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!

The MacGregor Brides

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: 1997 (Silhouette)
Category: Romance
Series: The MacGregors
Rating: 8/10

This installment of the MacGregor family books tells the stories of three of Daniels granddaughters: Laura (daughter of Caine and Diana), Gwen (daughter of Serena and Justin), and Julia (daughter of Alan and Shelby).

My favorite was Gwen's story, partially because Branson Maguire discovered Daniel's plot and embraced it; he'd already fallen in love with Gwen. All the other couples fought Daniel's matchmaking, even though he'd found them the perfect partners.

The stories were nice, but the three women getting mad at Daniel for throwing their perfect matches at them was getting tiring. Each of them says they'll know when Daniel's setting them up, but they fall for it every time. The book is also charming because you get to see how their fathers deal with the idea of their baby girls getting married, or just kissing a guy (Caine's violent reaction, classic overprotective father, is the best).

Definitely read this if you're a fan of the MacGregors.

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.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham

Author: Julia Quinn
Published: May 2008 (Avon)
Category: Historical Romance
Series: The Two Dukes of Wyndham #1
Rating: 6/10

Jack Audley, formerly a respected soldier and currently a highwayman, has just held up his grandmother's coach, and then kissed her companion, the lovely Grace Eversleigh, while grandmother, the dowager Duchess of Wyndham, fetched a miniature of his father. While on the way back to England from Ireland, Jack's father died in a shipwreck, and his family never knew that he'd married in Ireland and fathered a legitimate son. If the marriage record is found, Jack would become the true Duke of Wyndham, displacing his cousin, Thomas, who has been raised as the future duke.

Jack doesn't want the dukedom, but his grandmother, who still hasn't completely redeemed herself by the end of the book, is shoving it down his throat because she wants to restore him to his rightful place, mostly because she liked Jack's father more than Thomas's father. Usually this sort of older character is amusing and has a really soft heart, but the dowager didn't have many good moments and annoyed me most of the time. And then out of left field, it turns out Jack can't read, probably because of dyslexia, and that's partially why he doesn't want to be duke. I thought that was completely unnecessary; Jack didn't need that extra excuse to decline the dukedom. The responsibilities that come with the title are more than daunting to someone who never expected to inherit them. And did I really want to spend most of the book reading about a character who doesn't want the power and responsibility? That's why I didn't like the Spider-Man movies!

I felt like the romance took second place to Jack and Thomas dealing with the possible monumental changes to their lives. Once Grace and Jack's mutual attraction was established, it felt like their story was on autopilot, and I was kind of disappointed in The Lost Duke of Wyndham. I'm hoping that the sequel, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is fantastic and makes up for this one.

New Moon

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Published: September 2006 (Little Brown)
Category: Paranormal Romance/YA
Series: Twilight Saga #2
Rating: 8/10

So in my review of Twlight I mentioned that I couldn't wait to read the next book. Clearly, I didn't, as I whipped through New Moon in less than a day.... a working day. I should also mention that I got NO packing accomplished for my move this weekend. I'm so screwed with that, so I am not allowing myself to purchase the third book, Eclipse, until after I move.

This review is a bit difficult to write because I'm trying to judge based on the writing, not the fact that I was unhappy with a turn the story took. At the beginning of New Moon, one of Edward's family nearly kills Bella when she gets a paper cut. When Edward sees that Bella's association with him has put her in danger yet again, he breaks up with her, and not just in the "we're not dating anymore" way. His whole family leaves Forks, WA right after he tells her he doesn't want her.

Bella's heart breaks, and Meyer wrote it so well. I was sort of reminded of how my chest had that empty feeling right after a relationship ended. I love the way she showed time passing with nearly empty pages that just had the name of a month in the middle. That's how it feels when you've just had your heart ripped out by your true love. I won't say that's how it feels when you're young, because heartbreak is never easy.

You can guess that my main problem with the book is Edward leaving because I love him! I understand that he's doing it because he thinks he's bad for Bella. He doesn't want to change her into a vampire because he believes he'd be stealing her soul and humanity, and he's afraid she'll be hurt because she's a fragile human. You can't call him a jerk because he's thinks he's doing what's best for Bella, giving her a chance at life as a human. But then Bella begins filling the void in her chest by doing dangerous things, like riding motorcycles, approaching men in dark alleys, and jumping off cliffs.

Yes, this book was more teen angsty than Twilight, but it wasn't bad. The werewolves hinted at in Twilight make an appearance, and I hope this isn't going to be another unsatisfactory lycan vs. vampire thing like when I saw Underworld, but I'm going off on a tangent. The ending was good, but bittersweet, and is a pseudo-cliffhanger. I'm getting antsy here because I want the next book already!

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 MacGregors: Daniel and Ian

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: March 2007 (Silhouette)
Cateogory: Romance
Series: The MacGregor Family
Rating: 6/10

This was my least favorite of all the MacGregors books. While Daniel is funny as the patriarch of the family, I didn't enjoy the story of his romance with the quietly strong Anna. He's the same as he is 30 years in the future. In fact, I may like Daniel less after reading his story.

The story of Ian was a historical romance about a MacGregor ancestor. I felt like it was blah, nothing special. I prefer stories about the present-day MacGregors. This is definitely a book you can skip for this series.

The Olive Farm

Author: Carol Drinkwater
Published: June 25, 2002 (Penguin)
Category: Memoir/Travel
Rating: 7/10

I hit one of those romance walls again, where I can't bring myself to read another romance and have to read something from a different genre. It's like sorbet in the middle of a meal for palate cleansing.

Carol Drinkwater is a British actress and writers, best known for her work playing James Herriot's wife in the UK television series based on his books. In The Olive Farm, she recounts her crazy decision to buy a rundown olive farm olive farm with her fiancé Michel, a French film/TV producer. They'd only known each other a few months and were living separately in France and England, and they weren't rich either, so all of Drinkwater's friends and families thought she was insane for considering the purchase.

Drinkwater's descriptions of life on an overgrown olive farm are beautiful and I know it sounds cliché, but they made me feel like I was standing on her terrace and looking over the wild olive trees and orchard in the heat of southern France. I loved her stories about harvesting the olives and the pressing process. The book isn't just about the olives, but also about her and Michel's growing love and becoming a family.

However, I was annoyed often with the obstacles Drinkwater described. Most of the time, it was about how they didn't have enough money, but I thought they threw their money around irresponsibly. Why buy all these flowers and hundreds of rose bushes when there are more important things to take care of, like a leaking roof? While it is so romantic to buy this house on impulse, I kept thinking that the two of them weren't prepared for owning a summer home that needed so much work. During the summer, Michel flew down from Paris every weekend to be there, and oftentimes, Drinkwater would fly there from England. Just think of all the money spent on airfare!

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.

The Thirteenth House

Author: Sharon Shinn
Published: February 27, 2007
Category: Fantasy
Series: Twelve Houses #2
Rating: 6/10

Kirra, serramarra of Danalustrous, has just returned home from rescuing Romar Brendan, the kingdom's regent, and finds out that her younger sister has been made heir to her father, the marlord of Danalustrous. Some people think she should be upset because she's the eldest and it should've gone to her, but others are happy because who wants a mystic shiftling running their House? Kirra understands why her sister was chosen over her, and even agrees to masquerade as Casserah in social tour of Gillengaria. Eventually, she runs into Romar again, and she reveals her true identity to him, and they begin an affair (he's married).

I was a little disappointed in this book because Kirra seemed so selfish for most of it. Does she want to be the kind of woman who breaks a marriage apart? Is Romar the kind of man to set his wife (who has done no wrong) aside? And at the same time, Donnal, her shiftling companion, has loved her always, but watches as she falls for the wrong man. Then Kirra gets jealous of Princess Amalie, who is also on the tour, because Donnal spends a lot of time guarding her.

Good thing: All the characters from Mystic and Rider return, most of the group being present to guard the princess. The bonds between the group members grow stronger, with Justin being the person to finally scold Kirra for her behavior, and Cammon's reading powers seem even more limitless than before. In terms of overall series storyline, I feel like not a lot happened regarding the Daughters of the Pale Mother and their evil leader, the mystic-hunting Lestra.

Natural Born Charmer

Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Published: April 2008 (HarperCollins)

Category: Romance

Series: Chicago Stars #7

Rating: 8/10

Sorry, super short review. It's the usual more than your average romance again. The story is more than just the main couple; it involves Dean's odd and scattered family. It's a funny and poignant love story that isn't just about romantic love, but family love too. Very very sorry about crappiness of this post because it's late August and I read this months ago!

Red Lily

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: November 29, 2005 (Jove)
Category: Romance
Series: In the Garden Trilogy #3
Rating: 7/10

Finally, the end of the ghost mystery! Red Lily features the story of Hayley, the very pregnant young woman who showed up on Roz's doorstep in Blue Dahlia. No longer pregnant, but a single mom, Hayley has been working at In the Garden alongside Roz and Stella. She and Harper are falling for each other, but Hayley finds herself under the control of the Harper Bride ghost with increasing frequency.

You know what's a little freaky? The ghost possesses Hayley while she and Harper are going at it. The ghost is Harper's great-great-grandmother or something! Eeuw!

This is definitely not one of my favorite trilogies. I know a lot of Roberts' characters are similar from book to book, but this trilogy felt especially unoriginal characterwise. That being said, I think Red Lily was the best of the trilogy.

Black Rose

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: May 31, 2005 (Jove)
Category: Romance
Series: In the Garden Trilogy #2
Rating: 6/10

This entry into the In the Garden Trilogy shows us that grandmas are not too old to get it on, as Roz finds new love in the geeky (but hot in that Indiana Jones way) Mitchell Carnegie, who's doing the research on the Harper Bride ghost.

I felt like there was nothing special about the romance, even with the jerky ex-husband who returned to town to spread lies about Roz, making her the bad guy in their divorce. He was the one who stole thousands of dollars from her!

The ghost gets a little more interesting, and she even defends Roz when she's in danger of being hurt by jerky ex-husband. But the ghost is also a little crazy because she tries to kill Roz earlier.

The MacGregors: Alan and Grant

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: March 2006 (Silhouette)
Category: Romance
Series: MacGregors
Rating: 8/10

Sorry, I read this one four months ago and never posted a review.

Alan is the last of Daniel and Anna's offspring to tie the knot. He's a handsome US Senator and his party wants him to be President. While tossing that idea around in his head, he's falling for Shelby Campbell, owner of a high-end shop selling her own pottery. Shelby is falling for Alan as well, but she doesn't want to get involved in the world of politics again, as her father was a senator too and was assassinated before her eyes when she was a little girl. I found the easy approach to politics entertaining and I always like it when a Roberts character has a cool job, like making pottery.

The second story is actually not a MacGregor story, but related by marriage, as it's about Shelby's recluse brother, Grant. He winds up with Genevieve Grandeau, a famous artist, and in a small-world moment, she's actually a cousin to Diana and Justin Blade.

I liked Alan and Shelby's story more, but both are good reads.

The Third Circle

Author: Amanda Quick
Published: April 22, 2008 (Putnam)
Cateogry: Paranormal Romance
Series: Arcane Society #4
Rating: 8/10

Thaddeus Ware, a psychic mesmerist, runs into Leona Hewitt (disguised as a man) while he's sneaking around Lord Delbridge's private museum, and they discover a dead body. Leona's there to retrieve a precious crystal that was stolen from her family, and during the escape, Thaddeus is poisoned with a hallucinogen, which will cause insanity. Leona saves him using the crystal and then dumps him unceremoniously in a crappy inn.

Of course, Thaddeus tracks her down, but he's not the only one. A hunter (seen in the contemporary Arcane Society novels as well) under the employ of Delbridge has found her and takes the crystal back. Thaddeus finds out that Leona, a talented psychic crystal worker (yes, I found this a little confusing), is the only one who can use the crystal, and is still in danger, so he takes her to his house for protection. I'm so amused by historical romances where the heroine and hero wind up under the same roof before marriage, or even a declaration of marriage. It provides so many opportunities for rendez-vous that are so improper.

The Third Circle provides insight into the matchmaking system that's so important in the contemporary Arcane Society novels, and also reveals the beginnings of the Cabal and how it's organized. Apparently, it's arranged into levels, called circles, and members of one circle don't know members of another. Very interesting, and I'm excited to read the next book in the Arcane Society series, Running Hot.

Blue Dahlia

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: October 26, 2004 (Jove)
Category: Romance
Series: In the Garden Trilogy #1
Rating: 7/10

Sorry, it's June, and I'm trying to clean up this backlog of April books I finished, so I'm resorting to a lot of summaries.

Against the backdrop of a house steeped in history and a thriving new gardening business, three women unearth the memories of the past and uncover a dangerous secret—finding in each other the courage to take chances and embrace the future.

Stella has a passion for planning that keeps her from taking too many risks. But when she opens her heart to a new love, she discovers that she will fight to the death to protect what’s hers.

Trying to escape the ghosts of the past, young widow Stella Rothchild, along with her two energetic little boys, has moved back to her roots in southern Tennessee—and into her new life at Harper House and In the Garden nursery. She isn’t intimidated by the house—nor its mistress, local legend Roz Harper. Despite a reputation for being difficult, Roz has been nothing but kind to Stella, offering her a comfortable new place to live and a challenging new job as manager of the flourishing nursery. As Stella settles comfortably into her new life, she finds a nurturing friendship with Roz and with expectant mother Hayley. And she discovers a fierce attraction with ruggedly handsome landscaper Logan Kitridge

But someone isn’t happy about the budding romance…the Harper Bride. As the women dig into the history of Harper House, they discover that grief and rage have kept the Bride’s spirit alive long past her death. And now, she will do anything to destroy the passion that Logan and Stella share...

I'm not crazy about the start of this trilogy. Maybe I've read too many Nora Roberts books with women running away from their former lives. Blue Dahlia was a good read, but definitely nowhere near the best of her work. The ghost? It was a little creepy, but also a little annoying. However, the book does a good job setting up the rest of the trilogy. I hope the ghost story has a better ending than the one in Midnight Bayou.

Match Me If You Can

Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published: August 2006 (Avon)
Cateogry: Romance
Series: Chicago Stars #6
Rating: 8/10

It's been two months since I read this book, so I'm cheating and using the cover summary:

You met star quarterback Kevin Tucker in This Heart of Mine. Now get ready to meet his shark of an agent, Heath Champion, and Annabelle Granger, the girl least likely to succeed. But that's going to change now that Annabelle’s taken over her late grandmother's matchmaking business. Why does the wealthy, driven, and gorgeous sports agent Heath Champion need a matchmaker, especially a red-haired screw-up like Annabelle Granger? When the determined Matchmaker promised she'd do anything to keep her star client happy . . . did she mean anything? If Annabelle isn't careful, she just might find herself going heart-to-heart with the toughest negotiator in town.

I found match Me If You Can absolutely adorable, and one of my favorite scenes was the football players invading Annabelle's little house because they felt like they were at their moms' houses there. When Heath sees her there, unafraid of these gigantic men, swatting them and yelling for them to use coasters, he knows she'd be perfect for him, while his perfect date cowered in the corner because she preferred seeing football players from a luxury box.

There's a good side romance in this one for Bodie, Heath's right-hand man, and it's an interesting one, although not surprising. Read it and see!

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!

Mystic and Rider

Author: Sharon Shinn
Published: February 28, 2006 (Ace)
Category: Fantasy
Series: Twelve Houses #1
Rating: 8/10

Mystic and Rider is the first of Sharon Shinn's books set in Gillengaria, a land where some people are born with mystic powers. Senneth, a very powerful mystic, has the power to create and manipulate fire, and she's on a mission for the king to gauge the feelings of his vassals. With her are a couple King's Riders, a sort of elite guard to the king, and a few more mystics, among them shapeshifters and a mind reader.

Times are changing, and people are beginning to fear and hate mystics thanks to the whisperings of a fanatical religious order called the Daughters of the Moon. Mystics are being driven out of towns, beaten, or even killed. I find these sorts of plots the most disturbing because witch hunts really did happen, and people really did believe these kinds of holier-than-thou folks. During the group's travels, Senneth and Tayse fall in love so quietly you might miss it if you're insensitive and dense.

I find it funny that a lot of people think Sharon Shinn's stuff is so romantic and wonderful, but I don't find them very romantic at all. Just because two characters get together doesn't make it a romance. It's easy to assume that the Samaria books are romances because most involve an Archangel finding his/her mate. In the first book, Archangel the hero and heroine are fighting each other, and it's supposedly so romantic, which reminds me of how Lessa and F'lar, of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, didn't get along when they were made co-leaders. While they and a couple in each book get a happily ever after, I've never thought of them as romances. Couples get together in Dean Koontz horror novels but no one calls them romances either.

Anyways, my confusion on what constitutes a romance aside, Mystic and Rider is a fantastic first novel in the Twelve Houses series. It provides exposition of this new world without being tedious, and each character is well crafted. I've already purchased the rest of the series.

The Macgregors: Serena - Caine

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: January 2006 (Silhouette)
Category: Romance
Series: The MacGregors
Rating: 8/10

I've always heard about Nora Roberts' MacGregors series, but I was a bit wary of them because they were written so long ago. They've now been repackaged into several volumes containing multiple books. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe this volume contains the first MacGregor books.

Basically, Daniel MacGregor is a powerful, wealthy man with three children. His greatest desire is to see them happily married and producing lots of little MacGregor babies. If he has to meddle and matchmake, then it was all for the greater good, and Daniel gives all the matchmaking mamas from Regency romances a run for their pin money. I was afraid that I'd be annoyed because Scottish characters in romances tend to have exaggerrated accents. Thankfully, Roberts didn't subject me to that and didn't write Daniel's accent into his dialogue. Authors, you don't have to put in "verra" and "sich" to your dialogue. Just say that the character has a thick Scottish accent and I can imagine it rather than bend my mind around bastardized Scottish.

Playing the Odds

Serena MacGregor, Daniel's only daughter, has been going to school for a long time, studying all sorts of subjects, and finally left school to work as a blackjack dealer on a cruise ship. It's not that she needed the money; she just wanted to work with and meet all sorts of people. During her final cruise before returning to her family home and getting a "real" job, she meets Justin Blade, casino mogul, who happens to be on board because his friend Daniel MacGregor thought he needed a vacation. When Justin realizes how sharp Serena is, he offers her a job managing his Atlantic City casino. When Serena finds out Justin is there because of her father's meddling, she doesn't want to get involved with him romantically, but winds up taking the job.

I was rather fascinated by the descriptions of the inner workings of a casino. Serena and Justin make a great team and she's a strong female character without being all "I'm a feminist!" We also meet her brothers Alan (the politican) and Caine (the lawyer); of course, they're very charming and awesome brothers, and I couldn't wait to read their stories as soon as they appeared on the page. Playing the Odds is quite good, and its shortness helps focus on the romance with minimal background storylines. However, the story does show its age with all of Justin's smoking.

Tempting Fate

Caine MacGregor, successful lawyer and former district attorney of Boston, is opening his own practice, but he happens to be at Serena and Justin's Atlantic City hotel/casino during the reuniting of Justin and his sister Diana. Justin and Diana had a rough upbringing, with a Comanche father and society French-American mother. When their parents died, a mean aunt from their mother's family took in Diana, but refused to take Justin, so he left his sister behind. Serena, hoping to mend the rift, invites Diana to their hotel for a visit to get the healing started, but it was very difficult for Diana to accept her brother again. Caine was there to help her over the bumps and at the same time, offer her space to practice law in his offices.

Caine and Diana's romance is very character driven with no side plots to distract. Caine is very open to the romance, but Diana's upbringing by an aunt who despised her made her a very guarded person, seeming almost icy in personality. Once the MacGregor family began twining with the Blade family, Diana had to start opening up, first with her brother, and then Caine. Of course, there's the obligatory visit to the MacGregor castle where Daniel badgers all his children to get married and have babies. The family scenes are adorable and so much fun to read.

I've already ordered more MacGregors!