Georgette Heyer - Cotillion

Meet Kitty Charing: young, beautiful--and penniless...
The three great nephews of Mr. Penicuik know better than to ignore his summons, especially when it concerns the bestowal of his fortune. The wily old gentleman has hatched a freakish plan for his stepdaughter's future: his fortune will by Kitty Charing's dowry. To Kitty, the conditions of her guardian's will were intolerable. She had to marry one of his nephews before she could inherit a tuppence. The only nephew she wanted was handsome and virile Jack Westruther, who, however, made it quite clear that he would marry her only when he had sown his last wild oat.
But while the nephews are scrambling for her hand, Kitty has other ideas... To escape the unwelcome attentions of greedy suitors and anxious to hasten matters, Kitty pretends to become engaged to Freddy Stanton, Jack's modest and resourceful cousin, hoping thereby to make Jack jealous. But carefree Freddie turned out to be more of a man than Kitty anticipated--man enough to light the fuse that exploded her carefully laid plans...

Comment: The last book I've had to read by the author. This is a book about learning the value of doing things quietly and that just because something looks a certain way, it doesn't mean it's exactly like that.

This is the story of Kitty, a young woman living with her uncle, although he isn't her relative, he took her when her father died because he cared for her mother once. Her uncle Matthew is a rich but avaricious man and he wants to leave his fortune to Kitty and one his nephews, but only if one of them marries Kitty. Kitty has always had a crush on one of the cousins but he doesn't come to the uncle's summons to know about his will so Kitty meets by chance Freddie, another cousin and with him, they form a plan to deceive other by saying they're betrothed, although everything is a lie. Kitty goes to London with Freddie and spends many time with Freddie's sister Meg, and while there she grows up and she tries her best to help others and their problems and at the same time she starts to realize quiet Freddie is a much better man than others who are rakes and don't always say the truth.

I liked the book but I have to confess this author has two main problems that make it very hard for me to completely enjoy her books. First, the language. English is not my maternal language and it's very natural I can't understand every word and expression because I've only started learning English in the 7th grade (I was 12). And like in most countries, American English (AmE)is more global and accessible than British English (BrE) although in school we learn the grammar by the BrE rules. Therefore, many things still make me think but I also admit, I don't use the dictionary that often to know a word, only when I'm really clueless or curious. Mostly, I just infer what it means by the context in which it shows up and usually I get the meaning and don't feel I'm losing the purpose of that word in the text. Of course, as BrE is not heard so often as AmE (films, songs and tv shows help) it gets more difficult to follow a conversation in BrE. I guess the issue of dialects is sort of the same, there are many words within a certain language that can depend on the region they're spoken and for foreigners it can be tricky. So, my difficulty happens if I'm reading a text that's not only in BrE but old BrE.

The author uses many colloquialisms from the Regency times and in BrE. Not a bad thing but for someone who can't perceive all the little things, it kind of doesn't have the same impact. And also it makes the book not only hard to read but boring because I have to decipher many things and it slows me down a lot.

However, I don't let it stop me and keep going. I guess I could read in Portuguese, after all the words at least would be simpler to understand, but since I've started reading in English, I can't seem to enjoy translations that much, except in certain cases - exactly more challenging books, in terms of language.

Now, onto the second issue I have...the author has an unique voice, very sarcastic at times, and I welcome that but she takes too long to make the story more alive, more interesting. It happened in this book and the two previous ones I've read, only after half way through the book something happened that grabbed my attention and made me eager to finish...it's like half the book is just to..fill up pages. Maybe it's me - which I believe so - but if this happens to all her books than I don't foresee much will to go through it or to play guessing games about which book will meet my preferences and which don't.

About this story, like I said I liked (after reading half the book) and the story was really interesting, I liked how Kitty learned to grow up, to see who are the people to keep close and those who are better away and most important, I enjoyed the secondary love stories Kitty helped solve but in the end it was Freddie who had the key to make everything right. I especially liked how they helped a cousin that they knew wasn't the brightest and only wanted to take care of his horses and be in a farm. However, society treated him badly, made fun of him and he had to endure it for appearances. I found this issue the most intriguing one and I suppose back then many people who might not be the most intelligent would suffer so much and be treated and threatened because of that. Why go back so much, even today it happens. Still, a victory of the good hearts and for that only the book redeemed itself to me.

Kitty and Freddie's plan was good but they had to deal with so many people, so many dodging that it soon looked like it was for real. I liked their boldness and how they complemented each other, and if it begun with a plan I liked how easy it showed their feelings getting stronger and more real for the other.

Nevertheless, I'm wondering how much I want to keep reading the books but for now I'll have a break, perhaps someday I'll get back to the others, after all there are still half a dozen titles I'm very curious about.

Lilith Saintcrow - The Demon's Librarian

Demons are preying on schoolchildren in her city, so Francesca Barnes does what any red-blooded librarian would do-she does some research and goes hunting. But the books she finds in a secret cache don't tell her the whole story. Chess has no idea what she's just stepped into or just how special she is. Orion is Drakul, part demon, and a loyal servant of the Order. He doesn't expect a motorcycle-riding librarian to be messing around with demonic forces, and he doesn't expect her to smell so damn good. But Ryan's got bigger problems. His partner has disappeared, and the forces of Darkness are rising. Now Chess is Ryan's only hope of finding his partner, and Ryan is Chess's only hope of survival because the demons now know Chess exists and that she is the heir to a long-lost power that could push back their dark tide. If Ryan can keep her alive long enough, she just might be the key to destroying the demons completely. But Ryan doesn't know he's been betrayed by the very Order he serves. And if Chess does, by some miracle survive, he won't ever be able to touch her again. . .

Comment: I've picked this book because of a book club. I wasn't very anxious to read it so I started it with a bit of trepidation, although it was quite a small book, which gave me hopes of finishing it soon, even if I ended up not enjoying it that much.

This story is set in a world of fantasy, where monsters are real and most people don't even know it. Francesca is a librarian and the story starts it her killing a children preying monster. She's aware of their existence and makes it her job to hunt them and kill them. What she doesn't know is her magic is traceable and what she does isn't as hidden as she thinks.

Ryan is a drakul, a half demon who helps the humans, like all drakuls. They act like protectors or guardians to those who are smarter and have more magic. He follows Francesca because he thinks she has magic but when meeting her he starts having strange reactions but he gets to slowly know her better until the bad guys discover her and what her real potential is.

This wasn't my first experience with the author's writing. I've read a short story once, in one of those Mammoth Books and to be quite honest I don't remember anything in particular, only the notion I had trouble reading it due to the fact it was part of a series and everything sounded very confusing.

The same think happened here. I wasn't very excited to read it and after only the first 10 pages I realized, once again, the author takes very long to explain, to create the setting in which to make the reader understand what's going on. Fine, it's her way, perhaps even her trademark, but it was confusing not only to keep track of what was happening but who was saying what.

So, two issues I had with the book: the confusing writing that, despite being a single title, was done in a way that it was almost as the reader had to know things beforehand and also the way the characters would speak and "think" in following sentences and there wasn't a distinguished mark for either, which complicated the reading. They would say something and think and the narrator would talk, all at once and it got very difficult to keep track. I don't like this sort of narrative that much, but I respect those who do, because in a way, I think it's an acquired taste too.

Then, the story itself. It has potential. I think that exploited in a different way it had a lot to go on, many things caught my eye, especially the way drakul's were wired, they world, the type of people who could wield magic...very intriguing indeed. I was very sorry to see everything happen so fast and almost like in a detached way..and of course, confusing.

The romance was more about sexual tension and clues than real thing, but I kind of liked it...obviously, I'd have lied to see them develop the relationship more in the end.

All in all, not the most satisfying read. Many strong points, yes, but personally I don't think they were done in the best way. It's the author's way, but it's not a style I enjoy much.

Song #2

This song was the soundtrack of many of the pages I've read. I really like the tone and melody of this song. There was a time I would sing the chorus  (all alone I assure you) and dance...humm, not my best performance I'm afraid, X Factor potential I'm not, but there's something in this song that would make me travel better to the worlds I'd be reading abut at the time. Also, for some reason fantasy worlds feel better with this song, have no idea why.

Hope you like it.

GA Hauser - Top Men

LAPD cop Mickey Stanton knew the minute the new guy, Jeff Chandler, a transfer from Seattle PD ended up in his division, he was crazy about him. Ending up in the same patrol car working as partners, Mickey couldn’t believe his luck when one late evening at the end of shift, they revealed to each other their sexual preference. From that moment on, the two of them began a fiercely wild love affair which included risqué sex on duty.

Craving Mick’s violent style of sex, Jeff knew he’d found a compatible partner on the job as well as in the bedroom, but after being burned by another lover, an officer in Seattle, Jeff was hesitant to commit to Mickey. Working long shifts, getting into dangerous situations together, Jeff trusted Mickey with his life, but not his heart. And Mickey craved that one true love, an exclusive pairing, and a life partner to share his life with. 

As the exhaustion and stress of the job compete with their volatile relationship, Mick and Jeff struggle to keep what they have alive as the battles between them are as passionate as the sexual bouts. Can the two big cats, the sworn officers of LAPD make it happen? Or will the job and the anger separate these top men? Sometimes the answer is sitting in a patrol car by your side.

Comment: This is the third book in the heroes series by the author. Like I said before, her books are little surprise marks because some are quite enjoyable and others I can't stand them. However, this series was recommended to me by people who knew about my issues with some of the not-so-good books and I went for it.

This third book is the story of police officers Jeff and Mickey. They both showed up in the previous two books as secondary characters. In their book they have to deal with their relationship and heir feelings.

Jeff is a transfer from Seattle and he ran from a bad relationship with another cop. He thinks LA is the place to see what he could have as well as a change of scenery. He gets to partner up with Mickey and they do well together, both personally and professionally.

Mickey is a gay man and he wants a gay cop to be his partner because other men always want to know things about policemen, about procedures, about his cases and they think he has to top every time because of his profession.

When they start working together they also initiated a game of who's what and after they realized they're both gay, they got together and even did things while on duty (which I think is unlikely and unsuitable and stupid?).

So, this book...I don't think it's the best one out there and there were some things I wanted to see better explained or explored. For instance, the doubts in the relationship that Jeff had. I think his fear of a new commitment after a bad relationship was believable. That he wanted to know his feelings by trying to see other people isn't something I think too outrageous either. But the fact he willingly entered a relationship with Mickey and they not only had sex but saw each other outside if work and they spent time together, they practically lived together too...and then denying the facts to Mickey was a bit too much stubbornness than what I think necessary.

