Someone to Watch over Me by Lisa Kleypas

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Lisa Kleypas is back with a scandalous tale of love in Regency London. Grant Morgan is the eligible bachelor who comes to the rescue of a woman who suffers from amnesia. Is she really Vivien Rose Duvall, one of London’s most talked-about beauties? She is sure it’s a case of mistaken identity – but it turns dangerous as she finds herself falling in love. Who is she? What are the secrets of her past? Someone to Watch Over Me is a riveting read, and Kleypas creates some twists and turns that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.

MY OPINION:

This is the first book by Lisa Kleypas I have read. Usually in romance, it is the male protagonist who is notorious, but in Someone to Watch over Me the roles are reversed. I found this both refreshing and amusing.

I guessed the solution of identity confusion some time before it is actually stated in the book, and I had certain suspicions about the intentions of some characters. However, Kleypas manages to keep the reader from finding out who the true villain is almost to the end of the book, and I enjoyed the suspense.

I wasn't too thrilled about Morgan at first, as he is too obsessed with the past. But, later on when he gradully overcomes his prejudices and reveals his hidden, sensitive, and kind side, he becomes a rather likable hero.

Someone to Watch over Me is a mixture of stereotypes and originality. In this way, it is an engaging but fast read which does not require a lot of thinking.

RECOMMENDATION: This is a perfect relaxation read for a rainy afternoon. It is a captivating and easy read. 

Teaser Tuesday #14

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

MY TEASERS: 

"'Life is the death of all of us, sir,' Tristan said, and dropped into the chair in front of the desk, lounging carelessly. His father's eyes narrowed at him, but he did not address the issue."
 
Kindred Hearts by Rowan Speedwell, p. 10

From Dead to Worse (Sookie Stackhouse #8) by Charlaine Harris

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone human and otherwise is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone missing.

It's clear that things are changing whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie, Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

MY OPINION:

I do not even know how to review this book. I do not really have anything to say that I have not said for the rest of this series.

From Dead to Worse is once again an action-packed story. Sookie gets into a whole bunch of trouble but as always (almost) all ends well. I might have got used to Sookie so much that she did not annoy me in this book as much as in some other books.

Among the strong points of this book are less repetition than usually and interesting supernatural developments. Also, I loved meeting two new relatives of Sookie and I hope to see more of those two in the following books.

Generally, the books in this series, including From Dead To Worse, are like old friends, a little annoying sometimes, but I enjoy spending time with them nonetheless. 

RECOMMENDATION: From Dead to Worse is a nice, quick and relaxing read, both familiar and new at the same time. I think the fans of the series will enjoy it.

Cat Diary (16): Winter Balance

This is an occasional Sunday feature where my cat, pardon, Her Majesty the Cat, offers her more or less gracious insight into our lives.

Winter finally kicked in this month. We had some snow, though not a lot. But it was very cold and windy outside. Perfect time for relaxing and getting in some extra sleep. I balanced rest with various activities, such as doing book inventory.

Strangely, Pepca didn't appreciate me trying to help and promptly ordered me to get away from her books. People, huh.

Enjoy the last days of winter and have a great beginning of spring!

Till next time,

Desperately Wanting Wednesday: Series I Need to Finish

Desperately Wanting Wednesday is a feature hosted by Parajunkee not only for releases that you're waiting on, it’s also for already released novels that you just haven’t purchased yet, or gotten to.

I've just come across this today, and I thought how cool it is. I had to join in and share with you the series I desperately need to finish. I rarely manage to read a book right after is is released, so I'm usual behind the rest of the world. This is even more so with the series, because I either have to wait for the books to get them from the library or buy them. In the latter case I almost always buy book after book and not the entire series at once, because I don't want to waste my money if I happen to start hating the series somewhere in the middle, and, secondly, because I have to be careful with money in any case. 

So, here are the series I really, really want to finish: 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (from book #2 on)

Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole (from book #6 on)

Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris (from book #9 on)

Languedoc Trilogy by Kate Mosse (book #3)

The Magdalene Line Trilogy by Kathleen McGowan (book #3)

What are the series YOU desperately need to finish?

When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous men in every European court while waiting to meet her husband. She’s determined to accept him, no matter how unattractive the duke turns out to be. When she finally lures Simeon Jermyn back to London, his dark handsomeness puts Isidore’s worst fears to rest – until disaster strikes.

The duke demands an annulment.

Forsaking his adventuresome past, Simeon has returned to London ready to embrace the life of a proper duke, only to find that his supposed wife is too ravishing, too headstrong, and too sensual to be the docile duchess he has in mind. But Isidore will not give up her claim to the title – or him – without a fight.

MY OPINION:

Through the first 80 pages or so I really hated the female characters in this book. The heroine, Isidore, is hell-bent on losing her virginity and preoccupied with speculating about Simeon’s sexual (dis)abilities. Her mother-in-law, the Dowager Duchess, is a stingy woman who has completely lost touch with reality and only cares about propriety.

Additionally, this book is the last book of the series and I haven’t read any of the previous books. It wasn’t a big problem, since every book focuses on a different protagonist, but the story of Isidore’s friend Jemma seemed redundant to me. I understand this part was included in the book to conclude Jemma’s story arc which had been explored in one of the preceding books in the series, but I think in this case it would be perhaps better if each book was an entity on its own.

But then, as I almost lost my nerve with this book, things got better. As Simeon and Isidore start getting to know each other, the readers can see deeper into their personalities. They have some funny dialogues. Isidore slowly proves to be a caring, resourceful, and independent person who knows how to solve problems on her own. 

Therefore, I came to like the book as a whole by the end, mostly due to Simeon’s and Isidore’s relationship development, which the author handles very well. I enjoyed a slightly different ending from the usually abrupt and-they-lived-happily-ever-after ending. Instead, the story is a little prolonged and offers a short glimpse of the future.

RECOMMENDATION: When the Duke Returns is an undemanding, funny, and relaxing read if you can stand annoying female characters in the beginning and have some patience to get to the good part.


Now, I need your recommendation. If you have read any of the previous books in the series (Desperate Duchesses), do you recommend I read them, or there is no point doing that as I have already read the final book in the series? 

Booking Through Thursday – Fan Fiction

A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.

Pepca asks:
Have you every written any fan-fiction? If yes, why and for which book(s)? If no, would you like to and for which books(s)?

For that matter, do you ever READ fan-fiction??

Let me first just jump up and down and squee a little because that is my question Deb picked this week. It’s only fair I answer it, right?

I haven’t really written any prose fan-fiction. I wrote some poems inspired by some films and TV shows, but in Slovene, not in English. However, there is quite some fan-fiction in my head – lots of times when I wish something was different in a book or a film I imagine my own version, but I somehow fail to put it down in writing.

Up until recently, I haven’t read any fan-fiction, but lately I sometimes read fan-fiction based on The Vampire Diaries (be it the TV show or the books). 

The Avenger (Time Raiders #3) by P. C. Cast

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): The Time Raiders project sends Alexandra Patton, a reluctant psychic, back to 60 AD Briton – a world where she can barely understand the accents, let alone its culture of brutality and superstition. Armed only with her "freakish" ability to talk to the dead, Alex must use all her gifts to entice Caradoc, a savagely sexy Druid warrior, into helping her succeed in her mission.

What they discover along the way is pure passion.

Now, torn between duty and the man of her dreams, should Alex return home if given the chance? Or dare she risk everything to begin anew in this strange and mystical land?

MY OPINION:

The Avenger has both good and bad sides.

What I liked:

- the way Alex’s ability to communicate with ghosts is dealt with – especially how it is accepted by an ancient/pageant society in contrast to modern civilisation. I think this is quite credible.

- Alex’s view upon the Celts and their life.

- I really liked the fact that Alex is a strong heroine – she neither whines nor brags about her ability/curse.

What I disliked:

I didn’t actually hate anything. However, the book felt somewhat rushed and there were two things I missed. Firstly, I would like to learn a little more about some of the characters, particularly Boudicca and her daughters. I would also love to see Caradoc’s view on “the future”, i.e. the present time, and I think the author missed a great opportunity for an exceptional plot element by omitting that aspect altogether.

Nevertheless, the positive things outweigh the shortcomings in The Avenger and make it a compelling read.

RECOMMENDATION: Those who love historical/time travel romance will most probably find The Avenger a fast and entertaining read which is hard to put down. Also, despite being a part of series, The Avenger is in fact, as well as the other Time Raiders books, a book which can be read as a stand-alone.