Review - Years

Title: Years
Author: LaVyrle Spencer
Publishing Date: 1986
Genre: Western
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Warm

It’s the year 1917 and World War I looms on the horizon. Linnea Brandonberg has just graduated and received her teaching certification. Against her fathers advice she takes a position in the little town of Alamo, North Dakota. Linnea is excited and scared. She has never been away from her family before and never left her home town, yet she is very excited to start her first teaching job and she is excited to see a new town. What Linnea imagines will happen, and the reality of what does actually takes place are quite different. The town is nothing but wheat farms as far as the eye can see. The town is really not a town at all, but a few small stores. The worst surprise in store for Linnea is Theodore Westgaard or Teddy as his friends and family call him. Teddy is an irascible, gruff man who is taken off guard by Linnea. He was expecting a male teacher, not a young woman, who is practically a child in his eyes. Teddy and Linnea, from the first moment they meet, butt heads with each other. Years is the story of these two unseemly, mismatched people coming together and learning to love.

Right from the beginning when Linnea and Teddy first meet, I have to say I was worried about how this story was going to play out. Teddy truly was rude and seemed like a miserable old man. Of course, first impressions can be deceiving and that is exactly what happens between Linnea and Teddy. The beauty of this story lies in the changes that occur in Linnea and Teddy. These two characters go through so much growth throughout this book. Linnea in the beginning seems very childish. She is constantly day dreaming and is very naïve about the world in general. Teddy, at first comes across as a hard unbending farmer, but slowly the reader sees that this is all just a front because he was hurt by his first wife when she left him. Underneath his stern demeanor is a gentle and loving man.

The actually story line takes place over a year or so. It is so nice to see the characters really develop their relationship over time and not just become instantly attracted to each other. Teddy and Linnea’s love for one another evolves slowly and it is very believable. They have a lot to overcome with their differences in age. Linnea is eighteen and Teddy is thirty-four and has been previously married. He has a sixteen year old son, Kristian. I thought the way Spencer handled these issues was really great. Usually, a large age difference between the characters really bothers me because there is too much of a power struggle. That was not the case with this story. Teddy really wrestles with his feelings for Linnea and he fears that he is too old for her.

Years is a deeply moving story. For those readers who believe that romances from the 80s were all about forced seduction and rape, Years breaks away from that mold. Years is a book that doesn’t need those devices to make a beautifully touching love story. The deeper message the reader takes away at the end of this story, is that a person doesn’t choose who they fall in love with and that love is a gift that should be cherished, not thrown away. Linnea convinces Teddy to take a chance on love and that it is worth fighting for. Teddy eventually does and Teddy and Linnea finally get their “Happily Ever After”.

Review - All Through the Night

Title: All Through the Night
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Publishing Date: 2007
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: B
Sensuality: Kisses

All Through the Night is book 12 in the Troubleshooter series. Jules and Robin are getting married. Only, the thing is that nothing seems to be going right. Their old Victorian house has bats in the attic and doorknobs that keep falling off the doors, which in turns leads to someone getting locked in a room and a pesky reporter who wants the dirt on their upcoming nuptials. One thing is clear though – that Robin and Jules are completely head over heals in love with each other. Nothing is going to stand in their way of getting married.

All Through the Night is such a treat for fans of Jules Cassidy. Since he first appeared in the series in The Defiant Hero, he has played a large role in each book. His spunky, fun personality has kept readers wishing and hoping that he finally get his own happy-ever-after. Now that Robin has gotten his act together Jules does. Robin has accepted his sexuality. He has also entered rehab and has been successfully staying sober. He is determined to be the man he wants to be for Jules. Their wedding is so sweet and very touching. Brockmann really sold me that these two will make their marriage a success.

There is also a small secondary romance between a reporter Will Schroder and Robin’s assistant Dolphina Patel. This romance was less than spectacular. It is one of those love-at-first-site romances, which I think is a total cop out on Brockmann’s part. The twist, in this case, is that Will is forced to make some very horrid choices and ends up hurting Jules and Robin. Dolphina with good reason wants nothing to do with him. This book was really too short to properly develop their relationship.

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October Books I Can't Wait For!

Kev and Win totally stole the show in Mine till Midnight. Need I say more?

Here is a summary:
Win has been an invalid ever since she suffered a near-fatal case of scarlet fever. Merripen is a Romany Gypsy who was taken in by the Hathaway family when he was a boy. He has always kept his fierce passion for Win a secret, believing a romantic relationship would never be possible.
But Win goes to an exclusive clinic, far away from Merripen and the rest of her family, and makes a remarkable recovery. And when she returns two years later, a changed woman, the explosive passion between these long-denied lovers threatens their family, their future, and even their lives . . . Excerpt



I have really enjoyed McKenna's books in the past. She is a guilty pleasure read for me. Ulitmate Weapon is Tamara's story. I wonder how Mckenna is going to pull this off, because Tamara is unlike any of her previous heroines. It should be interesting.

