Monthly Reads: March 2010

I can't believe the long week-end is already over!! Where did all my time go?!? I really don't want to back to work tomorrow. Seriously, I'm not rested enough :(  At least, I will have blogged! I hope to find back my blogging mojo and rhythm... as well as reading mojo. Long week-end and I only read one book :( Ah well.

At least, I can look at my March reading list and feel good :D I read quite a bit this month and that surprised me a little, considering the last few weeks I've had at work. Then again, most of the books were read before things started getting really busy...


1) Roadkill by Rob Thurman: B+/A-
 Buddy review with Hilcia and Leslie coming up for Breezing Through .


2) All Night with a Rogue by Alexandra Hawkins: C-
 Buddy review with Ames and Monroe coming up for Breezing Through.


3) My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger: -

This was a re-read :) I was feeling a bit down and needed something to cheer me up. Plus, it needed to be light after Roadkill :P


4) When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn: B


5) How I Met My Countess by Elizabeth Boyle: B-

 The past few books by Ms Boyle have been hit and miss with me. Still, I like her style, so I gave this one a try. It was better than Confessions of a Little Black Gown, but I still had some issues with it.

Years ago, when Justin Grey - the Earl of Clifton - and his illegitimate brother chose to serve their country, they decided to become spies and were thus trained by Lucy Ellyson's father. Back then, Lucy helped and taught them everything she knew to make sure they would come back safely. Eventually, Lucy and Justin fell in love and Justin swore he would come back for her if only she waited. However, things have a tendency to go awry and circumstances change. Seven years later, Lucy is one of the dowager Marchioness of Standon (there are three :P) and Justin is coming back to a decrepit earldom. The only way he can escape marriage with an heiress is if Justin can find his brother's money which was left to an heir under the care of the dowager Marchioness of Standon...

I have to admit, it's the storyline that made me pick up the book. It sounded good and it actually was. The story was well thought out with a few good twists. The characters were likable and the three dowagers Marchionesses of Standon situation was quite funny. I especially like the beginning when Lucy and Justin meet again after 7 or so years and Justin has no idea Lucy is the dowager Marchioness of Standon that he is looking for. My only problem was the flashback that started after the meeting where we see Justin undergoing his training under the tutelage of Lucy, their attraction, etc. It was just too long - about half the book, and it took away from the whole book. I'd have liked to see the characters be a bit more developed in the "present," see them really reconnect. Once we come back to the present, everything unfolds too quickly - even though it all ties up - and as a result, it felt a bit rushed and not enough substance... and that's too bad because How I Met My Countess could have been more.

Still, Ms Boyle set up Mad About the Duke very well in this book and I'll be looking forward to it.


6) Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas: B+


7) What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss: B

Picked this one up because of the buzz around blogland. Many have reviewed it already and I agree with the majority. I thought the book was very well written and there was a lot going on for such a short book, perhaps a little bit too much. However, I enjoyed the subject matters in What the Librarian Did, because they're not often written about. I also really liked Devin, he was one yummy hero... but I wasn't too thrilled about Rachel. I didn't like the fact that she was using Devin. I think she should have been a little bit more honest and straightforward - it would have saved everyone a lot of pain.


8) The First Sin by Cheyenne McCray: D

Sigh. I bought this book and the second one believing they were paranormal romance - I don't know why. Perhaps because this author's other books are. This turned out to be a difficult read for me...

Alexi Steele used to be a sniper in the army until an op went wrong and she was court-martialed and found guilty. Then, she was kidnapped and broken by an unknown group and forced to kill whoever they wanted. Luckily, she was saved by the NSA's clandestine Recovery Enforcement Division for which she now works and specializes in human trafficking and sex crimes. She is currently investigating a human trafficking ring that is taking place in Boston's exclusive S&M clubs and her new partner, Nicholas Donovan, has a vested interest in this investigation as his younger sister has recently disappeared.

Human trafficking storylines are never the easiest to read about and The First Sin is no exception.There was little I enjoyed about this book, mainly because it wasn't believable to me. I guess Alexi Steele is an ultra tough, kick-ass heroine... but seriously, is there really someone this strong? It's easier to believe in these kind of heroines in urban fantasy and paranormal romance when they can heal faster or live longer... but Alexi is just like you and me. I just think there's a limit to what someone can endure. I'm not saying that Alexi should be crumbling... but seriously, it's hard for me to imagine she'd stay in the business. Of course, I'm a far cry of an army person so perhaps, I just don't get it. Anyway, let just say that Alexi has went through a lot in the past and she undergoes a lot here as well... and her recovery rate is unbelievably fast without much psychological trouble. The First Sin is also quite grim and some of the scenes, a bit too descriptive to my taste.


9) Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop: -
10) Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop: -
11) Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop: -

After reading Shadalor's Lady and re-reading The Shadow Queen, I realized how long it's been since I've read the Black Jewels trilogy, especially since many characters from the trilogy make an appearance. So I decided to re-read them. This wasn't a proper re-read, as I skipped some parts - mostly the very serious and depressing scenes, which is why I'm not writing a complete review... Although I should. Anyway, this is a really a great series, I still love the humor in it :) It's also nice to see how the characters have grown :)


12) Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper: B
13) Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper: B
14) Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper: B

This is the Jane Jameson trilogy. Picked it up after Isabel reviewed them (here, here and here) - I actually had the first book and needed someone to give me a nudge :P I'll try to do a proper post for it, but to sum it up, it was a fun trilogy. There is quite a lot of drama going on though, so these books are a bit exhausting :P


15) A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner: B+/A-
Review to come.


16) Spiral Hunt by Margaret Ronald: D

Hmmm, my attention was actually caught by the back blurb of Wild Hunt, but I figured I should read the first book before getting into the second. Logical right? Not sure it was a good decision though, but ah well. Too late now.

This is an urban fantasy series based on celtic mythology featuring Evie Scelan as the heroine. Evie has the "scent," kind of an extremely well developed sense of smell which she can use to smell the well-being of someone or track things down, etc. She gets a phone call from her first love who tells her he is getting out. He sounded a bit weird, so Evie wants to follow up on it and finally finds a dead body. Things then get complicated with the brotherhood he was involved with - they're been laying low for the past couple of years, but have decided to make a come back and for some reasons, are after Evie...

Okay, my summary was not clear, but can't help it because I felt so lost while reading Spiral Hunt. I kept waiting for the author to explain her world building such as the undercurrent, why people cannot get out of Boston, etc. but I waited in vain. Then, Evie wasn't the brightest heroine... From what I understood, in the past, those who could do magic were either recruited or eliminated by the brotherhood. Evie was always under the radar until recently... but seriously, if you know there's such danger near you, I would think you'd find out as much information possible to protect yourself, right? Also, you don't trust just anyone who helps you when you're in such situation. Anyway, just didn't feel it with this one.


17) Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs: B++
Review to come.

18) Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs: -

Felt like re-reading Hunting Ground after Silver Borne :P Still love it to pieces and it really sucks we won't get an installment in the series this year. I wonder how that will affect the timeline as well.

19) Lois Lane Tells All by Karen Hawkins: C+/B-

This is the second contemporary romance book by Ms Hawkins. The first one is Talk of the Town which was okay. Once again, Ms Hawkins starts strong but just can't seem to wrap it up as strongly.

Susan Collins now works for The Glory Examiner which Roxie has bought in Talk of the Town. She's really into her work and resent Mark Tremayne, Roxie's brother, management. However, she can't help but find him attractive à la Clark Kent way. Meanwhile, Mark is doing his best to save the newspapers and make it profitable in order to help his sister's out. This is all temporary however, once the newspapers is in the black, he's returning home to Raleigh where he has his accounting company to take care of.

