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From March 1 – 31, 2011

at http://www.theromancereviews.com/

THE ROMANCE REVIEWS' GRAND OPENING!


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PRIZES

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$10 Gift Cards – 32 winners!
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THE ROMANCE REVIEWS GRAND OPENING

Main Sponsor

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Participating authors

Kat Martin Beth Kery Susan Lyons
Madison Blake Gini Rifkin Sandra Edwards
Ashley March Karen Rose Smith Laura Tolomei
Grace Elliot Suzanne Barrett Jessica Chambers
Maeve Greyson Sable Hunter Josie Arlington
Tanya Stowe Elaine Cantrell Suzette Stone
LK Rigel Kristen Painter Renee Rearden
Susanna Ives Amy Corwin Keta Diablo
Suzanne Tyrpak TL Schaefer Monique Martin
Kari Gregg Kathy Carmichael Ingela F. Hyatt
Susan Meier Laura Moore Susan Roebuck
Brita Addams KT Grant Winslow Eliot
Jan Scarbrough Victoria Blisse Sharon Buchbinder
PG Forte Cate Rowan Terri Reid
Bronwyn Storm Patricia Preston Alice Gaines
Ann Tracy Marr Joan Beth Erickson Tara Lain
L.J. McDonald Lucinda Brant Eden Baylee
Hayley B. James Jason W. Chan Pat Amsden
Kayelle Allen Elle James Rita Hestand
Beth Trissel Viviane Brentanos Morgan Rice
Mahalia Levey LK Below Gale Stanley
Sarah J. Bradley Jenny Schwartz T.C. Archer
Joanne Troppello Rhonda L. Print Pamela Jackson
Mary Manners Eve Silver Jennifer Crusie
Jocelyn Modo Sloan Parker Kerri Williams
Stacey Espino Savannah Chase JoAnne Kenrick
Heather Matthews Marcia James Cherie De Sues
Simone Eden Lauren Fraser Annie Nicholas
E.D. Walker Rachel Haimowitz HP Mallory
Suzanne Rock Eden Bradley Taryn Kincaid
Andrea Speed Elle Amery Nichelle Gregory
Shermaine Williams Berengaria Brown Tina Donahue
Red Haircrow Virginia Cavanaugh Hailey Edwards
Elle Druskin Tarah Scott CJ Archer
Rachel Brimble Frances Pauli Nancy J Cohen
Em Petrova Heather Wardell Cara Marsi
Mary Eason Skhye Moncrief Jana Richards
Jill James Alison Henderson Michael Davis
Alison Chambers LoRee Peery Gail Pallotta
Nicki Greenwood Alianne Donnelly Tiffany Ashley
Gem Sivad Stacy Juba Tory Richards
Darcia Helle Jennifer Labelle Linda Mooney
LaVerne Clark Sibel Hodge Ashley Ladd
Elaine Hopper Victoria Howard

Kelly's IN MY MAILBOX #9

A weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we post about all the books we have received whether in the mail, if we purchased it, or got it from our local library.

Books I've Won: None. :( Although, I did enter a bunch of contests so I HOPE to win some soon!

Books I've Purchased and/or Checked out of the Library: Sadly, as most of you know, Borders is closing many of its stores. Happily for us readers, this meant mega bargains at the stores if you were willing to stand in line. I did. I purchased 3 books in the Demonica series that I didn't own yet. I also purchased the books I've been dying to get, This Side of the Grave (new Night Huntress Book) and Iron Crowned (new Dark Swan book). AND, from my library, I picked up books 4 and 5 in The Dark Hunter series. I LOVED this week!

Books I am Currently Reading: I just finished The Weird Sisters late last night so today, I will be cracking open an Alice Hoffman (of Practical Magic and Blackbird House fame) novel called The Red Garden. I'm very anxious to read this. I love the magical realism genre.



Books I Plan on Reading This Week:After I finish The Red Garden, I am going to read Succubus Blues for our monthly challenge read at the Goodreads site for Book Lover's Hideaway. Those are my two books a week. I doubt if I'll get much more read than that.

Today is also the last day in February. I read a total of 10 books in February. I'm impressed with myself. Add that to the 11 books I read in January and that means that I have 21 books under my belt for 2011 already. I sure hope I keep going on that pace.

Hey, if you haven't, come join us on our Good Read's group page. We have great challenges and some good reads coming up including a re-read of The Dark Hunters, Black Dagger Brotherhood and The Hunger Games Trilogy. Just click me and join!

Kelly
for Book Lover's Hideaway

Stop by Mystifying Paranormal Reviews Featured on Blogger Secrets

Thank you to Mariya for featuring me on her Blogger Secrets at Mystifying Paranormal Reviews after you check out who I would pick for my book hubby check out the rest of her blog its great and she is really sweet too.

Kelly's Review: THE WEIRD SISTERS

THE WEIRD SISTERS

By Eleanor Brown

Published by: The Penguin Group / 375 Hudson Street / New York, New York 10014

First Printing: 2011

ISBN: 978-0-399-15722-6

Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Goodreads

Concept: “Unlucky in work, love, and life, the Andreas sisters return to their childhood home. Each has a secret she’s unwilling to share – each has come home to lick her own wounds.

The Andreas family is an eccentric one. Books are their passion (There is no problem a library card can’t solve), TV something other families watched. Their father – a renowned professor of Shakespeare who communicates almost exclusively in verse – named all three girls for great Shakespearean women – Rose (Rosaline), Bean (Bianca), and Cordy (Cordelia); as a result, the sisters find that they have a lot to live up to.

With this burden, the Andreas sisters have a difficult time communicating with their parents and their lovers, but especially with one another. What can the homebody and shy eldest sister, the fast-living and mysterious middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Why can’t Rose leave her hometown for the man she loves? Why has glamorous Bean come home from New York City with her tail between her legs, to the small college town she swore she’d leave as soon as she could? And why has Cordy suddenly resurfaced after years of gypsy living? Each sister has found her life nothing like she had thought it would be – and now, as they are faced with their parents’ frailty and their own disappointments and setbacks, their usual quick salve of a book can’t solve what ails them.”

Review: Some of the first opening thoughts in this book is how sisters have such a relationship that they can communicate each other’s thoughts without having to speak them. In fact, on the cover, is the blurb “See, we love each other. We just don’t happen to like each other very much.” This attracted me to the book because of the relationship I share with my own sister. We are very close, I honestly don’t know if I could breathe without her, yet we spent some time being estranged from each other. I wanted to read this book hoping that it might have some little insights into the “sister” relationship that I might hold close to my heart. (In fact, if any of you readers out there happen to know of such a book, please let me know. I’d like to find such a book.) In truth, there are some parts in this book that do pay homage to the relationship that sisters share. But unfortunately, I think the story falls short.

We meet these sisters at a rough time in their lives. One is pregnant from a one night stand; another is working on a long distance relationship and caring for their parents and the last sister has embezzled money from her employer and has been caught. Two of the sisters return home to the third sister and their parents. The mom is going through breast cancer treatment and their father is sort of like the man you would expect in a house full of women.

The story sets everything up beautifully, introducing various characters and taking us back into the girls’ childhood. It moves back and forth seamlessly. There are moments of tenderness and charm tucked into this story and the ending isn’t a culmination of anything. It just simply happens as life does.

What I liked: I don’t know why I stuck with this story as long as I did. There was nothing really important that happened in this book yet I read every single page and kept enjoying each one. I can’t quite put my finger on the reason why though. One part of the story that I loved…each member of the family was an avid reader and they all had the same reading habits. They would start a book and leave it open in various rooms. One of the sisters would go through the rooms and bookmark the places for its owner. It was rather a charming and tender thing to do.

What I disliked: Some people don’t like first person v. third person in the telling of a story. This story was told from the third person plural view. (I may be wrong in the correct term for that, but I think that's what it's called.). It pissed me off though because I never knew who was telling the story. I also didn’t like that there was no real story to this story. Some people say its not realistic to have highs and lows…sometimes things just move through life, just well, moving. But when I read about something, I want there to be a story there. That’s why I read. While I enjoyed this book, I really don’t know if I’d recommend it to anyone.

My rating: 3 Stars

Kelly: On My Wishlist #12

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too.

I'm late in getting this posted loyal readers. My apologies. I've spent a very enjoyable cozy Saturday morning. I'm smiling and that's all I'm gonna say. Read into that what you will. ::weg::

The problem in my book life is that there is SO much out there I want to read and I don't have 1) enough time and 2) enough money. It's hard to pick sometimes.

As I've told you, one of the challenges that I've decided to accept recently, is to broaden my reading genre horizon. I've been reading some books I never would have picked up before, and I haven't had much luck with that to be honest. Nothing has really raised my flag. This book is a book that *I* have seen around that sounds extremely interesting to me so it's on my TBR list.




