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This book is just fun. It is an assemblage of three novellas – The first two were originally published as e-books with Ellora’s Cave, and the third was specifically written to round out this volume. Knight also made some additions to the first story for this package. In her letter to the readers at the beginning of the book she says,
Uh-oh. My heart sank when I read this. I am a big fan of Knight’s early ebooks. I love those arrogant, un-pc heroes from “The Dark One” and “Stranded”! Had working with Berkley changed one of my favorite erotic romance writers? Was I doomed to see a kinder, gentler Angela Knight? I should have known better – AK never lets me down. The difference between the last story and the first two basically centers around the BDSM element in the older stories, and has more to do with a different kind of heroine, than hero. From the very first Cassidy and Rune are equally matched – on the battlefield and off, so the idea of dominance and submission is not a part of their dynamic. I must also add that I love the additions to the first story, “Trinity”. That story now has much more emotional resonance. Premise: The centerpiece for all three of these stories is a spaceship of mercenaries, called Starrunner. In “Trinity”, the title character lives in a backwards colony in which women are little better than slaves. When Trinity hears that there are mercenaries visiting on business, she decides that this is her ticket out of the Rapture Colony. Mercenaries, Nathan August and Sebastian Cole decide to test Trinity’s resolve by challenging her to one night as their plaything. In “The Thrall”, Sebastian goes undercover as a male submissive in a colony of female dominants. With Sebastian, his Domina, Zaria finally finds a man worth submitting to. In “Claiming Cassidy,” Cassidy is a pilot aboard Starrunner, who is separated from the ship during a battle. When she and her enemy become stranded in a strange land, they must work together to survive. What I liked as a reader: Fun stories, great characters, hot sex. What I liked as a writer: I am totally in awe of Knight’s ability to create strong, interesting, well-matched characters. Her heroes are always Alpha, but in a fun way. Her heroines are strong and tough, but manage to be equally feminine and sexy. She’s so good that she makes it look easy – I know better. [posted 11/7/05]
This book is an “oldie” – from 1998. It is the third book in Stephanie Lauren’s Regency series about the Cynsters – and though each of those books is yummy in its own way, Scandal’s Bride is definitely my favorite. (By the way, if for some reason you’re not familiar with the Cynster books, you’ve been missing out.) The first six books in the series are about cousins known to the ton as the Bar Cynsters. They are all scandalous rakes, who have vowed never to marry, though their wealth and social position makes them the targets of every marriage-minded woman in England. “Yawn,” you say? Been there, read that? Probably, but Laurens makes it worth reading again -- even so, I think the reason that Scandal’s Vow stands apart from the other Cynster novels for me is that strays from the typical plot and characters of the “Regency Rake” genre. Premise: Richard Cynster (aka Scandal) is called to the estate of his late (estranged) step-father, because he has been mysteriously named in the will. He decides the timing is perfect; his cousin (aka Vane, from A Rake’s Vow) and half-brother (aka Devil, from Devil’s Bride) have both recently married, and now the eyes of the ton are on him to take a bride. Also called to the reading, is Catriona, a spiritual leader/healer/witch who serves “the lady of the vale” of the Scottish high-country. Richard and Catriona are immediately drawn to each other -- she even receives “visions” from The Lady which tell her that he will father her children, but still Catriona resists. She is a leader among her people and she thinks she needs a man who is “biddable” and who will let her be in control – she knows from the start that Richard Cynster is the very opposite of that kind of man. What I Liked as a Reader: I love a romance that really makes me feel like the hero and the heroine are the perfect match for each other – such is the case with this story. Each of them is so strong, independent and controlled that finding the right partner seems impossible – each is almost reconciled to a life alone. They need each other – to coin a phrase, they complete each other. I love it that Catriona is strong and smart, and that Richard loves that about her too. I love that he is strong enough to let her “rule”. Though this is not an erotic romance, it walks the line. Laurens was the first writer that showed me how steamy a romance could actually be. VERY hot. What I liked as a Writer: Laurens is a beautiful writer. Not a word or phrase out of place -- you can sink into her books and lose yourself from the first page to the last. A fun, romantic, steamy, and satisfying read. [posted 11/14/05]
Here’s another from 1998, but unlike Scandal’s Bride, I only just discovered this one. I had never even heard of Dara Joy. “Where have I been?!,” you may be asking in horror. Well, all I can say is, I got a little behind on my reading when I started having kids. Anyway, after reading High Energy, I will soon be raiding the local bookstore for the rest of Joy’s oeuvre. This book reminded me a bit of Jayne Ann Krentz’ contemporary romances, with their unconventional heroines and sexy-smart heroes. It also had the quirky feel of Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby -- you never knew what would happen next. Premise: Zanita is a “reporter” for a local paper who has sworn off men. Tyber is a renowned physicist who is, for all intents and purposes, a recluse. She ends up in his lecture hall accidentally – she was looking for the talk on “psychics” to research an article – and, intrigued by her unique personality and unpredictability, Tyber convinces her to stay. In order to keep her with him, he suggests a partnership – they will work together on her investigation into a famous psychic. What I Liked as a Reader: This book was funny, sometimes downright goofy. The side characters were wonderfully offbeat, and not intrusive to the plot. Zanita is quirky, but not ditzy. There’s plenty of steam, though this is definitely not an erotic romance. What I Liked as a Writer: Humor is difficult to write. Things that seem funny in your head often come across as contrived and stilted on paper. It is also difficult to achieve a good balance between humor and character development, plot, etc. Joy has the magic formula. Her writing was fast and fun. A entertaining read for a lazy afternoon. [posted 11/21/05]
I am fairly picky about the books I read and like enough to read again. I finish most romances knowing that I will never knowingly revisit that story, so when I find a re-readable author I tend to kind of go crazy trying to get my hands on everything in their library. Still, I begin each book with a sense of trepidation. I have a fear of being disappointed that is almost pathological. Sure, I loved the last insert number here books, but maybe this is The One. Maybe this is the story where my author lets me down. I stumbled upon Willa Okati a couple months ago, and quickly worked my way through her published work – I posted a recommendation of her novella, Blood Red, last month. In the Strangest Places is her newest release, and it is a full-length novel. As I finished the last page, my inner-child cried with relief – Okati had not let me down. I read that book twice in the same day – a couple passages, more than that. Premise: Daniel, a carpenter, is tired of shallow meaningless relationships, and is determined that if he gets involved with someone again, it will be long-term. He just has to find a like-minded someone that is his “type”. At the beginning of the story he arrives at the site of his newest job, and is greeted by a leather clad, mouthy, pierced, biker who couldn’t be less his type. Still, from the first, Daniel feels a strong attraction to the man and soon he finds the feeling is mutual. What I Liked as A Reader: It’s no secret that I like my romances hot, but I also crave a sweet love story. It’s very hard for me to find books that satisfyingly combine the two. In the Strangest Places does it in spades. The sex between Daniel and Rack is H.O.T. (If I could write the word “HOT” with little flames coming off of it, I would.) Yet at the same time it is soooo sweet – truly one of the sweetest love stories I’ve read…ever. And it was funny too! In the Strangest Places is unusual in many ways, but one of the most jarring to me was that the story was all about the relationship. There was no mystery subplot, no family honor to restore, no alien cargo to deliver. Just the journey. It took me about a chapter to relax and stop looking for the serial arsonist who would later destroy Rack’s new business, but once I did, wow was it intense. I absolutely loved both Daniel and Rack -- but especially hard on the outside, soft on the inside Rack. What I Liked as A Writer: The narrative voice in this story is really interesting and unusual. The third person, present tense narration had so much personality it almost seemed like seems like a character in its own right – especially in the beginning before Daniel and Rack’s voices took over. The things I liked as a reader, I also appreciated as a writer. Balancing the HOT and the sweet – not easy. A whole book on the journey of a relationship? Stark. Potentially boring. When done well, very touching. Incredibly real, well-drawn characters. Okay, I’m drooling with writer’s envy now. Hats off to Okati. This is a story I will come back to again and again. [posted 11/28/2005] |
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