Stranger In A Strange Land

I'm closing out 2010 with Stranger, the fourth and final book in Zoe Archer's inventive Blades Of The Rose series.  I feel like it's the perfect book to wrap up this year before moving on to the new.  After four books, released in consecutive months, and me reading them as such, I feel a bit like I've run the gauntlet.

Those who have read the previous books are, by now, familiar with our hero, Catullus Graves.  He's a snappy dressy, a highly intelligent man, has a quick mind, and invents all manners of useful devices to be used in the Blades' quest to thwart the evil Heirs of Albion.  This book, his romance, picks up immediately after Rebel, as he, Astrid and Nathan are making their way back to England.  It's on board the ship that they realize determined American reporter, Gemma Murphy is following them.  Her eavesdropping skills picked up just enough information back in the Canadian wilderness to realize that these three people were the key to one massive story.  And Gemma, bless her heart, can't say no to a big story.

Naturally, what follows, is Gemma joining forces with the Blades, working directly with Catullus.  Our evil-doers, the Heirs, still have control of the magical Primal Source, and this is the book where that small matter has to be dealt with.  So we, once again, have quite a bit of derring-do, battles of good vs. evil, plus some settling of old scores.

From various chatter I've seen online, I know several readers were half in love with Catullus before this book even hit the shelves.  Me?  Yeah, not so much.  Not that I didn't think he was a likable fellow, but he didn't make my fangirl heart go squee right out of the gate.  I was more interested in him as his own character, than in any potential romance he was going to have.  He's quite unique among romance hero types.  He knows how to dress and he's intelligent.  Ok, nothing unique there.  But he's also the sort of fellow who easily gets distracted by his work.  He's logical.  He's determined.  And on top of all this?  He can fight.  He's brave.  He knows how to throw a punch.  Oh, and he's a hottie.  He's actually the embodiment of every "good" quality you could possibly ever want in a hero.  Tall, dark and handsome is always nice, and Catullus is that, but also more.

Gemma is the kind of heroine I tend to like, despite the fact that she's a reporter.  I know I'm not the only one who cringed a bit when that tidbit came out, am I right?  Why?  Because reporter heroines are a minefield in Romance Novel Land.  It's so easy for them to slip into Too Stupid To Live territory.  Blessedly, that's not Gemma.  As intelligent as Catullus is?  So is she.  She's just as logical.  She's just as capable of thinking things through.  And bless her heart, she's a straight shooter.

"What is it with you Heirs?  Seems any woman who has a mind of her own suddenly becomes a slut?"

All this being said, the romance does take a long while to start cooking.  The first half of this novel has our romantic couple traveling with others, namely Astrid and Nathan.  Then they're thrust into confrontations with the Heirs.  This book clocks in at almost 500 pages, which are needed to wrap up all the series goo-ga, but it does mean the reader has to wait around for the "relationship stuff."  It should also be of note that while you probably could get away with reading this book out of order - I wouldn't recommend it.  The author does do a good job of bringing the reader up to speed, but this book literally opens up where Rebel ended.  They are very much tied together, especially during the first half.

So where does this leave me at the end of the day, and 2010?  I think the author has done a very nice job wrapping up, what I consider, a high-concept series.  All my questions were answered.  The ending was just right, and nicely believable.  Fans of the series got to see the returning couples in vital rolls to this book, and the series in general, without riding in on a wave of saccharine.  I liked Catullus.  I liked Gemma.  And I liked them together.  This was a solid final installment to what has been a good solid series.  Victorian historical, paranormal, adventure, saga and romance all rolled into one.  Impressive indeed.

Final Grade = B-

Carla Kelly And Brave New Frontiers

Author Kate Rothwell popped up in the comments of a previous blog post to tell me that Carla Kelly (a fan favorite around the online romance community), has what looks like a western coming out in February 2011.  Looking at the cover art for Borrowed Light was the first thing that tipped me off.  The very brief cover blurb over at Amazon?  Yeah, that clinched it.  Inspirational ahoy!

Description: 

Julia Darling never expected to cook for some cowboys in Wyoming, but when she breaks off her engagement in Salt Lake City, it s the perfect opportunity for her to escape. Determined to stick the job out, Julia faces her biggest challenge yet letting go of borrowed light to find her own testimony. Set in the early 1900s, this is one romantic adventure you ll never forget!

But actually, this discovery is even more interesting than just another mainstream writer going inspy.  As a librarian, I buy inspirationals for work.  Enough of them, that I'm pretty savvy when it comes to publishers.  And this publisher is Cedar Fort, Inc.  Yeah, never heard of 'em.  Turns out they specialize in LDS titles.  In other words, Mormon.

This got me wondering if Borrowed Light Carla Kelly was the same Carla Kelly from Romancelandia.  Digging around online?  Yeah, 100% convinced it is.  First, a brief bio I turned up indicated that Kelly is a BYU (Brigham Young University) graduate.  Then there's her author page over at the eHarlequin site that features this tasty tidbit:

Carla recently sold a novel that reflects her years in southeast Wyoming and her Mormon background to a Utah publishing company. She anticipates more books in this vein, partly because she has always been a bit squeamish about bodice ripping, and she's always up for new ventures.

