The Countess and The Heiress by Lynsay Sands

Monday, March 7, 2011
http://www.lynsaysands.net/
Rashsomon you ain't! Nor Raymond's Tuna Juice episode!

I have always enjoyed reading Lynsay Sands. She is an author who I know what I'm getting when I pick up one of her books... usually something silly, be it vampire or human. The Countess, book one in the Madison Sisters series, is no exception. This story is combination slapstick and dark comedy with a little romance thrown in for good measure. The beginning of the story is a combination of Weekend at Bernie's and The Trouble with Harry, so if you like "hide the dead guy" stories, you'll like this one.

So, we have the dead guy, George, who is/was pretending to be his twin brother Richard and is married to Christiana, who has two other sisters. Of course Richard (the live one, not the dead one, who was George not Richard) has a friend, Daniel, who is attracted to Suzette, the other sister... their story is next. And then there are Robert and Lisa, and Grace, the disapproving maid. These seven people plus Dead George are together almost constantly, running back and forth, hither and yon, to Gretna Green, turn around, to London, turn around to a traveling inn, turn around. Is it any wonder this story is light on romance that grows? This is definitely a story without an angsty hero, no deep stuff here... not none, not nohow!

Of course, there were some things that irritated me. George for one. By the time they (the seven) got rid of him, I was glad to see him go. I did not find the hiding of the stiff to be funny, especially when there comes the moment of uncontrollable passionate whoo-whoo and Christina is being prodded in the back by the stiff (not the good one). They did not complete the whoo-whoo act, because of the stiff (not the good one), thank you very much! I kept thinking wouldn't Dead George be smelling by now? So, instead of a funny moment, I had a yuck moment.

And, while we are on the subject of whoo-whoo, let's talk about the amazing virgin/acrobatic/floozy heroine. You know what I'm talking about - she has sex once and turns into this woman who loves to give-give-give, orally speaking, to say nothing of the acrobatics... let's see, he's behind her, she covers the hand he has on her breast with her one hand, reaches back with her other hand and grabs his hair, then with her third arm, no it must be the first arm, she reaches behind her back to touch him, while she's bending her head back for a kiss... Eventually, because of all the pain these contortions create, they turn to face each other. Sort of. She's sitting on the bed, eye level with you know what on you know who, which leads to a little lip service. "Was that wrong?" she asks. Just once I'd love for the hero to say, "Yes! You didn't do it right." Of course, he doesn't say that and of course it leads to him not being able to stop himself from plunging in. He does, however, have to stop to put her one leg on his chest. So, she's doing splits of a sort, quite the little acrobat. I got a few chortles from this scene and I'm not sure I was supposed to.

Overall, this was a fast-paced silly book that romped over the countryside with hardly a guilt-ridden angsty person in sight and at times didn't make sense as to why they were doing what they were doing. The closest anyone came to being angst ridden is Christina, who was mentally abused by Dead George, so she has some trust issues with Dead George's twin brother Richard. If you are a Lynsay Sands fan, you will have a good time with this book.

Time/Place: Regency English countryside
Rating:
Sensuality rating: Sort of hot

The Heiress

I have a fondness for books in a series wherein the storyline runs simultaneously. The first romance novels I remember reading that were written in this manner were Twin of Fire and Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux. Some people are of the opinion that concurrent plots show a laziness on the part of the author. I on the other hand believe this takes a deft hand with storytelling, to say nothing of editing. The trick with this type of narrative is to keep the reoccurring scenes short!

Sad to say in The Heiress this didn't happen. It wasn't until page 215 our of 370, Chapter 10, when this book broke away from it's companion The Countess. Until that moment we get to read almost the same dialog. Oh sure, there was an occasional glimpse into Daniel and Suzette's mind, but because of the togetherness of ALLLLL the characters, these first 215 pages are downright boring. I found myself skipping ahead in these passages.

Now because the redundant part of The Heiress was so long, the second part seemed rushed and characters that wanted to be interesting turned into cardboard inhabitants of Romanceland.

