Tag: NetGalley (Page 32 of 37)

Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft

January 29, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up from NetGalley – I enjoyed Shining in the Sun (my review is here but you’ll have to scroll down a bit) and have False Colours on my TBR (… must get to it…).

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) For Captain Harry Thompson, the command of the prison transport ship HMS Banshee is his opportunity to prove his worth, working-class origins be damned. But his criminal attraction to his upper-crust First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, threatens to overturn all he’s ever worked for.Lust quickly proves to be the least of his problems, however. The deadly combination of typhus, rioting convicts, and a monstrous storm destroys his prospects . . . and shipwrecks him and Garnet on their own private island. After months of solitary paradise, the journey back to civilization—surviving mutineers, exposure, and desertion—is the ultimate test of their feelings for each other.These two very different men each record their story for an unfathomable future in which the tale of their love—a love punishable by death in their own time—can finally be told. Today, dear reader, it is at last safe for you to hear it all.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I don’t think I can adequately express how beautifully written this book is. So I shall give you some examples of what I mean:

The spray tangled like silver lace about the yellowhaired, screaming woman of Banshee’s figurehead.

…

Night fell with the lazy downward drift and sheen of a falling magpie feather.

…

Room at the Inn by Ruthie Knox

January 23, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this up from NetGalley. I have only read the Ruthie Knox story.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) ROOM AT THE INN by Ruthie KnoxCarson Vance couldn’t wait to get out of Potter Falls, but now that he’s back to spend Christmas with his ailing father, he must face all the people he left behind . . . like Julie Long, whose heart he broke once upon a time. Now the proprietor of the local inn, Julie is a successful, seductive, independent woman—everything that Carson’s looking for. But despite several steamy encounters under the mistletoe, Julie refuses to believe in happily ever after. Now Carson must prove to Julie that he’s back for good—and that he wants her in his life for all the holidays to come.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Having read and enjoyed Ride with Me and About Last Night, I was keen to read the Christmas novella I’d heard a lot about on Twitter. I was prepared, from Brie’s review for the main characters to be flawed. I read somewhere (where I cannot now remember) about it being possible to perceive Julie as being somewhat stalker-y given that she moved to Potter’s Falls, donated a kidney to Carson’s mother, nursed his mother, took over all of her roles in the community etc. I suppose, partlybecause of all my prior reading, I didn’t find those things as problematic as I might otherwise have done. Perhaps, because of it, my take is a bit different to the other reviews I’ve read.

Love in the Aftenoon by Alison Packard

January 21, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up from NetGalley. Given that I was addicted to Days of our Lives in the 80’s, the theme piqued my interest.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Kayla Maxwell is eager to shed her slasher-flick bimbo image—and she plans to do just that in her new role on daytime’s most popular soap. With a chance to showcase her dramatic range, Kayla will be able to wash away the lingering betrayal and public humiliation left by her controlling, philandering ex-boyfriend.Sean Barrett, the son of an influential, award-winning actor, is the hottest soap star in the country. Paired on-screen with the talented and beautiful Kayla Maxwell, Sean is determined to keep her at arm’s length, burned before by fame-seeking actresses who had no qualms about using him to get to his famous father.

But when Kayla receives threatening letters, her past as a scream queen seems to be coming back to haunt her. Succumbing to an attraction neither one of them can deny, Sean and Kayla must face down her stalker and their own personal demons before trusting what they both feel—a love that lasts long after the cameras stop rolling.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The writing style was easy and friendly and the stuff about working on a soap opera was fun. I kept trying to imagine whether Sean and Kayla’s on screen pairing was based on anyone – but I haven’t watched soaps for ages so I don’t know who the supercouples are anymore. When I was watching, in my teen years and just into my twenties, it was Bo and Hope on Days and Eden and Cruz on Santa Barbara (I’m dating myself big time here!). I think many soap fans like the idea of their favourite couples being real life couples and this book taps into the fantasy.

Promises Made Under Fire by Charlie Cochrane

January 16, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up from NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) France, 1915Lieutenant Tom Donald envies everything about fellow officer Frank Foden—his confidence, his easy manner with the men in the trenches, the affectionate letters from his wife. Frank shares these letters happily, drawing Tom into a vicarious friendship with a woman he’s never met. Although the bonds of friendship forged under fire are strong, Tom can’t be so open with Frank—he’s attracted to men and could never confess that to anyone.

When Frank is killed in no-man’s-land, he leaves behind a mysterious request for Tom: to deliver a sealed letter to a man named Palmer. Tom undertakes the commission while on leave—and discovers that almost everything he thought he knew about Frank is a lie…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): First off, that’s a really great cover. It sets the tone of the novella (it’s only 60 pages so that’s what I’m calling it) very well. For example, I didn’t expect a high steam level and there wasn’t one. In fact, I was surprised there was any sex in the story at all, given its length. What there was was quite tame and very much fade to black. But again, I felt that fit well with the overall tone of the story. It wasn’t a raunchy sexytimes book. I found it quite delightful actually.

Back to the Good Fortune Diner by Vicki Essex

January 11, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this on up from NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Everville, New York — it’s the town where Tiffany Cheung grew up, and the last place she wants to be. But after losing her job in Manhattan, that’s exactly where she finds herself. Worse, she’s working at her family’s Chinese diner and feeling like the outsider she once was. The only bright side is that Chris Jamieson, the boy she used to tutor, is still around. Her high school crush is hotter than ever, and he needs her help again. Tutoring Chris’s son is the perfect temporary job. Except, Chris finally seems interested in her — and is hinting about a less temporary arrangement. Talk about bad timing! Because Tiffany’s not staying and nothing will stop her from getting back to her real life. But maybe what’s real is about to change.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This book generated a bit of buzz on Twitter and among my blogger friends because it has a Chinese-American heroine and race is one of the themes of the book. Sometimes (many times?) it seems to me that ethnic/biracial characters could just as well be Caucasian – by that I mean to say that often different race is not portrayed as difference. Partly, I wonder whether it is because there is a “we are all the same” idea about anti-discrimination, but I also wonder if it is authorial/editorial fear that books with characters that are “too different” won’t sell well. In fact, there have been a few posts which seem to suggest that it is the case that such books don’t sell well. I’m not sure what that says about the romance reading public.

The One That Got Away by Kelly Hunter

January 9, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this up from NetGalley. I’m fast becoming a major fan of Kelly Hunter.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Good job? Tick. Newly purchased apartment? Tick. Evie’s life is on a pretty even keel at the moment. The only thing missing? A man with an edge to keep things interesting. Enter Logan Black. Tortured, distant and sexy, Logan has edge written all over him. He’s also the man who tipped Evie over the edge a few years back – she gave him everything, but he didn’t know when to stop taking. Leaving Logan was the hardest thing Evie’s ever done. Until now. Because Logan’s back, the chemistry is as blistering as ever, and this time he’s not going anywhere…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Really, she had me at “tortured”. I have a weakness for a tortured hero and the reason for his distance was so damn honorable too! In a nutshell, Logan’s father was an abusive, controlling, violent piece of work and Logan is terrified that he’s just like him. So he doesn’t like to feel too much or get too close. He doesn’t – won’t – trust himself. But Evie makes him feel. Makes him want to get close. The tension is delicious.