Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Never Dare a Duke


Title: Never Dare a Duke
Author: Gayle Callen
Series: None
Genre: Romance



I always check out the new books section at the library. I saw Never Dare a Duke and after reading the excerpt, thought it sounded decent enough to go home.

Abigail is the daughter of a newspaper owner, and the best friend of a woman higher in society. Abigail decides that the only way to save her father's failing newspaper is to write a sensational story revolving around a scandal. She sets her eyes on Christopher Cabot, a Duke.

It just so happens that Abigail's friend has received an invitation to the Duke's sisters house party. Of course Abigail decides to come along and see what she can discover about the Duke.

The Duke is not what she has expected, nor is she easy for him to read. The two strike up a mutual bargain. They will pretend to be enamored with each other so that he can have a break from the ladies who want him only to be a duchess and she....she really just wants to gain information about him for her column. But he thinks that she wants to learn about men and is doing it out of the goodness of her heart, although he has his doubts.

Everyone believes their pretend romance, and for good reason. The two don't have to pretend much since they are drawn to each other. There is also a minor story following a ghost hunt.

There were a few moments in this story that I just had to stop smile and sigh. It was well written and I loved the interaction between the two main characters. This was the first story I'd written of Gayle Callen's, but I am more then willing to look for more.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Prince Kidnaps a Bride


Title: The Prince Kidnaps a Bride
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: The Lost Princesses (Book 3)
Genre: Romance



Final book in Christina Dodd's Lost Princesses series is The Prince Kidnaps a Bride.

Sorcha, the last of the lost princesses has been living in a hidden convent for the past several years. A young man shows up on the island, which isn't too big of a deal as fishermen wash up every once in a while. He says he indeed is a fisherman, and starts to help around the Abbey.

Odd things also start happening, Sorcha's room is set on fire, there is gunpowder outside her window, and other scary things. It is decided that Sorcha must leave to go back to her own country, but mustn't tell the newly washed up fisherman because he doesn't seem totally trustworthy.

She flees, and when he finds out he follows. They finally meet up and finish the trip alone. Eventually Sorcha finds out who he really is - Prince Rainger and she is livid.

I think this may have been my favorite of the series. I loved both Sorcha and Prince Rainger. There are times when each of them just made me crack up with their inventiveness/sassiness or something different. An excellent end to the series.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Barefoot Princess


Title: The Barefoot Princess
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: The Lost Princesses (Book 2)
Genre: Romance



I am amazed at how many books I read and usually I am pretty good at remembering what I've read so I don't tend to read too many books twice (unless on purpose). I was maybe a chapter into the Barefoot Princess when I realized I've read it before. I didn't even realize then that it was part of a series. Although looking at the flashbacks and references in the book I wonder how I didn't know.

We meet Amy, the headstrong princess who definitely does NOT want to be a princess. She is merely 19, and decides to kidnap the marquess due to his inattentiveness on his lands that she is living. She gets away with it and keeps him chained into the basement of the home she shares with an older woman.

Amy ransoms the marquess's uncle for money to return him unharmed, but the uncle refuses to pay. He's been wanting to kill is nephew all along and thinks this must be the perfect way to get it done. Unfortunately for him, the two ladies have no intention of actually killing the marquess.

I enjoyed the story, although I had already read it before. I reread it in hopes of catching any clues I may have missed before, and indeed I did. I loved when he carried her through the Wedding arch in a pagan wedding. I knew that it was in this book and looked forward to it the whole book.

Looking ahead we have Sorcha's story, The Prince Kidnaps a Bride.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Some Enchanted Evening


Title: Some Enchanted Evening
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: The Lost Princesses (Book 1)
Genre: Romance


I've been on a Christina Dodd kick lately and while waiting for the other books in the Governess Brides series, I started another of her series: The Lost Princesses.

The Lost Princesses is a Trilogy. It tells the story of three young princesses who had to flee their country because the revolutionaries were trying to take over and had killed their father. Their beloved Grandmama is running the country again, but the girls are along and spread across Europe without knowing. They believe assassins are after them (could be true) and are awaiting a sign to return to their country.

In Some Enchanted Evening we meet the two youngest sisters Clarice (the middle child) and Amy. The two girls do a bit where Amy goes to a town first, gets a job and pretends to be ugly. Clarice then comes through about a week later and pretends to work miracles and sells her royal creams.

At this particular town that they stop in Clarice is invited to stay at Robert, the earl's home. Robert is a war veteran who has many emotional scars left over. Clarice slowly is able to peel them away and make him a new man, while transforming all the ladies as well.

The two fall in love and confess as much to each other. Clarice, however, feels that she cannot stay with Robert because she must do her duty and return to her country to marry for the benefit of the country.

This book was fantastic. I finished the book in 1 day, which doesn't happen to often. Usually it is at least 2. I loved both of the characters as well as the story between the two. It was full of beauty and disguise.

Book 2, The Barefoot Princess follows Amy and is next in line. At the end of Some Enchanted Evening we learn that Amy has run away because, as she tells Clarice in a note, she doesn't want to return to her country and most definitely doesn't want to be a princess any longer.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Rules of Attraction


Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: The Governess Brides (Book 3)
Genre: Romance



The third book in Christina Dodd's Governess Series is Rules of Attraction. We meet the third woman, Hannah, who started the Governess School. In Rules of Attraction, Hannah decides to sell the school and take a job as a companion to a Lord's Aunt.

She has ulterior motives for taking this job, she doesn't know much about her past and thinks that the answers are going to be wherever it is that this job is. When she gets to the job she finds out something quite interesting. The man who has hired her happens to be her husband, the one she married 9 years ago and ran from after only 6 months of marriage.

The rumors say that Dougald (Lord/Husband) murdered his previous wife, so no one suspects Hannah. That is except the person who is trying to kill the both of them.

As far as the series goes, I felt that this story fell short of the first two. It didn't have the passion between the main characters (in my opinion) and the plot was merely mediocre. The two seemingly have little interaction until the end of the story when they are reconciled. I would probably still read it because it's part of a series and I like to read things in order without missing any books. But I did feel it was lacking.

Book 4 in the series is In My Wildest Dreams. I'm not sure how it ties into the series because the 3 who started to school are the first 3 books and the school has also been sold. I know the woman from the fourth book goes to the school, but I almost feel as if it should have been part of a different series. We shall see.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Time Traveler's Wife


Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Series: None
Genre: Science Fiction



At some point when poking around the internet I came across this trailer:

The Time Traveler's Wife

Rachel McAdams is one of my favorite actresses. I knew I had to see this movie, and then I learned it was a book. I was worried about reading it because I had read someone's comment in regards to the movie. The commenter was wondering what happened to all the Scientific information from the book (based on the trailer) . This made me wonder if I wanted to read the book or just watch the movie and love that.

Well I gave in and picked up Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife.

Wow - what an amazing book. I loved it. I'm so happy that I read it before the movie came out and now I am that much more excited. I didn't think that there was really that much of scientific information the way the poster had mentioned. I just thought it was a beautiful love story, and that's what the movie (hopefully) will be too.

I know that I need to bring tissue to the movie because the end of the book made me cry. This is a whole lot of not explaining what the book was about, but I think the trailer gives the needed information. All I can say is...Go read the book!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Midnight Sins


Title: Midnight Sins
Author: Cynthia Eden
Series: Midnight (Book 2)
Genre: Paranormal Romance


Midnight Sins is the second book in Cynthia Eden's Midnight Series. The first was Hotter After Midnight. Midnight Sins follows the story of Cara, a succubus who is looking for a meaningful relationship and has given up sex and Todd, and cop and Colin's (from Book 1) partner.

There are deaths happening again in the city and it looks like it's another Other serial killer. They are all men found bound with no reason for being dead. When the Medical Examiner takes a look the men look like they are in fantastic health with no reason for death, until they find an outline on the chest of one of the bodies.

It looks like it's the work of a succubus, and when Todd and Colin go to bring in who the evidence points to, Cara, the sparks fly.

I really love the stories about succubi. I think what an awesome type of demon - a sex demon! I think that this book was better than the first. There was less lull...perhaps because of all of the steamy scenes between Todd and Cara.

I am eagerly awaiting book 3, which came out a July 1st, Midnight Masters. My library, however, doesn't have it (yet). Looks like this series is getting put on hold for a bit.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Masquerade: a Blue Bloods Novel


Title: Masquerade
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods (Book 2)
Genre: Young Adult



In Masquerade, the search for the Silver Bloods continue! It opens with Oliver and Schuyler being in Venice looking for her grandfather. They do find him, but he isn't any help and they come back to New York disappointed.

I felt like there is little to say about this installment without giving much of the story away. I think that Masquerade was better than the first book, with more information let out (especially at the end), and a bit more action.

Next up is Book 3: Revelations.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Rules of Surrender


Title: Rules of Surrender
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: The Governess Brides (Book 1)
Genre: Romance



Got Book 1, Rules of Surrender of Christina Dodd's Governess Brides Series. Usually I find that when I read series I love one book of the series and the rest are simple okay. So far I've really loved both of the books in this series that I have read.

Rules of Surrender follows Pamela, another of the ladies who has started the Governess Academy. She is hired, although she doesn't know it initially to teach not only 2 children who have come from some far away desert, but to also acclimate their father back into English society with all of it's rules.

She falls in love with the children and they are excellent learners. It is their Father, Wynter who proves the problem. He only preforms when he wants to (sounds like my niece :)) and otherwise likes people to think he is barbaric and unintelligent. He purposefully puts the two of them in a compromising situation so that they have to marry. He of course plays stupid about the whole thing.

Wynter has some crazy ideas about marriage and love. Women should love men as they are the sun who provides for them and lights up their life, where real men do not love. This of course doesn't jive with Pamela and the two have to work out their differences.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Septimus Heap Book 1: Magyk


Title: Magyk
Author: Angie Sage
Series: Septimus Heap (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


While walking through the library I saw this book and it screamed, "PICK ME UP!" to me, so I had no choice but to obey.

Magyk is the first book in Angie Sage's Septimus Heap (a person's name) series. Currently there are four other books with a fifth one on the way.

Magyk takes place in a different land where people who are wizards eye's turn color to green, magyk does exist, as do princesses, queens and of course the ultimate bad guy.

We follow the Heap family throughout the story. It begins with Silas Heap, the father of 7 children finding an abandoned baby girl in the snow. He brings her back to his wife who has jsut birthed their seventh son. Unfortunately the son has died (so we think, but really how can you have a series named after a dead baby?). They decide to pretend that she gave birth to the little girl due to some prompting from another woman.

Eventually thier secret is out and they start on a long journey of running from the ultimate bad guy who wants their daughter, who is the Princess.

There are lots of fun next creatures and words in this book. It is considered juvenile fiction, but I found that it was hard at times when you are thrown into a world where you don't understand anything. I'm intrigued to see where the rest of the series is going, because unlike most series I don't have a clue.