FAB Snag

Sorry for the silence (again). My dear sister in TX invited my family to join her family in Galveston for a few days at a beach house. I could NOT refuse that offer, and we have been gone since Wed night enjoying the beach. I was sad to come home. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Michele e-mailed me while I was away and is under a heinous deadline and so she asked that we give her just a little bit more time while she works on the book. No problem, I said, as I want that next book. And I want it now! So please, bear with us and Michele as she works her FAB magic on the third installment of the Broken Heart vampires. Until then, her right hand, Ter, is stepping in over on her blog and is going to be having a party. Kinda like, when the vampire's away, the bats can play.

So, here's a quick note from Ter to let you know what will be happening, and a heads up on lots more Michele goodies that can be won:

So Michele Bardsley has squirreled herself away to finish book 3 of her Vampire Novels titles Because Your Vampire Said So. Since I have the keys to the kingdom - as it were - I have decided to take over her blog this week and give away goodies to the fans. Although we all LOVE Michele, things do get a little boring when she isn't around to entertain us with her wit and humor.

First contest up : Pick the funniest title that Michele will NEVER use. I will be giving away a signed copy of Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire and a copy of any of Michele's E-books.

I am kind of flying by the seat of my pants, but tomorrow I am hoping to blog about my Favorite characters from Michele's books and why I like them. I will most likely give away some more e-books somehow tomorrow, but I have not decided on the contest yet.

Feel free to drop by and enter the contests and have some fun with us while Michele is otherwise engaged :)

http://blog.michelebardsley.net/

If you stop by to play, please let Ter and Michele know that I sent ya, and I'll enter ya double into the FAB contest here.

Take Care

Don't Talk Back To Your Vampire by Michele Bardsley

And finally, I have time to sit down and blog! Are you not super excited? I am actually, because I can't wait to give you the dish on this book, my FAB pick for this month. After reading here, don't forget to enter our contest here, for your chance to win a signed copy of both Broken Hearts books. And guess what? They'll even be signed by the author, NOT ME! How cool is this? And now, without further ado...


DON'T TALK BACK TO YOUR VAMPIRE by Michele Bardsley
(BCC)


Sometimes it's hard to take your own advice - or pulse.


Ever since a master vampire became possessed and bit a bunch of parents, the town of Broken Heart, Oklahoma, has catered to those of us who don't rise until sunset - even if that means PTA meetings at midnight.


As for me, Eva LeRoy, town librarian and single mother to a teenage daughter, I'm pretty much used to being "vampified." You can't beat the great side effects: no crow's-feet or cellulite! But books still make my undead heart beat - and, strangely enough, so does Lorcan the Loner. My mama always told me everyone deserves a second chance. Still, it's one things to deal with the usual undead hassles: rival vamps, rambunctious kids adjusting to night school, and my daughter's new boyfriend, who's a vampire hunter, for heaven's sake. It's quite another to fall for the vampire who killed you...


When I pick a book for FAB, I don't do it lightly. Not only do I have to genuinely like the book, but I have to connect with it as well. The minute I closed the cover on the first novel in this series I knew I had found something special. Books that not only combined the paranormal that I so enjoy but also have a fabulous romance intertwined. Not only that, but books that had characters that felt real to me. Plus, the characters are from OK, which is a state that I am literally just a hop, skip, and jump from, and Bardsley writes them so real that they could be my neighbors.


The second book set in Broken Heart, Oklahoma is the story of Eva LeRoy. Single mother. Town librarian. Book and word lover. All around nice person. Eva inherited the job and the house the library was housed in when her paternal grandmother died a year previously. New to Broken Heart, she found a great friendship with Jessica and seeing how she was a single parent, she fit right into the community of Broken Heart.


When Lorcan O'Halloran went mad and killed the townspeople, Eva was one of the victims. Ever since waking up a vampire, Eva has noticed that animals seem to have taken a liking to her. When a dog starts showing up at Eva's house but not coming up to her like the rest of the animals, choosing instead to stand on the outskirt of her yard and watch, Eva takes an immediate liking to the fellow, naming him Lucky. "...I didn't know if my mojo had drawn him here or not. Maybe he knew something about loss, like I did and that bound us together." But one night, Lucky doesn't appear. Instead, Lorcan literally falls from the sky at her feet - hurt and bleeding.


