Book Review: Fifty Shades Darker

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Darker by EL James, is the second book in the Fifty Shades series.  This book is an erotica romance that touches on the BDSM lifestyle.  I finished this book in August of 2014, so I apologize if this review seems not that great.

Fifty Shades Darker picks up where Fifty Shades of Grey left off when Anastasia Steele leaves Christian Grey.  But the two lovers can't avoid each other and end up back with a each other.  Wanting a career, Anastasia feels daunted by Christian's need to control everything in her life.  But she feels frustrated with the secrets that he's keeping from her.

So I have to be honest, I didn't like this book, nor the first one.  I don't have an issue with the BDSM lifestyle that the author has wrote about, but I do have issue with her lack of development that she seems to have with the characters.  This book opened up a lot of issues that never seemed to get resolved or have a conclusion to.  I felt that the characters were so polar opposites that I couldn't relate them.  Ana is a weak person that doesn't have a back bone, and Christian is a manipulative dominate.  I felt that Christian's disregard of Ana's opinion on things was a huge turn off.  One thing that irritated me in the first book and it followed through to this book, and that was the constant mention of Ana's inner goddess.  I seriously wanted that inner goddess to get hit by a bus or something.   There were a lot of issues with this book, but one of the major ones for me have been was Christian's relationship with Elena (who was commonly referred as Mrs. Robinson), their relationship turned intimate and was a BDSM relationship right from the beginning when Christian was 15 and Elena was much older.  Ana is clearly uncomfortable with this but Christian disregards her voice on this matter.  This was something that could have been discussed and it just never happened.  And in the end, Ana can't live without Christian so she says yes to marriage even though they've known each other for a short amount of time and they have a ton of issues.  I have to be honest, if Christian wasn't rich or good looking, any normal girl would probably run the other way.

In the end, I didn't like this book.  If it had stayed as a fan fiction that I could have read for free, I would probably enjoy it.  But it is mediocre at best.  It really didn't deserve the hype and I think it gave a false image to the BDSM culture.  If you're interested in reading books like that, and that are done properly, I suggest reading something by Jaid Black.  She knows what she's writing about.  I personally feel that I'm being too generous with a 2 out of 5 stars rating, but I think I gave it an extra star because of it's origin.  I've read a lot of fan fiction over the years, some have been horrible, some decent, and others spectacular!  I have to honestly say that this one would have been in between decent and spectacular, but as a novel, and a series, I just don't get the hype.  I really don't.

Rating: 

2 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Magically Delicious Kisses

Warning: I read this book over a year ago, so the review might not be so detail driven.

Magically Delicious Kisses (Anthology)

Magically Delicious Kisses is an Anthology with three different authors contributing to the book.  All three stories have a theme of food and some kind of magical properties.  The book was published in 2002 and I read it in 2014.  The three authors that contributed to this book are: Jo Goodman, Hannah Howell and Linda Madl.  I believe I purchased this book when I was working at the book store ages ago, and I can quite remember why I picked it up and bought it.  Because out of all of the authors I've only heard of one, but I had never read anything by her.  In all I remember the stories being quick reads, and fun for little brain dusters.

A Basket of Magic by Jo Goodman is about a girl named Abby Winslow who makes bread that is specific for a person.  When she runs into Dylan Kincannon, she's inspired to bake him a special loaf and travels to the isolated place he calls home.  Dylan who is a Yankee, living in the south shortly after the civil war just wants to be alone, but when an avalanche strands her with him sparks fly.

I found that the story had a nice and easy flow, it was quick but had a good amount of back story with action that pulled me in.  Out of the three stories this was the only one set in America where as the other two were set in Great Britain.  You find that Dylan is suffering from what we know not today as PTSD, after serving as a doctor to Union and Confederate soldiers during the civil war.  I loved that the author wasn't afraid to put in history of the characters and found that it was important to understand them.

The Magic Garden by Hannah Howell is a story set in Scotland where Rose Keith comes from a long like of Keith women who is in charge of the family garden, that many believe hold magical properties.  The new Laird Sir Adair Dundas takes a liking to Rose and finds her quirky and interesting.

Out of the two stories, this one had the most humor, which a lot of times in a romance story is refreshing.  The idea of which craft was an interesting take, and the character Rose is being harassed by another women in the village, which during those earlier times is not something you want to be accused of.  But I do have to say the dialogue was kind of hard to read because it was written like a Scottish brogue would sound.  So I found myself slowing down and trying to follow the story when there was dialogue between the characters.

The Orange Tree by Linda Madl is set in England, where Lady Emmalyn travels to the Isle of Sully to get some of Lord Hughes rare oranges.  She believes that they are an aphrodisiac and wants them for her daughters wedding so that she doesn't suffer the same heartbreaking fate that Lady Emmalyn had when she was married.

What stood out to me the most in this story was that the lead female character wasn't a virgin maid.  In a lot of historical romance stories, the female is always a virgin.  So it was nice and refreshing to read where one wasn't.  But if I remember correctly, this story was one of the most boring.

In the end all of the stories were quick and easy reads with a few minor slow downs, like the language.  For the most part I enjoyed the book.  It was neat to that the stories all had a common theme with food and magic.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (this was the rating that I gave it on goodreads.com)

On Deck: Until I catch up on reviews I won't be posting on decks although I am constantly reading.

Book Review: The Warrior

The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor (the pen name for Sherrilyn Kenyon) is a historical romance novel set in Scotland during the Christian Crusades.  This book is part of her Brotherhood of the Sword series and also her MacAllister series.  This book follows Taming the Scotsman in this series.

The Warrior follows Laird Lochlan MacAllister and Catarina.  Lochlan embarks on a quest to find the truth about his younger brother Kierian.  There are mysteries surrounding the disappearance of this younger brother.  Catarina wants to be free but as the illegitimate daughter of the king of France she's used as a pawn to strengthen to alliances.  On his quest, Lochlan runs into Catarina and vows to help her reunite with her uncle, but he can't help be feel attracted to the free spirit.

So I have to be honest.  I read this book way back in February of 2014 and I'm now finally getting to the review.  I know I'm a slacker.  But I have to be honest.  I don't remember a lot of details about this book.  Compared to the other Kinley MacGregor books that I have read, this one didn't hold the same level of magic that I felt the other ones from this series did.  While I did enjoy the book and the relationship development between Lochlan and Catarina this book just didn't stick with me.  But this was a good book to read in between heavier content books and a great summer romance read.  The one thing that I do love about this authors writing though is that she has a great ability to draw you in and feel for the characters.  Lochlan feels a massive amount of guilt over the death of his younger brother where as Catarina has been running from her father since she was old enough to marry.  MacGregor weaves a tale that intertwines Lochlan and Catarina's story together while also adding some loose ends with the mystery or his younger brother.  As I said, while the story was enjoyable I felt that it didn't have nearly as much of a punch as some of her other stories in the MacAllistar series.

Rating:

3.5 out of 5

On Deck:

I'm not doing an on deck until I catch up reviews.

Bakers Dozen 2013: 13

Crystal Flame by Jayne Ann Krentz

Just like Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz, Crystal Flame is a romantic, futuristic, supernatural, Sci-Fi type novel.  So as I've mentioned before, this book came in a double bound edition with Sweet Starfire so I just ended up reading this one right after I finished with the first book.  Just like the other book, I don't remember as many little details like I have with other books that I have read but I just remember the feeling and emotion of this book.  I remember a little more detail about this book than other one but for some odd reason my amazing memory to remember little details has just failed me.  I might just have to reread this one also.

Anyway, the book is about female trained assassin Kalena and her mission to kill the man that was behind the destruction of her family.  She has to kill him in order to be free of her familial obligations.  She enters into a marriage contract with a man named Ridge but people call him the Fire Whip.  Neither know that they are in danger from the people who are closest to them and that they trust.  Or course even though their marriage is just really a contract, this is important because even though it's not a forever marriage, it is in a sense permission to be physical.

Again this is another one of those books that I ended up falling in love with just because of the impression that it left on me.  This might just be one of those books that I reread instead of guessing the little details that I wished I could remember.  Again even though I can't remember the specifics, I still love this book.

Bakers Dozen 2013: 12

Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz is a futuristic, supernatural romance novel.  Before I read this book I had only read one of her other books before this and I remember not being all that enthused by it.  But this book was awesome.  Now I have to admit that there is a lot that I don't really remember about this book but it left just one of those feelings and impressions that just makes me love this book so much.  I bought this book in a double set so it also had Crystal Flame with it and I read both back to back.  But I'm not really all that clear whether or not these two stories are tied together tightly.  They both were set into the future and use the same solar system, but other than that I don't remember

The story follows two people Cidra and Teague.  Cidra is from a race of people who have special telepathic skills, that she apparently lack.  She's considered an outsider and is on the mission to discover the secret that will allow her mind to communicate with others.  Teague Severance is a delivery man, the ultimate delivery man in the Stanza Nine System.  As long as the price is right he'll deliver it.  Cidra takes the risk of hiring him to bring her to the rough area with Stanza Nine system.  Even though Teague is certain that Cidra isn't his type they soon find themselves in a passion that flares between them that could put their lives in jeopardy.

Again, the little details aren't floating in my head as much as other books that I have read, but I just remember the emotion and the sense of awe.  The book just left a magical feeling over me that to this day I still remember.  I think I might have to reread this story just so I can relive how much I loved this story.

Bakers Dozen 2013: 6

Open Season by Linda Howard

If you remember for my 2012 bakers dozen I mentioned that I almost put Open Season by Linda Howard in, but in the end I put Mr. Perfect instead since it was placed in Michigan.  But Open Season was the first book that I had ever read by Linda Howard.  Like most contemporary romance writers, Linda Howard got her start as a Harlequin author.  While most of the books that I have read from her are contemporary romance with hints of mystery and suspense, the main focus in all of her stories is the romantic connection between the lead male and female characters.

