Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts

Saturday, 17 September 2011

The Corset Diaries - Katie Macalister

BLURB:

"I HAVE TO WEAR WHAT???"

No woman in her right mind would consent to wearing a corset for a month. Especially a "skinny-challenged" woman like myself. But dreams of being debt-free danced in my head when I received the offer to appear on a reality TV show.

A Month in the Life of a Victorian Duke is about real people - like me - pretending to live on an English estate, circa 1879. Sounds fun, no? Well, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. We're talking no televisions, no cell phones, no PMS medication. And did I mention the corsets? No breathing for a full month. Luckily, when I met the real-life duke who was to be my pretend husband, he took my breath away...

In a manor in which everyone must strictly follow the Victorian lifestyle, things were bound to go wrong. Like when some harmless lust turned into that other thing...

Love was definitely not in the contract.

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

The Chaos Crystal - Jennifer Fallon

BLURB:

The Tide Lords have gathered in Jelidia to find out the secret of how to kill an
immortal... Cayal in particular. Before they can do this, however, they must
find the Chaos Crystal that brought them to this world.

They initially head to Glaeba, where Arkady has been captured by Jaxyn. She
escapes and flees to Caelum, where she runs into Warlock and his family and
learns that Elyssa, Warlock's cruel immortal mistress, may know something about
the location of the Crystal.


With every immortal on Amyrantha searching for this artefact, the stakes are very
high...


MY TAKE:

574 pages. Book Four of The Tide Lords

Sunday, 21 August 2011

A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing - Deborah MacGillivray

BLURB:

Revenge - that was Trev's goal when he first set his sights on Raven. And a delicious revenge it would be. He and his two brothers had each selected a Montgomerie sister to systematically seduce and destroy, and this quiet granddaughter of his enemy was perfect. She lived simply in a cottage in the English countryside, a painter, and socialized only with gypsies and a menagerie of misfits: her fat orange tabby, her one-legged seagull and a midget pony. And in addition to beauty, Raven had a delicious vulnerability begging to be exploited. Trev was happy to oblige. In fact, it felt like destiny.
Magic and fate have brought a self-proclaimed wolf to Colford Hall. He's dressed in a designer suit and drives a Lamborghini Murcielago and apologizes for nothing. And though Trev doesn't realize it, wolves mate for life.

My take:

Completely unrealistic and overly sappy and cheesy. Makes for a good brainless read. The description of intimate scenes were well described. Too much comparison and references to fairy tales like Red Riding Hood because the main female lead has red hair and Trev's the wolf. Raven is seemingly frail because of past emotional damage but she is quite stubborn and will stand up for herself if she has enough reason to do so. The mysterious gypsy box tells their future and their dreams are haunted by the past.

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Blue Moon Rising - Simon R Green

Blue Moon Rising by Simon R Green

BLURB:

In those days, there were heroes and villians, and darkness walked the earth. There were dragons to be slain, captured princesses to be saved, and mighty deeds to be accomplished by knights in shining armor. Many tales are told of that time, tales of steadfast bravery and derring-do...

This is not one of them.
Rupert didn't especially want to be a prince. And he certainly never asked to be the second son of a royal line that really didn't need a spare. After all, a kingdom suffering from crippling financial loss couldn't very well afford to have different factions fighting over who was more worthy to rule as the next king. So Rupert was sent out ot slay a dragon and prove himself - a quest straight out of legend.
But Rupert also discovered the kinds of things legends tend to leave out, as well as the usual demons and goblins, a dreaded Night Witch... and even worse terrors hidden in the shadows of Darkwood.
Rupert did find a fiery dragon-and a beautiful princess to rescue too. But the dragon turned out to be a better friend than anyone back at the castle. And with the evil of Darkwood suddenly spreading its roots... and with the blue moon rising and the Wild Magic along with it, Rupert needed all the friends he could get...

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

The Man With the Golden Torc - Simon R. Green

The Man With the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green
Book 1 of the Secret History series

BLURB:

The name's Bond. Shaman Bond.

Actually, that's just my cover. I'm Eddie Drood. But when your job includes a license to kick supernatural arse on a regular basis, you find your laughs where you can.

For centuries, my family has been the secret guardian of humanity, all that stands between all of you and all of the really nasty things that go bump in the night. As a Drood field agent I wore the golden torc, killed monsters, and I protected the world. I loved my job.

Right up to the point when my own family declared me rogue for no reason, and I was forced to go on the run. Now the only people who can help me prove my innocence are the people I used to consider my enemies.

I'm Shaman Bond, very secret agent. And I'm going to prove to everyone that no one does it better than me.

Improper English - Katie MacAlister

Improper English by Katie MacAlister

BLURB:

London on Three Kisses a Day

Brandishing a loaf of French bread at a dishy detective wasn't how Alexandra Freemar had envisioned starting her stay in London. But the sassy American wasn't about to put up with any flak from the uptight - albeit gorgeous - Scotland Yard inspector who accused her of breaking and entering. She didn't have time to deal with this suspicious upstairs neighbour. She had two months to write the perfect romance novel - two months to prove that she could succeed as an author.

Luckily, reserved Englishmen were not her cup of tea. Yet, one kiss told her Alexander Black might not be quite as proper as she'd thought. In fact, his lips could be classified as downright wicked, leaving Alix to wonder how far his talents extended. There was only one snag: The serious-minded gentleman wasn't interested in a mere summer fling. And while as a writer Alix knew every imaginable euphemism for the male member, as a woman she soon realized she had a lot to learn about love.

MY Version:
To be written later. in short - woman was bloody annoying and insecure, but pulls herself together in the end.

Monday, 23 February 2009

Light My Fire - Katie MacAlister

Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister
An Aisling Grey, Guardian, Novel

BLURB:

Aisling Grey is juggling being a demon lord, a Guardian, and a wyvern's mate, even though she's keeping her distance from said wyvern, Drake, these days. But her presence is still required at a meeting of the green dragons. Since several attempts have been made on her life, Drake is sure to get protective of her. Which might not be a bad thing when war breaks out and all hell breaks loose-literally.



MY Version:
This book is sizzling~~ Having Drake as a mate sure fires things up. *wink wink*
Aisling Grey has lots of responsibilities thrust upon her, and she's trying to run away from some of them. Leader? Who, me? No way. Run...
She's trying to get proper training to be a Guardian, juggling the dragons' attentions at the same time, AND trying to fend off imps, a result of her pet / familiar / minion Jim accidentally offending the imps BIG TIME. All in all, Grey seems to attract trouble, and trouble has no problem trailing after her everywhere. Chaos all around. And oh, people want her dead, people want to seduce her, people want her to be their leader... She should just makes clones of herself so that there will be enough of her to go around. Lots of things happening in every chapter, with Grey complaining all throughout. Did I mention that she is a Demon Lord as well, and has a minion named Jim who appears in the mortal world as a dog? Overall a satisfying read at 352 pages. Her capers leave you wanting to know what happens next in her overwhelmingly chaotic life.


Professional Review people [SPOILERS]:
MacAlister's third paranormal Aisling Grey novel takes her heroine and her pet demon, Jim (who looks like a Newfoundland dog), to London, where she is apprenticing to Nora to learn the Guardian trade. She is soon on the hot seat when Jim eats the Imp king, but that may be the least of her problems since the Green and Red dragon clans are now at war, and someone wants her dead. The imps do torch Nora's house so Aisling, Nora, and Jim move into the London mansion of Drake Vireo, green-eyed wyvern, and sparks fly. Then, kidnapped while wearing only a towel, Aisling is pitched from the frying pan into the fire when she is then stolen from her kidnappers and required to draw on her dark powers to vanquish a Demon Lord. MacAlister's crazy paranormal high jinks, delightful characters, and simmering romance between Aisling and Drake will appeal to fans of MaryJanice Davidson's Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires, series. Diana Tixier Herald
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