Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

Author: Sarah MacLean
Published: March 2010 (Avon)
Category: Historical Romance
Series: Love by Numbers #1
Rating: 9/10

I came upon this book when reading a Book Binge review for the second book in the series, Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord. I wanted to read that book, but I have a thing about reading a series from the start. I'm really glad I did that, and quite happy to add Sarah MacLean to my list of "must-read" authors!

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell is a spinster. Granted, she was never really a success when she first came out, but the fact that the only suitors she received were too old or cared too much about her dowry. She's also more curvy than the in-fashion slender figures and is always comparing herself to them. Since coming out, she has been in love with the one man who showed her some kindness, a notorious rake, Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston. Ten years after she meets him, her skinny gorgeous little sister makes a brilliant love match with a duke, and Callie is reminded of how she'll never have what her sister and friends have. So she figures that if she isn't going to have what she always thought she'd have, why not live a little, and do some daring things that a respectable lady wouldn't dream of doing? After all, she believes she's so firmly on the shelf that she doesn't have to worry about her reputation.

Gabriel figures into the first item on her list: Being kissed passionately. While Gabriel agrees to help her with the kiss, he gets her to agree to help his newly-found half sister, Juliana, enter into society. While a wealthy marquess brother should pave the way, his sister is the product of the scandalous dowager marchioness, who abandoned her husband and sons for the Continent, where she cut a swath through more men, including Juliana's father. Her entrance into society won't be easy, as stuffy people would consider Juliana illegitimate, but her status is fuzzy.

As Callie goes into her list, Gabriel keeps intercepting her, and feels like he has to save her from herself. He doesn't quite know why he wants to do it, but he gives the excuse that if she shreds her reputation, who will help him launch Juliana? They become partners in crime while they start pushing the boundaries of propriety exploring their attraction to each other. This is one of those one-sided love stories, where one member is totally in love with the other, and the other one doesn't believe in love. I thought it would frustrate me, but the story really worked.

I thought the book would be a lot funnier, but it was more serious than expected, not in a bad way though. You really feel Callie's sadness as people rudely comment about how she's a fleshy spinster, and how her sister made such a wonderful match. She's so lonely, and no one wants her for just being her. And Gabriel is a man who never learned to love, thanks to his mother abandoning their family when he was a little boy. Callie's faith in love is what he needs to break out of his shell and pull his ragtag family together.

I loved the hodge-podge family the Ralstons made, with Gabriel's twin brother, Nicholas, who is the star of the next book, and Juliana. They're just getting used to the idea of being a family and I think it'll make for even better reading for the rest of the series, especially Juliana's book, which will be released in April this year.

The Search

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: July 2010 (Putnam)
Category: Romance/Suspense
Rating: 10/10

Dogs? Check. Hot guy who happens to be really handy? Check. Gorgeous setting for all the action? Check. As soon as I picked up the newest standalone Nora Roberts book, I was SUCKED IN. This is undoubtedly my most favorite book of hers, knocking High Noon off its pedestal (The Bride Quartet is my favorite series).

Fiona, our heroine, lives on a small island off the coast of Washington, and runs a successful dog-training school and the local K-9 Search and Rescue squad. Right from the get-go, the reader is thrown into Fiona's world, going on a search with her and one of her three loyal labrador retrievers (she has one of each color!). You learn how organized, methodical, and capable she is, while knowing exactly what to say to people in any situation.

Simon, our hero, is new to the island, and his mother thinks he's too lonely, so she buys him a puppy, who he promptly names "Jaws." You can figure out why he gets that name. He's so hilarious with how he deals with the dog, because as much as he gripes, he loves his dog and is proud as soon as Jaws does something right. And typically, he has a hard time with the idea of neutering his dog.

The suspense portion of the novel is excellent. Fiona, years before coming to the island, was supposed to be a victim of the "Red Scarf Killer," only she escaped and identified him to the police. Putting the serial killer behind bars cost Fiona more than her anonymity, and she retreated to her island to rebuild her life. In present day, she finds out that a copycat killer has begun committing the same exact crimes, and she will most likely be on his list of victims as a tribute to the first Red Scarf Killer.

The story was great, balancing between the romance, suspense, and filler material. I loved reading about Fiona's work with dogs, and all the searches that leads. I'm constantly amazed by Nora Roberts' research for her books. I'm aware of all the jokes people tell about how all her new books are just patchworked together with pieces of previous books, but while some things seem familiar, it always seems fresh when I read them. Nora is a guaranteed-good-read for me, sort of like a chicken pot pie for a bad day is perfect comfort food.

