By having that gap between finishing the book and when I actually sit down to put my thoughts on paper, I have a better take on which books stay with me.  Since I have to refresh my memory on some points, I usually have to do a little re-reading.  If I really love the book, I tend to keep reading after I found whatever it was that prompted me to refer to the book.  That’s a bit annoying, since I should be writing, not reading.  The harder it is for me to put aside the book, the more likely the book is going to be a 5-star book, flaws and all.

With that in mind, I’m going to go ahead and give ratings to the books I’ve already posted.  I’ll eventually update the individual review posts.  Reminder: anything I give a 3-Star or above is a guarantee that I will try other books from the author.

Five Stars:  LOVED!

• Dawnkeepers (Jessica Andersen)
• Bedded for Diamonds (a.k.a. Priceless) (Kelly Hunter)
• Ravenous (Sharon Ashwood)
• Dark Crusade (Lori Devoti)

Four Stars: Liked a lot!

• Driven (Eve Kenin)
• An Unladylike Offer (Christine Merrill)
• Ace is Wild (Penny McCall)

Three Stars: Enjoyable Read

• Slave to Sensation (Nalini Singh)
• Cousin Kate (Georgette Heyer)
• Shadow Game (Christine Feehan)

In 2007, I did not rate the books until the end of the year.  By having to think back and re-read reviews, I was able to sift through and determine which books still stood out in my mind (5), which were good/enjoyable reads (4 and 3), and which were okay and not-so-okay (2 and 1).

In 2008, I rated each book after I finished it.

Looking back — and trying to decided which of the 19 5-star books were my favorite of the year –  I saw immediately that books like Personal Demons by Stacia Kane and Nightkeepers Jessica Andersen (books that still stand out in my mind) wouldn’t even be in the top 20, let alone the top 10.  And  there were a few sentimental 5-star books — the Gilded Age mystery series books with Nell Sweeney, for instance.  I loved the series as a whole, and loved Nell and Will — but in retrospect, I would have given some/all of them 3 or 4 stars (I read four books last year)

Now that I’ve tried both ways, I think that the 2007 method was more accurate than last year’s.  Therefore, starting with the review of Dawnkeepers, the rating will be left blank — or TBA (to be annonced) — until the end of the year.  The exceptions will be books that are Did Not Finish (if I even bother trying to review it), and books I absolutely know aren’t going more than a 2-star — I think those will be few, easy to figure out, and my opinion is not likely to change with the passage of time.

 The two books I’ve already rated (Hail to the Chef and Innocence Unveiled) will retain their ratings.

Christina

A Lady of Rare Quality

Who: Annis Milbank and Deverel Greythorpe (Viscount Greythorpe)

Summary: They’ve never seen Viscount Greythorpe listen so intently when a lady speaks. To have caught the eye of this esteemed gentleman, Miss Annis Milbank must be a lady of rare quality.

Comments: This book was a nice change of pace, after Black Ice and Silent in the Grave. I particularly liked Deverel and Annis. The viscount is a serious man, but not a recluse or a rake. Up until he meets Annis, his criteria for his potential viscountess is that she be a kind and affectionate mother. Once he gets to know her, he realizes he also wants an intelligent and capable wife as well. Annis is just that. However, Annis is not really looking for a husband. She’s financially comfortable and she’s not after a title. All that Deverel can do is ask her to stay longer, hoping that she’ll grow to like him well enough to accept his proposal. For her part, she has grown to admire and respect him during her stay at Greythorpe. She doesn’t realize the depths of her feeling for him until she believes he’s on the brink of proposing to another woman.

The rest of the story I thought was so-so. There is a small mystery as to who has a grudge against Deverel and why. I thought the who was obvious — though the why wasn’t what I suspected.

I liked the author’s book, Beloved Virgo, much better than this one. But, as I stated above, I was looking for a “quieter” book, and it fit the bill.

Started: 18 February 2008
Finished: 24 February 2008

Just Ok

Rating:

Night Life

Who: Dr. Christine Day (Egyptologist) and Adrian King/Merneptah Seti

From the back: Venerable pharaoh and ancient god of the Nile, Adrian King once sat upon his throne and led his people nobly, only to be betrayed. But a sacred ritual has allowed him to reawaken thousands of years after his death — as a vampire. Now the owner of the Royal Palace, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, he is haunted by dreams of a beautiful woman — and by the dawning of an evil presence.

