Review of "Flirting with Forever" by Gwyn Cready

I actually finished this book a few days ago, but kept putting the review off. Not because it's a bad review, or a bad book, but because I just wanted to be blah for a few more days. I feel better now. So on to our review!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any money for a review, or anything else.

Type: Romance, Time Travel, Historical-ish (that's a type, right?)

From the back of the book: " Art historian Campbell Stratford is about to make a name for herself with her scandalously sexy tell-all "fictographies" of famous seventeenth-century artists, but she's more intimately familiar with her subjects than her eager readers can imagine. Thanks to a time portal she accidentally discovered, she has caused quite a stir in the Great Beyond. To save their reputations, the Guild protecting dead artists convinces playboy Peter Lely, a portraitist to the king, to sabotage Cam's latest project. A few hours posing on Sir Peter's modeling chaise leads to a night of seductive passion - then Cam returns home and discovers his betrayal. But before she can turn her angry pen on her love, Sir Peter makes a surprise visit to the future and transforms Cam's twenty-first-century life into chaos of classic proportions. "

I have to say, I think this was my first experience with a hero/leading man named Peter. I wasn't sure I would be able to handle it, to be honest. I'm a huge fan of strong, interesting, mythical sounding names... and Peter seemed so.. ordinary. That, or I was constantly afraid of imaging Peter Griffin from Family Guy. But you know, I have to give the author some major credit here - I really connected with Peter as a character, and I even grew quite fond of the name. The name fit him, and he was/is quite the strong character, so I now see the name Peter in a different light.

In my early semesters in college, I took some Art History classes, the first just to fill a requirement, and the second because I enjoyed it so much. Since then, other than an occasional trip to a museum, I've almost lost my love of art. But after reading this book, I've found it again. Describing the painting process Peter used, or what was going through his mind with each stroke, made the whole process very sensual.

On a similar note.. Hoobah! Talk about sensual (read: sex) scenes! Whew. I actually took this book to work with me to read on my breaks, and I know I was blushing like crazy during the.. delicious scenes. The painting scene was wonderful, amazingly described, and frankly, I want to run out and find me a painter and hopefully get the same feeling Cam got to experience... lucky girl.

And on to the evil villain - the sister. Ahh, what a good evil person she was! Sure, there were some definite cliched moments, but they were perfectly so, at least in my opinion. She was so b**chy, so hateful, so mean.. I just wanted to smack her. I was a little disappointed with how she turned out in the end, however. I wanted her to... well, if I said any more, it would be possibly spoilers, so no more!

And my last, but certainly not least, point was to mention the only con about this book for me. I had trouble getting into it, and it seemed a little confusing in the beginning. I believe this was because this was the first book by this author I have read, and therefore missed a little more explanation that would have been present in a previous book. But things made sense in the long run, and I'm glad I stuck with it and kept reading.

Final verdict - FOUR shirtless hunks out of FIVE. I really did enjoy this book, despite the occasional confusion. I do hope to check out more by this author - I think this author's idea of time travel and such is fascinating. Hope you all get to check out "Flirting With Forever" by Gwyn Cready!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "Love in the Time of Dragons" by Katie MacAlister

Well, another book positively inhaled. "Love in the Time of Dragons" came out last Tuesday, and I've been searching for it since then. Finally managed to find it at Borders, which is a 30 minute drive, btw, but dang was it worth it.

Darned Disclaimer: I, the reviewer, bought this book on my own. The book, nor any monetary compensation, was given for me in exchange for a review.

Type: Paranormal romance (the Dragon kind!)

From the back of the book: " Tully Sullivan is just like any other suburban mom - unless you count the days every ear that she zones out and turns base metals into gold. Those are weird. And now she's woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange people who keep insisting thet they're dragons - and that she's one too. But not just any dragon. She's Ysolde de Bouchier, a famed figure from dragon history.
Tully can't shape-shift or breathe fire, and she's definitely not happy being sentenced to death for the misdeeds of a dragon mate she can't remember. All Tully knows is that she wants her son back. So she'll have to find a way to solve the crimes of a past she has no memory of living... "

Sounds good, right? It was! But then, this is Katie MacAlister we're talking about. I wouldn't expect anything less. While I love everything she does, her Dark Ones and the Dragons series are the best. And "Love in the Time of Dragons" is no exception. In her Dragons series, we've had Drake, wyvern of the green dragons, Gabriel, wyvern of the silver dragons, and now Baltic, who is a Light dragon - a whole new ball game here, folks. While this book has classic Katie Mac elements, at the same time, this feels so different. These two - Baltic and Tully/Ysolde, are fighting to find out their past, and to keep their lives. Despite this being a novel of the Light dragons, this part of the series may be taking a slightly darker path.

