THE LAW OF DESIRE by Gwyneth Bolton

Oh, boy, I hope I'm not too sleepy to do this one justice. It's been a busy week and shows no sign of letting up! THE LAW OF DESIRE is the third novel in the Hightower series. PROTECT AND SERVE http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/05/protect-and-serve-by-gwyneth-bolton.html was the first and MAKE IT HOT http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/08/make-it-hot-by-gwyneth-bolton.html was the second. It's genetic in the Hightower family to be a cop or a fireman, which makes me wonder if there are any girl-cops or fire-women in the family tree? Well, there should be! Ahem, Gwyneth, are you reading?

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Life is on a high note for Minerva Athena Jones (yes, her mother had a thing for Greek mythology) at the story's start. She's just graduated college after working her butt off to pay for it herself. She's got a really proud big brother who throws her a party and brags to everyone that she's going back for her Master's. He loves her, helped raise her, and protected her from all the bad boys. But, Big Brother has a dark side. Although he's worked hard to keep Minerva out, he's in a gang. Minerva's days of celebrating are cut short when she discovers him dead, shot execution-style.

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Some friends get Minerva out of town, fearing she's next. She lands in the household of Timmy and Tommy McKnight who happen to be on the radar of a certain detective, Lawrence Hightower. He has no patience with lawbreakers, potential lawbreakers, or anyone associated with them, which pretty much rules out the entire population of these United States of America. For a girl like Minerva, however, he can convince himself to place her under surveillance just because she's so gosh-darn cute. Of course, he won't admit it to himself or anyone else.

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Minerva gets a harsh dose of reality when two thugs try to kidnap her. She's a tough girl and makes a break for it, but it's the ever-hovering Lawrence who drives the attackers away. Then, they get all huffy about her answering questions and not getting herself killed. He insists on escorting her home and it's a good thing too. For, they discover something which sends her straight into his protective and ever-loving arms.

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Will Minerva find the courage for full disclosure? Will the cynical Lawrence learn to trust a woman he knows isn't telling him the whole story?

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This novel is Highly Sensual, but Gwyneth's the Queen of such scenes. The violence wasn't anything more than you'd see on evening t.v. Although, I haven't watched evening t.v. since I got mommed over a decade ago, so what do I know?

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I don't read much Contemporary Romance at all. I prefer stories which take me far and away. However, the novels of Gwyneth Bolton are the exception. Learn more about her at http://gwynethbolton.com/

LAW OF DESIRE will be reviewed later on...

...today. It's been a busy week. Got a requested Full out the door just yesterday, by snail-mail no less. Be sure to pop back in tonight or tomorrow for Gwyneth Bolton's new release.

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By the way, this is my last Enduring Romance book review for 2008. (I may do others for my YA SciFi blog.) On my next review day, December 11th, I will be posting Kimber An's Top Ten Books for 2008. I'll encourage my fellow reviewers here to do the same. That way you'll have some good ideas for holiday shopping.

Tuesday News

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone.

My own family has a big military tradition- my grandfather was a Marine on Iwo Jima, my uncle was a Marine stationed in Japan, my father-in-law was in the Army in Korea, and my cousin has finished his tours in Iraq and is in Alaska with his family. Thinking of our servicemen and women, I want to highlight author Merline Lovelace.

Her website describes her: After a twenty-three year career commanding US Forces around the world, Colonel Merline Lovelace launched a second career as a writer, basing many of her tales on her own experiences in uniform and on her travels to the four corners of the globe.

This USA Today best-selling author now has some 75 published novels, with more than ten million copies of her books in print. Her books have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA. Merline is especially honored to have been named the University of Oklahoma’s Writer of the Year and the Oklahoma Female Veteran of the Year.

Col. Lovelace's newest story in her Code Name: Danger series is UNDERCOVER WIFE, which
features Maggie & Adam’s grown-up daughter Gillian, who goes undercover with Mike Callahan, aka Hawkeye. Sparks fly as Mike stubbornly refuses to see her as the woman she’s become while trying to shield her from the danger inherent in their profession.

For all those who serve, here and abroad, in the service or at home, my deepest and heartfelt thanks.

