A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer

My Rating: 4 stars Copyright: July 2005 Pages: 320 I enjoyed this book because it was just that little bit different but I can't say I was bowled over by my first Georgette Heyer. Adam Deveril returns from the Napoleonic Wars to find his father has died, the family fortune has been lost & Fontley, the ancestral home is at risk. Adam must sell the family estate or marry an heiress, so forsaking his sweetheart Julia he marries Jenny Chawleigh, the plain, stout daughter of a wealthy but crude merchant. This is a believable tale, rich in detail but slightly melancholy & far from the usual romance. Heyer takes a very realistic approach to an arranged marriage and saves it from dreariness by interjecting humour and delightful insights into the story. The characters are well developed; practical, kind hearted & patient Jenny, shallow, flighty Julia, spirited Lydia & Jonathan Chawleigh, essentially good-hearted but loud, vulgar & tasteless. Adam & Jenny's marriage of convenience, Adam's title for Jenny's fortune culminates in love declared but comes across as comfort, affection and respect... ‘After all life was not made up of moments of exaltation, but of ordinary, everyday things’.

Hardcase by Dan Simmons

My Rating: 3.5 stars Published: July 2001 Pages: 288 Sub Genre: Hard-boiled Suspense/Thriller Think Pulp Fiction with Roid Rage and you'll have a taste of what's in store for you with Hardcase. This is one action-packed, graphically violent, pared down to a bare minimum, hard-boiled suspense novel. Former Private Investigator and ex-con Joe Kurtz spends 11 years in prison after avenging the death of his partner and lover Samantha Fielding. While in jail, Kurtz protects & befriends Steve Farino, the son of New York mob boss. Don Farino becomes Joe's first client on leaving prison when his services are engaged to locate mob accountant Buell Richardson. Kurtz has his own very amoral code of honour which he adheres to strictly, making him a kind of 'endearing' anti hero. Simmons gives readers a veritable feast of psychotic killers; Malcolm Kibunte, Cutter, DooRag, the Alabama Beagle Boys, an assassin known only as The Dane and Manny Levine, a dwarf who looks like a mean version of Danny DeVito. Manny is seeking revenge for the death of his brother, Sammy (the germ who killed Joe's lover.) These guys make Joe Kurtz look like he has a spot reserved in heaven. Full of twists & double-crosses, this is a fast, page-turning read but not really the most believable. Hardcase is the first of three Joe Kurtz novels - Hard Freeze & Hard as Nails. Still undecided whether I'll be reading more of Joe Kurtz, maybe I'll stick to Dan Simmons' science fiction novels. If you like this review vote for it on Goodreads

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

My Rating: 4 stars Published: May 2001 Pages: 292 I waited with bated breath for the True Blood series to come to Showcase in Australia & bought the boxed set of Sookie Stackhouse novels in preparation. Thank goodness both the book & the series lived up to the hype in my humble opinion. Take one kooky waitress, one hot vampire, one cute shapeshifter, one endearing grandma, throw in some murder, mayhem, blood sucking, tears & laughter and what do you get...a damn good story. Sookie Stackhouse is anything but sooky, she's a strong, straight talking, kick-butt telepath with her innocence intact thanks to her mind reading 'disability' (who would want to pursue a relationship when you can hear your date's thoughts... a running commentary on the pros and cons of your butt & boobs would be a little off-putting!) Things heat up for Sookie when Bill Compton comes to Bon Temps, Louisianna. Vampires have recently "come out of the coffin" & Bill is one such vampire attempting to mainstream in 'normal' society with the benefits of synthetic blood. I love Bill's sexy, dark, bad-boy image & Sookie loves the fact that she can't hear his thoughts, (I'm sure she loves Bill's sexy bad-boy image too.) I love Sooky's mind chatter, her somewhat left-field take on life, her profound insights and her moments of vulnerability. Charlaine Harris tells a wickedly good story and there wasn't much I didn't like. I enjoyed the vampire politics & heirarchy, the corny humour tickled my fancy but there was a phrase Bill used in an intimate encounter with Sookie that had me cringing & shuddering...I know Bill is kind of old fashioned but "I want to enter you again" was just Ewww! A complete & utter turn-off! Oh & Sookie should definitely ditch the banana clips. So how does the series "True Blood" stack up? Well I've watched the first three episodes and I'm hooked. It's a lot bloodier, gorier & raunchier than the book, which I for one don't have a problem with. Jason, Sookie's brother who I didn't particular like in this book was even more slimy & detestable in the first few episodes of the TV series. Tara & Lafayette who have a more prominent role in True Blood are missing from Dead Until Dark but I guess I'll have to keep reading to see whether they play a part in the book series at all. True Blood seems to follow the book closely, one isn't better than the other & neither detracts from the other. Great entertainment, I recommend both.

White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz

My Rating: 4 stars
Published: 2007
Pages: 371
Sub-Genre: Romantic Suspense/Thriller

There were a number of things I really enjoyed about this book. This story had a strong suspenseful plot & being uncertain of the killer until 3/4 of the way through the novel was quite refreshing. I also thoroughly enjoyed the steamy romantic sub-plot.

Clare Lancaster is a level 10 parasensitive whose psychic ability is to read lies. Jake Salter is a level 10 hunter, freelancing for Jones & Jones an investigative agency in the Arcane Society, who's purpose is to protect the formula that can create a super psychic. I loved the chemistry between Clare & Jake, both strong personalities with a mutual understanding & appreciation of each others abilities. Claire's ability to tell truth from deception is all that saved her half sister from death at the hands of her husband eight months prior. Now Claire is back in Arizona at the request of her father Archer Glazebrook and she's become the target of someone bent on revenge. Jake, masquerading as a business consultant for Glazebrook is determined to protect Clare after a barrage of coincidental threats. Together they "unravel a web of conspiracy & murder."

I really wanted to know more about the characters unique & fascinating abilities. Jake's powerful talent allows him to pick up the psychic spoor left by anyone in the grip of intense, violent emotion & Clare's abilities as a human lie detector affected her on a paranormal & physical level. I really enjoyed her take on lies, from white lies to ultraviolet (Clare's codeword for evil) "the ability to lie...I consider it to be value-neutral, sort of like fire." "You can cook a meal with fire or burn down a house. In the hands of a person with evil intent, lying can be used to cause enormous damage."

The descriptions of the Arcane Society are a little vague & unusual, maybe they were expanded upon in book 1? All parasensitives are registered with the Arcane Society & rated according to their gift & psychic strength. Not so unusual ... the weird factor increases when the reader discovers that not only can sensitives check out each others psychic statistics online, they can register at arcanematch.com to find their perfect psychic mate... Ughh please! That aside this was still an enjoyable read.

* Arcane Society Book 1, Second Sight was written under the pen name Amanda Quick and yes it's set in Victorian England. I realise authors write under different names, especially across genres but across a particular series? Is that unusual? In addition to Jayne Castle (futuristic romantic suspense) and Amanda Quick (historical romantic suspense), Krentz has also written under the names Jayne Bentley, Amanda Glass, Stephanie James and Jayne Taylor. Does anyone know... what's with all the pseudonyms???

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

My Rating: 5 stars
Published: 1941
Pages: 241

The Black Stallion was one of my favourite childhood reads. I first read it as a horse-loving 8 year old, re-read it until my Scholastic copy became dog-eared and visited with The Black & Alec again as a 40 something child at heart. I believe this is the premise that makes The Black Stallion a classic, a book remembered fondly from childhood days, pieces of the story remaining with you over the years, then upon re-visiting as an adult, the wonder of this fantastic tale comes flooding back.

The story begins with young Alec Ramsay and the wild black stallion as the only survivors of a shipwreck. It explores the developing bond and the mutual love between boy and horse developed over weeks on a deserted island, through rescue and return to Alec's family in New York. Neighbour & former racehorse trainer Henry Daily recognizes the Black's phenomenal potential for speed, thus man and boy team up to train the spirited horse & show his talent to the world.

Walter Farley brings readers a wonderful adventure with oodles of emotion. The match race between Sun Raider, Cyclone, and the Black in the final chapter had my heart racing. A must read story of timeless magic for children & any young horse-lover.

Pleasuring the Pirate by Emily Bryan

Rating: 4 stars
Published: August 2008
Pages: 302

Mistress Jacqueline Wren, illegitimate daughter of an infamous courtesan & chatelaine of Dragon Caern has been kept busy running the Drake estate and raising the five precocious daughters left by Lord Drake’s deceased brother. Pirate Captain Gabriel Drake returns home after purportedly being lost at sea, to find nothing is as when he left. His father & brother have passed on and Dragon Caern is in a woeful state despite Jacqueline's expert administrations. "Jack" is determined that Lord Gabriel will do what's right by his family & tenants and sets about finding a suitable heiress for Gabriel to marry thereby assuring the salvation of Dragon Caern and saving all from an uncertain fate.

Pleasuring the Pirate was a lively, fun read; a romance with more than a splash of adventure & just the right amount of steamy love scenes between the hero and heroine. The dialogue between Gabriel and Jacqueline is saucy, heated and often amusing. I was hoping to learn more of Gabriel's pirating days as the story unfolded but alas, that was not the case. I know it's a little thing but I felt like I was missing out on something, hmm that would make for another great story though!

Emily Bryan does a wonderful job with characterisation in this novel & not just with the hero and heroine, the minor characters are an intricate part of the story & certainly not overlooked. I fell in love with Gabriel's nieces; very mischievious and completely adorable little monkeys and I thought Meri a lovable old salt, his description of a smugglers hole left me giggling and gagging "When the tide is out, a crew brings its cargo in through the sea cave. When the tide comes in...Slick as snot, the door is closed."

Definitely looking forward to reading Distracting the Duchess (Emily Bryan's 1st novel) & Vexing the Viscount. She also writes Dark Ages historical romance under her real name Diana Groe.

The Blue Diablo Blowout

Ann Aguirre is holding a SUPER competition for the upcoming release of Blue Diablo on April 7th (the first novel in her Corine Solomon series. Visit her blog for details of competition and extracts from this exciting novel.

The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick

Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: Ravenstow #1
Re-Published: December 2008
Pages: 341
My Rating: 4.5 stars


The Wild Hunt is Elizabeth Chadwick's first published work, winner of the 1990 Betty Trask Award and the version I've just read is the 'reworked' version. The Wild Hunt is the 1st novel in the Ravenstow trilogy, it was out of print for many years then re-published by Sphere Publishing with a 'spring clean' & new cover as will be "The Running Vixen" (re-publish date Dec 2009) and "The Leopard Unleashed" (re-publish date unknown.)

A marriage of political expediency, at the order of King William Rufus unites Lady Judith of Ravenstow and Guyon FitzMiles, lord of Ledworth. Judith has been traumatised by an abusive father and is naturally fearful of her new husband. While skilled in healing & the running of a household, 16 year old Judith is an innocent when it comes to matters of husband & wife, fortunately Guyon has no wish to terrify his child bride and waits patiently to consummate their marriage.

Set in the turn of the 12th Century in the untamed Welsh border area, Guyon and Judith's story is woven beautifully into the historic tapestry of the time - the scheming and treachery endemic in the royal court during the reign of King William Rufus and subsequently King Henry I, political intrigue, Welsh raids, border skirmishes, secrets, and the evil & cruelty of true historical characters, Robert de Belleme (Earl of Shrewsbury) and Walter de Lacey.

Chadwick's descriptions of the cruelty and desecration perpetrated actually brought tears to my eyes. I loved Ms Chadwick's development of the fictional characters Guyon and Judith. While Guyon has all the traits required of a much loved hero, he is saved from the "to good to be true" portrayal by a few realistic flaws. Judith is a beguiling blend of innocence and passion, poise and wildness, her strong will & temper are a force to be reckoned with. Judith and Guyons' love slowly blossoms as trust, maturity and attraction grows.

While for me The Wild Hunt didn't have quite the same heartfelt appeal of The Love Knot or The Greatest Knight I did thoroughly enjoy it. Having not read the first published version of The Wild Hunt my opinion is based solely on this version and obviously with the benefit of years of writing experience and increased historical knowledge Elizabeth Chadwick has fine-tuned The Wild Hunt to give the reader a compelling, well researched historical tale & endearing love story.

