Resolution

This is a good one, especially if keep having debt issues.

In the year 2006 I resolve to: Sell myself on ebay. Get your resolution here

2005 Year in Review

I feel considerably better today. With luck, that will continue. (Knock on wood.) I also found a spare car key, so I might be able to go somewhere eventually.

In any case, onward.

I'm pleased to present my complete reading year in review:

5 Hearts: 10
4.5 Hearts: 38
4 Hearts: 136
3.5 Hearts: 47
3 Hearts: 52
2.5 Hearts: 4
2 Hearts: 7
1.5 Hearts: 1
1 Hearts: 0
Total: 295

I am not as surprised this year to see so many 4s and 5s; the same thing happened last year. I'm not sure why there are so many. When I look at my low scores, most of them are books I reviewed. I have a hunch that I am getting good at judging whether I will like a book or not when I read a review or blog entry. In addition, I have many auto-buy authors whose books I like most of the time.

I do have a stack of books in my room that I haven't finished. Perhaps if I finished them, the number of books with lower ratings would be lower? I'm not sure.

Here are the books that received 5s. They are:

Day, Sylvia: Bad Boys Ahoy!
Day, Sylvia: Wish List*
Gaffney, Patricia: To Love and to Cherish
Heath, Lorraine: Always to Remember
Howard, Linda: To Die For*
LaBrecque, Jennifer: Better Than Chocolate . . .
Robb, J.D.: Origin in Death*
Shalvis, Jill: Get a Clue*
Vaughn, Evelyn: A.K.A. Goddess
Vaughn, Evelyn: Contact*

And here are the books that received 4.5:

Anthology: Hot Spell*
Blazer, Melani: Hot Rod Heaven*
Blazer, Melani: Legend of the Leopard
Blazer, Melani: When I Close My Eyes*
Clare, Pamela: Ride the Fire*
Day, Sylvia: "Catching Caroline"*
Day, Sylvia: Kiss of the Night*
Denton, Jamie: Hard to Handle
Fetzer, Amy J.: Tell It to the Marines
Fisher, Ellen: Never Love a Stranger
Handeland, Lori: Blue Moon
Kenner, Julie: Silent Confessions
Kenyon, Sherrilyn: Fantasy Lover
Lee, Deanna: Blood Moon*
Leigh, Jo: Suspect
Leigh, Jo: Truth or Dare
Liu, Marjorie M.: Tiger Eye*
MacGregor, Kinley: Born in Sin
Mayberry, Sarah: Can't Get Enough*
McCarthy, Erin: The Pregnancy Test*
McMinn, Suzanne: The Honeymoon Man
O'Shea, Patti: Through a Crimson Veil*
Ranney, Karen: A Promise of Love
Richards, Emilie: The Trouble with Joe
Shalvis, Jill: For the Love of Nick
Shalvis, Jill: Naughty but Nice
Shalvis, Jill: Seduce Me
Shalvis, Jill: Show Me the Way
Shalvis, Jill: Ultimate Surrender
Showalter, Gena: Awaken Me Darkly*
Showalter, Gena: Heart of the Dragon*
Vaughn, Carrie: Kitty & The Midnight Hour*
Vaughn, Evelyn: Her Kind of Trouble
Vaughn, Evelyn: The Player
Ward, J.R.: Dark Lover*
Warren, Nancy: Private Relations*
White, Sasha: The Devil Inside*

I put an asterisk next to the books with a 2005 release date.

Favorite Discoveries
Melani Blazer: Blazer has had several books published, but I only discovered her in the past few months. I love her smooth writing style and memorable characters.

Sylvia Day: I've blogged about her books several times and probably will in the future. She's just terrific, and it amazes me that she was first published this year. Seems like she's been around longer.

Jo Leigh: Did I really only discover her just this year? That's what my spreadsheet says. What I like best about her books is that they are all so different, and she is not afraid to take risks.

Jill Shalvis: I bought more books by Shalvis this year than by anyone else, something she can vouch for, since she signed a bunch of them at this year's RWA. Her stories are emotional and compelling. She's a buried treasure, and I hope other people discover her in the upcoming year.

Gena Showalter: Here's an author who writes intriguing paranormal romance. I love the ones I've read so far and look forward to the ones to come.

Evelyn Vaughn: If you're looking for unique romance, often with a paranormal element, you can't go wrong with Evelyn Vaughn. I've always had a strong emotional reaction to her books. Contact might be my favorite book of the year.

Least Favorites
When the Lights Go Out by Barbara Daly.

Twice Burned by Jan Coffey.

Biggest Disappointments
Only for a Knight by Sue-Ellen Welfonder.
I liked the previous book I reviewed and was hoping to like this one, too. It ultimately received a 2.

Trigger Effect by Maggie Price.
I've enjoyed some of Price's previous books, so I was disappointed that this one seemed bland. It received a 3.

Here's my review. It's hard to believe that 2006 is only two days away, but I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve!

Favorite 20 in 2005

I'm well past the point of looking for positive things about being sick. Now, I'm just praying for death. I'm not sure if my aching head is an indication that I am moving through the stages of this bug or if it means I need to go to the doctor. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning, I suppose. I should mention that I have been incredibly blessed with family support. Several siblings have stopped by with food, flavored water (I'm so sick of regular water I could scream), and (the latest offering) a humidifier.

Now, if my keys would turn up, I could go back to being only sick instead of sick and worried.

On to other things. Last year I did a long post about the books I read in 2004. I plan to do the same this year, but while I'm compiling it, I thought I'd join many others who are posting their favorite books of the current year. So here they are, my top 20 books with a 2005 copyright date. They are in alphabetical order. I've provided links to my reviews or blog entries.

Melani Blazer: Hot Rod Heaven

Pamela Clare: Ride the Fire
Apparently I didn't write a review for this book. It's quite good--a historical romance with a tortured hero and a strong heroine.

Sylvia Day: Catching Caroline, Kiss of the Night, Wish List
Technically, she should get three spots on the list, since I'm listing three books, but I'm going to use the flimsy excuse that they are all novellas. That way, I can count them as one and make room for others on this list. That doesn't diminish how much I liked them, though. Day is very much a comfort read for me.

Amy Garvey: Murder in the Hamptons

Lori Handeland: Hunter's Moon

Emma Holly, Lora Leigh, Meljean Brook, and Shiloh Walker: Hot Spell

Linda Howard: To Die For
Although I hadn't picked up Linda Howard in years, I decided to try To Die For, and I'm so glad I did.

Deanna Lee: Blood Moon
I was intrigued by Still Waters, the first book in Lee's Kyra Moray series, but I really liked the second one. Sadly, it looks like there will be a bit of a wait for the third. I'm planning to buy her next book (unrelated to the Moray series), Undressing Mercy, which has an artistically beautiful cover, even if it's not one I would be comfortable reading in public.

Marjorie M. Liu: Tiger Eye

Sarah Mayberry: Can't Get Enough

Erin McCarthy: "Fuzzy Logic" and The Pregnancy Test

Patti O'Shea: Through a Crimson Veil

J.D. Robb: Origin in Death

Jill Shalvis: Get a Clue

Gena Showalter: Awaken Me Darkly and Heart of the Dragon

Carrie Vaughn: Kitty & The Midnight Hour

Evelyn Vaughn: Contact

J.R. Ward: Dark Lover

Nancy Warren: Private Relations

Sasha White: The Devil Inside
I can't find a review in my archives; I suppose I didn't review it. Don't let that stop you from giving it a try. It's a fun and intense contemporary romance with a little paranormal element to give it some zing.

There you have it--my favorite 20 reads from 2005. Watch for a more detailed year-in-review in the next few days. Feel free to send healthy vibes my way.

Silver Lining?

Good Things about Being Sick on Your Birthday

• You don't waste a lot of time deciding what to do. It's a simple process: take medicine, blow nose, read, play electronic Yahtzee, read, sleep, get on computer, repeat.
• You're too busy looking for your tissues to give a second thought to how old you are now.
• You spend so much time being sick that you don't worry about painful self-analysis of where you are and where you wanted to be on your 30-something birthday.
• Your sister may feel sorry for you and bring you lunch.

