Book Reviews from A to Z

A-
Aiken, G.A. - Dragon Actually
Aiken, G.A. - What a Dragon Should Know

B-
Bishop, Anne - Daughter of the Blood
Bishop, Anne - The Invisible Ring
Bishop, Anne - Shalador's Lady

Bradbury, Ray - Fahrenheit 451

Briggs, Patricia - Cry Wolf

Bujold, Lois McMaster - The Sharing Knife: Beguilement

C-
Carroll, Susan - The Bride Finder

Chapman, Janet - A Highlander Christmas

D-
Dare, Tessa - Goddess of the Hunt
Dare, Tessa - Surrender of a Siren
Dare, Tessa - A Lady of Persuasion

Dayton, Gail - New Blood
Dayton, Gail - Heart's Blood

Destefano, Anna - Dark Legacy

E-
Evans, Annaliese - Night's Rose
Evans, Annaliese - The Prince of Frogs

F-
Feisty, Lillie - Bound to Please

Francis, Diana Pharaoh - The Black Ship
Francis, Diana Pharaoh - The Turning Tide

H-
Hart, Megan - Pleasure and Purpose
Hart, Megan - No Greater Pleasure
Hart, Megan - Stranger
Hart, Megan - Broken

Haydon, Elizabeth - Rhapsody

Hendricks, Elysa - The Sword and the Pen

Hendrix, Lisa - Immortal Warrior

Hieber, Leanna Renee - The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

Howell, Morgan - A Woman Worth Ten Coppers

J-
James, Judith - Broken Wing

K-
Kantra, Virginia - Sea Lord

Kean, Catherine - A Knight's Temptation

Kennedy, Kathryne - My Unfair Lady

L-
Lee, Jade - Dragonbound

Long, R.F. - The Wolf's Sister

M-
Macgregor, Kinley - Born in Sin

McIntyre, Amanda - Diary of Cozette
McIntyre, Amanda - Feary Song
McIntyre, Amanda - Tortured

N-
Nagle, Pati - The Betrayal

P-
Pagliassotti, Dru - Clockwork Heart

Q-
Quinn, Erin - Haunting Beauty
Quinn, Erin - Haunting Warrior

R-
Ranney, Karen - A Scotsman in Love
Ranney, Karen - Sold to a Laird

Riordan, Rick - The Lightning Thief

Rosetti, Denise - The Flame and the Shadow

Russell, Gerri - The Warrior Trainer

S-
Saell, Kirsten - Healer's Touch
Saell, Kirsten - Crossing Swords & Bound by Steel

Salvatore, R.A. - Homeland
Salvatore, R.A. - Exile
Salvatore, R.A. - Sojourn

Schone, Robin - The Lover

Silver, Eve - Dark Desires
Silver, Eve - His Wicked Sins
Silver, Eve - Seduced by a Stranger

Smith-Ready, Jeri - Eyes of Crow
Smith-Ready, Jeri - Voice of Crow
Smith-Ready, Jeri - The Reawakened

V-
Vaughan, Elizabeth - Warsworn
Vaughan, Elizabeth - Dagger-Star

W-
Welfonder, Sue-Ellen - Devil in a Kilt
Welfonder, Sue-Ellen - Seducing a Scottish Bride
Welfonder, Sue-Ellen - A Highlander's Temptation

Wilkinson, Lisa Marie - Fire at Midnight

Books Read in 2009

Here is my list of books that I read in 2009! I started keeping track halfway through 2007, after seeing Anna keeping track of her monthly reads when I first met her on Myspace. I thought that was a great idea, so now I faithfully track every book and DNF book. I will never list my DNF's, just doesn't seem fair. I will say that I had 25 of them this year :(. That seems kind of high, but I figure I have so many books to read, there's no point in trying to read one that isn't meshing with me, right? I did read eight books less this year than last year. Not too bad!

~January~

1. Lara Adrian – Veil of Midnight
2. Denise Rossetti – The Flame and the Shadow*
3. Anna J. Evans – Captured
4. Anne Rainey – Burn
5. Sue-Ellen Welfonder – Bride For A Knight
6. G. A. Aiken – Dragon Actually
7. Jamie Hill – Truth or Dare
8. Susan Carroll – The Bride Finder*
9. Jean Johnson – The Song
10. Wen Spencer – A Brother’s Price
11. Foster, Castell, Monroe – Star Quality Anthology
12. Janet Chapman – Wedding the Highlander
13. R.F. Long – The Wolf’s Sister
14. Lisa Hendrix – Immortal Warrior
15. Gwen Hayes – Oh Goddess
16. Kally Jo Surbeck – Sudden Fall, Yadderwal book 1

Favorite book -
Dragon Actually by GA Aiken

Honorary mention -
The Flame and the Shadow by Denise Rossetti

~February~
1. Allison Chase – Dark Obsession*
2. Melissa Mayhue – A Highlander of her Own
3. Beth Kery – Wicked Burn
4. Eve Silver – Demon’s Hunger
5. Megan Hart – Stranger*
6. Kally Jo Surbeck – Whispered Promise, Yadderwal book 2
7. Lora Leigh – Coyote’s Mate*
8. R.G. Alexander – Not In Kansas
9. Megan Hart – An Exaltation of Larks
10. Janet Chapman – Only With A Highlander
11. Megan Hart – Layover
12. Anne Bishop – Tangled Webs
13. Robin Schone – The Lover
14. Jenna Maclaine – Grave Sins
15. Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear – A Companion to Wolves
16. Linda Winstead Jones – Bride by Command

Favorite book -
Dark Obsession by Allison Chase
Stranger by Megan Hart

Honorary Mention -
Bride by Command by Linda Winstead Jones (Love all her Columbyana books)

~March~
1. Catherine Kean – A Knight’s Temptation
2. Sue-Ellen Welfonder – Seducing a Scottish Bride
3. Amanda McIntyre – The Diary of Cozette*
4. Patricia Briggs – Raven’s Shadow
5. Megan Hart – This is What I Want
6. Amanda McIntyre – Mirror, Mirror
7. Jennifer St. Giles – Kiss of Darkness
8. Allison Chase – Dark Temptation*
9. Kinley MacGregor – Born in Sin
10. Janet Chapman – Secrets of the Highlander
11. Lora Leigh – Nauti Nights
12. Annaliese Evans – Night’s Rose
13. Jocelyn Saint James – Serenade the Moon
14. RG Alexander – Surrender Dorothy
15. Vivian Arend – Wolf Signs
16. Fiona Jayde – Booty Call
17. Amanda McIntyre & Isabo Kelly – Faery Song
18. Pamela Johnson – Unfinished Dreams

Favorite Book -
Diary of Cozette by Amanda McIntyre

Honorary Mention -
Dark Temptation by Allison Chase

~April~
1. Jade Lee – DragonBound*
2. Anna J. Evans – Risking it All
3. Donna Fletcher – Return of the Rogue*
4. Kathryne Kennedy – Double Enchantment
5. Karin Tabke – Master of Surrender*
6. G.A. Aiken – About A Dragon*
7. Donna Fletcher – Under the Highlander’s Spell*
8. Sherrilyn Kenyon – Fantasy Lover
9. Pati Nagle – The Betrayal
10. Virginia Kantra – Sea Lord
11. Dru Pagliassotti – Clockwork Heart
12. Elizabeth Vaughan – Dagger-Star
13. Amanda McIntyre – Risky Business
14. Karin Tabke – Master of Torment
15. Elysa Hendricks – The Sword and the Pen

April was a wonderful reading month. I have a few favorites!
Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti
About a Dragon by GA Aiken
The Betrayal by Pati Nagle

Honorary Mentions -
Master of Surrender and Master of Torment by Karin Tabke
Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy
Dragonbound by Jade Lee

~May~
1. Michelle Sagara – Cast in Shadow
2. Sarah McCarty – Caine’s Reckoning
3. Kathryne Kennedy – Enchanting the Beast
4. Larissa Ione - Desire Unchained
5. Elizabeth Vaughan - Warprize
6. Colette Gale - Bound By Honor
7. Jennifer Ashley - The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
8. Lisa Cooke - Texas Hold Him
9. Jo Davis - Under Fire
10. Helen Scott Taylor – The Magic Knot
11. Jamie Leigh Hansen – Cursed*
12. Donna Fletcher – The Angel and the Highlander
13. Elizabeth Vaughan – White Star
14. Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society* 15. Lisa Shearin – Armed and Magical
16. Sue-Ellen Welfonder - Devil in a Kilt
17. Janet Chapman - Moonlight Warrior
18. Anne Bishop - The Shadow Queen*

May proved to be another fantastic reading month! Again I have more than one favorite :).
Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Honorary Mentions -
Always anything by Janet Chapman is a hit with me and I have enjoyed Donna Fletcher's Sinclair Brothers series.
Cursed by Jamie Leigh Hansen
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

~June~
1. Lilli Feisty - Bound to Please
2. Amanda McIntyre - Tortured
3. Rhian Cahill - One Night in Bangkok
4. Elizabeth Vaughan - Warsworn
5. Anne Bishop - The Invisible Ring
6. Elizabeth Vaughan - Warlord
7. Elizabeth Haydon - Rhapsody
8. Vivian Arend - Tidal Wave

Favorite Books -
Warsworn and Warlord by Elizabeth Vaughan

Honorary Mentions -
Bound to Please by Lillie Feisty
Tortured by Amanda McIntyre.

~July~
1. Karen Ranney - A Scotsman in Love
2. Josh Lanyon - Fatal Shadows
3. Josh Lanyon - A Dangerous Thing
4. Deidre Knight - Butterfly Tattoo
5. Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere
6. G.A. Aiken - What a Dragon Should Know7. Morgan Howell - A Woman Worth Ten Coppers
8.Gail Dayton - New Blood
9. Shelly Laurenston - Pack Challenge
10. Karen Marie Moning - Darkfever
11. Kirsten Saell - The Chancellor's Bride
12. Karin Tabke - Master of Craving

Favorite Books -
A Scotsman in Love
What a Dragon Should Know by GA Aiken

Honorary Mentions -
Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight (Emotionally engaging story!)
Master of Craving by Karin Tabke
New Blood by Gail Dayton

~August~
1. Lisa Marie Wilkinson - Fire at Midnight
2. Megan Hart - Broken
3. Leanna Renee Hieber - The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker
4. Morgan Howell - King's Property
5. Eve Silver - Seduced by a Stranger

Favorite Books -
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
Seduced by a Stranger by Eve Silver

Honorary Mention -
Broken by Megan Hart

~September~
1. Megan Hart - Pleasure and Purpose
2. Janet Chapman - The Man Must Marry
3. Gerri Russell - To Tempt a Knight
4. Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book
5. Megan Hart - Taking Care of Business
6. Erin Quinn - Haunting Beauty
7. Anna Destefano - Dark Legacy
8. Patricia Briggs - Cry Wolf
9. Sue-Ellen Welfonder - A Highlander's Temptation
10. Annaliese Evans - The Prince of Frogs
11. Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
12. Linnea Sinclair - Finders Keepers

Favorite Book -
The Man Must Marry by Janet Chapman

Honorary Mention -
Pleasure and Purpose by Megan Hart
Haunting Beauty by Erin Quinn

~October~
1. Margaret Mallory - Knight of Desire
2. Tessa Dare - Goddess of the Hunt
3. Charles de Lint - Yarrow
4. Shelly Laurenston - The Mane Event
5. Megan Hart - No Greater Pleasure
6. Sherrilyn Kenyon - Born of Night
7. Nalini Singh - Branded By Fire
8. Cindy Miles - MacGowan's Ghost
9. Ally Blue - Love, Like Ghosts
10. Ava March - Object of His Desire
11. Eden Bradley - The Seeking Kiss (Bk 1)
12. C.L. Wilson - Queen of Song and Souls

Another month with some fine reading.
Favorite Book -
Queen of Song and Souls by CL Wilson

Honorary Mentions -
Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

~November~
1. Janet Chapman - The Seductive Imposter
2. Cindy Miles - Highland Knight
3. Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Beguilement(Book One)
4. Kathryne Kennedy - My Unfair Lady
5. Diana P. Francis - The Black Ship
6. Janet Chapman - A Highlander Christmas
7. Tessa Dare - Surrender of a Siren
8. Tessa Dare - A Lady of Persuasion

Favorite Book -
Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare

Honorary Mentions -
The Black Ship by Diana P. Francis
The Sharing Knife: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold.

~December~
1. Karen Ranney - Sold to a Laird
2. Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Legacy
3. R.A. Salvatore - Homeland (Drizzt Book One)
4. Janet Chapman - The Dangerous Protector
5. Rick Riordan - The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book One)
6. Jo Davis - Hidden Fire
7. R.A. Salvatore - Exile (Drizzt Book Two)

Favorite Books -
Sold to a Laird by Karen Ranney
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore.

Honorary Mention -
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Total Read - 147!

So there you have it. My 2009 reading list, broken down by monthly favorites. It's so hard to pick ten or twenty books overall, so I thought I'd do it by the month this year.

I'm excited about some of the releases for 2010. Some really great looking books, including a few new fantasy series. Such as L.J. McDonald's Sylph series and a new one by Carol Berg, starting with The Spirit Lens. And then a book that I, and a few others I know, have been long, long awaiting, the sequel to Lucy Monroe's Moon Awakening, Moon Craving. I'm so excited about this one.

What books are you MOST anticipating at this time for 2010?

Mine would be, Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop, the next Percy Parker book by Leanna Renee Hieber, Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe. And of course, the final Tairen Soul book by CL Wilson, but I don't know when the release date is for that one. I hope it's in 2010! There are many others but those are top priority at the moment :)!

Here's to another fine year of reading!

Megan Hart - No Greater Pleasure

No Greater Pleasure
by Megan Hart
October 2009

www.MeganHart.com

This is not your typical Megan Hart book, or at least not what I've come to expect. It isn't that it's not highly engaging with characters being put in heart wrenching situations. It's that it does not have the page upon page of erotic, explicit encounters, for which I think Megan Hart steals the cake when it comes to mastering those titillating scenes of the flesh and incorporating that into an emotionally compelling read. It is rather mild for over half the book, but what you do get is a building of a friendship between the two main characters, Tranquilla Caden and Gabriel Delessan, as well as between Tranquilla and his staff.

In No Greater Pleasure the sexually charged atmosphere is toned down to a slow and engaging build-up as Tranquilla, the Handmaiden assigned to Delessan, learns her new master and attempts to gain the knowledge she needs to bring him absolute solace. As well as making friends with the staff and earning herself a respectable place in their eyes.

Gabriel Delessan is a dark, mysterious, brooding, unhappy man. His wife is a mad, conniving, deceitful woman. And she makes his life miserable. He'd like to think that when she has moments of clarity that she will remain that way, but she ends up that despicable person once again. So he requests a Handmaiden from the Order of Solace, hoping to find some sort of peace in his very unhappy existence. Yet Gabriel fights and argues with Quilla nearly every step of the way as she tries to sooth him. But what he doesn't realize, is that over the course of the months she's been serving him, she has been breaking through his barriers, on act, one word, one gesture at a time.

But you may be wondering the same as I did, how can this be a romance if Delessan is married and refuses Quilla in any intimate fashion? And that is where Megan Hart's talent as a writer shines, and makes her stories different from the rest. Her characters are put in situations that aren't typical and where there's a will, there's a way, and happiness lies down that road. If ever there was a man who needed some happiness, it's Gabriel Delessan (and what a great name too!) and Quilla the perfect soul to mend his torn and broken heart, giving him perfect Solace.

I enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful addition to the first one, Pleasure and Purpose. But I must say that I was a tad disappointed for the lack of sex. And I only say that because I have come to expect it, especially since the first book was extremely potent, but that's the only place my disappointment lies. This one may have been toned down on the explicitness, but it still tugged on my emotions at the end something fierce. I loved the story and I think the Order of Solace is a grand concept and makes for delightful reads.

Annaliese Evans - The Prince of Frogs

Annaliese Evans
Prince of Frogs
September 2009

www.AnnalieseEvans.com

After reading Night's Rose (Book One) I wondered how the three main characters, Rose, Gareth and Ambrose, would fair. Rose being married to Gareth, yet magically bound to Ambrose, she's in love with both men, brothers actually, and they despise each other. She's torn between the desire her body craves for the touch of Ambrose, but doesn't want to betray the love she has for her husband, Gareth, by giving into temptation.

I was so very happy to finally read the continuing story of these three people. From the first chapter I was drawn into their lives once again as Rose dreams of a terrible and frightening creature known as the Mother, a myth, the creator of all things magical. She wants Rose. She wants Rose's husband dead. There is much more to Rose than what was revealed in Night's Rose, and I was drawn into this tale of deceit and lies and murderous plots, and court intrigue. And a terrible secret that threatens to destroy the love and marriage of Rose and Gareth.

The ending was everything that I hoped for after reading Night's Rose. I wanted so badly for Ambrose to find his place. He is dark and mysterious and he loves Rose as much as the handsome and ever charming Gareth. And after a near fatal attack on Rose, can the two brothers set aside their differences and do what they know in their hearts is best for Rose (and the reader!)? Is Rose finally going to get what she yearns for most, to be loved by the two men she has ever held dear to her heart?

The plot, the writing, all of it moved effortlessly forward. I cannot wait to read the third installment in Ms. Evans world of Faeries, vampires, ogres, harpies, and other known unknown magical creatures. There is much more to be learned of who Rose is and how this new relationship dynamic is going to play out for Rose, Gareth and Ambrose. What factors might arise that could falter the newly formed bond they have created. I'm intrigued and hooked and I want more!

Sue-Ellen Welfonder - A Highlander's Temptation

A Highlander's Temptation
by Sue-Ellen Welfonder
October 2009
www.welfonder.com

Afraid of growing old, never experiencing passion and love, Arabella KacKenzie seeks an adventure. When she confronts her father, the Black Stag of Kintail, Duncan MacKenzie, with her idea, he's dead set against it. But with the help of her mother and dear friend Sir Marmaduke, Duncan is persuaded into letting Arabella have her way. He is for the most part responsible for Arabella's lonely, unmarried state, refusing and scaring off potential suitors.

Now on her adventure out to sea as she heads to a special island, Seal Isle, bequeathed to her by her father as part of her bride price, Arabella runs into the dreaded Black Vikings. A myth most people claim them to be. She remembers seeing the horror as the evil Vikings destroy the boat she's on, killing everyone aboard. Yet she finds herself saved by Darroc MacConacher, Laird of the MacConachers of MacConacher Isle.

Darroc MacConacher is set on vengeance against the Mackenzies for their part in the legendary slaughter of his clan many years ago. But when he realizes who the beauty is laying in his bed recovering from her wounds, a battle ignites within himself, for he wants the lass like he’s never wanted one before. She fires his blood, as he fires hers. He wants Arabella, but can he put aside his dislike for the MacKenzies and accept and take the love Arabella offers him?

I very much enjoyed this sweet, and at times haunting tale. There are several things that made this book a pleasure to sink into. Always reading about Duncan and Linnet MacKenzie (Devil in a Kilt) puts a smile on my face. The ever proud, and stubborn it's-my-way-or-the-highway Duncan. Well, when his lovely wife Linnet isn't around, that is, putting him back in his place with her quite and patient personality. And this one being about Arabella, Duncan's eldest daughter, he and Linnet had a nice role throughout.

And of course, the ever present Devorgilla of Doon. A MacKenzie tale wouldn't be right if the old crone wasn't concocting some magic or other to ensure that love blossoms and blooms as she's tucked away on her little isle looking over those she holds dear.

A Highlander's Temptation had another really nice touch, the ghost of Asa Long-Legs. I enjoyed how she was weaved into the story along with the legend of the Thunder Rod. Very tragic is her story, yet she lends hope to Arabella and the stubborn Darroc. This installment in the MacKenzies is a true treasure, one that left me with a smile, and a warm heart, and a renewal of my desire to visit the faraway land of Scotland. It’s always such a pleasure to be whisked away, and in A Highlander’s Temptation, Ms. Welfonder does it on the turbulent waters surrounding the Hebridean Isles off the coast of Scotland. A delightful and charming romantic tale.

Success!

(Me and the Old Man!)

Christmas was a huge success in our house this year! The presents, dinner, family time--I couldn't have asked for a better turn-out!

One of Devin's gifts was Scene it for his X-Box, and what a fun game! We've all played it the last two nights. Devin gets a little frustrated but Shawn, he kicks movie trivia ass! He's won every game so far. I can win a round, but that's as far as it goes.

I hope you all had a nice wonderful Christmas too. Now it's the countdown to the New Year. You know I did a little research regarding our modern day calendar and how it came about. Very interesting indeed. You can read one of the articles here, if you're interested. I had no idea!

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas :)!

Yup! That's my dog! He gets right up under the tree, searching for his presents too :)! He sniffs out his toys. It's the funniest thing and he's never opened one of Devin's.

This is my pussy cat, Sneakers. She's going to be 14 this coming October. She got a herself a catnip mouse and new blanket :).

The Loot!

Devin, me and my mom :).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Ligthning Thief

First there was Harry Potter, now there's Percy Jackson!

Ever wonder what happened to the gods of mythology? Well, let me tell you...Nothing happened to them! They're still here and Olympus just so happens to be on the 600th floor of the Empire State building in New York City. New York City also happens to be where the young Percy Jackson lives with his mom, Sally Jackson and his horrible step-dad, Smelly Gabe.

Now Percy is just another 12 year old who happens to be dyslexic and has ADHD...or does he? After a crazy incident with his math teacher, Mrs. Dodds (she turns into this terrifying winged beast and attacks him), Percy's life and the world around him will never be the same again. The journey begins for Percy on that day, discovering who and what he is. It seems the people closest to him know more than he does, his friend Grover, his Greek teacher, and even his mom. You see, Percy is a demi-god, a half-blood. And his father is none other than the god Poseidon!

This adventurous first installment was a roller-coaster ride of action and monsters from mythology, as we follow Percy and his two friends, Grover the satyre and Annabeth daughter of Athena. Prophecies and lies propel the three on Percy's heroic quest to save humanity from a terrible war between the Greek gods, Poseidon and Zeus, as they travel from Long Island to Los Angeles, where they must seek the entrance to Hades.

This book was just tremendously fun to read! I loved the spin on the gods, making it a rich and fantastical journey into the lore. Great for both young and adult readers alike. I cannot wait to see the movie in February with my son! I'm trying to get him to read the book, but so far no luck :(.

I should add also that this is the first book in a five book series. The war that loomed in this one is not over! There is much more adventure to be had for young Percy Jackson.



One thing I was so delighted to discover, the director of the first two Harry Potter films has also directed this one--Chris Columbus!

Karen Ranney - Sold to a Laird

Sold to a Laird
by Karen Ranney
November, 2009

www.KarenRanney.com

I have only recently began reading Karen Ranney, the first being Devil Wears Tartan. And since that book, two more have released and I've rushed out to buy both...A Scotsman in Love (which is one of my top historical reads. Loved that book!) and now this one, Sold to a Laird.

In Sold to a Laird, Lady Sarah is the daughter of a Duke. Her father raised her with fierce strictness and no love at all. She is forced by her father to marry a stranger, Douglas Eston, in order to spare her dying mother from a trip to her homeland of Scotland. Lady Sarah appears cold and emotionless, but Douglas Eston warms her bit by slow bit. It's a sensual game that Eston plays with Sarah, and one that undoubtedly left me in awe of the amount of emotional intensity some of their scenes are filled with.

Sarah struck me as an honest, innocent young woman. Her fears and emotions towards Eston didn't feel like they were coming from a naive woman, but an unknowing, inexperienced one. I've read books where the heroine had no clue what took place between a man and a woman or the desires that could rise up and consume them and they seemed a bit much. A bit over the top. Not very believable. But in this book, I found myself saddened by, and wholly believing Sarah's lack of knowledge and her fight to deny the passions Douglas begins to fill her with.

This book, as with the previous two books I've read, has such a somber mood that really makes your heart ache for the characters. Douglas was the epitome of heroes for Sarah, holding her and comforting her when she most needed it, simply being there for her, understanding her. He took into consideration her upbringing and accepted her for who she was. And Sarah, I loved that she never grew angry with the liberties Douglas took, the way he, at times, pushed her. He did it in just a way that gave her time to think through the turmoil of feelings swirling through her.

Another fantastically done, heartfelt and moving romance between two people that need each other, especially Sarah. And Douglas Eston is her perfect match. The two meld together beautifully. This is another book that I'll look back on with a warm heart remembering the gentle, soothing touches Douglas bestowed on his Lady Sarah.

Coming in July 2010...A Highland Duchess!

Waiting on Wednesday - Gail Dayton, Helen Scott Taylor, Jenna MacLaine

One of the last books I'm most eager to get my hands on for 2009 is Gail Dayton's Heart's Blood. It's the sequel to New Blood. A book I nearly passed on reading based on the cover. But finally my need to read the book won out and I bought it. And LOVED it. I had read Gail Dayton previously, The Compass Rose, and think she's a wonderfully talented lady. I do have the next two books in her One Rose Trilogy I have to read!

Heart's Blood
Gail Dayton
12/29/09

Master conjurer Grey Carteret regains consciousness in a London gutter next to a concerned street urchin and not far from the body of a man murdered by magic. Some fool is hoping to use murder to raise a demon. Arrested for the crime, Grey must rely on the street urchin for help. But the lad turns out to be a comely lass, and she wants something in exchange.

Pearl Parkin, a gently reared lady struggling to survive in London’s slums, sees magic as a way out of the life she finds herself trapped in. But blackmailing Grey into making her his apprentice has unexpected consequences. As they plunge into the hunt for the murderer, Pearl discovers that the things she once desperately wanted are not as important after all, and that she must risk her blood, her heart and her very life to grasp the love she needs.

www.GailDayton.com


Another book I'm really looking forward to reading is Bound By Sin by Jenna MacLaine. Anna first introduced me to this author and I've enjoyed the first two books in this historical Urban Fantasy style series.

Jenna MacLaine
Bound by Sin
12/29/09

As the Civil War rages among mortal men, Cin Craven is locked in an epic battle of her own—fighting the renegade vampires whose unquenchable appetites she knows all too well. At her side are the immortal warriors of The Righteous- among them her husband, her lover, her soul-mate Michael. With a passion bordering on possession, Cin’s love for Michael knows no bounds. But when a ruthless plantation owner kidnaps Cin’s cousin the most terrifying battle of all awaits. Cin is drawn to the irresistible lure of dark magic to stop their enemies, while Michael staunchly opposes it- putting their love and loyalty to the ultimate test.

www.JennaMacLaine.com


And one of the last books I'm looking forward to is The Phoenix Charm by Helen Scott Taylor. I very much enjoyed the first one, The Magic Knot. I'm looking forward to seeing where this one takes us.

Helen Scott Taylor
The Phoenix Charm
12/29/09

HE'S PURE TEMPTATION
Cordelia has sworn she'll abstain from looking into Michael's future--particularly when the image in the gilded smoke of her divination mirror shows him half naked. Yet she can't resist watching the sexy rascal slowly running his hand down his ribs, over his abdomen, flicking open the button on his jeans with a little flourish like a magician performing a trick.

SHE'S TRYING TO RESIST.
Respectable wise woman Cordelia restrains her secret water nymph sensuality with the Celtic symbols painted on her skin. But Michael's powerful fairy glamour leaves her breathless, off balance, struggling for control. When Gwyn ap Nudd, the Welsh King of the Underworld, steals away Michael's infant nephew, Cordelia must work with him to save the child. But how can she trust her instincts with Michael tempting her to explore the hidden elemental depths of her nature and insisting that she believe in the power of...The Phoenix Charm.

www.HelenScottTaylor.com

R.A. Salvatore - Homeland: Legend of Drizzt Book I

Homeland

The Legend of Drizzt Book One
by R.A. Salvatore
1990

In the Underdark, far beneath the earth's surface lies the vast city of Menzoberranzan, home of the drow; the Dark Elves. Here they worship the Spider Queen and in return she gives them powers and guides them. Deceit, treachery, and murder is her way. She is the Queen of Chaos. The drow live strong by this way of life. There is no room for the weak. If weakness is discovered then eradication is the only answer.

Menzoberranzan is segregated by house name, and within each house the ruling figure is the Matron mother, as males are less than females. The top and most powerful ten houses make up the ruling council. Each house covets a higher ranking position. And when an opportunity arises, they plan and pounce, but in order to not suffer any consequences, the vile, evil deed must be done wholly and completely. There cannot be any survivors of that house or the offending house suffers!

A peculiar drow, Drizzt Do'Urden is born, and on the very day that house Do'Urden makes its move against another house, eliminating it and moving their rank to the ninth ruling house in Menzoberranzan. As Drizzt grows and begins his studies to become a drow warrior, he struggles within himself to conform to the the ways of his people. For inside he knows the wrongness that his people suffer at their own hands. One must watch over their shoulder, but in doing so they will surely die from the front.

The ending left you with Drizzt leaving behind that which he always reluctantly called home, after an incident that left me saddened. But Drizzt will persevere, because thanks to his mentor, his father, he was given a sense of morality, and Drizzt will not let a certain sacrifice go unheeded.

I LOVED this book! Written in such a way that it never dragged, and easy to follow, always something occurred, usually some sort of treachery and back-stabbing, and loaded with sword and sorcery action. The beginning of Drizzt's life, the hierarchy, the magic, the odd creatures of the Underdark and the characters fell together with such precision. I couldn't have asked for a better book to appease my need for fantasy. And this was only the beginning! I have some fifteen books to remain immersed in the legend that is Drizzt for whenever I feel the urge to visit him and his escapades.

Thanks to Donna for bringing this series to my attention. I had looked at it in previous years but thought it would not be to my liking. I tend to have reservations with male authors, thinking they would be too sword and sorcery for me and I have NO idea where that notion ever came from! Until this book I had only read one other male author, James Clemens, and I loved his Wit'ch series. So rather than say "don't judge a book by it's cover" for me it would be, "don't judge a book by its author!"

www.rasalvatore.com