News and more December 2010 New Releases!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I have some personal news for you today. I started a new job this week and I'm excited! As with all changes, I'll need to make some adjustments to my routine. However, even if I slow down a bit during this first month with my new job, I will continue to read and share my impressions with you.

Today, I want to share three December releases I did not include in my original list of "must reads" for the month. Three books by very different authors in different genres:

• On the LGBT front, I'll definitely be reading Binding the God: Ursine Essays from the Mountain South by Jeff Mann. I've only read one short story by this author and loved it. I'm not passing up this collection of essays.
• All She Wrote: Holmes and Moriarity by Josh Lanyon (Book 2). I loved the characters and the first book of this M/M mystery romance series and can't wait to continue reading it. The mysteries and fun!
• Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke is a historical romance and first in the Abandoned at the Altar series. This series attracted my attention and I'm hoping it will be a winner for me.

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Binding the God: Ursine Essays from the Mountain South by Jeff Mann
Release Date: December 6, 2010

A much lauded essayist and poet, Jeff Mann writes of the passion and pain of being a Southern gentleman who happens to be invested in many worlds: the hungers of gay Bear culture; the propensities of leather and bondage; the frustrations of academia; and the perspectives of an Appalachian who has traveled the world. In Binding the God, his second collection of essays, Mann offers readers another tour of his consciousness and experiences. This volume includes essays previously published in Arts and Letters, Second Person Queer, Callaloo, Now and Then, White Crane, Queer and Catholic, and other journals and anthologies.

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All She Wrote: Holmes and Moriarity, Book 2 by Josh Lanyon
Release Date: December 28, 2010

A murderous fall down icy stairs is nearly the death of Anna Hitchcock, the much-beloved “American Agatha Christie” and Christopher Holmes’s former mentor. Anna’s plea for him to host her annual winter writing retreat touches all Kit’s sore spots—traveling, teaching writing classes, and separation from his new lover, J.X. Moriarity.

For J.X., Kit’s cancellation of yet another romantic weekend is the death knell of a relationship that has been limping along for months. But that’s just as well, right? Kit isn’t ready for anything serious and besides, Kit owes Anna far too much to refuse.

Faster than you can say “Miss Marple wears boxer shorts”, Kit is snooping around Anna’s elegant, snowbound mansion in the Berkshires for clues as to who’s trying to kill her. A tough task with six amateur sleuths underfoot. Six budding writers with a tangled web of dark undercurrents running among them. Slowly, Kit gets the uneasy feeling that the secret may lie between the pages of someone’s fictional past. Unfortunately, a clever killer is one step ahead. And it may be too late for J.X. to ride to the rescue.

Warning: Contains one irascible, forty-year-old mystery writer who desperately needs to get laid, one exasperated thirty-something ex-cop only too happy to oblige, an isolated country manor that needs the thermostat cranked up, various assorted aspiring and perspiring authors, and a merciless killer who may have read one too many mystery novels.

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Wedding of the Season: Abandoned at the Altar by Laura Lee Guhrke (Book 1)
Release Date: December 28, 2010

Abandoned at the altar . . .
Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter . . . and left two weeks before their wedding.

Return of the duke . . .
Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable . . . the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?

Review: Cade Coulter's Return by Lois Faye Dyer

When he left Montana thirteen years ago, Cade Coulter swore he'd never return. But Joseph Coulter's first-born couldn't turn his back on the ailing family ranch. Or the woman who'd been given a home at the Triple C.

With his irresistible blend of danger and potent masculinity, Cade was the quintessential cowboy. But Mariah Jones believed that beneath the loner's gruff facade was a man who secretly longed to reconnect with his family. Why else would he have come back to Indian Springs? She'd made a promise to Cade's father—one she intended to keep. And now she was in danger of losing her own heart to the sexy, guarded rancher…

Cade Coulter's Return by Lois Faye Dyer is a Silhouette Special Edition. It's set in Montana and it has that rancher theme I enjoy so much. This is also the first book in Dyer's Big Sky Brothers series. Cade Coulter's Return definitely succeeds in setting up the series. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book where Dyer gives all the details for this particular story and sets up the rest of the series about the other three Coulter brothers. This book concentrates on the romance between the oldest brother Cade and Mariah Jones.

