Showing posts with label Jennifer Ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jennifer Ashley. Show all posts

Monday, March 30, 2015

Ini-Minis: The Buried Giant, Snowed In + More

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Unique way to explore Ishiguro's favorite theme: memory (the effects of long lost or skewed recollections). Unfortunately the fantasy setting utilized to explore this theme in The Buried Giant is not as effective as the historical setting in The Remains of the Day or the speculative setting in Never Let Me Go. A B- read because Ishiguro's excellent writing abilities cannot be denied.

Snowed In (Kentucky Comfort) by Sarah Title

Snowed In was the perfect contemporary romance novella to read during an early March snowfall in the Northeast US. This quick romance is both cute and amusing. I found it enjoyable, predictable moments and all. I loved Pippa -- the only secondary character making a real impact. I read this novella at the right moment and it was a B- read at the time. Expect insta-love, predictable moments with some very cute interactions. After a quick reread, downgraded to a C.

The Gentleman and the Lamplighter by Summer Devon

A good m/m romance with a grieving Lord and a lamplighter as main characters. This novella has likable characters with enough emotions and historical background to make it an enjoyable read. Unfortunately the page count becomes a detriment and toward the end the novella has that rushed, underdeveloped feel. Nevertheless, I would read another book by this author, so a C read.

Checking Out Love by R. Cooper

I can't say much more than this story is short, cute, and pretty much an average m/m romance. I won't reread it and it is not a keeper. A C read.

Pride Mates (Shifters Abound) by Jennifer Ashley

Great premise, disappointing execution. Not much more to say about this paranormal romance except that I remember having a few problems as the story moved along. This was a February read and as of now I have to say that it is extremely forgettable. A C- read for me.

Tempting Meredith (Lovers & Friends #3) by Samantha Ann King

Tempting Meredith is an erotic romance with a threesome as the core basis for the romance. This erotic romance did not work for me as I did not buy the relationship between the three people involved. While in college the female first participates in a disastrous threesome that leaves her emotionally scarred. One of the new men in her now adult life is one of those men from her first college experience. That did not make sense to me. Additionally, I found the sexual encounters between the three people involved emotionless, while the two men had some good chemistry going. That is not a good development for a threesome, so that brings this book down to a D grade.

NOTE: Titles are linked to book descriptions at Goodreads.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #6) by Jennifer Ashley


Daniel Mackenzie. Slow goodness. What a sexy, sweet, man our Daniel turned out to be! Ashley outdid herself with this Mackenzie character. Of course, Daniel has the advantage of having been developed and loved, as a character throughout the whole series. More than just sexy, Daniel is a sensualist who enjoys life to its fullest.

With the romance between Daniel and his Violet, Ashley moves this series to that exciting period in time when motorcars, balloons, and mechanical inventions were just beginning to make an impact and spiritualists were all the rage in many of the best salons in Europe. Both Daniel and Violet are an integral part of both worlds. Daniel with his keen, obsessive mind is an inventor, and Violet is part of a spiritualist team along with her mother, but she also has a knack for understanding and creating her own mechanical inventions. Daniel is attracted to Violet physically, but her mind is what really hooks him.

Daniel and Violet fall for each other pretty early in their journey to happiness. The main conflicts arise from terrible past experiences that Violet survived only by running away. but has not been able to overcome. She remains a partially broken woman who needs healing. And that is where Daniel comes in, not to save the day (although he tries) but to show Violet that she has the strength to deal with the past and to move on with her life. They are a wonderful pair, Daniel with his easy, charming ways and wonderful laugh, and Violet with her deep need to understand what honesty means, what it is to feel safe, to be truly cared for, loved, and understood.

The plot follows an interesting path, taking the reader from London to Marseille, back to England, going on to a climactic scene in Paris, and a final epilogue in Scotland. The Mackenzie family as a whole is intricately involved in Daniel's life and in his romantic adventure. I love how he deals with his whole family as they interfere with his life. He listens and is loving in his dealings with all of them, and then. . . takes off and does his own thing. Daniel has their number. He knows Ian won't sell him out to the rest of the family... so he's the best confidant. So yes, Ian, more so than his father Cameron, plays a role in helping Daniel find happiness.

