Cause He's Not Just One Of The Crowd

I've found Zoe Archer's Blades Of The Rose series to be marvelously consistent, but this third book, Rebel, may just be my favorite so far. Longtime readers of this blog might speculate that it's because with a Vancouver setting, that the frontier western-ish setting is what flipped my switch. And certainly, that's part of it. However the bulk of the credit goes to the heroine, who is by far and away the star of this series (so far!) for me.

While on a mission for the Blades, Astrid Bramfield's husband was killed by the treacherous Heirs of Albion. Holding him as he dies in her arms, something breaks inside Astrid. She returns to England, only to turn around and leave again. Living a life in exile in frontier Vancouver, she's completely shut herself off from the world - to the point where she doesn't correspond with fellow Blade, and friend, Catullus Graves, or her own father.

Nathan Lesperance is Native, having been taken from his home as a child and dumped in a white run Indian school. Nathan took his rage and despair, channeled it, and is now an attorney. Which makes him the ultimate outsider. Not welcome in the white world, or his tribe. It's while at a remote outpost on business that he meets Astrid, and sparks immediately fly. It also unleashes something in Nathan. A power he did not know he possessed. And when the Heirs come a callin' in Vancouver, it doesn't take them long to set their sights on Nathan.

What follows is Nathan coming to terms with his magical abilities, and Astrid rejoining the land of the living, along with the Blades. It's classic road romance with a heavy dollop of adventure mixed in on the side, as the couple tries to find answers, and the Sources, before the Heirs do.

The author changes things up a bit with this third book by giving one of her main characters (in this case, the hero) some magical abilities. It adds some punch to the story, especially given that Nathan must wrestle with what he truly is, and come to terms with his past. Astrid is where this book really works for me though. I have a weakness for damaged and wounded heroines, and Astrid is pitch perfect. She's damaged in a believable way. It's not 1970s historical romance melodrama where the author makes her heroine run the gauntlet. And while Astrid's choices can be construed as selfish, one understands her motivations and her pain. I also deeply appreciated that she truly loved her husband, and the author allows this to be OK. No backhanded shots taken at his character later on in order to make her falling for Nathan "acceptable."

All this being said, I do strongly feel that this book is where the series stops standing alone. The first two books (in my opinion) can easily be read out of order, but this story really relies somewhat on the reader's knowledge of the world-building. I've also found that the final climatic fight scenes between the Heirs and Blades are beginning to run their course. They're starting to bleed together for me. That said, the final chapters here do agreeably set up the final book of the series, which will be Catullus' story, and it would seem that readers haven't seen the last of Astrid and Nathan.

While Rebel delivers more of what readers have come to expect from this series, the author veers off the track ever so slightly to infuse some "different" in this particular tale. I do think this has been the strongest installment so far, and the edition of a supernaturally gifted hero was a nice touch. If you've enjoyed the first two books in this series, this one is a must to hunt down.

Final Grade = B

The Librarian And The Palindromic Orange

Like a bad penny that keeps turning up, or that pesky case of athlete's foot that just won't go away.....I'm baaaaack! Oh Internet, how I missed you. Let us never be apart for a whole week ever again.

So where was I? I was in central New York. Now I'm sure one of you will pipe up that central New York does have Internet. And yeah, they do. But my in-laws? They do not. No computer. At all. Not even dial-up for heaven's sake. No Starbucks. No library around the corner. Just farm land. And lakes. And they don't even have cable TV.

Seriously, it's amazing I was able to hang on to my last shred of sanity. Oh Internet, my electronic wubby, let us never be apart for a whole week ever again.

Did I already say that?

Ahem, anywho.

In between a family funeral and Thanksgiving, we did hit a Syracuse basketball game. Hence me making a dip out of myself (situation = normal) posing with their mascot, Otto the Orange. Yes, an orange. And before you accuse Syracuse of having the dopiest mascot known to college sports, I'll see you one orange and raise you the Standford Tree. My Man also bought me my very own stuffed Otto to commemorate the occasion. Oh, and to give me something else to proudly display in my office cubicle. Seriously, everyone will be sooooo jealous.

Back to work tomorrow, and hopefully back into the normal swing of things. A couple of book reviews in the works as well - one for the Bat Cave, and one for TGTBTU.

Media Blackout

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us here in the States and I'm going to spend the next week in the middle of frickin' nowhere. How middle of nowhere you ask? How about this.....

No Internet access. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

No Twitter. No blogging. I might sneak looking at e-mails on my phone, but yeah - nothing.

I hope the shakes don't get too bad.

After some minor dithering, I've decided it will be for the best for me to hang up the Gone Fishin' sign on the blog for the next week. I don't "do" guest posts (it's my blog and yes I am that narcissistic), and honestly? I'm in the middle of a blogging slump. Which some of you have probably noticed. Which is shocking since I can babble nonsense with the best of 'em. Yeah, I think I just need a break. Get some reading done. Eat some turkey and punkin' pie. Recharge the ol' batteries. I figure after almost 8 years of blogging excellence (hardy har har), declaring a media blackout for the next 7-odd days won't be the end of the world.

So for those of you in the States - have a great holiday, and I hope you all survive the forced family togetherness. I'll be back into the swing of things sometime around the 29th!

On The Road, National Book Awards, And James Bond Playing Cowboy

First up, it's my turn in the rotation over at Access Romance Readers Gab. Today's topic du jour is glomming. Nom, nom, nom!

+++++

The National Book Award winners were announced last night. I tend to stay away from award discussions online, because on one hand we have the high-falutins' dissecting the navel-gazing, and on the other you have people saying, "Who?!?!"

My employer gives me a pay check every two weeks to pretty much know all there is to know about adult fiction. So it's rare when something gets nominated that I've never heard of. People, do you know how many book reviews I read? A lot. Do you know how much promo I look at? A lot. And while most of the time I think the NBA pretty much sticks to what you think they're going to stick with - every so often they go completely off the reservation. Which they did last night by giving the award to Lord Of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon.

Yeah, when that nomination was initially announced Wendy was the one going "Who?!?!" And last night the dark horse won. The dark horse from a small publisher whose initial print run was the size of a postage stamp. That alone is pretty cool, but the kicker? Gordon teaches in my hometown back in Michigan. At the college where My Man got his business degree. So....that's pretty awesome. Go Kalamazoo Go!

+++++

In the I Have No Idea What To Make Of This department, I give you the trailer for Cowboys & Aliens. Based on a graphic novel, it's exactly what you think it is. The aspect of this that has me totally flummoxed is the casting. Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. Really? Han Solo and James Bond in a movie called Cowboys & Aliens? And this isn't a comedy? They're playing this material straight? Ohhhhhkay then.



On the upside, we have Daniel Craig dressed in cowboy clothes. Gotta say, I'm not seeing a whole lot wrong with that scenario.

TBR Challenge 2010: To Find You Again

The Book: To Find You Again by Maureen McKade

The Particulars: Historical western, Berkley, 2004, Out of Print

Why Was It In The Bat Cave TBR?: You have to ask? Historical western. Plus I tend to like McKade's westerns.

The Review: Seven years ago Emma Hartwell was captured by the Lakota Sioux and adopted into the tribe. She had well moved past the idea of returning to her white family when the cavalry attacks her village. She's severely wounded, but is saved when a solider stops long enough to notice that she's a white girl. Now she's back in her hometown, living with her parents and younger sister. But the reunion hasn't been all that smooth. She's now well and truly "ruined," and her parents have no idea what to do with her. They propose to send her to live with a spinster aunt in Minneapolis, which sends Emma into a panic. When she was rescued, she left behind her son. Now, fully healed from her injuries, and the threat of Minneapolis looming, she takes off to find him.

Emma's daddy would rather spit at Ridge Madoc than look at him, but the man is a former army scout. If anyone can find Emma and bring her home, it's Ridge. Desperate to get back the land that Hartwell swindled out from under his useless, drunken stepfather, Ridge agrees to bring Emma home. What he doesn't know, what nobody knows, is that Emma isn't going anywhere until she finds her boy.

