Anne Stuart's Ruthless

Sybil from TGTBTU was super kind and asked me to do a guest review of Anne Stuart's Ruthless.

Yes, the squeeeing was undignified when that ARC arrived but, I tried real hard not to gush my way through a review of *my* author.

If you don't trust me you can read the review here.

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!!

Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

I haven't been hopping around blogland much but I don't recall seeing too many people talking about this book.

I'm loving it!!

I have the last few chapters to read but I can't see where it can go wrong. Unless the H/H die then I'm all good.

Harry is such a SOB and I love him! I think he's giving Sebastian a run for his money but then I never read the book where Sebastian was the villain.

I love it when you get characters that just don't fit any expectations.

Harry isn't a hero although I can't help but get all mushy about him now. I do think there is more that we could have known. He's not exactly forthcoming even in his own thoughts. He just knows what he wants and grabs it.

I would have liked to see him thinking about his hobby while working through something. I think there is a lot assumed about who he is (and I don't doubt he's every thing imparted) but it's not shown in his thoughts or actions for the most part. I think people who have active minds can't help but get distracted by seeing something new or interesting to them.

I guess it's just that Poppy is the new and shiny.

I can't wait to get to Beatrix's story although I imagine Leo will get his HEA before she does.

Okay, I didn't see the time creeping up on me and bedtime is calling!

But I can definitely call this one a KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER!!!

Buddy Review!! Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh

Woohoo!!

I finished this book shortly after it was published (there be no slumpville when my auto-buy authors come out!) but boy there is a lot of work in doing up a buddy review!!

Thanks to Nath for letting me play and having the patience for it all and for doing all the 'techie' things that need to happen to get a review like this up.

Without further ado:

Breezing Thru and Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh

You still here?

Does She Really Need An Introduction?

I read much of today and finished Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart!

At first I was thinking something was off (as in although it was a keeper, it wasn't going to be one of my favourites) but then WHAM, she sucker punched me!!

I friggin' love this book!!!

So yeah, get ready for it -

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

Cindy Blurb: So, this is a final in a series about assassins for 'good' and by that I don't mean these people are even remotely healthy in the morals department but hey, they aren't stone cold killers just for kicks. They have a purpose when they kill - wait, uh, okay, I should mention these are pretty dark books with those anti-heroes / heroines (just in case you are new to Stuart - LinnieGayl I'm talking to you!) that just make me happy.

Jilly is the sister of Summer (a heroine from another book) who is 20 and even though she is young and yes, she even acts young, she's I guess a genius but you know, in books cause not so much in social ways. She met Reno (the cousin of Taka, Summer's man) two years ago and started crushing something fierce. Reno, poor bugger, fell also but didn't realize it. Summer and Taka see it all and keep these two apart.

Reno, meanwhile, is 28 and a disgrace to his well respected family. Hair down to his waist, dyed bright red, rides Harleys and doesn't take anything too seriously. At least, that's what we are led to believe and yeah, I totally bought it.

What happens?

Jilly makes a mistake and runs to her sister who just happens to be in extreme hiding with her hubby Taka. Jilly, not realizing she shouldn't be in Japan ever, steps into the middle of a turf war and Reno is sent in to save her.

And then there was love.

Stuart style baby!!

Let's see, what can I tell you about this one?

I went into Reno and Jilly's story not truly convinced I was going to buy these two falling in love. I guess their ages threw me off and then Reno hadn't really acted all that mature in the previous books. He's a biker dude (okay, he was called something else in the book but whatever) who worked with extremely skilled, deadly guys and they all seemed to make him look like, uh, well, a pansy.

I'm just saying.

Didn't feel like hero material to me.

HOW COULD I HAVE DOUBTED!!???

My love for Ms. Stuart now knows no bounds. I'm telling ya, she made Death sexy in a novella umpteen years ago, had me fall in love with a dead gangster in a Valentine's Day anthology - let's not even talk about Simon ( *MY* Simon) the conman wizard in a historical of all things!!

How could I have thought that she wasn't going to pull this one out of the fire?

The beginning was choppy for me but it was because of all these preconceived notions I had about Reno and well, Jilly is young. Like, young. She was practically jail bait when she first met Reno and Ms. Stuart usually writes characters that are well seasoned with age.

But OMG it just gets fabulous as you continue reading.

What did I love? I loved that Reno and Jilly *were* young cause even though Reno had that edge (you discover it later) these two made mistakes because hey, they haven't been chased by killers everyday of their life like Takashi or Bastien . So of course the baddies are going to get the drop on them and more than once!

In the end I really felt like these two were on an equal footing and that is not something you come across a lot in Stuart's work. The hero is usually so much more dangerous and yes, Reno is dangerous but he isn't quite as broken or cast in iron like a man much older and jaded by his work. So Jilly is able to break through many more times than any of the previous heroines with their own heroes in this series. Jilly is all youth and yet, she has power over Reno even though she isn't quite aware of it.

Then there was that joyful neediness of the young (Jilly's side) mixed with a Fuck You attitude. At times, Jilly would get all pissy and say things that A) get her in dangerous trouble and B) scare the piss out of Reno. The older heroines in previous books don't get as sassy with their heroes because with age comes wisdom - or, uh, fear - so they tend to keep their mouths shut at times you wish they would say something, anything to get the hero to react.

Now for me the book was perfect although I know there is a scene late in the story that would have most readers going 'Oh c'mon!!' but I don't care, I loved it and hey, other authors write scenes like it and don't even acknowledge that someone could have got a bullet in the ass.

I'm just saying.

I could go on - Hey, I heard that! - but I'm going to try and stop now.

