Jennifer's Reviews

Mesmerized by Candace Camp...A Review

Mesmerized by Candace Camp **

  Mesmerized I was not.

I think it's safe to say that, while I may have been reading the same book as other reviewers, I came away from it with a completely different impression of the story.

Firstly, I didn't care for the supernatural story-line. I don't mind it in general, but this was almost hap-hazardly thrown in. There was no true resolution to the ghost story, and no real explaination of WHY the ghosts were involved at all.

Olivia started out with such vim and vigor. She was tough and unique. By midway through the book, she was a whimpering, teary, "missish" miss. Stephen was rather 1 dimensional. He was a nice guy, don't get me wrong. In fact, about all he WAS was nice. He didn't do much else. A good portion of the book was spent on holding mock seances and searching for books. I won't even go into the whole absurdity of the time they spent together and the situations they were in, without any damage to her reputation. Didn't matter that servants saw them together in her bedroom at night? Riiiight. This, during a time period when merely being in the same room together without a chaperone was enough to "ruin" someone.

Yet again this author is big on the use of the word "loins." Well, in all fairness, I think it was only used twice, but that's more than enough. Especially when used in this manner: "Desire slammed into his loins like a fist." OUCH! That sounds painful... I would think there wouldn't be much desire left after the loins being hit by a fist. I think this author could use a guiding hand with love scenes. They mostly leave me feeling like I want to laugh, not turned on.

This book isn't *terrible,* really it isn't. But the story was weak, the characters underdeveloped, the supernatural aspect unexplained, and the finality unrewarding. I'm not so much sorry I read it as I am just disappointed that more wasn't done with what was already at hand. The book had promise but fell very flat, very quickly.

If you haven't already read this book, I'd definitely pass it over. It's just not worth the time. Definitely not horrid, but is it worth reading a book simply because it's not the worst thing you COULD be reading? That's just not a good criteria by which to choose a book to read, at least as far as I'm concerned.

His Wicked Kiss by Gaelen Foley...A Review

  His Wicked Kiss by Gaelen Foley ***

A good author, with such potential! Not really seen in this, though

I seem to be in the minority with my opinions regarding authors and series books. I've only read 3 of the Knight books, The Duke, Lord of Fire, and now His Wicked Kiss. I really liked Lord of Fire, which seems to be a least favorite among other reviewers, and I was NOT pleased with The Duke, which lots of people consider the better of the series. In each of the books, though, there's been one aspect that has been less enjoyable than the rest of the story -- the heroines. This had the potential of being a FANTASTIC heroine. And in the beginning? She was! By halfway through, though... she'd become shrewish, demanding, unable to trust Jack for a relatively minor "offense" for which he apologized ad nauseum and went to great lengths to make up for.

Eden was raised in the Amazon jungle by a grief-stricken and absent-mnded father.  Her father's assistant, Connor, was a man who fancied himself in love with her, but had anger issues.  In comes Jack, an apparent pirate, who denies any positive aspects of his personality, but is trying to help the war-torn area.  Eden is immediately entranced by him.  As is he with her, but he still leaves.  She, seeing her only opportunity to flee her father before he goes on a dangerous trek through the Amazon, sneaks aboard Jack's ship, thus landing herself in all sorts of mayhem.  When Jack decides he wants her and Eden decides she wants him, they get married.  But The Big Misunderstanding ruins everything for a while, and Eden becomes a whiny, selfish, twit.  Joy.

I think I could see the downward slope begin when Eden explained to Jack why she was unable to "make" herself love Connor. A romantic who "tried" to love him? She could definitely use his behavior as a reason for her dislike, but "distrust" was a mis-used word as far as I'm concerned. Connor's behavior was bad, sure, but given the circumstances, heck, that's a common reaction among the alpha-type heroes in most books. Possessive, violent jealousy, etc. It's just that he wasn't the hero. All in all, I thought the punishment for the villain was rather mild and tame!

The one single thing that ruined the heroine for me was the tantrum she threw that led to her kicking Jack out of her bed. I have a problem with using sex as a punishment in general, but in this case it REALLY went overboard. And it led to hurt for several people, all because she was unwilling to accept Jack's genuine and heart-felt apology for a minor mistake.

Jack... Hm... Jack was sexy, hard, sensitive, driven, and uncomplicated. You knew where he was coming from and why he was the way he was. He was devoted and genuine. In summary, Jack was great. But the story that he was given didn't let him shine. The whiplash from him deciding he wanted to marry Eden, to then deciding that he wasn't going to seduce her... it was just too strange a change.

And, just because it's my way, I have to include one of the most bizarre lines I've ever read.

"His body wept within her, her shuddering passage milking his seed, while orchids burst like fireworks and pink dolphins leaped through the sparkling cloud that had once been her mind."

HUH? Yes, there were references to orchids and pink dolphins in the early part of the book. But this sentence makes zero sense to me and made me literally laugh out loud.

Otherwise, this was a fairly sweet love story. It had a lot of well-written action, the dialogue and characters are fun and funny. The author's writing talent is highlighted quite well. I didn't get the same impression as some others, that the book was held together with sexual scenes or talk. In fact, I thought the sexual content was fairly mild, and that the attraction could have been worked on even more.

Ultimately what made this book a 3 star instead of a 2 is that Jack is an awesome character. Also, I must give credit to the quality of Eden's character for the first 1/3 of the book. Without those two boosts to the book, this would have been a clearly below average book. With those two qualities, it's an average book -- an acceptable read, but nothing that draws me to it, or leaves me with a pleasant or happy feeling at the end. The very end, the epilogue, left me wanting, actually.

Read this to finish the series, but otherwise this is not really a memorable book. Not a waste of time, but not the best way I've spent my time, either.

One Night of Sin by Gaelen Foley...A Review

 One Night of Sin by Gaelen Foley ****
Better, deeper and HOTTER than I expected

Alec Knight is the "Captain of the London Rakes", a devil-may-care, jaded rake who has done everything and nearly everyone.  Rebecca (Becky) Ward is an innocent young woman thrust into intrigue and danger when her Russian cousin threatens her in an attempt to get her compliance.  Trying to reach London so that she can seek the aid of the magistrate, she meets Alec who rescues her from pursuing Cossacks, at great risk to himself, and in the meantime they have hot sex.  It's not the most intellectually challenging book I've read, but I can accept a lot in the name of decent writing and good sex.

So yeah, anyone who likes tame, closed door sex scenes should stay away from this. But nothing in it was pornographic or "dirty". It was just more than standard missionary, lose the virginity, then maybe one more. Why was there more sex? Well, look at Alec's character! He was all about sex! Sex was used, not as a page filler as some have said, but as a way to show how Alec changes and develops. Sex = Love to him, and he sees, through the course of the book, that sex can be meaningful and beautiful. So no, you're not going to convince me that this book was somehow less desirable to read because it had some hot sex scenes. Oh, and while I like me some Stephanie Laurens well enough, these scenes were not 10 pages long and there weren't even that many in the book! I don't know what books other reviewers are reading, but this definitely didn't go beyond the pale.

Becky (I happen to like the name -- sure is better than Olympia or Grizelda as I've seen in other books lately) is a lively, spunky, smart, compassionate, and keen-witted woman. I like her probably better than any other heroine I've read in any of Gaelen Foley's books. Eden from "His Wicked Kiss" had this potential, but blew it halfway through. Becky kept her wonderful traits, even when turning over her problems to Alec. Acknowledging the need for help doesn't make one weak, and accepting help doesn't make one helpless.

I should say that I have not read "Devil Takes a Bride", but I know the story and I know that Alec wasn't a "good" guy in it. So why would GF take Alec's very problem (gambling) and make it key to the solution to the book? Well, Alec didn't really have an "addiction" to gambling -- the gambling was a symptom of his overall depression, not the cause. This book allowed him to redeem THAT aspect of himself, too. As explained, he preferred the games he had been losing at because it made him feel special and specially chosen. But he excelled at games of skill. When one didn't believe one worthy of winning, one leaves it to fate to "validate" themselves. Then, when fate turns sour, it's justified because of his lack of worth, right? So by allowing Alec to use gambling to become a hero, it showed him that he was worthy no matter what "lady luck" has to say about it.

Contrary to the many criticisms (mostly unfounded in my opinion), this book wouldn't have worked if it was handled much differently. Not to say it's perfect, by any means, but I definitely can't agree with someone who is comparing this negatively to "The Duke," which, quite frankly, I disliked.

Alec wasn't troubled in the ways that many of his brothers were, but his own self-doubts and lack of self-worth manifested itself in "rakish" behavior -- even though he wasn't really a rake at heart. Which is why he didn't really "change" so much as found himself in a situation that allowed him to live up to his potential and prove his own worth.

The mean cousin, Prince Kurkov, was a bit of a caricature. His behavior was over the top in a lot of ways. The Cossacks were stereotypes to the core. But on a whole I found the action and plot to be interesting enough, and certainly better than many other books I've read.

So what bothered me the most? Alec's referring to Becky as "little girl" or "baby girl" a lot. THAT skeeved me out a bit. What else bothered me? That their arguments, though few, often occurred because of Becky being unreasonable. Not that it was unreasonable to expect explanations, but that she didn't seem to grasp that one doesn't keep the Prince Regent waiting! lol

And finally, in regards to a complaint I've heard, indicating that the proprieties weren't properly followed... for the majority of the book, they were hidden away. The Knight servants were used to Alec's "shenanigans," so they weren't horrified. And even if they were, no one knew Becky for who she was. She wasn't exactly having her reputation studied too in-depth, now was she? Of course, when she did finally enter into society there might have been some talk, but since 1) no one really knew the whole story, and thus didn't know whether she was unchaperoned or not, 2) she was, as she said, with the Captain of the Rakes, no one would have expected any less. And 3) of course, once she was accepted by the Knight family, many sins were easily washed away.

Overall I'd give this a fairly strong 4. The story was well written, I didn't find it slow, and I LIKED the sex scenes (especially the "goodnight kiss" scene, and I'll just leave it at that). The issues I had with it were minor, but somewhat offputting. The storyline wasn't the best I've read, but it was interesting. I would definitely recommend this book before I would recommend "The Duke" and I'd put this above "His Wicked Kiss" although I think that book had the most potential out of all of those that I've read. I'd probably put this even with "Lord of Fire," although I like Becky better than Alice.

If more detailed/graphic sex scenes bother you, then this book is probably not your best choice. If you think that Alec should remain a rake, then you probably shouldn't read this. But if you can accept that Alec's behavior was the result of his feelings and not the cause of them, then you should be able to accept his "reform", and understand him even more after reading this book. Alec is definitely a lot more interesting to me now than he ever was before!

The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp...A Review

The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp **

I give up. Really.

I'm not really sure why I've continued to read this author's work. I'm consistently disappointed. Well, no, that's not the right way to put it. I'm consistently underwhelmed. This book was not as bad as some of the others in the series, but it was up there.

Francesca was once engaged to Sinclair.  A woman claimed to be Sinclair's mistress, so naturally Francesca believed her (even though the woman was not nice, a liar, and the "villain" in another book) and broke off with Sinclair.  Many years later Francesca finds out she did something stupid.  How is she going to fix this?  She will find Sinclair a wife, of course!  Because naturally the reason he's never married is because of his broken heart over her.  Sinclair decides this is a DELIGHTFUL idea, because then he can get what he really wants, which is Francesca to marry him.  Sound convoluted and a little absurd?  It is.

Francesca went from being a funny, sophisticated, competent woman, to being a whiny, insecure, weepy, stilted woman.  The majority of the book took place as her internal monologue. There was almost no input from Sinclair. We have no idea why he felt the way he did, why he acted the way he did. I get that this author doesn't bounce back and forth between point of view, but since there was so little EXTERNAL dialogue we could get no real impression of him.

I am not a fan of the Big Misunderstanding. Even less than that am I a fan for the "I had a poor sex life with my prior spouse, therefore I must be frigid." The CONSTANT references to her "cold nature" and frigidity were tiresome and unnecessary. I get that she felt insecure. I do not get how, after consummating the relationship, there is no reference to the amazing "recovery" she made.

The whole concept of Francesca finding Sinclair a wife to make up for the Big Misunderstanding was kind of funny at the end of the prior book. In actuality, though, the premise didn't work. The only person it made sense to was Sinclair, given his motives, but we were never privy to his motives! The dialogue is labored, not witty. The best thing I can say about the sex scenes is that they were brief. There is, as always, quivering and molten pooling, but thankfully only 2 references to loins.

Basically, I've given up. I have tried to like this author, I really have. She's not horrible and I know she tries hard. Her *characters* are good. The story lines are okay. But the books are flat. And they leave me rather sad that I've spent the time on them. So I'm done. I'm just calling it a day and saying, straight up, that this author and I are clearly not a good match. So I'm breaking up with her. I'm sure it's not her, it's me. Can't we stay friends? But not ones that see eachother -- just ones that if we bump into each other at the bookstore, there will be no hard feelings.

Naked in Death by JD Robb...A Review

Naked in Death by JD Robb ***

Whoa that smell! Can't you smell that smell???

Eve Dallas is a "tough" cop in New York in 2058.  There are flying cars, moon businesses, bans on all weapons, bans on cigarettes/tobacco, and issues with the garbage and recycling.  In other words, aside from the cars and the moon, not much different than today.  Roarke is Roarke.  A perfect, wealthy, gorgeous, blah blah blah.  He's just perfect and we'll leave it at that, because that's all you really get to know about him.  For some reason he likes an ungroomed, sometimes unwashed virtual stranger.  Yay for him.

Eve is investigating the murder of a "licensed companion," ie prostitute, who happens to be the granddaughter of a Senator.  The murder is committed with an "antique" pistol (as opposed to lasers! That's how we know it's the future!).  Of course Roarke, who knows the family and was one of the last people to see the victim alive, owns the same kind of weapon that killed the girl.  But Eve doesn't think that Roarke did it.  She um... likes?... him too much.

I read this book at the prompting of a friend, after I had recommended a book to her. This, she said, was a great series. Hm... I won't disabuse her of the opinion of the series, as I haven't read any other books in it. But this book was, unfortunately, just average (at best). And, also unfortunately, too predictable. And involved waaaay too many odors. I'm not sure WHY there were so many odors, but it definitely stood out to me (and I appear, of course, to be the only one to notice).

I must give examples:

The bottle of scent on the dresser was exclusive, and smelled, after a quick sniff, like expensive sex.

The air smelled of flowers and pampered flesh.

The quiet sound of birdsong and breezes sweetened the air.

"She..." He gestured grandly. "Exuded sex as others might exude an expensive perfume."

"She drew people to her..." He searched for a suitable metaphor, used the corner of the scarf again. "Like an exotic and fragrant flower."

Slickly handsome in a black silk robe, and smelling seductively of sex, Charles smiled engagingly.

The discomfort helped distract her from the misery of headstones and the smell of cold, fresh earth.

The steam rising from her cup smelled like heaven.

She hated to admit even to herself that the tobacco smelled enticing. (and in the same section, though not about smell, was THIS winner -- "The tobacco burned expensively between his long, elegant fingers." How does expensive burn?)

Mavis Freestone whirled in, a jangle of bracelets, a puff of scent.

But Eve had already scented it, already - despite herself - begun to smile.

And just a few lines later: Eve brought the bag to her face and sniffed deep.

She could smell it, as ripe and sour as the vegetable hash that was today's special.

From the smell that had greeted her outside, someone had died out there recently, or the recycle trucks hadn't been through in the last week.

Her guide was silent on the ride up and exuded a discreet whiff of sensible scent that matched her sensible shoes and neat, sleek coif.

There as a sharp, spicy scent from a bank of dianthus, blooming in shades of rose and vivid purple.

However glorious the scent, they failed to stir her appetite.

"I'm going to follow my nose."

So far her nose was just fine.

She could smell them: water, bad fish, and old sweat.

The room smelled of blood, of urine, of burned food.

It was, as she'd suspected, floral in scent and flavor.

The scent of brewed flowers lingered in the air.

It was foolish to be susceptible to his hands over hers, the press of his body, the smell of him.

Thoughtfully he blew out a fragrant stream of smoke.

A room filled with violence, the smell of gunsmoke still stinking the air, and weapons still within reach.

She could smell flowers and felt the give of carpet under her feet.

"I'm going to enjoy smelling my soap on you." (Oh, and this line: "...that had an orgasm shivering through her like gold." -- how does gold shiver????)

From another fount he drew pale green soap that smelled of wild forests.

You knew this time, she thought, how it would feel, how she'd look, how the blood would smell.

She leaned closer, looked into Joe's surprised and staring eyes, sniffed the pie.

Hetta Finestein opened her door with a puff of lavender sachet and the yeasty smell of homemade bread.

"Don't you so much as sniff this custard pie."

A short time later, Eve was in the kitchen, watching the cat sniff with delicate disdain at a bowl of food she'd unearthed...

Unable to resist, she swung by the bench, leaned close enough to smell sour vomit.

"He either knew it or smelled it."

She didn't feel awkward climbing back into her clothes with the scent of him clinging to her.

She could smell his breath on her face, sweet, like candy.

and finally:

"It's tea, a whiff of whiskey."

WOW! That's a lot of focus on aroma, don't you think? Perhaps Ms. Robb/Roberts could start using another sense? (Or scent? ha!)

On another note, I figured out the "whodunit" part by page 60. The "gadgets" were barely more technical than what's available now, except for the flying cars. Although they DID promise me flying cars! ;) The dialogue was decent and I did laugh a couple of times.

Eve was NOT the strong, assertive person she was described as. On the other hand, I don't think Roarke was as terrible as some people seem to think. It would take a guy like him to get through to a girl like her. The sex was a lot for such a short book, but I don't really mind that. They were about a 5 on a 1-10 scale of hot, though. Would have preferred something a bit more... sensual.

As a forensic science/crime wonk, I was terribly frustrated, if not downright disappointed, with the deduction and investigation side of the story. The mistakes in plot, the steps of the investigation in general, were basic.  I know that when someone is shot they don't go flying backwards (which was mentioned twice). I know that if you put paint all over your body, even when your skin can't "breathe" (which I didn't include in my "aroma" references), you won't suffocate. Mythbusters has shown that both of these ideas are false. :)  Also, Roarke is one of those uber-security conscious people, right (I mean, he owns a security company)? Well, did no one think that perhaps his property might have video surveillance that could provide him an alibi? Or that perhaps talking with the victim's family was kind of important and should happen before page 100?

I've been assured that the series gets MUCH better as it moves on, and I hope that's the case. If it DOESN'T get better I would be concerned for the taste of these 5 star reviewers. There IS potential here, but really only if Robb/Roberts can do better with the mystery and investigative aspects of her story. Otherwise no matter how decent the writing, or even if I learned to like the characters a lot more, I would get extremely irritated with the books.  Although, I caught SEVERAL bad editing mistakes (Eve was called "Even" in one spot, for example). With the clout that Nora Roberts must have, SURELY she could get better editing.

Now if only the rest of the series isn't as focused on odors...

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas...A Review

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas ****
Was pleasantly surprised by this, and I want a Cam of my own

This was the 4th Lisa Kleypas book I read. I actually expected NOT to like it because it had so many positive reviews. You see, I tend to have an opposite opinion as EVERYONE regarding this author. I found Devil in Winter to be merely "okay." I did NOT like "Someone To Watch Over Me." I really enjoyed "Dreaming of You." Yet it seems as if everyone's favorite is Devil in Winter, and that Dreaming of You is on the lower end, while others Adore Someone to Watch Over Me. But with so many people disliking this book, I should have realized, that I would disagree with THOSE people, too.

