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PROMO – Just My Luck – Rosalind James

20 Jul

just my luck

Just My Luck
Author: Rosalind James
Series: #5 in the Escape to New Zealand series

I have to admit that I was super-excited to see this entry into the Escape to New Zealand series pop up in my offers for blog tours.  Rosalind James is one of the best discoveries I have made, since I got my kindle and started using the lending library on Amazon Prime.  While I haven’t read this one yet, I can’t wait to download it.

About Rosalind:
Rosalind_webRosalind James is the author of the bestselling “Escape to New Zealand” series, as well as “Welcome to Paradise,” her first book in the new U.S.-based “Kincaids” series.

Rosalind divides her time between California and New Zealand.

Rosalind’s Website
Rosalind’s Facebook
Rosalind’s Twitter

Description:
A little distraction can be a wonderful thing.

Nate Torrance has a job to do, and the biggest rugby boots in the world to fill. He can’t afford to lose his focus, especially not to a brown-eyed Canadian who pushes all his buttons and looks much too good in a climbing harness.

Allison Villiers may not know what she wants to do with her life, but she’s clear about one thing. She’s not impressed by the new captain of the All Blacks, however big a deal he is to the rest of New Zealand. If only her unfortunate taste for adventure didn’t keep leading her astray . . .

See below for an excerpt from the book:

Excerpt:
“How are you finding Wellington so far?” Nate asked when they were out on the water. He’d managed to launch them from the beach with a shove, and even climb in again behind her without any mishaps. Ally was actually a little sorry. She’d been half-anticipating going over, and enjoying the prospect of teasing him about it. He definitely needed it.

“I love it,” she said, keeping up a steady stroke and feeling the calm that always came over her when she was surrounded by sea and sky, enjoying the effort, the rhythmic motion. She was going to be out here with him for a while, so she might as well keep this pleasant. She didn’t even have to look at him, after all. You couldn’t really turn around in a double kayak without tipping the thing, which was probably for the best in this case. “I’ve been wandering around getting happily lost, and finding my way home again. It’s a lively place, isn’t it? Lots of outdoor stuff to do too, and as you know, that’s my favorite thing.”

“It can get a bit wet and windy,” he cautioned.

“I’ve heard,” she said, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. “I’ve had a few discussions about the weather already, you see.”

She heard him groan. “I’m rubbish at chatting girls up,” he admitted, surprising a laugh from her. “I never know what to say. Everything’s either dull, or it sounds like a pickup line. I generally end up opting for dull.”

“Honesty works, though,” she told him. “That was pretty good right there.”

“Really.” He sounded surprised. “I should throw myself on your mercy, you think?”

“Definitely. A strong man being endearingly awkward . . . I like it. It’s an approach, anyway.”

“Better than spilling a beer on her, I reckon,” he said.

“Much better.” She realized that she was paddling along with a smile on her face. Why hadn’t she met this guy before? She liked him.

“I’ll try again, then,” he said. “Did you spend Christmas here as well, on the Coromandel?”

“No, in Auckland. And it rained one day, but otherwise the weather was good. Just to anticipate you.”

He laughed. “Do anything special?”

“I did, actually. I bungy jumped off the Sky Tower. Kristen’s Christmas present.”

“Crikey. This is me shuddering back here.”

“No, really?” she asked in surprise. “It was amazing. You should try it.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he decided.

“You don’t like thrills?”

“I love thrills. Know how to get them, too. And it’s not by jumping off buildings.”

Wow. She didn’t think she’d pursue that one. Maybe he meant rugby. Yeah, right. He hadn’t meant rugby.

 
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Posted by on July 20, 2013 in Promo Blitz

 

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Review – For Everly – Raine Thomas

17 Jul

for everlyFor Everly
Author: Raine Thomas

Review Copy Provided By Author via Sisterhood of the Traveling Book (Goodreads)

Description:
Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her degree in physical therapy. She’s consumed with school, caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs.

Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn’t fought for anything in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming public knowledge and costing him everything.

In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon, physical therapy is the last thing on his mind.

When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his life…not just for his career, but for Everly’s love.

Review:
I’m going to be brutally honest up front, I tend to struggle with books that are labeled “New Adult,” because most of the time they are just ehhh – to down-right horrible…IMHO it is a reason for an author to take a book that would normally be marked as YA, add some sex and some angst to it and market it to a different sub-set of people (or maybe the same, since lots of YA readers also read adult and also read this New Adult)…but yeah, I struggle with it being defined as a genre (which is really isn’t…adult (in terms of reading level isn’t a genre); YA isn’t a genre and neither, in my mind is New Adult…) – but that is a story for another day.

I gave For Everly 2.5 stars overall, which to me means it was ok, not really good and definitely not great – I finished it. My main issue with the book was with Everly herself. I just struggled with her as a character – she seemed too perfect – major trauma in her life (don’t worry, I won’t say what it is), graduated high school early, worked her way through college and now at the tender age of 22/23 is finishing up her PhD in Physical Therapy (which by the way is a DPT or DPhysio, not a PhD)…right there, that was almost a stopping point for me…see, I am a PhD student – it might not be in physical therapy – but I had a hard time seeing someone her age in a program and that far advanced – most 22 year olds are just finishing college (assuming that they start at 18). And the programs themselves are typically 3-4 years on top of that, which would put her even being generous and assuming no break in education in the 24-27 year range (factoring in early graduation from college, and 3 years in a program) – I know this might be nit-picky, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. Almost as much as her agreeing to practice her therapies off the books and unlicensed…which was the main point behind the story…I guess in order for the story to work, this had to be done, but the ethical side of me is screaming no no no…heck, as a PhD student, I am not even allowed to mention that in a resume because people may be confused and think I have my degree already and yet she is practicing without a license)…

And then there is Cole…the baseball player – I mean, what’s not to love…and yes, I get that being injured and in the year your contract is supposed to expire would suck – but why would you risk your career on someone not qualified to treat you…asking the question – What if something had happened and he could no longer play because he used an unqualified therapist…and a very slight gripe – I really hate it when authors use REAL teams in their stories – because anyone that is a fan of said team (or even if they are not) can easily call BS…I would prefer for authors to make up their own teams – use a known location, but imaginary team please)

However, for my griping, the writing style wasn’t bad and the mystery was paletable – I kind of wondered the who done it and figured it out a chapter or so before the reveal – but the whole family situation/angst thing was a bit overdone for my liking (and yet another sign of the stereotypical New Adult storyline). I wish I had liked it more because I do think that the author has potential with her writing style – this book just didn’t do it for me…

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – Exposed – Laura Griffin

20 Jun

exposedExposed
Author: Laura Griffin
Series: #7 in the Tracers series

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Edelweiss

Description:
With the click of her camera, Maddie Callahan inadvertently added herself to the hit list of a criminal mastermind the FBI’s been investigating for months. Agent Brian Beckmann is determined to protect the sexy photographer, but she may be his only lead.

As a forensic photographer, Maddie is used to seeing violence up close, but she’s never before been a target. When a freelance photo shoot goes awry, she realizes she may have seen, and perhaps photographed, the kidnapping of a key witness in a federal probe. And although her camera was stolen, Maddie has something that could be even more valuable to investigators. With the help of her colleagues at the Tracers crime lab, Maddie uncovers DNA evidence that provides a desperately needed break in the case.

Although Brian is reluctant to involve Maddie, she’s determined to help with the investigation and the two set out to track a vicious criminal known as The Doctor, whose far-reaching violence has led to multiple deaths. But as the task force gets closer to catching the deadly Doctor, Maddie is in more danger than ever…

Review:
Going into this, I wasn’t so sure what I was going to think because unlike the previous books in the series, I didn’t really know these characters, they hadn’t really been mentioned before. Or rather, I think Brian had a cameo in a previous book, but he wasn’t that well characterized and I had never met Maddie. Thankfully, I ended up enjoying the book and finishing the series up to date. In fact, I read not only the complete Tracer series, but the 2 kinda linked series books that came first in the space of about a month and a half (but its not like I have any obsessive traits, right?) – lol.

I liked the idea of having a non hard science (for lack of a better word) main character. Since the vast majority of the other main characters have been someway involved in a science like DNA analysis, or forensic anthropology (which apparently I have issues spelling…). Plus the whole crime scene photography thing has always been of interest to me – I love seeing that part of crime dramas on TV – how various angles and shots can help with solving the crime. (yes, I’m a geek, what more can I say).

I think my main gripe was that I was more interested in the crime than the romance between Maddie and Brian. It wasn’t that their relationship wasn’t good, it just wasn’t as interesting…lol. But it wasn’t like it was bad (yes, I know I’m wavering…). I think if I knew more about both of them, that connection might have been there a bit more and made it more enjoyable. But I’ll be interested to see where the series goes in the future and if they make another appearance. Overall, I gave Exposed, 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4 stars.

