Blew Moon

My other copy room bookshelf find this one didn't rank quite as high as Pearl Cove did, however it wasn't too bad. I confess that the beginning pulled me in, then my interest tapered off as the book went on. Thea the heroine is seduced into running off with a fortune hunter, who then rapes her in order to ensure that she has to marry him. When her brother shows up to defend her honor and take her home, they duel and both are killed. Ten years later Thea is notorious, a wealthy woman who lives on her own. Her reputation has sullied any chance of marriage and forced her younger half sister to marry a gambler and lout (great word isn't it? I like lout). 

Enter Patrick Blackburn an American planter from Natchez, Mississippi (a less sexier hometown I've never heard of, it ain't exactly Tara) recently arrived and visiting his mother who left his father alone in America to return to her beloved London. Remind anyone of Legends of the Fall? Me! His mother is being blackmailed about a youthful indiscretion and when he goes to deal with the situation who does he run into but Thea, literally, who is also being blackmailed by her loser brother-in-law to cover his gambling debts. She runs off into the night after hitting him. By a strange coincidence someone else has it in for bad bro and knocks Patrick out and slits bro's throat. A fine pickle everyone finds themselves in, and so the story goes.

The concept is good and the story held my attention for the most part, however the character development fell off in places especially in terms of secondary characters. Often people would pop in and out with no apparent purpose and often characters would suddenly have a huge scene or play a big role in the plot but you weren't really sure why or where the hell they came from. In my opinion this hurt the story, I like to know all the gritty details, or at least feel like I know exactly where I am and what everyone is about. In this case it felt incomplete. Good general plot, but it could have been better if the characters were better.

Gypsies, Tramps, and Theives

God bless whoever the first woman was that decided they could take something as inherantly unsexy as a gypsy (or their PC name Romany) and make it into something we pant over. THe dark hair, the broodying eyes, the definace, their rebel without a cause. They sleep out under the stars and can wear fringe and still be masculine! Hot damn. I'm pretty sure the same woman did the PR for pirates, which are pretty disgusting if you really think about it, and made it into Captain Jack Sparrow AKA Johnny Depp.

Mine Till Midnight is the first of the 2 Hathaway sister stories involving gypsies. The second Seduce Me At Sunrise I had already read, however this one was unavailable at the time and I saw it while wandering by the paperbacks. I also gave you the peep show, the cover and the insert page. Enjoy the gypsy goodness. Cam Rohan, the gypsy in question has gone civilized which makes him an outcast to his people. He tries to act the tough guy, but he's really a big softie. The only remote gypsy like personality trait he retains is the rape and pillage tendency, again not normally sexy but it works.

As always the Hathaways provide some good entertainment, and this one is especially interesting because they throw it down old style. It gives you the dirty details of the real dark days when Leo was falling down drunk and Win was half dead in the falling down bee-infested estate. The other three books are all set a few years later so it gives you a different perspective.

In terms of the romance its a little fast paced and ridiculous. If anything it seems like a much more modern anti-courtship, where Bea Hathaway gets tired of cleaning up other peoples messes and relieves her stress with dirty gypsy sex, lots of dirty gypsy sex. Not that I'm complaining, in fact its quite enjoyable. The romance itself falls to a distant second, as usual  the family drama but that is part of this series' charm. Overall a vast improvement over Love In The Afternoon with a better story and much more enjoyable character interactions.

Pearls of Wisdom

So working in a new school you need to find your way around. Granted there are only a few really necessary things you need to locate : a working toilet, a refrigerator, a microwave, the supply closet, and the copy machine. While scoping out the copy machine I scanned the inevitable collection of crap that tends to accumulate over the years in such a communal space. Scrap paper, really old magazines, catalogues for those terrible at home parties (Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, etc.), angry notices about how to change the toner, and a bookshelf. Such bookshelves are a treasure, because they are the home of the lost book. Some are discards from the school library that have been salvaged, some are donated, others simply are picked up from the hallway floor and make a home their. I love these kinds of bookshelves, and it is where I found Pearl Cove.

I had read one other Elizabeth Lowell novel, or rather closer to a novella called Outlaw. Not being much for cowboys I wasn't blown away by it, and found the repressed sexuality as a result of date rape a little heavy, incongruously heavy for the subject matter. I must confess however that I really like Pearl Cove. First aside from either the romance story between Hannah and Archer or the mystery of who murdered Len, Hannah's husband and Archer's half-brother or the thriller-style race to find the missing Black Trinity necklace...I just found it an interesting book to read in terms of back story.  

