Review: The Last Honest Woman by Nora Roberts

The Last Honest Woman by: Nora Roberts
 Source: Audio Book - Library
 (Mills & Boon 2011)



Blurb:
Never tell the whole truth, nobody wants to hear it. As the widow of an infamous racing car champion, Abby O'Hurley shunned publicity. Now a single mum, struggling to keep her family and farm afloat, Abby has invited charming, disarming and ruthlessly cynical biographer Dylan Crosby to tell her story. Abby's doing it for the sake of her sons, but she needs to keep Dylan from uncovering her darkest secrets. She'll tell him just enough to close that chapter of her life, even if Dylan wants more than she's willing to give...

Review:
I can usually count on a Nora Roberts book to be a decent read but honestly, the only reason I was able to finish this book was because I really wanted to give the whole series a try. From the start I wasn't able to connect with Abby. I had a hard time with parts of her character that seemed so incongruous I felt like there were two characters instead of one. One minute she was strong, the next she was a weak helpless female that needed a man desperately to help her with everything. She was brave, and scared. She was a mystery but she was the most open and honest woman ever invented. She made my head hurt.
Dylan was overbearing, pushy, and opinionated. At least his characteristics were consistent but geez, it certainly didn't endear me to him and I would have kicked him out of the house for his unprofessional behavior.
Not one of my favorite Nora Roberts books.
   
Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges: 

 

Friday's News and Notables

1. Bookish business cards.  
2. 10 Vampire Stories That Are More Romantic Than Twilight.
3. The making of a romance novel cover. 
4. A blog about gift ideas for book lovers.
5. Wearing the book.

Review: Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason

Sins of the Highlander by: Connie Mason
 Source: NetGalley
 (Sourcebooks Casablanca 2012 ,352 pages)



Blurb:
ABDUCTION
Never had Elspeth Stewart imagined her wedding would be interrupted by a dark-haired stranger charging in on a black stallion, scooping her into his arms, and carrying her off across the wild Scottish highlands. Pressed against his hard chest and nestled between his strong thighs, she ought to have feared for her life. But her captor silenced all protests with a soul-searing kiss, giving Elspeth a glimpse of the pain behind his passion—a pain only she could ease.
OBSESSION
"Mad Rob" MacLaren thought stealing his rival's bride-to-be was the perfect revenge. But Rob never reckoned that this beautiful, innocent lass would awaken the part of him he thought dead and buried with his wife. Against all reason, he longed to introduce the luscious Elspeth to the pleasures of the flesh, to make her his, and only his, forever.
With two clans against them burning for battle, they must find a way to join together—body, breath, and soul. Or both will be made to pay for the...
SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER

Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It had a bit of everything I enjoy in a romance novel. A little bit of the paranormal, a little bit of the helpless female, a little bit of the alpha male who needs a woman to help him heal. Yes, it's been done before. It's nothing new. But when it's done well, oh boy! It becomes one of those stories that lurks in the back of your mind and reminds you of that gushy feeling you get when you finish a good romance. Definitely worth the read.
   
Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges: 

Free Find

Get it Free at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Dark Season by: Amy Cross

After being nearly killed in a brutal mugging, Sophie finds herself drawn into Patrick’s world. Unable – or unwilling? – to say a word, Patrick is a vampire with a dark past. He’s the last vampire on the planet, having been the only one to survive a devastating war that lasted for centuries. But how did he survive, and what dark secret has he sworn never to reveal.
Meanwhile a dangerous vampire hunter closes in on Patrick, and it becomes clear that Sophie’s destiny is linked to the last vampire in ways she can’t possible imagine.

