Review- The Son of Man by CW Johnson

Title: The Son of Man

Genre: General Fiction/Fantasy

Author: C W Johnson

Publisher: Kindle,2010 (self published)

Source: Free on Kindle

Rating: 2- 3

Sexy Rating: 1

Description: Imagine they set out to clone the Son of God… Imagine they succeed…

 

**

I decided to read this book because of the description.  The premise was compelling.

This book was very slow in many parts.  I felt the author suggested many previously published stories such as THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, THE DAVINCI CODE and APOLLO 13.  I was often disturbed by the back and forth of the story going from one group of characters to another.  I also didn’t like how some characters were introduced toward the end of the book with no back story.  Also some characters throughout the book were left without closure at the end.

What I did like in this book was how good the author was at making me want to find out what would happen next. His suspense and action scenes were very well done. I read this book straight through even though I needed to skim many of the slow parts.  This book read like an unedited first draft and would have been a prime candidate for a rewrite.  This author shows promise but needs to tighten this plot.  It could have been great but turned out to be just shy of okay and a bit disappointing.

Review- What I Did For A Duke by Julie Anne Long

Title: What I did For A Duke (Book 5 Pennyroyal Green Series)

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Julie Anne Long

Publisher: Avon, 2011

Source: purchase

Rating: 5

Sexy Rating: 5, explicit

Description from Amazon.com:  For years, he’s been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he’ll seduce Ian’s innocent sister, Genevieve—the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he’ll capture her heart . . . and then he’ll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke’s dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there anything she won’t do for a duke?

Here is a bit about the Series from the author’s website:

The Pennryoyal Green series takes us through the lives, passions, adventures and misadventures of the denizens of Pennyroyal Green, Sussex, England, a town anchored by the wealthy Eversea and Redmond families —whose relations are civil on the surface, but seethe beneath with ancient secrets and grudges and —naturally — attractions. 🙂 We’ll follow these folks wherever their passions take them —whether it’s London, the gallows, a ballroom, a bedroom, the high seas, or the Sussex downs. I have major plans for these people. 🙂 The stories are loosely connected and characters recur, but not in every book. A number of Pennyroyal Green characters will get their own stories—not just Everseas and Redmonds—and each story can be read independently of each other.

**

I am a huge fan of Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green Series thanks to friend and blog subscriber, Mo.  I really can’t get enough of her novels and this one was no exception.

This book has to be one of the best romances I have ever read.  This was all ROMANCE.  There was nothing like action or intricate plot to get in the way of a fabulous romantic story.  Now I’m not saying that action and plot are not important to me, just that the simplicity of the romance was all that was needed in this book.

The author brings to life the Hero and Heroine so that we feel we know them intimately.  There is Alex who is not at all bothered by his reputation and Genevieve who believes she loves Harry but he doesn’t love her. The secondary characters are just as well developed.  We shake our heads at Harry who has made a huge mistake and Millicent is endeared because she is so uncomplicated.  The dialog is witty and humorous without being silly. 

Please read this fabulous author.  Start with the first book in the Pennyroyal Green Series, although each will stand on its own:

1.  The Perils of Pleasure(review- July 4, 2011)
2.  Like No Other Lover(review-July 1, 2011)
3. Since The Surrender (review-Aug 22, 2011)
4. I Kissed An Earl (review- Oct 13, 2011)
5. What I Did For A Duke
6. How the Marquess was Won
   January 2012
   Avon/HarperCollins
   ISBN-13: 978-0061885693

The Scandal Sheets call him Lord Ice.

Ruthless, cold, precise, Julian Spenser, Marquess Dryden, tolerates only the finest—in clothes, in horseflesh, in mistresses. And now he’s found the perfect bride, the one whose dowry will restore his family’s shattered legacy and bring him peace at last: the exquisite heiress Lisbeth Redmond.

She’s not afraid to play with fire…

But one unforgettable encounter with Lisbeth’s paid companion, Phoebe Vale, and the Marquess is undone: this quiet girl with the wicked smile and a wit to match is the first person to see through the icy façade to the fiery man beneath. But their irresistible attraction is a torment as sweet as it is dangerous: for surrendering to their desire could mean losing everything else they ever wanted.

Review- I Kissed An Earl by Julie Anne Long

Title: I Kissed An Earl (Bk 4 in the Pennyroyal Green Series)

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Julie Anne Long

Publisher: Avon, 2010

Source: purchase

Rating: 4.5

Sexy Rating: 5, explicit

Description from the author’s website: 

Violet Redmond’s family and fortune might be formidable and her beauty and wit matchless—but her infamous flare for mischief keeps all but the most lionhearted suitors at bay. Only Violet knows what will assuage her restlessness: a man who doesn’t bore her to tears, and a clue to the fate of her missing brother. She never dreamed she’d find both with a man whose own pedigree is far from impeccable. “Savage,” is what the women of the ton whisper about the newly styled Earl of Ardmay—albeit with shivers of pleasure. Born an English bastard, raised on the high seas, he’s on a mission to capture a notorious pirate. But while Violet’s belief in her brother’s innocence maddens him, her courage awes him…and her sensuality finally undoes him. Now the man who once lost everything and the girl who has everything to lose are bound by a passion that could either end in betrayal…or become everything they ever dreamed. ** I am once again enthralled with Julie Anne Long’s writing.  ( I didn’t like Chase’s story as much in SINCE THE SURREDER, reviewed here on Aug. 22,2011)  In this book we are treated to lots of action, some flawed characters, mystery and suspense….Oh, okay, and HOT romance. Miss Long knows how to write a plot that moves along and characters with …well…Character.  We have spoiled, head strong rich girl, Violet Redmond and not so lordly, Asher Flint, the Earl of Ardmay and ship’s Captain .   Because they both have a mission they fight their attraction to each other so we are treated to some witty dialog and simmering romance.  Violet is a bit too reckless to be totally likeable but we can enjoy her loyalty and devotion to her brother and her good intentions.  Lavay, is a sexy side character that I hope gets his own book in the future.  Here he is a nobleman who was won in a card game by Captain Flint, and assumes the position of First Mate on Flint’s ship.  He is suave, charming and even more handsome than the hero. We finally meet Lyon Redmond and yes, we want more, more, more.  We have been teased throughout the series about the thwarted romance between him and Olivia Eversea.  This is one series not to miss.  Even Chase’s story is worth the read.  Coming tomorrow: Long’s WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE

Top 100 Sci-Fi and Fantasy books of all time

NPR (National Public Radio) p0lled their website readers asking them to determine the top 100 Sci-fi and fantasy books of all time.  The design team at SF Signal transformed the list into the flow chart above which is really fun to read.  To be able to read and play, go to http://www.box.net/shared/static/a6omcl2la0ivlxsn3o8m.jpg  You will have to “zoom” your screen reading to about 400% to get the full effect and then scroll around but the minor effort is worth the quips and pointers you will see.  If you prefer not to have a laugh or two go here and read the list complete with book covers http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books.

I’ve read a few of these books but some of my faves are not mentioned.  You can see them on My favorites page.

(My sincere appologies to my subscribers who got this post over a week ago by mistake.  It is because of my inability to be a “geek with the computer” that I truly yearn to be. )

Sexy Man Tuesday- Hot Old Men

Yes, I tend to think of the young guys as the hotties to drool over, even the 40 somethings, but perhaps I have been overlooking some really sexy older men.   I did a little celebrity search and came up with some real contenders.  Bet you didn’t know these guys were this old, and if you did know, bet you don’t care.

Sexy Men in their 50’s-

Gabriel Byrne

Sean Bean (ED Stark, Game of thrones)

Pierce Brosnan

Lest you think I’m only targeting those English and Irish guys here is an American tribute.

Richard Gere

How about some Sexy Men in Their 60’s-

Sam Elliot

Harrison Ford

Can we find a sexy man in his 70’s? Oh yeah!

Patrick Stewart

How sexy is a 60 yr. old that takes you to Venice, Itlay all expenses paid?-

Deet’s Hubby

Review- Ed King

Title: Ed King

Genre: General fiction

Author: David Guterson

Publisher: Knopf, October 2011

Source: Free for review from Amazon Vine Program

Rating: 3

Sexy Rating: 5

Description from Amazon: A sweeping, propulsive, darkly humorous new novel by the best-selling author of Snow Falling on Cedars: a story of destiny, desire, and destruction that reimagines Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex for our own era.
 
In Seattle in 1962, Walter Cousins, a mild-mannered actuary—“a guy who weighs risk for a living”—takes a risk of his own, and makes the biggest error of his life. He sleeps with Diane Burroughs, the sexy, not-quite-legal British au pair who’s taking care of his children for the summer. Diane gets pregnant and leaves their baby on a doorstep, but not before turning the tables on Walter and setting in motion a tragedy of epic proportions. Their orphaned child, adopted by an adoring family and named Edward Aaron King, grows up to become a billionaire Internet tycoon and an international celebrity—the “King of Search”—who unknowingly, but inexorably, hurtles through life toward a fate he may have no power to shape.
 
