with a (long-ass) review of With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg. A lot to like but some things really troubled me.
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I’m reviewing Dark Witch by Nora Roberts, narrated by Katherine Kellgren at AudioGals. Why not stop by and say hello?
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley but I’m also a fan of the series.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.
Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.
But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have always liked Isaiah since I first met him in Pushing the Limits. As much as I loved Dare You To, enjoyed Beth’s romance with Ryan and thought that the author was right; Beth and Isaiah should not be together, I was still a bit sad for Isaiah. I felt he got a bit of a raw deal. So, I was excited to read his story – where he finally gets his happy.
As expected, it was hard won and I had some nervous moments wondering how the author was going to achieve it (but she totally did) and in the process I met a wonderful heroine in Rachel, her yummy brothers (who I hope to see again in future books – especially West please) as well as more of Logan (may we have his book also? pretty please?) and had the opportunity to check in with Beth and Ryan and Noah and Echo. I felt all of the characters had an organic place in the book and as much as I was happy to see previous characters again, I’m also happy they were present because they had things to do relevant to the story being told.
Why I read it: I received a copy from the author via NetGalley and I’m a fan of the series.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The Bermuda Triangle. Pirates. The Peanut. What could possibly go wrong?
Dragos Cuelebre needs a vacation. So does Pia, his mate. When the First Family of the Wyr head to Bermuda for some much needed R&R, it’s no ordinary undertaking – and no ordinary weekend in the sun. Between hunting for ancient treasure buried beneath the waves and keeping track of their son, Liam—a.k.a. Peanut, whose Wyr abilities are manifesting far ahead of schedule—it’s a miracle that Pia and Dragos can get any time together.
They’re determined to make the most of each moment, no matter who tries to get in their way.
And did we mention pirates?
What worked for me (and what didn’t): This little delight is like a gift to fans of the series. I don’t think it would work as a stand alone – all the joy comes from knowing the characters and seeing how far Dragos (in particular) has come. Liam (aka the Peanut) is just gorgeous and readers will be dying of teh cute from him alone. It’s about 90 pages long and doesn’t take long to read, so it’s a great choice if you have a) read the other books (or at least the Dragon Bound and Lord’s Fall) b), don’t have a lot of time but want to get maximum bang for your buck. Because the characters are familiar, the it’s easy to settle into the story quickly and there is a story – it’s not an extended epilogue – which is partly about pirates (!) and partly about Dragos and Pia settling into life as parents and all the changes which come along with that.
Why I read it: I received a review copy from the author. This brand new novella is being packaged with a re-release Silhouette title from Suzanne Brockmann called Scenes of Passion. The anthology is called Passion and Peril and releases on November 26.
I don’t remember much of Scenes of Passion – I read the original category a few years ago which I picked up at my local UBS. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads so I gather from that I thought it was okay but nothing amazing.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The snowstorm forecast says it’s a big one, but wildlife photographer Paige Dawson is prepared. Until a terrible car accident brings a sexy stranger to her remote mountain cabin and the bad weather strands them together . . . for days. The heat between them is like nothing she’s ever known — incendiary, undeniable. And just as she begins to hope for something real with Colin Reid, after the snow melts, he remembers what caused his accident . . . and it may be too late for them both.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): While I thought the beginning of the story was a little overdone (too many exclamation marks), things really picked up in chapter two. Paige and Colin had a lot of things in common and their connection and attraction was obvious. I thought Colin in particular was pretty funny in the way he thought about things. Some of his musings regarding a naked Paige made me chuckle. The novella is only about 70 pages long, so there wasn’t a lot of time in which to draw the characters and make me care about them, but by the end of chapter two, I did. There’s not time for deep character exposition but the essential parts of them were on the page and it was clear that their connection was based on more than mutual lust.
Why I read it: I decided to listen to one of my own audiobooks for a change. I have lots of review books to listen to but every now and then, I like to sneak in a just for fun listen.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Set in a world of stunningly beautiful, exceptionally dangerous monsters, Fire is one of the most dangerous monsters of all – a human one. Marked out by her vivid red hair, she’s more than attractive. Fire is mesmerising.
But with this extraordinary beauty comes influence and power. People who are susceptible to her appeal will do anything for her attention, and for her affection. They will turn away from their families, their work, and their duties for her. They will forget their responsibilities to please her and worse, crush nations, neglect kingdoms and abuse their power.
Aware of her power, and afraid of it, Fire lives in a corner of the world away from people, and away from temptation. Until the day comes when she is needed – a day when, for her king, she has to take a stand not only against his enemies, but also against herself.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I adored this listen. I was immersed from the prologue (which was creepy) and engrossed as Fire’s life (Fire being the title character) became the main focus of the story. Fire is set chronologically before Graceling but there is information in the prologue and toward the end of the book which would be kind of spoiler-y for Graceling, so I’d recommend reading them in order. I understand Bitterblue, the third book (which is awaiting me on my iPod) doesn’t really have any relationship to Fire so I gather you could read books 1 and 3 without missing out on much. But, I really loved Fire so I’d say whether you read/listen to Bitterblue or Fire first – don’t skip Fire altogether.
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