Happy Monday!
How are you all today? I’m only fair – I started off the day with a phone call from my oldest teacher….not a great way to start the week if I do say so myself. Ug…she’s a handful and a half and I’m about at my wits end. That’s all I’m saying. 🙂
I got a new tattoo on Saturday night. I’ve been waiting a month since the initial consultation so was very excited to finally be getting it. It only took 3 hours and it is seriously cool if I do say so myself. 🙂 As soon as it heals I will take pictures and post them.
My reading slump is kind of still in effect. Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions you gave last week. I did manage to read a short story and a whole book after that! lol I tried re-reading a couple of books but couldn’t get into them. I did re-watch movies though…X-Men, Serendipity, Definitely, Maybe and I took the kids to see The Princess and the Frog yesterday. I also watched a few episodes of Full Throttle with my husband on Saturday. I thought he was gonna go into shock that I was watching tv. Funny guy. Hopefully I can get back into things (reading) soon.
So what did I read last week?
Well I started the week off with The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens. After 3 days and 200 pages I put it down for good. I wasn’t caring for the flowery writing at all. The heroine was annoying the heck outta me as well which didn’t help matters. The story follows 4 British Officers who are all carrying information on the true identity of the Black Cobra – a horrid person who is raping, pillaging and murdering people in India, back to England so that the BC aka a British citizen can be caught. One man has the original and the other 3 have copies…but the Black Cobra doesn’t know who has what so he needs to stop them all. Besides not being in to the story at all, I just couldn’t see how the other 3 books would be different. I could be very, very wrong – as I’ve been before – but the men are traveling to get their information to the correct person and while in the course of their travels meet their mates…would I be reading 4 books with the same stories but different names? IDK. Anyway – this just wasn’t for me. Rating: DNF
Next I read 2 yaoi manga’s that were sent in the swap. The first was Our Kingdom by Naduki Koujima. I didn’t really care for this one because I just couldn’t get into the 15 year old cousins falling in love, but maybe that’s me. Rating 2 out of 5 Then I read Crimson Wind by Duo Brand. I liked the graphics in this one a lot. It started off with one man being in a relationship with a warrior but then the man was reading a journal about the warriors past relationship and that was more the focus of the book. I was slightly confused but now understand that this is like book 2 in the series. I might look into reading the first book to see if I can catch up. Rating 3 out of 5
I read about Wanting by ML Rhodes on Lily’s blog and found it interesting. This was a good read. Short, but good. Jeremy had sex with his best friend and house mate, Ben. Ben’s gay…Jeremy has always thought of himself as straight. But why does he keep thinking about Ben then? This was a great story about self discovery, friendship and family – not the family you’re born with, but family as you create it. Rating: 4 out of 5
“I don’t know. You’re the only one I ever had a crush on.”“Oh boy.”“And that was stupid.” Flustered again, he raked his fingers through his hair. “Now I’ve scared you. That sounded scary and obsessive, like I have an altar somewhere with your pictures over it where I light candles and chant your name. Jesus, that’s even scarier. Run now. I won’t hold it against you.”
I love that! And then later when he’s talking to his 3 legged cat and only getting stared at by said cat (of course):
“Well, she’s not as reasonable as you. I’ll tell you something else while we’re on the subject. I’m good for her. I’m exactly what she needs. I understand her. All right, no, I don’t. I take that back. But I know her, which is a different thing altogether. And I know I can make her happy once she gets over being too pigheaded to admit it.”
Just great stuff. If you haven’t read it and like a good contemporary I’d say go for it. Rating: 4.25 out of 5Oh and my review for Lord of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff has posted here.Anyway, I’m hoping to pop out of this slump this week – I’ll keep you posted!
Oh, the new tattoo sounds interesting. I look forward to the photos 🙂 I really enjoyed Crimson Wind, even if I was confused. It was just…interesting.
Hmm. If you like the Nora Roberts (NR) book can I suggest the one and only NR series I've read? The Chesapeake Bay series. The first is Sea Swept… It's a great series IMO!
*makes note to avoid Stephanie Laurens Black Cobra series*
I'm sorry. Wouldn't it make sense to just have the British in India arrest said evil man? And if they have to take the notes to the UK, couldn't they all leave at the same time but my different means? Unless he has lots of lackeys, he can't follow all four… Hmmm. I loved Devil's Bride, but the reminder of SL's heroines are all gorgeous, talented carbon copies of each other. Honestly, I don't want to read about gorgeous, talented, perfect heroines…mainly because I'd never leave home (or walk in front of a mirror) again! The odd flaw isn't a catastrophe IMO! *gets off soapbox* Sorry Tracy 🙁
Did YOU catch the leg-breathing thing in Wanting that Tam caught, but both Kris and I missed?! D'oh. 🙂
Ok, those bits from the Nora book? Have me heading to my library queue to add it. Thanks!
Orannia – I'll have to look into that NR – thanks!
Black Cobra…they each have a document carrier – they're all going to England via a different route, and they don't have a clue how the others are getting there so they can't cough up the info if they're caught. Apparently minions are in great numbers and can be thrown all over God's green acre.
This heroine was just incredibly smart…and smart mouthed which I hated, but the hero couldn't get enough of. Ug.
Chris – I obviously wasn't reading carefully enough if I missed the leg-breathing thing – do tell.
And I liked the NR book – very cute.
Um, Tam has details, but it's supposed to be on page 73. I haven't gone back to check, because my reader doesn't paginate in a remotely normal way.
oh darn – I'll have to ask her which scene it's in since my book is in html it doesn't have page numbers iether. lol
That's either.
I'm reading Wanted next, can't wait.
I'm so glad you liked Vision in White by NR. I thought Carter was a hoot, he had some great internal dialogue going on there.
Hmmm… I've heard such bad things about Laurens' new series. How sad, cause she's one of my favorites. Sigh.
And Wanted sounds up my alley. May be next on the list…
Chris – Leg breathing. Hilarious. I looked it up. I have to admit to not seeing it before because I skimmed the scene. Sometimes if I'm not in the mood for "another" sex scene I skim them. I know, doesn't happen often but it does happen.
Hilcia – Hopefully you'll like it as well. Good stuff.
I loved that Carter (in Vision in White) was unlike any of the other heroes I've been reading about lately. So cute too!
Lori – Well this was the first Laurens book I'd read. I don't know that I'll read another but we'll see. 🙂
Yeah, I think I might've been skimming at that point, too. That's my excuse for missing the leg breathing, dammit, and I'm sticking to it. 😉
LOL, Tracy — finished Wanting, really liked it. I wasn't skimming & caught the breathing leg, and how "turned out" he got by it all, lol! All in all a good read, though. ;P
Thank for the good new on Wanting – I want to get to that one this week…
Good set of books this week – i can see you didn't have a dull moment…
E.H>
The list is not bad at all!! What are you talking about?
Our Kingdom was okay, but not the greatest. I didn't really like the graphics. Biggest problem with the manga usually is the age thing. Characters tend to be young, but it doesn't always show with the graphics (which is great)… but when you see characters that are 15 y.o. look 15 y.o…. Meh.
Haven't read SL for a while. I just burned out on her Cynsters books.
Glad to see you enjoyed Vision in White 🙂 I loved Carter!! So sweet!