Comments: This is another book I picked up, based on the review at All About Romance. With it’s twist on vampire mythology, something I don’t read a lot of — yet, I thought I’d give it a try. I had already looked into JR Ward’s series and took a pass on it. I’m trying to keep an open mind about vampires-as-romantic-leads (beyond Angel and Spike, of course).

This book had a lot of potential. The author is fascinated with Egyptian pharaohs and it shows in the details. It was interesting and I had no trouble picturing the setting. As for the characters, Adrian is larger than life, as befitting a pharaoh. His love for the woman in his dreams inspired him to write poetry in her honor and create a special perfumed oil for her. Christine, born into a family of Egyptologists, has always had a connection to the past, though she never realized that the man in her dreams was Adrian, until she actually meets him. They make a nice couple: Adrian is cultured, well-bred, polite, and Christine is a sensible, intelligent, woman.

One of my issues with the book wasn’t that they got together so quickly, it was with the fact that author didn’t devote some page space to the vampire-lore she was creating. Christine, intelligent academic that she was, should have been asking a thousand questions, on behalf of the readers. I thought that the author would have developed the mechanics a bit more, weaving it into the narrative here and there. Instead, it was vague and a little confusing. The other issue was the antagonist. He shows up late in the book and is dealt with very quickly — and very dramatically (though I liked how that played out).

Will I read the 2nd book? Yes. I’m hoping that the author will be a little more detailed with her world-building. There were several secondary characters that were interesting — people from Seti’s court. They are in a similar predicament as their pharaoh and I’m curious to see what happens to them.

Started: 2 February 2008
Finished: 9 February 2008

Just Ok

Rating:

An adventurer and privateer serving the Queen’s spymaster, Sir Christopher Hamilton is dispatched to watch over Anne Marie Fraser. Held hostage because of her treacherous father’s support of Mary Queen of Scots, Anne Marie’s cloistered plight angers and than frustrates Kit. Rescuing her from her father’s cruel hands, Kit seeks permission from the Queen to marry.

Author: Anne Herries
ISBN: 0-373-30517-6 (Harlequin Historical)
Finished/Tossed: 27 August 2007
Who: Anne Marie Fraser and Sir Christopher Hamilton
When: 1586-1588

The third book of The Elizabethan Season — the autumn of her reign — spans a two year period (1586-1588). It is the period that sees the execution of Mary of Scots. It is also the period that sees both a great triumphant — the defeat of the Spanish Armada — and a great personal tragedy — the death of her beloved Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Anne Marie Fraser leads a mostly uneventful life. She is being used as leverage, to ensure her father behaves himself. The couple who care for her are kind and love her like a daughter – and she loves them — yet she still feels that she must obey her father. So far, that’s been pretty easy to do. The Makepeaces allow her to practice her Catholic faith discreetly. As the Queen’s ward, Elizabeth will decide if and when she marries, and that man will be a loyal Protestant — someone Lord Fraser would definitely object to.

Walsingham is convinced that Fraser has been in contact with Anne Marie and that he is also involved in the most recent plot to put Mary on the throne. He sends Kit to spy on Anne Marie. Beth Makepeace is Kit’s kinswoman. He’s met Anne Marie, ten years ago when she was ten, and he’s not really comfortable about spying on her. He knows her life’s been hard and she has no freedom, and he thinks her whole situation is unfair to her. One of the things I liked about this book was scene where they meet for the first time since she was a girl. Anne Marie is sitting with her sketch book, contemplating the sea and wishing for a color palette, when she hears someone ask her what she’s doing. Startled at first, she does recognize him and they enter into a casual conversation as if the last time they saw each other was ten minutes ago, not ten years.

Kit is immediately smitten with her, making it all the more difficult for him to spy. He doesn’t want to pry, but he tells that if she needs someone to confide in, she can come to him. In the meantime, Kit takes her riding every day and promises to take her to a fair. Anne Marie is thrilled with these little freedoms. And she’s falling in love with Kit.

