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

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

No clue at all.

I am reading Lynn Kerstans backlist and Terry Pratchetts essays.

No clue at all.

Although I may get side tracked and read more Crusie.

I love even her weakest books. And I think Bet Me is the best contemporary romance I have ever read, bar none.

Its "What the Lady Wants", by Jennifer Crusie

Connie Brockway's the SongBirds Seduction. Then I plan to read Sherry Thomas YA book the Perilous Sea

The reveals are Tuesday nights.

This is my favorite contemporary author, hands down. This may not be my favorite book, but it’s a great scene. (And in picking it, I realized that all her jokes are integrated into the book--the discussion of the West goes on...)

Heroine frowned in agreement. “That’s not the only thing that’s strange. Could you explain to me why a man would cheat on a mistress as beautiful as Stormy?”
“Sure.” Hero started the car and pulled out onto the road. “He’s a guy.”
Heroine felt the anger that she’d been nursing for Armand’s insensitivity veer towards Hero. “There are a lot of men who don’t cheat on their lovers.”
“No, there aren’t.”
Heroine glared at him. “Is this based on personal or professional experience?”
Hero looked over at her condescendingly. “Don’t get huffy because you don’t like the facts. I’ll admit I see a lot of it because I get hired to look for it, but the fact is, men cheat. We have to. It’s a biological imperative.”
“An imperative,” heroine repeated. “This would be testosterone we’re talking about here, right?”
“Well, that’s part of it. But a lot of it is just man’s need to see what’s beyond the next hill. It’s the reason men crossed the oceans, built the pipeline, opened the West.” Hero waved his hand, obviously feeling expansive. Iron Hero.
“So you’re saying my Uncle Armand cheated on Stormy because he couldn’t open the West?”
Hero looked over at her warily. “I don’t suppose we could let this drop.”
Heroine set her jaw. “No, I don’t suppose so.”
“I don’t know why women always get so upset over this.” Hero shook his head. “This is just the way men are. It isn’t in our nature to commit.”
“And why is that?” heroine asked between clenched teeth.
Hero turned onto the street that led to Heroine’s high-rent district. “All right, lets say I’m married.” He shot a stern warning glance at Heroine. “Of course, I’m never going to get married because I don’t believe in it and there are still a lot of librarians out there that I haven’t kissed, but for the sake of argument, lets say I’m married.”
Heroine settled into her seat, her jaw still clenched. “This should be good.”
“And lets say my wife is beautiful, intelligent, exciting, with terrific legs and the world’s most perfect breasts. I mean, perfect breasts. High. Round. Smooth.” He took one hand off the wheel and cupped it in the air. “Firm. The kind that bounce but don’t shimmy if you know what I mean.”
Heroine raised her eyebrows. “Been thinking about this a lot, have you?”
“No, I never think about women’s breasts. Where was I?”
“Bounce, no shimmy.”
“Right. So I’m married to the perfect woman with perfect breasts, but then I see another woman. On a street corner, maybe.”
Heroine frowned at a woman in a blue dress on the corner. She was leaning into the wind, uncessarily, in heroine’s opinion, and the dress molded itself to around her curves. “On a street corner.”
“Right. And she has a nice figure, nothing like my wife’s, of course, and her legs aren’t as good, and she’s just attractive, not beautiful.”
“And the point is?”
Hero shrugged. “I want to see her breasts.”
“Why?” Heroine said. “I thought you just said your wife—“
“Yes, but I’ve seen those. I want to see these. “
“Even though they’re not as good.”
“Well, yeah, but they’re still good.”
Heroine thought for a moment. “Suppose she turns out to be a Playboy centerfold. If you buy the magazine, will that do it?”
“No.”
“Suppose she’s a stripper and you get to see them for real. Will that do it?”
“No.”
“But you’re seeing them,” Heroine said, exasperated.
“I’m seeing them but all I did was pay money to see them from a distance. I need to personally__”
“Open the West.” Heroine glared at him. “You are disgusting.”
“No I’m not,” Hero protested. “I’m not married and I never will be, and I have never promised a woman I wouldn’t see other women. I am free to open the West any time I want.”
“You’re still disgusting.”
“Look, there’s no point in getting upset about this You can’t understand because you’re a woman, and women don’t think like that.”
“Women don’t want to open the West?”
“No. Women want to stay home and keep the East looking nice.”
Heroine took a deep breath as a red mist rose before her eyes. “You’re deliberately trying to make me kill you, aren’t you?”
“No.” Hero’s voice was the Voice of Reason. “This is just biology. Men need multiple breasts in their lives. Women need to make a commitment to one penis.”
“That is garbage.” Heroine said flatly.
“Then why do women always want to get married? Because they want to commit to a penis.”
“Then why do men get married?”
“For back up. That way, they always have a set of breasts at home.”
Heroine picked up her purse, using every ounce of self-control to keep herself from hitting him with it. “Stop the car, I’m getting out.”
Hero blinked at her in alarm. “Why?”
“There’s a man on the corner back there, and I think his penis is bigger than yours.”
Hero scowled at her. “Don’t take this out on me. This isn’t about me. We’re talking about other guys here. I’m not married. I don’t cheat. And anyway, you’ve never seen my penis, so how do you know his was bigger?”
“Well, I can’t be sure, of course. But I want to find out. I feel this need to explore, to lay pipeline, to open the West.” Heroine craned her head to look behind her. “Turn around. I’m pretty sure we can find him.”
“You don’t want to open the West,” Hero dismissed her. “You just think you do because of women’s liberation.”
“Long.” Heroine lingered on the word. “Thick. Hard. Throbbing. Bobs not droops. I can see it now. Take me back. I want him.”
“You are no lady.” Hero turned down the road to Heroine’s house. “Besides, a good detective never gets distracted on the job. We’re working. Pay attention.”
“Whoa.” Heroine turned her head to watch a man on a motorcycle go past. “Look at that one. Hello Daddy, come to Mama.” Hero pulled into the driveway and she opened her car door before he was completely stopped. “If anybody asks, tell them I went West.”

On a side note, I've also been reading Joanna Bourne's only Regency. Its not nearly as good as her current books, but its head and shoulders above most of the Regencies

Manda, I guess I will try the new Shalvis on your recommendation. I have to admit that I am finding her books to be increasingly about the same theme and also to overuse certain words annoyingly, but she has also written some of my favorite books. I also want to read teh new Kaki Warner that came out in July--I keep meaning to get to it and getting distracted.

It's free on Nook too at the moment

Thanks Manda! I just got her book on Nook ($.99) so I will try her.

I read the Lynn Kerstan trilogy that was in one of the recent puzzlers and got addicted--I just ordered her backlist. Not sure what I will read while I am waiting for it to come. But the Lynn Kerstan trilogy makes me wonder--does anyone have a wonderful one-off book or one trilogy to recommend? For example,The Comrades by Lynne Sears Williams--a wonderful medieval romance set in Wales. I also loved the 5 book series about Jewish spys in the Napoleonic era by Nita Abrams. These writers seem to have disappeared, so they don't get current advertising, and as a result you have to stumble over them. I would love to get suggestions for books like these!

Phoenix will take your December one.
Thanks so much for stepping in!

I definitely do not know it. Very curious...

Loretta Chase is also laugh out loud funny, particularly her Carsington series

Screeching raven the poster will reveal all tomorrow night.

I just finished Margaret Maron's new Deborah Knott mystery and really loved it.

I definitely haven't read it.