This book was definitely above average, even compared to other books by her that I've read. The focus was much more on the romance and love-story rather than some barely memorable "mystery" and the ubiquitous "Big Misunderstanding." Those are plot devices that I could truly do without, yet their lack seems to have led to a lot of negative feelings.

Cam is fantastic. He's sweet, kind, and because of his Roma background is very understanding and caring. He sees Amelia for what she is: a woman forced to bear the brunt of caring for her entire family, with little support from her grieving brother, weakened sister, and much younger siblings. He found her courage, her dedication and her loyalty to her family to be desirable traits. Despite his longings for freedom, he found himself drawn to her, and his love for her was enough to make a life with her something more important than living as a Rom.

The eccentric Hathaway family was fun and enjoyable. I completely related to Amelia's efforts to manage her absurd and self-destructive family. I loved that Cam wasn't dominating and demanding. He just plain wanted to make Amelia's life better and easier. Because when you care for someone -- that's what you WANT to do. But he wasn't a pushover, either. He was jealous and had a difficult time containing his jealousy at the simplest things, with very typical Rom-like behavior.

Perhaps my own experiences have colored my opinion of this book. I have tried to save a sibling bent on destruction. I've tried to help my family members to achieve better for their lives. When you carry that burden, you feel trapped, as if you can't let your "weakness" (of being stressed and overwhelmed) show. So when she found someone to lean on, a shoulder she COULD cry on, her relief was profound, despite her fear that it may make her seem weak.

This was not a whiny, weepy, TSTL heroine. This was a woman who gained through love what she needed most -- a person who COULD help her, to take the overwhelming burdens of her life off of her hands and allow her to focus on more immediate problems. Which Cam did wonderfully.

I truly enjoyed the developing love story between Merripan and Win. Oh, and in response to a person who asked "What kind of name is that?" -- if you read the book, you would know -- it was a common Romany name, meaning "life" and also "death." It's not an absurd name, nor is it inappropriate. Should he have been named Steve instead??

Anyway, considering that I didn't care for the one Wallflower book I read, I was glad that I enjoyed this one. I look forward to reading the next story and hearing how the tattoos fit.

Why didn't this rate 5 stars if I liked it so much? Well, I found a couple of things to be a little silly (like the houseguests just being left there for 2 weeks by themselves? NICE to have neighbors like that!). While I was fine with the paranormal aspect, and I didn't mind that some plot-lines were open-ended in anticipation of the second book, I would have liked to have an explanation of the paranormal experiences.

The other part that I found lacking was actually the sex scenes. Don't get me wrong -- they were hot! But a little predictable. It would have been nice to see Amelia devote a bit more attention on Cam, rather than the other way around. That may be just my preference, though. And honestly, I wish there had been maybe one more scene. They were VERY good. :)

In summary, this was a fun book, focused more on love and romance than on mystery and suspense. Held together by the characters rather than cliched plot devices. Of the now 4 Lisa Kleypas books I've read, I can now add this to the list of ones I would recommend. Assuming you're not looking for more "plot" versus romance story. If you want a misunderstanding, if you would rather they spend the book "finding" each other, rather than having the already present romance develop, this might not be the book for you.

Lady of Desire by Gaelen Foley...A Review

Lady of Desire by Gaelen Foley ***

Billy saved this book from Jacinda's attempt to murder it...Although it was on life-support for a LOOOONG time.

Jacinda is an immature, whiny, spoiled, selfish, and inconsiderate brat. Lord only knows why Billy likes her at all, let alone looooves her.

Billy Blade is a do-gooder thief who helps others by using his brains and education to make life in the slums better -- even though he's a peer's heir. Lady Jacinda Knight is the youngest of the "Knight Miscellany" (a mismatched bunch of noble bastards), and is a person who spends all her time doing frivolous things and paying no attention to how her behavior effects other people. At all. She's not just young, but completely unworldly; forget experience, she doesn't even use common sense.  And she wants to be just like Lady Campion, who does what and whom she wants.  And that's basically what this book was about -- whether Jacinda could do whatever the hell she wanted without consequences.  Great "heroine," eh?

Up until about halfway through the book, I had hope that it would get better. But as more and more time went by and there weren't even some hot sex scenes to break up the monotony, I lost a lot of faith. I hated that Billy/William kept laying his heart out for her, and Jacinda would not just ignore it, but stomp on it in her haste to get whatever she wanted. This is a girl who thought nothing of using someone for her own benefit, who thought nothing of taking Billy's kindness and generosity and throwing it back in his face.

If the sex scenes were better, maybe then I wouldn't have minded waiting 3/4s of the book to get there. Instead, Billy had to throw himself at her, be generous and loving in his lovemaking, and maybe get some pleasure out of the deal. Sort of. As it was, we waited forever and WE got almost nothing out of the deal.

If the book were just Billy, I'd give it a 4. Even with the ending, which I won't give away but was schmaltzy and trite, he was sympathetic, hot, and kind. I wish he had better taste in women, though. I do wish he weren't so much of a pushover with her. I like men who aren't afraid to acknowledge their feelings and all, but he just kept handing his heart to Jacinda to be chewed up and spit out. As prideful as he seemed to be, he didn't deserve to have to have his pride trampled constantly. Bad enough that it happened with his dad, but she should have been the one to back him up, to support him, not to force him to be further abused.

This author seems to have a lot of problems with heroines. The women never seem to be deserving enough of the heroes. I enjoy her stories for the most part, I like her writing, but I so wish someone would help her with the women. Maybe she could do a joint writing project. She writes the heroes (and maybe the sex scenes, depending on who the co-author is), and someone else creates heroines worthy of them.

Things I liked: That Jacinda got to save him -- I know this was a complaint with some people, but I like a strong heroine. That Billy didn't just stay and put up with the abuse. That Billy was willing to pursue her (but only to an extent -- the repeated attempts to win her just ticked me off after a while). That Billy wasn't willing to give up on his quest to defeat O'Dell even after he left the rookery.

Things I disliked: Jacinda -- ugh. The ending. I can't say too much, but Billy shouldn't have had to do that. The lack of sex scenes (no reason to have waited SO long!). The... reconciliation. The lack of resolution regarding Billy's friends and cohorts. What happened to Nate?

Overall, this isn't the worst book I've read, not by far. It's not fantastic, but if you're reading the series, you might as well read it, too. If too much of this puts you off, you're not missing much by skipping it. The set-up for Devil Takes a Bride and One Night of Sin are explained well enough without this one. Heck, you find out more about what happens after the story by reading His Wicked Kiss than you do at the end of this.

I know that this author can do better. I hope she finds a way to "fix" these faults and write with the skills that I see she possesses. I hate to see talent go to waste.

Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas...A Review

Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas ****

An interesting hero, a sympathetic heroine, but a storyline that stops too suddenly

I was torn between giving this 3 stars and 4.  There are several plot lines in this book that I normally do not like, but ultimately I think worked well as a whole.  While I was conflicted on some of it, the end result is that I feel it is at least an above average read.

Nick Gentry is a peer by birth, but after being orphaned (along with his sister) and turned away by relatives, he becomes an underworld crime boss and all around naughty boy -- other than about sex; he was a virgin until he was 24.  Nick becomes a Bow Street Runner through the machinations of his magistrate brother-in-law.  Charlotte is a respectable girl, given by her parents to a pervert in exchange for his financial "sponsorship."  Finally realizing that she didn't want to marry said pervert, she runs away to live a life of anonymity.  Nick takes on the private commission to find Lottie by the lecherous Lord Radnor.  Naturally, when they meet Nick is instantly drawn to her and she agrees to marry him in exchange for his protection (and the fact that she rather likes him).

There are certain things that tend to be hard and fast rules of what I do NOT like in my romance novels.  One of which is the hero having sexual relations with someone other than the heroine.  Oh, that's not to say that I'm opposed to a menage a tois or an orgy.  Just that if it's a straight out romance, they should be with only eachother.  Well, this book breaks that rule.  Nick is no longer a virgin when he meets Lottie, but he has only been with one woman, and the first encounter is detailed at the beginning of the book.  This actually, despite my reservations, works quite well here.  In fact, the handling of that is one of the most significant reasons that this book merits an above average rating.

The only drawback to the inclusion of this is that Nick's teacher is an expert in *tantric* lovemaking, and thus teaches Nick EVERYTHING, so despite his inexperience with many women, is the "most skillfull lover in all England."  You know, I could handle that until the part where he has been described as being able to bring a woman to orgasm with merely a touch to an innocuous part of the body, or, in fact, just by words.  Look, sure, when you are with someone for a long time and know them VERY well (some would say intimately) it IS possible for either of those to occur.  But rarely.  And not with a near stranger.  You're just going to have to trust me on this.  That kind of response is not going to happen with someone who doesn't know what will arouse YOU, or what YOUR fantasies are.  Had that one part, those claims, been left out, I would have "bought into" the book much more.  Tantric sex is much more psychological than it is physical, and you can't make wild claims like that, not really.

Lottie is an okay heroine.  She took charge of her life, decided to say no, and got herself the heck out of dodge.  Good for her!  Nick has this terribly tortured past (that really isn't all THAT bad compared to what it could have been).  All in all, they were decent characters who formed a decent bond and seemed good together.

But the villain.  Oh, the villain.  He could have been so much more.  He could have been a GREAT villain.  And even the ending was pretty well done.  The problem is that we never find out WHY.  WHY was he so obsessed with HER?  It couldn't just be generic stalking, since it started 12 years prior and he had every expectation to get what he wanted.  There wasn't the traditional psychological aspect of a stalker.  So what was it?  Okay, let's say it WAS stalking.  Why did he not try to do anything until that point?  He had no reason to believe that the confrontation would happen the way it did.  He  had every reason to try to find her sooner and since he expected her to capitulate later, why not sooner?  It was... anti-climactic.

Also... given Lottie's past, Nick's response was more like what you would expect from HER.  Nick's reactions seemed almost disproportionate to what happened, and Lottie's reaction was practically non-existant.  At one point she says that her fear of Radnor had basically disappeared.  Why?  We never found out how or why that would have happened. It was just confusing.

But... the big thing?  The REALLY big thing?  Is that NOTHING, not a daggum thing ever happened to Lottie's parents.  Nick should have been pealing all manner of heck onto them.  They were even MORE to blame than Radnor.  But nothing was ever done about it. THAT ticked me off.  Sure the laws were different then, and things that WE know are bad weren't considered all that bad then.  But we're led to believe that they understand the terrible-ness of it all in the book; yet it's still left unfinished.  Maybe Ellie will get her own story, and then the parents will get their comeupance.

So these are things that detracted from the book.  Things that added to it: whooo boy the sex scenes!  Hot.  Not searing, but hot nonetheless.  Even the ones with Gemma.  Nick himself.  Sweet and kind, utterly honorable, but forever unwilling to admit to it.  I am assuming that in Sophia (his sister's) story he is more the hard-hearted cynic, but he's clearly had a change come over him.  Lottie grew a lot too.  The writing was definitely above average, the action scenes were well done, and the periphary characters were well done.

Solid 3 1/2 stars, bumped up to 4 because it's better than average.

The Illusions of Love by Kasey Michaels...A Review

The Illusions of Love by Kasey Michaels ****

Amazing writing makes up for a fairly slow book...

The single biggest reason this book doesn't rate 5 stars is because it's too slow.  This is my favorite romance author.  She is, as always, amazingly eloquent and a brilliant writer.  This book just didn't engage me the way most of her work does.  It's not really her fault.  It's not really even the fault of the story itself.  It's mostly, I suspect that the story reads like a soap opera.  It's just one plot device after another after another -- arranged marriage, drunken relative, absentee father, dead mother, war hero, injured brother, pregnancy, amnesia, conniving "villains", the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING.  About the only thing that is pretty darn unique is that they have BAD sex.  That doesn't happen frequently in romance novels.

Sarah Jane is a meek and mild girl of all of 18 (I do not like the heroines so young in general, really), who is being sold off by her grandmother (who was forced to marry a butcher) to the heir presumptive to an Earl and eventually a Marquess.  Dante, said heir, is initially unwilling, feeling that he whole process was distatesful, if not insulting... but the grandmother has done her research.  Dante cannot pass up this offer, for it will save his family and the home he loves above all else.  His father, the wastrel gambler is not as happy because the money goes to Dante and not him, as it did when he sold off his heir, Dante's brother Tyler, 6 years before.  The rest of the cast is rounded out by Tyler's bartered wife, Audrey, the drunken youngest brother Johnny, and Tyler's past love Emma.  Other than a rather long sojourn to Waterloo (Dante was the war-hero, of course), the whole of the story takes place inside the beloved but decrepit estate of Cliff Walk.  About the plot, that's really all you need to know.  The backstories are good but not important, and the fact that about 7 months goes by without the hero and heroine even SEEING eachother, kind of takes away from the development of their relationship.

Why then, you may ask, is this worthy of 4 stars?  Well, let me tell you, had the plot been a bit more fast paced, and the ending just a little less trite, this WOULD have been a 5 star, easily.  The writing, as always, was superb.  The characters were well developed, even more than they really needed to be.  The relationships were fleshed out, the love story was believable.  What more can you *really* ask for?  Sure it would have been nice if the ending were less contrived and predictable.  Sure it would have been nice if the heroine had been about 25 or so.  And even more so it would have been nice if the sex scenes were ALL hot and pleasant.  But I can put up with all of those things to have writing like this:

"Besides, there was no such thing as a heroine, at least not outside of her grandmother's novels.  A person just did what she could, that's all.  Some people might be born to climb mountains, lead armies, or change the world.  But most people could only do the best they could under the circumstances, living their lives as honestly as possible, hoping to make those they loved comfortable, helping those less fortunate, and trying not to hurt anyone else along the way.  Some people, Sarah Jane decided, her throat clogging with happy tears, were born to be wives, born to be mothers, born to transform a house into a home."

