Sunday, July 29, 2012

Armed & Dangerous by Abigail Roux

5 STARS

Cut & Run - Book 5

This is the best Cut & Run book yet! I was so sad when I heard that Madeleine Urban - co-author of the first 4 C&R books - was retiring from writing, thinking that there would be no more Ty & Zane adventures. Then I read that Abigail Roux was continuing the series on her own and I was thrilled! Then I got concerned, worrying that the tone of the books wouldn't be the same, that the things I had come to love would't be there any longer, that Ty & Zane wouldn't be the same any more. In the end, worries were all for nothing! Abigail exceeded every expectation I had. :)

Yes, the overall tone of the book was different from the previous 4; it felt different, almost more friendly, I think. And the 'caper' part of the book actually was the most logical of the adventures since the boys' initial outing. 

So... the major guest-starring roles of Julian and Cameron (and Preston) from Warrior's Cross were PERFECT!!! Oh the four of these men together was a beautiful thing to read! And where Cameron could have come across as pretty baggage, in the end, he more than held his own with the three macho men. :) Nick O'Flaherty, Ty's best friend, also returns and his scene with Zane in the early morning hours brought me to tears. And Deuce! Deuce was back too and this made me very, very happy. As did Smith and Wesson. :) 

Anyway, I am totally in squee-heaven over this book. We learn so much about Ty and why he's the way he is, and we see so very clearly why Zane loves him so much. There were moments that made me laugh out loud and I swear, I'll never think the same way about antique dealers. There were moments that touched me, moments that made me mad and want to smack those men, moments that had me on the edge of my seat and moments that actually made me pause, sigh and go "Awwww!". 

I could not put this book down - well, the ereader - *LOL*. I started it last night and read until I couldn't keep my eyes open and then did absolutely NOTHING today in order to finish it. I loved it!


Saturday, July 28, 2012

Divide & Conquer by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

4.5 STARS

Cut & Run - Book 4

It's really 4.5 stars, damn you Goodreads!

So this latest installment of the adventures of Ty and Zane was everything I needed it to be. It was filled with action, sexytimes, humour, angst and a bunch of handsome men. The action/suspense part of the story, the bombs going off throughout Baltimore served its purpose as the background of the love story of Ty and Zane and served it well. It didn't distract me with odd questions, nor did it leave me scratching my head at any point. 

There were wee glimpses of Deuce, one of my favourite characters in this series, but definitely not enough. We gt to meet Ty's Sidewinder squad (not sure if I have the actual military terminology correct) and he has some intense dealings with them. Manly men being manly. We get to meet Nick, a Very Important Part of Ty's life. We get to see Zane tie himself up in knots, get badly injured, come to some pretty big realisations. All in all, a lot went on in this book and it was all good. 

And then came the last paragraph. 

I wanted to throw my ereader across the room and scream! I HATE these types of cliffhangers - and that's why D&C didn't get 5 stars. :) And that's also why I went online right away and bought myself Armed & Dangerous. And that's why my reading list has been thrown all out of order. *LOL*

I love Ty and Zane and I loved this book! Go! Read the whole series!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper

5 STARS

I unabashedly loved this simple tale of the life of two ordinary men who met, fell in love, and lived their lives. It touched my heart in so many simple, little ways that brought lumps to my throat and tears to my eyes. Jacob and Daniel could be any two men, really. I'm reminded of a man I knew many years ago, he was the pharmacist at our local drugstore. He lived together with his 'friend' a few blocks away from my first husband and I. They had been together for over 15 years at the time and I'm sure they're still together today if they're still among us. 

Kaje has crafted a simple, heart-warming story of an enduring love and I highly recommend it. :)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

4.5 STARS

The Mackenzies/McBrides - Book 1

4.5 stars, damn you Goodreads! 

I loved this book, the first book I've read by Jennifer Ashey. 

I loved the unconventional hero - he suffers from Asperger's (or something similar) you guys! I loved him and I loved his crazy brothers and adorably snarky nephew. I'm a sucker for family sagas and this is right up that alley. Oddly, I know the setting is 1881, but in my brain I was reading it as set a good 30 years earlier - I have no idea why, perhaps the lack of time-defining details? But the story doesn't need them. 

I would have given this book 5 stars had I been in love with the heroine as much as I was with the hero and all the other characters. She was feisty, yes, she had a mind of her own and I LOVED the fact that she loved sex. "Carnality"! She just didn't shine as brightly as I wanted her to when put up against all those gorgeous, tormented men. 

The sex scenes, I have to say, were quite hot and steamy. OH! And the hints of the proclivities of the Duke, oldest brother Hart, were very tantalising. Kinky in a D/s sort of way? I hope she carries through on them. A GREAT romantic read and believe that I will be following the adventures of the Mackenzie brothers as well as searching out Jennifer's other books.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

1 STAR  (DNF)

The Wicked Years - Book 1

I don't normally have a problem with weird, odd, off-beat books - especially in the fantasy genre - but this one... *shaking my head* I couldn't get through it. I made it 22% of the way through, as per my Kobo reader and felt defeated. I didn't like ANY of the characters and quite frankly, I didn't 'get' most of the story he was trying to tell. So... today I consign it to the DNF shelf.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Gambling Men: The Novel by Amy Lane

4 STARS

This book had a bit of a different flavour than the other Amy Lanes that I have read. Maybe it was the switching POVs? Maybe it was the big city setting? Maybe it was that both men were the same age (that I was reading as early 30s - I don't remember if it was stated. *LOL*)? 

At any rate, I fell for Jace and especially Quent in a big way! 

I loved that both were a little fucked up about stuff - Jace more so than Quent and I loved how difficult it was for Jace to put things into words. Like SO many men I have known over the years. :) And I loved how Quent and Jace loved each other. That's the thing with Amy's books - I ALWAYS feel the love between the characters and it always leaves me with a smile and a warm heart.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

A to Z by Marie Sexton

4 STARS

Coda - Book 2

The second book in the Coda series tells the tale of Zach and Angelo, and tells it in a very interesting way. A dual first person POV, which I find rarely works, but this time it worked PERFECTLY. 

I loved both main characters. Maybe Zach a little bit more than Angelo because I understood him all too well. :) Angelo remains a bit of a mystery to me, but he's one of those quirky people who you just can't get a complete handle on, you just love them fondly for being that person. :) 

It was lovely revisiting Matt and Jared again, from Promises, Coda #1, and learning a bit more of their relationship, and I liked the bonding between Matt and Angelo. I love Marie's romances, they take their time to really develop and allow me, as the reader, to fall in love with the MCs as well as their love story. Kudos!!