As a librarian, I find this whole development rather interesting.  One of the common gripes I hear about the inspirational market, in general, is that it's so...well...Protestant Christian.  Like Catholics, Mormons and Jews don't want to read the occasional faith-based fiction novel about their own religions?  So yeah, I'm very intrigued by this upcoming endeavor by Kelly.

The question is, will her secular romance fans follow her into this brave new frontier?  I'll admit, I'm curious enough that I just might give it a whirl....

Giving The Gift Of Books

My Big Sis once said to me, "We'll always find room for the kids' books.  More toys?  Yeah, not so much."  When it comes to giving gifts, I've taken this statement to heart.  My niece and nephew have plenty of toys to play with.  Oodles.  More than they probably need.  Which means their "boring Aunt Wendy" (they don't call me that - it's my own self-deprecation) tends to give the gift of books for holidays and birthdays.  My niece is even at the age where she prefers gift cards because "I like to pick out my own books Aunt Wendy."

Don't we all sweetie.  Don't we all.

As the librarian of the family, it's a little shocking to some that I never seem to get books as gifts.  The reason for this is quite simple.  You know that Giant TBR Mountain Range I sometimes mention here on the blog?  Uh yeah.  My family knows about it too.  Most of them have even seen it with their own eyes.  So needless to say, Wendy no get books as gifts.  Which is fine.  Because dang, I'm at the point where even I think I don't need anymore books (I know, the horrors!)

But when it comes to gifting others?  Books can be grand.  Here's what I put under the Christmas tree(s) this year for the family.  A fairly eclectic mix!

The Last Boy: Mickle Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy - I got my Dad hooked on audiobooks several years back when he had a job that required a lengthy commute.  He has since moved on from the job, but not from audiobooks.  He mostly likes non-fiction and biographies, so for the last several Christmases I try to pick up something that was well-received/well-reviewed.  Hence, this warts-and-all Mickey Mantle bio.  Dad is a Baby Boomer, so naturally grew up a huge Mantle fan.  Dad's no dummy, and is well-aware that Mantle wasn't always the nicest, most well-adjusted, or decent human being - but heck, all that stuff can only mean interesting listening, right?  He loved the Yogi Berra bio I got him for his birthday last year.  Hopefully this one will be equally as enjoyable.

A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness - And a Trove of Letters - Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression by Ted Gup - There's one in every family.  That person who is impossible to shop for.  In my family, it's my mother.  I was clueless this year (as usual) when my Lil' Sis mentioned that Mom was intrigued by this book when the story was featured on CBS Sunday Morning.  Originally an op-ed piece in the New York Times, it's about the author's grandfather who took out an ad in the Canton, Ohio newspaper in 1933 anonymously promising 75 needy families money if they wrote letters describing their hardships.  The author not only unearths secrets from his grandfather's past, but also connects with families who benefited from his generosity.

Who's Hiding? series by Christiane Gunzi - Lemon Drop is nine months old so she's not ready for picture books just yet.  But she will sit for quick stories, so Lil' Sis specifically requested more board books in this series.  It's the style where there are little flaps you lift up to discover "who's hiding" behind them.  Who's hiding behind the leaf?  A ladybug!  The gimmick is that at the end of every book the final "who's hiding" reveals a mirror and the answer is "You!"  My niece gets a big kick out of this, and will giggle delightedly when she sees her reflection on the final page.  That and she likes to chew on everything right now.  Books included.

Harry Potter Film Wizardy by Brian Sibley - Big Sis has been reading out loud the Harry Potter books to my niece and nephew, tackling a chapter or two in the evenings.  The kids have really been enjoying themselves, and my sister has let them watch the corresponding movies after they finish the book.  This book has tons of pictures and goodies about the movies, including pull-out pieces (like Harry's acceptance letter from Hogwarts) which would make this book a nightmare for public libraries, but loads of fun for personal collections.

DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book by Matthew Reinhart - Big Sis married a Comic Book Geek.  Naturally, his love of superheroes is getting passed down to both children.  I saw this pop-up book at Costco, and thought it was so cool that I had to get it for the kids.  Although, admittedly, I was wondering at the time if I was really purchasing it for my brother-in-law.  No matter.  Something the whole family will have fun looking at.  And because I'm the best auntie in the whole wide world?  Not only did my Big Sis' kids get these two neat-o books to share, they each got their own Barnes & Noble gift cards.  Because, you know, I didn't want to deprive my niece the pleasure of picking out her own books.

So, what books did you give or receive as holiday gifts this year?  Call me nosy.

Random Romance Sunday: Peter Piper Picked A Peck Of Pickled Peppers

The Book: Miss Ware's Refusal by Marjorie Farrell

The Particulars:  Traditional Regency, Signet, 1990, Out of Print

The Blurb: 

PRIDE BEFORE PASSIONS

Lovely Miss Judith Ware was proud. Too proud to feel sorry for herself when her family's loss of fortune forced her to earn a living. And too proud to accept the marriage proposal of the handsome, wealthy Simon Ballance, Duke of Sutton, who offered her everything but love.

The duke was just as proud. Too proud to expose his grievous war wound to society's scorn. And too proud to open his heart to any woman's painful pity.

