Storm Watch

Title: Storm Watch (Harlequin Blaze)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Genre: Romance (Harlequin Blaze)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Jason is home on leave from the National Guard after his partner and best friend Matt was killed in the line of duty. The only thing is, a freak hurricane decided to hit his home the day after he got there - in California. Awakened by his high school crush, Lizzy, asking for help in finding her about-to-pop pregnant sister, they slog through Santa Rey's waterlogged streets to Cece's house and, not finding her, fall into bed with each other. Meanwhile, Cece, trying to get to Lizzy, is now in a Humvee with her next-door neighbor, badass-turned-sweety Hunter - and the baby's coming NOW.

Okay, so it was fluff. But decent fluff. My summary makes it seem much worse than it was, lol. Believe me, I've seen much MUCH worse from Harlequin Blaze, and I actually did enjoy the book. It's staying around on my romance bookshelf.

Delicious

Title: Delicious
Author: Sherry Thomas
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Verity Durant is a good cook - the best, second only (possibly) to Escoffier - with a secret. Her employer (and former lover) Bertie Somerset recently passed away, leaving her in the employ of his half-brother Stuart. What Stuart doesn't know is that his new cook is the same Cinderella he had a one-night love affair with ten years ago and has yearned for ever since.

Delicious is put forward as a Cinderella story of sorts. It starts out framed as a Cinderella story, and the author as well as the characters themselves reference the famous fairy tale throughout the novel. This not only works, but adds tremendously to the romance building between Stuart and Verity.

I loved the entire thing. Not only was I intrigued by the Victorian setting, I wanted to know if Cinderella got her prince, and what happened to the prince's fiancee. And what of Cinderella's stepmother? The prince's family? Delicious answers all of these questions, all the while drawing you into not only the romance between the characters, but into a new love affair with food - for that is how much of Verity's passion is shown: through her food.

Anyone looking to read a romance novel: I highly recommend this! It's delightful, satisfying, and all-around lovely. I know I gush, but I think, in this case, the work deserves the praise.

Seducing a S.E.A.L.

Title: Seducing a S.E.A.L.
Author: Jamie Sobrato
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.5 stars (almost 4)

So, before the review, a little personal blurb: I must admit, I had some snobbery going on. A year ago, I would not have touched a romance for anything. Obviously, I discovered I was wrong and really do like romances - but I still had a bit of snob left for Harlequins. I decided to do something about that, and it helped that
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books endorsed them - some, at least. Yes, my friends, I like them. Below I shall share with you why.

Following a workplace tragedy, Lieutenant Commander Kylie Thomas finds her rigid world collapsing. Suddenly she is incapable of controlling her thoughts, her emotions - both at and outside of work - and, most worryingly, her impulses and fantasies regarding her subordinate, Ensign Drew MacLeod. They find themselves in bed and then in Hawaii (and in bed) together, forcing Kylie to re-think her position in life - and the Navy.

Alright. So, I went and bought not only a Harlequin, but a Harlequin Blaze. Hey, I like to read steamy romance! I was not disappointed. I used to think Harlequins (especially the intentionally sexy ones) were all about the sex. Yeah, I was wrong. Contained in Seducing a S.E.A.L.'s 215 pages are a story, two fully developed characters, a romance, a tragedy, healing from said tragedy, and a decent amount of hot sex. I really really enjoyed it.

Even though Harlequin's short format leaves me wanting more story, more background, that's okay. I can get that with longer romances - the ones which are 400+ pages long. These are quickies - no pun intended. They're short, quick, fun books to which I can see myself quickly becoming addicted. Heck, I already have a second Blaze waiting for my reading *ahem* pleasure, and have a quickly growing wishlist of soon-to-be-released Harlequins (not to mention the backlist!). Thank God I have a local used bookstore which pretty much specializes in romance!

The Royal Treatement

Title: The Royal Treatment
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Genre: Chick lit/Romance
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

In this slightly-alternate world of MaryJanice Davidson's, everything is exactly the same as our own - except that Alaska, instead of being sold to the US in the 1800s, broke away from Russia and became its own country with its own erm.. unique monarchy.

Enter American Christina Krabbe ("It's pronounced 'Crab', no 'e.'"), a no-nonsense ex-cruise ship cook. She jumped ship upon quitting (due to an incident involving flooring her boss for sexual harassment) and found herself stranded in Alaska, only to be taken in by none other than the king himself - and set up with the crown prince as the future crown princess!

This book is fun, lighthearted, and funny. Unlike Davidson's Queen Betsy series, the heroine of The Royal Treatment is smart, a fact which I greatly appreciated. Christina is smart, has a don't-mess-with-me attitude, knows what she wants and won't back down from anyone - not even the king himself, nor any of his five equally strong-willed children.

A Knight Like No Other

Title: A Knight Like No Other
Author: Jocelyn Kelley
Genre: Historical romance
Rating: 2 stars out of 5

The basis of the story: During the reign of Henry II, his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, founded the Abbey of St. Jude, where young women can, in addition to living a life of prayer and contemplation, learn the knightly skills of weaponry.

From this Abbey, expert swordswoman Avisa de Vere has been sent by the Queen to protect her godson, Christian Lovell, from the intrigue between the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett.

I thought the concept of women trained in the martial arts during the Middle Ages was interesting. Sadly, it was poorly executed in this book. The book plodded at times, and there was a fifty-page tangent which served little narratorial purpose other than to show that Avisa is a skilled fighter and a good leader.

I'm intrigued by the concept of the book, and am sticking with the series - for a while - in the hopes that the writing will improve. However, for this volume itself: don't bother. It's too poorly written to stand on its own.

Blue Moon

Title: Blue Moon
Author: Lori Handeland
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Jessie McQuade has seen her fair share of things in her years on the Miniwa, Wisconsin police force - but nothing so strange as the wolf attacks plaguing the small town recently. When a wolf hunter shows up and she is assigned to help him, she starts wondering who to trust, and if she can trust the hunky professor Will Cadotte who has been giving her information about local Indian beliefs about the strange werewolf-like creatures that seem to be gathering around Miniwa.

Blue Moon is an interesting read. I never figured out who was good and who was bad until told and yet I know that if I went back and re-read it I would see all the clues, which is something I appreciate in a novel. Just for that I would give it at least 4 stars. But I'm forced to bring my rating down a notch when I consider the multiple times I saw words misused in the novel. Words where, if the author didn't know the correct word to use, the editor surely should have. For example, at one point a character should have said "descendant" but instead says "ancestor." Big difference there. It happens several times throughout the novel.

I'm interested to see more of the series, but I won't expect it to be anything more than preternatural fluff with good sex.

A Hunger Like No Other

Title: A Hunger Like No Other
Author: Kresley Cole
Genre: Horror/Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Emmaline Troy is half vampire, half valkyrie: something that should not exist. Sheltered by her valkyrie aunts her entire life, Emma decides to step out of her comfort zone and leave home, looking for answers about her life halfway around the globe in Paris. Lachlain MacRieve, king of the Lykae (werewolf) clan, has been trapped literally in a living hell for a century and a half in the catacombs under Paris by his hated enemies, the vampires. When he scents his mate - for whom he has been waiting for nearly twelve centuries - nothing will stop him from getting to her and claiming her as his. Forever.

I have several thoughts on this book. First, let me start with the cover image: it seems to be a little misleading, implying that he is the vampire about to bite her neck. Now that I have read the book, I realize that it is probably trying to be a portrayal of a pivotal scene in the book, but it was a slight shock to realize that the female was the bloodsucker in this novel. Now, on to my thoughts on the book itself.

I like the author's unique take on the paranormal world - she names it the Lore - and each species' take on the idea of mates. Vampires have Brides, Lykae have mates, and even the Valkyrie believe in the idea of a one true love. I was not pleased with how the male MC dealt with claiming the female MC, but I understood it as fitted the character and his own history and prejudices - even if it did bother me while I read it. I'll be reading the next book in the series, No Rest for the Wicked, and will see if the series is worth reading through. I hope it is.

So, fans of romance involving vampires, werewolves, and creatures of myth: this book is for you.

Highland Knight

Title: Highland Knight
Author: Cindy Miles
Genre: Paranormal romance
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Amelia Landry is a mystery writer in a funk. To get her out of said funk, her best friend/publicist arranges for Amelia to spend the summer in a tower house in the highlands of Scotland.

Ethan Munro and his five kinsmen are not-quite-dead not-quite-ghosts. Seven hundred years ago they were enchanted into a state of perpetual in-between: they can interact with each other, be seen by and interact with those who are particularly receptive, but only physically materialize during the gloaming (twilight) hour each day. They do not know why they are in this state - except that it has something to do with the unsolved murder of Ethan's wife, Devina.

Highland Knight was a funny, enchanting (please excuse the pun) book - not surprising, given Miles' first two books, Spirited Away and Into Thin Air. I read it in roughly 24 hours, racing through the first two thirds in the first night, and savoring the last third throughout the following day. I cannot wait for Miles' next book, due (I believe) early in 2009.

Noble Destiny

Title: Noble Destiny
Author: Katie MacAlister
Genre: Regency Romance
Rating: 4.5 stars

Returning widowed to England five years after an infamous elopement, Charlotte Collins finds herself in a quandary: where once she was the darling of the ton, now she is cut by them. Where once she had no shortage of suitors, now she finds herself in desperate need of a husband - and a rich one at that.

Imagine Charlotte's frustration then, when, after trapping Alasdair McGregor, Lord Carlisle, into marriage, she finds that he has no wealth, few connections, and absolutely no desire to bed her without both parties being in love. And to top it all off, Dare's cousin - long thought drowned at sea - shows up (or at least someone claiming to be this cousin), stripping Dare and Charlotte of the one thing Charlotte thought they had left: their titles.

This was a charming book. It doesn't quite live up to the first in the series, Noble Intentions, however: Charlotte is flighty and sometimes hard to keep up with, and makes the most astounding leaps of "logic". Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable story with a satisfying ending.

I look forward to reading the third in this trilogy, The Trouble with Harry. Having read pretty much all of MacAlister's other work, I have no doubts that it will be just as enjoyable as Noble Intentions and Noble Destiny.

Tess and the Highlander

Title: Tess and the Highlander
Author: May McGoldrick
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Tess is alone. For eleven years, an elderly couple raised her after finding her at six, alone and frightened, amongst the rocks on the shoreline of the island they keep. Now, though, Tess' guardians have died, leaving Tess to tend to the island and, as per their orders, hide whenever someone new comes there. When she finds a handsome young Highlander washed up on the shores of her island, she knows she must help him or he will die.

As Tess and the handsome Highlander, Colin, spend time together waiting for a ship to come take him home, they form a friendship and discover that Tess is not so alone in the world as she thinks.

This was a cute story, and definitely better than the last Avon True Romance (for teens) I picked up. It's the type of thing I would have swooned over as a teenager, had I deigned to read romances at that age (I admit, I had a bit of book snobbery going on, though I secretly loved any romance I could find in books I read). As an adult, now, I read the book and think it's cute. I would have loved to have seen how Tess and Colin's relationship matures as they do, but that is beyond the scope of this book and the age range it is intended for. I will probably be searching out McGoldrick's adult romance novels, though, given the promise this one held.

Border Wedding

Title: Border Wedding
Author: Amanda Scott
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

When Sir Walter Scott is caught in the act of stealing back his own cattle, he is given a choice by his captor: marry his captor's eldest daughter, Margaret, or hang - and his men hang with him. Wat chooses to marry Meg. The story that follows is that of their falling in love, persevering through their forced marriage, prejudices against each other, and violent politics of the Scottish borders on the 14th century.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It's an interesting story, and I kept reading it to find out what was going to happen, but I had a hard time for several reasons. First, Scott (the author, not the character) embroils her story in the politics of the period - who is loyal to whom, who is spying on whom, and who is intermarried to which family and regards themselves as English or Scottish. It got very confusing. Aside from that, the other thing that was off-putting in this story was, quite frankly, the hero's attitude toward having sex with the heroine, his wife. True to attitudes of the time period, Wat is only concerned with his own pleasure and with getting off. Unfortunately, this realism is not necessarily desirable in a romance novel. I want to be able to empathize with the heroine, and that means she can't be left hanging at the end of each sexual encounter with her husband! She may not know what she's missing, but I as the reader do, and it is very frustrating. Granted, Wat concedes that he's been a prig and resolves to make sure she comes every time he does - before he does, even - but that concession comes 50 pages from the end of the novel, and the reader never sees him do anything about it.

Come to think of it, the last two chapters seem almost like Scott was trying to finish her story and keep it under 400 pages, thereby condensing at least 100 pages' worth of story into 20.

If I hadn't been so confused about the politics (which, granted, may have been easier to follow if I hadn't taken a week-long break in the middle of the novel), frustrated over the lack of sexual resolution for the heroine, and disappointed by the rushed ending, I would be more than happy to give the novel 5 stars. As it is, I'm not willing to drop to 3.5, but will give it 4 stars. I may or may not be reading the sequel, Border Lass, when it comes out in September.

Into Thin Air

Title: Into Thin Air
Author: Cindy Miles
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Gawan of Conwyck is an honest-to-goodness Guardian Angel. As an Earthbound Angel, he lives basically as a mortal, but with some perks: he can read minds, see ghosts, and influence people's actions (kind of like a Jedi). His responsibility: make sure any and all of his Charges are safe. The catch: neither he nor his charges remember each other when the saving is accomplished.

Ellie appear one day, in need of Gawan's help. She's mostly dead - nigh unto becoming a ghost herself, with her body lost and dying - and needs Gawan to find her body and keep her alive - all before his retirement in less than a month, upon which he becomes mortal and is no longer a Guardian Angel. In the course of Gawan helping Ellie, they fall hopelessly and deeply in love - which of course stands to reason, given that they are each others' Beloved Intended: they are Soul Mates.

This book was insanely cute! I was laughing the entire time, and completely rooting for Gawan and Ellie. I didn't know whether I wanted Gawan to save Ellie or not - should he keep his vow as an Angel and a knight, or selfishly stay with his Intended for eternity? In the end though, if all turns out right, as you know it will in a romance novel - that's why we read them, no?

Miles references characters and events from her first book, Spirited Away, in this story, so it helps to have read it first - but it's by no means necessary! On a personal note, one thing I have noticed: although I'm irrationally terrified of ghosts, I seem to love paranormal romances involving them. Interesting, no?

Dead and Loving It

Title: Dead and Loving It
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Genre: Horror/Chick lit/Romance
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This collection of 4 short stories brings together Davidson's Wyndham Werewolves with Queen Betsy's vampires. And sex. Lots of hot, steamy sex.

There were parts I was uncomfortable with - namely the non-con which turned into dub-con in the second story, and seeing George, the feral vampire called a Fiend, fall in love was kind of strange, but cute. So, 4 stars. If I hadn't been squicked by the non/dub-con, I would have given it 5 stars.

Noble Intentions

Title: Noble Intentions
Author: Katie MacAlister
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Noble Britton (yes, that's his name) has been deeply scarred by his first wife's betrayal, and locks all emotion behind high walls. Gillian Leigh is honest, forthright, and incredibly loving. When these two acknowledge their instant attraction and marry, Gillian, now Lady Wessex, vows to bring down her new husband's emotional barriers, love her new stepson, and have lots of hot sex. Okay, so she doesn't vow the last bit, but it happens anyway.

I loved Katie MacAlister's contemporary romances, but the first time I gave this book a try I had a hard time with it. This time, however, I loved it. I got caught up in the story (a mystery regarding Noble's first wife, Elizabeth, and the circumstances surrounding her death). I laughed out loud throughout the book (which made reading half of it in the library rather difficult). Though the sex scenes aren't as graphic as in her contemporary romances, I understand the difference now - the difference in the attitude of the characters - and I like the book all the better for it.

To anyone who has read any of Katie MacAlister's other novels (either under that name, or under her YA pseudonym Katie Maxwell), I say: you will not be disappointed. Heck, I say that to anyone looking at this book! It's got romance, interesting characters, a (murder) mystery, and plenty of humor.

Miranda and the Warrior

Title: Miranda and the Warrior
Author: Elaine Barbieri
Source: San Jose Public Library
Rating: 2 stars out of 5


Miranda, a painfully proud young woman (who happens to be the daughter of the commanding officer of the local fort) finds herself in a sticky situation: she has been captured by the local Cheyenne, and given as a gift to Rattling Blanket, an old woman who has trouble caring for herself. Her pride refuses to let Miranda do anything except sit and pout, and demand to be taken back to the fort. However, the girl has eyes and slowly falls for Shadow Walker, the young warrior who captured her in the first place and who takes it on himself to show her the Cheyenne way.

Honestly, this book was not that great. It was fun, but not at all believable. Apparently all it takes for Miranda and her captor to fall in love is a week-long trip in which Shadow Walker swings between trying to show tough love (for which Miranda resents him), and showing outright compassion (which just plain confuses the girl). Stockholm syndrome much?

Teens - especially young teens - may like this book; anyone with a little more sense than hormones will find it to be, again, unbelievable. It had potential if it were a full-length romance novel, but as it is, it falls far short of the mark. I can only hope the rest of the line makes up for what this offering lacks.

The Missing Matchmaker

Title: The Missing Matchmaker
Author: Cindy Holbrook
Source: Santa Clara County Library
Rating: 1 star out of 5

When I first picked up this book from the library, I expected a typical Zebra Regency Romance, with a little bit of mystery thrown in. What I got was a jumble of plots and way too many side characters to understand the story - I couldn't even finish the book! I tried to force myself through it, and ended up giving up (having given up trying to understand the convoluted assassination/abduction/matchmaking plot(s) long before that) about fifty pages from the end.

Add to that the fact that the heroine is.. well, not too great (incredibly naive, and determined to be a "wild woman" by saying "jumping Jehosephat," "Sweet Mary's night rail" and devoting her life to reading anything except the religious sermons her late father restricted her to), and the hero can't make up his mind as to whether he likes the heroine or is still in love with the chit who played him last Season, and I will NOT be picking this one back up ever again. Thank goodness I only got it from the library, and didn't waste money buying it.

Hard Day's Knight

Title: Hard Day's Knight
Author: Katie MacAlister
Source: Border's
Rating: (no rating)

This was my first "descent" into romance. Last year a few months after my local Renaissance Faire ended I was going through withdrawal (hey, I'm a Rennie, so what?) and went searching for books involving Faires. I found Hard Day's Knight, and rolled my eyes, thinking "Oh, god, romance. What have I come to, to be reading romance?", and bought it anyway. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. Hard Day's Knightactually has a plotline, and though it has sex, the sex is not the point of the book itself (a fact which relieved me greatly: if I want pr0n there's lots of fanfic on the internet). While I couldn't imagine a Faire being anything like the one depicted in the book, it sated my withdrawal at least a little bit, and got me hooked on the author.

Pure fluff, but loads better than a lot of romances I've seen (mostly my roommate's books, which, I'm sorry Steph, make me cringe). Definitely a nice escape from the Literature I'm supposed to be studying (which makes my brain hurt).

Oh, btw: I'm loving Romance now. *grin*