Or this, which I love, because always Napoleon is presented as a frightening and nearly invincible villain.  In this case, he is shown to be a pitiable man in so many ways.  It's not the way he is presented, but the way in which he is described that is really captivating:

"As Dante watched, unbelieving, Bonaparte rode down the hill and into the open, daringly exposing himself to the British guns, exhorting his men to fight on.  He was a glorious sight, fearless in his fear of not dying in battle, of ending his days in yet another British prison, and Dante felt a moment of sadness as he witnessed the final defeat of a once great enemy.
  It was true.  The struggle was over at last.  Napoleon had lost, completely and utterly and at a terrible cost to both sides.
  Only two squares of French infantry remained, two small citadels of French power, and their emperor rode into the center of one of them, still refusing to give up the fight.  But the heart of Napoleon was no longer the heart of France, and the squares dissolved, leaving Bonaparte unprotected except for a few mounted grenadiers who surrounded him as he galloped toward the grassy rise, toward safety.
  Dante, filthy and bleeding from several small cuts but otherwise sound, stood with his spent pistol in one hand, his blood-encrusted saber in the other, and watched the vanquished emperor ride by, passing within twenty yards of him, the thunder of the horses' hooves shaking the ground beneath his feet.  Even if he'd held a loaded pistol, Dante would have stood thus, his heart in his throat, watching.
  He could not have given Napoleon Bonaparte what he must have craved, the healing benediction of a soldier's death.  The world of laws would have to decide the man's fate."

WOW.  While I would personally want to have seen that he was executed, for once I finally feel that there is a comprehendable reason as to why someone might hesitate.  It takes a truly fantastic author to do something like that.

This book is a keeper, despite it's slowness.  It's a keeper because few authors can possibly capture the eloquence that Kasey Michaels does so easily.  Enjoy!

The Kissing Game by Kasey Michaels...A Review

The Kissing Game by Kasey Michaels *****

One of the best heroines ever, the absolute OPPOSITE of TSTL

It seems to be the bane of my reviewing existence that I read different books than everyone else. I still have not figured out how I can come away from a book with such a completely different experience than so many others. Then I find myself reading reviews that seem completely bizarre.

Allegra is a happy go lucky daughter of an unexpected Earl, Oxie Nesbitt.  He's a trickster by trade, a habit that Ally has enjoyed, if not inherited.  She and her family have come to London-Town to find Allie a husband, though she's a bit reluctant on the matter.  Then she meets Armand.  Armand is everything and he is nothing.  No one knows where he came from (stop it now -- I mean in the general sense, not THAT way!), no one knows what he's looking for, but the observant know that he's definitely looking for something.  However he's given up on that search, so it seems, until he meets Ally.  Despite Ally's decision to use Armand as a foil to keep her parents from "popping her off", they genuinely like each other.  But will Armand's discoveries drive an insurmountable wedge between them?

I'm trying to figure out what part of the dialogue or book itself was anachronistic, according to some reviewers. There were no 20-21st century phrases or opinions. Just an outspoken heroine who did not use stilted speech and act as a simpering, TSTL ("too stupid to live" for those of you uninitiated), stereotypical "romance" genre heroine. I have yet to determine how a whiny, helpless, hapless woman could be appealing to read about -- most of the time I read books in spite of "heroines" like that; in this case I found a heroine that I could truly embrace.

Thirdly, yes, fine, the "mystery" wasn't very deep or intriguing. Thank God! How nice it is to finally read a book where the story is just about the characters! And characters that are fun and unique! How frustrating it becomes to read stories that rely solely on the stereotypical romance "plots" -- and how entertaining it is to read a book that doesn't rely on any of them! There's no "big misunderstanding," there's no great "conflict" between the hero and heroine. There's no need for the hero to "rescue" the heroine from some deranged villain bent on raping her. Instead, you had a story that was fun, light, and entertaining from beginning to end. You had characters (main and secondary) who were smart, clever and genuinely witty.   And the only kidnapping that occurred was one of the funniest parts of the book.

Ally is a confident and self-assured young woman. She's not "afraid" of getting married, or unwilling to. She's loyal to her family and unwilling to consider marriage to anyone who will look down on them. She wasn't "expecting" to find love buried out in the country -- she just wasn't going to spend the time in London searching for it.

Armand is confident as well, but he feels a fraud. In a way, he is. His boredom with the act, the face he has to put on for society, has led him to embrace the outlook that Ally shares. Seeing the starchy, straight laced, uppity, self-important tonnish people reduced to victims of a prank, humbled to simply any other fool, feeds his need to separate himself from those who would reject him if not for his image.

Beyond the two of them is the cast of supporting characters who are just as different. Oxie, the youthful prankster (more child than parent); Bones, the depressing and lamenting man still stuck in leading strings; Letty, the worldly but morally upright chaperon; and Elizabeth, the jealous cousin who was raised to be the Earl's daughter (whose lifestyle was swiped out from under her). Each one is fully developed, each person's history is rich and colorful. More than that, though, each character is supportive and good in their own way.

Yeah, there was a villain. Yeah there was a mystery. Yeah, there was a kind of hokey happily ever after. Sorry that the one reviewer (who felt a need to add spoilers, no less) didn't feel that Armand did enough, but given his and Ally's needs, and their access to people who were raised for the positions, it seems to me that they did a heck of a lot more than balls and parties, without having to be the same as every other dissipated and immoral member of the ton.

I guess if your idea of a "good" romance novel is someone like, say... Catherine Coulter and her horrible "Sherbrooke" series, then yes, this book may not be your ideal read. If, however, you can recognize excellent writing and a story-line that doesn't rely solely on cliches, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this book.