Passion Postings

Moving to a New (Online) Address!

2011-10-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Due to changing times, changing technologies, and changing staff, the Library will be consolidating all online reviews to our Shelfari page. Though we have really enjoyed interacting with readers and authors through the blog, we simply cannot keep it as up to date as we would like. I am moving on to another part of the country, and Michele has taken on new job responsibilities. But we are not disappearing entirely! The Library maintains a presence on Shelfari where you can find reviews of all lengths on all kinds of books, romances included. Stop by and take a look periodically, or sign up to follow us. You can even begin your own bookshelf and share your opinions with others!

Want to get started? To find the Library's bookshelf, click on one of the links above or go to http://www.shelfari.com/. Look to the right side of the webpage and click on "advanced search." Once you are on the advanced search page, click on "members" in the menu on the left. Then type "Voorheesville Library" in the box labeled "Shelfari Profile Name." And there you are!

If you would like to learn more about Shelfari they do have an About Us section, as well as a Help and FAQ section.

Enjoy exploring our new online forum, and thanks again for all your encouragement during the past few years.

~Macaire

On the Bookcart

2011-09-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Historical
In Bed With a Highlander by Maya Banks
Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore
Nearly a Lady by Alissa Johnson
Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens
The Seduction of a Scandal by Cathy Maxwell

Contemporary
Riptide by Cherry Adair
Good Girls Don’t by Victoria Dahl

Paranormal
Heartless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger
No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper

Romantic Suspense
In Seconds by Brenda Novak
Dark Taste of Rapture: an Alien Huntress Novel by Gena Showalter
Archangel’s Blade: a Guild Hunter Novel by Nalini Singh

Hardcover
To Have and To Hold by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller
New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts)

Something Old, Something New -- Two by Julia Quinn

2011-08-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

I was trolling around in OverDrive a few weeks ago, hoping to find Just Like Heaven, Julia Quinn's latest, but the only one of her titles available was Dancing At Midnight, one of her earliest works. Within days, or course, the paperback copy of Just Like Heaven showed up on my desk. No matter, it gave me a nice comparison of early-Julia and current-Julia, and while there are many similiarities, there are some significant differences as well.

In the earlier work, Lady Arabella Blydon is taking a break from the marriage mart and visiting her cousin in the country. There she meets Lord John Blackwood, wounded war hero recently given a title for his service to crown and country. Arabella is very bright, more than a little bored, and ready for a bit of an adventure with a handsome hero. John is also very bright, more than a little tortured, and ready to fall in love with the pure and charming Arabella if only it weren't for the horrors he endured during the war making him unfit for her company.

Make no mistake, both these characters are very likeable, and their interaction is enjoyable to watch. But things are a bit rushed in terms of both revelations about John's backstory and Arabella's willingness to behave improperly. It's in these kinds of details that the fact that this is an early effort shows. The fact that things are rather rushed makes John's continued self-recriminations tedious, and Arabella sometimes just seems willful. But overall, this is enjoyable enough if you are a fan of Quinn's characterizations and subtle humor.

Just Like Heaven is the story of Honoria Smythe-Smith, of the dreadful-annual-musicale Smythe-Smiths, and of Marcus Holroyd, Earl of Chatteris and best friend of Honoria's older brother. The two meet as children and practically grow up together, until a family scandal separates them for several years. A chance meeting and a freak accident bring them back together, and we are then treated to a charming courtship and an inside look at all that goes on behind the scenes of the annual Smythe-Smith musicale. There are even cameo appearances by a Bridgerton, the infamous Miss Butterworth and her Mad Baron,and the alarming and entertaining Lady Danforth! What more could one ask? While this one does not rank up there with What Happens in London and Ten Things I Love About You in terms of cleverness, it is still a charming story, and I would recommend it to all fans of historical romance.

My Fair Lady -- the romance novel version

2011-08-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal
by Meredith Duran

This Victorian romance features Nell Whitby, factory girl and guttersnipe, who goes on a quest for revenge only to find herself mistaken for a missing heiress. The Earl of Rushden, who has recently inherited a title, some lands, and no money to support either, believes Nell is the long-lost heir to a fortune, and proposes (literally) that they marry and split the loot, once they have proven who she is. What follows is a My-Fair-Lady type of love story that doesn't ignore the harsher side of life in Victorian London while telling a tale full of humor and warmth.

Nell's early life in Bethnal Green, one of London's worst slums, is in no way glossed over. She lives in a tenement, has irregular opportunities to wash, has fought rats for food, and watched her mother die a slow death from inhaling the dirty air in the cigar factory where they both work. Nell herself has nearly lost a finger in the cutting machine more than once. When the hero, Simon St. Maur, introduces her to life as a lady, the results are predictable. We see Nell mystified by hot and cold running water and attacking her food like a starving animal. For his part, Simon begins to see the humanity behind "the poor," a group that has always been more a concept than a reality for him.

The grittier aspects of this story in no way detract from the charm and wit that marks the interaction and growing love story between Simon and Nell. It is both funny and touching, making for a very satisfying book. Highly recommended for fans of historical romance.

Reading Round-Up Part One

2011-08-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to catch up on my reading. Although the pile of books on my bedside table, and the list on downloads on various devices are both pretty eclectic, there are a few romances in there. There are also some pretty good crossover titles, and a few mysteries. Over the next few days I'll bring you up to date with some short reviews.
First, a young adult/adult crossover title: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross. This falls into the subgenre known as Steampunk, and is in fact the first in a series called The Steampunk Chronicles. Set in an alternative Victorian London where automatons work alongside human servants, the novel features the adventures of Finley Jayne, a sixteen-year-old who has developed some rather unusual abilities. Uncertain what is happening to her, Finley doesn't feel at home in her skin until she is recruited by the mysterious young Duke of Greythorne to aid his quest to eliminate a threat to the Crown. The author cleverly weaves in references to Victorian classics such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Finley is a likeable character, as are Griffin King, Duke of Greythorne, and Jack Dandy, a young crime lord. There's a lot of action in this book, as well as some light romance. This is an entertaining story with a strong cast of characters and the beginnings of what will undoubtedly be a well developed alternate history as the series progresses. I am looking forward to Finley's future adventures.

Next Week: Two by Julia Quinn, My Favorite Burglar, and My Fair Lady -- the romance novel version.

On the Book Cart

2011-08-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Susan Mallery Only Mine

Historical:
Jennifer Blake By His Majesty's Grace
Donna MacMeans Redeeming the Rogue
Tracy Anne Warren The Bed and the Bachelor

Paranormal:
Lara Adrian Deeper Than Midnight
Kathryne Kennedy The Lady of the Storm

Suspense:
Christina Dodd Secrets of Bella Terra
Lora Leigh Midnight Sins
Karen Rose Count to Ten

On the Book Cart

2011-08-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Susan Andersen Playing Dirty
Patricia Coughlin Wedding Magic

Historical:
Jennifer Ashley The Many Sins of Lord Cameron
Victoria Dahl It's Always Been You
Sophie Jordan Wicked In Your Arms
Kasey Michaels The Taming of the Rake

On the Book Cart

2011-07-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Historical:
Charlotte Featherstone Seduction and Scandal
Lorraine Heath Waking Up with the Duke
Marguerite Kaye Innocent in the Sheikh's Harem
Anne Stuart Shameless

Paranormal:
Lori Handeland Crave the Moon

Suspense:
Elizabeth Jennings Darkness at Dawn

On the Book Cart

2011-07-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Historical:
Meredith Duran A Lady's Lesson in Scandal
Kat Martin Magnificent Passage

Paranormal:
Lydia Dare In the Heat of the Bite

Suspense:
Catherine Mann Cover Me

On the Book Cart

2011-07-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Dakota Cassidy Burning Down the Spouse
Linda Lael Miller The Creed Legacy
JoAnn Ross One Summer
Christie Ridgeway Can't Hurry Love

Historical:
Loretta Chase Silk is for Seduction
Patricia Rice The Devilish Montague

Paranormal:
Heather Graham Heart of Evil
Leslie Parrish Cold Touch

Suspense:
Nancy Bush Hush
Christina Dodd Tongue in Chic
Lori Foster Savor the Danger
Fern Michaels About Face
Brenda Novak Inside

June RT Book Reviews on the Shelf

2011-06-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Diana Palmer and her Long Tall Texans are the cover story in this month's RT, which also includes a preview of her latest release Merciless. Other features include updates about Catherine Coulter, Kim Harrison, Brenda Novak, and George R.R. Martin, a look at Catherine Mann's breakout novel Cover Me, and a discussion of the sudden proliferation of books about Cleopatra. You'll also find a recap of the RT Convention in LA, as well as the Fan Forum and Teen Scene. And as always, more than 250 reviews of upcoming books.

On the Book Cart

2011-06-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Historical:
Grace Burrowes The Soldier
Kathleen Y'Barbo The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck

Suspense:
Karen Rose You Belong to Me

On the Book Cart

2011-06-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Kristine Grayson Wickedly Charming
Susan Sey Money Shot
Sherryl Woods Beach Lane

Historical:
Anthology The Wedding of the Century
Elizabeth Boyle Lord Langley is Back in Town
Celeste Bradley/ Susan Donovan A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man
Georgina Gentry Diablo
Samantha James The Sins of Viscount Sutherland
Vanessa Kelly My Favorite Countess
Jodi Thomas Texas Rain

Paranormal:
Christine Feehan Savage Nature
Lynsay Sands The Reluctant Vampire

Recently Read: Part Two

2011-06-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Black Orchids & The Silent Speaker
By Rex Stout

Quintessential Wolfe! This two-book volume gives us the curmudgeonly detective in all his orchid-obsessed, food-loving, agoraphobic glory. In Black Orchids, Wolfe solves a mini-mystery at a flower show to get his hands on some rare black orchids. A small bouquet of these appear later on the coffin of a woman whose horrific murder he feels he failed to prevent. The Silent Speaker finds Wolfe taking on corporate conglomerates, the local police, and the FBI in order to find the person behind the murder of a government official and his brilliant and beautiful assistant. Through it all, the witty and dapper Archie Goodwin does Wolfe's legwork and narrates the stories. Great for fans of the classic detective story that emphasizes brains rather than forensics.

~Macaire

Recently Read

2011-06-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

I was once again cruising around in OverDrive and found a few favorite authors with titles available for checkout. I snagged the second book in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series since I enjoyed the previous entries so much, and found a two volume set from Rex Stout, a mystery author I have always enjoyed. Here's the scoop on both.

My Soul To Save
by Rachel Vincent
Teenage banshee Kaylee Cavanaugh is trying to get used to controlling her wail and managing life with the father she is newly reunited with, but neither one is going too well. Being a banshee who needs to pass as human is tricky, and being a sixteen-year-old whose dad treats her like she's six is a drag. Things get even more complicated when Kaylee goes to a concert with her boyfriend, and when the singer collapses and dies onstage, Kaylee doesn't feel the urge to wail. As it happens, the singer literally has no soul, and so there is nothing to trigger Kaylee's banshee "soul song." As it happens, there's a whole group of teen stars that have been coerced into selling their souls for fame and fortune, and when an old friend of a friend needs help to avoid spending eternity in torment, Kaylee and her boyfriend Nash have to figure out how to out-bargain a hellion.
This is a fun urban fantasy story that raises some adult questions: just how much will people give for fame and fortune? At what age should people be held responsible for their actions? And -- could the talent agents that feed the Disney Media empire really be agents of unspeakable evil?!?!?

Tomorrow: Nero Wolfe!

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-06-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Anthology Promise of Love
Lori Foster Trace of Fever

Historical:
Tiffany Clare The Secret Desires of a Governess
Sally MacKenzie The Naked King
Julia Quinn Just Like Heaven

Paranormal:
Katie MacAlister The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons

The Anthology Most Likely to Succeed

2011-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Lady Most Likely
By Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway

I love Julia Quinn, so I picked this one up. The book takes place at a house party in the country. The book is written by three authors who each take a couple and write their story. In the end, we have three engagements and one very happy matchmaking hostess. Although there were three authors, the parts were seamless in their transition and it felt like a novel rather than a collection of stories. The characters were engaging and the authors kept their personalities true throughout the book. I highly recommend it for a great summer read.

~Michele

I second this! I love the interlocking plot elements, and though each author has a distinct voice the book does flow very nicely. I had never read Connie Brockway before but will be sure to pick up her books now. Anthologies are a great way to try new authors, and this is a great introduction. Whether the authors are new to you or you are already a fan, this is well worth checking out.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Linda Lael Miller Creed's Honor
RaeAnne Thayne Blackberry Summer

Paranormal:
Nalini Singh Angels' Blood

Suspense:
Lora Leigh Live Wire
Marta Perry Vanish in Plain Sight

To Catch a Thief

2011-06-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

Touch of a Thief
By Mia Marlow

You may need to set a thief to catch a thief, but if you need to steal something from the Queen's personal collection, catching the best jewel thief in London and blackmailing her into helping you is the better plan.
Lady Viola Preston's family has fallen on hard times. With the death of her father, the title and all the family fortune went to a cousin, leaving Viola, her mother and her sister with nothing but their London townhome. Viola turns to a life of crime, lifting the jewels of the ton and selling them to a fence in the seamier side of London. She has a highly successful career until she runs into Greydon Quinn, who catches her in the act and demands that she help him recover a precious red diamond, stolen from a temple in India. The allegedly cursed diamond is on it's way to London where it will be presented to the Queen, and thereafter go into the Royal vault. The theft ignited a rebellion and Quinn, who served many years in India, wants to help quell the uprising. There are many twists along the way, including a displaced Indian Prince, a malevolent gemstone, and a few ex-lovers.
Though I was at first hesitant about the slight paranormal elements to the story, I found the author handled them well. The characters are vivid, and either likeable or loathsome depending on which side of the good guy/bad guy spectrum they fall on. The love story is by turns steamy, sweet, and romantic, featuring an ongoing battle of wits between the hero and heroine. I love a good heist story, and this was lots of fun.
Interesting author note: Mia Marlowe had written other historical romances under the name Emily Bryan. I read and reviewed Distracting the Duchess a few years ago. I enjoyed it quite a bit and felt the author had a way of depicting those characters who had experienced mental or physical damage in a way that was both realistic and kind. That hasn't changed, which gives her secondary characters a lot of depth. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Summer Hours Begin this Weekend

2011-05-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Summer hours begin this weekend at the library. We will be closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. In June, July and August, we will be closed Sunday, and our Saturday hours will be 10am-1pm. Regular hours will resume after the Labor Day weekend.

Stock Up and Save!

2011-05-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Friends of the Library Mini-Sale is now underway! Stop by and pick up a little light reading!

Hardcovers, DVDs, and Audiobooks are all $1.
Paperbacks are $.50 or 3 for $1.

Assortment changes daily, so shop early and often...

Lord Stanley, Revisited

2011-05-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Finished Icebreaker by Deirdre Martin and thoroughly enjoyed it! I've always liked the family dynamic she brings to her novels, and the fact that the books follow one particular organization allows Martin to let recurring characters drift in and out. It's fun to see old favorites, and interesting to guess who might be next to get a story of their own. After reading Icebreaker, I'd like to see how Sinead's friend Oliver ends up. He's a great secondary character, entertaining enough to carry his own book and with plenty of baggage to make it interesting. We'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, if you are looking for a good read for the long hot weekend, pick up Icebreaker.

Books and Recommendations Online!

2011-05-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Would you like to get some book recommendations or find something to read at a time when you can’t actually get to the library? Don’t worry; we’re here for you, even when we’re not here! We are expanding our online services by maintaining a Shelfari page and adding more ebooks so that you will always have a place to go for a good book.

What’s Shelfari?

Shelfari is an online community of booklovers, a place to create a virtual library, to discuss your favorite books and authors, and to read reviews and recommendations. We are constantly updating the library’s bookshelf by adding reviews of what we have read. It’s a great place to discover new books and to become part of a conversation about things you’ve read. Each title we add has at least a short review, a rating (1-5 stars), and tags to help you find more of the kind of books you like. You can create your own account, sign up to follow what we’re reading, or just check in whenever you’d like a recommendation. In order to get to the library Shelfari, just go to our homepage at www.voorheesvillelibrary.org, click on the Adult Services tab on the left side of the screen, then choose the Reading Café, and then just click on the Shelfari link to explore our bookshelf.

And don’t forget OverDrive for ebooks!

Ebooks are available through the library, and we are building our collection daily. You can check out books to read on your Nook, iPad, iPod Touch, Smartphone, and many other devices. To access the collection, go to our homepage at www.voorheesvillelibrary.org and click on OverDrive Digital. If you need help setting up your account or learning to download, just contact the Reference Desk by calling 765-2791.

Lord Stanley and the Librarian

2011-05-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, that has a certain Regency ring to it, doesn't it? But I'm actually posting about something more contemporary today. In honor of the Stanley Cup playoffs, currently underway, I started reading Icebreaker by Deirdre Martin. Martin once again brings us into the locker room and love lives of the fictional New York Blades. Spending a little time with some of hockey's hottest fictional players is never a bad way to while away the hours between playoff games. Anyway, Icebreaker is the story of Adam Perry, a hard-hitting defenseman who has been charged with assault for a legal on-ice hit that sent an opposing player to the hospital, and Sinead O'Brien, a workaholic Type A attorney hired by the Blades to defend their new captain. I'm only about ten chapters in but I'm really enjoying it. Both Sinead and Adam have avoided close ties with others for various reasons, so while the two of them are attracted to one another their relationship remains frosty for quite awhile. The characters' conflicts, both internal and with each other, are believable. I also like the fact that Martin clearly knows the game, and makes the ongoing, real life debate about the extent and nature of violence in the sport a central theme of the book. Having been in an arena as one player throws a full-body check that sends his opponent crumpling to the ice I can appreciate the fact that this is not just a plot device. I am looking forward to finishing Icebreaker and seeing how all the storylines are resolved. Update later in the week!

I'm reading, just not romance...

2011-05-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, if you count a very young Sherlock Holmes' budding passion for his tutor's daughter, or the incredible and tumultuous love affair people have with both food and money, I guess you could say I am reading romance, just not in the traditional sense. I have a couple of romance novels started, but just haven't finished them. So in the interim, here are brief recommendations for the two books I did manage to finish in the past week.

Death Cloud
by Andrew Lane
A teenage Sherlock Holmes is sent directly from boarding school to spend his summer break with some very odd relatives and their evil housekeeper. On the plus side, his tutor turns out to be a very smart American bounty hunter who is willing to help Sherlock figure out what's going on with the mysterious dark cloud that has killed a couple of local people and started a fear of plague. A vicious and villainous Baron threaten the young detective and his friends as they solve the mystery in this entertaining and fast-paced adventure story.

Lost and Found
by Geneen Roth
The author had all her money invested with Bernie Madoff, and when he confessed to fraud she was forced to confront her issues with money. Roth is well known as a teacher and writer on the psychology of compulsive eating, and makes connections between the behavior patterns that lead to dysfunctional relationships with both food and money. For those who want a more holistic approach to examining their own "consuming behavior" this is interesting, informative, and at times painfully honest and funny.

On the Book Cart

2011-05-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

A rather thin week, which is what comes of letting catalogers take time off...

Contemporary:
Genell Dellin Honey Grove

Historical:
Adrienne Basso How to Seduce a Sinner

Paranormal:
Katie MacAlistair You Slay Me
Melissa Mayhue Highlander's Curse

Orphans and Oldsters and Lepers, Oh My!

2011-05-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

So, here's my question: when did it become necessary for the hero and/or heroine in an historical romance to have some higher purpose? I don't mean a religious vocation; I mean the driving need to house orphans, train the disabled for gainful employment, rehabilitate fallen women, or create some Regency version of Shady Rest for old people. I can't tell you how many books have come in lately chock full of aristocrats who feel the need to Do Good in Secret. England simply could not have held that many orphanages. Call me horrifyingly pragmatic, but it seems to me that in a land of inherited wealth, limited opportunities for women, obligations to your titled family or the Crown, and medical treatments that made leeches look state-of-the-art, actually getting to marry for love was quite an accomplishment in and of itself. If you were fortunate enough to be born into the upper classes and live to maturity, it would really be okay to want nothing more than to hang on to the family fortune, dress well, and make a good marriage. As a reader, I am happy to suffer through the wardrobe decisions, the balls, the weekend house parties, etc. I really do not need to see the heroine (I kid you not -- read this in a pre-pub notice) volunteering in a leper colony in order to feel she deserves a happily-ever-after.
Just sayin'.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-05-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Jacquie D'Alessandro Summer at Seaside Cove

Historical:
Anthology Happily Ever After in the West
Margaret Mallory The Guardian
Maya Rodale A Tale of Two Lovers
Emma Wildes One Whisper Away
Veronica Wolf Devil's Own

Paranormal:
Anthology Must Love Hellhounds
Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Side of the Moon
Marjorie M. Liu Tiger Eye

Suspense:
Cherry Adair Hush
Maya Banks Hidden Away
Marta Perry Murder in Plain Sight

On the Book Cart

2011-05-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Beverly Barton Dead By Morning
Lori Foster When You Dare
Roxanne St. Claire Face of Danger

Historical:
Anna Campbell Midnight's Wild Passion
Heather Grothaus Never Kiss a Stranger
Madeline Hunter Dangerous in Diamonds
Kieran Kramer Cloudy with a Change of Marriage
Mary Jo Putney Nowhere Near Respectable
Mary Wine Highland Heat

Paranormal:
Michele Bardsley Never Again
Mia Marlowe Touch of a Thief

All Wedding, All the Time!

