Review: The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin

 

17164160The Blurb:

The Thief Who Stole His Heart

Sword dancer Li Feng is used to living life on the edge of the law—a woman alone in the dangerous world of the Tang Dynasty has only her whirlwind reflexes to trust. She will discover the truth about her past, even if that means outwitting the most feared thief-catcher of them all…

Relentless, handsome and determined, Han sees life—and love—as black and white. Until he finally captures the spirited, courageous Li Feng, who makes him question everything he thought he knew about right and wrong. Soon he’s faced with an impossible choice: betray the elusive sword dancer he is learning to love, or trust his long-disregarded heart and follow her to dangerous, tempting rebellion..

 

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Review: Prudence by Elizabeth Bailey

The Particulars: Historical Romance, Harlequin Historical, avaible as e-book, out of print

The Source: The Bookshelf
The Grade: B-
The Blurb:
Would Her Tender Heart Lead Her Into His Arms?
No one was more aware of their position in life than governess Prudence Hursley. Fresh from the Paddington Charitable Seminary, softhearted Prue expected to see little of her new employer, Mr. Julius Rookham, and was prepared for a life of lonely independence.
However, Julius’s willful niece continually threw Prue into his path, and the more she got to know the dashing confirmed bachelor, the more she found herself wishing for the impossible. So when Julius began actively seeking out her company, she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps dreams did come true….
The review:
Edit: I discovered that information at Goodreads was wrong, so I changed the title and cover.
This book is one of my favorite Regencies, but I hadn’t re-read it for awhile, so when I found it at my mum’s recently I decided to read it again.
And I am glad I did. This is a charming Regency without any dukes or earls, which was a nice change.
Most of the book took place at Rookham Hall, and it felt believable to me. I appreciated the tiny details, from the drab dress Prue wore, to the way the staff had their internal tensions.
But mostly, I enjoyed getting re-aquitanced with Prue and Joshua. Both of them were very down to earth, and happy with their lives ( mostly). I enjoyed reading about Prue’s adjustment to life in the Rookham household. From how she struggled with bouts of missing her friends, to how she started to get to know the rambunctious twins.
I enjoyed Prue and Joshua’s romance. It was sweet, and slow paced. What I liked was that both Prue and Joshua struggled with their growing feelings, although their reasons were different. But that made me like the book even more.
Despite all the things I liked about the book, it took awhile before it hooked me. Which might have been because I have read it before.

Friday Bargains: 0.99 books at Sony

The bargains I am excited about right now is at Sony. I haven’t bought anything from Sony, just downloaded freebies, but I think that will change. ;).

Anyway, they have to ongoing campaigns right now.  The first one is  Fall in love with a series, which Amazon is price matching.  It is mostly romance, but I am excited, since several of the books are on my Wishlist.
The second is in their newsletter, and it is a hodgepodge of genres. 

Oh. They have a third campaign: Buy 6 books, get one for free. You can read more here.

Sourcebooks offer 30% off on Linda Wisdoms Paranormal Romances this week.

30% off any Linda Wisdom novels this week!

Created on Thursday, 11 October 2012 08:00

Author Linda Wisdom’s tales of witches and demons are wickedly entertaining! Her light paranormal romances are a delightful way to spend an October evening! Take 30% off any of her books at Discover a New Love with coupon code “WISDOM” when you check out from the cart. Expires October 18, 2012

Friday Bargains: Samhain bargains

I got an e-mail from Samhain, telling me that they have a 30% off code ( coupon: TRICKORTREAT) on the following 8 e-books. Unless something has changed,  this stacks on top of the new release discount, which means 60 percent off.

Ballroom Blitz by Lorelei James
She’s got the rhythm, but he’s got all the right moves…

Unleashing The Receptionist by Juniper Bell
You can tie a girl up, but you can’t keep her down. 

Dark in the Woods by Rosemary Laurey
When the wild things are stirring, taking sides could get you killed.

