Month: May 2013

Review: Tempted by Virginia Henley

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
The Particulars: Historical Romance, Dell, available as e-book but out of prin
The Source: The bookshelf
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
 All men lusted for the firebrand they called Flaming Tina, famed for the molten fire in her hair–and for the hot temper running fierce through the noble Scots blood of Lady Valentina Kennedy. Forced into marriage with the fearsome warrior of an enemy clan, Tina vowed to use her wild beauty to gain mastery over Lord Ramsey Douglas.
The Review:
Dear Author’s blogpost about Non regency romance reminded me about this book. I bought it 15 years ago, and I fell in love with Ram and Tina. It has been a while ago since I read it, so I decided to re-read it. And I am glad I did.
The Scotland setting felt very believable. I liked how it affected the story in so many ways, from the political tension between Scotland and England, to the cattle raids, to the way the men spoke to each other and to women. ( Yes, I cringed a couple of times, but at the same time it fit the story.)
I loved Tina and Ram. Tina was sassy, but she also had a sense of loyality. She might flirt, and tease, but she wouldn’t go any longer. Ram… was alpha male to the finger tips. He was crude, occassionally, hot tempered, jealous. But he is also loyal, and care about the ones he loves. And, he doesn’t hesitate to apologise if he hurts Tina’s feelings.
The plot was well written. I must say that I really liked how the political shifts and the romance was balanced in the book. There were time for both, without any part of it overshadowing the other.
I liked how their path to a HEA wasn’t easy. They both had hot tempers, and were proud. But I loved following them as they worked towards falling in love. And they faced a lot of obstacles, but in the end that made their HEA more satisfying.
But no matter how much I liked the book, it is 20 years old. And that, I am sad to say, shows. The biggest thing is that there is much more telling than in more recent historical novels. Which made me wish for more dept in some scenes. since the romance felt shallow at times. But it is still a great novel, and I think I’ll go and read more of Virginia Henley’s novels. ( Sadly, they wont be in Swedish, since this line was cancelled 14 years ago.)

Sometimes, things happen for a reason

On By mikaelalindIn Writing

I got a B-12 shot yesterday, which meant I had the energy to pick up the revision of The Brownie Liason. Discover to my dismay when I discovered that the edits I had made on chapter Four wasn’t saved.   To say that I was pissed off is to put it mildly, so I decided to read something.

I did wander back into the war room, lured by a tweet by Laura Anne Gilman.   And, I decided to skim through the draft of Vampyrvinter. Which made me decide  to dust off the Jenny Stories idea, and then out of the blue : BAM.  See, I have been toying with writing a mystery about an innkeeper for the last couple of weeks.   The new idea meant that idea clicked with the brownie liason idea.    It would mean a extensive re-plot, but I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing since if this works out the heroine would actually stand to lose something.

 

WWW Wednesday May 15th

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading:
Murder in the Marais by Cara Black
So far it is intresting, and I can see why her novel have gotten rave reviews.  

Recently read:
The Unexpected bride by Elizabeth Rolls
I really like Elizabeth Rolls novels. The plots might not always be that exciting, but to me her novels show the power of well written characters. 

Reading next:
Hopefully Throne of Oak by Dana Marie Bell. I requested the arc today, and I am waiting for an response. Probably wont get one in a week or so.  Meanwhile, I am reading from the TBR pile.

Anthology of Awesomeness: Marked

On By MikaelaIn Writing

Look what Lauren Dane just posted! I knew something was up from the hints they dropped on twitter. Squee! The only drawback is the release date: Feb 2014.
The blurb:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Dane takes you into a brand new world in ALL THAT REMAINS. Summer Killian falls fast and hard when Charlie arrives in Paradise Village. But the heat turns all the way up when she learns Charlie is also with Hatch – the man she loved three years before. While she’s not sure she’s cut out for a triad, neither man is going to give her up.
Take a ROCKY RIDE with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Vivian Arend as she leads you back to the Six Pack Ranch. Anna Coleman might be the law around Rocky Mountain House, but bad boy Mitch Thompson knows that under the stiff RCMP uniform is a woman with a passion for speed and pleasure that matches his own, and he’s not giving up until she’s his.

Kit Rocha returns to Sector Four in BEYOND TEMPTATION. A promise to a dying friend backfires when Noah Madsen finds that the girl he was supposed to rescue is all grown up–and wearing O’Kane ink. He wants to protect her from the secrets of their past, but she wants him. And an O’Kane woman always gets what she wants.

To do for May and June:

On By mikaelalindIn Life

*Apply for a new passport
* Book lodgings for Brighton
* Start a business account at the bank
* Decide if I should create a separate Paypal Account   ( Yes. Need to separate personal money and company money)
* No matter what: Add my bank account to my Paypal account
* Register the company with Skatteverket
* Maybe ask the Job Center for help
* Tell my family. *g*  ( On facebook. Still haven’t told mum.)
* Write the material for the webpage ( Or, well, wordpress blog. Right now)
* Buy birthday gifts and graduation gifts, and what not (  Still need to buy the birthday gift)
Oh, and Try not to freak out. ( Eee. I am really doing this!)

There are probably a thousand things I am forgetting 🙂

Friday Bargains: A mixed batch

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
Tart by Lauren Dane is discounted to 2.99 right now. ( Yes, I bought it. It has been on my wishlist for a long time 🙂 ) It is a US only bargain ( but it is *really* easy to avoid Geo restrictions at Allromance.)
Carina Press offers 30% off this weekend to celebrate Mother’s day. The coupon is MOMDAY2013 . 
For US people:  Wicked in your arms by Sophie Jordan is free today only at Amazon and BN. But that is not all. I also noticed that two other stories in the same series are discounted right now.  Earl in my bed is discounted to 1.99 and Lessons from a scandalous bride is 2.99  🙂

There feels like I should have a lot more bargains… Oh well, this is it for this week. 

