Review: A Waltz at Midnight by Crista McHugh

Review: A Waltz at Midnight by Crista McHugh

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

For back cover blurb and more information about this book visit Crista's website here.

When someone begs... no, offers to pay you to write letters to get rid of a suitor just say no!

In Susanna Parkwell's case she can't turn away the offer for a few extra coins. Especially when her brother desperately needs the money to continue his education. What Susanna doesn't expect is to become enthralled with the very man she's supposed to rebuke. Susanna is a bit of a day dreamer, surprisingly enough since she's survived the Civil War and lost everything she holds dear. At the same time Susanna has a practical and near cynical view of the fairy tale ending that she secretly longs for. I do believe the lady protests too much, and indeed it's not long before Susanna finds herself wishing the man behind such poignant responses to her witty diatribe would come and sweep her away.

Theodore at first glance appears to be a bit of weakling. He's guided by his father's purse strings and not much else. When his father informs him that he must marry, and that a match has already been selected he merely gives in to the inevitable. This trait did not endear Theo to me in the least, but I kept reading... hoping for Theo's redemption. Honestly he's a hero, so he better do something amazing. McHugh quickly turned the tables. Theo's capitulation to his father's desires is just one of many facets to his character. The truth of Theo becomes apparent through the correspondence with Susanna. The climatic meeting, and the events that follow are a Cinderella dream.

Overall, A Waltz at Midnight is endearing, and speaks to the little girl inside every woman that's looking for her prince to ride in on the white horse. Researching McHugh's previous writings revealed this is her first foray into the Historical Romance genre. After getting a small taste of what she's capable of, I can only hope there are more Historical Romance books on the horizon from this author!

Reading List: February 2012

This was the month to remember. I was just 3 books away from reading one for every day in the month of February. So close... unfortunately my personal life intervened. My other accomplishments or activities will be mentioned in another post, but let's just say that this past weekend was an extreme workout.

1. Fire Bapitzed by Kenya Wright **
2. The Runaway Countess by Leigh Lavalle ***
3. Tempted by Blood by Laurie London*
4. Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey*
5. Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
6. Once Upon a Wicked Night by Jennifer Haymore*
7. To Bewitch an English Knight by Alena Stuart*
8. Confessions of an Arranged Marriage by Miranda Neville***
9. A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare***
10. How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back by Sophie Barnes***
11. The Rake and The Recluse: Ruination**
12. The Rake and The Recluse: Submission**
13. The Rake and The Recluse: Retribution **
14. Engaged With The Boss by Elle James
15. Bet On It by Jennifer Cruisie
16. Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens
17. By the Book by Scarlett Parrish
18. The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke
19. And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke
20. Faking It by Jennifer Cruisie
21. Catering to the Italian Playboy by Tamelia Tumlin*
22. The Rent-A-Groom by Jennifer Blake*
23. The Devil's Heart by Lynn Raye Harris
24. Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Cruisie
25. Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Cruisie
26. What the Lady Wants by Jennifer Cruisie
27. Charlie All Night by Jennifer Cruisie

*Review upcoming or available on my blog
**Review upcoming or available on Indie Books R Us
***Review upcoming or available on The Season

Review: Tempted by Blood by Laurie London

Review: Tempted by Blood by Laurie London

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

For back cover blurb and more information about this book visit Laurie London's website here.

Blue spiked hair, leather, piercings in tantalizing places--Jackson Foss is the ultimate bad boy. He's also a Guardian, sworn to protect humanity from the Darkbloods, vampires that have gone rogue and believe that humans should be cattle. Jackson has always followed the path of the Guardians, but lately he feels his edge is slipping. He's consuming more energy, more blood... and just a hairs breath away from becoming the very thing he's been destroying for over a century.

Arianna is just a girl interested in the paranormal, ever since her mother was attacked and killed by moving shadows. She's on the trail of a missing teenagers in the Seattle area, but her search for information is about to get in her a load of trouble. Enter a gorgeous man with a dragon blade to the rescue. Arianna's not sure if she can trust Jackson, but as the two get closer things heat up. The only question left is can they save each other before the enemy in the dark finds her?

Jackson's description above is missing one thing-- muscles. When I picture this guy he's the ultimate bad boy that has a motorcycle, and naturally attracts the attention of every girl in the bar. He definitely lives up to the reputation, but London finishes the fantasy by giving Jackson a deep and tortured side to. He's definitely got demons fueling his inner fire, and is constantly on the edge. At first glance you think what the other Sweetblood characters do, he's only after a good time. When Arianna comes onto the scene everything changes. Suddenly he's caring about a human in ways he's never felt about anyone. She's got him dangling on a string, and Jackson doesn't like it.

