This was not a romantic book. I'm not sure whether it was proffered as such when I first came across the overview. The writing is excellent, but I gave it only 3 stars because it is ridiculously depressing. I cried a good deal through the second half. The ending is bittersweet, and there is a moral to the story. As soon as I finish blowing my nose and drying my eyes, I'll try to figure out what it is.
A Catch of Consequence is about a Bostonian tavern owner, Makepeace Burke, who saves an English lord from drowning after being chucked in the river by some Patriots. She nurses him back to health only to become the target of civil unrest. The English lord, Phillip Dapifer, had come to America to get a quiet divorce from his adulterous wife, Catty. Phillip doesn't feel right leaving Makepeace in Boston after her tavern is burned, and he takes her to England. They get married on the ship, and land in serious drama in London. Even though she has received a very generous divorce settlement, Catty sues Phillip for divorce on the grounds of bigamy, alleging that he was still married to her when he married Makepeace. Makepeace gets pregnant, and in a ridiculously unwise move, tries to make peace with Catty. In an intemperate move, Makepeace reveals that she is pregnant, and oh, do the games begin. I won't give any more of the story away, mostly because it is just too depressing. I can say this for certain though - Update your wills, including guardianship of any children you may have, every YEAR, and keep them in a safe deposit box where no conniving ex can get to them. Seriously. The ruination faced in this book by the characters could have been completely avoided, but such is the nature of stories with morals behind them. There are things to learn here, and not all of them are pleasant.
This book is appropriate for those 16+ because of thematic elements. Other than some occasional language that would make this a rated R film, it is relatively clean.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Proposal by Mary Balogh - 4 stars
This novel is a breath of fresh air in the historical romance genre. It is deeply philosophical and addresses such topics as death, guilt, regret, class distinctions/boundaries, spirituality and the reasons for living. Can two people from different classes and very different backgrounds succeed in a relationship? The two main characters in this book show that it is possible if you truly love each other.
Gwendoline, Lady Muir, is a widow of 7 years, and while visiting a recently-widowed acquaintance, sprains her ankle on the property of a Duke. The Duke just happens to be housing the members of The Survivors' Club, a group of people in recovery from their war experiences, and one of the members, Hugo Emes, Lord Trentham, comes to Lady Muir's aid. Hugo's title was bestowed on him for services he rendered to the crown during the Napoleonic War - he is known as the Hero of Badajoz- and he is not comfortable with his elevation in status. He is from a very wealthy middle-class family and has little respect for the aristocracy. So it is a difficult twist of fate for him as he falls in love with Lady Muir. He has to adapt himself to her world in order to give his sister the chance to live life to the fullest and experience the upper class lifestyle of the ton. But fitting in to the ton is not enough for their relationship to last, and Gwen ultimately must attempt to fit into his world as well. Ultimately they make it work.
I enjoyed the interactions of the characters a great deal. They were realistic and have substance. My only issue with the writing was that sometimes the language used was too modern for the 1800's, and occasionally phrases like "head over ears" were used instead of "head over heals". Mary Balogh is Welsh and lives in Canada, so that may explain some of the figures of speech, but the book was published by Random House in the US. So you would think that the editors there would have caught the inconsistencies.
This book would be rated R for sexuality, but the love scenes are not gratuitous. The book is solidly based on the development of the characters as people and not the development of their sexual relationship, as is so common in the romance genre. The characters spend time together and their relationship develops through dialogue covering deep and heartfelt topics.
Gwendoline, Lady Muir, is a widow of 7 years, and while visiting a recently-widowed acquaintance, sprains her ankle on the property of a Duke. The Duke just happens to be housing the members of The Survivors' Club, a group of people in recovery from their war experiences, and one of the members, Hugo Emes, Lord Trentham, comes to Lady Muir's aid. Hugo's title was bestowed on him for services he rendered to the crown during the Napoleonic War - he is known as the Hero of Badajoz- and he is not comfortable with his elevation in status. He is from a very wealthy middle-class family and has little respect for the aristocracy. So it is a difficult twist of fate for him as he falls in love with Lady Muir. He has to adapt himself to her world in order to give his sister the chance to live life to the fullest and experience the upper class lifestyle of the ton. But fitting in to the ton is not enough for their relationship to last, and Gwen ultimately must attempt to fit into his world as well. Ultimately they make it work.
I enjoyed the interactions of the characters a great deal. They were realistic and have substance. My only issue with the writing was that sometimes the language used was too modern for the 1800's, and occasionally phrases like "head over ears" were used instead of "head over heals". Mary Balogh is Welsh and lives in Canada, so that may explain some of the figures of speech, but the book was published by Random House in the US. So you would think that the editors there would have caught the inconsistencies.
This book would be rated R for sexuality, but the love scenes are not gratuitous. The book is solidly based on the development of the characters as people and not the development of their sexual relationship, as is so common in the romance genre. The characters spend time together and their relationship develops through dialogue covering deep and heartfelt topics.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The Wife Trap by Tracy Anne Warren - 3 stars
Generally speaking, this book is your standard romantic drama. Lady Jeanette Rose Brandtford, daughter of an earl and twin to the now Duchess of Raeburn, Violet, has been sent off to visit her eccentric cousins in Ireland after causing quite a scandal in London by doing the old twin switch-a-roo at her wedding to the Duke of Raeburn. Apparently Jeanette was in love with another guy, Toddy, and so thought they would marry. I think all this back story may be in another of Tracy Anne Warren's books, but I haven't checked. It seems the perfect topic for a book. Anyhoo, Jeanette has a chance meeting with a guy named Darragh O'Brien, and then finds out he is the architect for the renovations on her cousins' estate. She does not know that he is also the Earl of Mulholland, and so when sparks fly between them, she is convinced there is no future for them. They have quite the little battle going on about what time the renovation work begins in the morning. Jeanette is used to London hours and so wakes late, but manual labor on the house must begin with the sun. Her antics are childish, but still funny.
The rest of the story is what you would expect - them ending up married. However, along the way, there is some very real heartache, and pride keeps these two persons from a happy marriage. There are times I really thought that they wouldn't make it, despite the fact that this is a romance and so must have a happy ending. Their story definitely promotes humility and full honesty in a relationship.
Rated R for sexuality. Most of the book is fairly tame - lots of kissing - but then about 3/4 of the way through the book, things get more intense between them. I give the book 3 stars because the plot moved a little slow throughout most of the book, and then wrapped up like lightening. The book also did not have an epilogue, so we did not have an opportunity to see the felicitous couple after they settled into life. Perhaps that is because there is another book, The Wedding Trap, after it that tells the story of Eliza Hammond, Violet's close friend and companion. Regardless, I would have liked to see either a slower, more developed conclusion to this story, or an epilogue.
The rest of the story is what you would expect - them ending up married. However, along the way, there is some very real heartache, and pride keeps these two persons from a happy marriage. There are times I really thought that they wouldn't make it, despite the fact that this is a romance and so must have a happy ending. Their story definitely promotes humility and full honesty in a relationship.
Rated R for sexuality. Most of the book is fairly tame - lots of kissing - but then about 3/4 of the way through the book, things get more intense between them. I give the book 3 stars because the plot moved a little slow throughout most of the book, and then wrapped up like lightening. The book also did not have an epilogue, so we did not have an opportunity to see the felicitous couple after they settled into life. Perhaps that is because there is another book, The Wedding Trap, after it that tells the story of Eliza Hammond, Violet's close friend and companion. Regardless, I would have liked to see either a slower, more developed conclusion to this story, or an epilogue.
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - 4 stars
OK, so here is a review of a non-romantic drama. This book is actually better described as a dark comedy. The writing is witty and the characters do funny things, but if you take a step back, you realize how dysfunctional the Spellman family is. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because the ending felt a bit abrupt, and it definitely was not the happy ending I desired after the rest of the sadness in the book. If this were a movie, it would be rated R for language, thematic elements and some sensuality.
The Spellman Files is about Isabel Spellman and her family, all private investigators except for her brother, David, who is a corporate attorney. The story is told in a manner similar to the Lost TV series - you get a bit of present day drama and then a lot of back story/ family history. Ultimately, the big mystery is what happened to the 14 year old Rae Spellman. She is missing, and in order to find her, Izzy recounts the family's history to the detective investigating her little sister's disappearance. I won't spoil the book for you, but let's just say that the writing is real. This is no fluff piece that you read when you want to feel good, but as I said earlier, the book is also funny. The characters' dialogue is witty and sharp, and some of the things they do are outrageous. I enjoyed this book immensely, but would have preferred a happier ending.
The Spellman Files is about Isabel Spellman and her family, all private investigators except for her brother, David, who is a corporate attorney. The story is told in a manner similar to the Lost TV series - you get a bit of present day drama and then a lot of back story/ family history. Ultimately, the big mystery is what happened to the 14 year old Rae Spellman. She is missing, and in order to find her, Izzy recounts the family's history to the detective investigating her little sister's disappearance. I won't spoil the book for you, but let's just say that the writing is real. This is no fluff piece that you read when you want to feel good, but as I said earlier, the book is also funny. The characters' dialogue is witty and sharp, and some of the things they do are outrageous. I enjoyed this book immensely, but would have preferred a happier ending.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) by J.R. Ward - 3 stars
This paranormal novel seems to be a cross between the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian and the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter. Of course, it has its own premise and twists that make it unique, but it has far less action than the other two series (action meaning actions sequences, not love scenes. Well, it actually has fewer love scenes, too, which is not necessarily a bad thing.) The book is far simpler and quicker to read than the other series, but it seems to be missing something. I'm not quite sure what, though. I rate this as appropriate for those persons 18 years of age and older.
The basic framework here is that there is a group of vampires who form the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a sub-race of vampires that has evolved through selective breeding and that protects the vampire race. In this series, vampires can only be bred, not made, and vampires cannot feed on humans to gain the sustenance they require to live, only the blood of other vampires will do. They cannot go out in the sun, either, but that is where the coincidence with traditional Dracula vampire lore ends. As for the ultimate good and evil beings, the Scribe Virgin is the good, and the Omega is the bad. The Scribe Virgin created vampires as a celebration of her ability to create life, and the Omega trades the souls of humans for extremely long life and lots of power. The Omega uses his "Lessers" to attempt to eradicate the vampire race.
The leader of the Brotherhood, Wrath, is a reluctant king, who has not ascended to the throne due to his own insecurities. Instead, Wrath just leads the Brotherhood. Wrath's BFF, Darius, tells him one day out of the blue that he has a daughter, Beth, and wants Wrath to help her with the transition in case he isn't alive when that happens. Some time later, just a few days prior to his daughter beginning the transition, Darius is killed in a car bomb perpetrated by a Lesser, and so Wrath and Beth cross paths. Sparks ignite, and - happy, happy, joy, joy - they fall in love and get married. I'm not kidding. Meanwhile, Wrath and the Brotherhood are searching for the headquarters of the Lessers and for Darius' killer. I'm not going to give the rest of the book away, but if you add a scorned lover and her indignant brother to the mix, you have a recipe for betrayal, kidnapping, and death.
Most of this book seems to be focused on the Wrath/Beth relationship, and as usual with most paranormal novels, you have to suspend reality a bit to go with it. The book, as compared with the other series I mentioned earlier, is really fluff. Read it on a rainy day when you want something simple that you can easily put down if you want to take a nap, or read it during your lunch breaks at work. It is not so compelling that you cannot put it down, but it is an enjoyable read with some funny dialogue.
The basic framework here is that there is a group of vampires who form the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a sub-race of vampires that has evolved through selective breeding and that protects the vampire race. In this series, vampires can only be bred, not made, and vampires cannot feed on humans to gain the sustenance they require to live, only the blood of other vampires will do. They cannot go out in the sun, either, but that is where the coincidence with traditional Dracula vampire lore ends. As for the ultimate good and evil beings, the Scribe Virgin is the good, and the Omega is the bad. The Scribe Virgin created vampires as a celebration of her ability to create life, and the Omega trades the souls of humans for extremely long life and lots of power. The Omega uses his "Lessers" to attempt to eradicate the vampire race.
The leader of the Brotherhood, Wrath, is a reluctant king, who has not ascended to the throne due to his own insecurities. Instead, Wrath just leads the Brotherhood. Wrath's BFF, Darius, tells him one day out of the blue that he has a daughter, Beth, and wants Wrath to help her with the transition in case he isn't alive when that happens. Some time later, just a few days prior to his daughter beginning the transition, Darius is killed in a car bomb perpetrated by a Lesser, and so Wrath and Beth cross paths. Sparks ignite, and - happy, happy, joy, joy - they fall in love and get married. I'm not kidding. Meanwhile, Wrath and the Brotherhood are searching for the headquarters of the Lessers and for Darius' killer. I'm not going to give the rest of the book away, but if you add a scorned lover and her indignant brother to the mix, you have a recipe for betrayal, kidnapping, and death.
Most of this book seems to be focused on the Wrath/Beth relationship, and as usual with most paranormal novels, you have to suspend reality a bit to go with it. The book, as compared with the other series I mentioned earlier, is really fluff. Read it on a rainy day when you want something simple that you can easily put down if you want to take a nap, or read it during your lunch breaks at work. It is not so compelling that you cannot put it down, but it is an enjoyable read with some funny dialogue.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The Cowboy's Wish by Ruth Ann Nordin - 0 stars
This "short story" reads like half of chapter 1 of a longer novella. The ending is abrupt and there is absolutely no plot. One almost wonders whether the eBook is incomplete. The bookseller summarizes this book as "a light-hearted look at a cowboy who wishes for a wife...and suddenly gets one."
