Review: Glory in Death (In-Death Book 2) by J.D. Robb

In a time when technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there's only one place to hide a crime of passion - in the heart. . .

The first victim was found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second was murdered in her own apartment building. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas had no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provided Eve with a long list of suspects - including her own lover, Roarke. As a woman, Eve was compelled to trust the man who shared her bed. But as a cop, it was her job to follow every lead . . .to investigate every scandalous rumor . . .to explore every secret passion, no matter how dark. Or how dangerous.

"The dead were her business. She lived with them, worked with them, studied them. And because that didn't seem to be enough, in some deep, secret chamber of her heart, she mourned for them." 

That is how Glory in Death begins and a theme that is carried out throughout the book -- justice and Eve as the avenger for the dead. Eve is plunged into the murder investigation of Prosecuting Attorney Towers, a successful woman who stands for justice. She finds herself in the middle of a delicate investigation that turns personal in more ways than one -- both Roarke and her own Captain are involved. When two other women are murdered and an acquaintance becomes snared by the murderer, Eve's race to solve the case becomes a race against time.

In Glory in Death, Robb further develops Eve's character both as a woman and as a cop. She explores her personal insecurities as a woman through her relationship with Roarke. As a cop, we get to experience how Eve's mind works, what procedures she uses to solve crimes, and how she reacts to both crime and victim. In her reaction to the victims, we see more of caring Eve, the woman who feels so much for them she'll go balls to the wall to get them justice, but if/or when unable to do so, takes it all onto herself. As a character, there is a lot of growth for Eve in this one book. You can see it in her rigid black and white mind-set at the beginning of the story, changing into a slightly softer gray "Roarke-like" mind-set by the end.

Eve's relationship with Roarke hits a glitch when she's unable to commit and he's unwilling to settle for less. Their passion is steamy and their pain is evident throughout their conflict. I loved the way Eve worked through her reluctance and the fact that Roarke understood her, but would not settle for less than what he wanted and she deserved. Roarke's ruthlessness, tenderness and willingness to commit to Eve were a winning combination in this installment. Robb weaved their romantic bliss and upheaval with the suspense quite well.

There were some favorite recurring secondary characters and relationships in this book. My favorite so far is Eve's prickly relationship with Roarke's butler Summerset. I can't believe she elbowed the old man to get into Roarke's house... I just can't -- that was a joy! I'm loving the way those two go out of their way to annoy each other. Eve's friendship with Mavis seems to be a steady one and one she needs to unwind. I like Mavis' irreverent qualities.

I found the suspense to be predictable in Glory in Death, just as it was in the first book, although the way the crime was solved was certainly enjoyable. So far, my favorite part of this series is the characterization, and of course Eve and Roarke's ongoing romance. Going on to read Immortal in Death.

Genre: Futuristic Suspense/Romance

Series: In-Death Series, Book 2

MMP Released: September 7, 2004

Grade: B

Visit J.D. Robb here

Christine's 'In-Death' Reading Challenge - February Review

Two Kinds of Rapture by Andrew Holleran

Yearning.

...I found rapture in a street of yellow leaves, and the super from Guatemala, or his wife and daughter, have located it in a miniature Christmas tree. But better than all these is love, he thought as he went into the building. Oh, how I wish I were in love. Page 238

Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction edited by Timothy J. Lambert and R.D. Cochrane

See list of books by Andrew Holleran here.

Review: Devil in Winter (Wallflowers Series #3) by Lisa Kleypas

A devil's bargain

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage!

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts -- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions...or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

Devil in Winter was easily my favorite book in the Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas, and the reason I chose to re-read it. The story of the unlikely pairing between shy Evie and the unscrupulous rake Sebastian St. Vincent.

While re-reading this book, I slowly began to remember why I loved it so much the first time and no, it's not because St. Vincent is one of the best reformed rakes around -- and one of the hottest. Evie has a lot to do with it.

Evie is a desperate woman who takes desperate measures, but although her actions seem impulsive, they are calculated for maximum results. Evie has the upper hand with St. Vincent from the moment she enters his home, and the arrogant, heartless fool doesn't stand a chance.

I was curious to read again how she does it -- how she tames this heartless rake. And, Sebastian is heartless and definitely a rake who has already proven he cares little for friendship and for others. In Evie, Kleypas gives us a heroine who does it all with kindness, love, passion and determination. There is nothing loud or overly self-confident about her. Yet, she is relentless once she makes up her mind and achieves the seemingly unachievable.

Sebastian's change from heartless rake to passionate hero is a bit of a roller coaster. His physical passion for Evie takes him on an emotional journey he's never experienced and one he's not prepared to handle. In St. Vincent, Kleypas gives us a hero who in the end not only finds love and redemption, in the process he also finds who and what he was meant to be all along.

One of the reasons Devil in Winter is such a big draw for me is the chemistry between Sebastian and Evie. Kleypas uses both sexual tension and intense, sizzling scenes to weave their story and it works. From beginning to end,even through the heaviest scenes in the book that chemistry is present.

"...You're my wife." A smile chased across his lips. "My better half, to be certain." Leaning over her, he nuzzled into the fine trendrils that strayed over her forehead. His breath was hot and soft on her skin. "My prize... my pleasure and pain...my endless desire. I've never known anyone like you, Evie." His lips touched gently at the bridge of her nose and slid down to the top. "You dare to make demands of me that no other woman would think of asking. And for now I'll pay your price, love. But later you'll pay mine...over and over..." He caught her trembling lips with his, his hands cupping the back of her head.

Evie's past is explored in detail in this book. On the other hand, Sebastian's past is touched on lightly in what I feel is a superficial and a rather off-hand manner. Interestingly enough, I was so taken by Sebastian St. Vincent's sexiness the first time I read this book, I didn't notice. During this re-read, I found myself wishing for a few more details about this man.

When it comes to secondary characters, Cam Rohan is the most prominent. He is introduced in Devil in Winter, as the bulk of the story takes place at Jenner's, the gambling club originally owned by Evie's father and now owned and managed by St. Vincent. Lillian, Annabel and Daisy, the other wallflowers, make appearances although they don't overwhelm the storyline.

Devil in Winter is one of my favorite Lisa Keyplas books and on my keeper shelf.

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Wallflowers Series, Book 3

Released: February 28, 2006

Grade: A-

Visit Lisa Kleypas here.

KMont's Year of the Historical 2010 Challenge - February Review
Nath's 2010 Re-Read Challenge- February Review

Party Planning by Rob Williams

Free to love.

Inside the house, I could hear my mother's voice introducing Linda to the partygoers. She spoke slowly, no longer yelling, but now high and light, like a wind chime. I wondered if Kurt would keep walking or would he wait for me at the end of the block. Or would there be someone, someone else. Soon. Waiting for me. Page 224

Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction edited by Timothy J. Lambert and R.D. Cochrane

Visit Rob Williams here.

Upcoming Releases: Contemporary Romances

I'm in a contemporary romance kind of mood lately. It seems that no matter what genre I switch to, contemporaries are what I'm craving at the moment, so it's a good thing there are plenty of them languishing on the old "to be read pile." But, you know how it is, there's always room for more!

I have a huge list of books in this category that I want to read -- books that have been recommended by other bloggers, or books that caught my attention. I've been putting this list together for a while and of course these books will be added to my pile at some point. As a matter of fact, Double Play by Jill Shalvis is my latest purchase and finally made it from my list to my "to be read" pile.

However, there are always those new releases that I can't wait to read and that never make it to the "to be read pile." Those are the ones that get read as soon as they hit my mail box. The following three contemporary romances fall under that category, I'm truly looking forward to reading them.

NAKED EDGE by Pamela Clare

What do you do when desire drives you to the very brink?

Someone wants the Native Americans off their sacred land. And when Navajo journalist Katherine James and park ranger Gabriel Rossiter team up to investigate why, their passion for the truth-and each other-makes them targets for those desperate enough to kill.

Releasing March 2, 2010

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU by Julie James

Staying overnight in a luxury hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde overhears a high-profile murder involving a U.S. Senator. Special Agent Jack Pallas is assigned to the investigation-the same Jack Pallas who still blames her for nearly ruining his career three years ago. Now the pair will have to put their rocky past behind them, focus on the case at hand-and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension.

Releasing March 2, 2010.

SAVOR THE MOMENT by Nora Roberts

Laurel McBane has always relied on her friends for support, especially when her dream of attending culinary school was almost ruined by her parents’ financial problems. Now Laurel is repaying the kindness of her friends by creating extravagantly luscious tiers of cakes and other confectionary delights that add the perfect touch to their clients’ weddings.