Romances are notorious for being cookie cutter, falling into neat categories; Regency, Western, Paranormal, Medieval... the list goes on and on. Trends come in and out of fashion, however when you're writing something as mundane as boy-meets-girl and they have sex and fall in love, what sets it apart are the details. I'm never one to put a book down because of historical or factual inaccuracies (regardless of how much they irritate me) however it definitely colors my opinion of the work as a whole. Going in I knew nothing about pearl farming or the pearl trade and I have to say I was very impressed with the amount of research that Elizabeth Lowell must have done, because it was so real and so exact that it almost eclipsed the other elements of the story. Bottom line, it was fascinating to read, because she got the details right, or at least damn close. 

Having not read the other Donovan family stories I can't say how Pearl Cove compares, however it seems like a solid set of ideas for a series, even if the Donovans aren't quite as cool as Jo Beverly's Mallorens. There is a certain spy school, trained assassin element that at time is a little far fetched but Lowell doesn't overplay that hand too much. The romance runs hot an cold, but it is eventually satisfying and there is a rough-and-tumble, thunder down under appeal to the sex. The line "if you want sex or protection press six" is also a real winner in my estimation. In the end Pearl Cove is a sailboat book, its not about the destination, its about the journey to get there. The way the story develops along the way is this books greatest strength, and character development, while slow is eventually pretty solid. I'm tempted to have another go at Elizabeth Lowell, I'll have to do some more shopping in the copy room.

Every Time A Bell Rings....

It cannot be understated, Mary Balogh must be doing some serious thinking about the dichotomy of good and evil, because the angel-devil obsession in this novel is enough to send you over to the dark side. I have to admit, it has not been a good year for me and romances so far, and this was nothing different. Though a look at other reviews seems to show I am not alone. Cassandra, our heroine, is a widow who barely survived an abusive marriage and was accused of her husband's murder and cut off without a penny by his heir. She and her rag tag group of followers (companions, maids, illegitimate children, one eyed dogs, clowns... no wait were there actual clowns?) are on the verge of being out on the street. So she remakes her old dress, Scarlett O'Hara style (minus the drapes) and goes off to find herself a rich protector.

Stephen, an earl and the title angel (who by the by is way less cool than Clarence in It's A Wonderful Life) is blonde and wealthy. He stumbles over Cassandra (literally) and get pulled into her web of lust and deceit. However he regains his conscience after a bout of very lackluster sex (I think they enjoyed it, I'm only speaking for myself, I found it very lackluster) and sets about saving her and making an honest woman out of this soiled dove.

There were really no redeeming qualities to this book. Every word that came out of their mouths sounded like a public service announcement, protesting for equal rights and challenging sin. The Regency detail was non-existent, in fact much of the story was historically off base, some of it by decades. The character's were frustrating and had few endearing qualities and the central mystery, of who killed Cassandra's husband... well to be honest I don't think anyone, even those involved gave a shit. I'm not one for saying books are worthless, but for Seducing an Angel, I'll make an exception. If Stephen had been the angel assigned to George Bailey, I guarantee he would have jumped.

Only The Shadow Knows

C.S. Harris and I go way back, not literally, because she is fabulous and glamourous and has lived the life I would have were I smarter, wealthier, and better looking...but nonetheless I have been a long time fan as I discussed in my post on The Babylonian Codex her join venture with her husband Steve Harris. For some strange reason however, Where Shadows Dance, the sixth book in her Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series has been nigh on impossible to track down. The publisher, a subdvision of Penguin books is one of the chains that is withholding shipments to Boarders and despite the past popularity of the books, in fall of 2009 when What Remains of Heaven came out there were dozens of pre-release holds on several libraries copies, not a single library pre-ordered the new installment this time. It was weird, I'm not sure what happened. I will say that the release schedule, formerly a consistent fall release was screwed up this time, delayed until spring perhaps because of her C.S. Graham series release which was the end of November. People get used to a certain schedule, and if it changes sometimes they loose interest. That being said, I broke down and ordered the book from Amazon (at $13.17 it was only priced like a dollar fifty higher than the trade paperback of What Remains of Heaven).

I, like many readers, have been eagerly anticipating the reveal of the Sebastian-Hero conflict started in Where Serpents Sleep. Sebastian, everyones favorite soldier/viscount/ tough detective and Hero, the confirmed old maid daughter of his enemy Lord Jarvis decided a roll in the hay was a good idea when faced with death back in book four, resulting in the inconvenient pregnancy in book five and now the saga continues. As the series has gone on Sebastian's story has come more to the forefront, both in terms f his love life and his mysterious parentage. It went from perhaps 25% of the plot in What Angels Fear, the first mystery to morel like 75% not six books later. The question of whether or not this hurts the mystery plot is up for debate. Does it make for a better more satisfying story? Without a doubt, but there are some who beleive that a true mystery is just that. Lucky for you and C.S. Harris I'm not one of them. 

