Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover

I know the old saying is to not judge a book by it's cover, but I do it all the time.  Usually the cover draws me in by catching my interest and then I delve deeper.  I check out the back blurb to see if any elements of the story appeals to me.  And holy mother of god did this cover pull me in.  Jaci Burton's The Perfect Play is smokin' hot.  The things I want to do to this hot, hot, football player can not be written here!!  I was tempted to read it just for the cover alone.  Fortunately, the story interests me with the sports setting.  Unfortunately it's a trade book - one of my pet peeves, so although it will go on my to be read list, I will look for it at the library or ubs.

When Passion Rules Cover - Johanna Lindsey

Johanna Lindsey's new book, When Passion Rules
has a cover and I am very intrigued!!  What do you think?



Win a copy of this book here!

Read my review here.

Call Me Irresistible - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Lucy Jorik is about to marry Ted Beaudine.  But her best friend, Meg Koranda is convinced they are not right for each other and minutes before the wedding begin Lucy agrees and calls it off.  Afterwards Meg  is broke, cut off by her parents,  and stuck in a small town in Texas where everyone hates her - especially the angry groom.  Meg agrees to work in town to pay off bills and avoid jail - but ends up spending more time than she plans with Ted.

This is a stand alone book, but with numerous appearances of characters from previous books.  So many characters that I found it hard to get into the book at first because I found myself trying to remember the storylines of the earlier books and trying to keep the characters straight.  It made the beginning of the story feel somewhat stilted and forced.  Readers who have not read any of these books may feel lost and be completely put off by the abundant appearances. 

After muddling through the beginning, the middle of the book captivated me.  I read it within one night, only putting the book down to go to sleep.  I loved the story of Meg trying to find her place in the world where everyone around her exceeds expectations.  The treatment she received from the townsfolk was little off-putting and bordered on bullying and Ted at times was exasperating but hot.  Any fan of Phillips will enjoy this book, but I think a newcomer might be better off starting with her older books like It Had to be You or Nobody's Baby But Mine.

When Passion Rules - Johanna Lindsey

Read my review here.

Johanna Lindsey's new book, When Passion Rules is coming out June 14, 2011.  There's no cover yet but here is the synopsis from Fantastic Fiction;

Assassin Leonard Kastner agrees to commit an abhorrent crime for an astronomical sum - kill the infant heir to the European kingdom of Lubinia. Just as he is about to carry out the heinous deed, the baby awakens.and smiles at him. Losing his heart to tiny Alana Stindal, Leonard sweeps her out of their homeland to safety in England where he conceals her true identity from her and gives her an education fit for a queen. Eighteen years later, when the king of Lubinia faces a revolt because he has not produced another legitimate heir, Leonard knows he must take Alana home to prevent a civil war. But at the Lubinian palace no one believes Alana is the missing princess. Christoph Becker, the captain of the palace guards, arrests Alana because he suspects she is a pretender or a seductive assassin. When the king recognizes Alana as his long-lost daughter he proudly betroths her to the one man he believes is capable of protecting her and eliminating the shadowy figures who are determined to destroy his dynasty - Christoph Becker.
   

I am happy that  Lindsey has written a book that is not about the Malory's. Although that is one of my favourite series, the last couple of books have lacked that old Lindsey spark. Now if only Johanna Lindsey would return to the Viking era and the Hardraad family - there are still two brothers with stories untold.

Win a copy of this book here!

Do You Feel Compelled to Finish a Book?

Nancy Pearl wrote an article on the idea that if a book doesn't capture your interest in 50 pages you should stop reading it.  I have to admit, I used to feel the need to finish a book.  No matter how badly it was written or how boring the storyline was.  At times I felt afraid that the story would get better and I would miss an awesome book.  I also think I felt guilty somehow if I did not read all the way to the end, especially if I bought the book.

Now, if the book doesn't grab me within the first couple of chapters, I let it go.  It sometimes feels like I go through a lot of books that I don't finish.  But I want characters that I care about, conversation that is realistic, and a storyline that pulls me along for the ride.  It's still hard to do at times, particularly with popular books that everyone is raving about.  You keep thinking that you are missing something that everyone else sees, or that maybe it does get better after awhile.  The Da Vinci Code is a perfect example.  Everyone was either reading it or going to the movie.  The concept of the book intrigued me so much that I tried to find as much information on it as possible.  But when it came time to read the book, it took me three weeks to get through the first two chapters.  At the end of the day I just don't think it is worth my time to read a book I don't enjoy.  I'd rather go to my bookshelf and pull out an old favourite.

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover

I know they say one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I'm going to do it anyway.  'Cause, really?  This?  This is definitely not what comes to mind when I think of Vikings.  I think helmets with horns, fur, long blonde hair and muscles or Eric from True Blood.  Never have I equated Vikings and speedos. That's all I can focus on.  Well that and the beginning of a '70s porn mustache.

The Regency Bicentennial

Head on over to the Harlequin Blog where Harlequin’s Historical, Love Inspired and Mira authors will share their love of the Regency period.  I think I might celebrate by re-reading the Malory series by Johanna Lindsey!

His Enemy's Daughter

I cannot wait for this book to come out!
Medieval storyline? Check
Tortured and scarred hero? Check
Story of revenge? Check
Forced marriage? Check

A temporarily blinded Sybilla is forced to marry Soren Fitzrobert, who plans on using his enemy's daughter for revenge only.  The latest Harlequin Historical from Terri Brisbin will be released in March, 2011.