Review: All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

Nothing much going on with me. Days are getting colder and darker much earlier - thanks to daylight saving hours. I'm not really happy that it's dark when I get out of work, but I have to admit, waking up is not as difficult :P Boss is gone and so work is a bit more relaxed. I mean, it's busy, but at least, I do things on my own time.

Still haven't gotten my hands on Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb. It's annoying :( I'm debating whether to buy it in e-format or not... and in the end, I voted against it because I have the whole collection in print already. However, I'm thinking of buying new author Kieran Kramer's debut novel, When Harry Met Molly, in e-format... I don't have any of her books in print yet and well, I should start buying more ebooks no? Anyway, I should take a decision soon because  I have a bad case of "I don't know what to read" syndrome and I feel like reading those books. Seriously, I have a room full of books, but it's the books that I don't have that calls to me ^_^; By the way, any good books you've read recently? Chapters/Indigo is having a 25% off promotion this week-end... but I have nothing on my TBB list ^_^;

Now, the review. I'm trying to catch up on my reviews, but the list just keeps getting longer and longer. I don't know how some of you can review everything you read. Seriously, amazing. Today's review is All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins :)


All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

published by HQN Books in July 2010

One Happily-Ever-After Rocking Chair...

and no sign of any forthcoming babies to rock in ol' Georgebury, Vermont. For Callie Grey, turning thirty means coming to grips with the fact that her boss (and five-week fling) is way overdue in his marriage proposal. And way off track because Mark has suddenly announced his engagement to the company's new Miss Perfect. If that isn't bad enough, her mom decides to throw her a three-oh birthday bash in the family funeral home.

Bad goes to worse when she stirs up a crazy relationship with the town's not so warm and fuzzy veterinarian, Ian McFarland, in order to flag Mark's attention. So Ian is more comfortable with animals... So he's formal, orderly and just a bit tense. The ever-friendly, fun-loving and spontaneous Callie decides it's time for Ian to get a personality makeover. But dang, if he doesn't shock the heck out of her, she might actually fall for Vermont's unlikeliest eligible bachelor...

Genre: contemporary romance/chick-lit
Series: none

The Story: I thought the back blurb was a bit misleading, as in Callie's boss, Mark, did not cheat on her which is a good thing :P

Callie Grey has been in love with her boss, Mark Rousseau, ever since she was a teen. She's come back to Georgebury after college and was ecstatic to find a position in his company. For the past few years, she's been waiting for him to notice her and when during a business trip, Mark and Callie become an item, Callie is over the moon, figuring her dreams are about to come true. Unfortunately, after 5 weeks, Mark tells her he needs some space, that he's not ready to commit yet.... and so Callie waits for Mark to be ready. But it all comes to a stop when Mark announces his engagement to the daughter of one of their most important client and that his new fiancée will now be working with them.

Suddenly brought back to reality, Callie takes a good look at her life and her dysfunctional family. She's determined not to end up like her parents (her father cheated on his mother while she was pregnant with her younger brother and her mother still makes him pay, despite the divorce) or her older sister (so scarred by their parents divorce that she's never commit to a man and has decided to be a single mother - adopted two beautiful daughters - and helps women get pregnant without the need of men; she's a fertility doctor) and so decides to take matter into her own hands. However, meeting sensible, eligible bachelors in Georgebury is not easy and how is it that Ian McFarland, the new and very disagreeable veterinarian, is always there to witness her humiliations?

My Opinion: All right, so let's get the biggest issue out of the way first, shall we? I've read all of Ms Higgins' books and reviewed most of them. For the most part, I've enjoyed her books a lot. I like her heroines because they're fun and her heroes because they're yummy :P I do think that her books read more like chick-lit than contemporary romance, but that seems to be Ms Higgins' style and it's something that  you get used to. Sure, I'd wish her books would be more contemporary romance, but it's the way Ms Higgins writes and it seems to work for her... and so, All I Ever Wanted follows the same trend. The problem though is that after 5 books, they are all starting to blend into one another. Ms Higgins has a very distinctive narrative voice that sets her apart from other authors, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, it's the same voice for all of her heroines - which is less good ^_^; Also, all of her books are about women wanting to start a family and thus, finding the significant other. Setting changes, background changes, profession changes... but the basic story doesn't... Setting, background and profession are really important, but ultimately, they don't make the book in my opinion... usually, it's the H/H that does and when they all seem to be the same... it bodes badly for the future. I do feel like Ms Higgins has been trying to mix things up, but the impact wasn't big enough to shake off the similarities to the previous books. It'd be good if Ms Higgins would go big for her next book... Okay, so that's the ongoing complaints I have with Ms Higgins books. Don't get me wrong, I like her books and enjoy them... I'm just not sure how long my enjoyment will continue :(