2011-04-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well, not really, but since the Royal Wedding has been dominating the airwaves for months, I was inspired to pull out some of the library's extensive collection of wedding related books. Everything from etiquette to crafts is included, so when you get tired of looking at all those pictures of Will and Kate, stop by and take a look!

On the Book Cart

2011-04-27T13:52:00.001-07:00

Rather light on the romances this week; I better go order more books!

Historical:
Christina Dodd Taken by the Prince

Paranormal:
Jacquelyn Frank Seduce Me in Dreams
Gena Showalter The Darkest Secret

Quicksilver -- Good, Scary Fun!

2011-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Quicksilver
By Amanda Quick

Quicksilver is the second book in The Looking Glass Trilogy, and the eleventh to feature the Arcane Society. I enjoy the Arcane books in general, but some much more than others. This is definitely one of my favorites. Heroine Virginia Dean is the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman. Forced to make her own way in the world, she uses her inherited psychic gifts as a looking glass reader. Seeing the spirits of the dead in the mirrors in the rooms where they died enables her to help the bereaved find closure, and often to help murder victims find justice. Owen Sweetwater is an assassin, a trade he comes by honestly as it's the family business. The Sweetwaters are more vigilantes than bad guys, as they limit themselves to taking out those who use their psychic gifts to prey on others. The monsters, as Owen calls them, are often able to escape the more run-of-the-mill forms of justice due to the nature of their gifts, but they are rarely able to escape the Sweetwaters. Owen and Virginia join forces to find whoever is responsible for the deaths of two psychic practitioners. Because the two victims were glass readers, Owen fears Virginia may be next.

This book has great gothic elements – dark old houses with mysterious labyrinths underneath and madwomen wandering about upstairs, footpads lurking in cemeteries, malevolent wind-up toys, mirrored rooms with no discernible exit, disapproving housekeepers, and fog – you name it. I loved the creepy factor! The author’s sly humor is evident throughout as well, and every character, no matter how minor, has enough depth to come vividly to life. While this book can be enjoyed by someone not familiar with the series, I would still recommend starting with some of the earlier Arcane Society books. It will make this book that much more enjoyable.

~Macaire

May RT Book Reviews on the Shelf

2011-04-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

In this month's cover story, Debbie Macomber talks about her latest Blossom Street tale, A Turn in the Road. Other features include a list of the RT Award winners for 2010, a discussion with Anne Rice, an update on the latest paranormal and urban fantasy series, and a look at why cowboys continue to capture our hearts. In the Teen Scene section, author Candace Bushnell talks teenage Carrie Bradshaw in 1980's New York City. Also included are the Fan Forum, Pros on Prose, RT convention news, and over 250 book reviews.

On the Book Cart

2011-04-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Robyn Carr Harvest Moon
Lisa Dale Slow Dancing on Price's Pier
Joanne Kennedy Cowboy Fever
Erin McCarthy The Chase
Debbie Macomber An Engagement in Seattle
Deirdre Martin Icebreaker
Nora Roberts Chasing Fire

Historical:
Cheryl Ann Smith The School for Brides
Jodi Thomas Texas Blue

Paranormal:
Lora Leigh Navarro's Promise

2011-04-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Attenbury Emeralds
By Jill Paton Walsh, based on the characters of Dorothy L. Sayers

I've always been a fan of Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter mysteries, and was thrilled when Jill Paton Walsh completed an unfinished manuscript and published Thrones, Dominations several years ago. This was followed a few years later by A Presumption of Death and now by The Attenbury Emeralds. Although some Lord Peter fans are purists and prefer those stories featuring the aristocratic sleuth and his “gentleman’s gentleman” Bunter, I have always enjoyed those stories including Harriet Vane as well. Harriet, a mysterious novelist, is the great love of Lord Peter’s life. She eventually becomes his wife, and the two work together to solve crimes. Thrones, Dominations picks up their story after the honeymoon, on the eve of the Second World War. A Presumption of Death sees them through the war, and The Attenbury Emeralds finds them, along with the rest of England, struggling to survive the peace and all the changes the war has wrought upon the world they knew. All are good mysteries, with relatively intricate plots. Paton Walsh does a nice job of recreating the voices of the main characters and demonstrating how WWII was a great social and economic leveler, leaving no family, however aristocratic, untouched. The contrast is made very sharply in this book, which follows Lord Peter from his first case in 1921 through a related case in 1951. The tale of the original theft and recovery of the Attenbury family’s famous emeralds is narrated by both Peter and Bunter as they bring Harriet up to speed. The crime would seem to have been solved thirty years ago, but was it? It seems the emerald in the Attenbury family vault may not be the one they have owned for decades. Just when the current Lord Attenbury is hard up for cash and wants to sell the emerald to cover death duties on the family estate, a mysterious and anonymous communication has been received by the bank, claiming ownership of the emerald. The Attenburys will be ruined, and ask Lord Peter to help sort the whole mess out.

There is a more modern sensibility to this story; I found that sometimes this worked, and sometimes it didn't. Peter and Harriet’s relationship still comes across as strong and true, and the shifting social strata and its effect on the friendship between Peter and Bunter is handled well. Overall, I liked this book, but I pegged the criminal early on and thought there were not quite enough red herrings. However, this didn't diminish my enjoyment. While I will always be a bigger fan of Lord Peter between the wars, I am still happy to read of the adventures and misadventures of the Wimsey family as they come to grips with the inevitable march of progress.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-04-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Susan Mallery Already Home
Lori Wilde The Welcome Home Garden Club
Sherryl Woods Driftwood Cottage

Historical:
Katherine Ashe Captured By a Rogue Lord
Eileen Dreyer Never a Gentleman
Laurens, Balogh, Hern, D'Allessandro It Happened One Season (anthology)

Paranormal:
Kristina Douglas The Fallen: Raziel
Jeaniene Frost This Side of the Grave
Amanda Quick Quicksilver
Kerrelyn Sparks Vampire Mine

On the Book Cart

2011-04-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Catherine Anderson Here to Stay
Kristan Higgans My One and Only
Macomber, Mallery, Skye The Knitting Diaries (anthology)
Jill Shalvis The Sweetest Thing
Mariah Stewart Almost Home
Susan Wiggs Marrying Daisy Bellamy

Historical:
Lecia Cornwall Secrets of a Proper Countess
Gaelen Foley My Irresistible Earl

Suspense:
Janelle Denison Into the Night
Roxanne St. Claire Shiver of Fear

Reminder -- E-reader event!

2011-04-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Digital Download Demonstration
Monday, April 4 at 7pm
Do you own a Nook, Sony Reader, an iPod or a smartphone? This hands-on program is an opportunity to learn how to check out OverDrive digital books from the library. We will show you how to search the digital bookshelves, get the software installed and download free books and audiobooks to your computer or portable device. Call us (765-2791) or email voorefq@uhls.lib.ny.us to sign up.

On the Book Cart

2011-03-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Sandra D. Bricker Love Finds You in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Dahl, Donovan, Foster The Guy Next Door (anthology)
Jill Shalvis Animal Magnetism

Historical:
Jo Beverly An Unlikely Countess
Eloisa James When Beauty Tamed the Beast
Jade Lee Wicked Seduction
Julie Anne Long What I Did for a Duke
Margo Maguire Seducing the Governess
Leigh Michaels The Mistress House
Lynsay Sands The Heiress

2011 RITA Finalists

2011-03-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! The Romance Writers of America have published their list of RITA and Golden Heart nominees. You can check out the list here.
We have several of these titles and will be ordering more. Check them out and see if you agree with the winners when they are announced in June!

Weekend Reading: Historical Book, Timely Issue

2011-03-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I read historical romance is the fact that the heroine's problems rarely mirror my own. Let's face it -- I am unlikely ever to have to worry about ladies' maids, a cook in a snit, the cut of my ballgown, or deciding whether or not to marry a duke. The fears and joys of love are something anyone can relate to, though, and I do occassionally think it would be nice to read about people older than 30. Enter Lady Ruth Attwood, heroine of Monica Burns Pleasure Me. Her issue?

Youth and beauty are a courtesan’s greatest assets. At forty-one, Lady Ruth Attwood appears to have lost both, as her latest lover just abandoned her for a younger mistress.

Hmmm. Forced into an early and longer-than-expected retirement at a time when your savings are not what you thought they would be? Perhaps having to take a new position that is less than you deserve? Or sell off some assets?

Can anyone else out there relate to this? Show of hands?

Yep, that's what I thought.

I'll report back next week on how Lady Ruth manages. I somehow doubt a Regency version of Suze Orman will be in any way involved....

~Macaire

Jane Eyre, Again

2011-03-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is about as gothic a romance as you can get. Feisty heroine, tortured hero, madwoman in the attic of dark and undoubtedly drafty ancestral home -- it's got it all. And as such, has been made into a film more times than you could possibly believe. I don't know how anyone expects to beat Orson Welles in drag, but people just keep trying. Here's the trailer for the latest version, in theaters now.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-03-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

It's a short list this week, which is what happens when the cataloging librarian comes down with a cold and has to stay home. All of them look like winners though, and in honor of the fact that I am not typing up a long list, I will include tweet-type blurbs about each:

Monica Burns Pleasure Me Historical
Aging courtesan. Physically disabled baron. Unexpected passion. Frame-up for murder.

Anjali Banerjee Haunting Jasmine Contemporary/Paranormal
Heroine reinventing life. Quaint location. Ghosts. Mysterious stranger love interest.

Savannah Kline Beloved of the Fallen Contemporary/Suspense/Paranormal
Ambitious attorney heroine. Political family. Congressional showdown. Sexy consultant=fallen angel?

~Macaire

I'd Rather Hang Out with the Wallflowers

2011-03-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Because You’re Mine
By Lisa Kleypas

I’ve always been a fan of Lisa Kleypas’ historical romances, especially the Wallflowers Series. I’ve also always liked any story set in a theater, so I thought that Because You’re Mine would be right up my alley, as it is one of the books Kleypas set in the Capitol Theatre. And I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

The basic premise is this: Lady Madeline Matthews is being forced into marriage with a much older man who can most politely be described as a boor. He has no interest in Madeline as a person, and a great deal of interest in a wife who will be seen, not heard, and produce children regularly. Madeline’s parents are less than sympathetic, so she decides to run away from boarding school and find some obliging man to ruin her. The object of her plan is Mr. Logan Scott, the most well know actor in England. Logan is immensely talented and incredibly handsome, and since absolutely everyone knows what depraved creatures actors are, she figures getting him to have his way with her will be simple.

