Author Archives: Dee

Title: Broken
Author: Megan Hart
Genre: Erotic Romance
Date Read: 5 July 2010

Review
I’ve been pondering my review of Broken for the last two days since I finished reading the book and to say that I am still conflicted is an understatement. It was extremely well-written novel and I connected with the heroine, but there were elements of the book that I had a hard time overcoming. Essentially, the heroine is cheating emotionally on her husband by her weekly lunch dates with her friend Joe. You find out why as the book progresses and I’m not going to post a spoiler here, but that leads me to another interesting thought. Why is it in romance novels, if a man cheats he is expected to grovel to the female to make-up for what he did and she invariably takes him back and yet a woman can do the same thing and it is typically treated as a significantly worse event? Is it because women tend to get emotionally involved in relationships whereas guys are just in it for the sex…or is there something else going on.

This was the first of Ms. Hart’s books that I had read, although I had previously listened to one of her short stories that had been released in audio format, so I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself in for. I haven’t decided yet whether I would keep reading her books or not. As mentioned before they were extremely well-written, but the angst in them was almost too much. I heard someone on Amazon recently term them as literary erotica. They have all the elements of a good erotic romance and yet there is more of a literary element to them.

Recommended For: Someone looking for an angsty and emotional read but a well-written erotic romance.

Rating 4.5 stars

Title: Some Girls Bite
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Date Read: 4 July 2010

Review

It is very rare that I read a book completely from stop to finish in one sitting. I have what I’ve termed book ADD, meaning that I normally have 4 or 5 books that I am in the middle of reading and I rotate between all of them. Yet, this book drew me in and I completed it in a few hours and then proceeded by buy the next two books in the series.

This was one of my first foray’s in the Urban Fantasy genre, the only other book I’ve read in that one being Magic Bites (Kate Daniels Bk 1) by Ilona Andrews but it is definitely a genre that I will continue reading. I enjoy seeing the same protagonist show up through out a series and the development of their character as well as relationships between the other characters.

My initial impressions of the protagonist, Merit, were one of a kick-ass female. This is a definite trend that I have noticed in most paranormal and UF books that have been released recently and something that I enjoy reading about. One of the quickest ways for me to stop reading a book is to have a weak-willed heroine who submits to the hero. The tension between Merit and Ethan (the Master Vampire) made for some great dynamics and hopefully they continue in future books. The secondary characters including Mallory, Catcher and Jeff made for some entertaining side moments and added overall enjoyment to my reading.

Another key element that I enjoyed was that I did not identify who the antagonist was until they were revealed. There have been some novels where I have been able to identify them or the twist in the novel early in my reading and that ruined it, however, this time I was unable to identify it. It will be interesting to see how Ms. Neill continues to develop the storyline in the next two books.

Recommended for: Anyone looking for a new series to read that has paranormal and urban fantasy elements, as well as high levels of sexual tension without any actual scenes between the main characters.

Rating: 5 stars

Title: Love’s Long Journey
Author: Janette Oke
Series: Love Comes Softly (Book 3)
Genre: Religious Romance/ Inspirational Romance
Date Read: 3 July 2010

As a reader, I had to admit that Christian romance or Inspirational Romances are not normally my thing. So when the opportunity to do a dare to read specific genres came out on Goodreads, I decided to take advantage of it to broaden my horizons.

This is the third book in the Love Come’s Softly series by Janette Oke and for never having read any of the others in the series, I had no problems understanding what was going on. The novel chronicles the travels of Melissa (Missy) and Willie on their journey west in a Wagon Train and the trials that they faced along the way and after they are settled on their new homestead.

I enjoyed the story and getting a closer view of what the original settlers out west had to face as they travelled away from what they knew. The one distracter for me in the novel was the dialogue. While I know that the author was striving for accuracy in how people talked, it was a bit disconcerting with words such as ‘iffen being used, although it did lend believability to the story.

Recommended For: People who read religious romance, who might want a short sweet read with no real sexual tension or something for teenagers who are just starting to read romance. Right now, I don’t know if I would seek out any more of her books, but it is an option in the future.

Rating: 3.5 Stars