These benefits may sound good, but I don't recommend getting sick if you can avoid it.

Seven Things

I was tagged by Megan a while ago, and I thought I'd do this before 2006.

Seven Things To Do Before I Die:

1. Go to England. I've wanted to go for years; why have I managed to go all over the US for book signings and can't make it to England?


2. Get married.


3. Lose weight (again).


4. Have one of my scrapbook pages published in a book or magazine.


5. Have my name on a project I write instead of being anonymous.


6. Learn to ice skate.


7. OK, I'll fess up. Have one of my stories published.

Seven Things I Cannot Do:

1. Stay organized.


2. Go anywhere without a box of tissues (at least right now).


3. Stop reading.


4. Enjoy cooking.


5. Cut my hair short (I like it long).


6. Get out of debt (although I keep trying).


7. Stay ahead of my laundry.

Seven Things That Attract Me To My Best Friend (there's no significant other at the moment):

1. Her sense of humor.


2. Her intelligence.


3. Her interest in knowing what I'm doing.


4. Her analytic mind.


5. Her kindness.


6. The way she makes me laugh.


7. Our inside jokes.

Seven Things I Say (or Write) Most Often:

1. Anyway


2. In other news


3. Hmmm


4. Your point is?


5. So


6. Hell


7. Shit

Seven Books (or Series) I love:

1. In Death series by J.D. Robb


2. Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris


3. Team Ten series by Suzanne Brockmann


4. Contact by Evelyn Vaughn


5. Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson


6. Better Than Chocolate by Jennifer LaBrecque


7. See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again:

1. Lord of the Rings (the first one especially)


2. Persuasion


3. Memento


4. The End of the Affair


5. Unbreakable


6. Pride and Prejudice


7. Signs

Seven People I Want To Join In (Be Tagged)

This meme has been going around so long I'm not sure who still hasn't done it. If you haven't been tagged and would like to do it, consider yourself listed here.

Poison Study

I'm a huge baby when I'm sick. I'm just back from the store, where I bought cold/flu medicine, restocked my tissues, and indulged in some cotton nightgowns. I deserve something nice when I'm feeling sick. Ha! I just took some medicine and I hope it kicks in soon.

I moved Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study to the top of my TBR pile because it is due back at the library tomorrow. I finished it this afternoon before taking a nap. Here's the summary:

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace--and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust--and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear . . .

I really enjoyed Poison Study: 4 out of 5. The story has an intriguing opening, and the interest continues throughout the book. The world-building of the story is excellent. I was instantly immersed in Ixian society, and it's an interesting place to read about. There are many small details that add realism to the story, such as the uniforms that are worn by each general's entourage.

The story is told from Yelena's point of view, and the first-person narrative is a nice choice because you really get to know Yelena. It's especially interesting to learn about her history as it is slowly revealed throughout the book.

However, getting the story from Yelena's point of view also means that you don't get to know her love interest as well as you know Yelena. Although he is in the story frequently, I did wish there had been a way to delve into his perspective. He reminded me a little of Roarke from the In Death series. No, he's not an Irish billionaire, but he's morally ambiguous in a way that reminds me of Roarke. I don't mean to suggest that this hero or Roarke is immoral, just that they have different standards of morality.

Toward the end of the story, Yelena goes into the enemy camp unnecessarily. This results in a showdown and the climax of the novel, but I wish there had been a way to make this unavoidable. It seemed like it could have been avoided.

On the whole, though, the book was excellent. I'm keeping it on my book-trading wish list in hopes of getting a copy of my own. The next book in the series is out next fall.

On the Day after Christmas . . .

I had a nice Christmas and hope you did, too. I spent it with my family, then came home last night and collapsed. I thought I was having allergies, but it has turned out to be a cold or flu. The sore throat set in late last night.

Now I've been up for two hours and I feel completely exhausted. I'm going to eat lunch, then go back to bed for a while.

I just finished listening to the audio version of Undead and Unappreciated. It's quite good. I hope they will go back and put the first two books in the series on audio as well.

I read Tripping through the Universe this weekend and liked the stories by Ellen Fisher and Shelley Munro quite a bit. I'll do a longer review later, when I feel up to it.

Right now I am reading Poison Study. It's due back at the library tomorrow, and someone has it on hold so I can't renew it. I'm hoping I can finish it today, but I'm not in great shape, so we'll see.



P.S. Just realized I will be sick on my birthday (tomorrow). This sucks.

Merry Christmas!

I was hoping to get another review posted before Christmas, but I'm feeling lazy and have several more things to do today. So watch for some reviews after Christmas.

Until then, happy holidays and Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy the time with families, friends, and loved ones.

A Taste for Passion

I picked up Patrice Michelle's A Taste for Passion a few months ago when I was browsing at the bookstore. I had narrowed my purchase decision to this book or another one, and I bought this one when I saw that it was an autographed copy. That probably doesn't surprise many of you, since my love for autographed books is no secret. In any case, that's how I ended up buying this book, and I'm pleased to say that I ended up really liking it: 4 out of 5.

Rana Sterling finally meets the man of her dreams and BOY does he know how to push all the right buttons. Only, Mr. Tall, Dark and Too-Good-to-Be True turns out to be just that; he's a real live, fanged vampire!

Lucian Trevane has a duty to fulfill. He's expected to take the role of Vite, leader of the vampires in three days. But he knows he won't take the position without his wife by his side. Now, after seventy years of searching for his reincarnated fiance, he finally finds the woman of his dreams in Rana Sterling, Rana may respond to his lovemaking, but she refuses to become his vampire wife. As if their lives aren't complicated enough, throw in a vengeful vampire, a surprise twist, and the fact that Rana and Lucien can't deny the strong attraction that exists between them and you've just stepped into A Taste for Passion.

Reincarnation stories are tricky--I think it's easy to make the reincarnated character too much like the original character. In that case, it's not clear whether the hero and heroine are really in love or whether they are together because one of them resembles a previous love.

In A Taste for Passion, we don't learn a lot about Lucian's fiance, but we do know that Rana's personality is different. I appreciated this very much. Lucian reinforces this by making it clear at one point that they are different and that his feelings for Rana are unique. I also liked the fact that Rana doesn't simply fall into Lucian's arms. Well, she does when she is dreaming of him; when awake, she makes him work for their relationship and for her.

The back cover text mentions "a surprise twist," and there certainly is one. I like the unique way this part of the story plays out. My main issue with the book is that I wish it had been longer. I wanted more of a good thing.

This book is the first in a series, and I picked up the second one, A Taste for Revenge, today. It should be interesting.

TBR Challenge: A Singular Lady

One of my ongoing TBR challenges is to finish books I started, then set aside. I put down A Singular Lady after reading about 50 pages. In this case, it wasn't the book; I just wasn't in the mood for a Regency. I finished it recently, and I'm glad I came back to it.

1. Title/Author
A Singular Lady by Megan Frampton.

2. Brief Synopsis

During the Season, debutantes rush to London to find a man who'll fill their hearts with love--or their bankbooks with money. The Honorable Titania Stanhope is of the latter category. She simply has no choice--for her father has bequeathed his entire fortune to his mistress. Armed with velvet, dancing slippers, and a firm resolve, Titania heads to do battle in the ballroom in order to vanquish--and marry--a gentleman who can afford to keep her family from ruin.

Edwin Worthington, Earl of Oakley, wants nothing to do with money-grubbing young ladies. He wears scuffed boots and old jackets, allowing Society to regard him as the penniless black sheep of a wealthy family. But in reality he has a fortune--and no plan to marry--until he meets Titania, a woman whose sharp wit and keen mind are rivaled only by her lovely face. Can Edwin let go of his pride in order to follow his heart?

3. Copyright Year
2005.

4. Indicate if you liked or disliked it?
I liked it very much: 4 out of 5. One thing I enjoyed is the humor. There are a number of great moments as Titania attends different events, but I especially liked the glimpse into Titania's and Edwin's thoughts, such as this moment when Titania is asked if she was doing anything improper.

Well, Titania thought to herself, if by improper you mean allowing a man to kiss me passionately, stroke my breasts, and attempt to lift my skirts up, then yes, I guess you could say I was doing something improper.

