'The Other Countess' Tudor Historical Romance #1 by Eve Edwards

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

England, 1582 -

Lady Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Rodriguez of San Jaime - is in possession of a gold-seeking father, a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen's court, and none other than the handsome new Earl of Dorset ...

WILLIAM LACEY has inherited his father's title and his financial ruin. Now the Earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family's fortune. But Will's head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be. Will is destined to marry a worthy Lady so the only question is - which one ...?

‘The Other Countess’ is Eve Edward’s debut novel and the first book in her YA ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ series.
This book will be added to my ‘Favourites of 2010’ list – it’s that good!

Edwards takes a little swath of history and makes it her own in this dazzling historical romance, set in 1582 England under the reign of ‘Virgin Queen’ Elizabeth I.

Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Hutton is an alchemist’s daughter. She traipses the country with her addle-brained father, as he hunts for the scientific formula to turn metals into gold. The Hutton’s live on the kindness of misguided lord’s and earl’s who believe Arthur Hutton is the answer to their fortunes. But it is always a matter of weeks or months before the lord’s start losing their money in Hutton’s useless sciences, which often include phoenix tears in the potions. When the novel begins, Ellie is twelve and she and her father are being kicked out of Lacey House, having bankrupted the recently deceased earl. The earl’s son, Will Lacey, throws the Hutton’s off his lands, furious at the alchemist for having made their family destitute.

The novel skips ahead four years to find Ellie and her father housed in the Queen’s court; but Ellie knows it is only a temporary reprieve from their wandering life.
Also at court is William Lacey, Earl of Dorset. Will is 18 and on the hunt for a rich wife, after his father left the family practically penniless and all responsibility on Will’s eldest shoulders;

This wasn’t good enough for James “Will, we’re running short of time.”
“I know that, but this is the rest of my life I am hazarding here, no small matter easily settled. I want at least to know something of the character of the lady I eventually woo and wed.”
Ever pragmatic, James sighed. “To be honest, Will, all that matters at the moment is the size of the dowry. We are skimming just an inch above ruin?”

Will should be concentrating on courting the lovely (and wealthy) Lady Jane Perceval at court. But a chance meeting with Ellie sets all their fates on a journey of great passion and great loss. Torn between obligation and love, duty and family, Will and Ellie have to decide where their hearts lie when so much is in the balance.

Eve Edwards’ writing is a sumptuous delight, a literary banquet! Edwards is an Oxford University graduate and well-versed in research – and her attention to detail serves well in this book. She remains true to the period, utterly transporting readers to Elizabethan England. Edwards even borrows major historical figures for guest-appearances – including Queen Elizabeth I herself, and court ‘favourite’ Sir Walter Ralegh. Edwards also writes major historical conflicts and events, such as the persecution of Catholics in Protestant England, and the impending war with Spain.
Even if readers aren’t historical buffs, there’s plenty to admire in this sweeping saga. All of the historical references set the book on a grand-scale, but Edwards has written these complicated historical notations with such verve and flourish that they live on the page, and act as wonderful backdrops to heighten suspense.

Edward’s ability to marry history with suspenseful romance is impressive; she breathes life into the ages and gives readers long-ago characters to fascinate and charm.
I was a little sceptical going into this book. The series title - ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ – seems like a bit of an oxymoron when coupled with the intended YA audience. I love reading historical romances, but my tastes have always leaned toward adult writers like Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn, who write the regency as well as the smut. I wasn’t so sure how a historical romance would fare when intended for a younger audience, assuming that it would be a tepid PG13 romance... which just leaves the ‘historical’ and there’s always a chance that things can divulge into high school history textbook. NOT the case in Eve Edward’s ‘The Other Countess’. Not at all!

The romance is really quite heated. In fact, the entire book leans more toward the racy and raunchy side of things. Nothing explicit or that crosses any YA boundaries – but I was (pleasantly) surprised by the book’s sexual undertones. There’s talk of knight’s gleaming torsos, oversized codpieces and lord’s diddling their maids!
But I think the light sexual content is just Edwards being a true scholar. This book is set during the reign of Elizabeth I, and it’s a misconception to think that in the golden age people were strictly chaste and pure. The novel is set in a time when the reigning monarch was nicknamed for her (lack of) sexual orientation!

For all that this is an epic historical drama; the romance is the real draw-card in ‘The Other Countess’. Ellie and Will are wonderful characters – Ellie as an academic girl in a time when a woman’s virtues were in her dowry. Will who has been set the hard task of providing for his family by sacrificing his happiness. Separately these two have enough drama to fill the pages, but when paired together they absolutely sizzle! Theirs is a forbidden romance, and so many obstacles are set before them that their love seems impossible... but that just kept things interesting and suspenseful! I loved their interactions, especially because they both challenged each other’s convictions;

“What need I of the priest when I have an angel to bless me?”
Ellie groaned inwardly at his flowery language. “I think perhaps you have more need of spectacles if you mistake me for one, my lord.”

I love, love, LOVED this book! Eve Edwards has written a YA historical romance that confounds convention and breathes life into Elizabethan history.

5/5

I look forward to Edward’s second book in the ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ series, set for early 2011 release called ‘The Queen’s Lady’, which tells the story of Lady Jane Perceval.

'Chronicles of Vladimir Tod' series by Heather BREWER

Received from the publisher

'Eighth Grade Bites' book #1
'Ninth Grade Slays' book #2

From the BLURB:

Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he's being hunted by a vampire killer.

The Vladimir Tod series is currently 4 books deep – with the 5th (and final) book due for US release on September 21 this year. The series starts with Vlad in eighth grade, and concludes with him as a senior in twelfth grade.

Vlad is your typical teenage boy. He has a crush on a girl at school who is way out of his league. He’s maintaining a steady D-average. He gets bullied on a regular basis and called ‘goth boy’ behind his back and to his face. He is your typical teenage boy growing up in the small town of Bathory... except that he’s half vampire.
His mother was human and his father was a vampire. Vlad’s very existence shouldn’t be possible, but he lives to be a contradiction. He would ask his parents about his anomaly birth, but his parents are dead – murdered three years ago in a house fire. He lives off of expired donor blood that his aunt/guardian Nelly steals for him from her nursing job at the hospital. Vlad’s life is actually pretty normal – except for his ability to hover, hatred of garlic and his occasional mind-reading episode (which, after a biting accident when they were eight, extends only to his best friend, Henry).

But Vlad’s normal life is about to come crashing down. The eighth grade English teacher has gone missing, and Mr. Otis is one freaky replacement teacher who seems to know a lot about vampires. Meanwhile, someone is watching Vlad from the shadows and targeting his classmates to gather information about him...

Vlad pressed his lips together and flashed Mr Otis a firm look. “Can I have my journal back now, Mr Otis?”
“But this isn’t your journal, Vladimir, not really.” Mr Otis’s voice softened further, until it was almost a whisper. He caressed the pages of the journal lovingly before handing it to Vlad. “You should be careful what you believe, Mr Tod. The world is full of monsters with friendly faces.”

I love this series! Two books in and I’m already hooked!
‘Vladimir Tod’ does what lots of other vampire YA fiction has failed to do – appeal to young males. I think teenage boys have been largely forgotten in the wake of ‘Twilight’ and the vampire craze – most vamp fiction is written to appeal to teenage girls, especially when most books riff off of the Edward/Bella immortal love story.

‘Vladimir Tod’ is a breath of fresh air when paranormal romance has become the norm for vampire fiction. It’s not just that the series has a male narrator (a rare enough occurrence these days) it’s more the fact that these books are quite creepy and sinister, harking back to a more Gothic vampire exploration that will thrill and delight male readers. There’s violence in these books (nothing gratuitous or inappropriate) but enough to thrill, get your pulse pumping and squirming in your seat as you read the blood dripping off the page. Brilliant! These books are perfect for those younger readers who are intrigued by, but dissatisfied with the current crop of cookie-cutter vamp fiction.

That’s not to say all the violence and dark foreboding won’t appeal to female readers - on the contrary. Vladimir Tod is just the sort of teenage boy with a tough exterior/marshmallow interior, who is so sweetly awkward that girls will fawn over him. He’s unassuming, trying to find his place in the world and reckon his tragic vampire hero with the desire to be an ordinary teen. He will no doubt appeal to a wide female readership... at least, he appealed to me.

Vlad does have a crush on a girl at school, Meredith, but the romance is not a focus for the book. At this stage, with Vlad being in year 8, he doesn’t quite have the nerve to approach the girl of his dreams. The lack of romantic focus is a nice change of pace for the usually lust-heavy vampire genre (thankyou Bella and Edward!), but I imagine Vlad’s romantic status will change as he grows and matures across the books – I’m sure that by ‘Eleventh Grade Burns’ and ‘Twelfth Grade Kills’ he’ll be a bit braver when it comes to the fairer sex. I actually really look forward to reading Vlad’s awkward and slow progress with his hormones; even across two books I enjoyed noticing his changes and lessons learned. Spanning the series across Vlad’s high-school career will give readers a chance to get to know this unique young man, come to care for him and admire his changing world views.

In the second book, ‘Ninth Grade Slays’, Vlad goes on a trip to Siberia where he comes into contact with other vampires. In the second book the vampire mythology is broadened and becomes layered, as Vlad brushes up on his mind-reading abilities and has a chance to observe his own species. I love the fact that the second book is an expansion of the Vladimir Tod world – you definitely get the sense that Heather Brewer has a trajectory for her series, meaning that readers are slowly piecing together the puzzle that is Vladimir Tod. Much is revealed about Vlad and his ‘abilities’ and perhaps even his destiny. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series

I really admire Heather Brewer for writing a series that is darkly complicated, and achieves the tough task of appealing to the male readership of YA. Brewer has reclaimed vampires for the largely forgotten male audience, who have had little else but paranormal romance to meet their gothic vampiric cravings. I loved the first two books of ‘Vladimir Tod’, and will definitely be reading more.

5/5

'Ninth Grade Slays' book TRAILER

'Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage' Highland Pleasures #2 by Jennifer ASHLEY

From the BLURB:

Six years ago, eighteen-year-old Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized all of London by eloping the night of her come-out ball with the notorious rake, Lord Mac Mackenzie. After three turbulent years of marriage, she scandalized London once again--this time by leaving him.

Now the reformed Mac has returned, and he wants one thing: Isabella back in his life, his house, his bed. He'll do anything he has to, play any game, as long as he gets her back. Isabella resists, but when she agrees to pose for erotic paintings he's been working on, she realizes her body has never stopped craving her husband’s very skilled touch. Mac is determined to show Isabella that he's a changed man, but three years without her has only increased his hunger for her.

When an ingenious forger with designs on Mac's paintings, and Isabella herself, comes dangerously near, Mac sets himself up as Isabella’s protector and vows to never leave her side, whether his independent and proud lady likes it or not.

This is the second book in Jennifer Ashley’s ‘Highland Pleasures’/’Mackenzies’ series about the Mackenzie brothers. The first book, ‘The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie’ was an instant-favourite of mine, and told the story of youngest Mackenzie brother, Ian. This second book is about the second-youngest brother, Mac, and his efforts to win back his wife, Isabella, who left him three years ago.

I went into this book with no expectations, which is unusual for me. I loved ‘The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie’ *so* much that in the back of my mind I knew Ms. Ashley couldn’t possibly reach the lofty heights of that first book again, at least not in my mind. On the one hand I think I was right not to expect another book like Ian’s, because I would have been disappointed... but in another way I was pleasantly surprised...

When I learnt the reason behind Isabella and Mac’s separation, I initially had a moment of deflation and saying “is that all?” The reason seemed a little anti-climactic – when you think that Isabella and Mac have been estranged for 3 years you start to expect the reason will be crucial and awful – infidelity, abuse etc. The real reason is quite sad and tragic, but not on-par with what I was imagining. But thinking back on it now, I quite like the fact that there wasn’t a huge precipitating event that tore Isabella and Mac apart. The reason for their separation is actually quite common, and relatable – a matter of words unspoken building up over time to fester into resentment and hostility that eventually led to Isabella slipping away.

“This isn’t a game. It is our lives – your life. Your art. And I’d be a bloody fool to play any game you invented.”
Mac leaned to her as the carriage slowed. Isabella had no idea where they were, and she didn’t have the energy to lift the curtain to find out.
“It is a game, my love.” He held her gaze. “It is the most serious game I've ever engaged in. And I intend to win it. I will have you back, Isabella – in my life, in my house, and in my bed.”

I love the fact that Jennifer Ashley’s heroes and heroines in the Mackenzie series are slightly older, and dealing with more pertinent marital and relationship issues than we’re used to in historical romances. Case and point is Mac and Isabella – a separated couple who are trying to rebuild their marriage. This could have been a very hum-drum romance about regaining trust. But Ashley knows that romance doesn’t stop with “I do” and a husband and wife can be just as steamy as a debutante and bachelor rake. And I thought it was ingenious of Ashley to give Mac and Isabella a past that was shrouded in romantic mystery – she was 18 when Mac swept her off her feet at her coming-out ball and they eloped the same night they met. That could have been the story – Mac abducting a virginal ton darling and marrying her, but instead the story is what happens *after* the debutante and her rake get their ‘happily ever after’ and it doesn’t all go according to plan. Wonderful!

I think Jennifer Ashley excels in writing flawed heroes. With Ian, it was the fact that he was ‘mad’, quite literally – he was thrown into an insane asylum when he was a child. Ian’s ‘madness’ will never be cured; instead it was a matter of Beth loving him regardless of his little quirks and foibles, and even appreciating a few of them.
I wish Ashley had placed more emphasis on Mac’s version of ‘madness’ – his alcoholism. When the book begins Mac has been sober for three years, and only recounts the hellish time he had getting sober. I would have really appreciated reading his recovery – even to have some consistency in the series as an observation of these very imperfect, damaged brothers who learn to cope and accept their various short-comings, and who likewise find women to accept them too.

‘The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie’ also worked well because there was a murder-mystery plot running simultaneously with the romance. That secondary plot worked really well with Ian and Beth’s romance, because it allowed Beth to learn about the Mackenzie brothers’ shady dealings, and also forced her and Ian’s romance to be sped up as dangerous matters came to a head.
There is a second storyline in ‘Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage’ – this one concerning a doppelganger to Mac who is forging his artwork. But this ‘whodunnit’ plot isn’t particularly well developed until the latter half of the book, when that plot really starts to make sense and complement the Mac/Isabella romance.

I had a few problems with this book – mainly the lack of friction with regards to Mac’s reformation and a secondary plot that was hard to get stuck into. But I loved the fact that this is a story about rebuilding a marriage – it made for a very different historical romance when virgins and rakes rule the genre, Ashley is writing about what happens *after* ‘happily ever after’.

I really look forward to the last two books in this series, about Cameron and Hart Mackenzie. Ashley whets reader’s appetites in this book by introducing Cam’s HEA, but August 2011 is a looooooong wait! Hart is my favourite Mackenzie, I think. I like a good tragic hero, and Hart seems to have been given the bulk of tragedy in the series, so that alone appeals to me. And I am very eager to see how Ashley breaks down Hart’s many, many barriers and defences (and addresses his eye-brow raising sexual predilections) but his book will be a 2012 release – Ye gods! That is a LONG wait!

3.5/5

Book 1: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Ian) May 2009
Book 2: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Mac) July 2010
Book 3: The Many Sins of Lord Cameron (Cam) August 2011
Book 4: The Duke Takes a Wife (Hart) May 2012

'Hell Fire' Corine Solomon #2 by Ann AGUIRRE

From the BLURB:

As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck-Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift".

But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents-and it can only be satisfied with death...

Ann Aguirre’s second ‘Corine Solomon’ novel goes back to where it all began. ‘Hell Fire’ starts where ‘Blue Diablo’ finished, with Corine and her ex-boyfriend Chance on the road after the zombie fun of Laredo. Chance, as per their agreement, has agreed to help Corine investigate her mother’s death. That means Corine has to go back to the town she escaped at the age of eighteen – Kilmer.

Upon arrival in this backwoods Pleasantville it becomes apparent that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Kilmer has a dark presence – something evil lives in the surrounding woods and it’s snatching locals and pets alike. The townspeople are walking on egg shells and acting a little bit ‘Stepford’. And Corine sniffing around her mother’s death is not endearing her to the villagers. Along with Chance, sexy Laredo cop Jesse Saldana and Chihuahua Butch, Corine is going to get to the bottom of her dark past.

If Kilmer thought they could frighten me off, they had another think coming.
This was for my mom, Cherie Solomon.
We had not yet begun to fight. Sure, they’d crippled us by taking away the tools we generally used to solve problems, but we’d find ways around the obstacles they threw in our path. No matter how many times they knocked me onto a dirty road, I would rise. I’d ferret out their secrets and then handle the objects that would spill them.
In other words, Kilmer, game on.

This novel is spooky. Seriously! It’s a little bit Stephen King-esque, with a dose of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Village’. I was sporting quite a few goosebumps and an adrenaline kick towards the end. Corine is also a little bit frightful in this book – mostly because her handler powers are put to the test. Corine being a ‘handler’ means she can touch an object and know its history. In ‘Hell Fire’ Corine pushes herself and discovers she has some serious mojo, and that she has only just started to tap into it. I can’t wait for more books that explore the extent of her ‘gift’.

The secondary characters are wonderful. Butch is, without a doubt, one of my favourite characters. He is one intuitive Chihuahua, and cute to boot! I also love the mysterious Booke, who works his technical magic all the way in the UK and visits Corine in her dreams. Aguirre offers few tid-bits about Booke, but his working relationship with Corine and hints of a crush make him fascinating. I can’t wait to find out more about him (fingers crossed for a UK location change-up?!)
Things heat up when Chance and Jesse Saldana make their intentions toward Corine clear. Chance wants to rekindle what they lost, and Jesse just wants. It makes things hot and heavy, especially where Chance is concerned. Chance’s ‘gift’ is luck – he can turn the universe to his side, but there are side-effects for anyone who is close to him. Corine is also reluctant to start up with Chance again when he’s so reluctant to open up about his past – especially the death of his old girlfriend who presumably felt the back-lash of his luck.

Corine and Chance are a little bit tragic. They’re hot, for sure, but they have so much baggage and many unresolved issues. When we met Chance and Corine in ‘Blue Diablo’ she had already ended the relationship and fled to Mexico. They already had a lot of history between them, and problems. At times in ‘Hell Fire’ it’s a little bit hard to empathize with all of Corine’s Chance-related relationship problems, because the basis of them is in the past. But I could still read the heat between Corine and Chance, and understand why she is reluctant to sever all ties with him. That’s probably my one and only itty-bitty complaint about ‘Hell Fire’ – the fact that I sometimes had problems understanding the reasons that Corine ended things with Chance the first time round.
There is also serious sparkage with Jesse Saldana – aided by his empathy ability that allows him to read people’s emotions. Oh boy! Surely there will be some interesting future storylines concerning his ability... and how it will impact on any romantic entanglements (should Corine choose him).

I really liked this second novel. It helped that I did a re-read of ‘Blue Diablo’ before I got stuck into ‘Hell Fire’, but even if I didn’t Aguirre subtly references and provides reminders to the events of book #1.
I really like the ‘Corine Solomon’ series, and ‘Hell Fire’ is a great second outing. I can’t wait for more books and a deeper exploration of Corine’s powers.

4/5

'Temptation of Teresa' by Ava GRAY

‘Temptation of Teresa’ is a short e-story by Ava Gray.

The story is set in modern day, in a Vancouver monastery called ‘Sisters of Peace’. Teresa is a young woman who has always dreamt of being a nun. Pious her whole life and haunted by a traumatic childhood event, she has never felt safer than she does in the monastery. But one night a man comes. He calls himself Devlan and says he will be sticking around for seven days – the seven days leading up to her commitment ceremony when she is to become a bride of Christ. Devlan is golden and beautiful, his lips are sinful and no one but Teresa can see him. Devlan is a sort of incubus – once the dragon from the biblical story of Saint George; he has been relegated to the deepest realms of hell and given only one chance to save his soul – by tempting Teresa;

“Poor baby.” His tone held a certain fatal kindness. “Your God likes to gamble now and again, as you doubtless remember from the book of Job. I felt sorry for the poor bastard, if you want the truth. It’s never fun to be a pawn caught between two Powers.”
“Why are you telling me this?” But she thought she knew, and it meant she should be locked up somewhere.
“You’re the new chessboard,” he said softly.

If Devlan ‘Dev’ can convince Teresa to lie with him in sin and break chastity, then Dev will be released from hell. If he fails, he will never be permitted to go ‘up top’ ever again.

I really liked this little story. ‘Temptation’ is what I expected J.R. Ward’s ‘Fallen Angels’ series to be, and its biblical connotations were as fascinating as in Jeri Smith-Ready’s ‘Requiem for the Devil’. Ava Gray has packed a lot into this short story. Teresa and Dev’s characterization is beautifully built and revealed bit by bit through intimate conversations, and in Dev’s case fantastical stories of sacrificial virgins and biblical figures.

This is an Ava Gray story, so expect a certain amount of steaminess. The smut stakes are raised by the fact that Dev is a demon, trying to tempt Teresa’s soul – it makes for a hot and sensuous read. Ava Gray definitely delivers on her signature romance.

This is only a short story, but a fulfilling one. Definitely check it out if you’re an Ava Gray fan.

5/5

'Beastly' by Alex FLINN

From the BLURB:

I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright-a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever-ruined-unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

‘Beastly’ is Alex Flinn’s sixth novel. I heard about this book because it is being adapted for the big screen, and I keep seeing the trailer and movie poster.

Kyle Kingsbury is the prince of Tuttle academy – an upscale New York private school. He is rich, privileged and beautiful. His father is a TV newscaster and his girlfriend is the hottest piece of ass at Tuttle. Life is good for Kyle. Life is perfect. Not so much for the classmates he bullies and humiliates, but that’s not really his concern. Until one day his teasing goes too far... he humiliates a girl called Kendra at the school dance. Sucks for Kyle that Kendra is really a witch – a powerful witch who curses him to be as hideous on the outside as he is on the inside. She turns him into a beast. A clawed, hairy, snarling beast. But, she also gives him an out. If he can find someone to love him, despite his hideousness, within two years then the curse will be broken and he’ll go back to being beautiful Kyle Kingsbury.
But until then, Kyle is ‘Adrian’ – the beast whose father hides him away in a five-storey Brooklyn apartment, shut up from the world with a blind tutor called Will and a housemaid named Magda.

I loved this book. It is quite clearly a retelling of the classic ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Flinn isn’t subtle in her usage of the old fairytale; the title aside, she makes reference to the old story and the various retellings. As Adrian hides away in his Brooklyn apartment he has nothing but time, time and books. He reads all the classics, from ‘Phantom of the Opera’ to ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and ‘Jane Eyre’ – all, in some way, various amalgamations of the old ‘Beauty and the Beast’ tale. I loved the fact that Flinn was upfront in her borrowing of the classics, it meant that Adrian saw the irony of his predicament and his scoffing at the old ‘happily ever after’ adage made ‘Beastly’ into a truly modern fairytale.

Obviously the crux of ‘Beastly’ (and its original fairytale) is the deeper meaning of ‘beauty is on the inside’. This lesson is beautifully illustrated through the modern NYC setting, precisely articulated through a pretty little rich boy who thinks he’s above it all. This is ‘Gossip Girl’ meets Grimm – a fabulous way to communicate an important message.

And of course this is a fairytale, so true love plays a big part. For Kyle/Adrian, true love comes in the form of a red-headed scholarship girl with crooked teeth and a love of books called Lindy. Lindy lives on the wrong side of town, with her junkie father who one day tries to break into Adrian’s Brooklyn apartment. Adrian strikes a deal, to not press charges against her father if the man agrees to give Lindy to him, as a prisoner. So begins their strange and unconventional courtship – as Adrian spies on Lindy and comes to love her from a distance, and eventually builds the courage to reveal his hideous self to her;

I stared at her. “God! You’re beautiful, Lindy,” I whispered.
She laughed. “Oh, right. You only think I’m beautiful because...” She stopped.
“Because I’m ugly?” I finished for her.
“I wasn’t going to say that.” But she was blushing.
“Don’t worry about hurting my feelings. I know I’m ugly. How could I not?”
“But I really wasn’t. What I was going to say was you think I’m beautiful because you don’t know any other girls, any beautiful ones.”
“You’re beautiful,” I repeated, imagining how it would be to touch her, what it might be like to run my hands over the slippery cold satin, and feel her warmth beneath.

The best fairytales have a happy ending, so I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I say that ‘Beastly’ has a ‘happily ever after’. But the journey is really lovely – Adrian and Lindy are a cute coupling, and their romance is a sweet unravelling.

I really look forward to seeing the movie adaptation of this book. For one thing, the gorgeous Alex Pettyfer plays Kyle/Adrian. But from watching the various trailers and teasers, I’m a little concerned with the apparent Hollywood glossing the adaptation has received. For one thing, Vanessa Hudgens plays Lindy – in the book Kyle initially overlooks Lindy because she’s a red-head with crooked teeth and a scholarship kid to boot. Vanessa Hudgens really doesn’t fit the profile – and that kind of defeats the entire purpose of the books’ message. A part of Adrian’s lessons learned is that Lindy is beautiful, inside and out, but it takes him a while to appreciate her beauty and see beyond her face-value. I really don’t think it will be a stretch for the ‘beastly’ Adrian to fall for the stunning Vanessa Hudgens (who has already nabbed herself Zac Efron!). The other big movie change-up is the fact that Adrian doesn’t turn into a hairy animal, but rather a tattooed, bald ‘freak’ with scars all over his face. I can kind of understand why this aspect of the book was changed – bestiality might not sit easy with movie-goers.

Still, I look forward to seeing how the movie turns out when I loved the book so much. And I will definitely be reading more of Alex Flinn’s YA books.

5/5

'Colters' Lady' by Maya BANKS

From the BLURB:

When police officer Seth Colter sees the delicate, shabbily dressed beauty in line at the soup kitchen where he's serving, he's gut shot over the idea of her being on the streets cold and alone. More baffling is the dark, possessive instinct that tells him she belongs to him.

For Lily Weston, home is a secluded nook in a back alley—until Seth offers her a place to stay. She's wary of his offer, but even one night out of the cold is too much temptation to resist.
Seth is convinced Lily is his. The problem is, when his brothers lay eyes on her, the same primitive instinct comes roaring to the surface. The Colters never imagined they'd follow the unconventional path of their fathers, but they can't ignore their mutual need to offer Lily their protection—and their love. But before Lily and the brothers can forge a future together, they must heal the deep wounds of her past.

Maya Bank’s ‘Colter’s Woman’ was the first erotica story I ever read, so I have a bit of a soft spot for it.
In that first book Maya Banks introduced three very unusual brothers. Adam, Ethan and Ryan Colter were three men who grew up in a family with three dads and one mother – and that family dynamic stayed with them into adulthood and became their ideal family unit. Then Holly stepped into their lives to fill the role of wife for the three Colter’s.

This sequel, ‘Colter’s Lady’ is set a few years down the track. Holly, Adam, Ethan and Ryan have four grown children – Callie, Seth, Dillon and Michael. The sequel focuses on the three Colter male children – when we meet them Seth is a policeman, Michael a veterinarian and Dillon owns a bar. The three men do not want the same ménage lifestyle their parents have, but that all changes when they meet Lily.
Lily is a homeless woman whom Seth discovers in line at a soup drive. He falls instantly in love and offers to bring her home to the Colter ranch and make a life with her. Seth intends to keep Lily for himself, but when Dillon and Michael lay eyes on her the Colter impulse kicks in and all three of them want her.
Lily is cautious at first, but eventually accepts the love of all three men. What the Colter men really have to contend with is Lily’s past and the haunting of old wounds.

I am a big fan of the first book ‘Colter’s Woman’. I know lots of people read and were disquieted by the storyline – not so much the ménage aspect, but the *familial* ménage. Fair enough, I can completely understand some reader’s unease – but I wasn’t overly concerned. To be honest I was probably too awe-struck by the novelty of my first erotica novel to pay too much attention to the finer, disturbing plot points.

However, reading this sequel (minus the rose-coloured glasses) I had a lot less patience for the storyline. Everything I seemed able to ignore in ‘Colter’s Woman’ (like the awkwardness of brothers having sex with the same woman, at the same time) I was unable to ignore in ‘Colter’s Lady’.

The storyline is a carbon-copy of ‘Colter’s Woman’, with few plot tweaks – it is again about a woman ‘on the run’ (from her past instead of an ex-husband this time, but still) and three brothers who decide to be her saviour.
The biggest difference in this second book is the fact that the Colter brothers in ‘Lady’ are uneasy about sharing a woman, whereas in ‘Woman’ they were actively looking for a wife to share. That just makes the storyline glaringly awkward and a lot seedy. Where I could live in the fantasy of ‘Colter’s Woman’ and accept that three brothers would want to devote their life and lust to pleasing one woman, it was harder to believe in this sequel when the brothers all air their grievances and concerns, but decide to share Lily regardless.

Every concern and complaint I've read about ‘Colter’s Woman’ was ten-fold in this sequel, to the point that I couldn’t ignore the incest storyline and the general discomfiture of the plot. No matter how many times Lily talked through her concerns or spoke to Holly and her husband’s about their perfect ménage life, I remained unconvinced;

“My heart tells me I love them, but my mind asks how it’s possible to love three very different people at the same time.”
“The heart has an endless capacity for love,” Holly said. “As a woman you love your family, your children – especially your children – your friends, and you love your husband or lover. Who’s to say you can’t love three men with all your heart and soul? I mean, really, who makes the rules?”

It also didn’t help that Lily was as dull as a houseplant. The most interesting (if completely unfathomable) thing about Lily was her homelessness. But the reason for her living on the streets is a ridiculously contrite plot point, designed to make readers and the Colter men feel sorry for her. But it just turned her into even more of a Mary-Sue and all the more unbearable.

The Colter men; Dillon, Seth and Michael, were unremarkable and dull. I didn’t envy Lily her situation one bit. The sex scenes felt awkward and clunky – where they were inventive and sexy in ‘Colter’s Woman’, in ‘Lady’ the focus seemed to be on Lily’s back-story and her growing love for the men – so the sex took a backseat. But that was okay – since I was feeling icky about the brotherly ménage anyway, I didn’t particularly relish the idea of reading smoking hot smut.

I was actually looking forward to this sequel. Even in light of the awkward feelings ‘Colter’s Lady’ illicits concerning family threesomes, I still hold ‘Colter’s Woman’ in esteem. I only wish Maya Banks had come up with a more inventive storyline, instead of a recycled off-cut of ‘Woman’ that seemed designed to quell nay-sayers and further explain the benefits of brotherly love. I would have preferred it if ‘Lady’ had been about Holly, Adam, Ethan and Ryan – maybe following them after their ‘happy ending’ and observing how their threesome coped with the inclusion of babies and town curiosity? As it was, ‘Colter’s Lady’ is a weakened version of ‘Colter’s Woman’ with none of the endearments that made that book a truly naughty joy to read.

1/5