It's an A for me for sure.

Now trying to be objective for other readers I would say this one should rate fairly high up there. I'll say a B to B+ for most readers because there isn't as much darkness or angst in this one.

I finished this one this afternoon and yelled down to Bob.

Me: I just finished my book *small sob*

Bob: Uh, oh. You have any other Stuarts?

Me: Are you kidding me!? (okay I do but I'm so not cracking that safe right now! I'm saving them for a time when she might think about retiring. *pleaseNOpleaseNOpleaseNO*)

Bob: Are you going to be blue?

Me: *glare*

Bob: Thought so.

My man doth know me well.

The good news though is that although I had that little pang in my heart for a few hours I'm really excited about reading the next book I can get my mitts on!

Kiss it Slumpville!!

Edited: HELP!! There is a short story on Stuart's website but for some reason I can't download it - it keeps sending me to buy the book. NOOOOOO!! I want the short story!!!

The Fantastic Book Blues

I finally made the time to read my book!

Ice Storm by Anne Stuart has now been read, hugged and lovingly placed on a shelf.

I can't tell you much cause I'm going to be doing a guest review over at Sybil's - I'll let you all know when it goes up.

I *just* finished reading and it's 12:30pm so obviously I stayed up way past my bedtime and I know I can't write anything coherent right now. I'll see if I can come up with a Cindy review tonight for Sybil.

Bob is up (of course) and has been doing more demo and such and he kept telling me I didn't have to finish the book in one sitting. Does he know me at all? So yeah, I finished and came in hugging the book. Bob understood it was a book not yet out and said, 'what are you going to do when the book finally hits the shelves? You won't be excited because you have already read it.' To which I replied 'I'm still going to buy a copy'. Bob being a good guy smiled and said 'you should, maybe it'll be different.'

What a sweetie. I can't imagine anything will be different unless Stuart does an epilogue but it's rare for her to end a book with too much gush.

So I'll be all gushy for her.

Squueeeeeeeee!

Okay, off to try and wind down although really, I'm just too happy and spazzy.

Ice Blue by Anne Stuart

I have no words.

You all know I'm a fangirl but - Oh. My. God. - I loved this book!

This book is the epitome of all that is Anne Stuart and holy crap I'm happier than a pig in shit, if you don't mind me saying.

The hero, Taka was perfect and sure Summer has those TSTL moments but it just doesn't matter when you get such a great sexy romance.

So, yeah - KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER!! but I would also say this one is an A. I'd throw a plus on there but hey, TSTL moments have to have some sort of consequence but then, without those moments you would have a completely different story.

I just want to grab all my Stuarts off my keeper shelf and re-read every single one. Just to relive all those moments that make me sigh.

*sigh*

I'm really too happy to talk coherently about this book and I'm really trying not to gush.

Hey! I'm trying here!

Okay, I'm going to tell you this but you can't use it against me at a future date.

Pinky swear.

See, Bob is now in Burlington, Vermont (I guess it's just a few hours over the border) on business and when I got to the end of the story I flipped through the rest of the pages, you know, looking for a hint of what would be coming next. Nothing. I then see Stuart's picture at the back and start to read the little bio.

Anne Stuart lives in Vermont.

I think I know what I want Bob to bring back with him.

*dreamy sigh*

Right. Sorry. Snap out of it!

I'm just not that crazy.

Okay, I flirt with 'that crazy' but really, I'm not that bad.

Shut up.

So to recap, I think this book is one of the best Ms. Stuart has to offer (so of the three in the series this is my favourite), I'm wondering if I can claim TSTL as a defense for kidnapping and I'm trying to remember I'm not that crazy.

*chants* I'm not that crazy, I'm not that crazy, I'm not that crazy...

*sigh*

The Great Book Blues are going to be KILLER!!!

Visions Of Heat by Nalini Singh

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

Nalini Singh, welcome to my auto-buy list!

I analysed quite a few things after finishing this book and discovered that there is something warm and comforting about Singh's writing.

There are so many things to explain but most of all, what I love about this story is how the hero and heroine fall in love. There is no great angst like in Ward's series and I am somehow comforted by that. Singh reminds me of how Julie Garwood's (holy new website!) historical romances used to make me feel. The hero and heroine were always partners instead of being enemies. Even when they come from a background of misunderstanding and hate, it is never focused on the person they fall in love with. It is this direct conflict that catches them up, trying to understand how someone they could love is from something they have learned to distrust.

Cindy Blurb: The Psy are basically beings that have forcefully striped themselves of emotion. They have cognitive abilities that far surpass those of any other creature but somehow they came to believe that emotions could cause them to go insane or worse, become monsters who could carry out acts of unspeakable horror. In order to cull the evil impulses they instituted the Silence which is a way of erasing the emotions that they are born with so that by the time they reach maturity they are ruled by logic only.

Faith Nightseer is a foreseer who forecasts for businesses and is one of the most accurate foreseer of her generation. She was given over to the Psy at the age of three because it became clear that she had the ability to see the future. From then on she was trained to only see visions dealing with business and she is so strong that she has kept her family in the foreground and made billions of dollars. Family, however, is not like what we think of. Foreseers have a higher rate of insanity and Faith is monitored almost every minute of the day to make sure that she is always able to meet her business requirements. In essence she is an asset.

Asset or not, Faith thinks she might be on the verge of a mental break because she is starting to have visions that have nothing to do with business. In order to find out what could be happening she decides to seek out the only Psy she knows that would have no reason to lie to her to keep her forecasting. Thus, she finds a way to escape the monitoring to go into Darkriver territory where the Changelings reign supreme.

Vaughn D'Angelo, a jaguar changeling has been drawn to a section of the city where he believes a Psy lives in almost relative isolation. He is surprised when he sees a woman Psy climb over the fenced in compound to start into the forest. He realizes that the woman must be seeking out his pack leaders' mate Sascha (book 1) who was formally of the Psy and knows he must intervene.

The fact that this story isn't ripe with misunderstandings is a great gift to the reader. I mean, really, couldn't you just see the whole 'you are mine enemy, must hate you but, day-am you're fine' thing happening?

Not even remotely with this story. It's about people from completely different backgrounds wanting to be together and learning to trust things that had once terrified them. Having Faith basically removed from any kind of physical contact at a young age makes her brain overreact to any kind of touch. Vaughn, whose survival is based on touch can only push at her so much before instinctively knowing she can take no more. It is a really beautiful dance to watch and the threat to Faith is very real and yet, both are willing to take a chance on the other.

Mini cut-off: Knowing what I do about the basic need for physical contact in humans (especially in the first year of life) I had a bit of a struggle with how fast Faith was able to overcome her fears. Then again, Faith isn't removed from the 'family' until she is three so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to assume that she would have been handled as a normal baby in the real world. I find this highly doubtful in that the adults are emotionless and don't seem inclined to touch. So I did struggle with just accepting that Faith or any Psy for that matter could overcome their upbringing. (I can talk about this in another post if anyone is confused)

I find it hard to summarize books that have so much world building going on but this is a world that is comfortable and for all it's unfamiliarity, easy to navigate. Again, kudos to Singh for this because I feel like I can actually see the parts of the world that only manifest in a Psy's mind. Vaughn and Faith get to the point where they are connected but Vaughn can only feel through the link whereas Faith can close her eyes and see the links. I like that there are facets of each other that their mate can not experience exactly like their mate. It makes their connection all the more powerful in that they still remain individuals and are expected to be able to take care of themselves. Sure, there is the need to protect but there is also respect for the other's ability.

Huh. So I could go on and on about this book and still, you would have to read it to understand the world. I guess it comes down to where I started. I love the way Vaughn and Faith fall in love.

I think others have mentioned that they liked the first book just a touch more than this one and I think it may be the hero. I can't put my finger on it but Vaughn seemed more insular than Lucas but since Lucas is Alpha, he had to be more open with his relationships.

What I am excited about is that the next book in the series has the hero as the Psy. I think it would become a bit redundant to have the heroine always being the Psy so I look forward to the next in the series. The snippet at the back guarantees that I'm gonna love it too!

Side Trip! I mentioned that this book had me thinking about many things and one of the things that occurred to me was that the world Singh has created is much more organic than many of the other series paranormal books I have read. In particular, my love of J.R. Ward's series is completely different from that of Singhs'. Ward's stories have these finite rules that make everything so structured that the reader knows there are certain things that can never happen (unless someone magically turns into a Brother - just saying). Singh's world has endless possibilities and doesn't seem as black and white as Ward's world. Even still, there is a logic that has to be followed in Singh's world so it's not like she is breaking any rules. Contrast both these world's with Kresley Cole's world and yet again, it's something completely different. I think in Cole's world anything is possible but it is the protagonists themselves that create the conflict - rival species etc.

I just found it an interesting contrast considering I have read books in all these series and had keepers from all three. Makes you wonder what it really is that can make a series click cause three more different story paths I don't think you would find.

What do you guys think?

Cold As Ice by Anne Stuart

Let's face it, we all know this is a keeper for me being the Anne Stuart fangirl that I am.

That said, I think this is one of her better stories and I loved the heroine. It is rare that Stuart gives us such a strong and likable heroine and I am so voting for Genevieve Spenser as my Favourite Heroine of 2006 at AAR.

Cindy Blurb: Genevieve Spenser is one high powered attorney and she has the bling to prove it. She was once down and dirty in the world of law but she was attacked one night by a battered woman's husband. Having survived the attack she learned how to protect herself, moved to a safer part of the city and thus a new line of work and lost herself in a world not her own.

Genevieve has finally decided to take a vacation but she needs to get one of the firms 'huge' clients to sign some paper work. This puts her on a yacht of a billionaire that she wishes she could thumb her nose at but is forced to be civil to. Civility forces her to stay over night on the boat and thus, her movement into the line of fire.

Peter (The Ice Man) Jensen is an undercover operative for a collection of agencies trying to keep world order. Or peace. Whatever. He is serving as the billionaire's aide in order to discover what kind of maniacal plans he has in store for the world. The night Genevieve steps on the yacht turns out to be the night of reckoning for the billionaire and the lawyer is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now if only the Ice Man can do as ordered and kill the innocent who has stumbled onto the scene.

*sigh*

I love me some Anne Stuart.

Onwards!

I'll say what I noticed as a problem for the story. Peter was almost too much of an Ice Man. In other words, he was able to bait Genevieve and reply coldly to her to the point where I started to wonder if he did find anything about her appealing. He said he did but he was also able to convince himself that murdering an innocent had never been part of his job before. Turns out I found this quite convincing so the idea that he was falling in love with Genevieve (he starts to call her Genny) was hard to find in his own mind!

Another thing was that the villain of the piece was really evil. Really, really evil and had one hell of a plan that was scary in it's scope. Now this is perfect for someone who likes to see villains who are not cartoon characters. The problem came when all his plans were foiled, he decided he needed to kill Genevieve. Somehow this would make him feel better.

Yeah. Not exactly as scary as it could have been.

As to the rest? Loved it!

