The Mad Marquis: Fiona Carr

“SPURRING A MAD DESIRE

“Julia Westfall was being forced into marriage—with her fiercest rival on the hunt field. True, Henry Pelham was the man to whom she’d lost her heart, and he was still her secret dream. But what the widowed marquis proposed was hardly suitable—a loveless union with no children. A woman who raced her own stallions for the thrill and challenge of it could hardly be expected to rein in her passion.

“Her new husband saw his dotty aunt, loopy uncle, and willful daughter as evidence that madness ran in his family, as proof that siring more offspring would be irresponsible. But Julia would show that the craziest thing he could do was spurn her advances. For her most exciting and dashing competitor on horseback would soon be her most potent and powerful match in the bedroom.”

This was the first book by Fiona Carr that I’ve had an opportunity to read. I must say that I was impressed. The book started out interestingly enough, slowed only a little bit (though I might have to attribute that to the fact that I’m on a vacation with my two little cousins who demand a lot of attention), then really picked up pace. I LOVED the characters and the plot was fascinating. This was genuinely a fun read! I caught myself smiling on more than one occasion.

In other words, I really enjoyed it. Fiona Carr is a very talented author and I will try to get my hands on her other book as soon as possible!

Brave Land, Brave Love (Australia Trilogy, Book Three): Connie Mason

“BRAVE, BOLD AND BRASH…

“those were the traits of the men bred in the land down under, and there was none braver than Ben Penrod. Only one thing would turn his sun-bronzed visage pale, and that was a marriage-minded female. Though Ben was heir to the vast Australian holdings of Penrod station, he had no intention of saddling himself with a wife…until he met his match in the most alluring and contrary creature he’d ever beheld. With hair like moonbeams and eyes like aquamarines, Tia was only as big as a child, yet her lush curves proclaimed her all woman. With manners as dainty as those of any fine lady, she could charm his highborn friends, yet her salty language would make a Cockney blush. And instead of being pursued, Ben found himself being refused by the one woman who had captured his heart for all time!”

Ah, yes. The finale to the Australia trilogy by Connie Mason. It took me quite a while to get to it, but it was well worth it. I was not disappointed in the least! The recurring characters from the past two novels definitely remained true. The settings were written in Connie Mason’s usual eloquent manner. I was thoroughly impressed yet again by the quality of the writing and I could not read it fast enough. It flowed perfectly and I practically devoured it.

As always, look for more reviews on Connie Mason in the future!

Once More: Colleen Faulkner

“AGAINST THE MAGNIFICENT BACKDROP OF STUART ENGLAND, BESTSELLING AUTHOR COLLEEN FAULKNER HAS WOVEN A SPELLBINDING TALE OF A MAN CLOAKED IN SECRECY, A WOMAN BOUND BY DUTY, AND A FORBIDDEN DESIRE THAT CAN ONLY BE FULFILLED BY THE POWER OF LOVE…

“ONCE MORE

“Julia Thomas faces her wedding day with dread. Twice her age, Simeon, the earl of St. Martin, has an appetite for cruelty, yet Julia is bound by duty to marry him. Now, alone among the disturbing occupants of Simeon’s home and terrified of his viciousness, the red-haired beauty turns for companionship to his cousin, Griffin St. Martin, the one man who seems to be everything she’d ever dreamed of, but who may not be anything he seems…

“Devotion to king and country has forced Griffin St. Martin to live a lie, agreeing to a loveless marriage and years of secret service safeguarding the royal heir. Now, his only aim is to root out a lethal plot against the new king—the one that Simeon himself may be hatching. Simeon’s young bride is an unexpected complication, and one that becomes an irresistible temptation. As Griffin attempts to unravel both the deadly scheme and his own undeniable longings, Julia finds herself tangled in a desire that threatens all she loves—as well as her own life…”

So I decided to try a new author and picked up this book by Colleen Faulkner. From reading the back of the book, I knew that it could be either really good or just like every other romance novel. However, as I got more and more into the story, I really fell for the characters. I must admit that Griffin was one of my ALL TIME favorite characters! He was hilarious and mysterious (a winning combination in my book). The plot—which started out simple—quickly picked up its pace and became more interesting as time went on. As for the rest of the characters; you either loved them or you hated them. There really wasn’t anything in between. I think that’s difficult for an author to do, especially in a book with this many characters.

Overall, I did really like this book and was impressed with Faulkner’s writing. She turned something ordinary (in the world of romance novels) and made it extraordinary. I especially LOVED the plot twists she integrated!!! I will definitely read more of her in the future!

Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Twenty-one): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“Sin, an ancient Sumerian god, was one of the most powerful among his pantheon—until the night Artemis robbed him of his godhood and left him one step from death….

“For millennia, the ex-god turned Dark-Hunter Sin has sought to regain his powers and take revenge on Artemis. But now he has bigger fish—or in this case, demons—to fry. The lethal gallu that were buried by his pantheon are stirring, and they are hungry for human flesh. Their goal: to destroy mankind. Sin is the only one who can stop them…if a certain woman doesn’t kill him first.

“Enemies have always made strange bedfellows, but never more so than when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Now a man who only knows betrayal must trust the one person most likely to hand him to the demons. Artemis may have stolen his godhood, but this one has stolen his heart. The only question is: Will she keep it…or feed it to those who want him dead?”

Yay! I was SO beyond excited to pick up a Sherrilyn Kenyon book once more after all of this time. (I’ve been spacing out my reading so I won’t finish everything she has written in a week…) I looked forward to reading this book and it most certainly didn’t disappoint!

Sin was a fantastic hero! I loved his story (though the angsty stuff might not be for everybody) and it was fascinating given the fact that I just learned all about the Sumerians and their gods in college. Ah, the irony. Anyhow, Acheron played a rather big role in this book and it was wonderful to see him again. I really don’t want to give anything away, but there was an awesome plot twist that really brought everything together and new evil is afoot…and I don’t mean Stryker has a new plan… (You’ll have to read it to find out!)

I loved this book and devoured it. If you read it, drop by and let me know what you thought!

Love's Blazing Ecstasy: Kathryn Kramer

***Sorry there is no picture for this book. It's from 1984 and kind of difficult to find an image of it online! I will try scanning it in as soon as I have the time.***

“PASSION’S SLAVE

“When she saw the dangerous glitter in the Roman soldier’s eyes, Wynne knew she was lost, yet she could not forget that she was a Celt and he and enemy of her people. But as Valerian’s amber eyes caressed each soft, sensuous curve of her body, Wynne found herself melting into his embrace of a thousand teasing kisses and hot throbbing passion…

“PASSION’S POWER

“This golden goddess was forbidden fruit, but Valerian could not resist such an innocent, ripe blossom, whose silken skin and moist honey-sweet lips set him on fire. And in one wild, reckless moment of uncontrollable need, Valerian conquered Wynne’s body and soul and filled her with—

“LOVE’S BLAZING ECSTASY”

This was the first book by Kathryn Kramer that I’ve read. I actually acquired it from my mother who was cleaning out the basement and found a whole box full of her old romance novels and I was really excited because I thought that there were some good ones in there. This one, however, was not one of the best that I have read.

I’m not saying that this was a bad book, per say, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I don’t know if it was because of the style of writing or if the writing itself was influenced by the decade in which it was written, but there was something not quite right about it. Everything seemed to drag on and on. The dialogue was overly dramatic, but the plot was interesting. This was the first book that I’ve read that took place in Britain during the Roman occupation and it was interesting. I really liked all the parts containing the Celts and the history itself was interesting.

All in all, this book might be for someone who enjoys writers with a flair for the dramatic, but it just wasn’t for me.

Once a Mistress: Debra Mullins

“Hard-Hearted Captor…

“He was the dark, dashing rogue of Diana Covington’s fantasies…until he literally swept her off her feet, swooping across the ship’s deck on a rope to rescue her from her evil abductor. But now Diana is the captive of this handsome, charming pirate—and who will save the beautiful heiress from the bold stranger whose burning kisses inspire such unmaidenly thoughts?

“Or Man of Her Dreams?

“Alex Rawnsley is merely living up to his rakish reputation when he claims lovely Diana as his mistress—but he had no intention of plundering her fiery innocence. This Earl-in-disguise hides behind tales of pillage and seduction in order to win vengeance—not love. Yet the mere thought of one passionate night with the defiant beauty is more than enough to tempt Alex to forget his pledge to return her home—untouched.”

So—in case you haven’t noticed—I have been on a sort of a “kick” with reading new authors. I’m finding some real gems, with this book being one of the best. I bought this book at a local library book sale and thought I would give Debra Mullins a try. I was most definitely not disappointed!!!

Her writing was absolutely beautiful and the characters were amazing. I loved the plot and the settings and, overall, it was a fantastically written book. Everything was very well-thought-out and it all came together to make the book very fun to read. The author really made this time period come alive with her swashbuckling pirates and her epic battle scenes. I loved every page of this book and would be more than pleased to read more of Mullins’ works!

Watchmen: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons

Now, with all of the hype with the Watchmen movie around, I figured that it was only fair that I read the graphic novel. I saw the movie and (though it took me a day or two) I decided that I actually loved it. I know what you're probably thinking... "Why didn't she read the novel before she saw the movie like any normal person?" Well, simply because I COULD NOT get my hands on a copy!!! I had to wait weeks before I was able to get one! Anyway, I actually finished reading it a few days ago, but I haven't gotten to sit down and review it until now.

Well, I really liked it. I was amazed at how like the graphic novel the movie was! (Though I am sure that that's more praise for the movie than the novel...) The art itself was fantastic and the writing was genius. It was a really good read; however, I will say that parts dragged on or were hard to follow, but the rest of the novel quickly made up for it. I think that this is definitely deserving of another read-through or two.