My Most Recent Blog Posts

Shapeshifers, garms, witches and Norse magic!

Kol Hildr, a shape shifter and a dual being with human and wolf forms can shimmer. He guards the portal at Guardian's Keep, a bar where hellhounds, warlocks, trolls and all sorts of beings cause trouble. Greed and power fuel all sorts of dark events in this magical world. Kelly, a twin witch, has seen the very depths of the evil that lurks behind the portal. When a woman asks for her assistance, Kelly is emboldened in her quest. First, she must come face to face with Kohl. Her twin sister trusts Kohl, but Kelly is not sure whom to trust, especially whether or not to trust the one man who could bring her entire mission to an end. Torn between his duty, indeed his life's purpose as a portal guardian, and this little witch who somehow awakens something in him, he may just be forced to choose what he knows and something all together more unfamilliar. When garm politics force him to choose sides, will he make a choice for love and will his journey to save Kelly make him risk losing everything?

I adore this book. I stayed up til 3:30am the night i started this book. I just could not put it down. It's not just the story but the way this author writes. The energy between Kohl and Kelly is not just said or portrayed but it comes thorugh in the author's very writing style, tone and chice of words. I enjoy the way Lori Devoti builds suspense with an object here that is out of place, a word spoken there, a certain odd alliance. Enjoyed the hint of garm politics with the Council and the rogues. The romance is fun and also the look at Norse mythology that underlies her paranormal world. I studying Medieval Icelandic in school. Lori's Devoti's books reawaken that love and also make it fun with the fictional context she creates from that mythology.

Now...what I really want to know is how a certain blogger's father would deal with a daughter explaining she was dating a garm after the hellhound! Lorie really comes up with some fun mini-challenge topics!

I loved
Lori Devoti's first Nocturne book (and Debiw's 2007 Challenge blog too) so much this book so much that I actually bought some buttons and a messenger
bag that say "Official Hellhound Lover" that I discovered from visiting
went her website at www.loridevoti.com --- I wear my hellhound gear
boldly around town despite the weird looks...or maybe to provoke them
so I can tell others about this great read. Unbound took me
from from werewolf scoffer to hellhound lover. Now, I think I am an Official Garm Lover too!

Garm: Human/wolf shape-shifters. Garms are guardians by nature. Garm serve as guardians to portals, other paranormal beings and worlds. Being a guardian is an essential part of what garm are. Losing their charge, whether a being or a portal, is like losing their purpose for existence. Without such a duty, they become rogue.

Heart to heart love! 

Grace Lundquist returns home, determined to hide her pain and her past. She is a hardworker, always there for everyone.  The town loves her but what about her childhood sweeetheart who upped and left when things got to serious?  Of all the people to show up back in her life, Grace just has to encounter Mike Gardner, the man behind all her pain, the man she never really stopped loving!  Grace and Mike know each other down to the very soul, but that certainly doesn't mean things will be easy.  Knowing someone intimately isn't quite the same as loving someone.  Can their heart-to-heart conversations lead to love or will Grace's secret be more than either of them can hsandle?

A fun romance read.  The title of this mini-series Heart to Heart is perfect for this romance!  Donna Alward makes the reader see both the intimacy and the distance betweeen the hero and heroine in their heart-to-heart conversations.  As a reader, I felt these two really did know each other and love each other. 

I also liked the way this author showed how intimate talks are wonderful but don't exactly equate to romance itself.  I have dated many an good conversationalist but love takes more than just a good heart-to-heart talk.  Watching this hero and heroine talk --- and seeing their mistakes with one another ---- I felt that their HEA would last beyond the last page.  Nice!

I also liked that the author went beyond a stereotype of women in her creation of the heroine.   I can't say how without creating a spoiler, but I like seeing romances that have heroines who represent women in all our variety.

Scottish history and romance alive!

Catherine Ross remembers her childhood the Scottish clearances of Glencalvie all too well. When mass evictions appear emminent, threatening to empty the glens of her people to make way for sheep, Catherine eallies her people and becomes the center of resistance. Constable Ian MacGregor is sworn to uphold the law and he takes his oath and his honor seriously. Torn between his love for Catherine and his job, Ian must decide. Can their love survive? Can they survive the approaching battle?

I adore this Scottish historical romance! Blood on the Tartan has more history than some historical romances I have seen in bookstores and passed by, but never dry history in this book! While reading this book, I was completely immersed in the scene and history and the characters. I felt like I truly understood all the nuances and forces at work that motivated the hero and heroine. Somehow the extra historical detail just made their life stories more memorable and lasting for me because their emotions were grounded in events. I appreciated learning something of Scottish history from this romance, something that will stick with me because of the fine way this author interwove it into the life story and romance of the characters. I am embarrassed to say that I have some Scottish ancestry in my family but am woefully ignorant of finer details of Scottish history....added a nice dimension for me. The time and place setting was dramatic, the romance riveting, though not overplayed, giving a richness and depth to this read.

I really like the move to include more history in historical romance. History does not have to be dry and this book really shows that. I cared for the people of Greenyards. I cared about the hero and heroine because I felt I understood them even if they lived a different kind of life in a different time.

Blood on the Tartan by Chris Holmes. Highland Press (December 2007).

Great read for tear-hair-out moments (sick family members, too much to do...)!

Cole Parrish doesn't want to settle down. Always moving on, that's his way. The problem is that Rachel Hewitt, the owner of Bar H Ranch, keeps pulling at his heart and his desire. Rachel is set to inherit and run the ranch on her own but she needs help and a good ranch hand is hard to find, especially one so good for the heart and eyes as Cole! Will the arrival of an unexpected baby throw a kink in all their plans?

I picked up this romance last night because I had a very frustrating day yesterday and I can always depend on the Harlequin Romance line to give me a short enjoyable romance read to take me away. Patrica Thayer's The Rancher's Doorstep Baby did just that. The best parts of this romance were the way Patricia Thayer allowed loss and sadness to enter the scene and the way she wrote the hero Cole. It is refreshing to me to read about a hero whose behavior towards the heroine is kind and respectful and loving. No wonder Rachel is drawn to him! Also loved the secondary character Cy.

Personal note:
I am having a difficult time adjusting to this new blog format. Love the community features but the whole blog Xtreme makes it difficult for me to focus. I used to love writing thoughtful blogs but I am thinking perhaps that is best saved for formal reviews? I am overwhelmed to the max, especially trying to read blogs and all the clicks here and there to get to the whole blog and comment and then read another blog entry by the same person. I am very overwhelmed by all the blogs and how fast the main blog moves so blogs get buried in seconds. Hopefully it will get better but timing bad for quick and easy readjustments. It doesn't help that my dh is sick with some stomach bug and I wasted most of yesterday trying to reorder business things because UPS mangled 4 packages only to find some items are not replacable now. A whole day wasted and no real work done and not enough time to do what I want to do for my dh either to make him feel loved if not better. Today is not much better on all fronts. Urrgh...

My main comment is that this book was a perfect read for those absolutely tear-the-hair-out moments at home or work. So...if you have sick kids, a sick spouse, I have to say this is the second time I have found a Harlequin Romance read just the right reading medicine!

Cyclone approaches, medical and romance emergency!

No way Dr.
Hannah Jackson is going to fall for the love'em and leave'em kind of guy...and Dr. Ryan Fisher with his charming ways and jokes is definitely that type. No way is Hannah going to swoon over him like every other woman! When she discovers they are both on a plane together headed for Crocodile Creek, Hannah is none to pleased. Emergency strikes and the two are forced to put aside all the spinning thoughts and misunderstandings to focus on the task at hand. A sudden crisis brings them together....is it enough to break the personal and professional tension and lead to something real?

Another great medical romance! One really feels the sense of emergency from the beginning of this romance right in the think of the medical situations and it continues. I loved the way this author built up the suspense of the cyclone...the reader knows it is there bit by bit as an ever increasing reality. Alison Roberts never overplays it...just gradually builds up this level of suspense and the series. Wonderful first book to start a series --- it sets the scene for the series and also is a great stand alone romance.

I am going to do a more formal review of this book later but for now I just wanted to write a more personal reaction blog. I am not a medical person at all but I adore the Medical Romance line which I only discovered recently. One of the things that has surprised me is how much these books resonate with me on a personal level as well as how much I enjoy them from a book stand-point. This book really brought back some good memories of crisis times in my life.

The weather impaired wedding

Imagine a wedding with a cyclone approaching and other last minute emergencies. Have you ever attended or been part of a wedding that was a total disaster...but only in terms of the ceremony and the marriage lasted?

My cousin Leigh's wedding was absolutely crazy! An ice storm was due to hit NC the night before her wedding and it certainly did. I stayed overnight at a neighbor's since I was a bridesmaid and had to go with the wedding party. The morning of the wedding I made it by sliding down the street on my rear, my bridesmaid dress in plastic carefully held in the air. That was only the beginning! They were so busy putting salt/grit down outside the church that they forgot to put the fans on up near the altar. First the maid of honor, my cousin Bitsy and sister of the bride (pictured second from the right), was kneeling at the altar along with the bride etc....she just fell over and passed out! they carried her off. Then the usher in front of me started weaving and he collapsed and they carried him off! I was terrified holding on to my bridesmaid bouquet so tightly, half afraid that maybe the blue dye was emitting some noxious fume! Her wedding was a total disaster but actually, it was the most fun wedding too! By the way, the bridesmaid on the left of the bride is me, a very young me.

Emergency!
The other part of this book that resonated with me big time was the emergency atmosphere. I am not a medical person at all but I used to be a Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer. I staffed shelters and also did Emergency Assistance to Families where I interviewed families to assess their emergency needs and issue disbursement orders, etc. Between that and being a net control in Ham Radio for many a NC hurricane, I just loved the way Alison Roberts wrote her action-packed and emotionally moving emergency scenes. She captured so well the whole intensity and also the focus on the task and the deep and emotional friendships arising from that work. I am really looking forward to this series!

Time Travel, Dissidents, Corruption and Decay

Nora's mother disappeared when she was a child.  Now, as she prepares to tell her husband that she wants a divorce, her childhood fears come back to haunt her as her husband is taken away from her right in front of her in a restaurant by FREEZE (Freedom and Security).  Labeled as a terrorist, there is no recourse and her attempts to find out the charge become much too similar to a Kafka novel.  As she traces a trail of clues left by her husband, she uncovers medical research gone awry, disappearing dissidents, political corruption and power brokering, greed run rampant and an eerie connection to a television show from the past. The ending leaves some things hanging but it works well here, giving a vision that makes the reader ponder, and for me, just adding a slight spiritual dimension (though not necessarily religious).

Kill Time addresses issues of our current culture, indeed issues faced throughout history, but in defamiliarizing them thorugh the time travel and futuristic feel, TJ MacGregor gets down to timeless values, not specific political personalities or events, thus getting to the heart of human values, not party politics.  I adore suspense that takes parts of culture that perhaps are good in the original intention and twists them, showing the underside when "good" things become too absolute, too fanatical.  The author does this without preaching and without moralizing, leaving the reader to form their own ideas.  I love that.  Also..the references to Rod Serling, The Twilght Zone and Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead are just fun. I wil ldefinitely be reading more of this author in the future!

Dark, tender and delightful medical romance!

Josie Metcalfe’s Medical Romance Twins for a Christmas Bride is a perfect Christmas or any time read for anyone who has a less than perfect family! Dr. Sara Walker has always played second fiddle to her perfect beautiful twin sister, Zara. Sexy, thin and a well-know model, Zara thinks nothing of those around her except perhaps how they might fit into her plans and desires. Zara is the center of everyone’s world, including Sara’s mother and her mother will stop at nothing if it means Zara’s happiness!

