Review: Met By Chance Lynne Connolly

Title: The Triple Countess Series: Met by Chance

Author: Lynne Connolly

There’s more to this man than satin and lace.

After a serious riding accident, Perdita Garland is back in society. Unfortunately the first man who catches her interest, Charles Dalton, Marquis of Petherbridge, turns out to be a popinjay with a spoiled daughter in tow. And his equally spoiled sister is flirting with the same fortune-hunting suitor who almost cost Perdita her life. What’s a lady to do? Warn the marquis of the danger, of course.

Charles knows that English society finds his manners and dress astonishing, but they cover a man broken by a disastrous marriage to a faithless wife. Now a widowed father determined not to be fooled again, he is nevertheless charmed by Perdita and the steely strength of will under her fragile exterior. If only the lady would mind her own business.

But when his impulsive sister elopes and kidnaps his daughter, he finds himself wishing he had listened to the little busybody. And Perdita, feeling partly responsible for the disaster, boldly sets out to help him put things right.

Alone in a strange city with his lordship, plunged into danger, Perdita discovers there is more than meets the eye under the pampered skin of the marquis. There is strength, power…and passion beyond her wildest dreams.

What worked for me: In a word Perdita, she is everything I want in a heroine and more. She managed to get past her injuries and her overprotective family to make decisions for herself. She took chances and shook off the conventions of her life and went for it. Whether it was her pursuit of Charles or her courage when faced with finding Charles’ missing sister she did it. With grace and most of all intelligence. She knows she let her accident hold her back, yet she is strong and she’ll let no one label her weak and fragile any longer. She is a inspiration and she made this novel for me.

Charles is a strong hero who hides behind a mask literally and figuratively, yet as Ms. Connolly uncovered the truth of his life and removed his facade he came across as extremely likable. He does however have his flaws especially when it comes to his daughter and it was as frustrating for me as it was for Perdita, yet he still managed to make up for it in the end.

Why did I buy the book: After reading the first two of the series and reviewing them for Romance Junkies I had to have this third installment. I can’t wait to see who is next in the wonderful series from Ms. Connolly.

Keeper?: Most Definitely!!

Rating 1 to 5: 5

Holy Smokes it’s been a long time since I blogged.

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted here. I have been seriously neglecting my online world. I have so much to catch up on and until I replace my now broken laptop I fear my presence on the net will be limited.

I hope to get back into gear posting reviews of books here and rambling about my life and such. For now I have to say I’ve missed blogging and this site needs some serious work indeed.

Hunting the Demon by Jaci Burton

IN A WILDERNESS SEETHING WITH SIN AND

SEDUCTION, THE CHASE IS ON.

Hunting demons for a living can have its moments. Especially when Shay Pearson’s latest quarry is the gorgeous bronzed surfer who just stepped out of the sea. Uncovering Nic Diavolo’s devilish side could prove Shay’s toughest assignment yet. Because while she’s acting as bait to snatch this sexy bad boy, Nic’s got a plan of seduction no woman—earthly or otherwise–can resist.

Caught between two warring realms, Nic needs to stay alive long enough to figure out who his enemies are. That includes the beautiful hunter who won’t let him out of her sight. And something far worse: A force of evil with an almost unimaginable goal – possessing Nic’s very soul. But the hunt really heats up when a guy who’s hotter than Hades and a woman who’s afraid to love join forces, igniting an inferno of lust and longing that could send them into mortal danger…or straight into each other’s arms…

Jaci Burton’s second installment of her Demon Hunters Series is as hot and action packed as it’s predecessor.  We rejoin the members of the Realm of Light as they continue to battle the Sons of Darkness. Knowing that she will do anything to fight the demons Shay Pearson sets off to bring back  Nic Diavolo so that she and the Realm can decide whose side he is on.

As I expect with any novel by Ms. Burton I was completely engossed in the story and emotionally invested in it’s characters after reading just a few pages. I sat down to read this book thinking that I’d read some now and finish today or tomorrow, but I couldn’t go to bed until I’d finished every page.

The action in this book is fast paced, easily followed and had me on the edge of my seat. Her descriptions of the demons are so vivid that I could close my eyes and see them. Even now as I write this I shudder a little when I picture them in my mind.

Shay is a heroine I can totally get behind, she is the right mix of strength and vulnerabilty. I found myself on more then one occassion wanting to reach out into the pages and help her. She’s a woman more than capable of holding her own and even after personal set backs that could hinder a person she was still putting herself out there. Like Gina from SURVIVING DEMON ISLAND she is one tough cookie, but unique in her own right.

