Review: Dirty Secrets by Karen Rose

Dirty Secrets by Karen Rose
originally published by New American Library in 2005, re-released by Penguin (InterMix) in January 2014

Emma Townsend is astonished when she comes across a love letter tucked away in an old high school year book, written by her once dear friend Chris Walker. Having never seen it until now, the letter has taken seventeen years to touch Emma’s heart. Now she’s determined to find Chris and maybe even get a second chance at romance.

For Chris, now a college professor, seeing Emma again has brought back a flood of memories, rekindling a passion he thought was long gone. But in the shadows, someone is watching Emma and Chris, someone nursing revenge, and plunging Emma into a nightmare where no one can be trusted and every dirty little secret is sealed with a kiss.

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Connected with Watch Your Back

The Story:  Emma Townsend is a psychologist, specializing in grief. However, for the past year, Emma has felt like a fraud because she has not been able to follow her own advice, has not been able to deal with the loss of her husband who was killed in a convenience store robbery. One day, while cleaning out his book, she stumbles across one of her old high school year books and discovers a love letter written by her dear friend Christopher Walker, one that she has never read. Afraid that all these years he thought she has rejected him, Emma hires a PI in the hope to find Christopher and makes things right.

Divorced and a single father, Chris is delighted when Emma walks back in his life as he's never stopped loving her. However, now might not has been the best of times. One of Chris' grad student was recently found dead in the lab and it turns out it was murder and not suicide. Then another of Chris' student disappears and the only connecting link between the two is the project they were working on...

My Opinion: I've been wanting to read Dirty Secrets for years! And I'm serious, years!! This novella was originally published as part of an anthology, Hot Pursuit, and I simply couldn't get my hands on it :(  And believe me, I searched since Dirty Secrets was the only story by Ms Rose that I hadn't read... Imagine how happy I was when Ms Rose announced that it was being re-released... It's time like this that I looove ebooks LOL.

So, did Dirty Secrets measure up to my expectations? Well see, that's the issue... I've had years to build up those expectations ^_^; I thought that Dirty Secrets was very promising and there were definitively elements that I liked about it... but in the end, the problem boiled down to the length of the book, Dirty Secrets being a novella. For me, what makes Ms Rose' romantic suspense books stand out is the fact that they are so complex - both the romance and the intrigue... and that was something that she could not do with Dirty Secrets. I felt that everything was a bit too rushed and not developed enough.

I liked Emma and Christopher as characters and found it refreshing that neither were cops or had jobs that interacted with cops. This provided a nice change of dynamics from Ms Rose's most recent books. They had a past together and some nice chemistry. My problem though was that they became a couple a bit too fast... They have not seen each other in almost 15 years, Emma is a recent widow and Chris has not dated in years... Even if they still carried a torch for each other, to become a couple so fast, it was a bit far-fetched to me. Even with the events precipitated things a bit, it still felt a bit too rushed and forced. I did enjoy the beginning though, how they reconnected. Also, Ms Rose had a great conflict going on with Christopher's fourteen years old daughter, Megan, not accepting this sudden relationship and her reasons for it.

As for the case, I thought it was interesting... but a bit too obvious with everyone jumping to the right conclusions a bit too easily, a bit too fast. Also, the villain was easy to guess because in a novella, you don't have time to introduce decoys - every character has a role ^_^;

My Grade: I wished Dirty Secrets had been a full-length novel. If Ms Rose had had the chance to develop everything the way she usually does, it would have been an awesome book. However, as it is, it's a B- for me. In the end, I'm still very happy I got to read it :)

Review: The Best Intentions by Candice Hern

Guess what? Yep, I have another buddy review over at Breezing Through! Seems like Ames and I are on a roll :) Speaking of roll, for it to continue, I need buddy review partners!! I've updated my sidebar with the books that I am currently reading and have read recently. If there's any books in there that you'd like to discuss, let me know! Also, I'm planning to read Written in Red by Anne Bishop and that one has been getting rave reviews, so it might be fun to talk about :)

In the meantime, you can click here to check out my buddy review of The Best Intentions by Candice Hern. Enjoy!


The Best Intentions by Candice Hern

self-published in May 2011 (first published by New American Library in June 1999)

The Earl of Strickland is a handsome widower in search of a new wife to be a mother to his two young children. Having lost his one true love, he is determined on a practical, dispassionate match with a mature woman. Young girls in their first Seasons, their heads full of romantic notions of love, are not for him. When his sister comes to visit bringing along a beautiful widow, Miles thinks he may have found the perfect match. But the widow is chaperoning her gauche, much younger sister, an artless girl who causes Miles's best intentions to go awry as he finds himself falling in love with precisely the sort of woman he sought to avoid. Set at a grand country estate in the Midlands, this sweet love story of the reserved and dignified Miles and the delightfully guileless, clumsy, outspoken Hannah is sure to charm readers.

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Country House Party, Book #2

Review: The Rake by Mary Jo Putney

Ugh, I'm so sorry about the lack of posts and reviews lately!! Work is again kicking my butt ^_^; I don't know if it would have been this way had my co-worker been here... I'd like to say no LOL. In any case, I have been run around like a hen without a head, trying to get things done. It didn't help that my boss asked for some stuff out of the blues that demand some calculations and preparations :( Like stuff I only do once a year or two years ^_^;

As usual, I don't have any posts ready to go up for when I'm in a pinch. I really need to work on that! The good news though is today should be more relax (yay!), so I'm taking advantage of it and here we go! Enjoy :)

The Rake by Mary Jo Putney
published by Signet (NAL) in September 1989 and re-printed by Kensington in March 2012

Disinherited and disgraced, Reginald Davenport's prospects cried for a dire end. But fate has given him one last chance at redemption—by taking his rightful place as the heir of Strickland, his lost ancestral estate. Davenport knows his way around women, yet nothing prepares him for his shocking encounter with Lady Alys Weston.

Masquerading as a man in order to obtain a position as estate manager of Strickland, Alys fled a world filled with mistrust and betrayal. She was finished with men—until Strickland's restored owner awakens a passion she thought she would never feel. A passion that will doom or save them both... if only they can overcome their pasts.

Genre: Historical romance
Series: None

The Story: Reginald Davenport is a rake of the first order. However, what people don't realize is that a lot of his behavior and defiance stem from his bad relationship with his uncle, the Earl of Wargrave, a very hard man with strict ideas of how to treat his heir. For most of his life, Reggie thought he would succeed his uncle... until the man died and a grandson who came from nowhere inherited the title and fortune. As a result, Reggie finds himself at loose ends, not knowing exactly what to do with his life, but growing tired of being a rake. At 37 years of age, carousing and getting drunk have lost a lots of its appeal, especially of late as Reggie has started blacking out after excessive drinking. And then, his new cousin offers him Strickland, an estate in Dorset, which was actually Reggie's childhood home till he became an orphan... and his by right as the estate belonged to his mother's family.

Alys Weston is not happy about this change of owner, rightful heir or not. She's been the estate manager for Strickland for four years now and has so far been able to hide her gender from her employer. It was easy with the old Earl, as he had no interest in Strickland and therefore, never came for a visit. When the new Earl came, she was able to pretend sickness in the family and avoided meeting him... But what if Reginald Davenport takes an interest to his estate? She's been an excellent estate manager and the books show it, but will results matter when he discovers she's a woman? In addition, Alys has her three charges to worry about - one of them a young woman and another, a young and impressionable young man. It can't be good for them to be around a rake such as Davenport and his reputation sure precedes him!

Neither Alys and Reginald is what each other expected... but they like what they see! And as they get to know each other, friendship turns into something more. But can a rake really change his lifestyle? And what secrets does Alys hide?

My Opinion: It's been a while since I last read a book by Ms Putney and while it was enjoyable, it didn't really wow me. As a result, I haven't really  kept up with her new releases and as such, The Rake wasn't on my radar... until I read Hilcia's commentary :) Luckily for me, The Rake being a reprint, I was able to easily find a copy and good thing too, since it was such an enjoyable read!

What I really liked about The Rake was how well-developed it was. The book is quite thick and Ms Putney really utilizes all these pages to flesh out the characters and establish a relationship between Reggie and Alys. I felt that was refreshing because in a lot of romance books lately, the romance seems rushed and the characters, superficial ^_^; However, in this case, we really got to know the characters and more importantly, they got to know each other :)

Personally, my favorite character in The Rake was Reggie. He is most assuredly a rake, but what makes him so likable is that he's honest about it and assumes the responsibilities and consequences it entails. I also liked his sense of honor... He probably doesn't see it as such, but Reggie has definite ideas on what he will do and what he won't and most of the time, it puts him in the good guys column LOL. Also if he'd been allowed to follow his dreams - to go into the army, I reckon Reggie wouldn't be such a different man :) Something else that I found interesting was Reggie's restlessness at the beginning of the story. How he was growing tired of his lifestyle... I think at 37 years old, it makes sense right? :) In most historical romances, a rake ceased being one when it comes time to settle down, get a wife and some heirs. However, Reggie no longer has such obligations and still, he's growing restless. I really liked that he had questions and doubts about his lifestyle even before he met Alys; I liked that for once, it wasn't a woman or family that made a rake change. Instead, it was the rake himself! I also liked our heroine, Alys :) Mostly because she was so unusual for her time, not only being an estate manager, but being competent as well! Although I think it would have been more fun to see here more at work. At the beginning of the book, she's a bit mad because she feels she has to prove herself again, even though she's been estate manager for four years now. The thing is, there was no concrete examples of that throughout the book. Once Reggie showed up, you don't see any tenants coming to complain about her or cause any problems. In addition, I think she pales a little in comparison to Reggie. She does have an interesting background story, but the character herself, I didn't feel like I got a good sense of who she was.