Carrying a baby for her twin sister, Sara’s emotions are torn, especially since the father, Dr. Daniel Lomax is the only man she has ever loved. Run down by a car, Sara is brought to the hospital where the medical staff rush to save her and her pregnancy. Suddenly Sara and Daniel are forced together. As their close proximity stirs up passion and tender emotions, can the two of them put the situation right or will Zara once again come between them? With Sara soon to give birth as Christmas approaches, passionate emotions and romance take on a new urgency.

Josie Metcalfe is fantastic! Dark psychological undercurrents give this romance a realistic emotional tone to this romance that does not romanticize the pain of sibling rivalry. As Zara’s character develops, the reader feels the dysfunctional dynamics within a family through Sara’s eyes and through an objective narrator who does not dismiss rivalry as a mere prank. Suspense abounds as Josie Metcalfe unveils the characters of the twins. At the same time, the romance between Sara and Daniel creates a romance both tender and urgent. Special kudos to Josie Metcalfe and Harlequin Medical Romance for the portrayal of the woman’s body beyond the stereotypes so prevalent in our culture. Josie Metcalfe’s portrayal of the characters of Zara with her eating disorder and obsessive attention to thinness and of Daniel for seeing the beauty and sexiness in a pregnant woman add a special dimension to this short romance. Twins for a Christmas Bride has all the tenderness of emotion implied by the cover art but it is so much more. Twins for a Christmas Bride is a wonderful emotionally moving romance read for anyone whose family isn’t picture perfect all the time. Twins for a Christmas Bride is a romance filled with hope that will appeal to readers with a special Christmas message, but one that extends long after the holiday.

Murder on the Mind: psychic or brain damaged sleuth?

L.L. Bartlett's Murder on the Mind is an exceptional debut mystery that adds a paranormal element to the enjoyment of unraveling traditional investigative techniques. Told in the first person through the eyes of a psychic sleuth, or perhaps brain damaged, Murder on the Mind heightens the level of suspense as each new clue or vision arises.

A mugging in Manhattan, leaves former insurance investigator Jeff Resnick with broken bones and a fractured skull --- and completely dependent on his rich estranged half brother Dr. Richard Alpert and his girlfriend Brenda Stanley. Visions of a hunt and and a hunter stalking his deer prey terrify Jeff. The doctors diagnose brain damage. Days later, a local banker is found dead, his murder eerily similar to the details of Jeff's nightmares, he believes the attack has left him with a sixth sense, a psychic ability to see murder before the event. Jeff uses his visions and his investigative skills to try to solve the crime but as he gets closer to the killer, danger arises from all corners. Will the police trust his revelations are due to psychic visions or attribute his knowledge to a more nefarious means? As Jeff becomes closer to his half brother, dangerous past secrets emerge touching his traumatic childhood. Somewhere danger lurks and Jeff must work hard and fast if he doesn't want to become a victim to one of the dark secrets he uncovers.

L.L. Bartlett writes a magnificent mystery! Murder on the Mind mixes an eerie psychic paranormal element with an investigative hunt for clues and facts, never sacrificing the mystery to an easy resolution. Intriguing twists keep the reader poised at ever page. Murder on the Mind will appeal to a variety of readers from lovers of traditional mysteries to suspense lovers with its ominous, supernatural and even creepy feel and even beyond these genres as moments of tenderness and fear both move the reader's heart. L.L. Bartlett truly leaves the reader guessing, never quite sure of the murderer's identity as terrifying details mix with an investigative trail more typical of light mysteries. The complicated psychological battle between Jeff and his brother might turn either way. With possible brain damage in play, is Jeff a reliable first person narrator? Will past secrets come to light to add another twist to this murder mystery? L.L. Bartlett's fine writing keeps the pages turning with eager anticipation until the very end.