Heart Of Stone Diana Palmer

This will be a quicky. I'm not sure how many people read Palmer besides me and the Sybs but I'll do a bit of an opinion piece.

Cindy Blurb: Simple.

18 yr old girl has been in love with man 11 years her senior since she laid eyes on him when she was 14.

Man 11 years her senior ignores her (yeah, he should!).

By the ripe old age of 19 she is never going to get married or be with a man because of something awful in the past and well, she is after all head over heels in love with hero.

Hero also had an awful event in his past complicated by one of 'those kind of women' (shallow, selfish, money grubbers).

Hero finally 'can't fight that feeling anymore' and since she's almost 20 they can now declare their love and live HEA.

Okay, so that's kind of the blurb that would go with any one of Diana Palmer's books EXCEPT -

It's missing the ginormous misunderstanding that drives a wedge through two people's hearts and make them angry and bitter towards each other until the Hero (and yes, it's usually the hero) discovers he had it all wrong, wrong, wrong and is the biggest butt in the world.

He seduces young woman who is bewildered by the affection (and erection) from the man she has always loved but who had hated her completely and utterly until about 10 minutes ago.

And if you really want to dive into Palmer's back list there are H/H who are related to each other (cousins) and then there is the famous Older Step Brother with his much younger and tortured Step Sister.

Yep.

If you want to find something sinister and awful to hate in a book you can probably find it in a Diana Palmer.

But I love it.

Okay, the step sibs were hard to take and I do get the 'ick' when cousins are mentioned but Diana Palmer could really bring it.

Soap Opera drama, skank whore who is hero's current fling and treats heroine like a little slut, a hero who makes assholes every where a better name because he is the King and I as the reader can't wait for the truth to knock him off his high horse.

So with this latest release I can say that she's not as PC as she was in around 2000 when I read one of her books and entered 'the complete opposite' world. Hell, the book had no zing, zip or passion. I was sad.

But lately I've been seeing 'Long Tall Texan's' on her books and I've been wondering if maybe she would write up another of her famous alpha jerk heroes.

Basically the hero wasn't a jerk in this book. He had some smarts about him. He did jump to a few bad conclusions but they were quickly fixed after the heroine almost dies. (Hey, I forgot that part!)

The heroine was meh.

The sex was very meh. I mean, seriously. Meh.

I'm not used to Palmer being so slight in the sheets but maybe I'm not remembering everything the way it really happened.

Will I read another Palmer.

Hell Yeah!!

I may even resort to re-reading some of her older, wilder and Un-PC books.

I should mention she has written historicals which fit more into this category. Like you would expect an 19 year old and an older man to get together but she mostly writes contemporary westerns.

God love her.

C+ (I'm suddenly on Sybil's side when she says C reviews don't mean the book was bad. They sure don't mean it's a great book either.)

AND

I picked up another book. I'm currently reading Jessica Bird's - crap, it's got millionaire or something like that in the title. I would have dropped this book at the first page but I was out and about with Bob and we were hitting stores I didn't need to go in so I stayed in the car reading.

It's amazing how you'll read something that makes your eyes roll when there is nothing else to do or read.

And that seems to be the solution to Slumpville (if I can't see it maybe it's not real!) right now. Cause all of a sudden, the weirdness of the whole first chapter has passed and maybe I can see past the 'he-man/she-woman' character traits that Ward is famous for.

Yeah, Bird is Ward.

But then I think everyone knows that.

If not, you're welcome.

Toronto or BUST!

So yeah, we're going to a fancy tile store in Toronto. Squeeeeeee!!!

Yes, interior design is one of my passions and going to a place with specialty stone tiles makes me squeee.

Course, I'll work hard on my breathing cause of the anxiety monkey that has been playing on my back lately. Weird monkey.

Onwards!

I finished my first book for the year!!! Yay baby!!

Heart of Stone by Diane Palmer

I'll do a Cindy write up next go but Sybil, if you are watching, it's not exactly the Palmer we know and love. More when I do my *announcer voice* opinion piece. *end of announcer*

Also, to you all Google readers or other platform readers, I'll apologize right now. I'm going to be re-tagging entries and trying to clean things up a bit. I have no consistency with tags and things are every where!!

Like in my house.

Next!

Bookwormom did you all in. Yes she did, she asked for pics!

I give you the before and almost after pics of our living room.


I took this picture the day we moved in so I would have befores and afters.

Phew!

Cause I never know what Bob will tackle next!

Lookit that sad fireplace. It's brick painted white. Pathetic. Also, the fireplace is not centered in the room. Unusually bad for Aries (Bob) not so much for us lazy Virgos.

