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: Only His

Only His
Susan Mallery
Contemporary Romance
Fool's Gold/Book 6
HQN/September 27, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Wedding bells are ringing in Fool’s Gold, but not for Nevada Hendrix. Her triplet sisters are engaged, and even her mother has a more active love life than she does. Determined to make a fresh start, she applies for her dream job, only to discover that her new boss is her first love. Maybe she could overlook the fact that they’ve seen each other naked, but she’ll never forget the way he broke her heart.

Tucker Janack agrees to Nevada’s “business only” ground rules. After all, love is a trap that the construction millionaire has avoided his whole life. But when great business partners turn out to be so much more, every rule gets broken. Will either of them be willing to try again…or will their past get in the way?

I was surprised I liked all three of the Hendrix sisters but I think Nevada, with her sometimes brusque manner, intrigued me the most. She has a secret in her past that was alluded to but now we find out that secret is centered around Tucker Janack.

Nevada Hendrix is ready for a change. She works for with her brother Ethan as an engineer but has decided to apply for a position with Janack Construction. They are building a casino and resort just outside of Fool's Gold and Nevada thinks this will be a great opportunity for her. It's a surprise when she find Tucker Janack instead of his father conducting the interview. Nevada is such a dynamic heroine. Someone I can see myself hanging out with. She's so generous and giving, always thinking of others which is where I had some problems with her and wanted to just yelled are her "What are you doing?!". But I'll get to that later. Now, she's trying to move on and get the job but Tucker wants to rehash the past and it just pisses Nevada off. She's more mature about the whole thing than Tucker was - good for her! She handles the situation well and once she's cooled off, listens to advice and makes the logical choice.

Tucker Janack is used to traveling the globe for his work. He never really had a permanent home so life in Fool's Gold is a new experience to him. Nevada Hendrix is not a new experience. They have a past, although Tucker doesn't seem to place as much importance on it as Nevada does. He was too absorbed in the power of Cat, as in Caterina Stoicasescu, a temperamental artist who left an impression on both Tucker and Nevada ten years ago. Tucker isn't the same guy he was ten years ago but I still had a hard time warming up to him. I'm not sure I can say I even really liked him. He was just kind of there but the real focus for me was Nevada.

As Nevada and Tucker start working together, the attraction starts to build but fate is about to bitch slap them both in the form of Caterina Stoicasescu. Seriously, I could never figure out why Nevada was so damn nice to Cat. At first Nevada felt sorry for her but then she actually started to like the stuck up diva. This just bugged the crap out of me since otherwise, I liked Nevada. Could not stand Cat. Far too manipulative and self-centered.

Nevada has other things going on besides her annoying to me, friendship with Cat. Both of her sisters are engaged and it looks like there will be a triplet wedding for two since Nevada has no prospective groom in sight. I felt so bad for her. To have to deal with this on top of everything else. There were a few bright spots in Nevada's life, namely Heidi, Charlie and Annebelle. It was good to see Nevada branch out from her sisters and have some new girls to hang out with. I would imagine all three women will get their own stories, maybe next year.

There is also a secondary romance of Nevada's mom, Denise, and a past love. I thought it was merely okay and Denise at times acted like a hormonal teenager rather than a woman in her fifties. The town of Fool's Gold also get in on the action, as usual but it didn't feel as intrusive to the romance as in some previous books.

I did find myself laughing at some of the situations Nevada found herself in. It's a good thing she has such a great sense of humor, otherwise she probably would have gone crazy!

Only His had some good points, mainly Nevada, but I think I'm ready for a break from Fool's Gold. I hope the next group of heroes and heroines are not as marriage focused as those in the past. While it's sweet and romantic, it can become a little too sweet and unrealistic. So for now I'll say good-bye to Fool's Gold and maybe I'll see you sometime next year.

Rating: B-

Books in this series ~

Chasing Perfect
Almost Perfect
Sister of the Bride (novella in Summer Brides anthology)
Finding Perfect
Only Mine
Only Yours
Only His

Review: Hexed

Hexed
Kevin Hearne
Urban Fantasy
Iron Druid Chronicles/Book 2
Del Rey/June 7, 2011

*Spoilers for Book 1*

From the back cover ~

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

After reading Hounded, the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles, I was curious as to what would happen to Atticus and his adorable pooch Oberon next. In turns out there is rarely a dull moment in the life a of druid. To say there is a lot going on and numerous characters running in and out of Atticus' life is an understatement.

Atticus doesn't like witches but they have become a part of his life. After the battle in the Superstition Mountains (Hounded), Atticus has reluctantly decided to form what you would call a non-aggressive alliance with the local coven. Which in theory sounds easy enough - sign some papers in blood and you're done. But it takes Atticus a while to get to there between threats on his life, visits from goddesses, crazy nosy neighbor, fights, questioning by the cops, a mysterious priest and rabbi, more fights and general mayhem and destruction. This poor guy couldn't get a break! And that was the main problem I had with Hexed. Too many characters and too much going on.

Even with the numerous threads and characters to keep track of, I do enjoy Hearne's writing. Atticus is written in a way that you know he's been around for a long time but he keeps up with the modern world, trying to fit in while not giving up his heritage. He's smart, funny and loyal. Unlike some characters in the series with supernatural powers, Atticus actually gives a damn about others and is not just in the fight for his own benefit. Not that he's opposed to reaping some rewards for risking his life, he just isn't immune to the suffering of innocents.

Atticus continues training his apprentice while trying not to notice how attractive she is. He's amusingly cute when he does this, trying to think about baseball stats instead of how good she looks in, well, just about anything. One thing that I found myself looking forward to are the interactions between Atticus and his hound Oberon. Atticus has the ability to communicate telepathically with Oberon which seems to have strengthen their relationship. They both have a clever sense of humor with Oberon adding a his dog POV.

As mentioned, there are a number of fight scenes and like with Hounded, Hearne writes these well giving the reader a look at how different beings use various means and weapons when fighting. Those scenes have just the right amount of tension, blood and guts without going on for too long.

I'm liking this series but I do hope the next book, Hammered narrows the focus on possibly one main plot and maybe one or two sub-plots, giving Atticus and the reader more time to really focus on a few characters instead of so many.

Rating: B-

*I must say how much I love these covers. It is exactly how I picture Atticus.*

Books in this series ~

Hounded
Hexed
Hammered

Review: Unspeakable

Unspeakable
Laura Griffin
Romantic Suspense
Tracers/Book 2
Pocket/June 29, 2010

From the author's website ~

ELAINA MCCORD WANTS TO FIND A KILLER.

BUT HE’S ALREADY FOUND HER.

Elaina McCord’s dream of being an FBI profiler is in danger with her first case—investigating a string of murders near a Texas beach resort. The victims, all young women, were drugged and brutally murdered, their bodies abandoned in desolate marshland. Elaina’s hunch—met with disbelief by local police—is that these are only the latest offerings from a serial killer who has been perfecting his art for years, growing bolder and more cunning with each strike.

True-crime writer Troy Stockton has a reputation as an irresistible playboy who gets his story at any cost. He’s the last person Elaina should trust, let alone be attracted to. But right now Troy, along with the elite team of forensics experts known as the Tracers, are her only allies in a case that’s turning dangerously personal. A killer is reaching out to Elaina, taunting her, letting her know how ruthless he is and how close he’s getting. Now it’s not just her career that’s in danger—it’s her life. . . .

