by Christina on February 22, 2010
in 2009 "Pub" Challenge, 5 Stars, Countdown Challenge, Fantasy, Ilona Andrews, Magic, Other Supernatural Beings, Paranormal Romance, Shape-Shifters, The Year of Readers 2009
On the Edge
Title: On the Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Copyright: 2009 (Ace); 309 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01780-5
Series: The Edge #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Once upon a time, there was a young maiden named Rose Drayton. She lived in the Edge, that place between magic and mundane, raising her two younger brother to the best of her ability. Rose has a menial job in the Broken (our world) and it is barely enough to keep them fed and clothed. Rose also has powerful magic. Yet, instead of being a blessing, it has been nothing but trouble for Rose. She’s been sought after – literally hunted – by lesser, weaker nobles of the Weird solely, for the purpose of providing potentially powerful children; even other Edgers, more interested in monetary gain than community loyalty, have tried to snatch her up for the reward money offered by desperate peers. The only thing Rose really has is her pride, and if she can’t have love and respect and be desired for herself, she would rather be alone and poor than lower herself to the status of mistress.
Then one day, a knight appears. Declan, Earl Camarine, doesn’t get the chance to say “Hello,” before he finds himself staring at a crossbow aimed at him by a lovely young woman who then proceed to tell him she won’t sleep with him. Intrigued by her out-of-nowhere announcement, Declan gets her to agree to issuing him three challenges: if he succeeds, she will be his; if he fails, he’ll leave her alone.
But all is not right in the Edge. Strange dog-like creatures who seems to have an affinity to magic are endangering the Edgers. Rose and her brothers are not safe, and Declan insist on staying at Rose’s house, to better protect them. Declan and Rose must convince the other Edgers that they band together to eliminate the threat.
What I liked: There is a lot going on in this book, stuff I didn’t even touched on — the above is just the main plot points. There’s William, the cute and mysterious guy who seems interested in Rose, but she can’t put her finger on the reason he seems a little off to her. Then there is George and Jack, Rose’s 10- and 8-year old brothers. Both are adorable without being cutesy. And of course, all the world building. There is quite a bit of it, since the Weird and the Edge are not simliar. Each has their own “rules” and culture. The elements seem familiar — the Weird sounds like a historical, but with magic — and even Rose thinks the nobles live the life of leisure attending parties and balls.
It took a bit, but I eventually warmed up to Declan. He comes across as your typical historical snooty noble — and you wonder why Rose isn’t falling for William instead. There’s more going on, of course. Once Rose gets to know Declan a little better, I started to like him.
What I didn’t like: Casshorn and the “hounds”. Yuck.
This book was the first full length novel I read on my e-Reader.
Recommended to: Fans of fantasy or paranormal romances (yes, this one is more a romance than the Kate Daniels books).
Started: 29 September 2009
Finished: 30 September 2009
Rating:
LOVED IT !!
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
Line of Scrimmage
Title: Line of Scrimmage
Author: Marie Force
Copyright: 2008 (Sourcebooks); 356 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1424-3
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Contemporary Romance (second chance)
Spoiler-ish: I tried to be vague about a certain plot point, but if you’re good at ‘reading between the line’ and guessing things, read at you’re own risk.
Her: Susannah Sanderson. Susannah’s on the verge of divorcing her super-star quarterback husband, Ryan Sanderson, and marrying a man who has a normal job, and who can give her the quiet life she’s wants.
Him: Ryan Sanderson. After winning the Super Bowl for the third time, Ryan has only ten days to change Susannah’s mind before the divorce is final.
Sanderson vs. Sanderson: Susannah has long felt that she comes in second in his life, after football. The point is re-enforced when Ryan returns to playing shortly after a family tragedy. Years of worrying for his safety on the field and watching other women coming on to him all the time have fed her insecurities and compounded the problem. She’s finally had enough and filed for divorce. The judge insists on a six month cooling off period. Ryan spends that time playing football; Susannah spends part of that time planning her wedding.
In His Defense: Instead of turning to her husband in their time of grief, Susannah made Ryan feel like it was his fault. She chose to turn to her family for comfort. Hurting himself and feeling unwanted, Ryan returned to the only thing that made sense to him: football. Had he asked for it, he probably could have asked for a leave of absence, but what would have been the point if Susannah was closing herself off to him, refusing to talk about things. Not helping the situation is the fact her family has never thought highly of him. She came from money; he was raised by a poor, single mother in Texas. To them, Ryan is just a dumb jock, no matter what his college diploma reads. Her family approves of Henry Merrill, the man she’s on the verge of marrying. Though Ryan is hardly perfect, he’s never cheated on Susannah nor has he ever been tempted to do so. She means the world to him, and he knows that she’s part of the reason he’s not just another over-paid prima donna with a bad boy reputation. She keeps him grounded.
Reconciliation: Talking about the tragedy and its aftermath goes a long way in starting the healing process; however, there’s Henry and his parents, and Susannah’s own family who all think that she’s making a mistake. And then there are Susannah’s own insecurities. No matter how sincere and up front Ryan is, Susannah still jumps to the wrong conclusion about him and his actions. Near the end, after Henry’s last vindictive attempt to break them up, I felt that Ryan was on the brink of falling out of love with her. He doesn’t, of course. He knows if he lets things fester and allows it to drive them apart, Henry would win.