In terms of mystery I'm pleased to say that this was much better than What Remains of Heaven, which had all the makings of a good mystery featuring a fresh corpse found side by side in an ancient crypt with a long-ago murder victim... there was espionage, a secret baby, spousal abuse, Benjamin Franklin's son (random I know), but in the end it just fizzled out and died. Where Shadows Dance was a meatier, better plotted mystery, much more reminiscent of the shockingly gory and weird stuff that was thrown at us in the good old Sebastian St. Cyr stories. He faces the challenge of how does one investigate a murder that no ones knows has been committed. His surgeon friend Paul Gibson discovers this when examining the corpse which he has paid to have stolen from a city graveyard.

Now trying to put the murder victim back together again like a gory Humpty Dumpty provides an element of slapstick, I guarantee a mildly disgusted belly laugh at the very least. If anything Hero's presence at Sebastian's side lends itself to telling of the story, mainly because you never know what side she's really on. If this were the 1950's Katherine Hephburn would play her in the film version, a la Adam's Rib. They make a good team and I'm sure St. Cyr junior when it arrives will add a little something as well. 

I will say that the body count does get a little high towards the end, a bit Tarentino and unbelievable. I don't think its necessary to kill off every other suspect just to show your audience who the real killer is... but artist's choice. The mystery is still good, if there are a few unbelievable points or very loose ends Harris' storytelling is so good that you really don't mind. She lets you escape to the Regency period more fully than any other writer or the period I know, and that alone makes her books magical and a real treat.

Divine Inspiration

This book was a random selection, however I can honestly say my estimation of it went up when I discovered that the nail polish on the toenails on the cover is actually available for purchase. Excellent marketing. I confess aesthetically the cover is great. The glut of supernatural novels that have the black background with a brightly colored significant object, all based off the original covers on Stephanie Meyer's novels gets monotonous after a while. I confess the tulle is an interesting touch, and a worthy variation of the now standard YA book cover. Looking at the cover of the second book in the series The Lost Soul however they seem to be following the color scheme of the Beautiful books, Beautiful Creatures was black and purple and Beautiful Darkness aqua like The Lost Soul. Just an interesting is entirely erroneous observation.

Okay enough blabbering, the book. Supernatural of course but with an interesting metaphysical twist (I was going to tag it as something but it really isn't religious or truly metaphysical). The main character, Grace Divine is a minister's daughter and part of a close knit, extremely conservative, almost sickeningly do-gooder family. THey love thy neighbor to the point that it actually hurts them. We get a good look at what it means to be part of a Minnesota religious community (you work your ass off all the time) for much of the book, with the action flowing in and out of trips to soup kitchens, goodwill clothing collections, Bible study, and endless potluck suppers. Daniel Kalbi is one of the unfortunates the Divine's have taken in, adopting him after he is abused by their neighbors. He has returned after many years, and there is still a dark secret surrounding his departure. Grace begins to fall for him, despite everyones warnings to the contrary and the bodies of humans and animals that keep turing up. 

The story is well constructed and the mystery of what really happened between daniel and her brother Jude keeps Grace interesting. The romance is slow to reach fruition and reminiscent of Twilight, with similar results, but Daniel is much more interesting because he is a bad boy. If you can weed your way through some of the squeaky clean hypocrisy and cliches its not a bad read. Bree Despain shows promise, hopefully in the future she'll turn her hand to something more unique, because I think then she'll really shine. 

Higher and Higher

A couple of weeks ago I had a tutoring appointment at the public library in the town where I work. My pupil was late so while I waited I browsed the discarded paperback sale. I was surprised that so many were only a year or two old and for sale. Its an extremely small library however and I think they are so strapped for space that something has to give. regardless of why I purchased three books while I waited, all attractively priced at $0.10 each. Personally I feel as though I got screwed out of a dime on this one. 

I won't really bore you with the details, I'm sorry I was bored with the details. I confess that the last eighty pages or so I skimmed myself. There was a promising start, a earl on the run accused of fooling around with Princess Caroline, Prinny's wife. He returns to his native Scotland to hide out with bounty hunters hot on his tail. He is captured by a Scottish landowner who threatens to turn him in unless he is hand fasted (a trial marriage for a year and a day) to the man's disobedient niece Lizzie. 

Of course they'll start off hating each other then slowly fall in love. It takes way too long, and most of that time is given over to vague searches through the woods for a source of income, a secondary love story with Lizzie' s paralyzed sister, and menial household chores. It was promising for a minute when Lizzie's other suitor showed up, but even that wasn't enough of a defibrillator. I wanted to like it but it was hopeless. The romances so far this year haven't been promising, we'll see at some point if the other twenty cents was wasted as well.

