December 2007

Books read in 2007: 27
Books started and never finished in 2007: 3 [The Wonder Spot (lost the book), The First Five Pages (couldn't stand the pretentiousness), and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (too damn long)]
Books I'm reading now: 1 (The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes)
Books written in 2007: 1
Books sold in 2007: 0
ETA for Marcia, Short stories sold in 2007: 2 ("Love In Shadow" and "Cat In The Mist")

And here are the books I read, most recently first, and a little about what I thought of them:

Must Love Mistletoe
by Christie Ridgway

Great story—I thought I’d be picking up a sugary-sweet low-on-drama Christmas read, but I was surprised to find developed back-stories, realistic dramas, and hard-hitting emotions. In fact, my only complaint about the book is that there are some pieces of drama and back-story I felt like didn’t completely get resolved. Overall though, I loved it. Cute and funny, but also touching and dramatic. Great read!

The Devil Inside
by Jenna Black

Let me preface all of this by saying I LOVED this. I sat down and read it all in one day.

But I don’t think everyone will love it. It deals with tough issues of religion and sex, and there are some difficult scenes. All of them are very well done and treated expertly, but they’re still hard to read sometimes.

At the core, I think this is a story about power more than anything—power in human relationships and power between our realm and the Demon Realm. What I appreciated most about the book was how Morgan’s struggle with the “higher powers” (demons, in this case) mirrors a religious struggle: Morgan can’t decide if it’s heroic or stupid to let a higher power take over. Sure it makes you stronger, but are you still you?

If you’re willing to explore some tough issues you may not have given much thought to, and have a wild Urban Fantasy ride at the same time, you’ll really enjoy The Devil Inside.

Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen

Honestly, it took me a while to get into this, but once I did, I really liked it. Austen leaves a lot to the imagination (tone of voice, etc.) but the savvy reader will pick up on it quickly. The love story, of course, was one of the best I’ve ever read.

Married Or Not? (Silhouette Desire)
by Annette Broadrick

The plot wasn’t so bad, but I didn’t like the writing style.

A Kiss to Die for (Leisure Historical Romance)
by Claudia Dain

You don’t often find romances willing to explore “timid” women, even in historicals. This Western historical romance tackles a timid woman who comes into her own by the end. In many ways, it’s not just a romance but also a coming of age story. Anne, the heroine, has a beautiful character arc and that was the part of the story I enjoyed reading most. Claudia Dain not only creates lovable characters, but characters that are accurate to their time period. This was a pleasure to read and I can’t wait to read Dain’s The Courtesan’s Daughter next!

Fancy Pants
by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I didn't write a review of this right after I finished it but I sort of wish I had. I remember I really liked the book, mostly on the basis of the characters. I've never read such well-developed characters in a romance novel before, and by the end I was so invested in them that I sort of didn't want the book to be over.

Raintree: Haunted (Silhouette Nocturne)
by Linda Winstead Jones

I liked this one better than I liked the first Raintree book, but other than that little tidbit, I don't remember much about it.

The Mommy Quest: The Luchetti Brothers (Harlequin Superromance No. 1334) (Superromance)
by Lori Handeland

I normally steer completely clear of books with "mommy" in the title and covers with little boys on them, but this one won some kind of award so I read it. And actually enjoyed it. The hero and heroine managed to be concerned for the little boy involved and still be in love with each other. Not bad, not bad at all.

The Leopard Prince
by Elizabeth Hoyt

I read one review of this that said Harry Pye (the hero) was awesome but Lady Georgina (the heroine) was boring. I beg to differ. I mean, truly, it is Harry Pye’s story. He’s even the subject of the title (debatably—He is SYMBOLICALLY the leopard prince). Still, I enjoyed reading Lady Georgina just as much as reading Harry Pye. I thought she was a compelling heroine, especially given the difficult situation of being gentry in love with a commoner. Great story, lots of politics and class issues, good villains, and even some really great funny moments. I enjoyed it very much!

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (P.S.)
by Marya Hornbacher

I’m sad that anyone would feel so bad about herself that she would abuse her body this way, but at the same time, I see a lot of the same neuroses in myself. Just a little shove, or a little bit different circumstances in my life might have pushed me this way. In the end, I’m glad to have read this. It makes me think harder about the way I think of and treat my body, and the way I think of other women. A point I got from this book is that we women are too hard on each other. Instead of comparing diets and pants sizes, maybe we ought to be just loving each other.

Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence
by Gavin De Becker

I really do think the world would be a better place if everyone read this book. It connects you to violence in a sometimes disturbing way, but the overall message is one of empowerment. I admit to being more afraid than I was before I read this book, until I got to the last chapter on dismissing the kinds of fear that you don’t need: worry, paranoia, and anxiety. Now I feel safe in the knowledge that I wi ll prevent the violence I can, and live without worry of what I can’t prevent. I know my life will be better for having read this book.

Montana Sky
by Nora Roberts

Loved it! But how could you not love a family saga with lots of love and adventure and mystery? Plus the setting was gorgeous. I’m hopping a plane to Montana next chance I get.

The Millionaire's Indecent Proposal (Silhouette Desire)
by Emilie Rose

So far, this is my favorite Emilie Rose and my favorite Desire yet. Not only was it super sensual, but the setting was gorgeously done and I LOVED the hero. Great story, great relationship, and lovely conclusion!

The Husband Trap: A Novel
by Tracy Anne Warren

At first I must admit I was skeptical about the premise of this book: a mistaken identity. This can sometimes be a death knell, in that a mistaken identity doesn’t often provide enough conflict for a full story. I have to say, though, I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself turning pages and reading for longer than I prudently should have at a time. (Sorry, boss.) I enjoyed the characters and the plot and thought that there was plenty of conflict and enough reasons to make it believable. Well done!

The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell
by Samantha James

I enjoyed reading the story of Anne and Simon’s marriage based on one scandalous kiss. I like that they got caught right away and forced into marriage. So often that doesn’t happen in Regencies. I did like the characters in general, though their inner monologues started repeating about halfway through the book. It got just a bit old. Overall, an enjoyable read with a lot of really nice chemistry between the characters.

Bite Me If You Can (Avon Romance)
by Lynsay Sands

I had a great time following the adventure of a newly turned vampire and her prickly vampire protector. Funny and sexy, without really venturing into the land of chick lit, this was a satisfying read with a lot of great moments.

Urban Shaman
by C.E. Murphy

Action-packed with a really fun heroine. I’ve never read a book quite like this and I enjoyed it very much. My only complaint is that sometimes the metaphysical battles were a little hard to follow. All around great read though!

Dead End Dating: A Novel of Vampire Love
by Kimberly Raye

I thought this was a fun and playful take on the vampire universe. I enjoyed the voice of the protagonist and had a few laugh-out-loud moments. My only complaint is one that I have about most chick-lit: There’s no neatly tied up Happily Ever After! Still, great fun for a quick summer read.

Over The Moon (Paranormal Anthology) (Includes Mageverse #7, Wyndham Werewolves & Queen Betsy; Monere #3)(Berkley Sensation)
by Angela Knight, MaryJanice Davidson, Virginia Kantra, and Sunny

This was a fun little anthology. I especially loved Virginia Kantra’s beautiful portrayal of the faery kingdom and MaryJanice Davidson’s hilarious were-vamp match. Fun read, but be prepared for a huge cross-section of styles!

Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up
by Ellen Dugan

Good book. Learned a lot and it made me want to dig around in the yard.

Raintree: Inferno (Nocturne)
by Linda Howard

Exciting, sexy, and entertaining! I loved both of the main characters and the world that’s been created for this series. It’s intriguing and well done.

My only complaint is that there is a HUGE cliff-hanger at the end. I prefer my books neatly wrapped up, even if they are intended to be a series.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell

When I picked up this book, I was hoping by the end that I would be better equipped to make those “thinking without thinking” sort of judgments more reliably. While there was a lot of interesting and thought provoking stuff in the book, I felt like I missed the “meat” I was after, in that there was no lesson in how to apply everything. Mostly, the book just prompted me to look further into other research, which Gladwell summarized in the book.

A Woman Scorned (Sonnet Books)
by Liz Carlyle

I know I can always count on Liz Carlyle for LOTS of sexual tension but nice and satisfying, ahem, resolutions. Great, exciting read. Can’t wait to read her more recent stuff!

Arrl Ham Radio License Manual: All You Need to Become an Amateur Radio Operator

What? I read it cover-to-cover so it counts.

And The Envelope, Please...: Ever After\An Affair To Remember\It Happened One Night (Harlequin Signature Select)
by Barbara Bretton, Emilie Rose, Isabel Sharpe

3 cute stories, great for reading around award show season. I particularly enjoyed the last one by Isabel Sharpe, but all of them were great!

Joining
by Johanna Lindsey

Maybe it’s just me, but of all the medievals I’ve read, they all seem to have a woman who doesn’t want to be a woman, and a man who will marry her anyway. I get how this pretty much has to happen in order for the modern reader to identify with the woman, since we are so culturally different, but it gets a bit tiresome.

On the plus side, the plot was a good one, if somewhat typical, and I enjoyed s eeing King John featured.

Wasn’t a bad book, just not one of my favorites.

Angels Fall
by Nora Roberts

Yep, a good old Nora Roberts book. I enjoyed it, as I do almost everything she writes. The scenery was breathtaking, as always, and I enjoyed her heroine very much. I felt like the hero got a little shortchanged in the character development department, but that may be just because the heroine had such a surplus of “character.” The mystery was a good one, crafted expertly, and kept me turning the pages. Nice winter read. Made me wish for spring in Wyoming.