I was surprised at the 3.5 star rating on bn.com! From the first couple reviews I read, it appears that people think that the ending is weak. The ending wasn't much different than a typical Nora ending. Yes, Nora doesn't seem to provide much detail in her endings and doesn't do epilogues either. Maybe she's leaving it to her readers' imaginations to figure out what happens in her her characters' lives afterward.

Anyways, The Search is fantastic and I can't wait to read it again.

Silver Borne

Author: Patricia Briggs
Published: March 30, 2010 (Ace)
Category: Urban Fantasy
Series: Mercy Thompson #5
Rating: 9/10

In the year that I was spending planning for my wedding, I didn't get around to reviewing my discovery of Patricia Briggs's "Mercy Thompson" series. This review will sort of cover my liking of the series rather than just Silver Borne.

Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a Volkswagen mechanic (Yes, she's heard all the "Volkswagen mechanic named Mercedes" jokes) who also happens to be a walker, a creature of Native American myth that can turn into a coyote at will. This is not to be confused with a skinwalker, which is an evil, nasty creature. I think I've seen skinwalkers featured in Supernatural and Dresden Files episodes. She lives in the Tri-Cities area in Washington, and she's not the only supernatural creature in the neighborhood. There are vampires, werewolves, Fae, and ghosts. In this universe, Fae have come out to the public, although the Gray Lords who rule the Fae are sure to control how much humans learn of them.

Mercy is closely linked with the werewolves, who eventually come out to the public eye as well after Moon Called, the first book in the series. She was raised by the head werewolf in North America and fell in love with his son, Samuel, another powerful and old-timey werewolf. While Mercy believed herself in love with Samuel, he wanted her more for the possibility of living offspring with her. Female werewolves cannot bear children because of the involuntary monthly change to werewolf (in this universe they can become werewolves at will), and Samuel has lost loved ones already in his centuries of living. His father realized what was going on and packed Mercy off, leading up to her life in Tri-Cities, where she happens to live in the territory of another (very hot) alpha werewolf, Adam Hauptman.

The love triangle of Mercy-Samuel-Adam stretches over a few books, finally sort of resolving at the end of Iron Kissed, the third book and really picks up in the last two books, Bone Crossed and Silver Borne. SB is my favorite because Mercy and Adam's relationship is firmly cemented, and Samuel's loneliness is finally addressed.

I can't say enough good things about this series. You have a smart heroine with a sharp tongue, a backbone of steel, and a propensity to attract trouble. Over the course of the series, she fights vampires, Fae, werewolves, and humans while slowly building a love life with Adam, who she has described as "the hottest man [she] knew." While I'm no prude when it comes to reading books, it's nice to have a heroine who isn't jumping into bed every other chapter like some other urban fantasy series. I can't get enough of the world Patricia Briggs has created, and the only reason this book got a 9/10 is because I want the next book already! The sixth book in the series, River Marked, is scheduled to release Spring 2011.

Angels' Blood

Author: Nalini Singh
Published: March 3, 2009 (Berkley)
Category: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Series: Guild Hunter #1
Rating: 9/10

In a departure from her hugely successful Psy-Changeling series, Nalini Singh has created a new world in the one we know, where angels watch over humans from skyscrapers and create vampires regularly. I know, it sounds very very strange, but once I started reading, I was sucked into this odd version of New York City.

In the Guild Hunter series' world, angels are overseen by a Cadre of Ten archangels. Angels also have the ability to grant immortality to humans by turning them into vampires as long as the human is acceptable. After being turned, the new vampire must fulfill a 100-year service. Some vampires decide they don't need to honor the contract and jump ship; this is where Guild Hunters come into play. They don't hunt vampires in the traditional sense (i.e. staking them), rather they act as bounty hunters, returning the wayward vamps to their sires for a certain fee.

Elena, a natural born hunter (not one that learns how to hunt and develops the skills), is one of the best, and has been selected by Raphael, Archangel of New York City (he also oversees North America) for a super secret and super dangerous mission tracking an archangel gone rogue. Elena is attracted to Raphael, but they have a rocky start, where he keeps using his powers to suggest things inside her head. He, as an immortal, has lost a good bit of his humanity and it takes a stubborn hunter to bring it back. As I was reading, I agreed with Elena. Sure, Raphael is hot, but he might kill me, or drop me from the sky. But then he realized his fascination and attraction to her made him more human and gave him the ability to see the downturn of the Cadre's members.

I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give away the ending, but the next book in the series, Angels' Kiss is coming out in 2010 and it can't be soon enough for me! In fact, it is the continuation of Elena and Raphael's story, which is another new thing for Singh, as her books are usually standalone.

