Thursday, October 1, 2009

Quickie Reviews!



Thanks to everyone who stopped by my interview and contest with Emily Bryan this week. I will be announcing a winner shortly!

I've read a nice bushel of books recently, so I decided to include some quickie reviews today. And, might I suggest enjoying a nice Pumpkinhead Ale from the Shipyard Brewing Company while reading (in particular, Pumpkinnappers). I just couldn't resist purchasing this festive Autumn brew at my local liquor store. How totally cool is that packaging? 

In no particular order....

  • Father Mine by JR Ward (in The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide). Oh, how I miss Zsadist! That series just hasn't been the same since Lover Awakened. I bought this book for the short story about Zsadist, Bella and Nalla, their new daughter. Did I like it? I loved it! This is why I fell in love with this series...Z rocks, Bella is awesome, the secondary characters such as the dermatologist are fascinating. Most of all, the beauty of watching this big, scarred hero fall in love with his own daughter is perfection. I also love how Zsadist and Bella find their way back to each other and rekindle their love. Frankly, I'm not sure if JR Ward will ever be able to re-capture the magic after Zsadist. But I sure as hell hope she will. Grade: A
  • Pumpinnappers by Linda Banche. Didn't know that this was a quickie, nor did I realize that it was a "sweet" not "spicy" book...honest to God, I don't remember the last time I read a sweet romance novel (OK, I do remember, that would be never!). Nevertheless, I totally enjoyed this funny, extremely well-written and well-characterized story. Banche does a great job with this cute, fun Halloween-y tale. I wished the story had been longer because I really liked the characters, in particular the hero, and I also was digging the botanical angle (experimenting with pumpkin seeds! So cool!). I am looking forward to reading more of Banche's stories. Grade: A-
  • Touch Me by Jacquie D'Alessandro. Don't you love it when an author takes a secondary character from one of your favorite books (Genevieve from Love And The Single Heiress) and gives her her very own story? I must admit that I was worried about Genevieve after the conclusion of LATSH...Catherine and Andrew found true love, but poor Genevieve was left behind, struggling with her arthritic hands and pining for her lost love. I wanted her to have a HEA, too, damn it! Well, thank you Jacquie D'Alessandro for making all of my dreams come true! Genevieve gets her own story, and of course her own HEA, and my only criticism is that the book should have been longer. When Simon kisses Genevieve's swollen hands and tells her how beautiful she is...well, hell, I started crying. And now, I'm worried about Baxter...I sure hope he gets his HEA, too! By the way, this was my first Harlequin ever! That's right, I was a Harly virgin, but no longer. Grade: A-
I am currently reading Ruling Eden by Michelle Picard and Scoundrel in Disguise by Annette Blair, and loving both of them. One has unicorns, and one has wiener dogs, and I'm not telling which one is which!

P.S.--I have posted a list of my quirks at The Quirky Ladies blog, please stop by and check them out!

Happy Fall Reading,
Penelope