The description from Amazon reads like this: Jonathan Evison opens his electrifying epic, West of Here, at the Elwha River dam, where over a hundred years since settlers of the fictional town of Port Bonita tamed the river, their descendants gather in anticipation of the dam's blasting, and a new era of restoration. Across the next five hundred pages, Evison's story moves between 2006 and the town's earliest days at the close of the 19th century, overlaying stories of the people who passed through or dug in at Port Bonita, which swelled from settlement to town on the ragged shoreline of Washington State's Strait of Juan de Fuca. The past is populated by intrepid folk--an exploration party penetrating the Olympic Mountain range in the depths of winter, Klallam natives sickened by homeland eviction and whiskey, a young feminist at odds with motherhood, a prostitute doing covert battle with her whorehouse's owner, and an idealistic entrepreneur, blasting the river canyon into submission. In 2006, we meet their softer progeny--an ex-con who flees into the mountains with a stash of Snickers, the lonely parole officer determined to find him, a fish processing plant worker with a Bigfoot fixation, a native woman who rethinks her whole life when her son has a psychic break, and more memorable characters haunted by the past, by their unlived lives, by themselves. Though its themes are weighty, West of Here never bogs down--irreverent humor, lustrous prose, and unexpected moments animate a tale as vast as the land it inhabits. --Mari Malcolm

And it was an Amazon February 2011 Book of the Month AND the reviews on it have been amazing. I'm really, really interested in reading this book.

Kelly
for Book Lover's Hideaway

Review Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Mass Market Paperback, 337 pages
Published January 31st 2002 by St. Martin's Press (first published 2002)
ISBN 0312979975 (ISBN13: 9780312979973)
primary languageEnglish
original title Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter, #0.5 Prequel)
url Sherrilyn Kenyon
series Dark-Hunter 0.5 prequel
characters Julian of Macedon, Grace Alexander
setting New Orleans, Louisiana (United States)
Source: My Own Copy
Amazon
Sherrilyn's Links:
Sherrilyn Kenyon's Website
Twitter
Facebook Page

Goodreads Summary:
This book is part of the Dark-Hunter universe, but does not feature any Dark-Hunters, For that it's considered an introduction to the series hence the #0.

Dear Reader, Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day. As a love-slave, I knew everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She, alone, bothered to take me out of the bedroom and into the world. She taught me to love again. But I was not born to know love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace-the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two thousand year old curse? Julian of Macedon


Review:
As many people know Sherrilyn is my all time favorite author so when it was decided the Dark Hunter's would be one of our challenges for this year, I nearly jumped up and down like a silly fan girl because I have been itching to reread this series.

This is the third time I have read this book since I found and hopelessly became addicted to this series and let me say it still gave off the same emotions as it did the first time I read it. I laughed, swooned and cried.

Alot of people don't care for this prequel but I do. Julian is who by all rights should enjoy being a sex slave but once you read his background, you just want to hug on to him and let it be known there are people that would love him for him and not his body.

Grace has her own trust issues as well but between the both of them they find the love both have been craving for, not without the bumps along the way.

So I Would I recommend this book? A resounding YES! Though I must say don't judge the whole series by this book, her writing has grown with each book so please continue with them and don't let this huge number of books intimidate you because they are fast reads.

My Rating is 5 out of 5 stars

Follow Friday #10 Blog Hop #6 and 18 & over Book Blogger Hop #5

This meme is hosted by Parajunkee's View

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

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Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
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This Week's Question is :Share your current fav television show! Tell us a bit about it...
My favorite show which isn't on much is True Blood for those that don't know they are based on the Sookie series by Charlaine Harris.









This meme hosted by Crazy For Books

This Week's Question is : Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?
No I its exactly what I wanted it to be.




18 and over book blogger tag along is for a specific group of book bloggers. 18 and over book bloggers primarily have on their blog book reviews and post of adult content. In other words, if you read books like erotic and adult romance and have adult pic. then you can play tag along. Sorry YA readers, but if you read both (I know some of you do) you can tag along also.

This meme is hosted by Bitten By Paranormal Romance

Question of the Week: Name a couple of your favorite erotic authors.
I say Tina Folsom and Stacey Kennedy

Kelly's Review: NIGHT EMBRACE and Topic Thursday

Let's start out with our Topic Thursday shall we? I apologize for not posting this sooner. I've been really inundated today with paperwork. Ugh, I HATE paperwork.

Is ambiance important to you when you read??? I noticed that some e-readers allow you to play music on them while you read. Would that interrupt your concentration? I would wager that probably most of us read in bed at night before we go to sleep. I would imagine that means a quiet setting. I have two absolute perfect settings for reading.

One is on a cold, cold day. My housework must be done. I'd prefer for something to be in the crockpot, something that makes the house smell really good. I'd like for there to be a fire going in the fireplace (as opposed to the laundry room) and I'd like to be sipping either tea or hot chocolate. I'd like to be cuddled up in a snuggly blankie and I'd like my dogs curled up by my feet snoring away. Most importantly, in that scenario, nobody can be home.

My second favorite place to read is on a warm spring or summer morning on my patio. The only music I want to hear are birdies chirping and bees occasionally flying by. I'd like an iced tea close at hand and I'd like to be munching on some butter cookies.

So how about you? Is ambiance important? What are your perfect surroundings for reading? Let's hear about it. :)

Okay, now for my review. Here we go:

NIGHT EMBRACE

By Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book 3 in the Dark Hunter Series

Published by: St. Martin’s Press / 175 Fifth Avenue / New York, NY 10010

First Printing: 2003

ISBN: 0-312-98482-0

Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Goodreads

Concept: “Dear Reader:
Life is great for me. I have my chicory coffee, my warm beignets, and my best friend on the cell phone. Once the sun goes down, I am the baddest thing prowling the night: I command the elements, and I know no fear. For centuries, I’ve protected the innocent and watched over mankind, making sure they are safe in a world where nothing is ever certain. All I want in return is a hot babe in a red dress, who wants nothing more from me than one night.
Instead, I get a runaway Mardi Gras float that tries to turn me into roadkill and a beautiful woman who saves my life but can’t remember where she put my pants. Flamboyant and extravagant, Sunshine Runningwolf should be the perfect woman for me. He wants nothing past tonight, no tie, no long term commitments.
But every time I look at her, I start yearning for dreams that I buried centuries ago. With her unconventional ways and ability to bagfle me, Sunshine is the one person I find myself needing. But for me to love her would mean her death. I am cured never to know peace or happiness – not so long as my enemy waits in the night to destroy us both.
Talon of the Morrigantes”
Review: If you follow along with my reviews, you will remember that the last few reviews that I did that were not in my normal genres were disappointments or me. I even finger pointed to the people who recommended the books saying something along the lines of “if you can’t recommend a good book, don’t recommend a book at all.” These Sherrilynn Kenyon books are based on recommendations to me from your very favorite blogger, and my friend ::stuck up look cuz I call her my friend:: Donna. She was going on and on…Sherrilynn this and Sherrilynn that. Ash this and Ash that. So how could I NOT read these books right? As you know too from reading my reviews, the first book in the series, Fantasy Lover, while a good read, it wasn’t my most favorite of books. But then I got involved in The League books and again as you know from reading my reviews, Born of Fire was way up there in one of the best books EVER. I really enjoyed the second book in this Dark Hunter series although the second half was better than the first half for me. So I’ve had good experiences with Sherrilynn. I’d say I was a fan. Not an addict, but a fan.
Well shut the hell up because now? Now I am an ADDICTED FAN! I owe Donna thanks for some of the best reading hours in my life so far. THAT ladies and gentlemen, is how you recommend a book.
Yes, this is the third book in the series, and the start of other spin offs (I think anyway. I know there are Were Hunters in here but there’s other potential spin offs too.). Let me tell you right now, IGNORE THE SPIN OFF REFERENCES. I tried to figure them out first and I got intimidated. Just read the books and enjoy them for the books that they are. We are re-introduced to Talon in this book. What a delightful piece of male flesh he is. We meet Sunshine (yes, “Sunshine”…it gets worse, she has brothers, Storm and oh shoot, something else that I can’t remember, but yes, “Sunshine.”) and Sunshine is charming. I LOVE when I can love the female character as much as the male character. She is funny and kind of dorky. I loved her.
Anyway, Talon and Sunshine end up spending some ::koff:: quality time together after an attack from the “bad” vampires out there. While Talon and Sunshine are getting to know each other other in oh so delightful ways, we get to see what’s happening with the “bad” guys as well as get to know some other Dark Hunters including Ash and his evil brother. (Okay, the evil brother thing is so dangerously close to the “Luke, I am your father” thing that its not funny but, for the first time EVER in my paranormal romance reading life, I didn’t care!) Talon is a tortured soul but, hey, so in Sunshine. Yeah, Sunshine. There’s some past life soulmates forever sort of stuff going on here too.
I rarely write spoiler filled reviews and to tell you much more about the story will give a lot away, so let me just wrap this up by saying that the story is as good as the romance. The romance is as hot a 4 alarm fire. I know these characters are fictional but Ms. Kenyon has made them come alive in my heart and now I love them. Talon and Sunshine are lovely wonderful friends of mine.

What I liked: I have several favorite parts in this book so its really difficult for me to pick just a few here but, I again have to comment that I adore Ms. Kenyon’s sense of humor. I find myself laughing out loud at some of her humorous dialogue. I love most animals. Most. I met Beth (the alligator) in Night Pleasures and I expected to see her here. But there was a scene with Sunshine and Beth that was just funny, cute, adorable…let me think of some more adjectives. It was SO good. I wouldn’t say I love Beth, but at least a croc made me smile. J

The best thing that I liked though, was knowing that Zarek’s book follows this one. And I’ve heard it’s one of the best SK books EVER. I don’t know how it could top that last few that I’ve read, but dang, I’m so excited to find out!

What I disliked: Um…Sunshine??? Really??? Was Joan taken? Sally? Mary?

My rating: 5 Stars (I’m taking away the “bright, shining stars” because of the Sunshine thing.)

Waiting On Wednesday #12

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine That spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.



What I'm Waiting on(Donna/BLHmistress):
This is another series I am absolutely addicted too, Warrior of Poseidon Series by Alyssa Day, This release is scheduled for June 7th, 2011

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley (June 7, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425241793
ISBN-13: 978-0425241790
Alyssa Day's Website
Amazon
Amazon Summary:(not much of a summary but I know I will love this if its anything like the others in this series.)

The most unexpected of all allies to Poseidon's warriors has proven to be the fiercest-Daniel, a vampire and Night Guild mage. But even the strongest alliance can be destroyed when a vampire's oath crosses paths with a maiden's quest, and an eleven-thousand-year-old desire is reborn.




What Kelly is Waiting On:


Well, you know what? I'll tell you what I've had on my library waiting list for a very long time now. I've heard a lot about this book and it's received TONS of great reviews. This is not normally the type of book I'd read, but I'm willing to take a chance.

From Amazon's page:

"In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack is different in a big way--he has lived his entire life in a single room, sharing the tiny space with only his mother and an unnerving nighttime visitor known as Old Nick. For Jack, Room is the only world he knows, but for Ma, it is a prison in which she has tried to craft a normal life for her son. When their insular world suddenly expands beyond the confines of their four walls, the consequences are piercing and extraordinary. Despite its profoundly disturbing premise, Emma Donoghue's Room is rife with moments of hope and beauty, and the dogged determination to live, even in the most desolate circumstances. A stunning and original novel of survival in captivity, readers who enter Room will leave staggered, as though, like Jack, they are seeing the world for the very first time. --Lynette Mong"

_________________________________________

As I said, I'm on a waiting list for this book at my library...164 people deep. It's a very popular book and one that I'd like to read. I don't know if I'd say I'm anxious to read it, but I do want to.

If You Had A Chance To Save A Life....

In your lifetime, there are few moments when you’re given the opportunity to directly save another person’s life.-Bryan Mealer, HuffPo

If you had a chance to save somebody’s life, and it didn’t take all that much… would you do it? Well, here’s that chance.

Check out Shiloh Walker’s blog for a chance to read how you can help save a man’s life…

Teaser Tuesday # 10

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 Teaser(Donna/BLHmistress):
I am going to chose a Dark Hunter book too since its a challenge Kelly and our GR group are doing this year. I am so excited to reread these books so I thought I would pick a teaser from Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Page 160.




"Did they surrender?" Bobby asked.
"Never,"Julian said with conviction."Death always before Dishonor."






Kelly's Teaser:
My last Teaser Tuesday could possibly be the all time best Teaser EVER but I think I found one that will at least make you smile. And I am aware I broke the rules by having 3 sentences instead of 2, but some things, like a fine wine, just cannot be sipped. ::eyebrow waggle::

Here we go:

"Well, I know him now. Every last yummy inch of him. By the way, he had a lot of inches."

Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Page 98

By the way, may I say that I am enjoying this book immensely? I think I'm one of those hard core Sherrilyn Kenyon fans now. Every book of hers I read, I fall more and more in love.

Kelly's Review Lucy by Ellen Feldman

Published by: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. / 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com

First Printing: 2003

ISBN-13: 0-393-05153-6

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads


Concept: “On the eve of World War I, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt, fiercely ambitious and still untouched by polio, fell in love with his wife’s social secretary, Lucy Mercer. When Eleanor stumbled onto evidence of the affair, divorce was discussed, but honor and ambition won out. Franklin promised he would never see Lucy again.
Ellen Feldman’s novel brings sympathy and insight to bear on the connection between these three compelling characters. When Franklin and Lucy did meet again, it was across the divide of his illness and political ascendancy, her marriage and widowhood. As he prepared to run for an unprecedented third term and lead America into another world war, he turned to Lucy for the warmth and unconditional approval Eleanor was unable to give.

Based on recently discovered materials and incorporating a never-before-published footnote to the affair, Lucy is a remarkably sensitive insight into the private lives behind a public marriage.

Review: This book was recommended from my bookgroup on Goodreads (Book Lover’s Hideaway) as a monthly read for the historical fiction genre. Because I have really been trying to read other genres (and I think I’ve been giving it one heckuva try) and because this book sounded really interesting to me, but mostly because FDR was my favorite president of all times, I decided to read this. So I ordered it from my library and waited patiently for it to come in. When I picked it up, I found myself very excited to read it.

The concept above does a good job of outlining what’s in the book. I can’t really add much more. I found myself not really caring about Lucy or FDR and even Eleanor (who is like a goddess to me) became a little lackluster. It was like reading my aunt’s memoir. It was rather dry. There was no real romance in it. Nothing to sweep me off my feet. I did learn some historical goodies, but nothing really amazing. I found myself not caring about these people. It was a slow, hard read. I’m really sorry that I didn’t like this book because I really wanted to.

What I liked: When I said that this book was like reading a memoir of my aunt, I meant it and that brought back some nice memories for me. I could smell her face powder and see her lacy dresses. Think Boardwalk Empire. That’s the time period for most of this book. If that era interests you, then you might like this book. It’s a quick read though. I was able to read it in one setting so its not something that drags on and on.

What I disliked: I wanted to see ROMANCE between Lucy and FDR. I understand she was discreet and all that, but I wanted to watch them fall in love and want them to be together. If I felt sympathy for Lucy taking FDR away from Eleanor, it was going to have to be good and sadly, for me, it wasn’t. This is another attempt at historical fiction for me that I didn’t care for. Its not looking good for me to keep experimenting in this genre.

My rating: 2 Stars

Come Join in On the Fun at Book Lovin' Bitches!

Have you wanted to join a book tour but wasn't sure how? Well here's your chance! All you need to qualify is have a blog with 100 follower's or more. Once you sign up and is accepted you will receive an email with a link to book submission, its up to you once you read the blurb whether you want to do it or not . If you decide you want to all you have to do is fill out the form for each submission.

Depending on the package, you can choose what you want to do as well(review, interview, guest post etc.)If this is sounds like something you want to do, hop on over to Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tour

I can tell you personally I have had loads of fun with this tour, meeting great people, Theresa is very helpful with any questions you may have plus you get to meet some really nice authors as well.

Don't forget to add my name (BLHmistress)to who referred you.

Kelly's Review Faithful Place by Tana French

FAITHFUL PLACE
By Tana French

Published by: Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group / 375 Hudson Street / New York, New York 10014

First Printing: 2010

ISBN-13: 978-0-670-02187-1

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads

Concept: “Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin’s inner city and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and his girl Rosie Daly, were all set to run away to London together get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.
But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn’t show. Frank took it for granted that she’d given him the brush-off – probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.”

Review: I wanted to read this book because it was on a lot of “best of” lists. “Best Read for January” etc. It sounded interesting, even though it was not the genre of book I usually read. But I was willing to go for it. I’m Irish. My Grandmother was born IN Ireland, and came to me complete with accent and some weird traditions. So I was very anxious to get into this book.
It starts us out with Frank waiting for his girl. Together, they are going to escape to London and build their lives there. But as the concept blurb tells us, Rosie never shows and poor dejected Frank moves on with his life.

Fast forward 25 years later and Frank returns home because of a suitcase that was found with Rosie’s belongings. From there, we are introduced to Faithful Place and its many colorful inhabitants. Frank is in for a family gathering of sorts and as is the truth in all families, you learn that if you communicate, things come out that you may not have always realized. We get to hear the anger that pops out of Frank and his siblings and unfortunately, it’s a pretty easy road to figure out who done it. But I believe it’s the journey along the way to figure it out is what makes many people like this book.

What I liked: This author is a genius in how she writes dialogue. It was like I was there in the conversation, even with all the Irish brogue it was *real* talk. I really enjoyed that about this book. The author definitely pulled you into the story. Most definitely.

What I disliked: Well, for me, this story was slow, slow, SLOW. I almost gave up several points along the way. As I said, the *bad guy* was easy to figure out so there was no real mystery here. I’m not a fan of family dysfunction. I only have to look at reality to get a dose of that. This just wasn’t my favorite book.

My rating: 3 Stars for excellent writing

In My Mailbox #8

A weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we post all books we have received where in the mail, bought or got from the library.


In mine(Donna/BLHmistress)

Book's I won:
ebooks:
The Hawk and His Boy by Christopher Bunn , Thanks to Christopher Bunn and Kate
Amazon

Snowballs in Hell by Eve Langlais thanks to Stephanie and Athenna at http://www.paranormalhaven.com/
Amazon

ebooks I bought:
Lucifer's Daughter by Eve Langlais
Amazon

Samson's Lovely Mortal by Tina Folsom
Amazon

Amaury's Hellion by Tina Folsom
Amazon

Books I am currently reading:
I know I haven't gotten much reading in but I am going to change that this week as long as Real Life slows down, as well as my other duties with my fansite and forum.

Book's I plan to read this week:
Plan on reading the first two for a challenge and last one is for book tour.

Kelly's Mailbox:


Books I've Won:

Well gang, someone que up some drum introduction type music because I got my very first ARC!!! Yep. It's the Land of Painted Caves by Jean Auel book that I won. Some 800 pages worth too. It landed on my front porch on Friday and was I ever excited. I showed it off to my family and made them think I was something hot for getting that. Thanks to Random House for sending that on. I promise a review soon!

I am not picking up any books from the library this week since I'm struggling to finish what I have. But, I have two Dark Hunter novels waiting there for me and this Tuesday will be a stop at my local Barnes and Noble to get those books discussed in WOW posts. Big week for me.

Currently Reading:

I KNOW I said I was going to read Lucy, but I changed my mind and instead am reading a crime-drama called Faithful Place. It's set in Ireland and has been a pretty popular read with critics. We'll see how it goes.

What I Plan to Read this Week:

I have 2 books that have to be turned back to the libarary on Thursday and I will have to really push to finish them. One is Lucy which I talked about on my last IMM and the other is Book 3 in the Dark Hunter series, Night Embrace. I don't know if I can finish those books, plus Faithful Place but I'm going to try.

Another Award -Seven Facts Award

Thank you to Nadea at Candy Chapstick for giving us this award, I wasn't expecting it so again what a nice surprise to find waiting for you when you wake up.

Things to do to accept this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog.
2. Post seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass on the award along to 15 other worthy bloggers.


Seven Random Things about myself:

1. I was an Army Brat-My Dad was in the army until I was 11 , I lived in Italy, visited Germany, lived in Maryland, Texas, Delaware.
2. I love to travel, if I ever won the lottery I would love to visit, England, Scotland, Ireland, St Barts and many more places.
3. I am so not a morning person- give me night time any day.
4. I love football-Favorite team is NY Giants
5. I love Bon Jovi(LOL had to stick this one in here again)
6. My Favorite TV show is True Blood- Team Eric all the way, though Alcide is running a close second.
7. I have to have it quiet to read, or listen to music other noise drives me nuts and I can't concentrate.

Now passing on to 15 bloggers.

1 The Bookish Snob
2 Fade Into Fantasy
3 Book Soulmates
4 aobibliosphere
5 Books Devoured
6 Reading Lark
7 Book Den
8 Rabid Reads
9 The World of Book Reviews
10 Paperback Dolls
11 JoJo's Book Corner
12 Escape Between The Pages
13 Reader Recommended
14 Steampunkery and Book Reviews
15 Shell's Musings

Kelly's Review Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon

BORN OF FIRE
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Book 2 in The League Series

Published by: St. Martin’s Press / 175 Fifth Avenue / New York, NY 10010

First Printing: 2009

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads

Concept: “In a universe where assassins make the law, everyone lives in fear – except for Syn. Born of an illicit scandal that once rocked a dynasty, he always knew how to survive on the bloodthirsty streets. But that was then, and the future is now…

He takes no prisoners.

Syn was raised as tech-thief until his livelihood uncovered a truth that could end his life. He tried to destroy the evidence and has been on the run ever since. Now trained as an assassin, he allows no one to threaten him. Ever. He is the darkness that swallows his enemies whole.

She offers no escape.

Shahara Dagan is the best bounty hunter in the universe. When Syn comes back on the radar, she’s the only one who can bring him to justice. There’s only one problem. Syn is a close family friend who’s helped out the Dagans countless times. But if she saves him, both of their lives will be on the line. Is Syn’s protection worth the risk? The only hope Sharhara has to find the evidence he buried long ago. Now its kill or be killed and they, the predators, have just becomes the hunted.

Review: We firsr met Syn in rhe wonderful first book in The League Series, Born of Night. As I read about him in that book, I was hoping that a future book would include him because I found his character so interesting. Not only is this book all about Syn, it’s probably one of the best books I’ve ever read of any genre. I know right???
We meet Shahara Dagan, one bad ass bounty hunter who is down on her economic luck. One of the problems facing her is that her sister is in the hospital and she is faced with her medical bills. If she can’t pay, the sister not only doesn’t get any more medical care, but she gets booted from the hospital. To stop this from happening, Shahara takes accepts a contract to hunt down and bring Syn in for some trumped up charges against him (that were all part of the first book).

So they meet, and fireworks ensue and Syn is richer than anything you can imagine so what does he do? He pays the sisters hospital bills and throws in some expenditures to boot. No for me personally having been through some pretty ugly hospital stuff recently, and constantly having to foot a medical insurance bill that keeps going up, up, up, this makes Syn my absolute freaken Super Hero.

There’s more to the story than this though, and Syn and Shahara are forced into each other’s company and forced to work together to find a chip that Syn hid when he was a kid. The race to find the chip is as exciting as the sizzling sex scenes. In fact, in one of the sex scenes, it starts out with Syn wearing a cream colored, loose fitting shirt as he plays the piano. Now for me, it doesn’t get any hotter than that. I seriously almost climbed through the book at that point.

The exciting story has a really good ending and even though there was no “Luke, I am your father” ending, there still was a touch of it. But so minute, I’m not even taking away a star. It was a GREAT ending. I loved it! And, I want more. I want the next book, and I want it now!!!

One thing that I find so wonderful about this author is her sarcastic sense of humor. I found myself laughing out loud during several parts. In one section, Shahara just groin kicked a man completely incapacitating him. Syn comments on how hard she kicked him and starts walking with a limp. This delightful conversation ensues:

“Are you hurt?” (asks Shahara)

“No. It’s sympathy pain for the tracker you just downed.”

Then a few pages over, Syn’s robot friend that he created is riding with them in a space ship and they (they being Syn and Shahara and Vic, the robot) are escaping a hanger and just do a light speed sort of maneuver and almost hit a closing door.

“Vic snorted. “I just oiled myself boss.”

Cute, funny stuff right??? This book is seriously a delight. I loved the characters, the character development, the story. It’s a fabulous read. I can’t wait for more League!

What I liked: Well, see above, but for some reason Ms. Kenyon was able to reach into my psyche and pull out all those things that I find sexy and make them fit at appropriate moments in the story. I seriously appreciate that. Heck, I even like the nanes Shahara and Syn!

What I disliked: I’m thinking…trying to come up with something. But honestly, I think the only thing I didn’t like was that it ended.

My rating: 5 Big Stars.

On My Wishlist # 11

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too.


Donna/BLHmistress Wish List:
I love Alyssa Day's Warrior's of the Poseidon series and I have been wanting to get this book forever, I really need to get this book before her latest comes out in June which is Vampire in Atlantis.


Goodreads Summary:

Another Warriors of Poseidon novel for romance lovers to dive into...
What could Christophe, powerful Warrior of Poseidon, have in common with Fiona Campbell, the notorious jewel thief known as the Scarlet Ninja? Answer: The Siren, a legendary Crown Jewel that Fiona has targeted for her next heist. It's said to be worth millions, but to Christophe it's invaluable. For the Siren also happens to be one of the missing jewels from Poseidon's trident. But breaking into the Tower of London is a two-person job, and Christophe and Fiona must team up to commit the crime of the century.

Amazon

Kelly's Wishlist:

This book has been popping up on some "must read" and "best of the month" read lists last month and I'm intrigued. I don't know if I'm intrigued enough to buy it, but I did reserve a copy of it at my local library, assuming they get it in soon. I'm 14 on the waiting list so I'm thinking it will be soon. Anyway, it sounds interesting. Reviews have been mixed. I may be disappointed or I may be reading the next great read.

"A Discovery of Witches"

From Goodreads: "Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism."

Amazon