The other irritation I found in this book was after slogging through 215 pages of something I'd read before, there was one chapter when the hero and heroine are together! The plot changed! We began to see some character development! But after an intense tumble in the hay, he goes off to get his mother and is shot, and the heroine is kidnapped. The couple is STINKIN' separated for the rest of the book as alllll of the characters ramble alllll over the countryside looking for each other.

Needless to say, this book was a disappointment. The simultaneous storyline didn't work, was too long and didn't allow for (what appeared to be) some lovely characters to develop. And it's because I liked Suzette and Daniel that this book is getting the high rating it's getting.

Time/Place: Regency English countryside
Rating:
Sensuality rating: Hot

On My Radar - March 2011/April 2011

Friday March 4, 2011

Lecia Cornwall
http://www.leciacornwall.com/
Secrets of a Proper Countess
9780062018939
release date: March 29, 2011





Gaelen Foley
http://www.gaelenfoley.com/
My Irresistible Earl...Inferno Club series
9780061733963
release date: March 29, 2011





Delle Jacobs
http://www.dellejacobs.com/
Lady Wicked
9781601548689
release date: February 25, 2011, trade size





Cheryl Ann Smith
http://www.cherylannsmith.com/
The School for Brides...School for Courtesan series, debut
9780425240502
release date: April 5, 2011





Karen Ranney
http://www.karenranney.com/default.htm
A Borrowed Scot
9780061771880
release date: March 29, 2011





Stephanie Laurens
http://www.stephanielaurens.com/
Mary Balogh
http://www.marybalogh.com/
Candice Hern
http://www.candicehern.com/index.htm
Jacquie D'Alessandro
http://www.jacquied.com/
It Happened One Season...anthology
9780061993374, release date: March 29, 2011

For a more complete list of March/April 2011 releases see Upcoming...Hey Delia!!!

DIK..ing Monday through Wednesday

I'm blogging Monday through Wednesday over at DIK...check out their great blog site!!! http://dikladiesrule.blogspot.com/

Unveiled by Courtney Milan

February 25, 2011

Nail Biting Alert!
http://www.courtneymilan.com/
Warning: Not only might you chew your fingernails, you may not be able to go to bed until you finish Unveiled!

Did I love this book? Yes! Were there parts in this book that I didn't love so much? Yes! Was the hero just peachy-keen? Yes! Was this an interesting, almost doormat heroine? Yes! Was there so much tension in this book that it kicked my adrenalin in? Y-E-S!

Now, normally I'm not all that excited about stories in which people hide their identities; in fact that may be one of my pet peeves, but I have so many who's counting... I digress. I opened this book unaware that I was about to embark on such a nerve-racking journey. Oh sure, I thought I'd probably have a pleasant journey with a little darkness involved from a very talented writer, but I wasn't prepared for the slowly increasing tension that Ms. Milan so skillfully created.

Here's the plot, and yes, it's been used before: Ash is out for revenge and he has stolen the Dukedom away from his distant cousin and in so doing the heroine, Margaret, and her two brothers have been declared illegitimate. Now, Ash and his one brother (he has two also) arrive at the estate of his enemy, who is ill. Our heroine, the daughter Margaret is pretending to be a nurse/servant/spy on Ash. Standard plot, but it doesn't remain so and here's why.

It doesn't take Margaret long to realize that Ash isn't the villain her family has painted him out to be. Now, the tension comes in because this is a gradual awakening. Ash falls for her instantly and encourages her to become a stronger person. He also gives her his trust and as soon as he did that my mind said, "Uh-oh, what is going to happen when he finds out what's she's up to? He's going to call her nasty names that start with W and B and stomp off and not speak to her!"