Here is the summary:
Tamara’s a bad girl with a dangerous difference. Enter a terrifying, sexually charged world of thrilling suspense where love is the riskiest game of all . . .

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

Covert operations are what Val Janos is all about. The man is mysterious and sinister, and lethally hot. Only Tamara can understand the strange intensity that drives him to win at all costs—and only she can match it.

Val has one weak spot : Imre, the frail old man who befriended him when he was a scared, hungry kid abandoned on the streets of Budapest. But Daddy Novak knows about Imre, and Imre’s head is on the block if Val doesn’t deliver Tam up to Novak’s tender mercies . . .

A white-hot passion explodes when Tam and Val get too close. They both have too much to be afraid of, too much to hide. And now, for the first time, too much to lose . . . Excerpt



The Chosen Sin is the first book in a new vampire series by Anya Bast. I have read Anya Bast's Witch series and have really enjoyed them. I figured I may as well give her new series a try too. This book releases October 7th.

Here is the summary:
In this sensuous and lust-filled otherworld, the Chosen are vampires fighting for their very existence.

It is Daria’s destiny to become one of them…

Daria Morris is a special forces agent with one obsession: to wreak vengeance on the brutal vampire who nearly destroyed her. Now she’s finally about to get her chance, on one condition. She must become something she detests: a vampire.

Her fate rests upon one man’s lethal bite. His name is Alejandro Martinez, and he can help her infiltrate a highly guarded group of the Chosen. But Alejandro is also a distraction for Daria. Because thirteen years ago, they shared a scorching night of passion neither has forgotten.

Now, while Daria struggles against her newfound bloodlust, the two must slip into the shadows to bring a monster to justice—even as their desire threatens to consume them. But under the cover of night, they’ll discover that it’s the darkness within that may stand in the way of their hunger for retribution… Excerpt



I have read the first two books in this romantic suspense series. I thought the first one No Regrets was fantastic and the second one No Control was average. I am anxious to see how No Escape rates.

Here is the summary:
Teacher Isabelle Carson is grief-stricken, angry, and scared. Three of her childhood friends have died. The police say they’re suicides, but Isabelle knows they would never, ever take their own lives. Her past binds her to every victim, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before the killer comes after her. Only one man can help her now, the only man she’s ever trusted, the man who saved her so long ago . . .

No Place to Hide

For Grant Kent, Delta Force vet, just being near Isabelle brings back old memories and desires, and stirs longings he’d rather deny. Yet he can’t deny the real terror in her eyes, or resist the thought of holding her again. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into a passionate affair, a killer continues his deadly rampage, and plots his next move, the “suicide” of Isabelle Carson. Excerpt

Review - Unmasqued

Title: Unmasqued
Author: Colette Gale
Publishing Date: 2007
Genre: Historical (Erotic)
Rating: C+
Sensuality: Burning

Unmasqued is a story of the well known classic The Phantom of the Opera but with a little twist. Instead of Christine falling in love with Raoul, she falls in love with the Phantom. Christine's father was a famous violinist who traveled all over the world, perfoming and tutoring. He died when she was a young girl. Since his death she hasn't been able to sing or find music as fufilling as when her father was alive. She hasn't been able to find her place in the world, feeling lost and alone until the Phantom comes to her. Erik notices not only her beauty, but the loneliness that surrounds her and he senses a kindred spirit. He takes it upon himself to tutor her as he sees great potential in her underdeveloped talent.

This book had its good points and bad points. For an erotic novel it was very steamy (and boy do I mean steamy). The sex scenes were frequent and varied. However, as with most erotic novels because of the number of sensual scenes, there was a noticable lack of character development. This is the most pronounced with Christine. I found her, by far, to be the blandest character in the story. She was much to mousy for my taste and needed something more to add life to her personality.

I found Madame Giry and her escapades with the production managers quite amusing. They added a few unexpected laughs. I also liked the direction Ms. Gale took with Carlotta's character. It was a welcome surprise for the story. The villians, however, could have used more development. I could see where Ms. Gale was going with them, but I think it could have been expanded on more. All in all, this was not a bad book. I know Colette Gale has another book about The Counte of Monte Cristo that I will be looking into in the near future.

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Review - Dark Embrace

Title: Dark Embrace
Author: Brenda Joyce
Publishing Date: August 2008
Genre: Time-Travel
Rating: C
Sensuality: Warm

Dark Embrace is Brenda Joyce’s third novel in her Masters of Time series. It is also the start of the Rose Trilogy within the series. Brianna Rose is from long line of Rose women. These women have all had special powers passed down to them through the generations. Brianna’s special power is empathy. She can sense other peoples’ emotions. Brie has had a crush on Aiden since she the time she briefly meets him in Dark Rival.