CORDELIA'S HONOR by Lois McMaster Bujold

***Thanks to Frances http://frances-writes.blogspot.com/ for gener0usly granting me permission to cut-and-paste her review. I really wanted this one, but didn't have time for it myself.***

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Recently, I reread Lois McMaster Bujold’s CORDELIA’S HONOR. It’s actually two books in one, SHARDS OF HONOR, and the 1992 HUGO Award Winner, BARRAYAR. It’s been some years since I first read it. I liked it then; and I like it now, more than ever.

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Aside to the reader: In addition to the cover illustration of CORDELIA'S HONOR, above, which I do like, but which I don't feel fully reflects the characters, I have included, one of the original cover illustrations of SHARDS OF HONOR. I think that it clearly reflects the characters, and one of the episodes in the book. Neither hero nor heroine are young, gorgeous, or perfect; but they are wonderful.

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If there were one word that I would use to describe CORDELIA’S HONOR, it would be complex. Don't mistake that for confusing. It's simply that the more you think about this book, the more you see. Ms. Bujold has created three diverse ecological systems, two distinct socio-political organizations, and a study of evil that is magnificent, and all too real. All of the events in the exceedingly strong plot lines serve to reveal aspects of the characters and their conflicts. Layers upon layers lead to lots of, ‘Oh ho! So that’s what is going on!’ These are subtle moments of discovery that delight the reader. .
Commander Cordelia Naismith and Captain Aral Vorkosigan come from planets with antithetical cultures: his, reminiscent of a violent cross between Victorian England and Imperial Russia; and hers, a supposedly peaceful, advanced, constitutional, free, and politically correct society. They are first thrown together in SHARDS OF HONOR, on a hostile alien world, which quickly reveals their true natures. They are complex, flawed, and, above all, honorable. Each brings a starship load of life experiences with them, which, strangely enough, mirror one another. They have both had painful failures in their pasts; and I found their shy efforts at sharing their pasts to be particularly endearing. When Aral asks Cordelia to marry him by listing all of the terrible consequences to doing so, I lost my heart. Quick, woman, marry the man! Ah, but what can they do, when they are on opposite sides of a coming war, and they are both bound by duty and honor?

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Nothing is as it first seems. As enemy combatants, Cordelia and Aral are both constrained to keep secrets from the other, in spite of their attraction. Everything rests upon their judgments of the other’s character; and contrary to all appearances, ultimately their survival depends upon character judgments. (As a special note, it is here that Ms Bujold introduces Sgt. Bothari, one of the most ugly, schizophrenic, psychopaths that I have ever loved.) I wanted to cheer for Cordelia as she reasoned out the terrible trap to his honor in which Aral is caught. And I wanted to cry for him. For Aral, there are no good choices. There are only bad and worse choices, each tearing his honor from him, bit by bit.

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After the war is over, Cordelia returns home. She finds that her world, which she, has idealized as free and advanced, has its own dark side; and it almost destroys her. She possesses information which could devastate the political fabric of Aral’s planet, Barrayar; and the authorities of her planet, Beta, want to take her brain apart and reassemble it... for her own good, of course. I found this sham altruism to be terrifying! If she is not to suffer the Betan equivalent of a lobotomy, Cordelia must flee to Aral on Barrayar, a world which she fears as ‘eating its own children.’

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When Cordelia arrives on Barrayar, she finds a world that is both better and worse than what she had expected. Compared to Beta, Barrayar is beautiful beyond belief, with natural resources that boggle her mind. Family, marriage, loyalty, and honor are deadly serious matters on Barrayar. However, because of her honor, Cordelia, now Lady Vorkosigan, cannot avoid becoming enmeshed in the Machiavellian intrigues of Barrayar’s dying Emperor, Ezar Vorbarra. For the future of Barrayar, she and Aral must take their place in Ezar’s plans. Ezar is only seen in the next to the last chapter of SHARDS OF HONOR; however it is his machinations which have set all events in motion... and dominate BARRAYAR. He is brilliant, honorable in his own way, and utterly ruthless, especially with himself. He is one of the most fascinating and terrifying characters of whom I have ever read. I would like to have known more of him.

