February 2011 Reads & Minis

What a month! February feels like it was the longest month of the year. I've been busy working late hours, but happy as things are going quite well for me. :) I do miss my regular blogging and blog hopping, though. Hopefully things will level out soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Although the volume of books I read in February is down, the books I did read (or finished reading) in February were good ones. There was not one disappointment in the whole bunch and that doesn't happen often.

There were three books that I began reading and did not finish. These are books that did not quite agree with my "mood" and that I will pick up later when I'm ready to read them, so they're back in my TBR: Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear, El Hombre que Amaba a los Perros by Leonardo Padura, and Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh.

I also spent a whole week reading nothing but John Donne poetry or essays and studies related to his works. I go through these cycles once in a while, lol!
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Here's my recap:

Total New Books Read: 8
Contemporary: 4
Historical Romance: 2
Science Fiction: 1
Poetry: 1

Re-reads: 2 (1 HR, 1 UF)

1. The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay: A
(Upcoming Review)

2. Empire by Xochiquetzal Candelaria: This poetry collection is part of the Camino del Sol: Latino and Latina Literary Series. I've mentioned this series before as one that I love and collect, and one that features quality writers and works by Latino and Latina writers. This collection of poetry is no exception. I loved the way Candelaria related the history of a family and deeply personal subjects in verse. Grade: A

3. Song of Seduction by Carrie Lofty: A-
(Upcoming Review)

4. Dust (Jacob's Ladder, Book 1) by Elizabeth Bear: This book! I became obsessed while reading Dust by Elizabeth Bear. This space opera is fascinating, full of gender bending characters, taboos and sci-fi details galore. I couldn't help but get the second book, Chill, and am reading it right now. I've already sent for the last book of the trilogy, Grail, which just released too and can't wait to find out how it all ends. Grade B++ (Upcoming Review)

5. Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane, Book 2) by Elizabeth Hoyt: Now, I really enjoyed the characterization in this book. Particularly the way Hoyt played with the main characters (Griffin and Hero) and made their dishonorable actions more than palatable to the reader. I also found quite a few contrasts and similarities to Wicked Intentions -- one of my favorite historical romances of 2010. This is a series that I'm definitely enjoying, and having read the excerpt for the next book (something I never do), I am now impatient to read it! Grade B+

6. Absolutely, Positively (Lucy Valentine, Book 3) by Heather Webber is the third book in a series I'm loving and one I think just gets better with every book! It's hard to explain what a wonderful character Lucy Valentine turned out to be after reading that first book. She is not your everyday PI. The stories have a little bit of everything: mystery, a bit of the paranormal, romance and that circle of friends and family that make Lucy's life complete. Absolutely, Positively is my favorite book in this series so far. I liked the mysteries, the romance development, and I most definitely loved the family and friends as secondary characters. The book was not perfect by any means, it's light and there were a few moments plot-wise that were a bit frustrating for me, but overall this was a highly enjoyable read. Grade B+

7. Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor, Book 1) by Jill Shalvis: B
(Upcoming Review)

8. Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas: B-
(Upcoming Review)

Re-reads

9. Angel's Pawn (Guild Hunter, Prequel) by Nalini Singh (Re-read): I posted a "Retro Review" for this novella, however I also re-read it in February. As a re-read it worked for me the second time around just as well as it did the first time. It really made me want a whole book about Janvier and Ashwini again! I just love Ash as a female protagonist and can't help but be curious about her past history. Grade A

10. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (Re-read)
Ahh Lord of Scoundrels! During Valentine's Day weekend, I decided to read passages from a few of my favorite books and this was one of my choices. My problem? Once I read that first passage (I have quite a few), I couldn't stop reading and re-read the whole book in one day! My favorite scenes? Well let's see:

1) The glove. ('nuff said)

2) Their first kiss in the rain -- lightning bolts and everything! Dain's knees wobbling while he's thinking:

"I've dreamed of you..."
"I've wanted you in my arms since the moment I met you..."
"I need you..."

3) When he walks to a house where she's attending a party just to get a glimpse of her!

"Then what holds you here? he asked himself. What mighty force dragged you here, to gaze stupidly, like a moonstruck puppy, at a house, because she was in it? And what chains held you here, waiting for a glimpse of her?

A touch. A kiss."

The above scenes are all from the first part of the book. However, from the second part I do love the way Jessica figures out and comes to understand Dain after their marriage, and how Dain finally figures out that (crazy, poor blind) Jessica thinks he's beautiful and loves him. I could keep going, but I'll stop here. :) Grade A
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I just realized I only reviewed four out of the ten books read this month! I have a few reviews on the works, so hopefully those will be ready to post soon. So how was your February? What was your favorite book of the month?

New Releases: January/February 2011

It is time again for those new releases! And it's a really good time of the year, there are lots of upcoming releases and you know I want to read them all. However since that's not possible, I'll be highlighting a few of the books I'm really looking forward to reading for January and February. A few of my favorite writers have new releases and that's exciting!

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Release Date: January 18, 2011

RSVP TO THE MOST RIOTOUS WEDDING OF THE YEAR!

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of the former President of the United States.

Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it. Not happy at all....

But even though Meg knows breaking up her best friend’s wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say, “I don’t,” Meg becomes the most hated woman in town. A town where she’s stuck with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom.

Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What’s the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all....

Let's begin with Susan Elizabeth Phillips' new contemporary romance. SEP is one of my favorite contemporary romance writers and I've been waiting for her new release for a while. I will be buying Call Me Irresistible while it's hot off the presses!

Shadow Fever by Karen Marie Moning
Release Date: January 18, 2011

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

And what about Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning? I've been waiting for the end of this series for quite a while! As a matter of fact, I haven't read Dreamfever yet, WAITING for this book just so I can finish the series in style, making this a highly anticipated book for me.

Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane, Book 2) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Release Date: January 25, 2011

Their lives were perfect . . .
Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiancé. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn't bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . .

Until they met each other.
Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect - and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire - desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero's wedding nears, and Griffin's enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt is the second book in her Maiden Lane series. I loved, loved Wicked Intentions, the first book... and can't wait to read Hero's story, so this is another highly anticipated book.

Scandal of the Year: Abandoned at the Altar by Laura Lee Guhrke
Release Date: January 25, 2011

One tryst was all she wanted . . .

From their very first meeting, Julia knew that Aidan Carr, the oh-so-proper Duke of Trathen, had a bit of the devil in him, a devil who secretly yearned for what he could not have, a devil who harbored a desire for her. So when she needed to be caught in a compromising situation, Aidan was the answer to her prayers.

One tryst just wasn't enough . . .

Aidan is supposed to be looking for a bride, yet his scandalous liaison with Julia is all he can think about. Hot, erotic memories of kissing her skin, falling into her bed, pulling her naked body on top of his own continue to torment and tempt him. What is it about this brazen seductress that he finds so hard to resist? And how can he stop himself from falling into her bed a second time?

I already have the first book in this series Wedding of the Season in my TBR. I'll probably wind up reading both of these books as a set, one after the other. I don't know why, but the summary for Scandal of the Year just calls to me. :)

The Sea Thy Mistress by Elizabeth Bear
Release Date: February 1, 2011

This direct sequel to Elizabeth Bear’s highly acclaimed All the Windwracked Stars picks up the story some fifty years after Muire went into the sea and became the new Bearer of Burdens.

Beautiful Cathoair, now an immortal warrior angel, has been called back to the city of Eiledon to raise his son--Muire’s son as well, cast up on shore as an infant. It is seemingly a quiet life. But deadly danger approaches…the evil goddess Heythe, who engineered the death of Valdyrgard, has travelled forward in time on her rainbow steed. She came expecting to gloat over a dead world, the proof of her revenge, but instead she finds a Rekindled land, renewed by Muire’s sacrifice.

She will have her revenge by forcing this new Bearer of Burdens to violate her oaths and break her bounds and thus bring about the true and final end of Valdyrgard. She will do it by tormenting both Cathoair and his son Cathmar. But Mingan, the gray wolf, sees his old enemy Heythe’s return. He will not allow it to happen again.

AND, oh boy! This is the last book in Elizabeth Bear's latest trilogy. I read and loved All the Windwracked Stars, Book 1, really enjoyed By the Mountain Bound, Book 2, and The Sea Thy Mistress, Book 3 is the end of this wonderful cyberpunk fantasy trilogy, with all its mythological details and characters. I received an ARC from Tor/Forge Books and will post an early review for this book.  :)

Absolutely, Positively (Lucy Valentine, Book 3) by Heather Webber
Release Date: February 1, 2011

“Exposed” by a Boston Herald reporter, Lucy is suddenly the talk of the town. Long back-story short: Even though the rest of her Valentine ancestors were blessed by Cupid with psychic abilities, Lucy’s only special power lies in her ability to find things. This skill has proven quite a blessing for those who come to her matchmaking agency in search of finding their long-lost loves. Now that Lucy’s secret is out, she has more new clients than she knows what to do with. But soon a certain man of mystery steals Lucy’s spotlight…

No, it’s not Sean Donahue, the sexy fireman-turned-private-eye who’s stolen Lucy’s heart. It’s a masked man in a cowboy hat, dubbed “The Lone Ranger,” who’s been throwing handfuls of cash across the Common. Now all of Beantown’s abuzz. Can Lucy unmask the mysterious money man, track down all her clients’ old flames, and turn up the heat on her love life? Absolutely, positively…

And last, but certainly not least, is the next installment in the Lucy Valentine series, Absolutely, Positively by Heather Webber. I read the first book in this series late last year and loved Lucy! (No pun intended). I have the second book already, and hope to catch up with Lucy and Sean's light and fun adventures with this book.

I might add more later if something I adore catches my eye, but that's it for now! What about you? Any great releases you're looking forward to reading?