'Finding Pride' by Jill Sanders

Megan is in Pride to attend her brother's funeral.  Matt had been trying to get her to this lovely little town for years, but she wouldn't come to see him, for reasons of her own; which she kept hidden from him.  But now she's here she with her arm in a cast and covered in bruises, she feels horrible she had kept her own secrets from him.
But the people of Pride have welcomed her with open arms and helped her whenever she needed it.  She quickly became fast friends with Lacey Jordan and her brother Iian; and she totally fell for Todd, their older brother, who she just can't seem to stop thinking about!  But is it too soon after her dreadful divorce in Boston?  
And speaking of which, the trial to put her ex-husband away has yet to come around.  The stress of it has put Megan on edge.  However, her lawyer has ensured her that he's not going to bother again; but really, how secure are their prisons?  And will he get out?  With the arrangements of her new life in Pride, with a new business her brother, Matt, left for her to pick up and her new love interest in Todd (who scares her as well as excites her at the same time), will her new life turn out just as it's supposed to?

I downloaded this book when I was at Brighton recovering from my surgery at Greenslopes Private Hospital.  I didn't want to read anything too heavy; and a light romance seemed just the ticket.  However, as I got into this book - which has a great storyline - I found Jill Sanders had a fair bit of proof-reading to go on it.  There were some major grammatical and spelling errors all the way through the book (dessert - not desert - is for after dinner).  Some words were mixed up and in place of others making otherwise great sentences sound dreadful and off; and they weren't small errors either with these sentences - like leaving 'the' or 'a' out.  Some words were added in when they should have been removed.  Italics undone where it should have been left in as well (which is probably not her fault).  But like I said, the storyline was fantastic... however the love and sex scenes were a bit lost on me and could have done with a bit more description as they weren't as hot as I thought they'd be.  Yeah, Todd was gorgeous, but I couldn't feel the sex or heat between the characters.  It's the first of a trilogy... and it was free off iTunes.  Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting the others as they cost money (and I don't have anything in my iTunes account).  Until my next post, happy reading.

Erotic and Romantic Fiction

Romance has come a long way since the days of Mills and Boone where women bought the reasonably-sized books and read them and they were written by a handful of women and some men.  They were light romances for the ordinary housewife who would get time to sit down and read just before bed or whenever they had time to read during their busy day.

However, times have changed a lot, and so has the way romance has been written.  It's hot, sexy and very descriptive... and yes, it's meant for not only the ladies but also the men too.  So, when 'Fifty Shades of Grey' was published, it caused plenty of waves in society of its content and why it was published.  But it also brought a lot of people who read erotica out of the woodwork.
But not all erotic writings are the same.  I've read 'Fanny Hill' which was written by a man for men in the late 1800's and it was a book which was banned for many years due to its content.  However, I was given my copy by my Grandmother who had bought it for her husband in 1984 for his birthday; and it was a reprint of the unabridged edition!  And what an amazing piece it was to read!  I never thought my Grandparents would read anything that kinky; but really they are just like anyone else, they were young once too.
But Grandma had a large collection of Mills & Boone books at her house and I was amazed at how many were well-thumbed and that she often re-read a few of them because they were just good, old-fashioned romance stories that were girl-meets-boy kind of thing.  It's probably why she loved 'The Sound of Music' so much, it went along the same lines of Mills & Boone novels.

However, the typical romance novel is now a lot more descriptive.  It highlights how each person is feeling, their every move, clothing removal and everything else in between.  There's a new section of romance called Erotica and it sits alongside the typical romance section in bookstores and is taking off through e-books sales.  It's not because we're all perverts, it's because we're all wired this way.  Romance and erotica has come out of the shadows of being sinful, and become something to be read because it's good for us in a way.  For some of us, we write it - but would never tell anyone because it's something to keep quiet - while it's a big seller. 

So, do you read romance or erotic books - or are you too shy to say?  Until my next post, happy reading.    