The story is focused around Daisy Minor, who on her thirty-fourth birthday decides she needs a make over on her life.  Tired of being the stereotypical small-town librarian, with boring clothes, ordinary looks and dateless.  Always the good girl, Daisy transforms her self into a party girl, dancing, flirting and laughing become a part of her life.  But she has ulterior motives, she wants to find a man.  She draws the attention of local sheriff, Jack Russo.  Attracted to her before her makeover, he sees that she's going to be trouble after the transformation.  They start a relationship, but Russo realizes that he needs to protect her from more than just herself.

This is probably the one book that I re-read the most.  This is probably my all-time favorite book by Linda Howard (my second being Mr. Perfect) and I'm kind of bummed that I bought it in a paper back because the spine is starting to deteriorate due to my constant re-reading.  This book has humor, drama, romance, and a good amount of action.  And it all seemed plausible.  This wasn't a fiction plot that seemed far fetched, it did seem kind of realistic and I think that is one of the reasons why I do reread this book  a lot.

Bakers Dozen 2013: 2

Envy by Sandra Brown

So I believe this was the first book that I had ever read by Sandra Brown.  While it does have a romantic undertone, there are so many different elements to this book that could make it part of a different genre.  Now Sandra Brown is a New Your Times bestseller author with many of her books making it on the list.  She got her start writing harlequin romance under the pen name Erin St. Claire.  So many of the books that I have read by her have been reprints from from that pen name.  But this isn't one of them.

The book is based around New York publisher Maris Matherly-Reed and author Parker Evans (whom claims to be a new author).  The manuscript catches her attention and she travels down to Georgia to meet the author.  Parker has worked hard to conceal is identity and past, but Maris is drawn to the manuscript of two young friends and betrayal.  Maris's life isn't perfect either.  Going through a divorce the chilling novel seems to be connected to her.

This was definitely one of those slow read stories.  Even though I read it fast I missed a lot of details so ever time I would be able to pick up on details that I had missed previously.  This book was a joy to read, but I do have to warn that there is some vulgar language.  Many of the newer books that Brown has written does have some form vulgarity.  But I don't think that it is added unnecessary, I think the vulgar aspects fits with the story plot pretty well.

Book Review: No Mercy

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon is another exciting book that ties both Kenyon's Dark-Hunter and Were-Hunter world.  While in all of her books since she has included the three different types of hunters there is usually a mention or involved in one of the books, but this is the first time that two different types were involved romantically.  Again Kenyon brings her love of history, mythology, humor and suspense with a spice of romance into another one of novels.  This is of course a romance novel but Kenyon has through the years kind of underplayed it and had made it more suspenseful.

The story follows two of Kenyon's characters who have either have had a part of have been mentioned in previous books.  These are characters that we were already familiar with and loved.  The two characters are Dev and Samia.  Dev is a were-hunter who is a bear and Samia is a Dark-Hunter.  These two should never mix in a romantic setting but unfortunately it has happened.  Which is a common theme in the Dark-Hunter series by Kenyon.  Dev is a Were-Hunter who is of mix breeding, his father is an Arcadian and mother is a Katagarian.  He is special because he was chosen by the fates to be a Arcadian sentinel.  Which means he is supposed to hunt the Katagarians.  Because of this knowledge Dev has always been weird and different.  Samia is an ancient Amazonian Queen murdered by her own sister, wishing to take her crown.  As she watched her husband and toddler daughter get murdered she vowed revenge selling her soul to the very goddess Artemis that she served in her mortal life.  Like all Dark-Hunters she was given a gift, but her gift is more her curse than anything else.  She can see a persons past just by touching them.  Because of this her sex life had been seriously lacking.  Dev is special to her because when she touches him she gets nothing making him a safe zone.  With the addition to the romance between Dev and Samia, there are up against what is called a super daimon.  Which is a daimon that has adapted to be able to go into the sunlight, which leaves the Dark-Hunters at a large disadvantage because they aren't allowed to go into the sun still.

Again when it comes to Sherrilyn Kenyon it's hard for me to be objective.  But I do have to say, this book wasn't nearly as memorable as some of her other books.  It was still good and I enjoyed reading it, but almost two months after finishing it and finally writing the review, there really isn't a whole lot of parts that sticks out to me.  One of the few parts that I do remember is in all honestly is the tale of Dev and Samia's pasts.  They are both heartbreaking and you definitely feel their pain, Sherrilyn Kenyon is a very good story teller when it comes to expressing painful experiences.

So in the end, I still enjoyed the book, but like I said, it wasn't as exciting as some of Kenyon's other books, but if you're a fan of the Dark-Hunter Saga by Sherrilyn Kenyon this is a definite must to have to read and to have in your collection.

Rating:
3.5 out of 5

On Deck:
Death at Seaworld by David Kirby
The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor
Keeper of the Crystal Spring by Naomi and Deborah Baltuck

So just as a quick note, I was thinking about doing video reviews to go with my written review.  Tell me what you all think.

Book Review: Retribution

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon is part of her Dark-Hunter series and is in the paranormal romance genre.  I've said this before and I'll say it again I love Sherrilyn Kenyon so I'll pretty much read anything that she'll write.  Even though this book is a part of a series, it is one of those books where you don't need to read them in order.  While this book is part of the Dark-Hunter series, this book was more about Native American mythology than the Greek mythology that the other novels have.  I loved how Kenyon brought back some characters that had their own book, kind of like a little update on how the other dark hunters were doing.

In Retribution the two main characters are William Jessup "Sundown" Brady and Abigail Yager.  Jess was a famous outlaw gunslinger in the late 1800's.  Turing his life around on the day of his wedding he was shot in the back of the head by someone who he thought was his best friend.  Before he dies he promises revenge and becomes a Dark-Hunter.  After his death and rebirth, Jess keeps tabs on his fiance and her descendants.  One of which is Abigail, who is the ancestor of Jess' fiance and Bart the man who murdered him.  Orphaned at a young age Abigail was taken by a family of Apoloites, who trained her into believing that Dark-Hunter's were the root of all evil and that Jess was the one who murdered her family.  Used as a pawn, she kills a person whom she believed was a Dark-Hunter but was actually a Cherokee guardian who is one of four protectors.  Because of his death, it throws everything off balance and the Snake and Coyote try to take advantage of the weakness unleashing the beginning of an Apocalypse.  Despite Abigail trying to kill Jess, he can't let her die and they have to find a way to save the world, well at least the Las Vegas, Nevada area.

In the book, Jess feels a lot of remorse about his human past life and is trying to think of a way to make amends where as Abigail starts off the book wanting retribution before realizing her mistake and then feels a huge amount of guilt.  Almost immediately in the book but Jess and Abigail feel an attraction to each other but both are fighting it because of their past.

This book has a lot of action, so much action and drama that Kenyon wrote the romantic connection on a more emotional level than on a physical one.  I loved how Sherrilyn Kenyon wrote about different mythologies and beliefs.  While the first few books were mostly about Greek mythology Kenyon has slowly been adding different mythologies and pantheons into her books, which have made it exciting to read and has kept the series fresh and interesting.

I also really liked how the book was open ended and was set up for the next book Time Untime, which will mainly have a supporting character from this book Renegade in it.  Also liked how even though Sherrilyn Kenyon decided to branch out with a bit if a different story line, she still kept it her style and also her humor.  This story was different because it wasn't very focused on the physical coupling but more on an emotional level.  Also she tied in the past of Jess's character with the guardians different Native American mythologies.

So in the end I loved this book.  I have to be honest this was a hard review to write because I loved it, and I find that when I like a Sherrilyn Kenyon novel I have a hard time explaining why I liked it.  I just do.  But then this wouldn't be a good review if I just said, "I Loved It!"  Obviously if you're a Kenyon fan you'll love this book, but you'll also like this book and the series if you're a fan of paranormal romance.  Sherrilyn Kenyon has such a distinct writing style that sets her apart from other authors in the genre.  A lot of the past books that were written in this series have been more about the mythology than the romance connection.  While the romance is written clearly and it's there.  Again I loved this story and I can't wait to read the next one.

Rating:
5 out of 5

On Deck:
Bubble's A Broad by Sarah Strohmeyer
Grand Avenue by Joy Fielding.

Book Review: Secrets VOL. 3

Secrets VOL. 3

This book is an anthology with four short stories from four different authors.  This book and the series that it is a part of is in the erotica genre.  The four authors of this book are Angela Knight, Ann Jacobs, B.J. McCall, Jeanie Cesarini.  I've read books from both Angela Knight and Jeanie Cesarini but I have never heard the other two before.  The one thing that I love about anthologies is that you get a chance to read pieces from different authors that you may never think to read.

'The Spy Who Loved Me' by Jeanie Cesarini is about two FBI agents Paige Ellison and Christopher Sharp sent in a undercover mission to infiltrate Lewis Goddar's compound because he is guilty of murder by making snuff porn films.  The two lead characters have a past and attraction and Cesarini did a really good job of making the reader aware of the history between the two without making the story too long or wordy.  She gave both characters enough description and direction that you really got into the story.

'Love Undercover' by B.J. McCall  is about Police lieutenant Amanda Forbes is in a sting at a strip club to catch a robber.  She is partnered with Detective Wes Cooper who will be the bouncer while she dances.  There is an attraction between the two but if they act on it they could both lose their jobs or their promotions.  This story was pretty well written but the love, but the ending was really rushed.  And the action that could have happened in the story never happened, instead it ended with the two driving to Las Vegas to get married.

' Blood and Kisses' by Angela Knight is a futuristic story plot with a supernatural twist.  A lot of stories that I have read by Knight are vampire based and this one is no exception.  The story starts off where human mercenary Beryl St. Cloud is in need of help.  She's being hunted by ruthless vampire Tagliar who was paid to assassinate her.  She goes to 300 year old Jim Decker for protection.  Because she doesn't have any money she agrees to be his mistress for a year to pay her debt.  During their time they slowly start to fall in love with each other but because Beryl had been hurt and betrayed she tries to stop herself.  Even though this this story is short like the others.  Knight writes a really descriptive plot and follows through with the actions the the story involved.

'The Barbarian' by Ann Jacobs is set in the medieval times and is about Lady Brianna and Giles deVere.  He is the barbarian who is promised Lady Brianna's land.  She refuses to except him but he forces her to be with him.  This story wasn't easy to get through.  Mainly because a lot of it I thought wasn't very believable.

Out of the four stories I like, 'The Spy Who Loved Me' the best.  I liked the plot and the fact that the two main characters had a history and Jeanie Cesarini was able to write in the past without over weighing the 80 page story too much.  The romantic scenes were descriptive but I think it was the least vulgar out of the four.

The one story that I had the hardest time trying to get though though was 'The Barbarian' by Ann Jacobs.  Nothing made sense in this story.  Supposedly Lady Brianna refuses to fall in love with him and give her body.  He kills a lot of her people that she had known since she was a child and in the story that doesn't seem to carry over through the plot.  Also the book hints that Giles deVere was in the holy lands and supposedly brought back customs for pleasing women but for that time frame it doesn't make any sense to me at all.  In the end once this story was finished I felt like the author make the female character very weak and a push over and also glorified rape.  The other three stories I felt the authors made the females very strong and a little independent.

For the most part I did enjoy the short stories.  They were quick reads and easy to follow along for the most part.  There is very descriptive sex scenes and depending on the author different levels of vulgarity in the language.  The Secrets series is all about erotica and the stories are never more than 100 pages long (most of them a lot less between 60 to 80 pages).  Now like I said if you do not like reading anything with any hit of sex this is not the book for you.  Because the stories are so short, sex happens with in the first 15 pages of the story.  But if you're interested in reading erotica and also by authors that you have never heard of before give this book a shot.

Rating:
3.5 out of 5

On Deck:
Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Bubbles A Broad by Sarah Strohmeyer
Grand Avenue by Joy Fielding

Book Review: Return of the Warrior

Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor is a historical romance novel.  As I've mentioned before MacGregor is actually Sherrilyn Kenyon's pseudonym.  All of the books written under Kenyon's pseudonym is of a historical romance nature.  As you know I'm a sucker for historical romance so of course I had to read this book.  Return of the Warrior is a part of the Brotherhood of the Sword series where a lot of the characters reoccur in the books, either by written presents or by name.  Even though this book is a part of the series, you do not need to read them in order.  You wont get lost because MacGregor is really good about making the book about the two main characters.

So while there are a huge amount of different characters the two main characters are Queen Adara of Taagaria and Christian of Acre.  Both knew each other in their childhood and were married at a young age.  Through deceit and jealousy, Christian's family started to go after each other and leaving him the only soul survivor for his crown.  After the death of Adara's family she is the only one left to her thrown.  The shady protagonist Selwyn is after her crown and lands and was the advisor to Christian's grandfather wants the power.  He tries to claim that Christian is dead but in reality is that he is alive and well.  Adara not convinced that her husband is dead goes in search of him.  They finally meet up, but Selwyn is after Christian to kill him.  During the time it takes them to go back Christian is fighting his feelings for Adara afraid of falling in love.

This book had so many details and action through out the book that kept me interesting.  The whole journey back they are constantly getting attacked by Selwyn's men trying to kill Christian but there is also a huge conflict with the relationship with Adara.  Because of Christian's parents murder, he is afraid of letting Adara in his heart.  Kinley MacGregor did a wonderful job with balancing all of the conflicts that were happening in the story.

Almost all of MacGregor/Kenyon's books have the same theme where at least one (sometimes both) main characters has had a hard life and gets redemption.  In this story it's about Christian's redemption.  Even though the story was written in third person point of view it's written so well that you understand what is going on with the characters.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a really quick read and it was fun and exciting to read.  I would recommend this book for anyone who loves reading any kind of romance and historical romance.  There are descriptive love making scenes but they aren't vulgar in my opinion.  There is definitely plenty of action in this book if you aren't a huge fan of just straight romance.

buy from amazon
buy from barnes and noble

Rating:
4.5 out of 5

On Deck:
Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Secrets VOL. 3 - Anthology (various authors)
Bubble's A Broad by Sarah Strohmeyer
Grand Avenue by Joy Fielding

Book Review: Bad Boys to Go

Bad Boys to Go

Bad Boys to Go is an anthology with three different authors: Lori Foster, Janelle Danison and Nancy Warren.  All three stories share the same similarity that the main male characters are considered "bad boys" but really aren't.

