Random Romance Sunday: Lady Killer

The Book: Dark, Dark My Lover's Eyes by Barbara Faith

The Particulars: Gothic romantic suspense, Silhouette Shadows #43, 1994, Out of Print

The Blurb:

Married to a stranger...

Julie Fleming had come to tutor young Kico Vega, not marry his darkly fascinating father, Rafael. But somehow, in caring for his son, Julie had fallen under Rafael's spell. And now she was married to a man who people whispered had killed his first wife.

And once wed, her sense of danger increased. Julie found herself helpless to resist her husband, yet he held himself aloof from her. And the more she heard about Rafael's first wife, the more she began to wonder about how -- and why -- she had died. Because strange and deadly things were happening to Julie....

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope. Although I love me some gothic-y old school goodness....

Any Reviews?: Other than a completely pointless Amazon customer review that's so brain-deadingly useless I'm not even going to highlight it? Uh, no. Sorry folks!

Anything Else?: Since it's Halloween I thought it would be fun to highlight a book from the Silhouette Shadows line. This was a "dark" category line that featured paranormals, romantic suspense and gothics - and it lasted all of three years in the early-mid 1990s. I thought the title of this book was great (it made my nostalgic gothic-lovin' heart go squee!), which is why I chose it. Little did I know that I'd hit the mother-lode when doing a bit of digging on this author, who I had never heard of.

Faith was the author of over 40 romance novels, and won the RITA (back then it was called the "Golden Medallion") in 1981 for The Sun Dancers. A nice career, to be sure - but not what makes her so full of awesome. No, it's our gal's personal life, which I swear sounds like it's ripped from the pages of a Harlequin Presents.

Faith's full name was Barbara Faith de Covarrubias, having married a retired bullfighter in 1970. She lived in Florida, California and finally settled for good in Mexico. Some of her books were set in exotic locales like Mexico, Spain and Morocco, and she had a fondness for Hispanic heroes (gee, wonder why?). Sadly she passed away in 1995, a month before her and her husband were to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

I know there is a small merry pocket of Silhouette Shadows fans floating around Romancelandia. Also, Faith left a big enough backlist (especially in category) that I'm betting some of you longtime romance readers may be familiar with her. What say you? Let's open the floor for comments and opinions!

TV Worth Watching Again

Thanks to my homegirl Mad for dropping the Twitter bomb on me yesterday and letting me know - oh thank you baby Jesus! - that Justified is coming back for it's second season in February.

People, do you know how few TV shows I watch? Like, next to none. And the few I do still watch I've grown disenchanted with. But Justified? Yeah, full of awesome. So full of awesome that even though My Man jokes that we only watch it so "you can get your skinny guy wearing a cowboy hat fix" (hey, I ain't dead!) it's the one show we both unanimously agree on. We both think it's King Of Mt. Awesome.

This bit of news that I only have to wait until February for it to come back on the air was met with much running around in circles, flapping of arms, squee-ing, and almost passing out from the sheer ecstasy. I think it's what they call "pleasure overload." And isn't it sad that all it takes to make me happy outside of a good book and halfway decent chocolate is a TV show with a skinny guy wearing a cowboy hat and some of the best damn dialogue to hit the small screen...well...ever.

This promo is all season one footage, but dang, you have to watch it to see what you've been missing. The show's a hit, so at least I don't have to resort to begging for people to watch it so it won't get canceled.

Lose Myself In Your Kiss

Contrary to popular opinion, not all secondary characters in romance novels need their own stories. They just don't. But in the case of HelenKay Dimon's books - well, they do. Whatever that magic ingredient a secondary character has to have to snag a reader's attention, hers seem to. So when I got around to reading Holding Out For A Hero earlier this year, I found myself turning into a squee'ing rabid fangirl hoping that Eric Kimura (yes, Asian hero alert!) would get his own romance. In Impulsive, Eric gets the girl, although she's not exactly the girl anyone would ever imagine him falling for.

Eric is at his ex's wedding (see: HOfaH) when he catches a waitress making eyes at him. Before you can say, "My ex screwed me over and not in a good way" he's doing the dirty deed with Katie Long in the nearest restroom.

Ahhhh, romance! But honestly, hotter than hell. Just sayin'.

Complications naturally abound. Eric is running for political office (prosecuting attorney), and even though his ex just got married, there are plenty of rumors that they're sneaking around. Enter stage left, Katie, who was hired to keep an eye on Eric and see if the rumors about the ex are true. The plan did not entail having hot and steamy McLovin' with Eric in the bathroom, but minor detail that. There's also the small matter of Katie's checkered past and her 25-year-old "lifestyle" (as in, she was a total screw-up and is just now trying to get her life on track) to Eric's 37-year-old lawyer-running-for-political-office lifestyle.