Book Blogs

Okay, this sounds really confusing, but do you like to read book blogs?  I don't mean blogs that are about book reviews, I mean blogs that have books written into them?  I run two such blogs and they've got a small number of followers - and any number of looky-loos who just drop in to have a read once in a while.  So, do you read book blogs and enjoy reading an unknown author's written works?  If so, let us know of some of the blogs you all follow and read.  Here are my two.

Fry Nelson: Bounty Hunter 

Okay, this one is of novella/short stories.  But please do start with Chapter One - Initiation (book 1) and go from there otherwise you won't know what's going on; as it juxtaposes back and forth between the stories from time to time.  I have had some great feedback from this blog from people all over.

You Can't Go Back: And Other Impossibilities  

This one is of vampire romance and other mixed stories from time travel, weirdness and darkness I've only thought of while traveling around on holidays, had nightmares about (and thought would make a great story and found they did) and anything else I can think of to write... these are the odds and ends of the 'what if...' situations that run through my brain from time to time.  And yes, I did get published.  But it's fun to read the collection of stories here; and I will be adding to them soon as well.

I hope you guys enjoy these two blogs for your reading pleasure.  But do let us addicted to reading just about anything know of any blogs you've discovered where an unknown author has put their work on a blog to entertain the masses.  Until my next post, happy reading!  

The Home Festival Scores!

On Saturday, I was out all day at the Home Festival here in Brisbane to show my Altered Book and an artistic view of what my book collection meant to me.  Well, the day went off well!  The weather was perfect with blue skies, the sun out nice and bright and a gorgeous cool sea breeze to keep the whole day from keeping us from getting too hot.

The stalls were varied from organic foods to doing your own screen-printing to second-hand books (which I didn't seen until the end of the day).  But there was a jumble sale near our Pop-Up Museum which I had a look at with my niece, Riley, and I found myself a first edition of a poetry book by Helen Steiner Rice which was printed in 1968; and I paid only $2.00 for it!  What a lovely little book it is!  

And to add to my collection, one of my friends and artists - Doug Cartwright - found a 5-book set of gothic romance for me for $5.00.  He told me that when he saw it he knew it was very much me.  So, he bought it for me.  How cool is that?  I was so happy to see it as I've been eyeing it off at QBD and can't afford the $30 price tag attached to it; and now I've got it for so much less!

I found other things at the jumble sale - but they weren't books - to add to my other collections and they really made my day.  So, what have you found at jumble or garage or yard sales recently that you thought was a great find recently?  Was it found at a big festival - like mine was - or at a local market?  Do tell.  Until my next post, happy reading!

Death, Taxes and a French Manicure by Diane Kelly

Tara Holloway is a special agent on the IRS's payroll and she makes sure that you  pay your taxes; and keeps her finger on the pulse her love life at the same time.  After all, she needs one!

After being attacked by a small-time tax cheat who slices her wrist open with a box-cutter, Tara is put onto a case where she has to be under cover with an agent from the DEA.  They are tailing - of all people - an ice-cream man who is suspected of selling drugs from his truck in the poorest area of town.  And Tara and her partner for this case get down and dirty dressing in clothes she'd rather give to charity; and dressing like anyone but herself.

While she's working this case, an even bigger case falls in her lap; in the shape of a handsome, well-built landscape gardener called Brett.  He's working for some really big, dirty scammers who are stealing money off the retired folks and leaving them with empty bank accounts and nothing to live on.  But with Brett in her sights as a possible hotty to land, the small-time drug-dealer ice-cream man to bust, can Tara really handle everything on her plate right now?  Can she trust Brett with her heart and with what her job is?  Or is Brett in cahoots with the scammers and will she have to arrest the man who has become a big part of her world?

I won this book on The Romance Bandits site and thought it was the typical run-of-the-mill romance.  But before I turned the first page, I was laughing out loud!  By the end of chapter one, I was really gunning for main character (literally; as she can shoot a gun!) and by the time Tara met Brett and scored her first kiss, I wanted to meet the guy and steal him off her... only kidding.  Before I knew it I was putting aside an hour or two to read this book and today I finished it!  What a funny, sassy, hot book to read; and a great spin to put on romances.  I swear that I won't look at romance novels the same again.

