A Curious Affair by Melanie Jackson

Title: A Curious Affair
Author: Melanie Jackson
Published Date: June 2008
Series: none
Rating: B-
Previous books of author enjoyed (if any):  I'm not sure I've really enjoyed her previous books.
New to me author?: no

 

LIKE A THUNDERBOLT
Recent widow Jillian Marsh wasn't planning on killing herself that March night, but she hadn't ruled it out, either. It had rained for the last seventeen days-days in which her jaws were locked together and she was unable to speak, supposing there'd been anyone worth addressing. And then there was her cat problem. Ever since she'd been hit by lightning last October, the cats in town had been talking to her. Which meant she was insane, right?

But that night something changed. The cat Atherton appeared with something very interesting to say, about an odd accident that had occurred up the hill. And since Jillian could hardly go to the town's new lawman, who'd been trained in LA and was new to this Sierra town, with a feline eyewitness, it was up to her to find out if there was indeed trouble afoot-or if this conspiracy and her newfound and unwanted attraction to Sheriff Murphy were all part of an endless hallucination.

 

So I'm a sucker for books with cats.  Even just having a cat on the cover will entice me to pick a book up.  But I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  I haven't enjoyed the few Wildside books of Jackson's that I've read, so I was a bit leery about this one, but I'm glad I did.

 

I think that people who pick this up looking for a paranormal romance will be a bit disappointed.  The paranormal aspect is small, as is the romance.  Instead, I'd say it works better as women's fiction.  Most of the story is Jillian realizing that life goes on and that she needs to stop keeping to herself after the death of her husband.  The mystery is a way of making her interact more with people. 

 

I really liked Atherton (who, by the way, has his own Myspace page).  He definitely acts like a cat.  Although it becomes obvious that he's more than just a simple stray.  Like I said, I picked it up for the cats and I did like how they all played their part in the story.  I also liked the cat related quotes that begin each chapter.  

 

All in all, I enjoyed this one.  It's slow and meandering, but I never found it boring.  It's just cute. 

5th Anniversary

Oh my, has it really been that long?

 

It's our 5th wedding anniversary today.  Time has definitely flown and lots of things have changed.   Ahh...I love him. 

 

And he finished some bookshelves for me today.  What a guy.  And surprised me with red roses on Thursday since he wanted to be unpredictable.  No, you can't have him.  He's mine.

 

And completely unrelated, here's a cloud picture I took from my work parking lot earlier this week.

 

 

Well, it's actually three pictures stitched together because the cloud was way too big. 

Cinderella Lopez by Berta Platas

Title: Cinderella Lopez
Author: Berta Platas
Published Date: April 2006
Series: n/a
Rating: B
Previous books of author enjoyed (if any): n/a
New to me author?: Yes

 

Fifteen-year-old Cynthia Lopez made a promise to her dying father: she will live with her two stepsisters, Ami and Lila, until she turns 25, at which point she'll inherit his large estate. Now, nine years later, twenty-four-year-old Cyn is counting down the days to that fateful birthday. At first, living with Ami and Lila had been fun, even exciting at times. Two of New York's hottest It-Girls, they know all the right people, own all the right things, and go to all the right parties. Sensible Cyn used to be content hiding in the shadows of her larger-than-life sisters. Now, Cyn is finally wising up and realizing that she is no longer stepsister to the stars--she is personal assistant/slave to the stars (or Las Diablas, as the Latin press likes to call them). And, when Prince Charming enters, Cyn must go head-to-head with her truly wicked stepsisters in order to win back her father's fortune, her perfect man, and, most importantly, her life.

 

This was an impulse grab at work.  I vaguely remembered seeing something about it somewhere on the web, but for the life of me, I can't remember.  Went home with a rather upset stomach from work and so crashed on the couch downstairs with this book.  Finished in only a few hours (with intermittent dashes to the bathroom, of course you needed to know that) and came away with a smile on my face.

I'm a sucker for fairy tale stories and this one works well.   I like the Latin vibe and the music scene comes across just as crazy as one would imagine.  Cyn's a very down-to-earth person and I really liked how her and Eric interacted.  They just seem to fit.

I also liked how the Cinderella elements really worked well in the novel, yet didn't seem forced or put in just because.  If, like me, you like a cute fairy tale-based story, I recommend picking this one up.

Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor

Title: Bound by Shadow
Author: Anna Windsor
Published Date: June 2008
Series: The Dark Crescent Sisterhood - Book One
Rating: DNF
Previous books of author enjoyed (if any): Arda series from Ellora's Cave written as Annie Windsor
New to me author?: No

 

Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sibyl, a warrior priestess battling
evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly
science--and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier for the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power.

Creed's low profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sibyl into the case of a politician's son, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana's instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she's ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man's treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.

 

I really tried to finish this one, I really did.  But when you find yourself only reading a few pages at a time and easily putting it down, perhaps now is not the time to read it.  So I'm sending this one back to Paperspine.  I enjoyed her Arda series when I was first reading erotic romance and so was looking forward to this series to see how she did writing for the big leagues. 

 

Riana's supposed to be a big, bad, strong woman, but I really didn't get that impression.  She's strong in some ways, but the way she just melts with Creed just doesn't mesh with how I thought her character should go.  Yeah, that pesky paranormal attraction is probably going on, but this time it just wasn't working for me and actually annoyed me.  Not really the reaction I'm sure I am supposed to get.  But for those interested, it is a hot book.  Definitely could go with the erotic romance tag. 

I did like Creed, though.  Especially the few interactions with his partner.  Very funny.  And the "thing" inside him is very intriguing and I keep wanting to know what it really is and how it will be important for the story.  Just not enough to actually continue reading.  Quite frankly, I got kinda bored. Not a whole lot seemed to be happening and I was about a quarter into the book.  And it's a big book. 

I suppose that would be another question, what's with books getting bigger again?  THis one, Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves (currently reading and it's SO good), and Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen are the first three books I got from Paperspine and they all seem bigger than the books I've been seeing around.  Good trend, if in fact it is a trend and not just some fluke. 

My cats, they are under the couch

Well, Gambit is, anyways. The weather is storming here and he hates the thunder. Well, scared out of his mind is more like it.

Am borrowing Linda Howard's Death Angel from my manager at work and so far I'm enjoying it. But I'm not real far into it yet, Drea's just starting her escape at the moment.

It's nasty sticky hot here and only getting hotter. I want winter back.

Oh, changed a few things around in the library, so I'll have to post pictures soon.

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

   Letters to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

"Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ's love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse."

So begins Letter to a Christian Nation...

This is a really short book, but I found it to be quite interesting and really quick read.

Not sure how many people who actually read my blog would like it, but I'm glad I did and I must say I agree with a lot of what was written.

 

Anyways, not what I usually write a review on, but I knew it would be short, so a good way to get back in the swing of things.  At least I hope! 

Blog changes

Okay, so as you can see, I changed my template. And as you can see, I did it myself (even my sorta spiffy kitty header). So please, let me know if there are any problems so I can attempt to fix them.