TBR Challenge Review: A Cold Day for Murder

A Cold Day for Murder
Dana Stabenow
Mystery
Kate Shugak/Book 1
Berkley/June 1992

From the back cover ~

She's a savvy investigator with the cool toughness of Sam Spade - and a smile that could melt a block of ice. Once the star of the Anchorage D.A.'s office, she's gone back to her roots in the far Alaska north. But Kate's taken her talent for detection along...and trouble knows where to find her.

The Dead of Winter

When a young national park ranger disappears during the long Alaskan winter, everyone assumes the cold got him. But when an investigator goes in after him, and never comes out, the weather may not be all that's killing. Or so thinks Kate Shugak. With her Husky-breed, Mutt, as an ally, she's hunting for answers among the pipeliners, Aleuts, and hardy eccentrics of the rugged American North. But she's heading for thin ice between lies and loyalties...between justice served and the cold face of murder.

This month's suggested theme is "other genre besides romance". Not an easy task when 90% of the TBR pile is romance but I did manage to find a mystery in there among the rakes and rogues, mistresses and kick-ass chicks. I could have gone with Urban Fantasy but I do read those fairly often. So instead I decide to go in a direction that I rarely travel without at least some shades of romance. And low and behold there was a little smidge of romance in this one. More of a bad break-up with a glimmer of a reunion kind of romance.

This is Stabenow's first mystery novel but not her first published. That was the science fiction novel, Second Star. Then came the mysteries, garnering the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original for A Cold Day for Murder. The book ended up in my TBR pile not because of the award but because of the location. I've always wanted to go to Alaska. It's the wild far north with a history I've always found fascinating. As it turns out, the location was my favorite part of the novel.

Kate Shugak is hiding out and has been for over a year. Her isolation is about to end when an old friend comes calling with a request she can't refuse. When we first meet Kate, she is far from welcoming to her guests and makes it clear in her actions and words that she is not happy for the company. Kate is not an easy person to like or get to know. Which is why I felt distant from her - watching what happens but not completely engaged in her story. If this had been a movie on TV, I would definitely be doing something else while watching.

Kate may not have engaged my interest but the landscape and culture of the Alaska of her world did. I loved the feel of freedom and danger coming off the pages. It's a world so foreign to what I'm accustomed to and I soaked it up! The mystery and characters paled by comparison and took a backseat to the scenery.

The missing men and their fate is what drives Kate to discover the truth. As she tracks their last days before their disappearances, the tracks eventually lead back to the one place Kate doesn't want to go. The mystery and clues leading to the big reveal are sufficient to bring the reader and Kate to the end of a not so surprising finish. All in all, I might read the next book in the series, still on the fence about that. It's a quick read, only 199 pages, worth the short time to read but nothing to really pull me into the next book.

Rating: C+

Books in this series ~

1. A Cold Day for Murder
2. A Fatal Thaw
3. Dead in the Water
4. A Cold-blooded Business
5. Play With Fire
6. Blood Will Tell
7. Breakup
8. Killing Grounds
9. Hunter's Moon
10. Midnight Come Again
11. The Singing of the Dead
12. A Fine and Bitter Snow
13. A Grave Denied
14. A Taint in the Blood
15. A Deeper Sleep
16. Whisper to the Blood
17. A Night Too Dark
18. Though Not Dead
19. Restless in the Grave

Review: Scandalous Desires

Scandalous Desires
Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical Romance/London/1738
Maiden Lane/Book 3
Grand Central/October 24, 2011

From the back cover ~

Can a pirate learn . . .

River Pirate ‘Charming’ Mickey O’Connor has lifted himself from the depths of the slums to be the King of St. Giles. Anything he wants he gets—with one exception. Silence Hollingbrook has been haunting his dreams ever since she spent a single night in his bed.

That the only true treasure . . .

Once Silence was willing to sacrifice anything to save the man she loved. Now a widow, she’s finally found peace when Charming Mickey comes storming back into her life with an offer she can’t refuse. But this time she won’t be the only one paying the price for his sins.

Lies in a woman's heart?

When his past comes back to torment him, Mickey must keep Silence safe from a merciless enemy, while wrestling with the delicious hold this widow has on his heart. And in the face of mounting danger, both will have to surrender to something even more terrifying . . . true love.

A pirate hero, a widowed heroine and a cute toddler to bring them back together. It's time to find out just how bad Charming Mickey can be and how hard and fast he will fall. Silence is a match for the notorious pirate king. She is able to temper her fascination with her common sense when it comes to the enigmatic pirate.

Silence Hollingbrook has a history with Charming Mickey O'Connor and it's not a nice one. She was able to get away from him but the association left its mark and she's not happy to be back in his presence. The one thing that could bring her back is the child Mary Darling. A child she has come to love and will do anything to keep her safe, even from her father. From the previous books we know Silence loved her husband but with him gone she has put her energy into the orphan home and Mary Darling. I enjoyed the scenes with Silence and Mary Darling because we see a nurturing and protective side of Silence as well as a happy side which was rarely seen previously. As Silence comes to care about Mickey, we see those qualities when she is with him.

Pirate Charming Mickey O'Connor is a woman's fantasy complete with sexy Irish brogue. But he is a dangerous man who has committed numerous crimes to become powerful and feared. So the obvious question is - is he redeemable? Can he be saved from his life of crime to live a life on the right side of the law? Or better yet - should he? I liked Charming Mickey but I wasn't sure I'd like him as a country gentleman with legitimate business dealings.

Silence's relationship with Mickey is perplexing in that she knows he's a criminal, he makes no secret of it, in fact he enjoys boasting of his activities. But even knowing that, Silence not only tries to understand this criminal but begins to make excuses for him and of course, she tries to change his ways. It's the reformed by a good woman trope in full force. I don't think it worked completely because Mickey really didn't want to give up his lifestyle. After everything we learned about him, I still had a hard time believing he would let go of not only his riches but his power. He wasn't left a pauper but his lifestyle would certainly take a dramatic change.

In the romance department, it was a tug-of-war with Mickey issuing orders and Silence disobeying. Mickey would then "punish" Silence but there was no real punishment and Silence finally came around. I was surprised that it took so long for them to get together considering they were living in the same place and Mickey wanted her in his bed. He's really not accustomed to being told no. Silence did manage to hold out for a while but once she fell, she fell hard and fast. That's when the redeeming truly began.

We see some familiar faces in the cast of secondary characters and a few new ones. The most notable new character looks to be slated for the position of the next heroine. I liked what we saw of her, she's no pushover, and hope she will be a good contrast to the hero.

With Scandalous Desires, Elizabeth Hoyt has added yet another lovely installment in the Maiden Lane series. I had thought the anticipation for Mickey and Silence's story could not be topped but with the way things were left, the next book should prove equally if not more anticipated.

Rating: A-

Books in this series ~

Wicked Intentions
Notorious Pleasures
Scandalous Desires
Thief of Shadows (Summer 2012)

ARC Review: Shatter Me

Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi
Young Adult/Dystopian
Harper Teen/November 15, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Lots of buzz about this book. The film rights have already been optioned before the book even hits the shelves. Does it live up to all the buzz? Well, it wasn't earth shattering or ground breaking or any of those other clichés we hear. But it did hold my curiosity enough to keep my attention to the end.

Juliette has an ability she considers a curse. It has caused her to be alienated from society. No one wants to be near her. Everyone fears what she might do. Eventually tragedy occurs and sends Juliette away and locked up. She is kept isolated from the outside world which is falling apart fast. Then change happens and nothing is the same for Juliette. The plot starts out interesting but doesn't seem to go anywhere for what felt like a long time. I kept waiting for something to happen because it felt like something was going to happen at any moment. Like in a horror movie when you just know something is waiting right around the corner, the actor turns the corner and there's nothing there? Finally, the pace picked up and it felt like the plot was going somewhere.