The second book in the Tracer series focuses on the murders of young women in and around the popular beach community of Lito Island, Texas. Griffin does a good job describing the area, the beaches, the marshes, the rivers and the night life. You get a feel not only for the region but also for the social climate. Lots of young, college age people out to party and have a good time. The local police are not prepared for what could be a serial killer. In comes the FBI.

Elaina McCord didn't choose to be an FBI profiler, in a way, it choose her. Her father is a well known profiler who Elaina has been trying to please for most of her life. When she was sent to the Brownsville, Texas office instead of her first choice of Washington, DC, she sucked it up and did her job. She not a complainer and I liked that about her. But there is a difference between complaining and standing up for yourself. The problem I did have was she didn't stick up for herself. She feels like she's not part of the investigation team, and she has good reason to feel this. She's the only woman on the team and both the local police chief and the FBI agent in charge don't take her seriously. But Elaina keeps herself separate from them and that was part of the problem. She was more likely to go off and work by herself than to join the team efforts. I think she worked with Troy more than she did with her team.

Troy Stockton is a famous author and a local of Lito Island. His home is there and he has a personal interest in the murders that are currently happening. He wrote a book years ago about a convicted murder but now it looks like some of his facts may be wrong. He's not attracted to Elaina at first, he's more interested in using her to get information. But he soon falls in lust and can't keep away from her. Troy is rich, famous and sexy as hell. Elaina doesn't come across as his type and it took a while before I could figure out why he wanted her when she made it clear she didn't want to get involved with him. She's attractive but Troy could have his pick of women if all he wants is something casual which is the impression that's given. I didn't really feeling a connection to this couple. It was more a mutual using of each other to find the killer with the sex as a way to relieve the stress. No much in the way of romance.

There is a developing secondary romance running throughout the book. It's between a homicide detective working a cold case and a woman who is an expert in DNA. They get pulled into the serial killer case because of a potential connection between the cold case and the latest murders. I didn't feel any sexual tension between these two, they found each other attractive but in a abstract way. They are both overworked and it felt like they didn't have time for much else. Their book is next in the series so I'm hoping for more in the way of tension between them.

The murder mystery was all over the place with Elaina and Troy spending a lot of time hunting down leads and clues. They try to connect the various killings, looking for a commonality between the victims. In doing this, there is even more separation of Elaina and the investigating team. I did like how the victims and the killer were connected and how the killer was able to get to the victims. It was creative and something that I had never heard of.

The suspense is the more dominate feature with the romance coming in a distant second. The end of the book left unanswered questions. The motivation of the killer was never fully explained. Why were the women murdered? Why did the killer fixate on Elaina? Why was she treated so harshly by some of the men in the investigation? I did find the scenes at the Delphi Center, a highly sophisticated forensics lab that Troy works with, interesting and look forward to reading more about it in the next book.

Rating: B-

Books in this series ~

Untraceable
Unspeakable
Unforgivable

Review: No Place to Run

No Place to Run
Maya Banks
Romantic Suspense
KGI/Book 2
Berkley/December 2010

From the back cover ~

Sam Kelly Was Her First Love.

The last person Sam Kelly expected to pull wounded from the lake was Sophie Lundgren. Once they had shared a brief, intense affair while Sam was undercover, and then she vanished. She's spent the last five months on the run, knowing that any mistake would cost her life and that of her unborn child - Sam's child. Now she's resurfaced with a warning for Sam: This time, he's the one in danger.

Now He's Her Last Chance.

Sam has too many questions to let her slip away again - like why she disappeared in the first place. This time he vows not to be seduced. But one look in her eyes and the passion burns again, and Sam knows he'll do anything to keep her and his child safe. However, Sophie's dark past is more dangerous than he imagines, and the only way for either to survive is to outrun it.

The first book in the series, The Darkest Hour, I thought was okay and liked it enough to give the next book a try. This time many of the secondary characters are back but they're more familiar so there wasn't such an overload of who's who. The hero and heroine have a bit of a history but they didn't really get to know each other, it was mainly sex that kept them together the first time. Now they're back together and they still don't have a chance to get to know each other because they are being hunted and constantly on the run.

This is Sam's story, the eldest son of the Kelly clan. Sam is a true alpha male. Commanding, intelligent, a born leader. He's also a bit of a loner. He's close to his brothers, the Kelly family is a close knit family. But I do think Sam keeps himself apart from the women he's intimate with. You get this vibe from him that he has to look out for his siblings and his parents and has no time for a real personal life for himself. He does think of Sophie, even five months later, but has no idea where she is. Ha - careful what you wish for!

Sophie Lundgren has lived with the father from hell. He uses her and abuses her, causing her to fear for her life. She makes her escape and eventually goes to Sam for help. Sophie is a strong and brave heroine who is also preggers and let me tell you those hormones were a raging! She cries a lot and granted she has a lot to cry about but there were times when I was relieved when Sam or one of his brothers drugged her. It was easy to feel sorry for her, because of her background and her current situation. She loves Sam, is preggers with his child and she's not even sure if he loves her let alone trusts her. But that's okay cause they can still have wild monkey sex!

Is it just me or does it seem like the sex in mainstream romances is sounding more like what you would expect to read in an erotic romance? I have read some of Banks' erotic romances so I'm familiar with her other work. But in general, it seems like the wording in sex scenes is becoming more explicit in mainstream romances. Or it could just be my reading selections. :)

So back to Sam and Sophie - they still have a very strong attraction and find time to act on that attraction between hiding out, getting shot and the general mayhem that comes from being on the run from a vicious drug lord. They did have their sweet moments and Sam did give Sophie the benefit of doubt, against his brother Garrett's opinion, that she was telling the truth and wasn't working for her father. Sam, being an alpha, was very protective of Sophie but she still managed to escape him. That made me laugh. I think that might be a reoccurring theme in this series - the heroine running away from the hero at least once.

It's not just Sam and Sophie that are on the run. The whole Kelly family is in danger so we get to catch up with not only Sam's brothers but his parents and their adopted sister Rusty. Along with the member of the KGI teams, it made for a full character list. It didn't bother me as much this time, maybe because they were more familiar and gave the story it's momentum. All Sam and Sophie seem to do is argue, cry and have sex. The real action happened when the brothers and the team members were involved.

The story is fast pace, with lots of shooting, killing and dangerous situations. The boys and their toys are in full force with Sam, his brothers and their team members sporting lots of weapons, driving big SUVs and wearing a lot of black. I found No Place to Run a quick and somewhat entertaining read, but nothing that really stands out from the rest of the pack.

Rating: B-

Review: The Best Laid Plans

The Best Laid Plans
Sarah Mayberry
Contemporary Romance
Harlequin Super/November 2010

From the back cover ~

On the edge of something big!

Boundaries. The key to how corporate lawyer Alexandra Knight manages her busy life. However, lately all her precisely drawn lines are getting blurred. Blame it on her out-of-control biological clock that is ignoring her single status... and on Ethan Stone.

Because her sexy, no-strings colleague has posed an outrageous solution to her dilemma - he'll be her baby daddy. This from the guy who avoids all commitment? Okay, so they're attracted to each other. Really, really attracted. But crossing the line from coworker to co-parent with Ethan could ruin Alex for all other men. After all, when you've had the best...

I have a confession to make -hero/heroines as lawyers - not my favorite. In fact, I'm less likely to pick up a book if the hero or heroine is a lawyer. The one exception is a Julie James book. I like her lawyers. :) Anyone else, unless it's a romantic suspense, I can do without them. In Sarah Mayberry's latest, an author I adore, both the hero and heroine are lawyers. I wasn't crazy about that but it's a Mayberry so an auto-read for me.

Alexandra Knight is a smart career woman who, up until 18 months ago, was in a long term, committed relationship. She's now single and feeling that baby clock ticking away. Her ex made it clear that he didn't want kids but Alex thought he would eventually change his mind. He didn't, they split and now she's running out of options. After doing some research, she decides to use a sperm bank. She finds out that you can basically order the sperm on line. Isn't the internet grand? Alex is intelligent and practical. She wants to fall in love, get married and have a kid or two but she doesn't feel that time is on her side. I liked that Alex was realistic in her plans to have a child. She didn't completely give up on her dream of a traditional family, she simply modified her plans to fit her reality.

Ethan Stone is a partner in the same law firm as Alex. He's an older hero, 42, which I thought was a nice change. I suppose Mayberry could have gone with a younger guy but I'm glad she went a few years older than Alex's 38. Ethan has a reputation as a player, one that he doesn't rightfully earn but doesn't do anything to correct either. He does date but nothing serious. He not looking for serious. He's been there, done that and has no desire to try again. He did have hopes of having children but those hopes were put aside when his wife left him. When he finds out about Alex's situation, he sees the possibility of having a child of his own.

Alex and Ethan are not only partners in the same law firm, they are friendly outside of work. They have the occasional lunch together and play racquetball every week. They're not close friends, Ethan has a reputation and Alex doesn't want any involvement with a player. I'd say they're comfortable in each others company, talking of work and life in general. No sharing of secrets or any intimate details. They're both aware of the attractiveness of the other but neither chooses to act on that attraction, preferring to remain just friends.

Mayberry could have gone either way with this. She could have had Ethan try to wine and dine Alex into having a child with him. Ethan could have made Alex think he wants her when all he really wants is a child. But she didn't go that route and I'm so glad she didn't. Ethan, it turns out is an honest man and approached Alex with his plan that they become co-parents. It would be set up like a divorce without the marriage. They would arrange custody and financial obligations in the same way divorcing parents would, except without the drama. It made sense but it also came across as very cold, certainly not romantic. And that was the main problem I had with the story, not enough romance. I think I would have been happy had they gone ahead and became co-parents. It would have been interesting to see them remain as friends throughout the pregnancy and after the baby was born. Instead I kept waiting for the romance to happen.

The first approximate two-thirds of the book is about the process Alex, then both Alex and Ethan, go through of having a child through non-traditional means. We see Alex and Ethan get to the point where they are ready to go to the lab, undergo the process necessary to have a baby through in vitro. It was all very clinical with them trying to keep it more like a business transaction without all the emotional baggage that goes with creating a child with someone you love. Since this is a category romance, it's short, just under 250 pages. If it had been longer I'd have been okay with the amount of page time devoted to the process but it took time away from the romance.

But this is a romance so Alex and Ethan become romantically involved. This turns their relationship upside down and pulls some great emotional moments from both characters. I absolutely loved the last third of the book. Alex is still hoping for a man to love and who loves her. Ethan doesn't think he can give her that. He's afraid of taking the chance at anything permanent. It's a real roller coaster of a romance with neither Alex or Ethan sure of the others feelings.

So, not my favorite Mayberry but it still had well developed characters and an emotional ending. If only there had been more romance. . .

Rating: B-

Review: Assassin's Honor

Assassin's Honor
Monica Burns
Paranormal Romance
Order of the Sicari/Book 1
Berkley/June 2010

From the back cover ~

A woman with visions of the past. . .

Archeologist Emma Zale sees the past when she touches ancient relics. It’s how she uncovered evidence of an ancient order of assassins—the Sicari. When a sinfully dark stranger shows up on her Chicago doorstep demanding an ancient artifact she doesn’t have, he drags her into a world here telekinesis and empaths are the norm. Now someone wants her dead, and her only hope of survival is an assassin who’s every bit as dangerous to her body as he is to her heart.

Bonded to an honorable assassin. . .

Ares DeLuca comes from an ancient Roman bloodline of telekinetic assassins. A Sicari, he’s honor bound to kill only in the name of justice. But when the woman he loved was murdered, Ares broke the Sicari code and used his sword for revenge. Love cost him dearly once before, and he’s not willing to pay the price again. At least not until hot, sweet, delectable Emma walked into his life. Not only does she hold the key to a valuable Sicari relic, she might just hold the key to his heart.

Their dangerous passion will redeem an assassin's honor. . .

A heroine archeologist - is it just me or does there seem to be a lot of hero and heroine archeologist lately? I guess Indiana Jones never goes out of style. I personally like the Indi style of heroes and heroines. Smart is sexy whether it be the hero or heroine. And when they're smart and out of their element - that can make for some fun reading.

Emma Zale is a brilliant archeologist who finds herself caught in the middle of a murder investigation and then her life is threatened. She doesn't know who she can trust, not even the annoyingly handsome stranger who shows up in her home. Emma is happiest on dig sites, not fighting assassins in her Chicago home. She may be smart but man can she cry! She's being chased by a man with a sword whom she believes is trying to kill her. Ya think? She trips and falls to the ground, in terrible pain. She gets up and continues moving down the street, trying to get away. She looks back and sees him right behind her, she falls to ground and starts crying. What?! Woman, drag your ass into the bushes if you have to. Don't just give up and sit there crying! I liked her but there were times when she really just needed to suck it up.

Ares DeLuca has some wicked powers. He's not only an expert with a sword, he also has telekinetic powers which he likes to show off. Ares comes from a long line of Sicari warriors, part of an intricate secret society who protect the innocent. I liked how detailed Burns wrote the Sicari world. There is a hierarchy, laws and a code of honor they are expected to follow. The laws and punishments seemed barbaric at times. At one point, in front of the council members and warriors, Emma unknowingly interferes, thinking she's helping Ares. She is put on trial and her ignorance of their laws is not considered an acceptable defense. Ares takes her punishment. He must run a gauntlet, made up of warriors, which he might not survive. It was very dramatic but I couldn't help thinking that they are putting one of their best warriors at risk because of a misunderstanding. There are plenty of people trying to kill Ares without adding his own people to the mix.

The other members of Ares team or guild as they are called, are a close family unit. Fighting and sometimes dying alongside each other they have formed that bond of brotherhood. They have that strong connection of growing up in the Order. Even Ares sister Phaedra is a member of the Sicari and of Ares guild. I liked the tight-knit, family feel of the guild. I also liked that it wasn't solely men but had female warriors fighting against the Praetorians, the Sicaris long time enemies. Both groups are after an artifact, the Tyet of Isis, and Emma might just know how to find it.

The romance is definitely there. From the moment Ares is in the same room with Emma, she's aware of his presence. As they are fighting for their lives and searching for the Tyet of Isis they make time to do a full exploration of their more baser needs. Emma drives Ares nuts in bed and it's actually kind of funny. He's Mr. Warrior, always in control then Emma makes him lose it in bed and after, he gets mad at himself for getting involved with her! I love it when the heroine drives the hero bonkers, just wish she hadn't drove me nuts too. Stop crying already!

The mystery surrounding the search for the artifact leads Emma to begin to question the motives of people she trusted. She gets to the point were the only one she can trust is Ares. I did like how the archeological aspects were incorporated into the story. The way Emma is able to "read" artifacts was useful not only in the search but also getting to know Ares. The ending left plenty of room to continue the series with secondary characters.

