Category: Uncategorized (Page 18 of 18)

Recent Holiday Reads

July 19, 2010 / Kaetrin

I’ve been on holiday and I got a bit of reading done (although holidays in our house usually means more family time and less reading time) and in the spirit of actually putting something on the blog for July, I thought I’d post a few thoughts about the books I’ve read in the past week or two.

Nothing but Trouble by Rachel Gibson

I really liked the previous book, True Love and Other Disasters – a return to the Seattle Chinooks Hockey team and what I like best about Rachel Gibson’s writing, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, while it was okay, it wasn’t my favourite – it was one of those books where the font was large and the margins wide and there weren’t actually that many words on the page – it was easy to read pretty quickly. I liked Mark Bressler and I would have liked to have spent more time with him but the book kind of glossed over everything. Plus, I wanted to know what happened after – was Chelsea going to pursue acting in Seattle or just be Mrs. Mark? – was she going to get her surgery? These questions were left unanswered and I felt like the whole thing was a bit rushed and superficial. If it was food, I would say it had little nutritional value – sweet, but leaves you wanting something meatier. C

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

I wanted to like this one more than I did. That said, even an “average” Nora Roberts is better than “average” for others I think. The problem I think was that there wasn’t much conflict. Usually, what pushes the story along is boy meets girl, boy loses girl/there is a threat to the relationship and then there’s the HEA. Well, in this one, for me, there wasn’t much of a threat to the relationship. It was all happy families and while I enjoyed the banter between the characters and the writing style was as good as ever, the plot let this one down a bit. I’m wondering what Ms. Roberts will do for the 4th book (to which I am avidly looking forward) for Mal and Parker. They seem to have been paired up by everyone else but them so far even though there is heat between them. I’m hoping there will be a conflict I can get my teeth into like in the first 2 books and that this series will end with a bang. I’d give this offering a C+

Mastered by Love by Stephanie Laurens

I picked up the Australian release (which I thought had a nicer cover but I couldn’t find a picture during my browsing so this is the one you get) at Target when I was away and was pleasantly suprised by this one. The last few offerings from Laurens have been a bit ho-hum for me. Too much saying the same thing. In different ways. In short sentences. Over and over. Again. Repetitively. Maybe I’d had just enough of a break between her stories to enjoy this one. No, on second thought, this was just a better book. I liked it so much better than the previous few I’d read (including the 2 of the Black Cobra books I listened to on audio). It wasn’t quite a return to the heights of Devil’s Bride but it was up there. Thinking back, the other books I’ve read of hers lately all had the trope where the hero didn’t want to admit his feelings to his lady because of some lame and weirdass belief that would make him somehow vulnerable. Frankly, I’m over that as a plot device (if I ever bought into it). Refreshingly, this one is where the family history is that the Varisey’s don’t love – aren’t capable of it (Oh noes! I’m channelling Laurens!). And, while that’s (of course), a load of old cobblers, the hero believed it and so did everyone else in the book’s world and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to or couldn’t admit it once he recognised it. So, extra points for that. I quite liked Royce and Minerva and I really enjoyed this book. B

Something About You by Julie James

I was lucky enough to win this one from a Dear Author giveaway some time ago and I finally got around to reading it on the weekend. I read it very quickly – but not for the same reasons as Nothing but Trouble thankfully. This one’s a winner. I think I’d read so many glowing reviews of this book that it actually put me off reading it for a while. I’m happy to say that the reviews were right. It read like a romantic comedy with a touch of action/suspense, the hero was all dark, brooding good looks (yum!) and the heroine was NOT (hooray) TSTL and didn’t go down any dark alleys alone or decide to solve the crime herself. Somehow, Ms. James crafted a book where the heroine could be smart and not put herself deliberately in harm’s way to move the story along. Yay! The snappy dialogue was great – I’d like to watch the movie. I really would. I’m also glad she turned up the heat level in this one – previous books we’ve been left outside the bedroom door and we got inside in this one – while it wasn’t explicit there was a satisfying amount of heat and I liked this aspect much better than the earlier books. I’m looking forward to her next one that’s for sure. B+

Life After Joe by Harper Fox

Okay, I’m officially outing myself here and publicly stating that I read and enjoy m/m romance. This is one. And it’s good.

Set in contemporary England, Matthew is trying hard to get over his ex -Joe – who left him to be with a woman (horrors!) (after carrying on an affair with her for like 2 years – the slut) and is on a path of self destruction – drinking, taking pills, flunking out of medical school and having reckless (and sometimes public) sex with any bloke around. He finally hits rock bottom and this is witnessed by Aaron – a sexy oil rig worker. Suffice to say that they get together and Aaron helps Matthew make the climb back to happiness. Aaron has demons of his own though and Matthew is left wondering who “Rosie” is and whether Aaron will do to him what Joe did. Joe, the scumbag makes an appearance at the end of the book trying to again have his cake and eat it too and I was soooo grateful that Matthew didn’t let himself get sucked in again. This story is told from Matt’s POV which makes the confusion about who Rosie is totally understandable. The answer was unexpected (at least to me) but made total sense. I liked Aaron a lot and I liked Matthew too and I really felt for these characters – the author’s use of words put me right there. I “got” the dark place that Matthew was in at the beginning (anyone who’s been through a bad breakup probably would I guess) and I liked the poignancy of this sweet story. I’m looking forward to more from this author. If I had a complaint, it would be that the book finished a bit quickly – I’d have liked a little more. (Plus, I didn’t quite buy that Matthew would have made it onto the rig – too much security, but I went with it for the sake of the story.) B+

Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl

June 28, 2010 / Kaetrin

I’m going to try an experiment. I’m going to try and write a short review. It’s going to be hard but I think it’s important to challenge oneself from time to time! 🙂

Why I read it: I nabbed a copy of the bound galley from NetGalley and I’ve read (and enjoyed) Ms. Dahl’s other books both historical and contemporary (I prefer her contemps BTW).

What it’s about: (here’s the blurb from the author’s website) Chloe Turner thought she was going to marry the perfect man-until her fiancé’s plane crashed. And then she got the really bad news: he’d tried to fake his own death to avoid marrying her. Now America’s most famousbridezilla (a tag she most definitely does not deserve), Chloe escapes to a remote island to avoid the paparazzi. And right next door is a man who just might be the curefor Chloe’s heartache….

A magnet for wild, complicated women, Max Sullivan is relieved to have finally found someone “normal.” Chloe is his girl-next-door fantasy come to life, and best of all, she gets him. With her, he can be himself, a treasure-hunting millionaire who desperately wants out of his sexy but reckless job. But when Chloe’s notoriety catches up with them, will their torrid romance make it to the mainland?

What worked for me:The hero. Max was adorable! He was a totally beta guy hiding in alpha clothing. His quirks and neuroses were funny and sweet and, not annoying – although they easily could have been. I have seen a few reviews around the place for this book and of course, there’s the blurb above and I figure that to say more might be giving away a spoiler so I won’t. But srsly? Max is the bomb!

I liked also how Chloe saw through him, to the heart of him, fairly quickly and I liked how she didn’t get offended, how she appreciated him. I also liked how she didn’t just blow off their respective issues – and Max agreed – they took some time near the end of the book to sort themselves out – it definitely made the HEA believable.

I also liked how Chloe didn’t agonise about her body image – she had a positive but realistic view of herself which was refreshing – here’s she’s putting on a wetsuit:

Her figure was fine, but it wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny when being squeezed into a Neoprene sausage casing. All sorts of rolls and gatherings were bound to appear.

What didn’t (work for me): For much of the book, we knew that Chloe’s best friend Jenn, was hiding something from her, but we didn’t know what. I think it was intended to add to the tension but I just found it kind of annoying. A little annoyance though – nothing serious. I don’t like it IRL where someone hints and hints and doesn’t spill and I don’t like it in books either – a little teasing and tantalising is fine but I find myself reaching the “oh, just tell me already!” point fairly quickly. YMMV.

There was a sweet secondary romance between Jenn and Max’s brother Elliott. Elliott had the makings of a pretty cute beta hero himself and I could have used a little more of him.

What else:Overall, this was a fun, enjoyable read – it’s not meaty or angsty and it doesn’t pretend to be. It is what it is – light and humorous and funny. And Max? Too cute!

Grade: B

I did it! A short review! Ha! *happy dance*

Ruthless by Anne Stuart and a kind of mini review of Reckless also

June 16, 2010 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was fortunate enough to pick this one up at NetGalley. I’ve heard many great things about this author (I’d heard she’s good at the dark and angsty and I love the dark and angsty!) and I wanted to give her a try. Plus the blurb sounded just up my alley. I’m glad I picked it up and I’ll be looking to read more from this wonderful author.

What it’s about: (this is the blurb from the author’s website) Few outsiders will ever witness the dark misdeeds of the Heavenly Host. And among this secret society, where exiled Georgian aristocrats gather to indulge their carnal desires, fewer still can match the insatiable appetite of their chief provocateur, the mysterious Viscount Rohan.

Pursuit of physical pleasure is both his preferred pastime and his most pressing urge, until he encounters the fascination of a woman who won’t be swayed. And while his dark seduction appalls the pure and impoverished Elinor Harriman, she finds herself intrigued…and secretly drawn to the man behind the desire. (Doesn’t it sound just delicious?)

What worked for me: I’ve been lucky lately. I haven’t read a dud book in a while (yay me!) and this one did not disappoint. Overall, I would describe it as “delicious” and the hero, Viscount Rohan (even though he has the IMO unromantic first name of Francis) is the most delicious part of all. He’s wicked and bad and sinful and gorgeous and decadent and lovely.

For all that Rohan strutted around thinking himself the Prince of Darkness, his battered soul contained a bruised nobility that would appall him. Rohan much preferred to fancy himself heartless.

But, more about him later.
I do love a Georgian book (is it still called “Georgian” when the book is set in Paris for the most part?) – I love the powder and patches, the jewels and the high heeled shoes encrusted with diamonds, I love the rich velvets and brocades – and that’s just on the men. There is something so masculine about an alpha male wearing such clothes – they should look girly shouldn’t they? But they don’t. If their characters are painted right, they pull it off and its gorgeous. Some of my favourite books are set in this period and it was nice to have a book set in Paris for a change too.
Elinor piques Rohan’s interest from the beginning. She’s different to the women he normally comes across (ie she’s not a whore – “Any woman in this house is a whore, my child. So, for that matter, are the men.”) and his not-so-latent sense of honour is inspired. (I say not-so-latent because it was always evident to me that he was an honest, honourable man – he just wasn’t “good”.) Anyhoo, Elinor’s mother is dying of syphillis and is about to gamble away the last of the family’s money at a gathering of the Heavenly Host (a kind of Hellfire club) and Elinor follows her to get her home (hopefully before she loses everything). Rohan is the leader of the Heavenly Host and sets the rules (for example, no children – “A foolish inconsistency” but “not up for discussion” – see what I mean about honourable?) and presides in glorious malaise over the goings on. When Elinor first meets Rohan he has a half naked woman (breasts exposed because he’s just been given them some, er, oral attention) reclining on his lap. This initial picture fits him perfectly. He’s a gorgeous, languid, bored, jaded, artistocrat and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him.
I loved reading his thoughts and words. They showed him in all his flawed glory and they were my very favourite parts of the book. This is not a book where the hero meets the heroine and his wicked sexual urges are immediately tamed by the power of her magic hoo-ha – he keeps Elinor around (he’s interested in far more than her body and is not in a hurry to get to that) and bangs other women like usual – he just thinks about her when he’s doing it. It’s different and it’s him. He’s a very bad man. **sigh**

“The brandy is for me…” he said in his most amiable voice. The one he used before he destroyed someone.

I did like Elinor quite a bit. I liked her strength of character, her determination and her optimism. I enjoyed her love for her younger sister Lydia and I liked her self-awareness (even though she didn’t think she was attractive) and I shared her loathing or rats, but for me, Rohan stole the show.
There is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a sad secret in Elinor’s past (I felt awful for her – her mother was a real bitch) and when Rohan finds out about it his reaction is both expected but untypical of him. And ferocious. (Rwoarr!) It reveals to us (what we really already knew) just how much he cares for Elinor and how lines he would not cross before for anyone, are not an issue when it comes to her, her honour and her safety. Most excellent hero material.
There was quite a bit of humour in the book too which was a nice foil to the dark and angsty. There’s a part where Elinor’s thoughts are rambling a bit that tickled me.

He seemed to roam the halls like a bat, waiting to pounce. She had no idea whether bats actually pounced or not. And Rohan wasn’t at all like a bat which were horribly ratlike and not to her preference at all. Rohan was like some kind of cat. …

…

And she was a mouse. A mouse who snarled. And had teeth. …

What didn’t (work for me): The trouble with having Rohan be such a deliciously decadent almost-but-not-quite-bad-guy hero is that as much as I enjoyed it, for there to be an HEA he obviously has to mend his wicked ways. I thought the ending a bit trite and therefore a little disappointing. His transformation from wicked man to faithful husband was a bit too quick and not entirely believable. I mean, I wanted to believe it but I would have liked a little something (I can’t even describe what – which is not helpful I know), but something extra to help me truly swallow his metamorphosis. Although, I did like this:

“Like it or not I seem to have grown a heart. I have absolutely no use for the damned thing but there it sits, demanding Elinor. I can’t live without her.”

Maybe my problem was that he was so well drawn as this wicked sexy unrepentant man that him being “tamed” into being a faithful monogamous husband in some way diminished him? Hmm. I don’t know for sure, other than that I found the ending a little less satisfying than the rest of the book, which was otherwise excellent.

What else:This book is the first in a trilogy and is released on July 1. I’ve read book 2 already and I can’t wait to get my hands on book 3. In fact, the covers are so pretty that I’ve a feeling that I’ll be buying them even though I got the first 2 free as bound galleys from NetGalley. I feel a little guilty for not sharing some of my money with this author who gave me so much entertainment. I know I will go back to this book again at some point to soak up some more of a beautiful wicked man who has become a favourite already.
Reckless (book 2 – due out in August) is different and I wondered if I should wait a while before I read it and maybe I should have. It is a different book, about Rohan and Elinor’s son, Adrian and it is set in England in 1804. Adrian isn’t quite a wicked or delicious as Rohan – whereas most of my enjoyment of Ruthless came from Rohan, Reckless was enjoyable in an entirely different way and I ‘shared’ my love with both protagonists. The dialogue between Charlotte and Adrian was delightful, sharp, biting and double edged. I liked that it wasn’t the same book with different leads and a different name. I liked that it took place over a shorter time frame. Also, because Adrian wasn’t quite as wicked as Rohan had been, I didn’t have any trouble with the the ending at all so it was a more consistent read for me in that respect. (But I still liked Rohan better) There is a secondary romance in Reckless that could have been a book in itself and I was a bit disapointed not to have more of it. I was really interested in Evangelina and Simon’s story. Also, there were a couple of questions I had about how the family got back to England and a new title that the original Rohan had picked up that didn’t seem to be answered and which bothered me a little – because I’m like that. I gave Reckless a B+. Really good, but not quite as good at Ruthless.
I can see from the author’s website that Breathless (book 3 – look for it in September) is about a daughter of the house of Rohan so I’m thinking that will be a bit different and an interesting read. Can’t wait.

Grade: A- (the minus is because the ending was a bit less delicious than the rest of the book. But, it was a really great book. And Rohan was made of awesome.)

Also, apologies for my overuse of the word “delicious” in this review. But really, that’s the word I keep coming back to when I think of this book. Sorry.

His At Night by Sherry Thomas

June 7, 2010 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve read Ms. Thomas’ 3 previous releases and enjoyed them all. Plus, I thought they kept getting better so I was excited to read this new story. I read the excerpt on her website and I knew I was in for a treat.

What it’s about: (here’s the blurb from the author’s website)

Elissande Edgerton is a desperate woman, a virtual prisoner in the home of her tyrannical uncle. Only through marriage can she claim the freedom she craves. But how to catch the perfect man?

Lord Vere is used to baiting irresistible traps. As a secret agent for the government, he’s tracked down some of the most devious criminals in London, all the while maintaining his cover as one of Society’s most harmless—and idiotic—bachelors. But nothing can prepare him for the scandal of being ensnared by Elissande.

Forced into a marriage of convenience, Elissande and Vere are each about to discover they’re not the only one with a hidden agenda. With seduction their only weapon against each other—and a dark secret from the past endangering both their lives—can they learn to trust each other even as they surrender to a passion that won’t be denied?

What worked for me: In short, just about everything. I think this is my favourite kind of story. Vere is a hero in the true sense of the word – he serves Justice (always written in the book with a capital J) and he solves crime and he doesn’t get any accolades for it – and, whether he initially wants to or not, he rescues Elissande from a terrible situation (and Elissande’s Aunt Rachel too). I’m a sucker for a good rescue – it’s my very favourite thing to read about. I don’t enjoy that a character is in trouble, but in a strange way, the direness of the situation is almost directly proportional to the amount of enjoyment I get when the rescue happens. In this book, there are some situational rescues along the way but really, the whole story is one big rescue story.

He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sorry, my love. We should not have come. And you need never return here again.”

and

He had been here, as he’d promised. And she had not been alone.

Such simple words but in the context of the book… oh my… *fans self*.

Plus, because I’m uncomfortable with the idea of only the hero doing the rescuing, Elissande does a “Pretty Woman” and rescues Vere right back. He is broken and damaged inside and she inspires him and encourages him to rise above. *sigh*

I enjoyed the secondary romance between Freddie and Angelica too. It was brief and cute and sweet and it did serve as some light relief in a book which was filled with a terrible (and delicious) tension.

I’ve read all the other books Ms. Thomas has written, I think I liked Private Arrangements (bk1) slightly better than Delicious (bk2) and I liked Not Quite a Husband (bk3) quite a bit more – but I’m talking like, B, B- and A- here – each of them had their own pleasures. But, this one? This is the best one yet. I love it. This author keeps getting better. I liked that she tried something new and went with what I’m going to call a “linear”” storyline – she started at the beginning and told the story through to the end. In her other books, there have been a series of flashbacks so we get to know the backstory slowly. I have liked it but it was nice to see Ms. Thomas trying something different. Not only that, but kicking ass in the process. I devoured this book in just over a day. As much as I tend to take my time reading the words Ms. Thomas writes and I did for this book too, I HAD to keep reading. The tension was too much and I just had to know what happened.

I read this in paper format and I had my trusty highlighter out many times so I could go back to passages that grabbed me for one reason or another. I can’t share them all (or I’d just have to reproduce most of the book) but I’ve picked out some of my favourites to illustrate the beauty this author creates. She has such a lyrical way with words. Like this:

She smiled again, a smile luminous enough to serve as God’s own desk lamp.

I enjoyed the subtle humour of the book too.

She had been married four hours.

She’d describe her marriage thus far as hushed.

She’d also describe it as long.

and sometimes, hilariously, not subtle at all

“Yes,” he [Vere] said. “I am what you would call, well, not an heiress – I know that’s a woman – but what is a man heiress?”

Vere makes such a delightful idiot.

What didn’t (work for me): Um, it ended? I had to stop? If I tried hard enough, I could probably come up with some little nitpicks but I’m on a high from the book at the moment and I just don’t wanna. No, it wasn’t the perfect book (is that even possible?) but from an emotional point of view, it hit all the right spots for me. I wasn’t thrown out of the story, I totally connected with the characters, I cared about them and I was caught up in how they were going to get their HEA. Why nitpick?

Actually, on reflection, there was one little (tiny really) thing but I don’t know how to mention it without giving away a significant spoiler. I just wanted to know how a certain character had known something about a certain other character – how’s that for vague. If you read the book, you’ll probably understand. Or not!

What else: It’s not hard to pick out the theme in this book. It’s all about hiding and masks and acting and, ultimately, truth. I’m sure it’s not an accident that the hero’s name is Vere – it comes from the root word meaning truly. (I looked it up because I thought I might have a relationship to veritas which I know is Latin for truth.) There’s a delightful irony in Vere’s name. He lies all the time. There are only a handful of people who know the truth about him and he doesn’t socialise with them – they’re his agent-for-the-crown colleagues. Even his brother Freddie doesn’t know the truth. He hides and he acts and he dreams of his perfect woman. His perfect woman who happens to have Elissande’s smile but who doesn’t know him either. As much comfort as he draws from his ideal woman, she doesn’t know him. At heart, I think Vere doesn’t think he’s worth knowing.

Elissande however, acts and wears a mask of smiles and gaiety out of fear of her Uncle. He’s a monster and his vileness is portrayed in small snatches – he doesn’t take over the book at any point and his awfulness isn’t gratuitous. We know what we need to know and there is an air of palpable fear about Elissande and Aunt Rachel – the tension you feel in the best thrillers when you’re scared when the cupboard is opened for fear of what’s inside.

Even the investigation in the book is about diamonds, both artificial and real.

Vere recognises in Elissande a fellow actor – he sees her mask quite quickly,

Oh, she was good. So very good. Were he truly an idiot he would be thrilled.

but misunderstands her reason for wearing it. Once he does, you’d think that, him being the hero and all, all the conflict is gone between them and it would just be the external threat to them that needs to be resolved. Ha! Think again! Vere has to face himself, his own fears and decide whether he wants to stay in the shadows with only a perfect dream for company or whether he wants to life a true life without a mask – taking the risk that life is not perfect. Elissande tempts him but he’s scared of living in the open.

He wanted milk and honey; nourishing, sweet, wholesome. She was laudanum; potent, addictive, occasionally helpful in forgetting his troubles, but dangerous in large doses.

It is that struggle which makes Vere so extra delicious to me. All the time he’s doing the heroic rescue thing, he’s broken inside. He needs Elissande to show him what he’s missing and he needs her to give him the courage to change. He wants her to see him, truly, but is fearful of it also.

“Open your eyes and look at me”.

She did. He withdrew and reentered her, slowly, slowly going deeper, deeper. And when she thought he couldn’t come any farther into her, he did.

She gasped with the pleasure and depravity of it – his possession of her, while his eyes held hers.

“No pretending,” he said softly. “do you see who is fucking you?”**

and a little later, her reply

“I never pretended it was anyone but you.”

See, I told you she rescues him right back. Vere sees in her, a woman who has come through some terrible times undaunted. She’s bent like a sapling in the wind so she didn’t break. She’s strong and heroic and Vere admires her. Theirs is not a relationship where she’s just grateful. They are both equals and that is what makes me believe in their HEA. Oh, damn. I wish I hadn’t read it yet. Because then I’d be able to read it and experience it for the first time again.

Grade: A

**Even when reading this passage, the profanity is so sudden and unexpected that it made me sit up and open my eyes. It was beautifully used to convey the self loathing Vere has; his desire to be known and his fear; to push Elissande away while at the same time wanting her as close as it is possible to be.

HP: The Magnate’s Indecent Proposal by Ally Blake

May 27, 2010 / Kaetrin

Why I read it:

I read the review over at AAR and I decided to give this new-to- author a try. I’m glad I did.

What it’s about:

Chelsea London (yes, I know – but the characters roll their eyes too, so it’s all good) has a dog grooming business in Melbourne. She meets her sister (Kensington!) for breakfast at a swisho restaurant where you have to hand over your mobile phone before you go in. She (literally) trips over a gorgeous specimen of manhood (Damien Halliburton, our hero and the day-trading magnate of the title) and it’s lust at first sight. Still, until they phones get inadvertently swapped, both think that’s that. When they re-connect (har har) each thinks it must be “fate”. But, Damien is fresh out of a long term relationship – his ex wanted marriage or nothing and got nothing. Damien thinks he can’t do marriage so he’s not offering long term.

What worked for me:

Oh, I liked ths one. I enjoyed the humour and the repartee between the various characters (well, mostly). It read like a rom-com movie – my favourite kind. I enjoyed the dialogue and I liked the characters and they took me a long way to mostly overlooking what I saw as the book’s shortcomings. But more of that later.

I liked the dialogue between the two sisters. Here, Kensington, happily married with loads of kids, is urging Chelsea to get with the programme and put herself out there.

“How do you think a girl gets herself married these days?: Kensey asked. “It takes putting herself on the shop shelf to begin with.”

“I like dating”, Chelsea said. “Especially men with muscles and dark eyes and all their teeth. I’m on the shelf.”.

“Right. With a big Do Not Feed The Animal sign slung around your neck. One sideways glance at another woman, one bounced cheque, one hint he might have feet of clay and you bite the hand that fondles you. Whereas that creature over there is so-o-o on the shelf fluorescent lights aim towards him wherever he goes.”

Chelsea doesn’t suffer fools or bimbos and her words can have a bite. Like here when she can’t find the check ticket to get her phone back from the condescending restaurant hostess:

“I seem to have misplaced it.”

“It will be hot pink. Hard to miss.”

“Yet visualising it still hasn’t helped it appear.“

Damien’s gorgeous, rich, a member of Melbourne’s elite. And he’s smooth with the lines too. It takes a little while for him to understand it’s not his phone in his pocket and there are a couple of confusing phone calls. Later, when he’s trying to convince Chelsea to meet up with him to swap their phones, he says:

“And when you get back to Chic [magazine] to explain why I was not you, if they mention anything about my predilection for zebra print underwear they’re making the whole thing up.”

Chelsea leaned back in her chair and began to play with her hair. “I’m not sure Chic are in the habit of spreading rumours like that about random guys.”

“It’s a scandal. Best kept under wraps for all our sakes.”

And later, when he’s playing catch up after she’s suspicious of the smooth and she asks him why he called, really, he says:

“Because you’re the girl who fell into my arms, and spilled my coffee and stole my phone and gatecrashed my thoughts until I had to admit to her that I’ve been seriously thinking that a two minute phone swap isn’t what we ought to be doing tonight.”.

Sigh.

It’s a sexy little story too

“And the idea of you in a wet T shirt almost short-circuited my brain right now”.

At his words, she actually felt her uncooperative breasts straining against the cotton of her long-sleeved T shirt. “I have no boobs. Wetting them is not exciting.”

“It’s exciting to me.“

See what I mean with the smooth?

I liked the references to Melbourne. I am an Adelaide girl but I’ve been there and it seemed familiar to me without being so “Australian” as to alienate an overseas reader or indeed, me. I liked the Australianisms in the story – they were real and not cringeworthy – eg “a stone’s throw away” and that it’s a “mobile phone” in Australia, not a “cell phone”. There were no dingoes or kangaroos in the main street (hooray). It felt true, while at the same time, it could have been set in any reasonable-sized city.

There was the opportunity for a “Big Mis” late in the story and I’m glad Ms. Blake chose to have the characters step up and actually talk to each other.

What didn’t (work for me):

I said that mostly I liked the dialogue between the characters. But there were a few exceptions. Damien’s best mate is Caleb. At one point in the story he is warning Damien away from Chelsea and says “Everything I say I say out of love.”. Erm, no. I don’t think that’s something an Aussie hetero male would say to his friend. Maybe he’d say “I’m just looking out for you” or “I’m just watching your back” but using the “L” word? Not so much. Also, later in the book, Caleb is described as not the “blackguard” others thought him. Blackguard? In a contemporary? Maybe a better word choice would have been man-whore. They are small things overall but they threw me out of the story a bit.

Most of the conflict was because of Damien’s conviction that he wasn’t a marrying kind of man. I’m not sure I really understood it. And, he got over it real quick. I believed at the end of the story that he was a marrying man but it was too quick – so I guess that means I didn’t totally buy the conflict.

Which brings me to.

The romance was quick. I mean really quick. It happened over the course of about a week. Even though it’s an HP, a week? I could certainly believe that they were falling in love and were working their way to a HEA but the “I love you” and “let’s move in together” in only a week? When the hero starts off the week thinking he’s not the type to EVER get married? I’m not sure I bought it. I did want to though.

What else?

When I finished the book, I gave it a B+ and my notes read “fun sexy read, nicely Australian, hero to die for, some mate banter seemed unrealistic and ? blackguard. Would have liked time frame to be longer than a week. I will read more from this author.”

Thinking about it later, the whole time frame/hero conflict thing bothered me more and I wondered if I should change the grade. In the end I decided not to. When I was reading the book I was enjoying it so much that the time frame and the hero’s conflict weren’t a huge deal – both things took on more significance to me after I was finished and thought about it some more. Overall, I think the grade should be about my enjoyment of the story and I should stick with my first thoughts. And, I will definitely read more from this local (and really, very good) author.

Grade: B+

Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale

April 8, 2010 / Kaetrin

Why I read it:

It’s by Laura Kinsale. ’nuff said.

What it’s about:

“…Lady Callista Taillefaire [has been] jilted three times in spite of her fortune and her father’s best efforts to find her a husband. Now her greatest desire is to win the silver cup at the agricultural fair with her gigantic prize bull, Hubert. But when Callie’s only old flame returns from his long and mysterious absence in France, her quiet spinster life turns upside down. Dark-eyed, elegant and a magnet for trouble, Trevelyan d’Augustin has given Callie lessons in more than his language in the past. Her father put a harsh and humiliating end to any dreams of romance with a French émigré scoundrel, however, and Callie never thought to see him again. Swallowing his pride, Trev has finally come home to care for his failing mother, but his secrets and misdeeds follow him.Callie soon remembers that nothing is ever peaceful with Trev around. The enormous Hubert vanishes into thin air, one of her former jilts comes back to woo her in a most determined manner—and her bull takes the town by storm! In the midst of these misadventures, Callie finds herself falling in love again with the worst possible man for her.”

What worked for me:

In short, almost everything. Laura Kinsale has a wonderful way with prose. Like this:-

She stood silent turning the words over in her mind as if they were a strange device that she could not find the key to understand.

I enjoyed the humour of the book. It is sprinkled with litte gems like this one:-

If Major Sturgeon had not been strongly attracted to Mrs. Fowler, Callie would have feared he was coming on with some sort of condition.

I loved the banter between the characters, particularly Callie and Trev:-

“May I make you the object of my violent and unrestrained ardor?” He made a motion as if to loosen his neckcloth. “I’m a bit tired, but perfectly willing.”

“My calling hours are from twelve to three, if you wish to importune me violently.” Callie said, dropping a quick curtsey.

I liked Callie. I liked how she was a bit clueless (Trev affectionately calls her a “pea-goose”) but she wasn’t stupid. I identified with her displacement quite a bit and I guess that’s why one of the things which bothered me (see below) bothered me so much. I liked Trev too. I enjoyed his efforts to turn himself around and I felt for his fear that he could never do so. I liked watching Trev and Callie together and really enjoyed how he could effortlessly coax her into outrageous adventures. I also liked Trev’s protectiveness of Callie and her, even unconscious recognition of it.

She came into his embrace suddenly and fully, making a thankful little sound, as if she’d been having a nightmare and awoken to find safety.

I liked how Callie wasn’t beautiful but Trev found her so. I really identified with Callie’s manner of dealing with difficulty by going into her own head and using fantasy/daydreams to imagine a better reality. It’s something I do myself and I suppose it is one of the reasons I love reading romance so much. When I have been in hard times, I have lost myself in someone else’s happy ending and found a way to get through.

What didn’t (work for me):

Warning: This ~~may be~~ IS spoilerish. Read at your own peril!

As much as I enjoyed this book (and there is MUCH to love – don’t be fooled by the length of this section!), there were things that bothered me. It was never explained exactly why Major Sturgeon decided to return and court Callie – after all, he had been blackmailed away – what had changed? There was an inference that he needed money, but that wasn’t enough for me. He could have courted another heiress one supposes. Why Callie? Why then?

I also questioned why there was (apparently) no consequence to Trev’s impersonation at the cattle fair – after all he and Callie were going to be living in the area. Surely he would be recognised?

I understood the misunderstandings between Callie & Trev. But, for someone who saw so well and easily into Callie, I was a bit suprised that Trev took so long to “get” that she felt so unlovable after being jilted 3 times. I suppose though, that Trev was seeing this aspect of her through his own “Trev coloured glasses” so that probably explains it, on reflection. The rest was exclusive of him, but for this part, he couldn’t see past his own stuff. So, not really a peeve after all. Huh.

I also didn’t quite understand Trev’s mother’s “miraculous” return to health in the epilogue. It was too trite and it didn’t need to be. Trev’s mother had been dying the whole book – I would not have felt betrayed if she had actually died and the epilogue had merely mentioned that they had had some sadness over that but that she had lived to see them married, etc. I think that would have been better, IMHO.

But the worst thing, for me, was the “explanation” in the epilogue as to the real reason Callie had been jilted 3 times. These events had had a profound effect on Callie. She was left feeling deficient and she could not escape those feelings, the knowledge of her jilts being so very public. I could not accept the reason. What a horrible thing to do to someone. But, in the epilogue, it seemed brushed over, laughed about and then quickly forgiven/forgotten. Frankly. that’s not good enough. Callie suffered for 7 or 8 years (depending on how long it was before her first betrothal after Trev left) and there was no guarantee the action taken would get the desired result. All it was guaranteed to do was to humiliate Callie and leave her alone. I’m sorry, that’s just awful and I couldn’t brush it off. (Okay, now that I’ve got that off my chest, I feel much better!!).

Also, and this is a small peeve in the big scheme of things, I wanted more love scenes. I counted only 2 (unless you count the flashback toward the beginning of the book, which I did not). I wanted more!!

What else?

One of the things I enjoyed best about the book was the way Trev was with his mother. Take this, for example:-

She smiled and spoke to him in English. “You enjoyed the assembly?”

“Of course! I engaged myself to two beautiful young ladies and had to leave by the back window. I’ve fled to you for aid. Will you conceal me in your wardrobe?”

She gave a faint husky laugh. “Let the girls meet… on the field of honour,” she said in a weak voice. “Nothing to trouble about.”

“But their mothers might pursue me!”

“Alors, I’ll dispatch their mothers myself, by poison.”

He squeezed her hand. “I see now where I come by my unsteady nature.”

The little game they played was quite romantic (in the broader sense of the word) but not squicky. In fact, there are quite a few “games” in this book. Trev plays a game with his mother – they pretend he is a gallant roue flirting with her to cover the bigger pretense – they pretend that she is not dying. Trev and Callie play games of adventure and they play at being a married couple at the cattle fair. Trev and Callie also use playful banter where both say what is truly in their hearts but, disguised as it is as a game, it goes unrecognised.

Callie also plays a little game with Sturgeon at the cattle fair, but mainly she plays games with herself:-

Callie tried to make a daydream for herself. It was what she always did when she could not quite bear what was real.

and

She had, of course, imagined a thousand times how she would accept the groveling change of heart from each of her suitors, starting with Trev. He was to have written her passionate, brooding letters and declared that his life was forfeit if she would not have him. That was after he had become unthinkably wealthy and recovered Monceaux. and declared on his knees that her fortune meant nothing to him and never had. He would take her penniless from the side of the road and threaten to shoot himself, or sail to Madagascar and become a pirate – which was just the sort of thing Trev would do – if she refused his love. After suitably ardent persuasion, she would reluctantly give up her plan to dedicate her life to good works and tapioca jelly, and accept his suit. Afterward they would become pirates together and she would wear a great many pearls and rubies and skewer British officers.

Callie was, however, very careful not to daydream about actually being married to Trev even after he had proposed twice. That was too real and too painful. Better a game that was safely a game.

Given the overarching theme of the book, it was fitting that the denouement came at a masquerade ball.

I had the impression that Callie and Trev would play many games together over the course of their lives – but only the fun and happy ones now.

There is something very special about reading a Kinsale book, the way the words are put together on the page, the characters, that it is a different book each time and not a rehash of the same story. While this one is not my favourite (that would be Flowers from the Storm – I like the dark and angsty best), this one did not disappoint. What kept it from being an A read for me was the explanation for Callie being jilted 3 times. That didn’t work for me and kind of took the tarnish off the story.

Grade: B+