Review: High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

High Stakes: A Tale of Vegas Vampires by Erin McCarthy This is the first book in Erin McCarthy's new series. A paranormal vampire series with a high funny factor... No! Wait! Come back... It is good! Alexis arrives at Ethan Carrick's Vegas hotel ready to kick ass and take names. The plan is to knock some sense into her baby sister who closed her dentist practice and moved in with some rich hotel owner she just met. Alexis is smart, successful and has been taking care of Brittany since their stripper mommy died. She knows she can do anything she sets her mind to and can take care of herself. Alexis also thinks she needs to do the same for Brittany and hasn't quite caught on that her baby sister is all grown up. And as confident as she is in her mind she is equally unconfident in her looks. Basically our girl has some serious control issues and low self esteem in the looks department. The baby sister, Brittany Baldizzi, is the girl next door, if your door happens to be in Las Vegas. She has more beauty and heart than brains but Brittany isn't a dumb bunny. Although she is aware people see her as just another pretty face. Ethan Carrick is the leader of the 'undead world' and would like to stay that way. In typical politician fashion he thinks (and is being told) the best way to win another 40 years as vampire president is to clean up is playboy image and marry a good woman. Only this is vegas baby and he is a vamp - so good woman equals a hottie impure (a human with a vampire daddy) and not Jackie O. It takes about five seconds with Alexis for Ethan to learn marrying Brit isn't an option. And even though he knows the house always wins, he can't help but take a gamble on Alexis. Alexis figures playing some freaky wanna be vamp's girlfriend is the quickest way to get her baby sister out of "harms way". And Brittany just wants to save their souls from hell. Oh and then there is the guy trying to 'kill' Ethan, one trying to beat him and another trying to cure him. All in all good times. We do end up spending too much time in with the bad guys. And I have to confess I didn't care much about them. But it didn't take away from Ethan and Alexis's romance so I can't complain too much. When I heard Erin McCarthy was the next author to pony up a vamp series I rolled my eyes, whined and knew without a doubt I would read it. There is something about McCarthy's books that are so fast, fresh and funny. The dialogue flows off the page and can't help but make me smile. And I am a really hard sell as far as comedy goes. She doesn't do slapstick, doesn't lose the romance and the book is as steamy as it funny. Erin McCarthy takes any genre and makes it her own. I don't think I am reading a paranormal, contemporary or even a 'romance' novel when I open one of her books. I am reading an Erin McCarthy novel. She is one of the very few authors I honestly think I would follow into any genre. And High Stakes continues her winning streak. So what did you think? Have you read it? Did you like it? Have you reviewed it? I haven't stated Bit yet but I have it and plan to this weekend. Hope it is just as good! NEXT: (out now) Bit the Jackpot and I am crossing my fingers Bled Dry (on sale May 2007) shows up at my door soon You can find more info on Erin's vamp series here, find her blogging here and order High Stakes here.

For love or money

As I was looking for a link on LLB's blog (for a cafe press post I am doing) I noticed her last post. I got side tracked.... Her post Wowie Kazowie!, talks about the really amazingly great year 'visitor wise' All About Romance has had in 2006.and about raising their ad rates. I have odd ideas (shut up) about making money off blogs, websites and most of all reviews. (another post in the works since I read that article the Dear Jane posted about some amazon reviewer making cash off reviews... won't be up for a few weeks cuz I am doing some tracking in the RT mag *g*) I think my views were shaped from spend so long in xfiles fandom. Fanfic is at heart nothing but sheer love, lust fannish musing over 'something. Sitting down, creating, learning new skills and the like - just to showcase your fannish colors and 'talk' to others of like mind is just awesome. I think. And is a huge part of what drew me to AAR. It was the back fence... looking to chat about books, put up honest reviews and help put a more positive face on romance. So when it starts to talk about crappy cafe press sells and charging more for ads, it seems to be no longer about the love of books and romance land but about making a buck. Is that just me? Once upon a time I was apart of a huge website for a tv show. I have never seen a blog, message board or website in romanceland come CLOSE to the amount of traffic this site did (back in the day of course - five years later it is prolly closer to AAR's numbers) in a day much less a year. Now the chick who ran the site was pretty computer smart but still had to pay for some support and things she couldn't figure out herself. I have to admit I thought/think she was pretty off her nut because of the amount of coin she dropped a month to pay for the site, bandwidth, support and whatever else comes with it. So I think it is smart that AAR, Smart Bitches and whoever else charges for ads to help/try to recoup the cost for the site and give-a-ways. But if you raise your cost too much, don't you put yourself outside the range of the people you are trying to get to advertise with? And I find that sad. I mean hell I hardly ever click on those ads and they have no effect on my romance buying decisions but I like the idea they are there for the authors to use.Is that just me? Is everyone else rushing out to click on the ads? Is it just certain sites? If so which ones? Hell the big sites like Writespace and Best Reviews (who I think are 'for profit sites' correct me if I am wrong) can't seem to UPDATE their ads to reflect new books. LOL then again I don't go to those site often. At the same time I find myself going to AAR much less over the last year then I did when I first joined romance land. Blogs have news up quicker and since they are driven on the bloggers personality I think they tend to be more fun than a review site. So even if hits and traffic are up... is it good time to raise rates? Or is it just me and AAR is as busy and fun as ever?

