'The Perfect Rake' Merridew Sisters #1 by Anne GRACIE

From the BLURB:

To escape her brutal grandfather, Prudence stages a plan involving a phony engagement—and the man she approaches is so taken with Pru that he willingly joins her game.

‘The Perfect Rake’ is the first book in Anne Gracie’s ‘Merridew Sisters’ historical romance series.

The Merridew sisters have had a hard life. Charity, Hope, Faith, Grace and Prudence lost their parents at a young age. As if losing their very familial foundations wasn’t bad enough, the girls were then whisked away to live with their Grandpapa. A tyrannical, bible-thumping bully who wreaked havoc on their lives. But not any more. Prudence, the eldest of her sisters, is about to turn twenty-one. And once she does, she will no longer be under her Grandpapa’s thumb. . . but with her freedom will come destitution if she hopes to run away with her sisters. Prudence would like to rely on her fiancé, Phillip, but he left for India four years ago and has not been heard from since.

But that doesn’t mean Prudence’s sisters can’t marry. And so she concocts a lie to get herself and her siblings to London, to stay with their extravagant uncle Oswald and have a London season.

It starts out as a little lie. Which then snowballs and grows and expands to encompass the Duke of Distanble. . . and then Gideon, Lord Carradice, a renowned rake and womanizer.

'The Perfect Rake's is the first book in Anne Gracie's 'Merridew Sisters' series.

I love me a good historical romance. . . but the more I read, the more I realize my love is turning me into a historical romance snob. I know what I like, and what I don’t like. And unfortunately, I didn’t really care for Anne Gracie’s ‘The Perfect Rake’.

Honestly, it’s nothing against the book itself. The characters are lovely and the storyline is a twisted, comical fare with a little Brothers Grimm thrown in for good measure. My only problem with ‘The Perfect Rake’ is that it’s not my cup of historical romance tea. Anne Gracie’s historical romance is more ‘cutesy’ than ‘sultry’ and for the most part the book has a PG-rating as opposed to the ‘M’ or ‘XXX’ that I prefer to read.

The book starts out bleak enough, with the Merridew sisters living under their Grandpapa’s bullying thumb. It’s not until Prudence concocts an outlandish plan to get her and her sisters away to London that things take a turn. . . But Grandpapa’s shadow is constantly hanging over their heads and scaring the young women. The character of Grandpapa is rather two-dimensional, a clear-cut villain. But his presence elevates the story to an almost fairytale-like level, with each Merridew girl cast in the role of Cinderella. None more so than Prudence. . . her sisters are all golden and beautiful. The young Merridew women are exceptionally ethereal and attractive, and Prudence pales by comparison. By her own admission, Prudence has a too-big nose, is a little too plump and has wild, frizzy red curls. Beside her sisters, she is the ‘ugly duckling’.

But when she meets Gideon Carradice, he sees only Prudence’s beauty. He calls her his ImPrudence (Imp for short) and cannot fathom how anyone could see her sisters through Prudence’s beauty.

The romance is heartfelt if for no other reason than Carradice proves true that old adage, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. Prudence is plain-looking, but he can’t see it. . . all he can see is her beauty. It’s a lovely sentiment, if a little too mushy for me. And there is that element of ‘love at first sight’ that I so despise. But like I said before, the romance is more ‘cutesy’ than ‘sultry’ and not really up my alley.

Apparently he didn’t please. “If he doesn’t make your head whirl – and I’m not referring to compliments – he’s not the man for you, Imp. Duty and honour is a dashed dry foundation for a marriage. Oh, I know many make it, but you deserve more, my Prudence. You need – and deserve – to be most thoroughly and completely loved. And by a man who makes your head whirl.”

There were some things I really liked about the book. Uncle Oswald was hilarious – especially when Prudence and Gideon unwittingly weave a tangled web that leaves him baffled and bumbling. He’s a stunning secondary character.

I also really liked the fact that Carradice was self-aware of his rakishness, to the point that Anne Gracie pokes fun at the old historical romance cliché:

He gazed into her eyes for a long, long moment. “Yes. And when a rake finally falls, he falls forever.” He let her digest that for a moment and then added solemnly, “Besides, you should not scorn my rakishness. Having a rake about the place will come in extremely useful.”

She frowned in puzzlement. “Useful?” It was an odd word to use. “What do you mean? What possible use would I have for a rake?”

“I could tidy up all your fallen leaves each autumn.”

I could find nothing wrong with ‘The Perfect Rake’. . . except it’s not my preferred batch of historical romance.

2/5

'Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf' by Curtis JOBLING

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

"You're the last of the werewolves son. Don't fight it...Conquer it".

