Just actin' like we're animals - REVIEW of "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton

Why this book?: Lori Brighton is an awesome author, no matter what she writes.

Disclaimer: I was given my copy of "Wild Heart" by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Type: Historical Romance, Dark pasts, Murders, Interesting abilities, Governesses, Panthers, Tall Dark and Handsome.

About the book: WANTON. Leo Roberts is next in line for an earldom and the power and fortune that come with it, but he is uncultured, unrefined--and completely untamed. . .until governess Ella Finch arrives upon the scene. Can so young and inexperienced a woman tutor him in the manners and mores of his class? Leo's mysterious past has rendered him an outsider, too wild for polite society. But he finds her innocence most intriguing... WILLING. What manner of man he may be, Ella does not know. Yet he fascinates her and she must know more. Capturing Leo's reckless heart is about to free her in ways she never dreamed of. . .and his sensual touch releases the deepest yearnings of her body and soul...
Review: It has been a long time since I read a book where the hero got on my nerves for the longest time, and then surprised my in the end by being someone I enjoy. Leo, with his glaring ways (I honestly felt like he glared at me through the first third of the book), made me a little uncomfortable - he was indeed quite "wild." But as both the reader and Ella learned more about him - what he enjoyed doing, and the fact that he is not as wild as he seemed, just had an agenda - the more he started growing on me. And as I said, by the end he was someone I enjoyed, even liked. Ella was adorable and selfless, a freespirit in a time when women were expected to adhere to so many rules. Though there was a time or two I thought she might be a little too free, but I'll admit it, I liked it.

The storyline starts off a little slow, as the characters and history needs some lead-in. Leo has a dark past, and it haunts him to this day, so he returns home to find the people that killed his parents. However, this is not proving to be an easy task. Ella ends up joining him on the search, and several plot-lines and histories diverge into something so complex and fascinating, you'll be grateful for the gentle lead in. A good read that will keep you entertained for hours, fans of Historical Romance should definitely check out "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton!

Cover Loving: I like it - I think they look suitably enough like Leo and Ella.
Recommendation: Fans of Historical Romance will enjoy "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton. Plenty of action, and quite the steamy hero.

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Enjoyable read, I liked the characters, and the story was fascinating.

Have you read "Wild Heart" by Lori Brighton? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Did you enjoy the book? Do you like Leo's dark and haunting past?
Want to read this book? Pick up your copy at Amazon.com via the link at the left!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Rawr! Review of "Eat Prey Love" by Kerrelyn Sparks

 Haha, can I just say how much I love this title? Genius!

Disclaimer: This book was borrowed from the library. I did not receive this book, or any sort of compensation, in exchange for a review.

Type: Series, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Shifters, Vampires, Werepanthers, Weretigers, Psychic Powers, Puddles of... is that what I think it is?!

Why this book?: Originally this book was on my "I'll read it if I see it somewhere for cheap" list, but the lovely ladies at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books mentioned a particular scene (the word "splooge" was used.. a lot) and, well.. I had to see what they meant.

About the book: Caitlyn Whelan has just reconnected with her sister after being kept apart for years. Now, not only will they remain in touch, they'll be working for the same company. Caitlyn has always had a very useful psychic gift - being able to communicate with humans and most animals, no matter what the language. And she always had a thing for stray animals. Carlos is a werepanther, one of the last few left in the world. And he just got a tip that there might be some more werepanthers in a remote region. Despite fighting the decision, and his attraction to Caitlyn, she is assigned to be his translator on the trip. Now the two must battle the harshness of the jungle, and a group of mysterious men who all have the same odd tattoo...

For the longest time, I couldn't make myself read anything by this author. I'm not sure why, maybe because I didn't like one of the earlier books in this series. But since then, I have read "The Undead Next Door," "The Vampire and the Virgin," and now "Eat Prey Love," and it's been all good experiences. Kerrelyn Sparks is definitely on her way to being an author I love. And "Eat Prey Love" was definitely another good installment in the series. I loved the banter between the two characters - Caitlyn was quippy, amusing, and the two played off each other perfectly. Caitlyn knew she liked Carlos, knew that he liked her too but wasn't going to act on it, so she took it upon herself to flirt. And it was brilliant. Caitlyn is the kind of person I want to be friends with, and not just because she can talk to animals (which would be awesome!). And Carlos - well, he'd definitely be more than a friend.

I did feel like the ending felt a bit rushed, however. The book had some excellent descriptions (the "splooge cave" scene included), but suddenly the excitement was over, and it seemed like the author only had a short amount of space left, so she had to tidy up and get through it too quickly. Don't get me wrong, it's a satisfying ending, but it just seemed everything happened too quickly, and we were getting a summary of the events, rather than actually reading them as it happened.

So all in all, I did enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more of this series and seeing some of the characters we meet (weretiger!) in future books - maybe he'll get his own story, which would be nice. And this novel has definitely been the book that made me want to go back and read more of the series, maybe even give the one I read and didn't like a second chance.

Recommendation: Definitely recommending this to fans of good Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. And people who just enjoy awesome snarky female characters.

Final rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5).

Have you read this book? Or maybe more of the series? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to read it? Pick up a copy at Amazon.com!

Have a great Monday, and of course, Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow ~!~

Review of "Deeply, Desperately" by Heather Webber

 I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the first in this series, "Truly Madly," to review several months ago. You can find my review of that, here.

Disclaimer: I, the reviewer, purchased this book for myself. I did not receive this book, nor anything else, in exchange for a review.

Type: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Psychics, Matchmaking, Private Investigators

From the back of the book: "   Lucy wants to breathe new life into her family's Boston-based matchmaking company. But how? Even though she comes from a long line of ancestors blessed by Cupid with psychic abilities, a freak accident left Lucy with only one special skill: finding things. Car keys, socks in the dryer, needles in the hay-stacks... and now, in a stroke of professional genius, lost loves! It's not long before Lucy's on a winning streak, helping old flames reunite and create new sparks. Business is booming. But when Lucy finds herself involed in a possible case of murder, she realizes she's in too deep. Enter Sean Donahue, Lucy's handsome fire fighter-turned-private eye neighbor, Sean is just the man she needs to help her on the job. Could he also be the man she's been looking for all along? When it comes to Valentine, Inc. falling in love is always serious business.  "

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, "Truly, Madly," so of course I jumped on the second one when it was released. And "Deeply, Desperately" didn't disappoint! Frankly, these books are great for almost any reader - there's hints of romance, mystery, detective stories, and paranormal aspects. Yes, resident psychic Lucy Valentine is at it again, now with her own business of finding lost loves, aided by her hunky boyfriend Sean. Not to mention a whole host of other loveable characters... and some new ones that I'm very excited about. No spoilers (because it's a big one!), but eeeek - I need to know more!

"Deeply, Desperately" had so much going on, so much action and mystery packed into three hundred pages. I'll admit it, during scenes with a lot of dialogue, I tend to skip the in-between parts and just focus on what the characters were saying. But I quickly learned to stop when reading this book. As I said, there is a lot of stuff going on, and just skipping a sentence inbetween paragraphs of dialogue will leave you feeling lost later on down the road. It's a fast-paced novel, and you have to pay attention. But with everything going on in the plot, Lucy's story will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I just want to take a second to talk about the cover. I absolutely love it. The colors are cheery, and though there are definitely some un-cheery moments in this book, I feel like it reflects Lucy's sometimes-overly-opptomistic outlook on life in general. And the ivy flowing down from the rooftop just ads a nice touch.. especially the leaf that hangs over the girl's head. Maybe it's just me.. but that particular leaf looks a heart.

I'm going to give "Deeply, Desperately" by Heather Webber a FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). I loved it, of course, and I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series "Absolutely, Positively," due out in February of 2011.

Read one or both of the Lucy Valentine books? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Want to check them out? Find them at Amazon.com! Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow