Phantom in the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon with Dianna Love

Yuck. It is almost 4am, I am not at work, it is pouring rain outside, and I can't sleep. I had a ridiculous day... I felt uber sick this morning, like can't get out of bed, weak muscles, can't eat kinda sick, and almost called in sick to work, and really regret that I didn't. I worked 2pm til 10pm and between 2:30 and 6:30 we checked in 200 guests. It was four hours straight with no time to catch my breath, just a huge line of people waiting to check in with no end of the line in sight. Really not fun, especially since the group (a primarily Korean bible group) featured lots of people with exactly the same name, perfect for creatingmass confusion at check in. I survived, and despite a major case of the grumps when it was done, cheered up after watching (and making fun of) Centre Stage 2 (the first one is FAR better) and visiting elise and shaeneez on my way home.

I also just watched the newest episode of So You Think You Can Dance and reaffirmed the fact that I get way to attached to contestants on reality tv shows. Very exciting to see my fave dancers from previous seasons dance again, very annoying that katie holmes didnt perform live, (although I was shocked at her singing abilities, kind of amazing) and soooo sad when Jason, the one I wanted to win, got kicked off. What an amazing dancer, and such a cutie, when he cried I almost did too. Also kind of annoying that the only routines performed commemorating the 100th episode were the emmy nominated ones... I would have liked to have seen a wider selection of dances, maybe one from each seasons. I mean, Ramalama and the Bench were both performed on the same night of the same season... not a lot of variety there considering they had 5 years worth of dances to select from.

but I'm way off of my point-- on to the book review. So just before watching that disappointing episode of sytycd, I finished a book by one of my favourite authors, Sherrilyn Kenyon. Now, Kenyon's Dark Hunter books are incredible, I love her characters and her writing style. This novel, from Kenyon's newer series about the Bureau of American Defence (BAD), was incredible at times and kind of convoluted at times. I've read the other two books in the series, though not recently, and whether it is because this is the first one written in collaboration or because this one features a bit of an unresolved ending, I was disappointed a little bit. Which isn't to say this wasn't a good read, I definately recommend it, it just wasn't totally up to the standards I expect when I see Sherrilyn Kenyon on the cover.

The storyline follows Terri Mitchell a former DEA agent who left that agency under a cloud of suspicion following the death of her partner. Terri has moved on to work as an agent for BAD, with her own goal of discovering who is truly responsible for her partner's death and clear her name.

Her love interest is Nathan Drake, whose storyline can be seen as complicated or convoluted
depending on how you look at it. So Nathan is a former Spec Ops agent who went AWOL from his team after a mission in Bolivia in order to return to help his dying mother by keeping his naive twin brother from going to jail by taking his twin, Jamie's, place and serving the jail time for a crime neither he nor his brother actually committed so his brother could nurse his mother back to health. The poor guy follows in a long line of tortured and heartbroken male characters from Sherrilyn Kenyon though, as his mother dies before he gets out of jail, and on the very day he is released, his brother is shot and killed. So Nathan feels the need for revenge and attempts to deliver that revenge to those who killed his brother.

Complicated enough for you? Though his storyline unravels naturally and in a manner that a reader is able to follow, the mistaken identity, hidden identity, twins switching places thing bugged me a bit. The bad guys are also a bit of a complicated factor in this book, and wasn't as clearly explained.

So the original bad guy is Marseaux, and though we know early on that he is both drug running, mobster guy and somehow linked to a biological warfare virus being 'tested' or rural villages in third world countries, we find out later that he is mearly a pawn in the game of Fra Bacchus and his secret order. Then we find out that Fra Bacchus is mearly the pawn of the Fratelli de Sovranoi (the secret order) and that the order is attempting to create a new world order, one where they literally are the new ruling power. That part I understood, convulted as it was, but what threw me off was when one of the DEA agents, Brady, a minor character through most of the story, turns out to have somehow been responsible for it all along with Josie, another agent. While I can see the little strings these two characters pulled to make things happen, (and I can also see how this secret order will be used as a recurring bad force for future books in the series) I felt that the ending of the book left too many loose ends that left me with tons of questions and not really in a good, suspenceful, waiting for the next book kinda way. All in all, I was underwhelmed by the whole bad guy situation, kinda felt like there were a few too many layers to the game.

A lot of the books I've been reading recently have featured a secret organization bent on saving the world that no other agencies know exists. I felt this one was good, lots of suspence, steamy chemistry between the characters, lots (maybe too many?) minor characters/potential leaks to the bad guys, and overall a really good read. I wish the bad guy storyline was a little simpler, but maybe the next book will clear things up for me. Anyways, read it and see what you think.

I'm finally tired (yay!) so I'm gunna stop there, although this review is kind of negative and mostly me attempting to explain the story. The book was not nearly as negative as I've described, aside from the unresolved-ness of it, it is actually quite wonderful. Sorry for being one-sided, maybe in the future I'll fix up this review, but for now, g'nite!

Happy Reading,
Steffie

Bedroom Eyes by Hailey North

Bedroom Eyes by Hailey North started out as a pretty run of the mill romance novel but got really strange really fast. The novel follows straight laced attorney Penelope Sue Fields as she narrowly avoids getting tricked into involvement with the local mob. Investigating her is Tony Olano, a cop (undercover as a private investigator... a little bit of a sketchy cover story there) who is initially sure she is knowingly up to know good. Also aiding Penelope (and here's where the story takes a right turn into wierd territory) is Mrs. Merlin, a 6.25 inch tall candle magician.

I'm all for a little fantasy, in fact I love stories that incorporate magic into them, but this was not overly well done in my opinion. Mrs. Merlin helps to remind Penelope to have adventure, take chances and get messy (to take a line from Miss Frizzle), but I think there must have been a way to have Penelope go through the same journey without turning her into a cat for day.

The story besides the detour into wierdville is a good one, Tony is likable and Penelope, if naive for an attorney, feels really real. She has insecurities and lives a little bit trapped in her fantasies instead of trying to change her reality, but that feels really normal. The action with the mob provides the necessary impetus to give these two characters a realistic reason to come together, and is an interesting storyline.

I just wish there was no tiny magician in this one. Other than that it wasn't a bad book.

Happy Reading

Steffie

Satisfaction Guaranteed by Lucy Monroe

Yawn. The desk where I work is silent so here's another post while I ward off the Zzzzzzs. This one is on Satisfaction Guaranteed by Lucy Monroe, an author I hadn't read before but will certainly be looking for again. I think this is the start of a series of books called The Goddard Project about a secret, under the radar agency which is actively saving the world, (an over used premise in the romance world) and like I said, I'll definately be looking for the next book.

This book was steamy, well written, and really enjoyable. Ethan Crane is a manly man agent, Beth Whitney is the daughter of the director of the agency and a secretary at headquarters. Mr. Whitney (Whit) contrives a pretty dengerous scenario in order to get Ethan and Beth to hook up, but all goes well and of course, happily ever after ensues. Beth and Ethan go undercover in the house of shady millionaire Prescott, masquerading as a couple. Of course, they wind up falling in love.

The only issue I saw was that Whit, the absentee father, sending his daughter into a mission in order to get her to fall in love seems a little over the top. Couldn't he just have set up a date for the two of them? Or come up with a plan that doesnt put his daughter into the sights of a perverted, arms dealing millionaire?

Other than that I honestly don't have too much to say about this book. I really liked it. There was less story and more relationship development in it than some other books I've read recently, but Beth's character was endearing and Ethan's was hot and likable, the action was believable and suspenseful, and the story was over all well written. Oh, and Prescott, the millionaire guy was really believably sinister, just the right amount of threat to make all of the action worth while.

So definately read this one, I recommend it!

Happy Reading,
Steffie

Fearless by Diana Palmer

So an ulterior motive for this blog is to provide me with something to do while at work. I work at a desk and frequently have to work overnight shifts that get old really fast. Since it's summer and the tv options are lacking, (I watch all my tv online and am a tv addict, but this summer's choices seem limited) blogging seems like a good way to stay entertained. So this very early morning I'm going to review at least one book I read in the last week, maybe more if I have the energy.

Fearless by Diana Palmer is a lukewarm action/suspense novel featuring Gloryanne Barnes (yup, I thought the name was silly too) and Rodrigo Ramirez. The chemistry between the characters is great, the rest of the book, not so much. It was an okay read, though I felt the novel was lacking in character development and believability, and was overly contrived at times.

The novel centres around Glory, an attorney who is a witness in a high profile case against a Crime/drug/gang lord, Fuentes. Glory goes into hiding on a farm to avoid being killed before the court date happens. It is at the farm that she meets Rodrigo, an undercover DEA agent working to catch the same drug lord.

Glory's character was pretty well rounded and her back story was explored in depth, but many of the secondary characters who figure quite prominently into the action, including Consuelo, Glory's friend/colleague who at one point attempts to kill Glory (?!), are really bare bones characters. Rodrigo especially maintains a little too much of an air of mystery, becoming a bit of an unrelatable character who is at times hard to like, an odd feeling towards the leading man of a romance novel.

Consuelo is one of the most annoying characters to a reader, in my opinion. She is a simple cook on the farm, a colleague of Glory in the kitchen while she is in hiding. The woman is continually described as being simple and naive, and despite knowing from the beginning she is completely under Glory's radar as being a potential threat. It is only immediately before Consuelo attacks Glory that a few hints are dropped about her true nature. What bugs me about a character like this is that Glory, a smart, well developed character, never notices anything amiss about her friend. Fine, whatever, it happens that a character can be duped. However Consuelo's one dimensional character seems to have a complete personality overhaul, and then she drops out of the story completely with no real explanation about her background or how she ended up working at the farm before Glory if she was sent as a hired killer or any of the essential loose ends related to her murder attempt. Really bugs me, it's like the author didnt know who the hired killer was going to be, decided last minute it would be Consuelo, dropped one hint, had the murder attempt scene, and then forgot about the whole storyline. A character of convenience, and as a reader I feel a little betrayed.

Another extremely irritating aspect of the story is the fact that even when the couple married they still didn't know each other's true identities, and Cash Grier, a cop who did know, didn't bother to spill the beans. This seemed really strange-- especially since it was a life and death situation... Since the secrets are used to advance the plot and stir up emotions and confusion, I understand why the author felt the need to do this, but this sort of dramatic irony comes across as really contrived and just plain irritating.

Despite my feelings that parts of this story are overly contrived, and some characters under developed, I did cry a couple of times while reading this book. The hopelessness of Glory's situation, her emotional and physical scars, the losing of her baby and her heartache and heart break really does come through the writing.

I say the suspense/thriller scenes in this story are lukewarm and I really feel that way. At no point was I truly concerned for the well being of Rodrigo, mostly because, like I stated above, his character never became real to me, and frankly I didn't like the guy. For the action scenes featuring Glory, it was hard to be truly drawn in because the characters attacking her failed to be truly sinister or threatening. When Consuelo attacked, I was initially confused that the character had been taken in a direction straight out of left field, and before that when her son Carlos attacked, I was expecting it. Carlos had also been made out to be a desperate and somewhat incompetant gang member, so, though anyone with a gun and desperation should be taken seriously, it was really hard to take any threat from this character as realistic.

The best aspect of this novel was definately the emotional transformation of Glory. Her character really grows and her storyline, without all the DEA agent drama, murder attempts and other action taking place in the novel, was really a touching one.

So I say read it, but only for Glory's storyline. The rest of the book isn't really worth it.

Happy Reading
Steffie

Guilty by Karen Robards

Okie dokie, first post in a brand spanking new blog. For those of you who don't know, last summer I kept a blog of my summer adventures. Today while eating Japanese food at Asha (I had fried chicken, not totally my definition of Japanese but much more to my taste) with summer work colleagues and amazing friends, Alyssa, Elise and Shaeneez, we decided we should share our expertise on various subjects with the world wide web. And so, our little group set out to take over the world by sharing our thoughts on fashion, food and romance. In case you aren't certain, I'm the romance portion of that equation-- romance books that is.

This blog is different from my previous blog. Instead of being all about my daily life, the plan here is to center things around reviews and thoughts on romance novels. Please, though, don't be surprised if my life sneaks into it now and again, it's inavoidable. First up in the reviews is the book I finished ridiculously late last night, (or early this morning I suppose) Guilty by Karen Robards.

Guilty is super suspenseful, up-all-night, can't-put-it-down thriller, so I would strongly advise not starting it right before you want to go to sleep (a lesson learned by yours truly). The novel follows an attorney, Kate White as the courtroom of her first case literally explodes into the chaos of a gunfight, and then keeps the action going as she deals with being a hostage, her shady past, a blackmailer, being a single mother and of course, a love interest.

The love interest in this case is Tom Braga, a cop involved in getting Kate out of the courtroom the day of the chaos. Tom walks a very thin line as he grows to care about Kate, a woman he is sure is hiding something potentially incriminating.

The best part of this book is the action sequence in the courtroom. The entire scene is set really well and the action happens at the ideal pace. The suspense, even knowing that our heroine must survive (happily ever afters, always, right?) is incredible and her terror really comes off the page. The twist of having Mario, a criminal introduced in the novel's prologue, come back in the scene was one I should have seen coming but didn't, and it was a terrifying added layer to the drama.

I also liked the development between Tom, Kate and her son, Ben. The struggle of a single mom dealing with how to keep her son safe is well dealt with, although Tom and Kate saying 'i love you' to each other in the middle of planning how to contact Ben's kidnappers seems a little out of place.

The 'big secret' being kept by Kate, was, while a driving force in the plot, a little annoying after a while. The big 'to tell or not to tell' inner conflict went on for a really long time, and the scene where she finally told Tom was glossed over. His reaction as a man who cared about her, not just as a cop ensuring she wasnt prosecuted for it, could have been explored and could have created a touching moment.

I felt a bit like the novel ran out of steam towards the end. The final conflict, in which Tom and Kate face down the bad guys to recover Ben from the kidnappers has none of the suspence of the initial courtroom scene, and is only a few pages long. While Kate's horror over the loss of her son is palpable, the scene feels anticlimatic, and the book ends rather abruptly after Ben is saved. A half page epilougue in which the characters get married provides some closure, but the novel felt like it could use another ten pages tying up loose ends and just coming to a more natural feeling close.

All in all though, I really liked this book. It was written in a captivating voice and the first half, especially, was extremely exciting. There was chemistry between the two very well developed characters, and the supporting characters were interesting as well. Everytime I read 'Tom and Kate', though, I couldn't help but picture Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes...

Anyways, that concludes my very first book review written not for a school assignment. Since I haven't proof read, please don't judge any errors, I figure since no one is marking it... oh who am I kidding, I'll probably proofread it later today. Since after dinner Shaeneez, Elise, Alyssa and I dodged raindrops, bought 2$ umbrellas and went to Indigo and Starbucks, I have a lot of books on my wishlist that should be showing up on here very soon...

Happy Reading
Steffie