Vox Capita

Review: Cool Hand Hank

2010-02-15T17:02:00.001-08:00

Title: Cool Hand Hank
Author: Kathleen Eagle
Genre: Western Romance
My rating (Max 10): 10

There are very few romance authors who tackle the concept of a handicapped hero or heroine living a life as normal as their disability will allow and giving them a love story with a happily-ever-after ending. Kathleen Eagle did just that in her wonderful book, Cool Hand Hank, the last book in a trilogy.

Sally Dexter, along with her sister, Annie, ran a sanctuary for wild horses on their family ranch, the Double D. Known as Mustang Sally, she was obsessive about rescuing wild horses before they became extinct. Sally struggled against her neighbor who hated horses and was trying at every opportunity to sabotage her ranch, the Bureau of Land Management that made difficult demands; but most difficult, Sally struggled against the crippling effects if her incurable disease, Multiple Sclerosis.

Sally was attending her sister Annie's wedding to Zach Beaudry, both of whom we met in book two, One Cowboy, One Christmas. While there, she met Zach's friend, Hank Night Horse, a physician's assistant and farrier who followed the rodeo circuit.

Hank is a full-blooded Lakota Sioux, with a passion for horses, like Sally's, and a fun-loving dog called Phoebe. He serves as the wedding singer and has Sally's full interest before the evening is even half over. She talks him into helping her and her foreman, Hoolie,
run the ranch while Annie and Zach are on their honeymoon.

The attraction and affection between Sally and Hank grows and deepens as they deal with Sally's various challenges. Sally, whose disease is in remission as the story begins, tries very hard to mask her disease's many symptoms. She succeeds until she is in a one-car accident from which Hank rescues her. Afraid he would not want to be around an incurably sick woman, Sally faces Hank with her illness and gains his love and respect for everything she is plus her courage.

Sally and Hank are completely endearing characters. The supporting "cast," including the two irascible dogs, Babe and Phoebe, are characterized so well through dialogue and actions that they are as "real" as are the main characters. The narrative moves smoothly and quickly, taking the reader on an enjoyable and heartwarming journey.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a sensitive and kind alpha-male hero and a plucky and loving heroine who join forces to face the challenges of life together.

Trilogy:
Book 1: In Care of Sam Beaudry
Book 2: One Cowboy, One Christmas
Book 3: Cool Hand Hank

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Review: Wyoming Solace

2010-02-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

Title: Wyoming Solace
Author: Alanna Coca
Genre: Western Romance
My rating (Max 10): 10

I love this book. It is the story of a battered and abused woman, married to a monster, who engineers an escape from her life of horrors.

Mary Elise Stanton, along with her butler and lifelong friend, Daniel Keane, takes the train west from Virginia to Wyoming. Along the way, she drops her first name and married surname and used her middle and maiden name to reinvent herself as Elise Vickerson.

At first, masquerading as a married couple, Elise and Daniel moved into Elise's recently deceased father's ranch the V-Bar. It was their intention to fix up the ranch, sell it and then have Daniel rejoin his real wife back east while Elise advanced west to start a new life alone.

Elise's plans ran into the tough-as-nails neighboring rancher, Cody Campbell who she knew as a young child before her family moved east from the ranch to Virginia for her mother's health when the then Mary was twelve. Cody insisted that his father, Alan, had purchased the V-Bar from Elise's father, Edward, making her plans impossible. Elise, however, didn't believe Cody's ownership assertion and thus the story-long conflict.

The story covers Elise's life during the next several months: her never-ending fear that her husband would find her, her repairs on the V-Bar along with Daniel and the enigmatic handyman, Joe; and the growing love between her and her neighbor, Cody.

The narrative moves quickly, keeping the reader's interest by not dwelling on any event too long, by aptly describing people and places without giving too much detail, and by having a small cast of interesting primary and secondary characters.

This is Ms. Coca's first published book and it was perfect. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys western romances, strong heroines, and tough but loving cowboys.

Secrets of a Duchess

2010-01-25T21:40:00.001-08:00

Title: Secrets of a Duchess
Author: Kaitlin O'Riley
Genre: Victorian Romance
My rating (Max 10): 9.85

Ms. O'Riley's debut novel, Secrets of a Duchess, is a beautifully written Victorian romance with rich characterizations and an unusual story line.

Caroline and Emma Armstrong are orphaned with the death of their father and saved from penury by a titled grandmother they never knew. The Dowager Countess of Glenwood takes her granddaughters under her wing, teaches them how to be "ladies", and gives them a Season with hopes of marrying them off. Emma is outgoing, sweet, and pretty and has no trouble attracting beaux. Caroline is beautiful, intelligent, has a winning personality, but she doesn't want to get married and therefore "disguises" herself as a bluestocking.

At the Season's first significant ball, the Maxwell's, Caroline escapes the ballroom to the seclusion of a balcony. There, dressed in white and swathed in moonlight, giving her an ethereal glow, while she tries to figure out how not to attract a husband, she meets Alex Woodward, the Duke of Woodborough, who also doesn't want to get married. Alex is on the balcony hiding from the Maxwell's spoiled daughter, Madeline, who is determined to marry him.

Alex and Caroline have a friendly conversation during which they share their secrets about not wishing to marry and seal their new friendship with a kiss. The kiss ignites a longing in Caroline which she fights and a love in Alex which he embraces.

Alex makes certain the Maxwells know he will not marry their spoiled daughter, Madeline, then
goes in pursuit of Caroline who had instantly won his heart. Alex was determined to marry for love and regardless of her determination not to wed, he was determined to marry Caroline whom he loved and was certain he could make love him.

At the next major ball, the Talbots', Alex waltzed with Caroline twice, becoming the talk of the evening because the duke never danced with anyone once, let alone twice. That established the relationship between Caroline and Alex as far as the ton went. It was at this ball that the question which drove the rest of the narrative was revealed: Caroline Armstrong was hiding something significant enough to prevent her from marrying. From this point, the narrative drops hint after hint about the secret, until the reader is certain she knows what it is. Ms O'Riley, however, does a great job of throwing in a few plot twists to ultimately surprise the reader.

Ms. O'Riley's slow, steady development of the relationship between the hero and heroine, the conflict between Alex, Caroline, and Madeline, and the crescendo of Caroline's secrets drive the narrative and keep the reader interested and speculating about what is to come.

The secondary characters are nicely developed, their physical descriptions detailed enough to give the reader a good mind's-eye image. Physical locations are described thoroughly enough to summon a picture in the reader's imagination, but not so detailed as to be tedious.

The dénouement was nicely woven together, no deus ex machina was utilized to smooth the weave. Instead, the reader was treated to a suspenceful, twisted ending well worth the wait.

Secrets of a Duchess was an enjoyable read. I highly recommend it as one of those must read books that introduces the reader to an author who gives a fresh twist to Victorian Romance.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Sex and the Single Earl

2010-01-22T16:11:00.001-08:00

Title: Sex and the Single Earl
Author: Vanessa Kelly
Genre: Regency Romance
My rating (Max 10): 9.95

The second in a series, Sex and the Single Earl is a stand-alone book. Its two main characters, along with some secondary characters, are introduced in Ms. Kelly's debut novel, Mastering the Marquess. Her debut novel was a wonderful introduction to a very talented new author, but the proof of how talented Ms. Kelly truly is, is this, her second book. It is even better than her first!

Sophie Stanton is an endearing heroine who loves deeply, feels intensely, is deeply loyal, and has an unshakeable sense of right and wrong. She is devoted to her family, especially her brother Robert, and she, "loves to distraction," Simon St.James, the Ninth Earl of Trask.

Simon is a hero I sometimes loved and sometimes wanted to shake some sense into. As an Earl, Simon was to maintain and care for his family's estates, but Simon was determined to broaden his responsibilities by investing in the woolen industry and becoming its biggest player. He was so ambitious, he often twisted his priorities and took for granted things he shouldn't have, most especially Sophie's love.

Sophie and Simon had known each other most of their lives. Simon always felt extremely protective of Sophie, but he never realized how much he loved her. It took a number of misadventures, some set up by his jealous ex-mistress, from which Sophie needed rescuing, until Simon realized how important she was to him.

A delightful cast of secondary characters, including spinster aunts Jane and Eleanor, brother Robert and his new bride Annabelle, and impoverished Toby and his beautiful sister Becky, move the always-interesting narrative along. The villains are unredeemable, especially Bathsheba the venomous ex-mistress, and add a sociological and historical depth to the story. Ms Kelly has obviously done impressive research.

If you are a romance fan, don't miss this one. If you are a Regency romance lover, you can't miss this one. Ms Kelly reveals and describes the underbelly of English society in a way Regencies never do. She introduces us to two abused and impoverished characters whom I hope she writes about in a book devoted to them. The "tour" of Bath is instructive--I haven't read about it since Austen's Persuasion.

I gave the book an almost perfect rating. If I had two things cleared up, I would have made it a 10:
1. What happened to Jem Taylor and Mrs Delacourt?
3. Did Simon exact any revenge on Lady Randolph?

Place this book on your must-read list. You won't be disappointed.

Even though I know the book would have a Dickensian bent to it, I hope Ms. Kelly writes a sequel to this book, telling the story of Toby and Becky two characters with too much potential to let their story go untold.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

A letter to Slade Debolt

2010-01-21T18:40:00.001-08:00

Dear Slade Debolt
From the book Shameless
By Gayle Eden

Dear Slade,

I find you to be about the most perfect man I've ever read about. You are extremely handsome, you have a body that makes all women swoon in your wake, and yet it is your personality that is so completely endearing.

Your humility, loyalty, courage, patience, kindness, generosity, understanding, and tender loving nature are unparalleled. That you like animals a lot and have a good sense of humor only serve to make you more perfect. Your intense devotion to your nephew, and your deep ongoing love of your deceased father and brother and your tender love of Casey further make me adore you.

I know you used to be a rodeo bull rider and now you're a horse trainer. Bull riding seems counterintuitive because of your gentle nature. Training horses seems like the perfect fit. I am certain that once you marry Casey and have your personal life settled, your business will grow incredibly fast.

I am a huge fan of yours and wish you and Casey every happiness that you both so richly deserve.

Your fan,
Barbara

Shameless

2010-01-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

Title: Shameless
Author: Gayle Eden
Genre: Sensual romance
My rating (Max 10): 9.7

What can I say? I love this book. It is a small book, and I've read it at least four times. I love the hero and heroine and their love story is sweet and straightforward. It's nice to read a story about two people who meet, fall in love and decide to marry without complications.

Casey Roark returned to her home town after a ten year absence. In the time she was gone, she transformed herself from the ugly, overweight girl who had perpetual bad hair and always looked awful to a cute, thin, attractive woman. But she couldn't change the fact that she was painfully shy.

On her first night back, welcoming her to town was a billboard advertising her old high school nemisis for the office of mayor. Casey became so angry, she stopped into the dance hall, picked up a cowboy and had him relieve her of what she considered her last burden: her virginity.

It turns out, she picked up the town's perfect hunk, Slade Debolt who was drop-dead gorgeous both in face and body. As it turned out, Slade didn't do the one-night-stand thing any more than Casey did. But, for some reason, he did with Casey just that time. He treated her well and after the deed was done, as they had agreed, they parted company without knowing each other's names.

Anonymity didn't last long. Slade came into town every Saturday for supplies and caused such an uproar with the female population oogling him, Casey found out who her paramour was almost immediately. Slade was curious about the mysterious redhead and since they lived in a small town, he easily found out who she was.

Slade shadowed Casey for eight months, "bumping" into her, flirting with her, and finding out about her, but she ran away from him at his every attempt to engage in conversation. Finally, the rodeo came to town and gave Slade, a horse trainer who had horae stock in the competitions, the perfect opportunity to coral Casey into going to the event with him. One thing led to another and the imperfect Casey who wanted to be loved for the woman she was, fell in love with Slade who wanted someone to love him for the man that was underneath the perfect packaging.

The language is graphic. If you're sensitive to cursing and detailed descriptions of intimacy, don't read this. However, if you're looking for a romance between two really nice people, this is your book. It's a quick read, but thoroughly enjoyable. I graded it down only because the editing was poor.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Mastering the Marquess

2010-01-13T18:38:00.001-08:00

BLOG: Mastering the Marquess

Title: Mastering the Marquess
Author: Vanessa Kelly
Genre: Regency romance
My rating (Max 10): 9.5

Ms Kelly has written a wonderfull debut novel, Mastering the Marquess.
It is a Regency period romance which demonstrates her talent as an author as well as her skill at research into the societal workings and mores of the ton and the machinations required to enter a young woman into a Season and secure her debut into polite society. The characterizations are rich, the narrative is quick-paced, interesting, and arresting.

Meredith Burnley and her half-sister Annabel have been orphans for about three years. Meredith has cared for her sister for years, since their mother died. Annabel has been sick and their uncle and cousin, villains both, threaten to put her in an asylum.

To avoid such a fate for her sister, intensely devoted Meredith steals her sister away to Annabel's estranged grandparents in London. It is there, at Stanton House, that Meredith and our hero, Stephen, Marquess of Silverton meet. For them both, it is love at first sight, but the difference in their social status, Stephen's mother, and the villainous Uncle Isaac and cousin Jacob and their machinations keep Meredith and Stephen apart.

There are two romances in this book, the main one is Meredith and Stephen's, and secondarily is Stephen's cousin Robert and Annabel's. Robert and Annabel are immediately drawn to each other and fall in love. Their romance is on course from the beginning.

There are two other characters, Stephen's best friend, Simon, Earl of Trask and Stephen's cousin Sophia who are too wonderful to be left behind in this book. I'm hoping that Ms. Kelly has their story in a follow-up book.

The narrative has heroes, damsels in distress, villains, and a Cinderella-type ending. Though she seems to pack a lot into the book, Ms Kelly has written it so well that all component parts are seamlessly woven together to create an engrossing, pleasing story.

I strongly recommend this book to all Regency Romance fans as well as romance novel junkies like me who appreciate a strong cast of secondary characters, a feisty heroine, a marvelous hero, and a love story to sigh over.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Review: He Came Upon A Midnight Clear

2010-01-11T00:18:00.001-08:00

Title: He Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Author: Cat Johnson
Genre: Contemporary romance
My rating (Max 10): 1.0

This is the first truly uninspired work I have read. It was a novella and therefore short, but I still had to force myself to finish it.

The narrative takes place at a mountain home that our heroine was house-sitting. She is avoiding a trip down the mountain to visit her parents for Christmas dinner. She doesn't answer her phone, nor respond to her answering machine messages. Ginny, the heroine, instead turns on her TV to watch a self-help show. The show encourages her to make a list of things she can do to change her isolation and loneliness.

The stage is now set for the most predictible, cliche story I've ever read. First comes the blackout. Then comes the loud noise from outside, an unsecured barn door, requiring Ginny to go outside and bolt it. Outside, in front of the barn, a very handsome, totally buff man, is semi-conscious, wet, half frozen, and suffering from, you guessed it, amnesia. More obvious stuff to come; Ginny has to bring him in, he has to shed his clothes, he needs her body's warmth because there is no heat and she can't figure out how to make a decent fire in the fireplace (she's obviously not a member of Mensa). One thing leads to another…

Next morning. the mysterious stranger has disappeared without a trace, making our heroine think she's had one super sexy dream. Our previously writer's-blocked author pens a book, which becomes a best seller immediately even though she is a first-time author with absolutely no name recognition, about that night. She has an epiphany and she now wants to be with her family. Pass a few completely insignificant pages and our heroine is within minutes of leaving the house she's been in for a year as the owners are momentarily returning. When who should drive up but mister-tall-dark-and-handsome who has regained his memory and kept the memory of their stolen night together and now wants to steal her away.

The pièce de résistance was the importance of their names. She was Ginny as in Virginia, as in "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." His name? Yep, minus the saint, his name was Nick.

Unless you're really bored and there is not another available piece of written fiction available, save yourself, pass this one by…unless you want to read quintessential example of a poorly written, uninspired, and uncreative romance.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

One Week As Lovers

2010-01-11T00:00:00.001-08:00

Title: One Week as Lovers
Author: Victoria Dahl
Genre: Regency Romance
My rating (Max 10): 9.3

This is the third in a Regency series by one of my favorite authors, Victoria Dahl. No. I have not read the first two:
To Tempt A Highlander; and A Rake's Guide to Pleasure. However, I do intend to read both these books within the next few weeks.

The title of this book does not do it justice. There are so many facets to the story and its complex characters; a reader might think she was going to get a light and carefree narrative. One Week As Lovers is neither. It is the story of two childhood friends who are separated when they are adolescents and whose lives detour down different paths, finally coalescing as twenty-somethings when word reaches our hero, Nick, that his childhood friend Cynthia has just committed suicide.

Viscount Lancaster, aka Nick Cantry, leaves London, returning to one of his family's country estates to pay his respects to Cynthia's family. What he finds is a stepfather not grieving for his lost stepchild, instead worrying about how he would repay a debt to the notorious and evil lord he owed, a debt he was to have paid by giving his stepdaughter in marriage; and a heroine who has staged her suicide. but is very much alive.

There are several plot lines going at once. Cynthia has found a deceased cousin's journal which tells about buried treasure which she and Nick pursue. Nick worries about having to sell himself into a loveless marriage to achieve enough wealth to save his family. Cynthia and Nick pick up the relationship they once had as children and nurture it into a loving adult relationship, and Nick must figure out a way to save Cynthia from the evil Lord Richmond.

There are many heavy social problems touched on in this novel. It is not a light, airy, and thoughtless romance. It brings up the repercussions of child rape, parental emotional desertion, suicide, loveless marriage and the limited options for the gentry to save themselves from poverty.

There were not as many secondary characters as Ms. Dahl normally spices her novels with, but the few that were there were wonderfully written.

This is a Regency historical novel from a sociological point of view, examining mores and their echoes through a life. I read some reviews of this book and had to wonder if the reviewers actually read it. They called it a light-hearted romance. This story may have had some lighthearted moments, but it was by no means lighthearted. I encourage you to read this novel for its unique narrative and its unusual hero and heroine.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Review: Lead Me On

2010-01-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Lead Me On
Author: Victoria Dahl
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My rating (10 max) : 9.25

Lead Me On is the third book in a three book series, the first two being Talk Me Down, and Start Me Up. Though all the books are stand alones, it would help if you read Start Me Up before this book because it introduces Jane and tells her boss, Quinn Jennings' story.

Ms. Dahl's books are always full of a delicious assortment of characters who interact with each other with humor, pathos, and realism. The characters in Lead Me On are all that is found in previous books and so much more. They are flawed and most are from the trailer-park side of the railroad tracks.

The heroine, Jane, is a judgmental, conservative, and snobbish woman who is not very likeable upon first appearances. But, as the story unfolds, we learn that Jane is not really Jane at all, but a woman previously named Dynasty Alexis who completely reinvented herself, down to changing her name, in order to leave her difficult past behind her. Jane wears very conservative, nonflattering clothes, her hair is pulled tightly back into a bun, her intention is to draw as little attention to herself as possible, which includes her chosen "vanilla" name. She also dates only conservative, professional man who can give her the white-picket-fence kind of life. As the story unfolds, the back story of Jane explains her unbending attitudes and her obsession with changing herself and her life.

Jane's world gets rocked when big, tall, muscular, tatooed, dusty-t-shirt-wearing, ground-in-dirt -jeans wearing William "Billy" Chase walks into the Jennings office and into her life. Chase, as he is called, represents everything Jane does not want in a man except his joie de vivre and great passion. He has managed to put his difficult childhood behind him and has learned to cope with his father's alcoholism.

There was instant chemistry between Jane and Chase which she tried fighting against and he kept striving for throughout the book. Family complications and personal challenges kept the relationship from going to where Chase wanted. He fell in love with Jane, whose other persona he had known when they were younger. Jane resisted a deepening relationship even though, as the narrative progressed, she could not see that she had fallen in love with Chase who had quickly become her best friend.

Jane's stubborn lack of acceptance of the good man Chase was for prejudiced and ignorant reasons and Chase's insistence that Jane needed to accept him without his intense pursuit became grating at times. These two characters belonged together. By the end of the book, everyone had figured that out, including them.

I enjoyed Lead Me On. It read quickly, caught my interest immediately, and kept me interested the entire narrative. I love the secondary characters and Chase, and, through Ms. Dahl's skillful writing, I even learned to like Jane.

I highly recommend this book to any reader who appreciates the intricacies of family relations and cheers for a happy ending for two people whose paths have crossed time and again because of the generous hand of fate.

Review: Wishes

2010-01-03T03:07:00.001-08:00

Title: Wishes
Author: Jude Devereaux
Genre: Fantasy romance
My rating (10 max) : 9.8

I have not previously read Jude Devereaux. Definitely, my loss. Her book, Wishes, was a delightful take-off on the Cinderella story. I've seen and read any number of these type stories and usually enjoy them for what they are, copies.

Wishes has a heroine, Nellie, who is over-worked and under-appreciated by her ungrateful family. But, unlike the fairytale princess-to-be, Nellie is overweight. She has a beautiful face, a sweet personality, and a kind heart. She loves her manipulative, abusive sister and never sees her for the vicious user she is; nor does she see her father, who substitutes for the wicked stepmother, as the penny-pinching, verbally abusive, slave master that he is. The book begins and ends with her ever-faithful love for the reprehensible pair.

The story mostly takes place in Chandler, Colorado in 1896. Jace Montgomery, our stand-in for Prince Charming, comes to Nellie's to be interviewed by her father for a job in his shipping company. He arrives an hour early so that he can meet the beautiful daughter that Charles Grayson had been touting. Jace wanted to meet Grayson's paragon of virtue and when he meets Nellie, he instantly falls in love with her. The problem is, Grayson never mentioned having two daughters. He wants to marry his youngest daughter, Terel, to the undercover shipping heir. She is the only daughter he ever talks about.

One misadventure after another, usually conducted by Terel, causes almost terminal problems to the relationship between Jace and Nellie.

Jace is not the usual princely type. He adores Nellie, but he is jealous and has a bad temper. He almost loses his would-be bride because he isn't aggressive enough in his pursuit.

As in most Cinderella stories, there is a stand-in fairy godmother, Berni. The book begins at Berni's funeral. Yes, funeral. I almost shelved the book, but I'm glad I didn't. It turns out that Berni's stint as Nellie's fairy godmother is part one of her redemption on her path to heaven.

I loved this book. I'm a sucker for Cinderella stories, but this one was unusual and special. It could have dipped into cliche after cliche, but it didn't. Its unique takes on the familiar story are endearing. A good love story with a fair dose of magic is always enjoyable.

It is an absolutely wonderful book with absolutely wonderful characters.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Review: In Care of Sam Beaudry

2010-01-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

Title: In Care of Sam Beaudry
Author: Kathleen Eagle
Genre: Contemporary Western Romance
My rating (10 max) : 7.0

In Care of Sam Beaudry is the first book in a series of two about the Beaudry clan. Though each book is a stand-alone, this book lays down lots of background information which helps the reader understand some of the more obscure details about Zach Beaudry in One Cowboy, One Christmas.

As this book begins, life in Bear Root is going on as usual: quiet. It is a small Montana town of just over one thousand people with a general store owned by Hilda Beaudry, a medical clinic where a relative newcomer, Maggie Whiteside, works as a nurse, a sheriff's office where Sam Beaudry works, a school, a courthouse, and a few more assorted buildings.

Early in the story, a seven-and-one-half year old girl, Star Brown, walks into Hilda Beaudry's store and announces herself as Hilda's granddaughter. Hilda was quite surprised by this pronouncement because, as far as she knew, she had two single, childless sons and no grandchildren. Hilda and Star bond almost immediately. They become almost inseparable throughout the story.

Star Brown came into Bear Root with her critically I'll mother, Merrilee. Sam learns the identity of Star's mother and realizes that she was his love when he was in his early twenties. They had broken up because Sam loved Merrilee, but she loved his friend Vic Randone, and both Merrilee and Vic loved drugs. Sam thought it much more probable that Star was Vic's daughter, but can't deny the resemblance, no matter how slight, between the little girl and himself, while there is none between Star and Vic.

Sam cannot understand why Merrilee had not contacted him years earlier, but she died leaving Star and a lot of unanswered questions behind. Sam suggests that he try to locate Vic, but the child is terrified of that man and negates that proposal.

Sam, Maggie, her son Jimmy, and Hilda unofficially adopt Star, integrating her into life in town. All is going well. Sam's and Maggie's romance is developing nicely. Star has adjusted well. Then Vic drifts into town looking for Merrilee and demanding that he be given custody of Star because she's his daughter.

It turns out Star has something Vic desperately wants. The end of the book is the unravelling of the mystery of what he wants and how he goes about getting it.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as Zach's. There were too many pat answers, and it was too predictable. I liked the main characters, disliked Vic, and rooted for the success of the relationships between Sam and Maggie, Sam and Star, and Star and Hilda.

I recommend this book. It is a quick read and a feel-good story. It's not the kind of book you remember for a long time, but it is the kind of book that allows escape to a quieter, more peaceful, and less complicated life, at least for the duration of the read.

One Cowboy, One Christmas

2010-01-01T16:50:00.001-08:00

Title: One Cowboy, One
Christmas
Author: Kathleen Eagle
Genre: Contemporary
Western romance
My rating (10 max) : 8.5

I stumbled on Kathleen Eagle quite by accident while hunting for books about Christmas romances in the Kindle store. This book had received five stars from the reviewers, so I gave it a try.

As is my usual mistake, this is the second of two books about the Beaudry clan. The first is In Care of Sam Beaudry. Of course, I have not read that book, but I will do so immediately.

One Cowboy, One Christmas takes place on the Double D Ranch, owned and run by the two Drexler sisters. Their ranch is a sanctuary for wild horses that would otherwise be slaughtered. Their only helper, as the book begins, is Hoolie, an elderly cowboy who has worked the ranch since their dad bought it.

The story starts shortly before Christmas during a particularly frigid South Dakota winter. A bull riding rodeo cowboy named Zach Beaudry is driving to catch up with the next venue on the rodeo circuit when his pickup dies. He walks the long distance to the closest residence, the Double D, where, suffering from hypothermia, he collapses on the ranch's porch. Ann and her older sister, Sally, who suffers from MS, take the unconscious cowboy in and nurse him back to health. Once recovered, Zach begins working for the Double D as a way to pay Hoolie back for fixing and gassing up his truck.

When Ann first sees the unconscious Zach, she is shocked, remembering him from a romantic encounter they had eight years before. Zach senses something familiar about Ann, but he doesn't recall their interlude. Ann eventually reminds Zach about their meeting when she was a college student and he was at the height of his career.

As the relationship between Zach and Ann develops, Ann, who is also a high school teacher, takes on Kevin, a Lakota fourteen-year-old trouble-maker who was ordered by juvenile court to do community service work at the Drexler ranch.
Hoolie takes Zach under his wing, trying to train him
to become a true cowboy, while Zach takes Kevin under his wing, trying to teach him the cowboy code.

The list of characters is relatively short. The heroine is an everyday kind of woman, not the über perfect type, but just above average. The hero is a hunky cowboy in search of his identity outside the rodeo circuit.

The secondary characters are flawed, but good-hearted people who care deeply for the ranch and its occupants, both two- and four-legged varieties, and enrich the story with their insights and repartee.

The dialogue is crisp, spirited and realistic. The relationships between all the characters build at an honest pace and in realistic ways.
There is no great suspense, no intense drama in the book. It has the reader rooting for a happily ever after ending for all the folks at the Double D.

A completely enjoyable book that will make you laugh, cry, and just plain feel good, I highly recommend One Cowboy, One Christmas.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

My list of books read in 2010

2010-01-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

I've signed on to many reading challenges for 2010. This post will be ongoing, charting my reading progress as I go.
I am a romance novel junkie. If you have any reading suggestions, please leave them in a comment below.

The following is my list of books read in 2010: Title, Author, Date Read.

1. One Cowboy, One Christmas
Kathleen Eagle 01.01.10
2. In Care of Sam Beaudry
Kathleen Eagle 01.01.10
3. Wishes
Jude Devereaux
In progress

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

MERRY *** CHRISTMAS

2009-12-24T21:34:00.001-08:00

May each person who has honored me by taking some of his/her precious time to stop by and read my blog have a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic 2010.

As always... Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Review: Lauren Dane's Chase Family Series

2009-12-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

There are some books that are just too good to banish to an archive list never to be read again; some characters too endearing not to keep in your heart.
Such is Lauren Dane's four-book series about the Chase family of Petal, Georgia.

The books are, in order, Giving Chase, Taking Chase, Chased, and Making Chase. They are contemporary romances that follow the Chase brothers: Kyle as he pursues Maggie, Shane in his pursuit of Cassie, Marc's campaign to win Liv, and Matt's efforts to win Tate.

And in support of their four sons are Edward and Polly Chase, the parents anyone would wish for himself. They love unconditionally, and are supportive and encouraging and never unjustifiably critical.
The Chase family lives in the small town of Petal Georgia and part of what makes these books so endearing is Ms Dane's creation of the small town experience; making the reader feel as if he could walk down the streets of Petal and feel right at home. The reader would be familiar with the different neighborhoods, the grocery, and the places to eat and hang out with friends.

The Chase brothers are all alpha males, tall, extremely handsome, sons of the most influential family in Petal, and all unattached.
Kyle, Giving Chase, is not the oldest brother, but his is the first story. He has watched his oldest endure heartbreak as Shane's fiancé cheated on him, breaking his heart and removing his ability to trust in a relationship. At the beginning of this story, Shane is dating a local girl, Maggie, who had a longtime crush on him. He feared developing feelings for her, so he dropped the relationship before it had a chance to grow. Kyle had always liked Maggie. He waited for what he thought was an appropriate length of time, according to the unwritten Chase Brothers' dating code, and began his pursuit of Maggie. As Kyle and Maggie begin to date, a stalker begins terrorizing her. Like all the heroines in these books, Maggie is strong and independent and works through the legal system to try to shake off the man who is pursuing her. But ultimately, the system fails her. The Chase brothers come to her rescue.

Shane, the oldest brother falls in love with a new woman in town, Cassie. Shane's book, Taking Chase, is the story of Shane's pursuit of the mysterious Cassie. His position of town sheriff was called upon in Kyle's situation, as it is here. Cassie was an abused woman who relocated to Petal and established a new identity to escape her old life and violently abusive ex-husband. Her strength and determination help her adjust to life in her new home. Shane, with a gruff and overpowering personality has to learn to temper his take-charge approach to life in order to win his Cassie. The former husband does show up to threaten Cassie. Shane ultimately resolves the situation and wins the heart of his love.

Marc Chase's love story, Chased, is very different than his brothers'. He has known Liv most of his life. She was involved with his older brother, Matt and viewed Marc as a sweet younger brother. Marc, likewise, viewed Liv as nothing more than a family friend, but then something changed, and Marc fell in love with the emotionally vulnerable, but outwardly pushy and aggressive Liv. She is almost six years older than Marc and therefore, even though their physical attraction grows, she views any relationship with Marc off limits. Marc, who opened a gym and personal trainer business, ignored Liv's objections and his more dominant, aggressive personality, which had been hidden, blossomed and captured Liv.

My favorite of the four books was Matt's, Making Chase. Matt, the most handsome of the four brothers was a firefighter. Physically perfect, but considered vapid, Matt had dated only the most beautiful girls around. He wanted to fall in love as his brothers had, but he was beginning to give up hope that there was a woman out there for him when a traffic accident and a thank-you box of cookies introduced him to Tate.
Tate was short, not thin and not traditionally beautiful. She was worlds away from Matt's usual type, and he couldn't help but notice the differences and embrace them, falling hard for the indomitable spirit and loving and protective heart of the most delightful heroine I've read about in a very long time, Tate Murphy.
At the end of Matt's and Tate's book, all loose ends are tied and all the relationships are neatly wrapped up.

Treat yourself to these four delicious love stories. Are they classic American literature? Are they exquisitely written? Are they flawless? No, no, and no. But they are feel-good stories about love, family, loyalty, and devotion. I left pedagogical reading behind me. Now I read for pure entertainment. Ms Dane's books did that well. Though not each book was a 5/5, overall I give the series an enthusiastic five out of five.

Be sure to read the books in sequence. Though each is a stand alone book, each builds on the other and there will be much lost without the background of each previous story.

Ms Dane's own disclaimer: "Warning, these titles contain the following: explicit sex, graphic language, and some violence."

TBR Explosion

2009-12-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Today was a very bad day for my TBR (to be read) list. It grew and multiplied as fast as a clutch of fecund rabbits. New authors found, well not "new" but new to me, such as Julie Ann Long, Connie Brockway, Eloisa James, and Moira Rogers.

Some TBR's are hard to find in the US; others are not ebooks. Most of my new books are historical romance. Three are western romance, yet another is contemporary romance with class disinctions, many are Regency's. I'll be reviewing all the books I've read here.

Many of my Twitter friends keep tweeting lucious books and I can't seem to exhibit any self control. My Kindle is full of samples as well as purchases. Both together add up to 833.

Another problem I have is that when I love a book, I mean REALLY love a book, I'll reread it four or five times which slows my progress through the TBR.
I'm rereading the Lauren Dane Chase brothers series now, which is a series of four contemporary romances. I'll be reviewing those soon.

As always...
Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

Challenges...Challenges...Challenges

2009-12-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

I am new to the book review blogosphere. I'm learning my way around
it's unwritten rules and being introduced to the dedicated individuals
who read and review my obsession: books.

I want to thank some Twitter friends who have been very kind to share
their time and knowledge with me:
http://pearl72.blogspot.com,
http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com,
http://lovesromances.blogspot.com,
http://leontine1976.blogspot.com,
http://novelchallenges.blogspot.com, and
http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com.

Because I read almost 30 books a month, I recently decided to begin
reviewing the works I read. I feel as if I'm displaying hubris to put
myself in the position to critique an author's work. As a writer
myself, I understand how precious each author's oeuvre is to her/him.
However, I know what I like and what I don't like. I know what touches
my heart and moves me emotionally and what leaves me flat. I know with
which characters I connect and which characters are one-dimensionally
uninteresting. Therefore, hubris or not, I'm in!

Since I will be reviewing scores of books here, I decided to dive into
a variety of novel-reading challenges. I never knew what those were
and Pearl and Colette kindly informed me. Challenges are self-imposed
contests in which you read a varied number of books which meet a
variety of criteria. I have signed up for eleven challenges: historical
novels, romances, 100+ novels/year, contemporary romance, mystery/
suspense,Wish-I'd-Read-That, Take Another Chance, 451 Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge, and Speculative Fiction.

I'll be reviewing the books I've read here and putting them into the appropriate challenge.

Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day!

So She Wants to Have Cancer

2009-12-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

One of my Twitter friends suggested I read a blog (rawarrior.com) and
respond to a comment made by a respondee named Heather. My friend was upset and wanted my reaction.

I read Heather's comments days ago and I'm still fuming. Furthermore,
I read the blogger's reaction to the response I left and found intense
ignorance and flippancy that still makes me grind my teeth.
Heather, the respondee, and Kelly, the blogger who writes RAwarrior,
were trying to tell people how miserable their existences are because
they have Rheumatoid Arthritis. They emphasized that having a terminal
disease would be a better alternative to having essentially a life
sentence of intense pain. They suggested bone cancer as a "nice"
alternative.

I feel steam escaping my ears! I am furious.

When I was eleven years old, I got very sick, running a high fever for
many days--scarlet fever. Eventually the fever left, but my perfect
eleven year old joints had changed. I was left with rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) and a childhood in which I struggled through
increasingly painful joints as the RA deteriorated many of them. My
ability to do many of the things I wanted to do lessened with time. My
life direction was rerouted when, at seventeen, my dream of joining
the US Navy ended with knees so destroyed that surgery was required on
one to clean out bone fragments just so I could partially bend it.
When my friends went to Grad Nite after high school and onto
recruiting offices, I went into Orthopedic Hospital for what was then
experimental surgery. I spent the next year of my life on crutches and
in more pain than prior to the surgery.

I have lived most of my life with RA. I have lived most of my life
dealing with severe pain. I have lived most of my life with decreasing
mobility. I have spent NONE of my life wanting cancer. I have spent
NONE of my life wishing for death.

Five years ago, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. I had a partial
hysterectomy. Because of the way my legs were bent during that
surgery, I was unable to straighten my leg and walking became very,
very difficult even with a walker. No, I didn't want to die. I wanted
to live, pain and all.

Last year, I was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast
cancer. Painful injections, biopsies, and ultimately a mastectomy led
to chemo therapy. Chemo therapy deserves it's reputation. It is
horrible. I went through 5 months of chemo and was getting ready for
radiation. That didn't happen. Two weeks after I finished chemo, my
immune system which was already compromised by RA shut down and I
ended up with almost fatal systemic blood poisoning.
Heather and Kelly, I didn't wish for death. I fought like hell to
live. It was an almost two-month hospital battle and I've been mostly
bed ridden ever since. Yet, pain and all, I want to live and I want to
have as normal a life as I can.

How dare you speak so cavalierly about those of us who face the
battles for survival because of cancer. I can be mean-spirited and
wish you your cancer. But, rather than do that, I wish you compassion
for your fellow man, the ability to see beyond your own disability and
suffering to understand that others are worse off than you and don't
whine about it; and finally, I wish your families and you relief from
your self pity.

You have let your disease define and limit who you are. I refuse to do
that.

For all who have read this blog, which today has been a rant, never
let adversity define who you are and never let it make you give up
hope. My mother used to say, "Where there's life, there's hope."
I hope for all of you a good and healthy life.

Review: When His Kiss is Wicked

2009-11-29T08:37:00.001-08:00

I've just completed Kaitlin O'Riley's, When His Kiss is Wicked, the
first book in a series of possibly five books about the Hamilton sisters.

The story takes place in London as society adjusts to it's social
mores moving from Regency England to a more liberal Victorian England.
It follows the eldest sister, Colette, in her struggle to be a woman
in Trade, working in her now-dead father's book shop.

Lucien, Lord Waverly is the hero who at the book's beginning is mired
in Regency beliefs about the place of women in society. His transition
toward a more enlightened Victorian gentleman occurs throughout the
book.

At the beginning, Lucien enters Hamilton's Book Shoppe with the
intention of buying books to read to his father who was incapacitated
by a stroke. When he had last been there, the proprietor, a middle-
aged man had helped him. However, upon this visit he met the former
owner's daughter, Colette, who has taken over it's management after
her father's death.

The two, Lucien and Colette are immediately drawn to each other and
their relationship begins.

I enjoyed the book, appreciating how well the difficulties in a
woman's changing roles in society were examined.

The secondary characters were nicely developed, their parts in the
plot development well-placed. As the reader I learned to care for
these supporting characters and found myself anxious to know what
would happen to them.

I give the book a 4.8/5. I couldn't put it down, reading through the
night to find out how Lucien and Colette resolved their differences.

I Thought This Disease Was Dead

2009-11-28T02:35:00.000-08:00

My youngest son developed a high fever last weekend. Then came a sore
throat. A day later, spots. My first thought was Chicken Pox. But
this is the person whom I exposed to chicken pox when he was 4 and 5
when his cousins and friends had the disease. He never caught it. So
when the vaccine came out, I figured why bother since he obviously has
a natural immunity. Anyway, no one gets chicken pox anymore. No one
except my son. This Thanksgiving weekend will go down in family
history as another strange weekend.

I love Thanksgiving weekend, but maybe I shouldn't. Two years ago we
had the Great Gravy Disaster when four cups of beautifully perfect
turkey gravy was dropped from our prep table and fell to the floor
covering everything from the ceiling to the cabinets and drawers and
floor. We were cleaning for hours. We found previously undiscovered
gravy hiding places months later. Another Thanksgiving, I was 5-1/2
months pregnant. That weekend, I miscarried. That was an emotionally
crushing experience I'll never completely get over.

...Now chicken pox. Maybe I'll learn to like Halloween better and have
turkey and all the fixings after Trick or Treat.

Now we enter the Holiday Season. My family will be together again in
three weeks. That will be a wonderful time. I hope your holidays are
full of family, happiness, good health, and love.

Thanks for stopping by...

Now Reading

2009-11-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

I am just beginning Kaitlin O'Riley's
When His Kiss Is Wicked. It is a Regency novel, one of my favorite
romance genres. I'll review it in a few days.

Candle In The Window

2009-11-27T02:26:00.000-08:00

I just completed Christina Dodd's Candle In the Window. It was a beautiful love story of two people who had little in common and seemed completely mismatched except for a shared trait, their blindness. Saura, the heroine was blind from birth and due to the diligence of her mother and maid, Maud, learned to function as well as a sighted woman--so well, in fact, people who didn't know would never have suspected her handicap.

William was blinded in battle. Though the reader can sense that he will regain his sight eventually, it his trip through his handicap along with Saura's help that cements their relationship.

Threats to the couple are a side plot of suspence which moves the relationship along and keep the reader guessing throughout the book. The resolution is not a big surprise, but it is well done and not an insult to the reader's intelligence. There are no extraordinary, magical escapes, nor complex, unrealistic explanations. There is a logical conclusion which proves Saura's value to William, because of the skills she honed in her blindness.

The secondary characters were well developed and a varied group which helped detail life in a medieval castle. One character, Raymond, gets his own book, Castles In the Air. These are stand-alone books. I read them out of sequence and will reread Castles In the Air since I now know Raymond's backstory.

I give Candle In the Window a 4.8/5 rating. It's a lovely book, rich in medieval history, suspense, and romance. Miss Dodd's writing is once again captivating.

Rearrange Furniture

2009-11-23T00:09:00.001-08:00

We've lived in the same house since 1979. My sons call it the Old Homestead because it's the house in which they were raised.

There is something uniquely different about our house: once something enters its space, it becomes a permanent captive and never leaves again. I married one and raised a family of packrats. My oldest two sons moved out years ago, yet their closets are exactly the same as when they lived here. I was told to keep everything as is.

One of the most "lived in" rooms in my house is the family room. At this moment it looks like a tornado followed by a hurricane hit it. It needs reorganizing and stuff has to GO. There are stacks of clutter everywhere. In the midst are my dogs' toys, blankets, pillows, etc., which they insist on dragging into their favorite room.

I think it would be easier to move to a different house than it is to rearrange 8 pieces of furniture. I know just how I want the room. I've visualized it for over three months. It's too bad I can't interest anyone else in my vision.

It's frustrating to be disabled. It's doubly frustrating to NOT be able to do things by myself that I used to do. If I was still capable, the family room would have been done last August.

I have not given up hope...yet my hope is growing dim. I'll let you know if my vision becomes a reality!

Cast Iron Pizza Pan

2009-11-22T04:46:00.001-08:00

My latest obsession is kitchenware whether gadgets, tools or cookware.
After cooking since I was eleven, I've found that cooking has lost its
magic. I concluded that the magic was gone because I've been using the
same tried and true stuff as I always did. Time for a change!
Being wheelchair bound and therefore no longer able to work off my
counters, the first things I had to buy were items that allowed me to
cook from a prep table that was at a good working level for me. First
purchases: portable electric grill, portable electric griddle, toaster/
baking oven, and portable electric burners.
Next purchase was a cast iron skillet. Le grand experiment. It was
love at first cook. No more pouring off excess grease from browning
meat--the pan absorbs it. No more braising meats and having to
transfer them into another pat for roasting--the cast iron skillet
goes from cooktop to oven.
The next cast iron experiment was a pizza pan. The pan was said to be
perfect for the task--5 star rated on Amazon. I bought it and tried a
store-bought Digiorno four-cheese pizza. The results were amazing. The
pizza was evenly cooked and the crust was nicely golden and crisp
throughout. The pizza rivaled any takeout and went one step better:
it was hot!

I have some new enamel-lined Dutch ovens coming. After that? Who
knows...

Welcome to my blog

2009-11-21T23:18:00.001-08:00

This is my debut venture into the blogosphere. I rarely have nothing
to say and usually have my family's eyes crossing as I wax eloquent
and sometimes not so eloquent about topics that move me, books that
I've read, kitchen products that were helpful, and anything referring
to my pets.
As I write my first post, I ponder how significantly life has been
changed by the Internet. Not a new thought, but one which strikes me
daily.
Through the marvel that is social networking, such as my very
favorite, Twitter, Facebook, etc., I have met and converse with people
worldwide. Some share my love of romance novels, others my fascination
with Scotland, still others my obsession with my two toy poodles, and
others who share my health problems, my love of family and country.
My hope for this blog, which my son Mike set up for me, is to share my
myriad thoughts which come from the many voices in my head and thus
the name vox capita.
I can't guarantee that I'll blog everyday, but I'll try
Thanks for checking in friend.