Librarything Rating: none / Goodreads Rating: 4.27

Review: Kiss of Twilight by Loribelle Hunt

 Kiss of Twilight by: Loribelle Hunt
 Source: Galley from Carina Press
 (Carina Press, 2011, 88,000 words)



Blurb:
Dupree Jackson is everything a senior soldier of the Order of Templar should be. Cold. Unbreakable. A master at arms in the fight against demons. But as a hybrid, Dupree is beginning to lose himself to the demon half of his soul. One woman has the power to save him. If he lets her. Kara Stone wants two things in life: to be merged with a demon so that she can become a full member of the Order; and Dupree Jackson. She knows they are meant to be together, if only Dupree would love her back.
Though his desire for Kara is undeniable, Dupree's need to protect her is stronger. Not wanting to see her merge, to face the internal struggle he deals with every day, he refuses to bond with her. But when Kara becomes a target and uncovers a dark secret about her past, Dupree may no longer have a choice...

Review:
This book took a while for me to get into and understand what was going on with the characters. After about 100 pages I FINALLY felt like I understood how the world Dupree and Kara lived in actually worked and how the characters related to one another. I wouldn't say the book was slow to start because there was enough action to keep me entertained but I think I may have understood their world better if I has read the first book Kiss of Darkness.
The romance between Dupree and Kara was mediocre and didn't really have much of a sizzle. The main plot for the book was Dupree not wanting Kara to merge with a demon. I didn't feel like that was enough conflict for all the issues it created between them. There were several times while I was reading that I just wanted to tell the characters to grow up, get over it, and find a demon couples therapist. Oh wait...that was touched on but it didn't really help. The problem created so much hemming and hawing from Dupree that the strong characteristics that Kara had no longer held any weight when she kept putting up with the whining.I felt little affection for the main characters but eventually enjoyed the world that was created enough that I will give the author another try and hunt down the first book. Maybe it will make me appreciate this relationship a little more.

   
Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges:

Free Find

 Get it Free at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Sunfire by: Lynne Connolly

Rock meets classical. Paranormal meets mortal. Will anybody get out alive? The members of rock band Pure Wildfire are firebird shape-shifters. Manager John Westfall will sacrifice anything for the power they wield, even his daughter Corinne.Corinne attracts Aidan in a way he's never known before. He'll do anything to release her from Westfall's trap. He offers her marriage, but Aidan wants more from Corinne — he wants her heart. And he'll give her his in return.Classical guitarist Corinne is desperate to escape her father's control. She loves Aidan but craves her freedom — can she trust him to give it to her? Can she trust the wild man of rock with her heart? There's only one way to find out. Dive into the wildfire!

Librarything Rating: none / Goodreads Rating: 3.8

Review: Enchantment by Pati Nagle

Enchantment by: Pati Nagle
Source: Librarything Early Review
(Evennight Books 2011)


Blurb:

Holly Parker's life changes forever when she visits Enchantment Spring with her older sister Madison. They hike through the woods, and when they reach the spring, Holly's disappointed. A concrete coffin full of water? She expected a pool surrounded by flowers, birds, dancing dragonflies.
But fine. They eat the lunch they packed, and lounge around in the sunshine a while. As they get ready to leave, Holly dabbles her fingers in the water.
And sees a face beneath the surface.  

The joy of first love fills her, but Holly's happiness turns to horror when she learns that the government plans to demolish Enchantment Spring. Her passion for Ohlan 'the beautiful water spirit who inhabits the spring' is so strong that she'll gladly risk her life, standing between the spring and the backhoes, to save him.

Review:
The whole time I read this book I kept feeling hopeful. Hopeful that the story would pick up. Hopeful that I would find meaning somewhere in the story. Hopeful that the characters would develop beyond that of the man from the spring that smiles a lot and the girl who seems to have everything figured out in her life except where to go to college and that pesky plan to destroy the spring where her soon-to-be lover lives.
My hopes were dashed. The story doesn't pick up until 3/4 of the way through and neither myself nor the characters feel any richer for having experienced it.
To give the book credit though I thought the idea behind the story was great. The author could have done so much more with what she had to work with. I also think the book was written well and was easy to read.

At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges: