Basically, it's all about recommending books. So if you've read a good book recently, leave a note in the comments with the recommendation, and, if you like, something about why you were so happy with the story, or why you think others would enjoy it.
I read Pretend Mistress, Bona Fide Boss by my bud Yvonne Lindsay this week. It's got a sexy alpha hero, a heroine with secrets, and is undoubtedly hot. I wanted to beat the hero over the head at times, but to be honest, that's part of the fun. It makes it so much better when they grovel *grin*I totally enjoyed being swept away into the high stakes world of the Rogue Diamonds. Also, Yvonne does a really great job of describing some beautiful places in New Zealand. I live here and I wanted to go tour!
Okay, your turn - what's your book rec? If you haven't read anything you want to recommend, how about telling us which books recommended in the comments capture your interest?
31 comments :
Good books? Well, I've just started rereading historicals again...Judith McNaught's Something Wonderful, to be specific. Here's the blurb:
The tempestuous marriage of Alexandra Lawrence, an innocent country girl, and Jordan Townsende, the rich and powerful Duke of Hawthorne, is about to face its ultimate test of tender loyalty. Swept into the endlessly fascinating world of London society, free-spirited Alexandra becomes ensnared in a tangled web of jealousy and revenge, stormy pride and overwhelming passion. But behind her husband's cold, arrogant mask, there lives a tender, vital, sensual man...the man Alexandra married. Now, she will fight for his very life...and the rapturous bond they alone can share.
When I finished reading it again yesterday, I was in near tears at the ending at the HEA for "Alex" and Jordan. Something Wonderful is a book you might want to add to your To Read List. You'll enjoy it, along with Ms. McNaught's other books.
Tina
I just finished Moonstruck by Susan Grant. It's the first in her Borderlands series from HQN.
The heroine's a tough starship admiral, the hero's a pirate :) An exciting mix of sci-fi action/intrigue and romance. Check it out!
Just finished Night's Rose by Annaliese Evans. Awesome!!! Has everything a paranormal romance fan could ask for; fey and faries, vamps, ogres, and even demons. Hot guys, fierce fighting and lusty lovin'. Check it out...
Tina,I've read that McNaught, one of my favorites of hers.
Just finished The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, highly recommended. Unsual hero who has asperger's, well done.
I just happily reread the series by Christine Warren. See her list: http://www.christinewarren.net/booklist.html You could start the series with One Bite with a Stranger or Wolf at the Door. Go enjoy her world of vampires, werewolves and the faerie who are now coming out of the closet in our world. Fun to see how the world deals with them. Lots of romance and adventure!
I really enjoyed Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick.
I think Quick (And I know this is Jayne Anne Krentz, LOL) does a great job of taking historicals and making them really funny. This is an Arcane Society book so it has the element of the paranormal that I love.
Oooh, my tbr pile is going to explode!
Tina - Judith McNaught always makes me bawl!
Rebecca, I'm a huge AQ fan. Can't wait to read this one.
Ooh, I love Judith McNaught! She's definitely one of my favorite authors.
I just finished reading the second part of a 4 part series by C.L. Wilson called "Novels of the Fading Land." A paranormal series that is about soul mates along with an adventure rolled into this series.
Here's a little snippit about the whole series copied from C.L. Wilson's website.
She is the salvation of a Fey king’s tormented soul, and the key to saving his immortal race. Only by unleashing her vast power can they hope to conquer the evil forces determined to destroy them.
Beginning with Lord of the Fading Lands, continuing with Lady of Light and Shadows and King of Sword and Sky, and concluding with Queen of Song and Souls, the Tairen Soul series tells the story of Ellysetta Baristani and Rain Tairen Soul as they fight to save the tairen and the Fey, defeat the dangerous power of the Eld Mages, and complete their truemate bond.
Definitely recommend it!
I just finished Ghostland by Jory Strong and thought it was fabulous. Definitely a great novel with a gorgeous cover.
I just finished Ghostland by Jory Strong and thought it was fabulous. Definitely a great novel with a gorgeous cover.
I just read Storm Born by Richelle Mead, which was awesome! Eugenie Markham is a shaman whose job it is to kick the crap out of demons, fey, etc back to the Otherworld, or the Underworld if they are extra sucky. There is a prophecy that Eugenie's first-born could mean big trouble for the future, so now all the demons, Otherworld beings/folks are either trying to get in her pants or kill her. Pretty exciting stuff if you ask me. Then throw in two hotties, Dorian a fairy king and Kiyo a shapeshifter and you've got a kickin' book.
p.s. I love Judith MacNaught's books as well, esp Something Wonderful and Almost Heaven.
The book that I just finished and LOVED is Turn Coat, the newest book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. It's an urban fantasy series (this is book 11) and it has to be read in order or you'll miss all the suprises.
Can I just say how much I love Harry *sigh*
Hi Nalini!
I so love chatting about books I read and hearing about others reading! I get to find more to me authors, that's how I discovered yours!
Between re-reading Pride & Prejudice (I haven't read it since HS (long ago!) and wanted to read some sequels and related books that authors wrote so I felt I should re-read the book and so glad I did! It was beautiful! I shall be reading WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO? by Laurie Brown (This is her second Time Travel romance book!).