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The last chapter of SHARDS OF HONOR is very disturbing. Ms Bujold leaves Cordelia and Aral to their new life and uses this chapter, a seeming non-sequitur, to show the cost of the war started by Ezar Vorbarra, to the people of Beta, Escobar, and Barrayar. She does this through the device of one mother’s grief and awe-inspiring love. Every time that I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes. It was an immense gamble to end SHARDS OF HONOR on this note. It is both brilliant and devastating. I was left with both a question and a conclusion. Question: Is barbarism which is hidden by political correctness any less barbaric than that which is open for all to see? Conclusion: Only love offers any redemption in a broken universe.

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Since CORDELIA’S HONOR covers so much, I will review BARRAYAR in a future post. Thanks for your patience.

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Happy reading,
Frances
Writing Science Fiction Romance
Real Love in a Real Future

Kimber An's Showcase Sunday

THE KING'S DAUGHTER by Sandra WorthI reviewed Ms. Worth's other novel earlier this year- http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/06/lady-of-roses-by-sandra-worth.html - and I might as well tell you it made Kimber An's Top Ten Books for 2008. I'll be posting that list for December's Showcase Sunday in time for holiday shopping. Anyway, Ms. Worth recently emailed me about the ARC for KING'S DAUGHTER to which I replied, "Yes, please!"
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There's an excerpt and other cool stuff at Ms. Worth's site- http://www.sandraworth.com/queen.htm
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Here's the blurb:
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Some are destined for greatness, few more so than Elizabeth of York. Yet, while she was the only English Queen to have been a wife, daughter, sister, niece and mother to English Kings, the legacy of her noble spirit and love of country far outweigh her impressive bloodline.
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“Meticulously researched, exquisitely written, here is a rich, magnificent novel of the Tudor court evoking a once forgotten queen, now impossible to forget.”~ Michelle Moran, author of the national bestseller, Nefertiti: A Novel.
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Fiercely devoted to her beloved father and King, seventeen-year-old Elizabeth of York trusts that his dying wish has left England in the hands of a just and deserving ruler. With a young successor not ready to reign, the power is passed to Elizabeth’s uncle, Richard of Gloucester—a man her mother has never trusted. It isn’t long before Elizabeth fears that her own faith was misplaced. Upon Richard’s rise, her family experiences one devastation after another: her late father is exposed as a bigamist, she and her siblings are branded bastards, and her brothers are taken into the new king’s custody, then reportedly killed. How could her father have believed in a man capable of such treachery? But one fateful night shakes Elizabeth to the core and leads her to question all of her prejudices. Through the eyes of Richard’s ailing queen she sees a man worthy of respect and undying adoration. His dedication to his people inspires a forbidden love and ultimately gives her the courage to accept her destiny, marry Henry Tudor and become Queen. While her soul may always secretly belong to another, her heart forever belongs to England . . .

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GAMER GIRL by Mari Mancusi

I was aware of Mari Mancusi, but didn't really check her books out until recently. You see, the previous ones had blood-sucking dead guys and such in them and you know how queezy I am about such things. Then, I noticed young people were having trouble finding the Science Fiction they'd love. Like Science Fiction Romance, the publishers lose track of their best readers while trying to win new readers. It's the biggest marketing backfire I see. So, I started a blog as sort of a hub to collect Science Fiction young people love, regardless of labels. http://youngadultsciencefiction.blogspot.com/ Girls are the most neglected YA SciFi reader, so I made a special effort to find books with girl heroes. And that's what led me back to Mari Mancusi. I have three of her novels on the way, including her newest release, GAMER GIRL. Granted, it's not exactly Science Fiction, but a lot of my younger friends are into gaming. A lot of young gamers also love Science Fiction. So, there you have it.

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Learn more at http://www.marimancusi.com/


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Here's the blurb:
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ZOMG, IT ROX TO BE A GAMER GIRL!
Maddy’s life: not so rockin’. Her parents split, she’s stuck in a new, small town at a school full of Aberzombies and Haters, she has a crush on someone she really shouldn’t like, and she’s stuck with the nickname Freak Girl.


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Sometimes it’s enough to retreat into her drawing – her Manga is totally important to her – but when she gets Fields of Fantasy for her birthday, she knows she’s found the one place she can be herself. In the game world, Maddy can transform from regular outcast high school student to Allora, a beautiful Elvin Princess with magical powers to take down enemies with a snap of her fingers and wave of her wand.


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As Allora, Maddy can totally be herself. She spends a lot of time questing with Sir Leo, a brave knight who seems to really like Allora, and maybe even the IRL (In Real Life) Maddy. Allora’s virtual life is perfect, but a real gamer girl understands that real life comes first – Maddy knows she can’t escape from her IRL problems. She has to find ways to kick back at the Haters, rock her manga and find the new, real life friends she knows she deserves.
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MISSION: CHRISTMAS by Lindsey McKenna & Susan Grant

Susan Grant is a Science Fiction Romance favorite here at Enduring Romance and Lindsey McKenna is just riding shotgun for this one. However, you might also like her story, so I encourage you to learn more about it. But, let's face it, I picked this one up because of Susan. As a writer, I have dozens of stories in my head from a dozen different genres, but have you noticed most authors only write in one, or two at the most? The logic behind doing that on purpose is to establish an author's brand and build up a readership, but some authors only want to write in one or two genres. It all made me wonder if there are authors who write in one genre/subgenre, but have stories nagging them to go elsewhere. Little surprise that the most original SFR storyteller I know would try a Romantic Suspense story for a Christmas anthology. Doesn't hurt that the protagonists are pilots, because, you know, I married a pilot and started breeding more. MISSION: CHRISTMAS is on the shelves now.
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Pop over to Susan's website to learn more- http://susangrant.com/books/missionchristmas.htm


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You can read an excerpt of Ms. McKenna's story here-

http://www.amazon.com/Mission-Christmas-Bunch-Snowbound-Silhouette-Romantic/dp/0373276052/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226235616&sr=1-1
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Here's the blurb:
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During an unprecedented cold wave causing death, injury, and extensive damage to property throughout most of Northern Europe, Major Kat Wallace volunteers to fly a humanitarian Christmas drop to assist those affected by record-breaking snow. Stranded in bad weather, she soon finds herself battling off hostiles.
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Kat’s reason for taking a mission so close to Christmas is quite sentimental. While serving as a young pilot training instructor, she met Prince Alek, crown prince to one of the oldest, unbroken lines of royalty, second only to the Danes, who is attending pilot training at her base. Despite her attraction to the impossibly cocky prince, when put in the position to pass or fail him on a check ride for which he’d obviously not prepared despite his undeniable, natural flying skills, she busts him, causing him to meet a review board to determine whether he stays or goes. Recognizing his potential that he doesn’t seem to see or accept in himself, she recommends that he get a second chance. But it’s too late. He’s called back home to face revolution, never to be heard from again. In the years since, she’s often wondered what happened to him.
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Alek is anything but dead. For years he’s been fighting as a rebel leader, determined to restore the monarchy in his homeland as well as his people’s freedom and honor. He’s made many mistakes, not the least of which was refusing to accept that there are consequences for bad behavior. From the bastard son he fathered when he was a teen to his not educating himself on the problems of his kingdom, he has made many mistakes. Now he’s set out to right those wrongs, even if it means losing his life in the process. He owes part of his epiphany to the gorgeous, fast-talking, and (to his confusion and dismay) totally unaffected by his charms USAF pilot Kat Wallace, who (rightfully so) bounced his ass out of pilot training. She changed his life, even if he didn’t yet recognize it. Somehow she saw in him what he didn’t, or couldn’t, but what he hoped to God he could call on now in the battle for his homeland, his people, and the chance to reverse his failing them.
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Kat is more than wary of the wannabe prodigal prince’s intentions. She’s not entirely convinced he’s done playing with life as if it were a silly game. But with communications cut off, weather moving in and her own crew to protect, Kat forms a way-outside-the box (not to mention protocol) alliance with Alek. With forces joined, and their fiery attraction melting the wintry ice, Kat and Alek wonder if trust alone will be enough to survive the dangers looming ahead.
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THE SACRIFICE by Kathleen Benner Duble

This one sparked my interest because it's a Young Adult Historical and I'm totally into that right now. In fact, the next novel I polish up for submission will probably be a YA Historical. SACRIFICE is set during the Salem Witch Trials and explores the primal instinct of herd terror. That's when normally rational and intelligent human beings get together, one freaks out, and pretty soon the whole herd is stampeding. Tragedy always results. Here in the 21st century, we like to think we've evolved beyond that. Think again.

