"To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all of the miseries of life." W. Somerset Maugham

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Eyes of a Stranger (Carol Warburton)

The year is 1907, and Matthew Cameron has questions no one in his small Mormon settlement can answer. But answers come fast and furious when a man who looks eerily like Matthew saves him from a deadly attack. Rafael, the rescuer, may be charming, but he is also a ruthless exploiter. When Matthew refuses to cross a moral line, Rafael begins to destroy all that Matthew holds dear. Angry and alone-armed only with his unfailing belief in God-Matthew struggles to start a new life. Faced with a disturbing past, along with bitter racism in his new community, Matthew is surprised to find his sole defender is a beautiful, spirited young woman. Against the wishes of everyone around them, Matthew and Sabra begin to fall in love. When Sabra's life is jeopardized, Matthew must make some final choices: between love and hate, between right and wrong, and between life and death. Carol Warburton, master of LDS historical fiction, delivers a sweeping novel of suspense, adventure, and romance that is sure to keep readers breathlessly turning the pages of this unforgettable story.
This was a very good love story.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Forget Me Not (Michele Ashman Bell)

Dalton McNamara is returning to the country where he was held in brutal captivity, to the place where his leg was crudely amputated, to the land where his friends died. Dalton is on his way to Vietnam. But this time it will be different. This time his new wife Paige and his daughter Skyler are with him. Together, they are on a mission of healing and hope—a trip that will quickly become the adventure of a lifetime.
The McNamaras are in search of Skyler’s Vietnamese mother’s family, a journey that will wind them through a remote countryside where people still struggle to survive—even if it means working outside the law. Soon the Daltons discover that becoming too friendly with some people can be dangerous, even Lethal, especially if you are American.
I have really enjoyed this family's story and adventure. I am hoping there is a book 3 in this series to continue on with their adventures.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Key Trilogy Series (Nora Roberts)

Key Of Light

Fate brings three women together for a chance to unlock their deepest desires. Mallory has the soul of an artist and an eye for beauty. She must find the Key of Light -- on the first of three dangerous quests that could fulfill her destiny...or forever destroy her life.

Key Of Knowledge

Following hot on the heels of the first installment in Roberts's Key trilogy, this second book (following Key of Light) continues the story of three contemporary female friends chosen to free the souls of ancient demigoddesses called the Daughters of Glass. This time, the heroine is Dana Steele, a librarian who is sure that the key she's seeking lies in a book. As she begins her search, Dana renovates Indulgence, the gallery-cum-salon-cum-bookstore she is opening with her friends Malory Price and Zoe McCourt. She also spends sometimes passionate, sometimes vexing time with Jordan Hawke, the thriller writer who broke her heart years earlier when he abandoned her and their small Pennsylvania town of Pleasant Valley to seek fame in New York. Dana slowly realizes that the love they once felt for each other has not died-and that Jordan's writing is inextricably entwined with her supernatural quest. In the end, Jordan must join with Dana to fight the spells of the sorcerer Kane and fulfill the terms of her quest.


Key of Valor

Zoe is about to discover her true courageous spirit. She must find the key of valor--on the last of three dangerous quests that will force her to confront her darkest fears ... or suffer immeasurable loss.

A little let down by this series. I enjoyed the first one and was expecting more of the following two. The characters were okay but I had a hard time bonding with them.

Touch The Dark (Karen Chance)


Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with revenge in mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.

The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire- and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.

I really liked the story basis in this one. The author didn draw out some scenes and gave a little bit too much information (you start to feel bored) in some areas.

Sensual scene.

Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues (LuAnn McLane)


Despite her two left feet, waitress Abilene Harper joins a reality TV dance competition and cha-chas and rumbas her way into the heart of the TV audience-and into the arms of her sexy dance instructor.
I was a little disappointed in this book. I really enjoyed Redneck Cinderella so maybe I set myself up for the disappointment. This one was too involved in the physical attraction and didnt have quite as much humor.
Some sex scenes, obviously.

Sentinels: Jaguar Night (Doranna Durgin)


At dusk he prowled the Southwest, a huge, sleek black jaguar with startling blue eyes and a man's thoughts. A shape-shifting Sentinel, Dolan TreviƱo projected an intensely animalistic aura that hid the scars of his past. Yet as fierce as his pride was, this immensely powerful guardian needed the intuition and spirit of an innocent horse trainer to find redemption.The moment he set foot on her ranch, Meghan Lawrence rejected the shape-shifter's protection--but she couldn't turn her back on her family legacy. Her mother had died protecting a magical manuscript that the Sentinels' dark counterparts would now do anything to recover. With an unbreakable will and all-consuming passion, only Dolan possessed the strength to save Meghan. But was she strong enough to tame the beast within?

I liked the story but was disappointed with where it left off. It was definitely a book meant to build up to the next in the series.
Some sex.

Seducing The Viscount (Deborah Raleigh)


Illegitimacy is no obstacle for Ian Breckford. Darkly handsome and thoroughly charming, he has bedded his way through London's most exclusive society. Yet this pleasurable existence has lately seemed a trifle dull-a fact soon remedied by a visit to his father's estate, where his aunt has acquired a delightful new companion. Mercy Simpson may be shy, but she is also sharp-witted and stubborn, especially when persuading Ian to relieve her of her innocence.
Ian's arrival presents the opportunity for Mercy to experience uninhibited sensual adventure before she returns to her spinster life. Ian's extraordinary skill is everything she dreamed a lover might offer-and everything she can never hope to keep … unless her brazen seduction can ignite a true, lasting passion.

Not sure how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the characters. The basis for the story wasnt bad but it just didnt grab me like I prefer my books to.

Very sensual scenes!