Friday, May 6, 2011
Friday Book Trailer
I haven't read any books from this author, but I think I will be on the lookout for her books. Here is the book trailer for Christine Young's Highland Honor.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
30 Days of Books - Day 8
Most Overrated Book
I had no trouble thinking about which book I was going to talk about today. For me, the most overrated book is the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I remember at the time it was widely popular that there was a waiting list at the library for it. While waiting patiently, I watched shows talking about the theory behind the story, possible clues in art etc. I was really interested and intrigued and tried to find as much information on the subject as possible. When I finally had the book in my hands, I didn't even get through the first chapter. I honestly don't remember why I didn't like it because I read so little of it. I think it was because the writing felt very flat and amateurish. Maybe I had read up too much on the subject and built the book up too much before I got it. I don't know, whatever it was, I just could not get into the story.
I had no trouble thinking about which book I was going to talk about today. For me, the most overrated book is the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I remember at the time it was widely popular that there was a waiting list at the library for it. While waiting patiently, I watched shows talking about the theory behind the story, possible clues in art etc. I was really interested and intrigued and tried to find as much information on the subject as possible. When I finally had the book in my hands, I didn't even get through the first chapter. I honestly don't remember why I didn't like it because I read so little of it. I think it was because the writing felt very flat and amateurish. Maybe I had read up too much on the subject and built the book up too much before I got it. I don't know, whatever it was, I just could not get into the story.Wednesday, May 4, 2011
30 Days of Books - Day 7
Most Underrated Book
I think that in the literary world all romance books are underrated. But that's a rant for another day. Today's challenge was really hard, but I finally chose a book. It's Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey. Actually, I think any book of Lindsey's that is not a Malory family book tends to be underrated. I think that because of the overall popularity of Regency romances plus the popularity of the Malory family, the publisher wants a story about this family at least every other year. Don't get me wrong, I like the Malory family, some of my favourite books are from the series. But at times I want something different. This was one of the first historical romances I read that was not set in England or France. It starts out in England but the majority of the action takes place in Russia. Lindsey was able to entwine a lovely story with the scenery and history of Russia and I loved every second of it. Dimitri is very alpha (too the point of being cruel - but I can overlook it) and Katherine is very straight-laced, proper, and indignant about being kidnapped. I had always hoped that Johanna Lindsey would return to this family so that I could see more of Russia through her eyes.
I think that in the literary world all romance books are underrated. But that's a rant for another day. Today's challenge was really hard, but I finally chose a book. It's Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey. Actually, I think any book of Lindsey's that is not a Malory family book tends to be underrated. I think that because of the overall popularity of Regency romances plus the popularity of the Malory family, the publisher wants a story about this family at least every other year. Don't get me wrong, I like the Malory family, some of my favourite books are from the series. But at times I want something different. This was one of the first historical romances I read that was not set in England or France. It starts out in England but the majority of the action takes place in Russia. Lindsey was able to entwine a lovely story with the scenery and history of Russia and I loved every second of it. Dimitri is very alpha (too the point of being cruel - but I can overlook it) and Katherine is very straight-laced, proper, and indignant about being kidnapped. I had always hoped that Johanna Lindsey would return to this family so that I could see more of Russia through her eyes.Tuesday, May 3, 2011
30 Days of Books - Day 6
A Book You Couldn't Finish
I just realized that there is no day 6 in this challenge! So for day 6 I chose to talk about a book I couldn't finish. There are quite a few books that I have tried to read but couldn't finish. I used to feel guilty and push through, but I have come to the conclusion that there are far too many good books out there so why waste my time on a book I'm not enjoying.
The last book I couldn't finish was A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr;
Marcie tracks Ian to the tiny mountain town of Virgin River and finds a man as wounded emotionally as Bobby was physically. But she is not easily scared off. As Marcie pushes her way into his rugged and reclusive life, she discovers a sweet but damaged soul beneath a rough exterior.
Ian doesn't know what to make of the determined young widow who forces him to look into the painful past and, what's worse, the uncertain future. But it is, after all, a season of miracles and maybe, just maybe, it's time to banish the ghosts and open his heart.
I thought that I would really enjoy this book, it had many elements that I like. It's Christmas time, there's an isolated cabin with the possibility of being snowed in, and a man with a tortured past. But I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. There were way too many characters from previous books and practically all of them were pregnant. It felt very weird for some reason. The heroine also seemed saccharine sweet, it became annoying. I'm sure there were other reasons, but that is all I really remember about this book.
I just realized that there is no day 6 in this challenge! So for day 6 I chose to talk about a book I couldn't finish. There are quite a few books that I have tried to read but couldn't finish. I used to feel guilty and push through, but I have come to the conclusion that there are far too many good books out there so why waste my time on a book I'm not enjoying.
The last book I couldn't finish was A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr;Last Christmas Marcie Sullivan said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. This Christmas she's come to Virgin River to find the man who saved his life and gave her three more years to love him.
Fellow marine Ian Buchanan dragged Bobby's shattered body onto a medical transport in Fallujah four years ago, then disappeared as soon as their unit arrived stateside. Since then, Marcie's letters to Ian have gone unanswered.
Marcie tracks Ian to the tiny mountain town of Virgin River and finds a man as wounded emotionally as Bobby was physically. But she is not easily scared off. As Marcie pushes her way into his rugged and reclusive life, she discovers a sweet but damaged soul beneath a rough exterior.
Ian doesn't know what to make of the determined young widow who forces him to look into the painful past and, what's worse, the uncertain future. But it is, after all, a season of miracles and maybe, just maybe, it's time to banish the ghosts and open his heart.
I thought that I would really enjoy this book, it had many elements that I like. It's Christmas time, there's an isolated cabin with the possibility of being snowed in, and a man with a tortured past. But I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. There were way too many characters from previous books and practically all of them were pregnant. It felt very weird for some reason. The heroine also seemed saccharine sweet, it became annoying. I'm sure there were other reasons, but that is all I really remember about this book.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Review - Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
Chasing Fire is Roberts' 2011 romantic suspense release. Here we meet Rowan Tripp, a Missoula smoke jumper. Smoke jumpers are elite firefighters who parachute into remote areas to combat wildfires. Rowan is returning to Montana for the season with the death of her jump partner haunting her. This season she meets up with rookie smoke jumper Gulliver Curry. Rowan's rule of no fraternizing with fellow jumpers is forgotten with Gulliver. But soon someone starts to blame Rowan for her partner's death and the fires of summer start to take on a sinister heat.
The good - Nora Roberts as always delivers a story with witty dialogue, humour, chemistry between characters, and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing. I have to admit, I think I enjoyed the secondary romance between Lucas (Rowan's father) and Ella, a local high school principal, more than Rowan and Gull. I liked Rowan at first, she seemed strong and capable without a harshness to her. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I had the suspect narrowed down to two characters (A and B). I thought it was character A at first but closer to the end, character B did a couple of things that made me think the story was going in another direction. I was completely wrong, well-played Ms. Roberts, well-played.
The bad - Nora Roberts has gone from an auto-buy hardcover author to borrow hardcover at library and buy paperback to just borrow hardcover at library. This book has not changed that. I find that although her books are better written than most romance novels available, they have become very formulaic, starting with the heroine. Roberts seems to favour three main female archetypes for her heroine. This is really evident in her trilogies which usually features one archetype per book. There is the nurturer who takes care of everyone and is protective of her charges. A great example of this is Mia from Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island trilogy). Next is the waif, she is the tender, innocent, damsel-in-distress that needs to be saved or shown how to save herself. This describes Nell from Dance Upon the Air the first in the Three Sisters Island Trilogy. Finally there is the crusader (Ripley from Heaven and Earth) who is strong, headstrong, independent and will take care of everything herself. Rowan is the crusader, she does not want her friends to look out after her and will do everything herself. Although I don't have a problem with any of these archetypes, I do get annoyed with them if they become too extreme. I liked Rowan at first, but she became to harsh and bitchy at times. When she was being interviewed by the police, I felt that she was way over the top in her reaction to them. I get that she was annoyed about possibly being a suspect, but come on! They weren't harassing her, they were just doing their job.
Roberts' story lines seem to have become formulaic as well. Chasing Fire is no exception. It involves a strong heroine, a romantic, wealthy (or financially sound) hero, a couple of chapters focused on an interesting or different career, and a murder. Throw in a secondary romance and you have 450 pages of a story. I have found that for the last couple of books, I tend to skim the pages that focus on the career. It at times feels like filler that I have read before rather than something that adds to the story.
I will continue to read Nora Roberts' novels in hopes that the stories return to characters that are more fleshed out and stories that feel less formulaic. She has the gift of storytelling and while this is not a keeper for me, it is still better than most authors out there.
The good - Nora Roberts as always delivers a story with witty dialogue, humour, chemistry between characters, and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing. I have to admit, I think I enjoyed the secondary romance between Lucas (Rowan's father) and Ella, a local high school principal, more than Rowan and Gull. I liked Rowan at first, she seemed strong and capable without a harshness to her. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I had the suspect narrowed down to two characters (A and B). I thought it was character A at first but closer to the end, character B did a couple of things that made me think the story was going in another direction. I was completely wrong, well-played Ms. Roberts, well-played.The bad - Nora Roberts has gone from an auto-buy hardcover author to borrow hardcover at library and buy paperback to just borrow hardcover at library. This book has not changed that. I find that although her books are better written than most romance novels available, they have become very formulaic, starting with the heroine. Roberts seems to favour three main female archetypes for her heroine. This is really evident in her trilogies which usually features one archetype per book. There is the nurturer who takes care of everyone and is protective of her charges. A great example of this is Mia from Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island trilogy). Next is the waif, she is the tender, innocent, damsel-in-distress that needs to be saved or shown how to save herself. This describes Nell from Dance Upon the Air the first in the Three Sisters Island Trilogy. Finally there is the crusader (Ripley from Heaven and Earth) who is strong, headstrong, independent and will take care of everything herself. Rowan is the crusader, she does not want her friends to look out after her and will do everything herself. Although I don't have a problem with any of these archetypes, I do get annoyed with them if they become too extreme. I liked Rowan at first, but she became to harsh and bitchy at times. When she was being interviewed by the police, I felt that she was way over the top in her reaction to them. I get that she was annoyed about possibly being a suspect, but come on! They weren't harassing her, they were just doing their job.
Roberts' story lines seem to have become formulaic as well. Chasing Fire is no exception. It involves a strong heroine, a romantic, wealthy (or financially sound) hero, a couple of chapters focused on an interesting or different career, and a murder. Throw in a secondary romance and you have 450 pages of a story. I have found that for the last couple of books, I tend to skim the pages that focus on the career. It at times feels like filler that I have read before rather than something that adds to the story.
I will continue to read Nora Roberts' novels in hopes that the stories return to characters that are more fleshed out and stories that feel less formulaic. She has the gift of storytelling and while this is not a keeper for me, it is still better than most authors out there.
30 Days of Books - Day 5
This one was hard and I had to think for a while before I decided on which book I was going to choose. At first I was going choose Outlander or Hearts Aflame but I want to try and choose a different book/author for every day as much as possible. So the book that makes me happy is Tender Rebel by Johanna Lindsey. It is the second book in the Malory family series and is one of the best.
Scottish heiress Roslynn Chadwick needs the safety of marriage to protect her from an unscrupulous cousin and from the army of fortune-hunting scoundrels who covet her wealth and beauty. And Anthony Malory is everything she has been warned about.
A ruthless, irresistibly handsome English rogue, Malory′s sensual blue eyes speak of limitless pleasures. How Roslynn wishes she dared love such a man, but believing his passionate promises will only lead her into uncertain realms - and to unimagined heights of love.
Anthony is the epitome of the English rogue, he is charming, unrepentant, and when he falls in love, he falls hard. I long for the return of historical romances like this one.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Review - Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson
I really enjoyed this book - I stayed up until 2am to finish it and had tears in my eyes at one point. Signs to me that I am reading a good book. Trust me, normally when someone is crying during a movie or tells me I will cry in a book, I roll my eyes. Most times I find that an author or movie is trying too hard to pull the emotion out of me. So if I do find myself crying, I genuinely feel that there is true emotion in the book. It took me awhile to warm up to Sam, he was a very absentee and uninterested father for the first 5 years of Connor's life. But Rachel Gibson was able to make the character of Sam work for me and become more likable. Autumn seemed to be the stereotypical single mother - strong, resilient, yet vulnerable and still working through the rejection of Sam. I think my favourite scene in the book was with Sam, Connor, and Autumn when Sam discovers Autumn wearing a Sidney Crosby Penguins jersey.
I have read other reviews saying that this book is very similar to Gibson's Simply Irresistible and I agree. But unlike some, I do not have a problem with this. Simply Irresistible is one of my all-time favourite books and there are enough differences between the two so that Any Man of Mine is not a carbon copy. I am hoping that there will be a long line of hockey books from Rachel Gibson because one can never have enough Canadian hockey heroes!
30 Days of Books - Day 4
No question, my favourite book is Outlander, it's the one that started it all and introduced me to Jamie, Claire, Roger, Brianna, Ian, and Rollo. Although I'm not sure I would classify this under romance, more like historical fiction with everything thrown in for good measure. For anyone who has not heard about this book (there might be one or two out there) this is what it is all about:
Absorbing and heartwarming, this first novel lavishly evokes the land and lore of Scotland, quickening both with realistic characters and a feisty, likable heroine. English nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall and husband Frank take a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands in 1945. When Claire walks through a cleft stone in an ancient henge, she's somehow transported to 1743. She encounters Frank's evil ancestor, British captain Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall, and is adopted by another clan. Claire nurses young soldier James Fraser, a gallant, merry redhead, and the two begin a romance, seeing each other through many perilous, swashbuckling adventures involving Black Jack. Scenes of the Highlanders' daily life blend poignant emotions with Scottish wit and humor. Eventually Sassenach (outlander) Claire finds a chance to return to 1945, and must choose between distant memories of Frank and her happy, uncomplicated existence with Jamie. Claire's resourcefulness and intelligent sensitivity make the love-conquers-all, happily-ever-after ending seem a just reward.
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