So… I read 309 books.
In one year.
I really, really don’t want to know the answer to 309 times the price of a book.
And I’m entirely too pleased with myself for finishing this, seeing as it is nine months after the end of the list-making.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fin.
Book three-hundred-and-nine: Under the Rose
Under the Rose (2007)
Diana Peterfreund
Last book of the list. Wahoo!
I sort of liked the first in this series, liked this one and really liked the next.
However, there is definitely something about them that makes me come away feeling a little, I don’t know… stupid? I kind of feel like I’ve missed something, while at the same time feeling like the characters are completely missing the point as well.
Maybe it’s that I don’t really understand the whole secret society thing. I mean, how big of a deal can it possibly be?
Or perhaps I am just jealous that I had to spend the majority of my time during my undergrad studying. I mean, really, you are not going to graduate from a normal university if you spend your whole time running around doing things for a secret society that no one is supposed to know you are a part of.
See, that’s the me not getting it part.
The good part of this series is the characters (very real), the writing and the fact that months after reading it and when I couldn’t even remember some of the other books, I am still sitting here pondering if Amy would graduate in real life.
Amy Haskel made it into elite Eli University. Then she made it into the ultraselective Order of Rose & Grave. Now a senior, Amy is looking her future squarely in the eye—until someone starts selling society secrets. When a series of bizarre messages suggests conspiracy within the ranks and a female knight mysteriously disappears, no member of Rose & Grave is safe…or above suspicion.
On her side, Amy has a few loyal Diggirls—her fellow female Rose & Grave knights. Against her? Certainly it's a group of Rose & Grave's überpowerful patriarchs who want their old boys' club back. As new developments in her love life threaten to implode, and the case of the vanished Diggirl gets weirder by the moment, Amy will need to use every society trick she's ever learned in order to set things right. Even if it means turning to old adversaries for help—or discovering that the real foes are closer than she'd thought….
Friday 29/2/08
Book three-hundred-and-eight: Kidnapped
Kidnapped (2007)
Jo Leigh
I found this very confusing.
Okay, it's certainly an unconventional way for Manhattan heiress Tate Baxter to conquer her fears. But when your whole life takes place behind the tinted windows of a limo and your household staff are all gun-toting ex-CIA, drastic measures have to be taken.
Especially when one member of that staff has got her all hot and bothered. Chauffeur Michael Caulfield has just one assignment-- keeping Tate safe. But when she's kidnapped for real, the only way he can save her is to become a prisoner with her. He may be just "the help," but as her take-charge protector, he's the Michael of her sexual fantasies. Maybe a man she can trust and even dare to love? Except once out of his uniform, he isn't exactly laying bare all his secrets…to Tate.
Thursday 28/2/08
more...
Book three-hundred-and-seven: Bad Boys of Summer
Bad Boys of Summer (2006)
Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Amy Garvey
Really quite good.
Lazy days . . . steamy nights . . . and sweltering guys with rippling muscles doing what they do best . . .
Luscious by Lori Foster
Bethany Churchill just quit her lousy job, dumped her lousy boyfriend and moved into a new apartment. She's not looking for love, but her hot new landlord is determined to change her mind. SWAT officer Lucius Ryder - known to the women in the building as 'Luscious', much to his chagrin - is one sexy lawman, and before long Bethany is tempted to find out if he's really as delicious as his nickname.
It's About Time by Erin McCarthy
County prosecutor Trish Jones has had it with smooth-talking, under-performing suits. And though she's never had a thing for big, brawny guys, one look at Caleb Vancouver's bulges makes her think she might have been missing out. One Harley ride later they're back at her place, and she realizes that she has been missing out . . . on quite a lot . . .
Wish You Were Here by Amy Garvey
Photographer Mackenzie Pruitt knows exactly what she wants her future to look like, and this summer that means renovating a dilapidated shed into a studio. But when hunky carpenter Leo Dawson shows up, she'd much rather have his capable hands on her than on a hammer. He's not the kind of guy she always thought she'd fall for, but when he touches her, she can't imagine wanting anyone else .
Wednesday 27/2/08 more...
Book three-hundred-and-six: Take Me I’m Yours
Take Me I’m Yours (2002)
Elizabeth Bevarly
Very funny.
Fleeing her date, who, unbeknownst to her, is both mob-connected and married, Ruby Runyon crashes a posh party for the rish and famous and finds herself drawn to the handsome Keaton Hamilton Danning III, the chief adviser to one of the world's most snobbish royals.
