The Answer

I decided on reading the book I was thinking about. Then another one just like it (both short NR stories).

Then, when I still couldn't sleep, I started Shattering Glass by Gail Giles. It's a YA book for my YA class that I'm totally enjoying. It's a mystery, and a darn good one. Why does Young snap? What is Rob's dark secret? And just what is Glass out there to do?

PS- If y'all want to see my blog that is my database assignment for my YA class, it's Lindy's 265 Blog. As of right this instant (5:04 AM, Monday, August 24th, 2009), there's nothing there yet. Soon, my pretties, soon.

Ugh!

So, I just finished a NR book, and here's my question.

In my 9909 Challenge, why the heck did I pick 9 books that take place in the South? I should have chosen the Northwest, because I think I'd be done with the category by now!

Just because at the time I wanted to move to the South, and I thought I should "read up" on my future home...

And, of course, now I don't want to move to the South, and...just...ugh.

Random Epiphanies and Why I've Been So Quiet

So, I had a really random epiphany today.

I'm re-reading Tribute by Nora Roberts, and I realize why I'm not such a big fan. I don't want to be Cilla, and I don't want a guy like Ford. I don't want their jobs, their cars, their lives.

Not that I want to be every character I read, but Nora Roberts has a way of making everything seem so cool.

One of the big reasons I always wanted to try playing the cello again was because Callie plays it in Birthright. A crazy awkward guy like Bo from Blue Smoke? That'd be cool.

But Cilla is a house rehabber, and Ford is...well, not my favorite NR man ever.

So that was my epiphany.

And why have I been so mysteriously absent lately? Well, I was working on homework, and then I re-read Divine Evil, then tried to read Broken by Kelley Armstrong, but decided that I'm really not that into her books. They take too long to get into, and I'm not sure how much I like the characters. Too much emotional drama, and I have enough of that in my own life, thanks.

And re-reading Tribute has taken me days, though who knows why. Nothing like today where my lunch break ended and I had something like 8 pages left. Makes me crazy.

100 Posts

Okay, so at the Sardonic Girl, I just mentioned that I found the best, most inappropriate quote that I love.

Since I was reading it, I thought I'd mention it here.

I found this book... The Official Nora Roberts Companion.

Too funny. So I'm flipping through reading polls and glancing at pictures, when I see a quote relating to French fries. So I pause.

"How can one live without French fries? Not well, I say. In fact, I've been known to say that a day without French fries is like a day without an orgasm." -Nora Roberts.

Divided in Death

Okay, so Divided in Death is a J.D. Robb novel. It stars Lieutenant Eve Dallas, and her oh-so-sexy husband, Roarke.

This one is kinda late in the series, and they've been together something like 2 years at this point.

One morning (around 2 am, when no good calls come in), Roarke gets a call. One of his employees (one with a high security clearance) has just found her husband and her best friend in bed together, dead. This is not good.

So Eve and Roarke go over there and Eve does her job (I did mention she's a murder cop, right?)

Murder, mystery, and mayhem ensue.

Also--lots of things come out about Eve's past.

Now, the problem with some of the J.D. Robb novels is they tend to focus on either the emotional stuff, or on the murder. She usually has trouble blending the two.

Oh my gosh--not this time. This time, it is so well done that the story would absolutely suck without the other stuff. They feed off each other. It's amazing.

One of my favorites in this series because of the way the two work together.

Chesapeake Blue

There are all kinds of classics. There are the classics that they say are the ones that everyone should read, and there are the kind that you just fall in love with.

Chesapeake Blue in the last of 4 by Nora Roberts, and is my kind of classic.

You have to read the first 3 before you can read this last one, because otherwise a lot of this doesn't make sense. You can read it, and get a lot of the back story, but it's more fun if you know the background.

Seth was adopted by his brothers when he was 10. He spent the rest of his life fighting with his mother, a junkie who wanted everything she could get. Hoping to throw her off his back, he runs away to Europe to paint.

There, his work flourishes, and he becomes a widely known painter. But when Gloria (his mother) shows up at his door, he decides to go back home to Eastern Maryland.

Once there, he meets Dru, a woman who owns a flower shop. He talks her into posing for him, and they end up falling in love.