Friday Finds May 10th

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Dear Author’s Non Regency post have introduced me to a lot of new authors, and my wishlist is full :).  Here is a sample of authors I want to give a try or re-read.  ( And it also made me wish I had kept all my Historical romances. But maybe they are hidden somewere at mum’s. Or in the cellar..)

I loved this one when I read it 10 years ago, and I still have my Swedish copy. So win! :).

Jeannie Lin have been on my TBR list for awhile, and maybe I’ll get around to buy her books soon :).

Not one of the books  recommended,but I already have it so I’ll  read it first. 

I have had this for ages, but never read it.  The blurb sounds really intresting, though, and I keep on hearing good things about it.

Review: When Summer comes by Brenda Novak

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized
The Particulars: Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, available as e-book and in print
The Source: purchased at Kobo
The Grade: C+
The blurb:
One day, Callie Vanetta receives devastating news…

She needs a liver transplant. But her doctors warn that, in her case, the chances of finding a compatible donor aren’t good.

Determined to spend whatever time she has left on her own terms, she keeps the diagnosis to herself and moves out to her late grandparents’ farm. She’s always wanted to live there. But the farm hasn’t been worked in years and she begins to fear she can’t manage it, that she’ll have to return to town.

One night, a stranger comes knocking at her door…

He’s an attractive and mysterious drifter by the name of Levi McCloud, and he offers to trade work for a few nights’ shelter. Callie figures she doesn’t have anything to lose. He needs a place to stay until he can fix his motorcycle; she needs an extra pair of hands. The arrangement seems ideal until what was supposed to be temporary starts to look more and more permanent. Then she realizes she does have something to lose—her heart. And, although he doesn’t yet know it, Levi stands to lose even more.

 

The Review:
I have wanted to read Brenda Novak for awhile, so when this was on sale, I decided to give it a try.
And I am glad I did.
I liked both Callie and Levi. Callie was open hearted, and loyal to her friends. Levi was scarred by his past, and had his reasons for drifting through he states. They are each others opposites, which made their romance even sweeter. I enjoyed following their relationship as it developed from virtual strangers to lovers.
I appreciated that the threat to their relationship came from different sources. There were both Callie’s struggle with her disease, and keeping her slow decline from her family and friends. And then there were Whiskey Creek’s reaction to Levi. Somewere wary, some was more positive. I liked how Levi slowly won over Callie’s friends as they got to know him.
That said it wasn’t perfect. The biggest problem was tha I felt that the uncertainty of Callie’s disease overshadowed their path to HEA. And, I also felt that Levy’s issues was wrapped up too neatly. To me it felt like the author waved a wand, and they were gone. poff

WWW Wednesday May 8

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
This meme is from shouldbereading, to join just answer the following questions:
What are you currently reading? 
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Currently reading:
 Right now, I am reading the Swedish edition of The Shining Ones by David Eddings.  I have read it at least 4 times before, so I know the story but I love the characters :).
Recently read:
The Hob by Dana Marie Bell 
 This book was one of the better Dana Marie Bell novels I have read lately. And I am really glad I read it. It was just what I needed.

Reading next:
Haven by Kay Hooper. I love Kay Hooper Bishop novels, and this was just released in Paperback plus Kobo has a coupon right now. So I bought it.

Review: The Hob by Dana Marie Bell

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Allromance
The Grade: B+
The Blurb:
When the Black Queen kidnaps one of the White Queen’s nephews, Robin Goodfellow is sent to ensure that the young prince safely returns to the bosom of his family. True to his role as Oberon’s Hobgoblin, he is ready for anything…except meeting his truebond, the very delicious, very human Michaela Exton.

Michaela has dreamed about a flame-haired rogue named Robin Goodfellow since she was a little girl, but everyone knows Puck doesn’t really exist. In real life, it’s a dark-eyed man named Ringo who makes her heart beat faster.

She is closer to her dream man than she thinks, and nobody knows it better than Robin, who wears the guise of Ringo. But there’s competition for her love in the form of Lord Raven, who holds a secret that will rock the foundation of Robin’s world. As a Black Court delegate does the unthinkable, leaving an enraged, grief-stricken Robin hanging onto his humanity by a thread, only Michaela has the power to bring him back from the killing edge—if she survives.

The Review:
I have wanted to read the Hob’s story ever since I read Believe in Me. And it was well worth the wait.
I loved this book in so many ways. There was the setting, a Fairy Con in Philadelphia. It was a stroke of genius to have the latest dance of between the courts taking place there, hiding in plain sight. It was intresting to get a glimpse of how the different courts viewed humans.
Both the main characters and the secondary characters fascinated me. I loved Michaela for her open heart, and her dedication to her craft. Robin.. was his normal awesome, ass kicking self, despite courting Miranda. I could totally, understand his friends mirth. ( And that’s all I am saying, or I’ll wind up in spoiler territory) It was intresting to get to know new secondary characters. Both Kael and Raven was intriguing, but in their own way. I also liked how they gave a glimpse into life at the White Court and the Black Court.
The plot was fast paced, and filled with unexpected twists. I couldn’t stop reading as Robin and Michaela started to fall in love. I loved how they did it surrounded by members of all the courts, some of them friendly, some of them less friendly. While there was no doubt who Michaela would choose, it was intresting to follow the interaction between her, Robin and Raven.
The only weakness in this book was that I wish there had been some scenes showing Michaela’s reaction to Oberon’s decision. Since it did affect her life, in a way that would at least have me freak out a bit.