Re-Read Challenge - Rage of Angels

Title: Rage of Angels
Author: Sidney Sheldon
Publishing Date: 1980
Genre: Mainstream Fiction
Rating: C+
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: Checked it out from the library and re-reading for Nath's Re-Read Challenge.

Rage of Angels is the story of Jennifer Parker, a young woman whose life's dream has always been to become a lawyer. Her only living relative, her father was a lawyer but passed away Jennifer's senior year of law school. Being a devoted student she passes her bar exam in one attempt and lands a prestigious position with the Attorney D.A.'s office in New York City. Her first day on the job she is to assist Robert Di Silva in prosecuting Michael Moretti, son-in-law to one of the leaders of the Mafia organization. Things go terribly wrong and Jennifer makes a grave mistake that almost costs her to be disbarred from practicing law. The first part of Rage of Angels, is the story of Jennifer establishing herself as a lawyer despite the role she played in the disaster of Michael Moretti's trial. The second part of the book follows Jennifer's fall from grace.

The first time I read this book, I was in high school (guessing 15 or 16 years old) and I was absolutely riveted to the pages with the trials and tribulations Jennifer Parker faced in this story. I even remembered some of the details to the book, like Jennifer's first trial with the convicted prisoner who murdered a man while in the correctional facility. She wins his case and it makes her a huge success and gives her much needed positive publicity. I also remembered Jennifer being very likable and a really great person who was willing to offer her services for free to those who couldn't afford her. She believed in the law and felt that everybody had a right to a fair trial. I remember her being very clever and she would win cases that seemed just down right impossible to win. I was pretty sure there was romance in it, but I couldn't remember the details.

As much as I did remember, there was a lot of stuff I didn't remember. It's funny how we tend to block out the things we don't like about a book. Like I pretty much blocked out the whole second part of the book, which is the part where things take an ugly turn for Jenny. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I won't be going into detail. See the thing about Jenny is that even though she seems so great, she still makes mistakes and she pays dearly for those mistakes. Jennifer makes some choices that I didn't agree with. I understood them, but I didn't like her decisions. Jennifer has a relationship with two men in this book, Adam Warner a Senator and Michael Moretti the Mafia leader. Both of those men are married, so obviously a "happily ever after" isn't in the cards for her with either of those men. Since being a fan of romance, I really didn't like that Jennifer was committing adultery. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

I can still say that I was riveted to Rage of Angels once again. I really enjoyed reading this story. The amount of research Sheldon put into the court trials was meticulously done and they were fascinating. The characters are richly drawn. I would recommend this book to fans of regular fiction, but if you are looking for a "happily ever after", you won't find it here.

This book can be purchased in print format from Amazon.

Review - Face Time

Title: Face Time
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Publishing Date: August 2009
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B
Sensuality: Subtle
Book Disclosure: Received this book free from the publisher.

Face Time is book two in Hank Phillippi Ryan's Charlie McNally mystery series. Charley McNally is an investigative reporter for a Boston news station. She's won numerous Emmy's for her ability to uncover a story. This time Charley and her producer Franklin have been asked to investigate the likelihood that just maybe the infamous Dorinda Sweeney didn't kill her husband, even though she confessed to the murder. Meanwhile in Charlie's personal life, her mother is getting remarried. But before she ties the knot, she goes in for a face lift. Charlie's mother keeps insisting she should consider plastic surgery. Even though Charlie is 46, she isn't quite sure she wants to go under the knife just yet. Also, Charlie's relationship with Josh is starting to become serious. Serious enough that Charlie is having problems bonding with Josh's eight year-old daughter, Penny.

Face Time is told in first person through Charlie's point of view. Charlie is a character that readers will easily sympathize with right away. She has a no-nonsense way about her, but she also pokes fun at herself. Her tone of voice is an easy one to follow with a descriptive narration. The main focus of this book is Charlie's investigation in to Dorinda Sweeney's murder confession. Yet, the book is also balanced by events happening in Charlie's personal life.

Face Time focuses less on the romance between Josh and Charlie and instead focuses on Charlie's relationship with her mother and Josh's daughter Penny. I personally would have liked more romance, seeing as I am a big squeeing fan girl of romance in my novels, however I really enjoyed seeing Charlie work through her issues with her Mom, which gave a little more insight in to Charlie's character. The mother/daughter relationship was a theme centered throughout the book. Not just the relationship between Charlie and her Mom, but also Dorinda and her daughter and then with Charlie and Penny. Fans of mystery won't want to miss out on this series.

Here is what others had to say:

Reviews by Cindy
My Book Views
Meritorious Mysteries
Mystery Books News

This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon

Review - Take a Chance on Me

Title: Take a Chance on Me
Author: Susan Donovan
Publishing Date: 2003
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: Requested from paperbackswap after realizing it made Kristie J's top 16 list. Also, it met the requirements of my RT Reading Challenge.

I was in the mood for a light, funny romance and after hearing this was one of Kristie J's favorites, I decided to move Take a Chance on Me up in the TBR pile. If you are a fan of light-hearted contemporaries, then this is a story for you.

Thomas Tobin unexpectedly finds himself the temporary owner of a Chinese Crested dog named Hairy, when his owner is found murdered in his kitchen. Since that fateful day, little Hairy seems to have issues with anxiety. Thomas takes Hairy to see Emma Jenkins, an animal behaviorist who might be able to help Hairy with his anxiety issues. See, it just so happens that Hairy happened to witness a murder and Tobin needs Emma's help to make sense of it all.

One of the things that really stood out for me in this book was Donovan's ability to clearly describe her characters. Sometimes, I'll read a story and the character descriptions are kind of vague or glossed over. That is definitely not the case here. I had a very clear picture of what Emma or Thomas looked like, and now that I think about it, the secondary characters too - even little Hairy.

What is also nice about Take a Chance on Me is that yes, it is a light-hearted book and there are plenty of funny moments in it, but that is not all. This book also has some bittersweet more poignant moments as well. Emma has just divorced her ex-husband and is learning to value herself and also draw boundaries. Thomas is a big cynic who thinks all relationships are doomed from the start because he sees the worst of humanity through his job day in and day out. It is a nice change of pace for both Emma and Thomas to meet and interact with each other.

The only excuse I can find for not rating this book higher is mainly because I found Thomas to be a big stick in the mud the first part of the book. He was kept giving Emma mixed signals because he was mixed up himself, not sure of what he wanted. He does come around and the journey is a fun one to read.

Here is what others had to say:

Book Binge
Penelope's Romance Reviews
Tracy's Place

This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon.

November RT Challenge

I should have posted this sooner. Oh well, things just have a way of falling to the wayside. Any hoo, here is the post for November. If you are joining in my RT Reading Challenge this month feel free to comment or email with your post. If you would like to post on my blog, just let me know. I will be adding to the list as the month continues on. You can find more about the RT Reading Challenge here.

Kristie J: Undercover by Lauren Dane - Rated: 4.25 of 5
Jill: Highland Obsession by Dawn Halliday (AKA Jennifer Haymore)- Rated: C-
Jill: Take a Chance on Me by Susan Donovan - Rated: B

Review - Magic Bites

Title: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publishing Date: 2007
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: B
Sensuality: Subtle
Book Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Magic Bites is the first book in Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series. Kate Daniels narrates this futuristic series from the first person point of view. She finds herself alone in the world after her guardian is brutally murdered. She takes it upon herself to investigate his murder. As she begins to do this it appears two big factions have been set up against one another - The Pack, a group of shapechangers and The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires.