Stuart finally gave one of her contemporary heroines some skills and it was wonderful. Genevieve wasn't afraid to try and keep escaping and was able to make decisions on the fly about her own survival. Not only that, she was lippy and since I tend to have a mouth I liked that she didn't back down from a fight. She is probably one of my favourite heroines so a huge thank you to Ms. Stuart.

I tried to figure out how someone who wasn't an Anne Stuart fangirl would rate this book and it just wouldn't gel with me. For example, there was a book years ago called The Widow that I still own and it's on the keeper shelf but I think it would be rated at a C if it was lucky. Cold As Ice, however, had everything I liked in a Stuart book so I think it sits firmly in the A range which would still make it a keeper.

So there you have it.

KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER!!

No Rest For The Wicked by Kresley Cole

I'm beginning to feel very predictable but....

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

I am so in love with this book I'm not sure I can be trusted to be coherent!

I finally gave myself permission to just sit and read and since I'm a slow reader it took a while. I went to bed at 6am this morning only because I knew Sears was coming to fix my washer between 10 and 2.

They came at 11am (sure when I want them to be late they're on time!) and I sat to read again while the lady was fixing the machine. When she left I crawled back into bed and was unable to sleep.

I'll give you a minute.

I COULDN'T SLEEP!!!

The characters were jumping around in my brain and after twenty minutes I realized it would be of no use to lay there. I've been known to lie in bed for 2 hours without sleeping but no, I didn't even give my sleep mechanism a chance to kick in.

Now, if that doesn't say keeper I don't know what would.

Cindy Blurb: It the Amazing Race 'Lore style' which basically means there are demons and witches and fey, oh my! competing in a race called the Hie. A Goddess who loves it when people say things are impossible because she lives to prove they are possible runs this race that Kaderin (of Valkyrie) has won the last five times.

This ain't no pussy race, the only rule is you cannot kill the competition. Sweet.

Kaderin is a cold blooded killer and has been killing vampires for over a thousand years. At one time she was considered kind hearted until she lost her beloved sisters and buried their bodies on a battle field a thousand years ago. The next morning she woke unable to feel anything, anger, pain, sorrow, happiness. She considers this a blessing.

Her blessing is threatened when she is called to a village just before the Hie to come and kill a vampire. For the first time in centuries her blade stops short of cutting Sebastian Wroth's head from his body. He wants to die and has for 300 years. Until the moment his blood starts to move in his veins again and realizes the woman before him is his Bride.

Okay, just go read the book!! If I say anything else it gets into spoiler territory and well, it's complicated.

Kaderin The Cold Hearted was a great heroine. I loved that in the opening scene we are shown the chink in her armor - her own feelings coming back. This heroine is kick-ass in all ways and it's not just for show. She's earned her place through countless battles and is afraid of nothing. Nothing until she meets a leech who makes her feel.

As much as I love Kaderin it was Sebastian who held my heart. Sebastian was turned vampire against his will by his own brothers. He hated who he was and just existed for the sake of being - luckily the reader is overwhelmed by his self-pity because we meet him when he finds his Bride. The minute he meets Kaderin he finds a reason to live. His only concern is to keep her safe and it takes him a while to discover she can take care of herself just fine.

Sebastian had always been clumsy around women and was shy. This comes out while trying to court Kaderin. I loved that Sebastian wanted to deserve her and that he only had alpha moments. Those moments only happened when Kaderin was in danger. I loved his insecurities about himself and his determination to not let that stop him from trying to gain Kaderin's attention.

Also, the sex. Wow. This is what all romances should be like!

Finally, I know that paranormals have been going heavy with the 'mate' premise and although there are times I find it forced in romances, I love how Cole uses it.

Sebastian knows that Kaderin is his Bride but his compulsion is sexual and protective. At no time does he confuse this with love. He even flat out says he doesn't love Kaderin at one point. So even though the 'mate' premise is used, it is used in a better way than in most books.

Now, since I'm nothing but fair *snort*, Nath had a completely different view of this one here
while Meljean agrees with me here. Oh and she is right, I liked this one even more than the first!

I love that I have like 3 historicals of hers in my TBR pile but I'm not ready to crack 'em.

The great book blues are trying to settle in but I'm thinking of trying some sort of comedy to crack it. Sure, I have housework galore to do but I really enjoyed giving myself permission to just sit and read. It's time I did more of that.

And sleep. I really need to get some sleep!

Slave To Sensation by Nalini Singh

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

Just as a side note, you look at the word keeper long enough and you're really not sure you are spelling it right.

Anyways, let's see if I can do this book any justice. For a real review go see Rosario and Jennie.

Dammit!! You'll do better to go to Rosario's and Jennie's.

Why?

Because I had a really long review all written up and proofed and everything and POOF it's all gone. First time that's every happened to me! Sucks huge lemons let me tell you. I don't have the patience to re-write and don't think I could if I tried.

So quickie, I loved the heroine and hero in this story. It was a beautiful new world that I can't wait to get back to. The bad guy was obvious but then, it's a romance book people.

I only had a problem with some logic at the end of the story and it only occurred to me much later. Course, I was tired so give me a break. Also, maybe it was just touched on lightly so that characters in later books can figure out 'the out'. Just saying.

I am going to re-write my new pet peeve. Reading the first book in a series and falling all in love with the author and her world that I want the rest of the books NOW!

So here is your mission if you choose to accept it. I need book recommendations on great hot paranormals that are past, oh I don't know, book four!!

Patience is so not part of my psyche.

Okay, I have to sign off because Blogger is acting like a huge jerk and I don't want to have to hunt down the people responsible for f-ing with my blogging!

Oh, C-Rex showed up today and then weepy Cindy came in right after that.

I'm just saying.

Then I had a panic moment on the way to a furniture shop that turned out to be just too far away and Bob had to turn the car around. I haven't had to deal with panic in a while but my fear of the flu is something that get's me completely off balance. Unlike my husband and most people I know I throw up and have the other for the 24 hours. If I just got the chills and some bottom stuff I wouldn't be so afraid but, the last two times I had the flu it took me down. Hard.

I got the flu shot last year but I don't know if it covers me until I get the next one. So yeah, I'm a little hard to live with right now. I'm also way too anxious to do anything for the next week or so which, lucky for me, no one was planning on visiting.

I'm still terrified to eat too much which then leads to my stomach hurting because it's probably hungry. This of course, causes me to worry that I might have the flu and voila, I'm crazy.

Crazy will be the host of this blog for the next little bit so hold on!!

Yep, I need to sit with a couple good books and just get out of my head for a bit!

Speechless? Who Me?

Okay, I will now attempt a review of Lover Awakened.

Edited: Okay not so much a review as just my thoughts on Z.

I know. I'm not sure I'm ready for this!

Let's start with this. I think you should read the first book (Dark Lover) in the series so you know just who the hell all these people are. And really that's my entire beef with these books.

It's Suzanne Brockmann all over again (and really, do we need to rehash my feelings on her latest books? Didn't think so. Guess who loves SB? Yep. Ward. Crap.) *sigh* Really, don't you wish you could read a series without falling all over yourself because you just have to read *cough* Butch's *cough* story now!?

So yeah, read the first book in the series and go from there. (Note to Kristie, you don't have to read Lover Eternal to read this book - just know that Bella, the heroine was abducted at the end of that story and this book starts 6 weeks later.)

Here's something else for ya. Besides the whole 'way too similar to Brockmann and way too many plots happening at one time' thing, this story was pure perfection. It is in my Top Ten Favourite Books of All Time, hands down. Dark Lover and Lover Eternal were really just the opening acts for this story. That's how much I loved everything about Zsadist and Bella.

Let's see if we can cut to some information without spoiling anything for those who are still on the fence.

Zsadist is one of the Brothers who are of the warrior class and are the guardians of vampire civilians. There is also a class system in vampire society (I mean, really, where isn't there a class structure) and the elite class is much like Regency England with all this structure, restrictions and rules. Bella, the heroine, is from this class.

Normally, no big deal for a warrior to be attracted to an upper class woman except Zsadist was kept as a blood slave upon his transition for a hundred years before his twin brother finally found and rescued him. Why blood slaves were ever invented or allowed beats me but now it's frowned upon.

To quote his own brother Phury, Zsadist isn't broken, he's ruined.

This is Zsadist's story and much of it is not pretty.

We find out about the sexual abuse suffered from both the woman who kept him shackled and the men that she liked to show him off to. Zsadist was so very innocent when he was taken as a slave and to see how he tries to assimilate what is being done to him is painful. One person in the entire time showed him compassion and the master had that person killed.

To survive Zsadist separated himself from his body and emotions. All except hatred.

It was phenomenal to see how J.R. Ward didn't flinch in telling a story about a man who had no connection to human emotion and how he came back to life. It was a breath of fresh air to see a real recovery versus a 'OMG I love you and now I'm all better' approach to real life issues. Sure, it was Bella that reached out to him and just refused to take no for an answer but sometimes no was the answer and Z is the only hero I know who meant it.

In all honesty, no review will do this book any justice.

Outside of Zsadist's story of course are the other people in the book and OMG, WTF was going on!? That's right. Another author who knows how to make a reader beg for more.

I'm considering boycotting the next one.

*snort*

I said that with a straight face!

Here's the thing though, I finished this book and was satisfied. Sure there are more brothers who need their stories told but I'm okay with waiting now. I'm not sure anyone could top Z and that, my friends, is from an 'I heart Butch' fangirl.

Okay, I was a Butch fangirl but now I'm wondering about his metrosexual ways. Give me my men without vanity. Okay, they need to bathe and shit but designer duds? Please.

Yet, I do have to bring up once again the whole 'too many people and plots' thing. I'm sorry but I don't give a rat's ass about some kid named John right now because I want to know about Z and Bella. Period. When I re-read these kind of books I don't read the sub-plots. I read for romance. Still, when I'm first reading I don't like to skip over things in case I miss a plot point that will be important to the main couple. All the same, I did skim over the lessers (evil guys) shit.

All the same, this book was a KEEPER!!!!!!!

Just so you know Tara Marie was much more eloquent than I was so go read her opinion here. I just nodded the whole time I read her post. Dead on.

Date Me, Baby, One More Time

JAY!!!!

*cues music* I think I love you so what am I so afraid of
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for ...

Lots of love being sent Jay's way because she was the reason I bought Date Me, Baby, One More Time and well,

KEEPER!! KEEPER!! KEEPER!! KEEPER!! KEEPER!!

I can't even begin to tell you whay this book is about because there are so many things going on. But, here's my best shot.

Cindy Blurb: Derek LaValle believes that the male members of his family are cursed to die at a specific time - he has it down to the second. Why does he know this? He saw his father die from a butter knife that suddenly had a life of it's own. After that he began to search out information on a curse. Of course, his entire family thinks he needs some shock therapy and explains the 'coincidences' as the LaValle men being unlucky. What he knows is that he needs to find the Goblet of Youth and girl the guardian to survive the curse. He has to do all this in a week because his time is coming.

Justine Bennett is the Guardian of the Goblet and has been watching over it for a couple of centuries now. Upon meeting Derek she is intrigued and decides to see what it is he is after.

It took a while for Derek and Justine to meet but once they do, they are in pretty deep with each other. All the same, there are so many obstacles in their way that the idea either of them will get out alive is slim.

Really, I can't squeeee enough about this book. For other reviews you can go to Jay's and Dear Authors. They tell you much more and clearly, I am up way past my bedtime because I'm barely literate!

The other good news? Rowe does great sexual tension and this book is real sexy and I liked the dark humour.

So if you want to try a great paranormal book where there are no vampires, werewolves or time traveling, this is it!!

So get this, I have Stephanie Rowe as an auto-buy author, Kresley Cole and J.R Ward. I love adding to the auto-buy list because it has been years!!!

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

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

Derek Craven *swoon*

I'm telling you I just want to hug him and squeeze him and maybe even bite him. Just a little.

There must be a hundred and one reviews of this book out there on the inter-webby thing and if you are really wondering if you should read this, go ask Kristie. No really. I dare you.

Cindy Summary: Sara Fielding is a writer who does real research which means hitting the mean streets of London. Derek Craven is an extremely wealthy gambling hall owner (just so you know, whenever people talked about his gambling hall I would be thinking of the ones in the HBO series Deadwood but from reading the book, it's more like the glitz and shine of Las Vegas).

Craven was not nurtured or brought up by anyone so emotions are not his strong point. He has no real clue how to deal with them so Sara Fielding is freaking him out so he leaves her. Many times. And then finally he doesn't. The end.

*snort*

I mean, I can't really tell you all that happens because everything has to happen as you read.

Oh and you know how I don't like epilogues?

This one was perfect and mrrrreow.

Things that didn't sit well - the separation but then, I do tend to hate those kind of things. I would have liked to see Craven crack just a little sooner. I was pissed at Sara for trying with her so called fiance but then you can't blame someone who is told 'to forget', but blame her I did. If you don't like books where everyone adores the heroine this book isn't for you but then, I liked Sara.

The things I loved far outweight the rest although when I re-read it, I'll skip the separation part ;)

I am now about to embark on the 'great book blues' mystery tour which usually has me moping around the house sighing and eating way too much chocolate.

Kristie, it's time to ante up. I read it, now you have to fill the empty spot!

A Hunger Like No Other

Keeper, Keeper, Keeper, Keeper!!!!

Not only that, but there will be another book about these creatures called No Rest for the Wicked so I'm off to find out all I can about her books.

Kresley Cole you have a fangirl in me!

Edited: Ohhhh, the next book comes out in October but I'm a summer lover so I'm not wishing it was October. Hell, no. That goes against everything I believe in and yet ... NO! I will not even think it! A fangirl squee review to come later when I'm not so sleepy from staying up late to read.

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

Wow.

Just, wow.

I'm on the speechless side.

I loved this book. I loved it.

I enjoyed it more than Dark Lover and Butch was in DL more!

So, let's do a Cindy summary:

Rhage is gorgeous with a capital G and probably the most dangerous of the Brotherhood because when he gets really out of control he turns into a dragon of some sort.

Super cool.

The beast is always within and needs to be released and the only way is through the change (extremely painful and scary) or through sex. Let's just say, Rhage takes the sex because the beast not only scares the crap out of him but also the big tough Brothers. Whenever the beast comes out these big tough men hot tail it out there like girly boys.

I loved the response of Butch (a human) the first time he sees Rhage's beast. He gets thrown in an Escalade by one of the brothers and they have to sit there watching the dragon kill and eat lessers (evil guys). Thing is, the dragon can't distinguish between the good and the bad so it starts heading for the car.

"Can it get in the car?" Butch asked.

"If it really wants to. Fortunately, it can't be very hungry."

"Yeah, well ... what if it's got room for Jello-o," Butch muttered.

The beast shook its head, black mane tossing in the moonlight. Then it howled and charged at them, running on two legs. The pounding of its stride called thunder and tremors out of the earth.

Butch checked the door lock one more time. Then thought about being a pansy and maybe hitting the floor.

Pg 41. Lover Eternal

Loved the thought of big, bad Butch considing being a pansy.

Ho-kay, then we have Mary who has been through hell and back with her mother dying of *dang bad memory* cancer and Mary herself then falling ill to luekemia two years later. At the beginning of the story Mary discovers her remission is over.

So Mary and Rhage meet, Rhage can't really see because he is recovering but, her voice soothes him so much that he just keeps begging her to talk to him while he has her pressed up against a wall. Her memory is erased (vamps can do that) but Rhage can't leave her be and defies orders to be with her. Sweet.

There is no way I can do this book justice. There are so many elements and plots going on that there is no way to summarize this story. This is very much Rhage and Mary's story even though we do get to know the Brothers, especially Zsadist, much better. I was grateful that the book was close to 450 pages because with everything going on, Ward needed room to tell the story.

There are plot points in here that may turn another reader off. I want to put spoiler space up but, I'm afraid if I put in one of the things, readers will choose to not even bother. I would normally have had a bad reaction to what happened but since it was all off stage AND I knew the reason behind it, I understood why.

The few things that niggled at me was that Rhage and Mary, even though they become very close, have a hard time trusting each other with the truth. I would have preferred that Rhage explained the beast to Mary instead of trying to hide it from her. There is a point at the end that normally would have me throwing a book across the room but, it worked. I also didn't get why the Scribe Virgin had to know about the fact that Rhage defied an order.

Still, I'm hoping as this story continues that certain things become clear. Zsadist's book can't come soon enough and you all know how much I love summer so I'm not wishing it was September but, I'm kinda wishing it was next March because then I would have Zsadist's and Butch's stories.

I can probably already call Best Parnormal Romance for 2006 although I can only hope that I will find many more books of this calibre over the year! I have heard people compare these to ... damn, is it Kinley (?), whatever, I think I read one of those books and to me, they aren't even in the same realm.

Oh, and you know how connected books drive me mad? This one, not so much. Maybe because I am intrigued by the Brothers and they are not all carbon copies of each other.

Sweet.

Ride the Fire by Pamela Clare

KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER, KEEPER!!

Uh, did I mention it's a keeper?

Thank you to Keishon for ever establishing the TBR Challenge and to Angie for picking up the torch. I love you both. To Kristie, I give you my first born.

What? Too much?

I picked this one out of the TBR pile because Kristie had hinted *cough* in a few places that she rated this book as the best book of last year. It's a good thing every once in a while to pick up someone's favourite book because it helps you determine if their tastes are like yours.

Kristie is my long lost sister.

My only regret is that I already sent in my AAR ballot and I can't put Nicholas in as best hero OR put it up in the best western category OR in the most tortured hero category! Amazing how one book can change all that!

I don't like to post spoilers or even much about the plot of the book and even though I was going to post the blurb it sounded same old, same old so I winged it ;). I didn't read the backblurb before I read the book but, I do remember a dust up over at the AAR boards over the summer about Ride the Fire and I bought it because I needed to see for myself. So I went in knowing it was dark and it was a western. Good enough.

SumUp:

Extremely tortured hero (in every sense) believes he is not only dead inside but a danger to those around him so he leaves everything and everyone behind to lead the solitary life of a trapper in the most volatile area on the frontier. Six years later he is wounded and is forced to seek sanctuary in the cabin of a pregnant widow named Bethie.

To say she ain't happy to see him, understatement.

To say he was smooth in his appeal, overstatement.

Thus begins the story of two people who slowly learn to trust each other enough to want to live and fall in love for the first time. For those afraid the story only takes place in a cabin, rest assured there is plenty of movement and action but it thankfully, does not overtake the romance.

Nicholas is one of the best heroes I have ever read. He harkens back to some of the rough men I encountered early in my reading experience but who never quite made it to hero status. He makes it to hero status and it is wonderful! He is so far from perfect and his past is haunting and painful in it's reveal. There were things that he did that did not seem even remotely heroic but understanding the situation he was in, made it forgivable.

I'm not sure how to explain it but he didn't wallow in his guilt even though some might say he did. He just couldn't be around people so he left all he knew and loved to be out on his own for six years before fate pushed him towards Bethie.

Bethie is so sweet and smart and open. Her fear of men is well founded and not once did I find myself questioning her stance in the many situations she found herself in.

Get this, there was even a baby in the book!

I didn't blanche or wince or anything. Belle was in the book for all the right reasons and was dealt with realistically. There was also none of those painful moments of 'mommy-lust' where the mom gazes at her newborn like she is the only reason to keep breathing. No offense to the moms out there but, moms are people too!! She loved her daughter and that was enough. Nicholas loved her daughter and it made him even more of a hero because nothing about the baby was an issue for him.

Although this book is a keeper I would grade it a B+ in recommending it to other people because even though I loved it, I am able to see the imperfections.

Here's the thing.

The book was perfect until the last 60 pages. Until then story was about two people (and a baby - whatever) facing the harshness of the world together. They were each other's salvation and I was in this cocoon with them for most of the story. Yes, there were other people along the way, but it was Bethie and Nicholas' story.

Then they arrive at their final destination and the cocoon burst. I get that it shows how Nicholas has come full circle but the story became something else. I realized that *maybe* this book was from a series. There were character's that came on the scene that seemed to want my recognition and I didn't have it to give. Suddenly the cozy atmosphere is opened to a plethora of people and a kind of fairytale-ish ending.

That's all I'm going to say because I won't spoil it for others. So there. Oh, I will say that up until that point, the grittiness of the book was perfection. (It's a Chandler thang)

With all that said, I have to address the problem some people might have with this book.

It's not for the squeamish. Hell, it wasn't really meant for me! (I'm still struggling with visuals) I'd still suggest that it can be read. The opening bits can be skimmed and the final reveal - and you'll know it cause you see it coming - can also be skimmed so I am confident that someone could enjoy this without too much trauma.

When a western is well done there is nothing quite like them. I'm not even sure these kind of books should be called westerns because there isn't a cowboy in sight! Maybe it should be called a settler.

Yeah.

Something that doesn't invoke rawhide and cowpatties.

Even though I know that conditions were harsh, it is fascinating to read about people who could have existed and maybe even did, settling a land that was so very unforgiving.

Makes me realize we can do incredible things when we put our minds to it.

Too bad I can't get my mind on cleaning my house. No, no, it's now on tracking down every book by Pamela Clare. I can only hope that this was not a one hit wonder but I can't imagine someone with this amazing ability getting it right only once.

I'm all a twitter! I'm unsure what that means but, I think I'm feeling it!

Uber Mess about to Commence

Finally, finally treated myself to a reading night and I finished Dark Lover which is a keeper. No question. I believe there are many reviews and if it wasn't so late I would direct you to them although I know if you follow The Good, The Bad and The Unread link on the left to Sybil's she has a link to her review at AAR.

Yeah, the names of the Brothers are all weird but as you read you realize they are the keeper of their name. Something weird has happened to each of them and I can't remember if it was explained in the book or not. Zsadist, well, he doesn't have much of his soul left, was a slave and tortured for centuries. So yeah, he is into pain and is scary. I really hope that Ward remains true to his character. He isn't nearly as bad as he plays but I can't imagine that he is a pussy cat either. So if you have been reading about how these guys have weird names don't worry about it. At least in this book, I can see the reason.