And yes, I left that colour on the wall for three years.

I'm a saint.

Okay, lazy.

This is the new and improved fireplace.

In order to center the fireplace in the room Bob made the whole thing bigger but you can't move the fireplace. So he created a wood box on the side and because the picture above is centered on the mantle, it gives the illusion of center.

At least, that's how I'm explaining it.

Okay, now just a few overall pictures of the room.

Should mention that we are going back and forth on whether to stain or paint it white. Eventually we will finish the hardwood floors and they will be dark. My furniture is on the darker side also so I think it might get too dark.



This is almost from the same spot I took the above picture. The room is so long that we've had trouble placing the furniture for years. This is the one I like the best although you look at the back of the couch when you walk in the door.







And here are my drapes. Seriously, I've never bought drapes before so I feel like an adult now.

You may be trying to figure out what's wrong but you see my man Bob didn't want to see a rod across the top of the window and since we don't plan on ever closing the drapes, he mounted them on either side of the window with two separate rods.

Things to note, my coffee table is way too small. The carpet is way too small and busy - it worked in our last home to make our smaller living room cozy.

But hey, you do changes as you can afford them.

Finally this is what is behind that sofa in the above picture. It's a small seating area for now.

Like I said, this room is a challenge and it can be worked with if we get a sofa table but once we do that the room goes off center again.

Fun, no?

Okay, that's if for now.

Cheering was not necessary.

Off to see if I can watch Battlestar Galactica before Bob wakes up and the breakfast/Toronto trip begins!

Edited: You can click on the pictures to blow them up and see the nitty gritty. Be kind.

Sharing!

Amber had her vet visit today - I was soooo tired and pained (not physical but just mentally dull).

BUT!!

She's hopefully going to be fine!!

Yay!!

Thyroid is over active so new pills for Amber. Something about 2nd stage liver OR kidney disease (I get those organs mixed up but I'm thinking it was the kidney one) So she has to be on a low protein diet (bad Cindy with all that chicken!) so it doesn't over tax the organ.

There could also be something in her frontal lobe - she's blind but it's progressing in that her pupils no longer dilate. So there is progression but hey, what do you expect in an older cat. The hopefully good news is that she will be on the mend over the next month and we'll have our 'average' sized cat back in our lives again.

So vera happy!!

AND

I'm reading!!!

I had to go to the land of last resort.

Okay, maybe the land of second to last resort cause I didn't bust out an Anne Stuart.

Nope.

I busted out a Diana Palmer.

Yay I did!!

And it's wonderfully wrong in all her magical ways. Asshole alpha jerks with preconceived notions of the heroine, the heroine who is so virginal it's painful and God, so young. I'm so enthralled that I can see at least three other guys who should probably have their own stories with their own 'young and virginal' teenag-uh, women.

The last time I read a Palmer it was like her editor told her to do everything completely different. Man can't be an asshole, heroine should be a bit older, he should be nice to her and she should know he loves her.

It was drek and boring and OW, my brain hurts just thinking about it.

But this little gem - A Brand New Long, Tall Texan Story! (right on the cover) Heart of Stone from Special Edition Silhouette is like a hot bowl of chili with soft fresh bread and an ice cold coke all wrapped into a cozy little package. Yummy goodness I tell ya.

I started it at the vets when Amber had her hour of tests. I was hooked and I'm loving it!

Reading. It's all about the comfort of the soul.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of GCs for Chapters that can be more than used up on some of her backlist that I ran from over the past few years.

Pulling Up My Socks

Rough weekend with my anxiety for some reason but I'm through it and feeling much better on the other side.

I just finished my paying gig.

Has me happy and sad at the same time - happy to have nothing on my mind-Shut up-Sad cause I won't be making any money.

Turns out I like money.

But I try not to dwell on the sad stuff in my life. Again, zip it.

So positive things: (this picture tickled my procrastination bone)

1. We have resorted to feeding Amber real food. No more canned crap for her. I ordered in Swiss Chalet (it's a chicken place up here) and I never eat all the chicken because sometimes it's pink and yeah, they say that's natural but I'm saying- uh no!

Digressed.

So I plucked that chicken breast clean of all it's meat and chopped it up into little pieces and gave some to Amber. She ate and purred and ate and purred.

Then the other night I thought about having a tuna sandwich (I have to say at this point that I never thought watching Deadliest Catch would affect my eating) and opened a can of tuna. Only I bought that 'solid' kind.

Which means you can kind of *see* the fish. Hush. It's my story and I'm telling you this thing had a head and tail.

In my mind.

So I decided to flake it up and feed it to Amber.

Score!

