King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: To Be Sung Underwater

author: Tom McNeal

source: sent for review from Blue Dot Literary

pages: 436

published: 2011

first line: The man sits hidden among pines on a bluff overlooking the grid farms and country roads lying north.

rated: 5 out of 5 stars












What a great find To Be Sung Underwater has turned out to be.

With it's wonderful writing, moving storyline and dynamic characters, this was one of those books that I lost myself in for a few days.




One summer, while living in Nebraska with her father, Judith Toomey met and fell in love with a carpenter named Willy Blunt.

When she left for college, she promised him she would return and marry him.
Instead, Judith wound up meeting and marrying a banker named Malcom and has a daughter named Camille. She never returned to her lost love in Nebraska.



Now twenty seven years later, Judith has never forgotten Willy. Memories of him intertwine with her everyday life. For a while, she'd call his house then hang up when his mother answered. She still keeps his photo in her wallet.


The story flashes back from the summer when Judith was in love with Willy and living in Nebraska, to her current day life as a film editor.

In her current life, Judith has good reason to believe that her husband Malcom is cheating on her. She wonders if she herself has fallen out of love with him.





Judith came from a broken home, her parents having divorced when she was a teen. I liked reading the flashbacks of Judith and her father. He would read her Pride & Prejudice and Judith would ask him if she would ever be like Elizabeth Bennett. Judith decided to stay with her father permanently as the two had a close bond.



Reading about Judith and Willy made me think those two were meant to be together.
Their love story just drew me in. Their first date is the simple and romantic kind that just makes the reader sigh. The Nebraska setting for their summer love was perfect and I could easily envision the sights and sounds during their private rendezvous in the Adirondack-like mountains.

She closed her eyes. He said nothing. Neither did she. She just lay feeling the sun touching her and listening to the slow, strangely vivid creak of the dock, the watery rocking of the kayak, the occasional cry of a bird, and she wondered what it meant that stripping her life down to as little as this could afford more contentment than anything more complicated ever would.

p.384

I found Judith's current life to be a sad one. She rents out a storage unit for her childhood furniture and recreates her teenage bedroom in Nebraska. Judith hires a private detective to find Willy. I did wonder why would Judith remain in this unhappy marriage, but she was one of the complex characters within this story and as I read I hoped for her happy ending.

These, then, were the beginnings of what Judith later thought of as the Summer of Willy Blunt. All at once her life of latency and quiescence had turned metaphoric.

p.239

I loved this novel. To Be Sung Underwater will be on my top reads for 2011. This is the kind of story that begs to be discussed and one that you reflect on long after the last page is turned.



I think this book would make for a great movie as well. There is romance, heartache and drama weaved within the story and I found it hard to put down.


Another thing I like about this book is the cover. Isn't it serene looking? It fits the story perfectly.

To Be Sung Underwater was a wonderful read from cover to cover and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a good book to get lost in.

The days slid by, Judith and Willy fell into the lazy rhythm of their secret life, carried along by the presumption that all the foreseeable tomorrows would be more or less like the day before them.

p.273

Special thanks to Blue Dot Literary for sending me a copy.
















ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom McNeal is a critically-acclaimed author of many short stories and the novel, Goodnight, Nebraska; for which he won the 1999 James A. Michener Memorial Prize. McNeal was born in Santa Ana, California, where his father and grandfather raised oranges. He spent part of every summer at the Nebraska farm where his mother was born and raised, and after earning a BA in English at UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing at UC Irvine, he taught school in the town that was the inspiration for Goodnight, Nebraska. Tom has been a Wallace Stegner Fellow and a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, and his short stories have been widely anthologized.

title: Trace of Fever

author: Lori Foster



genre: contemporary romance/romantic suspense



pages: 393

published: May 2011


source: ARC sent by Book Trib/Book Tour


first line: Arms crossed and his shoulders propped against the wall outside the elaborate, corner high rise-office, Trace Rivers considered his options.


rated: 3 out of 5








book blurb:

Caught in the crossfire of vengeance and desire...