Dominic “Nic” Diavolo is man of privilege and heir to a sizable forturne yet he is so down to earth I found that I quickly forgot that small bit about him.  He comes across as approachable and very much like every other guy you might stumble across on the beach. Like his brother Derek he is strong and definitely in charge of all he controls. Throughout the story he struggles with the truth versus what he has known his whole life. His vulnerabilites are there beneath the surface yet he faces each challenge head on and with a confidence that makes him exteremly attractive.

Once HUNTING THE DEMON has you in it’s grasp you will be hard pressed to put it down until your done reading. I found myself interupted a few times yesterday as I read and was more then a little annoyed by it. Things like dinner and the wash were quite a nussance and as far as I was concerned not as important as finishing this book.

All in all this book is one of the best I’ve read from Jaci and that is saying a lot. I’m with out a doubt a huge Jaci fan and I love everything I’ve read from her, but HUNTING THE DEMON may be her best work yet and it is definitely one of top five books I’ve read all year.

Hunting the Demon release August 28th from Bantam Dell.

You can learn more about Jaci Burton and her Demon Hunters here.

You can preorder HUNTING THE DEMON at Amazon.com or at B&N.com

Good News from a quiet Blogger

I’m sure my blog is feeling very negelected lately, I always say I’m going to post everyday, yet here it’s been days since my last entry.

Since I last posted so much has happened. Business at the pretzel shop has picked up some as we get closer to the school year beginning. Of course with that means more work to get my kids ready to go back. I now have one in fourth grade and one in second. I went through all their winter clothes and here’s a surprise hardly any of them fit. UGH, this means a trip to Wal-Mart for clothes along with the nine million other things they need.

Wednesday I managed to work all day at the shop 9:30 to 6:30 and it was slow. Course the fire at the end of the block played a big part in the lack of business. Luckily however no civilians or fireman were injured even though the building was completely destroyed. The only positive was that I got to wait on the firemen.

On Thursday my younger son, my DH and I went to the art festival hosted by the local Library. We got to go to all these different craft stations and they had a moon bounce.

All in all a very busy week, but I saved the best news for last. I’m now officially a reviewer for Romance Junkies. I’m so excited over it and I hope that I do a good job. I’ll keep you all posted on how it goes and when my first review will be put up.

Have a great Friday!!

Fun Name Game I swipped from Jaci Burton’s Blog

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current street name)

Blackie Morgan

2. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your middle name)

JAnn

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)

Red Lion

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Ann Media

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom’s maiden)

Logjewh

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The”, your favorite color, favorite drink)

The Red Bloody Mary

7. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of your grandfathers)

Harry Llewelyn

8. FUTURISTIC NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite kind of shoes)

Rapture Keds

9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle name)

Vinton Michael

That was so much fun, Thanks JACI

Book Reviews

Honestly I love to write them. I do but I find that sometimes I get to lengthy in my explanation and then I lose track of my thoughts and what I was trying to say. So after starting and stopping in an attempt to get caught up on all that I’ve read lately I decided that I need to retune the way I write them.

In doing so I found that I have been reading a lot more reviws lately, on blogs at review sites and even on author sites where they have snipets of things that are said about their books.

I’ve never really used a rating system and I don’t know that it would work for me, I tend to as a reader find things that I can like about any book. Of course there are a few exceptions. I shudder when I think of them and then I realize good or bad the story still impacted me. Maybe not in the fuzzy and warm I can’t wait to reread this book way, but in a that is the kind of book I don’t really want to read again way.

I think I am going to try and format my reviews somewhat, tailoring them so that I have a basic foundation and then I think I will be able to put more up and more frequently. I read so many books and I want to be able to talk about all of them. By the time I get around to writing it all out, I’m two or three books past the one I am reviewing. It’s frustrating not to share all I read, it was the reason I started this blog in the first place.

So starting next week I’ll implement the new format and I hope to have at a minimum one review up a day if not more.

