What: What’s In a Name 2 Challenge
When: 1 January – 31 December 2009
Who: Annie (words by Annie)
Rules: Read six books, one from each of the categories, with a certain type of word in the title. No restrictions on genre, however, if a book fits in more than one category, it can only be counted in one of them. See Annie’s site for more.
My list (Books in RED are on more than one list/alternate list):
1. A profession in the title: Hail to the Chef (Julie Hyzy) {1 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
2. A time of day in the title: Dawnkeepers (Jessica Andersen) {15 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
3. A relative in the title: Cousin Kate (Georgette Heyer) {2 Feb 02} (REVIEW)
4. A body part in the title: Eye of the Storm (Dee Davis) {5 Aug 09} (REVIEW)
5. A building in the title: ??????
6. A medical condition in the title: Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jennifer Rardin) {18 Aug} (REVIEW)
~~ & ~~
Another challenge I almost completed.
I will not be doing this challenge in 2010.
Update: I just saw the list. I think I will do it after all.
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Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Title: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Author: Jennifer Rardin
Copyright: 2007 (Orbit); 335 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-316-04354-0
Series: Jaz Parks #1
Sensuality: N/A
Who: Jasmine “Jaz” Parks
Where: Miami
Summary: Jaz Parks works for the CIA. Her boss Vayl is a vampire — one of the good guys — and an assassin. Their latest assignment was supposed to be a text-book op: eliminate a plastic surgeon with ties to terrorists. But the man in question is involved with more than just terrorism and someone is specifically targeting Vayl.
Comments: It’s been three months since I’ve read this book and it’s another one of those cases where I was so involved in the story that I didn’t bother with note-taking during the reading, nor did I jot down any after-read notes before moving on to the next book. Some skimming reminded me of what I really loved about the book.
I really liked the main character. Jaz is hardly perfect and she isn’t blessed with superstrength or other super-skills. She has the ability to sense vampires, but she got that skill at a very high price. She tough and funny, yet she’s also vulnerable. Jaz has issues that she has to work through and I’m glad the author didn’t try to resolve all of them in the first book — though it is important to also see that Jaz is working through them, so hopefully we see that over the course of the series. Jaz is also a very caring person. She loves her family (most of them, anyway) and she worries about putting friends in danger.
Vampires as romantic leads is not my favorite theme in general; however, because I loved the TV show ANGEL, if the vampire in question reminds me of him, then I’m more inclined to the like him as well. That’s the case with Vayl. Like Jaz, he’s not perfect and he seems almost human is his vulnerability. I like that he is not overwhelmingly powerful and that he actually does need Jaz’s help.
I also liked the secondary cast of characters who Jaz and Vayl turned to for help. I liked the world-building and the writer’s voice. I plan to read the rest of the series. Hopefully, I’ll take notes.
Started: 14 July 2009
Finished: 18 July 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
What Others Have Said:
Bitten By Books
BSC Review
Love Vampires
Books and Other Thoughts
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog
Blog Critics
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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This is a re-post, due to data loss. (Oct 09)
21 Oct – Mishel – “This a series I have yet to start but have been meaning to for quite some time. Jaz definitely sounds like my kind of heroine =)”
Eye of the Storm
Title: Eye of the Storm
Author: Dee Davis
Copyright: 2006 (HQN); 379 pgs.
ISBN: 0-373-77163-0
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm
Who: Simone Cooper Sheridan and Reece Sheridan
Where: cross-country; South America
Two years ago, I read Dee Davis’s Last Chance, Inc trilogy and liked her storytelling enough to snatch up her other romantic suspense books.
Simone Cooper Sheridan is a former covert operative, part of a group attached to the CIA. After the group was disbanded, Simone adjusted to the normal life and eventually met Reece Sheridan. They fell in love and married. Reece and his brother offered Simone something she never had: a family.
Reece’s parents had died in an accident while he was serving in the Army. He gave up his military career and became a lawyer to better raise his much younger brother, Martin. They welcomed Simone into their lives and everything seemed to be going along smoothly. However, Simone’s reluctance to talk about her past causes a rift when he learns that a story — supposedly about her past — turns out to be just that, a story from a magazine. Fed up with her secrecy, he files for divorce.
You don’t come across too many romance stories were the heroine has the black ops past. It was interesting to see the roles reversed. Simone was easy to relate to because she wasn’t a super-spy. She could handle herself in any tough situation, but she still human and imperfect. She loves Reece but she can’t tell him the truth. She’s reluctant to sign the divorce, and only does so when she receives a message from her former mentor, summoning her. The children of a man Simone’s team failed to extract from South America are looking to avenge their father. Somehow, they’ve learned who the surviving members are and where to find them. Simone doesn’t want to endanger Martin or Reece. The best way to ensure their safety is to sign the papers and get out of town quickly.
Reece doesn’t want to be divorced either, but as a lawyer, he’s big on the truth. His frustration is understandable. His marriage, he feels, was based on a lie. He doesn’t really know the women he married. Even when he learns the truth about her past, it doesn’t immediately fix their problem. They are on the run from an unidentified killer who has already wounded Martin. Not the best situation to discuss relationship issues. However, the danger to Simone makes Reece realize that he does love her, regardless, and is willing to start again if they all get out of the situation alive.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. You do have to suspend belief at times, but no more than you would for an action movie of the same genre.
Started: 20 July 2009
Finished: 5 Aug 2009
Rating:
Enjoyed it!
What Others Have Said:
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