Bob has also started to feed her shredded cheddar. (I'm not sure that's the greatest idea but hey, she doesn't look like skin and bones right now)

I'm planning on taking out a frozen chicken breast and boiling it. Bob doesn't think you can boil chicken. Cute man. Course it's boneless and stuff but I'm hoping it'll cook up nice for Amber.

2. I think I'll be day walking for the next week or so, so I'm hopefully going to get Amber over to the vet early Wednesday morning. I know blood work and stuff will need to happen but again, I'm crossing my fingers that it's just Emma (or Miss Fatty Patty) pushing her out of her bowl.

We stand guard over Amber when she eats now. Damn, she's a slow eater.

3. BOOK ROOM!! I'm excited to get into my book room because Bob has made it his dumping ground for his clothes, fancy boxes our new drapes came in (hey, I'll have to post a pic) and other *stuff or crap* that seems to enter this house on a daily basis.

Not cool.

I also have to get re-acquainted with my TBR pile so I know what I have and what I need.

4. It's early for sure but I have the 'spring cleaning' bug and hey, I need to grab that kind of energy when I can.

It usually lasts a full hour!

5. Ohhh, found a great tile place from my favourite design show called Design Inc. Bob went to Toronto today and picked up the multi-layered marble tile I've been looking for for about 6 months. I'm very excited and Bob wants to take me there on Saturday because there are tons of other different kind of tiles there.

Yes. I get excited about stone, tiles, paint, wood (yeah, baby) fabrics.

On that note I need to post before and after pictures of the gorgeous fireplace makeover my hubby did just before Christmas. It's faboo and the room now feels completely different - cozy and warm.

Okay, I've talked your ear off so I'll go and see what you guys have been up to.

Better things than me I bet!

Globula

1. I'm still here.

2. This post is just a glob of information to explain lack of blogging. I think it should get a special name.

3. I'm working on the AAR Annual Poll which takes up some time.

4. I'm working (as in a job) for probably the next 5 days and then the contract will be up. Yeah, I'm sad but I know Bob and I are blessed and the job was more about 'me' and 'self-worth' and such than the actual money. But the money was nice. Real nice.

5. I got on the scale the other day and saw the highest number I've ever seen. I'm in denial but I can't understand how it's not possible. I mean, it's a scale, what the hell else is it there for except to tell me my weight. So I lost 15 lbs last year and gained 16 in what, 3 months? Makes me pukish it does.

6. So you know I have to start exercising and of course, WW but I mentioned the denial thing and my brain isn't there. I really think you need to be in the zone mentally but I know I'm not there. Which sucks because when I put on a pair of jeans I'm about in tears. Anyone have any idea how to get my head in the game? I'm throwing a life line here peeps.

7. Amber, my beautiful blind kitty, is probably very sick. She's 16 years old now and she has lost so much weight. All the same she is the happiest cat in the world. You just have to touch her or call her name and she starts purring. The purr is sounding hoarse. I'm taking her to the vet on Monday - I think she has cancer or something like that and is on her way. However, if I cook up a chicken breast and cut it all up and give it to her she acts like she's starved. I have hope it's something else but at least she is one happy kitty.

8. On that extremely sad note I can honestly tell you I miss Cody more and more every day. My mother commented during Christmas 'I thought you weren't a dog person' and I said 'I didn't think I was.' I'm watching a show on the Iditarod - about mushers and their mushing dogs and I was about in tears when I saw how pooped these dogs are after running for hours on end. And some of them have Cody's face.

9. I so badly want to get sucked into a great book. I have to stop worrying about it and just let it happen already.

10. I figured I was at 9, we could use a 10. OH!! I'm addicted to Word Challenge on Facebook thanks to Rowena. She mentioned it and I love word games you can play yourself and BAM addiction.

Those are all the globula taking up my time at the moment. I hope you are all staying warm, finding time to read and enough couch time to catch your favourite shows - LOST ROCKS!!

So does Battlestar Galactica!! (I think I may have a theory although I can't fit Starbuck into it because I don't believe she is a cylon)

Bad Cindy. Must learn time management.

Wonder if they have a book on that?

Bookshelf Meme

I do so love a good meme and Bookwormom tagged me for one about a week ago.

Bad Cindy.

I'm not sure how this will end because my brain will pull a whole bunch of stuff out of no where and decide to wax poetic.

So, you know.

Normal Cindy post.

Helmets on people.

The books that’ve been on your shelves the longest:

Ohhhhh, baby!! The mind is a whirling and I got some titles for ya.

1. A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss - I'm trying to think if this would be the longest one of the shelf and it would be a very close tie to Katherine Sutcliffe's book Renegade Love - my very first keeper.