So since many probably read that, I wanted to mention one I read before that and it was a Fantasy Romance by M. C. Halliday called THE KING'S DAUGHTER. So different and a beautiful fantasy world set up with a beautiful romance with a knight hero! I too loved the adventure with this one that kept me glued to the book. I haven't read many fantasy romances, but this was easy to follow and so clear. I loved how they fought so much to be together. It has a wicked villain that just had me saying 'wow' alot! I'll be watching more from this author!
Thanks for the recommendation Nalini! Its been a while since I read a SD and haven't had the joy to read that author.
I just finished reading Murder Game by Christine Feehan from the Ghostwalkers series.
Great strong characters! And a complex storyline! With heaps of romance and suspence thrown in for good measure. A great series!
Ooh - I totally agree with Pam P - another vote for The Madness Of Lord Ian Mackenzie.
The hero has Aspergers Syndrome - which is considered to be high-functioning autism. Traits include the inability to make eye contact, trouble with nonverbal cues and subtext, obsession with detail - but missing the “big picture”.
Really well written, hot *grin* and a great heroine.
I really recommend "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Honestly it´s not a fantasy novel but it is the best book I have ever read. (Next to Nalini that is)
The story is about the boy Daniel who is finding the book "The Shadow of the Wind" it is the only remaining copy because someone destroys all the books of the author. I can´t really describe all the plots and sub-plot because it is a very complex novel but it absolutely is worth a try.
By the way, the story is set in Barcelona and you will feel as if you have been there!
In the end, you could describe the book as a thriller but that would be to easy because it is changing all the way.
Let´s just say: When you have finished the book, it is a completely different book than that you began with.
I have been recommending a new author I met at a book signing recently. Her first book is absolutely fabulous!
Chloe Neill's "Some Girls Bite"
The title sounds very tongue and cheek, but the story is dark and funny. The main character was attacked by a vampire and turned to save her life. She is immediately thrown into the Chicago vampire scene, begrudgingly. Oh, and she love/hates her vampire maker, the awesomely hot Ethan. Whew!
Y'all gotta read it. I think she's an up and coming author. Plus, she's a super sweet person.
giggle. I JUST finished re-reading my Judith McNaught books. I have to say Something Wonderful and Once and Always by her are in my favorite books list. (there are waaay to many books out there by too many good authors for me to pick a single book). I am currently reading THE SHADOW QUEEN by Anne Bishop. It is a part of her Dark/Black Jewels Series. I end up re-reading that series frequently. I end up missing the characters and have to go back for a visit. For Christine Feehan I just finished reading Burning Wild this is part of her jaguar shifter series. I have to admit that the first one Wild Rain release a few years ago was hmmm ok. But this one is GOOD.
Oh.. For the person that liked Amanda Quick. If you are reading the Arcane series you also want to make sure that you are picking up the Jayne Ann Krentz books as well. Jayne Castle - future, Jayne Ann Krentz - present, Amanda Quick - past... I love her books regardless what name it is under.
Thank you for the book recomendations... I'm sad (well not so sad) to say that I'm a bookaholic and I am always on the hunt for a new author or series
I too am a book-aholic and proud! I think it's great we can share our notes and books, I know I'm always on the hunt for good books.
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop is really good - that series is fantastic. I've got the Dresden Files on my to read stack, I've heard a lot of good things about that series.
I just finished reading J.R. Ward's newest release in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Avenged. It's the story of Rehvenge and it was FANTASTIC! It is the best she has produced so far and I expect her next novel to be just as good or better. The characters, the flow of the plot, the revelations and the plot lines left hanging precariously off the cliff!
I just finished re-reading some Sharon Sala's (The Healer, The Warrior). Her books usually make me cry at some point and I love them.
I also was able to read an ARC of Cold Moon Rising by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp - it's the next book in their Sazi series. And it rocks! Tony shows up and while he's a main character in this one, he NOT the romantic lead, you won't beleive who it was. It doesn't come out til Aug though which sucks cause I want to buy my copy NOW!
I'd like to recommend a gay romance. I read a lot in the MM romance genre and I find them to be quintessentially different from mainstream hetero romance for reasons much beyond the sexual aspect. I could go on about that forever, but I'll just give the rec instead:
Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville, published in ebook and print by Dreamspinner Press, was amazing. It's a romantic suspense and one of the reasons I loved it so much was that the characters were written with such depth and realism that I got completely hooked on them immediately. Their relationship develops from a barely discernable spark to blazing, bone-deep love and at the end, there's no question that these two men are completely right for each other. Here's the blurb from Dreamspinner's website:
After witnessing a mob hit, surgeon Jack Francisco is put into protective custody to keep him safe until he can testify. A hitman known only as D is blackmailed into killing Jack, but when he tracks him down, his weary conscience won't allow him to murder an innocent man. Finding in each other an unlikely ally, Jack and D are soon on the run from shadowy enemies.
