with an audiobook review of Laura Kinsale‘s The Dream Hunter narrated superbly by Nicholas Boulton.
Go here to check it out.
Category: A reviews (Page 11 of 16)
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I read and enjoyed How to Misbehave a while back (this marks the start of Tony and Amber’s relationship) and I have the other two Camelot books on my TBR. But I am a sucker for marriage in trouble stories so I decided to read this one out of order after being assured by the author that doing so wouldn’t spoil the other books. I don’t think it’s absolutely essential to have read How to Misbehave first but I do recommend it.What it’s about: (from Goodreads) A hotel bar. A sexy stranger. A night of passion. There’s a part of Amber Mazzara that wants those things, wants to have a moment — just one — where life isn’t a complicated tangle of house and husband and kids and careers. Then, after a long, exhausting “vacation” with her family, her husband surprises her with a gift: a few days on the beach . . . alone.
Only she won’t be alone long, because a handsome man just bought her a drink. He’s cool, he’s confident, and he wants to take Amber to bed and keep her there for days. Lucky for them both, he’s her husband. He’s only got a few days in Jamaica to make her wildest desires come true, but if he can pull it off, there’s reason to believe that this fantasy can last a lifetime.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): It has been 14 years since the events of How to Misbehave. Tony and Amber now have three sons, the youngest of whom (Jake) is 6 and has recently started school. Tony is working 80 hour weeks and far from home because the housing industry is in the toilet – he’s gone by 5.30 and doesn’t get home until around 10 most nights. If they’re lucky, he and Amber have half an hour to talk before they fall asleep. Amber is feeling particularly lost and lonely – the kids are all at school, she barely sees her husband and somewhere along the way her sense of self has disappeared in what she is to everyone else in her life. Tony and Amber still love each other but that isn’t enough.
Why I read it: Brie from Romance Around the Corner recommended this to me and I managed to snag a copy from my local library.What it’s about: (from Goodreads) STATE OF GRACE
Money makes the world go round – that’s what twenty-something Grace Reeves is learning. Stuck in a grind where everyone’s ahead apart from her, she’s partied out, disillusioned, and massively in debt. If she’s dumped by another rock-band wannabe, squashed by anyone else at her cut-throat fashion job, or chased by any more bailiffs, Grace suspects she’ll fall apart…
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
So when older, sexy and above all, wealthy art-dealer Vaughn appears, she’s intrigued against her will. Could she handle being a sugar daddy’s arm-candy?
SAVING GRACE
Soon Grace is thrown into a world of money and privilege, at Vaughn’s beck and call in return for thousands of pounds in luxurious gifts, priceless clothes – and cash. She’s out of her depth. Where’s the line between acting the trophy girlfriend, and selling yourself for money? And, more importantly, whatever happened to love?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): Brie thinks this book isn’t a romance. I think she’s right. It doesn’t fit squarely into the genre romance conventions but it does have a very strong romantic thread and there is a HEA (which is mandatory for me) but I suppose it is a bit more chick lit than romance. Having said that, the romance thread is very strong so I’d recommended it for romance readers. Continue reading
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. The first line from the blurb was enough to make me want it.What it’s about: (from Goodreads) I will meet you on Wednesdays at noon in Celebration Park. Kissing only.Carrie West is happy with her life . . . isn’t she? But when she sees this provocative online ad, the thirtysomething librarian can’t help but be tempted. After all, the photo of the anonymous poster is far too attractive to ignore. And when Wednesday finally arrives, it brings a first kiss that’s hotter than any she’s ever imagined. Brian Newburgh is an attorney, but there’s more to his life . . . that he won’t share with Carrie. Determined to have more than just Wednesdays, Carrie embarks on a quest to learn Brian’s story, certain that he will be worth the cost. But is she ready to gamble her heart on a man who just might be The One . . . even though she has no idea how their love story will end?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): This is a special little book. At just on 100 pages, it sounds like the sort of thing you could read in an hour or two but it is meatier than that. The words are dense on the page and having layers of meaning. So it might take a little longer to read, but it’s totally worth it.
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher. But (wait for it) this was also a part of my prize for winning the “name the band” competition. (Actually, the name wasn’t terribly original, the series was already called Stage Dive – I just piped up and said that would be an awesome band name). The other part of my prize was that a secondary character in the book was named after me. Kaetrin is an (awesome) (slightly slutty – but in a sex positive way) groupie with an AMAZING rack. LOLOLOL! The author very kindly asked me to pick her hair colour and the colour of her dress for her second appearance in the book. We had a lot of fun on Twitter with it. I told her to go for broke – but please just make me hot! (And she did, so: thank you Kylie!). She’s not in the book very much and while I was tickled to see my name in print, that wasn’t the reason I liked the book. Fortunately, it turned out that it’s a book I’m very happy to have my name in, even if Book Kaetrin is a bit of a skank (I say that with love).What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.Evelyn Thomas’s plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure as hell never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.One thing is for certain, being married to rock and roll’s favourite son is sure to be a wild ride.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m a hero-centric reader but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good heroine. I was actually pretty impressed with Evelyn. She holds her own against celebrities and rock stars when she’s out of her depth and in unfamiliar territory. There was a certain feistiness to her which appealed very much to me.
Why I listened to it: I borrowed a copy from a friend because mail from The Book Depository takes too long when a book is this much anticipated.What it’s about: (from Goodreads): Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes glimpses those who have owned it before. When a woman arrives with a small wooden carving at the gallery Nicola works at, she can see the object’s history and knows that it was named after the Firebird – the mythical creature from an old Russian fable. Compelled to know more, Nicola follows a young girl named Anna into the past who leads her on a quest through the glittering backdrops of the Jacobites and Russian courts, unearthing a tale of love, courage, and redemption.
Warning: Spoilers for The Winter Sea
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have been eagerly anticipating this book. My previous two favourite Kearsley books were The Winter Sea/Sophia’s Secret and The Shadowy Horses. When I found out that Anna Moray from The Winter Sea and Rob McMorran from The Shadowy Horses were featured in this book, I just knew it was going to be wonderful. I was not disappointed.
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