What: The Naming Conventions Challenge
When: 1 September 2008 – 30 May 2009
Who: Maria (Reading My Way Through Life)
Rules: Visit her site for details.
The books can be read in any order and the list changed at any time during the challenge.
RED books are on multiple reading challenges.
I’m going with book titles only:
C – Cousin Kate (Georgette Heyer) {2 Feb 09} (REVIEW)
H – Hail to the Chef (Julie Hyzy) {1 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
R – Ravenous (Sharon Ashwood) {18 Feb 09} (REVIEW)
I – Into the Fire (Anne Stuart) {25 Apr 09} (REVIEW)
S – Silent in the Sanctuary (Deanna Raybourn) {11 Nov} (REVIEW)
T – Twist (Colby Hodge) {2 Sep 08} (REVIEW)
I – Innocence Unveiled (Blythe Gifford) {6 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
N – Nightkeepers (Jessica Andersen) {12 Oct 08} (REVIEW)
A – Ace is Wild (Penny McCall) {27 Feb 09} (REVIEW)
Another challenge completed, one that carried over from 2008. Looking over the titles, I noticed that I have a nice variety. Though most are classified as romances, they are not all the same type:
C – Regency Romance
H – Contemporary Cozy Mystery
R – Paranormal Romance (vampire, witches, etc.)
I – Contemporary Romantic Suspense (dark)
S – Victorian Mystery
T – Paranormal/Futuristic/Time-travel Romance
I – Medieval Romance
N – Paranormal Romance (Mayan Doomsday)
A – Contemporary Romantic Suspense (light)
Finding books to fit the requirements wasn’t that difficult. I did run into a problem with books that start with “I” only because, after reading Innocence Unveiled, I had a hard time finding a second book that wasn’t a sequel to something I hadn’t read or that would hold my interest after the first 50 pages.
I enjoy this type of challenge and would certainly join a similar one in the future.
Addendum:
This is a re-post, due to technical difficulties. Comments, if any, were lost. I apologize for the inconvenience. (Aug 09)
This is a re-post, due to data loss. (Oct 09)
Into the Fire
Title: Into the Fire
Author: Anne Stuart
Copyright: 2003 (Mira); 378 pgs.
ISBN: 1-55166-694-4
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm
Who: Jamie Kincaid and Dillon Gaynor
Where: Wisconsin
Anne Stuart is known for her dark heroes, men that are hard to like, never mind trying to imagine how their heroines fell in love with them. Dillon Gaynor is no exception. He’s gruff, rude, cynical, and angry — among other things. He behaves in an underhanded way toward Jamie, alternately trying to scare her away with his behavior one moment and then in the next, sabotaging his own efforts in order to keep her with him a little longer. He’s a man who’s been in love with the same woman for half his life, yet won’t even admit that to himself let alone say it her. Throughout the book, the author gives the readers clues as to how much Jamie means to Dillon. She also shows us that the otherwise hard man is also capable of being gentle, tender even.
Into the Fire is not a light, romantic love story. I liked the book a lot despite this, primarily because of Dillon. He’s very realistic. He’s trying to get on with his life, atoning for his self-destructive youth. He has his business and his good friend, Mouser. He chose to turn his life around, long before Jamie came back into it, which is a nice touch — a departure from all the other bad boy heroes tamed by the heroine.
Twelve years ago, Dillon was the gorgeous bad boy of Marshfield, Rhode Island, the one every school girl fantasized about, including honor student and all-around good girl Jamie. It didn’t matter that he smoked, drank, and was usually up to something illegal. It didn’t matter that he seemed to be oblivious of her presence. It didn’t matter that the Kincaid’s were wealthy and that her mother hated Dillon. None of it stopped Jamie from secretly wishing he was her boyfriend. Her beloved cousin Nate knew about her crush on his best friend and that made it easier for him to convince her to come with them to one of their parties. Before the night was over, Jamie was raped and Dillon was hauled off to jail for nearly beating a man to death with his bare hands.
