Trueblood Season Premier

True Blood premier

What I expected:

I’ve watched the first eight minutes of the season opener on HBOGO so I know Sookie goes to Fairyland and then escapes Fairyland.  Actually I would have liked eight minutes of a shirtless Joe Manganiello or Alexander Skarsgard.  Either way they know I’ll watch the show.  I think we will see more of evil Sam, Cougar Jason, Shirtless Alcide and Muscle-tanked Eric.  More Whiney Bill I can do without but I’m sure we will get plenty.  Watching trailers I see there will be witches to foul up Sookie’s life and Lafayette’s life, too.

What I got in the Season 4 opener:

Um-m-m I tended to lose all train of thought when Alcide walked into Fangtasia.  Of course yelling at the TV “Take off your shirt.” did not go well with my image of sweet, sugar mouthed, lady of the house.

 The Jessica/Hoyt angst was good.

 Sookie didn’t seem too upset that because she couldn’t make the leap from Fairyland she caused her grandpa to die!! 

Those were some incredible witches, bringing a bird back to life even if only for a few minutes.  What’s next, vampires? 

And sweet Sam is no longer very sweet.  He lost sweetness last season but I thought he might get it back, he didn’t.  Sam’s brother is hanging with Hoyt’s mother?? WTF! 

Arlene has a baby demon.

Jason is still mixed up with the inbreds. 

 Bill is now King.  That was a lot to digest in the first show.

Tara, is now a lesbian.  Even more to wrap my mind around.

This show remains very campy.  Do people use that expression these days?  It means tongue in cheek but with a certain cool that is difficult to define.  I probably would not continue with its silliness if I hadn’t read all of the Charlaine Harris series and watched faithfully for the past 3 years.  It’s like an addiction now that I will need rehab to break.  I promise to only go on about it occasionally but I’m afraid I can’t go cold tukey.

Review-Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah MacLean

It is time for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) to have their convention in New York City.  They give out awards called RITAs to the best romantic books in many catagories.  Unfortunately I’ve only read one of their nominated books, TEN RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE by Sarah Maclean.  It is deserving of the nomination and the award.  Here is my review:

Title: Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake

Genre: Regency Historical Romance

Author: Sarah MacLean

Publisher:

Source: Purchase

Rating: 5

Sexy rating: 5

Description from the author’s website:

A lady does not smoke cheroot.

She does not ride astride.

She does not fence or attend duels.

She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen’s club.

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she’s vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she’s been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she’s not careful, she’ll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love

**

There is nothing I love more in a Historical Romance then fabulous writing and a yummy plot. Well…perhaps a good dose of humor, too. This book has all those and it made for a can’t-put-it-down read.

Callie is the all too respectable young woman who sees her chance for marriage and children fading into the land of lost dreams. She decides if she can’t have what she wants then she will have adventures like the men have. She makes her version of a Regency bucket-list and decides passionate kissing should top the list. Once she starts on the slippery slope of checking off her list, all manner of compromising situations ensue.

This delightful romance is laugh out loud in some scenes and also brought tears to my eyes in other scenes. The author weaves a spell that makes the reader care deeply about Callie and her happiness.

If you trust me, you cannot but delight in this book.

P.S. Lord Ralston, the hero, is the rake in question and don’t we love the bad boys?

What Turns Me On

No, No. Not that kind of turn-on.  (But he isn’t bad, right?  Or maybe he’s very bad.  His name is Eduardo Verastegui) I digress as usual…… back to the REAL topic.

It’s safe to say I don’t just read and review new or upcoming releases.  I will, when they are given to me but since I’m new on the blog-beat the publishers are not clamoring for my input.  Amazon Vine likes me well enough to send me a couple of books a month.  So if there are any authors out there who are dying for my reviews feel free to request one.

That said, I know there are a ton of books that have been released over the years that I haven’t read and I assume you might have missed them also.  That’s why I review some older books along with current ones. 

