What are you reading - week of Nov. 2, 2009

I just started The Lady in Question by Victoria Alexander in my continuing journey through he Effington family series. This series is my first experience with Alexander's writing and I have to say that it's been extremely hit or miss. There have been a couple of pretty good books, but also some truly awful ones. The one I just finished, Love With the Proper Husband, was really hard for me to finish. The hero was ok, but the heroine was classic TSTL. She made decisions that no normal person would ever make and so much of the drama would have been avoided by actually talking to the guy. Her lack of trust in the hero didn't make any sense. At any rate, The Lady in Question has started out with a pretty interesting plot and so far nobody's doing anything colossally stupid, so that's promising...

I cannot believe it is already November! Yikes!!

I'm currently reading Waking Evil by Kylie Brant.

Hey everyone -hope you all have a fun & safe Halloween - I had the pleasure of taking my niece & 8 of her friends around (wow) that was fun :)

I finished Moon Called by Patricia Briggs this weekend & I really enjoyed it - I know its the 1st in a series so Im need to request the rest

Just started Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter already read Cole's story - she is just the BEST! so over 1/2 through & on to Gena's story

Just picked up a bunch of books from the library & will be starting Soulless (wrong touchstone) next.

hey guys...I am reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and I love it! i'm about half through and I can't put it down. Thanks to everyone who recommended her! Gabaldon is a great writer, every page has something new in it. I'm taking a little break from Saving Midnight as the main characters are sort of irritating me.

Happy Monday Everyone! I am going to finish Smooth Talking Stranger today and head to Title Wave Books on my lunch hour to see if they have Again The Magic by Lisa Kleypas. If they're out I will get Paradise by Judith McNaught. I hope they have Again the Magic though; I am so curious about The Wallflowers Series. Happy Reading!

#4 misshillyhock> Im so glad you like it! I loved that book as well - I have read the first 3 in the series & the 3rd book I really enjoyed. They are lengthy but so well worth ever page :)

I finished The dangerous Lord by Sabrina Jeffries also started on Susan Mallery's Baking siters series with Sweet Talk. I really want to know how that will turn out.

Julia

Just finished Covet by J. R. Ward and now I just wonder what to read next! I have to keep going until Lover Avenged comes out in paperback last week of November.

I'll go fish in my big, BIG, tbr-pile! :)

>Misshollyhock : Happy reading with Outlander! I still remember when I read it the first time way back in 1993!
I agree with scrpo1027 and you that Gabaldon is an extraordinary writer!

#8 hallontass> ok, you so can not just say you finished covet and then move on without any feedback lol... How was it??

> scrpo1027 : Got you! :) Ok, I really like Ward's writing. But it is hard not to expect the Brothers presence, you know. However, I liked it and I am looking forward to the next one. But BDB is soooo unbeatable.

Sorry about the gushing! :) (not)
So happy reading to you on your upcoming birthday!

edited to add: Now I am on and off reading The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insiders Guide

katybear, I had a similar reaction to Victoria Alexander but I really enjoyed The Lady in Question - I'd love to hear what you think.

You also may have my new favorite quote "so far nobody's doing anything colossally stupid, so that's promising". I'm going to use that to start measuring books!

Unfortunately, I just finished a book that doesn't follow that so I was a little disappointed (Never Marry a Stranger). What is it with heros presumed dead but come back to life? Someone must have discussed it at a convention because this is the second book I've read this week with this premise.

Just finishing The Spiral Path by Mary Jo Putney.

misshollyhock, I'm so glad you like Outlander. The series is one of my all time favorites.

I just finished Suite 606, a collection of short stories containing a J.D. Robb story I had not read. That one was fairly disappointing but the last story by Mary Kay McComas was wonderful. I have never read anything by her so now I will look for her books.

I think I might read Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon in preparation for picking up An Echo in the Bone. The book is so big I think I am stalling!!

hey I just finished Outlander and it was amazing!!! I have to admit though, I was a little sick to my stomach a little near the end...I thought it was pretty traumatizing...but it was a great intense read. I just bought the next one! Dragonfly in Amber and i'm super excited.
I can't believe what a difference Gabaldon's writing is to other books I have read. Sometimes I get a little bored with description and thought scenes but with the way she writes I couldn't even catch my breath!
Thanks again you guys for recommending her!

#14: misshollyhock> Yay! Good for you! I wish I could read her books again for the first time! :)

Right now I'm trying to choose what book to bring on a long trip!

edited to add: Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare is coming with me and I trust it will be great company!

hallontass> Did you read Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole yet?? I just finished it a couple of days ago & LOVED it. :) I tell you, she writes some of the best stories & they are sexy hot but it doesnt take away from the actual story line.

I'm about halfway through One Night of Scandal by Teresa Medeiros and am absolutely loving it! I really enjoyed A Kiss to Remember, which first introduced Carlotta Anne Fairleigh, the heroine of One Night of Scandal, as a child, and I was so glad to find that the mischievous Lottie eventually got her own book. She's a wonderful character (witty, observant, a touch naive but smart enough to generally overcome her inexperience rapidly) and Medeiros has given her a more appealing hero than her older sister had in A Kiss to Remember. Plus the book features lots of cats and kittens, which is always good as far as I'm concerned ;-)

I just finished Lord Ruin by Carolyn Jewel and - I loved it! I had no idea it was going to be so good! I'm definitely going to check out some of her other books, I wonder if this book is part of a series, anyone know? I'm now beginning The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig.

I just picked up Nalini Singh's new book Blaze of Memory today. When I see her on Saturday I'm going to have to tell her she's stealing my life :)
When I pick up her books, I can't put them down, there were so many other things I was meant to be doing today.

misshollyhock, I am so glad you enjoyed Outlander! As I said, it is my all time favorite series. And, it's funny that you mentioned not minding the descriptions. I was talking to my daughter the other day about just that. She's FINALLY reading Outlander after I have been begging for 2 years. She's obsessed with Jamie. Imagine that. Anyway, I was telling her how in some books I dread the long descriptions;skip over them most of the time. But in Outlander, they are just as interesting to me as the dialogue. I think it's due to the fact that I love the characters....all of them. Their thoughts are just a part of them and I could listen to them for hours. Especially if they are written in a Scottish hand ;)

Looks like a Diana Gabaldon love fest here!! LOL.

I am still building up to reading An Echo in the Bone and reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. I am loving every word.

MDLady, my daughter has been trying to read the series but has 2 small little boys & works full time. So I just got her Outlander on CD since she is a drug rep and spends a lot of time travelling in her car. I can't wait to give it to her.

mamalaz, I had the opportunity to hear a bit from the audio book...and I swear it's like a whole different experience! I really was suprised to hear Leghair's name pronounced. It's actually very pretty.

Nice MDLady. Maybe I'll borrow it from her when she is done. I am thinking of driving from NY to Florida this winter and having a nice long book to listen to, especially one you love, makes the trip even nicer.

hey mamalaz, you should try some mystery ones too. My friend and I did John Grisham The Broker on cd and it was really good...probably all of his are good in the car. We also listened to Janet Evonavich and it was so funny.

I've been reading the "Prey" series by Rachael Vincent and liked the first three. Number four is on hold at the library. I'm reading The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and I'm loving it!!! YA and very cute. Also in the TBR for this week Allison Brennan's Speak No Evil and Queen of Song and Souls.

MT, I'm glad you like Teresa Medeiros I've most of her books in my tbr pile.

I finished Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery which is the first in her bakery sisters series. I like it very much. I read the first third on Monday, the issue about the dead mother was so emotional I cried buckets and had puffy eyes on Tuesday morning. If the other two are as good I will put the rest of her books on my wishlist.

Anyway started The care and taming of a rogue by Suzanne Enoch.

Julia

misshollyhock,

I enjoy mysteries on CDs. Right now I have Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini on CD in the car. And I only read Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody books on audio. The narrator is wonderful and I enjoy them so much more than if I sat down and read them.

MT & Julia, now you have made me want to read Teresa Medeiros. Ach - so many books so little time. I will never get around to painting my closet!!

reesa00: Glad to be of service! :D I am still reading The Lady in Question and still enjoying it... I'm pretty sure the Big Secret that the hero is keeping from the heroine is about to come out, so there should be some pretty heavy drama coming soon. Although I haven't finished it yet, it's much better than some of the other books in the series. I have all the rest of the books in my TBR pile, but I think I'm most looking forward to When We Meet Again since that is Prince Alexei's story and I really liked him in The Prince's Bride, which was also one of the better books in this series.

I just finished off a newish young adult novel, Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog and pulled Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton off my shelf. I often feel that I'm one of the only paranormal romance fans who has never read one of her novels so at least now I'll know what everybody is talking about.

I just finished the 3rd Lady Julia Grey mystery, Silent on the Moor which wasn't bad, but I was listening to it on audiobook and the narrator was dreadful - she sounded like Bette Davis! Very melodramatic and over the top, eventually I will read the book in print just to get that horrible voice out of my head!

misshollyhock, glad to hear you're into the Outlander series too, it's my favorite as well and I have been obsessed with it for over 5 years now. I've listened to the unabridged CD's over and over while in my car, it's been a while since I've actually read the series (except for the most recent An Echo in the Bone. I love all the details as well, though in the later books I found some parts to be slow going, but they are still the creme de la creme when it comes to good storytelling and great writing and first rate research! Welcome to my Outlandish Obsession! LOL!

mamalaz, I've actually haven't read one of her books. But on forums and interaction with Christina Dodd she is always so funny that bought her books. LOL

Julia

Julia, Medeiros sense of humor really comes across well in her books too. Her characters, both female and male, are smart and witty and self-aware. Her heroines especially are active and resourceful and never wallow in self-pity, no matter how difficult their circumstances (the heroes tend to be a bit more tortured and sometimes need the heroine to give them a kick in the pants before they can pick themselves up and move on). I find her books very romantic and emotional without their ever being too heavy or draining. They just have the perfect balance of sunshine and shadow for me.

MT - you are a bad influence!!

I just finished Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon and loved it. I have the the third book of the series on order at the library but I think I need to own it. Now I am not only Outlandishly obsessed, I am also obsessed with Lord John. Gabaldon is truly a master story teller.

In the meantime, I have started Secrets of the Night by Jo Beverley. So far - so so. But it's tough to compete with perfection.

I finished The Care and Taming of a Rogue by Suzanne Enoch I agree it wasn't up to her usual standards. I found Phillipa a rather trying heroine with her complaint that he should court her properly and couldn't understand why Bennett was so ostracized by society. What I found interesting was that she left us hanging about the continuations of the next book. That hasn't happened much lately. I'm sure the Duke will get his own book because he seems like a compelling character but if she continues with writing trillogies who gets the third book? Lord John Clancy seems an unlikely choice to me, he didn't come over as hero material.

Next is Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery.

Julia

I'm catching up so have several books to report on:

My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel: the 2d in her paranormal trilogy. Not quite as good as the first (My Wicked Enemy), mainly because her 'voice' in contemporary dialogue seemed a little bit off. (She had the young heroine saying "H-E-double-fiddlesticks" at one point.) I'll still buy the next one.

A Christmas Wish by Betty Neels: Classic Betty Neels - very sweet.

Playboy Boss, Live-In Mistress by Kelly Hunter: I've been waiting for this Harlequin to hit North America. Kelly Hunter is an Australian Harlequin writer, and I've loved all of her books so far. Snappy dialog, very sensual, and great balance of emotion and humor. Her books remind me of Nora Roberts' early contemporaries. This one was as good as the others. Can't wait for her next one!

I just finished The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willigand simply loved it! I coudn't put it down, it was so well done and funny and entertaining - a real keeper! Now, I'm beginning Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran,

Finally finished Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. HATED IT! Hated, hated, hated it! *stamps her foot*

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was funny because the zombies were weaved so seamlessly into the original novel. This book butchers Austen's story and isn't even funny!

Hated it.

I'm going to go start Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs right now to get the stench of rotten fish out of my brain.

#16 scrpo1027 > Sorry for the long wait! Been out of town for a bit! And to answer your question: - Yes, I gobbled up Untouchable by Kresley Cole the minute I had it unwrapped! That is why it took me forever to finnish Covet. Also in the same shipment was Ward's Insider's guide to BDB.

SO anyway, it was great to have more to read about the Wroth brothers and their vampiric adventures! Now I am off to howl for the next IAD-book!

Happy reading, everyone!

PS I love the title Deep Kiss of Winter.

38 hallontass> Oh good..... I love the title too but I loved the snow scenes even better (covers hand over mouth) lol.. I cant wait for her next book !!!

I am still reading Paradise by Judith McNaught this week... It's finally past the boring parts and it is starting to get real good. I'm glad I stuck with it because now all I want to do is read and find out what happens.

yay AK_Momma! i'm so glad you are liking it!