 
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Posted by on June 20, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – Drawing Free – Elena Aitken

07 Jun

drawing freeDrawing Free
Author: Elena Aitken

Review Copy Provided by the Author

Description:
“What would happen if I just kept driving?”

Moms aren’t supposed to have a life of their own, at least that’s what Becca Thompson believes. Between dealing with her youngest’s never ending tantrums, her teenager’s attitude and her ailing father’s rapidly failing memory, Becca doesn’t have time to worry about who she used to be.

Deep down, Becca knows she wants more than the daily chaos and the quick fixes her self-help books have to offer, but when her husband starts demanding more, the pressure proves to be too much. On the way to pick up her daughter, she makes the split second decision to take a different exit off the freeway and drives towards the mountains leaving her crumbling life in the rear-view mirror.

Fleeing to a remote mountain town, Becca knows she must rediscover her spirit, even if reconnecting with herself comes at the expense of everything she left behind.

Review:
“I was so stuck on being what I thought I should be, that I couldn’t be who I needed to be. ~ Becca

This quote that appeared at the end of one of the final chapters really sums up what I thought about the book. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think about it, because in all honestly, I didn’t have a lot in common with Becca, I don’t have kids, I’m not married, I’m relatively secure in where I am in my life (or at least I think I am). But it really made me think. Not just about her situation, but about life in general. How often do we make choices/decisions based on what we think we should, because of how society dictates we act, vice, how we want to act/want to do. And then there is the abundance of so-called “self-help” books that give you advice on how to make these decisions. But as it was explored in Drawing Free, sometimes they provide conflicting information, they often don’t take into account specific circumstances, and as with many things, one size (piece of advice) does not suit all.

There were a lot of life lessons that could be described as being in the story, primarily the reminder to live every day as if it were your last (or in the infamous words of Tim McGraw, live like you were dying). But also to remember that there is nothing wrong with trying to reach for your dreams, don’t fore-go them – but keep trying. I will say however, that I HATED the kids in the book – they drove me mental. I can safely say, that if I had ever behaved that way in public, or talked to my parents that way that I would have had my mouth washed out with soap and likely would have had my butt wholloped…but then, I grew up in the 1980’s when it was still kosher for kids to be spanked at times (but that is a story for another day).

However, Drawing Free did have a hot button topic for me which I kind of wish had been disclosed somewhere in the description – because there are people who find certain topics are no go’s – in this case it was cheating. I HATED what Becca did, in fact, up to that point, I liked her journey and the cheating just ruined her character for me…I didn’t feel like she regretted her actions, or even took responsibility for them. It also seemed like there was no resolution between Becca and her husband about what happened…the ending in general, sucked!! I was disappointed with how it all turned out…

It was primarily the ending that made me give it 3 stars. It there had been more of a resolution, it probably would have gotten 4 stars from me. But that being said, I hope that EA writes more books in the future – because I am curious to see what else she comes up with.

 
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Posted by on June 7, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – Dirty Little Secret – Jennifer Echols

05 Jun

dirty little secretDirty Little Secret
Author: Jennifer Echols

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Edelweiss

Description:
I was being given the chance to do the one thing I wanted most in the world. The chance was presented to me by a guy so gorgeous, he turned my skin to fire when he touched me. And joining a band was the one thing I was most forbidden to do, the thing that would ruin my future forever.

There are too many secrets in eighteen-year-old Bailey’s life. Not just the obvious one: that she told her grandfather she was going on a date, and instead is playing fiddle in a Nashville bar. There’s all the stuff that makes it worse. Like how her younger sister, Julie, was offered a recording contract, and her family is terrified that Bailey is going to mess the deal up. Like the way that Bailey has been acting out. Like the way they’re all mad at her, even Julie.

Bailey’s parents don’t want her playing any gigs at all, but when they leave her with her grandfather in Nashville for the summer so they can tour with Julie, he lands her a music job that’s beneath the radar, playing old country songs in cheesy costumes at a local mall. That’s where she meets Sam. . . .

Review:
I have to admit that I primarily requested/downloaded this book because I fell in love with the cover. It just was to me, eye-catching. You could tell by looking at it, that the story behind it was going to be interesting – so many different elements – the violin, the picture of two people kissing…I wondered how it was all going to play out. And I’m pleased that say that it was well-worth it. In this case, the picture on the cover lived up to the story in the book (it is always disappointing when it doesn’t…).

It was also nice to see a young adult/new adult romance (since it kind of falls into both worlds), where there wasn’t a root story that involved rape (attempted or occurred); molestation; kidnapping etc. But rather, an almost normally, albeit slightly screwed up family. Sure Bailey probably got the wrong end of the stick and I felt back for her – but it was nice to see some semblance of normalcy.

I will have to admit though, that the blurb available on the authors website (as well as Amazon and other book-related ones), basically gives away the entire story. For what its worth, I edited out what you see here so it was shorter. Which is kind of disappointing…there wasn’t really that much mystery into how everything was going to play out…I wish that cover designers would go back to a more limited description, so that there is some surprise to the story…but back to the story.

The romance that developed between Bailey and Sam was sweet (there isn’t really any other way to describe it). It is definitely a book that I would recommend for older teens, because there are scenes that involve sex that would make it inappropriate for the younger people in the age group. But there was also some teenage angst (I mean, what would a YA romance novel be without the angst 😉 ). But it wasn’t overdone, it felt more believeable than some of the scenarios that I have read about in different books.

This was my first book by Ms Echols, and it definitely won’t be my last. I think I have two more by her waiting on the pile at home. I gave Dirty Little Secret a solid 4 stars.

 
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Posted by on June 5, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – Flirting With Disaster – Ruthie Knox

30 May

flirting with disaster
Flirting With Disaster
Author: Ruthie Knox
Series: #3 in the Camelot series

Review Copy Provided by the Author Via Netgalley

Description:
Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brother’s security firm. But on her first assignment—digging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriter—Katie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesn’t want her help . . . or her company.

Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, she’ll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he can’t keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. It’s time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katie’s newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect team—on the road, on the job, and in bed.

Review:
Move over Molly Harper, there is a new author going on my auto-buy list (or rather, Molly and Ruthie can now share shelf space, since its fairly open up there, I have very few auto-buy authors). She just keeps getting better and better – while I enjoyed Along Came Trouble and gave it a solid 3.5 stars, Flirting with Disaster topped it significantly – it was a 4.5 star read for me.

I loved Katie from when she was introduced in How to Misbehave (albeit briefly) and even more so as her character was developed in Along Came Trouble. I just knew that her story when it was released was going to be a firecracker and man, I wasn’t wrong. And then there was Sean – who doesn’t love the geek who overcame adversities to become the guy he is as an adult. And at the same time, I loved how he wasn’t total macho-man, but that he was still a bit unsure of himself (for reasons that I won’t disclose, because it might be considered to be a bit spoilerific).

I can guarantee (or at least I hope so) that there is at least one scene that will cause the windows to steam up and anything cold to melt into puddles 😉 Everyone seriously needs to run, not walk, to Amazon (or your chosen retailer) on June 10th when it is released and buy it – I don’t think you will be disappointed (but if you don’t, its not my fault – and my disclaimer says so… 😉 )

 
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Posted by on May 30, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – Pulled – Amy Lichtenhan

27 May

PulledPulled
Author: Amy Lichtenhan

Review Copy Provided By Author Via Goodreads

Description:
For nine years, they drift through life, unable to forget the one who holds the strings to their hearts. In an attempt to escape the pain of her past, Melanie finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage, while Daniel loses himself in a career that means nothing without Melanie by his side. Now, when their lives intersect, neither can deny the connection they felt so long ago. But will the power that drew them together be enough to heal the wounds from their past, and do they have the courage to overcome the insecurities and fears that threaten to keep them apart? Pulled is a story of attraction and separation, of destiny and duty, of a love so strong it refuses to give up even when all others have.

Review:
It always sucks when you pick up a book by an author you enjoyed before, looking for a good read, and then are underwhelmed and unfortunately, that book was Pulled for me. I had previously read Take This Regret and really enjoyed it – it was the perfect length, not too overdone in the angst, and yet, just angsty enough (yes, that is a bit of a contradiction, but hopefully you know what I mean). So I was looking forward to reading Pulled – but by the end of it, I was decidedly underwhelmed.

I think my major issue was that it was in general too long and needed to be edited down a bit. I felt like the story dragged on. It wasn’t the sharp telling that was in her other books. Now, I know that this is her first book, so that could explain it – it is just the development of her writing style over time. I think this one could stand to be re-worked and edited a bit.

My other issue was with the ages of the characters. For me, everything that had happened in the previous ten years for the characters didn’t ring true. Friends of mine always laugh because I get so involved in the book and stuff like this irked me – but to me it comes down to research. Having a friend who just finished her residency after med school, I know a little bit about how the timing works. And I was supposed to be/set aside my knowledge and take it for granted that in 10 years, the (guys name here) had gone to college (3-4 years), finished med school (4 years), completed an internal medicine residency (3 years), as well as an oncology fellowship (3 years) (info about residencies was taken from the Mayo Clinic website) – all of which would be required for him to be licensed as an oncologist as the story called for…or at least, that it what I am assuming, since he was part of his family medical practice in oncology…at a minimum that time line would be 13 years later, not 10…and from the way it was described, he was decently well established (although, come to think of it, he was never mentioned to actually be seeing patients). With brings me to another gripe – if you are going to give characters a career, then at least make it kind of important to the book. What good is it to have a doctor as a character, if you never actually see that side of him…(rant off).

The book also hit a few hot topics for me and I wish that there had been some warning as to content – when it comes to things like domestic violence and cheating, many readers, especially in a romance, want that warning – so that they know what they are getting themselves in for. Although, I think I am in the minority, because for the most part it seems people have given this 4 and 5 stars, but I’m struggling to come up with a reason that I should give it 3, and I’m leaning strongly towards 2. It’s a pity that this just didn’t work for me, because I do think that A.L. has the potential to become a great author – but I definitely, wouldn’t recommend this book as one to start with, if you are going to read her stuff. It will be interesting to me to see how her other book (Collide) stands up when compared to this one and her other one.

I honestly don’t know if I would recommend Pulled to anyone. I gave it 2 stars, mostly because I finished it and there was a HEA at the end, but other than that…

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – What The Duke Desires – Sabrina Jeffries

14 May

what the duke wantsWhat The Duke Desires
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Series: #1 in The Duke’s Men

Review Copy Provided by Publisher Via Edelweiss

Description:
Maximilian Cale, the Duke of Lyons, accepted long ago that his kidnapped brother was dead. When a cryptic note from investigator Tristan Bonnaud claims otherwise, Max seeks out Tristan’s sister, Lisette—and is infuriated to learn that Tristan has also mysteriously vanished. Have the siblings perpetrated an elaborate hoax? Or is the fiercely protective beauty as innocent as she claims them to be?

Fearful that the powerful Duke will destroy Tristan’s career in his zeal for the truth, the clever Lisette convinces Max to accompany her to Paris in a joint search for their loved ones. But their journey takes a seductive twist when they pose as an ordinary husband and wife—not an English Duke with a tarnished family name and the illegitimate daughter of a viscount—and discover an exhilarating passion free from the damning secrets of the past. With the line between danger and desire enticingly blurred, they discover that some mysteries, like those of the heart, are answered tenfold in the bliss of a true and trusting love.

Review:
I’ll be the first to admit that Sabrina Jeffries is a comfort read for me. I don’t know if I have read a book by her that I haven’t enjoyed – they are all solid historical romances – nothing to completely rave about, but nothing that I truly hate either. I just a solid performance. So when I saw a review copy of her newest book available for download on Edelweiss, and having just finished up her previous series not that long ago, I opted to request it. What the Duke Desires takes place in the same time period as her Hellions of Halstead Hall series, in fact, if you are paying attention, there are a few re-occurring characters. Not enough that you need to have read the previous series in order to enjoy the books, but enough that you can see their lives down the road just a little bit.

What the Duke Desires uses more of my more favorite tropes in the historical romance genre, the bastard child(children) who get screwed over when the family member dies unexpectedly. For some reason, I love the vulnerability of heroines in that kind of situation and it wasn’t like everything was made miraculously better. Lisette continued to struggle through-out the entire story with the ramifications. Of course, that still didn’t stop her from doing some dumb-ass shit…lol (of course). And then there were Max – he was on the verge of being a brilliant tortured hero, and walked the precipice quite well – I do wish that he had fallen in, but I did enjoy him as a character. The romance between the two was satisfying and it seemed nature…it didn’t have the wham bam, thank you ma’am that often seems to occur.

I’m definitely interesting in seeing what happens in the rest of the series. I’d give What The Duke Desires 3.5 stars – a solid historical romance read from an enjoyable author.

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2013 in Book Review

 

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Review – A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses – Molly Harper

29 Apr

witch's handbook of kisses and cursesA Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses
Author: Molly Harper
Series: #2 in the Half Moon Hollow series (spin-off of the Jane Jameson series)

Review Copy Provided by the Publisher Via Edelweiss

Description:
Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.