Hmmm, it seems I started my review with what should be my closing paragraph LOL. Anyway, back to All I Ever Wanted :) I enjoyed the book and personally, I liked it better than The Next Best Thing. I think the main reason was because Callie and the story were just more cheerful. I really enjoyed Callie's joie de vivre and her honesty when it came to her feelings. At first, I was a little put-off by the fact that she was still expecting Mark to come back to her after their five weeks fling. I felt like she was deluding herself and making up nice stories in her mind. There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but you can't treat those dreams as reality. Luckily, Callie didn't clung to those disillusions... and it was more about the crush of a young girl coming true. I like that Callie didn't crumble and she set out to meet the right guy.

Our hero, Ian, was the complete opposite of Callie. He's reserved, not very effusive with his feelings and at times, actually has difficulty to communicate them. As a hero, I thought he was okay. I like the silent type, but he wasn't as likable as Ms Roberts' grumpy heroes. While not as likable, I can't help but think he's a good guy, an admirable one. He knows when he needs help and when to ask for it and what he did for his ex. I have the feeling that he is very loyal to people who he comes to know. The romance between Callie and Ian was okay. It wasn't exactly the "happy-go-lucky heroine thawing out stuff hero" theme that I usually enjoy so much. More something to do with proximity. I think the relationship developed naturally, but I felt it wasn't romantic enough. I liked the fact that the grand gesture at the end came from Callie instead :P

What I did enjoy a lot in this book was Callie's interactions with her family and what a family she has :P LOL and the family business was just a nice touch - a funeral home. I really like the relationship between Callie and her grandfather - I like grumpy old man. I felt so bad for Callie's father... yes, he did a mistake, but to keep paying for it for years and years... I'm not trying to excuse his cheating. There should never be excuses for cheating, seriously... However, it can be forgiven. Perhaps if he had explained what has pushed him earlier... I'm glad that in the end, he exploded and let it all out. Callie's mother and sister, I liked less... but it was nice to see them all interact with each other.

My Grade: B. Not my favorite book by Ms Higgins, but one that I found enjoyable and fun just like its cover :)

Book News: You Belong to Me by Karen Rose!

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Karen Rose and am always looking forward to her new releases :) I thought that I'd have to wait till June 2011, but turns out I am going to be able to get my hand on her new book much sooner than I expect :P

First, I'd like to thank Tabitha for sharing the news with me :) Since I haven't read about it on any other blogs so far, I figure a lot of people are in the dark as well and this might cheer everyone up :)

It turns out that Ms Rose's next release, You Belong to Me, is going to be released in hardcover in the UK in January 2011!!! Woohoo!!! The US will completely bypass the hardcover release and so, You Belong to Me will be available only in June 2011 in paperback format. The news has been confirmed by Ms Rose here.

When I saw Ms Rose at RT last April, I asked her about Silent Scream being released in paperback, since her last three releases prior (Scream for Me, Kill for Me and I Can See You) have been in hardcover... and she told me that due to the economy crisis, her hardcover books haven't sold as well and thus she was back in paperback. Well I have to say that I am really happy she's big enough in the UK to warrant the hardcover release :) I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised at the decision - it's usually the opposite you know (HC in US, but paperback in the UK), but whatever!! LOL. I'm just happy it means I can read her next book earlier than I thought :) And yes, suddenly, I really, really love Book Depository :P

Plus, I think the UK cover is pretty nice :)
(No US cover yet)

From Amazon.co.uk and Fantastic Fiction:

When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, its face so badly damaged it is unrecognisable, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh. When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number '1' is unclear but it's evident that someone is demanding Lucy's attention. The discovery of a second branded body raises worrying questions: how many more lives may be at risk before the killer's final message is revealed? And can Lucy solve the killer's gruesome puzzle before their thirst for revenge is complete?

From Ms Rose:

Years ago, a young girl was beaten and raped while onlookers did nothing. Now those witnesses are becoming victims themselves…

Baltimore city Homicide Detective JD Fitzpatrick has seen a lot of horrific violence, both as a cop and during his deployment in Afghanistan, but nothing like the trail of tortured bodies that are turning up throughout the city. He’s up against a brutal killer with a very personal vendetta. And now JD is beginning to suspect that his medical examiner may be shielding some crucial evidence linked to the case.

Medical Examiner Dr. Lucy Trask is intrigued by JD’s compassion, but she isn’t about to mix work with pleasure. Not while there’s a ruthless killer on the loose. And definitely not while she’s keeping a dark secret that could connect her to these vicious killings—and put her next on the killer’s hit list…

Woohoo, I just can't wait... and January is really not a long wait at all!! :P

Review: Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Disclaimer: I've received Call Me Mrs. Miracle as an eARC from NetGalley

Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
published by Mira in September 2010

This Christmas, Emily Merkle (call her Mrs. Miracle!) is working in the toy department at Finley's, the last family-owned department store in New York City. And her boss is none other than… Jake Finley, the owner's son.

For Jake, holiday memories of brightly wrapped gifts, decorated trees and family were destroyed in a Christmas Eve tragedy years before. Now Christmas means just one thing to him—and to his father. Profit. Because they need a Christmas miracle to keep the business afloat.

Holly Larson needs a miracle, too. She wants to give her eight-year-old nephew, Gabe, the holiday he deserves. Holly's widowed brother is in the army and won't be home for Christmas, but at least she can get Gabe that toy robot from Finley's, the one gift he desperately wants. If she can figure out how to afford it…

Fortunately, it's Mrs. Miracle to the rescue. Next to making children happy, she likes nothing better than helping others—and that includes doing a bit of matchmaking!

This Christmas will be different. For all of them.

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

The Story: Holly Larson is a single woman working as a personal assistant to a fashion designer. While her widowed brother is in the army and her parents abroad for charity work, Holly has to take care of her 8 years old nephew and is determined to give him a memorable Christmas. All Gabe wants for Christmas is a toy robot; unfortunate, Holly is on a tight budget, but she'll try.

Jake Finley is working up the ladder in his family department store. This holiday season, he's in charge of the toy department and has over-ordered this new toy robot, sure that it'd be the new hit. However, sales are slow and now, Jake has doubts over his decision. Luckily for him, his elderly employee, Mrs. Miracle is doing a great job.

As for Mrs. Miracle, she has plans of her own... bringing two nice people who deserve the best in life together on the best holiday...

My Opinion: Ms Macomber is a very prolific author, a bit a la Nora, with many new releases and re-prints coming out each year, multiple series going on and single titles here and there. However, where Nora Roberts is all about romance, I find that Ms Macomber style is more women fiction - her books usually contain the point of views of many women of all ages, dealing with different situations. There's nothing wrong with that style, but from experience, I've found out that I enjoy it more in small dose and as a result, I'm a bit more picky when it comes to those books... which is why I was hesitant to pick up Call Me Mrs. Miracle. And LOL, my worries were for naught as it turns out that Call Me Mrs. Miracle is more of a contemporary romance :P

Call Me Mrs. Miracle is the story of Holly and Jake. Holly is her nephew's guardian and is trying to give him a great Christmas, despite the fact that his father is away and he is stuck with her. She introduces him to the small joys of Christmas such as cookie baking, decorating, etc. I liked Holly and I thought she was very dedicated to her family, taking in her nephew... and she really did try to do her best by him - adjusting her life for him. It's very commendable.

Jake is a good guy and once he meets Holly, he's smitten with her. Years ago, his mother and sister died during the holiday season and as a result, his father and him have not celebrated Christmas since. Instead, they go to a warm place for a vacation... but meeting Holly has made Jake rediscover the magic of Christmas.

All in all, Call Me Mrs. Miracle is a Christmas book and as such, it is a sweet tale. The relationship between Holly and Gabe, the romance between Holly and Jake, Jake re-connecting with his father... add to it the magical element introduced via Mrs. Miracle, and you have a cute book. The goal is really to make you feel good... and I did. At the same time though, I thought that the book was a bit bland. The characters are not very memorable and the whole book felt a bit, hmmm, dated. I cannot pinpoint it exactly, whether it is the storyline, the characters or the writing style, but while it does mention some current events... I can't shake the feeling that it seems like a book from the 90s...

My Grade: C+. Call Me Mrs. Miracle is a cute book for the holiday season, but it's missing some omphf to make it memorable.

Hauling Sunday XVIII

The past week was very quiet for me, not really a surprise considering my past haul LOL.

I was actually expecting two books, but one is still not in :( As a result, there's only one book to my haul this week,but it's one that I've been anticipating, so all is good :)

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts - Last book in the Brides Quartet series, I've been looking forward this one, because well, I've enjoyed the series so far :) Now, I'm wondering what Ms Roberts will write next...

Monthly Reads: October 2010

I'm trying to get back into a blogging rhythm... hence, trying to get my monthly reads post on time... or almost LOL. It's hard though, because I'm still having troubles with my computer and basically, I don't feel like coming home and battling it out. As a result, I haven't been using it as much as I used to and so am spending less time online after work. On the good side though, I'm reading more :P

Enough though! I feel like lately, I've been whining and complaining a lot and I'm tired of it ^_^; So let's talk books :) October was a busy month for me. Lots of things happening and coming up unexpectedly. It wasn't all bad - got to go to NJ and meet Hilcia and Christine! - but it definitively was time-consuming. Quite frankly, I've almost thrown in the towel for October... I mean, half-way in the month, I've only read 4 books ^_^; Luckily for me, my reading mojo definitively picked up and I ended up with a decent month after all :)

Here it is, my reads for October:


1) A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries: B
Upcoming review.


2) Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch: A-
Upcoming buddy review with Ames at Breezing Through.

3) Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis: B

There are a lot of reviews floating around blogland (Holly and Leslie) for Simply Irresistible and since I don't really have anything new to add, I'll put my thoughts here.

Maddie Moore is at a cross-road in her life. With no job and no boyfriend, she makes her way to Lucky Harbor, a little coastal town in which her mother has left to her and her two half-sisters an inn. While her two sisters, perfect Tara and wild-child Chloe, want to sell the inn, Maddie sees it as a new beginning. Before taking any final decisions, Maddie is able to convince her sisters to make some renovations and thus turns to Jax Cullen, master carpenter and mayor...

My opinion of Simply Irresistible very much mirror Holly's, but I think I liked it a little bit less. Jax was a great hero in my opinion and he definitively made the book for me. He was everything a woman could wish for: nice, gentle, thoughtful, successful, etc. The list goes on and on. However, it doesn't mean he doesn't have issues. He does, but he deals with them as best as he can. All I can say is I wish I could meet a mean like him LOL. In comparison, I think that Maddie pales a little bit and ends up being only okay. I liked her trying to be more affirmative and stand for herself, she needs it. However, at times, I thought she didn't try hard enough. Also, there were scenes where I felt it was too much "me, me, me." I guess I felt the relationship was uneven. Jax did a lot of giving and understanding and it was reciprocated on the same level. It bothered me a little, because you have this great guy who gets you and is giving you time before making a move, because he wants a relationship with you... and every time she discovered something about him, she'd always react but too defensively, too much on the attack or blaming him.

Still, overall, I think the book was cute and enjoyable. The dynamic between the sisters was interesting. I'm not saying I enjoyed it all, because there are definitively issues between the three of them and they're not very close... especially Maddie. It seems she has spent less time with her mother and sisters than Tara or Chloe. I do admit I'm a bit tired of the siblings coming together under some circumstances theme (and this one strongly reminds me of Montana Sky by Nora Roberts and the Sisters trilogy by Leanne Banks) and so far, I haven't warmed up much to Tara and Chloe yet. Still, I'm going to keep an eye open for the next two books... especially since Ford and Sawyer seem to be swooning-worthy hero material :P


4) The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan: B/B+
Upcoming buddy review with Isabel at Breezing Through.


5) Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie: B
Upcoming review

6) Mad About This Duke by Elizabeth Boyle: B

While Mad About This Duke is part of the Bachelors Chronicles series, it's also the 2nd book in the sub-trilogy, Marchionesses Standon (or something like that LOL). Mad About This Duke picks up right after How I Met my Countess, where Lady Elinor Standon hires the service of James Tremont, the Duke of Parkerton, whom she mistakes as a solicitor (due to his ill-fitted jacket). In order to protect her younger sister from a lecherous marriage who will only benefit their stepfather, Elinor has to marry well and she's decided the only way to go is to marry a duke. Thus, she charges James to find out as much as possible from the list of candidates which she has narrowed down to two names.

The Tremont family has been plagued with madness, but so far, James seems to have escaped the ill-fate. He is everything a duke should be - haughty and respectable. Initially, James wants to come clean to Elinor and reveal his identity and thus, not being able to undertake the job she has given him... However, he is outraged to find out that she has not retained him as a candidate and so the deception continues.

Another cute book. I enjoyed Mad About This Duke better than How I Met my Countess and I think it's one of Ms Boyle's best effort in recent releases. I think it's because the book was fun - the deceptions, some situations... and the interactions between the Tremont brothers. James' younger brother, Mad Jack - the hero in This Rake of Mine - is the one who was usually involved in crazy situations and it's nice to see the reversal of role :P James wondering if that's what Jack felt... and everyone worrying that James has finally gone mad LOL.

Character-wise, I'm not sure I got to know the real Elinor. I felt it was quite superficial... I mean, she hopes for a husband that will be a better man than her previous one. What she's looking for is safety, not necessarily love and it all makes sense given her situation. However, is that all there is to Elinor? The whole revelation to the deception was okay, but I felt the ending was very rushed. I wished there's been a bit more closing between Elinor and James. I have to admit though, what really surprised me in this book was the ages of the H/H. Elinor is in her early thirties and James, forties. These are not ages that I'm used to for characters and it did bother me a little - especially since James has a daughter old enough to get married. It's simply an age-category I don't tend to read. Obviously, in our times, it's not old... but in books and in romances, it sometimes feels like it.

Still, like I said, it was cute and fun... but I think it had the potential to be more.

7) Healer's Choice by Jory Strong: C-

I picked this up after reading Tori's review over at Smexy Books. I was intrigued by the storyline and I found that I have a weakness for shapeshifters books :P

Rebekka is a healer and she's made a choice of helping the shapeshifters who work in the Red Zone with her gift. Aryck is a jaguar shifter (IIRC) and his clan's enforcer. He's been sent to retrieve Rebekka in order to save the lives of 5 little cubs. As soon as Aryck meets Rebekka, he realizes that she is his mate; however, the human side of him balked at the associate, etc, etc, etc.

Sorry for the poor synopsis. Perhaps the one from the back of the book would be better... it's just hard for me to explain the complex part of the story. It has a lot to do with power struggles and Rebekka's gift evolving and her identity.  I didn't catch everything and it's mainly my fault at jumping into the middle of the series. Healer's Choice is the third book in the Ghostland series and it is definitively a series. It seems that the book picks up right after the events of the previous book and those events definitively impact the story of this book. Also, another thing that didn't help is that Healer's Choice is a bit of a departure of my usual reading style. Ms Strong's style is a lot more raw and crude than what I'm used to (yes, yes, I'm quite the vanilla romance reader LOL)... This is not a bad thing, but it doesn't suit me. So quite frankly, it was a poor pick by me ^_^;

All in all, there were parts that I did enjoy. I liked Rebekka's strength and the friendship she had with some of the characters and the loyalty she inspired. The plot was actually quite complex and there are some elements I didn't understand, but that's my fault for picking up a book in the middle of the series. I have to say I found the romance a bit lacking. Basically, Aryck meets Rebekka and he's immediately attracted to her. He tries to fight it, because she's not a shapeshifter. I thought the mate destiny was a too easy way to bring the H/H together. I wished they had more connection, chemistry with each other aside from lust.

Really, the book isn't bad or badly written... it simply didn't suit me. And huh, I though that Jory Strong was another pen name for Colleen Gleason which is one of the main reason I've picked up this book,  but I just realized while writing this mini-review that I'm completely wrong ^_^; Oups!!

8) Fatal Shadows by Josh Lanyon: B
9) A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon: B
10) The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon: B
11) Death of a Pirate King by Josh Lanyon: B-

Okay, no recap or mini-review for each book. I mean, you can find plenty of reviews in blogland for Mr Lanyon's books and they'll probably be better than what I'm going to write. Instead, here are my impressions of the four books together. I know I still haven't read the last book and so I'm not saying series...

Personally, I think Josh Lanyon and Adrien English series hype got to me. I've seen so many good reviews and good comments for the author and his books - and from some of my best blogger pals (Ames, Hils and Li)  that I really, really, really wanted to love Mr Lanyon's writing and the Adrien English series... and it just didn't happen.

Adrien was an interesting protagonist and I like reading from his POV. He was quite an honest character and it seems to me, comfortable with who he was... and that is important. What I like the most about this series is the realistic feel to Adrien's relationships - his lovers, but also his family and entourage. I like that Adrien's relationships with his lovers are not "romanticized." As a romance reader, I'm not really happy that Adrien hooked up with other guys than Jake or that he can accept that Jake is seeing other people. However, this is probably closer to reality and less idealized and I appreciate that. Adrien and Jake relationship is definitively not an easy one, but they are navigating it. I definitively saw things from a different perspective because of the way Mr Lanyon presented it. Because I craved reading about Adrien's relationships, I didn't pay much attention to the mystery part and the sleuthing and as a result, felt the books were dragging at times. Knowing some of the spoilers definitively did not help in this case either.

It's really unfortunate that I did not love this series as much as everyone else seems to do; however, I'm really glad I finally read some of Mr Lanyon's books :) And I'm definitively not giving up on him :)

12) Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt: B

Hmmm, this is a book I hesitated picking up. I've read some of Ms Hoyt's books and they just don't seem to work for me ^_^; I finally did pick up Wicked Intentions as it got great reviews (Leslie and Holly), but once again...

Temperance Dews is a widow who helps her younger brother running the orphanage their father has founded in St. Giles, not the best part of London. However, their previous patron has recently died and thus, the orphanage is in dire need of a new patronage if they want to maintain it.

Lord Caire - Lazarus Huntington - is obsessed with the murder of his mistress two months ago and is hunting for her murderer. However, he is unfamiliar and not welcomed in St. Giles and thus needs a guide. For some reasons, he reaches out to Temperance who strikes a bargain with him: she will serve as a guide if he'll introduce her to potential new patrons for the orphanage.

Okay, so let's put it out there right away: I don't think I was really in the mood to read this book when I picked it up and as a result, I probably didn't enjoy as much as I would have. Now, the book itself. Everything about Wicked Intentions was fine: the plot, the characters, the writing. I can see why so many readers enjoyed this book and I applaud Ms Hoyt for writing these characters, especially Temperance. It makes them flawed, but deep and real. However, I just didn't connect with them; I didn't feel it. Sometimes, you just don't click with an author and that's what happening with Ms Hoyt and me.


13) Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie: B-

14) Play of Passion by Nalini Singh: B+
Upcoming review.

15) Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas: A-
Upcoming review.

Books bought: +32
Books read: -15
TBR pile: +17


Phew, okay, I'm done!! LOL, you can see as the post gets longer, the mini-reviews get shorter ^_^; It's just getting late, but I think I shared my thoughts well in this post. I have a lot of reviews planned and I hope I'll be able to get to them, because my list is getting quite long ^_^; I'm really happy with the number of books read, because as I said earlier, it was really bleak in the beginning of the month. I'm also happy with the quality of the books. I was pleasantly surprised by a book or two while others met my expectations :P As for the number of books bought, well what can I say? I'm a lost cause LOL. That number does not reflect the books I got from Hils, so the number going towards my TBR pile is actually even bigger... but in my defense, if I haven't gone to NJ, I wouldn't have bought as many books either :P I guess it balances out, right? Or at least, it does in my twisted mind :)

So that's it for October! Woohoo :)

Re-Read Challenge 2010: September and October!!!

Okay, so I've been quite lax with the Re-Read Challenge post, mainly because the rate of participation is way down LOL. I'm not too surprised, as I myself have difficulty doing my re-reads... Anyway, to catch up what I missed last month, I'm combining September and October together :)


September

Nath: The Golden Chance by Jayne Ann Krentz
Hilcia: Lady Sophia's Lover, A Separate Peace, Almost Like Being in Love, Cullen's Bride and Mr. Perfect


October

Miss Moonlight: The Viking's Woman by Heather Graham
Hilcia: Rising Moon by Lori Handeland
Nath: Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie
Ames: Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie and Seducing Stephen by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon

If I've missed any review, please let me know!! Enjoy everyone!

Re-Read: Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie

Happy Halloween everyone!!

While I don't particularly like Halloween, I think it's great that we do end the month with a bang :) Makes it more exciting, I guess. In any case, I'm just happy the month is over. It's been a really tough month and I want it behind me :P

For this month's Re-Read challenge, I'm cheating a little bit, because Trust Me on This is not a re-read per se. See, I bought this book by Jennifer Crusie eons ago. At that time, I've just discovered Ms Crusie and tried to get my hand on all her backlist, but especially this one since apparently, it was hilarious. I remember reading somewhere that Trust Me on This was so good that the person thought she should buy a second copy and put it in a safe in a hermetic seal, open it 20 years later and make a fortune out of it, LOL. So after much efforts and money (I think I paid about 25$ on ebay ^_^;) I got the book, skimmed through it and put it on the shelves ^_^; I think that at the time, I was afraid to be disappointed because of too high expectations... and seriously, the cover wasn't that appealing as it turns out ^_^;

This month, Trust Me on This was re-released; I bought it and finally read it :) While I never truly read it previously, I have skimmed through it... and I have had years for my expectations to cool down. With such a history, I think Trust Me on This could be considered a re-read :P Well no matter, that's what I'm going to do...


Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie
published by Bantam Books in June 1997

Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it's a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don't mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they'll do everything in their power to resist-because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other, and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime.

Genre: contemporary romance, category romance
Series: none

The Story: The book starts off with Victoria Prentice, a college professor who has dedicated her last 40 years to her career, feeling old. At 62 years old, Victoria feels the need to rejuvenate herself and decide to spend time with her favorite nephew, Alec Prentice, at a literature conference.

Alec is delighted to spend time with his aunt and might as well combine pleasure with work. Alec works for the Bureau of Fraud and with a pair of glasses, has practiced to be the perfect mark. While his field agent days are over and he sits behind a desk... Alec misses being in charge. Alec and his boss, Harry, are currently after Brian Bond, a conman who sells real estate to college professor, and his brunette accomplice. Alec figures there is a chance he'll find Bond at the literature conference and that'll put some excitement back into his job.

Dennie Banks is a brunette whose life has been stagnant. An investigative reporter, she's been covering the socialite events, dating men she could wrap around her finger and stayed at the same job because she knew how to handle her boss. Realizing she's been taking the safe path for too long, Dennie decides it's time to take some risks... To land a job at a better newspapers, Dennie has a plan: interview Janice Meredith - the expert on relationships and marriage - about her upcoming divorce. Luckily, Dennie knows just where to find Mrs Meredith... at a certain literature conference.

However, things don't work out as planned for Dennie. Instead of getting the interview she's hoping for, she is warned away for stalking. However, she quickly figures out that she can get to the Janice woman through Victoria through Alec...

My Opinion: Put together a lot of colorful characters and a few misunderstandings and in true Crusie-style, you get mayhem... and the best kind LOL.

Frankly, I felt like Trust Me on This was a wee superficial. Superficial in the sense that we never went deep into the characters as the storyline was very focused on what was happening during the literature conference (Four Fabulous Days! Three Glorious Nights!). All I know was that all these characters were dissatisfied with their current lives. I don't feel like I got to know Alec or Dennie very well and as a result, didn't connect with them very much. It doesn't help that the timeline of the book was very short, so the relationship was developing very quickly and sometimes, too quickly to be believable.

Still, Trust Me on This was a fun book. It's really a book that you take at face-value, the kind that you read to have fun. It'd actually be the perfect book to adapt into a romantic comedy movie :P What with the colorful characters, their hidden agendas and the misunderstandings. Throughout the read, I had a huge grin on my face because after all, this is a Crusie book. However, there were never really LOL moments, never a passage that I had to re-read again because it was so funny or read out loud to someone because I just had to share it.

In the end, I think it was a good thing I let years go by before really reading this book. I think that I enjoyed it more now than I would have in the past, when I've just binged on Ms Crusie's backlist. Still, what I want to remind everyone is what Ms Crusie writes is comedy romances and humor is very subjective. I might not find this one as funny as others, but you might find it more funny :P The writing is there, the characters and the situations and surprisingly, I thought that Trust Me on This withstood the test of time very well, it doesn't feel date at all. I mean, there are a few 80 and 90s reference... but the characters, their clothes and the settings are quite timeless :)

My Grade: B. Not my favorite Crusie book, but I am still glad I read it :)