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You can read a first chapter excerpt at Amazon.com-

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0689876513/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

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Here's the blurb:
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In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.
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Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts.

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***That's it for this month, Blog Buds! Now, repeat the Enduring Romance Oath: "I (insert name here) do solemnly swear to always buy my favorite authors' books new." Remember, when you buy new you keep your favorite authors in the business of creating the stories you love.***

YA SciFi updated

http://youngadultsciencefiction.blogspot.com/

POSSESSED BY THE HIGHLANDER By Terri Brisbin

Marian made a choice five years ago. She rescued a child from certain death by claiming her as her own. For an unmarried medieval lady, that decision brought with it serious consequences. She was branded the Robertson Harlot and brutally banished from her clan. Now she and her 'daughter' Ciara live on the outskirts of society. Marian has changed her appearance and stays to herself, determined to give Ciara a normal life.

This is challenging to do when Duncan, peacemaker and negotiator for the neighing clan, takes notice of her. Marian's brother, in an attempt to assuage his own guilt, forces a marriage between the two. During the wedding night, Duncan, of course, realizes that the Robertson Harlot is no harlot and Ciara can not possibly be her daughter. He's stuck. He can't trust Marian without the truth but Marian won't share the truth without trust.

I'm a couple months behind on my Harlequin Historical reading and was kicking myself for leaving this wonderful August release so long. Possessed By The Highlander (silly title, great story) by Terri Brisbin is a story of what one woman will do for love. And we're not talking simply the love between a woman and a man. Marian would die (and almost does) for her child. She sacrifices everything for her family.

Sweetly, the smooth talking Highlander falls in love with the child first. Ciara plays an integral part of the story. She is never more than a page or two away from her adoptive mother and new father. She isn't a perfect child but she is a normal one.

Stories of adoption are rare in Medieval romances. That alone would get some notice from me (as the hubby and I can't biologically have children). However, the story is so enticing, the characters so engaging and unique, it now ranks as one of my favorite Highlander romances.

This is a Harlequin Historical so there are some sensual scenes but nothing too spicy. There isn't much violence at all.

For an excerpt from Possessed By The Highlander, visit Terri's website at http://www.terribrisbin.com/ .
Note: I'm not a fan of the excerpt. The hero is not himself during it (can't say more, a spoiler) so his actions and speech reflect that.

Sunday's Oldies but Goodies...

Greetings!

This Sunday's Oldie but Goodie is....

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The Cinderella Rules

by Donna Kauffman

Originally released January 2004

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Meet Darby Landon.

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Of the D.C Landons.

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Except she hates DC and lives on her late mother's ranch in Montana. She figures her estranged father would rather she hide out there anyway, since she is no society's darling, and would rather walk around in battered old jeans and cowboy boots caked with horse manure, thank you very much.

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Now her baby sister, on the other hand, eats up the social stuff. Loves designer everything, and can't get enough of the parties, the gossip, and the men. Especially the parties. Oh, and the men.

Of course, Darby knew this day was coming. Her sister Pepper, who also occasionally squires their father's business associates around town when he is not available, has called in a favor to her sister. Fill in for her this go round, something has come up in Brazil (goes by the name Paolo, something about Pepper being his good luck charm or something along those lines) and she is stuck there until the playoffs are over.

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Oh, and Pepper is sending her to the godmothers at Glass Slipper, Inc. to help Darby pluck, tweeze, dress, and refine Darby just enough to pull off the switcheroo - hopefully with their dad being none the wiser.

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Yeah.

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Meanwhile, Shane Morgan is headed to DC to figure out what to do with his late great-aunt's estate. She recently passed away and left everything to him. Every stock option, every company, every charitable trust - lock, stock & barrel. Problem is, he'd be a lot happier back in Bali diving for pearls. He never wanted anything to do with his families' business interests, and that hasn't changed one iota.

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At Dulles, he has a chance encounter with one Darby Landon, and from the moment he spies her, somewhat green-faced and ready to puke from the plane ride, she intrigues him. Of course, it helps that they share a limo ride to the godmothers, since one of them is actually his godmother, and best friend to his late aunt.

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Instant sparks ignite between the two. Now, it's just a matter of Shane coming to terms with what life is trying to hand him, and Darby trying to deal with a lifestyle she can't stand. Enter one very hot distraction in the form of a 6'5" Nordic god that happens to be her father's business associate and you get one story you will not be able to put down.

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The one thing I love about Ms. Kauffman's books is her character development skills. Every time I pick up one of her books I can picture the characters clearly in my mind, like I have actually seen them in real life. She knows how to build relationships, both romantic and familial, and knows how to weave her characters into a story you wish would keep on going. The Cinderella Rules is no exception. As always, the heat level is sensual, but is woven right into the story exactly where it should be.

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Ms. Kauffman has a wonderful website where you can check out her book list, follow her blog, and enter her various book giveaways at http://donnakauffman.com/

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Happy reading!

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YA Sci-Fi blog updated

http://youngadultsciencefiction.blogspot.com/

FOREVER MY LADY by Jeff Rivera

Kimber An here. I sped-read FOREVER MY LADY. Although it is a love story, it's not your run-of-the-mill Romance novel. If you can set aside your expectations of that genre and read this multi-cultural story for its worth, I'm sure you'll enjoy its power. There is violence and swear words, but nothing I couldn't handle and you know how sensitive I am. It all fits within the context of the story and enhances the character development.

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Please Comment with a link to your blog, website, or email if you want to be entered in a drawing for a *Free Copy!* FOREVER MY LADY is released today, but you might not find it in your local bookstore. It all depends on how good they are about not segregating authors and such. If you don't see it, pop over to http://www.amazon.com/Forever-My-Lady-Jeff-Rivera/dp/0446545562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225211682&sr=1-1 to order it on-line. You'll be glad you did.

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FOREVER MY LADY is rich in world-building. If you can get into Historicals or Science Fiction, you'll have no problem if the cultural setting is nothing like your Real Life.

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Here's the synopsis-

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Originally independently published, Jeff Rivera's debut novel, Forever My Lady went on to be acquired by Warner Books/Grand Central. It tells the award-winning passionate story of a juvenile delinquent named Dio who is sentenced to prison boot camp. Everyone who he has ever trusted has given up on him except one special girl that promises to stay by his side no matter what, the love of his life, Jennifer. He promises he will to turn his life around for her and she promises will never leave him. In fact, they plan to marry one day. But when Dio is released from boot camp he discovers Jennifer is about to marry someone else.

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Forever My Lady was featured in national magazines, on national television and radio including: The Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Rotarian Magazine, Urban Latino Magazine, VOY, Right On! Magazine, NPR, American Latino TV, SITV and was awarded Best New Author Award and the Best Urban Fiction Award and by the Mahogany Media Review. His first novel, Forever My Lady (published by Warner Books/Grand Central Publishing) became a critical media darling having received over 45 reviews on Amazon, over 30 reviews on BarnesandNoble.com and was given 5 stars by Amazon.com's #1 Book Reviewer Ms. Harriet Klausner.

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Here is the author's bio-

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Once homeless and living in his car, award-winning novelist Jeff Rivera writes passionate stories of those often forgotten and neglected by society. He believes even in the eyes of a gang member, even beneath the soiled clothes of a bag lady or behind the tears of a lonely kid in the back of the class, there lies a common thread that links us all, the universal human story. He has made it his personal mission to help change the way the world thinks in a positive way through his stories. Mr. Rivera currently lives in Miami, Florida. Adopted by his Filipino stepfather when he was seven years old, his ethnic background is Black American and Native American.

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Learn more about Jeff Rivera and his forthcoming books at http://www.jeffrivera.com/

OOPS, I Did It Again

I can’t believe I just made a Britney Spears reference. Anyway, I don’t have a review up because I made a big mistake- I bought this book, loved the blurb, loved the first few pages, and loved the ending. Yes, I peeked. Sue me. So I thought it would be perfect to review today.

Except, the book was ultimately a disappointment. Not exactly a wall-chucker, but a frustrating near miss. I won’t go into detail, because it’s just unique enough that you would recognize it and I don’t want to slam anyone. I will tell you that it is a historical, with one of my favorite plots. I must marry Bachelor #1, but I love Bachelor #2…or do I?