In the present, Jamie drives to Wisconsin to learn the truth behind Nate’s death. The one person who can provide answers is Dillon, possibly the last person to see Nate alive. He is also the last person in the world that Jamie wants to see again. But Isobel Kincaid, Jamie’s mother, loved Nate like a son and she wants answers. Showing up unannounced, Jamie hopes he won’t remember the last time they saw each other. She is hoping that he was too drunk and too high to remember the details of that night. Much to Jamie’s annoyance, Dillon remembers all too well, particularly what happened between them before she was raped. It also seems she hasn’t lost her fascination with him. Even in the midst of her protestations to the contrary, she’s attracted to him. It’s Dillon she wants, and probably always will.
But Jamie still clings to the belief that Dillon lead Nate astray and that Nate would never have let anything bad happen to her. In truth, Dillon is positively saintly when compared to Nate, yet Jamie doesn’t trust Dillon. Dillon knows just how twisted Nate was — but there’s no way he can convince Jamie of this. Jamie has been sheltered from the truth all her life. That last bit makes Jamie come across as a weak character. Truthfully, to me, it made her seem more realistic. Jamie has been misled by her family, people she should have been able to trust.
Other reviewers have stated that they did not like the ending. Considering all that Jamie and Dillon have been through, the ending felt right. For the first time in their lives, they are truly free from manipulative influences and have the opportunity to find out if they can make it work and have a truly lasting, loving relationship. To me, the ending seemed hopeful, and I was actually moved by it.
Started: 21 April 2009
Finished: 25 April 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
What Others Have Said:
The Romance Reader
I Just Finished Reading. . .
Addendum:
This is a re-post, due to technical difficulties. Comments, if any, were lost. I apologize for the inconvenience. (Aug 09)
This is a re-post, due to data loss. (Oct 09)
Ace is Wild
Author: Penny McCall
Copyright: 2008 (Berkley); pgs. 308
ISBN: 978-0-425-22298-0
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm
Who: Vivienne Foster and Daniel “Ace” Pierce
Where: Boston
This is the second book I’ve read by this author. Though some of the characters and plot elements from her previous books make an appearance, it’s not necessary to read either All Jacked Up or Tag, You’re it! first.
Vivienne Foster is a psychic. No, really, she is. And that’s the problem. Law enforcement types generally don’t believe in her abilities, so going to them with her knowledge pertaining to a hit on an Assistant DA is pointless. No one will believe her that Daniel Pierce is in mortal danger without solid proof — like the identity of the person ordering the hit or the name of the hired gun. Vivi’s visions don’t work that way, so she left with only one course of action — try to get his attention at a bachelor charity auction and hope he listens to her.
Daniel is a former FBI field agent, benched after a near-fatal shooting damaged his leg. Unable to return to field work in any law enforcement agency, he became a lawyer. But even that isn’t enough for guy who’s goal in life was to make the world a safer place. His track record is hardly impressive, mainly because he doesn’t compromise when it comes to his ethics or his integrity. Even though he doesn’t want to believe in Vivi’s talent, he’s willing to accept the possibility there really is a hit out on him. He wants to be actively involved in the investigation, not sitting in some safe house or guarded by federal agents. Daniel is sure that Vivi knows more than she’s letting on — there is something important she’s not telling him. Daniel doesn’t have many “wins” — cases where he sent someone to prison for life or, at least, a very long time. Narrowing down the list of possibilities and investigating them — Vivi doing a reading on them — shouldn’t be so hard, but their progress is hindered by more attempts on Daniel’s life by slightly incompetent and elusive hit men.
Both have trust issues. Vivi, obviously, has a hard time trusting cops and lawyers because they don’t believe her, and she knows that Daniel is only humoring her. Trusting the wrong person got Daniel shot, so it will take a lot of convincing before he’ll trust Vivi. They both also believe in speaking the truth. Vivi doesn’t lie to her customers. She won’t tell them only what they want to hear, unless it’s the truth. Some things — like death — she can’t bear predicting, so she tries to steer her clients away from those types of questions. Daniel is a “the world is black and white” type guy — no gray areas. He sees Vivi being sued by clients as proof she’s a con artist — and therefore a criminal. Of course, Vivi was sued by clients that didn’t like what she told them — the truth.
From the beginning, Daniel and Vivi are physically attracted to each other. Both try to ignore it. At some point, during their running around Boston eluding hit men, — and the cops and Feds who don’t want them involved in the investigation — Vivi starts to fall in love with Daniel. This is bad news because those feelings prevent her from getting a read on Daniel. With his life in danger, this could prove fatal. Naturally, it takes Daniel a little longer to realize what he’s feeling is more than lust.
I really enjoyed this book. There’s a lot of action, so the story moves pretty quickly. Vivi’s a fun character. She’s strong and she doesn’t back down, even when Daniel is biting her head off for one reason or other. She can give as good as she gets. I really liked Daniel. When you first meet him, he comes across as a slick, sophisticated lawyer, but really he’s a jeans-and-t-shirt kind of guy; happier out in the field than behind a desk.
Favorite Quotes:
“If I didn’t trust you and believe in your ability I wouldn’t be asking you to save the day, but you can’t even drum up a halfway credible premonition.”
“Because I love you, you jackass.”
“Uh. . .”
“That’s right, you moron, I love you.”
– Daniel and Vivi, in a tight spot, yelling at each other
“The place was crawling with cops and feds.”
“That’s what happens when you call and tell them you were almost murdered by a high-ranking mob figure.”
– Daniel, Vivi
Started: 19 February 2009
Finished: 27 February 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
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Ravenous
Author: Sharon Ashwood
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); pgs. 334
ISBN: 978-0-451-22617-4
Series: 1st in the Dark Forgotten
Sensuality: Warm
From the Back: Holly Carver is a small-time witch who busts ghosts for tuition money, but she ends up wrangling a demon when a haunted house job goes bad. Her Undead business associate, Alessandro Caravelli, suspects the demon is somebody’s not-so-secret weapon. The supernatural community is at war, and Holly’s unpredictable magic holds the key to the doorway to the demon realms. Soon Holly is on everyone’s must-have list, and not in a good way…
Comments: I first discovered this book when Kmont featured it on her blog. I’m glad that I picked it up. I’ve discovered another new series to follow. The author created a world that has several potential story lines to follow.
In Holly’s world, supernatural beings have come out of the shadows and joined society. They own businesses. The attend college. They even teach. However, like anything else where human prejudices are involved, integration hasn’t been smooth and there are many who are not open-minded. For the most part, Holly lives a normal life. She’s about to start taking college courses, encouraged by her boyfriend, Ben Elliot — an economics professor at the local community college. But Holly’s also a witch — descended from a long line of witches. A childhood accident has handicapped her powers, so she sticks to the “little m” magics — ghost busting — to pay the bills. Anything major — “big M” Magic — leaves her in agonizing pain.
One aspect of Holly’s life that’s far from normal — even for a practicing witch — is her business partner. When Alessandro was human, in Florence, the Medicis were still an up-and-coming banking family. Though he has his own business and works with Holly, Alessandro’s official vampire role is the queen’s champion — enforcing vampire law and carrying out any necessary executions. He’s very protective of Holly — in fact, he loves her. For the most part, this — coupled with the presence of Ben in her life — has kept his feelings unrequited. Being with Holly would endanger her. Vampires are predators and it would only be a matter of time before Alessandro would lose control and take Holly’s blood. He’d rather leave her than risk hurting her. Complicating the situation is the queen, Omara. She’s in town and her presence puts Alessardro’s loyalty to the test. Omara needs Holly’s help; however, she’s not too concerned with Holly’s safety. Omara is manipulative and uses Alessandro’s feelings for Holly to get what she wants.
There is secondary story line concerning Detective Conall Macmillan, who unwittingly gets tangled up with some pretty nasty supernatural things. From the sneak peak provided at the end of the book, it looks as if the second book will focus on him.
I really loved this book. I liked the author’s style and I loved the characters. Holly is just your average girl next door (almost) — the woman on the cover can’t possibly be her. Alessandro is strong, but not over-the-top alpha. I’m looking forward to the next book.
Favorite Quotes:
“Interrogation is my job. I know how to do it properly.”
“You always get to question the prisoners.”
“Apparently I’m better at it.”
“Boys, I’m glad you’re both in touch with your respective inner children, but skip the tantrums.”
– Alessandro and Pierce (another vampire); Omara
“You boys come up with all the fun activities, don’t you?”
– Holly, to Alessandro, regarding his and Mac’s plan to visit the cemetery
“Will you people stop trying to eat me? It’s pissing me off! I can’t take one more goddess-damned thing trying to chew on me!”
– Holly, yelling at the demon leader
Started: 12 February 2009
Finished: 18 February 2009
Rating:
LOVED IT !!
Cousin Kate
Author: Georgette Heyer
Copyright: 1968 (original)’ 2000 (Harlequin); 396 pgs.
ISBN: 0-373-83446-2
Series: NA
Sensuality: Kisses
Who: Kate Melvern and Philip Broome
Where & When: England, 1817/1818
As author Teresa Medeiros states in the Forward, this book is a departure — more Gothic suspense than high comedy — yet it is not as dark as other Gothics, because it still contains Heyer’s trademark secondary characters and humor.
The lovely orphaned and penniless Kate Melvern is at the end of her rope, so to speak. Released from her governess position for being too young, too pretty, and not accomplished enough, Kate has returned to her own nurse, Sarah Nidd and is seriously considering hiring herself out as a lady’s maid or seamstress. Sarah won’t hear of it and she writes to Lady Broome, half-sister of Kate’s father. Estranged, Kate has never met her Aunt Minerva and only knows what her father has told her of her ambitious relative. Kate has serious doubts that Lady Broome will help to her, so she is doubly shocked when her aunt comes in person to invite her to Staplewood.
Staplewood is the ancestral home of the Broome’s. The current baronet, Sir Timothy, is many years older than Aunt Minerva — who is his second wife — and his health is in decline. Their only child, Torquil, is a bit of an oddity. He has never been sent away to school and he has no friends. Prone to mood swings and severe headaches, his health is considered delicate and the young man is hardly ever out of the sight of his doctor or some member of the household.
Though Lady Broome is very kind and generous, Kate begins to feel crushed by such generosity and wonders how she will be able to ever repay her aunt. Though Kate has begged her aunt to allow her to be useful, Lady Broome has reassured her that Kate spending time with Torquil is ample repayment. Kate is bored with the idle lifestyle. There are no balls or other house parties — except the one dinner party attended by only Sir Timothy’s friends — to break up the monotony, and Torquil’s behavior makes him a poor companion.
The arrival of Mr. Philip Broome, Sir Timothy’s beloved nephew, adds some excitement and change to the household. Philip and Lady Broome do not like each other. She resents the influence Philip has with Sir Timothy and the high regard Sir Timothy has for Philip. Torquil is alternately happy to see him and convinced that Philip is out to get him. For his part, Philip is leery of Kate and believes her to be a fortune hunter with an eye on Torquil. After a couple of uninterrupted conversations with her, he soon realizes that he’s mistaken in regards to her character, and that she is unaware of the real situation at Staplewood.
I really enjoyed this book. Kate is one of the more level-headed, practical, Heyer heroines. Philip is strong, but not unduly arrogant and can admit that he may be wrong about what’s going on at Staplewood. Of course, they are perfectly suited for each other and the scene in which Philip proposes to Kate is the highlight of the book.
And one final note: Torquil? Seriously??
Started: 25 January 2009
Finished: 2 February 2009
Rating:
TBA
suggest
