Book Binge

Guest Review: Love in Exile by Samantha Kane

2010-03-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tracy's review of Love in Exile (Brothers In Arms #6) by Samantha Kane

Gregory Anderson has reluctantly returned to England after more than seven years sailing the world and cataloging new discoveries. He's there to visit old friends and present the finding of his travels to the Royal Society. Half-Polynesian Gregory is caught between two worlds. He isn't looking for love. He's only looking for a warm body with a modicum of wit and reasonable intelligence to help him get through the few short months he'll be in England.

Nat and Alecia Digby married when they were young and foolish. An arranged marriage to please their parents led them to take lovers, and their marriage was almost ruined before it began. But through the actions of a mutual friend and lover Nat and Alecia found their way back to each other. They don't want to give up the erotic games they learned to play and to enjoy, but they won't risk their marriage again by falling in love with someone else. And they won't hurt anyone else they love by asking them to endure the pain of being an outsider in their marriage.

When the three are introduced by a mutual friend they think it will be nothing more than a night or two of shared pleasure and erotic thrills. But the unthinkable happens, because love refuses to be forced into exile.

The blurb more or less sums up the premise of the book so I won’t go too much more into it. Yes, Gregory decides to spend a night with Nat and Alecia. He’s drawn to the couple but he’s really in it for a night or two of fun. He’s never felt quite comfortable in England because they look on him as a savage but Nat and Alecia make him feel most welcome in their home and in their bed. He starts to feel a sort of pull to the two of them that he’s never felt before. Nat and Alecia feel it too.

But then Nat and Alecia do the unthinkable and use Palu (Gregory’s Polynesian name and the name he asked them to call him) for their own purposes and Palu feels, well, used. He understands the couples predicament but doesn’t particularly care for the way he’s been treated. When a man out for revenge on Gregory tries to keep Nat, Alecia and Palu apart their hearts yearn to be together.

This is book 6 in the Brothers In Arms series and it was a great addition to the series. I very much liked Palu. He was a strong character that knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go for it – when it came to his career. But when it came to personal relationships he’d been too hurt in the past and that made my heart hurt for him. I also liked both Nat and Alecia – despite their immaturity. Though they’d had some marital problems in the past they were very much in love with one another and it showed. They didn’t truly look upon Palu as a savage but when they decided to use his looks to get what they wanted from Alecia’s father it really pissed me off. They did save themselves in the end though so I forgave them. J

I very much enjoyed the book and the only thing that I would wish for was that it was longer. We got to know each character somewhat but I think I would have liked to have gotten to know them each a bit more. Hopefully there will be more about this threesome in future books.

Rating 3.75 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy's Place

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

Musings on the nook

2010-03-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Technology is the name of the game at this day in age. When the Kindle first came out, it was a sizeable amount of money. IIRC it was around $350. For an item that you couldn’t actually touch or test, it was ridiculous and unthinkable to most readers. It was unthinkable for me. I think that Barnes and Noble is genius for not only coming out with the nook, but making it available in stores for customers/readers to actually test.

The Kindle slowly dropped in price and has stayed steady at $259. The nook is the same price. When added to the fact that you can actually LOOK at it before paying, it seems like a no brainer. People love their i-Phones and anything touch screen. That’s another reason that nook is so appealing.

I never would have gotten the Kindle if they hadn’t sent it to me for a free trial. No way in hell. If I didn’t have my Kindle, I would be first in like to get the nook. There are some features I don’t like. Their customer service isn’t the speediest. It’s frozen up on me more than once. However, you have to remember that this is the first model that they’ve put out. Much like the Kindle and the Sony, the bugs and kinks get worked out as newer models come out. Or in B&N’s case, you get wireless updates. That is something I LOVE.

What are some e-Readers you have seen in stores? What did you think/not think? What kind of e-Reader do you have?

Review: In Love with Her Boss by Christie Ridgway

2010-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Holly's review of In Love with Her Boss (Montana Mavericks) by Christie Ridgway

Lori Hanson had come to Whitehorn to start over-not to fall head over heels in love with her boss! For she knew better than to risk her heart-her life-on another man. Besides, Josh Anderson was too attractive, too nice and...too dangerous. Nice because he cared about her. Dangerous because he made her want to care about him.

Josh's alluring receptionist had secrets and fears she couldn't let go of, and all Josh wanted was to hold her in his arms and make everything better. Okay, so that wasn't all he wanted. Lori's presence made it all but impossible to work--except to count the ways to capture her heart!

I'm slowly working my way through Ridgway's backlist. This is one of the books I got from Abooktrader.com.

This was a sweet story. Ridgway is a master at writing the perfect balance between light and dark. Her books are always interspersed with sweet, light love stories and gritty, darker emotional issues. This book is no exception.

Lori has moved to Montana to escape her past and start fresh. She was in an abusive marriage and wants to get away from the town where her ex lives. Before her mother died, she told Lori about Whitehorn - where she grew up - and Lori thinks she might be able to put some roots down there. She gets a job with a temp agency and her first assignment is taking over for the receptionist at Anderson Construction while she goes on maternity leave.

Josh is surprised when he meets his new receptionist. She gorgeous and immediately starts getting under his skin. Only she keeps sending out mixed signals and he isn't sure if she's really attracted to him or not. When he realizes she's been abused and is scared of him, he goes out of his way to make her feel comfortable. And to earn her trust.

I really liked Josh's character. He was a very strong man, sweet and caring. The way he treated Lori, both before and after he learned about her past, really touched me. He was a little on the shy side and had a kind of aw-shucks attitude that really worked. He was just what Lori needed.