Things start going wrong for them after Kit leaves to make his report to Walsingham. Ann Marie is kidnaped by Bevis Frampton. Kit rescues her, but her attitude angers him and he lets her believe that he’s been ordered to marry her. From that point on, both misconstrue each other’s behavior. Kit does love her, but because he hasn’t explained what really happened when he saw the Queen, he thinks her cold behavior means she doesn’t love him. So Kit decides he won’t force his attentions on her and he tries to subtly woo her. Anne Marie thinks his restraint is a sign he doesn’t want her so she strives to remain reserved, not wanting to have her heart broken. It gets to the point that Kit is driven, in anger, to London — and possibly into the arms of a mistress. His mother decides to take action, though her efforts almost make things worse.

Sir Nicholas and Lady Grantly (Lady in Waiting) are Kit’s neighbors so they have a few scenes. Sir Oliver Woodville (Maid of Honor) is mentioned, but does not appear. And of course, Bevis Frampton is up to his old tricks, though he’s not much of a presence in this book.

Just Ok

During her return to Spain with her father, the lovely Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is horrified when their ship is set upon by pirates. Far worse is her discovery that their captor isn’t just any pirate — he is the notorious Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, an Englishman with a scandalous reputation for plundering Spanish ships. But Dominica’s pride braces her determination to be no one’s hostage . .

Author: Georgette Heyer
ISBN: 0-373-83604-X (Harlequin)
Finished: 2005
Who: Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva and Sir Nicholas Beauvallet
When: 1586 — mentioned in book

For a book that starts off with a sea battle and has several escape and chase scene, I was not that impressed with the story. Dominica is not as proactive as other Heyer heroines. The fact that she fell in love with Sir Nicholas too quickly also bothered me. I’m used to Victoria Holt’s heroines, who are a little more strong in their resolve to hate the hero of the book before falling in love with them. With the exception of Dona Beatrice de Carvalho, all the other were stock characters. Dona Beatrice, determined to have Dominica marry her son, Don Diego, is a worthy adversary. She is polite and genteel, but she controls her husband and she keeps a tight rein on her niece. Dominica’s only hope are her uncle from her mother’s side of the family and Sir Nicholas. Dominica can only sit back and wait to be rescued again.

Favorite Quotes:
Dona Beatrice was confronted by Flaming Indignation in a charming form, and blinked at it.
— Dominica, in a right royal rage, comes to she her aunt

Just Ok

Reluctant Witness
Author: Kathleen Long
ISBN: 0-373-22959-3 (Harlequin Intrigue)
Finished/Tossed: 28 January 2007
Who: Kerri Nelson, sculptor and Wade Sorenson, owns Sorenson Construction

From the back: He’d witnessed a heinous crime and now Kerri Nelson’s young son insisted on testifying. Part of her was proud, but a bigger part wanted to wrap him in her arms and run. Then her nemesis–and one-time crush–Wade Sorenson stepped in and insisted on keeping them both safe. She had had no intention of relying on the man she blamed for shattering her family…until someone came after her little boy. Kerri soon found the safest place was in Wade’s arms–which scared her more than any elusive criminal ever could. And made her realize how much she still had to lose.

Comments: I’ve made it a habit to keep an open mind when reading a mystery. I’m never sure if the author is the type to practice a bit of misdirection. So even when the author seems to be pointing at one suspect, I watch out for hints that there might be another possibility. In this story, it’s Wade’s connection to a mob family that hints at a second suspect: in his youth, his friend was the son of a prominent mob boss. The father took a liking to Wade and treated him like a son.

Because of this connection, Wade is trying to keep his business reputation above reproach. It is so important to him that he convinces Kerri to allow Tom to come forward. It wasn’t his intention to put the boy’s life in danger, of course, but he takes their safety into his own hands and they go into hiding. The problem is, they can’t seem to lose the attacker. This doesn’t improve his relationship with Kerri.

Kerri is frightened for her son’s safety, and very protective of him. When she does something stupid, like take her son out in public, you wonder if she’s lost her common sense. To be fair, she wasn’t aware that their attacker had manage to follow them, or the fact that even with a dye job and hair cut, she would be instantly recognized. Also, she’s trying to maintain a little normalcy for Tom, and taking him to the boardwalk for breakfast and skee-ball seemed harmless to her.

I don’t know how your average 10-year-old would behave in this situation, but Tom handled himself well. I liked the fact that the author chose to make the boy an avid reader who becomes heartbroken when his favorite books are destroyed. Tom adores Wade, who was his father’s best friend. The boy idolizes him and Wade is very patient with him.

Running for your life and trying to protect a child can put a damper on a relationship. It doesn’t help matters that John Nelson died on one of Wade’s constructions sites, and Wade testified to the fact it was John’s own negligence that caused the accident. Kerri believes that Wade betrayed John’s memory by placing the blame on him, even if it was his mistake. They haven’t spoken in three years, and then Wade shows up on her doorstep and insists that Tom come forward. It seems that Wade’s been in love with her a long time, even before John asked her to marry him. He even gave her an amethyst heart that she still carries as a good luck charm (which begs the question, in this day and age, why she didn’t ask Wade out after accepting the necklace?)

All in all, I thought the book was good introduction to the Intrigue line. I prefer historical to contemporary, so any book I finish that doesn’t leave a bad taste is doing something right. The author didn’t convolute the plot, the arsonist/budding hit man wasn’t over-the-top, and the heroine didn’t cross the “too stupid to live” line.

Book was okay, but not a keeper.

Rating:

Just Ok

On her way to being presented at court, Catherine Moor fights back with spirit when she is attacked in a teeming London street. Tales of Cat’s adventure reach the queen, who — impressed with the young woman’s lively mind — claims her as a lady of the bedchamber.

Author: Anne Herries
ISBN: 0-373-30511-7 (Harlequin Historical)
Finished/Tossed: 4 July 2007
Who: Catherine Moor and Sir Nicholas Grantly
When: September 1560; 1571-1573

This is the second book in The Elizabethan Season mini-series. Elizabeth has been on the throne for approximately 12 years. It is the “summer” of her reign, a time that sees the exposure of the Ridolfi Plot, execution of the Duke of Norfolk, the massacre of Huguenots on St. Bartholomew’s Eve, Francis Drake setting off to the Americas to plunder Spanish shipping, and, of course, her advisors attempting to marry her off to the duc d’Alençon.

The hero of this book is Sir Nicholas Grantly, younger brother of Harry Grantly. Harry died in Italy while on his Grand Tour with Oliver Woodville (hero of Maid of Honor). His brother’s death still haunts him. Though initially an idle courtier, he agrees to work with Walsingham to uncover plots against the queen. He is returning from one such mission when he first meets Catherine Moor, the heroine.

At first, Catherine believes he’s nothing more than a rogue, having seen him laughing at much-tormented actors in a village square. He comes to her aid twice, once on the road to London and then again when she and her father are set upon by thieves. Nick’s flirtatious behavior has her on her guard. She has decided that she rather stay unmarried, caring for her father, and will only agree to a marriage if it’s a love match. Just when his behavior toward her make her think that she might mean more to him than a casual flirtation, Nick leaves London without a word.

On a mission for Walsingham, Nick is gone longer than he expected. He can’t stop thinking about Catherine and comes to realize that she is the only one for him. He fears that she may have long since married. All that he can hope for is that she’s still free and that she might be interested in him. He has no idea just how deep her feelings were when he left.

Catherine believes herself a woman scorned. Her heart is broken and her pride hurt. Having come to Elizabeth’s attention because of her bravery during the attack on her father and herself, Catherine has been a maid of honor to the queen since Nick left London. She has spent that time fending off amorous suitors, holding to her decision never to marry, and continually telling herself that she doesn’t care for Nick and that he is nothing but a rogue and flirt. Catherine is, at times, tedious in this observation of Nick. Fortunately, she never becomes a shrew. That’s Louise Montpellier’s role.

After he returns to court, Nick attempts to woo Catherine. At first, he’s puzzled by her behavior because he’s unaware of the hurt she felt when he left. During one of their verbal sparring matches, the queen commands that Nick write a play and that he and Catherine must perform in it. This provides Nick with the chance to humble himself before Catherine and prove that he is sincere. It works, but now the queen is no longer in a good mood regarding her ladies marrying.