McKade wrote some nice westerns for Avon, but when she moved to Berkley her stories took on a heavier, emotional component. This book follows that pattern. What we have here is a road romance with a heroine caught between two worlds, and not really "belonging" in either. Ridge is your classic outsider, who knows what it's like to be unloved, unwanted, and looked down upon. These two are made for each other, and really make the perfect couple. As the reader you get the impression that not only do these two belong together, but that they'll go a long way in healing each others' emotional wounds.

However, this read wasn't entirely smooth. Emma's Daddy hatin' on Ridge was painted with a thin brush, and I didn't really "get it" other than Daddy wanted the land. Frankly, I need more reason than that for the serious amount of hatin' going on. Also, for all Emma had been through, she struck me as pretty dense at times. If not for her past, I would have chalked it up to naivete', but given how poorly she was treated in town after her rescue, the fact that she would think for one single solitary moment that things would be fine for her "half-breed" son given enough time? Yeah, that's just flat-out dense. She's a straight-forward, practical character. Frankly, she should have been a whole helluva lot smarter in that regard.

Plot lines of this nature, featuring Army and Native characters can be tricky - but I think McKade navigated it well. The Natives aren't all Goody-Goody Goodness and the Army isn't all Evil Evil Evil. Some are evil. Some aren't. Some are good. Some are bad. This worked for me. I also appreciated that the author does a nice job with Emma's family - both biological and adopted.

This one won't be landing in the Bat Cave Keeper Stash, but it was still a nice read. Pretty consistent for what I "expect" out of a McKade western. If you've read and enjoyed other books by her, this one is definitely worth hunting up. Says me.

Final Grade = B

Robbing Austin, SoCalBloggers, Cleaning House And Audible Sex

It's time for another round-up, mostly because I don't think I can stretch any of this stuff into a full-fledged blog post. Aren't you all the lucky ducks?

First up, Major League Baseball announced their Rookies Of The Year, and my boy, Austin Jackson got hosed. The worst part about it is that My Man was right. He said because Jackson didn't finish the year hitting .300 he didn't stand a chance. But bitter girl that I am, I threw back that if Jackson had stayed a precious, precious Yankee - the media would have been touting him as the second coming of Mickey Mantle and there wouldn't have been a question. He would have had RotY, MVP and New York probably would have made up some more awards to bestow on him.

OK, maybe not Mickey Mantle. I don't see Jackson ever having those kind of power numbers.

But still....

++++++

The SoCalBloggers have gotten together two weeks in a row thanks to visiting dignitaries. A couple of weeks ago it was Kris, and last Saturday it was SonomaLass. We met up in Pasadena and had a grand time. This time of year is always slightly nuts for everybody, so I imagine that will be the last organized gathering until after the new year.

On the book shopping front (because, you know - there's always book shopping at these things), I picked up The Lovers by Eden Bradley and A Christmas Waltz by Jane Goodger. The Bradley because she's a SoCal'er, Jill Sorenson liked it, and because I'll admit to enjoying the rare bird that is the F/F/M pairing in erotic women's fiction (romance or otherwise). The Goodger got bought because it's a western (although the heroine is English) and a little birdie told me that the hero is....wait for it....gasp...a virgin!

+++++

I weeded the TBR Mountain Range several months back. Some books got sent off to new owners thanks to Paperback Swap. The SoCalBloggers took a few off my hands. But I still had a ton sitting in my home office and I'm at the point where I just want them gone. Where are they now? Well about 40 of them are sitting on my desk at work where I'll farm them out to poor unsuspecting branch libraries. Hey, it's all fairly new stuff and this is me we're talking about - so the books are in disturbingly pristine condition.

+++++

I've got two audio books going right now. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich and The Search by Nora Roberts. The Evanovich is a lather, rinse, repeat, and honestly I have no idea why I'm still keeping up with this series via audio. Oh wait, yes I do. It's because they're undemanding listens. The turn-your-brain-off kind of listens. Sometimes I just need that.

