[BOOK REVIEW] The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

Title:  The Texan's Wager

Author:  Jodi Thomas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2002

Number of Pages: 309 pages

Date Read: 1/22/2011

Series: Wife Lottery #1

Publisher:  Jove

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Some Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have read many romance novels by Teresa Medeiros and Lisa Kleypas, but this is the first time that I have read a romance novel by Jodi Thomas!  “The Texan’s Wager” is the first book in Jodi Thomas’s “Wife Lottery” series and it is full of hot romance, drama, adventure and excitement that will make this book one of a million!

Bailee Moore was thrown out of a wagon train along with two other women named Lacy and Sarah after Bailee had supposedly committed a murder in her hometown and was thrown out of town.  After the three women got to the city called Cedar Point, they meet up with a vicious man named Zeb Whitaker who starts assaulting them and that led the three women into beating him up to defend themselves.  The three women are then thrown into jail and the sheriff proposes that the only way for the three women to get out of jail is if they are selected in the “Wife Lottery,” which is where men come all over Cedar Point and pick one of the three women to be their wives.  Bailee Moore is then chosen to be a wife to Carter McKoy, a silent man who has not spoken a word since his parents’ brutal deaths.  However, Bailee will soon realize that there is more to Carter than meets the eye!

Wow.  All I can really say is…wow.  I have never in all my life read such an exciting and romantic western romance novel that is full of drama and pure romance!  Jodi Thomas has definitely done an awesome job at writing this story as the characters were righteously perfect and the action paced plot of the story is never truly over the top!  I can name out so many things about this book that I simply loved, but that is too many to list, so I will just mention the characters themselves.  The heroine of the story, Bailee Moore, is such a lovable character!  I loved the way that Bailee has such a caring and courageous nature, especially when she tries to do everything in her power to protect Carter from any kind of danger that comes their way, even if it means putting her own life on the line.  I will admit that sometimes I get a little irritated whenever Bailee does not seem to trust Carter completely, but her heroic actions throughout the novel truly makes up for that.  Another character I really loved in this book was Carter McKoy himself as he was the first silent hero I have ever read about in any romance novel I have read!  The aspect of Carter’s personality that truly stood out for me was his slightly silent nature because he sometimes uses sign language to communicate what he wants to say with everyone and I have always wanted to know how to sign language myself, so this aspect of Carter’s personality is so interesting to me since it shows another level of communication that I rarely seen in most romance novels.  I also loved how courageous Carter is as he will put his life on the line to save Bailee from any misfortunate that befalls her and it’s that aspect that I truly love in a hero!  The best part of the entire book was the romance between Bailee and Carter as it was genuine and caring enough to put other romance novels’ romance to shame!  Sure, at first Bailee and Carter did not really trust each other because they did not know each other at first, but as the book goes on, Bailee and Carter’s romantic relationship was truly astounding as I loved the way that Bailee did not judge Carter because he did not speak at first, but once she starts realizing what a wonderful person Carter is, she starts falling madly in love with him and does everything in her power to protect him.  I also loved the way that Carter treated Bailee because even though at first, he was really shy to be near her, I admit that the moment that Carter first began to talk clearly with Bailee, I was totally surprised yet felt cuddly inside that Carter felt comfortable talking about anything with Bailee and that proved how solid and real their relationship with each other is.

There are some brief sex scenes in this book, although it is not as explicit as most romance novels I have read.  So, anyone who does not like reading about certain sex scenes, might want to skip over these scenes.

All in all, if you are looking for drama, sizzling romance and adventure in the Wild West, then “The Texan’s Wager” is definitely the right romance novel for you!

[BOOK REVIEW] Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Title:  Heaven, Texas

Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Year Published:1995

Number of Pages: 371 pages

Date Read: 8/18/2013

Series: Chicago Stars #2   

Publisher: Avon

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Strong Language and Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

After reading “It Had to Be You,” I was definitely interested in checking out the rest of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ fantastic “Chicago Stars” series!  Lo and behold, I managed to pick up the second book in the “Chicago Stars” series, “Heaven Texas” and I loved it!

