Janicu's Giveaway

Janicu has decided to do a giveaway in celebration of her wedding. If you like receiving books and entering contests you can check the details here

Mamma Mia! I Want To See It!!!!

I can't believe I'll have to wait till September... Snif...

A Difficult Truce - Joan Wolf

"Taken captive by her ancestral enemies, the hated British, beautiful Irish aristocrat Christina MacCarthy had only one route of escape: marriage to one of England's most powerful, dangerously handsome lords, the Duke of Dacre. In his embrace, Christina would have to fight a threat more perilous than a stone cell and chains . . . the prison walls of love. "

Wolf starts the story by explaining how she changed some historical details to suit her story and explains which they were. I quite liked that. Given that i'm not really familiar with this part of Irish history it was something I would not have noticed but I appreciated the fact that she explained it.

The book deals with the fight of the Irish catholics to have their rights recognised and to have to own the land, that was in the hands of the british or the few protestant Irish nobility. Christina Maccarthy is, after her father is killed, the symbol of that fight till she is forced to surrender to the british.

Her captor is the earl of Dacre and as he gets to know Christina better he starts to feel the injustice being done to Ireland and to understand her fight. Imprisioned and trying to maintain her position Christina stops eating and it's Dacre who eventually convinces her to stop and that marrying him she will have an ally in fighting for Ireland. It is clear that by then they are both in love with each other.

I did like both Christina and Dacre who were sensible and level headed even when they had different opinions about how to deal with the political situation and I was a bit surprised that this book almost felt like historical fiction. It was a poleasant surprise to me that so much space was given to explaining the political situation in both England and Ireland and if it hadn't been for the mentioned author's note in the beginning I would believe I was reading about the intervenients in such an important period for Ireland. In fact Christina and Dacre's relationship evolves in accordance to the political changes and not due to their behaviour toward one another.

Grade: B

Natural Attachment - Katherine Kingsley

THE SHOCKING LORD SEATON . . .
"Miss Eliza Austerleigh was a retiring young lady, living quietly on her country estate. But she knew all too well what manner of man Lord Edward Seaton was.

She had met Lord Edward only once, but that was enough to learn how dangerously handsome he was and how vulnerable she felt in his powerful presence. London gossip had told her still more about this insatiable and shockingly successful womanizer.

But nothing prepared Eliza for the appearance of Lord Edward on her doorstep. And she found no way to refuse the utterly outrageous proposal of this man who made no pretense of propriety and promised anything but love . . "

This was my first Katherine Kinsgley story and although it had some interesting parts it also had a couple of flaws that made me give it a lower grade. I liked the middle but I found the beginning a bit forced.

Lord Edward needs to get married. He believes he is currently unable to father a child and since he finds out he has a natural son and wants to make him legitimate he needs a wife who will admit to have secretly married him in the past. This was ok but the only reason for him to have chosen Eliza was because she had spent time in the same caribbean island he did around the time the baby was conceived. I thought he went to a lot of trouble to find and convince Eliza when he could have found some anonymous woman and and have her lie about it. It's not like anyone could say he and Eliza had spent time together then...

She at first mistakes his proposal for something else but eventually accepts to play the part of his wife. Edward is totally mistaken about who Eliza is and what are her interests and she sets out to show him she is a total air head and completely silly thus annoying him to no end. This part was interesting and funny because everyone else could see through her ruse and she really wasn't anything like he believed her to be. Eventually he finds out the truth, that she is a level headed woman that manages her farm with competence besides being a renowned author. Although Eliza has already been in love with him for sometime, it's just then that Edward realises he has feelings for her.

There was a paragraph near the end that totally jolted me out of the story though, Edward refers to Eliza's breasts as udders. She really likes animals, especially cows but somehow that comment seemed totally inappropriate and really modern sounding.

Grade: 3/5

More Series I Finished Watching

New Additions to The TBR Pile

Sandra Heath - Second Thoughts
Georgette Heyer - An Infamous Army
Georgette Heyer - The Devil's Cub

An Assembly Such As This - Pamela Aidan

"Ten thousand a year and a large estate in Derbyshire!" That was all Mrs. Bennet desired to know of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy before she began to entertain hopes that one of her daughters would attract his attention. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen reveals little of her creation's past or present before banishing him for quite two thirds of her book. But, who is Fitzwilliam Darcy?

An Assembly Such as This, the first book of the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, answers that intriguing question by taking the reader into Darcy's world, a world very different from Elizabeth Bennet's. Chronicling Darcy's supervision of his naive friend Charles Bingley and his growing fascination with Elizabeth Bennet, it culminates with the disastrous ball at Netherfield and Darcy's return to London with the express intention of forgetting Elizabeth amidst the dizzying and dangerous whirl of Regency society."

Continuining with my interest in Jane Austen related reads I recently loaned this book from A.. It's P&P told from Mr Darcy's point of view and I was highly curious about it. I must say though that I found this Mr Darcy a bit boring, not as much introspection regarding feelings as I would like and he wasn't as focused on Lizzy as I would like. Or maybe he was too focused as one thing I found a little odd was how he interpreted her reactions to him, too emotional I thought for such a reserved man. I'm afraid I measure every book with a male hero against Gaskell's Mr Thornton and I have yet to find such beautiful and intense feelings as she gave him in other men.

I must say that my favourite part was after Darcy and Lizzy started sparring verbally and she clearly was the best in their witty dialogues. Aidan does create some new scenes and characters. I particularly enjoyed Darcy's relationship with his valet Fletcher. It provided some humourous situations and Darcy seemed a bit unsure on how to deal with Fletcher occasionally.

The book only covers a third of P&P and I'm hoping the next ones will be better as Darcy and Lizzy interact more.

Grade: B-

Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell

Novel by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, published serially in Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words from 1851 to 1853 and in book form in 1853. Basing her tales on the village in which she was reared, Gaskell produced a gently comic picture of life and manners in an English country village during the 1830s. The novel's narrator (a young woman who periodically visits Cranford) describes the small adventures in the lives of two middle-aged sisters in reduced circumstances who do their best to maintain their standards of propriety, decency, and kindness. Using an intimate, gossipy voice that never turns sentimental, Gaskell conveys the old-fashioned habits, subtle class distinctions, and genteel poverty of the townspeople. Cranford quickly became one of the author's best-loved works.

After having read Gaskell's North and South last year and loving it I was eager to try another one of her stories. I was fortunate to come across a copy of Cranford recently and so this was the one I read.

Unlike N&S where we had a story, and specifically a love story to follow, here it's like we get to know the daily lifes of a few people for a lenght of time. There's no particular storyline but more a number of situations that have to be faced and dealt with so everyone can go on with their lives unperturbed.

The narrator is Mary Smith, a young woman who comes to Cranford to visit the Miss Jenkyns and so is a privileged spectator of their lifes and those of the other Cranford people. Miss Mary notes how manners and society rules are observed, how an interest in neighboors can be both of gossipy nature and true will to help when needed, how when romance is in the air even the old maids become matchmakers. It really is very interesting to get to know all the characters involved, they all seem very simple and straightforward in the beginning but as we know them better we realise there are layers of complexity beneath the surface. And their peaceful lifes are going to be disrupted by the modern, more industrialised, times that approach quickly.

Besides Miss Mary we get to know Miss Matty, always very proper but with a heart broken a long time ago and dreams that will never be, Miss Debora Jenkyns, seemingly the most strict in terms of moral conduct, Miss Pole always ready for a good gossip, the Browns, newly arrived in town, and many others... They go though heartbreak, tragedies, financial problems and sometime they break those cherished society rules but they all help and support each other.

Truly a story to be read and appreciated...

Grade: B+

First Class or Coach?

more cat pictures

I thought this picture was just too funny! And totally appropriated for my blog ;-)

Which Greek Goddess Are You?

You can take the quiz here

An Unwelcome Alliance - Ellen Fitzgerald

The Mistaken Mismatch
Beautiful Lady Belinda Deveraux and handsome Lord Gerald Courtenay were passionately in love when they were married. Unfortunately they were not in love with each other. Belinda's heart belonged to Lord Anthony Furneaux, whether or not he chose to accept the rest of her. Meanwhile, Gerald was totally devoted to the ravishing Felice D'Aubigny.

Though bride and groom vowed to remain faithful to their own true loves, they were surprised to find that marital duty led to unexpected desire - as their marriage of convenience became something entirely different!

The premise was good - a couple forced to a marriage of convenience who slowly develop feelings for each other. They were both in love with someone else in the beginning and I was looking forward to know how they would deal with that change of feelings and with getting to know each other.

I found that in the end none of that was really explored, the heroine just had a childhood attraction to another man and the hero had a mistress that he gave up when he found himself in love with his wife. There was no big analysis of their feelings and in the end I wondered why he fell in love with her, and why every other man seemed expected to do the same. She was bit too impulsive and naive which led to some bad decisions when she discovers the husband's mistress. After that I was hoping for some confrontation where they would bare their feelings but I didn't even get that as the husband is hurt in a duel and when unconscious speaks in his dreams and proclaims his love for his wife which is enough for her.

I was much more interested in her friend Cornelia who seemed a level headed young woman and fortunately also has a happy ending of her own. The author seems so determined to give happy endings to all that even the husband's mistress gets one. In the end I found too neatly wrapped and not emotional enough.

Grade: C

Four In Hand - Margaret Westhaven

Lady Jane Averham had been married once - and once was quite enough. Her late, unlamented husband left her with wealth, position, and two daughters to raise. He left her as well with a delight in freedom after the constraints of wedlock. All that was missing from her life was love - and the handsome, ardent Archibald MacGowen was on hand to fill that need. Unfortunately this marvelous man wanted her as a wife as well as a woman . . . and somehow Jane had to find a way to keep the primrose path from leading her to the altar!

I was quite interested in this little story set in Vienna during the Congress and that featured a widow heroine who didn't want to remarry not to be under a man's thumb again. There's also the fact the heroine is older than the hero!

I must say that I found it very interesting and well written. The heroine, Lady Jane has two daugthers with the older one in her first season and is chaperoning two other girls. The brother of one of those girls visits her house and they are both immediately attracted to each and soon start an affair. I found it original that it's the hero who pursues the heroine, he wants to marry her after they became lovers which seems a bit odd to her considered how society marriages work and she doesn't want to marry him as she as fallen in love with him and doesn't want to suffer when he evetually gets tired of her.

I thought both their behaviours were interesting and believable. The hero, Archie is a diplomat and I liked that the author portrayed Vienna is such an important period for the world replete with diplomats, spys and several national interests on the table. Jane's daughters and charges are also involved in several adventures and some get their happy ending too.

My only complaint is that all seemed a bit too rational to me and never really felt for them. I enjoyed it, appreciated how good it was but I didn't love it...

Grade: B

New Additions to The TBR Pile

Still on a Heyer mood... and a few more...

Anthology - Angel Christmas
Maureen Child - And Then Came You
Kathleen Givens - On A Highland Shore
Georgette Heyer - Footsteps In The Dark
Georgette Heyer - Cousin Kate
Georgette Heyer - Charity Girl
Katherine MacMahon - Rose of Sebastopol

New Shoes!!

I have a wedding tomorrow and just couldn't resist buying some new shoes. Arent these sandals just lovely?




And I was feeling like quite adventurous so I painted my toe nails red. I quite like it!

A Necessary Evil - Alex Kava

As the killing spree continues unabated, it becomes clear to Maggie O'Dell—the FBI profiler assigned to the case—that more than one perpetrator is responsible. As she begins to drill down into the facts, Maggie discovers a disturbing Internet role-playing game for youths who have been victims of male authority figures—including Catholic priests.

With the first real lead in the investigation, Maggie wonders if this group has turned cyberspace justice into reality by dispensing their own brand of vengeance. As the ritualistic killings leave America's heartland reeling, Maggie gets a second lead—one that leaves her stunned.

For the past four years she has been driven by blind determination to find Father Michael Keller, the human monster whose acts of brutality continue to haunt her to this day. Sick and twisted, the priest seems to have vanished without a trace. But with an irony that only life can offer, now he has become a target.

When Keller offers to help Maggie solve the crimes in exchange for protection, she has no choice but to ally herself with the elusive child killer—the person she despises with a conviction that's almost religious in its fervor. Maggie must cross a dangerous line into a world of malevolence and evil from which she may not return unscathed. Maggie knows the bargain is a necessary evil…one that may be made in blood...

Alex Kava seems back in top form with her latest Maggie O'Dell novel. I'ts weird but here she brings back a lot of characters and some of the themes of her first book which had been my favorite - Nick Morrelli is back and so is Father Michael Keller. Child abuse is the main theme of the story and what motivates a series of murders of priests in several states.

Maggie is already involved in a case about young women being murdered when she is called to a case of a murdered bishop about which Nick Morreli's best friend may know something. Maggie and the police have a hard time discovering what is going on till her old nemesis Father Keller contacts her with the offer of giving her evidence if she will get him an antidote for the poison he has been given.

Unbeknownst to the detectives an online game computer played by invitation only has been made known to several people who suffered abuse at the hads of priest and who are invited to kill online the person who abused them but the truth is that those nominated start to die, killed by The Sin Eater.

There´s more suspense in the story than is previous books. The murderer is forever contacting Maggie's good friend Gwen (btw where's Tully) and leaving her clues about what was going to happen. Also soon it seems obvious that not all the murders can have been commited by the same person.

Much against her personal beliefs Maggie is forced to accept the deal with Father Keller but in the end was that a necessary evil? And can some murders be considered that one wonders from the ending presented...

Grade: B+

Today I'm visiting another blog...

You can find me here

Veronica Mars

I just finished watching season 1. Any other fans out there besides me and A. who passed me the addiction?

The Secret Life of The Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory - the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Since then, her only real companion has been the fierce-hearted, and sometimes just fierce, black woman Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in mother."

When Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily knows it's time to spring them both free. They take off in the only direction Lily can think of, toward a town called Tiburon, South Carolina - a name she found on the back of a picture amid the few possessions left by her mother.

There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters named May, June, and August. Lily thinks of them as the calendar sisters and enters their mesmerizing secret world of bees and honey, and of the Black Madonna who presides over this household of strong, wise women. Maternal loss and betrayal, guilt and forgiveness entwine in a story that leads Lily to the single thing her heart longs for most.

A serious subject - racism - treated in a light manner in this story about a young girl neglected and mistreated by her who runs away after freeing her maid/slave from jail. Lily Owens finds it hard to believe when her father tells her that she accidentally killed her mother and that's what leads to run away. After some time on the road they reach a house with black women who have beehives and produce honey. The relationship that will develop between all of them shapes Lily's world forever and eventually she will find out more about her mother. The outside world can not understand this friendship between the young girl and the women but there Lily will learn about life, friendship and she will have better understanding of herself and her mother's actions.

I think the idea was to have us drawn to this coming of age story so we would end up understanding Lily and appreciating her changes and how she saw her world. Unfortunately I was never that interested in her and ended thinking this was a bit too light.

Grade: C+

The Crimson Lady - Mary Reed McCall

Every man in England wanted her...
She was called "the Crimson Lady". But Fiona Byrne wants no part of the notorious life she was compelled to lead, adopting instead the disguise of a simple seamstress. Then she is discovered by Braedan de Cantor, a desperate and daring stranger who threatens to expose her. Never has there been one so dangerous to the peaceful life she'd fought to achieve. But the greatest peril of all lies deep in her heart.

One man would have her...
Robbed of his good name and fortune, and cast among England's criminals, he sought the legendary lady outlaw to save his sister. But the many tales of her extraordinary beauty and cunning did not do the Crimson Lady justice, and Braedan soon finds himself falling under her enchantment , even as he forces Fiona to re-enter the dark world she dreads. And though danger beyond reasoning awaits them, he wil let no harm befall the passionate, incomparable woman who now so completely captivates his heart and his soul... and offers them both a future more magnificent than either dared to imagine.

This is the first in a duet where I managed to read the second book first without realising it till I grabbed this one.

Braedan de cantor looks for Fiona's help because determined to right the wrongs his uncle has done he can see no other option than turn outlaw. Fiona is the perfect woman to tell him a thing or two about his uncles secrets and introduce him to a band of outlaws who will help him in his plans.

Fiona is a very strong woman (McCall seems to do mostly those which is fine by me) but when faced with the only option of going back to the hell she run a away from shakes her a bit. With time she does realise that Brendan is not a bad man, although he had to force her compliance, and even starts to feel attracted to him. However she does believe she is no good or any man after she suffered at Draven's hands. As Brendan is also attracted to her it's only a matter of time till they give in to their passion.

They eventually come face to face with Draven and Fiona ends up being captured and forced to renounce Braedan to save his life. Braedan however is not fooled by her false disdain and realises Draven is behind it which leads to a confrontation where an unexpected turn of events leads to Draven's trial and execution by some of his victims. Although there's still much to be done to right his wrongs Brendan and Fiona have a chance to build a life together without having to look back all the time.

It was a nice and enjoyable story but somehow it lacked a little something to make it truly memorable in my eyes.

Grade: B

(I'm sorry but this morning the review was published without the last half. It is now complete. Apologies to my early visitors)

New Additions to the TBR pile

Every week I decide not to mooch more books a ton of them arrive and I just can't resist them...

Pamela Aidan - An Assembly Such as This
Stephanie Barron - Jane and The Unpleasentness at Scargrave Manor
Liz Carlyle - never Deceive a Duke
Elizabeth Chadwick - The Champion
Elizabeth Fairchild - Miss Dornton's Hero
Margaret Frazer - The Servant's Tale
Helen Hollick - A Hollow Crown
Anne Perry - A Christmas Secret
Elizabeth Powell - The Traitor's Daughter
Philip Pullman - The Tigar In The Well
Nora Roberts - Born In Fire
Susan Holloway Scott - Duchess
Linnea Sinclair - The Down Home Zombie Blues´
Linnea Sinclair - Games of Command
Joan Smith - Imprudent Lady

Finished Watching: House 4

I want to know what happens next!!!!

At The Stroke of Madness - Alex Kava

In the tomblike silence of an abandoned rock quarry someone is trying to hide their dirty little secret. A secret that reveals the depths of human depravity. A secret that is about to be discovered.

FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is just starting a hard-earned vacation when she gets a call from her friend, psychologist Dr. Gwen Patterson. One of Gwen's patients is missing on a trip to Connecticut. Can Maggie look into Joan Begley's disappearance?

At first Maggie dismisses Gwen's concern. But when the body of a woman is discovered buried in an abandoned rock quarry in Connecticut, Maggie heads to the small town on "unofficial" business to see if there's a connection to Joan Begley. Soon the shocking news surfaces that more bodies have been discovered. And before she realizes it, Maggie is drawn into a case that confounds both local law enforcement and a seasoned criminal profiler like herself.

The question remains: Where is Joan Begley? Is she in fact the woman discovered buried in the quarry? Or is she the unwilling guest of a killer obsessed with possessing an unimaginable prize from his victims?

Another Maggie O'Dell thriller and one I was looking forward because other than the crimes I was looking forward to the development of the Maggie/Nick situation. Unfortunately it was not to be... I'll have to wait till the next book, hopefully...

Regarding the mystery itself Maggie finds herself in the middle of a possible serial killer crisis when she goes to check on a patient of her friend Dr Gwen Patterson who went missing. The book has several interesting secondary characters - the sheriff, Dr Bonzado and even the killer - but somehow none of them is fully developed. It takes a while to understand what the killer is doing and I never really felt he was such an evil character as his actions made him to be. One of the main characters of the story is Luc Racine, Julia Racine's (that we've known is earlier books) and he seems to be the object of the killer's attentions but the fact that he suffers from Alzheimer make his statements unreliable and Maggie ends up staying with him. I thought that him being Julia's father would have some relevant purpose but it's not so... the same with some of Maggie's emotional baggage which doesn't really add to the story. After the last book I would have preferred that she made peace with her mother. Besides the end was a bit strange with Maggie deciding to go hunting the killer with no back up other than Racine whose memory cannot be trusted. It was too naive for an experienced woman like she is.

Grade: C+

The Soul Catcher - Alex Kava

When a Massachusetts standoff results in the deaths of five out of six young cult members holed up in a backwoods cabin, things are bad enough. But when a U.S. senators daughter is found murdered in Washington, D.C."and her death seems to be related to the cult and its charismatic leader, Rev. Joseph Everett"the situation really heats up for Maggie and her partner, R.J. Tully. The case hits particularly close to both partners homes, since Maggies former alcoholic mother has joined Everetts church and Tullys daughter was with the senators daughter on the night she was killed. Will Maggie be able to solve the case without endangering her own mother?

Book nº 3 in the Maggie O'Dell series I really enjoyed this new story, more than I thought I would in fact because religious cults aren't really one of my favourite subjects.

In the beginning in seems there are 2 plots being developed - a preacher trying to convert people to his cult and a serial killer on the loose - but soon it seems that both may be connected. Maggie is busy investigating the crimes and trying to identify the serial killer and doesn't immediately realise her mother is involved with the cult. I was intrigued by the killings and had my suspicions about the murderer but only guesses it a few chapters before the end.

I think Maggie still has deep scars about her past and the book actually ends on a positive note as she and her mother may be prepared to speak about the past and make an effort and work in their relationship. I was surprised about not seeing more of Nick Morelly in the story after what we had in the previous books and I don't understand what is taking so long for her divorce to be final. I'm really curious about what's happening with Tully, Gwen and even Racine so I'll be picking up the next book soon.

Grade: B

Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt

Angela's Ashes is Frank McCourt's sad, funny, bittersweet memoir of growing up in New York in the 30s and in Ireland in the 40s. It is a story of extreme hardship and suffering, in Brooklyn tenements and Limerick slums -- too many children, too little money, his mother Angela barely coping as his father Malachy's drinking bouts constantly brought the family to the brink of disaster. It is a story of courage and survival against apparently overwhelming odds. Written with the vitality and resonance of a work of fiction, and a remarkable absence of sentimentality, Angela's Ashes is imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's distinctive humour and compassion. Out of terrible circumstances, he has created a glorious book in the tradition of Ireland's literary masters, which bears all the marks of a great classic.

I can't really remember why I joined this bookring, maybe it was a recommendation from a friend but when it arrived I had forgotten and had no idea what was inside. I enjoyed reading but in all fairness I must confess it wasn't always an easy read. Life was harsh for a young Frank McCourt in Limerick during the 30s and the 40s as his father was mostly unemployed or spent his money drinking and there was never enough food to keep everyone fed or enough warmth, clothes and what else was needed.

I think what makes it such a fascinating story is that there's a joy in everything he retells. Despite the dreadful living conditions young Frank is always ready to make merry with his brothers or see the bright side of things. The family network that surrounds them is not as supportive as it could have been but they do help when things hit the bottom and religion has a big influence in how people live and behave daily.

Grade: B

What's Your Reading Personality?

I've seen this going around in the blogosphere and decided to do it too!

Your Personality: All-Rounder!


Your responses showed you fitting equally into all four reading personalities:

Involved Reader: You don't just love to read books, you love to read about books. For you, half the fun of reading is the thrill of the chase - discovering new books and authors, and discussing your finds with others.
Exacting Reader: You love books but you rarely have as much time to read as you'd like - so you're very particular about the books you choose.
Serial Reader: Once you discover a favorite writer you tend to stick with him/her through thick and thin.
Eclectic Reader: You read for entertainment but also to expand your mind. You're open to new ideas and new writers, and are not wedded to a particular genre or limited range of authors.

Take the quizz

Moonwitch - Nicole Jordan

Night’s Beauty…

When sea captain Kyle Ramsey met Selena Markham on a moonlit beach, her ethereal beauty left him stunned. But when he discovered that she wanted him to make love to her, he was flabbergasted.

Selena's fiancé was betraying her with another woman, and she was sick with rage. Making love to a devastating stranger seemed the perfect revenge . . . .

Their lovemaking carried them to the heights of passion, but society's response was predictable. Forced into marriage, the unexpected lovers charted a stormy course rocked by bitterness and anger. Were they destined to spend their lives in misery? Or could the moon bewitch them once again--for good?

I've been a bit afraid lately of picking up these older Nicole Jordan books. Some were wonderful and sit on my keeper shelf (planning a reread one of these days) but others felt terribly dated and without interest. I'm glad to say this one stands in the middle. Not as good as some but still much better than others.

Selena Markham discovers her fiancé is cheating on her with another woman and shocked and desperate searches for captain Kyle Ramsey whom she had encountered earlier and been kissed by and they make love. She tries to break her engagement and as the fiancé is not interested in that (he wanted a marriage of convenience to get her lands) she devises a plan and pretends to be secretly engaged to Kyle Ramsey.
Ramsey is not interested in marrying and refuses to be a part of her plan. How ever Selena's stepmother (who is her fiancé's lover and wants to marry him) publicly humiliates her at a party they all attend and to save her from public humiliation Kyle steps forward and agrees to marry her. It does sound like a big cliché so far but this is really the beginning and the good part is yet to come.

After they leave the Caribbean where the action starts to the Mississippi where Kyle lives Selena starts to get to know Kyle. Eventually she finds out he has 4 sisters, is an orphan and the reason he didn't want to marry her is because he fathered a child with another woman and was planning to ask the mother of his child to marry him just to be near his son.

I really liked the characters, they were interesting and complex especially Selena. She is the one who has to adapt to a new reality, new people who have their own problems which she does her best to help with, she tries to bring her husband's child closer to the family by inviting his mother to visit, she even has a hand in bettering the slave's working conditions and she manages to seduce her husband in the process. Come to think of it she sounds too good to be truth. The book also has some funny moments, for instance the scene where she goes to the brothel to find Kyle and ends up receiving advice from a prostitute on how to seduce him.

It was a nice and pleasant read!

Grade: B

New Additions to the TBR pile

A few more this week...

Anthology - A Victorian Christmas
Anthology - Full Moon Magic
Mary Balogh - The Ideal Wife
Vanora Bennett - Portrait of An Unknown Woman
Jo Beverley - Lovers and Ladies
Denise Domning - Lady In White
Roberta Gellis - A Woman's Estate
Isabel Stilwell - Filipa de Lencastre

And...

Currently watching: Cranford

Are You a Winter Person or a Summer Person?

You Are a Winter Person

You are calm, serious, and focused. You're the type of person who appreciates the quiet and calm. Winter is the perfect time for you to get cozy and work on a hobby. Summer is a bit too hectic for you. You like the dead of winter... preferably with a roaring fire inside.

Are You a Winter Person or a Summer Person?

I knew that!!

Surrender to A Scoundrel - Julianne MacLean

No woman can resist him. . .

Lord Martin Langdon takes pride in his scandalous reputation as a scoundrel, and he considers the art of seduction a most rewarding pastime. So when this dashing rakehell learns of a particularly beautiful woman who is "impossible to flirt with," Martin is determined to prove that not even the prim and proper Evelyn Wheaton can resist his charms.

Except one.

Evelyn knows all about the reckless rogue's shocking reputation and she wants nothing to do with him. She may be looking for a husband, but Martin is certainly not a candidate. The smoldering looks he sends her way, however, are a different matter entirely. She suspects there is great passion to be had if she'd throw caution to the wind and surrender to this scoundrel . . . but dare she risk her heart?

And will Martin, who hides a most tormented past, find true love at last?

Ever since I read to Marry The Duke I start every MacLean book with the anticipation of finding another story as perfect as that one. Unfortunately so far it hasn't happened yet.

I give it to her that she writes original characters with real and difficult problems to deal with - for instance this hero felt horribly guilty of having contributed to the accident that killed his wife and child so he didn't feel worthy of being happy.

She also has original settings, this story is set Cowes - a renowned seaside resort famous for his yacht club and the Cowes Regatta. Lord Martin owns one such yachts and I found really interesting all that information about the sport that the author provides.

I think, however, that there was some lack of intensity in the main characters relationship. I wanted them to talk more about their feelings for each other. It seemed to me Lord Martin did most of the talking and more about what tortured him than his feelings about Evelyn. That was certainly necessary for him to expel his demons but I wanted more...

Grade: C+

A Vision of Murder - Victoria Laurie

Professional psychic Abby Cooper has invested in a fixer-upper, hoping to make a killing in the real estate market. But a killing of another kind puts her plans awry, as the ghost of a murdered woman and some troublesome poltergeists lead her into a mystery that stretches all the way back to World War II.

Well and I just couldn't resist starting the next book in the series. This book however introduces some themes I'm not as interested in, namely ghosts and some other psychic incidents, but despite that it was a nice read.

Abby buys a house with her handyman Dave intending to restore and sell it. However some strange things start to happen and they realise the house is haunted. I quite enjoyed the mystery from the past regarding some happenings from World War II and how they had to do some research to discover what happened. I usually like it when there are other stories inside the main story like it happened here. There was also a bit of a mystery in the present, or at least a fugitive to be found, but I was more interested in the other.

Abby and Dutch do spend most of this book together as he is on medical leave after being shot and that leads them to have a few fights. I found it interesting that this was the first book in which some intimacy between them is suggested. I liked that they are working on the relationship. Didn't like that Abby is once again getting into trouble because she doesn't think of the risks first.

Grade: B

Better Read Than Dead - Victoria Laurie

Word of Abby's talents reading tarot cards has reached a mob boss who wants her help in some business matters and he doesn't take no for an answer. When the police seek out her psychic intuition to shed light on a masked man who's been attacking women, Abby finds herself working both sides of the law on her own, leading her to wonder, why didn't I see this coming?
I really enjoyed the first book in the Psychic Eye series and so I was naturally enthusiastic about this one.

In it Abby is once again in the middle of a mystery and this time she even attracts the attention of a crime boss who wants her help in a problem of his own. It was great fun from the beginning when Abby reads an assassin's fortune by accident and it proceeds in good pace. There's actually 2 mysteries going on - one about a serial rapist that her friend Milo from the Police department asks her help about, and the other a mystery from the past that is mob related and that the mob boss demands her to help him with.

As Abby deals with her failure in preventing more rapes and trying to avoid being hurt by the mob her sister comes along with one of her usual crisis. Abby's sister seems a bit too perfect, or at times too annoying, to be real.

However Abby does seem a bit naive and with a big propensity to get into trouble. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't like her character here as much as in the first book. She and Dutch should also talk more about their relationship as it seems to me they spent most of the time mad at each other, or at least Abby was mad with him and terribly jealous of his beautiful - and bitchy - partner.

Grade: B