Book Binge

Review: Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr

2010-03-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Casee's review of Angel's Peak (Virgin River, Book 9) by Robyn Carr.

Four years ago, Air Force sweethearts Franci Duncan and Sean Riordan reached an impasse. She wanted marriage and a family. He didn't. But a chance meeting proves that the bitter breakup hasn't cooled their sizzling chemistry.

Sean has settled down in spite of himself—he's not the cocky young fighter pilot he was when Franci left, and he wants them to try again. After all, they have a history…but that's not all they share.

Franci's secret reason for walking away when Sean refused to commit is now three and a half: a redheaded cherub named Rosie who shares her daddy's emerald-green eyes. Sean is stunned—and furious with Franci for the deception.

News travels fast in Virgin River, and soon the whole town is taking sides. Rebuilding their trust could take a small miracle—and the kind of love that can move mountains.

Oh, why, Robyn Carr? Why?

This book was going along pretty well. I didn't really like Sean b/c he's a total douche, but other than that I was into the story. Then comes a scene where Franci and Sean's moms are talking. About sex, baby. So I'm imagining these two 60 year old women sitting in a living room talking about Viagra and menopause and how it's hell on the 'ol body. That in itself wouldn't have been too bad. It was when I read this that the ick factor came in.

For we ladies, the symptoms of menopause hound our sex lives--we get so dry.

You're going to go there? Seriously? I know that Virgin River is supposed to be about real people with real problems, but the scene just reeked of medical text re: menopause. I want to know about characters going through menopause about as much as how Sean and Franci have sex during her time of the month. Never.

While reading the last few books in the series, it's been in the back of my mind that every single character that comes through Virgin River has to have their HEA. Life just doesn't work that way. I'm happy that Cheryl (the town drunk) got sober. I'm happy that Shelby got pregnant. Yay for meddling moms. But life isn't a fairytale and it's not realistic to think that everyone will be happy.

Sean and Franci were together for two years before Franci told Sean she wanted marriage and children. In return, Sean gave Franci an ultimatum, never thinking that she would actually leave. She took it to heart and took off. Now, four years later, Sean is shocked when he sees Franci in a restaurant he happens to be in. Sean now thinks of Franci as the one who got away. He thinks it must be a sign that they should get back together.

Franci isn't as happy to see Sean as he is to see her. When she left him, Franci was pregnant. After hearing his view not only on marriage, but on children she knows that she can't tell him. Franci always intended to tell Sean, but she kept putting it off. Now she is backed into a corner. She knows it's time to tell him.

To say that Sean is shocked to learn of Rosie's existence is an understatement. His reaction is what I imagine any man's reaction would be. Denial followed by anger followed by acceptance. I didn't like Sean up to this point. When he meets Rosie, I warmed up a little. Until this (and this was the FIRST day he met Rosie):

Just thinking about that other Franci got him a little riled, and he thought it was completely reasonable that since he'd played good daddy all day, he might score tonight.

Played good daddy? Might score tonight?

It was with some surprise that at the end of the book, I actually ended up liking Sean. Not only that, but he turned out to be a great hero. In the end, he put the needs of Rosie and Franci first. Not for anything in return, but b/c that's what a parent/partner does.

I've accepted the fact that to me, the first three books in this series will always be my favorite.

3.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

Review: In for a Penny by Rose Lerner

2010-03-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Holly's review of In for a Penny by Rose Lerner

IN FOR A PENNY
No more drinking. No more gambling. And definitely no more mistress. Now that he's inherited a mountain of debts and responsibility, Lord Nevinstoke has no choice but to start acting respectable. Especially if he wants to find a wife--better yet, a rich wife. Penelope Brown, a manufacturing heiress, seems the perfect choice. She's pretty, rational, ladylike, and looking for a marriage based on companionship and mutual esteem.
IN FOR A POUND
But when they actually get to Nev's family estate, all the respectability and reason in the world won't be enough to deal with tenants on the edge of revolt, a menacing neighbor, and Nev's family's propensity for scandal. Overwhelmed but determined to set things right, Nev and Penelope have no one to turn to but each other. And to their surprise, that just might be enough.

Lord Nevinstoke has spent the last few years living the life of a ne'er-do-well, drinking and carousing with his friends and mistress. He really doesn't think past the end of the night. It's all about what he wants, when he wants it. He meets Miss Penelope Brown at a ball and is taken with her, so he introduces himself and spends some time with her. Then he has to rush out unexpectedly to avoid a lecture from his mother. Several weeks later he spies her again at Vauxhall Gardens and is similarly taken, though he doesn't speak to her. That evening he finds out his father has been killed and the next day learns they're ruined. His father left him with a mountain of debt and no way to see clear of it. Then Nev remembers Penelope. She could be the answer to his prayers.

Penelope is shocked and slightly appalled when Nev shows up on her doorstep and begs for her hand in marriage. He's upfront with her, telling her he needs her money, but also says he believes they'll be well suited. She's always wanted a relationship based on respect and companionship, but two short meetings hardly seem enough to determine if she'd find that with Nev. And yet she can't seem to turn him down. Despite the misgivings she has, she agrees to the marriage.

But once they're settled in Nev's country estate, she realizes marrying a fortune hunter is the least of her problems. Their tenants are about to revolt, her in-laws are insufferable, they have a sinister neighbor who seems mildly obsessed with Nev's sister and if that isn't enough, things from both their pasts keep popping up, adding to the drama. At one point Penelope says, "Oh, Nev. What a Gothic novel our life has become!" and indeed, that's exactly what it seemed - something straight out of a Gothic novel.

As a debut Regency novel, In for a Penny really hits the mark. Despite all the crazy things that keep happening to Penelope and Nev, it was never too much. I was drawn into the story from page one. I think one of the best things about it is the marriage proposal and acceptance. There was no secrecy between them, or Machiavellian schemes on either side. Nev told Penelope upfront that he needed her money. He didn't try to woo her and pretend to be in love with her, nor did Penelope fancy his proposal as anything but it was - a business arrangement. They were both very pragmatic about it, which I found very refreshing.

Once they've married, they try to find solid footing with each other. Nev feels like Penelope settled for him and isn't sure how to prove he cares for more than her money. Penelope wants to believe Nev when he claims to care for her, but she isn't quite sure he's telling the truth.

Much of the novel shows Penelope and Nev getting to know one another. There are some lovely scenes where you can see they are in perfect accord, but there are others where they hurt one another without even realizing it. The relationship seemed very real to me.

The descriptions of the time period seemed right on. Unlike so many other Regency novels, this one really dealt with the grit of day-to-day life for a Lord and Lady. They had to deal with tenants and money troubles and difficult friends and family members. I found it to be very refreshing.

There were times when I became frustrated with both main characters because of their lack of communication, but since I understood where both of them were coming from I was never bothered for long. Something I had a harder time letting go was the way Nev's mom acted. She was very much a stereotypical Regency-era mama. The way she treated her daughter and Penelope annoyed me to no end. I really wish in the end Nev had made it clear that wouldn't be acceptable.

Overall this was a lovely Regency novel with beautifully drawn characters in richly painted setting.

4.25 out of 5

This book is available from Leisure Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Rose Lerner is guest blogging with us today. Be sure to stop by and say hello for a chance to win a signed copy of In for a Penny.

Guest Author: Rose Lerner

2010-03-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thrilled to announce regency author Rose Lerner is with us to celebrate her debut release, In For A Penny. Please join us welcoming her.

The hero and heroine of my book In for a Penny love Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory's 1485 book collecting together various pieces of Arthurian poems and legend.

Le Morte d'Arthur is the major source for most of our modern retellings of the Arthurian legends, but at one point it was out of print for almost two hundred years. The Arthur legends weren't all that popular in Britain until the Romantic craze for all things medieval brought them back into fashion (and made Arthur a popular name for English boys again). Just a few years before my story starts, in 1816, the book was reprinted for the first time since 1634.

I fell in love with Arthurian legend in middle school and read about a dozen retellings, from Idylls of the King to The Mists of Avalon. But Malory always seemed long and dense to me, so I didn't read it until a few years ago when I decided it would play a small part in In for a Penny. What immediately struck me about it was the complete lack of judgment in the storytelling. Malory simply relates "facts" without feeling the need to comment on them.