The Book of Scandal

Author: Julia London
Published: August 2008 (Simon & Schuster)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 9/10

The Book of Scandal reminds me very much of another book I read recently, The Line of Scrimmage. Like LOS, the hero and heroine of BOS became estranged after the death of their baby (although LOS was a miscarriage). Rather than being set in the modern day, BOS is set in England during the Delicate Investigation, which was looking into the Princess of Wales' behavior and possible birthing of a royal bastard. In retaliation, Princess Caroline is threatening to publish correspondence with the King, which contains many details of scandals at court.

The Earl and Countess of Lindsey have been estranged for three years, with Evelyn residing in London and Nathan in the country. Evelyn serves Princess Mary and Nathan has earned the reputation as the Libertine of Lindsey, holding house parties filled with gambling, drinking, hunting, and loose women. When Nathan learns that Evelyn may be named in Princess Caroline's Book of Scandal, she may disgrace his family and possibly result in their family lands being taken away by the Crown. The most obvious solution? Drag her home to the country and put on a show that they've reconciled so Evelyn's supposed actions will be less likely to be punished.

Once home, Evelyn and Nathan are at odds, bickering with each other at first, but drawing closer and closer, talking about how badly they had handled the mourning of their son. At such an early stage of their marriage, they weren't friends enough to understand each other. With three years of life past, they've grown up some and fall in love for real. Just when they're almost reconciled, an attempt is made on Evelyn's life and they realize someone believes she knows something about the royal scandal. The only way to ensure Evelyn's safety is to go back to London and get to the bottom of the mess, and London's the last place she wants to go, as it brings up the uncomfortable subject of the man she almost had an affair with before Nathan showed up.

This is Julia London at her best, with a fantastic dramatic love story full of easy-t0-understand historical detail. I never knew very much about the Delicate Investigation or Princess Caroline, so it was nice to learn something new.

Line of Scrimmage

Author: Marie Force
Published: September 2008 (Sourcebooks)
Category: Romance
Rating: 9/10

Line of Scrimmage doesn't waste any time, as the book starts with Susannah, our heroine, dining with her fiancé and future in-laws when her soon-to-be ex-husband drops his cowboy boots in the foyer. Ryan Sanderson, the boot dropper, is a famous quarterback and has just won his third Superbowl, but he wants his wife back, and is going to spend the last ten days of their marriage to show her he's a worthy husband.

I couldn't put this book down and I did tear up a couple times because it shows a couple working through their difficulties with such heartbreaking detail. Susannah and Ryan started having serious problems when she miscarried and they couldn't share their grief with one another, so they started drifting apart. When they're together again, they talk through their feelings from that terrible time and get closer than they were before. Of course this wasn't just a tearjerker, as there were plenty of times where I chuckled.

You'd think the book would be pretty thin if they get together by the end of ten days, but there are more conflicts layered on. Susannah has to deal with her fiancé, who was her friend since she was a teen, and he's always been hoping for her marriage to fail so he could have her back again, feeding her with ugly thoughts about Ryan. Then Ryan is set up a couple times and the evil fiancé makes him think that Susannah is too good for a guy with a low class childhood. You'd think it would be too much conflict, but it really worked and I think Force found a great rhythm.

Ryan is the perfect guy. He knows he's made mistakes and wants to work it out and thinks his wife is the perfect woman for him. I'd usually say that I wish he were mine, but I liked Ryan and Susannah so much that I'm glad their story ended so well. I will definitely be reading more Marie Force; she has another book coming out next year.

Dark Moon Defender

Author: Sharon Shinn
Published: September 25, 2007 (Ace)
Category: Fantasy
Series: Twelve Houses #3
Rating: 9/10

This is my favorite of the Twelve Houses books so far. I felt like overall series storyline moved along nicely, and we also learn more about the mysterious Lirrenfolk who live over the mountains in eastern Gillengaria, with their own brand of magic. This is also the only book so far that I could see real romantic novel-ish elements.

Justin and Ellynor's romance was forbidden in a number of ways. First she's from the Lirrenlands, and Lirren women are not supposed to marry outsiders. If they do, one of her relatives will duel her suitor to the death. Most women will lie to their suitor, denying any affection rather than risking the death of a family member or her lover. Also, Ellynor's a novice at the Daughters of the Pale Moon convent, and is supposed to make like a nun and stay chaste. Justin, a King's Rider, sees the Lestra and her Daughters of the Pale Moon as enemies because the Lestra is hunting mystics and orchestrating a rebellion against the king.

Ellynor didn't know about the mystic hunting, and once she witnesses the Lestra burning down a house with its mystic owner inside, her eyes are opened and she must escape. Unfortunately, her cousin Rosurie, the reason she's there at the convent at all, doesn't want to leave. Rosurie had been a bad Lirren girl, falling in love with a boy from an enemy Lirren clan, and her family sent her to the convent until they settled the matter, and sent Ellynor to keep her company (and in check hopefully). Instead, Rosurie becomes a fanatic and drives herself into a coma with her religious fervor, and Ellynor delays her escape because of this, resulting in Justin's near-death by convent soldiers.

I was mad when Ellynor got captured after she and Justin made an escape from the convent. It was all her fault for wanting to stay so long with a relative of the Lestra, who she had healed previously. A servant betrays her and convent soldiers arrive to take Ellynor back to the convent that she'd wanted to escape so badly, and she's slated for burning at the stake, and needs rescuing yet again.

All characters from the previous books are back again, which is lovely, and they're more family-like than ever, particularly at the end, when Justin has to come up with an heirloom bride gift for Ellynor. Definitely the best so far!

Eclipse

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Published: August 2007 (Little Brown)
Category: Paranormal Romance/YA
Series: Twilight Saga #3
Rating: 9/10

Oh Stephenie Meyer, what have you done to me? Please provide another serving of textual crack so I can stop rereading my favorite parts of Twilight. Anyways, receiving Eclipse was a reward to myself for finishing my move into a new apartment. Also, if I had the book, I wouldn't have gotten any packing accomplished.

Eclipse picks up soon after New Moon left off, with Bella and Edward reunited and her preparing to become a vampire. However, more danger is on the horizon, with someone creating vampires in nearby Seattle, and someone is sneaking into Bella's room to steal her clothes for her scent, and the Volturi (heads of the vampire world) may come to take care of the Seattle problem and stop by to see if Bella's still a human. If she's not a vampire, she'll be killed because no humans are supposed to know about their world. At the same time, Edward is trying to push back Bella's changing, and comes up with the condition that he'll turn her if she marries him first, knowing that Bella has an aversion to marrying young. He's starting to get used to the idea of Bella becoming a vampire, but he doesn't want her to do it because she's afraid of the impending doom of a newborn vampire army hunting her. He wants her to do it of her own free will, not because she's afraid of being killed.

And to add to the angst, Jacob, Bella's pseudo best friend, werewolf, and other part of the love triangle, isn't giving up. Edward makes the good point to Jacob that even though Jacob may love Bella now, as a werewolf, he could imprint on his true mate when she comes along and leave Bella. I was going to give this a 10/10, but the Jacob portion of the storyline bugged me too much. Yes, it's good to have some romantic competition, but Jacob manipulated Bella, and most of the time, he was a little boy trying to act grown up. He knew acting depressed would make Bella feel bad and then he offers to die while fighting vampires so Bella can have what she wants. Ugh.

It's obvious I'm on "Team Edward," but it's mostly because Edward was willing to step back if that's what made Bella happy. Jacob did not take that route in his rough courtship, not taking "no" for an answer and disregarding Bella when she says she loves Edward. And near the end, Jacob has the nerve to say he's like that woman in the King Solomon story who gives up the baby rather than letting it get cut in half. Ummm.... Edward's been like that the whole time, so do you want a cookie or something? I spent most of the book saying, "I hate Jacob!" Stephenie Meyer better not make Bella flip back to Jacob in the last book!

Aside from the Jacob stuff, I loved everything else! Bring on Breaking Dawn!

I was introduced to the world of Twilight less than two weeks ago, and browsing fan sites on the internet is crazy. I find it funny that a lot of people don't agree with the casting of Robert Pattinson as Edward, but I think he's a good fit for the role. Just look at him... and that hair! I can't believe some people think Hayden Christiansen would be a good Edward Cullen. Gah, remember what he did to Star Wars? Or maybe the teenagers who're going nuts about Pattinson being casted were too young to remember the horror of Hayden Christiansen as Anakin Skywalker? I hope they'll give Pattinson a chance and at least see the acting before they string him up.

I'm very excited for the future of the series, especially after seeing this B&N video of Stephenie Meyer discussing Breaking Dawn and the next book after that, which is Twilight told from Edward's perspective (I think it's called Midnight Sun). Breaking Dawn is called the last book in the Twilight Saga because it's the last one told from Bella's perspective. Meyer also talks about how each book in the series drew from a classic, like the first was a little Pride and Prejudice, the second obviously Romeo and Juliet, and the third, and best interpretation so far, Wuthering Heights. She picked some great passages from Wuthering Heights to illustrate the love triangle, and ultimately, Bella's feelings for Edward.

Twilight

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Published: September 2006 (Little Brown)

Cateogry: Paranormal Romance/YA

Series: Twilight Saga #1

Rating: 10/10

I've finally given Twilight a try, and I'm so very glad I did. I was hesitant to pick it up these past couple years because of all the hype and the fact that it's YA vampire romance. I was afraid it would be very angsty Buffy-Angel stuff, and I fear that having past the 25 years old mark, I'm too old for this stuff. The last YA paranormal romance series I read was Cate Tiernan's Sweep series, and I think this book had far less angst than Sweep.

When Bella Swan's mother remarries, Bella decides to move from Phoenix to her father's house in a small town in Washington. She's not looking forward to leaving sunny Arizona for the rainy Pacific Northwest, but she wants her mom to enjoy traveling with her new professional athelete husband. On Bella's first day at school, all the boys are intrigued by the new girl, and she draws the attention of extraordinarily and eerily handsome Edward Cullen. He looks like he's angry at her, and she doesn't know why.

Edward's reacting poorly to his sudden and inexplicable attraction to Bella, a forbidden human. He tries running away from her, but it doesn't work, and he gives in to his desire to know her and be with her. It makes you think back to the cover image of the apple, as Bella is Edward's temptation. He has incredible self control, teaching himself to stand being near Bella without hurting her with his superhuman powers or his hunger for her blood.

I was expecting Edward's family to reject Bella, but for the most part, they're very accepting of Bella because she makes Edward happy. I thought they were going to pull one of those "She's not one of us!" things and be all close-minded. When the threat of other vampires comes to Bella, Edward's family bands together to keep her safe. In order to protect her, Edward and Bella must separate so she has a better chance of survival, and Meyer writes the pain of separation so well, you can practically feel the heartache.

Twilight is a beautiful story of first love, and not just any first love. It's true love in that Romeo and Juliet way, but hopefully without the tragic ending because they've got a lot working against them. I was up to the last chapter this morning and picked up the next book, New Moon, on the way to work because I didn't want to take my usual break between series books. I was sucked in within ten pages, which is rare for me, and I can't wait to read more!

The Hollow

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: May 6, 2008 (Jove)
Category: Paranormal Romance
Series: Sign of Seven Trilogy #2
Rating: 9/10

I've been waiting for this book for so long that I went into a ready slump the week beforehand in anticipation. Then when it arrived, I started reading it and then realized I should reread Blood Brothers so everything would be fresh.

The Hollow focuses on Fox and Layla, who share the ability to look into other people's minds and interpret the present. Cal and Quinn share the ability to see into the past and Gage and Cybil get glimpses of possible futures. While Fox has gotten used to his special power over the past 21 years, Layla has a hard time accepting her newfound power. She's also the odd-girl out, as Quinn and Cybil make a living investigating the paranormal, and all three men have been dealing with the horrors of the Seven since they were ten. Layla was managing a trendy boutique in Manhattan when she started having the dreams about Hawkins Hollow and picked up her life to figure out why she needs to be in this odd town that suffers a week of insanity in July every seven years.

Since, Fox's secretary decided to move away from Hawkins Hollow before the next Seven, he hired Layla to replace her. He just has to remind himself not to jump his hot secretary like some cliche. He takes it slow with Layla, charming her and kissing her in the supply closet when she needs his help reaching for something, then introducing her to his quirky hippie family with some embarrassment (his mom walks in on their first kiss in the supply closet).

It's also interesting to see that Gage and Cybil figured out that the group is pairing off, and perhaps it was meant to be, but they're not exactly thrilled about that, with Gage's "no serious relationships" rule.

Sigh. The final book, The Pagan Stone comes out in December. Why do I have to wait so long? The paranormal events are escalating in frequency and intensity, but I found that I wasn't as creeped out as I was while reading Blood Brothers. Really, nothing beats creepy demon kid peering into your second-story window in the middle of the night.

Heaven, Texas

Author:Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published: April 1995 (Avon)
Category: Romance
Series: Chicago Stars #2
Rating: 9/10

I'm working through the Chicago Stars books in a very roundabout way, pretty much determined by what Barnes and Noble has in stock when I stop by. I know I've said Nobody's Baby But Mine is my favorite, but this is right up there for a great read.

Come heck or high water, Gracie Snow is determined to drag the legendary ex-jock Bobby Tom Denton back home to Heaven, Texas, to begin shooting his first motion picture. Despite his dazzling good looks and killer charm, Bobby Tom has reservations about being a movie star - and no plans to cooperate with a prim and bossy Ohio wallflower whom he can't get off his mind or out of his life. Instead, the hell-raising playboy decides to make her over from plain Jane to Texas wildcat.

But nothing's more dangerous than a wildcat with an angel's heart in a town too small for a bad boy to hide. And all hell breaks loose when two unforgettable people discover love, laughter, passion - and a match that can only be made in heaven.

Gracie Snow can't fail at her job as a movie production assistant, and her first big assignment is fetching Bobby Tom and getting him to the set in TX on time. When Bobby Tom proves difficult and wants to take the most indirect route to Heaven, Gracie figures she'll have to make do with getting him there at all. When they finally arrive, she gets fired and Bobby Tom feels bad; then he makes her boss hire Gracie back, but he pays her salary in secret. He makes her his personal assistant and declares her his fiancee to keep horny women away. But they wind up falling for each other, and Bobby Tom can't express his love properly in the end, making Gracie leave him.

The secondary romance between Bobby Tom's mother and Way Sawyer was very strongly written, probably the most well-developed secondary romance I've ever found. Their story was also very well balanced in the book, without taking up too much attention, and not so underexposed that you're shaking the book and asking what the heck's going on.

I think I cried during the final scene of the book. It's just so dramatic and heart wrenching. Phillips really knows how to write to your heart, and I guess that's why I can't get enough of her Chicago Stars!

SEALed with a Kiss

Author: Mary Margret Daughtridge
Published: April 2008 (Sourcebooks)
Category: Romance
Rating: 9/10

When I first heard about SEALed with a Kiss, I was told that it's touching, has a little boy who needs a family, dogs, and a muscle-y hero. I'm a sucker for strong men dealing with new challenge and needing a strong woman's help. And did I tell you there are dogs in the story?

Lt. Jackson "Jax" Graham has always put his career in the SEALs first, so much that his marriage had been very brief, and he has seen very little of his four-year-old son Tyler. His ex-wife passed away suddenly and he has to figure out if he should sign full custody of his son to his ex-mother-in-law. I didn't know this until I read the book, but SEALs are away for at least 200 days a year, and when they are home, they're training all the time. I can see how that would put strain on a marriage.

While in North Carolina visiting his mother-in-law and Tyler, he meets Pickett Sessoms, our heroine. She happens to be a family therapist and does some work with Marine families as well. Her family isn't very supportive and makes her the odd ball out with their little verbal jabs, criticizing her being single, rescuing mutts, and having celiac disease (can't eat products with wheat flour). Being a family therapist and counseling marriages, Pickett has very strong notions about what kind of man she wants to marry, and a SEAL definitely doesn't qualify.

While Jax thinks Pickett is high maintenance and not what he's looking for in a woman, she thinks he's unacceptable as a love interest. But when they're thrown together in Pickett's house during a small hurricane, they find out they might have to rethink their first impressions. They coax Tyler out of his shell and act like a real family, complete with three rescued dogs.

This is a great book for readers who have a problem with alpha males due to their macho manliness. Jax, while an alpha male (he even says that all SEALs are), is in new territory that his elite training can't help him conquer. And don't be afraid that there'll be too much technical SEAL mumbo jumbo. There's enough facts to make Jax's character believable, but it was in no way a Tom Clancy super-techno-action novel. Heck, Jax keeps thinking about how his extensive training can't prepare him for fatherhood. It was so lovely seeing these characters grow: Pickett stands up to her family; Jax realizes he can be a father and want a real marriage; and Tucker shows himself to be a smart little boy. SEALed with a Kiss is greatly touching and heartwarming, a cozy read for a rainy day. Daughtridge's descriptions of the setting for the book made me want to live in Pickett's charming farmhouse, tucked in safely from a storm (preferably with Jax!) with a dog warming my feet. I wanted to read more about the new little family, but books have to end sometime. I can't wait to read the next SEALs romance!

I do have to say that the cover is kinda yummy, despite it being too naked to read on the subway openly. Two problems: His mouth seems kinda feminine. Maybe if he had scruff it'd be less noticeable and dang, that's a HUGE nipple. That is all.

Nobody's Baby But Mine

Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published: February 1997 (Avon)
Category: Romance
Series: Chicago Stars #3
Rating: 9/10

This is my favorite of the Chicago Stars series so far!

Dr. Jane Darlington is freakishly smart, and regrets the abnormal childhood she had due to that freakish intelligence. On her birthday, she's alone and wants a baby, but doesn't want her child to suffer as she did. She figures that her baby daddy has to be dumb as a rock so the baby's intelligence will average out.

With her neighbor's help, Jane gets into Cal's birthday party, where she's presumed to be a stripper/escort, and they sleep together, but she doesn't get prenant. Cal doesn't understand his attraction to the mystery woman, but shrugs it off because he'll never see her again. Jane shows up at his away-game hotel where they have another awkward sexual encounter (she refuses to take her clothes off), and she gets what she wants. However, she doesn't figure Cal will find out.

Cal Bonner, despite being a football player, is not dumb. He's actually really smart, graduating at the top of his class in college with a biology major, not the usual underwater basket weaving type of major serious athletes graduate with. He finds out about the baby and he's pissed that he was used for his man seed, and marries Jane, taking her back to his Southern hometown. While sharing the house, they fall in love, and their charade to his teammates and his family is so great to read. Kevin Tucker, hero of This Heart of Mine, is Cal's backup at this point in the Stars timeline, and he acts like a jerk for the beginning, but Jane gets to him and helps the two men become friends in that mentor-mentee (or manatee, if you're Tracey Jordan) way.

This series is too much fun :)

Innocent in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: February 20, 2007 (Putnam)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #24
Rating: 10/10

The mystery was pretty good for this one, with Even investigating the death of a poisoned history teacher in a swanky Manhattan school. Among all the teachers, students, and parents, several likely suspects arise, as swanky schools are far from squeaky clean.

Eve and Roarke's story is fantastic, with the return of Magdalena, Roarke's old flame from his criminal days. She's a blond bombshell who happens to be sharply intelligent, glamorous, cultured, and sophisticated. Eve comments to Summerset that he'd prefer Magdalena to be Mrs. Roarke, but in a not-so-surprising turn, Summerset is on Eve's side. He tells her she's got to get Roarke to see Magdalena's sly manipulation. When they were partners, Magdalena ditched Roarke to run away with their rich (and really old) mark. Now she's back because Roarke's hugely rich (and hot and in his prime) and she figures she can bump Eve out of the picture and take up where she left off.

You'd think Eve would just take care of the problem, but she's not too good with this love stuff. Roarke, normally the sensitive one of the relationship, is blind to Magda's sabotage, so he gets angry when Eve gets jealous or paranoid. It's really great seeing the two of them work out their squabble, and you know that Eve will deck Magda eventually.

This one was really great, one of my favorites in the series.

Born in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: November 7, 2006 (Putnam)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #23
Rating: 9/10

Eve's investigating a double murder of young lovers who worked for the same accounting firm. This common fact between the two murders points Eve to dig into the firm's customer's. At the same time, Mavis asks Eve to help her with a missing friend from her birthing class. Of course, these two cases would be linked.

The best part of this book is Eve and Roarke dealing with Mavis' birth. Roarke, for all his smoothness, is absolutely terrified of all things to do with pregnancy and birth. I find this hilarious, because he's the one who actually wants children and Eve thinks they're little aliens who grow in your body for nine months. I classify her fear of babies/children with her fear of farm animals. It's such a funny quirk for this tough cop, who finds herself planning a baby shower with a rainbow theme.

I would've given this one a 10/10 if the mystery were a little better. It was kind of a "ho hum, yawn" thing after the horror of Origin in Death, but all of the baby stuff was so much fun to read. A baby black market seems kinda tame after that.

The Kitchen God's Wife

Author: Amy Tan
Published: 1991 (Putnam)
Category: Literature
Rating: 10/10

I don't read what people call "critically acclaimed" books very often, but after my most recent romance read, I fell into a slump and didn't want anything out of my regular TBR. I read The Joy Luck Club in high school for class and while it was good, I think reading for class tainted my feelings for classic Amy Tan books. However, I figured it was time to get over high school English classes and read something serious (I guess this means I'll get back to Jane Austen soon).

The Kitchen God's Wife is so smart and moving that I don't really feel like I can write about it. I loved reading it and got lost in the words every time I picked it up, despite the near-tragic story it told. Pearl, a Chinese woman who was born in America, is listening to the story of her mother Winnie's life in China. Winnie's childhood wasn't easy, with a mother who ran away, and having to grow up in her cousin's family. Reading about the family dynamics in the traditional Chinese family, despite taking place in China, reminded me of my very old school family (I'm quite the black sheep in my family).

Winnie later marries Wen Fu, who seemed to be a good catch, but he turned out to be a horribly cruel man. He abused her and indirectly caused the deaths of their children, and then later took over Winnie's father's household. After years of trying to be a good wife and respecting family, Winnie escaped to the man she loved, a Chinese-American soldier from California. It turns out that Amy Tan's mother was basis for this: She had married an abusive man in China and wound up leaving him to marry the man who would be Amy's father. The story is amazing and the writing is perfect.

I think I'll put The Hundred Secret Senses into my TBR for the next time I'm feeling the need for a literary novel.

Memory in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: June 27, 2006 (Berkley)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #22
Rating: 9/10

During the Christmas season, Eve and Peabody are wrapping up an open-and-shut case when a very unwelcome blast from the past walks into Eve's office. Her abusive foster mother, Trudy Lombard (the sort who makes you bathe in ice-cold water because you're an evil and dirty girl), comes in all teary, wanting to reunite with her little Eve after all these years. Eve kicks her out and gets sick as a reaction. Thankfully, she comes clean to Roarke about Trudy, and they're prepared for her. She later realizes that Trudy's after Roarke's money, but I'm also surprised it took her so long. Of course, Trudy would underestimate Roarke, and he scares her away.