Glass Half Empty

No 3-D book image this time, sorry to disappoint. I knew you'd get over it. So as predicted (Ash Hole) moving from NYC to Alicante, the title city of glass was not the best thing that could happen to CLary and her band of merry Shadowhunters. We're not in Brooklyn anymore Toto. Valentine is heading for the sacred homeland of the Nephilim to get the last of the Mortal Instruments, the mirror. THe powers that be don't believe he can breach the demon-repelling glass towers, The Lightwoods and Jace go to try and convince them otherwise. Clary of course tags along, despite just about everyone objecting.

The whole book reads like a dark fairy tale, what was once a fresh, modern take on a fantasy tale turns sickly sweet and looses its edge when put into a setting reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty or Little Red Ridinghood. Learning the mores and landscape of the new location takes up too much time, and it often turns into a reminiscence of the good old days before Valentine got all crazy.

The book does answer a lot of questions, not all but many and the major story line is resolved. I think I would have liked the book better if it was an actual conclusion to the story. It has all the elements, the bad guy vanquished, the imprisoned mother returned, brother and sister no longer brother and sister so they can get freaky without us getting sick... but there is still three books to go in the series. Clare has introduced the read Jonathan, Clary's evil brother who has taken over world domination as a career path following Valentine's death but you have to wonder if Clare is getting ready to jump the shark. 

We loose a few friends other than Valentine, and some of the deaths are devastating. We also get to find out some relevant history, particularly in terms of the Circle. It looks like Luke may stop being pathetic and actually get laid after 20+ years as an errand boy/werewolf (really his and Jocelyn's relations ship is Luke and Lorelai's friendship from Gilmore Girls with less coffee and more wolf, he even has the flannel shirt). I honestly can't say where this is going next, but the City of Fallen Angels is coming out in April, and I really do hope we go back to the real world, the books were just better there.

Ash Hole

I got so excited about the three dimensional photographs on Cassandra Clare's site that I went back for another one. So much depth. The book...well I'll let you determine that yourself. The pace is good and you certainly will have plenty of action to keep up with. Clary is still reeling after the revelation that her lust bunny Jace is also her brother. Pause for appropriate gagging noise here. Now obviously there is a certain ick factor involved, whether incest is best or not. However when C.S. Harris did the same thing with Sebastian St. Cyr and Kat Boleyn  in Why Mermaids Sing it wasn't quite so gross despite the fact that they'd been lovers for a decade. Jace and Clary share a few chaste kisses and it seems 100x worse. Two possible explanations, one they're kids really and it seems somehow more obscene, secondly Clare feels the need to sort of continuously rub our noses in it, the elephant is not just in the room, its stampeding nonstop.

If I had to give one reason, and one reason only why I came back to these books it would be Magnus Bane. read the books and you'll understand why. He's an 800 year-old warlock who dresses like Joseph in his amazing technicolor dreamcoat with spiked, glittery blue hair and a wicked sense of humor. He pops in and out playing the role of gay lover, helpful magical resource, frat boy, jailer, High Warlock of Brooklyn, and relief from teenage angst. Simon also actually gets interesting in this one, in a big way. He and Clary give love a chance, but you know that ain't going to end well. His story changes the whole dynamic of the story.

Clary is starting to learn more about her new life as a Shadowhunter and her abilities though the number of unanswered  questions still mounts. This story reads like a love story to the city, exploring the uniqueness of Manhattan and its environs. We also get a taste of the other Downworlder factions, werewolves, vampires, and faeries in this book which gives up more insight into some of the secondary characters like Luke. Valentine is as badass and crazy as ever, though her seems crueler and for less pragmatic than he was in the first book.

I think overall this one will be the pick of the litter, I see in the third book they'll be heading to the mythical city of Alicante, and I think the removal from New York will loose some of what gives these books heart, they're about the mean streets. Also the play of characters and unfolding of the story was well paced, lightening I'm not convinced will strike twice. Unsurpassed for drama, big explosions, shocking turns, and glittery makeup.

A Hoyt Matey

Believe me it took some serious discipline (nothing kinky) to refrain from putting either 'notorious' or 'pleasures' in the title. NEver having published anything I don't know the exact details of the through process that goes into choosing a book title, I know publishers have the final say for up and down. But can you imagine sitting down and saying, "I think this little beauty will be called Notorious Pleasures." Obviously Elizabeth Hoyt did. Now Hoyt and I have a checkered reading past, I enjoy her work on the surface, good concepts, but underneath they disturb me a little. Her characters, not to put too fine a point on it are fucked up. Like you would not let your children anywhere near these people. Her writing is also on a number of different levels not at all sexy, sometimes its violent, sometimes its a little twisted, often the word choice is just wrong (if you don't believe me think about this, should the word 'crammed' ever be included in a love scene?).

I will confess I have not read the first three books she wrote, the three princes novels. I have read all four of the Four Soldiers books and now both of the Maiden Lane books. Notorious Pleasures has probably been the best so far, and I think the third Maiden Lane book, Scandalous Desires about Silence and Charming Mickey has potential (how could it not with names like those?). It opens with the virginal maiden walking in on our hero having sex with another woman (see I told you it was twisted) sufficiently scandalous. Set in an unusual time is history for a historical romance, the 1730's this is one thing it has going for it. WIth most historical romance being either medieval, Regency, or Victorian this offers a fresh perspective and a grittier backdrop. Hero and Griffin are satisfying characters, and the way their roles reverse lends itself to interesting reading. The side story setting up the third book with Silence is a little random, though to her credit Hoyt does try to make it fit. The side track with Hero's fiancee and his other woman fits but is somehow unnecessary. 

I did like it htough, there was enough adventure without it seeming flat out ridiculous (which its predecessor WIcked Intentions had ) and the romance that blossoms is torrid and tortured, if tied up just a little bit too neatly in the end. Hoyt knows her history and readers will enjoy returning to the streets of St. Giles and the ballrooms of Mayfair equally. Overall, despite the name, I too took notorious pleasure in this one.

No Bones About It

Very dramatic picture, eh? Its three dimensional which you don't get a lot here at Headcase, Bookcase. Don't get used to it. So I bit and tried to go modern with Cassandra Clare. Predictably I didn't like it as well, and surprisingly I don't think it was because I went into it with a bad attitude. First I didn't think the characters were as finely drawn or nearly as interesting as Clockwork Angel, the roles are essentially the same with a few more stereotypes thrown in. Secondly the author attempts to weave several subplots, which we know will eventually make sense, but in reality just frustrate us. Third, I understand the idea of one big happy family tied by their love of demon fighting, but honestly she pushes the envelope a bit much.

Quick rundown of characters: Clary (Clarissa, I know all I can think of is that old show Clarissa Explains It All where the best friend climbs in the window) artistic, lonely teenager, different but she doesn't know why, raised by a single mom Jocelyn (who disappears) and her mother's lovelorn friend Luke (a werewolf unbeknownst to her). Jace, misunderstood hunk of a Nephilim she sees killing a demon at an underground club

and his merry band of Shadowhunter "family" including his fighting partner Alec (a closeted gay in love with Jace) and Alec's knockout younger sister Isabelle. This group of kids is essentially on their own wandering the streets of New York except for Hodge their cursed tutor who can't go outside.

The questions abound, where is Clary's mom? Is Clary really a Shadowhunter? Why did her mom leave the group? What's up with the gypsy lady downstairs? WHy can't she remmber anything about this weird group of people? There's also a mundane (regular peeps, like Muggles) best friend Simon who harbors a secret crush on Clary. Undoubtedly my favorite part of the book is where Simon drinks a blue drink at a warlock party to impress Isabelle and turns into a rat. Nonstop entertainment. The book has a few moments where it comes together, the city of bones that the story takes its name from and the mysterious city of the dead it represents is a gothic delight and the Silent Brothers, sightless, silent but brilliant, monks who are healers will give you chills. Unfortunately the plot doesn't always pull through, sometimes Clare is more caught up with taling about the cool stuff Clary is discovering to get to the point and get on with the story, a trap Libba Bray often fell into when her heroines went into their alternate world. As exciting as otherness can be, what makes stories interesting is reality, how the characters learn to deal with the other things in addition to the lives they already lead. WIth varying degrees of success of course

You will undoubtedly figure out the crux of the plot long before the author gets to the point, and it will leave you scratching your head and possibly grossed out for a while. The series is projected to have six books, which seems like a lot, and Clare will definitely have to pull some new tricks to get her readers through. We'll just have to wait and see.

Like Clockwork

This was another book I waited way too long for at the library. I think it came out last summer then I saw it a Boarders and requested it. Next week is March so you do the math. Unlike the debacle with Straight Up I think this one was actually worth the wait. If you're familiar with the steampunk genre this definantely qualifies, picture a whole bunch of Artemis Gordons running around with swords battling the forces of darkness and you have it about right. This is the first of a trilogyof books that proceeds Cassandra Clare's bestselling Mortal Instruments...wait what do you call a series of six books. A sexolgy? Now I've never read them, actually I've never even heard of them so I have no basis for comparison.

