Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Review: Hidden Away by Maya Banks

Title: Hidden Away
Series: KGI
Author: Maya Banks
Read copy: eBook
Published: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN: 1101477407
ISBN-13: 9781101477403

A man who shoots first and asks questions later...

Most people would take an all-expenses-paid trip to the beach in a heartbeat. Garrett Kelly only accepts to keep tabs on Sarah Daniels, who's in hiding after witnessing a murder by Marcus Lattimer, her half-brother--and a personal enemy of KGI. This gig may be beneath a disciplined soldier like Garrett, but if he gets a shot at Lattimer, it will all be worth it...

...and the ultimate moving target.

But Garrett hadn't counted on falling for Sarah. He'd considered seduction as a tactical maneuver, but when he glimpses Sarah's dark past, he feels an urgent desire to keep her safe--even after she disappears on him. Garrett doesn't know exactly who, or what, Sarah's running from, but whatever it is, she's running for her life...

My rating:

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Review: Ljubimec (The Lover) by Marguerite Duras

Title: Ljubimec
Author: Marguerite Duras

Read copy: Hardcover
Published: 2004
Publisher: Delo
ISBN: 961633221X
ISBN-13: 9789616332217

An international best-seller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of France's Prix Goncourt, The Lover has been acclaimed by critics all over the world since its first publication in 1984.

Set in the prewar Indochina of Marguerite Duras's childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover. In spare yet luminous prose, Duras evokes life on the margins of Saigon in the waning days of France's colonial empire, and its representation in the passionate relationship between two unforgettable outcasts.

My rating:

Review: Emma by Jane Austen

Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen

Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: May 24, 2005
Publisher: Pocket
ISBN: 1416500286
ISBN-13: 9781416500285

As daughter of the richest, most important man in the small provincial village of Highbury, Emma Woodhouse is firmly convinced that it is her right--perhaps even her "duty"--to arrange the lives of others. Considered by most critics to be Austen's most technically brilliant achievement, "Emma" sparkles with ironic insights into self-deception, self-discovery, and the interplay of love and power.

My rating:

Monday, February 14, 2011

Review: Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath

Title: Surrender to the Devil
Series: Scoundrels of St. James
Author: Lorraine Heath
Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: July 1, 2009
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 0061733997
ISBN-13: 9780061733994

A Devilish Duke on a Quest for Pleasure . . .

Frannie Darling was once a child of London's roughest streets, surrounded by petty thieves, pickpockets, and worse. But though she survived this harsh upbringing to become a woman of incomparable beauty, Frannie wants nothing to do with the men who lust for her, the rogues who frequent the gaming hall where she works. She can take care of herself and feels perfectly safe on her own—safe, that is, until he strides into her world, and once again it becomes a very dangerous place indeed.

To bed her but not wed her. That's what Sterling Mabry, the eighth Duke of Greystone, wants. But Frannie abhors arrogant aristocrats interested only in their own pleasure. So why then does the thought of an illicit tryst with the devilish duke leave her trembling with desire? Her willing body begs for release . . . and a wicked, wonderful surrender.

My rating:

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Review: Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath

Title: Between the Devil and Desire
Series: Scoundrels of St. James
Author: Lorraine Heath
Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: January 1, 2009
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 006135564X
ISBN-13: 9780061355646

London's most notorious rogue—decadent, depraved, forbidden

The ladies of the ton won't stop whispering about deliciously wicked Jack Dodger—once a thieving street urchin, now the wealthy owner of London's most exclusive gentleman's club. There's no pleasure he hasn't enjoyed, no debauchery the handsome scoundrel won't provide for the lords who flock to his house of carnal intrigue.

London's most virtuous lady—honorable, uncorrupted, and all too human

Olivia, Duchess of Lovingdon, would never associate with such a rogue. So when Jack is named sole heir to the duke's personal possessions, the beautiful, well-bred lady is outraged. Now, Olivia is forced to share her beloved home with this despicable man.

Caught between the devil and desire

But Olivia's icy disdain is no match for Jack's dangerous charm. His touch awakens desire. His kiss demands surrender. She will struggle to bar Jack from her heart . . . but her body, coveting divine release, will not let her bar him from her bed.

My rating:

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Review: Earl of Darkness by Alix Rickloff

Title: Earl of Darkness
Series: Heirs of Kilronan
Author: Alix Rickloff
Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: December 28, 2010
Publisher: Pocket
ISBN: 1439170363
ISBN-13: 9781439170366

The magic she tries to hide . . .

Born a lady, but reduced to surviving in the slums of Dublin, Catriona O’Connell has been hired to steal a mysterious book from Aidan Douglas, Earl of Kilronan. But Cat is secretly Other, an age-old mixture of Fey and human—something Aidan recognizes immediately when he surprises the lovely young burglar in his library, about to steal a magical diary.

. . . is the magic he desperately wants.

From the moment Aidan sees her, Cat’s spirited beauty enchants him, but her uncanny abilities are what he truly needs, for Cat can understand the mystical language in the diary he inherited from his murdered father. So Aidan makes an offer: translate the book or be thrown in prison as a thief. And as Cat slowly deciphers each page, she and Aidan are drawn together by passion . . . and into the violence of the Other world that is the Kilronan legacy. Can they defeat those who seek the book, or are their lives in even greater danger than their hearts?

My rating:

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Review: The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich

Title: The Rocky Road to Romance
Author: Janet Evanovich

Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: September 1, 2004
Publisher: HarperTorch
ISBN: 0060598891
ISBN-13: 9780060598891

Her tall, dark, and deliciously dangerous boss . . .

When the delightful, daffy Dog Lady of station WZZZ offered to take on the temporary job of traffic reporter, Steve Crow tried to think of reasons to turn Daisy Adams down. Perhaps he knew that sharing the close quarters of a car with her for hours would give the handsome program director no room to resist her quirky charms. He'd always favored low-slung sportscars and high-heeled women, but that was before he fell for a free spirit who caught crooks by accident, loved old people and pets, and had just too many jobs!

Loving Daisy turned Steve's life upside down, especially once he adopted Bob, a huge dog masquerading as a couch potato. But was Daisy finally ready to play for keeps?

My rating: