End of the month and I want to blog!

Okay, I started this post yesterday (i.e Thursday)... and didn't get the chance to finish it! Man, my last post was Monday… and today is Friday. I swear, I was planning to blog yesterday and the day before and even the day before that... I don’t know what happened… it’s not as if time flew by that fast… (especially when you’re at work… especially when the work atmosphere is crappy). Well okay, today was a bit busy... but still. I want to blog!! (although, what I have to say might not be that interesting... but I know you'll still read it! LOL)

Anyway, I got Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts on Tuesday :D (I actually sneaked out of work around lunch hour…) I also bought: Two Weeks with a Stranger by Debra Mullins, Lord of Scoundrel by Loretta Chase, Take Me Home by I-don’t-know-the-author, Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards, Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy and Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie. Not bad right?

I haven't done much this week except read and sleep... which I guess it's great LOL :) So it's already Friday... tomorrow is December! A new month! I hope it's going to be a great reading month LOL (as opposed to November - you'll see tomorrow in my monthly post). Cindy was wondering what books I was looking forward in December... that'll be a post coming very soon :D

Also, I've been slacking off a bit on my reviews :( So I think I'll have to start doing lightening reviews... my only problem with that is that it kind of sucks when you archive it :(

Anyway, all of this coming this week-end!

Another week-end

Someone, tell me how come the week-end always goes by so fast, while the week days feel like eternity? It really is unfair. Not surprisingly, I didn’t want to wake up this morning and go to work. In the end, it wasn’t bad because my supervisor was absent! (yay!)

My week-end started off okay… I was very excited on Friday, because after checking online, I found out that every bookstore already had Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts in stock!! However, once I rushed to the bookstore after work, they told me they couldn’t sell the book to me, because it was not officially released yet. Hmmmm… Okay… Ames already warned me of that problem, because she got the same answer in 2 bookstores in Winnipeg… but I thought I would be safe, as I know that the bookstore I went usually put out the books a bit early (for example Mira/HQN books are always out about a week or two early… that’s also where I bought Count to Ten early and etc.). I guess Nora Roberts has now reached such a notorious level that they are now very strict on the release date (apparently, the bookstore could lose its license…) I didn’t give up though… I went to a second bookstore and look for a new and innocent employee… but still didn’t get the book :( So I’ll be rushing to the bookstore tomorrow again.

As for my week-end, very relaxing… and kind of boring. I mean, all I did was reading which in itself is not boring… however, that’s all I did :( So when you think about it, yes, it is kind of boring. Anyway, I didn’t read any new books, but actually spent time re-reading :) It was fun. The first book I re-read was Remember Me by Sharon Sala. Remember last week? I did a Top 3 of my favorite books by Sharon Sala… well I forgot to add Remember Me as an honorable mention is the story of Francesca and Clay LeGrand who are newly-weds. One rainy morning, Clay leaves for work and when he comes back, Frankie has disappeared. After two years of hell where the cops and people suspected Clay to have murdered Frankie and when he had to travel to different morgues throughout the country in order to identify corpse… Frankie suddenly shows up in bed as if nothing happened with no memory of the past two years. All the clues that Clay and Frankie have are the needle marks in her arm, the tattoo at her neck, a wad of money and a vague memory of an earthquake. This was definitively a great book, so read it if you have the chance.

Afterwards, I re-read the whole Chesapeake trilogy by Nora Roberts… Partly because Holly has just reviewed them at Book Binge, but also because I just recommended them to a friend. It’s also been a while since I last read them. Again, great books. This is definitively my favorite trilogy by Nora Roberts… I just love the relationship between the four brothers and NR is very good with family interaction and dynamics. Finally, I started Through A Crimson Veil by Patti O’Shea… another of my favorite.

As you can guess, cleaning and re-shelving didn’t really happen ^^; What a surprise! LOL I'm also trying to figure out my online orders and what books I'm going to buy in-store for December. I seriously can't wait till December... I've also gone through my book journal... this year is the first year I'm keeping track of what books I'm reading and when... Turns out that I've read about 160 books already this year (excluding January)­... I think that is great :D

... and I think that's it for now :D So how was your week-end? By the way, I've been meaning to, but keep forgetting: Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! :)

Review: The Boys series by Meg Cabot

Finally!! I have something to blog about LOL :) Unfortunately, probably everyone's off due to Thanksgiving... well except for us Canadians. Seriously, I can't wait till the week-end... and I have only what... hmmm, 7.5 hours of work left? My plans for the week-end? Cleaning my room and reshelving my books... Sounds familiar right? LOL :)

We had our first snow fall this year... which turned into freezing rain/ice. Ewwww. however, traffic wasn't too bad... at least for me :P I hope it all melts, but apparently, more freezing rain on Sunday :( The tree at the neighbor's house succombed under the weight :( Some big branches broke off and it kind of "split." so sad...

Anyway, onto my review now! November hasn't been a great reading month... every book turned out to be a meh reading, until I started reading the Boys series by Meg Cabot. I picked up the 3 books (The Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl and Every Boy's Got One) a few week ago at the McGill Bookfair... now, I remember buying Every Boy's Got One at the McGill Bookfair a few years back and not getting into it... However, the girls at Book Binge, especially Rowena, seem to have enjoyed Meg Cabot, so I decided to give her another chance... and I bought another copy of Every Boy's Got One because I didn't know what I did with the previous one.


The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
published by Avon in October 2002

Who is... The Boy Next Door? (Melissa Fuller desperately needs to know!) Is he really Max Friedlander, notoriously wild, famously self-centered fashion photographer-nephew of poor old comatose Mrs. Friedlander? (But he seems so nice!)

Has he come to relieve Mel of the burden of having to walk (or be walked by) Mrs. F's monster Great Dane, Paco -- so maybe she can start getting to work on time and maybe keep her job at the "New York Journal"?

He's not really trying to find out who assaulted his "aunt" in her own home and why, is he? All by himself? Isn't that a bit dangerous?

And how can one man be this gorgeous, funny, charming, fearless, sexy and mysterious? (And why the heck does he want Mel to call him "John"?)

Anyone with information, please e-mail melissa.fuller@thenyjournal.com -- and hurry... because she's headed for BIG trouble!

Although this book took me a few days to read, I really enjoyed it... which was a surprise :P See, the whole book is written in e-mail format, i.e. various ppl e-mailing each other. I didn't think I'd enjoy the format, but I did... a lot. It was such a riot to read all those e-mails. So basically, Mel's old neighbor is attacked in her appartment. Mel is a kind-hearted girl and decided to walk the Great Dane dog named Paco... but because of it, she's been getting in trouble (arriving late to work, missing outings with her best friend)... so Mel e-mails Mrs. F's nephew, notorious bad boy photographer Max to see if he'd dog-sit for his aunt. Max is not interested, but his aunt turns out to be a millionaire... so he doesn't want Mel to tell his aunt if she ever wakes up from her coma that her only relative wouldn't come rushing... so he sends in John Trent, his roomate in college who owns him a favor. John is instantly attracted to Mel and even moves in in Mrs. F's appartment... John and Mel fall in lust and in love, but there's just one problem... Mel thinks John is Max...

It was a very fun book, seriously. There's tons of secondary characters that meddles in our H/H's lives... best friends, co-workers, family and you don't just get to read e-mails from the H/H or to H/H... you have co-workers discussing whether Mel should have sex with John (that was hilarious), family wondering what the hell is John thinking/doing and etc. I really liked John, he's really a nice guy, the kind that cares. As for Mel, she was just soo cute. I think if you've never read Meg Cabot, this is a good starting point.

Grade: A-


Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot

published by Avon in 2004

Meet Kate Mackenzie. She:
- works for the T.O.D. (short for TyrannicalOffice Despot, also known as Amy Jenkins,Director of the Human Resources Divisionat the New York Journal)
- is sleeping on the couch because herboyfriend of ten years refuses to commit
- can’t find an affordable studio apartmentanywhere in New York City
- thinks things can’t get any worse.
They can. Because:
- the T.O.D. is making her fire the most popularemployee in the paper’s senior staff dining room
- that employee is now suing Kate for wrongfultermination, and
- now Kate has to give a deposition in front of Mitch Hertzog, the scion of one of Manhattan’s wealthiest law families,who embraces everything Kate most despises ... but also happens to have a nice smile and a killer bod.
The last thing anybody -- least of all Kate Mackenzie -- expects to findin a legal arbitration is love. But that’s the kind of thing that can happen when ... Boy Meets Girl.

This book was published about 2 years after The Boy Next Door and takes place in the same environment, the New York Journal, but in a different department, the HR department... I think that what happened is Ms. Cabot realized she had found a good recipe with The Boy Next Door and decided to re-use it... so again, the book is written in e-mail format with the addition of Kate's journal which gives more insight to the readers. Also, Kate and Mitchell remind me a lot of Mel and John. Kate is nice, kind and a bit klutzy while Mitchell is a bit of the black sheep in the family, he's also smart and rich. Although Boy Meets Girl is similar to The Boy Next Door, Ms. Cabot is able to make it different enough so the readers don't really mind. The storyline is also different enough for the readers to enjoy, what with Mitchell's dysfunctional family and Kate's ex who tries to win her back. Many characters from the previous book also make a come back which is always fun :) All in all, I also enjoyed this book very much... my only complaint about the book is that in the middle of it, there's a problem that arise btw Kate and Mitchell... and Kate was very stubborn about it. Seriously, are you going to let love passes by because he did a stupid mistake that he didn't even mean it? NO!!

Grade: B+


Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
published by Avon in 2005

To: Jane Harris
Fr: Claire Harris
Re: You

Hi, honey! It's me, Mom. I know it's a big secret that your friend Holly and her boyfriend Mark are eloping in Italy, and that you and Mark's friend Cal Langdon (the handsome New York Journal reporter with the big book deal) are going, too, as their witnesses. But I just saw Holly's mother at the Kroger Sav-On, and I thought I'd warn you: She doesn't seem to like Mark very much at all. Just wanted to let you know.

PS I don't understand why you don't like that nice Cal Langdon! He seemed so smart when I saw him being interviewed on Charlie Rose. And so handsome!
PPS Don't forget to wear a sweater!

Cartoonist Jane Harris is delighted by the prospect of her first-ever trip to Europe. But it's hate at first sight for Jane and Cal Langdon, and neither is too happy at the prospect of sharing a villa with one another for a week—not even in the beautiful and picturesque Marches countryside. But when Holly and Mark's wedding plans hit a major snag that only Jane and Cal can repair, the two find themselves having to put aside their mutual dislike for one another in order to get their best friends on the road to wedded bliss—and end up on a road themselves ... one neither of them ever expected.

Usually, third time's the charm, but in this case... This is the book I bought a few years back at the McGill bookfair and the one that I wasn't able to finish... which is why I thought i wouldn't enjoy a e-mail format book. Although I finish it this time around, it just wasn't as good as the previous two installment. First of all, this book did contain e-mails, but there were also Cal's PDA notes and Jane's journal... I don't know, it just wasn't as fun to read their journals as it could have been, reading their emails... I thought there were too much of it too (the journals) and their emails were shorter and less funny :( Also, transporting the whole book in another country might not have been such a good idea, I think the storyline would have been better if they decided to elope in Vegas or something. I didn't really like Jane too much either, I thought she was a bit too idealist and also, self-centered. There's a lot of stuff that I thought was a bit over the top, but it still could have been okay... but the whole "Cal doesn't believe in love and marriage and thinks that Mark shouldn't marry Holly" became old very quickly and when Cal realized that he was in love with Jane and that suddenly, he was okay being in love and marriage was good for certain ppl... yeah, that, I didn't believe. It was too rushed... All in all, I didn't really like the H/H relationship (I mean, they spent their time arguing and there was no sweet moments btw the two really before the ending, so I can't figure how suddenly they are in love) and that really ruined the book for me.

Grade: C-

Although I didn't really enjoy the last book, I thought the first two were great. Light, entertaining and funny, they're just perfect to get you out of a slump. Also, although they are connected, they do stand alone very well :) So any other Meg Cabot I should try?

My Top 3 of Sharon Sala

So, as I said in my previous post, I have been reading… but nothing great or screaming at me to review. Since I want to blog, but have nothing “new” to say, I’ve decided to revisit the “old.”

This is probably going to be an ongoing feature, but I haven't decided on the frequency of it. So what is this about? Basically, I’m going to list my 3 favorite books by one of my favorite author :D The goal is not only share my love of the books and the author, but also be able to discuss these books with people who have read them.

The first featured author is...

Sharon Sala

Sharon Sala is an author whose books I love and I’m always waiting for her new books impatiently. She also writes under the pen name of Dinah McCall and I love those too! She is the first author being featured, because I’ve been in the mood of re-reading her books lately LOL! This was all sparked by Casee’s review at Book Binge of Sharon Sala’s new book, Cut Throat. In her review, Casee said “Sharon Sala is one of those authors whose books I love for a reason I can't name.” This is also how I feel about Sharon Sala. However, once you start thinking about it, the answer is her writing style. Her writing is very fluid and easy to read and she has a good pace. She also doesn’t use an excess of words and doesn’t go into lengthy descriptions which is good for me. When it starts getting too long or repetitive, I tend to skim… However, I think that was set her from other authors is that she surprises her readers with the pacing of her books and also, she always adds surprising elements… When you expect her books to go from A to B, it actually goes even further and to C... when you think it starts at E and goes to F, it actually starts at C... it’s hard to explain without giving examples which includes spoilers… so you’ll have to take my words for it! LOL...

So here is my top 3:

3 – Sweet Baby

The book starts off with Victoria Lancaster, a gypsy photographer, returning home to her boyfriend Brett Hooker from an assignment. Brett is relieved that Tory is fine, but he’s also angry with her for taking off without saying goodbye or calling while she was away. They have been together for 3 years and although Brett loves Tory very much, he is starting to wonder if it’ll work out. How many more times can he be left behind? This time, Tory comes home plagued with nightmares from the past she doesn't remember... then Brett is shot and Tory's life is turned upside down.

2- Reunion

Gabriel Connor and his parents were in a tragic car accident, but only Gabriel survived. After a month in coma, Gabriel wakes up... but he has started hearing a voice... a voice asking him for help because he's lost. Micheal Travers is a family friend and is worried about Gabriel's welfare, so he asks the help of Laura Dane, a psychic. In addition to the voice, Gabriel starts "seeing" the serial murders by the Prince Charming... a man who leaves roses without thorns with his victims. The most shocking is that these murders are connected to Gabriel in a way he could never have expected or imagined...

1- Out of the Dark

Jade Cochrane should have had a wonderful childhood with a loving father... instead, when her mother left to join a cult, she took Jade along with her... condamning Jade to hell. Luckily, she was able to escape with Raphael and both had to live a life of constant fear... 20 years after Jade's disappearance, Sam Cochrane, her father, gets his first clue about the whereabouts of Jade and hires his good friend, Luke Kelly, to find her. Luke finds her easily and brings Jade and Raphael back to Sam... but Jade's past catches up to her, throwing her into a nightmare that's going to change her life again forever.

So these synopsis are mine... they're not the greatest, because I wanted to avoid spoilers... but these books are really great! Definitively heart-wrenching... I cried soooo much for each. I've just re-read them all in the past three days and even knowing the stories, I cried. The plots are unexpected as well as the pacing... the characters are great... strong and very interesting. If you haven't read it, try to get your hand on it.

Increase in school fees in Quebec province

Nope, this is not going to be about books. I've been reading; however, no wowzer :( and no books that ask scream at me to be reviewed... so I didn't have much to say... till this evening.

This evening, I went to pick up my sister as usual; however, I got stuck in a street. Couldn't turn, couldn't back up, couldn't go forward. The cause? A student manifestation about the increase in school fees... I was a student a few years back, so I should feel sympathetic to the cause... instead, it just angers me sooo much! Let me give you some background... in the 60's, Quebec's government has frozen the school fees so they would not increase over the years... and so, they haven't for nearly 4 decades. On an average, a semester at any university in Quebec, for a Quebec resident, is 1,300$ CDN. This is the cheapest in Canada... hell, it's probably the cheapest in America!! What they plan is to increase the fees by 50$/semester for 5 years. Okay, at the end, it's going to be a total of 500$ and that'll be a bit under 2,000$/semester... and that's a lot for some ppl... I do understand that... but do you know what the students were manifesting about?!? What they wanted?

FREE SCHOOLING!!!

Okay, so now I'm going to contradict myself with some stuff I said in the past. In the past, I said that I felt that in America, we were buying our degrees. That because we were paying for our schooling, at the end, all you needed to do was pass your classes and you'd get your diploma. My complaint is that because we have to pay, I think that the quality of the education offered here is not as high as the countries with free schooling. Also, there is less competition in America... it should be considered as an advantage; however, because we know that we'll have our diploma at the end, we don't push ourselves as much. So that being said, I'm still realist... We are never going to get free schooling anywhere in America, Canada or Quebec. That makes manifesting for this cause useless and seriously, the students that were out there? Naive.

Even with the increase in fees, Quebec's universities will remain one of the most affordable and cheapest in Canada and America. Quit whining. Yes, it's going to cost you more... but the rest of Canada is already paying more NOW. Does that mean that Quebeckers won't be able to pay and make it, while the rest of Canada makes it? Are you saying that Quebeckers are this useless? I read an article earlier this year that said that Quebec and Canadian students were making approximately the same income and paid about the same rent and etc. So it just annoys me all the manifestations and revendications... and all their arguments. I don't think that more ppl will attend universities because of the free schooling. I mean, yes, those who can't afford it now will have a chance, but that doesn't mean universities are going to open their doors wide open. Similarly to Europe, there'll be more competition and you'll have to work real hard to stay in. So no, not more ppl will attend, just more ppl will have the chance...

So anyone has thoughts on this?

How do you balance your reading?

So I've been meaning to ask all of you this question, How do you balance your reading? I've started several posts on it, but each time, I ended up deleting it...

But before jumping in, I'd like to ask you how was your week-end? Mine was pretty relaxing as usual. Stayed home and read :D However, the reading wasn't great :( I read If Angels Burn and Dark Need from the Darkyn series by Lynn Viehl. This is another vampires series, a bit complicated to put into few words. Basically, these vampires were Templar Knights (?) that came back from their last Crusade with an affliction. Even if it's been 700+ years, they are quite set in the medieval's ways, i.e. they have a King (High Lord) and queen, kind of... and some Darkyns are given jardins (territories) to govern over and stuff like that... and they are fighting the Brethens (kind of religious league). Anyway, I gave a try to this series because I know that many really enjoy it, especially Rosie... However, I don't think that I'm going to be reading anymore of this series. It just didn't do it for me... I wasn't hooked at the end of the first book. I didn't like all the medieval court elements in the story, I didn't like the heroine... I didn't even know what Darkyns really are... their goals, their special abilities, etc. I read Dark Need because I already had it in my TBR pile and I'm actually glad I didn't buy more of the books.

I also started an Elizabeth Lowell, can't remember the title right now... It was a secret baby plot which I ended up skimming through. I'll try to go back and re-read it... Finally, I started Catch A Mate by Gena Showalter. I know Ames thought I've read it, but no... it's been sitting in my TBR pile for awhile... I think it was Chantal that recommended it to me... and I know Kris enjoyed it a lot. So far, it's okay. I like the idea and the dialogue... but the characters are annoying me just a little. They're really stubborn and their world entirely too black or white. To Jillian, all men are pigs interested in sex. I can understand how she came to this conclusion given her past experiences. My problem is she seems to think that women are perfect. Then enters Marcus who thinks the exact opposite, women would do anything for sex and men are the victims. I'm sorry, but seriously, nowadays, both sides cheat.. however, there are ppl that do not. Anyway, I'm half way through the book, still not finished... so let see how this book gets.


Okay, now back to the initial topic... How do you balance your reading?

See, lately, I've come to realize something about my reading... Ever since I've started blogging and keeping a book journal, I've been pushing myself very hard to read a lot of books... If i don't read this number of books, this is not a good week or a good month... Yeah, I'm very competitive by nature. The problem though is that it's taking away a bit of my enjoyment. I mean, I still love to read books and so on, but yeah, I could do without the pressure. Also, in my quest of reading as much books as possible, I haven't had much time for re-reads... which sucks. I mean, I have all those great books on my shelve for a reason right? So I could re-read them... Actually, I have been re-reading some of the books, but always the same. The last couple of months, I've been re-reading Demon Angel and Warprize a lot to get me out of slump ^^; Then, there's also my manga... it's been awhile since I've last re-read some series... but where am I going to find time to re-read them if I'm reading new books? Ugh. so yeah, that's my dilemma and I'm wondering how you guys are doing? Better than me?

Oh and last thing, I seriously should stop book binging... It's great to have lots of books, but I'm always bored of them after a couple of weeks. I mean, I look at my TBR pile and they just don't appeal to me anymore. Instead, I want to go buy new books or books I don't have... I guess they're more appealing when they are at the bookstore or UBS than in my TBR pile. Sigh.

Review: Creation in Death by J.D.Robb

Wow! Can you believe that Creation in Death is the 25th novel in the series? And what's amazing is that the series just keeps getting better and better :D I mean some series have lost it after the 15th, the 10th or even the 5th book, especially the ones with the same H/H and more specifically, the ones where the heroines are involved in a love triangle... can't they just make up your mind?!? You look at those series and you think that the author should have ended it at this or that point... However, this is sooo not the case with the In Death series! I think this series has the potential to go on and on and on... although I'm a bit worried about how Ms Roberts is all going to end this... but this is another topic and let's move onto the review now.


Creation in Death by J.D. Robb aka Nora Roberts

published in Hardcover by Putnam in November 2007

NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas keeps the streets of a near-future New York City safe in this extraordinary series. But even she makes mistakes, and is haunted by those she couldn't save-and the killers she couldn't capture. When the body of a young brunette is found in East River Park, artfully positioned and marked by signs of prolonged and painful torture, Eve is catapulted back to a case nine years earlier. The city was on edge from a killing spree that took the lives of four women in fifteen days, courtesy of a man the media tagged "The Groom"-because he put silver rings on the fingers of his victims.

When it turns out that the young brunette was employed by Eve's billionaire husband, Roarke, she brings him in on the case-a move that proves fitting when it becomes chillingly clear that the killer has made his attack personal. The victim was washed in products from a store Roarke owns, and laid out on a sheet his company manufactures.

With the Groom's monstrous return, Eve is determined to finish him once and for all. Familiar with his methods, Eve knows that he has already grabbed his next victim. Time is running out on another woman's life.

And chances are he's working up to the biggest challenge of his illustrious career-abducting a woman who will test his skills and who promises to give him days and days of pleasure before she dies: Eve.

Genre: romantic suspense, futuristic
Series: In Death series, Book #25

In the last book, Innocent in Death, Ms Roberts' focus was on Eve and Roarke's relationship which was long overdue in my opinon. In this book, the focus is back on the case, the investigation and little else. However, this case is completely different from any other cases from the past books... this case is special, because it's one that Eve and Feeney were not able to close 9 years ago.

The book starts with Eve looking forward to one or two days of rest as she is not on duty. However, she is called in as primary when the first body is found as everyone immediately recognizes the work of the Groom. Eve puts up a team and is determined to stop the Groom for good this time. They already know his M.O, they remember the faces of the previous victims and now, they have to find what they miss the last time in order to save the next victim.

I really enjoyed this book... After Innocent in Death which was a great success because of problems Eve and Roarke encounter in their marriage, I don't think that Eve and Roarke could just go to their normal life with a regular case... Innocent in Death needed to be followed up with a bang and as usual, Ms Roberts delivers.

As I mentioned, the case is different because it was unsolved. That in itself is really unusual in the In Death series. I know that in reality, not every case gets solved, but for ID fans, it’s the first time we see one that Eve worked on. The fact that 4 young brunettes were tortured for hours in made the case unforgettable, but that it continued in other places (Florida, Romania, etc.) after he walked away from New York, it just ate at everyone who was involved: Feeney, Eve, Morris, Dr. Mira, Dickhead and the commander. Also, for this case, Roarke was involved from the very beginning; he went to the morgue, assisted to meetings and worked at the police station (which was funny, given his past). All this makes this book stands out and makes it interesting.

Plot-wise, this book was excellent. The case was interesting and the murderer, unusual. The pacing of the book was very fast, but it contributed to the atmosphere of the story… it made the readers feel that the cops were doing something and how rushed they were as they raced against time to save the next victim. Emotionally, we do get some love and sweet scenes between Eve and Roarke, but the big show is provided by Feeney and Eve: the tension between them that the case has caused, the father-daughter relationship...

So fans of ID, Ms Roberts has done it again. She came up with a very good addition for the series… where you find all your favorite elements: Eve, Roarke, the good humor, the quick and witty comments, the interaction between characters and so on. If I had any complaints, it would be that 1) once again, Eve is a target and 2) although it works in the story very well, it seems to me Eve and her team got a bit too lucky.

Grade: Solid B+

Review: Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

published by Simon & Schuster in October 2007

Her breathless kiss haunts him.

Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed—until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.

His slow, hot touch is irresistible.

Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It’s rumored that no one can tempt Bowen’s hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.

No deed is too wicked for her seduction.
If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul—or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?

Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: The Immortals After Dark series, book #3

I wasn’t going to buy this book. Really. I read the first two books of the series, A Hunger Like no Other and No Rest for the Wicked, and I have to say something about them bothered me and I didn’t particularly like the main characters for both books… So there, I was going to stop another series. Then, I walked in the bookstore and saw this book almost two weeks before its release date! But no, I said, I was going to stop this series… till I glanced at the price, only 7.99$ Wow, that’s 2$ less than usual… and I also knew that some persons were really anticipating this book (ahem, Cindy) and that this book would be showing up on blogland... and that’s how I ended up buying it.

It was definitively a good buy. Although there are so many paranormal series out there, I liked the world that Ms Cole has created and think it is quite unique. Part of its uniqueness is due to the paranormal beings she chose which includes Valkyries (kind of like Amazon), elves and other creatures that we are less accustomed to see and also the fact that they are all immortals. Because of their immortality, many characters seem to not have adapted to the modern world and so, there is a very primitive feel to the books.

So onto Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night; the story actually overlaps with the timeline of No Rest for the Wicked, which is something unusual, but interesting. Our two main characters, Bowen MacRieve (a Lykae) and Mariketa (a witch) are participating to the Hie, some kind of supernatural Amazing Race. Bowen covets the final prize: a key that allows to go back in the past twice which he would use to go back in time and save his mate, while Mariketa wants to prove herself… See, Mariketa is the Awaited… Awaited for what, no one really knows, but she has incredible amount of power and is a witch of the 5 castes (kind of like branches such as healing branch, warrior branch, enchantment branch, etc.) which is really rare; however, she doesn’t have control over her magic and 99 out of 100 times she uses her magic, she ends up blowing thing. Thus, she wants to prove herself to her coven and her friends that she is worthy to be the Awaited one… The only problem is that the Hie is extremely dangerous, especially when you’re still mortal. See, Mariketa is only 23 years old and she hasn’t transitioned from mortal to immortal yet, but no one knows. So when Bowen traps her along with two demons and 3 elves in a Mayan temple, she’s in big trouble… especially from the incubi that have been jailed there for centuries.

I’m not going to go into more details about the plot although I want to. All I have to say is that I really enjoyed the book, especially the beginning. The storyline was interesting and clever. I also enjoyed the characters of this book a lot. We’ve already been introduced to Bowen in the previous book… he’s a bitter and violent Lykae, having lost his mate and all. He’s also ruthless, dominating, violent… and it works. I mean, I wouldn’t want him as my mate, but I understand where it comes from. First, he’s lykae… he’s also lost his mate and has lived hundreds of years of celibacy. However, we see him soften up a little throughout the book and I’ve come to like him. As for Mariketa, I really enjoyed her. She’s fun, witty and tough, but not too tough. She’s able to handle herself against Bowen, which, seriously, is admirable. Bowen and Mariketa match well also, even if they are very different, and their relationship is like a roller-coaster. Like Rosie said, seeing the issue of age (1400 y.o. vs. 23 y.o.) being addressed was also interesting... The secondary characters were well developped and recurring characters appeared, all without taking over the books.