I did enjoy the romance in The Rake. I really liked that they didn't fall into bed right away. Reggie is attracted by Alys, but he doesn't want to screw things up - her being his estate manager and all. First, I liked that Reggie kept her on for her competence. She's proven herself and the books show the result and there was no doubt for him. I also liked that he was mindful of her reputation. All in all, because we got to see the attraction grow while the relationship was established and friendship bloomed, I really could believe that Reggie and Alys fell in love with each other :) Also, I believed the romance worked because of the honesty between Reggie and Alys. That was really lovely and refreshing. One thing though is I wished Alys had more trust in Reggie. I know she was in charge of 3 youngsters and therefore, cannot help but worry about Reggie's reputation... and a few times, I felt she got caught up with it. It was okay when she first met Reggie, but once she got to know him, I feel she should have trusted him a lot more...

As I mentioned, The Rake is quite a thick book and therefore a lot of things happened. Some of it was mundane, related to the estate, which was fun to see. I loved that Reggie had always wanted to wash sheep when he was younger and this time, did not miss the opportunity LOL. A lot of what happened was also more personal and was meant to really flesh out the characters. I liked that Ms Putney addressed Reggie's problems with alcohol. Obviously, back in those time, people were not aware of alcoholism which is exactly where Reggie was heading for. So that was very interesting. What worked less for me though is that his father and godfather just happened to struggle with alcoholism as well. I know it can run in a family, but I would have liked to see Reggie deal with it on his own. I think that in The Rake, Ms Putney tried her best to balance the different aspects of the story and I really enjoyed the mundane stuff and the more personal issues and conflicts. However, I think she failed a bit when it came to the intrigue that was related to Alys' identity. Some of it was just too predictable and she did a great job at the build-up, but when it happened, it was a bit anti-climatic, which was unfortunate.

My Grade: B+. Overall, The Rake was a really good read and I can see why Ms Putney won a RITA with The Rake. If she has more books like this one, I'll definitively be reading more of her in the near future :)

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 :)

Re-Read: The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie

Sigh, such an unproductive day. My plan for today was to clean and blog... but I guess the cleaning is not going to happen ^_^; At least, I still have time to blog... and I read. Actually, this week-end was filled with sports, watching tennis and curling :) Unfortunately, Justine Henin lost in the finale of the Australian Open... Of course, considering that it's only her 2nd tournament since her retirement, not bad... The only problem though is that I thought the match was not very exciting. Ah well.

End of the month already! I re-read Turn Coat by Jim Butcher earlier this month for the challenge... but instead, I'm going to review The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie which has just been re-issued this month. I'd do a two-fer, but Turn Coat is too complex to re-review LOL.


The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
published by Bantam Books in September 1996 (re-issued in January 2010)

Daisy Flattery is an incorrigible free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story and a bit of adventure. Why else would she agree to the outrageous deal offered by her button-down, workaholic neighbor Linc Blaise? The history professor is desperately in need of a fiancée to capture a dream job at a local college—and Daisy is up for the challenge. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that breaks all the rules and changes the game. Falling in love was never part of the bargain. Their little charade has taken in everyone—including themselves. Now with the proverbial midnight hour approaching will the fairytale finally be over or will opposites not just attract but live happily ever after?

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

You can read my original review here.

The Story: Linc Blaise is in a pinch. A history teacher, writing his second book, Linc is trying to get a new teaching position in a quieter environment which would allow him to focus on his writing. However, during the interview, Linc invents himself a fiancée and now has to bring her to his speech. So he turns to his neighbor, Daisy Flattery, a free spirit who is used to telling stories... His initial idea was to have Daisy help him get the job and then, he would come up with another lie about their engagement failing... However, once he gets the job, he realizes that he won't make full professor unless he gets married...

Daisy is the complete opposite of Linc. Four years ago, she walked away from her teaching position to focus on her painting. However, she's now having doubts about her decision... She's gone through her savings and is tired of worrying about money and scrambling for it, which in turns takes her away from her art. As a result, Linc's proposition sounds perfect... except she's not sure about him...

My Opinion: I'm really glad Bantam Books finally decided to reprint The Cinderella Deal because it's the only book by Jennifer Crusie I was missing for my collection. I had the chance a few years ago to read an electronic copy of it for Book Binge and thus my review. However, there's something special about owning every book by an author :P So I'm very happy...

Technically, this is a book I should love. It has the "happy-go-lucky heroine thawing the stuffy hero" plot that I enjoy so much, it's also a marriage of convenience plot and it's by Jennifer Crusie... but something was missing and it might have been chemistry between the H/H.

While re-reading The Cinderella Deal, I still felt like this was a re-visit of Strange Bedpersons, but not as good. I actually always thought that The Cinderella Deal was the precursor to Strange Bedpersons until I checked the release dates of both books for this review and found out that Strange Bedpersons was written before. The storyline is more complete and more interesting, considering that Daisy and Linc actually get married... but like I say, something was a little off: why did Linc choose Daisy to pose as his fiancée? I mean, he doesn't really know her, she's not his type... so why her? Why not a friend? Someone he knows better? So I felt this was a bit awkward and it does impact the book (the chemistry).

Don't get me wrong, The Cinderella Deal is an enjoyable book with a nice storyline and likable characters. However, I think the first time I read this book, I was simply just too happy to be able to read it that I overlooked some stuff. My main problem with this book was Linc's attitude towards Daisy. He chose her to pose as his fiancée... Yet, every time, he's afraid she's going to embarrass him and he's a bit ashamed of her at times. That really made me uncomfortable. I thought he was a bit selfish, always thinking of himself first and the consequences to him instead of considering Daisy and her feelings... especially since he gets to know Daisy and understand her pretty well at the end. Luckily, he does redeem himself, especially at the end in the scene where he throws out her dress because it wasn't "her."

In addition, I don't think this book is as funny as Ms Crusie's other works. There are some LOL moments, but not as much as you'd expected considering the author. Also, did anyone notice that Ms Crusie has interesting secondary characters, but she doesn't do much with them? She leaves it pretty open as if there's a possibility they'd have their story, but they never do.

Overall, I still enjoyed it because it is a cute story and I like the plot lines. However, this re-read kind of opened my eyes to some of its flaws. Basically, my opinion remains the same as before: between Strange Bedpersons and The Cinderella Deal, I'd choose Strange Bedpersons without hesitation. The good news though is for those who didn't enjoy Strange Bedpersons as much because they thought Tess was unreasonable should really like this one.

My Grade: I originally gave this book a grade of 3.75/5 which would be a B+... but now, it's more of a B read for me.

Vintage Kay Hooper

So by this time, most of you know that I'm a huge fan of Kay Hooper. I've discovered Ms Hooper through her FBI SCU series, which are paranormal romantic suspense books. However, long, long ago, Ms Hooper wrote straight romance for Loveswept. To my greatest pleasure, many of them are being re-printed by Bantam Books (cos really, they are really hard to find... also, I bet the covers are much niver now LOL).

So this summer, she had Something Different, Pepper's Way (both are part of a tradepaper back compilation) and C.J.'s Fate re-released. She has another coming out in December called The Haunting of Josie :P

So here we go:

Something Different

first published in 1984

Restless and imaginative, mystery writer Gypsy Taylor was used to following her muse. Her nomadic lifestyle was perfectly suited for her creative work but not for lasting relationships. That left her new next-door neighbor Chase Mitchell only four months to change Gypsy's life before she moved on forever. The handsome architect wants to build a life for both of them, but first he'll have to solve the passionate mystery of this one-of-a-kind woman — a mystery not even Gypsy herself can unravel.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book :D Ms Hooper has always been able to infuse something special in her characters, either habits or personality or the character in general. In addition, I've always liked the "gypsy/new age heroine thaws out straight and stuffy hero" LOL :P There is a little conflict, but it's basically the story of two people getting to know each other. Sounds boring, but it is not... you easily get sucked in the story and next thing you know, you're finished.

Grade: B


Pepper's Way
first published in 1984

Tall, fit, and with a large house on considerable acreage, Thor Spicer was exactly the man Pepper had been looking for when she placed her ad — for a dog sitter. But it's Pepper herself, Thor senses, who really needs his attention. For beneath her globe-trotting, adventure-seeking lifestyle, Pepper is running. And for the first time in a long while, she realizes that it just might be possible to stop and face what she fears the most — losing her heart to the kind of man she'd risk everything to love

My thoughts: Hmmm, I was more reluctant to read this book; however, I also really enjoyed it! LOL :P You all have a friend that's special and stands out more than others... she's multi-talented and people seems to gravitate around that person... at least, I have a friend like that... and Pepper is that way. I liked her character though, as well as Thor :D Again, it's the story of two persons falling in love and getting to know each other, but I think I was as intrigued as Thor by Pepper... which by the way, is not her name, but a nickname... her name is Perdita Elizabeth Patricia Elaine Reynolds... LOL! Who doesn't want to know her story with such a name? By the way, the conflict between the two made sense and was understandable. Anyway, I liked it :P

Grade: B

C.J.'s Fate
first published in 1984

Librarian C. J. Adams thinks marriage is a fine tradition—for somebody else. The love of her life is history, and in her experience, few men compare with the daring heroes who shaped civilization. Well-traveled, well-educated, and content to stay single, C.J. is convinced she isn't missing anything. But her close friends disagree. When they resolve to find her soul mate during a trip to Aspen, C.J. stays a step ahead of them by enlisting a gorgeous stranger to pose as her lover. But the man proves to be far more charismatic—and convincing—than she expected, and C.J. soon discovers a side of herself she didn't know existed. She never imagined that the Rockies had more in store for her than a skiing trip with friends, but whether she likes it or not, C.J.'s fate is about to be sealed.

My thoughts: Out of the three, I thought this one was the weakest. I liked the beginning very much however... C.J. is up in Aspen with 5 friends whom have known each other for about 20 years... C.J. is the least sophisticated of all, as in she doesn't really care about her appearance, and her friends are a bit desperate... now that they're all married, they wish for C.J. to find happiness as well. To avoid any matchmaking, C.J. walks up to Fate Weston, a total stranger, and "acts" as a couple... Fate goes along and together, they act as a couple in love. My problem is that Fate went along way too easily... actually, no, my problem is that he fell in love and decided he was going to marry her immediately. This book however is a great show of friendship and seriously, I wished I had friends like C.J.'s. Anyway, other complaints are 1) there was a definite 80's feel to this book, not that it's bad, but... I don't know... 2) the writing style is very flowy, and Ms Hooper goes over a lot of things without exploring them and 3) I wish Ms Hooper would have explored the friends a bit more, but I guess she didn't have space.... by the way, Fate's attempts to guess what C.J. stood for were funny :D

Grade: B-


Just in case you are wondering, these are all 80's books in addition for being Loveswept... don't expect too much sex in them LOL :P

Reviews: Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen and Stray by Rachel Vincent

I know, I promised some reviews... and it never really happened ^^; At least, on the other hand, I've been reading a lot, so I guess it kinds of make up for it... no? I'll have lots of books to review when I'm in a reading slump :P Anyway, I'm still going to take the easy way out tonight and review these:


Shadow Dance by Susan Andersen: DNF
published by Harpercollins Canada in 2002

What Lurks in the Dark Shadows of the Heart?

Most men who see Amanda Charles dance worship her from afar. But one "admirer" is getting too close to the glamorous showgirl...perilously close.The looks, style, and grace that make Amanda sparkle on stage have now made her something else: the target of a serial killer.

Detective Tristan MacLaughlin has drawn the case that is pulling him deep into a world of pageantry and dazzle -- and closer to the stunning, violet-eyed beauty who keeps her secrets and emotions locked tightly inside. Tristan never thought he’d be bewitched by Amanda’s charms, never though he’d care. And he never imagined that by wanting her, by trying to protect her, he’d place her in the gravest danger of all.

Why did I get this book? Because I usually enjoy Susan Andersen's book... Truth be told though, I've often picked up this book, but put it back... I guess this is like exam with multiple choices: first instinct is always the best... should have left it on the shelf ^^;

My impressions: I've only got through the first couple of chapters... It just didn't do it for me... I liked Tristan enough, but my biggest problem was the heroine, Amanda... She just annoyed me so much, always jumping to wrong conclusions. Actually, both characters have the habit of thinking the worst of each other and that creates unnecessary trouble. So yeah, got annoyed by Amanda... then, I read the ending and I just figured it wasn't worth reading, because Amanda wasn't getting any better... ^^;


Stray by Rachel Vincent: DNF

published by Mira in June 2007

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I''m no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—''cause I got claws, and I''m not afraid to use them...

Why did I get this book? Because it sounded good, the cover is nice and I usually enjoy Mira books. I picked it up as soon as I got home from the trip from Toronto, but then put it down before reading the first page... not a good sign. Then, I picked it up again because Kris enjoyed it.

My impressions: Again, I got annoyed by the heroine... Faythe is tough and has an attitude and I guess she's strong too... the problem is that she's 23 y.o. and her "rebellion" comes off as immature and selfish to me. Seriously, she's annoyed at her father and brother's over-protectiveness and I understand that... but there's danger out there... aiming at her... and she just doesn't care as long as she can have her own life... Sorry, but man... these ppl are your family and they care about you... and for her just to get stubborn... She just clung too much to her independence, not caring about anyone else than herself... It really bothered me :( Also, all the sexual innuendos ^^; You guys know me... I like the one woman/one man relationship... and so all the attraction btw her and the other guys was just one more thing I disliked ^^;

Kris seemed to have enjoyed this book well enough... so I guess that all this is just me and if what I said above doesn't bother you usually, you'll probably enjoy the book :D I know that from the author's website, it seems that this is going to be a series...

Julia Quinn debut novels

So last week, when I went crazy at the bookstore and bought too much books, I ended up buying many Julia Quinn's novels. Now, I'm not that huge of fan of historical romances and I never read Julia Quinn. However, this author has a good reputation and once I started reading the back blurbs of the novels, I couldn't put them back on the shelves! They all sound so good :D

So after a week, I've read three novels and if I'm not wrong, they were the debut novels of Julia Quinn:


Splendid: 3/5
published in 1995, re-released by Avon in 2003

Emma Dunster is an American heiress who is spending some time in England with her cousins. The day of her debut ball, she and her cousin, Anabella, sneak into the kitchen in maid outfit to help out, in order to avoid going over the tedious details of the ball. Emma goes out to buy eggs and ends up saving the nephew of Alexander Ridgely, Duke of Ashbourne, from being ran over.

Alexander has no intention of getting married and thus, has been avoiding balls and bashes like the plague. However, his interest in the maid who saved his nephew is too strong and he attends Lord Worth's ball and quickly realizes that Emma is no maid, but a lady. So starts the game of seduction between the two.

My thoughts: Hmmm, the story was okay. I mean, nothing very original, but well-written. The only thing that really annoyed me was Emma could be very stubborn sometimes. Not that it's bad, but in some circumstances, it can get on the reader's nerves. One of my favorite part was when her aunt, Lady Caroline, points out that Emma almost ruined her marriage of love simply because she's been stubborn. Otherwise, both characteres were enjoyable, but perhaps a bit too much.


Dancing at Midnight: 3.5/5

published in 1995, re-released by Avon in 2002

Lady Anabella Blydon is taking a break from the marriage mart. While her parents are in Italy and her brother at school, she has gone to her cousin, Emma,'s house for a little stay. One day, while reading under a tree, she meets Lord John Blackwood.

John Blackwood is the youngest son of an Earl and has received the title of Baron as a reward for his act of courage during the war, which he had to leave after an injury which left him with a permanent limp. Anabella and John quickly fall in love; however, their happiness is at risk with the return of John's old enemy...

My thoughts: I liked this book better I think. It was a little bit funnier and John wasn't as domineering as Alexander. I also prefer Belle who's more level-head than her cousin. Again, the story wasn't that original, but still enjoyable :)


Minx : 2.75/5
published in 1996, re-released by Avon in 2004

William Dunfor is Alexander and Belle's best friend. He has unexpectedly inherited a title and a property in Cornwell. There, he discovers that the land and property has been managed and run by Henrietta Barrett, aka Henry, a young girl who was a relative of the previous Baron's wife.

Henry has been running the estate ever since the death of her grandmother's cousin; the Baron being too busy to grieve. She loves the place and nobody knows it as well and so, she's afraid that the new lord will kick her out or marry her off. She comes up with a plan: if he doesn't like the place, he probably won't stay and so tries to make Dunford's stay as miserable as possible. The plan fails and both become friends instead, with Dunford reassurance that he won't kick her out. Their attraction is palpable, but everything goes awry once Dunford learns that Henry is actually his ward.

My thoughts: Quite frankly, I was looking forward to this book the most since I thought it had the most potential. However, I was disappointed. I thought the beginning was great and half-way through the book, it seems Ms Quinn wasn't sure how her characters should be or perhaps she changed her mind and the storyline became predictable and cliche. Dunford was a good character: gentleman and funny; however, I didnt' think he would care about society that much. As for Henry, she started out as a tomboy and then, became a lady... which I truthfully, didn't expect. I wished Henry would have been older and stronger... becoming a lady in my opinion, seems like a weakness. As if she couldn't hold her head high and didn't have a stronger backbone. Also, I thought that Ms Quinn took the easy way out with the huge misunderstanding. All in all, not that book was bad, just not as good as it could have been.


Verdict - Hmmm, so what to say? I know that these are her debut novels and there are quite good for a debut. My complaint is that it seems her main storyline wasn't developed enough or long enough to carry the entire novel and so she had to add intrigues and misunderstandings. Not that it's bad, but it didn't fit sometimes.

Otherwise, I'll definitively read more of Ms Quinn's books, starting with the ones I bought. However, Ms Quinn didn't impress me enough to be an auto-buy. Ms Quinn has a very strong voice and is one of the best in the historical romance genre; however, this genre is just not for me. I get bored quickly and I find most of the storylines redundant.

If you're interested, here is the link to her website: here.

some reviews...

Hey everyone!

Wassup? It's already mid-november. Time flies way, way, way too quickly!! Does someone know a way to stop time? Please, please, pretty please!

I just got Born in Death in the mail yesterday - how is it that everytime I'm the one picking the letters, there's NEVER anything interesting? How come my books always get in when my mom's the one picking up the letters? Can someone explain that to me? Cos, well my mom still frown at me when I get the new books through mail... altho it's cheaper. So, I have to admit, I haven't been that excited about the Born in Death... I mean, it's not a book that I was like: oh my god, must read it as soon as it arrives... but that's what happened. You know, when you've followed a series of more than 20 books, then you don't just stop buying them or reading them. It's really like manga actually. Would you stop a series just because the last few volumes suck? Hell no! Best example: Detective Conan. It's a detective (duh) manga and I have more than 50 volumes... So what if the latest are redundant?!? The good thing tho with manga is that the series might go in a little slump, but it always get interesting again. Anyway. Born in Death, yeah... I'm not totally finished with it, but I've read enough to have a review.

Born in Death by Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb: 3.75

Hmmm, want a synopsis? I don't think I can write a coherent one, so here are the main facts:

- two accountants who happen to be a couple very much in love with each other are murdered, the woman; tortured before dying by suffocation.
- Eve has to confiscate documents at the accountant firm; ppl fear that Roarke will have access to the documents and use the information to have the upper hand in business competition. Whithey shares concern; both Eve and Roarke pissed.
- Mavis is having her baby in a few weeks, so both Eve and Roarke have to go to birthing class. In addition, Eve is to host a baby shower.
- One of Mavis' pregnant friend, Tandy Willowby, disappears.

Now, link that all together, add a couple of murderers, suspects and you have the story. I'm not saying the book was bad, but that it was too complex for me to summarize it coherently. And also, I luv point-form... comes from years of study :P Anyway, I was sad that the couple was killed... I don't know, I like the victims... going to sound stupid, but yep. I mean, sometimes, in this series, victims deserve to die or they are random kills by psycho... In this case, there was a really good reason why the couple was killed, but the couple wasn't evil, wasn't bad. They were actually well-loved, very much in love with each other, and yeah, good I guess.

Anyway, I really liked the beginning of this book. You have a dead couple whose deaths shake up the whole firm with grief. Then, you discover that something in the accountants weren't right. I think that if Nora Roberts would have pursued that aspect and strictly that aspect, the book would have been better... more unique/original and less likely to be lumped in with other In Death books. However, she decided to add a series of murders of pregnant women... and the two are related it. That's what I didn't like... doesn't it seem too coincidental for you? I mean, what's the probably of international fraud has to anything to do with the death of pregnant women? I mean, yeah, Ms Roberts is able to link it nicely, because she's good at writing... but if it was anyone else, I don't think it would have work. I mean, it's just too coincidental and far-fetched in my opinion. So the beginning was good, but when Ms Roberts start to focus on the second end of the intrigue, I start losing interest and I thought the book started dragging.

The rest of the novel is typical In Death book. You have cynical Eve Dallas with charming mogul Roarke both scared to death of childbirth. Really, I think this was a bit hint that Eve is not going to get pregnant anytime soon and perhaps never. So readers who were hoping that, you can scratch it. I really think that it's more likely that one day, Eve and Roarke might adopt a baby... but Eve pregnant, seems unconceivable for me. You get to see a bit of Feeney, Peabody, McNab, Mira, Mavis and Leonardo... I miss Louise and Charles T_T

I think that the book was solid... Not the best, but not the worst either of the In Death book.

Venetia by Georgette Heyer: N/A

Well unfortunately, this one is not getting a grade, because it would just be unfair. I'm sure that this book is good, I mean Jennie loved it as well as Mailyn.

I've said in previous posts that I was having a hard time with the language, that didn't really change while I was reading. The writing style is quite "old" or perhaps "traditional." For a girl that's used to contemporary and whose English is not first language, I found it quite distracting. For some reasons, the whole while, while I imagine the characters... all their expression and action as well as the way they talk were exaggerated. I mean, when Venetia would say"Stoopid", I would imagine her eyes wide and with an emphasis on the "stoo"... you know, like in a comedy where characters exaggerate.

I have to say that I did like Venetia's character. She's strong, mature, happy, with a head on her shoulder. I liked Aubrey and Damerel too :) So the characters were a plus, that I can tell.

I guess that's it.


I'm reading Mountain's Call by Caitlin Brennan right now. Anyone who has read her books yet?

2 reviews for one

So, the long week-end is almost over... in about 2 hours, which means I have two hours to deliever the review I promise :D and as a bonus, you get an extra review :P anyway, here it is:

Golden Threads by Kay Hooper: 3.5/5

Lara Mason isn't really Lara Mason... her real last name is something else (sorreh, can't remember and can't find it again in the book). A year ago, her father got murdered while he was investigating an organization that was stealing plans and information of some governmental projects and so, for the past year, she's been part of the Witness Protection program and has hiding in this little town. However, she's been feeling jailed up and so have decided to participate into the town theater production of Rapunzel. At the same time, appears Devon, a new stranger in town who gets the Prince role and some incidents have been happening to Lara (almost being hit by a car, her house being broken in, etc.)... Turns out more information and plans have been disappearing and two groups are after Lara: the bad guys and the FBI because Lara's father had some important proofs that are still hidden and figure that Lara would know where it is...

I actually quite enjoyed the book... However, it is quite out-dated ^^; My big issue with this book was that Devon and Lara got together too fast, but aside from that, it was nice. Two major things that I liked? The reappearance of Cyrus Fortune, who is the main character of The Matchmaker and Ching, Lara's cat. I have to say, I'm not an animal lover (not dog or cat or any other animals), but esp. not cat cos I don't find them as affectionated as dogs... Anyway, I don't love the real version, but I do enjoy their antics in books... but that's usually dogs. I mean, cat don't usually do much, even in books. Kay Hooper's cats are different and so I really liked Lara's cat, Ching. I guess, it's mostly because he didn't act like a cat.