Review: The Rules of Seduction by Madeline Hunter

Genre: Historical Romance Grade: A- Alexia Welbourne is a poor relation of The Longworth family. Unknown to any of them, except Timothy (head of the family), they are all living on borrowed time. By chance Hayden Rothwell enters the picture and the clock stops. Timmy has been a bad, bad boy but due to a debt Hayden allows him to try to keep his honor and save face - at least with his family. Timmy's bright idea is to blame his 'ruin' on Hayden. This comes to light in one of the first scenes as Alexia gives Hayden a tour of her soon to be old home. These are two great characters and the dialogue is wonderful. They are both adults and they behave that way. Alexia is scared and unsure of her next steps but she doesn't fall apart and wait for someone to fix it for her. Hayden Rothwell reminds me of David de Abyndon from By Arrangement. They are both basically good men who have done some bad things. They find themselves in situations not of their own making and try to fix them best way they can. And they both keep a stupid secret from their wives for too long. They do end up with their wives differently and I admit I found Hayden and Alexia's first 'love' scene together jarring. I expected it to go differently. I didn't really think he would go through with it. The Rules of Seduction is a perfect example of how to use sex and love scenes to add to the characters, their relationship and move the story along. So much happens from that dirty attic floor to the last page. The plot is tried and true but with enough of Hunter's plotting and wonderful characters to make it interesting, entertaining and different. If you have marked Madeline Hunter off your to buy list or haven't tried her in a while give this one a shot. The Rules of Seduction is a really great read and from the sneak peak for The Lessons of Desire this is a series to watch.

okay.... this completely pisses me off

The pitfalls of receiving free books... Simon & Schuster is so not sending me free books! That is sooooooo rude! hmph and double hmph... I am the first person to say I love free books. Most of all I love free EARLY books. They make me happy, very very happy. I even will sqqquuueee! (well not for inspirations) But it doesn't mean I will like the book. I go with a few very simple ideas. Good or bad a review is a great thing, having your book mentioned is a good thing, a link to a book is a good thing. Because everyone likes different things and what I hate, someone might read and go omg I love that plot. So I tend to agree with Miss Snark (anyone even find out if she is really an agent?) that the idea of all free books will get GOOD reviews isn't true. But I could be wrong... As for publishers only sending books to people who give glowing reviews, I tend to disagree but hey we will see if my next batch of Avon Red shows up or not.

Review: Sugar and Spice by Leda Swann

Leda Swann was one of the authors who joined us for Avon Red Week. I completely fell in love with the cover for Sugar and Spice. Sadly this turned out to be one of those times where the cover was the best part. Genre: Erotic Romance (I think... could be Erotica) Grade: D- Sensuality: Burning Jane Meter: SKIP This an ever popular anthology, although it is a single title. It has an interesting set up and is somewhat different. Each of the stories involve an already married couple struggling to find their HEA. They all end up at a 'naughty house' in Cornwall that caters to married couples and is ran by a Mrs. Bertram. Click for rest of review Our first couple - Gwendolyn and Adam are unhappily married but have great sex. Just about every night, or at least Adam is having great sex, Gwendolyn thinks she is just a convenient fuck. She lied and 'forced' him to marry her and Adam is holding something of a grudge. Hard to have a happy marriage with the groom thinking the bride is a lying, manipulative bitch. I loved the set up and the first scene with the Turkish slave girl setup is great. Adam is very much the man as he lays there thinking a hand job isn't 'really cheating' until it dawns on him if he is there... where is his wife. The two play out a list of fantasy and find their way to sharing their true feelings. The stories biggest downside is it is too long and the very played out ending. Obsessed gets a C. Lillian and Felix have a very Mary Balogh tradition regency plot. They got married. A few months later he gets bored thinking his wife is cold and doesn't want him. Felix starts to fuck around and Lillian tries her best to ignore it. After Felix takes off to Mrs. Bertram's with his newest 'soon to be mistress', Lillian is blackmailed by the Mr. of 'soon to be mistress'. After a chorus of 'Hail, Hail the Gangs All Here' there is a great scene where Lillian give Felix a piece of her mind. And after he figures out how badly he screwed up with his virgin bride - SIX YEARS ago - Felix does the only thing any good regency hero would do. He decided it is a good time to teach his wife to blow him and stick his fingers up her ass. I was never able to get over the thought that she would have been better off leaving with Gareth. Enslaved gets a F. Speaking of Gareth the hero of the last story and over all good guy. I liked him except for he spends most of the story being a doormat for Cora. In case you forgot, Cora was the woman who went off for a week with Felix. She is... hell really I am not sure what Cora is suppose to be. At one point she is mad because he married her to have door opened for him in socially At another point she is mad because she married him because he is in trade, so she figured she would never care for him but does. At another point it seems she thinks she can never make him happy and has a secret that would hurt him. Or some such thing, really by this point I just wanted the book over. I guessed the end pretty early then decided I was wrong (turns out I wasn't). I think Exposed is the shortest of the three and the most sexually adventurous. They confront the big bad thing, learn they can deal with it together and Cora figures out Gareth will stick by her no matter what. Exposed gets a D. I think the biggest disappointment I had with Sugar and Spice is it could have been so much better. It had a different plot than you normally get in today's historicals and I was willing to go along for the ride when I normally run from anything that deal with adultery. Maybe that is why I got hung up on Felix's character and his actions. He has this big 'ah ha' moment and handles it so stupidly. I would have just closed the book and walked away, if I was the type to not finish books. And Cora was such a horrible character. I understand we are suppose to excuse her actions because of her big bad secret but Gareth was just too good. So over all the first story was the only I could say I liked and really not that much. Anyone else read this yet? Like it? Have any other thoughts on Sugar and Spice? Next: The Price of Desire is the next book by Leda Swann. I still have no clue what this is about other than it has something to do with a workhouse. Currently I am reading Pleasure Control by Cathryn Fox and liking it. Have you tried an Avon Red yet?

Whatever you are looking for....