My only complaint is when Bowen finally considers that perhaps Mariketa is his mate, he finally gives in and want to have sex with Mariketa... I found that part draggy. Also, I didn't really care for the sexual tension and sex scenes. I don't really like Ms Cole's sex scenes; I think it's because they also somehow feel primitive... not in a bad way, but just not my style. That aside, the beginning and ending of the book were strong with a good plot and characters, so it made up for it.

Grade: B+

October Reads and more new books

It's already November! I don't know whether I should be excited or not... All I know is that I'll have to wake up extra early tomorrow to go line up at Costco in order to change my tires into snow ones... Sigh. There goes my morning...

Anyway, this post isn't to complain, but to post my October reads! October was an okay month... I read 17 books which is good, but I'd have done without the mini-slumps. It's like I'll read a lot for a few days and then, would not know what to read and slump, then pick up the pace again to just slow down and so on. I'd rather read consistently throughout the month.

Okie, enough said:

- Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh (part of anthology Enchanted Season): B+
- The Serpent Bride by Elizabeth Hoyt: B
- Witch in the House by Jenna McKnight: C+
- The Highlander's Bride by Michele Sinclair: B+
- A Touch of Minx by Suzanne Enoch: C
- You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister: B-
- There Goes the Bride by Lori Wilde: C
- Black Silk by Metsy Hingle: C
- Squeeze Play by Kate Angell: B
- Cut Throat by Sharon Sala: B
- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher: A
- Secrets of a Proper Lady by Victoria Alexander: B
- No Holding Back by Liz Allison & Wendy Etherington: B
- The Lady in Question by Victoria Alexander: C
- January Chill by Rachel Lee: C+
- What a Lady Wants by Victoria Alexander: B+
- Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole: B+

Hmm, there's one or two more books that I've started, but did not finish, but that was more due to my mood than to the books, so I haven't included them. By the way, I have updated my archives :P So if you want to look for reviews, that's where to go...

To continue this post, I have a list of new books that I've bought on Wednesday. Seriously, after last week's book shopping, you'd really think that had enough books... but wrong! I blamed the MHIT Syndrome (Must-Have-It-Now) for it though. So I head out to buy Upon A Midnight Clear which is the new Dream-Hunter novel by Sherrilyn Kenyon and ended up going home with:

- Upon a Midnight Clear by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Touch of Evil by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
- Touch of Madness by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
- Daisy's Back in Town by Rachel Gibson
- Not the Marrying Kind by Hailey North
- Sex & the Immortal Bad Boy by Stephanie Rowe
- The Seance by Heather Graham
- Warsworn and Warlord by Elizabeth Vaughan (I know, I have both of these already, but they're for keepsafe).

It was fun cruising through aisles and realizing that some publishers have already started lowering their CDN price :D By the way, anyone got Upon A Midnight Clear, the new Sherrilyn Kenyon... is it me or the font is huge in this book and it's actually pretty thin?


Ohhh... yesterday was November 1st and the launch of this new review site:

Writers are Readers

Basically it's a review site by authors... I don't want to go into the whole debate about authors being reviewers (i.e. are all the reviews going to be good even if the book wasn't that great and all), because Jane and Jayne have already allude to this topic in this post. The announcement caught my attention because the website was started and will be maintained by married-couple-authors Katherine Stone and Jack Chase. Mrs Katherine Stone is one of my favorite author, so when I read the announcement about this new site, it stucked in my head... Then I visited the website yesterday and I was actually pleasantly surprised to see review contributors such as Robyn Carr, Colleen Gleason, Lisa Kleypas, Karen Rose and Susan Andersen. I thought it was fun to read what my favorite authors thought of books I read... You should give it a try...