Bobby Tom Denton was once a legendary football player for the Chicago Stars until a knee injury cost him his career!  Even though Bobby Tom is no longer playing football, he is still well-loved by the people of Texas.  However, Bobby Tom’s life changes forever when plain wallflower Gracie Snow comes by to bring him back to his hometown Heaven, Texas to begin shooting his movie and yet, Bobby Tom just cannot understand Gracie Snow’s proper and prim ways.  But then, after Bobby Tom gives Gracie a makeover and they spend quality time with each other, both Bobby Tom and Gracie will soon realize the importance of true love (but not without some struggles along the way)!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has done it again with her stellar writing about the next character in the “Chicago Stars” series, Bobby Tom Denton!  I loved the way that Susan Elizabeth Phillips wrote this story as the story is truly intense and yet heartwarming at the same time!  I loved the cute little bantering between Bobby Tom Denton and Gracie Snow as it is so humorous to listen to them bickering with each other, while clearly showing how much they really care about each other.  I also loved the sexual scenes between Bobby Tom and Gracie as I was clearly fanning myself with anticipation at these steamy scenes between these two unlikely lovers!  But, probably the best part about this book were the characters themselves as they all brought something unique and charming to the story!  I can proudly say that Bobby Tom Denton is on the list of my top favorite contemporary romance heroes as he is cocky, but also has a pure heart on the inside.  It was pretty emotional for me to see Bobby Tom struggle with trying to figure out the true meaning of love while dealing with not being able to play football again due to his injured knee and I was definitely hoping to see Bobby Tom actually try to figure out the true meaning of love.  Also, just reading about Bobby Tom having a muscular physique really made me giddy with anticipation!  Gracie Snow was a truly amazing heroine as she went from being a plain wallflower to being a spunky and gorgeous woman!  I loved the fact that Gracie is never afraid to speak her mind and that she tries so hard to make Bobby Tom see what true love really is.  It is the fact that Gracie is such a determined and optimistic woman that made me fall in love with her character!  I also loved the romance between Suzy Denton (Bobby Tom’s mother) and Way Sawyer (the town’s most feared businessman) as it serves to be a side story to Bobby Tom and Gracie’s romance story and I loved the way that Suzy and Way’s romance with each other sort of serves as an inspiration for Bobby Tom and Gracie’s relationship with each other.

For anyone who does not like strong language and sex scenes, this novel has some graphic sex scenes that anyone could skim over if they are offended by them.  Also, this novel has some strong language like the “f” word and the “s” word being uttered a dozen times throughout the book.

Overall, “Heaven, Texas” is a fantastic novel from Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ famous “Chicago Stars” series and anyone who is a huge fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ works or just loves contemporary romance novels in general, will definitely enjoy this novel!

[BOOK REVIEW] Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller

Title:  Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Author:  Frank Miller

Artist:  John Romita Jr.


Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure

Year Published: 1993

Year Read: 2013

Series: Daredevil

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 13+ (Some Language and Some Violence)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 
 

Introduction:

Now, to be honest, I had never read a “Daredevil” comic book in all my life.  The only way I knew about Daredevil himself was through the movie starring Ben Affleck that I saw years ago.  However, after I saw the movie, I decided to check out some “Daredevil” comics and I stumbled upon Frank Miller’s version of the classic vigilante called “Daredevil: The Man Without Fear!”   First of all, this is basically a retelling of Daredevil’s origin story since Daredevil originated in 1964. Second of all, this is the first “Daredevil” comic I had ever read about, so imagine my glee at picking this comic up!

What is this story about?

This story basically explains about how Matt Murdock became the daring do-gooder, Daredevil! It also shows the relationship between Matt and his famous boxer father Jack Murdock, Matt’s encounter with the mysterious Elektra and how Matt tries to save a young girl from the evil forces of the Kingpin!

What I loved about this story:

Frank Miller’s writing: I have been reading many of Frank Miller’s works, with his work on “Batman” being the ones I had read the most, and I had enjoyed his work so far.  After I heard that Frank Miller worked on the retelling for “Daredevil,” I just had to pick this comic up!  I loved the way that the Frank Miller made this story have a dark and gritty feel to it, which is reminiscent of his “Batman” comics (though I wonder if that is where the inspiration came from). I also loved the sort of poetic way that Frank Miller narrates this story, as it gave the comic a lot more emotion.  One of my favorite passages in this comic involved a brief description of the winter weather, which went like this:

“It’s outside, everywhere outside.  It’s the wind and everything it carries; everything it touches.  It charges off the ocean, fierce, bitter cold.  It rattles antennae and shakes power lines and leaves swirling snow in its wake. It roars down concrete canyons and brittle branches clatter in combat; surrendering winter leaves that rustle and skitter like fairies, begging Matt to join the dance. The city that never sleeps!”

I also loved the character progression for Matt Murdock himself as he starts learning that he must obey the law while trying to stop criminals from hurting innocent people and it was done in a natural way that really suits the story.

John Romita Jr.’s artwork:  John Romita Jr. had done a brilliant job at doing the artwork for this comic as the characters’ expressions look truly realistic and I also loved the coloring done on each panel as it made the artwork look even more dramatic.  I really loved the way that John Romita Jr. did the shadowing on the characters’ faces, especially the villains, as it made them look truly threatening whenever they show up on the panels.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The only problem with this comic is that there is some strong violence where characters are shot and blood just spurts out in pools.  Also, there is some language in this comic, although it is not anything worse than what I usually see in some Vertigo comics. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Daredevil: The Man Without Fear” is a fantastic read for anyone who is just getting into the “Daredevil” comics!  I would highly recommend this comic to “Daredevil” fans everywhere!

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros

Title:  Goodnight Tweetheart

Author:  Teresa Medeiros

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Year Published: 2010

Number of Pages: 222 pages

Date Read: 12/19/2012

Publisher: Gallery Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Some Sexual Discussions)

LOVE TWITTER STYLE!

After some urging from my friends and seeing a brief look at this book from one of the last books I had read from Teresa Medeiros, I just had to check out Teresa Medeiros’ latest book “Goodnight Tweetheart” and I was amazed at the concept of this book!  “Goodnight Tweetheart” is definitely a great book for romance novel fans of the “Twitter” generation!

Abigail Donovan is a struggling writer who is trying to finish her latest book, but she could never find the right things to say in her new novel!  However, when her publicist decides to give Abigail her own Twitter account, Abigail is amused by this as she had never used Twitter before.  Afterwards, however, as Abigail begins to get the hang of having a Twitter account, she meets a strange man online named Mark Baynard who claims that he is an English professor on sabbatical and it was then that she and Mark began twittering away with each other!  However, when things get really personal between Mark and Abigail, Abigail will soon discover some secrets about Mark that might destroy her relationship with him forever!

Wow!  I never would have thought that Teresa Medeiros would write a romance novel that deals with internet love!  Teresa Medeiros has done a great job at writing this novel as it deals with the trials of internet love and also tries to set up a love story where Twitter is a huge central point of the plot! I really enjoyed the way that the writing is set up as a way you would chat with a person on Twitter and some of my favorite dialogues in this novel included:

“MarkBaynard: Why? Thanks to me, you’re up to 1075 Followers!

Abby_Donovan: Followers…stalkers…predators…it’s all semantics.

MarkBaynard: Only when it comes to getting the restraining orders.

Abby_Donovan: Do you know how many people I’ve had to Block in the past two days?

MarkBaynard: 452?

Abby_Donovan: I’ve gotten dozens of dirty tweets, 4 marriage proposals & an exorcism chant from a voodoo priest who wants to drive out my sexual demons.”

I also really loved the characters in this novel, especially Abigail Donovan and Mark Baynard!  Abigail Donovan is a heroine that I truly can relate to as she is a struggling writer who is trying to finish her book except that her life has so many hardships including the death of her father and dealing with her mother’s mental illness.  I like seeing how Abigail can get really witty and funny whenever she is typing to Mark since it shows how hilarious and clever she truly is. Now, Mark Baynard was a hero that I truly felt sympathy for by the end of the book (I will not tell you about Mark’s character at the end of this novel, but you will definitely sympathize with his character!) and I loved the way that he chatted with Abigail as he is just as witty and hilarious as Abigail is and I found them to be a really cute couple!  I also loved the dialogues being shared between Abigail and Mark as they make some fun of the events going on currently in the world such as discussing about singers like Britney Spears and the Kardashians.

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because even though I thought it was really creative seeing this book being written in Twitter format, I am one of those readers who enjoy romance novels where characters are actually having a “physical” relationship with each other, rather than having a romance on the internet.  I guess I am not used to “internet love” type of books since I have been reading romance novels where characters are physically seeing each other for many years and this is a new subject for me to take in a romance novel.  Also, the book was a bit too short since I felt that the ending of this novel was a bit abrupt and I wanted to see more from Abigail and Mark.

Overall, “Goodnight Tweetheart” is a great romance novel for the current generation and anyone who loves Twitter and romance novels will definitely get into this book!

[BOOK REVIEW] Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros

Title:  Yours Until Dawn

Author: Teresa Medeiros

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2004

Number of Pages: 384 pages

Date Read: 10/20/2010

Publisher: Avon

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I really cannot get enough of Teresa Medeiros’ works! I mean, she really knows how to create very heartwarming and very sensual romantic books and “Yours Until Dawn” is certainly no exception! “Yours Until Dawn” is the third book I read from Teresa Medeiros and it is about how a governess named Samantha Wickersham tries to help Gabriel Fairchild, who had lost his sight during the war, to cope with his blindness while loving him every inch of the way! Get ready for sparks to fly and romantic fires to burn because “Yours Until Dawn” is definitely a romantic novel you do not want to miss!

Gabriel Fairchild was known as a war hero in London, but unfortunately, the war cost him his sight and all his hope of ever seeing again. So, Gabriel barricaded himself at Fairchild Park since he cannot bear to face society in the condition he is in. However, when a proper nurse named Samantha Wickersham comes to Fairchild Park to take care of Gabriel, Gabriel starts to fall in love with Samantha. Unfortunately, the two lovers will soon realize some secrets about each other that might put their relationship in jeopardy!

Whew! I am just fanning myself here because this book is definitely SIZZLING HOT!! Teresa Medeiros has certainly done an excellent job with describing her characters here as she goes into great detail about each character’s personalities. I think the two characters that truly stood out the most in this book were Samantha Wickersham and Gabriel Fairchild, since both characters had secrets that will shock anyone who read this book! I love the way that Teresa Medeiros realistically portrays Gabriel’s hardships with coping with his blindness because that is the trait of Gabriel that makes him a truly believable character and I usually found myself sympathizing with his condition, especially when he confesses to Samantha that he lost someone very dear to him because of his blindness and I just found myself feeling sorry for Gabriel at that point of the book. I also loved the character of Samantha herself as she seems like a mysterious person who who hides a tragic secret from Gabriel and you find yourself wondering about what her big secret is! Let me tell you, her secret is so shocking that I found myself being so surprised about what she was keeping from Gabriel. What I loved the most about Samantha’s character is that she is a strong and determined heroine who is willing to take Gabriel’s insufferable arrogant manner in order to make him see that life is still worth living, even when he is blind. Now onto the juicy bits of this book! There are many sexual scenes between Samantha and Gabriel that will make any romance novel fans’ hearts go aflutter. My favorite passage from this book that describes Gabriel is in this passage:

“Samantha studied Gabriel’s broad shoulders and muscled forearms, struck anew by what an imposing man he was. He could probably snap her delicate neck between thumb and forefinger. If he could find her, that is.”

I just love the way that Teresa Medeiros goes into detail about how strong Gabriel is in both appearance and strength.

For those of you who do not like sexual content, this book contains a great deal of sex scenes between Gabriel and Samantha. Also, the reason why I gave this book a four star instead of a five star rating is because I felt that Gabriel and Samantha spent almost 90% of the book arguing with each other rather than loving each other and I usually love romance novels where the characters occasionally argue with each other, but try to support each other the best that they can. I will admit though, that I did like the fact that Gabriel and Samantha took their time in knowing each other rather than jumping headfirst into a relationship.

All in all, “Yours Until Dawn” is definitely a book that will shock, warm and touch you all at the same time and I am sure that this book will definitely be an instant treat for Teresa Medeiros fans and romance novel fans everywhere!

[BOOK REVIEW] The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Title: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

Author: Jennifer Ashley

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2009

Number of Pages: 320 pages

Date Read: 9/24/2011

Series: Highland Pleasures #1

Publisher:  Leisure Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have read some Highlander romance novels with the dashing heroes and the strong-willed heroines, but never have I read a romance novel quite like this one! “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” is a highlander romance novel written by Jennifer Ashley and is the first romance novel I have read from her. This novel is filled with action, drama, mystery and hot sizzling romance that will set any romance fan ablaze!

Beth Ackerley is a young and beautiful woman who was once raised in the dark slums of London and was engaged to Lyndon Mather until she met a seductive and mysterious Scottish man named Lord Ian Mackenzie, who cleverly took Beth away from Lyndon! Now that Beth is now staying close to Ian, she will soon discover some of Ian’s most dangerous and destructive secrets that could either destroy or repair their relationship with each other.

Oh my goodness! This novel was so amazing and heartbreaking at the same time! Jennifer Ashley has certainly done a brilliant job at not only providing the readers with enough mystery and drama contained in one romance novel, but Jennifer Ashley also did a brilliant job at characterizing each character and the situations they were involved in. My favorite characters in this novel were Lord Ian Mackenzie and Beth Ackerley as they clearly had the most character development and their stories truly cut me to the core of my heart. Beth Ackerley is clearly one strong and determined heroine as she would go out of her way to discover the terrible secrets haunting her lover, Ian Mackenzie and try to set Ian free from his haunting memories and I strongly admired Beth for her determination and her kind heart. Lord Ian Mackenzie is definitely one of my favorite tortured heroes ever as his love for Beth is truly genuine, but he is constantly haunted by his memories of his dark past. It was really interesting seeing a hero who is constantly haunted by his past and Jennifer Ashley did an excellent job at portraying his insecurity about hurting other people because of his explosive rages and it really made Ian into such a mysterious and seductive person that I just fell head over heels in love with him! I also loved the way that Ian truly loved Beth, especially since he thought that if he was a bit distant towards her, he would not hurt her since that is his greatest fear is hurting the one he truly loves and it was that part of Ian that truly loved (also, I loved Ian’s large and muscular body!) It was also interesting to note that while I was reading my friends’ reviews about this book, Ian appears to have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of autism and it was interesting to see how the book never really pointed this out, but presented it in a subtle manner. I also loved meeting with Ian’s family as they were eccentric in their own way, but similar to Lisa Kleypas’ portrayal of the Hathaways from her “Hathaways” series, they truly cared about each other and would look out for each other. The romance scenes between Ian and Beth were hot and spicy and I was literally fanning myself with anticipation at reading these scenes!

For those of you who do not like reading about sex scenes, the sex scenes in this novel are extremely explicit and it might be a bit disgusting to read through if you do not like reading sex scenes.

Overall, “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” is truly one delightful read that every romance fan should read!

*Winner: 2009 Reviewer's Choice Award for Most Innovative Historical Romance
*AAR Top 100 romances of All Time
*Winner: Reader's Crown Award Winner (Historical)
*RomCon