TITLE: Only With Your Love
AUTHOR: Lisa Kleypas
PUBLICATION: Avon, February 1992
GENRE: Historical Romance – Pirates!
RATING: <3 <3 <3

I considered entitling this post “In which I discover an Old Skool Romance that I actually liked.” A few pages in, I thought to myself, “Oh NOOOoooos! This can’t be Lisa Kleypas!” but I continued reading…and continued reading…and read right to the end in one sitting. I quite enjoyed it. This book has every romance trope you can think of: Purple prose! Virgin widows! Forced Seduction! Honorable pirates! Mistaken identity! Irritating nicknames! Anachronistic sensibilities! But somehow, despite it all, I fell for the characters and was swept away by the adventure.

***Ahoy Spoilers!***

PLOT:
Celia Vallerand, 24-year-old french former-spinster, is on her honeymoon, on a ship bound for her husband’s family in New Orleans. Shy girl that she is, she has begged her husband to delay consummating the union until they know each other better. His seduction plans are interrupted when the ship is attacked by pirates. Everyone is killed except Celia, who is kidnapped as a prize for the eeevil pirate captain’s brother. Brought to the secret pirate island, she pleads for help from a rival pirate captain (ahoy hero!) who fights a duel for her and wins. They flee for their lives from eevil pirate captain #1.

The hero wears a scraggly full beard and long hair to hide his appearance (yuck). He has his own secret agenda for rescuing Celia, but he is attracted to her, despite her skinniness, boyish hips, and childlike face. He is still and evil pirate, despite being the hero, and plunders her treasure, inspiring hitherto unknown feelings of desire from her. He is shocked and angry to discover that her bounty had never been stolen before (hehheh). Celia is, understandably, upset.

Arriving in New Orleans at the Vallerand family plantation, Celia is dismayed to find that the evil pirate captain who stole her innocence is none other than Justin Vallerand, her dead husband’s twin brother. Fortunately for her, he leaves immediately as there is a price on his head and he has a revenge to carryout. The Vallerand family accepts her with open arms and fattens her up. (I was so sure when she started complaining how all her dresses were too tight that she was preggers and we’d get our secret baby. But I was wrong. Biggest disappointment of the book.)

Four months later, Justin shows up at the plantation half dead. Despite her hatred, Celia nurses him back to life and, in the process, forges a bond with the difficult patient. When the authorities come sniffing around, the family passes Justin off as the dead brother, Philippe. Justin regains his strength and ravishes Celia some more, this time with her consent and cooperation.

The super eeevil pirate captain #1 shows up with the news that Philippe is alive!

Justin agrees to be traded in return for Philippe’s safety. Celia, in her one TSTL moment, follows to the trade point and is kidnapped. Justin and Celia and bad pirates return to secret pirate island. Justin’s crew springs escape. Battle! Fighting! Explosions! Mayhem! Good guys win and live Happily Ever After.

Discussion:
One can’t take this book seriously. I completely recommend it to die-hard romance fans, because you will be able to appreciate the silliness. Please do not give this book to your non-romance-reading friends. It is a Bodice Ripper.

Let’s start off with the cover. My cover has two swans on the front. There are no swans in the book. Swans, as far as I know, don’t even live in the carrebean or New Orleans or any other setting covered in the book. They are not mentioned anywhere in the book, nor is any character described as being swan-like. Why the cover? I. Have. No. Idea.

Secondly, the forced seduction. Y’all know how I feel about forced seductions. Why then did I not throw this book against a wall? This is the first book I’ve read where the rapist-hero actually goes through a believable character transformation over the course of the book. He is truly a different person who regrets his actions by the end of the book.  He recognizes his vile acts and seeks to make amends. He is redeemed and gives his life in exchange for others. In addition, both the hero and the heroine realize that the forced seduction for what it is: BAD. The heroine hates the hero afterwards, and goes through her own transformation coming to terms with her rape, healing, and forgiving the hero.

This book would have been better with a baby epilogue. I was so sure the heroine was going to get knocked up. I was very disappointed when she didn’t. Not even in the epilogue! Come on Lisa – this book had everything but the baby! It’s my favorite cliche.

Irritating nicknames: the hero calls the heroine “infant,” which is so incredibly not sexy I can’t even begin to describe…grrrrrrr.

I recommend this book especially to all the Desert Island Ladies, because it’s set on a desert island, has lots of pirates and rum and fun.

Title: Demon Bound
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: the Guardians, book 7
Publication Info: Berkley, November 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

Author Meljean Brook ups the ante in paranormal romance with the seventh installment in her riveting Guardians series. In a series known for its complex world building and compelling characters, Ms. Brook has written yet another edge of your seat adventure, adding even more layers of mythology and creating a hero that just may be her most beloved yet.

Guardian Alice Grey has a problem: she bargained with a demon and pledged to kill the Guardian Doyen Michael. Fulfilling her promise will earn her eternal damnation. Not fulfilling her promise will earn her an eternity in hell’s frozen field. It’s the ultimate no-win situation.

Novice Guardian Jake Hawkins is creeped out by the Guardian known as the “Black Widow,” but the woman’s attempts to scare him off also have the odd effect of piquing his interest. Who is this woman who draws giant spiders out of her mouth and keeps everyone at a distance?

When a botched teleportation trip lands Jake and Alice in hell, they realize that their leader, Michael, has been hiding dangerous information about the origins of the Guardians. Can they trust a Doyen that has direct ties to hell?

Time is running out for Alice and Jake to find a solution to fulfilling her bargain. They must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice for love.

Fantasy fans will delight as the plot thickens, twists and turns. Romance fans will fall in love with a hero that is heroic in the true sense of the word. Jake playful and gregarious, with human flaws that make him even more likable. Alice is serious and introverted. They learn from each other, complete each other, grow and become a better person for having loved the other.

DEMON BOUND comes out today, and I can’t recommend to you enough that you run out and buy it.

The Book Binge has a review and a contest to win a $100 gift certificate if you buy the book!

Title: Sea Witch
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea, book 1
Publication Info: Berkley, July 2008
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Imagine, if you will, a protective, wounded hero who discovers a celtic fairy tale brought to life. Add in stunning imagery of the sea, metaphors that flow lyrically through the story like ocean currents, and you will have a novel that reads like a love song.

Plot:

Selkie (seal shape-shifter of celtic mythology) Margred is at home alone in the sea, but she’s got an itch that needs scratching so she journeys ashore on a tiny island off Maine and finds herself a tumble in the sand. Humans have never caught her interest before, but somehow she can’t stop thinking of this one after she leaves him. When a second trip to shore lands her in hot water, she must learn to trust the human with not only her life and her secrets, but also her heart.

Caleb is an ex-soldier wounded in Iraq who comes home to work as a police officer for the tiny island town where he grew up. He wants nothing more than peace and quiet so he can heal from his demons. He isn’t a one-night-stand kinda guy, but what warm-blooded man would say no when a beautiful naked woman jumps him on a moonlit beach? When he finds her wounded and amnesiac three weeks later, he gets the opportunity to take care of her, giving her the benefit of his trust even though she won’t tell him where she came from or who she is.

Someone is killing people on the island, and Caleb suspects the murderer plans to come after Margred. How can he protect her if she won’t tell him the truth? They both discover that love can transform even the most recalcitrant souls: healing, strengthening, and ultimately saving the day.

Discussion:

I heart protective heroes. Cal is a soldier turned cop. He’s tough and kind. He wants to settle down and have a quiet life with family. When trouble stirs, he’s the first one on the front line saving the day. *swoon* Maggie is a strong heroine who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to take it. Their passion sets the page on fire.

What really made this story rock for me is Ms. Kantra’s poetry. Since the heroine is from the sea, all the allusions and metaphors are of the sea. It makes the setting come alive.

“…as she lay sprawled across him like kelp over the rocks, warmed by the sun, moving in the tide,” (p30).

“Waves boiled over the rocks at the selkies’ island Sanctuary. White veils of spray caught the afternoon sun. Drops glittered in the air like diamonds. Farther out, long lines of whitecaps rolled, their crests curling over the deep blue green–the horses of Llyr, running before the wind…. The mingled scents of land and sea, life and decay, climbed to her window like the rose vines in a fairy tale,” (p35).

“Fog shrouded the beach and clung to the rocks like a thin film of tears. The trees rose against the dawn like the black masts of pirate ships, silent and threatening. The gray waves whispered and mourned,” (p182).

My one complaint in the entire book is this sentence on page 133:

“Margred had never begged for a lover. (And dismissed the memory of her own voice, saying “Please.”)”

The author intrusion jarred me out of the story. The sudden omniscient voice confused me, but worse are the parentheses. When does anyone use parentheses in a novel? As Susan Elizabeth Phillips says, “Keep The Reader In The Story.” This single sentence was the only time I bumped. The rest of the writing is wonderful.

The cover is also quite lovely. I strongly recommend this book. It is one of my favorite paranormal romances of 2008. I look forward to reading the rest of The Children of the Sea series.

Thursday Thirteen: Book Recommendations for Twilight Saga Fans

Whether you love Jacob or Edward, here are a few delicious books to sink your teeth into. I’ve listed only the first book in a series, unless the book/novella stands alone. YA stands for Young Adult, which means teenage protagonists. Adult books typically have some sex. Many thanks Ana, Christine, Katie(babs), and twitter friends for brainstorming with me!

1. WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr (2008 RITA winner for best YA – fairies, but not the cute kind, read Dear Author review)
2. MARKED by P.C. and Kristin Cast (House of Night series – YA – vampires, read Smart Bitches Trashy Books review)
3. VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead (YA – vampires, Seattle author!, read Mrs. Giggles review)
4. A CURSE AS DARK AS GOLD by Elizabeth Bunce (YA – magic, read a review from the Book Smugglers, recommended by Ana)
5. BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curt Klause (YA – werewolves, very different than the movie based loosely on it, suggested by Christine)
6. CROWN DUEL by Sherwood Smith (YA – magic, alternate world, beautiful love story!)
7. SABRIEL by Garth Nix (YA – Abhorsen Trilogy, magic, alternate world, more horror than romance but still fabulous)
8. THE DARKANGEL by Meredith Ann Pierce (YA – vampires, dark, recommended by Meljean!)
9. THE SUMMONING by Kelley Armstrong (YA – ghosts, recommended by Lisa)
10. LORD OF THE FADING LANDS by C.L. Wilson (alternate universe, magic, fairies, shape-shifters, not technically YA but teenage protagonist and no sex (yet))
11. A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark series – werewolves, vampires, valkyries, witches and more, read my review)
12. “THICKER THAN BLOOD” by Meljean Brook in First Blood anthology (Guardian series, stands alone. – vampires, read my review, read The Book Smugglers review, special note – if you live in the Portland area you can meet Meljean on Sept 19 and get a signed copy, or if you’re new to Meljean stop by her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy! )
13. THE SMOKE THIEF by Shana Abe (dragon shape-shifters, read Dear Author review, recommended by Christine)

PS: You should also read TUCK EVERLASTING by Natalie Babbitt after you read Twilight to compare the theme of Immortality. If you are looking for adult romances with werewolf protagonists (JACOB 4EVAH) check out this list of recommendations (Please note: they are hotter and darker than YA).

TITLE: Twilight
AUTHOR: Stephanie Meyer
PUBLICATION: Little, Brown Children’s Books, September 2006
GENRE: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
RATING: <3 <3 <3

TWILIGHT is an international bestselling young adult book that fans claim is the next big thing since Harry Potter. The sheer amount of buzz turned me off. How could the book possibly live up to its hype? I finally gave in after a camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula, where the book is set. I didn’t want to be the last person on the planet to see what all the fuss was about. It was a daunting task, overcoming my preconceived notions, but Ms. Meyer’s debut novel in the end won me over. I quickly snapped up the remaining three books in the four book saga and was quite satisfied.

PLOT:

Isabella (Bella) Swan moves to Forks, a tiny town on the rainy Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, to live with her dad when her mother remarries. Bella braves being a new student in the small high school where everyone knows everyone else. Yay for small town life! To her surprise, every guy in school develops a crush on her, but she finds herself drawn to the mysterious and antisocial Cullen family. In particular, the youngest son Edward captures her attention, because he is the most beautiful person she has ever seen and he smells good. Edward and his siblings skip school when it is sunny and are never seen eating. They have cold skin and strange eyes. Edward is by turns charming and hostile. For him, she is the apple. He wants to take a bite. Despite his moodiness, Bella can’t get him out of her head. When he saves her life on more than one occasion, she becomes even more obsessed. (This relationship is unhealthy, which is why I am a Jacob fan-girl. Are we trying to tell our daughters that this behavior is normal? I hope not.)

Bella’s friend Jacob tells her some legends about bloodsuckers and shapeshifters, and Bella begins to put two and two together: The Cullens are not human. She confronts Edward and he relents into showing her some of his world of “vegetarian” vampires. He has difficulty not sucking her blood, but Edward is nothing if not self controlled. Unfortunately not all vampires are good, and when an evil vampire sets his sights on Bella, the Cullen family must band together to save her. Bella is very good at getting into life-endangering situations, and sitting around looking pretty while the men fight to save her.

DISCUSSION:

Twilight is TUCK EVERLASTING for the new generation. It’s a comment on our culture and society that the moral of the story has changed. In both we have a young female protagonist who is tempted by immortality when she meets a strange family that does not age and falls in love with the son. In Tuck Everlasting the apple of immortality is “a curse that disrupts the natural cycle of life.” In Twilight the dark side of immortality is…nonexistent? What happened to Eve being tempted by the apple resulting in the fall of mankind? The issue in Twilight is brought up, but never fully discussed. I think this would be a fascinating analytical essay, comparing the concepts of immortality and youth in the two novels.

The stated theme from Ms. Meyer’s is “there is always a choice,” that one’s nature does not condemn one to be evil. One can chose between right and wrong. I wonder though how Bella struggles with this theme. She doesn’t seem to have a choice about whom to love – it is almost fated. The Cullen’s choose not to be human-killers. What else?

TWILIGHT is a gateway book. It is, in essence, a vampire romance. I’ve read tons of vampire romances, and compared to the genre as a whole, Twilight has serious competition. For romance newbies, Twilight is a perfect place to start a serious love affair with romance novels. (Which is of course my evil plan, to addict as many people as possible. Mwuhahahaha.) The romance is light and chaste (it’s a YA after all) and the paranormal aspects aren’t too dark. Bella’s high school experiences – adapting to a new school, the horrors of gym class, teenage angst – play quite a large role. Personally, I dislike reliving high school. Once was enough.

The characters are the highlight of the book, the reason this series has touched so many hearts. Bella, for all her perfection, is human; shy and awkward, but most importantly kind. We would all like to be friends with her. Edward, of course, is gorgeous. Who wouldn’t want to be Bella, to be adored by everyone? She is Helen of Troy, Paris’ golden apple, inspiring madness wherever she goes. Somehow this doesn’t go to her head; she is selfless. A martyr.

Ms. Meyer’s style and pacing pick up in the second book, but in her debut the reader follows Bella on a lot of day-to-day activities – waking up, brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, etc. For a reader who is used to fast-paced vampire romance, this can be a turn off. Keep reading. By the end of the book you’ll be invested with the characters.

I recommend this book, with some caveats. Mostly, I don’t think that Bella is a healthy role model for teenage girls. It must be terrible to write YA and have people telling you that your heroes and heroines must be role-models. What happened to simply telling a good story? But thems the breaks. Bella and Edward share something much closer to obsession than love. Over the course of the Saga it improved, but in the first two books it was unhealthy.

EDITED TO ADD: Smart Bitch Sarah hits the nail on the head with her exposé on Edward as an Old-Skool Romance Hero. This is why I’m on Team Jacob. I despise Old-Skool romances.

I can’t wait for the movie: NOVEMBER 21, 2008!

PS: It’s TWILIGHT SAGA week.
Monday – Twilight
Tuesday – New Moon
Wednesday – Eclipse
Thursday – Book Recommendations for people who loved Twilight
Friday – Breaking Dawn

TITLE: First Blood (anthology)
AUTHORS: Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, Chris Marie Green, Meljean Brook
PUBLICATION: Berkley August 2008
RATING: <3 <3 <3 <3

If I had a nickel for every time I heard “Vampire Paranormal Romance is dead (harhar)” I’d be a rich woman. So why is it still being published left and right? I’m glad the market gossip is wrong, because this book of Vampire Paranormal Romance novellas is one of the best anthologies I’ve ever read. All four novellas are hot, action packed reads.

“Cave Canem” by Susan Sizemore

Roman Gladiator turned vampire turned Hunter, Dan Conover now raises dangerous hellhound pups. When two go missing, he sets off in search of the thief. Witch-werewolf Tess Sirella is part of a coven dedicated to preventing hellhounds, demonic offspring of her grandmother, from realizing their true purpose and reeking murder and mayhem on the world. She is alerted to the theft of two pups and sets off on her own search. Dan and Tess cross paths and are struck by unrelenting lust, disgusting as cross-species mating might be. Despite her vows of chastity, Tess quickly gives it up: Dan smells too good to resist. They track down the puppy thief and defeat a murderous demon.

The best feature of this novella was the complex world building. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the other books in the series first. It was grittier and gorier than most romances, with lust in evidence rather than love. Considering this is part of the Laws of the Blood series, a vampire fantasy series for ACE, not part of her vampire romance series, the harder edge is understandable.

“Russian Roulette” by Erin McCarthy

Vampire Alistair Kirk wants nothing more than to live in peace playing in his band and tending his bar, but when he hears gossip of a captive vampire about to be sold to slayers, his honorable instincts won’t let him turn a blind eye. He sneaks into the house of his evil ex-wife and finds a beautiful fledgling vamp chained to a bed. Sasha Chechikov has trust issues. Abused at the hands of her dead husband then turned over to her death by her best friend, she no longer can afford to depend on anyone but herself. When a strange vampire frees her, how can she possibly believe that he has good intentions? Unwillingly, Sasha finds herself falling for the laid-back knight. With patience and kindness, Alistair helps Sasha heal from her emotional and physical abuse and their relationship blossoms. She becomes strong enough to stand up to her captors and fight for the right to build a new life for herself.

I really enjoyed the character development in this novella. (Of course, I always like a well-done story of a knight-in-shining-armor and a damsel-in-distress – like “Alpha and Omega” by Patricia Briggs in ON THE PROWL.) My only complaint was the lightening-quick dispatch of the villain at the end.

“Double the Bite” by Chris Marie Green

Small-town Texas cop Ben Tyree journeys to New York to find his brother’s killer, and discovers that monsters stalk the night in the Big Apple. Vampire sisters Ginny and Geneva escaped their manipulative vampire maker, but the pressure of eternal damnation continues to erode the twin bond. Ben’s innocence and goodness dazzle Ginny, while her sexy allure makes Ben want the ecstasy his brother found in his last moments. When Geneva puts Ben’s life in danger, Ginny realizes that she can no longer control her deranged sister and she wants more than the half-life she has been living as Geneva’s keeper. But can she make a life with Ben while still keeping the secret of his brother’s death?