The workings of Margaret's mind did not help the situation. He would do something wonderful, she would write letters to her brother and not include anything bad, then think she should tell Ash the truth, then something would happen and she wouldn't. Ash would confess how much he admired her, she would think, 'I really must tell him,' then he'd kiss her and the subject was dropped. He would confess his secret to her, she would be overwhelmed by it, by the trust he was giving her, think about telling him, build up her confidence, walk down to the library to confess and his brother would be there. They would have conversations, now is the time to tell him... tell him... tell him... he'll hate me, I can't, I'll go tell him now... he left for London! AAAKKK! Her father would be ranting, she would have the opportunity to fess up, Ash is in the room, but rushes out to get the doctor... no confessions. Please end this now!!!! And with each failed opportunity, the tension just increased to a point where I just couldn't but that book down. When the moment finally happened - well, I'm not going to tell you what happens, except to say Ash is quite a guy. Courtney Milan did some really fantastic tension building; kept me awake to the wee hours of the night! I loved every minute of the nail-biting. This one had my adrenalin going and that doesn't usually happen. (Sigh of relief, wipe away sweat.)

And we must not forget Ash's brothers - really interesting dynamics, a lot of questions that don't get answered. Probably because Smite and Mark are going to have their own stories.

Now, there are moments of 21st century speak; however, because of my interest in where this story was going, I overlooked them. There may also be a minor quibble with the amount of time Margaret allowed her family to make her a doormat, but she was so compelling I felt that for the most part she couldn't be any other way. And, let me say there is an deeply heartrending moment for her caused by the despicable actions of her brother that came awfully close to a teary moment. I can hear romance readers yelling, "She was a doormat for too long, I would have done this, I'd never allow it!" I thought about that, wondered how I'd react if my brother caused me the pain hers does in this book, and given the time period and family dynamics. I probably would still want to retain my relationship with my brother as she does in the end.

The other quibble was that I had some questions I didn't feel were answered. What really went on at that school between the two sets of brothers? What's up with Smite? Did her father die?

So, in the end, even with all the tension and missed opportunities and anachronisms and "doormatterlisms," I loved this book! I'm always a little wary about over-praising a book because I know there is some "Oh yeah, we'll see about that" person out there, but you really should give this one a look see. Loved it!

Next in the series is Mark, the virgin's story, Unclaimed.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating
Sensuality Rating: Sorta Hot

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

Monday, February 21, 2011

I think someone got up on the wrong side of the bed!
http://www.eloisajames.com/
I have discovered something about myself – I am a hunk snob! When it dawned on me that this book's hero, Piers, was sort of based on House, all I could see was Hugh Laurie, and while I like Hugh Laurie the actor and think he’s pretty quirky I do not see him as very sexy or hunky and when I start reading about Pier's manly proportions… my ick factor kicked in. So, be careful who you base your heroes on. One man's big log is another man's wet noodle.

Now, to When Beauty Tamed the Beast. I really enjoy Eloisa James' writing, but sorry to say her fairy tale series just hasn't clicked with me...loved her Duchess series. And, with this particular book in the fairy tale series you really have to be a big fan of House to like the hero. Sorry to say I’m not a big fan of House. And, yes I'm repeating myself.

There are some humorous moments in this book. I especially loved the one where Linnet (heroine) thinks that there is something wrong with Pier’s Mr. Toad because it is sticking up instead of hanging like a horse. You see, her mother always had a thing for guys who were hung like a horse. I adored the butler, Prufrock, and thought the secondary characters were quite strong and well-written.

The main problem I had was with Piers. I could just not feel any sympathy for him. There were so many times I wanted to just grab him and say “oh grow up, you are not the only person who has ever been in pain." Linnet, I liked better and found her loss of beauty toward the end of the book to be very poignant - wish there had been more of that and less of Piers. What a Mr. Grumpypuss. I envision headlines after 10 years of marriage: Wife murders husband, says she just couldn't take it anymore, so she beat him to death with his cane.

S-o, if you like House, you will like this book. It’s well-written and has a great bunch of secondary characters. I also found all the medical details quite fascinating and I had a laugh out loud moment over the names of two of the medical assistants: Kibbles and Bitts.