Then, Mickey wanted a boyfriend and Jeff was there and told him about his doubts and still he pushed....then later got hurt because things weren't going as fast as he wanted and they would fight and make up in a rush, I mean...I started doubting the healthiness of their relationship.

Then they would have sex while on duty...I'm not that naive to not believe many people do it, but cops, doing it in people's houses? Do they? It sounded too stupid to be true. But hey...with so many people in the world, who knows?!

The story evolved pretty much around the guys take on what a relationship is and means. In the end they admitted to each other, to friends around them, to family..but no co workers. I get that, but I kind of wanted a bit of fairy tale there and see them doing it like the others in the previous books did. This book didn't make me as happy to have read it as the second one did, but it was good enough to grab me and make me want to finish it.

There are still some books by the author I want to try, I might read them in the future.

Alexandra Ivy - Beyond the Darkness

Salvatore Giuliani is not a happy werewolf. It's his duty as leader to track down the pureblood females who can keep his people from extinction. But the moment he catches scent of Harley, a pureblood held by a pack of mangy curs, his savage need for her obliterates all other instincts. And the only thing worse than being captured is finding that beautiful, independent Harley defiantly refuses to become his mate.
Harley has been taught to distrust all Weres, especially their arrogant king. She won't be used for breeding or bonded against her will, not even to a man who makes every nerve tingle with awareness. Yet Salvatore is her key to saving the family she never knew she had -- if she dares to succumb to his dark, predatory desire, and face a vicious enemy sworn to destroy them both... 

Comment: This is the sixth book in the Guardians Of Eternity series. It was finally time for the king of weres to have his story.

Salvatore is the king of the weres and looking for the pureblood sisters in order to find help to the weres because only purebloods can have babies and the four sisters are the only ones who are genetically changed not to shift so they can carry a baby full term. The weres race has been losing powers with time and not too many are getting born and Salvatore fears the end might be near.

Harley is one of four sisters and has been deceived by Caine, a cur looking for the way to be a pureblood and he kept Harley for her blood. Now Harley is found by Salvatore and together they run away to safety, especially when they discover Caine was also deceived by a were Salvatore thought was dead but with the help of demons, is back to kill Salvatore and end the race.

In this book, we finally see Salvatore finding his girl. We0ve known him since book 3 and I always thought he was too arrogant and conceited but of course, in his book we get a new perspective of his actions and the reasons why he is so dedicated to the weres. I can't say I like him better now, but I see why he acts the way he does and this gives a different light to his personality.

Harley is another of the 4 sisters and she's a headstrong person, she wants to live life the best way she can and after being kept closed in the house for so long, she wants to see what life has to offer. She and Salvatore get together and they give in to their attraction right away and at some point they admit they need the other, so there wasn't really any strong conflict in this. I think their romance wasn't one of the best because everything seemed too easy for them and they didn't act more in love for silly reasons. So, it really wasn't one of my favorites. Plus, they both had very strong and determined personality, which can be good but I like a little more vulnerability in my characters.

The overall plot was interesting and the author has lined up many of the sub plots in motion and some things got tidier, you know, so it's both easy to follow the story and it gives us a certain feel of closure in some things which is good. I can see where the author is going and I think this is one of her best features. I admit it, I don't think she's the best writer out there, but she knows her story, she knows where she's going and I have to say she's better at it than so many others.

I liked seeing so many characters and I'm curious over some of them, hopefully I'll read their stories soon.

This one was easily read but could have been better, in my opinion.

Abigail Roux - Stars and Stripes

Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have managed the impossible: a few months of peace and quiet. After nearly a year of personal and professional turmoil, they're living together conflict-free, work is going smoothly, and they're both happy, healthy, and home every night before dark. But anyone who knows them knows that can’t possibly last.
When an emergency call from home upsets the balance of their carefully arranged world, Ty and Zane must juggle family drama with a perplexing crime to save a helpless victim before time runs out.
From the mountains of West Virginia to a remote Texas horse ranch harboring more than just livestock and childhood memories, Ty and Zane must face their fears—and their families—to overcome an unlikely enemy and bring peace back into their newly shared world.

Comment: Another book featuring the main characters Ty Grady and Zane Garrett. This time the two FBI agents deal with home confessions and loose tigers.

In this new book, the two guys are in a solid relationship and they couldn't be happier. Then a phone call changes things and Zane goes back home to help his father who's been attacked and is recovering. The two guys have to deal with family and wild animals in this story where there's also someone interested in making money by putting in danger many people.

This book was amazing. A little bit too sugary and I can't help thinking something bad might happen, because things too good to be true usually are, but while reading I couldn't stop thinking how lucky the guys were to have each other, to prove a gay couple can be faithful and dedicated and have meaningful feelings too.

In this book, Ty and Zane have admitted to each other their love and they are living together, for all purposes. It was to be expected they would have to deal with the next step, which is telling the family how they felt. This offered one of the most emotional scenes in the book, especially when Ty confessed his family. There was a moment there Ty's father seemed shocked but he wasn't for the reasons I imagined and when they talked I understood. Still, for a second there I imagined they wouldn't accept him anymore and I felt so sorry (who says a reader doesn't cry over fictional characters??) but in the end I didn't have reason to worry. Ty's brother even says Ty is his hero and I admit it, I cried because I thought about those who don't have encouraging or supportive families and it's such a shame.

