After Glow

Author: Jayne Castle
Published: February 24, 2004 (Jove)
Category: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 9/10

Don't you just love it when you start reading a new book and it's unexpectedly awesome? I'm talking about that degree of awesomeness where you want to read every book by the author, especially those in the same setting. Jayne Ann Krentz, writing as Jayne Castle, has created an easy-to-read blend of romance and science fiction. It's classified as paranormal romance, but I don't quite think it fits there. Then again, there's no scifi romance genre.

The story is set on the planet of Harmony, colonized by humans and abandoned by an ancient alien race that left behind fantastic cities and catacombs made of a glowing green quartz-like material. When the humans colonized, they realized that latent psychic powers surfaced easily on Harmony, and two very important types of psychics came about. One is the ghost hunter, a psychic who can dispel floating balls of alien energy that are usually found in the catacombs. The other is the tangler, a psychic with the ability to unravel psychic traps left behind by aliens in the catacombs. Para-archaelogists excavate in the catacombs and a well-organized dig will not be without good tanglers and ghost hunters.

Our heroine, Lydia Smith, is an ostracized tangler and para-archaelogist. Six months before the events of the book, she was lost in the catacombs for 48 hours and should have stayed lost, but thanks to her dust bunny named Fuzz, she found her way out, but had no memories of the events that occurred. She blames her ordeal on the two ghost hunters on her dig, and those ghost hunters blame Lydia for what happened. Because of that, she has a severe bias against hunters and the Guild that governs them.

There's a serious cute factor in this book in Fuzz the dust bunny. He looks like a bundle of dust that you'd find under your bed, has six legs, and two sets of eyes (one set used just for hunting at night). It should sound disgusting, but he's so endearing in the way he perches on Lydia's shoulder munching on pretzels (his favorite snack), and he's described so charmingly that I want a dust bunny now! He's very protective of Lydia, and you'd think "What can a little ball of fluff do to me?" They mention this quote in the book, that if you can see a dust bunny's teeth, it's too late.

Lydia's dating Emmett London, former Guild boss in Resonance City. He's in Lydia's home town as a favor to his father, Mercer Wyatt, the Guild Boss in Cadence. He's the typical Krentz/Quick hero, the hunter with quiet strength, is very protective of those close to him, and very much believes in thinking before acting. Despite being the strong, almost-silent type, Emmett is a romantic and is more open to moving his and Lydia's relationship forward.

The background story involves Lydia unraveling the mystery of her "lost weekend" in the catacombs. At the same time, Emmett has to stand in for his father as Cadence Guild boss, which brings in all sorts of tension (Lydia dislikes the Guild because of how they handled the two hunters who abandoned her; Wyatt's wife is Emmett's ex-fiancée, etc.), and there are various murders going on that may be related to both Lydia and Emmett.

So while we have a really interesting world and Guild politics to read about, the romance is fantastic and passionate, and I LOVED the characters. I'm very excited to read any new Jayne Castle books, because it appears that her recent publications are set on Harmony. Emmett and Lydia actually started their relationship in After Dark, so it helps After Glow move faster, as we don't waste time with relationship exposition. I was sad to see it end.

Lady Anne's Dangerous Man

Author: Jeane Westin
Published: January 3, 2006 (Signet)
Category: Historical Romance (Restoration England)
Rating: 7/10

Yet another mini review because I read this back in May and I'm doing this review in mid-June. Lady Anne's Dangerous man is one of those adventurous historical romances (and a twist on Robin Hood) where the main characters are bouncing all over England, due to Lady Anne's harebrained escape from John Gilbert, our Robin Hood. They don't stay long in Whittlewood Forest or various stops along the road back to London. And when they're in London, all I took from the description was the fact that it's dirty and there's a plague outbreak.

Lady Anne Gascoigne is eager to take her wedding vows - until she discovers her devious fiancé has conspired to let King Charles II steal her virtue. To save her honor and her life, she must flee under the protection of a notorious but charming rake who has just escaped hanging - only to be captured by Anne's heart....

The illegitimate son of a powerful man, John Gilbert lives by his wits and his sword, leading a merry band of men who rob the rich and corrupt, then escape to a forest hideaway. As proper Lady Anne blossoms under John's command, copening up to the freedom and sensuality he offers, she poses a new set of challenges for him - to stay alive long enough to ensure her protection, earn an equal place by her side, and convince her of his undying love....

The story was interesting, although a bit on the heavy side. John Gilbert has a rival outlaw with the oh-so-original name of Black Ben, and I thought he was superfluous to the storyline. I also had problems with Lady Anne, who was so full of herself thanks to her aristocratic upbringing that she runs away from John and safety, going back to the city she's supposed to keep away from. She, with her arrogant optimisim/confidence, thinks her uncle, a bishop, can help her when he only turns around to give her back to King Charles.

I didn't finish this book for Anne; I finished it for John, because he was a really good man, and more of a nobleman than the king. He'd been unlucky to be a bastard, and his father tried to give him his estate, but the three legitimate sons took it away from him and drove John to his life as a Robin Hood. I was very happy to see John justly rewarded for his good and heroic nature at the end of the book.

A Perfect Gentleman

Author: Barbara Metzger
Published: October 5, 2004 (Signet)
Category: Regency Romance
Rating: 6/10

I'm really behind in my reviews and this book wasn't very good when it could've been so much better what with its premise and all. I had to think really hard to remember what happened in the book. I still gave it a 6/10 because I didn't think it was so bad that I stopped reading it.

Viscount Aubrey "Stony" Wellstone is at the end of his rope - and at the end of his family's once-great fortune. Desperate, he tries his luck at the gaming tables, where an offer to exchange his debts for a gentlemanly favor leads to a profitable new profession... as an honorable escort accompanying the cream of the ton.

Fiercely independent Ellianne Kane would normally have no use for an upper-class attendant - even one as stricking as the viscount - but she is in dire need. Her younger sister has vanished while in London, and the flame-tressed beauty aims to find her. Only Stony's knowledge of proper society can help Ellianne in her quest. And only Stony can prove to her that there is far more to their relationship than money....

There are also the requisite Metzger character quirks. For example, Stony faints at the faintest sight of blood. I guess this wimpy quirk is supposed to make his later heroic actions all the more meaningful. Ellianne is in town with her Aunt Lally, widowed by a sea captain, and has the mouth of a sailor and a mild case of Tourette's. As she's usually seated quietly on the other side of the room, Stony assumes she's sleeping, so when things like "No balls at Bow Street. No balls a'tall, I say" are heard, she blames it on an imaginary parrot left by her deceased sea captain uncle. She's also got an old dog that happens to be a vegetarian, but he has a penchant for attacking Stony (but the dog has no teeth because he's old), so Ellianne has taken to carrying small cooked potatoes on her person.

At the same time, a serial murderer is on the loose, and Ellianne is constantly afraid of that her missing sister might turn up at the morgue as another one of the victims. However, as a mystery, it's kind of blah. Not memorable, and you could see the murderer's true identity from a mile away.

If I were asked for my recommendation on a Metzger to read, I'd definitely recommend passing over this title. Metzger's got better.

Born in Fire

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: October 1, 1994 (Jove)
Category: Romance
Series: Born In #1
Rating: 7/10

Yet another Jennie-approved book. She practically glued this one to my forehead to make this my next Nora Roberts read.

The couple in Born in Fire is the typical alpha male + strong, independent woman. Rogan Sweeney is the head of an Irish corporation that operates art galleries worldwide. He wants to open a gallery showcasing Irish artists and the first step in that direction is to find a new Irish superstar artist. He finds his next artist in a piece of beautifully blown glass in his grandmother's home. Unfortunately, the artist, Maggie Concannon is fiercely independent and doesn't want someone telling her to how to make art and when to make it.

Honestly, I didn't care for Maggie that much. She was too spiny a character for me to like. A hot millionaire who loves her and respects her talent wants a relationship with her, and she's all, "I like being a hermit and you might someday ask me to create a piece on commission that I don't want to do!" I don't remember very much about the development of their love story, but it seemed as though Rogan was doing a lot of the work on it and waiting for Maggie to come around. Then again, Maggie did have a rough family life, with a mother who hated the man she married and produced two daughters out of duty and didn't bother raising them or maintaining their household. She left the work to her daughters and husband while staying abed claiming some imaginary illness.

The descriptions of the Irish countryside, the art galleries, and Maggie's glass blowing were fabulous though. But didn't I start reading this book for the romance? Despite my dislike of how the romance was handled, the book was well written, and set the reader up for the next book in the trilogy, Born in Ice, about Maggie's sister Brianna, and I am eager to read her story.

The River Knows

Author: Amanda Quick
Published: April 24, 2007 (Putnam)
Category: Historical Fiction
Rating: 8/10

In the course of investigating Elwin Hastings, a man of good society, although of evil soul, plain-looking Louisa Bryce finds herself locking lips in a dark hallway with the handsome Anthony Stalbridge of the powerful, yet eccentric, Stalbridge family. Louisa was about to be discovered by the guard, but Anthony grabbed her and kissed her to give them an excuse to be away from the party going on downstairs, finding that it's very pleasant to kiss the quiet and inconspicuous Mrs. Bryce. But Amanda Quick has always been good at creating characters that have more than what appears to be on the surface.

Louisa used to live under another name, where she operated in trade as a rare book dealer. However, a nobleman with a penchant for preying on lone women in trade wanted her for his next victim. She wound up killing him in self defense, but knew that in society's eyes, she would turn up guilty, so she faked her suicide in the Thames River and became Louisa Bryce, a companion to the eccentric Lady Ashton, and a career as a correspondent for the Flying Intelligencer, first seen in Quick's Wait Until Midnight, exposing the misdeeds of the elite members of the ton. She's looking for proof that Hastings is involved in financing a notorious brothel catering to the most depraved sexual appetites.

Anthony, on the other hand, is looking for evidence linking Hastings to the supposed suicide of Anthony's ex-fiancée two years prior. He can't move on from Fiona's death because of the rumors that she killed herself due to his ending their engagement (she was in love with another man). If he could connect Hastings to Fiona's death, the air will finally be clear.

While they do discover the evidence they require thanks to Anthony's skills as a safecracker, they discover a deeper and more twisted crime under Hastings' belt: the blackmail of innocent young ladies he had seduced by another accomplice. They now believe Fiona was killed because of this scheme, and Anthony is determined to bring Hastings to justice. Lousia, as a reporter, naturally wants to follow the story through to the end.

Louisa and Anthony share one of those relationships where they work extremely well together, but she stereotypically doesn't take direction from him just because he' a man and she's a woman. She is a forward-thinking Victorian woman, goshdarnit! The more intimate parts of the illicit love affair they begin are charming and humorous at times, as Louisa was disappointed with the first time (she was never married; the deceased Mr. Bryce is just a cover) and Anthony, as a man, had to provide her with an experience "approaching transcendence," like those described in novels.

I liked the hero and heroine, the background mystery was well-developed, and supporting characters were entertaining. Another good Amanda Quick read.

Montana Sky

Author: Nora Roberts
Published: Reissued June 27, 2006 (Berkley), First print March 1996 (Putnam)
Category: Romance
Rating: 9/10

Finally, my first Nora Roberts (not counting the J.D. Robbs)! Jennie, the Nora Roberts expert, recommended this title for my first, and I have to give her a big thank you because I had such a great time reading this book.

Montana Sky is the story of three half-sisters, each sharing the same father and very different mothers. Willa, the youngest, has lived on Jacky Mercy's ranch her whole life, as her mother died before Jack could divorce her. The other two sisters, Tess and Lily, return to the ranch to attend the funeral and the reading of the will. In order to claim their inheritance, each a third share of the ranch (one of the best in Montana), the three women will have to live there for one year.

During the span of the year, three women who are so different from each other become the sisters they never had for each other, and of course, the perfect man for each sister appears quickly, even if Tess, the stubborn city girl screenwriter, doesn't realize it yet. She winds up with Nate, the cowboy lawyer who breeds quarterhorses. Lily, the battered woman, finds a gentle man to heal her heart in Willa's half-brother (through the mother, so there's no incest here!) Adam, who works on Mercy Ranch managing the horses. Willa finally falls for the man she swore never to marry (because her father wanted it), Ben McKinnon of the neighboring rival ranch. With all these hot yet courteous gentleman cowboys, I think I might have to set aside my rule of "no cowboys in my romances."

The descriptions of ranch life and the wild, yet beautiful land of Montana were fantastic and appealed to the part of me that always wanted to have a chicken coop so I could feed chickens and have fresh eggs each morning.

I did feel some anxiety while reading this book because the reader knows that Lily's abusive ex-husband is stalking her while working on Ben's ranch. It's like when you're watching a horror movie and yell at the stupid characters on the screen that no, it's not a great idea to split up. But the tension and pressure brought on by the villain are great accoutrements to the romances and even nudges them along.

This was a fantastic read, great for a lazy weekend, and is not your average fluffy romance. It has funny moments and serious moments and the dialogue is spot on. I was just a little disappointed at the end and felt that for a book with three well-developed romances (usually one romance is in the forefront and the rest are very minor) could've done well with an epilogue. For example, Tess was about to get on a plane back to CA after the year on the ranch, but changes her mind at the last minute to stay with Nate. And that's the last you hear about her. It would've been nice to see her sisters' reaction to her decision to stay, and to find out about Mary's first child. If it had a good epilogue, this would've been a 10/10.

And remember, this was a Jennie-approved book! Guaranteed for some seriously good reading.

Immortal in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: July 1, 1996 (Berkley)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #3
Rating: 8/10

I realize why Nora Roberts has such a huge readership. If I have a craving for a good romantic suspense, I know I can depend on her In Death series. Sure, each book is pretty formulaic, but that means that I can find things I know I like within its pages, and return to characters I know and love.

Eve Dallas, our favorite tough lady cop, is going to marry our beloved hero Roarke, and she needs a dress. Her best friend Mavis recommends her current boyfriend Leonardo, an up-and-coming fashion designer. But in the middle of Eve's consultation with him, an angry supermodel flies into the loft and demands that he dump Mavis or she'll ruin his career. Of course, the supermodel turns up dead and Mavis is suspect numero uno.

Sometimes I wonder how it's possible that Eve can work on cases in which she has a personal interest, and this is the worst one yet. While she's working on the case, Eve suffers from nightmares that reveal the horrors of the childhood memories she'd suppressed. She'd been found in an alley as a child, beaten and broken, with no name and no memories of her family. But it appears that her mind has decided that it's time to deal with the past now that Roarke is there to love and support her. Once she recalls the truth of her father's death (she killed him), she tries to call off the wedding and turn herself in as a murderer. But nothing comes of that, and Eve's boss even tells her not to bother and stop wasting time on the ridiculous idea of turning herself in when she's got to figure out who killed the supermodel.

I'll also admit that Roarke is awesome. He's an alpha male, but he knows that Eve wouldn't stand for it. He compromises and lets her be difficult, but he'll take charge in one matter when she's too obsessed with something else (i.e. having her car fixed while she's focused on her investigation).

The mystery, which is just something in the background of the whole Eve-Roarke relationship, wasn't too mysterious. When you have a cast of characters, there's only so much suspicion that can be thrown around, and the few new characters that get introduced are automatically the prime suspects to the reader. I've read only three of the Eve Dallas books, and each murderer is someone we meet in the course of the investigation. I'm waiting for the day the murderer is a complete surprise. But the lack of that won't stop me from reading these books!

White Lies

Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Published: January 2007 (Putnam)
Category: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 7/10

Apparently, White Lies uses the Arcane Society Krentz created under her penname Amanda Quick in Second Sight. I think I started reading that book, but stopped reading it for some reason I don't recall.

Clare Lancaster is a level 10 parasensitive human lie detector. Apparently, this is a super big deal and she could be a level 17 for all we know because level 10 parasensitives just can't be measured. Having been fired from her last job and being unable to find a new one, due to being suspected of a murder she didn't commit, she goes to Stone Canyon, AZ, home of her father (the man who supplied the sperm in a one-night fling) and his family, at his request. Several months before, her half-sister contacted her for desperate help because she believed her husband Brad was evil, which he was, but then Clare walked in on his murder scene soon after that and was suspected (but cleared due to her father's influence) of doing the deed.

Upon her return to Stone Canyon, Brad's mother goes ballistic, and it doesn't help that she's on meds and has become an alcoholic. She's bent on the idea that Clare killed Brad because they were having an affair and Brad wouldn't leave her sister. She even tries killing Clare in revenge, and winds up doing a dead man's float in her pool, and unfortunately discovered by Clare, who wanted to talk things out with the crazy lady.

And then there's the man. He's Jake Salter, an employee of Jones & Jones, a paranormal investigation firm that does a lot of work for the Arcane Society. He's using Clare's affluent father to disguise his true purpose in Stone Canyon. Apparently, someone's starting a rival organization to the Arcane Society, called the Cabal. Jake is also a level 10 parasensitive, a hunter. I was a little fuzzy on what a hunter actually does, but I figured it has to do with being very predator-like... and manly... and very, very sexy. I think I have a crush on him.