This was especially striking with the women. In this excerpt, the Damosel of the Lake has just done a spell to get the guy she had her eye on to stop being in love with another woman:

'Sir Knight Pelleas,' said the Damosel of the Lake, 'take your horse and come forth with me out of this country, and ye shall love a lady that shall love you.' 'I will well,' said Sir Pelleas, 'for this Lady Ettard hath done me great despite and shame,' and there he told her the beginning and ending, and how he had purposed never to have arisen till that he had been dead. 'And now such grace God hath sent me, that I hate her as much as ever I loved her, thanked be our Lord Jesus!' 'Thank me,' said the Damosel of the Lake.

And that's that! There's a strong strain of what I'll call "judginess" (it's a technical term!) in British literature. As far as I can tell, it got more pronounced throughout the eighteenth century and reached its peak in the Victorian era (*cough*Dickens*cough*), and has been relaxing only gradually since the turn of the twentieth century. Virginia Woolf described it best when she said about Dostoevsky, "There is none of that precise division between good and bad to which we are used." The British reader is really, really used to a precise division between good and bad. You always know exactly which characters you're supposed to approve of and exactly how much. Large portions of most major novels are devoted to explaining that, in detail. And the rules are very strict, especially for female characters.

That kind of story makes me uncomfortable. I don't mind a book having villains, obviously--In for a Penny has several. But I don't like stories where I feel like the author is punishing characters for being the wrong kind of person, or rewarding them for being the right kind. I don't like stories that feel punitive. I've never felt particularly good or triumphant about seeing mean people get their comeuppance. When I read the Grimm version of the Cinderella legend and discovered that the stepsisters had to cut off their toes and then have their eyes pecked out by birds, I was horrified.

t's not because I'm just a generous, empathetic person or anything. It's because I always had a sneaking suspicion I was the wrong kind of person, that I was a wicked stepsister and not a Cinderella. Punishment being meted out made me feel uneasy and unsafe. The standards for being a Cinderella are pretty high, and girls who are angry or lazy, or even who just want things for themselves and not for other people or aren't pretty enough or talk too loudly, don't qualify.

When I was a kid and reading tons of classic English novels, I loved the books but I was pretty sure they didn't love me back. They made me happy, but they also made me feel guilty and angry and sad. And that was me, growing up in late twentieth-century America with a feminist mom. To my nouveau riche, Jane-Austen-fan heroine, used to constantly policing her own behavior for sense and ladylikeness and modesty, I can't begin to imagine how intensely refreshing Malory would have seemed.

Do you like stories where evil is punished? Did you ever read a story where you felt sorry for the villain? Tell me about it in the comments! I'll be giving away a signed copy of In for a Penny to one commenter, chosen at random. Thanks for having me!

_________________

Thanks Rose! What an interesting question. I guess I hadn't thought about it like that before. I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say.

You heard the lady. Leave a comment answering her questions above and you'll be entered to win a signed copy of In For A Penny.

Rose is holding another contest at her website. She's giving away another signed copy of In For A Penny, plus one package of 10 of her favorite Regency books (there are some awesome books on her list, too)! Click here for details.

In For A Penny is available from Leisure Books. You can buy it here.

Excerpt: In for a Penny by Rose Lerner

2010-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Later today Rose Lerner will be joining us in celebration of her debut release, In for a Penny. In the meantime, Rose has given us an excerpt to ~~tease you~~ share with you.

_______________

Nev and Penelope were eating breakfast. At least, it had started out
that way. Somewhere along the line, it had shifted into Nev watching
Penelope eat breakfast. She ate a good deal, but very neatly. She cut
everything up into ladylike bites, chewed slowly, and washed it all
down with ladylike sips of tea. It was refined, sensible, and a little
too careful, like everything about her. Just now she was spreading a
thin layer of jam on her toast, with an adorable frown of
concentration.

“Are you going to cut your toast into tiny pieces too?” he teased.

She flushed. “Of course not. Whoever heard of cutting up toast?”

“I just wondered.”

She looked away. “When my parents sent me to finishing school, the
girls made fun of me for how I ate. I suppose I overcompensated.”

Nev felt guilty suddenly, and angry. “Wretched cats. You ought to have
eaten with your elbows on the table and your fingers in the food. That
would have shown them.”

“Perhaps, but it wouldn’t have been very attractive.”

“Who cares?”

“I rather think you would. You’ll have to sit across the breakfast
table from me for the rest of your life.”

A life sentence. Penelope only, always, forever. Nev thought of all
the times he had eaten breakfast with Amy. They would rise late and
make their way to the breakfast room, and Amy’s cook would make them
buttered eggs and crumpets. Amy hadn’t had good table manners—she ate
quickly and used her fingers sometimes. But Nev had never minded; it
just meant he could eat as messily as he wanted too. They would always
laugh and talk and read each other things from the morning paper, and
sometimes he would feed her strawberries. Of course, he and Amy would
have just risen from a night of lovemaking. He and Penelope hadn’t
even kissed since his proposal.

Penelope began to take a bite of her toast, then pushed it away, with
a blush and a little laugh. “I can’t eat it now, you’ve made me
embarrassed!”

Nev wondered if he would ever know the right thing to say again.

“I suppose I’ll have more tea.” She poured herself a cup and reached
for the jar of honey. But as she opened it, she glanced up at Nev. She
fumbled with the spoon, and honey flew all over her fingers.

Nev stared at the sticky molten gold sliding down his wife’s
ink-stained fingers.

Penelope saw his fixed look and misinterpreted it. “Don’t look at me
like that! I know I’m hopeless!”

“That’s not it,” Nev said with utmost sincerity. “That…looks like it
tastes good.”

“Well, it’s wasted now. Unless you want to lick it off?” She spoke
sarcastically, as if she were proposing an obviously implausible
alternative.

“Of course I want to lick it off. But I said I wouldn’t touch you till
we knew each other better, and—”

Penelope looked at him in perplexity, then laughed. “A few weeks of
celibacy, and this is what men descend to!”

“It’s not that,” Nev told her with sudden conviction. “It’s you.
You’re driving me mad. Just watching you eat breakfast is enough to
make me want to—”

“Really?” A mischievous light came into Penelope’s eyes, and she
raised her honey-spattered fingers to her mouth. She sucked lightly on
her index finger, then withdrew it, letting her mouth drag open. Then
she licked a drop of honey off her lip.

She was teasing him, he realized—to her, this was only a game. She
felt nothing.

Nev’s eyes narrowed. He was fairly sure he could do something about that.

__________________

Isn't that wonderful? Be sure to stick around for a chance to win a signed copy!

If you're impatient and want an extra chance to win, Rose is holding another contest at her site for a signed copy, plus the chance to win a bundle of 10 regency romances! Check it out here.

Giveaway: Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis

2010-03-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

Last week, while on vacation, I was able to meet one of our favorite authors for coffee (or in her case, hot chocolate). That's right, I met Jill Shalvis for coffee last week (though if I'm being honest it feels like it's been a lot longer..my husband and I were on a LONG road trip).

She is everything you've ever imagined her to be; sweet, funny and adorable. We gossiped about boys, small town life and books we love. I had a wonderful time with her.

(I kind of feel like my face is really shiny in this picture...)

That's Jill on the left and me on the right. See? I told you, she's adorable.

To Harley, the landscape around Wishful, California, is exhilarating, untamed, and more than a little dangerous. The same could be said for T.J. Wilder, who's invited himself along on her trek to study a rare coyote. Harley's career is riding on this trip, and she doesn't need a stubborn, incredibly sexy distraction. But T.J. is a professional guide who knows when to stay back and when to provide invaluable expertise - just like he's done since they were in high school. And Harley, as usual, is torn between throttling him and giving in to the raw attraction that's been smoldering all these years. T.J. knows how proud and capable Harley is, but he's damned sure not letting her put herself at risk when there are illegal hunters in the area. She needs him, with the same soul-stirring urgency that he's always craved her. And here, in this beautiful place days from civilization, he'll finally have a chance to prove it - over and over again...

Being the wonderful author she is, Jill gave me a copy of Instant Temptation while I was there. Instant Temptation is book 3 in her Wilder Adventures series, T.J.'s book. The book isn't set to be released until March 30, but since I have a copy here and I'm feeling generous ~~as long as you don't make fun of my shiny face~~, I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Leave a comment on this post telling me why you're looking forward to reading Instant Temptation before 11:59 p.m. tonight, March 11, 2010 and you'll be entered to win. I'll draw a winner Friday and mail the book out over the weekend so chances are the winner will receive the book well before the release date.

Good luck!

Also, be sure to stick around because later today historical romance author Rose Lerner will be guest blogging and giving away a signed copy of her debut release, In for a Penny.

Excerpt: Most Eagerly Yours by Allison Chase

2010-03-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't read Most Eagerly Yours yet, but I'm really looking forward to doing so. Especially after Rowena's review and this awesome excerpt. Check it out...

_______________
Setup for excerpt: Aidan and Laurel have given into temptation and made love outdoors, on the grounds of a ruinous abbey in the Cotswolds. But despite their powerful attraction, they grapple with the reality that their lives are pulling them in opposite directions… Before they part, Aidan has a request…

His soft laughter infuriated her. How dare he find humor when all she wanted to do was bury her face in the nearest pillow and sob until her chest and throat and eyes ached more than her breaking heart?

It wasn’t his fault. He was correct in ending what should never have begun . . . but he seemed intent on making it as difficult and as painful as possible.

Especially now, as he took her in his arms and pressed her cheek to his chest, and the tears she hadn’t known were falling began to soak his shirtfront.

“I’m sorry,” she said between sobs. “I am not usually like this.”

“It’s been a long day. But before it ends, I have a request.”

She lifted her face and swiped her hands across her cheeks. “Yes?”

“A dance.”

“What? Here?”

“What more perfect place? You and I have danced beneath the stars before, Laurel. Don’t you hear the music now?”

“Don’t be silly. I hear only the breeze.” She paused to listen. “And the stream and crickets and a creaking branch . . .”

“Yes, and there is music in all of it.” His hand a warm and steady guide at her waist, he moved her away from the carriage and twirled her. Over the grassy terrain he swept her backward, forward, to the side, and back. At first she stumbled along, but by some miracle they fell into the graceful pattern of a three-count rhythm. He held her close and softly murmured the beats into her hair.

“Listen closely,” he whispered. “The strings, pianoforte, now the woodwinds. Let yourself hear it, feel it. Let it flow through you. . . .”

Suddenly the sensuous notes of a waltz drifted through her mind, enveloping her in sound, sensation, a thrilling sense that the world was hers—theirs—to command and shape. She felt alive, exhilarated . . . invincible.

“You hear it, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Now look up.”

As he whirled her in dizzying, glorious circles, she obeyed, lifting her face to the twinkling constellations and waiting for the next miracle.

“The stars, Laurel. They’re dancing. The bear, the wolf, the hunter. The virgin. Do you see them?”

Oh, they were, whirling and whirling in time to the music, to a beautiful waltz that only she and Aidan and the stars could hear.

And then the whirling stopped and all went still, the music coalescing into one long, beautiful, lingering note as Aidan bent his face over hers. At first she thought he would kiss her, but he only smiled into her eyes with longing and sadness and steely-edged resolve.

Her heart overflowed with all the love they would never share. “Why did you do that?”

“So that years from now it will be what you remember of this day. Not the disappointments or the heartache or my wretched failings, but the glory of commanding the earth to sing and the sky to dance. For you, Laurel. All for you.”

And she realized that though he might not be offering her a happily-ever-after, he had already given her more than she had ever imagined.

__________________

Allison is giving away a copy! Go check out her awesome guest post on strong heroines to find out how you can win.

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Please Welcome Allison Chase to Book Binge!

2010-03-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

It is our pleasure to have Allison Chase, author of the newly released, Most Eagerly Yours join us for awesome book goodness today on Book Binge.

Most Eagerly Yours is the first book in Chase's new series, Her Majesty's Secret Servants and it is a series that is definitely on our radar here at Book Binge.

We look forward to keeping up with this brand spankin' new series and would like to welcome Allison Chase to Book Binge. She's here to speak about our heroes.

Check it out:

Three Queens and a Healthy Dose of Girl Power!

The “kick butt” heroine: she’s a popular addition to romance and she’s here to stay – and thank heavens for that! No modern woman wants to read about wimpy heroines who cry in the face of danger and wait for the hero to save their fragile hides. But what does kick butt mean? Lara Croft comes to mind, right? And Buffy – one of my favorites!

But let’s face it, the whole Lara Croft concept is pretty new, and you won’t find many examples of her in history. Sure, we had Boudicca and Joan of Arc, but they were the exceptions. Still, women throughout history did find ways of flexing their metaphoric muscles, especially when that muscle involved more brain than brawn.

Two of the longest-reigning and most notable English monarchs were both women. I’m talking Elizabeth I and Victoria, of course, although you could also add Eleanor of Aquitaine to the list of history’s most formidable females because while she never reigned in her own right, she was certainly not a gal who sat quietly embroidering in her bower.

Contrary to tradition AND the emphatic wishes of everyone around them, each of these intrepid ladies had a firm hand in the politics of the day, True, they were queens, but they were also women, and everyone pretty much expected them to come trotting out for official ceremonies but otherwise leave the governing to the men. There were always people trying to control them, but in the end each one had the chutzpah to assert her independence and, well, do as she bloody well pleased.

Cunning Eleanor often had her husband, Henry II, over a barrel; Elizabeth refused to marry at all, preferring to keep her royal powers to herself, thank you; and Victoria, who initially would have liked to remain single, ended up marrying, not for political advantage but for love. That not seem particularly radical to us, but for a woman of her time and position, it was an act that required a digging in of her royal heels. As a foreigner and a German at that, not to mention an impoverished one, Albert wasn’t the most popular choice for England’s new queen. But Victoria wanted him, and Victoria made sure she got him.

Odd, but while hundreds of years separated them, these three queens did all share something in common: imprisonment of one form or another. When Eleanor went too far in instigating her sons to rebel against their father, she ended up in “comfortable confinement” for the next 16 years – until Henry died. Elizabeth spent time in the dreaded Tower of London after being implicated in Wyatt’s Rebellion against her sister, Mary. And Victoria, never officially imprisoned, nonetheless spent her childhood & teen years isolated and restricted by her mother’s stringent rules. She had no friends, no privacy and no freedom whatsoever.

Did they cower? Back down? Decide it was easier to behave? No way! They bided their time and then came out swinging – metaphorically, of course. And that’s because each one of them had enough confidence to recognize her own capabilities – and how to make darn good use of them. In other words, they used their Girl Power to gather their courage, stand up to their adversaries and claim their rights. Yea!

In my Victorian Series, Her Majesty’s Secret Servants the four Sutherland sisters are pretty typical, country-bred gentlewomen – at least on the surface. They also grew up restricted and isolated on their uncle’s estate after the mysterious deaths of their parents. Now that they are adults, they discover hints that their own lives may be in jeopardy, and that their uncle had been trying to protect them. But having finally tasted independence, the Sutherlands aren’t about to cower or hide.

When their childhood friend-turned Queen of England comes calling with predicaments of a delicate nature, these ladies must step up to the plate and become Victoria’s “super heroes”… her Secret Servants. It means setting aside propriety and safety, and drawing on their considerable stores of ingenuity and sheer pluck, even if it means risking their lives, hearts and occasionally their virtue in the service of their beloved young monarch.

In the first book, MOST EAGERLY YOURS…Laurel, the eldest, is the first to be called. The Queen is threatened by her jealous cousin, George Fitzclarence, who is known for speaking treason. She asks Laurel to pose as a wealthy widow and use her charms to win George’s trust, then find out what he is really plotting. Laurel is prepared for the risks of acting a part, but she encounters an unexpected and formidable obstacle in the Earl of Barenforth--George’s friend and a notorious rake, whom Victoria has warned her to avoid...

An undercover agent for the Home Office, Aidan Phillips, Earl of Barensforth, is on the trail of a financial hoax involving alchemy, murder...and George Fitzclarence. When a lovely young widow wanders into his path and turns his well-laid plans on end, he senses she is hiding something. Aidan is no stranger to seduction, or to the wiles of beautiful women. And he intends employing wiles of his own to uncover the lady’s secrets...

To celebrate the release of MOST EAGERLY YOURS, I’ll be giving away a copy to a random commenter today. We all like to pick out heroes to admire and emulate. The above-mentioned ladies are three of mine. But a hero (or heroine) can be a sports figure, a philanthropist, or even a family member – the only real definition in my opinion is someone who inspires us. Who do you look up to, and why?