The four brothers, Cade, Zach, Brodie and Eli left the ranch right after the youngest brother graduated high school. Their father, Joseph Coulter, became an alcoholic after their mother's death and even though his grief is shared by his sons, the man's abusive behavior became intolerable to them all. Thirteen years later, while working at a ranch in Mexico, Cade receives a letter from an attorney informing him that his father is dead and he and his brothers have inherited the Triple C ranch. However, although the brothers keep in touch, they are scattered to the winds and the only one within reach at the moment is Cade. He returns to find a ranch that is almost bankrupt, with two old ranch hands and Mariah running it.

There is sexual attraction between Cade and Mariah almost immediately, although nothing happens between them. I liked Cade as the rancher and the friend, but I don't know about Cade the man. He is definitely the chauvinistic type with Mariah. She doesn't let him get away with it and that makes their interactions work, but there are still times when it feels as if Cade is indulging her for the moment. Mariah has a sad story and is a bit too good to be true, something that Cade has a problem recognizing or believing. She took care of Joseph through his last years, and after he died she worked as a waitress to take care of the ranch until Cade returned. She knows how to do just about everything that is necessary throughout this story, and of course, does it all quite well.

Dyer mainly uses sexual tension between Cade and Mariah to build this romance. There are very few passionate encounters, and I would say that at best, the sensuality scale in this book is warm. The conflicts presented along the way between the main couple are minimal and quickly resolved. Questions pertaining to the overall storyarc -- saving the Triple C ranch -- are left unanswered. I'm sure those answers will come in subsequent installments, however in the meantime it made this first book a bit of a frustrating read.

Cade Coulter's Return had some of those flaws sometimes found in 'first in a series' books and the couple is not a favorite with me. However, overall this was a good read and I'm still interested in finding out what will happen to the Triple C. I hope to enjoy the romance in the next book.

Category: Contemporary/Category Romance
Series: Big Sky Brothers (Book 1)
Released: October 1, 2010
Grade: C+

Visit Lois Faye Dyer here.

November 2010 Reads & Mini: If You Desire by Kresley Cole

November was a strange reading month for me. I hit some sort of wall early on and struggled to read the books I finished even though I enjoyed them. On or about the second week, I decided 'reader's fatigue' was setting in and decided to slow down my reading. I took out my yarn, knitting and crocheting needles and alternated between the two for the rest of the month. Then with the Thanksgiving holiday and my impromptu road trip, the reading slowed down even more. The result is that I finished a few knitting and crocheting projects, but didn't really finish reading any books the last two weeks of November, except for a few re-reads for my Challenge.

Challenge Update: I did meet all my Challenges this month. I posted my 2010 Historical Challenge review earlier this month. I read, posted my list and a comment for the In-Death Challenge and I'll be including a late Mini for the 2010 Re-read Challenge in this post.

November Reads:
Total Books Read: 15
New Reads: 12
Re-reads: 3

Favorite books this month?

• His for the Holidays Josh Lanyon, Z.A. Maxfield, LB Gregg, Harper Fox: A-
• Havana and Other Missing Fathers by Mia Leonin: B+
• See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson: B+
• Duty and Devotion, Book 3 by Tere Michaels: B+

Nath's 2010 Read-Read Challenge November Mini:

• If You Desire by Kresley Cole

A while back I enjoyed this historical romance trilogy by Cole about the cursed Scottish MacCarrick brothers and decided to re-read the last two in the series. If You Desire is Book 2 of the trilogy and the story of Hugh MacCarrick and Jane Weyland, a couple who have been friends and in love from a tender age. However, due to a family curse that states that whoever marries a MacCarrick man will die, Hugh takes on a career as an assassin working for Jane's father and the crown and leaves Jane without an explanation. Years later when she's in danger, he returns to protect her and they reunite.

