This is a Powerpuff Girls Collaboration, brought to you by Ana (aka Bubbles) and Katiebabs (aka Blossum) and on this occasion Kmont (aka Buttercup II). A Powerpuff Girls review is a fun way of combining forces between blogs: we all read the same book and post our thoughts on the same day. Enjoy ours and don’t forget to check the other two reviews later today.

Title: Perfect Chemistry

Author: Simone Elkeles

Genre: YA/ Romance

Publisher: Walker Books / Simon and Schuster UK
Publishing Date: Dec 2008 (US)/ 29 April 2010 (UK)
Paperback: 368 pages

Stand alone or series: It is a stand alone book with a sequel in the works.

Why did I read the book: It was recommended to me by a LOT of people: readers of the blog and other bloggers and friends including Christine, Liz and Angie.

How did I get the book: Bought

Summary: At Fairfield High, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners, the results are bound to be explosive.

Neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all – love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

Review:

Two teenagers, both alike in dignity.
In Fairfield, Chicago, where the story is set.
An ancient grudge between North and South, where difference sets apart, where prejudice lies.
For here the fateful story of the pair of star-crossed lovers takes place, whose adventurous relationship overthrows and doth with their love, bury their strife.

Paired off in Chemistry lab, by the Sympathetic Teacher who wishes to bridge a gap, are Mexican Alejandro Fuentes, infamous enforcer for the Latino Blood gang and Brittany Ellis, the ”perfect” white cheerleader. The story unfolds and the sparks fly, for Alejandro is a bad boy but not really and Brittany is brainless and superficial but not really. Once their façade falls, all that there is left is chemistry. Alas, if only, Brittany’s life wasn’t so dysfunctional and if only Alejandro’s wasn’t so dangerous.

If you think you heard it all before, well, yes, you have. Perfect Chemistry is a contemporary Romeo and Juliet/ West Side Story minus the tragic ending. The premise is definitely not original and it’s full of clichéd secondary characters from the Best Friend who sacrifices himself, to the Supportive Teacher; from the Heart-Warming Mexican family to the Dysfunctional All-American one. The story follows a well-known and tried path and not once deviates from its expected route. There are no surprises here and the author takes the safe, predictable all the way to the happily ever after.

What makes this a good book then? The heart and soul that the writer infuses her main characters with, that makes them REAL which in turn, makes the reader care. THAT is what sets apart good books and bad books that depart with a well-known premise: the writer’s ability to take a well-known story, execute the plot without any surprises and still make one feel deeply connected and to care about what happens to the characters because they have depth.

Alejandro and Brittany narrate their own story and the chapters alternate between their first person, present tense narrative. With the progression of a perfectly fine love story that relies not on the looks of the protagonists but how they slowly reveal themselves to each other. Brittany comes from a highly dysfunctional family, with an absent father, a superficial mother and a sister who has a disability. She tries to be perfect: perfect daughter, perfectly dressed, with perfect grades and the perfect boyfriend – all in an attempt to be what her beloved sister can never be. Her relationship with the sister, her caring and protection for the girl is extremely well-done and relatable. She is perfectly willing to sacrifice for the sake of her sister and she creates this façade in public that she is only able to remove when Alejandro is around.

This willingness to sacrifice and the need for a public mask is what connects them. They recognise in each other what others can’t see. Alejandro is a member of the gang because he has no other choice but to follow on his father’s footsteps in order to prevent his younger brothers to fall on the same life. He is an enforcer for the gang but has tried to keep away from actually getting involved in any drug deals directly but he knows that it is only a matter of time. He knows violence and he knows poverty. His life is no joke and the author does not shy away from showing the grittiest aspects of his life.

I loved Alejandro – it is easy to do so, especially if you like bad boys that are not jerks. He is adorable in a gruff way and when he starts to fall for Brittany and calls her “querida” or “mamacita” , it was all I could do not to melt right there, on the spot.

But I think the greatest character in the book is actually Brittany: how refreshing to see a girl that is not a moron, that does not fall for the guy simply because he is there and he is hot. She is extremely loyal to her sister and to Alejandro: when she realises she is in love with him, she never faults, she is right there with him, trying to help him to accomplish his deep-seated dreams.

This book is not about changing personalities in order to be together: I loved that. This is about embracing who one really is and by doing that, they have to change their stance about life. Alejandro needs to get away, and Brittany needs to accept that there are things she can’t control. It is about changing one’s circumstances and for that, the book has a wonderful hopeful message of acceptance.

I do have to say that the denouement of the novel felt over simplistic though. The matter of the fact is that Perfect Chemistry differs from Romeo and Juliet or even West Side Story where perhaps it matters the most. There is no enmity between Brittany and Alejandro that prevents them from being together. It is their circumstances that do so but even their circumstances do not carry the same gravity. Alejandro hails from a way worse life and has much more to lose than parental disapproval. He stands to lose his life and his brothers and mother may well lose theirs as well. It sort of grated that characters that should know better including Brittany kept telling Alejandro that he could just choose to leave his gang life when it was clear that it is not that easy.

Having said all that, I can proceed with overanalysing the book but really, ultimately Perfect Chemistry is a damn good love story with a hopeful message of bridging gaps and one that goes beyond falling in love and then dying for it; it is about the possibility of facing life that falling in love presents.

And oh yes. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Alejandro is totally drool worthy even more so when he lets Brittany make her only decisions and this part here almost made into a pile of mush:

“Mujer, tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. If it’ll make you happy for me to leave you alone for the rest of your life, say the word”.

Ay, caramba.

Notable Quotes/ Parts:

A little bit of Alex’s narrative:

“I want to know how to make this girl laugh. I want to know what makes her cry. I want to know what it feels like to have her look at me as if I’m her knight in shinning armor”

From Brittany’s list of positive things about Alex:

He is smart
He has eyes so expressive they give a hint to more than what he portrays
He’s dedicated to his friends, family, and even his motorcycle
He touched me as if I were made of glass
He kissed me as if he’d savor it for the rest of his life.

You have no idea how much I appreciate that she lists smarts and dedication before kisses.

Additional Thoughts: Don’t forget to check KB’s and Kmont’s reviews today. I will add the links as they go live.

Bubbles’ out!

ETA: Kmont’s is up! Here.

and KB’s!: Here

Verdict: This is a good contemporary Romeo and Juliet story, but with a happy ending. Despite a few misgivings, the romance is totally, completely amazing. It has heart and soul, and a great pair of protagonists.

Rating: 7 – very good (leaning towards an eight)

Reading Next: Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

Happy Sunday, all! Hope it’s a good one. Time to get down to business…

Giveaway Winners:

First we have TWO lucky winners of our giveaway of Patricia A. McKillip’s The Bell at Sealey Head. The two winners are:

Congratulations! You know the drill. Send an email to us (contact AT the book smugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your books out to you as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone that entered!

Around the Internets:

We are totally forgetful slobs – we forgot last week to announce that fellow blogger and aspiring author Rhiannon Hart has HUGE news! She has just signed with big agent Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown in NYC, who has a specialty in sci-fi/fantasy/PNR. We are so freaking excited for Rhiannon and hope her YA manuscript and series gets picked up soon by a big publishing house! Check out her post for more info.

In other news, you may have noticed that Technorati recently changed the way they calculate blog rankings. They’ve also given the site a huge facelift, allowing for “Top 100″ subcategories…AND we are proud (and somewhat mystified) to announce that The Book Smugglers has made TWO top 100 lists! In the “Entertainment Blogs” category and in the “Book Blogs” category. Yes, it’s probably a miscalculation, but we are STOKED nonetheless! We were going to list the top 10 list of Book Blogs, according to Technorati v2.0 but it keeps changing daily. Two days ago, we were #6, yesterday we were #3, today we are down to #4. The question we really want to ask is: how in the world are we on the top 10 and say…Neil Gaiman’s blog is aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way down to 200s? NOT POSSIBLE. But for now, we just celebrate!

Also, we’ve just learned of the awesome Nerds Heart YA 2009 Tournament!

The Nerds Heart YA tournament is organized by Renay of YA Fabulous, and looks at sixteen “under the radar” YA books published in 2009. These titles are awesome YA books that have for some reason or other not gained as much attention as the Big Names in the genre. The way the tournament works is, each judge on the panel reads and reviews the two books in their bracket, and picks a winner to advance to the next round, and so on until the final winner of the tournament is determined. This year’s nominations are now open! Here are the guidelines:

1. Young Adult fiction, we’re not called Nerds Hearts YA for nothing!
2. First published in 2009 (unless it was published elsewhere in a language other than English and is a translation, which I think we should make exception for!)
3. If it’s already received a lot of blog coverage, there’s a good chance it’s outside our scope, but toss it on anyway if you’re unsure.
3a. Go crazy and we’ll eligibility check later.

In order to enter your nominations, go forth to Renay’s blog, and leave a comment after this post.

Finally, you can keep track of the tournament by following the official Twitter Account.

