I got my hair cut and colored today, something I usually do before going to a book signing. It’s shorter than it’s been in a long, long time. Getting three inches cut off is not something I want to do again. I forgot about the whole wet/dry issue–three inches when wet is a different matter than when it’s dry, especially since my hair is naturally curly. It’s a little shorter than I wanted, but it grows quickly. Or so I keep telling myself.

In other news, the interim results for the All About Romance 2005 poll reminded me that I need to put my list together. I was hoping to read a few more 2005 books before voting, but I suspect it would be wise to create a tentative list just in case I don’t read as many as I want. I don’t want the deadline to sneak up on me.

Now, to the review. I’ve enjoyed Amy Garvey’s writing since I read her contribution to “Wicked” Women Whodunit. What I liked about the story was the way the main characters met, made love, then developed a lasting relationship. Not many authors can pull off this type of story, but Garvey does a great job with it. So, despite my desire to show some restraint, I couldn’t keep myself from buying I Love You to Death when I saw it at the store.

Blind dates–the scourge of every single woman’s life, even if she’s secretly hoping that maybe this time Mr. Right will show up. In Amy Garvey’s sexy new collection of tales, the right guys do arrive–but they come up with some unexpected complications . . .

“My Love Life is Killing Me”
Newly divorced Alex Ramsay is ready to plunge back into the dating pool when her friend sets her up with a guy guaranteed to show her a good time. Just one look proves that Matt Crawford is worth every one of her pre-date jitters–until she discovers that he’s really John Tanner, private investigator, and that her date is in the men’s room . . . dead. Tanner isn’t the type to mix business with pleasure–unless Alex can convince him that partnership definitely has its perks . . .

“Dial M for Mortified”
Anything for business is Darcy Bennett’s motto, even throwing a “blind date night” at her struggling coffeehouse, Sacred Grounds. The event is a huge success, especially when reporter Noah Gleason shows up. Darcy would rather pin him down and do some one-on-one investigation herself instead of answering his questions–and gruff, sexy Noah seems more than happy to oblige. Until someone screams, and suddenly mingling has turned into murder . . .

“Dead Men Don’t Write Checks”
Elementary school teacher Franny Gabriel is fiercely protective of her neighborhood. With the Landry Foundation planning to tear down yet another historic building, she’s going into battle–in her best cocktail dress and a new pair of heels. Crashing the Foundation’s annual fundraiser is the best way to corner Theo Landry–it’s business by very blind date. The corporate marauder turns out to be more tantalizing temptation than tough guy, though, at least until one of his opponents suffers death by dessert . . .

“Killer date” just took on a whole new meaning . . .

Garvey still writes good stories: 4 out of 5. As in the previous books I’ve read, each story includes a murder mystery in addition to the romance. “Dead Men Don’t Write Checks” is my favorite story of the three. The summary of the story suggests that the historic building is the main conflict of the story, but this issue is actually dealt with early in the story, leaving the rest to focus on the romance and the mystery, both of which are top-notch. I loved Theo and thought he was a very compelling hero: 4.5 out of 5.

“My Love Life is Killing Me” is my second-favorite story in the anthology. Alex is wonderfully three-dimensional, and I liked the detail about her dancing background. Garvey clearly has some knowledge in this area, and it added a nice touch of realism to the story. Tanner is equally dynamic, and his journey is especially interesting to watch. He’s accustomed to being a lone wolf and is both baffled and intrigued when he finds himself wanting to spend more and more time with Alex: 4 out of 5.

“Dial M for Mortified” may be my least favorite story of the three, but it’s still an enjoyable read. I did wonder about the fact that Noah kept putting off writing a story. I hope he got one finished at some point. 4 out of 5.

A final piece of book news: I finished Poor Splendid Wings and enjoyed it a lot. Will post a review in the next few days.

I bought Shelby Reed’s Midnight Rose after reading a glowing review of it. While the book didn’t leave me speechless, I still enjoyed it very much: 4 out of 5.

By all appearances, wealthy widower Gideon Renaud is an attractive, vibrant man, and an attentive father to his son, Jude, who suffers from a rare disorder that renders him fatally allergic to sunlight. But Gideon has harbored a bloodstained secret for one hundress fifty years–he’s a vampire. When he finds himself falling for Kate O’Brien, his son’s new home-school tutor, only Gideon knows their passion is a time bomb, one that will end in heartbreak . . . and possibly death for the young teacher.

As Kate finds herself drawn into Gideon and Jude’s sinister world, she is forced to confront their extraordinary reality, the existence of the most horrifying evil . . . and ultimately, the power of love to banish even the darkest shadows.

Midnight Rose is quite good, and its strength lies in its characters, especially Gideon and Kate. Gideon is a concerned father, and I thought his troubled relationship with the teenage Jude was portrayed very realistically. I saw what was coming regarding Jude’s subplot, but it didn’t make the overall story less enjoyable.

Kate is a strong heroine who’s easy to like. She obviously cares about Gideon and Jude, and her freshness provides a nice contrast to Gideon’s . . . I want to say pessimism, but that’s not the right word. Kate’s scenes with Gideon are powerful, and their chemistry is almost tangible.

The end of the book was quite moving.

My next Reed purchase will be A Fine Work of Art. I couldn’t resist the description; I just wish it were a long enough story to be available in print.

I keep thinking of things I want to post, and individually, they aren’t really enough for separate blog entries. So I’ve decided to lump them into one entry.

First, I’ve been wondering what Shelly Laurenston is up to these days, and I know a few others have as well. Looks like her next book will be published by Samhain, although I don’t think there’s a release date yet. It makes me wonder a little, especially after Nicole’s speculation about Triskelion. But I’m looking forward to Laurenston’s next book, wherever it’s released.

I managed to show some restraint at the used bookstore yesterday, mainly because I accidentally left my list at home. I guess I know what I need to do to show restraint in future. I’m also showing a surprising amount of restraint in the wake of Jay’s post about a sale at Amazon. I wish I could take credit for it, but what happened is that I saw books that I want to buy and thought about adding them to the cart.

Then I reminded myself about this summer’s RWA signing and how I want to minimize the number of duplicate books I buy this year. So I refrained. And really, I have plenty of books from last year’s signing that I haven’t read yet. Will that stop me from going this year? You guessed it: nope.

I did not refrain from buying Amy Garvey’s I Love You to Death on Friday. I’m going to tell myself it’s because I had a 25%-off certificate. Yeah, that’s it. I’ll post a review of it sometime this week.

Poor Kristie has been waiting for me to finish Patricia Veryan’s Poor Splendid Wings, a rare book she loaned to me. I keep getting sidetracked. So, here is my official vow. I will have it finished by next Sunday, February 5. Hold me accountable, people.

The Noble Princess

You are just and fair, a perfectionist with a
strong sense of proper decorum. You are very
attracted to chivalry, ceremony and dignity.
For the most part you are rather sensible,
but you are also very idealistic.

Role Models: Guinevere, Princess Fiona (of Shrek)

You are most likely to: Get kidnapped by a stray
dragon.

What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Note to self: Avoid stray dragons.

I thought I had read just about every story that could be told during the Regency period. Sylvia Day’s Bad Boys Ahoy! proved me wrong: 5 out of 5.

In the first novella, “Stolen Pleasures,” pirate Sebastian steals a bride, only to discover she is his bride; they’ve been married by proxy. The story takes an almost immediate turn from the norm. In some romances, the proxy marriage would be a secret for much of the story as part of a “Big Secret” misunderstanding.

Instead, this issue is dealt with immediately, leaving the remainder of the story to focus on delving into two fascinating characters, Olivia and Sebastian. Olivia is not a standard simpering heroine. She is passionate, strong-willed, and astute, the perfect match for Sebastian.

I love the way Day creates unique characters. Sebastian’s reasons for becoming a pirate are complex, and Olivia comes to understand and know him perfectly. This story evokes a range of emotions and culminates in a sweet ending.

“Lucien’s Gamble” is the second novella. In it, Lucien discovers that Julienne has disguised herself as a man to enter his club. He has always wanted her, and he takes advantage of the surpring opportunity to make the biggest gamble of his life.

As in the first novella, this one features unconventional characters who fall in love. It’s extremely satisfying to read Lucien’s journey from believing he is not good for Julienne to realizing that he loves her and wants to be the one to make her happy.

Julienne is a rare historical heroine–a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to pursue it.

The third novella is “Her Mad Grace.” In this story, a snowstorm forces Hugh to take shelter at the house of a reclusive woman known as her mad Grace. Hugh meets Charlotte, a woman who introduces herself as a companion.

All three stories in this anthology are connected, and the hero in “Her Mad Grace” is Julienne’s brother. Years have passed since “Lucien’s Gamble,” and the snowstorm gives Hugh the opportunity to demonstrate responsibility and show that he can be relied on.

I found Hugh’s vulnerability about being needed especially poignant, and a few scenes toward the end of the story brought tears to my eyes. Charlotte is a vivid heroine, and the scene where she shows Hugh how much she loves him is incredibly moving.

I can’t say enough positive things about Bad Boys Ahoy! The characters are unique and you come to care about each one. In addition, Day writes lush and unforgettable love scenes that move the story along and keep the reader engaged. I’m ready for her next book.

I’m attending a multiauthor book signing a week from tomorrow. Authors will include Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Brenda Novak, Jo Leigh, Lynn Kurland, Marjorie Jones, Ravyn Wilde, Phyllis Campbell, Sunday Larson, RaeAnne Thayne, Ann Chamberlin, Mary Martinez, Sara Fitzgerald, Cathy Miller, Charleen Earley, and Julie Belmont. Some I’ve heard of, other names are unfamiliar to me. For now, I think I won’t take the cart with me. A tote bag should be sufficient. Anyway, watch for a report on or after February 5.

The signing is part of a romance writing conference. I am attending the entire event. My alter-ego will blog about the bulk of the conference. There will be agent and editor appointments available at the conference, but I’m not at a point where I’m ready for either one. Maybe once my manuscript is finished . . .

No news yet on the Amber Heat Wave contest. I’ll keep you posted.

I received my autographed copy of Memory in Death yesterday and read it all in one night. I’m now listening to the audiobook: 4.5 out of 5.

Eve Dallas is one tough cop. She can deal with a holiday reveler in a red suit, who plunges thirty-seven stories and gives new meaning to the term “sidewalk Santa.” She can take on purse snatchers, drug dealers, and worse. But when Trudy Lombard–a seemingly ordinary middle-aged lady–shows up at the station, it’s all Eve can do to hold it together. Instantly, she is plunged back to the days when she was a vulnerable, traumatized young girl–and trapped in foster care with the twisted woman who now sits smiling in front of her.

Trudy claims she came all the way to New York just to see how Eve was doing. But Eve’s fiercely protective husband, Roarke, suspects otherwise–and his suspicion proves correct when Trudy, rebuffed by Eve, shows up at his office, demanding money in exchange for keeping the ugly details of Eve’s childhood a secret. Using every ounce of willpower he has to restrain himself, he shows her the door–and makes it clear that she’d be wise to get out of the city and never bother them again.

Eve and Roarke will be satisfied if Trudy Lombard just heads back to Texas. Somebody else, though, wants her dead–and just a few days later, she’s found on the floor of her hotel room, a mess of faded bruises and fresh blood. A cop to the core, Eve is determined to solve the case, if only for the sake of Trudy’s bereaved son. Unfortunately, Eve was not the only one who suffered at this woman’s hands–and she and Roarke will follow a circuitous and dangerous path to find out who turned the victimizer into a victim.

There have been more than 20 installments of the In Death series, and I continue to find the characters compelling. Memory in Death is perhaps more character-based than many, since it offers a new glimpse into Eve’s troubled past. Eve’s time in Trudy’s home may have been short, but it had an obvious effect on the nine-year-old Eve.

Trudy herself is quite a piece of work. Although Eve wasn’t subject to severe beatings in Trudy’s home, the “care” she provided was far from pleasant. Like Eve, I had trouble having much sympathy for Trudy when she became a victim, and I thought that was an interesting aspect of the book.

There are a number of memorable moments: preparing for the annual Christmas party, the gift exchange. The references to past cases are interesting, and they make the story even more rich. I also like the new aspects of Eve’s nightmares. The fact that they are evolving makes them realistic and intriguing. The Christmas tree image, for instance, is a disturbing one. I’ll leave it at that.

The scene where Trudy visits Roarke in his office is one of the most memorable of the series for me. It’s exceptionally well written, and you can see and feel Roarke’s anger about what this woman did to his wife. I can’t help but love seeing the dangerous side of Roarke as he protects the woman he loves.

Speaking of this scene, it’s beautifully done in the audiobook, read by Susan Ericksen. I’m only on tape 3 of 8, but I can tell this will be one of my favorites. Ericksen’s portrayals shine even more than usual, and if you’re a fan of the series, I encourage you to listen to it if you can, even if you have to check it out of the library.

My ongoing unofficial TBR challenge is to read books I started but hadn’t finished. Julie Kenner’s The Givenchy Code is a book I started last year, then set aside.

As if a recent breakup, scrounging for rent money, and lusting after designer shoes weren’t enough to make graduate student Melanie Prescott’s life challenging, suddenly she’s practically living The Da Vinci Code. A mysterious stranger is sending obscure codes and clues her way and she soon discovers she had to solve them in order to stay alive. With stakes like that, her dissertation on “the derivation and primary characteristics of codes and ciphers used by prevailing nations during wartime” is looking a little less important than it was yesterday. Right now she’s just worrying about living to see tomorrow. The only bright spot in the whole freakish nightmare is Matthew Stryker, the six-foot tall, dark, and handsome stranger who’s determined to protect her. Well, that and the millions of dollars that will be her reward if she survives this deadly game. And she’d better survive. Because that’s a heck of a lot of money to be able to spend on shoes and handbags and sunglasses and dresses, and, well, it’s hard to be fashionable when you’re dead.

I picked this one up again after reading Rosario’s review, and I’m glad I did: 4 out of 5.

I started and set aside this book around the time Paperback Reader reviewed the book. Here’s a quote from that review: “Problem is, the first thirty pages are so weighed down with designer-name dropping that it’s tempting to put the book aside. However, once the initial onslaught of labels ends, the book takes off in a steady rhythm with increasing danger.”

The first part of the quote is exactly what happened. I read the first thirty pages and grew frustrated with the whole name-dropping thing. I must also confess that I’m growing tired of shoe-obsessed heroines. When shopping consumes Melanie (Mel) through the first section, I gave up. After reading Rosario’s review, I picked up the book again, and discovered that I had quit one chapter before the real action begins. After that, we start to see what Melanie is made of, and I came to like her much more than I had in the beginning.

The clues are quite well done. I certainly couldn’t have deciphered them, but I didn’t feel cheated or alienated from the story because of it. I simply enjoyed following Mel and Stryker on their journey. We get less of Stryker’s point of view, but I liked him very much and thought he was terrific.

So the end result was that I liked the book, although I’m still wondering why someone would pay that much to play this “game.” And I’m glad the celebratory shopping wasn’t described in great detail. I’ll probably get the next one in the series, The Manolo Matrix.

I’ve been looking forward to Marjorie M. Liu’s Shadow Touch for a while, and I had a chance to read it. I wasn’t disappointed.

Elena Baxter can work miracles with her hands. She can coax bones to knit, flesh to heal. She can mend the mind. She has been doing such work for almost all of her twenty-eight years. That is why she will be taken.

The media called it a rampage of terror, the recent murders. But fighting crime is why Artur Loginov joined Dirk & Steele. The international detective agency specializes in the impossible, and their creed is simple: Help those in need, no matter how difficult, and no matter what, keep the secret safe. For the agency helps its employees. Dirk & Steele gave the Russian emigre purpose, protection, community . . . and refuge from his past, for who can trust a man who can start a fire with his mind, or shape-shift, or read others’ thoughts as easily as drawing breath? For his similar talent, Artur will be taken.

Into the darkness Elena and Artur will be drawn, into the clutches of evil. Cornered, isolated, caged, they will fight for their very souls. But salvation awaits. It exists in a form least expected: a dream of a face, a brush of a mind, the hind of a kiss, and finally, at long last . . . a shadow touch.

After reading Tiger Eye, I knew I enjoyed Liu’s writing. That book is certainly no light tale. Nevertheless, I confess that I was surprised by how dark Shadow Touch is. Artur and Elena are abducted early in the story and they remain imprisoned for more than 100 pages. The two meet in a corridor and develop an instant connection, a connection that becomes the basis for a compelling romance.

The first section of the book is completely riveting, since it’s clear that the abductors will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. The most pressing question is whether Elena and Artur will escape. I read this part in one evening, then raced home from work the next day to finish it. The next part of the story shows Artur and Elena on a quest.

Characterization is the best part of the book. The world of Dirk & Steele is intriguing, and the adventure is gripping, but without strong characters, the story wouldn’t be as strong as it is. Elena and Artur are complex people I liked, rooted for, and wanted to know more about.

I especially enjoyed the ending. I don’t want to give it away, so I won’t go into detail, but a certain possibility is suggested early in the story, and I was fascinated when it played out in just that way. I hope this is sufficiently vague, but you’ll understand when you read it.

I did wish there had been more sex, but the structure of the story didn’t allow for it. There is still physical and emotional connection.

At any rate, I enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it: 4 out of 5. I can’t wait until the next installment.

There are simply not enough hours in a day. Yesterday, I came home from work and did some scrapbooking for the first time in months. I also worked on revising the NaNoWriMo story so I can inflict it on share it with other readers. What this means, though, is that I’m not spending as much time reading.

Anyway, I’m home with a stomach bug today, so I have time to read and blog. I bought Summer Devon’s Futurelove and thought it was terrific: 4.5 out of 5.

Time-travel agent Collins is preparing for a routine assignment to the past when rebels kill his commander and force him back in time, unprepared. With no sex-suppression drugs and incomplete training, he’s stranded in a strange old world.

Candy was almost resigned to her humdrum life until a man in a strange black get-up dropped onto her park bench. If he wasn’t gorgeous, and wounded, she might listen to her common sense and run. But curiosity and kindness have always been her weaknesses, and the fact that this guy rouses her long-dormant libido doesn’t hurt, either.

Overwhelmed by the novel sensation of lust, Collins can’t resist Candy’s sensual sweetness. But every fevered joining of their bodies breaks the stringent laws to which he’s sworn allegiance. Being trapped in the past is bad enough. Committing carnal crimes with an irresistible 21st century indigenous could destroy his future–and hers.

I like so many things about this story that I don’t know where to start. Futurelove features one of my favorite kinds of heros–one with less sexual experience than the heroine. Collins struggles to stay aloof as he has been trained to do, but he finds Candy very tempting. His inexperience was realistically depicted; at least, it seemed that way to me. And he learns quickly, hoo boy!

Candy ends up experiencing a roller-coaster ride in this story as she tries to figure out where Collins is from. She’s a delightful heroine with a great sense of humor. In fact, I smiled all through the story. Futurelove is a wonderful combination of comedy and romance.

I enjoy futuristics, and while this one has a primarily contemporary setting, I thought the futuristic elements were well explained and incorporated into the story. I also enjoyed Devon’s first story, Perfection, so I’m adding her to my auto-buy list.