Mackenzie's Pleasure by Lnda Howard

Mackenzie's Pleasure by Linda Howard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


TBR Challenge 2011

Doesn't fit an exact category, but has been on my TBR list for a long while.



Fun, fast read. Very sexy and sweet. It's a small book, short on conflict development, but decent character development. The prologue is a somewhat boring info-dump, but it does have the benefit of bring the reader up-to-date with the Mackenzie family since the last book. The resolution to the suspense plot was abrupt and the whole reason behind it was never explained, but overall I enjoyed the book and the characters.



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Dream Man by Linda Howard

Dream Man by Linda Howard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


SOA Listening Challenge 2011: Fulfills "new-to-you" narrator category.



Have you ever seen a familiar object or movie, or song, or, in this case, book, in a different light? It's like suddenly seeing your house through someone else's eyes and thinking, "Wow! I need to paint." That was the experience I had listening to Dream Man on audio. As I listened I realized that, in print, I must skim over Howard's over-written scenes, getting lost in the moment and not letting myself get bogged down in the hand-wringing quality of the drama. But while I listened to Gigante's excellent narration, I was forced to focus on each over-wrought emotion and each overly dramatic scene. The high quality of Gigante's narration emphasized the drama. A more deadpan reader might actually have carried off the wordy scenes by detracting from the emotions.



Maybe because I wasn't as caught up in the story this time around, I was also more conscious of Dane's cold-blooded use of Marlie to catch the killer. I don't think he groveled enough and I don't think he was sorry for the right thing. He was sorry to have put her in danger, danger he arrogantly thought he could protect her from. But he never admitted his fault in not trusting her to agree to the scheme from the start. A major betrayal in my opinion. I wish Marlie and faced him down at the end and made him understand.



With all these criticisms it might look like I didn't enjoy the book, but I did. The plot is compelling and the bad guy creepy. Gigante's delivery of the killer's point-of-view was spine-tingling at times, and I questioned my sanity when listening to one scary scene at night alone in my kitchen. I had to stop loading the dishwasher so I could turn around and see the entire room until the scenes was over. Definitely an "edge of your seat" moment even though I'd already read the book and knew what was going to happen.



I recommend the book and I recommend the narrator. And while I've loved her books, but admit I'm leery of trying another Linda Howard book on audio. I might enjoy her style of writing more in print. ;-)





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Arabella by Georgette Heyer

Speaking of Audiobooks 2011 Listener Challenge
TBR Challenge 2011

Read from February 17 to 22, 2011

review

Arabella is now one of my favorite books by Georgette Heyer, and that's saying something. I love all of Heyer's books, but I do sometimes wish she'd focus more on how the feelings of the couple develop. In this book she does. In fact, we actually get as much or more insight into the development of Beaumaris' feelings than those of Arabella, and I enjoyed that. The dialog is, as usual, witty and clever. Ulysses the dog adds many laughs and the one-sided conversations Beaumaris holds with the dog ...moreArabella is now one of my favorite books by Georgette Heyer, and that's saying something. I love all of Heyer's books, but I do sometimes wish she'd focus more on how the feelings of the couple develop. In this book she does. In fact, we actually get as much or more insight into the development of Beaumaris' feelings than those of Arabella, and I enjoyed that. The dialog is, as usual, witty and clever. Ulysses the dog adds many laughs and the one-sided conversations Beaumaris holds with the dog are the best. The narrator for this audiobook is the wonderful Eve Matheson. She does a superb job all the way through.

Time Enough for Love

Time Enough for Love
by Suzanne Brockmann
SFR Reading Challenge 2011 (not hard science fiction--mainly suspense and romance)

Read from February 20 to 21, 2011

review

3.5* I admit to being surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. Like any time travel book, from The Time Machine to Outlander, the reader has to suspend disbelief. But once you've done that, this is an often emotional look at someone coming back into his own time line to change history, and one woman being caught in the middle, wanting to save both "versions" of the man she loves. Short, but well-done.

Song of Scarabaeus

Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy

SFR Reading Challenge 2011
Sci-Fi Rom Group BOM for February (goodreads.com)

Read from February 13 to 18, 2011

Excellent sci-fi with well done romantic elements. The romance isn't a huge part of the book, yet the relationship between Edie and Finn is always right below the surface and is integral to the story. That makes the developing relationship feel satisfying and believable. The world-building is subtle but extremely well done, and I love how the author unfolds the past with a light touch and no info-dumps. The book isn't overly scientific, but being a biologist I enjoyed the references to retroviruses and genetic engineering.

Song of Scarabaeus was full of action, and the pacing never lags. by the middle of the book, the author gives the reader enough time to breath, and then unfolds more action. The characters, both primary and secondary, are well-drawn. The primary characters (Edie and Finn), although flawed, are people to believe in and care about. I passed this on to my sci-fi loving husband and I'm eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

4*/5*

Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Fits the Feb category for the TBR Challenge 2011: Less than perfect hero/heroines.

