Book one-hundred-and-twenty-three: Staying at Daisy’s

Staying at Daisy’s (2007/2002)
Jill Mansell

Rating: 3/5
[The 115: 9/155]

Good, but having so many point-of-view characters and storylines made it a bit slow at times. The dialogue, as always, was very funny and made it worth the wait to find out what happens to each character.

Daisy MacLean runs the country house hotel owned by her flamboyant father, Hector. When she hears who's about to get married there, she isn't worried at all - her friend Tara absolutely promises there won't be any trouble between her and ex-boyfriend Dominic, whom she hasn't seen for years. But Dominic has other ideas...

Meanwhile, Hector's getting up to all sorts with...well, that's the village's best kept secret. And then Barney turns up, with a little something belonging to the husband Daisy's been doing her best to forget.

That's the thing about hotels, you never know who you're going to meet. Or whether they're going to stay...

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Finished: Monday 30/7

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Book one-hundred-and-twenty-two: Goodnight Nobody

Goodnight Nobody (2005)
Jennifer Weiner

Rating: 3/5
[The 115: 8/155]

At first I was really disappointment with this book because it has a bit of an unfinished ending. Then I decided that an unfinished ending was better than an ending I didn’t like.

I just thought it was a weird decision to write a book about a character who never really makes a decision, end with her not making a decision. It kind of feels like the main character hasn’t learnt anything.

For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia's been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is one of the most interesting things to happen in Upchurch since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though Kate's husband and the police chief warn her that crime-fighting's a job best left to professionals, she can't let it go.

So Kate launches an unofficial investigation — from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school — with the help of her hilarious best friend, carpet heiress Janie Segal, and Evan McKenna, a former flame she thought she'd left behind in New York City.

As the search for the killer progresses, Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's double life. She discovers the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's placid picket-fence facade — and the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between independence and obligation, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.

So, it was good, but a more decisive ending would have made it better. According to the author’s website, she intentionally resolved the mystery but not the main character’s life. She may revisit the characters in a future book.

That’s annoyingly ambiguous… much like the ending.

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Finished: Sunday 29/7

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Book one-hundred-and-twenty-one: Pleasure for Pleasure

Pleasure for Pleasure (2006)
Eloisa James

Rating: 3/5
[The 115: 7/115]

Yay! Mayne finally gets a book of his very own. That poor character has been dragged about and taken the blame to save everyone’s reputation for two series now. I’m glad he finally got his own say.

Overall, I liked this series better than the Dutchess Quartet. I think it has more cohesion and better pacing. I also liked the characters more and felt there was more variety in the plots of the four instalments. The similarities to Shakespeare throughout the series are also very interesting.

Pleasure for Pleasure's heroine, Josephine Essex, is quick of wit and lush with unfashionable curves. Nicknamed “The Scottish Sausage” within a week of her debut on the marriage market, her chances of matrimony look dim. So Josie does what no proper young lady should – she challenges fate. She allows the scandalous Earl of Mayne to take her under his tutelage, discards her corset and flirts outrageously…

Shakespeare 's play title, Measure for Measure, refers to a person receiving the punishment they deserve. In this novel, Josie gives precisely what she deserves: Pleasure for Pleasure.

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Finished: Saturday 28/7

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Book one-hundred-and-twenty: The Taming of the Duke

The Taming of the Duke (2006)
Eloisa James

Rating: 3/5
[The 115: 6/115]

Okay, I change my mind. I like Imogen now – or more correctly I like the person that she became.

Imogen, Lady Maitland, has decided to dance on the wild side. After all, she's in the delicious position of being able to take a lover. A discreet male who knows just when to leave in the morning.

But Lady Maitland is still under the watchful eye of her former guardian, the wildly untamed Rafe, the Duke of Holbrook. He believes she is still in need of a "watchdog." She laughs at the idea that someone so insufferably lazy and devoted to drink can demand that she behave with propriety.

It's Rafe's long-lost brother, a man who looks precisely like the duke but with none of his degenerate edge, who interests Imogen. To Imogen, he's the shadow duke...the man who really should hold the title.

But when Imogen agrees to accompany Gabe to a masquerade... whose masked eyes watch her with that intense look of desire? Who exactly is she dancing with? The duke or the shadow duke?

Rafe...or Gabe?

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Finished: Friday 27/7

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Book one-hundred-and-nineteen: Kiss Me Annabel

Kiss Me Annabel (2005)
Eloisa James

Rating: 3/5
[The 115: 5/115]

Very funny, although I’m really starting to hate Imogen. I find her very irritating and am not really looking forward to the next book, which seems to be about her.


What cruel twist of fate put Miss Annabel Essex in a carriage on her way to Scotland (the place she abhors) with a penniless earl (and she longs to be rich), and all the world thinking they're man and wife?

Sleeping in the same bed? Not to mention the game of words started by the earl – in which the prize is a kiss. And the forfeit…

Well. They are almost married, after all...

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Finished: Friday 27/7

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Book one-hundred-and-eighteen: Much Ado About You

Much Ado About You (2004)
Eloisa James

Rating: 2.5/5
[The 115: 4/115]

Too much series building, but still entertaining.

Teresa Essex has a unique lot in life. Actually…she’d rather prefer that lots were not mentioned. She knows far too much about playing the odds: her widowed father gambled away any spare penny owned by their family. Shillings that should have been spent on gowns and governesses for Tess and her three younger sisters were spent keeping her father’s horses in proper condition for the race track.

When their father dies, the sisters become the wards of the Duke of Holbrook who knows far more about brandy snifters than children. But Tess’s challenges have just begun. With nothing more than a horse each for a dowry, and a drunken duke as a chaperone, she and her sisters must achieve respectable marriages.

In the manner of romantic heroines from the time of Jane Austen, Tess must make a decision whether to marry for financial, prudent reasons, or to follow her heart. But unlike those tales in which heroines prudently make the correct decision, whatever that might be, here fate steps in and Tess must learn a hard lesson: not how to play at love, but how to play at that most serious of pursuits…

Marriage.

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Finished: Thursday 26/7

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Book one-hundred-and-seventeen: How to Marry a Marquis

How to Marry a Marquis (1999)
Julia Quinn

Rating: 2.5/5
[The 115: 3/115]

Also very funny and light. No dark moments, despite once again a less than happy past.

When Elizabeth Hotchkiss stumbles upon a copy of the book, How to Marry a Marquis, the timing is all too appropriate. She must marry for money to support her siblings, and a guidebook to seduction might be just the thing she needs... But when James Sidwell, Marquis of Riverdale, offered to help her find a husband, he never dreamed that the only candidate he could propose would be himself...

Although, I do think that the heroine acts at bit out of character for the last quarter of the book. It seemed to me that everything she wanted had fell into place, so why was she so upset?

Yes, he lied to her. Yes, that was bad. But still, she did have the opportunity not to have to marry anyone, but she wouldn’t accept the hero’s “charity” because she would be indebted to him.

Right.

I just find it a little hard to believe that someone who, at the start of the book, was willing to marry anyone if they were wealthy and reasonably kind, would suddenly decide that this was beneath her.

Maybe it that it felt like she was acting out of her time. Back then, I find it very hard to believe that someone without a title or anyone to protect them could say no if a Marquis wanted to marry them.

Oh well, I just went with it… and I did enjoy it once I decided to ignore these things.

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Finished: Wednesday 25/7

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Book one-hundred-and-sixteen: To Catch an Heiress

To Catch an Heiress (1998)
Julia Quinn

Rating: 2.5/5
[The 115: 2/115]

Yay! This was funny. And very light, despite the fact that the hero’s last fiancée was killed and he’s kind of bitter about it. As you would be, I guess. But somehow, its still really funny and not that dark. I loved that the servants wouldn’t prepare a proper meal unless they knew the heroine was going to eat it.




Caroline Trent is determined to avoid marriage to her fortune-hunting guardian's nitwit son, even if it means running off into the night-- and into the arms of the devastatingly handsome Blake Ravenscroft, the equally determined agent of the crown who mistakes her for a notorious traitor...

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Finished: Wednesday 25/7

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Book one-hundred-and-fifteen: Devilish

Devilish* (2006)
Maureen Johnston

Rating: 3.5/5
[The 115**: 1/155]

I want more!

No, really… I wish this book was the beginning of a series, but I don’t think it is?

At St. Teresa’s Preparatory School for Girls in Providence, Rhode Island, rebellious senior class genius Jane Jarvis is worried about her best friend Allison Concord. Ally is lovable, but a little clueless, and badly in need of Jane’s help. She needs to get a freshman “sister” at the school’s annual Big-Little celebration. When Ally blows it (rather literally), Jane knows that they are in for a rough few weeks.

She has no idea just how rough they will be.

Strange things start happening in Providence. Hail storms rip into the city. A strangely polite gourmet in a silver roadster turns up every time Jane turns around. A freshman guy from neighbouring St. Sebastian’s starts to stalk her. A lanky, cupcake-loving sophomore transfer steps into their lives to save the day…

It just felt too short. I think the ending could have been the first quarter, then the rest could have been… I don’t know… more!

I just feel like the whole book was building up to something – and in the end that was just a question mark. We don’t know what is going to happen next. We don’t get ot find out how Jane is going to work through all these interesting and complicated things that will be the outcome of what happened.

We don’t know anything.

And I hate not knowing.

I know this whole question mark thing is a common way of ending books. I know you are supposed to wonder what happens and use your own imagination etc. etc. But it annoys me. I just spent that last 200 plus pages inside someone else’s imagination. Surely, they should be the one to decide what happens next?

Although, if I don’t like the ending/what happens next I usually make up my own anyway… so I should probably stop complaining and say that I thought this was really good, I just wish there was more.

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* Finished: Monday 23/7

** I wish I could say that I planned that the first book of the 115 challenge was book 115... but I'm not that smart...

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The Inaugural 115 Books I already Own Read-a-Thon (or the 115 for short)

I admit it. I have a problem. A book buying problem.

You see, I like to buy books, and books prefer not to bought on their own. How lonely would it be for the poor little thing if it had to be in the bag by itself all the way home from the shop? It is too traumatic to contemplate.

But of course, the problem with buying so many books on such a regular basis, is that I will buy two, but only read one straight away. Then I will buy two more, and once again only read one.

This adds up.

Especially, if you factor in all the books that I haven’t bought, but have access to and would really like to read.

All in all this adds up to a lot.

To 115, in fact**.

Which means, that I could realistically not buy any books for the next five months and still be able to read at my current rate.

I don’t know how I will go in my attempt to read these 115 books. I tend to get stuck in genres and only want to read one particular kind of book, and actually the 115 books are quite diverse.

In a perfect world, I would be able to force myself to only read these books, but I hold out no hope that I’ll be able to do it.

The original challenge set by my sister is that I must read ALL of the 115 books before I’m allowed to buy anymore. During this time, I would be allowed to buy 5 books (to account for books coming out in the next five months), but I must read at least the first five chapters or around 100 pages before I give up on a book***.

But I’m going to try. Even if I buy other books, I am going to make an effort to read the ones I already have. After all, something about them made me want to read them in the first place.

So, here are the books:

1. The Blade Itself, Joe Abercombie
   
2. The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
   
3. Let the Right One In*, John Ajvide Lindqvist
   
4. A Place Called Here*, Cecelia Ahern
   
5. Cowl*, Neal Asher
   
6. Shapestone*, James Bibby
   
7. The Boy in the Stripped Pjyamas, John Boyne
   
8. The Devil You Know*, Mike Carey
   
9. Beauty Like the Night*, Liz Carlyle
   
10. Touch the Dark, Karen Chance
    
11. Charmed by Shadow, Karen Chance
    
12. Half Moon Investigations, Eoin Colfer
    
13. The Meaning of the Night, Michael Cox
    
14. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters*, G.W. Dahlquist
    
15. The Spook's Apprentice, Joseph Delaney
    
16. Dark Space*, Marianne DePierres
    
17. Dreamland*, Sarah Dessen
    
18. Someone Like You*, Sarah Dessen
    
19. The Memory Palace, Christine Dickason
    
20. A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
    
21. So You Want to be a Wizard, Diane Duane
    
22. Spin Cycle*, Nick Duerden
    
23. Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
    
24. Lord of Ice (2)*, Gaelen Foley
    
25. One Night of Sin (6)*, Gaelen Foley
    
26. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
    
27. North and South*, Elizabeth Gaskell
    
28. Looking for Alaska*, John Green
    
29. Across the Nightingale Floor (1), Lian Hearn
    
30. Grass for his Pillow (2), Lian Hearn
    
31. Brilliance of the Moon (3), Lian Hearn
    
32. The Harsh Cry of the Heron (4), Lian Hearn
    
33. The Fire and the Flame*, Mary Hooper
    
34. The Dream Merchant, Isabel Hoving
    
35. Notes from the Teenage Underground*, Simmone Howell
    
36. Hellhole, Geoggrey Huntington
    
37. Much Ado About You (1)*, Eloisa James
    
38. Kiss Me Annabel (2)*, Eloisa James
    
39. Taming of the Duke (3)*, Eloisa James
    
40. Pleasure for Pleasure (4)*, Eloisa James
    
41. 31 Dream Street*, Lisa Jewell
    
42. 13 Little Blue Envelopes*, Maureen Johnson
    
43. Devlish*, Maureen Johnson
    
44. The Jane Austen Club, Karen Joy Fowler
    
45. Do the Creepy Thing*, Graham Joyce
    
46. The Historian*, Elizabth Kostova
    
47. Swordspoint (1)*, Ellen Kushner
    
48. The Privildge of the Sword (2)*, Ellen Kushner
    
49. Troll Mill (1), Katherine Langrish
    
50. Troll Fell (2), Katherine Langrish
    
51. What's a Ghoul to Do?, Victoria Laurie
    
52. Magic or Madness (1)*, Justine Larbalestier
    
53. Magic Lessons (2)*, Justine Larbalestier
    
54. Magic's Child (3)*, Justine Larbalestier
    
55. To Distraction*, Stephanie Laurens
    
56. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian*, Marina Lewycka
    
57. The Boy Book*, E. Lockhart
    
58. The Boyfriend List*, E. Lockhart
    
59. Fly on the Wall*, E. Lockhart
    
60. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl*, Barry Lyga
    
61. Learning the World*, Ken Macleod
    
62. Mixed Doubles*, Jill Mansell
    
63. Staying at Daisy's*, Jill Mansell
    
64. Night Rising, Chris Marie Green
    
65. Property*, Valerie Martin
    
66. Romanatis*, Sophia McDougall
    
67. One Last Look, Susanna Moore
    
68. Finding Cassie Crazy*, Jaclyn Moriarty
    
69. The Riddles of Epsilon*, Chrstine Morton-Shaw
    
70. The Darkness Within, Jason Nahrung
    
71. Heritage, Judy Nunn
    
72. The Realm of Shells*, Sonia Overall
    
73. Sam's Letters to Jennifer, James Patterson
    
74. The Scent of Shaows (1)*, Vicki Pettersson
    
75. The Taste of the Night (2)*, Vicki Pettersson
    
76. Life as We Knew It*, Susan Beth Pfeffer
    
77. Trickster*, Tamora Pierce
    
78. The Bell Jar*, Sylvia Plath
    
79. Odin's Voice*, Susan Price
    
80. Stolen Magic, M.J. Putney
    
81. To Catch an Heiress (1)*, Julia Quinn
    
82. How to Marry a Marquis (2)*, Julia Quinn
    
83. Dead End Dating, Kimberly Raye
    
84. Silent in the Grave, Deanna Raybourn
    
85. Tripping to Somewhere*, Kristopher Reisz
    
86. Born in Fire*, Nora Roberts
    
87. Natural History*, Justina Robson
    
88. How I Live Now*, Meg Rosoff
    
89. Just in Case*, Meg Rosoff
    
90. Beyond the Pale, Savannah Russe
    
91. Beneath the Skin, Savannah Russe
    
92. Past Repemption, Savannah Russe
    
93. The Sweetest Thing, Fiona Shaw
    
94. The Awakening (1), L.J. Smith
    
95. The Reunion (2), L.J. Smith
    
96. The Fury (3), L.J. Smith
    
97. The Struggle (4), L.J. Smith
    
98. Dracula, Bram Stoker
    
99. Damsel Under Stress, Shanna Swendson
    
100. Shadowbrook, Beverly Swerling
     
101. Helloland*, Nick Walker
     
102. The Night Watch, Sarah Walters
     
103. Goonight Nobody*, Jennifer Weiner
     
104. The Last Days*, Scott Westerfeld
     
105. Uglies (1)*, Scott Westerfeld
     
106. Pretties (2)*, Scott Westerfeld
     
107. The King of Attolia*, Megan Whalen Turner
     
108. Bareback*, Kit Whitfeld
     
109. To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis
     
110. Tempting Darkness, Elileen Wilks
     
111. The Sun Witch (1)*, Linda Winstead Jones
     
112. The Star Witch (2)*, Linda Winstead Jones
     
113. The Moon Witch (3)*, Linda Winstead Jones
     
114. A Room of One's Own*, Virginia Woolf
     
115. Conrad's Fate*, Dianna Wynne Jones
     

I will add them to the side bar, and cross them off as I go.

Hmm, hopefully this will not take the fun out of reading. It can be my very own read-a-thon.

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* = book I purchased

** Yes, I counted. I actually went around the house and collected them all and sat them on the dining room table. Then, when the dining room table was overflowing, on the floor. It was kind of fun. Like being in a book shop, but in my house.

*** I guess she knew I was thinking I could just read the first page and say I didn’t like it and consider it ‘read.’

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Book one-hundred-and-fourteen: The Devil to Pay

The Devil to Pay (2005)
Liz Carlyle

Rating: 2.5/5

Entertaining, but not that much actually happens. It was interesting to learn more about Kemble, as he is featured in so many of her other books I have read lately.

Although I think I kind of screwed it up by reading them all out of publication order. I don’t care what they say about the stories “standing on their own”, sometimes its just better to read them in order. Although, I hardly ever manage it.


George Kemble, the man forever fixing everyone else’s problems, finds himself plagued by troubles of his own when his sister returns to London after a decade abroad. Sidonie Saint-Godard has lost her husband, but widowhood, unfortunately, bores her. When a thief called the Black Angel begins haunting the hells and alleys of London, robbing rich gentlemen of the ton, Kemble is mystified. He knows every member of London’s underworld, yet he does not know the Angel. But when a battered Sidonie collapses on his doorstep, bleeding from a nasty stab wound, Kemble begins to suspect the truth. Can he stop Sidonie’s dangerous behavior before someone else does?

Perhaps the Marquess of Devellyn can? The man unaffectionately known as the Devil of Duke Street has a watchful eye on his new neighbour, the mysterious Frenchwoman known as Madame Saint-Godard. In fact, he would like very much to seduce her, since he finds the lady lovely, intriguing, and almost disturbingly familiar . . . But when Kemble hears of his sister’s fascination with society’s most reviled nobleman, he is doubly alarmed. The Marquess of Devellyn is the absolute last person Kemble wants his sister in bed with—and for reasons which have nothing to do with Devellyn’s appalling reputation.

I liked that the heroine had been reasonably happily married before. Made for a bit of a change.

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Finished: Sunday 22/7

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Book one-hundred-and-thirteen: Your Wicked Ways

Your Wicked Ways (2004)
Eloisa James

Rating: 2.5/5

I felt a bit cheated by this book. We have seen two of the main characters (there is of course, more than one story going on) ignoring and hurting and hating each other for three books now. I just don’t think enough happened to make me believe that they could actually forgive each other.

Also, the ‘secondary’ romance, I suppose you’d called it, is wrapped up basically off-screen, never to be heard of again. It was a bit of a let down.

Helene, the Countess Godwin, knows there is nothing more unbearably tedious than a virtuous woman. After all, she's been one for ten long years while her scoundrel of a husband lives with strumpets and causes scandal after scandal. So she decides it's time for a change--she styles her hair in the newest, daring mode, puts on a shockingly transparent gown, and goes to a ball like Cinderella, hoping to find a prince charming to sweep her off her feet... and into his bed.

But instead of a prince, she finds only her volatile, infuriatingly handsome... husband, Rees, the Earl Godwin. They'd eloped to Gretna Green in a fiery passion, but passion can sometimes burn too hot to last.

But now, Rees makes her a brazen offer, and Helene decides to become his wife again... but not in name only. No, this time she decides to be very, very wicked indeed.

All that being said, I am now planning on reading her other series, The Essex Sisters. I hope it is as good.

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Finished: Sunday 22/7

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Book one-hundred-and-twelve: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
J.K. Rowling

Rating: 5/5

I don’t think there is really much I can say. I’m happy and sad. Happy that I finally know what happens in the end, but sad that it is the end.

It was kind of nice for it to be acceptable in general society to be excited about a book coming out. You know, rush to the bookstore on the day of release kind of excited. I’m going to miss that.

Anyway, I loved it. It could be my favourite. At the moment it’s a tie between this, Philosopher’s Stone and Goblet of Fire…

Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him with.

In this final, seventh instalment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited. The spellbinding, richly woven narrative, which plunges, twists and turns at a breathtaking pace, confirms the author as a mistress of storytelling, whose books will be read, reread and read again.

I’m still sad it’s over, but I like how it ended. Although, the whole epilogue thing was a bit disappointing.

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Finished: Saturday 21/7

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Book one-hundred-and-eleven: A Wild Pursuit

A Wild Pursuit (2004)
Eloisa James

Rating: 2.5/5

Frustrating… While I enjoy the way these books are written – that there are many characters and sometimes you read whole chapters from a random characters point of view (the butler, some gossip somewhere).

It’s fun and interesting… but, there is a story line here that has been going on since the first book, and I just wanted to shake the book and tell it to hurry up. Didn’t it know that I had to get up at 8 the next morning to go stand in line to buy Harry Potter?

Plus, its kind of hard to shake an ebook.

It is whispered behind the fans of London's dowagers and in the corners of fashionable ballrooms that scandal follows willfully wild Lady Beatrix Lennox wherever she goes. Three years before, the debutante created a sensation by being found in a distinctly compromising position. Now, the ton has branded her as unmarriageable, her family has called her a vixen, and Beatrix sees no reason not to go after what--and who--she wishes.

And she wants Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, the handsome Earl of Spade. Beatrix, with her brazen suggestions and irresistibly sensuous allure, couldn't be more different from the earl's ideal future bride. Yet Beatrix brings out a wildness in the earl he has tried to deny far too long. Still, he's not about to play love's game by Lady Beatrix's rules. She may be used to being on top in affairs of the heart, but that will soon change.

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Finished: Friday 20/7

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Book one-hundred-and-ten: Fool for Love

Fool for Love (2003)
Eloisa James

Rating: 3/5

Still enjoying this series. I thought it was really good that neither of the main characters are ‘typical’ ones. Henrietta is ‘lame’ while Simon runs around wearing lace.

The Woman
Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps -- until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony, receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes...

The Letter
A very steamy love letter that becomes shockingly public. Everyone supposes that he has written it to her, but the truth hardly matters in the face of the scandal to come if they don't marry at once. But nothing has quite prepared Henrietta for the pure sensuality of...

The Man
Simon has vowed he will never turn himself into a fool over a woman. So, while debutantes swoon as he disdainfully strides past the lovely ladies of the ton, he ignores them all... until Henrietta. Could it be possible that he has been the foolish one all along?

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Finished: Friday 20/7

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Book one-hundred-and-nine: Dutches in Love

Dutches in Love (2002)
Eloisa James

Rating: 3/5

Interesting. It was also very funny and had a lot going on – it didn’t just feel like the start of a series.

Although it is the beginning of a quartet of books about the same group of people, and I think one of the best things about it was the strength of the secondary characters. They seemed as real as the main ones, rather than just there because you need more than two people to make a book.

A Duke in Retreat
Gina was forced into marriage with the Duke of Girton at an age when she'd have been better off in a schoolroom than a ballroom. Directly after the ceremony her handsome spouse promptly fled to the continent, leaving the marriage unconsummated and Gina quite indignant.

A Lady in the Middle
Now, she is one of the most well-known ladies in London ... living on the edge of scandal -- desired by many men, but resisting giving herself to any one.

A Duchess in Love
Finally, Camden, the Duke of Girton, has returned home, to discover that his naïve bride has blossomed into the toast of the ton. Which leaves Cam in the most uncomfortable position of discovering that he has the bad manners to be falling in love -- with his own wife!

I did think that the ending was a little whacked. I mean there is this whole set up that something is going to happen, then it just kind of skips a couple of months and you don’t really get to see what went on, which felt a bit disjointed.

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Finished: Thursday 20/7

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Book one-hundred-and-eight: Brighter than the Sun

Brighter than the Sun (1997)
Julia Quinn

Rating: 2/5

Frustrating. The set up took waaaaaaaaaaay too long. It’s already kind of obvious that they are going to get married for convenience – the author has told us in the letter from the author at the start. Why do we have to spend a quarter of the book working up to that?

Start at the alter, people.

Charles Wycombe needs a bride before his 30th birthday -- or he'll lose his fortune. Eleanor Lyndon needs a husband -- or her father's odious fiancee will choose one for her. Marriage seems a perfect solution -- perfectly convenient -- er, make that inconvenient -- but definitely an adventure...

Not much really happens after they discover who is saboteur is – and it’s kind of painfully obvious who it is anyway (and why) – then there is this very short storyline about someone trying to kill them. However, they are never successfully interwoven.

It would have been better had we suspected there was only one person trying to sabotage/annoy/kill them. Then they would have let their guards down and the person trying to kill them… could well, try. But it is made so obvious which infractions the first person committed, then the others are either forgotten about or thought to be accidents. Where is the suspense you ask? Well, that’s just it, there really wasn’t any.

It was kind of funny, but not nearly as funny as The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (2007). Le sigh.

These are two of her oldest books though, so maybe I should try something more recent? Neither were so bad that I’m giving up on her!

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Finished: Thursday 19/7

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Book one-hundred-and-seven: Everything and the Moon

Everything and the Moon (1997)
Julia Quinn

Rating: 2/5

Disappointing. This wasn’t nearly as good as the other Julia Quinn book I read recently. It wasn’t nearly as funny.

It was indisputably love at first sight. But Victoria Lyndon was a vicar's daughter and Robert Kemble was a dashing young earl-- and their fathers were determined to keep them apart.

Seven years after their plans to elope went hopelessly awry, Victoria and Robert meet again -- and this time they discover that love is often sweeter the second time around.

Also, couldn’t they just have talked to each other and sorted out the misunderstanding? Quinn could have done the same thing in a much more believable way, if one of the characters had been convinced to jilt the other by their father. It would have been more poignant… but I guess they both wouldn’t have wandered around for the last however-many-years blaming the other and becoming all bitter. Although, the character that reneged could have become bitter because of the interfering family. Okay, I’m done re-writing it now…

But the character of the sister has intrigued me enough that I will have to read the book about her…

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Finished: Wednesday 18/7

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Book one-hundred-and-six: Missing You

Missing You (2007)
Meg Cabot

Rating: 4.5/5
[Re-reading]

This is my favourite Meg Cabot series. I thought this was a perfect way of ending it – and of course, we finally get to discover what Rob was on parole for.

GOODBYE, LIGHTNING GIRL

All Jessica Mastriani—a problem teen, according to her high school guidance counselor—ever wanted was to be normal. But that changed during a walk home on a particularly stormy day. And suddenly, Jess realized she never knew how good she’d had it before.

Becoming known worldwide as Lighting Girl—a psychic who could find the location of anyone, dead or alive—Jess had no choice but finally to embrace her lack of normalcy, and eventually ended up lending her newfound talent to the US government (not to mention selling her life story to Lifetime to make into a television series that is currently funding her tuition at Julliard).

But her work for the government during the war takes a terrible toll, and Jess returns from overseas a shadow of her former self, her powers gone, Lightning Girl no more.

Starting over in New York City, intent on finding a new life at college, Jess is less than happy when Rob Wilkins, her ex, shows up unexpectedly at the door of apartment Jess is sharing with her best friend Ruth.

But how can Jess, her powers gone, find anyone—let alone the sister of a man she once loved (and believed—however erroneously—loved her back)—when she can’t even find herself?

I do wonder what the book she originally had planned was – I think it was originally supposed to follow directly on from the third. This series was cancelled a couple of years ago – before the Princess Diaries and the subsequent explosion of her popularity. Due to the subject matter – someone who could find missing people – the idea kind of changes when the world did. She couldn’t really keep saying “no, thank you” to working for the government when there was a war going on.

Although, it is an interesting decision by Cabot to not just pretend that this hadn’t happened. After all, if she followed the actual timeline of the book, she could have set it in 1999 or something.

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Finished: Tuesday 17/7

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Book one-hundred-and-five: If You Desire

If You Desire (2007)
Kresley Cole

Rating: 3/5
[Re-reading]

I liked this better than the first time. No idea why. I guess I really am just that fickle.

"How much temptation can a Highlander resist?

He tried to run . . .

In his youth, Hugh MacCarrick foolishly fell in love with a beautiful English lass who delighted in teasing him with her flirtatious ways. Yet he knew he could never marry her because he was a second son with no prospects, shadowed by an accursed family legacy. To avoid temptation, Hugh left home and trained as an assassin.

She tried to forget him . . .

Jane Weyland was devastated when the Highlander she believed would marry her abandoned her instead. Years later, when Hugh MacCarrick is summoned to protect her from her father’s enemies, her heartache has turned to fury—but her desire for him has not waned.

Will passion overwhelm them?

In hiding, Jane torments Hugh with seductive play. He struggles to resist her because of deadly secrets that could endanger her further. But Hugh is no longer a gentle young man—and toying with the fever-pitched desires of a hardened warrior will either get Jane burned . . . or enflame a love that never died."

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Finished: Monday 16/7

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Book one-hundred-and-four: If You Deceive

If You Deceive (2007)
Kresley Cole

Rating: 3/5
[Re-reading]

Still good… just checking.

Burning vengeance . . .

Ethan MacCarrick was a heartbreakingly handsome rake until a powerful nobleman ordered him brutally beaten and his face scarred for a crime he didn’t commit. Ethan’s reprisal—bankrupting the nobleman and forcing his exile—does little to appease his wrath. Ten years later, a haughty, mysterious beauty enchants Ethan—the daughter of his enemy. At last, Ethan will have the revenge he’s craved; he’ll promise her marriage, seduce her, then cast her aside.

Bitter hardships . . .

When Madeleine Van Rowen’s family was suddenly plunged into destitution and dishonor, she steeled herself against further heartache. She never weakened, never trusted, until a towering, scarred Highlander relentlessly pursues her, breaking down her defenses.

At what price forgiveness?

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Finished: Sunday 15/7

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Book one-hundred-and-three: Deal with the Devil

Deal with the Devil (2004)
Liz Carlyle

Rating: 3/5

Pretty good mystery + good characters = good book.

More people should follow this formula. Heh.

Aubrey Montford claims to be a widowed housekeeper. Desperate to keep her new post - and her secrets - she transforms desolate Castle Cardow into a profitable estate.

Yet soon after her employer, Lord Walrafen, returns from long years of absences, Aubrey is suspected of murder.

Sparks and tempers ignite whenever she and the smoldering earl meet, but he may be her only hope.

Walrafen returns reluctantly to the childhood home he loathes. Cardow is said to be haunted - by more than the earl’s sad memories - but it was no ghost that murdered his uncle. Is the castle’s beautiful chatelaine a murderess? At the very least, she’s a liar - he has proof.

Yet the truth of his soul is that he’s drawn to her with a fierce passion he’s never known...

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Finished: Friday 13/7

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Book one-hundred-and-two: The Duke

The Duke (2000)
Gaelen Foley

Rating: 2/5

I found it really hard to get into this book. I think because it has so little dialogue – particularly in the first half – and I tend to get bored when I see pages and pages of nothing but description/thinking/remembering the past/brooding.

That being said, about half way through I did become caught up enough in the story that it stopped bothering me as much. I just kept thinking there was no way this could have a happy ending.

Driven to uncover the truth about the mysterious death of his ladylove, the Duke of Hawkscliffe will go to any lengths to unmask a murderer. Even if it means jeopardizing his reputation by engaging in a scandalous affair with London's most provocative courtesan--the desirable but aloof Belinda Hamilton.

Bel has used her intelligence and wit to charm the city's titled gentlemen, while struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. She needs a protector, so she accepts Hawk's invitation to become his mistress in name only. He asks nothing of her body, but seeks her help in snaring the same man who shattered her virtue.

Together they tempt the unforgiving wrath of society--until their risky charade turns into a dangerous attraction, and Bel must make a devastating decision that could ruin her last chance at love. . . .

Actually they had fairly decent reasons they couldn’t be together. It definitely wasn’t some silly misunderstanding they could sort out with one honest conversation.

This is the first in a series about all the different brothers in the family. I would be interested to read another. Hopefully, it will have more dialogue!

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Finished: Thursday 12/7

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Book one-hundred-and-one: The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (2007)
Julia Quinn

Rating: 3/5

Very funny - especially the diary entries - it also had really great dialogue.

At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her--until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart.

And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.

I loved it, and will definitely be looking for more of her books in the future.

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Wednesday 11/6

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Book one hundred: Simply Irresistible

Simply Irresistible (2007/1998)
Rachel Gibson

Rating: 3/5

One hundred books? Really? I think I read too much…

I’m really enjoying the Little Black Dress reprints of all these great books: they have great covers and are only $9.95 (or even cheaper if you get them from somewhere like Kmart).

I really liked this because rather than constantly referring to something that happened in the past, you actually get to spend the first third of the book reading about it.

Some temptations you shouldn’t even try to resist… When Georgeanne Howard runs away from her ageing-but-loaded fiancé, she’s rescued by a knight in a shining red Corvette – hell-raising hockey star John Kowalsky. She can’t help falling for him , but after a passionate fling John splits, leaving Georgeanne broken-hearted.

Seven years later, John’s thinking about settling down when he bumps into Georgeanne – now catering queen of Seattle and single mum to a little girl. His little girl. John wants in on their life but Georgeanne’s not convinced. Should she risk her heart again?

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Finished: Tuesday 10/7

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Book ninety-nine: Kiss of Crimson

Kiss of Crimson (2007)
Lara Adrain

Rating: 1.5/5

My holiday is over. Back to work. Sniff.

Interesting ideas. Boring to actually read.

I can’t pinpoint what was actually wrong with this, I just found it kind of boring. I don’t really remember that much of what went on in it.

BONDED BY BLOOD AND DARK SECRETS, THEY ENTER A PLACE OF DANGER AND INFINITE PLEASURE . . . .

He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling himself Dante is no man at all, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment Tess is plunged into his world--a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.

Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need--but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm . . . and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself . . . .

There continues to be way too many similarities to other series. Particularly a certain brotherhood.

I thought maybe she would take the ideas and go somewhere different with them, but she hasn’t. I mean, even J.R. Ward’s concepts are pretty close to Sherrilyn Kenyon’s – I mean compare book three of both series – but Ward manages to bring someone different to the table. Unfortunately, this series doesn’t.

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Finished: Sunday 8/7

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Book ninety-eight: Once Upon a Stiletto

Once Upon a Stiletto* (2006)
Shanna Swendson

Rating: 2.5/5

Not as good as the first. Mostly, because of the 150 pages in the middle where her parents were visiting. It just wasn’t that interesting. Also, I got a bit tired of the “Oh, I really like Owen, but he can’t like me because{INSERT VARIOUS REASONS}, so I’ll just go out with this boring guy instead.”

The last quarter was semi-redeeming, but I was told** I wouldn’t like the ending of the next one, so I think I’ll hold off reading it for a while.

Katie Chandler’s life is pure magic -- literally. As an executive assistant at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., she’s seen more than her share of fantastical occurrences. A mere Manhattan mortal, Katie is no wizard, but she’s a wiz at exposing “hokum” pocus, cloaked lies, and deceptive enchantments. And she’s fallen under the all-too-human spell of attraction to Owen, a hunky wizard and coworker. Owen, however, is preoccupied. Someone has broken into his office and disrupted top-secret files, and it reeks of an inside job. CEO Merlin (yes, the Merlin) and taps Katie and her special ability to uncover the magical mole.

Keeping her feelings in check while sleuthing alongside Owen, Katie is shocked to discover that her immunity to magic is waning, putting her in grave danger. Soon she’s surrendering to the charms and enchantments of everyone and everything around her, including a killer pair of red stilettos. Katie must now conjure up her natural instincts to get to the bottom of the break-in, regain her power, and win the wizard of her dreams.

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* Finished: Saturday 7/7

** Actually, my sister was reading the next in the series, Damsel Under Stress and got to the last page and actually threw it on the floor and said (okay, maybe shouted) “That’s so stupid!” amongst other complaints. So maybe its better if I just pretend that book doesn’t exist, and live in the happy little world that is the end of book two.

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Book ninety-seven: Enchanted, Inc.

Enchanted, Inc. (2005)
Shanna Swendson

Rating: 3/5

I loved the beginning of this, when she is wandering around the city thinking about how weird NY is, without realising that she is actually seeing magic and associated magical creatures everywhere that no one else can see.

This book is very funny, without the main character being all annoying. Which is always a good thing. I also like the use of every day things to defeat the evil wizards – and people say marketing isn’t a weapon.

Katie is still adjusting to life in the big city while working a for a nightmare boss when she gets a fantastic offer to work for a mysterious company, MSI, Inc. Through her new job and the magical folk she meets, Katie comes to find out she isn't quite as average as she thought; and the fairy tale life she has longed for begins to come true in surprising ways.

What Katie doesn't realize is how rare and important being ordinary can be. In fact, it is her ordinary characteristics that make her the perfect secret weapon for MSI, Inc. Now she has magicians and fairies meddling in her attempted romances, a secret life she needs to keep hidden from her non-magical friends, not to mention that dangerous pull she feels for Owen, an attractive but shy wizard who might be the most powerful magic man since Merlin.

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Finished: Saturday 7/7

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Book ninety-six: Mouth to Mouth

Mouth to Mouth (2005)
Erin McCarthy

Rating: 2.75/5
[Re-reading]

My plane was delayed. Thankfully, re-reading this distracted me and also reminded me after my recent Erin McCarthy related dissapointments, that she really is a good writer.

It was just supposed to be your average stakeout. My partner and I would scope out both the coffee shop and Laurel Wilkins, the latest target of con man Trevor Dean's scheme to meet women online and bilk them of their money-and everything else.

So I went inside to get a better look.

So she happened to be gorgeous with a body that made me temporarily forget how to order coffee.

So she knew my name—Russ Evans—and hugged me like we were more than friends.

So... what the $#@ is going on?

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Finished: Friday 6/7

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Book ninety-five: Something Blue

Something Blue (2005)
Emily Giffin

Rating: 4.25/5

After reading Something Borrowed, I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy a book from Darcy’s point of view. After all, she seemed like she’d be the ultimate annoying, self centred character that I hate.

I am so glad to be wrong. I was actually sad when I realised I was almost at the end of this, I would have happily kept reading about her for another few hundred pages.

Thirty years old, successful and stunning, Darcy Rhone used to think that 'being down and out' meant not finding a size four at the Barney's Warehouse Sale. Now she is pregnant, unmarried and recovering from a broken engagement to Dex and the betrayal of her ex-best friend Rachel, who stole Dex's affections.

For the first time in her life, she is completely alone.

Frantically casting around for help, she calls upon Ethan, an old high school friend, and convinces him to let her stay with him in London for a few weeks to get her act together. Little does she know what she's in for when she boards the plane to cross the Atlantic, but as weeks turn into months, Darcy makes a surprising discovery. Preparing for motherhood and settling into a new career, she builds herself a new life from scratch, finally finding romance - in the most unexpected place ...

For the first quarter of the book, I was really impatient for the story to begin. After all, the back cover (the evil little thing that it is) had already told me that she was going to get dumped by Marcus and run away to London. Hurry up already!

But when I got towards the end, I started to see what Giffin was up to. By showing us what Darcy was like at the beginning, we are better able to see the development of her character. Its like Emma, I think. I cringed; watching her make all these mistakes and generally be an idiot, but there is still something about her that made me want to watch her change. I wanted to hang around and see what happens to make her become more normal.

The subtly in which she shows Darcy and Ethan’s relationship develop is also really good. The thing I liked most was the difference between the one-sided conversations that Darcy has with Marcus at the beginning – when he is so obviously hoping she’d just shut up – and Ethan’s seemingly endless patience.

Except for when he yells at her after meeting his friends at the pub. I have to say, I have to agree with Darcy. Even though she cheated too, I think she had a right to know how long Dex and Rachel had been carrying on behind her back. I suppose me feeling miffed on her behalf was one of the ways Giffin created empathy – for what was at the start – a pretty vacuous character.

Now I just need to find Giffin’s latest novel, Baby Proof. But darn it, I’m not sure if its available in Australia yet? I’ve checked in every bookshop/library/random friend’s bookshelves I’ve been around lately and haven’t been able to find it. I may have to order it from somewhere.

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Finished: Thursday 5/6

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Book ninety-four: Queen of Babble

Queen of Babble (2006)
Meg Cabot

Rating: 3.75/5

There is a reason Meg Cabot is one of my favourite authors: her books are consistently good. I know that when I read one, I’m going to enjoy it.

I really liked this one. Somehow she has managed to create a character that is hopelessly clueless, but somehow in a sweet rather than irritating way. Lizzie isn’t stupid, she’s just a tiny bit misguided and idealistic. With a big mouth.

Lizzie Nichols has a problem, and it isn’t that she doesn’t have the slightest idea what she’s going to do with her life, or that she’s blowing her college graduation money on a trip to visit her long-distance boyfriend (of three months) Andrew, instead of using it as the down payment for the cute little Manhattan apartment everyone is expecting her to rent after finding a well-paying job in the city. Where she’s going to live and how she’s going to support herself in the fall are really the least of Lizzie’s problems right now. Not when she’s got to deal with the fact that she’s done it again.

See, Lizzie can’t keep her mouth shut. It’s not just that she can’t keep a secret—she can’t keep anything to herself. But this time when she opens her big mouth, her good intentions get Andrew in major hot water. Now Lizzie’s stuck in London with no boyfriend and no place to stay until the departure date written on her non-changeable airline ticket. What’s an American girl with a big mouth—but an equally big heart—to do? Fortunately there’s Shari, Lizzie’s best friend and college roommate, who’s spending her summer in the south of France, catering weddings with her boyfriend Chaz in a sixteenth century chateau. One call to Shari, and Lizzie’s on a train to Paris. Who cares if Lizzie’s never traveled alone before in her life, and speaks only rudimentary French? One glimpse of gorgeous Chateau Mirac—not to mention gorgeous Luke, Chateau Mirac’s owner—and she’s smitten…

But while most caterers can be trusted to keep a secret, Lizzie’s the exception. And no sooner has the first cork been popped than Luke seems to hate her, the bride is in tears, and it looks like Chateau Mirac is in danger of becoming a lipo-recovery spa. As if things aren’t bad enough, ex-boyfriend Andy shows up looking for closure (or at least a loan), threatening to ruin everything, especially Lizzie’s chance at ever finding real love…

…unless she can figure out a way to use that big mouth of hers to save the day.

This was really funny, especially the excerpts from her thesis at the start of each chapter.

I bought this ages ago – before it was released in Australia – but never read it because I thought it wasn’t going to be that good, and I didn’t want to shatter my Meg Cabot = Good Book illusion.

I don’t know where I got the impression that it wasn’t going to be good from, but I was wrong.

I was disappointed to read that her next “adult” series (as in not-YA, not as in porn) is going to be about 30-somethings. No! Write more books about people in their early twenties who have no clue about what to do with their lives.

People in their 30s have plenty of books to relate too. It seems that 85 percent of popular fiction seems to be about 30-soemthings; the other 15 percent seems to be about characters 40 plus. The rare times I actually encounter characters my own age, they are usually the ditz the husband of the 30/40+-something is having a torrid affair with. Or historical romances – I have to admit most the character there are usually in their twenties. But come on, they act like they are in their thirties.

I think more representation 19-27* age bracket is required.

I suppose I will have to content myself with reading Queen of Babble in the Big City which was just released in the U.S. (No idea when the Australian release date is) and the final in the trilogy… I think it is called Queen of Babble Get’s Hitched but I think that was only a working title. Actually, I think she is still writing it?

Whatever. More books about the 19-27*** age bracket, please.

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* Finished: Wednesday 4/6

** I was originally thinking 18-29, but then I remembered all those books about 18 year olds “coming of age” and 28/29 worrying about turning thirty so I cut it down some. Ha.

*** Yes, I know I just read a book about a 23 year old - Stray. That wasn’t enough. I want more.

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Book ninety-three: Tantalize

Tantalize (2006)
Cynthia Leitich Smith

Rating: 1/5

Once again, an annoying main character I felt no sympathy for.

Yes, it was necessary for the plot. Yes, it was tricky. But I didn’t actually enjoy getting there.

This book feels like it should have been written from someone else’s point of view. Its like everything is happening outside of the main character, and all we get to see is her going costume shopping and being obsessed with the restaurant.

Which is disappointing, because the author has a really nice writing style and the first few chapters of the book are quite good. It showed so much promise, then crashed and burned into boring.

It also had my least-favourite kind of ending. The kind that makes the whole book feel like a waste of time because the thing you most want resolved is exactly the same as it was one the first page.

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her hybrid-werewolf first love threatens to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. And just as she and her uncle are about to debut Austin’s red hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef.

Can Quincie transform the new hire into a culinary dark lord before opening night? Will Henry Johnson be able to wow the crowd in fake fangs, a cheap cape, and red contact lenses? Or is there more to this earnest fresh face than meets the eye?
As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything?

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Finished: Wednesday 4/6

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Book ninety-two: Natural Born Charmer

Natural Born Charmer (2007)
Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Rating: 3/5

It has all usual elements: a chance meeting, a road trip, a disagreement, a separation, forced to spend time together, a kid, an old relationship rekindled, becoming part of the community, football.

Actually, for every element that makes up the plot, I could probably name one of her books that also have it. I just didn’t care: it was fun.

When millionaire Dean Robillard meets Blue Bailey, she couldn't be more down on her luck; her ex has stolen all her money. A football hero, Dean is taking a holiday while recovering from an injury. Despite Dean's misgivings the two find themselves thrown together and soon Blue has moved into his home and is merrily turning his world upside down.

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Finished: Tuesday 3/6

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Book ninety-one: This Lullaby

This Lullaby (2002)
Sarah Dessen

Rating: 1.75/5

I found this really disappointing. Probably only because everyone always goes on and on about how great it is.

I just didn’t like the main character. I thought she was mean; I just never really cared what happened to her, although I found the other characters interesting, I wasn’t that invested in whether or not she got hurt. I didn’t like watching her hurt the other characters, though.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t like it. If I had read it from the point of view of one of the characters I actually had empathy for, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

Love is a sham. At least that's what Remy thinks. Until Dexter comes crashing into her life...Can he change her mind? Remy is a cynic when it comes to love. Let down by her absent musician dad and witness to her mother's four failed marriages, she doesn't intend ever to let anyone that close. So when Dexter comes crashing into her life, why is it suddenly so hard for Remy to follow her own rules? He's everything she hates: messy, disorganised, impulsive, and worst of all, a musician like her absent father...

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Finished: Monday 2/6

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Book ninety: Stray

Stray* (2007)
Rachel Vincent

Rating: 4/5

The thing I liked most about this is that while it is the start of a series, the book still finished a story arc. There is nothing I hate more than a book that is so obviously just the Start of a Series.

Not so with this book. Things were different at the end – important things, not just that they caught the bad guys.

Oh, did I not mention there are bad guys?

Faythe Sanders likes to pretend she's a normal college co-ed, but that's only half the truth. It's the other half that matters when her former lover appears on campus, sent to pull her back into a life her classmates could never understand, or even imagine. He has come to take her home, to where hunting doesn’t involve guns, the night isn’t for sleeping, and fur is much more than just a fashion statement.

Female werecats are disappearing from all over the south, and the Pride is helpless to find its missing members and stop the stray responsible. Confined to home for her own protection, Faythe must face everything she went to school to escape: the family she left behind, the love she turned her back on, and the destiny tradition says she's bound to fulfill. And when it all becomes too much to handle, an emotionally charged error in judgment leads her into the unsheathed claws of the stray himself. Now, armed with nothing but animal instinct and a serious attitude, Faythe must free herself and stop the kidnappers before their horrific plot robs her Pride of its most valuable asset: its own continued existence.

It has an interesting plot and characters (though, I could have done with a few less brother to keep track of). And surprisingly even though I would like to give the main character, Faythe, a good shake, she didn’t annoy me that much.

Usually someone acting so irresponsibly and immature would annoy me no end, but it just seemed justified in a way. Or maybe I can just relate to her. Sure, she’s a warecat, but she’s also going through ‘normal’ things: feeling confined by her families expectations, not knowing what she wants to do with her life, dealing with mistakes she has made in the past and not knowing how to stop making mistakes right now.

I think this could have benefited from either a more original world or less explanation of that world. I think it was a little too close to Kelley Armstrong’s Broken in some aspects, but I suppose if I hadn’t of read that or other books in the genre, I wouldn’t have been able to skip paragraphs explaining the whole warecat/Pride thing and still understand everything that was going on.

Obviously now I want to read Rouge (scheduled for release April 2008) and Pride (Fall 2008**).

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* Finished: Sunday 1/7

** I hate when they say “Fall”… when is that exactly? It’s too confusing.

Presumably, Autumn in the U.S., will be Spring in Australia, right? Or is that a stupid assumption?

Anyway, I’ll just go with it… so that means, sometime between September and November? October is six months after the April release of book two. So that could be right… or it could be terribly wrong.

I hardly ever see things in Australia – like movies, books, whatever – as “Summer 2389” or the like. What is it with American people and their love of seasons as a marker of time? Does everyone know which months are “Fall”? Because I have to admit, my working out when spring is (which is probably wrong) required counting. Heh.

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Book eighty-nine: Bleed Dry

Bleed Dry (2007)
Erin McCarthy

Rating: 1.75/5

Annoying. The only good bit was when Corbin puts Alexis (the interfering psychopath) in her place.

Hooking up with a vampire has its risks-but getting pregnant usually isn't one of them. Tell that to Brittany Baldizzi, who finds herself in the family way with no father in sight. After their one night of passion, vampire Corbin Jean Michel disappeared off the face of the earth-or at least off the Vegas strip...

Corbin is a vampire with a cause, secretly trying to find a cure for his condition. But when he finds out Brittany is pregnant with his child, Corbin can't keep his parental instincts from trumping his bloodsucking ones. Even when showing his hand could cost him the woman he can't help but love...

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Finished: Sunday 1/7

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Book eighty-eight: Someday My Prince

Someday My Prince (1999)
Christina Dodd

Rating: 2/5

Alright. At least the heroine didn’t do anything overly stupid. Or not that I can remember, anyway.

Princess Laurentia leads a fairy-tale life, but she leads it alone. Until she's swept away by Prince Dominic: soldier of fortune, black sheep of his family . . . and the man hired to protect her. Has her prince finally arrived?

Princess Laurentia leads a fairy-tale life, attending glittering balls and wearing beautiful gowns. But after the ball is over, Laurentia finds herself getting into bed...alone. She dutifully agrees to choose a husband, but when she casts her eyes over her sea of suitors, she doesn't see a single man worthy enough to claim her.

Then suddenly, she is swept off her feet by Prince Dominick, soldier of fortune, black sheep of his family...and the man hired to protect her. He's brazen enough to steal her kisses, yet tender enough to soothe her with one touch. He makes no promises, speaks no vows of forever...yet Laurentia can't help but hope that her prince has finally arrived.

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Finished: Saturday 30/6

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Book eighty-seven: How to Sleep with a Movie Star

How to Sleep with a Movie Star (2007)
Kristin Harmel

Rating: 2.5/5

This is very much in the “classic” style of contemporary romance: nice guy, lots of misunderstandings, evil co-workers, cheating boyfriends, no declaration before the last page etc. But I still really enjoyed it.

It was interesting to read about the workings of the magazine industry – and I thought it was cute how the chapters are named like an article.

It did suffer slightly from back of book spoilage, but even if we hadn’t been told, it would have been pretty obvious that the boyfriend was an idiot.

You're sitting in a swanky restaurant interviewing one of the world's most gorgeous movie stars. He's being very, very friendly. Flirtatious, even.

What do you do?

Would you: Get serious - Slide your number across the table and begin to play footsie with him; Get up and leave - You're a highly professional young journalist, and a celebrity fling is the last thing on your mind; or, Get confused - Why would such an adored (and adorable) man be interested in you? Even if he is the nicest, most down-to-earth guy you've ever met!

When Claire's glitzy job puts her in exactly this position, she's not sure what the right answer is. But then she discovers that nothing - and no-one - is ever what they first seem.

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Finished: Friday 29/6

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Book eighty-six: The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know (2003)
Liz Carlyle

Rating: 2.75/5

Not as good as the other book I just read by her, but still good – even though parts were slightly disturbing.

Bentley Rutledge is a rake, a rogue, and an out-and-out blackguard. Scandal trails in his wake, and fair maidens steer well clear of him. Frederica d’Avillez knows better than to trifle with Hell-Bent, but her youthful heart has been crushed by a fickle suitor, and she burns to throw caution to the wind. Who better to burn with than that handsome, hell-bound scoundrel all the ladies whisper about?

Unfortunately, Rutledge is far from the carefree charmer he pretends to be. And when Freddie’s impulsive decision has dire consequences, Rutledge forces her to choose between the devil and her freedom. Soon, an innocent young woman is battling the dark undercurrents of Bentley’s life, struggling against an evil so poignant and painful, it could undermine even the deepest devotion. No one believes this impetuous marriage has a prayer...except Freddie.

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Finished: Thursday 28/6

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Book eighty-five: Hex and the Single Girl

Hex and the Single Girl (2006)
Valerie Frankel

Rating: 0.75/5

There is nothing I dislike more than a rude, abrupt main character that is supposed to be witty. I just don’t think I got the humour here.

I was reading the first chapter of this, when the main character is meeting with the client, and I was just thinking “huh? Do they already know each other? Why is she being so rude her client? That’s not going to get her any repeat business…”

There are also a few too many characters and generally forced situations, that I think were supposed to be funny.

I obviously don’t get it.

Emma Hutch is a witch who puts her supernatural powers to good use by styling herself as the ultimate matchmaker.

Although she can't always promise true love, a ring or even commitment, she can guarantee that all-important first date between one of her clients and the object of his or her affections.

The problem is, she spends so much time chasing after other people's love interests, she has no time for her own. Until, that is, she meets Liam Dearborn, Manhattan's most eligible bachelor, who's intent on putting Emma under his own powerful spell.

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Finished: Wednesday 27/6

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Book eighty-four: Runaway Princess

Runaway Princess (1999)
Christina Dodd

Rating: 2/5

I do wish that the “runaway princess” had stopped running away from safety and into life threatening situations. That was kind of annoying.

But I did like how she kept using things she’d read in books – like martial arts. It was very cute.

An unexpected inheritance lets Evangeline live the life of her dreams -- to travel abroad as a lady of mystery. But one night a darkly handsome Crown Prince claims her as his fiancé, and he'll do anything to seduce her into his royal world of peril, promise, and passion.

English orphan Miss Evangeline Scoffield has spent her life contenting herself with dreams. But with an unforseen inheritance, she can afford one perfect summer--a summer she will spend the rest of her life remembering. She buys herself expensive clothes, travels abroad, and presents herself as a lady of mystery.

But she quickly discovers her mistake, for a darkly handsome man appears at her bedroom door, claiming to be a Crown Prince--and her fiancé.

One look into her eyes, and the prince recognizes her. She is his betrothed, the runaway Princess of Serephinia. All her denials cannot change that, or alter the passion that burgeons between them. To fulfil their destinies, the prince will do anything--abduct her, coerce her, or, best of all seduce his reluctant bride into his royal world of peril, promise and passion.

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Finished: Wednesday 27/6

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Book eighty-three: A Woman of Virtue

A Woman of Virtue (2001)
Liz Carlyle

Rating: 3.5/5

A past! Angst! Mysterious plots! Danger! And… humour!

I really enjoyed this. I have only read three other books by her, One Little Sin (my favourite), Two Little Secrets, and Three Little Lies, which were pretty good. I think I will have to find some more.

In the months since her husband’s death, Cecilia, Lady Walrafen, has hidden her emptiness by devoting herself to a charity mission for the poor women of London’s slums. But when the man who once tried to ruin her reputation turns up at the Nazareth Society, Cecilia is outraged.

The womanizing Lord Delacourt is vain, vindictive, and merciless. But he’s a man who honors his wagers. And when one of them goes wrong, landing him in a charity mission for prostitutes, he comes face-to face with the young woman whose reputation he once nearly ruined—and whose lips he has never forgotten. Soon, however, evil is stalking the women of the Nazareth Society, and only Delacourt knows how to guard Cecilia from the consequences of her own principles.

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Finished: Tuesday 26/6

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Book eighty-two: The Queen of Attolia

The Queen of Attolia (2006/2000)
Megan Whalen Turner

Rating: 4.25/5

Even better.

Unlike the first, this is written in third person. I like the change, as we get to see more of the other characters and of course we can be even more mislead as to what is actually going on.

I love the subtly of the relationship between Attolia and Gen.



In the firelit torture chamber the executioner's sword descends--and the Eugenides--the Thief of Eddis--no longer has his clever right hand.





The Queen of Attolia sits calmly and watches the dreadful amputation behind her carefully cultivated mask of coldness, but later agonizes over what she has done to him. At the same time, she rages at herself for not hanging her captured prisoner outright.

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Finished: Tuesday 26/6

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