Part of the Vampire Babylon fantasy series, this well-written novella stood securely on its own. Ben’s obsession with experiencing his brother’s last moments was a bit unpalatable. I would have liked more answers between Ginny and Geneva’s fight and the “many years from now” epilog. Still, the novella intrigued me enough to add Ms. Green’s backlist to my TBR pile. (side note: having recently read HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE by Nalini Singh, the good-twin/bad-twin story gave me deja-vu.)

“Thicker than Blood” by Meljean Brook

Vampire Annie Gallagher returns from a weekend trip to New York to find the entire vampire population of Philadelphia has been annihilated. While searching for the young human ward of her now-deceased friends, she happens upon the man she loved when she was a human. FBI agent Jack Harrington is stunned when the woman he loved and lost six years ago breaks into his house. But the smiling woman he knew has been replaced by a cold, lethal killer, and he struggles to understand not only the lies that kept them apart, but the mythical monster she has become. Annie never forgot Jack: he is her “sunshine boy,” what she misses more than the sun from before her transformation (soooo sweet!). Together, they hunt for Cricket and try to overcome the heartbreak of the past.

I bought FIRST BLOOD for Ms. Brook’s novella, and she did not disappoint. This was my very favorite of the anthology, and might even be my favorite of the Guardian series. (That’s saying a lot!) Annie and Jack have beautiful chemistry. I want to be best friends with Annie and date Jack. They pulled my heartstrings and filled my chest with that warm love-true-love glow – the reason I read romance novels. Excellent!

A non-romance-reading friend recently asked me for paranormal romance recommendations. Of course I jumped at the chance to pimp books, but the pressure is hot. The mission, should I chose to accept it (and I did): She needs to be completely sucked in and addicted for life. It’s imperative. (Especially if I’m moving to Portland! I want her to join the Cheeky Pages Romance Book Group at Powell’s with me and attend all the Romance author signings in Cedar Hill Crossing.)

I wrote up a list of recommendations and started filling a box of books for her. Mr. Wonderful called me crazy, said I was going to scare her, and told me to tone it down, so I sent him to Portland with only 7 books from my shelves to tempt her to the dark side. Her reading tastes have been everywhere from chick lit to horror. My goal was to give her a wide cross-section so that she would have a better chance of finding her poison of choice. Does she prefer light or dark paranormals? High Fantasy or Urban Fantasy? Hot or sweet? Irreverent or serious? Here are the books I sent her, and my thoughts on the series to recommend NEXT if that book hits the spot, from DARK to LIGHT:

1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
   Next – Patricia Briggs‘ Mercy Thompson series, Ilona Andrews‘ Kate Daniels series
2. Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
   Next – J.R. Ward‘s Black Dagger Brotherhood
3. Fantasy Lover, Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
   Next – Gena Showalter‘s Lord of the Underworld series
4. Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson
   Next – Meljean Brook‘s Guardian Series
5. No Rest for the Wicked, Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole (I temporarily misplaced book 1. :0) Next – Nalini Singh‘s Psy/Changelings
6. You Slay Me (book 1), Aisling Grey, Guardian series by Katie MacAlister
   Next – Stephanie Rowe’s Goblet of Eternal Youth series
7. Bit the Jackpot, Vegas Vampires series by Erin McCarthy
   Next - Lyndsay Sands‘ Argeneau Vampire Series

I don’t own the first book in Nalini or Meljean’s series, otherwise I would have sent them. (I hope to get autographed copies for my forever shelf soon!) Would have sent Dark Lover and Moon Called, but my copies are already on loan to other friends.

What books would you recommend to a Paranormal Romance virgin? What books are out-of-this world that are guaranteed to get my friend addicted?

EDITED TO ADD: She’s starting with BITTEN!!