Patrick Rothfuss, the author of The Name of the Wind (aka Ana’ favourite book read in 2009) has something really cool brewing at his blog. You can get your name in book two, The Wise Man’s Fear….

by taking part in a raffle to raise money for Heifer International. You can read all about it here.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

It’s another crazy week! On Monday, Ana and Katie of Babbling About Books and More! do a powerpuff review of Young Adult Romance novel, Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

On Tuesday, Thea reviews fantasy novel Firethorn by Sarah Micklem.

Wednesday, Thea reviews Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier, one of her most highly anticipated books of the year! We’ll also have a giveaway of the novel, so make sure to tune in!

On Thursday, it’s another installment of our What She Said feature! This time, Ana takes on Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier (one of Thea’s Top 10 Reads of 2008), and Thea FINALLY gets to read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (one of Ana’s favorite books of 2009)!

And finally, on Friday we have Kati Dancy of Katidom over for our October installment of the Guest Dare! Kati will review Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassoti. Also on Friday, Ana reviews Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen.

Phew.

And after next week…it is time for HALLOWEEN WEEK! But we’ll have more on that later…

Until next time!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

This is a Powerpuff Girls review: Ana, AKA Bubbles, reviews the book here. Her friend Katie, AKA Blossom reviews at her place. Meanwhile Thea, AKA Buttercup is still AWOL.

Title: Surrender of a Siren

Author: Tessa Dare

Genre: Romance (Historical)

On the cover: Tessa Dare scored with the Cover Gods for this entire series. I love it.

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publishing Date: August 25, 2009
Paperback: 400 Pages

Stand Alone or series: book 2 in a planned trilogy but I had no problem reading this without having read the first book. Book one Goddess of the Hunt was released last month and book three, A Lady of Persuasion will be released in September. (I plan to read book one ASAP now.)

Summary: Desperate to escape a loveless marriage and society’s constraints, pampered heiress Sophia Hathaway jilts her groom, packs up her paints and sketchbook, and assumes a new identity, posing as a governess to secure passage on the Aphrodite. She wants a life of her own: unsheltered, unconventional, uninhibited. But it’s one thing to sketch her most wanton fantasies, and quite another to face the dangerously handsome libertine who would steal both her virtue and her gold.

To any well-bred lady, Benedict “Gray” Grayson is trouble in snug-fitting boots. A conscienceless scoundrel who sails the seas for pleasure and profit, Gray lives for conquest–until Sophia’s perception and artistry stir his heart. Suddenly he’ll brave sharks, fire, storm, and sea just to keep her at his side. She’s beautiful, refined, and ripe for seduction. Could this counterfeit governess be a rogue’s redemption? Or will the runaway heiress’s secrets destroy their only chance at love?

Review:

Ah. It is with a most satisfied heart that I start this review. Surrender of a Siren was the first romance book I read after a whole month reading nothing but YA and it was, I am glad to report, a most lovely read, perfect to ease me back into reading Romance.

“In fleeing the society wedding of the year, Sophia Hathaway knew she would be embracing infamy.”

And lo and behold: Infamy goes by the name of Mr Grayson, or Gray. The owner of the ship Aphrodite where Sophia embarks as a paying passenger under the guise of a governess in route to Central America. She hides behind a new name, Miss Turner, concealing her past, her history, all in search of a new future. She runs from nothing extraordinarily dark but the prospect of a comfortable life and a passionless marriage which for Sophia were but a beautiful cage. Sophia dreams of passion, of love, of adventure and being an heiress provides her with enough courage to ruin her own reputation in exchange for all that.

And Gray would be the perfect man to give what she needs except for the small fact that Gray has a past of his own. A former Privateer (NOT a pirate!) with a most dreadful reputation as a man without word and without roots, Gray is trying to be respectful and not for himself, but for his family. Promises have been made to his half brother and sister, promises that he CAN NOT break. It is very important to him to correct the course of his life, to right the wrongs he did as the legitimate first son who made bad choices that soured his relationship with his siblings. He cannot, should not do anything to jeopardise his shipping line right now, and he cannot, should not surrender to the call of the siren that is his only paying passenger.

Oh, the amount of FUN to be had when one watches his struggle – be still my heart. Nothing melts my heart faster than a man who can’t think when around a woman or who thinks only protective thoughts without even realising what he is thinking and feeling. Sophia is a true siren in which everything that she is calls to him: the way she talks, the way she thinks, the way she reacts to his presence. But it all goes so above and beyond the physical aspect: because Gray and Sophia are stuck inside a ship for weeks, they talk a lot, they exchange opinions, they listen to each other. Sophia is a painter and she starts drawing the sailors one after the other and the way Gray reacts to what he sees and to her skills is nothing but great because he SEES her effort and her talent but also he reads her paintings. I like this passage:

“he saw her charcoal sketch of young Davy Linnet. The perception in it, the attention to detail. And suddenly, Gray formed a vision of himself through those all seeing, artist’s eyes. He saw an unshaven brigand, inches away from plundering an innocent governess who was far from home and full in her cups. A man poised to break his word to his only brother, again— as though it were an easy habit. A fraud in foppish boots, trying to buy his way into the graces of his sister and society because he lacked the merit to earn their respect. In that fraction of a second, Gray glimpsed his own portrait, and he did not like what he saw. He might never be the picture of respectability, but he’d be damned if the world would remember him like this.”

And so he takes a step back because he really does want to change. But there is no stopping true love and even though there is nothing really unique in the premise above, Tessa Dare has such a lovely prose and such a humorous tone and ideas (the Goat Boat? Genius) which coupled with a marvellous execution of the storyline – both the romance and the secondary adventures on board- turned this into a very pleasant read indeed.

My one grippe is that the Conflict, when it came, felt very contrived. Things were developing so organically, so beautifully between the two of them, they were truly sharing their true selves and then there comes the wrench (the first one at least) and it didn’t feel RIGHT. It was like an act of treason against the characters – but thinking back, maybe it meant that although Gray had already arrived to a place that Sophia wasn’t yet ready to reach. Sort of inverted positions in which the man reforms first and the woman needs time to create courage to open up – because she might THINK that she is ready to embrace life at its fullest but maybe, just maybe she isn’t. Having said that, once past this point, their relationship felt back in track and I even liked the over- the- top-yet-delicious ending.

Everybody knows that a HEA is a given when it comes to romance novels, but those of us in the know understand that the end is not really what matters. It’s how you get there. To me, it is very important to see, to understand how and why a couple falls in love. By the end of Surrender of a Siren I knew with a certainty that they loved each other and why they did so; that Gray had found the redemption he sought, that Sophia found the freedom she wanted and that both found the acceptance they needed. I couldn’t ask for much more than that.

Notable Quote/ Parts: I love GOOD, romantic first kisses scenes:
He was

“Not learning how to kiss, but learning why to kiss. Not in persuasion, not as a prelude to further liberties. Simply to discover the taste of her, delicate and fresh and exquisitely sweet. To tell her things he didn’t dare express in words. To tell her things he had no words to express. He kissed her for no greater pleasure than to kiss, because at that moment, kissing her felt like the greatest pleasure imaginable.”

Awwww.

Additional Thoughts: Don’t forget to check KB’s Review

And you can read an excerpt at the author’s website: here

Verdict: I have one word for this book: Lovely. From the prose to the characters, Tessa Dare presented me with a lovely book.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading next: The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Blossom and Bubbles reviewed Just the Sexiest Man Alive, the first book by Julie James and they both loved it. When Practice Makes Perfect came out it was a given that they would read and join forces to review it. You know how it goes right? Bubbles reviews it here and Blossom (AKA KatieBabs) at her place. But what of Buttercup? Well she is still AWOL. Last we heard she decided to ditch her “training” with Batman, Wolverine and Gambit because according to her they are “wimpy do –gooders” (her words, not ours) and decided to join forces with Rorschach. We dread the day she will come back. The word “intervention” has been flowing around the Powerpuff Girls’ HQ.

Title: Practice Makes Perfect

Author: Julie James

Genre: Contemporary romance

Publisher: Berkley
Publishing Date: March 3, 2009
Paperback: 304 pages

Why did I read the book: I loved Just the Sexiest Man Alive and was really looking forward to reading Practice Makes Perfect. When it came along in the post from Berkley, I was super happy!

Summary: When it comes to the laws of attraction, there are no rules The battle between the sexes is about to make these two lawyers hot under the collar. Opposites collide when two lawyers try to make partner at the same firm. Payton Kendall is a feminist to the bone. Cocky J.D. Jameson was born privileged. But when they’re asked to join forces on a major case, they gain a newfound awareness of each other’s personal assets. The partnership spot will be offered to only one of them, though. The competition heats up. Sparks fly. Let the games begin.

Review:

I will start by being blunt and saying: I wish more books were like this one. Deliciously funny, easy to read, enjoyable and gripping. You know the type: when you have to stop reading because real life interferes, all you think about is how much you want to go back to the book and know what.happens.next.

Here are the basics: two hot shot lawyers working for the same prestigious law firm in Chicago. Enemies for the past 8 years although no one in the office has any clue of their hostility towards each other as they are masters in playing cool in public. Now, they are both running to make partner in the firm when they learn they must work together to bring in a big new client.

She: Payton Kendall, ambitious, smart and gorgeous; vegetarian, daughter of a hippie, activist mother, went to public school. Feminist, strong and proud of her own achievements.

He: J.D. Jameson, ambitious, smart and hot; Harvard educated, from a well-respected and moneyed family. Traditional, hard-working and proud of his own achievements.

These two now need to deal with the mental and physical strain of their career while at the same time coming to a point of realisation that hey, maybe they are perfect for each other. But before getting to that point, there are antics, pranks, arguments and sexual tension by the bucket loads (without any actual, graphic sex scene) that has the reader (at least this one) glued to the pages. For example:

J.D. apologises for an assumption he made.

“Is that it?” Payton asked, not entirely mollified by this apology.
“Oh I was just waiting for you to say something sarcastic about assholes and assumptions.”
Payton gave him a level stare. “As if I would be that cliché”.
She noticed he was watching her. Again. “What?”.
J.D. grinned.”Now I’m waiting for you to do that thing with your hair. The little flip.
Payton glared. Note to self: invest in hair clips.
“You know, as apologies go, this one could use a ton of improvement”.

The farcical situations the characters find themselves involved into (dear lord, the courtroom scene? I nearly choked with laughter) the sharp dialogue, the repartee, the strong female characters who stand on equal grounds against their male counterparts and the obvious attraction despite the hostility they may feel for each other are characteristics of one of my favourite types of romantic comedies: the Screwball Comedy. I am a huge fan of the genre (I collect movies by Howard Hawks, George Cukor and Frank Capra) and Practice Makes Perfect is so much like a Screwball Comedy, I can only but rejoice in reading this book.

Another aspect that distinguishes Practice Makes Perfect (and Just the Sexiest Man Alive) and makes them extraordinary in the midst of the romance genre is the fact that there is hardly any mushiness ( which is also another characteristic of the Screwball Comedy by the way) if at all. Pretty much every scene has some sort of funny innuendo and the characters start fighting and they go down fighting – yeah they may come to realise that they love each other but they also LOVE the parks that fly when they fight. For those who never watched a classic Screwball comedy and would feel more at home with a recent comparison: reading Practice Makes Perfect is akin to watching one of the best Ally McBeal’s episodes but with Joss Whedon’s dialogue.

Practice Makes Perfect is brilliantly written not only for the two protagonists but it has some fairly interesting secondary characters (like The Perfect Chase) and it touches relevant and important points such as genre and class in romance (For a more in-depth analysis of these points please read Jessica’s review of Practice Makes Perfect here). J.D. and Payton’s legal discussions held my complete interest as did their relationship with their parents and friends.

My one grippe with the book is the one added conflict close to the end because of something that J.D. did a few years ago. It doesn’t come out of nowhere because there were a couple of red herrings pointing that it would happen at some point BUT I did think it was completely unnecessary. Not only because there was enough conflict in their lives to make their relationship interesting but also because that particular J.D.’s action was, I felt, out of character. Look at me, defending the hero! J.D. acted like a jerk but a jerk he was not. Furthermore, the outcome of that was to have the hero getting advice from his best friend in an almost play –by – play of what happens in Just the Sexiest Man Alive which almost pulled me away from the book gravitas to wonder about formulas and the such but thankfully this happens only for a few pages and look! There comes The Grovel. And the banter again, so all is well in the world after all.

In the end it all boils down to this: if practice makes perfect, then I cannot wait for what Julie James comes up with next.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: It has got to be the courtroom scene when JD does the shoe prank. I will not spoil it but I was crying I was laughing so much. But the scene is also brilliant because it has several layers: there is not only the hilarous situation of the prank itself, but it is also a fantastic moment to show how strong Payton is and it has a very interesting outcome for JD – who compares his own reaction to a prank she played on him to her reaction to this one and…..something happens right then inside of him.

Additional Thoughts: If you liked Just the Sexiest Man Alive and Practice Makes Perfect, go back and watch some of the movies from the golden era of Screwball Comedies. Usually they have “enemies” turned lovers or divorced couples getting back together stories. Really, they are good fun and awesome.

It all started in 1934 with It Happened One Night by Frank Capra (one of my favorite directors). A road movie with Clark Gable (pre-Gone With the Wind) and Claudette Colbert.

Ellie: I just had the unpleasant sensation of hearing you referred to as my husband.
Peter: Oh yeah, I forgot to tell ya about that. I registered as Mr. and Mrs.
Ellie: Oh, you did…Well, what am I expected to do? Leap for joy?
Peter: I kinda half expected you to thank me.
Ellie: Your ego is absolutely colossal.
Peter: Yeah, yep. Not bad. How’s yours?
Ellie: You know, compared to you, my friend Shapeley is an amateur. Just whatever gave you any idea I’d stand for this?
Peter: Hey now, wait a minute. Let’s get this straightened out right now. If you’re nursing any silly notion that I’m interested in you, forget it. You’re just a headline to me.
Ellie: A headline? You’re not a newspaper man are you?
Peter: Chalk up one for your side.

Then you have another good example with His Girl Friday directed by Howard Hawks (another fantastic director) and starring Cray Grant and Rosalind Russell – this one is of the divorced-get-back-together variety.

Hildy: A big fat lummox like you – hiring an airplane to write: ‘Hildy, don’t be hasty, remember my dimple.’
Walter. It delayed our divorce twenty minutes while the judge went out to watch it.
Walter: I’ve still got the dimple and in the same place.

The Philadelphia Story directed by yet another favorite of mine, George Cukor with Cary Grant, Kate Hepburn and James Stewart. Another one that has a couple that start out divorced then remarry by the end.

C. K. Dexter Haven: Sometimes, for your own sake, Red, I think you should’ve stuck to me longer.
Tracy Lord: I thought it was for life, but the nice judge gave me a full pardon.
C. K. Dexter Haven: Aaah, that’s the old redhead. No bitterness, no recrimination, just a good swift left to the jaw.

More recently though there was a pretty good movie that I watched many times. I Love Trouble with Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte, it has all the elements of screwball comedy and I thought it was good fun, even though critics seem to disagree with me. I know, shocking.

Verdict: Pure, unmitigated fun. Sexy as hell without graphic sex scenes. Smart and engaging – simply a damn good contemporary romance.

Rating: 8. Excellent

Reading Next: Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Bubbles and Blossom team up again after the last two (failed) attempts to read something that we both enjoy. (Buttercup is still MIA, last time we heard from her, she seemed to have ditched Batman in order to camp outside the studio where the upcoming Wolverine movie is being filmed in order to take a peek at the actor playing Gambit. ). You know the drill: Bubbles reviews it here, Blossom at her place.

So, the question is: Is the third time the charm?

The answer is: HELL YES!

Title: Just the Sexiest Man Alive

Author: Julie James

Genre: Contemporary romance

Stand Alone/ Series: Stand Alone

Summary: COOL. CALM. COLLECTED.
Nothing fazes Taylor Donovan. In the courtroom she never lets the opposition see her sweat. In her personal life, she never lets any man rattle her–not even her cheating ex-fiancé. So when she’s assigned to coach People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for his role in his next big legal thriller, she refuses to fall for the Hollywood heartthrob’s charms. Even if he is the Jason Andrews.
CONFIDENT. FAMOUS. IRRESISTIBLE.
Jason Andrews is used to having women fall at his feet. When Taylor Donovan gives him the cold shoulder, he’s thrown for a loop. She’s unlike any other woman he’s ever met: uninterested in the limelight, seemingly immune to his advances, and shockingly capable of saying no to him. She’s the perfect challenge. And the more she rejects him, the more he begins to realize that she may just be his perfect match. . .

Why did I read the Book: good reviews all over the internets and Blossom was all excited about it!

Review:

Jason Andrews has been the greatest Hollywood actor for the past decade or so – gorgeous, filthy rich, recently elected People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, twice Oscar nominated – and truly dedicated to his art. So much so that for his next role as a layer in an upcoming movie, he decides to get some training from a real lawyer. Enter Taylor Donovan – top shot lawyer in a top shot firm in Chicago, temporarily allocated to the LA branch to work on a Sexual harassment case (her specialty). Taylor is extremely dedicated to her work, and is gunning for partnership. She is not very happy when one of the partners informs that she needs to take some time off working on her case to tutor a spoiled Hollywood star, especially after he just doesn’t show up at the meeting they had set. She is even more furious when he blows off the second appointment without so much as a phone call to go to Vegas for a weekend with his best mate – a fact she learns by watching a TV spot about the actor and annoys her to no end.

