Deadly Promise, by Brenda Joyce

March 7, 201011 Comments

Finished 2-28-10, rating 4/5, Romance, pub. 2003

Book 6 in the Deadly series (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3) (Book 4) (Book 5)

“You have made this so very complicated by wishing to marry me. A part of me wishes we could go back to the way things were a month ago!”

“A month ago Rick’s wife hadn’t returned and you were denying all the passion you feel for me. Poor Francesca.” He was only half-mocking. “Torn between tawdry lust and true love.”

She trembled. “That isn’t fair,” she tried.

“Life is rarely fair. And do you deny it is Rick that you love? Do you? I am the man you merely wish to bed.” He stared, waiting for her response, his eyes as hard as obsidian.

Chapter 1

It’s 1902 in New York City and Francesca is back from a month out of town when she went off by herself to contemplate her romantic predicament. She is in love with Rick, an unhappily married man, but his half-brother Calder is her best friend and she accepted his marriage proposal. But can she go through with a wedding when she loves another man?

There are young, beautiful girls being kidnapped from the streets and sold to brothels and Francesca is determined to find these girls alive. Only this time Calder insists on accompanying her and causing more tension with Rick. This book is more about the heat between Calder and Francesca and it was hot! Calder is one of those bad boys that girls think they can tame, only Francesca doesn’t want to and he doesn’t want to stifle her ambitions either. I love them together.

I know you are wondering when this series will end and you only have two more Sundays to read about Francesca’s exploits. I encourage all you romance lovers to give this series a try.

This book is from my personal library.

The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller

February 24, 201015 Comments

Finished 2-23-10, rating 4/5, autobiography, pub. 1905

While my days at Radcliffe were still in the future, they were encircled with a halo of romance, which they have lost; but in the transition from romantic to actual I have learned many things I should never have known had I not tried the experiment. One of them is the precious science of patience, which teaches us that we should take our education as we would take a walk in the country, leisurely, our minds hospitably open to impressions of every sort. Such knowledge floods the soul unseen with a soundless tidal wave of deepening thought.

Chapter 20

When Helen was a year and a half old she became blind and deaf due to a fever. She lived in her isolated world until she was 7 and a teacher came to open up a world of communication to her. Anne Sullivan taught her manual sign language, braille, and lip-reading. She was able to travel to special schools and teachers in Boston and New York and eventually graduated from Radcliffe with honors. She wrote this autobiography at the age of 22.

That’s the bare bones because I think most everyone knows more than I did about Helen Keller before I read this book. Somehow I missed the movies and any detailed stories of her life, so I was in complete awe of what this girl accomplished. Helen had a thirst for knowledge and her love of learning and books was intense. She attended high school and college classes and succeeded. I felt in turn inspired and embarrassed by her. If she could lead a productive and fulfilled life with her handicaps surely any of my small problems were not important, but these things she was able to learn and do made feel like I was wasting my days away. Helen learned French and Latin, sign language and lip-reading, and braille and how to speak without being able to hear a thing. How amazing is that?

I cannot even imagine her silent and dark world and yet, this book did not contain self-pity. Things that would be scary to any child, almost drowning, almost getting hit by a train, being stuck in a tree during a thunderstorm, could only have been more frightening to Helen. I don’t know why it took me so long to read this!

This book was from my personal library.

Deadly Caress, by Brenda Joyce

February 21, 201010 Comments

Finished 2-18-10, rating 4/5, romance, pub. 2003

Book 5 in the Deadly series (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3) (Book 4)

Francesca Cahill and Rick Bragg are having a few problems. Rick’s wife is back in town a determined to make a go of their marriage. Rick’s brother, the cad Calder Hart, is determined to marry Francesca. There’s also another killer on the loose in the streets of New York City and the Cahill house is in disarray after Evan is almost beaten to death because of his gambling debts. Francesca’s sister, Connie is still trying to come to terms with her husband’s infidelity and in 1902, women did not leave their husbands if they cheated.

So, you know by my reviews of the first four books that I love this series, but it is not perfect. I haven’t mentioned yet, but this series starts in January 1902 and at the end of this fifth book it is February 1902. That is a lot to happen in such a short time. I don’t understand why she chose to write the series this way, especially since I distrust romances when the heroine falls in love so fast. Because I love the characters I can overlook it, but it still doesn’t make sense to me.

