Book Review: Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire #1) by J.R. Rain

Mother, wife, private investigator…vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn’t exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a freebie that actually sounded interesting so I picked it up. But, once I started reading it I had to finish it as quickly as possible. It’s a fast read. The story is a modern take on vampires that are “real people”, meaning they do laundry, carpool and watch Judge Judy. Apparently they also have marriage problems, squabbling kids and irrational cravings for Ding Dong’s.

As I said, overall I enjoyed the book. There are a few things that have annoyed me (and in the following books) and that would be the amount of repetition. We are told repeatedly that she can only drink blood, water or wine. Every time food or drink is mentioned it is repeated. Now, it’s interesting the first time or two to hear that of all things she can drink white wine is one of them but not to be told repeatedly.

Also, she’s constantly thinking about how good looking men are and brings it up in every interaction with another character. It’s not a very female thing to do (in general) so it’s a bit off-putting as a female reader. Yes, I might recognize that someone is nice looking but it’s unlikely to go beyond a fleeting thought. J.R. Rain seems to feel that women constantly think about men and their attributes. Every time she meets a new character (nearly always male) the first thing we learn is what physical attributes they have and what Sam thinks of them. It doesn’t matter what role the character plays, Sam is attracted to them on some level. It’s a bit tedious.

Another reviewer mentioned how fleeting the interactions were with Kingsley and how quickly things moved for them and I’d have to agree. The book is short and much of it is spent explaining (and repeating) Sam’s life so the actual meat of the story is limited. It’s not detailed and drawn it. The telling of it is drawn out and details are given to you to pull you along but it is quite anticlimatic in the end.

I’d like to learn more about the medallion. It’s brought up several times in the story and then in the end just disappears from the story. I think that it’s an interesting aspect of the story and we’re teased with it and then left to wonder. A lot of time and attention was spent on her developing abilities, they all come very easily to her and that’s a little boring. I’d like to see her not excel at everything. She’s not very real to me as a character. Yes, she’s a vampire but we still need to connect with her.

I know it sounds like I don’t really like the story but I did. I just find that it’s not a perfect story.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Tea Rose (The Tea Rose #1) by Jennifer Donnelly

East London, 1888 – a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger’s son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.

But Fiona’s life is shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything-and everyone-she holds dear. Fearing her own death, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit propels her rise from a modest West Side shop-front to the top of Manhattan’s tea trade. But Fiona’s old ghosts do not rest quietly, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.

Countess of Monte-Christo…
Revenge is sweet. And the good girl does not finish last!
The magic of the story is in the telling. This long long long book finishes too soon, that’s a good test; and it stays with you for a while, another good test; and characters you know like you met them, some you love to love, and some you love to hate, another good test; and the setting, Dickens!
I read this book right after Rita died, and, well, it made me love, and miss, her even more: I wanted to give it to her, she would have loved it so much.
It is so well written, you gloss over the bits that fit less well, details really, which you don’t see while you’re on the roller-coaster; Ms Donelly plays your emotions like a harp (keep a box of Kleenex handy) and you stop resisting her after a few chapters (and you learn so many things, like who invented the teabag…?).
Enjoy the ride!

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Twilight of a Queen (The Dark Queen Saga #5) by Susan Carroll

As war and treachery loom, an ambitious man’s mission threatens to topple two dazzling realms and their formidable rulers: Catherine de Medici, the Dark Queen, and Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle.

It is 1588, and as the Spanish Armada prepares to besiege England, Paris balances on the brink of revolution. To maintain her grip on the throne and on the dark magic that has become her obsession, Catherine de Medici turns to Louis Xavier, a ruthless corsair who was schooled in the dark arts and has mastered piracy along the Spanish main. But Louis’s basest instincts are held in check by the kindness of Lady Jane Danvers, a British exile whose innate sense of honor is but one facet of her complex and passionate nature.

On Faire Isle, Ariane Cheney, unaware of the escalating threat from the Dark Queen, struggles with the task of protecting the daughters of the earth and their vast store of ancient magical wisdom. Weak and desperate for an advantage, the ailing Catherine makes a devil’s bargain that will cast a shadow over all.

The story changes perspectives between many of the characters, good and bad alike. I sometimes don’t like that style, but actually enjoyed it in the case of this novel. The characters have many dimensions and this is part of what makes this novel so great. It is so often that you read a book with poor development in this area that it was nice to have some realistic characters.

It is also very suspenseful, but not wickedly so. You will feel good after the ending, and appreciate the way the characters grew throughout. Susan Carroll creates an exciting and realistic world with this novel, and I would highly recommend it. It kept me very engaged, but despite reading it quickly, the length felt satisfactory.

One more note; I absolutely loved the female characters in this book. They were very independent and courageous, which was refreshing.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Lord of Scandal by Nicola Cornick

Scandalous and seductive, Lord Hawksmoor is a notorious fortune hunter. A man women want to bed–and men want to do away with. Now he has tasted the woman of his dreams, Catherine Fenton, and he will do anything to make her his. Though heiress to eighty thousand pounds, Catherine is trapped in a gilded cage, and duty bound to a man she detests. The ton has woven a fantasy around Ben, Lord Hawksmoor, that any woman would find hard to resist, but she senses there is more to the man behind the glittering facade.

She believes he can rescue her–but has she found her hero, or made a pact with the devil himself…?

This is the first time I have read one of Nicola Cornick’s books and I love the pacing of her story. The story line does not rush the relationship between Catherine Fenton and Ben Hawksmoor. In addition there are enough twists and turns to the story to keep it interesting. All in all a very enjoyable read.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Pleasure Palace (Secrets of the Tudor Court #1) by Kate Emerson

Beautiful. Seductive. Innocent. Jane Popyncourt was brought to the court as a child to be ward of the king and a companion to his daughters — the princesses Margaret and Mary. With no money of her own, Jane could not hope for a powerful marriage, or perhaps even marriage at all. But as she grows into a lovely young woman, she still receives flattering attention from the virile young men flocking to serve the handsome new king, Henry VIII, who has recently married Catherine of Aragon. Then a dashing French prisoner of war, cousin to the king of France, is brought to London, and Jane finds she cannot help giving some of her heart — and more — to a man she can never marry. But the Tudor court is filled with dangers as well as seductions, and there are mysteries surrounding Jane’s birth that have made her deadly enemies. Can she cultivate her beauty and her amorous wiles to guide her along a perilous path and bring her at last to happiness? Basing her gripping tale on the life of the real Jane Popyncourt, gifted author Kate Emerson brings the Tudor monarchs, their family, and their courtiers to brilliant life in this vibrant new novel.

This first book of a trilogy follows a minor character, Jane Popyncourt, throughout her life and her dealings with both King Henry VII and VIII as well as the rest of the royal clan. The circumstances surrounding her arrival in English court plague Jane as an adult. She soon becomes determined to discover why her mother so abruptly fled France and then mysteriously died shortly after being warmly received in England.

I really enjoyed this one. It was an entertaining glimpse of royal court without the usual bodice ripping that comes with the territory. Emerson did a great job at making Tudor England come alive with all of the political intrigue, dangerous secrets and frivolity that comes with court life. It also gives the reader an outsider’s view of the comings and goings in court. So many historical fiction novels are written from the point of view of the key players (kings, queens and mistresses) that one often forgets the minor characters that make these lavish lives possible. It is these minor characters that often see and interpret factual events from a very different perspective and they are often the ones with the most to lose should things go awry. Emerson’s handle on the various characters both major and minor was wonderfully depicted.

I will definitely be continuing on with these highly entertaining series.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Madam by Julianna Baggott

West Virginia, 1924: Alma works in a hosiery mill where the percussive roar of machinery has far too long muffled the engine that is her heart. When Alma’s husband decides that they should set out to find their fortune in Florida, Alma has little choice but to leave her three children and ailing mother behind. But when Alma is then abandoned at a Miami dock, she is suddenly forced to make her own way in the world. With the help of a gentle giantess and an opium-addicted prostitute, Alma reclaims her children from the orphanage and forges ahead with an altogether new sort of family. As an act of survival, she chooses to run a house of prostitution, a harvest that relies on lust and weakness in men, of which “the world has a generous, unending supply.”The Madam is the story of a house of sin. It is here where Alma’s children will learn everything there is to know about “love and loss, sex and betrayal.” Based on the real life of the author’s grandmother, The Madam is a tale of epic proportions, one that will haunt readers long after its stunning conclusion.

Alma is married and has three children. She is suffocating from her daily life, from her children’s needs, from her work in a loud and dusty hosiery factory in a loud and dusty mining town, and from poverty. When her husband Henry learns that there are abandoned trunks full of valuables for sale at a reasonable price in Florida, they decide to take a trip. That trip is the catalyst for change in almost all aspects of Alma’s life.

I liked this book. Well, more specifically, I liked the writing. It’s just so evocative of time and weather and place and change. Here’s a sample from the beginning of the book:

But Alma can feel things shifting. She knows nothing of atoms. She can’t. She’s a woman in a hosiery factor in Marrowtown, West Virgina. It’s 1924, nearly summer. Atoms are still the matter of physicist’s dreams, dim stars with the skies just beginning to ink. But if she did know of atoms, she would say she could feel the restlessness of them, like schoolchildren at the end of a long spring day. She’s aware of the vibration of everything – not just the factory’s thrumming hive, but in some minute invisibility all around her, inside of herself, a small electric charge.

In addition to excellent writing, the story was interesting. However, about halfway through, it kind of lost me. It took some unexpected turns, and left me a little unsatisfied. The characters are so good. At least, their potential is good. There’s Delphine, the opium-addicted whore. There’s Roxy, the homeless lesbian. There’s Sister Margaret, the good-hearted and practical nun. And there’s Alma herself. But each of these characters, for me, failed to live up to her potential. In fact, I felt like this whole book failed to live up to its potential.

While I can’t wholeheartedly love this book, I am curious as to Baggott’s other, more critically acclaimed works. Perhaps I’ll read one of those someday.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: A Lady of Hidden Intent by Tracie Peterson


When her father is falsely imprisoned for slave trading, Catherine Newbury finds her English world turned upside down. Whisked away with trusted servants to America, she is forced to disguise her past and create a completely new life. Taking on a servant’s last name, Catherine becomes an accomplished seamstress whose dress designs are sought throughout Philadelphia.

Carter Danby, an architect who was touring England, met Catherine at a party in her English home the very night she was forced to flee. Five years later they meet again when his sister and mother come for a design consultation. Carter is sure he’s met the dark-haired beauty before, but can’t quite place her….

Drawn to Catherine, yet realizing she is hiding a painful past, Carter longs to create a future together with her. Catherine desires above all else to see her father set free—even at the cost of her own dreams. Will love be the sacrifice?

A LADY OF HIDDEN INTENT by Tracie Peterson is the second title in her Ladies of Liberty series. We meet up with Catherine Newbury– a girl of seventeen – as she dances at one of the many functions she is accustomed to in the life she leads in the elitist set in England. Her partner, Carter Danby, is a visiting American who is study the architecture of Bath. He is taken by Catherine, and she too is smitten by the handsome man with the witty tongue, but he is merely a visitor who will soon return to the Americas.

Later that night, Catherine’s stable and indulgent world is turned up-side down. Her father’s business partner has corrupted the company and fled, leaving Mr. Newbury to take the brunt of the punishment. In fear of Catherine’s safety, Mr. Newbury sends her, along with two of his loyal servants to America. Five years later, Catherine has taken on the sir name of Shay, and finds herself as a much sought after seamstress in Philadelphia. Saving all her money for her father’s defense, she lives in sadness from both the separation and the concern for his well being.

When Carter Danby accompanies his mother and sister to the local seamstress, he is introduced to Catherine and sense something about her. Catherine immediately recognizes Carter and does her best to stay out of his watchful eye. Carter is intrigued by the women who labors, yet has an air of sophistication and upbringing. He intends to find out more about Catherine Shay.

Though Catherine is quite sweet and considerate of all those she works with, Felicia is not taken in or appreciative of Catherine’s charms. She senses she is not who she claims to be and decides to find out what she can about Catherine’s past.

A LADY OF HIDDEN INTENT is another fine book by Tracie Peterson. Catherine, though demure and sweet, is also stoic and single minded in seeing her father exonerated and freed. Carter is quite charming and will stop at nothing to secure Catherine at his side.

I enjoyed A LADY OF HIDDEN INTENT, though I felt at times certain plots were left flat. So much more could of become of Felicia hateful ways or Carter Danby’s father’s balance of business and corruption. Other than that, it was an entertaining read as always.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L James


When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian’s singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed. Now, together, they have more-love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity, or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present. Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, tragedy, malice and fate combine to make Ana’s worst nightmares come true.

Okay, don’t hurt me, I know there are a lot of Christian Grey fans out there, unfortunately I am just not one of them.

This is the third and final installment of the Fifty Shades trilogy, Ana and Christian are now married and are set to live a long and happy life, or are they? With some body out there threatening them and Christian’s own fucked up past, wedded bliss maybe but a dream.

Although I am not the biggest fan of the other books, I did find them strangely addicting and was quite looking forward to Fifty Shades Freed but I am very disappointed. I expected so much more. For me the book went like this:

Ana: I am going out for some milk Christian! See you in 5!
Christian: NO, STAY! MINE! Why are you abandoning me for milk, I KNEW I was unworthy of love. STAY!
Ana: It is not that I am abandoning you for milk, we have just run out, you know I love you *gives soulful look*
Christian: MINE STAY! It is dangerous..*looks away*…What would I do without you? *looks vulnerable*
Ana: My poor Fifty! Oh Mr. Grey, you know I would never leave you…this is about your birth mother isn’t it? She never got you milk.
Christian: It is simply too dangerous you are MINE MINE MINE! Now Mrs Grey come here, I want to use sex to avoid talking about our problems Mrs Grey.
Ana: Oh okay…you know I would never refuse you Mr Grey.

The next morning…

Ana: *looks down at her cereal* I knew I should have gotten some milk.

Rinse and repeat

~~~~~~~

I found the whole thing repeatative, and Ana and Christian continued to irritate me more and more as I read the book, she would do something any normal girl would do; he would go psycho about it; she would cave; they have sex; he gets his way. It drove me nuts.

 

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L James

Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven, and demanding Fifty Shades. While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront her anger and envy of the women who came before her and make the most important decision of her life. Erotic, sparkling and suspenseful, Fifty Shades Darker is the irresistibly addictive second part of the Fifty Shades trilogy

The story of the two main characters getting to know each other and the revelation of Christian’s past is absorbing. I enjoyed the banter between Ana and Christian, especially in their emails. Very clever. I also enjoyed the humor and found their interactions and their struggles to learn their boundaries in a new relationship to be very real.

However, the explicit sex ending in Ana’s multiple orgasms every few pages gets old quickly. I realize they are a new couple but the entire book is fight, make-up sex, bonding time, more sex, Ana over-thinking the relationship, another fight, make-up sex…etc. I wasn’t sure whether this was meant to be a romance or porn made for women. I ended up skimming through the sex scenes and that quite literally cut the book in half.

Someone previously mentioned the book’s similarities to Twilight, and I noticed it too. You have a protagonist who is drop-dead gorgeous yet oblivious to the fact even though every man she ever meets wants her. She’s never had any feelings for anyone except this man she meets in a chance encounter and he’s never felt this way about anyone either. Added to this, she doesn’t find herself worthy to be loved by this man and holds back on committing herself to the relationship because she can’t be enough while at the same time opening herself completely on an emotional and physical level.

Ironically, a recurrent theme of the book is how damaged Christian is because of his self-loathing and his inability to believe that he can be loved by anyone, yet Ana has those same doubts about herself and is supposedly his model for “normal” and is the one “bringing him into the light.”

I was interested enough in the characters to want to know what happens to them, but far too often, I found myself pulling away from the story, thinking, “and then they had sex…blah blah blah”

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

I’ve read a lot of reviews for this book/series. And I’ve come to the conclusion that most folks are either going to *love* the 50 Shades series, or they’re going to loathe it. Having read my fair share of fanfiction, while also getting my degree in English lit, I’ve seen both sides of the writing coin and have to say that this book has the makings of a *great* novel, with a great romantic pair akin to Romeo and his Juliet, and Catherine to her Heathcliff… the *makings*. This was a hastily released book/series. It was as if the author had the first draft leaked and just left it like that. Marks of greatness are there in the fatal flaws of Christian, the supreme innocence of Ana, hints at delicious complexities and satisfying resolution. However, more than just Christian has fatal flaws, sadly.

The amount of repetition is almost embarrassing. And I’m not just talking about the sheer overload of sexual encounters described in this book, of which there are far too many (can there be too many you ask? YES!), but also of the turns of phrase that are beaten into the text until they’re nothing but a bloody pulp. “Fair point well made”, and “don’t bite your lip” come to mind. Trimming these items down so that they aren’t showing up every two or three pages, but often enough to create a rapport between the two main characters, would make this book a 4 or 5 star piece, easily.

And can I simply point out that no woman “comes” as easily nor as often as Anastasia? I think the ease at which she orgasms could be considered a medical *disorder* that should be checked out by a doctor. Make sure that poor girl doesn’t have some sort of very pleasurable cancer or something. It’s embarrassing.

Like I said though, these are hiccups that could have been smoothed out with further revision. Sadly, that was not done, and we have what we have. It’s rough, but for those of us with an imagination, we can see where the book could go, and create satisfying corrections for ourselves to fill in the blanks. And for those without any imagination, well, just enjoy the sex scenes: there’s a lot of them.

My Gemstone Rating:

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