An instant classic—David Guterson’s most daring and dazzling novel yet—that brings a contemporary urgency to one of the greatest stories of all time.

**

I started this novel knowing it would be a reworking of Oedipus Rex.  I thought that given the author’s ability with words and evoking feelings that he presented in earlier works that I would find myself enthralled.  That didn’t happen here and I struggled to finish the book.  Not because it wasn’t interesting or well written, it certainly was that.  No I think the fact that I knew it was an oedipal story and knew how it would end, made the reading of it less than ideal.  This is a very tragic story, the characters are tragic figures that rise to great heights only to be brought to a sorry denouement.  I was not particularly sorry about their sorry end because they were never made to be very likeable or heroic to begin with.  But they were believably contemporary; every scene had the ring of truth and reality.

Review- Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jefferies

Title: Wed Him Before You Bed Him

(Book  6 in The School for Heiresses series)

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Sabrina Jefferies

Source: Library

Rating: 3.5

Sexy rating: 5

Description from Amazon.com: At eighteen, Charlotte Page made a life-altering mistake. She wronged a man in an impulsive act that she came to deeply regret, though it led her to her present life as Mrs. Charlotte Harris, owner of Mrs. Harris’s School for Young Ladies. Unbeknownst to her, that man is now her anonymous benefactor, the mysterious “Cousin Michael.” His masquerade began as preparation for a devastating revenge, but became a labor of love. Now Charlotte desperately needs his help. Can he save her from disaster as his real self without revealing the ugly secret behind his charade? Or will the mistakes of both their pasts tear them apart forever?

**

This was not my favorite Jefferies novel. Perhaps because I did not read the other books in this series (School For Heiresses) I could not get vested in the characters. When I don’t like the H/h then it puts me off the book. There was just too much deceit on the part of David and not enough mystery surrounding his wife’s death. Charlotte was just too stubborn to be likable. That said, Jefferies is masterful with her words and knows how to move a plot along.

Trivia-Famous Last Words

I hope, when my time comes to leave this mortal plane, that I will utter something immortal or wonderful or loving.  But I truly feel it will be “I can’t see with that bright light in my face.” or perhaps “Is it hot as Hell in here?”

Some famous authors entertained us with their last words; some are funny and some heart wrenching.

Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow author (4/3/1783—11/28/1859), said, before suffering a fatal stroke and while preparing his bed for the night, “I have set my pillows one more night, when will this end already?”

Oscar Wilde, playwright and author (10/16/1854—11/30/1900), said, immediately before dying of meningitis, “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”

Jane Austen, author (12/16/1775—7/18/1817) said, when asked by her sister if she wanted anything, “Nothing but death.”

Charlotte Bronte, author (4/21/1816—3/31/1855), said, to her husband of nine months, ”Oh, I am not going to die, am I?  He will not separate us, we have been so happy.”

And finally, Mark Twain, author (11/30/1835—4/21/1910), is said to have commented, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835.  It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.”  He died of a heart attack just one day following the comet’s return.

 

Extra- Deet’s off traveling

I will be on the road doing one of my fave things, traveling.  It should mean no interruption in my blog posts although I may not respond in a timely manner.  To my son-in-law: At this time there will be no “Fat Man Friday ” post so you can breathe a sigh of relief.  Actually I don’t foresee a  post like that in the future.  Men!

Review- Impetuous Innocent by Stephanie Laurens

Title: Impetuous Innocent

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Stephanie Laurens

Source: Library

Rating: 4

Sexy rating: 3

Description: Georgiana Hartley flees the lecherous advances of her cousin to seek refuge from nobleman neighbor Dominic Ridgely.  He packs her off to be helped by his married sister, Bella.  Georgiana thinks she will find a place as a ladies’ companion but Bella has plans to sponsor Georgiana and introduce her to society.  Several likely suitors propose but Georgiana insists she loves a man she can never have.  But that man is also pining for her.  It is their romance that ensues.

**

This is an older Stephanie Laurens book and my first by this author.  I usually like a little more spice (aka sex) than that which is presented in this book.  That said, this is one wonderful romance.  It is one of those delightful slow builds.  We know these two are ideal for each other in spite of their problems.