The concept is fun, a girl crosses the Atlantic to join her older brother in England. The representatives who meet her ship claiming to be from her brother kidnap her and hold her hostage, forcing her to discover that she has the ability to turn into other people. THey keep her subdued by threatening his life. She is told that because of her special talent she is promised in marriage to the Magister, a dark leader of Downworlders, the vampires, werewolves, warlocks, etc. You know the type.

Only when a Shadowhunter, one of the descendants of Angels sworn to protect humans against Downworlders stumbles across her by accident does she escape and begin to learn more about the strange realities of the world. 

I think if you're going to try and get published in the young adult genre today you have to have some kind of supernatural angle. I can think of very few examples, whether historical fiction or not that don't (think of Libba Bray and her Gemma Doyle trilogy starting with A Great and Terrible Beauty). Meg Cabot(though her Mediator series of YA and her new series for adults starting with Insatiable are supernatural), Ally Carter who deals with the more spy genre, Gossip Girl, Anna Godbersen, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, but face it you have to have at least one vampire wandering around to satisfy readers. Clockwork Angel doesn't disappoint on this count, giving a fascinating history to the race of Nephilim, or Shadowhunter, the descendents of angels. She tells a good yard, one that keeps you constantly straining to go deeper and learn more, revealed layer by layer it makes for excellent reading.

Her characters are also finely drawn and engaging. The trio at the center of the story, Tessa our heroine and the two Nephilim who save her, Will and Jem are all endearing characters. Tessa despite her magical ability to transform is still very much practically grounded in the real world, willing to sacrifice life and limb to save her douchebag of a brother. Will is the Byronic hero, constantly angry and wounded. He uses people and things like Kleenex as if trying to prove something existential about life. THough the majority of his life is a secret, Tessa of course seems determined to melt away his icy facade. Jem is the obligatory consumptive of the VIctorian era, an addict to demon poison (think opium addict) it is slowly killing him, and he tries to prove himself as much as he can before the inevitable. He's the Jacob Black of this story, falling hopelessly for Tessa, who though attracted to him is much more of a mother hen. THe secondary characters are no less interesting, CHarlotte and Henry the disfunctional leaders of the Nephilim who are young, inexperienced, and eccentric caretakers as well as Jessamine the airhead with a heart of gold and parasol of steel. 

Its a good lead in to a series, though surprisingly little has been revealed. Character development is certainly a premium for Clare, and it works because so much of the books reads as internal monologue. There is enough violence to keep our dark hearts satisfied and a minimum of romance to keep me from gagging. I'll confess I liked it a lot, perhaps enough to try for the sequels in the mortal Instruments series, even though I never find modern life as exciting as the past.

Afternoon Delight

Delight may be a slight exaggeration, but I just really wanted to use that title. This last of the Hathaway family romances is a brief one, probably almost a hundred pages under the others in the series. I've read all but the first and I've enjoyed them, and to be honest I'm not surprised Beatrix's story is a bit of a flop. Throughout the antics of her brother and three sisters Beatrix has been a sweet, fun secondary character but she's a little too one dimensional to be a true heroine and far too sweet and naive to be a true vixen. 

In the other siblings stories her animals darted in and out giving comic relief, unfortunately they all must be tired because they're no where in sight. The story, reminiscent of Cyrano de Bergerac with her odd love of animals being the handicap she hides when writing to a hero in the Crimean War is good and interesting, until he comes home. Aside from the expected conflict of revealing herself as the woman he feel in love with via the pen there is an element of post traumatic stress involved (I'm getting flashbacks to Elizabeth Hoyt's Four Soldiers series) which makes our hero unpredictably violent. Then there is the late stage, out-of-nowhere assassination attempt that is both random and unneeded. 

All in all it was okay, it lacked the charm of the usual Kleypas fare and was dry, but it wasn't actually a bad book. If you came for the series stick it out but on its own Love in the Afternoon is forgettable and not exactly a delight by any stretch of the imagination.

You'll Need a Whiskey Straight Up....

The quote " Ireland is a good place to get lucky" is so woefully misplaced on the cover of this novel that I don't even know where to start. A) if you are going to make your hero be on the run from the mob, you must insert some form of danger (we've all read romances, the mob kidnaps his lady and he has to rescue her...not in this book). B) Sheep farming is never sexy. C) subplots pertaining to real estate are never pertinent or welcome. D) marriage before the end of the book, with no appreciable conflicts just isn't kosher, if you're going to get a happily ever after you're going to have to work for it dammit!

Now part of my discomfort with this story is the fact that I waited so damn long to get this book, something ridiculous like nine months, long enough that the library system wouldn't let me cancel my hold. They figure if you've waited that long you have to ready it, no bones about it. Seeing as I could have had a baby in that time,  if I wait that long it better be a quality item. I know what you're all saying, its a romance what do you expect? Don't make me sic Candy and Sarah from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books on you. Many romances are original, putting their own unique twist on a classic genre. Many but not all. 