So when he walks into the courtroom, actually, make it he waltz into the courtroom, in the middle of a case fully expecting her to be excited about him showing up, to be at his beck and call, because frankly this what he is used to, he is dismayed to learn that Taylor? NOT HAPPY at all, and there is no amount of charm or a disarming smile to make her fall at his knees. In a most delightful first encounter, Taylor leaves THE Jason Andrews speechless as she walks out on him. Leaving him wanting more of that spark – and oh, the sparks, they fly at every single encounter, at every single time she renders him over and over again, speechless, dismayed, awestruck. And determined to win her attention , later he affection and ultimately, her love, when it becomes clear to him that she is The One Woman for him.

Truth be told, to start with, I wasn’t keen on Jason at all – he was a spoiled brat (even if he was nearly 40 years old) , a jerk that behaves quite poorly about his paramours (and there were a lot of them) , and who thinks himself the center of the universe. Part of me can see how being pursued, idolised, loved by men and women alike can help with alienating a person from the real world but a man, a real man can be all that and still be a gentlemen about his lovers. Which he wasn’t. Point in case, the story of how he just walked out of his lover and left her behind in London without so much as a ciao because he was bored.

If the hero was a jerk, what made this book a delightful read for me? The sparkling dialogue that reminded me of old Hollywood movies with Katherine Hepburn or Cary Grant – and I LOVE those movies!

And of course, Taylor. A woman with her feet set firmly on the ground who of course, fully appreciated how gorgeous and attractive Jason was but who was not a ninny of a woman falling at his feet. A veritable force of nature, someone who truly loved what she did for a living and took pride on being good at it. Taylor and Jason stood on equal footing to each other and that was great to read about.

Plus, one must give props to Taylor – the woman lasted a long time. If, let’s say Gerard Butler called, asking me to give him tips on how to become a book smuggler and then decided to ask me on a date because he is overcome with lust over my looks and my wit (what? It can happen!), I wouldn’t last one hour. Hell, I wouldn’t last one minute(Yeah, I know I have a Dear Partner but Gerard Butler is on The List, so I am allowed, okay?) . I would say “yes” faster than the speed of light.

And in the interest of writing a honest review – even if I found the hero a jerk, I still found myself almost against my will, my better judgement, finding the man utterly adorable and awwwwwing as he started to show signs of falling in love with Taylor and doing everything he could to win her. His interactions with his best friend Jeremy were great too – Jeremy was a regular guy who was his one and only anchor to the “real” world and the only person other than Taylor to be honest with him and call on him when he did something stupid- which he did, over and over again.

But by the end of the book, after passage after passage where I was rolling on the floor with laughter (imagine you are sitting in your best friend’s living room and in walks Brad Pitt, what would you do?) I was rooting for them to get together and the grand finale was reminiscent of that awesome Notting Hill finale – impossible not to have a huge smile on your face when it came to it. Just the Sexiest Man Alive would make a great chick flick and I would be sitting right there, front row to watch it .

So what if there is a jealous, maniacal rival Hollywood actor trying to destroy their budding relationship ? So what if I don’t actually think this love story will ever work? To say that I don’t believe the hero can redeem himself in this book is akin to say that I don’t believe that a reformed rake makes the best husband and where would that leave me? NOT reading 99% of the historical romance novels I love so. To say that you shouldn’t read this book because I don’t believe Taylor and Jason will be happily forever after is to say that Cinderella, who spent her life in the kitchen will never make a good queen or that Julia Roberts and Richard Gere will never be happy together in Pretty Woman . In the end, if you approach Just the Sexiest Man Alive as a fairytale, as a light, dreamy, funny make- believe story, you will sure find a few hours of good unmitigated fun.

Now, go get the book and read it. I shall remain here, waiting patiently for that phone call from Gerard Butler. Any time now.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: The part where Taylor is with her two best friends at her house and she is about to tell them that she is acquainted with Jason Andrews when he just bursts into her house ranting about the poster for his new movie. The two friends’ reaction and ensuing scenes where they all go around enjoying Los Angeles’ nightlife by visiting its hot spots were great fun. And it ends with a great scene where Taylor and Jason are bickering with each other like and old couple and their friends are watching it and finding it riveting:

“But this is better than Grey’s Anatomy”

Additional Thoughts: Stacy has an interview with Julia James on her blog today. Go check it out! There will be a giveaway as well. Here

Verdict: Just the Sexiest Man Alive is pure fun to read – extremely funny and romantic.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Reading Next: To Sin with a Stranger by Kathryn Caskie

Saddened with their latest Powerpuff offering and hopeful that Jo Goodman’s new book would get them both out of their reading slump, Katiebabs (aka Blossom ) and Ana (aka Bubbles) decided to join forces again and review The Price of Desire. By now, you should know the drill: Ana reviews it here, Katie at her place - two opinions, one book. Are we to disagree or agree this time?

(side note: saddly, Buttercup is still MIA – that Batman is keeping her busy!)

Title: The Price of Desire

Author: Jo Goodman

Genre: Historical Romance

Stand Alone/ Series:

Summary: Olivia Cole is devastated to learn that her ne’re-do well brother has promised her to the operator of a London gaming hall as payment of his debts. Olivia accepts her fate-even if it means that her reputation will suffer from living among rouges and gamblers. But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Griffin Wright-Jones, the Viscount of Breckenridge, Olivia has more than her good name to worry about-for he rouses in her wanton thoughts she’s never dared
entertain-until now…

Griffin wears the scars of his life on his striking face, Although he wants Olivia like no other woman before, he doesn’t force her to share his bed-a difficult task considering how beautiful she is. But with each passing night Griffin and Olivia’s resolve weakens until finally they take their greatest gamble on one night of reckless pleasure…

Why Did I Read The Book: I read Jo Goodman’s previous book, If His Kiss is Wicked and LOVED it for the writing more than anything. I keep meaning to read more from the author but never seem to find the time. The latest release was the opportunity I had been waiting for.

Review:

I will start by saying that the first 300 pages of the lengthy The Price of Desire are some of the best pages I read this year. In fact, before reaching the Point Of No Return ( i.e. that part in a book were things go down the drain), I was contemplating choosing it for the last available spot in my top 10 of 2008. This is to show how good I thought The Price of Desire was – and for that amount of time where I believed this to be one of the Great Ones, I was happy like you wouldn’t imagine.

It begins with a set up that allows us to get to know the characters a little bit before they get to know each other. There is Griffin Wright-Jones, Viscount Breckenridge, owner of a gaming hell in London who as the story begins is dealing with Alistair Cole, a gambler who now owes him the small fortune of a 1,000 Pounds. Alistair has no means to settle the debt at the moment, and asks Griffin for a respite of a few days. Being the owner of a well-know gaming hell, Griffin cannot let this pass (appearances, you know) and asks for something in lieu of the money until Alistair is able to come back. Alistair gives him his ring – an heirloom, which he is not happy to part from. So much so, that unbeknownst to Griffin (and with the help of someone inside his own household) Alistair later replaces the ring with a marker – a marker that says that Griffin is to collect Alistair’s sister from their home and keep her until he comes for her.

Cut to Olivia Cole – at home, worried about Alistair. There are mentions of unhappiness and of starvation. And the uneasy feeling that something is not right with her as she hardly blinks when the two men sent by Griffin to escort her to the hell appear at her house. She just goes. We realise something is not right with Olivia. And it becomes really clear that for once, we get a Tormented Heroine instead of a Tormented Hero; it is a great change from what I am used to read and one that I welcomed with an open heart even if it hurts so much to learn about what has been done to her. (Imagine the worst thing that could happen to a child -of the sexual variety – multiply it by ten, have it happening from the age of 6 to 12: that is Olivia’s past. ) It is not unexpected then Olivia is a solitary, wounded, emotionally detached woman with severe nerve problems, plagued by night terrors and prepared to expect the worst from people. But even with all of this, she is also strong, determined, able to fend and defend herself and she is indeed surprised that Griffin doesn’t seem to know what to do with her (well, he doesn’t) and that he treats her with some degree of kindness and respect. She is to be kept at his house until Alistair returns – but they both know it will take a long time for this to happen, if ever.

Things proceed really slowly in The Price of Desire. The story flows gradually into a point where both Griffin and Olivia are able to open themselves to each other – only after it has been established that they are “one of a kind”. Griffin who has a mistress as the story begins, decides to break up with her way before he develops real feelings for Olivia (even if he realises from the get go that she is intriguing); we also learn he has a wife who has been missing for years and whom he has been trying to find. As for Olivia, she is able to find a place for herself in his household and eventually even at the gaming hell as a dealer of faro.

