dinsdag 31 augustus 2010

New addition to my addiction

I just found Christine Feehan - Water Bound on my doormat. Of course, I have already read it as an ebook, but ladies, wow, what a stepcover! Really worth drooling over!

maandag 30 augustus 2010

Joanne Pence - A cook in time

The seventh book in the Angie Amalfi series.


A cook in time


Culinary queen Angie Amalfi has a way with food and people, but her newest business idea is turning out to be shakier than a fruit-filled gelatin mold. Her first--and only--clients for "Fantasy Dinners" are none other than a group of UFO-chasers and government conspiracy fanatics. Though Angie is more interested in what aliens eat than the Prometheus Group's outlandish theories, still, business is business, and she vows to create an authentic dinner her clients won't forget. Besides, she's got plenty of free time since her hunky cop boyfriend, Paavo, might as well be off on another planet he's so wrapped up in investigating a series of bizarre murders.

The more Angie unearths about her slightly off-center clients, however, the more she starts to believe in a conspiracy theory of her own, one linking her feast to Paavo's case. It seems the Prometheus Group has more on its agenda than just cooking up fake abductions. The truth is out there and Angie is determined to get it. This time, though, her curiosity just might take her out of this world--for good.


Through her new business, she comes back into contact with an old boyfriend, and sure, does he still remember her! He wanted to marry her back then, her father loved him, and now he thinks he is getting a second chance. Angie is planning nothing of the sort, she is very happy with her Paavo. And Paavo is also not so happy with this nutcase after Angie. So Angie tries to hook Derrick Holton up with her friend Conny, who is looking for a new boyfriend. After all, Derrick is a NASA scientist, and very handsome. But the better they get to know him, and the strange organisation he is heading, the more doubtful Angie gets.

And then Paavo, who is very busy searching for a serial killer who mutilates his victims, and leaves evidence behind of technology from the 50s, while the objects should not have been invented till the 60s! So, was there really a Government conspiracy involving aliens in Roswell? Did the technology boost from the 60s originate from their alien spaceship?


A really strange story this one. If you are interested in UFO’s, Roswell, Area51, aliens and Dreamland, and such, you might understand a bit more than I do. This book is placed at the end of the 20th century, when many people went looking for more, being sure the world would end soon.
I do like this cover better than the one I have.


zondag 29 augustus 2010

J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The fourth Harry Potter book.



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter joins the Weasleys at the Quidditch World Cup, then enters his fourth year at Hogwarts Academy where he is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger.


Of course I have read this book before, but I just finished it a minute ago, and am still impressed at the moment. From a mere childrens book it turned into a lot more. As Harry Potter ages, so do the stories. They are not just amusing anymore, they are getting grimmer. Death is not shunned, nor treachery. I just can’t wait to start the next one, knowing what will be in it, but still anxious to read it again. To finish this story. But each book is getting more and more pages, which will take more and more time to read, to finish it all.

The best part is, when I have finished those 7 books, I have some great fanfics to compare with the real ones. I am looking forward to those. If you yourself want to read those, just send me a message.

Sabrina Jeffries – Let sleeping rogues lie

The fourth book in the School for Heiresses series.


Let sleeping rogues lie

When Madeline Prescott took a teaching position at Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies, it was to help restore her father's reputation. Instead, she's in danger of ruining her own. The devilishly handsome Anthony Dalton, Viscount Norcourt, has agreed to provide "rake lessons" to Mrs. Harris's pupils so they can learn how to avoid unscrupulous gentlemen, and Madeline is to oversee his classes. She has always believed that attraction is a scientific matter, easily classified and controlled -- until she's swept into the passionate desire that fiercely burns between her and Anthony. Nothing could be more illogical than risking everything for a dalliance with a rake -- even one who's trying to behave himself. Yet nothing could be more tempting....


When Anthony was a young boy, his father send him to live with his aunt and uncle when his mother died. They abused him terribly. And now his brother died, leaving him with the title and the estates, but his aunt and uncle have applied for guardianship of his niece Emma. He cannot let those monsters have another child to abuse. So he tries to become respectable, and if he can get Emma into the best school there is, he has a chance of gaining guardianship himself.

So he strikes a deal with the headmistress, mrs. Harris. He will give rake lessons to her pupils, and when she is satisfied with his character, she will enrol Emma in the next semester. What Anthony did not count upon, was Madeline Prescott. She takes the opportunity to blackmail Anthony in getting her invited to a nitrous oxide party, so she can finally meet Sir Humprey. He is the only one who can restore her fathers reputation.