A Bride for Tom by Ruth Ann Nordin - 3 stars
Quick and easy historical fiction. Tom Larson is having trouble finding a wife, and Jessica Reynolds decides to help him overcome his awkward and clumsy manners so he can attract women. This is your stereotypical PG RomCom. If it were a movie, one might almost expect Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts or Reese Witherspoon to play the female lead and Hugh Grant to play the male lead. Of course, be prepared to be frustrated by the typical lack of depth of the characters, as if any person could change the course of their life so easily and so quickly.
If you are looking to be entertained by fluff, look no further.
If you are looking to be entertained by fluff, look no further.
With This Ring, I Thee Dread by Ruth Ann Nordin - 4 stars
This RomCom (short for romantic comedy - I said I would throw in a non-drama every now and then) is typical, but could easily do without the explicit sex scene at the end of the book.
Quick and easy read. This is your stereotypical RomCom and could easily be a movie with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant, except for the honeymoon scene that gets unnecessarily graphic during the last few pages of the book. Funny - pokes fun of romance novels and sleazy daytime talk shows - and shows growth of a relationship over a longer period of time, including resolution of past hurts. Of course, the situation in which the characters find themselves is not one that is common to many people, it is still believable to a certain extent. the resolution of the plot is too swift, though, and results in an ending that seems forced.
All in all, a fun read if you are simply looking to be entertained.
Quick and easy read. This is your stereotypical RomCom and could easily be a movie with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant, except for the honeymoon scene that gets unnecessarily graphic during the last few pages of the book. Funny - pokes fun of romance novels and sleazy daytime talk shows - and shows growth of a relationship over a longer period of time, including resolution of past hurts. Of course, the situation in which the characters find themselves is not one that is common to many people, it is still believable to a certain extent. the resolution of the plot is too swift, though, and results in an ending that seems forced.
All in all, a fun read if you are simply looking to be entertained.
Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble - 5 stars
This young adult paranormal romance is an Awesome Read! I couldn't put it down.
Let me say first that I am fascinated by historical mysteries, like Anastasia Romanov, so I was immediately intrigued. But on the whole, Dreaming Anastasia has everything a great fiction novel needs - actual historical fact, legend, mystery, suspense, girl meets boy, and supernatural events. I especially appreciate the fact that while the relationship between the two protagonists is compelling, it is not the focal point of the plot. The protagonists have lives and purpose beyond their romantic interest, as do we all, and so it was easy to get swept up in the story. Joy Preble rocks her debut novel, and it's exciting to see my sophomore English teacher receive national acclaim.
Let me say first that I am fascinated by historical mysteries, like Anastasia Romanov, so I was immediately intrigued. But on the whole, Dreaming Anastasia has everything a great fiction novel needs - actual historical fact, legend, mystery, suspense, girl meets boy, and supernatural events. I especially appreciate the fact that while the relationship between the two protagonists is compelling, it is not the focal point of the plot. The protagonists have lives and purpose beyond their romantic interest, as do we all, and so it was easy to get swept up in the story. Joy Preble rocks her debut novel, and it's exciting to see my sophomore English teacher receive national acclaim.
Haunted by Joy Preble - 5 stars
This young adult paranormal romance is fantastic! So Good! Can't Wait for Book 3!
Great book for young adults, and adults who are young at heart. Haunted is a great follow up to Dreaming Anastasia. The boy/girl relationship is portrayed realistically - teenagers driven by their emotions and insecurities, not prone to calmly/rationally discussing how they honestly feel about each other or telling each other the full truth of what is really going on in their lives. Hence, a majority of the book may be painful for those who wanted to see an immediate "happily ever after" to Anne and Ethan's budding relationship in Dreaming Anastasia, but it is an important part of the character development - no cliched weakling women and superman men here. The legend of the rusalkas (Russian mermaids) is interesting and unexpected, and it made me interested in Slavic folklore. It was also nice to see the development of Anne's relationship with her mother. I can't wait for the third book, Again and Again! Spring 2012 can't come soon enough!
Great book for young adults, and adults who are young at heart. Haunted is a great follow up to Dreaming Anastasia. The boy/girl relationship is portrayed realistically - teenagers driven by their emotions and insecurities, not prone to calmly/rationally discussing how they honestly feel about each other or telling each other the full truth of what is really going on in their lives. Hence, a majority of the book may be painful for those who wanted to see an immediate "happily ever after" to Anne and Ethan's budding relationship in Dreaming Anastasia, but it is an important part of the character development - no cliched weakling women and superman men here. The legend of the rusalkas (Russian mermaids) is interesting and unexpected, and it made me interested in Slavic folklore. It was also nice to see the development of Anne's relationship with her mother. I can't wait for the third book, Again and Again! Spring 2012 can't come soon enough!
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