Arianna fights the attraction pretty well. She's more focused on her mission to reveal the truth behind the things lurking in the dark, and protecting her family. I love this character because she's incredibly strong and takes actions that go against the typical female reaction. For example the woman sees a vampire and instead of screaming out in horror she whips out a camera phone and starts snapping photos. London's heroine's are typically made of sterner stuff, but Arianna impresses.

Story flow and pacing are beautiful as always and next to London's first Sweetblood novel, Bonded by Blood, Jackson's story is one of my favorites. The villains are always a delight, and there's a good dose of humor in all the right places... in a few words: My Little Pony. If you want to know why the mention of a child's toy made me giggle you'll just have to read. London is just as amazing at painting a realistic environment, extremely detailed and in tune with our current reality. The vampire mythos in her story is equally engaging, and I hope she'll publish a companion book with stories about the history of the Guardians and the Darkbloods someday.

Overall, Tempted by Blood is a great read. It's fast paced and the action is rampant-- in the bedroom and out of it. The characters have personalities and quirks that drive you to them. Plus, if you're a fan of the series then you won't want to miss previous character appearances. Now, I'll patiently anticipate the next book, which honestly can't come fast enough!

Funday Monday: February 20th, 2012

Ah ha! I'm back for another round of Funday Monday! This is more of a shameless plug Funday Monday. I'm here to pimp out my latest endeavor. Pawsiblities I <3 Dogs Tour is a go! It's officially launched today, and the first post is up. I'm a little squee about this venture, though I'm not sure how much attention it will really get.

1.) Small Town Rescue: This is Mission Control! The command center for the blog tour and Pawsibilities Are Endless' little spot to post about our wonderful dogs and share information as we come across it. We love talking about dogs... I think that's a little obvious with the whole blog tour thing, but good to mention again.

2.) Confessions of an Animal Junkie: Our wonderful friend and cohort Phoenix Sullivan runs this blog. With vet tales and guest posts from myself and other animal lovers it's a breath of fresh air. Plus tons of photos. You should really meet Phoenix's animal crew. A mish mash of some of the cutest and interesting animals I've seen. She's offering her blog up for guest posts from those who may not have a blog. So if you want to share your 'I love dogs' stories visit her blog for more info.

3.) Going from Nobody to Somebody: My partner in crime Cate! We have a Indies Book Review blog that we work together on, and she's an animal lover too! She's going to making a weekly post on each theme, and tweeting the heck out of our posts. She's also a huge gamer, so if you into video games and the latest with the Xbox definitely check her out!

4.) Blogs for Paws: Ran by the wonderful, intelligent Lauren. She's a dog grooming expert and a proud momma of two adorable dogs. She's constantly posting awesome information about grooming and keeping your pets safe and loved.
5.) Full Frontal Fantasy: A blog with reviews, news and musings on Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance. Lela is a big fan of the geeky and the sexy. So any combo of both is bound to spark interest. She likes animals too! Check our her blog and you can also catch her wandering Twitter. She has some awesome twitter polls.

A mask in time for the Celebration

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm a sucker for historicals! I'm a sucker for history too. Especially any type of history that involves the glamorous existence of balls, masques, and a chance to hide who you really are. Then I was granted a unique opportunity: create a Mardi Gras mask! More like decorate one to celebrate the holiday at the day job. The reward is a chance to win a cash prize, but the true reward is accomplishing something creative with my hands. 

So I embarked on the scary journey of creating a mask! I didn't want to just decorate the flimsy piece of plastic I'd been provided. No, my inner regency romance lovin' side took over. Next thing I knew I was watching YouTube videos and asking Twitter for help. After a late afternoon stop at the Hobby Lobby, much to the disappointment of my son (he thought we were going to a toy store), my creative project launched.

For your viewing pleasure I'll share my steps and the not-so-pretty photos that go with it!

Step 1: The mask. $1.00 and you have something flimsy and flaking at the edges.

Step 2: Aluminum foil! I layered two sheets of aluminum foil on top of one another. A little tape, some cutting with scissors, and more folding and you get your design.



Daughter: "Mommy that looks scary!"



Step 3: Plaster Caster! That's not really the name of the stuff, but basically its a roll of the same stuff used to make a cast in the old days. One roll is perfect purchase size (I still have a ton leftover). You cut the stuff into small strips, mine were about 1/2- 1/4 inch wide. Grab a small bowl of water and dip the strips, one by one, into the water and layer them over each other. Overall, it took me 1 hour to wrap the entire thing to my liking, and 2 hours to dry (speed increased with the help of a hair dryer).

Step 4: Spruce that bad boy up with some color! I used acrylics for this project, and then let the mask dry overnight.



Hubby: "It looks like a misshapen Batman Batarang!"

Step 5: Decorate it! You can use just about anything with a hot glue gun. I used a ton of stickers that were designed for scrap booking but they looked so awesome! A few feathers, some lace, and a little glitter glue. If you're into fabrics then you can use those as well or whatever floats your boat. I definitely recommend a hot glue gun! I love the thing for projects. And wa la!


Now commenter's my questions: What was my theme for the mask? Do you love masked parties?
*One lucky commenter will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card*





Review: Gypsy Bond by Lindy Corbin

Review: Gypsy Bond by Lindy Corbin

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

For back cover blurb and more information on this novella visit the Steel Magnolia Press website here. 

What happens when a well-bred lady attempts to regain her Gypsy husband...

A ton of tension, and potential heartache-- that's what happens. Luckily, Corbin is able to successfully pull of a story where both hero and heroine have huge issues, and little hope of making it work.
This novella is a refreshing step of the beaten path of Regency Romance. We have Juliet Bailey, married to a gypsy husband, Marko Lovel, who abandoned her four years ago. Now that his tribe has returned to her father's land, she's bound and determined to reclaim him and her place at his side. But Marko has his reasons for leaving her once, and for his sudden return now. Can Juliet finally convince him of her love, that's never wavered, or will Marko leave her again?

Juliet's character is incredibly strong. She has some guts walking into a gypsy camp, unescorted, and demanding a place by her husband's side. Her husband on the other hand was quite off-putting. At least to start, I didn't care for him, but by the end of the story he grew on me. Marko definitely has the character of a gypsy, quick to offense and quick to possess. I recommend to readers that purchase this story to remember that Marko isn't guided by the same rules or beliefs of Regency lords and gentlemen. His attitudes and actions appear even a little more roguish then most.

Overall, this is a quick read with a delightful ending. Especially since there are 2 other villains in this tale that get a comeuppance. Quirky secondary characters were a delight, and I hope to see more from Corbin involving Gypsy's.

If you enjoyed Lisa Kleypas' first two books in the Hathaway series then this is a must purchase.

Review: Question of Trust by Laura Caldwell

Review: Question of Trust by Laura Caldwell

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

For back cover blurb and more information on this book visit Laura Caldwell's website here.

The continuing story of Izzy McNeil and her penchant for finding herself caught in the nastiest of webs.

This was my first foray into Caldwell’s books, and I have to say I’m impressed by her eye for detail. Leaving no stone unturned Caldwell is indeed masterful at building suspense. Though based on my research into Izzy McNeil’s previous tales, this poor gal can’t get a break.

For this round the person in trouble is not Izzy, but her new, exceedingly hot boyfriend, Theo. Just as the pair has decided to potentially take their relationship to the next step, Theo’s world comes crashing down around him. He’s indicted for fraud and Izzy must step up to represent him. Looking into his financial troubles, Izzy finds a sticky mess that involves Theo’s best friend, father, and potentially a Mexican drug family. She wants to believe Theo is innocent, but the evidence is stacked against him. The question is: can she trust a man she really doesn’t know?

I’m not a fan of suspense, but I’m always on the lookout to find one that will hook me. I’ve watched movies with a ton of suspense and usually fall pretty hard from some good ones. At least those that shock and surprise straight through to the finish. From this standpoint I thought this one might be one to do it for me, alas not so. While I admire the detail, the flawed characters, and rapidly paced setting of this story I couldn’t didn’t get the suspense rush I expected. There’s not a ton of surprise and I immediately could tell where the plot was leading, all that was needed was a few tiny pieces to put the information together.

Caldwell does a good job of capturing human flaws and how fragile trust can be. That fact alone kept me reading, but I don’t think this falls in the romance category at all. The story isn’t about romance, there’s no happily ever after. This is about the decline, fall, and rise of individuals challenged by greed, revenge, lust, and ultimately unhappiness. Izzy and Theo are just along for the ride, and fall prey to the negative feelings that can be bred from unfortunate circumstances.

If you’re a fan of the Caldwell’s previous novels with Izzy, then I doubt you’ll be disappointed in this latest release. If you’re looking for something suspenseful with a touch of mystery, where romance takes a back seat, then Question of Trust is also for you.