Bringing up Baby by Lori Foster is about bad boy Gil Watson who had a wild one night stand that made him a father.  It isn't until his daughter is about 2 years old that he finds out that he is a father.  But the mother is tragically killed and her best friend has been the only mother this little girl knows.

This story was fun and funny.  While it is only about 100 pages there is enough detail to keep you interested. This is different from a lot of the other romance anthologies that I have read because the two main characters have known each other for quite some time.  So their romance is plausible.

The Wilde One by Janelle Denison is about bad boy Adrian Wilde who is an extreme outdoors man and Chayse Douglas who is a photographer who wants him to pose for her hunk calender.  He on the other hand is not enthused about it so she must find a way to persuade him.

This is another fun and funny story that is light with just enough smut and romance to keep me interested.  Again, the two main characters have a history so the story takes place right at the climax of their relationship budding into something more.

Going After Adam by Nancy Warren is a little different than the the other two stories.  Gretchen Wiest's main objective is to go after cheating spouses since she is a private investigator.  But when she is hired to to after Adam Stone she is in for more than what she bargained for.  One: he isn't married, two: he has people after him to kill him.

This also follows the fun and funny story line, but there is immediate romance with out a past between the two main characters.  But I have to say the hilarious funny parts were a lot more than the other two stories.

All three stories have very detailed romantic scenes so if that isn't your thing I wouldn't consider the book.  But it isn't as vulgar as what true erotica is but the language sometimes borders on porno language.  The stories are around 100 pages each and you can easily read each on with in an hour before bed if you would like.  They all have pretty well detailed plots for short stories and they are fun to read.

I originally picked up because I have read a few of Lori Foster's book and liked her writing style and was pleasantly surprised by the other two authors.

Over all, this is a very fun book to read.  The stories were fun and fast with romance and hilarity.  Each held the proper amount of detail but didn't weigh it down to make it seem like you were reading a story more than 100 pages.

Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Amazon

Rating:
4 out of 5

On Deck:
Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber  by Adele Lang
Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

Bakers Dozen 13

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

Ok so I'm cheating with this one and I'm using the whole series.  I really couldn't pick just one book in this series that I have read.  Seriously with all of the funny antics that Janet Evanovich writes in her stories, how can you just pick one.  Again this was another series/author that Kristi suggested (honestly if she had her own blog I'd probably be linking her all the time on this site.)

The basic plot for the whole series starts when Stephanie Plum gets let go from her job and she's desperate for money.  It just so happens that her cousin Vinny has a bail bonds agency and needs some help, so Stephanie decided to become a bounty hunter (or a Bail Bonds Agent, the more correct job title).  Honestly because she isn't equip for it, hilarity ensues.  Through out the books there is an array of crazy characters and some are recurring.  I have to say Grandma Mazur is my favorite, I fell in love with her character from the first book when she shot the butt end off the turkey at the dinner table, and as the series progresses Grandma's character never fails to pump up the hilarity factor.

These books, seriously have me staying up all of hours of the night giggling my ass off.  How Janet Evanovich was able to come up with the crazy characters and scenarios and yet they seem normal I have no idea.  I do have to say though, there is a bit of romance.  But the romance is very plausible and Stephanie's emotions are written in a way that everyone can relate too.  While a majority of the book is based off of the bounty jobs, there is underlying story lines that continue through out the stories concerning family, romance, and the fact that Stephanie Plum always has a car destroyed.

If you ever need a good belly laugh, I suggest the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  You will no be disappointed.

Bakers Dozen 12

Ransom by Julie Garwood

So this was probably one of the first historical romance books that I had read, or at least in the wave of historical romance that I started.  And you might find it weird but I remember clearly how I came about getting this book.  I had read a little snippet of another book by this author, Mercy, in a Cosmo magazine.  I hadn't bought that book but I found this book in the bargain book section at Borders for around 2 dollars.  This book didn't have a cover wrap (it is a hard cover book) so there was no synopsis.  But I figured for 2 bucks I can take a gamble.  I think this was one of the first book that I fell in love with because it was about Scotland, and it totally made me think about a hunky Scottish warrior (I know kind of dorky, but hey I was like 15 when I got the book.)

The story starts off with Lady Gillian as a child and she is trying to escape from her manor with her sister after their father is killed by a greedy baron.  The story then time warps to about 15 years later where Gillian is ordered to find her sister whom she hasn't seen for that time.  She finds out that her sister is now living in the highlands and she must go to find her.  She also sees that the greedy barons captured a boy that they plan to kill.  But instead they escape and go into the highlands to bring the boy to his family.  Gillian pretends to be the boys Uncle's, Laird Brodrick Buchanan's, bride in order to insure a safe return for the boy and to also get help finding her sister.  Brodrick, feels the need to protect Gillian and soon sparks fly and they become married.  There are so many plot twists and turns that keep you interested and I honestly couldn't put the book down.

This story is in theory a sequel to The Secret but the book has enough detail to stand on its own and you can read it with out reading The Secret first.  I love how Julie Garwood mixed in the humor and to romance together and it seemed so seamless that they humor didn't feel out of place in the setting and time period of the novel.

Again, I just love this book.  I have read several of Julie Garwood's other books and I have to say, I have never been disappointed by what I had read.  If you're in the mood for a book that has a romance, humor and some action, I definitely suggest one of her novels.

Bakers Dozen 11

Shadow's Kiss by Joan Hohl

This is a historical/paranormal/romance novel, that really struck me as unique.  Now I know that there are a million different historical romance novels and paranormal romance novels, but I have to say, this is the first that I have read that combined the two genres.  Again, this author was another one suggested by Kristi and whenever she has suggested something to me I have never been disappointed (this is a reason why she is so awesome.)

Anyway, the story starts off with Darcy Flynn, leaving her Philadelphia home to Denver to help her mother for what she thought was a boarding house.  When she gets there she found out that her mother had passed away and the boarding house is actually a whore house.  Darcy who had lived in a all girls catholic school all her life, is shocked that her mother ran a whore house, but after she gets to know the girls, she realizes that her mother actually helped the girls by helping them escape from horrible upbringings.  Being inspired by these girls stories, she decides to transforms the whore house into a school for ladies so that they can learn skills and be accepted into society.

The romance starts when two days prior to Darcy's arrival Jonathan Stuart is murdered in the whore house.  He has unfinished business and his spirit walks the house.  Only Darcy can see and feel his presence, she soon starts to fall in love, but obviously because he is a ghost it seems impossible.  Or is it?

I just loved how this story was written.  It was the perfect combination of romance/historical/paranormal, and it kind of had a little bit of girl power.  Even though the character Darcy falls in love and that is a huge factor in the book, I just loved how Joan Hohl wrote this character to be very self-aware and very much empowered to help these women.  I also felt the that the love story was very sweet, and you find yourself rooting for this couple even though it seems impossible.

Bakers Dozen 10

So I couldn't do this list with out also adding The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.  As I stated in the previous post, this was one of two books that Kristi suggested.

The story is set in the year 1066 in England during the transition from a Saxon England to a Norman England.  The fierce warrior Wulfgar is in charge of an army to claim the land and residents of Darkenwald in the name of William, the Conqueror.  But the conniving Ragnor gets there first, killing the Lord of Darkenwald, and he wishes to posses his beautiful daughter Aislinn.  Fortunately for Aislinn, Wulfgar takes possession of Darkenwald and becomes their new Lord.  Refusing to bow, she becomes Wulfgar's slave and mistress.  Through out the story Aislinn and Wulfgar struggle with their feelings for each other but you see their love blossom.

Also I loved the the plot twist of Wulfgar's vengeful and evil sister, Gwyneth.  Her presence in the story makes for an interesting plot and drama.

I have to say when I first read this story and The Flame and the Flower I actually preferred the other one more.  Only because the speech is written how we would perceive 1066 English would be spoken.  So as a 16 year old it was a little hard to follow.  As I've gotten older though, this has become another one of the books that I pick up on a frequent basis and re-read over and over again.

If you are interested in reading historical romance, you can not go wrong with Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.

Bakers Dozen 9

The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

This book was recommended to me years ago by Kristi when she found out that I was starting to get into romance novels.  In fact I remember her saying point blank, "If you love romance novels you have to read The Flame and the Flower and The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss."  So I remember going to Boarders and buying them right away and LOVING them.  Kathleen E. Woodiwiss is definitely the queen of historical romance.

This book is set in the 1800's in post revolutionary war America.  The story starts of with Heather, going with her abusive aunts brother to London to hopefully get a job at Lady Cabot's school for women.  But the man has other plans and tries to rape Heather.  Scared and frightened she runs from him after she accidental stabs him and comes across two men whom she thinks is a part of law enforcement but turns out they went out on their Captains orders to find a "pretty wench to spend the night with."  After spending a couple of nights with the Captain Brandon Birmingham she flees back to her aunt.  Unfortunately, Heather is with child and is forced to marry Brandon.  They set sail to America where the antagonist Louisa is and she finds out that the conniving women is Brandon's former fiance.

The drama builds into a wonderful crescendo, and you can not put the book down.  Seriously, every few months I find myself picking this book up and re-reading it from front to back cover repeatedly.  I would love to go on and on about how much I love this book but I have to be honest words just don't describe how awesome this book is.

Bakers Dozen 6

Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard

This was another author that I had a hard time just picking one.  I've read a few of Linda Howard's books and I have to say I enjoyed them all.  Originally I put Open Season but then changed it to Mr. Perfect instead.