The characters were engaging and different, and the storyline was interesting, but it fell where I find a lot of historicals go plop. The, you know, intimate scenes. Tea and crumpets. Regency hula.

If the characters are married, and learning to love each other while consummating, fine. Love it. Got no problem with it. Even if our heroine is a widow who knows very well what she’s about, I can at least understand that. But a virginal young miss who knows very well that her reputation is truly all she has? You just lost me.

Historical writers have to walk a fine line- you have to do enough research to make it believable, but there will always be some reader screeching that those kind of wine glasses weren’t used until 20 years later, moron! I understand the frustrations of appealing to modern readers while staying true to history, but this one thing I can’t take.

How, precisely, does a typical sheltered young girl, who has been protected from the exact details of sex, who has probably at some point been told to “lie back and think of England,” decide that hiking up her skirt OUTSIDE ON THE GRASS is perfectly fine? I can accept that said young miss got carried away, and can straighten her dress with nary a stain and go back to the house unseen. What I can’t accept is that, without benefit of marriage or instruction beyond a gossiping servant, is that she can on second tryst become a skilled and enthusiastic…er, performer of certain type of crumpet-making, if you catch my drift.

And so lies my frustration with a lot of historicals. In the zeal to make them requisitely hawt, they’ve become unbelievable.

ETA: Kimber runs a fairly family-friendly place, so if I've confused you with my euphemisms feel free to email me and I'll clear it up!

I’ll do better next time, I promise! I’ve read the next one all the way through, and you’ll like it. Kimber An, there’s even a diaper-changing Viking! Check ya Nov. 16.

I'm at 'Romancing the Blog' today.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2008/10/26/the-biggest-marketing-backfire-i-see/

YA SciFi Blog Updated

http://youngadultsciencefiction.blogspot.com

The Key - Pauline Baird Jones

Sara Donovan is a crackerjack pilot in the US Air Force assigned to a top secret mission to explore a galaxy far outside the Milky Way. This human mission stumbles into the middle of a generations long war between the Dustan and the Gadi. Donovan is attacked by the hostile and ruthless Dustan and crash lands on the planet Kikk. Kiernan Fyn is a member of a group of outside-the-law fighters known as the Ojemba who are sworn to destroy the Dustan. He’s been stranded on Kikk for long enough that his people think he’s dead. Donovan dropping almost into his lap seems like a reward from the gods to make up for all his hardship. Donovan wouldn’t like the idea of being someone’s reward but she’s more than a little taken by the hunky alien who ‘rescues’ her from her crashed war-bird.

Fyn and Donnovan both have secrets, and they are surrounded by a vast number of questions. Why is Donovan the exact image of Miri, the woman who may have caused the Dustan-Gadi war? What exactly is Fyn’s aleigence to the Ojemba’s mysterious leader? Why, although the Gadi don't think much of women, and the Dustan are worse, do both their leaders risk provoking war with the explorers from Earth to try to marry feisty, outspoken, more than a little, rough around the edges Donnovan? Why do they think she is the key to the lost secrets of Garradians who vanished centuries ago leaving behind vast empty cities and outposts all over their galaxy?

This book reads like the novelization of the whole seasons run of a SF TV show that you somehow missed seeing. I’m guessing that’s intentional since Donnovan is a fan of the SciFi network. Jones really nails military jargon, but the story is light on things like - How did the Earth team get to another galaxy? How did they built a fleet of ships to get there in secret? Why exactly are they exploring another galaxy instead of someplace closer to home? In some ways this would have worked better for me if they were in another solar system in our galaxy because the scale of extra galactic travel is just too big for me to buy it being done this casually, but… I’m willing to overlook that because the book was such a fun read.

Donnovan is almost too perfect, ace pilot, talented musician, completely unaware of her sex appeal, but she is also vulnerable and tough so she grew on me. Fyn is big, gorgeous and silent most of the time, but he has an inner vulnerablity and sweetness that grew on me too. If you were a fan of shows like Farscape, the various Treks and most of all Stargate you will enjoy this book. If you like a slightly harder version of SF you might find the book a little light, but don't let that keep you away, it makes for a great comfort read. I’m in the middle of the home remodeling adventure from hell, which is why this review is being posted late, and knowing I had a fun comfy read waiting for me at bed-time last week helped keep me sane. That may sound like a weird recommendation for a book, but I’m a strong believer is reading as escape from the stress and strain of the real world. Not enough books can give you that release, so when I find one that helps we unwind as much as this one did, I’m happy.