This book was fun, delicious and frustrating. Jane is a 'progressive' and she and her eight female cousins are outrageous and scandalous. They refer to Hugh as 'Tears and Years' because of all the tears and time Jane spent grieving for him. But by the time Hugh returns, she's more furious than heartbroken and once the two of them go into hiding, she makes his life impossible. She does everything in her power to seduce him and there's everything from sexual tension to sexual play and sweetness to hostility throughout the story. But Jane's modern outlook doesn't help her understand Hugh, and she comes off as more than a bit spoiled at times. Hugh loves her without barriers and in trying to protect her, he sometimes gives in too much. However, there's something about Hugh that I really love. It's probably the relentless love he felt for Jane and the whole Highlander aura. Grade B

Balance of Books Read:

• Fair Game by Josh Lanyon: Solid B
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan: B
• Faith and Fidelity, Book 1 by Tere Michaels: B
• The Dickens with Love by Josh Lanyon: B
• Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry: B
• Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb (Novella): B
• Coming Clean by Inez Kelley: B
• Love and Loyalty, Book 2 by Tere Michaels: C+
• If You Deceive by Kresley Cole (Re-read): B
• Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale (Re-read) : A+

So, how was your November? Any favorites or great recommendations? 

Review: His for the Holidays by Josh Lanyon, Z.A. Maxfield, LB Gregg, Harper Fox

His for the Holidays is a collection of four male/male romance Christmas stories. They are all as different as the authors' writing styles, yet all fit the title of the Anthology and provide happy endings set during the holiday season.

Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg

Owen McKenzie has traveled to Vermont to spend an old-fashioned Christmas with his family when he finds himself staying at the same inn as his first love. Owen is disconcerted to realize he's still attracted to Caleb Black but refuses to pursue him. Caleb left him once, and Owen's not going down that road again.

Caleb is ready for a second chance with Owen and gets it when fate and the matchmaking McKenzies conspire to strand the two men in a rustic cabin during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Can Caleb convince Owen to rekindle their romance so they can stop spending their holidays apart?

Owen McKenzie is traveling to an Inn in Vermont to spend the Christmas holidays with his family, the meddling McKenzies. His life has undergone recent changes after a break-up with his long-time boyfriend. On his brother's recommendation, Owen purchased a home and is moving from Boston to this small Vermont town where he'll be opening his own veterinarian practice. When Owen arrives late at the Inn, to his jaw-dropping amazement, there in the middle of the McKenzie Christmas revelry is non other than his first high school crush and love, Caleb Black.

Mistletoe at Midnight is a story of first-time lovers reunited. Caleb and Owen, although separated when young, never stopped thinking about each other or being influenced by their experience together. That one relationship affected all others in their lives, particularly in Owen's case. I loved the way LB Gregg weaved a sweet and passionate romance that was still full of amusing family moments and holiday atmosphere. There were conflicts to be resolved and the revelations came slowly but surely. I enjoyed this traditional, family Christmas romance from beginning to end.

Nine Lights Over Edinburgh By Harper Fox

Detective Inspector James McBride is riding high on the belief that he's about to bust a human-trafficking ring. But just five days before Christmas, his unorthodox methods catch up with him and his world comes crashing down.

McBride tries to concentrate on his new day job as security for the visiting Israeli ambassador. He even starts to feel a renewed sense of self-worth when the leader of the Israeli team, the aristocratic Tobias Leitner, takes a bullet for him in the line of duty. But he can't forget the trafficking case, especially when his investigations result in the kidnapping of his own daughter! McBride has no one to turn to for help-no one, except Toby.

Can these two very different men work together to bring about a holiday miracle-and heal one another's heart in the process?

Nine Lights Over Edinburgh by Harper Fox is a holiday story with edge, drama and in the end, hope. I must admit that both plot and characterization grabbed me from the beginning. There's a lot going on in James' life. He is coming to terms with his sexuality after having been married and divorcing many years later, his life is spiraling out of control due to heavy drinking, and to top it all off his career has unexpectedly taken a downward turn. The only light in his life seems to be his daughter. He meets Tobias Leitner and his life will change forever.

James' personal problems, sexual history, the romance and action are all weaved together quite well. By the end of the story I felt as if I knew James and I loved the way he and Tobias found each other in the midst of all the chaos in their lives. James is one of those flawed human characters with redeemable qualities that I enjoy so much, and his happy ending was hard-earned in this holiday story. I also must mention how much I enjoyed Edinburgh as the setting for this novella. Harper Fox's description of the city aided with giving the story atmosphere and the characters a certain realistic touch. This is my first read by this author, but it certainly won't be my last.

I Heard Him Exclaim By Z.A. Maxfield

Steve Adams's heart hasn't been in the Christmas spirit ever since doctors put a stent in it and ordered him to clean up his act. No longer filling out his Santa suit or allowed to make merry, he's forgoing the holidays this year and heading to Vegas to indulge in the few vices left to him: gambling and anonymous sex.

His road trip takes a detour when he encounters Chandler Tracey, who's just inherited guardianship of his five-year-old niece. Overwhelmed, Chandler's on his way to deliver Poppy to his parents. But fate has other plans and, after car trouble, Chandler and Poppy accept a ride home with Steve. Though the heat between the two men is obvious, they put it on simmer while they band together to make Poppy's Christmas as perfect as possible.

Steve soon comes to believe that while Chandler is the right person to look after Poppy, someone needs to look after Chandler. Fortunately, Steve knows just the man for the job.

I Heard Him Exclaim by Z.A. Maxfield is quite the Christmas smorgasbord. We have Steve who plays Santa every year and seems to be a bit confused between what's real and not when it comes to playing the role. After the doctors ordered him to lose weight, he became depressed because who likes a skinny Santa? Then we have Poppy, a little girl who recently lost her parents in a car accident. And last but not least, we have Chandler, Poppy's uncle and guardian. He is over protective and over cautious with her to the point where he is so exhausted and overwhelmed, he has decided to give her up to his parents. These three people meet on the road after Chandler's car breaks down and Steve takes them home where they spend Christmas together and meet Steve's extensive and over-the-top family.

There's a lot of chemistry between Chandler and Steve with a touch of a bear-like attraction going on between them. Both men find what they need from each other. For Steve, it's reassurance that losing the weight won't stop him from performing his Santa duties and for Chandler, the realization that he's the right person to take care of Poppy. Personally, I had a few problems with the story. Due to Chandler's overcautious nature and protectiveness of Poppy, I thought it was out of character for him to get in a stranger's car (no matter how safe he seemed) and take that type of risk with her. I also thought Steve's Santa-like psychological obsessiveness was glossed over to achieve that happily ever after. However overall, this is a sweet Christmas romance.

Icecapade By Josh Lanyon

On the eve of the new millennium, diamond thief Noel Snow seduced FBI special agent Robert Cuffe, then fled into the dawn. Now a successful novelist, Noel uses his capers as fodder for his books, and has modeled his hero's nemesis (and potential love interest) on Cuffe. Though he leaves Robert a drunken phone message every New Year's Eve, Noel hasn't seen or heard from him in a decade.

So he's thrilled when his former lover shows up at his upstate farm one Christmas Eve. Elation quickly turns to alarm when Robert accuses Noel of being responsible for a recent rash of diamond heists. Robert is all business and as cold as ice: it seems his only interest in Noel is to put him behind bars.

Innocent of the crimes, and still as attracted as ever to the oh-so-serious lawman, Noel plans a second seduction-providing he can stay out of jail long enough!

Icecapade by Josh Lanyon is the shortest novella in this anthology, although that certainly doesn't preclude it from being an excellent addition. A story of a retired cat burglar turned successful author and the FBI agent who pursued but never caught him and later became a recurring character in the cat burglar/author's books. During one of his escapades, cat burglar Noel seduced staid FBI agent Robert on a New Year's Eve and has never forgotten their passionate encounter. Ten years later on Christmas Eve, Robert shows up at Noel's horse ranch accusing him of new jewel heists and giving both of them an opportunity to get reacquainted.

I loved this story. Lanyon uses loneliness and a bit of longing to set up the romance between these two men. There's chemistry and you can feel the sexual tension between the two men as soon as Robert steps through the door. I loved the way this couple really gets to know each other, even though they already knew so many details about each other's lives. Well written and developed, this short story was a treat and a perfect fit and ending to this Christmas anthology.

Grade: M/M Romance Anthology/Holiday
Series: None
Release Date: December 6, 2010
Source: NetGalley/Carina Press
Grade: A-

Gone Fishing, again!

I hope all those who celebrated Thanksgiving this past week had a wonderful day with their families. I had a terrific time with mine. It has been a busy week for me and as you may have noticed I haven't had much time for blogging or visiting friends.

I did make time for reading a few books, though. Before the holiday madness hit, I re-read a few holiday-themed and my Challenge books November. However, at this point, I'll probably be late posting them because although the holiday is over, my time off is not. I'm taking a few days and traveling down to Tennessee on a road trip with one of my nieces, so I won't be around for a few days.

See you all when I get back! Keep on reading. :)

Review: A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh

Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions—especially when a couple seems as well matched as Randolph Pierce, Earl of Falloden, and his bride-to-be, Eleanor Transome. Ellie brings to the marriage a vast dowry, while Falloden, though distant, is handsome, tremendously desirable, and possessed of a title most young ladies can only dream of sharing.

Yet Ellie is not most young ladies. She knows that she must honor her dear father’s dying wish for her to wed the proud earl, but she dreads a lifetime in a union without love—and how can Falloden claim to love her when he married her only for her fortune? As Christmas descends upon the Falloden manor, the warmth of the season may yet melt away the trappings of duty and wealth, leaving behind only a man and a woman destined for each other’s arms.

A Christmas Promise is a re-release of one of Mary Balogh's beloved Christmas Signet stories. This book was originally released in 1992, and I can't tell you how happy I am that it's finally available again. This is the first time I had the pleasure of reading it.

Raldolph Pierce, Earl Falloden inherited the earldom from a cousin who left him deep in debt. He is in love with Miss Dorothea Lovestone and cannot offer for her due to his dire financial situation. Joseph Talloden, a successful coal merchant and one of the Earl's debtors, purchased all of Falloden's debts and proposes that as an exchange for cancelling those debts, Randolph marry his daughter Eleanor, consummates the marriage and that they live together for the first year of their marriage. Talloden is dying and the wedding must take place immediately as he wants to leave his beloved daughter settled with the man he chose for her. Randolph is left with no choice but to marry Eleanor, a 'cit',  or go to debtor's prison. He accepts his fate, but is contemptuous of Eleanor for marrying a man for his title and position.

Ms. Eleanor Transome was educated as a lady, but as the daughter of a merchant -- a 'cit' -- has suffered plenty of humiliations from the aristocracy because of her background. Her only wish is to marry for love. Eleanor loved her second cousin Wilfred, but after receiving a letter from him dashing all hopes gives up her dream of marrying for love and accepts her fate. Eleanor will honor her father's last wishes and marry the Earl of Falloden. She, however, is contemptuous of a man marrying for money after having misspent his fortune on gambling and other pleasures.

An eventful wedding night surprises Randolph and Eleanor both as pleasurable and more than either expected. By next morning Mr. Transome is dying and Eleanor, numb with grief, is unwilling to seek solace or react in front of her aristocratic and unwanted husband. Her seemingly cold demeanor gives Randolph the wrong impression. Before he dies, Mr. Transome extracts a promise from Eleanor not to mourn for him and to celebrate Christmas with all its warmth and joys. But how can she? Her adored father is dead and she's married to a man who's in love with someone else, has a mistress, and married her for her money. Eleanor invites twenty of her Transome family members to their country estate Grenfell Park, prepares for rejection from her aristocratic husband and a less-than joyful Christmas.

Balogh begins A Christmas Promise with enmity between our protagonists and slowly develops the romance and a joyful and warm family story. There are quite a few conflicts to resolve in this novel: the marriage of convenience, the misunderstandings between the couple, grief, and the class differences. Mary Balogh weaves those conflicts into a magical family Christmas story.

Eleanor is defensive for much of the story and lashes out at Randolph. She always seems to expect the worst from him. This comes not only from her mistaken view of him as a spendthrift, but also from her previous experiences with the aristocracy. Her suppressed grief doesn't help. Randolph initially makes mistakes with Eleanor. However, he knows how to apologize and rectifies those mistakes quickly. He's initially snobbish about her background too, but slowly recognizes Eleanor as the lady she is and comes to appreciate her family's warmth and love. Surprisingly, Randolph is open to love and making their marriage work faster than Eleanor. I really liked him and yes, I loved the way they finally found their happily ever after.

This story is full of wonderful secondary characters. Both the Transome family and Randolph's aristocratic friends add much to this story. The ending to some secondary characters' story lines were a bit too perfect for me, but then again this is a holiday story. The atmosphere is joyful and warm and if you want the feeling of a family Christmas story, this is it. I couldn't help but be swept along with Randolph, Eleanor and the Transome family.

A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh is a magical, sweet Christmas story. I enjoyed it and will read it again. Lovely.

Genre: Historical Romance/Holiday
Released: October 26, 2010
Grade: B+

Visit Mary Balogh here.

Review: Fair Game by Josh Lanyon

A crippling knee injury forced Elliot Mills to trade in his FBI badge for dusty chalkboards and bored college students. Now a history professor at Puget Sound university, the former agent has put his old life behind him—but it seems his old life isn't finished with him.

A young man has gone missing from campus—and as a favor to a family friend, Elliot agrees to do a little sniffing around. His investigations bring him face-to-face with his former lover, Tucker Lance, the special agent handling the case.

Things ended badly with Tucker, and neither man is ready to back down on the fight that drove them apart. But they have to figure out a way to move beyond their past and work together as more men go missing and Elliot becomes the target in a killer's obsessive game...

Elliot is a man who lets his job affect his personal life. Tucker allows his personal feelings cloud his professional judgment. These are flawed, human characters. Great characters, mystery and romance, that's what I've come to expect from a Josh Lanyon book. In Fair Game, he delivers.

I didn't necessarily like Elliot or Tucker immediately. Elliot is a man at a crossroads in his life. He lost the career he loved (and seemed to define him) as an FBI agent when his knee was blown out while on duty. Simultaneously, the sexual relationship with his lover Tucker ended on a sour note. Seventeen months later, Elliot is a history professor at Puget Sound University and lives a self-imposed isolated life where daily physical pain, boredom and depression seem to plague him. Elliot is asked to look into the disappearance of a young man, a PSU student, as a favor to a family friend. After there's an apparent suicide and another student disappears, the danger escalates, as Elliot gets closer to solving the crime and becomes a personal target in a deadly game.

At first, Elliot is reluctantly excited to use his investigative abilities again, it breaks the monotony of teaching. But Tucker is the lead FBI agent in charge and aside from the built-up anger and left over hurt from their break up, Elliot resents the fact he's really an outsider in the investigation. Elliot misses being an agent and is defensive and over sensitive about the physical limitations that prevent him from being one. The focus he places on those limitations and on his loss don't allow him to immediately realize that he still has a lot to offer those around him, including Tucker. His self-pity and doubts are understandable, frustrating and ultimately quite human.