Diane Kelly is a tax attorney by day, a writer by night.  A recipient of the 2009 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Element, she has received more than two dozen RWA chapter awards.  Diane's fiction, tax and humor pieces have appeared in True Love magazine, Writer's Digest Yearbook, Romance Writers' Report, Byline magazine and other publications.  'Death Taxes and a French Manicure' is her first mystery novel, with more in the series to come. 

Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian

There has been a mass killing in the Alaskan township of Harmony.  As peaceful as this place sounds, it has torn apart by this tragedy as the family who was murdered was known in some way by everyone in Harmony; especially by Alex, who had lived in this freezing oasis since she was around six with her father, who only passed away 6 months ago.  When she happens to come upon it during a supplies drop, she recognises the way these people suffered; it was the same way her Mother and her brother, Ritchie had been horribly killed.

Meanwhile back in Boston, Lucan and his brothers-in-arms choose the only Breed who can survive the freezing North Alaskan Winter, Kade, to go and find out all he can to see why this has happened.  Kade not only knows the area of Harmony well, but his family owns a Darkhaven there; however when he arrives, he finds that it's not as peaceful as he had hoped, it's worse than when he left the year before.  Will he be able to make peace with his family, find out who the murderer of the family is and figure out exactly why his Breed nerves jump all over the place when he's in the presence of Alex in time to save the entire township of Harmony before the whole place is turned in to a bloodbath?

This is the seventh book of the series; and I waited until this one came along before I added it to the rest of them to post them all off in one hit to the next person in line for this book spiral on Bookcrossing.  I thought it would be not only fair, but cheaper in the longrun.  This book is a little slower than the others; but it does have it's hot spots that melt the snow when you're following Kade and Alex through the freezing temperatures of Harmony.  Definitely read it on a hot Summer night to cool you down.

Been Busy Reading

I haven't posted that many reviews lately - and for this I apologise.  I do have a very good reason for doing this.  I've been reading a 6-book series for the last month and a half.  Each book took me only a week to read and I've also been crook with a sinus infection - but that hasn't slowed my reading down.  Here in Brisbane, this sinus problem has been going around, so I'm not alone.  However, I've been waiting to finish the entire series to get in and do the whole review in one hit; as the story covers all the books and it juxtaposes throughout the books as it goes on.  So, this is why there hasn't been any book reviews and only book news lately.  I'm terribly sorry about this.  I should have told you guys, but I wanted to surprise you all with a great vampire series to get into.  

But... I can review it now, if you wish....

The 'Midnight Breed' series by Lara Adrian is a set of six books about a breed of vampires which have been around on Earth since the Middle Ages.  Their race landed here and began to feed of humans and breed with us; as we were the only species that could take to breeding with them.  However, they could only give birth to boys; and they had to find women who had a particular birthmark which made them breedmates.  

This series of books are well-detailed and wonderful in each story.  From book one where their leader, Lucan, finds his breedmate to the last one - which I'm currently reading - these books will keep you wanting more from Lara Adrian; in action, humour and romance.  Most definitely worth a read.  Mainly, these books are aimed to the women readers who like romance; but also vampire romance.  I would point these in the direction of readers who like Mills & Boon too as there are some love scenes that are really steamy.  So, do have a go at reading them all; as you won't be able to stop at just one!

Free Books!

Today was a wonderful day for me.  Now, you all know that I have a reasonable collection of books - okay about 500 or so, but I don't really know how many - and so to find more books would be adding to the collection and making me find more space for it.

Well, while I was walking to the bus stop to do my usual fortnightly shop, I passed a house that had a few bags of thing out next to the letterbox.  Now, these bags have been there for the last few days; and I've noticed a few of them have been growing legs of late.  I didn't take much notice of them (mainly because they're baby's clothes and I don't have children or know anyone who have children that young) until I saw one bag flap at me and I noticed it was a book cover.  Well!  I turned around walked back and found the whole bag was full of Vampire Romance, old-fashioned romance and chick-lit!  What a find!  There's 18 books in all and I didn't have pay a thing for them... I brought them home with me before going to the bus stop (yeah, I was running very early this morning) and am very happy with my find!  Now I have my Spring and Summer reading covered well and truly!

Spooky October Halloween Reads!

In the last month, I've gotten my nose into a few really great reads; and not just any reads, spooky reads. I thought to share with you these titles as good or bad recommendations. So, here goes:

'Twilight' by Stephenie Meyers was my first read. I began it in late September and finished it in a week. I found it very light on, but still an interesting look into vampire lore; with a different take on how they act and what they are all about. Some of the older lores have been brought into it, yet some of the ones she wrote about are newer. A good light read for a teenager or Young Adult. My second book was the next book in the series: 'New Moon'. This one is thicker and has a few more story twists. The way she has established Bella's depression in the early stages of the book was brilliant; how the chapters didn't have to be written and they just had the month names on them was well-done. It took me a little longer to get into though as new characters were introduced and themes from the first book were being brought forward.
'Single White Vampire' by Lynsay Sands. Well, I've just written a review about this below. So, I won't say too much about it; except that it's typical Lynsay. It's funny, romantic and darkly wonderful all the way through. It also points out the dangers of being a vampire loving a human.
'Bloodline' by Maggie Shayne. I received this book from a friend of mine in Bookcrossing when I met up with her and her Mum here in Brisbane. However, I have never heard of this author; and so was willing to give this one a try. The storyline was great, the subplots were good enough to make this book stand alone and I enjoyed the way it bounced from first person to third quite easily without confusing me too much. However, it was Lilith who was the downer. She pulled the story down with her internal thoughts and groanings about everything from not trusting Ethan to The Farm. If you can put up with this in a character, by all means, read it, if not, well, I'd skip it.

So, there they are, my Spooky Reads for October. Join me next year around this time when I'll be reviewing another lot of spooky reads again. And next month, I'll try and read more different books to pick up the pace and feel of the book reviews.

Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Lucern Argeneau is the best-selling writer and biographer of his family, books that were just pigeon-holed as 'paranormal romance'. He's reclusive, quiet and doesn't wish to be disturbed by the outside world too much. All he wishes for is to write his family biography in peace. His new editor Kate C. Leever of Roundhouse Publishing has just discovered a legacy author dying to be broken out. Actually her whole career depends on it. In her opinion, this very tall, sensually handsome and extremely rude man needs to have a reality check.
Lucern really doesn't want to be dragged from his very comfortable home in Toronto to a Romance Convention all in the name of publicity. His books are doing just fine in his opinion. And he wishes he could do something to get rid of Kate; yet whenever she's not around him, he misses her like crazy.

This very funny and erotic vampire romance had me laughing and remembering the frustrations of how the relationships between men and women haven't changed; even if those particular relationships and age groups span a few centuries. 'Single White Vampire' is well worth a read over a good dreary weekend when there's nothing on the television; as it's a great one to sink your teeth into.

Thief of Words by John Jaffe

Jack and Annie are in the writing industry and have met up for the first time on a blind date; organised by a mutual friend. For a good part of the afternoon, they talk about their lives and Jack finds that Annie has been through a rough divorce. So, he decides it'd be fun to rewrite her memories via e-mail and help her recover and win her heart while doing it. However, there's something else in her past she hasn't told Jack; and Annie's terrified that if he knew he'd dump her in a minute. It's the reason she's not a hot shot journalist or famous writer and is only a book agent; even for the most pickiest of authors.
When Jack's newspaper does an article on plagiarism, her name shows up on the list to be interviewed and one of Jack's employees tracks her down. Will her secret be out and destroy their relationship? Or will Jack's old flame from an old affair throw a spanner of a different kind into the works?

John Jaffe is a pseudonym - a mixture of two names - John Mauncie and Jody Jaffe. They co-authored this book and another one as well. However this very book ('Thief of Words') was the prequel of their relationship and marriage. What a storyline for a book. Their most recent book is titled: 'Shenandoah Summer' which came out in October 2007.