There was sex in this one! And it was angry sex. I didn’t like it. I don’t mind a little sex, it’s to be expected in a romance, but I like it to be romantic. I’m surprised that of the five books of this series so far, only three actually have sex in them. It’s a nice change of pace from your typical romances.

So, the series is fun, but not perfect. Only three left to catch up.

This was from my personal library.

The Cougar Club, by Susan McBride with Giveaway

February 17, 2010February 17, 201022 Comments

Finished 2-14-10, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2010

Kat Maguire’s Facts of Life for Women over Forty: The older you get, the harder it is to find a single man your age who isn’t either: (a) married or gay; (b) divorced with insurmountable baggage; or (c) looking for a girl half his age.

preface to Chapter 7

Three best friends since high school are all in the same town again and in need of some tender loving care from each other and, quite possibly, the younger men surrounding them. Kit, Carla, and Elise are 45 year olds living in St. Louis. Kit has just returned home after being fired from her Manhattan job in favor of younger employees. When she goes back to her highrise to lick her wounds she finds her 20 something boyfriend engaging in a little online sex and she hightails it back to Missouri. Cat, wears her cougar title like a badge of honor and as a beloved local newscaster she has many opportunities to take her pick of younger men. She is currently in a relationship with the hot, young sportscaster at her station. Elise, the most settled of the three is an empty nester who fears that her husband is cheating on her.

This books is a fast and fun read. The women are all successful and they make 45 look pretty glamorous. They don’t need men, but they do enjoy them. I don’t know how realistic the stories of these three women are, but it was fun to be a part of their lives for a few hours.

I loved the sharp writing and I was especially drawn to the idea that you can always go home. I loved Kat’s journey back home to her family and friends after 20+ years. It’s a heartwarming thought. Also, this should be where I confess that I’m a baby cougar. My husband is 4 1/2 years younger than me. He was 19 and I was 24 when we went on our first date and here we are, 14 years later, still in love 🙂 What about you? Any cougars out there?

Susan McBride gave away a copy and now it’s my turn. I have one more to share.

Leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win. And tell me, how much older does the woman have to be than the man to be considered a cougar? Open internationally and I’ll draw for a winner on March 6. Good luck!

Other TLC Tour Stops – Cindy’s Love of Books, The Winey Mommy, The Book Zombie, This That & the Other

I received the book from the publisher to review for this tour.

Deadly Desire, by Brenda Joyce

February 14, 20107 Comments

Finished 2-9-10, rating 4/5, romance, pub. 2002

Book 4 of the Deadly series (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3)

I’ve now been rereading this series for a month and I am having so much fun. This is the book where it does begin to feel a bit soap opera-ish, but in a good way. The mystery that sets the book in motion is dropped halfway through and not mentioned again until the last page. Another mystery did present itself, as did a surprising declaration of marriage, and a beating that was never resolved. Actually,there was a lot that was not resolved in this book, which is why it is a bit like a soap opera with a big cast of characters and a lot going on.

Francesca’s relationship with Rick reaches a tipping point when she receives a note from his wife and her friendship with Calder heats up. Rick is the good guy out to reform the New York police department and his half-brother Calder is the cad only out for himself…and Francesca.

There is no way to read this one without having read the others and get any enjoyment. I think it would be too confusing. That being said, I love this series, so if you like romances I recommend finding book one.

This came from my personal library.

Deadly Pleasure, by Brenda Joyce

January 31, 201014 Comments

Finished 1-23-10, rating 4/5, romance, pub. 2002

This is book 2 in the Deadly series (Book 1 review)

Someone grabbed her arm, hard.

Francesca whirled, knowing it wasn’t either of her parents. A pair of black eyes met hers from beneath a huge gurtimmed hood.

For one instant Francesca stood there, shocked that someone would grab her and unable to to determine whether the person was a man or woman. She was about to demand that she be released when the person said, “Miss Cahill?”

It was a woman. Francesca relaxed slightly. “Yes?”

“Please.” The woman’s single word was an emotionally distressed plea. “Please. Please help me.” she said.

Chapter 1

Beautiful and wealthy heiress, Francesca Cahill, fresh off her success in catching a killer and falling in love with the new New York City police commissioner is now passing out business cards calling herself Crime-Solver Extraordinaire. Life is looking good. Rick asks her out, she has her first paying job, and her parents remain unaware of her college studies and most of her sleuthing. But in the course of her investigation she catches her brother-in-law having an affair with a murder suspect and Rick confesses a devastating secret. The dead body in this book is Calder Hart’s father. Francesca hopes to mend the rift between the two brothers and needs to prove Calder innocent to do it.

I love the relationship between Rick and Francesca and there are so many great supporting chraracters like her perfect sister, snooty mom, and pickpocket assistant.

If you like turn of the century New York, wealthy and powerful men and beautiful and smart women you should give it a try. If you are sensitive to the way alpha males treat the women they love then this may not be the series for you. It’s a favorite series of mine and they really need to be read in order.

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

January 28, 2010January 28, 201025 Comments

Finished 1-26-10, rating 4/5, true crime literature, pub. 1965

In 1959 in a small Kansas town the Clutters still living in Holcomb were brutally murdered and the murderers got away without a trace. The community was in a panic. Was it one of their own who had murdered this upstanding family and, if so, why? The last one to see the family alive was the boyfriend of teenager Nancy and he took a lie detector test to clear him. As the months went by the town was still rattled by the unsolved murders. At the same time we were taken on a journey with the killers, Hickock and Smith, as their preparations and escape became clear, it was still uncertain what the motive might have been.

This true crime literature reads just like a novel and I love Capote’s style. I didn’t know much about this story before I read it, just some sort of vague memory of a family getting murdered, and the outcome of the book is told right upfront. But, that doesn’t take away from the story. It took me back to the 50’s in Kansas and a simpler way of life, where 12 year olds drove cars on old country roads and when murders happen every neighbor close enough to get there traipsed through the crime scene. The alternating storylines and different time frames kept the story moving along at a good pace. The sense of the setting was so real. I felt the remoteness of the Kansas farm and the loneliness of the road as Hickock and Smith tried to find the a place worth stopping for.

I liked it a lot and loved Capote’s writing, but I didn’t love the book. By jumping from character to character I wasn’t really attached to any one of them, so I felt a bit detached from the whole thing. And the end dragged on a bit for me because the motive was unsatisfying and because of the focus on the killers. Capote almost seemed to have sympathy for them and while I didn’t mind it, I didn’t really understand it.

I admit that I prefer The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer to this one (different story, but considered true crime literature). Yes it’s three times as long, but I got more understanding out of it and was ultimately more satisfied. Of course, true crime isn’t my first or even fifth choice for reading pleasure, so I’m not the target audience.

I’m glad I read it because it is a part of pop culture and I and I do plan on watching the film.

This is from my personal library and cheerfully chosen for me by Kathy, Marie, JoAnn, Molly, Sandee, Piroska, and Wendy. Here’s what they had to say…

“Capote invented a new genre with this one.” Kathy

“A classic true-crime.” Piroska

“An all time classic.” Molly

“A true classic.” JoAnn

“A true classic! Read it!” Marie

Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown

January 27, 201013 Comments

Finished 1-20-10, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 1998

It is said that in death, all things become clear; Ensei Tankado now knew it was true. As he clutched his chest and fell to the ground in pain, he realized the horror of his mistake.

first sentences of book

Susan is head of the Cryptology department at the NSA and very good at her job. David, her fiancé, is a well-respected professor and foreign-language specialist. The search is on for a hidden code that, if not found, will reveal all the secrets of the United States government to everyone that has internet access. Susan is working at NSA headquarters in Maryland, trying to track down the programmer holding NSA hostage and David is sent to Spain to recover the code from a dead man. Of course, it could not be that easy and both are faced with danger and deception.

This book is fast read. It’s over 400 pages, but it will keep you reading, much like the other Dan Brown books I’ve read. Alternating between the cerebral NSA code breakers and the action packed race to find a ring in Spain before the killer just behind you, worked and the tension was palpable. It did get a bit melodramatic for me at the end, but that didn’t stop me from flipping the pages as fast as I could.