The storytelling is very solid with two great characters and the writing is absolutely stunning – the two greatest points of the book in those first chapters and some of the most glorious moments in romance novel I read this year. Most things up to about page 300 are shrouded in mystery – what exactly happened to her, why does a Viscount owns a gaming hell, where is his wife and why are they stranded and that mysterious feel was atmospheric and enthralling, I kept reading and reading, wanting to know more, wanting to SEE more of the great interactions between them. If there was one thing that was detracting a tiny bit from the overall enjoyment of this first part was this impression of detachment and coldness in their dealings with each other – there are no inner or outer expression of passion until it was there – not even a build up of said passion until it just…happened. I think it suited them though, suited their story but I missed that extra oomph and I hoped they would eventually thaw but alas, no. I could have lived with it, heck, I WAS living with it but then came the Point Of No Return – whereupon we learn their complete past story, and what up to that point, had been a slow evolution of the story, takes a turn for worse and everything you can imagine happens, all at the same time and it is all extremely far-fetched and convoluted (I shall not spoil it in here, but if you would like to learn what exactly happens , I will be expanding the discussion on far-fetchedness of plots in the Additional Thoughts session below) .

I find myself lacking the necessary patience to endure such trivial, clichéd, absurd plotlines specially when they seem to have been added as after-thoughts to add extra, last-minute conflicts to a story that was moving so well and needed absolutely no external conflict other than the one basic villain from Olivia’s past.

There were moments of brilliance in the midst of the mess towards the end of the book though – I was particularly fond of one sequence when Olivia faces her worst nightmare all by herself. Griffin is unable to help at that moment and even though part of me wanted the hero to save the heroine (and kill the villain in a very slow and painful manner) , when she finds the strength to stand up and face it,it was every bit as empowering and liberating as one could expect.

Still, it is ever so painful to say it, but this is another book that ends up going to the Land of Wasted Opportunity. I can’t give this the high grade I had hoped when I first started reading it because I can’t simply disregard the point where things went awry for the sake of a sympathetic review.

I do not regret reading it though, not at all. Because there were those first 300 pages and there were moments of sheer beauty like this one, when they first kiss which is a fine example of top quality prose that is both beautiful and effective:

He caught the scent of lavender on her skin and the taste of mint on her mouth. The fragrance made him think peculiarly of innocence – the taste of things fresh and unsullied. He deserved neither, he thought, and took a measure of comfort that neither were being offered to him. His imagination supported what he craved, but the reality was merely lavender and mint. (…)

His kiss made her remember emptiness and longing. It made her think of what she could have in the moment but would always be denied in the forever. In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, the kiss stirred her.

Warmth became heat; desire displaced comfort. She wondered why she was no longer afraid, why standing in the circle of his arms should make her abandon good sense and caution.

He smelled faintly of tobacco and tasted of brandy. She thought of things certain and solid. He held her loosely, but she could have leaned back against the clasp of his hands and he would not have let her fall. It was the very security of the embrace that allowed her to soar, to feel what was unimaginable only minutes ago.

She did not deserve it, she thought, and took a measure of comfort that she had not asked for it, that he could not know what he’d given her. Her imagination supported what she craved, but reality was tobacco and brandy and a pair of hands at the curve of her back.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: another good example of the writing:

“Olivia judged him to be not yet thirty, though it was a narrow thing. There was a weariness in his expression as he waited that he had taken pains to hide from her earlier. Even as she wondered at its source, it vanished. If it were not for the fact that she’d glimpsed a similar look in her own mirror, she could have been convinced that she’d imagined it. This commonality did not cheer her in the least. There was no conceiving of what harm might be done by two people with these unfortunate dispositions.”

or

Griffin:

“Are you being clever, I wonder. If so, you should know that I am not easily taken in.”
“I thought I was being honest. If you think there is something clever about that, I will not attempt to dissuade you.”
He raised his cup once more to his lips, wishing – not for the first time – that he had more whiskey in the thing that tea. He drank, set the cup down, and allowed himself a small admission. ” I cannot say that you have met or exceeded my expectations, Miss Cole, since I conceived of none, but I think there is no harm in telling you that I find you to be a most singular individual.I offer no judgement as to the good or bad of it. It is simply that I want to acknowledge a certain peculiarity of character about you that I find more intriguing than annoying.”
Olivia tilted her head a fraction as she took in the import of his words. “Then I have missed the mark, my lord, for I did so wish to be annoying. “

Additional Thoughts:

WARNING: SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

I wonder what is that point where enough is enough? Where a plot of a book reaches a point that requires a lot more of suspension of disbelief that one is prepared to allow oneself despite of how good the writing is or how good the characters are?

This is what happens in The Price of Desire:

Her own father has sexually abused Olivia when she was a child. Not satisfied in doing it at his home, he sends her to a convent school when the kids were regularly taken from said school to an unknown location where they where raped by a ring of paedophiles of which her father was part of. Griffin on the other hand is the son of a lord who ends up having to take care of his impoverished family and this is why he owned the gaming hell. He was married to this older woman who turned out to be a sex addict who banged everything that moved from footmen to stable boys. When Griffin learnt of this, he tried to divorce her but she disappears and he’s been trying to find her ever since so that he can disprove the rumours going about that he has killed her.

All of the above is ok. I can suspend my disbelief about a ring of pedophiles operating from a convent in 19th century England and I can even control myself not roll my eyes about the evil ex-wife who was a bimbo because both of the happenings have shaped Olivia and Griffin..

But then there is ALSO: the fact that Olivia when she was older, fled her father’s house to become a servant at an inn and there was nearly raped again and ended up killing someone and has been terrified ever since; or that she somehow was the best faro dealer EVER and became an instant sensation at Griffin’s gaming hell. Or that when things are starting to fall into place, they have good sex and are falling in love, the ex-wife is found. Dying of consumption and with a boy she claims is Griffin’s son. She dies, he brings the boy home and of course, the boy is traumatized by his mother’s evilness. Someone is trying to kill Olivia, she is nearly raped and nearly dies in a house fire. Again. It turns out , it is all a plan concocted by Griffin’s EVIIIIL, scorned crazy ex-mistress who is now Olivia’s brother new mistress and she is also, god knows why obsessed with that heirloom ring and she wants revenge and somehow, ready for this???? Is in cahoots with Olivia’s paedophile father whilst ALSO being a lover of another gaming hell owner who is Griffin’s enemy and all of these villains come together in the end and kidnap Olivia. *headsdesk in despair *

I am sure I am missing something – and this is my point. There was simply too much when there was no need for it! Griffin and Olivia were such amazing characters that they could have carried the story all by themselves.

So, would you agree with me that there is a point where enough is enough regardless of anything else? (Unless we are speaking of an epic story such as Gone with the Wind, which spans for a long time. Not weeks. )

Verdict: The book started really well and for the first 300 pages, it was one of the best books I read this year. After page 300 – the plot gets convoluted and far-fetched and too much suspencion of disbelief is required from the reader.

Rating: 6 – GOOD, recommended with reservations

Reading Next: To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt

Ahoy sea dogs an’ land lubbers! Another excitin’ weekend comes t’ a close, an’ we be havin’ another stash.

First things first–we be havin’ a winner!

The winner of Seduce Me at Sunrise, concluding our Lisa Kleypas week, is….

NAJEEBAH!

Email us (thebooksmugglers AT hotmail DOT com) wi’ yer address as soon as possible t’ claim yer prize, ya scurvy cur! (We be speakin’ like seafarin’ heartys on accoun’ o’ o’ National Talk Like A Pirate Day–yeah, it was over a week ago, but we missed it and wanted to play)

Ok enough with the pirate speak. Our Lisa Kleypas week has now officially ended, and we were so very happy to have her here. Lisa, thank you for your words, for your awesome comments, and most of all, for your work that has touched the lives of many across the world.

In other news…

New Releases

September 30th is a big, break the bank day. Some eagerly anticipated new releases:

First and foremost, the new Neil Gaiman has us rabidly salivating, eager to get our greedy little paws on The Graveyard Book. Here’s the synopsis:

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren’t really one thing or the other.

This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman’s first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman’s legion of adult fans.

Already receiving rave reviews from the likes of Joe Hill, Peter S. Beagle, and Holly Black–combined with our own weakness for everything Gaiman–we Smugglers are chomping at the bit!

Richelle Mead’s latest installment to her Succubus series also is in stores this week.

Some days, a girl just can’t catch a break…

…especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there’s her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It’s not just that they can’t have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge. Seth’s obsessed with finishing his latest novel, and Georgina’s under demonic orders to mentor the new (and surprisingly inept) succubus on the block.

Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Georgina seeks answers from Dante, a dream interpreter with ties to the underworld, but his flirtatious charm only leaves her more confused—especially as the situation with Seth reaches crisis point. Now Georgina faces a double challenge—rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again…

What’s more is, we’ll be having a Richelle-A-Palooza here at the Book Smugglers next week, including a Q&A with the popular author! More details to follow in the next stash.

This Week:

Monday Minis!

On Monday we’ll do a quick rundown of two new miniseries’ we enjoyed–Ana will talk about Lost in Austen, a quirky retelling/re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice; Thea will talk about N., a graphic adaptation of Stephen King’s previously unpublished story.

On Tuesday Ana will have an early review of the anthology, The Magical Christmas Cat, with stories from many notable authors, including Ana’s girl crush Nalini Singh!

Wednesday, get ready for another early Powerpuff review as Ana and Katie take on Hex Appeal by Linda Wisdom, book 2 in her Hex series. Stay tuned for a giveaway opportunity!

After Heather’s excellent week of Steampunk over at The Galaxy Express, Thea will be reviewing Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti (quite possibly one of Thea’s favorite reads of 2008).

And, to close out the week, Thea will have an early review of Anya Bast’s eagerly anticipated novel, The Chosen Sin.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday! Until next time…

Title: A Wallflower Christmas

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Historical Romance

Stand Alone/ Series: In the world of the Wallflower’s series but can be read as a stand alone

Summary: Wealthy entrepreneur Rafe Bowman has come to London to marry Lady Natalie, an aristocratic bride who will help to further his ambitions. But two things stand in his way : Lady Natalie’s disapproving companion Hannah . . . and Rafe’s passion for a woman he should not want and can never have . . .

Why did we read the book: It’s a Wallflowers book! (*Ana says* : It has St Vincent!) and another chance to do a Powerpuff Girls review with KatieBabs!

Review:

First Impressions:

Ana: I had no idea what to expect when I got A Wallflower Christmas. For some reason I thought this was going to be an anthology and was surprised – and delighted – to find out that this is a full-length novel albeit a short-ish one (about 200 pages). I was absurdly pleased when the prologue sets the tone for a Christmas tale with an “Once Upon a Time” opening by reminiscing each of the Wallflower’s story and how they all found their happily ever after and reminding the reader that there is no shortage of wallflowers and this is to be a story about another one of them. From that moment on, I was captivated by the narrative, extremely happy to see the Wallflowers’ antics again and above all completely taken with Rafe Bowman and his heroine, Hannah. Well done, Mrs Kleypas.

Thea: Having read the Wallflowers books, I was very happy to discover this new, sleek and shiny volume in the mail. I didn’t even know another spinoff series was planned! And, given my great experiences with the first four books, Ana and I decided that we would most definitely do a powerpuff style review for this newest addition. Lisa Kleypas is true to form with this novel, in a light hearted, festive romance between a strong minded young companion, and the un-gentlemanly Rafe. As with all the other Lisa Kleypas books I have read, A Wallflower Christmas is a fun, well-written romance. While I don’t think it is as good as those first four novels, it still was nice to see all the girls together again, and meddling in other people’s affairs.

On the Plot: Christmas is approaching and Rafe Bowman – Lillian and Daisy’s brother – is coming from America to England to get married. As heir to their father’s fortune and with a keen eye for business, Rafe is ready to take over the European side of the business but his father imposes a condition – he has to marry into English aristocracy and the chosen bride is one Lady Natalie.

Not really caring about whom he marries with, Rafe is prepared to please and appease his father. The meddlesome Wallflowers, who are engaged in preparations for a huge Christmas party that is to take place at Lillian and Marcus’ country Estate are worried that Rafe would not know how to handle an English lady – and decide he needs to learn everything he can about her in order to woo her. They invite Hannah Appleton, Natalie’s poor cousin and companion for tea in order for her to tell them what are Natalie’s dislikes and likes. She goes, under great pressure form her uncle, who wishes for the marriage to happen. But Hannah who thinks Rafe is not the best choice for her beloved cousin is completely hostile to Rafe, at least at first. Sparks fly….witty conversation and angst ensue, a stolen kiss happens….

and…..you know how the rest goes.

Ana: From an extremely objective point of view, the plot of A Wallflower Christmas is not the most original out there: the callous rake with the daddy issues and the outspoken impoverished companion have been done a thousand times. And yet…..

… there I was, on my flight to Portugal and I open the book and I do not see the take off, nor the landing and I have this stupid smile of my face and I can not stop reading it, not even on the queue for passport control when I was nudged a couple of times by the annoying person behind me who fully expected me (the nerve) to be paying attention to my surroundings as if keeping my place in line was more important than to read about how Rafe and Hannah were falling in love with each other against all odds and how the wallflowers are amazing and help them and how OMG here comes St Vincent (as we know, THE BEST ROMANTIC HERO EVER) and he has jewels and he covers Evie in them and they have sex for DAYS and Marcus and Lillian have an amazing scene but it all goes back to Rafe and Hannah and all of a sudden, my perspective changes, the callous, cold yet humorous rake is an amazing hero with his sad, sad childhood and Hannah is this impulsive lady that calls on Rafe’s dreadful behavior but can’t help falling in love with him no more than I can’t help falling in love with the book.

And I can no longer be objective because so many wonderful things happen, from the first moment Rafe sets eyes on her and is rendered speechless for the first time in his life to the moment he realizes he loves her but can not have her; and there is heart, there is laughter and there is warmth in A Wallflower Christmas and it’s more than I expected and it’s Lisa Kleypas once again, taking romance novels to another level, departing from a well-worn premise, making it her own and granting me, us, whomever is smart enough to get this book, a few hours of romantic delight.

Thea: In this new installment to the Wallflower’s story, the plot follows Lillian and Daisy’s brother, Rafe Bowman. Rafe travels across the pond to marry Lady Natalie at his father’s behest–as part of a business arrangement, benefiting Natalie’s family with even more wealth, and the Bowmans with a noble title, while Rafe earns the full control of the European operations of his father’s business. Natalie’s cousin and companion Hannah vehemently objects to the betrothal, even before either of them have met. Hannah is set that Rafe, judging from his reputation, is no gentleman and certainly cannot make Natalie happy–and she is sent to meet the Bowmans and report back to her Lady with her verdict. And, of course, Rafe falls for the one unacceptable woman he should not care for–not Natalie, but Hannah. Interject their story with meddlings and help from the Wallflowers and their respective partners, and you have A Wallflower Christmas.

I cannot fault the plotting for this novel at all, it is what it is–Lisa Kleypas, doing her thing. The book is paced evenly and is a quick, light read. It certainly isn’t an original storyline, but in general (in my opinion, that is) most historical romance novels follow the same conventions. While there isn’t anything new or innovative in this novel, the quality of writing is up to Lisa Kleypas’s usual high standards. I will say that I highly enjoyed seeing the Wallflowers again, and appreciated that a good portion of the story was devoted to “catching up” with what they have been doing for the past few years–all the while keeping a steady focus on Hannah and Rafe’s budding romance.

On the Characters:

Ana: Starting with the original wallflowers: it was amazing to see them all again, to catch up with their happily ever after. Their interactions with each other are as endearing as ever as are their interactions with their significant others (St Vincent!) – there is a little bit of each of them in A Wallflower Christmas and it was like seeing old friends.

But really, as much as the wallflowers are amazing (and St Vincent!), the book belongs to Rafe and Hannah. From the get go when sparks fly and they have this incredibly witty banter – gotta love witty banter – that starts because Hannah can not stand the manners or the values (or lack of) of American ands considers Rafe wholly unsuitable for her cousin. Rafe is completely taken with Hannah and she may deny it but she is taken with him as well (as it should be). Their conversation are delightful, their repartee funny and yet every single one of them carry hidden depths and moments where they share almost unconsciously, their inner turmoil, their hidden secrets. They hear each other in what they don’t say.

Rafe is another worthy addition to Lisa Kleypas’ pantheon of heroes: rake extraordinaire, so callous when it comes to women, he merely expresses a “she’ll do” when he meets Lady Natalie. Rafe was an unhappy child, always alone, under the intolerable bowman parentage, a boy destined for great things, not allowed to play. His rebellion is to be a carefree rake even though he tries his best to please his father, but that is no pleasing Mr Bowman, not now, not ever. The more he sees Hannah , the more he wants her. One particular moment of enlightenment is when he realises how fascinating she is and thinks it would tale a lifetime to get to know her, whereas with Lady Natalie one hour was enough. He is drawn to her as a moth to the light and if there is one keyword for both these characters is “warmth” – Rafe for Hannah was like a sugared cup of tea and to him, she was like a ray of sunlight.

The major conflict comes from the consequences of one accepting their love for each other: for Rafe accept to his love for Hannah is also to accept that he can not, will not please his father ever and that brings a great sense of failure to a man that has accomplished much except the one thing that matters: the acceptance of his own father. Much has been said about the common-place that is for a hero to have “daddy issues” but truly, sometimes it works, when it is well done, as is the case here. Similarly for Hannah to accept Rafe’s love is also to understand that she is the wrench that will come between him and his father – and the prospect of losing his place in the family business which means a lot to him.

But alas, one can not stop the course of true love.

Thea: In my (granted, very limited) experiences with historical romance, the plot is often pretty cut and dry–which leaves it to the characters to make or break a book. Ms. Kleypas has a huge talent for creating wonderful characters, and A Wallflower Christmas reintroduces us to some of my personal favorites.

Each former Wallflower gets a spotlight here–from Annabelle talking things over with Simon, Evie and St. Vincent holing themselves up for a couple of days, Daisy quietly giving advice to her brother and mediating tensions, and Lillian causing a ruckus over Marcus’s strange behavior. Since the hero in this story is another Bowman, there was more time devoted to the Bowmans in general–which is just fine by me, as Lillian is my favorite Wallflower! Initially I found the storyline involving Lillian’s misgivings concerning Marcus to be strange–but given Lillian’s tough exterior fronting for her very vulnerable feelings, her mistrust feels true to her character. When she does learn what Marcus has been up to, it is a touching, awkwardly funny scene–and reminiscent of their shenanigans in It Happened One Autumn, where I fell in love with both characters in the first place.

As for Hannah and Rafe, the central pair in this novel, they are both likable characters. Rafe Bowman is a dashing man, who has daddy issues. In the previous Bowman stories, some of Daisy and Lillian’s troubles with their father emerge, and it was very interesting to see things from the perspective of a brother. Hannah is an endearing heroine; she’s broke but does not have a problem with her situation, as she loves her dear cousin and is happy to be able to live as a companion. I was not swept away by these two characters or by their romance, but still found them agreeable enough.

Actually, more interesting to me (from a writing standpoint) was the character of Lady Natalie! Spoiled, selfish, and immature, Natalie can hardly live up to the Wallflower girls–and this is the most appealing thing about the character. I love that Ms. Kleypas wrote a main character that is neither Eeeevil! nor perfectly sweet and likable (as most characters fall into either category, nowhere in between). Natalie’s selfishness is not born out of meanness or a desire to squash Hannah (as say Joyce from Dreaming of You)–she simply is what you might expect a pampered, beautiful heiress to be.

Final Observations, recommendations and rating

Ana: A Wallflower Christmas is one of those small treasures. A delightful read not only because of Rafe and Hannah but also because we get to see those characters we have come to love – specially my own all-time favorite hero, Sebastian St Vincent. I may be biased because of that but there is no denying that this is a feel-good story, a captivating romance, with a fairytale-like narrative. I had a silly smile on my face for most of the read because this was just like waking up on Christmas morning to find a tree full of yet-to- be-discovered presents.

Thea: I enjoyed this book, finishing it within 2 hours on the plane. While I didn’t find it to be as great as the other Wallflower books, it’s still a trademark Lisa Kleypas read–that is, compulsively readable! Not spectacular, but very, very solid nonetheless. I enjoyed this one thoroughly.

Notable Quotes/ Parts:

Ana: they are all decorating the Christmas tree. Rafe dares Hannah to sing a carol. She does, to his utter delight, and he is completely captivated by her voice, and by the woman herlsef. Because she took his dare, he ows her a forfeit. She asks for a possession of his, anything he was carrying in his pockets at that moment. He gives her a toy soldier. She is puzzled by the fact that he is carrying it around without realising that he has given her his most treasured possession. Awwww. I will not spoil it, but The Secret meaning behind it is so heart wrenching and the fact that he has given it to her is one of the most heart warming scenes I have ever read in a romance novel. The whole sequence involving this event was amazing and I think I will always remember it.

Thea: I loved the passage where a certain young ‘un has stolen a certain toupee, and has gotten it stuck up in the enormous Christmas tree. Enlisting Hannah’s aid, she climbs up the treacherous ladder to retrieve said toupee–when the ladder collapses, Hannah is stuck on a ledge until Rafe comes along to observe the ridiculous situation. It’s funny, and very sweet.

Rating:

Ana: 9 - this is one of those huggable books!

Thea: 6 – Good, A book I definitely would recommend for any Kleypas fan.

And this is Bubbles’ and Buttercup’s opinion on the book. Now, pop over to Katie’s (A.K.A Blossum ) to read her review of A Wallflower Christmas! Powerpuff girls: to infinity and beyond!

TOMORROW, FRIDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE ONE AND ONLY LISA KLEYPAS AND A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF SEDUCE ME AT SUNRISE!

Bubbles and Blossum strike again! When the Amazing Katie introduced me to The Tairen Soul series earlier this year , I don’t think she predicted how much I would fall in love with this fantastic series. Lord of the Fading Lands and Lady of Light and Shadows were her top reads of 2007 and my own favorites of this year. It felt more than appropriate, when we both received ARCs, to organise another one of our infamous Powerpuff Girls’ review (Alas, Buttercup could not join us this time) where I review the book here and she reviews it at her new casa - will we agree or disagree this time?

Title: King of Sword and Sky

Author: C.L. Wilson

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Stand Alone/ Series: Book 3 of Tairen Soul series.
Book 1 – Lord of the Fading Lands

Book 2 – Lady of Light and Shadows

Summary: Returning to the Fading Lands with his Celierian truemate, Rain discovers a dissension among the most powerful members of his own council. As the Eld plot their next deadly strike, Ellysetta struggles to master her powerful magic and discover how to save the tairen, while Rain confronts open challenge to his rule and prepares to lead the Fey army to war.

Why did I read the book: Best Fantasy/Romance series out there. Simple as that.

Review:

“To the Victory and life!”

A Blockage:

I sat down to write this review and I found myself going through a mental block. Staring at the blank pages for what seemed to be hours, unable to come up with a single opening paragraph that would be catchy, smart and at the same time, conveying how much this book is good, how incredible this series is and how much I want June 2009 to be here like, right now. There is no such sentence and since I already used “Holy Guacamole” (nothing says more “this book is amazing” than holy guacamole) to open my review of Lady of Light and Shadows, I found myself wordless.

Then, to make matters worse, I decided to leave the opening paragraph for the time being and jump right into writing the review proper, with the usual breakdown of the plot. Another block – because there is so much going on in this book, in so many different fronts, it would probably take quite a few paragraphs just to rehash the main plot points. So I will go for listing the most important of what happens in King so that I can get to what I really want to talk about. So basically, we have the Fey, alongside King Rain and Queen Ellysetta making their way back to the Fading Lands. First they must make a pit stop at Teleon to leave Ellie’s family under the protection of the fey Kieran and Kiel. Then, they must cross the Faering Mists towards their home where Ellie must find a way to cure the illness that is killing the Tairen kittens and Rain must start preparing for the war against the Eld that is brewing in the horizon. Meanwhile, the High Mage carries on with his plan to breed babies and we find out exactly why he is doing what he is doing.

The essence:

Goosebumps. If I had to choose one word to describe my reaction to these books, it would be goosebumps. There is no other series out there at the moment that gives me more goosebumps per thousand words than this one. It has to do with the writing, with the world building, with the precise descriptions and nomenclature and such attention to details that I have seen only in a few choice works of literature: and Lord of the Rings is the one that comes to mind when thinking of comparisons. The Tairen Soul series have an epic quality without ever losing the heart-warming feel of a grandiose love story. I can not even begin to tell you how many goosebump-y scenes there are in this book – to speak of any of them is spoil major surprises (good and bad) and I could never ever do that to other fans of this series.

Suffice to say is that the story once again divides itself in several plotlines – and several points of view. Ellie working tirelessly to find out what is killing the Tairen and Rain fighting the inner politics of the Fey and preparing his people for war. They spend a lot of time apart in this book but each and every scene when they are together is memorable and nothing is lost.

But even if the romance is still amazing and very much central to the story, still everything else that occurs, every other character, be it Fey, be it Mage, be it Human, be it Tairen (yes, finally we get to meet the Tairen, intimately, and let me tell you, they are amazing additions to the story) is interesting and fleshed-out. There is a huge sense of purpose involving everyone and as the story proceeds to its climax, we can’t help but to be immersed in the Fey’s plight.

The Fey

We learn a lot more about the Fey in King of Sword and Sky. About their cities, their history, the geography of their land, but most of all about the mappings of their soul and what makes them…. Fey.

One thing that is very clear about this series is that there is very little room for shades of grey. There is a very clear demarcation between evil and good, almost in a Manicheistic fashion – where Fey is the epitome of everything good, where they cannot truly be evil and the Eld and the Mage are in the direct opposite end of the spectrum. Usually, as a reader, I prefer stories not to be so black and white – I like my shades of grey with room for people to go either way, depending on their choices. A lot has to be said about C. L. Wilson’s writing because I truly buy the premise here and I hurt every time a Fey hurts at the prospect of losing their soul, at the prospect of killing (the more a Fey kills, the more their soul is tarnished and unless they find their truemate, there is really nothing to be done – it is not fair to the warriors but it’s the way it is) and at the prospect and hope of finding a truemate. The Fey give me spine-tingling goosebumps and I absolutely adore them. The Fey are on the good side of the Force and the Mage on the Dark Side and I have no problems with that.