Well, not so much. Madeline succeeds in getting employment at the theater and in catching Logan’s eye, but he has standards, and they do not involve seducing innocent young ladies. So Madeline continues to work as secretary to Logan and his partner and to just generally be an all around Girl Scout, all the while trying to move forward with her plan. The two develop real feelings for one another, but since Logan has some trust issues due to a previous relationship, and Madeline does not want to reveal her true feelings, there is a great deal of misunderstanding and plain old bad behavior on both sides. This leads to quite a few plot twists before the happily-ever-after, and some of them work better than others.

Overall, I liked this well enough to finish it. The premise was fun, the secondary characters quite interesting, and the hero had good reason to be tortured, angry, and untrusting. I also sympathized with Madeline. However, both Madeline and Logan behaved so childishly at times that I really just wanted to slap them. Madeline went the martyr route, while Logan played the self-destructive, self-pitying drunkard. Spare me. If you really like Kleypas and are just looking for a quick read, this is fine, but if you haven’t read the Wallflowers quartet, start there.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-03-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Cherry Adair Undertow
Julie James A Lot Like Love
Elizabeth Noble When You Were Mine

Historical:
Delilah Marvelle The Perfect Scandal

Paranormal:
Judi Fennell I Dream of Genies
Lori Handeland Moon Cursed

What Happens in the Librarians' Meeting...

2011-03-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Every month, the librarians get together to go over all sorts of business, and one of the things we try to do regularly is share information on books we have read so that we are all able to help patrons find good books from any genre. We all read a lot, but we can't read everything, so this really helps. This aspect of our jobs goes by the catchy name "Reader's Advisory" or RA for short. We recently started to do something called "5 Minute RA" which allows to cover one or two books we highly recommend. This morning I talked about two of the most books by Julia Quinn, one of my favorite romance authors. Notes from my presentation are below, and I have it on good authority that the actual books will be back on the shelf any minute now...

5 Minute RA
Julia Quinn
What Happens in London
Ten Things I Love About You

Brief review of plots

What Happens in London:
Lady Olivia Bevelstoke is a staggeringly beautiful debutante whose intelligence often overlooked (She reads the entire newspaper, “every page, every day!”) Being at loose ends, Olivia begins to spy on her quiet (secretive?) new next door neighbor, Sir Harry Valentine, who reportedly murdered his fiancé. Sir Harry works for Home Office translating sensitive documents due to his fluency in both Russian and French. He knows she’s spying, but writes her off as nosy twit. Then the Home Office asks HIM to spy on HER since she is being courted by a Russian prince. True love ensues, with some tense moments due to the not-so-nice prince and the kind of nefarious plots that inevitably surround Russian nobility.

Ten Things I Love About You:
Miss Annabel Winslow is a young lady (country gentry) in London to find a wealthy husband, due to her family’s financial difficulties. She is staying with her grandparents, who are friendly with the Earl of Newbury, whose heir is his nephew Sebastian Grey. The Earl hates his nephew and is desperate to sire an heir, and so is in the market for a young woman with childbearing hips, and decides Annabel will do nicely. She has no desire to marry the Earl, but her family needs the money soon or her brothers will have to leave Eton. She meets Sebastian at a party, a flirtation follows, the Earl becomes incensed, blows are exchanged, Sebastian plays at courting Annabel to rescue her reputation, they fall in love, causing much mayhem in the process, and after a timely intervention by Annabel’s dragon of a grandmother, the couple lives happily ever after.

Both contain a “book within the book” subplot – a very entertaining spoof of genre.

Julia Quinn
Graduated from Harvard; began writing her first novel to avoid the studying involved a rather round about route to medical school. She consequently ditched the idea of an MD and has written over twenty novels including the 8 volume Bridgerton Family series. Many are in this library, more in UHLS, and several in OverDrive.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-03-09T13:09:00.001-08:00

Contemporary:
Julia London A Light at Winter's End
Linda Lael Miller A Creed in Stone Creek
Vicki Lewis Thompson Nerd In Shining Armor

Historical:
Robyn Hart Treasure Me
Niclole Jordan To Desire a Wicked Duke
Anne Mallory One Night is Never Enough
Amanda Scott Highland Master

Paranormal:Angela Knight Master of Smoke
Vicki Lewis Thompson A Werewolf in Manhattan

Crossing Genres: WWI Mystery

2011-03-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

An Impartial Witness
By Charles Todd

This cozy mystery set in England during World War I features Bess Crawford, a young woman who supports the war effort by becoming a “nursing sister.” Bess is the daughter of a career military man. She was born and partly raised in India, and if she had been a boy would have followed in her father’s footsteps and joined his regiment. Since that route is closed to her, she receives some rudimentary training and becomes an army field nurse. The intrepid Bess tends the wounded in France, and often serves as transport nurse for groups of soldiers shipped home. On one such journey she cares for a badly wounded pilot, who is living only to see his beloved wife again. He even wears her photo pinned to his tunic. Bess sees her charges safely to the hospital, and is making her way to her flat when she spots the woman from the photograph, weeping in the train station and clinging to a departing soldier who seems impervious to her distress. The soldier boards his train, and the woman rushes from the station. Bess finds this odd, but not alarming, and gives it very little thought after returning to the front. However, she shortly thereafter sees a newspaper from home with this same woman’s picture in it – the woman has been murdered and the police are trying to trace her movements. Thus Bess becomes embroiled in a tragedy that leaves numerous victims both living and dead. Traveling back and forth between France and England, Bess works to find justice for the dead and to save an innocent man.

This is a well plotted mystery with a likeable heroine and an interesting setting. Life during the war brought with it many different kinds of hardship for both soldiers and civilians, and the stresses of everyday life are well represented. Though this story doesn’t focus on blood and gore, neither does it gloss over the ugly realities of battlefield casualties and associated trauma. The war is a catalyst for all that occurs, but it is clear that the murderer acts from self interest. An Impartial Witness is the second book in a series, and well worth picking up for fans of historical mysteries.

~Macaire

My Favorite Darcy

2011-02-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice has been turned into a film numerous times, but I think the best is the A&E adaptation made in the 1990's. That production, as much as the novel on which it is based, served as inspiration for Helen Fielding's novel Bridget Jones's Diary, also made into a movie. I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that one of the best things about both films was the casting of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy -- Fitzwilliam Darcy in the former, Mark Darcy in the latter. Rumor has it that it was Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the A&E production that shaped the character of Mark Darcy in Fielding's novel, and led to him being cast in the film adaptation. Now that the Academy Awards are upon us, Mr. Darcy, er -- I mean Mr. Firth, is back in the news, as he has been nominated as Best Actor for an outstanding performance in The King's Speech. However, for many of us he will always be our beloved one and only Fitzwilliam Darcy, and this little clip from YouTube is just one of the reasons why:

Random Authors from the A's

2011-02-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

I have not had time to read anything lately. This makes for dull - or worse, no - blog entries. So I've decided to start pulling some random books off the shelves. Hopefully, starting with the A authors will allow me to work my way through the alphabet and make for some interesting posts. My goals are self-serving but fun: to have a valid excuse to browse the shelves looking at racy book covers and to peruse romances at the Reference Desk... Oh, and I also hope to introduce you to a new author or two along the way.

Deadly Little Secrets by Jeanne Adams
The sleek, sensual cover doesn't begin to portray the complex story within this romantic suspense novel. Ana is a CIA agent who has recently been put on a cold case involving stolen art as a disciplinary measure. Gates is a security expert and bodyguard for a powerful man, one of the victims of theft. They work together to uncover a dangerous theft ring. Plenty of hot, romantic interludes are interspersed within some really clever plot twists. It reminded me a bit of Cherry Adair.

Our Little Secret by Starr Ambrose
The cover of this one is flirty and sexy but somewhat misleading. The main character, Lauren, is "the good twin". Flirty and sexy is Meg, the sister who is also irresponsible (of course) and recently eloped with her much older Congressman boss. Responsible, careful, somewhat repressed Lauren has come to rescue Meg, again, and save her from herself. Enter Drew, sexy son of the Congressman who has also come to town to save his father from the grasping clutches of his new bride and (of course) finds Lauren instead. Sparks fly between the two as they search for the missing bride and groom and find that not all is what it seems. It is a typical mistaken twin storyline a la Harlequin, but it works. The writing is funny and story engaging.

I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think.

~Michele

On the Book Cart

2011-02-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

Contemporary:
Kim Gruenenfelder There's Cake in My Future

Historical:
Jack Caldwell Pemberly Ranch
Tiffany Clare The Seduction of His Wife
Fern Michaels To Taste the Wine

Paranormal:
Stella Cameron Out of Mind
Lucy Weston The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer

YA Crossover: Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers

2011-02-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I couldn't stand another thing paranormal -- romance, mystery, chick lit, whatever -- I came across My Soul to Lose while cruising around Amazon one afternoon. This novella by Rachel Vincent is the prequel to the rest of her Soul Screamers series. The premise sounded interesting and unusual, and it was only a couple of dollars, so I decided to give it a go and I'm really glad I did. The story features high school student Kaylee Cavanaugh, who lives with her aunt and uncle due to the early death of her mother and her father's inability to cope with his grief and a small child. Kaylee's life is essentially normal otherwise, other than a few incidents she has been told are simply panic attacks. Then one day Kaylee is at the mall with her best friend, and suddenly starts seeing shadows forming around a young man in a wheelchair. The next thing you know, Kaylee is screaming uncontrollably, and she finally ends up in a psych ward. Eventually she is sprung, but doesn't leave with a lot of answers. We don't find out until part way through the first full length book in the series, My Soul To Take, that Kaylee screams and sees shadows not because she is having panic attacks or some kind of psychotic episoe, but because she is a banshee. The myths surrounding these creatures who wail over the dead are correct in some of the basics, but off in the details, as Kaylee learns. Vincent's twist on the banshee legends and her use of folklore combined with a modern day setting creates an interesting story. The paranormal elements are consistent and the response they elicit in the unsuspecting humans who encounter them is very believable.
Though the heroine is a teenager this is a series that adult fans of paranormal stories will enjoy, as Kaylee's experiences go well beyond study hall and proms. There is a romantic element, as well. Anyone who has not completely blocked out the memories of their teenage years will be able to relate to Kaylee. Overall, this series is a nice change from vampires, and is well paced and populated with likeable (or hateable!) characters.

~Macaire

Still Waiting to Like This Heroine

2011-02-19T07:36:00.000-08:00

Provocative in Pearls
By Madeline Hunter

Really, where to begin?