Eva knows she should be a bit afraid of Lorcan, but fear is the last thing she feels when looking at Lorcan. But, Lorcan cannot seem to forgive himself for what he has done to the townspeople of Broken Heart. And Eva knows that in order for anything to happen between them, Lorcan will first have to overcome his own demons.


When Eva's donor Charlie (a paid blood donor for her to feed from) starts acting strangely, things really start to change in Eva's life. Her powers seem to be developing quickly and the ability to communicate with the two natured telepathically, has Eva wanted by more people than Lorcan.

DTBTYV, like it's predecessor, had it all. Times when I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Times that were so romantic I was fanning myself, "I know how to give a compliment, a stoirin."...."Prove it"..."The sun weeps because it can no longer caress your skin or warm your lips...I do not envy the sun, Eva. But I truly hate the moon, because its light touches you in all the ways I cannot."

And while the romance was phenomenal, it was the relationships Eva had in her life (past and present) and the way she handled the people in them that captured my heart. Eva was an incredible protagonist - she has a heart of gold, but a spine of steel when needed. She suffered the loss of her mother and then her life, but even in her undeath, she finds the strength to forgive and to love.

Eva's relationship with her daughter Tamara is great. Their love of words is what inspired the contest for this FAB pick and also led to some great lines, "Holy Zarquon's singing fish," intoned Tamara...."Not quite as satisfying as yelling, 'Shit!'"

Eva also often thinks of her mother and her advise on life. I'm not sure how Bardsley managed to put such meaningful phrases into a book that still had tons of humor, but she balanced the two nicely. "Life was for living, not grieving." This is something that I often have to remind myself.

I could seriously go on and on about this book. I have marked many pages with post-it notes, so that I could quote them here, but when I started looking I realized I would be quoting over half the book, and I think that would be frowned upon. So, if you haven't yet read this book, I highly recommend you do so now. Bardsley writes with a wit and charm that pulls you right into the pages and leaves you wanting more when you reach THE END.

Take Care

FAB Contest Announced

I have to tell you, I am so tired it isn't even funny. I have been watching my nephews during the day while my sister takes care of the business of trying to put their lives back together. I'll weigh 2 pounds before it's all over. But you didn't stop by to hear that, did you? I bet you wanna know what the contest I am speaking of is. So, here's the deal. I'm gonna give you THREE ways to enter. You can do each one for extra entries. In Michele Bardsley's latest Broken Heart book, DON'T TALK BACK TO YOUR VAMPIRE, Eva and her daughter Tamara love words. In fact, I learned quite a few new words in my reading of DTBTYV. So, with that in mind, the first way to enter is to post a comment telling me your favorite unusual word. Perhaps you like to refer to that co-worker as a fulsome wench, whatever your phrase, post it here and see if you can stump us. The second way to enter is to ask Michele a question. Leave it in the comments. And of course, what FAB week would be complete without spreading the word? Simply post the cover of DON'T TALK BACK TO YOUR VAMPIRE on your own blog/site with the back cover copy and let us know where to find it in the comments, and your entered. That easy. And for easy copy and paste, here is the BCC:

Sometimes it's hard to take your own advice - or pulse.

Ever since a master vampire became possessed and bit a bunch of parents, the town of Broken Heart, Oklahoma, has catered to those of us who don't rise until sunset - even if that means PTA meetings at midnight.

As for me, Eva LeRoy, town librarian and single mother to a teenage daughter, I'm pretty much used to being "vampified." You can't beat the great side effects: no crow's-feet or cellulite! But books still make my undead heart beat - and, strangely enough, so does Lorcan the Loner. My mama always told me everyone deserves a second chance. Still, it's one thing to deal with the usual undead hassles: rival vamps, rambunctious kids adjusting to night school, and my daughter's new boyfriend, who's a vampire hunter, for heaven's sake. It's quite another to fall for the vampire who killed you...

I'm The Vampire That's Why by FAB Pick Michele Bardsley

Today I am re-posting my dish of I'm The Vampire That's Why by my July FAB pick, Michele Bardsley. I originally dished this on the old site, moved it to the new, and now I'm re-posting so those of you that may have not had the chance to read the book yet can get a taste of why I am so in FGSF mode over Michele. Tomorrow, I will introduce the contest and then on Wednesday I will post my dish on Michele's latest Don't Talk Back To Your Vampire! Stay tuned, dishers, this is gonna be a FUN week!

I'm The Vampire, That's Why by Michele Bardsley
(BCC)

Does drinking blood make me a bad mother?