But Gloria isn't content to let Seth be happy. She threatens to tell a false story to the tabloids, but Seth, his brothers, their wives, and Dru all set her straight.

It's a really fun story. I've always been a big fan of Seth...he's a sweetheart. And Dru, because she's so prim and proper. It makes me laugh. Oh, and Aubrey. She's a spitfire.

Anyway, in case you missed it...I'm a huge fan.

Homeport

Homeport is an older Nora Roberts book.

It stars Dr. Miranda Jones, a...well, she does something with verifying dates on old pieces of art, and Ryan Boldari (great names, both of them), an art gallery owner and gentleman burglar.

Miranda is an uptight, cautious woman who only believes in science. When she's called to Italy by her mother to authenticate a bronze statue, she believes she's found an undocumented Michelangelo.

Somehow, the press finds out, and the piece is transferred to another facility. She's sent home to Maine in shame, only to be robbed (you'll never guess by who...).

When the small bronze statue that was taken from the museum Miranda works at is found to be a fraud, Miranda and Ryan have to work together to find out who hates Miranda so much that they would kill 3 people and steal priceless works.

It's a fun romp, seeing Miranda and Ryan get together. She's so...anti-everything unorganized, and he...well, he's a second story man. Going with the flow is essential.

Also, I really like Andrew, Miranda's brother. Yeah, he's an alcoholic, but he's trying so hard to get over it! That doesn't mean that I support him looking to Annie as his savior, but he's trying. Which is important too.

Good story line. I remember not being able to figure out who it was the first time, and even forgetting the second.

This is way past the second time I've read it, so I'm sitting here reading it going, "I know who did it! I know who did it!"

But can I mention that it drives me crazy that the killer has to be crazy? It makes me sad.

Oh, and the kind of ick factor when you finally find out who it is? Big time shudder.

Valley of Silence

And the conclusion. In this third novel, Nora Roberts pits light against darkness, as with all great tales.

Yeah...they speak with that old English type-talk, and it tends to run through my head very well. Sorry if it comes out.

Anyway! This one takes place almost exclusively in Geall, with only a brief side trip to New York at the very end.

Moira become queen (something no one expected, right?), and the big battle happens.

Lilith and Lora (who I always want to call Lorna, and I don't know why) spend a lot of time together (they're close), plotting and planning to take over the world. Thankfully they kill off Davey. Kid gives me the creeps.

Anyway. With all the fighting, preparing for battle, and loss, there is a bright spot. You got it. Cian and Moira fall in love. Though, both know it's going to end with the battle. Either they'll die there, or they can't be together (he's a vampire, and she's a queen. It would never work).

So come the big fight, many are lost (over 500, but all the vampires, save Cian), but they win (of course. It does have to have a happy ending. It's a NR novel), and all 6 of the circle live.

Larkin and Blair move to modern-day New York, Glenna and Hoyt to the home that Hoyt grew up in, but in modern-day Ireland, not the 12th century. Cian goes to New York and spends almost 2 months drunk and wallowing. Moira tends to her country (her country. She's a queen).

Then, of course, Morrigan comes and offers Cian a choice. And what can he do except accept a boon from the gods?

Sigh.

I always like the big battle scenes the best.

Dance of the Gods

In the continuing series that is utterly unbelievable in the Circle trilogy, I just finished Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts.

In this one, our six continue to train in modern day Ireland, including numerous trips to the cave to irritate Lilith (our big bad vampire). After rescuing some of the humans, almost killing Larkin more times than I can count, and trying to kill Blair off just a couple times for kicks, they head to Geall, the land of Moira and Larkin.

Oh, did I mention that Larkin is a shape-shifter? Not just one animal, he can turn into anything from a unicorn to a rat to a dragon. A big, gold dragon. It's pretty fun.

Oh, and he and Blair get together in this one.

Anyway, in Geall Moira is waiting for her time to try to pull the sword from the stone (a la "The Sword in the Stone") to see if she is going to be the next ruler. Her mother was queen, until she was killed by vampires and Moira went to Ireland to learn to fight.

Every one else is trying to help the Geallians train to become an army worthy of a vampire army. Well, everyone but Cian. He's busy just being a vampire and trying not to scare too many of the locals. He does, however, now have a cloak (that either makes him look like Zorro or like a bad B movie vampire impersonator, depending on who you ask) that lets him go out in the sun. How fun!

Again, more visits from the goddess, more fighting, more coming to terms with the fact that you really can have someone who loves you, no matter what your profession is (Blair is a demon hunter. Her last fiancee didn't take to well to that...he died this book).

Anyway, I'm a big fan.

Oh! And, Nora Roberts has started doing this thing where in her trilogies, in the second book, the two remaining characters (you know, the two who haven't fallen in love yet, but will in the third book, you just know it) kiss.

So, after Moira has killed one of the vamps who killed her mother, she tries to kill the second, but Cian kills him for her, and she gets mad to yell at Cian, and to shut her up, he kisses her.

And then you know...

Morrigan's Cross

Okay, so sometimes, you just have to re-read a book.

The thing about Nora Roberts is that she really likes books that take place in Ireland. They're second only to New York, but that's because she has an entire series that takes place there (running over 25 books at this point, I believe).

Anyway, I was trying to figure out what to read this morning (because I was so disappointed by Temperatures Rising yesterday, I wanted something I could count on), and I grabbed this one just out of fun.

So, I re-read it. Now, it's a little odd, I'll give you that. It's about 6 people who have to make it work to keep an evil vampire from taking over the worlds. They're charged by Morrigan, an Irish warrior goddess.

The charge starts with Hoyt, a sorcerer from (are you ready for it?) Ireland in the 1100s. He goes to modern day New York to find (here we go) his twin brother who was turned into a vampire about a week before he left.

Confused yet? In New York, he meets Glenna, a witch. The three of them, along with King, who's a friend of Cian (the brother...I love his name), head to Ireland to set up camp in Hoyt and Cian's old house.

It's keeps going. There they rescue Moira (another great name) and Larkin. Moira is a scholar and soon to be queen of a different world (probably more like Ireland mid-1500 or so, without the potato famine, and if they had never been thrown over by the English) called Geall. Larkin is her (ready?) shape-shifting cousin.

After a time, Blair comes to find them as well. Blair is a modern day Buffy, but she's not the only one. It's (come on now) the family business.

Now, all that unbelievableness aside, it's a great story. A little overdone in some parts, but oh-so-much fun.

Plus, when Glenna and Hoyt (not so great names, either one) get together (you know, have sex, fall in love, get hand-fasted, which is like marriage), flames have a bad tendency to burn hotter and brighter.

Not to mention, in the first book, we almost kill Hoyt twice, Glenna at least twice, Moira and Larkin at least once, Blaire is good at holding her own, and Cian at least twice.

Plus, there's the infighting, emotional family crap, reluctance, fighting of emotion, and all sorts of joys things they need to get through.

So much fun.

A Question

So, here's my problem, followed quickly by the question I am pondering.

I've been reading a bunch of those Nora Roberts early novels, the ones that they've re-released as 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 novels. The one I'm currently reading has 3, and the third one I've read before.

At least 3 times.

So here's my question.

If I skip the last book in the book, does it still count as reading it?

Because, normally, I don't count something if I don't finish it. Whether I have 100 pages left or just 10, it doesn't count until I close the book, every single chapter read.

So, does it count this time, or still not?

I'm thinking not.

The Hollow

As promised, I just finished The Hollow by Nora Roberts.

In this second one, we meet (get to know better, really) Fox and Layla. Fox is a lawyer who is best friends with Cal (Blood Brothers) and Gage (The Pagan Stone) has been fighting the Big Bad Evil the last 21 years of his life.

What's different about Fox? He fell in love before, with Carly. And she came to Hawkin's Hollow during the Seven.

Layla works at a boutique in Mew York, until she ups and leaves to come to Hawkin's Hollow to fight the Big Bad without even knowing why. She's a little scared (being the only outsider with no close ties), but determined.

In this one they have a lot more attacks, but they aren't all that scary. Don't know if it's my already low expectations (I was seriously disappointed the first time I read this one), or they just weren't stellar.

Even the last one, the one that's supposed to be huge and the ultimate scare of the book was...well, a little flat.

So now we wait for The Pagan Stone starring Gage and Cybil, who have promised each other that they won't fall in love. Yeah...that's going to happen.

Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers is the first in the latest trilogy by Nora Roberts (look for a review of the second, The Hollows coming soon, and the third, The Pagan Stone sometime in December).