Complication One: Her grandfather was Mr. Wainwright and the artifacts are lost somewhere in what is now Jane Jameson’s book shop.

Complication Two: her new neighbor, Jed Trudeau, who keeps turning up half naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially when he’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard—can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

Review:
I have come to the conclusion that one never knows what exactly they are going to get when they pick up a Molly Harper book to read and that is what makes her books so enjoyable. In this one, we were introduced to the fact that not only were there Vampires and Werewolves in her world, but also Witch’s – which as far as I know, have not been introduced before (but I haven’t read all of the Jane Jameson books, so maybe I am missing something). This book also marks the second in her spin-off series, Half-Moon Hollow (although, there is also a .5 book in the mix – so does this make it truely book 2, or maybe it should be book 3…). Anyways…she will be continuing on my auto-buy list in the future.

In this installment, we meet Nora, an Irish witch – who has come to Half-Moon Hollow to find several artifacts that will help her family seduce their magic and the power over a rival family for another generation. And as it always seems to be, this rival family and Nora’s has been in a feud for generations, but from the sounds of it, no one really remembers the who/how/why of it coming to be…

Witch’s Handbook was filled with the typical Molly Harper snark – where you about pee your pants laughing at a random comment, and then before you can stop, another one hits you and it just keeps on rolling through. Although, admittedly, I didn’t find as many quotable quotes in this one, as I have in previous ones. It was funny without being highly memorable (if that makes sense).

I loved both Nora and Jed as characters and am definately looking forward to reading more books with them in the future. It was also nice to see Jane and her cohort. Although, I will warn you, there are spoilers for later books in the Jane Jameson series (if you are like me and are pitifully behind on those)…so don’t say I didn’t warn you. But it isn’t like they are needed to enjoy the book, rather, they just add to the world-building. Overall, I’d give this a strong 3.5, but rounding up to 4. But I would warn about drinking while reading – you may cause damage to your book, kindle or other e-reader.

 
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Posted by on April 29, 2013 in Book Review

 

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The Armchair Audies – Romance – Summary

26 Apr

the audies

Armchair Audies

Last week, I finished listening to the last book that was nominated for the Romance category for the Audie Awards. As a quick recap, the nominees were:

Don’t Cry for Me, written by Sharon Sala, Narrated by Kathe Mazur, Produced by Audible,Inc.
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, written by Jennifer Ashley, Narrated by Angela Dawe, Produced by Tantor Media
Never Seduce a Scot, written by Maya Banks, Narrated by Kirsten Potter, Produced by Tantor Media
Scandalous Desires, written by Elizabeth Hoyt, Narrated by Ashford MacNab, Produced by Hachette Audio
The Witness, written by Nora Roberts, Narrated by Julia Whelan, Produced by Brilliance Audio

Overall, I found the nominees to be a good representation of the genre as it currently stands. Quite a bit of historical romance, but with a good romantic suspense, and a serial romance to round out the category. I’ve written reviews of each of the books nominated, but my general thoughts were:

The Witness – really liked Whedon’s narration of Robert’s book and it was one of my favorites by her recently. Definately a strong contender to be the winner.
Don’t Cry For Me – Unfortunately, Kathe Mazur’s (a narrator that I normally enjoy) couldn’t quite make up for a weak plot. This was probably the weakest book out of all the nominations for me.
Scandalous Desires – I have to admit that I was expecting a male narrator with a name like Ashford McNab – but enjoyed her narration. I found her Irish accent very strong and intriguing.
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie – this was a re-read/listen for me – but I don’t remember that much about my initial read, so I found it enjoyable. I liked Dawe’s narration and her scottish burr was pleasantly surprising, sometimes they are hit or miss with narrators.
Never Seduce a Scot – I really enjoyed this narration, although I think that Potter’s weakness is her male voices – I found that they just started to blend together and there wasn’t anything really distinctive. While not the weakest narration, I wouldn’t place it as a forerunner.

When I sit down and consider my listening experience with each of the books, the narration, the story in general and my overall enjoyment – I would rating them in the following order/prediction for winning:

1. The Witness
2/3. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie/Scandalous Desires
4. Never Seduce A Scot
5. Don’t Cry For Me

But I look forward to seeing what the official committee thinks when the awards are announced.

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2013 in Audiobook Review

 

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