August Book Haul, Part 2

Well, this is odd.  Who would have thought that I'd get Part 2 of my August Book Haul up so quickly? ;-D

Thankfully I was able to film this on my small camera instead of the webcam (why are they such  poor quality?) and after a bit of editing, voila, Part 2 is up.  This video includes the romances I found, some miscellaneous titles (dystopian, non-fiction, horror/fantasy, etc.), and concludes with the small stash of cosy mysteries I was able to find.

Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these.  I'd really like to hear your thoughts on them, and until I see you next time,

Finally finished this book!

Yes, it's true.  I finally finished this book yesterday morning!  It has taken me forever to finish, and along with The Rithmatist, it is the only time I have ever left a book unfinished - ever!

However, now that I have read the final sentence, the annoying thing is that it wasn't as bad as I'd found the first third of the book.  Perhaps I was just in a reading funk?  Well, whatever the reason I found it to be a lot more enjoyable than I'd dreaded.

I will try and get a review up shortly.  But until then, I would recommend you give it a try.  Just remember it's not an action packed, fast paced book.  

Until next time,

 

Book Review: And Then She Fell

And Then She Fell
Cynster Novel, Book 19
First of the Cynster Sisters Duo - Henrietta's story
Stephanie Laurens

Released March 25, 2013

Avon Books, Mass Market Paperback,
ISBN: 978-0-06-206864-4

The only thing more troublesome than a Cynster man ...is a Cynster lady who believes love is not her destiny.

Famously known in London society as "The Matchbreaker," Henrietta Cynster's uncanny skill lies in preventing ill-fated nuptials - not in falling victim to Cupid's spell.

But then she disrupts one match too many and feels honor-bound to assist dashing James Glossup in finding a suitable bride for a marriage of convenience.

A task infernally complicated by the undeniable, unquenchable attraction that flares between James and Henrietta, who continues to believe she will never fall...

I feel like such an idiot.  I'd written up the basics so that when the book arrived I could just add my thoughts, et voila! review posted.  Then life and other things got in the road and as I was looking through my postings I wondered what I still had in draft form.  Can't believe I did this, sorry!

So what did I think about the latest installment of the Cynster dynasty?  Well, it was more or less like any other of the female Cynster books!  They're all obsessed with the necklace and how it will help them meet their perfect man.  Okay, Henrietta not so much, but her sister is so ready to get her hands on it!

James Glossup was first made known to us in Simon and Portia's story, The Perfect Lover, and although I'd hoped to read his story, I had no idea that Stephanie Laurens would be trying to tied up and marry off all the characters within her books, therefore linking not only families, but merging the series as well.  Not sure whether or not I like that idea, but there have been one or two good surprises, like the Earl of Glencrae, who had not yet shown their faces in the world of the Cynsters.

Like all of the books, I did make an emotional connection to Henrietta and James, but the constant barrage of attacks on the members of the Cynster family are starting to feel just a tad unrealistic.  I know, it's a story and the author can write whatever she wants, but this is just starting to feel like been there, read that!  How many attacks could you get on a family before everyone just up and left town?  I mean, seriously!  Every female Cynster has been attacked, kidnapped or ... something.  Perhaps a change in plot is in order?

I'm hoping that the last book - due in June I think - will be the end of this world, but I can see Ms. Laurens sneaking in stories here and there through other characters mentioned.  Plus there are still books to go in the Barnaby Adair Case Files series aren't there!

All in all, I did enjoy this book.  It wasn't as captivating as say, Mastered by Love, or Devil's Bride, because we just know the ins and outs of the family and all it's connections by now.  Perhaps Stephanie will finally give us the stories on how Martin, Arthur and George married their brides?

Great for when you want a light read, with no overly complicated plot lines.  I'd recommend that you have at least a rough knowledge of the series, but you can read it as a stand alone if you choose to.

Is Paranormal fiction the new Historical Romance?

Do you ever feel like just about every book you pick up these days has a supernatural flavour to it?  Have we, as a generation, just fallen out of love with the average Jo and Jane story?  I think we have.

I was trolling through my large bookshelves the other night and found, to my horror, that a huge percentage of space was devoted to romances of the paranormal kind.  It seems that Paranormal romance has become the new Historical Romance.  We are bombarded with covers of sexy vampires, witches, or werewolves.  If you walk into K-Mart, Big W, Target, or any other shop that sells books, all the romances are tucked away in a little corner while the Vampires, Witches and Werewolves are in your face up the front.  The extra tinge of dangerous love seems to have hit the spot with most women these days. 

Seriously, which of these books would you buy?

Think about what your local bookshop was selling 15-20 years ago.  Fabio was the hottest cover model out there, and if the blurb mentioned hunky knights, corsets and castles we bought it.  Fast foward 15 years and we are no longer drawn to a cover with Fabio manhandling his wench - face it, we cringe and put it down, nor does the windswept vista of a medieval castle high on a hill in the background have the power to woo us.  Have we just become too jaded? 

Now, feeling a little shamefaced, I went to one of the boxes where I store some of my older books, and sure enough there they were.  All my old favourites, slightly battered and looking extremely well read.  I felt like I'd just discovered old friends that I hadn't realised I'd missed.  There were my favourite romances that I'd discovered in high school (French was quite boring at times), and found my old Johanna Lindsey's.  The Mallory's and who could forget Warrior's Woman - my first Sci-fi/Fantasy romance.

I still have Nora Roberts' The Donovan trilogy (Captivated, Entranced and Charmed) and even some one-off historical romances that I'd managed to rescue from library book sales.  All of them, waiting patiently in this old brown box for the day when they'd be read again.  I don't have the heart to put them back in the box, and I don't want to get rid of them . . . I guess that means I'll be getting a bigger bookcase instead.