I also thought the chemistry between Titania and Edwin was great, although I did want to see more scenes with them together. Edwin is terrific, although I thought he drank a bit too much toward the end of the book. Other than this, however, I liked the story.

5. Was the book designated a DIK or Five Heart book at any of the review sites?
I didn't check.

6. Do you agree or disagree with the reviewers?
Not applicable.

7. Is this a new author for you?
Yes.

8. Would you read more by this author?
Absolutely.

Today's Column

My Romancing the Blog column is up. I think next year I need to start coming up with more interesting topics to write about. Maybe I just need to let my inner ranter free. But in this case, I took a column I had already started, spent half an hour finishing it, and posted it. Honestly, I'm just happy I met the deadline.

I'm still recovering after the freelance job. It was very strange not to go home and transcribe last night. Instead, I went home and crashed for a couple of hours. It may be a slow recovery process.

Finished

I finished my freelance project about 15 minutes ago. Soon I will stagger to bed and collapse. It's going to be so good to go to bed and know I don't have to work on the project again tomorrow. It will take me a few days to get caught up with blog reading and writing, so be patient with me.

Thanks!

Coming Up for Air

My freelance job is a combination of transcribing tapes and editing. So far, the transcribing is taking so long that I haven't done much editing. I've spent more than six hours on each tape, and I've got five tapes left. Think I'll make it by December 19? Sure hope so, though aside from the occasional online sanity break, I don't have time to do much of anything. Hell, even a trip to the bathroom is a sanity break under these conditions. It reminds me of grad school.

I've got to jump into tape three soon, but I wanted to mention something I learned today. Media Play is closing. This is my main source for books and DVDs. I'm extremely disappointed. Yes, it's a chain, but I kind of saw it as a smaller chain. I've become accustomed to my Media Play trips. It's pretty surprising because I received a regular mailer from them this week, which said nothing about the fact that the stores are closing nationwide.

So, I pulled out my phone book to see if I can find an independent bookstore to support. I found the same thing I've found in the past. There are a few specialty stores, but nothing that specializes in romance. There are one or two larger stores, but they would require significant traveling, and even so, I'd end up doing a fair amount of special ordering, I suspect.

It's the end of an era. I bought Harry Potter movies and books there the day after their release. And I loved browsing their romance section. Looks like I'll be shopping at Amazon and Borders from now on.

Freelance Opportunity

I have a freelance editing opportunity that would bring in some much-needed extra money. I'm going to give it a try this weekend, and if I decide to do it, you won't see me here much until after the December 19 deadline. My blogging has already been a bit sporadic, but I still wanted to let you know.

Kiss of the Night and Wish List

Another day, another Sylvia Day book review. I discovered her writing back with Catching Caroline, then I tried "Magic Fingers" from Sex on Holiday. Now I buy and read everything she writes because I know what I will get: memorable characters, hot sex, and an emotional story to go with them. Kiss of the Night is no exception: 4.5 out of 5.

Kiss of the Night is connected to Misled.

Special Task Force agent Alexei Night has had a crush on Interstellar Council Representative Briana Michaels ever since the first time he saw her on the vid comm. But their lives are worlds apart. He's a vampire. She's not. There's no possibility of a relationship between them. Yet he still dreams of her . . .

When Briana's unpopular position supporting vampiric rights threatens her family, Alex leaps at the chance to protect her and be with her. It's a two-week journey to her homeworld, and he'll spend it making love with the woman he can't keep, trying to get enough of her to last an eternity. Their erotic connection is easily established but their bond doesn't overshadow the danger surrounding Briana.

A hopeless romance with a woman whose mortal life is threatened . . . Things can't get any worse for Alex.

And then somehow . . . they do.

Kiss of the Night emphasizes something Day depicts really well: passionate, steamy sex that shows the emotional connection between the characters. As a vampire, Alexei has certain advantages, but he prefers Briana to want him for himself and not because he exerted any influence. I definitely admired that as well as the fact that he doesn't fight what he feels for Briana.

Wish List
Wish List is a Christmas novella, and it's just terrific: 5 out of 5.