Basically, that's what the book is about ^_^; Two persons that are trying their best to make a newspapers with two different visions. What I liked about Lois Lane Tells All were Susan and Mark. These are two grown-up adults, regular people and so, they are reasonable!! Once Mark explains what's going on with the newspapers finance to Susan, she stops being annoyed by Mark and starts working with him to find solution. Also, Mark realizes that Susan knows the newspapers business better than him and starts opening up to her suggestions. So yeah, I really like the H/H in this book and that is why I wished the book would have focused more on them and their relationship. Instead, Ms Hawkins brought back the Murder Mystery Club - a trio of old people who are fanatics of CSI and trying to find murder cases to solve. I mean, the idea wasn't bad, but this time around, the Murder Mystery Club was less funny and more in the way of the storyline instead of helping it. I mean, Lois Lane Tells All is 379 pages, quite thick, but I felt Susan and Mark's relationship really went nowhere. I mean, they are attracted to each other, share a couple of good kisses, lust after each other... then, finally, they have sex and you think, finally, the story is starting to shape up. Instead, they decide to keep it as a one-time deal because Mark is going to go back to Raleigh and Susan can't leave Glory... and you don't get anymore interaction between them till the end! This is a contemporary romance, the H/H and their relationship should be at the front and never take the back seat! I also wished Mark's character was more developed. Readers get a lot from Susan's viewpoint, but very little from Mark and whenever we do, it's never something really deep or personal. I'd have liked to see more of his personal side. The set up and build up was good, but the characters and story just didn't go anywhere :(


Yep, 19 books! Woohooo! It's been a while I haven't posted such a high number. Although I think what helped was that a number of the books were re-reads :)  They're always a bit quicker reads, don't you think? There were definitively some good books that I can't wait to review :) However, there were also some bad books... and that's a surprise... Doesn't happen to me often since I'm quite selective. I know what I like and what I enjoy... but seriously, you have to fall on a lemon from time to time, right?

Also, was I a good girl with my book buying? That was a goal I set out for myself starting from March, since I'm going to the RT convention. I want to try avoiding double copies ^_^; This pretty much means waiting till the RT to get some books... but I'm happy to say I was indeed a good girl!! Especially given the number of releases in March!

Books bought: +20
Books read: -14 (not counting the re-reads)
TBR pile: +6


As numbers go, it's not bad :D So there you have it, my month of March...

Monthly Reads: February 2010

Guess what? I was able to squeeze in a re-read yesterday for February, so now, all I have to do is review it :D

Guess what? I reviewed all the books I wanted to (you know, when I write "Review to come" in my monthly reads list), except for one and I plan to do it this week... LOL, I mean, it's so rare for me to review all the books I read. So to review all the books I want to review, that's quite an accomplishment as well :P In addition, I was also able to review a couple of books I've read this month! Wow, I'm impressed at myself, LOL.

So here is my list of reads for the month of February:


1) Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter: B
Review to come at Breezing Through


2) Lessons from a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes: B+
Review to come at Breezing Through


3) Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh: B++


4) Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep: A-



5) Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis: B-

As a whole, I did enjoy Slow Heat more than Double Play. It's the feeling I got while reading Slow Heat, more fun I guess. However, Slow Heat was definitively not a perfect read and I had some issues with it, mostly Sam. I was looking forward to this book from the teaser we got in Double Play and while I really liked Wade, Sam disappointed me. Mostly, I found Sam too uptight, nervous and almost with a lack of self-confidence, which made it hard for me to believe she was a successful PR... and I felt she didn't understand her clients either. For example, when she discovered that Wade's father was still alive, she immediately brought up the issue with Wade and ask if they could both participate for the Father/Son day. She didn't take two seconds to think. Coming from a dysfunctional family, I thought she would have been smarter than that. Obviously, if Wade doesn't want people to know his father is alive is because there's something going on somewhere. Whether it's bad blood between them or his father preferring a secret life or whatever. Yes, she's focused on her work, but it almost made her stupid. I'm not saying she shouldn't have brought it up, but I think she should have taken 2 seconds to think about.

I thought the whole "pretend" relationship was ridiculous at the end. It dragged way too long in my opinion. Seriously, when you cannot keep your hands off the other person and you'd have sex several times together... It's not a pretended relationship anymore and obviously, it's not a one-night stand. So sit down and discuss about it. Seriously, I thought they figured it out that it wasn't pretended anymore... till the one month was up. So Sam wants to know what is it between her and Wade, but she won't even take a step to figure it out... Instead, she just breaks if off. Wow, tha's going to advance your relationship Sam.

