August - Month In Review

Best of the Month:

Austenland by Shannon Hale (4.5/5) General Fiction; Regency Reenactment; New Author; Library Book;

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (4.5/5) Historical Mystery; set in post WWI England; Series: # 1, Her Royal Spyness; Library Book; Added to shopping list;

Me And Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter (4/5) General Fiction; set in New York and England; New Author; Library Book;

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (4/5) Contemporary Romance; Paranormal: Vampire; set in Caldwell, New York; Series: # 1, Black Dagger Brotherhood; Keeper Shelf;

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer (4/5) Historical Fiction; set in England; New Author; Library Book;

Tangled Up In You by Rachel Gibson (4/5) Contemporary Romance; set in Truly, Idaho;


Honorable Mentions:


Morning Comes Softly by Debbie Macomber (3/5) Contemporary Romance; Mail Order Bride; set in Montana; Library Book;

Death at Sandringham House by C.C. Benison (2.5/5) Contemporary Mystery; set in England; New Author; Series: # 2, Her Majesty Investigates; Library Book;

The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner (2.5/5) General Fiction; Short Stories; Library Book;

Quote of the Day

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

Princess Diana (1961-1997)

Quote of the Day

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

New Author (To Me!) Contest

I saw this over at Ana's blog, and it looked like fun, so I decided to take the quiz, too.

Which Psy-Changeling Hero Is For You?

Your Psy/Changeling Hero: Lucas

Tough, dangerous and highly intelligent, the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack is a man who will demand everything from his mate. But he will give the same in return. And he will never let go.Find out more about Lucas and the series at www.nalinisingh.com
Take this quiz!








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Tangled Up In You

Rachel Gibson is a must read author for me, I have read all her books. Some I enjoyed, some I didn't care for and there others that I loved, but I have read them all.

Tangled Up In You by Rachel Gibson.

Here's the blurb:

Maddie is determined to uncover the untold story about the town's sordid past—her past. As a child, Maddie lost everything, and now she's back at the scene of the scandal—a local establishment that's always belonged to the Hennessys—determined to uncover the truth, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Especially not a black-haired, blue-eyed Hennessy.

Everyone in Truly knows that the Hennessy men are irresistible, and the current owner, Mick, is no exception. His late father was a skirt-chasing heartbreaker who ended up causing disaster for two families. So far, Mick's managed to keep the ladies in line, but when he claps eyes on Maddie, with her luscious curves and tempting lips, he can't resist getting tangled up with her.

But Maddie is keeping secrets, not the least of which is her true reason for being in town. And when Mick discovers what‘s really going on, there is going to be a whole lot of trouble in Truly.

Going back to what I said earlier, about either liking or disliking the authors books. The last three books haven't been my favorites, I didn't care for the plot or even the characters, so my reading Tangled Up In You was met with some skepticism.

I was pleasantly surprised! I enjoyed it! Really!

Maddie is a true crime author and she goes back to the small town where "she lost everything". I don't want to get into it, too much, because I don't want to ruin the experience for you. The first night that she's there she meets Mick, there's an instant attraction between them both. Soon after they start seeing each other and their feelings grow, but the secrets that Maddie is hiding from Mick, may destroy their relationship. The characters are great, some are old favorites from previous books and others new, there was one character that I didn't care for, and that was Mick's sister. Meg, well, is unstable to say the least. One complaint: it seemed that the whole "secret/lies/misunderstanding" was resolved way too quickly.

Rate: 4/5

Quote of the Day

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made."

Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

Darcy's Story

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer.

And the obsession continues... I'm not complaining, I'm quite enjoying it, and it has gotten to a point that my husband is asking me if he should leave me alone with my Mr. Darcy. Yep, he's one funny man.

Anyway, this book is a bit different, it retells Pride and Prejudice from a different perspective, Mr. Darcy's. We learn more about this character, we see him interact with people that he cares the most, his sister, his cousin and his friend Bingley. We also see the inner turmoil that he's going through, the turmoil caused by the feelings that he has for Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

I really enjoyed reading book, mainly because of the different perspective. It was fast paced and true to Pride and Prejudice, but it gave me more. And I really liked that.

Rate: 4/5, Library book

Morning Comes Softly

Morning Comes Softly by Debbie Macomber.
On my last trip to the library I grabbed this one up, hoping that it would bring a smile to my face. Debbie Macomber is my comfort read, I love to read her books when I'm feeling a little down, her books lift me up.

Here's the blurb:

A shy Louisiana librarian, Mary Warner fears she'll always be alone—so she answers a personals ad from a rancher in Montana. Never before has she done anything so reckless, casting the only life she knows aside to travel to a strange place and marry a man she's never met. But something about this man calls to her—and she knows this may be her very last chance at happiness.

Tragedy made Travis Thompson the guardian of three orphaned children—and determination leads him to do whatever it takes to keep the kids out of foster homes. When he decides to take a long shot on a personals ad, the results are surprising, and before he knows it, he has agreed to marry a mysterious Southern woman sight unseen.

It could be the mistake of a lifetime. But Mary Warner may be exactly what this broken family needs. And with a little faith, a little trust, and a lot of love, two lonely hearts might just discover the true meaning of miracles.

Let me start off by mentioning that I'm not a fan of Mail Order Bride theme, but that didn't turn me off. I started reading this book late last night and I had to force myself to put it down, it was about 1:30 am when my husband told me (rather harshly) to turn off the light. So I was really looking forward to my alone time this afternoon to finishing the book. I was not disappointed, as usual I got the heart wrenching story (yes, hanky alert) and hoping that all would end well. I enjoyed the characters, although I had a couple complaints about Mary, she initially was portrayed as shy, but she got outspoken quite quickly, and I didn't really get her reason for accepting Travis's marriage proposal. Alright, that last point may be my whole problem with Mail Order Brides, I can understand the reasons for doing it a hundred years ago, but at the present time, I just don't get it.

Rate: 3/5, Library Book

Quote of the Day

"You know, Neil Young is singing Rock n' roll will never die, and Neil never rocked and rolled in his life. I mean, he rocked, but he didn't roll. He has got no swing in him."

Joni Mitchell

Quote of the Day

"It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who asks her."

Jane Austen (1775-1817)

Me and Mr. Darcy

....Yep, sure. Wishful dreaming... Seriously why is it that Mr. Darcy is so beloved by Jane Austen fans? Is it the character in the pages of Pride and Prejudice or maybe it's more the portrayal of Colin Firth's or Matthew McFadyen's Darcy that set hearts a flutter... What do you think?

I first fell in "love" with Mr. Darcy when I was fifteen. I was going through those awful teenage years, ignored by those awful creatures known as teenage boys. I read the book and to me Mr. Darcy was what my dream man was supposed to be, strong, opinionated, rich with a heart of gold. Well, I grew out of it... sort of...


Then Mr. Darcy sparked my curiosity again with the help of the BBC's miniseries P&P, ok, it was Colin Firth that did it for me. I'm not afraid to admit it, here's this gorgeous creature walking across a wonderful estate wet and oh so yummy. Ladies, you know which scene I'm talking about.


And just recently, alright not really recently, two years or so, we had another Darcy sighting, this time portrayed by Matthew McFadyen. Here he's walking across the morning mist and looking oh so yummy, as well.

Personally I think that it's the character itself that women love so much, and the actors are just the bonus. Now which actor do I see "my" Mr. Darcy as, well, I think I have to go with Matthew McFadyen, there's something about him...his eyes...

And all this thanks to Me And Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter.

Here's the blurb:

Dreams come true in this hilarious, feel-good fairy tale about life, love, and dating literature’s most eligible bachelor!

After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she’s had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen’s classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, the company aboard the bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date.

The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across a field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But that’s exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Suddenly, every woman’s fantasy becomes one woman’s reality. . . .

I really enjoyed this book, I thought that the it was funny, witty, great dialog and fast paced. All my favs! The characters were very good, Emily the book store manager very much like Elizabeth Bennet and Spike very much like Mr. Darcy. I enjoyed how the author made Emily realize the error of her ways through reading P&P, and her resolve in apologizing for her prejudice.

I read this book through the library, but I'm adding it to my shopping list. I would love to have a copy on my keeper shelf.

Rate: 4/5

The Guy Not Taken

The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner

Here's the blurb:

We meet Marlie Davidow, home alone with her new baby late one night, when she wanders onto her ex's online wedding registry and wonders what if she had wound up with the guy not taken. We find Jessica Norton listing her beloved river-view apartment in the hope of winning her broker's heart. And we follow an unlikely friendship between two very different new mothers, and the choices that bring them together -- and pull them apart.

The Guy Not Taken demonstrates Weiner's amazing ability to create characters who "feel like they could be your best friend" (Janet Maslin) and to find hope and humor, longing and love in the hidden corners of our common experiences.

I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but I'm a fan of Jennifer Weiner, so I gave it my best shot. There were several stories that I enjoyed and others that I didn't care for, but overall it was pretty good. I think that my biggest complaint about short stories is that I want to know more, it just seems that story is not finished, loose ends that need to be tied. I need more...

Rate: 2.5/5, Library book