But Madeline will not tell him her reasons for it. So he sets out to seduce her, to learn her secrets. Her father is being pursued by his uncle, so he just cannot know of their connection, it will damage his chances for getting Tessa. When Madeline realises the hell he went through, she tries to put her own goals back. Anthony however is determined to save them both: his niece and her father. So he decides to go back to that town he has avoided for over 20 years, to face his own demons and find out the truth about her father.

He loves Madeline, and he will do anything to get her to marry him. Even if it means loosing Tessa. But luckily, what he learns will set them all free.


Another good book by Sabrina Jeffries. Very original characters, and the plot was amazing. I have never read before about nitrous oxide, or the sins of Onania, and I have read quite a few books. As usual, some good love scenes, and real characters to care for. Sadly, I have only two more books by Sabrina Jeffries to read, so I will save them for a bit.

vrijdag 27 augustus 2010

J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The third book in the Harry Potter series, and again I enjoyed myself reading it.



The Chamber of Secrets


For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts."

Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.




It is summer vacation, and Harry Potter is staying again with his muggle relatives, the Dursleys. Secretly studying under the blankets to keep up with his schoolwork, but at least Hedwig is allowed to fly at night. For the rest, he is still neglected as much as possible, and when Uncle Herman’s sister comes to stay for a week, Harry finally cannot take it any longer. When she keeps making disparaging remarks about his parents, he blows her up. Before his uncle can punish him, he gathers his possessions and runs away, getting picked up by the Knight Bus, and taken to London.

To his surprise he is being awaited by the Minister of Magic himself, who is not even angry about the use of witchcraft. Harry is allowed to stay in the Leaky Cauldron, and visit Diagon Alley daily. Visiting all the shops, doing his homework on a sunny terrace, till finally his friends arrive too. Together they spend the last night in the Leaky Cauldron and when he overhears mr. and mrs. Weasley, Harry finally knows why he is being protected.

A prisoner escaped from Azkaban, Sirius Black, and he is after Harry! Security is very strict, there are Dementors at the gates of Hogwarts, and Harry is forbidden to join his classmates when they visit the little town next to the school. But Fred and George Weasly take pity on him, and give him a secret map of all the secret passages to and from the school. One of them ends right in the midst of Hogsmeade, so he can join Ron and Hermione when they visit the place.

There is a new teacher for Defense of the Black Arts, and he is the best they ever had. All the students like Professor Lupos, only Professor Snape seems to hate him. And when he one time has to take over the class, he tries to teach them about werewolves, a subject they aren’t ready for yet.

And Hermione, how is she taking all those extra classes? She is drowning in homework and books, but still never misses a class.

Hagrid is also been made a teacher, for the care of magical animals. But in the very first lesson Draco Malfoy gets himself bitten by a hippogriff, and he milks it for all he is worth. Making sure his father uses his power to get Hagrid’s favourite hippogriff killed. The three do all they can to aid Hagrid during the trial, but to no use.
In the end, the truth comes out. Ron Weasly’s rat is not just a rat, he is an animagi, a wizard who can change in an animal. Just like Sirius Black, and his best friend and Harry’s father, James Potter. And it was not Sirius who betrayed Harry’s parents to Voldemort, but Peter Pettigrew, whom everyone thought was dead. The very reason Sirius was send to Azkaban. Unfortunately, Peter escapes and Sirius is caught, and is about the receive the final punishment, the Dementor’s Kiss, which will cost him his soul.

Hermione and Harry however safe them all. The hippogriff and Sirius escape but Sirius is still a murderer on the loose, as they cannot prove his innocence. No one will believe two 13 year old wizards and a werewolf. Professor Lupos is forced to leave Hogwarts now Snape has spilled his secret. And Harry has to go back to his aunt and uncle again. But he has the secret knowledge of his godfather in his heart.


Yes, a good story again. A pity pieces of the text are missing in my ebook, but as I have read the Dutch paperback countless times, I know what has been told there.

One with the next one!

donderdag 26 augustus 2010

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The second book in the Harry Potter series, and I enjoyed it very much again. First time I read it in English.


The Chamber of Secrets

When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been unleashed on the school.


Rescued from the Dursleys home by his friend Ron and his brothers Fred and George in a flying car, Harry has a very good time in their home. They are not rich, but they are a great family. And at least Harry gets plenty to eat, and plenty attention. Father Weasly is very much interested in all things muggles, and Harry of course know almost everything about being a muggle.

The house elf Dobby warns Harry not to return to school, as there is a dangerous conspiracy plotted, which will put Harry in grave danger. He does his best to prevent Harry from reaching Hogwarts, but Harry is determined to go back to school.

There is a new very obnoxious teacher for the position of Defense against the Dark Arts, a handsome wizard who has all the witches swooning over him. He has written several books, which are required reading among the whole school, but when put to the test, he is a fake.

Dangerous whisperings are being heard by Harry, things no one else can hear, and strange things are happening. Mrs Norks is found Petrified, and why are all the spiders leaving the castle? Harry is suspected of being the Heir of Slytherin, suspected of being a Dark Lord himself when more people, and even a ghost, turn op Petrified. Luckily Madame Sprout is growing Mandragora, and will soon be able to save all the victims.

But what monster is lurking beneath the castle, and who is setting it free? And why is Ginny Weasly so pale and drawn and sad all the time? The answers are found in the bathroom occupied by Moaning Myrtle, who died 50 years ago, the time when the Chamber of secrets was opened for the very first time … Is it really Hagrid, who is sent to Azkaban for the suspicion alone?

What are Ron and Harry to do when Hermione is Petrified, Ginny is abducted by the Monster, and Professor Dumbledore is suspended as headmaster at the machinations of Lucius Malfoy?

A great series, I have already started the third book.

Barbara Cartland – Fire on the Snow

Fire on the Snow



Onother nice novel by Barbara Cartland. This one I have read before in Dutch, many years ago, so it was nice being told this story again. I do like my cover better, but couldn’t find a picture of it.


Alida is abused by her aunt and uncle, because her father married her mother. She was a ballerina in Vienna, and he had to leave the Diplomatic Corps for that. But they were in love, and extremely happy together, living in Paris. When they died, Alida had to go live with her fathers brother, who punishes her as often as he can. She is not allowed to talk back when they trash her mother, to read, she is just a servant to them.

But then her niece Mary is to marry a Russian prince, and Alida is to accompany her and help her with everything. She is very happy to leave the dreary castle, even if it is only for a while.

Then the Russian Count who is escorting them to Russia sets eyes on Mary, and they fall in love, even though he is married already. Alida is to divert their chaperone, so Mary and Count Ivan can be together as much as possible. And even when they finally set eyes on the Prince, who is so very handsome, Mary won’t give up the Count.

And Alida is feeling herself fall in love with the prince, but she knows it is for naught. Her uncle has forbidden her to marry, and the prince will be marrying Mary! There is not only great richness and great poorness, and slavery and cruelty, there is also kindness and beauty, and miracles do happen sometimes …



A lovely story, which I enjoyed reading again. Barbara Cartland writes very fluently, and though her heroines are young girls, totally innocent and naïve, I like her backgrounds and the history she tells about. No love scenes either, which is a relief sometimes from the more and more erotic books being written today.

dinsdag 24 augustus 2010

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The first book in the famous Harry Potter series. Of course everyone has read this one, as have I several times before. But a huge headache requires some easy reading, something familiair, where you can skip pages if you want to. I watched the movie the next day, and you really do miss a lot if you just watch the movie and never read the book.

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What did Harry Potter know about magic? He was stuck with the decidedly un-magical Dursleys, who hated him. He slept in a closet and ate their leftovers. But an owl messenger changes all that, with an invitation to attend the Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches, where it turns out Harry is already famous.. . .





I love the part where Hagrid comes to fetch Harry from that Rock in the Sea, where he tells him about being a wizard. Dyagon Alley is great too, with all those shops and Gringots, the wizards bank. The more you read a book, the more details you notice. I love how Harry stands up for his classmates, even though he has been bullied his whole life by his cousin Dudley.

He has to deal with a lot, and he is only eleven after all. The candy is great too.



I hope J.K. Rowling will someday start writing a new series.

New addition to my addiction

Today I received a new book in one of the longest series I am following:
J.D.Robb - Fantasy in Death.

Ofcourse, I have read it long ago, and am already looking forward to the new book coming soon!

Barbara Cartland – The wings of love

Amanda Burke, daughter of a country vicar, encounters the dissolute Lord Ravenscar. Despite his unsavoury reputation, he is a friend of the Prince of Wales. Amanda runs away from him in disgust. But soon Lord Ravenscar has in his hands the life of a man with whom Amanda is deeply in love: and the only way to save her lover’s life is to accept the man she loathes …

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An ideal book to read in the tub. Barbara Cartland was one of the first historical authors I discovered as a teenager, and I still like reading her books. They are timeless, and really easy to read. Which is good when you are tired and have those cursed headaches.

Amanda lives in a little village, where the local people are involved in a little bit of smuggling. One evening, they are followed by the Dragoons, and one of them is shot. Amanda tells them to hide in an abandoned building in the garden of Lord Ravenscar. But the prize Lord Ravenscar asks her to pay for keeping the Dragoons from searching his property is high. And when the next day there is the suspicion that one of them is not just a local smuggler, but a French spy, Lord Ravenscar demands that she marry him, and fast. In the meantime, Amanda has fallen in love with this Peter, and she will do anything to save his life.

So she agrees to marry him, but Lord Ravenscar still tries to cheat on his promise. But Peter escapes, and Amanda is rushed of to London with Lady Standon, Lord Ravenscars sister, to buy her trousseau. Lord Ravenscar also gives her father, who is a vicar on a very small salary, a bigger parish on one of his other estates. So he not only bribes her with the life of the man she loves, but with the future of her father, the happiness of her whole family! As his wife, she can do so much for her younger siblings, buy them things her parents never could afford.

Lady Standon tries to get her to run away, as her brother is a very wicked person. He will defile her, demean her, make her life miserable. But Amanda cannot come back on her word, she keeps hoping instead that Peter will safe her. And then there is Lady Isabel, who believed Lord Ravenscar would marry her! So she hates Amanda, and tries some cruel tricks to get rid of her. Fortunately, there finally is Peter to save her, but he has to leave her in Lord Ravenscars house, without any explanation why. Only the declaration that he loves her, and she has to trust him. But can he safe her in time? When the marriage is to take place the very next day in Carlton House?


Of course, Amanda is a ninny, and nothing like the strong heroines I love reading about. Totally helpless and clueless and naïve. But she has her good qualities too, and she finds Lady Standon her true love. And Peter stayed a mystery until the last few pages. That way, you cannot learn to like him when you read about his past, as that didn’t happen.
So the story was nice, and relaxing, and I will certainly read some more books. After all, I have hundreds of them.

donderdag 19 augustus 2010

Sabrina Jeffries – Beware a Scot’s revenge!

The third book in the School for Heiresses series.

Beware a Scot's revenge

"Someone's going to call your bluff someday, Venetia -- you'd better hope it's not a handsome man."-- Mrs. Charlotte Harris, headmistressLady Venetia Campbell's visit to her childhood home in Scotland takes a dramatic turn when she's kidnapped at pistol point by her father's sworn enemy. Sir Lachlan Ross is widely feared in his guise as The Scottish Scourge, but Venetia remembers her former neighbor as a handsome youth whose attentions she craved. Now a wickedly sexy man, Lachlan's appeal is even more intoxicating...and much more dangerous. Though Lachlan tries to treat her as his foe, his scorching kisses tell another story. And despite his plan to use her as a weapon against her father, Venetia is determined that Lachlan's lust for revenge will be trumped by an even more powerful desire...

One of the things I like about this series, is the correspondence between Mrs. Harris and her Cousin Michael, who keeps her informed about the suitors her pupils have. Be they fortune hunter, scoundrel, or honourable. She doesn’t know who he really is, but I do have a guess they will end up together, someday.

When visiting Scotland after spending many years in London, Venetia is being kidnapped by her father’s enemy. Lachlan Ross is supposedly be death, and she has mourned him, because as a little girl she fell in love with, and hasn’t ever forgotten him. But now he tells her he is the highwayman who robbed her father’s friends, and he will only turn her over to her father, if he pays pack the money his father loaned him all those years ago.
Venetia doesn’t believe him, her father is a honourable man. But bit by bit she has to believe Lachlan, when she keeps discovering things about him. And falls in desire, and later in love with him. Then her aunt arrives, and tells them all the reasons her father has for not paying back the loan, and Lachlan is devastated by what he has done. So now he intends to give up Venetia, deny their marriage and their love. Will she let him get away with that?

Yes, a good story, and I enjoyed it. It had a few surprises in it, originality. Some hot lovescenes, all in all, a good book. So, the next one will not have to wait long to be read.
Sabrina Jeffries has a good writing style, fluent, easy to read. Lots of humor too, which I need in a book. A strong heroine and an equally strong hero, but not too much highhanded.

maandag 16 augustus 2010

Tamar Myers – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime

The second book in the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series, with recipes!

Parsley

Hollywood comes to picturesque Amish country when a film crew goes on location at Magdalena Yoder’s quaint PennDutch Inn. But after the excitement of an “open casting” has even the staid Amish battling for bit parts, the filming hits a snag – a body in Magdalena’s barn impaled to a post with a pitchfork.

The dead man is the film’s assistant director, and the not-too-swift local sheriff definitely rules out suicide. The number one suspect, he decides, is Magdalena. Shocked to find her reputation at stake, Magdalena is in a scramble to track down the real killer. What a stew to be in – especially since her only clue is a grocery list headed by “parsley”. It’s not much to go on, but Magdalena has a nose for sniffing out the truth. She knows the lay of the land, the character of the people – and she knows the disagreeable ingredients that can stir up a murderer!


It took me a while to finish this book. Still not sure I like the series. I thoroughly dislike Magdalena’s sister Susannah and her behaviour, but I do like Freeni, and Magdalena’s humor. For a spinster in her forty’s, she sure has suitors after her! Her new/old neighbour, the town’s veterinarian, and a little man named Jumbo Jim.

As there are almost no clues in the book, I had no idea who the real murderer was. Nor did Magdalena. So the ending was a surprise.


I haven’t been reading a lot lately, working overtime, and being tired when I finally come home. This weekend, due to a splitting headache, I took up some old friends, the Earth Children by Jean M. Aurel. And lo and behold! I see on fantasticfiction that next year, there is a sixth book coming out in this great series, which started in 1980!
So that date has been put on my calendar immediately, and I phoned my twin sister to tell her this news!

vrijdag 13 augustus 2010

Sabrina Jeffries - Only a duke will do

The second book in the School for Heiresses series.

Only a duke will do

"You can't avoid him forever, Louisa. Just tell him you're not interested, and put an end to it."-- Mrs. Charlotte Harris, headmistressMarry? Never! It would end Louisa North's work with her ladies reform group -- and truth be told, she likes her independence very much, despite her royal father's protests. So when Simon Tremaine, the dashing Duke of Foxmoor whom she once loved -- and had exiled from England -- returns bent on marrying her, she's sceptical. Does he truly care for her, or does he simply want revenge? It's difficult to resist Simon's dangerous charms, because the fire between them still burns as hot as ever. But when his ulterior motive for marriage is exposed, along with the deeply buried secrets of his past, Louisa vows to make him pay . . . and the price will be his heart.


This book is a cross over with the Royal Brotherhood series. I had a hard time getting into this one, as I truly don’t like Simon. Coldly back in England, or he starts plotting behind Louisa’s back again with her royal father to marry her. Only for her own good of course. He will easily take her in hand, and married to him she will have to marry him.

And Louisa never did forget him. Though she never wants to get married to anyone, he still forces her into it, using her own passionate nature against her. He wants to get her pregnant forthwith, but she is so very afraid of childbirth and the doctors who bleed the women at every little excuse. Yes, they share passion, but Simon is willing to sacrifice everything for his ultimate goal: becoming prime minister of England. He even sells out his wife and her ideals, her wishes of prison reform, he secretly admires.

At the end of the book, there is more revealed about his past, and how he got to be this cold and calculating man, but it still doesn’t make me like him. He needs to stand up for his principles, and not give in for the sake of politics. It just took him too long for his eyes to open. Everything just had to go his way, and I do like a strong hero, but not a tyrant.

I did, of course, like his monkey and the way it loves Louisa.

So, bring on the next book in this series, which is about Venetia and the Scottish highwayman mentioned in book 1. I am looking forward to that story!

dinsdag 10 augustus 2010

Barbara Bretton – Laced by Magic

The second book in the Sugar Maple series.

Laced with Magic

Knit shop owner and sorcerer's daughter Chloe Hobbs felt the Fates finally got it right when she met Luke MacKenzie. And no one could have convinced her otherwise - including the trolls, selkies, or spirits who also call Sugar Maple, Vermont, home. But then out of nowhere Luke's ex-wife suddenly shows up, claiming to see the spirit of their daughter, Steffie - a daughter Chloe knows nothing about.Steffie's spirit is being held hostage by a certain Fae leader. And if Chloe weaves a spell to free her spirit, her nemesis will also be free - free to destroy her yarn shop and all of Sugar Maple. But if she doesn't, Steffie won't be the only one spending eternity in hell. Chloe'll be joining her, cursed with a broken heart.


I started this book over a month ago, and just read the second half of it. I am not sure I will be reading the next book. This one was even more confusing to read, as it was told from the perspective of Chloe, Luke and Karen.

Karen came to Sugar Maple to find her ex-husband. She claims she is hearing their deceased daughter, that her phone is ringing with a non-existent ringtone, a song both she and Steffie made up. At first Luke doesn’t believe her. After all, it was his fault their daughter died. The grief drove them even more apart then they already were. But then his phone starts ringing, and he hears his daughter calling to him.

The town is in uproar. Another mortal in their midst! Two is too much, Chloe has to get rid of them! Half of the town wants to accept Isadora’s offer to take the whole town with her behind the mists, the other half wants to stay where they are, but safe from humans.

And then Isadora surfaces. Apparently, her banishment isn’t as tight as Chloe hoped it was. She still has her powers, and now she has captured Steffie’s spirit, promising eternity in hell for the child, if Chloe won’t release her. But how can Chloe offer up the town’s safety for one human spirit? A child who will never grow up, or live again? She has to defeat Isadora again, and this time for ever!

And just when she thinks she has accomplished that, the book ends with this sentence:
“It was there in his voice, his eyes, the way he reached for my hand across the darkness and I knew before I turned around that Isadora had the last laugh after all.
Sugar Maple was gone.”

So yes, the cliffhanger makes me want to know what has happened, but the ending of the book, what happened with Karen and Steffie, was very much not to my liking! A cheap solution in my opinion. Even a paranormal romance / cozy mystery is bound to some logic!

New additions to my addiction

Yes, I have indulged myself again. Today I could fetch a large box filled with books at the neighbours house. With those treasures inside them:

Alexis Morgan - Dark Warrior unbroken
C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp - Cold moon rising
C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp - Touch of darkness
Cheyenne McCray – Moving Target
Cheyenne Mccray - Shadow Magic
Elizabeth Boyle - Memoirs of a scandalous red dress
Kathryn Caskie - How to propose to a prince
Claire Delacroix - The princess
Karen Hawkins - To catch a highlander
Jillian Hunter - The devilish pleasures of a duke Madeline Hunter - Secrets of surrender €Madeline Hunter - The sinner Cathy Maxwell - When Dreams Come True
Amanda Scott - King Of Storms
Susan Krinard - Lord of legends Susan Krinard - Chasing Midnight
Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dream chaser
Sherrilyn Kenyon - Devil May Cry
Jayne ann Krentz - Running hot
Catherine Mulvany - Something Wicked
Johanna Lindsey – No choice but seduction
Jacquelyn Frank - Damien

Of course, one of those I have just bought on the Book Depository, so now I have 2 of them. Pff.

I am going to enjoy myself giving those a place on my overflowing bookshelves, and then I will think about what to read ... so many books, so little time ...

maandag 9 augustus 2010

Bertrice Small - Passionate Pleasures

The fifth book in the Pleasures series.

Passionate Pleasures

Librarians are expected to be a bit stuffy. But not Kathryn St. John. Miss Kathy keeps everyone up to date with the latest trends, literary and otherwise. She’s content in her career – and with her fantasies on the Channel, that secret interactive cable network known only to women. Any of her favourite literary heroes can become her lover on the Channel, while her public life remains scandal free – which is a must for a descendant of one of her town’s founding families.

But when Egret Pointe’s middle school gets a new principal, everything changes. One look at the town’s proper librarian, and Tim Blair is lost. That he’s several years her junior doesn’t matter to him at all. He knows he can offer the lady passionate pleasures that will go beyond her wildest dreams. But getting Kathy to give up her fantasies for reality isn’t easy until the Channel’s CEO takes a hand in the matter – because even the devil himself can have a soft spot for love and a pretty woman.


From the first page I was curious to read this book. I was till recently in the same position as Kathy, so I wanted to know what she would do, and most important, why. Kathy is 48 years old, has everything she wants in life. A house of her own, a career she loves, and the lovers she wants through the Channel. So why would she give up her independence and her variety of lovers for only one man? Why should she marry at all? The answer, of course, is simple. Love. Because she finally found the right man for her.
But the road to that discovery was a nice one.

I don’t read much erotica, except for this series and perhaps a few paranormal romances from favourite authors. Yes, I like sex but I am certainly not into everything that happens in those love scenes. If you can call them that. I am in the habit of skipping most of those pages. But very seldom in the books written by Bertrice Small. No matter what she writes, I love her style and use of language.

Tim is 43 and the new head master of the local middle school. As head librarian, Kathy is involved with a lot of projects to get children to read more books, and so he has an excellent excuse to visit with her often. Kathy’s friends encourage her to date him, even as her brother keeps warning her to look out for her reputation. But enough is enough, and someday Kathy confronts him with some knowledge about his weekly visits to a dominatrix, something his again pregnant wife won’t want to know about …
So he leaves the two of them alone, and he even comes to like Tim, and encourage the match. After all, she is his younger sister.

It was nice to read about the dating Tim and Kathy did, and how they not just rolled into bed afterwards, but waited until they knew each other, and were ready for a commitment. The life in a little town is a very nice background for this series.

And of course the little appearances of mr. Nicholas and his nephew were great as well. Fyfe finally got what was coming for him, and I loved it!

So, I heartily recommend this series.

zaterdag 7 augustus 2010

Michelle Sagara – Cast in Chaos

The sixth book in the Chronicles of Elantra. And what a great series it is!

Cast in Chaos

Kaylin Neya is a Hawk, part of the elite force tasked with keeping the City of Elantra safe. Her past is dark, her magic uncontrolled and her allies unpredictable. And nothing has prepared her for what is coming, when the charlatans on Elani Street suddenly grow powerful, the Oracles are thrown into an uproar and the skies rain blood..The powerful of Elantra believe that the mysterious markings on Kaylin's skin hold the answer, and they are not averse to using her - how ever they have to - in order to discover what it is.Something is coming, breaking through the barriers between the worlds. But is it a threat that Kaylin needs to defend her city against - or has she been chosen for another reason entirely?



It is difficult to make a review of this book. The sixt part in a continuing story, where there is a considerably world building. Lots of different races, mortals and immortals, and everything that has happened before is important. So I do recommend you read this series in order. And you will devour the books as I do.

The trouble starts when magic is happening at random, and when it starts to rain blood, it means something bad is coming. So Kaylin is running circles trough the city again, from the Halls of Law to the Imperial Palace to speak with the Arkon and Lord Sanabalis, to the Halls of Prophecy, where one of the Oracles has started painting again, to the Fiefs and the Tower of Tiamaris, to the Barrani Court, and most important to the Garden of the Elementals, and Evanton.
Gaining information, reporting, and in the end, learning more about the Devourer, an entity that “eats” entire worlds, and is now coming to theirs.

donderdag 5 augustus 2010

New addition to my addiction

If you happen to follow my blog, you must have noticed I have many favourite authors. But today I received the latest book of THE favourite author, and I really look forward to reading it when I have a long stretch of reading time. Because this one will be devoured without interruption.

Bertrice Small - Passionate Pleasures.

Sabrina Jeffries – Never seduce a Scoundrel

This is the first book in the School for Heiresses series.

Never seduce a Scoundrel

Bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries's enticing new series introduces the spirited graduates of Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies -- unconventional heiresses who are more than matches for society's most irresistible rogues...."Be careful, Amelia -- you know how reckless you can be!"-- Mrs. Charlotte Harris, headmistressLady Amelia Plume has many admirers -- it's too bad they're all fortune hunters and fops who can't provide the exotic adventures she seeks. But the ballrooms of Mayfair have become much more appealing since the arrival of Major Lucas Winter, an American with a dark past and a dangerous air. Lucas is brash, arrogant -- and scandalously tempting. Every thrilling kiss sparks hotter desire, yet Amelia suspects that Lucas has a hidden motive in wooing her. And she intends to discover it, by any means necessary...



I loved this book, the spirited and very smart Amelia, and the strong but tormented Lucas. Lucas needs to find the couple who embezzled money from his fathers company, and he suspects Amelia’s lovely stepmother is one of them. Amelia refuses to believe that of the sweet and shy Dolly she loves, and so they are at odds. But when Amelia is abducted by one of her suitors, Lucas follows and rescues her just in time. Only to take her to Gretna Green himself.
But does he only marry her to meet her stepmother, or does he feel for Amelia after all? And more than desire? Can a man who has every reason to hate the English, love a very English wife?

Sabrina Jeffries described an episode of the English-American war, that really gave me pause. She placed Lucas squarely in the midst of it. He was a prisoner of war in Dartmoor, suffering horrible conditions in the damp and cold, with too little food and drink and clothes. And when the treaty was signed, they weren’t released. A good time later, a lot of his comrades were murdered in cold blood by the prison guards, and no one ever got blamed for it.