Not to put too fine a point on it but the plot here just wasn't reasonably considered, the characters were inconsistent and not all that interesting, and I kept waiting for the shoot-em-up theatrics to come (like you wouldn't be). Instead of Sopranos I got soma, I needed a drink just to plow my way through the rest of it. And yes despite the Jameson I am bitter.

Oh and E) the sex scenes in this book are so few and far between that "getting lucky" isn't even an option for the most part.

Bloody Short

Novellas are an anomily in the world of literature, they just don't seem to fit anywhere. To be honest I think it might be generous to call the laterst Blue Bloods "book" (as the author terms it) from Melissa de la Cruz even a novella. I've read longer short stories. The Blue Bloods series is strange (and not just because of the vampires) because I always really enjoy reading the stories while I'm reading them and then once I finish I can't really remember what they're about. They're fluff, but usually fluff doesn't slide away so quickly. Regardless this particular novella was straightforward enough that anyone with even a passing knowledge of the series and its characters.

The first vignette featuring the long suffering Oliver, best friend and long unrequited lover of the series heroine Schuyler is a little random. I felt a bit cheated because it was clearly a thinly veiled promotion for her new series coming out next summer The Witches of East End. Secondly after suffering through Oliver's angst for half  a dozen books now it was more than a tad unbelievable that he would be cured of his tortured affliction with magic scrambled eggs and sex with a witch. Just Saying.

The second story deals with the mysterious Allegra, Schuyler's archangel mother recently risen from her self imposed coma. There are a lot of unanswered questions in the series about her and her relationship with Schuyler's father. THis story actually raises more questions than it answers, sure we see a young, stereotypical love story emerge. We see that Allegra's twin/soulmate Charles is a creepy weirdo, and a premonition is thrown in for good measure but overall I'm not really sure what the point of this one was.

THe third of the stories was clearly the one fans were waiting for, the illicit bonding of our Blue Bloods Romeo and Juliet. It was sappy, far fetched, and over the top, precisely what you would expect. It certainly cemented that this was much more about the love than the fangs. The results of this no-no bonding (see: eternal wedding) will be much more interesting. I guess I'll have to wait for the next books and hope at least a few heads roll.

An Affair to Remember

I confess, I library book stalked this book. It came out yesterday, and I had already put a hold on it, so as soon as the library processed, I got a call for it. Then I read it, and no you don't have to point it out that I have no life. I know. I embrace it in fact. I have an undying devotion to Lauren Willig, she could write children's books about talking vegetables and I would still read them. I confess however that I was not particularly psyched about this one, before it came out at least. 

I can't exactly pinpoint why, but I did have the same doubts about The Mischief of the Mistletoe, the Christmas novel I read last month. In the end I loved it, laughed like silly and it put me in an appropriate holiday mood. That being said the past 2 novels in the series, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine and The Betrayal of the Blood Lily were less appealing to me than the start of the series, which may have a lot to do with this. The core players in the story, the ones that readers came to love, fell by the wayside for a large part. Some of this had to do with setting (Blood Lily took place in India) and the fact that the characters were not part of the original network of spies that the first few books centered around. The Mischief of the Mistletoe and now The Orchid Affair have returned to the fold so to speak, and I think are better for it. 

We see the famed Selwick Spy school in action, something Willig has hinted at through the previous seven books, but which we only see in action now. We also return to France, setting for the first book. Thirdly it is  strictly spy story, rather than the past three books which have been more parodies of spy novels where our unsuspecting heros and heroines stumble across clues and get sucked in. Laura Griscogne, the heroine is a trained spy in the guise of a governess, a pairing of a classic nineteenth century novel plot with a new twist. There is also an excellent double blind involving our hero Andre Jaouen. Do you like gypsies? Of course you do, and you're in luck because we also get to hitch a ride with a wandering acting troop. The romance is more of a slow simmer than a towering inferno, Willig has definitely gotten more timid as her writing matures. While I do wax nostalgic for the old school sex bonanzas, I can appreciate that she tempers the amorous activities of her characters based on situation and personality. Even when there are a lot of love scenes they're never gratuitous or tawdry. 

Its a great book, Willig will keep you involved in the past, perhaps not so much in the future. Her modern-day heroine and story teller Eloise is on a less-than-wild-ride to Paris with her boyfriend. These plots are the only real complaint I have with the story, they are a little on the flat side, you're not exactly charging through the intermediate historical chapters to find out if Eloise and Colin end up having to share a hotel room with his sister. In the end however its not important. As far as I'm concerned Lauren Willig can do whatever the hell she wants, talking vegetables or not. Oh wait, she already did that, I almost forgot about good ole Turnip Fitzhugh. I should go to the guillotine for that, its almost as bad as Augustus Whittlesby's poetry.

The Lion's Bride... Oh My

This book has been languishing on my paperback shelf for perhaps nine or ten months now, I bought it at the small bookstore our library has to raise money. Paperbacks are a quarter and hardcovers only a dollar, often you can get a bagful of books for the price of one new paperback at Boarders. You don't feel guilty about impulse purchases and if you never read it, well hopefully I can afford a quarter. This one sat around for a while but I finally got around to it.

I have to say that sheiks and sand have never held much appeal for me, I wouldn't mind seeing the Holy Land, in fact I hope to one day but the whole Arab culture has never held much mystique for me. Tasha Alexander's fourth Lady Emily mystery, Tears of Pearl, had her inside a harem in Constantinople and I found the whole thing totally uninteresting, the cultural basis is so unappealing I really don't even want to read about it. Ethnocentric, especially coming from an anthropologist, but you can see why I had my doubts about a book set in the Middle East during the Crusades.

To Johansen's credit she does her damnedest to get around the nontraditional setting, her hero is Scottish (and why not?) and by the end of the book the main characters find cause to return there. There isn't a whole lot of wandering around the desert on camels in white robes and turbans, which is what I feared. The plot includes a lot of interesting side details about embroidery and the creation of silk, the Knights Templar, and falconry which certainly is unusual. I was immediately a fan of the heroine's name, Thea, if for no other reason than that the one year I lived on campus in college a girl named Thea lived in the suite next to ours. She was an Avon girl, which I found very cute, I was even guilted into buying a foot care kit from her that I gave to my mother for her birthday. I digress but how can one resist Avon calling?

The scope of the story is long, covering five years with a lot of downtime, which cools off the romance considerably. Lord Ware the hero is remarkably unsexy in may ways, the first one that comes to mind is his demand that the heroine stay and watch while a whore gives him a blow job, but then again love conquers all and covers a multitude of sins. I like it enough, gross chauvinism aside, to want to read the sequel The Treasure, published a mere twelve years later in 2008. I'll report when I do.

Dating Da Vinci (Sort Of)

A week into the new year I thought it might be time to actually talk about what I'm reading, but since I was juggling three books at once it was a race to the finish to see which I would finish first. Dating Da Vinci by Malena Lott won out, but not by much. I actually found this in the advertisements in the back of The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy, which I finish right before the new year. It looked like fun, light chick lit, and since I enjoyed the aforementioned Trials I gave it a whirl.

English teacher Ramona Elise, 36, has stopped fully living her life ever since her husband Joel died from a sudden heart attack two years ago. Despite pleas from her family and friends to get rid of Joel’s belongings and try dating again, Ramona can’t imagine erasing her late husband’s presence from her home. Until one day, Leonardo da Vinci, an attractive young Italian immigrant, lands in her classroom, lonely and unable to speak the language. Taking him under her wing, Ramona gives da Vinci a place to stay and, in return, he brings her back to life.

I wish I could say that was true, but unfortunately the book was hardly what the summary promised. I imagined a lot of funny scenes with Da Vinci struggling with the language barrier, and awkward scene trying to avoid detection for illicit hot-for-teacher dating. That and sex scenes with a hunky Italian(don't bother looking there really aren't any, just delicate references and one or two showers). Rather than that (and yes I realize I was projecting, like you don't) it turned into the literary equivalent of The Family Stone. I looked forward to that movie so, not only because it was Sarah Jessica Parker's first movie post-Sex and the City, but also because it looked hilarious in the previews. With all the torture we go though at the holidays who doesn't want to laugh at someone else's trials. WHen I actually saw the movie for the first time, I hated it because while there were funny moments, it was very maudlin. I didn't come for a tearjerker, and Dating Da Vinci made me feel the same way.

The plot wasn't nearly as fast paced or interesting as one would expect, it wasn't even really a romance, or it wanted to be but no one clued Ramona the main character in on that fact. In reality I think I may just be too young and too not a mom to get this book, because everything Ramona does seems pathetic and depressing. While I appreciate that the main focus was pulling her out of her grief and depression, it wasn't enough to keep me engaged. Two hundred and fifty pages of her debating whether or not to throw away her dead husband's last jar of peanut butter just doesn't do it for me. The fact that Ramona's second love interest after Da Vinci was named Cortland also bothered me, but I guess if Gwenyth Paltrow can name her son Apple, why shouldn't a character in a novel be named after one? Tolerable, not terrific.