Was there anything that did not entirely work for me? Well, there were two moments too many of near-death and survival that didn't quite work for me. Daniel's role as an avenger toward the end just... troubled me, and the appearance of Fellows came out of nowhere! I was. . . surprised by his participation in this storyline. Really, I was! However, the rest of the book was delightful, with excellent inner and outer conflicts that are satisfactorily resolved and, more than just sexual, some wonderful sensual scenes between Daniel and Violet. So, yes, The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie is one of my favorite books of the series.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Highland Pleasures
Publisher/Release Date: Berkley Sensation/October 1, 2013
Grade: B+

Series:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, # 1
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, #2
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, # 3
The Duke's Perfect Wife, #4
A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift, #4.5
The Seduction of Elliot McBride, #5
The Untamed Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #5.5)
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie, #6

Monday, September 30, 2013

The Untamed Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #5.5) by Jennifer Ashley

A Woman of Breeding Meets a Man of No Standing...

In The Untamed Mackenzie, Jennifer Ashley finally lets us in on the mystery that is Detective Inspector Lloyd Fellows, the Mackenzie bastard brother whose first introduction to readers in the guise of a quisi-villain. Happily, Lloyd is believably portrayed in this novella as a Mackenzie worthy of his name.

Ashley portrays Lloyd as a man on fire. A man in the throes of a passion that leads him to place in jeopardy everything he holds dear for Lady Louisa Scranton, the woman he has secretly loved from a distance without hope of a real future. The magnetic pull Louisa feels when she is anywhere near Lloyd is felt throughout, as Ashley uses more sexual tension and sensuality than graphic sexual scenes to build on the romance. The passion is reciprocated, but is the love? And even if it is, how can they have a future when she's a Lady and he's nothing but a well-respected policeman?

There is a crime, of course, with Louisa as the main suspect and Fellows as the investigator. Lloyd pulls all the stops to save his love with help from the Mackenzie clan and Scotland Yard detective Pierce. This side of the story was satisfying to me. I was somewhat disappointed, however, by the length of this piece.

It's interesting that I abhorred Lloyd Fellows in the first book of this series and at the time thought his was a superfluous character -- I remember just wanting to enjoy the romance between Ian and Beth. Yet, while reading this novella I found myself thinking that Ashley created Lloyd as such a conflicted character that a more in-depth exploration of those conflicts (both past and present) would have been welcomed. However, although I would have loved a longer book with more page time to also develop Louisa's side of the romance, as a novella filled with impulsive, passionate thoughts and actions, The Untamed Mackenzie worked for me. Grade: B

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Review: The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley

The Seduction of Elliot McBride
(Highland Pleasures #5)
PROPERLY IMPROPER…AND DARING TO LOVE…

Juliana St. John was raised to be very proper. After a long engagement, her wedding day dawns—only for Juliana to find herself jilted at the altar.

Fleeing the mocking crowd, she stumbles upon Elliot McBride, the tall, passionate Scot who was her first love. His teasing manner gives her an idea, and she asks Elliot to save her from an uncertain future—by marrying her…

After escaping brutal imprisonment, Elliot has returned to Scotland a vastly wealthy yet tormented man. Now Juliana has her hands full restoring his half-ruined manor in the Scottish Highlands and trying to repair the broken heart of the man some call irredeemably mad. Though beautiful and spirited, Juliana wonders if that will be enough to win a second chance at love.
The Seduction of Elliot McBride is a pleasant romance with very little conflict between the protagonists and/or seduction. In my opinion, the title doesn't really fit this book. The readers immediately know that Elliot and Juliana love each other. Elliot and Juliana also know that there are feelings between them, if not love... something! There is definitely chemistry.

This couple is kept apart when Elliot goes to India first to join the service and then stays to make his fortune. A series of events leads Elliot to be kidnapped and tortured for a whole year by a local tribe. He escapes and returns to Scotland just in time to marry Juliana as she is being jilted at the altar by her fiancé. The two go off to a dilapidated castle located in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands with a small staff Elliot brought along from India.

Julianna is pretty happy with the fact that she married Elliot, but on her wedding night finds out that there is something wrong with him. The torture Elliot suffered at the hands of those tribesmen left psychological scars and have left him traumatized. There are the flashbacks that can end up in violent reactions, and the moments when he is taken by the darkness and falls into a black pit of despair. Although it is evident that he suffers from a form of PTSD, everyone thinks Elliot is mad, including himself.

Juliana is the perfect wife, believing that Elliot will recover from these episodes even as she wishes that he would return to being that same young man she knew when they were growing up together. Elliot finds solace and peace in Juliana's presence and her kindness, but more so in her arms.

Jennifer Ashley introduces an external conflict to help Elliot come to terms with his situation providing some action and a mystery to the story. This story line also serves to establish Juliana's complete belief in Elliot. This aspect of the story is good, but frankly it takes a lot of page time and is not necessarily engrossing or intriguing.

The secondary characters are average and with the exception of Mahindar and Uncle McGregor the others do not contribute much since there is a language barrier -- there is limited to no dialog so that we are told what they think or do. Ashley doesn't establish an emotional connection between the reader and the little girl in the story, Priti, making her pretty much a non-issue.

I enjoyed this historical romance by Ashley as an average read.  I found chemistry, love between the main characters, and plenty of well written sexy scenes. Unfortunately, the lack of conflict and sexual tension between Juliana and Elliot makes this an average romance without any of those ups and downs that make for a memorable and/or emotionally charged read. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this series, The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie! Yes to Daniel!

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Highland Pleasures, #5
Publisher/Release Date: Berkeley/December 31, 2012
Grade: C

Visit Jennifer Ashley here.

Series:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Book 1
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, Book 2
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, Book 3
The Duke's Perfect Wife, #4
A MacKenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift, #4.5
The Seduction of Elliot McBride, #5

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Review: The Duke's Perfect Wife (Highland Pleasures #4) by Jennifer Ashley

Lady Eleanor Ramsay is the only one who knows the truth about Hart Mackenzie. Once his fiancee, she is the sole woman to whom he could ever pour out his heart.

Hart has it all--a dukedom, wealth, power, influence, whatever he desires. Every woman wants him--his seductive skills are legendary. But Hart has sacrificed much to keep his brothers safe, first from their brutal father, and then from the world. He's also suffered loss--his wife, his infant son, and the woman he loved with all his heart though he realized it too late.

Now, Eleanor has reappeared on Hart's doorstep, with scandalous nude photographs of Hart taken long ago. Intrigued by the challenge in her blue eyes--and aroused by her charming, no-nonsense determination--Hart wonders if his young love has come to ruin him . . . or save him.
The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley is the much awaited romance between Hart Mackenzie and Eleanor Ramsay. This is the last Mackenzie brother, and frankly after reading that first book about Ian, Hart's character was the one that most pulled at me, possibly because of all those dark places in his character that were either hinted at or detailed in the first book. I love flawed, dark characters.

The story begins with much potential as Eleanor Ramsey returns to Hart's life just as he's about to lead his party against Gladstone in the House of Commons, and his hopes to attain the Prime Minister post is at the tip of his fingers. She comes bearing bad news as she presents him with a photograph of Hart someone sent to her, a photograph of a young, nude Hart that was taken by his old and now dead mistress, Mrs. Palmer. Neither understands why the photograph was sent to Eleanor, but Hart informs Eleanor that there were a total of twenty pictures taken, and both fear that they are coming from a political foe. Hart takes the opportunity to keep Eleanor with him so he can begin wooing her back into his life. Later, as Eleanor investigates this matter and Hart continues his quest for power and his reconquest of Eleanor, there are assassination attempts against Hart and the plot thickens.

What did I like about this book? I loved the family dynamics as always. The whole Mackenzie clan makes an appearance in this book with some making more of an impact than others. Ian Mackenzie in particular plays a key role because of that special bond that he and Hart share. I love that Ashley features that bond in this book -- it is so important to both characters. Of course Ian steals every scene where he appears, but it also gives Hart's character strength.

I love Hart Mackenzie as a character. Well, I did from the beginning. He is flawed, a bit heartless, but also vulnerable. So, what is there not to like? And, I also like Eleanor very much. Eleanor is obviously a loving and giving woman, and not weak in any way. She loves Hart, but it is also clear that she can handle him quite well. This couple provides many beautiful moments along the way.

I also enjoyed how Ashley incorporated history into the romance. I'm one of those readers who doesn't get bored by a little history with her historical romances, so that worked for me quite well, and I didn't think that it was too much or that it took the focus away from the main couple.

Did I have problems with this romance? Yes. Hart as a character, and this story as a whole, had lots of potential that unfortunately wasn't entirely realized. Hart's character is introduced as dark, with dark desires and a very dark past full of a sexual history and sexual desires that are not the usual fare. Yet, we never really see that Hart in this novel. Never. That Hart is hinted at throughout the story, but he's never truly revealed. So that if the layers are there, he remains cocooned in them and hidden both from the reader and from Eleanor. This is a shame, because here is a man whose character was begging for exploration.

I also felt that Eleanor's characterization was incomplete. Here is a woman who loves and has loved Hart since breaking their engagement, to the point of obsession if you go by the fact that she keeps a scrap book of Hart.  Yet, there is much about Eleanor's motivations for breaking that engagement, that although superficially explained and valid, are not truly explored in depth, so that in the end they are not quite convincing to the reader.

The result? An undefined character, and one that is contradictory to boot. She's a lovely, caring woman who on the surface doesn't seem to care that the man she loves betrayed her with another (other) women. Yet, she's jealous when someone else "fondles" and "flirts" with Hart in her presence. As I said, contradictory and not quite believable.

Having said all of the above. Having found problems with both characterization and some awakwardness in plotting follow through, it is quite interesting that I still read this book in one sitting, and even more interesting that I ended the story with a smile on my face. Why is that? Well, Jennifer Ashley has created a fantastic family in the Mackenzies, so that even when individual stories are not up to par (in my opinion), as a whole, this series still manages to please me immensely.

The Duke's Perfect Wife is not my favorite book of this series, believe it or not my favorite so far is The Many Sins of Lord Cameron. However, I still think it works well as a wrap up book to the brothers' romances, and I'm even more hooked on these highlanders than ever. I look forward to the next book in this series, The Seduction of Elliot McBride, and of course hope that the Highland Pleasures series continues to bring me hours of enjoyment.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Highland Pleasures #4
Publisher/Release Date: Berkley/April 3, 2012, Kindle Ed.
Grade: B-

Visit Jennifer Ashley here.

Series:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Book 1
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, Book 2
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, Book 3
The Duke's Perfect Wife, Book 4


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Review: The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

A renowned rake, Cameron Mackenzie doesn't care if Ainsley Douglas has a virtuous excuse for sneaking around his bedchamber. He only cares that she's at his mercy. One kiss at a time, he plans to seduce her. But what starts out as a lusty diversion may break Cam's own rules.

I enjoyed the first book of this series, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, but was a disappointed in the second book, Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. Thankfully that's not the case with The Many Sins of Lord Cameron. I enjoyed the third book in Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzie Brothers historical romance series much more than that last book!

Cameron and Ainsley's attraction to each other flares under rather interesting circumstances. Cameron finds Ainsley snooping around his bedchamber, and thinking that she's there for seduction decides to please himself and the beautiful Ainsley Douglas. The attraction is mutual and they share a passionate and unforgettable moment. But Ainsley is married and turns down Cam's advances.

Years later, Ainsley is a widow and acting as the Queen's agent in a secret matter of the heart that involves blackmail. As a result during a house party at Hart Mackenzie's home, history repeats itself when she again finds herself in Cameron Mackenzie's chambers looking for a missing letter and gets caught by Cam. The old mutual attraction flares up with a vengeance and as Ainsley continues on her errand for the Queen, she finds in Cam both an ally and a man that's dangerously seductive.

I liked both Ainsley and Cam. Ainsley's life is that of a young woman who married a much older man and as a widow has been left without resources and dependent on her older brother. As the Queen's lady, her life is limited to the court and to service, leaving her with little time for socialization or a personal life. On the surface Ainsley gives the impression of being a demure lady, but in reality she's passionate, intrepid and determined. She's perfect for Cam.  I think it is lovely that although Ainsley was in a marriage of convenience and later widowed, her husband was a man that she both honored and respected.

Cam, well... he's had an angst-ridden life filled with childhood abuse and a marriage to a deranged woman that left him scarred for life. Cam feels more at home with horses than he does with people, and who can blame him after what he went through? He seeks the company of married women with shady reputations and doesn't ever want to marry again.

I love the fact that Cam "sees things in color" when he is with Ainsley as she brings him back to "life." I really liked that while trying to seduce Ainsley, he's caught and falls hard! Cam and Ainsley sizzled with passion too, and Jennifer Ashley really builds up to that passion with plenty of sexual tension. I especially loved the sensuality of those scenes with the buttons (those of you who have read this book know what I'm talking about). Most of all Cam and Ainsley clicked as two people who fall in love but that also become friends and lovers, and I thought that was just so important for Cam after his traumatic past.

Making Cam's son Daniel part of the romance was an excellent move on Ashley's part. Despite the fact that Cam has been portrayed as a rather nonchalant type of father throughout most of the series, Daniel is the most important person in Cam's life as it is revealed in this story. Cam is protective by nature, loving, and passionate. Those parts of his nature, however, were severely damaged by his deranged first wife before she died. So while Cam and Ainsley's romance evolves at a good pace, most of the conflict in this book is about Cam working out issues that were caused during his first marriage so he can find happiness with Ainsley.

The whole "Mrs. Brown" sub-plot was interesting and it served its purpose, but it was not arresting, neither was the blackmail sub-plot. I thought they were both obvious devices to get Cam and Ainsley together and as such they worked well enough without adding much interest to the story.

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron is the type of historical romance you'll love if you're not looking for a lot of controversy between the two main characters, or if you want to feel great about a man who has suffered and finally finds that elusive happily ever after. I love that Cam did.  You won't find a lot of conflict between the protagonists in this book, instead you will find a good, solid historical romance full of passion and emotion.

And what of the remaining Mackenzie brother? Well, I've always liked Hart and now that Eleanor has finally made an appearance can't wait to read their romance. And eventually we will have Daniel's romance to look forward to...I can't wait to see how he turns out. In the meantime, for those of you who love Ian... don't forget to look for the breakfast scene with the honey pot. I loved it!

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Mackenzie Brothers
Publisher/Released: Berkley/August 2, 2011 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B

Visit Jennifer Ashley here.

Series:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Book 1
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, Book 2
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, Book 3

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Review: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized London by leaving her husband, notorious artist Lord Mac Mackenzie, after only three turbulent years of marriage. But Mac has a few tricks to get the Lady back in his life, and more importantly, back into his bed.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is the second book in the Mackenzie brothers series by Jennifer Ashley. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, the first book in this series, was a wonderful story and I was really looking forward to reading more about Mac, Isabella and the Mackenzie brothers.

This is a story about a second chance at love, a trope I usually love. Mac and Isabella are married but have been separated for a few years after a turbulent marriage. They still love each other, but there's a history of pain and lack of forgiveness between them. Mac made mistakes during their marriage and Isabella is unwilling to give him the second chance he needs. In this story Mac finds a way into Isabella's life again, and he does everything possible to win her back fully. She, on the other hand, struggles between wanting and enjoying Mac physically, and accepting him back into her life as a true husband.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage was an average read for me. The story itself is interesting, the characters are likable, and I enjoyed the family dynamics between the Mackenzie brothers, Beth and Daniel. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the way Ashley uses flashbacks to incorporate Mac and Isabella's past history into the story. Right in the middle of a conversation and even in the middle of love scenes, the characters flash back to a past scene or reminisce about a past event. This happens repeatedly throughout the story, diminishing the impact of the scenes and the characters' present situation. This frustrated me personally, particularly when it happened in the middle of the love scenes. There's a mystery that ends with lots of predictable drama.

Although this is not my favorite book of this series so far, I did enjoy the interaction between the Mackenzie brothers. I'm still looking forward to reading Cam's story and will continue to follow this series.

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Mackenzie Brothers
Release Date: July 6, 2010
Source: Copy of ARC received from Tracy - Thank you!
Grade: C

Visit Jennifer Ashley here.

KMont's 2010 Year of the Historical Challenge

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Hilcia's Weekly Reads

I'm a happy camper this week. Yes, I'm reading again! Not as much as I would like to, but hey... I know I'm greedy when it comes to books. Some of the reads I had on my list were pushed back due to new releases I just HAD to read right away or other reads that came along. I do that a lot, but I'll get back to them this coming week. You wouldn't think with my list of books I would start my week by re-reading, right? But that's exactly what I did. *g*

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I started by skimming the historical romance Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale and couldn't help myself -- had to continue reading. Did I enjoy it? You bet. Talk about an angst-riddled plot with great characters that you love or just love to hate! The story of Christian, a brilliant Duke who after suffering a stroke is unable to communicate verbally -- his hateful family ships him off to an asylum where he meets Maddy, a Quaker and daughter of a mathematician whom he knew before the stroke, and our tale really begins.