Anyway, then it was time to go to Texas and deal with Zane's family, we finally learn why Zane was away for so long and I have to say I don't think his reasons were that strong, I guess it's in here we see the change in writing, Zane's character has dealt with many issues in his life and suddenly the reasons why didn't seem so strong or important...

While in Texas, the guys have to deal with the wave of crimes happening in Zane's family ranch and also with wild animals living in a sort of sanctuary in close lands. It's obvious the author's research on this theme and I enjoyed knowing more about such habitats.

The crime solving had its twists and in the end the bad guy's identity was a surprise, I really didn't see it coming. His reasons were, again, money related and considering real life, it's awful the lengths people go to just to save themselves.

Zane also says to his family how he feels about Ty and what he means to him and only his mother doesn't react well. Still, this situation allowed for many emotional scenes and I was completely glued to the story because there's nothing better than to see two characters with chemistry and real feelings being together and happy. Here's where it shows the author's ability to write well, because one thing is to read about it, another is to see how each tidbit, how each word and scene allows the reader to feel part of that stage and to believe what's there could really be something real. For this only, this series is so worth it.

I guess the next step would be to tell the co workers and, for me, I can't wait for the next book even if it doesn't address that. I just love to read about this couple and these books are both great and well written and I love that.

Darynda Jones - First Grave on the Right

This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.
Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

Comment: When I first heard of this author I confess I wasn't too thrilled to read her books, because I imagined they were more chick lit than paranormal.

When I was offered the chance to read it I decided to do it because I was curious though suspicious.

The story is about Charley Davidson, a young woman who sees ghosts and acts like the grim reaper by letting them cross over her. They see her as someone bright and seek her to solve their issues before crossing. Charley is a private investigator and uses her skills to help first her father then her uncle to solve crimes. However, it doesn't stop her to get in trouble but when things get really serious she has this shadow that saves her by removing her attackers.

Charley manages her two activities but she doesn't know exactly what her powers are, but perhaps she's close to finding out...

I have to say I was very surprised with this book. I was expecting some too frivolous (that cover didn't really help) and more chick lit and those type of books aren't my thing although I do read one here and there once in a while.

What I got instead was a book full of adventure with interesting characters that didn't reveal everything too soon or too fast and a plot that intrigued me. I'm very curious about Charley and what she really is and her abilities. I want to know what she's going to do with the things she found out in this book and I want to see her helping dead people cross. I'm curious about her thoughts too, because we had tidbits about her feelings and how she grew up and some things are surely meant to matter in the future.

Charley is a vivacious woman but she feels for real and she tries her best to do the right thing even when she complains. I just wished she could show more her vulnerable side instead of hiding behind futility, which I think sometimes wasn't very accurate or right for the tone it asked for.

I also liked the secondary characters. Some of them gave the feeling Charley wasn't alone and it's always nice to see the main characters having a life, friends. I think it gives the story mire fulfillment and depth.

All in all, a surprising good book. I love to "discover" a book I thought wouldn't appeal to me. It sure makes it worth all of those that promise and don't deliver. I'll keep reading this series as soon as I get the next books, I'm very curious to see what else will happen and what it means for Charley what she found out in this first book about her role as grim reaper and her position in the world.

Christine Feehan - Samurai Game

In an underground club, a high-ranking public official spends his secret nights indulging in fantasies as exciting as they are depraved. For a seductive employee of the Dungeon, it’s her job to fulfill them. But she’s playing a far more dangerous game -- one of blackmail, politics, and murder that reaches into the shadow world of the Ghostwalkers, and the creation of a spectacular, one-of-a-kind new weapon of defense. 
But when a dictator makes his own catastrophic moves, the Ghostwalkers have no choice but to bring in two major players -- a man and woman both driven by passion and revenge. Both expendable. Both with nothing left to lose.

Comment: Another installment in the Ghostwalker series by this author.

Although this series isn't the only one I currently follow, it's still the only one I truly await for. I've said before that most books by this author don't advance that much and they take too much space with explanation of feelings instead of developing the plot.

Anyway, this is the story of Sam and Azami. We learn soon the Azami is a ghostwalker that Whitney didn't think worthy and he sent her away like trash. She was saved by a Japanese family and trained in the martial arts and with her bothers, created a millionaire communications company.

Sam is another of the ghostwalkers in the government programs and he's part of team one, with Ryland as his team leader.

So, basically this story is Azami and her brothers going to the ghostwalkers compound to make a deal to make a business deal. There they are attacked and Sam and Azami fall in love and later on save the day and decide to marry.

And this is it, in three lines I've made a quick summary of what happens. But like always, the author takes many pages to say something and not moving on. After so many books, in terms of advancing plot, we can't say we've seen hat many things happen, the bad guy is still on the loose, there are too many things to solve and with each book there's the romance and just a thing or two about what happens and lots of information about what needs to be done. I mean, I like this series, is still my favorite, but after 10 books it would be good to have the plot starting to get solved. Unless the author plans to write the series until a very large number of books, which would just be saying the same things over and over. I guess the promise it's there, with the countless hints about some characters that might show up, about people that would be important. I just think that if the author said she has a number in sight and this is it, I'd prefer that to the continuation of unsolved issues without a finality. I think a long series is fun and it keeps us with beloved characters, but if the plot doesn't move long...it becomes boring and repetitive. The thing is, the plot is continuous, which means we follow the same plot lines since book 1. We don't have a different set of action with each book like it happens in some series.So, I think that, after a while, it would be better to just finish something.