See, I told you there were complications.

Impulsive follows the trajectory I seem to have with a lot of Dimon's books. Great dialogue, a yummy hero I wouldn't mind taking into the nearest bathroom myself, and a heroine that I don't start out liking all that much. It's entirely possible I'm being too hard on Katie. I mean, I was 25 once. Not as much of a disaster as Katie is, but she's young and hasn't had the easiest life. Bless her heart, she is trying. And just like other Dimon heroines before her, the longer I hang around Katie, the more she grows on me.

Eric makes this book for me. He's just as yummy as I remembered him, but the author doesn't fall into the trap of making him "too good." The guy has his faults. He sometimes says and does the wrong thing, when he really thinks he's doing the right thing. Honestly, there were moments when I thought Katie should have been more mad at him about certain things. But he's also a nice change of pace from many romance heroes. He's intelligent, reserved, and he's not exactly a demonstrative guy. Well, outside of the sex at any rate.

And that's sort of where this book stumbles a bit for me. Even after Katie grew on me, I'm not entirely sold on the romance here. First, there's the age difference (admittedly, an issue for me!). Also, Katie and Eric are so......different. That being said, I felt better about the ending once I got all the way through the book, because by that point I felt more confident that Eric wouldn't spend their entire lives together cleaning up after whatever mess Katie stumbled into. She figures it out over the course of the book, and so does he.

I didn't love this one as much as HOfaH, but I still found it quite enjoyable. If you're already a Dimon fan this new one has everything you've come to expect from one of her stories. If you're a newbie who is a sucker for great dialogue and drop-dead hunky heroes who talk and act like men? Yeah, what the heck are you waiting for?

Final Grade = B

Random Romance Sunday: He Wants To Sex Her Up

The Book: Disappear by Kay David

The Particulars: Harlequin SuperRomance #1074, 2002, Out of Print

The Blurb:

Alexis Mission returns to her parents' house for Thanksgiving and winds up in the middle of a mystery. The house is locked, the turkey's in the oven -- burned to a crisp -- four places are set at the table and not one member of her family can be found.

Sitting in the shadows is a man claiming to be a government agent. Gabriel O'Rourke wants her to believe what can't possibly be true. He wants her to go with him. He wants her to trust him. But that's not what Alexis wants.

Too bad she has no other choice. Gabriel is the only one who can tell her what's going on -- even if everything he says sounds like a lie.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: No, I don't. But gotta say, I'm intrigued by this back cover blurb. Given my reputation for being a HSR 'ho, I surprisingly only have one Kay David book in my TBR - Not Without Cause. A hold over from the days when the Harlequin art department thought the photographers should smear gobs of Vaseline on their camera lens to give the books that out-of-focus women's fiction-y look. I'm kinda glad those covers didn't stick around for very long. But, I digress....

Any Reviews?: Not really. All I could dig up were the standard Amazon customer reviews. All either four or five stars.

Anything Else?: Ladies, let's just imagine for a moment the horrors this poor heroine must go through in this story. She comes home for Thanksgiving, already dreaming of a tryptophan and sweet potato coma while watching the Detroit Lions embarrass themselves on national television. But what should await her when she arrives? No, not Mumsy and Daddy waiting to embrace her in a warm welcome-home hug - but a guy who looks like a reject from Color Me Badd. Or an extra from the original Beverly Hills 90210. Wait a minute, how about Color Me Badd on 90210?

Yes kids, this is the kind of schlock we listened and watched during the 1990s. Scary, isn't it?

As for the author, David has a fairly extensive category backlist, mostly HSRs. Her web site is not very current, but at last mention she's shifting gears somewhat and working on an inspirational suspense novel.

Little Miss Crabby Pants Takes Out The Trash

I like to read romance novels. Every romance reader, at some point in their lives, has had to hear about how the books we like to read are trash, crap, poorly written tripe, filth, porn, cookie-cutter, lacking in originality, anti-feminist, yada yada yada.

Frankly, we're used to it. We're used to people questioning our intelligence and implying that we're brain-dead ninnies. I'm at that point in my life where I've sort of "given up" on these morons, except when said idiot is a librarian.

Because, duuuuuude. Seriously? You're a librarian and you're turning your nose up at people who actually like to, and willingly, read? You might want to answer that phone, it's probably some brain cells calling.

Honestly though, I mostly roll with this sort of nonsense. People have always hated on popular fiction, and I don't suspect that's gonna change anytime soon. I pick my battles.

But when I see books like this:


and this....


and notice that Snooki's book is due out in January 2011....

I feel rage.

Hulk-like rage.

Because, you know, what I like to read is apparently "trash."

Side Note: "Creeping on chicks"?!?!?!?!?!?! Someone pass the vodka will ya? New Jersey you have my deepest sympathies. I can't decide what is worse: being stereotyped as gangsters or being stereotyped as douchebags?