Read from February 05 to 14, 2011

review

I've read this book twice, but this was the first time on audio. I love Heaven, Texas in any format, but listening to Anna Fields read the book is pure pleasure. Bobby Tom Denton is one of SEP's most bone-headed heroes, and I can't say why I like him, but I do. I don't like him all the time but he has redeeming characteristics that won me over. It also helps that he has a major grovel scene. I like groveling after a character acts like an idiot. ;-) As with Nobody's Baby b...moreI've read this book twice, but this was the first time on audio. I love Heaven, Texas in any format, but listening to Anna Fields read the book is pure pleasure. Bobby Tom Denton is one of SEP's most bone-headed heroes, and I can't say why I like him, but I do. I don't like him all the time but he has redeeming characteristics that won me over. It also helps that he has a major grovel scene. I like groveling after a character acts like an idiot. ;-) As with Nobody's Baby but Mine, SEP takes a risk with her secondary romance. In both cases the storyline involves an older couple and adds significantly to the enjoyment of the book. 4/5 stars

SFR Reading Challenge 2011

I've decided to try sign up for the Sci-fi Romance Reading Challenge at the "Earth" level-- 5 sci-fi rom books this year. I think that should prove easy, but the next step was "Moon" at 15 books a year and that might really be a challenge! ;-)
SFR Reading Challenge 2011

In keeping with Feb TBR challenge - Charlie All Night

Read from February 09 to 10, 2011

The Feb TBR Challenge is "Ugly Ducklings (Heroes and/or heroines who aren't "pretty")". I fulfilled the challenge with Ravished (see review below) but I decided to read other books on my TBR pile that had this theme as well. I've stretched the challenge to include heroes and heroines who fall short of the romance novel idea of "perfect" as well as those who are actually scarred or ugly. To that end I read Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie. In this book, Allie is described as 36, short, a little round (20 lbs over "model thin"), and she wears glasses.

3.5* Charlie All Night is definitely fun but a little on the short and underdeveloped side. Charlie and Allie were likable characters and the dialog was humorous, with a few good laugh-out-loud moments. It's similar in feel to Manhunting (also by Crusie), although I liked the character development in that one better. Overall a fun, quick read. Recommended.

Ravished by Amanda Quick

Read from January 31 to February 02, 2011

review

Read this for the February TBR Challenge 2011: Ugly Ducklings (Heroes and/or heroines who aren't "pretty") http://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.c... 3.5* Enjoyable book by author Jayne Ann Krentz under her pen name: Amanda Quick. I don't read many historical novels, so it's a pleasant surprise when I find one I get pulled into and enjoy this much. The mystery was somewhat predictable, but not too much so to ruin the story and Quick managed to put a few twists in the pl...moreRead this for the February TBR Challenge 2011: Ugly Ducklings (Heroes and/or heroines who aren't "pretty") Enjoyable book by author Jayne Ann Krentz under her pen name: Amanda Quick. I don't read many historical novels, so it's a pleasant surprise when I find one I get pulled into and enjoy this much. The mystery was somewhat predictable, but not too much so to ruin the story and Quick managed to put a few twists in the plot line. The romance angle was also somewhat predictable, but still satisfying. I liked both lead characters, although I got a little tired of Harriet's independent streak and absent-minded professor qualities, both of which led her into danger more than once. Still, this was time well spent. 3.5/5 stars

What the Librarian Did

Read from January 16 to 17, 2011

review

Book 1 of the TBR Challenge 2011 http://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.c... The story had some very good moments, and the overall plot wasn't bad, but the writing and pacing was uneven and the attempts at humor fell flat. Additionally, it would have been helpful to have an intimate moment between the leads once their feelings had finally been sorted out. It didn't have to be descriptive, fade-to-black would have been fine, but some sort of encounter would've been more satisfying....moreBook 1 of the TBR Challenge 2011 What The Librarian Did by Karina Bliss The story had some very good moments, and the overall plot wasn't bad, but the writing and pacing was uneven and the attempts at humor fell flat. Additionally, it would have been helpful to have an intimate moment between the leads once their feelings had finally been sorted out. It didn't have to be descriptive, fade-to-black would have been fine, but some sort of encounter would've been more satisfying. As it was, the book included a few hot kisses, one embarrassing almost sex scene and one quick and somewhat awkward scene. 3/5 stars

Welcome to Take 2.

I plan to use this blog for book reviews of books I'm reading for various reading challenges, such as:
Super Librarian 2011 TBR Challenge or All About Romances Speaking of Audiobooks 2011 Listening Challenge.