This book in particular was a good addition to the series, especially Azami's scenes. She goes after people that help Whitney being the bad guy he is and she takes those people out of the action and I love the scenes where she looks like some ninja shadow doing her thing without a trace, loved it. At least she is fast in her thing.

The romance was ok, too fast to my taste, but sweet. They had doubts I don't think were treated the way they should considering the time it took them to start having feelings for each other, but it's the author's trademark together with the series "rule" of instant attraction and mate recognition.

I also liked how we got to know many details about the lives of some of the characters that were protagonists in previous books. I particularly liked knowing "my" Ken and his Mari were going to have babies lol

Also good was to watch the growing friendship between the ladies in the compound and how they were becoming friends even with those who were new there, like Azami. I love this part in books.

In the end, a satisfying book, if one doesn't think too much about the huge amount of time it takes for anything to actually happen and finish in there.

Sarah McKerrigan - Knight's Prize

She certainly seems meek and soft-spoken, unlike her warrior sisters. But once the sun goes down, Miriel of Rivenloch becomes "The Shadow," the bold, mysterious renegade who robs the rich to give to the poor. But can she outwit the devil-may-care mercenary Sir Rand la Nuit, who has been hired to unmask The Shadow? Miriel doesn't know Rand's mission-only that his sudden, amorous courtship is hiding something. Rand doesn't know who The Shadow is-only that the lovely woman in his arms heats his blood. Touch by silky touch, kiss by sizzling kiss, the stakes-and their passions-mount. And once Rand and Miriel disrobe in his bedchamber, both can lose everything they live for-including their oh-so-vulnerable hearts.

Comment: Following my attempt to read some loose titles I have in my shelves, this is the last book by this author I have. The first one in the trilogy was a birthday gift and I enjoyed the story enough to keep going. 

This one is the third and last.

Miriel is the younger of three sisters. She is known for her quiet personality and for her delicate manners. She's the sister that takes care of the castle and everything in it because her older sisters were always more interested in fighting. However, Miriel isn't without secrets. She and her Chinese maid, Sung Li, have developed in secret the scheme of robbing the money from rich nobles to give to the poor and they did that by creating an outlaw, the Shadow. Since she was a young girl, Miriel has been trained by Sung Li in the Chinese fighting arts and she can do things her sisters have no idea, and with her softer side being the one she shows in public, she is safe from being discovered as the Shadow.

The problem is, as time goes by, the Shadow has become known and although the people salute him by his actions, the noblemen want him arrested. A group of men hire Rand la Nuit, a mercenary, to find and stop the Shadow by arresting him. 

Rand knows the Shadow acts around Rivenloch, Miriel's castle, and so goes there to investigate and uses the idea of courting Miriel to hide the real reasons for his presence there. Rand is a mercenary but he's tired of his life and while pretending to court Miriel, he realizes maybe he could do it for real and be a respected man in the castle and also marrying the woman he starts to fall in love with.

I liked the book, it's something you read pretty fast. The plot is rather predictable, but I already expected that before reading. the fun part is actually the situations both Miriel and Rand get themselves into while playing hide and seek. I think some scenes were very amusing and gave the book a certain light feeling, like historicals don't need to be very serious, even medieval ones.

The romance wasn't that amazing, although it was fun to see them fall in love despite thinking they wouldn't and how they reacted because of jealousy. I liked how they thought things were wrong and how emotional they become when they thought their relationship was doomed but even better was to see them accepting the other and admitting their feelings.

In terms of plot + romance + writing, I can't say this was the best book I've read, but it's a simple story, easily read and it offers a solid HEA and entertains. It's a book to relax and perhaps read between more serious things but it doesn't leave a mark in the reader, at least I didn't end up wondering about it or about what would happen...it's just a readable book.

The writing was fine, easy to follow. The author's style is the usual for this type of books, and I didn't think it diminished the book's value. It's just that, the book is very bland. Still, a relatively enjoyable read.

Technical question

So, I have a technical question...some of my labels aren't inc capital letters and I wish I had them all like that...and I tried to edit one or two posts whose labels weren't in capital letters and even after updating the post it didn't change anything...
Does anyone know how I can change the labels I want into capital letters?
Thank you!!!!

José Saramago - Claraboia

Dawn breaks over Lisbon one mid-20th century morning. The novelist looks out the window in a neighborhood; there is nothing to indicate this day will be any different: Silvestre, the shoe-maker, opens the door to his workshop, Adriana leaves for work while in her home three woman begin another full day of sewing, Justina is looking at another long bout of fighting with her brutal husband; Lidia, the kept woman, and Carmen, the Spaniard, lost in nostalgic thoughts.
Discreetly, the novelist's gaze travels downward. Suddenly, he stops being a humble witness to become each one of the neighborhood's characters. With each chapter he jumps from one house to the next, from one person to another, to reveal a world ruled by need, by great frustrations and small illusions, by a longing for a time that wasn't any better than this one. Everything is cloaked by the dreary silence of the dictatorship, Beethoven's symphonies, and a question from Pessoa: Should all of us be married, futile, and taxable?
Saramago finished writing Claraboia when he was 31 years old. He delivered the manuscript to an editorial only to receive a response forty years later, once he was an already established and renowned author. The patient and highly-detailed writing masterfully portrays an era marked by despair. Claraboia anticipates the dazzling elements of Saramago's universe and the virtuous mind that will later give birth to a wealth of masterpieces. In these pages we hear Jose Saramago's voice, recognize his characters, and identify the clarity and compassion that, according to the Swedish Academy, distinguish his work. 

Note: Claraboia = skylight

Comment: The 5th book I've read by this fellow citizen of Portugal. José Saramago has won a Nobel Prize back in 1998 and is still one of the most known Portuguese authors of all times.

The book is said to have been written when he was young but he never published it. Actually it's rather obvious while reading because of the way it's written and the more light theme. Although set when my country was still under a dictatorship, the book doesn't focus on that, except by a sign here and there. The focus is more on the characters and their lives. This is the story of six families, they all live in the same building, and most likely in one of the most ancient neighborhoods of Lisbon.

In the book, the author jumps from house to house to tell a bit of the life story of each family and what they are going through at the time. It's like we get to spy on them through a lens, something like a skylight... But in the end, I think it's more of a tale of fate and choices.

To be honest, I've had this book since last year, when a friend gave it to me as a Christmas present. I postponed its reading for a while because it's a big book (my Portuguese edition has 398 pages) and I feared it would be like some of his most heavy works, which have so many little details one has to be very focused while reading and also because of the lack of punctuation, a trait know to be one of the author's trademarks.

But I've decided it was time and I'm very glad I did.

The book, lie I said, tells us the lives of six families, and although we don't have any special highlight about the character's physical descriptions, page after page we get to understand how all of them are and what drives them. We see in their lives the motivation and the issues and the illusions and the way of life of so many people back in the 50s in Portugal. I wouldn't say the six families are a stereotype of everyone in Portugal at the time but it gives us an overall idea of how people would act and think. From the dreamers and the hopeful to the despaired and resigned ones.

Some of them made me think and others were just characters on the page. Funny how an action of a comment by one of them would start a set of occurrences and from there, the rest of the story. I think the end was rather abrupt to some of the families, but I really enjoyed the story,

Actually, I liked it so much it took me only one day to read the whole book. This book was easy to read, it was fluid, it had a better punctuation than some of his other books which, I think, it's the most obvious proof of when it was written. The tone of the story was lighter too, because despite the author has put some words in his characters that are clearly his ideas and thoughts, he managed to make a story like a soap opera but with so many darker and philosophical tidbits in no way can it be seen as cheap literature. It's just that, by the way it develops and how it's presented, graphically, it gets easier to be read. At least to me.

I really liked the book. i think it's wonderful, especially for those who haven't tried the author and want to but fear something too heavy. This book is perfect for beginners in Saramago's work. And it's in no way a lesser work, at that.

Laura Wright - Eternal Beast

Ever since his abduction by the Eternal Order of Vampires, Gray Donohue has finally found his true calling: vengeance. He will stop at nothing to bring his fellow Impure vampires the freedom they deserve. Now if he could just release his primal need for the beautiful vampire who saved his life-and rules his thoughts and desires . . .
After nearly killing the senator she was assigned to protect, Dillon is now in mortal danger. The jaguar within her has been unleashed, and she can no longer control it. Sex is the only thing that can tame her shift. And Gray is the only man who can make her surrender to a passion strong enough to overpower her inner beast. But she doesn't want to surrender-she wants her life back. Because she is determined never to belong to anyone, especially not Gray-the man who destiny claims is her mate.

Comment: Another of the countless series I keep updated.

This is the story of Gray, the brother of the protagonist of book #1. 

Gray is a vampire Impure, meaning he doesn't have the same abilities and power the Purebloods have, or the social status. His sister's mate helped him unblocking his mind for he was in an mental institute due to his lack of social response because he kept hearing voices in his head without the possibility to filter them or to avoid them. With Alexander's help, he can now function better and even put himself in the position of leader of the Impures' revolution so they could have as many rights as the Purebloods.

Dillon is his mate, she's known as a Pureblood veana - the author's word for woman - and she's a fighter too. But she has a secret, something we've found out in the previous book, which is the fact she's mutore too. A mutore is a shape shifter, kind of. She can shift but apparently she doesn't have the same thought process as she has in her vampire mind, which, to be honest, is weird. Anyway. She feared rejection by her family and never said a word but now her secret is out ans she wants revenge against the one who caused it.

Dillon and Gray have always been attracted to each other since they met but now it gets clear why they couldn't fight it or get it over with.

Well, I liked this book. I think the author managed to write an interesting story, many little tidbits about this and that to keep us thinking and wondering what it could mean in the future.

The romance was fine. I mean, nothing amazing or sudden, but good in a certain way. It had wonderful moments and other not so cute, but overall, good. I was more happy with the fact the guy was the one accepting the fact they're mates and wanted to be with her before she admitted it to herself.

The bad guys played their part and I was always curious to see what they could come up with next although these books don't have a super villain, it had bad guys doing bad things and we want them dead or punished but I can't say I hate them immeasurably.

My favorite part is how they all live as a family. They, the heroes, of course. Throughout the books the three main characters have found out they have more brothers and some of them are also shape shifters and will certainly have their story in upcoming books. But they're getting to know each other, to trust each other and they live together, as a family. I love this part! It's my favorite thing in this kind of book, the scenes where they act like family and we want them to accept the others and to like them and to just be a family. It's great. Can't wait for everyone's stories just to watch them find a mate and be happy and have the support of the others.

Like in the previous books, this one ended with something happening suddenly and we just know it will be a key incident in the next story.

So, in the end, this book is more worthy to me because of everything else and not the romance, although I liked it too because they were two characters we knew and wanted happy.

Dorothy Love - Beyond All Measure

Unless she can trust God's love to cast out her fears, Ada may lose the heart of a good man.
Ada Wentworth, a young Bostonian, journeys to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, in the years following the Civil War. Alone and nearly penniless following a broken engagement, Ada accepts a position as a lady's companion to the elderly Lillian Willis, a pillar of the community and aunt to the local lumber mill owner, Wyatt Caldwell. Ada intends to use her millinery skills to establish a hat shop and secure her future.
Haunted by unanswered questions from her life in Boston, Ada is most drawn to two townsfolks: Wyatt, a Texan with big plans of his own, and Sophie, a mulatto girl who resides at the Hickory Ridge orphanage. Ada's friendship with Sophia attracts the attention of a group of locals seeking to displace the residents of Two Creeks, a "colored" settlement on the edge of town. As tensions rise, Ada is threatened but refuses to abandon her plan to help the girl.
When Lillian dies, Ada is left without employment or a place to call home. And since Wyatt's primary purpose for staying in Hickory Ridge was to watch over his aunt, he can now pursue his dream of owning Longhorns in his home state of Texas.
With their feelings for each other growing, Ada must decide whether she can trust God with her future and Wyatt with her heart.

Comment: This is the first book I've read by this author. In my on line life I am registered in four or five message boards but only actively participate in two. In one of those, this author was suggested and I admit I was immediately curious over the covers, which I think are so beautiful. In fact, it got me thinking, if some art departments can do such amazing work, why are others that fail miserably? And this book's publisher isn't one of the biggest, I think. So..why do others stick to a more lazy job?

Anyway, I've read the blurbs and I was interested in reading. Cautious person that I am, I've purchased only the first book to see what I thought and now it was finally its time.

This is the story of Ada, a young lady that's penniless and comes from Boston to Tennessee because of a job offer. When she arrives she realizes the person who contacted her didn't say the whole truth about the duties lady Lillian, the old woman who'd be her employer, would expect of her. She thought she was going to be a lady's companion but in fact she also has to be cook, caretaker and maid.

With time she comes to do her job easily because she cares for Lillian and the other friends she meets in Hickory.

Lillian's nephew is also there and he feels attracted to Ada since he met her and during the story they slowly start seeing each other through different eyes until they finally accept the other.

There are several subjects in place here. The action takes place after the American civil war and there's still the prejudice between north and south and in some scenes we see exactly that.

There's also the subject of racism and the activities and some talk of the Klan's principles, which seem so faraway but that many people defended and still do. I think the author did a good job putting these two things in her novel and although it's not the main focus of this novel, it makes the story seem more realistic.

The romance was sweet and innocent. It was more about what they wanted for their lives than about intimacy. I think what it lacked in passion, it gained in true feelings and intelligence.

The cast of characters was quite big and each one had a special role to unite the story in a tight knot, it's like everything was in place, the author didn't put there characters just because.

 In the end some sad things happened and it quite the surprise to see who was the antagonist of the book, so to speak, I mean, there wasn't a bad villain, whose aim was to harm and kill for instance, but there was someone bent on achieving a goal and everyone in the way - namely Ada - would pay. I think this part was well done, it wasn't that unbelievable.

I liked how Ada wasn't stupid, she knew the rules of society, she didn't exactly defied them but she didn0t look aside when she didn't have to and I was glad the way she helped a child who lived in the orphanage and no one wanted around just because her parents weren't both white. I'd like to think everyone would do the same, but it's not so simple and obvious, even to people nowadays.

So, in the end I liked the book, I liked how several subjects were treated and discussed and I'm curious over the following two books in the series, I'll buy them eventually and hopefully, they will be as good as this one.

J. K. Beck - When Passion Lies

Tiberius is a vampire dedicated to protecting his kind -- and the secrets of the shadow world. Now, as his quest to become head of the Alliance draws within reach, a shattering new threat puts him to the ultimate test. It's a nightmare of grim proportions: a dark plot to bring about the mass extermination of human and shadow alike. And it forces Tiberius to turn to the woman he loved and lost, the lover he still desires but doesn't trust.
Caris was Tiberius's mate for centuries -- until a fateful mission changed her forever. Her tortured secrets drove her into the arms of his rival, but desperation has brought her back. As a horrifying new weapon of mass destruction is about to be unleashed, Tiberius and Caris harness the power of their immortal and passionate love. But will it be enough to battle devastating odds and a ruthless enemy with the ambition to destroy them all?

Comment: Another series to update.

I've read the first three books a long time ago and now that the latest three are all out, I've decided to get them over with.

This 4th book in the Shadow Keepers series is the story of vampires Tiberius and Caris, two characters we're familiar with. These two have an history together but separated and Caris is now considered a traitor to vampires because she went to live with the werewolves king, Gunnolf.

Caris is a young woman, er....she's a vampire and always wanted to participate in fights but when she was with Tiberius he was very protective of her and didn't like to see her take risks.

Tiberius is one of the most important vampires in the world and has seen many things, He and Caris were a couple for a long time but despite them being apart, he never stopped loving her.

Unfortunately, I don't have many good things to say about this book. Actually only two things intrigued me in this book and apparently neither will be dealt with so soon.

I didn't like this book, it was boring and I just wanted to finish it so I could get over it. The main problem was the fact this is a lovers reunited themed story. My worst nightmare in what book plots is concerned, and this wasn't the exception to my rule. Both characters spent a lot of time picturing how things were, what they did, what they meant foe each other, they remembered their actions and decisions, a room would invoke a memory, a place would suggest emotions from past times and so on and on. Boring. So very annoying for me, I mean it. I think if an author were to write this plot but would give more focus to what they are now instead of what they thought they were, then maybe I could be happier seeing how the two people would discover themselves again, thus discovering what they are together too but this wasn't the case. I found out that the reasons behind they break up, despite valid and believable considering the genre, weren't that special to me. I wasn't sad over them or what thy went through...I guess there wasn't that much emotion to justify their actions.

In this case, I think it was the author's problem, because the way  see it, she could've written differently, could've given some kind of highlight to other points instead of the ones she chose, among other things. I don't know, foe m there are several things that could've been done differently.

Then the story itself wasn't that amazing It was also quite static and I wasn't that curious to find out more or to see it solved.

The two things that intrigued me were two new characters. One f them ended up dead, so I guess no hopes there. The other shows some promise to be an interesting protagonist, I wish the author can see it too and one day his book might be (hopefully) published.

In the end, I was very disappointed and bored with the book and when I've read the last page I said to myself, "finally".

I have two more books to read, with characters I liked in previous books and apparently - according to blurbs - none of them knew about their future mate. Yay. At least a whole new bunch of situations can be created and even if the books aren't good, at least they won't annoy my personal dislikes so much.

GA Hauser - Two In, Two out

Blake Hughes was comfortable being in the closet, especially at work while surrounded by macho firemen. A paramedic, still single at thirty, Blake kept his private life just that, private.
Hunter Rasmussen transferred to LAFD from San Diego. Twenty-six, powerful and fit, the handsome blue-eyed brunette just wanted to leave the past behind. No one had to know what he went through down south. And he didn't need history to repeat itself. Being ‘out’ was not a good career move for all jobs, and particularly not with the fire service.
When Hunter and Blake were assigned to the same shift pattern, they quickly became best friends. Partnered up on calls, hanging out together on days off, Hunter enjoyed Blake’s company and Blake his. Until something, or someone, from Hunter’s ugly past caused him problems.In the fire department, men rely on each other for their lives. Two go into a burning building, and two stay out to serve as their rescue team in case of emergency. 
Blake and Hunter were two men deeply in the closet. And only with devotion and love would their secret lives come ‘out’. And Hunter and Blake find that courage in a very unusual place. Two devoted LAPD cops help show them the way.
Two in…two out…it helps when someone is there to throw you a lifeline.

Comment: This is the second book in the heroes series by the author. This time it's about a team of firefighters that have been working together for quite a long time and have treated each other with some banter and teasing about never told the other how much attracted they were.

Blake doesn't want to come out because he fears this would change his parents and friends' opinion of himself, especially considering he's a well liked person and professional. However, he's very attracted to his partner and their teasing seems just playful banter.

Hunter thinks Blake is the perfect man and he likes nothing better than to spend time with him. He's had a bad experience in the past because of coming out and he doesn't want to be in the same position as before, even more so because one of the people who knew the truth about him is working in the same station too.

The two guys are friends and feel attraction to the other. I think the development of their relationship was more believable because of this, they've know each other since they started working together, they trust each other in the line of duty and they see each other outside work, where they keep a solid friendship.

Each one has a different take on life, although it comes to a point where they can't hide their feelings anymore and they start an intimate relationship. It kind of changes things between them because it gets harder to put it aside when they are with other people and to pretend the other doesn't matter as much. One thing though, the author is master of writing about sexual tension, it builds and builds and the reader really wants the guys to admit what they feel and to see them giving in to their emotions.

There's one character that provides the moral opposition, let's say so, and he makes threats and his presence makes Hunter uncomfortable. Then something happens and Blake decides to play a prank on their homophobic colleague but when he realizes this, he takes a decision that will make everyone else in their station to be more truthful. I don't know how truthful this might be in real life or if someone would react like this, but I guess there's people for any kind of reactions, so I don't really find it too weird.

The end was full of pink hearts...ha ha well, it was sugary for sure, a bit too much, suddenly everyone accepted them and others and everything was alright.

I don't know if the end was shortened, rushed or just wanted to provide happy thoughts, but I was left a bit doubtful about its realism.

Anyway, it was a entertaining story, I lied reading it and sometimes all you need is a happy ending and this one gives that, totally.