Please check out my other reviews of Elizabeth Chadwick novels in Favourite Reads of 2008

Victorian Bushfires

"Local CFA firefighter David Tree shares his water with injured Australian Koala at Mirboo North after wildfires swept through the region" Sam has third degree burns to her paws but is recovering in the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson with new friend Bob (another koala also rescued from the Victorian bushfires) My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones in the Victorian bushfires & also to those who have lost homes, pets, livestock and businesses. Australians need the prayers & thoughts of people from around the world. In times of tragedy it can be the gift of hope to know that others are thinking of you with love and support. The loss of human life, wildlife, pets & livestock is just heartbreaking, you cannot but cry with the many stories of devastation, loss & courage. Please give what you can, make a donation to the Red Cross bushfire appeal – every cent counts (the minimum donation online is just $5)

Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston

My Rating: 4.5 stars Published: 2006 Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance Pages: 213 Pack Challenge is a wicked, hilarious, sarcastic, raunchy romp of a read. It's the first book in a trilogy & the first Shelly Laurenston that I've read & believe me, I will definitely be reading more. Sara works at a chopper shop, chills with her outrageous & slightly psychotic pals Angie & Miki & is completely unaware of her unusual heritage. She is a slightly damaged, very aggressive, antagonistic girl who has no idea how attractive she is to just the right male. Zach is a hot shapeshifting wolf, soon to be Alpha of his pack, the pack that Sara's parents used to belong to. Zach arrives in Texas with his pack to protect Sara from the pride of shapeshifting mountain lions that killed her parents. The plot is simple but well drawn & effectively developed for such a short read. The pace is just right, the dialogue is wicked, especially between the three friends, sarcastic, humouress & bitchy & the banter between Sara & Zach also had me laughing out loud. At one point Zach informs Sara that "there's an array of shifters" so Sara enquires about bunny shifters. The conversation then goes like this Zach - "It is not possible!" Sara - "How do you know? Just because there's no proof to prove it, there's no proof to disprove it either." Zach - You're trying to make me crazy aren't you?" Sara - "Not at all. I'm just saying there could be bunny shifters." Zach - THERE ARE NO BUNNY SHIFTERS! Sara - "You're a bunny bigot" The sex is incredibly hot and steamy and the language while realistic for the characters, is rude & crude so delicate readers consider yourself warned. If you like this review vote for it on Goodreads

Torn Apart by James Patterson and Hal Friedman

- The Heartbreaking Story of a Childhood Lost My Rating: 5 stars Published: 2008 Pages: 289 Non-Fiction Torn Apart is written by Hal Friedman in collaboration with his friend James Patterson, telling the story of Hal's son Cory. This is the emotional true story told through Cory's eyes of his battle with one of the most complex cases of Tourette's syndrome, anxiety disorder & OCD that doctors have seen. Cory was an ordinary boy until shortly before his fifth birthday, when motor tics, vocal tics, compulsions and obsessions turned his body into a "puppet on a string." Sophia and Hal take a gut-wrenching journey with their son to find answers and treatment for their son's debilitating condition. Anyone who has experienced a medical condition that has medical practitioners baffled knows how heartbreaking and soul destroying this journey can be, but his parents heartache pales in comparison to Cory's living hell. "My body is always betraying me, always, always, always." "No one can imagine how horrible this is. Every single day, something bad happens to me." These are not the words of a child ranting in a tantrum; Cory's mental and physical suffering is shocking, he is hospitalised with torn muscles in his back from the sheer force of his physical tics, he requires dental work for broken teeth from unrelenting jaw spasms. After 13 Doctors, 60 potent medications & varying combinations of medications failed to bring Cory any relief is it any wonder that in early high school Cory turned to alcohol to gain some much needed peace. The horrendous side effects he suffers give credence to the old adage 'the cure is worse than the disease' and Cory gives us an insight into this in Torn Apart - "I never know if it’s the medicine itself, the combination of medicines, the doses, or the usual ups and downs that happen with Tourettes." This family's courage in sharing their story in the hope of inspiring others like Cory, raising awareness of neurological conditions and engaging support for Tourette's rather than ridicule, is nothing short of extraordinary. As a parent of a son with ADHD and anxiety disorder, diagnosed with Tourette's in Year 7 as a result of medication overload I shed tears over Cory's poignant story and more tears of heartfelt gratitude that my son's 'bird noises' and throat clearing was short-lived in comparison. This is more than a story of a boy with Tourette's, it's a story of triumph over adversity, of a family's unconditional love, a story of strength, determination and the most unbelievable courage. This story touched me profoundly, it moved me to tears, tears of sadness and joy. Please note - The novels 'Torn Apart' & 'Against Medical Advice' are one and the same. If you like this review vote for it on Goodreads