Spring Break!

It has been three weeks since my last post! Yikes! I'd love to tell you that I've been busy doing something amazing like traveling the world... or something extremely productive like painting my house, cleaning out the basement or doing my taxes (Ouch!...), but sadly that's not the case. I think I'm just a lot better at visiting everyone else's blog than posting my own stuff. But I have read some really fantastic books since my last post, and really need to write some reviews. I hope to crank them out over the next few days, but don't hold you're breath! I'm an expert procrastinator. EXPERT. E.X.P.E.R.T. 

Anyway, I saw something like this a few weeks ago on someone's blog and thought it was so creative. I forgot who it was, or I'd give them credit. 

See if you can figure out what I'm doing tomorrow afternoon: 

So what's your exit? um... its a Jersey thing. ;o)

awww... she's so cute! 

Mmmm... coffee, WIFI, and........ 

How my votes matched the AAR 2008 Reader Poll Results

I was inspired by Rosario at Rosario's Reading Journal to post how my votes matched up to the results of the AAR Reader Poll that took place earlier this year. I'm sure those of you who voted in the AAR 2008 Annual Reader Poll have already checked out the results. If not, you can find them here. Its a fun way to check out which books are most popular (or unpopular) in different romance categories. I do take this poll lightly, though, because I'm not terribly confident in the scientific methods used to collect the data. But then again, since seven of my votes actually contributed to some wins, there's got to be some validity to it all! ;o) 

Here are the seven categories for which my votes counted toward a win:

1. Strongest Heroine: Eve Dallas, Creation In Death, by JD Robb

The funny thing about this vote is that I have only read the first three books in this series (A fabulous gift from my dear friends Samantha and Denise! Thank you! ) and just this winter, too! LOL But I knew right away that Eve is the strongest heroine I've read and that her character would grow throughout the umpteen books ahead of me, but deep down she'll always be strong woman she is... that would never change. So I voted for her! And she won! :) 

2. Best Cabin or Road Romance: Driven by Eve Kenin

3. Best SF/Futuristic Romance: Driven by Eve Kenin and Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair. 

I voted for Driven... haven't yet read Linnea's work yet. But I will! :) ... and I already predict that Grimspace by Ann Aguirre will win this category for 2008. ;)

4. Best Romance Short Story: "Beat of Temptation" by Nalini Singh, Enchanted Seasons

5. Romance Author You Gave Up On in 2007: Sherrilyn Kenyon

I will read and buy her books up until Ash's book this August. After that, I'm not so sure I'll continue with her Dark Hunter series. The Dream Hunter and Once Upon a Midnight Clear were so hugely disappointing for me. Especially the latter.  And I have Dream Chaser on my shelf, but am too scared to read it.  Anyone read it yet? 

6. Least Believable HEA in a 2007 Romance: Vishous & Jane, Lover Unbound, J.R. Ward. 

I mean, really... that HEA was bad. I think this category was invented *just* so there would be a category for Lover Unbound. Seriously. 

7. Purplest Prose: Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank. 

Thank goodness Elijah had a better plot, better sexual tension, more sex, a couple of good fight scenes and some decent suspense. Otherwise I might have given up on the Nightwalkers altogether. I will probably read the next two books, Damien (just because I think he's the most powerful character of this series) and Noah (because I've wanted to see him with an HEA since the first book.). But after those two books, Frank will have to come up with something powerful to move me to read more of her work. 

Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas, which I really loved, won for Best Chick Lit /Women's Fiction. I actually voted Sugar Daddy for best Contemporary Romance. This is a perfect example of why I take this poll with a grain of salt. What exactly is the difference between these two categories? Perhaps some reader votes were categorized and then not counted because of similar misinterpretations between categories. 

Two authors I would have loved seeing placed in this poll are Meljean Brook and C.L. Wilson. 

I mean.... Lilith people! How could Lilith not have gotten an award? LILITH! Sheesh. Well, I'm going to give her an honorary award. 

*insert drum roll here* 

Most KickAss and Entertaining Heroine: 

Lilith Milton, Demon Angel, Meljean Brook  

One more thing. If His Kiss Is Wicked by Jo Goodman won for Best Romance for 2007 and Best Buried Treasure for 2007. So for those of you who have read it... what am I missing?

REVIEW: Tempted by Megan Hart

Tempted is Megan Hart's most recently published novel with Spice publishing. It is marketed as an erotic novel, and while it does have erotic elements, Tempted is more a novel of romantic realism. It is a realistic novel about strongly intertwined relationships brought about by real life actions, reactions, and consequences. It is the bittersweet emotional story, told from Anne's perspective, of what transpired over the course of one summer between Anne, her husband James, and his best friend Alex when the three became lovers.

Anne has everything a woman could want. Her husband James is handsome, loving and attentive and they live a happy and comfortable life together in their charming lake house. But things aren't exactly picture perfect. Anne is stressed out from dealing with her critical and impossible to please mother-in-law, and the ever present consequences of her father's alcoholism. In addition, each of Anne's three younger sisters are dealing with some serious problems of their own. Then a call comes from Alex, James' best friend from his youth, and everything in Anne's world changes.

James and Alex were inseparable childhood friends until they had a huge falling out the night before Alex left for Singapore on a business venture ten years ago. No one talks about the mysterious falling out, not even James, and it must have been intense if they dropped from each other's lives for ten years in a heartbeat. Now Alex has sold his company and is returning to the States to stay with James and Anne for the summer. Anne has never met Alex until he arrives at their home, and she is instantly overwhelmed by his sensuality and the mysteries of his past with her husband. She immediately senses a deep bond between James and the enigmatic Alex that is complicated, yet clearly depicts love and possibly even sexual attraction. Inevitably, Alex joins Anne and James in their bed and it isn't long before their relationships transcend fun and games and the boundaries of friendship, sex, and love are tested. Emotions develop in complex tangents between the three of them, and Anne and James' marriage is put on the line. The consequences of the threesome are engaging and a also a bit disturbing, forcing the characters to make decisions that may forever change their lives. Ms. Hart's characters are real and complex. They have flaws, they make mistakes, and are forced to deal with the consequences of their actions. They address things about themselves that they may not have otherwise, had this affair not happened. And in the end, each have to make important decisions about the love they choose to embrace.

Tempted is not a typical erotic romance novel. While there are indeed erotic sex scenes, including several menages a trois scenes, it isn't the eroticism that gives this novel its power. The power behind this novel is the intense emotions and complicated relationships that drive the plot. Anne's personal struggle to understand her own emotions and desires, as well as those of James and Alex, and how it all affects her life, her loves, and her family is what makes this novel what it is: intense, honest, engaging, and thought provoking.

The ending of Tempted is not the kind of happily ever after ending I have come to expect and love from reading romance, but since this novel is not a lighthearted romance or erotic novel, the bittersweet ending is true to the complexity of real life. Initially, I had some issues with the circumstances surrounding the ending because it went against the resolution that already took root between the characters and didn't provide any closure. But after I thought about it for quite some time, I decided that the ending that Ms. Hart wrote is actually the only possible ending that would give Anne, James, and Alex the closure they each needed to move on with their lives, which is a good thing, even if it was disconcerting.

I had a really hard time coming up with a grade for Tempted. There are a few decisions that the characters make that I thought were inconsistent with the circumstances. I also felt that the story could have been even more interesting and compelling if James' character, and his relationship with Alex were more deeply developed. Then the fact that the ending threw me for a loop and I kept analyzing it gave me doubts about the book. However, I enjoyed reading Tempted because the relationships were so compelling and I couldn't help but examine and reexamine the characters and their actions for days after finishing the novel and that is what moved me the most. Perhaps that was Ms. Hart's intention after all - to write a powerful and thought provoking novel that left a profound impression on the reader. If so, her mission was accomplished with me.

GRADE: B+

I also now plan on reading Ms. Hart's previously released Spice novels, Dirty and Broken.

December 26, 2008

Edited to Add: I'm sure this is completely untraditional in the world of book reviewing, but ten months later, the characters and their stories as portrayed in Megan Hart's novel Tempted still linger with me, which I think is a testament to the strength of the author's story telling and the impact of her writing on the reader. Therefore, ten months later, I am changing my grade for this novel from a B+ to an A.

GRADE: A

Jack Johnson ROCKS the Billboards

Oh, Saaaamaaaanthaaaaa!!! Well, well, well, what do you know? Look who's on the cover of the latest issue of RollingStone magazine. C'mon, you know you've been Sitting, Waiting, Wishing for his newly released album! I even saw it for sale at Starbucks this week! Surprised? Nah... you shouldn't be. This new album, Sleep Though The Static is currently #1 on the Billboards! That is, #1 on The Billboard 200, the Billboard Comprehensive Albums, the Top Digital Albums, and the Top Rock Albums!!! Go Jack!

Do You Remember the times you made fun of my fondness for the soulful sounds of Jack Johnson? Thinking I was a Flake? Well, girl friend, those days are Gone because in Times Like These, I obviously don't Walk Alone. There are millions of Jack Johnson fans. And someday... maybe someday... you'll be thinking to yourself, "If I Had Eyes, I'd be a Jack Johnson fan, too."

So tell me, did this news turn your world Upside Down or what? Don't worry... I know what would cheer you up. Come on over to my place, I'll fix you up some Banana Pancakes and expose you to some Sexy Plexi. You know you want some. ;o)

Go here to the Jack Johnson's website to the video section of this laid back surfer dude music artist. "If I Had Eyes" is from his new album. "Upside Down" from the Curious George movie is another of my favorites and the lyrics can apply to adults, too. :)

EDITED FOR CORRECTION:

From the Oxford American Dictionary:

flake |flak|

noun

1. a snowflake.

2. informal: a crazy or eccentric person.

Samantha has never called me a flake, especially in regard to definition number two. I really just wanted to use that song title in my post. However, I am like a snowflake.... unique and delicate. There's no one out there like me! :) ... but I'm not cold. ;p

And here's Jack Johnson performing one of my favorites,
Better Together:

A day of Futuristic Romance

Today is the release date of two futuristic romances that I will be reading in the not so distant future.

First up is Netherwood by Michele Lang. Netherwood is the latest novel in Dorchester's SHOMI line of speculative romance novels that combine the elements of suspense, paranormal, fantasy and sci fi with most powerful and compelling element of all--romance. Michele describes Netherwood as a futuristic Robin Hood story in which intergalactic sheriff, Talia Fortune hunts down cyber outlaw Kovner, a.k.a. The Avenger. Talia's hunt brings her to the Gray Forest where she finds The Avenger and her perspective of her world and self is ultimately shattered. Stop over at Sarai's blog, Thoughts of an aspiring writer and check out her interview with Michele Lang, where you'll also find Sarai's review of Michele's new novel, Netherwood.

The second book of My Futuristic Romance Day, is Ann Aguirre's much buzzed about novel, Grimspace. The heroine, Sirantha Jax, has the rare ability to navigate or jump ships through grimspace. A tragic crash kills her crew and she is imprisoned and tortured. Her talent, however, is a valuable one, and she is ultimately rescued by a group of rogues, lead by March, who need her help with their mission to disrupt the current monopoly on space travel.

I have heard nothing but outstanding things about this novel, including a wonderfully written review of Grimspace by Katie(babs) on Ramblings on Romance. I love a heroine centered romance and from what I hear, Jax is a wonderfully complex character who is heartbroken and emotionally vulnerable, yet a strong and determined woman. I just can't resist the combination of romance woven with action packed sci fi or fantasy adventure. I'm truly looking forward to this novel.

It looks to me like there's no better time than the present to get in on the futuristic romance scene! :)

REVIEW: Riding Wild by Jaci Burton

There's good reason why the cover to Jaci Burton's latest release, Riding Wild, is splashed with the color of flames... this book is on FIRE!

Riding Wild is a fast paced novel full of suspense, emotional and sexual heat between bad boy thief Mac Canfield and good girl private investigator Lily West. When Lily is hired to test the museum security protecting a high profile artifact, she witnesses its theft by none other than Mac, her bad boy crush of ten years ago who broke her heart. As Lily confronts Mac outside the museum, she becomes overrun with conflicting emotions as she has never truly gotten over him, and is disheartened as it appears he hasn't changed his bad boy ways after all these years. Not to mention she wants the artifact back. Mac is equally stunned to be face to face with Lily as he realizes the sweet, innocent girl-next-door he once knew has transformed into a strong willed, independent woman who can totally kick ass. As they deal with the shock of seeing each other, they come under fire by yet someone else after the artifact. As it turns out, things are not exactly what they seem--the artifact is more than just a piece of art, and Mac is more than just a thief. So in order to both preserve the secrecy of his mission and to keep Lily safe, he is forced to essentially kidnap her. Mac whisks Lily away on his Harley and she finally gets the ride on the wild side she always wanted.