Monday 25/2/08
Book three-hundred-and-five: Slightly Sinful
Slightly Dangerous (2004)
Mary Balogh
All of London is abuzz over the imminent arrival of Wulfric Bedwyn, the reclusive, cold-as-ice Duke of Bewcastle, at the most glittering social event of the season. Some whisper of a tragic love affair. Others say he is so aloof and passionless that not even the greatest beauty could capture his attention.
But on this dazzling afternoon, one woman did catch the duke’s eye and she was the only female in the room who wasn’t even trying. Christine Derrick is intrigued by the handsome duke?all the more so when he invites her to become his mistress. What red-blooded woman wouldn?t enjoy a tumble in the bedsheets with a consummate lover?with no strings and no questions asked. An infuriating lady with very definite views on men, morals, and marriage, Christine confounds Wulfric at every turn. Yet even as the lone wolf of the Bedwyn clan vows to seduce her any way he can, something strange and wonderful is happening. Now for a man who thought he’d never lose his heart, nothing less than love will do.With her trademark wit, riveting storytelling, and sizzling sexual sparks, Mary Balogh once again brings together two polar opposites: an irresistible, high-and-mighty aristocrat and the impulsive, pleasure-loving woman who shows him what true passion is all about. A man and a woman so wrong for each other, it can result only in the perfect match.Saturday 23/2/08
Book three-hundred-and-four: Slightly Sinful
Slightly Sinful (2004)
Mary Balogh
Meet the Bedwyns--six brothers and sisters--men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality....Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction...where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal...and where Alleyne Bedwyn, the passionate middle son, is cut off from his past--only to find his future with a sinfully beautiful woman he will risk everything to love.
As the fires of war raged around him, Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was thrown from his horse and left for dead--only to awaken in the bedchamber of a ladies' brothel. Suddenly the dark, handsome diplomat has no memory of who he is or how he got there--yet of one thing he is certain: The angel who nurses him back to health is the woman he vows to make his own. But like him, Rachel York is not who she seems. A lovely young woman caught up in a desperate circumstance, she must devise a scheme to regain her stolen fortune. The dashing soldier she rescued from near-death could be her savior in disguise. There is just one condition: she must pose as his wife--a masquerade that will embroil them in a sinful scandal, where a man and a woman court impropriety with each daring step...with every taboo kiss that can turn passionate strangers into the truest of lovers.
Saturday 23/2/08
more...
Book three-hundred-and-three: Slightly Tempted
Slightly Tempted (2003)
Mary Balogh
Meet the Bedwyns - six brothers and sisters - men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality. Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction...where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal...and where Morgan Bedwyn, the willful youngest daughter, discovers that true love is a temptation no woman can - or should - resist.Young. Ravishing. Exquisitely marriageable. From the moment he spies Lady Morgan Bedwyn across the glittering ballroom, Gervase Ashford, Earl of Rosthorn, knows he has found the perfect instrument of his revenge. But wedlock is not on the mind of the continent's most notorious rake. Nor is it of interest to the fiercely independent Lady Morgan herself...until one night of shocking intimacy erupts in a scandal that could make Gervase's vengeance all the sweeter. There is only one thing standing in his way: Morgan, who has achieved the impossible - she's melted his coolly guarded heart. For Gervase, only the marriage bed will do, but Morgan simply will not have him. Thus begins a sizzling courtship where two wary hearts are about to be undone by the most scandalous passion of all: glorious, all-consuming love.
Friday 22/2/08
Book three-hundred-and-two: Slightly Scandalous
Slightly Scandalous (2003)
Mary Balogh
Meet the Bedwyns…six brothers and sisters men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality.Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Freyja Bedwyn, the wild-hearted daughter, meets her match in a man as passionate, reckless, and scandalous as she.
Growing up with four unruly brothers has made Freyja Bedwyn far bolder than most society ladies. From feisty manner to long, tumbling hair, Lady Freyja is pure fire, a woman who seeks both adventure and freedom. Adventure soon finds her on a visit to Bath, when a handsome stranger bursts into Freyja's room and entreats her to hide him. His name is Joshua Moore, Marquess of Hallmere, a man with a hell-raising reputation of his own who is quickly intrigued by the independent beauty. So intrigued, in fact, that he makes her a surprising request: to pose as his fiancée and help thwart his family's matchmaking schemes. For two people determined to be free, it's the perfect plan…until passion blindsides them both. For as Joshua sets out to achieve his complete seduction of Freyja, a woman who has sworn off love is in danger of losing the one thing she never expected to give again: her heart…
Friday 22/2/08
Book three-hundred-and-one: Slightly Wicked
Slightly Wicked (2003)
Mary Balogh
Meet the Bedwyns…six brothers and sisters--men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality…Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Rannulf Bedwyn, the rebellious third son, enters into a liaison that is rather risqué, somewhat naughty, and…Slightly Wicked.
With his laughing eyes and wild, rakish good looks, Lord Rannulf Bedwyn is a hard man to resist. To Judith Law, a woman in need of rescue when her stagecoach overturns, Rannulf is simply her savior, a heroic stranger she will reward with one night of reckless passion before she must become a companion to her wealthy aunt. Imagine Judith's shock when the same stranger turns out to be among England's most eligible bachelors…and when he arrives at Harewood Grange to woo her cousin. Certainly, they had made no vows, no promises, but Rannulf never did forget his uninhibited lover…nor did she forget that one delicious night. And as scandal sets the household abuzz, Rannulf proposes a solution…but when Judith refuses to have him--in love or wedlock--Rannulf has only one choice: to wage a campaign of pure pleasure to capture the heart of the woman who has already won his.
Friday 22/2/08
Book three-hundred: In Your Arms Again
In Your Arms Again (2004)
Kathryn Smith
Kathryn Smith writes really, really good stories of lost love reunited.
This cover makes me giggle.
Try as she might, Lady Octavia Vaux-Daventry cannot make herself fall in love with her groom-to-be. But a marriage to one of society's wealthiest noblemen will provide her a life so unlike her impoverished London childhood, and fulfill the promise she made to her grandfather so long ago. So it is more than inconvenient when the man who once possessed her heart bursts back into her world - at the request of her betrothed - and restarts a fire she thought was extinguished. Having earned a reputation as society's favorite criminal investigator, former Bow Street Runner North Sheffield cannot believe Octavia is the woman he's been hired to protect. If anything, she is more desirable than the day they were forced to separate - and even more unwilling to let the passion that still flares between them break the promises she must keep. But North is determined - not only will he do anything to keep his lost love safe, but he will risk it all to get her back into his arms again.
Thursday 21/2/08
Book two-ninety-nine: Let Sleeping Rogues Lie
Let Sleeping Rogue’s Lie (2008)
Sabrina Jeffries
Rating: 3.75/5
Obviously it goes without saying that I still can’t wait for Charlotte and Michael.
When Madeline Prescott took a teaching position at Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies, it was to help restore her father's reputation. Instead, she's in danger of ruining her own. The devilishly handsome Anthony Dalton, Viscount Norcourt, has agreed to provide "rake lessons" to Mrs. Harris's pupils so they can learn how to avoid unscrupulous gentlemen, and Madeline is to oversee his classes.
She has always believed that attraction is a scientific matter, easily classified and controlled -- until she's swept into the passionate desire that fiercely burns between her and Anthony. Nothing could be more illogical than risking everything for a dalliance with a rake -- even one who's trying to behave himself. Yet nothing could be more tempting....
Wednesday 20/2/08
Book two-ninety-eight: Slightly Married
Slightly Married (2003)
Mary Balogh
Rating: 3.75/5
Another I remembered to rate. My favourite in this serious is definitely Slightly Dangerous, but this one is very good too.
Meet the Bedwyns…six brothers and sisters--men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality…Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Aidan Bedwyn, the marriage-shy second son, discovers that matrimony may be the most seductive act of all.…
Mary Balogh
Rating: 3.75/5
Another I remembered to rate. My favourite in this serious is definitely Slightly Dangerous, but this one is very good too.
Meet the Bedwyns…six brothers and sisters--men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality…Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Aidan Bedwyn, the marriage-shy second son, discovers that matrimony may be the most seductive act of all.…
Like all the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart--and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought Colonel Lord Aidan to Ringwood Manor to honor a dying soldier's request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man's sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection…nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart. And when a relative threatens to turn Eve out of her home, Aidan gallantly makes her an offer she can't refuse: marry him…if only to save her home. And now, as all of London breathlessly awaits the transformation of the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, the strangest thing happens: With one touch, one searing embrace, Aidan and Eve's "business arrangement" is about to be transformed…into something slightly surprising.
Tuesday 19/2/08
Book two-ninety-seven: Burning Up
Burning Up (2008)
Sarah Mayberry
I only read this because the author was Australian. And it was set in the Blue Mountains. Apart from the whole bushfire thing, it did not strike me as particularly Australian.
Somebody get some ice… it's steamy in here! Spending a month as personal chef for an overindulged--and mouthwatering--man? Sophie Gallagher is so up for the challenge. She's immune to charm…or so she thinks. Because when big-screen star Lucas Grant turns up the temptation, she discovers--up close and personal--he's earned the name hottest man alive. Sophie is fun, vivacious and couldn't be further from Lucas's bimbo bombshell type. Much to his surprise, she's captivated him. But as sizzling as they are between the sheets, once his hiatus is over, the credits will roll on this fling. Saying goodbye, however, isn't as easy as he'd thought. Will this production be The End of the Affair… or Love Actually?
Monday 18/2/08
Book two-ninety-six: My Surrender
My Surrender (2005)
Connie Brockway
Charlotte Nash is the most impulsive of the Nash sisters. Using her position as one of London's most popular and naughty debutantes, she assists English spies in conveying messages that will help them infiltrate Napoleon's inner circle -- and fulfill the mission her father died trying to achieve.
But only as a courtesan can she infiltrate London's most notorious gatherings and retrieve a crucial document. Is she ready to take part in a deception that will leave her reputation in shreds? And when Highlander Dand Ross -- a dangerous, disreputable blackguard -- reappears in her life and offers his aid, dare she accept it? The exquisite pleasure she finds in his arms might be worth the price of her surrender, but is the dark Highlander who loves her so passionately really just luring her toward the ultimate betrayal?
Saturday 16/2/08
more...
Book two-ninety-five: My Pleasure
My Pleasure (2004)
by Connie Brockway
By day, celebrated beauty Helena Nash works as a proper companion to one of London's most disagreeable ladies. By night she acts as an illicit messenger between two separated lovers.
Masked and disguised, she falls into the path of a shadowy stalker. Fearing for her safety but unwilling to halt her nocturnal forays, Helena seeks out Ramsey Munro -- one of three men who pledged years earlier to serve her family in times of need. Handsome and elusive, the notorious Scotsman is London's most accomplished swordsman and represents everything Helena wants but can't have -- freedom, adventure, and passion. Now she demands that he teach her his formidable skills, a commission that may prove cool, collected Helena's undoing. For Ramsey has seen through her disguise...and soon vows to teach her both the way of the sword and the deliciously wicked pleasures of the flesh.
Friday 15/2/08 more...
Book two-ninety-four: Desperate Duchesses
Desperate Duchesses (2007)
Eloisa James
Re-reading.
Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue.
A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta. Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny. Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?
Thursday 14/2/08
Book two-ninety-three: Shameless
Shameless (2008)
Tori Carrington
I remember finding the “hero” very unheroic.
An indecent proposal. A friendship betrayed.
One-night-only anonymous sex with a stranger? Seems too wanton even for Nina Leonard.
Until it's insinuated that the mystery man might be one of her business partners--two guys she adores who also happen to be complete hotties. Out comes the blindfold, and Nina has the steamiest night of her life.
Now she's got to have more--only, no one's fessing up. One of her two best friends rocked her world that night. But which one was it? If she guesses wrong, she could lose them both….
Wednesday 13/2/08
Book two-ninety-two: Your Bed or Mine
You’re Bed or Mine (2008)
Kate Hoffman
I have blocked all knowledge of reading this from my mind, so I have no idea if it was good or not.
Caley Lambert didn't expect that a few nights at the family cottage for her sister Emma's wedding would turn her life upside down. But that was before she got lost in the dark, was propositioned by a cop and ended up in the wrong bed with the brother of the groom.
When she and Jake Burton were teenagers, Jake had been the perfect boy next door—and the object of Caley's most daring fantasies. But that was back when she was a kid. Caley's definitely over him now. Or so she thinks…
Because the perfect boy is all man now. Not to mention an endlessly inventive lover…
Tuesday 12/2/08 more...
Book two-ninety-one: Tex Appeal
Tex Appeal (2008)
Kimberly Raye, Alison Kent and Cara Summers
Rating: 1.5/5
Hmm, I gave this one a rating at the time of reading. I must have felt strongly about that 1.5 to have noted it down so diligently. Why I didn’t do that for all of them, I have no idea. I’m just not that organised.
What do you get when you take a hunky former rodeo star, a real good old boy and a randy Ranger and pair them with three women who desperately need to get some action between the sheets? A Valentine's Day with tons of Tex appeal!
Real Good Man by Kimberly Raye Cheryl
Anne Cash is now an official "carnal" coach! And she can't wait to show her former lover exactly what he's been missing….
Unbroken by Alison Kent
Dr. Tess Autrey is no buckle bunny. But a certain wickedly sexy rancher may change her mind!
I Can Still Feel You… by Cara Summers
Months ago, Macy's Texas Ranger lover disappeared in the night. Now he's back--and she has some very naughty ideas about evening the score….
Monday 11/2/08
Book two-ninety: Girl at Sea
Girl at Sea (2007)
Maureen Johnson
Rating: 4.5/5
Most excellent.
Sometimes you have to get lost.
Sometimes you have to get lost.
The Girl: Clio, seventeen, wants to spend the summer smooching her art-store crush, not stuck on a boat in the Mediterranean. At least she'll get a killer tan.
The Mission: Survive her father's annoying antics. Oh, also find some underwater treasure that could be the missing link to a long-lost civilization.
The Crew: Dad's absentminded best friend Martin, his scary girlfriend Julia, her voluptuous daughter Elsa . . . and then there's Aidan, Julia's incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant research assistant.
What's going on behind Aidan's intellectual, intensely green eyes, anyway?
As Clio sails into uncharted territory she unveils secrets that have the power to change history. But her most surprising discovery is that there's something deeper and more mysterious than the sea—her own heart.
Sunday 10/2/08
more...
Book two-eighty-nine: Upon the Midnight Clear
Upon the Midnight Clear (2007)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
This was very short and rather formularised.
Ever think Scrooge had it right before the ghosts ruined his life?
Meet Aidan O'Conner.At one time he was a world-renowned celebrity who gave freely of himself and his money without wanting anything in return...until those around him took without asking.
Now Aidan wants nothing of the world—or anyone who's a part of it. When a stranger appears at his doorstep, Aidan knows he's seen her before…in his dreams.Born on Olympus as a goddess, Leta knows nothing of the human world. But a ruthless enemy has driven her from the world of dreams and into the home of the only man who can help her: Aidan.
Her immortal powers are derived from human emotions—and his anger is just the fuel she needs to defend herself…One cold winter's night will change their lives forever…Trapped together in a brutal winter storm, Aidan and Leta must turn to the only power capable of saving them—or destroying them both: trust.
Saturday 9/2/08
Book two-eighty-eight: You’ve Got Male
You’ve Got Male (2005)
Elizabeth Bevarly
I really liked this. I hadn’t read anything by Beverly before, but have tracked down a few of her books since. I like her writing style because she is very funny and witty, but sometimes I get a bit bored by the pages and pages of thinking and deciding. Its usually worth it, though.
AveryIsIn: hi HJFan -- you'll never guess what happened. Supposedly I'm a dangerous cybercriminal, and the feds have come knocking down my door. They think I'm in contact with some supervillain -- but I never leave the house, and you're the only one I talk to. Lv it to the govt, huh? LOL
DixonOPUS: Avery Nesbitt made e-mail contact with target today. Although suspect seems unaware of target's true identity, I can't be sure she's uninvolved. My next move: get inside. Time to rattle Ms. Nesbitt's perfect online world.
Friday 8/2/08
Book two-eighty-seven: My Wildest Ride
My Wildest Ride (2008)
Isabel Sharpe
I have recorded this as “Stupid Martini Diaries book”, so I guess I didn’t like it that much.
"Seduce the man you are most attracted to. Tonight."
Boston bar owner Lindsay Beckham is in shock. She created the M&B club for all the feisty females who frequent Chassy. She has to fulfill her dare. Why not with Denver Langston, who mixes a mean Sex on the Beach cocktail? "
Slowly get to know the woman you are most attracted to. Think long-term."
Denver's fallen hard for Lindsay, but he knows she's vulnerable and hiding something. When she's suddenly seducing him over martinis, he's not about to complain. But can this wild sexual ride go drastically off course?
Thursday 7/2/08
Book two-eighty-six: My Seduction
My Seduction (2004)
Connie Brockway
From booklist (because I am lazy):
Katherine Blackburn has little use for heroes. After being married less than a year, her husband was killed in battle and her father died rescuing three young men in war-torn France.
Now Kate has one chance to regain financial security for herself and her two sisters, but her carefully wrought plan is threatened by Kit MacNeill, one of the young men her father saved. Determined to repay the debt he owes her family, he insists on accompanying Kate on her dangerous trip through Scotland, where she intends to charm a distant relative into providing for her family. Kit objects to her plan, but he has pledged not only to protect Kate but also to obey her.
Readers who relish witty, outspoken, and slightly stubborn heroines, and dark, dangerous heroes possessed of a lethal form of grace, will find much to savor in RITA Award-winning Brockway's latest, the first in a promising new trilogy. With this wonderfully complex, compelling Regency historical, Brockway demonstrates not only that she can fashion frothy romps but that she is equally adept at crafting dark, edgy, and sublime romances. John Charles
Tuesday 5/2/08
Tuesday 5/2/08
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)