Thursday Thirteen #8

Thirteen Things I should be doing right now instead of playing on the NET Laundry ~ Ugh how do four people have so many dirty clothes. The Dishes ~ I feel like all I do is wash dishes, just like the laundry we always have so much. Clean out my closets ~ It’s almost time for them to collect again and I know I have tons to give them. Dust ~ Maybe I can get the younger kid to do this for me. Paying bills ~ Always plenty of them to pay. Call the doctor ~ My son missed an appointment and he needs a new perscription Grocery shop ~ Always a good time, can you sense my excitement? Clean the bathroom ~ Again another fun job. Make the schedule for the pretzel store. This one I will have to do and soon or no one will know when they work again. Take the dog for a walk ~ We let him outside of course but he could used some exercise. Take the kids to the park ~ They could use some sun and exercise as well. Clean out the kids toys ~ How these two have so many damn toys and stuff. I’ve done this once before and we are still over run with stuff they do not play with. Read ~ Hey I need one fun thing on this list of chores.   So how about you what’s on your to do list? Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh… As usual Possible Spoilers

SAVING LIVES IS HIS MISSION.

Tough-as-nails Navy SEAL Kell Kreiger is the best there is at searching, rescuing, and taking no prisoners…yet even the rush of ever-more dangerous missions isn’t enough to
 
satisfy him. Haunted by a tortured past, Kell seeks distraction in a secret world of dark intimacies. But when Emily Stanton, the one ray of light in Kell’s shadowy existence, is pursued by a ruthless drug lord, the rules of the game suddenly change—and Kell will have to go deeper undercover than he ever imagined…

SAVING HER IS HIS PASSION.

Emily has loved Kell ever since her father, a prominent politician, rescued him from a brutal life on the streets. They were kids then, too young to act on what was growing between them…but now that Emily is ready, the handsome, headstrong SEAL has decided he’s no good for her. Ever since he rescued her from Diego Fuentes’ compound, Kell’s only duty has been to keep Emily safe. But Fuentes isn’t finished with Emily—or Kell. And to protect Emily, Kell has no choice but to lay himself—body, soul, and secrets—bare…and fight against evil with all his heart.

 

I really need to start getting these reviews out faster or I need to read slower. I think I may have to start making little notes to myself after I read each of my books so I remember what I want to key in on when I review them. That or I need to switch to a format either way here we go.

I do love a good romantic suspense and I openly admit to be facinated with mobster and criminals in the fact that I wonder how there minds work and what lead them to where they are in life and as usual Ms. Leigh delivers a book riddled with all the good suspense elements.

Kell is the Alpha hero who has been wounded emotionally before. He a Navy Seal and a good one at that. The Drug lord he and his team are going after in this series is quite the bad guy and he has taken from Kell more than any of the others. What I really liked about Kell was the balance he had, he was Alpha sure, he wanted things his own way, but he knew he was that way and eventhough I bet it killed him he tried very hard not to cage and limit Emily’s involvement in her own protection. He is a well written and surprisingly open minded Alpha Male. I really liked him, not more than Reno mind you. I Love RENO, the most, sorry Kell.

Emily is a heroine that lives on the edge, she’s a senators daughter and a previous kidnap victim. She had vague memories of her abduction and for all instensive purposes should probably be scared of her own shadow, yet she is living her life the best she can. She refuse to allow anyone to clip her wings, including the string of Bodyguards assigned to her by her father.

Her relationship with the Senator is one that the reader sees as both good and bad. He is a former Seal and very much the Alpha, his actions stiffled his wife and now his only concern is protecting his daughter. Oh yeah did I mention all her guards are potential son in laws for the Senator, a point of contention for Emily and her Dad.

Emily is strong and very likable. She is someone you would want to be friends with and you would definitely want her on your side in a fight. She is not above protecting herself and she stands up to Kell and all the other seals. She is someone I can respect, she knows that she is in danger and she is willing to do what she must to protect herself. She has one scene where she cave and does plead a little with her father, but her reasons were justified and if I were in the same position I would have been begging too. 

