Review: All's Fair in Love and Chocolate by Laura Florand

Ouf, I wasn't sure how much I'd have to say on a novella, but guess it can come handy the fact that I can never keep a review short LOL. I was going to review The Rake by Mary Jo Putney, but the story is quite complex while All's Fair in Love and Chocolate isn't LOL. Plus I've been so brain-dead the whole week... I don't think I can do a good job. So All's Fair in Love and Chocolate it is! All's Fair in Love and Chocolate is Ms Florand's entry in the anthology Kiss the Bride. There are two other stories, one by Deidre Martin and the other, Christie Ridgway. I tried reading them, but hmmmm, I ended up skipping most of it. They just didn't grab my attention. I think part of it was because of the stories themselves, but another reason is I was simply too excited to read All's Fair in Love and Chocolate... Oups ^_^; Maybe I'll go back one day... In the meantime, enjoy my review of All's Fair in Love and Chocolate :)

Also a quick reminder, there's a few hours left before the poll for the next Week-End's Minis is closed!

All's Fair in Love and Chocolate by Laura Florand
published by Kensington in May 2012

Going undercover as a bride-to-be, food blogger Eloise Layne is determined to learn charismatic French chocolatier Simon Casset's famously guarded secrets. But somehow her man of mystery is succeeding in uncovering her every desire, one smoldering kiss at a time...

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: Paris Chocolatiers series, Book #0.5

The Story: Eloise Layne is an artist and a food blogger who's given up the safety and comfort of home, New York City, to live the Paris dream. She has moved in a tiny apartment and is enjoying her exploration of Paris... but her real goal is to meet her food idols and reveals their secrets to her readers, especially the incredibly private chocolatier Simon Casset - her favorite artisan. However, she did not expect to be too intimidated to even introduce herself and ask for interviews!

One day, while gathering her courage to step into Simon Casset's shop, Ellie is taking pictures of his display through the window and then, walks smack into the man himself! Flustered, Ellie comes up with a story: she's a bride-to-be comparing the different chocolatiers of the city to do the centerpieces at her wedding. This gives her the perfect excuse to visit his laboratoire and hopefully, get to know the man better.

What Ellie doesn't expect is the attraction she feels for Simon... and it's mutual! Now, how to get rid of a pesky fiancé when the sexiest man you've ever met is determined to seduce you away?...

My Opinion: I've been really excited to pick up Kiss the Bride, an anthology, all for Ms Florand's entry, All's Fair in Love and Chocolate, and it was totally worth it!! I loved this novella! It was simply sweet, cute and sexy :)

What I liked best in All's Fair in Love and Chocolate was the characters. Ellie and Simon were just so likable and really well-developed when you consider the length of the story. How can you not like Ellie who's a breath of fresh air with her bubbly energy and enthusiasm for Paris! Also, you can feel how much she loves what she does and have to admire her for moving to Paris to pursue her dreams! She was simply a delight to read :) In contrast, Simon is very intense and obsessive in regards to his work and that's what dominates his character. And so he is charmed by Ellie when he meets her, because she's so refreshing :) There's also an arrogant edge to him that comes from knowing he is one of the best at what he does that is incredibly sexy and Ms Florand really captured the French essence of his character well. You know when you have women in tv shows or romance books swoon at a man because he is French? Well this is the feeling I'm talking about :P

The romance was also very nice. I enjoyed it because it was intense, but also because I thought Ellie and Simon's characters complemented each other so well :) Another reason why it worked for me was that Simon knew right away that Ellie was lying about having a fiancé. So yes, Simon sets out to seduce Ellie, but it was seducing her for himself, not to get her away from another man... and it was really cute and sexy. One of my favorite moments is when Simon is frustrated with Ellie and wished she had given him a few seconds to figure out a way to start flirting with her instead of making up a fake fiancé :) I like it because it shows that Simon was attracted to Ellie from the first moment :) In any case, they were really cute together.

Finally, I cannot review All's Fair in Love and Chocolate without mentioning the setting. Ms Florand definitively captured Paris well. I know she knows the city and it really showed in the story :) She was able to share her love of the city with us, but at the same time, it wasn't over-romanticized. I also thought it was brilliant of her to combine her love of Paris with her love of chocolates and desserts. I really love the concept of the series and as a result, I can't wait to read more!!

While I really enjoyed this story, there are a few reasons why All's Fair in Love and Chocolate is not getting a perfect grade. First, I have to agree with most people about how long it took for Ellie to come clean to Simon. It's clear that what Ellie and Simon are developing between the two is  not a fling, it's something solid and serious, something that matters... and to have this big lie between the two, it's not the foundation on which you want to see this romance be built. Also, because of the lie, Ellie wondered many times about Simon seducing someone who is already engaged. That part didn't sit well either. At the beginning, to see Ellie so flustered and coming up with this story - about how her fiancé had a moped accident and later, started an affair with the nurse - it was good fun... but it dragged too long. Also, I love Ms Florand's writing and style, but there was a couple of time where I thought the wording of a sentence was a bit weird. I had to re-read it a couple of times to make sure that I got the meaning. Of course, that could simply be me ^_^; Last - something that doesn't really affect me  - was the use of the French in  All's Fair in Love and Chocolate. You all know it's one of my pet peeve when there are mistakes in French in the books. Well, it's not the case in All's Fair in Love and Chocolate, the French was faultless and the use reinforced the French feeling that makes this story unique... however, there was a lack of translation. Some of it is pretty obvious, but others... I wonder how non-French readers will feel.

My Grade: B. I really enjoyed All's Fair in Love and Chocolate and I can't wait to read more in this series! Welcome back on my auto-buy list, Ms Florand!

Review: Kate Daniels series novellas

See, this is my kind of laziness. I was looking at my Monthly Reads post and decided that instead of doing mini-impression, it would be quicker to put these three reads in a review. Wrong!! It sure wasn't faster, but in the end I'm happy with the results LOL. How can I have so much to say about novellas though, that baffles me :P

Nothing much going on with me. I've decided to re-read Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher... and am slowly getting ready for Ames' arrival. I'm really looking forward to the two days off at the end of the week!! Yay!! Now I'm off to review more books from August... Enjoy this post!


Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews

published by Berkley in August 2011

Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau finds herself in deep waters when she must challenge a dark being to a battle of wits or risk losing the man for whom she secretly longs.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Daniels series, Book #4.5

The Story: Dali Harimau is a petite Indonesian woman who wears coke-bottle glasses and can shapeshift into a vegetarian white tiger. She is very smart, but not physically strong and therefore feels cuddled by the Beast Lord and her Alpha's rules. While Dali might stretch the limits of these rules, she is always ready to help the Pack. When Jim comes to Dali for her expertise on South Asian magic, she quickly realizes that something is wrong with her Alpha. After poking around, Dali finds out that Jim is being possessed by a Japanese spider demon and said demon is draining Jim from his life energy. Dali is determined to save Jim's life... even if it means putting her own at risk.

My Opinion: I loved Magic Dreams. Simply loved it :) When I picked up the anthology, I had no idea that Dali was the narrator of this Kate Daniels series installment... but when I found out, SQUEEEE!!! I loved Dali from the first when she was introduced in Magic Strikes. She's just so quirky LOL. I mean, seriously, did you ever hear of a vegetarian tiger that get sick at the sight of blood? Also, she has attitude in spades. Being able to stand up to Curran and Jim is no small accomplishment. So yeah, it just made my day to read a story from her POV and to see her romance with Jim unfolds :)

I always thought the strengths of the Kate Daniels series were 1) the characters, 2) the plots and 3) the touch of humor. Well Ms Andrews reinforced this belief for me with Magic Dreams. I enjoyed reading about Dali and Jim, finding out more about their personalities. They are secondary characters that definitively had potential to be expanded and it was great of Ms Andrews to do so. I also loved reading about Jim and Dali's feelings for each other. It's been hinted that Jim had feelings for Dali in Magic Bleeds and I was curious about it. In Magic Dreams, it's more from Dali's perspectives, but it's good to see that she reciprocated his feelings :) Still, you can see how much Dali matters to Jim... I mean, he learned her dialect! That was really cute. So overall, I was very happy with the romance :)

I think that Ms Andrews did a great job at balancing everything in this novella: the characters, the romance and the storyline. The storyline was both interesting and complex. I thought that was really important, so it kept with the spirit of the series. It also fit Dali's background really well, which made it even better. Then, there were the touches of humor :) It's great when you're reading a story and just laugh out loud because of those :)

My only issue with this novella was Dali's voice. I simply think that it is not very distinct from Kate. What keeps them separate is Dali's Asian background and her strength being different from Kate, but otherwise... I think it's partly due to both women being snarky and thinking the same way, plus how the story is actually constructed. But really, this is a very small complaint and perhaps if we had a full-length novel with Dali as a heroine, it wouldn't be a problem at all ;)

My Grade: A. Magic Dreams is one of the best novellas I've read. Of course, if it was a possibility, I would have loved for Magic Dreams to be longer, would have loved to read more of Dali and Jim... However, as a novella, it is well-written, complete and a great read :) I hope we'll get to see them more as a couple in the future books :)


Curran POV vol. 1 by Gordon Andrews
published by Ilona Andrews in July 2010

This isn't a short story or a novella. This is a collection of scenes written by Gordon Andrews as a companion to our Kate Daniels series of books. These scenes illustrate the point of view of Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta and are provided in gratitude to our readers for all of their support. This collection isn't meant to stand on its own as an independent work of fiction.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Daniels series

My Opinion: As described in the blurb, Curran POV is a collection of scenes from the Kate Daniels series written from Curran's POV. These scenes are a couple of pages each and are definitively not meant to be read as a stand-alone. However, fans of the Kate Daniels series will definitively enjoy them :) I know, I did.

I think these scenes give us a better insight at Curran, a better idea of who is Curran, which is a good thing considering that all we've read in the Kate Daniels series have come from Kate's POV. I don't think that Kate's view of Curran is romanticized and actually, he has told her many times what to expect from... but still, I don't think I really believed it till I read some of his thoughts and actions. After reading Curran POV, I find Curran more ruthless and domineering than ever. Perhaps subconsciously, I was the one romanticizing his character.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Curran POV. Whatever is found in this collection doesn't alter the events that has taken place... but it was fun to read these scenes from Curran's POV. To know his thoughts, his feelings and his reactions to some of the things that happened. I especially enjoyed his impressions of Kate when they first met and my favorite scene is when he is feeding soup to Kate in Magic Burns :)  Therefore a big thank you Mr Andrews has taken the time to write these little snippets and that he shared it with us :)

My Grade: B.


Fathers and Sons by Gordon Andrews

published by Ilona Andrews in May 2011

Infuriated by Kate's treatment at the hands of the Pack, the Beast Lord demands an explanation. When words fail, claws and fangs must do the talking.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Daniels series, Book #4.25/Curran POV, Book #2

The Story: Fathers and Sons takes place just after Magic Bleeds. Curran wakes up from his coma and is none to happy to hear that his mate had had to face 22 challenges in the past two weeks. He is especially angry at Mahon, his adoptive father and Alpha of Clan Heavy, because with his support, Mahon could have prevented the situation... However, Mahon has never approved of Kate as the potential consort... and thus, father and son battle it out.

My Opinion: Another very short story, but fun to read :) I think this is the short story that really made me realized how ruthless Curran is. How he expects to be obeyed... and in a way, his selfishness. Once again, nothing new here. We already knew and Curran had already told Kate... but still, to see proof of it makes it more real.

I like this short story because it really solidifies Kate and Curran bond. The fact that Curran would "retire" his adoptive father if necessary for Kate to rule along side with him. I also enjoyed the politics of the Pack. LOL, lots of frienemies :) And despite the shortness of the story, it still got my heart to beat loudly for one or two seconds :)

My Grade: B+.

Review: Must Love Hellhounds - anthology

Awwww, long week-end is almost over and tomorrow is back to work... which wouldn't be so bad, but it's also my boss' return to work from vacation. That means we're going to get really busy :( I just don't feel ready for it ^_^;

I hope it was a great week-end for everyone. It was for me, it seems I had time to do everything I wanted: caught up on blogging, spent time with my friends, read some books, cleaned my room (just a little, still not done ^_^;) and watched a lot of tennis. The US Open is really interesting this year, especially on the women's side... LOL. I'm definitively rooting for Kim Clijsters, such a great return!! I'll also be rooting for Flavia Pennetta tomorrow. Although I don't really like her, I acknowledged that Serena Williams is a great player... but we need someone else to win the US Open. Come on. On the man side, I hope Andy Murray makes it. Lleyton Hewitt was playing well, just too bad he had to meet Federer so soon :( I hope he's going to rest and come back strong next year.

Anyway, let's get to to the review :) I know many wanted to know what I thought of it...


Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brook
published by Berkley in September 2009

In these hound-eat-hound worlds, anything goes. and everything bites.

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell. Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non- lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment. Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world - and whose scent he's following - in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns. Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind - and damn sexy - companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.

These four novellas by today's hottest paranormal authors will have hellhound lovers everywhere howling.

Genre: paranormal romance/urban fantasy


I don't read Ms Charlaine Harris work, therefore I won't be commenting on her story.


Angel's Judgment by Nalini Singh

Series: Guild Hunter, book #-1(?)

The Story: Angel's Judgment takes place before Angel's Blood and is basically Sara Haziz, Elena best friend, story - how Sara met her husband and how she became the director of the Guild Hunter. Basically, Sara is ideal candidate to be the next director and Simon - the previous director, and the Cadre of Ten (the Archangels) are waiting for her to accept the position.

In the meantime, Sara's next mission is a bit unusual. Instead of retrieving a vampire, she's supposed to investigate on a Hunter who has gone rogue. Joining her is Deacon the Slayer, aka the Guild Hunter's enforcer. However, he has another mission - protect the next director from any test the Cadre of Ten would like to give her...

My Opinion: Surprisingly, I enjoyed Angel's Judgment much more than I did Angel's Blood. I don't know if it was the characters or the storyline... Perhaps I felt that there was less world building, as a result the focus was more on the storyline and it made it simpler. Anyway, I liked it, I thought it was a solid novella. The characters were well developed and the story was interesting.

I really liked Sara and Deacon, they very interesting characters and they had a lot of chemistry together. They also work well together and have good chemistry. I'm glad that Sara didn't take offense at Deacon's presence - protecting her. There wasn't any fight about who is more Alpha or in charge. I also really liked the ending, I think it worked out very well and both took some good decisions. They didn't let obstacles cripple their relationship, made them more than they are.

The storyline was also very good in my opinion. Basically, they had three suspects as the rogue and there was some twists. I really liked it. The only complaint I might have is that the "hellhound" wasn't very present in this one.

My Grade: B+. After this short story, I'm ready to give Ms Singh Guild Hunter series another try.


Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

Series: Kate Daniels, book #4

The Story: The novella is told from Andrea's POV, which is a nice change. Magic Mourns takes place after the events of Magic Strikes and Kate is still recovering from her injuries. As a result, Andrea is covering for her. She gets a phone call reporting a huuuuge dog chasing after a shapeshifter. Andrea is all happy to have an assignment, till she discovers the shapeshifter is actually Rafael, a werehyena that is courting her, and that the dog... is much more than a dog.

My Opinion: To sum it up, Magic Mourns was great character-wise, but a bit meh story-wise. Basically, I enjoyed reading more about Andrea and Rafael and seeing them take the next step in their relationship. They are both very interesting characters, Andrea being a bit more complex due to her situation. I loved the courting LOL. Especially when Rafael realized that Andrea kept the tree with the thong ornaments LOL. Andrea has a bite to her, an edge... My only complaint would be that Kate and Andrea are very similar to each other... I also liked reading about Rafael. He is definitively more than just a playboy.

So I really enjoyed the characters but they definitively overshadowed the plot. I thought that overall, the plot was okay, but it was missing some punch... and I'm not sure how I feel about the Greek mythology touch. Anyway, it's not that the plot was bad, just not as interesting as the characters. The ending though made me chuckled. Seems like Curran will get an apple pie :)

The definite plus though, is that we got to learn a bit more about the world building... and how they are dealing with the magic waves that make the technology go down. Still no word about "how" magic works though...

My Grade: B.


Blind Spot by Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians, book #8

The Story: Maggie Wren is an ex-CIA agent now working as a butler for Colin Ames-Beaumont. She is sent by her new employer to New York, along with Sir Pup, in search for Colin's great, great, great-nephew and niece who are in trouble.

My Opinion: Blind Spot was my favorite novella in this anthology. Two reasons: first, Sir Pup played a big role. Seriously, Sir Pup is such a character, given he is a "pet." He's just so fun to read about LOL :) Playful, but at the same time, very protective :) I always like it when he appears with his three heads and his transformation. Lilith is sooo lucky LOL :) Secondly, I love seeing Colin's many facets. In this case, it's his love for his family... I find it rare that a vampire who's live for hundred of years still have contact with his family/descendants. Most of the time, vampires have to hide and look upon them from afar. In Colin's case, he's totally involved with his family, they know him and he protects them. I find that awesome. I mean, they call him "uncle Colin"!! How cute is that?!? Also, Colin calling Maggie "Winters," I thought that was endearing as well. Colin still remembers his past, he hasn't become jaded or lost his humanity. He still feels quite human and I think that distinguishes him from many other vampires.

Okay, so what about the actual story and characters? Basically, a demon has kidnapped Colin's niece, Katherine, and her brother, Geoffrey Blake, is trying to rescue her and Maggie is sent in to help Geoffrey. Because Colin family's blood has been tainted by dragon's blood, it has had its effect in his descendants... i.e. it has given birth to some very unique "gifts." Katherine is able to locate things and Geoffrey is technically blind, but is able to see through other's eyes. I really like Geoffrey's gift. Quite unique and he knows how to use it. LOL, funniest is when he tried to see through Sir Pup's eyes... but the hellhounds have 6 eyes! LOL :) Anyway, just to say that I really liked Geoff's gift. I also liked his character. He was quite interesting, quite confident and assured. His outward image is one of a fool, one that uses his connections to keep his job in the Ramsdell Pharmaceuticals... but in fact, he's the problems solver - kind of the enforcer of the company.

I liked Maggie's character. Very competent and cool. You know the new kind of butler. Given her past as an ex-CIA agent, she's a survivor... and speaking of past, hers is linked to this case.

I think that Ms Brook did a good job balancing the story and the characters. The story and relationship were interesting. There was a definite connection between Maggie and Geoff and I wouldn't mind reading about them again :)

My Grade: A-. I really liked this novella. I think Ms Brook definitively has a knack writing them :)


Overall, I think this was a great anthology if you're fans of these authors. Definitively no regrets getting it :)

Review: Shadows of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Quite frankly, I think I've given up on Sherrilyn Kenyon's dark-hunters and dream-hunters series. I mean, when I hear of her upcoming books, I just can't sum up any excitement. Sadly, Acheron is still sitting on the shelf and it seems less likely that I'll ever read it... However, it's an entirely different story when it comes to the were-hunters. Especially, the ones that she has already introduced. Ever since the release of Night Play 4 years ago, I've been waiting for Fury and Fang's stories... separately if possible :P

Well I got my wish, because Fury's story came out or actually, will come out this week in the anthology Dead After Dark. Booooo because it's only a short story :( And apparently, Fang and Aimée's story will be her next full-length were-hunter book... I think. So yesterday, got my hand on the anthology and quickly devoured Fury's story. Here's what I thought...


Shadows of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon
published by St. Martin's Press in December 2008

Angelia has fought her entire life to make herself strong. Now, with her patria under fire, she has to protect her people from Fury and his werewolf clan. Vowing to bring him to justice, Angelia sets out alone…until the hunter becomes the hunted, and the only way for her to survive is to trust the very wolf she’s sworn to kill.

Genre: paranormal romance
Series: Dark-Hunters/Were-Hunters, book #?

The Story: Ugh!! I've just read the back blurb now and that is bull!!! This is probably the worst synopsis I've ever-read... So misleading and untrue!!! Seriously, did the person writing the blurb even read the story? So here is the actual story...

Fury is at the Sanctuary doing a favor to Fang (helping to smuggle a note to Aimée - awww) when he learns of a Katagari were-lion who was attacked and shot by a tessera of Arcadian were-hunters. The problem is that the Arcadian were-hunters are using a new weapon and once shot, the Katagari were is stuck into his based form (animal) and no longer able to use its magick.
Fury offers his help to track down the attackers and is sniffing the lion for scents when he catches one that is very familiar to him... a wolfswan that he's been trying to forget for centuries. At the same moment, Dare (Fury's brother) and Angelia - the wolfswan - appear at the Sanctuary. Fight ensues and long story short, Fury is "kidnapped" and tortured for information. Angelia is unable to withstand the view of Fury being tortured and "saves" him. Fury then turns on her and brings her back to Vane's house.

My Opinion: I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I totally loved it for Fury. He's such a great character :D Still as sarcastic as usual and tough... he mouth is quick to deliver insults and his attitude... just priceless. He was a great hero. He is still getting used to having a family and people that will stand by him no matter what. Loved the interactions between the three brothers: Vane, Fang and Fury. His interaction with Bride and his nephew Trace were as cute LOL :) Uncle Furry!! That was definitively priceless!!

What I liked less? Angelia. She's an okay heroine, but I'm not sure she deserves Fury. She made some very bad decisions in her life... and I thought she was a bit selfish. She put herself first - in the past and even in this story... However, what annoyed me most is that she found excuses... well to excuse herself. To justify why she did what she did and seriously, I thought she was stupid. Worst is that a lot of it was due to ignorance and it was kind of appalling. She tried to be this tough chick, but in the end, Bride was tougher and smarter. Also, I don't like how she got out free from the whole tessera thingie. She was part of the tessera, she should have been punished. No discussion. Personally, I don't care if she didn't shoot. She was part of them, helping them do whatever they were doing. Of course, in the end, it's Fury that saved her derriere... my problem is that I don't think she felt much remorse... and not being punished for her actions, well it feels like there was no regret on her part.

Another thing that annoyed me is when Ms Kenyon writes about the Katagaria and Arcadian's behaviors. I think that she got it right when she describes what's animal behavior and what's human... The problem is that she will say that animals don't do this because they're animals and it's actually a human trait. Then, two lines later, the animals will be doing exactly what she said they didn't do and rationalize it a different way. Example is that it is said that Katagria don't attack or kill for revenge... Then, you had the whole situation between Fury and Dare where Dare told everyone that Fury was a wolf as soon as he found out and then, they brutalized Fury and almost killed him. Fury is still very bitter about that and he'd like to give it back to Dare ten-fold. Ugh, sorry, but that sounds like revenge to me? Or the lions are out for blood and are tracking down the Arcadians that killed one of theirs and injured another... I'm sorry, but even if you say it's in order to protect their families, well it still sounds like revenge for me. So Ms Kenyon walks a very fine line and again, tries to rationalize some actions... but it just ring false.

What about the love story between Fury and Angelia? I think it was kind of sweet... Fury and Angelia grew up together and you can tell that Fury was smitten by Angelia... but then, she turned on him when she discovered he was a wolf and although she has psychological reasons, Fury definitively has all the rights to be bitter. So they meet centuries later and it's pretty much tug and war between them, with Fury doing a lot of sweet things for Angelia... She keeps rejecting him till she falls in bed with him. Conclusion? I didn't buy it. I know that deep down, Angelia probably loved Fury as well, but I didn't buy that she could throw away all her beliefs after half a day, sleep with Fury and discover that they're supposed to be mates and not go bonkers... At least, feel something like denial or refusal for it.

Personally, I feel that if the book has been a full novel instead of a novella, there's no doubt that Ms Kenyon would have pulled it off. However, as a short story, the love story happened way too fast to be believable and satisfying. I think that Ms Kenyon had a great original idea and kudos for being able to develop the story as much as she did... however, it was just not enough. What definitively saves the story are all the scenes with Bride, Vane, their son Trace and Fang as well as Fury's personality.

For those who want to know who appear in the book... well we have the whole Peltiers family, Carson and his nurse, Sasha (Astrid's wolf companion), Zarek, Savitar, Paris Sebastien as well as almost the whole Kattalakis family. My question is when did Zarek becomes so close with Vane and his family? I am really happy that Fang and Aimee will finally have their story (hopefully, full-length novel)... and I'm very intrigued by Sasha. I would like to learn more about him as well :D

My Grade: This is a tough one to grade... For enjoyment, this is definitively a B. Love Fury after all :) Objectively though, the grade should be much lower... but who cares about objectively, right? In the end, it's how much did you enjoy it :P

PS. For those who wonder, no I'm not planning to read the rest of the anthology.

The Magical Christmas Cat Contest!!!

***This is a sticky post. Please scroll down for new posts!***

Hello everyone ;)

So how was your week-end? Anyway, I won't be babbling too much... I think that the title of the post says it all, LOL :) Yep, I'm having a contest! So here is the condensed story of why LOL :)



A lot of ppl are interested in this anthology, The Magical Christmas Cat, mainly because it contains a novella by Ms Nalini Singh. However, a lot of ppl are unsure as well, because it's an anthology and not everyone reads all the novellas in an anthology... so they don't want to put down the money for it. Totally understandable. Which is why, I'm giving away my second copy of The Magical Christmas Cat... Yes, you've read correctly... second copy. What can I say, I'm just way tooooo impatient to wait till my PRE-ordered copy arrives... and since I was at the bookstore and it was there, just in my face... well you can probably guess, LOL :)

So this is going to be very easy. Simply leave a comment to this post before hmmm, Friday October 10 - noon (Eastern time), and I'll announce the winner in the afternoon. Oh, and no restriction for the shipping... so Canada, US or international, you're all welcomed to participate :)

Review: Thicker than Blood by Meljean Brook

I am not a huge fan of anthology, but I will buy them when they contain novellas from my favorite authors or from a series I'm hooked on, which is why I bought First Blood. As usual, I only read the novella I was interested in... Thicker Than Blood by Meljean Brook.


Thicker Than Blood by Meljean Brook
published in First Blood by Berkley in August 2008

Annie, the only survivor of an attack that wiped out every other vampire in her city, needs help finding an orphaned human girl before a demon does. But help comes from the last man she expected to see again...

Genre: paranormal romance
Series: The Guardians, book #6

The Story: Annie Gallagher was turned into a vampire 6 years ago and was cut off from her family and boyfriend. She became the enforcer in the vampire community of Philadelphia and was hired out to other communities. Coming back to Philadelphia from business, Annie discovered that the whole community - 130 lives - was wiped out by a demon. However, she knows that Cricket, her little human girl friend, is still alive and therefore refuses to leave without her... During one of her feedings, she comes upon Jack Harrington, the FBI agent she loved and thought she'd never see again...

My Opinion: LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!!!!!! Seriously, this one was a great entry to the series and of course, I wished it was a bit longer... but for the length of this novella, Ms Brook definitively pulled it off :)

I really liked Annie and Jack's characters. How strong they were and their ability to build a new life without each other, but still missing each other. What I liked the most though is once they were reunited, they were honest with each other... no denials, no excuses. For example, Jack getting engaged not long after Annie's "death." If it was in any other books, I would have had difficulty accepting it... However, he didn't make excuses for himself and he was so earnest in his explanation and I understood why... in the end, it was perfect. Also, none of them denied that during the past 6 years, they missed each other and that they still had feelings for each other. Usually, in these kind of reunions, they are a lot of denials about their feelings and a lot of resentment, but not in this case and it made it refreshing and more enjoyable.

I also enjoyed the storyline. Surprisingly, it was very balanced between the storyline and character development, which frankly, doesn't happen much in novellas. The intrigue was well constructed and developed and complex as well. I don't feel like Ms Brook 'simplified' the storyline just because it was a novella. It also gave us a different vampire prospective. In previous books, we had Colin which is 200 years old and special, since he's nosterafu-borned, and Charlie, who was a newly turned vampire, while Annie, although not very old, has settled in a community. So it was interesting.

One of the best part I think is Jack finding out what Annie has become without having her telling him in words. It was fun and clever and well done :) Oh, and I loved seeing Lilith... she didn't steal the show which was cool, but seeing her and a bit of her 'past' while she was a FBI agent just added to the story :)

My only complaint, which is going to sound stupid, is Annie and Jack's names... It was just a bit confusing, given that the H/H in the next Guardian book, Demon Bound, are named Alice and Jake. Even their last names are similar: Annie Gallagher and Jack Harrington vs. Alice Grey and Jake Hawkins LOL!!!

My Grade: A-. Sure, the novella was great and well balanced. Of course, if it had been a full length novel, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it even more!!

Review: Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh

Okay, so I got An Enchanted Season on Monday... and we all know or can guess why I got this anthology right? Nalini Singh. So far, I've only read her story, Beat of Temptation, and thought I'd reviewed it :D


Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh
published as part of the anthology An Enchanted Season, by Berkley in October 2007

Young Tamsyn has always held a special place in her heart for her powerful fellow pack-member Nate. But as a dominant male leopard in the pack, the more experienced Nate doesn’t want to trap Tamsyn into the fierce demands of the mating bond—a bond driven by the animal within—when she’s hardly had the chance to grow into a woman. But Tamsyn knows what she wants for Christmas, and she’s going to get it...

Genre: paranormal romance, shapeshifters
Series: Psy/Changeling world, Book #0.5

We've all complained at one point or another how we find novella/short story unsatisfying, because they are too short... However, this sure is not the case with Beat of Temptation. Ms Singh took a clever approach when writing this novella. Instead of writing the story of new characters that need to fall in love, she went back and explored how it all begin between Tamsyn and Nathan. I say clever because 1) we all know what/how they are in the future and so, Ms Singh doesn't have to wrap it up and 2) those who won't read this novella won't miss anything needed for the further development of the series.

Those who have read Slave to Sensation all know and remember Tamsyn, the Dark River healer, and her mate Nathan, who's also a sentinel. Nathan is 10 years older than Tamsyn and has been holding off from completing the mating dance, because he wants Tamsyn to enjoy her freedom. He also doesn't want to suffocate her in this demanding relationship, because he's seen what can happen... and it's not always HEA. However, completing the mating dance is what Tamsyn wants and needs. As a result, she takes the matter into her hands... Okay, I almost just repeated the book blurb :P

Anyway, I really enjoyed the story :D Yes, it was short, but everything was covered - Tamsyn's feelings, Nathan's reasoning - and I can't really think of what Ms Singh could have added to the story. The story focused on Tamsyn and Nathan and their relationship and there was nothing really complicated. I personally enjoyed seeing young Tamsyn and Nathan, not that they are much different from the ones we know already... With this novella, you really see the effects of a fullfilling mate bond have on two persons. It also shed some lights on the mating bond... it's not automatic (as in recognizable at first sight) and although you feel attracted to each other or lust for each other, it doesn't guarantee happiness.

What else to say? I really liked Tamsyn and Nathan... Tamsyn is strong and has a backbone. She's also young and vulnerable and inexperiment. She's still young in many ways, but that didn't make her stupid. Nathan was just very alpha :D I also liked reading about a younger version of Lucas and Dorian and also, at a time when Dark River pack wasn't as strong. It actually would be very interesting to learn how Dark River got some prominent in such a short time.

There is a light storyline with a Psy, but it wasn't developed too much. The way it was handled though, didn't make it seem too superfluous. I'm even wondering if this Psy wouldn't appear again in the future.

In the end, I was very satisfied with this novella :D However, it did raise 2 questiosn: 1) How many shapeshifter races are there and if they all live as a pack? So far, I'm aware of wolves, leopards, wild cats, deers, hyenas, horses, eagles... are there marine species... Although, in the ideal world, Ms Singh shouldn't explore all of them too much (like Ms Marjorie M. Liu)... and 2) how long do these shapeshifters live?

Despite those two questions, I'm giving this book a B+ :)


Also, a little more book pimping for Ms Singh... Many have read Caressed by Ice and enjoyed it greatly. So here's some info about the next book, Mine to Posess:

Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

This book comes out in February and already, I can't wait!! It sounds awesome :D

Slave to Sensation
Visions of Heat
Caressed by Ice

Review: Dark Awakening by Patti O'Shea

Seriously, I need to be banned from the bookstores till the end of the month... maybe longer. Cos I think I bought over 40 books so far since Christmas and this is just insane. I can't go in bookstores without coming out with books... and not only one, but 2, 3... even 10. Definitively have to work on impulse.

Oh, before I go onto the review... anyone can tell me when Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh. Chapters online says June 2007 and Amazon says March 2007... I hope Canada doesn't get it later. Onto the review now...

Dark Awakening by Patti O'Shea: 3.75/5
published January 2007

*part of anthology Shards of Crimson

Kimi Noguchi has been attracted to Nic, a demon, ever since she met him at her cousin's wedding; however, Nic is avoiding her. When she is attacked by a Dark One, the strongest of demon, named Augustin who wants to still her newly discovered magical power, she summons Nic to protect her.

Nic has been warned by his little sister to stay away from Kimi, although she is his vishtau mate (soul mate), because Kimi is still too young. However, when Kimi summons him, all deals are off. However, Nic knows that he is no match for Augustin, who in the past, has killed Nic's father and left him for dead, but no matter what, he is determined to protect Kimi.

Series: Crimson City
Genre: paranormal romance, demons

Review: Well, I bought the book only for this short story :) I luv Patti O'Shea writing style and my complaint here is that the story is just too short. Ms. O'Shea did well for a short story and the only thing is that there's less action than usual. Everything just happened too quickly...

Characters - Ms. O'Shea did really well, fleshing her characters. I think that Kimi does sound a bit like Mika, but it's understandable. It's probably because the age. She's an interesting character that I wish could read about again in the future when she matured. I don't mean to say that she's annoying, but mostly just indecisive at time. I really liked Nic tho :D He's not the big evil demon and the Mahsei side does show in his personality :D

Story & Writing - as I said, too short... but hey, it's a short story, so understandable. Ms O'shea follows her usual style and it works for me. That's probably why she's one of my favorite author, although she has very few books out and half of them part of series like Crimson City (different authors series).

The Cover - well, I have nothing to say about the cover. I'm glad there's no one on it and it's neutral, to fit all the story.

Am I keeping the book: well yeah... unless the short story is released on its own.

Anything else: I want to read more about the demons that Ms. O'Shea has created. I'd like a book with Mika, Connor, Nic and Kimi. However, I don't think that's happening.

Review: Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brooks

Eek! Almost a week since I last updated ^^; This really wasn't my intention... I had a lot of things planned, but I guess it all got delayed ^^; Still haven't started to work on the new layout, I'm waiting for my friend to draw the new banner. She's applying for med school and the dateline for her personal essay is on Jan. 15... so I guess I won't have it before that :( Although I haven't updated, I have done some reading :D

Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brooks: 3/5 (C)
published by Berkley in November 2006

Anthony Ramsdell has known Colin and Emily (twins) and they have been friends since their childhood, despite the difference in status (Anthony being from a decent family and the twins, the children of a duke or marquess). To elevate his status, Anthony has become a doctor, accepting Colin's father offer to pay for his studies. Now, the duke/marquess has decided to collect his favor from Anthony and is sending him to Spain as a war doctor. Just before his departure, Anthony saw Emily whose he's been attracted to since his youth. Angered at her father for some reasons, Emily seduced Anthony. Afterwards, Anthony went to war, promising Emily that he would come back for her.

However, not everything goes according to what we want and Anthony died and became a Guardian. Under normal circumstances, he would have trained for a 100 years in Caelum; however, Colin was bitten by a nosferatu and Anthony, along with his master Hugh, must save him and protect a sword.

Genre: paranormal romance
Series: The Guardians series, book 1

Review: As you know, I bought this anthology because it contained Falling for Anthony, which was the prequel/book 1 of Demon Angel. I enjoyed Demon Angel and I wanted to know more, I mean anything that could give me an insight in the past of Colin, Lilith and Hugh was good :D I didn't read the other stories however. Maybe another day...

Characters - Hum, I liked Anthony quite well, but didn't really enjoyed Emily. Anthony is quite similar to Hugh, but a little less rigid and little more selfish. It is a little bit difficult to comment on them, since it was a short story... As for Emily, well I understand the motives of her behaviour, but it doesn't make me like her. She pretty much used Anthony and after his death, she did feel remorse, but I don't think she loved him. Not until he came back as a Guardian. So that's my take on the main couple. As for Colin, he's his usual self, although pretty much comatose for more than half of the story. Still vain as ever, but I did get to see another side of him... Responsible. I mean, he does care for his little sister and I believe they do have a bond... Also, he was ready to marry to provide a mother for his orphaned nephew. Might not be the good reason to marry, but it was done in those time and he was ready to do it for his nephew. So that speaks out a lot about his character.

Story & Writing - The writing was consistent with Demon Angel, so quite good. As for the story, well, it was short and therefore, lack a bit of development, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, it was okay. in my opinion, it wasn't as captivating as Demon Angel.

The Cover - All right again. I'll have to say that I don't really care about half-naked ppl on my covers ^^; I don't find that "hot" and I wonder if it really increases the sales of a book. I do like the color schemes tho and the texture of it :D

Am I keeping this book: Well yes, since it's part of The Guardians series.

Anything else: Well not really. I read this book, because I wanted to know more about Colin and also, his sister, since she was mentioned in Demon Angel. My expectations weren't as high, because well, it's a short story. Of course, they'll be higher for Demon Moon. As for the grading, it's a 3 not because of the story, but more due to my dislike of the heroine.

Howdy?

Hey everyone :D

Wassup? My day didn't start really well: 1) the weather is crap, 2) my sis stayed in my room till 4.30am this morning to work on her project, so I didn't get good sleep, 3) she needed my helped this morning with her poster, so I ended up late and jammed in traffic, 4) I wanted to be smart and skip work so I could stay home and work on my project - yeah, presentation is at the end of the month, and since I didn't have that much work, I thought, well why not? Why not? Because my father took the day off to go to a doctor appointment and he's like: no way, you can't stay home because you don't have much work at work... only if you're sick... (he was pretty angry, cos he thinks I'm lazy - I didn't tell him about the presentation, cos he'd be even more on my back... Then, 5 minutes later, he came back to me and he was like: Did you get lay off? Answer: Of course no!) 5) Spent an hour in traffic, came to work and guess what... yep, I don't have any compounds to screen... even worse, I have less. Urgh.

by the way, love my dad :D He's the sweetest guy on Earth, but sometimes, he worries too much :P and even sweet guy can hit a nerve sometimes.

so that's my life ^^; and it seems that I'm slowly catching the reading slump (pls someone, save me!)...

anyway, here are what I've been reading for the past 3 days...

Hot Toy by Jennifer Crusie: 3.25/5

So I thought that I was catching the reading slump-syndrome and to avoid it, I bought this anthology, thinking that a Jennifer Crusie is what I needed.

On Christmas Eve, Trudy Maxwell is stucked in a toy store looking for an action figure, sorreh, can't remember the name, that is able to spit toxic waste :) Unfortunately, the action figure has been sold out since Thanksgiving, but Trudy is not giving up. She absolutely needs to find one for her nephew, Leroy, because his bastard father has not kept his promise and Trudy and Leroy's mother, Courtney, don't want Leroy to be disappointed. So she starts looking in other aisle for the action figure. Unlucky for her, Nolan Mitchell shows up... Nolan is a chinese literature professor and has stood up Trudy a few months ago. Still angry at him, Trudy tries to ignore him and lucky her, she finds the action figure that she was looking for, only the previous generation... But what's weird is that suddenly, everyone is after her action figure...

Okay, so this is a novella and it's short. I knew that, but still I find it disappointing, cos well, it was too short. By the way, did Trudy Maxwell ever showed up in Crusie's previous books? The name doesn't ring a well, so I wonder, but it seems like I was supposed to know her. Anyway, I like Trudy and Nolan :D The only thing is that well, the story is a bit far-fetched... but I guess that's okay :) It wasn't hilarious, but still pretty fun (as in, I did laugh out a couple of times)... Anyway, I'm still waiting for a full Jennifer Crusie book (and her only, no co-writing)... It's been 2 years since Bet Me.

Winterset by Candace Camp: 2.75/5

Reed Moreland had a dream where Anna Holcomb seemed to be in danger. Although it's only a dream and even if Anna has turned him down, Reed sets out for his Winterset estate to make sure that the love of his life is all right. Ever since turning down Reed's proposal, Anna knew that she'd never be happy, but she could at least be content with her life. However, Reed's return is making it difficult to be content... At the same time, the Beast, who've been responsible for murders decades ago is back.

I thought the book was long. The beginning was quite entertaining, but near the middle, it started to seriously drag. Anna, if you cannot marry, then stay away from Reed. I know, if they stayed away from each other, there wouldn't be a story... but after the third eps. of Anna and Reed kissing or starting to get intimate and then, Anna stepping back and saying that she can't and running away, I was seriously bored. Anna and Reed were all right characters... I guess that I would consider Reed as a beta male... as for the reason why Anna couldn't marry Reed, I thought she should have told him, not just drive him away. Anyway, characters were all right, story was okay, but a bit draggy.

Billionaires Prefer Blondes by Suzanne Enoch: 4/5

The best book I've read since the week-end... This is part of a series, after Flirting with Danger and Don't Look Down. Although the last book bored me, I still decide to give the series another go and I think this one is the best so far.

Samantha Jellicoe is an ex-cat burgler... Yep, she's retired after hooking up with British billionaire Rick Addison. Now, she owns a security company... but troubles still follow her. It starts with the reapparence of her father, who supposedly died 3 years ago, followed by the robbery of Rick's latest art acquisitions... then, Sam is in more trouble than she'd wished for. Stuck between Martin, her father, and Rick, her lover, Sam is in an impasse... but she has to make a choice.

Lots of ppl have compared this series with the In Death series by J.D. Robb where basically, Sam is the equivalent of Roarke (seedy past) with Rick/Eve as the moral compasse. Although I don't think that this seires come close to the In Death, it is still rather enjoyable. I like Sam's character... she's bold, sassy and sexy and she knows her stuff when it comes to burglary. Rick is well, the richissism guy that's found his soulmate, you know, he's a bit cliched, but what can you do? Those are the ones readers swoon for. I guess what this series lack is good secondary characters. Anyway, I think that the three books happening on a timeline of 5 months is also a bit exaggerated... It would have been better if the story would've been spaced out a bit. The storyline was quite good, the action continued... the story flowed well and the pace was good. The characters were in-characters and still entertaining. So no major complaints except for the fac that the characters kept thinking: it's been 5 months we've been together and I'm still in lust and combust automatically. Hello, so what if it's been 5 months? 5 months is nothing... Of course, if you've changed months for years, than yeah, I would have understood why the characters were surprised... but again, 5 months, *insert roll eyes* that's nothing. So why keep repeating it? Also, I've always been a sucker for father-daughter happy reunion, but this one wasn't, so I was kind of bumped out. But definitively worth reading if you enjoy the previous 2 books.