I like darkness in my books and the Brothers were definitely that. Butch, a human homicide cop was also very dark. Very, very dark in the I may want to eat my gun kind of way. I fell hard for him and have been antsy and anxious about him for a few days. (Okay, life stuff may have been the underlying cause but whenever I began to think that Butch might not get a HEA I would get tense) So, of course, this part was excellent.

Where the book started to pull at the seams was when Wrath and Beth found each other. This cold, heartless man finds Beth and becomes this soft puppy dog. Okay, not really a soft puppy dog but there is a shift noticeable. Wrath is the King of the Vampires so I guess the rituals that happened surrounding Beth are to be expected. It was just a little cutesy. I wanted these fanged monsters to remain monsterish. Yeah, we will die for you but don't piss us off because we are capable of some seriously crazy shit. Especially when their 'curse' takes over. You only get to see one of the Brother's curse and hear of another's.

Anyways, I am way intrigued by these characters and I don't want to stay up too late tonight so I won't start my rant on connected books. Hey, it may not be fresh but I am a newbie at series books and it's starting to grate.

More on that next time.

Finally! A Keeper

I started Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking for Keishon's TBR challenge. She suggested that I keep the book until October when it's paranormal month. Since I have a ton of paranormal in the TBR pile I decided to keep reading. I'm pretty sure this book would be from the fantasy genre but, I found it in the straight fiction area. Whatever. I'm just glad I finally read it!

Main character Rachel is a runner for Inderland Security. Basically, there was a plague caused by bio-engineering tomatoes that wiped out a good portion of the human population. At this vulnerable point human's discovered that there really were such things as vamps, weres and witches (and a whole bunch of other stuff) because they were all immune to the plague. Inderland Security is basically a gov't agency that employs vamps, weres and witches etc. to catch those who are unlawfull. I'm not really sure who decides what is right and not but, what the hell, I'm in.

The beginning is slow going because let's face it, there is some serious world building going on. Also, you have to meet all the characters, Ivy a living vamp (born vampire and has soul) Jenks (a pixie with a wife and brood of kids - don't worry the kids are just backdrops) and a bunch of others that have to be met and dealt with. Oh, and Rachel is a white witch - does only safe magic - no deaths needed to cast a spell.

What was so refreshing about this book is that the main character does not know everything. It was the rush I got the very first time I read Laurell K Hamilton. The feeling that you knew the character was flying by the seat of their pants and in all honesty, Rachel was flying! To the point that even the reader is thinking, 'are you nuts!?' That is the only place you could even compare LKH to Harrison. Rachel makes mistakes and doesn't have all the answers which is nice because who does? As for kick-ass, this heroine is more my speed. Someone who can take care of themselves (for the most part) and aren't taking themselves too seriously. Rachel can accept a helping hand without going all fem-acho (?).

Not only that but Harrison gives her character some humour. I was pleased to discover just how funny Rachel and Jenks could be. There's no deep eerie soul searching and thoughts of 'what am I?' although I imagine if we were in Ivy's head there would be a lot of that.

Another great thing is that I didn't notice this book was in first person. I didn't notice. I hate first person as a rule but maybe that only has to do with romances. I say that because I went into this book expecting it to be just fiction, no romance or anything so I guess I had no preconcieved notions about it.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because I hate spoilers and don't want to spoil it for someone else. Let's just say there is so much going on that I am grateful I don't have to wait for the next book in the series because it is already out!

For those who don't know my tastes, I didn't get Kelly Armstrong's Bitten but then I think I may have approached it as a romance. I just don't get the love for this author. I have not read any more books by her but I have one in the TBR pile - hello October. I also tried to read Charlaine Harris' first book and didn't get very far (I got bored). I was a huge fan of LKH until book 10 and yeah, that's about it on my trip through fiction land. Oh, I have read a Jim Butcher but, meh. I think it might have to do with the main character being male. Just can't relate.

I am such a happy camper right now and it is quarter to six in the morning and I don't know whether my crappy bookstores will have these books in stock or not! But then, it is now officially Thursday morning and there is no way Amazon or Chapters would be able to ship these books out to me by the weekend. Not that I should read these back to back. I should really read something else now, right? Still, I like to have the books in my possession so that at any time I can pick it up. Looks like I get to spend some time in the bookstores today. Ohhh, and it's payday, lucky me!

New Auto-Buy Author

Passion by Lisa Valdez was fantastic and is officially one of my keepers. The second half of the book was wonderfully dramatic and tense and romantic. I wish I could do the book justice. I also wish I could find out when Patience, her next book, will be published. I just joined her mailing list but I haven't found an e-mail address for her. Hey, I've heard that authors love gushing reader e-mails. Seriously, I try not to gush because I am always afraid I will embarrass either them or myself. That said, I mini-gushed over (Maili, avert your eyes!) Sandy Blair on a reader board and lo and behold she was there! Since then I have decided that sending an e-mail to an author of a book that I love is the least I can do. Hey, I want more of what I like? Sending a letter might help.

I went to the publisher's site for Valdez but she isn't listed or anything so I want to write them so they know just how much someone loved the book. Although I guess sales will tell. Still, it's disconcerting when you can't find the information you want and with all the changes in publishing contracts lately ::shrug::

Anyways, is it just me or have I taken to this blog thing like a duck to water? My how I do go on. Aren't you all glad I am no longer taking up your comments with my overly verbose dialogue? Yeah, I thought so.

CindyS