I enjoyed Lori's character, too, though more in the beginning than toward the end. I understood the reasons she pushed Josh away in the end, but I still became frustrated by it. I was also frustrated by her actions at the end. I can't put my finger on what exactly bothered me, but I think it might be the inconsistencies of her actions vs thoughts. She kept saying she had to leave so she could protect Josh, yet she'd think she had to leave because she refused to be taken care of or rely on someone else. She realized her mistakes, so I was able to forgive her, but it was touch and go for a chapter or so there.

I was also disappointed that it ended as it did, without finding out what became of the villain - though there are other books in the series so we may find out later.

Overall I really enjoyed the story. It had some flaws but the character are very well suited and Josh really stole my heart.

3.75 out of 5

This book is OOP from Silhouette Special Edition. You can buy it here or here.

Kindle vs. nook: Round 1 (Specs)

2010-03-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love my Kindle. Undoubtedly it’s one of my most prized possessions. I am most definitely biased when it comes to eReaders. However, the Kindle was not my first eReader. Way back when they first came out, I had a Sony PRS-500. When I had it, I loved it. It was the first eReader I had ever seen. It was sleek looking. I didn’t care about things like screen resolution and page lagging. The Sony Reader software was very user friendly. That’s about all I remember about it. I ended up selling it.

Then my love affair with the Kindle started. Even though I told my Kindle not to worry, the nook looked pretty neat. Like the i-Phone of eReaders. It was touch screen (Sony also has a touch screen) and wireless. I’m pretty sure that’s why they call it the first “touch screen” eReader. I’m generally against touch screen’s in general b/c I am such a fast typist. I gave up using my i-Touch as an internet source shortly after I bought it. I like buttons that I can feel.

Kindle: Does not have touch screen. Buttons on both 1st and 2nd generation Kindle’s are very easy to use. I do have tiny fingers, so it might be different for other people.

nook: I don’t like the touch screen, however I find that when I am typing something in, the nook keyboard is extremely accurate. When shopping on B&N.com, I wasn’t having to keep typing and deleting.

Kindle: When I am reading my Kindle, I can comfortably hold it in one hand. The weight of the Kindle is 10.2 ounces.

nook: When trying to hold the nook, it was uncomfortable holding it in one hand though it was doable. The weight of the nook is 12.1 ounces. 1.9 ounces does not seem like very much weight, but when you’re holding it in one hand it actually is.

Kindle: There isn’t much personalization on the Kindle. In the 1st Generation Kindle, when you turn the device off, it turns off and the screen goes blank. In the 2nd Generation Kindle, when you switch it off it goes to a screensaver. There are no options for changing the screensaver.

nook: You can have a personalized picture (.jpg, .gif, .png or .bmp) as your screensaver. If you don’t want to put a personalized picture, there are different options for your screensaver. You can have “writers”, “cityscapes”, etc. This is a feature I appreciate since I changed the screensaver to cityscape and no longer have to answer the question of “who’s that?”.

Kindle: Supported file types are .azw, .txt, .mobi, .prc. The 2nd Generation Kindle allows you to drag and drop .pdf files but may not retain all functionality (font size won’t change). You can also email yourself .doc, .html, .rtf, .docx wirelessly. Amazon charges a $0.15 fee for wirelessly transferring files. However, they will convert your personal documents to an .azw file FOR FREE. Then you have to drag and drop the converted file. Kindle supports audio books (.aa, .aax) and .mp3 files.

nook: Supported file types for ebooks are .epub, .pdb, .pdf (however a .pdf that is dragged and dropped may not retain all the functionality of an .epub file. Not supported are .doc, .lit, .txt, .awz (Amazon), .lrz/.lrx (Sony) nook also supports .mp3 audio files.

Come back for Round 2 when I review page turning speed/user friendliness/more file format speak on a 1st Generation Kindle, a 2nd Generation Kindle and the nook. Make sure you don't miss your chance to win a nook.

Review: Embrace the Night Eternal by Joss Ware

2010-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Casee's review of Embrace the Night Eternal (Awakening Heroes, Book 2) by Joss Ware.

Simon Japp will never forget his violent past. But when civilization is all but destroyed, he sees his chance for redemption. Blessed with a strange "gift," he's determined to help the resistance against the Strangers, the mysterious force that stalks them at every turn. He can't afford to get distracted, even by the stunning, soft-spoken woman fighting by his side...

Sage Corrigan has learned to be careful where she places her trust. But she sees something good in Simon, even if he can't see it in himself. Posing as lovers to infiltrate a group key to their fight, they find that their staged affection soon develops into a desire that will leave them fighting for their lives in the night eternal...

This is book two in Joss Ware’s AMAZING Awakening Heroes series. If this series isn’t on your radar, you are missing out. Read my review of Beyond the Night Eternal here. The second book is the story of Simon (one of the men that were in the Sedona cave in 2010) and Sage (Computer tech extraordinaire).

Sage was born after The Change. She is also part of the Resistance, a small group of people that are building a movement against the Strangers—the immortals that caused The Change. Her contribution to the group is setting up a secret computer network at different settlements that are near Envy. The first settlement to get the secret network is the one that Sage is from—Falling Creek.

Falling Creek started when a group of people left Envy soon after The Change. Falling Creek was made up of people that believed that it was their responsibility to start procreating. Repopulating the world to the best of their ability, if you will. Now the original founds of Falling Creek are from a time that polygamy is not practiced (openly) nor condoned. I really enjoyed following the journal of Sage’s grandmother (who was alive before The Change). It shows her obvious struggle to become accustomed to this new living situation. Even harder to adapt to the idea of men having multiple wives. Especially when it’s HER husband that is taking more than one.