Broken Heart is the city with the highest rate of divorce and highest percentage of single parents in Oklahoma. And I, Jessica Matthews, have been a member of that club ever since my husband dumped me for his twentysomething secretary and then had the gall to die in a car accident.

Now I'm not just a single mother trying to make ends meet in this crazy world...I'm also a vampire. One minute I was taking out the garbage; the next I awoke sucking on the thigh of superhot vampire Patrick O'Halloran.

But though my stretch marks have disappeared and my vision has improved, I can't rest until the thing that did this to me is caught. My kids' future is at stake...as is my sex life. Once a vampire does the dirty deed, it hitches her to the object of her affection for at least on hundred years. I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment...

How would I rate this BCC? Not too bad. It isn't perfect, but then again, this isn't a YA novel, I didn't expect it to be. It's pretty darn close to hitting the nail on the head though. AND, although there are a few points I could argue with, they are all minor, and didn't distract me enough in the actual reading of the book to take offense on. So all in all, I give this BCC passing grades. It does the job of conveying the story within closely, and it also conveys the tone of the book fairly well. Blech, I really want to rip apart a BCC!

Like the BCC suggests, Jessica Matthews is a newly single mother of two. She lives in the small town of Broken Heart, Oklahoma where she spends her days the way most mothers do, cooking, cleaning and taking care of her kids. Jessica is my kind of mother, too. Just enough sass in her to keep me laughing, and all the love in the world for her kids.

When her son forgets (again) to do his only chore of taking out the garbage, Jessica gathers it up to take to the curb. The next thing she knows, she is being attacked by a stinky, hairy stranger and she can literally feel the life leaving her body. It is only the thought of leaving her children parentless that keeps Jessica from giving in completely. None the less, she stills finds herself meeting her end... "For those that know me, meeting my end among muttered curses and spilled refuse was not a great shock. But, shock or not, it was still a crappy way to go."

However, instead of floating away and standing at the Pearly Gates, the next thing Jessica knows, her mouth is latched onto the incredibly muscled thigh of the incredibly good looking (and naked) Patrick. Jessica then finds out that she is now a vampire and the supposed soul mate of Patrick.

But Jessica is not the only victim of Hungry and Hairy, ten other townspeople had been attacked and then saved by being turned into vampires, including the young tart that had had an affair with her husband. And if that isn't enough to deal with, Hungry and Hairy? Yeah, that would be Patrick's twin brother Lorcan.

At a meeting in the school gym, the newly turned town finds out that there is a group of older vampires and other paranormal creatures that make up the Consortium, and they have secretly been buying out the property in Broken Heart, so that they could turn the town into a safe haven for the paranormal. They also find out that there is a group of vampires known as Wraiths, that do not share their views and would like nothing more than to see them destroyed.

There is also a terrible disease called the Taint that is plaguing the vampires, and the Consortium has found a cure and the Wraiths want it. So on top of learning to be a vampire, getting their kids acclimated to a new lifestyle, and finding Lorcan, the new Vampires of Broken Heart have a lot to deal with.

Add to all of the above a jealous vampire Nara, who wants Patrick, to Jessica's troubles and you have an amazingly fast, fun, and touching read. One of my favorite quotes of the book is when Nara starts to get in Jessica's face and Jessica says, "I have faced down bitchy PTA presidents, power-hungry principal's, and Girl Scout leaders with cookie-sale complexes. Nara had no idea who she was dealing with." I'm telling you, Jessica is my kind of girl!

There were moments in this book that had me laughing out loud. There were moments in this book that had me sitting on the edge of my chair. And then there were moments in this book that just made sense - "Life's road often forked at unexpected moments." "...life is about choices. Sometimes you fight, sometimes you flee, but you never surrender." "Life is change. So what if you don't know what's going to happen next week or next century? You only have to live now, right now..." Are those quotes just not absolutely fabulous?

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was how Bardsley explained the creation of vampires. In so many paranormal books that involve vampires, you get very little explination of the origins of vamps, and it is rare, when you get an explanation that is really creative. Bardsley managed to make the creation of vampirekind (yes, that is a word. My word.) something interesting and imaginative, but also a tie in to one of the central themes of the book - What would you do to protect your child and keep them with you? I think the answer to that question is without a doubt - Anything in my power.

I think I could go on and on about this book and never do it justice. It really did have it all. A bit of suspense, laughs, insight, oh and HOT, HOT, HOT moments between Jessica and Patrick. I'm telling you right now, make sure you have a fan handy when you read this.

I'm also glad to say, that this is only the first book of the Broken Heart Vampire's. In July of 2007, the next installment will be out, and from the little excerpt at the end of this book, it promises to be every bit as good. So, what are you waiting for, GO GET THIS BOOK!

Take Care

FAB is BACK!

And I'm so excited! dee and I have both been extremely busy this summer (what's new for mom's, huh?) and as a result, the book blog has been rather sporadic. We both apologize, and do so hope you will forgive us.

This month has been extremely tough on my family. Our small town flooded and to make matters worse, the local refinery spilled 71k+ gallons of crude into the flood waters. So to say things have been a bit dreary in my neck of the woods would be akin to saying fire is hot.

Fortunately, I had the good fortune to read DON'T TALK BACK TO YOUR VAMPIRE by Michele Bardsley last week, and suddenly things seemed just a tiny bit better. So, I immediately sent the wonderfully FAB Michele an e-mail asking if she would be willing to spend a week with us here at dee & Dee and she said sure!

So, stay tuned this week for the dish on some FAB books, an interview with Michele and, since no FAB week is complete without a contest, we'll have one of those as well!

Take Care

P.S. Scroll down to see RITA and GH winners and a note from dee about her time in Dallas at RWA Nats!

RITA and Golden Heart Awards Announced

Oh wow! What a FABulous night! If you've checked my site already, you know that the book I was cheering for is a WINNER! Well, there were other winners as well. Here's your list:

GOLDEN HEART WINNERS

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements - According to Jane by Marilyn Weigel

Best Contemporary Single Title - Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kawczynski

Best Inspirational Romance - The Heart Beckons by Carla Hughes

Best Short Historical - The Lost Jewel by Debra Bess

Best Long Historical Romance - Sager’s Passion by Elaine Levine

Best Paranormal Romance - Black Jack by Jennifer Stark

Best Romantic Suspense - Falling Into Darkness by Bronwyn Clarke

RITA winners

Best Traditional Romance
Claiming His Family by Barbara Hannay, Kimberley Young, editor

Best Short Contemporary Romance
From The First by Jessica Bird, Stacy Boyd, editor

Best Long Contemporary Romance
The Mommy Quest by Lori Handeland, Johanna Raisanen, editor

Best Inspirational Romance
Revealed by Tamera Alexander, Karen Schurrer, editor

Best Romantic Novella
“‘Tis the Silly Season” in A NASCAR Holiday by Roxanne St.Claire, Abby Zidle, editor

Best Paranormal Romance
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole, Lauren McKenna, editor

Best First Book
The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren, Charlotte Herscher, editor

Best Short Historical Romance
The Book of True Desires by Betina Krahn, Berkley, Christine Zika, editor

Best Long Historical Romance
On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn, Lyssa Keusch, editor

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Jennifer Ashley writing as Laurien Gardner, Ginjer Buchanon, editor

Best Romantic Suspense
Blackout by Annie Solomon, Melanie Murray, editor

Best Contemporary Single Title Romance
Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer, Lauren McKenna, editor

Congrats to all of the winners. We'll be having a discussion around here (the blog), as soon as I get back to my house (in VA) about some of these winners. And of course, we're going to be dishing about all of the RITA winners within the next few weeks. We're gonna split 'em up - but I'm wondering if maybe Charity should take the historicals and I should take the paranormal? That might be interesting, eh? And maybe get a guest blogger (like my TOTALLY ECSTATIC daughter) in here to dish the Best Contemporary Single Title? (Why yes, we HAVE already dished that book. MONTHS ago, thank you. But we'll be glad to do it again!)

Thanks for stopping by my personal blog and keeping up with me during Nats. Most of you know it was supposed to be a joint endeavor, but Charity was unable to make it. That's why I blogged it on my blog instead of this one. Next year, when we are BOTH in SanFran, we'll blog it together. You know how that goes...

Keep Turning Those Pages!

Blogging Nationals

dee is in the BIG D (hahahaha I am so funny sometimes) and has been updating her blog a couple (or more) times a day. Check it out here.

Also, big thanks for all the prayers sent for our small town during this disaster. We have a long way to go, but things are moving right along. Please continue to think of all the families that have lost everything (my sister included).

Take Care




FROM dee

Check out the list of books that I've gotten, then leave your comments on THIS POST to tell me which ones I should review here first.

PLUS - I will be giving away a small bag of books from Nationals. Enter here by telling me in the comments of THIS POST which author you'd do the FanGirlSquee for, if you happened to pass her in the hall.

Keep Turning Those Pages!

Winners... and other stuff

First things first - please take a moment of prayer or silence or whatever it is you do in your own world, and think of Charity and her family today. They live in Kansas, in one of the small towns that have been affected by the flooding. Stuck in the town, with no way out, and a dwindling water supply, and she's still trying to post reviews. Just keep them in your thoughts, that their house stays dry, and the family remains safe, and nobody else that she loves loses anything else of value.

I have some winners to announce for a few different contests. If you can get your name to me by Sunday, I can have your stuff in the mail by Monday. If you contact me after Sunday, I won't be able to mail your stuff until after the 16th- I'll be on vacation. Maybe in Dallas.

For a free copy of The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, I need the following people to contact me:

kimw
cheryl
chantal

For the free downloaded copy of Right In Front of You, I need the following people to contact me:
Marcia in OK
cbpen

Please send your actual mailing address to :
deeanddeedish@sbcglobal.net

Do not forget to include your NAME, and which CONTEST you won. Also, please put "I'M A CONTEST WINNER" in the subject line of your e-mail.

I have a few things that I might talk about this weekend, before I leave on my trip. We'll have to see how my time goes though. I'm working a brand-new full time job, so my computer time has been very limited recently. I may have to move my review times to once during the week and more on the weekends. The next few weeks will be my testing time. Any prefrences from you guys as to when reviews go up? Also, any books out there that you want us to take a look at over the next few weeks?

Keep Turning Those Pages!

THE UNFORTUNATE MISS FORTUNES, A Novel by Crusie, Dreyer & Stuart

And...

A CONTEST --- FREE BOOKS!

Hoo. Can I just say, "It's FINALLY on the shelves!"? Yes. After very looooong months of waiting, The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes is really and truly available for purchase. And purchase it I did. FOUR copies. One for me, and one each for three of YOU. Plus, I got an extra in the mail, so we're running a little contest so you can get a few of these. Check out the comments for more info.

Oh, you wanna hear about the book? Well, yeah, I can do that. And I know that Charity has it as well, so I'm fully expecting that she's going to chime in here soon, so look for her comments in another color.

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes is the collaboration between three of the best writers around. I am speaking, of course, of the incomparable Jennifer Crusie, the amazing Eileen Dreyer, and the incredible Anne Stuart. This is a NOVEL, written by three very talented, very distinctive authors. I stress NOVEL, because it is not three novellas strung together, it is a full length novel that is a seamless and beautiful work of art. Let me 'splain. No, that would take too long. Let me sum up:

You're invited to spend the weekend with three extraordinary sisters...
When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she's still trying to control her shape-shifting power - no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.

Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now,m if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday - annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart...

The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare's long-lost love turn up... and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget.


So, as BCCs go, this one is about as perfect as you can get. It tells who each of the sisters are, lets you in on their "gifts", introduces you to their men, explains why they are on their own, and promises a weekend full of fun, excitement, and heat. No complaints here about any part of the BCC, except that it doesn't quite get across how funny this book is, or how much you will enjoy reading it.

If this were a book written by only one person, I'd be falling all over myself to tell you to go out and grab it - it's just that good. The writing is fast-paced, the dialogue is stunning, the love scenes are breathtaking, the humor is side-splitting. Really, you can't go wrong with this one. At least that's what I'd tell you if it were written by one author. But it wasn't penned by a single wonderful author, was it? So there's a little more to my story. Thank you for indulging me. :)

For the past year, at least, I've been drooling for this book. Yes, it was mainly because it was a Jenny Crusie project, and you all already know what a fan of The Cherry I happen to be. You can check out some of the reviews I've done of her stuff on this site, or you can hop over to my own blog and check out my blatant FanGirlSqueeFests that have been more than well documented. I also happen to be a fan of Ms. Dreyer, as I've been reading her Silhouette books for years. And of course, you already know that I love Anne Stuart (Sister Krissie!), and her "Ice" books, don't you? Well, liking the styles of all three authors, I was intrigued by the idea of a collaborative novel. They are very different writers, with very distinctive voices, and I wasn't all that sure how an actual novel would be. I was actually afraid that it would be choppy, that it wouldn't flow, that it would be apparent who wrote what and totally pull me out of the flow of the story. Yeah, pretty dumb, huh? I wasted a lot of time worrying over nothing.

Dee, written by Eileen Dreyer, is the oldest sister, and she's really good at it. As an oldest sister myself, I can say that Ms. Dreyer totally nails the hang-ups, the fears, and the frustrations that are practically written into the DNA of any first-born girl child. Dee basically steals her sisters from the house shortly after she finds her parents dead in the front hall of their home. For nearly thirteen years, she moves them across the country, supports them, hides them, nurtures them, and puts her own life on hold while making sure they are safe. For me, Dee's first solo scene perfectly sums up her role in her eyes. She's taken on the shape of an owl (her magical power enables her to shape-shift), and she's following a man around town. Here's what's going on in her head:
Her favorite times had been spent as a bird. She loved flight...adored the patterns and colors the earth revealed... but mostly, she liked being alone, responsible for nothing, failing no one...
That's it, exactly. She's holding on to her life by the tips of her fingers, so scared of letting down the two most important people in her world that she has put her own dreams and desires far to the back of her mind. Watching Dee slowly let go of the reins, ease out of the role of gate-keeper and keymaster, and grasp her own life was wonderful.

Lizzie, the middle sister that can change things physically, penned by Anne Stuart, seems to inhabit her own world. She is the peace keeper, the quiet one, the one everyone thinks is weak. She is the sister most attuned to the underlying feelings and emotions that run strong in the Fortune household. She feels Dee's frustration at being in a boring job, she understands Mare's need to always be moving. I see her as a very earthy person, with a soft smile and gentle hands. Her compassion flows out of her in waves. Seeing Lizzie develop her powers, strengthen her almost invisible backbone into solid steel, and step up to the plate during their final confrontation with evil was satisfying!

And then there is Jennifer Crusie's Mare. Oh, sweet little Mare... NOT! Well, she's not little, and sweet is really pushing it for this baby of the family who also happens to be the Queen of The Universe. Mare has created a place for herself in the town that has embraced the sisters, and she rules her small world with an iron fist. She runs the Value Video!! store with style and flair, she runs over people that get in her way, and she just runs for fun. Mare is so full of passion, so full of energy, so full of life, that I sometimes wonder how her skin actually stays attached to her body. Her growth from the sometimes spoiled, often times bratty baby, to a woman who takes responsibility for her actions and starts to look at the past through the eyes of that same woman, is nothing short of astounding. I mean, there's growth, and then there's Mare.

There is, of course, one other Fortune sister that is not mentioned on the BCC. I'm talking about Xantippe Fortune, dear old Aunt Xan. She's out to get the sisters, for reasons that are clearly her own. She devises a plan that relies on them falling in love in just a few days, and freely relinquishing their powers. She's ready to use spells and potions and evil minions, and anything else she can get her hands on, to get her way. What she isn't expecting is that she may just have met her match in the Fortune sisters.

And yes, there are men. And romance. And steamy scenes. My favorite line from one of those scenes? ...magic makes sense... like sex. It's too good to be true, but it works. Every. Single. Time. The men, Danny James for Dee, Elric (the Magnificent) for Lizzie, and (Jude and) Crash for Mare, and perfect. They each have their own agendas for being in Salem's Fork, and those agendas all include getting closer to one of the Fortune sisters. How they do that, why they do that, and what happens when they do that, make for some of the most captivating scenes I've read in any book in a very long time.

After all is said and done, the time I spent with Dee, Lizzie and Mare in Salem's Fork was just pure magic. And I mean that in the very best of ways. I didn't get the feeling that this was some rip-off of a cheesy tv witch show (gads, please don't let my daughter read that I called that show "cheesy"!). It didn't feel stilted, or rushed. And even though I am really not a fan of the "hi, my name is blah, and i'm going to fall in love with you in less than 48 hours" style that this story embodies, all I can say is that for this one - it just works. These women live safe, but fall in love fast. While I usually really detest that in a story, I can't imagine this one any other way.

Crusie, Dreyer and Stuart have managed to write a seamless novel of love, where the magic is strong, the passion is hot, and the bond between sisters is stronger than anything you can imagine. While the story may show how each of these women find love with their own perfect men, at the core, the love story actually revolves around three women that have given so much of themselves to create a world where each of them is accepted, and treasured, for the unique gifts that she brings to the others. This book will be on my "keeper" shelf for a very long time!

For your chance to win one of my three "extra" copies, check out the comments!

Keep Turning Those Pages!

Nimaur's Loss by Camille Gabor

Guess what I got? Go ahead, guess! I just picked up THE UNFORTUNATE MISS FORTUNES by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer, and Anne Stuart! That's what! I'm stoked. I plan to read it today, and I'm pretty sure dee has it as well, so I think we will be able to work out a joint dish on that one!! Today is the third day in a row that we've had rain, sucky for the kids, good for my posting. So without further ado...


Nimaur's Loss by Camille Gabor*
(BCC)


daughters of magic


Ninianee and Erianthee, the noble daughters of Vildecaz, possess quite different talents. Pretty, charming, Eri can craft entertainments out of thin air; captivating and energetic Nini can communicate with animals. But Nini's true talent must be kept secret: during the full moon, she is transformed into an animal - and never knows if she'll be predator or prey.


Both sisters must play their parts in protecting Vildecaz from political machinations - and their father from his rival, the perfidious magician Yulko Bihn. As noble heiresses, Eri and Nini can never be sure any man's attentions are genuine. But when intrigue and a mysterious disappearance imperils all, they must decide who to trust - and who to love.


*Author has no website. Clicking name will take you to her Juno Books author page that has a short bio of the author.


This is not going to be an easy dish to do, but I'm gonna try. Why, you ask, is this going to be difficult? Well, first off the actual story takes up only 181 pages of the 239 page book. This is followed by a 24 page excerpt of the next book. Then, there is a 22 page Glossary topping it all off. Also, this book, IMO, isn't really a novel. It's more of an introduction (a very long one) to a novel. There is no clear goal, no clear motive behind their worries, and there is most definitely not a conclusion. In fact, it ends with an ill disguised cliff hanger, that belongs on the screen, but not in books. With books I want resolution! I think all readers want a resolution of some sort, and this one disappoints in that area greatly.

When I first began reading Nimaur's, I'll admit, I was lost as could be. I couldn't pronounce names, I had no idea what time frame we were supposedly in, I didn't know what or where any of the places they were speaking of were, I had no idea what the titles meant, and I had no clue about some of the clothing and food they were wearing/consuming.

Truth be told, not being able to pronounce names was OK, because I got to use my imagination. But everything else made reading slow as my mind tried to make sense of the goings on. It was clear that this was not a book set in the near past, and it was clear that in the world this author had created that magic was the norm for many people. And as I continued reading and became more familiar with my own pronunciation key, I actually started to enjoy the book.

And then... I noticed that it didn't appear to be going anywhere. This is when I checked to see how much longer the book was going to last and discovered the glossary and excerpt. As the BCC suggests, Eri's talent is producing "Shadowshows" and this is where she uses the spirits to tell a story. The spirits appear to be there, I was imagining it to be something like a holographic play. Nini's talent is to talk to animals, and then every full moon she turns into one herself. There is no rhyme or reason to the animal she will become, so indeed, she never does know if she will be a predator or a docile prey.

While I enjoyed Eri's talent, and could see how it was used in this book, Nini's talent confused me. She called upon the animals to come to her aid once and that was useful, but the shape-shifting was confusing. Why does she need to keep it a secret? Why, besides the fact that it puts her family in a bind, does she shift in this particular book?

Nimuar is the girls' father, and after much reading I was able to realize that their unexpected guest, Yulko Bihn had cheated somehow in a magical dual with him, and he lost most of his magic and mind. He's searching for something called Agnith's Treasure, but I'm still unsure of what it is or why he (and everyone else) seems to want it so badly.

Each girl has an old flame show back up and they don't seem to be able to make up their minds whether this is good or bad. The relationships are not clear as to why these men were no longer in the girls' lives. I could tell that Nini's man had said he was leaving and then did not. So the Romance aspect of this is pretty much nil. Lots of telling not showing.

I kept going from annoyed to enjoyment in the book, but ultimately annoyed would have to be my finally assessment. Mainly for the no real clear plot or resolution aspect. The premise of the book is imaginative, and other than a rather annoying habit of info dump and unnecessary scenes, the author has a rather unique voice.

I can't really recommend you buy this book, but I won't dissuade you either, as if the next book end up in your TBR pile, you are going to have to read this one to understand anything. Plus, there were a few parts where I actually did enjoy the reading.

Take Care