Sex and the Single Princess by Bonnie Dee and Marie Treanor
Behind every beautiful shoe is a sexy shoemaker. 

Just a Kiss by Erin Nichols
She’s unforgettable… which is what got him in trouble the first time.

My Regelence Rake by JL Langley
Before you find your prince, you have to kiss your share of rakes.  

 Wanderlust by Vella Munn
Her feet say its time to move on. Her heart says something else..

The Fallen Boys by Aaron Dries
The road to forgiveness is covered in blood. 

The current Samhain bookclub offering is  Heat of Passion by Elle Kennedy and Shadows in the Mist by Brian Moreland.



 

Friday Bargains: A lot of Historical mystery

For me, autumn means I want to curl up on the coach and read mysteries. And, the publishers are appearantly reading my mind this week. 
Right now, the first three books in  Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily’s series are discounted to 1.99 at Amazon. ( That price, in combination that Amazon didn’t add Whispernet fees, was enough for me to snap up the first one.)

Joss Alexander’s Tainted Innocence is discounted to 1.99 at Carina Press, until September ends.  This is another one I plan to buy. 

Still Life with Murder by P.B Ryan is free at both Amazon and Smashwords.  ( I have this one, I have started to read it several times, but I never finished it.)

Friday Bargains: Mostly Novellas and short stories

Kobo has very nice round up of novellas, and short stories here, priced between 0.99-2.99. I am tempted to buy some, but I probably wont since I am trying to purchase less e-books.

Amazon   offers 100 e-books for 3.99 this month.  The romance e-books sounds quite interesting, but  the one I really want is in Fantasy..  I might actually buy something from Amazon, instead of just downloading freebies.

Poisoned Pen press offers several of their books for free right now.  (If one of the books isn’t free, price report it.)

And, since I am weak I signed up for Samhain’s newsletter ( I love coupon codes). Speaking of Samhain, their current Book club selection is Blaze of Glory by Sheryl Nantus. Today is the last day.

Review: Pursuit of Pleasure by Elizabeth Essex:


The Particulars:  Historical Romance, Kensington, available in print and e-book
The Source:  Freebie from Sony
The Grade: C
The blurb:

Lizzie Paxton’s dream in life is to be a widow–if only she could skip the wedding and the husband. When her childhood friend Captain James Marlowe proposes a marriage in name only, she accepts, knowing she’ll have the independence she craves once he sets sail. Though James is the only man Lizzie trusts, she doesn’t trust the scintillating desire he evokes in her.
James knows he shouldn’t get involved with anyone, especially with his uncertain future. But he just can’t help himself when he overhears Lizzie’s declaration. Though he’s promised her a marriage of convenience, he wastes no time in seducing her and taking her over the precipice of desire. Yet not even his beautiful wife can deter him from his cause.
But when Lizzie discovers her husband has deceived her, James must choose between devotion to duty and loyalty to the woman he cannot live without. . .

The Review:
I downloaded this when Kensington offered it as a freebie, last year I think.  But for a number of reasons, I didn’t read it until now.

This, unlike most historical romances I read, is set in Dartmouth.  And I loved how the setting was used, and how it influenced the plot. I could almost hear the waves crashing against the steep cliffs, and the winds blowing over the moor.I could taste the dust in the air as Lizzie visited The Glass House.  But most of all, I loved the Glass House. I loved how isolated it was, and how many secrets it house. But, most of all I liked how Lizzie gradually turned it into a home.  

It took awhile before the plot hooked me, but once it did I couldn’t stop reading. I had to find out wheter or not Lizzie would forgive Marlowe, or not. ( I wouldn’t have, honestly.)  It was fastpaced, and  filled with plot twists that kept on surprising me. I had a hunch who the villain was, but… well, let’s just say I was wrong.  

My favorite character is this book was Lizzie. She suffered a lot in the book, but she never gave up. Yes, she grieved for Jamie, but she didn’t let it run her life. She was determined to keep on living her life.
But, if Lizzie was my favorite character I had a lot of trouble with Jamie and the deceptions that surrounded his “death.” But what redeems him to me is the fact that he hated  lying to Lizzie.   

I felt for the Tuppers, being caught between Jamie’s orders, and Lizzie’s determinations. But, they were good people.

That said, I had one other problem with this book: the romance.  Maybe it was because they had been friends for so long, but I never felt that they were in love. They felt more like friends that got married and had sex.

Review: Angel by Johanna Lindsey


The Particulars: Historical Romance, Avon, available as e-book and in print.
The Source: The bookshelf
The Grade: B
The Blurb:

Hoping to cool off a twenty-five-year-old feud between two neighboring families, Cassie Stuart only succeeds in pouring kerosene on the flames. Both sides have warned her to get out of Texas pronto. . .or they will burn her father’s ranch to the ground. What Cassie needs is a peacemaker but she ends up with a widow-maker instead.
He is called Angel, a ruggedly handsome hired gun with eyes as black as sin. Unwanted and unwelcomed by his ungrateful employer, he would just as soon leave Cassie to fend for herself. But a stubborn sense of duty, and a desire to taste the sweetness of her kiss steels Angel’s resolve to make Cassie want him, come hell or high water. . .and for more than his gun alone.


The Review: 
This is one of the classic, old skool, historical romances. I bought it years ago, and had forgotten about it when I found it in the wardrobe at my mum’s place. (My wardrobe there is BIG and filled with books.)
I know from experience that some books doesn’t survived the test of time. But I was happily surprised when I started to re-read this one.
I fell in love with the characters, especially Angel and Cassie. Cassie’s nosiness and tendency to poke her nose into other people’s business made me laugh. Angel had a core of honor that I liked, even though I had to blink away tears when .he spoke about his childhood.
And the setting.The setting felt well researched. It was interesting to get a glimpse of the wild west, and one that at least felt believable. In fact, it felt so believable that I sometimes could feel the burning sun, and taste the dust in the air.
The plot was fast paced. I admired Cassie for her refusal to back down, and do the sensible thing which would have been to head back to Wyoming. I loved how Cassie’s stubbornness kept Angel on his toes. There were plenty of plottwists that took me by surprise, yet in hindsight they made sense.
I enjoyed this book, for ¾ of the book ,but after awhile I started to get a bit annoyed, since it felt  like their road to their HEA was stretched out a bit too long. But it was a good read, and one I plan to re-read.

Friday Bargains: All about indie books

I found some gems at Smashwords. Some are part of their ongoing sale, some isn’t.
.
Eve Silver  offers 25% of on all of her books among them is  His Dark Kiss and  Driven.  I am excited, since Driven is on my Wishlist. 

Anne Stuart offers  her historical romance novella, Under an enchantment for 1.99. 
Infact, I would recommend that you browse her agent’s listings, since there are several books  that looks interesting.
Lise McClendon offers her historical mystery Sweet and Lockdown for free!
Patricia Rice offers the Marquess for 2.99 at all major bookstores.
Annette Blair has left the KDP, and offer Seascoundrel and Undeniable Rogue for free at all major bookstores.

I think I have mentioned these two before, but Doranna Durgin and Marie Force still offer Making the Rules and Maid for love as free reads. 

HP Mallory offers Fire Burn and Cauldron bubble as a free read at Smashwords, and probably BN and Amazon.
Kelly McClymer offers The Fairy tale bride for free 

Ok. One last one, that isn’t indie.  Colters Promise by Maya Banks is discounted to 2.99 over the weekend.  I am crossing my fingers that it will be discounted outside the US too.  

Edit: I just discovered that Lazette Gifford is part of the Smashwords sale, with an 50% off coupon.   Just in time for me to pick up her latest SF novel.