As for romance, Laurel believes in it — in theory. But she’s too low-key to appreciate all the luxuries that other women seem to long for. What she does appreciate is a strong, intelligent man, a man just like Parker’s older brother, Delaney Brown, on whom Laurel has had a mega crush since childhood.

But some infatuations last longer than others, and Laurel is convinced that the Ivy League lawyer is still out of her reach. Plus, Del is too protective of Laurel to ever cross the line with her, or so she thinks. When Laurel’s quick- silver moods get the better of her — leading to an angry, hot, altogether mind-blowing kiss with Del — she’ll have to quiet the doubts in her mind to turn a moment of passion into forever…

Releasing April 27, 2010.  

Read excerpt here.

What about you? What upcoming contemporary romances will be read as soon as they hit your hot little hands?

A thought on nostalgia vs. reality... and Pasado Perfecto by Leonardo Padura

As I began reading Pasado Perfecto by Leonardo Padura, almost immediately I came across a passage that caught my attention:

Se puso los espejuelos oscuros y caminó hacia la parada de la guagua pensando que el aspecto del barrio debía de ser como el suyo: una especie de paisaje después de una batalla casi devastadora, y sintió que algo se resentía en su memoria más afectiva. La realidad visible de la Calzada contrastaba con la imagen almibarada del recuerdo de aquella misma calle, una imagen que había llegado a preguntarse si en verdad era real, si la heredaba de la nostalgia histórica de los cuentos de su abuelo o simplemente la habia inventado para tranquilizar al pasado.

Translation: (done by me: any errors found are mine)

He put on his sunglasses and walked to the bus stop, thinking that the neighborhood looked a lot like him: like a landscape after a devastating battle, and something became offended in his most affective memory. The visible reality of the Calzada contrasted with the sweet, syrupy images he remembered of that same street, and he asked himself if that image was a real one, if he had inherited it from his grandfather's historical and nostalgic tales, or if he had simply invented them to calm the past.

Yes, I thought when I read el Conde's reflection about his neighborhood and the street where he grew up, that's exactly right. How often do we change the past to suit our needs? How often do our memories deceive us when nostalgia takes over to make places, things, or events, beautiful, right, or acceptable when in reality they were not?

Such a shocking thing, to deal with stark reality and see that street for what it really is... for what it probably always was -- except maybe in fantasy-filled memories or those glorious moments of self-deception that often come with nostalgia.  Pasado Perfecto... "a perfect past."

Heart by 'Nathan Burgoine

The gift of love. I enjoyed the beat.

"Can we dance?" Miah asks, voice nearly a whisper now. I can see through him again.

We dance in the parking lot, and I close my eyes. He presses against my chest, and I spin him. We step and turn and rock back and forth gently, without music. He grows lighter in my arms, and for a while, my tears gather in his hair. I can even smell his soap.

My heart.  

Page 207

Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction edited by Timothy J. Lambert and R.D. Cochrane

Visit 'Nathan Burgoine here.

Review: Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin

Meet Rachel White, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl -- until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend Darcy throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiance. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy should run from. In her wildest dreams (or worst nightmare?) this is the last thing on earth Rachel could ever have imagined happening.

As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness.

I don't usually read contemporary women's fiction or 'chick-lit', but this book was a loan from my daughter. We don't exchange books very often, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity when she recommended it. Thank you Big V!

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin was her debut novel. She tackles some pretty controversial subjects in her first book: infidelity being the obvious one, but with that comes the question, what constitutes betrayal? Is there such a thing as justification for betrayal? Who exactly betrays whom in this novel? It turned out to be both interesting and fun to find out.

Written in first person through Rachel's point of view, Ms. Griffin weaves a complex story about relationships, a damaging, toxic friendship and its consequences. Consequences that affect not only the two people involved, in this case Rachel and Darcy who have been best friends since childhood, but all those caught in the middle.

Rachel's thirtieth birthday serves as the catalyst. Darcy throws Rachel a "surprise" birthday party where everyone drinks too much. At the end of the night, the last ones left at the bar are Rachel and Dexter. Dex is Darcy's fiancé and Rachel's old friend from law school. The two friends decide to go to another bar for more conversation and drinks. Before they know it, Rachel and Dex end up in each other's arms -- a mistake that interestingly enough neither seem to regret too deeply.