With pride so powerful, could passion and love ever prove stronger...?

Is It In Wendy's TBR?:  No.  I came to the genre after the big trad hey-day, and I just never gravitated towards them. 

Any Reviews?:  1990, so not really.  That said, this is actually one instance where there are some informative customer reviews over at Amazon.  I encourage you to check those out.

Anything Else?:  Once again, I was surfing around looking for an RRS book and this one jumped up to bite me.  Why?  Dang, just read that back cover blurb again!  Two counts of "pride" and six "proud"s.  Not to mention a plethora of other "p" words.  "Powerful," "painful," "prove," "pity," and "passion."  It was like going back in time to my school days and having my English teacher drone on about alliteration.  Then I started thinking of tongue-twisters, and then it just all went downhill from there.

It was the back cover blurb that caught my eye (for all the wrong reasons), but the Amazon reviews really have me curious about this book now!  A blind hero and a heroine who is hired to be a "reader" for him?  Seriously, I'm not sure I can resist that, and really....do I want to?

Season's Greetings

From our Bat Cave....

To yours....

Happy Holidays!

Reviewing The Golden Oldies

I'm going to be a terrible member of the romance blogging community (but you all already suspected as much, right?) and do up an entire blog post on a subject instead of leaving another comment on someones blog.  I know, I know - but I have a lot to say!  Plus, there shall be linkage!

As many of you know - Jessica does these great round up posts every Monday over at her blog, Read React Review.  This Monday featured none other than a shout-out to the Soggy Bra Epidemic, but also a mention of a post Mrs. Giggles did last week about genre and promo fatigue.  One thing that several commenters brought up was their desire to see more reviews of "older" titles.

I've always said bloggers should just do whatever the heck they want on their own blogs, and comments like the ones I mentioned above are why.  You're damned if you do and damned if you don't - so just do whatever the heck makes you, as the blogger, happy.  You're less likely to suffer from blogging burn-out that way.  For every reader who wants reviews of "older" titles?  Yeah, there's another reader who gets pissed off at you for reviewing an out-of-print book because now they want to read it and they can't readily get their hands on a copy.

Certainly mileage varies on this.  Hard-to-find means different things to different people.  For one thing, distribution issues can make one book plentiful in used bookstores in the Midwest, but next to impossible to find down South.  Buying a copy online is sometimes the answer, unless people know the book is hard to find in other areas of the country, and prices start skyrocketing (I've seen it happen).  Plus what's readily available here in the States?  Well that reader in Switzerland, Germany or Australia is probably going to have a tougher time.

It's also worth repeating that even if the title is available in digital format?  Not everybody has the desire or means to read an ebook.  Trust me on this.  I know of what I speak  Going to the library and asking about ILL is an option, but again, not necessarily an option open to everybody.

Now I can't speak for all the "bigger" blogs out there - but my experience with TRR and now TGTBTU has given me some insight into this issue.  The reason a lot of "older" titles don't get reviewed on the large sites?  A simple matter of a crap-load of new stuff coming in.  In most cases, unless you start cloning reviewers, you can't even get to all the new stuff - let alone the "old" stuff.  Seriously, you should see the amount of newer Harlequins I have loaded on my Sony Reader at the moment.  Yikes.

But that doesn't mean reviews for "older" titles aren't out there.  They are.  You just have to go looking for them.  Two bloggers who I think do a wonderful job with this are Rosario (who was blogging before blogging was "cool") and Aneca.  One thing I like about both of these bloggers is that they pretty much exclusively do book reviews.  Rosario does review current stuff (for example, she was another one who loved The Iron Duke), but you'll also see reviews for books that came out last year or a historical romance that's been languishing in her TBR since 2007.  So it's not all shiny, pretty new stuff.

Aneca pretty much never seems to review the latest, hottest, newest titles.  All the reviews on her site seem to be for books that have been around the block a time or two.  And if you're a traditional Regency lover?  Oh man, stop reading this post, drop everything and bookmark her site now.  She reviews quite a number of the old trad titles. 

It's probably not a coincidence that both of these fine ladies live outside the US, and they're two of the bloggers who I think do a lovely job.  Right down to including indexes for their reviews.  Seriously, I'm the librarian and I so suck at that.  I still haven't gone back to tag all my archives.  Sigh.

In other news, and keeping with the theme of reviews for older titles, some of you might recall that I featured an older Jo Goodman book for Random Romance Sunday recently.  Well, Novelnelle disclosed that she had the book (complete with over-the-top purple and yellow cover art) languishing in her TBR.  My post nudged her to un-bury and read it, and she's now reviewed it over at her blog, The Lonely Bookworm.  What did she think?  Did all that purple and yellow cause her eyes to burn?  Does 1980s Jo Goodman stand toe-to-toe with 21st century Jo Goodman?  Hop on over and find out. 

Oh, and reviews for older titles you say?  Well how about the 2011 TBR Challenge?  Even if you don't want to participate, be sure to check out the information page for links to those who are.  You want reviews for older titles?  Well on the third Wednesday of every month you'll be guaranteed to get at least a few.

Discussing Soggy Bras With My Man

Place: The Bat Cave.   
Time: Sunday morning.   
Cast: Wendy the Super Librarian and Her Man

Me: I need to ask you about something I read a lot in books....
My Man: This isn't about romance novels is it?  Don't you have friends for this sort of thing?
Me: But I need a guy's perspective....

(Explains Soggy Bra Epidemic before he can flee the room)

My Man: Yeah, and.....
Me: Guys actually do that?
My Man: Yeah, and....
Me: Guys like to suck on fabric?!
My Man: Well, Wendy, you don't do it when the girl is wearing just any bra.  It has to be something sheer.
Me: Ahhh, so only sexy bras.
My Man: ::eye roll:: Sheer.
Me: Have you ever done that? ::slightly horrified::
My Man: Well, no. I'm a Push The Bra Out Of The Way kind of guy. Or I wrestle it off her altogether. Uh, but you already know this....

Me: ::tuning him out::  But honestly, what girl walks around wearing sheer flimsy bras that couldn't support ping-pong balls for everyday wear......

Ohhhh.....

(Penny drops, a million light-bulbs flare to life, Wendy catches clue....)

Me: Right, romance novels.  Of course the heroines are always wearing sheer, lacy, flimsy, sexy lingerie.  No other form of undergarments exist in Romance Novel Land.  Duh Wendy.  Like, duh.

Random Romance Sunday: An Old Friend's Secret Past

The Book: A Shiver of Rain by Kay Bartlett

The Particulars: Silhouette Intimate Moments #254, 1988, Out of Print

The Blurb: 

DANGEROUS EMBRACE

Rachel Brewer thought she'd stumbled into the pages of a spy novel, and she wasn't thrilled. Especially since the "bad guy" was her late husband, Jack, and the FBI agent was the intractable but sexy Luke Warren.

Luke insisted that Jack had stolen millions in gold--and he suspected she knew about it! Worse, he was determined to stay at her Northwest resort until he found the cache. She was unsettled by the prospect--in more ways than one.

Soon gunfire and arson made the situation all too perilously real. Yet the passion that set Luke's and Rachel's blood afire could become the most dangerous situation of all....

Is It In Wendy's TBR?:  No, but I'm now thinking about adding it.

Any Reviews?:  1988, so no.  Nothing over at Amazon either.  Sorry folks!

Anything Else?:  I was supposed to go to Disneyland on Friday with Lil' Sis and Lemon Drop, but winter in So. Cal. means rain.  And yeah, it was raining hard enough on Friday that Disney was just not a good idea. Bummer.  But it got me thinking, why not pick a book with "rain" in the title for this week's RRS post?  This was one of the first ones I hit on, I liked the title, I liked the cover blurb, and went into research mode.  And that's when I hit the mother lode.

Kay Bartlett only wrote two books, both SIMs, both in the late 1980s.  I thought, "How sad, this author only wrote two books and then vanished."  So I hit Google and that's when my searching turned up something interesting.  Turns out, Kay Bartlett is a pseudonym for none other than Janice Kay Johnson!  During the 1980s, Johnson wrote several books - some as JKJ and Bartlett, but also as Kay Kirby (if my research is correct, the Kirby books were co-written with her mother).  She eventually settled in as Janice Kay Johnson, and found her groove in the early 1990s with Harlequin SuperRomance, which is where she can still be found these days.

So how cool is that?  I set out to find just "any ol' book with rain in the title" and stumble across a pseudonym for an author who is one of my current autobuys.  Happenstance I tells ya.

The Soggy Bra Epidemic

Dear Romance Authors,

We need to talk.

I like you.  I really do.  But this has gone on long enough.  I can't take it anymore.  I mean, I probably could handle it if only one of you was doing this - but it seems to be an epidemic that cuts across all strata.  I've seen it in contemporaries, historicals, paranormals.  I've seen it with new authors and seasoned veterans.  What is it that has, finally, pushed me to my limits of tolerance and acceptance?

::Big hearty sigh:: 

Here it goes:

Ready to consummate the lust that has been raging between them for the first part of the novel, hero and heroine begin furious make-out session.  Hero then dips his head down and sucks on the heroine's breast.  WHILE SHE'S STILL WEARING SOME FORM OF CLOTHING!  Be it a blouse.  A bra.  A lacy camisole.  That breast ain't naked.

I'm just going to say it.  No man, anywhere, does this.  No man thinks to himself, "Dang, I want this woman so bad.  I want to put my mouth on various womanly parts.  And you know what gets me really hot?  Sucking on fabric."

Granted, I haven't been with every man on the planet in the biblical (or semi-biblical) sense - but I feel fairly confident going out on my limb here.  Using the sampling of men I've known in that way in my life (and no, I'm not telling you how many that is - pervert), none of them have done this.  Ever.  None of them even attempted to do this.  And I'm sure that none of them thought about doing this.  Why?

BECAUSE NO GUY IN HIS RIGHT MIND WANTS TO SUCK ON FABRIC!

It defies logic. 

It makes no frackin' sense. 

Especially since most guys have the sole mission of Get Her Nekkid As Quickly As Humanly Possible Because Dang I'm Really Horny And I Don't Want Her To Change Her Mind.

OK, so maybe all the men I've known in my life are deviants.  That's entirely possible.  And while my romantic past hasn't been entirely memorable (believe me, there's plenty there worth forgetting) - even as disastrous as some of it was - none of those guys SUCKED ON MY CLOTHES AND LEFT ME WITH DROOL ON MY SHIRT.

Actually, maybe if they had, I would have beat a hasty retreat a lot sooner and saved myself a lot of aggravation.

But anywho, as a personal favor to me - please stop writing this.  Again, it defies logic.  And I can suspend quite a bit of disbelief when it comes to genre fiction, but a heroine who enjoys it when a hero sucks on her clothes and makes them all soggy?  Uh yeah.  Not buying.

Sincerely,
Wendy the Super Librarian

Readers Gab, Big Brother Is Watching, TBR Challenge, And Rain, Rain Go Away

I'm up to bat over at Access Romance Readers Gab today talking about variety and a well-balanced romance reading diet.  Do you have one or do you gorge on just one sub genre?

+++++

I've seen this NPR story linked at a few blogs this morning, but figure it bears overexposing - Is Your E-Book Reading Up On You?  Do you have one of those spiffy readers with a wifi connection?  Well, the company you bought it from may be harvesting information about you.  Hell, everybody tracks everything you do these days.  Whether it's your grocery store, your Internet browsing, your credit card company, or any multitude of the "rewards programs" that retailers offer these days.  But as a librarian, I'll admit someone tracking what the heck I'm reading makes me twitchy.  It also makes me really happy that I have an ancient Sony PRS-505 with no wifi.  Of course I'm still buying ebooks from online retailers, so it's not like I'm totally in the clear.  It's the society we live in these days, but frankly Big Brother doesn't need to know what Harlequins I'm hording.

Damn meddling kids.

+++++

Yesterday's posted review marks the end of the 2010 TBR Challenge.  I'm so immensely proud of myself for sticking with this challenge all year long, and completing all twelve months!  I'm planning to do a general round-up post before the end of the year, complete with links to all the reviews.  In the meantime, if you haven't signed up for the 2011 TBR Challenge, which I am hosting this next year, what are you waiting for?

+++++

The plan for tomorrow was to take Lil' Sis and Lemon Drop to Disneyland to soak up all the holiday goo-ga.  But alas, it's raining here in So. Cal.  Bah Humbug!  We're going to play it by ear, but as the Magic 8-Ball might say: "Outlook Not So Good."  Sigh. 

TBR Challenge 2010: Welcome To Pleasantville

The Book: A Town Called Christmas by Carrie Alexander

The Particulars: Harlequin SuperRomance #1455, 2007, Out of Print. However, it is available to purchase digitally.

Why Was It In The Bat Cave TBR?: Carrie Alexander is an autobuy for me in the HSR line. Also, it's a Christmas story. I'm a sucker for a Christmas story - which I'm beginning to think the diabolical minds at Harlequin headquarters are all too aware of.

The Review: Michael Kavanaugh is a Navy pilot who has just received a Dear John letter from his fiancee. His BFF hates to think of his freshly-jilted buddy alone, over the holidays no less, and talks Michael into coming home with him to Christmas, Michigan (yes, this town does exist). Once there he meets Nicky's sister Meredith "Merry" York. Michael falls hook, line and sinker. He's so dazzled that he fails to notice, at first, that she's 5 months pregnant.

Merry had a great job, great condo and who she thought was a great boyfriend in Chicago. Then she ends up preggo and it all goes to Hell. When her father takes sick, Merry comes home to tiny, claustrophobic Christmas to take over the family tree farm. She has resigned herself to being alone. To raising her baby alone. And then Michael shows up, making her heart go pitter-patter. But he's only on leave for a week, and, oh yeah, she's pregnant. Michael doesn't strike her as the kind of guy to sign up for that kind of commitment after one week.

One thing I like about many of Alexander's Supers is that she uses Michigan's Upper Penisula as a setting. You've got beautiful scenery, good local color, plenty of characters, and she's from the area - so she writes it with authenticity. However in this case, I felt like I was reading a love letter to the U.P moreso than a romance between hero and heroine. Plenty of time is spent on the town of Christmas and the "local color" that is the holiday celebrations. Likewise, this is a big, involved family-type story. The HSR line is great because the stories are longer, so authors can toss in some secondary characters and subplots. But here it felt like too much. You've got brother Nicky, his wife, and their kids. You have 20-year-old sister Noelle and her boyfriend. You have Mom and Dad. You have a cantankerous aunt. There's also a secondary romance between the local fix-it repair woman and a shy, bashful writer. Between all those people and the Christmas goo-ga, Merry and Michael felt a little lost in the shuffle.

This is also one of those Small Town = Goody Goodness type stories. Which is fine. Really. But one thing I learned? These types of stories tend to work a lot better for me if there's a wee bit of angst in the proceedings, and this whole romance felt a little too easy to me. Yes, even with Merry being knocked up by another man. Yes, even with Michael being on the rebound. It should have been more angst-y, but wasn't. Even when Michael is debating about spending time with Merry, he does anyway. He pays lip-service to not getting too close, but then these two keep hanging out together. And they fall into their relationship like slipping on that ratty old pair of slippers you keep around because dang, they're so darn comfortable.

None of this makes this a bad book - just sort of ho-hum. It's certainly pleasant, and these are nice enough folks. Sure I was flummoxed why Merry wanted to keep the identity of the Baby Daddy under wraps from her family (even though it's obvious!) and sure it irritated that her mother was supposedly "scandalized" by her unmarried daughter's pregnancy even though Merry is thirty-frickin-six years old. But whatever. When you're born, raised and die in a small town - never leaving said town - scandals can be stuck in the 1950s.

Where does that leave me? Well, this story is just sort of there. If you're a reader looking for a simple, uncomplicated romance with that cozy small town vibe? This one just might do it for you. Sometimes you just need a read like that. No vampire lurking behind dark corners. No serial killers waiting in the bushes. That said, this one didn't really light a fire under me either way (no, OMG LURVE! and no, OMG BLEEDING EYES!). So yeah. Sorta there.

Final Grade = C

Random Romance Sunday: Purple Reign

The Book: Crystal Passion by Jo Goodman

The Particulars: Historical romance, Kensington Zebra, 1985, Out of Print. There was a 1999 reprint, but it is also Out of Print.

The Blurb:

RAPTURE'S BRILLIANCE

When Ashley awoke from her drugged sleep, she found herself in the bedchamber of a dark-haired, steel-eyed stranger. Before she could escape, his powerful hands had pinned her to the bed--before she could scream, his lips had captured hers. Before she could explain that her guardian had tricked them both with a vile and ruthless scheme, the rapture of his searing, searching caresses drove all thought from her mind. All she could feel was hunger for his touch, thirst for his kiss, and yearning for ecstasy's endless pleasures...

LOVE'S SPLENDOR
Captain Salem McClellan was amused to discover that the Duke of Linfield's hospitality included a lithe young beauty to warm his bed. Tangling his fingers in her ebony hair, exploring the creamy satin of her flesh with burning lips, he felt the fire of Ashley's response beneath him. Too late, he realized her innocence and knew he could never leave her to the Duke's mercy. For he was enchanted by her fierce pride, ensnared by her rare beauty, and enthralled by the night of shimmering CRYSTAL PASSION

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Uh, no.

Any Reviews?: 1985 - so, uh, not really. Amazon customer reviews range from 2 to 5 stars.

Anything Else?: When looking for books to feature on RRS, I tend to randomly surf around FictionDB until something hits me upside the head. In this case, it was a whole lot of purple. That back cover blurb is so gleefully over-the-top, so 1980s, so....just....so wrong on so many levels that I knew I had to feature this book. Plus the eye-popping original cover! And it was Jo Goodman's second book! Seriously, I can't be expected to resist all that.

Kensington must have realized that the back cover blurb wasn't going to translate very well out of the 1980s, because when the book was reprinted in 1999, looks like they did some tinkering. The blurb on Goodman's web site has a lot of the same pertinent facts in it - but the purple is reined in considerably. The publisher also went with what I call Boring Reprint Cover Art. I sort of understand why this was done, but I don't know. I mean, if I want over-the-top, throwback, historical romance crazy - I'm going to be more drawn to cover and blurb #1. But that's how I roll.

There's a treasure trove of information on Goodman's web site (yeah!) - which details all the books in this particular series (this is Book #1 in the McClellan Family) and the author even includes interesting tidbits for each book. For example? Naming a hero "Salem" sounds like something straight out of a 1980s Romance Writing Handbook, right? Wrong-o. Goodman swiped the name from a guy she met at a friend's house.

I know there are several Goodman fans out there in Romance Bloglandia, so fire away folks. Have you read the McClellan Family series? What did you think? Do they stand the test of time? Or do they need to be "enjoyed" while firmly wearing your Old Skool Over-The-Top Eye-Glasses?

Librarian Goodness, Romance eBooks, Unusual Historicals and TBR Challenge

Sarah from YA Librarian Tales has interviewed me over at her blog for a semi-regular feature she calls "Life Behind The Reference Desk." As you can probably deduce, it's me talking about my day job. It's a really nice interview - complete with Sarah flattering the hell out of me, and me waxing poetic on a variety of library-related topics. Go on over and take a gander.

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There's an article today over at the New York Times all about the romance genre and ebooks featuring both Smart Bitch Sarah and Jane from Dear Author. I tend to gird my loins when the genre gets any sort mainstream media attention - going into the whole reading endeavor expecting the worst. It's just safer for my blood pressure that way. However, this is actually a really even-handed article (I thought) all about how romance readers have jumped on board the digital train in droves. The theory being that we have done so to hide the trashy cover art.

Now, while I think that's definitely part of the reason, I don't think it's the sole one. It's kind of hard to discount the whole "instant gratification" thing - also the desire to scoop up backlists that are "in print" for a nanosecond in paper, but have a longer life in digital formats (seriously, I love the way Harlequin handles their digital content. Love!)

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I've tweeted about this, but want to mention it here as well. The Unusual Historicals blog is celebrating their blogiversary this week with a variety of giveaways. A lot of really great writers contribute over there, and it's one of my favorite author-driven blogs to visit (even if I am crap for commenting!). If you're a historical lover, I encourage you to check them out!

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And hey! Don't forget you can now sign up for the 2011 TBR Challenge.

The Month That Was November 2010

Lemon Drop: Merry Christmas Auntie Wendy!

Me: My, my, my Lemon Drop. Don't you look festive?

Lemon Drop: It's hard work being this cute, but it's a living.

Me: Wow. Not only did your Mommy get the tree up, she has presents under it already, gift-wrapped even?

Lemon Drop: Yeah, I'm quickly learning that Mommy is a little particular about things....

Me: You mean....anal retentive?

Lemon Drop: Auntie Wendy! I would never say such a thing (the woman does change my diapers and feed me - I know which side my bread is buttered on!)

Me: Smart and cute. That's my girl. So, you wanna hear about what I read last month?

Lemon Drop: Fire away!

Ahem, OK. I read seven books last month. Would have liked to have that number be higher, but it's hard to argue with the quality. Title links will take you to full reviews.

Scoundrel by Zoe Archer, Victorian Historical Paranormal, Part of Series, Zebra, 2010, Grade = B-

• Book 2 in the Blades Of The Rose series. A truly delicious scoundrel hero, and a smart heroine breaking out of a sheltered mold her eviiiiiil father has erected around her. I felt the heroine could have wrestled more with the new-found knowledge that Daddy Is Evil, but thought the romance was nice and steamy, and loved the Greece setting.
  

Juggling Briefcase & Baby by Jessica Hart, Harlequin Romance #4199, Part of Series, 2010, Grade = A

• Not a perfect book, but one that earned an "A" thanks to the emotional gut-punch I got during the final chapters. There's a secret baby angle here (hero ain't the daddy) that annoyed the crap out of me, but the pay-off to the romance more than made up for it. For me at any rate. Hart may be my biggest discovery of 2010. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Secret Baby, Daddy Issues (Hero & Heroine!), CEO, Reunited!, Single Mother, Opposites Attract
  

Wedding Date With The Best Man by Melissa McClone, Harlequin Romance #4193, Part of Series, 2010, Grade B+

• Heroine who called off her wedding 7 months ago after she discovered her fiance' was a lying cheat, finds herself spending time with his BFF - the guy who would have been the best man. Nice use of the Big Secret trope (the hero's got one) and setting (San Diego and Las Vegas) Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine Done Wrong, Opposites Attract, Big Secret, Three Now Happily Married BFFs, One Slimy Ex-Fiance'.
  

Deserted Island, Dreamy Ex by Nicola Marsh, Harlequin Romance #4194, 2010, Grade = B+

• Heroine finds herself reunited with the hero who broke her heart eight years ago when they're both tapped to film a documentary. A documentary that will require them to be alone on a deserted island for a week. Two stubborn characters lead to great confrontation scenes and a hard-fought happily-ever-after. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Reunited!, Commitment Issues (Hero), One Down-And-Out Sister.
  

To Find You Again by Maureen McKade, Historical Western Romance, Berkley, 2004, Grade = B

• My TBR Challenge read for the month. A solid western from McKade. Great outsider hero, and a heroine torn between two worlds. At times I felt the heroine's naivete didn't mesh with her "life experiences," and I would have liked a more in depth reason for her Daddy hatin' on the hero, but other than that? A good, solid read.
  

Rebel by Zoe Archer, Victorian Historical Paranormal, Part of Series, Zebra, 2010, Grade = B

• Book 3 in the Blades Of The Rose series and my favorite so far. Really liked the capable, strong and wounded heroine. A good, solid paranormal hero. Good use of frontier Vancouver as a setting, and it sets up the final book in the series quite well.
  

Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto by Liz Fielding, Harlequin Romance #4206, 2010, Grade = C+

• Cinderella's fairy tale comes crashing down around her ears, and leads her straight into the arms of an emotionally wounded Beast hero. Nice holiday feel to a story that felt ready-made for either the small or big screen. Found the romance a bit lacking though, especially given the short time frame between heroine's Failed Relationship to happy ending with our hero. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine On The Run, Wounded Hero, Christmas, Cinderella, Beauty And The Beast, One Slimy Ex-Fiance'.
  

Lemon Drop: Did Mommy get to you? Where's the steamy stuff?

Me: Well, the Zoe Archer books are pretty steamy....

Lemon Drop: No menage a trois? No fetishes? What gives?!

Me: Hey, a librarian cannot live on erotica alone. That, and I got distracted by Harlequin Romances this month. That's a line your Mommy would approve of.

Lemon Drop: Kisses! All I get are kisses? Bah!

Me: Well, maybe next month kiddo.

Annoucing The 2011 TBR Challenge!

The TBR Challenge is a long-standing Romance Bloglandia tradition. One that I didn't fully participate in until this year. I had such a great time on this challenge that when I asked Keishon on Twitter if she was going to organize it again for 2011 she replied, "You wanna host?" To which I said, "Heck yeah!"

In the spirit of getting everyone's attention before the holiday craziness hits overdrive (uh, too late?) - I'm going to begin sign-up for 2011 right now. I have created a page devoted to the challenge with all the pertinent details. You can find this page on my sidebar by clicking on the graphic (feel free to steal this by the way!) or under my About The Bat Cave section.

I'm pretty much going to run the challenge the exact same way Keishon and Angela James have done so in the past. The only real difference? Instead of the word "review," I've adopted the word "commentary." The word "review" seems to put off some readers - whereas commentary sounds more like "Hey, I just read this book, let me tell you about it." Also, this commentary can happen anywhere online - your blog, Twitter, Facebook, a message board, GoodReads etc. Just provide me a link when you sign-up, that way people who want to follow the challengers know how to find you.

TBR Challenge Day will once again be on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, and I'm also keeping with tradition by providing reading themes (which are totally voluntary, but there for those of you who like a little guidance).

Interested in signing up? Leave a comment on this blog post, or you can find my e-mail address at the bottom of the TBR Challenge 2011 information page. And again, be sure to include a link.

C'mon, you know you want to. It'll be fun! If anything, it might help kick-start the cleaning out of your own TBR Mountain Range.....

Random Romance Sunday: Velvet And Lucian Go To The Beach

The Book: Tainted By Temptation by Katy Madison

The Particulars: Historical Gothic Romance, Avon, Upcoming release January 25, 2011

The Blurb:

Which were more dangerous–his secret desires…or her own?

Cruel false gossip and scandal follow Velvet Campbell everywhere she goes in London—and for the sake of her sanity she must get away. Accepting a position as a governess at an estate in remote Cornwall, Velvet hopes to start over, untainted by rumor. But she finds to her dismay that her new employer—the darkly handsome Lucian Pendar—is, himself, the subject of whispered insinuations…that he hurled his wife to her death from nearby treacherous cliffs.

But angel or demon, Lucian affects Velvet in ways she never dreamed possible, causing her heart to race, stealing the breath from her body with a look. As their mutual attraction grows, there is no resisting the passion that flares between them. Yet, as secrets from both their pasts rise to the surface, Velvet is haunted by one inescapable question: has she found a kindred spirit, her destined love…or placed herself in dire peril?

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: An ARC landed on my desk at work this week, so yeah.

Any Reviews?: Not yet, as the book doesn't come out until late January. However the author has garnered some quotes from authors Anna Campbell, Laurie Brown and Carla Cassidy....if you're one to pay attention to such things.

Anything Else?: I'm highlighting this book for two reasons: 1) it's a Gothic! and 2) that cover art isn't doing this debut author any favors. Why? Because I love Gothics. I especially love historical Gothics with no paranormal crap tucked inside the pages. Looking at this cover and title though? Yeah, no clue. Generic title with equally generic cover art. I mean, I guess you could go out on a limb by saying the crashing surf is Gothic-y, but that's a major stretch (says me).

Anywho.....

I know all Gothic cover blurbs sound identical, but I cut my teeth on these sorts of books in my younger pre-Super Librarian days. I wasn't into these books for the romance. Oh no. I read authors like Barbara Michaels and Victoria Holt because the darker atmosphere and mystery-like plots appealed to me. Also there's something inherently compelling about a tall, dark, mysterious, and maybe slightly dangerous hero. You want to climb inside his head, poke around in the dark corners, and see what makes him tick. I also think that some of the best Gothics were heroine-driven stories - and admittedly I'm a bit of a heroine-centric reader (major understatement of the year).

And honestly, this sounds like it could be full of Old School Gothic-y Goodness. Cornwall! A hero named Lucian! A heroine named Velvet! It's like the Wayback Machine has dumped me back in time to when I was 16 and poking around the shelves at my local public library. That teeny piece of me that's still stuck in my teenage years is literally swooning....

Harlequin Holiday Goodness, Toy Bat Caves, And The Real SoCalBloggers

If you haven't heard already, today marks the first day of the awesome sauce Harlequin Historical Holiday Giveaway. Twenty-two Harlequin Historical writers are hosting an advent calender, where every day you'll visit a different writer. Daily prizes will be offered and at the end of the whole shebang - one random commenter from one random day will win a Kindle 3G! Wowzers! Contest is open to residents of the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. Full list of rules can be found here and the advent calender, complete with links, can be found here.

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For the librarian who has everything, behold! The Fisher Price Super Friends Bat Cave! It's got a working draw bridge and comes with a grappling hook. It also comes with a neato Batcycle. What it doesn't have is a library. I mean, I know Wayne Manor must have a library, but I'm guessing it's full of musty ol' leather bound editions. Uh, not romance novels. Bruce Wayne is pretty awesome, but something tells me he doesn't have Harlequins in his library. Oh well, no man is perfect.

Many thanks to one of my longtime Internet buds, Barbs, for the link. Oh to be a kid again....

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Ever wish you could jet off to sunny southern California and hang out with the fabulous babes that are the SoCalBloggers? Do you get pea green with envy when you read about our get-togethers at area bookstores and restaurants? Do you curse our very existence when we admit that we were all lazy sods and none of us took any pictures? Well wonder now more! Because here is artist Vinnie Tartamella's amazing life-like rendition. Yes, this is what it's really like!


As the resident Batgirl, I have to say that I normally don't look that snotty. My guess? Hey, I like poker, but where for the love of God is the cheesecake?!?!?!

Thanks to Big Sis for posting this gem on her Facebook.