Thanks again to Allison for stopping by and gracing us with your presence here on Book Binge. Now, you've heard the lady, if you want a chance to win your very own copy of MOST EAGERLY YOURS then leave a comment on this here post and Allison will choose a winner on Friday 3/12/10. The contest will run until 11:59pm tomorrow night.

Good luck and thanks again Allison Chase, it was lovely having you on Book Binge! If you lovely readers have any questions you'd want to ask Allison, she'll be popping in and out all day to answer any questions thrown her way.

Thanks!

Review: Most Eagerly Yours by Allison Chase.

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Rowena's review of Most Eagerly Yours (Her Majesty's Secret Servants Series, Book 1) by Allison Chase.

Hero: Aidan Phillips
Heroine: Laurel Sutherland

Raised on their uncle's country estate, the four orphaned Sutherland sisters formed a close friendship with the young Princess Victoria. Shortly before her coronation as queen, Victoria asks the sisters to serves her in matters requiring the utmost discretion.

They are to become her secret servants. The first to serve is Laurel- who poses as a widow to uncover a traitor, and discovers instead an irresistible rogue conducting his own undercover investigation.

It took me a while to get into this book at first but I think that had more to do with me being distracted by another book that I was reading because when I finally gave this book my full attention, I couldn't put it down. This is the first book in Allison Chase's new series, Her Majesty's Secret Servants and I must say that I enjoyed the book quite a bit. There was plenty in the story to keep readers interested and I for one ate it all up. The mystery, the characters and the romance all made for one enjoyable story that leaves you wanting more....in the way of more books for the other sisters.

This story is about four sisters who are orphaned and childhood friends of the newly crowned Queen of England, Victoria. As soon as Victoria is crowned Queen, she can no longer keep the same friends that she had before and though it saddens her, her friendship is kept strong by the conviction within the sisters. They all loved Victoria and had remained faithful to her in every regard. I adored the sisters and only wish that they all had more page time. This book was the oldest of the bunches book, Laurel.

Victoria needs to find out if her cousin, George is committing treason and she needs someone to get close to him and find out what he's doing and she sends her secret friend and secret servant, Laurel in to find out for her and it is while Laurel is trying to find out George's plans and what he's up to that we get her story of the man that she can't get out of her mind, Aidan. Aidan and Laurel met for the first time when he came into the town in which she lives and saves her from being trampled to death by a crushing crowd. He risks the wrath of the policemen that day to save Laurel and with a swift kiss that stays with Laurel, he takes off before the police could get to him.

Laurel remembers that day and keeps the memory alive by daydreaming about Aidan for months afterward. She never thinks to see him again so she's surprised to find him again once she's settled in Bath, trying to uncover the plans of the Queen's cousin. She's on a mission and she can't keep to her mission because she keeps getting sidetracked by the handsome and very dashing, Aidan Phillips.

Aidan on the other hand is hired by the Home Office to keep an eye on George, to make sure that he keeps his nose clean of treason and though he doesn't know exactly what George is up to, he's suspicious and hopeful that it isn't going to land him in any hot water.

Over time, Laurel and Aidan band together to try to piece together different mysteries. One is the mystery behind an elixir that is being pushed on the rich people of England and the other is the mystery surrounding the death of Laurel's parents. It was intriguing to see so many different story lines unfold over the course of this book. What I liked about this book is the way that Aidan and Laurel fell slowly in love. It may have seemed fast and rash but I didn't ever feel that their romance was rushed. I enjoyed watching Aidan go from being mildly infatuated and lustful toward Laurel and then seeing him make that final leap toward love for her. He was a fantastic hero, one that I enjoyed getting to know over the course of this book.

Laurel was a great heroine as well. She wasn't perfect and there were times when I wanted to wack her a good one but her heart was always in the right place and I was never thoroughly exasperated by her. She was a good sister to her sisters and she was a great friend to the Queen. She had a way about being around people that made it perfectly clear why people were drawn toward her. You wanted to be her friend because she was so nice.

The romance between Aidan and Laurel was sweet and while Aidan wasn't the perfect hero because of some of the things he did, I still enjoyed this book. It was a nice way to spend a few hours and I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical romances. This book has a mystery that will keep you guessing until the last moment and a romance that is just sweet enough and just cute enough to keep you reading. I enjoyed this book and can't wait for Ivy's book. Woo hoo!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Author Spotlight Review: Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2010-03-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Holly's review of Shadow of the Moon (A Dark Hunter short story) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (a novella found in the Dead After Dark anthology)

"Shadow of the Moon"

Angelia has fought her entire life to make herself strong. Now, with her patria under fire, she has to protect her people from Fury and his werewolf clan. Vowing to bring him to justice, Angelia sets out alone…until the hunter becomes the hunted, and the only way for her to survive is to trust the very wolf she's sworn to kill.

After re-reading Night Play the other day, I was curious to know who Fury's heroine was and how his story played out. I'm sorry to report this was one of the worst novellas I've ever read.

Angelia, Fury's heroine, is a small minded, judgmental bitch. She treated Fury abominably and refused to accept the responsibility for her actions. She was his best friend as they were growing up, yet as soon as she realized Fury was Katagaria (his base form is wolf) instead of Arcadia (human base form) she stabbed him and left him for dead.

Now, 400 years later, she and her cohorts have a weapon that will keep weres from changing forms and make their magic useless. They kidnap Fury to find out what he knows about it, and begin torturing him when he won't tell them. This goes on for hours. Angelia doesn't actually participate in the torture, but she sees and hears it. After they brand him, she finally steps in and takes Fury away.

Not my idea of a good heroine.

As the story progresses and she's faced with the decisions she's made, she continues to make excuses for her behavior. She was traumatized by wolves attacking and killing her family when she was just a toddler, so that's her excuse for stabbing Fury. It wasn't HIM he was stabbing, just the dirty animal she hates. She didn't actually pull the trigger and kill the lion, so of course it wasn't her fault. She didn't actually torture Fury, so of course he shouldn't be mad at her.

She constantly refers to Fury as a "dirty animal" and feels "disgusted" by him, even though he continually protects her and saves her life. Even when she finally decides to sleep with him it's grudgingly. She thinks, "Part of her couldn't believe she was touching a wolf."

As they're having sex she realizes she loves him and always has, but he's an animal. Then they become mated, which means Fate has decided they should be together, so who is she to argue?

Now this all would have been fine and well if she'd realized in the end how wrong her actions were and suffered some kind of consequences for them. But she doesn't. Fury turns himself in as the one who shot the lion, and Dare steps up and says he was the one who did it. No one even knows she ruined the life of another were, rendering him unable to even communicate with his mate or care for his children. SHE SHOWS NO REMORSE. WTF?!

In the end they go home and she tells Fury she loves him and wants to mate with him and..The end.

Fury was his same adorable self throughout the book, but the fact that he was paired with someone who betrayed him so badly really makes me angry. Fury had never known love or acceptance. I find it really hard to believe he's going to get it from this backstabbing, self-righteous bitch.

1 out of 5

This book is available from St. Martin's Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Monthly Reads: February

2010-03-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Casee:

I expected February month to be a huge reading month for me. Going on vacation for two weeks setup me up for ideal reading time. In actuality, I didn't even finish one book. It was really unexpected. The number of books I read in February was a dismal eight. Including re-reads, it's probably ten. Even with the low number, the quality was high. My favorite books were both Joss Ware's and Kresley Cole's Pleasure of a Dark Prince.

Beyond the Night by Joss Ware (4.75/5)
Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag (4/5)
Mightkeepers by Jessica Andersen (DNF-though I am going to give it another shot)
Embrace the Night Eternal by Joss Ware (4.25/5)
Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh (4/5)
No Chance by Christy Reece (4/5)
Naked Edge by Pamela Clare (3.75/5)
Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole (4.5/5)

Holly:

Last February (2009) I read 27 books. This year I read 14. I was going to complain about how awful that is, but I'm working on a guilt free system, so eh. 14 isn't too bad, right?

The Highlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning (re-read) 4.5/5
First Comes Love by Christie Ridgway 4.25/5
The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries 4/5
Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe 4.25/5
Moon Awakening by Lucy Monroe 4/5
On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards 4/5
Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read) 4/5
Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb 3.75/5
Taming the Highland Bride by Lynsay Sands 3.5/5
Seducing the Heiress by Olivia Drake 3.75/5
Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read) 4/5
Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon 1/5
Diamond Bay by Linda Howard (re-read) 4.25/5
Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard (re-read) 4.25/5

My favorite reads this month were Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe and First Comes Love by Christie Ridgway with honorable mentions to On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards and The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries. My least favorite read was absolutely Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Awful, awful story.

Rowena:

I didn't read as many books as I thought I was going to read because when the month started I was pretty excited but that's okay, I'm hopeful for March even though so far...not doing so good. Here's my list from last month:

Drive Time by Hank Phillipi Ryan (DNF)
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (4.25 out of 5)
Penguin Luck by Kay Mupetson (2.5 out of 5)
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (4.75 out of 5)
Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon (3.75 out of 5)
Magnolia Wednesday by Wendy Wax (DNF)
Something Like You by Sarah Dessen (3.75 out of 5)
Rich Again by Anna Maxted (DNF)
The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor (3.75 out of 5)
The Taking by Erin McCarthy (4.25 out of 5)

My favorite read of the month was 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. I'm going to give away 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher because I think everyone should read this book and then give it to their kids and have them read it too but only if your kids are 14 and older. Such a good book.

This month we're going to giveaway:

On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards
Beyond the Night by Joss Ware
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

If you want to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite - and least favorite - reads of the month were. Also, be sure to tell us what book you're interested in reading. You can put your name in for more than one book, but you'll only be allowed to win one, so choose wisely.

So...what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite?

Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince (with spoilers) by Kresley Cole

2010-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Casee's review of Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark, Book 9) by Kresley Cole.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY...
Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her — and those she loves.
AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED...
Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.
THAT LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED....
From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness — her wanton desire for him.

FINALLY.

I love Kresley Cole’s books (only a few exceptions) and her IAD series is one of my favorites. The only thing I didn’t like about the series was that the timeline in all the books in concurrent. So basically you’re reading about the same time period, but with different characters. Since the first book, it’s all about the coming Accession. All of Lore knows that this one will be a big one. In this book, the overall storyline finally moves forward as the Ascension gets closer. That was almost as exciting as finally getting Lucia and Garreth's book.

When the book starts, Garreth still thinks that Lachlain is dead. Soon after he sees Lucia, he realizes that she is his mate. What he has been hoping will happen for centuries is now within his grasp. The only problem is that Lucia is a Valkyrie. Valkyrie's and Lykae's don't exactly mix. Still, The Instinct is strong in Garreth and hopes to claim Lucia as his mate on the very day he meets her.

Lucia was only sixteen years old when she made a vow to Skathi, Huntress of the Great North. In exchange for being pure in mind and body, she would receive incomparable skill with the bow and arrow. It would also be her duty to make sure Crom Cruach--the demon that tricked her into giving up everything--didn't rise up at the Accession. Lucia's life is going along just fine when she meets Garreth. She's never claimed not to be a woman and Garreth brings out everything womanly in her. Which is rather unfortunate.

When Lucia leaves New Orleans, Garreth follows thinking that he would return with her in no less than two weeks. In fact, more than a year goes by before Garreth even gets a chance to prove to Lucia that he would be a good mate to her. He doesn't know anything about her past and he doesn't understand why it's so important to her that she have her skill with her bow and arrow. He can take care of Lucia, so why is she fighting it?

This book really illustrates the talent that Kresley Cole has. Late in the book, Garreth thinks that Lucia is dead by his hand and turns fully Lykae. In that form, there is no human thinking involved. Only an animal that is crazed and will kill anything that it deems a threat. There are few authors that can move me to tears. Kresley Cole is one of them.

Beyond the moving ahead with the arc of the series, Lucia and Garreth are what made this book great. They are two beings that have been alive for centuries. They each have their own way of doing things and compromising is extremely hard for both for them. Neither thought that they would find the love they did. At the end, both of them have to fight hard for what they've both waited so long for.

4.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Pocket. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

Author Spotlight Review: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2010-03-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Rowena's review of Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Hero: Julian of Macedonia
Heroine: Grace Alexander

Dear Reader,
Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day.
As a love-slave, I know everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all, how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She alone bothered to take me out of the bedroom and onto the world. She taught me to love again.
But I was not born to love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace--the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two-thousand-year-old curse?
Julian of Macedon

This book is a nacho kind of book. Full of cheese and yet you crave these kinds of books from time to time. When I was trying to figure out what books I was going to read for the Author Spotlight, I wanted to take the Kinley MacGregor route but ended up picking this book up instead. It's been years since I read this book and I had forgotten all of the little reasons why I enjoyed this book but reading it again, I could see why.

It's one of those escape reality, leave all the realness of the world behind you and just read kind of books. I mean, look at the blurb...an older than dirt man cursed and stuck in a book, only able to come out to pleasure women who summon him. He's a demi-god and he's stuck forever in a book because he's a love slave. Are you kidding me?

As cheesy as this book was, SK made it work for me. I enjoyed reading this book but it made me giggle at how obsessed I used to be over this series. I used to be utterly obsessed, stalking the SK website for updates on the books and this is the book that started all of that madness for me. Julian was a too good to be true heroes which SK is popular for. Her heroes are those troubled heroes that you want to hold close to your heart and never let go.

Grace was one of the more memorable heroines from this series. To be honest, a lot of the heroines from this series I don't remember now outside of their names. But I remembered Grace and seeing her try to help Julian out and introduce him to the modern day world was a treat that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. She was a stand up heroine and when Julian makes her ex boyfriend look like the tool that he was, I rejoiced and I loved Julian all the more.

Being introduced to characters that will show up later in the books was a treat that I enjoyed. This book is kind of fluffy and even though Julian isn't a Dark Hunter, I liked this book. Would I recommend this book? Yep, I don't think it's a must read first for the Dark Hunter series but it would be good to read this book first because Julian shows up in future books and well, he's a hottie so duh!

Grade: 3.75 out of 5

This book is available from St. Martin's Press. You can buy it here.

Some DNF's From Last Month.

2010-03-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you run across some books that you thought you'd like to read and then you open them up and you're just not into them. There comes a time in a reader's life when you just have to put the book down. Sometimes it's because the book just isn't working for you and sometimes its because the book is really bad.

For me, it was a few books that I was excited about reading but once I picked them up, I found that I just couldn't do it. So I gave up.

Here's my list of DNF's, check it out:

Magnolia Wednesday by Wendy Wax.

At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray's life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says 'yes' to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito.

Down South, it's her sister's ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life-and where unexpected friendships develop. As she digs up her long buried roots, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is really so bad after all.

I don't know what it was about this book but it just didn't grab me the way that The Accidental Bestseller did. I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the mood for it or what my problem was. I just wasn't in the mood to follow Viv along as she made her way back home to try to snoop for a story using her sister as a cover up. I gave up around the 180 page mark and just haven't been able to pick it back up. Don't you just hate that?

Drive Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Investigative reporter Charlotte McNally is an expert at keeping things confidential, but suddenly everyone has a secret—and it turns out it is possible to know too much.
Her latest scoop—an exposé of a dangerous car scam, complete with stakeouts, high-speed chases and hidden-camera footage—is ratings gold. But soon that leads her to a brand-new and diabolical scheme. Charlie's personal and professional lives are on a collision course, too. Her fiancé is privy to information about threats at an elite private school that have turned deadly.
Charlie has never counted on happy endings. But now, just as she's finally starting to believe in second chances, she realizes revenge, extortion and murder may leave her alone again—or even dead….

Maybe it was the whole journalist thing that I'm just not in the mood for. I picked up and put down this book a total of 4 different times. I got about 75 pages into this book before I put it down for good. I just couldn't get into it. The thing about this book is that it's the 4th book in the Charlotte McNally Mysteries series and though I didn't have any trouble picking things up, I just wasn't in the mood to read so maybe I'll pick it up later but who knows. It just didn't do anything for me so I give up.

Rich Again by Anna Maxted.