The Bachelor's Cat by L.F. Hoffman

When a ball of fur is found on the doorstep of man's house one cold morning, he does the right thing and takes it to an animal shelter. However, when the kitten returns a few days later, he takes it in and feeds it; deciding that it can't hurt to keep it for a while. Over the next few months and eventually years, this bachelor dates a few women that this cat shows a liking or disliking for in a few distinctively cat ways. Then, the man dates a woman the cat absolutely approves of and he makes the mistake of letting her go. Will he be able to get her back to keep his cat happy and finally find true love before she finds another?

I read this book over a weekend when my parent's television was in being fixed. It wasn't because I was a cat person; it was because I found it an endearing story about how animals can run our lives. And if we don't listen to them, they can be sometimes right about things.

Lynn F Hoffman holds a PhD in anthropology from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, where he wrote about men and women who go to sea in the American Merchant Marine. During the course of that research, he cooked on freighters and charter boats, served champagne to first-class, trans-Atlantic passengers. Dr Hoffman has crossed the Atlantic by steam, sail and plane. He is looking forward to rowing next time.
After a stint in the restaurant and bar business, Dr Hoffman returned to academia where he was a Scholar in Residence in Food and Culture in the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program at Dextrel for 15 years. He is the founder of the Drexel University Culinary Arts Major which accepted its first students in the Autumn of 1997. He's written restaurant reviews for the Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia Magazine as well as being the author of two textbooks: 'Good Food' and 'The Beer Book'.
Dr Hoffman is the author of the prize-winning novel 'Killers' and 1997's Christmas Selection from HarperCollins, 'The Bachelor's Cat'. 'Killers' has won awards from the Southwest Writer's Workshop and the Washington Prize for Fiction. His wine textbook 'The Short Course in Wine' is used in hospitality students and adult wine lovers. Another book he's written is titled 'Bang BANG' and it can be found on Amazon.com. Dr Hoffman lives in South Philadelphia where he drinks homemade wine and shops in the Italian market.

(Bibliography: http://www.redroom.com/author/lynn-f-hoffman/bio)

Exclusive by Eden Bradley, Jaci Burton & Lisa Renee Jones

This book is three of the sauciest and raunchiest stories you're ever likely to wrap your reading glasses around. The first one was about Devin who had never thought herself as kinky in any way; but once her friend talked her into a visit to an underground club, she was hooked - addicted to a guy called Shaye. The last story was a vampire erotica which I just got my teeth into and loved (because I do love those kinds of stories once in a while). However, the second story ran a little slow for me and so I skipped it, so I didn't read very far into it.

I was offered this book in a bookray in Bookcrossing last year and I put my name down for it and clean forgot it was there until it showed up in my PO Box about two weeks ago. So, once I got through it, I found it very interesting and raunchy; definitely one for bedtime reading!

Eden Bradley, Jaci Burton and Lisa Renee Jones are known as the Queens of erotic fiction. Together they've all been writing romantic fiction and erotica for some years now; however, in my search on the net, I've been unable to find too much about the three ladies to put here. However, if you'd like to google them and find out more, let me know how you go.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This was passed to me as a Bookring in BookCrossing.com and I loved it from the first page to the last. I've also seen the movie of it with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft playing the main characters; and believe me, they were well-cast! This book is a great page-turner from beginning to end.

What starts out as a one-off purchase from between a book-lover in New York and a bookseller in the UK turns into a beautiful and life-long friendship that lasts the absolute distance across the Atlantic Ocean. Even during tough times, the two manage to keep sending letters and presents to each other.
This book was one which I wished wouldn't end; and I actually slowed down my reading of it as I came towards the end to slow it down. However, sadly, it did and - as I closed the cover of this touching and wonderful book - I wanted to open the front cover and re-read it again straight away!

You can find this book for sale on Amazon.com or any second-hand bookstore in your city/town. It's well worth the read. And see the movie too; as it's just the icing on the cake.