Some people make resolutions with the new year. Me? I get excited about the books that are coming out this year. Two weeks ago, these books seemed ages away. Now, they are just around the corner. This is not a comprehensive list, but these are a few books I’m looking forward to in 2010. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Kelley Armstrong: The Reckoning and Tales of the Otherworld (April 2010)

I started reading Armstrong’s YA series last month, and now I’m very anxious for the third book.

Jim Butcher: Changes (April 2010)

Love me some Dresden.

Lisa Kleypas: Married by Morning (May 2010)

(No cover found)

I was sucked in by the epilogue in Tempt Me at Twilight. Damn it.

Erin McCarthy: Hot Finish (August 2010)

(No cover found)

Erin McCarthy. Contemporary. Enough said.

Linnea Sinclair: Rebels & Lovers

Sinclair’s books are always enjoyable.

I know there are more books I’m excited to read, but these are the ones on my mind lately.

What books are you anxiously awaiting this year?

Since I didn’t go to this year’s RWA conference, I thought the books on my TBR shelves would decrease. And they have, but now I’m just adding books to it that have been in boxes until now.

I told myself this would be a great opportunity to read some of those books. I have been reading some of them, but there are so many that I get overwhelmed. Where in the world do I start? Whatever I try, I decide I’m not in the mood for contemporary, historical, or whatever I chose. More often I find myself reading newer books I check out of the library.

I need TBR motivation.

So let’s hear it. What are some good books you’ve read from your own TBR shelves?

After reading the previous books in Elizabeth Hoyt’s The Legend of the Four Soldiers series, I’ve been looking forward to the fourth book in the series: To Desire a Devil.

Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl’s heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle’s home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh—and luring her into his bed.

Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud’s savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice’s love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title—even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

Hoyt is one of my favorite historical romance writers around, which also (for good or ill) means I expect a lot from her. Usually she delivers an exceptional story. This time around, I liked the story OK, but wouldn’t consider it an exceptional one.

I liked the way we see how Reynaud’s time in captivity has affected him. It’s no surprise that it would. The scene by the coach where he imagines himself back in battle is painfully vivid. I couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

I had a tougher time with the way he was so domineering with Beatrice. He pushes and pushes and pushes her to become more involved with him. And though Beatrice really knows little about him, she follows his lead. Her trust is eventually rewarded, yes, but I thought she came to trust him all too quickly.

The romance still works, but it doesn’t have the same magic to it as many of her other books, such as The Serpent Prince.

To Desire a Devil: 3.5 out of 5.

When I got a request to review Nemi III, I visited the link I was provided and thought it would be worth reading. “Worth reading” turns out to be a big understatement.

Prepare yourself for some more slacker philosophy. Norway’s coolest and sexiest goth, Nemi Montoya is back with another dose of healthy cynicism and a love of all things fantasy, courteous of Lise Myhre’s frank, irreverent and hilarious cartoon creation.

The book arrived, and I picked it up that day and started reading. I was expecting more of a story that flowed from cover to cover. Instead, Nemi III is a compilation of a comic strip, and most can be read in any order. Once I got into the swing of it, it was just fine.

Nemi features a diverse cast of characters. Though I enjoy Nemi herself, I relate more to her friend Cyan, who has a practical streak Nemi lacks. And this is no one-note collection. The comic covers a range of topics. One image-only strip (no text) shows the role remote controls have taken in the world. Another memorable set of panels looks at stardom and those who don’t achieve stardom in a way that’s both pithy and poignant.

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, Nemi III is always interesting. I’m glad I decided to review this book, and I’ve got Nemi II on order, which is about as high a compliment as I can pay, since I’ve reduced my book-buying considerably. Once I get it, I’m going to curl up on the couch and enjoy returning to Nemi’s world.

Nemi III: 4.5 out of 5.

After reading several chapters of a historical romance, I decided I wasn’t in the mood for dark angst and set it aside. Despite being a bit burned out on paranormals, I picked up Kathy Love’s My Sister Is a Werewolf. I liked the Young brothers vampire series, so I thought I might like this one.

Elizabeth Young’s brothers think they have it rough as vampires? Ha! Two words for them: unwanted hair. What werewolf Elizabeth craves is a normal life with a husband, kids, and less shaving. Unfortunately the vaccine she’s researched isn’t working yet. Worse, she’s in heat—and soon every dangerous wolf pack for miles around will be at her door. To buy time, she needs to have sex, and often, with the first human male she can find.

Veterinarian Jensen Adler just meant to drown his sorrows, until a stunning, leather—clad brunette made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Now he’s caught up in something really weird, definitely dangerous, and, okay, extremely hot. So his new girlfriend’s hiding something (and she’s a little freaky about the moon), but Jensen knows true love when he feels it, and this time, he’s not giving up. no matter how hairy things get.

As you can see from the blurb, it turns out that this book is part of the Young series. I’m not sure how I missed that, so it was a nice surprise. And nice pretty much describes this book. It was a refreshing break from the dark angst, a quick and easy read, and I liked the characters.

Like I said, nice.

It didn’t quite get beyond that, however. Romances can take place in a short period of time and still be convincing. In this case, though, I wasn’t fully convinced. I believe that Elizabeth and Jensen are off to a good start, but that’s as far as I’d go. The villain was defeated in a scene that went so quickly I wondered if I’d missed it.

On the plus side: Jensen and the way the vaccine element is resolved.

My Sister Is a Werewolf: 3.5 out of 5.

Is it just me, or does anyone else prefer the older Blaze covers?

Here’s an older one:

And the new style:

The picture on the cover is fine, but the cover itself is so linear. Plus, while I’m fine with white space (or red space, as the case may be, since this is a Blaze cover), there’s an awful lot of it here. I’d like to see the picture take up more of the cover.

So what’s your opinion? Which style of cover do you prefer and why?

I’ve been in a reading slump lately. The result is that I read far fewer books than I used to, and I typically want to leave the ones I read behind. In other words, I don’t want think about them long enough to review them). So it’s been pretty silent at this blog of late.

However, I read a book yesterday that I felt like reviewing, so I figured I’d go with the feeling. The book is The Erotic Secrets of a French Maid by Lisa Cach.

After an unsuccessful search for her dream job in architecture, Emma Mayson becomes a maid for an incredibly handsome, wealthy entrepeneur. But Russell Carrick is also a total workaholic who has lost his zest for life–or has he just misplaced it? Setting aside her feather duster and her inhibitions, Emma rekindles her employer’s passion with a fantasy world of boundless pleasure. But then the unthinkable happens: She falls for him. Can she make Russell see her as more than a plaything?

I believe I got this book because of a review Wendy did. I couldn’t find it at her blog, though, so I could be wrong. Whoever recommended it, I’m grateful. It’s an enjoyable read.

The book title is a bit of a misnomer. Emma is not a French maid, although she affects an accent at one point in the story. Instead, we get a nice romance about a couple whose relationship starts with sex and develops into something more.

The way the sex starts is a bit contrived, but I found it a bit amusing as well with its wordplay that makes sense to each participant but leads to a complete misunderstanding.

What I enjoyed most about the story, though, is the combination of spicy sex with a story and characters I can care about. (Can you tell I’ve become a bit burned out on the genre lately?) I also appreciated the fact that neither Russ nor Mandy finds their sex entirely fulfilling until they drop the trappings and let their emotions become involved.

Some writers tend to write the same kinds of stories; others write a broad variety. Cach is the latter. The Erotic Secrets of a French Maid offers a good story, one I wanted to think (and write) about once I finished reading it. 4 out of 5.

I can’t remember why I bought Heather Cullman’s For All Eternity. I’m sure I read a review somewhere, but I can’t remember where. However I heard about the book, it’s been languishing on the TBR shelves for a while, so I decided to give it a try.

Sophie Barrington had fallen from the glittering heaven of the haut ton to the hell of servitude. Once a diamond of the first water about to marry the most eligible bachelor of the Season, she had been ruined by one foolish, innocent escapade. And since her guardian had squandered her fortune and run off to America, she was worse than ruined. She was penniless. Now, it was pure desperation that drove her to accept a position as a maid at a country estate . . .

But it was fate that made it the home of the Marquess of Beresford. Here a man’s awesome power and sensuality would make her tremble. Here this domineering lord would unmask the deep emotions beneath the foolish manners that had made her fashion’s darling. And he—who had been a woman’s fool once and swore never to be again—would find he could have his revent. Or he could embrace a lady who swept away his pride to open the doors of all-consuming love . . .

If I had to pick one word to describe For All Eternity, that word would be sweet. Not in an inspirational novel kind of way, but amiable and good natured. The story is charming, the characters agreeable, the heroine naïve and sweet. In fact, seeing Sophie grow from a spoiled 17-year-old into a mature (yet still sweet) young woman is one of the books strengths. Nicholas, the hero of this story, is certainly Sophie’s match. He’s noble and devoted. Think of a male word for sweet. (Let’s go with obliging.)

Despite the book’s pleasantness, the relationship between Nicholas and Sophie progresses a bit too quickly. One minute they despise each other—the next, admiration and interest have blossomed. A slower process would have made this more believable. Also coming in on the not-quite-believable side is the response of the families to the match.

For All Eternity is enjoyable enough: 3 out of 5, a rating that is nice if not sweet.

I need help.

I won’t be able to make it to the conference this year, but I cancelled my room too late. They say I will have to pay for the entire stay if the room isn’t rebooked. My reservation is at the Woodley Park Guest House on 2647 Woodley Road. It’s right next to the conference hotel.

It’s a single room with a shared bath for $140 a night, plus 14.5% DC room tax. My reservation is from July 14 through July 21 (I was planning to stay and do a little sightseeing). If anyone wants the room even for part of that time, PLEASE let me know. It’s a great deal for someone, and it would really help me out.

Thanks! You can also e-mail me at romancebooklvr @ gmail.com (delete the spaces).

Feel free to forward this to other groups and/or blogs.

Amongst the hundreds of my TBR books are books I’ve been saving because I don’t want to have read all the books by (fill in the blank) author. Since I’ve been in a reading slump, I decided to pick up one of these books—Identity: Unknown by Suzanne Brockmann.

What He Remembered
His clothing size

What He Didn’t Remember
Everything else.

Navy SEAL Mitchell Shaw woke up one morning with no clue as to who he was. And the items hidden in his possession were no help—an address, along with a .22 caliber side arm. The address led him to the Lazy 8 Ranch—and its beautiful manager, Becca Keyes, who made him believe he might have a future. Even if he wasn’t sure about his past.

The gun was another story altogether . . .

I’ve saved a few of Brockmann’s Team Ten series so I could enjoy them later. It was the perfect choice to help me out of my slump. I love a good amnesia story, and this was one was very good. The reason for Mitch’s amnesia was believable, and his feeling of disorientation was well depicted.

Mitch is one of the more aloof men in this series. Losing his memory makes him reach out to someone in a way he wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Identity: Unknown offers a nice romance, a compact story, and the right balance of suspense: 4 out of 5. Just the kind of book I needed.