Time/Place: Early Regency, Wales
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Warm

The Perfect Mistress by Victoria Alexander

February 11, 2011

Yakety Yak...don't Talk Back!!
http://www.victoriaalexander.com/

The Perfect Mistress, by Victoria Alexander, is what appears to be the first in a series of books about three friends, Julia, Portia, and Veronica. All widows (although, I couldn't find anything confirming my assumption at her website). This is the story of Julia and Harrison and it's full of Victoria Alexander's trademark humor... and I do mean full of! Now, how you feel about the abundance of said humor may determine whether you like the book or not.

C-a-u-s-e, let me tell you there is lots and lots of talking, bantering, discussing, consulting, chattering, conversing and let's not forget "perfecting plans." It all starts when Julia is conversing with the ghost of her dead great-grandmother Hermione about publishing said g-grandmother's racy memoirs. Of course Julia needs to discuss this with Portia and Veronica; what are friends for if not to confer with? Then Veronica must tell Harrison, because his father is mentioned in the book (Harrison is Veronica's brother-in-law.) Well, of course, Harrison must stop the publication. No scandal in his family is allowed, so he pontificates to Julia, they fight, he comes up with a plan. He talks Veronica into a dinner party where people can sit around and talk. She plans a party, talk follows. Another author speaks to Julia, they discuss the book with Harrison, Harrison and Julia fight, Harrison makes another plan, Harrison's father advises him, Julia chats with her grandmother, then her publisher, then her friends, then Harrison, they argue again. He makes another plan...and, we have now arrived at the middle of the book.

Now, the interesting thing about all of this chittery-chattery racket was I found a lot of it to be terribly amusing, especially the discussion/arguments between Julia and Harrison. And let me tell you, Harrison (our hero) doesn't have the slightest idea what one should say to a woman. He is constantly putting his foot in his mouth. I found that amusing: nothing better than a man who can't communicate with a woman.

The drawback to the plethora of conversation was that it left little room for romance.

Oh yes, the ghost of the great-grandmother. I found her to be a bit of a distraction from the rest of the story. I am not bothered when paranormal is thrown into a story-line, but I started to grow a little tired of her popping up, giving advice and leaving with some vague reference to something that either happened or was about to.

If you like Victoria Alexander, you're going to like this book. I would have liked this tale better if there had been more romance and less talk; however, I'm not sure what I would have left out. Well, maybe when Hermione pops in after a robust knee-knocking episode...which she implies she has watched. Wink wink.

Time/Place: Victorian England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Almost hot

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt

February 4, 2011

Oh dear! Oh Dear!
Where did all the nice guys go?
http://www.elizabethhoyt.com/index.php
From the moment the heroine takes aim (with her earring) at the hero's naked humping butt, I was hooked. Yes, fellow Romanceland readers, I couldn't put this book down... and I was even further thrilled when I realized that this was the series with Winter and Silence in it. I don't know if you're like me or not, but I have a hard time keeping track of all the series' out there - except this one!!! I love the Maiden Lane series and all the wonderful characters that inhabit said lane. It is somewhat disheartening that I have to wait till November for the next installment. Ms. Hoyt is truly a gifted writer; she hasn't been around for very long, but she has become one of my favorite writers.

I'm giving Notorious Pleasures a pretty high rating; however, that rating has more to do with all of the secondary characters and the wonderful plots going on than it does with the hero, Griffin and the heroine, Hero. Not that their story was second rate. It's just that I was so enthralled with all of the other things that were happening that the love story became a secondary character. Although, I did love the bread and butter speech.

And, let me say this about the guys in this tale... what a bunch of immoral, stubborn, overbearing, nasty fellows...and they were the good guys. I am hoping that some of these gentlemen get books of their own, because they are s-o-o interesting, I am quite fascinated by the lot of them. Hero's brother the duke is an extremely cold man, and is very easy to dislike (warning: some of you will not like him). Then there is Winter, a very secretive guy - is he the Ghost of St. Giles or is that someone else? Most of the candidates for the ghost are being eliminated. There is also Hero's sister Phoebe, who I just loved in this book and am hoping she shows up again. And, did Silence's husband really die in the shipwreck?

Oh, yes, the last few chapters had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book... more for the wonderful world we are seeing unfolding before us than the love story.

Time/Place: 1737 England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Really Hot!!!