Some more secondary characters were highlighted in this book and I’m anxiously awaiting their books. These books have the HEA that I require in my romances, but the criminal element is never fully taken care of and carries through the series book from book. I’m pretty sure Ms Leigh is planning on books for Ian and Macey, but I’m not sure after that. I was hoping she would tell Nathan’s story, but who knows. I could and will probably as on her forum. Hidden Agendas was a good read full of characters I liked and is definitely a keeper.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things you’d hear at my house if you were here.   1. Boys, time to get up ~ I swear in the morning I must say that 6 or 7 times before I get a response. 2. Ryan, stop running ~ I don’t think this kid has walked really since he took his first step, but at nine his running inside can sound like a herd of elephants walking across my living room. 3. No jumping on the couch. This usually happens right after the running. It’s quite a vicious circle. 4. Harry, please let the dog out. His chore and at 7 that means constant reminders. 5. Drake and Josh on my TV. My 7 year old loves that show. 6. Def Leppard Music ~ Not one song in particular, but you’d hear them. They are my favorite band after all. 7. CMT TV ~ For some reason as I’m getting older I find I like Country music more and more. 8. Yes you have to take a bath ~ Why do kids think that because it’s summer that bathing is not longer necessary. 9. Please clean your room ~ I admit they have been keeping it much better than before. I mean I can see he floor now, so that’s a plus. 10. Stop hitting your brother ~ Two boys ages 7 and 9 need to be told this at least 20 times a day if not more. Why they have to beat on each other to hang out together is beyond me, but when I break it up, they just both smile and laugh. Sometimes I just don’t get it. 11. What’s for___? Insert any meal of the day in the blank. Sometimes I think all they do is eat. 12. YouTube. My older son, the autistic one, he loves YouTube, he searches for video game clips set to music and just watches them over ad over again, laughing his butt off. Not sure I see the appeal, but it reduces the running jumping and fighting so it can’t be all bad. 13. I LOVE YOU ~ I admit I probably say this the most, because I know how important it is for everyone to know someone loves them. Even when they drive me crazy and they end up in time out or in the room, I want them to know they’re loved. So what do you say everyday, good, bad, or indifferent? Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Safe Harbor by Christine Feehan… Possible Spoliers

Safe Harbor is book 5 of the Drake Sisters Series by Ms. Feehan and one I admit I was looking forward from the minute I met Jonas in Magic in the Wind.

One of seven daughters in a line of extraordinary women, Hannah Drake has been the elusive object of affection for Jonas Harrington for as long as the young man can remember. If only the stunning super-model was driven by a passion other than her career. But Jonas isn’t the only one with desires for Hannah.

From the shadows has emerged a vengeful figure who stalks the beauty with one terrifying purpose: to strip her of all she is and destroy her. Only one man was destined as her protection. Now, out of a storm of danger, Jonas must guide the woman he loves from a sinister darkness that threatens not only Hannah, but the entire Drake family.

This is one of those stories where you know the H/H before you even open to page one. Reading this book for me was like going home. Over the course of the four previous books I have come to love all the Drake Sisters and Hannah Drake is no exception. Hannah is the sister I find I went to protect right along with her sisters. She is a model yes but so unaware of her beauty that it is at times heartbreaking. What she doesn’t fully realize until the end of the book is that she has always been beautiful, on the inside, where happily it counts the most.

As for Jonas, well it was painfully aware to all who have read this series that he loves Hannah, what was not so apparent though was how much he truly gets her as person, not as the model or as the sister, but as a woman. Watching as the two of them finally fall in love was quite rewarding. Jonas has always been the one for Hannah we all knew, shoot they knew, now finally they admit it. Hallelujah!

What I found surprising was the twist and turns the story took. The crime that was so horrible and life altering for Hannah was vivid and very real. As a reader I could almost picture the scene and just imagination had me shuddering in fear. What I did like though was the intigrating and story weaving in which Ms Feehan brought to life Hannah’s would be tormentors. I admit to thinking at one point that it was a certain individual or individuals, only to be steered another way all together. I had my suspicions about 3/4 of the way through and they did enf up being correct.  I blame my ability to figure out the criminal in the book on Nora Roberts/JD Robb. I read so many of her suspense and In Death books that I swear I’m starting to think like a cop.

Regardless of figuring it out, she sure did have a plethora of evil and twisted villians to choose from. There were Russian Mobster, Religious Cult Leaders, Animal Rights Activists, who weren’t so animal friendly (UGH), and of course the garden variety starkers/crazed fans you’d expect a model to have. The creep factor was off the charts in this one.

I was also glad to see Ilya make his return, as I suspect he is the man for Joley and watching Elle interact with Jackson is always fun and entertaining. Even with the threat of danger Ms. Feehan still weaves in the threads that will continue her series and I wonder how some seemily temporary characters will effect the subsequent books. ie.  The Reverend RJ, that man brings a whole new meaning to the word Pervert, and the fact that he heads up a Cult is far from surprising.

All in all this book was more that I could have ever hoped for, the ending was well written and emotional. I can’t wait for the next book, but than after it all we have left is Elle. maybe Ms Feehan will right the stories of her Seven Daughters, that way we never have to let the Drakes go.