TBR Challenge 2010: When Lorraine Comes Marching Home

The Book: My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys by Lorraine Heath, Georgina Gentry & Teresa Bodwell

The Particulars: Historical western anthology, Kensington, trade paperback, 2006, In Print. 2010 mass market paperback reprint is also in print.

Why Was It In The Bat Cave TBR?: Anthology or no (and I happen to like anthologies), this is a western. Which means Wendy bought it brand new, in trade paperback even. Also, hello? Lorraine Heath back to writing a western. Even if it is "just a short story," wild horses couldn't have kept me away.

The Review: I'm going to review these stories in the order which they appear in the book.

First up is "The Great Cowboy Race" by Georgina Gentry. Henrietta runs away to her Daddy's home in Nebraska to avoid an arranged marriage back in Boston. She arrives only to learn Daddy is away on a business trip. But instead of going to Daddy's massive ranch and throwing herself at the mercy of a housekeeper or ranch foreman, she decides to enter a horse race that will end in Chicago. Couple this improbability with a tell-y writing style, improbable character names like Comanche Jones and Throckmoroton P. Gutterstaff III, and the fact that the heroine is a brain-dead ninny? Yeah, I deserve a medal for getting through the first chapter. Needless to say, that was when I stopped.

Grade = DNF

"Moonlight Whispers" by Teresa Bodwell does a good job of cleansing my palate after the previous hot mess. Isabelle Milton arrives in Hell Gate, Washington hoping to reunite with her father. Unfortunately footloose Daddy is nowhere to be found. Isabelle is helping out the family that owns the local watering hole, but they're about to put her out on her ear. Riding to her rescue? Rancher Lucas Warring who only came to town to find his wastrel baby brother.

This is pretty standard western fare. Lucas doesn't want a housekeeper, especially Isabelle who was raised to be a "lady" and is therefore pretty much useless. It's fairly engaging and I was enjoying myself, until the first love scene, which hit some ick buttons. It's not forced seduction, but I'll be honest - it's rather unpleasant. It left a bad taste in my mouth, and for that reason the happily-ever-after didn't exactly warm the cockles of my heart. Disappointing.

Grade = C

"The Reluctant Hero" by Lorraine Heath is the final story, and keeps me from regretting that I pulled this one out of the TBR to read this month. Andrea Jackson writes dime novels and unfortunately her muse has left the building. Desperate for a hero, she travels to Gallant, Texas to meet Sheriff Matthew Knight, a man who single-handedly brought in the Ace In The Hole gang - dead, not alive. Andrea figures she's can stretch this guy into a hero for a whole series of books! The problem, of course, is Matt, who doesn't think he's a hero, and doesn't want to be glorified in a series of dime novels. What to do, what to do?

Reading this story just makes me more angry that Heath is no longer writing full-length westerns. Well-written, emotionally engaging, and featuring two characters with plenty of personal baggage. However it's the route the author takes to the happily-ever-after that sells me on this tale. It's not an easy road, and in fact, could have blown up in the face of a less-skilled writer. Heath explores the notion of heroes and hero-worship, and it makes for a compelling read. It also knocked the wind right out of me. Someone asked me on Twitter the other day what makes a good short story? Yeah, this one. That's all you need to know.

Grade = A

I have no flippin' clue how to grade this anthology as a whole. As awesome as the Heath story was, that's how terrible I found the Gentry entry - which I couldn't even bring myself to finish. The Bodwell story was pretty good until I hit that first sex scene wall, but it wasn't without it's charms. So instead of making my brain hurt, I'm not going to assign this one an overall grade. Heck, I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to keep this book. In the long run, I think I will. It's going to be a while before I can "let go" of that Heath entry.

On The Road And Oodles Of Harlequin-ness

First things first, I had a new post go live over at Access Romance Readers Gab yesterday. Go on over and read about how much of a freak I am when it comes to books I love.

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Are you a Debbie Macomber fan? Well, the author is hosting an online book launch party this Friday, October 22. You can sign-up and read further details here.

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Are you a writer aspiring towards publication? Do your daydreams involve seeing your name next to the Harlequin logo? Well, check out Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write! A chance to meet editors, participate in community discussions, listen to podcasts, and various daily challenges to hone those writing muscles.

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For the 3 librarians who read this blog, Harlequin has launched a web site just for us - Harlequin For Libraries. General information on a wide variety of books (yes, romance but also non-fiction!), featured reviews and....catalogs! We librarians love us some catalogs.

OK, this librarian loves her some catalogs....

Bon Voyage Silhouette!