Baltic has been the Big Bad through the whole series, though he didn't really make an appearance until May and Gabriel's books. But here he is in his own book, and this time, maybe he's not as bad as we think. Oooh, I just love stories where you get to see things from the supposed-bad guy's point of view. And Baltic definitely isn't a goody two-shoes sort of Dragon (are any of them?), but he's not the horrible creature every thinks he is.

I loved Baltic's character, and Tully, and Brom - Tully's son. Normally, reading a book where the heroine already has a child or is pregnant is not my thing. But Katie MacAlister even managed to get me to enjoy that! Brom is such an interesting character, and adds an equally interesting dynamic to Baltic and Tully/Ysolde's relationship. Speaking of Tully/Ysolde... I can't imagine what it's like to forget everything about your life, and only get glimpses of it through visions or dreams. Entire decades, or maybe even centuries, of her life are missing. Which is also an interesting twist to the story - to know someone, in this case - Baltic, but at the same time, you don't.

There are a few things I wish could be tied up in this story - like who the heck Gareth really is? And what he is. If this was mentioned in the book, I managed to miss it. There were also a few other points (all spoilers, so I won't mention them here) that were left hanging out there - a cliffhanger ending, darn it. But Katie MacAlister has already mentioned she's working on the second Baltic and Ysolde book, so thank goodness for that.

I give "Love in the Time of Dragons" FIVE hunky shirtless men out of FIVE. Trying out a new rating system based on the suggestion of a good friend. I love Katie MacAlister and all she does, obviously, but this book left me with a whole different feeling at the end - and it's not a bad one. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.

And speaking of eagerly awaiting - in the back of "Love in the Time of Dragons," there's a teaser for the next Dark Ones book - "In the Company of Vampires." Katie has already revealed the cover and stepback cover (so gorgeous!!), but I've been awaiting this book for years - it's Ben and Fran's story, from her Goth Faire YA books. In the next Dark Ones installment, Ben and Fran are re-united, and I say it's about time! I about pulled my hair out after reading the teaser - I can't wait until November!

Upcoming releases for Katie MacAlister:
"Cupid Cats" - anthology with Vicki Lewis Thompson and Connie Brockway (July 2010)
"Deaths Excellent Vacation" - anthology (August 2010)
"In the Company of Vampires" - Ben and Fran's book (November 2010)

Happy Reading!

Review of "Selene of Alexandria" by Faith L. Justice

I warn you right now, this review is probably going to be a complete gush-fest. I finished it last night, and could barely sleep because I was so excited about this book. Whew... well, let's get right into it!

Disclaimer: I received this book (ebook copy), "Selene of Alexandria" in exchange for a review. This book is from Librarything.com's Member Giveaway program, put up by either the author or publisher.

Type: Historical Fiction (With some historical facts thrown in)

Description, taken from the author's website: " Set in AD 412 Alexandria, Egypt and based on historical events, this story of ambition, love and murder brings to life colorful characters and an exotic time and place. SELENE is bright, impulsive, stubborn, and a little spoiled by her father, a city councilor. Since her mother’s death, she longs to forgo the privileges of her class to become a physician— an impossible dream for rich Christian girls who never engage in a profession. But Selene perseveres and gains a powerful champion—HYPATIA, the renowned mathematician and Lady Philosopher of Alexandria.
The old Christian Patriarch dies and the city splits in support of two candidates. After days of rioting, the Patriarch’s nephew CYRIL is proclaimed Patriarch and sets about consolidating the Christian sects and purging Alexandria of pagans and Jews. ORESTES, the new Augustal Prefect, struggles to keep the peace and also seeks the advice of Hypatia. He finds her a woman of enormous personal charm and astute political insight and places her first among his advisors, to the humiliation of the new Patriarch. These events set the stage for a contest of wills between Church and Empire. [...]
It's not long before Selene is unwittingly drawn into the deadly rivalry between Cyril and Orestes. She comes of age amidst riot, plague and political intrigue . But will Selene survive the consequences of her own ambitions and impulsive actions? "

I'll start off with the one issue I came accross while reading this book - it did take a little while for me to get hooked. Getting the ebook version, I wasn't completely sure what I was reading (since I didn't have a synopsis on the back to go on. My first thought was that this was just a coming of age tale.. but it's so much more, because it's not just about Selene. It's about her brother, her servant, the local leader of the church, the local leader of government, Selene's father, her friend, the lady philosopher... ahh! I loved them all. Well, not all of them. Cyril, to me at least, was definitely the big bad guy, and boy was he good at it!

At the back of the book, there are some notes and historical facts, about which characters are not just characters, but recorded historical figures. Some of what occured in this book actually happened during this time, and I think that makes the events you read about even more powerful. Frankly, there were times while reading I couldn't make out the words... and it turns out, I couldn't do so because my hand was shaking so much I was so nervous. I was afraid for the characters, I was afraid of the characters.. They were real to me. The author, of course, used her creative license with looks, and, I'm sure, some motives as well, but she did an amazing job. Everything was entirely believable, and in some cases, relatable.

At a certain point in this book, I'm going to guess it was about a third of the way into it, I couldn't put it down. Or if I did, it was under extreme protest. I took my reader with me everywhere, pulling it out to read a few more sentences even when I knew I would only have a few spare moments. I needed to know what happened. And there were a few times in the book I teared up because I was so into the story.

I hope to see more from this author, whether it be more historical fiction.. or anything, really. I'm quite the history nerd, so of course I was a little in love with this book already, but I honestly think this book will appeal to anyone and everyone.

As for the rating, I would give this book a six out of five if I thought that might not be a little overly dramatic on my part... so I guess it'll have to be a perfect FIVE out of FIVE. Please, I hope you all get a chance to check this book out.

Happy Reading (you'd be even happier if you started reading "Selene of Alexandria".. then came to talk to me about it!), and enjoy the rest of your week!
~!~ Morning Glow

Slump? Overwhelmed? Apocalypse?

I assume one of the issues mentioned in the title is my problem.

Time seems to be moving too quick for me the past couple weeks, no specific reason I can tell, I'm just behind in everything. It's not like I'm suffering a lack of books to read and review (at the moment I have three sitting here, with more expected). It probably doesn't help that I'm trying to get back into writing, which means less time just sitting and reading like I used to.

Bah! Bah, I say! Even if it means creating a schedule for myself, I will get back on track, dangit!

Along those lines, coming up for review are...
"Selene of Alexandria" by Faith Justice
"Flirting With Forever" by Gwyn Cready
"Breath of Magic" by Tracy Madison

Or maybe I'm just in a total slump.. Also, totally possible.

In other news, Katie MacAlister's newest Dragon novel, "Love In The Time Of Dragons" (Baltic's Story) is out today!! I've been to TWO bookstores so far, trying to find it, and no luck. Going out again tomorrow to search it out, if no luck... Amazon, here I come! I can't wait to see the world from Baltic's point of view.. he seems such a bad guy in the rest of the series. But then, he seemed to be the type you love to hate, maybe I'll start loving to love him. Or something.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker" by Leanna Renee Hieber

It's release day for Leanna Renee Hieber's new book, "The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker"!!! The sequel to the infamous "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker." Go out and get yourself a copy! Of both, of course, because you'll love them, I'm sure.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher, Dorchester Publishing, in exchange for a review. No money or anything else was given to me for a review.

Type: Historical Fantasy/ Romance

From the back of the book: " With radiant, snow-white skin and hair, Percy Parker was a beacon for Fate. True love had found her, in the tempestuous form of Professor Alexi Rychman. But her mythic destiny was not complete. Accompanying the ghosts with which she alone could converse, new and terrifying omens loomed. A war was coming, a desperate ploy of a spectral host. Victorian London would be overrun.
Yet, Percy kept faith. Within the mighty bastion of Athens Academy, alongside The Guard whose magic shielded mortals from the agents of the Underworld, she counted herself among friends. Wreathed in hallowed fire, they would stand together, no matter what dreams - or nightmares - might come. "

So, I rather assume this is the end of this series, and I'm really sad to see it go. I think so much could be done with these characters, and with the world The Guard lives in. Though the back of the book mentions that Rebecca and Michael, two of the Guard, are featured in "A Midwinter Fantasy" coming in October, though I'm not sure if this is an anthology, or what.

That said... oh my gosh, did this book frustrate me! I felt like through the entire first part of the book, I was waiting for something to happen. And yes, things did happen, mostly character-wise. But I wanted fighting, I wanted action. I wanted all that The Guard was worrying about to come to fruition. And finally, closer to the end of the book, it did. And now that I've finished it, I'm almost glad for that waiting period. Putting myself in these characters' shoes, I have to think of how they feel. They know a great battle is coming, they're not sure when, but they have to keep dealing with the little things. Being frustrated with things not happening quickly enough for me, made me understand how frustrated the characters must be knowing they will be fighting for their lives and everyone else's, but they don't know when, what will happen, or how it will go.