So, it starts out telling you about the killing of a man in the 1600's. Then it moves on to 1987 (Wow...the 80's...), and telling you about a really bad thing that happened when three 10 year old boys met in the woods.



So, there's this big, bad, evil demon out to get everyone, and for a week every July, every seven years, everyone in their town goes absolutely violently nuts.



So the three boys have to take care of the town.



Well, this time (the third time) is coming, and three women come to town. (Who's not surprised?)


Book 1 is about Caleb and Quinn. He's the responsible boy-scout, who gets visions into the past. She's writes books about haunted places, and she's come to Hawkin's Hollow to tell the story of what happens.


She never expects to be part of the equation on how to beat the big-bad-evil, though. And she doesn't plan on falling in love, either.


Who doesn't love the curve balls that get thrown into the lives of characters?


Anyway--what I like about this one. Cal's a really good guy. All the time. Gotta appreciate that.



What I didn't like-- So incredibly easy to see what's happening. All the major plot points are transparent. Not to mention, Quinn is brash, even for a NR character. She needs to take a chill pill.


These books could be so much stronger! I hope the last one is better.

Hidden Riches

I admit it...I took 2 NR books with me on my trip. No J.D. Robb's (even if they are written by the same person), just the regular ones.

Okay, so this one is about an antique dealer (Dora), and an ex-cop (Skimmerhorn). When a shipment of smuggled valuables accidentally gets shipped to an auction, and Dora buys some of them, it's the usual madness, mayhem, and reluctant falling in love.



Dora is (of course) strong willed and able to take care of herself. Skimmerhorn has a history and a tough outer shell, though he's really a softie with those he loves. And, of course, the guy who the shipment actually belongs to is a power-hungry, absolutely crazy, homicidal/sociopathic killer.


As Dora and Skimmerhorn work out their relationship and their mystery, they fall in love.


It's fun, not overly complicated, but a good read. Nice to get you out of your own mind for a while. Of course, I think that about most Nora Roberts books...

Of course, I'm telling Mom which one I'm reading, and we go through the 3 or 4 other NR books that include a lost shipment of stolen items and antique dealers...it took a few minutes to straighten out which was which.

Winner Takes All

Winner Takes All is a Nora Roberts Silhouette double-header.

The first is the tale of a baseball player and a director. They fall in love (rather unwillingly on her part, I might add) over shooting commercials and baseball games (how freaking American is that?!?) and then get married. Finally, when a fire (as in "California's on fire again" kind of fire, not like a kitchen fire or arsonist fire) almost kills them and they have to sacrifice their house, she realizes that all she ever wanted was him.

It's cute. She's a little over-the-top with her resistance, he's really laid-back until he gets to that point. You know, rather classic NR characters. It's cute though. Nice to read, not too demanding or complicated. A little slow, but still nice.

The second is a producer and an actor. Again, she's hesitant (this time based on her parents marriage, not her past love experiences), and he's willing to go along to a point. He sends her flowers while he's away on a shoot, and is there for her when her father has a heart attack that almost kills him (though not in that order).

Again, cute. She's freakishly against falling in love, eats antacids like they're candy, and basically needs to take a chill pill. He comes from a big loving family and though doesn't understand hers, still loves her. She comes after him right before he goes crawling back to her, so both of them keep their dignity.

All in all?

Born O'Hurley

It's a time to go back, okay?

I'm sitting around reading old Nora Roberts books this weekend. Well, that is, between work and homework sessions.

I'm starting with Born O'Hurley, two tales of sisters who fall in love.

The first, The Last Honest Woman, is about a single mom who's dead husband was a race-car driver and an asshole. And a terrible father. So when Abby (the mom) finally authorizes a biography, we meet Dylan, the writer.

Blah, blah, blah...they irritate each other, then like each other, then admit to loving each other. The boys (her sons) love him, he loves them, let's all applaud for the happy ending.

The second in Dance to the Piper, about Maddy, a Broadway dancer, and Reed, a music mogul who's backing her latest show. She can't help but fall in love with him, but he doesn't want to get hurt.

So, blah blah blah they fight, but can't resist, he keeps distancing himself, she pretends like she can just let it be until he loves her, he realizes he loves her, and tries to tell her but messes up horribly, the show is a smashing success, and then he proposes properly.

Okay, so the bad thing about these two books is that...they're just your basic love story. I like the angle, I just miss the intrigue of the bad guy we have to fight. I like multifaceted books, but when you're looking at early Silhouette books, you can't really expect greatness.

But you can expect good, which I will recommend these as.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework to finish.

Private Scandals

Okay, the other confession I have to make is that I'm a serious Nora Roberts fan. Sorry if that's disappointing (and I'm sure I'll have other authors that disappoint you all, but oh well. I like what I like), but the truth can some times hurt.

Anyway, for a while (mid-80's-mid-90's or so), she was writing books with oxymorons for titles. Public Secrets, Genuine Lies, Hot Ice, things like that.

I just re-read Private Scandals. What can I say, it's cute! Okay, Deanna is a fluff TV journalist who just wants to put on a good show. Angela is her mentor at first, then bitter enemy. Finn is a hard-hitting war correspondent. When Deanna and Finn fall in love, everything starts going wrong. Well, actually, once they get engaged is when all hell breaks loose.

I did mention that Deanna has been getting letters from a secret admirer for just over 4 years, right? Because he really, really loves her.

Anyway, I like this because it keeps you guessing. What secret are they going to reveal next? Who's doing the killing? Why does anyone watch Angela's show when she's such a terrible person? Really, what's with the shrink?

And, I totally forgot who did it. And the whole time I'm reading I'm going..."there's no way it's him. Too easy. But I swear, I think...no, wait, maybe it was him...oh, wait he died. Not so much..."

It was fun. A quick and easy read, I like "seeing" Finn and Deanna get together. She's so...practical. And it makes him so irritated. It's awesome.

Tribute

The latest Nora Roberts came out about a month and a half ago, and I finally read it today.

Yes, yes, all in one day. Now, get over it.

So, it's called Tribute, and it's a little odd. I mean, I liked it, but it was unsual. She's a contractor who rehabs houses (Blue Smoke, anyone?), but is also the granddaughter of a famous actor. He's a local boy who...writes and illustrates graphic novels. He's a cartoonist, pretty much. I thought it was inventive.

She moves to small-town Virginia to rehab the farm that her grandmother once thrived in.

Of course, nothing could be easy, be it falling in love with Ford (our writer/illustrator), or coming out from under her grandmother's shadow. When someone decided that she can't be allowed to rehab the house, it only gets worse.

The story read well, along with the highly unexpected who-done-it, had me scratching my head a little going, "Well...that's interesting."

Again, didn't see the twist coming. Which was the entire build up. The who-done-it. I wasn't overly attached to the characters (Ford is a little too laid back, honestly), but it was a fun read.

Immortal in Death

This is the third in J.D. Robb's In Death series. As Eve and Roarke are planning their wedding (i.e.- Roarke is doing everything), suddenly Eve has a huge case come up. When she has to charge her best friend with the murder of a famous fashion model, there's the potential for everything to go wrong.

This is where Eve first picks Peabody to help on a case (as opposed to Peabody already being on the case).

As Jake Casto, an Illegals cop is pulled into the case with Eve, she finds herself racing against the clock to find out what a weasel, an illegals dealer, and the fashion model had in common.

And she has to help plan her wedding.

It was cute, and I like getting to know Peabody more. I like Peabody. Also, where she remembers what happened that last night in Dallas with her father. The emotional aspect is good, as is the murder. In the early series, Robb is good about doing that. Later, books get good at one or the other, but not both. This is one that does both really well.

Going Home

I just finished Going Home by Nora Roberts. It's a re-release of "3 Classic Silhouette Novels"... you know, 3 smaller books that you'd otherwise never know that she wrote.

The first story, Unifinished Business was cute, the kind I like where she comes home and re-falls in love with her guy. Not much more than the romance angle, but cute.

The second, Island of Flowers was one of those "I don't trust you but I'm falling in love with you" types that are over too fast, and yet not fast enough.

The third, Mind Over Matter was cute, about a cuple who gets together despite both of them being too proud to admit they love each other until they don't have each other anymore.

As a whole, I was unimpressed, but that's what happens when you buy early books of people breaking into genres. You find them cliched and trite, but just cute enough that you like them.