Undercover mercenary Trace Rivers loves the adrenaline rush of a well-planned mission. First he'll earn the trust of corrupt businessman Murray Coburn, then gather the proof he needs to shut down the man's dirty smuggling operation. It's a perfect scheme—until Coburn's long-lost daughter saunters in with her own deadly plan for revenge.


With a smile like an angel and fire in her eyes, Priscilla Patterson isn't who she seems to be. But neither is the gorgeous bodyguard who ignites all her senses. Joining forces to plot Coburn's downfall, Priss and Trace must fight the undeniable heat between them. For one wrong move, one lingering embrace will expose them to the wrath of a merciless opponent.

About:


Trace of Fever is the second book in Lori Foster's Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series.

In this book we have hottie Trace Rivers working undercover as a bodyguard for a corrupt wealthy businessman named Murray Coburn. Coburns runs a human trafficking business and Trace wants to gain his trust so he can bring him down.


One day the beautiful and seemingly innocent Priscilla Patterson walks into Coburns place of business claiming to be his long lost daughter. Priss has an agenda of her own. Trace can't help but notice the beauty has something up her sleeve, and is not as innocent as she claims to be.


When Coburn has Trace keep tabs on Priss, he more than willingly obliges. Trace and Priss end up having some hot sexual tension as Trace actually begins to care for her and doesn't want to see Priss come to any harm.




My thoughts:


I read the first in this series, When You Dare and enjoyed it. In that book I got to learn a bit about Trace, and I was eager to read his story in this second installment.


The tension between Priss and Trace was nice, it slowly developed and I was eager to see how these two would get together.

Author Lori Foster creates another likable heroine with Priss. She is no damsel in distress and has a mind of her own.
I also liked Trace's character, since I do enjoy alpha males in romance books.



I also like seeing Dare McIntosh from the first in this series, When You Dare, pop up in this book.



I found Murray Coburn's wife, Helene a.k.a. Hell, to be a bit over the top. I found her too obnoxious and too willing to throw punches to take her seriously.





All in all, I enjoyed Trace of Fever. It was a juicy read on these hot summer days.










Book three in this series is called Savor the Danger.



About the author:




Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette and Samhain. She is currently with Berkley/Jove.


Lori believes it’s important to give back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she ran special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.


quoted from the author's website



Special thanks to Tricia over @ BookTrib for making this possible!

title: When You Dare

author: Lori Foster

genre: contemporary romance/romantic suspense

source: ARC sent by Book Trib/Book Tour

published: May 2011

pages: 448

first line: Midnight came and went with only the quiet buzz of meager traffic along the beach.

book rated:

4 stars

Every woman dreams of landing an Alpha male. With chiseled cheek bones and tan skin, his strong physique gives off a powerful, masculine vibe. But he saves his quiet, romantic side for his soul mate.

About:

When You Dare is the first in Lori Foster's new Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series.

Dare Macintosh is a professional mercenary who rescues Molly Alexander while she is being held captive in Tijuana, Mexico. Dare is there to rescue his best friends sister, but in the process he releases all the women who are being held there. He also takes Molly with him, since she is in no physical condition to save herself.



Dare cares for Molly sho has been drugged for a week, and soon finds out her identity. She is a successful paranormal romance writer and has no idea who would hire someone to kidnap her. Molly hires Dare to help her find out who is behind her abduction. Dare takes the job after making her promise to do everything he says, without question.


As the story flows, and Molly recovers from her kidnapping and mistreatment, the two fall for each other. Dare takes Molly to his private lakeside home to keep her safe while he does some investigating.
Finding out who is behind Molly's abduction becomes a personal mission for him.





My thoughts:

I found When You Dare hard to put down, it was a nice dose of contemporary, suspenseful romance. Dare is pure alpha male, yet he does have a soft side and can't help falling for Molly once he rescues her. He made for a great hero.


Molly is no heroine in distress, despite being held captive and mistreated, she manages to hold it together.
I like that Molly is a writer, it made for an interesting storyline as she wondered if one of her readers might have it out for her.



Molly and Dare's characters were interesting, and I enjoyed getting to know them a bit more as the story went on.

Dare lives in a lush home, has two Labrador retrievers and a male housekeeper. He's made a comfortable living for himself after years of hard work, and now works mostly for the thrill of it.
Molly's latest book is being made into a film starring Ryan Reynolds. She comes from a wealthy family, yet she ventured off and made her own small fortune with her books despite her fathers disapproval. I liked that Molly was no supermodel type, she was your average every day girl.






The romantic scenes between Molly and Dare were great, especially in the beginning when they were taking it slow, nothing was rushed and there was some nice sexual tension between the two. I like a believable romance and attraction between characters, and author Lori Foster does an excellent job at writing just that. I also smiled at the flirtatiousness between these two.

Her gaze skimmed up to his throat, his shoulders. He had the most remarkable chest, wide, strong, sculpted with obvious strength. Even relaxed, his abs remained defined. And a very sexy trail of dark brown hair led from his navel down into his snug boxers.


Beneath the soft cotton material she saw the bulge of his sex.

"Want me to lose the boxers for you?"

She jerked her gaze up to his. His slow smile showed more satisfaction than humor.

p.146

When they finally get together the sex scenes were nice and juicy. Dare has become a new favorite hero. He says things like:

"Once we're in that bed together, we're going to be in there for a few hours, maybe all damn night."

If you enjoy a good dose of romance, with a kick ass hero and a smart, sassy heroine, I recommend When You Dare. This would also make a great beach read for those lazy summer days.
This is my first time reading Lori Foster, and it won't be my last. I will be reading and reviewing the next book in this series, Trace of Fever.




I usually don't drool over men on book covers, but this is the male model used on the cover of When You Dare. I had absolutely no trouble envisioning this man as Dare while reading. Thank you very much.






Special thanks to Tricia over @ BookTrib for making this possible!

title: A Creed in Stone Creek

author: Linda Lael Miller

genre: contemporary romance/western

pages: 384

published: February 22, 2011

source: ARC from BookTrib

first line: Some instinct—or maybe just a stir of a breeze—awakened Steven Creed; he sat up in bed, took a fraction of a moment to orient himself to unfamiliar surroundings.

rated: 4 out of 5

When single attorney Steven Creed becomes the guardian of an orphaned five-year-old boy, he trades his big-city law firm for a ranch near his McKettrick kin in the close-knit community of Stone Creek, Arizona. Taking care of little Matt and fixing up his run-down ranch house with its old barn loosens something tightly wound inside him. But when Steven takes on the pro bono defense of a local teen, he meets his match in the opposing counsel—beautiful, by-the-book county prosecutor Melissa O’Ballivan. It’ll take one grieving little boy, a sweet adopted dog and a woman who never expected to win any man’s heart to make this Creed in Stone Creek know he’s truly found home.

A Creed in Stone Creek is the first book in the contemporary 'Creed Cowboys' trilogy.

Steven Creed becomes the guardian of five year old Matt, the orphaned son of his best friend. Steven moves out to Stone Creek to raise Matt. There he meets the beautiful county prosecutor Melissa O’Ballivan. Being such a small town Melissa notices Steven right away and finds out his story.




The story starts off slowly, with the characters in this small town being introduced.
Steven is the perfect hero. He's sexy, smart, sweet and his raising his best friends child as his own.

I liked Melissa also. She's independent with a mind of her own. No whiny damsel in distress here.



Their romance slowly blossoms and when they do get together it's sweet. The love scenes are well written. They were sexy without being vulgar.

"Let's get you out of that dress," he said next.

And he simply whisked the whole thing right off over her head, without any sort of wasted motion.

Melissa had been undressed by a few men before, of course, but never in such a deft and matter-of-fact way. The yearning, strong before, pressed on her like a weight now, making it hard for her to breathe.

"That was -direct," she gasped, as a flush moved from her hairline to her toes. Goose bumps rose in its wake.

"I'm nothing if not direct," Steven said.


p.203

With a great plot, plenty of romance and interesting characters, A Creed in Stone Creek is a keeper. I will be reading the next two installments in this series.





A Creed in Stone Creek is the perfect book to cuddle up with during a few lazy afternoons, which is just how I read it.


And I'd also like to mention, the cover on this one is droolworthy. Hellooooo cowboy!






Linda Lael Miller's cowboys have their own site:
Take A Cowboy Home.

It’s a great new site that Harlequin put together for Linda that features the book trailer, a behind-the-scenes video of the cover photo shoot, webisodes and a sexy photo gallery.








About the author:

The “First Lady of the West” returns with her highly anticipated new series set in Arizona ’s rugged ranch lands. Linda Lael Miller, bestselling author of more than 100 sought-after Western novels, brings readers A CREED IN STONE CREEK (HQN Books; March 2011; $7.99), the first in the contemporary “Creed Cowboys” trilogy.


Miller knows her characters so well because this self-confessed barn goddess who raises horses on her ranch in Spokane, Washington, grew up the daughter of a town marshal. Like some of her characters, she had a wanderlust that she needed to indulge before she could return home. She sold her first novel, FLETCHER’S WOMAN in 1983. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on contemporary and historical novels with a Western flavor. The Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Special thanks to Tricia over @ BookTrib.

title: Gods Behaving Badly


author: Marie Phillips


first line: One morning, when Artemis was out walking the dogs, she saw a tree where no tree should be.


genre: fiction/humor/contemporary romance


published: 2007


pages: 295


source: personal copy won online


rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars










Gods Behaving Badly is cheeky and funny with a dash of romance and I enjoyed it from cover to cover.


This book is about ancient Greek gods living in modern day London and trying to make a living. Artemis, the Greek goddess of hunting, is a dog walker. Apollo, the sun god, is doing a pilot for a tv program called Apollos Oracle. He is a psychic with the aid of the oracles. Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, does phone sex for a living. Aphrodite's son Eros (Cupid), is a born-again Christian.



Aphrodite and Apollo are lovers and when he wrongs her, she wants her revenge. She decides to get Eros to shoot Apollo with a love arrow.






Mortals Alice and Neil are on their first date in the audience for Apollos Oracle. Aphrodite sends Eros to hit Apollo with a love arrow during the taping of his show. When he is hit, Apollo instantly sets eyes on Alice and falls madly and inexplicably in love with her. Eros was supposed to hit Alice with an arrow that would make her intensely hate Apollo, but being a good Christian, Eros just couldn't bring himself to do that.




When Alice, who cleans houses for a living, goes looking for work, fate lands her with a job as the gods housekeeper. Apollo is stunned and delighted to find his true love at his doorstep.



Alice knows there is something odd about the Greeks who inhabit the rundown house, but she can't put her finger on it. She also wonders why Apollo is so attracted to her, she figures he is probably on drugs like most celebs.




Good guy Neil and shy Alice are in love, but they still have yet to tell each other.
When Apollo makes his move on Alice, and she rejects him, he doesn't take it mildly. He involves Zeus in his revenge. As the story flows, Hades and Persephone and their underworld are involved and the plot takes some fun twists and turns.







Gods Behaving Badly was an enjoyable contemporary romance. Some of it was funny, some of it bizarre. The state of the gods house was just plain gross, there were rats all over the place, the house was really rundown and uninhabitable. Yet these Greek gods and goddesses inhabit this dirty house, with Zeus himself hiding out in the attic.



The gods all had their own personalities and I enjoyed that. Aphrodite's cell phone would ring and she would instantly go into phone sex mode. Eros is a Christian who goes to church and regrets not having ever met Jesus while he was still alive. Artemis enjoys going for runs. Apollo is full of himself, and cannot believe that anyone would refuse him.




Hermes takes the dead to the underworld on his motorbike. Here he is talking to someone about Apollo while giving them a ride on his bike:

"Did you shag him?" said Hermes. "I wouldn't worry about that. Everybody shags him. Even I've shagged him. That was during a very boring decade. Oops, nearly missed my turn."

p.152

There were plenty of laugh out loud moments and the story just kept going with fun plot twists and turns. I didn't know what to expect next. The end was wrapped up real nice and neat with a cherry on top, but I didn't mind the happily ever after ending. This was an entertaining read.

title: Bridget Jones's Diary

author: Helen Fielding

genre: romance, humor

pages: 267

published: 1996

first line: I will not drink more than fourteen alcohol units a week.


rated: 4 out of 5







I've been meaning to re-read Bridget Jones's Diary for a while now and am glad I finally picked it up again.



Written in the form of her diary, Bridget takes the reader into a year in her life as a 30 something singleton living in England who works at a publishing company. Bridget's family and certain friends keep asking her when she's finally going to settle down and marry. Bridget meets Mark Darcy, a successful, rich lawyer at a party and her mother tries to get the two together. Darcy however is a bit of a snob and dislikes Bridget right away.

Meanwhile, her playboy boss Daniel Cleaver, begins to send her flirty emails and the two end up having an affair. Bridget is hoping Daniel will take thier relationship seriously, but she has the distinct feeling he is cheating on her.



I like that this book is inspired by Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and enjoy the references throughout the book:

It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It's like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting "Cathy" and banging your head against a tree.

Throughout the story Bridget is also trying to drink less, smoke less and lose weight. As cute as they were at first, the beginning of her journal entries began to annoy me toward the end of the book. I found myself skimming over them.

Sunday 26 February

126 lbs., alcohol units 5 (drowning sorrows), cigarettes 23 (fumigating sorrows), calories 3856 (smothering sorrows in fat-duvet).

This book had me laughing out loud and I could totally relate to some of the things Bridget was talking about. She's one of those heroines I think most women can relate to.

Being a woman is worse than being a farmer-there is so much harvesting and crop spraying to be done: legs to be waxed, underarms shaved, eyebrows plucked, feet pumiced, skin exfoliated and moisturized, spots cleansed, roots dyed, eyelashes tinted, nails filed, cellulite massaged, stomach muscles exercised. The whole performance is so highly tuned you only need to neglect it for a few days for the whole thing to go to seed.

When someone leaves you, apart from missing them, apart from the fact that the whole little world you've created together collapses, and that everything you see or do reminds you of them, the worst is the thought that they tried you out and, in the end, the whole sum of parts adds up to you got stamped REJECT by the one you love.

The film version of Bridget Jones's Diary is one of my favorites and I recommend the book for a good dose of light and fun chick lit. In this case, I do prefer the film to the book.
Some of my favorite scenes in the movie are not in the book, like the famous fight scene between Darcy and Daniel.

title: Nights in Rodanthe



author: Nicholas Sparks


genre: contemporary romance


pages: 212


published: 2002


first line: Three years earlier, on a warm November morning in 1999, Adrienne Willis had returned to the Inn and at first glance had thought it unchanged, as if the small Inn were impervious to sun and sand and salted mist.



rated: 4 out of 5 stars





Nights in Rodanthe is my second time reading Nicholas Sparks. After reading Dear John, I knew I wanted to read more of his books.




Nights in Rodanthe starts off with a sixty year old Adrienne Willis, who is a divorced mother and grandmother, helping her daughter cope with the death of her own husband.
Adrienne starts to reminisce about her short time spent at a small Inn along the beach in the town of Rodanthe. She pulls out an old letter from a man named Paul. She decides to tell her daughter about a love affair that took place 14 years ago.




Paul Flanner is a divorced surgeon who is staying at an Inn in the small town of Rodanthe while conducting some personal business.
Adrienne agrees to watch the Inn for the owner, who is also her close friend.


Once there, Paul and Adrienne end up alone with a hurricane-like storm on the way. The two lonely divorcees find themselves sharing stories about their ex-spouses, children and their lives, and they find comfort in each other.
Paul's wife left him because he was obsessed with this work. After being an absentee father to his only son, who is also a doctor and works in Ecuador, Paul decides to sell his practice and go to South America to spend a year with him. Once his visit in Rodanthe is over, he will be on his way to Ecuador.
Adrienne's husband left her for a younger work colleague and she is now left a single middle-aged mother with an ailing father to take care of.


Paul and Adrienne fall in love during thier few days together and when it is time to part, they are heartbroken. Paul suggests he stay with Adrienne for a while and postpone his trip, but she insists he goes to be with his son. So as the two part, they promise to wait for each other for a year until Paul returns. Paul calls Adrienne, writes her beautiful letters and sends her flowers monthly while he is away.




I enjoyed this story very much and I'm glad I picked it up. I liked both Paul and Adrienne and felt like the connection between them was realistic and sweet. I also liked the setting of the story, an Inn on the beach, during a storm, the author set the mood just right. If you're looking for a quick and bittersweet romantic read, look no further. But, you might need to have a box of tissues handy, I did get a bit teary eyed during one part.



As usual, Nicholas Sparks has a way with words, his book have some very romantic passages.


Here's a favorite tidbit from one of Paul's letters to Adrienne:

I've been thinking about you constantly since I left, wondering why the journey I'm on seemed to have led through you. I know my journey's not over yet, and that life is a winding path, but I can only hope it somehow circles back to the place I belong.


That's how I think of it now. I belong with you.

p.s. as you read this, I'm probably at the bookstore buying another Nicholas Sparks book :) lol. I'm good and hooked!

title: Dear John

author: Nicholas Sparks

published: 2006

genre: romance

first line: What does it mean to truly love another?

pages: 278

rated: 4 out of 5




Okay people, i've finally discovered Nicholas Sparks and am very happy about that. I've only watched the film versions of his books, The Notebook being one of my favorite movies. I thought it was about high time that I read one of his books.

Dear John was the perfect romantic read, it's a bittersweet love story. I *sighed* while reading and found myself saying "awwwwww" several times. Yes, it was kind of sappy, but hey, sometimes you're in the mood for a good, sappy love story.


Set in modern day North Carolina, John and Savannah meet while he is on military leave for two weeks during the summer. John is a reformed bad boy, who was raised by his father and joined the army shortly after high school.
Savannah is a good girl/college student. The two are opposites, yet are drawn into each other from the start. They fall in love during the short time they have together, and when John has to go back to Germany for a year, they promise to wait for each other. John and Savannah write letters to each other while they are apart and after the year is over, the two reunite and they are both still in love. But as they are forced to be apart for longer than expected, their love is tested and they begin to grow apart.


The book is narrated by John, and you get to see how much he does love Savannah. I really like John's character. He was loyal, kind and caring. Savannah irritated me just a bit. I think it's because she seemed childish at times, and as the two would have arguments, I found her annoying. All in all, I truly enjoyed this book and will read more Nicholas Sparks. I enjoyed the writing and the storyline.



Here's a few of my favorite passages....you might *sigh* while reading these :)

There are memories for both of us, of course, but I've learned that memories can have a physical, almost living presence, and in this, Savannah and I are different as well. If hers are the stars in the nighttime sky, mine are the haunted empty spaces in between.

I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart. Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. And although this is the way all stores unfold, I still can't believe that ours didn't go on forever.

And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever.

It was, perhaps, her touch that emboldened me to really look at her, and though I saw the mysteriousness and maturity that had always made her attractive, I noticed a hint of sadness and reticence as well. To my aching heart, the combination made her even more beautiful.

Dear John has been made into a film, visit the website here.

*quick tidbit: in the book Savannah is a brunette, in the film, she's a blond.