And oh boy, once the fighting and action does start, it doesn't stop. The whole first half of the book was basically the calm before the storm, and the storm hit HARD. How The Darkness looked... I just have to say, that is fascinating to think about. And the final battle between The Darkness and The Guard, all of them, whew. Mesmerizing, fantastic, and maybe even a little epic.

The only fault I could possibly find with this book was the epilogue. I wished things hadn't been cleaned up so easily. I would have rather had some mystery left in the characters' lives. It was too neat and tidy. I had a similar issue with the epilogue for the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. A powerful series is, at least for me, complimented with a very loosely wrapped up ending. I like enough space to create my own ending for the characters, but I'd still like to know if they're okay.

All that said, I'm giving "The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker" by Leanna Renee Hieber a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE. While I can understand the need for the slightly slow pacing in the beginning, and holding off most of the real action until later, I still would have liked to see more action in the beginning half, to push the story further along.

Please, check out "The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker" by Leanna Renee Hieber, and of course, "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker" if you haven't already!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "The Dead Travel Fast" by Deanna Raybourn

According to her author bio in the back, Deanna Raybourn was a history and english double major - my kind of person! That was actually my goal for a while, and still might be... But enough about me, let's get into this fascinating book.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher via Librarything.com's Early Reviewer's Program. I was given this book in exchange for a review, be it positive or negative. No money was given in exchange for a review. Though, I wouldn't complain if there was...

Type: Historical Fiction, with a little romance thrown in...

From the back of the book: " With a modest inhereitance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh - and a disappointed suitor - far behind. She is bound for Rumania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independance.
She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians, replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle's master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.
Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora's imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute - Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway.
Before her sojourn is ended - or her novel completed - Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal... and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire. "

I'd first like to say that I often page through a book before reading it.. sometimes to fully experience that "New Book Smell," sometimes just to see if there is anything eye-catching in the pages. So I almost immediately found the Reader's Guide questions at the end of the book, and I loved it. I think it's wonderful to include something like that in a book, of course I didn't understand them all when I first saw them. But it was certainly nice to re-think about parts of the book after knowing the end result, to see the little clues that popped up during the course of the story, etc.

I pretty much devoured this book. I loved the writing style, the prose, half the time I honestly felt like I was in the time period mentioned. And the descriptions of the castle and the town around it - ahhh, I want to go! It made me feel almost homesick for a place I've never been, and definitely never lived. The setting was described a few times as like from a fairytale, and I can just about picture it. As much as I loved the writing, it was also the only place I could find any fault or issue, and what a small one it is. I noticed a few phrases used maybe a few too many times. For example, the author used "stomach turned to water" several times, and maybe it was just me, but it kept making me pause after the first few times it was used. The phrase wasn't used out of place, it just took me out of the story when it was used. But frankly, that's such a small thing, it wasn't nearly enough to make me dislike the book in the slightest.

And I loved the mystery element to the story. Was it really a vampire? Were all the myths circulating the area just that - myths? Or true stories passed down so people didn't forget what had happened, and could happen again. Or maybe it wasn't a vampire. Maybe it was just some twisted person. These points were foremost on Theodora's mind for a good portion of her vacation. And I loved that we got the same amount of information as Theodora did, so we could try to figure out the big mystery for ourselves.

I'm going to give "The Dead Travel Fast" by Deanna Raybourn a FOUR out of FIVE. I really did love this book. I hope to check out more by this author sometime soon. Especially if more of her novels have such an interesting supernatural spin on things.

Happy Reader!
~ Morning Glow

Giveaway winner!

Good morning folks! I hope your Monday is going well. I'm here to announce the winner of the giveaway Frances Stockton offered during her wonderful guest post. And the winner is....

* Butch! *

I put everyone that commented and wanted to be entered into a hat, and pulled out a name. Well, in this case, I wrote everyone's names on a slip of paper, and put them all in a Dove Chocolate Bunny box. Because I firmly believe Dove chocolate can make everyone luckier.

Well winner, I have given your name and email to Frances, and you should be hearing from her soon.

A big thanks to Frances Stockton for coming by and sharing her story with us, and an equally big thanks to everyone that took time out of their day to visit my little blog and comment.
Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow