Swept: Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche
A book for anyone with a sense of adventure, whether you’re an armchair traveller or someone who wants to see more of the world.
While working overseas in San Francisco for a year, Australian girl Torre DeRoche meets a hot Argentinian in a bar. Their romance is meant to be just a temporary thing, but somehow she ends up sailing around the South Pacific with him, despite a complete fear of sailing. Will their love survive the open water?
I first heard of the fearful adventurer by following a series of links and connections via Twitter. DeRoche’s book had not yet been published, but her story seemed so interesting. I immediately tried to get the ending out of her via Twitter but no, I was not allowed to kill a fairy and had to wait for the book to come out. When it did, I promptly downloaded the book, loaded it on the Kindle on my iPhone and, mid-book, left my phone on a bus…but not before skipping to the ending and killing a fairy!
What I love most about this book is that it combines two of my passions—travel and romance.
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Heart Search by Robin D. Owens (Celta's HeartMates, Book 10)
A good addition to the series for Celta fans who are curious to see how characters have evolved and want to catch up on previous characters’ lives.
I first read Robin D. Owens’ HeartMate earlier in the year. Within the next month I managed to collect every single book in the Celta series by visiting random bookshops in the Philippines and through some creative used book buying via @GirrlitsBooks. Needless to say, I love everything about this series—even the apostrophes.
Laev T’Hawthorn was stupid a few books ago and, as a twenty-year old, married the wrong girl, thinking she was his HeartMate. She fucked him over, to put it in simple terms, and later died when a devastating illness swept the land. Laev, now head of his family after the death of his grandfather, has since discovered that she stole family heirlooms and sold them. He is determined to get them back, and in doing so right some of the wrongs he felt he has brought upon his family by choosing the wrong woman.
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The Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe
Some of the plot manipulations may stand out like dog’s balls, and you’d be copping a fair bit of earbashing on Strine, but if you like gently paced romances, it’s worth a Captain Cook.
When Mark Olsen—’direct descendent [sic] of Viking marauders’—sees a bride wandering down his small home town, the least he could do is help her find her fiancé. Mark’s home for his annual Thanksgiving visit, and he’s already counting the days before he can leave.
Until it turns out that would-be bride Matilda Geoffrey—’direct descendent [sic] of convicts’—has been left standing on Main Street, with nothing but a wedding dress, a tiara and a two-tiered fruit cake ‘that wouldn’t pass a breathalyzer test’. No groom in sight and no funds for a return trip home to Australia.
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Viper's Kiss by Shannon Curtis
A fun romp, but lacks the depth I want in a romance and the plausibility I want in suspense.
I’ll be honest. This book is a bit all over the place. The title smacks of the paranormal—snake shifters, anyone?—but the story is romantic suspense and ‘Viper’ is the codename for a notorious spy.
The cover is beefy, but the more sympathetic character is librarian heroine Maggie Kincaid, who is mistaken for Viper and is trying to avoid arrest, capture and/or torture, depending on who’s doing the chasing.
Luke Fletcher is a private security operative—ex-Special Forces, of course—hired to track down Viper and the top-secret technology she’s stolen from a research facility.
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The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley (Highland Pleasures, Book 1)
A Victorian romance that doesn’t pull a fast one on the reader. It’s a shame we get only one book a year in this series.
Lord Cameron Mackenzie has been a bachelor ever since his psycho first wife died and has raised his son with the help of his brothers and the women who have married into their family. He’s known for his talent with training race horses, and, of course, for his reputation with women.
Ainsley Douglas is a widowed lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria (yes, it’s not a Regency!) and a good friend of one of the Mackenzie wives’. She’s been sent to their house party to retrieve incriminating letters that are being used to blackmail the queen. She’s encountered Cameron before—in smouldering but unfulfilled circumstances—and finds herself caught up with him again in her attempt to retrieve the letters.
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Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison (Elder Races, Book 2)
My new auto-buy author. Even if the hero had turned out to be a wimpy web-footed shapeshifter from outer space whose non-human form was even weirder looking I’d probably still buy it.
Tricks, former head of PR for Culebre Enterprises, has come out of hiding after the death of the Dark Fae King to reveal herself as the heiress to the throne. Not surprisingly, people are trying to kill her. Enter Tiago Black Eagle, wyr sentinel sent by Dragos, her ex-boss who gave her refuge (see previous book), to make sure she’s okay and find out who tried to kill her. They haven’t had much interaction until now, but they make up for lost time pretty quickly. Can Tricks and Tiago find out who’s trying to kill her before she ends up dead, and still have time for some nookie?
I think I’ve written a similar summary before. Hell, I think I might have done it for Dragon Bound, the first book of this series. But hey, why ruin something that works?
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The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
I’ve made up my mind. This is my favourite Melina Marchetta book. If my house caught fire, I’d probably grab it on the way out.
We have a signed copy of The Piper’s Son to give away. We’ll post details of the giveaway this week, so watch this space!
Last year I declared Saving Francesca as my favourite young adult book, but that’s not totally accurate. It’s my favourite teen novel. The Piper’s Son is a little more grown-up, and in this book, Melina Marchetta moves more firmly into young adult territory.
I was crying before I got to the end of chapter one, right through to the end, and I loved every minute of it.
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Love Is A Four-Legged Word by Kandy Shepherd
Despite all the perfect ingredients for a great contemporary romance, the plot and both characters are so predictable that the synopsis at the back of the book is a good two-thirds of the entire novel.
Chocolate, dogs and a hot alpha hero—need I say more?
Professional chef and food editor Madeline ‘Maddie’ Cartwright has just inherited a fortune from her secret multi-millionaire landlord and appointed guardian to a very wealthy Brutus Stoddard. That he has four legs, barks and defecates where he shouldn’t makes it a rather unusual case for his lawyer, Tom O’Brien, who’s more than a little suspicious of his pretty new owner.
It wouldn’t be out of place to start this review by mentioning that I have three dogs and I love them to pieces, but living with animals requires hard work and patience (now that I think about it, what doesn’t?!). This book had the perfect formula guaranteed to reel me in—a hot hero and cute dogs! Notice I didn’t mention the chocolate.
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Chasing the Devil: On Foot through Africa's Killing Fields by Tim Butcher
Someday, when these countries have become whole again and the world remembers that they can be beautiful, I might find myself there, gazing out of their harbour, chilling with a beer. In the meantime, I’m content to let Butcher do all the walking.
In 2009, Tim Butcher set out to retrace Graham Greene’s journey, from his book, Journey without Maps, wherein which he walked from Sierra Leone to Liberia (with a bit of Guinea in between). Through his travelogue he recounts the history of both countries, the effects of war, as well as some vignettes from his time as a war correspondent.
I first discovered Butcher years ago, when I read his book, Blood River, about journeying to the mouth of the Congo. I was, at that time, looking for more books/travelogues on Africa and was happy to try his book out. I thought it was extremely well written and was moved enough to buy the next one when it came out.
The thing about Butcher’s books is that they don’t make you want to travel to where he’s been. On the contrary, they usually make me want to do the opposite.
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Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files, Anthology)
Snippets of the (ongoing) life and times of the wizard Harry. No, not that one.
As the title suggests, Side Jobs isn’t a new addition to the Dresden Files series but a collection of previously published short stories (most from other anthologies). If you’re an avid follower of the series this won’t deter you from buying it, if only for the last story, ‘Aftermath’—the carrot that Butcher tormented readers with by stating that it takes place 45 minutes after Changes. If you’re all caught up you know how big, juicy and tasty this carrot would be to any Dresden-starved fan.
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