Angel Martinez - Writer, Reader, Woman about town

Hooray! A historical that's pre-2oth century! This fact alone attracted me to the book. I even rather liked the cartoonish (almost anime-esque) cover - something appealing about actual art work instead of the image manipulation one sees on most covers these days.

Sorry. There is a story here, as well.

At its heart, this is a romance that illustrates in no uncertain terms how damaging it can be to turn hurt inward and keep silent. It causes the principles of this story no end of grief and nearly kills Roman. (Which would have been a shame, I truly like Roman.)

The historical aspect is well done - the food, the architecture, the materials used - all fit the period. The time line is a teensy bit off. Once the Angle/Saxon/Norse types began settling on the eastern shore of Britain with established kings and all, the Romans had already beat feet and abandoned the place. But that's not such a big leap and you can sense that the pull-out isn't far off in the story.

A couple of small issues...I had some trouble warming up to Aron. I still haven't. In his first scene, he does a truly noble thing, taking the thane's wrath on himself to save his family, so i thought we were supposed to see him as noble and honorable. He is anything but. An oathbreaker and a stubborn brat, he's one of those young men who never, ever admit that anything is their fault. I was hoping for some serious character growth by the end, and while he did grow up a little in regard to Roman, that's the extent of it.

I will say the boy was true to character throughout. Completely consistent, so as a character, even if I didn't LIKE him, it works.

Also not happy about how Wulgar is treated by the boys. In historical context, Wulgar is well within his rights as thane for every action he takes and, let's be honest, is really far more lenient than he should be. I do see there's a sequel...hoping that Wulgar gets his HEA, too, poor dear...

All in all, it's well done, though, both from a plot and genre standpoint. And as you can see from above, my emotions were fully engaged, full steam ahead. Angry at points? Yes. But it was quite a ride.

OK, I'm torn on this one. There are issues - of suspension of disbelief, of consistency, of pacing - but...

Darn it but I liked the characters. Very much so. And there lies my weakness. Even though it's told first person, which distances us from Griffin, I still found myself drawn in within the first few pages.

Were there points where the sex overrode the plot? Yep. Especially at the beginning. Were there points when I said, now, wait a sec, that's just too convenient? Yep.

But Helios is a resilient, determined cookie. You can't help but like him. And his poor, tortured Griffin is bad to the bone and vulnerable all at once. Yum.

A fun read and ultimately enjoyable despite all the above. I did want them to be happy, did care about them, and that's the most vital part in a romance.

I love Ava March - can I just start with that? This isn't your grandma's Regency novel, though, so don't expect parlor teas and country dance parties. This is Ava's version of Vampire Regency - and it's steam heat and bared fangs erotic.

It's a short piece, but packed with top-notch characterization - lots of emotional punch for the length. Loneliness, frustration, confusion, misunderstandings - my heart just ached for Raphael.

A little more backstory wouldn't have been amiss and I did find the ending rushed up at me like a flash flood. Would have liked just a little bit more...

These two are perhaps the most screwed up characters I have ever met in any fiction setting - and I adored them.

Beautifully written, with dialogue that makes the characters visible and 'hearable', my editor's voice turned off after tha first chapter. Thoroughly enjoyable - I expected an erotic piece, I got a love story of heart-wrenching depth and quirky humor.

This is an astonishing book - written from the POV of an autistic young man, his voice is so clear, so unique and convincing. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed/ contrived, but not so much that it detracts from the overall mood of the work.

There is no condescension here, no overwhemling feeling of poor-little-thing-he-doesn't-fit-in to the narrative. Rather, we see a young man struggling with the hand he is given, as we all do, and managing as best he can, often with more resourcefulness and insight than the adults around him.

So many werewolves are dark, tortured and brooding (yawn) but Max is a refreshing change from all that - an intelligent, well-centered man with a sense of humor, even capable of laughing at himself.

As she demonstrated previously with Soul Mate, Ms. Bybee has a knack for squeezing a lot of character development into a short space. By the end of the story, I wanted a Max of my own. Janet didn't disappoint either, a heroine who strikes the reader as someone we might have known or met, someone who feels real and believable.

The tension, both dramatic and sexual, keep the pace moving right along and sweep you to the conclusion. While I might have liked a bit more time with the were family, I have the feeling that we might just see some of these folks again...

Love these books. The world-building, the characters, the force of imagination behind it...

I started this one at lunchtime on Friday and devoured it by early afternoon Saturday. Way to pace things. Now I have to wait until September for the next one.

Lore just steals your heart, it's unavoidable. The big lug. Idess is fairly typical of Ione's female characters, strong, indepedent, with a big vulnerable streak, good girl with a dash of bad. But she is herself and has a heart almost too big for her body.

My only issue is that the ending becomes a bit scattered and episodic feeling while the bulk of the story is tightly knit.

More please...can;t wait to see what happens next.

For fans of the Vicki/Henry/Mike triad, this is a must read. The sheer variety of tales here makes it even more fun, with some rather funny stories (the Christmas one had me rolling - especially Tony as the ghost of Jacob Marley, dragging a chain of classic lunch boxes - too hilarious)

The TV episode was interesting in an 'oh, so that's how that looks' way, but I can't say I enjoyed it as much as the regular prose short stories.

Sexy demons and intrigue and imaginative situations galore - what's not to like about this series? Fun and fast-paced, with characters that stay with you afterwards, Ms. Ione has created a complete and consistent world in her Demonica novels. I will confess, I love the Seminus brothers and, if forced to choose, would most likely need to split myself in three.

The concept of the Demon hospital is marvelous and even her heroines (who often pose a difficulty for me in romances)are endearing, sympathetic (and tough!) characters.

The ladies in the office all adore the series and we're waiting eagerly for the next installment in January.

Oh, this was fun! I do so love Henry Fitzroy and have since the first moment we met him, oh, five books or so ago, but Tony has always held a special place in my heart as well.

I'd say they grow up so fast but Tony was eighteen pushing fifty when we met him. Now, with a chance of a life of his own, a career and burgenoing magical powers...well, Tanya Huff's dark humor and wonderfully painted characters are what keep me coming back again and again.

The subject matter caused a bit of controversy (yet again) for Rushdie when critics accused him of sympathizing with terrorists.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

This is not about ideology or jingoism, it's a difficult and complex story about the fragile nature of the human heart, of innocents caught in the crossfire and the terrible disregard of certain insitutions for culture, history and family.

Beautifully crafted and heart breaking, this is not a book for the faint of heart or for a reader who needs a happy, fully resolved ending.

Very funny stuff - espeically for the reader and/or writer of fantasy

Surprising, poignant and ultimately satisfying - this was not what I expected and so much more than I'd hoped for.

Not only has Maguire retooled and re-imagined the Land of Oz, he gives us a plausible explanation for the alienation of Elphaba, her motives and struggles.

A marvelous look at the nature of evil and how the winners get to revise history to their liking.

Oscar's stories, plays, letters and more - this is the most complete Oscar I've yet seen and it's wonderful to have it all in one collection.

I know this is labeled as a 'young adult' series - but Artemis is good reading for anyone over the age of eight or so. Dry humor in abundance, an amazing cast of characters and fun, complicated plots still make these some of my favorite books.