The Duke & The Seamstress

I enjoy Laura Lee Gurhke's books, and I was so excited to have found her latest at the library. I thought I was going to have a great cozy read in front of the fire place last evening.

Here's the blurb from The Wicked Ways of a Duke:

Once upon a time, there was a seamstress named Prudence who lived in a lodging house, worked very hard, and dreamed of a better life. Then she inherited a fortune, met a handsome duke, and fell in love. Her life was wonderful, and it seemed as if she was destined to live happily ever after.

Then she found out money can’t buy happiness, handsome dukes can also be wicked, lying scoundrels, and a broken heart hurts like hell. Will Prudence ever find true love and happiness? Will the wicked duke mend his ways? Will she take him back or kick him to the curb?

OMGosh I was so disappointed. In theory the story had so much potential, but the story fell short, in my opinion. I loved the Duke, I just adored his cynicism, he made me laugh. The heroine, Prudence, just got on my nerves. At the beginning, she seemed to be a strong individual, working hard, living independently from her family, but once she turns into an heiress, she becomes a bleeping idiot... why oh why does this happen?!

Now you may be asking yourself, why didn't I just stop reading the book. I couldn't, I enjoyed the author's books thus far, and I didn't want to give her up. Will I stop reading Guhrke? No way, I just have to revisit my favorites: Guilty Pleasures, Not So Innocent, His Every Kiss and And Then He Kissed Her.

The Wicked Ways Of A Duke by Laura Lee Guhrke (2/5) Historical Romance; Published: Avon Books (January 2008); Library Book;

Canada Reads Challenge

In honour of Canada Reads, I'm going to start my own (personal) challenge. I'm going to read the entire list of books. But here's the beauty of my challenge, I don't have a time limit. I'm hoping that I'll be able to read at least two books a month.

Here are the books:

Canada Reads 2002:
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
In The Skin Of A Lion by Michael Ondaatje
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood *** Completed March 4th, 2008
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence *** Previously read
Whylah Falls by George Elliott Clarke

Canada Reads 2003
Life of Pi by Yann Martel *** Read and posted on July 28th, 2010
Next Episode by Hubert Aquin
Sarah Binks by Paul Hiebert
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys

Canada Reads 2004
Barney's version by Mordecai Richler
Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
The Heart is an Involuntary Muscle by Monique Proulx
The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe
The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro

Canada Reads 2005
Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen
Rockbound by Frank Parker Day
No Crystal Star by Mairuth Sarsfield
Volkswagen Blues by Jacques Poulin
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood *** Previously read

Canada Reads 2006
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews **Completed on January 16th, 2009
Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets by Al Purdy
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
Deafening by Frances Itani
Cocksure by Mordecai Richler

Canada Reads 2007
Children of My Heart by Gabrielle Roy
Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis
Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
The Song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill

Canada Reads 2008
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
From the Fifteenth District by Mavis Gallant
Icefields by Thomas Wharton
King Leary by Paul Quarrington ** Completed on June 19, 2008
Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findley **Completed on March 22, 2008

Canada Reads 2009
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill **Completed on July 21, 2009
The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant by Michel Tremblay
Fruit by Brian Francis **Completed on June 20, 2009
Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
The Outlander by Gil Adamson Completed on March 1st, 2010

Canada Reads 2010

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott

Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner

Generation X by Douglas Coupland *** Previously Read

The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy

Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald *** Previously Read

Six Unimportant Things About Me

I've been tagged by Ana for a new meme:

The rules are:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry.
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

I love lipstick! I cannot leave the house without it. And I also have a huge collection... just don't tell my husband.

Another obsession: nail polish! For everyday use, here's my fav. And for special occasions or just when I want splurge I use this.

I'm an avid knitter. I love going to yarn shops and see the differect colours and feel all the different textures.

I HATE TO DRIVE!

I'm paranoid about my cat sleeping too much. He's getting older (14 years old), so he's sleeping a lot more lately and it freaks me out. I'm afraid that he'll pass away in his sleep.

I'm a member of Weight Watcher's. I've been since September 2007. I love the fact that I'm able to eat the foods I love and not feel guilty that I'm "indulging". So far I've lost 16 pounds. I'm losing them slowly and I'm okay with that.


Hmmm, who to tag? Well, I'm going to leave that one wide open....

What City Do You Belong In?

Saw this at Aneca's World, and I just had try it too...

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Weighed In The Balance

In the seventh installment of the William Monk series, Oliver Rathbone is retained to defend Countess Zorah Rostova in a slander case.

The Countess accused Princess Gisela of killing Prince Friedrich, the exiled prince of a German principality. The problem is that the Countess cannot produce a shred of evidence against the princess. Rathbone then asks Monk to investigate this accusation. Monk travels to Vienna and Felzburg (the German principality), but he cannot find anything to support Zorah accusation. It seems that Rathbone has his work cut out for him...

Another wonderful book by Anne Perry. As usual it was a quick paced novel, with an amazing group of characters. There was also an appearance of a character from a previous book.

The one thing that is really ticking me off is the William Monk and Hester Latterly relationship, we know that they're attracted to each other but there's also a disdain for each other. This needs to be resolved already! Oh well, maybe next book...

Weighed In The Balance by Anne Perry (4.5/5) Historical Mystery; Published: Fawcett (October 1996); Series; # 7, William Monk; Library Book

White House Chef & Women's Murder Club

I have to admit that I picked this book because of the title. I just love it!

Olivia Paras, White House Assistant Chef has alot on her plate. Her mentor is retiring, she's hoping to be named the executive chef for the White House, she's having a secret romance with a Secret Agent, and she may be the target of a assassin. What's a girl to do?

Here's the blurb:

Never let them see you sweat -- that's White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras's motto, which is pretty hard to honor in the most important kitchen in the world. She's hell-bent on earning her dream job, Executive Chef. There's just one thing: her nemesis is vying for it, too. Well, that and the fact that an elusive assassin wants to see her fry...

The highly-trained Secret Service agents couldn't do it. Snipers swarming the White House grounds were no help. Only Ollie Paras was able to stop the intruder-hitting him with a frying pan. She'd like to wash her hands of the whole thing, but after she witnesses a murder, there's no going back...

Ollie's Secret Service boyfriend warns her that the killer is a world-class assassin. And Ollie's the only person alive who can recognize him. Still, guilt propels her to investigate, even if it means putting herself -- and her relationship-in hot water...

I read this book in one sitting. This doesn't happen very often, but when I have the time (snow day, the kids were busy playing XBox) I try to do it...

I enjoyed the setting, and I got a little glimpse on the life of someone that works for a very important person. The stresses of being a chef, the daily work, the set up ,the menus, etc. The characters were very good. It was fast paced and the dialogue was awesome. You really need to have great dialogue in a mystery, they're mostly visual, but you need that extra interaction between characters. Just my opinion... And we have a bonus: Recipes! I'll have to try some.

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (4/5) Contemporary Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (January 2008); New Author; Series: # 1, White House Chef Mystery; Library Book



With the latest book of the Women's Murder Club series out, I just had to read, er, listen to The 6th Target. I'm glad that I did, I first read it when it was published, so I had forgotten a few things that may be important in the next book. Let's just say I have a few questions regarding certain characters.

Here's the blurb - taken from the author's site:

Someone opens fire on unsuspecting pedestrians and one of the Women's Murder Club is caught in the middle. As she struggles for her life, the others must work fast to track down the madman. In another part of the city, somebody is targeting children and their nannies. As the kidnappers await their ransom, Lindsay and company are faced with finding the mastermind before more children are harmed.

I enjoyed the way the author showed the intricacies of dealing with mental illness and crimes in the legal system. Although I didn't agree with what happened in the book (the verdict), I enjoyed the way it was dealt with.

Kidnapping is terrible, but as a parent it brings it too close to home. It's something that you just do not want to think about. But it happens, it's pretty frequent (sad but true), and I don't know how parents deal with it... and the way it was portrayed in the book was very real to me.

The 6th Target by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (4/5) Contemporary Mystery; Published: Little, Brown and Company (May 2007); Series: # 6, The Women's Murder Club; Library Audio Book

The Cater Street Hangman

I've been reading Anne Perry for a while, I first read The Cater Street Hangman years ago and enjoyed it. And I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it as much as the first time around.

Here's the blurb of the book:

While the Ellison girls were out paying calls and drinking tea like proper Victorian ladies, a maid in their household was strangled to death. The quiet and young Inspector Pitt investigates the scene and finds no one above suspicion. As his intense questioning causes many a composed facade to crumble, Pitt finds himself couriously drawn to pretty Charlotte Ellison. Yet, a romance between a society girl and so unsuitable a suitor was impossible in the midst of a murder....

I love reading books set in the Vicotrian era, most are beautifully set to show us that grandeur and beauty of it. But this book shows us the ugliness, the darkeness of the era as well. It also give us a look into the society, the heirarchy of it. Although the Ellison family is not a nobel family, it's a well to do family with means and they are not merchants, which at the time was quite a issue. They are in the middle of a terrible tragedy, the families on and around Cater Street on going through a hard time. Someone is killing, acutally garroting young women. And some of these women are considered sinful.

I don't want to give too much up, but let's just say that you'll be surprised...

The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry (4.5/5) Historical Mystery; Published: St Martins Pr (June 1979); Series: # 1, Charlotte & Thomas Pitt; Re-read; Library Book

Who Were You In a Past Life?

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Friendly Warrior. Where You Lived: Israel. How You Died: Dysentery.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

Week In Review

Another decent reading week. This week I read:

I've had this title in my TBR for a very long time, probably for about six months or more. Gasp! Anyway, if I've known that this book was so good, I would have read this earlier.

Lady Julia, isn't very surprised when her husband Edward, colapses, and later dies. Edward has always suffered from a heart ailment. And does not believe that Edward was in any danger when notorious agent Nicholas Brisbane claims that Edward was afraid for his life. But a year after Edwards death Lady Julia discovers a very disturbing letter in her late husbands papers. She then turns to Brisbane for help, and that leads to quite an adventure.

Silent In The Grave by Deanna Raybourn (4.5/5) Historical Mystery; Published: Mira (1/07); Series: #1, The Silent Series; Keeper Shelf

Yummy Cake

You Are a Chocolate Cake

Fun, comforting, and friendly. You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality. People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

This Week In Books

Another busy week at the K household, but no complaints in my part. I rather be busy than bored out of my mind. While having my many "usual" chores to do, I was never away from a book or an audio book.

What's not to love about this series? Four amazing women that are the best in their fields, together they find individuals that guilty of hanous crimes.

There have been unexplained deaths at a private hospital. Patients receiving the wrong medication, and being found with bottons on their eyes. Also Lindsay is trying to figure who is killing call girls and leaving them in luxury cars.

The 5th Horseman by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (4.5/5) Mystery; Published: Little, Brown & Company (February 2006); Series: # 5, The Women's Murder Club; Library Book

The third book of The Bottom Dollar Girls series. I listened to this book at home.

In this book, Mavis and her "so called best friend" Birdie are at odds because they are interested in the same beau. Mrs. Tobias has possibly found a new love but she's questioning their social differences. And Elizabeth after being a stay at home mom for ten months, she ready to go back to work but is her husband ready for the change yet? Attalee is planning her dream wedding the only way she knows how, big and bold...

This book really hit the spot. After listening to The 5th Horseman, I needed something lighter to listen to, and this book full of laughs and smiles and ol' fashioned friendship and that was what I needed.

Dollar Daze by Karin Gillespie (4/5) General Fiction; Published: Simon & Schuster (August 1, 2006); Series: # 3, The Bottom Dollar Girls; Library Book

What's a woman to do, when she finds her ex-husband, dead, in her kitchen? Should she call her almost married boyfriend? Or should call her best friend, a priest? And what about that mob boss that just doesn't leave her alone?

I read the first book of the series, Murder 101, last year. And I really enjoyed it. I love the main character, Alison, she's smart, quirky and for some reason has this ability to find dead bodies on her property. And the second didn't disappoint.

Extracurricular Activities by Maggie Barbieri (4.5/5) Mystery; Published: St. Martin's Minotaur (December 2007); Library book

The End of the Week: Three Books Down

Thanks to Audiobooks I was able to "read" three books in one week.

I can't remember the last time that happened. I listened to two audiobooks and finally finished reading the Elizabeth Peters book, The last Camel Died at Noon.

I tried reading this book last year, but because of a huge amount of holds that it had, I was unable to finish reading it before returning it to the library. So when I saw that they had an audio version of it I picked it up. So I've been listening to it while I've been working out. Wonderful experience. It's great to know that in the past week and a half I worked out for fifteen hours.

The book was faced paced, I found it very intense. At times it had me doubting the main character, maybe she really did lose her mind. It also had Nora Roberts trademark sizzle, the chemistry between the hero and heroine was awesome. And I really enjoyed the environment, the backdrop of mountains and lakes was very peaceful and serene. Which really highlighted the gruesome crime that was committed.

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts (4.5/5) Romantic Suspense; Published: 7/06; Audio Book; Library book

So while I was listening to Angels Fall during my workeouts, I was listening to 4th of July at home. You know during chores and knitting sessions. This one, was a re-read for me.

Since I've been enjoying watching the series on TV, I decided that I would re-read the series. And luckily my local library has all the books available on audiobook format.

4th of July by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (4.5/5) Thriller/Suspense; Published: 2005; Series: #4, Women’s Murder Club; Audio Book; Library Book

I usually have no problem reading Elizabeth Peters, but for some reason, I struggled through the first half of this book. One of my resolutions this year, is not to give up and read the whole book. And I did just that. And I'm glad that I stuck it out. After a particular event (in the book) the storyline just picked up and flew by, it was amazing. Almost like the first half was written by one author the second half by another.

It this one the Peabody Emerson clan is back in Africa, but not in Egypt as normal but in the Sudan. An English gentleman has asked for Emerson's help in finding his uncle and aunt that disappeared in the area ten years before. You are introduced to another character, Kemit, who seems a little shady. And more towards the end you are also introduced to a charming young girl that has Ramses speechless.

The Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters (3/5) Historical Mystery; Published: 9/91, Warner Books; Series: # 6, Amelia Peabody Emerson; Library book