The Search was chosen because the ARC of the book sat on my desk for months, unread. Generally speaking, I cannot listen to romance on audio. Having someone read me sex scenes tends to squirk me out seven ways 'til Sunday. And while this particular book isn't doing a whole lot of me (It's OK. A little of the "dog stuff" went a long for me, and I've found the pacing slow in spots) - I think I'll be able to listen to Nora's single titles on audio. Why? The way she's written the sex....at least in this book. It's pretty straight-forward with not a bunch of flowery goo-ga mucking up the narrative. Also, the hero pretty much acts like a guy. No poetry spouting Care Bear. Thank the good Lord. So while, so far, The Search, hasn't lit my world on fire, it's been a nice, pleasant listen and glory, glory - I think I've found at least one romance author I can listen to on audio.

YeeHaw!

Random Romance Sunday: Wendy Cleans Off Her Desk

The Book: Joe's Girl by Margaret St. George

The Particulars: Harlequin American #710, 1998, Out of Print

The Blurb:

Follow Your Dream

Joe Townsend had fallen in love with Moly Stevens in Mrs. Paulson's eighth grade English class when she was the most beautiful girl in the school. Over the last fifteen years he'd watched her -- in magazines and on TV -- become the most beautiful woman in the world. Molly had always been a part of his fantasies -- but now she was back...

Joe had watched Molly live the high life -- until her career went bust. She'd been 'American's sweetheart,' but now all he wanted her to be was 'Joe's girl.' But what would happen when she tired of pot luck suppers and mountain nights under the stars...and the big city lights beckoned?

How wrong could a fortune cookie be?

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Um, yeah. See title of blog post.

Any Reviews?: No. Not even Amazon customer reviews...which strikes me as odd since Margaret St. George was the category nom de plume for Maggie Osborne AKA Bat Cave Favorite AKA She Who Wrote Awesome Historical Western Romances Before She Selfishly Retired And Abandoned Me Lovers Of The Sub Genre.

But I kid.

Sort of.

::sob::

Why Maggie? WHHHHHYYYYYY?!?!?!

Anything Else?: I have a tendency to let newly acquired books pile up on my home office desk where they sit for.....months. Eventually I get tired of looking at them, or My Man gently nudges me ("Ya gonna do something with these?"), I catalog them in my LibraryThing account, and I move them to the depths of the Bat Cave TBR Mountain Range, that can currently be seen from space.

As much as I love category romance, as much as I love Maggie Osborne, it's a little shocking that I haven't read any of the Margaret St. George books. But thanks to the joy that is Paperback Swap, I now have this one and Love Bites.

I'll admit, something about this back cover blurb mildly creeps me out, but I'm still intrigued. I also was intrigued enough by this Fortune Cookie series to look it up and discovered something really interesting. This was a four book, multi-author continuity in the late 1990s that crossed four different Harlequin lines. Usually these continuities stay in specific lines. Not this one. It had installments in SuperRomance, Temptation, and Intrigue.

Neato. Although one wonders how sales were as a whole since readers are nothing if not loyal to specific lines. Had I been reading romance back then, I would have followed the series across the lines....but then, I suspect I'm a bit of a Harlequin Reading Freak, so maybe you can't go by me?

The Month That Was October 2010

Me: Hmmm, where is Lemon Drop?

Lemon Drop: I'm right here Auntie Wendy!

Me: Where? All I see is a curious little monkey...

Lemon Drop: Auntie Wendy! It's me! I'm Curious George for Halloween!

Me: Oh, there you are! Wow, that's some costume.

Lemon Drop: I know, aren't I the cutest? Mommy calls me her little monkey. Are you back to tell me about the naughty books you read last month?

Me: I sure am! I had a pretty solid month quality-wise, although the actual numbers aren't that great. Eight books, but uh....three short stories, one anthology and a DNF. So, yeah, kinda sad. But here they are....

Title links will take you to full reviews.

Tuscan Freedom by Ruthie Michaels - Spice Briefs, 2010, Erotica digital short story, Grade = B

• Heroine heads to Italy to visit a college friend and gets her groove back with two beautiful men in residence....and, uh, her friend. Just sayin'. This was a quick, smokin' hot read, but it fits firmly in Erotica As Fantasy. In other words - if you need the Condom Moments in your erotica or you're looking for a more thorough exploration of polyamorous relationships....yeah, just keep looking. But I liked this for what it was. Harlequin Cheat Sheets: Two Hunky Hunks, Threesomes Ahoy!, Girl On Girl, Getting Your Groove Back.
  

Special Delivery by Riki Kaye - Spice Briefs, 2010, Erotic romance digital short story, Grade = B

• Hubby is burning both ends of the candle at work, leaving no time to take care of his wife. Fed up with this turn of events, she squeezes herself into a skimpy outfit, grabs a pizza, and hits hubby's office for a little afternoon delight. Spice Briefs aren't necessarily known for being "sweet" - but this one kinda was. A nice story about a married couple putting the spice back in their sex lives. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine In Desperate Need Of Orgasm, Workaholic Hubby, Heroine Taking Initiative.
  

Night Moves by Eden Bradley - Spice Briefs, 2010, Erotic romance digital short story, Grade = B-

• Heroine has a thing for trains. No, really. She scurries off to secluded cabin for a little self-lovin' when she realizes she's not alone. Golly, whatever will her and the hunky surfer dude in the cabin do? Quick, sexy, with some actual dialogue outside of the sexual shenanigans. Also, a nice open ending that makes me think these two aren't quite done with each other yet. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Hot Sex With A Hot Stranger
  

Hill Country Hero by Ann DeFee - Harlequin American, 2010, Contemporary romance, Grade = DNF

• Heroine catches pro-football hubby boinkin' other woman. She runs home to Daddy, who owns another team. She needs job, takes over as team mascot, and tight end hero tackles her thinking it's his no-good cousin. What we have here is "humor" and it wasn't working for me. But what really didn't work was the relationship the heroine had with her parents. It was very much Indulgent Parents and Teenage Debutante Cheerleader. You're a grown woman and your mother scolds you for not eating your broccoli? Seriously? You know what I do when my Mom makes something I'm not wild about? I DON'T EAT IT! I fend for myself! Also, neither here nor there, the football stuff didn't ring true. Chalk it up to me having watched every blessed season of Hard Knocks.
  

The Librarian's Secret Scandal by Jennifer Morey - Silhouette Romantic Suspense, 2010, Part of series, Romantic suspense, Grade = C-

• Former town bad girl comes home to take care of ill father. Then the local sheriff comes a callin', which only adds fuel to the fire for the gossipmongers. I was fine with the heroine willing to martyr herself, it was her willingness to subject her teenage daughter to the mountains of shit that bothered me. A lot. Great hero though, and nice suspense thread for the continuity series. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Rape Survivor Heroine, Beta Hero, One Teenage Daughter, One Disapproving Daddy, All Small Town Residents Are Assholes
  

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys by Lorraine Heath, Georgina Gentry and Teresa Bodwell - Kensington, 2006, Historical western romance anthology, Grades = A, DNF, C

• My monthly TBR read. The Gentry story was so awful I stopped reading after the first chapter. The Bodwell story was better, but the first sex scene really turned me off. Now the Heath story? Magic. Pure magic. Great exploration of hero-worship and heroes, with a gut-puncher of a finish.
  

Surrender to an Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham - Harlequin Historical, 2010, Part of series, Medieval romance, Grade = B+

• Having survived a brutal (well is there any other kind?) gang rape, heroine is miscarrying her baby when the hero steps in and saves her life. Hero is former bard/storyteller hunting for the men who killed his betrothed. The same men who brutalized the heroine. This is a heavy, angsty story, and it pretty much sucks all the light out of the room while you're reading. That said, with two emotionally damaged characters, and a humdinger of a mystery, it makes the happily-ever-after all the sweeter. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Rape Survivor Heroine, Hero Bent On Vengeance, One Dead Fiancee', One Guilt-Ridden Younger Sister, Happily Married Siblings From Previous Books.
  

Impulsive by HelenKay Dimon - Kensington Brava, 2010, Part of series, Contemporary romance, Grade = B

• Jilted ex-boyfriend gets his groove thang on with a sexy waitress at his former girlfriend's wedding. These two can't keep their hands off each other - but he's running for political office and she's a 20-something train wreck with a Big Secret. Plenty of sexy sizzle, loads of great dialogue, and a scrumptious hero. It took me longer to warm up to the heroine, and I had reservations about the romance early on, but it all comes together in the end.

Lemon Drop: Wow, that's lots of naughtiness. Hey, Auntie Wendy? Do all librarians have "secret scandals?"

Me: Uhhh.....I plead the fifth.

Lemon Drop: So....what's yours?

Me: Oh sweetie. You're definitely too young for this conversation.

Lemon Drop: But not too young to hear about threesomes and heroines who have train fetishes?

Me: Oh look what I have? Shiny, shiny car keys!

Lemon Drop: Weeeeee! Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Me: Whew!

Random Romance Sunday: Werewolves of San Diego

The Book: Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks

The Particulars: Paranormal romance, first in a series, Berkley, 2004, In Print

The Blurb:

National bestselling author Eileen Wilks has thrilled countless readers with her fresh and compelling stories. Now, she has created a bold new world where the magical and the mundane co-exist in an uneasy balance--a balance that is threatened by a cold-blooded killer. And the only one who can end the threat is a cop on her own knife-edge struggling with a particularly tempting danger...

Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a were named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating--and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man she's not sure she can trust...

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Nope, I've actually read this one. Shocker, I know.

Any Reviews?: Why yes. I was still with TRR at this time, and I handled reviewing duties on this one, giving it 3 Hearts (or a C grade).

In the hands of a less skilled writer, Tempting Danger probably would have been fairly mind numbing. The convoluted and confusing supernatural aspects did detract from the story, but Wilks’ heroine is so top notch that it’s a hard book to dismiss outright. With more books planned in this series, one can hope that as the author goes along the reader will become more familiar with the world and the characters she has created.

My whole review is worth reading because, in all modesty, I did a pretty good job on this one. In a nutshell though? Great heroine, vague hero and, while I tap dance around it in the review, I think there was some soul mate garbage that drove me slightly nutty. Seriously. Free will is sexy. Just sayin'.

Sandy handled the reviewing duties over at AAR, and while she gave it a slightly higher grade with a B-, turns out we agreed an awful lot on the content.

For some reason, though, I had difficulty connecting closely with Rule, who seemed all glam and sex appeal. This may have something to do with the fact that scenes involving his family and clan consisted of a lot of convoluted dialogue that sometimes caused me to glaze over - you know, ponderous sentences loaded with all those made-up words so beloved to authors creating their own elaborate paranormal mythology. Still, he's sexy and fun and promises to be an intriguing character to follow in upcoming books.

Anything Else?: I was thinking about this series recently and wondering why I didn't keep up with it. Rereading my review refreshed my memory. All I had remembered was that I really liked the heroine's character. A lot. What I had sort of forgotten was the convoluted mess I had found some of the paranormal "stuff" - and oh yeah, we have a werewolf so obviously there was some soul mates nonsense running amok. Then it's a paranormal, which is not a sub genre I easily gravitate towards.....and yeah. Off my radar it fell.

But.....

Wilks is still going strong with this series, with book seven due out in January. So if you like werewolves, don't mind the soul mate "stuff," and are looking for a good strong heroine? This series might be right up your alley.

God Speed Sparky

I think George "Sparky" Anderson came out of the womb looking about 75 years old. Full head of white hair, smoking a pipe, a well-lined face. In reality, he wasn't "old" at all when he managed the Cincinnati Reds (during their Big Red Machine days) and my Detroit Tigers (famously during the 1984 World Series run and ultimate victory).

News broke yesterday that his family had called in hospice to help with his final stages of dementia, and now we've learned that he has passed at the age of 76.

