A Spirited Romance by Alana Clayton

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
ROR Summer Challenge
1000 Regency Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
WILL THE SEARCH FOR SPIRITS TURN OF LOVE INSTEAD?

Clearing Ellery Lawford, Lord Trent's country home, of ghosts is just another job for Miss Vanessa Grayson. After all, her ability to communicate with spirits is her only means of income--and with her missing sister's infant left in her care, she needs funds post haste. But the task at hand is more complicated than usual, because Trent's soon-to-be fiancee seems to be inventing menacing spirits everywhere. Even more disturbing is the fact that Vanessa finds the young nobleman dangerously appealing. 

Lord Trent can't believe that skittish, demanding Cornelia Burnett is the woman he is about to marry--especially with level-headed and inexpressibly pretty Miss Grayson in attendance. But can he trust his attraction to a woman who talks to the dead? A woman whom he suspects might be linked with a nefarious London club and his own brother's disappearance? When the tangled threads of proof become a frustrating knot, Trent knows that he needs Vanessa's help to sort out the whole mess--almost as much as he wants the lovely spiritualist's love.


My Review:


A Spirited Romance is one of these storylines where a mystery keeps the hero and heroine from being entirely truthful with each other for a period of time. While that in itself is not a problem, the duration the "misunderstandings" go on can make or break the book for me. In this books case, they went on far too long, pretty much the entire book till the last 5-10 pages. Because of the misunderstandings, the hero thought all sorts of bad things about the heroine-from being a fake, to being a member of the Hellfire Club, to having a child out of wedlock and involvement in his brother's disappearance. All this was concluded in those ten pages WAY too conveniently , and the heroine just blithely accepts his apology. How are we supposed to feel any romance for a guy who pretty much thinks the worst of the heroine the entire book?


Finally-for a book that was supposed to be about a "ghost whisperer", that takes place way too little in the book as well.


I'd give this book 3 stars, but wouldn't recommend it.

Lucky Charm by Carly Phillips

Lucky Charm
Carly Phillips
Contemporary Romance, 375 pages, 2008


Read For
Countdown Challenge
RYOB Challenge


Synopsis:
Long ago, as revenge on a Corwin who stole her son's fiancée, a witch proclaimed an eternal curse that every Corwin male who married for love would be destined to lose his woman and his fortune.

Derek thought he could outsmart the long-standing Corwin curse by breaking up with Gabrielle, his first love - and marrying someone else. Now, divorced and broke, all he has left is his teenage daughter and a healthy respect for ancient sorcery. But then Gabrielle returns, determined to defeat the curse and rekindle their passion. But will her stubborn streak and her unwavering love be the lucky charm Derek so desperately needs?Long ago, as revenge on a Corwin who stole her son's fiancée, a witch proclaimed an eternal curse that every Corwin male who married for love would be destined to lose his woman and his fortune.

Derek thought he could outsmart the long-standing Corwin curse by breaking up with Gabrielle, his first love - and marrying someone else. Now, divorced and broke, all he has left is his teenage daughter and a healthy respect for ancient sorcery. But then Gabrielle returns, determined to defeat the curse and rekindle their passion. But will her stubborn streak and her unwavering love be the lucky charm Derek so desperately needs?

My Review:

Others reviewers on Visual Bookshelf have continually stated Lucky Charm is "an easy read" and they are right. Predictable storyline, predictable mystery, generic romance as well as bedroom scenes. Hero and heroine are both pretty lame, and the storyline is way far fetched and easily forgettable.

Another reviewer mentioned that it is a book you don't have to "think about" when reading-and sadly that's true. Average at best. Is the book equivalent of getting mediocre takeaway-it fills you up but never truly delights the tastebuds. About the only good thing I could say about it is it's a good book if you have pressing personal issues and just need to "zone out". 

2.5 stars

A Mortal Curiosity by Ann Granger

Read For:
RYOB Challenge
2010 Historical Fiction Challenge
2010 thriller/suspense challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:

It's 1864 and Lizzie Martin is leaving London for the south coast of England to be the companion of Lucy Craven, a teenager who lives in seclusion with her aunts and has recently lost an infant daughter to illness. En route, Lizzie meets Doctor Lefebre, a slightly off-putting gentleman headed for the same destination. Lefebre, it turns out, is an alienist hired by Lucy's family to determine whether the young woman is mad. And he discloses something shocking: Lucy Craven doesn't believe her daughter is dead; she insists the baby was stolen from her.

In Hampshire, complications mount. Late at night, Lizzie hears furtive voices outside, there's a gentleman farmer whose demeanor with Lucy seems unusually familiar, and, while Lucy proves a bit moody, she hardly seems deranged. The girl's aunts are clearly withholding something. . . . These tensions come to a head when a man is found dead in the garden, stabbed with a knife from the aunts' home.

Lizzie calls upon her beau, Inspector Benjamin Ross. Together, they find themselves entangled in a mystery as bewildering as any they've faced.

My Review:

Second "Lizzie Martin" mystery. 

Another enjoyable Victorian era mystery featuring Lizzie Martin, a paid companion and her "beau", Inspector Ben Ross. This story was about Lucy Craven, a young married woman who's baby dies a day after birth but Mrs Craven insists her baby is not dead. 

A bit above average mystery, good setting and secondary characters, though I wish there had been more scenes between Lizzie and Ben.

Still, a nice easy read. 4 stars.

His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
NOAH CUTTER WAS A MAN OF HIS WORD...

Scarred in body and soul, rancher Noah didn't consider himself fit company for anyone. But when his brother's philandering finally caught up with him, honor dictated that Noah claim his brother's widow as his own....

Standing on her doorstep, with his collar turned up and a rifle by his side, Noah was about the most intimidating man Katherine had ever seen. And though one man's false promises had already dashed her dreams, she instinctively trusted this stranger. Even more, Kate suspected she'd only be a fool this time if she didn't take a chance on Noah for the sake of herself...and her unborn child!


My Review:
My Shelfari friend, RS, gave this book 5 stars, so I thought I'd try it too. So glad I did. Perfect story. "Tortured or Scarred hero" is one of my favorite storylines and this is one of the best examples I've read. I love that Noah is a "good man", and not a former bad one injured in a fight, but instead through a accident. Book was very down to earth and real-wonderful hero and heroine, great secondary characters too. I plan to read more of this author's books in the future. Highly recommended-5 stars.

Out of The Dark by Sharon Sala

Read for:
ROR Spring Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Thriller and Suspense Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
In the darkness of her memory terror lurks

Street artist Jade remembers little of her childhood except for the time she spent under the ruthless control of a cult leader, a time marked by terrible abuse and suffering. For the fifteen years since she escaped his grasp, she has survived by living on the streets and never putting down roots.

Ex-cop Luke Kelly knows his friend Sam Cochrane wants nothing more than to find his daughter, Jade, who was taken from him as a child. So Luke uses all his connections to make that happen, not knowing that by reuniting Jade with her father he is exposing her to a deadly peril.

In the healing embrace of her father's home, Jade -- with Luke's loving help -- begins to put fear behind her. But somewhere in the darkness, a man is prepared to kill rather than let Jade reveal the secrets of her childhood. And when her story makes the national news, that someone finally knows where to find her.


My review:
Another great Romantic Suspense by Sharon Sala. Be forewarned-story deals with emotional and painful subject matter like child abuse, cults and HIV. The heroine of the story has been severely abused most of her life and has also had to live on the streets in hiding from a cult leader. Story, as can be expected, is very emotional and painful. Do not read this one when you are feeling down in the dumps, wait till  you are in a better mind set to handle the subject matter.


4 stars.

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe'

Read For:
Fantasy Challenge
RYOB Challenge
ROR Spring Challenge
Countdown Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge

Synopsis:
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....

Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?

From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.


My Review:
All in all, a really good book. I love that this paranormal is also a historical romance set in Georgian England. The characters were appealing and the love scenes were H-O-T :)
4 stars.

Blood Memories by Barb Hendee

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB Challenge
Fantasy Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:
 Eleisha Clevon has the face of a teen angel, but she is no angel. Unlike most vampires, she doesn’t like to kill, but self-preservation comes first. When an old friend destroys himself by walking into sunlight right in front of her, Eleisha is shocked. And what she finds afterwards points to how very sick of his existence her friend had become—piling drained corpses in the basement and keeping records of other vampires’ real names and addresses. That’s a problem. Because now, there are policemen on the case: two very special humans with some gifts of their own. They know who Eleisha is, and, even more dangerous, what she is.


My Review:
An interesting Urban Fantasy/Vampire Novel-about average, started out fairly slow but got better later in the book. My only pet peeve is upon getting to the end, it's one of these books that's an obvious "getting to know characters who will be in subsequent novels in a series" more than an actual story with a beginning, middle and most importantly, end. It was definately not a stand alone book, as the characters get a big upheaval in their way of life near the end of the book.


I'll try book two, Hunting Memories (after all, isn't that what I was just forced to buy to learn anything that happens to these characters?) but that does irk me. 3.5 stars.

The Bride Ship by Deborah Hale

Read For:
ROR Spring Challenge
RYOB 2010 Challenge
Royal Romance Challenge
Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:

A Ship Full Of Women Could Only Cause Trouble! 
Of that Governor Sir Robert Kerr was certain, just by considering their chaperon! Though a widow, Mrs. Jocelyn Finch was young, vivacious and utterly determined to have her own way – especially with him!
Challenging the governor of Haliax, Nova Scotia to a duel was obviously a poor way to introduce herself. but when Sir Robert accused Jocelyn and her charges of something less ladylike than husband-hunting, what else could she do? Besides, someone had to show this straitlaced, yet gloriously compelling figure of a man that there was more to life than doing one's duty!


My Review:
Another winner by Deborah Hale. I like that the heroine was more experienced and worldly than the hero-a former soldier who is very straight laced and uptight, till he meets Jocelyn. I always like the premise of a bride ship or group of women on their own (like in the great old Western Westward The Women)

The romance between the two is not the "love at first sight variety" but more of a friendship that builds over time. The love scenes are late in the book but are fairly racy when they arrive. I applaud the author for having the heroine be in a functional relationship previously and she also has a normal sexual appetite as well. It gets tiresome in romances that every heroine who's a widow has to be from a abusive relationship to be able to find love.


All in all, a great Harlequin Historical. 4.5 stars.

Proof of Seduction by Courtney Milan

Read For:

RYOB Challenge

Romance Challenge

Royal Romance Challenge

Countdown Challenge

My Review:

very good-would have been a five star book if there had been a little more "historical continuity" but it was still excellent. Heroine is strong and hero-who was a bit or a arrogant bore but he does learn the error of his ways. Very hot too:) 4 stars!

On The Edge by Ilona Andrews

Read For:

Countdown Challenge

ROR Winter Challenge

Fantasy Challenge

RYOB Challenge
Romance Reading Challenge

My Review:

Overall, the book was pretty good. That being said, I LOVED this author's Kate Daniel's Urban Fantasy series and to me (and my husband), On The Edge had way too much romance to be labeled Urban Fantasy.

Not that there's anything wrong with romance, obviously, but it just was really predominate in this book. The "blonde hunky Sawyer from LOST looking dude" dominating the cover should have been my first clue-LOL.

There will be a book 2-I'll read it, but my husband said he won't. It was good, but not great. 3 stars.

Wicked by Shannon Drake

Read For:

ROR Winter Challenge

Royal Romance Review Challenge

2010 Romance Challenge

RYOB Challenge

Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:

The Earl was known as a beast.

Camille Montgomery is aware of the wicked man's reputation. But as an expert in antiquities, she also knows his family's Egyptian artifacts are the finest in England. The problem is, her wayward stepfather knows this, too -- and he's determined to steal them. So when he's caught in the act of robbing the so-called Beast of Carlyle, Camille must swallow her fear and boldly confront the man whose mask is said to hide a face too loathsome to behold.

The Earl of Carlyle has lived in the shadows ever since the suspicious death of his parents. But he's never stopped trying to unravel the mystery behind what he suspects to have been their murder. And now that the lovely Camille has stumbled into his life, he has the perfect pawn for his deadly game of vengeance and deceit. But in laying his ruthless trap, will he risk losing his own heart?

My Review:

pretty good Victorian era Romance. Enjoyed the Egyptology slant and the mystery. Love scenes were a bit too "purple prose" and the relationship was a bit too "we argue then make out" for my tastes but it was still enjoyable. Wished there was more relationship evolving between the H/H. 3.75 stars

5 stars for the cover though-very pretty and eye catching.

Nightingale's Lament by Simon Green

Read For:

RYOB Challenge

Fantasy Challenge

Countdown Challenge

What's In A Name Challenge

Synopsis:

In the Nightside, the hidden heart of London where it's always 3 AM, Detective John Taylor must find an elusive singer known as The Nightingale. Her silken voice has inexplicably lured many a fan to suicide--and Taylor is determined to stop her, before the whole neighborhood falls under her trance. But to catch the swift-winged Nightingale, he'll have to hear the deadly music--and survive.

My Review:

this third book in the nightside series was enjoyable but "skipped around" a bit, as John had several "mini crimes" to solve before the main mystery. Which is not necessarily good OR bad, just different than the first two. All in all, this series is a great "palette cleanser" and fun getaway if you are looking fun action and adventure-but be forewarned they are pretty graphic violence.

3.5 stars.

Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon Green

Agents of Light and Darkness

Simon Green

Nighside series book 2

240 pages

2003

Read For:

RYOB Challenge

2010 Fantasy Challenge

Countdown Challenge

Paging All Bookworms Challenge

Synopsis:

A quest for the Unholy Grail-the goblet from which Judas drank at the Last Supper-takes private eye John Taylor deep into the secret, magical heart of London...called the Nightside.

My Review:

I tried reading this book about a year ago and stopped about twenty pages in. At the time the author's repeated "I'm John Taylor, I find things" statements were just too hokey and got on my nerves. Well, I hope to read and get rid of many books this year so I thought "I'll try it one last time and if it still sucks, out it, and the rest of the series goes (my husband loves this series and has read almost all of them).

Well, I'm glad I tried this book a second time, as it was very fast and enjoyable. Green excels at world building. Great urban fantasy- 4 stars

Shadow Valley by Gwen Hunter

LAST BOOK READ IN 2009!

Read For:

RYOB Challenge

Winter 09 Challenge

A to Z Challenge

2nds Challenge

Countdown Challenge

Synopsis:

Mackenzie Macon thinks she's doing the right thing by taking her teenaged daughter, Bella, into the Appalachians on a photography shoot. Fleeing a crumbling marriage, Mac needs some time to bond with her daughter and escape the betrayal that still leaves her numb. But when a drifter abducts Bella and carries her on horseback deep into the woods, Mac must pull from her greatest reserves to fight for her daughters safe return.

When her soon-to-be ex-husband arrives, old wounds flare, and Mac turns to Caleb Howell, a local ranger, who helps keep her focused on the most important task: finding Bella. Then astonishing evidence comes to light that reveals the abduction was not as random as they first believed. But as hours turn into days, Mac must struggle to keep her hope--and her terrified daughter--alive.

My Review:

Another good suspense novel by Mrs Hunter. This story is a survival story mainly, somewhat a mother/daughter story, and a small bit of romance. Good mystery though the book could have been shortened about 50 pages and still have been enjoyable.

4 stars.

Unfinished-Countdown Challenge

Unfinished-
Just too much on my plate right now to keep up with this challenge-it was fun though:)

I'll be amazed if I can complete this one, but it will be fun to try:) Want to join too? click HERE

1. The goal of this challenge is to read the number of books first published in a given year that corresponds to the last digit of each year in the 2000s — 10 books from 2010, 9 books from 2009, 8 books from 2008, etc. The total number of books required, therefore, is 55.
2. This challenge lasts from 9/9/09 through 10/10/10.
3. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and your lists may change at any time.
4. Sign up using Mr. Linky.
5. Have fun reading!

2010:

1-Proof of Seduction by Courtney Milan-4 stars

2-

3-

4-

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

2009:

1- A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris(10/6/2009)-4 stars

2- Queene Of Light by Jennifer Armintrout (9/29/2009)-3 stars

3-On The Edge by Ilona Andrews-3 stars

4-How To Tempt a Duke by Kasey Michaels-3 stars

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

2008:

1- The Last Vampire by Rosemoor/Paoletti (6/24/2008)-3.5 stars

2- Untouched Mistress by Margaret McPhee (11/1/08)-4 stars

3-Blood Memories by Barb Hendee-3.5 stars

4-A Mortal Curiosity by Ann Granger-4 stars

5-Lucky Charm by Carly Phillips-2.5 stars

6-

7-

8-

2007:

1- Dark Rider by Kathrynn Dennie (9/1/07)-3 stars

2-

3-

4-

5-

6-

7-

2006:

1-The Bride Ship by Deborah Hale-4.5 stars

2-The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe'-4 stars

3-

4-

5-

6-

2005:

1-Shadow Valley by Gwen Hunter 4 stars

2-Wicked by Shannon Drake-3.75 stars

3-The Lady In Question by Judith Laik-3 stars

4-His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John-5 stars

5-

2004:

1-Nightingale's Lament by Simon Green-3.5 stars

2-

3-

4-

2003:

1-Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon Green-4 stars

2-Out of the Dark by Sharon Sala-4 stars

3-

2002:

1-Tears Of The Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith-3 stars

2-A Spirited Romance by Alana Clayton-3 stars

2001:

1-