Despite the fact that the heroine drove me crazy at times, the use of swords over guns had me puzzled, (yes, it does take place in present day) the story did leave me wanting to know more about this world of the Sicari. This is one of those stories where I found the action scenes and secondary characters grabbing my attention more than the hero and heroine. I'm curious about the next book, Assassin's Heart and the hero and heroine, who we meet in Assassin's Honor. I'm hoping they will prove to be a more dynamic pair than I found Emma and Ares to be.

Rating: B-

ARC Review: Mob Rules

Mob Rules
Cameron Haley
Urban Fantasy
Underworld Cycle/Book 1
Luna/September 2010
Received from Luna/NetGalley

From the author's website ~

As LA plunges into an occult gang war, mob sorceress Domino Riley must unravel a conspiracy that reaches beyond the magic-soaked mean streets into a world of myth and legend.

Domino investigates the ritual execution of a mob associate, a graffiti magician named Jamal. The kid isn’t just dead, he’s been squeezed — the killer stole his magical power or “juice.” Domino summons Jamal’s shade, and the ghost points to Adan Rashan as his killer. This is tricky, because Adan is the favored son of Domino’s boss, Shanar Rashan, a six-thousand-year-old Sumerian wizard. It’s even trickier because only a mobbed-up sorcerer could have squeezed Jamal and Adan isn’t a sorcerer.

As the corpses pile up, Domino must confront the killer and unmask an otherworldly kingpin with designs on her gang’s magic-rich turf.

MOB RULES is an urban fantasy novel of murder and magic, betrayal and redemption set in the supernatural underworld of Los Angeles.

The opening of Mob Rules is in your face gruesome and combined with dark humor gets the story of Dominica (Domino) Riley off to a quick start. This is LA but not the one we're familiar with. This is an LA run by what are called "outfits" which are a lot like present day mafia. They each control different sections of the city and for the most part get along. Each outfit is headed by a powerful sorcerer. Domino's boss, Shanar Rashan, is thought to be one of the more powerful sorcerers and he's the one that trained Domino.

Domino a sorcerer and uses her powers for good - okay, not really. She uses her powers for the outfit, making sure everything runs smoothly. The way Domino describes herself and her work is a "fixer". When it comes to magic she's one of the more powerful members of the outfit. She's got a spell for just about everything. Which is good since she uses her magic a lot. She gets called to fix the more serious things like when one of the outfit members is skinned. Yep, he's found skinned. Domino has to figure out who did it and why. She's able to read/sense the magic from objects and she uses that ability to help her investigate the murder. It's a intricate world of magic Dominic inhabits and there were times when it felt a little too crowded. Keeping track of the members of Dominic's outfit, add in those of the other outfits plus creatures from the Between and it got a little confusing.

Domino is a woman but there are times when it's easy to forget that fact. She acts more like a man through much of the book. When she's with Adan, her potential boyfriend, it's then she comes across as a female but when she's working, it's hard to tell she's female. I think I would have liked her more and possibly connected with her better if she had shown her more feminine side a bit more. I do understand why she had to be tough and sometimes cold when dealing with the men of the outfits but a few more reminders here and there of her gender would have been good.

Piskies, werewolves, vampires, a jinn in a TV - there are a lot of different beings in Domino's world and she seems to run into them all at one point or another. The story took an odd turn when Domino went into the Between. It's this other world where places and things are similar to Domino's world but with a shadowy effect. It has this eerie quality to it that gives it a distorted feel. Like you can't believe everything you see. Domino finds this out when she tries to battle a vampire and her powers don't work the same way they do in her world. I did like how the two worlds meshed together and hope we see more of the Between in the next book.

There is a romance of sorts. It's minimal and Domino does show a tender side when with Adan but she's still a lieutenant in the outfit with a lot of responsibilities. Her job is never far from her thoughts and along with the job, there is a lot of stress. If you're hoping for romance, this is UF with the romance being a minor part of the story.

Overall, I liked certain parts of Mob Rules. I think Domino as a heroine is interesting and certainly different from the usual UF heroines. I do think there was too much going on at times and hope the next book is more streamlined. Mob Rules is the first book in a series so there is a lot of world building and there is potential for a solid series. The author Cameron Haley has written a prequel novella, Retribution, releasing October 1 in the anthology Harvest Moon with Mercedes Lackey and Michelle Sagara. If you like a lot of magic and violence then this could work for you.

Rating: B-

ARC Review: The Making of a Duchess

The Making of a Duchess
Shanna Galen
Historical Romance (1801)
Sons of the Revolution/Book 1
Sourcebooks/June 2010
ARC from Publisher

From the publisher's website ~

A very dangerous attraction…

Julien Harcourt, duc de Valère, is more than willing to marry the lovely young lady his mother has chosen. Little does he know, she’s been sent to prove him a spy and a traitor…

And an even more dangerous secret…

Sarah Smith’s mission is to find out whether the Duc’s trips to the Continent are as innocent as he claims, but the way he looks at her is far from innocent…

Their risky game of cat and mouse propels them from the ballrooms of London to the prisons of Paris, and into a fragile love that may not survive their deceptions…

The story opens with a young boy running for his life and leaving nearly everything and everyone he loves behind. It's a brutal look at what happens when the mob mentality strikes and both the guilty and the innocent are caught up in the violence. I was quickly swept up in the story of what happened after that young boy becomes a man. What happens when the same young boy who ran for his life is now a wealthy and powerful man.

Julien Harcourt is a man with a life mission. He desperately wants to find his brothers. He has to believe that they are still alive and that he has not worked so hard in vain. He will do whatever it takes to find them even if that means placing his trust in a woman whose allegiance he finds questionable. He needs her help and he's willing to use her to get what he wants. I liked that Julien never gave up hope of finding his brothers alive. It's been years since he fled from the Revolution in France and now that he has established himself in England he hasn't forgotten his brothers. He uses his connections and wealth to continue looking for them and following any lead.

When Julien's mother tells him the daughter of an old family friend will be visiting he knows his mother hopes there will be a marriage between Julien and Serafina. Julien accepts the fact that it is time for him to start thinking of marriage and heirs. When he sees Serafina aka governess Sarah Smith, he is a bit surprised. She isn't at all what he was expecting. Their first meeting is certainly memorable with Sarah leaving a distinct impression on Julien. Sarah is a nervous wreck and totally unfit for her role as spy.

Governess Sarah Smith is in shock when told she must act as a French noblewoman to uncover a spy and traitor to the crown. She may speak French but she is far from nobility. She works for the nobility but acting the part puts her out of her element. This is where I had problems with the story. Sarah was so unbelievable in her role as Serafina Artois, noblewoman. She was young, (20ish) so she didn't even have any real maturity or much life experience to fall back on. The reader had to really stretch reality to believe that this young woman was able to continue in her deception of Julien. She kept making one bad decision after another. Her inexperience when dealing with stressful situations and drama was obvious. I think it would have worked better had she been a bit older and more assure of herself. It would have made her character more believable in her role as a would be spy and her deception of Julien.

Julien was a fascinating character whose past shaped him into the man he had become. He could be ruthless when it came to getting what he wanted but he still held enough compassion for those in desperate situations like Sarah was. I did like how Julien treated Sarah, trying to keep her safe while still searching for his brothers. He was terribly attracted to her but didn't completely trust her which made for some interesting sexual tension. And he found that he was not only attracted to her but he liked her. Which took him by surprise. Love when that happens. I enjoyed his honesty and his honor even when he had no reason to trust.

The plot of this French exile doing well in England while still maintaining ties to France was interesting. I liked the way the politics of the time period were woven into the story but didn't overwhelm the characters or the romance. The romance between these two seemingly opposites started out as a business transaction, much like many marriage proposals between aristocrats of that time. In the end they of course, fall madly in love and will do just about anything for each other.

Unfortunately, what started out well didn't hold together as well. It all kept coming back to the character of Sarah and the fact that she just didn't fit. I get that she wasn't suppose to fit the role of spy, since she didn't have any experience and only three days of training but it was more than that. It was the fact that she kept going with the role and began to believe in what she was doing, that she could play the spy when she kept screwing everything up. It was out of character for her and made that aspect of the plot unbelievable.

The next book in the series, The Making of a Gentleman, is due out in October. I will admit that I am curious about it and will probably read it due to who the hero is. As long as the heroine isn't another Sarah, I'm willing to give it a try.


Rating: B-

DIK Challenge Review: Pursuit

Pursuit
Elizabeth Jennings
Romantic Suspense
Grand Central Publishing/April 2008
Purchased

From the back cover ~

PAIN

A shocking betrayal... her father's murder... and a life-threatening accusation... Heiress Charlotte Court has walked into a waking nightmare - one that sends her running from her wealthy home to anywhere she can hide.

PANIC

Across the border in Mexico, Charlotte creates a new identity and finds refuge in the battle-torn arms of Navy SEAL Matt Sanders. Fleeing his past, Matt yearns to protect her and replace her pain with pleasure. But Charlotte can't trust anyone, not even someone she's starting to love. She knows she's a target - and out of sight, a soulless killer is zeroing in on his prey...

This month's book I picked from Katie's list. I was in the mood for a romantic suspense. Elizabeth Jennings is also known to romance readers as Lisa Marie Rice. I haven't read anything by Rice but have heard good things about her Midnight books. I do have a few on the TBR pile and hope to get to them soon.

The story begins with murder and ends with justice. What happens in between is focused on two scarred and battle weary people who, at the beginning, are just trying to survive. Pursuit was an easy book to get into. It starts off quickly with Charlotte on the run for her life. Meanwhile, Matt Sanders is busy falling on his face at a VA hospital, trying to recover from multiple gunshot wounds. Both Charlotte and Matt are thrown into very different worlds than what they are accustomed to. Charlotte goes from wealthy and privileged to desperate and terrified. Matt goes from unbeatable warrior to broken, lost and in pain. Charlotte and Matt are exactly what the other needs, they just don't know it yet.

Charlotte Court is extremely wealthy but she doesn't flaunt that wealth. Instead she uses her wealth to help others and pursue her love of painting. She was studying in Italy when her father's health began to decline. She loves her father very much and spends the next two years at his bedside, taking care of him. I liked that Charlotte had a good relationship with her father. Too often we see the hero/heroine having strained or distant relationships with their parents. While we only get to know her father through Charlotte's memories of him, it showed how important he was to her. Charlotte is a likable character who overcomes incredible odds and manages to get away from her father's murderer. She travels to Mexico where she meets a man pushing himself to survive and recover.

Matt Saunders was Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy. A highly trained SEAL who finds himself desperately trying to recover not only his physical abilities but his sense of purpose. He goes to Mexico to stay with a friend and try to figure out what to do with his life. I really felt for Matt. Here's a guy who had it all. He was in a position of authority that he had worked very hard for. His whole life was focused on being a SEAL. Then all his plans are gone and he's got to decide what to do with the rest of his life. It's got to be a big blow to the ego to go from being extremely physically fit to being too weak to walk. When he meets Charlotte he's just beginning to recover physically and is completely focused on that.

When Matt figures out that Charlotte is in danger and hiding out in Mexico, it gives him a purpose. He appoints himself as her protector and begins to earn her trust. Charlotte knows who Matt is but she's still very leery of anyone and she certainly doesn't want anyone to find out her real identity. They begin to spend time together and get to know each other. I liked that Matt didn't push Charlotte towards sex. He definitely wanted her but backed off when she said no. He understood that she had gone through something very traumatic and he needed to earn her trust. In someways, they were a normal couple, going on dates and getting to know each other. In other ways they were far from normal with Matt protecting Charlotte and rarely letting her out of his sight. She didn't seem to mind, instead taking comfort from his presence.

While I liked the premise of the story and the hero/heroine I had a couple of problems that kept me from being able to enjoy it. The first is Matt and his lack of money. He talks of how he's never been into designer clothes or fancy cars so you get the impression that he's responsible when it comes to spending his money, that he doesn't spend it freely. He also says that he had lived on the base in the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) while he was in the Navy. Matt was an officer, a Lieutenant Commander. That's an O4 pay grade with 10+ years of service. According to DFAS his basic monthly pay would be $5799.00 as of January 2008. That's not including allowances, hazardous duty pay, sea pay etc. that he would have gotten. So why does he only have $13,000? I just couldn't figure out what he did with his money. And it's mentioned a number of times that he doesn't have much money and owns very little. This may be nit picking but whenever his lack of money was mentioned it bugged the heck out of me. Whether this bugs other readers, IDK, but with my dh being retired Navy, I'm very familiar with Navy pay. Now I know how Kristie felt with the inaccurate baseball facts. :)

The other thing that got me was the mention of Matt's friend Tom, also a former SEAL, that now heads a security firm in San Diego. What? Did I somehow start reading a Troubleshooters book? I realize not everyone is familiar with Brockmann's series but still... weird.

I did find the antagonist an interesting character. Jennings got us into his head and I found it very cold and creepy how someone can look at murder as just a job. His musings on tracking his prey and getting into the mind of his prey was intriguing but I did think the final "battle" a bit weak.

There was one scene that I thought was so sweet and had such a feeling of contentment. It's a morning after scene with Matt and Charlotte cuddled up in bed. Charlotte is feeling very happy, waking with a smile on her face. Matt tells her "I can hear you smiling". I loved that line. They're both so happy and relaxed after being so stressed out for so long.

Charlotte and Matt's love story is sweet and genuine. I liked how they got to know each other and became a couple. Unfortunately, by the end of the book the problems I mentioned overshadowed the story for me. That and the ending felt too quick after the build up of the killer's abilities. I think I'll try one of the Lisa Marie Rice books next.

Rating: B-

Review: Wolf Signs

Wolf Signs
Vivian Arend
Paranormal Romance
Granite Lake Wolves/Book 1
B&N Free In-Store Read

From the author's website ~

Robyn Maxwell doesn’t care that her brother has to cancel out on their back country ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she’s been craving.

Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil’s one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death.

Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf.

Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week—and his bed—is suddenly full.

Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind…

Warning: Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘talking with your hands.’ Includes dangerous use of sarcasm and hot nookie in a remote wilderness sauna.

If you noticed the info at the top, this was a free in-store read for my nook™. One of the latest upgrades for the nook™ was one hour of free in-store reading per day. The selection is varied from NY Times bestsellers to shorter, sub-genres like erotica. I picked Arend's because I'd heard good things about her writing. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to try it.

One of the first things that's different is the heroine is deaf. I'm always curious as to how an author will portray someone with a disability. Will they play up the disability and make it the focal point of the character? Or will they downplay it and make the character more than her disability? In this case Robyn Maxwell doesn't let her deafness slow her down. Nor does she let it define her. I really liked that about her. She doesn't take shit from anyone either. And she is far from helpless. Sure, she has to deal with situations differently because of her deafness but it doesn't deter her from doing what she wants to. Which is why she goes on the skiing trip alone.

Keil and his brother TJ are not as surprised at having company at the cabin as they are that their company is a woman alone. Good thing for Robyn that these two brothers are gentlemen, sort of. They are in fact werewolves. When Keil realizes Robyn is his mate he has to figure out how to tell her without totally freaking her out. It takes some doing and convincing but eventually they come to an understanding. It must have been the pheromones or the short length of the story but, Robyn and Keil got hot and heavy pretty quick.

TJ is like the Scooby-Doo of the werewolves. He's cute, he's lovable and he's a bit of a goof. His skiing ability is more of an attacking the slopes and barreling down the mountain as opposed to actually skiing down. He's lost three pairs of skis this season much to his brother's embarrassment. I thought it was cute to have a werewolf that was not an over-the-top alpha. He was formidable while in his wolf form but a bit of a klutz in human form.

The romance between Robyn and Keil is there but again, happens fairly quickly. Robyn was a little too trusting of Keil and TJ. I mean, good grief, they're werewolves! She's alone in an isolated cabin with them. How does she really know what they'll do to her? She questions them about their "werewolfness" but pretty much takes them at their word regarding her safety with them. Robyn and Keil connect fast and fall into lust fast. Everything happens pretty quickly.

Overall, a decent werewolf meets mate story. There seemed to be too much going on for such a short story. I would have preferred the story concentrate on the romance and not so much on the pack drama. I do plan to read book 2, Wolf Flight. The e-books are inexpensive and quick reads.

Rating: B-

DIK Review: The Man Must Marry

The Man Must Marry
Janet Chapman
Contemporary Romance
Sinclair Brothers series/Book 1
Pocket Star Books/November 2008
Purchased

From the back cover ~

Trying to escape marriage, they are snared by love. When Sam Sinclair's self-made millionaire grandfather sends Willa Ken, a woman none of the three Sinclair brothers have even heard of, as his proxy to an ultra-important meeting of the Sinclair shipping company, most people would think they old man had lost his marbles. But Sam knows his grandfather too well. For some reason, the wily old man has decided that one of his three grandsons should marry Will, and this is his way of trying to force the issue...

So Will and Sam team up on what seems like a wild-goose to find some loophole in Grandfather Sinclair's crazy notion. But as Sam crews Willa's yacht en route to Maine, he finds to his surprise that his grandfather's offbeat scheme is growing more attractive by the moment. Willa is smart, beautiful... and has a wild streak that sends them soaring together above the clouds.

But Willa isn't about to let Sam fly away with her heart until she knows his true motives. If the man wants to marry for money, then the woman in her says that first he must fall in love.

My first Janet Chapman book and the blurb sums it up quite well. For some reason I thought Chapman wrote historicals - with highlanders. It turns out she does but this isn't one of them. :)

The three Sinclair brothers are in shock when they meet Willa Kent. She's not at all what they expected. Willa comes from a completely different world of the luxury and fine living that the Sinclair brother's are accustomed to. She's far happier at home in her small town in Maine than in the crowded and busy New York City. The brothers also want to send Willa back to Maine and keep her out of their business but their grandfather had other plans in mind for Willa and the brothers.

Sam Sinclair is the eldest of the three Sinclair brothers and by default seems to be the designated leader. He can't believe what his grandfather has done but is resigned to play out the farce that has sent this woman who he likens to a partridge into his world. Sam ends up spending time with Willa and quickly realizes how much courage it took for her to come to New York and take on the Sinclair brothers. She really is out of her element and her klutziness is at an all time high. The poor woman can't make it through one evening without loosing her purse, tripping, slipping and in general showing minimal coordination. At first it was cute but it did get to be a bit much after a while.

Willa Kent is a kind person who believes in helping others. That's what got her into the mess she's in now. She befriended Abram Sinclair when he rented the cottage on her property in Maine. It's because of that friendship that she agreed to act as his proxy for voting in the next CEO of Tidewater International. She has to choose between the three brothers but can't make a quick decision so she decides they must go out to dinner, allowing her to get to know them better.

Sam and Willa get to know each other a lot better. With them falling for each other really, really quick. Sam fell so fast I'm surprised he was able to take a breath and tell Willa how he felt. I didn't feel like it was genuine with Sam, it happened too quick. It was like one minute he's thinking of her as plain and clumsy and then he's so hot for her he can't think straight. I just had a hard time believing it.

Willa is portrayed as a strong woman that is used to taking care of everyone. She feels such responsibility for those she loves that she has a habit of sticking her nose in where it's not always wanted or needed. She's also sworn off marriage since her first marriage left her with the feeling that she and marriage just don't work. She's had some rough times in her past that have caused her to make some drastic decisions. I liked Willa but she did seem to cry a lot. At one point it's mentioned that she cried for three hours. Wow. It was after someone close to her had died but still, three hours? Otherwise I didn't get the impression that she was a crier.

The other two Sinclair brothers are not as involved in Sam and Willa's search to find a solution to who will lead Tidewater International. We do get to know them a little bit when Willa first arrives in New York and then later on. Ben is the middle brother and his book, Tempt Me If You Can, is out now. I'm guessing youngest brother Jesse will also get a book. What I did get to know of the Ben and Jesse, I liked Ben the least. He came across as very abrasive. Jesse came across as easy going and fun loving. But I'll just have to wait until I read their books to find out what they're really like. I do have a heroine in mind for Jesse but... I'll just have to wait for his book to come out.

The main problem I had with the story is the falling in love of Sam and Willa. Like I mentioned, Sam went too quick and Willa was in denial until "boom" she loves him. They just never seem to really fit together for me. And they played these games with Willa dating someone else and Sam pretending he didn't mind.

I did like the small town setting of Willa's home in Maine. The characters were colorful and typical of small towns, always wanting to know every one's business. Willa has a great and unique job that showed her creative side. I also liked that Willa didn't stay a klutz but while sailing she was sure-footed and a better sailor than Sam.

A few problems, mainly with the quick fall of the hero and the over done aspect of the klutzy heroine but overall a decent read. I do hope to read the stories of the other two Sinclair brothers and find out what happens to them.

Rating: B-

Review: Getting Lucky

Getting Lucky
Carolyn Brown
Contemporary Romance
Lucky Trilogy/Book 3
Sourcebooks/January 2010
Publisher

From the publisher's website ~

Teacher Julie Donovan has just relocated to a new town in Texas with her young daughter. Of all the kindergarten classes in all the state, Julie is surprised to see her one-night stand, her daughter's father, enroll his own 5-year-old daughter, all the while pretending they are strangers.

But to Griffin Luckadeau they really are strangers, and Julie's little family is a mess he wants nothing to do with. Julie attempts to make her own way in the town, but local politics, a fire and her daughter's inconvenient friendships all seem to be pushing these two strong-willed Texans together.

Carolyn Brown's final book in her Lucky trilogy takes the reader back to Texas and to the town of Saint Jo. It's here where Julie Donovan has taken a job as a kindergarten teacher. She and her five year old daughter are starting over after living with Julie's parents after her divorce. This is to be a fresh start, getting away from the gossip and rumors that ran rampant after Julie's ex-husband filed for divorce. Annie, Julie's daughter, is not her ex-husband's child.

Griffin Luckadeau is one of the numerous Luckadeaus that populate Texas. He comes from a long line of ranchers and has ranching in his blood. He is also the single father of Lizzy, his five year old daughter who just happens to look like Annie, Julie's daughter. When the two girls meet for the first time in Julie's class they become instant friends. Their bond is a strong one and their parents are not happy about it. When Griffin first meets Julie at the school he doesn't know who Julie is but he thinks she trouble. When he does unravel the truth of who Julie is and how they are connected, it's too late for him to back away from her and Annie. They have become part of his and Lizzy's life.

Julie is just having the worst luck. I felt bad for her when she came face to face with Griffin. Here she is trying to get a new beginning for her and Annie and she can't seem to get away from her past. Add to that the quick friendship that develops between Annie and Lizzy and it just complicates things. Julie doesn't like Griffin, she wants nothing to do with him but understand that she also has to consider Annie. Griffin doesn't trust Julie at all but he also has to consider Lizzy. They're stuck. Then the rumors start up with people talking about the amazing resemblance between Annie and Lizzy.

When Julie is confronted with the rumors of who Annie's father is she tries to deny it which I really didn't understand since it's obvious Annie is a Luckadeau. Then she has a major run in with Griffin's ex. The claws come out and Julie goes from sweet kindergarten teacher to momma bear guarding her cub. I got why Julie was so upset with Griffin's ex. The woman was horrible. What I didn't get was how close to violence Julie was. The women in general throughout the book were very vocal when they became angry. The men seemed tame in comparison. And the women didn't use only words but threats of physical violence as well. This surprised me and had a tendency to take me out of the story.

The kids in the story were really cute and well written. There was Annie, Lizzy and a little boy named Chuck that the girls basically adopt. It was sweet the way they took him under their wing and decided, on their own, that they should take care of him. They would share their lunches and invite him to their homes in spite of the fact that Chuck was a bit of an outcast at school.

Julie and Griffin's relationship goes from wary to angry to cordial to tentative friendship. Then the fire that ravages the area places Julie and Griffin in a position to help each other out. That's when the tentative friendship really becomes more. I liked when Julie and Griffin were getting along and had a common goal that they worked towards. They made a good couple except when they were fighting because the fights seemed to become so childish. If they had simply talked more I think they could have avoided some of the arguments.

The people of the town played a role in Julie and Griffin's relationship. As did Griffin's family. The women were, once again, very protective of Griffin. Almost too protective. Millie and Jane (Luckadeau heroines from first two books) make it very clear to Julie that they don't trust her. It takes a while before the misunderstandings are discovered and the women can finally stop with the threats.

The down home Texas feel comes through in spades in Brown's writing. The reader experiences what life is like in a Texas ranching community. Both the small mindedness and the acts of kindness that Julie experiences. If you like your contemporary romances with a southern, small town flair they you might just like Getting Lucky.

Rating: B-

Review: The Other Mr. Darcy

Title: The Other Mr. Darcy
Author: Monica Fairview
Genre: Historical Romance/1812ish
Published: October 2009

*ARC Review*

From the author's website ~

Unpredictable courtships appear to run in the Darcy family...

In this Pride and Prejudice sequel with a difference, Caroline Bingley is our heroine. Caroline is sincerely broken-hearted when Mr. Darcy marries Lizzy Bennet— that is, until she meets his American cousin…

Mr. Robert Darcy is as charming as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is proud, and he is stunned to find Caroline weeping at his cousin's wedding. Caroline, caught in a moment of extreme vulnerability, intends to put as much distance between them as possible, preferably a whole ocean. But events bring them together, and they must make the best of a bad situation.

As for romance, that is the last thing they could possibly expect...

I wasn't sure what to expect with this version of what happens after the famous wedding of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. This story has the focus not on Lizzy and Darcy but on the ever so proper Caroline Bingley. As Lizzy and Darcy are wed Caroline thinks she's lost the perfect man, the only man she wanted to marry. Caroline isn't the most likable person. She's a product of her environment of wealth and privilege. So it surprised me that I came to like her and rather quickly.

When Caroline and Robert Darcy first meet it's over Caroline's tears for another man. She is embarrassed and upset that this stranger should find her in such an improper state and proceeds to extract an oath from him that he will not speak of what he witnessed. Caroline then leaves without finding out who Robert is.

Fast forward almost a year and the two are thrown together on a journey to Pemberley, home of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Along for the ride are Louisa, Caroline's widowed sister and Colonel Fitzwilliams, another cousin of Darcy's. The journey finds Caroline in close proximity to Robert Darcy and allows her to see him as someone far more interesting than she first perceived. Her sister Louisa doesn't help matters with her criticism of Robert Darcy. The fact that he's an American gives Louisa a multitude of factors to find lacking in him. Caroline, oddly enough, finds herself coming to Roberts defense and dislikes Louisa's continued negativity concerning Robert.

Robert Darcy was something of a pale character in comparison to Caroline. I never really felt I got to know him that well. He comes across as kind and open, stating what he thinks and making friends easily. He doesn't seem the type of man to practice deception and yet that is exactly what he ends up doing. He does it to help Caroline and only sees it as helping someone out, not because he has any strong feelings for her. He doesn't regard her as the type of lady he would wed. Caroline is shocked when he tells her this and also surprised at the hurt his admission causes. I would have like to have gotten to know him better, perhaps had he and Caroline spent more time interacting because I did enjoy their banter, I would have felt more connected to his character.

Once at Pemberley Caroline finds herself not only with the Darcys but the boisterous Bennet family arrives to add to the already tense situation Caroline finds herself in. The author does a good job bringing in the flavor of Austen's Bennets, with Mrs. Bennet as irritating as always, Mr. Bennet hiding behind his reading and the girls staying true to form. The cast was quite large and I liked seeing Caroline interact with the various members of the families. I especially liked Caroline and Lizzy, or Eliza as she is called, getting to know each other and seeing Caroline come to the realization that Eliza and Darcy belong together and the she (Caroline) is over Darcy.

The pace of the story is fairly slow. It's a lovely walk in the park with a few side trips, running into some old friends and meeting some new ones. I only wish the walk had picked up the pace a bit rather than strolling through. I think the main problem I had with the story was that I didn't feel much of a spark between Caroline and Robert. They came across as more friends than lovers or potential lovers in this case. The part I liked the best was Caroline and her observations of the actions of others and her reactions. I liked watching how she changes and becomes a far more likable characters than before the journey to Pemberley.

I think if you enjoy historical novels with a soft touch on the romance, a large cast of characters and focus on the character interactions then The Other Mr. Darcy could be for you.

Monica Fairview can be found on her blog and information about her novels can be found on her website.

Rating: B-

Review: Blood Memories

Title: Blood Memories
Author: Barb Hendee
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Vampire Memories/Book 1
Published: October 2008

*Some mild spoilers*

From the back cover ~

For ages, they have lived among mortal man, surviving in the shadows, hiding their true selves from the eyes of humanity - until now.

Eleisha Clevon is irresistibly pretty - with a man of golden locks surrounding innocent hazel eyes and the face of a teen angel. But she is no angel. And she's far older than she looks. Like most vampires she has a special gift. In her case, it's the ability to make men want to care for her. A few even survive the experience. Eleisha doesn't like to kill, but self-preservation comes first.

So when an old friend destroys himself by walking into sunlight right in front of her, Eleisha is shocked. And what she finds afterwards points to how very sick of his existence her friend had become—piling drained corpses in the basement and keeping records of other vampires' real names and addresses. That's a problem.

Because now, there are policemen on the case: two very special humans with some gifts of their own. They know who Eleisha is, and, even more dangerous, what she is. But Eleisha realizes that being known and understood may have its attractions - even if it puts her and all her kind at risk.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. There was a point early on when I thought of putting it down. I didn't like how the heroine and the other vampires had to feed. Maybe I was being picky, they are vampires after all but I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading. What made me continue was the writing and the need to know what happens to Eleisha. It's weird but I didn't really like most of the characters, except for Eleisha, but I still felt the need to find out their stories, how they became vampires and got to the point of where they are now.

The story is told in Eleisha's POV and while I generally expect 1st POV from UF, in my ever expanding experience there seem to be two types of 1st POV for me. The one type is what I think of as the "along for the ride" POV. This is when the author gets you deep into the characters head to the point that you feel you are right there in the thick of it with the hero/heroine. The other type is the "storytelling mode". This is when it feels more like the character is telling you a story of what happened but you're necessarily experiencing it with them. And for me it has nothing to do with the writing being in present tense or past tense. It's more to do with how much that character lets the reader in. With Eleisha I never felt like I was fully in her head, as if she was holding something back.

Blood Memories is about vampires but Hendee has given them a new twist. They each have a different "gift". Basically what it means is that whatever their dominant trait is when they are turned, that trait is enhanced and becomes their special ability or their gift. I thought the author made the story more interesting to have these characters projecting their most dominant trait. Instead of having them all become super strong, fast, turning to bats :) etc. Eleisha had the ability to look helpless and lost, making people feel the need to take care of her. Another of the vampires was beautiful when she was turned. Now that she's a vampire she becomes even more beautiful and irresistible when she uses her gift. They use these gifts to lure their prey into trusting them so they can then suck them dry. *evil grin*

The characters of the police, Dominick and Wade were... weird. Dominick was just plain crazy and Wade was very odd. The way Wade took to Eleisha and her whole world - I would have expected him to be more afraid but he seem to take it all in stride. And Dominick was a cop turned psycho trying to kill all the vampires. Their special abilities were interesting but overall I really didn't care for the whole psychic angle to the story.

The vampire Julian was the one the other vampires feared. But he really wasn't in the book very much. Some background on him and how he's connected to the other vamps but he's more an evil presence through most of the book instead of right there on the spot. Didn't care for him - paranoid vampire on the loose. :)

Eleisha starts out as a caretaker to an elder vampire, William. He was sick when he was turned and the turning didn't cure him. So Eleisha is made his keeper. She enjoys her life with William and doesn't really think of any type of future she might have. She's resigned to care for William indefinitely. I felt kind of sorry for her at times, she was very young when turned and has taken care of William all this time. When her old friend commits vamp suicide she starts to question their existance more. She wonders why there are so few of them and why they have always been told, by Julian, to live separate.

Eleisha finds some answers to her questions and discovers things aren't all what they seem. She finds out that she is capable of much more than she knew and she begins to build a new life based on those answers. The ending does leave some unanswered questions for Eleisha and the reader along with a cliff-hanger. And while I wasn't wowed by the book I do plan to get the second book from the library. Book 2 in the series, Hunting Memories, comes out this October. Visit the author's website here.

Rating: B-

Review: Ashes of Midnight

Review: Ashes of Midnight
Author: Lara Adrian
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Midnight Breed/Book 6
Published: May 2009

*Spoilers if you haven't read the previous books in the series*

From the back cover:

A WOMAN DRIVEN BY BLOOD. A MAN THIRSTING FOR VENGEANCE. A PLACE WHERE DARKNESS AND DESIRE MEET . . .

As night falls, Claire Roth flees, driven from her home by a fiery threat that seems to come from hell itself. Then, from out of the flames and ash, a vampire warrior emerges. He is Andreas Reichen, her onetime lover, now a stranger consumed by vengeance. Caught in the cross fire, Claire cannot escape his savage fury--or the hunger that plunges her into his world of eternal darkness and unending pleasure.

Nothing will stop Andreas from destroying the vampire responsible for slaughtering his Breed brethren . . . even if he must use his former lover as a pawn in his deadly mission. Blood-bonded to his treacherous adversary, Claire can lead Andreas to the enemy he seeks, but it is a journey fraught with danger--and deep, unbidden desires. For Claire is the one woman Andreas should not crave, and the only one he's ever loved. A dangerous seduction begins--one that blurs the line between predator and prey, and stokes the flames of a white-hot passion that may consume all in its path. . . .

I have been looking forward to Andreas' story for some time now. I don't remember what book he first appeared in but I found him to be an interesting character because he wasn't the typical leather wearing, smart-ass alpha bad boy that so many PNR heroes seem to be. Andreas seemed to be more refined, an elegant gentleman in his demeanor and language. So I was curious as to how he would be after the horrible loss of his Darkhaven and family in Veil of Midnight. I knew he would be seeking revenge against those that killed his family but how much of that refinement would still be there?

Well, this Andreas is so different from the one we met in previous books. The refined, European gentleman is gone. Don't get me wrong, I never saw him as weak but I did see him as different from the guys in Boston. He just had that European flair about him, very James Bond-ish. Not the type to go off without thoroughly thinking things through. Now he's gone all pyro crazy and killing anyone that gets in his way. His power is awesome, amazing fire. Fireballs flying through the air and he's got one hell of an aim. The only problem is that he's basically gone and this "monster" takes over. It's like Andreas retreats and this big, bad, mean as all hell vamp takes control. His loss of control continues to accelerate until he losses hope of ever getting it back. And since this is a romance, Claire turns out to be his only hope of gaining control and not losing himself forever.

Claire Roth is the heroine and for some reason that I still can't put a finger on, I just didn't connect with her. She came across as old fashion. A lady who fills her time with charity work and maintaining her home. She lives in a house out in the country while her mate, Wilhelm Roth, prefers the city. I didn't understand how the whole feeding works between these two. The impression I had from the previous books was that in order for the female to maintain her youth she had to feed fairly frequently from her mate. But the impression I got regarding Claire and Wilhelm was that they went months without seeing each other. So not sure how that works.

Claire has carved out a separate life for herself and has very little involvement with Wilhelm and his businesses. This explained why she didn't know what how truly evil and nasty he was and what he was involved in. But it didn't explain why she could sense when he was around and he knew when she slept with Andreas - all because of their blood bond. It seems like she should have know how bad this guy was if this blood bond allowed her to sense the other things.

This is a dark book with very little humor. I prefer the scenes with the guys talking the way guys do with their own unique humor peppered with smart ass remarks. Ashes of Midnight had very little of that. It was mainly Andreas and Claire and their attempt to heal old wounds and become the couple they were meant to be.

I liked the parts with Hunter and the little bit with Chase. Chase is still my favorite in this series but Hunter is turning into a very interesting character. I'll look forward to reading more about him and his continued progression from trained killer to potential hero. There was a problem that was alluded to regarding Chase but nothing more. Unless this series takes a complete nosedive, I'll be reading his book too. Kade was given more page time and the set up for his book, the next book in the series, was evident. I don't mind this since Adrian did make it part of the overall story arc and it made sense within the context of this book.

Ashes of Midnight is not the strongest book in the series and I can only hope the difficulties I had with this book is not a trend. The love story is still the focus with the previous characters filling out the story line and continuing the main story arc. I do hope that the next book picks up the pace and brings the breeds face to face with the big bad Ancient One.

Since this is the 6th book in the series I would not recommend starting with Ashes of Midnight. There are just too many reoccurring characters and the continuing story arc that makes it difficult to slip into the series with this book. The next book is Kade's and is set for release in January 2010.

For more info on Lara Adrian and the Midnight Breeds series check out her website.

Rating: B-