I thought Kinsale did an amazing job of keeping her characters true to themselves and to that period in time. I loved everything about the story, even the hero's hated family members. I liked the way Kinsale gave the heroine enough character that even after falling in love, betraying her religious beliefs was a conflict for her. I thought it made their coming together tougher but sweeter in the end. And Christian? He deserved his fortune, his Maddygirl and anything else he wanted. This re-read was worth it for me.

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Continued my week by reading Dial Emmy for Murder by Eileen Davidson, a soap opera mystery. I reviewed this book here, so I won't repeat my impressions of it, except to say that I'm glad I read it this week as it was a fun, light read. I really needed it and it provided a wonderful break from the other books on my list.

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Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian was released and I wanted to read it immediately. I loved Veil of Midnight and I was very curious about Reichen's character. Adrian's paranormal series follows the Breed vampires and their Breedmates. At this point in the series, the Order -- a small group of warrior vampires -- is fighting more than just the bloodthirsty Rogue vampires. Dragos, an evil vampire, has resurrected one of the Ancients and is creating
a new breed of super strong Gen One vampires. In this book, Adrian focuses on Andres Reichen and Claire as the main romantic couple, plus the ongoing fight against Dragos continues.

I was quite disappointed with Ashes of Midnight as a whole. I found the romance to be nice, but quite predictable. Although I liked Andres Reichen's character and understood him and his motivations, I didn't connect with the Claire, the heroine. I found her character to be contradictory. I also had a few questions about the world building. I truly couldn't understand why Claire had no clue as to her husband's, Roth, true nature. Shouldn't she be able to feel his reactions through their blood bond? How could she not have at least an idea of who this man was?

A few unanswered questions that bothered me... Definitely a case of not connecting with the heroine and finding plot holes in the world building. Not my favorite book in the series, but as I said before, this series has not been a consistent one for me.

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Finished the week the way I started it, by reading a historical romance about a hero with a disability, this time it was The Madness of Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley. I'm just going to give you my impressions today.

I had a problem with this book before I read it. I became curious as soon as I heard about it a while back. See, I wasn't sure the premise would work. I was told it involved a hero with Asperger Syndrome and my immediate question was, how is Ashley going to make someone who can't empathize with others (in this case the heroine) a hero in a "romance" novel? Hmmm....

Well my friends, what can I say? By the time I finished the book, I could have cared less about the premise. I just wanted Ian and his Beth to get their happy ending. I became wrapped up in the "romance"-- the romance I thought I wasn't going to buy--bought it hook, line and sinker. Were there contradictions? There would have been if the name of the disease was mentioned in the book, but it wasn't -- Ashley does use the symptoms -- and frankly it became a mute question for me. I enjoyed the book for what it is, a beautiful romance with a gorgeous hero and his wonderful woman.

There were a few moments of frustration for me while reading the mystery and with the hateful Detective Fellows. The man is not the most likable of characters, but then I don't think he was meant to be. Loved the Mackenzie brothers -- yes, even Hart -- and I'll be right there waiting to read their happily ever afters.

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I read two books for the M/M Romance Reading Challenge. I better hurry I only have a couple of months to finish my list. I'll be reviewing those next week, so I'll leave my comments for later.

What am I reading? I have three books going at the moment. Continuing with Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready, although it has been placed on hold for a few days.

Started Touched by Light by Catherine Spangler, third on her Atlantis mythology based paranormal series. I read the first two, Touched by Fire and Touched by Darkness and liked them both. I became a Catherine Spangler fan by reading her Sci-Fi/Romance "Shielder" series, one of my favorites to date. You know this one will be devoured.

And the third book I started is Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, a Fantasy book that has been gracing my TBR pile for a while and one I've really been looking forward to reading. I have The City and The City, Mieville's latest release, but really want to read Perdido first.

That's it for me, a very productive reading week. How was yours? Any good ones?

Originally posted at Musings on June 6, 2009