I am eager to read more of this series, a little seed has been laid for Amelia’s friend Venetia, and a Scottish Highwayman …

woensdag 4 augustus 2010

New additions to my addiction

I have received the rest of my order yesterday and today, so here they are:

Donna Fletcher - Under the Highlander's Spell
Donna Fletcher - The Angel and the Highlander
Donna Fletcher - Return of the Rogue
Alexis Morgan - Dark Warrior Untamed
Eloisa James - Potent pleasures.

Yes, I love Donna Fletcher books, still missing a few of them though. Soon time for a visit to E-bay perhaps?

maandag 2 augustus 2010

New additions to my addiction

A birthday present I gave myself arrived on my doormat today:

Annette Blair - Death by Diamonds
Alexis Morgan - Dark Warrior Unbroken
Lisa Kleypas - Love in the afternoon
Donna Fletcher - The highlander's forbidden bride
Eloisa James - Duchess by night

Yes, I know, I wrote reviews about some of them already. I read the ebooks, didn't want to wait for the paperbacks to arrive.

zondag 1 augustus 2010

New books for August 2010

Here are the new books I am looking forward to for this month:

Nalini Singh – Burning up anth.
Deborah Cooke – Whisper Kiss – Dragonfire 5
Jeaniene Frost – Eternal Kiss of Darkness
Eloisa James - A kiss at midnight
Kresley Cole – Demon of the dark
Jude Deveraux – Scarlet nights – Edilean 3
Karen Hawkins - Much ado about marriage
Susan Sizemore - Primal Instincts – Primes 10
Bertrice Small – Passionate Pleasures
Michelle Sagara – Cast in Chaos
Annette Blair – Bedeviled Angel

I read 7 of the 9 books I posted for last month, which is a very good score. The other two are already waiting for me.


Joanne Pence - Cooks Overboard

The sixth book in the Angie Amalfi series.

Cooks Overboard

Food writer Angie Amalfi’s long-awaited vacation with her detective boyfriend Paavo Smith has all the ingredients of a romantic getaway – a sail to Acapulco aboard a freighter, no crowds, no homicide department worries, a red bikini. It’s the perfect scenario for a proposal.

But it isn’t long before Angie’s Love Boat fantasies are headed for stormy seas – the cook tries to jump off the ship, Paavo is acting mighty strange, the fellow passengers are an odd lot, Angie’s luggage is riffled through, and the meals are terribly unimaginative. She’s willing to help out in the kitchen, but when murder is added to the menu, Angie thinks maybe the cook had the right idea.


I liked this book, easy reading. Proper review will follow.
Easier said than done though. Inspiration just doesn’t struck me.
Angie has eagerly awaited the vacation time Paavo has coming. She really wants to talk with him about their future, about marriage. And she thinks a cruise to Acapulco is just the thing to mellow him. But Paavo balks at having his time spend for him by some activities director. Oh he will take a cruise with Angie, but on his own terms. Aboard a freighter. So Angie gives in, and they sail away on the Walhalla, a Norwegian container ship which will visit several ports, and has only a few passengers. And very very little amenities. But Angie is prepared for everything. She brought her own wine and glasses and some delicacies to enjoy. Some hot bikinis too, to the delight of the crew, and especially their cabin boy.
But something is wrong with Paavo, he pays little attention to all the strange things happening, and most of all, he smiles too much. And when he finally tells her, he has quit his job, Angie isn’t as pleased as she thought she would be. She wants her old Paavo back, the suspicious and careful man, not this … this … normal man who doesn’t pay attention! He doesn’t believe her when she tells him their luggage has been searched, that their cabin is bugged, or that the crew is acting strange. He acts like a tourist on vacation, trying to enjoy himself.

And when he finally tells her the truth about why he quit, that because of one of his cases, a fellow officer was shot saving his life, she is more than ever determined to convince him that he was not to blame, that he is a good officer, and she wants him to stay that way.
So when finally the old Paavo emerges from his grieve, it might be too late. Angie is in danger, not only from the criminals who bought the secret formula and murdered the professor, but by some left over spies from the cold war too. And of course the buyer. But this time it is not Paavo who saves Angie, but Angie who saves Paavo from the bad guys.

And in the end, the only thing Angie gets, is for Paavo to agree to think about getting engaged. Ah well. Patience is everything..