Booking Through Thursday - Collectibles

Hardcover? Or paperback?
Illustrations? Or just text?
First editions? Or you don’t care?
Signed by the author? Or not?

I really really like Hardcover. However, due to space limitations, and expense I usually buy paperback or eBooks. Of the hardcovers that I do own - well, I went to the manufacturer that the library uses for those clear plastic covers, ordered some, and covered all my hardcovers so the dust jackets don't rip. I am one of those obsessive persons that don't break the spine or crease the pages of her books.

Illustrations are good in non-fiction books. But, I don't like them in my fiction books. Unless it is a family tree or map. I love photographs in my non-fiction books - just seems to bring the book to life.

I don't care about first editions. They are great to have, but I don't go out of my way to find them. I collect books - but they are books that I enjoy reading. I am not an avid collector of rare or old books. Although I do have a few books that were my grandfather's that I will never part with. They are the old leather bound hardcovers of Black Beauty, Bambi (the real version - not the child's book), Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights.

I do have a few books that are signed by the author - but they have usually been free books that I won at one of their contests, and they sent me the book signed. I don't get my books signed because we don't have many signings in Cincinnati. However, Lori Foster does a wonderful convention here in the Spring - I am hoping to go this year and maybe I will get some signatures there. About 80 to 100 authors show up.

To read more Booking Through Thursday response - go here.

Booking Through Thursday - Collectibles

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/booking-through-thursday-collectibles.html

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Alessandra that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

I only checked out two books this week. Still trying to get caught up with the other books that I have out.

Star Bright by Catherine Anderson. Faking her own death is the only way Rainie Hall can hope to escape her brutal, murderous husband. Now, with a new identity, she finds refuge in the rural community of Crystal Falls, Oregon, where she starts work on a horse ranch run by rugged, dangerously good-looking Parker Harrigan. (Blurb from back of book)

The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs. The Ocean Between Us is a powerful novel of love, duty and second chances. Susan Wiggs deftly portrays the struggles and triumphs of an American family facing life's greatest challenges as they come to understand the timeless lessons of the heart. (From the front cover of the book)

That's it...what have you checked out from the library??

To see what others have received - click on the link.

Library Loot

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/library-loot_25.html

On Mystic Lake - Kristin Hannah

Title: On Mystic Lake
Author: Kristin Hannah
Publisher: Crown
Published: 1999
Pages: 322
Genre: Women's Fiction/Romance

I really don't want to do this review - I don't think I can do the book justice because of my personal feelings about marriage and infidelity. However, I am going to try to give it a go.

First let me say what I liked about the book. Annie is a woman who no longer knows who she is. After 20 years of being the best wife and mother she knew how to be, her daughter leaves for a trip to London and her husband asks her for a divorce. She does the only thing she can think of - she goes to her childhood home, Mystic, to find her way in the world again. I liked the fact that Annie discovered that she was just a doormat for her husband. She spent 20 years making sure he had the perfect home, smoothed things over with his neglect of his daughter, and she even picked out his clothes!! However, during her few months in Mystic she realizes what a dunce she has been. I find it odd that she didn't realize her husband was having affairs for 10 years.

Then there is Nick, Annie's childhood best friend and sweetheart. He has experienced some devastation in his life - his wife has killed herself, and his 6-year-old daughter hasn't spoken a word since then and believes she is disappearing. He has drowned his hurt and guilt for the past 9 months in alcohol. Nick's emotions came through in Kristin Hannah's descriptive writing. You could feel his pain and it makes you want to jump right in and help him. Which is what Annie does - almost as soon as she arrives in Mystic. She convinces Nick to seek help and she steps into the role of mother for his daughter. (Sounds like she is still taking care of people). She goes from not wanting to just being a caretaker of her husband...to being a caretaker of Nick and his daughter...doesn't make sense to me.

So, that is what I liked - Annie's journey to self-discovery and Kristin Hannah's beautiful descriptive writing style.

On to the personal aspect of it. In the beginning, when Annie's husband asks for a divorce, she practically begs him to wait three months before making any decisions. She feels sure that he will come back to her and give up the other woman. Yet, during those three months that her husband is deciding whether to come back or not - she decides to have an affair with Nick...what???!! I mean, if she wants to get on with her life - then let her husband get on with his life too. I just don't like stories where there is infidelity. Now I don't mean books where there has been infidelity, divorce, and then the hero or heroine gets on with their life. I just have a hard time where the infidelity is the romance of the story.

I won't spoil the story and say whether or not she gets back with her husband...but the events that lead up to the ending...well, I really didn't like that either. Also, we never really find out what Annie wanted to move on to...it is mentioned that she might like to own her own little bookstore...but then it also mentioned that she liked writing. So, I felt that was not explored enough.

Oh well, to balance out my unenthusiastic response to this story - I do have to say that 77 people at Amazon gave this book a rating of 5. I am not giving up on this author - it takes more than one book to do that, I just didn't particularly care for the romance of this book.

Rating: 1.75/5
Pages: 322
Completed: 2/20/09

On Mystic Lake - Kristin Hannah

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/title-on-mystic-lake-author-kristin.html

If You Dare - Kresley Cole

Title: If You Dare
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Pocket
Published: 2005
Pages: 349
Genre: Historical/Romance
Series: MacCarrick Trilogy

This is the first book in Kresley Cole's MacCarrick Trilogy. I enjoyed the book - it was a fun read. Court is darkly dangerous and lives life on the edge - he and his brothers believe their family is cursed - the line will end with them because death and torment will affect anyone who gets involved with them. He is a sinfully sexy Scot and definitely a ruthless mercenary.

I found Annalia to be haughty and somewhat bigoted at first, but she does grow on you, and I discovered that she had courage and a strength of character that I liked. She does discover that she has a narrow view of the world and maybe her prejudices are wrong. Determined to see her brother set free, she agrees to marry the evil Pascal who has imprisoned Aleix in his home.

In response to Pascal ordering Court's death, Court escapes and exacts revenge by kidnapping Annalia and tries to free her brother. However, things don't go according to plan. He wasn't able to free Aleix, so the whole time Court spends protecting Annalia - she spends trying to escape and go back to Pascal. Soon they realize that Pascal has ordered the death of both of them and they ban together to stay alive.

It was a fast-paced adventure story with a little bit of mystery surrounding the curse, passion the was sizzling hot, and even though they had a "happily ever after" you are not quite sure how they were going to get there.

Rating: 3/5
Pages: 349
Completed: 2/18/09

If You Dare - Kresley Cole

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/if-you-dare-kresley-cole.html

Virgin River - Robyn Carr

Title: Virgin River
Author: Robyn Carr
Published: 2007
Publisher: Mira
Pages: 416
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Virgin River Series - Book #1

Yay!!! I have found a new to me author that I absolutely love and has jumped to my automatic buy list!! I had heard so much about this book and this series that I went to the author's website and joined her Yahoo group. After all the recommendations there - I just had to try the book - and I am so glad I did. This is a great, feel good, contemporary romance series. I immediately connected with all the characters and wanted to know more about their lives and what would happen next. I just couldn't wait to get back to Virgin River whenever I had to put the book down and deal with life. I am so glad this is a series and some of the secondary characters are going to get their own story. Not only is this a romance, but there was a smattering of intrigue, a few teary-eyed spots, and side stories that only enhanced the story.

Robyn Carr captures the emotions and struggle of recovery after the death of a loved one. Her characters are three dimensional, and she makes you feel like you are part of the story. Virgin River is a town full of vibrant people and their stories make you want to return again and again.

Nurse practitioner and midwife Mel Monroe needs a change of scenery. After a violent act took her husband, she decides to leave the fast-paced atmosphere of Los Angeles and move to Virgin River. She answers the call to be an assistant to the local doctor there, where she will receive rent-free accommodations and believes she will get the peace and quiet she has been looking for. However, upon her arrival - she realizes things are quite different from what she was lead to believe. The doctor does not want an assistant, her rent-free cabin is falling down, and the town didn't come close to the pictures she was sent. Believing that she made a huge mistake, she made the decision to leave the next morning and go to her sister's in Colorado. However, the morning brings a change of plans when she sees an abandoned baby left on the doorstep.

Mel left Los Angeles to find a place to escape - yet what she ends up finding is the courage and strength within herself to face challenges she has never faced before, and to let go of the past and move forward with her life. Along the way of this incredible journey, she meets Jack, the local bar owner. His patience, compassion, and strength help Mel find herself again and possibly a love far greater than she has ever known.

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 416
Completed: 2/17/09

Virgin River - Robyn Carr

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/virgin-river-robyn-carr.html

Library Loot

Library Loot is hosted by Eva and Alessandra. Each week participants post about what they have checked out from the library. I love our local library - everyone is so nice there and they have no trouble ordering books for me that they don't have.

I have checked out three books this week - but have already returned one of them.

Dead Sexy by Amanda Ashley which I have reviewed on my blog here.

Under the Highlander's Spell by Donna Flectcher. She is a "new to me author," but I can't resist a good Highlander book. Zia is a talented healer that has been branded a witch by local villagers. Artair saves her from the stake and swears to protect her - even if that means pretending to be her husband.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. This is another "new to my author," but I have heard so many good things about her. Jayne Ann Krentz say that it is: "A haunting, evocative tale of love lost and found. A glowing, deeply felt tribute to the triumphant possibilities of self-discovery, personal growth, and change."

Well, that is my loot for the week - what did you get? To read about other bloggers' loot - go here.

Library Loot

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/library-loot.html

Dead Sexy - Amanda Ashley

Title: Dead Sexy
Author: Amanda Ashley
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 2007
Pages: 353
Genre: Paranormal/Vampire/Werewolf

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On one hand - it is a good story involving Santiago who is the Master Vampire of the city and Regan, a vampire hunter. There is a killer on the loose - killing both vampires and humans, leaving their bodies ravaged and drained of blood. Being a vampire hunter, Regan is called in to help with the investigation. However, a vampire might be her best ally. Soon, Regan becomes the next target of the killer and the only one able to help her is Santiago, Master Vampire.

This story is set in the future, however that is not emphasized a great deal. I love Santiago. He is the Master Vampire of the city with many paranormal abilities. I love vampires that have great strength, able to control the beast that is inside them, ability to shift in all forms, alpha all the way! Regan, on the otherhand, is not my favorite heroine. All through the book, she keeps complaining and harping on the subject of Santiago having to drink blood to sustain his life - she just can't seem to get past it. When Santiago asks whether she would want to either become a werewolf or a vampire - she answers - werewolf. Now, Amanda Ashley's werewolves kill humans and eat them. How could Regan find that more appealing than Santiago's "affliction?"

The book has a warm romance between Regan and Santiago, great suspense, and intrigue. It was an enjoyable read - just didn't click with the heroine. I still want to read more of her books because I really enjoyed the first two that I read!!

Rating: 2.75/5
Pages: 353
Completed: 2/12/09

Dead Sexy - Amanda Ashley

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/dead-sexy-amanda-ashley.html

Tribute - Nora Roberts

Title: Tribute
Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Putnam
Published: 2008
Pages: 392
Genre: Romantic Suspense

One of my all time favorite authors is Nora Roberts. Yesterday Katiebabs wrote a post about Nora and gave some statistics on the highlights of her life. A couple of them include writing over 170 novels and 22 of them hitting No. 1 - more than any other author. She is amazing - and she doesn't fail with this latest book either.

Tribute is romantic suspense story that really keeps you guessing who the villain is until the last few pages (at least it did for me). I loved the two main characters - Cilla and Ford - their relationship was realistic and moved along at a pace that was believable. Ford is a graphic novelist who is a little bit of a nerd. However, his outlook on life is one of optimism and he doesn't take things too seriously. His patience with Cilla and understanding of who she is, I think, is the highlight of their relationship. Cilla is somewhat vulnerable due to her upbringing, but she has a strength to her that you don't feel pity for her. She is somewhat amazed that Ford truly gets her when no one else in her life ever did.

I loved all the characters in this book - I got emotionally connected as much with the secondary characters as I did with the main ones. I enjoyed the way Nora Roberts wove in the mechanics of restoring an old house as well as the how to of writing a graphic novel. Not only was the story about rebuilding a home, but rebuilding a life - remaking yourself. The writing was crisp, the suspense was engaging, and the passion was slow-building.

Cilla is a former child star trying to remake herself and has found it working with her hands to restore homes. Her biggest project will be to restore her grandmother's farmhouse. Her grandmother was the famous Janet Hardy who died of an overdose in that very house more than thirty years ago. Janet had a history of throwing glamorous parties and engaging in decadent affairs. However, someone doesn't want the house restored...someone who goes to great lengths in order to get Cilla to quit and go back to Hollywood.

Ford is Cilla's sexy neighbor - who with one look at Cilla - decides to base his next graphic novel character on her. Not only does he want to include her in his book, but in his life as well. However, Cilla is afraid of a relationship - so many of hers in the past have failed. But with humor, understanding, and an ugly dog, Ford starts to get under her skin and she finds it difficult to turn her back on love. Will their relationship get off the ground or will the evil stalking Cilla result in her life cut short just like her grandmother's?

Rating: 4/5
Pages: 392
Completed: 2/11/09

Tribute - Nora Roberts

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/tribute-nora-roberts.html

Tallchief - Dinah McCall (Sharon Sala)

Title: Tallchief
Author: Dinah McCall (Sharon Sala)
Publisher: HarperTorch
Published: 1997
Pages: 375
Genre: Contemporary Romance

I know I have been giving out a bunch of 4's and 5's lately, but I have been reading some really good books. I have said this before, I am not a professional reviewer, I just write about what the book means to me. There are those out there that write reviews that should be posted on publishers websites, or in book review sections of the newspaper, or Romantic Times Magazine. Me? I just write about my impressions of a book. Simplistic and personal. Well, enough about that...on to my impressions about the book I just finished reading.

This is another book that I absolutely loved. Although, I do have to mention that Native American books are one of my favorite genres to read. And I believe that Sharon Sala is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Tallchief is a contemporary romance filled with betrayal, forgiveness, new beginnings, suspense, intrigue, and a love that stands the test of time. I immediately fell in love with Morgan Tallchief. At seventeen, he had it all...a future full of promise and a once in a lifetime love. At thirty-three he is a man tortured by his past, simply existing not really living, and empty, unwilling to feel anything again.

Kathleen was the woman who owned Morgan's heart in high school. Then one evening she died in a fire and Morgan was unable to save her. Sixteen years later the impossible happens - Kathleen walks back into Morgan's life bringing with her a danger that has kept them apart. Can they overcome the lies and deceit? Will the life-threatening danger tear them apart again?

Debbie Macomber states that Tallchief is "a spellbinding story of love that leaves the reader yearning for more." And I couldn't agree more. Tissues are definitely a must for this read.

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 375
Completed: 2/8/09

Tallchief - Dinah McCall (Sharon Sala)

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/tallchief-dinah-mccall-sharon-sala.html

Daring the Moon - Sherrill Quinn

Title: Daring the Moon
Author: Sherrill Quinn
Publisher: Kensington Brava
Published: 2009
Pages: 245
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Werewolf

While not her first book, this is Sherrill Quinn's debut novel with publisher Kensington Brava. The Brava line is Kensington's hotter, steamier, romance novels, classified as erotic/sensual romance. Lori Foster and Lucy Monroe are just a couple of the authors that write for this line.

Daring the Moon is an evocative story that will have you on a roller coaster ride of emotions - passion that will scorch you - and suspense that will keep you sitting on the edge of your seat. It is a fast-paced book that draws you in from the first paragraph to the last. Sherrill Quinn's werewolves give a new twist to the old legends. Her writing is deliciously descriptive and her characters are engaging.

I wrote a brief description of the story on my Mailbox Monday post - here.

Ryder is a tortured soul and you just want to reach out and take away his pain and suffering. However, when his loved ones are threatened - he is all alpha - ready to protect them with his life. Taite is a strong character also. Her investigative skills are legendary, yet the evil that follows her has her terrified. There is a vulnerability to her that makes Ryder want to protect her, yet her stubborn streak definitely keeps him in line. She is brave in the face of danger, yet she doesn't overshadow the strength and determination in Ryder. Then there is Declan, a secondary character in the book, who is compassionate, dedicated, and an alpha himself. We get enough of a background and a picture of who is to keep us intrigued until his story comes out in the next book!

Can you tell I loved this book? LOL. It is definitely on my reread shelf for those nights that I want to curl up in a blanket and get lost in a world of intrigue, breathtaking passion, and yummy alpha werewolves.

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 245
Completed: 2/2/09

Daring the Moon - Sherrill Quinn

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/daring-moon-sherrill-quinn.html

Booking Through Thursday

Here's this weeks Booking Through Thursday event hosted by Deb.

Have you ever been put off an author’s books after reading a biography of them? Or the reverse - a biography has made you love an author more?

I usually am not put off by an author's biography - most of them only touch on the good points about the author. However, there were newsworthy events that happened that put me off a two particular authors.

I have been wanting to try Janet Daley's books until I heard that she plagiarized Nora Roberts in several of her books. Now, Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors - so naturally I am upset about this. This did happen quite some time ago - you can read about it here and here. However, if she did it before - there is a possibility she might do it again!

More recently a report of plagiarism was associated with Cassie Edwards - you can read about it here. So she is probably an author I won't read as well. She states that she didn't know she had to give credit to her resources when she takes the information and places them in her books word for word. I mean, for crying out loud, we were told that in grade school - quote your sources and give credit where credit is due!!

So, it is not only their biographies I look at - but their actions as well.

Booking Through Thursday

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/booking-through-thursday.html

Sizzle and Burn - Jayne Ann Krentz

Title: Sizzle and Burn
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Putnam
Published: 2008
Pages: 359
Genre: Suspense/Romance

Sizzle and Burn is the third book in Jayne Ann Krentz's Arcane Society series. The Arcane Society is a secret organization of humans with paranormal abilities. They not only study paranormal phenomena, but they also hunt the Nightshade operatives who are willing to do anything to get their hands on a secret formula that will enhance their psychic abilities so they can dominate and take over the world. Even though this is part of series - I believe that she gives enough information that it can be read as a standalone.

Zach is an investigator for the Society and is called a para-hunter with the ability to see visions from touching objects. He is sent to Washington to investigate the disappearance of a Society scientist. This puts Raine right in the middle of the investigation.

Raine is a psychic who hears voices. She has been working the last eighteen months with the Oriana PD solving cold cases. When she meets Zach, she is immediately put on the defensive when she finds out that he works for the Society. Her father used to work for the Society as a scientist. When they found out he was working on perfecting the "formula," they destroyed his lab and he was killed. However, despite her hatred of the people she believes killed her father, she agrees to help Zach with his investigation. In return, he promises to help look into the death of her Aunt.

"As a killer makes her his target, and a cabal of psychic criminals known as Nightshade operates in the shadows surrounding them, Raine and Zach must rely not only on their powerful abilities but on each other as well."

I have enjoyed all the Arcane Society novels, and this one didn't disappoint. Zach is one of those understated heroes that didn't come on too strong, but when faced with danger, and when protecting Raine was essential - his alpha personality and commanding presence came to the forefront. Raine sometimes dwelled on her past too much, but I liked that she didn't cower behind Zach. She was determined and was a nice compliment to Zach and his paranormal abilities. All in all, a great read.

Rating: 3.75/5
Pages: 359
Completed: 2/3/09

Sizzle and Burn - Jayne Ann Krentz

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/sizzle-and-burn-jayne-ann-krentz.html

Mailbox Monday - February 2nd

Mailbox Monday is hosted by The Printed Page. This is an event where we discuss what books we have received in the mail this past week.

I don't receive many books in the mail, but last week I was gifted with an autographed book from author Sherrill Quinn!! Thank you so much Sherrill and I am enjoying it so much - The cover is drool worthy and it has been and excellent read so far.

Daring the Moon by Sherrill Quinn is a Kensington Brava new release. One of the reviews she received describes this book as..."Sexy. Primal. Irresistibly male. Sherrill Quinn's breathtaking new novel introduces heroes who are definitely in a pack of their own..."

The blurb on the back of the book is quite lengthy - but in a nutshell - Taite Gibson is being stalked by an enormous, snarling werewolf. She is convinced that she needs to seek out Ryder Merrick who is a reclusive British horror writer and an expert on werewolves. Ryder lives on a remote island where he can live "safely with the beast inside him, unable to harm others or himself." The only way to keep Taite safe "from the evil that's followed her here is to convince her to trust in an attraction that's deeply dangerous, and wilder than she ever guessed..."

I can't wait to finish reading this - and I'll post my review as soon as I am done.

What books came into your home this past week? Don't forget to leave your link at The Printed Page.

Mailbox Monday - February 2nd

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/mailbox-monday-february-2nd.html