The reason I decided on including Mr. Perfect on this list was because the story is based in Michigan, although it was set in the Detroit area instead of west Michigan.  The basic plot of these book is Jaine and 3 of her friends from work have the weekly girls dinner and after a few cocktails decided to create a list of what they think their Mr. Perfect should be.  The first 8 or so are tame, like 'must be faithful' and put the toilet seat down, but then it starts to get more risque with comments about package size.  Jaine is also struggling with her neighbor who she believes is a drug deal because of the hours he comes home, his car, and he's grouchy temperament.  When the list gets out the 4 women now have a lot of unwanted attention from their co-workers and media.  When one of the ladies of the list is murdered suddenly Jaine needs help from the grouchy next-door-neighbor, who is actually a cop, Sam Donovan.  Of course romance blossoms.

One of the things that I love about this story is the character Jaine's smart-ass personality.  She is one of the characters who tends to act fast and think later.  But that I think what made that character stand out to me.  Now while most of Howard's male characters (from the books that I've read) tend to kind of be along the same line: muscular, attractive but not perfect, either in law-enforcement or former military and they tend to save the day.  I do like how Howard always makes it about the women in the story.  Even if she has off-shot story lines she does make it about the main character.

Another thing that stuck in my head in this story was that she's cat sitting for her mom, and car sitting for her dad while they are on a European vacation.  The cat turns out to be a little psychotic and the car is one of the original Ford Cobra's design because her dad was one of the original engineers.  And with a murderer after her she's paranoid about the cat and car.  Linda Howard had all of these little plots in the story but they all centered around Jaine so it was never hard to follow.

This is definitely one of those stories that I'm constantly picking up to re-read either the whole story or just my favorite parts when I'm not in the mood to start a new book.

Bakers Dozen 5

The Ghost by Danielle Steel

This novel has made my list because I think this was one of the first romance authors that I had ever read.  This happened during my search for different authors time of life after I had read my 30th V.C. Andrews book.  Now I'm not the biggest fan of Danielle Steel and I honestly can count on one hand how many of her books that I have read, but there was a couple that has stuck with me through the years and The Ghost is my ultimate favorite book by Steel.  I also believe this is one that kind of kick started my love for historical romances also (I should go back and read my other baker dozens because I feel I'm repeating myself, but as I've said this list is mostly about my firsts.)

This book to me was unique because I actually had two different story lines that ended up tying together.  The story starts off with Charlie, separated from his wife and going through a divorce, rents a house in New England.  In the house he feels the presence of another and finds out that it is the spirit of Sarah who lived and died (of old age) in the house.  He finds her diaries and starts to read them.  Her story starts in England, in the late 1700's, as a young wife of a aristocrat who is abusive and she suffered numerous miscarriages.  She flees to America and there meets and falls in love with a French noble man who was adopted by the Native Americans and became a liaison between the tribes and European settlers.  They fall in love and get married (by a Native American ceremony since she is still legally married to husband in England) and start a family.  Her story helps heal Charlie and helps him find love with a divorced women of a French celebrity who publicly shamed her by flaunting his mistress.  Sarah's story and journey help give Charlie and the women he is pursuing the strength that they need to accept their love for each other.

One of the strongest things that I remember about this story was the non-graphic love scenes.  They were written so that you know that the couple was being intimate but not so graphic that as a 15 year-old would have been exposed to too much.  I loved the tie of the two different love stories and it wasn't hard to follow. Steel wrote each time line clearly so I was never thrown off.

Even though this isn't one of the books that I constantly pick up (because it was borrowed) I still remember little details of this book and I read it over 10 years ago.  Crazy right?

Book Review: Escape From Cabriz

Escape From Cabriz by Linda Lael Miller

This is a romance story published in 1990 so it isn't current.  And it's also part of a series by the publisher Silhouette called Desire (they're like a Harlequin series).  It's short only 180 pages and doesn't have much meat, so it is the ultimate brain duster.

The story starts off when Kristin Meyer's is suppose to be marrying the Prince of Cabriz but she starts to regret her rash decision.  The country of Cabriz is in political turmoil and a war is about the break out.  Once Kristin realizes that she's making a mistake and any childhood affections that she had for the Prince are no longer there, it seems to be hopeless for her.  But enter hunky hero Zachary Harmon, who is there to rescue her and stir desire and feelings that they both have buried for each other.

Now while you don't take much from the story, it was surprisingly detailed.  Now I tried to do a little research for Cabriz and in the book it's a small Asian country, but what I found is that it is a small city in Portugal.  Miller gave the reader enough information so that you could figure out the area and culture of this setting without overloading the reader with too much information.  If Miller hadn't does any background you probably would have jumped to conclusions and like me, assumed that it was somewhere in South America.

Another thing that I liked about this story is that the two characters Zachary and Kristin share a long history, so it isn't a sudden whirlwind romance that starts, it's something that was built long before the story even takes place.  So essentially this story starts with them rebuilding their trust and relationship.

Like I said this is good for your average, romance story.  It's a basic brain duster, mind fluffer.  So when reading this just take it for what it is and don't expect it to become something for deep thought.  Books likes these are what you perceive of them and because I am a lover of romance I thought it was good.

Rating:

2.5 out of 5

On Deck:

Alterant by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Jennifer Government by Max Barry

Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber by Adele Lang