Sage’s family isn’t looked upon kindly by people from other settlements. It’s widely believed that Corrigan women are nothing more than sluts that will give it up for anyone. Sage left Falling Creek when she came closer to the date she would be able to contribute (i.e. procreate). Sage loves her home in Envy and never thought she would go back to Falling Creek. The resistance wants Sage to go in (under the guise of finding her way) to install a network hub. She chooses Simon to go with her.

Simon was nothing more than a glorified assassin in 2010. Of all them men in the Sedona cave, he alone is the one that is actually happy it happened. It has given him a fresh start. That doesn’t mean that he’ll unload his past baggage on a woman. Most especially Sage. The only really annoying thing about this book was Simon’s CONSTANT implications that Sage and Theo are meant for each other. Dude, shut your cakehole. We got it the first fifty times. Sage isn’t a woman to take it and she tells him what’s up and that’s that.

This is all going on after they get into Falling Creek. Holy Mother. The couples are told when to have sex and when to refrain from it. It’s announced at the dinner table who’s ovulating and when. Hilarious.

Then a Stranger shows up. Not just any Stranger, but someone that Simon knew from 2010. She is not someone he wants to cross. All he wants is to get Sage out safely. Like that’s going to happen.

Outside of the romance between Simon and Sage, this is what I took from the book: Men are men no matter where (or when) they come from. They like being waited on, they like p0rn and they are just generally lazy. But they’re doing their duty by donating their sperm.

4.25 out of 5.

P.S. The person you should feel really bad for is the one that has to keep all the birth records to be sure there is no inbreeding.

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

The series:

Who wants to win a nook?

2010-03-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bookshelves overflowing? Tired of lugging multiple books around with you? Been wanting an e-reader but didn't want to spend the money one on?

Well, now's your chance to win one for free. We have a nook to giveaway and it could be yours.

Here's what you have to do:

1. Go to the Barnes and Noble website (barnesandnoble.com) and find 1 thing you like about the nook, along with a link to the first book you plan to purchase if you win.

2. Search through our archives (thebookbinge.com) for your favorite post/review we've ever written.

3. Come back here and leave a comment - or email us at contests@thebookbinge.com, with "nook contest" in the subject - with both links (one from B&N.com with the first book you plan to purchase and one with your favorite post/review from this site), telling us why you want to win.

4. If you share the contest somewhere public (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, your blog/website) and leave a link in your comment, we'll toss your name in for a second time. But it has to be somewhere public..ie, if we follow the link we can see it.

That's it! Pretty easy, right? This contest will end Sunday, March 21 at 11:59 p.m. Winner will be announced Monday, March 22.

ETA: This giveaway is only available to U.S. residents.

Product Review: nook vs. Kindle

2010-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

When the announcement first came out that B&N was releasing nook, I have to admit to being pretty excited. I'd been waiting for another e-reader to come on the market that was comparable to the Kindle, and the nook seemed to be the answer.

My two year wedding anniversary was last week and my husband surprised me with a nook...and a Kindle. He wasn't sure which one I wanted, so he bought both (have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband?). Initially we decided I'd play with both and see which one I wanted to keep. Now I think we may keep them both. He's been wanting one of his own, so this could be the perfect solution.

He gave me the nook in the car on the first day of vacation. We had just left home on a week long road trip to Northern California. We'd had a conversation the week prior to and I was telling him I preferred the nook to the Kindle on paper. So he left the Kindle at home and gave the nook first. I had about a week to play with it before checking out the Kindle. I'd say that gives the nook an unfair advantage, but the truth is I didn't have much time to play with it while we were on vacation.

Look: My initial impression of the nook is that it's very thin. I've been using an eBookwise ereader for years, so the lack of bulk surprised me. Comparing it to the Kindle, I'd say they're about the same size. The nook is just a tad thicker than the Kindle and might be a little heavier, but not so much that I really notice it. I think the screen on the Kindle is smaller than the screen on the nook. Or that could just be an illusion because the case surrounding the Kindle screen is bigger.

Screen: Both devices feature e-ink screens. The eBookwise has an LCD backlit touchscreen, so this is a huge change for me. The color touchscreen on the nook really makes the e-ink standout. I kept expecting the reading screen to light up and getting frustrated when it didn't. I can't say if my problem stemmed from using the backlit eBookwise for so long or if it's the screen itself. More than likely the issue is mine (though it could also be that my other e-devices - cell phone, laptop - are backlit as well). The background of the nook screen seems a tad lighter than that of the Kindle. The gray is a shade lighter, I mean. It doesn't change or effect the reading experience.

Setup: I don't have an iPhone or iTouch, so I'm not used to using a touchscreen. I had some trouble inputting my account information initially on the nook because of this. I kept hitting the wrong letter and having to backspace to try again. it was pretty frustrating. I also had trouble getting it to accept my password. I had the same issue when I tried to register the B&N eReader app on my Blackberry, so I don't know if it was me or a B&N issue.

Registering the Kindle was easy in comparison, but I have to qualify that with two things: 1) I'm not used to the touchscreen keyboard and 2) I was playing with the nook in the car while my husband was driving. 2 is a huge qualification for several reasons, the main being that I get extremely car sick if I try to read in the car. So I wasn't able to give it my full attention. I don't know if it would have been any easier had I been stationary, but I'm going to assume it was.

It's hard using your thumbs to type on the Kindle because it's so wide. I keep wanting to use it like I would the keyboard on my cell phone, then becoming frustrated when I can't. I find myself hunting and pecking because of it.