Tucker? Well... Tucker is in love. The way he goes about showing that love is what really presents the conflict in this story when it comes to the romance and, to a certain extent, the criminal investigation. Tucker blames Elliot for their breakup and vice-versa, and neither is willing to give an inch. He resents the fact that Elliot is sticking his nose in the case and from the beginning refuses to take his suggestions or suspicions seriously. Tucker's lack of professionalism was frustrating at some points in the story as he allowed human emotions to cloud his judgment. But don't get me wrong; although he makes plenty of mistakes with both Elliot and the case, Tucker redeems himself quite well.

Lanyon applies tension, angst and hostility to build up and develop the relationship between Elliot and Tucker. Personally, I loved the sexual tension that emanates from those phone calls between the two men before they're together on the page. Once they are, it all escalates into some intense emotional and sexual scenes between them. There's lots of chemistry there. I loved the characterization and the way the romance was developed. And yet, I still didn't 'fall in love' with Elliot and Tucker because neither character is portrayed as the lovable type. Ultimately that's what I liked about them.

Tucker might have been negligent in his investigation but Elliot was relentless, and Lanyon builds up an excellent crime mystery drama in Fair Game. There were a few red herrings that actually worked to throw me off this time, as well as scary moments and action to keep me involved. The villain makes it into a personal and brutal game between himself and Elliot and the conclusion was quite dramatic. I had some suspicions about who dunnit but didn't figure it out until almost the end of the story, making this an enjoyable ride for me.

Fair Game had a good balance between the romance and the mystery crime investigation and I enjoyed both aspects of the novel. I admit that although Tucker and Elliot are not my very favorite Lanyon characters, there's something about them (perhaps it's the human frailties that are so well portrayed, the chemistry and interactions) that made them come alive for me. I re-read this book almost as soon as I finished it. That has become something of a tradition with Lanyon's books and an indication as to my overall enjoyment.

Genre: LGBT M/M Mystery Romance
Series: None
Released: August 2, 2010
Source: NetGalley/Carina Press
Grade: Solid B

Visit Josh Lanyon here.

Poetry: Robert Frost, November & A Walk

In 1992, I visited Robert Frost's farm in Derry, New Hampshire during an uncommonly cold and stormy August day. I remember thinking that it was the perfect day to trek through the trails that Frost walked. Autumn hit early that year while my husband and I drove through New England and witnessed nature and Fall in all its splendor, especially up north by beautiful Vermont.

Today we're experiencing a typical November day. It's very windy and there are storm clouds one minute and sun patches the next. Last night's rain storms washed away a lot of the leaves and all I can see out of my front window are a few yellow leaves hanging from the branches of giant trees. Days like these always make me reach for Robert Frost.

My November Guest

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,

Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

She loves the bare, the withered tree;

She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.

She talks and I am fain to list:

She's glad the birds are gone away,

She's glad her simple worsted gray

Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,

The faded earth, the heavy sky,

The beauties she so truly sees,

She thinks I have no eye for these,

And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow,

But it were vain to tell her so,

And they are better for her praise.

-----

A Late Walk

When I go up through the mowing field,

The headless aftermath,

Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground,

The whir of sober birds

Up from the tangle of withered weeds

Is sadder than any words.

A tree beside the wall stands bare,

But a leaf that lingered brown,

Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth,

By picking the faded blue

Of the last remaining aster flower

To carry again to you.

Taken from: The Poetry of Robert Frost: The collected poems, complete and unabridged edited by Edward Connery Lathem. Part I - A Boy's Will: 1913

Review: The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

I read the Percy and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan last year and fell in love with Percy and his crew. The Lost Hero is the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series and a continuation of the those adventures. However, in addition to the already established characters and Greek mythology-based world, Riordan introduces new heroes and villains, quests, a new prophecy, a looming battle and adds Roman mythology to the mix.

Mr. Riordan begins this new adventure by introducing his central characters, Jason, Piper and Leo as they're on a field trip away from the Wilderness School for incorrigible teenagers and on their way to the Grand Canyon. Immediately we know there's something wrong when Jason wakes up in the back of the school bus and doesn't remember who he is or where he came from. He doesn't even recognize his girlfriend Piper or Leo, his best friend.

As our three friends work on essays or admire the views, strange weather turns violent and soon Jason, Piper and Leo find themselves under attack from dark forces or venti. Their teacher Coach Hedge comes to their defence saving their lives. After a quick and messy battle where Coach Hedge is lost, the three are rescued by Annabeth and taken to Camp Half-Blood for safety where they learn who and what they are.

While at camp, Piper and Leo are claimed by their respective god (parents) and mysteriously, Jason finds he has already been claimed and by whom. After a series of on-camp adventures, visions and prophecies, the three are sent on a quest to save the (not-so-likable) goddess Herra who has been imprisoned by an unknown evil. A month earlier Zeus closed off Olympus and no one has heard from the gods, so the three friends must succeed without help from the gods or even Annabeth who is off to find a lost Percy! The adventure begins and our heroes will meet cyclops, wind gods, giants, werewolves and more as they prove their loyalty and bravery to themselves and each other along the way.

Since the Lost Heroes is a continuation to a series, there's no worldbuilding to set up and secondary characters have already been developed, so the readers can get right into the story. However, Riordan does add newness to the worldbuilding by incorporating Roman mythology and weaving it with the Greek mythology introduced in the Percy series, giving this book a fresh feel.

Although Riordan stuck with three heroes and the same formula: two boys and a girl, the characters themselves also felt different and unique.

• Jason is brave, a true hero and his powers are strong. But they are already developed even if he doesn't remember exactly how or where he learned them. He is also confused, depressed and leery for most of the story, something that sets him apart from the other two, even when he's there for them. He's still a bit of a mystery by the end.
• Piper is distraught for much of the story and suffers from self-esteem issues due to what she perceives as her father's neglect or lack of love. She has to make some tough choices and that sets the tone for her character development. In Piper, Riordan gives us an ethnic heroine -- she's half Native American and her background and some of those myths are used in the story. Piper is not super duper smart, but she's strong and she knows how to use her powers of persuasion. I enjoyed her character growth from beginning to end.
• Leo is undeniably my favorite character and provided those 'aww moments.'  He lost his mother as a young boy in a horrific 'accident.' But although he also suffers from guilt and loss, as opposed to his two friends, Leo knows what it is to be loved and his way of coping is through his sense of humor, mechanical know-how and loyalty. I loved his ingenuity and bravery. 

The story is divided by chapter with the titles Jason, Piper and Leo, but written from the third person point of view making this an easy read. Internal dialogues abound with most of the revelations happening in dream sequences and then related to others, slowing down the pace and isolating the characters in some sections. At times, the dialogue is somewhat stilted and lacks flow. And although the humor is provided mainly by Leo's character, there's not enough of a give and take from Jason and Piper to really make it pop.  Real action is slow to come, although once on their way our heroes encounter plenty of obstacles throughout their adventures.

I enjoyed The Lost Hero, it had plenty of strengths and some weaknesses. It was a quick and easy read with great action and new adventures. I loved the new twists and turns that Riordan added to the Olympus series by incorporating Roman mythology and look forward to the rest of the series. Plus there's definitely a bit of a cliffhanger there at the end, and I must know!

The protagonists in this book are teens, but these books are appropriate for (and I believe will be fully enjoyed by) middle schoolers. I do recommend that the Percy and the Olympians series be read first for a better understanding of the world and characters.

Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1
Released: October 12, 2010
Grade: B

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