My Medieval Profession

You Are an Astrologer

You tend to be a fanciful, spiritual person with many interesting theories. You are always trying to figure out how all the pieces of the world are connected. You have a knack for predicting the future and reading people. In modern times, you would make a good self help guru or a director of a non profit.

What's Your Medieval Profession?

The Secret

by Julie Garwood

#10 "Secret" Title

rated 4 Stars (easy)

pages 379

Back cover:

Judith Hampton was as beautiful as she was proud, as purposeful as she was loyal. The dear Scottish friend of her childhood was about to give birth, and Judith had promised to be at her side. But there was another, private reason for the journey from her bleak English home to the Highlands: to meet the father she had never known, the Laird Maclean. Nothing prepared her for the sight of the Scottish barbarian who was to escort her into his land...Iain Maitland. Laird of his clan, a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered.

In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith reveled in the melging bloss of Iain's serching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprighly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love. Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan...not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves!!

My thoughts:

So, Julie Garwood is awesome! She's done it again with this book. I enjoyed the interplay between the Iain and Judith. I also enjoyed the engaging secondary characters. I especially liked Broderick. (the scene where they are at his sister-in-laws parents house, and she (Judith) takes him outside to give him a piece of her mind....then when they return she's trying to act like nothing has happened and he looks remotely like a small boy whose been put into timeout....then he begrudgingly has the conversation he didn't want to have. He feels like a chick...talking about clan gossip...) I enjoyed the banter, and the quirky humor. Classic Julie Garwood. Love it!!!

Sisters Found

by Joan Johnston

#1 Western or set in the west...

rated 3.5 stars

pages 377

Back Cover:

Three Sisters. Three Lives. Three Hearts. Reunited in a Stunning Drama of Passion and Secrets.
Charity--Beautiful, bold and uncertain of love after being abandoned as on infant, Charity is bewildered by Kane Longstreet's marriage proposal. Despite her misgivings, she agrees to go home with Kane for the holidays. But at his cousin's engagement party at Hawk's Pride, she gets the shock of her life when she comes face-to-face with identical twin sisters Hope and Faith Butler, and sees a mirror image of herself.
Hope--The stunning discovery that she is a triplet does little to distract Hope from her own personal heartbreak. The man she has loved all her life, Jake Whitelaw, is about to marry someone else. With only two weeks until the wedding, she needs a miracle. And thanks to her determined sisters, she might just get it.
Faith--Fearing that her parents gave Charity up for adoption because of her own special needs as a child, Faith is consumed by guilt. She vows to see both her sisters happy, no matter what it takes. That means she's got to break up one wedding, arrange a couple more . . . and seize her own chance for happiness.

My Thoughts:

this was a pleasant read. Jake was a tortured hero, although I'm not really sure why...Hope was ok, but there were times when things just didn't add up. In one scene, Hope and Jake are starting the Mack, then she decides she doesn't want to lose her virginity this way, but with someone who loves her. So she's all...No, I should leave, this will never work. Then a few minutes later she's decided that oh, yea this is going to happen this way and don't try to stop me... I liked Faith and Randy although we really didn't get to know them that well. Now, Kane and Charity were ok, but we don't know anything about Kane from this book. Charity has some issues to work thru and keeps waffling about whether she's forgiving her parents or trying to hurt them. Very split personality. Now I know that we all have emotions that waffle from time to time however I didn't feel like Ms. Johnston wrote this inner emotional turmoil very well. It didn't translate well. It was a quick read and pleasant but not a keeper.

To Tame a Highland Warrior

by Karen Marie Moning

#2 Read a book set in Scotland

rated 4 stars

pages 366

Back Cover:

Only her love could gentle his savage soul--He was born to a clan of warriors of supernatural strength, but Gavrael McIllioch abandoned his name and his Highland castle, determined to escape the dark fate of his ancestors. Hiding his identity from the relentless rival clan that hunted him, he called himself Grimm to protect the people he cared for, vowing never to acknowledge his love for ravishing Jillian St. Clair. Yet even from afar he watched over her, and when her father sent an urgent summons, "Come for Jillian," he raced to her side -- into a competition to win her hand in marriage.

Why had he run from her so many years before? And why return now to see her offered as a prize in her father's manipulative game? Furious, Jillian vowed never to wed. But Grimm was the man she loved, the one who urged her to marry another. He tried to pretend indifference as she tempted him, but he could not deny the fierce desires that compelled him to abduct her from the altar. She was the only woman who could tame the beast that raged within him -- even as deadly enemies plotted to destroy them both....

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a solid good story. Grimm was a great tortured hero. Jillian was not a pushover, but wasn't a b*!@h either. I liked Quinn although I think he could have been a little more developed. Ramsay, was ...I didn't like him too much at all. I'm not sure if Balder will get his own story since he seemed quite taken with Missus Twillow at the end of this one. I wish we could have seen a little more of the character's sense if humors. At least between Quinn and Grimm. I'll be reading more from this series. For Sure!!

DarkFever

by Karen Marie Moning

#8 favorite/5 stars from Friend's shelf

rated 3.5 stars

Back Cover:

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death-a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone-Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister's killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed-a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae....

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane-an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women-closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book-because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands....

My Thoughts:

So I was expecting a paranormal romance. I got a paranormal/suspense. It was a good book, but not was I was expecting. It's kinda like going to the drive thru and expecting a burger when you leave but getting a grilled cheese sandwich. Now, grilled cheese is good, but not satisfying when I want a burger. That's kinda how I feel about Darkfever. (Can you tell I'm hungry??) Anyway, it is a perfectly good book, but I really wanted some love connection. As far as I'm concerned there is no emotion whatsoever. Even the erotic scenes with Vlane left me wanting, because there was only manipulation and humiliation. Not passion, just again with the oogy factor.

Anyway, I'm really hoping the emotion and passion amp up in the next installment Bloodfever. I really (really really) hope Barrons is a good guy, and a love interest for Mac. Some or many of you have already read Bloodfever and will know the answer to that. It's a solid book, but a grilled cheese for me.

C'mon Ms. Moning I got a "fever" for some lovin'.

My Vampire Name!

My Vampire Name!

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:

Magdalene Beau Pre

Known in some parts of the world as:

Lodemai of The Beltane Feasts

The Great Archives Record:

One of Ritual and Pleasure:

presiding over the gluttonous feasts of the wickedest night of the year.

If you're interested in finding yours...

http://www.emmadavies.net/vampire/default.aspx

Undead and Unwed

by Mary Janice Davidson

Queen Betsy Series Book 1

rated- 2.5-3 stars

Pages 255

Back Cover:

It's been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises, with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet.

Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power hungry vampire in five centuries-a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no? But a collection of Ferragamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair--a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart...

My Thought:

I'm conflicted!! PBS kept recommending to me Mary Janice Davidson books, so I thought what the heck! Ya only live once! I got Unwed and Undead, it's the first in the Queen Betsy series. I read about 2/3 way thru the book and was in love. This woman was funny and sarcastic! (love that!!)Then, the "hero" does something that was just too oogey!!

The Heroine watches him with 3 women doing the nasty, so he can "feed" being a vampire and all. Then when she's ooged out too, he's all "What's the big?"---And she's all, "why did you have to boink all 3 at once?"---and he's all "Why have a single dip when you can have a banana split?"--- And I'm all.."Eeeewwwwww!"

I kept reading cuz, I was really hoping that MJD would turn this situation around for me, but honestly they never addressed it again. Then the Hero/Heroine finally do the deed after he nearly dies for her, and when they are done there are some 40 people standing around watching. ---Double Eww!

So here is my dilemma! I really, really liked most of the book. I loved the quick wit of Betsy, Marc, Jessica, and even Tina! I love the banter, and sarcasm! Loved It!!!! Then, the Oogey part. It just put a cloud over the whole book for me. The scene itself was just....it felt....dirty. Not the good-wink wink-kinda dirty, but the I've been violated or seen someone else hurt dirty. It seemed to me that Eric was using and degrading these women. The whole scene felt very female degrading. And that Tina was watching. Eww! So, what do you do when you love most of the book but really hate something. I still feel kinda icky! So, I'm going to have to give this a 2.5-3. The parts I loved, I REALLY LOVED! However, the part I hated, I really hated.