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VanessaJaye

Vanessa Jaye's Book Daze

Romance author and enthusiastic reader
An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris 4.5
Stripped (Her Captain's Command, #1) - Christina Stoke P0rntastic. It is what it is: wall to wall smexxing with p0rnish dialogue/phrasing (cum slut, titties n clitties being rubbed, tugged and pinched, and 12" hard as steel dongs spewing eruptions all over. o_0 ) but it was full of wtfery fun-- and I was in kinda interested in the condom-thin veneer of a plot, such as it was-- until the abrupt (as in mid-smexxing) ending.)
Winning the Wallflower (Fairy Tales, #2.5) - Eloisa James A sweet and very charming romance between 2 likable characters.
With a Kiss - Kim Dare 3.5 really.
The Famous Heroine / The Plumed Bonnet - Mary Balogh Finished the first story in this duet- The Famous Heroine. Only word to describe it is: delightful. Loved both the Lord Francis an Cora. Liked how they were amused by each other, but not necessarily attracted to one another at first. They became friends, who enjoyed each other's company and only much later realized affection had become something deeper. I'll read the second book later.
Masked (Masked, #1) - Lissa Matthews Short, hawt read, with a bit of mystery thrown in. But as hot as it was, the emphasis was more on showing the incredible attraction Thor & Bobby felt for each other, than squeezing in as much sexxoring as possible. Good start to the series.
American Virgin, Volume 4: Around The World - Steven T. Seagle, Becky Cloonan, Jim Rugg 2.5 maybe? I was enjoying this until the last 10 pages, then it veered into Vanilla Sky wtf land with an abrupt ending. I did like how Adam had to deal with his beliefs and pre-conceptions in each place he travelled to, he had to think and create/confirm his own set of beliefs and not just what might have been spoon-fed to him, and that in doing so, he found the strength to affirm his growing feelings for Vanessa. but the wtfery in the last pages just about torpedoed the rest.
Ghost in the Machine - Barbara J. Hancock More like 4.5. Excellent work-building. The story just sucks you in. The sense of malevolence is done very well and the tension never let's up.
Coraline: Graphic Novel - P. Craig Russell, Neil Gaiman Just had a chance to cruise the other reviews/rates on this book. I agree that the heroine was drawn to seem older than she was portrayed in the book, but she's a bit of an odd duck, isn't she? Or as one of the ladies upstairs says *an extraordinary child* so I was fine with her looking older but acting younger. What I really liked was how much more creepy and menacing this version of the story felt compared to the book and movie. You really got the sense of isolation Coraline felt. I also loved how the relationship with the cat developed in this version. All in all my this was my favourite of the novel and movie.
The Fire King - Marjorie M. Liu Really liked so much about this-- the premise, the setting, the world-world building, the characters (personalities & motivations) and their interactions. I enjoyed the progression of how the H/h slowly grew to trust, know and love each other--some really nice *quiet* or *emotional* moments of awareness done on this aspect. Great pacing and skilled use of language. But ultimately I wasn't as emotionally vested as I wanted to be, not sure why.
Keeping Kaitlyn - Anya Bast Like this short story very much. It's my first read by this author but I'll definitely be checking out more of her work. So why not a little higher? I think I need a bit more emotion/angst--there was some much hintted at through out the story that I wished was explored more, but is was probably a constraint of page count. Thought she did a bang up job with the world building and the two heroes were yummy!
Home to Woefield: A Novel - Susan Juby Finished this one last night. I was utterly charmed by the characters. Especially Earl who I kept picturing as Clint Eastwood (Grand Torino).
Jemima's Secret - Lynne Graham The last chapter was sort of odd, part way through it became a sort of outline/summary/epilogue. Also didn't get behind why the heroine didn't just fess up. Hero as usual was quick to jump to conclusions. But overall I thoroughly enjoyed this. (bearing in mind LG just works for me, regardless of issues/weaknesses re story/character)
The Boys, Vol. 8: Highland Laddie - Keith Burns, John McCrea, Garth Ennis Really, a 2.5. Not much of a story
As She's Told - Anneke Jacob 'K, so I finished As She's Told. It's well written, and I like it better than Owned & Owner for three reasons--it takes place in Toronto,ON (my hometown) and the hero seemed more emotionally vested (love/respect/like, not just obsession) in the heroine and didn't just want her as an object (unlike 'hero' in O&O. imo) and there was *some* vulnerability to this hero. I also felt the heroine of this one was a bit more sympathetic.

But ultimately, the same main/general elements that didn't work for me in O&O are present here in AST.

Puppy/pony-play. Before, wasn't particularly interested in reading about it, but wasn't turned off either. Now I can say without hesitation, not my cuppa at all. These two books are the first I've read where a (the?) key point of the story is the hero not just having the heroine as slave to his 'dom' but reducing the heroine to sub-human/animal status re a 24/7 total power exchange.

I can deal with the "c*me only with my permission" thing, it can be tres hot, but the extreme big O constrictions/denials for the heroines while hero gets his rocket launched and fuel tank emptied almost daily throughout the story(ies), didn't work for me either.

AJ is obviously not the author for me, but I can see why she would be an auto-buy for others. None of the stories read like pure titilation/one-handed reads (though there's plenty of action), the progression of the relationships seem believable/realistic for the H/h and the characters felt fleshed out (jobs, interests, friends/family) and definitely had growth arcs coming into their own where they felt fully satisfied/complete with who they were to themselves, each other, and within their relationship.
Northlanders Vol. 2: The Cross and the Hammer - Brian Wood, Ryan Kelly, Dean Ormston Vol 1 is still my fav of the series. But this was still fun. One character was a very tongue-in-cheek nod towards Horatio Crane/CSI Miami.