Feb 2012: *Possible Spoilers* So was anyone else thinking...

[K]

Shannon wrote: "Did anyone else feel Brisbane wasa warewolf? :( I'm half way though.... So maybe lol ... I know I'm getting my hopes up"

*raises hand* Yep, his affliction....well...don't want to spoil it.

[K]

I'm SO glad others were just as confused by the tree scene. I didn't realize what happened until WELL after the incident.
Also, yeah, was thinking werewolf the whole time.

[Ian]

Paul wrote:
1) I thought Brisbane was an ass - plain and simple...."

I assume he's a romance-novel ass. His outward arrogance is a mask for his inner sensitivity and torment. Underlying the hostility is a deep appreciation for the heroine's virtues.

(Is this common? He reminds me a lot of Falin from last month's novel.)

[Ian]

Veronica wrote:
2. So we get... visions! That's the cause. I had settled into the idea that this alternate history of sorts was paranormal and magic free, but apparently The Sight is acceptable. OK, I'm down! just thought it was weird to show up towards the very end of the story.

...

4. I enjoyed the book, but part of me felt like it was all build-up and no pay-off. I don't necessarily just mean the sexiness. Though I did enjoy the Edward twists, even if they were somewhat expected.

*SPOILER WARNING*

The final act felt weird to me, at odds with what came before. Brisbane disappears. His dire ailment... isn't, really. Self-imposed, not incurable. Valerius' criminality is dismissed as a misunderstanding and they hug it out; 180-degree turn, conflict is handwaved. The solution to the mystery is AWESOME (Syphilitic love triangle. Passive-aggressive condom poisoning. I like those words!) but it's more WTF than Aha. I mean, we saw Desmond's porn collection. One of the few facts established was "probably not gay." Simon too -- Edward's relative, Julia's friend since childhood bearing unrequited feelings. WTF!

So... I guess the plot twisted too far for my liking. To be fair, it all felt thematically consistent, re: Julia's awakening, which is basically what the book is about. I'm a punk maybe? Punk. Super-punk. Handsome.

[Ian]

Bonnie wrote: "So how are you guys liking our next book "Silent in the Grave?" I found it kind of dull... needed more smut... and sex... and maybe a smutty werewolf who likes to have sex...

Thoughts?"

I found it bland at first, but I got hooked as I kept reading. Mundane world elaborated into interestingness. My favorite chapter is when they searched each room in the manor. Varied and textured. Good characterization.

[Tina]

At first I was a little let down on the lack of so-called "corset ripping" - but I LOVED the tension it gave Julia & Brisbane's encounters. I really enjoyed the sharp dialogue and wit of some of the characters. It really pushed me forward to finish the book.

I have since then read books 2, 3 & 4 and am 10 chapters into the 5th (I'm a bit obsessive about series, k? :p) and now looking back the first book is merely a set-up of sorts IMO for the rest of the series. It really picks up, and the characters become much more fleshed out.

Really enjoyed them - and I think some of you would too if you gave them a chance :)

[Sarah]

I'm a fast reader usually, but I still haven't finished this one. It just hasn't pulled me in, and I'm probably half way through. The plot feels very random. I don't have any sense of the character's motivations. Why is Julia investigating? It seems so arbitrary for her to decide a year after her husband's death that she really has to find out what happened, when she's so apathetic. She seems much more like the type of person who'd just stuff the whole thing out of her mind and maybe every once in a while it would bug her a little bit and she'd think she really should have done something back then when she could have but what a pity it's too late now. I wish she'd gone off exploring Europe instead.

[Sarah]

I decided I had to finish it and I enjoyed the second half more than the first. Although I thought the murderer was probably who it was from the very moment he was introduced, I thought his motivations would be different. I hated the way it was done, though, that she turned him into some unrealized evil villain guy and tried to draw out the suspense instead of letting him be human, still himself. The glittering savage eyes were just hokey, IMO. Still the murder method was really clever and all the details of the science and information around that was terrific.

[Elianara]

I'm only 25% in, and I have trouble picking it up again. Mainly because I absolutely hate Brisbane atm. He is an ass, and I don't know if he can grovel enough to get me to like him again.

(view spoiler)[ In chapter 9 he uses some herbs to get Lady Julia to relax and talk, and the only thing blinking in my head is NO NO NO! Date rape, GBH.... Does someone else feel like this, or am I just reading too much into the scene? (hide spoiler)]

And besides, I find the whole book a bit dull, a bit slow. I can't connect with the characters, and I don't look forward to reading the book.

[Mary]

Tina wrote: "At first I was a little let down on the lack of so-called "corset ripping" - but I LOVED the tension it gave Julia & Brisbane's encounters. I really enjoyed the sharp dialogue and wit of some of th..."

I agree! I am almost finished with the second Lady Julia book, which quickly pulled me in. I think the series will be a fun read for me. (I have the third one on deck.)

[Kelly]

I agree with most here that the book needed more corset-tearing, sexy time, but overall I found the book to be enjoyable. Considering this isn't the type of book I normally read, I found it to be an interesting story despite Julia's utter lack of confidence in herself at times. I finished it within a few days and I've started the next book in the series. Thanks for the book club, it's a nice new hobby for me that I'm enjoying so far! Can't wait for the Google+ Hangout tonight!

[Rune]

How do i get into the hangout tonight?

[Michelle]

I enjoyed the book immensely (plus all the other books the author has written--yep, that much). It's not something I would have picked up on my own. It didn't have enough romance or supernatural content for what I would normally read. I think my enjoyment of it anyway is a testament to the author's skill.

I didn't find Brisbane very much of an ass--just enough to be interesting--but then I like my men to have some justifiable arrogance.