I recommend this for Dan Brown fans, thriller fans, and those who love technology and code breaking.

This book is from my personal library and was recommended by Melody, Molly, Virginie, and Jason. Here’s Molly had to say…”Very different from Dan Brown’s usual religious symbolism. I liked this one very much because it was not what I had become accustomed to from him. Guilty pleasure.”

Persuasion, by Jane Austen

January 13, 2010January 13, 201019 Comments

Finished 1-6-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 1818

He had not forgiven Anne Elliot. She had used him ill; deserted and disappointed him; and worse, she had shown a feebleness of character in doing so, which his own decided, confident temper could not endure. She had given him up to oblige others. It had been the effect of overpersuasion. It had been weakness and timidity.

Chapter 7

Anne is a woman not appreciated by her family and past the prime age of marrying. Her ‘bloom’ has worn off and she must come to terms that Captain Wentworth’s proposal of marriage eight years earlier had been her best chance at happiness. But eight years ago he did not have rank or connections and Anne was too much influenced by Lady Russell, a woman like a mother to her and the only one to see her worth. When Captain Wentworth comes back into her world she realizes that he is still angry, or maybe even worse, indifferent.

This is my third Austen novel and I like it less than Pride & Prejudice, but more than Sense & Sensibility. Anne and Wentworth are mature characters with past mistakes to shape them individually and as a couple. If they had married when he first asked they may have been happy, but the hurt and time apart gave their eventual coming together a depth they might not have had otherwise. And Wentworth does write the best love letters (see below).

At first I was inclined to not respect Anne so much, after all she turned down Wentworth’s proposal because people influenced her to believe that he was not good enough, instead of marrying him because she was in love with him. But, she redeemed herself in my eyes and that may be why I found her such a great heroine. And Wentworth, as the self-made man, was a perfect hero. I thought that the end of this book was much more satisfying than the other two I’ve read. Wentworth and Anne said the things that needed to be said and it was very romantic.

This book was from my personal library and I want to thank Calico Critic, Melody, Nise’, Allesandra, Angie, and Sarah E for choosing it for me 🙂 Here’s what they said when they voted

“Captain Wentworth writes the best love letters.” (Allesandra)

“Can’t go wrong with Jane Austen. Should be on any reader’s TBR list.” (Calico Critic)

“Not only are they classics but they’re good too!” (Nise’)

“Because I love Jane Austen and I always find it interesting to ‘see’ her through other people’s eyes.” (Angie)

“Anything Jane Austen is a must.” (Sarah E)

The Cleveland Connection, by Les Roberts

December 30, 20093 Comments

Finished 12-30-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 1993

Book 4 in the Milan Jacovich mystery series

I don’t kid myself that I’m changing the world during my brief tenure here, but I’d like to believe I’m at least making a little dent. I think we all nurture a secret terror that our living and dying will go unremarked, unmourned, that unlike Jimmy Stewart in that perennial Christmas movie, our life won’t make a damn bit of difference to anyone.

Chapter 2

Milan is a 40 year-old divorced police officer turned private detective who has spent his whole life in Cleveland, Ohio. When an old classmate hires him to find her missing grandfather and his good friend, Ed, starts receiving death threats, Milan is forced to bully, and bribe, and hope that he will still be in one piece when the day is done. There’s never a neighborhood bar he can’t find trouble in and rarely a woman not interested in this ex-football player.

There are many mysteries to be solved, but the main focus is on war criminals of World War II and the losses of the Serbians at the hand of the Nazis. It’s an interesting history lesson of the war and of Cleveland. Roberts really does capture the vibe of this city I live in the shadow of.

This book is much more introspective than the first three. Milan is single and lonely and it has made him melancholy. Milan is a great character who is always trying to do the right thing, but the right thing is not always black or white. I never know for sure what side Milan will come down on in complicated issues and that makes him a very interesting character.

I love this series and think it only gets better with each book. Roberts manages to keep many storylines going at once without ever confusing the reader and I appreciate that I can never see how it’s all going to come together until the end.