Rachel realizes her feelings for Dex are deeper than she first thought as she attempts to forget the "Incident." The fact that her feelings seem to be reciprocated by Dexter makes it tougher to move on. Slowly, but surely, the two embark on a sober affair that turns out to be both physical and of the heart. As a couple, you can feel their connection and chemistry, but their situation turns out to be both difficult and complex.

At this point Dex and Rachel are cheating, but the fact that Darcy is written as a manipulative, superficial, immature, and self-centered character makes it easier to actually root for them. It was an interesting dilemma. Darcy is an unsympathetic victim. Or, is she a victim? Rachel, on the other hand, is down to earth and a likable person -- it's easy to connect with her and to sympathize with her ongoing insecurities and conflicts.

There are no black and white answers here; instead you'll find plenty of gray areas. Through Rachel, Ms. Griffin explores some pretty uncomfortable questions about the limits of friendship and how far a person can or will go to maintain that friendship. The breaking point is what she highlights in this book. Her characters are flawed and none are innocent or spared.

Ms. Griffin does an excellent job of character development while telling the story from Rachel's perspective. Her characters' personalities come through crystal clear. Rachel, Dexter, Darcy, Marcus, Hillary and Ethan are a great cast of characters that kept my attention even while I either disliked them or disagreed with their decisions.

A combination Sex in the City / 'chick lit' book, Something Borrowed felt like a fast paced soap opera, with some great twists, wonderful characterization and dialogue and I couldn't stop reading until the end. I have the follow up book, Something Blue, Darcy's story, and will definitely read it.

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction

Series: Followed by "Something Blue"

Released: March 10, 2005

Grade: Solid B

Visit Emily Griffin here.

Review: Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

DEMON ENSLAVED

Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission. 

AN ANGEL TEMPTED

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side, sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary-even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

If you've been following the Demonica series by Larissa Ione, then you know that Ecstasy Unveiled is Lore's story. Lore is the unknown half-breed brother introduced in Passion Unleashed, the last installment of this paranormal series about the Seminus demon brothers, Eidolon, Shade and Wraith. Lore and his brothers found out they were related while he was attempting to fulfill a contract to assassinate them -- not exactly the best way to endear yourself to your long-lost family.

I wasn't too sure I was going to like Lore, but his character was a wonderful surprise and I fell for him. He is half-demon, half-human, so the sex-demon qualities that made Eidolon and Shade so over-the-top sexual are not there. His sexuality, although present and definitely on the high end of the hot scale, is toned down enough that there's room for more. Lore's special gift is quite gruesome. It makes him the perfect assassin, but as we go along we find that it also makes him an isolated soul. His touch can kill, and although he needs to have sexual contact to survive just like his brothers, his release kills his sexual partners too. Up to this point Lore's isolation has been both physical and emotional, giving him a vulnerability not found in any of his brothers.

Lore is not an assassin by choice. He is enslaved to Master Assassin Detharu who has a hold on both him and his twin sister, Sin. They must kill their marks for Detharu or face punishment and torture. However, at the end of Lore's 100th kill, both Lore and Sin are due their freedom. In Ecstasy Unveiled, Lore is given that chance. His mark is Kynan, his brothers' best friend and now family through marriage. He has two weeks to fulfill the contract and if he succeeds, he and Sin will gain their freedom. If he fails, his sister Sin dies. Lore has no choice.

His pairing with an earthbound angel is perfect. Tough and vulnerable, Idess makes for a lovely heroine. A Memitim, she must protect the Primori, or human/demon she's assigned to in order to earn her wings and go to Heaven. Kynan is her Primori and that brings her in direct conflict with Lore. In an unexpected twist, Lore and Idess end together and as their attraction grows so does their dilemma.

I enjoyed both the sexual tension and hot erotic scenes in Ecstasy Unveiled. However, Ione also incorporated plenty of tender and emotional moments between Lore and Idess providing a nice balance to this book. The fact that both Lore and Idess are emotionally and sexually vulnerable was a nice touch.

Ione's world is still chaotic, just as they were in the rest of the books in this series but it still works. There are lots of crazy demons, Guardians, angels, vampires and wargs. The brothers and their families all make appearances in this book and family relationships seems to be the core of the story. Their crazy, humorous and, at times, dysfunctional relationship adds to the chaotic feel. There are new characters introduced, Sin and Con, who add to this book but don't take the focus away from the main characters. They're slotted for the next book and it looks to be a good one.

This is a paranormal series I'm still enjoying and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment, Sin Undone. Grade B+

Visit Larissa Ione here.