I did Sam's nephew, Tag. He was entertaining, unfortunately, I didn't "feel" that storyline. I usually enjoy this type of storylines where the hero or heroine suddenly become a guardian... but something was off in this one. I felt that at the end, it didn't impact the storyline that much. Also, I can't believe she's only  met her nephew three times in his 10 years of existence. It makes sense when you live in different states, but in Sam and her family case, when they move around so much... it was just weird. Also, Wade's father storyline - meh. I thought it was quite superfluous and it didn't bring much to the storyline, especially with the ending we got.

So yeah, it does sound like I did have a lot of issues with it and I did... but somehow, I ended up enjoying it more than Double Play. Go figure.


6) Truly, Madly by Heather Webber: B+
Review to come.


7) Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb: C
Review to come.


8) Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen: B

I bought this book because Ames enjoyed it so much and I've heard a lot of good things about Sarah Dessen. Now I understand why Ms Dessen is such a hit. While the story didn't quite reach me, I thought the book was cute and the writing was very engaging. It's fun to see characters like Auden discover themselves, reaching a new phase of their life. I like that most of the characters in this book were very mature. I like how Ms Dessen says looks are deceiving... and I'd have enjoyed it more if Auden didn't break with Eli that first time... So yes, I enjoyed it but didn't really connect.


9) Present Danger by Susan Andersen: B-
Review to come; TBR Challenge (either February or March :P)


10) Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr: C
Review to come - I'm going to do a twofer this week, Angel's Peak with Moonlight Road.


11) Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen: B

Another Sarah Dessen's book. I got this one because the blurb really got me curious and like I said earlier, I like hero/heroine becoming guardians. I really enjoyed this book for Ruby, Jamie and Cora's interaction. Jamie was so much fun :) Again, the book was a little bit about a young girl discovering herself and the world around her. I like how Ms Dessen deals with very dark issues, without over-dramatizing it in her books. What happens to the characters feels very realistic and I think that's why she's such a hit. It's great to find young adult straight contemporary :P


12) Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole: B
Review to come.



13) Shadalor's Lady by Anne Bishop: A-
Review to come.


14) The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop: B+
Review to come; Re-Read Challenge.


So 14 books this month :) Not bad considering there was the Olympics and February is a shorter month after all :) And I'm very happy because I've read some really good books :) So quality over quantity, right? :) As you can see as well, lots of reviews to come :) Hopefully, I'll be a good blogger and write them out.

What surprised me most though in February was the number of 2010 releases I've read. I mean, on 14 reads, 10 of them were 2010 releases... and I mean, we're only 2 months into 2010 right? So it was just one new book after the other... which brings me to some more numbers...

Books bought: +21
Books read: -14
TBR pile: +7

LOL, okay, so I've been a buying machine these past two months... However, can you imagine, I've saved more than a 100$ in 2 months?!?! It's insane no? I definitively blame all the coupons and promotions that Chapters/Indigo/Coles are having. Anyway, I'm going to try to control myself for the next 2 months... since I'm going to RT convention in April. Wish me luck!!

Monthly Reads: January 2010

LOL, now that January is over, I guess that year 2010 is officially here. Hard to believe that a month has gone by already!! So fast!!

Overall, I thought that January was a good month in every aspect. I might have gone a bit wild on the book buying, for which I blame the coupons :) Although I did read a good amount of books, so I'm happy. Perhaps I could have reviewed more, but I did blog... although I did not write all the posts I wanted it :( Still haven't written anything for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, plus I don't think the Best and Worst of 2009 post is going to happen... and I missed the DIK challenge ^_^; For this, I totally blame work because it's been so busy and it has cut into my blogging and blog-hoping time. I wish I could say it'll get better, but it doesn't seem so... and the Olympics is starting in less than 2 weeks!! Ah well, I'll find a way LOL.

So here is what I read in January:

1) My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger: A


2) A Stranger's Wife by Maggie Osborne: B-

Many bloggers are fans of Ms Osborne, so when I saw A Stranger's Wife at the UBS, I just picked it up.

Quinn Westin is in the running to be the first governor of Colorado, but his wife has disappeared and this could definitively make him lose the election. Thus, he looks for a look-alike and finds her in Lily Dale, a woman who has been jailed for murder.

I can certainly understand why Ms Osborne is a favorite. She really does have interesting plots. I did enjoy A Stranger's Wife's story very much. I especially liked all the twists at the end and the distinct characters. The characters are all quite ambiguous and not your typical alpha hero and tough heroine. Yes, Lily is strong... but there is definitively a vulnerability there. The reason why this doesn't get a higher grade is mainly because while they were interesting, I didn't connect much with the characters and the storyline and I thought the ending was not that believable. Yes, it's the ideal one, but it didn't fit the characters in my opinion.


3) Home for the Holidays by Sarah Mayberry: B-

Home of the Holidays was not a bad read, it was actually quite solid and enjoyable. However, it didn't wow me. I wasn't as put off by the ending as others were, probably because I was expecting it from reading other reviews. Instead, what rubbed me wrong was Joe's attitude towards Hannah in the beginning, doubting her expertise as a mechanics. I thought it was rude of him to walk away from the SUV just because she was the one selling it. Also, seriously, the kid feeling responsible for the death of their parent - starting to be an overused theme.


4) Trick of Light by Rob Thurman: C


5) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: B+
6) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan: B-
7) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan: B
8) The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan: B+
9) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan: B++/A-

I still plan to write a post about this series, but as you can see, it has been really enjoyable :D


10) Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin: C+


11) Blood Ties by Kay Hooper: B++/A-


12) Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr: B-/B

Review to come.


13) Suddenly by Candace Camp: C

I picked this book up because the back blurb sounded pretty cute... and I've just, just realized that this was a re-print!

Simon Dure, Earl of Dure, is looking for a wife to produce an heir and has set his eyes on one of the Emerson girls. Charity, wanting to save her older sister from this marriage because she's already in love, proposes herself to Simon.

So this is a marriage of convenience plot, plus a bit of "happy-go-lucky heroine thawing up stuffy hero" plot. LOL, if you've read my blog, you know I'm a fan of this kind of storyline... and while I did enjoy this part of the story, my biggest problem was the heroine. It wasn't that she acted childish, but it's clear that she's not totally mature yet. She doesn't seem the grasp the importance of certain things, situations, etc. She's also a bit too gullible which was at times very annoying. Also, at the end, she has a TSTL moment, ugh. You know your life is at risk and your husband has expressively told you to stay put... So why do you go out and put yourself in danger?!?! Please tell me.


14) The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins: -

Review coming for Breezing Through.


15) The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie: B


16) Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan: C+

Got the book after I read Ames and Monroe's review over at Breezing Through.

Hmmm. Not a bad book, but I just didn't connect with it at all... not on any levels. It felt flat for me. Everything was just okay. I thought the author put a lot of conflicts and everything was resolved without going very deep. Sure, there were some cute moments and I liked when Jenny tried to make Gareth smile... but it just didn't do much for me and perhaps it was more my mood than the book, since the same happened with the next book ^_^;


17) A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James: B-

I had this in my TBR pile and decided to pick it up after reading Jill's review.

After his near-death experience, the Duke of Villiers has decided to take in his bastard children and raise them. However, his friends assure him that they'll never be accepted in Society, unless Villiers find the right person with the right status/breeding to marry and help him launch them, i.e. a duke's daughter. After having her heart broken by her childhood sweetheart, Eleanore, daughter of the Duke of Montague, declared that she would not marry anyone less than a duke... and so she's been off the marital market... but there is now a duke available...