It seems, when I find a new-to-me author, which I like, I want to read their entire back catalog.  Linda Howard was one of those for me, also Lisa Kleypas and more recently Harlan Cobin, Julia Quinn and Sherry Thomas.  All have a way with prose that bespeaks an inventive intelligence and I’m surely (if nothing else) an intellectual snob.  There you have it, another confession.

I’m not proud of being that kind of a snob, or any kind actually.  It’s just that I don’t tolerate idiots well at all.  I’m a bottom-line, drama-free, give-me-some-common-sense kinda woman.  Come to me crying that you just bought a Coach purse but now don’t know how you will buy groceries and I about go ballistic at your stupidity. (my husband considers this a gross personality flaw) I’m just practical beyond reason.  I’m certainly not the academic-intellectual type of snob but all of this is off topic….

I simply love “smart” writing.

 When characters are brought to life and I can feel them breathing I am delighted. 

When plotting is intricate and a novel has twists that I never saw coming, I will probably give it an automatic five.

 When romance is slow built and I can see the protagonists falling in love even before they do, I’m swooning. 

Make me laugh with wit and intelligence and you are on my all time fave list. 

Give me action and adventure that is heart pounding and page turning, well let’s just say you had me at the first run through the forest to escape the baddies.

And, if you give me all of those wrapped in one paperback cover…. I’m gonna bake you a pie and read your entire back list.

Review-Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Title: Dragon Bound

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Author: Thea Harrison

Publisher: Berkley Sensation, May 2011

Source: purchase

Rating: 3.5

Sexy Rating: 5

Description from author’s wesite:

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful–and passionate—of the Elder Races.

As the most feared and respected of the wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in one another.

***

First off, I found this an engaging read.  I was invested in finding out all the secrets and enjoyed the few surprises along the way.  The action was well orchestrated.  I enjoyed the development of the heroine into a kick-ass woman.  I enjoyed those hot, hunky sentinels even more than Dragos.  I look forward to the next books in the series that feature the characters of Tiago and Rune.  There were lots to like in this book.

However, and yes, there is a “however”, there was nothing really new.  Oh yes, we get a large smattering of paranormal creatures that are not usually found in other PNRs but so much seemed borrowed from other stories.  For example, here is the authors description of “demesnes”(another word for territory, domain, fiefdom):

The demenes of the Elder Races lay superimposed over the human geographical map. There were seven Elder demesnes in the United States, including the Wyr demesne seated in NewYork, and the Elven demesne that was seated in Charleston.

                Each demesne had its own Lord or Lady who enforced its laws…..

This sounds like the territories in D.B. Reynolds’ Vampires In America Series.

The powerful being is aided by super strong sidekicks/guards/sentinels/brothers who follow his orders and are loyal to him.  This smacks of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series.

The heroine, Pia, starts out as a not totally niave young woman who is harboring secrets and does not fully understand “what she is” in the Wyr world but becomes more powerful the longer she associates with the dragon.  Sookie Stackhouse anyone?

Although I found little new, this book was still holding my interest throughout.  The sex sizzles. It certainly is better than most and I will read future books in the series. 

 The cover looks nothing like Dragos.  Why can’t they match the cover image to the protagonists??

1. Dragon bound (May 2011)
2. Storm’s Heart ( August 2, 2011)
3. Serpent’s Kiss ( October 4, 2011)

 

Extra! True Blood vid

This Sunday night it’s all about True Blood.  What? You have never watched?  Go here for a 5 minute update on the past 3 seasons.  (this is fun even if you have watched all three seasons)

 

 Don’t forget Sunday night, 9pm, on HBO.

Review- Mr Impossible by Loretta Chase

Title: Mr. Impossible

Genre: Historical Romance/Adventure

Author: Loretta Chase

Publisher: Berkley Sensation, 2005

Source: purchase

Rating: 4.5

Sexy Rating: 5

Description from the back of the book:

Impossible
Rupert Carsington, fourth son of the Earl of Hargate, is his aristocratic family’s favorite disaster. He is irresistibly handsome, shockingly masculine, and irretrievably reckless, and wherever he goes, trouble follows. Still, Rupert’s never met an entanglement–emotional or other–he couldn’t escape. Until now.

Outrageous
Now he’s in Egypt, stranded in the depths of Cairo’s most infamous prison, and his only way out is accepting a beautiful widow’s dangerous proposal. Scholar Daphne Pembroke wants him to rescue her brother, who’s been kidnapped by a rival seeking a fabled treasure. Their partnership is strictly business: She’ll provide the brains, he, the brawn. Simple enough in theory.

Inevitable
Blame it on the sun or the blazing desert heat, but as tensions flare and inhibitions melt, the most disciplined of women and the most reckless of men are about to clash in the most impossibly irresistible way.

**

This seems to be my month of reading historicals set in foreign lands other than the UK.  Not complaining, mind you.  This one is good….real good.

Set in Egypt the tale takes us in the hot, sandy desert and inside tombs and pyramids.   Our heroine, Daphne, is going all out to rescue her brother,Miles, and initially she thinks she is being helped by an ignorant buffoon, Rupert.  But when the chips are down the “buffoon” turns out to be quite intelligent and truly an asset in taking care of the bad guys.  There are plenty of bad guys.  Along the way disregard turns into love.

Chase has a good grasp of plotting.  She builds the relationship at a believable pace.  She brings alive the early 19^th century Egypt.  She illuminates the English customs and sensibilities of the times when thrown into the strange and dangerous country that was Egypt, which held totally different customs.

I am particularly fond of books that enlighten me about another country or era.  This one is tops in that regard.  I even felt that perhaps things have not changed all that much since the early 19^th century in Egypt.  It was dangerous then, and it is dangerous now.  It does make me long to see the pyramids and tombs but I certainly don’t want the adventure Daphne encountered.  I likened an earlier book I reviewed to an “Indiana Jones” flick, this one also reminds me of the fast paced adventure.

This is book 2 of Chase’s Carsington Series,  it is a stand alone read but it does make me want to read the others in the series.

Book 1- Miss Wonderful

Book 2- Mr. Impossible

Book 3- Lord Perfect

Book 4- Not Quite a Lady

Book 5- Last Night’s Scandal

BIG Library Book Sale

Last Friday was the BIG library book sale.  The one where I get there when the doors open and they have thousands of books.  I had my wish list of authors and books clutched in my hand.  I headed straight for the Romance section which was next to the Sci Fi section next to General Fiction.  I stalked the tables and only found two authors from my list and only one book that was listed.  Of course, I still managed to pick up 17 paperbacks at $.50/each, but I was hoping I would get the ones I wanted.  I’m not too disappointed, I got authors that I’ve been meaning to try but have not got around to it.  Here is a list of what I picked up:

Arthur, Keri –Tempting Evil (PNR)

Ashley, Amanda- Midnight Embrace (PNR)

Brown, Sandra- Tomorrow’s Promise (CR)

Cruise, Jennifer- Bet Me (CR)

Feather, Jane- Almost A Bride (HR), A Husband’s Wicked Ways (HR)

Garwood, Julie- The Lion’s Lady (HR)

Gibson, Rachel- Not Another Bad Date (CR)

James, Eloisa- A Duke of Her Own (HR), A Wild Pursuit (HR), Enchanting Pleasures (HR)

Kinsale, Laura- Lessons In French (HR)

Medeiros, Teresa- Nobody’s Darling (HR), A Whisper of Roses (HR)

Smith, Kathryn- In The Night(HR)

Quinn, Julia- Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (HR)

Anthology-Scottish Brides- C.Dodd, S. Laurens, J. Quinn and K. Ranney (HR)

Any of you read any of these? 

I have a feeling I bought two that I may have already read! Maybe, maybe not.  I usually discover that I’ve read it about page 10 and it’s usually not a book that is on my shelf for a reread.

It’s time for me to confess that I went back to the book sale on Sunday and books had been reduced to $.25/each.  Yes, you guessed it, I scored another 15 books.  BUT, 6 of them were my husbands choices so I only got 9 for myself.  I am now all set for either the NY winter snow storms or the Florida hurricanes.

AND as if all that wasn’t enough, my order came from Book Depository with DRAGON BOUND by Thea Harrison.  This one is definitely on my nightstand to read next.  It has oodles of good buzz around the blogosphere and I just hope I’m not expecting too much.  You know what I mean, you get all hyped to like something and it falls flat because you were expecting too much.  This happens quite often with movies for me.  I will let you all know in a review next week.

Review- Ten things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

Title: Ten Things I Love About You

(Book 3 in the Bevelstoke Series)

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Julia Quinn

Publisher: Avon 2010

Source: purchase

Rating: 4

Sexy Rating:5

Description from back of book:

Ten Things You Should Know About This Book

1. Sebastian Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.

2. Annabel Winslow’s family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind and The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.

3. Sebastian’s uncle is the Earl of Newbury, and if he dies without siring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.

4. Lord Newbury detests Sebastian and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.

5. Lord Newbury has decided that Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.

6. Annabel does not want to marry Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.

7 is shocking, 8 is delicious, and 9 is downright wicked, all of which lead the way to

10. Happily. Ever. After.

**

I enjoyed this entry in the Bevelstoke Series better than the others and I have enjoyed all three.  Once again there is humor, with a secret author who writes gothic novels and a voluptuous heroine who is desperate to be rid of an elderly suitor.   All beautifully brought together by Ms Quinn’s wonderful ability to weave a story. The entire series is light hearted and a delightful escapist read.

(other reviews in this series posted on June 17 & 20, 2011)

How to make a purse from a book

I saw this video on YouTube and just had to post it here but since I’m hopeless in figuring out how to actually put the video on this blog, I’m giving you the URL to click.  I found it facinating and would not mind giving it a try if I can find a proper book and enough time to devote to the task . I know that the vid is only a few minutes long but I think it will take me all day and then some to make the purse. 

http://youtu.be/m4RFH0q0Osk

Here is one being sold online for $140. 

http://www.greatgreengoods.com/2007/01/20/recycled-books-for-handbags/

If that seems a bit high here is one for $49

http://tinyurl.com/5u7xuly   (here is the www. kaboodle URL where I found this one)

I still think it would be a heck of alot of fun to make one and if  I can find an old book I don’t expect the handles to be hard to find and probably will cost no more than $10.  The lining fabric I’m gonna say will cost about $5, so with other details I can whip up one for under $20. 

There are many more to be seen online.  Just Google “Book Purse” in Images.

Review- What Happens In London by Julia Quinn

Title: What Happens In London

(Book 2 of the Bevelstoke Series)

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Julia Quinn

Pub: Avon 2009

Source: Library

Rating: 4.5

Sexy rating: 5

Lady Olivia Bevelstoke lives next door to Sir Harry Valentine.  She spies on him from her bedroom window because she has heard from the London rumor mill that he killed his fiancée.  She doesn’t believe it,  but she’s watching him to find out just what sort he is. 

Sir Harry has been working on his job at translating documents for the war office and noticing that Lady Olivia has been watching him for a week.  When the war office calls him in to officially keep close tabs on Olivia and especially her interactions with a visiting Russian prince, Harry must make an effort to be in Olivia’s company even though they have had animosity between them.  It doesn’t take long for the two to find out they are infatuated and then the fun starts.

This book is rather predictable in that you know the H/h will end up together but getting to that point is often hilarious.  Quinn once again develops a story that has humor, surprises and suspenseful tension along with sizzling sex and heart pounding romance.

(other reviews of this series published on June 17th & June 24th)