Kate Daniels is a complete Bad Ass (with capital letters). It takes a little while to warm up to her at first. She has a very sarcastic and blunt demeanor. She is a loner and likes it that way. Readers aren't exactly sure just how strong Kate is, or are aware of just what powers she possesses. All they know is that she is quite capable of holding her own against a few very powerful, scary foes. Even Curran, the leader of The Pack and Nataraja, leader of the Undead, aren't exactly sure what Kate is capable of or where her powers are derived from. There were hints, but nothing definite came out in this book.

The real strength in Ilona Andrews writing lies in the world building and descriptions of all the unique creatures that inhabit this world. I was amazed at the imagery and creepy depictions of the variety of life living in Kate's world. Some of it is just darn right gross, yet fascinating. I wish that there would have been more of a romance in Magic Bites. As it was, a certain relationship was just barely hinted at, but that is all there was and fans of romance might be disappointed. I found the characters very compelling and the writing very easy to read that I am definitely interesting in continuing with this series. I have heard it mentioned from others that the romance does pick up in later books.

Here is what others had to say:

Babbling Book Reviews
Stacy's Place on Earth
Ink and Paper
Michelle's Book Blog
Items of Interest
Dear Author
Brooke Reviews
Today I Read
Scooper Speaks
Ciara Stewart
Angieville

This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon

Upcoming December Releases!

Okay, so this is totally crazy but I am only looking forward to reading ONE book in December. That is Dying Scream by Mary Burton. I haven't ever read her before, but I am always looking for new authors to worship and this one sounded pretty darn good. Dying Scream is a romantic suspense and here is the summary blurb:

NO ONE WILL FIND YOU.

An aspiring artist. A high-school senior. A stripper. Three women who seemed to have nothing in common except their sudden disappearance. But one man knew them all. Wealthy, privileged Craig Thornton even claimed to love them. And for that, they paid the ultimate price.

NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU

When Adrianna Barrington receives an anniversary card from her husband Craig, she assumes it's a some crackpot's idea of a joke. After all Craig is dead. But then come phone calls, flowers, messages...all reminding her how much Craig misses her. While Adrianna begins to doubt her sanity, grisly remains are found on the Thornton estate. Detective Gage Hudson is convinced the bodies are linked to Craig. But the biggest shocks are yet to come.

NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM

A psychopath has taken up his chilling work again, each death a prelude to the moment when she is under his control at last. And the only way for Gage and Adrianna to stop him is to uncover the truth about a family's dark past--and a twisted love that someone will kill for again and again

I am always looking to discover new authors. Are there any books out there that sound really good but you haven't ever read the author before? Also, since this was a slow month for me, are there any December releases you are curious about and would like to see me review?

TBR Challenge - A Most Unconventional Courtship

Title: A Most Unconventional Courtship
Author: Louise Allen
Publishing Date: May 2007
Genre: Historical
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: Requested from Paperbackswap.

Alessa Meridith witnesses two local ruffians attacking an English nobleman in the courtyard outside her home after getting her laundry. She efficiently disarms the men, but unfortunately not before the nobleman is knocked unconscious by a nasty hit to the head. With the help of her neighbors, Alessa manages to get him upstairs to her apartments. She plays nurse to his injuries that night. When Lord Blakenly awakens in the morning, he finds himself entranced by this local green-eyed woman. She is obviously educated and English, but just what is she doing living unchaperoned on a Greek island?

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with this story. I put off reading it for a long time - I have no idea why. The plot carries the book, as most of the conflict is external. Alessa has an interesting back story on how she came to be on the Greek island of Corfu. It's even more interesting how she makes her way back to England. Pirates, no less, are a part of it.

There are quite a few interesting characters, especially the Albanian Count, Voltar Zagrede. These characters weren't amazingly developed, but they were still captivating and fun to read. My one quibble with the book would be how quickly Chance and Alessa fall in love. It seems that their feelings were established too quickly in the constraints of the story. All in all, I would say this is a light,
pleasant read.

This was part of my TBR Challenge, hosted by Keishon of Avid Book
Reader.

(Please excuse the lack of links and pictures. I will clean it up when
I get back home)