Forced to work together to survive, the two men forge a bond that ripens into unexpected passion. Jack sees the wounded soul beneath D's cold, detached exterior, and D finds in Jack the person who can help him reclaim the man he once was. As the day of Jack's testimony approaches, he and D find themselves not only fighting for their lives... but also fighting for their future. A future together.
If you have never read MM romance and want something really meaty and well-written to either take the plunge or just dip your toes in the pool, this book would be great for it.
I recently read Till There Was You by Lynn Kurland - loved it!
Also, either of Julie James' books!
Nalini, you know it makes me incredibly proud to see that you enjoyed Pretend Mistress, Bona Fide Boss. :-)
My latest good book read was Thief With No Shadow by Emily Gee. Fabulous, fabulous read. I was ensnared the moment I started at page one. Since I've started so many books lately, and not finished them, it was an absolute luxury to pick up Emily's book and go from go to whoa! And, I too wanted to beat her hero over the head a few times, but boy oh boy did that make it oh so much better when he crumbled and admitted his love.
Oh, and Laura Lee Guhrke. Two of hers, both with arguably unlikeable heroes that eventually just swept me away--The Marriage Bed, and The Wicked Ways of a Duke. Both definitely keepers for me.
Just finished a few books this week.
I'm not really an UF reader, so decided to give the Kate Daniels books by Ilona Andrews. Started the 1st, and gobbled up all three in as many days. Loved them! Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes.
Also just finished Nora Roberts' new release Visions in White, it's the first book in a new series of 4. Her return to Romance (no suspense).
Tomorrow I'm hitting To Beguile A Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt, which I'm really looking forward to as I'm loving this series. Then on to At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh (3rd in the Huxtable series). So, this will be my Historical Romance reading weekend.
Pam, I'm definitely getting The Madness of Lord Ian McKenzie, thank you.
Courtney, I've read quite a few M/M Romance books lately too, I'll have to look that one up. Recommend Rough Cut: Collected Stories by Vincent Diamond. Short stories, some connected, some not... excellent writing, unusual characters, great Romance.
JR Wards Lover Avenged
pretty good, a definite read for any BDB lover
Another favorite McNaught - A Kingdom of Dreams, and I love CL Wilson's series, impatiently waiting the last one in the series.
I'm almost done now with Hoyt's To Beguile a Beast, my favorite of this new series now, another winner.
Courtney - I discovered m/m romance late last year and I love it! I've heard some good things about Zero to the Bone so I'm going to hunt it down!
So many interesting books. My TBR list is going to cry :)
My 'discovery' over the last two months is Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series. It's dark fantasy, with incredible world-building and three-dimensional characters. The first book, Melusine, blew my mind! If it's OK to post, I reviewed it here:
http://orannia.blogspot.com/2009/03/melusine-sarah-monette.html
Let's see, out of books I've read in April...oh, someone's already mentioned Jim Butcher's Turn Coat! Loved that. Also, there's Ilona Andrews' Magic Strikes(Kate Daniels #3)...and Jeri Smith-Ready's Wicked Game(WVMP Radio #1)...and Karen Chance's Curse the Dawn(Cassandra Palmer #4)!
GAH! I keep hearing good things about The Madness Of Lord Ian Mackenzie! Want!
Current I`m reading book two (The unmated one) of "The Wild Wulfs of London" by Ronda Thompson.
Here`s the blurb:
Running from angry villagers and the man who ravaged her, the witch Lucinda flees into the forest to have her child. But Lord Jackson Wulf hunts her down, believing her death will break the family curse that transforms him into a monster. Instead of killing the witch, Jackson is moved by her beauty and desperate plight. And Lucinda seizes the chance to find safety for herself and her babe when a bargain is struck between this outcast woman and this doomed man - and sealed by their marriage in name only...
In return for his protection, Lucinda has promised that her magic can free Jachson from his torment. But this pretty witch soon finds herself in danger of being seduced by Jackson`s charms and pursued by the man who would see both her and her child dead. Can she trust a Wulf with her safety and the safety of her child? Can she trust her heart to Jackson? To surrender to a Wulf is a terrible risk, for love will either unleash the beast within the man... or finally set him free.
I was in the mood to read an historical and this book did a really good job to satisfy my mood.
It contains everything what a good love story needs: anger, frustration, jealousy, fear, safety, attraction and passion.
~Eva
J.R. Ward -- Lover Avenged
*Excellent story, the hero Revehnge is just so compelling! You can't help but want to hug him and make it all better!! You get more the over-all arc of the series developing which was nice.
Maggie Shayne -- Bloodline
*The heroine, Lilith is so beautiful, her soul is wonderous and kind. I was completely drawn to her innate goodness.
Christeen Feehan -- Burning Wild
*HOT HOT HOT. SOOOO HOT! Wow. Just wow!! Christeen made the chemistry between these two so hot I thought the book was going to literally burn up in my hands! She never ceases to amaze me.
All were really good.
I recently read about another Gee book, The Laurentine Spy which looked interesting, will have to check her out.
And another book I loved, Karen Ranney's newest, A Scotsman in Love, wonderful romance, both suffering losses of a different kind and no longer wanting love, retreating from the world and life, lost souls who both need healing and hope.
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