So would I recommend this book? I'd say if you're a fan of Kay Hooper and you've never read this book, go ahead... if you're not, well you can skip as it is not earth shattering... a nice romance novels, but there's probably newer books that you'd like to read :P

I'm in no Mood for Love by Rachel Gibson: 3.5/5

I'm in no Mood for Love is the second book of a series of 4, I guess, featuring Claresta Wingate, a historical romance author. Just before her friend's wedding ceremony, Clare discovers her fiancé having sex in her closet... with the Sears repairMAN. So of course, she's shocked... goes to the ceremony, acts as one of the bridemaids, manages to get drunk and wakes up with in a hotel room with a man... and not any man, but Sebatien Vaughan, the gardener's son and boy that played so many tricks on her when she was younger. Turns out they didn't have sex, altho she believed so for awhile. However, both are definitively attracted to each other... and what are they going to do with this attraction?

So, I did enjoy this book, but I did have some problems with it too. I like the tone, the pace and the writing... The characters were all right, but I guess what I didn't like is that almost nothing happened ^^; I don't have problems with characters-focus books... but in this case, it seems to me that the book could have been cut in half and it would have changed nothing, i.e. nothing would have been cut out of the storyline. I thought that the some parts were made more important than necessary. Eg: safe sex, while important, the author didn't have to dwell on it (the whole scene where Clare had to call to set the appointment and then, tell Sebastien to test himself too.) Also, the whole part about Clare having loved Lonny (the gay boyfriend) and then, missing him and later, being okay, no longer heart-broken. I mean, usually, in characters-focus books, the story will focus on relationship... but in this case, you get the occasional get-together with her friends, which was nice, cos that was pretty much lacking in the previous book, Sex, Lies and Online Dating, and although Sebastien and his father's relationship gets better... that's it. Hmmm... not a whole lot of relationship happening here... and Clare and her mother's relationship still remain quite crappy... However, MY biggest problem with this book was Clare at the end... I've never been fond of characters, esp. female main characters, having sex with the main male lead and thinking: it was just sex. First time, okay.. but when it becomes obvious that they're having a relationship and they still believe it's just sex, it's just stupid too me. Otherwise, the book is good... although I'm not sure I'm interested in the next one of the series.


So there were my reviews :D By the way, my TBR pile has increased as I've acquired new books (4: Taken by Barbara Freethy, A Season to be Sinful by Jo Goodman, Hard Evidence by Pamela Clare and Retrieval by Jeanie London) and I've also spent the week-end re-reading the Black Jewels trilogy.

Few words about Dream Makers by Nora Roberts

Hey everyone...

quick quick before work starts (well I'm at work, but doesn't mean I have to work... yet.) Just finished reading Dream Makers by Nora Roberts yesterday night. Dream Makers is a compilation of 2 of her old books: Untamed and Less of a Stranger. I bet those books were written in the 80's :P

Dream Makers by Nora Roberts: 2.75/5

These two books are obviously Nora's earlier work, so I won't be too picky... they're cutsie stories, but nothing more. In fact, I thought they lacked depth, but that's probably because they're both really short. In Untamed, Jolivette Wilder is a lion trainer. She was born and raised in the circus and followed her father's footsteps. Unfortunately for her, her parents died in a fire when she was 5-6 y.o. Her legal guardian was Frank Prescott, the owner of the circus, and she loved him as a father. Frank just died recently and he left the circus to his son, Keane Prescott. Jo resents Keane because he never came to visit Frank (Keane is an attorney and lives in Chicago... his parents divorced when Keane was still a baby). So anyway, Keane comes to the circus and must make a decision about what to do with the circus.

In Less of a Stranger , you have Megan who's an artist (she sculpts thing) and who lives with her grandfather after the death of her parents. Her grandfather owns Joyland, an amusement park. Enter David Katcheron, Katch, who wants to buy the amusement park and you almost have the whole story already.

So as I said, both are cutsie and simple stories. Nothing compared to Nora's present work. My problem with these two stories is that even if they can "withstand" time... they lack the sleekness of Nora's writing and you can still tell by the way the storyline and the characters are written that it is a work in the 80's, early 90's. First of all, the two heroines are very, very naive ^^; and they easily fell in love with the guys, a few kisses and the deal was done... only, it took them so much time to realize it. What bug me more tho is that you don't get anything from the main guys. Of course, by the way they behave, you know that they're smitten too, but they don't say it and the heroines are clueless... they're not TSTL... just extremely clueless and naive. At the end, when the heroes are "I love you" they're like: "Really?!?" well yeah girls, obviously. Another thing that bug me, esp. in Untamed is that you don't get to know the heroes very well, esp. compared to the heroines. Why didn't Keane visit his father? Why does he resent his father? Finally, the stories were too short, so lack of development. You know, each year, Silhouette re-prints a couple of Nora Roberts earlier book that you can't find anymore. I have a couple of them and some were just awesome... Loving Jack is one of them... however, these two are not on par.