I’m over at the ARRA blog today with a review of Sylvia Day’s Reflected in You. I gave it a B+. ARRA members who comment go into the draw to win both Bared to You and Reflected in You in print.
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Why I listened to it: Are you kidding? I’ve been haranguing Tantor for ages to try and get them to pick this series up on audio. I’m sure it wasn’t just me but I’m proud to say that I had a small part to play in getting this series onto our MP3 players.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) It’s been years since her child’s father dumped her, and since then investigative reporter Kara McMillan has kept men at bay—although every day she aches more for a lover’s touch. But to get that, the hard-boiled journalist must become vulnerable—a feeling she vowed never to have again.With his dangerous good looks, charm, and power, Senator Reece Sheridan could have just about any woman he sets his piercing eyes on. But he’s intrigued by only one. This Kara, this gutsy investigative reporter, has a sensuality that arouses him to no end. If she’s a firebrand in print, he guesses, she must be just as fiery in bed…
But this is no fling. A sudden political scandal—and attempts on Kara’s life—could very well drive them apart. Or maybe, just maybe, adversity could draw them into a bond even more intense than their steamy sexual embraces…
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’ve read the book twice so I know the story well. Kara McMillan is a reporter for the Denver Independent’s “I-Team”, covering the environmental beat. When a whistleblower gives her information about a mining company dumping toxic materials into the water supply, her investigation leads her into danger. While all this is happening, she meets sexy Senator Reece Sheridan, an idealistic ex-social studies teacher who ran for office on a dare from his students. Their first meeting is hilarious – Kate has had too many margaritas and she asks Reece some very interesting questions – including whether a woman really does taste like tuna!
Reece is captivated by Kara but she is gunshy after being dumped unceremoniously by the jerk who got her pregnant and then bailed. She has a 4 year old son and a busy job and trying to fit in a relationship as well is a challenge even if she didn’t have trust issues.
There was a wonderful balance between the romance and the suspense and there is no silly stuff like anyone having sex while bullets are flying. Because the story takes place over a number of weeks, the romance has a believable build and when they do scorch up the sheets, there is plenty of time.
What else? I have wanted this series to be available on audio for so long. When it was first announced, there was rampant speculation on who the “dream narrator” would be. When Tantor Audio announced their choice of Kaleo Griffith, I admit, I was a little nervous. Would he do it justice? Would he be able to deliver the love scenes? Would his female character voices make the grade?
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| Photo by John Riedy Photography | *. |
*used with permission
When I started to listen, I almost did the audio equivalent of reading with one eye open. What a relief to find that the rhythm of the story was maintained and enhanced by this new-to-me narrator. He has only been narrating audiobooks for about a year and has about 30 under his belt now but romance listeners may not have come across him before. I’m betting we’ll be hearing a lot more from him though.
To be honest, there are very very few men who can deliver an authentic female voice. Some female narrators can do male voices well, but the reverse is so rare as to be unicorn-like. The horror of romance listeners is the “female impersonator” voice. Mr. Griffith softens his tone to indicate a female voice rather than trying to drag it up. His voices for older women were very very well done. The younger women’s voices didn’t sound exactly “female” to me but they weren’t drag-y and I could tell by his voice that a female character was speaking. His other accents and male voices were stellar. Mostly, he “got it”. I’m so glad he is the kind of narrator that takes the time to contact the author (I hear she was a little nervous that he would be uncomfortable with “Mr. Jigglestick”) and understand the characters and their motivations; to give credit to the text. His natural voice is deep, and pleasing to the ear and his pacing was spot on for the story. And, boy oh boy, he can deliver a sex scene. Not overdone and purple, not bored and disinterested. Basically, I’m a happy camper.
I can’t wait to see what Mr. Griffith does with Julian Darcangelo and Mark Hunter!
Phil Gigante might have to watch out. There’s a new deep sexy voice on the scene.
Grade: B+ (perilously close to an A- in fact)
Why I read it: I’m a JL Merrow fan and had this one pre-ordered.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Some secrets are better left hidden.
To most of the world, Tom Paretski is just a plumber with a cheeky attitude and a dodgy hip, souvenir of a schoolboy accident. The local police keep his number on file for a different reason—his sixth sense for finding hidden things.
When he’s called in to help locate the body of a missing woman up on Nomansland Common, he unexpectedly encounters someone who resurrects a host of complicated emotions. Phil Morrison, Tom’s old school crush, now a private investigator working the same case. And the former bully partly responsible for Tom’s injury.
Warning: Contains a flirtatious plumber with hidden talents, a cashmere-clad private investigator with hidden depths, and an English village chock full of colourful characters with plenty to hide.
The shocks keep coming. Phil is now openly gay, and shows unmistakable signs of interest. Tom’s attraction to the big, blond investigator hasn’t changed—in fact, he’s even more desirable all grown up. But is Phil’s interest genuine, or does he only want to use Tom’s talent?
As the pile of complicated evidence surrounding the woman’s murder grows higher, so does the heat between Tom and Phil. But opening himself to this degree exposes Tom’s heart in a way he’s not sure he’s ready for…while the murderer’s trigger finger is getting increasingly twitchy.
Warning: Contains a flirtatious plumber with hidden talents, a cashmere-clad private investigator with hidden depths, and an English village chock full of colourful characters with plenty to hide.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I love the humour in JL Merrow’s books. It is subtle and distinctly British and it suits me fine. Told from Tom’s first person POV, the story is part mystery, part comedy and part romance. Tom has a self-deprecating style which I found endearing and just his way of describing things made me smile.
Once I got there, it was a lot easier to be quiet, as the carpet had the sort of pile you don’t so much walk on as hack your way through with a machete.
Phil is harder to know as we don’t spend any time in his head and he is fairly quiet and intense. The romance is fairly understated and slow to develop. Normally I might find myself getting impatient about such a thing but in this book, the timing was right. Tom had been horribly hurt – both emotionally and physically – directly and indirectly because of Phil and they both carry baggage because of it. For them to fall into bed and/or a relationship quickly would have felt forced. It is clear there they have a connection almost from the start, but it takes time and some forgiveness and understanding before they can start to embark on a relationship. As it is, by the end of the story, their relationship is really only beginning.
I enjoyed the secondary characters in the book too – many of them were sympathetic even though they might not have had much page time – and I liked the friendship Tom had developed with police detective Dave Southgate. Merrow tends to have a bit of the quirky in her books (which I love) and it is found here especially in Tom’s campanologist friend Gary and his new boyfriend Julian who is a dwarf ex-porn star with attitude.
What else? Before I read this one, I saw someone talking about it on Twitter to the effect that she hoped it would be a series. I had that thought in my head when I started reading it and to be honest, I think that affected my grade. If this is the first book in the series, then my grade stands because I think it is a great start. But, if it is a standalone book, then the grade would be a B because, to be honest, I did think there was an element of it being incomplete. Which makes perfect sense if the characters are to return in future books but which would bug me if they are not. I enjoyed the time spent in setting up the secondary characters and fleshing out Tom’s life but I’m hoping this means we will see them again. Call it wishful thinking, but I’m going with the “it’s the first in a series” grade.
Grade: B+
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On Paper/eBook
The Emperor’s Conspiracy by Michelle Diener – C- Isn’t that a beautiful cover? I reviewed this one for ARRA. The short version is that I thought this was a romance but it was an historical with romantic elements. There is a relationship but the usual romantic ending isn’t present. It isn’t NOT there. It’s just… absent. The conspiracy in the book is actually true but I’m not sure how realistic Charlotte’s backstory was.
Archangel’s Storm by Nalini Singh – B+ I reviewed this one for ARRA and will post a link when the review goes live. But, the short version is that I really enjoyed the quieter love story in this book and I thought it suited the covert nature of Jason, the Spymaster. I liked the way Mahiya chose to live a life full of joy and love rather than become bitter and hard. I liked the clever way Singh made this an aspect of Mahiya’s great strength of will rather than it coming off as being passive and wishy-washy.
The cover does look a bit like a bird crapped on it though.
Craving (Curio #3) by Cara McKenna – B+ This is the 2nd Curio vignette and follows on from Coercion. It won’t mean much to readers who haven’t read Curio (which is wonderful so go read it). I enjoyed this one more than Coercion. I’m not sure if it was the subject matter which I enjoyed more or that it was in Caroly’s POV. Which, if it is, is unusual for me, because I’m all about the hero. The lovely tension in the two vignettes so far is that we know that Caroly and Didier love each other but they do not. It is delicious and a little bittersweet at the same time. Surprisingly, I haven’t become impatient with it – each character has their reason for not making the big reveal yet and they make sense, but also, the stories are short (this one is less than 45 pages) so I don’t feel I’m being manipulated by the author, but rather that their relationship is unfolding at it’s appropriate pace. There is some beautiful writing in this little story and I found it very touching. Plus, sexy.
Favourite Quote:
His lips and tongue trace my throat, his moans hot and low. In French he tells me, “I want you. So much.”
“I want you.” I’ve never not wanted him. Even in the moments when he frustrates me, I would never wish I were elsewhere. He’s a hundred things to a hundred women, a different pretty bauble reflecting their unique tastes. But he’s my kaleidoscope. I want to keep turning him, discovering new patterns, seeing him through new eyes.
Captured by You by Beth Kery – C+ Very sexy novella which is part of the “One Night of Passion” series. The hero was Australian and some of the slang was misused which jarred for me (for example, “Blimey” is more English than Australian and “starkers” means naked, not crazy). The idea of Chance taking photos of the heroine naked was a little on the squicky side for me initially but I did suspend my disbelief and buy into the set up. There is a rather fortunate and miraculous event which solves their major conflict which was a little disappointing in terms of “realism” but that’s probably being overly picky because what part of the book is “realistic” anyway? Sexy photographers come across nubile naked women in the forest and offer to tie them up all the time right? It’s fun and enjoyable but not earthshattering. I am however, looking forward to Exposed to You in a major way.
Still to come:
I have also read Men of Smithfield: Adam and Holden by LB Gregg, Pressure Head by JL Merrow, as well as the first 2 novellas in the Midnight Scandals anthology (the only reason I didn’t read the Sherry Thomas story was that it’s set after her recent novels and I haven’t read them yet, so I’m saving it for later I do like to read in order) – and I’m reading Reflected in You by Sylvia Day right now, . My reviews for all of these will be up next month.
On Audio
I haven’t done much audio listening this month – I’ve been catching up on Savage Lovecasts (I’m into 2012 now!) because podcasts are easier to commit to when you’re mind is a bit scatty as has been the case the last couple of weeks.
Salvation in Death by JD Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen – B- I realised that I had messed up the series order and listened to Promises in Death too soon, missing out this one. Naturally, my OCD kicked in and I had to rectify that error. Salvation doesn’t pack the emotional punch of Promises and the victim is no peach, but I enjoy the series so while it wasn’t my favourite, it was still time well spent.
Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Elenna Stauffer – A My review of this one is over at AudioGals.
Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Madison Vaughn – B+ When I read this book some years ago, I gave it about a C. I enjoyed it much more on audio. Part of that, I think, is because I’m older and I have a greater appreciation for the older heroine – she’s 36 (and he’s 38) than I did when I first read it. While 36 isn’t old, she’s older than the average heroine, even now I think. Perhaps it was merely an alignment of the planets thing, but I think the excellent narration by Ms. Vaughn was what mostly added to my enjoyment. She really nailed this one. It was a lot of fun.
Coming Up:
I’m listening to Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare, narrated by Kaleo Griffith at the moment and my review will be up next month. So far, it is made of WIN.
Links
In case you missed them, I also reviewed the following books this month:
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
Down for the Count by Christine Bell
The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles
Handle with Care by Josephine Myles
Fields of Gold by Dev Bentham
One Final Step by Stephanie Doyle
Tigerland by Sean Kennedy
Laid Open by Lauren Dane
Deep Desires by Charlotte Stein
Wish by Kelly Hunter
Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha
Lean on Me by HelenKay Dimon
Thanks to the Random Number generator, the winner of Tigerland is:
Nicole L.
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Nicole, I have sent you an email so check your spam folder if it’s not showing up. Otherwise, email me at Kaetrin67 AT gmail DOT com so I can get your prize to you.
Thank you to all who entered the giveaway.
(If I don’t hear from Nicole by Friday 5th November, I will draw a new winner).
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