While I'm not a fan of info dumping, I would have liked more information about the causes of this dystopian world. What we are told is given out in bits and pieces but left me feeling as if I didn't have the full picture of life in this new world. Since this is told from Juliette's POV, we only know what she knows and what the other characters tell us. But the timeline made it seem the catastrophes occurring across the globe happened very quickly. I found it hard to make sense of the timeline.

Juliette is a girl who had a most unconventional childhood but there was this one boy who caught her interest. Otherwise, she had no friends and kept to herself. At this point in her life she is understandably closed off from people and trusts no one. As Juliette's world begins to change I liked seeing how she wanted so desperately to trust but her self-preservation is still very strong. She struggles with trusting even when everything indicates she should.

As the action picks up, Juliette begins to come out of her shell, letting her feelings known and realizing that she is someone important and she can make a difference. She has been through hell and still has a way to go before she can breath easily, at least for a little while.

The writing style took some getting use to as the author implemented the strike through technique to demonstrate what Juliette is truly thinking or wishes to say but doesn't dare. Juliette might say, "I'm not afraid," followed by I am terrified. Mafi also used repetition to convey Juliette's thoughts. So it might look something like ~ "I'm not afraid," I am terrified I am terrified I am so terrified. The problem I had, especially with the strike through technique, is needing to slow down in reading in order to read through the strike through, causing the flow to stutter and slow. For some readers this might not be a problem but for myself, the affect was lost the more it was used.

There are a couple of surprises but also a number of similarities to the X-Men series. The main problem was the lack of any deeper feelings for the characters. I felt curiosity but not concern for Juliette and the others caught in this horrific world.

Rating: B-

ARC Review: The Virtuoso

The Virtuoso
Grace Burrowes
Historical Romance/Oxfordshire
Duke's Obsession/Book 3
Windham series/Book 4
Sourcebooks/November 1, 2011

From the author's website ~

Ellen Markham tells herself she's happy raising flowers and living in near penury in the Oxfordshire countryside, but when Valentine Windham moves in just on the other side of the wood, Ellen's longing for things she can never have threatens to overcome her good sense. Valentine's artistic soul, tender loving, and ducal determination tempt Ellen to trust and confide in a man who can only be endangered, should he learn of her past. For Valentine, regaining his musical skill becomes far less urgent than winning Ellen's heart.

To clear up any confusion, this is the fourth book in the Windham series which is about the Windham offspring, three males, five females. Within the series there are two sub-series, The Duke's Obsession and The Duke's Daughters. This is all explained on Ms. Burrowes' website. I've read the first book, The Heir, and while there were a couple of times when I felt like I was missing information on a secondary character, it didn't detract from the story.

Valentine Windham may not believe it but luck is on his side. He is attempting to recover from an injury when he wins an estate in a game of chance. He decides to journey to the estate and make improvements on his winnings. While there he meets Ellen Markham, a widow who lives in a cottage on the estate. Val comes to know Ellen and in doing so he becomes enchanted by her and propositions her. She's not a simpering virgin nor is she as experienced as Val. Theirs is a relationship based on mutual need, trust and friendship. Which turns out to be a good basis for a romance.

Ellen Markham is content. I would say she has moments of happiness but she is also lonely and foresees no real chance of that changing, or so she thinks. Then Valentine Windham comes into her life and things begin to change. Ellen is attracted to the charismatic Val but believes he would want nothing to do with her. As their perceptions change so do their feelings. I liked seeing their friendship develop along with the romance. You could tell they enjoyed spending time together and were not simply biding their time until they could become intimate.

Both Val and Ellen have secrets which lead to some misunderstandings and hurt feelings. I understood why they kept their secrets but not why they revealed them so late in the game. Val's true identity, that of the son of a powerful Duke, was kept quiet so he could simply be Mr.Windham. It made sense since Val isn't one to "put on airs" but get his hands dirty right along with the hired help. Ellen secret is far darker, causing her great sadness and despair. When it is revealed I could certainly understand her sadness but found it difficulty to believe that she felt such guilt over something that wasn't her fault.

The villain in the story is a complete idiot. Which only proves that even idiots can cause a tremendous amount of trouble through sheer luck and stubbornness. While trying to figure out who is sabotaging Val's new estate, Val and his friends continue to work on repairing the various buildings and getting to know the locals. It's a well rounded cast that adds to the environment of the story. Sometimes there were a few too many secondary characters and I felt like I had missed information on their connection to Val. I did like the country setting but didn't always have a true sense of the time period.

The Virtuoso's strength lies in the hero and heroine and their developing romance. While the hero and his buddies male bonding fell flat. With the stories of the three Windham sons completed, it's up to the Windham daughters to continue the tradition of finding and falling in love.

Rating: B-

Books in this series ~

The Windhams

The Heir
The Soldier
Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish
The Virtuoso
Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal (May 2012)
Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight (October 2012)
Lady Eve's book (Spring 2013/tentative)
Lady Jenny's book (October 2013/tentative)

ARC Review: Promises, Promises

Promises, Promises
Erica James
Contemporary Fiction
Sourcebooks Landmark/November 1, 2011

From the author's website ~

'I Must Stand Up for Myself More…’ promises Maggie Storm who spends her days cleaning houses for people who often have more money than manners. Married to a man with as much sex appeal as Mr Blobby, she dreams of a life straight from the pages of a romantic novel.

‘My Head Must Rule Over My Heart…’ promises Ella Moore who, determined never to let her heart get the better of her again, is recovering from seven wasted years of failing to win over the daughter of the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

‘No More Women…’ promises Ethan Edwards who, to distract himself from the depressing sham of his marriage, is a repeat offender when it comes to turning to other women for sexual consolation. But when Ella appears unexpectedly in his life, he finds himself turning to her for very different reasons.

Erica James has written a smart, funny and sometimes painful look at the intersecting lives of three people from seemingly different backgrounds. Maggie Storm cleans houses for the wealthy snobs who looks down on her. Ella Moore has a little more credibility but is still considered the hired help. And Ethan Edwards attempts to continue paying for these luxuries while knowing, deep down, he has to make some serious changes.

The story is not a romance so if you're looking for lots of page time with a hero and heroine, this isn't it. What this novel does show is how people are willing to settle for something that doesn't make them happy. They get stuck in that rut of sameness, afraid to try for something different and possibly far better than what they have. Such is the case with Maggie. She is married to a man who barely notices her, takes her for granted and leaves her to fantasizing about warm beaches and hot men. Maggie's changes seemed dramatic but what she does is become the woman she was meant to be but was hidden under self-doubt and fear of the unknown. Maggie's a character who is easy to relate to and even easier to cheer on.

Ella Moore is in the process of starting over. She recently ended a long-term relationship with a man she loved. It was made destructive by his lack of discipline of his daughter and her destructive actions towards Ella. Ella bothered me in a few ways. I didn't get why, when she had made a clean break from her ex, that she then decides to give him another chance. She came across as an intelligent woman but concerning her ex, she was easily manipulated. She was more difficult to sympathize with since she kept making the same mistakes.

Ethan Edwards, oh boy. Yes, his wife is a bitch but it doesn't excuse his affairs/flings/one-night stands. And he knows it so he's trying to turn over a new leaf which was made difficult to believe when he starts stalking watching Ella work as she's painting in his home. Ethan tells Ella he wants to be friends and I have to give him credit for being honest with her about his infidelities. But in the end, I couldn't help but feel he had gotten what he deserved when it came to his bitch of a wife. Luckily for him, he has a life-changing event that gives him the push he needs to really turn over that new leaf and start fresh.

Circumstances conspire to cause Maggie, Ella and Edward to reevaluate their lives and finally decide to take that step, making changes that were long overdue. This was more evident for Maggie and Edward that it was for Ella. For Ella, it was more about going back to the beginning and focusing on herself again.

I had said this wasn't a romance but there are some romantic elements throughout the story. The romance simply isn't the focus so much as the by-product of the changes the characters make to their lives. The journey they each take to get to that change is challenging but worth it in the end. It's an interesting look at what happens when you are willing to take that leap into the unknown and rely on yourself for your own happiness.

Rating: B

Review: Wife for a Week

Wife for a Week
Kelly Hunter
Contemporary Romance
Bennett Family/Book 1
Eligible Bachelors/Book 1
Harlequin Presents/August 7, 2007

From Goodreads ~

Nicholas Cooper must produce a wife for his business deal, and Hallie Bennett is beautiful and intelligent enough to pull it off. She needs the money, and Nicholas has determined some strict rules for their week together.

Rule No. 1: Displays of affection in public only

Keeping their hands on each other in public turns out to be surprisingly easy. It's keeping them off in private that's the problem. Hallie is falling for Nicholas, but will Nicholas make his contract wife his real-life bride?

First I have to thank Angela James for tweeting about how much she enjoyed this book. I was curious enough to check out the blurb, which I liked. A quick look at the local library's website showed they had it available as an e-book. Score! I don't read much from the Presents line, I usually stick with either Harlequin's Historical, Blaze or SuperRomance lines. I'm just not into billionaires, Greek tycoons or their secret babies.

Shoe shopping with your mother can be dangerous. It can also tempt fate and give you everything you've been looking for. Nick Cooper finds out the hard way when he walks into the shoe store where Hallie Bennett works. The sparks are there from the beginning and Hallie shows that she's no pushover when it comes to dealing with bossy men. Right from the first scene with Nick and Hallie, I liked these two. You would think with Nick being the boss and the one paying Hallie he would be the one with all the power. Not so. Hallie is very good at maneuvering situations for the optimal outcome. She doesn't always get it right the first time but her heart is in the right place. This is something that Nick comes to learn and love about Hallie.

Their business relationship takes them to Hong Kong. I was surprised at how much detail Ms. Hunter was able to included in such a short format. I've never been to Hong Kong but certainly had a feel for the city by the end of the book. There is action and passion as Nick and Hallie pretend to be a loving couple. The lines become blurred when the rules are broken and Nick and Hallie do more than pretend. The plot sounds like one you've probably read before and the outcome is obvious but the way Hunter wrote it, I didn't care that it was predictable. It was pure escapism in the very best way!

The romance is sweet and funny. The secondary characters add to the story without taking the spotlight from the hero and heroine. The dialogue is witty and the pacing is spot on with a rich story packed into this short format. Definitely worth reading.

Rating: A

Books in the Bennett Family Series ~

Wife for a Week
Bedded for Diamonds
The Maverick's Greek Island Mistress
Untameable Rogue
Red-Hot Renegade

September Reads...

Hey - it's still October and it looks like I just made it with my September reads. (Let's pretend okay?) The above picture is one I took on a trip a couple of weeks ago to Flagstaff and the campus of Northern Arizona University. Yes, the leaves actually change up there and we were even told they had snow already. But sadly it was gone when we got there. It was a fun overnight trip I took with my teen who is considering going to NAU next year. She did get accepted but hasn't decided yet. There might be a few more trips in the future to other campuses. It was a fun girls only road trip. Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera and had to reply on the cell phone.

Audiobooks

1. Finding Perfect/Susan Mallery/Contemp/B
2. Sunset Bay/Susan Mallery/Contemp/B-
3. Seduced by Shadows/Jessa Slade/PNR/C+
4. Forged of Shadows/Jessa Slade/PNR/C

Not many audiobooks in September and I don't remember why. September seems a distance memory already. LOL I am all caught up with the Susan Mallery series and frankly, I'm ready for a break. Recently I've been listening to Sarah Addision Allen's audiobooks but that will have to wait until next month's list.