Aiden is a Master and can time travel. After hearing Brianna scream for help, he leaps through time to find and protect her. She was being attacked by a group of boys who had been consumed by evil. Aiden saves her. A conflict happens between Brianna’s boss and Aiden. Aiden leaps time and takes Brianna with him back to Scotland in the year 1508.

I hate to say this but I was really disappointed with this story. Aiden appeared in the first two books as a happy-go-lucky, ladies man. Now he is consumed by hatred and revenge. He does such a complete one-eighty that I hardly recognized him as the same man. Aiden was pretty nasty to Brie most of the time and just an all around unpleasant man.

I also think Aiden’s personality and problems overshadowed Brie in this book. Aiden was too mean and Brie was too mousy. His struggles and problems were the focus and therefore the books seemed unbalanced. For example, I don’t even really understand Brie’s powers and how she came to have them. Nor is there much written about her family or background. Aiden was too changed for me to really like him and it is such a shame because he really could have been a magnetic character. Brie and Aiden’s sudden happy ending was not very believable.

One other thing that bothered me was Brie’s boss Nick, who has some very, unexpected capabilities in the book. This just leads to more questions that were left unanswered. It is possible that they will be addressed in future books in the series, but again, it left me confused and unsatisfied with this book.

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Review - Date with the Devil

Title: Date with the Devil
Author: Olivia Rupprecht
Publishing Date: November 1991
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: C+
Sensuality: Warm

Can I just say this book totally makes me giggle? I mean first of all check out the ridiculous cover. Of course, it was written in 1991, so what did I expect, right? What’s inside the book is just as tacky as the cover. In this case, the saying “never judge a book by its cover” doesn’t apply. My whole reason for reading this book was because of a post I read over at the popular romance blog, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. A reader couldn’t remember the title of this book and described the plot. It sounded so ridiculous I knew I had to read it. What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.

Diedre Forsythe wins a trip to the Bahamas. She takes a day cruise site see around the surrounding area and a surprise storm capsizes the boat. After hitting the water she blacks out and wakes up to find herself in the arms of a strange man lying on a bed of palm fronds. She recognizes the man from the boat as Sterling Jakes a fellow passenger. (Don’t you just love the name, Sterling Jakes? It’s about as silly as the rest of the book.) He was able to save himself and her by swimming to the nearest island. Now it’s just the two of them and they have to live off the island to survive.

I loved the premise of this book. Two strangers who have to learn to live off the land in order to survive is a promising plot. No outside conflict, only the two of them against nature. Unfortunately, the delivery just didn’t work for me. Sterling was in the military and he studied as a Ninja and knows how to survive. So he teaches Diedre how to find food and how to make tools. Sterling came off as too much of a know-it-all. Plus, he was a lot older than Diedre and that immediately put him in control. What really got me, was the way he would talk. It was all very cheesy and he always called Diedre, Darling. I found myself rolling my eyes at the things he would say.

This story was very brief at a whopping 180 pages. It was an easy read and I read the book very quickly. I didn’t like how Diedre behaved at the end. She all the sudden turned into an immature ninny. Feeling so sorry for herself, she just ran away instead of confronting her problems. It weakened the book, for me. I don’t know if I can actually recommend this book, but it was funny and short. I didn’t mind having spent time reading it. But it’s definitely not an award winner. (Well, I suppose that depends on the award).

Review - Broken

Title: Broken
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publishing Date: May 2006
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm

Broken is book six in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Underworld series. The main focus of the book was the mystery surrounding the portal Elena accidentally opens up and her emotional upheaval with her pregnancy. The mystery involved a From Hell letter that was supposedly written by Jack the Ripper. Elena is asked to steal it, and her needing some excitement in her life agrees to do the job.

Elena, Clay and Jeremy set out for Toronto to steal the letter. The theft goes as planned without any problems. It was a pretty simple job with very low risks involved. What they didn’t know about the letter though, was that it was actually a portal. Elena accidentally activates it and a couple of zombies escape. Elena and Jeremy want to close the portal. What they thought would be simple, soon becomes complicated.

I don’t know what it was about this book, but it just wasn’t as exciting as Elena’s first two books Bitten and Stolen. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book, but it seemed to be missing something. The story centers around Elena because it’s all in her point of view. Maybe by getting only Elena’s point of view, the other characters make less of an impact. Clay’s angst was almost non existent. Occasionally, he would growl at Elena for her to keep herself safe, but that was about the extent of it. I really loved Clay in Bitten, but he just seemed a shadow of himself in this book.

I do really enjoy Elena’s voice and she is still the same sensible, level headed woman. She likes to have her fun though. I also love the pack dynamics. I love to see how the other wolves interact with each other. Jamie, the necromancer also puts in an appearance to help out the pack. I love seeing her interact with Jeremy. Especially since, Jamie isn’t pack and doesn’t follow Jeremy’s orders like Clay and Elena do. I just wish there would have been more of that in this story. Broken is a good solid read, but not as griping as the first books.

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