Downloading: Once I had registered the devices I tried downloading a free sample from each store. I like that the prices are shown while browsing the nook. If I want to see the price of a Kindle book I have to select the title and wait for the page to load. It tales anywhere from 10-25 seconds for the separate pages to load on the Kindle. It was pretty close to the same for the nook. The color touchscreen on the nook makes it a lot easier to see the covers of the books. They're hard to see on the Kindle.

To start I downloaded the free sample of Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins. I'd say it took about 30-45 seconds on both devices to complete the transaction and have the book show on my bookshelf.
Reading: The sample shows as 14 pages on the nook. (side note: Something interesting about the nook: When a book loads it shows the actual number of pages. But the page count only turns about every 3 page turn. So essentially it'll say I'm on page 10 for 3 pages. :end side note) The first page is the book cover, then the title page, acknowledgments, dedication, review pages and etc..all the normal pages you have to flip through in a paperback book. I had to flip through 10 pages to get to the actual story.

Page numbers don't show on the Kindle (instead it shows a percentage) - which incidentally I find very annoying - so I can't say how many pages it is, but it does go on quite a bit longer than the sample on the nook. If I want to read the acknowledgments or dedications I have to page back. I like that better than having to page through them to get to the story.

The text is very clear on both screens. I don't see a noticeable difference between them. I'm able to change the font size easily on both devices, though it took me awhile to figure out how to do it on the Kindle. I kept looking in the menu options for it, when there's actually a keyboard button. The nook has the options listed on the touchscreen while the book is open. I like that I can change the font type on the nook, besides just the size.

There is a slight delay between page turns on both devices. I'd say 1-2 seconds. It doesn't seem to be better or worse with either device.

Sideloading: Personal content can be added to both devices via USB cord. It's easy enough, you just plug it in then drop and drag your documents. The nook takes PDF, ePub and Adobe Digital Editions. The Kindle takes Mobipocket, PDF and HTML. I have a ton of PDF files, so I loaded a few to see how they translated.

They transferred to the nook without a problem. The text was normal size and the font easy to read. The spacing seemed to be a bit off on a couple of the files, but otherwise there wasn't an issue. I can still adjust the font type and size, but I can't make notes or highlight text in documents I sideload. That's kind of frustrating.

They didn't transfer as well to the Kindle. The text size is tiny and isn't adjustable. I can't make notes or highlight text on this device either. Files can be emailed to the Kindle (the nook doesn't have that option) for $.15 per document. According to Casee, if you email a file in it automatically converts, but it didn't work when I tried. The PDFs I emailed still loaded the same way - with tiny font. The .doc file I emailed didn't show up at all, though I was charged for it (I'll take that up with Amazon later).

I like the idea of being able to email files, but I don't know if it's worth paying for. It might be worth it to avoid having to convert files, but I'm not convinced yet. I haven't tried converting my PDFs to Mobi files and loading them that way yet. I'm told they load perfectly though.

Connectivity: This isn't going to be entirely fair, because as I stated above I had the nook on vacation with me, but didn't have the Kindle. We stayed in a variety of places and I had some major issues getting the nook to connect. This was a concern for me with both devices when they were first released. The wifi settings don't allow you to connect to password protected wifi (such as hotels and etc) and I didn't have 3G service in many of the places we visited.

Audio: I tried loading music files on both devices without success. I haven't really had a chance to play around with them to find out why it didn't work, however. I'll try to remember to check back once I do.

As for audiobooks, I know Renee has successfully loaded them from Audible, but I haven't tried it yet.

Other stuff: The Kindle froze up for about a minute when I turned the text-to-speech on, changed the settings or turned it off. The nook doesn't have a text-to-speech function, so I couldn't compare.

Apparently the nook used to freeze up all the time, but it only happened to me once when an update was installing.

The cord for the Kindle is quite a bit longer than the nook's.

Conclusion: At this point I'm leaning toward the nook, mostly because of the way PDFs load onto it compared to the Kindle. Plus, I think the touchscreen menu is easier to use. This is based on using my nook for almost two full weeks while only having used the Kindle for a few days.

I plan to do several more posts about both devices in the following weeks to come. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have questions about either device and I'll be happy to answer them if I can.

Review: On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards

2010-03-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Casee's review of On the Steamy Side (Recipe For Love Series, Book 2) by Louisa Edwards.

SHE’S NEVER MET A MAN SO MOUTH-WATERING

When Lilah Jane Tunkle fled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, she didn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-old son. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectly seasoned kisses …

AND HE CAN’T RESIST HER DOWN-HOME SPICE

Devon’s not sure he can handle one more surprise ingredient in his life—he quit his popular TV show, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knows is back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line, but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food…and turning up the heat.

I didn’t read the first book in this series. After Holly’s review (of the heroine specifically), I wasn’t too keen on picking it up. I’ve recently been watching Hell’s Kitchen so this book definitely appealed to me. After reading the prologue, I was hooked. Devon seemed to be very good hero material. Bad childhood, finally standing up for his father that he could never please. Things like that.

Lilah and Devon first meet at Chapel, a relatively seedy NYC bar. Devon goes there b/c the people know him and don’t care about his celebrity status. Devon is instantly attracted to Lilah and the air of innocence that seems to surround her. Another thing he realizes is that Lilah has no idea who he is which is a novelty when it comes to women.

Lilah has left her home in Virginia to begin a new life in New York. The last thing she expects is to go home with a stranger. One night stands are way out of the norm for her. After a steamy night of sex, Lilah follows what she believes is one night stand protocol. She leaves. The very last thing she expects to see when she reports to work at Market—the restaurant her friend is a manager at—is her one night stand. To make matters worse, he’s taking over as head chef for two weeks.

Lilah doesn’t quite have what it takes to be a busser. Her first night and she drops two full trays in the dining room. She is mistaken for a waitress and writes the order on her hands. Devon is furious when she comes back in the kitchen. Not only is he having a horrible first night as Executive Chef at Market, but he has also has an incompetent employee. The fact that it’s Lilah just jacks his anger up. When a police officer turns up in Market’s kitchen during the dinner rush toting a child she claims is Devon’s, Lilah immediately takes charge.

This is when I started disliking Devon (more than usual). After his shiteous childhood, the fact that he has NO CONTACT whatsoever with his child was unforgiveable. When you consider the circumstances in which his child is living, it makes it even worse.

Lilah was like a steamroller. A very effective steamroller. She is able to see a longing in Devon that he doesn’t show to the world. There was only one thing that Lilah did that I thought was out of line, but she was so matter-of-fact in admitting her mistake that I couldn’t just stay mad at. Lilah was the perfect contrast to Devon’s snoody “I’m better than you” personality. She was able to bring him down to the level the rest of us plebeians are.

3.75 out of 5.

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

Author Spotlight Review: Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2010-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Holly's review of Night Embrace (Dark Hunters, Book 3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dear Reader,

Life is great for me. I have my chicory coffee, my warm beignets, and my best friend on the cell phone. Once the sun goes down, I am the baddest thing prowling the night: I command the elements, and I know no fear. For centuries, I've protected the innocent and watched over the mankind, making sure they are safe in a world where nothing is ever certain. All I want in return is a hot babe in a red dress, who wants nothing more from me then one night.

Instead, I get a runaway Mardi Gras float that tries to turn me into roadkill and a beautiful woman who saves my life but can't remember where she put my pants. Flamboyant and extravagant, Sunshine Runningwolf should be the perfect woman for me. She wants nothing past tonight, no ties, no long-term commitments.

But every time I look at her, I start yearning for dreams that I buried centuries ago. With her unconventional ways and ability to baffle me, Sunshine is the one person I find myself needing. But for me to love her would mean her death. I am cursed never to know peace or happiness-not so long as my enemy waits in the night to destroy us both.

--Talon of the Morrigantes

This isn't one of my favorites of the series. Though it has some good parts and can be funny, I'm afraid I never really believed in the romance.

Talon is out hunting Daimon's one night when he sees Sunshine about to be attacked. He rushes to the rescue but is hit with a Mardi Gras float and Sunshine ends up rescuing him. She takes him back to her place and puts him to bed, thinking he's the sexiest man she's ever seen. The next morning Talon wakes up and realizes he's trapped in Sunshine's apartment for the day...with nothing better to do they get horizontal. And vertical, And quasi-vertical. (heh)

Despite their passionate ~~night~~ day together, however, they both know nothing can come of it. Sunshine has sworn off relationships and marriage, especially to men like Talon who would want to dominate her life. And Talon..well, he's an immortal vampire hunter who has been cursed by a Greek god so everyone he loves will die. He's not willing to sentence Sunshine to death simply because of his past sins.

But unforeseen forces are at work to keep these two together. When Talon and Sunshine realize she's the reincarnation of his dead wife Nynia, neither can stay away. But that doesn't mean their future is any less doomed.

Early on in the book - during the first few chapters - the characters are fun and interesting. Talon loves sex, coffee and pastries. Sunshine is an absentminded artist who eats only healthy food. They're complete opposites, but they have chemistry in spades. The scene where Sunshine tells Talon how she basically ruined all his clothes is hilarious. Plus, this novel features one of the best scenes ever. Sunshine and her mom are hanging out when Talon wakes up naked. They come into the room and catch sight of his manhood:

"Sunshine, I..." Starla's voice broke off as she entered the room and caught sight of him standing naked in the corner. She eyed him in an odd, detached way, as if he were an interesting piece of furniture.

Talon and modesty were strangers, but the way she stared at him made him damned uncomfortable. In spite of the sunlight, Talon grabbed the pink blanket off the bed and clutched it to his middle.

"You know, Sunshine, you need to find a man like that to marry. Someone so well hung that even after three or four kids, he'd still be wall to wall."

Talon gaped.

Sunshine laughed. "Starla, you're embarrassing him."

I really like Sunshine. She's kind of quirky, but isn't afraid to speak her mind or stand up for herself. It was good to see her stand up and tell Talon to shove it when he got too overbearing. Despite being a flighty artist, she was really grounded.

Talon I didn't like as much. The "soul mates" trope is overused here. Sunshine is the reincarnation of Talon's dead wife, and I never really believed it was Sunshine herself that he loves, but instead the soul of his dead wife. As soon as Talon realizes Sunshine has Nynia's soul he starts thinking of Sunshine either as his dead wife or strictly as a soul. While I understood his love for Nynia and his desire to be with her, Sunshine was her own person and deserved to be loved as such. Throughout the novel, right up to the end, Talon says he cares about Sunshine for who she is, but then treats her like she's his dead wife. He calls her his wife, refers to her as "you" when telling stories about Nynia and even at one point thinks, "[..] a woman whose soul meant more to him than his own life".

Toward the end Kenyon tries to make us readers believe that soul mates are soul mates and it doesn't matter how Talon thinks of Sunshine, or vice verse. They're meant to be together and therefore they will be. The whole attitude about it frustrates me. I can appreciate that they're meant to be together, but if my lover was calling me by his dead wife's name and getting me confused with her, I can tell you that relationship wouldn't last long.

I probably would have stopped reading somewhere around the middle of the book, but I wanted to see how the events advanced the overall story arc of the series. It's been so long since I read these books I couldn't remember all the details.

I liked Ash in this book, though I was left feeling hollow about him at the end. Of course that happens with him in a lot of these books, so it isn't really anything new. I also really liked Zarek in this book. That's something to take note of because I don't care for Zarek as a whole, especially after his book. But his one-liners were pretty great here. I also like the way he connects with Sunshine.

The plot-points are too numerous to go into. Because the series spans so many books and the ARC progresses with each one, it's sometimes hard to keep up. I will say I thought the villains were stupid and cheesy. I can only hope I never really thought they posed a real threat when I first read this series years ago. I'd be disappointed in myself if I had.. They reminded me of Dr. Suess' Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Overall I was less than impressed. The soul mates trope is shown at its worst here and though there were some humorous parts, my enjoyment was far overshadowed by the negative aspects.

2 out of 5

Click here for a list of the series and reading order.

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

Author Spotlight: Shameless Self Promotion

2010-03-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

When I first started reading Sherrilyn Kenyon, I knew she also wrote historicals under the pen name Kinley MacGregor, but I hadn't read them. I think I read the first four or five Dark Hunter books before I picked up a Kinley MacGregor novel. After reading 2 of them I decided they weren't for me. Even though Rowena raved and raved and raved about Sin, I just couldn't bring myself to read anymore of them.

One of the reasons I read the KM books to begin with is because they're mentioned in the Dark Hunter series. A lot. There's a KM book mentioned at least once in each of the earlier Dark Hunter books (I don't know if she does it in the later books because I haven't read them). I remember thinking, when I was young and innocent, how cute that was. Over the last few weeks I've been re-reading the earlier books in the series (I'm currently reading Kiss of the Night) and I'm not finding it as cute or funny this time around. As a matter of fact, it's almost annoying.

I'm not sure why, exactly. Is it because I don't care for the Kinley MacGregor books (her writing "voice" annoys me, which seems odd since it's the same person, but I have a similar issue with Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb)? Or is it just that I'm finding her shameless self promotion a little tacky?

What do you think? Plugging your own novels: cute or tacky?

Review: Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr

2010-03-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Casee's review of Moonlight Road (Virgin River, Book 10) by Robyn Carr.

With her beloved younger siblings settled and happy, Erin Foley has got empty nest syndrome. At age thirty-five.

So she’s hitting the pause button on her life and holing up in a secluded (but totally upgraded, she’s not into roughing it) cabin near Virgin River. Erin is looking forward to really getting to know herself...not some shaggy-haired mountain man she meets wandering the woods.

In fact, beneath his faded fatigues and bushy beard, Aiden Riordan is a doctor, recharging for a summer after leaving the Navy. He’s intrigued by the pretty, slightly snooty refugee from the rat race — meditating, journaling and definitely keeping him at arm’s length. He’d love to get closer...if his scruffy exterior and crazy ex-wife don’t hold him back.

But maybe it’s something in the water — unlikely romances seem to take root in Virgin River...helped along with some well-intentioned meddling, of course.

This commenter had it right. The Virgin River books are starting to read more like women’s health manuals for the premenopausal (and even post menopausal) than real romance. There is actually a scene between Mel and Jack where Jack tells her that HE misses HER periods. Why? Because having sex with her during her period was a turn-on. You know, he could show her that he wants her no matter what. SERIOUSLY. What man says that? Even Jack—my favorite VR hero—shouldn’t be able to get away with that. Because men don’t say that. Do they?

I really liked Aiden and Erin. Their initial meeting had me laughing. From each of their perspectives, it’s clear that they both have the wrong impression. Aiden thinks that Erin is an ice queen (i.e. bitch). Erin thinks that Aiden is a homeless bum. As they get to know each other, Erin slowly realizes that Aiden is far from a bum. The Virgin River books tend to move slow. I liken it to life in Virgin River. Nothing ever comes quickly. So it’s over several weeks/months that Aiden and Erin start getting to know each other.

Aiden had been married about eight years ago and for three months. He’s horrified when it’s crazy ex turns up at his family’s place in Virgin River acting like she wants to get back together. The ex is pretending that she wants him back even though Aiden knows it’s a crock of crap. Still, she has a way of making the situation turn in her favor. Then she goes to visit Erin and feeds her a bunch of lies about Aiden.

That’s when it started falling apart for me. Erin knows Aiden, she’s even falling in love with them. He’s great in bed and they have fun together. So the fact that Erin immediately decides that she can’t trust him totally turns me off of her. I understood why, but I didn’t understand how. Aiden warned her about his ex long before she paid Erin a visit. It wasn’t something that blindsided Erin. Yet she’s willing to believe a psycho?

Then there is Mel. Mel—my favorite Virgin River heroine—who went CRAZY in this book. She turned into a character that I didn’t recognize. I understood her reaction to the particular situation she found herself in, but I found her way of dealing with it completely unlike her. She completely tries to railroad Jack into doing something he doesn’t want to do. There’s something even worse, but to tell you would be to spoil it.

This book was just a hot menopausal mess. I liked Erin (other than the whole distrust thing) the best b/c it seemed like she came the farthest. She opened herself up to life and found someone to love.

3 out of 5.

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

The series:

Guest Review: Bound, Branded & Brazen by Jaci Burton

2010-03-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tracy's review of Bound, Branded and Brazen by Jaci Burton

In the wilds of Oklahoma, three sisters have a hot date with destiny. Valerie, Brea, and Jolene McMasters reunite on the family ranch that should have been called the Bar Nothing…

Bound…

When Valerie left for the big city, she kissed her foreman husband, Mason, goodbye—along with the best sex she ever had. Now, seeing him brings back sizzling memories. But their rekindled fire threatens to burn them both.

