Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

OMG!!

Like seriously, I need you to join me in a moment of silence for the rocking blockbuster this book is!!

I'm not sure if you've noticed or not but I don't give out perfect grades for books much if at all. I can call a book a keeper, one I will re-read with great joy but I also can see it's imperfections and will easily call 'em as I see 'em.

Well, let's just get this out of the way:

KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER!!!!

A+

No really, an A friggin' plus.

Did I love this book?

Oh hell, yeah.

I want this book to be with me forever. I actually wish I could follow MacRieve and Lousha (like swoon) through more books! I love romance books granted, but it's rare for me to like a hero and heroine separate from each other and damn if I didn't like these two immortals like best friends.

MacRieve - Garreth - where to start? He's a werewolf without all that 'alpha asshole' crap going on and he wasn't whiny or over bearing or illogical, which I have come upon with many paranormal characters. The last book I read by Kresley had a heroine I loved with a hero I could have clubbed with a 2x4 for being such a dense piece of work.

I also don't normally care for charm in a male. It can come off squirm inducing, like he's played the game many times before and knows the outcome. Garreth had charm but it wasn't because he was a lady's man, or believed he was all that (although he was all that), he had an earthy sense of humour and darn if he wasn't like me when angry. All mad and huffy and then just fine. For me, he made no mistakes and I love him for being smart and calm and not a huge thunderhead that erupts in anger.

Lousha (Lucia) was also a gem with a soft heart, although she didn't believe she had one. Her past is horrorville with a capital H and is something kept secret from all but 2 who know her. The secret is kept from the hero for a long time - longer than I like in a story but really, if I had that history, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to share that with the man I lusted for.

Once again Kresley Cole used the 'mate' idea and plays with it till both H/H don't know if they are coming or going. I love that Cole tests the 'mate' concept and allows her characters to wonder if they even like each other let alone love each other. Some authors use 'fated mates' as a shorthand to love forever and ever the end.

In Cole's world I think there could be mates (not that I know this or not) who don't really like each other much at all but who have to be together at the very least during the full moon. I don't want to read that story as a romance because I have to assume there would be no romance there but the concept is interesting and it would be neat if Cole could allude to mates who didn't like each other but had to carry on regardless.

You know me, I don't like to tell too much of a plot because I want you to read it without me spoiling something I didn't mean to. Let me just say that I loved the setting as I think I may have a thing for river boats. That's all I'm saying.

Oh! And honour. Don't you just love a man of honour. Garreth keeps his word and he's so funny to me because he'll mess up and be all 'shite, I really cocked that up.' even though the one thing that happened wasn't something I considered his fault.

So yeah, this book is going in a special place - probably among my Anne Stuart's. I'm also glad that I have a few of her books I haven't read yet because I am chomping at the bit - but I'll wait.

In the end, I think Kresley Cole will be able to keep knocking stuff out of the park because she doesn't seem to recycle her characters. Each hero and heroine have been so different from each other that it's impossible for her characters to have similar stories because each set reacts completely different from another.

I'm all awed and shit. Seriously.

Kresley Cole, welcome to my auto buy author list. You have only two others in there with you and at this time, you're kicking the stuffing out of both of them!

Go forth and read!!

Monkey Business

So Bob rocked Valentine's Day with a simple addition of a monkey to my collection. This time I knew it was a monkey and darn if I can't stop pressing the little button that makes it talk to me!




I controlled myself while videoing but I did let out one 'ah! ah!' I can't help but make the last two noises when it plays and those darn arms make me laugh.

Emma just shrugged.

Kitten took one look and ran for bear.

Other things going on - I'm into the Olympics but not glued to the set which is healthier for me than usual. Although I can't believe there are athletes who are getting medals even when they fall flat on their asses. I mean, seriously? Remember when everything had to be perfect to get a medal? I watched the doubles freestyle figure skating and couldn't believe how awkward everything looked and all the medal contenders had falls!

I watched just a bit of the snow boarding tonight and was stunned to see medals going to two athletes who fell on their last runs. Maybe knowing you have a medal makes you go full out in hopes of gold but falling never seemed to get people anywhere before.

And I've been hearing the grumblings about Vancouver and stuff but I remember the gripes about the other host nations. I think it was in Italy where people were upset about the stray dogs so they had to round them up - in China it was the real age of the athletes that came under fire.

It is too bad about the weather but then I've never thought of the city of Vancouver being very snowy. Whistler sure but when I think of Vancouver I think of rain.

Are you all watching the games or enthralled in a book? I have about 6 movies I need to watch so I can return them before I own them. Ooops. Also, I've noticed my eyesight is worse than I remember it being. When I last went to the eye doc he said I had almost perfect vision. Now, my eyesight seems to go in and out of focus which is definitely throwing me off when reading. For the first page or two my eyes are out of focus and then after that they do focus. It's the oddest thing - but I did just find my reading glasses so hopefully that will get me back up to speed.

Happy VD!!!

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I loathe this event.

There was the year from 'hell' there back at the old house and since then I wish I could convince Bob to just forget it.

What struck me this week was something I remember from years ago.

Bob will show up out of the blue on a work day - usually he's popping in to pick something up or whatever. Back early in our marriage I remember him showing up at a store I was at and I was so surprised I think I made a very loud sound of joy. He told me it was always nice to be greeted by such joy by the person you love.

I had been thinking about that time so many years ago and I wondered if I still had that reaction. After a while you take things for granted or moments that someone else pointed out for you drift off.

I was in the truck heading out to get something to eat and saw a car in the distance. My mind briefly flashed that maybe it could be Bob but I sluffed it off. As I got closer I saw it was Bob and I honked my horn and realized I was calling out to him even though my window was up. I was happy and I could tell by his reaction he was happy to see me too. Even though he knew he was going to see me any minute.

Another 'moment' for me (and I've heard from Bob also) is when I turn down the street and see Bob's vehicle in the driveway. I can't wait to get in the house! It's always special but even more so when I don't expect to see it.

This week I mentioned to Bob how almost 15 years into marriage I still get excited when I see him - to me, sharing that with him means more to me than cards and (Lord have mercy I don't need any chocolate!) candy.

If you love Valentine's Day then I wish you a great and happy day.

If you hate Valentine's Day then I wish you a great and happy day.

Stay tuned for the yearly Valentine's Day fuck up. I'm sure Bob and I will step into something, we always do.

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Woohoo, first book of the year has been read! *throws confetti*

*taps foot impatiently*

I know I'm pathetic. I keep saying February will be my month to read but it's not playing out that way at all.

As to the story, it was a B. It was a touch melodramatic at the end but I misted up a bit so it worked.

That's all I got.

I don't know, when you tote a book with you every where for over a month you tend to think of it as the never ending story. Not that I had time to read but that it was there, always, waiting and mocking.

But it's done now and I have no clue what to pick up next. I want to read some 2010 books but I don't have any in the house.

I would be shocked too but sadly, I'm not.

Blah, blah, blah - I'm done.

This post has been brought to you by the soul sucking February Blahs. One minute your up the next minute your not. It's quite a roller coaster of emotion for a 24 hour period. Especially when you can't sleep.

Maybe I'm a Groundhog

Basically I've seen my shadow and curled back up in my hole.

The February blahs decided to hit me immediately instead of creeping up on me like most years.

So Pffffffffffffffffttttttttttt!

I have been working on ballots and write up for the Annual Poll so when I'm not just lazing around (ha!) I'm trying to make sense with words.

I know. Quite a mountain I'm climbing.

Oh, but let me sum up my week:

1. Found out my Gorgeous Cousin has not heard from her boyfriend since the New Year - nice timing on the dick - got all his gifts and bailed. I'm praying hard GC gets over him this time and lets him go. Or kicks his ass. Either works. I'm terrified he'll come out of the woodwork (and he will when this new girl figures him out) and she'll take him back again. She's just too young to be dealing with this crap - 24 and gorgeous - I'm just saying, lose him already!

2. BF has now officially begun a relationship with another man outside of her marriage. Okay, breathe. Here's my thing - she really hasn't ever stopped dating. Sure, this time she managed 10 years of being faithful but OMG get a divorce!! Nope, staying for the kids - who I have explained to her would hate her if they find out.

What I CAN'T get over (and trust me I've been struggling with a lot) is her belief that she could tell her husband that she needs to be with another man while remaining married. Yep. She can't tell him the things that bother her like 'help around the house, take better care of yourself, help more with the kids' but she thinks she could tell him she needs an open marriage. Yuck. Not only that but she believes he would stay with her (and I do to because seriously, he's not much - I try not to mean that meanly but this guy has the social graces of vomit but still, she married him!)

I know. I'm trying to stay out of it and free of her but her kids are our godkids. Enough said on that one.

3. Best bud's boyfriend tried to commit suicide Wednesday night. Just so you know, this is the guy who put 'ass' in asshole. Just saying. Long story shorter - she gets him out of his truck which he had jerry rigged goes back to house to call for help he goes into his shop and starts a fire - she stomps it out and he goes to make a bigger fire but the police arrive in time.

Cut to yesterday afternoon - he's pissed at her because she called the cops, he spent a night in jail and didn't 'take a piss' (quoting here) because he was afraid to whip it out and now everyone thinks he's crazy. She lets him vent (she actually said to me, I let him vent because I had vented to my friends - okay, how she didn't beat the snot out of him is beyond me) - he needs to get help and he's booked in for next week. Not that he tried to kill himself the night before but hey, he should get through the week okay.

Anyways - he doesn't believe he set a fire - told girlfriend there would be scorch marks on the floor (what a &%*$$^*%) and that the vacuum hose he had used to get the carbon dioxide into the truck would have melted away before it killed him.

What a fu^&%^%^ ^%#$%^ &*%^&(*^ %^%^^( with a side of ^%$#$#%%$

Like OMG I would have smacked him over the head with a blunt object.

I yelled (and I mean I yelled) at my friend 'I want you to leave him!' and she immediately answered 'I know you do Cindy'.


Once again, I can't live other people's lives cause I would obviously be up on so many felony charges I wouldn't ever see the light of day.

*and breathe it out*

I told Bob I want a jammie weekend. I don't want to have to do anything but maybe I'll see my Gorgeous Cousin since the Super Bowl will be on this weekend and I never do care.

But hey, how was your week?

Edited: It occurs to me that people might think I'm lying about some of this - or maybe exaggerating. The very sad truth is, I'm holding a fist full of crap back. If I could write I would so out the BF and the BB. With different names of course but I'm sure they would know themselves and hate me.