Everyone in this book is in the military, so there is some “salty” language. Although much of it is done with euphemism, it’s easy to see what’s really being said. I can have bad potty-mouth myself given the right triggers, so I enjoyed the “code word” cursing. Someone really sensitive might be offended. There is sexual tension all over the place in this book, including a might-build-up-to-rape-but-gets-stopped-before-things-go-too-far scene, but all sex takes place off-screen. There are several battle scenes, and there are deaths, but they are bloodless for the most part.

NETHERWOOD by Michele Lang

Amazonia meets The Avenger in the gladiatorial arena, savoring the shouts of the crowd. She knows that no matter who wins the fight, she and The Avenger will head to his lair after it’s over to heal their wounds. Yes, to literally heal wounds and as a euphemism for having sex. But it isn’t an amoral thing for her- it’s a connection with another living soul. Even though it isn’t real.

Amazonia is the avatar of Sheriff Talia Fortune, and the Netherwood is a virtual reality world where you can be anything, anyone. Think World of Warcraft times the Matrix times the Holodeck. In this future society, the governments are still nominally there, but everything is run by corporations. Space travel to other occupied worlds takes months, even if you use wormholes, and no one can do anything without their handheld computers. More than communication, more than a PDA- you can literally download yourself through your device to enter the Netherwood. It’s slightly illegal- the Netherwood has become the ultimate Sin City. But Talia risks going anyway, both to hone her skills, and because The Avenger is her only real connection.

He gave her a message during their last fight; everyone is going to die, and she can learn how to save herself on a world called Fresh Havens. She has to head there anyway. Her uncle is the mayor of that world, and he’s doing a rotten job. The motherboard that runs the place has just been sabotaged, and it’s her duty to get the place running again. She has other concerns, too: Talia is the heir to FortuneCorp, the monolithic company her grandmother Violet Fortune started. Talia is under pressure to take her place as the head of FortuneCorp in just a few years. When Violet’s body started to die, she downloaded herself onto a chip, or “reduced down.” She can basically go anywhere in the computer universe, as long as she’s loaded onto a program.

When Talia investigates the sabotage, she knows that her Avenger is a man named Kovner, and he is the one who melted the computer system. She must go beyond the carefully cultivated city, into the Gray Forest wilderness, to find him. Once there, she finds wild, hungry predators and a distinct hostility to technology. In the forest, computers don’t work. And the wind calls her name.

Kovner is in the forest with a group of people who have never used technology. He is trying to save a pocket of humanity that will not become part of a frightening computer assault. He tells Talia of the coming Singularity; FortuneCorp and the other big companies are assimilating human life to become part of a single, collective mind. Since corporations long ago censored historical documents, as well as used a horrific war started by religious zealots to outlaw religion, the majority of people have no concept of their own souls. When approached about reducing down and entering the hive mind, many will give in. Talia, good corporate officer that she is, can’t believe that it could happen. Accepting what Kovner tells her means gutting her career and betraying her grandmother. But doing her duty means destroying her Avenger.

Michele Lang is a great world-builder; I can see everything she’s prophesied happening. Fantastic though it is, it’s entirely believable. It takes a long time and a big struggle for Talia to overcome her training and her fear to accept what’s going on around her. Reading her journey was a joy; she finds some strengths she didn’t know she had and is brought down a peg or two on things she was arrogant about.

Michele skillfully illustrates the fears of the computer age- we know there is almost no such thing as privacy anymore, and we have legitimate worries that corporations are really running things. Are we in danger of selling our souls for convenience, money, power and pleasure? Within all the deeper meanings, though, is just a good adventure yarn about a small band of rebels fighting the Evil Empire, something I’m always happy to read. There is action but not gore. The heat level is very hot but those passages were a little disconnected; of course that may be my bias against first-person love scenes. Reading “He grabbed my this, that, and the other” and “I shrieked as I became one with the cosmos” always makes me feel like I’m trapped in the booth at Denny’s with the other girls from the office who are totally oversharing, ya know?

I enjoyed the story, and I’m looking forward to more. Thanks, Michele!