Walk-in closet full of designer everything? Check. Private Caribbean island? Check. Connection to the aristocracy? Working on it. Cunning, malicious stalker? Double check.
Welcome to the world of the Kents, a charismatic, ambitious, and fabulously wealthy English family with two sisters – one as strong and sparkling as the other is delicate and wounded – who must somehow put their differences aside to keep an unknown enemy from bringing them down. Wild and beautiful Emily Kent has had the world laid at her feet by her ruthless mother and billionaire father – but it's not enough. Gifted with her mother's to-die-for looks, her father's hard-scrabble business sense, and both of her parents' lust for control, Emily is determined to make her own luck by seducing the only man she’s ever wanted, a man who can make her dreams of attaining the heights of old-money English society come true. By contrast, Emily's step-sister, Claudia, is a fragile soul—her mother died when she was five, leaving her to the unkind reign of step-mother Innocence. In an uncharacteristic burst of rebellion, Claudia trades her gilded lifestyle for an ordinary flat and daytime job where she meets the man of her dreams… or so she imagines.
But, Emily and Claudia are caught up in a desperate situation that may be beyond their control. As for their father, disgraced tycoon Jack Kent, and his wife Innocence, they are too obsessed with the fight for supremacy over their vast empire to see that a mighty and sinister opponent is plotting to ruin them all.

I only got about 3 chapters into this book before I put it down. Nothing jumped out at me and I was really bored with it so I had to step away. I'm not sure if it was the length of the book that put me off or the starting chapters but either way, I just wasn't into continuing this book but I hope to change that in the coming months. It's such a pretty book.

There are some other books that I tried reading but didn't get very far but I can't think of them right now. I really hate not finishing books but sometimes, it just can't be help.

What about you guys? What books have you just not been able to get into in the past couple of weeks? Any books that you wanted to read and ended up not being able to finish? How much do you hate when that happens?

Guest Review: Release by Beth Kery

2010-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Kati's review of Release by Beth Kery

Genny loved her husband Max, but he lacked the sexual charge that was instead ignited by his business partner, Sean. Ruggedly handsome, Sean had a heart-stopping smile that made Genny weak. The more time they spent together, the stronger the attraction between them became. Then her husband offered to share her with Sean for one intoxicating night...

That night in the company penthouse, Max and Sean showed Genny the heights of ecstasy. But it was Sean who touched her very spirit, and one-onone, they were red hot. But as Genny learns, there's a price to pay for such impulsive pleasure. What began as a night of forbidden desire spirals into a whirlpool of murder, sensual submission, secrets, and a scorching passion that threatens to consume everyone it touches.

Genevieve Sauren is in shock. Her house has burned down and all she wants to do is collapse. She heads directly to the condominium she remembered that her deceased husband Max kept over his security company, Sauren-Kennedy. All she wants is a shower and some sleep before dealing with all of the awful details that will come. Imagine her shock when she walks in on Max's business partner, Sean Kennedy, in the midst of a very hot bondage session with an unknown woman. When Sean realizes Genny is there, he sends the woman on her way, and immediately goes to make amends.

You see, Sean and Genny have a history -- a very steamy one. Last New Year's Eve, before his untimely death, Max arranged for Sean to participate in a threesome with he and Genny. To say that the night was the hottest of her life would be an understatement. But Genny is tortured by memories of the night. Although Max was supportive through the event, later he showed her that he'd taped the entire encounter, for reasons that she doesn't understand. Genny worries about that, but more, she worries about her reaction to Sean. She just wants to hand over all control to Sean, and as a successful, smart businesswoman, that just seems so unlike her. For his part, Sean is thrilled to see Genny again, and will do anything to keep her near him. But he soon realizes that the house burning down, and the break-in at Genny's boutique might be associated with a business partner of his and Max's. With Max dead, Sean knows it's up to him to protect Genny anyway he can. But will he be able to convince Genny to get over her fear of loss of control? And will Genny be able to trust a man who she is sure has something to do with her husband's death?

Beth Kery has an amazingly deft hand with chemistry. This being an erotic romance, the sex is, of course, steamy. But it's the emotional connection that she's able to forge between the characters that makes Release a winner. Sean is definitely an alpha male, but he respects Genny entirely and encourages her to be her own person. Genny is confused, and dithered perhaps a bit long for my tastes. But as a couple, Sean and Genny are very successful. There is quite a bit of light bondage in the sex scenes, but it's done in a way that is respectful. I usually don't enjoy bondage in my erotic romance, but these scenes are done in such a way that Sean's love and deep affection for Genny comes through clearly, and I wasn't bothered at all. I felt that the suspense subplot was unnecessary, as the budding ties between Sean and Genny were absolutely enough to keep my interest as a reader, but overall this book is a compelling and fun read. I recommend Release for any reader who enjoys very hot sex scenes and a dominant hero. Beth Kery has written another winner.

4.5/5

This book is published by Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Guest Review: Seduced by Silver by Gwen Campbell

2010-03-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ames' review of Seduced by Silver by Gwen Campbell.

When Meadow accompanies her boyfriend home for a weekend, she expects to try to rekindle their romance. Instead, she meets his father Keefe—mature, sexy and Alpha enough to claim her as his own.

And claim her he does. The heat that flares between them quickly turns to something more and their passionate joining leads to a deeper connection. But Meadow’s father is Keefe’s biggest business rival, and Meadow’s a daddy’s girl through and through—and her daddy’s not going to like this.

Reader Advisory: While the world in this book has the traditional werewolf pack structures, social statuses and hot, animalistic sex, the characters aren’t shapeshifters.

First of all, that cover makes me blush. LOL

Second, I enjoyed Seduced by Silver. The set-up of the Eupanorian world is different enough (humanoid beings with a culture based on wolf pack structure) that it totally makes sense that if someone isn't Alpha enough for their woman, someone else is. And that it's Meadow's boyfriend's dad? Hey, he's the Alpha! And she's an Alpha bitch! LOL

This kind of thing would not work for me in a contemporary or even a historical, but Gwen has created an interesting world and I bought it.

Killian and Meadow have been dating for a while. But after they reach final maturity, something that happens when a Eupanorian reaches their 20s, Meadow realizes that Killian isn't her equal in the pack social structure. He's mid-level. And she's an Alpha. The trip to his childhood home is in an effort to rekindle their romance, a chance for Killian to prove he can handle her. Unfortunately, Killian couldn't...but his father can. Meadow and Keefe don't back down from each other and are constantly challenging the other. Perfect chemistry for two Alphas.

But can Killian live with the choice he made? And does Keefe want Meadow for life or for the rest of the trip?

I liked Meadow. She definitely was an Alpha and I loved that she was equal to Keefe. In shifter stories, the Alpha male is so alpha, and the heroine kind of isn't. LOL So I really liked that these two were equal. And the hot sex doesn't hurt. I wouldn't have minded a bit more conflict, because there really wasn't any. But for pure escapism with some Alpha-ness, I'd recommend Seduced by Silver for sure. 3.75 out 5

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

ABookTrader.com

2010-03-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Tabz blogged about ABookTrader.com. At the time I bookmarked the site to check out later, and finally got around to it last week. ABookTrader.com is a website for rare, used and out-of-print books based out of Florida. There are many used book sites available on the web, but ABookTrader.com stands out because they offer free shipping on orders over $25.

Most of the books I ordered last week were less than $2.00. I honestly didn't need any books (when do I ever?) but I wanted to try out the site, so I did a search for some authors I'm trying to glom (Christie Ridgway, Karen Templeton, Sarah Mayberry). There were a couple authors I didn't have much luck with, but overall I did pretty well. I ended up ordering 23 books, most of which were older category romances, for just a little over $33.

Christie Ridgway

BACHELOR BOSS
HAVE BABY, WILL MARRY
HIS FORBIDDEN FIANCEE
I STILL DO
N LOVE WITH HER BOSS

Sarah Mayberry

ALL OVER YOU

Karen Templeton

PRODIGAL VALENTINE, THE #1808
ANYTHING FOR HIS CHILDREN #978
BABY STEPS #1798
BUT A HUSBAND
FATHERS AND OTHER STRANGERS
PLAIN-JANE PRINCESS
PLAYING FOR KEEPS
RIDE AND PREGNANCY
SAVING DR. RYAN

Lucy Monroe

FORBIDDEN: THE BILLIONAIRE'S VIRGIN PRINCESS #2793
WATCH OVER ME

J.D. Robb

CREATION IN DEATH
REMEMBER WHEN

Day LeClaire

THE ACCIDENTAL WIFE
FORBIDDEN PRINCESS,
IN NAME ONLY (with Jill Shalvis)

I ordered these on February 21st and they arrived today, February 26. 5 days is all it took. Pretty awesome, right?

