Review: Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister

Disclosure: This book was purchased by me, so the FTC can't say anything about my ethics. *raspberry* The book was read and reviewed while under the influence of serious cold medication, though, so be on the lookout for more than the usual ramblings.

Katie MacAlister's Dragon series is one of my absolute favorite paranormal series. And while I loved the Aisling Grey, Guardian series (featuring the green dragons), the Silver Dragons trilogy just didn't have the same spark. I picked up Love in the Time of Dragons anyway (Look at that cover, YUM) and was surprised to see it was a novel of the "Light Dragons."

Who?

Granted, it's been several months since I've read (or listened to the audio versions of) any of the Dragon series, but I could not remember a Light Dragon. So either I'd missed a major something or I'd just lost my mind.

Turns out I wasn't crazy after all *whew* The Light Dragon sept makes an appearance in this novel and feature two characters that we see but never really get to know in the Silver Dragon trilogy: Baltic and Ysolde.

Cookbook Review: Absolutely Chocolate: Irresistible Excuses to Indulge

From the editors of Fine Cooking magazine comes Absolutely Chocolate: Irresistible Excuses to Indulge. And that is a good description of this book: indulgent.

Although there is not a photograph of every recipe ( my preference) the photographs that are there are gorgeous. Whoever did the art direction for this book played up chocolate's inherent sensuality because--DAMN.

This isn't a book to be taken lightly. Everything is pretty much from scratch and the recipes are, for the most part, at least a medium skill level. Also, most of the recipes call for expensive ingredients--the amount of chocolate alone for each recipe is sometimes more than $10. But for when you want to  pamper yourself with a big, gooey, sticky chocolatey...something...this is your book.

There are some unusual takes on the classics as well as some great standard chocolate favorites.

My Grade: B

Digital galley provided by the publisher via Netgalley

BN.com changes shipping promo

I admit it. I was a bit peeved to find out that Barnes and Noble had stopped offering their "Fast and Free" shipping service for orders over $25. Living where I do, fast delivery was the primary reason I chose Barnes and Noble over the plethora of other online book vendors.

They still offer "standard" free shipping with a $25 minimum, but so does everyone else.

So, why did they change? They moved that 'fast' delivery as a member benefit to their Membership card program. The one with the $25 fee.

It seems they are taking a page out of Amazon's playbook with this move. And it doesn't make me happy.

I don't believe in paying a fee for a loyalty card. Ever. Either the store offers deals and service that I like or they don't. I don't want to be strong-armed into paying for a card that then requires me to be "loyal" to that company in order to make my investment pay off.

Which is why I'm not an Amazon Prime member either.

Initially, I expect to see an increase in BN Membership sales. (Formerly Readers' Advantage). Then I expect BN to increase the cost of the card.

Yeah, I'm an optimist.

That's not to say there aren't advantages to BN Members. In addition to the tiny discount members are given(for in store purchases ONLY), they are now getting free 3 BUSINESS day shipping from BN.com. With no order minimums. That's a good thing for existing cardholders. And much cheaper than Amazon's nearly $80 membership. But BN's fast delivery is not 2 day delivery. Or really 3 day delivery since it is only business days and itoften takes them 2 days to ship. Which means it could take up to a week to receive your books--even with the faster options.


B&N Membership Information

Review: The Vampire and the Virgin by Kerrelyn Sparks

Kerrelyn Sparks is usually a go-to author for quirky, sometimes hilarious vampire novels. They always have substance and serious issues, too, but the books are usually so filled with charm that they end up feeling lighter than they really are. I'm not quite sure what happened with this book, but it is clearly NOT light, not funny, and ultimately not as good as the rest of the series.

The book opens with Robby MacKay, a character from several previous novels in the series, intent on revenge for the torture he endured at the hands of the Malcontents (bad vampires). Also a vampire, Robby is just now recovering from his wounds and, due to lingering anger issues, is sent by his boss (and great, great grandfather) Angus to a remote Greek island for four months of physical rehabilitation and mental healing. While there, he meets Olivia Sotiris, an FBI agent with a paranormal ability of her own, who is also recovering from emotional trauma on the island.

Review: A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior

It's not often that I am both entranced and repulsed by a heroine in a romance novel. Usually I either love them or hate them. Theresa (Tess) Weller is a heroine that I think might rub some readers the wrong way, but a character I both loved and wanted to smack upside the head.

Our hero, Colonel Bartholomew (Tolly) James is much more evenly appealing. The book opens with him--wounded quite badly and the sole survivor of a massacre-- hiding out in the Adventurers' Club, away from the sympathy and pity of his family. His family's persistent requests for his presence, though, force him back home where he encounters Tess Weller at a dinner party. Despite being rude and provoking a mild argument, he seems to capture the attention of Tess--someone who is never rude, always proper, and is somewhat obsessed with remaining a paragon of unexceptional behavior.

Review: the Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

I really wanted to like this book. I've heard great things about the author. Great things about this series. But unfortunately, The Darkest Passion failed to connect with me.

My main problem was with the angel, Olivia. Her naivete came across as blond bimbo-ish instead of unworldly. And her abrupt transition into a sexual being didn't help that impression. Aeron's character was better, but still lacked the emotional depth I was expecting.

 It could very well be that this book was not one to read out of order. It is not a stand-alone story but part of the Lords of the Underworld series. There was such an excess of back story here that the main characters got lost. The romance got lost. And I got lost as well. There was simply too much going on and very little emotion involved in any of it. At least between Aeron and Olivia.

The book did improve, but it wasn't until the last 1/4 that I felt at all connected to the characters. And, for the most part, the characters I connected with *weren't* the main characters, but those on the edges of the story.

Considering the number of people who love this author and series, I'm thinking it's just me. This didn't work for me at all.

My Grade: C-

Hump Day Classic Movie: Encino Man

Ok, I'm stretching the definition of classic quite a bit here. Encino Man came out in 1992 which means it is a mere 18 years old. But what makes this  a classic for me is the number of film quotes I have in my personal lexicon that came from this movie.


A few caveats for those who haven't seen this movie yet.

1. It is a teen comedy. Meaning it lacks a lot of emotional depth and the plot (as always) seems to revolve around girls and being popular.

2. It has Pauly Shore in it.

3. It is not politically correct. Not even a little bit.

4. The plot is sheer farce and incredibly silly.


On the plus side, though, this is one of Brendan Fraser's first films. It also stars Sean Astin and Michael DeLuise. And although I usually dislike Pauly Shore, this is a part tailor-made for him.  The movie as a whole is charming, funny, and very memorable. Not something I often say of a teen movie.

The European version of the film was called California Man.

Review: First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

Spoiler Warning: Do not read this review or this book unless you've read At Grave's End. Or you don't care about having a significant plot point spoiled.

I was a little reluctant to read this book after I finished my Cat and Bones marathon read. I'd read the reviews posted by admitted Frost fangirls and was almost regretting the fact that I'd already purchased the book. Most of the reviews were less than stellar. They spoke of disappointment and annoyance. Of being let down. Of sub-standardness.

Again, it's probably because I haven't been waiting for months on end for this book that I think I might have a different perspective here. This is not and was never meant to be a Cat and Bones book. For one thing, the Night Huntress books are written from Cat's first person POV. This book is written in the 3rd person. So you're not going to get the same connection from it that you do from the NH books--because you're not hearing Cat's snarky one liners.

Review: Dangerous by Diana Palmer

FTC disclaimer: Digital review copy received from publisher through Netgalley

I don't think I've read a worse contemporary book in years. I'm stunned that publishers considered Dangerous worthy of a hardcover release. It's clear that Diana Palmer has zero familiarity with gaming. Equally clear that she's not all that familiar with law enforcement. In fact, based on her writing, I'm wondering if she's familiar with 21st century life at all.

Our hero, Kilraven, is a fed working undercover. He's still haunted by the murder of his wife and three year old daughter 7 years before. And while he's aware that Winnie, our young heroine, has a crush on him, he's content to ignore her in the hopes that her feelings will fade with time.

Winnie has watched and loved Kilraven from afar for a long time. She keeps a frail hope alive that he will one day return her feelings. Her work as a 9-1-1 dispatcher keeps her in at least peripheral contact with him--even resulting her saving his life once due to her somewhat supernatural intuition.

Review: McKettricks of Texas: Garrett by Linda Lael Miller

FTC disclaimer: Digital galley provided by the publisher through Netgalley

Spoiler Alert: this review will probably contain some minor spoilers

It's been months since I read the first in this trilogy. I really didn't like the first installment in the series, Tate, but fortunately, this one was much, much better.

Linda Lael Miller continues with her hit-you-over-the-head lecturing about animal welfare as well as the obvious McKettrick/Remington pairings. But at least this one didn't contain a history of infidelity--something that is on my short list of plot elements that turn my stomach.

It could be I enjoyed this book more because the characters were less self-involved. Julie is a high school drama teacher and Garrett is a senator's aide. At the beginning of the novel, they each have their own careers--their own lives. There is no deep, dark, tortured history between the two--although they are familiar with each other through the previous (failed) romances of their two respective siblings.

Review: Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley

I just finished this novel, and I have to admit: I still don't know how I feel about it. The writing is  fine--not distinctive enough to rave about but compelling enough to keep the reader moving along.My problems with this book are entirely theme related. Ashley touches on some very sensitive themes here. Some that cause an almost instinctive revulsion in me. Spectres of injustices past reared their collective heads throughout this book so often and so clearly that I had to pause and regroup in order to keep reading.

Ashley's Shifter population evokes the complexities of Japanese internment camps, Jim Crowe discrimination, Jewish persecution by the Nazis, slavery. 

I still find myself struggling to come to terms with the realities expressed in this book. Wondering just what Ashley was trying to convey by putting such hot button themes so obviously out there. And whether the ability to stir such strong and conflicting emotions is a sign of a good writer or just a ballsy one.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Dark Crystal 1982

Although best known for the lighthearted Muppets and Sesame Street, Jim Henson had a bit of a dark side as well. The Dark Crystal features the art design of Brian Froud--now a renowned fantasy artist.

This is unlike any other work by Henson. It's dark; it's creepy; it's violent. And it's proof that movies made for children can have depth as well as imagination.

Review: Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Unlike early fans of the series, I'm a late arrival. Which means I didn't have to wait for each book to be released and read #2-4 back to back. Which might have influenced my reviews just a little bit.

I can honestly say that this is my least favorite of the Night Huntress books so far. I really didn't enjoy it as much. It's not terrible by any means, but it did come across as melodramatic and repetitive.

Cat and Bones are settling into their lives as husband and wife: vampire style. That is until a vampire named Gregor interrupts their honeymoon in Paris by invading Cat's dreams and insisting she is married to him and not Bones. And that Mencheres stole those memories from her. Added to that is the fact that Gregor is capable of abducting people while they are dreaming and it causes Cat to have some serious doubts about who she really is and what she wants.

Review: A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

I fully admit to being an Amelia Peabody fan girl. I started the series in college and have dutifully picked up each yearly book as soon as it was published--in hardcover. I mourned the conclusion of the series when Tomb of the Golden Bird was released and was ecstatic when Peters began publishing 'lost journal' books that filled in the gaps left by the original series.

The series as a whole is studiously researched and written with  a sly sense of humor through the tart, often abrasive voice of Amelia Peabody Emerson. Part of the charm is due to the characters. Part of it is due to the atmosphere created by Elizabeth Peters's expertise in the field.

Unfortunately, though, A River in the Sky was missing something. Something big. Two somethings actually. And those were a compelling mystery and archaeology.

Review: Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis

I'm a sucker for stories set in the Sierras because, quite frankly, there really aren't that many of them. Rockies, yes. Sierras, no. So I was delighted to hear about Jill Shalvis's Instant Attraction which is set in the fictional town of Wishful, located somewhere in the general area of South Lake Tahoe.  Once I started reading, though, it wasn't the setting that captured me. It was the writing.

I haven't read  many contemporaries that have appealed to me lately. They're either romantic suspense, paranormal, or so filled with sex scenes that the romance gets lost. No so with this book! The romance takes center stage as we watch two people recovering from life-altering tragedy muddle their way through a relationship while struggling to redefine themselves and their altered reality.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Clash of the Titans

I grew up watching the original Clash of the Titans made in 1981. It's a classic. It's campy. And has typical Ray Harryhausen special effects that are charming in their simplicity. You won't get motion sickness watching this one.

Starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Burgess Meredith

Review: At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

I can now say I know what the fuss is about. Frost's Night Huntress series is probably the most consistently good series I've read in a long time. At Grave's End finds Cat and Bones newly married in vampire fashion and planning a human wedding.

Further complicating the plans is Mencheres' offer to bind Bones' line to his, strengthening them both. But, as we soon learn, Mencheres is anything but altruistic. He has a reason for everything. And that becomes apparent as a female vamp named Patra launches a terrorist attack in the midst of the binding ceremony--starting a vampire war.

I admit I was a bit annoyed with Frost's wholesale slaughter of Egyptian history, but because this is *fantasy* I gave it a pass.


The tone of this book is sad. Very sad. To the point of being depressing. But the emotional depth of the series is part of what I love about it.  Emotional pain can show reveal hidden depths about characters, and I think we see that here with both Cat and Mencheres. And Vlad--oddly enough. Sure, the beginning shows plenty of Cat's snarky humor, but midway through the book that levity disappears.

The pacing is a bit funky, which could be a turn off for some readers. The narrative either plods along in depressing emotional wallowing or is filled with an overwhelming, frantic urgency during the action sequences. There's very little consistency here, and I think that hurts an otherwise excellent book.

This book sets up not only the next installment of the Night Huntress series but the spin-offs being released this year. I thought it an excellent story that focused far more on the relationship between Cat and Bones than previous installments.


My Grade: B+

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Review: Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery

FTC Disclaimer: Digital galley provided by the publisher through Net Galley
**May contain plot spoilers**


   Chasing Perfect is another of the hearth and home style romances that are supposed to be the new up and coming trend in romance publishing. Fortunately, though, Mallery's style lacks the sickly sweet tone so many of those novels have  and delivers a thoughtful and funny small town romance.

   Yes, there are the obligatory plot elements: move from the city to small town life, the traumatized dowdy woman seeking to settle down and have a family, the local playboy... But there's enough genuine emotion and characterization to overcome those conventions.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Creeping Flesh (1973)

Okay, this one is just campy. It's biggest *ahem* recommendation is that it might provide some unintentional laughs. I know it did for me.

The Creeping Flesh stars Christopher Lee and features an oversized skeleton that can regrow tissue. Ewww.

Still, for dirty minds like mine, there's a memorable scene where a dismembered finger starts to grow...and um...it sort of doesn't look like a finger.

I love Christopher Lee. Modern audiences might recognize him from the Lord of the Rings or the newer Star Wars films, but he's a giant in the horror industry. He's been making films for what seems like forever. Don't believe me? Check out his filmography!

This title is out of production at the moment. You can find used copies from Amazon, though.

Authors With an Agenda

I've noticed a trend among certain authors lately that has me more than a little bit irritated. As far as I can tell, it's mainly restricted to well established authors with a high number of dedicated readers. And while this trend isn't new by any stretch of the imagination, it seems to be taking over the romance genre with increasing speed.

I'm talking about author activism.

Now, to be clear, I'm not talking about when an author takes a public stance about a particular social or political issue in their day to day lives. I'm talking about when those beliefs make their way into their stories in book after book with all of the subtelty of a sledgehammer. Where readers are subjected to mini-lectures over and over every time they pick up a book by a particular author.

For me, it's beginning to be a huge turn-off. Even if I, too, believe in the cause. Even if I, too, think these issues could use some publicity. Because I honestly don't think fiction should be used to preach an agenda. Even if that agenda is worthwhile.