Sparky was the first manager in baseball history to win World Series titles in both leagues (the NL Reds and the AL Tigers). The astounding numbers of his managerial career earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 - where he went in as a Red. Which most Tigers fans forgave him for because, dang, he managed the Big Red Machine.

Sparky was one of the great characters in baseball who was able to back that up by being pretty darn smart. Which makes the thought of how his final days were spent, succumbing to dementia, all the more depressing. I feel like a piece of my childhood just slipped away into the night.

He's A Tramp, He's A Scoundrel

Romance readers love their charming rogues, and Zoe Archer delivers one with the aptly titled, Scoundrel - the second book in her Victorian adventure paranormal Blades of the Rose series. And like all romantic scoundrels who have come before him, Bennett Day finally meets his match.

London Harcourt has led the life of a pampered Victorian lady because her father subscribes to the school of thought that women are delicate, hothouse flowers who must be sheltered or else their pretty little heads will explode. However what Daddy doesn't realize is that London, as a way to starve off total boredom, has developed a love of ancient languages. In fact, she's quite a skilled linguist. Which is how she ends up in Greece. Daddy eventually realizes his daughter has a few brain cells, and being a high-up muckity-muck in the evil Heirs Of Albion, needs his daughter to help him find a magical Source. A Source that will bring the rest of the world to it's knees, and England to ultimate glory. Of course, London doesn't know any of these messy details. All she knows is that finally, after years of mourning her late, but not lamented, husband, she's finally having an adventure!

Enter stage left, Bennett Day, the Blades of the Rose member who is in Greece to thwart the Heirs from getting their hands on another magical Source. He has a chance encounter with London in the marketplace, not realizing who she is. However, when he finally does? He sets about trying to sway her to the side of good. Although convincing her that his cause is the right one could be tricky. I mean, first he's competing against her own father, and then there's the small matter that Bennett killed her husband. Yeah, minor detail that.

You've got to hand it to the author, Bennett is a world-class scoundrel. This isn't a guy who plays at being a rogue, he is one. Oh sure, he's noble when it comes to his cause. And oh sure, he's charming as the very devil. But the guy gets around. A lot. He adores women, but it's more of a surface adoration. One doesn't have any doubt that when he's with a woman she feels like a queen, but ultimately, like all cads, he leaves. Even if his work for the Blades didn't dictate that he move along to the next mission, one would know that Bennett warming your bed would be a most temporary affair. Until he meets our fair heroine, of course.

London is a woman in desperate need of an awakening. Not so much sexual, although Bennett certainly makes her girly-bits tingle more so than Dead Hubby did, but more an awakening of life. She has a brain and wants to stop hiding it. She wants to be treated like a person, not a pretty Victorian glass bauble that does nothing other than collect dust. And once she wraps her mind around what her father has dragged her into? She quickly makes up her own mind on the entire matter, and chooses the right side.

As an adventure story, and as a heroine's journey, Scoundrel works very well. Archer continues to have an excellent eye for world-building, and doesn't water down her details or skimp on development. I hear a lot of complaints from historical fans about "thin" stories, and so far these first two books in the series have been the antithesis of that. However the reader does have to be willing to swing with the fantasy elements, which while painted with a light touch, are more prevalent in this second installment.

What I wasn't entirely sold on was the romance. I suspect mostly because of Bennett's reputation. The thing with scoundrels is that I want them convincing (which Bennett is) but I also need that "something" that convinces me that the leopard will change his spots. I get that Bennett is attracted to London, but I'm not entirely sure what makes her The One. Likewise, while I'm happy London uses her own brain to puzzle out the conundrum she's in between Daddy and Lover - once she makes up her mind, it's like she completely sheds the skin of her past. I mean, she stops thinking about it...at all. Yes, he's evil. Yes, he's wrong. But he's still your father. You just don't dump that sort of baggage overnight - I don't care how great the orgasms are.

But even with the romance not lighting my world on fire, I still liked these two characters an awful lot. The world-building continues to inspire, and the adventure elements continue to be top notch. The first two books have been swashbuckling fun, and lucky for readers hungry for these types of stories - we've got two more books to go.

Final Grade = B-

What's In ILL?: Spies, Wackiness and Tallchiefs

Wow. Remember when I used to do these posts? It's been ages (uh, since May!) and I thought there was no time like the present to wander across the hall to our Interlibrary Loan department and scope out some romances. Plus, I seem to be an excessively cranky mood of late, and I figured this was a safe topic. I don't want to leave the blog a vast wasteland just because I'm more irritable than usual.

I know. You'd think leftover Halloween candy would make everything better - but apparently not. But enough about me. On with the books!

Dangerous Passions by Kat Martin

Description:

When Elissa Tauber learns of her beloved brother's murder and that her native homeland is threatened, she is determined to expose the traitor. Posing as a recently widowed countess, she moves through the glittering world of the court, willing to barter her lovely body if she must.

More than one man poses a threat, but it is a the tall, imposing Lord Wolvermont, Colonel Adrian Kingsland, who endangers her heart. Even as she suspects he might be the spy called the Falcon, she longs for his touch. When fate takes a hand, Elissa must decide whether to betray her mission -- or lose the man she loves.

Wendy Says: Kat Martin has a backlist about 5 miles long, and I've never read her. This back cover copy doesn't really inspire me (it reads so....typical) - but if I'm to believe one of the reviewers over at Amazon? Yeah, most of the action takes place in Austria. That's pretty cool!

Gotcha! by Christie Craig

Description:

Macy Tucker was five years old when her beloved grandfather dropped dead in his spaghetti. At twelve, her father left his family in the dust. At twenty-five, her husband gave his secretary a pre-Christmas bonus in bed, and Macy gave him the boot. To put things lightly, men have been undependable.

That's why dating's off the menu. Macy is focused on putting herself though law school--which means being the delivery girl for Papa's Pizza. But cheesier than her job is her pie-eyed brother, who just recently escaped from prison to protect his new girlfriend. And hotter than Texas toast is the investigating detective. Proud, sexy...inflexible, he's a man who would kiss her just to shut her up. But Jake Baldwin's a protector as much as a dish. And when he gets his man--or his woman--Macy knows it's for life.

Wendy Says: Cover art like this tends to set off my "Danger, danger wacky alert!" alarm, which means I tend to run screaming in the other direction. Humor is a really hard sell for me, regardless of genre, and humorous books that annoy me no end tend to vastly outnumber the ones that don't make my eyes bleed. So yeah, not likely to read this one. But if this sounds like your bag o' tricks - looks like our dear sweet KristieJ reviewed this one last year. Click on over to read her thoughts.

The Groom Candidate by Cait London

Description:

The Most Satisfied Groom: Birk Tallchief, the most wanted hunk in Wyoming, was very happy with his new wife of convenience.
But the Bride's Still A Virgin: And their wedding night came and went weeks ago!

Thanks to his woman-loving reputation, newlywed Birk Tallchief was still a groom candidate to his sexy new bride. Meaning: until he lived up to the title of husband, he wasn't reaping any marital rewards with Lacey MacCandliss Tallchief. Hmm...considering he'd married Lacey for her sake--and was craving her like crazy--why was Birk the happiest husband in Amen Flats?

This Tallchief is the stuff that legends--and a Man of the Month--are made of....

Wendy Says: Sigh. Tallchief? Really? Birk Tallchief?! We're going there? And what's up with this cover? It's just, well, one hot mess. It's great that this book was featured on TV, but that sticker is massive overkill, and these painted covers just don't do it for me, unless they're done well. Which this one isn't.

Anywho....

London had a whole slew of books featuring the Tallchief clan (which I suspect is why I found this one in ILL), and Silhouette Desire decided to bestow this one with their "Man Of The Month" promotion - which is still used to this day. Making it one of the longer running promos in Category Romancelandia. You have to admit - it's catchy as heck. Who wouldn't want a new hunky man every month? You could move on to the next one before the previous one started leaving his dirty socks in the living room, wet towels on the bathroom floor (ewwwwww), and started scratching his butt in front of you.

Yes guys - this would be why we read these cute little books with the dopey titles. Our secret is out.