Digital Review: Bettie Page Presents The Librarian

Disclaimer: I am mentioned in the author's opening acknowledgments (by name and everything!).  I was one of her librarian contacts for researching this book.

I knew a couple of things going into Bettie Page Presents: The Librarian.  One, Logan Belle worked with the Page estate while researching this book and two, I was going to have to slog through some BDSM.  Yes, even though I've publicly declared that I am beyond "over" BDSM.  So color me surprised that, for the most part, the BDSM elements didn't annoy me too much.  Well, that is until the ending.  But more on that in a moment.

Regina Finch is fresh out of library school and starting her dream job at the main branch of the New York Public Library (you know, the one with the lions in the front).  While Regina has gone through college, she's lived a very sheltered life.  She's fairly prudish, having zero experience with men, and is wound so tight it's amazing she doesn't crap out diamonds.  Normally I loathe the shorthand of librarian = repressed heroine, but Belle at least lays groundwork for why Regina is the way she is.  She's not this way because she's a librarian.  She could easily be a bus driver, waitress or lawyer and be wound this tight.

Anyhoodle, while at work one day she enters a special collection room to discover Sebastian Barnes getting his groove thang on with a willing blonde.  Regina is one part shocked (Seriously, in a library?!?!  How DARE they!), while the other part of her starts feeling all tingly for Sebastian.  Turns out the feeling is mutual.  Sebastian is a major library benefactor and soon ropes in Regina to help him with a project.  And that's not all he ropes her into.  Naturally he's a Dom and naturally he thinks Regina will be the perfect sub.  BDSM ahoy!

If you've read even one BDSM erotica novel you pretty much know where this is going.  I will say that while Sebastian is a bit of a condescending jackass - he's not quite as annoying as other heroes of this ilk I've slogged through over the years.  I also really appreciated that Regina doesn't turn into Super Sub over night.  She pushes back a bit.  She doesn't jump whole hog into the scene.  Sebastian has to coax her along, and even if she whimpers and simpers when something makes her uncomfortable, he at least goes through the motions of listening to her.

So yeah, even though I'm over BDSM, I can recognize that others who aren't over it may enjoy this book - so I was ready to slap this one with my patented "It's OK" rating until I got to the ending.

Yeah, the ending.

I'm going to try to be vague, but there's really no way for me to foam at the mouth without giving away some spoilers.  Let's just say my feminist underpants got in a serious wad.  There isn't enough fabric softener on the planet to make me overlook this ending.

Apparently "dream jobs" start to be incidental after you meet a hunky studly man to teach you the ways of being a sub.  Because, you know, "dream jobs" pale in comparison to a hunky studly man who tells you what to do, when to do it, what to wear, buys you whatever his heart desires, and takes care of you like a pampered pet.  Don't worry your pretty little head over anything Regina, Daddy's here to take care of everything for you.  You just stand there looking pretty while wearing that designer dress I bought you, oh and you need to bend over now because it's time for your 3PM spanking.

Ugh!

As for the librarian stuff?  It's mostly good.  Regina is fairly ignorant on social media, which for someone her age coming out of library science school?  Just wouldn't happen.  Also, given the turn of events regarding Regina's job at the end?  Yeah, it wouldn't happen that easily.  At least not in a library world with the amount of bureaucracy that NYPL most likely has (I don't know for sure, I'm just going on my personal experience with other large library systems).  There is a lovely older librarian as a secondary character (I mentally started calling her The Battle Ax) who is very spot-on.  Belle also weaves some current-day issues facing libraries into the story, which was very nice.

So where does that leave us?  I really tend to enjoy Logan Belle's writing, and this book continues with that.  I wasn't overly annoyed by the BDSM elements, which is a tall order these days considering my current prejudice for the trend.  But that ending?  I just.....can't get past the ending.  It reinforces a lot of elements that I tend to hate in BDSM fiction and it also reinforces elements that I've slogged through over the years while reading really bad romance novels.  May be worth a look for you if you're not "over" BDSM, just don't say I didn't warn you about that ending.....

Final Grade = D

Digital Reviews: Three Steamy Short Stories

Thanks to the Scheduling Gods, I had a glorious four-day weekend where I gorged myself at the reading trough.  In between a binge of category romance, I found the time to zip through three digital short stories, all of which had something to recommend them.

The Mermaid's Tale by Grace D'Otare is an Amazon exclusive that continues on with a series she first started publishing with Harlequin Spice.

Maeve and Devlin are a married couple who 1) still like to have sex with each other and 2) tell each other naughty stories.  This time around Devlin spins Maeve his own version of The Little Mermaid, set against the backdrop of the French Resistance during World War II.  Lorie is a former nurse now singing in a night club.  David and Alex are both owners of said nightclub, with David working undercover as the stage manager/costume/make-up guy and Alex as the mysteriously hunky spy who is gone for stretches of time.  One thing leads to another and the trio find themselves hiding out in a secret tunnel to avoid detection by enemy troops.  Gee, whatever shall they do to pass the time?

I still like the idea of this series (the married couple telling stories angle just flat-out works for me) and the setting is great.  D'Otare does a good job of delivering an actual story here, although I think I would have liked a little more Sexy Times and the writing could have been a little smoother in spots.  But it has great atmosphere, interesting characters, and I'm happy to see the series is still alive.

Final Grade = B-

I tend to really like Saskia Walker's voice, and on that score Forbidden does not disappoint.  It still has her trademark sense of longing (the author writes "yearning" very well) and the Sexy Times are nice, steamy, and blessedly BDSM-free.  Too bad the plot didn't work as well for me.

Emmanuelle Forsythe is 21-years-old and has the hots for her father's estate manager.  Jacob Finch returns those feelings but has already been warned away by Emmanuelle's stepmother.  Turns out Daddy and Step-Mummy have plans for the girl to marry money.

This is a plot that just works better for me in a historical.  I "get" that the rich are different and yes, probably do still marry for reasons other than twu wuv, but the girl is 21.  I mean, she's got options assuming she's willing to toss off the yoke of monied privilege and oh....get a job.  So yeah, it just doesn't work as well for me in the 21st century.  But it's hot, steamy, and if you go for the Romeo & Juliet plot and prefer it when the idiot kids don't end up dead?  This one is worth a look.

Final Grade = C

I don't know where Charlotte Stein has been all of my erotica reading life, but I'm ready to take the "Gone Fishin'" sign off my ovaries and have this woman's babies - that's how much I was blown away by Restraint.  With this, just the second bit of work I've read by Stein, she's managed to knock the wind out of me....again!

Mallory is getting ready to go on holiday with friends when she finds out Artie is tagging along.  Given that Artie treats her like something he stepped in, this is not welcome news.  He flat-out seems to despise her, and Mallory has no clue why.  So imagine her shock when she learns what Artie's problem with her really is.

I've been whining a bit (OK, a lot) lately about how over BDSM I am and how bored I am with every erotic author on the planet playing in that landscape.  What Stein does is so different, so refreshing, that I'm probably grading on a curve but ask me if I care?  A repressed hero.  Truly....A. Repressed. Hero.  A heroine who likes to talk dirty and isn't afraid to make the first move.  Hot, Sexy Times with nary a whip, chain, rope or sex toy in sight.

Dare I say it?  Could this be love?

Stein's writing style here is a wee bit rambling, which fits with the first person narration - but it all works so well in this story.  Especially since, like Mallory, the reader is fairly clueless from the get-go on what Artie's deal is.  There's enough of a positive ending here that I think romance fans will be pleased and now I want to drop everything and read nothing but Charlotte Stein books.  Seriously.  I can't do that, but I soooooo want to.

Final Grade = A

The Month That Was October 2012

Me: Good heavens Miss Sakamoto, you're beautiful!

Lemon Drop: Just. Keep. Smiling.

Me: I don't believe it!  There she goes again!  She's tidied up and I can't find anything!

Lemon Drop:   Just. Keep. Smiling.  Daddy can't help it that he's a nerd.....

Me:  Science!

Lemon Drop:  Although why he feels the need to rope me into his geekdom I have no idea....

Me:  Hang on Lemon Drop! I'll save you!  Your Auntie Wendy is here to talk to you about books!  Books that don't have any equations in them!

Title links go to full reviews.

Deception by Kris Kennedy - Historical medieval romance, 2012, Pocket, Grade = C

•  A heavy medieval romance with lots of intricate plotting and language.  I would highly recommend this for hardcore medieval fans, while more casual medieval readers (like myself) may find it a bit too much.

The Space Between Us by Megan Hart - Erotica, 2012, Mira, Grade = A-

•  A quietly plotted erotica novel about a aimless 20-something who enters into a menage relationship with a married couple.  Dynamite characters and enough emotional angst to rip your guts out.  I've seen a lot of "ho-hum" reviews for this one, but damn - I loved it.

