about ‘Maybe it fell off the sleigh?’” Sister said.

Heroine sighed. “Well, it beats, ‘Aunt Heroine had a Mac for you, but the United States government lied to her and took it away'.”

*******
Heroine took a deep breath and opened the door.

“The thanks of a grateful nation are yours,’ Hero said, meeting her eyes and taking her breath away. “Now about us.”

“Us?” Heroine said, her voice cracking.

“Yeah, us. I know I really screwed you over last night.”

“Well, national security and all,” Heroine said.

He really hadn’t known about the codes in the Twinkletoes.

“But I keep my promises,” Hero said, his eyes steady on her.

“Good for you,” Heroine said.

He hadn’t known.

“I said you’d have this on Christmas morning.” Hero held out the other bag. "I know it’s a mess, but…”

Heroine took the bag and looked inside. “What the…” She pulled out the Mac One. The box was gone and the doll was battered and mangled, but it was her Mac. She squeezed it and it made a crackly sound. “What did you do to it?”

“They had to take a code machine out of it,” Hero said. “So I got some paper from the paper shredder and restuffed it. “

Heroine pulled up the Mac’s jacket to see a broad band of duct tape wound around its belly. “Duct tape.”

“I don’t sew,” Hero said. “Besides, duct tape is better. It’s a guy thing.”

I like The Marriage Bed but there are many who don’t. John is definitely a man of his times when it comes to taking sex lightly and one who really doesn’t understand until late in the book what pain he has inflicted. But he also is a man who takes his responsibilities to the people who depend on him seriously. In that way he is better than Viola who cares only about her own pain and her own feelings. And his inability to share his feelings comes from something very deep and also true to the period.
I think the book is a fascinating effort to show how a marriage that went so sour, for reasons that are true to the period and would not happen today, could eventually turn into something good.

Ah yes. I know this one. It’s an old favorite.

I definitely haven’t read it

Please check and let me know if you have a problem with one of your dates.


January 1 Leigh-Ayn
Jan 8 Irish Eyes
Jan 15 Rachel
Jan 22 Manda
Jan 29 Phoenix
February 5 DLS
Feb 12 Okie
Feb 19 Janga
Feb 26 Cherie
March 5 Aly
March 12 Susan
March 19 Leigh-Ayn
March 26 Irish Eyes
April 2 Rachel
April 9 Manda
April 16 Phoenix
April 23 DLS
April 30 Okie
May 7 Janga
May 14 Cherie
May 21 Aly
May 28 Susan
June 4 Leigh-Ayn
June 11 Irish Eyes
June 18 Rachel
June 25 Manda