I know these covers come from an era of 'bodice ripping' art but I was always intrigued by A Rose in Winter's cover and I must have stared at the hero on the cover of Renegade Love for hours because he was so different from all those Fabio and long haired guys that I never found attractive.

The guys on these covers. Yep. I'll say it.

Yum!


A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.):

Okay the first book to come to my mind is Julie Garwood's Secret. It was the end of my 3rd year in university and I was mentally exhausted and just ready for the hard stuff to be over. Final exams were on and my last one was almost the second to last day in May. Which is horrible because everyone else was normally done the first few weeks of May. I couldn't believe how many of my friends had their exams either in class or in the first few days and then went home. Me? Nope, three to four weeks of sheer terror and prep.

I digress.

I've mentioned before that during school I refused to allow myself to buy or read new romance books. I know myself and I knew I would spend a weekend reading a book and not get important papers finished. Even then, I was still editing and working on papers for most of the night before they were due. Technology back then was not graceful and the number of times I would have to reset the printer to get the damn paper to print out. I mentioned terror, right? Because I would just make it to the class in time with smoke rising from my sneakers from running wild through the parking lot to the building.

My, how I do go on.

Anyways, I worked at a pet food store on the weekends - every friggin' weekend. But on this Saturday in May I had an exam at 9am and could go till noon. Now, I could have gone to work afterwords but I just didn't want to so I booked the day off.

After the exam I went to the bookstore. My sanctuary. And TADA!! A new Julie Garwood book!! I remember that day so well. Thrilled to have a new book by my favourite author I went home and started reading around 11:30am and didn't stop until the last page around 8:30pm. (slow reader) It remains my favourite to this day. For all the above reasons and for the story itself. Wonderful.

A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.):

Well, I've definitely won prizes and woot!! Loved everyone of 'em.

But I'll tell you the story of the time before the internet. A time when you couldn't find books you wanted cause they were out of print and the only places you could go were creepy dusty places with boxes and boxes of musty books for sale.

For real.

Not only that but books with vampires in them? So rare they were worth more than diamonds!

No. Really!!

I believe my first vampire book was from Maggie Shayne's Twilight series. Mmmmmm, vampires. While reading this amazing book from Harlequin or Silhouette or whatever, I flipped to the front of the book and found other titles from the series. Thing was, they had all been in print and I knew I wasn't going to find them at the bookstore. (Okay, what's weird is that I remember clearly reading this book first which is fine but it was also the first in the series so how could it have had the other titles listed in it? Bad memory)

3 years I looked and browsed never really believing I would find that last book. The one I really wanted to read.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I entered a used bookstore and found a discount table with category books tied with strings - 3 for a dollar.

There in a pile of three were the two Twilight books I had been looking for for 3 years. I was so excited but I knew better than to make any noise (I had done that the last time I scored a book and scared the clerk so bad she thought she would have to call 911).

I also remember worrying that the teller would look at the books and say 'OMG, these are rare books, how did they get into that pile! These are like 400 bucks!!'.

A book that’s been with you to the most places:

Renegade Love. All of Julie Garwood's backlist. And most of Kathleen Woodiwiss's books also. From my home, to being married and being in Bob's home and then moving here to our new home.

I do have to admit that I finally bought a new copy of Renegade Love in case I ever wanted to read it again because my original is all broken from reading and reading and reading. I'll never part with that original though. Oh, I found the pictures of it I took a few years ago!

The most recent addition to your shelves:

Egads. I haven't bought myself a book in a while! I'm waiting for Nalini Singh and J.R. Ward, Anne Stuart etc.

I was busy buying books as gifts this year but I didn't get to add any to my shelves. I have gift cards - only 40 bucks but I know at least one book I want to buy.

Because if you didn't already know, I love him.

Seriously. Bad crush on him cause he makes me laugh till it hurts.

Good stuff.

AND -

We're done!

I can see you doing your happy dance.

So, who shall get tagged - hey, I see you slinking out in the back!

Nath (gotcha), Rosie, Holly (cause she supposed to blog more), Ames, and C2.

Just so you know, I don't know the original creator of this meme and don't know if there are books still being given away but I do know the original post was in November. So I'm thinking, not so much. But I had fun doing it!

The Rules
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc

More Cold? No Thanks!

I'm setting a bad precedent for this year by being MIA as much as I have been.

Bad Cindy.

First excuse, and really, it's a good one, the AAR Annual Reader's Poll is up and running and I'm one of the people who tally the votes.

So me and Excel are tight yet again.

