Sidonie Fairbanks

Oh yeah, I too picked up a copy of LPS because of the name--sadly, it was a library copy!

I always do a thorough scan of bookshelves, but certain words do pop out at me that make me want to look at the blurb:

Scandal

Tempt/Tempted/Temptation

Scoundrel

Lady

Gentleman

Bride

Devil

Seduce/Seduction

Pleasure (LOL)

Heiress

Proper

Wicked

Sin/Sinful

Love

Desire

Duke(Duchess),Earl(Countess),etc

Midnight/Night

Beauty/Belle

Mistress

Highlander

Indiscretion

Engagement

Proposition

I'm certain that there's a heck of a lot more, but those are the main words that instantly grab my attention. Some of my favorite titles are Love and the Single Heiress, To Marry A Duke, An Affair Most Wicked, Devil Takes A Bride, A Rose At Midnight, Untie My Heart, Black Silk, Duchess In Love, Your Wicked Ways, Rules of (Enticement,Seduction,etc)

Note though, that while the titles grabbed me, some of the books were not my favorite. I also think that along with the title and the cover, and author's actual name is an important factor in my buying. My attention tends to skip if the author has a bland first and/or last name, or a very common one. I like Kathryn Smith's novels, but her name doesn't sound "romancy" enough to grab my attention if I hadn't already been a fan of hers.

Okay, so I didn't love it. I didn't hate it either. I just plain didn't like it.

Lisa K is one of those authors whom everyone raves about and quickly recommends whenever someone asks for a good historical romance. Initially, I am always leery of raved-about authors(Mary Balogh, anyone?) because they rarely live up to my own expectations--and the fact that I like being difficult and different. So far, I've only "read" two Lisa Kleypas books: Again the Magic, and the aforementioned book.

With ATM(atm, ), I found it to be the height of melodrama. I usually don't like revenge tales because they are so predictable(guy/girl hates guy/girl, plots their revenge, finds out that guy/girl isn't whom they thought, guy/girl falls for guy/girl. The End. Boooring.), but since my former reading group read it, when it came in the mail, I decided to push aside my reservations and read it.

My final conclusion: Pass

Okay, so that's only one book. Maybe her others might suit me better. And in comes Suddenly You. The original copy was a library copy that I'd picked up at the last minute because I liked the cover, and it promised that it was "the most sensual romance of the year". Erm, okay, I'll take it.

Ha!!!

I wasn't titillated at all. After the initial seduction scene(the first two chapters), I was yawning, and I put it down as soon as the heroine, Amanda, found out that the hero, Jack, whom had masqueraded as her call-boy was her new boss.

I'm twiddling my thumbs, writing and surfing the internet, when today, my CP sends me a copy of SY.

So, I own a copy now, and I dislike having books that I don't read, so I picked up where I left off.

Ho Hum. Boohoo Jack, he had such a horrible childhood and he doesn't care about anything but making money. Gag me.

First off, what really bugged me was the pseudo-matchmaking of the madam that sent Jack to Amanda's doorstep, as well as one of Jack's associates telling Amanda about Jack's "tortured" past. I hate when other characters butt in and explain to the other character what makes their soon-to-be love interest tick, as well as telling them that they need love, and that the other person is the one to show them the way.

Ugh. I hate confessions. I like for actions to speak louder than words, instead of a characters backstory coming out in one conversation. That ruined the book for me because whenever Jack began to share or expose a bit of his backstory himself, I had to skim it because "yawn" I already heard it all in the first 60 pages.

So, because Jack's character was so not mysterious, combined with Amanda's non-personality, the so called "most sensual romance of the year" became "the most boring read of my life."

Apparently, that much-touted book with Derek Craven is supposed to be a sexier, better version of this book. But at this moment, I shudder at the thought of picking up a Lisa Kleypas book.

I've never heard of Sookie Stackhose either...but it sounds good. Tell us more.

Well, here's the blurb for the first book, Dead Until Dark:

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps,LA. You can tell she doesn't get out muc, and it's not because she isn't pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this "disability": she can read minds. And that doesn't make her too datable. The along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, harndsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. Just the guy she's been waiting for all her life. But Bill has a disability of his own: he's a vampire with a seriously creepy crowd of friends. So when one of her coworkers is killed, Sookie fears she's next...

It's a terrific story and I can't stay away from it!

This series has put me into a reading slump! I try to pick up the straight romances I checked out along with Dead to the World, and I can't get into them! And to make matters worse, when I put that book down, I pick up the Sookie Stackhouse series and re-read it! I now have five partially read books strewn about my room, and Sookie & Co are sitting proudly and smugly on top of my bookkshelf, taunting me! Ahh!

Has this happened to anyone else? Has Charlaine Harris done this to you as well? Now, to allay my Sookie anxiety(the next book doesn't come out until next year!), I'm going to check out the Anita Blake series, as well as write the first installment of my own Sookie-ish series, which is like Buffy meets Stephanie Plum in the Regency era. It's neat, and I just finished writing the 1st draft of the first chapter-which came out very nicely.

This is so neat. I used to run amok on message boards for my favorite tv shows and actors, but my stinkin computer is so slow that it took forever to load. But this is quick and easy. And pretty on the eyes as well! Now I want one! Well, maybe not now, but sometime. But Hi Sylvia!

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