Riding Wild is highly charged with emotional and sexual tension. Mac and Lily are unable to deny their stong, insatiable desire for each other and the sexual tension builds. The intense heat between them leads to extremely passionate, erotic sex and ultimately to the realization of the love they have always shared. Throughout this wild and sensual adventure, Mac and Lily work through issues of trust and troubled pasts, and in the process discover the true meaning of love and acceptance.

Jaci Burton expertly weaves this compelling story of secret agent intrigue and erotic romance and should not be missed. Riding Wild is the first novel in Jaci's new Wild Riders series, which means more tantalizing stories of sexy heroes riding fast motorcycles and souped up cars, dangerous missions and sensual romance. Riding Temptation is the next Wild Riders novel, due in October 2008, followed by Riding on Instinct, tentatively due in April 2009.

GRADE: A-

My Random List of Six

I've been blog tagged by Jill. Her blog is Romance Rookie. 

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Share six random things about you

4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry

5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Six random things about me.... 

1. I'm a coffee addict. I started drinking coffee regularly after my second child was born because I was chronically sleep deprived and could barely keep my eyes open past 3:00 in the afternoon. Now I drink maybe 3 cups a day, but also LOVE coffee anything! Coffee drinks...hot, cold, frozen, alcoholic (Espresso Martinis YUM!), coffee ice cream, coffee candy, coffee desserts, etc...

2. I am not a "cat person," yet have four cats. I do love my pets, but I'm not really the "cat lady" that I must look like from the outside. I'm more of a "kitten person," and well, yeah, they grow. I've been suckered TWICE to adopted the last brother/sister pair in the shelter because I didn't want them to be separated. TWICE I did this. I won't be making that mistake ever again. 

3. I cry a lot. I've always have been a crier, and probably always will be. I wasn't even allowed to watch The Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid, because I'd be a basket case every time. I'm serious. I saw the Spiderwick Chronicles movie last weekend with my nine year old daughter. At the end, I said to her, "I cried." She sighs and says, "I know, Mommy." lol Yeah, so things like movies, books, Hallmark commercials, songs on the radio... they all get to me. My latest example is the Alicia Keys song, "Like You'll Never See Me Again." I can't listen to it without getting that burn behind the eyes. But I don't cry when I see roadkill anymore, so that's good. ;p

4. I love ethnic foods. My favorites are Thai, Mexican and Indian. I'm going out to dinner with my friend Kate tonight for Turkish food, which I'm really excited about. I have only had some traditional Turkish appetizers in the past... can't wait to discover something new! I will try anything once and refuse to get grossed out over what other cultures eat. I'm not vegetarian. I eat animal flesh, so really folks, there's not really much that's more gross than that.

5. I'm a world class procrastinator. Case in point, Jill tagged me Sunday and here I am posting this on Thursday. *rolling eyes* I'm going to try very, very, very hard not to procrastinate doing my taxes this year. Because when you are expecting a refund, it is extremely lame to mail them out on April 15. Just saying. 

6. I've lived in New Jersey my entire life, always within 30 minutes of New York City, barring traffic, and it wasn't until I started dating my husband (who immigrated here when he was 11) that I ever saw the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, where my own grandparents passed through in the 1920s when they immigrated to the US! He was also the one who took me around to all the touristy places in NYC. 

I tag the following people: Anna, Amy, Sarai, Kat, and um... hmm... I think I need more blog friends. Humpf.

Camping Fun

I took my older girl scout troop camping this past weekend. Yup. You read that right. Camping. In February. In the beautiful Appalachian Mountains that roll through north western New Jersey. 

Guess which car is mine? ....

Inevitably, wherever you are driving to in New Jersey on a Friday afternoon or evening, you sit in traffic. So to help pass the time and control the volume of chatter and giggles that quickly turn to shrieks, I decide to play some music from my ipod using this handy dandy tape cassette thingy that lets me broadcast my tunes via the car speakers. One of the girls is a HUGE My Chemical Romance fan, and is thrilled to learn that I have a few (three) My Chemical Romance songs on my playlist. As the song starts playing, I remember that the song is the explicit version of I'm Not Okay. I should have skipped to the next song. But no. I can handle this. I tell them I will censor the single curse word in the whole song by simply turning the volume off for the few seconds it takes for the dude to sing it. No problem. I know the curse is at the end of the song, so after the first two verses, my fingers start lingering over the volume knob, and I'm saying, "Here... it's here, right?" Totally at the ready. The girls are saying, "No, not yet." Fingers twitching. I say, "I know its coming.... It's at the end... riiiiight NOW!" And I lower the volume totally off. Four.... three... two.. one. I turn the volume back up, but a slight slip sends the volume WAAAY up. In perfect time to hear the words, "I'M NOT O-FUCKING-KAY!" in full volume, louder than loud. Nice. All I can muster is "I'm so sorry." What else am I supposed to say? (In my head I was saying "Don't tell your parents about this," but I would never ever EVER tell a child to not to tell their parents something, so I guess "Sorry" will just have to do). The girls are in hysterics. "Mrs. A, you ROCK!" Which would normally be 'music to my ears', but not exactly in this context. *sigh*

Recall the instructions from the Snow Tubing trip two weeks ago when the girls needed to bring a brown bag lunch-type meal with them for dinner? Well, the same instructions applied for this trip. You know what's coming, don't you? Its now after 7:00 pm and we're a good 30 minutes from camp, so when the girls ask if they can start eating in the car, my daughter turns to me with a worried look on her face. "Mom?" Oh shit. How did I forget to pack us dinner... AGAIN? Poor kid. So this time, Mickey D saves the day. She got her crispy ranch chicken snack wrap and french fries. Sure beats the turkey on wheat I would have packed her if I had remembered, true? ;)

We finally get to camp, settle into our cabin, and head to the commons for some fun. When we get back to the cabin later that night, I run into a spot of trouble with my ski jacket. I can't unzip it. I zip it up a bit to unsnag it, but it's not caught on anything, and still won't unzip. Thankfully, I'm able to pull the jacket over my head, but as I try to determine the cause of its unzipability, I end up zipping the zipper all the way up. Stupid. Now the opening is too small for me to slip my head through. And none of the capable and resourceful girl scout leaders in our cabin is able to fix it. Which means I now have no coat for the next two days. So of course it snows Saturday. And Sunday. *big sigh*

The good news is that the theme for this camping weekend is Pajama Party. Which simply means some wholesome and relaxing girl time. The girls get manicures, bake cookies, sip hot cocoa, weave baskets (don't laugh... it was really cool. I made one, too!), have a snowball fight, make s'mores, act out an outrageously funny and original skit, build a snowman, and simply spend quality time with each other. So despite the slip with blasting the 'F' word to a car full of girl scouts, forgetting to pack my daughter and myself a dinner again, and being coatless, I'd say the camping was pretty awesome. :)

Stood Up

My girl got stood up on her first non date thing.  Well, she still claims it wasn't a date, which is a good thing, because even though she was disappointed, she was not heartbroken.   She waited for 20 minutes before giving up and having her dad drive her to a friend's house to shoot some hoops.  The boy called her later that afternoon with no explanation for why he didn't show up and asked her if she wanted to reschedule for Sunday.  Her response: "No. I don't think so."  She told me she needed some time to decide whether or not she wanted to take a chance on him standing her up again.  That's my girl. 

Oh! And the friend who she hung out with playing hoops?  The other boy who had asked to join them on their non date downtown!   ;o) 

"The Liar's Diary" by Patry Francis

Once again I have come up a day (or two) late and a dollar short. I am making this post on behalf of "The Liar's Diary Blog Day" that took place on January 29, 2008. The Liar's Diary is the debut novel by author Patry Francis and was released on paperback on January 29, 2008. Ms. Francis is currently fighting an aggressive form of cancer, and has fallen seriously ill during a time when she would be needing to promote her novel. So some of Ms. Francis' kind hearted writer friends and readers have taken it upon themselves to spread awareness of the novel by starting "The Liar's Diary Blog Day" and encouraging fellow bloggers to mention Ms. Francis' book. It is really great to see that how wonderfully supportive the people you meet in the blog world can be toward each other, especially in a time of need. My thoughts are with Ms. Francis and her loved ones, and send her the strength she needs to fight her battles. I learned of this from Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books and have also seen the novel recently mentioned at Dionne Galace: It's not Chick Porn. The author of the latter blog, BAM, recently purchased The Liar's Diary, and recently shared her enthusiasm for the novel. It looks like an engrossing read. I hope you check it out.