Okay, not the best synopsis, but you get the idea. So the premises of the book were actually quite promising. I thought this would be interesting and enjoyable and it was for perhaps the first third of the book, till Villiers and Eleanore went to the countryside so Villiers could retrieve two of his children and meet Lisette, the other potential bride. Quite frankly, I could have done without the whole plot with Lisette, I thought it dragged down the whole book. The best parts of this book was the interactions between Villiers and Eleanore and Villiers with Tobias, his son. Villiers and Eleanore's banter was entertaining from their first encounter to the balcony scene. Then, I totally got confused with the engagement status! For a short time, Villiers and Eleanore were fakely engaged and then, not anymore. Lisette had a fiancé on the continent, but he got dismissed for Villiers... then, Eleanore got engaged to childhood sweetheart, but decided to marry neither. Bleh. I think the book should have remained focused on Villiers and Eleanore. I would have also liked to see Villiers becoming more of a father figure. Also, what happened to his other children? They were mentioned shortly in the first part of the book, but then forgotten... not even mentioned in the epilogue.

Finally, my last issue with this book was how Eleanore put her first love on a pedestal. I've just read a book where the heroine put her first love on a pedestal as well and seriously, it's just so annoying. These ladies put blinders over their eyes and just don't acknowledge reality! Eleanore was lucky to have a younger sister pulling the blinders off.


All right, so there it is, my monthly list of reads. Actually, looking back now, I didn't do that bad on reviewing :P Makes me feel better LOL. Something new this month is I've started keeping track of the books I bought and so, I can now imitate Taja :D But I will not list all the titles LOL.

Books bought: +26
Books read: -17
TBR pile: +9

Not too bad :P

Monthly Reads - December 2009

I can't believe 2009 is already over :) It really went by fast, especially the month of December. Personally, I'm quite happy that 2009 is over. I mean, it wasn't a bad year and actually, there were some really good moments... however, it wasn't a particularly good year either.

Back to books :) Reading-wise, December was okay. Again, I didn't read as much as I wanted, but December has been really busy. First, there was work and then, all the parties and get-togethers. So I'm quite happy with 12.


1) The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin: B


2) The Blood King by Gail Z. Martin: B

These two books are Book #1 and #2 in the Chronicles of the Necromancer. The story is about Tris, who is the prince of the Kingdom of Margolan. During Halloween, his evil half-brother kills their father to usurp the throne... Tris and his companions have no other choice than to flee. They are determined to come back to Margolan and chase away the evil king. During his journey, in addition to making valuable allies, Tris discovers that he is a necromancer... adding even more responsibilities on his shoulders. At the end of The Blood King, Tris successfully regains his throne... however, not everything is settled and dangers still await.

These are fantasy novels and while enjoyable, they're not very original - except perhaps the part where Tris is a necromancer. The story and the writing are good, the characters are likable but the wow factor is not present and as a result, they fail to distinguish themselves from other fantasy novels with similar plot. It's basically the typical story about a prince trying to get his throne back.

However, I'm more hopeful for the second story arc, since it follows the story of Tris once he is on the throne. This should be interesting and different. I already have book #3, Dark Haven, but waiting to get my hand on the conclusion, book #4 Dark Lady's Chosen, so there won't be any cliffhanger.


3) She's Got it Bad by Sarah Mayberry: C+

My first Sarah Mayberry. I think at this point, many know the plot already. I enjoyed the setting and the hero, but the heroine... meh. I understand from where she comes from, but it didn't maker her likable to me. I had difficulty connecting with her... Ah well, not a totally bad book, but not a wowzer I was expecting. Still, I'll be looking forward by more books written by Ms Mayberry.


4) Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi: B

I picked up this book at the library because Ames and Leslie have recently reviewed it. The story is about Hattie... for lack of a better term, an old maid. She's not very attractive, but she's hard-working, independent and own her farm. She's actually waiting for Reed, the man who's been helping on the farm ever since he was a young boy, to gather enough money so she can sell it to him. Reed has a dream to turn this cotton farm into a rice field... unfortunately, this mean asking his fiancée to wait. Everything changes the day a widower with 8 kids, Ancil Drayton, decides to court Miss Hattie. For some reasons, Reed is not taking it well...

I thought Courting Miss Hattie was a cute story. I liked both main characters, Hattie and Reed. I was happy that Reed stood up for Hattie, even against his young fiancée. Unfortunately, Reed is really a man and doesn't understand women's worries. It was funny when he wondered why Hattie would accept Ancil's suit. Hattie was a good heroine, strong and independent, but still vulnerable. The two of them made a good pair. The story was cute and I even enjoyed the secondary romance... my only problem really was the time period - not one of my favorite.


5) Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel: B-/B

Hmmm, I planned to review this book, but never got around to. I read this book, mainly because I've been wanting to try this author's historical romance and because Rosie keeps singing her praise and gave me a copy of this book :) I could have read Scandal; however, Indiscreet's plot suited me better in my opinion.

So I did enjoy Indiscreet. Again, I liked the characters and the plot was interesting. Seriously, rumors can cause so much harm and Edward's friend was really despicable. I liked that Edward was different in the sense that he was not considered handsome and he wasn't afraid of marriage in the beginning. Just too bad his bride wasn't worth it. I liked Sabine because she was smart. I liked the fact that the whole scandal wasn't swept under a rug, that we could see the repercussion of what happened even after they traveled so far away from London. The first half of the book was quite good... this is where Edward and Sabine get to know each other and interact... I wish this part would have been longer. For some reasons, I still didn't totally believe the love between Edward and Sabine. The second half of the story is where I started losing interest. Some would have found it exciting, but me, I thought it was a bit too much ^_^; It is believable that someone would go to such length to possess a woman, but meh. The ending was okay...


6) Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas: C


7) Red by Jordan Summers: B-

Red got quite a buzz on blogland when it was released, but it took Lea during my trip to Ontario to convince me to buy it. Red is the story of Gina Santiago, nicknamed Red because of the amount of blood whenever she's involved in a mission, who decides to investigate a crime scene that looks like it was done by animals... but Red feels otherwise. The story takes place in a futuristic kind of world - not apocalyptic, but almost, where vampires, werewolves and psychics are the results of government experiments to yield better soldiers.

So Red arrives in Nuria and knows there is something more than the little town facade. She meets Morgan, the sheriff and alpha, and the two are instantly attracted to each other... What Red doesn't know yet is that this investigation will reveal some secrets that involve her as well.

Overall, the story wasn't bad. Red is the first book in the trilogy which include Scarlet and Crimson. I like the link between the three titles, I thought it was original. The writing was also quite good, so I can't really pinpoint the reason why I felt a bit meh while reading this book. Don't know if it was my mood or the book itself. I guess I had difficulty connecting with the characters and getting into the storyline. There is one thing that bothered me and that was the crudeness in this book. The worst is that it wasn't even that bad when you compare to erotica romance... but for some reason, it bothered me. I think it was mainly because I wasn't really expecting it ^_^; Makes me sound like a prude here LOL. Ah well. I do have Scarlet in my TBR pile... will get to it eventually.


8) Three Days to the Dead by Kelly Meding: C

I've really been in the mood for urban fantasy lately and when I came across Mandi's review for this book, I thought it fit the bill.

So Evangeline Stone is part of an organization that get rids of unwanted creatures such as goblins, demons and etc. The way the organization works is that members work in teams of three - triads - with a handler in charge. Evangeline's triad is ambushed and her two partners are killed. She's accused of their murders and try to escape to prove her innocence, but instead, gets a neutral clan of were-birds annihilated. Discouraged, Evie is ready to turn herself in till her handler, Wyatt, convince her not to. In the end though, she ends up dead and waking in a body that doesn't belong to her, with no memories of the critical last few days.

I guess I'm going to start sounding like a broken record, but once again, story was okay. The whole idea of Evie's team being murdered, Evie being wrongly accused and this all being part of a bigger conspiracy was good... however, I think that too much was happening. The author tried to conciliate the story with a complicated world building and just didn't focus enough on the background. She introduces a lot of different supernatural living creatures, gives a bit of background, but not enough for readers to link everything together. Who are the allies, who are the bad guys? What are halfies? Also back-tracking the last few days of Evie, there was a lot of action... and perhaps I think too much. Also, are regular people not supposed to be aware of these creatures when you have chimeras running wild around?!?

A definite bummer for me was also the "romance." Reading urban fantasy, I don't expect romance, but if you include it... Having the heroine tell her "love" interest that she only wanted sex to make her feel alive... yeah, not very romantic.

The saving grace of Three Days to the Dead though is the writing and the characters. As a result, this wasn't the greatest debut novel, but it wasn't the worst either.


9) The Care and Taming of a Rogue by Suzanne Enoch: C+

This is the story of Captain Bennett Wolfe who comes back to London 5 months after he was declared dead. Bennett is a very popular explorer who has written books about his journey to Egypt and other countries. In his last expedition to Congo, he was supposed to bring back maps, logs, specimen, etc. for London's Africa Association... but instead, he was left for dead by a colleague, Captain Langley, who stole Bennett's journals and published them as his own and at the same time, ruining Bennett's reputation by inversing their roles. Now, Bennett has to prove that the journals were actually his own, but first, he has to salvage his reputation... and the only way he can do so, is to mingle with the ton and the young ladies... but the only one he finds tolerable is Lady Phillipa Eddison.

The first half of the book was quite good and entertaining; however, I can't say the same about the second half. The main problem of this book was the characterization of Bennett Wolfe. At first, he sounded sane and rational... however, as the story goes, his character seems to lose it and he becomes "savage" and ignorant. Yes, this man spent his aldulthood being an explorer, vising countries and natives and I can believe that he prefers the freedom he finds during his journeys, but I cannot believe he doesn't know how to court a lady and what is considered proper behavior in England. I mean, he did stay in England between his expeditions, right? and he was raised in England... so to have him not knowing how to court a woman or how to behave in company of a lady, that was ridiculous to me.

One other problem I had was why would Langley kidnap Phillipa to Gretna Green?!? I understand him being interested in Phillipa to thwart Bennett, but to the point of marrying her?!? That didn't make sense to me. After all that, the fact that Phillipa was a homebody, someone that doesn't really enjoy traveling was superfluous as a conflict.

What saved the book was Phillipa's character, the writing and the unconventional resolution to Bennett's innocence issue.


10) Deadline by Metsy Hingle: C+

I've read and enjoyed Ms Hingle book and so, I was quite glad to find Deadline, the only one missing in my collection, when I was visiting Kristie.

When Tessa Abbott was 4 years old, her mother - the daughter of a senator - was murdered and her father accused of the crime, convicted based on Tessa's testimony and thrown in jail. Twenty-five years later, about to be released, her father commits suicide. The case should be closed... till Tessa receives a phone call telling her her father's suicide wasn't one and he wasn't her mother's murderer. Wanting to finally find the truth, Tessa decides to carry her own investigation.

Overall, the best way to describe Deadline is "okay." The story was interesting, but a bit unbelievable. Tessa is a reporter and as a whole, her character was okay. She didn't annoy me - and she could have, given her job :P All her actions in this investigation were steps that I would have taken and that was quite interesting. What I found stupid though is that all the witnesses are starting to disappear or die and Tessa is not worried. Hello!! At the end, when the hero, Spencer, finally got the message across, it was too late to convey the right emotions. Speaking of the hero, I really did like him. He was solid, even with his hidden agenda - I don't feel like he used Tessa. The romance between the H/H was a bit lukewarm, so that was a bit disappointing. The truth though was quite interesting, so points to the author there.


11) Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr: B

Review to come.



12) Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger: A-

Review to come.


Oups, I've been quite chatty today. Some of those mini-reviews could almost be reviews on their own! LOL. Ah well :) I felt that most of my reads this month were okay. Except for Almost Like Being in Love, none really blown me away :( I personally don't know if it was my mood or if I've become more harsh with grades and jaded ^_^;

Except for Forbidden Falls and Almost Like Being in Love and some buddy reviews I have yet put together (sorry Christine, Jill, Li and Leslie!!), I'll consider my year 2009 over :) LOL, I need to focus on reviewing my new reads instead of looking back :P Seriously, I bow to all of you bloggers that review all the books you read. I don't know how you do!

Now all that is left to wrap up the year is my Best and Worst of 2009 post :) Need to start working on that :P