Alaskan Bad-Ass, Spunky Super-Sass, and Heartbreak Pass

I know.....I'm really stretching it with that title.

Three quickie reading updates....

1. Last Days Of Summer by Steve Kluger: Once again, Steve has put together a brilliant....let me repeat that--brilliant--story. The clever construction of the narrative--letters, announcements, newspaper clippings, etc--conveys a humorous, but also emotionally wrenching tale. It combines hilarious Jewish humor, baseball, and one of the most heart-breaking storylines I've ever read. In fact, I had a problem with the ending. I realize that the HEA-rule only applies to romance novels, but I'm not sure this ending was necessary, or even optimal, for this story. In spite of that, this book was another shining example of Steve's talent, and you're meshugana if you don't read it. Grade: A-

2. A Cold Day For Murder (Kate Shugak #1) by Dana Stabenow: After inhaling Stabenow's Liam Campbell series with the utmost glee, I decided to give her Kate Shugak series a go. It still has the fascinating Alaskan flavor, but this time we get a heroine to follow instead of a hero. I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely missing the spark of the Liam series. I was trying to figure out why....I think the main reason is that we get more emotionally invested in the characters, and the relationships, in the Liam series. This book is about the mystery, which is fine. But one of the things I adored about the Liam Campbell series is that the characters had a lot of depth, and those stories were just as important as the mystery to solve. I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series or not. Grade: B

3. Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick: I needed something light and sexy and comforting after I finished the heart-breaking ending of Last Days Of Summer. And this book by Amanda Quick is what I chose--it's one of my favorite re-reads. It has AQ's super-sassy-style heroine, who also just happens to be a writer for a sensational newspaper; it has the beta-but-masterful hero who is proper on one hand, and fiercely attracted to said spunky heroine on the other; it has an interesting mystery/storyline, wonderful supporting characters, and love scenes that manage to be sexy, adorable and satisfying all at the same time. AQ is my hero! AQ for president! AQ, AQ, AQ! (I'm a fan). Anyhow, it's a keeper. Grade: A

Happy Weekend Everyone!
Penelope

Desperate For Spring

As I perused Whole Foods the other day, this lovely beer caught my eye. My all-time favorite beer in the world is Magic Hat #9....it's from Vermont, and it tastes like apricot. Win! Anyhoo, this was a new selection from the Vermont brewery, and it looked so....so...so very spring-y. Colorful, festive, and just what the doctor ordered. Since I am a sucker for cool packaging, I bought it. (My hubby was most appreciative!)

My consensus: the beer is good, but I'm not sure it tastes like "spring"....in fact, I think it might sort of taste like winter. It's an amber lager, very heavy and robust. Something I would imagine a lumberjack who just finished splitting some logs might drink (and he would probably have bulging biceps in a thin T-shirt, thighs the size of tree trunks, and of course a huge-ass beard...just in case you need visuals for that...heh heh!).

Anyway, my husband and I enjoyed the beer, but I was still sad and jonesing for spring. So, my sweet hubs snuck out of the house and surprised me with a bouquet of yellow tulips. ♥☺♥☺

Reading update: Just finished a re-read of Amanda Quick's Wait Until Midnight. I love AQ...she is a master of the romance genre, and this book has got everything...engaging mystery, quirky heroine, and sexy, clever and masterful hero. Kate from Babbling About Books just did a post about villains you are rooting for, and it reminded me of this book. The heroine, Caroline, is a novelist and she models the villain in her latest book after the hero Adam (which irritates him no end). Suffice it to say, the villain becomes the hero, and the hero the villain, by the end of Caroline's book. This is a great read...I totally recommend it!

Finally, my darling 8 year old daughter has become my blogging assistant. I asked her yesterday if she could think of some "quirky" topics for me to write about for The Quirky Ladies blog. She asked what quirky meant....I said something different and funky. She said, "You mean weird?" I said, sure. Here is her list of topics for me to write about.....

1. Mime
2. Bloomers
3. Unicycle
4. Clowns
5. Speedos
6. Platypus
7. Leprechauns
8. Easter Bunny

Now, that's quirky!

Happy Weekend,
Penelope

Beard of the Day

It's Friday! Time for....Beard of the Day. (Or rather, Scruff of the Day, as the case may be). Clive Owen looks way hot in this photo, and ready to rumble!

Super quickie reading updates.....I read Guardian Cowboy by Crystal Rain Love this week. It's a "sweet" (rated G) e-book about a sexy cowboy named Presley (guess who his Mama likes?). Even though I was sad we didn't get to see Presley in any good lovin' scenes (he has that whole hot cowboy thing going on), I really enjoyed this sweet, well-written and emotional story. Now I'm in the mood for some more cowboy books!

Also read: I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick. AQ never disappoints....I got a spunky heroine, a highly disciplined hero who is shocked by his passionate response to the heroine (so shocking!), a fun mystery/story line, and an HEA. What more could a girl want?

Hope y'all have a good weekend,

Penelope

Most Absurd Conflict Ever and Other Fun Stuff

I just gobbled up a bunch of books in the last several days. Elizabeth Hoyt's To Desire A Devil, Amanda Quick's With This Ring, and An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James. 

In a nutshell....

Amanda Quick is the master of the universe. The first 13 pages of With This Ring are absolute perfection. Her writing never ceases to amaze me...she can nail an entire scene with a single word. Everything about this book is perfect...the storyline is tight, the characters are larger than life, the mystery engaging, the humor is spot on. Leo, the Mad Monk of Monkcrest, and Beatrice, secret author of "horrid novels," are a fantastic pairing. Honestly, I just cannot get enough of Amanda Quick's romances. 

Elizabeth Hoyt's To Desire A Devil was a good ending to the series. Not as good as To Beguile A Beast, which I adored. I had a problem with Reynauld ripping off his shirt in the House of Lords to expose the scars on his back. This scene did not ring true for me. However, I really enjoyed the backstory about Reynaud's experience in the colonies. What attracted me initially to EH's writing is that her historicals are a little bit edgy, earthy, lusty, sometimes downright nasty (in a good way). I love the juxtaposition of the formality of Regency England and the lusty sexuality of her characters. However, this book seemed more like a traditional historical to me, it was definitely lacking the intense sexuality found in To Beguile A Beast. 

As of yesterday, I have discovered the most ludicrous central conflict ever to grace a romance novel. 

A hairdo.

Yes, that is correct. Eloisa James' An Affair Before Christmas explores the failing marriage of Poppy and the Duke of Fletcher. Why, you ask, is their marriage failing? Well, Fletch thinks Poppy is frigid in bed, when in actuality, her hair is itchy and she is unable to concentrate on the pleasure he is attempting to give her. 

(Yes, I was speechless, too). Hee hee hee heeeeee.....Oh my goodness, this is so absurd it is delicious. Truly!

In Poppy's defense, her hairdo is one of those big, perfumed, powdered monstrosities, with glued-on feathers, etc. And there are a few other reasons the marriage is not working out, but suffice it to say, once the hair conflict is resolved, everything else "falls into place"--pun intended. In spite of an overabundance of sub-plots involving dukes, duchesses, mother-in-laws from hell, etc., Eloisa James manages to spin a remarkably romantic tale. I was completely engrossed in Fletcher's determination to win back the woman he loved. The end is very sweet and satisfying and very romantic. I just adored this snippet of dialogue....

*****

"Poppy, what did you think that Christmas was for?"

"Nibbling on gingerbread men?" she whispered.

"I'm your Christmas gingerbread man," he said.....

*****

Love it! What a great line! :)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for Sven's interview yesterday. A winner will be announced soon.

Penelope

Review of The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick

Penelope has two great passions in her life (aside, of course, from her fly-fishing addicted husband and two rocking kids)...romantic fiction and plants. Yes, along time ago (in a galaxy far, far away) Penelope earned a degree in plant science from an ivy league university, and her obsession with plants continues to this day. So, just imagine my delight to discover a book that combines these two obsessions!  The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick is so right up my alley, it's ridiculous.  A heroine who knows the Latin names for all things botanical (and wears glasses).  A hero who is a psychically enhanced, socially-inept, intensely single-minded investigator obsessed with finding mathematical patterns in everything (did I mention that my hubbie was a valedictorian?)  Quick's latest addition to the Arcane Society series is my perfect cup of (hopefully non-poisoned) tea.  I have been intrigued by Caleb Jones since the commencement of this series, and Quick did not disappoint with his story. Lucinda Bromley, botanical genius and a fellow member of the Arcane Society (her "gift" is determining if someone has been poisoned by a botanical substance...love it!) is the perfect complement to Jones.  She frees him from his self-imposed jail of numbers, patterns and a fear of imminent insanity with her no-nonsense approach to life (and love).  I especially like how Quick incorporates the psychic aspect into the love scenes of these novels...the sex is not only emotionally and physically satisfying, but also psychically satsifying...top that! I must say that their first love scene in the drying shed is one of  the most romantic scenarios I could imagine...Caleb makes a fragrant "bed" of dried flowers and herbs on the ground, covers them with his coat, and makes love to Lucinda.  Sigh.  As usual, the humorous dialogue is excellent, secondary characters intriguing, and the villains shady and mysterious.  Quick may have these historicals down to a certain formula, but it's a great formula. Don't mess with perfection, in my not so humble opinion.

Grade: A

With the highest recommendation,

Penelope

A Blast from the Past: Review of Mistress by Amanda Quick (1994)

Mistress by Amanda Quick

I thought I had pretty much read all of Amanda Quick's historicals, but I guess there are still a couple kicking around that I missed. I discovered this one in the romance section of Barnes and Nobles, and I was filled with glee. I adore Amanda Quick...she creates perfectly wonderful characters, well-paced, interesting story lines, and emotionally satisfying "moments of intimacy." Mistress follows the romantic adventures of Iphiginia (where does she get these names?) and Marcus, the Earl of Masters (and yes, he is masterful). Honest to God, Quick's dialogue is brilliant.  The witty banter between her characters is flawless.  Unlike other books in her collection, this one had a somewhat convoluted path to resolution. Not only is Iphiginia obsessed with antiquities, she also was headmistress of a finishing school, as well as a successful real estate developer. Marcus is a farmer, an earl, an inventor fascinated by machinery, and a would-be astronomer. Phew! Talk about multi-tasking. Halfway through the book, it appears that the villain blackmailer has been uncovered. Obviously, since the book is only half over, that is not the case. Quick takes us down various paths including illegitimate family reunions, murders of odious first husbands, a hilarious scene at Dr. Hardstaff's Museum of the Goddesses of Manly Vigor (Dr. Hardstaff, get it?), and confrontations with lecherous ex-employers. She really packs a lot into this book!  I am a fairly forgiving reader as long as I get my satisfying romance, and once again this well-loved author delivers with Marcus and Iphiginia. Although Mistress is not quite as good as some of her other stories (such as Ravished, one of my favorites), I still found it a fun affair. Grade: B+

Sincerely, Penelope