Bob is on a business trip but gets back tomorrow night and I will have to start working on numbers for last month and the 4 previous. Hey, I was let go and hired back for a month - sometimes life is good. I could use the dough!

Parents are now successfully in Kuala Lumpur and you would think this would mean more Cindy time - WRONG!

Snow is dumping by the foot and a driveway and cat (parent's house) need to be tended to. I haven't been feeling too well the last few days so the next few will be 'catch up' days.

Ugh.

One of my best buds wants to come out tomorrow but I'm not sure I'm well enough and yeah, I mean that in body and brains. My mind is playing games for sure and with sleep being a pain in the arse I get panicky.

On that note, it's time for my SAD light to come and spread some joy.

On a completely different one, I got a dream interpretation book for Christmas (yeah, my family are a bunch of yuk, yuks) but Dude, I've been having dreams of packing for about 6 months. I'm so sick of packing shit in my sleep, we never have enough boxes, I have to pull stuff out that might be other people's etc.

And weirdly it's usually my Gram's house and I'm packing with help from all the family only, I didn't know everyone was coming and I don't have gifts for everyone - yeah, Christmas plays a role. Luckily Bob does make appearances although they are too short and the house has been renoed to within an inch of it's life. Like crazy stuff.

Only, we moved my Gram when I was 16 and I haven't seen that house since. And my beloved Gram has been gone for 8 years and the last time the whole family was together for Christmas was long before I was 16.

Oh, but there was a pony in the house this time - let me check the book.

Cool.

It was a white pony (and by this I'm sure it was a foal) :

Looking at a foal: expect a very happy event to take place soon. A white horse in a dream heightens the meaning of the positive symbols. pg 202

Packing your belongings: expect life-changing events with worries, a shift in attitude, or possibly a separation. pg 292

Dreaming of moving out of your home means changes in your personal life are imminent. You are changing your habits, present situation, or your attitude toward life. pg 267

From Dreamer's Dictionary, Garuda

Hmmm.

The other weird thing I noticed lately is that my penmanship is different. So much so that at times I notice just how different it is while writing a number in a way I never have before.

And that whole sewing Christmas bags threw me too.

In terms of normal every day life I'm still my lazy self so I guess I'm not changing too much.

I'll also note that trying to interpret dreams with a book is hard. There's no 'packing up dead Gramma's house' in there. And half the things I first tried to look up had nothing.

But it was funny today when I woke up and remembered that white baby horse.

Definitely best part of a dream I'm sick of seeing over and over and over again.

Next up I'll do a meme I was tagged for on books by Bookwormom.

I heard those grateful sighs of relief.

Hell, even I'm relieved!

ANNNNND, I'm Back

There.

Went on a bit of a breather I did!

I'm touching base because I'm so tired right now it's all I can do to keep my eyes open. I have no clue why other than I seem to only be able to sleep about 8 hours in a row for the past few nights. My body really wants to go back to 'pre-December' body rules.

Did I mention the waist bands on my jeans are starting to hurt?

Yeah.

Not happy.

Also, I'm messing up my meds - can't remember when I took them last etc. (I have a pill sorter but stopped using it when I changed meds - the headaches I've been getting the past few days have been ugly so I definitely need to get my self together!)

I've opened my first book for the year and started reading. It's Suzanne Brockmann's Freedom's Price. It was first published as a Loveswept and it looks like an early version of Max and Gina only with a smaller age gap. I can tell you I'm having a hard time getting sucked in but I think real life is still messing with my mind.

I've rented and watched a ton of movies but the best one of the lot so far has been The Duchess with Kiera Knightly - I got totally sucked in and now want to know more about these three people who lived a different lifestyle 200 years ago. The movie - I don't think although I don't know for sure - is not accurate in the accounting of Georgina and Bess's lives with the Duke. So I'm very curious about them.

Ghostown was a movie I was looking forward to but it looks like they stripped all the funny parts out. So it was a dud for me.

The Women sucked elephant dung. It was painful.

I have 5 movies rented out - Burn After Reading, Bangkok something, Babylon AD, Mama Mia, and the DeNiro movie. We'll see if any of them are worth the effort.

Okay, off to veg in front of the TV - we'll see if I can keep my eyes open long enough to watch a show. It's 11pm now and I know if I go lay down I'll be awake again in 2 hours and I'll throw my whole sleep thing out of whack.

Wouldn't be an issue but my Dad and my Mom are heading back to Malaysia on Sunday (my mom's first time) and Friday night I'm doing a B-day/Bon Voyage thing for my Mom. So timing and sleep need to be kept as rigid as possible.

Next Monday I'll probably fall asleep and wake up three days later.