Basic plot premise: Arranged marriage between penniless earl and ironworks heiress. Heiress has evil, greedy guardian with social-climbing wife; both earl and heiress wronged. Heiress runs away. Earl finds her two years later. Heiress wants to return to hometown and ironworks and right some wrongs; earl needs her money to take care of his estates and starving tenants. Passion ensues. After much tedium, so does teamwork, so wrongs are righted and all live happily ever after, with the exception of the evil guardian and wife.

The plot certainly has potential. The hero, though rather high-handed, at least shows some degree of introspection and willingness to compromise. The heroine is a sef-righteous twit with the maturity and single-mindedness of a tweenybopper trying to get to a Justin Bieber concert. Granted, she's been very badly treated, but the fact that I didn't feel more sympathy for her (and I wanted to, just as I wanted to actually like her) makes it clear that the character was just too wooden to engage me. By the time her full back story came out, I really didn't care.

This book does have some things going for it though. The relationship between the male characters was both realistic and entertaining. I would actually pick up another book in this series of it featured one of the secondary characters here.

And therein lies the problem: when the best thing about a romance novel is the male bonding, something is very, very wrong.

New website for Romance Lovers

2011-02-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

Debuting this week is Heroes and Heartbreakers, a site for all things romantic. This looks like a lot of fun, as there is quite a variety of content. One of my favorite elements is the section of original short stories. Currently featured is The Matchmaker by Linda Francis Lee. There are also book excerpts, teasers and trailers, blog postings, and contests. I've really enjoyed the posts and features I've read; there's something for every fan of the genre. Highly recommended -- I'll be putting on my regular reading list.

~Macaire

Quick Looks at Some Ongoing Series

2011-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

I've been catching up on some favorite authors lately, trying to get up to date on new entries in various series. I have to say, my reactions have ranged from somewhat disappointed to distinctly underwhelmed. Here's the scoop:

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
This is the third book in the Bride Quartet. I enjoyed the first one quite a bit, liked the second one well enough, realized the fourth one had just come out, and thought I better get busy. I figured I would enjoy the story of Laurel, the pastry chef. I like Nora Roberts, I like the whole wedding planning business storyline, and I like cake, so what's not to love? Unfortunately, while I loved Laurel's cakes, and would happily sit down to a tasting, I just never warmed to Laurel. She's okay, and the hero is okay, but I just never really got into the whole relationship. Laurel has always seemed to have a chip on her shoulder, so that could be part of the problem. All in all -- it was okay. Worth reading if you are a fan of the series, and with a few really entertaining scenes, such as the knock down fight between a bride's mother and stepmother minutes before the ceremony. Roberts always includes a bridezilla/wedding party behaving badly scene, and they always make me laugh. Other than that -- not a standout.

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
I have always been a big fan of Krentz (a former librarian) and of the Arcane Society series. I found things getting a little hard to follow in the Burning Lamp trilogy, but since I had read all the previous books it wasn't too bad.
I had really been looking forward to reading Fallon Jones' story, since he has always been one of my favorite characters. In Too Deep, the first book of the Looking Glass trilogy, features Fallon and a new character named Isabella Valdez. I truly enjoyed the book, as it contained all of Krentz's trademark elements: fast pace, great secondary characters, and dry humor. My complaint is that there is a lot of explaining of various elements of the backstory. Given that this is book 10 in the series, there IS a lot of backstory to explain, but even with that I still think it would be hard for someone not familiar with the series to pick this up and really enjoy it. It's just not a great stand alone book. So, a little less explanation and a little more development of the relationship would have worked better for me. But overall, I'm glad I read it, and look forward to the next installment. If you are new to the Arcane Society though, better start elsewhere.

~Macaire

On the Book Cart

2011-02-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

Historical
How to Woo a Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries
The Ranger by Monica McCarty
Chasing the Sun by Kaki Warner

Contemporary
Against the Wind by Kat Martin
Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce

Paranormal
Black Wings by Christina Henry

Suspense
Ruthless Game by Christine Feehan

New RT Book Reviews on the Shelf

2011-02-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

The March RT Book Reviews has arrived, with 273 new books reviewed. The cover story discusses Sabrina Jeffries and her Regency series featuring the Sharpe family. Author CJ Lyons interviews Erin Brockovich (yes, THAT Erin Brockovich!)about the new series that the two are co-authoring. Other feature stories include a discussion of gender-neutral pen names, the plight of independent booksellers in the age of the ebook, and a profile of author Julie James. The Teen Scene features authors Judy Blundell, Carrie Ryan and Carol Lynch Williams. The Pros on Prose and Fan Forum columns round out the issue. If you want to stock up on good books to get through the rest of the winter, this is the place to start!

Winter Reading, Because Otherwise I'd Just be Staring at the Snow

2011-02-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

Give that a) I have an old, rear wheel drive car and b) there's something like seven feet of snow on the ground, I've spent a lot of time reading this winter. I've also been investigating OverDrive, the library system's digital book resource (more on that later this week) in order to expand my reading options. I've been all over the map in terms of genre, but have gotten through a few romances and a couple of mysteries that had romantic elements. So in the next few weeks I will be blogging about, in no particular order, Nora Robert's Savor the Moment, Shayla Black's Delicious, using OverDrive on my Droid, What Angels Fear, the first Sebastian St. Cyr mystery, the difference between Adobe EPub books and Adobe PDF EPub books, and why you need to know such things, and An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd, an historical mystery that will appeal to fans of Maisie Dobbs. I'll probably throw in a few more things, now that my TBR has expanded from a pile on the nightstand into (virtual) piles on not one but two electronic devices. If you have been working your way through your own piles of books in order to avoid working your way through your own piles of snow, be sure to submit some reviews to the Winter Reading Club, which continues until the end of February.

On the Book Cart

2011-01-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

Contemporary:
Robyn Carr Promise Canyon
Sophie Gunn How Sweet It Is
Donna Kauffman Off Kilter

Historical:
Karen Hawkins One Night In Scotland
Johanna Lindsey Marriage Most Scandalous

Paranormal:
Amanda Ashley Night's Pleasure
Suzanne Brockman Time Enough for Love
Kresley Cole Demon from the Dark
Christine Feehan Hidden Currents
Allyson James Firewalker and Stormwalker
Sherrilyn Kenyon In Other Worlds and Phantom in the Night
Nalini Singh Play of Passion
J.R Ward Crave

Suspense:
Stephanie Tyler Lie With Me

On the Book Cart

2010-12-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ooooooo! The new Jayne Ann Krentz makes the book cart this week!! It is Fallon's story and the first in a new trilogy. Too bad someone beat me to the reserves! There are a couple of other good entries though. Check it out!

Historical:
Wicked Nights With a Lover by Sophie Jordan
Defiant by Jessica Trapp

Romantic Suspense:
Senseless by Mary Burton
In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

And....don't forget to send me a book review for our Winter Reading Club. It runs all through January and there are prizes involved courtesy of the Friends of the Voorheesville Library. Entries can be sent to reillym@uhls.lib.ny.us

~ Michele

New Year's stories

2010-12-28T07:59:00.001-08:00

The craziness of this time of year doesn't leave me much time for reading. Seems that my pile 'o stuff just keeps growing with nothing finished to review.

So what to blog about? Resolutions to read more??

Ummm, maybe not. But, just for kicks and giggles, here's a list of some New Year's themed romances to get you (and me) on the right track for 2011. Check it out!
~ Michele

The Year of Living Shamelessly by Susanna Carr

The Duke’s New Year Resolution by Merline Lovelace

In One Year and Out the Other: A New Year’s Story Collection by Lauren McKenna, et al

Hot Number by Carly Phillips

Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter

Not Another New Year’s by Christine Ridgeway

On the Book Cart

2010-12-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well, the last few book carts have been rather light on romances, but this week's cart was well worth waiting for. Check it out!

Historical:

The Heir by Grace Burrowes

Outrageously Yours by Allison Chase

Marry Me by Jo Goodman

Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath

Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer

Highland Scandal by Julia London

Sisters of the Quilt by Cindy Woodsmall

Contemporary:

No Place to Run by Maya Banks

You Dropped a Blonde on Me by Dakota Cassidy

The Boyfriend of the Month Club by Maria Geraci

Unforgivable by Laura Griffin

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

On the Book Cart

2010-12-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

Historical:

A Most Scandalous Engagement by Gayle Callen

How to Wed a Baron by Kasey Michaels

His Christmas Pleasure by Cathy Maxwell

Contemporary:

Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley

Paranormal:

Eternal Flame by Cynthia Eden

Wolfsbane and Mistletoe by multiple authors

In the Dark of Dreams by Marjorie M. Liu

Hungry For You by Lynsay Sands

Dark Lover by JR Ward

Lit Look-Alikes

2010-11-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Recently, I’ve read three novels which happened to be based on classic literature. While none are true category romances, all have a strong romantic aspect, at least in the current form.

Oddly, the most romance-like of the three is based on a classic horror/ghost story. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie is a retelling of the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, although there were quite a few times I wondered if she was really doing a Shakespeare comedy. The first scene reminded me very much of a typical Harlequin romance setting, (not that there’s anything wrong with that…) so I was pleasantly surprised to find it had a bit more meat to the story. The book runs the gamut from chilling to romantic to downright funny . The support characters are fully formed and the main characters are likeable. Unbelievably, this was the first book I’d read by Crusie, but it definitely won’t be my last.

Juliet by Anne Fortier is a novel that is more than loosely connected to, you guessed it, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It is not a true re-telling of the story, however. In this clever book, the author successfully shifts back and forth between the 14th century story of Guilietta Tolomei and Romeo Salimbeni and the present. Are they the real couple whose story inspired Shakespeare’s famous tragedy? The 21st century Guilietta and Romeo are locked in a desperate struggle with some rather unsavory characters to discover the truth, find a highly coveted treasure and undo a centuries long family curse. A well written, suspenseful read.

Finally, Nice To Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers is a wonderful book that I picked up because my book club is reading it. It is a modernized version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. While the characters and situations themselves are very different, each rings true to their Austen counterpart in their underlying character traits and behavior. I did get a bit impatient with Pru who felt she knew what everyone else should do but was remarkably blind about her own life. Overall though, I loved it.

reviewed by Michele

On the Cart

2010-11-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

A light cart this week, but one with some great authors.

