Donovan's Bed: Debra Mullins

“Made for Bedding...

“A buckboard rolls through town carrying Jack Donovan’s extraordinary new bed, beautifully ornate and big enough for an entire family--or one hot-blooded woman! And lovely Sarah Calhoun is exactly the woman Donovan has in mind. The persistent newspaper editor just won’t leave him alone, and the best way he knows to shut her sassy mouth...is with his own. But Donovan makes it perfectly clear that Sarah’s far too independent to be included on his list of prospective wives. All he wants from her is a good time--though he promises it will be a very good time!

“...or a Wedding?

“Sarah is determined to uncover Donovan’s secret past, but every time she goes near the man, her ridiculous attraction to him takes over. So after his insulting offer, she retaliates by publicizing his search for a wife--and soon Donovan’s flooded with lusty widows, lovestruck teens, and lonely spinsters...he can’t turn around without tripping over another would-be bride! But when the dust settles, will Sarah have won their battle of the sexes--or lost her only chance at true love?”

Oh yes...a good old trashy romance novel. I shiver in anticipation...

...

I’m surprised at how quickly I liked the characters. Both Sarah and Donovan are feisty and witty, which makes for some interesting interactions. I took special note that Donovan made a very good “imperfect male lead”. He had his own secrets and complexities that made him good to read, but the part where Debra Mullins went out of her way to state how he wasn’t what one could normally consider handsome struck me. It was his attitude and carriage that drew Sarah to him. This made the whole scenario seem more realistic and created a plot that was much easier to read.

...

I literally devoured this book in about two days. I forgot how much I could enjoy a fun, easy read like this one (not that Mullins’ writing is simple, she just makes her plots and characters so accessible that it’s easy to fall into her books like Alice into Wonderland). Though I’m not usually one for the Western romances, I liked this one a lot. I was so immersed in the story that I completely forgot I was reading a book. This isn’t something that’s easy to make me do--especially since my RAIR method began, because I’ve begun placing myself outside of the books and have been consciously taking notes as I read.

Like I said, I’m not one for Westerns (as one can tell from any of the other reviews with the WESTERN tag on them). This one, however, felt very little like a Western. There were certainly enough elements for it to qualify, but it really didn’t feel forced or overly prominent and I think this is what made the difference for me. Everything flowed so nicely and the descriptions were beautiful without seeming too contrived or taken right out of one of those bad spaghetti Westerns that my uncle finds so absolutely fascinating...ugh... Anyway, I already wrote a little about the characters and I still feel much the same way. I liked Donovan all the way through the book. If anything, he got better as I read. He didn’t fall apart like MANY other male leads in romance novels. For this, I give Debra Mullins much credit. It’s not easy to maintain a character’s tough facade when he’s fallen in love. She definitely handled everything well with Donovan. I especially liked Donovan’s secret. I don’t want to give it away, but I was not in the least bit disappointed, nor did I think it entirely implausible. Sarah remained a good character. I think I wanted to see a little bit more fire from her toward the end, but she didn’t really disappoint. I don’t think I want anything to change about the book to accommodate this, so I can definitely live with it.

I know this is a short review, but the book is pretty self-explanatory. The plot speaks for itself in its fun and well-written nature and the characters practically pop off the pages. As you can tell, I really did enjoy this book and it was every bit as good as the first Mullins book I read. I look forward to tracking down more of her books and enjoying them as well.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, Book Four): J.K. Rowling

“Harry Potter is midway through both his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away form the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious even that’s supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal--even by wizarding standards.

“And in his case, different can be deadly.”

Unfortunately, I’m only beginning this review more than halfway through the book. This could be taken as a good indicator of how enthralled I am by this installment in the Potter series.

The characters are as wonderful as I remember and the settings are lively and rich. These meld beautifully in Rowling’s work and make her books rather difficult to put down.

And now for the obligatory comparison between the film version and this book. I distinctly remember this movie being the turning point from fun to dark. Personally, this suited my tastes just fine. This switch, however, is not as apparent in the book. I still love the growth and development of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but--at the time of this review--I feel as if the characters’ maturity levels in the book aren’t quite what they were in the film. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is noticeable. The unique way Rowling developed them remains one of my favorites because (as I stated in my other Potter reviews) the writing becomes more complex as the characters age. This is one of the most admirable qualities (other than pure creativity) of the series.

As for the book itself, I like its flow. Anyone who’s seen the book and compared it to the previous three knows how much longer Goblet of Fire is. Thus far, this isn’t a bad thing. Granted, things are moving at a slower pace when one compares it to the film, but this is due in part to all of the extra scenes and information the movie omitted. Though long and slightly drawn out, this book is thick with magic (pun mildly intended) and fun. I remain very pleased with Rowling’s seemingly boundless imagination and really look forward to what the rest of this book has in store for me.

...

I’ve finished the book! I planned on doing more RAIR, but I got so caught up in the story that I didn’t get a chance.

As the book went on, I saw much more character growth and development, which made me happier. I think perhaps the movies have colored my perceptions of them and I see them as older than they are, so I want them to be like the actors. This is very unfair of me to do, but I can’t seem to help it. Other than extremely minor ambivalence (as I can’t seem to come up with a better word to describe it) because of this, I wasn’t bothered overmuch. I still loved the plot and characters.

The further I got, however, the more there seemed to be information that wasn’t deemed important enough to include in the film. The time spans in between the challenges sometimes seemed to take forever and the buildup was almost too much. I’m not trying to complain, just simply explain that portions of this book will move slower than Potter readers are used to. Many of the conversations toward the end of the book were not included at all and I’m still undecided on wether or not I even like them in the book. I understand why they were included, but that doesn’t mean I was in love with them all. (I know that sounds vague, but going into any more detail would give too much away.)

Overall, I liked the book. The action scenes were fast-paced and exciting. I felt myself cheering for the champions right along with the rest of the students. I can’t wait to read more! I have to buy the next book and I’m sure I’ll read it as soon as I tear open the package :)

The Last Enchantment (Arthurian Saga, Book Three): Mary Stewart

“Arthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Mogause--Arthurʼs own half sister--ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven.”

SO! I originally posted this review two days ago...but blogger decided to go down and DELETE MY MASSIVE REVIEW. Ugh. So, I proceeded to freak out and try everything I could think of/tips and tricks that I could find online to help with a lost blog post for NINE HOURS. Then, my genius friend reminded me that I use Time Machine... FML. So here I am, thrilled that I have most of my review intact. Please forgive my choppy review...I promise the original one was much better (and boy was it an awesome one...)

If youʼve read a couple of the reviews before this one, then youʼll know all about my new method of RAIR (Reviewing As I Read). Itʼs my way of taking notes and gathering a more complete review of a book so I can do it justice. Iʼm only mentioning this again because--as of this paragraph--Iʼm only about a quarter of the way through this book... Iʼm actually really upset with how long itʼs taking me to read! If you look back to my other reviews of the books in this series, then youʼll know how much I love Mary Stewartʼs work. Now, I do have to lay some blame on the chaotic events that have taken over my life for the past few weeks; though this isnʼt the whole problem. Unfortunately, I keep finding myself distracted because this book isnʼt catching me the same way the other two did. The characters are the same: Arthur is a boy-king, Merlin is the same wise and etherial man, and we see many other familiar faces, but this book doesnʼt seem to carry the same charm. I think this is partly because (up to the point where Iʼm at right now) much of the plot is dealing with fairly uneventful travel, Merlinʼs fretting about his lack of powers, and (more often than not) secondhand accounts of Arthurʼs actions. I do realize that this book is meant to set up Arthurʼs empire and establish his rule, but there is a hollowness here that wasnʼt there before. The descriptions remain stunning, but theyʼre extensive almost to the point of unnecessarily so--not that I would dare think I could remove anything to improve...Iʼm merely stating an observation. Most of my agitation--I believe--is coming from the fact that I know what is coming for Arthur and I keep waiting for it to happen, but itʼs obviously one book away. The first two books moved and flowed so nicely. This one is more set up than meat. I completely understand why this was necessary, but it doesnʼt mean that it will make me love the book as much as the others. I guess weʼll just have to wait and see...

...