Print/Electronic Books

1. A Night to Surrender/Tessa Dare/Historical/A
2. Bad Boys Do/Victoria Dahl/Contemp/A-
3. Atlantis Betrayed/Alyssa Day/PNR/A-
4. Animal Attraction/Jill Shalvis/Contemp/A-
5. Doubleblind/Ann Aguirre/SciFi/B+
6. Her Colorado Man/Cheryl St. John/Historical/B+
7. Forever/Maggie Stiefvater/YA/B+
8. Giving Chase/Lauren Dane/Contemp/B
9. Unleashed/Sara Humphreys/PNR/B
10. Soldier on Her Doorstep/Soraya Lane/Contemp/B
11. Archangel's Blade/Nalini Singh/PNR/B
12. Outside In/Maria V. Snyder/YA/B
13. Tempted by His Target/Jill Sorenson/RS/B
14. Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels/Sarah Wendell/Nonfiction/B

The Numbers

Contemporary ~ 4
Historical ~ 2
Non-Fiction ~ 1
PNR ~ 3
RS ~ 1
SciFi ~ 1
YA ~ 2

Format

Print ~ 10
E-Book ~ 4

Pretty good month and now that I'm looking back, I'm starting to remember some wonderful reads. LOL I don't seem to have any one sub-genre that I'm sticking to lately which is good since maybe I won't get burnt out on any of them.

This year, and I say this every year, I'm going to get a short list of holiday themed romances to read, yep, during the holidays. So far on the list is the anthology Snowflakes and Stetsons by Jillian Hart, Carol Finch and Cheryl St. John and reviewed here by Hilcia over at Impressions... of a Reader. The rest on the list will come from the ever growing TBR pile. I figure it's a good way to get in the holiday mood or possibly keep me sane and carve away at the TBR pile before it takes over the house.

So how about you - do you enjoy reading holiday themed romances around the holidays or do you read them anytime of the year?

ARC Review: The Iron Knight

The Iron Knight
Julie Kagawa
Young Adult Fantasy
Iron Fey/Book 4
Harlequin Teen/October 25, 2011

Spoilers for previous books

From Publishers Website ~

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase — a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything.

The final book in the Iron Fey series and I'm sad to see it end. But Kagawa ended it on a high with a different view to the ongoing struggle of the world of the Fae. Instead of getting Meghan's POV we get Prince Ash as the narrator. At first I wasn't sure how well this would work since I had come to enjoy Meghan's voice but Ash proved to have an exceptional voice, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Prince Ash of the Winter Court is on a quest. He's been through a lot since meeting Meghan Chase. Now he's without her but trying desperately to get back to her. The problem is that Meghan is now the Iron Queen and if Ash tries to live in the Iron Realm with her, it will kill him. So Ash comes up with a new plan. He will become human. He's willing to give up everything he is to be with Meghan.

This was such an adventure with Ash, Puck, Grimalkin and a couple of surprise companions to round out the group. They are taken on an journey through terrifying and amazing places filled with challenges they can't be sure they'll make it past. The excitement continued throughout the story with Ash forging on over obstacles, determined to make it to his goal. The adventure kept me entranced, wondering what would happen next and who might not make it to the end.

Since this is, in essence, Ash's story, it's not surprising we learn much more about Ash and his history. Details that even Meghan doesn't know. It's heartbreaking to learn some of what Ash has been through and how he was raised in the ice cold world of the Winter Court. Ash worked hard to fit in to the cruel world of the court to please his mother, Queen Mab. By seeing his past, the reader sees how far Ash has come and how far he's willing to go.

The one problem some readers may have is the lack of the presence of Meghan. She is featured in flashbacks, dreams and towards the end but otherwise, this is all Ash's quest. I did mention I liked Ash's voice but I also missed Meghan and her outlook on the world of the Faery. We do get a lot of Robin Goodfellow aka Puck and this is a very good thing. It's hard not to like and Puck and his tireless antics, especially when he sets aside those antics and becomes serious with insight and concern.

So we come to the end of a wonderful series filled with adventure, dangerous situations, friendship and hope. I can't wait to see what Ms. Kagawa has in store for us in her next series.

Rating: A-

Books in this series ~

The Iron King
The Iron Daughter
Winter's Passage
The Iron Queen
Summer's Crossing
The Iron Knight

Audio Review: New York to Dallas

New York to Dallas
J. D. Robb
Futuristic Suspense
In Death/Book 33
Brilliance Audio/September 13, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Isaac McQueen is a savage pedophile who just can't quit. Now that he's escaped from New York's Riker Island, he has only three goals: Stay free; continue his perverted attacks; and wreak revenge on the cop who brought him down: Eve Dallas. J.D. Robb's 33rd futuristic In Death novel promises to take readers deep into the mind and heart of Eve Dallas than ever before.

A different take on the popular In Death series. This time Eve Dallas, sans the Scooby gang, travel to well, Dallas, to hunt down a nasty bit of human refuge who has a past association with a young Officer Dallas. With Dallas is husband Roarke who is once again there to aid his wife in her work. It's understandable that Roarke refuses to let Eve go to Dallas without him. It's the scene of a past trip to hell that Dallas made as a child. A time that still haunts her.

The scenery might have changed from crowded big city to cowboys and cattle but cops are still cops no matter where they reside. The Dallas police are a little different than what Eve is use to. Their bullpen is much neater and not as noisy but they do learn quickly to work as a team and Dallas gets the support of the other cops. She also meets up with a victim from her past. The victim, Bree Jones, was one of the women Isaac McQueen, sicko killer pedophile, kidnapped. I liked the dynamics of Eve and Bree as they meet again after 12 years. This time it's not cop and victim but cop to cop working together on the same case. The rest of the Dallas police force were simply okay but not memorable.

Roarke is there of course. His and Eve's relationship seems to have settled in, changing very little from recent books. They both support each other and understand the demons that haunt them. Roarke is there for Eve when she suffers the flashbacks of the room with the red light. I've gotten tired of those scenes but wasn't surprised they figured prominently in this installment.

There wasn't much in the way of action and the big surprise, well it wasn't that big or that surprising. Maybe the series is winding down. It felt like it with much of the same happening, just a different location. New York to Dallas wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't up to the caliber of many of the previous installments.

Rating: C+

ARC Review: Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels

Everything I Learned About Love
I Learned From Romance Novels
Sarah Wendell
Non-Fiction
Sourcebooks/October 1, 2011

From the Publisher's Website ~

Take a dashing hero with a heart of gold and a mullet of awesome. Add a heroine with a bustle and the will to kick major butt. Then include enough contrivances to keep them fighting while getting them alone and possibly without key pieces of clothing, and what do you have? A romance novel. What else? Enough lessons about life, love, and everything in between to help you with your own happily-ever-after.

Lessons like...

Romance means believing you are worthy of a happy ending

Learning to tell the prince from the frog

Real-life romance is still alive and kicking

No matter how bad it is, at least you haven’t been kidnapped by a Scottish duke (probably)

Straight from the heart of influential romance blogger Sarah Wendell, this inventive gift book provides the best wisdom about love that the romance genre has to offer. Laced with signature witty commentary and peppered with thoughts from bestselling romance authors (Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, Debbie Macomber, Eloisa James, Robyn Carr, and lots more) and avid readers, these pages will reveal what every romance reader already knows: while romances are certainly steamy, they have more to offer than just a sexy hero. In fact, they might have more to say about love than we give them credit for. Sarah Wendell is cofounder of one of the top romance blogs, SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com.

Well, if you're familiar with Sarah Wendell, then you're probably familiar with her website, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Sarah has been an outspoken advocate for the romance genre. She takes it one step further and breaks down the subtle and not so subtle nuances of the romance genre. This isn't a dry, dull text but a fun and insightful look at why romance novels are so popular and have been for decades and how readers can benefit from reading them.

Through interviews of both readers and authors, Wendell talks about what is important in a good romance novel and how readers are able to relate to the characters whether they be human or something else altogether. Much of this information we as reader are familiar with but by giving examples and discussing excerpts, she gives readers even more to talk about. The excerpts will no doubt have readers nodding their heads either in agreement or remembrance of reading that particular scene and how it made them feel. Wendell also gives those of us still made to feel embarrassed about reading romance novels good reasons why we shouldn't be.

All of this is done with Wendell's trademark humor and sarcasm. Nothing is taboo here. EIKAL is an interesting looking into the world of romance novels for both lovers of the genre and skeptics alike.

Rating: B