Verdict: One of the reasons I liked this book as much as I did was the fact that, when the book starts, Ryan seems to be just another smug, alpha male jerk who thinks he can win the wounded party over with a few kisses and promises. But Ryan knows he’s screwed up big time; he is sincere and he’s willing to beg for a second chance. Once he got to tell his side of the story, I started rooting for him.
Downside: At times, I found myself wanting to shake either Ryan or Susannah — mostly Susannah in the latter half of the book — when one of them did or said something stupid. And I really would have liked to have seen someone deck Henry.
Recommend to: Those looking for a straight-forward, non-paranormal romance and those who enjoy second chance romances. It’s light on football — the season is over when the book starts — so non-sports buffs can breath a little easier and give the book a chance.
Started: 22 September 2009
Finished: 29 September 2009
LOVED IT !!
about
The Maverick's Greek Island Mistress
Author: Kelly Hunter
UK Title: Taken by the Bad Boy
UK ISBN: 978-0-263-86373-4
UK Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon (Modern Heat)
Copyright: 2008
N. A. Title: The Maverick’s Greek Island Mistress
N. A. ISBN: 978-0-373-12825-9
Published in N. A.: 2009 (Harlequin); 185 pgs.
Series: Harlequin Presents #2825
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Her: Serena Comino. Serena is on the island to fulfill her obligation to her grandparents by taken her turn at running the family-owned vespa rental stand. Her Greek relations also own a fishing boat, which is being run by her cousin Nico. Serena would rather be pursuing a career in photojournalism. She passes the time, and satisfies her inner shutter-bug, by taking photos to be used in postcards. Her family, even the Australian side, doesn’t understand her desire and considers her photography as a hobby. When she first sees Pete, she views him as someone who would be fun to pass the time with while on the island.
Him: Pete Bennett. Pete was an air-sea search and rescue pilot. One too many “failures” — in situations he had no power to control — have taken a toll. He’s walked away from that life, but he hasn’t made any long-term plans either. He’s in perfect position to sub for a friend, with a broken leg, flying day-trippers to and from the little island. Pete’s attracted to Serena and is willing to be her distraction, but any sort of intimate relationship is hampered by the over-protective friends of Serena’s family. That doesn’t bother Pete too much. He knows a thing or two about over-protective families. After their mother died, Pete and his brothers behave similarly in regards to their baby sister, Hallie.
Taken by the Bad Boy
The relationship progress: Neither of them are looking for a long term relationship when they first meet. Serena is looking for a career and Pete isn’t looking to settle down anytime soon. But, no matter how determined Pete is to keep things casual, he ends up falling for her. He helps her with her search for photojournalism jobs and she helps him deal with his ghosts. Serena also encourages him to return to Australia, and air-sea search and rescue.
The conflict: Just as he’s made the decision to return to his old job, hopefully with Serena at his side, Serena is offered a job in Athens.
What I liked: Pete. He’s a great guy. Good-natured, as he puts up with the crazy locals sabotaging his attempts to be alone with Serena. He supportive of Serena and understands and appreciates her dreams of being a photographer.
What I didn’t like: As it is sometimes the case, the Presents title is a little misleading. It gives the wrong impression about Pete and Serena’s relationship. A more accurate title would have been “The Maverick’s Greek Island Fling”. Pete is not married or in some other serious relationship, and Serena’s is in no way his mistress.
Miscellaneous:
- This is the 3rd book featuring one of the Bennett siblings. Previously, we met Hallie (Wife for a Week) and Tristan (Bedded for Diamonds).
- There will be two more books, featuring Luke Bennett and Jake Bennett, in 2010 (UK release).
- I know I’ve said this before, but Kelly Hunter is still my favorite Presents author. Her books are fun to read.
- There is a secondary romance between Nico and Chloe, the woman who runs the little hotel. Her young nephew Sam, befriends Pete.
- Jake, Luke, and Tristan make an appearance in this book.
Recommended to: Those who wish to try a Presents book, but are leery of over-the-top alpha men, billionaires, etc. Pete’s almost an ordinary guy. And Serena is a strong heroine: she not afraid go after the things she wants.
Favorite Quotes:
“Wedding photographer in Vegas?”
“Only if I’d be working for Elvis.”
“It’s possible.”
– Pete, Serena (looking at jobs for her)
“A British rock god needs a helicopter pilot to keep on retainer.”
“Just shoot me now.”
– Serena, Pete (looking at jobs for him)
Started: 31 August 2009
Finished: 6 September 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
What: The Year of Readers 2009
When: 1 January – 31 December 2009
Who: Jodie (Book Gazing)
Rules: The participants of this challenge raise funds for a reading-related charity of their choice. Getting other people to sponsor you — pledge money based on number of books — is strictly voluntary. Due to the nature of the challenge, there are very few restrictions on what counts as a book: for example, graphic novels and poetry anthologies count; newspapers and magazines do not. To read more about the challenge, visit The Year of Readers website.
The charity I chose is First Book.
My personal pledge is $2.00 $3.00 per book. I hope to read 60 books by the end of the year.
I will track my progress on the 2009 Master Reading List.
~~ & ~~
When I realized that I wasn’t going to reach my original goal of 60 books in 2009, I changed my per book dollar amount. I also decided to contribute $1.00 per short story/novella and .50 per book that I did not finish. Below is the breakdown of what I will be sending to First Book:
Completed Books: 36 books x $3.00 = $108.00
DNF: 14 books x .50 = $7.00
SS/Novellas: 3 stories x $1.00 = $3.00
Total: $118.00
trademarks
Skykeepers
Title: Skykeepers
Author: Jessica Andersen
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); 454 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22770-6
Series: The Final Prophecy #3
Sensuality: Hot *
Who: Sasha Ledbetter and Michael Stone
Where: New Mexico (primarily)
Skykeepers is the 3rd book in The Final Prophecy series by Jessica Andersen. I would not recommend reading this book without reading the previous books.
In the first book, Nightkeepers, Ms. Andersen introduced the most of the major players and the readers got the opportunity to see a little of their lives just as they were finding out the truth of their heritage. However, one of the characters she did not “introduce” in this manner was Michael Stone. In the first two books, the reader only saw what others thought of him. To his fellow Nightkeepers, he was a pretty boy who liked nice, expensive clothes and probably partied more than he should. I think “shallow as a puddle” was even used in reference to him. He’s a disappointment to his winikin, Tomas, who believes Michael could have done better things with his life than being a tech salesman. Micheal had attended the FBI Academy, but washed out of the program.
The thing is, Micheal wanted to make a difference. He wanted to be an FBI agent, to be one of the good guys, but he has a secret and it is part of the reason he had to wash out of training. Since becoming a fully-fledged Nightkeeper mage, Michael has worked himself to near exhaustion to maintain control of his tainted magic. So far, he’s succeeding. What’s not helping him is the fact he can’t seems to get Sasha Ledbetter out of his head. Ever since her dossier landed on his desk, Micheal has been obsessed with finding her. She was taken prisoner by the Order of Xibalba because they believe she knows where her father hid the Nightkeeper library.
However, they couldn’t be more wrong. Sasha doesn’t believe in the mythical Nightkeepers. She grew up hearing the stories, but Ambrose’s obsession with the mages — his belief that they were real — drove a deep rift between them. She watched him go insane with the conviction. Sasha is Iago’s prisoner for a year, until rescued by the Nightkeepers. However, as far as she’s concerned, all that really happened is that she went from being a “guest” of one group of nut-jobs to another group. Sasha would rather go back to her life as a chef. Instead, she learns that she’s a bonafide Nightkeeper. It’s a lot to take in, and that’s just the beginning. With a missing library to find and a ticking count-down clock, Sasha has very little time to adjust to her new role. The last thing she needs is to get involved with a man who seems on one hand attracted to her and wants her, yet on the other hand is avoiding her and trying to push her away. Naturally, Sasha’s going to be pissed off.
Michael doesn’t want to hurt Sasha; he’s afraid of what might happen if he loses control. He wants to give her time to adjust. But the gods and the Order of Xibalba have their own agendas regarding the pair. Michael tries so hard to do the mature, rational thing — what he feels is the right thing to do — when dealing with Sasha. She’s looking for commitment, having been let down too many times. And as much as he’d like to give her that assurance, he doesn’t think he’ll have a future, and he won’t promise her something he can’t give her. Since this is a romance, Michael eventually finds a way for them to have their HEAWRATTSTW**, by doing things the “newfangled way”.
Unlike it’s predecessors, there is less head hoping in this book. Rabbit and Lucius are the only other “eyes” we see the story from. Rabbit is off at school, along with his girlfriend, Myrinne. As usual, his attempts to do something right, to make up for the mess he made in the past, doesn’t go well — he totally misses the significance of the images he sees, not realizing they point to a specific Nightkeeper, the one who could supposedly help him. I’m still rooting for the guy. Ms. Andersen mentioned that there will be a total of nine books, and I’m guessing that Rabbit and — presumably — Myrinne get their own story. My guess: the last book.
Then there’s Lucius. We don’t see much of him in this book, but he plays a significant part regardless of how little scene time he gets. The poor guy. I said, back when the first book came out, that I thought that Lucius would eventually play a major roll. And I was right. But. . .WOW. I’m looking forward to his book, Demonkeepers, which is due in April.
I continue to enjoy the overall story line and the characters.
* = Though the love scenes are few and not overly long, sex magic is an important part of this group’s culture and therefore a strong motivation for couples to hook up. The whole series should be labeled “Hot”.
** = happily ever after while racing against time to save the world.
Started: 5 August 2009
Finished: 17 August 2009
Favorite Quote:
“Love helps us break the patterns.”
– Rabbit
Rating:
LOVED IT !!
What Others Have Said:
My Thoughts on Nothing Much at All
Night Owl Romance
Joyfully Reviewed
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
