Book Review: Impulse by Candace Camp

Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 401
Acquired: 10/20/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I read it: NetGalley
Series: No

Cam Monroe is a stablehand, Angela Stanhope is nobility. Their love is forbidden and when Angela's father finds out about he threatens to ruin Cam and find a way to send him to jail for the rest of his life. Cam leaves the family's estate and vows to have Angela and his revenge. Meanwhile, Angela marries Lord Dunstan to try and save Cam from her father. Dunstan does not turn out to be the good man everyone thought he was, and several years later they end up divorced after a scandal that rocked the town.

When Cam hears of Angela's divorce he finds a way to return and try to marry her, but Angela sees herself as damaged good after her divorce and is terrified of being under the control of any man. On top of everything, Cam has been the victim of several "accidents." Accidents that seem to be happening all to frequently to be real. Will Angela and Cam learn to trust each other again, or will they forever live with their past doubts.

While this was more of what I consider a "traditional" romance, mistreated woman falls for gentle man but have too many issues to deal with to see that they love each other. However, the little bit of mystery behind Cam's accidents adds just enough to keep the story interesting, although an astute reader will figure it out early in the game.

3/5

Book Review: Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

Genre: Romance
Pages: 288
Acquired: 5/20/2011
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I have it: NetGalley
Series: Harlequin Historical

Princess Ai Li is doing the unthinkable. She is running away from the mam she is supposed to marry. A marriage that was arranged by her father, her actions could bring shame to her entire family. But she has good reason for doing so. She has discovered that her future husband played a part in the slaying of one of her brothers. Thankful that she has smuggled her trusted butterfly swords along with her, she fights free of her entourage and tries to make her way home.

Ryam is a barbarian, begging for scraps as he tries to return to his military base after an attack that nearly killed him. He comes upon Ai Li defending herself against far greater numbers and decides to help her. This one decision changes both of their lives forever. As they make their way back to the capital and Ai Li's family, they gain each other's trust and respect, and not just in swordplay.

The two face nearly impossible odds on their journey to the city and find themselves willing to do anything for the other. I loved both characters and the way they interacted was nearly perfect. There were a few occassions that the plot stalled for a few pages, but it generally to help the reader understand some aspect of the culture and took off again as soon as it could.

3.5/5

Book Review: Carrie Pilby by Caren Lisner

Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

Pages: 250
Acquired: May 5, 2011
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I have it: NetGalley
Series: No

Carrie Pilby has always been a bit different. She is a child prodigy that graduated college before most of us would even start it. Her hobbies include reading the dictionary, debating morals with herself (and others if she can), and sleeping in her New York apartment. Carrie has a hard time relating to the people around her. She just doesn't get them, and they just don't get her. She's unhappy and alone, although good luck trying to get her to admit it.

Carrie is a fantastic character. She readily admits that she just doesn't understand people. She knows it's because of her childhood and intelligence. With the help of her psychologist, she sets up a list of things to do by New Year's that will help her open up to other people and relate to them better.

I was a bit surprised to see this was a Harlequin. There is a bit of romance in the story, but it is definitely on the back burner of the story. At center stage is Carrie and the odd group of people she ends up finding herself involved with. They are all very unique and I could see the good, as well as the bad, in all of them. They were the perfect characters to contrast the various aspects of Carrie's personality.

There were no fast paced action sequences or sudden turns of events, but the story moved along like a gentle stream that was very relaxing with just enough ripples to keep things interesting. Carrie's struggles were written in a way that anyone could find a piece of her to relate to.

5/5

Book Review: No One Lives Twice by Julie Moffett

No One Lives Twiceby Julie Moffett

Genre: Romance, Suspense
Pages: 295
Acquired: 7/16/10
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I have it: NetGalley
Series: No

Lexi Carmichael is a geek, a computer geek to be specific, and works for the NSA. She has no love life to speak of, and doesn't find herself to be very appealing to men. But now her best friend Basia has disappeared and men seem to be lining up to help find her.

I loved the action in this story. It was fast paced and exciting. It was great to see a bunch of computer geeks in action to save the day. In fact, the computer geeks were my favorite part...except for Lexi. Now since Lexi is our main character, that poses quite a predicament. Lexi is just a little too depressing. She complains about her lack of love life, her lack of taste in clothes, and about anyone who tries to help her. She gets a bit annoying at times just because she is always talking herself down.

The action, on the other hand, is fantastic. There are so many twists and turns subtly worked into the story, and they kept me guessing up until the very end.

3/5