Historical:
Evangeline Collins Seven Nights to Forever
Suzanne Enoch Rules of and Engagement
Kieran Kramer When Harry Met Molly

Paranormal:
Three books in The Blade of the Rose series by Zoe Archer
Warrior
Scoundrel
Rebel

On the Book Cart

2010-11-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
HelenKay Dimon Impulsive
Robyn Carr The House on Olive Street
Nora Roberts Happy Ever After

Historical:
Stephanie Laurens The Reckless Bride
Julia London The Year of Living Scandalously
Sarah MacLean
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord

Holiday:
Anthology Holiday Magic
Lauren Willig The Mischief of the Mistletoe

Paranormal:
Gena Showalter Ecstasy in Darkness

Suspense:
Carla Neggers Cold Dawn

On the Book Cart

2010-10-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Holiday:
Anthology Under the Mistletoe
Lisa Kleypas Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor
Lisa Plumley Holiday Affair

Historical:
Celeste Bradley Scoundrel in My Dreams
Courtney Milan Trial by Desire

Paranormal:
Lora Leigh Styx's Storm
Eve Silver Sins of the Soul

November RT Book Reviews on the Shelf

2010-10-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

The cover story of this month's RT Book Reviews gives us three authors and one dangerous gingerbread cookie. Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier are the cozy mystery authors behind the Gingerbread Cookie Murder anthology, and each contributed a brief cookie related mystery to this issue. Other feature stories include a discussion of the popularity of mysteries featuring long dead authors as amateur sleuths,a look at how favorite fictional families spend the holidays,and a look at medieval mystery author Jeri Westerson's research methods. Dennis Lehane and Kathy Reichs talk about their new work, and the Writing with the Stars contest is launched. The Pros on Prose, Fan Forum,Teen Scene and 252 book reviews round out the issue.

On the Book Cart

2010-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Anthology The Naughty List
Mindy Klasky To Wish or Not to Wish
Jill Shalvis Simply Irrestible

Historical:
Brenda Joyce The Promise

Paranormal:
Meljean Brook The Iron Duke
Kerrelyn Sparks Eat Prey Love

Love is in the Ear

2010-10-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Webmistress Judie, who is also keeper of the audio book collection, forwarded me an interesting email this morning. It seems that Recorded Books has teamed up with Harlequin and is offering new series titles each quarter. Currently available are titles from the Harlequin Romance, Presents, Historical and Silhouette lines. Series titles typically don't circulate well in our library, but we do very well with stand alones, and have some in both print and audio.
So, now it's "True Confessions of a Real Librarian" time. (And no, that is not the title of an upcoming Harlequin Desire release.) I rarely listen to audio books. I use them only to get through long drives and tedious projects. It requires a really good reader to hold my interest, and even then I will often go to the print version once the long drive or tedious project is done. And here's a deeper, darker secret: my least-favorite-listens are romances. You're shocked, I know. But let's face it, a badly written love scene can be skimmed over in print, but it's hard to start fast forwarding through a CD or MP3 while hurtling along a highway or wielding a paintbrush. There are some very good writers who don't write great love scenes, and having a nicely paced romantic suspense novel degenerate to purple prose can ruin the whole experience. At best, it's an eye roll. At worst, it's screamingly funny.
Never fear, we will still be getting some romance titles as audio books, but the budget doesn't run to many, and so the Harlequin series package will not be appearing.
This still leaves me with the burning question, patrons and readers: Is romance via earbud good or bad?

Miss Foster Well Worth It at Twice the Price

2010-10-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

Miss Foster's Folly
By Alice Gaines

So last week I waxed rhapsodic about the joys of free Kindle downloads, and this week I am going to rave about one I actually paid for. Miss Foster's Folly by Alice Gaines cost me all of $4.69, and frankly would have been well worth it even if I'd had to pay the standard $7.99-$9.99 for it. Miss Juliet Foster's unpleasant and immensely wealthy father has just died, leaving Juliet the wealthiest spinster in New York City. (Honestly, the reading of the will alone is worth the price of the book -- it's a scene that's both hilarious and sad.) Juliet decides she's ready for a life of adventure, but it's 1885 and any sort of scandalous behavior will likely inspire her siblings (who were less well provided for in the will) to try to have her committed so they can walk off with her money. So Juliet decides to pack her trunks and take her friend Millie and hop the first ship to Europe, where she will use an assumed name and pass herself off as a widow and take lovers all across the continent. The one wrinkle in her plan is the fact that she's a virgin, and would therefore find it difficult to convince anyone that the widow story is true. What's an enterprising spinster to do? Juliet decides her best plan is to take the visiting Marquis of Derrington as her first lover, and then leave him in New York. She encounters a snag when the handsome and rakish Marquis refuses her advances and proposes marriage instead. It seems he is under a family curse that requires he find a wife as headstrong and eccentric as he is, and he has decided that Juliet fits the bill. The result is a trans-continental romantic caper that is funny, smart and sexy, with likeable leads and an entertaining supporting cast. Should this ever become available in print, I will be buying a copy for the library. In the interim, any historical romance fans with Kindles or compatible devices should definitely acquire a copy!

Buy Miss Foster's Folly through the link below and a percentage of your purchase will go to the Friends of the Library.

On the Book Cart

2010-10-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Historical:
Elizabeth Boyle Mad About the Duke
Liz Carlyle One Touch of Scandal
Sabrina Jeffries A Hellion in Her Bed
Anne Stuart Breathless

Paranormal:
Michele Bardsley Cross Your Heart

Suspense:
Brenda Novak Killer Heat

Currently Reading...

2010-10-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

Passion Becomes Her
by Shirlee Busbee

Now that I am back at home, I am once again digging into my pile of actual printed-on-paper books. The latest historical romance in the bedside reading pile is Passion Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee. Our hero, aristocratic Asher Cordell, has been supporting his family by robbing the rich. If his well-heeled victims are not so very nice, all the better. In fact, Asher is on the verge of retirement from his life of crime when a neighbor does something so dastardly Asher decides the only fitting punishment is to steal the loathsome man's most valuable family possession. (Truly -- the bad guy is really bad. I actually cried when I read what he'd done!) In the midst of his well-planned heist, Asher is interrupted by the stealthy entrance of his childhood friend Lady Juliana Greeley, who has planned a discreet theft of her own. Her sister is being blackmailed, and Juliana is determined to steal the letters our nasty villain is using against her. Asher and Lady Juliana decide to join forces, adventure ensues, and sparks fly.

Though I have not yet finished the book, I can already recommend it to those of you who enjoy historical romance with deeply drawn and likeable characters and quite a bit of adventure. This is the first book of Busbee's that I have read, but I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another.

Free Love!!

2010-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

While traveling over the long weekend, I got reacquainted with my Kindle
and all it's various features. I hadn't really noodled around with it in awhile, since when at home I usually read actual printed books from the library. I was sitting in the Orlando airport on a layover, trying to avoid sugared up children in mouse ears, and thinking how nice it was not to be hauling around a tote bag filled with 20 paperbacks. I was deciding whether or not to buy another book to download, and feeling guilty about paying for things I could get for free when I got back to work, when I remembered -- the Kindle FREE Bestseller list!! That's right, Gentle Reader, there is always a certain amount of free content available in the Kindle Store. It ranges from classics to current mid-list author releases, with some puzzles and games occassionally thrown in just for fun. You can usually find a decent number of romance titles if you are willing to spend some time looking through the list. This is a great way to try some new authors for free, thus avoiding that "I could get this at the library instead of spending my hard earned cash on it" feeling...

October RT Book Reviews is on the shelf!

2010-09-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

The new RT Book Reviews is in, and in addition to its usual 250 book reviews, has several interesting feature stories. In keeping with the spookiest month of the year, the issue is heavy on the paranormal. The cover story features J.K. Beck and her novels about a paranormal legal system with a vampire hero. Other features include a look at women authors making headway in the usually male domianted genre of Sci-fi, a review of best-selling authors' favorite haunted house stories, and an interview with historical romance author Elizabeth Boyle. Also included are the usual Pros on Prose and Fan Forum sections, as well as the recently added Teen Scene. Check it out and get some great new recommendations!

On the Book Cart

2010-09-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Historical:
Suzanne Enoch Twice the Temptation
Teresa Madeiros The Devil Wears Plaid
Paula Quinn Seduced by a Highlander
Tracey Anne Warren Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed

Paranormal:
Anthology On the Prowl
Nina Bangs Wicked Fantasy

Romantic Suspense:
Laura Griffin Whisper of Warning

Love in the Library

2010-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

We just added The Desk Set to our DVD collection! It's not only one of my all time favorite romantic comedies, it's also probably the first "information science" movie. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in the film, which also features Gig Young and Joan Blondell. Hepburn plays Bunny Watson, head of the research department at a major TV network, and Tracy plays the computer expert Richard Sumner, who has been hired to integrate computers into the department. Bunny's wildly efficient and incredibly stylish staff believe the network wants to replace them with machines, and comedic mayhem ensues. This is a smart, funny movie with a great cast, well worth picking up and settling in with now that the days are getting shorter.

Take a Chance on October!!

2010-09-27T14:58:00.001-07:00

The Friends of the Library have really outdone themselves with their newest fundraiser. The Take a Chance on October raffle features 31 days of prizes and one Grand Prize. The daily prizes range in value from $25 to $100, and are items donated by local merchants and organizations. The Grand Prize is a 17" strand of black cultured freshwater pearls with 14k gold accents. Tickets for the daily raffles are $5; buy four of them and you receive a special Grand Prize drawing ticket. Tickets are available now and will be on sale through the end of October. Schedule of prizes is available in the September/October Bookworm and in the Library. Stop by, support the Friends, and take a chance!

Midnight Crystal

2010-09-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Midnight Crystal
By Jayne Castle

Back in the days when people believed you could turn lead into gold, a couple of feuding alchemists devoted themselves to the study of enhancing paranormal abilities. In addition to the standard study of base metals and search for eternal life (Alchemy 101) they worked with plants and crystals. Eventually, one invented a noxious potion and the other a lamp-like artifact, each of which could enhance a person’s psychic talents. Unfortunately, both systems come with a high price: certain madness and death (the potion) or near certain madness and death, depending on who you were (the lamp). The inventor of the potion, Sylvester Jones, realizes the potion’s dangerous effects and makes notes in his journals, but never gives up his quest. The inventor of the lamp, Nicholas Winters, goes mad himself while working the crystals that go into the lamp. He becomes obsessed with finishing his creation and using it to exact vengeance on his archrival, Jones, and any of Jones’ descendants the bearer of the lamp might come in contact with. You might say both these guys were a little too focused on their work, to the detriment of anyone who came into contact with them. Apparently, playing well with others was not in the mad alchemist job description.

Fast forward 600 years. On the planet Harmony, Marlowe Jones has been made manager of the Frequency City office of Jones & Jones. Management of the family detective agency has usually gone to someone who has a strong chaos theory talent, so the fact that she is a dreamlight reader makes her something of an anomaly. It also makes her a great profiler, which comes in handy when she is called upon to investigate a theft from the Arcane Society Museum. The object stolen is none other than the Burning Lamp, a legendary artifact created by Nicholas Winters, and supposedly endowed with incredible powers. According to legend, only direct descendents of Winters can work the lamp, and those who can activate all the crystals embedded in it will be compelled to kill all descendents of Sylvester Jones within reach. The Jones family therefore has a vested interest in keeping track of the lamp. Historically, the lamp has an unfortunate tendency to go missing, leaving both the Jones and Winters clans scrambling for possession, so Marlowe decides her best bet for tracking it down is contacting Adam Winters.

Adam, recently made boss of the Frequency Ghost Hunters Guild, is having a few problems of his own. Not only is he having nightmares and hallucinations, someone is trying to kill him. Since death threats are fairly standard for Guild bosses, the feeling that he’s losing his mind is of greater concern. He fears that he will fall victim to the Winters Curse unless he finds – you guessed it – the Burning Lamp and a strong dreamlight reader to help him work it. And if the legend is to be believed, time is running out.
So he agrees to meet Marlowe, even though her choice of location is a bit questionable, in his opinion.
The next thing you know, the two are being shot at and forced into the alien catacombs under the planet’s surface. By the time they surface, they have to hitchhike back to the city, and before noon have become an item in the tabloids. Though they have different motivations, the two join forces to find the lamp, and all sorts of mayhem, not to mention incredible chemistry, follows.

This is another fun, fast-paced story from Castle, better known as Jayne Ann Krentz or Amanda Quick. You always know what you’re getting with Krentz, and she never fails to make her plots and characters seem new and fresh. If you haven’t read the first two books in this trilogy, Fired Up and The Burning Lamp, start with those (in any order) or it will be tricky to sort out what’s going on in this book. If you are not familiar with Harmony, there is enough explanation and back story to get you through, but you can always check the author’s website for a complete booklist.

On the Book Cart

2010-09-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Jeanne Adams Deadly Little Secrets
Susan Andersen Burning Up
Brenda Novak Body Heat
Carly Phillips Love Me if you Dare
Mariah Stewart Home Again

Historical:
Olivia Drake Never Trust a Rogue
Diane Gaston Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress
Monica McCarty The Hawk

Paranormal:
Patricia Briggs Hunting Ground
Gail Carriger Blameless
Jayne Castle Midnight Crystal
Christina Dodd Chains of Fire
Heather Graham Ghost Moon
Lynsay Sands Born to Bite

Now Reading: Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

2010-09-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Snagged this one off the shelf in Tech Services on Friday, and am just finishing up. I'm a big fan of Jayne Ann Krentz no matter what name she writes under, but I am especially fond of the futuristic world of Harmony. Not only does it appeal to the closet archaeologist within me (Unexplored alien catacombs!) and to the animal lover (Dust bunnies, and not the type you find under the bed either!)Krentz also inevitably includes one brief,realistic-but-kind look at librarians. The author, a former "information professional" herself, typically nails it with her trademark gentle humor. While you're waiting for the book to hit the shelf, take a look at the book trailer:

On the Book Cart

2010-09-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Erin McCarthy Hot Finish
Carly Phillips Kiss Me If You Can

Historical:
Tessa Dare Three Nights with a Scoundrel
Stephanie Laurens The Brazen Bride
Johanna Lindsey Captive of My Desires

Paranormal:
Anthology Cupid Cats
Cherry Adair Black Magic
Annette Blair Bedeviled Angel
Christine Feehan Water Bound
Loucinda McGary The Wild Irish Sea
Mary Jo Putney A Distant Magic

Suspense:
Elizabeth Jennings Shadows at Midnight
Sharon Sala Blown Away

On the Book Cart

2010-08-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Historical:
Loretta Chase Last Night's Scandal
Eileen Dreyer Barely a Lady
Elizabeth Hoyt Wicked Intentions
Eloisa James A Kiss at Midnight
Anne Stuart Ruthless
Mary Wine To Conquer a Highlander

Contemporary:
Suzanne Brockman Infamous
Kristan Higgins All I Ever Wanted
Susan Wiggs Summer Brides (anthology with Sherryl Woods and Susan Mallery)

Paranormal:
Heather Graham Ghost Night

Suspense:
Cynthia Eden Deadly Fear
Brenda Novak White Heat
Sharon Sala Swept Aside and Torn Apart

Book Trailer of the Week

2010-08-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Hoyt's latest release, Wicked Intentions, has just arrived in the library. If you like historicals with a bit of suspense and mystery, this one looks like a winner. Moving between St. Giles, one of London's most infamous slums, and the ballrooms of high society, Wicked Intentions tells the story of two people on desperate hunts. Temperance Daws must find a new patron for the foundling home her family runs, and Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is hunting a notorious killer. This unlikely partnership brings both hero and heroine much more than they bargained for...

Harlequin's New Look

2010-08-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

One of the oldest names in romance publishing has given its website a brand new look!
Harlequin's online home, eHarlequin, still has all the great features you've enjoyed in the past, and has added some new sections and made the whole site look cleaner and more contemporary. I like the fact that you can now shop either the "Bookstore" or the "eBookstore." My favorite section, though, is still the Harlequin Extras, with everything from contests to podcasts to writing guidelines. Shop, read, listen, and write -- what more could a romance fan want?

RITA and Golden Heart Award Winners Announced

2010-08-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the RWA Conference is the announcement of the year's RITA and Golden Heart Award winners. The RITA is awarded to a published author; the Golden Heart goes to an author of an umpublished manuscript. I am happy to say that the library owns several of the RITA winners, and will acquire any others that are available. So check out the winners, and then check out the books!

Romance Reader on a Quest!!!

2010-08-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just don't know what I want to read. I'm tired of some of the authors I've followed for years. In my quest for some new ones, I checked out the RT Book Reviews website, the online companion to the magazine we use here at the library. They have a lovely search engine there that is worth blogging about. Check it out here.

You can search by keyword, author and title, of course. You can even search by the RT star rating. But the part that will have you all swooning (c'mon, we/re romance readers after all!) is the genre/type search capability for every category of romance you can think of.

Like paranormals? You can narrow your search to everything from your favorite type of creature to psychics.

If you want to control how hot the scenes can be, you can search first in either "Erotic Romance" or "Inspirational" and then break them further into categories.

Historicals especially are divided into all kinds of time period, style and locale you can think of. Imagine being able to come up with a substantive list of a specific sub-sub-subgenre! I was a little disappointed not to find anything in a category search for "Historical Romances: Gothic". (My grandmother is a fan of them so I'm always on the lookout.) However, a straight keyword search came up with a ton of hits where the word "Gothic" was used descriptively in reviews, several of which were categorized as "Top Picks".

A category search for "Romantic Suspense: All Romantic Suspense" came up with an overwhelming 1177 titles. But I was able to sort them by review date, RT star rating, or relevance to the search terms I used which made it a little more useful. RT also does reviews on other genre fiction you can search - mystery, thriller, sci-fi and suspense to name a few.

This website is also excellent for keeping up with the romance field in a broader sense. The main page of the website contains links to a daily blog, RT video interviews with authors and the newest "Top Picks" in several categories. You never know when you might find the next jewel of an author lurking there.

Check it out! I'd love to hear what you think.

~Michele

Strawberry Hill, the Gothic revival style manor built by Horace Walpole. Walpole authored The Castle of Otranto considered by many to be the first Gothic romance, making Walpole the founder of the genre.

Oh, for a bigger budget!

2010-07-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

As I have been reading around the blogosphere the past few days, I have become pea green with envy at all the bloggers, librarians, and bloggerlibrarians who are attending the Romance Writers of America Annual Conference. Since our little library does not have a budget that runs to such glamorous events, I must live vicariously through other attendees. One of the cool things about this conference is that they have a special Librarian Day with lots of great events AND a goody bag. Not that I am all about the swag. Not at all. Because the last thing I need is more books, even if they are free. At least that's what I keep telling myself. We won't even go into the conference's proximity to the new Harry Potter theme park.
Free books and Hogwarts aside, there are also some very high profile speakers -- Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Sherrilyn Kenyon among them. This is a great event for readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, and romance fans in general. The good news? Next year's event is in New York. Start planning your trip....

On the Book Cart

2010-07-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Contemporary:
Pamela Morsi The Bikini Car Wash
Susan Sey Money Honey

Historical:
Shirlee Busbee Passion Becomes Her
Claudia Dain Daring a Duke
Julie Anne Long I Kissed an Earl
Patricia Rice The Wicked Wyckerly

Paranormal:
Anthology The Bodyguard
Maggie Shayne Kill Me Again

Gilded Age Inspiration

2010-07-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

When I read historical romances (or purchase them for the library), my choices lean heavily toward the Regency. The clothes, the parties, the social customs -- and a bit of drawing room comedy is nice as well. Many of our patrons join me in the typical American fascination with dukes and duchesses, so it's easy to end up with a collection of historicals that is all British Regency, all the time. Fortunately, I was saved from my rut by the recent release of not one but two novels set in the United States during the Gilded Age. All the manners and mores you could want(both upstairs and below stairs) with enough parties, clothes, and grand houses to keep things interesting. Both titles fall into the Inspirational category, so expect elements of the characters' faith to be woven into the story. Due to the terrifying height of my TBR pile, I only had time to skim these, but both seem to be well plotted with strong characterization, good historical detail, and the all important atmosphere.

Love on a Dime
by Cara Lynn James

At the age of nineteen, Lilly Westbrook fell in love with Jackson Grail, a hardworking young man educated (on scholarship) at the finest schools. Endowed with brains and ambition but no money, Jack is considered suitable as a friend to Lilly's brother George but not as a suitor for Lilly. He proposes anyway, but his courage fails him when it comes time to ask the Westbrooks for Lilly's hand, and he breaks off with her so that she can continue to lead her privileged life while he goes off to make his fortune. Six years later, when he appears at her family's home in Newport for a visit with George, he has not only struck it rich in the Klondike, but has purchased a couple of companies and has his eye on a third. Here the plot truly thickens, since Lilly has not been sitting idly by attending parties and updating her wardrobe. Though she nursed her heartbreak for a few years, she also found a new purpose in helping the residents of a settlement house in the city. In order to fund her charitable endeavors, she has taken to secretly penning dime novels under the name Fannie Cole. Her work has become quite popular, making it more and more difficult for her to hide her alter ego from her family. It would be social disaster to be revealed, especially as she now has a new and wealthy suitor. When it turns out that the next company Jackson wants to buy is her publisher, Lilly fears that the gig will be well and truly up! The rest of the novel follows Lilly's attempts to reconcile the various elements of her life -- her love for Jackson, her enjoyment of her work and the good she does with it, and her desire to not disappoint her family.

Maid to Match
by Deeanne Gist

Though most historical romances focus on the titled or the wealthy, life and love did go on below stairs. It was at best less glamorous and at worst actively discouraged and grounds for dismissal. Therefore the last thing that Tillie Reese wants to do is fall in love with a footman. Having worked her way up the ladder of domestic staff to become head parlormaid at 18, Tillie has a shot at being promoted to lady's maid to Edith Vanderbilt. However, she has competition, and even a minor slip could cost her the job. When she's given the task of whipping a new employee into shape, it looks like a chance to score some points toward the new job, but when sparks start to fly between Tillie and Mack Danvers, future footman, things get complicated. They get more complicated still when Tillie and Mack may have to expose a scandal involving the local orphanage. Tillie has to choose whether to follow her heart and her conscience or let her ambition rule her decisions. Featuring the servants and making the Vanderbilts secondary characters is a nice twist on the usual historical formula, and the marvelous Biltmore Estate is a wonderful setting.

On the Book Cart

2010-07-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

New this week:

Contemporary:
Julia London One Season of Sunshine
Linda Lael Miller McKettricks of Texas: Austin
Nora Roberts Sweet Rains
JoAnn Ross The Homecoming
Kandy Shepherd Home is Where the Bark Is

Historical:
Jennifer Ashley Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage
Laura Frantz Courting Morrow Little
Cara Lynn James Love on a Dime
Tessa Dare Twice Tempted by a Rogue
Jane Feather Rushed to the Altar
Lisa Kleypas Love in the Afternoon
Lisa Kleypas Married by Morning

Paranormal:
Sharon Ashwood Unchained
Cynthia Eden I'll Be Slaying You
Shannon McKenna Fade to Midnight
Gena Showalter The Darkest Lie

Suspense:
Heather Graham Ghost Shadow
Laura Griffin Unspeakable

On the Book Cart

2010-07-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Now that the new budget year has begun, boxes and boxes of new books are arriving daily. We are processing them as fast as we can, and trying to get a little bit of everything out each week. So instead of one or two big batches of romance novels, you'll be seeing a few new ones each week for awhile. This week's offerings are:

Historical:
Susan Wiggs The Hostage

Contemporary:
Victoria Dahl Crazy for Love
Susan Mallery Almost Perfect

Paranormal:
Christins Dodd Chains of Ice

August RT Book Reviews has arrived

2010-07-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of RT Book Reviews is on the shelf in the periodicals section. The cover story discusses suspense author Brenda Novak and her many current projects, including a new trilogy that launches in August. The first book is titles White Heat and we will have it here at the library. Other feature stories include a discussion of formats -- hardcover versus paperback versus e-book -- with industry insiders debating the pros and cons of each. Also debated is the future of romantic suspense -- is it dead or alive? Authors featured include Laura Lippman, Tana French, and Christine Feehan. Continuing the suspense themed stories this months Pros on Prose is an email conversation between authors Laura Griffin and Allison Brennan. Rounding out the issue is the Fan Forum, Teen Scene, and more than 250 book reviews.

2010-07-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Fallen
by Erin McCarthy

Angels and demons take the stage in this paranormal series called the "Seven Deadly Sins" making a nice change from the standard vampire and psychic fare.

Gabriel is one of seven angels sent to earth to watch over 19th century New Orleans and help mortals overcome the various miseries in their lives. Instead, the enormity of the misery overwhelms him. He not only succumbs to the sin of gluttony, but embraces it to escape the pain. A woman is murdered during one of his drug and alcohol induced stupors and not only does he not know who did it, but he can't even be sure he didn't do it himself. Now he is one of the fallen, a Grigori demon, banned from Heaven and damned to live among mortals but never be really part of them. His punishment is to have his own weaknesses and addictions turned against him until he has finally paid long enough or can find a way to redeem himself.

Fast forward to the current era. Claire has more than a passing acquaintance with pain and addiction herself. She has been asked by Gabriel, now a true-crime author, to collaborate with him on a book about the striking similarities between her mother's murder and the woman who was murdered all those years ago. Both Claire and Gabriel have hidden agendas and secrets and both are fighting an attraction that Gabriel knows can only lead to more misery.

I liked this one. I found it refreshing that the religious references were straightforward and not apologetic in any sort of "politically correct" way. I'm looking forward to reading My Immortal, the first in the series as well as the third, The Taking, which just came out this year.

Submitted by Michele

True Colors

2010-07-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

True Colors
By Kristin Hannah

The heart of this book is a story of three sisters and their relationships with each other. I don’t categorize this as a romance in the classic sense. However, the core of the book revolves around love – sisterly love, romantic love, unrequited love, careless love, passionate and obsessive love, parental love (or lack thereof) – so I thought I’d review it here.
The book is highly character driven. It follows Winona, Aurora and Vivi-Ann through four decades from childhood to adulthood. The reader gets to know Winona and Vivi-Ann very well. Winona is a highly successful lawyer who is much less confident in her personal life and struggles with a jealousy of Vivi-Ann. Vivi-Ann is a vivacious beauty who feels everything deeply and is unswervingly loyal to those she loves. Aurora seems a weak character who mainly serves two purposes – as a fashion plate to show the passage of time and as a mostly neutral peace-maker between the other two sisters. The interactions they have with their father and their lovers dominates the plot and drives the relationship the sisters have with each other.
I read this book for a discussion group. I’d never read anything by Kristin Hannah but was looking forward to it because I knew many people like her. I always think that a good book is one you get lost in. You forget you are reading and just experience the story. This one was okay but nothing I had trouble putting down when I needed to. I found parts of it very good and parts of it forced and contrived.
I didn’t care for the ending. I thought the first scene was just corny (it would have worked in a Harlequin romance) and the second just seemed unworthy of the emotional growth this sister had made. No spoilers though for those who want to see for themselves. Several in my book group disagreed with me, so let me know what YOU think!
~ Michele

2010 RITA and Golden Heart Finalists

2010-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Romance Writers of America will be announcing the winners of their annual RITA and Golden Heart Awards on July 31st at their conference in Orlando. The RITA recognizes excellence in published romance novels in twelve different categories. Approximately 1000 different books are entered annually. The RITA finalist list is a great place to look for new authors or to find some high quality options if you are considering dabbling in a new subgenre. The Golden Heart Award is for manuscripts that are unpublished and not under contract to be published at the contest deadline; many finalists in this category end up with publishing contracts. I’ll publish the list of winners in both categories when they are announced. Meanwhile, enjoy checking out current and future stars!

Reading Round Up -- Part II

2010-06-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Death in the Stocks
by Georgette Heyer
Arnold Vereker was an awful man, so his murder results in more shock and speculation than sorrow. Arnold Vereker’s family and heirs are awful in their own way: not at all sorry that he’s gone, not willing to pretend they are, and not at all convinced the police will solve the crime. Heyer was known as the queen of the Regency romance, but her country house mysteries showcase the same meticulous research, depth of characterization, and clever plotting. This is smart, entertaining, and inventive, with engaging, if awful, characters.

Wild Ride
by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Though I am not a huge fan of paranormals, I am a huge fan of Crusie and Mayer and their offbeat blend of romantic-comedy-action-adventure. And I have to admit, the classic amusement park setting really appealed to me, as did the heroine’s occupation – restorer of antique (or just plain old and ratty) carnival and amusement park artifacts. When it turns out that some of those items house some ancient demons, things at Dreamland start getting a little crazy. The twisted humor and cast of eccentric characters are really enjoyable, though I found the romantic element a little slow at times. Overall – this is both fun and entertaining.

Reading Round Up

2010-06-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

I’ve been trying to work my way through my To Be Read pile, and thus haven’t been on top of reading and reviewing too much romance. Just to make it clear I haven’t been loafing around watching television, here’s a brief look at the books I’ve gotten through in the past several weeks:

The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag
by Alan Bradley
The further adventures of Flavia de Luce, age 11, passionate chemist and amateur sleuth. When murder once again visits her little village, Flavia takes to the back roads and woods on her trusty bicycle to unearth the truth. Though Flavia is as incorrigible as ever, this novel does not hang together quite as neatly as her first adventure, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Still entertaining and atmospheric, especially for fans of the village or country house murder.

The Burning Lamp
by Amanda Quick
The second book in The Dreamlight Trilogy finds adventurous, crusading Adelaide Pyne coming to the aid of Griffin Winters. Griffin has started hallucinating, and fears he is falling victim to the Winters curse; Adelaide has the skill and the artifact necessary to help him avoid that fate – he hopes. Unfortunately, some shadowy figures from both their pasts would like to get their hands on both the artifact and Adelaide, and they don’t really care who gets hurt in the process. Another solid entry in the light suspense category from Quick, who also writes as Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle. If you are not familiar with the Arcane Society, you will want to start with one of the earlier books.

Tomorrow:
Death in the Stocks and Wild Ride -- mystery and romance combined...

July RT Book reviews on the Shelf

2010-06-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

The new RT Book Reviews has arrived, with a cover story on Shana Abe, and features on authors Carrie Vaughn, Chevy Stevens, and Eileen Dreyer. Other features include a look at the crossover appeal of teen/young adult books, and an examination of the polygamy as a trending theme in fiction. Working along with the teen fiction article is a Pros on Prose column about writing YA, and a Teen Scene interview with Melissa de la Cruz. Rounding out the issue are the usual Fan Forum columns and more than 250 book reviews.

One heroine, two opinions

2010-06-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Leave Me Breathless
By HelenKay Dimon

Back in April I took this book home, read it pretty quickly, and trotted back to work with every intention of immediately writing a review. It sat on my desk for a few days while I mulled. I just couldn’t decide whether or not I liked it. I usually like Dimon’s work, I finished the book in reasonable time rather than abandoning it, I thought it was suspenseful and well plotted – so what was my issue? The heroine, I decided. I didn’t like her. Well, not much. At least not at the beginning, but I liked her more at the end. See my problem? I liked the overall book, but had to work at liking the heroine, so – to recommend or not to recommend? Did I want to invest in a full review or would I just get irritated with the woman all over again? Then, while in mid-mull, I read a review by Wendy the Super Librarian. Wendy’s review was not only entertaining (they usually are) but helped me reframe my issue. Our heroine, Callie, got a very raw deal from her former employer, the FBI, and has gone into private security work. When we meet her, she comes across as tough, mouthy, and impulsive. In fact, she spends so much time being tough, mouthy and impulsive that I was ready to write her off as unprofessional, phenomenally stupid and (perish the thought) tacky. But I hung with the book because I liked the plot, the pace, and the secondary romance. As the story went on, I warmed up to Callie as she demonstrated a sense of humor and the ability to acknowledge her mistakes and learn from them. She did not become the kind of one note song I detest; the ones that make me want to grab the hero by his lapels and say “See that tough, mouthy, go-it-alone type tacky broad over there? There are bad guys trying to kill her. LET THEM.” Callie has some dimension, so even though she is not the type of heroine I like, I liked her enough to be able to enjoy all the really good elements in the book. If you want to know a little more about the plot, or get a second opinion on Callie, check out Wendy’s review.
Or just stop in and check out the book!