News broke on Twitter a week or so ago that Harlequin is going through another round of re-branding mojo. This go around? They're dumping the Silhouette name and will "rebrand" those lines as Harlequin. So instead of Silhouette Desire, you'll now have Harlequin Desire. This bit of memo leakage came from a reliable source, but I had been waiting to see it posted somewhere else online before discussing my opinion on the matter and now? Yeah, here it is. Along with the memo that went out to Harlequin authors.

What does this mean? Honestly? Not a whole helluva lot. It's simply a matter of time marching on.

For those of you who aren't up on your category romance history, let me give you a (very) quick and dirty lesson. Back in the olden days, Harlequin published one American writer (Janet Dailey). However, the American market place was a big buyer for category romance, and in response to that demand, Simon & Schuster launched Silhouette (founding editor was the late Kate Duffy) - which gave us American authors writing in American settings. Yes, this would be why Nora Roberts was originally published under the Silhouette banner. Eventually Harlequin caught a clue and bought Silhouette in 1984 - giving us the company we know today. But over the years these two names have blended. American authors are no longer "corralled" under just the Silhouette name and vice versa.

From a nostalgia standpoint - I get it. Even though I missed out on what many consider the "golden age" of category romance, I totally "get" how some readers feel about those early Silhouette offerings. It was a bit...well...revolutionary. The stories were different, the heroines were different, the sex was...well...sexy. For the first time ever you, as the reader, were no longer limited to just the "traditional" model of romance storytelling. But from the standpoint of a reader today? Right now? Yeah, I'm honestly surprised Harlequin hadn't made this move sooner.

Harlequin is a global brand. It's huge. People who don't know a damn thing about books or publishing know Harlequin (even if it is only to make fun of those trashy, cookie-cutter books ::big sigh::). Silhouette? Yeah, some name recognition, but not nearly on the global scale of Harlequin. And before you argue with me, I contend that it's really only hard core romance readers living overseas who have any inkling of the Silhouette name. But yeah, everybody knows Harlequin. So from an author/book/line marketing standpoint? This is nothing but good news in my opinion.

And really, that's what we're talking about here - a name. Harlequin has said nothing about reworking the lines, other than a name change. So if you like Silhouette Desire now? Yeah, you're still going to like them as Harlequin Desire. Karen Templeton is still going to write good, solid, enjoyable Harlequin Special Editions, as she did Silhouette Special Editions. If anything, this name switcheroo might actually help sales, especially overseas. That's my hunch anyway.

What I'm not so sure about is if this will result in any kind of internal shake-up at the HQN offices. I'm not sure why it would - but I never try to pretend to understand business decisions, especially these days. However from a reader standpoint? I'm not seeing this as giant, massive news. Well, yet anyway. We'll have to wait and see how it shakes out of course.

ETA: More press release lingo via RT. In another bit of news, the Love Inspired Historical line is going from 2 releases a month, to 4. A move that does not shock me at all.

Random Romance Sunday: Jungle Love

The Book: Silver Linings by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Particulars: Romantic suspense, Pocket, 1991, In Print

The Blurb:

HE WANTS HER BACK. SHE HAS HER DOUBTS. LOVE BURNED THEM ONCE --- NOW THEY'RE TWICE AS HOT!

Successful but shy, Seattle art dealer Mattie Sharpe fell for handsome, outspoken, professional adventurer Hugh Abbott at first sight. So she turned up her courage, let down her hair and made him an offer she thought he couldn't refuse. But he broke her heart, and left Seattle for his South Sea island home. Angry and hurt, Mattie endured the advice of her eccentric, artistic family --- a sister who disdained Hugh as too "elemental," and an aunt who called him a "real" man. Mattie vowed that she'd meet Hugh again, over her --- or better, his --- dead body.

When they do meet again, it's over someone else's dead body --- and now they're running for their lives through an island jungle. Hugh's talking fast to make up for his mistake. Mattie's not listening --- until his gentle touch ignites a white-hot fusion, and she gives in. But Hugh's past is catching up with them --- and Mattie must stake her very survival on the man she loves --- the only man who ever let her down! Weaving a tour-de-force of delectable, sensual romance and breathless adventure, Jayne Ann Krentz kindles our deepest dreams with a tale of enduring family bonds and the miracle of a love that --- finally! --- conquers all.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope

Any Reviews?: Reviews for older romances can be spotty, but this is JAK, so yeah - we have a couple.

Publisher's Weekly had this to say (you can read full review over at Amazon, but be warned - I personally found it spoiler-ish):

"An action-packed plot and a charming heroine who sports her share of modern neuroses may cajole readers into forgiving Krentz ( The Golden Chance ) for a happy ending that's a real clunker...."

On the flipside, there's a reader-written DIK review over at AAR - so yeah, an A grade:

"This is a funny, smart, and sexy book with some very witty dialogue. Mattie is very much a modern woman who knows what she wants, and goes out to get it. She's very brave, smart - in short - a JAK heroine. Hugh is adorable, and admirable; throughout the book you see Hugh's determination to win Mattie over. Once he's decided she's what he wants, he never wavers. Both characters have depth, and you always understand why they act the way they act."

Anything Else?: I came to the romance genre late (1999) and didn't waste much time before jumping on the reviewing bandwagon. In a nutshell? I was reading assigned review books when most people in my shoes would have been exploring the backlist of many super popular authors. Outside of two of the Eclipse Bay books (which I was assigned to review), I've never read anything else by Krentz.

I know, I know.

So let's open up the comments field, shall we? What's your favorite JAK novel (her pseudonyms are also welcome!)? And, have you read this one? What did you think?

OK, So I Lied

Yeah, yeah - Yankees playing the Rangers, blah blah blah. The talk here in the Bat Cave is Giants vs. Phillies. Game 1 of the NLCS. Roy "Doc" Halladay vs. Shaggy Pothead Highon Timmy Tim Lincecum. People, listen to me. Pitching match-ups this good don't even happen in Hollywood scripts. That's how full of awesome this is.

What does this have to do with reading, romance novels, and/or Romance Bloglandia? Well, nothing other than the fact that Wendy lied and is talking baseball again.

Oh, and the roof could blow off Phyl's house tomorrow, the living room furniture could spontaneously combust and a pack of Fabio wannabes could be discovered living in her attic, and she won't notice or give a damn about any of it.

Ha!

(And because this game is the talk of well...just about everywhere right now, it's probably doomed to be jinxed all to Hell. But I hope it isn't. Because dang, on paper this is so freakin' awesome.)

Project X, Irish Warriors, Library Weeding, And Wall Street

I can't seem to muster up a topic for a full-length blog post, so y'all are getting fragments of stuff floating around in my tiny pea-brain. Brace yourselves.

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First up, Megan Frampton (one of my favorite people in Romance Bloglandia) is working on a Top Secret project and has put the call out for romance and mystery bloggers. She's looking "for people to write engaging, substantive posts, for which you’ll be paid." More deets at Megan's blog if you're interested.

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I'm currently reading Surrender to an Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham. This is the last book in her medieval MacEgan Brothers series for Harlequin Historical.

I wanted to read this book because I've enjoyed other medievals by Willingham (I haven't read this whole series yet, having hopped around a bit), and that's the reason I picked this one up. Ahem, not because of the cover. Although now I'm posting about this book because of the cover, feeling particularly shallow today. Doesn't this fellow look dreamy and kickass? Although I'm not sure where that sword is coming from since a scabbard is nowhere to be found on his person - but dayum.

And ::swoon:: really short hair. I'm probably in the minority here, but I tend to detest long hair on men. Just do. If I wanted to drool over someone who looks like a girl, I'd switch teams. Just sayin'.

Oh, the story you ask? I literally just started it (as in, I'm only 50 pages in) but dang these people have a mountain of baggage. Angst ahoy!

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One of my work responsibilities is to keep a finger on the pulse of weeding among our library branches. Yes, it's true. Libraries get rid of books. We have to. If we didn't we wouldn't have room for new stuff, and eventually Everything Must Go. Books get worn out. They get nasty and grungy.

When we get down to the final copy owned by the entire system, and the owning branch wants to discard it (for whatever reason), they e-mail me. I then make a final decision on if we want to hang on to the book for whatever reason, replace it, yada yada yada. Enter Dakota Dream by Sharon MacIver, which ended up getting weeded based on condition (gnarly). But the weeding librarian didn't stop there. Oh no! Her exact words:

"Nobody cares about how "their love defied two worlds" anymore."

I literally laughed out loud and startled everyone who shares my cubicle-divided office space.

Oh, and for those of you who are curious? Turns out Sharon MacIver also wrote books under the name Sharon Ihle. Hadn't heard of MacIver before, but I have heard of Ihle. I've got at least one book by her in Ye Olde TBR Mountain Range.

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Once upon a time, My Man and I went to the movie theater a lot. These days? Yeah, not so much. But My Man did want to see the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, so we made the trip this weekend. Plus I had a coupon for a free pass. Can't beat that!

I have a spotty history with Oliver Stone movies. All Most of the time I find him too self-indulgent for my tastes. But this movie? I liked it a lot more than I was expecting. Most of the "money stuff" flew right over my head, but it's well-acted, I stayed interested in the script, and it was just really nice to see Michael Douglas on the screen. Whatever "it" is, that guy has it. And Shia actually flexes some acting muscles here. He seemed more like a "grown-up" in this movie to me.

So while I wouldn't say you need to drop everything and see this tomorrow, it is worth watching. Says me. Plus Stone reined in most of his excesses here. Color me pleasantly surprised.

Random Romance Sunday: At The Drive-In, In The Old Man's Ford

The Book: The Fires of Paradise by Brenda Joyce

The Particulars: Historical romance, Avon, 1992, In Print, Book 5 in Series

The Blurb:

Heiress to the dazzling Bragg empire, beautiful, headstrong socialite Lucy Bragg lives a life that defies convention. Dark and handsome half-breed Shozkay Savage lives an outlaw's life on the edge. They inhabit different worlds -- hers opulent and glamorous, his dangerous and untamed. But on the vast and sweeping plains of Texas, their worlds collide...

Abducted and held for ransom, Lucy despises Shoz for his arrogance ... yet is drawn to the magnificent and mysterious fugitive by a shameless, all-consuming desire. Sworn to escape him but betrayed by her heart, she will follow Shoz from the glittering world of New York high society to the tropical heat of revolution-swept Cuba -- braving scandal and heartbreak, risking life itself for a bold and passionate love.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope.

Any Reviews?: This is an older book, so not really. Customer reviews over at Amazon range from 2 to 5 Stars.

Anything Else?: This one has been reprinted a couple of times, the covers getting more bland with each print run - but dang, you just can't top that Old School cover. I love the female model's hair and make-up. Looks like she's on her way to a Poison concert and figures "What the hell? I have some time to kill. Why not shoot a romance novel cover before I throw my bra at C.C. DeVille?"

And Shozkay Savage? ::blink:: Seriously? We're going there? And revolution-swept Cuba? We're going there?! ::double blink:: Words always seem to fail me when trolling through Old School Romance Novel back cover copy. Those copy writers had a gift I tells ya.

The Month That Was September 2010

Lemon Drop: Auntie Wendy! You're back! Are you here to tell me about what books you read last month?

Me: I sure am Lemon Drop! Are you ready?

Lemon Drop: Well, I guess this is a good time. I can pencil you in between begging Mommy for more food and leaving her a present in my diaper.

Me: Alrighty then. Ahem. I started out the month in a bit of a slump, but managed to get 10 books read. OK, so mostly Harlequins. And two short stories. But still....10!

Title links will take you to full reviews

Wanted! by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Harlequin Blaze #544 , 2010, Book 1 in series, Grade = C

• Heroine on vacation decides to get her groove back with sexy, sweaty, anonymous cowboy. When cowboy turns out to be the middle son of the family whose ranch house she's staying at complications ensue. Lick-able hero, but found the heroine annoyingly wishy-washy. Also, by the time the Big Family Secret conflict was introduced, I felt there weren't enough pages left to adequately deal with the fallout in a semi-believable manner. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Cowboy, Heroine Done Wrong, Just A Fling, Sequel-Baitin' Brothers, Big Secret
  

Ambushed! by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Harlequin Blaze #550 , 2010, Book 2 in series, Grade = C-

• Rodeo-ridin' hero comes home to take care of injured horse he saved from slaughter house and hooks up with heroine, a girl he knew back in high school. Plenty of sizzle, sexy banter, and enjoyable characters. But the slapped-on introduction of Does The Heroine Want To Have Babies Some Day? conflict at the end and the way it was "resolved" pushed every single one of my hot buttons. The only thing that saved this book from a big fat D (or F) grade was the fact that the first 3/4 of the story were really great. As it was, I deserve a medal for not hurling my Sony Reader across the room in total disgust. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Cowboy, Heroine With Flaky Family, Just A Fling, Sequel-Baitin' Brother
  

Claimed! by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Harlequin Blaze #556 , 2010, Book 3 in series, Grade = B

• Uptight older brother hero, who still feels guilt over his father's death, hooks back up with the heroine, the woman he was seeing before the family tragedy. Felt the heroine should have been able to control her hormones better considering how badly the hero had previously treated her, but other than that, this was an enjoyable read and saved the trilogy for me. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Guilt-Riddled Hero, Heroine Done Wrong By Hero, Just A Fling, Reunited, One Disapproving Brother
  

In the Shelter of His Arms by Jackie Braun, Harlequin American #3840 , 2005, Grade = B+

• Down on her luck heroine gets rescued by hero after her car dies in the middle of nowhere. Pretty soon she's working as a waitress in his bar and renting a tiny apartment above his garage. A really lovely story about two people haunted by their pasts. The only bump in the road for me was the hero's annoying as hell sister, who drove me batshit crazy. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Abandoned!, Heroine With Strong Survival Skills, Beta Hero Done Wrong, One Annoying Relative
  

The Gentlewoman's Predicament by Portia Da Costa, Spice Briefs, historical erotic romance ebook short story, part of series, 2010, Grade = B

• Heroine whose husband sucked in the sack (and not in a good way) goes to an exclusive "shop" to get confirmation that sex is supposed to be "good." Naughtiness ensues. Did feel that the romance portion of this story was pretty thin, but liked that the heroine didn't automatically think "I'm bad at sex" just because Hubby #1 was a moron. I also liked that her "awakening" was handled in a believable manner, and she wasn't swinging from a chandelier while cracking a whip. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine In Desperate Need Of Orgasm, Mysterious Hero, Mistaken Identity
  

The Gentlewoman's Ravishment by Portia Da Costa, Spice Briefs, historical erotic romance ebook short story, part of series, 2010, Grade = B

• Heroine gets "abducted" after leaving her ladies sewing circle and has her wildest fantasies of being "seduced" by a mysterious stranger fulfilled. Naughtiness ensues. Readers need to be willing to roll with the fantasy, otherwise you could poke holes in this story all day long. But it's quick, sexy, and I really liked the ending. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine Who Likes the Sexy Times, Mystery Lover, Kidnapped!
  

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain, Suspense, St. Martin's/Minotaur, Book 4 in series, 2011, Grade = B+

• The city of Portland is experiencing epic rain fall and the flooding has washed up several dead bodies. It's believed these people are the victims of accidental drowning, but when the medical examiner determines one of them was poisoned before hitting the water, it's up to Detective Archie Sheridan and plucky newspaper reporter Susan Ward to get to the bottom of things. Loved every minute of it. A full-length review will happen closer to release date (March 1, 2011). I know, I'm mean.
  

Dangerous Allies by Renee Ryan, Historical inspirational romance, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical #64, 2010, Grade = C

• Heroine and hero hook up for a spy mission in World War II era Germany. Great use of history, wonderful plot, but the inspirational elements were problematic. Sometimes they "fit" into the narrative, and other times they felt shoe-horned into a story, like a God Quota had to be met. Also, while the Crisis Of Faith on the part of both characters is very believable, the hero's whiplash turn-around on that issue didn't satisfy me. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine Desperate To Protect Family, Secret Agent Hero, Crisis of Faith, Living A Double Life
  

Three Times a Bridesmaid by Nicola Marsh, Harlequin Romance #4173, 2010, Grade = B+

• Heroine is going to be bridesmaid for BFF #3 and desperately wants some arm candy to throw off the matchmaking scent of her well-meaning friends. Enter, stage left, the hero, who she knew when she was younger, and who broke her heart. A charming story about nice people still hung up by their pasts. Quite lovely. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Ugly Duckling To Swan, Workaholic Hero, Big Secret, Reunited, Fake Boyfriend/Girlfriend
  

The Captive by Joanne Rock, Harlequin Blaze #534, Medieval, 2010, Grade = B-

• Widowed heroine with no desire to remarry finds herself taken captive by Viking hero when he storms her former guardian's castle. Nice sense of place, nice characters, and the author stays away from the ol' "forced seduction" bug-a-boo. However the resolution to the conflict felt a bit like a cop-out to me. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Widowed Heroine, Viking, Kidnapped!
  

Lemon Drop: Duuuuuude. Does Papaw know what you read? Sexy cowboys? Respectable Victorian ladies getting their groove thang on? Serial killers? Captive-takin' Vikings?

Me: Ahhhh, Lemon Drop, you shall quickly learn that your grandfather has gotten through parenthood by choosing to not think about certain things concerning his daughters. For the record, he thinks your Mommy stumbled across you in a cabbage patch.

Lemon Drop: You mean Mommy didn't find me in a cabbage patch?!

Me: Uh, never mind. Forget I said anything. Here! Look at these shiny car keys!

Lemon Drop: Oooooh, pretty......

Me: Whew!

Wendy Tries To Find Her Will Power

Port Mortuary: Well hello there Wendy.

Me: Shit.

PM: I see you've ordered copies of me for your library system.

Me: So? I order a lot of books I'll never read for my library system. This does not make you special.

PM: Awwww, why do you have to be like that sweetie?

Me: Don't call me sweetie.

PM: C'mon Wendy. After all these years? After all we've been through together?

Me: Listen cupcake, we broke up. I'm moving on. You can't expect me to take you back with some sweet words and the faint promise that you'll try to do better.

PM: But Wendy, you've ordered me for work. Would it really be too much to ask for a second chance? All you have to do is put your name on the waiting list....

Me: Ha! Second chance? More like third, fourth, fifth etc. chance! No, we broke up.

PM: Awwww, c'mon baby. Don't be like that....

Me: Listen, I got tired of you taking me for granted. This was a one-sided relationship, and frankly, I deserve better after devoting my reading life to you since I was 16 years old. No, I'm through. I can't keep coming back to you over and over again only to have my heart broken. I just can't take the abuse anymore.

PM: But Wendy, I can change! I promise, I'll do better. All you have to do is put your name on that waiting list. It's not like I'm asking you to buy your own copy of me. Just one more chance. One more teensy, weensy chance. Is that too much to ask for? After all these years? After all the enjoyment I've given you over the years? Please Wendy, I can do better!

Me: Shit.

(For the record, my name is still not on the waiting list for a work copy. I'm trying to remain strong. I am tough. I am resilient. I am woman, hear me roar! Oh hell, I'm a marshmallow and we all know it. But dang, must resist. Must. Resist! I told myself I was done, and I really mean it! Uh, I think. I'm pretty sure anyway. Damn.)

Baseball, Boardwalks And True Grit

For those of you who barely tolerate my baseball ramblings, you can thank your lucky stars that the season is officially kaput for my hapless Detroit Tigers. My kitties, who got declawed post-All Star break, finished up at an Even Steven 81-81. WooHoo! .500 baby!

Sigh.

But oh happy day for some of you. The Bat Cave is likely to be a Baseball Free Zone until at least late March. Enjoy the reprieve while it lasts.

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In other news, anyone else out there in Romance Bloglandia watching Boardwalk Empire? My first order of business once I got back to So. Cal. was to watch the first two episodes that were saved on my DVR. So far? I'm liking it. In fact, I'm about thisclose to being hopelessly addicted to it. At the very least it will keep me entertained until Justified comes back for it's second season.


+++++

In the Oh Really? department, they've apparently remade True Grit. For those of you not in the know, this book by Charles Portis was first made into a movie back in 1969 starring John Wayne (for which he got his only Oscar). I'll be honest, of all the John Wayne vehicles, I kind of figured that The Searchers would get the remake treatment first - but True Grit isn't necessarily a bad choice. Jeff Bridges is taking over the Wayne role - and he and Josh Brolin certainly look their parts. Matt Damon on the other hand? I'm not so sure. Of all the actors I can envision being in this movie, Damon is pretty far down on the list. But who knows? Maybe he'll do alright....

Random Romance Sunday: To Italy, With Love

The Book: Night Of Fire by Barbara Samuel

The Particulars: Historical romance, Avon, 2000, Out of Print, A sequel to Black Angel

The Blurb:

Lady Cassandra St. Ives had sworn off marriage ever since becoming a happy widow, but lately her affections have been engaged by a mysterious, long distance correspondent. Cassandra has shared her soul with her far-off admirer, and when he invites her to visit his home she accepts the invitation gladly. Expecting a kindly of gentleman, Cassandra is stunned to find that Count Basilio Montevarchi is a virile man in his prime who knows her heart's most intimate desires--and is only too willng to fulfill every one...

The moment Basilio sets eyes on the vibrant beauty he recognizes a soul mate he will never be able to claim as his own. A long-standing betrothal--and the honor of his family--dictate that Basilio must deny himself Cassandra's love. Still they cannot deny the force of their passion until the confines of responsibility finally force them apart. Now Basilio must find a way to keep his heart's desire--before he loses her forever.

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope. But man oh man, I'm so tempted....

Any Reviews?: Yes, loads of them!

The Romance Reader gave this 4 Hearts (the equivalent to a B grade):

The author employs language invoking several senses - light, sound, smell, taste - in describing Cassandra’s awakening to love and carnal experience. This is one romance where the correct word to characterize the author’s use of language is “lush.” Tuscany is likely to undergo a new influx of tourists based on the descriptions in this book!

All About Romance gave it a B+:

It's unusual for an historical romance to be set in Italy, and I very much appreciated the change of scenery. The first half of the book is drenched in the light and heat of Tuscany. Samuel is such a fine writer that you can almost feel the dust, smell the grapes growing, watch the sun go down in a blaze of fire. The contrast between this and the cold and gloom of an English autumn, where the story moves in the second half, serves to underscore the apparent impossibility of reconciling the two worlds the hero and heroine have known.

And gird your loins - Mrs. Giggles gave this a 95!:

NOF may lack the usual Napoleon/Irish/Highland intrigue, and instead it just chooses to tell a love story thwarted by the lovers' own nobility and circumstances. It's a beautiful story, and the poeticism in the prose adds to the whole surreal enchantment of the larger-than-life romance that envelops me as well as the two lovers.

Anything Else?: Assuming my research is correct, this appears to have been the last full-length historical that Samuel published, and it's part of (a probably now aborted) series about the St. Ives family. Incomplete series give us all a sad. That being said, Samuel is also known to category romance readers as Ruth Wind, and these days you can find her writing under the name Barbara O'Neal. In fact, it was a O'Neal title (The Lost Recipe Of Happiness) that won the 2010 RITA award for Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements. So obviously the author is doing OK for herself, aborted historical series notwithstanding....

But sigh - Tuscany! A letter-writing romantic couple! So tempted....