Nick is a nice guy and never really deserves the label of rogue, at least not during the time Catherine is acquainted with him. He must keep up the charade at court as his job is a secret (the queen knows, of course). There are several instances in the book, besides the times he comes to Catherine’s aid, depicting Nick’s acts of kindness to others. Nick thinks himself ambitious, but he comes across as a man determined to learn what really happened to his brother, and his association with Walsingham is a means to an end. Not that he doesn’t want to serve his queen. He just doesn’t come across as a person trying to maneuver for favors in court. Serving the queen and keeping her happy are just survival tactics.

The mystery, which is carried over from Maid of Honor, is still unresolved by the end. However, a little more light is shed on the character of Bevis Frampton, and we now have more of a motive. The supernatural elements are handled better in this book than in Maid of Honor. Though this makes it a better book than Maid of Honor, I will not be keeping it.

The book had me feeling nostalgic for Victoria Holt novels, especially My Enemy, the Queen.

Rating:

Just Ok

From the back: As a maid of honor to the Queen, Penelope Jermaine must avoid the pitfalls of Court life — unwary speech and unguarded emotions could prove fatal. A young woman’s reputation must be above suspicion, so she has to tread carefully when Oliver Woodville promises more than mere friendship. Then a shadowy threat menaces Penelope and Oliver. . .

Comments: This is the first book in a four-part mini-series — The Elizabethan Season. As appropriate for the start of a series, it takes place during the months leading up to Elizabeth’s January 15, 1559 coronation, the “springtime” of her reign. The other three books will have a similar “season” theme. I enjoy the Elizabethan era as much as the Regency, so I was really looking forward to reading this series. However, I was disappointed in how the story was handled.

First, the things that worked for me:

Oliver and Penelope’s romance. Oliver was jilted by Penelope’s older sister, Mary. He didn’t foreswear woman or become some cynical rake; instead he turned his attention to serving Lord Robert Dudley, a distant kinsman.. Penelope has loved Oliver since the first time they’ve met, and is distressed that her sister could treat him so cruelly. Penelope, thanks to Mary’s intended, ends up as a maid of honor to the queen. This brings her and Oliver together and they renew their friendship. The romance blooms from a natural start as friends. It never feels forced or contrived.

William Cecil. With everything else the man had on his plate as the queen secretary of state, he’s saddled with solving a murder. He believes, rightly, that Oliver is innocent of the crime regardless of the only tangible evidence. However, the victim is a prominent Catholic. Cecil knows that failing to arrest Oliver will give the impression that “the new Queen’s government was happy to see Catholics murdered.”

What I didn’t like:

The plot/mystery. Oliver is suppose to have a secret enemy. However, there is never any mystery. Mary’s intended, the Earl of Castleford tells Oliver that he will kill him, and is responsible for the first two attempts on his life. Thanks to the author’s habit of point-of-view hopping, we know that Bevis Frampton is also out to get Oliver (Oliver doesn’t suspect him, so maybe that’s why it’s considered a “secret” enemy). His motivations for wanting to kill Oliver are vague. Then Bevis kills Castleford and implicates Oliver (Castleford fired Bevis after the first attempt on Oliver failed and Bevis hopes that Oliver will be hauled off to the axeman without delay). When that doesn’t work, he tries two more times: he hypnotizes Castleford’s valet, making him a sleeper agent – and when that fails, he tries poison. That, too, fails. Finally, he gives up trying and literally gets away with murder: no one knows he’s the one who killed Castleford. Someone that obsessed with killing a person wouldn’t just give up — like someone trying to hit a bulls eye — after four or five tries. Oh, and one more thing: Bevis worships Satan.

The characters. Oliver and Penelope were too perfect – it would have been better if they had succumbed to their desires the night Castleford was murdered. It would have made them seem more real and her confession as Oliver’s alibi would have had more of an impact. Mary and Castleford – both one-dimensional. Bevis – well, see above.

This negative reaction to the book will not prevent me from reading the rest of the series. Two of the books are written by another author.

Rating:

Just Ok