Branded…

Watching Gage wrangle untamed horses with a gentle but firm touch leaves Brea hot and bothered. But can she live out her fantasy with a man who may ask more than she’s willing to give?

Brazen…

Ranch hand Walker Morgan can’t afford to lose his job by getting too close to his new boss, Jolene, no matter how much she tempts him. But Jolene’s prepared to take the first step, because what Jolene wants, Jolene gets. And Jolene wants Walker.

Bound: Our first story in the book shows us Valerie who has come back to the ranch where she grew up for her uncle’s funeral and to see her sisters for the first time in 2 years. When she left she really had no plans on ever returning, despite the fact that she loved her sisters dearly. You see 2 years ago when she left she walked out on her marriage to ranch foreman, Mason, and got a divorce. She’s finished her residency and has become a successful doctor in Dallas. She just wants to get the visit over with and return to her new practice.

But Mason has other ideas – he wants Valerie back because he’s never stopped loving her. He’s pretty sure he knows why she left but it doesn’t make it any easier to take. They realize they can’t stay away from each other physically and agree to have a sexual relationship during Valerie’s visit – but that’s all Valerie wants…or is it? Her love for Mason that never died and a town full of people who need her finally make Valerie's decision for her.

I very much enjoyed this story although I thought that Valerie, at time, acted a tad childish. I could see things from her POV to a point but then I thought she went a bit overboard. Mason seemed like a great guy and I felt sometimes that he didn’t deserve Valerie but in the end I was pleased with the outcome of their relationship.

Branded: Brea is an independent computer contractor and works from home. She’s not taken very good care of herself and shows up at the ranch for her uncle’s funeral in long body hiding skirts and a mess of a hairdo that she hides behind. Her sister Jolene decides to take her in hand and takes her shopping for a new wardrobe and a new do. But horse trainer Gage noticed Brea before her makeover. He was drawn to her and it seems that Brea was drawn to him as well. Gage realizes that Brea’s self-esteem is in the gutter and he goes slowly with her, coaxing Brea out sexually and letting her know that she’s a beautiful woman. But Gage isn’t in for the long haul so what happens when Brea starts getting attached?

This was my favorite story of the three. Gage was so great with Brea and she found her groove quite quickly with him. With her being demeaned in the past she had to realize that she was a person of worth. I loved how Gage and Brea were together I think because we’ve all had our episodes of self-esteem issues. The only problem I had with the story is that I felt it was a tad too short. I felt we as readers needed a little bit more before Gage came to his senses about his feelings for Brea but that just may have been because I liked the story so much and didn’t want it to end.

Brazen: Jolene stayed on the ranch and worked after her two sisters flew the coop. For a while now she’s had her sights set on ranch hand Walker. And as Jolene says, she always gets what she wants. She goes after Walker in a mad way and eventually gets him, but Walker has some issues from his past that he doesn’t want to get Jolene involved in. Walker tries his damndest to keep them apart even though he has feelings for Jolene but he gives in. But not all of the folks outside of the ranch see Walker as Jolene does and they want him gone from the town and the state.

I really liked Walker in this story. I think his sense of honor, especially because of what he’d been through in the past is what drew me to him. He was just a stand up guy. Jolene was a hard worker and loved working on the ranch. At times I thought she was a little brash but that was just her and she didn’t put on airs for anyone.

I think all of the stories in this book had a great sense of friendship, love and loyalty. It was the sense of togetherness that I loved with the sisters as well as those who worked the ranch. Overall a pretty darned good book.

Rating: 4 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy's Place.

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

Rose Lerner Winner Announced

2010-03-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Rose Lerner for visiting and bringing such a great discussion to the site.

Now, for the winner of signed copy of In for a Penny:

Veedham

Congrats! Please email me at contests @ thebookbinge . com (no spaces) with your mailing info and I'll pass it along to the author. Thanks again to all of you who commented.

Guest Review: Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper

2010-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Judith's review of Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men (Jane Jameson #2) by Molly Harper

Once a devoted children's librarian, Jane Jameson now works at a run-down occult bookstore. Once a regular gal, she's now a vampire. And instead of a bride, she's an eternal bridesmaid—which leads her to queston where exactly her relationship w ith her irresistably sexy sire, Gabriel, is headed. Mecurial, enigmatic, apparently commitment phobic vampires are nothing if not heard to read. While Jan is gtrying to master undead dating, she is also donning the ugliest bridesmaid's dress in history at her best friend Zeb's Titanic-themed wedding. Between a freaked-out groom-to-be, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and Zeb's mother, hell-bent on seeing Jane walk the aisle with her son, Jan's got the feeling she's just rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.

Meanwhile, Half Moon Hollow's own Black Widow, Jane's Grandma Ruthie, has met her match in her latest fiance. He smells like bad cheese and has a suspicious history of dead spouses. But Jane biting her t ongue. After all, would a nice girl really think she had a future with a vampire?

Molly Harper has done it again! In her first book entitled Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, we were introduced to Jane Jameson and her tale of life in a small Kentucky town as children's librarian, a job that ends because of the prejudice and dislike of the head of library, a friend of her grandmother. She goes to a local club and drowns her sorrows over her job loss, is stranded on a dark rural strip of road on her way home, is trying to walk the rest of the way to her residence when she is mistaken for a deer by a drunken cowboy and shot, rescued from “death” by Gabriel Nightengal who “turns” her into one of his “undead” creations. In life, Jane is an irrascible, sharp-tongued, dedicated, quick-witted lady at the beginning of her career, who has chosen to remain in her home town rather than take her advanced degree in hand and seek life beyond Kentucky. As a vampire, she is much the same, but now she must also deal with the issues of survival as well as the unsought-for burdens of living eternally as a vampire.

In this present volume, Harper continues the story of Jane, building on the relationships and situations that were introduced in the first book. Jane's very dysfunctional family relationships are even more convoluted because of her new vampire status: her mother can't seem to get past denial (and that just seems to go on and on), her older sister has never accepted the fact that Jane inherited the family estate River Oaks ( and her anger just keeps on escalating), and her lethal Grandma Ruthie continues to go through engagements like a knife through warm butter. Gabriel continued to declare his love for Jane, but he keeps on disappearing on “business” and while Jane loves him and their sexual relationship is explosive to put it mildly, there are the tiniest of worries beginning to creep into Jane's heart and mind over his frequent absences and his being non-communicative during those times.

Added to all the above is the approaching wedding-from-hell between her very best friend Zeb, a man with whom Jane has grown up and whose friendship is more important than almosts anyone's except Gabriel. She has never wanted anything more than the brother/sister relationship w ith him, but Zeb's mother cannot and will not give up her determination that Jane and Zeb were meant for each other. Now Zeb is preparing to marry a werewolf, Jolene, with whom he is absolutely head-over-heels in love with. Jane, as maid of honor, is doomed to wear the ugliest dress on the planet, and it is only her friendship with Zeb and her growing friendship with Jolene that keeps her accepting of this fact. She finds herself counselor to both and intermediary in so many situations that keep coming up in her family as well as the approaching wedding. Now Jane's grandmother is newly engaged to a man who Jane catches consuming pig's blood on the sly. It is another circumstance Jane feels called upon to investigate.

Harper has given us a slice of Southern life in a small town that is raucous, intriguing, hilarious, and in so many ways typical while, at the same time, the addition of the “undead” in the population provides so many funny ingedients to the mix. The background characters are almost iconic in nature—people one would find in almost any Southern town, but who are just a little bit stranger because some of them are “undead.”

I loved this book and chuckled all the way through. As my mother's family were from Western Kentucky, I recognized so many of these personalities and resonated with the kinds of situations that are part and parcel to Southern village life. I think you will like Jane and be easily drawn into her life. You will find yourself feeling many of the things she is feeling as she tries to sort out the changes her vampire state has forced on her. I think we all can understand her struggles and I think we will be cheered by the way she strives to accept herself as she now is and to become comfortable in her own skin. I was put off just a bit about some of the repetitive passages and have to admit to skipping over them. Some of the dialogue didnt' seem to be as important to the story as one might have supposed. But all in all, it was a great read. If you like vampires, you will love Jane and company.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

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

You can read more from Judith at Dr J's Book Place

The series:

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2010-03-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

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Guest Review: Bareback Cowboy by Carol Lynne

2010-03-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Tracy’s review of Bareback Cowboy (Saddle Up and Ride #2) by Carol Lynne

Ethan Griggs is quite happy living on Justice River Ranch. He spends his days as head wrangler, tending to the horses he loves and the guests he’s learned to tolerate. When Bridger Collins arrives at the ranch, Griggs’ world is turned upside down. Despite his usual hands-off policy with the guests, he’s immediately drawn to the younger man.

Bridger thrives on the cowboy way of life. The son of one of the richest men in the country, Bridger would rather fix a fence than sit behind a desk counting his money. The sexual chemistry he seems to share with Griggs is simply icing on the cake.

With his week-long stay coming to a close, Bridger is forced to choose between the life he wants with Griggs and the life planned for him since birth.

When Bridger decides to spend the week at a working ranch in Montana he doesn’t expect to meet the man of his dreams. But the man who picks him up from the airport is one hot guy. Griggs is attracted to Bridger as well but makes some assumptions about him that turn him off of acting on his attraction to the younger man. His assumptions are wrong and once Griggs realizes this he starts to think that maybe his attraction doesn’t need to be ignored.

Bridger would like nothing more than to stay at Justice River Ranch forever but his father has different ideas about how Bridger’s life is going to be lived. Will Bridger stand up for himself or let his life be ruled by his father?

This was a short but good book. I very much enjoyed seeing Bridger and Griggs relationship blossoming. They seemed to have a bond between them that was almost instantaneous. I did think at times that Griggs tried to treat Bridger like a child I also saw it as Griggs trying to take care of the man he loved and who doesn't want to take care of their loved ones? While I would have liked to have seen some more of the inside of the men’s relationship and what made them love each other - the story is written in such a way that it’s not a must to enjoy the story. This is book 2 in the Saddle Up and Ride series. I didn’t read book 1 – yet – but don’t feel that I needed to in order to read this one. Though in a series this is a perfectly well done stand alone.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.

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

Contest Winners Announced: Jill Shalvis and Allison Chase

2010-03-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I completely spaced this out earlier today. Sorry about that.

The winner of Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis is:

Rosie G.

If you didn't win today don't worry, we'll have several more copies to give away next week.

The winner of Most Eagerly Yours by Allison Chase is:

Julie

Congrats Ladies! Please email me at contests @ thebookbinge . com with your mailing address and I'll get your books out ASAP.

Winners for the Julie James Giveaway...

2010-03-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

...the second third giveaway.

First off, thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway and thanks to Julie James for writing such an awesome book for us to gush over. The winners for the 3 copies are:

Emma
mariska
chelleyreads

Congratulations! Please send us your snail mail information at contests @ the book binge . com (no spaces) and we'll get your books sent off this week!

Happy Reading!

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!