As a rule I try to never trash a book or a person. It generally isn't my style. I rant. I rave. I have strong opinions and I think many actions of many people are stupid. But thinking the actions of a person aren't the brightest thing, disagreeing with them or not liking their book is a far cry from trashing, bashing, harassing or whatever. Oh course I have my moments... I can be a bitch. And most of the time I am very unapologetic about it. Although I am happy to admit when I am wrong. I dislike many people and many more dislike me. I dislike many a book and there are many more I like. I tend to think of myself as one of those people who is killing romance as you want it (or at least kristie, jane, keishon and the like). I am happy with the majority of what I am reading. In fact there are many I love and quite a few I know I shouldn't. But what the fuck, I am cool with that and if you are still here I would assume you are too. Because no matter what I love or hate - I don't expect you to have the same opinion nor would I ever, ever expect a anyone (friend or not) to only agree with me. Yesterday I had someone I greatly respect tell me that my blog strikes a good balance. And that is what I aim for... I want authors to feel comfortable to post. I want readers to feel comfortable to post. And most of all I never want anyone to feel that they have to agree with me. And I had another I greatly respect pretty much tell me I am unethical or at least I think that was her point. After a great many emails, some thought and a few more emails from a many people I have come to the conclusion that: Fair Use is your friend. Anyone who criticizes people, their work, their actions or whatever the hell should be able to except criticism... aka if you can't take the heat isn't just advice for authors. People who tell others to 'behave like a grown up' should take their own advice. Anything I post in a public place has a chance of being quoted elsewhere on the internet. If someone disagrees with my opinion, they can still be my friend. If you don't want people discussing what you say or what you write - don't put it on the internet and don't publish it. but most of all... NOTHING ON THE INTERNET DIES! If you disagree with any of the above, do feel free to post and give your opinion. I am always open to listening to different views. And have even been known to change my mind and agree. But may I suggest if any of the above bothers you to the point that you are close to cracking, losing your hold on reality or if you don't understand that YOU are the only person responsible for YOUR actions...well then you should just... until you tube comes back up... Music Video:DON'T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE (by Tom Petty) Music Video Code provided by Video Code Zone Don'T Come Around Here No More video by Tom Petty And words Don't come around here no more Don't come around here no more Don't come around here no more Whatever you're looking for Hey! Don't come around here no more I've given up. I've given up- I've given up on waiting any longer I've given up, on this love getting stronger I don't feel you anymore You darken my door Whatever you're looking for Hey, don't come around here no more I've given up. I've given up I've given up, you tangle my emotions I've given up, honey please admit it's over Don't come around here no more Don't come around here no more Whatever you're looking for Hey, don't come around here no more Stop walking down my street Who do you expect to meet? Whatever you're looking for Hey, don't come around here no more

Women fic...

Interesting quickie by Barbara Samuel aka Ruth Wind at AAR regarding women's fiction vs romance. And it somewhat tie back to Dear Jane's series of articles on an authors 'promise' to readers. Do you agree? Personally I think there is a little more room to move with the 'bad stuff'. And really think the only qualifying thing a romance HAS to have is the HEA. As I was going through my draft reviews for books long ago read. I did notice I tend to think of some romances more as 'womens fic'. And in fact like them more with that label in my head. The first time I read Once in a Blue Moon by Amie Stuart I didn't like it (more on that later). It was in a C to D range. After going through her site and getting a better understanding of characters (this isn't a good stand alone tale but would have made for a wicked series. Not sure if she is still trying to sell it or not) I enjoyed the story much more the second time. And even more the third time *g*. Stuart has a great voice for women's fiction. Something you can see more of for free even. Since the Southern Fried Chicas have put up some free stories for your enjoyment. One being The Big Girl's Guide To Buying Lingerie by Amie Stuart, which would follow Once in a Blue Moon. I think I tend to think of marriage in trouble stories as 'women's fiction'. Even when the focus is completely on the couple, their romance, finding their way back to each other. But mostly when the family plays a large part of the story as well my mind tends to grab on to this isn't a romance thought. In Shannon Stacey's Forever Again the story is very much about the family and how the h/h actions affect the kiddo. As a romance the story didn't work well for me at all but the second time I read it, which was around the time I was rereading Blue Moon, I found the story worked for me if I divorced it from my idea of a 'romance novel'. Oddly enough it was an old romance that had me thinking of these two stories I read over a year ago... well and I recently read The Big Girl's Guide To Buying Lingerie. Home Song by LaVyrle Spencer is another book I would label women's fiction. Although I tend to think most books by spencer are women's fiction which always leads me back to really what IS Women's Fiction. Really I have to say Home Song was one of the first books by Spencer I really didn't like. And I can't make up my mind if the book is a reflection of the authors views on life and marriage or the time period of when the book was set or published. (neither which I can place right now) Tom Gardner is the school principal. He has is teacher wife and two perfect kids. Then his life completely fucks up when the bastard he created a week before he married the love of his life (who wasn't the love of his life at the time but his girlfriend he knocked up) enrolls in his school. You got to hate it when your illegitimate son you never know you created shows up needing a hall pass. Claire is a touch pissed off when she finds out that 18 years ago the man she loved picked up a random chick at his bachelor party. Basically he fucked her, fucked the skank and then fucked his preggers soon to be wife like in the span of three days. 18 years or not... I think she had a right to be pissed. The kids who are I think 18 and 16 are WAY too involved in their parents marriage. Way too involved in the separation and everyone seems to be blaming Claire for their marriage falling apart. And the kids behavoir issues are completley thrown at the parents - by the parents. It isn't the kids fault but theirs for being bad parents. No shit you are bad parents you forgot to teach your children they are responsible for their own actions. And the ending is beyond dumb... because of course the three kids bond and come to the rescue, the skank talks to the wife so she can decide she really does like her even though she wants to hate her. And tom gets laid. asshole The book was a life time movie of the week. hmmm maybe that is what Women's Fiction is... Lifetime! hmmmm maybe I will like this one more with a reread? LOL or not.... I think I started out with a point in this post but I so lost it. Just call me Cindy *g*.

A Tale of Two Sue's

A few weeks back I went on a Sue glom (like Devon well at least in the case of one sue.). The Sue's being Suzanne Brockmann and Susan Elizabeth Phillips . My first Brockmann read was: Letters to Kelly LtK summary Either Way He Was A Condemned Man. So here I sit, writing letters that have no hope of reaching you until I am free to deliver them myself. With luck, that will be soon. For your eighteenth birthday is coming, and I intend to be there, like I promised . . . For years, a trumped-up charge -- and a Central American prison cell -- kept Jax Winchester from claiming the girl he loved. Now he was a free man. Or was he? For only the memory of Kelly O'Brien -- and the letters he'd composed to her -- had kept him going. But once he was released, he knew he was still a prisoner -- in a jail of his own making. The way out this time? Keep that promise he'd made to Kelly all those years ago -- and claim her for his own . . . I am a sucker for this type of story. No clue why... maybe it is because I have always had a thing for older men. And since I have no kids I don't get that OMG WHAT IF THAT WAS MY DAUGHTER squick. To be honest even if I did have kids I don't think I would have that squick. I loved how the story kept going back to his letters to Kelly. It is a touch over the top at times, as most of Brockmann's Harl's are in parts. But well worth the read. I loved it and wanted more do I moved on to: Tall, Dark and Dangerous Taylor's Temptation A- prolly my fave of the bunch Night Watch B+ I liked this for the most part but I could never get a handle on how tall Wes was. And omg the swearing was horrid. Really this is an issue in all of them. Harlequin so needs to get over its problem with the word fuck. The Admiral's Bride B- I liked it but really I kept forgetting how old the admiral was. Get Lucky B- I loved lucky even though he was a cocky asshole. hmmm might be why I liked him *g* It Came Upon a Midnight Clear D Least face book so far... Hawk annoyed me. Harvard's Education B+ Great book! Harvard is one of my favorite heroes in the series, hands down. And brockmann does a pretty believable virgin contemp heroine. Prince Joe C I think this suffered from expecting it to be great, grand and wonderful. It didn't leave up to all I had heard about it. Everyday, Average Jones C I liked this story and liked the characters. But the whole camping in the tent thing went on far too long. and I still have: Forever Blue (1997) Frisco's Kid (1997) Identity, Unknown (1999) Over all I really enjoyed the series. They are Harlequin at its best. But I swear there were a few times I wanted to toss the monitor because of the pretendcussing. Really people that can't read cussing should stay away from romance novels with military heroes or cops. Hell they should go read that Debbie chick. In between I took a break and read: Heartthrob LOVE this book... so feeds into my jackiecollins/judithkrantz loves of yesteryear. Yes it is a hollywood book, yes it does scream 80s glitz and glam. But I loved it anyway. Yes it is over the top in parts but le sigh... it was grand. Summary NO WOMAN COULD RESIST HIM . . . Once voted the "Sexiest Man Alive," Jericho Beaumont had dominated the box office before his fall from grace. Now poised for a comeback, he wants the role of Laramie bad enough to sign an outrageous contract with top producer Kate O'Laughlin-one that gives her the authority to supervise JB's every move, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. ESPECIALLY THE ONE WITH THE MOST AT STAKE . . . The last thing Kate wants to do is baby-sit her leading man, and Jericho Beaumont may be more than she can handle. A player in every sense of the word, he is an actor of incredible talent-and a man with a darkly haunted past. Despite her better judgment, Kate's attraction flares into explosive passion, and she is falling fast. But is she being charmed by the real Jericho or the superstar who dazzles the world? I have to admit I have a deep lurve for Susan Elizabeth Phillips since figuring out she wrote Glitter Baby. I think it was Holly that said I must read Nobody's Baby But Mine or was it Dream a Little Dream... hmmm. Anyway she said to start with It Had to Be You cuz I should read them in order. Oddly enough I did read it first... but I have to say I don't get it. What is it about SEP? I mean she has cute quirky characters and an interesting voice. But the plots are beyond believable. No matter I still found myself smiling along at times and really enjoyed a couple of them. As I was rolling my eyes and going 'sure, fine, whatever'. It Had to Be You C The bimbo with a brain shows them all.... Nobody's Baby But Mine B I really liked Jane and Cal, otherwise I would have hated this story. I mean really a football player who fucked around with groupies forgetting to wear a condom with a chick he thinks is a whore? sssssssuuuuurrrrrreeeee Loved the parents story and the granny. But the standoff at the end takes too long. Dream a Little Dream C- just ok This Heart of Mine A I would give this an A+ if it wasn't for Phobe and Dan. I just wanted them to shut up and go away. This was by far my favorite book of the series (although I have one left to read) and I think it is because I don't expect these to be grounded in reality at all. The scene here "I was available?" The air crackled. "Let's think about this. Let's think about what this would be called if the situation was reversed?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "What would this situation be called, for example, if I'd decided to crawl in bed with you—a nonconsenting female!" "It's—" Her fingers fidgeted with the skirt of her nightgown. "Uh, yes, I see what you mean." His eyes narrowed, and his voice grew low and dangerous. "It would be called rape." "You're not seriously trying to say that I—I raped you?" He regarded her coldly. "Yeah, I think I am." is completely true... it was rape. It was wrong. But for whatever reason, I still enjoyed the story. That should bother me. And I adored Daphne and Benny I think I will go on to read Heaven Texas, Match Me If You Can and Natural Born Charmer (in paperback or ebook)but the other books by SEP.... eh don't really grab me. Anyone have another they would rec? So that is two more off the list... now if I could just get to Nora Roberts *g*

The Inconvenient Duchess by Christine Merrill

The Inconvenient Duchess by Christine Merrill is a new to me HH author and even though it was a Regency novel I picked it up. Has anyone else read it? My copy is screwed up. Letters are missing at the end of some words and in places the end of sentences are gone. Really it isn't enough to make the book unreadable but it is annoying. Lady Miranda Grey was raised by a broken man who lost everything and a whore. Well by this point ex-whore, who blackmails a woman on her death bed (ex-school chum) into arranging a meeting between Miranda and soon to be dead woman's sons. One of those sons just happens to be a Duke. A Duke. You know the guy most of those marriage mart chits would happily open a vein to wed. Lady Miranda shows up at the house, alone, after walking in the rain with a letter of introduction from her guardian 'Lady Cecily' (you know the whore) only to find out that the mother is dead and the Duke of Haughleigh might as well be. I mentioned the alone part right? So now she is stuck, alone, with two rakes (we know they are rakes cuz they tell us so). Whatever is a girl to do? All in all this book should be F material but it works. Miranda does some pretty TSTL things for a woman who has 'worked', been exposed to real life and has a brain in her head. The Duke and Miranda spend too much time apart in the beginning so when he finds out the truth of her up bringing, really he has no reason to keep her. When you add in how he went about 'marrying her' it isn't really believable he would care much about her. And the little weasel St. John shouldn't be around near as much as he is. The brother should have kept a better eye on him and Miranda's background should have made it impossible for her to not see he was up to no good. But I was entertained, kept turning the pages and wanted to know what happened next. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the plot wasn't your typical regency. Or that the characters were charming and well fleshed out. Miranda isn't your perfect, beautiful diamond and Marcus isn't the over the top alpha or doormat beta. You have two people who have been dealt some shitty cards and are making the best play out of it they can. I enjoyed The Inconvenient Duchess and would recommend it if you are in the mood for a quick Regency read. But if you are a hard case for following the 'regency rules' you prolly want to skip it. As for me, I really want to read the next book, An Unladylike Offer (St. John's book). You can read an excerpt here and another here.

Fuck me gently with a chainsaw

J.D.: The extreme always seems to make an impression. Of course it started with... Tara Marie leading my drugged self over to RtB a few days ago (well longer now). And since the first thing I thought of when I saw the post was Heathers, I sqqquuueee when I saw jane's comment. Cuz I like company in my oddness. Veronica Sawyer: Dear Diary, my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count. When the sqquuueeing stopped I decided to... use my wicked cool quotes and blog about reviews... Then I remembered I have already done that, you know, once or so. And there wasn't anything new really for me to say. And since I can't seem to keep a thought in my head long enough to complete a post I changed my mind. Veronica Sawyer: Heather told me she teaches people real life. She said, "Real life sucks losers dry. If you wanna fuck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly." I said, "So, you teach people how to spread their wings and fly?" She said, "Yes." I said, "You're beautiful." The title of this post, How Very and the one above here... are some of my favorite quotes. Well to be honest the title is the first thing that popped into my head when responding to Tara's post but she is a nice girl so I didn't use it on her blog :). Veronica Sawyer: It's one thing to want someone out of your life, but it's another thing to serve them a wake-up cup full of liquid drainer. And since many people are soooo touchy I thought blogging about reviews with quotes such as these might seem... what is the word? Mean... Have you read LLB's Anatomy of a Glom? I recently went on a glom, in case you were wondering. And it was one of those authors I have never read that everyone talks about... Suzanne Brockmann. It started with Letter to Kelly (really liked it but more on that later) which lead to Heart Throb (really liked this too but it soooo seemed familiar but back at the time I was reading hollywood type books like Jackie Collins and Glitter Baby I don't think this was published.) And then I read: TAYLOR'S TEMPTATION, SIM, TDD #10, July 2001 THE ADMIRAL'S BRIDE, SIM #962, TDD #7, November 1999 NIGHT WATCH, SIM, TDD #11, September 2003 IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, SIM #896, TDD #6, December 1998 (Reissued in 4/05 as HAWKEN'S HEART) - almost positive I try to read this once and skipped to the end. read the whole thing this time... as of now my least fave of this series. GET LUCKY, SIM #991, TDD #9, March 2000 EVERYDAY, AVERAGE JONES, SIM #872, TDD #4, August 1998 Still have to be read: IDENTITY: UNKNOWN, HARVARD'S EDUCATION, FRISCO'S KID, FOREVER BLUE, PRINCE JOE. hee no I am not going in any order... I am odd like that. Veronica Sawyer: I say we just grow up, be adults and die. Oddly enough I got started on the whole glom because I tried to order an ebook from NCP... Wild Child by Shelley Munro And due to some omfg asshattery from my bank - tangent did I tell you about that? Someone touched some button and completely fucked my account for ten days. TEN! So every check I wrote, for TEN DAYS, was returned.... I think the total so far that the bank has paid in fees is somewhere around 150 (will be 400 if they pay the bill my apartments sent them). I think I should be paid for the amount of time I had to spend on the phone figuring out what all they fucked up. This effected my paypal account as well, so it took like three day to clear vs the **poof** you have ebookness that I am use too. Since I didn't know about that at first I hit the button to order said ebook and waited. Then waited. And waited some more. Then dropped NCP an email. And waited. And waited some more. I was sad. Because now I HAD TO HAVE THIS BOOK. Because I couldn't get it. It dawned on me to call the bank the following day. And I figured out what the hold up was and that it was on their end not NCP. Not that NCP contacted me that day, which I think was a Sunday. Or that Monday. My email to customer service was answered five days later. After the book was sent to me the day before. Is this normal? Most of my ebooks come from Samhain, Liquid Silver Books and EC. And I tried to factor in I know angie and tina well enough to drop them an email and pout if my order were to screw up. BUT the only times I have had to email one of those publishers, I went through the customer service link. And was answered RIGHT AWAY. Like with in hours, when I expected to have to wait a day or so. Of course I could be annoyed that I waited and waited for a book I ended up not liking. oh and the age plot thing is what lead me to Letter to Kelly but uh that is another post... LOL Veronica Sawyer: What is your damage, Heather? Which leads back to reviews... I have a shit load of half done reviews in draft that I am going to start putting up. Some are way old and some are not... but anything I had written down or on my hard drive is going to get something said about it. The ones I have found so far that have been read (in nnnnnooooooo order): Cece Stuart: Once in a Blue Moon Rene Weaver: Let's Pretend Diana Palmer: Heartbreaker Caroline Linden: What a Gentleman Wants Shannon Stacey: 72 Hours, Forever Again Bonnie Dee: Bone Deep, Home Bound Susan Mallery: The Ladies' Man Karen Rose Smith: Custody for Two Melissa Jackson: Masquerade Dee Tenorio: Betting Hearts Adrienne Basso: The Christmas Heiress Annmarie McKenna: Blackmailed Goodman: One Forbidden Evening Beth Williamson: The Prize Evangeline Anderson: Last Man On Earth Ruth Kerce: Xylon Warriors Sasha White: Gypsy Heart, Bound Ann Jacobs: Out of Bounds, Another Love, Getting it On Sylvia Day: Ask for It HelenKay: Viva Las Bad Boys Kristin Hardy: Under His Spell Galen Foley: His Wicked Kiss Shelley Munro: Wild Child ::blink:: maybe I will do a huge mass review... or something Heather Duke: I prayed for the death of Heather Chandler many times and I felt bad every time I did it but I kept doing it anyway. Now I know you understood everything. Praise Jesus, Hallelujah. Did I mention... My hip fucking hurts... I spent over THREE hours in the doctor's office today. So I could talk to her for five mins, get poked with a needle and be given new drugs. I really need to get a new dr but I really really like my dr. le sigh LOL of course right at the second I am feeling nooooooo pain Heather Chandler: You stupid fuck. Veronica Sawyer: You goddamn bitch. Heather Chandler: I brought you to a Remington party and what's my thanks? It's on a hallway carpet. I got paid in puke. Veronica Sawyer: Lick it up, baby. Lick. It. Up. And NEW BOOKS! Work has been... uh work but the upside is a week or so ago I won a 100 gift card off a raffle thing (if your name is on a comment card you get a ticket, ticket is drawn in the monthly meeting - that I didn't go to - but hey I won). So I had to buy some books with part of it. Oddly enough there wasn't much I wanted and omg ya think there are enough paranormals out there? I did pick up: The Inconvenient Duchess - Christine Merrill (read) The Rake's Proposal - Sarah Elliott (went back and forth with this one as I didn't really like her first book) Stay for Christmas - Judith Stacy, Victoria Bylin, Elizabeth Lane (read) Under His Spell - Kristin Hardy (read) The Wicked Games of a Gentleman by Jillian Hunter Other new to me books (in no order): The Cop by Sasha White, Alyssa Brooks, Renee Alexis (reading) Midnight Sonata by Dee Tenorio What A Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden (read) Peeping Tom Shelley Munro Master of Swords by Angela Knight No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole Rainbow by Patrica Potter (OOP) Tempting the Devil by Patrica Potter Texas Bad Boys by Dianne Castell, Karen Kelley, Rosemary Laurey Penance by Lorie O'Clare The Christmas Heiress by Adrienne Basso (read) Colters’ Woman by Maya Banks (read) Mr. and Mistress by Heidi Betts Beyond a Shadow by Alison Kent Hot Nights by Shannon McKenna Sacred Places by Mandy M. Roth A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade (read) Captive Dreams by Angela Knight and Diane Whiteside Devil's Lady by Patrica Rice (OOP) It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Step Into Darkness by Naomi Bellis Take Me by Lucy Monroe Bond of Blood by Diane Whiteside I'm in No Mood For Love by Rachel Gibson hmmmm I am missing something... I need to check the office in the morning... anyway with luck my migraine will still be mia tomorrow and I can finish up The Cop and Hard Evidence. As painful as migraines can be it really really sucks that it makes reading hard (to impossible) and completely kills the joy in playing on the internet. I am thinking I need a few audio books (but that would be another post *g*) And there will be a return of the 'Ebuzz' as well as guest Ebuzz. As well as a print review or two. I am so thinking of taking my phone off the hook. Does it make sense to invite someone who spent over three hours in a dr office trying to kill a week long migraine - to go drink? I mean really... can ya guess what the answer was? Speaking of dr, migraines and such... anyone taking Lyrica? It is an Anticonvulsant (same family as the evol topamax and neurontin - been on both). I am looking for info on side effects. Topamax is a bitch to take. Neurontin was cake but didn't do shit. hmmm I should look up how to spell these since I am just guessing. Heathers most likely screwing with someone's copywrite somewhere... feel free to complain to whoever owns that site... Who knows maybe tomorrow I will do a post that makes sense, hey you never know...

No tell us what you really think...

Chick lit is a genre with a formulaic plot that most of us can see coming from 300 pages away: pretty, flawed girl makes her way around the big city in fabulous Jimmy Choos, regularly pausing between frappuccinos to fret about her diet, shop, dodge her rant-prone boss, sip mimosas with her classy and complicated girlfriends, and maintain a stalwart search for the dashing, debonair Prince Charming. "Chick lit," Merrick states in her introduction, "is the daughter of the romance novel and the stepsister to the fashion magazine. Details about race and class are almost always absent except, of course, for the protagonist's relentless pursuit of Money, a Makeover, and Mr. Right. full review here It seems to me we should be able to give a book a good review without feeling the need to tear down another genre. The thing I find odd about This IS Not Chick-Lit and This IS Chick-Lit would be their timing. Chick-lit is slowing down, as I am sure paranormal and erotica will, as we will prolly see the return of sweeter regency type stories at some point...

See Holly be right aka See Jane Score

The ever fab holly rec'ed See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson. THIS IS JANE A little subdued. A little stubborn. A little tired of going out on blind dates with men who drive vans with sofas in the back, Jane Alcott is living the Single Girl existence in the big city. She is also leading a double life. By day, she's a reporter covering the raucous Seattle Chinooks hockey team -- especially their notorious goalie Luc Martineau. By night, she's a writer, secretly creating the scandalous adventures of "Honey Pie"... the magazine series that has all the men talking. SEE JANE SPAR Luc has made his feelings about parasite reporters -- and Jane -- perfectly clear. But if he thinks he's going to make her life a misery... He'd better think again. SEE JANE ATTRACT For as long as he can remember, Luc has been single minded about his career. The last thing he needs is a smart mouthed, pain in the backside, reporter digging into his past and getting in his way. But once the little reporter shed her black and gray clothes in favor of a sexy red dress, Luc sees that there is more to Jane than originally meets the eye. Maybe it's time to take a risk. Maybe it's time to live out fantasies. Maybe it's time to... SEE JANE SCORE! Would you like to know more... I really enjoyed this book. Everything from the opening with a scene from 'Honey Pie' to the dart games and closet make outs were fun. The book is worth reading for the tattoo scene alone, and I say that not having a thing for tattoos. I am not a sports chick, know nothing about sports and have about zero interest in anything other than basketball but I am finding I enjoy 'sporty' heroes. And the hockey here is fab. Rachel Gibson is fast becoming a fave of mine, of course I have only read two books so far. Jane and Luc are two very likable characters with believable faults and hang ups. And the sex is hawt. The geeky girl gets the hunky guy and she isn't a virgin who finds her sex drive by finding the hero. But you can feel how the two of them complete each other and the love story works, geeky heroine and all. I am really looking forward to I'm in No Mood For Love. Did I mention the tattoo?

Ebuzz: The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson

Detective Nicholas Valenti, tall, dark and stoic, has been best friends with his partner, Sean O'Brian for six years. The two men have seen each other through divorce, disaster and danger and saved each other's asses more times than Valenti can count. Exactly when he started seeing his blond, intense partner in another light, Valenti isn't really sure. He only knows that he wants O'Brian in a way that had nothing to do with friendship and everything to do with possession. It is a desire he will have to hide forever because O'Brian is undeniably straight. Just as Valenti is coming to grips with his new, unacceptable feelings for his partner their police Captain puts them on a new case that could blow Valenti's cover once and for all. He and O'Brian are going undercover at the country's largest and most infamous gay resort to bust a notorious drug lord and stop the shipments of poison cocaine that are flooding the gay bars all over the city. Now Valenti will have to make a choice between friendship and desire. He and O'Brian will play the roles of gay men that will push the limits of their relationship to the breaking point. Will their time at the RamJack forge a new bond between them or destroy their partnership forever? Would you Like to Know More Genre: LGBT, Romantic Suspense Grade: D Sensuality: Burning Jane Meter: 50/50 The Good: Interesting set up with the two 'straight' cops falling in love. Could have made for a great story. I really liked the way the Anderson ended the story. Very nicely done. And really you can't help but adore Sean. Bam liked this way more than I did. The Bad: It is possible I have been in too many gay bars or in the hospitality industry too long but there is no way in the world I could buy Sean O'Brian as a straight man. And that is all well and good but the plot is two straight men falling in lurve. Like I said, very cool idea. I like the idea of a person falling in love with a person not a sex. But Sean was just so gay. He spends the whole book calling Nicholas 'babe'. I can't think of any straight man I have ever heard call another man babe (or any other such term). Is that just me? There are some people that are touchy feely types but Sean seems to go over that line. Which makes all of Nicholas oh-woe-is-me-angst seem over the top. Who in their right mind would think a person, same sex or not, would perform oral sex on them to make them feel better? I love my friends but I think licking them might go above and beyond the call of friendship, maybe I am just a bad friend. Since there was no witness to the act of suckage I can't figure out how the reader was suppose to buy that for anything other than it was. And to be honest I have read too much fanfic with the "omg we must fuck in front of teh bad guys in order to live" plot. So the whole thing was too difficult to take seriously. The Verdict: I would rec Planet X over The Assignment if you want to try Evangeline Anderson. Next I would like to try The Last Man on Earth but I don't have it so Dangerous Cravings will prolly be next. You can find an excerpt and buy The Assignment here. And you can find Evangeline Anderson's website here

Review: The Kept Woman

WHEN A GOOD-GIRL DIVORCEE Playing by the rules has left Samantha Monroe with an AWOL ex-husband, maxed out credit cards, and the task of raising three children on a hairstylist's salary. It's time for a new game plan. When Sam learns that politician Jack Tolliver needs someone to play the part of his fiancee for six months in return for a generous paycheck, she's ready to sign up on the spot. MEETS A BAD-BOY POLITICIAN Jack needs Sam and her kids to help tone down his image from womanizing cad to dependable dad. But he was expecting Sam to be a frumpy single mom, not a wickedly smart, sexy redhead. Keeping nosey newshounds from discovering that his engagement is a charade is going to be a tough job, but one mind-blowing kiss from Sam and suddenly Jack is ready to put in all the overtime necessary... LOVE WINS IN A LANDSLIDE... Now, with scheming opponents itching to bring Jack down, Sam's ex returning to stir up trouble, one stubborn pre-schooler, two squabbling teenagers, a crazy dog, and some out-of-this-world sex, Jack and Sam are discovering that playing make-believe can be complicated-but not nearly as much as falling in love... Would you like to know more... I liked! There was a big plot hole, at least in my mind that just has to be over looked. The fact that this is such a big fat hairy deal Sam has to sign a confidentiality agreement it doesn't make sense they (Jack, his people and Sam) keep telling people. Kara asks Sam be Jack's fake fiancee in front of Monte and I get that Monte is Sam's BFF. But duh... why doesn't Monte have to sign an agreement? And the kids are told and good night they are kids! So this 'secret' was set to spill from the get go. Once I just got over that huge lil detail, and went with it, I found the whole story very amusing, quick, quirky and entertaining. Loads better than He Loves Lucy, which I didn't enjoy at all. And yes, Jack was a big ol bastard who has fucked his way through town but really so what? That is the point, rake falls in lurve! Right after they do the deed for the first time this cracks me up: "Oh well, you know I wasn't exactly suave. You felt too good for me to manage suave. And it's been a while for me, too." That made her laugh. "Oh?" "It'll be three weeks on Tuesday." "My God, how have you survived?" He patted her shoulder. "I ask myself the same thing every day." hee, the whole scene is just a laugh, or maybe you just have to read it... hmm or I could just be twisted. OH! maybe all of the above Anyway, the kids are a bit much at times and Sam has a serious TSTL moment at the end but neither killed my enjoyment factor. I will be looking for her next book... as jane would say, a B for you.

The Player by Rhonda Nelson

The Player by Rhonda Nelson was a new to me blaze author, impulse buy and yeah the cover caught my eye. sorry... sort of... tis a purdy cover *g* There's nothing like a man in uniform...or out of it! Especially when he's as hot as former Ranger Jamie Flanagan. After their last assignment went horribly wrong, he and his buddies needed to get out of the military for good. There was only one catch - that he and his pals promise their commanding officer one favor. Any favor. Now tall, dark and sexy Jamie is a top security specialist... and the ultimate ladies' man. So he's more than a little surprised when he learns the colonel has set him up to protect his granddaughter. Who would trust a player like Jamie with a gorgeous woman like Audrey? Then he learns his "mission" is to seduce her away from another man.... Would you like to know more? This is the first story in the downfall of The Bachelor's League. What? It has to be the downfall or they wouldn't be romance books. The rules of TBL are simple (and easy to break sez I). Never spend the entire night with a woman! Never share what's on your plate! Cut her loose after the third date! The set up is a touch silly, easy get out of rangers free card by promising a favor. The Colonel is a might dumb for sending 'a player' to do the job than being shocked and pissed at the what happens. But hey go with it, or I did. I liked Jamie and Audrey and for the most part Nelson does a fab job with making rangers sound like tough guys and not pussies. So score! Next in the series is The Specialist, which is out in September, ending with The Maverick in October. Her blog bes here

Loving Mood? Online Sex?

Rachel Gibson is a new to me author who I really thought I would never get around to reading. Mind you it had nothing to do with the author as much as my heart was set on historicals. And cartoony covers do nothing but put me off, prolly just me. But I ended up with a copy of Sex, Lies and Online Dating and picked it up to skim before sendin it off to the ubs. And ended up reading it and liking it. I was surprised because I generally don't like it when the h/h lie about their identity for a good chunk of the book. It isn't a keeper but I have to say the preview for her next book caught my eye... I'm in No Mood For Love... blurb from author site Romance novelist Clare Wingate's love life is a mess. Her cheating fiance has absconded with her dog and her mother is driving her insane. Her life could not get any worse . . . then she wakes up in the arms of sexy bad boy Sebastian Vaughan and everything gets a whole lot messier. Maybe I have a thing for bad boys named Sebastian *g*. I am a sucker for childhood pals turned lovers... and it seems they have some kind of background. There is a sneak peak up on her site I am trying really hard not to read. hee you can go read it for me here summary for Sex, Lies and Online Dating from author site Burned by life and love... Detective Quinn McIntyre figures women will be the death of him someday. Then he meets Lucy Rothschild and learns that day maybe sooner than he thought. SEX... What is it about men anyway? Bad cars, bad jobs, even bad teeth, nothing convinces them that they can't snare a Size Two Babe with a D cup chest. And after way too many internet dates with men named "luvstick" and "Bigdaddy182", Lucy Rothschild should know. LIES... But sitting across from her now is hardluvman, and he seems different - sensitive, honest, and hot! He says he's a plumber, while Lucy claims she's a nurse! She's really a mystery writer, dating on line while researching her next book. Hey, everyone lies a little, don't they? AND ONLINE DATING... But Quinn's really an undercover cop hunting down a serial killer, and he sees Lucy as one of his top suspects. And while he could really go for this smart, sexy woman with the killer bod - if that's the only thing "killer" about her - he knows he needs to wine and dine her and discover the truth. Hey, he realized the dating scene can be deadly - but this is ridiculous! AAR has a great interview from Jan 2005. Have you read Gibson? Any rec's? Any thing to stay far far away from? Truly, Madly Yours looks interesting...