Undeniable by Alison Kent - Contemporary erotic romance, 2012, Berkley, Grade = C-

• Hero who behaves like a selfish jackass because "Daddy doesn't love him."  A heroine who keeps giving the poor little rich boy a free pass because he's dreamy, has a big penis, and is good in bed.  Great small-town, community setting though, and a secondary romance I enjoyed.

Until There Was You by Jessica Scott - Contemporary romance ebook, 2012, Loveswept, Grade = C

• An adversarial romance where I couldn't figure out how they became adversaries in the first place.  Also the heroine's continual denial over a friend's drinking problem bordered on reckless stupidity.  

An Invitation to Pleasure by Marguerite Kaye - Historical romance short story ebook, 2012, Harlequin Historical Undone, Grade = B-

•  A hero looking for revenge against an inept commanding officer finds himself smitten with the man's betrothed.  A few years later, she's widowed and he invites her to spend the holidays with him in Scotland.

The Navy SEAL's Promise by Soraya Lane - Contemporary romance novella ebook, 2012, Self-Published, Grade = B

•  Army Corporal heroine is trying to get home for Christmas when a blizzard gets in the way.  Enter stage left, the widower Navy SEAL hero who promises to do everything he can to make sure she doesn't break her promise to her little boy.  A sweet, sexy holiday novella with a lovely ending.

The Missing Twin by Rita Herron - Paranormal romantic suspense, Harlequin Intrigue, 2011, Grade = D-

•  A Native American hero with a sixth sense, a plot moppet little girl, and paranormal elements that are like a sledgehammer to your frontal lobe doomed this book for me. 

Relentless Pursuit by Sara Orwig - Contemporary romance, 2012, Harlequin Desire, Grade = F

•  Repetitive, boring conflict, a heroine who keeps saying no while her body screams yes, an oily hero whose dialogue was ripped off from a Pepe Le Pew cartoon, and sequel-baiting with all subtlety of a chainsaw.  I just saw this book was nominated for an RT Book Reviews award and all I could think was, "Really?  Are they high?!?!?!?!"

Not Young, Still Restless by Jeanne Cooper - Non-fiction biography, 2012, Harper, Grade = B

• Biography of Mrs. Katherine Chancellor on the daytime soap opera, The Young And The Restless.  A great read for fans.

Lemon Drop: Wait a minute....who the heck is Miss Sakamoto?

Me: Never mind....

Winner! : Love Inspired + RWA Tote Bag Giveaway

What better way to spend Black Friday than sit at home and wait to hear if you won a big ol' pile of books?  With the help of Random.org, the lucky winner of the box of Love Inspired books and a 2012 RWA tote bag is.....

Jena Briars!

Jena, please e-mail me with your shipping address and I'll get your box of goodies in the mail very, very soon.

This is it for the RWA tote bag-related giveaways.  Thanks to everyone for playing along at home and congratulations to all the lucky winners!

TBR Challenge 2012: Spy Vs. Spy

The Book:  The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne

The Particulars: Historical romance, Berkley, 2008, In Print, First book in a series

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: It got raves when it first came out, and while I cannot distinctly recall, I'm pretty sure I bought this new (most likely at Borders ::sob::).  Also, I've met Bourne in "real life" and she's a lovely, lovely woman.  Hopefully she's still talk to me when we run into each other at conferences.

The Review:  Here I go again, showing my philistine underpants.

Annique Villiers was raised by revolutionary parents and spent her entire life spying for the French.  She now finds herself sharing a dungeon with some British spies, having all been ensnared by the odious Leblanc.  Leblanc wants some super-sekrit plans he thinks Annique has, and she's not about to stick around while he concocts ways to extract that information from her.  So she comes up with an escape plan, and in the process rescues two British spies, one of whom is Robert Grey.  When she finds out exactly who she rescued?  Yeah, she regrets the decision.

Robert also thinks that Annique has these plans that Leblanc is so hot for, and he also thinks she's responsible for a British mission that went horribly wrong.  So he wants to bring her back to England, along with her secrets, to aid their cause.  Of course he doesn't quite realize how difficult that's going to be, considering there are men after Annique who want her dead, but also Annique herself, who earned her reputation the old fashioned way - she's a damn good spy and keeps trying to escape.

It's going to be hard to talk about my issues with this story while remaining spoiler-free but I'm going to endeavor to do so.  Annique is at somewhat of a disadvantage early in the book, yet she is still somehow capable of being Badass Ninja Super Spy.  This was hard enough for me to swallow, but then later in the story, when there isn't that disadvantage anymore?  Yeah, it's then that she finds herself easily duped by Grey.  Suuuuuure.  In  other words?  I didn't believe any of it.

The other problem is the same one I have with all romances featuring spy characters.  They're spies and relationships, in order to work, need a modicum of trust.  I'm not exactly sure how, when or why Grey and Annique fall in love, but once they do I have a hard time picturing them settling into happy-ever-bliss before one of them guts the other while they sleep.  They're professional liars and connivers.  It's hard to imagine that as a solid relationship foundation.  But that's my bugaboo, not so much any fault of this particular story.

So if I had these issues, why do so many other readers love this book?  Well, I think I know.  For one, Bourne can write and the prose is very, very good.  Also, the history is really very good.  It's been ages since I've read a Regency with a continental flavor that actually developed the "continent stuff" so well.  Most notably, the fall-out of the French Revolution and Napoleon's rise to power.

Then there is the fact that Annique and Grey are essentially two sides of the same coin.  They're mostly equals, although this is where I had more issues.  Namely, Annique may be a spy but she's 1) a virgin and 2) doesn't kill people.  It smacks of the double-standard in some romance circles where the hero can be despicable and readers will still luuuuurve him, while the heroine can't be "too bad" or else readers will hate her and find her "unsympathetic."  So yeah, she's a spy but it's OK - she doesn't kill people and Grey is her first lover!  It's totally kosher - you're allowed to like her!

Bah humbug.

But I'm probably reading too much into all that - so chalk it up to Wendy needing to get a life.

So where does that leave us?  Well, I'm glad I read it, but it didn't exactly light my world on fire.  It also didn't make me want to drop everything and read the other books in this series - although I'm not weeding them out of my TBR pile either.  The very definition of an "OK" read for me.

Final Grade = C

Giveaway!: Love Inspired + RWA Tote Bag

It's hard to believe, but the last RWA tote bag giveaway is finally upon us!  And it only took me four months to get to this point!

For this last one, the prizes include a tote bag along with a box of inspirational romances from the various Love Inspired (Harlequin) lines.

Thanksgiving is upon us here in the States, so for your chance to win all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post answering this question:

What are you thankful for?

Contest is open to both US and international residents.  Winner will be drawn at random on Friday, November 23.

Reminder: TBR Challenge For November 2012

For those of you participating in the 2012 TBR Challenge, a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, November 21.  Yeah, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving here in the States.  Let's see how many of us get to the finish line this month!

The theme this month is All About The Hype.  Books that everybody and their dead grandmother were reading and raving about when they first came out and yeah - it's still sitting in your TBR.  I do this kind of thing all the time, but if you're not a sick individual like I am, remember - the themes are totally optional.  The themes aren't important - reading something that's been lying around neglected is the real goal.

Wowzers, only two months left to the challenge for this year!  For a list of all of this year's participants, be sure to check out the TBR Challenge 2012 Information Page.

Digital Review: Forward Passes

Over the years I've been cantankerous on the subject of sports romances (authors not doing research being my main bugaboo) and series (OMG, where have all the stand-alone novels gone?!).  So just to be contrary, it would make perfect sense that I would find myself addicted to Jami Davenport's Seattle Lumberjacks series.  You know, it being a series about a professional football team.  Hey, it's a girl's prerogative to change her mind - right? 

Forward Passes in the second book in the series, and features hotshot, asshole quarterback Tyler Harris.  Tyler has just won his second Super Bowl.  He should be on top of the world, and instead all he feels is empty.  The death of a young fan from cancer has effected him deeply, and he's now feeling stifled by the cocksure, devil-may-care persona he's carved out for himself in the league.  Then fate steps in after he smashes his car into the back of a police cruiser (no, it was not a DUI, no matter what the media says) and his great uncle passes away.  Tyler spent time with the old guy when he moved to a nursing home in Seattle and now the old man has left him his rambling, falling down monstrosity of a house on the San Juans.

Lavender Mead has a long, nightmarish track record with jocks.  Her football coach father abandoned her and her brother after their mother died - essentially meaning that Lavender was raised by her shrewish grandmother.  Then there were the string of jock boyfriends who were one step up from pond scum on the evolutionary scale.  So while she may find Tyler sexier than sexy, he's all look, no touch.  Um, except he seems like a nice guy behind all that conceited bravado and he has a PhD in flirting.  He may be all wrong for her as far as relationship material, but who says they need to have a "relationship" beyond enjoying each other's company for a short period of time.  He's only on the island until his inheritance sticks (a stipulation of the will) and after that he's flying the coop.  Or is he?

I've been really looking forward to this book ever since I read the first book in the series, Fourth And Goal - Tyler being the main selling point.  He's all guy.  He's a rock star professional quarterback with a killer smile, killer body and killer attitude.  He plays up this persona for a number of reasons, and he swears enough to make drunken sailors blush.  He acts like a guy, talks like a guy, but underneath that Alpha asshole persona there's a gooey, squishy Beta heart beating away in his chest. 

Lavender is a girl with baggage.  Her family life is in the pits, and she tries her best to keep the peace with a grandmother that could give Evil Romance Land Mothers a run for their money.  She has a soft spot for senior citizens, and the uppity cat (named "Cat") that Tyler inherits from his great uncle.  She's scared to death of what Tyler represents, even early on when all he represents is one heck of a good time in bed.  When these two start burning up the sheets, it's only natural that their emotions start getting in the way.  They both have baggage and they both recognize a little bit of themselves in each other.

Every reader has those books they enjoy despite any flaws that might be on the page.  It just all works for them as an individual.  That's the experience I had with Forward Passes.  I'll be honest, I found the writing a little lumpy in the early chapters, mostly because there was a little too much repetition.  But once I was settled in, Tyler and Lavender start tap-dancing around each other, it all smoothed out for me.  Plus, I walked into this story already deeply invested in Tyler.  I think readers unfamiliar with the first book will do just fine starting with this one, but I have to admit that being already "plugged in" to the series did increase my enjoyment of this story right out of the gate.

Davenport does lay groundwork for the next book in the series with this installment, but it's never intrusive and the future hero actually (::le gasp!::) plays a significant role in this story.  While I felt the writing could have been smoother in parts, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment, and I inhaled it in one sitting.  I also appreciated that while it would have been extremely easy to make villains out of certain characters, the author paints them with a bit more of a complex brush.  You don't agree with their actions, but you can understand why certain elements of the back-story happened.

I cannot wait to read more books in this series, which features well-done football scenarios, interesting and believable characters, and enough steamy sex to turn a blue-haired grandma's hair more blue.  I may have had to wait a while for Tyler's story, but it was worth the wait.

Final Grade = B

OK, You Can Untie Me Now

I'm on the road, literally and figuratively!  As I was flying over the country yesterday, on my way to Michigan to visit friends and family, my latest post went live over at Heroes & Heartbreakers.

What do the television show M*A*S*H and BDSM in erotic romance have in common?  Well, you'll just have to head on over to find out!

A Night Of No Return

As much as I love category romance I have always had a notoriously hard time navigating the Harlequin Presents line.  I like glitzy, flashy locales and Alpha heroes as much as the next girl - but let us be honest - the Presents hero?  Can easily tip the scales into Neanderthal Asshole territory.  So I rely on reviews, and the wisdom of other readers to help me out.  One of whom is romance author Lynne Connolly, who reviews Presents and Mills & Boon Modern titles over at The Good, The Bad and the Unread.  Lynne has said that Presents appeal to her because they have a fairy tale quality to them, and she's a fan of Sarah Morgan's work.  That was enough for me, so I settled in to read my very first Sarah Morgan title, A Night Of No Return.

Yes, I totally get it now.  And God help us all, I'm hooked.

Lucas Jackson is a big-time architect who is suffering through the anniversary of a personal tragedy.  All he wants is to be left alone so he can drink himself stupid.  So off he goes to his country estate in the middle of a snowstorm that is rapidly growing epic by the minute.  He settles in by the fire with a suitable amount of alcohol and is all set to kill the necessary brain cells when in barges a very intriguing distraction.

Emma Gray is Lucas' personal assistant and the only reason she is driving to his country home in the middle of a blizzard is because he left some very important papers on his desk.  He has to have these papers and they're vital enough that she's loathe to trust the task to a faceless courier.  When she arrives on the scene she discovers her boss three-sheets to the wind and he's in a total state.  She's never seen him like this before.  Her put-together, single-minded, workaholic, driven boss is a complete mess.  She cannot leave him like this, and even if she wanted to?  Yeah, she's pretty well snowed in now.

I'll be honest, Morgan isn't telling a new story here.  We've all read variations of this before.  What she does do is take these well-worn tropes, spin them around, creates characters that are her own, and delivers a story that is fresh and lively, with the right amount of angsty-goodness to keep me glued to the pages.

Lucas is your classic Presents hero - Alpha, driven, yet with a mysterious wounded past.  He's forceful enough to showcase his Alpha-goodness, but not so forceful that he slips past the Asshole Point Of No Return.  Is he a jerk at times?  Yes.  Was I willing to forgive him?  Yes.  And that's because even when he's clueless about his feelings with Emma, he's still, underneath it all, a decent guy.

Emma is your classic Martyr Heroine.  The heroine who has made sacrifices in her life (hell, she doesn't really have much of a life, does she?) because of various obligations.  She doesn't see these sacrifices as "obligations" though.  Yes, it's not how she wanted things to turn out, but it was the only decision she felt she could make.  Lucas doesn't know any of this.  As a boss he's all work, no personal stuff.  Besides, Emma is not the type of girl with desires to date anybody she meets at work.  And with the long hours she keeps?  Meeting someone she doesn't work with is an impossibility.  Lucas is handsome, smart, driven, and extremely attractive.  But she's not a girl who is stupidly going to fall in love with her boss.  No way, no how.  She's not the type of girl who would foolishly fall in love with a man who is so closed off emotionally that she doesn't have a prayer.  Except....yeah, that's exactly what she does.  Hey, the heart wants what it wants.

What elevated this book for me is Emma.  I flat-out liked her.  Also I loved that she wasn't this shrinking violet who cowers in the corner when Lucas says something insensitive or tries to scare her off.  She stands toe-to-toe with him.  Heck, there is even a very funny moment when she tries to manipulate him to get out of a work-related obligation.  He doesn't fall for it, of course, but it adds to her charm and as a reader I liked that she wasn't afraid.  Ever.  She also doesn't shy away from making tough decisions.  In short, Emma is an Every Woman.  An Every Woman cast in the role of Cinderella to Lucas' wounded (and emotionally clueless) Beast.

It's really a lovely read, and one that I practically inhaled.  I had hit a rough patch with my category reading of late, and reading A Night Of No Return was liking opening up a window on the first beautiful spring day after a dismal winter.  It was exactly what I needed and now I want more.

Final Grade = B+

Digital Review: The Gin Lovers #6: Hell Hath No Fury

The final installment of Jamie Brenner's The Gin Lovers is subtitled Hell Hath No Fury - and that is very apt.  This is the installment where the women get their revenge and the villain gets what's coming to him.

Her bootlegger lover Jake Larkin may want her to pack her bags and just leave, but Charlotte Delacorte knows that if she truly wants her freedom, she needs to make sure William pays the ultimate price for his secret life.  With the help of her sister-in-law Mae, Charlotte figures the way to rope in William is to use his foolish pride and obsessive-compulsive need for total control against him.  And it's not a half bad plan, except that Jake may inadvertently muck it all up.

I have really, really enjoyed this serial novel.  I have loved the soapy goodness.  I have loved all of the characters and their various naughty shenanigans.  The problem though is that a serialization is only as good as the final installment and this one has major problems.  Namely, it doesn't so much end as it does stop.

Look, I get it.  This is not a romance novel.  I can't expect everything to be all neat and tidy at the end.  But I am the sort of reader who tends to get annoyed when all my questions aren't answered.  When characters that I have followed, and grown to care about (even if it is in a warped and slightly cracked way) are left twisting in the breeze.  Oh sure, the villain is dealt with.  And even to a certain extent Mae rides off into the sunset.  But Jake, Charlotte, and Rafferty?  Hell, even Charlotte's parents?

OH MY LORD WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

It just STOPS!

Excuse me a moment.....

ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I need something.  Another installment.  An epilogue.  Something!  Anything!

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?

Sigh.

So where does this leave us?  Well, it leaves me torn.  As much as I was hooked on the first five installments, this final one really left me disappointed.  I mean, it ends in such a way that I feel like the author isn't done yet.  The story does not feel remotely finished.  And yet?

THIS IS THE FINAL INSTALLMENT!

Excuse me a moment.....

ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I just.....

I need time.

Final Grade = D

Winner!: Giveaway RWA Tote Bag + Historical Romances

Today is the day that I (with the help of Random.org) announce the winners for my latest RWA-themed giveaway.  The two lucky winners are:

AztecLady!

and

Colleen M!

AL and Colleen, you can find my e-mail address here.  Please drop me a note with your shipping address and I'll get your prizes out to you soon.

This was a fun giveaway question and I loved reading everyone's responses.  There will be one more RWA-related giveaway in the near future, and then that will be that.  Stay tuned.