When Nicolas James draws Stephanie Martin's name in their law firm's Secret Santa exchange he knows he's in for a merry Christmas--if he can figure out what to give the woman he's wanted for months. When he works late and finds a crumpled piece of paper listing Steph's personal wish list, he knows he's in luck. Because all Steph wants for Christmas is him, in a number of naughty ways.

And not-so saintly Nick is going to make every one of her carnal wishes come true.

Wish List is a contemporary story, and it uses a great deal of humor. Read an excerpt to see for yourself. Nick's fulfillment of Steph's wish list is wonderful. I wouldn't mind having a man like Nick for Christmas. LOL! The only thing I didn't like about this story is that it wasn't long enough.

If you read e-books, I suggest that you give one of Day's books a try. If you read print books only, Bad Boys Ahoy! is due out in January. I haven't read it, but I have no doubt it will be excellent.

TBR Challenge: My Shadow Warrior

It's December, and my TBR challenge, in honor of Maili, is to read Scottish romance. I wanted to read My Shadow Warrior after seeing a review about it. It's a good book: 4 out of 5.

1. Title/Author
My Shadow Warrior by Jen Holling.

2. Brief Synopsis

Rose, the youngest of the MacDonnell sisters, is more concerned with her father's mysterious illness than with her impending marriage to her childhood sweetheart. A gifted but frustrated healer, she decides to beg help from William MacKay--a reclusive laird who is renowned not only for his ferocity, but also for his healing powers. Denied entry to his fortress in the cold, harsh mountains of the far northwestern highlands, Rose uses cunning to force her way in, and William is duly intrigued with this bold slip of a girl. But securing his help may not be enough to save Rose's father. For there is something darker at work in the glen, something more powerful than William's and Rose's magic combined, and only the soul-deep passion that shadows their mutual desire can help their love prevail.

3. Copyright Year
2005.

4. Indicate if you liked or disliked it?
I liked it. I enjoyed William, a tormented hero who is devoted to his daughter and who finds himself falling for Rose despite himself. Rose herself is a compelling heroine. She wants William to try and heal her father, and she is willing to go to great lengths to make that happen.

I found myself enjoying the writing itself. In one scene, William confronts a mob. I loved the way the Holling depicted the scene and built up to William's simple and logical response. (I'm being vague to avoid spoilers.)

The romance works well. The main drawback of the story is its obvious villain.

5. Was the book designated a DIK or Five Heart book at any of the review sites?
Not that I found.

6. Do you agree or disagree with the reviewers?
Not applicable.

7. Is this a new author for you?
Yes.

8. Would you read more by this author?
Certainly.

I have more Scottish romance on my shelves, including Janet Chapman's Charming the Highlander and Kinley MacGregor's Claiming the Highlander. Yay! I'm sure Maili will be thrilled.

Forbidden Passion

This has been a weekend of good reading. Yesterday, I read Forbidden Passion by Emilie Rose. It's part of the Silhouette Desire line, although it's a little sexier than I have usually found in Desires. Anyway, I liked it: 4 out of 5.

No sooner had his brother been laid to rest when a moment of grief and confusion exploded into passion for Sawyer Riggan and his newly widowed sister-in-law, Lynn, It was an earthshaking encounter neither could forget, but had it left more than memories behind . . .?

Lynn believed empty bank accounts and cruel jibes in her late husband's diary were his only legacy to her, but there may be another growing in her womb. With the father of her child in question, the marriage of convenience Sawyer suggested might be all too convenient given the fires that still burned between them. For when the true paternity was revealed, what future might they share?

I think everyone has guilty pleasure plots, and for me, falling in love with a sibling's spouse or lover is one of them. This is curious, because this is too creepy to contemplate in real life--falling in love with my sister's husband? Uh, I don't think so. I like my brother-in-law, but I don't think about him that way and never would. But that's why it's a guilty pleasure. What I wouldn't like in real life somehow works for me in fiction. Go figure.

Anyway, here's how the plot usually proceeds: one character, let's say the heroine (although the roles can be reversed), is married to the hero's brother. The marriage often isn't going well, with the couple possibly considering a divorce. Before that can happen, the husband dies. The hero and heroine than often embark on a marriage of convenience. The sibling ultimately finds out that his brother isn't the person he thought he was, and he falls in love with the heroine. (Can you see why this is a guilty pleasure kind of read?)

Forbidden Passion follows the familiar pattern and makes it work. While Rose doesn't do anything unexpected, she creates two characters--Sawyer and Lynn--who are interesting to read and easy to care about. Sawyer is caring and responsible, and I enjoyed the scenes where he is expressing concern for Lynn. He also has a blind spot about his now-dead brother. Yes, the story requires this, but I found it frustrating nonetheless.

Lynn is sweet, and it was lovely to see her blossom under Sawyer's care and love. One thing I want to know, however, is why wearing sexy clothes is so often portrayed as a negative thing? In this case, Lynn's husband made her dress in tight, short, and low-cut clothes, so she changes to wear more appropriate clothes after his death. My wardrobe isn't especially sexy, but I still find the sexy = slutty comparison distasteful.

Despite these issues, I liked the story, mainly for the characterization. I suspect that people who don't share this guilty pleasure may not enjoy it as much. I'm planning to try another book my Emilie Rose to see how I like it.

A Variety

As you might have guessed, I decided against going to Carrie Vaughn's book signing today in Denver. After I found out about the credit card minimum payment increase, the possibility of that happening shrunk to zero. However, I have arranged to get an autographed copy of the book from that bookstore. I figure $8.50 to buy the book and have it shipped to me is far less expensive than making the trip. Of course, this way I won't meet the author, but I can't help that. Maybe another time.

Speaking of finances, I am figuring out ways to cut corners financially. I plan to get rid of long distance from my home phone, since I can use my cell phone for that. I will start planning meals for every two weeks instead of buying whatever catches my eye at the grocery store. I'm also giving some serious thought to downgrading my cable. I wish it were possible to choose one's channels. I'm paying an extra $20/month for two or three channels I like but only watch occasionally. I need to either downgrade or start watching them.

On another subject: NaNoWriMo. I met the 50,000-word goal, wrote another short story, and have turned my attention back to revising the first story. I'm wondering where to go from here. It's kind of funny. For a long time, I thought that writing for my day job made it feel too much like work to come home and write. I had stopped writing fiction long ago.

But I think I've got the writing bug again. I have continued to write since December began, although I fluctuate between thinking what I have written is brilliant or sucks. I go through that at work, but it's intensified significantly when I'm writing fiction.

As I said, I'm not sure what to do next. Just keep writing for a while and see what happens? Write as a hobby? Try for publication? That seems so pretentious when I've been writing fiction again for a little more than a month. I have sent the short story to two volunteer readers, and I am curious to hear their opinions. (If you volunteered and didn't get it, don't worry. Assuming I keep writing, you'll have a turn reading eventually.)

I've started a separate blog about my writing. I suspect its contents would be supremely uninteresting to anyone except me, but if I keep writing for a few more months, I'll eventually post a link to it here. (If you're dying of curiousity, post in the comments and I'll e-mail you the link. I don't want to be responsible for anyone's death. LOL!)

I'm doing pretty good with my book-buying moratorium. I've got a few gift certificates to use, so I'll be able to buy a book or two on occasion. But other than that, I'm putting books on hold at the library, reading other perfectly good books on my TBR shelves, and saving money for a book-buying spree at next year's RWA signing.

Can't Get Enough

After being so proud of myself for having all of my TBR books on shelves (instead of on the floor or in bags), I found a box full of books. The TBR shelves are obviously a work in progress. When I went through the books, I saw Sarah Mayberry's Can't Get Enough. (You know it's bad when you have so many books you can't remember them all!) It's a recent Harlequin Blaze, and I decided to read it. I'm so glad I did. It's one of the best books I've read all year: 4.5 out of 5.

It was so nice to post the back blurb last time rather than describing the story, so I'm going to do it again.

He's everything she despises--a babe magnet with more notches on his belt than a mullipede has legs.

And he thinks his coworker is wound so tightly she irons her underwear at night.

Two people couldn't be further apart.

But when Jack Brook and Claire Marsden get stuck in a sweltering elevator one afternoon, it's a different story. By the time they're rescued, Jack and Claire have swapped confidences and oh, they've had the most spectacular sex of their lives!

Back in the office they're still butting heads over projects, but now there's a heightened awareness added to the mix. With this kind of tension in the air, how can they resist another round of sexy indulgence?

What I loved about this book are the characters. Many romances have a hero that the heroine thinks is a womanizer, but that turns out not to be the case. Here, Jack is no faux womanizer; he's the real deal. That's why his transformation from wanting casual relationships to falling in love with Claire is so rewarding to read. I cried a little at the end of the book.

Claire is also terrific. She's confident about her work. She's less confident about other matters, such as her relationship with her father. He never contacts her unless he wants something, and he remembers few of the details of her life. She worries when she realizes that she is falling for Jack. I like that she considers whether it is wise to get involved with him. I've always thought it was unrealistic when a heroine isn't worried about dating a former womanizer. Claire is cautious and considers things from several angles.

As I mentioned, Can't Get Enough is a Blaze title. However, it's longer than the traditional Blaze; both the font and margins are small. If you like contemporaries but avoid series titles, I would encourage you to try this one. I hope Mayberry has another book coming soon.

28 Things about Books

I'm joining in the book meme that has been going around lately. I ended up with 28 things.

1. I examine books very carefully when I buy them to make sure I am getting the copy in the best condition.
2. When I buy a new book, it usually doesn't look like it's been read when I finish it.
3. I love having autographed copies of books. When it's an author I really like, I am willing to pay shipping to get an autographed copy.
4. I'm willing to try books based on reading a review or blog entry that interests me. It doesn't have to be a positive review, either, as long as the description of the book gets my attention.
5. After attending last year's RWA, I hesitate before buying books because I think, "Will this be sold at the next RWA signing?"
6. I always have one or more (usually more) books with me because I worry I'll get stuck without something to read.
7. I love getting packages of books to review, but I procrastinate writing the reviews. (Is this a sign that I should take a reviewing hiatus?)
8. I've been known to buy books based on their covers.
9. I have an insane number of books, although I'm getting better at going through them occasionally to weed them out.
10. There are probably more than two dozen authors on my auto-buy list.
11. I started taking too many books with me on vacations because I once took too few.
12. I usually read in bed although I bought a chaise to sit on while I read.
13. I have a spreadsheet to track the books I read each year. I write them down in a notebook, then enter them into a spreadsheet every few months.
14. I use a little basket to hold my bookmarks.
15. The books I've started but haven't finished go into a separate pile. I keep hoping I will be motivated to finish them.
16. I don't usually read ahead or read the endings first. On rare occasions when I do, I end up putting the book down for a while afterward. For whatever reason, reading ahead means I end up losing interest.
17. I used to have a hard time not finishing a book no matter how much I disliked it. Now, I have several partly finished books that I'm hoping to finish eventually (see number 15).
18. I've been late for work, family events, or meeting friends because I was in the middle of a good book.
19. I often tell myself I will read "just one more chapter" even though I know I'll usually end up reading three or four chapters.
20. I'm one of those readers who stopped reading Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught when they switched to contemporary romance/romantic suspense.
21. I used to read Regency romances and little else, but now I have to be in the right mood to read a Regency. I think I overdosed.
22. I can't read in a car because I get car sick. I can read during a flight. I think this developed out of necessity; I don't really like flying, and reading helps the time pass faster.
23. Wuthering Heights is the only book I've ever thrown against a wall. I was in high school at the time.
24. As a general rule, I don't enjoy books with babies or children in them. There are always exceptions, of course, but I don't seek these books out.
25. I cringe when I read books where the heroine has long hair and cuts it very short. This is probably because of a traumatic haircut I received in the 9th grade. I still haven't gotten over it and can't see myself getting a short haircut.
26. I shelve my books alphabetically under the author's last name.
27. When I really like a book, I prefer having it in hardcover, although I would rather have paperback than a book-club edition hardcover.
28. I want to have books in a series in the same format. It completely frustrates me to have part hardcover and part paperback with the In Death series. And I'm not getting rid of the hardcovers (see number 27).