Because I was mostly just ordering to order (strictly for research on this blog if my husband asks) I didn't search for a ton of books. Mostly I just looked up a few of my favorite authors to see if the site had any of the books I didn't own yet. So I can't say if you'll be able to find every book you want, but I do think there's a good possibility you'll be able to find $25 worth so you can get free shipping.

I'd thank Tabitha, but I haven't decided yet if this is a good thing. We'll have to see how long I can keep my husband from figuring out I'm ordering books from there in this quantity.

www.abooktrader.com

FREE SHIPPING ON PAPERBACK
ORDERS OVER $25.00!!

LOW SHIPPING RATES
Just $3.00 for the first book and .50 cents each additional book!
(U.S. Media Mail)

Find out about us, our shipping, how to order from us, or to search for a book we have. We constantly update the books that we have listed to help ensure the availability of the books that are listed. Our own site often has discounts that we do not have on Amazon or ABE. We also offer a convenient shopping basket so you can have multiple books in one order, saving you on shipping.

Last Hero Standing: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Final Round.

2010-03-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Alright, this last month long voting spree will be for all of the SK bragging rights. If you want your hero to come out on top, you have to make it happen and you have the entire month of March to make it a reality.

With the extension of our author spotlight, we're going to extend the last hero standing now that the battle has come down to two heroes.

Should be interesting. The following heroes are in the running to be the last Sherrilyn Kenyon hero standing are:

Valerius Magnus from Seize the Night

and

Acheron Parthenopaeous from Acheron

Should be interesting...good luck to fans of both heroes and let the voting war begin! The true winner of the Last Hero Standing will be announced on March 31, 2010.

Happy voting!

Review: The Taking by Erin McCarthy.

2010-03-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Rowena's review of The Taking by Erin McCarthy.

Hero: Felix Leblanc
Heroine: Regan Henry

Heiress Regan Henry knows that passion can be an illusion, and she keeps her emotions in check-until she falls under the spell of the beguiling Felix LeBlanc. He knows that the rumors that her mansion is haunted are true, and that he's the only one who can save her from the spirits residing there. But the only way he can do it is to sacrifice his last chance at redemption...or risk a love that could consign them both to an eternity of evil.

I've read but one book by Erin McCarthy and I highly enjoyed that so don't ask me why I haven't read anything further by her because I have no idea. The last book that I read by this author was Heiress for Hire. I really enjoyed that book but that book was a lot fluffier than this book. It was also a contemporary and this book was a paranormal that I highly enjoyed. Going into this book, I didn't even know that this book was the third book in the Seven Deadly Sins series but that didn't stop me from jumping right into the story.

Felix Leblanc makes a deal with a demon for a better life for him and his mother. His greed leads him to making a bunch of bad decisions and now he's stuck in an immortal existence of serving the demon. Regan, on the other hand has just left her husband and she's playing at being an independent person again. She buys this ginormous house in the french quarter that is haunted. There's an unsettling presence in her house and she needs Felix's help trying to figure out what to do about the ghost.

Watching these two come together and watching Felix fight his attraction to Regan made for some really good reading. Felix didn't want to fall for Regan but did anyway and I ate it all up. I enjoyed reading about Felix's past and I enjoyed that he wasn't always so perfect. I love heroes that aren't cookie cutter heroes and Felix isn't. He was led by greed at one point in his life and seeing the growth in him over the course of his immortal life was great. I really enjoyed Felix's character and I totally wanted to do him! I never thought that I'd be interested in anyone remotely associated with voodoo but Felix sure did do it for me. He was yummy!

Regan on the other hand was just "meh" to me. I respected that she left her loser of a husband because I did not like him at the Christmas party at the beginning of the book. I respected that she was independent but it's so easy to be independent with a trust fund to buy a ginormous house and everything you'll ever need. Her money wasn't what made me not care for her, it was her character that I just didn't care for. There wasn't anything about her that made me think, wow what a great heroine so, she was just okay to me. She was too nice, not enough spice? I don't know, she was just forgettable.

But despite my not being wowed by Regan, I still enjoyed this story. I thought it was a great introduction to the paranormal stories that McCarthy is writing and I am really interested in reading more from McCarthy because of this book. Definitely recommendable. I'm glad that I read this book and what's even funner is that I don't think you miss much by not reading the other books but still, I want to read them!

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Author Spotlight Continues with...Sherrilyn Kenyon.

2010-03-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

So Holly, Casee and I have decided to keep the author spotlight rolling through the month of March with Sherrilyn Kenyon.

There was just too much goodness from SK to cover in just a short month so we're extending the author spotlight goodness with more reviews and discussions and last hero standing fun another month.

We're going to extend the Last Hero Standing challenge to an entire month of voting since we're finally down to 2 heroes.

We're getting really into our rereads with her books as Sherrilyn Kenyon and her books as Kinley MacGregor so we needed more time in which to discuss the world that is Sherrilyn Kenyon so I hope you guys come with us as we venture into her world for a little while longer.

Stay tuned for more author spotlight goodness...

Shiloh Walker: Excerpt time

2010-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

How could you not want to go out and buy this book???

“If you’re so sure I won’t hurt you, then why are you afraid of me?” He curved his hand around her neck, resting his thumb in the hollow at the base of her throat.

Was she afraid of him? Maybe a little. Disturbed by his seriously weird attitude, but she wasn’t afraid because she thought he might hurt her. She knew better.

“If you’re so certain I should be afraid of you, then why don’t you give me a reason to be?” she challenged.

His eyes narrowed. The fingers on her neck tensed. He stroked his thumb over the fragile skin of her neck, up and down . . . up and down. Her pulse leaped under his touch and her breath was lodged somewhere in her chest. Holding her gaze, he pushed off the wall and then hooked his hands in the neckline of her shirt.

He jerked and buttons went flying. He crowded her against the wall, using his body and arms to trap her in place. Her mouth was dry. Her heart was racing.

“Is that supposed to do it?” she asked, reaching for a bored tone and failing. Her voice came out soft and breathy, like some sex-starved little nympho who’d gone too long without a climax. She might not be too far off target.

But at least she didn’t sound afraid.

Staring into his eyes, she smirked at him and waited.

His mouth came down on hers, rough, brutal. Sara reached for him. As he kissed a line from her mouth to her ear, she gasped for breath, tried to clear her head. His hands were on her, streaking under her clothes, rubbing against her covered sex. He popped the button of her jeans and dragged the zipper low.

“Tell me to stop, damn it,” he growled.

Sara slammed her head back against the door, fought to breathe. Fought to think. Fought to force the words from her throat. “I don’t want you to stop.”

Check HERE for the Shiloh Walker contest.

Review: Broken by Shiloh Walker

2010-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Casee's review of Broken by Shiloh Walker.

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He's drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can't risk telling him the secrets she's hiding.

But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive.

Quinn Rafferty was first introduced in Fragile. Quinn is Luke’s twin brother and a man that was shown to have an obvious darkness within. It’s really no surprise considering where he grew up the first part of his life. After his mom dies, he learns that he not only has a twin brother, but a father as well. And they both seem to want him, something that baffles Quinn at the same time it draws him in.

Quinn has too many demons inside to have a relationship. Working in St. Louis as a bounty hunter, Quinn is content with his life. When Sara shows up as a tenant in the building he lives in, he knows that she’s one of the walking wounded for two reasons. One is because his landlord seems to be able to spot a person with problems from a mile away. The second is because Quinn sees the secrets in her eyes and recognizes Sarah for what she is. Someone on the run.

Sara’s plan to leave her life behind was carefully planned. Quinn wasn’t planned. Sara is drawn to her quiet neighbor who seems to push and pull her all at the same time. They fall into what anyone else would call a relationship, but Sarah and Quinn will admit no such thing. Quinn knows Sara has secrets, he just doesn’t realize how big they really are.

Classic Shiloh Walker. Quinn is an uber alpha male. He’s had so many problems in life that he doesn’t want to take on anyone else’s. That’s exactly what happens with Sara and he is helpless to stop it. Quinn has been wounded by love before and the last thing he wants to do is fall in love with a woman that is ready to run at any minute.

They were both such lonely people. Knowing what we know about Quinn’s childhood, you can’t help but want him to find happiness. Sara isn’t so cut-and-dry. Until the end of the book, all the reader knows is that she’s running from a man. And that she fears for her life if he finds her. I was surprised by the climax at the end of the book, but it made the book that much better.

By the end of the story, I was ready for these two to get their HEA. They are two characters that definitely deserved it.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

CONTEST ALERT:

To celebrate the release of Broken, Shiloh is giving away a copy of Fragile as well as a $20 gc to Borders. The contest is open to international readers (Shiloh will contact you if you win). So what do you have to do? Go to Shiloh's website and find a book that looks good to you. Come back and comment on which book it is and why it sounds good.

Guest Review: The Gift and A Spanking for Valentine

2010-03-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

These books are two short novellas from Ellora's Cave so I thought I'd just review them together.

First up is The Gift by Lena Matthews and Liz Andrews.

Ethan Neilson will do anything for his twin brother. Even father the child Benjamin is unable to with the woman they both love. All their lives, the brothers have shared everything—everything but the woman who matters most.

After several failed attempts to conceive a child, Hannah desperately wants a break. A weekend getaway to celebrate the birthdays of the two men she loves seems like the perfect opportunity to relax and unwind.

Benjamin knows Ethan and Hannah love one another, just as he knows the three of them together forever is the way it always should have been. Now the only thing he has to do is convince his brother and wife. Having a child would be wonderful, but sharing his wife’s heart and body with his brother is the gift Benjamin wants most of all.

Ok, I liked The Gift.

Ben and Hannah have been married for a few years now and they're reproductively challenged. After the latest bad news and Hannah's despondence, Ben decides to ask his identical twin brother Ethan to father their child. Ethan agrees because he is in love with Hannah and he'd like to give this gift to his brother and his wife. Ben decides to broach the subject with Hannah on their yearly getaway. But once Ben gets his plan rolling, he discovers that he wants Ethan more permanently in his marriage, and he realizes that Hannah would like that too.

But Ethan and Hannah feel guilt over their love. They don't want to hurt Ben. But what they don't realize is that Ben is all for it. Nothing would make him happier.

I thought this was one hot little number with lots of emotion! First there's the issues surrounding Ben and Hannah's fertility. I thought it was a great set up to show how strong their marriage was. I mean, you can only introduce a third into your marriage if it has a strong foundation to begin with. And everyone's emotions and feelings were explored and the pros and cons of their arrangement was discussed. It was all very mature and nothing squicky about it. A solid 4 out of 5 for me.

You can buy it here in e-format.

Second is A Spanking for Valentine by Evangeline Anderson.

Valentine Nichols wants two things for her birthday—for Shane Daniels to notice her, and a taste of the wild D/s sex scene she’s been longing to experience. When she sees Shane at the local BDSM club, she hatches a plan to have both and convinces Shane to give her lessons in submission.

Shane Daniels has wanted Valentine for years but as his best friend’s little sister, she’s strictly off-limits. But when Valentine talks him into giving her D/s lessons, he gives in to some of his darker urges and dominates her sexually.

Now they are locked in a battle of wills as Valentine pushes him for a consummation of their new relationship while Shane tries to keep himself from taking her completely. Who will win? They’ll both find out when Valentine takes her spanking.

What made me interested in this one was the fact that Shane was Valentine's brother's friend. That's one of my favorite set-ups. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy A Spanking for Valentine. First there was some inconsistencies with Valentine's character. That annoyed me. And then there was the altercation at the BDSM club. Now, I am not an expert in the lifestyle. But it seems to me that things should be consensual between all individuals involved. And there was some non-consensual stuff going on that Valentine needed to be rescued from. Fortunately, I had a friend I could discuss this with and she said in her experience at clubs, things were set up differently but for sure there had to be consent. So I'm thinking for someone who might be interested and they were to pick this book up, they may get turned off by that part. That annoyed me as well. The sex scenes were plenty hot, but the rest of A Spanking was a bit of a miss for me. I'm giving this one a 2.75 out of 5.

You can buy it here in e-format.

Winners for January's Monthly Reads Giveaway Announced!

2010-03-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

We've got some winners to announce for last month's Monthly Reads giveaway. We're giving away four books and the winners are:

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

Gabriela

Coming Undone by Lauren Dane

Kelly M.

Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis

Pat L.

Lessons from a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes

Camille

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the giveaway now you know the drill. Winners, please shoot us an email at contests[at]the book binge . com with your snail mail addy and we'll get these books sent out just as soon as we can. Thanks so much and happy reading!

See you next month...

Review: Naked Edge by Pamela Clare

2010-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Casee's review of Naked Edge (I-Team, Book 4) by Pamela Clare.

The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger's hands. Although she can't forget him she thinks she'll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he's determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous almost as dangerous as risking one's heart. And soon Kat and Gabe's passion for the truth and each other makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

This book was meh for me. It begins and ends with Kat. I had a problem reconciling the tough-as-nails investigative reporter to the naïve virgin that acted like she was straight out of a historical romance. With the long wait between books, my memory about Kat wasn’t exactly up to par. What I did remember was that she was kick ass. Because you had to be kick ass to be on the I-Team.

The book started top-quality which is exactly what I expect from Pamela Clare. She’s very accomplished at throwing the reader into the story right from the beginning. After the initial action passed, the book was bogged down by pages of detailed Native American traditions. Kat was Navajo, so there was obviously room for Navajo beliefs and customs. I found the inipi ceremony to be particularly fascinating. The coyote superstition as well. There were several other parts that were critical to the story as well. In addition to that, there was more. And more. And more.

Gabe Rossiter is attracted to Kat from the start. When their paths cross months after their initial meeting, Kat makes it clear that she is not the type of woman that will jump into bed with a man. In turn, Gabe makes it clear that he will never make promises to her b/c they both know he wouldn’t keep them. A tragedy in his past took Gabe from being a relatively care-free man to a bitter one. Gabe will stick his dick in any woman that wants it. He just won’t stick around. He was very blunt and to the point when it came to sex.

The constant see-sawing of Gabe’s emotions on top of the heroine that Kat turned out to be was a lot. When you add in the story that Kat’s investigating, it felt like something got lost. In between history lessons, I would put the book down and not have any urge to pick it back up. That’s not usually how it is for me and Pamela Clare.

Up until the last 50 or so pages, I probably would have given this book a three out of five. Then Gabe makes an incredible sacrifice. A sacrifice so profound that it made me cry. At work, no less. That did show me that Pamela Clare still has it. This just wasn't that book for me. I loved the epilogue and was really happy that both Gabe and Kat could find peace.

3.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

Guest Review: Master of Fire by Angela Knight

2010-03-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

Tracy's review of Master of Fire (Mageverse book 10) by Angela Knight

Giada Shepherd is a Maja – an immortal witch of the Mageverse. When vampire knight King Arthur asks her to protect his mortal son from an assassin, she’s willing to do anything she must to keep Logan MacRoy alive. But Logan is no ordinary mortal – he’s a handsome seductive cop, intent on a romance with his beautiful new partner.

Trouble is, Arthur has ordered Giada to keep her distance from Logan. But that’s a lot easier said than done....

After a slew of lantent's are murdered Arthur and Gwen ask Giada, a newly turned Maja, to protect their son. Since Logan works for the bomb squad so Giada's fits in well with his department with a doctorate in chemistry. Giada feels an instant attraction to Logan but knows that she can't touch him. He doesn't want to be turned into a vamp yet - even though he's 31 - and sleeping with him 3 times will turn him. She's under strict instructions to not sleep with Logan and not to tell him that she's a Maja.

Logan has the hots for Giada but when someone tries to shoot her he's more interested in protecting her than anything. Unfortunately for Logan and Giada Morgana has stepped into the mix and given Giada a necklace that will make it impossible for them to keep apart.

While all of this is going on there are the evil Dire Wolves that are trying to kill Logan for revenge. They've hired a bomber to kill him. Unfortunately Giada keeps killing their plans instead and that's why they're trying to get to her.

This was a great addition to the Mageverse series. It's been almost 2 years since the last full length novel and I was anxious to see what Ms. Knight would come up with. I think that she did a nice job bringing in characters/couples from past books as well as really focusing on Giada and Logan's relationship. I didn't feel that the suspense part of the book took over from the romance and that was most enjoyable.

I see from her site that there will be another book coming soon (although I can't find when exactly) and I can't wait to read it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can pre-order it here or here in e-format.

The series: