Mostly Romance Reads

2011-05-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure this has been a wasted week but almost all of it has been spent getting computers, (desktop and netbook) and Android phone all seeing the same email, contacts and calendar.

Still have a couple of little glitches to fix but I wish I had done this a long time ago.

Now I only read an email once and replies all end up together no matter which device I use to respond. No more trying to remember to BCC myself.

The "cloud" I used was Google and I started by setting up a Gmail IMAP account. I use Thunderbird on the computers and K-9 on the EVO for email all of them accessing the same Gmail account.

I had to add a couple of extensions to Thunderbird to get the calendar and contacts to work the way I want and now it is pretty easy to keep everything synced with the phone. When I get done I’ll have all of my contacts synced with Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot Blogs in addition to my email.

It has taken a lot of time but in the end it will save me tons and allow me to visit my son in Texas without worrying about what might fall through the cracks.

Space Shuttle sale

2011-05-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

In honor of the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor we are having a 7 day sale. 10% off all books in the Space Shuttle category at Mostly Romance where you’ll find visitors to and from outer space, space colonies and travel among the stars.

Mixed Genre books of the week

2011-05-15T08:47:00.001-05:00

Been down with a summer cold, thanks to my husband being kind enough to share, so have gotten some reading done this week.

This week I've read Quicksilver by Amanda Quick, another enjoyable read in the Looking Glass (Arcane) series. Quicksilver is in the historical genre and we learn more about the beginning of the Arcane Society and its connection with the Jones Agency in London. Quicksilver features Owen Sweetwater who accepts a job for the Jones Agency and Virginia Deam, a Glassreader.

Heart Journey by Robin D. Owens, somehow I missed this Celta title when it came out but the good part of that is that I don't have to wait very long for the next one - Heart Search is due in August. I really enjoy this series.

I really enjoy the world she has created and I like the psychic and HeartMate aspects. If you like Jayne Castle's Psynergy, / Curtain series you may also enjoy the Celta / Heart series by Owen.

Twilight Prophecy by Maggie Shayne. This is another in her Vampire / Wings in the Night series, starting a new trilogy, Children of Twilight.

I really liked the characters in this one. Some of the characters from previous books made appearances but it felt like part of the story, not the obligatory appearance of characters you get when are reading a long series. The series has really taken an interesting twist and I'm glad it's not going to be too long until the next one, Twilight Fulfilled, in October.

Darkfire Kiss by Deborah Cooke. I've never been a big Dragon fan but I enjoy the Dragonfire series. Rafferty finally gets his firestorm but Melissa Smith appears to be just the opposite of who he thinks he wants.

What I really liked about this book is there was a misunderstanding at the start but they were both grown-ups. Neither went off pouting but communicated and continued to work together toward their common goal

The Dragonfire series continues with the teen Dragon Diaries series, about the children of the dragons, the next Zoe's story in Flying Blind.

Hush by Cherry Adair - I've always liked Cherry Adair's books and this one is no exception. Her books to me are Romantic Suspense with a touch of humor or maybe light-hearted suspense is a better term.

Hush starts the Lodestone series which is not technically a T-FLAC book, however Marc Savin from The Mercenary does make an appearance in the book. It looks like her next books are part of the Cutter Cay series and the next Lodestone book won't be available until next year.

Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis

2011-05-06T17:20:00.005-05:00

Connie Willis' Black and All Clear are closely tied together. From what I understand they started out as one book and had to be split into two. So you may want to read them fairly close together. They are sequels to The Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog.

Blackout and All Clear are set during WW II with three main characters. Mike who is "studying" heroes by visiting Dunkirk and the rescue there, Polly who is studying the shelters and the way people behaved in them during the Blitz (lucky her, she knows when and where the bombs will fall.) And Eileen who, on her 1st mission, is studying the evacuated children. Poor Eileen has the worst cover. She is working as a house maid in the country with numerous evacuated kids.

Most of the books' story takes place during WW II and I found it very interesting. I learned a lot about how regular people lived and how they lived through the Blitz.

There was a lot I didn't know about the Blitz. For example, I knew about ration books and that people had to go to bomb shelters but I didn't know that they had "subways" and that's where a lot of people went before the sirens even went off, with their blankets and picnic baskets. I also didn't realize that there were different types of bombs dropped, including unmanned rockets toward the end.

The lengths the military went to to plant false information was astonishing to me. I knew about removing the street signs but blow-up tanks with fake tracks - that I didn't know.

The time travel aspect is an important part of the story. The preparations they had to make before traveling were really quite extensive, from learning to drive an ambulance to an implant to give Mike an American accent.

I've always been a fan of Time Travel books and these two certainly didn't disappoint me.

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

2011-05-02T15:58:00.004-05:00

Enclave, 1st in the Razorland series, by Ann Aguirre, who also writes as Ava Gray, is her first entry in the Young Adult market, takes place in a post apocalypse future.

15-year-old Deuce has grown up in an underground community where you aren't even given a name until you are 15, it's not worth naming "brats" as most don't survive. Deuce becomes a Huntress, responsible for helping to supply food and to protect the community by patrolling the tunnels surrounding the College Enclave. Deuce is teamed with not-quite-shunned Fade who didn’t grow up within the community and was only accepted because he could fight.

I really enjoyed reading Deuce's story and seeing how, as time went on, she begins to realize that maybe the Enclave and its "oldest," aren't perfect and maybe there is another way to live.

Mostly Romance Royal Wedding sale

2011-04-29T10:20:00.000-05:00

In celebration of The Royal Wedding all books in the Contemporary:Royalty, Historical:Royalty and Weddings categories are 10% off for the next 3 days only!!
Also Romantic Suspense sale ends Friday April 29th at midnight CDT.

Here is the "fine print." Books must be in one of the above categories and discount does not apply to shipping. That's it - have fun shopping.

Demon Song by Cat Adams

2011-04-28T07:07:00.001-05:00

Demon Song, sequel to Blood Song and Siren Song by Cat Adams (C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp) in the Urban Fantasy genre continues the story of part Siren, part Vampire bodyguard Celia Graves.

Having discovered, in the previous books, her Siren heritage, in Demon Song she is learning to live with the repercussions in her personal life because of it, with the cops all wanting charms to protect them from mind manipulation - one of her abilities as a Siren - and not knowing if a guy is really interested or just influenced by her Siren charm. Celia is also continuing to deal with the consequences of the vampire attack that didn't quite turn her but forced her into a liquid diet and a lot of sunscreen.

Celia's life takes a romantic turn as her dating drought appears to be coming to an end. But are they really interested or is it just her Siren heritage?

This was pretty much unputdownable for me and I can't want to see what happens in the next book.

Romantic Suspense sale

2011-04-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

Can't think of anything to write about today so we'll offer a sale instead.

In celebration of finishing my reading of the Deadly series by Cynthia Eden all books in the Contemporary:Suspense category are 10% off for the next 3 days only!!

Here is the "fine print." Books must be in the Contemporary:Romance:category and discount does not apply to shipping. That's it - have fun shopping.

Cynthia Edens' Deadly series

2011-04-26T07:26:00.004-05:00

Deadly Lies by Cynthia Eden. Loved it and really enjoyed the whole series, Deadly Fear and Deadly Heat are the first two in the series.

Heroes &/or Heroines of all three books are members of the FBI's Serial Services Division, a new group put together to hunt serial killers.

Normally, I'm pretty good at figuring out the villain but the plotting in all three really had me fooled and isn't that the best measure of good romantic suspense? I really hope there are more to come in the Deadly series.

I first found Eden with the paranormal books in her Night Watch and Others series'. If you like Vamps and Weres with a few Demons thrown in these are worth tracking down.

Now to decide what to read next. Shiver of Fear and Face of Danger by Roxanne St. Claire; Red Mortal by Deidre Knight; Deadly Dreams by Kylie Brant or Magic on the Hunt by Devon Monk. Or maybe something from my massive TBR pile.

Ann Aguirre's Shady Lady.

2011-04-25T07:08:00.007-05:00

The latest in Ann Aguirre's Corine Solomon series is Shady Lady, following Blue Diablo and Hell Fire. Devil's Punch will be available April 2012.

Corine Solomon has the "gift" of psychometry, the ability to touch something and know its history, and sometimes, its future. This gift comes in handy in her Mexican Pawn-Junk-Treasure shop but hasn’t always been a bonus in the rest of her life. The Corine series is not your typical romance with boy meets girl and they live happily ever after. It is more contemporary Urban Fantasy, no vampires or werewolves in sight, although there are demons. It is really hard to describe the book without giving away plot points so I'm just going to say that I enjoyed Shady Lady, although one part made me sad, and I'm looking forward to the next one, hoping the sad spot is resolved in a happier way.

I first found Aguirre after rave recommendations for her first book, the Sirantha Jax series starting with Grimspace in the Romantic Science Fiction genre. Next Jax book, Aftermath, will be available Sept 2011.

Aguirre also writes Paranormal Romantic Suspense as Ava Gray, with latest in series, Skin Dive available July 2011. She has jumped into the YA Urban Fantasy market with Enclave also an April 2011 release. And she has teamed with Carrie Lofty to write Apocalyptic Romance as author Ellen Connor, with Nightfall, the first in the series available July 2011. Midnight and Daybreak will follow in Sept and December 2011.

With all these different genres to read in is it any wonder I love this author?

Cliffhangers

2011-04-23T11:00:00.002-05:00

So what is the deal with cliffhangers? Yet another young adult book ends in a cliffhanger which wouldn't be so bad but it's a year until the next one. I really enjoyed the book but I won't remember the details by the time the next one is available, I guess I just read too many books. I do understand there are time and publishing constraints. And in the case of most of the young adult books I read they also write adult books that I wouldn't want them to stop writing so they could finish a young adult series. It's a conundrum, I guess.

The latest to annoy me with a cliffhanger was The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong. I really enjoyed the characters and I would really like to find out more about the secrets of the world she has created for this series. But I'm going to have to wait about a year.

Discovered Jaz Parks

2009-02-05T06:18:00.001-06:00

I've discovered a new author and have just finished reading the first four books in the series.

The Jaz Parks books by Jennifer Rardin are very entertaining. Jaz is an assassin for the CIA and her partner is a vampire. The majority of their targets have some paranormal connection with one main villain behind the scenes in all of the books I've read so far.

In a way the heroine of the books, Jaz, reminds me Eve Dallas (In Death series by JD Robb.) They are both emotionally wounded and both determined to do what's right, although they have different ideas of how to do that, obviously. Both tend to keep people at arm's length and yet, somehow, find themselves surrounded by a ever widening circle of people to which they are emotionally connected.

I'm eagerly awaiting my copy of the 5th in the Jaz Parks series, One More Bite, along with the 33rd in the Eve Dallas series, Promises in Death.

I haven't been getting as much reading done as I would like. Instead I've been spending time remodeling the Mostly Romance website. I'm very happy with the results.

This is hard to do.

2009-01-19T07:05:00.001-06:00

I read - a lot - 350-400 books a year. But I have never really been able to write any kind of a review. I couldn't even do book reports in English, although I always read the book.

I also have a problem blogging because, really, why does anyone care what I have to say.

But since I have decided to do this , as a reader and a bookseller, I'm going to write about books I've read and maybe every once in a while, some thoughts as a bookseller.

Right now I'm really into Urban Fantasy type books. I've always been drawn to Paranormal fiction, from Time Travel romance to Science Fiction from Robert Heinlein. Now it seems that Vamps, Weres and other things that go bump in the night comprise about 75% of my reading.

One of my favorite woo-woo type books, although not really paranormal, are books about psychics. And one of my all time favorite books about a Psychic is Dream Man by Linda Howard.

One of books I've read in the last week was a huge disappointment. It was a book I was looking forward to and one I really liked the premise of as the start of a new series by the author I've really enjoyed in the past. I'm having trouble even finding words so say how bad I found this book. The h/h had no emotional connection and in fact didn't even seem to like each other, let alone be able to find a HEA with each other. The events in the book mostly seemed to come out of nowhere with no logic behind them at all. From a writing standpoint I felt the book's writing was at about a 2nd grade level in the way the sentences were composed and it seemed to be that the author couldn't even keep the tenses straight. Quite frankly, about the best thing I can say was all the words were spelled correctly.

Another book I've read in the last week is Irreversible (sequel to Wired, 2007) by Liz Maverick, from the Shomi line, Dorchester publishing. I really enjoyed this book. It is sort of a time travel but the hero has the ability to manipulate time and takes the job of rescuing the heroine whoi has been trapped in a future time loop. The author does an excellent job of keeping it all straight for both the characters in the book and for the reader.

I also enjoyed Bedeviled by Maureen Child. It's a more lighthearted romance about a woman who discovers she is half-faery and is prophesied to overturn the current faery queen. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Time to get to work. the granddaughters are supposed to visit to since school is out, and I need to finish clearing off my desk. One of their favorite things at grandma's house is working in "our" office, so grandma had better make room.

Sandi

Time to join the 21st Century

2009-01-14T09:18:00.001-06:00

After a little nudging from a friend (Thanks, Helen) I've decided to start blogging.

Since I can't imagine anyone being interested in what I do all day, and since I read A LOT (3-400 books a year) I'm going to use this site, at least for now, as a book journal.