Trudy really is evil and I hated her in a way I rarely hate characters. After all, they're not real! After Roarke warns her off, Trudy decides to extort the money by beating herself up and making a video framing Eve and Roarke. It turns out she's been blackmailing her former foster children, threatening the new lives they've created with the ugliness of their childhoods. Eve deals with lots of horrible people, but sometimes they don't come across as evil; they seem like bad guys. Trudy Lombard was an evil woman and the scary thing is, there could easily be people like her taking in foster kids for the money and mistreating them.

The murderer's identity was pretty easy to figure out in this one, but the story was so great, with more of Eve's past revealed and healed, sort of like lancing a boil. Pretty picture, I know.

Origin in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: July 12, 2005 (Putnam)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #21
Rating: 9/10

When a famous reconstructive surgeon is murdered in his office in broad daylight by his lunch appointment, Eve Dallas is first on scene with Detective Peabody. She does the usual digging into the past, and lots of people are offended, because this Dr. Icove Sr. was the best dude ever and pretty much shat golden eggs that he gave away for the great good of humanity, blah blah, how dare you insinuate he ever did anything bad, blah blah. Of course, his son, the second Dr. Icove is murdered soon after, and it's revealed that the Icoves were involved in human cloning of the cruelest kind. They want to control every baby that's born, eliminating imperfections and flaws as they see fit, and make it so every pregnancy is conducted artificially in a lab.

I laugh sometimes and say that having kids should require a license, but the Icoves took that idea and ran with it. Where does Roberts come up with this stuff? Anyone can come up with human cloning, but this creepy idea of Quiet Birth, where all babies are created in labs, made to order, and all humans are sterilized is like something from a scifi movie.

The mystery really ruled this book, and I was more than happy to eat it all up.

Survivor in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: August 30, 2005 (Berkley)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #20
Rating: 9/10

The title of this In Death book is especially fitting. A well-to-do family is slaughtered by military-style hitmen, but Lexie, a little girl escapes because she got up during the night to sneak a soda. Her best friend, sleeping over, took the hit intended for Lexie.

Lexie, the survivor of her family's cold deaths, made the story so compelling. This little girl who did everything right when professional killers is alone in the world, and looking at Eve with big eyes for justice. And we know that Eve doesn't do well with kids... She found the child, hiding in a bathroom, and seeing the little girl smeared with blood brought Eve's childhood nightmare rushing back to her on the job.

Eve and Roarke deal with a bunch of things that make them uncomfortable. Mavis is around, helping with Lexie, and at first opportunity grabs Eve's hand to touch the growing bump of her pregnancy. Most of us find experiencing that heartwarming, but Eve regards pregnancy as a time when an alien being is growing inside your belly. They have to care for Lexie as she has nightmares and asks awkward questions about death, and it gives the reader a peek into the future, when she and Roarke have kids, if that ever happens in the series.

Really good read for characters, but mystery was eh for me. There have been better.

Dance Upon the Air

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: June 1, 2001 (Jove)
Category: Romance/Paranormal Romance
Series: Three Sisters Island Trilogy #1
Rating: 9/10

I picked this one up for two reasons: 1. Jennie recommended it and 2. I'm craving another Nora Roberts + magic trilogy since the second book in her Sign of Seven trilogy doesn't release until May. Don't remind me of the Circle trilogy, because that was so bad I don't like to think about it.

When I started reading Nell Channing's story, I thought, "Oh here we go, it's a mix of Angels Fall and Montana Sky." Nell suffered an abusive marriage for three years and escaped by faking her death, changing her name, and traveling from California to Three Sisters Island off the New England coast. Unlike those other books, Nell was destined to wind up on that island.

During the late 1600s, when the great witch hunts were occurring, three sister witches, called Air, Earth, and Fire, called on their power to create a safe place, and according to legend/history, Three Sisters Island split off from Massachusetts. However, an evil spirit hunted down the sisters, cursing the island to crash into the sea unless their descendents could break the curse.

Roberts created the island so perfectly, with her descriptions of this little town where everyone knows everybody. It sounded so lovely that I wanted to live there! I loved the descriptions of Nell's work at Cafe Book (owned by Mia Devlin, another descendent of the three), and her romance with Zack Todd, sheriff of the island, was so sweet. Of course he was meant for her, and he was patient and determined to show Nell that he was definitely not like her abusive husband.

I loved this book so much that I wanted to pick up the next one, which is about Ripley (Zack's sister), the descendent of Earth. Woe is me! I have the third book in my TBR, but never got my hands on the second, so I have to order it and not get instant gratification.