The Queen of Hearts

Ellie has come a long way since her Cinderella origins way back in Lord of the Fading Lands. Now that we now that she has almost an unlimited magical power and being the first Female Tairen Soul ever, sometimes she may come across as a too-good-to-be-true character. But what more could we expect? She IS the daughter of two of the most ancient and powerful Fey ever AND she was bred by the most powerful Evil Mage of all time – how could she ever be different? She couldn’t. Having said that, even if she is the paradigm for good and powerful, still she learns and changes a lot trough the series. The mating bond has not yet been completed and it’s truly because she has yet to ascertain who she really is. It is a long process, in a long, rocky road. She is so headstrong sometimes she makes rushed decisions that cost a lot – and she now must learn that anything that happens to her happens to Rain too. And she comes to understand that as much as the mating bond is a gift and blessing , it also means that you are no longer alone – in any capacity and everything that you do, everything that you are, has repercussions and consequences to both halves of her soul – the one inside her and the one inside Rain.

The King of Spades

Now. With everything that is going on, with everything that Ellie must go through, still this book is very much Rain’s story. It is finally time for him to become the King he is supposed to be. Having spent the past 1,000 years apart from his people, dealing with his madness, his grief and his guilt for killing millions over a moment of weakness in the last Mage War, he finally comes to comprehend the political implications of this separation and the toll that he must pay to become king de facto rather than king in name only. The key word here is “change” – how can he convince his people that he is fit to finally be the king in this time of need when they are so set in their ways, they cannot see the need to adapt and change so that they can survive? He must send across the message that long-stand allies need their help once more and that denying this help is a huge mistake and one that can have serious results.

At one point he says:

“changed times call for changed attitudes”

beginning with himself, spreading through to his friends. He makes his choices with a clear mind and a clear conscience – sometimes he has to put his truemate above all and that also has serious repercussions. But when he dons, for the first time, his ancestors’ armour, the one used by every rightful king before him and calls the Fey to war and yells his brand new motto: “To Victory and Life”? Again, goosebumps. He dons the armour and sheds the skin of his old life, forever.

At the end, Rain has completed his journey coming full circle and becoming the King he is supposed to be. Now it’s Ellie’s turn and I am seriously contemplating the possibility of hibernating until June, when the final book comes out.

Notable quotes/parts:

Can I just say: the whole book? No? Ok, so look forward to this:

The first time in 1000 years that Gaelen sees the Fading Lands – when he gets to the other side of the Faering Mists? Tears.

Someone gets pregnant. That scene was extraordinary in more ways that I can count.

The description of the Warrior’s Academy and some of the lessons that take place there. One word: cool.

The reason why the High Mage wants Ellie so badly. The clock is ticking.

The scene at the Well of Souls. I will say no more.

And you must brace yourself because the torture that Shan and Elfeya , Ellie’s parents, go through this book is horrendous, dark, violent, gut-wrenching. The High Mage needs to die a Very.Violent.Death and I don’t even care who kills him. As long as he dies. In pain. A Lot of pain.

Additional Thoughts: You still have time to leave a comment – here – and win one of 5 copies of King of Sword and Sky.

Verdict: as of now, ANA’S BEST BOOK OF 2008

Rating: 10. Perfection. Desert Island Keeper.

Reading next: Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas for our upcoming Lisa Kleypas Week – it is a Lisa Kleypas Madness with plenty of reviews, guests, an interview with Lisa and a giveaway of Seduce me at Sunrise!

Title: Razor Girl

Author: Marianne Mancusi

Genre: Shomi – Sci fi Romance

Stand Alone / Series: Stand Alone

Summary: Molly Anderson is not your average twenty-one-year-old. It’s been six years since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot to bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive. Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness—what Molly needs most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, a friend from her past, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: the Magic Kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.

Why did I read the book: I got the ARC from the publishers. I was going to read it anyway, but The Book Binge’s Shomi Spotlight (Holly has a review of Razor Girl, here) made me want to read it pronto. Then of course, my Powerpuff buddy, Katie, got it too then…here I am .

Review:

It’s the year 2036, six years after most of the world’s population has succumbed to the Super Flu. Few have survived, mostly children and the adults who were immune to the virus. And The Others, adults infested with a mutating string of the virus which turned them into zombies, mindless, slow, flesh eating creatures, out to eat the healthy survivors.

21 year old Molly Anderson has lived the past six years in an old bomb shelter adapted to the latest technology by her crazy cum scientist cum conspiracy theorist father to hold against invasions and against the virus, to protect Molly and her mother for the six years necessary for the virus to subside in the air while he and his friends set up a new society at Disney World.

As the doors open,Molly has one mission: to go meet her father and help the rebuilding of the world. As she leaves the bunker, the first person she sees is her old sweetheart Chris Griffin, the geek boy who has loved her since they were children andwith whom she fell in love just before going into the shelter. Chase – as he is known now – lives with his brother Trey, and a few other survivors ( mostly children) at a Wal-Mart. They are happy to see each other alive and well,but there is still some underlying angst about the fact that Molly has stood him up the night they were set to leave town together without so much as a goodbye. Molly agrees to spend the night at their shelter and go on her way the next morning: she has no time to lose for Molly is a Razor Girl.

Based on her father’s favorite character out of the Book Neuromancer, Molly Millions, he has changed Molly as soon as the “apocalypse” started to enhance her chances of survival: her eyes have been replaced with ocular implants which allow her to see in the dark and which contains GPS instructions and other techie implements and under her fingernails there are retractable razors. Her tears ducts rerouted to her mouth – she can’t cry, she spits. She also has nano implants that make her stronger, faster but which have a short life span and her time is running, baby and she must go meet her father before she starts to break down.

But that night, one of the guys who had been bitten by an Other and was quarantined, escapes and now turned into a zombie, attacks the adults, killing Chase’s brother and only the children, Molly and Chase survive. Now they all must go to Disney World together – it is a dangerous mission in a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, populated with not only zombies but other crazed surviving humans. Not to mention the not so small fact that Chase has a drug addiction that will put them in danger sooner rather than later.

I am completely torn about this book. At one hand we have the interesting premise which although not extremely original, was still interesting to keep reading about. The thing that I loved the most and thought was really well done were the alternating chapters between the now – the post- apocalyptic world , the struggle for survival and the reunion of the two lovers – and the past with them falling in love for the first time and the virus starting to spread and how Molly became a Molly Millions. I loved their interaction; Chris was a rather sweet geek who truly loved Molly. And I thought the fact that Molly was a Molly Millions was very cool.

But somewhere towards the second half of the book, a few things started to bother me. It was hard to believe in the timeline of the story , to believe that only after six years mankind would decay to the point where some of the survivors would behave like animals and have gladiator-like festivals and the such. Call me naïve, I would like to believe it would take a bit longer than that.

A few things were off, like for example how her mother kills herself right in the first pages of the book and there is little to none reaction from Molly. And the language. Dear Lord, the language! Although it was fully appropriate for the age the characters had – first 15 and then 21- it felt dated and at some points it was cringe worthy. One good example, was when they were having sex and Chase was worrying that he would not last long (which is fair enough, they were basically teenagers who had never had sex before) and then he thinks “Pathetic much?”. Granted they are very young but I can’t allow myself to use that excuse, after I have read other fantastic YA novels, with very young protagonists, who sounded like their age without sounding like two escapees from “Dude Where is my Car”.

I think it would have been more effective if more time had passed – not only that would explain the complete decay of society’s laws but also would make the pair of protagonists a lit but older and therefore a lit bit more palatable for my tastes. Still, the fact itself these two are barely out of teenage years and are all that is left in the world is rather striking and quite possibly the whole point. That these two as kids, were thrown in the midst of so many responsibilities and had to make do without guidance from parents – it is a coming of age tale.

I could have lived with the all that though, but the plot went places I did not like after 2/3 of the book and all of the gloominess and the apocalyptical feel started to go away to be replaced with way too much cookie cutter happiness up to a very tidy ending and a couple of cop-outs that had me screaming at the book. ( a Molly Millions that can cry?? So why all the spitting references then? )

The book begins really well, with a dark edge and a sweet love story. Of course, I wanted a happy ending specially for Chris and Molly and with the hope of a cure in the distance for mankind . I did not expect a Welcome to Disney World Where Everything is Possible kind of ending though, with everything being so resolved it smelled of back tracking. Since the back cover compares the book with I am Legend I will go there and say it: it was just like the movie. Good premise, fantastic start, amazing realisation then from 2/3 onwards, chaos and mayhem in the plot and a cop-out ending. I am pretty sure others would like the book though; it was just not for me.

Notable quotes/ Parts: I can’t really quote anything as I had an ARC copy. But for me the best of the book, was the fact that the chapters alternated between past and present showing what was then and what is now. Very well done.

Additional Thoughts: Fellow Powerpuff girl, Katie(babs) has her own take on the book and I am sure she enjoyed it more than I did. Go check her review later today for a different opinion.

Verdict: it feels more like a YA novel than anything else. An interesting premise (the Disney Wold thing was genius) with a sweet love story, that others may find more appealing that I did. One thing is certain though, I will sure be reading more of the Shomi line.

Rating: 5. meh. Not for me.

Reading next: Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh, which kicks off our Nalini Stravaganza from tomorrow!