When the air is clear, sixteen year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator. When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him. And when a vicious beast invades his home, his gums begin to tear, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms ...Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan's men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy. Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him - and master the animal within?

‘Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf’ is the first Young Adult paranormal book from Curtis Jobling. Jobling is already a renowned British illustrator and animator, best known for his work on the TV show ‘Bob the Builder’.

The Seven Realms is a mythical world where territories and borders are divided according to Lycanthropic rule. These ‘rulers’ are not only the traditional shapeshifting Werewolves, but a plethora of were animals known as ‘Werelords’. There are Wererats and Werefoxes stretching from The Badlands to Omir and many lands in between.

Our hero is Drew Ferran, a simple farmer’s son who is accused of a heinous crime he did not commit. Drew saw his mother murdered by a slavering beast. . . a beast he soon came to resemble. Now his father and twin brother, Trent, are on the hunt for the monster they believe Drew to be. He is forced to seek refuge in dangerous Lyssia where Drew discovers he is the last of the royal Werewolf blood line. . . and the Werelion, King Leopold, intends to make sure the blood stops with Drew.

I wasn’t sure I would like this Young Adult fantasy novel. It seemed like a thorough boys book and I went into it with much (girlish) trepidation . . . but by the end of the third chapter, I was hooked.

This book kicks off with a high-octane pace and doesn’t let up. I knew I was reading something special after the third chapter left me covered in goose-bumps. Jobling has a truly heinous talent for writing action and gore, and the scene in which Drew first encounters the monster that kills his mother is full of high-emotion and high-action;

The creature slowly advanced into the kitchen, drawing out the inevitable. It stepped through the chaos, wind cloaking it with rainwater as it shambled up to the table. A huge clawed hand trailed playfully along the wood, blood dripping on to the surface.

Tilly Ferran whispered the word ‘No’ over and over, again and again, but she knew this was her end, knew there was nothing she could do to stop the monster. The beast shook its head, stinking drool falling on to the table beside her head.

“I thought. . . I thought I was safe from you,” she mouthed, though the words found no volume. “I thought you’d never find us.”

The animal snarled a grin, leaning in towards her and mouthing a single word as it opened its mouth.

“Never.”

Then it closed its jaws round her throat.

Jobling’s novel is medieval-action-fantasy of the tallest order. Yes, this is a bit of a boys book (light on the romance, but with many a fight scene) . . . but fantasy and paranormal connoisseurs’ will appreciate ‘Wereworld’ for the intricate and fantastical tale that Jobling expertly weaves.

The novel has a bit of a Tolkien-esque feel to it, purely for the impressive world-building. Jobling writes about the Seven Realms with plenty of back story to keep readers hooked and mythical creatures to wow the imagination. This is a world that young readers can immerse themselves in, get lost in the Seven Realms history and mythology and let their imaginations run wild in the Wereworld universe. Brilliant!

The book has a very Brothers Grimm, Faustian feel to it. Drew is a fantastic protagonist with a heartbreaking task set for him. This book (and the series) is really all about Drew testing his mettle, discovering the ‘monster’ within and learning to either banish or accept it as a part of himself. There’s also a very interesting sibling dynamic going on between Drew and Trent that heightens the emotional stakes.

Though ‘Wereworld’ will stand out for the fantastical universe Jobling has created, it’s also the cachet of characters that made this an outstanding read. Werelion, King Leopold, is a great and god-like bad guy. And some of the secondary characters are fantastic; like Drew’s newfound friend, Gretchen, who became an instant favourite for her whip-quick wit.

Curtis Jobling’s debut YA book will no doubt appeal to the young male readership. It’s a gory swashbuckling fantasy-fest and guaranteed crowd-pleaser. But even though it is geared mostly toward the male readership, fans (both young, old and female) of the fantasy and paranormal genre will be sucked into Jobling’s impressive Wereworld and tugged along with Drew on his harrowing journey of (monster)self-discovery.

The second book in the Wereworld series is set for a January 2012 release, and I can’t wait!

5/5

'The Replacement' by Brenna YOVANOFF

From the BLURB:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

‘The Replacement’ is Brenna Yovanoff’s debut novel.

Something has been happening in the small town of Gentry. Something nobody talks about, but everyone knows. Children are snatched in the middle of the night. . . replaced by almost look-alikes that aren’t human and don’t belong – changelings.

‘The Replacement’ is the story of one changeling who grew into a teenager. Malcolm ‘Mackie’ Doyle was found in his crib one night, with dark eyes, pale skin and sharp teeth. He replaced the local reverend’s real son, but the family kept Mackie all the same. . . When we meet Mackie he is a young man coping with never fitting in.

In a town like Gentry, where the residents know but never speak of the ‘others’, Mackie just wants to keep his head down and coast along without attracting attention. So he tries to keep quiet about his aversion to iron (not easy in modern society when it’s in cars, people’s blood and the lunch trays in the school cafeteria). He tries not to let show how tired he always is, or the constant hum of pain.

But then the little sister of his classmate, Tate, is mysteriously killed. Everyone in Gentry is resigned to the little girl’s fate. . . but Tate won’t go so gently into that good night. She does what nobody else will – asks for Mackie’s help. Because she knows that Mackie is different, and she knows that her sister is out there, somewhere.

Now Mackie has to decide to be brave enough and admit his difference and put an end to Gentry’s secrecy.

I loved the premise of ‘The Replacement’. Changelings are a real focus in Western European folklore and folk religion – there are fascinating superstitions and wards against the stealing of human children and consequences for believed changelings. So I was really interested in a young adult paranormal book that had a changeling for a protagonist. And really, the concepts behind ‘The Replacement’ are complex and fascinating. Yovanoff has the basis for a great story here. But there was a lag between concept and execution, for me at least.

It’s hard to precisely articulate where the problem lied for me with this book. The ‘trigger’ for the plot is fairly immediate, with Tate’s little sister being declared dead in the opening chapter and Tate turning her (unwanted) attention to Mackie. But the pace remains sluggish for the first half of the book. It’s partly because Mackie is eighteen years old and has been living with his ‘otherness’ for all that time. So when we first meet him Mackie has accepted that he is different, has gotten used to hiding his true nature and is terrified of being found out. When Tate’s little sister goes missing Mackie’s first instinct is to act like the rest of the town – offer condolences but nothing more, don’t act overly interested and hope that the whole thing blows over in a few months.

But a slow pace is still a slow pace, regardless of the storyline’s justification, and it makes this reading a hard slog.

Even when the story does pick up, with Mackie meeting Gentry’s fae population, it still feels like the pace is set in slow motion. It’s mostly due to the fact that character’s reactions and impulses come across as underwhelming and artificial. It’s hard to explain – but little things like Mackie remaining outwardly calm and blasé when he meets the local fae queen didn’t connect with me. Mackie’s best friend talks around Mackie’s phobias and aversions to iron, all the while knowing the reasons behind it but refusing to directly address. All of this I found awkward and unbelievable.

And when Mackie starts meeting the various fae residents and rock stars, he remains aloof and almost uninterested in learning about his true heritage. It’s partly due to the fact that he wants to remain calm and not let them know how scared he is, but all the lack of reaction made reading this book a tad boring.

“Do you really want to know where we come from?” she said. “In every century, in every country, they’ll call us something different. They’ll say we’re ghosts, angels, demons, elemental spirits, and giving us a name doesn’t help anybody. When did a name ever change what someone is?”

And that was something I understood. Because it didn’t matter how often my dad called me Malcolm or introduced me as his son. It just made things worse. In fact, saying it once always seemed to make him say it again, like once it was out, he had to keep repeating it, so many times it just lost meaning.

Things do pick up towards the end, for a number of spoiler-related reasons. But throughout the book I was frustrated and disengaged because no characters had relatable reactions to situations or dialogue. I read to feel something, and I didn’t feel anything in this book. There was a big disconnect, a big hollow place where as a reader I never had a moment of connection with any of the characters or their dilemmas.

Yovanoff’s writing is beautiful and precise; the basic concept is interesting and steeped in old world folklore. But overall this book left me cold. I feel like my rating is based a lot on what could have been, because I had such high hopes for a wonderful blurb. Oh well.

2/5

Queensland Floods

The Queensland floods have devastated Australians and shocked the world. The images coming out of Queensland are Biblical and unbelievable. My heart goes out to my fellow countrymen, for the horrors and heartache they are experiencing and for difficulties to come.

I am way down in Victoria, well and truly out of the danger zone. But, like most Aussies, I have friends and family up in Queensland. All are safe and accounted for, if a little worse for wear.


It feels like Mother Nature has been particularly vindictive against Australia in recent years. We've only just started to recover from the Black Saturday Bush fires when She decides to hit us again.

In the wake of this disaster I have been utterly impressed by our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. These are two exceptional women who, in the midst of devastation, proven their mettle.

Gillard was only sworn in as Prime Minister in June 2010, but when the floods came she was down on the ground in Queensland and in the thick of it.

Likewise, Anna Bligh has shown impressive strength and poise during these hard times. I have no doubt that Ms Bligh is a Prime Minister in the making... her "We are Queenslanders" speech was incredibly moving.

It's very hard to watch the 24-hour news channels and be continuously shocked and disheartened by this disaster.

Now is the time to dig deep and give. Every little bit helps... and just like after Black Saturday, We Will Rebuild.

Donate to the Flood Relief Appeal

‘Flowers from the Storm’ by Laura KINSALE

From the BLURB:

The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the ′D---- of J----′ in scandal sheets, where he and his various exploits featured with frequency. But sometimes the most womanising rake can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms, quiet daughter of a simple mathematician.

After I read and loved Jennifer Ashley’s book, ‘The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie’, a friend recommended me another historical romance with a highly irregular hero.

Laura Kinsale’s historical romance opens predictably enough. Duke Christian Jervaulx is an unrepentant rakehell, and when we meet him he is in the middle of a tryst with his married lover. All is going according to rakish plan, until his mistress’s husband comes home... that’s when Kinsale flips this historical romance on its head. Jervaulx experiences a minor stroke, unbeknownst to him. It isn’t until a few days later, when he is called out in a duel that Jervaulx suffers a second, greater, stroke that renders him literally speechless. But, according to medicine of the time, Jervaulx is merely mad. He cannot form proper sentences, he yells and rants and becomes abusive. He cannot write, nor remember the name of simple objects... he is mad, and so his family send him to a mental asylum.

There, he is nursed by the Quaker woman Maddy Timms. Maddy recognizes the Duke from her father’s mathematical society meetings, though she was never one to socialize with the hedonistic Duke. But at the asylum Maddy discovers some shocking news... the Duke is not mad. Through a series of mathematical codes and equations, she realizes he is in fact still of sound mind... though, for some reason, his body cannot communicate it. Maddy takes it upon herself, under the guidance of God’s light, to be the Duke’s helpmeet. She will rescue him from the mad house, restore him to his estate... and along the way, give him her heart.

This book is incredible. I thought Jennifer Ashley was revolutionary in the historical romance genre for writing a hero with Asperger syndrome. But Laura Kinsale really takes the unconventional hero to whole different level in this book.

The story is told from both Maddy and Jervaulx’s perspective, so that you get an all-encompassing view of the duke’s changed character. From Maddy we read how much this man has changed; once lauded in London’s tattle pages as a tempting bachelor, Maddy watches as this infamous man is bought to his knees and abused emotionally, and physically. From Jervaulx we read the most heartbreaking narration of all – as readers we can interpret the disconnect between Jervaulx’s sane thoughts, and the actions Maddy and the asylum wardens witness.

His throat throbbed from the garrotte; he prayed to God that his family hadn’t forgotten him, that his name protected him, because it would be so simple to keep that stranglehold an instant too long – so easy; and he felt deserted, discarded, disowned; he had no reason to believe there was anything left of the universe but this cell and the hallway and what he could see from the window.

And Maddy. Maddygirl.

You really have to trust in Laura Kinsale. For a long time I was left wondering if the Duke wasn’t half-mad. Intellectually I know that stroke victims are not ‘insane’, but Kinsale keeps readers (and Maddy) guessing for a long time whether or not Jervaulx has lost his mental properties. For a long time his internal monologue is hazy and muddled, to the point that he can only think to label Maddy as ‘Cuzz-mad’, because he can’t think of her name or to simply label her ‘woman’ or ‘nurse’. Then we read his slow regain of speech; stop-start words and half-formed sentences as Jervaulx wades through the murky waters of his mind. Kinsale writes intense and fantastic dialogue and inner monologues that weave a twisted tale of a lost mind. Brilliant.

I will warn that ‘Flowers from the Storm’ is not a book of smouldering sex... But it is a brilliant and epic love story. Maddy perseveres and believes in Jervaulx when everyone else is happy to abandon him to the mad house. With Maddy’s compassion and patience, Jervaulx is able to shine a glaring light on his past corruptions and womanizing ways – and he becomes ashamed of his past. There is some sex – but Kinsale writes them with the utmost tenderness and sweetness, especially considering all that Maddy and Jervaulx have to do to get to that point of intimacy.

“You...make me...better.”

“Oh, I will try.” She played with a lock at his temple. “But thou art the duke, a bad wicked man, and I love thee too well to make thee something different.”

“Bad wicked...idiot,” he said wryly.

“No,” she said. “A star that I could only look up and wonder at. Thou perceives my true covetous nature – I’m glad thou fell, and I can hold thee in my hands.”

For a long time I felt a little adrift in the story, wondering how a romance could spring between Maddy and this mumbling, clumsy ‘mad’ duke... but Kinsale makes it work. The romance is in how Maddy helps pull Jervaulx out of his mind’s darkness. It’s a love story of grand emotion and unforgettable characters. ‘Flowers from the Storm’ is unique and glorious, a not to be missed historical romance.

5/5

'Hearts at Stake' The Drake Chronicles #1 by Alyxandra HARVEY

From the BLURB:

The Blakes are rather different to your usual neighbours. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solange, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped Lucy and Solange's brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more than just friends with Nicholas. But how does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father's killer.

‘Hearts at Stake’ (aka ‘My Love Lies Bleeding’) is a new young adult paranormal romance series from Alyxandra Harvey. ‘The Drake Chronicles’ revolves around a family of vampire aristocracy as they suffer the slings and arrows of vampiric politics and family feuds.

Helena and Liam Drake are the family patriarchs, with their seven rambunctious sons and one daughter. Solange is the youngest in the family, and also the miracle. She is the first vampire girl born in centuries, and as such there have been myths and legends surrounding her, particularly concerning her destiny as a vampire queen. But the current vampire queen, Natasha, isn’t too thrilled with the legend surrounding Solange, and so sets out to end her threat to the crown before Solange can turn fully vampire on her sixteenth birthday.

Helping Solange is her best (human) friend, Lucy. Together with Solange’s youngest brother (and Lucy’s immortal enemy) Nicholas Drake, this trio intend to see Solange survive her bloodchange and stare the queen down. . . until a bounty is put on the Drake’s heads and a vampire hunter called Kieran could tear their family apart.

“Solange doesn’t have any time left.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “But she’s stronger than you think.”

“Not during the bloodchange. She’ll be out cold.”

“Even then,” I insisted stubbornly. “You don’t know her like I do.”

“Lucy.” He looked beaten. “Listen, you have to face – ”

“No,” I interrupted fiercely. “You listen. We will find her. We will save her. Period. Okay?” I blinked back tears, fighting the bubble of hysteria in my throat. “Okay?”

He stepped closer, and I had to wipe my eyes so he wasn’t blurry.

“Shh.” He touched my cheek gently. “Okay, Lucy. Okay.”

I really like the premise of Alyxandra Harvey’s series. Each book will change narrator and protagonist, as each Drake brother has his moment in the sun (so to speak) and finds their HEA. The Drake’s are like the Cullen’s, in so far as they are a peaceful and tight-knit vampire family living under threat from their more blood-thirsty relations. The bonus of the family-focus is that readers can begin an affinity for each brother (and their various charms and characteristics) and anticipate that brother’s narration.

Of course, this first book focuses on the only Drake sister, Solange, and her romance with the hunter Kieran. The book also tells the love story of Nicholas Drake as his arch-nemesis, Lucy, finds herself unwittingly falling for his many charms. . .

I do wish that ‘Hearts at Stake’ had focused on only one Drake romance. Because the book had two romances running simultaneously (narration is split between Lucy and Solange), it did feel as though Harvey couldn’t properly devote herself to either romance. . . For what it’s worth, I responded more to Lucy and Nicholas’s love story. Because theirs felt more well-rounded; we got the story of how they grew up together, hating each other, but in recent days that antagonism grew into something new and wonderful. . . I loved their bickering and both Lucy and Nicholas’s reactions to their new feelings.

I honestly didn’t pay much attention of Solange’s romance with vampire hunter, Kieran. It was a case of ‘blink and you’ll miss the attraction’. Solange and Kieran literally meet once and from there Solange decides she has a crush on him – huh? I think if Harvey had dedicated an entire book to Solange’s story, without veering off into Lucy’s side of things, then that romance could have worked. . . but writing the two stories in one just left Solange’s love affair hollow and incomplete.

I really like the ‘Drake Chronicles’ premise. This is a YA paranormal romance that readers can sink their teeth into with a wonderful family focus. But this first book didn’t do a whole lot for me – I wish the story had either concentrated on Solange or Lucy’s romance, but not both. I can see the potential, but it wasn’t really met in ‘Hearts at Stake’, sorry.

3/5

US and International book covers:

♥ international GIVEAWAY of 'Dracula, My Love' ♥

I loved Syrie James' book, ‘Dracula, My Love’.

So I am absolutely delighted to announce that I have 4 copies to give away, courtesy of HarperCollins.

To enter, just tell me ‘which celebrity would you like to see play Count Dracula in a new film adaptation?’.

To enter:

♥ Become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already)

♥ Answer the question; ‘which celebrity would you like to see play Count Dracula in a film adaptation?’

♥ Include a way to contact you (e-mail addy is fine)

♥ One post per entrant

♥ This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway!

♥ Contest closes January 31.
I will announce the four winners on February 2nd