Now I am a little less than halfway through the book. Still, itʼs taking me an incredibly long time to finish this book. However, now I really can blame school and the other books I have to read for my delay in completing it. The plot has picked up a bit and my anticipation has increased, but thereʼs still something lacking. I truly do hope this missing bit returns soon because itʼs what made me love Mary Stewart in the first place.

...

And...here's the part of my review that was deleted during the site outage. To sum this portion up, it detailed my discovery of why the middle of the book was so difficult for me to read. As a double major in English and History, I read a lot of historical accounts and the middle portion was mainly about Merlin giving accounts of Arthur's exploits, which made me feel more like I was doing school work rather than reading for fun. I felt a disconnect with the characters because of this. This didn't wreck the book for me, but it made it more difficult to read. Once I got through it, however, I was definitely happy because the writing got back to what I've always loved about Mary Stewart.

There was another pause before I described how happy I was that I forced myself through the middle of the book. I was so happy that I'd made it and that everything was back to the way I wanted it--utterly captivating.

(Now this part I am thrilled to say I had written down as a draft. So, this last portion will be nearly exactly what I lost!)

I believe the first thing I should say is hat the latter part of this book was by far my favorite. I'm really sorry that I lost my faith at the halfway mark because--in the time I took procrastinating--I could have very easily finished this one and probably completed the final book in the series.

I will maintain that the middle of this book dragged on a bit. However, I should have stuck it out and I would have rediscovered the reasons I love Mary Stewart's writing. The settings were rich and alive. (When I study abroad in England, I would really like to make an attempt to see some of these places for myself.) The characters were vibrant and captivating. Stewart did an absolutely brilliant job of portraying Arthur as a realistic king. He was faced with tough decisions, but remained a man rather than a flawless myth in the eyes of the readers. This, I believe, is what makes Stewart's works so captivating. Though she writes of one of the best-known tales in Western history, her characters never seem unreal. In fact, they are--in many ways--more believable than those of the original renditions. This must be, in part at least, thanks to the research injected into her works. I have to reiterate that all readers MUST take the time to read the information Stewart includes at the end of each of her books. Not only does she supply an abridged version of the portion of the Arthurian tale covered in the installment, but she explains character choices and contexts. This is a glimpse into the mind of a brilliant master of literature. I can't stress enough my love of the Arthurian legend, and the fact that I'm so enthralled by Stewart's retelling speaks of the mythological and historical qualities of her writing.

I can only continue to recommend Mary Stewart to anyone who has always loved King Arthur (as I have), or if you're just getting started. This series is obviously more readable than Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur, but it is in NO way childish. Don't be put off by the titles or appearances of these books, because their reading level is vastly enjoyable to adults with its eloquent language and descriptions. This series takes a certain level of maturity to fully appreciate. I'm not warning younger readers away from it, merely suggesting that they may want to read it again at a later age. My aunt--the one who turned me onto this series--is living proof of this. She read this series as a young teen, then when she spent time studying law at Oxford, and now as a mother of two. This series meant something more to her each time she picked it up and I know it will do the same for other readers. That's the beauty of the Arthurian legend--it can transcend centuries, time, and generations to touch lives.

Overall, I can't say that this book was my favorite in the series (and as I read others' reviews, I'm not the only one who feels this way), but it definitely got better as I read. Merlin remained the brilliant narrator (though I somehow felt less "in touch" with him in this novel than the others because of the way the middle of this book was structured. That may have played in a role in my ever-so-slightly diminished love for this installment). The progression at the end of this book was perfectly paced and the new characters definitely added to the plot (sorry, that's all you're going to get from me!)

I'm going to take a bit of a break before I read the final book. Though I know what will happen (as anyone who knows of Le Morte d'Arthur does), I'm very curious to see how Stewart goes about it. She threw a few curve balls in this book (sorry again, I'm a tease) and I can't wait to see what she does in the last book.

Part of me wonders if I fell in love with this series again because I'm--in a way--in need of a hero such as Arthur (not literally, but I wouldn't complain...) in the intangible sense of triumph over adversity. Arthurian legends tend to make a resurgence in times of need (as I once wrote a research paper detailing) and I'm wondering if my subconscious is no different.

If you get a chance to read this series, please let me know what you think. I'm very curious to know if it touches you in a similar way.