But this book was not really about the romance, which comes together rather easily and with a cute gimmick at the end of the book (there's an Arcane Society dating service that matches parasensitives up with suitable mates). It was more about the mystery and Clare's pseudo-family and how they come together. I could've done with a little more Jake :)

Visions of Heat

Author: Nalini Singh
Published: Marcy 2007 (Berkley)
Category: Paranormal Romance
Series: Psy-Changeling #2
Rating: 7/10

Visions of Heat continues from where Slave to Sensation left off. The Psy heroine is Faith Nightstar, a cardinal level F-Psy, which means she can see visions of the future. She was raised under Silence, the heartless Psy program that teaches all Psy not to feel emotion, lest their psychic powers get the best of them and bad things happen. But we all know, after STS that Silence was not successful and the Psy Council has been hiding the killers that have resulted from the program.

Faith, as a foreseer, thinks that insanity is inevitable. Apparently, they're really delicate and have to live in complete isolation from everyone and the more powerful the foreseer, the more this applies. Since she's the most powerful foreseer of her time, Faith has been living by herself since she was a child in a guarded house in the wilderness on the edge of DarkRiver territory. And this mysterious guarded house has attracted Vaughn D'Angelo's attention.

Lucky for him, Faith wants to meet Sascha Duncan, mate to Vaughn's pack leader, Lucas Hunter. Faith has been suffering visions of murder, which she shouldn't because Silence keeps foreseers from seeing such emotional visions. Their predictions are reserved for business dealings (which I found sort of unethical) only. Faith is afraid that she's going to crack under these horrific visions, although she seemed ready to crack over just about anything.

Vaughn's inner jaguar, apparently more developed than most changelings' animal alter-egos, wants to claim Faith, and he goes along with it. He keeps pushing Faith to her breaking point to make her stronger, and it's not like she's the only one who benefits. The more accustomed she becomes to touching and emotional interaction, the sooner Vaughn can take her to bed, which he eventually does.

I was enjoying the relationship between Vaughn and Faith more than the whole Psy murderer subplot. They catch the killer, but it was a little too easy and almost an afterthought in the storyline. I love Vaughan, our alpha male hero; Singh can definitely write an alpha male. Her heroines are lacking though. They're all fragile and about to break, and I'd really like to see a future story where we have a strong Psy female to start with. Faith did seem a bit braver than Sascha though, dropping out of the Psynet without any idea of the private web of stars that was created when Sascha dropped out in STS. Then again, she just figured she was going to die, so maybe it wasn't actually bravery. I guess Singh is trying to appeal to the audience that likes having everything taken care of by their man?

Rake's Ransom

Author: Barbara Metzger
Published: January 2006 (Signet), 1st printing: January 1987 (Walker)
Category: Regency Romance
Rating: 9/10

Miss Jacelyn Trevayne is the apple of her father's eye, and the bane of her neighbor's existence, as Jacey has taken it upon herself to ruin every foxhunt possible. To teach her a lesson for her hoydenish ways, the neighbor, Squire Bottwick, arrests her dog Penelope for a period of three days. Jacey won't stand for that, so she decides to fight fire with fire, and kidnap the squire's nephew. Unfortunately, she kidnaps the wrong man. Instead of goofy Arthur Ponsonby, she kidnaps dashing Leigh Merrill, Earl of Claibourne. Since the squire didn't take Jacey's ransom note seriously, he didn't respond and Jacey and Leigh were together in a cottage for a few hours, thus compromising Jacey. Leigh, being an honorable gentleman, despite his rakely reputation, offers for her, even giving her a betrothal period in London so she can figure out if they'll suit, and even find someone better than an impoverished earl for a husband.

This is the funniest Metzger I've ever read. I was giggling from the first chapter, where Jacey's exploits in foiling the local hunts were detailed. There was an instance where she had a couple village boys gather dead fish and scatter them all over the place, and the most recent hunt had Jacey walking Penelope about the countryside while she was in heat, thus causing all the hunting dogs to go crazy.

While Leigh is escorting Jacey about town, we get these little moments where he shows that he has more than an honorable interest in marrying her. There's a moment in a modiste's shop where her newly hired stickler of an abigail is giving conflicting opinions about the decolletage of a gown, so Jacey marches out to Leigh and demands to know where a lady's gown should start and end, and Leigh finds himself staring at this bosom that's practically presented to him with blazing neon arrows screaming "LOOK AT THESE!!" He calmly tells her, "You'll have to decide, Miss Travaine. You'll be the one drawing attention... You have to consider whether you wish to be approved or admired." Jacey fires back that since he'll be escorting her, her choice would affect him, and Leigh says, "Tell me when you are going to wear it so I can buckle on my sabre to fight off all the smitten mooncalves." Swoon. I love that language. Smitten mooncalves indeed!

I felt like this book was more about society and all the intricate steps one must take to be accepted by the haute ton. Even though it's nothing new, I can't get enough of those little rituals, like morning calls and rides through Hyde Park at the fashionable hour. The rich descriptions and excellent made up for the anticlimactic romantic ending. I was just a little disappointed in how Jacey and Leigh wound up together, in one of those "Huh, that's it?" moments. But their happy ending is not the only one, as Jacey, ever considerate of her friends, plays matchmaker rather successfully, even for one of the villains (who turns out not to be villainous, just slightly stupid).

Great fun and I think this might be my favorite Metzger to date.

Lady Jane's Nemesis

Author: Patricia Oliver
Published: July 2000 (Signet)
Category: Regency Romance
Rating: 7/10

This was a very different regency romance, as all the Signet Regency Romances I've read lead up to the hero and heroine getting married. In Lady Jane's Nemesis, marriage occurs very early in the book, and the story concerns our hero and heroine becoming accustomed to their arranged marriage. Lady Jane Sinclair was betrothed at birth to her father's best friend's son, as a way to solidify their friendship. Twenty-five years later, and Roger Hastings, Viscount Summers, has yet to make good on the agreement. During a morning ride, Jane hears a woman laughing and discovers Roger with a half-naked, and very married Lady Horton. Outraged, Jane returns to Penhallow Hall, deciding to extricate herself from her betrothal (despite the signed papers).

She tries to convince her father to break the betrothal agreement, but he will have none of it, and tells Roger's father to kick his son in the pants and get him moving. So Roger becomes the charming suitor and Jane, who has had tender feelings for Roger for quite some time, gives in to his promises that there will be no more contact with Lady Horton.

I did think that Jane gave in a little too easily to Roger if she was truly so offended about what she'd seen. But I guess that's why they say love is blind? Apart from that, it's a well-written story resulting in a more grown-up kind of love, with great main and supporting characters.

And Then He Kissed Her

Author: Laura Lee Guhrke
Published: February 2007 (HarperCollins)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 8/10

This one's a Victorian version of the classic cliche of employer and employee falling in love, and it does

Right, so Emmaline Dove has been an excellent secretary to Viscount Harrison Marlowe, so much that he's begun to take her for granted. Emma's been trying to publish a book on etiquette, and keeps submitting manuscripts to Harry, and he keeps rejecting them. When she finds out that he's been rejecting them without reading them, she quits, and Harry realizes how much he depended on Emma. They work together again when Harry buys the newspaper Emma writes a column in, and they get to know each other beyond the professional relationship they used to maintain when Emma was his secretary.

Harry has problems with remarriage because he endured a scandalous divorce from his adulterous wife. Emma doesn't want to have scandal ruin her good name, as she is so focused on writing about etiquette and maintaining her spotless image. She keeps refusing Harry, and he confronts her with the way Emma has hidden her true self behind walls of etiquette and propriety, only to satisfy what other people think of her. She realizes he's right and agrees to begin an illicit love affair with him. They spend lovely weekends together in a cottage in the countryside.

Although Emma knows that the relationship is for sex only, she falls in love with Harry, and when she realizes this, she breaks off the affair. And once again, when Emma leaves him, Harry realizes what he's missing out on. Classic "want what you can't have" thinking.

In terms of the employer-employee romance, I really liked it, much more than The Raven Prince. The story was well-written, although the romance was a bit slow in development. Not too much drama, just the right amount, and that always gets a star from me!

Moonspun Magic

Author: Catherine Coulter
Published: July 1999 (Signet), First edition published 1988
Category: Historical Romance
Series: Magic Trilogy #3
Rating: 6/10

Just what I always wanted in a romance: evil twin vs. good twin.

Rafael Carstairs has returned to England after several years as a spy during the Napoleonic Wars. While traveling through Cornwall on the way to London, he rescues a young lady from smugglers. This young lady, Victoria Abermarle, has been living with her cousin, wife of Damien Carstairs, Baron Drago, and Rafael's twin. Damien was trying to ravish his wife's cousin, and even told vicious lies about Victoria to her one suitor. And men being phenomenally stupid in this book, the suitor believed Damien's claims, rather than trying to talk it out with Victoria. Of course a man's word must be taken ahead of a woman's word.

Rafael and Victoria decide to marry, as they get along well and she needs protection. And it seems as though all will be well in their world, but Damien tells Rafael the same horrible lies he told Victoria's previous suitor, and Rafael begins doubting her innocence. On their wedding night, Victoria stops him, saying she has to tell him something, and he thinks she's about to admit that she's not a virgin, and flips out. He says mean things to her and keeps on having to make it up to her. Victoria's angry with him for believing Damien and refuses to tell him her secret, even though it would've cleared everything up if she'd communicated. He figures what could she have that was so important to reveal during their wedding night? Apparently, Victoria has a big scar on her thigh from a childhood riding accident, and she's unable to handle much physical exertion, so that rules out dancing and riding for extended periods of time. The scar affects her emotionally too, as her cousin has always made it sound like it was something awful, so she's afraid that Rafael will reject her for being imperfect when he looks so perfect.

When they finally have a wedding night, he realizes that Damien was lying, and says so, and Victoria is angry at him for sleeping with her just to find out if she was a virgin. And she still refuses to tell him about her leg. It's this constant dance of mistrust, and I kept wishing that they'd just grow up already.

After the wedding, they return to Cornwall so Rafael can investigate a revival of the Hellfire Club, which has been committing the gang rape of several young women, and one of the victims was the daughter of a viscount, which brought about Rafael's involvement. The newlyweds stay at Drago Hall, and that gives Damien the opportunity to masquerade as Rafael. I knew it was going to happen, and Victoria is clever enough not to fall for his tricks. However, Rafael hears about this and thinks that Victoria is cheating on him, which leads to more mistrust and anger, as Victoria finds out AGAIN that Rafael believes another person's word over her own.

Apart from the constant annoyance of secrets, mistrust, and lies, there is a good story. It could've been a lot less soap opera-esque in terms of drama quota if the characters were less stupid. Even up to the end, Rafael doesn't fully trust Victoria, infiltrating the Hellfire Club without telling her and having Damien (who turned a new leaf) act as Rafael. And Victoria, after finding out that she'd been duped so she wouldn't try to "help" Rafael and cause more problems for him. But at least this time around, she doesn't get angry with him.

Maybe I picked the wrong Coulter to start off with, as I've read some reviews for this book that say the other two books in the trilogy were better.

Not Quite a Lady

Author: Loretta Chase
Published: April 2007 (Avon)
Category: Historical Romance
Quote of Choice: "Oh, now you are going to become all masterful. If you think you can intimidate me with your— with your great size and— and swaggering arrogance, I recommend you think again."
Rating: 10/10

Hooray! The new Loretta Chase is finally out and I loooooooooved it. The dialogue was excellent and so funny.

Lady Charlotte Hayward, at twenty-seven years of age, is an expert at NOT getting married. She's gorgeous and intelligent, but she's been guarding a deep dark secret for ten years. When she was seventeen, she was duped by a libertine and gave birth to a boy in secret, with the assistance of her very-not-evil stepmother and maid. The baby was given away, and figured that it may not have survived because it was so weak at birth. Charlotte has no desire to marry because her husband would realize that she's not a virgin and reject her and expose her for a fraud.

Darius Carsington is a gentleman scholar, studying animals, their mating habits in particular. And he regards his relations with women the same way animals do. There is no love nor desire to marry. His father, fed up with his youngest son, issues a challenge. Restore Birchwood (the estate neighboring Charlotte's father's estate) within one year or marry.

Charlotte literally trips over Darius while she's out on a walk on his property, and the two start off on the wrong foot, bickering with each other in the most amusing way. They are both determined not to be attracted to the other. Darius has a rule against innocents and Charlotte is unwilling to trust men after her experience with the man who had his way with her and left.

However, Charlotte and Darius are thrown together frequently, as her stepmother has taken on the task of restoring the manor house at Birchwood, spending money that Darius doesn't have. Every time they meet, they rub each other the wrong way, and Darius winds up having wicked thoughts about her. Every time they kiss, Charlotte is angry at him and herself, usually whacking him with her bonnet and stomping off in a huff.

They give in to the attraction one afternoon, when Charlotte is crying over the prospect of marrying a man she doesn't love, and she reveals her secret to Darius. I was ready to applaud Charlotte at that point because the TRUTH has come out before the end of the book, and she and Darius can work through it. And hooray! Darius is accepting of Charlotte's past and the fact that she's not perfect. It was nice to see the hero and heroine act like adults and communicate, and they declare their love soon after, which is lovely. So many historical romances have the heroine refusing the hero until he admits that he loves her, and that usually takes until the very end of the book.

The conflict though, is Colonel Morrell, who I kept calling "Colonel Mustard" in my mind. He wants Charlotte for his wife, but he'd be the kind of husband who doles out heaps of discipline to make her into a proper wife. None of this traipsing across the countryside and helping her stepmother redecorate a bachelor's home. Basically, he's the male character I hate quite easily. He discovers Charlotte's secret and attempts to blackmail her with it, but unsuccessfully so, as Charlotte and Darius go to her parents and reveal the truth, along with their intention to marry.

Charlotte's father isn't upset about how Charlotte had a child, but the fact that she was too afraid to tell him about her problem, and accepts his new grandson, giving the poor child a large, loving family, and lifting Charlotte's burden of guilt from her shoulders.

This was a great romance, with minimal annoyance to me (and I get annoyed rather easily!). I could not get enough of Charlotte and Darius's dialogue, as they are the epitome of "that bickering-but-in-love couple."

Almost Heaven

Author: Judith McNaught
Published: April 1990 (Pocket Books)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 7/10

Elizabeth Cameron, Countess of Havenhurst, had a promising future ahead of her. She possessed beauty, grace, and charm, and was about to be betrothed to a viscount when she met Ian Thornton, disowned grandson of the Duke of Stanhope. The cover blurb says that his lineage is mysterious, but the duke's son married a commoner and was disowned. Ian is the duke's son's only child, and should be the heir to the duke now that his father has passed away. I didn't understand what was so mysterious when everyone knew Ian's story. Ian and Elizabeth spend some time together at a house party, and Ian wants her for his wife after she uses her quick wit to prevent a ridiculous duel, but before he can follow through, the couple is set up and discovered in the greenhouse (just talking) by her brother Robert.

Robert challenges Ian to a duel, and dishonorably fires before he's supposed to, wounding Ian, and as a result, Elizabeth's betrothal to the viscount is off the table. Her brother disappears, most likely to escape from his creditors, and a ruined Elizabeth takes charge of Havenhurst. Two years later, Elizabeth's uncle contacts Elizabeth's former suitors and offers them a chance to marry Elizabeth, after a short visit to see if they will still suit. Three respond to the offer, although Ian didn't want Elizabeth. Due to his incompetent secretary, the wrong response went to Elizabeth's uncle.

Elizabeth's arrival is a surprise to Ian, and the two butt heads. Lucy, Elizabeth's duenna, sees that the two are perfect for each other and set them up with time alone so their relationship can develop again. Ian still believes Elizabeth is a schemer. After all, he was under the belief that she flirted with him when she was betrothed to a viscount, and led him on. However, they figure out that the person who set them up in that greenhouse was one of Elizabeth's rivals (and a supposed friend - girls are mean!!). After her visit, Ian decides to marry Elizabeth because they love each other and he wants to save her from a marriage to a lecherous old man. To do so, Ian reconciles with his grandfather and becomes his legal heir.

On the day they marry, the man investigating Robert's disappearance tells Elizabeth that Ian may be responsible for Robert's departure, or murder even. She loves Ian, so she marries him anyway, hoping that it's not true. Unfortunately, Ian had a hand in Robert's disappearance, throwing him onto the crews of one of his ships because Robert tried to murder Ian after the duel. After this point, the romance could've been a lot shorter if they'd talked to each other. But they loved each other too much. Elizabeth didn't want to accuse Ian of something he may not have done, and Ian didn't want to tell Elizabeth about what he'd done until he figured out what actually happened to Robert.

And in the grand tradition of conflict-ridden romance, Robert reappears, spewing lies about what happened, and Elizabeth runs away, selling the emeralds Ian gave her for a wedding gift for funds. Ian is accused of murdering Elizabeth, and when she sees this in a newspaper, she confronts Robert and he admits that he lied about what happened to him. She pays him off and returns to London to show herself at Ian's trial. He's declared innocent, but he now wants to divorce his wife.

This book frustrated me so much at times. Like before, in Something Wonderful it takes a big sacrifice from the heroine to make the hero realize that he's wrong. Elizabeth sells her beloved Havenhurst to pay Ian back for the emeralds. He finally tracks her down (after buying back the emeralds and Havenhurst), and admits that he's an idiot and never stopped loving her. After kissing and making up, they talk and share what they'd been hiding from each other. You know, things would've been a lot easier if they'd just communicated!

The other thing that kept bugging me was how rich Ian was. I know that he had a lucrative shipping business, but he paid Elizabeth's uncle £150,000 to marry her. Then there was £45,000 for her emeralds. Then he paid £200,000 to buy back Havenhurst. So the money and everyone's assumption in the worst in everyone else made this book extremely aggravating, but the love story between the Ian and Elizabeth was lovely. McNaught's description of their first moonlit waltz in the garden at the house party was so romantic. It was all in Ian's, "Dance with me, Elizabeth." ::swoon::

I think McNaught's historical romances are all about deception and betrayal, so I think I'll pass on her in the future. Too much frustration.

Innocence and Impropriety

Author: Diane Gaston
Published: March 2007 (Harlequin)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 8/10

Ah, forbidden love. Jameson Flynn, secretary to the Marquess of Tannerton, is required to aquire Tanner's latest mistress. The Vauxhall Gardens singer, Rose O'Keefe has captured Tanner's attention, and once Flynn hears her song, he's fallen as well. But falling for Rose isn't an option, as Flynn has higher aspirations than being secretary to a marquess. He'd like to work in the government, or serve royalty, and he's definitely qualified to move up. Tanner has the connections to get him one of these coveted positions, so Flynn decides to put his career before his heart.

Rose, living with her father and his doxy (a horrible harridan of a woman), is being pushed to becoming Tanner's mistress, as he will protect her from other men and line the pockets of her father and the doxy. She's been told that the marquess could make or break her career, and with his sponsorship, she could sing in King's Theatre, a long-standing dream of Rose's. She knows she'll have to accept Tanner, who's known to be generous to his mistresses, but is torn because she has feelings for Flynn.

Because Flynn's handling the negotiations to acquire Rose, he spends a lot of time with her, supposedly singing Tanner's praises, but he and Rose fall even more deeply in love with each outing. Gaston writes these lovely, heartbreaking moments for them, where they're together for just a moment, but duty makes them step away, like when they dine with Tanner and one of Rose's friends in Vauxhall. They switch partners on the dance floor and Rose and Flynn waltz this perfect and passionate waltz, only to have Flynn escort her back to Tanner's side afterward. Despite trying to keep his distance, Flynn can't help caring for Rose, even arranging Tanner's gifts to truly suit her. For example, Rose isn't the kind of woman who craves jewels. Instead, Flynn arranged singing lessons for her at King's Theater, and she knew that he was behind it, not Tanner.

One annoying thing: With all the time and conversation spent together, Rose never mentions that she's never been with a man before. It's not like she had to say that she was a virgin, but she could've said she's never been a man's mistress. But that was part of the book's conflict, and it was resolved quickly enough when Flynn gets over it. I think he was more upset that he had almost given a virgin to Tanner (but that was before Rose wanted him for just one day before she officially became Tanner's mistress) than the fact that she hadn't told him about it.

The villian is the Earl of Greythorne, a cruel man with an affinity for sadism. I think he was the weakest part of the book because as a villain, he was a bit cartoonish. I was imagining one of those silent film villains who ties the girl up to the train tracks while stroking his mustache, holding his cape for dramatic effect. But yet again, he was a means to an end, serving as a not-so-deep source of conflict in a short book.

The resolution was fantastic, and I found myself falling a little in love with Tanner, because he's really a good guy; he just needs to find the right woman. He's even jealous of what couple has together, but supports Flynn's career decision and stays in touch with them after Flynn leaves his employ.

I'd definitely read more Diane Gaston in the future, and she also writes under the name of Diane Perkins as well.

The Ramshackle Suitor

Author: Nancy Butler
Published: March 2000 (Signet)
Category: Regency Romance
Quote of Choice: "Stop squirming. More ill has come of women squirming than from any two countries spatting over boundaries."
Rating: 9/10

I'm so glad I gave Nancy Butler a try! She was a completely random pick (most likely because I liked the cover), and I'm going to look for her other titles.

Lucy Parnell, governess by trade, has come to the Isle of Man on a personal quest. She believes her dead sister's bastard child is calling for her to find him in her dreams. While walking in the countryside, she finds a man in a ditch, dressed in attire from the time of King Charles II. And it appears he's made an enemy of an angry ram, forcing him and Lucy up a tree for safety, and she shares the story of her quest to him. So begins the acquaintance of Lucy Parnell and Roderick Kempthrone, gentleman of leisure. Lucy's odious stepbrother tracks her down and tries to force her to quit her quest. When she refuses, he steals her trunk, which contains her money and clothes. Roddy is kind enough to offer her a place to stay with his friend, the Earl of Steyne and also wishes to help her find the long-lost nephew, resulting in lots of time spent with her in the process.

This has to be one of the most passionate Signet Regency Romances I've ever read. Not in that smutty historical romance way, but in the stolen kisses way. Lucy winds up torn between the ramshackle Roddy, with no job or money, and the man who's been courting her back in Manchester, Sir Humphrey Dumbarton. Roddy calls him Sir Humpty Dumpty, and does his best to make her see that her life would be happier if she chose the ramshackle fellow instead. Oh, and Roddy is conveniently rich, even as the youngest child of the most wealthy family in all of Cornwall.

The background story is very compelling as well, with the mystery child and the horrible stepbrother who definitely gets his comeuppance in the end. The book felt like it was a lot longer than its 214 pages, as I've slogged through 400 page books that didn't accomplish half as much as this one in terms of reader satisfaction. It's also one of those romances where the hero and heroine are not the only match made, as two other couples find each other, and new families are brought together.

An excellent cozy read. Now please excuse me, as I hunt for more Nancy Butler books.

Marley & Me

Author: John Grogan
Published: October 2005 (William Morrow)
Category: Memoir
Rating: 6/10

There was so much hype about Marley & Me that I think my expectations rose to unrealistic levels. The book isn't really about Marley the badly behaved Labrador retriever, but about John Grogan. The thing is, I didn't really care about Grogan, or his experiences beginning a family. Sure, some of Marley's escapades are funny, and I've been through some of them myself, having grown up with a rowdy beagle with a penchant for escaping at any given opportunity.

One part of this book really bothered me. After giving birth to their second child, Grogan's wife Jenny suffers from post-partum depression and she begins lashing out at Marley, saying she wants to get rid of the dog. Grogan even comes home one time to find Jenny beating Marley (ineffectually), screaming and crying. It just made me think about all those family dogs that are given up when newborns arrive, and Marley just happened to get lucky in his situation. He was so close to being given up by the family that took him in, and that was so sad.

Would you give away your child because he was being difficult? But yes, I know that most people would say that you can't use that kind of comparison. I'll use the example provided by an idiot I used to work with. Chuck had a cat, but then Chuck got a dog, and the cat didn't like the dog, so they gave away the cat. So it's easy to handle your problem like that, by giving it away? It's the most cowardly, loserly example of giving up and I can't stand when people do that. When you take these animals into your home, you promise to give them a home and they trust you. What choice do they have? It's not like they can reason with you or plead their case to you if you think it'd be easier to ditch them.

The serious tearjerking moment is in the last few chapters of the book, describing Marley's decline. I'm not sure if it's just from the story or thinking about my old dog who's approaching the end of his breed's lifespan. After reading the book, I didn't care any more for Grogan or his family than I did at the beginning. Marley was everything a dog should be: an unconditional best friend.

However, if you're looking for a great animal story, read James Herriot instead. It's funny and less fluffy, and I felt like I actually learned something after reading his books. After reading Marley & Me, I thought there was a possibility I'd lost a few brain cells because it really didn't go anywhere, and Grogan didn't seem like a real person until he had to deal with his dog dying.

Glory in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: December 1, 1995 (Berkley)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #2
Rating: 8/10

These J.D. Robb books are really fast fluffy reads (with a more serious twist)! A famous prosecutor has been murdered and Eve is put on point again at the special request of her commanding officer, a close friend of the victim. It's a delicate case because it's personal to her boss's family and Eve isn't treated very well during the course of the investigation as another well-known woman is murdered, and an attempt is made on a third woman, but she's saved because another victim is stabbed by mistaken identity.

While Eve is under attack for lack of progress, she's dealing with her growing relationship with Roarke. Unlike the usual male, Roarke is eager for their relationship to go to the next step, and he's upset when Eve goes back to her apartment to sleep when he goes away on business. They practically live together in his mansion, but she's not comfortable with the idea of moving in officially, as it might take away her independence and she's afraid to let get that close to someone, as she was abused her own father.

To me, the crime portion of the book isn't as important as the story of Eve and Roarke, which is the constant in the series (so far). It serves as an interesting backdrop to the romance. The relationship reminds me of Christina and Burke of Grey's Anatomy, where the hero is more giving and girl-like in terms of romance than the heroine, who focuses so much on her job. Roarke decides to present Eve with an ultimatum: All or nothing. So they separate for a while and Eve suddenly finds that she's hurting without Roarke, and they get back together and she admits she loves him. Roarke, like an utter romantic, had already declared his love long before she did. And it certainly doesn't hurt that her boyfriend is a billionaire with the ability to jet off to foreign locales at the drop of a hat.

This was a great read and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the next in the series, Immortal in Death.

Naked in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: July 1, 1995 (Berkley)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #1
Rating: 8/10

This is my first Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb book and after reading Naked in Death, I wonder what took me so long to give her a try! I absolutely could not put down this book. I was also surprised that this book is set in the future, as the cover blurb did not hint at that and the cover image looks like a present-day police precinct with normal squadcars, none of the flying cars with autopilot mode described in the book.

A serial murderer is on the loose in future Manhattan, and Eve's point on the investigation. The murderer has an affinity for licensed companions (futurespeak for prostitutes/escorts). One of the suspects is Roarke, billionaire extraordinaire. It's just Roarke— no first name. I wonder if we'll ever find out. I bet it's something like Gaylord. He's not the stereotypical alpha male character, because he's quite smitten over Eve. His alpha nature comes out in his attitude when it comes to pursuing her, showing her his collection of firearms (they're illegal in the future, and owned primarily by collectors) even though he knows he has the same model weapons as the murder weapons.

Eve gives in to Roarke after a romantic evening of target practice, which is a career-endangering decision as she's the leading officer sleeping with a suspect. When she later questions Roarke following the discovery of a planted piece of evidence pointing bloody fingers at him, there seems to be a moment where their new relationship may die before it even started crawling. But Roarke is a different kind of hero, understanding that Eve's job is part of who she is and she was doing her job. So there's no drawn-out struggle of "this is who I am, why can't you accept it?" which was a breath of fresh air for me after reading romances where people don't communicate and the conflict is stretched as thin and long as possible and I'm wishing I could knock the characters upside the head.

Anyways, great story, characters, and setting. I can't wait to read more about Eve and Roarke!